maitreya uväca
guëa-vyatikaräkäro
nirviçeño ‘pratiñöhitaù
puruñas tad-upädänam
ätmänaà lélayäsåjat
Synonyms
maitreyaù uväca—Maitreya said; guëa-vyatikara—of the interactions of the modes of material nature; äkäraù—source; nirviçeñaù—without diversity; apratiñöhitaù—unlimited; puruñaù—of the Supreme Person; tat—that; upädänam—instrument; ätmänam—the material creation; lélayä—by pastimes; asåjat—created.
Translation
Maitreya said: Eternal time is the primeval source of the interactions of the three modes of material nature. It is unchangeable and limitless, and it works as the instrument of the Supreme Personality of Godhead for His pastimes in the material creation.
Purport
The impersonal time factor is the background of the material manifestation as the instrument of the Supreme Lord. It is the ingredient of assistance offered to material nature. No one knows where time began and where it ends, and it is time only which can keep a record of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the material manifestation. This time factor is the material cause of creation and is therefore a self expansion of the Personality of Godhead. Time is considered the impersonal feature of the Lord.
The time factor is also explained by modern men in various ways. Some accept it almost as it is explained in the Srimad-Bhägavatam. For example, in Hebrew literature time is accepted, in the same spirit, as a representation of God. It is stated therein: “God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets….” Metaphysically, time is distinguished as absolute and real. Absolute time is continuous and is unaffected by the speed or slowness of material things. Time is astronomically and mathematically calculated in relation to the speed, change and life of a particular object. Factually, however, time has nothing to do with the relativities of things; rather, everything is shaped and calculated in terms of the facility offered by time. Time is the basic measurement of the activity of our senses, by which we calculate past, present and future; but in factual calculation, time has no beginning and no end. Chanakya Pandita says that even a slight fraction of time cannot be purchased with millions of dollars, and therefore even a moment of time lost without profit must be calculated as the greatest loss in life. Time is not subject to any form of psychology, nor are the moments objective realities in themselves, but they are dependent on particular experiences.
Therefore, Srila Jiva Gosvami concludes that the time factor is intermixed with the activities—actions and reactions—of the external energy of the Lord. The external energy, or material nature, works under the superintendence of the time factor as the Lord Himself, and that is why material nature appears to have produced so many wonderful things in the cosmic manifestation. Bhagavad-gita (9.10) confirms this conclusion as follows:
mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù
süyate sa-caräcaram
hetunänena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
Time works as an instrument of the Personality of Godhead
Vidura is asking for the benefit of all conditioned beings the most essential questions required for self realization. In the previous verse, Vidura asked Maitreya to kindly describe eternal time which is another form of supreme Lord the wonderful actor. What are the symptoms of that eternal time? Please describe to us in detail and herein Maitreya is explaining the time works as an instrument of the Personality of Godhead for His pastimes in material creation. Actually, for Krsna everything that is existing in all material and spiritual worlds are simply taking places as His pastimes, Krsna is the supreme enjoyer. In the eternal abode of Lord, time and everything else that exist is simply controlled to increase the degree of enjoyment and love between Krsna and His associates. Yoga maya potency means that energy of the Lord that is constantly uniting everyone’s consciousness and love and devotion deeper and deeper with Krsna. In the spiritual world everything is eternal there is no diminishing of qualities or of life as in this material world. In the spiritual world nothing is stagnant. At every moment the living entities love for Krsna is increasing. The living entities desire to serve Krsna is increasing and the varieties of ways serving Krsna are unlimited. But in this material world, time is the destroyer of everything and therefore, time is the worst enemy for one attached to the material concept of life because the worst enemy is the enemy that you cannot defeat and enemy who you can defeat is not a very bad enemy. But enemy who definitely defeat you and who’s defeating whatever moment is worst enemy.
