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ANNOUNCER: The following is a
class on the Bhagavad-gītā As It
Is, 13th chapter, text number 19,
given by His Divine Grace A. C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupāda, recorded on
October 13, 1973 in Bombay,
India.

PRABHUPĀDA:

So svayam bhagavan, Krsna,
krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. We
have many times explained the
word bhagavan. Bhagavan
means six opulences. Riches
and… Aisvaryasya samagrasya
viryasya. Potency. Viryasya
yasasah, fame, reputation.
Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya
yasasah sriyah, beauty, jnana,
knowledge, and vairagya,
detachment. When one is full
with all these six opulences, he’s
God. So people try to get the
opulences. Everyone is trying by
karma, jnana, yoga. But nobody
can attain the opulences in full
strength. That is not possible. So
the simple definition of God is
that one who is in full six
opulences, he’s God. That has
been analyzed by great saintly
persons, including Lord Brahma,
and it has been decided that the
all the six opulences can be
found in Krsna.

Therefore, Brahma’s decree is
given there in the Brahma-
samhita,

isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-
ananda-vigrahah anadir adir
govindah sarva-karana-karanam
[Bs. 5.1]

In the Bhagavad-gita also it is
said, aham adir hi devanam
maharsinam ca sarvasah. So that
Supreme Personality of Krsna is
giving us knowledge, the ultimate
goal of knowledge. And the living
entities, their body, field of
activities in this thirteenth
chapter they have been very
thoroughly described. Although
Krsna said it is summary.
Because they cannot be
described in full.

This body, how many bodies you
have changed? Even in this life,
we are changing our body. Every
one of us, a little body of a child,
then little grown-up body of a
boy, then youthful body, then
this old body. So as we are
changing body, dehino ’smin
yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam
jara tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg.
2.13] Similarly, after giving up
this body, I will have to accept
another body, and there are for
eight million four hundred
thousand species of forms of
body. According to our karma,
we have to accept another body.

Karmana daiva-netrena. By
superior arrangement. You
cannot say that “I want this kind
of body.” God is not your order
supplier. You’ll get. Either you
ask for it or don’t ask for it, you
according to your karma, you’ll
have a next body. Karmana
daiva… By the superior
arrangement. If you work in this
life like God you’ll get next life a
god’s body. And if you work in
this life as a dog then you get
next the life as a dog. That is not
in your hands. Prakrteh
kriyamanani gunaih karmani
sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. Gunaih.
According to your qualities, as
you will work, and prakrti,
nature, will give you a similar
body.

Otherwise, why do we find so
many varieties of bodies? So
many varieties. Just like so many
varieties of apartment, so many
varieties of hotels, so many
varieties of appointment. So you
are appointed, you are put into
an apartment, or hotel, according
to the terms of your payment.
That is karma. So you cannot say
everything is also equal. That is
nonsense. They cannot be equal
because we are working under
three qualities, goodness,
passion and ignorance. If we
work, field of activities… This,
this body is field of activities.
Nobody can work similarly
because they have got field of
activities different. My body is
different, your body is different.
You are acting according to your
body. The hog is acting according
to his body. The dog is acting
according to his body. The
president of some country is
acting according to his body.

So we should have brain to
understand that: “Why there are
different personalities and
different activities? Because there
are different qualities. So to
organize human society these
qualities should be taken into
consideration. We should divide.
Just like in our body we have got
four departments. This head
department, the arm
department, the belly
department and the leg
department. Everyone is working
according to the departmental
function. The brain is working
differently. The office or the
direction, the brain is giving
direction. Then my hand is
moving, my leg is moving.
Similarly, there must be a
directory department. In office
also there are board of directors,
then secretaries, then clerks,
then menials, then servants, then
caparasi. So even in your body
this arrangement is there.

How can you avoid? If you simply
say that “Let there be all heads,”
that cannot. Or “Let there be
simply legs.” That is cannot that
cannot be. There must be the
heads, the legs, the hands, the
belly. Similarly, the whole society
should be divided into that way
and they should work
cooperatively. The central point.
Just like this head, leg, hands,
they are working cooperatively
for the benefit of this body,
whole body. Actually for the
benefit of this belly. Because we
are all working now for eating
without eating we cannot live.
Then it is after sleeping, then
mating the, then defending. First
there must be arrangement for
eating. So, practically the
stomach is the king in this bodily
arrangement, the stomach.

There is a story, Udarendriyanam
in the Hitopadesa written by
Visnusarma. There, there was
strike. All the hands legs eyes,
they observed strike, that “This
belly, the stomach is eating only,
and we are working. So we shall
not work. We shall not work, stop
working. Just like nowadays
striking goes on. So they stopped
working, and after few days, all
of them became weak because
they were not feeding the
stomach. Then they arranged
another conference. “Why we are
becoming weak?” Then the fault
was found out that because we
are not giving to eat to the
stomach. So all then agreed,
“Well, let the stomach eat, and
let us work.” So this is the
nature’s arrangement. The
stomach will simply eat and the
hands and legs and eyes, they
must work.

