Archive for the ‘Sripada Maharaj in Bali’ Category

BSDS: raja vidya raja guhyam pavitram idam uttamam, pratakshyagamaman dharmam su-sukham kartam avyayam. Jai Guru Maharaj Srila Prabhupada ki,

Jay Bali Bhakta Vaishnava Vrinda ki

Nitai Gaura Premananda ki

Devotees: Jai Sripad Maharaj ki

BSDS: So understanding the distinction between matter and spirit as well as devotional service, so this is called raja vidya, means the king of education. And also not only the king of education, it is the most confidential. Confidential means, in our case means open confidential, you keep things very carefully. So we have to keep this in mind. So when you practice our devotional life with, then you will become very strong internally. So we have deep internal spiritual strength and then you depend on the blessings of the acharya and vaishnavas and then our devotional life will become –  protected by the blessings of guru and Krishna. So this is very simple, here in this book the distinction between matter and life, so very simply, we give the example that matter – the particle of matter is called electron, right? You have all heard electron? So what is meant by email? Electronic mail, right? That electronic is the same as this electron. Electronic mail, right? But then what is the example of life? So the example of life is called spiriton. Electron and spiriton. So therefore Krishna says the distinction, to understand the distinction, what is the distinction between the electron and the spiriton? What is the distinction?

Devotee: Electron is unconscious, but spiriton is conscious, chetana.

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Popularity: 59% [?]

Devotee: tad viddhi pranipatena…[i]

BSDS: Very good. So what does Krishna say in Bhagavad Gita? Man mana bhava mad bhakto, mad yaji namaskuru[ii], so Krishna says, our Vaishnavas say, Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita bhaktya mam abhijanati[iii], when the scientists, most of the scientists do not come to the understanding of the personal form of the Lord because they are still not having bhakti, bhaktya mam, means He can only be understood by devotion. So this Professor Townes and William Phillips, although they don’t have formal practice in the pure bhakti program, by their previous karma, so they are intuitively understanding the devotional principles. So therefore they say ‘God is a person.” So Phillips said “I do not understand why Einstein could not recognize that God is a person. Why was he so much attracted in the glamours of this universe. But why couldn’t he recognize that God is a person.” He says in this interview, you open it, you can see. But then he says that, but intuitively he had personal ideas, Einstein also had personal ideas of God. In a metaphor, Einstein said, I do not understand why the old man, he called God as an old man, why the old man is making everything hidden. So he said that is a very personal thing, otherwise how could he say “the old man.” So intuitively he had these personal ideas , but somehow he was externally behaving like he was only talking about impersonal. He said he had personal ideas also. So this is very interesting that they argue that God is a Person. Here we say subtitle “Reflections of two Nobel Laureates.” Reflections means they are thinking along that line, that is their realization, understanding. There are some very nice quotes from well known scientists in the history of science. You see Copernicus, he says “The universe has been brought for us by a supremely good and orderly creator.” Creator means a person. That means God is a person.

Now, Keppeler- Keppeler is a very famous cosmologist. He says, “I endeavour to gain for human reason.” By his geometrical system. An insight into   understanding  how does He create this universe. Then he makes a prayer like this: “May the creator of the heavens themselves, the Father of all reason to whom our mortal senses owe their existence. May He who is Himself immortal keep me in His grace”, means we seek blessings from the Lord and he says, look at that, this is very important. “Guard me from reporting anything about His work that cannot be justified before His magnificence.” So this means we pray that we do not make mistakes which may misguide. If I make a wrong report that will misguide our powers of reason and “May he cause us to aspire to the perfection of his works of creation by the dedication of our lives.” So that means he is addressing God as a person. So he calls the Lord “He”, the person.

Then what did Newton say? Newton said “This most beautiful system of the sun” Because of sun we can see each other, we can see you are all smiling, we can see the very happy faces. From the sun. We also see the planets and sometimes we also  see comets. “All these things could only proceed from the council and dominion of an intelligent and powerful being.” So that means Newton is addressing God as a person.

