19850722 Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi-līlā 1.44

The following is a lecture given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on July 22nd, 1985 in Ipoh, Malaysia.

The class begins with a reading from the Caitanya Caritramrta, Adi līlā, Chapter 1, text 44.

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami (Recites the verse; reads from BG Intro): From the Sri Caitanya  Caritāmṛta, Adi  līlā, chapter 1, text 44.

yadyapi amara guru — caitanyera dasa tathapi janiye ami tanhara prakasa guru Kṛṣṇa-rupa hana sastrera pramane guru-rupe Kṛṣṇa krpa karena bhakta-gane (Break)

… dwindles and then vanishes. That is the law of the material world, whether we use as an example this body, or a piece of fruit or anything. But beyond this temporary world there is another world of which we have information. That world consists of another nature, which is sanātana, eternal. The jīva is also described as sanātana, eternal, and the Lord is also described as sanātana in the Eleventh Chapter. We have an intimate relationship with the Lord, and because we are all qualitatively one – the sanātana-dhāma, or sky, the sanātana Supreme Personality and the sanātana living entities – the whole purpose of Bhagavad-gītā is to revive our sanātana occupation, or sanātana-dharma, which is the eternal occupation of the living entity. We are temporarily engaged in different activities, but all of these activities can be purified when we give up all these temporary activities and take up the activities which are prescribed by the Supreme Lord. That is called our pure life.

The Supreme Lord and His transcendental abode are both sanātana, as are the living entities, and the combined association of the Supreme Lord and the living entities in the sanātana abode is the perfection of human life. The Lord is very kind to the living entities because they are His sons. Lord Kṛṣṇa declares in Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu … ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: “I am the father of all.” Of course, there are all types of living entities according to their various karmas, but here the Lord claims that He is the father of all of them. Therefore, the Lord descends to reclaim all of these fallen, conditioned souls, to call them back to the sanātana eternal sky so that the sanātanaliving entities may regain their eternal sanātana positions in eternal association with the Lord. The Lord comes Himself in different incarnations, or He sends His confidential servants as sons or His associates or ācāryas to reclaim the conditioned souls.

Therefore, sanātana-dharma does not refer to any sectarian process of religion. It is the eternal function of the eternal living entities in relationship with the eternal Supreme Lord. Sanātana-dharma refers, as stated previously, to the eternal occupation of the living entity. Śrīpāda Rāmānujācārya has explained the word sanātana as “that which has neither beginning nor end,” so when we speak of sanātana-dharma, we must take it for granted on the authority of Śrīpāda Rāmānujācārya that it has neither beginning nor end.

The English word religion is a little different from sanātana-dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but sanātana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed. For instance, liquidity cannot be taken from water, nor can heat be taken from fire.

Similarly, the eternal function of the eternal living entity cannot be taken from the living entity. Sanātana-dharma is eternally integral with the living entity. When we speak of sanātana-dharma, therefore, we must take it for granted on the authority of Śrīpāda Rāmānujācārya that it has neither beginning nor end. That which has neither end nor beginning must not be sectarian, for it cannot be limited by any boundaries. Those belonging to some sectarian faith will wrongly consider that sanātana-dharma is also sectarian, but if we go deeply into the matter and consider it in the light of modern science, it is possible for us to see that sanātana-dharma is the business of all the people of the world – nay, of all the living entities of the universe.

Non-sanātana religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of human history, but there is no beginning to the history of sanātana-dharma, because it remains eternally with the living entities. Insofar as the living entities are concerned, the authoritative śāstras state that the living entity has neither birth nor death. In the Gītā it is stated that the living entity is never born and he never dies. He is eternal and indestructible, and he continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. In reference to the concept of sanātana-dharma, we must try to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word. Dharma refers to that which is constantly existing with a particular object. We conclude that there is heat and light along with the fire; without heat and light, there is no meaning to the word fire. Similarly, we must discover the essential part of the living being, that part which is his constant companion. That constant companion is his eternal quality, and that eternal quality is his eternal religion, his sanatana dharma. (Ends the reading from the BG Intro)

  So, this brief reading from the introduction to the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is by His Divine Grace Abhay Caran Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, gives us an insight into the unfathomed depth of profoundness of this concept of sanātana dharma. But actually although today sanātana dharma is largely professed and practiced in India and by persons who have originated from India, that is the scenario of this particular planet. But from the Vedas we understand that sanātana dharma cannot be limited to this planet or this time. In fact, if you go to other planets, you would find that this sanātana dharma is also being practiced. And if you look from a broader perspective, since sanātana dharma means that inseparable constant companion of the living entity, then everyone in this world must be already practicing sanātana dharma to some extent if it is in fact a constant companion.

