So there are twelve kinds of rasas. Five kinds of rasa, we generally experience. The dealings between servants and master, dealings between friend and friend, dealings between mother and the child, dealings between lover and the beloved, dealings between the enemy and enemies. So many ways, there are, on the whole, twelve kinds of rasa. And the, all the rasas are there in Kṛṣṇa. Akhila-rasāmṛta. Akhila-rasa. He's the reservoir of all pleasure. Even in ghastly behavior, a man is killing another man, there is some enjoyment by killing. Just like Bhīma. When he killed Duryodhana, he immediately sucked the blood of Duryodhana's heart. So there was some pleasure. Because Duryodhana insulted them so many ways. And they were, especially Bhīma was finding out the opportunity when he'll, he would enjoy the rasa by killing Duryodhana. So all, in all our dealings, directly or indirectly, there is some rasa.
Behavior (Lectures, Others)
Expressions researched:
"behave"
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Lectures
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
This question was discussed with a great professor in Moscow. He said, "Swamijī, after finishing this body, everything's finished, what I am. That's all." This is the position. But actually that is not. Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī first of all inquired this question, grāmya-vyavahāre kahe paṇḍita. "Ordinary behavior, my neighbors, they call me very learned scholar, but I am such a scholar that I do not know what I am." Ke āmi kene more jare tāpa... Why I am put into this miserable condition of life—birth, death and disease and old age? And threefold miseries—ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika? And the whole struggle is to minimize our miserable condition of life. The struggle is going on, whole day: work, day and night. What is the purpose? Ātyantika duḥkha nivṛtti. To minimize our miserable condition of life. So why I am put into this miserable condition of life although I do not know, I do not want it?
He was lamenting, "So only kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs, we are keeping simply people in the kaniṣṭha-adhikāra and engaging them in the arcana-mārga." So that is not required. They should not... A kaniṣṭha-adhikārī does not know who is a devotee, na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu, what is the duty to others. He is very busy in temple worship for his personal interest. That is also good. But one has to promote further to become a madhyama-adhikārī and then analyze who is God, who is devotee, who is innocent, who is nondevotee, and behave in that way. So their business is to make friendship with devotee, to love Kṛṣṇa, and to the innocent, preach, to enlighten them in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And those who are atheists, to avoid them. These four principles. So in this way, we should execute our devotional service. Then our life will be viśvaṁ pūrṇaṁ sukhāyate. It will be very happy life. That is the heading, subject matter, "Relief from Material Distress."
So this process, giving chance. Of course, those who are preacher, they must be very sincere and serious. Āpani ācari prabhu jīveri śikṣāya. One must be perfectly in the Vaiṣṇava behavior, sadācāra. Because to hear from professional reciters, there will be no effect. He must be Vaiṣṇava. It is the indication by Sanātana Gosvāmī, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam. One who is professional, who is not Vaiṣṇava, from him, one should not hear about the holy names of God, Kṛṣṇa. That is prohibited. Because it will not be effective. Rather, it will be dangerous. So preaching work, this Kṛṣṇa conscious preaching work, we must be very cautious that those who are preachers, they must be pure Vaiṣṇava. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Not for money's sake, not for reputation sake, lābha-pūjā-pratiṣṭhā. Only for serving Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). This is pure Vaiṣṇavism.
And sat means which is spiritual. So, so long one is in asat, asat grahāt, implicated, involved in material things, there is no question of... Therefore viṣaya... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned us not to be involved in viṣaya. Viṣaya means material things, money, woman. They are called viṣaya. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us by His practical behavior that... Mahārāja Pratāparudra, he was a great devotee and serving Caitanya Mahāprabhu in every way. But when he wanted to see Him, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He denied: "No, no, no. I cannot see a king. I cannot see." So His personal devotees, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, Rāmānanda Rāya, very confidential devotees, they requested, "Sir, he's a great devotee. He serves You in so many ways." "Yes, I know that, but because he's king, I cannot see him.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
That is called power of attorney. He can act on behalf of the proprietor. That is possible. So Advaita, Advaita Ācārya did it. He inaugurated this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. When He saw that the people are so much misled that simply they are busy for the bodily necessities of life and completely have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, He became sympathetic. That is Vaiṣṇava behavior. Vaiṣṇavas, they are the best friend of the society, best friend, Vaiṣṇava. Patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ. The Vaiṣṇava is always thinking how to deliver these fallen souls who are so much captivated with this false philosophy of hedonism—"Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." This is called hedonism. So they are always thinking how to deliver them. Advaita Prabhu did it; therefore He is Īśvara. Prahlāda Mahārāja did it. Any Vaiṣṇava who is actually feeling for the poor, conditioned souls, he must make arrangement for delivering these rascals from the death knell of ignorance.
So we have to, according to the śāstric injunction, according to the spiritual master instruction, everywhere we have to organize this Kṛṣṇa family. So Kṛṣṇa family does not mean starvation. Kṛṣṇa family means to enjoy simply. Simply minus this material contamination. Chāḍi anācāra. Anācāra. Anācāra means not proper behavior. Proper behavior means to remain always pious, and improper behavior means to become impious, sinful. If you become sinful, then you cannot enter into the family of Kṛṣṇa; that is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is described in the Bhagavad-gītā by Arjuna—paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Pavitra. Pavitra means pure, completely pure, without any material contamination. So if you want to enter into Kṛṣṇa's family, then you have to become also completely pure. Otherwise, there is no chance. Completely pure of all material contamination. That can be done when we give up our designations. That can be done.
So now the whole world is full of Jagāi-Mādhāis. That is a fact. Now, by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they can be delivered. How they can be delivered? That is being instructed by the author, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, by personally behaving. Agaty-eka-gatiṁ natvā hīnārthādhika-sādhakam (CC Adi 7.1). Hīnārtha, those who are dispossessed of all good qualities. Hīnārtha. Artha. Artha means possession, money. Artha, anartha, and paramārtha. So paramārtha, there is no question of paramārtha. Even they have no artha, ordinary riches, all poor men. You see in the street, not only... Here, of course, we are poor country, but in your country also, they are also hippies. Unnecessarily they have become poor. Here, by circumstantially they have become poor like wretched person, loitering in the street. Now, while I was coming and I was thinking that formerly when we used to go through the street we could see so many nice confectioners shop. But at the time here there is a tea shop.
