Vrndavana, India August 15, 1974
Lord Krsna tells us how He reveals Himself to us in many ways just to draw out our love for Him.
punyo gandhah prthivyam ca
tejas casmi vibhavasau
jivanam sarva-bhutesu
tapas casmi tapasvisu
"I am the original fragrance of the earth, and I am the heat in fire. I am the life of all that lives, and I am the penances of all ascetics." Bhagavad-gita 7.9
Krsna is describing in detail how He is spread everywhere. Before this verse, He has mentioned so many ways. We can see Krsna at every step and every moment. If we practice seeing Krsna, that is not difficult.
Whenever there is a fragrance from a rose, for example you can immediately remember Krsna: "Here is Krsna." You simply have to practice.
As soon as you remember Krsna or you say or utter the word "Krsna," Krsna contacts you. You are in contact with Krsna immediately. And if you remain constantly in contact with Krsna by studying all the details He mentions here, then where is the lack of Krsna consciousness? And if you remain always in that way, Krsna conscious, then you are the topmost yogi. Yoginam api sarvesam [Bhagavad-gita 6.47]. Very easy. It is not at all difficult. You simply have to practice.
In another place it is said that the blooming flower is the smiling of Krsna. So you can see Krsna smiling as soon as you see a flower.
I do not know why people say, "Can you show me Krsna?" Krsna is showing Himself in so many ways. They will not accept that. It is not at all difficult to see Krsna every moment, at every step, if we study what Krsna says: "I am,""This is."
Punyo gandhah prthivyam ca: "I am the original fragrance of the earth." Now, within the earth, every stock is there. The flavor of the rose is there, and the flavor of some other flower is also there, but you cannot take it out by your so-called scientific chemical process. Take some lump of earth and extract from it the flavor of a rose. It is there. That is a fact. You sow the seed of a rose, and it will exact the rose flavor from the earth. That's a fact. Who can deny it? Otherwise, where is the flavor coming from?
Here Krsna says, jivanam sarva-bhutesu: He's life. In the next verse He'll say, bijam mam sarva-bhutanam: "I am the original seed of all existences."Bija: the seed. The seed is so nicely made by Krsna's brain that as soon as you put the seed within the earth and add some water, it will fructify and gradually grow and exact the flavor, the color, everything. This is a fact. Everybody knows it. Not only that, but Krsna is within the small seed of the gigantic banyan tree. Otherwise how can this wonderful thing happen? How can a huge tree come from a small seed? And not only one tree there are many millions of fruits on the tree, and in each fruit there are many millions of trees. This is the power of Krsna's brain. You cannot do that. The so-called manufacturers can manufacture a very complicated watch, but from that watch many watches will not come. No, that is not possible.
But Krsna is so powerful omnipotent that He has manufactured such a thing, because He is there in the seed. Bijam mam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 7.10]. Wherever He is, He can play in wonderful ways.
The Cause of All Causes
This is the study of Krsna consciousness. Where is the difficulty? Now, this electric lamp, it is brilliant and it has some heat. Where is it coming from? It is coming from Krsna. That's a fact. He's the cause of all causes.
isvarah paramah krsnahsac-cid-ananda-vigrahahanadir adir govindahsarva-karana-karanam
"The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Krsna, and He has a body of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. He has no beginning, for He is the beginning of everything. He is the cause of all causes." [Brahma-samhita 5.1]
But we should not, like the Mayavadi philosophers, make mistake of thinking that because the electric light is being caused by Krsna, the electric light is Krsna. No, not that. Krsna is always separate from the electric light. The Mayavadi says, "Because Krsna is there in the electric lamp, or in the tree, or in the seed, or in the color, or in the flavor, Krsna is finished. There is no more Krsna. Because Krsna has spread Himself in so many ways, Krsna is finished." This consideration is material, not spiritual. If you take a piece of paper, tear it into small pieces, and throw it, then the original paper is lost. This is material.
But Krsna is not like that. Krsna is a person, and from His energies so many varieties of productions are coming out. But still, He is existing.
Purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate [Isopanisad Invocation]. He's purna, complete. Not that because so many things have been taken from Krsna, He is finished. This misconception is part of material life. The Mayavadis cannot conceive of the omnipotence of God. They accept that God is omnipotent, but they cannot understand His omnipotence.