 So, what is the essence of this sanātana dharma, that aspect of us which is never separated?

That very simple but yet very sublime example was given. That if you take a fire and from the fire light is coming, heat is coming, so then you can say that the dharma of fire is to give light and heat. Just as the dharma of water is to be liquid or the dharma of some solid object is to be resistant, to be hard, to be firm. So, everything has a particular dharma.

If someone gives you some sugar and it doesn’t taste sweet, instead it tastes hot, and someone gave you a chilli and it didn’t taste hot, it tasted sweet, so what is the use of that?

Sugar should be sweet and the chilli should be hot, that is their respective dharma. So similarly, what is our respective dharma which is the continuous sanātana dharma. For that many great acharyas and sages, they have analyzed about this matter.

And in fact, this year is the 500th anniversary of the advent of our Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who appeared to reestablish the consciousness of sanātana dharma all over the world.

He was asked by the then prime minister of the Emperor Hussein Shah, “What is the… People call me very learned person. They call me as a pandit, but actually I am a fool. I frankly must say that in spite of all the praise, I have to admit I am a fool because I don’t know who am I. So, what type of pandit am I.  Sp please Lord Caitanya tell me that Who am I? What is the actual svarūpa of the living entity? What is the actual sanātana dharma, ultimate eternal religious principle of every living entity?”

The Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied jīvera 'svarūpa' haya  'nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa. That the eternal svarūpa or religious principle is that we are pure, eternal spirit soul, we are servants eternally of eternal Lord Kṛṣṇa. Now this service is as much a part of us as being in light is part of fire, or being liquid is a part of water. Service is inseparable constant companion if living entities. Because of our lack of consciousness of sanātana dharma, we instead of directing the service to the sanātana goal, we misdirect it to various other types like destination which are all indirect manifestations of the Lord’s energy.

For instance, who is there who is not doing some service?  If he is a prime minister or agong, then he has the headache of satisfying the constituents, his citizens, his subjects. If he doesn’t serve them, if he doesn’t satisfy them, then there’ll be unrest, difficulty. He won’t be fulfilling his dharma. So, he has to, even though he is the ruler or the government but yet he has to serve the citizens in so many ways. There comes the te[1] rm public servant. If a person, they are serving the nation or their family or their friends, even you find some lonely people who do not like to associate with anyone, they live all by themselves, almost hermits, you will find that they will be serving some dogs, having a pet dog, bird or something. This nature of serving is so inseparable. But even being a master, you will find that they will be wanting to serve their wife or children or like that.

So, this service is actually a part of us because originally being a part of the Supreme Lord, our natural function is to serve the whole. Just like this hand is a part of the body, therefore the natural function of the hand is to serve the body. One time all of the senses, they got together, and they had a little union meeting.

“Look here. The hands, you are working so hard, feet you are working so hard, legs you just are pumping. Everyone, tongue, teeth you are chewing. Everyone is working, but the stomach is doing nothing but just enjoying. Everything is going to the stomach. All the food, everything we get is simply going to the stomach. What is the stomach doing?”

So, they decided, “We are all going on strike.” They are going to stop feeding the stomach and being the slave like this. So, they all went on strike, and they refused to give any food to the stomach and thus be subjugated by this accentuate stomach who is simply taxing everyone. Well, this went on for a short time. They found that they all becoming weak because naturally the stomach is the source of energy for the body. Without the fuel all the senses were becoming weak. So again, they called for an emergency meeting and said, “This system is not working out. We have to reevaluate our policies here.”  And then they decided again to start feeding the stomach. So, it’s a very funny little example illustrates somewhat our position. We are part of that Supreme Personality, the Supreme Absolute Truth. As such as Kṛṣṇa describes in Bhagavad-gītā: mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7) We are the eternal spiritual part. As such it is our duty to serve the spiritual whole because we are eternal as the spirit, as jīvātmā we are eternal. So, when that eternal consciousness is returned to us and in that consciousness, we serve the eternal Lord, that service itself becomes eternal. Thus, the perfection of sanātana dharma is realized. Therefore, such a person at the end of life, Kṛṣṇa promises mām upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate (BG 8.16) They don’t again take birth in this material world.

