“paras tasmät tu bhävo ‘nyo
‘vyakto ‘vyaktät sanätanah
yah sa sarvesu bhütesu
nasyatsu na vinasyati”
TRANSLATION
Yet there is another unmanifest nature, which is eternal and is transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and never annihilated. When all in this world is annihilated, that part remains as it is.
PURPORT
Krishna’s superior, spiritual energy is transcendental and eternal. It is beyond all the changes of material nature, which is manifest and annihilated during the days and nights of Brahma. Krishna’s superior energy is completely opposite in quality to material nature. Superior and inferior nature are explained in the Seventh Chapter.
Everything is being destroyed in the material world (Death is certain even for Brahma)
In this 8th chapter of Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna is describing how this material world is being manifested by him and how it is constantly creating, maintaining, and destroying all matter. Everything in this material world is in a state of being destroyed. As soon as something comes into existence by the influence of time, it is in the process of annihilation. Just as we know when one child is born that one thing is certain, that, that child would die. If you read any horoscope or astrology chart of any child that is born, one of the most important of all messages that is told is the time the child will die. Because for one who is born, Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita “Birth and death are certain”. It is an absolute fact of material existence. That everything and everyone is being consumed by the power of time. Now of course, our perception is very small. We are thinking that if someone lives ninety or hundred years, This is a very very grand and glorious accomplishment. But in due course we know that soon a person will have to meet his death. So in a very small level we are very much struggling and striving through so many processes of health, through so many medical arrangements, to try to prolong our life a few more years. within this insignificant framework of at the most hundred years. And we are thinking that is the great accomplishment. Just like sometime when a old person leaves his body, we think oh! Well, his life was full, because he lived a long life. There is one very famous entertainer in America and he is 93 years old and still he is writing books, he is having wide performances, and he is a comedian and his mind is sharper than ever through out his life. He is on a nationwide TV very often,and everyone turns on the TV just to see him. This person has been an entertainer since he is about 8 years old, and now he is 93 and any question you ask him, he has something that makes you laugh, very brilliant mind. And people are just astonished they are shock. How is it possible? This person is 93 and he is so incredibly brilliant and yet he is in such good health. and he talks about all of his colleagues, that were like 50-60-70-80 years ago, famous people. He knew them all. It is very interesting to the ordinary person. He claims that on his 100th birthday he is going to have a live performance in conwaky hall. It’s already booked up and all the tickets are already sold out. On that day, on his birthday, 7 years from now, conwaky hall is already booked. There is not a seat available; standing also you cannot not even get it because he is going to tell jokes on that night. And everyone wants to see him. So this is considered to be a great thing in this material world. What is 93 years? Here we are reading in Bhagavad-Gita where Krishna is describing “how lord Brahma is creating and destroying this entire cosmic manifestation. He is explaining by human calculation, a thousand ages is taken together is the duration of Brahma’s one day, and such also is the duration of his night. and then it is described that the four ages, Satya Yuga is one million seven hundred and 28 thousand years. Tretaya Yuga is one million two hundred and 96 thousand yeas. Dwapara Yuga is 8 hundred and 64 thousands years and Kali-yuga is four hundred and 32 thousands years. And now if you take these four yugas together, and multiply them by one thousand that is one day of Lord Brahma and if you multiply all those four yugas combined and multiply by 1000 that is one night of Lord Brahma. And Lord Brahma lives a hundred years. Now of course I don’t think on his 100th birth day Brahma is going to telling jokes on conwaky hall. Why? Because his 100 years are equal to our three hundred and eleven trillion forty million earth years. And Lord Brahma, it is described he is just living an insignificant life in relationship to Krishna, who is eternal, to Vishnu who is eternal. So you see life is very very temporary. And our conception, what is a long life is very relative. Just like in the night, under the light, there are little insect these are flying about, some of these insects they are born at the time of the sunset and they have their infancy lila and they have their baby lila (bal lila), and they have their childhood pastimes and then they get little older and they began to search out female insects and they have amorous conjugal pastimes and then they start growing old and then starts slowing down and then all the other insects they go very respectable old insect. And then by sunrise they die. They go through an entire hundred years cycle within one of our twelve hour night. And they are thinking this is a long happy life. So we are thinking ours is a long happy life. but our whole life is hardly one second of Brahmas life. And Brahma thinks he has a long happy life. But a saintly person, one who is self realized, one who understands the eternal nature of the soul, Even Lord Brahma’s life is insignificant. That is why Lord Krishna says in Gita
“ä-brahma-bhuvanäl lokäù
punar ävartino ‘rjuna
mäm upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate”
From the highest planet in this material world, where everyone lives as long as brahma, Down to the lowest planet, they are all places of misery. Because where ever you go, you have to re-born and you have to die. Whether you are Lord Brahma, or whether you are little insect flying about on the light bulb. You are in the process of annihilation as soon as you take birth, your physical body. So these are the laws of physical nature. just like law of gravity is “What goes up must come down”. There is no exception on this earth. What goes up most come down? So these laws are not the laws of the state, where the parliament members could come together and change the law from year to year and make amendments to the constitution and so on and so for. These are the laws of god which are unchangeable. Just like what goes up most come down, what is born must die. and what die must take re birth and one what takes rebirth must die. And that a living entity must take another birth, as long as we are attached to the misconception that we are of this physical energy.
