Search For Sri Krishna Reality The Beautiful - Chapter Five

Knowledge above mortality is knowledge proper. Mundane knowledge has no value, for it does not endure. We must inquire elsewhere for permanent knowledge. Real knowledge is stable; it has a firm foundation, and Vedic education deals with how to acquire that knowledge. The meaning of the word veda is “Know.” No rhyme or reason is shown why you should know, and no explanation is given: simply “Know.”

Because doubt is absent in the spiritual plane, no cheating is possible. It is a simple, direct transaction–“Know.” In that transcendental plane, everyone is a confidential friend, and they are stainless in their conduct. No cheating tendency is possible there, so there is no suspicion. Here, we are in the plane of misunderstanding and doubt, so we want to examine everything. We are living in a vulnerable and vitiated plane, where people cheat one another. We cannot rely on others, for they may deceive us. But where cheating is unknown, transactions are very simple and straightforward. So, no reason is given for suggestions that come down from that plane. Now, the question arises how to attain that sort of true, comprehensive, and non-deceptive knowledge? In the Bhagavad-gītā  (4.34) Kṛṣṇa says:

“To learn knowledge above mortality you must approach a self-realized soul, accept him as your spiritual master and take initiation from him. Inquire submissively, and render service unto him. Self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you, for they have seen the truth.”

We have to approach the domain of knowledge with self-surrender, honest inquiry, and a serving attitude. We have to approach that plane with the mentality of slavery. Higher knowledge will not serve a person of lower status. If we want perfect knowledge at all, we will have to serve the Supreme Lord. He will use us for His own purpose; not that we will use Him. We may be subjects in this mundane world, but we will have to become objects to be handled by the superknowledge of that plane. If we want to connect with that higher knowledge, we must approach with this attitude.

Praṇipāta means that I have finished my experience here; I have no charm or aspiration for anything in this world. Then there is paripraśna, or honest, submissive, and humble inquiry with sincere eagerness, and not with a challenging mood; otherwise perfect knowledge won’t care to descend to us. Kṛṣṇa is already full in Himself, so we have to enter His domain only to fulfil His purpose. He can’t be subservient to us, for we are tiny persons with meager experience and a conception of mean fulfilment. We cannot handle Him; we can approach Him only if we like to be handled by Him. So, such a favorable environment should be created where real knowledge is to be cultivated. That knowledge is supreme, and cannot be subservient to the mundane conception, the world of mortality. It is sat-chid-ānanda. Sat means unassailable existence, chit means consciousness, and ānanda means beauty and pleasure.

“I must try to relieve myself of my present material miseries and inquire after a proper land where I can live happily.” Having come to this conclusion, we will have to search for a person who is a bonafide agent of the higher world and consult with him about how we can be relieved from this present undesirable environment. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.3.21) it is said:

“What is the conception of real good, and who is considered to be a bonafide agent of the truth? One who has knowledge of the scripture that has descended from the upper domain, who has theoretical as well as practical knowledge of higher truth, must be approached by a bonafide inquirer, for such a qualified spiritual master can impart proper knowledge to the sincere student.” In the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (1.2.12) it is also stated:

“In order to learn transcendental knowledge, one must approach a genuine spiritual master coming in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth.”

In this verse, the word tata means “after this.” When one’s calculation is finished, he thinks, “Life is not worth living here in this world of birth, death, old age, and disease. I must have a better world in which to live, where I can live as a gentleman. At every moment death is devouring everything. Birth, death, old age, and disease – all these troubles prevent me from fulfilling my ambitions here. I want something categorically different.” At that time, taking the responsibility on his own shoulders, without giving any trouble to the Guru, and at the risk of poverty, ill-feeding, and so many other hardships, he will approach the Guru. It is a free transaction. Not that he will give something to Gurudeva, but he will collect what is necessary for sacrifice, for education, and at his own risk he will approach the spiritual master.

And what will be the position of the Guru? He will be well-versed in the Scriptures, the śruti-śāstra, or that knowledge which can only be acquired through the medium of sound, by attentive earnest hearing (śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham).

Brahmā niṣṭham means, “One who is established in brahman, spirit, and who is acquainted with the causal position of the universe.” That is described in the Upaniṣads:

“The Supreme Brahman is the origin and shelter of all living beings. When there is a creation, He brings them forth from their original state, and at the time of annihilation, He devours them. After creation, everything rests in His omnipotence, and after annihilation, everything again returns to rest in Him.” These are the confirmations of the Vedic hymns.

“By knowing Him, everything is known; by getting Him, everything is gained.” We have come to inquire about Brahman, the biggest, the all-accommodating principle by knowing which we can know anything and everything. And it is possible; it is not impossible. The Upaniṣads say, “If you want to know anything, then know the whole. And what is the nature of the whole? Everything is coming from Him, everything is being maintained by Him, and again everything enters into Him. That is Brahman; so try to know that. If you can know that, everything will be known to you.”

