" Vaisnava Philosophy "
Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.395 Hyderabad, August 17, 1976
listen
Prabhupada: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya, om namo bhagavate
vasudevaya, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. This is from Caitanya-caritamrta,
Madhya-lila, Chapter Twenty.
kona brahmande kona lilara haya avasthana tate lila
'nitya' kahe agama-purana
Agama-purana means Vedic literature. Agama, "which is
coming from higher plane," not manufactured here. Agama-purana. And Purana means
the old history of the world, Purana. Purana, some of the modern scholars, they
take everything as mythology, imagination. That is not fact. They're real
history. Purana. Purana means very old. Nityah sasvato yam purano [Bg. 2.20]. In
Hindi it is called Purana. Purana means old. The Puranas means the old history,
not only of this world, but of the whole universe. Purana is also Vedic
evidence. Purana is not ordinary thing. Therefore here it is said, agama-purana.
Vedic literatures. Srila Madhvacarya has accepted the Vedic literatures -- four
Vedas, Vedanta-sutra, Upanisads, Puranas, Ramayana, Mahabharata. They're all
Vedic literature. So here it is said, kono brahmande. (aside:) Come here. This
room is very nice. Yes. Although it is not very big, but very comfortable.
Daksina, daksina-raja.
So,
kona brahmande kona lilara haya avasthana tate lila
'nitya' kahe agama-purana
Nitya-lila. Nitya-lila means everlasting pastimes. Our
lila, material, that is not nitya-lila. Whatever I'm acting by this body, it is
not nitya; it is temporary. I am the son of such and such family, I am such and
such important person, my name is such and such, my position is such and such --
these are not nitya. This is temporary. As soon as the body is finished,
everything is finished. Then another lila: I am such and such dog, I am such and
such this and that. With the change of body, our lila is finished. Therefore
ours is not nitya-lila. But Krsna's, Bhagavan's activities, they are nitya-lila.
That is the difference. Nitya means eternal. Krsna's Vrndavana lila is going on.
It is nitya-lila. Just like what is the time now? Quarter to eight. This quarter
to eight is a crude example of the sun. It is going on. It is not that quarter
to eight here, but when it will be eight, in some other place it is quarter to
eight. Somewhere the sun is rising and setting within this regulation. Now
suppose in Hyderabad it is quarter to eight and say it is in the eastern
side.
Mahamsa: Central India.
Prabhupada: Central India. So the sun will pass. It will
be eight. But the sun will go somewhere where it is quarter to eight. Is it not?
Somewhere the sun will pass and it is quarter to eight. That quarter to eight is
also permanent. Somewhere there will be, must be quarter to eight. This is crude
example. This example is given by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to explain what is the
meaning of nitya-lila.
So this is material example. And material, everything is
temporary. Still we find some similarity of nitya-lila. And what to speak of
spiritual. Spiritual, it is clearly said, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg.
2.20]. So kono brahmande kona lilara haya avasthana. Just like we are opening
the temple. This is also nitya-lila. In some brahmanda there is this opening
ceremony of temple. When tomorrow we shall open, day after tomorrow it is
opened. But day after tomorrow in some brahmanda it is being opened. This is
nitya-lila. Some other brahmanda, again it is finished; in another brahmanda it
is being opened. In another brahmanda it is being opened. There is no end. This
is called nitya-lila. In some brahmanda Krsna is born, Janmastami. It is
finished here. In other brahmanda, again Janmastami. Every moment. This is
pastimes of Krsna. Kona brahmande kona lilara haya avasthana. There must be
some... The same example: quarter to eight is somewhere. Similarly, Krsna's
lila, it is eternal. Somewhere it is going on. And you have no experience of one
brahmanda, what to speak of innumerable brahmandas.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu was requested by one of His devotees
that "Sir, You have so kindly come. Please liberate all the living entities of
this brahmanda, and You take them with You to Vaikuntha. And if You think that
they're so sinful they cannot be taken away, then please give all their sinful
actions to me. I shall suffer. You take them." This is (not) Vaisnava's
philosophy, that "You suffer. I'll go to Vaikuntha." That is not Vaisnava
philosophy. Vaisnava philosophy is that "I take your all sinful activities. Let
me suffer here. You go to Vaikuntha." This is Vaisnava. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu
replied, "Suppose I take all the living entities to Vaikuntha. Do you think that
the maya's business will be stopped? No. This brahmanda is one of the mustard
seeds in the bag of mustard seeds." In the bag of mustard seeds, can anybody
count how many mustard seeds are there? So here it is called kona brahmanda.
This is one of the brahmanda, universe. And there are so many universes that is
just like this one seed of mustard. One grain of mustard seed, and there is a
bag of mustard seeds. That is kona brahmande. So in each brahmanda Krsna's lila
is going on. Now you count. This is Krsna. They become very cheaply God, Krsna,
but they do not know what is Krsna. Therefore they take it so cheaply, that
"Anyone can become God. Anyone can become Krsna." Mudha. Mayaya-apahrta-jnanah.
These rascals they say like that. But they do not know what is Krsna.
manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati
siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascid vetti mam... [Bg.
7.3]
They do not know what is Krsna. Yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam
athavalambya jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah [Bs. 5.48]. And they're
coming out... Just like within our breathing there are so many things,
particles, or germs are coming, similarly, with the breathing period of
Maha-Visnu, so many universes are coming. This is Bhagavan. By breathing period
innumerable universes are created. Not that they create something jugglery and
become Bhagavan. Our conception of Bhagavan from the sastra is different.