Radhanath Swami on Krsna is the time
Krsna in Bhagavad Gita, wanted to reveal his supreme power in material existence and therefore in11th chapter He revealed to Arjuna the Virata rupa, the universal form and there Arjuna saw that this form was covering everything in all directions, there were flames coming out of His mouth. He saw the whole universes, the whole creation within this form. The moon, the sun, the mountains, the rivers, the planets, the demigods, everything and within His mouths all living beings specially soldiers of the battle field of Kurushetra were being forced beyond their control into His mouth as He was devouring them all and when Arjuna saw this form, he was struck with wonder, it was so reverential it’s so fearful. Then Krsna declared – ‘This is my form of time’, ‘kalarupa’ and in this form I am devouring everyone and everything and no one can escape. So time is Krsna, Krsna says in Gita – “suhådaà sarva-dehinäm” that He is the best well-wisher friend of all living entities. But in the form of time, everyone is fighting against Him. Just see the battle against Krsna in this material existence. People wear watches; people have clocks and see this everywhere, because they are all battling against Krsna. This clock is a mürti of Krsna. Every watch on your wrist is a mürti of Krsna. Representing how Krsna is taking your life away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour, day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year, decade by decade you are being destroyed by Krsna and you can even see Him. What kind of power is this? When the Americans bombed Hiroshima and these places everyone saw it. They just (Maharaj imitates bomb sound) kha… the mushroom clouds and everything. You can see it and in warfare we see there are armies, there are soldiers and all the poor civilians see so much elaborate arrangements just to kill and destroy. But Krsna in the form of time, He is invisible, we can’t see Him, we can’t smell Him, we can’t touch Him and we can’t hear Him. But yet He is everywhere destroying everything how wonderful is Krsna‘s power! He is all devouring.
Time in the spiritual world
Time is Krsna’s way of revealing to all living entities that this material existence is not the place of happiness for the eternal soul. In the spiritual world time is present but it is conspicuous by his absence in the sense that it is not mixed with the three modes of material nature, the mode of goodness, the mode of passion and the mode of ignorance. The mode of passion creates, the mode of ignorance destroys, within this material world due to the mode of passion we take birth and we start to grow and due to the mode of ignorance will simultaneously being destroyed. So, when Krsna in the form of time His energy enters into this material world along with his material nature. It actually pushes forward the three modes of material nature. It is the generating force that activates the mode of material nature and therefore, due to passion and ignorance – there is birth, there is growth, there is diminishing and there is destruction. But the mode of goodness maintains it preserves. But in this material world all the modes of material nature are mixed, there is no pure goodness, pure passion or pure ignorance. They are interacting constantly, eternally. Therefore, we have creation, growth, some duration of longevity, some production of offspring then diminishing and death. But in the spiritual world, there is no passion, there is no ignorance. There is only goodness. And because of that goodness is unmixed by passion and ignorance absolutely it is called suddha-sattva. It is pure goodness and therefore time, Krsna‘s energy in that environment doesn’t create, it does not give the birth and it does not destroy. So, in pure goodness time simply keeps everything maintain perfectly forever, eternally. The three modes of material nature do not exist in the spiritual world. These three modes of material nature and time are the essential ingredients underline all happiness and suffering with in creation.
Radhanath Swami explains Time – Enemy for Materialists and Friend for Devotees
So Maitreya Muni here is explaining so nicely how time is the primeval source of all the interactions of the three modes of material nature. Another words, it is Krsna who is the ultimate controller of everything.(Bg. 9.10)
mayädhyakñeëa prakåtiù
süyate sa-caräcaram
hetunänena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
The whole material existence is working under Krsna’s direction and the whole material existence is working under Krsna’s direction simply for the purpose of discouraging the fallen souls from their continued pursued to try to find happiness outside of the spiritual realm. Krsna is all merciful in every manifestation. Therefore this great enemy of time for all materialists who are fighting and fighting and fighting, he is seen as a friend for the devotee. Devotee sees time as Krsna as the beloved. The materialistic people with all technology, medicines, and wine houses, building and all academics these all basically fighting against the power of time. As you growing old, you are trying to make so many arrangements to keep your body and soul together which is actually impossible. For the time being there is some sense that you can do it. The time is destroying you and we are fighting against it, fighting against it. People are rushing to their offices on time fighting against time. Students are cramming for their exams fighting against time. People are going to the sporting events and the entertainment events, because of so bored that’s why people go to these things. It’s not because of it brings some happiness, because they are so empty and bored with life. They have to just completely forget their inner boredom by bombarding it with external sources of distraction. A person who is contempt with the piece of the soul is happy just chanting Hare Krsna.
