1974-12-17_Mumbai_SP_SB 3.26.

5__Crazy Fellows
And Colorful Life_HDG SP
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.26.5
Type: Srimad-Bhagavatam

Date: Dec. 17, 1974

Location: Bombay

Prabhupāda: [chants jaya rādhā-mādhava.]

[00:13] [break]
Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo
bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse,
etc.]
guṇair vicitrāḥ sṛjatīṁ
sa-rūpāḥ prakṛtiṁ prajāḥ
vilokya mumuhe sadyaḥ
sa iha jñāna-gūhayā
[SB 3.26.5]
[break] [03:58]
"Divided into varieties by her threefold modes, material nature creates the
forms of the living entities, and the living entities, seeing this, are illusioned by
the knowledge-covering feature of the illusory energy."

Prabhupāda:
guṇair vicitrāḥ sṛjatīṁ
sa-rūpāḥ prakṛtiṁ prajāḥ
vilokya mumuhe sadyaḥ
sa iha jñāna-gūhayā
[SB 3.26.5]
Living entities, they have knowledge. That is the difference between matter and
living entities. Living entities, they have got knowledge. The dull matter still requires
to be developed. They are also covered knowledge. There is knowledge, but it is
covered. Just like the tree = it is also a living entity, but the knowledge is more
covered than the moving living entities. There are two kinds of living entities =
moving and not moving, sthāvara-jaṅgama. Sthāvara means standing, cannot move,
and jaṅgama means moving. So jaṅgama is better than this sthāvara. And amongst
the sthāvara, there are varieties. The insects, ants, reptiles, serpents, they are
also jaṅgama. But one is better than the other, one is better than the other, and finally
we come to this position, human being, moving, but better than all the lower animals,
insects. Development, development of consciousness. But originally we are all pure
living entities. We are contaminated by the modes of material nature. The more we
are contaminated, our consciousness is covered. Therefore it is said, guṇair vicitrāḥ.
Vicitrāḥ means varieties. Why there are varieties? The varieties are because
according to our association with the different material modes of nature,
therefore there are varieties. There are 8,400,000 varieties of forms simply on account
of different type of association. Bhagavad-gītā also says, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu [Bg. 13.22]. So many varieties of living entities in this material
world, they are due to guṇair vicitrāḥ, by the different qualities, mixture of qualities.
So on the gross estimation the mixture is sattva, rajas, tamas, the first mixture. So this
mixture has to be analyzed and separated. Just like in printing there is color
separation process, it is also like that, color separation process. The sattva-guṇa, rajo-
guṇa, tamo-guṇa, now mixed up by expert management, by expert process they can
be separated, and we can come purely on the sattva-guṇa platform. And as soon
as we come to the sattva-guṇa platform, then we can see things
as they are. Chindanti sarva-saṁśayaḥ. When we are in the mixed-
up qualities, then mumuhe, then we are bewildered.
Just like at the present moment the human society cannot understand what is God.
Cannot understand. Mumuhe. It is the chance, human form of life, to
understand God, and therefore śāstra, Vedānta, says atha, athāto
brahma jijñāsā: "Now you inquire about Brahman." Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata
prāpya varān nibodhata [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.14] = "Why you are sleeping again? This
is a chance." There is a very good example, that some people, they keep that kit-
kit[?] bird, and they are trained up to walk on the field and again come in the cage. So
the master gives him the chance, "Now, get out. Come in the free field." So if he likes,
he can go away, fly away. But his attraction is so acute that after some times walking
on the field, again the master says, "kit, kit, kit, kit," again he enters. He could fly
away. This is a chance.
Similarly, the mother material nature, or Durgā-devī... Durgā means the
superintendent of this prison house, material, Durgā. Dur-gā: "You cannot
go out." That is called durgā. Durgā means fort also. Very difficult, dur-gā, to go out.
