{"1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0001": "RA]A-VIDYA\nThe\nKING\nOF\n\nKNOWLEDGE\n\n.\nHis Divine Grace\n.\nA. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad�\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0002": "�- .\n\n{\n�\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0003": "", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0004": "", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0005": "ALL GLORY TO SRI GURU AND GAURANGA\n\nRA]A-VIDYA\nThe\nKING\nOF\n\nKNOWLEDGE\nHis Divine Grace\nA.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\nFounder-Acarya\nInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness\n\n•\n\nTHE BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST {B.B.T.)\nNew York\n\n·\n\nLos Angeles\n\n·\n\nLondon\n\n·\n\nBombay\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0006": "Readers interested in the subject matter\nof this book are invited by\nthe International Society for Krishna Consciousness\nto correspond with its Secretary.\n\nInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness\n\n3959 Landmark Street\nCulver City, California 90230\n\n© 1973 by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (B.B.T.)\nAll rights reserved\nFirst Printing, 1973: 100,000 copies\nSecond Printing, 1973: 160,000 copies\nLibrary of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-84845\nInternational Standard Book Number: 0-912776-40-4\nPrinted in the United States of America by Donnelley Printing Co.\n\no...c\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0007": "contents\n1. Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge....\n\n1\n\n2. Knowledge Beyond Sanisara.......... 15\n3. Knowledge of Kr�t:�a's Energies........ 22\n4. Knowledge by Way of the Mahatmas,\nGreat Souls .................... 35\n5. Parampara: Knowledge Through\nDisciplic Succession ........... . .. 47\n6. Knowledge of Kr�t:�a's Appearances\nand Activities\n\n.\n\n................. 60\n\n7. Knowledge as Faith in Guru and\nSurrender to Kr�t:Ja .............. 71\n8. Action in Knowledge of Kr�t:Ja ........ 93\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0008": "Readers interested in the subject matter\nof this book are invited by\nthe International Society for Krishna Consciousness\nto correspond with its Secretary.\n\nInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness\n\n3959 Landmark Street\nCulver City, California 90230\n\n© 1973 by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (B.B.T )\n.\n\nAll rights reserved\nFirst Printing, 1973: 100,000 .copies\nSecond Printing, 1973: 160,000 copies.\nLibrary of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-84845\nInternational Standard Book Number: 0-912776-40-4\nPrinted in the United States of America by Donnelley Printing Co.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0009": "", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0010": "1\n\nRaja-Vidya:\nThe King of Knowledge\nsr\"i bhagaviin uviica\n\nidam tu te guhyatamam\npravak�yiimy anasuyave\njiiiinam vijiiiina-sahitam\nyaj jiiiitvii mok�yase 'subhiit\n\"The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because\n\nyou are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you\n\nthis most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be\nrelieved of the miseries of material existence.\" (Bg.\n9.1)\n\nThe\n\nopening words\n\nof the Ninth Chapter of\n\nBhagavad-gitii indicate that the Supreme Godhead is\n\nspeaking. Here Sri Kr�Q.a is referred to as Bhagavan.\nBhaga means opulences, and viin means one who\n\npossesses. We have some conception of God, but in\nthe Vedic literature there are definite descriptions\n\nand definitions of what is meant by God, and what\n\nis\n\nmeant\n\nis\n\ndescribed\n\nin\n\none\n\nword-Bhagavan.\n\nBhagavan possesses all opulences, the totality of\nknowledge, wealth, power, beauty, fam e and re­\n\nnunciation. When we find someone who possesses\n\nthese opulences in full, we are to know that he is\n\nGod. There are many rich, wise, famous, beautiful\n\nand powerful men, but no one man can claim to\n\npossess all of these opulences. Only Kr�Q.a claims to\npossess them in totality.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0011": "2\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nbhoktararh yajna-tapasarh\nsarva-loka-mahesvaram\nsuhrdarh sarva-bhiitanarh\njnatva miirh santim rcchati\n\"The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of\nall sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all\nplanets and demigods and the benefactor ,and wellwisher of all living entities, attain peace from the\npangs of material miseries.\" (Bg. 5.29)\nHere Kr�I]a proclaims that He is the enjoyer of all\n\nactivities and the proprietor of all planets (sarva­\n\nloka-mahe8varam). An individual may possess a large\n\ntract of land, and he may be proud of his ownership,\nbut Kr�I]a claims to possess all planetary systems.\nKr�I]a also claims to be the friend of all living entities\n\n(suhrdam sarva-bhutanam). When a person under­\n\nstands that God is the proprietor of everything, the\nfriend of everyone and the enjoyer of all, he becomes\nvery peaceful. This is the actual peace formula. No\none can have peace as long as he thinks, \"J am the\nproprietor.\" Who is capable of claiming proprietorship? Only a few hundred years ago the red Indians\nwere considered to be the proprietors of America.\nToday we in our turn are claiming that proprietorship,\nbut in four hundred or a thousand years perhaps\nsomeone else will come to claim the same. The land\nis here, and we come here and falsely claim ourselves\nto be proprietors of it. This philosophy of false pro­\n\nprietorship is not in line with Vedic injunctions. SrT\n\nIsopanifad states that \"everything animate or inani­\n\nmate that is within the universe is controlled and\n\nowned by the Lord (TSavasyam idarh sarvam).\" The\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0012": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n3\n\ntruth of this state.ment is factual, but under illusion\n\nwe are thinking that we are the proprietors. In\n\nactuality God owns everything, and therefore He is\n\ncalled the richest.\n\nOf course there are many men who claim to be\n\nGod. In India, for instance, at any time, one has no\ndifficulty in finding. at least one dozen people claim­\n\ning to be God. But if you ask them if they are the\n\nproprietor of everything, they find this difficult\n\nto answer. This is a criterion by which we can\nunderstand\n\nwho\n\nGod\n\nis.\n\nGod\n\nis the proprietor\n\nof everything, and, being so, He must be more\npowerful\n\nth�n\n\nanyone\n\nor\n\nanything\n\nelse.\n\nWhen\n\nKr�!la was personally present on this earth, no one\n\ncould conquer Him. There is no record of His ever\n\nhaving lost a battle. He belonged to a k§atriya (war­\n\nrior) family, and the k§atriyas are meant to give\n\nprotection to the weak. As far as His opulence is\nconcerned, He married 16,1.08 wives. Every wife had\nher own separate palace, and Kr�I;Ia expanded Him­\n\nself 16,108 times in order to enjoy them all. This may\nseem\n\ndifficult to believe, but jt is stated in Snmad­\n\nBhiigavatam, and the great sages of India recognize\nthis as scripture and recognize Kn>Q.a as God.\n\nIn the first verse of this Ninth Chapter, by the\n\nword guhyatamam, Sri Kr�I;Ia intimates that He is\nimparting the most confidential knowledge toArjuna.\n\nWhy is He proclaiming this to Arjuna? It is because\n\nArjuna isanasU:yu-non-envious.In the material world\nif\n\nsomeone\n\nis greater\n\nthan us, we are envious.\n\nWe are not only envious of one another, but of God.\n\nAlso when Kr�I;Ia says, \"I am the proprietor,\" we\n\ndisbelieve it. But this is not the case with Arjuna,\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0013": "4\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nwho listens to Kr �I).a without envy. Arjuna does not\ncavil with Kr�I).a but agrees with whatever He says.\nThis is his special qualification, and this is the way of\nunderstanding Bhagavad-g\"itii. It is not possible to\nunderstand what God is by our own mental specu\"\nlations; we have to hear, and we have to accept.\nBecause Arjuna is not envious, Kr�I).a speaks this\nspecial knowledge to him. This is not only theoretical\nknowledge but practical knowledge (vijiiana-sahitam).\nWhatever knowledge we receive from Bhagavad-g\"ita\nshould not be taken for sentimentality or fanaticism.\nThe knowledge is both jiiana and vijniina, theoretical\nwisdom and scientific knowledge. If one becomes\nwell-versed in this knowledge, liberation is certain.\nLife in this material world is by nature inauspicious\nand miserable. Mok�a means liberation, and the\npromise is that by dint of understanding this knowledge one will attain liberation from all miseries. It is\nimportant then to understand what Kn>I).a says about\nthis knowledge.\n\nraja-vidyii raja-guh yam\npavitram idam uttamam\npratyak�iivagamarh dharmyam\nsusukharh kartum avyayam\n\"This knowledge is the king of education, the most\nsecret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and\nbecause it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlast.\n\ning, and it is joyfully performed.\" (Bg. 9.2)\n\nAccording to Bhagavad-g\"ita, the topmost knowledge ( raja-vidyii riija-guhyam) is Kr�I).a consciousness\nbecause in Bhagavad-g\"itii we find that the symptom\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0014": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n5\n\nof one who is actually in knowledge is that he has\nsurrendered unto Kr�Q.a. As long as we go on speculating about God but do not surrender, it is understood that we have not attained the perfection of\nknowledge. The perfection of knowledge is:\n\nbahilniirh janmaniim ante\n\n.\n\njniinaviin miirh prapadyate\nviisudeva� sarvam iti\nsa mahatma sudurlabha�\n\"After many births and deaths, he who is actually\nin knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be\nthe cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great\nsoul is very rare.\" (Bg. 7 .19)\nAs long as we do not surrender, we cannot understand God. Surrender to God may take many births,\nbut if we accept that God is great, it is possible to\nsurrender unto Him immediately. But generally this\nis not our position in the material world. We are\ncharacteristically envious and consequently think,\n\"Oh, why should I surrender unto God? I am independent. I shall work independently.\" Therefore in\norder to rectify this misgiving, we have to work\nfor many births. In this regard, the name of Kn>Q.a is\nespecially\nbirth,\"\n\nsignificant.\n\nand na\n\nKr�\n\nmeans\n\nmeans\n\n\"one\n\nwho\n\n\"repetition\n\nof\n\nchecks.\"\n\nOur\n\nrepetition of birth can be checked only by God. No\none can check his repetition of birth and death with�\nout the causeless mercy of God.\nThe subject matter of the Ninth Chapter is raja­\n\nvidya. Raja means \"king,\" and vidya means \"knowledge.\" In ordinary life we find one person king in\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0015": "6\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\none subject and another in another subject. This\nknowledge, however, is sovereign over all others, and\nall other knowledge is subject or relative to it. The\nword raja-guh yam indicates that this sovereign knowledge is very confidential, and the word pavitram\nmeans that it is very pure. This knowledge is also\n\nuttamam; ud means· \"transcend,\" and tama means\n\"darkness,\" and that knowledge which surpasses this ,\nworld and the knowledge of this world is called\n\nuttamam. It is the knowledge of light, and darkness\nhas been separated from it. If one follows this path\nof knowledge, he will personally understand how far\nhe\n\nhas progressed down the path of perfection\n\n(pratyak�avagamam dharmyam). Susukham kartum\nindicates that this knowledge is very happy and\njoyful to execute. And avyayam indicates that this\nknowledge is permanent.\n\nWe may work in this\n\nmaterial world for education or riches, but these\nthings are not avyayam, for as soon as this body is\nfinished, everything else is also finished. With death,\nour\n\neducation, advanced degrees, bank balances,\n\nfamily-everything-are all finished. Whatever we're\ndoing in this material world is not eternal. However,\nthis knowledge is not like that.\n\nnehiibhikrama-niiso 'sti\npratyaviiyo na vidyate\nsvalpam apy asya dharmasya\ntriiyate mahato bhayiit\n\"In this endeavor there is no loss or diminution, and\na little advancement on this path can protect one\nfrom the most dangerous type of fear.\" (Bg. 2.40)\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0016": "Rlija-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n7\n\nKnowledge in Kr�l)a consciousness is so perfect\nthat if one performs work in Kr�l)a consciousness\nand yet does not attain perfection, in his next life\nhe takes up from wherever he left off. In other\nwords, actions performed in Krg1a consciousness are\ndurable. On the other hand, material achievements,\nbecause they pertain to the body, are vanquished\nat death. Knowledge that pertains to designations\ndoes not endure. I am thinking that I am a man or a\nwoman, an American or Indian, a Christian or Hinduthese are all design�tions pertaining to the body,\nand when the body is finished; they will also be\nfinished. We are actually spirit, and therefore our\nspiritwil activities will go with us wherever we go.\n\nSri Kr�l)a indicates that this king of knowledge is\n\nalso happily performed. We can easily see that activities in Kr�l)a consciousness are joyfully done. There\n\nis chanting and dancing, eating prasadam (food that\n\nhas been offered to Kr��Ja) and discussing Bhagavad­\n\ntffta.\n\nThese are the main processes. There are no\n\nstringent rules and regulations that we have to sit\nso straight for so long or do so many gymnastics, or\ncontrol our breath. No, the process is very easily and\nhappily done. Everyone wants to dance, to sing, to\neat and to hear the truth. This process is truly\nsusukham-very happy.\nIn the material-world there are so mariy gradations\nof education.\n\nSome people never finish grammar\n\nschool or high ·school, whereas others go on and receive a university education, a BA, MA, PhD, and\n\nso on. But what is this raja-vidyii, the king of educa­\n\ntion, the summum bonum of knowledge? It is this\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0017": "8\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Kn�wledge\n\nKr�!Ja consciousness. Real. knowledge is understand­\n\ning \"what I am.\" Unless �e come to the point of\n\nunderstanding what we are, we cannot attain real\nknowledge. When Sanatana Gosvami left his govern­\n\nment post and came to Caitanya Mahaprabhu for the\nfirst time; he asked the Lord, \"What is education?\"\n\nAlthough Sanatana Gosvami knew a number of languages, including Sanskrit, he still inquired about'\nreal\n\neducation.\n\n\"The\n\ngeneral\n\npopulace\n\ncalls me\n\nhighly educated,\" Sanatana Gosvami told the Lord,·\n\"and I am such a fool that I actually believe. them.\"\n\nThe Lord replied, \"Why should you not think\n\nyou're well educated? You're a great scholar in\nSanskrit and Persian.\"\n\"That may be,\" Sanatana Gosvami said, \"but I do\nnot know what I am.\" He then went on to tell the\nLord: \"I do not wish to suffer, but these material\n\nmiseries are forced upon me. I neither know where\nI've come from nor where I'm going, but people are\ncalling me ·educated. When they call me a great\nscholar, I am satisfied, but in truth I am such a great\nfool that I know not what I am.\" Sanatana Gosvami\nwas actually speaking for all of us, for this is our\npresent situation. We may be proud of our academic\n\neducation, but if asked what we are, we are not able\nto �ay. Everyone is under the conc�ptioi1 that this\n\nbody is the self, but we learn from Vedic sources\nthat this is not so. Only after realizing that we are\n\nnot these bodies can we enter into real knowledge\n\nand· understand what we actually are. This then, is\nthe beginning of knowledge.\n\nRaja-vidya may be further defined as not only\n\nknowing what one is, but acting accordingly. If we\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0018": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n---\n\n9\n\ndo not know who we are, how can our activities be\nproper? If we are mistaken about our identity, we\nwill also be mistaken about our activities. Simply\nknowing that we are not these material bodies is not\nsufficient; we must act according to the conviction\nthat we are spirituaL Action based on this knowledge-spiritual activity-is work in Kr�qa consciousness. This kind of knowledge may not seem to be so\neasily attainable, but it is made very easy by the\nmercy of Kr�qa and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu who\nmade this knowledge easily available through the\n(\n\nprocess of chanting Hare Kr�qa, Hare Krflqa, Krflr�a\nKrflqa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama\nRama, Hare Hare.\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu divided the living entities\ninto two major categories: those that are moving and\nthose that are not moving. Trees, grass, plants, stones,\netc., do not move because they do not have sufficiently developed consciousness. Their consciousness,\nis there, but is covered. If a living being does not\nunderstand his position, he is stonelike, although\ndwelling in a human. body. The living entities-birds,\n\nreptiles, animals, Insects, human beings, demigods,\netc.-number over 8,000,000 species, and of these a\nvery small number are human beings. Lord Caitanya\n\nfurther points out that out of 400,000 species of\nhuman beings, some are civilized; and out of many\ncivilized persons, there are only a few who are\ndevoted to the scriptures.\n\nIn the present day most people claim to be devoted\n\nto some religion-Christian, Hindu, Moslem, Buddhist,\netc.-but in fact they do not really believe in the\nscriptures. Those who do believe in the scriptures are,\n\n,\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0019": "10\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nby and large, attached to pious philanthropic activities. They believe that religion means yajiia (sacrifice), dana (charity) and tapas (penance). One who\nengages in tapasya undertakes voluntarily very rigid\nregulations, such as brahmaciir\"i students (celibates)\nor sannyiis\"is (renounced order) undertake. Charity\nmeans voluntarily giving away one's material possessions. In the present age there is no sacrifice, but\nfrom historical literatures like the Mahiibhiirata we\nget information that kings performed sacrifices by\ndistributing rubies, gold and silver. Yajiia was primarily for kings, and charity, on a much smaller\nscale,\n\nwas\n\nmeant for\n\nhouseholders.\n\nThose who\n\nactually believed in scriptures usually adopted some\nof these principles. But generally in this age people\nsimply say that they belong to a religion but in\nactuality do nothing. Out of millions of such people,\na very small number actually perform charity, sacrifice\n\nand\n\npenance.\n\nCaitanya\n\nMahaprabhu further\n\npoints out that out of millions who perform such\nreligious principles all over the universe, only a few\nattain perfect knowledge and understand what they\nare .\n.Just knowing \"I am not this body but am spirit\nsoul\" is not sufficient. We have to escape this entanglement of material nature. This is called mukti,\nliberation. Out of many thousands of persons who\nare in self-knowledge as to what and who they are,\nonly one or two may be actually liberated. And out\nof many thousands who are liberated, only one or\ntwo may understand what and who Kt�l)a is. So\nunderstanding Kt�l)a is not such an easy job. Thus in\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0020": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nll\n\nLhis·age of Kali, an age characterized by ignorance and\nchaos, liberation is out of the reach of practically\neveryone. One has to go through the whole ordeal of\nbecoming civilized, then religious, and then one has\nto perform charities and sacrifices and come to the\nplatform of knowledge, then to the stage of liberation, and finally, after liberation, to the understanding\n\nof\n\nwhat Kr�.t;J.a is. This process is also\n\nindicated in Bhagavad-gl:ta:\n\nbrahma-bhutal;t prasannatma\nna socati na kank�ati\nsamal;t sarve�u bhute�u\nmad-bhaktirh Labhate param\n\"One who is thus transcendentally situated at once\nrealizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments or\n:desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to\nevery living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.\" (Bg. 18.54)\nThese are the signs of liberation. The first symptom\n\nof one who is liberated is that he is very happy. It is\nnot possible to find him morose. Nor does he have\nany anxiety. He never frets, \"This thing I don't have.\nOh, I must secure this thing. Oh, this bill I have to\npay. I have to go here, there.\" One who is liberated\nhas no anxieties at all. He may be the poorest man in\n\nthe world, but he neither laments nor thinks that he\nis poor·. Why should he think that he is poor? When\nwe\n\nthink that we are these material bodies and that\n\nwe\n\nhave possessions to go with them, then we think\n\nthat we are poor or rich, but one who is liberated\nfrom the material conception of life has nothing to\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0021": "12\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\ndo with possessions or lack of possessions. \"I have\nnothing to lose and nothing to gain,\" he thinks. \"I\nam completely separate from all this.\" Nor does he\nsee anyone else as rich or poor, educated or uneducated, beautiful or ugly, etc. He does not see any\nmaterial dualities, for his vision is completely on\nthe spiritual platform, and he sees that every living\nentity is part and parcel of Kr�qa. Thus seeing all\nentities in their true identity, he tries to take them\nback to Kr�qa consciousness. His viewpoint is that\neveryone-whether he be brahmarw or sudra,. black\nor white, Hindu, Christian, or whatever-should come\nto Kr�Qa consciousness. When one is situated in this\nway, then: mad-bhaktim labhate param\n\n-\n\nhe becomes\n\neligible for becoming a pure devotee of Kr�qa's.\nPractically speaking, this process is not very easy\n,\nin this age of Kali. In Sr\"imad-Bhagavatam a description is given of the people of this age. Their duration\nof life is said to be very short, they tend to be\nphlegmatic and slow and to sleep a great deal, and\nwhen they're not sleeping, they are busy earning\nmoney. At the most they only have two hours a\nday for spiritual activities, so what is the hope Jor\nspiritual understanding? It is also stated that even\nif one is anxious to make spiritual progress, there\nare many pseudo-spiritual societies to take advantage\nof him. People are also characterized in this age as\nbeing unfortunate. They have a great deal of difficulty meeting the primary demands of life-eating,\ndefending, mating, and sleeping-necessities which\nare met even by the animals. Even if people are\nmeeting these necessities in this age, they are always\n\nI\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0022": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n13\n\nanxious about war, either defending themselves from\naggressors or having to go to war themselves. In addi­\n\ntion to this, there are always disturbing diseases and\n\neconomic problems in Kali-yuga. Therefore Lord\n\nSri Kr�qa considered that in this age it is impossible\nfor people to come to the perfectional stage of\n\nliberation\n\nby following the prescribed rules and\n\nregulations.