- Srimad Bhagavatam Class: SB 11.3.35
- Chapter Name: Liberation from the Illusory Energy
- Venue: Iskcon Newtown, Kolkata
- Day/Date: Friday,30th May 2025
- Speaker: HG Nimai Anand Prabhu
While speaking on SB 11.3.35, HG Nimai Anand Prabhu discussed about the three eternal tendencies of the living beings. He also explained how these tendencies are frustrated in this world and how we can satisfy these three tendencies.
śrī-pippalāyana uvāca
sthity-udbhava-pralaya-hetur ahetur asya
yat svapna-jāgara-suṣuptiṣu sad bahiś ca
dehendriyāsu-hṛdayāni caranti yena
sañjīvitāni tad avehi paraṁ Narendra
Śrī Pippalāyana said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of this universe, yet He has no prior cause. He pervades the various states of wakefulness, dreaming and unconscious deep sleep and also exists beyond them. By entering the body of every living being as the Supersoul, He enlivens the body, senses, life airs and mental activities, and thus all the subtle and gross organs of the body begin their functions. My dear King, know that Personality of Godhead to be the Supreme.
Important points from the purport of the verse SB 11.3.35
- In fact, the material cosmic manifestation continues to exist because of the desires of the conditioned souls to exploit it (yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat).
- Since Lord Kṛṣṇa is ultimately sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam, the cause of all causes, He is to be known as the ultimate supreme cause.
- When one transcends an official understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and comes to the superior status of love of God, one can understand the Lord to be Kṛṣṇa, the cause of all causes.
Below article is based on the class given by HG Nimai Anand Prabhu
Krishna is the source of everything
Nimi Maharaja asks about the Lord and answer is given by Śrī Pippalāyana. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura in previous sloka talks about Nista, he explains it as strong faith. Here Nimi Maharaja asks questions about the process by which one can develop complete faith and devotion for Lord.
Answer to Nimi Maharaj’s question is being given in this verse. Nimi Maharaja is asking who is that Supreme Lord. And Śrī Pippalāyana is saying that he is Narayana who is the creator, maintainer and destroyer. He is the cause of all causes, but he is beyond cause. And that Supreme Lord is actually Lord Krishna who is the cause of all causes.
Whenever there is any discussion about the Supreme Lord then discussion is about Krishna because he is the Supreme Lord.
Lord Krishna has personal expansion which is called svamsa expansion. And we the jiva tattvas are his vibhinnamsa expansion. And maya is Krishna’s chaya sakti. So, we see that Lord Krishna is the root of everything, cause of all causes. He is the source of everything.
The three tendencies of the living beings
We the living beings are part and parcel of Krishna, and we have three strong tendencies.
- Tendency to exist,
- Tendency to know
- Tendency to experience happiness
Tendency to exist: Everyone wants to live forever. No one wants to die. People think that even if body dies but they should continue existing in the form of their name, fame and glory.
Tendency of know: We are always curious to know what is happening around us, and in the world.
Tendency to experience happiness: We also look for happiness – ānanda-mayo ‘bhyāsāt.Since as soul our nature is pleasure seeking so we always look for pleasure in all situations.
These three tendencies of living beings are never going to end because it is the constitutional nature of soul. As soul, we are sat (eternal), cit (knowledge) and ananda (happiness).
This natural tendency of the soul can’t be given up or cannot be subdued.
We came here from the spiritual world. This material world is opposite to the spiritual world. This world is temporary and full of ignorance, here there is misery at every step.
Even though, everything is opposite here but still we have strong tendencies to live here forever and enjoy.
But how much hard we try to satisfy our tendency; we always get frustrated here. Let us see why these three tendencies of living beings are not satisfied here and its solution.
How to satisfy these three tendencies
Tendency to live forever
We may try to live here forever but death is everywhere. People try hard to defeat death but always fail. There are scientists, medical professionals working hard to find cure for various diseases. There are medical equipments, medicines and so on. Some try allopathy, some naturopathy, some ayurveda to have good health but death is going to come for sure. This body is perishable; it cannot be with us forever.