Then lets go to the  beginning of  18^th century and 19^th century. This was addressed by Faraday. You know Faraday? You know what did he do?  Faraday do anything with electricity? So Faraday said “We owe to value the privilege of knowing God’s truth so far beyond anything we can have in this world.” So this can mean God in various aspects. Similarly this James Clark Maxwell, he said also “God is a person” James Maxwell, with a long beard, see this is Maxwell.

Let me see, ok, what did Einstein say? He says, Einstein says, “My religion consists of a humble admiration for this inimitable superior spirit that reveals itself in the slight details that we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds.” In other words we can have very slight understanding, very slight understanding. He says “God is unlimitied.” So that’s what he is saying. “But that deeply emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power which is revealed in the comprehensible universe forms my idea of God.” This is what Einstein said. You can understand. “That deeply emotional conviction.” That means the feeling that you have. . . about the presence of a superior reasoning power. That superior reasoning power that you have. Like that you can have some sense from the comprehensible universe,.like we know a little bit about [indistinct words]. So then he said ““This idea forms my idea of God.” That’s what Einstein said. So sometimes therefore we say, “Einstein had a very impersonal conception of God.” He said “The universe is very orderly.” Order. Like always the river is flowing from the uphill to the downstream. Unless you have a tsunami. (laughter) Tsunami is not natural thing. So therefore, but naturally it will flow from the higher to the lower plane. So therefore the idea of order is good. But then when one understands God as a person, there must be a person behind that order. So that’s what Einstein said. This is Einstein and this is Max Born. These are called Fathers of Quantum Physics. So I am going to make all of you scientists today (laughter). So Einstein said at the turn of the century when there was a poll, the most famous scientist or individuals of the world, so Einstein was selected by the Times as number one. He was the most famous person in the 20^th century. And Einstein is more famous today. After his death he has become more famous. Now people are working on “Einstein’s God.” Einstein’s cosmic religion [inaudible words] And therefore said Prabhupada said to present Krishna Consciousness in a scientific way. So he said “This is the most important preaching arm of ISKCON.” Because of science and technology we are able to come and sit down here together.

Devotees: Jaya

BSDS: Otherwise I was just there a few days ago. Then if I had to come by swimming it would be very difficult. (laughter) Because of science and technology we have all these mobile, cell phones are singing in the pockets. So even our Dina, see who is standing there, is Dina from Malaysia. He is originally from Singapore, so we just had a talk day before yesterday. I requested that Dina, please why don’t you come to Bali, but now he just appeared yesterday, because of science and technology (laughter). So I understand that he has a nice program with all of you on Gita Jayanti, that was what last year?

Devotee: Last two months Maharaj, three months back.

BSDS: Oh three months back. So therefore you must all be familiar. He is doing wonderful preaching service. So someday I will join him, we will do a very nice Gita Jayanti

Devotees: Jaya

BSDS: In Singapore actually he started and that was a few years ago, nine years, that was the first time? And that was not last year, before last year it was in Malaysia right?

Devotee: Four years now Maharaj

BSDS:  Then he asked me “Maharaj please come to Malaysia”, Oh that was the tsunami time right? I was in Penang during the tsunami, after the jayanti. I came from the United States but in Singapore my ticket was there from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur but I didn’t have any visa so then they said visa can be arranged.  I had a ticket but then the passport, in the counter they said, “no you cannot go to Malaysia”