So the superintendent is called Durgā. The mother Durgā is the superintendent of this
material world. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā [Bs. 5.44]. Very powerful, she
has got ten hands. Ten hands means ten direction = east, west and north, south, and
the four corners, eight, and up and down, ten direction, dik, daśa-dik. So she is
watching all sides = "You cannot get out." Therefore she is called Durgā-devī. Or
this material world is called Devī-dhāma, "the place where the Devī, mother Durgā, is
the superintendent." Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī, māyā [Bg. 7.14]. She is called also Māyā,
Daivī-māyā.
Māyā..., whose māyā? It is Kṛṣṇa's māyā. Māyā means something wonderful, mystic.
Or māyā means illusion. So many, there are meaning. Māyā means affection also. So
some way or other, this Durgā-devī, Māyā, is Kṛṣṇa's māyā. Just like prison house.
Prison house is also government house, but it is not as good as the government house.
It is government... The proprietor is the government. It is looked after by the
government. You can call it government house, but government house is
different, rāja-bhavan. Similarly, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. Everything belongs to
Him. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mama māyā. Mama māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama
māyā [Bg. 7.14]. That is creation of Kṛṣṇa. It is necessary.
Somebody... The question is asked, "Why Kṛṣṇa created this material
energy, which is so miserable condition? " Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam [Bg.
8.15]. So it is not Kṛṣṇa willingly created, but He gave the chance to
the living entities who forgot Kṛṣṇa. He forgot Kṛṣṇa's service and
wanted to enjoy this material world. Indriya-tarpaṇa. Indriya-
prītaye. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. Here they are doing
just against the law, kurute vikarma. Karma, vikarma and akarma. So we have very
good experience, especially in big, big cities = people, just to get money, they are doing
so many unlawful activities, vikarma. That is vikarma. They know that "If I do this, it
is punishable by law," but still, for getting money they do that . That is the
nature of this material world. For sense gratification one can do
anything, risking life also. The thief is stealing stealthily, hiding, and risking
life to get some money. Why money? The money will supply his sense
gratification.
Therefore, when one is after sense gratification, he is mad, he
becomes mad. Balavān indriya-grāma durdānta. Indriya-grāma, these are the
adjectives. Durdānta indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī [from Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5]. These
are the description. Indriya, the senses, are just like snakes, kāla-sarpa-paṭalī. As the
snake, as soon as it bites, immediately there is death, so similarly our indriyas, the
material senses, are like durdānta indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī, and we are
using it. These sense are being used in this material world. Therefore it is said, nūnaṁ
pramattaḥ. They have become mad, mad after sense gratification. The sublime
sense gratification is sex. Therefore it is advised that,
mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā
nāviviktāsano bhavet
balavān indriya-grāmo
 vidvāṁsam api karṣati
[SB 9.19.17]

So we shall be very much careful about the senses. The whole yogic process means to
control the senses. Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. Indriyas are so powerful that it
drags us to the hellish condition of life . It is very difficult. So this material
world means all crazy, mad fellow after sense gratification. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute
vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. Why they are acting unlawful things, either stately unlawful or
according to scripture unlawful? Yad indriya-prītaye, only for sense gratification. Yad
indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti.
So śāstra says... It is the statement of Ṛṣabhadeva. He says, na sādhu manye: "No, no. It
is not good." Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam. Ātmanaḥ, the soul. Asann api kleśada
āsa dehaḥ. The ātmā is covered by this material body, although it is temporary.
Sometimes it is for ten years or sometimes twenty years, sometimes hundred years,
sometimes millions of years, but it is limited. Either you get the body of Lord Brahmā
or the body of the poor ant, they are all temporary. It will be finished. So although it is
finishable...
nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
 asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ
[SB 5.5.4]
Asann api. Asann means "will not"; it is temporary. But so long you have got
this body, kleśada, it is painful always, miserable. Adhyātmika,
adhibhautika, adhidaivika---some kinds of miserable condition
must be going on.
So this is our position. Therefore ātma-darśana, one must know what he is. He is
spiritual being. Spiritual being, he has nothing to do with this material world,
but somehow or other, we have fallen in this material world. Anādi karama-phale,
paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale [from Gītāvalī]. It is just like ocean. So just like if you fall down
from the boat or the ship, then it is struggle for existence. You may be very nice
swimmer, but that does not mean in the water you will be comfortable. That is not
possible. Similarly, we living entities, part and parcel of God, we are as pure as God.