There is another nature that is eternal and transcendental
So Krishna is here explaining that there is another nature which is eternal and transcendental to this manifested and unmanifested matter. It is supreme and it is never annihilated. When all these worlds are annihilated that part remains as it is. Krishna is here speaking about the soul, the consciousness within you. You are not subject to birth or death.
“na jäyate mriyate vä kadäcin
näyaà bhütvä bhavitä vä na bhüyaù
ajo nityaù çäçvato ‘yaà puräëo
na hanyate hanyamäne sarire”
Krishna says for the soul there is neither birth, nor death. “na hanyate hanyamäne sarire” When the body is slain, the soul is not slain.
“väsäàsi jérëäni yathä vihäya
naväni gåhëäti naro ‘paräëi
tathä çaréräëi vihäya jérëäny
anyäni saàyäti naväni dehé”
Lord Sri Krishna says just as you put on a new garment giving up an old one. The soul puts on new body, giving up the old one, when it becomes useless. This is the process of the transmigration, which is going on again, and again, and again for the living entity. But Krishna explains in Bhagavad-Gita, Self realization means that there is another energy besides this physical energy and you are part of that energy.
There is only one energy manifested differently
So it appears that there are two energies. There is a material energy, where everything is in the process of dying. There is also a spiritual energy where everything is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. But one who is in knowledge, he knows that there really isn’t two energies. There is only one energy. But according to how you approach that energy it manifests differently. It is one energy, because it is coming from the same source of energy. Just like within the state, within a city of Bombay, there is the electrical power house. That electrical power house is a source of all electricity. The electricity is one, it is of one nature. Now that electricity, when it enters into one device, a refrigerator, that electricity causes a coldness to come about. And that same electricity when it enters into the stove, it causes intense heat. So the question is that is that energy hot or is that energy cold. Which one? Who can answer my question? It is neither. It is both. Now, in a college class room if you are asked, is it hot or is cold and you say it is neither and it is both. What do you think your grade will be? By our the same reasoning, are you successor or are you failure? You are neither one and you are both. What I say to all you students, you just approach your academics with this subject matter and you will never be in anxieties. It is neither, it is both. Why, because factually the energy of god, is spiritual. It is described in Upanishad.
“oà pürëam adaù pürëam idaà
pürëät pürëam udacyate
pürëasya pürëam ädäya
pürëam evävaçiñyate”
That the absolute truth is perfect and complete and everything is emanating from the absolute truth is perfect and complete. All energy is emanating from Krishna just as all electricity is emanating from the power house.
How depending upon our perception we experience situations
Now according to the receptacle in which that energy enters, that energy either manifests itself as hot or cold. So according to the particular consciousness that is receiving the energy of god, that energy manifests as either material or spiritual. when it manifests as material, it is a source of happiness and distress, honor and dishonor, pleasure and pain, good and bad, hankering and lamenting, it manifests itself ultimately as suffering and death to you. But if the receptacle of your consciousness, is Krishna Consciousness, If it is spiritual in it’s perception, then that energy will manifest to you as the eternal, unlimited, unending, spiritual existence. And you will see that existence everywhere. You will not see a distinction, how whatever Krishna does to his devotees is perfect. Now it is easy to say that when everything is going just the way you like it. But when everything is going against you by all material standards, to be very peaceful and undisturbed and say, everything is perfect, according to Krishna’s plan that takes realization. If God is perfect, everything coming from the God must be perfect. The only imperfection is “when we do not see things in connection to God, then our vision is imperfect”. Everything is perfect, except our vision. And this consciousness is the only consciousness, which brings peace.