Devotee welcomes death
They asked Srila Prabhupada, what will we do when there is war? Because war is a very powerful form of Krsna in the form time to destroy. Krsna in the form of time this accelerates his pastimes of the time of war. Bombs dropping, guns shooting. So one time in Calcutta, when it was being bombed during world war II , everyone was going in to the subways and into the shelters and into basements and there is alarm go on- aa a…aa a… aa a(Maharaj imitates alarm sound)everyone get out of here hide go underground like the rats. Prabhupada was cooking puries for his deities and everyone was joining and they said, Abhay come, come the bombs are dropping and you could actually hear the bombs drop. Srila Prabhupada even imitated (Maharaj imitates bomb dropping sound) could hear bombs are drooping all around him and everyone was in such a commotion of anxiety, frustration and fear running here and there helter-skelter trying to take their family members and whatever precious belongings they could run with and Prabhupada was cooking puris. They ask come, come he said, you go I will cook puries for Krsna. Prabhupada said, I was thinking that Krsna has come in the form of these bombs. Prabhupada was making offering, welcome Krsna whatever wonderful way He comes. So devotee, he has no end. A devotee is friend of all living entities. Because a devotee sees Krsna behind the scene of everything and materialistic people, they are fighting and losing battle against time. But the devotee welcomes time. He welcomes even death. We will try to maintain our body to the best capacity because it is a means by which we can utilize for the service of Guru and Krsna. But ultimately for a devotee death is the doors opening to the eternal abode of Krsna. It is not a loss. It is a gain. We give up this body made of mucus, bile and air and we resume our original body which is eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss. Is that such a terrible thing? But yet due to ignorance, people are taking death is such a terrible thing, such a horrible thing. Of course for materialistic people – it is a horrible thing because if they are living lives full of material enjoyment and sinful activities which help us to accumulate more and more material enjoyment. They may do not know what mystery is ahead of them? There are 8,400,000 species of life and each one of these 8,400,000 species of life was created how? By the three modes of material nature, intermixing by the power of Krsna in the form of time that is how all species of life come about and each one has a particular unique way to enjoy and suffer. Prabhupada explained – the elephant can eat all day, no stop and we eat for a 20 minutes, that’s just our extent. We can’t enjoy anymore. But elephant can just go on eating and eating and eating and the Pigeon can have sex life sixty times a day and even more facility is there. But the same pleasure that humans have perhaps more. Pigeon enjoys probably greater because they have no mental anxieties human beings so much mental anxiety anything we do. Where will he go? Will she has become pregnant? Or will this happen? What will happen here? Will they find out? But the pigeons are just simply enjoying. So, there are 8,400,000 species of life and each of a very, very specially created way enjoying, suffering and the human form of life which is meant for self realization if it is not utilize for that purpose, the soul has to go back down into the lowest species and we do not know. There are 14 planetary systems seven are lower planets, Hellish planets and some are higher planets mid planets. So we do not know so yes death is fearful because of our ignorance. But for a devotee who has faith, death is not fearful. Death is just to welcome change. We are constantly changing, the body is constantly growing through transformations and this is just the final transformation of this particular body.