\n\nThus out of His causeless mercy, Sri Krill1a came\n\nas\n\nLord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and distributed the\n\nmeans to the highest perfection of life and spiritual\n\necstasy by the chanting of Hare Krilf!a, Hare Kr�qa,\nKr�·�a Kr�qa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama,\n\nRama Rama, Hare Hare. This process of chanting is\n\nmost practical, and it does not depend on whether\n\none is liberated or not, or whether one's condition is\n\nconducive to spiritual life or not-whoever takes to\n\nthis process becomes immediately purified. Therefore\n\nit is called pavitram (pure). Furthermore, for one who\n\ntakes to this Kr�qa consciousness process, the seeds\n\nof latent reactions to\n\nhis sinful actions are all\n\nnullified. Just as a fire turns whatever we put into it\n\nto ashes, this process turns to ashes all the sinful\nreactions of our past lives.\n\nWe must understand that our suffering is due to\n\nour sinful activity, and sinful activity is due to\nour ignorance. Sins, or transgressions, are committed\n\nby those who do not know what is what. A child,\n\nfor instance, will naively put his hand in a fire\nbecause of ignorance. He is thus burned immedi­\n\nately, for the fire is impartial and does not allow\nany special consideration for the innocent child.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0023": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n14\n\nIt will simply act as fire. Similarly, we do not know\nhow this material world is functioning, who its controller is, nor how it is controlled, and due to our\nignorance we act in foolish ways, but nature is so\nstringent that she does not allow us to escape the\nreactions to our actions. W hether we commit an act\nknowingly or unknowingly, the reactions and consequent sufferings are there. However, through knowledge we can understand what the actual situation is,\nwho God is, and what our relationship with Him is.\nThis knowledge by which we can gain release from\nsuffering is possible in the human form of life, not\nin the animal form. To give us knowledge, to give us\nproper\n\ndirection,\n\nthere are scriptures written in\n\nvarious languages in all parts of the world. Lord\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu pointed out that people are\nforgetful from time immemorial about their relationship with the Supreme Lord; therefore Kr�t:la has\nsent so many representatives to impart the scriptures\nto man. We should take advantage of these, especially\nof Bhagavad-g\"itii, which is the prime scripture for\nthe modern world.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0024": "2\n\nKnowledge Beyond Samsara\nKw)a\nKr�Qa\n\nspecifically\n\nstates\n\nconsciousness is\n\nthat\n\nthis\n\nsusukham,\n\nprocess\n\nvery\n\nof\n\npleasant\n\nand easy to practice. Indeed, the devotional process\nis\n\nvery\n\npleasant; we melodiously\n\nsing\n\nwith\n\nin­\n\nstruments, and someone will listen and also join\n\n(sravartarh k'irtanam). Of course the music should be\nin relation with the Supreme Lord, in glorification\nof Him. Hearing Bhagavad-g'ita is also part of devotional service, and in addition to hearing i.t one\nshould be eager to apply it in his life. Kr�Qa consciousness is a science and should not be accepted\nblindly. There\n\nare\n\nnine processes\n\nof devotional\n\nservice recommended (hearing, chanting, remembering,\n\nworshiping,\n\npraying, serving, engaging as a\n\nservitor of the Lord, establishing friendly relations\nwith the Lord, offering everything to the Lord).\nThese are all easy to practice and should be joyfully\nperformed. .\nOf course if one thinks that Bhagavad-g'ita and\nthe Hare Kr�Qa mantra are part of the Hindu system\nand doesn't want to accept them because of this, he\nean\n\nnonetheless attend the Christian church and sing\n\nthere. There is no difference between this process\n\nand that process; the point is whatever process one\nfollows, he must become God conscious. God is\nneither Moslem nor Hindu nor Christian-He is God.\nNor are we to be considered Hindu, Moslem or Chris-\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0025": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n16\n\ntian. These are bodily designations. We are all pure\nspirit,\n\npart\n\nand\n\nparcel of the Supreme. God is\n\npavitram, pure, and we are also pure. Somehow or\nother, however, we have fallen into this material\n\nocean, and as the waves toss, we suffer. Actually we\nhave nothing to do with the tossing waves of material\n\nmiseries. We must simply pray, \"Kr�IJ.a, please pick\nme up.\" As soon as we forget Kr�IJ.a, the ocean of\n\nillusion is there, and it at once captures us. The\n\nchanting of Hare Kr�Q.a is most important in order to\nescape from this ocean. Hare Kr�Q.a, Hare Kr�Q.a,\n\nKr�Q.a Kr�Q.a, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama,\n\nRama Rama, Hare Hare is a sound (sabda) that is\n\nnon-different from Kr�Q.a. The sound Kr�Q.a and the\n\noriginal Kr�Q.a are the same. When we chant Hare\n\nKr�Q.a and dance, Kr�Q.a is also dancing with us. Of\n\ncourse we may say, \"Well, I do not see Him,\" but\n\nwhy do we put so much stress on seeing? Why not\n\nhearing?\n\nSeeing,\n\ntasting, smelling, touching, and\n\nhearing are all instruments for experience and knowledge. Why do we put such exclusive stress on seeing?\n\nA devotee does not wish to see Kr�Q.a; he is satisfied\n\nby simply hearing of Kr�Q.a. Seeing may eventually\n\nbe there, but hearing should not be considered any\n\nless important. There are things which we hear but\ndo not see-the wind may be whistling past our\n\nears, and we can hear it, but there is no possibility\n\nof seeing the wind. Since hearing is no less an impor­\n\ntant experience or valid one than seeing, we can hear\n\nKr�Q.a and realize His presence through sound. Sri\nKr�Q.a Himself says, \"I am not there in My abode,\n\nor in the heart of the meditating yogz but where my\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0026": "Knowledge Beyond Sanisara\n\n17\n\npure devotees are singing.\" We can feel the presence\n\nof Kr�I)a as we actually make progress.\nIt is not that we should simply take things from\nKr�Q.a and offer Him nothing. Everyone is taking\nsomething from God, so why not give something?\nWe are taking from Kr�I)a so much light, air, food,\nwater and so on. Unless these resources are supplied\n\nby Kr�Q.a, no one can live. Is it love to simply keep\ntaking and taking and taking without ever offering\nanything in return? Love means taking and giving\nalso. If we just take from someone and give him\nnothing in return, that is not love-it is exploitation.\n\nIt is not that we should just continue eating without\never offering anything to Kr�l)a. In Bhagavad-gitii\nKr�Qa says:\n\npatrarh pu�pam phalam toyarh\nyo me bhaktyii prayacchati\ntad aham bhakty-upahrtam\nasniimi prayatiitmana�\nyat karo�i yad asniisi\nyaj juho�i dadiisi yat\nyat tapasyasi kaunteya\ntat kuru�va mad arparwm\n\n\"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a\nflower, fruit or water, I will accept it. 0 son of Kuntl,\n\nall that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer\nand give away, as well as all austerities that you\nperform, should be done as an offering unto Me.\"\n(Bg. 9.26-27)\nIn addition to giving and receiving, in the execution of devotional service one has to submit to\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0027": "18\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nKp'if}a whatever distress or confidential problem he\nhas_ He should say, \"Kr�r,ta, I am suffering in this\nway. I have fallen in this tossing ocean of material\nillusion. Kindly pick me up. I understand now that\nI have no identification with this material world. I\nam\n\nsimply put here, as if thrown into the Atlantic­\n\nocean. I may not in any way identify with the·\nAtlantic ocean, but I am subject to the tossing of the\nocean. Actually I am a spiritual spark, a fragmental\npart of You.\" To our misfortune, we try to identify\nwith this ocean and stop its tossing. We must not try\nto stop the tossing. It is not possible. In any case,\n.,\n\nthe tossing will go on, for that is the law of nature.\n\nOnly the foolish try to adjust to this world; the real\nproblem is how to get out of it. Those who do\nattempt to adjust and who never turn to Kr�l}a are\ncontinually subject to transmigration in the o<;:ean of\nbirth and death.\n\nasraddadhanaft puru�a\ndharmasyasya parantapa\naprapya miim nivartante\nmrtyu-samsara-vartmani\n\"Those\n\nwho\n\nare\n\nnot\n\nfaithful\n\non the path of_\n\ndevotional service cannot attain Me, 0 conqueror of\nfoes, but return to birth and death in this material\nworld.\" (Bg. 9.3)\nBy definition, religion is that which connects us\nwith God. If it is not capable of connecting us with\nGod, it is no religion. Religion means searching for\nGod, understanding God and establishing a relationship with God. This is religion. Those who are en-\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0028": "Knowledge Beyond Samsara\n\n19\n\ngaged in devotional service are acting for Kr�I;la or\n\nGod, and since in this way there is connection with\nGod, Kr�I;la consciousness is a religion.\n\nIt is not possible to manufacture a religion. A\n\nLrue religion must come from an authorized source,\n\nand that source is either God or His representative.\n\nReligion has been called the law of God. It is not\n\npossible for a person to manufacture a State law.\n\nThe law is there, and it is given by the State. One\n\nmay create some bylaws for his own society, but\nthese laws must be sanctioned by the law of the\n\nState. Similarly, if we wish to make some principle\n\nof religion, it must be sanctioned by the Vedic\nauthority.\n\nBhagavad-gzta is also religion. Great authorities\n\nlike Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Vi�!]usvami, Lord\n\nCaitanya, Sankaracarya, and so many others have\n\naccepted Bhagavad-gzta as the supreme principle of\nreligion and Kr�I;la as the Supreme Personality of\n\nGodhead. There is no doubt about it. In the West\nalso\n\nBhagavad-gl:ta is accepted as a great book of\n\nphilosophy, and many great scholars and philosophers\n\nin the West have read it and commented upon it.\n\nDespite acceptance by the scholars and acaryas, there\n\nare persons who do not accept Bhagavad-gzta and\n\nwho have no faith. They do not accept it at all as\n\nauthority, for they think that it is some sentimental\n\nexaggeration by a man known as Kr�I]a. Thus Kr�I;la\n\nstates in the above quoted verse that those who\n\nreject Bhagavad-gl:ta as authority cannot have any\n\nconnection with Him, and because they have no\n\nrelation to Him, they remain in the cycle of birth\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0029": "20\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nand death. Apriipya miim nivartante mrtyu-samsiiravartmani. Being subjected to samsiira, the cycle of\n\nbirth and death, does not guarantee that one will\nnecessarily get a similar facility for understanding\nBhagavad-g'itii in the next life. One may not neces­\n\nsarily be born again as a human being, or in America, or in India, or even on this planet. There is no cer;\n\n·\n\ntainty; it all depends on our work. On the path of\nbirth and death we take our birth, remain for some\ntime, enjoy or suffer, then again give up this body\nand enter into the womb of a mother, either human\n\nbeing or animal, then prepare another body to come\nout and begin our work again. This is called mrtyu-\n\n\"\n\nsamsiira-vartmani. If one wants to avoid this path, he\n\nmust take to Kr11qa consciousness.\nWhen\n\nYudhi$thira\n\nMaharaja was asked, \"What\n\nis the most wonderful thing in the world?\" he\nreplied, \"The most wonderful thing is that every\nday,\n\nevery\n\nmoment,\n\npeople\n\nare dying, and yet\n\neveryone thinks that death will not come for him.\"\nEvery minute and every second we experience that\n_J\n\nliving entities are going to the temple of death. Men,\ninsects, animals, birds-everyone is going. This world,\ntherefore, is called mrtyuloka-the planet of death. Every day there are obituaries, and if we bother to\ngo to the cemetery or crematorium grounds we can\nvalidate them. Yet everyone is thinking, \"Somehow\nor other I'll live.\" Everyone is subject to the law of\ndeath, yet no one takes it seriously. This is illusion.\nThinking we will live forever, we go on doing whatever we like, feeling that we will never be held responsible. This is a very risky life, and it is the densest\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0030": "Knowledge Beyond Sanisara\n\n21\n\npart of illusion. We should become very serious and\nunderstand that death is waiting. We have heard the\nexpression, \"as sure as death.\" This means that\nin this world death is the most certain thing; no one\ncan avoid it. When death comes, no longer will our\npuffed-up philosophy or advanced degrees help us.\nAt that time our stout and strong body and our\nintelligence-which\nvanquished.\n\n(jiviitmii)\n\ndon't\n\ncare\n\nfor\n\nanything-are\n\nAt that time the fragmental portion\n\ncomes under the dictation of material\n\nnature, and prakrti (nature) gives us the type of body\nfor which we are fit. If we want to take this risk, we\ncan avoid Knn;a; if we don't want to take it, Kr�l).a\nwill come to help us.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0031": "3\n\nKnowledge of\nKr$rJa's Energies\nIt may be noted at this point that the Ninth\n\nChapter of Bhagavad-gitii is especially meant for those\n\nwho have already accepted Sri Kp�qa as the Supreme\n\nPersonality of Godhead. In other words, it is meant\n\nfor His devotees. If one does not accept Sri K{l)qa as\nthe Supreme, this Ninth Chapter will appear as some­\n\nthing different from what it actually is. As stated in\n\nthe beginning, the subject matter of the Ninth Chap­\n\nter is the most confidential material in the entire\n\nBhagavad-gitii. If one doesn't accept Krl)qa as the\nSupreme, he will think the chapter to be a mere\n\nexaggeration. This is especially the case with the\n\nverses dealing with Kr�t:la's relationship with His\n\ncreation.\n\nmayii tatam idam sarvam\njagad avyakta-murtinii\nmat-sthiini sarva-bhutiini\nna ciiham te§v avasthita�\n\"By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire uni­\n\nverse is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not\n\nin them.\" (Bg. 9.4)\n\nThe world which we see is also K{l)qa 's energy, His\n\nmiiyii. Here, mayii means \"by Me,'' as if one says,\n\"This work has been done by me.\" This \"by Me\"\n\ndoes not mean that He has done His work and has\n\nfinished or retired. If I start a large factory and I say,\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0032": "Knowledge of Kr�Qa's Energies\n\n23\n\n\"This factory was started by me,\" in no case should\nil be concluded that I am lost or in any way not\n\npresent. Although a manufacturer may refer to his\nproducts as being \"manufactured-by me,\" it does not\nmean that he personally created or constructed his\nproduct, but that the product was produced by his\n(:nergy. Similarly, if Kr�I].a says, \"Whatever you see\nin the world was created by Me,\" we are not to\n\nsuppose that He is no longer existing.\nIt is not very difficult to see God everywhere in\nthe creation, for He is everywhere present. Just as in\nthe Ford factory the workers see Mr. Ford in every\ncorner, those who are conversant with the science of\nKr�Qa can see Him in every atom of the creation.\n\n(mat-sthani sarva\nbhiitani), but Kr�Qa is not there (na caham te§v\navasthita�). Kr�Qa and His energy are non-different,\nEverything is resting on Kr�Qa\n\nyet the energy is not Kr�Qa. The sun and the sunshine are not different, but the sunshine is not the\nsun. The sunshine may come through our window\nand enter our room, but this is not to say that the\nfoiun is in our room. The Vi�!lu Purii!la states: parasya\nbrahma!la\"fl saktilj: parasya means supreme, brahmatta[t means Absolute Truth, and sakti� means energy.\nThe energy of the Supreme Absolute is ev�rything,\nout in that energy Kr�Qa is not to be found.\nThere are two kinds of energy-material and spirilual. Jivas, or individual souls, belong to the superior\nenergy of Kr�Qa, but because they are prone to be\nattracted to the material energy, they are called\nmarginal energy. But actually there are only two\nenergies. All of the planetary systems and universes\nure resting on the energies of Kr�Qa. Just as all the\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0033": "24\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nplanets in the solar system are resting in the sunshine,\neverything within the creation is resting on Kr�l).ashine. All of these potencies of the Lord give pleasure\nto a devotee, but one who is envious of Kr�l).a rejects\nthem. When one is a nondevotee, the statements of\nKr�l).a seem to be so much bluff, but when one is a\ndevotee, he thinks, \"Oh, my Lord is so powerful,\"\nand he becomes filled with love and adoration . Nondevotees think that because Kr�l).a says, \"I am God,\"\nthey and everyone else can say the same. But if asked\nto show their universal form, they cannot do it. That\nis the difference between a pseudo god and the real\nGod. Kr�l).a's pastimes cannot be imitated . Kr�l).a\nmarried over 16,000 wives and kept them nicely in\n\n16,000 palaces, but an ordinary man cannot even\nkeep one wife nicely . It is not that Kr�l).a just spoke\nso many wonderful things; He also acted wonderfully.\nWe should not believe one thing that Kr�l).a says or\ndoes and reject another; if belief is there, it must be\nfull belief.\nIn this regard, there is a story of Narada Muni, who\nwas once asked by a briihmarta: \"Oh, you are going\nto meet the Lord? Will you please ask Him when I'm\ngoing to get my salvation?\"\n\"All right,\" Narada agreed . \"I shall ask Him.\"\nAs Narada proceeded, he met a cobbler who was\nsitting under a tree mending shoes, and the cobbler\nsimilarly asked Narada, \"Oh, you are going to see\nGod? Will you please inquire of Him when my salvation will come?\"\nWhen Narada Muni went to the V aikul).�ha planets,\nhe fulfilled their request and asked Narayal).a (God)\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0034": "Knowledge of Kr�Qa's Energie s\n\n25\n\nabout the salvation of the brahmarta and the cobbler,\nnnd Narayava replied, \"After leaving this body, the\ncobbler shall come here to me.\"\n\"What about the brahmarta?\" Narada asked.\n\"He will have to remain there for a number of\nbirths. I do not know when he is coming.\"\nNarada Muni was astonished, and he finally said,\n\n\"I can't understand the mystery of this.\"\n\"That you will see,\" Narayava said. \"When they\nask you what I am doing in My abode, tell them that\n\nI am threading the eye of a needle with an elephant.\"\nWhen Narada returned to earth and approached\nthe brahma[la, the brahmarta said, \"Oh, you have\nseen the Lord? What was He doing?\"\n\"He was threading an elephant through the eye of\na\n\nneedle,\" Narada answered.\n\n\"I don't believe such nonsense,\" the brahmarta\nreplied. Narada could immediately understand that\nthe man had no faith and that he was simply a reader\n\nof books.\nNarada then left and went on to the cobbler, who\nasked him, \"Oh, you have seen the Lord? Tell me,\nwhat was He doing?\"\n\"He was threading an elephant through the eye of\na needle,\" Narada replied.\nThe cobbler began to weep, \"Oh, my Lord is so\nwonderful, He can do anything.\"\n\"Do you really believe that the Lord can push an\nelephant through the hole of a needle?\" Narada\nasked.\n\"Why not?\" the cobbler said, \"Of course I believe\n\ni L.\"\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0035": "! .\n\n26\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\"How is that?\"\n\n\"You can see that I am sitting under this banyan\n\ntree,\" the cobbler answered, \"and you can see that\n\nso many fruits are falling daily, and in each seed\n\nthere is a banyan tree like this one. If, within a\n\nsmall seed there can be a big tree like this, is it\ndifficult to accept that the Lord is pushing an elephant through the eye of a needle?\"\n\nSo this is called faith. It is not a question of blindly\n\nbelieving. There is reason behind the belief. If Kr�qa\n\ncan put a large tree within so many little seeds, is it\n\nso astounding that He is keeping all the planetary\n\nsystems floating in space through His energy?\n\nAlthough scientists may think that the planets are\n\nbeing held in space simply by nature alone, behind\n\nnature there is the Supreme Lord. Nature is acting\nunder His guidance. As Sri Kr�qa states:\n\nmayadhyak§eT}a prak_rti/l\nsiiyate sa-caracaram\nhetunanena kaunteya\njagad viparivartate\n\"This material nature is working under My direction,\n\n0 son of Kuntf, and is producing all moving and un­\n\nmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is being\n\ncreated and annihilated again and again.\" (Bg. 9.10)\n\nMayiidhyak�el}a means \"under My supervision.\"\n\nMaterial nature cannot act so wonderfully unless the\nLord's hand is behind it. We cannot give any example\n\nof material things automatically working. Matter is\n\ninert, and without the spiritual touch there is no\npossibility of its acting. Matter cannot act indepen-\n\n1\\\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0036": "�\nKnowledge of Kr�r;ta's Energies\ndently\n\nor\n\nautomatically.\n\n27\n\nMachines may be very\n\nwonderfully constructed, but unless a man touches\nthat machine, it cannot work. And what is that man?\nlie is a spiritual spark. Without spiritual touch,\nnothing can move; therefore everything is resting on\n�-�qa's impersonal energy. Kr�qa's energy is impersonal, but He is a person. We often hear of persons\nperforming wonderful\n\nactions,\n\nyet despite\n\ntheir\n\nt�nergetic accomplishments, they still remain persons.\nIf this is possible for human beings, why isn't it\n\npossible for the Supreme Lord? We are all persons,\nbut we are all dependent upon Kr�qa, the Supreme\nPerson.\nWe have often seen pictures of Atlas, a stout man\nbearing a large planet on his shoulders and struggling\nvery hard to hold it up. We may think that because\nl<.ri'Jl}a is maintaining the universe, He is struggling\nunder its burden like Atlas. But this is not the case.\n\nna ca mat-sthiini bhutiini\npasya me yogam aisvaram\nbhuta-bhrn na ca bhuta-stho\nmamiitmii bhuta-bhiivanaft\n\"And yet everything that is created does not rest in\nMe. Behold My mystic opulence. Although I am the\n\nmaintainer of all living entities and although I am\nt�verywhere, still My Self is the very source of creal ion.\" (Bg. 9.5)\n\nAlthough all beings in the universe are resting in\nKn11a's energy, still they are not in Him. Kr�qa is\nmaintaining all living entities, and His energy is allpervading, yet He is elsewhere. This is Kr�qa's incon-\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0037": "28\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nceivable mystic power. He is everywhere, yet He is\naloof from everything. We can perceive his energy,\nbut we cannot see Him because He cannot be seen\nwith material eyes. However, when we develop oui:\n\nspiritual qualities, we sanctify our senses so that even\nwithin this energy we can see Him. Electricity, for\ninstance, is everywhere, and an electrician is capable\nof utilizing it. Similarly, the energy of the Supreme\n\nLord is everywhere, and when we become transcen­\n\ndentally situated, we can see God eye to eye everywhere. That spiritualization of the senses is possible\nthrough devotional service and love of God. The Lord\nis all-pervading all over the universe and i�ithin the\n\nsoul, the heart, water, air-everywhere.l!hus if we\nmake an image of God in anything-clay, stone,\nwood or whatever-it should not be considered to be\n\njust a doll. That also is God. If we have sufficient\ndevotion, the image will also speak to us. God is\n\neverywhere impersonally (maya tatam idarh sarvam),\nbut if we make His personal form from anything, or\n\nif we create an image of God within ourselves, He will\n\nbe present personally for\n\n�In the slistras, there are\n\neight kinds of images recommended, and any kind of\nimage can be worshiped because God is everywhere.