London, July 15, 1973

Pradyumna (leads chanting, etc.):

pä ï cajanyaà hå ñ é keç o

devadattaà dhanaï jayaù

pauë ò raà dadhmau mahä -ç aì khaà

bhé ma-karmä vå kodaraù

[Bg. 1.15]

Translation: " Then Lord Kå ñ ë a blew His conchshell named Pä ï cajanya; Arjuna blew his, the Devadatta; and Bhé ma, the voracious eater and performer of Herculean tasks, blew his terrific conchshell named Pauë ò ram."

Prabhupä da: So Vå kodara, Bhé masena, is advertised as voracious eater. But he can perform Herculean task also. Just like the elephant, it eats voraciously, but it gives service also. Similarly if we simply eat voraciously and we cannot give any service that is not good. We must eat sumptuously and give service also. In Bengali it is said that peö e keli piö he soya (?). If one is given sufficient food in the belly, he can carry more burden on the back. So Bhé ma-karma, his activities were very Herculean, very, very, difficult tasks he performed.

So everyone is named here with his task. The first name is, Kå ñ ë a, Hå ñ é keç a. Hå ñ é keç a. He is the master of the senses. Govinda. Go means senses. " Who gives pleasure to the senses." So Kå ñ ë a has got many names, thousands, out of which, the Kå ñ ë a name is chief, mukhya. That is described in Vedic literature. People say God has no name. That is right. He has no particular fixed name. But His names are there according to His different activities. Just like His name is Devaké -nandana. Because He accepted Devaké as His mother, therefore He is called Devaké -nandana. Similarly, He is called Nanda-nandana, Yaç odä -nandana, Vrajendra-nandana—in relationship with Nanda Mahä rä ja, Yaç odä, His foster father and mother. Similarly, He is sometimes named Pä rtha-sä rathi because He acted as the chariot driver of Arjuna. Arjuna's name is Pä rtha. His mother's name is På thä, Kunté 's. From På thä, his name is Pä rtha. From his father's name, Pä ë ò u, his name is Pä ë ò ava. So in this way big personalities or anyone, they should tally, the name should tally with the activities. This is nomenclature.

In the... According to Vedic civilization, after the birth of the child, there was name-giving ceremony, what kind of name. So that was calculated astrologically, that what kind of name he should be given, because the name should carry some meaning of the activities of his life. So Kå ñ ë a is named here Hå ñ é keç a. Hå ñ é keç a, Kå ñ ë a, in the fifteenth chapter is described that He gives direction to everyone. Sarvasya cä haà hå di sanniviñ ö aù: [Bg. 15.15] " I am sitting in everyone's heart as Paramä tmä." Realization of the Absolute Truth are three features, Brahman, Paramä tmä and Bhagavä n.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaà yaj jï ä nam advayam

brahmeti paramä tmeti

bhagavä n iti ç abdyate

[SB 1.2.11]

Brahman, Paramä tmä and Bhagavä n. The same object. So the Brahman realization is impersonal realization. Just like the sun, the sun globe, and the sunshine. They are one, but the sunshine, realization of the sunshine, is not realization of the sun globe. Or realization of the sun globe is not realization of the sun god who is within the sun globe. Vivasvä n. His name is Vivasvä n. The present predominating Deity in the sun planet, his name is Vivasvä n. And his son Manu is called Vaivasvata Manu. This is the age of Vaivasvata Manu. So at the... This is very nice example, that the sunshine, the sun globe and the sun god. They are all one, but still, the sun globe is not the person, sun god; neither the sunshine is not the person sun, although they are one. This is called acintya-bhedä bheda-tattva, inconceivably one and different simultaneously.

So Brahman realization is also God realization, but it is partial. The Supreme Lord is sac-cid-ä nanda-vigrahaù [Bs. 5.1]. He is person. But He is not a person like us. He is sac-cid-ä nanda-vigrahaù. É ç varaù paramaù kå ñ ë aù sac-cid-ä nanda-vigrahaù [Bs. 5.1]. Vigraha means person. So He is person, Bhagavä n. Brahmeti paramä tmeti bhagavä n iti ç abdyate [SB 1.2.11]. Three features, realization of the Absolute. The first realization, imperfect realization, is impersonal Brahman. Further advanced realization—Paramä tmä realization. And ultimate realization—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kå ñ ë a. These are the three stages.

