Iti çuçruma dhéräëäà

ye nas tad vicacakñire

[Iso 13]

Then Mantra 14, (page) 72. (devotees chant mantra etc.)

sambhütià ca vinäçaà ca

yas tad vedobhayaà saha

vinäçena måtyuà tértvä

sambhütyämåtam açnute

[Iso 14]

Fifteen.

hiraëmayena pätreëa

satyasyäpihitaà mukham

tat tvaà püñann apävåëu

satya-dharmäya dåñöaye

"O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee."

Here is Vedic evidence. This Éçopaniñad is Veda, part of the Yajur Veda. So here it is said, hiraëmayena pätreëa satyasya apihitam mukham. Just like the sun. There is, in the sun planet, there is a predominating Deity whose name is Vivasvän. We get it, this information we get from Bhagavad-gétä. Vivasvän manave präha. So in every planet there is a predominating Deity. Just like in your this planet, if not Deity, somebody like president there is. Formerly, there was only one king on this planet, up to Mahäräja Parékñit. One king was. There was only one flag ruling over this whole planet. Similarly, in every planet there is a predominating Deity. So here it is said that the supreme predominating Deity is Kåñëa, in the spiritual, in the topmost planet in the spiritual sky. This is material sky. In the material sky this is one of the universes. There are millions and trillions of universes. And within this universe there are millions and trillions of planets. Yasya prabhä prabhavato jagad-aëòa-koöi [Bs. 5.40]. Jagad-aëòa. Jagad-aëòa means universe. Aëòa: just like an egg, this whole universe. So koöi. Koöi means hundreds and thousands. So in the brahmajyoti there are hundreds and thousands of these universes, and within this universe there are hundreds and thousands and thousands, unlimited number of Vaikuëöhas, planets. Each Vaikuëöha planet is predominated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Except in the Kåñëa planet, all other Vaikuëöha planets, they are predominated by Näräyaëa, and each Näräyaëa has got different names, some of which we know. Like just we utter Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Saìkarñaëa... We have got twenty-four names only, but there are many others. Advaitam acyutam anädim ananta-rüpam [Bs. 5.33].

So these planets are covered by the brahmajyoti effulgence. So here it is prayed that hiraëmayena pätreëa satyasya apihitam. Apihitam means covered. Just like you cannot see the sun globe on account of this dazzling sunshine, similarly, the Kåñëa planet, here you have the picture. From the Kåñëa planet the effulgence is coming out. So one has to penetrate this effulgence. That is being prayed here. Hiraëmayena pätreëa satyasya. The real Absolute Truth, Kåñëa, His planet is covered by the Brahman effulgence. So the devotee is praying, "Kindly move it. Wind it so that I can see You really." So brahmajyoti, the Mäyäväda philosophers, they do not know that beyond brahmajyoti there is anything. Here is the Vedic evidence, that the brahmajyoti is just like golden effulgence. Hiraëmayena pätreëa. This is covering the real face of the Supreme Lord. Tat tvaà püñann apävåëu. So, "You are sustainer, You are maintainer. Kindly uncover this so that we can see You actually, Your face."