\n\nOne may protest and ask, \"Why should God be wor­\n\nshiped in images and not in His original spiritual\nform?\"\n\nThe answer is that we cannot see God\n\nimmediately in His spiritual form. With our material\n\neyes we can only see stone, earth, wood-something\ntangible. TJlerefore K.r�qa comes as arca-vigraha, a\nform conveniently presented by the Supreme Lord in\norder for us to see Him. The result is that if we con-\n\nl\n\nll\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0038": "Knowledge of Kr�Qa's Energies\n\n29\n\nct:ntrate upon the image and make offerings with\nlove and devotion, Kr�11a will respond through the\nirnage.\nThere are many instances of this happening. In\nIndia, there is one temple called Sak�i-Gopala (Kr�11a\nis often called Gopala). The Gopala murti or statue\nwas at one time located in a temple in V rndavana.\nOnce two briihmmy,as, one old and one young, went\nI o visit V rndavana on a pilgrimage. It was a long trip,\nand in those days there were no railways, so travelt:rs underwent many hardships. The old man was\nrnuch obliged to the youth for helping him on the\njourney, and upon arriving in V rndavana, he said to\nhim: \"My dear hoy, you have rendered me so much\nservice, and I am much obliged to you. I would like\nvery much to return that service and give you some\nn:ward.\"\n\"My dear sir,\" the youth said, \"you are an old man,\nj 11st like my father. It is my duty to serve you. I don't\nn:quire any reward.\"\n\"No, I'm obliged to you, and I must reward you,\"\nlhe old man insisted. He then promised to give the\nyoung man his young daughter in marriage;\nThe old man was a very rich man, and the youth,\nulthough a learned briihma[La, was very poor. (jonsidering this, the youth said, \"Don't promise this,\nfor your family will never agree. I am such a poor\nrnan, and you are aristocratic, so this marriage will\n11ol take place. Don't promise this way before the\nlkity.\"\nThe conversation was taking place in the temple\nhdore the Deity of Gopala Kr�11a, and the young\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0039": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n30\n\nman was anxious not to offend the Deity. However,\ndespite the youth's pleas, the old man insisted on the\nmarriage. After staying in Vrndavana for some time,\nthey finally returned home, and the old man informed his eldest son that his young sister was to be\nmarried to the poor briihmara youth. The eldest son\nbecame very angry. \"Oh, how have you selected\nthat pauper as husband for my sister? This cannot\nbe.\"\nThe old man's wife also came to him and said,\n\"If you marry our daughter to that boy, I shall\ncommit suicide.\"\nThe old man was thus perplexed. After some time,\nthe briihmara youth became very anxious. \"He has\npromised to marry his daughter to me, and he made\nthat promise before the Deity. Now he is not coming\nto fulfill it.\" He then went to see the old man to\nremind him of his promise.\n\"You promised before Lord Kr�11a,\" the youth\nsaid, \"and you are not fulfilling that promise. How\nis that?\"\nThe old man was silent. He began praying to\nKr�11a, for he was perplexed. He didn't want to marry\n\nhis daughter to the youth and cause such great\ntrouble within his family. In the meantime the elder\nson came out and began to accuse the briihmara\nyouth. \"You have plundered my father in the place\nof pilgrimage. You gave him some intoxicant and\ntook all his money, and now you are saying that he\nhas promised to offer you my youngest sister. You\nrascal!\"\nIn this way there was much noise, and people\npegan to gather. The youth could understand that\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0040": "Knowledge of Kp�Q.a's Energies\n\n31\n\nthe old man was still agreeable but that the family\nwas making it difficult for him. People began to\ngather about because of the noise which the elder\nson was raising, and the briihmw;w youth began to\nexclaim to them that the old man made this promise\nbefore the Deities but that he could not fulfill it\nbecause the family was objecting. The eldest son,\nwho was an atheist, suddenly interrupted the youth\nand said, \"You say that the Lord was witnessing.\nWell, if He comes and bears witness to this promise\nof my father's, you can have my sister in marriage.\"\nThe youth replied, \"Yes, I shall ask Kr�11a to come\nas a witness.\" He was confident that God would\ncome. An agreement was then made before everyone\nthat the girl would be given in marriage if Kr�11a\ncame from Vrndavana as a witness to the old man's\npromise.\nThe briihmara youth returned to Vrndavana ani\nbegan to pray to Gopala Kr�qa. \"Dear Lord, You\nmust come with me.\" He was such a staunch devotee\nthat he spoke to Kr�11a just as one would speak to a\nfriend. He was not thinking that the Gopala was a\nmere statue or image, but he considered Him to be\nGod Himself. Suddenly the Deity spoke to him:\n\"How do you think that I can go with you? I am\na statue. I can't go anywhere.\"\n\"Well, if a statue can speak, he can also walk,\" the\nboy replied.\n\"All right then,\" the Deity said finally. \"I shall go\nwith you, but on one condition. In no case shall you\nlook back to see Me. I will follow you, and you will\nknow that I am following by the jingle of My leg\nbangles.\"\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0041": "32\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\nThe youth agreed, and in this way they left\n\nVrndavana to go to the other town. When th� trip\nwas nearly over, just as they were about to enter his\nhome village, the youth could no longer hear the\nsound of the bangles, and he began to fear. \"Oh,\nwhere is Kp�qa?\" Unable to contain himself any\nlonger, he looked back. He saw the statue standing\nstill. Because he looked back, it would go no further.\nHe immediately ran into the town and told the\npeople to come out and see Kr�qa who had come as\na witness. Everyone was astounded that such a large\nstatue had come from such a distance, and they built\na temple on the spot in honor of the Deity, and\ntoday people are still worshiping Sak�i-Gopiila, the\nLord as a witness.\nWe should therefore conclude that because God is\neverywhere, He is also in His statue, in the image\nmade of Him. If Kr�qa is everywhere, as even the\nimpersonalists admit, then why isn't He in His image?\nWhether an image or statue speaks to us or not is dependent on the degree of our devotion. But if we\nchoose to see the image merely as a piece of wood or\nstone, Kr�qa will always remain wood or stone for us.\nKr�qa is everywhere, but as we advance in spiritual\nconsciousness we can begin to see Him as He is. If we\nput a letter into a mailbox, it will go to its destination\nbecause the mailbox is authorized. Similarly, if we\nworship an authorized image of God, our faith will\nhave some effect. If we are prepared to follow the\nvarious rules and regulations-that is to say, if we\nbecome qualified-it is possible to see God anywhere\nand everywhere. When a devotee is present, Kr��ta, by\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0042": "Knowledge of Kr�Qa's Energies\n\n33\n\nHis omnipresent energies, will manifest Himself anywhere and everywhere, but when His devotee is not\nthere, He will not do this. There are many instances\nof this. PrahHida Maharaja saw Kr�qa in a pillar.\nThere are many other examples. Kr�qa is there; all\nthat is required is our qualification to see Him.\nKr�qa Himself gives an example of His omnipresence in this way:\nyathakiisa-sthito nityam\n\nvayu� saroatra-go mahan\ntatha sarva!J- i bhiitani\nmat-sthanity up a dharaya\n\"As the mighty wind, blowing everywhere, always\nrests in ethereal space, know that in the same manner\nall beings rest in Me.\" (Bg. 9.6)\nEveryone knows that the wind blow s within\nspace, and on earth it is blowing everywhere. There\nis no place where there is no air or wind. If we wish\nto drive out air, we have to create a vacuum artificially by some machine. .Just as the air is blowing\neverywhere in space, so everything is existing within\nKr�qa. If this is the case, when the material creation\nis dissolved, where does it go?\n\nsaroa-bhiitani kaunteya\nprakrtirh yan-ti mamikam\nkalpa-k§aye punas tani\nk alpiidau visrjiimy aham\n\"0 son of Kunti, at the end of the millennium every\nmaterial manifestation enters into My nature, and at\nthe beginning of another millennium, by My potency\nI again create.\" (Bg. 9.7)\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0043": "34\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\nKp�IJ.a sets His nature (prakrti) into motion, as one\n\nmay wind up a clock, and when nature unwinds, it is\nabsorbed into the Lord. The spiritual creation� however, is not like this, for it is permanent. In the material creation everything is temporary. Just as our\nbodies are developing due to the spiritual spark that\nis within, the whole creation is coming into being,\ndeveloping and passing out of being, due to the spirit\nof the Lord which is �ithin it. Just as our spirit is\npresent within the body, the Lord is present within\nthe universe\n\nas\n\nParamatma. Due to the presence of\n\nK�irodakasayi Vigm, the material creation exists,\njust as due to our presence our bodies are existing.\nSometimes Kp�IJ.a manifests the material creation,\nand sometimes He does not. In all cases, its existence\nis due to His presence.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0044": "4\n\nKnowledge by Way of the\nMahatmas/ Great Souls\nThe presence of Kr�!!a in all aspects of the creation\nis perceived by the mahiitmiis, the great souls, who\nare always engaged in the worship of .Kr��Ja. As Kr�!!a\nHimself states, these great souls are conversant with\nthe\n\nconfidential knowledge\n\nfound in the Ninth\n\nChapter of Bhagavad-gl:tii, and they know Kr�l!a to\nbe the source of all things.\n\nmahiit miinas tu miim piirtha\ndaiv\"\"im prakrtim iisritii/:t\nbhajanty ananya-manaso\njniitvii bhutiidim avyayam\n\"0 son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the\ngreat souls, are under the protection of the divine\nnature. They are fully engaged in devotional service\nbecause they know Me as the Supreme Personality\nof Godhead, original and inexhaustible.\" (Bg. 9.13)\nThe great soul knows without a doubt that Kr�J!a\nis the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that He\nis the origin of all emanations. The Vedanta-siitra\nstates, athiito brahma-jijiiiisii: Human life is meant\nfor inquiring about Brahman. At present we are\nall engaged in studying temporary, small things.\nBrahman means the greatest, but instead of concerning ourselves with the greatest, we have become\nenmeshed in trying to solve the animal problems of\neating, sleeping, defending and mating. These small\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0045": ",.,.-\n\n36\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nproblems are automatically solved. Even the animals\nare enjoying mating, sleeping, eating and defending.\nThe arrangements are all provided. These demands of\nthe body are not really problems, but we have made\nthem into problems. The Vediinta-siitra enjoins us\nnot to concern ourselves with these problems, for\nthey are satisfied in any form of life. Our problem\nis to inquire about the source of all these manifesta·\ntions. The human form of life is not meant for\nstruggling hard to solve the material problems which\neven a hog, a stool-eater, can solve. The hog is con·\nsidered to be the lowest among animals, yet he has\neating facility, mating facility, sleeping facility, and\nfacilities for defense. Even if we don't strive for\nthese things, we will have them. Man is meant, rather,\nto find out the source from which all these things\nare coming. The Vediinta-siitra states that Brahman\nis that from which everything is emanating (janmady\n\nasya yata�).\n\nPhilosophers, scientists, yogis, jnanzs\n\nand transcendentalists are all trying to find out the\nultimate source of everything. This source is given\nin Brahma-samhita, sarva-kiirarta-kiirartam: Kr�l).a is\nthe cause of all causes.\nUnderstanding Kr�l).a to be the primal source of\neverything, how\n\ndo the\n\ngreat\n\nsouls\n\nact?\n\nHimself characterizes them in this way:\n\nsatatam kzrtayanto mam\nyatantas ca dnlha-vrata�\nnamasyantas ca mam bhaktya\nnitya-yukta upasate\n\nKr�l).a\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0046": "Knowledge by Way of the Mahatmas\n\n37\n\n\"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great\ndetermination, bowing down before Me, these great\nsouls\n\nperpetually\n\nworship\n\nMe\n\nwith devotion.\"\n\n(Bg. 9.14)\nThat glorification is this process of bhakti-yoga,\nthe chanting of Hare J<.rgta. The great souls, understanding the nature of God, His descent and His\nmission, glorify Him in so many ways, but there are\nothers who do not accept Him. Kr�Qa also mentions\nthem in the Ninth Chapter:\n\navajiinanti miirn mlu)hii\nmiinu�tm tanum iisritam\nparam bhiivam ajiinanto\nmama bhuta-mahesvaram\n\"Fools deride Me when I descend in the human\nform. They do not know My transcendental nature\nand\n\nmy\n\nsupreme\n\ndominion\n\nover all\n\nthat\n\nbe.\"\n\n(Bg. 9.11)\nThe muf)has, or foolish men, who are lower than\nthe animals, deride Him. Any person who doesn't\nbelieve in God must either be a madman or fool\nnumber one. There is no reason not to believe in\nGod, and there is every reason to believe in Him.\nMan may say that he doesn't believe in God, but\nwho gives him the power to say this? When death\ncomes, this speaking power ceases-so who is giving\nthe power of speech? Has the speaking power come\nautomatically from stone? As soon as the speaking\npower is withdrawn by the Supreme Authority, the\nbody is no better than stone. The very power of\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0047": "38\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nspeech is proof that there is a Supreme Power who\nis giving us everything_ A Kgn)a conscious person\n'\nknows that whatever he has is not under his control.\nIf we do not believe in God, we must believe in\nsome power beyond us which is controlling us at\nevery\n\nstep,\n\nwhatever.\n\ncall\n\nthat\n\npower\n\nThere\n\nis a\n\ncontrolling\n\nGod\n\nor\n\nnature\n\npower in\n\nor\nthe\n\nuniverse, and no sane man can deny it.\nKr§l)a was present on this earth and appeared just\nlike a human being with supernatural power. At that\ntime, however, ninety-nine percent of the people\ncould not recognize Him as God. They could not\nrecognize\n\nHim because they had no eyes to see\n\n(param bhavam ajananta�). How is it possible to\nrecognize God? He can be recognized through supernatural power, by the evidence of authorities, and\nby scriptural evidence. As far as Kr§l)a is concerned,\nevery Vedic authority has accepted Him as God.\nWhen He was present on earth, His activities displayed were superhuman. If one does not believe\nthis, it is to be concluded that he will not believe\nwhatever evidence is given.\nOne must also have the eyes to see God. God\ncannot be seen by material senses, therefore the\n\nbhakti-yoga process is the process of purifying the\nsenses so that we will be able to understand what and\nwho God is. We have power of seeing, hearing,\ntouching, tasting and so on, but if these senses are\nblunt,\n\nwe\n\ncannot\n\nunderstand\n\nGod. The process\n\nof Kr�l)a consciousness is the process of training\nthese senses through regulated principles, specifically\nthrough the chanting of Hare Kr�qa.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0048": "Knowledge by Way of the Mahatmas\n\n39\n\nSri Kr�Q.a further characterizes the mi:uJ.has:\n\nmoghasa mogha-karmar-o\nmogha-jiiana vicetasaft\nrakfoUSlm asurlm caiva\nprakrtirh mohin\"im srita�\n\"Those who are thus bewildered are attracted by\n\ndemonic and atheistic views. In that deluded condition,\n\ntheir\n\nhopes for\n\nliberation,\n\ntheir fruitive\n\nactivities, and their culture of knowledge are all\ndefeated.\" (Bg. 9.12)\n\nThe word moghiisa indicates that the aspirations\n\nof the atheists will be baffled. The karm\"is, or fruitive\n\nlaborers, are always hoping for something better to\n\ngratify their senses. There is no limit to where they\n\nwill stop. They are trying to increase their bank\nbalance and are hoping to be happy at a certain point,\n\nbut that point never comes because they do not know\n\nthe\n\nultimate\n\npoint of satiation. Those who are\n\nenamored by the attractions of illusory energy cannot\n\nunderstand the ultimate aim of life. The word moghakarmiir.:w� indicates that they are laboring very hard\nbut\n\nthat\n\nin the\n\nend they will only meet with\n\nfrustration. Unless we are established in Kr�Q.a con­\n\nsciousness, all of pur activities will be baffled at the\nend.\n\nThis is not the verdict of an ordinary man, but of\n\nSri Kr�Q.a Himself.lf we are searching for knowledge,\n\nwe should conduct research to find out whether\nl(r�Q.a is not God. Without any objective, what is the\n\npoint of thousands of years of speculation? The\n\nSupreme Lord is so vast that one cannot reach Him\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0049": "40\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nby mental speculation. If we travel at the speed of\nmind and wind for millions of years, it is not possible\nto reach the Supreme by speculation. There is not\none single instance in which one has arrived at the\nSupreme\n\nAbsolute Truth by means of his own\n\nmental\n\nspeculation.\n\njniiniil;t\n\nindicates\n\nTherefore the word mogha­\n\nthat\n\nthe\n\nprocess\n\nof\n\nmundane\n\nknowledge is bewildering. Through our own endeavor\nit is not possible to see the sun after it has set. We\nhave to wait until the sun reveals itself in the morning\nat sunrise. If it is not possible with our limited\nsenses to perceive a material thing like the sun, how\nis it possible to perceive the nonmaterial? We cannot\nfind out or understand Kr9l)a by our own endeavor.\nWe have to qualify ourselves through Kr�l)a consciousness and wait for Him to reveal Himself.\n\nte§iirh satata-yuktiiniim\nbhajatiirh priti-purvakam\ndadiimi buddhi-yogam tam\nyena miim upayiinti te\n\"To those who are constantly devoted and worship\nMe with love, I give the understanding by which they\ncan come to Me.\" (Bg. 10.10)\nKr9l)a is within, but due to our material conditioning, we do not realize it. Those who are of the nature\nof fiends and demons (riik§aszm iisurim) think that\nthis material life is all and that it is the purpose of\nhuman life to squeeze out as much pleasure from\nmatter as possible. They try squeezing, but they are\nconstantly baffled. Squeezing material nature is not\nthe process for finding out real pleasure. If we are\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0050": "Knowledge by Way of the Mahatmas\n\n41\n\nsearching for real pleasure, we have to take to Kr�Q.a\nconsciousness. All happiness in the material world\nhas a beginning and an end, but happiness in Kr�Q.a\nis unlimited, and there is no end. In order to get\nthis happiness we simply have to sacrifice a little\ntime and chant Hare Kr�r;J.a. In former ages, the\ngreat sages and demigods used to sacrifice their whole\nlives for realizing the Supreme, and still they would\nnot attain success. For this age Caitanya Ma.haprabhu\nhas given an easy process for God realization. All\nthat is necessary is careful listening. We have to listen\nto Bhagavad-gita, and we have to chant the names of\nK.r:Sra and listen to them carefully. We should not\nbe puffed up, falsely thinking that our knowledge\nis great or that we are very learned. We need only\nbecome a little gentle and submissive to hear the\nmessages from Kr�r;J.a.\nAt present, this world is being managed by the\nrak�asas. The rak�asas are man-eaters who eat their\n\nown sons for the satisfaction of their senses. Now\ngreat regimes have been created to smash so many\npeople for the satisfaction of the rak�asas senses,\nbut they do not realize that their senses will never\nbe satisfied in this way. Nonetheless, the riik�asas\nare prepared to sacrifice everything to satisfy their\nwhimsical desires. It is very difficult for them to\nunderstand\n\nthe\n\nreal\n\nsituation\n\nbecause\n\nthey\n\nare\n\noverly enamored with material civilization. Who then\ncan understand? Those who are mahatmas, whose\nhearts\n\nhave\n\nbecome\n\nmagnified,\n\nunderstand\n\nthat\n\n\"everything belongs to God, and I also belong to\nGod.\"\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0051": "42\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\nSuch mahatmas are not under the control of\n\nmaterial nature (mahatmanas tu miim partha daivim\n\nprakrtim iisritaM. God is great and the mahatma's\nheart\n\nalso\n\nbecomes\n\ngreat\n\nby\n\nserving\n\nthe\n\ngreat.\n\nMahatma is not a stamp for a political leader. One\ncannot be stamped mahatma by votes. The standard\nfor mahatma is given in Bhagavad-gita: the mahatma\nis he who has taken shelter of the superior energy of\nthe Lord. Of course all energies are His, and He does\nnot make distinctions between spiritual energy and\nmaterial energy, but for the conditioned soul who is\nsituated marginally\n\nbetween material energy and\n\nspiritual energy, there is a distinction. The mahatmas\nsee this distinction and so take shelter under the\nspiritual energy (daivim prakrtim).\nBy serving the great, the mahiitmiis also become\ngreat through identifying with the superior energy:\n\n(aham brahmasmi) \"I am Brahman-spirit.\" It is not\nthat they become puffed up and think that they are\nGod. Rather, if one becomes Brahman, he must show\nhis activities in Brahman. Spirit is active, and to become Brahman is not to become inactive. Brahman is\nspirit, and these material bodies are active only because Brahman is within them. If we are active despite our contact with material nature, do we cease\nto be active when we purify ourselves of the material\ncontamination and establish ourselves in our proper\nidentity as pure Brahman? Realizing \"I am Brahman\"\nmeans engagement in spiritual activity because we\nare spirit, and our activities are exhibited even though\nwe are contaminated by matter. To become Brahman\ndoes not mean to become void but to establish\noutselves\n\nin\n\nthe\n\nsuperior\n\nnature,\n\nwhich\n\nmeans\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0052": "Knowledge by Way of the Mahatmas\n\n43\n\nsuperior energy and superior activities. To become\nBrahman means to be completely engaged in render­\n\ning devotional service to the Lord. Thus the mahiitmii\nunderstands that if service is to be rendered, it is to\nbe to Kr�Q.a and no one else. We have so long served\nour senses; now we should serve Kr�?Qa.\nThere is no question of stopping service, for we\nare meant for service. Is there anyone who does\nnot serve? If we ask the President, \"Who are you\nserving?\" he will tell us that he is serving the country.\nNo one is devoid of service. Service we cannot stop,\nbut we do have to redirect our service from the\nillusion to the reality. When this is done, we become\n\nmahiitmii.\nThis\n\nprocess\n\nof\n\nkTrtana ( kirtayanta�),\n\nalways\n\nchanting the glories of the Lord, is the beginning of\n\nmahiitmii. That process is simplified by Lord Caitanya\nMahaprabhu who imparted to mankind this chanting\nof Hare Kr�Q.a, Hare Kr�Q.a, Kr�Q.a Kr�Q.a, Hare Hare/\nHare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.\nThere are nine different processes of devotional\n\nservice, of which sravar-am kirtanam, hearing and\n\nchanting, are the most important. Kirtanam actually\nmeans \"describing.\" We can describe with music,\n\nwords, pictures, etc. Sravar-am goes hand in hand\n\nwith kirtanam, for unless we hear, we cannot de­\n\nscribe. We don't need any material qualifications in\norder to attain the Supreme. All we have to do is\nhear from authoritative sources and repeat accurately\nwhat we hear.