Kṛṣṇa, God, is pure. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān [Bg.
10.12]. Pavitra. So similarly... Pavitra means without material contamination. That
is pavitra.
So the...,
apavitraḥ pavitro vā
sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā
yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ
sa bāhyābhyantara-śuciḥ
[Garuḍa Purāṇa]
This is the process, that you may be pure or impure. Material condition means
impure, contaminated, conditioned. So to get out of this contaminated condition,
the śāstra says, yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣam: "If you always constantly
think of Puṇḍarīkākṣa, the lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu," yaḥ smaret
puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantara-śuciḥ, "he becomes externally
and internally śuci, purified."
So at the present moment our position is contaminated position by the contact of the
three modes of material nature. Guṇair vicitrāḥ. Guṇair vicitrāḥ. You see so many
varieties of life, different varieties of life. Uccāvaca. Some of them are higher, in
higher position; some of them are lower position. But this vicitra, soul, is pure. That is
one quality. But this vicitra quality, why? Vicitra means variety. Because guṇaiḥ.
Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya [Bg. 13.22]. Why one has become dog and one has become
god? God means demigod. They are also living entities within this material world, but
they live in higher planetary system. Just like here also we see some of them are living
in high skyscraper building, very comfortable apartment, and some are living in the
huts, jhupaṛi. In Bombay you can see, Both things are there. Similarly, these
demigods---Indra, Candra, Varuṇa and many others---they are also living very
comfortably in higher planets. They are also living entities. But they are in the...,
mostly in the sattva-guṇa. And here, in this planet or lower than this planet, they are
mostly in rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā = ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ [Bg.
14.18]. If you develop sattva-guṇa, then gradually you can be
elevated to the higher planetary system where the demigods
live. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. If you are affected by the rajo-guṇa, then the middle
planetary system, means bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ... Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur
vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya. So..., and lower planet, then Tala, Atala, Vitala, Pātāla,
Rasātala, Talātala---there are so many down planetary system. There are fourteen
planetary system, seven down, seven up.
So this is going on. This is going on. Therefore it is called guṇair vicitrāḥ. All these
living entities and their living condition, their mode of life, standard of life,
everything, they are simply contamination of the three guṇas = tri-guṇair vicitrāḥ.
Sṛjatīṁ sa-rūpāḥ prakṛtiṁ prajāḥ. Sa-rūpāḥ prakṛtim. They are getting this
form according to the tendency of the mind, sa-rūpāḥ. If I
contaminate tamo-guṇa, then I get lower-grade life. If I contaminate rajo-guṇa, then
middle-grade life. And if we contaminate... That is also contamination, but it is better
than the other two.
So all of them are material qualities, and that is unwanted association of the living
entity. That is not required, because in the Vedas it is said, asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ: "The
living entity has nothing to do with these material qualities." But somehow or
other, he has come in contact. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, anādi karama-
phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale. And the Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says like that, ayi
nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau [Cc. Antya 20.32,
Śikṣāṣṭaka 5] = "My dear Lord, Nanda-tanuja, the son Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa, I am
Your eternal servant." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām: "I am... Somehow or
other, I have fallen in this ocean of material existence. Kindly pick me up and
make me the dust of Your lotus feet." Just like if you are in the ocean, somehow or
other, if you are taken one inch above the water, you immediately feel relief. So we
have to become at least one inch above these material qualities. Then you are
liberated, immediately.
So who can do that? That is done by Kṛṣṇa. Not the demigods can do that. It is not
possible. Only Kṛṣṇa can give. Just like if you..., one is condemned to death, nobody
can save him. Only the king can save him, the president can save him. Nobody can
save him. It is not... By law, nobody can save him, one who is condemned to death.
Everyone knows that. By king's mercy, by president's mercy... So similarly,
we are here in this material world just like condemned to death.