And He says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sañjāyate (BG 6.41). Bhraṣṭaḥ means one who is fallen from this devotional service. So for them also, it is guaranteed a human life. Not only human life, but in very good family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. Śucīnām means by perfectly well behaved, cleansed family, brāhmaṇa family. Śucīnām. Śuci means very clean. So you are becoming all brāhmaṇas. You must remain always very clean. Śucīnām, that is called śuci. And muci means unclean, cobbler. Śuci and muci. So don't become muci. (laughter) Yes. Uncleanliness is muci, cobbler. They are dealing always with skin, and bad smell, and no bathing. So in our country, muci, the cobbler, is taken as the lowest of the mankind, narādhamāḥ, because their business is when the cow dies, so the mucis are prepared to take away the dead cow or bull. They eat the flesh, and they take out the skin and the bones for their business
So in this way there are classes, śuci and muci. Śuci is the first-class, cleansed internally and externally human being, and the muci means the low class, very unclean, eating the dead meat, cows and bulls. So Kṛṣṇa says, "Even one is fallen, he gets his birth in the family of śuci." Śucīnām. Just like in our society there are small children. You see their behavior. They are coming, offering flower, offering obeisances. That means they are not ordinary children. They have got the opportunity to take birth in the family of Vaiṣṇava, father Vaiṣṇava, mother Vaiṣṇava. And he is getting the opportunity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning of life. This is called śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41).
Similarly, in Muslim, those who do not follow the Koran, they are called kafirs. Similarly, those who do not follow the Vedic principles, they are called nāstika or mlecchas. Nāstika means those who do not believe in the Vedic principles, they are called nāstika, atheist. And those whose behavior is not very clean, they are called mlecchas. So in comparison to Hindu mode of living and others in the world, there is very great difference, social sanctity and personal sanctity. So therefore, formerly the mlecchas means the Muhammadans, because they are meat-eaters, they do not take bath daily and there are so many things. So even those persons who were delivered by Lord Caitanya, but the author says that He could not deliver the Māyāvādīs, the impersonalist sannyāsīs. That means it was easier for Him to deliver the mlecchas, but it was difficult for Him to deliver the Māyāvādīs. In other words, the author is trying to place the position of the Māyāvādī sannyāsī less than the mlecchas. Less than the mlecchas.
Now, just see the behavior of Lord Caitanya. Although He was not in agreement with the other party, still, because they were sannyāsīs, renounced order of life, Caitanya Mahāprabhu offered His respect by bowing down before them. It is the duty of everyone, not only between the sannyāsī and sannyāsī. It is the custom of Vedic system. As soon as one would see a sannyāsī, at once he should offer his respect. If he does not offer his respect, then it is enjoined that he should fast one day as punishment. He should not eat. "Oh, I saw a sannyāsī, but I did not offer my respect. Therefore the penance should be that I should fast one day." This is the injunction. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although He was God Himself, but His behavior and His etiquette was excellent.
Our guru, out of the Six Gosvāmīs, one of them, he has given his direction in the Bhakti... What is that? Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam. A person who is not Vaiṣṇava... Vaiṣṇava means kṛṣṇa tattva vettā. If he's not well versed in the science of Kṛṣṇa, if his behavior is not Vaiṣṇava... Sadācāra-sampanna. Vaiṣṇava must have dvādaśa-tilaka, śikhā, sūtra, kunti, and there are many things, description. Sadācāra-sampranna, Vaiṣṇava. If he's not that, simply by education if he speaks about Kṛṣṇa, one should not hear. One should not hear. These are professional men. If you pay him something, he'll speak for some time, but his behavior is not Vaiṣṇava. So from such person it is forbidden to hear about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or anything about Kṛṣṇa. Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam. So one may say that "He's speaking about Kṛṣṇa, so what is the wrong there? He may be misbehaved, but he's speaking about Kṛṣṇa."
So here guru, Sanātana Gosvāmī, he is giving the injunction that avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtaṁ śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam. Exceptional case is different, the paramahaṁsa stage. But a guru, although he is paramahaṁsa, because he is teaching, he come down as madhyama-adhikārī. There are three kinds of Vaiṣṇava: kaniṣṭha adhikārī, madhyama adhikārī and uttama adhikārī. Uttama adhikārī may be without kunti, without śikhā, without Vaiṣṇava symptoms. He's paramahaṁsa. But when he comes to the preaching platform he must become a madhyama adhikārī, not to imitate uttama adhikārī, because he has to teach. He cannot deviate from the teaching principles. So what you are speaking, that "Without śikhā without kunti, one can become guru," that is fact for the paramahaṁsa, not for the preacher. Preacher must behave very nicely.
He should accept the students also as his spiritual master. This is the reciprocation. Prabhu. Everyone would address the other as prabhu. But officially one may be a spiritual master. But in spiritual platform there is no such difference. But officially, custom is that spiritual master is considered in the place of Supreme Lord, and therefore he is given the such respect. But the spiritual master, bona fide spiritual master, he thinks that "I am your disciple. I am your disciple." And practical example I have seen: our Guru Mahārāja, when we offered obeisances, he used to return me, dāso 'smi: "I am your servant." He used to return me this way, "I am your servant."
So these are the things we have to learn from the behavior, practical demonstration, of Caitanya's Mahāprabhu's life. So tomorrow we shall discuss the questions and answers of Sanātana Gosvāmī.
Thank you very much.
I can become a religious leader, I can become such and such, or..." This is our mentality.
So this mentality should be sacrificed first, before going to a spiritual master. First of all you have to select who can be your spiritual master. That requires some knowledge. Or you have to behave with a person to understand, "Whether he is fit to become my spiritual master?" Then you should offer yourself to be a student. That is the process, not that all of a sudden you shall go to a person, "Oh, please accept me as your..." No. You should first of all try to understand whether he is actually fit. Then offer yourself. So just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, when he first saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he did not offer himself, but when he heard from Caitanya Mahāprabhu and he understood, "Yes, it is very nice thing.
So now, he's ācārya, Sanātana Gosvāmī, he's ācārya. Ācāryaṁ vijānīyān, māṁ vijānīyāt. Ācāryopāsanam. This is the recommendation of Vedic knowledge. One should worship the ācārya. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was made ācārya. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was made ācārya. Ācārya means one who knows the meaning of śāstra, personally behaves according to the śāstra and teaches his disciple accordingly. He is called ācārya. So Sanātana Gosvāmī is teaching us by his personal behavior how to approach guru. That he's teaching. Tabe sanātana prabhura caraṇe dhariyā. To approach guru the first business is surrender. That is everywhere in the Vedic literature. That is the process.
"Get out immediately. No, no independence." That is my position. So that is intelligence.
