Achieving Our Ultimate Benefit – Vrindavan, India – November 3, 1972

The Vedic scriptures teach us what  our real problems are and how to
be free of them once and for all.

by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

sattvam rajas tama iti prakriter gunas tair
yuktah parah purusha eka ihasya dhatte

sthity-adaye hari-virinci-hareti samjnah
sreyamsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nrinam syuh

“The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature, namely passion, goodness and ignorance, and just for the material world’s creation, maintenance and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. Of these three, all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Vishnu, the form of the quality of goodness.”

– Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.23

AS IT IS SAID in the Vedic literature simply by the Lord’s glancing over the material nature and agitating the three modes of material nature, the whole creation comes out. This is the sum and substance of the material creation. Maha-Vishnu is lying in the Causal Ocean, Karanarnava, and He is breathing, and from His breathing innumerable universes are coming out. And in each and every universe, Maha-Vishnu enters in His further expansion as Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu. From the abdomen of Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu there is a lotus stem, and in that lotus flower Lord Brahma is born. In this way creation is made. Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesvara (Siva) are the principal directors of the three gunas, the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance.

Therefore Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesvara are called gunavatara. Lord Vishnu is in charge of sattva-guna activities – activities in the mode of goodness. Therefore brahmanas, the symbol of sattva-guna, are Vaishnavas, devotees of Lord Vishnu. Formerly, in each and every home of a brahmana there was Vishnu worship. A brahmana cannot worship any demigod. He must worship Vishnu because Vishnu is the in-charge of the sattva-guna, and the brahmana is in the sattva-guna. For this reason a brahmana is called a Vaishnava – brahmana Vaishnava or brahmana-pandita.

On account of the three gunas there are three types of Vedic literature. Specifically the smriti, or the Puranas, are divided into three divisions: sattvika Puranas (mode of goodness), rajasika Puranas (mode of passion), and tamasika Puranas (mode of ignorance). Siva Purana and Devi Purana are rajasika. Brahmanda Purana, Vishnu Purana, and Srimad-Bhagavata Purana are sattvika Puranas. The whole scheme is that everyone, every living entity within this material world, is infected. That we have discussed. The most inferior infection is rajas-tamas. And the superior is sattva-guna. That is also an infection, but it is less harmful, whereas the infection of rajo-guna and tamo-guna is very harmful.

The whole material world is going on, impelled generally by rajo-guna and tamo-guna. Sattva-guna is very little. Especially in this age, practically there is no sattva-guna. Rajo-guna is also very little. Tamo-guna is predominant.

For this reason the sastra, the Vedic scripture, says that because there is scarcity of sattva-guna and rajo-guna in this age, most people are sudras.

That means they generally have low qualities. The activities prescribed for brahmanas and kshatriyas, rulers, are practically nil. For example, there is no protector. Kshatriya means one who protects people from being injured.

Previously the kshatriya class was royal families, the brahmanas were meant for giving spiritual education, and the vaisyas were meant for trading, agriculture, and cow protection.

As the kshatriyas were entrusted for protecting the citizens, similarly the vaisyas were entrusted for protecting the cows.

As Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (18.44), krishi-go-rakshya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam: “Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaisyas.” Now vaisyas have got big, big factories. They can maintain big, big factories, but they cannot maintain a cow. That is the position. Similarly, kshatriyas have taken different occupational duties. Brahmanas also have left their occupation. Everyone has come to the platform of sudras. Therefore it is very difficult to convince them about spiritual life.

Less Intelligent

Mostly people are sudras, which means that they are less intelligent.

“Less intelligent” means a mudha, someone who cannot understand spiritual ideas. The symbol of the less intelligent person is the ass, also called a mudha. Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura has described the karmis, fruitive workers, as mudhas because they work very hard. Although the necessities of life are very few, still the karmis work very hard day and night for them. The ass is the symbol of the less intelligent karmi because the ass eats only a morsel of grass but for the washerman he works so hard carrying heavy loads of cloth.