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

  mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66)

That by surrendering our service to the Supreme Lord then we become free from all of the sinful reactions which are due to temporary services. (inaudible) fulfilling our sanātana dharma, we become free from those and then we can return back to spiritual world, back to Godhead. So, this is the ultimate objective of sanātana dharma to return to the sanātana dhāma.

I remember once Śrīla Prabhupāda, he was giving a lecture to a group of Christian priests. And they were saying how the Bhagavad-gītā was book for the Hindus, and Śrīla Prabhupāda, he challenged, he said, “No, (inaudible)book simply for Hindus.”  But when Kṛṣṇa spoke, there was no Hindu or non-Hindu. There was only one culture in the world, and He spoke that was for all living entities. There wasn’t a footnote that it was for a particular region. As an example he quoted a verse in the Bhagavad-gītā:

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13)

He particularly pointed out this śloka in the Bhagavad-gītā states that just as a child grows to youth kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, middle age, old age, changing their bodies; in the same way at the end of life in this birth when the body dies, again we change the body, dehāntara-prāptir and we get a new body. Dhīras tatra na muhyati, those who have this sober understanding do not get confused. In this regard Śrīla Prabhupāda said that this transformation, kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, from childhood to youth to old age, does this only apply for the Hindus?

Only Indians are going for childhood to youth to old age? Not others? Everyone. Animals, trees, all varieties of human beings of whatever religious or faith that they may be in, they are all going from childhood to youth to old age. Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa spoke it’s obviously it wasn’t intended for one particular faith. It is totally universal and absolute (inaudible) presentation without any prejudice to any particular caste or creed. It is simply a statement of transcendental fact if we grow from childhood to youth to old age. And when we die, similarly we change the body again as we have changed so many times. Now modern science is admitting that every seven years all these cells in the body change. We don’t rely on this confirmation; we believe in whatever Kṛṣṇa says is true. But for those who want to know everything scientifically, if you want to know is this true, do we change our body?

Yes, according to modern science they also say that this is true. So, our particular point whether this type of statement goes to show that how actually the Bhagavad-gītā is a universal science. Science book. Science is not restricted to any religion. Everyone is going to the science exposition in Tokyo from whatever religion, whatever background. (inaudible) science. Science means what is the truth.

According to the Bhagavad-gītā this is rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ pavitraṁ idaṁ uttamam (BG 9.2). This is the greatest or the king of all education. This the greatest of all secrets. This is completely pure knowledge. Why?

pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ (BG 9.2) Because by this process one can realize the eternal self by personal perception or realization. Is that not science? If you can realize something by perception, is that not what science is showing? Prove it? So here Bhagavad-gītā is saying:

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ

pavitraṁ idaṁ uttamam

pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ

su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2)

So, in this way Śrīla Prabhupāda requested that the Bhagavad-gītā should be taught in every university in every country in every language of the world. Not as a religious teaching but as a science of life, the science of the self. Therefore, those who do believe in sanātana dharma as their own faith, we find that their faith not (inaudible) but millennials, in yugas. In fact, no one can say when is the beginning. That is why it is sanātana.

Recently in the celebration of the Festival of India, one of the headings given, I believe it was in Newsweek or Times, was that the culture of India is timeless. And all the modern anthropologists say that the civilization began in three thousand years. There are many now who are changing and saying five thousand years that it began in India.

Actually, in the past, our historians had led us to believe that culture had originated from Europe. It kind of came in, say the Aryans came into India from Europe. But according to our ancient Mahabharat and Vedas, we find that this is not sustainable. That may be very flattering for the Europeans to think that they are the origin but neither it is substantiated in any way. It is somewhat hearing. But we find far more evidence that the ancient, in fact even recently they found in Pakistan the remnants of a human being that they dated as two million years old. Exactly as (inaudible) So now they are all bewildered how this work out, how does this (inaudible). They are trying to say that it must have slipped down into the lower layer from the upper layer. But those who discovered this said no way because there was a solid level of limestone that they had to cut through for years practically, to get to the lower level. So, there is no way that the skeleton could just slide down. The way they do it is there are different level which they dig. Some accident or something. Normally everyone is burnt, therefore it is very hard to find a lot of fossil records. Maybe you can find ash records, but those ashes are also thrown in sacred rivers. I don’t there is such a thing developed as ash record.

But actually, in our Vedas we find that originally the culture was existent throughout this entire part of the world.

