The lecture emphasizes that the true purpose of human life is to seek the Absolute Truth and escape the illusion of material existence by realizing our position as eternal servants of Krishna. The speaker explains the three stages of spiritual realization, which are Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan, using analogies to show that personal connection with the Supreme yields the greatest happiness. Ultimately, only through devotional service can the soul experience the infinite ocean of spiritual joy, which far surpasses temporary material pleasures.
In this verse, Kardama Muni says that he is praying to Kapiladev, who is an incarnation of Krishna. I am not completely sure if he is a śaktyāveśa-avatāra or if he is—
He is described as an avatāra, he is described as an incarnation.
He is described as an incarnation, yes. So Kardama Muni, along with Devahūti, has had nine daughters whom he has married off to various sages. And Devahūti has given birth to Kapiladev, this incarnation. This incarnation will later be described here in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where he gives spiritual knowledge. And Kardama Muni says that everyone who seeks to understand the Absolute Truth should bow down before this incarnation, Kapiladev, because he can reveal the Absolute Truth.
This is what the Vedānta-sūtra is about, which is a compilation of all Vedic conclusions compiled by Śrīla Vyāsadeva. Śrīla Vyāsadeva is an incarnation of Krishna who also compiled the entire Vedic literature. He summarized everything in the Vedānta-sūtra in aphorisms that describe various philosophical truths.
One of the first aphorisms says athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now that we are humans, we should seek knowledge of Brahman, the Absolute Truth. That is the mission of human life, unlike that of the animals. Animals eat, sleep, defend, and mate. These are the four activities that animals are interested in and engage in. Unfortunately, these are also the four activities that humans engage in, especially in modern society. But besides engaging in these four activities, human beings should seek to understand God, to understand the Absolute Truth. So athāto brahma jijñāsā. Another aphorism is tamaso mā jyotir gamaya: Do not remain in darkness, come to the light. The light is this knowledge of the Absolute Truth, of Krishna.
And as Prabhupāda explains in this purport—
Okay, you have really messed things up here and moved the books. But anyway, here it is.
The purport that Prabhupāda has described is that Krishna says to Arjuna: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te pratijāne priyo 'si me. Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. In this way, you will reach Me. This I can promise you because you are My dear friend, Krishna says to Arjuna. Thus, whoever understands Krishna can come to Krishna. bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. One who understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead also understands the Absolute Truth, because Krishna is the Absolute Truth.
The question then is why we need this knowledge, why we must understand the Absolute Truth. It is so that we can understand our situation and our constitutional position as Krishna's servants. In our current state, we are in illusion. We think, for example, that we are this body, but we are not the body, we are spirit souls. The body is a temporary dwelling and we change bodies, just as we do during this life. First we have a little baby body, then it grows and becomes a boy's or girl's body, then a youth's body, a middle-aged body, an old man's or woman's body, and finally we leave the body. And the one who leaves the body "moves on," as we usually say in Swedish. I think it's a bit of a Stockholm expression, I don't know if it's mostly people from Stockholm who say so. Are you from Stockholm?
No.
No, but people also say "throw in the towel."
What did you say?
"Throw in the towel" is another expression.
Just as we change bodies during this life, we also change bodies at death. But despite seeing this happen to ourselves and others – we see our parents and grandparents grow old and die – we still think that it only happens to them, not to me. Within the Krishna movement, we meditate on this every day, so to us, leaving the body is not completely foreign. But most people just want to push the thought away. I remember when Olof Palme was interviewed by the famous TV personality David Frost. Frost asked Palme: "What do you want written on your tombstone?" He had asked the same question to President Nixon, who replied: "Born 1913, died 2035" – so he was hoping for a long life. But Palme replied: "I actually don't even want to think about that question. I have so much to do in this world, so much I want to achieve with politics, that I don't want to deal with that question." That is how he answered. Often, people want to do so much in this world, they want to achieve great things and they work hard for it. But all of this is temporary. We have to change our position at death, and we don't know what happens afterward or where we will end up. It could be on another planet, in the lower planetary systems, in an animal body, or in a human body; there are so many different possibilities.
We are in illusion, but if we understand the Absolute Truth, we understand our relationship to the whole. The whole is not just this universe. Many believe that God is everything there is, and such a concept also exists in the Bhagavad-gītā – the universal form, or virāṭ-rūpa. It represents everything that exists in the material world, so to speak. But that is not the complete whole, because there is a spiritual world beyond the material one. And it is not just about this single universe; according to the Vedic scriptures, there are an infinite number of universes. By understanding Krishna, we can understand our true position. And why should we then understand our position? As I just described, we are in saṁsāra, where we wander from one body to another. But is that really our true position?
No.
