Isavasya, the God Centered Concept in a Nutshell
- īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ
- yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat
- tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
- mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam
Śrīla Prabhupāda considered this verse to be an important philosophical point to communicate to the world. He quotes the first verse of the Śrī Īśopaniṣad 19 times in his books, and 234 times throughout his lectures and conversations (see the cited verses list). After all, it was one of the first books that he chose to present in the English language. So what is the key point of this verse? Everything that is within this universe is controlled and owned by the Supreme Lord. One should therefore take only what is allotted to him by the Lord as his quota and should not encroach upon other’s property.
We find a similar verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.1.10, when Manu is giving instructions to his grandsons. This same Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam verse is quoted in the conversation between Śrī Caitanya and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī in Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Madhya 25.101. The only difference is the first line, which starts with ātmāvāsyam idaṁ viśvaṁ whereas Mantra One of Śrī Īśopaniṣad starts with īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ. Śrīla Prabhupāda however translates all 3 verses into English in very much the same way. Thus one can consider these 3 verses as the same.
- ātmāvāsyam idaṁ viśvaṁ
- yat kiñcij jagatyāṁ jagat
- tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
- mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam
When we look at the purports to these 3 verses, we find that the original purport to Śrī Īśopaniṣad to be more broad and longer. Perhaps it is because this purport was written when Śrīla Prabhupāda was still living in Vrindavan in 1960 and writing his Back to Godhead bi-weekly magazines. He had no movement then, he had no followers, he had no temples, he had no Iskcon at that time. His preaching spirit was broad and focused. He was communicating the tenets of the scriptures by introducing the Īśopaniṣad to the world. His commentaries to this verse are straight and clear.
The purports to the other 2 verses in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta are more focused on the actual point of the verse, that everything belongs to the Supreme and how we should use that property and claim it as prasad for us. How we should not accept what doesn't belong to us. He wrote these 2 purports almost 15 years after he wrote the purport to Śrī Īśopaniṣad.
Śrīla Prabhupāda has repeatedly stressed these points throughout his worldwide preaching during the last 12 years of his life. Everything belongs to God is a terminology which he used 318 times. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa has been used 300 times. This is God’s property, Kṛṣṇa’s Property….. On the other hand, he makes a clear answer: Nothing belongs to anyone but the Supreme Lord. Only because of illusion do we wrongly think, "I am existing" or "Everything belongs to me".
What is this īśāvāsya principle, the God centered concept, in detail? How else does Śrīla Prabhupāda describe it?
In both verses to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīla Prabhupāda introduced the term - spiritual communism. Everyone is acquainted to some degree with the philosophy of the communists. Ever since Karl Marx introduced the ideology of commonly owned property by the state and equal distribution of it in the 19th century, as a contra-policy to the capitalists and rich aristocracy, where the poor common peasants were discriminated against, the communist parties were formed in many countries and governments across the globe. Even Vladimir Lenin was an idealist at the beginning when he overthrew the Tsar and the Soviet Union formed under his hands in 1922. The pure idea of communism was maybe not so bad - the redistribution of the wealth, in order to make it all equal between people. But the implementation and the practical application of it had gone severely wrong. People who didn't sign up for the leadership have been persecuted, tortured and killed, their families blacklisted from any sort of normal life. Those who were not part of the party, were not able to study at the universities, have a leading role in any kind of jobs, not even being able to go on holidays anywhere. All borders closed to any outside world, news or any influence was a standard. There was no private property, all businesses were confiscated and claimed as belonging to the state. Anyone who questioned the insanity of this all was suspicious and interrogated. Even people who went to church were considered dissidents. So something went severely wrong in the process. Nowadays, the connotation of communism in dictionaries and media is very negative. Śrīla Prabhupāda has described the situation in Russia after he visited Moscow in 1971:
"Just like we went to Russia. So we wanted rice. There is no rice. There was no good rice. We wanted fruit. There was no fruit. So what have you done? I am starving for fruit and rice. You cannot supply me."
The capitalist social system has its flaws also. In fact any sort of social order is wrong and doomed to fail, if it is separated from the concept of God consciousness, the īśāvāsya principle. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the purport to Īśopaniṣad Mantra One, that "Nuclear bombs are in the hands of both communists and capitalists, and if both do not recognize the proprietorship of the Supreme Lord, it is certain that these bombs will ultimately ruin both parties." He wrote this purport in 1960, when living alone in Vrindavan. This statement is not more valid today as it was then. North Korea, China, Russia, Iran, USA, Pakistan, Israel, India…. Each of these countries has an arsenal of nuclear weapons. Even one deployed weapon can destroy a massive part of the Earth and have severe consequences for many years to come.
Śrīla Prabhupāda very nicely explains the situation between the communism and capitalist in the Nectar of Instructions, Mantra 2.
Modern capitalists accumulate more wealth than necessary, and the communists, envious of their prosperity, want to nationalize all wealth and property. Unfortunately the communists do not know how to solve the problem of wealth and its distribution. Consequently when the wealth of the capitalists falls into the hands of the communists, no solution results. Opposed to these two philosophies, the Kṛṣṇa conscious ideology states that all wealth belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Thus unless all wealth comes under the administration of Kṛṣṇa, there can be no solution to the economic problem of mankind. Nothing can be solved by placing wealth in the hands of the communists or the capitalists.