Condemned... That's a practical, condemned to death. Who is not
condemned to death here? Who can say, "No, I am not
condemned to death"? Can anyone say? Everyone is condemned
to death. "As sure as death." That is condemned to death. Why shall I die? If my
nature, constitutional position, is na jāyate na mriyate [Bg. 2.20]---I do not
take birth; I do not die---then why I am dying? That is condemned to
death.
So condemned to death, we are acting in such a way. That is nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute
vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. We have got one life, and there is... According to the body, the dog
is working in a certain way, the cat is working in a certain way, the man is working in
a certain way, the brāhmaṇa is working in a certain way, the śūdra is working in
certain way, according to the body. The child is working in a certain way. The grown-
up young man is doing in certain way. So according to body, we are working in
different way, vicitrāḥ, but they are all contaminated activities. Therefore we have to
take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ayi
nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām: "I understand that I am Your eternal servant.
My position is Your servant. But I prefer to become the servant of māyā. Therefore
this is my fallen position. If You kindly take me again."
And He is ready. Kṛṣṇa is ready. Therefore He comes personally to canvass, that "Why
you are rotting in this material world?" Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ
śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Just like fathers, sane father, request the bewildered son,
"Why, my dear son, you are suffering in this way? Why don't you come back to home,
and live peacefully and blissfully?" But no, we are determined. We are determined.
Although Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, His devotees are canvassing, "No.
No, sir. We shall enjoy here." What is enjoyment? Birth and death,
disease and old age---is that enjoyment? But they have no brain to
understand. Dull, mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtina. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino
mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg. 7.15]. Kṛṣṇa says, "Surrender unto Me. I give
you protection." But they will not do. Why? Because duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
narādhamāḥ. That is the position.
So because we are duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ, therefore there are so many
varieties of life. Guṇair vicitrāḥ sṛjatīm. And that is being done by the material
nature. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu [Bg. 13.22]. Prakṛteḥ
kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ [Bg. 3.27]. Prakṛti, nature's law, it does not... It
is so perfect machine... One... We have several times said. Just like there is perfect
machinery = if you have contaminated the germs of cholera or smallpox, venereal
disease, then you must suffer from that disease. The machine is working. Machine is
working. Similarly, the machine of the prakṛti is working very finely. As soon as you
contaminate one kind of sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, then you become
contaminated, and your activities and your body and your mode of life---everything
according to that contamination.
So in order to save ourself from this contamination, the only
process is, as Kṛṣṇa says,
sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ
[Bg. 18.66]
Here the so-called pious activities, that is also sinful activities. That is our mental
concoction. We have made, "This is pious and this is impious." But to remain in this
material world is itself impious, because it is contamination. So when you are
diseased, contaminated, so where is the difference of pious activities and impious
activities? It is simply imagination. In the material world there cannot be any pious
activities---because the result is suffering birth and death and old age. Then where is
your pious activities? So it is simply concoction.
So when Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66], sarva means
"all." What is that "all"? Because we have created something pious and impious,
something good, something bad, so Kṛṣṇa says, "You rascal, give up all this
bad and good. Your so-called bad and good has no value. The only
value is that you surrender unto Me." And then that is value .
Otherwise you concoct, "This is very good; this is very bad." In the prison house,
if you think a first-class prison is very nice, but after all, it is prison house;
your independence is cut down. So you may think that if it is actually first-class
prison... Politicians, they are given first-class classification of prison house. Does it
mean the politician want to remain there for good? Why they want to come out? So
similarly, here in this material world it is simply vicitra, varieties. We call, "This is
first class. This is second class. This is third class." It is simply varieties . Actually, it
is all third class. There is no first class, second class. Guṇair vicitrāḥ. Just like you
like some color. Somebody likes red color, somebody likes blue color, sometimes
yellow color. But after all, it is color, you like this or that. Similarly, sattva-guṇa is
yellow color, and tamo-guṇa is blue color and rajo-guṇa is red color. So you may like
this color or that color---after all, it is material color.
So you should become free from all this colorful life of material
existence and you become pure. But how you can become pure?