Because the people are mudhas, they cannot understand Krishna consciousness. Krishna says,

na mam dushkritino mudhah 

prapadyante naradhamah

mayayapahrita-jnana
asuram bhavam asritah

“Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.” (Gita 7.15)

The three gunas – sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna – have been going on since the creation. Here it is said, sthity-adaye hari-virinci hareti samjnah. The same Lord – the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu – has expanded Himself as Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. We are also expansions of the Supreme Lord. Like us, Brahma is in the category of jiva-tattva, the infinitesimal spirit souls. Lord Vishnu is vishnu-tattva. Lord Siva is between vishnu-tattva and jivatattva. They are all expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

To control these three gunas, they have taken charge. Vishnu is in charge of sattva-guna, Brahma is in charge of rajo-guna, and Siva is in charge of tamo-guna. Lord Brahma creates, Lord Vishnu maintains, and Lord Siva destroys. These three things are going on: srishti-sthiti-pralaya, creation, maintenance, and destruction.

Solving Our Real Problems

Sreyamsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nrinam syuh. Now, for solving our problems . . . What is our problem? That we do not know. There is a great problem. The problem is the repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. This is the problem. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita (13.9), janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi-duhkhadoshanudarsanam: Real knowledge includes perception of the evil of birth, death, old age, and disease. Those who are intelligent will see that these are the real problems. But people do not care. They think, “All right, it is coming naturally. Let us die.” But they do not know where they are going after death. “Never mind. I shall forget.”

People say like that. In Western countries, when I speak I raise these questions, and people are so callous they say, “Never mind if I become a dog next time. What is the harm? I’ll forget that I was a man.” Plainly they say that. So many people have gone so far down that they cannot understand that low-grade life is not desirable and high-grade life is desirable. They do not make any distinction. In whatever life it may be, if there is sufficient arrangement for eating, sleeping, and mating, then they are happy.

By God’s grace, nature has sufficiently given opportunity for enjoying these things: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. The monkeys we see here
have got enough facility for eating, sleeping, and mating. Especially for mating they have got very good facility. Beginning from the morning, they are going on in sex matters. And defending also – they have got nails and teeth.

These necessities of life can be obtained in any form of life. There is no scarcity. But the human form of life, if it is wasted only for these facilities of life – eating, sleeping, mating, and defending – then what is the credit of getting a human form of life? The sastra therefore says that in the human form of life one should try to achieve that perfection which was not obtained in previous lives after wandering to heaven and hell and through all species of life.

And we are wandering: sometimes downwards, sometimes upwards, sometimes poor, sometimes rich, sometimes man, sometimes dog, sometimes tree, sometimes demigod. In this way we are wandering. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says,

brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva

guru-krishna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija

“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Krishna. By the mercy of both Krishna and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.” (Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya-lila 19.151) We are wandering in this way in different species of life, in different planets, but somehow or other, if one is fortunate, he comes in contact with a devotee by the grace of Krishna. Guru-krishna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija.

The Ultimate Success

Here also it is said, sreyamsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nrinam syuh. If we want our ultimate goal, ultimate success, then we should accept the sattvaguna form of the Lord. The rajo-guna form and tamo-guna form are there, Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. But sreyamsi – if we want our real benefit of life, then it is better to take shelter of the form of sattva-guna.

That will be explained in the next verse: parthivad daruno dhumas tasmad agnis trayimayah. From the earth the tree grows. The tree is wood. Now, if you ignite the wood, first of all there is smoke, and then there is fire. My necessity is fire – not the wood or the earth or the smoke. Similarly, for getting out of these material clutches one has to take shelter of Vishnu, not of Lord Brahma or Lord Siva.

There are many different demigods. Indra, Candra, Varuna, so many. The chiefs of them are Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. Lord Siva is therefore called Mahadeva. He is above all these demigods. And Lord Brahma the father of all the demigods. He’s the father of Lord Siva also.