So in order to know all these problems of life... Just like Arjuna submitted, and any one has to submit. One has to... Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). So Sanātana Gosvāmī is teaching us by his personal behavior how to approach the bona fide spiritual master and submit before him and putting himself praṇipā, blank. Not that "I know something, and what my spiritual master can teach? I know everything. There is no need of spiritual master." No. This will spoil our life. The Vedic injunction is that you must have not a so-called guru but... That is also given definition.
Simply as messenger, as peon, you simply carry the messages of Bhagavad-gītā, kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. Then you become guru. Then you become guru. It is not difficult.
So it is the duty of every Indian not to forget their culture, but bring that culture, pure, wherever you are living and behave yourself to that culture and teach others. That is Indian mission.
They are called ācārya. Acinoti śāstrāṇi: he must know all the principles from authorities, and he should apply in his life those principles. Not that he knows but does not apply. He cannot be ācārya. Āpani ācari prabhu jīva disa (?). Lord Caitanya, He, although He is accepted as the, I mean to say, the personal, He's Kṛṣṇa Himself, still, He behaved in such a way that others can follow. He also accepted Īśvara Purī. Īśvara, Īśvara Purī was His spiritual master, Lord Caitanya's. This is the disciplic succession.
Now, how to present himself before the spiritual master? He said that "Actually I am not learned, because I do not know my own position, what I am. But people say that 'You are paṇḍita,' and I am puffed-up, and I think, 'Yes, I am paṇḍita, I am learned.' " This is the situation of the world. Everyone who has no spiritual knowledge, who does not know what he is, still, he is very much proud that he's very learned.
Therefore those who are actually learned, they don't give any importance to this material acquisition. So Sanātana prabhu is, by his personal behavior, he's presenting himself that "People say that I am very learned, but actually I am not learned." This should be the position. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttama. Now, "Because I am not learned, and very kindly You have delivered me from the māyā of illusion, kindly now let me know what is my duty." This is the position. One should present himself to the spiritual master, not that... We have to first of all select spiritual master. The selection is required. Because as soon as you accept one spiritual master, you cannot say that "I don't agree with you." No. That you cannot say. Then it is useless, simply waste of time. First of all you have to select a person who is actually representative.
When he gave false report to the Nawab Shah, that "I am not well. I cannot attend office," then Nawab Shah went to his house one day personally, that "This gentleman is not attending office and simply submitting sick report. What is that?" So when he approached and Nawab Shah saw that he's engaged with learned paṇḍitas reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then he understood, "Oh, this is your disease. You are now taken to the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." So actually he was very learned, but out of his humble behavior he is submitting himself to Lord Caitanya in this gentle way.
In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find the first instruction of Lord Kṛṣṇa is there, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "You are thinking, you are talking with Me just like a very learned man. You are arguing with me. But from your behavior I can understand you are a fool number one." Because such kind of talk is never, I mean to say, placed by a learned man. So indirectly He said that "You are a fool." And "Why you are fool?" He said that "You are not this body. You are changing every moment your body. Why don't you think that you are not this body? Why you are identifying yourself as with the body?" Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā: (BG 2.13) "You are changing your body at every moment. From the mother's womb up to the death point, you are changing every body. Then why you are thinking that you are body? But you are the same. In spite of all changes, you are the same." I think, my childhood, I think that I am the same. I forget that I am so much grown-up. That is my position. So the first lesson, the inquiry of Śrī Caitanya, of Sanātana Gosvāmī, is that "What I am? What I am?" Arjuna did not place himself "What I am?" but here, because the instruction which is given in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta is practically higher than Bhagavad-gītā—it is postgraduate study, higher than Bhagavad-gītā.
Just see. He is following the rules and regulations. His father told Him, "My dear boy, I wish that instead of being enthroned, please go to the forest." "All right, it is your order. I must carry." Just see. He is following the principle. He is ideal... Rāmacandra is ideal king means He has followed the principle of moral codes. But Kṛṣṇa's behavior, you will find there is no moral code. He is free. At night He is calling girls, "Come on," and dance with Him. They were coming. From material point of view it is immoral, at least in India. But He is free. Rāmacandra accepted one wife. He accepted sixteen thousand wives.
So Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is above everything. No rules and regulation. He cannot do anything wrong. He is not under the jurisdiction of any law. Therefore Kṛṣṇa manifested the full power of the Supreme Lord. And other incarnations, although they came, they came for the time being to perform a certain particular purpose, but they did not manifest the full power of God.
So these things are sometimes executed by great īśvaras, controller, like Brahmā, like Śiva. They sometimes exhibit material frailties. They are not fallible in that way, but they teach us by their behavior that even personalities of the most exalted position, they are also sometimes subjected to the spell of illusory energy. The idea is that we should be very careful. Nobody should think that he is beyond the range of material energy. At any time we can fall down. But if we stick to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa as our protector, and take shelter unto His lotus feet sincerely, then even if we fall down sometimes, not intentionally, but accidentally—because we are practiced to so many bad things, so it may be possible that even I take full care, still, the influence is so strong, I may fall down—Kṛṣṇa excuses such kind of falldown. Excuses.
Festival Lectures
So Kṛṣṇa taught everything for becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, but still, we are so rascal we could not understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa came again: "These rascals failed to understand Me, and now I shall teach how to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa by My personal behavior." That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by His personal... Don't think that because He's playing the part... Just like somebody is giving massage to my body. So he's not giving properly. So immediately I take his hand and I began to give massage, "Do like this. Do like this." That does not mean I am masseur or I am servant of that person. Similarly, don't forget that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. You are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and there is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Deity also. There are some parties, they protest, "Why Caitanya Mahāprabhu's Deity should be placed along with Kṛṣṇa?" But they do not know śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. It is not different.
So in this way Prahlāda Mahārāja talked with his father, and the father became more angry. Instead of taking the lesson ... Mūrkhāya upadeśa hi prakopāya na śāntaye. If you teach lesson to a foolish person, he'll be simply angry. He'll not take your lesson. How it is so? Payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. If you keep a snake and if you want to make friendly behavior with him, that, "My dear snake, don't bite any more. I'll give you milk and banana. You eat here and stay here nicely," he'll not... His poison will increase, and one day he will... There is a story in the Hitopadeśa: one day, one... The same thing. So payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. So these are lessons, stories. So his father, Hiranyakasipu, became more and more angry. So one day... Because after all, son and father... The son was simple boy. So one day he said, "Prahlāda, I shall now kill you. I shall see how your Kṛṣṇa saves you." So immediately, Prahlāda was seeing to the pillars of the hall. He was king. So Hiraṇyakaśipu asked him, "Is your God, Kṛṣṇa, in the pillar?"