So when He is Hå ñ é keç a, it is His Paramä tmä feature. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gé tä,

é ç varaù sarva-bhü tä nä à

hå d-deç e 'rjuna tiñ ö hati

bhrä mayan sarva-bhü tä ni

yanträ rü ò hä ni mä yayä

[Bg. 18.61]

É ç vara, the Supreme Lord, Kå ñ ë a. É ç vara means the Supreme, é ç vara means controller. But the supreme controller is Kå ñ ë a. É ç varaù paramaù kå ñ ë aù [Bs. 5.1]. Control everyone of us, we are controller. We control our family, our society, our business, our factory. There are different kinds of controller. So in that sense everyone is é ç vara, but different types of é ç vara. But the supreme é ç vara.... Supreme means nobody controls Him, but He controls everyone. That is Supreme. Here we are controller, but we are also controlled, somebody else, superior than me. Therefore we cannot be called supreme controller. Supreme controller is Kå ñ ë a.

When Kå ñ ë a was present on this planet, nobody could control Kå ñ ë a, but He controlled everyone. Nobody could control Kå ñ ë a. So therefore the great saintly persons, even Brahmä, they have decided, that é ç varaù paramaù kå ñ ë aù: [Bs. 5.1] " The Supreme controller is Kå ñ ë a." He controls even Brahmä, ä di-kavaye. In the Ç ré mad-Bhä gavatam it is said, tene brahma hå dä ä di-kavaye [SB 1.1.1]. Tene, He instructed Brahmä ç abda-brahma, Vedic knowledge, hå dä, through heart. That is Hå ñ é keç a. You can argue that " Brahmä was the first creature within this universe. So how he could be instructed by somebody else? " No. The somebody else is always there within the heart, Hå ñ é keç a. Hå ñ é keç a means controller. Sarvasya cä ham... Kå ñ ë a says in the Bhagavad-gé tä, sarvasya, in the fifteenth chapter, sarvasya ca ahaà hå di sanniviñ ö aù: " I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaù små tir jï ä nam apohanaà ca: [Bg. 15.15] " From Me, one remembers and one forgets also." Forgets also. If you want to forget Kå ñ ë a, so Kå ñ ë a will give you such intelligence that you will forget Him forever. Ye yathä mä à prapadyante tä à s tathaiva bhajä my aham [Bg. 4.11].

So the atheist class, demon class, they want to forget Kå ñ ë a. So Kå ñ ë a gives him such intelligence that he can speak of atheism so many volumes. But he is getting that intelligence from Kå ñ ë a. Kå ñ ë a gives everyone the chance that " Whatever you want to do, you can do. I will give you intelligence. So if you want to become atheist, then I will give you intelligence how to become first-class atheist, like Hiraë yakaç ipu, Rä vaë a, Kaà sa. And if you want to become devotee, then I will give you intelligence also in that way." Buddhi-yogaà dadä mi taà yena mä m upayä nti te. Teñ ä à satata-yuktä nä à bhajatä à pré ti-pü rvakam [Bg. 10.10]. Anyone who is engaged in His service with love and affection, teñ ä m, not all, not all... Because not all, not everyone wants to serve Him. Everyone wants to become God, imitator. Imitation. Therefore they say, " Why Kå ñ ë a shall be alone God? I am God." You are God. That's all right. But you are not the Supreme God. Why you forget that? You may be a God at home of your wife, but when you go to your office, you are not god; your master is god. He directs you to do something; you have to do it.

So we may claim that " Every one of us, we are God, " but nobody can claim that " We are supreme; I am Supreme God." That is not possible. That can, Kå ñ ë a can claim only. Mattaù parataraà nä nyat kiï cid asti dhanaï jaya: [Bg. 7.7] " My dear Dhanaï jaya, there is no more superior personality than Me." And He proved it. So God cannot be manufactured. God is God. Kå ñ ë a, when He was three months old on the lap of His mother, still, He was God. He could kill the Pü tanä. So God cannot be manufactured by so-called meditation and mystic power. You can get some of the insignificant powers of God, but simply, but you do not know how much powerful is God. That you do not know. Therefore when a person gets little power, he thinks that he has become God. He does not know how much powerful God is.

So therefore ç ä stra says that " You may be god in your own atmosphere, in your own jurisdiction. You may think that you are God." And everyone thinks like that. " But the Supreme God is Kå ñ ë a." Eko yo bahü nä à vidadhä ti kä mä n. In the Upaniñ ads it is said that God is also a person like me, you. Nityo nityä nä à cetanaç cetanä nä m (Kaö ha Upaniñ ad 2.2.13). But His personality is different from your personality, from my personality. What is that difference? Eko yo bahü nä à vidadhä ti kä mä n: " He supplies all the necessities of all other personalities." That is the difference. God is supplying us food. This conception is there in the Bible, " God, give us our daily bread." This is nice. Accepting that you are getting all supplies from God, this is sukå ti, this is puë yavat.

