Prabhupada 0244 - Our Philosophy is that Everything Belongs to God
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973
The other day in Paris one press reporter came to me, the Socialist Press. So I informed him that "Our philosophy is that everything belongs to God." Kṛṣṇa says bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). "I am the enjoyer, bhoktā." Bhoktā means enjoyer. So bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ. Just like this body is working. The whole body is working, everyone's, to enjoy life, but wherefrom the enjoyment begins? The enjoyment begins from the stomach. You have to give sufficient nice foodstuffs to the stomach. If there is sufficient energy, we can digest. If sufficient energy, then all other senses become strong. Then you can enjoy sense gratification. Otherwise it is not possible. If you cannot digest.... Just like we are now old man. We cannot digest. So there is no question of sense enjoyment. So sense enjoyment begins from the stomach. The luxuriant growth of the tree begins from the root, if there is sufficient water. Therefore the trees are called pada-pa. They drink water from the legs, the roots, not from the heads. Just like we eat from the head. So there are different arrangements. As we can eat from the mouth, the trees, they eat from their legs. But one must eat. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Eating is there, either you eat through your legs or your mouth or your hands. But so far Kṛṣṇa is concerned, He can eat from anywhere. He can eat from hands, from legs, from eyes, from ears, anywhere. Because He is complete spiritual. There is no difference between His heads and legs and ears and eyes. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā,
- aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti
- paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti
- ānanda-cinmaya-sadujjvala-vigrahasya
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.32)
So as in this body our sense enjoyment should begin from the stomach, similarly, as the tree begins developing luxuriantly from the root, similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), root. So without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without pleasing Kṛṣṇa, you cannot be happy. This is the system. Therefore how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased? Kṛṣṇa will be pleased that... We are all Kṛṣṇa's sons, God's sons. Everything Kṛṣṇa's property. These are fact. Now, we can enjoy taking prasādam of Kṛṣṇa, because He is the proprietor, bhoktā, enjoyer. So everything should be given first to Kṛṣṇa, and then you take the prasādam. That will make you happy. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpaṁ ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt: (BG 3.13) "Those who are cooking for eating themselves, they are simply eating sin." Bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpaṁ ye pacanty ātma... Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko' yaṁ karma... Everything should be done for Kṛṣṇa, even your eating, anything. All sense enjoyment, you can enjoy. But after Kṛṣṇa has enjoyed. Then you can eat. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Hṛṣīkeśa. He is the master. Master of the senses. You cannot enjoy your senses independently. Just like the servant. Servant cannot enjoy. Just like the cook cooking very, very nice foodstuffs in the kitchen, but he cannot eat in the beginning. That is not possible. Then he will be dismissed. The master first of all must take, and then they can enjoy all the nice foodstuffs.