Just as the other day we were discussing the law of gravity. This idea of laws in nature necessarily implies the existence of the lawmaker. And this can be demonstrated very easily in many, many ways. We'll take the law of gravity again. If some object in nature which has no consciousness behaves in a regulated manner, then it's obvious that it's under the control of a law. We call it a law. For example, if an apple drops from a tree, the apple is obeying the law of gravity. The apple does not know the law of gravity; therefore that law is being enforced by some superior entity. In our dealings in society, people know laws. Still, they don't obey them. They have to be forced to obey the laws, and still, people disobey the law. But the laws of nature are so perfectly enforced that nobody can disobey. Just a little thought will make this a little bit more clear to anyone. So there are twofold implications, namely the law proceeds from lawmaker, law enforcement proceeds from law enforcer.
The same word. God says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Guru says that you always think of Kṛṣṇa, you surrender unto Him, you offer Him prayer, you become His devotee. There is no change. Because he says as the Supreme Personality says, therefore he is guru. Even though you see that he is materially born, his behavior is like other men. But because he says the same truth as it is spoken in the Vedas or by the Personality of Godhead, therefore he is guru. Because he does not make any change whimsically, therefore he is guru. That is the definition. It is very simple. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has asked everyone to become guru. Everyone. Because there is need of guru. The world is full of rascals, therefore there is need of so many gurus to teach them. But what is that qualification of the guru? How everyone can become guru? This may be the question, next question. Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128).
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu dealt with Sanātana Gosvāmī because he was to write one book for direction, Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. You know—his famous book. This is a book giving directions especially to the householders, how to keep oneself on the proper standard of Vaiṣṇava behavior. Later on, Sanātana Gosvāmī wrote the book Hari-bhakti-vilāsa for giving direction, and Rūpa Gosvāmī wrote the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, "The Science of Devotion." Now, these two brothers met Caitanya Mahāprabhu when they were on their ministerial posts at Maldah, a district in Bengal. So after meeting Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they decided to join with Him fully for propagating the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and they resigned from their posts. Rūpa Gosvāmī first resigned..., not officially resigned, because he was very much eager to meet Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so he first of all retired.
Now, if somebody is teacher... Now, he is very good teacher. He can very good... He can explain very nicely a subject matter, but his private life is not very good. Then he is not a teacher. He is not a sādhu. That is Vedic conception. One must be a teacher according to his own behavior in life. There is no secrecy or privacy. Now, we think that "We don't mind what is private character. We don't mind. We are concerned with his teaching." No. That sort of teaching will not have any effect. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, āpani ācārī prabhu jīverī śikṣāya: a teacher must demonstrate in his practical life what he is teaching. That is the meaning of ācārya. Ācārya means the teacher must demonstrate things by applying the same thing in his own life. That is called ācārya. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that "You cannot disclose anything. You cannot keep anything private. Please disclose." Udāsīno 'rivad varyam ātmavat suhṛd ucyate: "And even if it is very confidential, I am your son. You can explain to Him. I am your well-wisher."
He doesn't speak to the animals. Bhārata bhūmīte mānuṣya janma. Mānuṣya janma means human being. Because without being a human being, nobody can understand these things. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand. So a person whose behavior is like cats and dogs, he also cannot understand. Therefore He said, janma sārthaka kari. First of all make your life perfect and then distribute this knowledge. This is the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.
So He simply said, but He was expecting that in later days His followers would do that. So that attempt was made by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he desired and, that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message, it should be accepted by East and West equally, and both the Indians and Europeans, Americans, they should dance together in ecstasy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy.
So 1922 I met my Guru Mahārāja through the exigency of my intimate friend, Mr. Narendranath Mullik. And I would not go. He told me information, "There is a nice sādhu. Let us go and see." I did not like very much these sādhus in those days, national spirit. So I said, "I have seen many sādhus. They come at my father's care. I was not very much pleased with their behavior." So he dragged me forcibly: "No, I have heard this person is very exalted." So I went. And his first opening version was that "You are educated young men. Why don't you preach Caitanya Mahāprabhu's gospel in the Western countries?" I did not know. So this was his blessing in the first meeting. I did not know, but because we belonged to a Vaiṣṇava family we were very much worshiper of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, our family Deity
That's all. That is rajo-guṇa. And sattva-guṇa means they are silent, they are sober, they know what is what, and they try for spiritual advancement. That is sattva-guṇa.
So you can understand whether a man is in sattva-guṇa or a man is in rajo-guṇa or a man is in tamo-guṇa by the symptoms of his behavior. So as we associate with different types of guṇas we develop a certain type of mentality that continues, and if it continues up to the point of death, then certainly we'll have to accept a body influenced by these guṇas. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Yasmāt, these guṇaiḥ. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ. According to the association of guṇa, or quality, prakṛti gives you a certain type of body. The body is given by prakṛti, by nature. Therefore, nature is called mother, Durgā. Just like we develop this body exactly from the mother's womb.
Initiation Lectures
Therefore the general enunciation is that in this age everyone has to be accepted as born-śūdra. But this principle is accepted always, by birth everyone is śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone is born śūdra. Then? Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Dvijaḥ means this saṁskāra. This saṁskāra... By gradual process of cultivation of knowledge, of behavior, of rules and regulations, one becomes a dvijaḥ. Dvijaḥ means twice-born. The first birth is by the father and mother, and the second birth is by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. At that time, the second birth means mother is the Vedic knowledge and father is the spiritual master. So Sanātana Gosvāmī says, because he has enunciated this rule for the so-called rigid brāhmaṇas, they say, "Without taking birth in a brāhmaṇa family there is no possibility of one's becoming a brāhmaṇa." But Bhagavad-gītā does not say like that. Bhagavad-gītā says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13).
That is Buddha philosophy. He situated the atheistic people on the line of understanding God. So this is, in one way, cheating. But this cheating is not cheating. Just like father or guardian sometimes cheats the young boy. That is not cheating; that is for his good. But actually, if you take the, I mean to say, behavior, it is something like cheating. So the Māyāvāda philosophy... This Buddha philosophy is also another Māyāvāda philosophy. Both of them are, on the face value, atheistic, denying the existence of God. One is saying, "There is no God"; another is saying, "It is impersonal," in this way. But our philosophy is neither atheistic nor impersonal. It is directly person. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Directly we say, "There is no..." Kṛṣṇa, in the Bhagavad-gītā, says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nāsti: "There is nobody greater than Me." If God is great, how anybody can be greater than Him? It is right.