The idea is that Kåñëa planet or the Vaikuëöha planets, they are beyond this Brahman effulgence, and those who are devotees, they are permitted to enter into these spiritual planets. Those who are not devotees, simply jïänés or demons... The jïänés and demons, they are offered the same place. The jïänés... Äruhya kåcchreëa paraà padaà tataù [SB 10.2.32]. They practice severe austerities, penances, to enter into the Brahman effulgence. But the demons, simply by becoming enemy of Kåñëa, they immediately get that place. The demons who are killed by Kåñëa, they are immediately transferred to this Brahman effulgence. So just imagine, the place which is given to the enemies of Kåñëa, is that very covetable thing? Suppose if somebody comes who is my enemy, I give him some place, and somebody, my intimate friend, I give him some other place. Similarly, this Brahman effulgence is not at all covetable. Therefore Prabodhänanda Sarasvatépäda, he has composed a verse, that Brahman... Kaivalyaà narakäyate. Kaivalya means the Brahman effulgence, simply spiritual light. So kaivalyaà narakäyate. He says that this Brahman effulgence is just like hell. For a devotee, this Brahman... The jïänés who are trying to merge into the Brahman effulgence, for devotee it is stated as hell. Kaivalyaà narakäyate. Tri-daça-pür äkäça-puñpäyate (Caitanya-candrämåta 5). And tri-daça-pür means the planets of the demigods within this material world. People are very much anxious to go into the heavenly planet. That is called tri-daça-pür or tri-daça-pür, the residential quarters of the demigods. And for a devotee it is understood as will-o'-the-wisp, äkäça-puñpäyate. And durdäntendriya-käla-sarpa-paöalé protkhäta-daàñöräyate. And the yogis, they are trying to control the senses, which are considered as venomous serpents, the senses. That's a fact. So the bhakta says that "We are not afraid of the senses." Why? Protkhäta-daàñöräyate. Because we have extracted the poison teeth. The senses has got a poison teeth. As soon as you indulge in sense gratification, immediately you become degraded. Immediately. So it is just like a venomous serpent. As soon as touches you, little biting, finished your life. So it is like that. Durdänta-käla-sarpa-paöalé, indriya. But these venomous snakes, if their poison teeth is taken away, then it may be fearful for the boys and children. But if an elderly person knows that his poison teeth has been taken away, nobody's afraid of it. So this Kåñëa consciousness means that we take away the poison teeth of the senses. So that even Kåñëa conscious persons are allowed for sense gratification, the poison teeth is broken. So therefore they are not gliding down to the hellish condition of life. So in this way, either the karmés or the jïänés or the yogis, they are always... They are, every one of them, trying to elevate. And above them is the devotees.

So devotee's place is the highest because by devotion only you can understand what is God. Bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti [Bg. 18.55], Kåñëa says. He does not say that "By karma one can understand Me." He does not say that "By jïäna one can understand Me." He does not say that "By yoga one can understand Me." He clearly says, bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti: [Bg. 18.55] "Simply by devotional service one can understand Me." Yävän yaç cäsmi tattvataù. Knowing Him as He is, that is bhakti. So except devotional service, there is no possibility of understanding the Absolute Truth. Any other process means covered. Just like the... You understand the sun planet from here. You are seeing the sun planet, that's a fact, but that does not mean you know what is actually the sun planet is, because you have no access to approach there. You may speculate, that's all. Speculation means the blind man seeing the elephant. Somebody thought, "Oh, it is just like a pillar." Yes. Big, big legs. Somebody understood the trunk. Somebody understood the ears, elephant. There is a story, some blind men studying the elephant. So they were giving different conclusions. Somebody: "The elephant is just like a pillar." Somebody says, "Elephant is just like big boat." Somebody is... Somebody is... But actually what is elephant, if you have no eyes to see, you can go on speculating. Therefore it is here said that püñann apävåëu. "Please uncover the covering. Then I can see You."

So that seeing power is the bhakta's, the devotee's, because Kåñëa certifies, bhaktyä mäm abhijänäti [Bg. 18.55]. Premäïjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaù sadaiva hådayeñu vilokayanti [Bs. 5.38]. Those who have developed love of Godhead by that ointment, prema, ointment... Just like sometimes... In India it is very... They have got some... What is called? Surma? Ungent, surma. Yes. If you apply that surma your sight becomes bright immediately. So if you smear your eyes with love of Godhead, then you will see God always. Santaù sadaiva hådayeñu vilokayanti. Yes. So devotion. So this is the way of understanding God. By service, by enhancing love... This love can be increased only by service. Otherwise there is no possibility. Sevonmukhe hi jihvädau [Brs. 1.2.234]. The more you increase your service spirit, the more you increase your dormant love of God. And as soon as you are in the perfectional stage of love of God, you see God always, every moment. Twenty-four hours you can see.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Prabhupäda. (end)

Çré Éçopaniñad Lecture Excerpt

Los Angeles, July 8, 1971

Prabhupäda: ...spiritual. Otherwise, how he speaks of? These things are there in the Vedic literatures. Sa aikñata: "He glanced over, and there was creation." In Bhagavad-gétä also it is said that mayädhyakñena prakåtiù süyate sa-caräcaram [Bg. 9.10]. So Kåñëa's, or God's, position is always transcendental. Therefore those who are impersonalists, they are not attracted with the variegatedness of this material life. They want to make it void, because they have no information of the spiritual variegatedness. But this Çukadeva Gosvämé, he became attracted with the pastimes of Kåñëa because Kåñëa's pastimes are not variegatedness of this material world. It is completely spiritual. And to discuss about Kåñëa or to hear about Kåñëa, to chant about Kåñëa, to glorify about Kåñëa—everything spiritual. So if you are engaged twenty-four hours in this business you are not in this material world. You are in the spiritual world.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. [break]

