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But on the whole, in the material world means everything bad; spiritual world everything is good

In anticipation of the installation of Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama, the number of devotees waiting for Prabhupada's garden darsana has greatly increased. This afternoon several hundred eager men and women were waiting with great expectation to see His Divine Grace. Srila Prabhupada walked through the vegetable gardens and sat again on the same grassy verge as yesterday. The devotees crowded around, sitting cross-legged in a semicircle around him. Those on the periphery stood to get a better view. After a brief kirtana Pradyumna read out the verse and translation of Bhagavad-gita 4.24 and Harikesa read the purport. Without any initial lecture, Prabhupada went straight into a questions and answers sesssion. Yogesvara prabhu said that sometimes the material energy is described as being different from the spiritual, and sometimes it is said that all energies are ultimately spiritual. "So what is the understanding?" Srila Prabhupada gave the example of electricity which is used to both heat and cool things. It is the same energy but used differently. Krishna says He is the source of everything, but still He describes the material energy as separated. "Just like I am speaking in the dictaphone: but after some time, without me, it will speak exactly like this. So, I am speaking, but I'm not present there. Similarly, material world means it is being conducted by Krishna; but still, Krishna, personally, He's not present there." He said that the sun globe and sunshine are the same, but one who is situated in the sunshine cannot say that he is in touch with the sun globe. Similarly, Krishna says that every living being rests in Him, yet He is not in them. So unless one is advanced he may not perceive Krishna in His energy. One of the devotees therefore wanted to know whether Krishna was present personally within the heart of every living entity and everywhere, or as an energy. "In His energy," Prabhupada said. He then qualified his answer. "Also person. Person we cannot see with the present eyes, but energy we can feel. So when fully realized, the advanced devotee, he does not see anything except Krishna." Another devotee pointed out that although in the Gita it says that one's body is always changing, there seems to be a principle of constancy because we see that a black man never becomes white, and we can recognize someone even though their body changes from youth to old age. So he asked what was that constant. Prabhupada answered with another appropriate analogy. "So when you further advance you'll find there is no distinction between black and white. Just like a flower is coming out, there are many colors. So it is coming from the same source. As such there is no such difference, but to make it beautiful there are so many colors. In the sunshine there are seven colors, and from that seven colors, multicolors are coming out. Origin, the one color white, and then so many colors coming. Is that clear or not?" Someone else asked whether we can really say what is good or bad since Krishna has created everything and everything is submitted to Krishna's will. "There is no good or bad," Prabhupada said. "It is mental concoction. But on the whole, in the material world means everything bad; spiritual world everything is good. Material world means absence of spiritual world, that's all. You bring again spiritual world, it is good." With all the talk of Krishna being both present and not present, and the advanced state needed in order to actually see Him, the next question seemed almost inevitable. "Srila Prabhupada, since presently we cannot see Krishna as He is as a person, how should we meditate on Him?" Srila Prabhupada opened his eyes wide, admonishing. "You do not see Krishna is in the temple?" Everyone laughed, for he had stated the obvious. "We are worshiping something vague? You have to see Krishna as Krishna says. In the present stage ... Just like Krishna says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. Krishna says, 'I am the taste of the water.' You see Krishna in the taste of the water, that will make you advanced. According to different stages. So when you drink water, why don't you see Krishna? 'Oh, this taste is Krishna.' Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh. When you see the sunshine, moonshine. Krishna says, 'I am the sunshine, I am the moonshine.' So as soon as you see in the morning, sunshine, you see Krishna." After a few more questions he brought the meeting to an end, leading the devotees back to the Chateau. The devotees carried him up the steps in his palanquin. After prostrating himself on the marble floor of the temple room before Their Lordships Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, he then mounted the vyasasana where he accepted an ecstatic guru-puja.


Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 3 by Hari Sauri Dasa