Because, as I told you, formerly only a person who is born by a brāhmaṇa... That means garbhādhāna ceremony. A child should be accepted that he is born of a brāhmaṇa. Everyone should know. That is called garbhādhāna ceremony, that when a man goes to his wife to beget child, there is a ceremony. It is not a secret, hide and seek behavior. Everyone should know that "Now this man is going to beget child." So how that child should be very nice, that is called garbhādhāna ceremony. So if garbhādhāna ceremony is not performed according to scriptural direction, immediately he becomes a śūdra.
So in this age nobody is observing garbhādhāna ceremony; therefore it is to be understood that everyone is born a śūdra. Therefore pāñcarātriki-vidhi. Vedic system cannot be applied because nobody is born of a brāhmaṇa. Who knows? Who knows how he is born? There is no ceremony. That is witness, that "Oh, he will go." Just like marriage is a ceremony, there are so many witnesses, similarly, garbhādhāna ceremony, there is ceremony. It is no hide and seek.
So all the sages said that "Sir, we allowed him to sit on the vyāsāsana, and he was speaking. Now what is to be done? He's killed." So then Balarāma said, "All right. If you want, I can make him immediately alive." So they also considered that "If we say that 'Make him alive,' then... Balarāma's decision was to kill him. Then we overrule Him." Just see how the behavior. Then the saints and sages said, "No, Sir. We do not want. Whatever You have done, that is all right. But You do something, that we blessed this man for long life to speak. Now he is dead. So our version is also nullified. But we want that our version may not be nullified and Your action may not be nullified. You do something like that." (laughter) So then Balarāma said, "All right. You bring his son. I shall empower him and he shall be a great speaker on this Vedic literature." And because his son means he himself... Ātmaiva jayate putra. Son is born, there is no... The father and son there is no distinction.
They may be affected, but those who are strong enough, advanced, they are not affected. But that is different thing, generally.
So we should not discuss Kṛṣṇa kathā with a person who is a nondevotee. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also said like that. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was enquired by one nice householder devotee, "What is the general behavior of a Vaiṣṇava?" He immediately answered, asat-saṅga-tyāgī vaiṣṇava-ācāra: "One has to give up the association of asat." Sat, I have told you, sat means devotee, and asat means nondevotee. Asat-saṅga... Simply to give up the association of nondevotees. That is vaiṣṇava-ācāra. How a Vaiṣṇava should behave, how he should maintain his standard, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says in one word: asat-saṅga-tyāgī avaiṣṇava-ācāra. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, satāṁ prasaṅga mama vīrya-saṁvido. One can develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness in association with devotee.
So for that divyam, knowledge, one has to be initiated. Divyam, dīkṣā means beginning of transcendental knowledge. So Vedic civilization is janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth, everyone is born a śūdra, fourth-class man. But there is chance of the fourth-class man to become the first-class man. That is possible. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone, when he's born by the sex behavior of the father and mother, he's a śūdra. Then saṁskārād-bhaved dvija. By saṁskāra, by the purificatory method, this tapasya, he's becomes a dvija. Dvi means twice and ja means birth, second birth. Saṁskārād-bhaved dvija. Then when he becomes dvija, properly initiated, then he's allowed to read Vedic literature. Veda-patha. Śūdra cannot. If you remain a śūdra, no saṁskāra, no purification, then you have no right to understand Vedic knowledge. Either you have no right or you cannot understand. Why... The Bhagavad-gītā is there throughout the whole world. Everyone knows Bhagavad-gītā.
Cornerstone Ceremonies
The asuric, demonic, civilization, they do not know in which way we have to guide ourself for attaining the perfection of life, pravṛtti, and nivṛtti, and which we shall not take—favorable and unfavorable. Human life... Everyone knows, "This is favorable for me, and this is unfavorable for me." So āsurāḥ janā, those who are demonic persons, they do not know this, that "What is favorable for me and what is not favorable for me." Pravṛttiṁ nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ, na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ: "There is no cleanliness, nor good behavior." Na satyaṁ teṣu vidya...: "And there is no truth in their life." This is asuric. We have heard many times, "asuras," "asuric civilization," "demonic civilization." This is the beginning.
General Lectures
Not that everyone should be intelligent, but even a small percentage of people, if they become intelligent, with these qualifications—truthful, clean, and controlling the mind, controlling the senses, simplicity in behavior, and tolerance, knowledge, application of knowledge in practical life, and full faith in God... That, these nine symptoms, brahma-karma svabhāva-jam... (BG 18.42). The intelligent class of men is called brāhmaṇa, according to Vedic literature. And the next class, the administrative class, is called kṣatriyas, and the next class is called the vaiśyas, and the general class of men is called the śūdras. So even in that, according to Vedic literature, it is said that kalau śūdra sambhava. In this age, practically all men are on the standard of śūdra category. Kalau śūdra sambhava. So this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is started so that even one is born a śūdra by qualification, he can be raised to the standard of the highest intelligent class of men, brāhmaṇa, by pāñcarātrikī-viddhi.
This is the only. Why it is the only? Just see these boys, these girls. I have not imported from India. I came here single-handed with seven dollars. I have got hundreds of students like that. How they have changed, their character, their behavior. I have given them life. Some of them are married. They are living very nicely. They have got children, and they have given up their all bad habits. You see? They are not, I mean to say, eating meat. They have no illicit sex life. They are strictly vegetarian. They are preparing nice foodstuff from vegetable and grains. They do not take part, intoxication. They do not smoke even. Just see practically. If everyone becomes like them, then what is the trouble? If you encourage them to indulge in illicit sex life, to become intoxicants, to gambler and eating everything, without any discrimination, then how you can expect to have very good men in this world?
As Kṛṣṇa is suhṛdaḥ, He is the friend of all living entities... Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find. Similarly, a Vaiṣṇava, Kṛṣṇa's devotee, is also suhṛdaḥ. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām. Suhṛdaḥ. Sādhava. And sādhava means well-behaved. Sādhavaḥ. Sadācāra. His character is firm, without any spot. So these are the qualifications of sādhu, mahātmā, or spiritual master. Sama-cittāḥ, praśāntā, vimanyavaḥ, suhṛdaḥ, and sādhavaḥ.
So when one is in contact with such person, then the door of liberation is open. If one is in contact with a pure devotee of the Lord, it should be understood, if he follows his instruction, then it is sure and certain that he is going to Kṛṣṇa without any fail.
Thank you very much. Any question? Yes.
Although nobody goes to the forest to set fire, it takes automatically. Similarly, in this material existence of life, we do not want any problem, but problems are created. Just like automatically there is fire in the forest without our endeavor, similarly, material problems are created automatically by our dealings, by our behavior. So if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, the first result will be that you will understand your real constitutional position, for which many great mystics, sages and saints are meditating, "What I am?" That, I mean to say, procedure of spiritual realization will be the first installment, your profit. You'll understand that ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am not matter, I am spirit soul." And as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, as soon as one is self-realized, that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am not this body, I am spirit soul. I am part and parcel of the Absolute Truth."