That is also given in the Bhagavad... Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya
kalpate. Guṇān. Here it is said, guṇair vicitrāḥ: "By the colorful mixture of these
modes of material nature, there are so many varieties, varieties of the modes of
nature." But if you want to be out of this colorful material life and you realize
yourself, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am Brahman, and I am the same quality as God," then
you have to engage yourself in devotional service.
māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
 brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
[Bg. 14.26]
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
[Bg. 18.54]
So try to come to the platform of sattva-guṇa. Not sattva-guṇa---brahma-bhūta [SB
4.30.20], transcendental, spiritual platform. Come to this brahma-bhūta; then your life
will be successful. And if you want to live this colorful life---sometimes Brahmā,
sometimes dog, sometimes cat, sometimes human being, sometimes king, sometimes
worm of the stool---in this way, if you like this colorful life... The colorful life is going
by the modes of material nature. As we are contaminating different colorful life, we
are having this body. So in order to... The Buddha philosophy gives little hint
only, nirvāṇa: "You just finish this colorful life." But it does not give further
enlightenment. Simply it gives the hint that "You finish, nirvāṇa." Nirvāṇa means
"Finish this colorful life. Become zero." He said zero, śūnyavādi. But actually, we
cannot be zero. Because we are eternal, how we can be zero? We have to enter
another colorful life. That is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. Simply if you make
zero, that is not... That is little better, that you understand that this colorful life of
material existence is not good. But what is your positive engagement? Unless you are
positively engaged in another, superior colorful life, you cannot give up this base
colorful life.
And that engagement into superior colorful life is devotional life. Just see superior.
Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā, susukhaṁ kartum avyayam [Bg. 9.2]. Susukham.
Su means very nice, and sukham means happy. The devotional service is so nice and
happy. You see this devotional service. You always engage..., you are always engaged
in the Deity worship, bring nice cloth. Instead of dressing yourself with nice cloth,
dress Kṛṣṇa with nice cloth. Then your desire for dressing nicely will vanish. Paraṁ
dṛṣṭvā nivartate [Bg. 2.59]. Bhakta is satisfied when Kṛṣṇa is very nicely dressed. He
doesn't care for his own dress. Therefore this colorful life is diminishing. Here we are
trying to become very nicely dressed, to be attractive by others. But when one
becomes a Vaiṣṇava, he is no more interested in this colorful life. But he is interested
in the colorful life of Kṛṣṇa. He is interested, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. He is
satisfied. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau. When he,
the devotee, sees that Kṛṣṇa is very nicely dressed, Kṛṣṇa is very nicely ornamented
with garland, with jewels, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā, daily changing, and the
temple is very cleansed, and Kṛṣṇa is offered catur-vidha-śrī-bhagavat-prasāda,
carvya, coṣya, lehya, peya, varieties of prasādam, his life becomes happy in that way---
not by enjoying them, but offering to Kṛṣṇa. This is another colorful life.
So if you change your colorful life of this material existence and if you take to the
colorful life... If you simply make zero, then it will not be fruitful, because we cannot
become zero. It is not possible. People say that you become desireless. That is
impossible. How we can become desireless? That is the life, to desire. The desire has
to be purified. That is wanted. That purified means in spite..., instead of desiring a
very nice dress for yourself, when you desire the nice dress for Kṛṣṇa, this is purified.
This is purified. Instead of desiring yourself to eat very nice, palatable dishes, if you
offer Kṛṣṇa nice, palatable dishes, then you become desireless. This is desireless.
So you will not be bereft of the prasāda. Whatever you offering to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is so
kind, He will eat, and He will leave it again, the same, very tasteful. And you will eat
it, and you become spiritualized. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry, that because you will give Him
very palatable dishes, He will eat everything. He is self-sufficient. He is being offered
such nice dishes by many thousands of goddess of fortune, including Rādhārāṇī, and
so He has no need for your nicely prepared foodstuff. But He is so kind that He comes
to accept it just to deliver you. Take it like that. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Thank you very much. [end]