\n\nFormerly, the Vedas were heard by the student\n\nfrom the spiritual master, and thus the Vedas became known as sruti, meaning \"that which is heard.\"\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0053": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n44\n\nIn Bhagavad-g\"itii, for example, we see that Arjuna {s\nlistening to Kn>J).a on the battlefield. He is not\nengaged in the study of Vedanta philosophy. We can\nhear from the Supreme Authority in any place,\neven in the battlefield. The knowledge is received,\nnot manufactured. Some people think, \"Why should\nI listen to Him? I can think for myself. I can manufacture\n\nsomething\n\nprocess of\n\nnew.\"\n\nThis is not the Vedic\n\ndescending knowledge. By ascending\n\nknowledge, one tries to elevate himself by his own\neffort, but by descending knowledge one receives\nthe knowledge from a superior source. In the Vedic\ntradition, knowledge is imparted to the student from\nthe\n\nspiritual\n\nmaster, as in Bhagavad-gTta\n\n(evarh\n\nparamparii-priiptam imam riijar�ayo vidul}). Submissive hearing is so powerful that simply by hearing\nfrom authoritative sources we can become completely\nperfect. In becoming submissive, we become aware\nof our own imperfections. As long as we are conditioned, we are subject to four kinds of imperfections:\nwe are sure to commit mistakes, to become illusioned,\nto have imperfect senses and to cheat. Therefore our\nattempt to understand the Absolute Truth by our\nfaulty senses and experience is futile. We must hear\nfrom a representative of Kr�J).a who is a devotee of\nKr�J).a's. Kr�rp made Arjuna His representative because Arjuna was His devotee: bhakto 'si me sakha\n\nceti. (Bg. 4.3)\nNo one can become a representative of God without being a devotee of God's. One who thinks, \"I am\nGod,\" cannot be a representative. Because we are\npart and parcel of God, our qualities are the same as\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0054": "Knowledge by Way of the Mahatmas\n\n45\n\nHis, and therefore if we study these qualities in our­\n\nselves, we come to learn something of God. This does\nnot mean that we understand the quantity of God.\n\nThis self-realization process is one way of under­\n\nstanding God, but in no case can we preach, \"I am\nGod.\" We cannot claim to be God without being able\n\nto display the powers of God. As far as Kr�l).a is con­\n\ncerned, He proved that He was God by displaying so\nmuch power and by revealing His universal form to\n\nArjuna. Kr�l).a showed this awesome form in order to\n\ndiscourage people who would claim to be God. We\n\nshould not be fooled by one who claims to be God.;\nfollowing in the footsteps of Arjuna, we should re­\n\nquest to see the universal form before accepting any­\n\none as God. Only a fool would accept another fool as\n\nGod.\n\nNo one can be equal to God, and no one can be\n\nabove Him. Even Lord Brahma and Siva, the most\n\nexalted demigods, are subservient to Him and pay\n\ntheir respectful obeisances. Instead of trying to be­\n\ncome God by some meditational process or other,\n\nwe had better hear about God submissively and try\n\nto understand Him and our relationship to Him_ The\n\nrepresentative of God or the incarnation of God never\n\nclaims to be God but the servant of God. This is the\nsign of the bona fide representative.\n\nWhatever we learn of God from authoritative\n\nsources can be described, and that will help us make\nspiritual progress. This description is called kirtana.\n\nIf we try to repeat what we hear, we become estab­\n\nlished in knowledge. By the process of sravar-am .\n\nkTrtanam, hearing and chanting, we can become free\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0055": "\"!!\n\n46\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nfrom material conditioning and attain to the kirigdom of God. In this age it is impossible to practice\nsacrifice, speculation or yoga. There is no way open\nto us but the way of hearing submissively from\nauthoritative sources. This is the way the mahatmas\nreceived the most confidential knowledge. It is the\nway Arj una received it from Kn;Q.a, and it is the way\nwe must receive it from the disciplic succession\nstemming from Arj una.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0056": "5\n\nParampara: Knowledge\nThrough Disciplic Succession\nsrT bhagavan uvaca\nimam vivasvate _yogam\nproktavan aham avya_yam\nvivasvan manave praha\nmanur ik�vakave 'bravTt\n\n\"The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable\nscience\n\nof yoga\n\nto\n\nthe\n\nsun-god,\n\nVivasvan,\n\nand\n\nVivasvan instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ik�vaku.\"\n(Bg. 4.1)\nMany ages ago K���a imparted the divine knowledge of Bhagavad-gTta to Vivasvan, the god of the\nsun. To the best of our knowledge, the sun is a very\nhot place, and we do not consider it possible for anyone to live there. It is not even possible to approach\nthe sun very closely with these bodies. However,\nfrom the Vedic literatures we can understand that\nthe sun is a planet just like this one but that everything there is composed of fire._Just as this planet is\npredominately composed of earth, there are other\nplanets which are predominately composed of fire,\nwater and air.\nThe living entities on these various planets acquire\nbodies composed of elements in accordance with the\npredominating element\n\non the planet; therefore\n\nthose beings who live on the sun have bodies which\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0057": "48\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nare composed of fire. Of all beings on the sun, the\n\nprincipal personality\nVivasvan.\n\nHe\n\nis\n\nis\n\nknown\n\na god\n\nas the\n\nby the name\nsun-god\n\nof\n\n(siirya­\n\nniiriiyara). On all planets there are principal person­\n\nalities, just as in the United States the chief person\n\nis\n\nthe\n\nPresident.\n\nFrom\n\nthe\n\nhistory\n\ncalled\n\nthe\n\nMahiibhiirata we understand that formerly there was\n\nonly one\n\nking\n\non\n\nthis planet by the name of\n\nMaharaja Bharata. He ruled some 5,000 years ago,\n\nand the planet was named after him. Subsequently\n\nthe earth has become divided into so many different\ncountries. In this way there is usually one and some­\n\ntimes many controllers of the various planets in the\numverse.\n\nFrom this first verse of the Fourth Chapter we\n\nlearn that millions of years ago Sri Kw1a imparted .\n\nthe\n\nknowledge\n\nof\n\nkarma-yoga\n\nto\n\nthe\n\nsun\n\ngod\n\nVivasvlin. Sri Kr�I].a, who imparts the teachings of\n\nBhagavad-gltii to Arjuna, here indicates that these\n\nteachings are not at all new but were enunciated\nmany ages ago on a different planet. Vivasvan, in his\n\nturn, repeated these teachings to his son, Manu. In\n\nturn, Manu' imparted the knowledge to his disciple\nlk�vaku.\n\nMaharaja lk�vaku was a great king and\n\nforefather of Lord Ramacandra. The point being\n\nmade here is that if one wants to learn Bhagavad-g\"ita\nand profit by it, there is a process for understanding\n\nit, and that process is described here. It is not that\nKr�J].a is speaking Bhagavad-gitii to Arjuna for the\n\nfirst time. It is estimated by Vedic authorities that\nthe\n\nLord imparted these divine\n\ninstructions\n\nto\n\nVivasvan some 400 million years ago. From the\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0058": "Knowledge Through Disciplic Succession\n\n49\n\nMahiibhiirata we understand that Bhagavad-gitii was\n\nspoken to Arjuna some 5,000 years ago. Before\n\nArjuna, the teachings were handed down by disciplic\n\nsuccession, but over such a long period of time, the\n\nteachings became lost.\n\nevarh paramparii-priiptam\nimarh riijar§ayo vidu[t\nsa kiileneha. mahatii\nyogo na§(a[t parantapa\nsa eviiyarh maya te 'dya\nyoga[t proktaft puriitana[t\nbhakto 'si me sakhii ceti\nrahasyarh hy etad uttamam\n\"This supreme science was thus received through the\n\nchain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings\nunderstood it in that way. But in course of time the\n\nsuccession was broken, and therefore the science as it\n\nis appears to be lost. That very ancient science of the\n\nrelationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to\n\nyou because you are My devotee as well as My\nfriend; therefore you can understand the transcen­\n\ndental mystery of this science.\" (Bg. 4.2-3)\nIn\n\nBhagavad-gitii a number of yoga systems are\nbhakti-yoga, karma-yoga, jiiiina-yoga,\nhafha-yoga and therefore it is here called yoga. The\nword yoga means \"to link up,\" and the idea is that in\nyoga we link our consciousness to God. It is a means\ndelineated\n\n-\n\n-\n\nfor reuniting with God or re-establishing our relation­\n\nship with Him. In the course of time, this yoga im­\n\nparted by Sri Kr�qa was lost. Why is this? Were there\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0059": "50\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nno learned sages at the time Sri Kr�qa was speaking\n\nto Arjuna? No, there were many sages present at the\ntime. By \"lost\" it is meant that the purport of\n\nBhagavad-gitii was lost. Scholars may give their own\ninterpretation of Bhagavad-gita, analyzing it according to their own whims, but that is not Bhagavadgita. This is the point that Sri K{!SQ.a is stressing, and\na student of Bhagavad-gita should note it. A person\nmay be a very good scholar from the material point\nof view, but that does not qualify him to comment\n\non Bhagavad-gita. In order to understand Bhagavad­\n\ngita, we have to accept the principle of disciplic\n(paramparU). We must enter into the\nspirit of Bhagavad-gita and not approach it simply\nsuccession\n\nfrom the viewpoint of erudition.\n\nOf all people, why did Sri Kr�qa select Arjuna as a\n\nrecipient of this knowledge? Arjuna was not a great\nscholar at all, nor was he a yogi, meditator or a holy\n\nman. He was a warrior about to engage in battle.\nThere were many great sages living at the time, and\nSri Kr�qa could have given Bhagavad-gitii to them.\n\nThe answer is that despite being an ordinary man,\n\nArjuna had one great qualification:\n\nbhakto 'si me\nsakhii ceti: \"You are My devotee and My friend.\"\n\nThis was Arjuna's exceptional qualification, a quali­\n\nfication which the sages did not have. Arjuna knew\n\nthat Kr�qa was the Supreme Personality of Godhead,\n\nand therefore he surrendered himself unto Him,\n\naccepting Him as his spiritual m::tster. Unless one is a\n\ndevotee of Lord Kr�qa's, he cannot possibly under­\n\nstand Bhagavad-gitii. If one wants to understand\nBhagavad-gitii, he cannot take help from other\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0060": "Knowledge Through Disciplic Succession\n\n51\n\nmethods. He must understand it as prescribed in\n\nBhagavad-gitii itself, by understanding it as Arjuna\nunderstood it. If we wish to understand Bhagavad­\n\ngita in a different way, or give an individual interpretation, that may be an exhibition of our scholarship, but it is not Bhagavad-gitii.\nBy scholarship we may be able to manufacture\nsome\n\ntheory\n\nof Bhagavad-gitii, just as Mahatma\n\nGandhi did when he interpreted Bhagavad-gitii in an\neffort to support his theory of nonviolence. How is it\npossible to prove nonviolence from Bhagavad-gitii?\nThe very theme of Bhagavad-gitii involves Arjuna's\nreluctance to fight and Kr�lJa's inducing him to kill\nhis opponents. In fact, Kr�l}a tells Arjuna that the\nbattle had already been decided by the Supreme, that\nthe people who were assembled on the battlefield\nwere predestined never to return. It was Kr�lJa's\nprogram that the warriors were all destined to die,\nand Kwp gave Arjuna the opportunity of taking\nthe credit of conquering them. If fighting is proclaimed a necessity in Bhagavad-gitii, how is it possible\nto prove nonviolence from it? Such interpretations\nare attempts to distort Bhagavad-gitii. As soon as the\n\nGitii is interpreted according to the motive of an individual, the purpose is lost. It is stated that we cannot attain the conclusion of the Vedic literature by\nthe force of our own logic or argument. There are\nmany things which do not come within the jurisdiction of our sense of logic. As far as scriptures\nare concerned, we find different scriptures describing the Absolute Truth in different ways. If we\nanalyze all of them, there will be bewilderment.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0061": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n52\n\nThere are also many philosophers with different\nopinions,\n\nand\n\nthey're\n\nalways\n\ncontradicting\n\none\n\nanother. If the truth cannot be understood by reading various scriptures, by logical argument or philosophical theories, then how can it be attained? The\nfact is that the wisdom of the Absolute Truth is very\nconfidential, but if we follow the authorities, it can\nbe understood.\nIn\n\nIndia,\n\nthere\n\nare\n\ndisciplic successions com­\n\ning from Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka,\nVi�Q.usvami and other great sages. The Vedic literatures are understood through the superior spiritual\nmasters.\n\nArjuna understood Bhagavad-gitii from\nKr�qa, and if we wish to understand it, we have to\n\nunderstand it from Arjuna, not from any other\nsource. If we have any knowledge of Bha gavad-gitii,\nwe have to see how it tallies with the understanding\nof Arjuna. If we understand Bhagavad-gitii in the\nsame way that Arjuna did, we should know that our\nunderstanding is correct. This should be the criteria\nfor our studying of Bhagavad-gitii. If we actually\nwant to receive benefit from Bhagavad-gitii, we have\nto follow this principle. Bhagavad-gita is not an\nordinary book of knowledge which we can purchase\nfrom the market place, read and merely consult a\ndictionary to understand. This is not possible. If it\nwere, Kr�qa would never have told Arjuna that the\nscience was lost.\nIt is not difficult to understand the necessity of\ngoing through the disciplic succession to understand\nBhagavad-gilii. If we wish to be a lawyer, an engineer\nor doctor, we have to receive knowledge from the\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0062": "Knowledge Through Disciplic Succession\n\n53\n\nauthoritative lawyers, engineers and doctors. A new\nlawyer has to become an apprentice of an experienced\nlawyer, or a young man studying to be a doctor has\nto become an intern and work with those who are\nalready licensed practitioners. Our knowledge of a\nsubject cannot be perfectionalized unless we receive\nit through authoritative sources.\nThere are two processes for attaining knowledgeone is inductive and the other is deductive. The deductive method is considered to be more perfect. We\nmay take a premise such as, \"All men are mortal,\"\nand no one need discuss how man is mortal. It is\ngenerally accepted that this is the case. The deductive\nconclusion is: \"Mr. .Johnson is a man; therefore Mr.\n.Johnson is mortal.\" But how is the premise that all\nmen are mortal arrived at? Followers of the inductive\nmethod\n\nwish to\n\narrive\n\nat\n\nthis premise through\n\nexperiment and observations. We may thus study\nthat this man died and that man died, etc., and after\nseeing that so many men have died we may conclude\nor generalize that all men are mortal, but there is a\nmajor defect in this inductive method, and that is that\nour experience is limited. We may never have seen a\nman who is not mortal, but we are judging this on\nour personal experience, which is finite. Our senses\nhave limited power, and there are so many defects in\nour conditional state. The inductive process consequently is not always perfect, whereas the deductive\nprocess from a source of perfect knowledge is perfect.\nThe Vedic process is such a process.\nAlthough the authority is acknowledged, there\nare many passages in Bhagavad-gitii which appear to\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0063": "54\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nbe dogmatic. For instance, in the Seventh Chapter\nSri Kwp says:\n\nmatta� paratararh niinyat\nkincid asti dhanaiijaya\nmayi sarvam idarh protarh\nsiitre mari-garii iva\n\"0 conqueror of wealth (Arjuna), there is no Truth\n\nsuperior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls\n\nare strung on a thread.\" (Bg. 7.7)\n\nSri Kr�rp is saying that there is no authority\n\ngreater than Him, and this appears to be very dogmatic. If I say, \"There is no one greater than me,\"\n\npeople would think, \"Oh, Svamiji is very proud.\" If\n\na man who is conditioned by so many imperfections\n\nsays that he is the greatest of all, he blasphemes. But\n\nKr�qa can say this, for we can understand from the\n\nhistories that even while He was on this earth, He\nwas considered the greatest personality of His time.\n\nIndeed, He was the greatest in all fields of activity.\n\nAccording to the Vedic system, knowledge which\n\nis achieved from the greatest authority is to be con­\n\nsidered perfect. According to the Vedas, there are\n\nthree kinds of proof: pratyak§a, anumiina and sabda.\n\nOne is by direct visual perception. If a person is sit­\n\nting in front of me, I can see him sitting there, and\n\nmy knowledge of his sitting there is received through\nmy eyes. The second method, anumiina: is auricular:\n\nwe may hear children playing outside, and by hearing\n\nwe can conjecture that they are there. And the third\n\nmethod is the method of taking truths from a higher\nauthority. Such a saying as \"Man is mortal\" is accept-\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0064": "Knowledge Through Disciplic Succession\n\n55\n\ned from higher authorities. Everyone accepts this, but\nno one has experienced that all men are mortal. By\ntradition, we have to accept this. If someone asks,\n\"Who found this truth first? Did you discover it?\"\nit is very difficult to say. All we can say is that the\nknowledge is coming down and that we accept it.\nOut of the three methods of acquiring knowledge,\nthe Vedqs say that the third method, that of receiving knowledge from higher authorities, is the most\nperfect. Direct perception is always imperfect, especially in the conditional stage of life. By direct perception we can see that the sun is just like a disc, no\nlarger than the plate we eat on. From scientists,\nhowever, we come to understand that the sun is\nmany thousands of. times larger than the earth. So\nwhat are we to accept? Are we to accept the\nscientific proclamation, the proclamation of authorities, or our own experience? Although we cannot\nourselves prove how large the sun is, we accept the\nverdict of astronomers. In this way we are accepting\nthe statements of authorities in every field of our\nactivities. From newspapers and radio we also understand that such and such events are taking place in\nChina and India and other places all around the\nearth. We're not experiencing these events directly,\nand we don't know that such events are actually\ntaking place, but we accept the authority of the\nnewspapers and radio. We have no choice but to believe authorities in order to get knowledge. And when\nthe authority is perfect, our knowledge is perfect.\nAccording to the Vedic sources, of all authorities\nKr�l)a is the greatest and most perfect\n\n(matta�\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0065": "56\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nparataram niinyat kincid asti dhanaiijaya). Not only\ndoes\n\nKr�Q.a\n\nproclaim\n\nHimself to be the highest\n\nauthority, but this is also accepted by great sages\nand scholars of Bhagavad-g'itii. If we do not accept\nKr�l).a as authority and take His words as they are,\n\nwe cannot derive any benefit from Bhagavad-g'itii. It\n\nis not dogmatic; it is a fact. If we study scrutinizingly\n\nwhat Kr�Q.a says, we will find that it is right. Even\n\nscholars like Sarikaradirya, who have different opin­\n\nions from the Personality of Godhead, admit that\nKr�l).a is\nLord.\n\nsvayam bhagaviin- Kr�l).a is the Supreme\n\nVedic knowledge is not a recent discovery. It is all\n\nold revealed knowledge. Kr�Q.a re fers to it as purii­\n\ntanalJ, which means ancient. Krwa says that millions\nof years before He spoke this yoga to the sun god,\nand we do not know how many millions of years before that He spoke it to someone else. This knowledge\nis always being repeated, j ust as summer, autumn,\nwinter and spring are repeated every year. Our fund\nof knowledge is very poor; we do not even know the\nhistory of this planet more than 5,000 years back,\nbut the Vedic literatures give us histories extending\nmillions of years ago.Just because·we have no knowledge of what happened 3,000 years ago on this planet, we cannot conclude that there was no history\nthen.\n\nOf course one can disclaim the historical\n\nvalidity of Kl;!)Qa .. One may say that Kr�l).a, according\nto Mahiibhiirata, lived 5,000 years ago, and this being\nthe case, there is no possibility of His having spoken\n\nBhagavad-g'itii to the sun god so many millions of\nyears before. If I said that I gave a speech on the sun\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0066": "Knowledge Through Disciplic Succession\n\n57\n\nsome millions of years ago to the sun god, people\nwould say, \"Svamiji is speaking some nonsense.\" But\nthis is not the case with Kr:;; l).a, for He is the Supreme\nPersonality of Godhead. Whether we believe that\nK{�l).a spoke Bhagavad-g\"ita to the sun god or not,\nthis fact is being accepted by Arjupa. Arjuna accepted\nK{�l).a as the Supreme Lord, and therefore he knew\nthat it was quite possible for K{�l).a to have spoken to\nsomeone millions of years before. Although Arjuna\npersonally accepts the statements of Sri Kr�l).a, in\norder to clarify the situation for people who would\ncome after him, he asks:\naparam bhavato janma\nparam janma vivasvata}J\nkatham etad vijan\"iyam\ntvam adau proktavan iti\n\n\"The sun-god Vivasvan is senior by birth to You. How\nam I to understand that in the beginning You instructed this science to him?\" (Bg. 4.4)\nActually this is a very intelligent question, and\nK{�l).a answers it in this way:\nbahiini me vyat\"itani\njanmani tava carjuna\ntany aham veda sarvari\nna tvam vettha parantapa\n\n\"Many, many births both you and I have passed. I\ncan remember all of them, but you cannot, 0 subduer\nof the enemy!\" (Bg. 4.5)\nAlthough K{�l).a is God, He incarnates many, many\ntimes. Arjuna, being a living entity, also takes his birth\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0067": "58\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nmany, many times. The difference between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and a living entity is,\ntiiny aharh veda sarviirli: Kr�I)a remembers the events\nof His past incarnations, whereas the living entity cannot remember. That is one of the differences between God and man. God is eternal, and we are also\neternal, but the difference is that we are always\nchanging our bodies. At death we forget the events\nof our lifetime; death means forgetfulness, that's all.\nAt night, when we go to sleep, we forget that we are\nthe husband of such and such a wife and the father\nof such and such children. We forget ourselves in\nsleep, but when we wake up, we remember, \"Oh, I\nam so and so, and I must do such and such.\" It is a\nfact that in our previous lives we had other bodies\nwith other families, fathers, mothers and so on in\nother countries, but we have forgotten all of these.\nWe might have been dogs or cats or men or godswhatever we were we have now forgotten.\nDespite all these changes, as living entities, we are\neternal. Just as in previous lives we have prepared\n\nfor this body, in this lifetime we are preparing for\n\nanother body. We get our bodies according to our\nkarma, or activities. Those who are in the mode of\ngoodness are promoted to higher planets, in a higher\nstatus of life (Bg. 14.14). Those who die in the mode\nof passion remain on earth, and those who die in the\nmode of ignorance may fall into the animal species\nof life or m ay be transferred to a lower planet (Bg.