This realization is called Brahman realization. And as soon as you come to the platform of Brahman realization, then the result will be brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). You'll be joyful. You'll be free of all anxieties. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. That is the sign. It is not that simply... I may advertise that I am self-realized, but my behavior will show whether I am self-realized or not. Everything is stated in the Vedic literature, that a brahma-bhūtaḥ person, a self-realized person, the symptom of the self-realized person is that he is joyful. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Without any anxieties. This materialistic life means full of anxiety always. And spiritual life means without this anxiety. Just the opposite. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. And what is the symptom of being joyful? That is also stated: na śocati na kāṅkṣati. There is no lamentation for loss, and there is no hankering for gain.
One learned brāhmaṇa, gentle brāhmaṇa..., vidyā-dadāti namratā. Education means one becomes gentle, sober, cool-headed. Therefore, it is said, vidyā-vinaya-sampanne. When one is learned, advanced in education, he must be very gentle, not haughty. So vidyā-vinaya-sampanne gavi hastini (BG 5.18). And one side, the brāhmaṇa with gentle behavior, learned scholarship, then the other side an animal, say, a cow or a dog or a elephant. And another side, the caṇḍāla, the lowest of the human society. According to Vedic civilization, the dog-eaters are called caṇḍāla. Just like in Hindu society a person is not permitted to eat cow's flesh. Even in human society, although they are eating different types of flesh, one is considered abominable than the other. The cow-eaters are taken as abominable than the goat-eaters, and the dog-eaters are accepted as abominable than the goat-eaters. So although they are eating flesh, they have got some distinction. That is material. But according to Vaiṣṇava philosophy.
Then you'll understand Bhāgavata. Not from the professional readers. You cannot understand. Sanātana Gosvāmī has prohibited strictly. Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam. One, he is not Vaiṣṇava in his behavior, pseudo-Vaiṣṇava, Sanātana Gosvāmī says, even he speaks hari-kathāmṛtam, the message of Kṛṣṇa, it is not to be heard because he'll not present real Kṛṣṇa. He'll present adulterated Kṛṣṇa, or his business will be to kill Kṛṣṇa. That's all.
So this movement is cultural movement, Kṛṣṇa cultural movement. Of course, it is Indian movement, but it is not for only..., meant for only for the Indians. It is meant for everyone, because everywhere there are Kṛṣṇa's parts and parcels. (pause) (aside:) Sit down. So if we want to be free from the clutches of māyā, the formula is very simple. Formula is very simple. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).
So if you want to purify that lust tendency into love, then you can see God. That is the condition. That we'll have to learn. That is called bhakti-yogam, bhakti-yogam, which we are teaching, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The human life is meant for understanding God, for seeing God, for talking with God, for behaving with God. That is possible. But you require little training. From the animalistic life, the animal cannot talk of God, cannot understand of God, cannot see God. But if we remain in the animalistic way of life, then it is not possible to see God and talk with Him. But if we purify ourself, if we apply the ointment of love of God on the eye, then premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ, those who are saints... I think this "saint" word has come from the Sanskrit world santaḥ. Santaḥ is Sanskrit word. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Those who are saintly persons, those who have trained themselves in the affairs of love of Godhead, they can see God constantly within their heart. That is possible.
If one has actually taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will never be lost, even though you find for the present he is not well-behaved. That is the version of Bhagavad-gītā. Even a thief, even a rogue, even a sinful man takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and follows the rules and regulation, for the time being you may find there are some faults, but it will vanish very soon. Just like the electric fan, it is moving. You make the switch off, you will find still moving. But it will stop moving very soon, because the switch is off. Similarly, if anyone takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, if you find that still he is not well-behaved, that is not very important thing. He has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is important thing. Because this superficial external misbehavior will stop. There are many śāstras' example.
Departure Talks
So these are the six principles: enthusiasm and firm determination and patience and executing the regulative principles, tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, and sato vṛtteḥ, means behavior must be very honest, no duplicity, and utsāhād dhairyāt niścayāt tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, and sato vṛtteḥ, dealing must be very honestly, no hypocrisy, tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt, sādhu-saṅga, and in the association of devotees. If you follow these six principles, namely enthusiasm, determination, patience, and executing the regulative principles and keep yourself honest and in the association of devotee, if you follow these six principle, then your success is sure.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: America is dominant now. Actually most of you don't support Mr. Nixon. But he is on the head. So how he has become head, that is mysterious. Because people, when you study the people, they do not support him. There are so many, I mean to say, procession against, protesting against Mr. Nixon's policy and so many things. But still he is on the head, of the executive power. So there is something mysterious. Actually, the present government does not represent the others. That is everywhere. So, how we can understand that this nation is good or bad by the state behavior. Just like we issued that statement that these Americans not... These Americans were following the Nixon philosophy. There was a cartoon, that in our temple nobody is coming.
Prabhupāda: Therefore we get from our śāstra that even you will receive your enemy at home, you will receive him so friendly way that he'll forget that you are his enemy. Gṛhaṁ satram api prāptaṁ visvastham akuto 'bhayam. He should feel himself so confidential that he's not near his enemy. His dealing and behavior are so nice. The morality is that "Whatever you may be, you have come to my house, you are my guest, so I must offer you all kinds of hospitality, never mind you are my enemy. Now you are my guest." So how much ethically improved the society was. "Yes. We are enemy, so when we fight we shall fight like enemies. But now we have come to my home, you are my guest, honorary guest, I must receive you with honor." That was being done Mahābhārata time.
Prabhupāda: Yes, simply blaspheming Indian temples, culture, priest, like that. Gandhi remarked on that book, "Drain Inspector's Report." And he has simply picked up the bad side. Sometimes these priests in the temple, they make some bad behavior with woman; she has picked up this, not the better side.
Śyāmasundara: Practically, until now, no one except you has brought Indian culture out.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: No one has known before that they had high culture.
Prabhupāda: No. Because regular propaganda. And all the swamis and yogis, they also rascals, they brought some yoga system, exercises, like that.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Actually they are trying to change the whole situation. The perfect social order is, as I have already mentioned it, that is perfect society when they have learned how to love God, without any motive, as natural behavior between the father and the son, and the son and the father, mother and the son. That is real perfection, perfection of society. Godless society is animal society. It is not to be adored.
Hayagrīva: What could..., what must he mean by "until such time as a profound change in the material conditions imposed on humanity by nature should permit in spiritual matters of a profound transformation?" What kind of...