Similarly, the central point is
Krsna, God. God must simply eat.
You must work. We are all part
and parcel of… Mamaivamso jiva-
bhutah [Bg. 15.7] Just like part
and parcel of my body. They
must work. And the stomach
shall eat. So this Krsna
consciousness movement is that,
that Krsna is the central stomach
and you all work for Krsna. You
are also benefited.

Just like here is Krsna. We are all
working for Krsna whole day and
night, but we are not starving.
We are not starving, we are
getting Krsna’s prasada, nice
foodstuff. So this cooperation
should be… If you supply food to
the stomach, the energy will be
distributed to the hands, legs,
fingers, eyes. And if you do not
supply food, you cannot say that
the fingers, if they capture a nice
sweetmeat and if he non-
cooperates, “No, I shall not give
to the stomach. I shall eat.” He
cannot eat, the fingers cannot
eat. It must give to the stomach
and take the prasadam energy.
Then the fingers and eyes will
work, so we must serve.

Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gita
the last instruction is that “You
surrender to Me. Sarva-dharman
parityajya mam ekam saranam
vraja [Bg. 18.66]. So if we
surrender to God and if we serve
God, because we are part and
parcel, then we shall be happy.
The energy will come from the
central.

Just like the energy is coming
from the heart. Because, this is
practical medically, and
scientifically. The energy is
coming. As soon as the heart
fails, everything stops. And the
energy is there because isvarah
sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna
tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Hrd-dese, it
is there, the isvara, the Supreme
Lord as Paramatma, is situated
within your heart. Now you find
out, if you have got means to
see. But the situation is given,
described in the sastra.

Therefore yogis they try to find
out God within the heart.
Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena
manasa pasyanti yam yoginah
[SB 12.13.1]. Yogi, those who
are yogis, transcendentalists,
they are trying to observe the
Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Dhyanavasthita, by meditation.
That is real meditation, to focus
the mind to see the Supreme
Personality of Godhead within the
heart. But who can see? That is
also described in the sastra.
Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-
vilocanena santah sadaiva
hrdayesu [Bs. 5.38], again
hrdayesu, hrdayesu. Premanjana-
cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah, santah, saintly person,
being developed in Krsna
consciousness, in love of Krsna…

Premanjana. And smearing the
eyes with the ointment of love of
Krsna. We can see Krsna, God,
with these eyes when it is
anointed with the particular
medicine which is called love of
Godhead. Premanjana-cchurita-
bhakti-vilocanena santah [Bs.
5.38], not ordinary man, santah.
Advanced saintly persons. Santah
sadaiva pasyanti. Where, where
they see? Hrdayesu, in their own
heart. Santah hrdayesu pasyanti.
Yam syamasundaram acintya-
guna-svarupam govindam adi-
purusam tam aham bhajami.

Yam syamasundaram. Krsna’s
another name is Syamasundara.
He’s blackish, but very beautiful.
Generally, we don’t like to see
blackish people. But Krsna is so
nice. Although He’s blackish, He’s
kandarpa-koti-kamaniya.
Barhavatamsam asitambuda-
sundarangam. These are
described in the Vedic literature.
Although He’s blackish, He is
more beautiful than millions of
millions of cupids. Kandarpa-koti-
kamaniya. So Krsna is so beauty.
That is His Godliness. Because
beauty is also… We don’t worship
nirakara. Beautiful, the most
beautiful. The most beautiful.
Krsna is the most beautiful,
Radharani is the most beautiful.
Couple, young couple. Our object
of worship when we see how nice
Radharani, how nice Krsna,
beauty. Yes.

Wherefrom the beauty worship
has come in this material world
unless there is beauty in the
original form, Krsna and
Radharani? So God cannot be
nirakara. Otherwise, why this
beauty worship has come? What
you’ll say? Janmady asya yatah
[Bhag. 1.1.1]. The Vedanta-sutra
says. Whatever you see within
this world, there is origin. It is
only reflection. It is only
reflection. Just like in the mirror,
there is reflection of your
beautiful face, and it looks
beautiful because the face is
beautiful. If the face is ugly, the
reflection will be ugly.

So everything is there in God.
Aham adir hi devanam. Another
place, Krsna says, mattah sarvam
pravartate. Aham sarvasya
prabhavah. So Krsna is the origin
of everything. Mattah sarvam
pravartate. “Everything emanates
from Me.” That is the answer to
the Vedanta-sutra, Brahma-sutra,
Brahma-sutra. Athato brahma
jijnasa. Janmady asya yatah
[Bhag. 1.1.1]. So the origin is
there. The richness is there, the
potency is there, the beauty is
there, the riches is there, the
knowledge is there, and the
detachment is there. Just see.