If one, anyone says, " Oh, what God? We are creating our own food." Just like the Communist says. They are duñ kå tina, rascals. But if anyone even goes to the church and temple for asking something to God, he is pious. At least, he has approached God. So one day when he will be advanced devotee, he will not ask any more. He knows that " Why shall I bother God? He is supplying everyone food, so why shall I ask Him food? My food is also there. Let me serve Him." That is his higher intelligence. That is higher intelligence, that " Why shall I ask food from God? God is supplying food to the cats, dogs, ants, elephants, and I want little food, he will not supply me? And especially when I engage myself in His service? Ordinary man pays to his servant, and I shall starve if I am engaged in the service of God? " This is intelligence. This is intelligence. " Why shall I bother God? If He likes, I will starve. That doesn't matter. But I must engage myself in the service of the Lord." This is intelligence. Bahü nä à janmanä m ante jï ä navä n mä à prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. This intelligence comes after many, many births of endeavoring for self-realization. It is not easily comes.

So there is no question of scarcity for devotee. Just like this morning I was discussing with a gentleman. So a devotee is not in need of everything. Why he should be? He cannot be. Even one who is not devotee, if he is getting supplies from God, how is it that the devotee will not get? Just like the government. The government, although there is prisonhouse, the government supplies the food. Not that because they have gone to the prisonhouse, they are starving. Rather, those who are unemployed, they prefer prisonhouse, that without any service, they will get free food.

So anyone within this material world, they are prisoners. Bhrä mayan yanträ rü ò hä ni mä yayä. É ç varaù sarva-bhü tä nä à hå d-deç e 'rjuna tiñ ö hati [Bg. 18.61]. É ç vara, the Supreme Lord Kå ñ ë a as Hå ñ é keç a, He is sitting in everyone's heart as Paramä tmä, and He is guiding. This is confirmed in the Vedas that two birds are sitting on one tree. These two birds, one is Kå ñ ë a and another, the living entity, Paramä tmä and jé vä tmä. The jé vä tmä is eating the fruit, and Paramä tmä is simply becoming witness. Anumantä upadrañ ö ä. Paramä tmä is seeing, Hå ñ é keç a is seeing that you are doing this. So we may forget what nuisance we had done in our last life, but Paramä tmä is there, witness; you have to get a body according to your work. Karmaë ä daiva-netreë a [SB 3.31.1]. You are working, that is being witnessed by the Paramä tmä. And He is also giving advice. Because we have forgotten Kå ñ ë a, we have rebelled against Kå ñ ë a. We want to act according to our whims.

Just like a child wants to do something according to his whims. Father checks him, " My dear child, do not do this." But if he likes, if he persists, father says, " All right, you do it." This is the position. The Hå ñ é keç a, Paramä tmä, He is always guiding us, but we do not accept His guidance. This is our position. Arjuna has accepted Kå ñ ë a, that " I shall be guided by You. Although You'll not fight." Therefore here it is said, Hå ñ é keç a, He's guiding Arjuna. The hå ñ é ka means the senses. Hå ñ é ka-é ç a. É ç a means Lord, master, é ç vara or é ç a. So Hå ñ é keç a. Actually, He is the master of the senses. In the Bhagavad-gé tä you will find. In the Eleventh Chapter it is said, sarvataù pä ë i-pä daà tat, " God has His hands and legs all over the universe." What is that? This, our hand, our legs, this is God's hands, God's leg. He is the master. I am claiming, " This is my hand, " but as soon as God withdraws the power of your hand, it is paralyzed, you cannot repair. Therefore the real proprietor is Kå ñ ë a. You are not proprietor. You have been given the facility to use it, for..., use it not for your sense gratification, but for the satisfaction of the Lord. Then your life is perfect. Because the things belongs to Kå ñ ë a. He is Hå ñ é keç a. He is the master. Just like we are sitting in this house. Somebody has given us. Similarly, everything belongs to God. This is self-realization. My body belongs to God, my mind belongs to God, my intelligence belongs to God, I am spirit soul, I am part and parcel of God. Therefore everything belongs to...É ç ä vä syam idaà sarvam [É ç o mantra 1]. Everything belongs to God. So if you don't use it for God, that is called demonism. And if you use it for God, that is devotion. That's all.