Prabhupāda: Transformation.
Hayagrīva: ...change in material condition would permit...
Prabhupāda: Material condition is the four principles of bodily demands: eating, sleeping, sex and defense.
Śyāmasundara: He's not so much talking about what is the duty, but that these two things are what motivate our moral behavior. They are what check and safeguard our moral behavior: one is conscience, or my own sense of duty, whatever that may be.
Prabhupāda: But how you will know it is? He says that one should know whatever his duty. So whatever what is his duty, how he will know it?
Śyāmasundara: Well, that, our duty is that which produces the most good for the most people.
Prabhupāda: This is also vague. This is also vague. There is no definite understanding.
Śyāmasundara: Just like the golden rule, "Do unto others."
Prabhupāda: Then if I conclude that most of the people are taking LSD, so to take LSD is my duty. Is that all right? He is vague. This is not philosophy.
Devānanda: In the Bhagavad-gītā even the human behavior is predicted like that. Through the later chapters it is described how people will act in different modes of nature, and they all behave that way.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Just like in Bhāgavata it is calculated that lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. In the Kali-yuga, in this age, people will think by keeping their long hair he has become beautiful. Now, then, see all the hippies. That is written in the Bhāgavatam in India. How it is happening in Europe? Now the Indians also are imitating. So five thousand years before, this was written, lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam.
Śyāmasundara: So would even accidents between two automobiles, that would not really be an accident?
Prabhupāda: Because it is imperfect, therefore there is an accident.
Śyāmasundara: He said that "God summons us to intelligent actions which calls for deliberate choice, purposive behavior that is selective." In other words, he is trying to find out why is it that the human intelligence acts in such a way that it selects this over that and guides itself by selecting purposefully. That purposiveness he calls God.
Prabhupāda: That is making the name of God as a scapegoat. He has no practical use of God.
Śyāmasundara: He has no clear idea of God.
Prabhupāda: That means he is godless. So therefore we say, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā (SB 5.18.12). As soon as he becomes godless, all his philosophy becomes null and void.
Śyāmasundara: Today we are discussing German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. His philosophy is exactly the opposite of Hegel's rational, optimistic world order. His philosophy is often referred to as the philosophy of pessimism. And actually, he was a neurotic bachelor who lived alone with his dog, and he was known for his sexual indulgence and scandalous behavior.
Prabhupāda: And he was a philosopher?
Śyāmasundara: Yes. The philosophy of pessimism. He says that reality is...
Prabhupāda: So why was he fond of dog? Pessimism? He found some value in dog?
Śyāmasundara: He says that reality is blind and irrational and capricious, or whimsical, and that actually life is an evil situation.
Prabhupāda: So how he is to establish his philosophy if everything is whimsical, irrational? How he will convince others if he is irrational and irresponsible? How he will make progress in his philosophical proposition?
Prabhupāda: That means he has no knowledge. We say that he does not die, he exists eternally. That is our philosophy.
Śyāmasundara: He doesn't make a judgment if there is life after death or not, he's simply like a psychologist examines what motivates people's behavior or...
Prabhupāda: No. If you do not know whether he exist in the future or not... Just like a child, if he knows that "I shall exist as an old man," then there is question of what I shall become. If he does not know whether he'll exist or not, then what is the idea of becoming a teacher, or I can become (indistinct). First of all you should know that I exist only for this duration of life or I exist forever. That is real philosophy. Real philosophy is, "I exist forever." That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like I existed as a small baby, I existed as a boy, I existed as a young man. I remember all those existences, although the body is finished. Therefore the conclusion is that I shall exist when this body is finished. That is real knowledge.
Devotee: Freud's case is interesting, that he formed all of his conclusions by his observations of what he calls neurotic and psychotic patients. He observed mentally ill people, neurosis and psychosis, and he drew his conclusions about both sick and normal psychology from his observation of abnormal. He observed the normal behavior of neurotic people, psychotic people, crazy people, and from their behavior he tried to infer all about human psychology. So not only was he on bodily platform, but his only subject matter was the insane. So how can he draw valid conclusions about behavior?
Prabhupāda: So what is your answer?
Devotee: Yes, his observation is correct, but at the same time it doesn't invalidate Freud's use of psychology for supposedly normal people.
Prabhupāda: (indistinct) psychology.
Prabhupāda: Therefore this is the conclusion—that if you put children in right association, they will go rightly, and if you put them in wrong association, they will go wrongly. They have no independent psychology.
Śyāmasundara: Perhaps his one contribution was that he said that behavior must be understood in terms of a person's whole life history, in the total...
Prabhupāda: That is why in our Vedic system it is forbidden that even a small child, before that small child, the husband and wife should not joking. They should not talk jokingly.
Śyāmasundara: To the child?
Prabhupāda: Before the child.
Śyāmasundara: Anyway, another one of his ideas is that the unconscious material on the person's personality sometimes emerges in the form of a complex, what's called a complex. This complex has the ability to initiate and organize behavior. Sometimes we say someone has a superiority complex or an inferiority complex or this complex or that complex. It means that they tend to act in a certain way. Inferiority complex means I consider myself inferior to others, and I react in a very inhibited fashion. Or if I have a superiority complex I act in a very arrogant fashion. Like that. These are his observations, that people who act in certain ways which are called complexes.
Prabhupāda: So we are..., what we are? Inferior or superior? Kṛṣṇa conscious, we think ourselves as servant of God. Is that inferior or superior?
Śyāmasundara: Not really... But because there are so many unconscious factors that govern our personality, our behavior, that unless a person becomes aware of these unconscious factors, then he is more or less a slave to them, to his unconscious life. So the whole point of psychology is to point out to a person all his unconscious contents, that he becomes aware of them and faces them face to face.
Prabhupāda: That we are teaching. That we have shown. But he remains unconscious state. That is (indistinct). That we are teaching. We are simply, loudly stating, "Please wake up. Please wake up. We are not this body. We are not this body." So these are the (indistinct) dream. You cannot raise him to the consciousness. He is fully packed up in matter. That is not possible. But he is also conscious. That is proved by (indistinct). He applied machine: in the remote part he is feeling the pain when you cut. But it is not very manifest. Just like children, they are not so conscious, you operate. I have got a (indistinct), my eldest daughter, she (indistinct). So she was about less than one year... No, no. About six months.
Prabhupāda: When (indistinct) utilize it. A person who has, who is under the influence of anaesthetic, what he can do? He cannot do anything. He has to drop again to consciousness platform, then he can do something.
Śyāmasundara: He says that behavior is classified under different functions, for example there is sensory behavior, thinking behavior, fear and emotional behavior...