In fact, there are some series that the Malays, mentioned in the Vedas that this very part of Malaysia. (inaudible) I can’t say. Someone else expert in that particular field could comment on. But the point I wanted to bring out was that the kshatriyas in many yugas before, they got misbehaved and you should know Paraśurāma, he came and taught the kshatriyas a lesson. And twenty-one times He annihilated the kshatriyas race for their not listening to the brāhmaṇas in toeing the line. The Vedic principle was you can rule, but then you have to take the advice of the brāhmaṇa. They have to be your head, your intelligence. That’s the combination in the Varṇāśrama system, a cooperative effort. So, because they had become out of hand, Paraśurāma personally came and twenty-one times, He annihilated the kshatriya race. During that time, it is recorded that many kshatriyas fled to the Northwest, and that is how the Aryan civilization migrated to Europe from the Indian subcontinent. At that time, much later…

Of course, we find that in Maharbharata, Mahārāja’s Yudhiṣṭhira’s kingdom extends to the far extreme up to the Pacific Ocean and up to the Atlantic Ocean if you read the description.

So, when this Bhagavad-gītā was being spoken, at that time there was only one culture in the world. So, what is the beginning of the culture before that, no one can say. So, this is called sanātana. So now in the modern day, there’s so much misunderstanding from one group to the next, from one to the next. That now the greatest need of the hour is to have cooperation, unity, to have a common platform. So sometimes we create temporary platforms which may be common for the moment. But then as things change those platforms can no longer hold everyone.

So therefore, we need a platform which is capable of providing shelter for the people eternally.  Then we could have, even though it may be difficult to achieve that platform, but once we achieve it then again, we can establish that type of unity in the world. So that platform is described as sanātana. Obviously it has to be sanātana. It has to be eternal. That eternal platform that means the eternal service to the eternal Lord. Because these things are all eternal. When I offer my service to my dog that is not eternal. When I offer service to my family that is good, but that is not eternal. Because none of us are eternal. We are all in this body, we are all going to leave. But the Lord is eternal, our spirit, we are eternal as spirit soul. Then when we offer our service in love to the Lord, then that is also eternal.

māṁ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa

bhakti-yogena sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26)

Therefore Kṛṣṇa explains in the Bhagavad-gītā that bhakti yoga or devotional service from the soul to the Supreme Soul, the Paramātmā, that service opportunity to Param Bhagavān in pure love, in devotion - gunatit- it’s beyond this sattva, rajas, and tama; beyond goodness, passion, and ignorance. brahma-bhūyāya kalpate - It’s on the platform of brahmā or on the Absolute platform. When we reach that platform –

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

na śocati na kāṅkṣati

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu

mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54)

They naturally become happy, peaceful; all their sufferings of life go away. If this is organised on international world basis, everyone irregardless of their nationality or their faith or upbringing, they all would combine to serve the one Supreme Lord with pure devotion, there will be unity.  (inaudible) to provide a process how to combine together. There may be so many process.

 Lord Caitanya revealed in the Vedas, in this age the process recommended is called saṅkīrtanam. Saṅkīrtana yajñaiḥ  yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32) That the process of singing the glories of the Lord together, that is the recommended process. So, we can all come together and sing. Of course, we have no discrepancies, we are all willing to sing

Hare  Kṛṣṇa Hare  Kṛṣṇa  Kṛṣṇa  Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare,

Hare rāma Hare rāma rāma rāma Hare Hare,

which was recommended in the Vedas. But if someone doesn’t want to chant those names, then let them chant whatever names they have faith in. Because ultimately it is all going to the same. The mail boxes may have different colours but ultimate post office is the same. It is all going ultimately to the same destination. And let them chant other names if they want but the consciousness it’s all going to the same place. Then they will be making progress. Not that one is thinking, “Only I am worshipping the Supreme Lord, then all the others are pagans. They are not worshipping.” That is what is creating misunderstanding in the world.

In spite of being able to watch the Olympics by satellite, when it comes to the field of religion, we are still in dark ages in a lot of cases. So, we have to bring out the communication to that level.