Once Śrīla Prabhupāda started the Hare Krishna movement in the West in 1966, and introduced the ideology of spiritual communism, we can see that this terminology is equal to the Isavasya principle of the Upanishads. In a lecture on BG 1.15 in London 15th July 1973, he mentions the following:
"Everything belongs to God; nothing belongs to us. This is Bhāgavata communism. As the communists, they say, "Everything belongs to the state," we say "Everything belongs to God." We never say that anything belongs to anyone. No. This is Bhāgavata communism. So everything belongs to God. So one can utilize God's property as much as he requires, not more than that. Then he will be thief, he will be punishable. Just like father's property. Each and every son has got the right to live at the father's protection. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. That is spiritual communism. Whatever wealth is there within this universe, all belong to God, and we are, as sons of God, we have got right to take advantage of this wealth, but not more than what I require. That's all. This is spiritual communism. If you take more, then you become punishable. This is the law of nature.
And in another lecture in Hyderabad 1972, Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks:
"This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, in other words, it is spiritual communism. The material communism, which is going on, that is defective, because this Communist movement is centered around the state. But when there will be perfect communism—īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1), the center will be God, Kṛṣṇa—that will be perfect. When everyone will understand that Kṛṣṇa is the central point, Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor, Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer, when perfectly we come to that Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there will be peace and prosperity. Otherwise it is not possible.
So we may ask what is that "right to take advantage of this wealth of God" and what is the right quota? How do we know the quota that belongs to us? These are correct questions. To answer them, we need to dive deeper into Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings. He gives a nice analogy in this connection: The cow, for instance, gives milk, but she does not drink that milk: she eats grass and straw, and her milk is designated as food for human beings. Such is the arrangement of the Lord.
Śrīla Prabhupāda says that human life is meant for simple living - high thinking and he has advised his followers to implement this principle. If we can be happy with being looked after with simple needs, it will allow us as human beings to devote more time to things which are more important and that is cultivation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or the understanding of God, one's relationship with Him, and the ultimate goal of life - love of Godhead. If we try to get more than necessary and simply eat to satisfy the tongue, we misuse our God given intelligence and thus can loose the chance of human life. In the animal kingdom there is generally no economic problem or scarcity of necessities. They don't collect food for tomorrow, yet they are all looked after every day. So there is a quota that is assigned to each and every one of us, individually. It manifests through the laws of karma. The amazingly detailed set of karmic laws will allow each and every person to have what he is allowed to have and nothing more.
Neither the capitalist system, nor the communist system are perfect. But we learn from the Vedas about the perfect social order, social system which abides by the Isavasya principles, which is developed by God Himself. Its purely Vedic and perfectly arranged, just like everything that God creates is perfect and complete - oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ. That is the varṇāśrama order of 4 varṇas and 4 āśramas. In SB 5.1.14, Śrīla Prabhupāda writes in the purport:
"The varṇāśrama system is scientific. Therefore if we accept the divisions of varṇa and āśrama according to the Vedic instructions, our lives will be successful. Unless human society is thus divided and arranged, it cannot be perfect."
Above the Varṇāśrama system is however pure devotional services to God. Varṇāśrama leads one to this point itself. In other words, any social or political system which is devoid of pure devotional service to God is incomplete. This holds true even for the Varṇāśrama system. Śrīla Prabhupāda writes… "On the other hand, what is the gain of one who executes the prescribed duties according to his varṇa and āśrama but does not take to devotional service?" (NOI 3)
The next point Śrīla Prabhupāda makes is that of becoming a thief if one doesn't accept everything as the ownership and property of God. He says that unless one accepts everything as property of God, all the property they claim to be their own is stolen. And thus everyone is then liable to be punished by the laws of nature.
Only humans are bound by the laws of nature. Just like when one crosses the street on red light, he is punishable by the laws of the state. You can cross the street when there is a green light only. You will be fined if you cross on the red light. Even if you didn't know that you are punishable by the state if you cross on red light. It doesn't mean that you will not get the reaction. Human life means the life of responsibility. You are meant to know the laws of the state in order to live happily. Ignorance of the laws is not an excuse. But when a dog crosses the street at a red light, is he going to be fined? No. The state laws do not bind the dog. So we as humans are meant to act in such a way that we don't encroach upon the property of others and we don't misuse God’s property and claim it ours. We will receive a reaction, verdict or punishment according to the laws of nature.
What is the punishment according to the laws of nature? This point is explained in the verse 2 and 3 of the Īśopaniṣad. One who abides by the principles of īśāvāsya does not have to be afraid, he can live happily for 100 years and the laws of karma will not act upon him. But one who doesn't follow the īśāvāsya principle will degrade himself and is thrown into the pool of repeated births and deaths life after life. Śrīla Prabhupāda calls this kind of people "killers of the soul."
The real secret of the īśāvāsya principle is surrendering oneself to the will of God and performing pure devotional service into Him. Only this can make the conditioned soul happy and free and thus disentangle oneself from the clutches of repeated birth & death.