When Srila Prabhupada was in his last days in Vrindavan he was lying in his bed and his body was very small in size and he was not eating, and devotees saw and they were weeping and crying, Prabhupada do you want to leave us? Then Prabhupada looked at them and smiled and said, do not think that this will not happen to you. When we are young we are thinking, oh I will just go on dancing and singing forever and enjoying this youth. But actually Srila Prabhupada once he was in the morning walk, in Bombay at the beach and he was walking with his cane he said, I remember when I was little boy on the beach how I was running and jumping and swimming now look, I am walking with cane. He said; do not think this will not happen to you. It happens to everyone it is the power of time. But it did not cause Srila Prabhupada distressed. He was happy. For him every moment, He was just coming closer, one step closer to ‘Goloka Vrindavan’ to return to Krsna.
äyur harati vai puàsäm
udyann astaà ca yann asau
(SB 2.3.17)
Bhagvatam explains – that with every rising and setting of the sun, for the materialistic person, he has one day closer to cruel death. But for devotee with the every rising and setting of the sun is one day closer to eternal life of bliss and knowledge. What is that beautiful verse from the Vishnu purana? “It describes that the greatest of all misfortunes is one moment lost in forgetfulness of Krsna”. Because according to our destiny we are allotted at the time of our conception so many moments a moment is 1/12th of a second, lavamätra, so many moments before we die and human life is meant for self realization. “Athäto brahma-jijïäsä”, and intelligence means – ‘not to waste a moment’.
näyaà deho deha-bhäjäà nå-loke
kañöän kämän arhate viò-bhujäà ye
(SB 5.5.1)
Rishabadev Bhagawan says – “Do not waste this human form of life” searching for the same things that are available to the dogs and hogs that eat stool mainly sense enjoyment it is not worth it. The dogs are eating, sleeping, mating and defending. And they are creating so many family situations just for that purpose that is not what human existence is meant for. It is meant for self realization. “tapo divyaà putrakä yena sattvaà”. That will bring us happiness and even the greatest politicians, the greatest businessman, the greatest technologist, the greatest educationist, they understand that most important type of management is time management. How to utilize every moment for its highest purpose and those who are most successful in any field are those who do not waste time. The great musician, the great artist they become the way they are because they do not waste time. They fix is much of their time and energy in that. But unfortunately –
na mäà duñkåtino müòhäù
prapadyante narädhamäù
mäyayäpahåta-jïänä
äsuraà bhävam äçritäù
(BG 7.15)
They are all wasting their lives. Because they are utilizing their time for that which ultimate culminate death and suffering. But the devotee understands every fraction, every moment, every little particle of a second is so valuable and Chanakya Pandit here describes it is so valuable that, that moment the twelfth of a second cannot be brought back for all the millions of dollars of the entire world. If you lose a moment what to speak of second, a second is a long time. But if you even lose a moment, that one moment all the wealth of Swargaloka, all the wealth from this planet Bhüloka, cannot buy the that second. It’s gone, you wasted it. It was an opportunity to come closer to God and it’s lost and the seconds are gone by so quickly and the minuets, the hrs, the days, the weeks, the months and the years no wonder what’s wrong. Why I am not making progress? You don’t make progress in Krishna Consciousness over the years. You make progress in Krishna Consciousness over the moments. Because if you don’t utilize your moments in remembering Krsna and cultivating higher consciousness then the years will go by and they will be empty, they will be hallow, there will be no value.
Greatest Misfortune – Forgetting Krsna for a moment
So if a person is a devotee for one year or twenty years or forty years or fifty years and they are thinking – why I am not so spiritually advanced? I have been in this movement from 50 years. Don’t think about the 50 years. The problem is within that 50 years, how did you utilize every moment? The moment is precious. The here and the now moment how we are remembering Krsna? If we are not remembering Krsna, we are inflicting upon ourselves the ultimate misfortune. According to God, Vishnu purana – ‘The greatest misfortune that can fall up on any living entities is not death’. It is not the death of mother or father or wife or child or husband that’s not considered a great misfortune. The loss of all our wealth, the loss of our home, the loss of our health not considered a great misfortune but the loss of a moment forgetting Krsna that is the greatest misfortune. Because maya is cheating us of the ultimate Supreme treasure of Krsna Bhakti and inducing us to waste those moments for not, for those perishable useless forms which ultimately bring us misery & sorrow.