\n14.15). This is the process that has been going on,\nbut we forget it.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0068": "Knowledge Through Disciplic Succession\n\n59\n\nAt one time, Indra, the king of heaven, committed\nan offense at the feet of his spiritual master, and\nhis spiritual master cursed him to take the birth of a\nhog. Thus the throne of the heavenly kingdom became empty as Indra went to earth to become a\nhog. Seeing the situation, Brahma came to earth and\naddressed the hog: \"My dear sir, you have become\na hog on this planet earth. I have come to deliver\nyou. Come with me at once.\" But the hog replied:\n\"Oh I cannot go with you. I have so many responsibilities-my children, wife and this nice hog society.\"\nEven though Brahma promised to take him back to\nheaven, Indra, in the form of a hog, refused. This is\n\ncalled forgetfulness. Similarly, Lord Sri l<{�.r:ta comes\nand says to us, \"What are you doing in this material\n\nworld? Sarva-dharmiin parityajya miim ekarh sararwrh\n\nvraja. Come to Me, and I'll give you all protection.\"\nBut we say, \"I don't believe You Sir. I have more\nimportant business here.\" This is the position of the\n\nconditioned soul-forgetfulness. This forgetfulness is\nquickly dissipated by following in the path of disciplic\nsuccessiOn.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0069": "6\n\nKnowledge of Kr?Qa's\nAppearances and Activities\nThere are two forces of nature working in us. By\none we decide that in this lifetime we will make\nspiritual advancement, but at the next moment the\nother force, maya, or illusory energy, says, \"What is\nall this trouble that you're going to? Just enjoy this\nlife and be easy with yourself.\" This tendency to fall\ninto forgetfulness is the difference between God and\nman. Arjuna is a companion and associate of Kr�J].a's,\nand whenever K.r�J].a appears on any planet, Arjuna\nalso takes birth and appears with Him. When Kr�J].a\nspoke Bhagavad-gita to the sun god, Arjuna was also\npresent with Him. But, being a finite living entity,\nArjuna could not remember. Forgetfulness is the\nnature of the living entity. We cannot even remember\nwhat we were doing at this exact time yesterday or a\nweek ago. If we cannot remember this, how is it\npossible to remember what happened in our previous\nlives? At this point we may ask how it is that Kr�J].a\ncan remember and we cannot, and the answer is that\nK.r�J].a does not change His body.\n\najo 'pi sann avyayiitmii\nbhutiiniim \"lsvaro 'pi san\nprakrtirh sviim adhi�thaya\nsambhavamy atma-miiyaya\n\"Although I am unborn and My transcendental body\nnever deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0070": "Kr�t:Ia's Appearances and Activities\n\n61\n\nsentient beings, I still appear in every millennium in\nMy original transcendental form.\" (Bg. 4.6)\n\nThe word iitma-miiyayii means that Kn>Q.a descends\n\nas He is. He does not change His body, but we, as\nconP.itioned souls, change ours, and because of this\nwe forget. Kr�Q.a knows not only the past, present\n\nand future of His activities, but the past, present and\nfuture of everyone's activities.\n\nvediiham samat\"itiini\n\nvartamiiniini ciirjuna\n\nbhavi�yiirzi ca bhutiini\n\nmiim tu veda na kascana\n\n\"0 Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I\n\nknow everything that has happened in the past, all\n\nthat is happening in the present, and all things that\n\nare yet to come. I also know all living entities; but\nMe no one knows.\" (Bg. 7.26)\nIn\n\nSnmad-Bhiigavatam\n\nwe also find\n\nthat\n\nthe\n\nSupreme Lord is defined as one who knows every­\n\nthing. This is not the case with even the most\nelevated living entities, such as Brahmii and Siva.\nOnly Vi�Q.U or Kr�Q.a knows everything. We may\n\nalso ask that if the\n\nbody,\n\nwhy\n\ndoes\n\nHe\n\nLord does not change His\ncome\n\nas\n\nan\n\nincarnation?\n\nThere is much difference among philosophers con­\n\ncerning this question. Some say that Kr�Q.a assumes a\n\nmaterial body when He comes, but this is not the\n\ncase. If He assumed a material body like ours, He\n\ncould not remember, for forgetfulness is due to the\nmaterial body. The actual conclusion is that He\n\ndoesn't change His body. God is called all-powerful,\n\n_.,-]\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0071": "62\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nand in the verse quoted above, His omnipotence is\nexplained. Kr§l)a has no birth, and He is eternal.\nSimilarly, the living entity has no birth, and he is also\neternal. It is only the body with which the living\nentity identifies that takes birth.\nIn the very beginning of Bhagavad-gztii, in the\nSecond Chapter, Kr§l)a explains that what we accept\nas birth and death is due to the body, and as soon as\nwe regain our spiritual body and get out of the contamination of birth and death, we should be qualitatively as good as Kr§l)a. That is the whole process of\nKr§l)a consciousness-the revival of our original sac­\n\ncid-iinanda spiritual body. That body is eternal (sat),\nfull of knowledge (cit), and blissful (iinanda). This\nmaterial body is neither sat, cit, nor iinanda. It is\nperishable, whereas the person who is occupying the\nbody is imperishable. It is also full of ignorance, and\nbecause it is ignorant and temporary, it is fuli of\nmisery. We feel severe hot or severe cold due to the\nmaterial body, but as soon as we revive our spiritual\nbody, we become unaffected by dualities. Even while\nwithin the material bodies there are yogzs who are\nimpervious to dualities such as heat and cold. As we\nbegin to make spiritual advancement while in the\nmaterial body, we begin to take on the qualities of a\nspiritual body. If we put iron into a fire, it becomes\nhot, and then it becomes red-hot, and finally it is no\nlonger iron, but fire-whatever it touches bursts into\nflames. As we become advanced in Kr§l)a consciousness, our material body will become spiritualized\nand will no longer be affected by material contamination.\n\n\"\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0072": "Kr�Q.a's Appearances and Activities\n\n63\n\nKr�Q.a's birth, His appearance and dis�ppearance,\nare\n\nlikened unto the appearance and disappearance\n\nof the sun. In the morning it appears as if the sun is\nborn from the eastern horizon, but actually it is not.\nThe sun is neither rising nor setting; it is as it is in\nits position. All risings and settings are due to the\nrotation of the earth. Similarly, in Vedic literatures\n\nLhere are prescribed sc�edules for the appearance\nand disappearance of Sri Kr�Q.a. Kr�Q.a 's rising is\n\njust like the sun. The sun's rising and setting are\ngoing on at every moment; somewhere in the world\npeople are witnessing sunrise and sunset. It is not\nthat at one. point\n\nKr�Q.a is born and at another\n\npoint He is gone. He is always there somewhere, but\nHe appears to come and go. Kr�Q.a appears and\ndisappears in many universes. We only have experience of this on� universe, but from Vedic literatures\nwe can understand that this universe is but a part\nof the infinite manifestations of the Supreme Lord.\nAlthough Kr�l).a is the Supreme Lord and is unborn and unchangeable, He appears in His original\ntranscendental\n\nnature.\n\nThe\n\nword prakrti\n\nmeans\n\n\"nature.\" In the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gzta,\nit is stated that there are many kinds of nature.\nThese have been categorized into three basic .types.\nThere is external nature, internal nature and marginal\nnature. The external nature is the manifestation of\nthis material world, and in the Seventh Chapter of\n\nBhagavad-gzta this is described as apara or material\nnature. When Kr�Q.a appears, He accepts the higher\nnature (prakrtirh sviim), not the inferior material\nnature. Sometimes the head of a state may go to the\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0073": "64\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nprison house in order to inspect the prison and see\nthe inmates there, but the prisoners are in error if\nthey think, \"The head of the state has come to\nprison, so he is a prisoner just like us.\" As pointed\n\nout before, Sri Kr�Q.a states that fools deride Him\n\nwhen He descends in human form (Bg. 9.11).\nKr�Q.a, as the Supreme Lord, can come here at\nany time, and we cannot object and say that He\ncannot\n\ncome.\n\nHe\n\nis\n\nfully independent, and He\n\ncan come and disappear as He likes. If the head of a\nstate goes to visit a prison, we are not to assume that\nhe is forced to do so. Kr�Q.a comes with a purpose,\nand that is to reclaim fallen conditioned souls. We\ndo not love Kr�Q.a, but Kr�Q.a loves us. He claims\neveryone as His son.\n\nsarva-yoni�u kaunteya\nmiirtaya� sambhavanti yii�\ntiisiirh brahma mahad yonir\naharh bija-prada� pitii\n\"It should be understood that all species of life, 0\nson of Kunti, are made possible by birth in this\nmaterial nature,\n\nand\n\nthat I am\n\nthe\n\nseed-giving\n\nFather.\"(Bg. 14.4)\nThe father is always affectionate to the son. The\nson may forget the father, but the father can never\nforget the son. Kr�Q.a comes to the material universe\nout of His love for us to deliver us from the miseries\nof birth and death. He says, \"My dear sons, why\nare you rotting in this miserable world? Come to\nMe, and I'll give you all protection.\" We are sons of\nthe Supreme, and we can enjoy life very supremely\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0074": "Kr�J.la's Appearances and Activities\n\n65\n\nwithout any misery and without any doubt. Therefore we should not think that Kr�l).a comes here just\nas\n\nwe do, being obliged by the laws of nature. The\n\nSanskrit\n\nword\n\navatara\n\nliterally\n\nmeans\n\n\"he who\n\ndescends.\" One who descends from the spiritual\nuniverse\n\ninto the material\n\ndescends\n\nHimself,\n\nuniverse\n\nthrough his\n\nown will is called an avatiira. Sometimes Sri Kr�l).a\nand sometimes\n\nHe\n\nsends· His\n\nrepresentative. The major religions of the worldChristian, Hindu, Buddhist and Moslem-believe in\n:;orne supreme authority or personality coming down\nfrom the kingdom of God. In the Christian religion,\nJesus Christ claimed to be the son of God and to\n\nbe coming from the kingdom of God to reclaim conditioned souls. As followers of Bhagavad-gita, we\nadmit this claim to be true. So basically there is no\ndifference\n\nof opinion.\n\nIn\n\ndetails\n\nthere\n\nmay be\n\ndifferences due to differences in culture, climate\nand people, but the basic principle remains the\nsame-that is, God or His representatives come to\nreclaim �onditioned souls.\nyada yada hi dharmasya\nglanir bhavati bharata\nabhyutthanam adharmasya\n\ntadatmanam srjamy aham\n\n\"Whenever\n\nand\n\nwherever there\n\nis a decline\n\nin\n\nreligious practice, 0 descendant of Bharata, and a\npredominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend\nMyself.\" (Bg. 4.7)\nGod is very compassionate. He wishes to see our\nmiseries cease, but we are trying to adjust to these\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0075": "66\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nmiseries. Because\n\nwe are part and parcel of the\n\nSupreme Lord, we are not meant for these miseries,\nbut somehow or other we have voluntarily accepted\nthem. There are miseries arising from the body and\nmind, from other living entities and from natural\ncatastrophes. We are either suffering from all three\nof these miseries, or at least from one. We are\nalways trying to make a solution to these miseries,\nand this attempt constitutes our struggle for existence. That solution cannot be made by our tiny\nbrain. It can be made only when we take to the\nshelter of the Supreme Lord.\nWe can become happy when we are reinstated\nin our constitutional position, and Bhagavad-gzta is·\nmeant to reinstate us in that position. God and His\nrepresentative also come to help. As stated previously, they descend upon the material world from the\nsuperior nature and are not subject to the law,s of\nbirth, old age, disease and death. Kr�IJa gives Arjuna\nthe following reasons for His descent upon the world:\nparitraT}aya sadhunam\nvinasaya ca du�krtam\ndharma-samsthapanarthaya\n•\n\nsambhavami yuge yuge\n\n\"In order to deliver the pious and to annihilate the\nmiscreants, as well as to re-establish the principles\nof religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.\" (Bg. 4.8)\nHere Kr�l).a says that He comes when there is a\ndecline in dharma. The Sanskrit word dharma has\nbeen translated into English as \"faith,\" but faith has\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0076": "K{�t;ta's Appearances and Activities\n\n67\n\ncome to mean a religious system that goes under the\nname of Christian, Moslem, Hindu, Buddhist, etc.\nBut the word dharma does not have the same meaning as faith. The faith of an individual may change\nfrom Hindu to Buddhist to Christian to Moslem,\netc. People have the ability to accept one faith and\nreject another, but dharma cannot be changed. It is\nthe nature of every individual to render service,\neither to himself, his family, his community, nation\nor to humanity at large. This rendering of service\ncannot in any way be divorced from the living\nentity, and it is this that constitutes the dharma of,\nevery living being. Without rendering service, one\ncannot exist. The world goes on because we are all\nrendering and exchanging service. We must forget\nwhether we are Christian, Moslem or Hindu, and we\nmust understand that we are living entities whose\nconstitutional position is to render service to the\nsupreme living entity. When we reach that stage of\nunderstanding, we are liberated.\nLiberation is freedom from temporary designations\nwhich\n\nwe have acquired\n\nmaterial nature.\n\nfrom\n\nassociation\n\nwith\n\nLiberation is nothing more than\n\nthis. Because we have material bodies, we take on so\nmany designations; thus we call ourselves a man, a\nparent, an American, a Christian, Hindu, etc. These\ndesignations should be abandoned if we at all want\nto become free. Under no circumstances are we\nmaster. We are at the present serving, but we are\nserving with designations. We're the servants of a\nwife, of a family, of a job, of our own senses, of our\nchildren, and if we have no children we become\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0077": "68\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nservants of our cats or dogs. In any case, we must\n\nhave someone, something to serve. If we have no\n\nwife or child, we have to catch some dog or other\n\nlower animal in order to serve it. That is our nature.\n\nWe are compelled to do it. When we at last become\n\nfree from these designations and begin to render\n\ntranscendental loving service to the Lord, we attain\nour perfectional state. We then become established\n\nin our true dharma.\n\nThus Sri Kr�l)a says that He appears whenever\n\nthere is a discrepancy in the dharma of the living\n\nentities, that is to say whenever the living entities\ncease rendering service to the Supreme. In other\nwords, when the living entity is too busily engaged\n\nserving his senses, and there is an over-indulgence in\n\nsense gratification, the Lord comes. In India, for\n\ninstance, when people were over-indulging in animal\nslaughter, Lord Buddha came to establish ahimsii,\n\nnonviolence to all living entities. Similarly, in the\n\nabove-quoted verse, Sri Kr�l)a says that He comes\nin\n\norder\n\nto\n\nprotect\n\nthe\n\nsiidhus\n\n(paritriir:iiya\n\nsiidhuniim). Siidhus are typified by their toleration\n\nof all other living entities. Despite all inconveniences\n\nand dangers, they try to give real knowledge to the\npeople in general. A siidhu is not the friend of a\n\nparticular society, community or country but is a\nfriend of all-not only of human beings, but of\nanimals and lower forms of life. In short, the siidhu\n\nis an enemy of no one and a friend to all. Consequently he is always peaceful. Such\" persons who\n\nhave sacrificed everything for the Lord are very,\n\nvery dear to the Lord. Although the siidhus do not\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0078": "Kr�t:ta's Appearances and Activities\n\n69\n\nmind if they are insulted, Kn>l).a does not tolerate\n\nany insult to them. As stated in the Ninth Chapter of\n\nBhagavad-gTtii, Kr�l).a is alike to all, but He is especially inclined to His devotees:\n\nsamo 'ham sarva-bhiite�u\nna me dve�yo .'sti na priyaft\nye bhajanti tu miim bhaktyii\nmayi te te�u ciipy aham\n\"I envy no one, nor am I partial to any one. I am\n\nequal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me\n\nin devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a\nfriend to him.\" (Bg. 9.29)\n\nAlthough Kr�l).a is neutral to all, for one who is\n\nconstantly engaged in Kr�l).a consciousness, who is\n\nspreading the message of Bhagavad-gTtii, He gives\n\nspecial protection. It is Sri Kr�l).a's promise that His\n\ndevotee shall never perish: kaunteya pratijiinmi na\n\nme bhakta� pra[tasyati (Bg. 9.31).\n\nNot only does Kr�l).a come to protect and save His\n\ndevotees, but also to destroy the wicked (viniisiiya\n\nca du�krtiim). Kr�l).a wanted to establish Arjuna and\n\nthe five Pal).l;).avas, who were the most pious k�atriyas\n\nand devotees, as rulers of the world, and He also\nwanted\n\nto\n\nvanquish\n\nthe\n\natheistic\n\nparty\n\nof\n\nDuryodhana. And as mentioned before, a third reason\n\nfor His coming is to establish real religion (dharma­\n\nsamsthiipaniirthiiya). Thus Sri Kr�l).a's purpose for\ncoming\n\nis threefold:\n\nHe protects\n\nHis devotees,\n\nvanquishes the demonic, and establishes the real\n\nreligion of the living entity. He comes not only once,\n\nbut many, many times (sambhaviimi yuge yuge) be-\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0079": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n70\n\ncause this material world is such that in the course\n\nof time, after an adjustment is made, it will again\n\ndeteriorate.\n\nThe world is so conceived that even if we make a\n\nvery good arrangement, it will gradually deteriorate.\n\nAfte� World War I an armistice was signed, 2nd there\n\nwas a short period of peace, but World War II soon\n\ncame, and now that that is over they are making\n\npreparations for World War III. This is the function\nof time (kala) in the material world. We build up a\nvery nice house, and after fifty years it deteriorates,\n\nand after one hundred years it deteriorates even\n\nmore. Similarly, when the body is young, people\ncare for it, always lavishing affection upon it and\n\nkissing it, but when it grows old no one cares for it.\n\nThis is the nature of the material world-even if a\n\nvery good adjustment is made, it will in course of\n\ntime\n\nbe\n\nvanquished.\n\nperiodically\n\nrequired,\n\nTherefore\n\nadjustments\n\nand from age\n\nare\n\nto age the\n\nSupreme Lord or His representative come to make\n\nadjustments in the direction of civilization. Thus Sri\nKr�l)a descends many times to establish or rejuvenate\n\nmany different religions.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0080": "7\n\nKnowledge as Faith in Guru\nand Surrender to Kr$8a\nIn the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gTtii Sri Kr�l).a\n\nconcludes\n\nthat of\n\nall sacrifices, the best is the\n\nacquisition of knowledge.\n\nsreyiin dravyamayad yajiiiij\njiiiina-yajiia� parantapa\nsarvam karmakhilam piirtha\njiiiine parisamapyate\n\"0 chastiser of the enemy, the sacrifice of knowledge\n\nis greater than the sacrifice of material possessions.\n\n0 son of Prtha, after all, the sacrifice of work\nculminates in transcendental knowledge.\" (Bg. 4.33)\nKnowledge\n\nis\n\nthe\n\nbest\n\nsacrifice\n\nbecause\n\nthis\n\nconditional life is due to ignorance. The purpose of\n\nsacrifice, penance, yoga and philosophical discussion\n\nis to acquire knowledge. There are three stages of\n\ntranscendental knowledge by which one realizes the\n\nimpersonal aspect of God (Brahman realization), the\n\nlocalized aspect of God within the heart and within\nevery\n\natom (Paramatma or Supersoul realization)\n\nand the realization of the Supreme Personality of\n\nGodhead (Bhagavan realization). But the very first\n\nstep in acquiring knowledge is coming to understand\n\nthat \"I am not this body . I am spirit soul, and my\n\naim of life is to get out of this material entangle·\n\nment.\" The point is ,that whatever sacrifice we make\n\nis intended to enable us to come to the point of\n\nreal knowledge. The highest perfection of knowledge\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0081": "72\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nis given in Bhagavad-gitii as surrender to Kr�Qa\n(bahiiniirh janmaniim ante jiiiinaviin m iirh prapadyate)\n\n(Bg. 7.19). The jiiiinaviin, not the fool, surrenders\nunto Kr�Qa, and that is the highest stage of knowl·\nedge. Similarly, at the end of Bhagavad-gitii SrT\nKr�Qa advises Arjuna:\nsarva-dharmiin parityajya\nmiim ekarh sara[lam vraja\naham tviim sarva-piipebhyo\nmok�ayi�yami mii suca{t\n\n\"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender\nunto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction.\nDo not fear.\" (Bg. 18.66)\nThis is the most confidential part of knowledge.\nFrom all points of view, if we make an analytical\nstudy of the Vedic literatures, we will find that\nthe ultimate summit of knowledge is to surrender\nunto Kr�Qa. And what type of surrender is recommended? Surrender in full knowledge-when one\ncomes to the perfectional point he must understand\nthat Vasudeva, Kr�Qa, is everything. This is also\nconfirmed in Brahma-sarhhitii:\nisvara{t parama{t kr.sfla{t\nsac-cid-iinanda-vigraha{t\naniidir iidir govinda{t\nsarva-kiirafLa-k iiraTJ am\n\n\"Kr�Qa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme\nGodhead. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body.\nHe is the origin of all. He has no other origin, and\nHe is the prime cause of all causes.\" (Brahma-samhitii,\n5.1)\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0082": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kr�r;ta\n\n73\n\nThe words sarva-kiirar-a indicate that Kr�r;ta is the\ncause of all causes. If we search to see who the\nfather of our father is, and who his father is, and\nso on back, if it were somehow possible to trace\nour ancestry back through time, we would arrive\nat the Supreme Father, the Supreme Personality of\nGodhead.\nOf course everyone wants to see God immediately,\nbut we can see God when we are qualified and in\nperfect knowledge. We can see God eye to eye, just\nas we are seeing one another, but qualification is\nrequired, and that qualification is Kr�r;ta consciousness.\n\nKr�r;ta consciousness begins with sravar-am,\n\nhearing about Kr�r;ta through Bhagavad-gitii and other\nVedic literatures, and kirtanam, repeating what we've\nheard and glorifying .Kr�r;ta by chanting His names.\nBy chanting and hearing of Kr�r;ta we can actually\nassociate with Him, for He is absolute and nondiffer·\nent from His names, qualities, forms and pastimes.\nAs we associate with Kr�r;ta, He helps us to understand Him and dispels the darkness of ignorance\nwith the light of knowledge. Kr�r;ta is sitting within\nour hearts acting as guru. When we begin hearing\ntopics about Him, the dust which has accumulated\non our minds due to so many years of material contamination becomes gradually cleaned. Kr�r;ta is a\nfriend to everyone, but He is a special friend to His\ndevotees. As soon as we become a little inclined\ntoward Him, He begins to give favorable instructions\n\nfrom\n\nwithin\n\nour\n\nhearts so\n\nthat we\n\ncan\n\ngradually make progress. Kr�r;ta is the first spiritual\nmaster, and when we become more interested in\nHim, we have to go to a sadhu or holy man who\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0083": "74\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nserves\n\nas\n\nspiritual master from without. This is\n\nenjoined by\n\nverse:\n\nSri Kr�Q.a Himself in the following\n\ntad viddhi praripiitena\npariprasnena sevayii\nupadek�yanti te jiiiinam\njiiiininas tattva-darsina{t\n\"Just\n\ntry\n\nspiritual\n\nto\n\nlearn\n\nmaster.