1.

Throughway to Happiness

Every one of us is searching after happiness, but we do not know what real
happiness is. We see so much advertised about happiness, but practically
speaking we see so few happy people. This is because so few people know that
the platform of real happiness is beyond temporary things. It is this real
happiness that is described in Bhagavad-gt by Lord Ka to Arjuna.
Happiness is generally perceived through our senses A stone, for instance, has
no senses and cannot perceive happiness and distress. Developed
consciousness can perceive happiness and distress more intensely than
undeveloped consciousness. Trees have consciousness, but it is not developed.
Trees may stand for a long time in all kinds of weather, but they have no way
of perceiving miseries. If a human being were asked to stand like a tree for only
three days or even less, he would not be able to tolerate it. The conclusion is
that every living being feels happiness or distress according to the degree of
development of his consciousness.
The happiness that we are experiencing in the material world is not real
happiness. If one asks a tree, "Are you feeling happy?" the tree, if it could,
might say,"Yes, I am happy, standing here all year. I'm enjoying the wind and
snowfall very much, etc." This may be enjoyed by the tree, but for the human
being it is a very low standard of enjoyment. There are different kinds and
grades of living entities, and their conceptions and perceptions of happiness
are also of all different types and grades. Although one animal may see that
another animal is being slaughtered, he will go right on chewing grass, for he
has no knowledge to understand that he may be next. He is thinking that he is
happy, but at the next moment he may be slaughtered.
In this way there are different degrees of happiness. Yet of all of them, what is
the highest happiness? r Ka tells Arjuna:
sukham tyantika yat tad
buddhi-grhyam atndriyam
vetti yatra na caivya

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 sthita calati tattvata

"In that joyous state ( ), one is situated in boundless transcendental

happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus,
one never departs from the truth." (Bg. 6.21)

Buddhi means intelligence; one has to be intelligent if he wants to enjoy.

Animals do not have really developed intelligence and so cannot enjoy life as a
human being can. The hands, the nose, the eyes, the other sense organs and all
the bodily parts may be present on a dead man, but he cannot enjoy. Why not?
The enjoying energy, the spiritual spark, has left, and therefore the body has
no power. If one looks further into the matter with a little intelligence, he can
understand that it was not the body that was enjoying at all but the small
spiritual spark that was within. Although one may think that he is enjoying by
the bodily sense organs, the real enjoyer is that spiritual spark. That spark
always has the potency of enjoyment, but it is not always manifest due to being
covered by the material tabernacle. Although we may not be aware of it, it is
not possible for the body to experience enjoyment without the presence of this
spiritual spark. If a man is offered the dead body of a beautiful woman, will he
accept it? No, because the spiritual spark has moved out of the body. Not only
was it enjoying within the body, but it was maintaining the body. When that
spark leaves, the body simply deteriorates.
It follows that if the spirit is enjoying, it must have its senses also, otherwise
how can it enjoy? The Vedas confirm that the spirit soul, although atomic in
size, is the actual enjoying agent. It is not possible to measure the soul, but that
is not to say that it is without measurement. An object may seem to us to be no
bigger than a point and may seem to have no length or width, but when we
perceive it under a microscope we can see that it has both length and width.
Similarly, the soul also has its dimensions, but we cannot perceive them. When
we buy a suit or dress, it is made to fit the body. The spiritual spark must have
form, otherwise how is it the material body has grown to accommodate it? The
conclusion is that the spiritual spark is not impersonal. It is an actual person.
God is an actual person, and the spiritual spark, being a fragmental part of
Him, is also a person. If the father has personality and individuality, the son
also has them; and if the son has them, we can conclude that the father has
them. So how can we, as sons of God, assert our personality and individuality

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and at the same time deny them to our Father, the Supreme Lord?
Atndriyam means that we have to transcend these material senses before we
can appreciate real happiness. Ramante yogino 'nante satynanda-cid-tmani:
the yogs who are aspiring after spiritual life are also tasting enjoyment by
focusing on the Supersoul within. If there is no pleasure, if there is no
enjoyment, then what is the point of going to so much trouble to control the
senses? What kind of pleasure are the yogs relishing if they are taking so much
trouble? That pleasure is anantaendless. How is this? The spirit soul is
eternal, and the Supreme Lord is eternal; therefore reciprocation of their
loving exchanges is eternal. One who is actually intelligent will refrain from
the flickering sensual enjoyment of this material body and fix his enjoyment
in spiritual life. His participation in spiritual life with the Supreme Lord is
called rsa-ll.
We have often heard of Ka's rsa-ll with the cowherd girls in Vndvana.
That is not like ordinary exchanges that take place between these material
bodies. Rather it is an exchange of feelings through spiritual bodies. One has
to be somewhat intelligent to understand this, for a foolish man, who cannot
understand what real happiness is, seeks happiness in this material world. In
India there is the story of a man who did not know what sugarcane was and
was told that it was very sweet to chew. "Oh, what does it look like?" he asked.
"It looks just like a bamboo rod," someone said. So the foolish man began to
chew all kinds of bamboo rods. How can he begin to experience the sweetness
of sugarcane? Similarly, we are trying to get happiness and pleasure, but we are
trying for them by chewing this material body; therefore there is no happiness
and no pleasure. For the time being there may be some little feeling of
pleasure, but that is not actual pleasure, for it is temporary. It is like a show of
lightning which we may see flashing in the sky that may momentarily seem
like lightning, but the real lightning is beyond that. Because a person does not
really know what happiness is, he deviates from real happiness.
The process for establishing oneself in real happiness is this process of Ka
consciousness. By Ka consciousness we can gradually develop our real
intelligence and naturally enjoy relishing spiritual happiness as we make
spiritual progress. As we begin to relish spiritual happiness, we proportionately
abandon material happiness. As we make progress in understanding the
Absolute Truth, we naturally become detached from this false happiness. If
somehow or other one is promoted to that stage of Ka consciousness, what

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is the result?
ya labdhv cpara lbha
manyate ndhika tata
yasmin sthito na dukhena
gurupi viclyate

"Upon gaining this, he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such
a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty." (Bg.
6.22)

When one attains that stage, other achievements appear insignificant. In this
material world we are trying to achieve so many thingsriches, women, fame,
beauty, knowledge, etc.but as soon as we are situated in Ka consciousness
we think, "Oh, no achievement is better than this." Ka consciousness is so
potent that a little taste can save one from the greatest danger. As one begins
to relish the taste of Ka consciousness, he begins to see other so-called
enjoyments and attainments as flat and tasteless. And if one is situated firmly
in Ka consciousness, the greatest danger cannot disturb him. There are so
many dangers in life because the material world is a place of danger. We tend
to close our eyes to this, and because we are foolish we try to adjust to these
dangers. We may have many dangerous moments in our lives, but if we are
training ourselves in Ka consciousness and preparing ourselves to go home,
back to Godhead, we will not care for them. Our attitude will then be:
"Dangers come and goso let them happen." It is very difficult to make this
kind of adjustment as long as one is on the materialistic platform and is
identifying with the gross body, which is composed of perishable elements. But
the more one advances in Ka consciousness, the more he becomes free from
bodily designations and this material entanglement.
In rmad-Bhgavatam the material world is compared to a great ocean.
Within this material universe there are millions and billions of planets
floating in space, and we can just imagine how many Atlantic and pacific
Oceans are there. In fact, the whole material universe is likened to a great
ocean of misery, an ocean of birth and death. In order to cross this great ocean
of nescience, a strong boat is needed, and that strong boat is the lotus feet of
Ka. We should immediately get aboard that boat. We should not hesitate,

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thinking that Ka's feet are very small. The whole universe is simply resting
on His leg. For one who takes shelter of His feet, it is said that the material
universe is no more significant than a puddle of water found in the impression
of a calf's hoofprint. There is certainly no difficulty in crossing over such a
small puddle.
ta vidyd dukha-sayoga-
viyogam yoga-sajitam

"This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material
contact." (Bg. 6.23)

We are entangled in this material world due to uncontrolled senses. The yoga
process is meant to control these senses. If somehow we can manage to control
the senses, we can turn our face to actual spiritual happiness and make our
lives successful.
sa nicayena yoktavyo
yogo 'nirvia-cetas
sakalpa-prabhavn kms
tyaktv sarvn aeata
manasaivendriya-grma
viniyamya samantata

anai anair uparamed

buddhy dhti-ghtay
tma-sastha mana ktv
na kicid api cintayet

yato yato nicalati

mana cacalam asthiram
tatas tato niyamyaitad
tmany eva vaa nayet

"One should engage oneself in the practice of with undeviating

determination and faith. One should abandon, without exception, all material
desires born of false ego and thus control all the senses on all sides by the mind.

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Gradually, step by step, with full conviction, one should become situated in
trance by means of intelligence, and thus the mind should be fixed on the Self
alone and should think of nothing else. From whatever and wherever the mind
wanders due to its flickering and unsteady nature, one must certainly withdraw
it and bring it back under the control of the Self." (Bg. 6.24-26)

The mind is always disturbed. It is going sometimes this way and sometimes
that way. By yoga practice we literally drag the mind to Ka consciousness.
The mind strays from Ka consciousness to so many exterior objects because
from time immemorial, life after life, that has been our practice. Due to this,
there may be great difficulty in the beginning when one tries to fix his mind in
Ka consciousness, but these difficulties can all be overcome.
It is because the mind is agitated and not fixed on Ka that it goes from one
thought to another. For instance, when we are engaged in work, memories of
events that happened ten, twenty, thirty or forty years ago may suddenly come
to our mind for no apparent reason. These thoughts come from our
subconscious, and because they are always rising, the mind is always agitated. If
we agitate a lake or a pond, all the mud from the bottom comes to the surface.
Similarly, when the mind is agitated so many thoughts arise from the
subconscious that have been stored there over the years. If we do not disturb a
pond, the mud will settle to the bottom. This yoga process is the means to quiet
the mind and allow all these thoughts to settle. For this reason there are so
many rules and regulations to follow in order to keep the mind from becoming
agitated. If we follow the rules and regulations, gradually the mind will come
under control. There are so many don'ts and so many dos, and if one is serious
about training the mind, he has to follow them. If he acts whimsically, what is
the possibility of the mind being controlled? When the mind is finally trained
to the point where it will think of nothing but Ka, it will attain peace and
will become very tranquil.
pranta-manasa hy ena
yogina sukham uttamam
upaiti nta-rajasa
brahma-bhtam akalmaam

"The whose mind is fixed on Me verily attains the highest happiness.