Fighting the problems of material life is fighting a loosing battle
As long as you battling against the material nature, let me tell you right now, you are a looser. No one can conquer material nature. As long as you are trying to fight the problems of material life, you are fighting a loosing battle. Maya is so powerful, this material energy. She is so powerful, that at the most, you can accomplish, is you work so hard, that Maya just plays with you to make you think that you are winning. It is like a cat and mouse. Did you ever see a cat play with a mouse? The cat always has complete control over the mouse. But sometimes the cat let the mouse go for while and mouse thinking, I am free and a second later, back under the control. It’s all play. Of course in Bombay, it is the other way around – rats and the cats. In our temple there were some rats. So I was using the logic of the west. That great poet says “East and west never the twin shall meat”. Eastern logic and western logic is different in a lot of ways. In west we have this conception that the cat plays with the mouse. If you have rats in your house you just get a cat and all the rats runs away, they afraid of cat, very simple. But in Bombay, I told the devotees that we have so many rats, then you get a cat, do not you understand. You people are so backward, you even do not understand the basic principle. You get a cat that chases the rat away. I was thinking, these backward Indians, they do not know anything. I have been educated in the universities of America, they are trying to tell me how to get rid of the rats. So they said – all right Maharaja, we will get a cat. So they got a cat and put that cat in the room. And the next day, we opened the door there were rats all over the room. So I was thinking, where is the cat? We were looking all around; rats were very happy, fearless. They were looking around like do get on my way. And we saw the cat was hiding on a shelf behind the books, trembling. Any ways, try to understand, that usually, I added, cat and mouse they have to play with each other. Here the rats are playing with the cat.
Example 1
This was the example used when Hiranyakasipu was fighting with Lord Narshima Deva. But Narshima deva is the supreme most powerful Lord of the universe. Hiranyakasipu was thinking he is very big and very strong. I have some benediction from Lord Brahma. When they were having their battle, they were fighting and Lord Narashima Deva was thinking this Hiranyakasipu, he has such a desire to destroy me. He said, let me make him think that he is going to win. So he let him go. Hiranyakasipu, he would get out of Narshima deva and said haha just see He cannot keep me slave. Hiranyakasipu was really thinking, he was going to win that fight. And at the least expected moment, he was finished. Effortlessly just with His nails so gracefully tore him to pieces.
Example 2
And Hiranyakasipu’s brother Hiranakshya, he was fighting with Lord Varahdeva. Varahdeva is a supreme Lord. But they were playing. There is a whole chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam describing the fight between Lord Varahdeva and Hiranakshya. At one point Hiranakshya and Varah deva were fighting with Clubs. They were bringing them against each other and the clubs – their sound, the clubs were hitting each other was like thunderable echoing in all directions. And the Devatas who were watching, thinking my God, this is such a fight, we have never seen such a fight as this – very exciting. And then Hiranakshya with all of his power and all of his strength, he just smashed the club of Varahdeva. And Varahdeva’s club fell from his hand and flew on to the ground. And every one was thinking my god, the Lord is killed and Hiranakshya was thinking haa, haa, just see you can not even hold your club before me. And then Hiranakshya just picked up the Lord’s club and handed it over to Him and said I will give you a chance. I won’ kill you unarmed. He was so conceited, so proud, that he was going to be a victor. Then the fight went on and on and on. There was a tremendous description of this battle. Hiranakshya was squandering up (27.53) of incredible mystic potencies and just when it appeared that Varahdeva was about to be completely annihilated, just one little trick, so just he would barely survive. Just to make Hiranakshya think that I’ll win. But then after all this battling, the Lord has a sense of humor too. We get our sense of humor because Krishna has sense of Humor. There is no quality within us that is not originally in Him. So just to show everybody, that okay it looks like this man has been defeating me all along. I’ll show you what it takes to kill him? He just looked at his lotus like hand and he just gently effortlessly touched Hirankashya’s neck. As soon as he touched him that touch was so powerful that Hiranakshya just fell to the ground like a tree uprooted by a hurricane and he was dead.