\n\nthe truth by approaching a\n\nInquire from\n\nhim\n\nsubmissively\n\nand render service unto him. The self-realized soul\n\ncan impart knowledge unto you because he has seen\nthe truth.\" (Bg. 4.34)\n\nIt is necessary to select a person to whom we can\n\nsurrender ourselves. Of course no one likes to surren­\n\nder to anyone. We are puffed up with whatever\n\nknowledge we have, and our attitude is, \"Oh, who\n\ncan give me knowledge?\" Some people say that for\nspiritual realization there is no need for a spiritual\n\nmaster, but so far as Vedic literature is concerned,\n\nand as far as Bhagavad-gTtii, Srimad-Bhiigavatam and\nthe\n\nUpani�ads are concerned, there is need of a\n\nspiritual master. Even in the material world if one\n\nwants to learn to be a musician, he has to search out\n\na musician to teach him, or if one wants to be an\nengineer, he has to go to a technological college and\n\nlearn from those who know the technology. Nor can\n\nanyone become a doctor by simply purchasing a\n\nbook from the market and reading it at home. One\nhas to be admitted to a medical college and undergo\n\ntraining under licensed doctors. It is not possible to\nlearn any major subject simply by purchasing books\n\nand reading them at home. Someone is needed to·\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0084": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to K�t;ta\n\n75\n\nshow us how to apply that knowledge which is\n\nfound in the books. As far as the science of God is\n\nconcerned, Sri Kr�IJa, the Supreme Personality of\n\nGodhead Himself, advises us to go to a person to\n\nwhom we can surrender. This means that we have to\ncheck\n\nto see if a person is capable of giving\n\ninstructions in Bhagavad-gita and other literatures of\n\nGod realization. It is not that we are to search out a\n\nspiritual master whimsically. We should be very\n\nserious to find a person who is actually in knowledge\n\nof the subject.\n\nIn the beginning of Bhagavad-gita\n\nArjuna was\n\ntalking to Kr�IJa just like a friend, and l<r�r;J.a was\n\nquestioning how he, as a military man, could give\n\nup fighting. But when Arjuna saw that friendly talks\n\nwould not make a solution to his problems, he\n\nsurrendered unto Kr�IJa, saying, si§yaste 'ham sadhi\n\nmiim tvam prapannam: \"Now I am Your disciple and\n\na soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.\"\n(Bg. 2. 7) This is the process. It is not that we should\n\nblindly surrender, but we should be able to inquire\nwith intelligence.\n\nWithout inquiry, we cannot make advancement. In\n\nschool a student who makes inquiries from the\nteacher is usually an intelligent student. It is generally\n\na sign of intelligence when a small child inquires\n\nfrom his father, \"Oh, what is this? What is that?\"\n\nWe may have a very good spiritual master, but if we\nhave no power to inquire, we cannot make progress.\nNor should the inquiry be of the nature of a chal­\n\nlenge. One should not tpink, \"Now I will see what\n\nkind of spiritual master he is. I will challenge him.\"\nOur\n\ninquiries\n\n(pariprasnena)\n\nshould\n\nbe\n\non\n\nthe\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0085": "76\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nsubject of service\n\n(sevaya).\n\nWithout service, our\n\ninquiries will be futile, but even before making\n\ninquiries, we should have some qualification. If we\n\ngo to a store to purchase some gold or jewelry and\n\nwe know nothing about jewels or gold, we are likely\n\nto be cheated. If we go to a jeweler and say, \"Can\nyou give me a diamond?\" he will understand that\n\nthis is a fool. He could charge us any price for any­\n\nthing. That kind of searching will not do at all. We\n\nfirst have to become a little intelligent, for it is\nnot possible to make spiritual progress otherwise.\n\nThe beginning injunction of the Vedanta-siitra is:\nathato brahma-jijnasii. \"Now is the time to inquire\nabout Brahman.\" The word atha means that one who\nis intelligent, who has come to the point of realizing\n\nthe basic frustrations of material life, is capable of\n\nmaking inquiry. In Srimad-Bhiigavatam it is stated\nthat one should inquire from a spiritual master\nabout subjects that are \"beyond this darkness.\" This\n\nmaterial world is· by nature dark, and it is artificially\n\nlighted by fire. Our inquiries should be about the\n\ntranscendental worlds which lie beyond this universe.\nIf one is desirous to find out about these spiritual\n\nworlds, he should seek out a spiritual master; other­\n\nwise there is no point in searching. If I want to study\n\nBhagavad-gitii\n\nor\n\nVediinta-siitra in order to make\n\nmaterial improvement, it is not necessary to find a\nspiritual master. One should first want to inquire\nabout Brahman and then search out a master who\nhas perfect vision of the Absolute Truth (jniininas\n\ntattva-darsina�).\n\nKr�t;ta is the supreme tattva, Abso­\n\nlute Truth. In the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gitii\nSri Kr�t;ta states:\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0086": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kr�J}.a\n\n77\n\nmanu§yararh sahasre§u\nkakid yatati siddhaye\nyatatam api siddhiiniirh\nkascin marh vetti tattvata�\n\"Out of many thousands among men, one may\nendeavor for perfection, and of those who have\nachieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.\"\n(Bg. 7.3)\nThus out of many perfected spiritualists, one man\nmay know what Kr�Q.a actually is. As this verse\nindicates, the subject matter of Kr�Q.a is not so easy\nbut is very difficult. Yet Bhagavad-gita also indicates\nthat it is easy.\n\nbhaktyii miim abhijiiniiti\nyiiviin yas ciismi tattvata�\ntato marh tattvato jiiiitva\nvisate tad-anantaram\n\"One can understand the Supreme Personality as\nHe is only by devotional service. And when one is in\nfull consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such\ndevotion, he can enter into the kingd�m of God.\"\n(Bg. 18.55)\nIf we ;ccept the process of devotional service, we\ncan understand Kr�Q.a very easily. Through it we\ncan understand the science of Kr�Q.a perfectly and\nbecome eligible for entering into the spiritual kingdom. If, as Bhagavad-gita says, after many births we\nhave to eventually surrender to Kr�Q.a, why not\nsurrender to Him immediately? Why wait for many,\nmany births? If surrender is the end of perfection,\nwhy not accept perfection immediately? Of course\nthe answer is that people are generally doubtful.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0087": "78\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nl<f�r;ta consciousness can be attained in one second,\n\nor it cannot be had even after a thousand births and\ndeaths. If we choose, we can immediately become\ngreat souls by surrendering to Kr�IJ.a, but because\nwe have doubts whether or not l<f�r;ta is actually the\n\nSupreme we have to take time to dissipate these\n\ndoubts through study of the scriptures. By studying\n\nBhagavad-gita under the guidance of a bona fide\n\nspiritual master, we can remove these doubts and\nmake definite progress.\n\nIt is the fire of knowledge that burns all doubts\n\nand fruitive activities to ashes. Sri l<f�r;ta gives the\n\nfollowing information of the results of inquiring of\n\nthe truth from one who has actually seen the truth.\n\nyaj jiiatva na punar moham\nevam yasyasi par-{liiva\nyena bhutany ase�ar-i\ndrak§yasy atmany atho mayi\napi ced asi papebhya�\nsarvebhya� papa-krttama�\nsarvam jiiana-plavenaiva\nvrjinam santari§yasi\nyathaidhamsi samiddho 'gnir\nbhasmasat kurute ' rjuna\njnanagni� sarva-karmar-i\nbhasmasat kurute tatha\n\"And when you have thus learned the truth, you\n\nwill know that all living beings are but parts of Meand that they are in Me, and are Mine. Even if you\n\nare considered to be the most sinful of all sinners,\nwhen you are situated in the boat of transcendental\n\nknowledge, you will be able to cross over the ocean•\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0088": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kg;l).a\n\n79\n\nof miseries. As a blazing fire burns firewood to\nashes, 0 Arjuna, so does the fire of knowledge burn\nto ashes all the reactions to material activities.\"\n(Bg. 4.35·37)\nThe fire of knowledge is ignited by the spiritual\nmaster, and when it is ablaze, all the reactions to our\nworks are turned to ashes. The reactions to our work,\nor our karma, are the cause for our bondage. There\nare good works and bad works, and in this verse the\nword sarva-karmiirti indicates both. For one who\nwants to be liberated from this material bondage,\nthe reactions of both good works and bad works are\ndetrimental. In this material world we are attached\nto performing good works if we are situated in the\nmodes of goodness. If we are in the modes of passion\nand ignorance, however, we do bad work in passion\nand ignorance. But for those who are going to be\nKr�l).a conscious, there is no need of good work or\nbad work. By good work we may get a good birth in\nan aristocratic or wealthy family, and by bad work\nwe may take birth even in the animal kingdom or in\ndegraded human families, but in any case birth means\nbondage, and one who is striving for Kr�l).a consciousness is striving for liberation from the bondage of\ntransmigration. What is the advantage of being born\nin a wealthy or aristocratic family if one does not get\nrid of his material miseries? Whether we enjoy the\nreactions of good work or suffer the reactions of\nbad, we have to take on the material body and\nthereby undergo the material miseries.\nBy engaging in the transcendental service of Kr�Q.a,\nwe actually get out of th� cycle of birth and death.\nBut because the fire of knowledge is not burning in\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0089": "80\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nour minds, we accept material existence as happiness.\nA dog or hog cannot understand what kind of miserable life he is passing. He actually thinks that he is\nenjoying life, and this is called the covering or illusive\ninfluence of material energy. On the Bowery, there\nare so many drunkards lying in the street, and they're\nall thinking, \"We are enjoying life.\" But those who\nare passing them by are thinking, \"Oh how miserable\nthey are.\" That is the way of the illusory energy. We\nmay be in a miserable condition, but we accept it\nthinking that we are very happy. This is called ignorance. But when one is awakened to knowledge, he\nthinks, \"Oh, I am not happy. I want freedom, but\nthere is no freedom. I don't want to die, but there is\ndeath. I don't want to grow old, but there is old age.\nI don't want diseases, but there are diseases.\" These\nare the major problems of human existence, but we\nignore them and concentrate on solving very minor\nproblems. We consider economic development to be\nthe most important thing, forgetting how long we\nshall live here in this material world. Economic\ndevelopment or no economic development, at the\nend of sixty or a hundreq years our life will be\nfinished. Even if we accumulate a million dollars, we\nmust leave it all behind when we leave this body. We\nneed to come to understand that in the material\nworld whatever we are doing is being defeated by the\ninfluence of material nature.\nWe want freedom, and we want to travel all over\nthe world and all over the universe. Indeed, that is\nour right as spirit soul. The spirit soul in Bhag avadgita is called sarva-gata�, which means that he has the\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0090": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kr�Q.a\n\n81\n\nability to go wherever he likes. In the Siddhalokas\nthere are perfected beings or yogTs who can travel\n\nwherever they want without the aid of airplanes or\n\nother mechanical contrivances. Once we are liberated\n\nfrom material conditioning, we can become very\n\npowerful. Actually we have no idea how powerful\n\nwe are as spiritual sparks. Instead we are very much\n\nsatisfied staying on this earth and sending up a few\n\nspaceships, thinking that we have become greatly ad·\n\nvanced in material science. We spend millions and\nmillions of dollars constructing spaceships without\n\nknowing that we have the ability to travel wherever\nwe want free of charge.\n\nThe point is that we should cultivate our spiritual\n\npotencies by knowledge. The knowledge is already\n\nthere; we simply have to accept it. In former ages\n\npeople underwent so many penances and austerities\n\nto acquire knowledge, but in this age this process is\n\nnot possible because our lives are very short and we\n\nare always disturbed. The process for this age is the\nprocess of Kr�Q.a consciousness, the chanting of Hare\nKr�Q.a,\n\nwhich\n\nwas\n\ninaugurated by\n\nSri\n\nCaitanya\n\nMahaprabhu. If, by this process, we can kindle the\n\nfire of knowledge, all of the reactions of our activities\nwill be reduced to ashes, and we will be purified.\n\nna hi jiiiinena sadrsarh\npavitram iha vidyate\ntat svayam yoga-samsiddha�\nkiileniitmani vindati\n\"In this world, there is nothing so sublime and pure\n\nas transcendental knowledge. Such knowledge is the\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0091": "82\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nmature fruit of all mysticism. And one who has\nachieved this enjoys the self within himself in due\ncourse of time.\" (Bg. 4.38)\nWhat is that sublime and pure knowledge? It is the\nknowledge that we are part and parcel of God and\nthat we are to dovetail our consciousness with the\nSupreme Consciousness. This is the purest knowledge\nin the material world. Here everything is contaminated by the modes of material nature-goodness,\npassion and ignorance. Goodness is also a kind of\ncontamination. In goodness one becomes aware of\nhis position and transcendental subjects, etc, but his\ndefect is in thinking, \"Now I have understood everything. Now I am all right.\" He wants to stay here. In\nother words, the man in the mode of goodness becomes a first class prisoner and, becoming happy in\nthe prison house, wants to stay there. And what to\nspeak of those in the modes of passion and ignorance? The point is that we have to transcend even\nthe quality of goodness. The transcendental position\nbegins with the realization aham brahmiismi-\"1 am\nnot this matter, but spirit.\" But even this position is\nunsettled. More is required.\nbrahma-bhuta� prasannatma\nna socati na kiinkjati\nsama� sarveju bhuteju\nmad-bhaktim labhate pariim\n\"One who is thus transcendentally situated at once\nrealizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments or\ndesires to have anything; he is equally disposed to\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0092": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kr�Qa\n\n83\n\nevery living entity. In that state he attains pure\ndevotional service unto Me.\" (Bg. 18.54)\nIn the brahma-bhiita� stage one no longer identifies with matter. The first symptom of one's having\nbecome established on the brahma-bhiita� platform is\nthat one becomes jolly (prasanniitmii). On that plat·\nform, there is neither lamentation nor hankering.\nBut even if we rise to this stage and do not take to\nthe loving service of Kr�J;Ia, there is the possibility of\nfalling down again into the material whirlpool. We\nmay rise very high in the sky, but if we have no\nshelter there, if we do not land on some planet, we\nwill again fall down. A simple understanding of the\n\nbrahma-bhiita� stage will not help us unless we take\nto the shelter of Kr�l).a's lotus feet. As soon as we en·\ngage ourselves in the service of Kr�l).a, there is no\nlonger any chance of falling down again into the\nmaterial world.\nOur nature is such that we want some engagement.\nA child may commit mischief, but he cannot refrain\nfrom mischief unless he is given some engagement.\nWhen he is given some toys, his attention is diverted\nand his mischievous activities stop. We are like mis·\nchievous children, and therefore we must have spiri·\ntual engagement. Simply understanding that we are\nspirit soul will not help. Understanding that we are\nspirit, we have to sustain the spirit by spiritual engagement. It is not uncommon in India for a man to\ngive up all material engagements, to leave his home\nand family and take the renounced order, sannyiisa,\nand after meditating for some while, begin doing\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0093": "84\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nphilanthropic work by opening some hospitals or\nengaging in politics. The hospital-making business is\nbeing conducted by the government; it is the duty of\na sann yasa to make hospitals whereby people can\nactually get rid of their material bodies, not patch\nthem up. But for want of knowing what real spiritual\nactivity is, we take up material activities.\nBy becoming\n\nperfect in\n\nKr�1,1a consciousness,\n\nknowledge and wisdom are found in due course of\ntime. There may be some discouragement at first,\nbut the word kalena,\n\nmeaning \"in due course of\n\ntime,\" indicates that if we simply persevere we will\nbe successful. Faith is required, as stated in the next\nverse.\n\"\"\n\nsraddha vallabhate Fianarh\ntat-para!; sarhyatendriyal;\njnanarhlabdhva param santim\nacirertiidhigacchati\n\"A faithful man who is absorbed in transcendental\nknowledge and who subdues his senses quickly attains\nthe supreme spiritual peace.\" (Bg. 4.39)\nFor those who are hesitant and have no faith,\nKr�qa consciousness is very difficult. Even in our\ndaily affairs a certain amount of faith is required.\nWhen we buy a ticket, we have faith that the airline\ncompany will take us to our destination. Without\nfaith we cannot even live in the material world, what\nto speak of making spiritual progress. Where are we\nto keep our faith? In the authority. We should not\nbook our ticket with an unauthorized company.\nFaith must be in Kr�qa, the speaker of Bhagavad-\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0094": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kr�r;ta\ngitii.\n\n85\n\nHow do we become faithful? Control of the\n\nsenses (sarhyatendriya�) is required. We are in the\nmaterial\n\nworld\n\nbecause\n\nwe want to gratify our\n\nsenses. If we have faith that a physician can cure us,\nand he tells us not to eat such and such, and we eat\nit anyway, what kind of faith do we have? If we\nhave faith in our physician, we will follow his prescriptions for cure. The point is that we have to follow the instructions with faith. Then wisdom will\ncome. When we attain to the stage of wisdom, the\nresult is pariirh siintim supreme peace. Kr�qa indi-\n\ncates that when one controls the senses, faith comes\nin the near future\n\n(acirerza). Having attained that\n\nstage of faith in Kw.ta, one feels that he is the\nhappiest man in the world. This is our position. We\nhave to accept the formula and execute it with\nfaith. This faith must be in the supreme authority,\nnot in a third class man. We must search out a spiritual master in whom we can have faith. Kr�t}a is the\nmost authorized personality, but anyone who is Kr�t}a\nconscious can be accepted because a person fully in\nKr�D-a consciousness is the bona fide representative of\nKr�J).a. Having tasted the words of Kr�t;ta's representative, we will feel satisfied, j ust as we feel satisfied\nupon eating a full meal.\n\najfias ciisraddadhiinas ca\nsarhsayiitmii vinasyati\nniiyarh loko 'sti na paro\nna sukharh sarhsayiitmana{z\n\"But ignorant and faithless persons who doubt the\nrevealed scriptures do not attain God consciousness.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0095": "86\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nFor the doubting soul there is happiness neither in\n\nthis world nor in the next.\" (Bg. 4.40)\n\nThose who are hesitant in taking this path of\n\nknowledge have no chance. Hesitation is due to igno­\n\nrance (ajiws ca). For one hesitant in taking to Kr�I)a\n\nconsciousness, not even this material world will be\n\nhappy, and what to speak of the next life. The\n\nmaterial world is already miserable, but if one has no\nfaith it will be more miserable. Thus for the iaithless\nthe situation is very precarious. We may put thou­\n\nsands of dollars in a bank because we have faith that\nthat bank will not close down. If we have faith in\n\nbanks and airlines, why not have faith in Sri Kr�qa\n\nwho is acknowledged by so many Vedic literatures\nand by so many sages to be the supreme authority?\n\nOur position is to follow in the footsteps of great\n\nauthorities like Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya and\n\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu. If we keep our faith by execut­\n\ning our duties and following in their footsteps, success is guaranteed.\n\nAs stated before, we must search out one who has\n\nseen the Absolute Truth and surrender to him and\nserve him. When this is done, there is no doubt about\n\none's spiritual salvation. Everyone is anxious to see\nGod, but in our present stage of life we are condi­\n\ntioned and deluded. We have no idea of things as\n\nthey really are. Although we are Brahman and by\n\nnature jolly, we have somehow fallen from our constitutional position.\n\nOur nature is sac-cid-ananda,\n\neternal, blissful and full of knowledge, yet this body\n\nis destined to die, and while it is existing it is full of\n\nignorance and miseries. The senses are imperfect, and\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0096": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kr�r:ta\n\n87\n\nit is not possible to attain perfect knowledge through\nthem. Therefore it is stated in Bhagavad-gitii that if\nwe at all want to learn transcendental knowledge, we\nmust approach one who has actually seen the Absolute Truth (tad-viddhi pral]ipiiteT)a ) . Traditionally,\n\nbriihmarzas are meant to be spiritual masters, but in\nthis age of Kali, it is very difficult to find a qualified\n\nbrtihma[la. Consequently it is very difficult to find a\nqualified spiritual\nmaster.\nTherefore Caitanya\nMahaprabhu has recommended kibavipra, kibii nyiis\"i,\n\nsudra\n\nkene naya/yei krgw-tattva-vetta, sei\n\n'guru'\n\nhaya: \"Whether one be a briihmar-a or a sudra or a\nsannyiisi or a householder, it doesn't matter. If he\nknows the science of �-�qa, he's a bona fide spiritual\nmaster.\"\n\nBhagavad-gitii is the science of Kr�qa, and if we\nstudy it scrutinizingly with all of our argument, sense\nand philosophical knowledge, we will come to know\nthat science. It is not that we are to submit ourselves\nblindly. The spiritual master may be self-realized and\nsituated in the Absolute Truth, yet we have to\nquestion him in order to understand all spiritual\npoints. If one is able to factually answer the questions\nabout the science of Kr�qa, he is the spiritual master,\nregardless of where he is born or what he is-whether\nhe be a briihmar-a or sudra or American, Indian or\nwhatever. When we go to a doctor, we do not ask\nhim whether he is a Hindu, Christian or briihmar-a. He\nhas the qualification of a medical man, and we simply\nsurrender, saying, \"Doctor, treat me. I am suffering.\"\nKtill1a is the ultimate goal of spiritual science. Of\ncourse when we speak of Kr&qa we refer to God.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0097": "88\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nThere are many names for God throughout the world\nand throughout the universe, but Ktill}a is the supreme\nname\n\naccording to\n\nVedic\n\nknowledge.