Here, in this material world, it is
all created by God. But how
much He is detached, He does
not live within this material
world. He lives in His own abode,
in the spiritual world. He has no
attachment although He has
created. That is also confirmed in
the Bhagavad-gita.

maya tatam idam sarvam jagad
avyakta-murtina mat-sthani
sarva-bhutani na caham tesv
avasthitah

Krsna says, maya tatam idam
sarvam. Whatever you see, that
is My expansion of energy.” Just
like the energy, sun, is there in
the localized place and the
energy, sunshine, is distributed
all over the universe.

But you cannot say “Because I
am in touch with the sunshine,
therefore I am in touch with the
sun.” You are simultaneously,
you are in touch with the sun at
the same time not touching sun.
Just like at the present moment
at night we are not in touch with
the sun because it is darkness.
So when… We are not in touch
with God when we forget Him.
And as soon as we understand
that everything is the energy of
the Supreme Lord, then we
immediately become in touch.
That can be done, premanjana-
cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah
sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti [Bs.
5.38].

Therefore Krsna says, iti ksetram
tatha jnanam jneyam coktum
samasatah. “My dear Arjuna,
now I have explained to you in
summary, not in detail, what is
this body, who is the knower of
the body, proprietor of the body,
ksetra-jna, and what is
knowledge, and what is the
object of knowledge. These
things I have explained to you.”
So Krsna is explaining,
everything. Everything is there in
the Bhagavad-gita. You can
become fully in knowledge if you
read Bhagavad-gita carefully. But
you must have the qualification.
If you are a rascal, nonsense you
cannot understand. This is plain
thing. Rascals and nonsense
cannot understand Bhagavad-
gita. That is the first condition.

When Bhagavad-gita was taught
to Arjuna, he said, bhakto ’si me
sakha ceti rahasyam hy etad
uttamam. “My dear Arjuna, I am
speaking to you this mystery of
Bhagavad-gita which was spoken
long long ago to the sun-god, but
now it is lost because the
parampara is lost. Disciplic
succession is lost. Therefore I am
again speaking to you the same
truth so that from you people will
understand what is Bhagavad-
gita.”

“So why you have selected me,
sir? I am an ordinary military
man, I know how to fight. I am
not a Vedantist, neither I am a
brahmana. So why you have
selected me? Because, the
spiritual knowledge is meant for
the Vedantist, brahmana, saintly
person, and sannyasis. I am
neither of them. Why You have
selected me?”

Bhakto ’si. “Because you are My
devotee.” This is the
qualification. Without becoming
devotee no rascal can understand
what is Bhagavad-gita. Again the
same thing is spoken to Arjuna.
Mad-bhakta etad vijnaya. “I have
explained everything in summary,
but only My devotee can
understand. Not others.” That is
also concluded in the eighteenth
chapter. One can understand
God or Krsna: bhaktya mam
abhijanati yavan yas casmi
tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. If you
want to understand Krsna, or
God, then you have to become a
devotee. Krsna does not say the
jnani, karmi, yogi, they can
understand. No.

Jnani, what is that jnani?
Bahunam janmanam ante
jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg.
7.19]. That is jnana. If you do
not understand Krsna, if you do
not surrender to Krsna, what is
the value of your so-called
knowledge? Srama eva hi
kevalam. It is simply waste of
time. If you do not understand
Krsna you are studying Vedic
literature, you are very good
student of Vedas. That’s all right.
Have you understood Krsna? “No
sir.” Then it is useless. Useless
waste of time. Because it is said:
vedais ca sarvair aham eva
vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. If you
actually understand Vedas, then
you must understand Krsna.
Jnani, I am jnani. What kind of
jnani? Simply a speculation?
Waste your time? This is not this,
this is not this, this is not this?
Neti neti vicara. This is simply
called waste of… Kevala-bodha-
labdhaye.

That is confirmed in the Srimad-
Bhagavatam. Bhaktim udasya te
vibho klisyanti ye kevala-bodha-
labdhaye. Kevala-bodha-
labdhaye, simply to understand.
And you can take any
insignificant thing, and if you
want to speculate upon it, you
can write volumes of books, but
what is the use of such
knowledge? Simply waste of
time.