But that day was the Gita Jayanti day, I was planning to go from Singapore, but I was in Singapore then I telephoned that I cannot come because my visa is not ready, I had to miss. But then from the Malaysia side so they went to the Prime Ministers Office. It was already closed, 3 or 4 oclock in the afternoon. So one person came flying with a letter from the Prime Minister’s office, Prime Minister of Malaysia for my visa because in Singapore it was already closed. That Malaysian embassy in Singapore, but this letter from the Prime Minister, they ran and knocked the door.  And it was already 3 or 4 o’clock in the afternoon and the embassy is already closed, but they knocked the door and they said there is a very important word from the Prime Minister’s office. They opened immediately and my visa was given immediately (laughter). But my ticket was already another airline, so then the fellow from Malaysia he managed a ticket from Japan airlines, Japan airlines was flying and I so I took the flight immediately so that fellow and me we flew together directly to Kuala Lumpur and joined the Gita Jayanti, they were halfway, I was joining after, when they already went to halfway. From there I went to Penang and in Penang the next day when I was giving a class in that new center of Penang around 8 o’clock in the morning, in the Bhagavata class, then my chair was rocking like this. Tsunami –  that was the tsunami. Then we did not know that was the tsunami because we thought there was a mild earthquake, it was not so strong but the wave was very, you know, moving like this. There was a Jagannath temple there, after that program I went to Jagannath temple and I did a little program. And after coming back I had to take a flight from Penang to Johore Bahru, and so there our devotees were saying that, “Maharaj, we heard that there is a big wave coming. And so we have to cross, you know there is a some kind of a bridge there, also you can cross by ferry, but if it is done by ferry it is a little bit faster. But the wave, they said if you go by the bridge, it may take longer, then I said please do whatever because I do not know. So then the driver said maybe it is better to go by bridge because we heard some big wave is coming somewhere. And so we did that by the bridge, we went up to the airport. So in this way there was a very experience that we had was [indistinct word]. So in a way Dina is doing all kinds of very mystical things (laughs) but for preaching, for preaching Krishna consciousness. Oh prasadam is ready? This time we only brought prasadam and some friends and like that. This is the lightest flight that I had in this part of the country.

Devotees: Jaya.

BSDS: I also sent some prasadam to Singapore yesterday.
So yeah, this is a little bit about our preaching work.  See, I like this Max Born, as, he is a very nice person. His writings are, the quote that I have is not very representative, but Max Born is a devotee of the Lord, called Max Born.  He said “I saw within the atom the key” In the Vatican if you go, in Rome, their symbol is also the key. They open the door to the Vaikuntha planets by this key (laughter). So he said “I saw within the atom the key to the deepest secret of nature.” And he said “It revealed to me the greatness of the creation and the Creator.” He has written some wonderful books. So this is very nice and so therefore I tried to find one Indian, lets say, well known Indian scientist and he is called Srinivas Ramanujan, well-known mathematician. He was born in 1897 and he passed away in 1920. So He says “any mathematical equation, any equation,” you know equation means E is equal to, Einstein’s equation, E is equal to mc squared. That we all know right? That is called an equation, means the left side is equal to the right side. Just like 10 dollars or one thousand rupiah is equal to? One dollar. This is an equation. So that is the definition of equation. One thousand rupiah is equal to one US dollar. So he said “An equation for me has no meaning unless it represents a thought of God.” In other words God is behind all the modes of nature. Similarly, people like Heisenburg in Quantum, these are the leaders in Quantum physics. Therefore this is very important to read, so you translate. What is our boy here, and translator, our scientist, medical scientist doctors and – So this is, I have given one copy here and I have three, four copies left.

There is another book, this is a book for the medical doctors. You can see a child is doing some experiment. Prabhupada said ‘Life comes from Life”. And this child is  doing some experiment, “where do I really come from?”. You see that, child is a very nice scientist.

Devotee: Looks like Maharaj when he was a child

BSDS: Yes, My color has been changed

(Laughter)
BSDS: So it is “life, matter and interaction”. So this is very important and it is very simple. Here there is Darwin, whether Darwin was crazy or he was a good man. This is also said there.  Darwin was worried , see look at this (laughter). So Darwin said when he was young, when he was young and growing up, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, because his father was a priest, so he used to learn choir singing, in the church, you know where the children go and they have the beautiful singing. And he said in growing up he used to read the works of Shakespeare. He was very interested in the poems by Wordsworth, Byron. These are British poets, Keats, Some of you might have studied in English right? These are very famous poets. So he used to enjoy reading and he was very much afraid but when he started thinking about this evolutionary conception that -so there was an experiment that he did called “The Voyage of the Beagle”.

Devotee: What is the name?

BSDS: It’s called the name of the ship he was touring in South America to explore all the wonders of, Galapogas.