Our propensity for living is also exploited in this world. We see in medical field how people are cheated. Many times, a person might have already died but are kept on ventilator to earn money.
People also think that let my body go but my name, my glory should remain forever. But how long people will remember us? May be for 100 years, 1000 years or may be for the lifetime of entire Brahma or may be till the time of annihilation which is just one breath of Maha Vishnu. And then no one will remember us. So, the desire for existence is never satisfied in this world.
How we begin living forever
But this desire gets satisfied when we become Krishna Conscious and begin understanding that we are Krishna’s eternal servant. We have always been servant of Krishna since the time of our existence. And this relationship which we have with Krishna can never be taken away. So, we should always be doing service for Krishna. Krishna is eternal and service to Krishna is eternal. This position of ours cannot be taken away even by death.
Desire for ananda
In this world, we get promise for future happiness. Happiness is always in future here. We think that if we do this then we will be happy in future. Example is given of donkey.
When donkey is reluctant to work then a carrot is hung in front of a donkey called dangling carrot. Donkey moves one step ahead thinking that he will be able to get the carrot, but the carrot also moves one step ahead. And the donkey never gets carrot.
We are told in school, if you pass Class 12 with good result, you will be happy. If you will get into engineering or medical college you will be happy. But once we enter into these colleges there is fear of placement. And after getting job also there is fear of losing the job. So, where is happiness?
There is only false hope of happiness in this world. There is advertisement also that if you buy this product, you will be happy, and people go for it but never become happy.
Why it happens? It is because we are spiritual, and matter cannot make us happy.
Prabhupada explains spirit and matter are like oil and water which can never mix. And so, matter can’t make us happy.
How we begin experiencing ananda
But this desire for ananda gets fulfilled when we get connected to Krishna. He is the original source and reservoir of all happiness. So, he can easily fulfil our desire for happiness.
In this world when someone does something for us then in return they want something. Many times, they may exploit us also. But Krishna does not want anything from us. He is self-satisfied, atmaram. He just wants to give us.
In Bhagavad Gita 18.66, he says, “you just surrender to me and you will become happy.” We jivas are original part and parcel of Krishna. And our nature is to love Krishna. By doing so we experience happiness.
Desire to know
We all have desire to know. So, people do research. But no matter how much we try we cannot know everything. One scientist did research on grass, he published paper, but it did not end research on grass. This research is still going on. Nature is so powerful, we can get completely absorbed in it life after life.
At micro level we can study neutron, proton, electron, quark and so on. At macro lever, we can study planets, galaxies, universe and can get completely absorbed in it. This material world is unlimited and difficult to know it completely. No matter how much we come to know about it, we are not satisfied.
Our desire for knowing is also exploited by social media, you tube channels etc. There we get plenty of information. A person can go on knowing more and more but it will never come to an end. There are newspapers, news channels, social media bombarding us with information and exploiting our desire to know. And everywhere we find the same information. Days after days newspapers have same news. Prabhupada says its like chewing the chewed.
If you want to know then better try to know Krishna. And if we do so then our desire to know is fulfilled. When we know God, we get connected to God. And we cannot know God by mental speculation.
Lord Brahma says that great munis can try to for 100 crore years to know God, but they will at most come to know the light which is emanating from the lotus feet of Krishna.
How to know Krishna
One can understand Krishna only by the mercy of Krishna. And that mercy comes when someone hears about the Lord from the pure devotees of the Lord.
Whatever tendency we have for knowing, we should try to use it to know Krishna. Trying to know this world will frustrate us. But if we know Lord then we know everything. By sravanam we should fulfil our tendency to know Krishna.
And once we are satisfied by hearing about Krishna then we can share the same knowledge with others. We can then become an instrument of the Lord in sharing his glories and also will become dear to the Lord.