So just as the lord played with so many demons, just to make them think that they were winning, in the same way the Lord through his material energies plays with all of us. This material world is a place where we are all on the process of destruction. It is a place of inevitable suffering and we are working and making so many arrangements to try to combat against the sufferings, the anxieties, the complexities of this life and sometimes we really think we are doing it. Look I am healthy, I am rich, I have nice family, I have nice house, I am victorious, I am happy. This world is suffering, I have attained happiness. When we are thinking everything is alright then Maya, just like Lord Varah Deva, goes against.
How to get out of this battle with material energy
Everything is finished eventually today or tomorrow. You cannot win, you cannot break even, you can only loose. What kind of game is that? We can only loose. Who wants to play that game? Only a crazy man! That’s why in this world, according to Bhagavad-Gita “yä nisä sarva-bhütänäm”. To a saintly person everyone is crazy in this world. They are fighting a battle which they are going to loose. You do not have to fight this battle if you take shelter of the spiritual energy. If you learn how to see, how really there is no material energy, everything is Krishna’s energy. As long as we are thinking in terms of I and mine, then we are a receptacle of the material energy to manifest. As long as we are thinking that everything belongs to Krishna, that I am Krishna’s servant that consciousness manifests spiritual energy everywhere and in everything. Just like in a stove, all energy becomes hot. No matter which outlet you plug the stove into will it ever be cold? It can only perceive heat. So similarly to a devotee, who has given up the desire to enjoy separate from Krishna, who accepts the position that I am Krishna’s eternal servant, whatever he does, whatever he sees, whatever he experiences, he only experiences Krishna. He only sees the perfect plan of Krishna. He only experiences the mercy of Krishna everywhere and in everything. Therefore there is no anxiety, there is peace, there is happiness, there is love, there is compassion, there is mercy, emanating from him in every circumstance of life. Because all that we can do, all that we say is only based on the mercy of God coming through us, the energy of God coming through us. So in every situation the energy of the lord that comes into the heart of a humble devotee, that energy manifests itself as love, as peace, as compassion, as mercy, pure goodness in all circumstances. Just as the electricity can only manifests heat through the stove. But for one who is thinking in terms of I and mine, who is not seeing the energy of God as God’s energy but is trying to manipulate God’s energy to say it’s mine to enjoy. I am not the servant, I am the enjoyer. As soon as you take that consciousness then all the energy of the Lord, is the same energy, it manifests into your heart as attachment, lust, greed for more, hankering, lamenting, pleasure, pain, honor, dishonor. So therefore, a devotee of the Lord, according to the teachings of Bhagavad-Gita, learns how to perceive the spiritual energy in everything and everyone.
Is it easy to see Krishna’s energy in everything ? By always remembering Krishna
Now you may say, here this swamiji, he is speaking, it sounds so easy, but it is not so easy, because after all I bill to pay and I have so many pressures on me and so many unfulfilled desires in my life, so many unfulfilled desires in the life of those who love me. And I growing old, I am getting diseased and I am dying and I am suffering in so many ways and he is just talking about, “you just see Krishna in everything and everything is perfect, peaceful, and love and everything is nice”. Krishna when he explains the difference between material and spiritual energy. He says in Bhagavad-Gita
“jïänaà te ‘haà sa-vijïänam
idaà vakñyämy açeñataù
yaj jïätvä neha bhüyo ‘nyaj
jïätavyam avaçiñyate”
That means that there are two types of Knowledge; Jnana, Vijnana Triptatma. There is theoretical knowledge and there is realized knowledge. Bhagavad-Gita is not a scripture of theoretical and mental conceptualization. Bhagavad-Gita is a scripture which is meant to be realized and experienced through a positive action. If you want to sit down like a scholar or a so-called pandit and just learn the verses and quote the verses, and convince others of the verses, but not live according to what Krishna is teaching Arjuna then you may sound very nice to yourself and to all others, but you still have to suffer repetition of birth and death. There is no gain, there is no accomplishment. Krishna is explaining all these things to Arjuna and He is explaining all these things to you and me, with the aim of getting us to follow the direction of Bhagavad-Gita by which we can directly experience and realize these teachings. By applying the philosophy of Bhagavad-Gita to our life, we can learn to see how everything is the perfect arrangement of God. We can learn to find that eternal peace within us and we can perceive this spiritual energy in everything and everywhere. Krishna says in Bhagavad-Gita for one who sees me everywhere and everything in me, for him I am never lost, nor he is lost to me. The secret Krishna tells us again again again and again in Bhagavad-Gita is we have to learn how to see Him and remember Him in everything and everywhere. By this process of remembering Him, we can directly experience how everything is perfectly emanating from Him.