So Krsna's creation of this brahmanda and His pastimes,
they are going on, nitya-lila. Kona kona bhagavan ei dekhi bare paya. The lila
is going on constantly, but one who is fortunate enough, he can see how lila
is... Kona brahmande kona lila haya avasthana, tate lila 'nitya' kahe
agama-purana. It is not that Krsna dasa Kaviraja Goswami is manufacturing some
idea. No. He says, kahe agama-purana. "I do not manufacture anything." That is
not acarya. Acarya does not manufacture anything concocted. He quotes from the
Vedic literature. Agama-purana. That is the qualification. So,
goloka, gokula-dhama-'vibhu' krsna-sama krsnecchaya
brahmanda-gane tahara sankrama [Cc. Madhya 20.396]
So Krsna-lila is going on in the spiritual world, but by
Krsna's desire that spiritual world also comes down in this material world. Just
like a big man, he lives in his palace, but if he likes he can go anywhere, and
he has the same facility of his palace by arrangement. Similarly, when Krsna
comes within this material world, He has all the paraphernalia of his Goloka
Vrndavana lila. As such this Vrndavana is as good as the original Vrndavana.
Aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa, tanaya tad-dhamam vrndavanam. This Vrndavana is not
ordinary place; it is the same Goloka Vrndavana. By Krsna's omnipotency the same
Vrndavana is duplicated. It is possible. That is called nitya-lila. Wherever He
likes, He can bring in Vrndavana and He can have His pastimes. So this temple,
do not think that it is Hyderabad place. No. It is Goloka Vrndavana. You should
be very careful. Aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa, tanaya tad-dhamam vrndavanam. As
Krsna is worshipable, similarly His place is also worshipable. Not that His
place is different from Him. No. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says,
sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marjanadau **. As the worship
of the Deity is important, similarly,
sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara-tan-mandira-marj anadau **. To keep the
temple very cleansed, very attractive, that is also Deity worship. Those who are
here working, they should keep this temple as clean as possible. Then Krsna will
be satisfied. Krsna's body -- this temple. Do not think it otherwise. Temple
should be worshiped in that way. Therefore I ask you not to come with shoes.
Even the temple is not opened, it is still Krsna's temple. It is not different
from Krsna. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srngara **. You should always remember
that. The temple management very nicely means to render service to Krsna.
So we are going to open this temple. Those who are in
charge, they must take care of the temple. Cleanliness. Tan-mandira-marjanadau.
The more we have got men, engage them. And do not think that temple cleaning and
Deity worshiping are different. Do not be envious, that "This person has been
given the in charge of decorating the Deity, and I have (been) given to wash the
temple where there are not Deity." No. It is the same thing. There is no
difference. It is spiritual. In spiritual... Just like either you worship
Krsna's lotus feet or you offer a garland to Krsna on His head, it is the same
thing. It is no such thing as "This is head, this is tail." No. This is absolute
conception of... So Bhagavan, His lila, His form, His pastimes, His place,
they're all Bhagavan. Even higher, those who are highly elevated devotees, they
do not see even this material world different from Bhagavan. Idam hi visvam
bhagavan ivetara. That is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Narada Muni says.
The whole universe is Bhagavan, although it appears different from Him. Bhagavan
ivetara. So actually everything is Bhagavan, but it is not this Mayavada
philosophy, that because everything is Bhagavan, there is no Bhagavan. No.
Everything is Bhagavan, and still Bhagavan is there. Krsna says, maya tatam idam
sarvam [Bg. 9.4]. Maya, a person is there. Otherwise, there is no use of the
word maya. Maya tatam idam sarvam. Vaisnava philosophy is that this material
world is expansion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the
Mayavada philosophy is that because God has become everything, there is no more
God. Nirvisesa. That is called nirvisesa -- without understanding the
beauty.
In this way, try to understand Krsna and His
paraphernalia, His form, His name, His quality, everything. There are so many
things to understand about Krsna. That is called Krsna consciousness. The
materialistic persons, they will think that "These people are wasting time. They
are doing nothing." But the agnostic, the material person, he does not know
anything. Because here is the study of Krsna. And Krsna is so unlimited, what
one life one can understand? It requires many lives. Bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyante [Bg. 7.19]. It is not so easy thing that we have
understood immediately Krsna. Bahunam janmanam ante, after many, many births if
one is fortunate, he can understand Krsna. So don't lose a single moment. Try to
understand Krsna, agama-purana, from sastra. Don't manufacture. Here it is said,
tate lila 'nitya' kahe agama-purana, from sastra. Sruti-smrti-puranadi
pancaratriki vidhim vina [Brs. 1.2.101], you have to understand Krsna from the
sastra. Sruti means veda, smrti means the history, the corollaries, just like
Bhagavad-gita, Ramayana, Mahabharata. Sruti-smrti-puranadi, without reference to
the Vedic literature, the knowledge of Krsna is simply disturbance. So you
should always refer to the sastras. The sastras are there by Krsna's grace. It
is now available in the English language. Be always engaged in studying, in
rendering service, understanding the philosophy, then life will be successful.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sri Caitanya-caritamrta,
Madhya-lila 20.395 -- Hyderabad, August 17,
1976
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