But if by knowledge, you come to
the point of bhakti, how to
surrender to Krsna, then your
knowledge is perfect. Therefore
Krsna says that this knowledge,
to surrender unto Me, how to
surrender to Krsna, comes after
many many births. Bahunam
janmanam ante [Bg. 7.19]. We
are taking birth one after
another, one after another, one
after another. So in this way, not
ordinary person. Ordinary
persons, if they have no
knowledge, then their next birth
may be cats, dogs, trees, or
anything else. Those who are in
knowledge, urdhvam gacchanti
sattva-sthah. Knowledge means
those who are situated in the
quality of goodness, prakasa,
everything is clearly understood.
That is knowledge.

So they, persons who are actually
in knowledge, they are promoted
to the higher planetary system.
Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha
madhye tisthanti rajasah [Bg.
14.18]. If you have no
knowledge, simply you are trying
to enjoy the senses, as in this
material world, everyone is busy
how to enjoy senses, then you
remain here. Madhye tisthanti
rajasah. And if you are in
darkness, neither you have
knowledge, neither you have the
capacity to enjoy this world,
simply lazy and sleepy. That is
the darkness. Then you become
animal, trees, and other lower
classes of species of life. These
three things are going on.

Therefore, this knowledge means
that to understand the Absolute
Truth. That process is described.
Jnanam. Amanitvam
adambhitvam ksantir arjavam,
acaryopasanam, bhakti. Mam ca
yo ’vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena
sevate [Bg. 14.26]. Adhyatma-
jnanartha-darsanam. Everything
is described. Krsna said therefore
that iti ksetram tatha jnanam. “I
have described about this body
and I have described about the
knowledge and the object of
knowledge. Everything I have
described.” But who will
understand? That is also
described here: mad-bhakta etad
vijnaya. So that is the
qualification. Unless one is
devotee, one cannot.

That is so the politicians they
cannot understand Bhagavad-
gita. They will simply misuse. The
politicians, the scholars, the so-
called scholars, they cannot
understand. Naham prakasah
sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah
[Bg. 7.25]. They cannot
understand. You have to become
a devotee. Mad-bhakta. Devotee
of Krsna. Not that… desa-bhakta.
“That I am desa-bhakta. I am a
bhakta of my wife, I am bhakta
of my country.” No no, you
cannot understand. You get out.
Mad-bhakta, krsna-bhakta. It is
clearly said. How these rascals try
to explain Bhagavad-gita without
becoming krsna-bhakta?

It is clearly stated here. You have
to become krsna-bhakta. If you
actually understand, if you want
to understand Krsna,”God, then
you have to become. So this
Krsna consciousness movement
is for this purpose. We are
making propaganda to teach
people how to become krsna-
bhakta and then he can
understand Krsna, and as soon
as he understands Krsna, he’s
liberated. Janma karma me
divyam yo janati tattvatah. Krsna
has already explained. If you
simply understand Krsna in truth,
tyaktva deham punar janma naiti
[Bg. 4.9]. He, after giving up this
body, he does not come to this
material world to accept another
miserable body.

Then where does he go? Mad-
yati tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. “He
comes to Me. He comes to Me.”
Mad-bhava. Here it is also said,
same thing, explained. Mad-
bhakta etad vijnaya mad-
bhavayopapadyate. Mad-bhava,
“My nature.” What is that nature?
Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. Isvarah
paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-
vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. He has got a
body which is eternal, sat, and
cit, full of knowledge. Sat, cit,
and ananda, full of blissfulness.

So we are also searching after,
because we are part and parcel
of Krsna, we are also trying to
become eternal. We are making
scientific improvement how to
live long. Nobody wants to die.
That is also described previously.
Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-
duhkha-dosanudarsanam.
Actually we are making struggle.
hard struggle, just to conquer
over this miserable condition of
life, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi.
But that is not possible. Janma-
mrtyu-jara-vyadhi, you can
conquer when you get the same
nature as of Krsna. Mad-
bhavayopapadyate.

If you are able to acquire that
nature, sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah
[Bs. 5.1], then how is, how it is
possible? That is mad-bhakta,
mad-bhakta etad vijnaya. These
three things. What is this body,
who is the owner of this body,
what is knowledge, what is the
object of knowledge. If we
understand these three things,
then we can get, revive our
original position. We are also sac-
cid-ananda, but at the present
moment our vigrahah, our body
is different. This is, subjected to
birth, death, old age, and
disease. This we have to
conquer; this is the problem. I
don’t want to die, why death is
enforced upon me? That these
rascals they have no brain. That I
don’t want to die. How I can
escape death? Just like we are
trying to escape disease. We
don’t want to be diseased. As
soon as we become diseased, we
go to a doctor, we take medical
help. “Sir, cure my disease, cure
my disease.” Then why don’t you
go to a doctor who can give you
relief from death? But they have
no brain. The educational system
is so rascaldom that there is no
brain. All over the world. There is
no institution where people are
being taught how to conquer
over death. There is no such
institution.

Only this Krsna consciousness
movement is there.

Thank you
very much. Hare Krsna.