Krsna's omnipotence means that so many things are being manifested by His energies, but Krsna is not lost. Krsna is there. We haven't got to worship so many things pantheism. "Krsna, or the Absolute Truth, has be-come divided in so many ways; there-fore everything combined together is the Absolute Truth." This is the theory of pantheism. But ours is the Vedic proposition: Krsna is the cause of everything. Varieties of material and spiritual things are there, but Krsna in His original identity is present in Vrndavana.
Krsna is this electric lamp, and still, He's not the electric lamp. Krsna is this pillow, but He's not the pillow.
Not Everything is Krsna
In one big mission, the leaders say, "We accept anything as God." No. We do not say like that, nor does Krsna. When Krsna speaks of worshiping, He does not say that you should worship the electric light or something else. Mam ekam: "Me alone." That is the instruction. Not that "Krsna has become everything; therefore everything has to be worshiped." No. That is wrong.
Our philosophy is acintya-bheda- abheda: simultaneous oneness and difference. We have to take shelter of Krsna personally, not the varieties. Mam ekamsaranam vraja: "Surrender unto Me alone." You have to understand that varieties are dependent on Krsna. Not that "Because there are varieties, Krsna is finished." No, that is not the philosophy.
Here it is said, tapas casmi tapasvisu: "I am the penances of all ascetics."Tapasvi means those who seek eternal happiness. Karmis, yogis there are many tapasvis. But the real tapasvi is interested in tapah divyam. Divyam means transcendental. Just perform tapasya for realizing Krsna.
The demon Hiranyakasipu also performed tapasya. What was that tapasya? He performed severe tapasya, so much so that the whole universe became perturbed and Brahmaji came to see him.
"What do you want?" Brahma asked Hiranyakasipu.
"I am performing tapasya to become immortal. So if you make me immortal, it will be very kind of you."
Brahma replied, "I am myself not immortal. How can I make you immortal? That is not possible."
So Hiranyakasipu also performed tapasya, but that tapasya was for material gain. That is not real tapasya. Tapasya means to undergo voluntarily some bodily inconveniences. We are accustomed to enjoy bodily senses, so tapasya means voluntarily to give up the idea of sense gratification. That is tapasya.
Ekadasione day of fasting each fortnight is also tapasya. Or fasting on some other auspicious day. That tapasya is good, even for health, and what to speak of advancing in Krsna consciousness. So we should accept this tapasya. There are many prescribed days for fasting. We should observe them. And the preliminary tapasya is no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, no meat-eating. There may be some inconvenience for those of us who were accustomed to these practices, but we'll have to accept this tapasya if we want to purify our existence.
At the present moment our existence is not purified; it is impure. Therefore we are suffering. When one's physiological condition becomes infected, he suffers from fever and other symptoms of disease. Similarly, we are suffering in this material world on account of this material body. If we want real happiness, then we must accept tapasya. Tapasya is required. If you think, "Without tapasya, I can get spiritual advancement simply by imagination," then you become a sahajiya, one who take things very cheaply. No. Tapasya is required.
Therefore Krsna says tapas casmi tapasvisu. Tapasya is itself Krsna. You associate with Krsna. When you voluntarily give up meat-eating or intoxication, this giving-up process is Krsna.
Krsna Is So Kind
Tapasya means to accept voluntarily something as enjoined in the sastra, the scripture. Whatever Krsna says is sastra. What is Veda? Veda means what Krsna says. There is no other Veda. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, tene brahma hrda.Brahma means Veda. Krsna imparted the Vedas to Lord Brahma through the heart. Krsna is situated in everyone's heart. Lord Brahma had no other spiritual master, but Krsna is there within his heart. Krsna's name is Caitya-guru, "The Guru in the Heart." Krsna is so kind. He is the guru within, and when we are serious, He manifests Himself as a spiritual master. That is described in the Caitanya-caritamrta.
The guru helps from inside and outside. Krsna is so kind; He manifests Himself as the spiritual master. Therefore Visvanatha CakravartiThakura says, saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastraih . . . : A pure devotee is empowered by Krsna to act as the spiritual master. Therefore the spiritual master should be accepted as Krsna's representative. Tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih: Those who are learned scholars, actual devotees they accept the spiritual master as such.