“man-manä bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yäjé mäà namaskuru
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo si me
Krishna says one who always thinks of Me and becomes My devotee and worships Me and offers homage to Me, he achieves Me, not only in next life but right now. He is filled with my love and my mercy in all circumstances and my peace. The process of Bhagavad-Gita is to always remember Krishna. Krishna told Arjuna you do your duty, you fight but never forget me. Do it as a service to me. Dedicate whatever you do,
“yat karosi yad asnäsi
yaj juhosi dadäsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kurusva mad-arpanam”
How to always remember Krishna ? By Chanting his holy names
Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, give away as an offering to me. And thus you will attain that eternal heritage that is yours. How to always remember Krishna? The simplest method is to chant his Holy name. Lord Sri Krishna appeared as Caitanya Mahaprabhu to teach us the easiest method of perfecting the teachings of Bhagavad-Gita in this age, by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Because the name of the God is none different than Krishna himself, we can learn to remember Him in all circumstances. The Bhagavad-Gita culminates in surrender to Krishna and there is no greater way of surrendering to Krishna than remembering Him. The most sublime and practical means of always thinking of Him is to resound His holy name. Therefore the process of surrendering to Krishna is to chant His names. This is the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And through the process of attentively, with great care and concentration, sacrificing our mind and our heart to hear and chant the name of God will create such purification that naturally we will learn how to perceive everything in Krishna and Krishna in everything. We will want to utilize everything in the service of Lord Hari and then spiritual life is no longer a matter of theoretical realization. Spiritual life is no longer a matter of mental concoction. It is no longer a matter of “I believe this, you believe that”. But the fruit of practical realization will rise within our heart. That is the purpose of our existence in this world; to learn how to love Krishna, to learn how to awaken our natural love for Krishna, to learn how to be the compassionate friend and well wisher of all living beings in the service of the Almighty Lord Sri Krishna. And then we step way beyond the relative limitations that are constantly keeping us bound. Then when we see this famous entertainer telling jokes at Connervy hall and we see fifteen-twenty thousand people, whatever that place holds, all spending their good money, sitting around laughing at him, we all just look at the whole affair and we will laugh. It is all simply a joke. Trying to survive for some tiny little insignificant prolonged amount of time in this world, it is all a joke. It is a joke because it is ridiculous, when we by nature are eternal, full of knowledge, full of bliss. Better than spending your money to go to Connervy hall in seven years to hear this man tell jokes, it is better come to Khar and chant “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare”. People’s idea of entertainment these days is simply waste their valuable precious time. Why not we entertain by dancing, by chanting, by hearing nice philosophy, by taking Prasad, and being very happy? Uniting with the spiritual energy of the Lord! That is real entertainment. That is real pleasure and the future is eternal life. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.
D. Q. After the last episode of Mahabharat, there is a lot of talk about Krishna being a very big manipulator and somehow the general opinion is that Human beings can manipulate but Krishna is God. It does not seem plausible that we say that Religion is what is what is enacted by God,…. But what Krishna says to Karna seems to be a very menial and manipulated thing…Krishna goes to Karna and says that Pandavas are your brother and you should refrain from fighting them and killing them. You should become the King of Indraprastha. The sympathy lies with Karna and every day people are discussing, He is a politician, He is a manipulator. That is the prerogative of human beings and not God.