Devotee: Africa

BSDS: No no South America. So he collected all these information, he studied all the informations for fifty years and then after that when he published his book called “The Origin of Species” So that is called “Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory.” So after that he said, he was getting old. He lost all the taste of beauty, love, feelings and he was very sad, because he didn’t see any meaning in life, lost all. And he was lamenting greatly, “Why? What happened?” Because he removed God from his theory. So therefore we say Darwin’s mistake was that he could not understand about the difference between life and matter. So therefore this book is a short presentation about how to correct Darwin’s mistake. So therefore this is a very interesting thought. This is for all of you. And Prabhupada instructed us to distinguish what is life and what is matter. These are some of the wonders of life. Actually a male crocodile, when the male crocodile is in the Nile river in Egypt – what happens is there is a crocodile there and the crocodile lays eggs and when the eggs hatched, see this male crocodile how does it do is that the egg is taken between the two jaws and then he rubs very gently so the young one is not hurt, called hatchling, or young one, this, at the same time crocodile is so powerful that he can crush the leg of a an elephant just like you see with Gajendra. Like that but he is very gentle, very loving because there is a child there. So therefore these are called the wonders of life. Therefore, we have given some example.  So these are wonders, now in science there is a very wonderful thing here. This molecule is called C60 molecule, there are 60 carbon atoms in this molecule. Its like, exactly like a football, soccer. This is available in nature. This is so strong it cuts diamonds. So these are some of the wonders by which you can distinguish, but this is only matter. But behind this matter, what exists, you can [indistinct words]. . .

So there are distinctions therefore between life and matter, these are the tables that you have to memorize, you have to read. Distinction between life and matter, then what is the property of matter and life. You can have a look at it. So then you know that the Upanishad says “aham brahmasmi” What does that mean? Aham brahmasmi means you are jivatma. You are jivatma, you are beyond atoms and molecules. So that means you are spiriton. You know spiriton? Spiriton means “aham brahmasmi” Now, so spiriton, so these are the properties, we have two different colors but it came to one color here. Then we are interacting with the matter and the spirit, our body, there is spirit there and also matter there. So we are products of interaction. But how does it interact? How to get out of this material interactions? All filled up with devotion, devotional science begins.

So this is the preliminary study of how to become a devotee of Krishna. So without understanding the distinction between life and matter you become angry very quickly. So in this way, but once you understand the distinction and you develop all the good qualities. Therefore Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, what does Krishna say? Krishna says raja vidya raja guhyam pavitram idam uttamam, pratakshyagamaman dharmam su-sukham kartam avyayam[iv], .  So this knowledge, understanding the distinction between life and matter, also the devotional service, so this knowledge is called the king of education. Raja vidya and also such knowledge, Krishna says raja guhyam, confidential, this means most important. Most important. When he says confidential it means you have to treat very very carefully and you have to keep it intact. Say for example I have 1 kg of gold, from Bali. All the Bali devotees have donated 1 kg of gold for finishing Manipur temple for next year, I will keep it very carefully, I will make sure that nobody sees it and I will keep it very very carefully. So I will make sure that the devotees will not tell to the airport people that this Swamiji has got 1 kg of gold, (laughter) so please, so he said, you said please give your blessings so that Maharaj can take this to India to finish the temple. So in this way you will be very careful whether I am carrying this is ok or not, so in this way.

[Gajapathi Maharaj  comes ]

BSDS: Hare Krishna, (laughs).

Devotee: Have a nice stay Maharaj

Gajapati Maharaj: Take rest

BSDS: I am resting by talking. To Kuta beach? Make sure that he goes before sunset. Jai Gajapati Maharaj ki

Devotees: Jaya!

---

[i] tad viddhi praṇipātena,paripraśnena sevayā , upadekṣyanti te jñānaḿ, jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ (BG 4.34)

Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.

[ii] man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yājī māḿ namaskuru, mām evaiṣyasi satyaḿ te, pratijāne priyo ’si me (BG 18.65)

Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

[iii] bhaktyā mām abhijānāti,yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ, tato māḿ tattvato jñātvā, viśate tad-anantaram (BG 18.55)

One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.