But that does not mean that the guru is Krsna. "Accept" means that you honor the spiritual master as being as good as Krsna, because he's Krsna's representative. That's not the same as the Mayavada philosophy, which says that the guru and Krsna are the same. In fact, they are simultaneously one and different.
Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya: The guru is as good as Krsna because he is very dear to Krsna. Why is he dear? Because he's preaching on behalf of Krsna. What Krsna wants, he's doing that. Therefore he's very dear.
Krsna wants everyone to surrender unto Him. A guru's business is to teach that. A guru does take the position of Krsna. He simply teaches people, "Accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Surrender unto Him. Always think of Him. Always offer your obeisances. Become a pure devotee of Krsna."
That is the guru's business. It is not very difficult. Anyone who is sincerely following Krsna's instruction and instructing others to do that is an acarya. Behave exactly as stated in the sastra, as ordered by Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as ordered by Krsna. And teach all your disciples the same thing.
So acarya, guru, representative it is not difficult. One simply has to become very, very sincere. One must undergo the simple tapasyas as prescribed in the sastras. By personal example, Lord Caitanya's associate Haridasa Thakura was preaching the glories of chanting Hare Krsna; therefore he is accepted as a guru. In our line, all the Vaisnavas, all the Gosvamis acted accordingly and preached. Therefore they are acaryas.
Remembering Krsna
In the Krsna consciousness movement we teach that one should always remember Krsna. Now, because we are materially attached, we cannot think of Krsna twenty-four hours a day. Remembering Krsna is very pleasing, but because we are materially attached, we cannot do it. Therefore Krsna is prescribing, "See the varieties of this material world and try to remember Me." These are the varieties: punyo gandhah prthivyam ca tejas casmi vibhavasau. "Study nature and see these important points. And there I am."
It is very scientific. You study nature and pick up some point and Krsna says, "I am this." Where is the difficulty? This is Krsna consciousness. You drink water you remember Krsna. You see the light remember Krsna. You smell the aroma of a nice flower immediately remember Krsna. Practice this. It is not difficult.
Actually, we have to think of Krsna always. Therefore we chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. That is the way to always think of Krsna. And Krsna is present before us in His form as the deity in the temple. Therefore we have to worship the deity. If we constantly worship the deity, then Krsna's form is always impressed upon our minds. We will be able to see Krsna any time. If I close my eyes, I will see Krsna, how Krsna is nicely dressed. I will see how Krsna is very pleasingly eating what I have prepared with devotion, bhaktya.
The real thing is bhaktya, not simply official worship. Krsna does not accept anything if it is not offered with bhakti and by the bhakta, the devotee. Why should He accept it? Is He hungry like me? No. He simply wants to see how you have learned to love Krsna, how you are eager to serve Krsna. Otherwise He does not require your service. He's always being served by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.
People pray to the goddess of fortune, "My mother, Goddess of Fortune, give me some fortune." But the goddess of fortune is afraid that Krsna may reject her. For example, when Krsna was joking with His wife Rukmini, she thought, "Maybe Krsna is going to leave me." Immediately she fainted.
The goddesses of fortune are humbly, fearfully engaged in Krsna's service. What service can we give Krsna in comparison? What are we compared to the goddesses of fortune? We are nothing. Insignificant. So why does Krsna accept our service? Why does He come as the deity to accept our service? Just to induce us to serve Him with bhakti. That is wanted.
Therefore He says, "Give Me even a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water. It doesn't matter. But give Me with bhakti."
That is our real business. If you have no bhakti, if you offer something only officially, Krsna does not touch it. Krsna is not so poor.
Whatever you do, you should always be humble: "Krsna, I am quite unfit. So whatever I could collect with my capacity, kindly accept it."
This is our only plea to Krsna. Don't proudly think, "I am doing so much for Krsna. Krsna will be obliged to accept it."
The process is very easy, very sublime, but we have to learn it. And that is not very difficult. Here in this verse Krsna is showing how to see Him in a variety of ways. Always think of Krsna, and Krsna will give you intelligence.
You cannot cheat Krsna. That is not possible. Krsna is within your heart. He sees everything your intention, your purpose, your activities, everything. Upadrasta: He is the witness. You cannot cheat Krsna. Be sincere, and try to serve Him. He'll accept your service. And He will give you intelligence. Your life will be successful.
Thank you very much.