No, our true position is something completely different: to re-establish our position as Krishna's eternal servants. And it is nothing like saṁsāra, but rather something absolutely fantastic that makes us deeply happy. The entire Vedic literature aims to help the soul return to the spiritual world and return to serving God. That is our constitutional position. jīvera 'svarūpa' haya—kṛṣṇera 'nitya-dāsa', says Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who is an incarnation of Krishna. He says this to Sanātana Gosvāmī who asked him: "Who am I? Why am I suffering from the threefold miseries?" And Caitanya Mahāprabhu answered that by your nature, you are an eternal servant of Krishna. That made Sanātana Gosvāmī very happy.
The Absolute Truth is the whole, everything that exists. It includes both the spiritual world and the material worlds. The material worlds are like a small cloud in the spiritual sky. The spiritual sky is infinite and contains infinitely many spiritual planets, where different forms of Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu rule as deities, as well as Goloka Vṛndāvana. In this infinite spiritual sky, there is a small cloud that constitutes the material mahat-tattva, the material energy. In this material energy, an expansion of Krishna called Mahā-Viṣṇu lies down. From his pores and exhalation, all these universes stream out. They gather much like foam on the surface of a bubble bath. Every little bubble is a universe. Thus, there is an infinite number of universes emanating from Mahā-Viṣṇu, and he creates all the material elements. By that, we do not count the elements in the periodic table, but earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego. All of this is created by him. Then, the entire creation is set in motion in each individual universe with the help of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, who maintain and permeate the entire material creation. That is the Supersoul.
This Absolute Truth is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam at the beginning of the second chapter of the First Canto:
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
brahmeti paramātmeti
bagavān iti śabdyate
Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. These are, therefore, three aspects of the Absolute Truth. Some who seek the Absolute Truth realize Brahman, the all-pervading effulgence in everything. There is also an aphorism that says sarvaṁ khalvidaṁ brahma – everything is Brahman, because everything is Krishna or Krishna's energies. To realize Brahman, the impersonal effulgence from Krishna, is one way of seeing the Absolute Truth. Another and more advanced way is to see the Absolute Truth as the Supersoul in all living beings, who accompanies us as a friend. It is the Supersoul that permeates and maintains the entire universe, and who resides within each of us. But the ultimate realization of the Absolute Truth is Bhagavān realization, which means meeting Krishna personally in the spiritual world.
To understand Brahman, the light or oneness, is something many people talk about. It belongs to the four goals within Vedic literature. These four goals are: religiosity (developing a religious attitude and following religious principles), economic development (as a result of religious endeavor, because we need resources), sense gratification (using resources to enjoy our senses), and liberation (when we get tired of sense gratification and want to get away from everything). It is called dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. These are the four goals.
Within the Krishna movement, Prabhupāda usually downplays the importance of mokṣa, and rightly so. The happiness one can experience in the material world is extremely limited; it is like a small drop compared to the ocean. Even if you become the president of the United States or marry the world's most beautiful woman, that happiness is just like a small drop of water. The happiness of realizing Brahman, on the other hand, is like the water in a calf's hoofprint. And if you think about it, quite a few drops actually fit in a calf's hoofprint. What could it be? Ten thousand perhaps. I used to work selling medicine, and the small bottles we used contained about a thousand drops. So ten thousand drops is still quite a lot; it is significantly greater than material happiness.
I want to tell you about the people who brought the Krishna movement to Sweden: Vegavan Prabhu and Achyut Prabhu. A few years ago, we had radio programs here in Sweden. In one of those programs, Vegavan told how he came into contact with the Krishna movement. He and Achyut were on their way somewhere – do you know Vegavan?
I have met him.
No.
You don't know him, no.
But everyone else knows of Vegavan. I think they were on their way to Australia, I don't remember exactly, but on that occasion they were hitchhiking and Vegavan was alone at the time. He got a ride on a hay wagon, maybe in Afghanistan or thereabouts. Someone was pulling a load of hay and he was allowed to ride along and lie in the hay. As he lay there during the long journey, he suddenly had a vision of Brahman. He said it was absolutely fantastic, the most magnificent thing he had ever experienced in his life. Everything was radiant with beauty, light, and love. Even my mother, who was very skeptical of all such things, thought it was an incredibly beautiful description. So that is one example.
So material happiness is just like a drop. The happiness from Brahman realization, which Vegavan experienced, is like the water in a calf's hoofprint. But our ācāryas – the great teachers in our tradition – explain that the happiness that comes from devotional service is like an entire ocean of water. Then we can understand that the happiness in Bhagavān realization is infinitely greater.
