A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - Prabhupada Lectures

rmad-Bhgavatam 3.26.47
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Bombay, January 22, 1975

750122SB.BOM

rmad-Bhgavatam 3.26.47

Bombay, January 22, 1975

Niti: "The sense whose object of perception is sound is called the auditory sense, and that whose object of perception is touch is called the tactile sense."

Prabhupda:

nabho-gua-vieo 'rtho
yasya tac chrotram ucyate
vyor gua-vieo 'rtho
yasya tat sparana vidu
[SB 3.26.47]

So ether, the sky, we cannot see, we cannot touch, we cannot smell. But we can hear the sound. As soon as there is sound, that, we know that there is ether or sky. The sound vibration... As we have got experience of this material sound and therefore the material sky, similarly, there is spiritual sound and there is spiritual sky. Without sky, there is no sound. So there is spiritual sky. We get information from stra: paravyoma. Vyoma is called sky, and there is another sky. This is material sky, what we have experience. There is spiritual sky. And about that spiritual realization, as this creation begins from the sky-ether, then air, then fire, and then water, then land, kitir p tejo marud vyoma-similarly, the spiritual world also begins from the spiritual sky. After this sky ends, then the spiritual sky begins.

That is stated in the rmad-Bhagavad-gt, paras tasmt tu bhva anya: [Bg. 8.20] "There is another bhva," means nature, "that is santana nature, eternal nature." This nature, this sky, is temporary. It has got a duration of life, maybe millions and trillions of years, but it is not permanent. It is emanating from the Supreme Lord's breathing period. Yasyaika-nivasita-klam athvalambya jvanti loma-vilaj jagad-aa-nth [Bs. 5.48]. So after this sky, there is another sky, and the sound produced from that sky is okra and Hare Ka mantra. This is the sound vibration from the spiritual sky. Therefore it is effective immediately. Just like you contact thousands of miles away-somebody is speaking, and you can contact by the sound vibration you catch up with your machine, radio machine-similarly, the sound vibration from the spiritual sky you can also receive. That is Hare Ka mantra.

Therefore Narottama dsa hkura has described this Hare Ka mantra, "not of this material sky." Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nma-sakrtana. Hari-nma-sakrtana, this is not a material sound. And in the Vednta it is stated, abdd anvtti. By chanting the spiritual sound... The impersonalists, they chant okra. Praava sarva-vedeu. All Vedic mantras are preceded by the spiritual okra. That okra... Ka says, akarm akro 'smi. Vedeu, praava sarva-vedeu, A, U, M, These are described in the Bhagavad-gt. So either you vibrate okra or Hare Ka mantra, they belong to the spiritual world. This sound does not belong to this material. Material sound, if you chant once, twice, thrice, you will feel disgusted. But spiritual sound, if you chant twenty-four hours, you will never feel disgusted, but you will feel more and more spiritual bliss. That is the difference. Actually, you see these boys and girls and others, they are chanting Hare Ka practically from early in the morning, 5:00 till 10:00, daily, but nobody is feeling any disgust. They like to chant. That is the difference between material sound and spiritual sound.

So we can enter into the spiritual world, the spiritual sky. The spiritual sky is there. Santana. That is eternal. Santana. Everything eternal there. In the material world they are, everything, temporary, asat. And everything in the spiritual world, that is called sat. O tat sat. That is spiritual world. So the Vedic injunction is asato m sad gama: "Try to transcend from this asat, material world, to go to the spiritual world, sat." O tat sat. That is actually our business. In the human form of life this is the only business: "How to transfer me to the spiritual world." Santana. "Because I am santana." Jva-bhta santana [Bg. 15.7 ] . Jva is santana, eternal. Na hanyate hanyamne arre [Bg. 2.20]. The jva is never destroyed after the destruction or annihilation of this body. He is eternal. Nitya vato 'ya na hanyate hanyamne arre [Bg. 2.20]. So this is our business, that "I am eternal. As Ka, God, is sac-cid-nanda-vigraha[Bs. 5.1], and I am part and parcel of sac-cid-nanda-vigraha, so as Ka is eternal, so I am also eternal." The Vedic mantra says that nityo nitynm. Ka is nitya, eternal, and we are plural number, nitynm. Cetana cetannm. Sat cit... So as Ka is sac-cid-nanda-vigraha, so we are also sac-cid-nanda-vigraha. The difference is: Ka is the maintainer, Viu is the maintainer, and we are maintained. We are not maintainer.

There are millions and trillions of living entities, not only in this universe. There are millions and trillions of universes, and there are millions and trillions of planets. Yasya prabh prabhavato jagad-aa-koi-koiv aea-vasudhdi-vibhti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. Koiu, there are innumerable universes, and as you see, experience, within this universe, within this ball-like sky... In the even..., in the night at least, we can see so many twinkling stars. Similarly, there are innumerable universes. And there are innumerable... In each and every universe there are innumerable, these planets. This is called material world. You cannot estimate how many universes are there and how many planets are there. But this is only one-fourth manifestation of God's creation. All these universes taken together, ekena sthito jagat [Bg. 10.42]-this is only one-fourth manifestation. Therefore the Vaikuha, spiritual world, is called tripda-vibhti, three-fourth. This is one fourth. So just imagine. We cannot have any estimation even the one-fourth manifestation of the one-fourth energy of God, and what to speak of the three-fourth energy manifestation, opulence, everything. In the spiritual world the number of living entities are far greater than the number of living entities here in this material world.

And there are also spiritual planets.

goloka-nmni nija-dhmni tale ca tasya
dev-mahea-hari-dhmasu teu teu
te te prabhva-nicay vihit ca yena
govindam di-purua tam aha bhajmi
[Bs. 5.43]

This is Govinda. Govinda is one, and... Eka brahma dvitya nsti. And eka bahu sym. And He has become so many. Just like from the seed, one seed, a small seed, when it is grown up, fructified, you will find big banyan tree and so many big, big branches, twigs, so many fruits. And each fruit contains again the seed, and each seed contains again millions of trees. This is creation. But the origin is one. Origin is one. Sarva-kraa-kraam [Bs. 5.1], Ka. Brahmeti paramtmeti bhagavn iti abdyate [SB 1.2.11 ] . The Bhagavn is the origin of everything. Aha sarvasya prabhavo matta sarva pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. Janmdy asya yata [SB 1.1.1]. These are the shastric vacana.

So here is also sound. Here is also sky. So as the beginning of this material world is from the sound vibration... I think the scientists also agree, the materialistic scientists, that from sound everything emanates. So similarly, the same sound, you can enter into the spiritual world by taking shelter of sound. That sound vibration is Hare Ka mah-mantra. If you chant Hare Ka mah-mantra, by chanting this transcendental, eternal sound, you can approach. Just like by telephone... That is also sound: "Kring, kring, kring." Immediately you in touch with your friend thousands and thousands miles away. So sound is so important thing. So by spiritual sound, you can become immediately in touch with the spiritual world, and gradually you become in touch with the Supreme Lord.