Worship the Absolute Truth, Not the Relative Truth by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

Truths of this world are ever-changing and can never pacify us. We should turn our attention to the unchanging, ever-lasting truth. 

 

janmady asya yato 'nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah svarat 

tene brahma hrdaya adi-kavaye muhyanti yat surayah 

tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa 

dhamna svena sada nirasta-kuhakam satyam param dhimahi 

 

Vyasadeva is offering his obeisances to satyam param, the Absolute Supreme Truth, not to the relative truth. Everyone has to offer obeisances to somebody. In our practical life, at least, we have to offer obeisances to the police constable. When you go on the street, as soon as they say, "Stop," we have to obey. So how you can avoid obeying? They are saying that "We don't believe in God. God is dead. I am God." But why you are offering obeisances even to the small constable? That means you have to offer your obeisances to somebody. That is your position. 

 

But we are offering obeisances to the relative truth. That has been explained here that tejo-vari-mrdam yatha vinimayo yatra tri-sargo 'mrsa. We are offering obeisances to a temporary manifestation of tejo-vari-mrdam vinimayah. Tejah means fire, vari means water, and mrt means earth. So you take earth, mix with water, and put it into fire. Then grind it, so it becomes mortar and the brick, and you prepare a very big skyscraper and offer obeisances there. Yes. "Oh, such a big house, mine." Tri-sargo 'mrsa. But there is another place: dhamna svena nirasta-kuhakam. We are offering here obeisances to the bricks, stone, iron. Especially in Western countries, there are so many statues – the same thing, tejo-vari-mrdam vinimayah. But when we install Deity, the eternal form of Krishna, nobody offers obeisances. They'll go to offer obeisances to the dead. In the British Museum, people stand in queue to offer obeisances to a dead body. It has no value, but they are wasting time there. But here, if they are invited, they will say, "Oh, they are worshiping idol. Why shall I go there?" This is called illusion. 

 

So Vyasadeva here offers obeisances to the Supreme Absolute Truth, satyam param dhimahi. There is no more truth beyond that. And as Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, mattah parataram nanyat kiticid asti dhananjaya [Gita 7.7]. Mattah, "Beyond Me there is no more superior power." So Vyasadeva is offering his obeisances to the person above whom there is nobody. In our experience we see that one controller is controlled by another controller. Nobody is absolute controller. Therefore nobody is Absolute Truth. But Vyasadeva is offering obeisances to the Absolute Truth, "the source of all emanations." 

 

Now, what is that source of emanation? As we have got experience, in everything there is a cause and the effect. So the supreme cause means one who has no more cause, or one who is the cause of all causes, sarva-karana-karanam [Brahma-samhita 5.1]. I am caused by my father, my father is caused by his father. His father, his father … go on making research, who the ultimate father is. There must be some ultimate father. We can see up to two, three generation upwards, and beyond that, we cannot see. That does not mean that the great-grandfather had no father. There must have been some father. Anyone can understand. Although I cannot see with my limited potency, but with my reasonable knowledge, I can understand that either he may be great-grandfather or above that, above that, he must have some father. 

 

So Lord Brahma is therefore called pitamaha, "grandfather," because he is the original father within this universe. He is the first created being, and he begot so many children. So all the living entities, they are born of Brahma, He is called shrishti-karta, or "the creator of this universe." And there are innumerable universes. In each universe there is one Brahma, and all these Brahmas are created by Garbhodakashayi Vishnu, Therefore vishnu-tattva is the Absolute Truth. 

 

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives reference of Srimad-Bhagavatam with Brahma-samhita. That means Srimad-Bhagavatam also is eternal. They are not man-made, manufactured books. The Vedic literature means, as it is stated in this verse, tene brahma hrda. Brahma means Vedic literature, sabda-brahma. Vasudeva, the original person, the Absolute Truth, transferred this Vedic knowledge into the heart of Lord Brahma, Brahma was alone; he could not see Krishna eye-to-eye. But isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati [Gita 18.61]. Krishna is everyone's heart, so he taught him from within. Krishna's name is chaitya-guru, "the spiritual master from within." So Krishna is trying to help us from within, and He manifests again externally also as spiritual master, directly teaching. So from within, from without, He is trying to help us. Krishna is so kind. 

 

This Brahma-samhita was written by Lord Brahma, and in Brahma-samhita the name of Krishna is there. Originally in the Brahma-samhita there were hundred chapters, but only fifth chapter is now available. In the beginning of that fifth chapter, Brahma says isvarah paramah krishnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah, [Brahma-samhita 5.1]. So how can these rascals conclude that Krishna lived some few thousand years ago, there was this blue boy, He was very powerful …. So in this way, these rascal so-called scholars have misled the public. Therefore we call them simply rascals. They do not know what the truth is, and still they write unauthorized books and commentaries and mislead the public. This is going on. Krishna is not manufactured. In the Brahma-samhita, there is complete description of Krishna:

 

isvarah paramah krishnah 
sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah 
anadir adir govindah
sarva-karana-karanam [Brahma-samhita 5.1] 

 

The cause of all causes. janmadyasya yatah. The Vedanta-sutra says, "The Absolute Truth is the original cause." The scientists are trying to find out the original cause of creation, but they are creating their own imagination: "There was a chunk, and it burst out, and then planets came out." Like that (laughter). And where from this chunk came, you nonsense? So this is going on. 

 

So if you actually want knowledge, then you have to take knowledge by this disciplic succession, because you cannot speculate. By speculation, you can never arrive to the Absolute Truth. That is not possible. 

 

athapi te deva padambuja-dvayam
prasada-lesanu grhita eva hi
janati tattvam bhagavan-mahimno
na canya eko 'pi chiram vicinvan [Bhagavatam 10.14.29] 

 

Chiram means perpetually you may speculate, but you cannot understand what is God. That is not possible. You have to know God from a person who knows God personally. Just like Krishna, Krishna' s name is mentioned in the Bhagavata and Brahma-samhita. That means Brahma knew Krishna, That means Krishna was before Brahma's birth, original. Aham evasam agre. Before creation, Krishna was present. Not that Krishna is a product of this material creation, like us. This body is a product of material creation. My father and mother created this body. Their bodies were similarly created by somebody. But Krishna' s body is not like that. Krishna' s body is beyond creation – aham evasam agre – because there was no creation, and Krishna was existing before creation. So how can you say that Krishna's body is material? That is not possible. 

 

Therefore Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, janma karma ajo 'pi san avyayatma: "I am born," avyayatma, "eternal body; still, I take birth." Bhutanam isvaro 'pi san: "I am the Lord of everyone; still, I appear." These things are to be understood. This is not ordinary knowledge. Divyam, transcendental. His appearance, His disappearance, His work, His activity, His pastimes – they are all transcendental. Even Sankaracharya, the impersonalist, says narayana parah avyaktat: "Narayana is beyond this material creation." Avyakta means there is a total stock of material elements beyond this universe. There are so many things to be learned. This universe we see is just like a ball, and this ball is covered by layers of water, fire, air, earth, like that. And each layer is ten times bigger than the previous layer. In this way the universe is covered. And beyond that covering, there is another sky. We are imprisoned here within this universe. We are thinking that we are very free to move in the sky with sputniks. But you cannot go beyond your limitation. That is not possible. They are going to the moon planet, again coming back. That is our conditional life, that you are conditioned, packed up under certain regulations. If you violate, then you are punishable. You cannot violate. You have to remain within the conditions of material nature. Daivi hyesa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Gita 7.14]. You cannot violate. If you want to violate the laws of nature, then you will create another difficulty. 

 

Thank you very much.