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By virtue of his identity with Brahman, he is liberated; his mind is peaceful, his
passions are quieted, and he is freed from sin." (Bg. 6.27)

The mind is always concocting objects for happiness. I am always thinking,

"This will make me happy," or "That will make me happy. Happiness is here.
Happiness is there." In this way the mind is taking us anywhere and
everywhere. It is as though we are riding on a chariot behind an unbridled
horse. We have no power over where we are going but can only sit in horror
and watch helplessly. As soon as the mind is engaged in the Ka
consciousness processspecifically by chanting Hare Ka, Hare Ka,
Ka Ka, Hare Hare/ Hare Rma, Hare Rma, Rma Rma, Hare
Harethen the wild horses of the mind will gradually come under our control.
We must engage in Ka's service every moment of our lives in order to keep
the restless and turbulent mind from dragging us from one object to another in
a vain search for happiness in the temporary material world.
yujann eva sadtmna
yog vigata-kalmaa
sukhe na brahma-sasparam
atyanta sukham anute

"Steady in the Self, being freed from all material contamination, the
achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in touch with the supreme
consciousness." (Bg. 6.28)

Ka serves as a patron for one who is devoted to Him. When one is in

difficulty, his patron saves him. As stated in Bhagavad-gt, Ka is the real
friend of every living entity, and we have to revive our friendship with Him.
The method for reviving this friendship is the process of Ka consciousness.
By practice of Ka consciousness, mundane passionate hankering will come
to a stop. This passionate hankering keeps us divorced from Ka. Ka is
within us and is waiting for us to turn to Him, but we are too busy passionately
eating the fruits of the tree of material desire. This passionate compulsion to
enjoy these fruits must stop, and we must situate ourselves in our real identity
as Brahmanpure spirit.

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 2. The Way of Chanting and Knowing Ka

Hare Ka, Hare Ka, Ka Ka, Hare Hare/ Hare Rma, Hare Rma,
Rma Rma, Hare Hare. This is transcendental sound vibration. It will help us
to cleanse the dust from the mirror of the mind. At the present moment we
have accumulated so much material dust on the mirror of the mind, just as on
Second Avenue (New York City) there is dust and soot over everything due to
the heavy traffic. Due to our manipulation of material activities, a great deal
of dust has collected over our mind's clear mirror, and as a consequence we are
unable to see things in perspective. This vibration of transcendental sound
(the Hare Ka mantra) will cleanse away this dust and enable us to see
clearly our real constitutional position. As soon as we come to understand "I
am not this body; I am spirit soul, and my symptom is consciousness," we will
be able to establish ourselves in real happiness. As our consciousness is purified
by this process of chanting Hare Ka, all our material miseries will disappear.
There is a fire that is always blazing over this material world, and everyone is
trying to extinguish it, but there is no possibility of extinguishing this fire of
the miseries of material nature unless we are situated in our pure
consciousness, in our spiritual life.
One of the purposes for Lord Ka's descent or appearance in this material
world is to extinguish the fire of material existence for all living entities by
setting forth the dharma.
yad yad hi dharmasya
glnir bhavati bhrata
abhyutthnam adharmasya
tadtmna sjmy aham

paritrya sdhn
vinya ca duktm
dharma-sasthpanrthya
sambhavmi yuge yuge

"Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O

8
descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligionat that time I
descend Myself. In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants,
as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium
after millennium." (Bg. 4.7-8)

In this verse the word dharma is used. This word has been translated into
English in various ways. Sometimes it is translated as "faith," but according to
Vedic literature, dharma is not a kind of faith. Faith may change, but dharma
cannot be changed. The liquidity of water cannot be changed. If it is
changedif, for instance, water becomes solidit is actually no longer in its
constitutional position. It is existing under a certain qualifying condition. Our
dharma or constitutional position is that we are part and parcel of the
Supreme, and this being the case, we have to dovetail or subjugate our
consciousness to the Supreme.
This position of transcendental service to the Supreme Whole is being misused
due to material contact. Service is implicit in our constitutional position.
Everyone is a servant, and no one is a master. Everyone is serving someone or
other. Although the president may be the chief executive of the state, still he
is serving the state, and when his services are no longer required, the state
disposes of him. To think to oneself,"I am the master of all I survey," is called
my, illusion. Thus in material consciousness our service is being misused
under various designations. When we can become free from these
designations, that is to say when the dust has been cleared from the mirror of
the mind, we will be able to see ourselves in our actual position as eternal
servants of Ka.
One should not think that his service in the material world and his service in
the spiritual atmosphere are the same. We may shudder to think, "Oh, after
liberation will I still be a servant?" This is because we have experience that
being a servant in the material world is not very enjoyable, but transcendental
service is not like this. In the spiritual world there is no difference between the
servant and the master. Here, of course, there is distinction, but in the
absolute world everything is one. For instance, in Bhagavad-gt we can see
that Ka has taken the position of servant as the chariot driver of Arjuna. In
his constitutional position, Arjuna is the servant of Ka, but in behavior we
can see that sometimes the Lord becomes the servant of the servant [Cc.

9
Madhya 13.80]. So we should be careful not to carry materialistic ideas into the
spiritual realm. Whatever we have materially experienced is but a perverted
reflection of things in spiritual life.
When our constitutional position or dharma is deteriorated due to the
contaminations of matter, the Lord Himself comes as an incarnation or sends
some of His confidential servitors. Lord Jesus Christ called himself the "son of
God," and so is a representative of the Supreme. Similarly, Mohammed
identified himself as a servant of the Supreme Lord. Thus whenever there is a
discrepancy in our constitutional position, the Supreme Lord either comes
Himself or sends His representative to inform us of the real position of the
living entity.
Therefore, one should not make the mistake of thinking that dharma is a
created faith. In its proper sense, dharma cannot be divorced from the living
entity at all. It is to the living entity what sweetness is to sugar, or saltiness is
to salt, or solidity is to stone. In no case can it be cut off. The dharma of the
living entity is to serve, and we can easily see that every living entity has the
tendency to serve himself or others. How to serve Ka, how to disentangle
ourselves from materialistic service, how to attain Ka consciousness and
become free from material designations is all taught as a science by r Ka
in Bhagavad-gt.
The word sdhu in the verse quoted above, beginning paritrya sdhnm
[Bg. 4.8] refers to a holy man or a saintly person. A saintly person is tolerant,
very kind to everyone, is a friend to all living entities, is no one's enemy and is
always peaceful. There are twenty-six basic qualifications for a holy man, and
in the Bhagavad-gt we find that r Ka Himself gives the following
verdict:
api cet su-durcro
bhajate mm ananya-bhk
sdhur eva sa mantavya
samyag vyavasito hi sa

"Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if he is engaged in

devotional service, he is to be considered saintly because he is properly
situated." (Bg. 9.30)

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On the mundane platform, what is morality for one person is immorality for
another, and what is immorality for one person is morality for another.
According to the Hindu conception, the drinking of wine is immoral, whereas
in the Western world, wine drinking is not considered immoral but is a
common thing. So morality is dependent on time, place, circumstance, social
position, etc. There is, however, a sense of morality and immorality in all
societies. In this verse Ka points out that even if one is engaged in immoral
acts but at the same time is fully in Ka consciousness, he is to be considered
a sdhu or a saint. In other words. although a person may have some immoral
habits due to his past association, if he is engaged fully in Ka consciousness,
these habits are not to be considered important. Whatever the case, if one
becomes Ka conscious, he will gradually be purified and will become a
sdhu. As one progresses in executing Ka consciousness, his bad habits
diminish, and he attains to saintly perfection.
In this regard there is the story of a thief who went on a pilgrimage to a holy
town, and on route he and the other pilgrims stopped to rest overnight at an
inn. Being addicted to stealing, the thief began making plans to steal the other
pilgrims' baggage, but he thought, "I'm going on a pilgrimage, so it doesn't seem
appropriate that I should steal this baggage. No, I shall not do it." Nonetheless,
due to his habit, he could not keep his hands off the baggage. So he picked up
one person's bag and placed it in another place, and then another person's bag
and placed it elsewhere. He spent all night placing different bags in different
places, but his conscience bothered him so that he could not take anything
from them. In the morning, when the other pilgrims awoke, they looked
around for their bags and couldn't find them. There was a great row, and
eventually, one by one, they began to find the bags in various places. After
they were all found, the thief explained: "Gentlemen, I am a thief by
occupation. Being that I am habituated to stealing at night, I wanted to steal
something from your bags, but I thought that since I am going to this holy
place, it is not possible to steal. So I may have rearranged the baggage, but
please excuse me." This is the characteristic of a bad habit. He does not want
to commit theft anymore, but because he is habituated, sometimes he does.
Thus Ka says that one who has decided to refrain from his immoral habits
and make progress in Ka consciousness is to be considered a sdhu, even if
out of past habit or by chance he yields to his fault. In the next verse we find
that r Ka says:

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 kipra bhavati dharmtm
avac-chnti nigacchati
kaunteya pratijnhi
na me bhakta praayati

"He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunt,
declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes." (Bg. 9.31)

Because one has committed himself to Ka consciousness, it is proclaimed

here by r Ka that within a very short time he will become saintly. One
may pull the plug out of an electric fan, and the fan may still go on even
though the juice has been disconnected, but it is understood that the fan will
soon come to a stop. Once we take shelter of the lotus feet of Ka, we turn
the switch off for our karmic activities, and although these activities may still
revolve, it is to be understood that they will quickly diminish. It is a fact that
whoever takes to Ka consciousness does not have to endeavor
independently to become a good man. All the good qualifications will
automatically come. It is stated in rmad-Bhgavatam that one who has
attained Ka consciousness has simultaneously attained all good qualities.
On the other hand, if a person is devoid of God consciousness and yet has
many good qualities, his good qualities are to be considered useless, for he will
not in any way be prohibited from doing that which is undesirable. If one is
devoid of Ka consciousness, he is sure to commit mischief in this material
world.
janma karma ca me divyam
eva yo vetti tattvata
tyaktv deha punar janma
naiti mm eti so 'rjuna

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities

does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but
attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna." (Bg. 4.9)

The mission for which Ka appears is here further explained. When He

comes with some mission, there are some activities. Of course there are some
philosophers who do not believe that God comes as an incarnation. They say,