This is also explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (4.31.14):
yathā taror mūla-niṣechanena
tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ
prāṇopahārāch cha yathendriyāṇāṁ
tathaiva sarvārhaṇam achyutejyā

“Just as if you pour water onto the root of a tree, the whole tree is fed, and just as when you supply food to the stomach, the whole body is fed, so if you can gain knowledge of the prime cause, Brahman, then you can know anything and everything.” Faith in this is called śraddhā.

The Vedānta-sūtra, the very gist of the Vedas, says athāto brahmā jijñāsa: “Now that you have finished with the fruitive activities recommended in the karma-kāṇḍa section of the Vedas by Jaimini, we ask you to inquire about Brahman.”

That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.1) janmādy asya yato ’nvayād itarataś chārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāt: “Friends, let us inquire into the prime cause, whose nature is such that whatever we can see, and whatever we can conceive of, springs from Him. He is the ultimate cause of everything, both directly and indirectly.”

Only He knows the purpose for which all things are created and maintained. Only He knows where all things will go. Only He is aware of that fact –no one else.

Artheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāt, means that He knows the meaning of every incident in existence and that He is above giving any explanation to others. He is not responsible to any law or to anyone else. He is absolute and independent.

And how do we know that? He has extended knowledge of Himself through the Vedas. Brahma means Veda. So, by the line of inspiration, or revelation, Vedic knowledge was transmitted to the first living being, the creator of the world, Lord Brahmā (tene bṛahma hṛdā ya ādi kavaye). The scholars of the world fail to understand the strategy and nature of that sort of knowledge. They cannot follow the vital and fundamental points of Vedic knowledge, such as the transformation of one thing into another (muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ). Water may be transformed into gas, gas may be transformed into ether, earth may be transformed into heat: by such a process, we can understand the existence of this world (tejo vāri mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra tri-sargo ’mṛṣā), for by the transformation of the Lord’s energy, this world comes into being. This transformation involves the three mode of nature; tamas, rajas, and sattva. Tama means hard, static matter. Raja means energy, and sattva means spirit, light, knowledge. So, by transformation this world has been created.

In His abode, which is illumined by the ray of His own knowledge, there is no possibility of deception or misunderstanding. (dhāmnā svena sadā nirasta-kuhakaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi).

Here, we are being deceived through misunderstanding. We have entered a plane of existence where the whole world is full of misconception, falsity, and miscalculation. We are presently living in the world of māyā. Māyā means mā-yā: “What is not.” I am seeing something which is really something else.

Īśāvāsyam –everything is meant for God. That is the Hegelian theory: reality is by itself and for itself. Hegel is the founder of Ideal Realism, so he says, “Reality is by itself and for itself.” “By itself,” means that He is His own cause; no one has created Him. Otherwise, whoever had created Him would have primary importance. “For itself,” means that God exists only to fulfil His own purpose. This is the universal truth: everything is for Him, and nothing is for anyone else. So, when we think that the things around us are meant for us, or for our nation, or for the human beings, this is all a false calculation, and knowledge based on such a miscalculation has its reaction.

“To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” I am eating something; it is entitled to eat me. In the Manu Saṁhitā, the word māṁsaḥ is used to indicate meat. Māṁ means “Me,” saḥ means “he.” Māṁsaḥ means “me-he.” What is the meaning? I am eating him; and he will eat me afterwards as a reaction. He is entitled to devour me, as I am at present devouring him. This is the underlying meaning–every action, whatever it is, has its reaction. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā  (3.9):

“Unless work is done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu, one’s own work will be the cause of bondage; therefore work on My behalf, and free yourself from the chain of action and reaction.” Bhagavad-gītā  says that any work, no matter what it is, causes a reaction. For example, you may nurse a patient. Apparently, it is a good thing, but you are giving the patient medicine that comes from killing so many insects, trees, creepers, and animals. You may think that your nursing is a very pure duty, but you are causing a disturbance in the environment, and you will have to pay for that. In this way, whatever we do here cannot be perfectly good. The German philosopher Kant has said, “Without good will, no action can be perfectly good.” But we are of the opinion that even good will is impossible here in this mundane plane. According to Kant, good will is a pure thing, whereas no action here can be perfect, but we say that even good will is impossible in the relative calculation of the world, because we are plodding in the mud of misunderstanding.

Pure knowledge comes only from above, and we have to learn to accept that. When that sort of understanding comes within us, it is known as śraddhā, or faith. Faith is also a great thing. We should have faith that if we do our duty towards the absolute, then all our duties to the environment in all directions are automatically done (Kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva karma kṛta haya). By satisfying Kṛṣṇa, the whole universe becomes satisfied, for one who is dear to Kṛṣṇa is dear to the whole universe (yasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭam prīṇite prīṇito jagat). Just as by watering the root of the tree all the leaves and branches are automatically nourished, by fulfilling one’s duty towards Lord Kṛṣṇa all one’s duties are automatically fulfiled.