Ans: I have not seen this. First of all, in Mahabharata it is not presented like that. In Mahabharata the first person to inform Karna was his mother Kunti. Krishna came later. Kunti was the one that explains to Karna that he was her son. And then Lord Sri Krishna seeing Kunti’s plight that her children were battling against one another, imagine the plight of the great women that her two children Arjuna and Karna were going to fight till death and one is going to kill the other, not even knowing they were brothers. This was so unbearable to her that she could not contain herself, she had to tell Karna. It was the vow that she took secretly from the time he was born. But it was such an incredibly horrifying conception for her that they would fight till death inevitably. She had to break her vow of silence and she begged him that Yudhisthira will give you the throne. You are the brother, the eldest. Do not fight with your brothers, please. Now Karna, Radhey because of his obligation to Duryodhan he was unable to go against his promise, because although he was mistreated through out of his life, Duryodhan was the only person who treated him nicely. And he was the man of such honor that he would not go against that. Now Krishna,
He is all merciful. Karna already knew it. Krishna wanted to give him a chance to atone and lament for all of his offences against great souls who are his own brothers. He wanted to save him from death. Krishna knew that he will be killed by Arjuna. There was no question. He had to be killed by Arjuna, because he was protecting adharma. Karnna was going to give his life to protect adharma, irreligion, an offence. That is serious thing. To die to protect criminal activities! Duryoudhan was the criminal. He was an offender. He was adharma personified. He was cheating, he was a murderer. He tried to murder the Pandavas in so many ways. He cheated in gambling, he took everything away and Yudhistira was so polite and so humble that through all this, he never said a bad word about Duryodhan through out his whole life. And even though Yudhisthira was like this, when Duryodhan was defeated by Gandharva, the Gandharva wanted to kill him, but Yudhisthira said, no let him go. Yudhisthira went to fight against the Gandharva to protect Duryodhana while they were living in the forest in banishment. When Gandharva saw Arjuna and Yudhisthira, he said please you do whatever you like with Duryodhana. If you want to kill him, he deserves to die. He is an offender. Vidura was the greatest of all devotees. He was the pious, well-wisher; he was better than Duryodhana’s own father and he treated him like a son throughout his life. And because Vidura was trying to give him good advice Duryodhan tried to kill him. He said if you are not out of this palace within five seconds, you will be dead. Vidura had to leave. It was his birth right to live in that palace. And because of Duryodhan he had to leave. And he had to live in the forest for years and years and years. Karna may have been an honorable man. But his honor was completely misplaced and he was fighting and being willing to give his life and die for this man. So Krishna saw that this Karna is actually an honorable and great soul, but he is going to be slain for the wrong purpose. Not only that my pure devotee Kunti who is such a tender hearted and loving woman, she is going to have to see her own sons slay each other. So Krishna out of compassion and mercy was trying to give Karna a chance to live for the truth but not live for the lie. He was trying to give him a chance out of his mercy and kindness to be the king of the world instead becoming food for vultures and jackals on the battle field. That was his mercy. That’s the way it actually is. How it is presented on television that is nothing to do with the truth necessarily. May or may not. If it is presented correctly it will glorify God. If it is not presented correctly, it may make Krishna to appear like an ordinary man. Krishna says,
“mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù
süyate sa-caräcaram
hetunänena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate”
Krishna says this entire material nature is working under my direction. When we talk about being a manipulator, Krishna is the supreme manipulator. Everything is working under his manipulation. He is not a manipulator like you or me. How much can you manipulate? You manipulate a few people. Even the greatest most powerful conquerors in the world they can manipulate, at the most one tiny little planet. But Krishna is manipulating eternally everything that exists in both the spiritual and material world. He is the supreme manipulator. Who are you to say he should not manipulate? He will always manipulate and you are always manipulated by him, whether you like it or not. If you are his devotee you are manipulated by him out of love. He manipulated mother Yasoda. Mother Yasoda did not give him milk, he would start breaking all the pots. That is manipulation. Is it not? He would start crying and mother Yasoda would have to run, Oh please drink my milk, drink my milk. And the milk would be boiling over the stove and she would put Krishna down and Krishna would say ahhhhhh ahhhh. She does not want to give me her milk, all right, He would start breaking all the butter pots, and stealing all the butter and then tying them up and all these things, just to get her to give him her milk. Krishna was manipulating, that manipulation was only to give ecstasy to mother Yasoda. With the cowherd boys, with the gopies, Krishna would play the flute, he would dance with them, and would disappear, he would run away, they were looking where is Krishna, where is Krishna? They would be asking the trees, the peacocks, the birds, the river Yamuna, and the flowers – where is Krishna – and then he would appear. Then He would dance. He was manipulating. When did Krishna not manipulate? In the spiritual world he is manipulating everything. But his whole goal of manipulation is simply to give ecstasy and loving exchanges to his