If we really want salvation, freedom from these clutches of maya, how to do that is explained in the Bhagavad-gita (7.14):

daivi hy esha guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya

mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te

“This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.” This maya is very, very hard to pass over.

Duratyaya. The only means is mam eva ye prapadyante, surrender unto Krishna. This is the version of the Bhagavad-gita. Here the same thing is confirmed: sreyamsi, “ultimate benefit.” If you want the ultimate goal – which means to get free from the conditional life, the repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease – then you have to take shelter of Lord Vishnu.

But people do not know that. For temporary benefit they go to worship demigods. But that is not their ultimate goal. Lord Krishna says, alpavat tu phalam tesham tad bhavaty alpamedhasam: “Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary.” (Gita 7.23) If you take any benediction from the demigods, that is antavat, perishable. That will be finished. That is temporary.

One of Lord Siva’s names is Asutosha, which means that he’s very quickly pleased to offer benedictions. Therefore generally people go to Asutosha, Lord Siva. He does not consider their qualifications. If you can please him, you can take any kind of benediction from him. He’ll be ready:

“All right, take it.” He wants to avoid botheration. So when his devotee comes to bother Lord Siva, just to get that person out he says, “All right, whatever you like, take it and go away.” [Chuckles.] Therefore his name is Asutosha. People take the shelter of Asutosha, Lord Siva, for a quick result. Lord Brahma is also like that. But Lord Vishnu is not like that. If you want something extraordinary from Lord Vishnu, it is not possible. He’ll not give it.

Take Shelter of Vishnu

So here it is indicated: sreyamsi. If you want your ultimate goal, then take shelter of Vishnu, the Lord of sattva-guna. Then you’ll be benefited. Not by others. But we are generally influenced by rajo-guna and tamoguna, lust and greediness. We are of lost intelligence, influenced by lust and greediness, and therefore we take shelter of demigods. Alpa-medhasam means that people do not know their true benefit. Suppose I take some material benefit. Every material benefit is temporary. Whatever benefits we have in this life, as soon as this body’s finished all our benefits are finished. Then we’ll have to take another body, which may not even be a human body. Sometimes we are too attached to a present possession, and we may remain in possession of it in our next life, but we may then be in a different form, not a human form.

By karma we take birth in various forms of life. There are many Pauranic incidents showing that the proprietor of the house, after death, remains in that house as a serpent, or sometimes as a dog, sometimes as a tree. Being too attached to the possession, he could not get a better life after death. And sometimes we can get the body of a hog or a monkey in Vrindavan. This is all a great science one has to learn – how the transformation of the body takes place, how our attachment acts in that way. That is a great science.

Unfortunately, there is no educational system to teach this science; neither do people know the process of transmigration of the soul. Everyone is in ignorance. Neither are they interested to take knowledge from the Vedic scripture. Everything is described there.

The Ultimate Knowledge

Srimad-Bhagavatam is the ultimate knowledge. Vidya-bhagavatavadhi. If one wants to be educated, he has to come to the limit of SrimadBhagavatam. All the sublime information is there. If we take the instruction of Srimad-Bhagavatam as it is indicated, every one of us should take to Krishna consciousness.

The original Vishnu is Lord Krishna. Krishna says,

sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo mokshayishyami ma sucah

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Gita 18.66) The purpose of all Vedic knowledge is to understand Krishna, and as soon as we understand Krishna, then, Krishna says, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti: upon leaving the body, we do not take birth again in this material world, but attain Krishna’s abode (Gita 4.9).

If we want to stop this repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease, then we must take shelter of Lord Vishnu. And Krishna is the origin of all vishnutattva expansions. That means we must become Krishna conscious. That is our highest benefit of life.

Thank you very much

Caption : Lord Vishnu and His guna-avataras (qualitative expansions), Brahma and Siva, control the three modes of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance.