Gour Govinda Swami: ...on which everything rests, the ingredient by which everything has been produced and the person who has created and is the only cause of this cosmic manifestation. Nonetheless, He is different from the cause and the result. I surrender to Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is self-sufficient in everything. In Bhagavad-gītā, Ninth Chapter, the Lord says:
mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā (Bg. 9.4)
"I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but everything rests upon My energy just as an earthen pot rests on the earth. The place where an earthen pot rests is also earth. Then again, the earthen pot is manufactured by a potter whose body is produced of earth. The potter's wheel with which the pot is made is an expansion of earth, and the ingredients from which the pot are also made, are also earth as confirmed in Śruti-mantra:
yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante yena jātāni jīvanti yat prayanty abhisaṁviśanti (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 3.1.1)
The original cause of everything is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and after being annihilated, everything enters into Him."
prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām (Bg. 9.7)
Thus the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Ramchandra or Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything.
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.1)
"Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Controller. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes." Brahma-saṁhitā. "The Lord is the cause for everything, but there is no cause for Him."
sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma (Chāndogya Upaniṣad 3.14.1) mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ (Bg. 9.4)
"Although He is everything, His personality is different from the cosmic manifestation." ...rest on that supreme platform, Supreme Personality of Godhead, anything. A very good example is here given by my revered spiritual master Śrīla Prabhupāda, given the earthen pot. "The place where an earthen pot rests is also earth. The earthen pot is manufactured by a potter whose body is the product of earth. The potter's wheel with which the pot is made is an expansion of earth. And the ingredients from which the pots are made are also earth." The same thing. Everything is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the supreme platform on which everything rests. And the cause of all causes, the Supreme Controller, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Everything is taking place, happening under His supreme will, according to His supreme will. Isn't it? So there is no other way before us.
ānyaḥ panthā vidyate ’yanāya (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.8)
No other way before us, except surrendering unto Him. Is there any other way? No other way. This is everything. So Govinda is... knows this tattva! One should understand this in tattva. But mūḍhas, the rascals, they cannot understand it.
avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (Bg. 9.11)
Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā: "The mūḍhas, rascals, they cannot understand Me. They think Me as an ordinary human being. They deride Me." So when someone gets by the mercy and grace of the Supreme Lord this human form of life, rarely obtained, that opportunity is given. So now you should understand this in tattva, the Supreme Truth. What is stated, what is said there in śāstra, that's to be understood in tattva.
śāstra-guru-ātma-rūpe āpanāke jānāna kṛṣṇa mora prabhu tathā jīvera haya jñāna (CC Madhya 20.123)
Conditioned soul has forgotten Kṛṣṇa, has forgotten his own identity. How can he remember? How can he remember Kṛṣṇa? How can he remember his own identity? How? He has forgotten. Can he do this by dint of his own effort, intelligence, merit or knowledge? Can he? No. Quite impossible, isn't it? Is it possible? Can you? No. Unless that Supreme Personality of Godhead showers His mercy, unless He Himself manifests, Himself says, Himself showers His mercy on us, how can you understand? He speaks. How He speaks? What is the via-media?
Śāstra-guru-ātma-rūpe āpanāke jānāna, kṛṣṇa mora prabhu tathā jīvera haya jñāna. Through śāstra He says. Vedic literature. What is said in śāstra, that's to be understood in tattva. How can you understand it? By only mere reading śāstra, can you understand tattva? Then what is needed? Approach a bona fide guru, a tattva-ācārya, who knows tattva, from his ācārya who knows this thing by hearing. This is by guru-kṛpā. So a guru is required, who is caitya-guru (Paramātmā) in the heart. He manifests Himself as guru here outside. Unless he says, how can you understand? Then one should surrender unto that guru.
śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (Bg. 2.7)
"I surrender myself, I become your śiṣya, your disciple. I come under your strict discipline. Inflict severe discipline on me." Isn't it? I have become—what is that? Adulterated, contaminated with kārpaṇya-doṣa. Don't know? Don't you read Bhagavad-gītā? What are you doing? Abusing God's gift… Not making proper use. The opportunity has been given to you in this very form of life, human form of life. To inquire about this, to understand this thing. Why don't you do? Why are you spoiling? You are missing this opportunity. Such a fool, you should understand this thing. Inquire humbly. You can't understand. Śiṣyas te ’haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam, completely surrender yourself. I become your disciple. Please inflict severe discipline on me. Clean all my contamination. Then impart tattva-jñāna. That's it. Simply ask him. Then you can understand in tattva. Otherwise you cannot understand.
And Gajendra knows this tattva, so he says this thing is complete, based completely on pure tattva. It's a Vaiṣṇava philosophy. How could he offer such prayer? So this is the most important thing. In the śāstra many things are said. But one should understand in tattva. This is most important. If someone understands, then that is his last life. After quitting his body, he must go to Me, enter into My kingdom. If someone cannot understand in tattva, he cannot enter. Again and again, he will fall down here and revolve in the cycle of birth and death. Nothing is there.