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"Why should God come to this rotten world?" But from Bhagavad-gt we
understand otherwise. We should always remember that we read Bhagavad-gt
as scripture, and whatever is spoken in Bhagavad-gt must be accepted,
otherwise there is no reason in reading it. In Gt Ka says that He has come
as an incarnation with a mission, and along with His mission there are some
activities. We can see, for example, that Ka is active as chariot-driver for
Arjuna and engages in so many activities on the battlefield of Kuruketra. just
as when there is war one person or nation may side with another person or
nation and show partiality, Lord Ka on the battlefield shows some partiality
and sides with Arjuna. Actually Ka is not partial to anyone, but externally
it appears that He is partial. This partiality, however, should not be accepted
in the ordinary sense.
In this verse Ka also points out that His descent into the material world is
transcendental. The word divyam means transcendental. His activities are not
in any way ordinary. Even today, in India, at the end of August the people are
accustomed to celebrating Ka's birthday, regardless of sect, just as in the
Western world Jesus Christ's birthday is celebrated at Christmas. Ka's
birthday is called Janmam, and in this verse Ka uses the word janma in
referring to "My birth." Because there is birth, there are some activities.
Ka's birth and activities are transcendental, which means they are not like
ordinary births and activities. One may ask how it is that His activities are
transcendental. He is born, He takes part in a battle with Arjuna, he has a
father by the name of Vasudeva and a Mother Devak and a familywhat can
be considered transcendental? Ka says, eva yo vetti tattvatawe must
know of His birth and activities in truth. When one knows of Ka's birth
and activities in truth, the result is: tyaktv deha punar janma naiti mm eti
so 'rjuna [Bg. 4.9]when he leaves this material body, he is not born again but
goes directly to Ka. This means that he becomes a liberated soul. He goes to
the eternal spiritual world and attains his constitutional position full of bliss,
knowledge and eternality. All this can be obtained simply by knowing in truth
the transcendental nature of Ka's birth and activities.
Ordinarily when one quits the body he has to take up another body. The lives
of the living entities are going on simply due to the living entities' changing
dress from one body to anothertransmigration of the soulaccording to the
work of the living entities. At the present moment we may think that this
material body is our actual body, but it is like a dress. In reality we do have an

13
actual body, a spiritual body. This material body is superficial compared to the
real spiritual body of the living entity. When this material body becomes old
and worn out, or when it is rendered useless by some accident, we put it aside
as we might put aside a soiled or ruined suit and take up another material
body.
vssi jrni yath vihya
navni ghti naro 'pari
tath arri vihya jrny
anyni sayti navni deh

"As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, similarly, the soul
accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones." (Bg. 2.22)

In the beginning the body is the size of a pea. Then it grows to become a baby,
then a child, a young boy, a youth, a grown man and an old man, and finally,
when it becomes useless, the living entity changes into another body. The
body is therefore always changing, and death is simply the ultimate change of
the present body.
dehino 'smin yath dehe
kaumra yauvana jar
tath dehntara-prptir
dhras tatra na muhyati

"As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to
youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The
self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change." (Bg. 2.13)

Although the body is changing, the dweller within the body remains the same.
Although the boy grows into manhood, the living entity within the body is not
changed. It is not that the self who was there as a boy has gone away. Medical
science agrees that at every moment the material body is changing. just as
living entities are not bewildered by this, an enlightened man is not
bewildered when the body undergoes its ultimate change at death. But a
person who does not understand things as they are laments. In the material
condition we are simply changing bodies all the time; that is our disease. It is

14
not that we always change to a human body. We may change to an animal
body or a demigod body depending on our activities. According to the Padma
Pura there are at death. But Ka promises that one who knows His birth
and activities in truth is freed from this cycle of transmigration.
How does one understand Ka's birth and activities in truth? This is
explained in the Eighteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gt:
bhakty mm abhijnti
yvn ya csmi tattvata
tato m tattvato jtv
viate tad-anantaram

"One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional

service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such
devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." (Bg 18.55)

Here again the word tattvata, "in truth," is used. One can understand the
science of Ka in truth by becoming a devotee. He who is not a devotee, who
does not strive for Ka consciousness, cannot understand. At the beginning
of the Fourth Chapter also Ka tells Arjuna (Bg. 4.3) that He is explaining
this ancient science of yoga to him because Arjuna is "My devotee and My
friend." For one who simply makes an academic study of Bhagavad-gt, the
science of Ka remains a mystery. Bhagavad-gt is not a book that one can
just purchase from the bookstore and understand by scholarship alone. Arjuna
was not a great scholar, nor a Vedntist, nor a philosopher nor a brhmaa,
nor a renunciate; he was a family and military man. But still Ka selected
him to be the recipient of Bhagavad-gt and the first authority in the disciplic
succession. Why? "Because you are My devotee." That is the qualification to
understand Bhagavad-gt as it is and Ka as He isone must become Ka
conscious.
And what is this Ka consciousness? That is the process of cleansing the dust
from the mirror of the mind through the chanting of Hare Ka, Hare Ka,
Ka Ka, Hare Hare/ Hare Rma, Hare Rma, Rma Rma, Hare Hare. By
chanting this mantra and by hearing Bhagavad-gt, we can gradually attain to
Ka consciousness. vara sarva-bhtnm [Bg. 18.61]Ka is always
present within our heart. The individual soul and the Supersoul are both

15
sitting in the tree of the body. The individual soul (jva) is eating the fruit of
the tree, and the Supersoul (Paramtm) is witnessing. As the individual soul
begins the process of devotional service and gradually begins to develop his
Ka consciousness, the Supersoul who is seated within begins to help him
dust all the impurities from the mirror of the mind. Ka is a friend to all
saintly persons, and the attempt to become Ka conscious is a saintly
endeavor. ravaam. krtanam [SB 7.5.23]by chanting and hearing one can
come to understand the science of Ka and thereby come to understand
Ka. And upon understanding Ka, one can, at the moment of death, go
immediately to His abode in the spiritual world. This spiritual world. is
described thus in Bhagavad-gt:
na tad bhsayate sryo
na ako na pvaka
yad gatv na nivartante
tad dhma parama mama

"That abode of Mine is not illumined by the sun or moon, nor by electricity.
One who reaches it never returns to this material world." (Bg. 15.6)

This material world is always dark; therefore we require the sun, moon and
electricity. The Vedas enjoin us not to remain in this darkness but to transfer
ourselves to the world of illumination, the spiritual world. The word darkness
has a twofold meaning; it not only means without light, but it means
ignorance.
The Supreme Lord has manifold energies. It is not that he comes to this
material world to perform activities. It is stated in the Vedas that the Supreme
Lord has nothing to do. In Bhagavad-gt r Ka also says:
na me prthsti kartavya
triu lokeu kicana
nnavptam avptavya
varta eva ca karmai

"O son of Pth, there is no work prescribed for Me within all the three
planetary systems. Nor am I in want of anything, nor have I need to obtain
anythingand yet I am engaged in work." (Bg. 3.22)

16
We should therefore not think that Ka is required to descend upon this
material world and engage in so many activities. No one is equal to or greater
than Ka, and He has all knowledge naturally. It is not that He has to
undergo penances to acquire knowledge or that He at any time has to receive
knowledge or attain knowledge. At all times and in all conditions He is full of
knowledge. He may be speaking Bhagavad-gt to Arjuna, but at no time was
He ever taught Bhagavad-gt. One who can understand that this is Ka's
position does not have to return to the cycle of birth and death in this
material world. Being under the influence of illusion, we spend our lifetimes
trying to make adjustments to this material atmosphere, but this is not the
purpose of human life. Human life is meant for understanding the science of
Ka.
Our material needs are these: the problem of eating, of mating, of sleeping, of
defending ourselves and of acquiring sense gratification. These are common
both to human beings and to animals. The animals are busily engaged trying to
solve these problems, and if we are also only engaged in solving them how are
we any different from the animals? The human being, however, has a special
qualification whereby he can develop transcendental Ka consciousness, but
if he does not avail himself of this, he is in the animal category. The defect of
modern civilization is that it puts too much stress on solving these survival
problems. As spiritual living beings it is incumbent upon us to extricate
ourselves from this entanglement of birth and Death. We should therefore be
careful not to miss the special opportunity of human life. r Ka Himself
comes to deliver Bhagavad-gt and to help us to become God conscious.
Indeed, this very material creation is given to us to utilize for this cultivation.
But if after receiving this chance and this gift of human life we do not utilize
them to develop Ka consciousness, we shall be missing this rare
opportunity. The process for cultivation is very simple: ravaam krtanam [SB
7.5.23]hearing and chanting. We have nothing to do other than listen, and
by listening carefully, enlightenment is sure to come. Ka will surely help,
for He is seated within. We only have to make the effort and spare a little
time. We will not need anyone to ask us whether we are making progress. We
will know it automatically, just as a hungry man knows that he has been
satisfied by a full meal.
Actually this process of Ka consciousness or self-realization is not very

17
difficult. Ka taught it to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gt, and if we understand
Bhagavad-gt just as Arjuna did, we will have no problem in coming to the
perfectional state. But if we try to interpret Bhagavad-gt according to our
own mundane academic mentality, we spoil it all.
As stated before, this chanting of Hare Ka is a process by which all
contaminations due to material association are removed from the mirror of the
mind. There is no need for external help in reviving our Ka consciousness,
for Ka consciousness is dormant within the self. In fact, it is the very
quality of the self. We have only to invoke it by this process. Ka
consciousness is an eternal fact. It is not a doctrine or set of beliefs imposed by
some organization. It is within all living entities, whether they be human being
or animal. When Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu was passing through the jungles
of South India some five hundred years ago, He chanted Hare Ka, and all
the animalsthe tigers, elephants and deerjoined Him in dancing to the
holy names. Of course this depends on the purity of the chanting. As we
progress in chanting, purification is sure to come.

