(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada and disciples)
Guest: Does any physical change take place in your body when you become Kṛṣṇa conscious?
Prabhupāda: Yes. There are so many physical changes. We have seen it practically. Yes. Some of our student, so long he was here, he was so nice. He was so glowing. And as soon as he has left, he has become just like damn rascal. Yes. We are experiencing practically. There are so many instances. Because my face is the index of mind, so similarly, what is going on within you, that will be reflected. That will be reflected.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asked that "How can I understand...?" One of His disciple inquired from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "How can I understand that a man is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" He immediately replied, "If you see a man and at once you remember Kṛṣṇa, you must know that he is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." It is such a nice thing. By seeing the face, by seeing the appearance of a person, if you remember Kṛṣṇa, you should know that "This man is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." So there is change of physical feature also.
Guest: Isn't that a mental manifestation, like if you feel that someone's Kṛṣṇa conscious? It's not a physical manifestation, right?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, physical..., physical change, physical, I mean to say, body is no impediment, simply because you are aloof from physical body always. That we have explained. So if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your physical impediments will not be a check. Ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati (SB 1.2.6). You'll feel yourself transcendentally joyful in spite of your physical..., present physical body. You'll... Just like if you eat, you'll know yourself that you are eating, you are feeling strength, you are getting enlightened, similarly, if you take this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in spite of your present physical body, you'll know that you are having something transcendental. That feeling will come with you.
Guest (2): Is that a feeling of unity with the universe?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Guest (2): A feeling of oneness with the universe?
Prabhupāda: Well, when you feel Kṛṣṇa, that is, He is... Kṛṣṇa is the central point. If you know what is milk, then you know what is butter, what is cheese, what is yogurt, everything, because everything is milk product. So if you know Kṛṣṇa, everything is Kṛṣṇa product, so you know everything. That is universal knowledge. That is oneness.
When you know what is milk, then, in spite of so many varieties of preparation of milk, you know it is milk. That is oneness. When you know, understand, Kṛṣṇa, that "Whatever we are seeing in our presence, experiencing, they're all different energies of Kṛṣṇa..." Just like you are sitting here, and if there is fire, you, you see the li..., by the light of the fire, it is illuminated. By the heat of the fire, you are feeling warm. So whatever there is, it is due to fire.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to understand Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, you understand everything. That is stated in the Vedic language, yasmin eva vijñāte sarvam eva vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3): "One who understands that one Supreme, he understands everything, immediately." There is no need of understanding separately or analyzing things separately. That will defeat.
(alarm clock sounds)
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means real oneness. But that oneness is not of the oneness of the impersonalist. That oneness is a little different. It is called śuddhādvaita, pure oneness. In spite of that being one Kṛṣṇa, He is manifested by His different varieties of energies. Just like the fire. Fire is one, electricity is one, but it is acting in different varieties. It is acting in your refrigerator. It is acting in your heater. It is acting in your machine. It is acting in your television. Act... Everywhere. But the what is that? That electricity. Similarly, if you understand electricity, as of Kṛṣṇa, then you understand your whole thing one; but there are varieties. Just like in electricity there are so many varieties at work. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
(alarm clock buzzes for second time)
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, San Francisco, March 10, 1967)
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