Jīva Gosvāmī, one of our ācāryas, gives a nice analogy to describe these three stages of realization: Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. How can they represent different ways of seeing the Absolute Truth? Jīva Gosvāmī compares it to seeing a mountain on the horizon. From far away, you only see an outline; you can't really tell if it's a mountain, a cloud, or something else. It's just a vague form. That corresponds to Brahman realization. When you get closer, you see: "Yes, it's a mountain, and there are trees growing on it." That corresponds to Paramātmā realization. But when you go all the way there, you see the mountain in detail: the trees, the people, the animals, the houses, and all the activities going on there. That corresponds to Bhagavān realization, where you see the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the entire spiritual reality in its full glory. So which is best? Brahman, Paramātmā, or Bhagavān realization?
Bhagavān.
Yes, exactly.
Okay, I think I will stop there. Does anyone have a question or comment? Or anything else?
Can you read the verse again?
Can you read the verse again, yes.
tvam-sūrir-bhadra-vibhutsayādya
sadā prapannārti-hana-pāda-pīṭham
aiśvarya-vairāgya-yaśo 'vabodha-
vīryāśrayā bhūtam ahaṁ prapadye
"My Lord, Your lotus feet are the reservoir that always deserves to receive respectful homage from all great sages who are eager to understand the Absolute Truth. You are full of opulence, renunciation, transcendental fame, knowledge, strength, and beauty, and therefore I surrender unto Your lotus feet."
An interesting thing here is that this enumeration of majesty is exactly the same as the one Parāśara Muni uses. I have seen other enumerations, but this particular one matches exactly with Parāśara Muni's definition of Bhagavān – that He possesses all these majestic qualities in perfection: renunciation, fame, knowledge, strength, beauty. Yes.
But you used the word "avabodha" for knowledge.
Aha.
I found that interesting, because usually "jñāna" is used, but here it says "avabodha"—
Yes, it—
Both refer in some way to intelligence.
Yes.
Jñāna is the usual one, but here "avabodha" is translated as knowledge.
Aha, okay. Interesting. No, me neither. Anything else?
You said that... that Brahman... no, Paramātmā realization was experiencing a happiness like the water in a hoofprint?
Yes, hoofprint. A calf's hoofprint, yes.
I have heard a similar analogy in a verse that says when we finally realize the Supreme, we cross the material ocean, and for that person, the entire ocean shrinks to a small puddle of water, the size of a calf's hoofprint. So that is that example – a minimal amount of water, just as much as gathers in a calf's hoofprint.
Yes, exactly. A calf's hoofprint.
So the ocean—
—is shrunk to the water in a calf's hoofprint.
The Supreme Person is indeed described as vibhu.
Yes.
And we, who are parts of Him, are described as aṇu.
Yes.
vibhu is sac-cid-ānanda—
Yes.
And aṇu is also sac-cid-ānanda—
Yes.
So what is described is that we indeed experience happiness through self-realization, because we have our little aṇu part. But it is only when we are in contact with vibhu—
Yes.
—that we get access to the infinite reservoir of ānanda. Through that contact.
Yes, exactly. Krishna possesses the full energy of eternity, knowledge, and bliss. So does the living entity, but in a very limited quantity. But as you say: when we are linked with Krishna, who has an infinite amount of these qualities, then we find our true constitutional position as His servant.
When we live in forgetfulness of this identity—
Yes.
—then we don't even experience this ānanda, but then we just live in temporary material events, in gain and loss.
Yes. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also explains this to Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, that although there is indeed a certain happiness in the material world, it is either mixed or its opposite. We can never experience pure happiness in the material world; the living entity cannot find pure happiness here. It will either be... what is the opposite of happiness?
Suffering.
—suffering, or a mixture of suffering and happiness.
But one can surely understand that Vegavan got this Brahman realization?
Yes.
But did it never return?
That I don't know, you have to ask him. But he was very enthusiastic when he spoke about it, it was wonderful to hear. But that just shows that even though he was so fascinated by it, the happiness of pure devotional service, according to our ācāryas, is infinitely greater.
But Śrīla Prabhupāda surely experienced that feeling of devotional service all the time?
Yes.
And even more, much more.
It is very difficult to understand a pure devotee unless you are one yourself. So it is hard for me to express an opinion on that, but yes, absolutely.
There is an example from the center in New York, when hippies came and asked Śrīla Prabhupāda challenging questions. One person asked: "Are you happy?"
Yes, "Are you happy?" he asked Prabhupāda in a rather challenging way. Sometimes, of course, Prabhupāda could look a bit serious. But Prabhupāda answered: "Are you prepared to hear the answer?" "Yes!" the man replied.
Then Prabhupāda smiled with a huge smile and said: "We are very happy. Very happy." This person was so taken aback that he probably just walked away, because that was not the answer he had expected. So in that way, we understand that Prabhupāda was constantly in contact with the spiritual reality.
In what context was that? Was it during one of Prabhupāda's lectures?
Yes, it was probably when he asked for questions. It is described in some...
Okay, I think I will stop there.