3. Seeing Ka Everywhere and Always

In our practical life, Ka instructs us how to invoke Ka consciousness. It

is not that we are to stop executing our duty or to cease from activity. Rather,
activities have to be conducted in Ka consciousness. Everyone has a
vocation in life, but with what consciousness does he enter upon it? Everyone
is thinking, "Oh, I must have a vocation in order to maintain my family."
Society, the government or the family have to be satisfied, and no one is free
from such consciousness One has to be in proper consciousness to execute any
activity nicely. He whose consciousness is agitated, who is like a madman,
cannot execute any duty. We should execute our duty properly, but we should
do it thinking to satisfy Ka. It is not that we have to change our process of
work, but we do have to understand for whom we are working. Whatever
activity we have to do we must execute, but we should not be carried away by
kma, desire. The Sanskrit word kma is used to indicate lust, desire or sense
satisfaction. r Ka instructs that we should not work for the satisfaction of

18
kma or our own lust. The whole teaching of Bhagavad-gt is based on this
principle.
Arjuna wanted to satisfy his senses by refraining from fighting with his
relatives, but Ka spoke to him to convince him to execute his duty for the
satisfaction of the Supreme. Materially it may seem very pious that he is giving
up his claim for a kingdom and refusing to kill his relatives, but Ka did not
approve of this because the principle for Arjuna's decision was to satisfy his
own senses. One's business or occupation need not be changedas Arjuna's
was not changedbut one does have to change his consciousness. In order to
change this consciousness, however, knowledge is required. That knowledge is
knowing "I am part and parcel of Ka, the superior energy of Ka." That is
real knowledge. Relative knowledge may teach us how to repair a machine, but
real knowledge is knowing our position as being integral with Ka. Being
part of Him, our pleasure, which is partial, is dependent on the whole. For
instance, my hand can take pleasure when it is attached to my body and serves
it. It does not take pleasure in serving another's body. Because we are part of
Ka, our pleasure is in serving Him. "I cannot be happy serving you,"
everyone is thinking. "I can only be happy serving myself." But no one knows
who the self is. That self is Ka.
mamaivo jva-loke
jva-bhta santana
mana ahnndriyi
prakti sthni karati

"The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental

parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses,
which include the mind." (Bg. 15.7)

The jvas, or living entities, are now detached from the whole due to material
contact. It is therefore necessary for us to strive to attach ourselves again
through the latent Ka consciousness that is within us. Artificially, we are
trying to forget Ka and live independently, but this is not possible. When
we strive to live independent of Ka, we come under the influence of the
laws of material nature. If one thinks he is independent of Ka, he becomes
dependent on the illusory energy of Ka, just as if one thinks that he is

19
independent of the government and its regulations, he becomes dependent on
the police force. Everyone is trying to become independent, and this is called
my, illusion. Individually, communally, socially, nationally, or universally, it
is not possible to become independent. When we come to realize that we are
dependent, we will have attained knowledge. Today so many people are
striving for peace in the world, but they do not know how to implement that
peace formula. The United Nations has been striving for peace for so many
years, but still war is going on.
yac cpi sarva-bhtnm-
bja tad aham arjuna
na tad asti vin yat syn
may bhta carcaram

"Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is

no beingmoving or unmovingthat can exist without Me." (Bg. 10.39)

Ka is thus the proprietor of everything, the ultimate beneficiary and the

receiver of the results of everything. We may consider ourselves to be the
proprietors of the fruits of our labor, but this is a misconception. We must
come to understand that Ka is the ultimate proprietor of the fruits of all our
works. Hundreds of people may be working in an office, but they understand
that whatever profit the business makes belongs to the proprietor. As soon as a
teller at the bank thinks, "Oh, I have so much money. I am the proprietor. Let
me take it home with me," his trouble begins. If we think that we can use
whatever wealth we have amassed for our own sense gratification, we are
acting out of kma, lust. But if we come to understand that everything we have
belongs to Ka, we are liberated. We may have the same money in our hands,
but as soon as we think that we are the proprietor, we are under the influence
of my. One who is situated in the consciousness that everything belongs to
Ka is an actual learned man.
vsyam ida sarva
yat kica jagaty jagat
tena tyaktena bhujth
m gdha kasya svid dhanam

20
 "Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled
and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things
necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one must not accept
other things, knowing well to whom they belong." [ ]

This consciousness of vsyaeverything belongs to Kamust be

revived, not only individually but nationally and universally. Then there will
be peace. We often tend to be philanthropic and altruistic, and we strive to be
friends with our countrymen, with our families and with all the peoples of the
worldbut this is based on a wrong conception. The real friend is Ka, and
if we want to benefit our family, nation or planet, we will work for Him. If we
have our family's welfare in mind, we will try to make all members Ka
conscious. There are so many men trying to benefit their families, but
unfortunately they do not succeed. They do not know what the real problem
is. As the Bhgavatam says, one should not attempt to become a father, or
mother, or teacher unless he is able to save his children from death, from the
grip of material nature. The father should be in knowledge of Ka, and he
should be determined that the innocent children who are entrusted to him
will not have to undergo the cycle of birth and death again. He should be
resolved to train his children in such a way that they will no longer have to be
subjected to the painful cycle of birth and death. But before one can do this,
he has to make himself expert. If he becomes expert in Ka consciousness, he
can help not only his children but his society and nation. But if he himself is
bound by ignorance, how can he untie others who are similarly bound? Before
one can make others free, he must be free himself. Actually no one is a free
man, for everyone is under the spell of material nature, but one who is
surrendered to Ka cannot be touched by my. He, of all men, is free. If one
places himself in sunlight, there is no question of darkness. But if one places
himself in artificial light, it may flicker and go out. Ka is just like sunlight.
Where He is present there is no question of darkness and ignorance. The wise
men, the mahtms, understand this.
aha sarvasya prabhavo
matta sarva pravartate
iti matv bhajante m
budh bhva-samanvit

21
 "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates
from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service
and worship Me with all their hearts." (Bg. 10.8)

In this verse the word budha is used, which indicates a wise man or one who is
learned. What is his symptom? He knows that Ka is the fountainhead of
everything, of all emanations. He knows that whatever he sees is but an
emanation of Ka. In the material world, sex life is the most prominent
factor. Sexual attraction is found in all species of life, and one may ask where
it comes from. The wise man understands that this tendency is in Ka and
that it is revealed in His relationships with the damsels of Vraja. Whatever is
found in this material world can also be found in perfection in Ka. The
difference is that in the material world everything is manifest in a perverted
form. In Ka all of these tendencies and manifestations exist in pure
consciousness, in spirit. One who knows this, in full knowledge, becomes a
pure devotee of Ka.
mahtmnas tu m prtha
daiv praktim rit
bhajanty ananya-manaso
jtv bhtdim avyayam
[Bg. 9.13]

satata krtayanto m
yatanta ca dha-vrat
namasyanta ca m bhakty
nitya-yukt upsate
[Bg. 9.14]

"O son of Pth, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the
protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service
because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and
inexhaustible. Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great
determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship
Me with devotion." (Bg. 9.13)

22
Who is the great soul, the mahtm? It is he who is under the influence of the
superior energy. At present we are under the influence of Ka's inferior
energy. As living entities, our position is marginalwe can transfer ourselves
to either of the two energies. Ka is fully independent, and because we are
part and parcel of Him we also have this quality of independence. Therefore
we have a choice as to which energy we will function under. Because we are
ignorant of the superior nature, we have no alternative but to remain in the
inferior nature.
Some philosophies propound that there is no nature other than the one we are
presently experiencing and that the only solution to this is to nullify it and
become void. But we cannot be void because we are living entities. It does not
mean that we are finished just because we change our bodies. Before we can
get out from the influence of material nature, we have to understand where
our place actually is, where we are to go. If we do not know where to go, then
we will simply say, "Oh, we do not know what is superior and inferior. All we
know is this, so let us stay here and rot." Bhagavad-gt however, gives us
information of the superior energy, the superior nature.
What Ka speaks, He speaks for all eternity; it does not change. It does not
matter what our present occupation is or what Arjuna's occupation waswe
only have to change our consciousness. At present we are guided by the
consciousness of self-interest. but we do not know what our real self-interest is.
Actually we do not have self-interest, but sense interest. Whatever we are
doing, we are doing to satisfy the senses. It is this consciousness that has to be
changed. In its place we must implant our real self-interestKa
consciousness.
How is this done? How is it possible to become Ka conscious in every step of
our life? Actually Ka makes it very easy for us:
raso 'ham apsu kaunteya
prabhsmi ai-sryayo
praava sarva-vedeu
abda khe paurua nu

"O son of Kunt [Arjuna], I am the taste of water. the light of the sun and
the moon, the syllable in the Vedic I am the sound in ether and
ability in man." (Bg. 7.8)

23
In this verse r Ka is describing how we can become Ka conscious fully,
in all stages of life. All living entities must drink water. The taste of water is so
nice that when we are thirsty nothing but water seems to do. No manufacturer
can create the pure taste of water. We can thus remember Ka or God when
we drink water. No one can avoid drinking water every day of his life, so God
consciousness is therehow can we forget?
Similarly, when there is some illumination, that is also Ka. The original
effulgence in the spiritual sky, the brahma-jyoti, emanates from the body of
Ka. This material sky is covered. The very nature of the material universe is
darkness, which we experience at night. It is being artificially illuminated by
the sun, by the reflected light of the moon, and by electricity. Where is this
illumination coming from? The sun is being illumined by the brahma-jyoti, or
the bright effulgence of the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no
need for sun, moon or electricity because there everything is illuminated by
the brahma-jyoti. On this earth, however, we can remember Ka whenever
we see some illumination from the sun.
When we chant the Vedic mantras which begin with o, we can also
remember Ka. O, like Hare Ka, is also an address to God, and o is
also Ka. abda means sound, and whenever we hear any sound we should
know that it is a vibration of the original sound, the pure spiritual sound o or
Hare Ka. Whatever sound we hear in the material world is but a reflection
of that original spiritual sound o. In this way when we hear sound, when we
drink water, when we see some illumination, we can remember God. If we can
do this, then when will we not remember God? This is the process of Ka
consciousness. In this way we can remember Ka twenty-four hours a day,
and in this way Ka is with us. Of course Ka is always with us, but as soon
as we remember this, His presence is factual and is felt.
There are nine different processes for associating with God, and the first
method of association is ravaamhearing. By reading Bhagavad-gt we
hear the speeches of r Ka, which means that we are actually associating
with Ka or God. (We should always remember that when we speak of
Ka, we refer to God.) Inasmuch as we associate with God and as we go on
hearing the words of Ka and His names, the contamination of material
nature is reduced. In understanding that Ka is sound, illumination, water,
and so many other things, it becomes impossible to avoid Ka. If we can