Prabhupäda: Formerly the spiritual master, the disciplic succession, there are two ways. One is called çaukra and another is called sautra. Çaukra means succession from the seminal. Just like son. Son is born by the semina, and the disciple is born by Vedic knowledge. So the one familywise is called çaukra. Çukra means semina, coming from the çukra, and the other is sautra, by hearing. So spiritual master... In India still there are gotras. Gotras means coming from that great sage. Just like our family belongs to the Gautama gotra. Gautama Åñi, from him the familywise gotra, and similarly disciplic succession is also gotra. There is no difference between putra and chatra. Putra means son, and chatra means disciple. Cäëakya Paëòita said, puträàç ca çiñyäàç ca; they are equally treated. Both of them equally eligible for hereditary rites from the person, either he is son or disciple. So Brahmä distributed knowledge to some... Practically everyone was his son because he was the first living creature. So later on, disciples also, son's son. So in this way Brahmä distributed this Vedic knowledge, some to the sons, some to the... Vyäsadeva also, he distributed knowledge, some to his sons, some to his disciples. That is explained in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam. So that is the process of disseminating Vedic knowledge. Then?

Karandhara: (reading:)"The Lord being pürëam, or all-perfect, there is no chance of His being subjected to the laws of material nature, while the living entities and the inanimate objects are all controlled by the laws of nature and thus ultimately by the potency of the Lord. The Éçopaniñad is a part of the Yajur Veda."

Prabhupäda: There are four Vedas—Säma Veda, Yajur Veda, Åg Veda, and Atharva Veda. Originally there was one Veda, but later on, Vyäsadeva divided them into four. So Yajur Veda is one of the Vedas, and the Éçopaniñad is stated there. All the Upaniñads are stated in the different kinds of Vedas. Therefore Upaniñad is accepted as Vedic study. Go on.

Karandhara: "The Éçopaniñad is a part of the Yajur Veda, and as such, it contains information as to the proprietorship of all things that exist within the universe."

Prabhupäda: Just like evidence. Evidence... (aside:) Now you can sit down. Evidence, whenever we want to give evidence... Just like in law court, the evidence, you have to cite the section or the preamble of the laws. Similarly, in our human civilization this evidence is Vedas. If you find something stated in the Vedas, that you have to accept. That's all. Axiomatic truth. And because the Vedas were particularly studied by the brähmaëas, high-class qualified brähmaëas, therefore they are also accepted as authority. Just like Caitanya Mahäprabhu, when He was at Puré, the king of that place, Mahäräja Pratäparudra, he inquired from Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya, "Oh, what is your opinion about this Caitanya who has come here?" He said that "He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." So the king immediately accepted it. King said, "Oh, He is Supreme Personality of Godhead?" So he accepted immediately, just like... There is no question of experimenting. Because an authority like Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya is stating, a brähmaëa and... He was very learned scholar. You know Särvabhauma Bhaööäcärya's name. So because he said that "He is Supreme Personality..." He did not ask any storekeeper, but he asked a learned brähmaëa who knows things. So similarly, we have to accept in that way. In each and every case, if we want to research, it is not possible, because our senses are blunt senses. What you can do? Acintyäù khalu ye bhävä na täàs tarkeëa yojayet. The çästra says that "Things which are beyond your conception, beyond your mental speculation"—aväì-manasä gocaraù—"neither you can express by words, neither you can think of." Aväì-manasä gocaraù.

So such things it is useless, try to understand by arguments. That is simply nonsense. You can, of course, inquire, but that inquiry is not challenge. If you inquire from your spiritual master by challenge, then it is your misfortune. You have to inquire from the spiritual master—that is indicated-sevayä, by service, by making him satisfied. Tad viddhi praëipätena paripraçnena sevayä [Bg. 4.34]. First of all you have to surrender, and then you have to please him by service. Yasya prasädäd bhagavat-prasädaù **. If you can please him, then naturally Kåñëa is pleased upon you. That is the injunction. So this praçna... First of all you should find out somebody where you can surrender. If there is duplicity in surrender, that is useless. First of all see whether you can surrender there; then accept him spiritual master and then please him by your service and inquiry. That is Vedic principle.

Thank you very much. (end)