Many things are stated in the Purāṇas. You find sometimes things stated which seem to be very prāya... prāya (pāgal-pralāpa). Like a delirium of a madman. Pāgal-pralāpa. Delirium of a madman. Insane person. Is it not delirium of a madman? Delirium. So why it is given in the śāstra? In the Purāṇa? Is it a madman's delirium? Is madman's delirium given in śāstra? What's the tattva behind it? What tattva is behind it?
And you say delirium of a madman—pāgal-pralāpa—is compared to a very dreadful ocean. Bhava-sāgara. Isn't it? Bhava-sāgara. The material existence, the material cosmic manifestation is compared to a dreadful ocean, a very vast ocean. Isn't it? In the ocean you will find many ferocious aquatic animals. Sharks, crocodiles, whales isn't it? So here it is also. In this material existence so many ferocious animals are there, demons are there. Isn't it? Very, very ferocious. There are many such ferocious animals. Tigers, lions, so many demons, ghosts are also there. And you have six enemies within you, isn't it? Kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, mātsarya. These are enemies, very ferocious enemies. Lust, anger, greed, illusion, intoxication, intoleration and jealousy. Isn't it? These are our enemies, very ferocious animals. Here, in this material ocean. Isn't it?
So, Agastya Muni, just drinking one handful of water, dried up this dreadful ocean. So all these ferocious aquatic animals... died. No water. So they are all dead now. And also it is said... the ocean... samudra ratna-garbha... many valuable jewels, wealth is there in the great depths of the ocean. When all the ocean dried up, all the ferocious aquatic animals were dead, then you collected that valuable wealth. Isn't it? Now how could he do it? How could he do it? What is the source of such potency? That he could do, that he could dry up seven great seas, drinking only one gaṇḍūṣa (handful) of water. How could he do? Do you know? Yes?
Devotee: He only could do it by sādhu-saṅga.
Gour Govinda Swami: Yes. He got this potency only by associating with sādhus. Sādhu-saṅga. And after associating with sādhus, hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā, very potent:
satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido (SB 3.25.25)
Potent! Kṛṣṇa-kathā is so potent. Vīrya-saṁvido. Isn't it? Sādhu-saṅga. This is the result of sādhu-saṅga. Then you can dry up this dreadful material ocean which is filled with such ferocious animals, such enemies. Where you can collect the valuable wealth and preserve it here. This tattva is behind it. This tattva is behind it; it is not the delirium of a madman. How does he say the delirium of a madman? You are a mad man! So you say that thing!
We never inquire about it. Then, why have you come? Eating, sleeping, mating, defending? Doing nonsense? You madman! You're delirious! But we never inquire. How can we understand?
Another thing. Agastya Muni. (Odia) Southern and Northern India, in the middle is the Vindhya mountain. "Go down," Agastya Muni said, "you remain like that till I return. You remain like that. Go down." Agastya Muni didn't return and Vindhya didn't raise his head. Up till now, he is like this. What is the *tattva behind it?
Devotee: Kṛṣṇa's avatars, they all appeared in the North of India. Yes. And the Sampradāyācāryas, they all appeared in the South. Yes. This mountain bowed his head so that the flow of nectar could go from the North to the South. Yes. That was the task…
Gour Govinda Swami: All the incarnations of the līlās of the Supreme Lord are there in Northern India. Nectarian līlā, nectarian flow. But all the ācāryas, Gurus, they appeared in Southern India. Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārkācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, even Śaṅkarācārya also, they appeared in Southern India. Unless the disciple falls down at the lotus feet of the Guru, how can he receive the knowledge? Tattva-jñāna. So, Vindhya is like a disciple, a śiṣya. So it's going down. Guru-pāda-padma.
Another thing is that Mahāprabhu also went to Southern India when he was doing ādi-līlā. In Southern India there are many, you see, Māyāvādīs. Śaṅkarācārya was there. Many Māyāvādīs, kutarkikas, Bauddhas, Mahābodhis, kutarkikas, they are there. So those real ācāryas, bona fide, they defeat this bogus philosophy and establish the sat-siddhānta, the pure philosophy, bhakti-siddhānta. So these ācāryas, Vaiṣṇava ācāryas did it, and Mahāprabhu also did. And unless the disciple goes down at the guru-pāda-padma, how can he receive such knowledge, or understand such nectarian pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? How that nectar will flow from the northern side to the southern side unless it goes down? If it raises its head and stands like a barrier, how can it flow? So go down.
So this tattva is there. So this is not pagal-pralāpa, this is not delirium of a madman. There is philosophy behind it. The tattva is behind it. And one should inquire and understand. Then your life will be successful. Then you can surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And Govinda knows this tattva. So he says.
Devotee: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda-ji Mahārāja! Jaya Samaveta Gaura Bhakta Vṛnda kī! Jaya Ananta Koṭi Vaiṣṇava kī!