24
remember Ka in this way, our association with Him is permanent.
Association with Ka is like association with sunshine. Where there is
sunshine, there is no contamination. As long as one is out in the ultraviolet
rays of the sun, he will not be diseased. In western medicine, sunshine is
recommended for all kinds of diseases, and according to the Vedas a diseased
man should worship the sun for cure. Similarly, if we associate with Ka in
Ka consciousness, our maladies are cured. By chanting Hare Ka we can
associate with Ka, and we can see the water as Ka, the sun and the moon
as Ka, and we can hear Ka in sound and taste Him in water.
Unfortunately, in our present condition we have forgotten Ka. But now we
have to revive our spiritual life by remembering Him.
This process of ravaa krtanam [SB 7.5.23]hearing and chantingwas
approved by Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu. When Lord Caitanya was speaking
with Rmnanda Rya, a friend of the Lord's and a great devotee, the Lord
questioned him about the methods of spiritual realization. Rmnanda
recommended varrama-dharma, sannysa, the renunciation of work, and so
many other methods, but Lord Caitanya said, "No, all of these are not so good."
Each time Rmnanda Rya suggested something, Lord Caitanya rejected it,
requesting a better method for spiritual development. Finally Rmnanda
Rya quoted a Vedic aphorism which recommended that one give up all
unnecessary endeavor in mental speculation for understanding God because
by speculation it is not possible to arrive at the ultimate truth. Scientists, for
instance, may speculate about distant stars and planets, but they can never
come to any conclusions without experience. One may go on speculating
throughout his life and never reach any conclusions.
It is especially useless to speculate about God. Therefore rmad-Bhgavatam
recommends that all sorts of speculation should be given up. It is
recommended instead that one become submissive, realizing that not only is he
an insignificant creature, but that this earth is only one small point in the
great universe. New York City may seem very large, but when one realizes that
the earth is such a small spot, and that on the earth the United States is just
another small spot, and that in the United States New York City is but a small
spot, and that in New York the individual is only one out of millions, then one
can understand that he is not so very important after all. Realizing our
insignificance in the face of the universe and God, we should not be
artificially puffed-up but should be submissive. We should be very careful not

25
to fall prey to the frog philosophy. Once there was a frog in a well, and upon
being informed of the existence of the Atlantic Ocean by a friend, he asked
the friend, "Oh, what is this Atlantic Ocean?"
"It is a vast body of water," his friend replied.
"How vast? Is it double the size of this well?"
"Oh no, much much larger," his friend replied.
"How much larger? Ten times the size?" In this way the frog went on
calculating. But what is the possibility of his ever understanding the depths
and far reaches of the great ocean? Our faculties, experience, and powers of
speculation are always limited. We can only give rise to such frog philosophy.
Therefore rmad-Bhgavatam recommends that we give up the method of
speculation as a waste of time in trying to understand the Supreme.
After giving up speculation, what should we do? Bhgavatam recommends that
we become submissive and hear the message of God submissively. This message
may be found also in the Bhagavad-gt and other Vedic literatures, in the
Bible or the Koranin any bona fide scriptureor it may be heard from a
realized soul. The main point is that one should not speculate but should
simply hear about God. What will be the result of such hearing? Regardless of
what one iswhether he be a poor or rich man, an American, European or
Indian, a brhmaa, dra or whateverif one but hears the transcendental
word of God, the Lord, who can never be conquered by any power or force,
will be conquered by love. Arjuna was a friend of Ka's, but Ka, although
the Supreme Godhead, became Arjuna's chariot driver, a menial servant.
Arjuna loved Ka, and Ka reciprocated his love in this way. Similarly,
when Ka was a child, He playfully took the shoes of His father, Nanda
Mahrja, and put them on His head. People may try very hard to become one
with God, but actually we can surpass thatwe can become father of God. Of
course God is the father of all creatures, and He has no father Himself, but He
accepts His devotee, His lover, as a father. Ka agrees to be conquered by His
devotee out of love. All one has to do is hear the message of the Lord very
carefully.
In the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gt r Ka gives additional ways in
which He can be perceived in every step of life:
puyo gandha pthivy ca
teja csmi vibhvasau

26
 jvana sarva-bhteu
tapa csmi tapasviu

"I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the
life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics." (Bg. 7.9)

The words puyo gandha refer to fragrances. Only Ka can create flavors
and fragrances. We may synthetically create some scents or fragrances, but
these are not as good as the originals that occur in nature. When we smell a
good natural fragrance, we can think, "Oh, here is God. Here is Ka." Or
when we see some natural beauty, we can think, "Oh, here is Ka." Or when
we see something uncommon, powerful or wonderful, we can think,"Here is
Ka." Or when we see any form of life, whether it be in a tree, in a plant, or
an animal or in a human being, we should understand that this life is part and
parcel of Ka, for as soon as the spiritual spark, which is part and parcel of
Ka, is taken away from the body, the body disintegrates.
bja m sarva-bhtn
viddhi prtha santanam
buddhir buddhimatm asmi
tejas tejasvinm aham

"O son of Pth, know that I am the original seed of all existences, the
intelligence of the intelligent, and the prowess of all powerful men." (Bg. 7.10)

Here again it is explicitly stated that Ka is the life of all that lives. Thus at
every step we can see God. People may ask, "Can you show me God?" Yes, of
course. God can be seen in so many ways. But if one closes his eyes and says, "I
shall not see God," then how can He be shown?
In the above verse the word bjam means seed, and that seed is proclaimed to
be eternal (santanam). One may see a huge tree, but what is the origin of this
tree? It is the seed, and that seed is eternal. The seed of existence is within
every living entity. The body itself may go through so many changesit may
develop within the mother's womb, come out as a small baby and grow through
childhood and adulthoodbut the seed of that existence that is within is
permanent. Therefore it is santanam. Imperceivably we are changing our
bodies at every moment, at every second. But the bjam, the seed, the spiritual

27
spark, does not change. Ka proclaims Himself to be this eternal seed within
all existences. He is also the intelligence of an intelligent person. Without
being favored by Ka, one cannot become extraordinarily intelligent.
Everyone is trying to be more intelligent than others, but without the favor of
Ka this is not possible. Therefore whenever we encounter someone with
extraordinary intelligence we should think, "That intelligence is Ka."
Similarly, the influence of one who is very influential is also Ka.
bala balavat cha
k ma-rga-vivarjitam
dharmviruddho bhteu
kmo 'smi bharatarabha

"I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life
which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bhratas [Arjuna]."
(Bg. 7.11)

The elephant and the gorilla are very strong animals, and we should
understand that they get their strength fro m Ka. The human being cannot
acquire such strength by his own endeavor, but if Ka so favors, a man can
get strength to exceed the elephant thousands of times. The great warrior
Bhma, who fought in the battle of Kuruketra, was said to have strength ten
thousand times that of an elephant. Similarly, desire or lust (kma) which is
not against religious principles should also be seen as Ka. What is this lust?
lust generally means sex life, but here kma refers to sex life which is not
against religious principles, that is to say, sex for the begetting of good
children. If one can beget good Ka conscious children, he can have sex
thousands of times, but if he can only beget children who are raised in the
consciousness of cats and dogs, his sex life is to be considered irreligious. In
religious and civilized societies, marriage is intended as an indication that a
couple is to engage in sex for begetting good children. Therefore married sex
life is considered religious, and unmarried sex life is considered irreligious.
Actually there is no difference between the sannys and the householder
provided that the householder's sexual activities are based on religious
principles.
ye caiva sttvik bhv

28
 rajasas tmas ca ye
matta eveti tn viddhi
na tv aha teu te mayi

"All states of beingbe they of goodness, passion or ignoranceare

manifested by My energy. I am, in one sense, everythingbut I am
independent. I am not under the modes of this material nature." (Bg. 7.12)

One may question Ka in this way: "You say You are sound, water,
illumination, fragrance, the seed of all, strength, and kma, desiredoes that
mean that you exist simply in the mode of goodness?" In the material world
there are the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Thus far, Ka has
described Himself as that which is good (for instance, sex in marriage
according to religious principles). But what about the other modes? Does not
Ka exist in them? In answer, Ka replies that whatever is seen in the
material world is due to an interaction of three modes of material nature.
Whatever can be observed is a combination of goodness, passion or ignorance,
and in all cases these three states are "produced by Me." Because they are
produced by Ka, their position is in Him, but He is not in them, for Ka
Himself is transcendental to the three modes. Thus, in another sense, bad and
evil things, which are produced out of ignorance, are also Ka, when they
are applied by Ka. How is this? For example, an electrical engineer is
producing electrical energy. In our homes we are experiencing this electrical
energy as coldness in the refrigerator or heat in the electric stove, but at the
power plant electrical energy is neither cold nor hot. The manifestations of
this energy may be different for the living entities, but for Ka they are not
different. Therefore Ka sometimes acts on what appears to be the principles
of passion or ignorance, but for Ka there is nothing but Ka, just as for
the electrical engineer electrical energy is simply electricity and nothing else.
He makes no distinction that this is "cold electricity" or that is "hot electricity."
Everything is being generated by Ka. Indeed, the Vednta-stra confirms:
athto brahma jijs janmdy asya yata: [SB 1.1.1] everything is flowing from
the
Supreme Absolute Truth. What the living entity is considering to be bad or
good is only so for the living entity, for he is conditioned. But because Ka is
not conditioned, for Him there is no question of bad or good. Because we are

29
conditioned, we are suffering from dualities, but for Him everything is perfect.

4. The Roads of the Foolish and the Wise

Ka is thus explaining Himself as He is. Yet we are not attracted to Him.

Why is this? The reason is given by Ka Himself:
daiv hy e gua-may
mama my duratyay
mm eva ye prapadyante
mym et taranti te

"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material

nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can
easily cross beyond it." (Bg. 7.14)

The material world is pervaded by the three qualities of material nature. All
living entities are influenced by these qualities. If they are primarily
influenced by the mode of goodness, they are called brhmaas, and if they are
influenced by the mode of passion, they are called katriyas. If they are
influenced by the modes of passion and ignorance, they are vaiyas, and if they
are influenced by ignorance, they are dras. This is not an artificial
imposition due to birth or social status but is according to gua, or the mode of
nature under which one is operating.
ctur-varya may sa
gua-karma-vibhgaa
tasya kartram api m
viddhy akartram avyayam

"According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to
them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I
am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer,
being unchangeable." (Bg. 4.13)

30
It is not that this system refers to the perverted caste system in India. r
Ka specifically states: gua-karma-vibhgaa: men are classified according
to the gua or the mode under which they are operating, and this applies to
men all over the universe. When Ka speaks, we must understand that
whatever He says is not limited but is universally true. He claims to be the
father of all living entitieseven the animals, the aquatics, the trees, plants,
worms, birds and bees are all claimed to be His sons. r Ka asserts that the
entire universe is illusioned by the interactions of the three qualities of
material nature, and we are under the spell of that illusion; therefore we
cannot understand what God is.
What is the nature of this illusion, and how can it be overcome? That is also
explained in Bhagavad-gt:
daiv hy e gua-may
mama my duratyay
mm eva ye prapadyante
mym eta taranti te

"This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material

nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered to Me can
easily cross beyond it." (Bg. 7.14)

No one can get rid of the entanglement of the three qualities of material
nature by mental speculation. The three guas are very strong and hard to
overcome. Can't we feel how we are in the grip of material nature? The word
gua (mode) also means rope. When someone is bound by three strong ropes,
he is certainly very tightly secured. Our hands and legs are all bound by the
strong ropes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Are we therefore to abandon
hope? No, for here r Ka promises that whoever surrenders unto Him is at
once free. When one becomes Ka consciouswhether in this way or that
wayhe becomes free.
We are all related to Ka, for we are all His sons. A son may have a
disagreement with his father, but it is not possible for him to break that
relation. In the course of his life he will be asked who he is, and he will have to
reply, "I am the son of so and so." That relation cannot be broken. We are all

31
sons of God, and that relationship with Him is eternal, but we have simply
forgotten. Ka is all-powerful, all-famous, all-wealthy, all-beautiful,
all-knowledgeable, and He is full of renunciation as well. Although we are
friends of such a great personality, we have forgotten it. If a rich man's son
forgets his father, leaves home and becomes mad, he may lie on the street to go
to sleep, or he may beg money for food, but all of this is due to his
forgetfulness. If someone, however, gives him information that he is simply
suffering because he has left his father's home and that his father, a very
wealthy man and owner of vast property, is anxious to have him returnthe
person is a great benefactor.
In this material world we are always suffering under threefold miseriesthe
miseries arising from the body and the mind, from other living entities, and
from natural catastrophes. Being covered by illusion, by the modes of material
nature, we do not take account of these miseries. However, we should always
know that in the material world we are undergoing so much suffering. One
who has sufficiently developed consciousness, who is intelligent, inquires why
he is suffering. "I do not want miseries. Why am I suffering?" When this
question arises, there is chance for becoming Ka conscious.
As soon as we surrender ourselves to Ka, He welcomes us very cordially. It
is just like a lost child who returns to his father and says, "My dear father, due
to some misunderstanding I left your protection, but I have suffered. Now I
return to you." The father embraces his son and says, "My dear boy, come on. I
was so anxious for you all the days you were gone, and now I'm so happy you
have come back." The father is so kind. We are in the same position. We have
to surrender to Ka, and it is not very difficult. When the son surrenders to
the father, is it a very difficult job? It is very natural, and the father is always
waiting to receive the son. There is no question of insult. If we bow down
before our Supreme Father and touch His feet, there is no harm for us, nor is it
difficult. Indeed, it is glorious for us. Why should we not? By surrendering unto
Ka we come immediately under His protection and are relieved of all
miseries. This is validated by all scriptures. At the end of Bhagavad-gt, r
Ka says:
sarva-dharmn parityajya
mam eka araa vraja
aha tv sarva-ppebhyo

32
 mokayiymi m uca

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver
you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear." (Bg. 18.66)

When we throw ourselves at the feet of God, we come under His protection,
and from that time on there is no fear for us. When children are under the
protection of their parents, they are fearless because they know that their
parents will not let them be harmed. Mm eva ye prapadyante: Ka promises
that those who surrender to Him have no cause for fear.
If surrender unto Ka is such an easy thing, then why don't people do it?
Instead there are many who are challenging the very existence of God,
claiming that nature and science are everything and that God is nothing.
So-called advancement of civilization in knowledge means that the populace is
becoming more mad. Instead of being cured, the disease is being increased.
People don't care for God, but they care for nature, and it is nature's business
to give kicks in the form of the threefold miseries. She is always administering
these kicks twenty-four hours a day. However, we have become so accustomed
to being kicked that we think it is all right and consider it to be the ordinary
course of things. We have become very proud of our education, but we tell
material nature, "Thank you very much for kicking me. Now please continue."
Thus deluded, we think that we have even conquered material nature. But
how is this so? Nature is still inflicting upon us the miseries of birth, old age,
disease and death. Has any one solved these problems? Then what
advancement have we really made in knowledge and civilization? We are
under the stringent rules of material nature, but still we are thinking that we
have conquered. This is called my.
There may be some difficulty in surrendering to the father of this body, for he
has limited knowledge and power, but Ka is not like an ordinary father.
Ka is unlimited and has full knowledge, full power, full wealth, full beauty,
full fame and full renunciation. Shouldn't we consider ourselves lucky to go to
such a father and enjoy His property? Yet no one seems to care about this, and
now everyone is making propaganda that there is no God. Why do people not
seek Him out? The answer is given in the next verse of Bhagavad-gt:
na m duktino mh

33
 prapadyante nardham
myaypahta jna
sura bhvam rit

"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose
knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of
demons do not surrender unto Me." (Bg. 7.15)

In this way the fools are categorized. A dukt is always acting against the
scriptural injunctions. The business of current civilization is to break
scriptural rulesthat's all. By definition, a pious man is one who doesn't.
There must be some standard to distinguish between dukt (an evil doer) and
sukt (a virtuous man). Every civilized country has some scriptureit may be
Christian, Hindu, Moslem or Buddhist. That doesn't matter. The point is that
the book of authority, the scripture, is there. One who does not follow its
injunctions is considered an outlaw.
Another category mentioned in this verse is mha, fool number one. The
nardhama is one who is low in the human scale, and myaypahta jna
refers to one whose knowledge is carried away by my, or illusion. sura
bhvam rit refers to those who are out and out atheists. Although there are
no disadvantages to surrendering unto the Father, people who are thus
characterized never do it. As a result, they are constantly punished by the
agents of the Father. They have to be slapped, caned and kicked severely, and
they have to suffer. just as a father has to chastise his unruly boy, so material
nature has to employ certain punishments. At the same time nature is
nourishing us by supplying food and other necessities. Both processes are going
on because we are sons of the wealthiest Father of all, and Ka is kind even
though we do not surrender unto Him. Yet despite being furnished so well by
the Father, the dukt still performs unsanctioned actions. One is foolish if he
persists in being punished, and one is low on the human scale if he does not
use this human form of life to understand Ka. If a man does not use his life
to reawaken the relationship he has with his real Father, he is to be considered
fallen in the human scale.
Animals simply eat, sleep, defend themselves, have sexual intercourse and die.
They do not avail themselves of higher consciousness because that is not
possible in the lower forms of life. If a human being follows the activities of the

34
animals and does not avail himself of his ability to elevate his consciousness,
he falls down the human scale and prepares for an animal body in his next life.
By the grace of Ka we are given a highly developed body and intelligence,
but if we do not utilize them, why should He give them to us again? We must
understand that this human body has developed after millions and millions of
years of evolution and that in itself it is a chance to get out of the cycle of
birth and death in which over eight millions species of life evolve. This chance
is given by the grace of Ka, and if we do not take it, are we not the lowest
among men? One may be a degree holderM.A., Ph.D., etc.from some
university, but the illusory energy takes away this mundane knowledge. He
who is really intelligent will apply his intelligence to understand who he is,
who God is, what material nature is, why he is suffering in material nature,
and what is the remedy to this suffering.
We may apply our intelligence to manufacture an automobile, radio or
television for sense gratification, but we have to understand that this is not
knowledge. Rather, this is plundered intelligence. Intelligence was given to
man to understand the problems of life, but it is being misused. People are
thinking that they have acquired knowledge because they know how to
manufacture and drive cars, but before the car was here people were still going
from one place to another. It is just that the facility has been increased, but
along with this facility come additional problemsair pollution and
over-crowded highways. This is my; we are creating facilities, but these
facilities in their turn are creating so many problems.
Instead of wasting our energy to supply ourselves with so many facilities and
modern amenities, we should apply intelligence to understand who and what
we are. We do not like to suffer, but we should understand why suffering is
being forced upon us. By so-called knowledge we have simply succeeded in
manufacturing the atomic bomb. Thus the killing process has been
accelerated. We are so proud to think that this is advancement of knowledge,
but if we can manufacture something that can stop death, we have really
advanced in knowledge. Death is already there in material nature, but we are
so eager to promote it by killing everyone at one dropthis is called
myaypahta-jna knowledge carried away by illusion.
The suras, the demons and proclaimed atheists, actually challenge God. If it
were not for our Supreme Father, we would not see the light of day, so what is
the point of challenging Him? In the Vedas it is stated that there are two

35
classes of men, the devas and suras, the demigods and demons. Who are the
devas? The devotees of the Supreme Lord are called devas because they also
become like God, whereas those who defy the authority of the Supreme are
called suras or demons. These two classes are always found in human society.
just as there are four types of miscreants who never surrender to Ka, there
are four types of fortunate men who worship Him, and they are categorized in
the next verse:
catur-vidh bhajante m
jan suktino 'rjuna
rto jijsur arthrth
jn ca bharatarabha

"O best among the Bhratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render
devotional service unto Methe distressed, the desirer of wealth, the
inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute." (Bg. 7.16)

This material world is full of distress, and both the pious and impious are
subject to it. The cold of winter treats everyone alike. It does not care for the
pious or impious, the rich or the poor. The difference between the pious and
the impious, however, is that the pious man thinks of God when he is in his
miserable condition. Often when a man is distressed, he will go to church and
pray, "Oh my Lord, I am in difficulty. Please help me." Although he is praying
for some material necessity, such a man is still to be considered pious because
he has come to God in his distress. Similarly, a poor man may go to church and
pray, "My dear Lord, please give me some money." On the other hand, the
inquisitive are usually intelligent. They are always researching to understand
things. They may ask, "What is God?" and then conduct scientific research to
find out. They are also considered pious because their research is directed to
the proper object. The man in knowledge is called jnone who has
understood his constitutional position. Such ajn may have an impersonal
conception of God, but because he is taking shelter of the ultimate, the
Supreme Absolute Truth, he is also to be considered pious. These four types of
men are called suktpiousbecause they are all after God.
te jn nitya-yukta
eka-bhaktir viiyate

36
 priyo hi jnino 'tyartham
aha sa ca mama priya

"Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through
pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to
Me." (Bg. 7.17)

Out of the four classes of men who approach God, he who is philosophically
trying to understand the nature of God, who is trying to become Ka
consciousviiyateis best qualified. Indeed, Ka says that such a person is
very dear to Him because he has no other business than understanding God.
The others are inferior. No one has to pray to God to ask for anything, and he
who does so is foolish because he does not know that the all-knowing God is
within his heart and is well aware when he is in distress or in need of money.
The wise man realizes this and does not pray for relief from material miseries.
Rather, he prays to glorify God and inform others how great He is. He doesn't
pray for his personal interest, for bread, dress or shelter. The pure devotee,
when he is distressed, says, "Dear Lord, this is Your kindness. You have put me
into distress just to rectify me. I should be put in much greater distress, but out
of Your mercy You have minimized this." This is the vision of a pure devotee
who is not disturbed.
He who is in Ka consciousness does not care for material distress, insult or
honor because he is aloof from all these. He knows well that distress, honor
and insult pertain to the body only and that he is not the body. Socrates, for
instance, who believed in the immortality of the soul, was condemned to
death, and upon being asked how he would like to be buried, replied, "First of
all you may have to catch me." So one who knows that he is not the body is not
disturbed, for he knows the soul cannot be caught, tortured, killed or buried.
He who is conversant with the science of Ka knows perfectly well that he is
not the body, that he is part and parcel of Ka, that his real relationship is
with Ka, and that somehow or other, although he has been put in the
material body, he must remain aloof from the three qualities of material
nature. He is not concerned with the modes of goodness, passion or ignorance,
but with Ka. One who understands this is a jn, a wise man, and he is
very much dear to Ka. A distressed man, when he is put into opulence, may
forget God, but a jn, who knows the real position of God, will never forget

37
Him.
There is a class of jns called impersonalists who say that because worshiping
the impersonal is too difficult, a form of God has to be imagined. These are not
real jnsthey're fools. No one can imagine the form of God, for God is so
great. One may imagine some form, but that is a concoction; it is not the real
form. There are those who imagine the form of God, and there are those who
deny the form of God. Neither is a jn. Those who imagine the form are
called iconoclasts. During the Hindu-Muslim riots in India, some Hindus
would go to the Moslem mosque and would break statues and images of God,
and the Moslems would reciprocate in like manner. In this way they were both
thinking, "We've killed the Hindu God. We've killed the Moslem God, etc."
Similarly, when Gandhi was leading his resistance movement, many Indians
would go to the street and destroy the mailboxes and in this way think that
they were destroying the government postal service. People of such mentality
are not jns. The religious wars between the Hindus and Moslems and
Christians and non-Christians were all conducted on the basis of ignorance.
One who is in knowledge knows that God is one; He cannot be Moslem,
Hindu or Christian.
It is our imagination that God is such and such and such and such. That is all
imagination. The real wise man knows that God is transcendental. One who
knows that God is transcendental to the material modes truly knows God. God
is always beside us, present in our hearts. When we leave the body, God also
goes with us, and when we take on another body, He goes with us there just to
see what we are doing. When shall we turn our face towards Him? He is always
waiting. As soon as we turn our face toward God, He says, "My dear son, come
onsa ca mama priyayou are eternally dear to Me. Now you are turning
your face to Me, and I am very glad."
The wise man, the jn, actually understands the science of God. One who
only understands that "God is good" is in a preliminary stage, but one who
actually understands how great and good God is, is further progressed. That
knowledge is to be had in rmad-Bhgavatam and Bhagavad-gt. One who is
actually interested in God should study the science of God, Bhagavad-gt.
ida tu te guhyatama
pravakymy anasyave
jna vijna-sahita

38
 yaj jtv mokyase 'ubht

"My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to
you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be relieved of the
miseries of material existence." (Bg. 9.1)

The knowledge of God imparted in Bhagavad-gt is very subtle and

confidential. It is full of jna, metaphysical wisdom, and vijna, scientific
knowledge. And it is full of mystery also. How can one understand this
knowledge? It must be imparted by God Himself or a bona fide representative
of God. Therefore r Ka says that whenever there is a discrepancy on
understanding the science of God, He incarnates Himself.
Nor does knowledge come from sentiment. Devotion is not sentiment. It is a
science. rla Rpa Gosvm says, "A show of spirituality without reference to
the Vedic knowledge is simply a disturbance to society." One must taste the
nectar of devotion by reason, argument and knowledge, and then he must pass
it on to others. One should not think that Ka consciousness is mere
sentimentality. The dancing and singing are all scientific. There is science,
and there is also loving reciprocation. Ka is very dear to the wise man, and
the wise man is very dear to Ka. Ka will return our love a thousand-fold.
What capacity do we finite creatures have to love Ka? But Ka has
immense capacityunlimited capacityfor love.

5. Steering Toward the Supreme

udr sarva evaite

jn tv tmaiva me matam
sthita sa hi yukttm
mm evnuttam gatim

"All these devotees are undoubtedly magnanimous souls, but he who is

situated in knowledge of Me I consider verily to dwell in Me. Being engaged in
My transcendental service, he attains Me." (Bg. 7.18)

39
Here Ka is saying that all the men who come to Himwhether they be
distressed, in need of money, curious, etc.are welcomed, but out of them the
person who is in knowledge is very dear to Him. The others are welcomed
because it is understood that in course of time, if they continue on the path to
God, they will become as good as the man of knowledge. Generally, however, it
so happens that when one goes to church for profit, and the money doesn't
come, he concludes that approaching God is nonsense, and he gives up all
connection with church. That is the danger of approaching God with ulterior
motives. For instance, during World War II it was reported that many wives of
the German soldiers went to church to pray for their husbands' safe return, but
when they found they had been killed in battle, they became atheistic. Thus
we want God to become our order-supplier, and when He does not supply our
order, we say that there is no God. That is the effect of praying for material
things.
In this connection there is a story of a little boy, about five years old, named
Dhruva, who belonged to a royal family. In the course of time his father, the
king, tired of his mother and deposed her as his queen. He then took another
woman as queen, and she became stepmother to the boy. She was very envious
of him, and one day, as Dhruva was sitting on the father's knee, she insulted
him. "Oh you cannot sit on the lap of your father," she said, "because you are
not born of me." She dragged Dhruva from his father's lap and the boy became
very angry. He was the son of a katriya, and katriyas are notorious for their
quick tempers. Dhruva took this to be a great insult, and he went to his mother
who had been deposed.
"Dear Mother," he said, "my stepmother has insulted me by dragging me from
my father's lap."
"Dear son," the mother replied, "what can I do? I am helpless, and your father
no longer cares for me.
"Well, how can I take revenge?" the boy asked.
"My dear boy, you are helpless. Only if God helps you can you take revenge."
"Oh, where is God?" Dhruva asked enthusiastically.
"I understand so many sages go to the jungle and forest to see God," the mother
replied. "They undergo great penances and austerities in order to find God
there."
At once Dhruva went to the forest and began asking the tiger and the

40
elephant, "Oh, are you God? Are you God?" In this way he was questioning all
the animals. Seeing that Dhruva was very much inquisitive, r Ka sent
Nrada Muni to see about the situation. Nrada quickly went to the forest and
found Dhruva.
"My dear boy," Nrada said, "you belong to the royal family. You cannot suffer
all this penance and austerity. Please return to your home. Your mother and
father are very much anxious for you."
"Please don't try to divert me in that way," the boy said. "If you know
something about God, or if you know how I can see God, please tell me.
Otherwise go away and don't disturb me."
When Nrada saw that Dhruva was so determined, he initiated him as a
disciple and gave him the mantra, o namo bhagavate vsudevya. Dhruva
chanted this mantra and became perfect, and God came before him.
"My dear Dhruva, what do you want? You can take from Me whatever you
want."
"My dear Lord," the boy replied, "I was undergoing such severe penances simply
for my father's kingdom and land, but now I have seen You. Even the great
sages and saints cannot see You. What is my profit? I left my home to find
merely some scraps of glass and rubbish, and instead I have found a very
valuable diamond. Now I am satisfied. I have no need to ask anything of You."
Thus even though one may be poverty-stricken or in distress, if he goes to God
with the same determination as Dhruva, intent on seeing God and taking His
benediction, and if he happens to see God, he will no longer want anything
material. He comes to understand the foolishness of material possessions, and
he puts the illusion aside for the real thing. When one becomes situated in
Ka consciousness, like Dhruva Mahrja, he becomes fully satisfied and
doesn't want anything.
The jn, the wise man, knows that material things are flickering. He also
knows that there are three aspects that complicate all material gainone
wants profit from his work, one wants adoration from others because of his
riches, and one wants fame because of his wealth. In any case, he knows that
all of these apply but to the body and that when the body is finished, they also
go. When the body dies, one is no longer a rich man but a spirit soul, and
according to his work, he has to enter another body. The Gt says that a wise
man is not bewildered by this, for he knows what is what. Why then should he
bother himself attaining material wealth? His attitude is, "I have an eternal

41
connection with Ka, the Supreme Lord. Now let me establish that
relationship firmly so that Ka will take me back to His kingdom."
The cosmic situation is giving us all facility to reestablish this relationship
with Ka and return to Godhead. This should be our mission in life.
Everything we need is bring supplied by Godland, grain, fruits, milk, shelter
and clothing. We only have to live peacefully and cultivate Ka
consciousness. That should be our mission in life. We should therefore be
satisfied with what God has supplied in the form of food, shelter, defense and
sex, and should not want more and more and more. The best type of
civilization is one that ascribes to the maxim of "plain living and high
thinking." It is not possible to manufacture food or sex in a factory. These and
whatever else we require are supplied by God. Our business is to take
advantage of these things and become God conscious.
Although God has given us all facilities to live peacefully on this earth,
cultivate Ka consciousness, and finally to come to Him, in this age we're
unfortunate. We are short-lived, and there are so many people without food,
shelter, married life or defense from the onslaughts of nature. This is due to
the influence of this age of Kali. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu, seeing
the dreadful situation in this age, emphasized the absolute necessity for
cultivating spiritual life. And how should we do it? Caitanya Mahprabhu
gives the formula:
harer nma harer nma
harer nmaiva kevalam
kalau nsty eva nsty eva
nsty eva gatir anyath
[Cc. di 17.21]

"Just always chant Hare Ka." Never mind whether you are in a factory or in
a hell, in a shack or in a skyscraperit doesn't matter. just go on chanting
Hare Ka, Hare Ka, Ka Ka, Hare Hare/ Hare Rma, Hare Rma,
Rma Rma, Hare Hare. There is no expense, there is no impediment, there is
no caste, there is no creed, there is no coloranyone can do it. just chant and
hear.
Somehow or other, if one comes into contact with Ka consciousness and
executes the process under the guidance of a bona fide guide, he is sure to go

42
back to God.
bahn janmanm ante
jnavn m prapadyate
vsudeva sarvam iti
sa mahtm sudurlabha

"After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders

unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great
soul is very rare." (Bg. 7.19)