Radhanath Swami on Devotee’s compassion
ye hi saàsparça-jä bhogä
duùkha-yonaya eva te
ädy-antavantaù kaunteya
na teñu ramate budhaù
(BG 5.22)
The pleasures of this world are the sources of misery and yet the whole human society, like a rat race they just running full speed, for those sensual enjoyments, for the sources of misery and their whole time is being wasted in that pursuit this is beautiful, it’s sorrowful and this is what causes -“para-dukha-dukhé” it causes the devotees to cry just sees how human society after evolving through so many millions of species of life and finally come to the opportunity to realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead Radha-Vrindavanchandra. To see them, to sing for them, to dance for them, to eternally, blissfully serve them in the spiritual world. Krsna is giving us that opportunity in this human life. But what do we do? Moment after moment we are chasing after the things. Yamaräja’s illusions of this world and that is the great loss and that is why the great acharya’s, they are willing to risk and sacrifices everything in their lives to help people utilize their precious moments to remember Krsna that is called compassion. Compassion can be explained in this way the great, great sorrow in the hearts to see the eternal soul part of Krsna wasting precious moments of life for sense gratification.
Always chant Hare Krsna
Srila Prabhupada his instruction was- “Always chant Hare Krsna”. Always means – “every moment”. We chant sixteen rounds minimum just to establish a spiritual foundation with spiritual integrity in our life. But the goal is not to chant sixteen rounds Caitanya Mahaprabhu explained, what the goal is? ‘kirtaniya sada hari’. To Chant always.
trnäd api sunécena
taror api sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
This is the key to utilize in every moment in life for Krsna for remembering Krsna, for enriching our spiritual consciousness. Do not let the moments fly away.
Radhanath Swami speaks on Maya Steals every moment
Maya loves to steal us away from Krsna and she does it moment by moment by moment. Especially for devotees, she very meticulously arranges her energies to steal our heart, consciousness away from Krsna. For the materialistic people, she has everyone in total captivity there is no problem. Their every moment of life is her profit, being wasted but for a devotee, if maya comes before you [Totally blank not audible]. I wanted you to be eternal, full of knowledge and full of bliss dancing and chanting with Krsna forever. However, I want you to just take one moment aside just break for a moment from all of this regress spiritual idea and just relax, enjoy, just for this moment. Then after this moment, go back to Godhead and the devotee thinks yes, that sounds like a very good proposal. After all, I shouldn’t be a fanatic we have to have a balanced life. So, I’ll give maya a moment and I’ll give Krsna the rest of my life. Then I will give maya a moment and then maya says, “ha… see you are still devotee. You gave me a moment your head still look shaved, you still have tilak on, you still have Sari or dhoti, ha.. you still have your Japa beads in your hand you gave me a moment so give me another moment, it’s not so bad. You see I am your friend. I am not going to disturb your spiritual life”. That sounds reasonable. Not only is she telling you within your mind but she’s telling you through your family, in to the society, in to the television, in to the radio, in to the newspaper, in to the magazine through all this, in all the music’s, in all the movies, every atom, every molecule is telling you, “Just give me one more moment to enjoy and then you can practice your Krishna Consciousness.” Little diversion, you know it’s wrong! You know it’s the not the highest! But just this, and then moment, after moment, after moment, once she starts giving you one or two moments then you become her captive prisoner, and then she just steals every moment, and soon fifty years have passed, and you are old person, and you’re about to die, and you look back and think, “Fifty years ago, I decided to give her a moment & she has taken my life.” Moment by moment, maya steals your life away from you and you don’t know where it has gone. That is the greatest tragedy in all of existence, to lose the valuable opportunity to go back to Godhead, moment after moment. So, we should understand how Krsna, in His form of time, is devouring & destroying all the opportunity for prosperity for those materialistic people who have forgotten Krsna.