[iv] rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaḿ, pavitram idam uttamam, pratyakṣāvagamaḿ dharmyaḿ, su-sukhaḿ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2)

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

Recorded by: Balinese Devotee

Transcribed by: Amala Gaura Das

Edited by: Rupachandra Das

Popularity: 53% [?]

by Srila Sripada Maharaj

(The Following Lecture is an informal lecture given by Srila Sripada Maharaj at the gardens of Sri Sri Radha Rasesvara Asram. this is the last lecture of Srila Sripada Maharaj in Bali. Sripada Maharaj accompanied by King of Puri and Rajguru of Jagannath Puri on this last Visit to Bali. Sripada Maharaj affectionately called all the devotees-at that afternon-ti sit near his lotus feet as if he want to tell this is my last visit here in Bali and then speak as follows)

Bali (August 2006)

BSDS: So everybody is well?

Devotees: Yes!

BSDS: I wanted to come earlier around June, July then my program changed.  But I was told that we had a very nice festival of Jagannath. So your son, he is a son? Your son is very nice. What is the name?

Devotee: Guru Maharaj give name “Guru Das”

BSDS: Oh acha, that is not too long ago right?. Haribol Guru Dasa <laughter>

Devotee: you slept there, in Krishna Balaram mandir?

BSDS: Yeah. It is very peaceful in the forest. Maybe we should all have ashrams in the forest

Devotee: Now winter is nice here Maharaj

BSDS: Yes.  You come in large numbers next year. You come in many numbers I will come very often.

(Devotees cheer and clap loudly)

BSDS: I will put in my notebook who all comes. (laughter). Our Gajapati Maharaj is telling to our Damodar Pandit today “you come to Jagannath Puri but if they say anything you say you are all from Manipur.” He was telling in the car, right Damodar Pandit? Then what about the language? You speak your language, they don’t know Manipuri, you say this is Manipuri (laughter).  You can have a tour of India, Mayapur, Vrindavan, Jagannath Puri, and our Maharaj will welcome you. We will go to his house, he has a very nice restaurant just in front of the Jagannath Puri, no onion. no garlic. and have nice darshan and from there go to the south, see Tirupati and Rameshvaram and you can make a tour of Andhra and some ashrams like Shri Rangam Ashram and you come but November you cannot go to Badrinath but you can go Madhvacharya’s ashram and so there you have a good tour of India. It will be a very nice program. November is a good season for traveling in all parts of India including South, it won’t be hot. Of course if you like the hot climate then but still you know it is very good. So make some effort, you see, practically if you have about one thousand five hundred dollars that will be quite sufficient for [traveling]. You won’t spend much money in the train. That you can manage, one thousand five hundred and you can live for about one month. This includes the ticket, ticket included.

Devotee: One month, maybe not enough for one month.

BSDS: One month means there will be some help from buying tickets.  Tickets from , we came for $600. $600 is round trip ticket from Kolkata to Bali. From Kolkata to Imphal nowadays there are many cheap flights and it is not very expensive.

Devotee: How much is the ticket from Kolkata to Imphal?

BSDS: Kolkata to Imphal, see sometimes we have these new flights now, so that is about 4000 to 5000 rupees and if you go by train it will be about Rs. 3000. You can also go by train.

Devotee: How long it takes Maharaj, Kolkata to Assam

BSDS: By flight, one hour

Devotee: If we go by train?

BSDS: By train it will be one and half days. You go through the mountains. Yeah, if you do not fight with the wild elephant (phone given to Maharaj) Oh, acha acha.  This is voice from the spiritual world. (Laughter)

BSDS on phone: Haribol, so when are you coming? When are you coming to America. Yes I wanted to see you in America and our Gadadhara told me that he has brought some prasadam for you. Oh acha acha.  My health? My health, I was up and down and now I am ok. In Bali I am always alright. Yes. Oh I see, where is it available? I see, ok. I will try, you send me some. Oh, now the line is cut.

BSDS: This for you? So what I was talking?

Devotee: About the time for travelling Maharaja.

BSDS: If you try then the Lord will bless you and Lakshmi Maharani  will come

Devotees:  Jaya!

BSDS: We have to be sincere in prayer. You can try this time, you pray from today. Maharaj is requesting to come to Manipur.  My dear Lord please bless me, then everybody will get.  Also you have to work, not just pray (laughter). So that power of prayer. You see the scientists today, many scientists are studying about the power of prayer. Just a few years ago, twenty Nobel laureates prayed about the healing process. If a person is sick, how the person can be healed by prayer. Twenty Nobel laureates did experiment

BSDS on phone: So Dinanath, ok so are you coming next year? I am talking to our devotees here so that they come to Manipur for temple opening on November 21 next year. Yes, it may be possible. You can make some prayer and its possible. Right and you earn some money and if our devotees don’t have enough money, you can supply them (laughter). Is that ok? Yeah. Ok ok, thank you.