Everything is meant for Kṛṣṇa. We are also meant for Him (īśāvāsyaṁ idaṁ sarvaṁ). This is true knowledge, and this is the true situation of the world. Exploitation is an incomplete and reactionary idea for which we incur a debt that we shall later have to pay. We may go to Satyaloka, the highest planet in the material universe, but by exploiting nature, we incur a debt, become heavy, and go down. And when we go down, others come to exploit and extort us until our debts are paid. Then the heaviness goes, and we become light and go upward to the higher planetary systems again. And when we go up, we exploit those who are in a lower position. In this way, there is continual exploitation and clearance of debt. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā  (8.16):

“All planetary systems within this world of matter are places of repeated birth and death, but one who attains My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.” Upon going there, one never returns to this material world (yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama). Kṛṣṇa’s abode is nirguṇa, or transcendental to any material quality.

We must firmly establish the conception of īśāvāsyaṁ: everything, including ourselves, is meant for the Supreme Lord. We are all His servants, and we are meant to utilize everything in His service. Any work we perform will bind us in this environment of matter, unless we perform yajña, sacrifice (yajñārthāt karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ). And the Vedas enjoin, yajño vai viṣṇu: “Sacrifice is meant exclusively for Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa.” This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā  (9.24), where Kṛṣṇa says, “I am the only enjoyer of every sacrifice.” (ahaṁ hi sarva-yajñānāṁ bhoktā cha prabhur eva cha). Sacrifice is not meant for the country, or for the society, or for anything else. Sacrifice is meant only for the Supreme Lord. No one less than He is worthy of sacrifice. So, only by connecting our activities with the infinite can we be freed from the present environment of action and reaction.

When knowledge comes in connection with the absolute, it loses its filthy characteristic. Then we can have full knowledge, which will lead us to prema-bhakti, love of God. Everything is meant for Kṛṣṇa. He is the only enjoyer of everything. He is the absolute autocrat, and He is the absolute good. We are all His servants, and everything is meant for His satisfaction. We must come to this understanding. The Guru-kula system of Vedic education should be conceived in this line.

Guru means “heavy.” Guru means “one who dispels the darkness,” and “who is heavy, who cannot be moved by any proposal.” He is so well-established in the truth that no offer of alternative knowledge, or any other proposal, can move him from his position. He is firm there. He can help the laghu, the people who are very light; those whom anyone can handle like dolls of play. But the Guru can never be moved from his position. He will sit tight there, heavier than the Himalayas, and face all fleeting conceptions of knowledge, breaking them right and left, and establishing the universal characteristic of absolute knowledge. He will impart knowledge of the Absolute Truth, Brahman, the supreme whole, dispelling all misconceptions and establishing knowledge of the absolute upon the throne of the heart. This is the conception of Guru-kula, the Vedic system of education of ancient India.

The Vedic system of education deals with knowledge proper–not half-knowledge, but knowledge of the whole, which can deliver us from all troubles and guide us to the most desirable position. Nowadays, we can sell knowledge, but this knowledge cannot be sold. Intellectual knowledge can be taken into the market, but this knowledge cannot be taken into the market, for this is absolute knowledge. Vedic knowledge gives us our fulfilment of life, attaining which we will no longer feel the necessity to run here and there for any greater knowledge.

Previously, that knowledge was taught within the Guru-kula, the ancient Vedic school. Vedic knowledge means knowledge which comes from outside the area of misunderstanding, miscalculation, and false historiography. The books recorded here are filled with temporary truths and misconceptions. Such things may be useful now, but after some time, it won’t work; mundane law will have no position, and everything will be dissolved. The Earth will be dissolved. Matter will be dissolved, and we won’t be able to trace any quality of matter when everything is reduced to ether. No trace of air, or heat, or anything else will remain in any way. With the dissolution of this mundane world, nothing will remain but transcendental knowledge.

In the Bhagavad-gītā  (15.6) Kṛṣṇa says, “One who reaches My abode never returns to this material world (yad gatvāna nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama). The dissolution will go on in the plane of the material world, but if you can secure a visa for that land, if you can enter into that soil, you will never be mishandled. When the sun, moon, and stars are all dissolved, your eternal self, your devotional ego, will be quite safe in My plane.” The material world is the land of exploitation; the spiritual world is the opposite–the land of dedication. In the middle there is the brahmajyoti: the line of demarcation between exploitation and dedication.

Here in this material world, every unit is of an exploiting nature; there it is just the opposite. Everything there is wholly dedicated to the service of Kṛṣṇa, and there is no want of anything, rather whatever is necessary to make service to Kṛṣṇa possible comes automatically. Here, everything is based on kāma, desire, so real service is not possible in this plane.

There is no possibility of exploitation existing in the land of dedication, for every unit there is a dedicating one. In the lower portion of the land of dedication there is some calculation, some awe and reverence. But in the higher sphere, it is all automatic spontaneous love: a labor of love, with increased intensity and earnestness. And we are only charmed by the beauty and love that is found in Goloka Vṛndāvana, the supreme abode of Kṛṣṇa. In a nutshell, this is what we understand by the grace of our spiritual masters. We are very much attracted by this conception which has been given to us by our Gurudeva as he has received it from the Vedic Scriptures, especially the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This has been explained by Śrī Chaitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, by His teachings and practices, and this conception has been expounded by His followers, the Six Goswāmīs of Vṛndāvana.