Radhanath Swami explains Golden rule of Caitanya Mahaprabhu
How Krsna in the form of time is the dear friend of the devotees not the enemy, not the devourer? With every moment he is building, enriching, developing- not destroying- developing our spiritual qualities. Our material body might be deteriorating, but if we are practicing Krishna Consciousness our spiritual body is becoming stronger and stronger, fresher and fresher, more and more blissful and the art of living is to utilize every moment for Krsna. And there is only one way to do that according to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and that is –
trnäd api sunécena
taror api sahiñëunä
amäninä mänadena
kértanéyaù sadä hariù
If you want to utilize every moment to remember Krsna by chanting His name, you have to use every moment to aspire and struggle to be more humble than a blade of grass, to be more tolerant than a tree, to be ready to offer all respect to other living beings, and to expect no respect for oneself. When we cultivate this consciousness, the golden rule of Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s teaching, then –“sadä hari”, “Kirtaniya sada hari.” We can chant Krsna’s name always, at every moment. Srila Krishna Das Kaviraj Goswami has written that this verse is so precious, that every sincere devotee should string this verse on the necklace of the Holy Name, and wear it always, remember it always, to be the humble servant of the servant of the servant. When this is our aspiration in life then Krishna empowers us to remember Him constantly, to chant His holy names always, and this is the conclusion of all religions.
Essence of all knowledge – “Always remember Krsna and never forget Krsna”
Lord Kapiladev & Srila Rupa Goswami also explains that the essence of all knowledge is to, “Always remember Krsna and never forget Krsna”. This is the culmination of all scriptures, always, always means – ‘Every Moment’. Your life is constituent of moments. To dedicate your life to Krsna means to dedicate the moment that we have right now to Krsna, and the next moment to Krsna, and the next moment to Krsna, and the next moment. This is how we dedicate our life to Krsna, and how this word ‘always’ is so important. In Bhagavad Gita, Krsna says –
sarva-dharmän parityajya
mäm ekaà çaraëaà vraja
ahaà tväà sarva-päpebhyo
mokñayiñyämi mä çucaù
(BG 18.66)
You abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to me, but how –
man-manä bhava mad-bhakto
mad-yäjé mäà namaskuru
“Always remember me; always be my devotee, at every moment bow down to me, be conscious of me, remember me. If, we are always struggling against our false ego to take this role of the humble servant of the Lord, depending on the mercy of the Lord, the Guru, and the Vaishnavas, then Krsna will benedict us with the supreme treasure, “Kértanéyaù sadä hariù”. When we always think of him, we always chant his holy names. Kaviraj Goswami explains that the mercy of the Vaishnavas is like a stick, and that he is a lame invalid and it is only by the help of his stick that he can move forward on the path devotion. This humility, this devotion is required, and if we cultivate this desire then we can see Krsna, at every moment. Krsna is time. Time is Krsna, and the devotee sees Krsna in every moment, and the acaryas taught us this wonderful process- By chanting the Holy Name in the mood of humble servant.
Hare Krsna, HareKrsna,KrsnaKrsna, Hare Hare
Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare Hare.
Then utilizing our every moment for the pleasure & the service of Guru and Krsna, that is the perfection of life, and that is why we try to understand time. Jïäné‘s they have so many meticulous philosophical, logical understandings of how the time factor is working, but it’s all useless. They can explain it, it’s all theoretical, but if all of our understanding of time does not bring about the realization of the necessity to use every second, every moment for the service of Krsna, to remember Him, to chant His name, then what is the use? So, this is the culmination. Maitreya Muni is explaining all these wonderful subjects just to induce- “Always remembering Krsna.” Thank you very much.
And New Vrindavan will be truly New Vrindavan when all of the residents try to utilize their time for the pleasure of Radha Vrindavanchandra moment, after moment, after moment, use every precious, precious moment for the satisfaction of the Lord.
Thank you very much.
Srila Prabhupada ki Jay!