Devotee: Because his name is Dinanatha, the master of the poor

BSDS (still on the phone): Yes that is fine for this time, but for next year our devotees in Bali, some poor brahmacharis they might not have enough laxmi to come to Manipur so you make some special arrangement. I am going to request a few of you to arrange like that. You are one of them ok?. Ok very good, very good. The rest maybe Gunavatar, [indistinct] I want many to come next year. And whatever balance left over in India, I will take care (laughs).  So yeah, that will be nice. So your tour in America was useful? Ok, ok. You come next year again. I also wanted to see you but you are very tight and my program was already fixed. Yeah yeah, ok now I am with our devotees, very happy. I was busy for the last 2-3 days.  Alright stay well,  give our blessings, begging Prabhupada’s blessings for the devotees there, ok. So alright, day after tomorrow, yes I will stay one night in Singapore with our Maharaj, (Jagannath) Puri Maharaj and two days our Singapore devotees are taking care of them and so they are very happy to be here in this part, the first time they came to this part of the world and they liked the prasadam, they liked the culture. They say there is a lot of similarity between Bali and Orissa. Yeah, so Maharaj is inviting all of you to Jagannath Puri. Yeah and also Maharaj will be there in Manipur next year for the temple opening. If you come this year in Puri, I am doing program in Puri, our birthday program is there and followed by two days conference in Puri, the hall and everything is hired. Its called Town Hall in Puri and we expect many students and scholars from India and abroad on December 9 and 10. Oh, you got it from Internet? Ok, I see.  Maybe if you have, anyone of you, because its far away and also its – Many of you may not be able to come this year but those who have some energy to go then you can go, otherwise if you save for next year that is also fine. Ok, you save, that’s fine. So ok, you take care. Yeah (puts phone down) Priyasakhi is here?

Devotee: Yes

BDDS: Yes she is sitting here.

Devotee: She is not lost yet.

BSDS: OK, yes, you take care, ok, you take care, Hare Krishna (puts phone down)

BSDS: This is yours? This is different color, it looks darker,

Devotee: New one

BSDS: Oh new one? Gunavatar gave me one of these last year and my boys, my boys are very expert in computer, on the internet they do everything and so its useful.  Actually I also brought it here. From here I didn’t change the SIM card, its very expensive, I just.

Devotee: If you do phone by internet it’s very cheap Maharaj

BSDS: I see

Devotee: Have to have the same address like Yahoo

BSDS (to all devotees): So now I should hear from you.  I’d like to hear from you, your story, I haven’t heard for some time. How many times you are talking to Krishna? (laughter) Before I hear from you, this is a book “God is a Person” So during my conversation with Prabhpuada, Prabhupada always told me “What is good is your PhD as a scientist if you cannot prove about the existence of God from the scientific background. So he said “Write book, prove that God is a person.” So therefore this is a small humble offering to Prabhupada. This is a dialogue, means discussion, these are two Nobel laureates, Charles Townes, he is 90 years old, he is the one who discovered laser, just like we have laser photography, laser eye surgery, and laser printing and all these things, laser oven. He was the one who invented, for this he got Nobel prize, from Berkeley California. Last year his birthday was celebrated in October. I was invited as one of his friends. There were twenty nobel laureates, the most well known nobel laureates in physics from all over the world for this conference. So for the first time in history in a scientific conference, to honor his 90^th birthday, a three day conference by 20 nobel laureates and about thousands of people discussed about the importance of spirituality in our life. For the first time in history. The next one is Phillips, William Phillips. And he got Nobel prize, he is also Physics. He got Nobel Prize for discovering the cooling down of atoms. It is called laser cooling of atoms. So cooling is done like this. Suppose I have a box, this box is filled with gases, gases means atoms and molecules. So then you bring a laser beam and shine it on this box and the motion, you see the atoms and molecules are all moving, they slow down, they cool. When you shine by laser, the atom, the molecules cool down, and from that cooling you can say that a very useful product can be formed. The cooling down, from that you can make, its called atomic clock.

