LA april 30 70

Prabhupāda: Why a living entity is superior energy? Can anyone explain? Why living…? Yes? Stand up.

Devotee: Well, it is stated that the living entity, or the jīva soul, belongs to the jīva-tattva, that categoristic…, falls into that categoristic of the Lord’s energy. He is… Spark…

Prabhupāda: No, the question is why the living entity is called superior energy? That is the question. The material, matter—earth, water, air, fire, sky—the inferior energy; and why the living is called superior energy? Who can explain? Yes? Stand up.

Devotee: Well, the individual living entities are all part and parcel of the Supreme Lord…

Prabhupāda: The part and parcel, this material energy also, part and parcel. Because energy…

Devotee: It’s separated. Material energy’s separated, whereas the superior energy…

Prabhupāda: Separated, and this also, living entities also separated. In this sense. One sense, nothing is separated; but at the same time, separated. But the question is why the living entity’s called superior energy?

Devotee: The living entities are conscious and the material energy’s not.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is also one of the reasons. Living entity’s conscious, whereas the material energy is not conscious. This is one of the… Yes?

Devotee: The living entity is also eternal, unchanging, whereas the material energy is subject to change repeatedly.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is also. And the most important is that living entity is superior in this sense, that the living entity can control over the material energy.

Just like in this temple, all this paraphernalia which you have got, this is made of matter—earth, water, fire, water, and fire, air. But the living entity has molded for this purpose. And it can utilize the material energy, just like modern scientists, they are utilizing… Just like you American people, this land of America, before your coming from European countries, it was vacant land. The people who lived here, they could not utilize. But you have developed by your intelligence a very nice country with industry, with nice roads. So this is superior energy, that the living entity can have some control over the material energy. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat [Bg. 7.5]. The, the importance of this material world is due to the living entities. This Los Angeles City is valuable so long the living entities are there. The body’s valuable so long the living entity, soul, is there. Therefore it is superior. But that superiority is being misused. That is conditioned life. We are conditioned because our superior position than the matter, we are misusing. How we are misusing? We have forgotten that, although I am superior energy than the matter, but still, I am subordinate to God. That he is forgetting. The modern civilization, they do not care for God because people are superior than matter. They are simply trying to exploit matter in different way. But they are forgetting that we, either we may be American or Russian or China or India, we are all subordinate to God. This is the mistake. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, and they want to enjoy this material world. This is their disease. Now our duty is to invoke their Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that “You are superior.” That’s all right. But you are subordinate to Kṛṣṇa. You cannot enjoy, but you can… Just like we have decorated this temple not for our sense gratification. What is the difference between our students and ordinary man? They are also decorating their apartment very nicely. We are also doing the same. But the purpose is different. We are doing the same, but the purpose is different. We are doing it for Kṛṣṇa, and they are doing their for their… So our superiority is that either I am trying for decorating my personal apartment, I am trying to decorate this temple—my superiority is there because I am utilizing matter for my purpose. But when it is utilized, his intelligence is applied to utilized this matter for Kṛṣṇa, then his life is successful. The superior intelligence should be utilized for the benefit of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇārthe akhila-ceṣṭā. Then your life is successful. Then the same superior energy, if you apply it for your sense gratification, you’ll be entangled and anxiety. And then you’ll have to change your body, one after another. That is going on.

….So you read every śloka, every mantra. Whenever you get time, you read the purport, you read the meaning. The whole philosophy is there. Now you are growing. There will be so many questions, so many philosophers.But our philosophy is so sound and solid, that we can meet any philosopher of the world, any philosopher. But you have to learn it. The books are there, your intelligence is there, the guidance is there. Because you are preaching, sometimes we have to meet opposing elements. So if you cannot answer properly, that will be disqualification. So every one of you should learn this philosophy. As soon as you are able to, I mean to say, guide yourself, or save yourself from the attack of the opposing element, then you’ll know that you are making progress. Otherwise… Of course, there are different stages of devotional life. But so far we are concerned, we have to preach. That is the second platform of devotional life. In the second platform, not only to love God, but to make friendship with devotees who is loving God. That is society. Our Society is devotees. We should not only practice to love God, but we should make friendship and love the devotees also. And then those who are innocent, those who do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, we shall preach. And those who are atheist, against God, we shall avoid. So this is second stage. And on the highest stage, of course, there is no… He is paramahaṁsa. So that, don’t try to imitate paramahaṁsa. That is very topmost stage of devotional life. Even if you are on this topmost stage, when you are preacher you have come to the second platform, this stage. So you have to raise yourself from the lower stage to the second stage, and if you are in the highest stage, even then you have come to the second stage for preaching work. So preaching work, four vision. Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca: God, Kṛṣṇa; His devotee; innocent; and the atheist. So we are concerned with three: with God, the devotees and the innocent. To love God, to make friendship with devotees and to teach the innocent. And those who are atheist, against God, avoid. Don’t talk. Useless waste of time. Whatever he wants: “All right, sir, you are very great.” That’s all right. Don’t talk with them. Simply waste of time. But if one is inquisitive… Just like this child, he wants to learn. As I say, “Oh, offer your obeisances,” he does it. Oh, he should be taken care, very much developed. But that is also one of the offenses, out of the ten offenses. One who is disinclined to understand what is this chanting, you should not bother yourself to convince him. That’s all. Just like in hospital, especially in, in the warfield, there are many wounded soldiers are coming. But the doctors see that the soldier which has got the chance of living, take care more for them. And the soldier which is immediately going to die, they do not take care much.Because it is useless; he’ll not live. Similarly the atheist, the atheist will have to suffer. They’ll have to meet God in the form of death in so many ways. So by suffering, suffering, suffering, suffering, suffering, when a day will come that he’ll understand God, at that time, preaching to him is better. So you do not expect that our preaching will be appeal to everyone. It will be useful for the devotees, for the innocent. Not for the atheist.