\n\nTherefore\n\nLord Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended the chanting of Hare Ktill}a, Hare Ktill}a, Ktill}a Ktill}a, Hare\nHare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare\nHare as the supreme means for realization in this age.\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu did not make any distinctions\nas to caste or social position. Indeed, most of His\nforemost disciples were considered to be fallen in\nsociety.\n\nCaitanya\n\nMahaprabhu\n\neven\n\nappointed\n\nHaridasa 'fhakura, a Mohammedan, as namaciirya, or\npreceptor of the holy names. Similarly, Rupa and\nSanatana\n\nGosvamls,\n\ntwo\n\nof\n\nLord\n\nCaitanya's\n\nprinciple disciples, were formerly known as Sakara\nMallik and Dabir Khas, and they were employed by\nthe Mohammedan government. In those days, the\nHindus were so strict that if a briihmwya accepted\nservice from a non-Hindu, he was immediately ostracized from Hindu society. Despite this, Rupa and\nSanatana Gosvamls were made principle authorities\nin the science of Kpil').a by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So\nthere is no bar against anyone; anyone can become a\nspiritual master provided he knows the science of\nKtilJ}a. This is the only qualification, and this science\nin essence is contained in Bhagavad-gitii. At the present moment,\n\nthousands of spiritual masters are\n\nneeded to spread this great science throughout the\nworld.\nWe should understand that when Ktill}a is speaking\nto\n\nArjuna\n\nin Bhagavad-gitii, He is speaking not\n\nsimply to Arjuna alone but to the whole human race.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0098": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kr�J1.a\n\n89\n\nSri Kr�11a Himself declares that simply by knowing\nthe science of Kr�J1.a, Arjuna would not be subject to\n\nillusion (yaj jniitvii na punar moham). If we have a\n\nvery good ship, we can easily cross the Atlantic\n\nOcean. At present we are in the midst of the ocean of\n\nignorance, for this material world has been likened\nto\n\na\n\ngreat ocean of nescience.\n\nTherefore Lord\n\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu prayed to Kr�11a in this way:\nayi nandatanuja kinkaram\n\npatitam miim vi§ame bhaviimbudhau\n\nkrpayii tava piida-pankaja-\n\nsthita-dhufisadrsam vicintaya\n\n\"0 son of Maharaja Nanda, I am Your eternal servitor, and although I am so, somehow or other I have\n\nfallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick\n\nme up from this ocean of death and fix me as one of\n\nthe atoms at Your lotus feet.\" (Sik�ii�.takam, 5)\n\nIf we have the boat of perfect knowledge, there is\n\nno fear, for we can cross the ocean very easily.\n\nEven if a person is most sinful, if he receives the boat\n\nof the science of Kr�J1.a, he can cross the ocean very\neasily. As stated before (Bg. 4.36 ) , it does not\n\nmatter what we were in our past lives. Because\nwe were in ignorance, we may have committed so\n\nmany abominable actions. Indeed, no one can say\n\nthat he is free from sinful activity. But according to\n\nBhagavad-gitii, this does not matter. Just by knowing the science of Kr�l}a, one becomes free.\n\nIt is therefore absolutely necessary that we seek\n\nknowledge, and the perfection of knowledge is to\n\nunderstand Kr�J1.a. Today there are so many theories,\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0099": "90\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nand everyone claims to know the best way to live;\ntherefore so many \"ism's\" have evolved. Of these,\ncommunism\n\nhas\n\nbecome\n\nvery prominent in the\n\nworld. But in $rimad-Bhiigavatam we find the seed\nfor spiritual communism. There Narada Muni explains\n\nthat in this material universe-whether one be in a\nlower, middle or higher planetary system or even in\nouter space-all natural resources are manifested by\nthe Supreme Lord. We must understand that whatever exists in this world was not produced by any\nhuman being, but everything was created by God. No\nsane man can deny this. Sri lsopani§ad enjoins:\n\nisiiviisyam idaih sarvarh\nyat kiiica jagatyiirh jagat\ntena tyaktena bhuiijithii\nmii grdha� kasya svid dhanam\n\"Everything animate or inanimate that is within the\nuniverse is controlled and owned by the Lord. One\nmust therefore accept only those things necessary for\nhimself, which are set aside as his quota, and one\nmust not accept other things, knowing well to whom\n\nthey belong.\" (Sri lsopani§ad, Mantra l)\n\nConsequently all living entities, beginning from\nBrahma, the highest demigod, down to the lowest\nant, have the right to use natural resources. Narada\nMuni points out that we can use these resources as\nmuch as we require, but if we take more than required, we become thieves. Unfortunately everyone\nis trying to conquer and predominate. Countries race\nto the moon in order to put up their flags and claim\nthat planet. When Europeans came to America, they\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0100": "Faith in Guru and Surrender to Kr�i}.a\n\n91\n\nput up their flag and claimed it for their nation. This\nflag planting and flag waving is all due to ignorance.\nWe do not stop to think where we are putting our\nflag. It is not our property, but God's. Knowing this\nis knowledge, and thinking that it is my property is\nignorance. We have the right to utilize but not to\nclaim or hoard.\nIf we throw a bag of grain into the street, pigeons\nmay come and eat four or five small grains and then\ngo away. They will not take more than they can\neat, and having eaten they go freely on their way.\nBut if we were to put many bags of flour on the\nsidewalk and invite people to come and get them,\none man would take ten or twenty bags and another\nwould take fifteen or thirty bags and so on. But\nthose who do not have the means to carry so much\naway will not be able to take more than a bag or two.\nThus the distribution will be uneven. This is called\nadvancement of civilization; we are even lacking in\nthe knowledge which the pigeons, dogs and cats\nhave. Everything belongs to the Supreme Lord, and\nwe can accept whatever we need, but not more.\nThat is knowledge. By the Lord's arrangement the\nworld is so made that there is no scarcity of any·\nthing. Everything is sufficient, provided that we\nknow how to distribute it. However, the deplorable\ncondition today is that one is taking more than he\nneeds while another is starving. Consequently the\nstarving masses are revolting and asking, \"Why should\nwe starve?\" But their methods are imperfect. The\nperfection of spiritual communism is found in the\nknowledge that everything belongs\n\nto\n\nGod.\n\nBy\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0101": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n92\n\nknowing the science of K{�l}a, we can easily cross\n\nover the ignorance of false proprietorship.\n\nWe are actually suffering due to our ignorance.\n\nIn the law court ignorance is no excuse. If we tell\n\nthe judge that we are not aware of the law, we will\n\nbe punished anyway. If one has illegally amassed so\n\nmuch wealth and yet claims ignorance of his trans·\n\ngression, he will be punished nonetheless. The whole\nworld\n\nis\n\nlacking\n\nthis knowledge,\n\nand\n\ntherefore\n\nthousands of teachers of the science of Kr�l}a are\nneeded. There is a great necessity for this knowledge\n\nnow. We should not think that because K{�l}a was\n\nborn in India that the knowledge of Bhagavad-gitii is\n\nsectarian or that Kr�l}a is a sectarian God. Indeed, in\n\nthe Fourteenth Chapter Sri K{�l}a proclaims Himself\n\nto be the father of all beings, as pointed out\npreviously (Bg. 14.4).\n\nAs spirit souls we are part and parcel of the\n\nSupreme Spirit, but due to our desire to enjoy this\n\nmaterial world, we have been put into material\nnature. Yet in whatever species of life we may be,\n\nK{�l}a is the Father. Thus Bhagavad-gitii is not meant\n\nfor any particular party or nation but for everyone\n\nall over the world-even for the animals. Now that\n\nthe sons of the Supreme are committing theft due\n\nto ignorance, it is the duty of one who is conversant\nwith Bhagavad-gltii to spread this supreme knowledge\n\nto all beings. In this way people may realize their\n\ntrue spiritual nature and their relationship to the\nsupreme spiritual whole.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0102": "8\n\nAction in Knowledge of\nKr$r:1d\nna miim karma rzi limpanti\nna me karma-phalesprhii\niti miim yo 'bhijaniiti\nkarmabhir nasa badhyate\n\"There\n\nis no\n\nwork\n\nthat\n\naffects\n\nMe;\n\nnor do I\n\naspire for the fruits of action. One who understands this truth about Me also does not become\nentangled in the fruitive reactions of work.\"(Bg. 4.14)\nThe whole world is bound by karma. We all know\nof the existence of microbes or germs which exist\nby the million within the measurement of one millimeter.\n\nIn\n\nthe Brah ma-samhita\n\nit\n\nis\n\nstated that\n\nbeginning with the microbe, which is called indra­\n\ngopa, up to Indra, the king of the heavenly planets,\nall are bound by karma, the reaction of work. We all\nhave to suffer or enjoy the reactions of our work,\nbe they good or bad. As long as we have to suffer or\nenjoy these reactions, we are bound to these material\nbodies.\nBy nature's arrangement the material body is given\nto the living entity 'for his suffering or enjoying.\nDifferent types of bodies are acquired for different\npurposes. The body of a tiger is made for killing and\neating raw meat. Similarly, the hogs are made in such\na way that they can eat stool. And as human beings\nour teeth are made for eating vegetables and fruits.\n\n93\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0103": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n94\n\nAll of these bodies are made according to the work\n\ndone in past lives by the living entity. Our next\n\nbodies are being prepared according to the work\n\nwhich we are now doing, but in the previously quoted\n\nverse Sri Kr�Q.a indicates that one who knows the\n\ntranscendental nature of His activities becomes free\nfrom the reactions of activities. Our activities should\n\nbe such that we will not again become entangled in\n\nthis material world. This can be made possible if we\nbecome Kr�Q.a conscious by studying Kr�Q.a, learn­\n\ning of the transcendental nature of His activities,\n\nand understanding how He behaves in this material\nworld and in the spiritual world.\n\nWhen Kr�Q.a comes on this earth, He is not like us;\n\nHe is totally transcendental. We desire the fruits of\n\nour activities, but Kr�Q.a does not desire any fruits,\n\nnor are there any reactions to His actions. Nor does\nHe have any desire for fruitive activity (na me karma­\n\nphale sprhii). When we enter into business, w� hope\nfor profit, and with that profit we hope to buy things\n\nthat will make our life enjoyable. Whenever conditioned\n\nsouls\n\ndo\n\nsomething,\n\nenjoyment behind it.\n\nBut\n\nthere\n\nis\n\ndesire\n\nfor\n\nKr�qa has nothing to\n\ndesire. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,\n\nand He is full with everything. When Kr�Q.a came on\nthis earth He had many girl friends and over 16,000\nwives, and some people think that He was very\nsensual. But this was not the fact.\n\nWe must understand the meaning of relationships\n\nwith Kr�Q.a. In this material world we have many\n\nrelationships as father, mother, wife or husband.\n\nWhatever relationship we find here is but a perverted\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0104": "Action in Knowledge of Kr�J..la\nreflection\n\nof\n\n95\n\nthe relationship we have with the\n\nSupreme Lord. Whatever we find in this material\n\nworld is born of the Absolute Truth, but here it is\n\npervertedly reflected in time. Whatever relationship\nwe have with Kr��Ja goes on. If we have a relation­\n\nship in friendship, that friendship is eternal and\n\ncontinues from life to life. In the material world, a\n\nfriendship exists for a few years and then breaks;\n\ntherefore it is called perverted, temporal, or unreal.\n\nIf we make our friendship with Kr��Ja, it will never\n\nbreak. If we make our master Kr��Ja, we will never\nbe cheated. If we love Kr��Ja as our son, He will never\n\ndie. If we love Krg1a as our lover, He will be the best\nof all, and there will be no separation. Because\n\nKr��Ja is the Supreme Lord, He is unlimited and has\n\nan unlimited number of devotees. Some are trying to\n\nlove Him as lover or husband, and therefore Kr;;l)a\naccepts this role.\n\nIn whatever way we approach\n\nKr��Ja, He will accept us, as He states in Bhagavad­\n\ngitii.\n\nye yathii miim prapadyante\ntiims tathaiva bhajiimy aham\nmama vartmanuvartante\nmanu.syiifl piirtha sarvasafl\n\"All of them-as they surrender unto Me-l reward\n\naccordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects,\n\n0 son of Prtha.\" (Bg. 4.11)\n\nThe gop\"\"is or cowherd girl friends of Kr��Ja under­\n\nwent tremendous penances in their previous lives to\n\nattain Kr��Ja as their husband. Similarly, in Sr\"\"imadBhiigavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami says that those boys\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0105": "96\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nwho were playing with Kr�IJ.a had undergone great\npenances and austerities in their previous lives in\norder to acquire Kr�Qa as a playmate. Thus the\nplaymates, associates and wives of Kr�IJ.a are not\nordinary living entities. Because we have no idea of\nKr�IJ.a\n\nconsciousness,\n\nwe\n\ntake\n\nHis\n\nactivities\n\nas\n\ntriflings, but actually they are sublime. All perfection\nof our desires is there; whatever desires we have\nconstitutionally will be perfectly fulfilled when we\nare in Kr�IJ.a consciousness.\nKr�IJ.a did not need any friends to play with Him,\nnor did He desire a single wife. We take on a wife\n·because we have some desire to fulfill, but Kr�Qa is\ncomplete in Himself (purr-am). A poor man may\ndesire to have a thousand dollars in the bank, but\na rich man who has millions has no such desire. If\nKr�Qa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why\nshould He have desires? Rather, He fulfills the desires\nof others. Man proposes and God disposes. If Kr�Qa\nhad any desire, He would be imperfect, for He would\nbe lacking something. Therefore He says that He has\nno desire to fulfill. As Y ogesvara, or as master of all\n\nyogis,\n\nwhatever He wills is immediately realized.\n\nThere is no question of desire. He becomes a husband\nor lover or friend just to fulfill the desires of His\ndevotees. If we accept Kr�Qa as friend, master, son or\nlover, we will never be frustrated. Every living entity\nhas a specific relationship with Kr�IJ.a, but at present\nthis relationship is covered. As we advance in Kr�IJ.a\nconsciousness, it will be revealed.\nAlthough the Supreme Lord is full and has nothing\nto do, He works in order to set an example. He is\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0106": "Action in Knowledge of Kr�Q.a\n\n97\n\nnot bound to His activities in the material world,\nand one who knows this also becomes free from\nreactional activities.\n\nevam jfiiitvii krtam karma\npurvair api mumuk�ubhi/:t\nkuru karmaiva tasmiit tvam\n\" purvai}J, purvataram krtam\n\"All the liberated souls in ancient times acted with\nthis understanding and so attained liberation. Therefore, as the ancients, you should perform your duty\nin this divine consciousness.\" (Bg. 4.15)\nThe process of Kr�l).a consciousness requires that\nwe follow in the footsteps of the great iiciiryas who\nhave attained success in spiritual life. If one acts\nby following the examples set by great iiciiryas, sages,\ndevotees and enlightened kings who have performed\n\nkarma-yoga in their lives, he shall also become free.\nOn the battlefield of Kuruk�etra, Arjuna was\nvery much afraid of being entangled in his activities\nby engaging in warfare. Kr�Q.a therefore assured him\nthat if he fought for His sake there would be no\npossibility of entanglement.\n\nkim karma kim akarmeti\nkavayo 'py atra mohitiiJ:t\ntat te karma pravak�yiimi\nyaj jfiiitvii mokflyase 'subhiit\n\"Even the intelligent are bewildered in determining\nwhat is action and what is inaction. Now I shall\nexplain to you what action is, knowing which you\nshall be liberated from all sins.\" (Bg. 4.16)\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0107": "98\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nPeople are actually confused as to what is work\n\n(karma) and what is not work (akarma). Kr�Q.a here\nindicates that even great scholars (kavaya/:t) are\nbewildered about the nature of work. It is necessary\n\nto know which activities are genuine and which are\n\nnot, which are bona fide and which are not, which\nare prohibited and which are not. If we understand\nthe principle of work, we can become free from\n\nmaterial bondage. It is therefore necessary to know\nhow to conduct work so that when we leave the\n\nmaterial body we will no longer be forced to take\n\nanother but will be free to enter into the spiritual\nsky. The principle of proper work is clearly stated\nby Sri Kr�IJ.a in the last verse of the Eleventh Chapter:\n\nmat-karma-krn mat-paramo\nmad-bhakta{l, sanga-varjita{l,\nnirvaira{l, sarva-bhutefou\nya{l, sa mam eti paru;lava\n\"My dear Arjuna, one who is engaged in My pure\n\ndevotional service, free from the contamination of\n\nprevious activities and from mental speculation, who\nis friendly to every living entity, certainly comes to\n\nMe.\" (Bg. 11.55)\n\nThis one verse is sufficient for understanding the\nessence of Bhagavad-gita. One must be engaged in\n\n\"My work.\" And what is this work? It is indicated·\nin the last instruction inBhagavad-g1ta in which Kr�Q.a\n\ntells Arjuna to surrender unto Him (Bg. 18.66).\n\nBy the example of Arjuna we are to learn that we\n\nshould only perform work which is sanctioned by\n\nKr�Q.a. This is the mission of human life, but we do\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0108": "Action in Knowledge of Kr�IJa\n\n99\n\nnot know it. Because of our ignorance we engage in\nso much work which is connected with the bodily\n\nor material conception of life. Kr�l)a wanted Arjuna\n\nto\n\nfight, and although Arjuna did not want to\n\nfight, he fought because Kr�l)a desired it. We have to\n\nlearn to follow this example.\n\nOf course Kr�l)a was present to tell Arjuna what\n\nhis work was, but what about us? Sri Kr�l)a was\npersonally directing Arjuna to act in such and such a\n\nway, but just because Kr�l)a is not personally present\n\nbefore us, we should not assume that there is no\n\ndirection.\n\nIndeed, there is direction. In the last\n\nchapter of Bhagavad-gitii the proper work which we\n\nare to perform is given.\n\nya idam paramam guh yam\nmad-bhakte§v abhidhiisyati\nbhaktim mayi pariim krtvii\nmiim evai�yaty asam�ayal}\nna ca tasman manu§ye§u\nkascin me priya-krttamal}\nbhavitii na ca me tasmiid\nanyal} priyataro bhuvi\n\"For one who explains the supreme secret to the\n\ndevotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the\n\nend he will come back to Me. There is no servant in\nthis world more dear to Me than he, nor will there\never be one more dear.\" (Bg. 18.68-69)\n\nIt is therefore incumbent upon us to preach the\n\nmethod of Bhagavad-gitii and make people Kr�J;ta\n\nconscious. People are actually suffering for want of\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0109": "100\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nKn;rya consciousness. We should all engage in spread­\n\ning the science of Kr�rya for the benefit of the whole\n\nworld. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu came with this\n\nmission of teaching Kr�rya consciousness, and He said\n\nthat regardless of one's position, if he teaches Kr�1.1a\nconsciousness he is to be considered a spiritual\n\nmaster. Both Bhagavad-gTtii and SrTmad-Bhiigavatam\n\nare filled with information on how to become Kr�rya\n\nconscious. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu selected these\ntwo books and requested that people in all corners\n\nof the world spread this science of Kr�rya in every\n\ntown and village. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu was\n\nKr�rya Himself, and we should take this to be Kr�rya's\n\nindication of our proper work. But we should be\n\ncareful to present Bhagavad-gTtii as it is, without\npersonal interpretation or motivation. Some people\n\npresent\n\ninterpretations of Bhagavad-gTtii,\n\nbut we\n\nshould present the words as they are spoken by Sri\nKr�rya.\n\nOne who works for Kr�rya may appear to be\n\nworking like anyone else in the material world, but\n\nthis is not the case. Arjuna may have fought just like\n\nan ordinary military man, but because he fought in\nKr�rya consciousness, he was free from the entangle­\n\nment of his activities. In this way, his work, although\nappearing material, was not material at all. Any\naction sanctioned by Kr�r:ta-regardless of what it\n\nmay be-has no reaction. Fighting may not be a\n\nvery nice thing, but sometimes, as in the case of the\n\nbattle of Kuruk�etra, it is an absolute necessity. On\n\nthe other hand, we may perform work which may\n\nbe very altruistic or humanitarian in the opinion\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0110": "Action in Knowledge of Kr�Qa\n\nl0 l\n\nof the world and yet be bound to material activity.\nSo it is not the action itself which is important but\nthe consciousness in which the action is carried out.\n\nkarmarto h y api boddhavyam\nboddhavyam ca vikarmarta�\nakarmartas ca boddhavyam\ngahanii karmarto gati�\n\"The intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what\naction is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction\nis.\" (Bg. 4.1 7)\nThe path of karma is very intricate; therefore we\nshould understand the distinctions between karma,\n\nakL\nJ rma and vikarma. If we simply engage in Kr�Qa\nconsciousness, everything becomes clear. Otherwise\nwe will have to make distinctions between what we\nshould do and what we should not do in order not\nto become entangled. In the ordinary course of\nlife we unknowingly break some law and have to\nsuffer\n\nthe\n\nconsequences.\n\nSimilarly,\n\nthe laws of\n\nnature are very strict and stringent, and they accept\nno excuse. It is a law of nature that fire burns, and\neven if a child touches it, he will be burned despite\nhis ignorance and innocence. Thus we have to choose\nour course of action very carefully lest the stringent\nlaws of nature react to bind us to suffering. It is\ntherefore necessary to understand what work to do\nand what work to avoid.\nThe word karma refers to prescribed duties. The\nword vikarma refers to activities which are against\none's prescribed duties. And the word akarma refers\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0111": "102\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nto activities which have no reaction at all. In the\nexecution of akarmic activities, there may appear to\nbe some reactions, but in actuality there are not.\nWhen we work under the directions of Kt�l).a, this is\nactually the case-there are no reactions. If we take\n\nit upon ourselves to kill someone, we are subj ect to\ncapital punishment by the state government. Our\nactions are then calkd vikarma, for they are against\nprescribed\n\nactions.\n\nIf,\n\nhowever,\n\nthe government\n\ndrafts us into the army, and we engage in battle and\nkill someone, we do not suffer the reactions, and\nthis is called akarma. In the one case we are acting\naccording to our own whims, and in the other we are\nacting\n\nunder\n\nthe\n\ndirection\n\nof\n\nthe\n\ngovernment.\n\nSimilarly, when we act under the direction of Kr�l).a,\nour actions performed are called akarma, for that\nkind of activity has no reaction.\nkarmal)y akarma ya� pasyed\nakarmapi ca karma ya�\nsa buddhiman manu�ye�u\nsa yukta� krtsna-karma-krt\n\"One who sees inaction in action, and action in\ninaction, is intelligent among men, and he is in the\ntranscendental position,\n\nalthough\n\nengaged\n\nin all\n\nsorts of activities.