Atomic clock is much more accurate than this watch. So in a few years all our watches will be replaced by atomic clock, these will be thrown away. Just like all the IBM typewriters are thrown away, by small small computers, replaced. For that discovery he got Nobel Prize. And he was one of the organizing secretaries of Charles’ 90^th birthday last year. This Phillips is younger than me by about 2-3 years. But he is a very nice person. And he used this technique in the Srimad Bhagavatam, you see there is a chapter called calculation of time from the movement of the atoms. Calculation of time from the movement of atoms, so this is exactly what he is using to make this atomic clock.  So this is very interesting work, even for the devotees, for all of us it is something very very wonderful. So lets see what they say.  Charles Townes says, “God is very personal,” like our boys are very personal, our friend is very personal, our photographer is very personal. The foundation of our Vaishnava philosophy is based on personhood, everything is a person. So behind this wind blowing there is a person. What is the name of the person?

Devotees: Varun?   Marut. Vayu

BSDS: What is the name of the person behind the wind?

Devotees: Vayu

BSDS: Ok, so you do your research (laughter). Scientific research. So Charles says “God is very personal. He has very personal interactions with us.” Because of that interaction he could make this type of discovery – scientific discovery.  He says “I think there is continuous interaction between God and this universe, the universe and God.”  Just like Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita “aham sarvasya prabhava[i] – He is the source of everything.” So especially with us personally. With us means we are living entities, God is there and so we have personal interactions. So where is that person whom you can interact with (God)? Where is that person?

Devotees: Bhakta, Premi Bhakti

BSDS: Bhakta? No suppose you can have interaction with God, but where is He? Where does He stay?

Devotee: In our heart

BSDS: In the heart. How does he stay in the heart?

Devotee: (laughter)

BSDS: So who said Parmatma? He stays as Paramatma. What is another name of

Paramatma?

Devotee: Spiriton

BSDS: Spiriton? (laughs), No, Spiriton is the Jivatma (laughs)

Devotee: Kshirodakashay..

BSDS: Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, right? Vishnu has three expansions called Purusha Avatar, So in this way Charles Towne says we have personal relationship, but he doesn’t say Kshirodakashayi Vishnu. He said “I have direct personal connection.”  He said this understanding is very important to our lives. Then we say according to the Bhagavata culture there are three categories of God realization. So what are those three aspects of God?

Devotee: Brahman

BSDS: Brahman, what is the Brahman? What is Brahman realization?

Devotees: Impersonal

BSDS: Can you talk to Brahman? Accha, so the Brahman is impersonal, right? That is correct, Brahman means you cannot talk. So if you cannot talk then what will you do?

Devotees: Silence

BSDS: So you do further research, this is topic for all of you. Brahman. What is the next realization?

Devotees: Paramatma

BSDS: Paramatma, we said before, what does Paramatma do with you? If you are hungry do you talk to Paramatma, “My dear Paramatma, please bless me to get some prasadam?” (laughter) Because Paramatma is the closest that you have. Actually you don’t have to talk to Paramatma like that. Paramatma knows what you have. Immediately He knows what you are thinking, what you have in your mind and  therefore Paramatma is called the caitya-guru. In dwelling spiritual teacher. He knows immediately this boy is very hungry so I will give him prasadam. In this way all the living entities, they don’t even know what paramatma is, like the birds and the [animals?]. They all have something because Paramatma is providing. And what is the next stage? What is the third stage of God realization?

Devotees: Bhagavan, personal God.

BSDS: Bhagavan, right? So therefore this Bhagavan is not so easy to realize. But Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, in order to realize Him, what does Krishna say in Bhagavad Gita? Anybody can say what does Krishna say in Bhagavad Gita?

to be continued in Part 2

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[i] ahaḿ sarvasya prabhavo , mattaḥ sarvaḿ pravartate, iti matvā bhajante māḿ, budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ (BG 10.8)

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds.  Everything emanates from Me.  The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

Recorded by: Balinese Devotee

Transcribed by: Amala Gaura Das

Edited by: Rupachandra Das

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