Philosophical research into the science of God has to be prosecuted for many
births. God realization is very easy, but at the same time it is very difficult. It is
easy for those who accept Ka's word as truth, but those who try to
understand through research work, by dint of advancement of knowledge,
have to create their faith after finishing so much research work, and this
process takes many births. There are different types of transcendentalists,
called tattvavit, who know the Absolute Truth. The transcendentalists call the
Absolute Truth that in which there is no duality. In the Absolute Truth there
is no dualityeverything is on the same level. One who knows this in truth is
called tattvavit.
Ka proclaims that the Absolute Truth is known in three
aspectsBrahman, Paramtm and Bhagavnimpersonal Brahman
effulgence, localized Supersoul, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Thus there are three angles from which one may envision the Absolute Truth.
One may view a mountain from a great distance and thus perceive it from one
angle of vision. As he comes closer, he may see the trees and foliage of the
mountain, and if he begins to climb the mountain, he will find so much
variegatedness in trees, plants and animals. The objective is the same, but due
to different angles of vision, sages have different conceptions of the Absolute
Truth. Another example: there is the sunshine, the sun disc and the sun god.
One who is in the sunshine cannot claim that he is on the sun itself, and one
who is situated in the sun is, from the point of view of vision, better situated.
The sunshine may be compared to the all-pervasive brahma-jyoti effulgence,
the localized sun-disc may be compared to the localized aspect of the
Supersoul, and the sun god who resides within the sun may be compared to the

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Personality of Godhead. As on this earth planet we have a multivariety of
living entities, we can understand from Vedic literatures that in the sun also
there is a variety of living entities, but their bodies are made of fire, just as
ours are made of earth.
In material nature there are five gross elements: earth, water, air, fire and
space. In different planets there are different atmospheres due to one of these
five elements prevailing, and there are different bodies for the living entities
composed of whatever element may be predominant in a particular planet. We
should not think that all planets have the same quality of life, yet there is
uniformity in the sense that these five elements are present in some form or
other. Thus on some planets earth is prominent, fire is prominent, water is
prominent, and air and space are prominent. We should not think, therefore,
that just because a planet is not composed primarily of earth, or because the
atmosphere does not duplicate ours, that there is no life on these planets.
Vedic literatures give us information that there are countless planets filled
with living entities with different types of bodies. As, by making some material
adjustment, we may qualify to enter into different material planets, by
qualification we can enter into the spiritual planet where the Supreme Lord
resides.
ynti deva-vrat devn
pitn ynti pit-vrata
bhtni ynti bhtejy
ynti mad-yjino 'pi mm

"Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those
who worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live
with Me." (Bg. 9.25)

Those who are trying to enter higher planets can go there, and those who are
trying to qualify to enter into Goloka Vndvana, the planet of Ka, can also
enter there by the process of Ka consciousness. Before going to India, we
may acquire a description of what the country is like; the hearing of a place is
the first experience. Similarly, if we want to get information about the planet
where God lives, we have to hear. We cannot immediately make an
experiment and go there. That is not possible. But we have so many

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descriptions of the supreme planet in Vedic literature. For instance, the
Brahma-sahit states:
cintmai-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vka-
lakvteu surabhr abhiplayantam
lakm-sahasra-ata-sambhrama-sevyamna
govindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi
[Bs. 5.29]

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending
the cows, fulfilling all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by
millions of wish-fulfilling trees, always served with great reverence and
affection by hundreds of thousands of or "

There are also other detailed descriptions given, specifically in

Brahma-sahit.
Those who are trying to realize the Absolute Truth are categorized according
to the aspect of the Absolute Truth upon which they concentrate. Those who
concentrate on Brahman, the impersonalists, are called brahmavds.
Generally, those who are trying to realize the Absolute Truth first of all realize
the brahma-jyoti. Those who concentrate on the Supersoul, the localized form
of the Lord in the heart, called Paramtm, are known as paramtmvds. The
Supreme Lord, by His plenary portion, is sitting in everyone's heart, and by
meditation and concentration one can perceive this form. Not only is He
within everyone's heart, but He is situated also within every atom of the
creation. This Paramtm realization is the second stage. The third and last
stage is the realization of Bhagavn, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Because there are three main stages of realization, the Supreme Absolute
Truth is not attained in one birth. Bahn janmanm ante [Bg. 7.19]. If one is
fortunate, he can achieve the ultimate in one second. But generally it takes
many, many years and many, many births to realize what God is.
aha sarvasya prabhavo
matta sarva pravartate
iti matv bhajante m
budh bhva-samanvit

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 "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates
from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service
and worship Me with all their hearts." (Bg. 10.8)

The Vednta-stra also confirms that the Absolute Truth is He from whom
everything is born. If we truly believe that Ka is the origin of everything,
and if we worship Him, our whole account is closed in one second. But if one
doesn't believe and says, "Oh, I want to see what God is," he has to go by stages
by realizing the impersonal Brahman effulgence and then Paramtm, the
localized feature, before finally coming to the last stage of realizing, "Oh, here
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." It should be understood, however,
that this process takes more time. When one through many years of research
comes to realize the Absolute Truth, he concludes vsudeva sarvam iti [Bg.
7.19]"Vsudeva is all that is." Vsudeva is a name for Ka, and it means
"He who lives everywhere." Realizing that Vsudeva is the root of
everythingm prapadyatehe surrenders. The surrendering process is the
ultimate goal; either one does it immediately or after many births of research
work. In either case, surrender must be there by realizing that "God is great,
and I am His subordinate."
Understanding this, the wise man will surrender immediately and not wait to
take many, many births. He understands that this information is given by the
Supreme Lord out of His infinite mercy on the conditioned souls. We are all
conditioned souls, suffering the threefold miseries of this material world. Now
the Supreme Lord is giving us the opportunity to escape these miseries by the
surrendering process.
At this point one may ask that if the Supreme Personality is the ultimate goal
and one has to surrender to Him, why are there so many different processes of
worship in the world? This question is answered in the next verse.
kmais tais tair hta jn
prapadyante 'nya-devat
ta ta niyamam sthya
prakty niyat svay

"Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto

demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to

46
their own natures." (Bg. 7.20)

There are many different types of men in the world, and they're functioning
under the different modes of material nature. Generally speaking, most men
are not after liberation. If they take to spirituality, they wish to gain something
by spiritual power. It is not uncommon in India for a person to go to a svm
and say, "Swmji, could you give me some medicine? I am suffering from this
disease." He thinks that because a doctor is too expensive, he can go to a svm
who can work miracles. In India also there are svms who go to people's houses
and preach, "If you give me one ounce of gold I can make it into one hundred
ounces of gold." The people think, "I have five ounces of gold. Let me give it to
him, and I'll get five hundred ounces." In this way the svm collects all the
gold in the village, and after collecting it, he vanishes. This is our disease:
when we go to a svm, or a temple or a church, our hearts are filled with
material desires. Wanting some material profit out of spiritual life, we practice
yoga just to keep our health fit. But, in order to keep healthy, why take shelter
of yoga? We can become healthy through regular exercises and regulated diet.
Why resort to yoga? Because: kmais tais tair hta-jn [Bg. 7.20]. We have
the material desire to keep ourselves fit and to enjoy life by going to church
and making God our order-supplier.
Having material desires, men worship various demigods. They have no idea
how to get out of matter; they want to utilize the material world to its best
capacity. For instance, in Vedic literature there are so many
recommendations: if one wants to cure his disease, he worships the sun, or if a
girl wants a good husband, she worships Lord iva, or if one wants to become
beautiful, he worships such and such god, or if one wants to become educated,
he worships goddess Sarasvat. In this way Westerners often think that the
Hindus are polytheistic, but actually this worship is not to God, but to
demigods. We should not think that the demigods are God. God is one, but
there are demigods who are also living entities just like us. The difference is
that they have a considerable amount of power. On this earth there may be a
king or a president or a dictatorthese are men like us, but they have some
extraordinary power, and in order to get favors from them, to take advantage
of their power, we worship them in one way or another. But Bhagavad-gt
condemns worship of the demigods. This verse clearly states that people
worship the demigods due to kma, material lust.

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This material life is simply based on lust; we want to enjoy this world, and we
love this material world because we want to gratify our senses. This lust is a
perverted reflection of our love of God. In our original constitution we are
made to love God, but because we have forgotten God, we love matter. Love is
there. Either we love matter, or we love God. But in no case can we get out of
this loving propensity; indeed, we often see that when one doesn't have
children, he loves a cat or a dog. Why? Because we want and need to love
something. In the absence of reality, we put our faith and love in cats and
dogs. Love is always there, but it is distorted into the form of lust. When this
lust is baffled, we become angry; when we become angry, we become illusioned;
and when we are illusioned, we are doomed. This is the process that is going
on, but we have to reverse this process and turn lust into love. If we love God,
we love everything. But if we do not love God, it is not possible to love
anything. We may think that it is love, but it is simply a glamorized form of
lust. Those who have become the dogs of lust are said to have lost all good
sense: kmais tais tair hta-jn [Bg. 7.20].
There are many rules and regulations for the worship of demigods in the
scriptures, and one may question why the Vedic literatures recommended their
worship. There is necessity. Those who are motivated by lust want the
opportunity to love something, and the demigods are acknowledged as the
officers of the Supreme Lord. The idea is that as one worships these demigods,
he will gradually develop Ka consciousness. But if one is completely
atheistic and disobedient and rebellious against any authority, what hope is
there? So one's obedience to a higher personality can start with the demigods.
If, however, we take directly to the worship of the Supreme Lord, worship of
the demigods is not necessary. Those who worship the Supreme Lord directly
show all respect to the demigods, but they do not need to worship them
because they know that the supreme authority behind the demigods is the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, and they are engaged in worshiping Him. In
any case, respect is still there. A devotee of the Lord shows respect even to an
ant, what to speak of the demigods? The devotee is aware that all living
entities are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord and that they are playing
different roles only.
In relation to the Supreme Lord, all beings are to be respected. Therefore a
devotee refers to others as "prabhu," meaning "My dear sir, my dear lord."
Submissiveness is a qualification for a devotee of the Lord. Devotees are kind

48
and obedient, and they have all good qualifications. In conclusion, if one
becomes a devotee of the Lord, all good qualifications will automatically
develop. By nature, the living entity is perfect, but due to the contamination
of lust, he becomes vicious. That which is part and parcel of gold is also gold,
and whatever is part and parcel of the Complete perfect is also perfect.
o pram ada pram ida
prt pram udacyate
prasya pram dya
pram evvaiyate

"The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete. Because He is

completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world,
are perfectly equipped as a complete whole. Whatever is produced of the
complete whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the complete whole,
even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the
complete balance." (r opaniad, Invocation)
Due to the contamination of matter, the perfect living entity falls down, but
this process of Ka consciousness will again make him perfect. Through it,
he can become truly happy, and after leaving the material body, enter into the
kingdom where there is eternal life, bliss and full knowledge.

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