\" (Bg. 4.18)\nOne who can actually see that despite activities\nthere are no karmic reactions, who understands the\nnature of akarrna, actually sees things as they are.\nThe word akarmapi refers to one who is trying to\navoid the reactions of karma. By dovetailing his\nactivities in Kr�l).a consciousness, although one may\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0112": "Action in Knowledge of .l<r�?Qa\n\n103\n\nperform all kinds of activities, he is free. On the\nbattlefield of Kuruk�etra, Arjuna engaged in fighting,\nand those on the side of Duryodhana also engaged\nin fighting. We must understand how it is that Arjuna\nis free from reaction whereas Duryodhana is not.\nExternally we can see that both parties are engaged\nin fighting, but we should understand that Arjuna is\nnot bound by reactions because he is fighting under\nthe order of Kr�Qa. Thus when we see someone\nworking in Kr�t;la consciousness, we should understand that his work does not carry any reaction. One\nwho can see such work and understand it is to be\nconsidered\n\nvery\n\nintelligent\n\n(sa buddhimiin). The\n\ntechnique is not so much in seeing what a person is\ndoing but in understanding why he is doing it.\nActually Arjuna was engaged in very unpleasant\nactivity on the battlefield, but because he was in\nKr�Q.a consciousness, he suffered no reaction. We\nmay be performing some action which we may\nconsider to be very good work, but if we do not\nperform it in Kr�Qa consciousness we have to suffer\nthe reactions.\n\nFrom the material point of view,\n\nArjuna's initial decision not to fight was a good one,\nbut from the spiritual point of view it was not. When\nwe do pious work, we get certain results. We may\ntake a birth in a very good family, in the family of a\n\nbriihmaT}a or a wealthy man, we may become very\nrich\n\nor\n\nvery\n\nlearned,\n\nor\n\nwe\n\nmay become\n\nvery\n\nbeautiful. On the other hand, if we do impious work,\nwe may have to take birth in a low class family or\nanimal family, or become illiterate or foolish, or\nvery ugly. Although we engage in very pious work\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0113": "104\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\nand take a good birth, we will still be subject to the\n\nstringent laws of action and reaction. Our principal\naim should be to escape the laws of this material\n\nworld. If we don't understand this, we will become\n\nattracted by aristocratic families, wealth, or a good\neducation or a beautiful body. We should come to\n\nunderstand that despite having all these facilities for\n\nmaterial life, we are not free from birth, old age,\n\ndisease and death. To caution us of this, Sri Kr�I)a\n\nwarns in Bhagavad-gTtii:\n\niibrahma-bhuvaniillokii�\npunar iivartino 'rjuna\nmiim upetya tu kaunteya\npunar janma na vidyate\n\"From the highest planet in the material world down\n\nto the lowest, all are places of misery wherein re­\n\npeated birth and death take place.\" (Bg. 8.16)·\n\nEven on Brahmaloka, the highest planet in the\n\nmaterial univ�rse, repetition of birth and death are\n\nalso present. We have to go to Kr�Q a s planet in\n'\n\norder to be free from this. It may be very nice to be\n\na rich man or a beautiful man, but how long shall\nwe r�main such? That is not our permanent life.\nWe\n\nmay\n\nremain\n\nlearned, rich\n\nand beautiful for\n\nfifty, sixty or at most a hundred years, but real life\n\nis not for fifty or a hundred years, nor a thousand\n\nyears nor even a million years. w� are eternal, and\n\nwe have to attain our eternal life. That we have not\n\nattained it is our whole problem. That problem can\nbe solved when we are Kr�Qa conscious.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0114": "Action in Knowledge of Kr�f.la\n\n105\n\nIf we leave this material body in Kn>Q.a consciousness, we will no longer have to return to the material\nworld. The point is to avoid this material existence\naltogether. It is not a question of improving our\ncondition in the material world. In prison a man may\nwant to improve his condition to become a first\nclass prisoner, and the government may give him\nA-status, but no sane man will become satisfied by\nbecoming an A-class prisoner. He should desire to\nget out of the prison altogether. In the material\nworld some of us are A-class, B-class or C-class\nprisoners, but in any case we are all prisoners. Real\nknowledge does not consist in simply getting an MA\nor PhD but in understanding these basic problems of\nexistence.\n\nyasya sarve samiirambhii�\nkama-san kalpa-varjitii�\njniiniigni-dagdha-karmiiram\ntam iihu� par!Iitam budhii�\n\"One is understood to be in full knowledge whose\nevery act is devoid of desire for sense gratification.\nHe is said by sages to bt; a worker whose fruitive\naction is burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.\"\n(Bg. 4.19)\nThe word paTJ!Iitam means learned, and budhii�\nmeans well-versed. In the Tenth Chapter we also find\nthe word budhii[t in the verse budha bhiivasamanvitab (Bg. 10.8). According to Bhagavad-gita, one\nmay not be a learned man just because he has received a lot of education from a university. Bhagavad-\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0115": "Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\n106\n\ngTtii\n\nsays that he is a learned man who can see\n\neverything on an equal level.\n\nvidyii-vinaya-sampanne\nbrahmar-e gavi hastini\nsuni caiva svapake ca\npartflita� sama-darsina�\n\"The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees\nwith equal vision a learned and gentle briihma[ta, a\ncow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater (outcaste).\"\n(Bg. 5.18)\nIn\n\nIndia,\n\naccording\n\nto\n\nVedic\n\ncivilization,\n\na\n\nbriihmar-a who is learned is considered to be the topmost man in human society. The part{[ita, who is\nlearned and gentle, sees such a briihmarta on the\nsame level with a dog or an outcaste who eats dogs.\nIn other words, he sees no distinctions between the\nhighest and the lowest. Is this to say that being a\nlearned briihmarta is no better than being a dog? No,\nthat is not so. But the partflita sees them as the same\nbecause he does not see the skin but the spirit. One\nwho has learned the art of seeing the same spirit\nsoul within every living being is considered to be a\n\npaf){iita,\n\nfor in actuaiity every living being is a\n\nspiritual\n\nspark, part and parcel of the complete\n\nspirit whole. The spiritual spark is the same in all,\nbut it is covered by different dresses. An honored\nman may come in a very shabby dress, but this does\nnot mean that he should be dishonored. In Bhagavad­\n\ngTtii these material bodies are likened unto dresses\nwhich are worn by the spirit soul.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0116": "Action in Knowledge of Krt!t;ta\n\n107\n\nviisiimsi ftrriini yatha vihiiya\nnaviini grhriiti naro paniqi\ntathii sar\"iriiri vihiiya ftrriiny\nanyiini samyiiti naviini dehz\n\"As a person puts on new garments, giving up old\nones, similarly, the soul accepts new material bodies,\ngiving up the old and useless ones. \" (Bg. 2.22)\nWhenever we see any living entity we should think,\n\"Here is a spirit soul.\" Anyone who can understand\nsuch a spiritual vision of life is par;uJ.ita. Cal).akya\nPal).ljit gives\n\nthe\n\nstandard\n\nfor education or the\n\nqualification for a parflita in this way: \"The learned\nman sees all women, with the exception of his wife,\nas his mother; he sees all material possessions as\ngarbage in the street, and he looks on the sufferings\nof others as he would look on them in himself.\" Lord\nBuddha taught that we should not even hurt animals\nby word or deed. This is the qualification for a\n\npartflita, and this should be the standard of life. It is\ntherefore to be understood that one is to be con·\nsidered educated in accordance with his vision of life\nand his activity in accordance with that vision, not\nby his academic degrees. This is the understanding of\nthe word partflita from Bhagavad-g\"itii. Similarly, the\nword budhii� specifically refers to one who is well­\n\nversed in the study of scripture. The results of such\n\nrealization and scrip tural learning are thus described\nin Bhagavad-g\"itii:\naham sarvasya prabhavo\nmalta� sarvarit pmvartate\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0117": "-�-\n\n108\n\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\n\niti matvii bhajante miirh\nbudhii bhiiva sa man vitii�\n\"I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds.\nEverything emanates from Me. The wise who know\nthis perfectly engage in My devotional service and\nworship Me with all their hearts.\" (Bg. 10.8)\nThe well-versed person or budhii� is one who has\nunderstood that Kr�r;ta is the origin of all emanations.\nWhatever we happen to see is but an emanation of\nKr�r;ta. For millions and millions of years sunshine\nhas been emanating from the sun, and yet the sun is\nas it is. Similarly, all material and spiritual energies\nare coming from Kr�r;ta. As a result of knowing this,\none becomes a devotee of Kr�IJ.a.\nThus one who knows that he must work in Kn;r;ta\nconsciousness, who no longer desires to enj oy this\nmaterial\n\nworld,\n\nis\n\nactually learned. Everyone is\n\nworking in the material world due to lust (kiima), but\nthe wise man is free from the dictations of this lust\n\n(kiima-sankalpa-varjitii[t). How is this possible't\n]iiiiniigni-dagdha-karmiir;wm: the fire of knowledge\nburns up all reactions of sinful activities. It is the\nmost potent of purifiers. Our lives have meaning and\ndirection only in so far as we strive to attain this\ntranscendental knowledge of Kr�r;t a consciousness,\n\nriija-vidyii, whi c h is the king of all knowledge.\n\nl•,.t\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0118": "", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0119": "", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0120": "GLOSSAR.Y\nAham brahmasmi-the transcendental realization of\noneself to be spirit, not matter.\nAhimsa-nonviolence to all living entities.\nAkarma-activities which have no pious or sinful\nreactions.\nAnumara-evidence by hearing.\nArca-vigraha-the appearance of the Supreme Lord\nin a Deity form engraved from wood, stone or\nother matter.\nAnasu yu-nonenvious.\nAvatara-one who descends from the spiritual universe\n\ninto the material universe through his own\n\nwill .\nBhagavan-Kr�J;J.a, who possesses in full all opulencesknowledge,\n\nwealth,\n\npower,\n\nbeauty,\n\nfnme\n\nand\n\nrenunciation.\nBrahmacar'is-celibate students.\nDana-charity.\nJivas--individual souls.\nKala-eternal time.\nKarma-duties prescribed in the revealed scriptures.\nKarmis-fruitive laborers.\nKirtana-constant chanting of the glories of the Lord.\nMahatmas-great souls.\nI\n\ni\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0121": "'1\nGlossary\n\n112\n\nMu{lhas-foolish men who are lower than animals.\nMukti-liberation.\n\nParama-supreme.\n\nPrakrti-material nature.\n\nPrasiidam-food that has been offered to Krsna.\n. .\n\nPratyak§a-evidence by direct perception.\n\n.\n\nRiija-vidyii-the king of knowledge.\nSabda-the method of taking truths from a higher\nauthority.\n\nSiidhu-holy man.\nSakti-energy.\n\nSamsiira-the cycle of birth and death.\nTapasya-penance.\nVikarma-activities\nscribed duties.\n\nYajl'ia-sacrifice.\n\nwhich\n\nare against\n\nYogesvara-Kr�1_1a, the master of all yogis.\n\n�o..LU.•\n\n(\n\none's\n\npre­\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0122": "INDEX\nAnimals\neat, sleep, mate and defend,\n35-36\nfoolish men lower than, 37\nArjuna\nas non-envious, 3-4\nfought under order of\nKr�I].a, 103\nhis qualification as Kr�I].a's\nfnend, 49-52\nKr�I].a displayed universal\nform to, 45\nAtheists\nas madmen and fools, 37\ntheir aspirations baffled,\n39,40\nBhagavad-gita\n\nas prime scripture for modern world, 14\nas supreme principle of religion, 19\nbodies compared to dresses\nin, 106-107\ndescribes many yoga systems, 49\nGandhi's interpretation of,\n51\n'\ngives standard for mahatma, 42\nimparted to sun-god, 47\nNinth Chapter meant for\ndevotees, 22\non fools who deride Kr�!].a,\n37\non king of education, 4-5\non Kr�Qa's appearance, 6061\non Kr�I].a's partiality to devotees, 69\non\nmiserable\nmaterial\nworld, 104\nopening words of Ninth\nChapter quoted, 1\n\nBhakti-yoga\n\nas process of glorification,\n37\nas process of purifying\nsenses, 38\nSee also Krsna consciousness, Dev�tional service\nBody, material\nas cause of forgetfulness,\n61\nas perishable, 62\ncompared to dress, 106107\ngiven by nature's arrangement, 93-94\nBrahman\nactivities of, 42-43\nhuman life meant to mquire about, 35-36\nBuddha\nestablished principles of\nnonviolence, 68\nCaitanya Mahaprabhu\naccepts autliority of Bhagavad-gita, 1 9\nKr�I].a's appearance as, 13\npropagated chanting of\nHare Kr��ta mantra, 9,\n13,43,88\nselected Gita and Bhagavatam, 100\nCa!].akya Par.H;lita\non standard for education,\n107\nCharity\ndefined, 10\nCreation\nGod present everywhere in,\n22-23\nKr�I].a as source of, 27-28\nresting on Kr�I].a-shine, 2324\nwinding up of, 33-34\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0123": "114\n\nIndex\n\nDeath\neverything finished at, 6\nno one takes it seriously,\n20-21\nDeity worship\nexplained, 28-29\nDemigods\nsubservient to Kt�l}.a, 45\nDevotees\nKt�J}.a partial to His, 68- 69\nKt�J;la's potencies give pleasure to, 24\nNinth Chapter of GTta\nmeant for, 22\nsatisfied with hearing of\nKt�l}.a, 16\nSee also Spiritual master,\n\nMahatmas\n\nDevotional service\nnine processes of, 15\nsenses spiritualized through,\n28\nSee also Krsna consciousness, Bhakti-yoga\nDisciplic succession\nknowlede:e through, 47-59\nSee also Spiritual master\nEducation\nmany gradations of in material world, 7-8\nEnergy\nknowledge of Kt�J;la's, 2234\nKrsna nondifferent from\n·His, 23\nliving beings belong to superior, 23\nmahatmas take shelter of\nsuperior, 42\nmaterial world as inferior,\n63\nFaith\nin bona fide spiritual master, 84-87\n\nGandhi, Mahatma\nhis interpretation of GTta,\n51\n\nGod\nSee Krsna\nGopala Kr�J;la (Deity)\nstory of two brahmaras\nand, 29-32\n\nGuru\n\nSee\n\nSpiritual master\n\nHappiness\nm Kt�J}.a unlimited, 40-41\nnone for doubting soul, 8586\nnone for fruitive workers,\n39,40-41\nHare Krsna mantra\nSee Jiidhamantra\nHearing\nas source of perfect knowlede:e, 43-46\nHuman 1ife\nmeant to inquire about\nBrahman, 35-36\nIncarnations\nknowledge of Kt�J;la's, 6070\npurpose of Kt�l)a's, 66-70\nIndra\ncursed to become hog, 59\nJesus Christ\nas son of God, 65\nKali-yuga\nas age of ignorance and\nchaos, 10-ll\ncharacteristics of people in,\n12-13\nKnowle �e\naction m, 93-108\nascending and descending,\n43-44\nas faith in guru, 71-92\nas the best sacrifice, 71-72\nbeyond samsara, 15-21\nburns all doubts to ashes,\n78-79\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0124": "Index\n\n115\n\nby way of mahatmas, 35-\n\nsitting in our hearts as guru,\n\nmaterial does not endure,\n\nKrsna consciousness\n·�sa religion, 18-19\nas a science, 15\nas ehanting, dancing, feastmg, 7, 15-17\nas revival of our spiritual\nbody, 62\nas topmost of knowledge,\n\n46\n\n7\n\nof Km1a's energies, 22-34\nof Kr�l).a's incarnations, 6070\n\npossible only for humans,\n14\n\npractical and theoretical, 4\nspiritual gained by surrender, 4-5\ns piritual never lost, 7\nthe king of, 1-14\nthree methods of acquiring,\n54-55\n\nthrough disciplic succession, 47-59\nKrsna\n· �s cause of all causes, 36\nas most perfect authority,\n\n73\n\n4-5\n\nbegins with hearing and\nchanting, 73\nnullifies sinful reactions,\n13\n\npeople suffering for want\nof, 99-100\nrequires following acaryas,\n\n97\nSee also Bhakti-yoga, Devo­\n\ntional service\n\n54-56\n\nas source of creation, 27-28\nas supreme prop rietor, 2-3\nas ultimate goal of spiritual\nscience, 87-88\nclaims everyone as His son,\n64\n\ndisp layed universal form to\nArjuna, 45\ndoesn' t change His body,\n60-65\n\nhas nothing to desire, 94\nHis appearance as Lord\nCaitanya, 13\nHis rising just like the sun,\n63\n\nLiberation\nas freedom from designations, 67-68\nsigns of, 10-ll\nLiving beings\nall bound by karma, 93-94\nall maintained by Kr�l).a,\n27-28\n\nas eternal, 62\nas part and Earcel of Kr�l).a,\n12, 16, 18, 44-45, 66,\n82,92,106\n\nbelong to superior energy,\n23\n\nknowledge of His energies,\n\nby nature render service,\n\nnondifferent\nfrom\nHis\nenergy, 23\nnondifferent\nfrom\nHis\nname, 16\npartial to His devotees, 68-\n\nforgetfulness is their nature, 60-61\nKr�l).a as Father of, 64\nmoving and non-moving, 9\nsubject to four defects, 44\ntransmigration of, 58-59\nSee also Soul\n\n22-34\n\n69\n\npossesses all opulences, 1\n\n67\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0125": "116\n\nIndex\n\nMahabharata\n\ngives history of earth, 48-\n\n49\nMahamantra\n\npropagated\n\nby\n\nCaitanya\n\nMahaprabhu, 9, 13,43, 88\npurifies senses, 38\nto escape ocean of illusion,\n16\nMahatmas (great souls)\nknowledge by way of, 35-\n\n46\n\nnot under control of material nature, 41-42\nunder protection of divine\nnature, 35\n\nSee also Devotees, Spiritual\nmaster\nMaterial world\nacts under guidance of\nKmta, 26-27\nas inferior energy , 63\ncompared to pnson, 105\ndeterioration of, 69-70\nhappiness temporary in,\n\n4U-4l .\n\nmany grades of education\nin, 7-8\npurest knowledge in, 82\ntemporary, 34\nNarada Muni\nand the cobbler and brahmana, 24-26\non natural resources, 90-\n\n91\n\nNaraya'.la\nSee Kr�I;�a\n\nPastimes of Krsna\ncannot be i;Ditated, 24\nReligion\ngoal of is God consciousness, 15-16, 18-19\n\nSanatana Gosvami\ninquired about real education, 8\nSoul\nas imperishable, 62\ncan\ntravel wherever he\nlikes, 80-81\ncovered by different dresses, 106\nSee also Living beings\nSpiritual master\nignites fire of knowledge,\n\n79\n\n. of\nhearing\nimportance\nfrom, 43-46\nknowledge as faith in, 71-\n\n92\n\nknows science\n\n87-88\n\nof Kr�I;�a,\n\nKr�I;�a as original, 73-74\nnever claims to be God, 45\nSee also Devotees, Mahat-\n\nmas\nSri -ls.Qp mi�ad\n!\nproprietorship of Kr�I;�a,\non\n\n2-3 90\nSrimad-Bhiigavatam\n\ndescribes people in this age,\n\n12-13\n\nrecognized by Indian sages,\n\n3\n\nseed for spiritual communism in, 90\n\nSurrender\n\nto Kr�I;�a, as knowledge, 4-\n\n5,71-92\n\nTransmigration\nliberation from bondage of,\n\n79-80\n\nnondevotees subject to, 18\npresent on all planets, 104\nVedanta-sutra\nbeginning injunction of, 76\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0126": "Index\non purpose of human life,\n35-36\nVisnu Puriina\n\n'on Kmui 's energy, 23\n\nYoga\n\nas linking our consciousness to God, 49-50\n\n117\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0127": "OTHER BOOKS\nby His Divine Grace\nA.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\n\nBhagavad-glta As It Is\nSrlmad-Bhagavatam, Cantos 1-3 (6 Vols.)\nTeachings of Lord Caitanya\nThe Nectar of Devotion\nSri Tsopani�ad\nEasy Journey to Other Planets\nKr�Qa Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System\nKr�Qa, The Supreme Personality of Godhead (2 Vols.)\nTranscendental Teachings of Prahlad Maharaj\nTranscendental Teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu\n/-\n\nKr�Qa the Reservoir of Pleasure\nThe Perfection of Yoga\nBeyond Birth and Death\nOn the Way to Kr�Qa\nRaja-vidya: The King of Knowledge\nElevation to Kr�Qa Consciousness\nLord Caitanya in Five Features\nBack to Godhead Magazine (Founder)\n\nA complete catalogue is available upon request.\n\nISKCON Books\n3959 Landmark Street\nCulver City, California 90230\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0128": "----� ...\n..........,\n\n��:�--=:=:.: - ...\n\n..�;,::;�;_�...\n\n..\n\nill\n\nBHAGAVAD-GITA AS IT IS\nHis Divine Grace\nA.C.BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPADA\n\"When one is enlightened\nwith the knowledge by which\nnescience is destroyed,\nthen his knowledge reveals everything,\nas the sun lights up everything\nin the daytime.\n\n.\n-516\n\"sh agavad-gt�ta\n\nAvailable from:\nISKCON BOOKS 3959 Landmark Street\nCulver City, California 90230\nSoftcover $4.95\n\nHardcover $10.95\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0129": "�\n\nISKCON CENTERS\nAROUND THE WORLD\nISKCON is a worldwide community of devotees dedicated to the\nprinciples of bhaktijloga. Write,call,or visit for further information.\nClasses are held in the evenings during the week,\nand a special feast and festival is held every Sunday afternoon.\nAFRICA: Capetown, S. Africa-150 Long St., Weiner Bldg., Room H 21; Nairobi,\nKenya-P.O. Box 28946 (E. Africa)\nTHE AMERICAS: Atlanta, Georgia-24 NE 13th St. 30309/ (404) 892·9042; Austin,\nTexas-1003 E. 14th St. 78702/ (512) 476-1558; Baltimore, Mar land-516 Cathe·\ndral St. 21201; Boston, Massachusetts-40 N. Beacon St. 02134 (617) 782-8892;\nBuenos Aires, Argentina-E cuador # 473; Buffalo, New York-132 Bidwell Pkwy.\n14222/ (716) 882-0281; Caracas, Venezuela-Apartado 4345, Zona Postal 101/\n51·44·38; Chicago, lllinois-1014 Emerson St., Evanston 60201/ (312) 475-9126;\nCleveland, Ohio-15720 Euclid Ave., E. Cleveland 44112/ (216) 451-0418; Dallas,\nTexas-5430 Gurley St. 75223/ (214) 827-6330; Denver, Colorado-1400 Cherry St.\n80220/ (303) 333·5461; Detroit, Michigan-8311 E. jefferson Ave. 48214/ (313)\n824-6000; Gainesville, Florida-1104 N.W. 3rd Avenue 32601; Honolulu, Hawaii2016 McKinley St. 96822/ (808) 949·9022; Houston, Texas-707 Hawthorne St.\n77006/ (713) 526·0475; Laguna Beach, California-641 Ramona Ave. 92651/ (714)\n494-9172; Los Angeles, California-3764 Watseka Ave. 90034/ (213) 871-0717;\nMexico City, Mexico-Gobernador Tiburcio, Montiel No. 45, San Miguel, Mexico\nCity 18/ (905) 515·4242; Miami, Florida-4001 Kumquat Ave., Coconut Grove\n33133/ (305) 448-7893; Montreal, Canada-3720 Park Ave., Montreal 130, Quebec/\n(514) 849-4319; New Orleans, Louisiana-2936 Esplanade Ave. 70119/ (504) 488·\n1313;New Vrindavana, W. Virginia-RD No. 3, Moundsville 26041/ (304) 845-2790;\nNew York, New York-439 Henry St., Brooklyn 11231/ (212) 596-9658;Philadelphia,\nPennsylvania-641 E. 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Sree Mayapur Dham, W. Bengal (District Nadia); New\nDelhi, lndia-66 Babar Road, Bengali Market; Tokyo, japan-3-4-18, Shimo.Qchiai\nShinjuku-ku/ 593-3603; Vrndavana, lndia-Radha·Damodar Temple, Seva Kunj,\nMathura, U.P.; Vrndivana, India-Raman Reti, Mathura, U.P.\nAUSTRALIA: Adelaide, Australia-254 A Rundle Street, Adelaide, S.A.; Auckland,\nNew Zealand-67 Gribblehirst Rd., Mt. Albert/ 668·666; Brisbane, Australia-47\nMary St., Queensland 4000;Canberra, Australia-104 Linestone Ave., Ainslie, A.C.T.;\nMelbourne, Australia-14 Burnett St., St. Kilda, Victoria 3182; Perth, Australia-500\nFitzgerald St., N. Perth, W.A. 6006; Suva, Fiji-c/o So. Seas Store, P.O. Box 268;\nSydney, Australia-12 Wallaroy Crescent, Double Bay, Sydney, N.S.W.\nEUROPE: Amsterdam, Holland-Bethanienstraat 39 (C)/ 020-253160; Berlin, W.\nGermany-1 Berlin 65, Holzstr. 11/ 491-21-33; Edinburgh, Scotland-14 . Forrest\nRoad (U.K.)/ 031·225-4797; Geneva, Switzerland-9, chemin du Credo, 1213 Petit\nLaney/ 022·92·1318; Hamburg, W. Germany-2 Hamburg 54, Kapitelbuschweg 20/\n570-53-82; Heidelberg, W. Germany-69 Heidelberg 1, Karlsruherstr. 31/ 31354;\nLondon, England-7 Bury Place, Bloomsbury WC1/ 01-242-0394; London, EnglandBhaktivedanta Manor, Letchmore Heath, Herts, Near Radlett; Munich, W. Germany8042 Oberschleissheim, Dr. Hoffmeister Str. 7 (Munchen)/ 3150421; Paris, France4 rue Le Sueur, 75016 Paris/ 727.02.02; Stockholm, Sweden-Solhagavagen 22,\n16352 Spanga.\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0130": "", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0131": "��This knrn,yledge is the king of education,\nthe most secret of all secrets.\nIt is the purest\nknowledge, and because\nit gives direct\nperception of the\nself bv realization,\nit is the perfection\nof religi1\nIt is\nand it is\n·\n\n·\n\n", "1973_Raja-Vidya_The_King_of_Knowledge#p0132": ""}