devotees. In the spiritual world, everyone their only pleasure in life is simply to be manipulated by Krishna. Simply to surrender to Krishna! And in the material world Krishna does not personally bother with anybody. He simply puts us under the control of Durga Devi or Maya and she is manipulating everything and everyone through the three fold miseries of material nature and through the three gunas – The three modes of material nature. Indirectly Krishna is manipulating everything in this world. He is the supreme manipulator. Do not ever think, He is like you. He is supreme. He is parambrahman. From Him everything is emanating. He knows everything. In this material world if a person knows a lot he can manipulate. Right. Krishna knows everything, How He can manipulate? If a person in this world has wealth, he can manipulate. Krishna owns everything. If a person in this word has some physical strength just like children, if one can beat up on other children, he can manipulate the other children. But Krishna can beat up on everyone as He has supreme strength. All strength belongs to him. If a woman or a man is very beautiful, how much they can manipulate people? Right. Krishna is the source of all beauty. If a person is famous, through his fame, how he can manipulate things. Krishna is the supreme source of all fame. And if a person is very renounced, in spiritual circles he can manipulate things very well. Krishna is the supreme embodiment of all renunciation. So therefore Krishna is the supreme top most manipulator. He is the manipulator from whom all manipulators are emanating. We all are trying to manipulate but ultimately we are manipulated. But he is never manipulated. He is the supreme controller of all controllers. He is “sarvaiçvarya”. So therefore when we understand the true nature of Krishna, when we see these transcendental pastimes, it only brings joy and love to our heart. How merciful and how glorious is Krishna, that the supreme Lord of all Lords has descended in this material world, just to try to help this one person Karnna and give him the right life to live. How merciful! He is appearing like a common man, just to try to convince him to do the right thing. But at the same time He would never interfere with his independence. This is glorious. If we understand this pastime and truth it is glorious example of the supreme mercy and the supreme compassion of God. But if we misunderstand it, if we see on the television without understanding through the sadhus what is the real significance of this, then we start thinking, oh how Krishna is such a politician? Krishna is not a politician. Krishna has nothing to gain and nothing to loose by coming to this world. He already owns everything. He owns everything, what is there to gain or loose? He only comes to this world out of His love, out of His compassion and out of His kindness. Does that answer your question?
D Q. Is the Mahabharat shown on TV not authorized by Sadhus…
M A. I am not saying it is authorized or authorized. I cannot understand Hindi. I do not know, what they are what they saying are not saying? But i it helping people become more God conscious, then it is good thing. But you may not get the proper understanding of what is taking place unless you get a commentary fro those who understand the real essence and purpose behind the pastimes of Mahabharata. If you even read the Mahabharata, if you do not hear the commentary of the great souls, you will certainly misinterpret it. What to speak of a television show, that has so much license to ban the real story, just to make it dramatically exciting. We are not against. It is good thing. It is making so many people to think of Krishna. It is establishing so many virtues and religious principles within people’s life, so it is very good thing. But if you want to understand the real significance behind it, you have to go beyond the television set.
D. Q. Our body keeps on changing shape, as we die it keeps on changing shape from one body to another. So, what is the significance of whether you bury the body or you burn it or put it to the _. How does it really matter, how we consign it?
M.A: It does not make that much difference. Every religion has their own philosophy of the best way to, dispose the body. We are concerned with “What we do with our consciousness before we leave the body”. Let others worry about what happens to our body afterward? You worry about what you do with the body, while you have it? If you think of Krishna at the time of death you will go back to godhead. You could not careless whether you eaten by vultures, or you being by the worms underground, or whether you are being consumed by fire, you will be with Krishna. There is nobody home. Of course each religion has there their reasons, but please understand that this body, you are thinking is such a valuable wonderful thing, is a culmination of ashes, dust, or stool. Do you know that? The body that you are pampering, protecting, and beautifying everyday, ultimately is going to be either ashes, dust or stool. What is so great about a body that ends up like that? According to your tradition, the Hindu tradition you burn the body, therefore the ultimate destination of this body is to become ashes. Correct! In the west the Christians they bury the body in which case, the body deteriorates and becomes dust. Just goes into the dirt as dust. And the Parsies I believe, they put the body on the roof, let the birds eat it. And the birds they have nice succulent feast. They digest the body. It goes through their various digestive organs, and comes out as stool. You are that stool. If you think you are this body. We are the eternal soul. And what we do with our consciousness, before we leave this body, determines what happens to the soul after death. So that should be our meditation. So since we are discussing the subject matter of eating, I think we should take this queue and honor nice Krishna Prasad. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna!
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