One must realize that " Everything belongs to God; nothing belongs to me. Even this body is given to me by God. " Why a different body? The different body is... God gives us different body according to our karma. That is explained. Karmaë ä daiva-netreë a jantur dehopapattaye [SB 3.31.1]. How we get a different type of body? We have got different types of body. Because according to our past karma, we have created a certain type of body and now we have entered into that body and working according to past karma.

The Christian theologicians, they do not believe in the karma. I was student in Christian college, Scottish Churches College. So in our younger days, the Professor, Dr. W.S. Urquhart. So I heard his lecture, that he did not believe in the karmas. He said that " If I am suffering or enjoying for my last karma, who is the witness? Because some witness must be there that I have done this." But at that time we were not very expert. But this Hå ñ é keç a is the witness, anumantä upadrañ ö ä. Upadrañ ö ä. He is simply seeing. So the Christians, they have no Paramä tmä idea. Sometimes they say holy ghost. Means a clear idea. But this Hå ñ é keç a is clear idea. Hå ñ é keç a. Hå ñ é ka-é ç a.

So this bhakti, devotional path, is meant for satisfying the master of the senses. Hå ñ é keë a hå ñ é keç a-sevanaà bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Hå ñ é keë a, by your senses, when you serve the Hå ñ é keç a, the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. This is the definition of bhakti. Hå ñ é keë a hå ñ é keç a-sevanaà bhaktir ucyate. Nä rada-paï carä tra. So that is our business. We should under... That is self-realization. É ç ä vä syam idaà sarvam [É ç o mantra 1]. Everything belongs to God; nothing belongs to us. This is Bhä gavata communism. As the communists, they say, " Everything belongs to the state, " we say " Everything belongs to God." We never say that anything belongs to anyone. No. This is Bhä gavata communism. So everything belongs to God. So one can utilize God's property as much as he requires, not more than that. Then he will be thief, he will be punishable. Just like father's property. Each and every son has got the right to live at the father's protection. Mä gå dhaù kasya svid dhanam. That is spiritual communism. Whatever wealth is there within this universe, all belong to God, and we are, as sons of God, we have got right to take advantage of this wealth, but not more than what I require. That's all. This is spiritual communism. If you take more, then you become punishable. This is the law of nature.

Therefore our aim of life should be to understand that every..., to know... This is self-realization, that everything belongs to God. Nothing belongs to us. This is self-realization. I also belong to God. My, this body made of five elements, gross body... Bhü mir ä po 'nalo vä yuù [Bg. 7.4], earth, water, fire, air, sky. This is gross body. And subtle body, khaà mano buddhir eva, mind, intelligence, ego. These eight. Kå ñ ë a says, bhinnä me prakå tir añ ö adhä: " These eight kind of prakå ti, they are My energy. They are My energy." So this whole universe is creation of Kå ñ ë a's material energy.

We are marginal energy of Kå ñ ë a. So we are now put into this material energy because we wanted to enjoy this material world. In the spiritual world the only enjoyer is Kå ñ ë a, either in spiritual or material world, He is the only enjoyer. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gé tä, bhoktä raà yajï a-tapasä à sarva-loka-maheç varam [Bg. 5.29]. " I am the enjoyer." So this is to be understood, that He is the supreme enjoyer. He is also enjoyer of My energy. Because my energy is derived from Kå ñ ë a's energy. Just like master and servant. The master is paying him food, anything for comforts. He is getting energy. So how the energy should be utilized? For the master, not for his sense gratification. This is perfection of life. You produce anything by your energy, but you cannot use it for your sense gratification. Then you become perfect. And if you want to do it, then Hå ñ é keç a, the master of the senses, will give you intelligence how to do it. Just like He is giving Arjuna intelligence. Therefore He is mentioned as Hå ñ é keç a. How to win victory? How to utilize his energy for Kå ñ ë a? Kå ñ ë a wanted the battle. Arjuna was a military man. He utilized his military strength for Kå ñ ë a's purposes. That is the perfection of life.

So whatever you have got, if you utilize it for Kå ñ ë a's sake, hå ñ é keë a hå ñ é keç a-sevanaà bhakti [Cc. Madhya 19.170], that is bhakti. Even by fighting, you can be a great devotee, just like Arjuna. He was not chanting on the beads, but he was fighting. But still, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me [Bg. 4.3]. Kå ñ ë a says, " Oh, you are My great devotee." Now people, may say that " He was not chanting. He was fighting. How he became a great devotee? " But Kå ñ ë a says, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: " You are My dear friend. You are My devotee. Because you are utilizing your energy for Me." So bhakti means you utilize your energy for Kå ñ ë a. Then your life is perfect. Thank you very much. (end)