We can see, in fact on the religious field we have meetings with the cardinals, bishops, mullahs, imāṁs. We have made some progress, frankly, many of them have come to understand that actually we are talking about the same thing.  The only (inaudible) come from, this original concept of sanātana dharma which is especially explained in the Vedas. It says the Vedas themselves are the timeless origin of this concept. Naturally in the modern age people are looking to the Vedas to get the answers which they are not getting elsewhere.  That is why now all over the world… I hope they will be time for you to see The World of Hare  Kṛṣṇa movie which will show you how all over the world people are getting incredible inspiration, peace and happiness from this understanding of sanātana dharma principle as embodied in the Bhagavad-gītā and all the Vedas. And we are very, very eager to see this consciousness is spread to everyone. And therefore we are endeavoring with so much difficulty in some cases and in spite of so many obstacles, trying to get people more and more in this consciousness of sanātana dharma, especially in establishing again the spiritual service directly to the Supreme Lord.

Since all of you are already in this consciousness of sanātana dharma, therefore we would like to request your support and cooperation expanding this here in Malaysia, to every town and village to get the people more and more enlightened and united through this process of chanting. At least the Indian community who naturally will be inclined to this process of chanting

hare  Kṣṇā hare  Kṣṇā  Kṣṇā  Kṣṇā hare hare,

hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

and studying this sanātana teachings as embodied here in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He accepted persons from all parts of the world and all different backgrounds. Therefore, by His kindness, even though we were born in a society which did not have this understanding of santāna or eternal religious principles but rather was teaching deha dharma or the consciousness of the body. We are very, very fortunate that from sanātana dharma once great ambassador, Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda who also visited this temple, he travelled tirelessly around the world after his seventieth years of age to spread this spiritual consciousness.

So just imagine in twelve years from 1965 till 1977 but what one empowered exponent of sanātana dharma could do over the entire the world. That in this room let’s say there’s about say a hundred exponent of sanātana dharma, even in their own area if you all take up this mission of trying to encourage others in practising this principle more and more seriously up to the level of sanātana, then how this can actually change a person’s entire life and change the family, can change the entire environment all around. Eventually can change the entire world.

So, Lord Caitanya when He was going throughout India upto Dwaraka in Gujarat and Kanyā Kumārī till Andra Pradesh, everywhere, one brāhmaṇa came to Him and said, “I am tired of this saṁsāra family life, all these problems. I want to give it all up and go with You chanting Hare  Kṣṇā. No more worries. No more problems. I can just run away from it all.”

Lord Caitanya said, “You never say that again. I don’t want to hear that from you again. You don’t leave your place. You stay right here. Chant Hare  Kṣṇā. Make your family God conscious. Make your city God conscious. Make your own country God conscious. In this way become a spiritual master and deliver your land. This is my instruction to you. Don’t think about changing what your external situation is. Change your heart. Change your consciousness and change the consciousness of all those who you love and make them perfect  and happy eternally in sanātana dharma.

Hare  Kṣṇā hare  Kṣṇā  Kṣṇā  Kṣṇā hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare.

Thank you very much. This is such a broad topic that I don’t find any beginning or end to it. The only thing that is stopping me is that knowing that everyone has to go to work tomorrow. Otherwise, this topic can go on eternally.

I thank you very much for your patience, and I apologize for my lack of ability to express. I am very pleased to see the devotees present and I am very grateful for President for his eloquent introduction and for having us here tonight to make this presentation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and sanatana dharma before all of the devotees and Sri Sri Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa.

Hare   Kṛṣṇa

Devotee: (inaudible)

His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami:  A very nice question. Of course, Kṛṣṇa Himself has answered that. He anticipated that, that question will be asked Therefore when He said sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. Then He said ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo - I will protect you from all reaction sarva-pāpebhyo. If He wanted to say only for the future reaction, then He would not say aham tvam sarva, He won’t say sarva. He would say aham tvam (inaudible) papebhyo. Some other appropriate (inaudible) sarva papebhyo How can it be all of the sinful reaction.  mā śucaḥ. Don’t doubt. No doubt about it. (inaudible) I will protect you from all of the sinful reaction. Ma sucah. Don’t doub’t about it.

In fact, in the Bhagavat, the history of Ajāmila how even by chanting one time the holy name of the Lord in sincerity, with intensity, loudly, one can be purified from more birth, from more sinful activities that you can commit in many many births together.

Ajāmila who had become a thief, murderer, robber, one time he chanted Nārāyaṇa as he was leaving his body (inaudible) he was totally free from all of his reactions. So then the answer is by chanting the holy name it is possible to not only prevent us from committing future sinful or vikarmic activities, but it also absolves us according to the sincerity and offense less manner of chanting can totally absolve us from all of the residual accumulation of sinful activity.