Prabhupāda: That is (indistinct), because the animals, the consciousness is not developed, and the animals' behavior is different. Similarly, if a man is not in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, (indistinct) any difference? Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he'll not act anything like killing one animal, but another who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he will kill animals: "I must kill. I must kill." But the same man, when he is brought into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he'll refuse. Just like the shikari, (indistinct), he was killing animal, half dead, he would enjoy. The same man, by grace of Nārada, when he became Vaiṣṇava, he was not prepared to kill even one ant.
Śyāmasundara: For instance, I may think that I am like this, I am like that, but I don't realize that I am also like this. There's some other part of me which I'm not aware of which is guiding my behavior, which I repress.
Prabhupāda: Unless one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he thinks (indistinct), that "I am like this," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am this," "I am that." But when he's fully conscious, he knows that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is the final (indistinct). Otherwise he (indistinct), "I am this," "I am that," "I am this," "I am that."
Prabhupāda: What is that personality? As soon as we come to the personality... Entity, that we call soul. Individual entity, adding personality, that is soul.
Śyāmasundara: He would call personality a set of behavior which is organized...
Prabhupāda: Wherefrom the personality comes? Because you are a living entity, you have got separate identity, therefore I recognize your personality. So without individual soul, how you can think of personality? There is no question of personality unless there is that individual living entity.
Revatīnandana: Is he saying that the self is an entity that tries to coordinate the conscious and unconscious?
Śyāmasundara: Anyway, the philosophy is that the Christian idea that inside the body there is a person is outmoded, because the science has discovered that a person's behavior and his reactions are simply a product of his environment, his conditioning; so he can make a fool out of a wise man or a wise man out of a fool simply by changing the surroundings and the conditions.
Prabhupāda: Why the man has not been able to change the surroundings of death, birth? What is his philosophy?
Śyāmasundara: Well, he said that problem can be never be solved.
Prabhupāda: Then how he says it can be explained by surroundings?
Śyāmasundara: He only talks about behavior.
Prabhupāda: Behavior, that's all right. Whatever behavior, in the ultimate, goal, everyone is dying so how man can change this condition? Then he can say that there is no God, there is no soul.
ePrabhupāda: No. That we cannot take, I mean, to accept guru as unscrupulous. Therefore we take paramparā. He is coming directly from God. He is perfect. Therefore this paramparā system is bona fide. We cannot accept any rascal to become guru. Guru must be in the paramparā system. He is receiving the knowledge directly from God, Kṛṣṇa.
Śyāmasundara: This is their dilemma now, that they cannot find any standard of behavior. Formerly people's behavior was motivated by deprivation. They wanted more economic gain because there was hunger. But now we have everything, so no one wants to work anymore. So now there is nothing that satisfies people enough to make them behave.
Prabhupāda: Therefore the Vedānta gives for him: athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now we have got enough to eat, enough to enjoy. Now we inquire about Brahman. This is the business we should (indistinct). So this is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Śyāmasundara: This will provide the stimulus which will..., so the people will react favorably, to behave favorably, simply by performing these activities?
Prabhupāda: The experience is... We have got experience that this material world is full of misery. Everyone will (agree). Otherwise why he is trying to adjust? Now we have got information from Bhagavad-gītā,
mām upetya tu kaunteya
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gataḥ
- (BG 8.15)
Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who comes to Me, back to home, back to Godhead, he does not come again to this material world which is full of misery." Mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti... (BG 8.15).
Prabhupāda: Leave? Why?
Śyāmasundara: Because it says that those who are more competent, they still expect special recognition for their talent, and so they make this demand that we cannot reinforce that kind of behavior. So we deny them and then we go away.
Devotee: So it seems that the whole philosophy (indistinct) and then in the course of there, the whole material world is attached to sex life, so that the whole thing is that all the philosophies that they are inventing are so that they may have liberty to think that they are free and that they are (indistinct). That is all.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee: That is their whole thing. All their philosophy tries to have good sex life so that they don't have to think that they will be punished. So if I can have this freedom then I am right.
Śyāmasundara: So this philosopher Bergson, he sees two types of morality. The "closed morality," which is the compulsive forms of behavior, which conform to prevailing convention or social pressure or tradition; static morality, one simply follows the tradition blindly.
Prabhupāda: That can be changed according to the... Just like in some scriptures it is said that "Thou shall not kill." So the killing is ordinary thing there. But in some society killing is already prohibited by so much culture that they do not want to kill even an ant. So that depends on education of the particular society. It is not static, that "This will be like this." No. Not like that. "One man's food another man's poison." What is morality in one society, it may be immorality in another society.
Śyāmasundara: Yes. So the other type of morality he calls "open morality." This is determined by individuals in a dynamic way, blazing new trails, guided by...
Prabhupāda: As soon as it is invented by individual men or society, this is all rascaldom. It has no value.
Prabhupāda: Yes. The..., that is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that you are trying to live long, so does the tree not live longer than you? If you are trying by scientific method how to live more than hundred years or (indistinct), but the tree is living for ten thousands of years. Does it mean this is perfection of life, to live long? That is not perfection of life. So in this way, analyze all other living condition. When you come to God consciousness, that living condition is perfect, because by God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness you understand God—how to behave with Him; what is your relationship with God—then you become perfect and you go to the kingdom of God and live there eternally.
Hayagrīva: This is B. F. Skinner. He's an American, contemporary American, and he's a behaviorist. He believes that technology can control people. Just as we can adjust the course of a spaceship, the environment can shape the individual, and therefore it is up to us to control the environment.
Prabhupāda: That is Vedic system, to control the whole mass of people in classification. The intelligent class, the administrative class, the productive class, and the worker class, and less than them, and in their respective position, if they cooperate for the common cause, that becomes a perfect society. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya... Therefore this system is called varṇāśrama, four varṇas and four āśrama, social order and spiritual order. The ultimate end is spiritual, but if the social order is not organized, then spiritual order is also disorganized. So there must be division of labor and activities. This is?
Hayagrīva: Skinner believes in what he calls reinforcement, reinforcing people's behavior. He doesn't believe in punishing people when they do wrong, but he believes more in a system of rewards. He writes, "A government may prevent defection by making life more interesting, by providing bread and circuses, and by encouraging sports, gambling, the use of alcohol and other drugs, and various kinds of sexual behavior, where the effect is to keep people within reach of aversive sanctions." So he...
Prabhupāda: He recommends these things?
Hayagrīva: So he believes that through..., by providing the people with sense gratification the government can keep people from acting in an antisocial way.
Prabhupāda: That means he is also of the same category. No, that will not help. Just like, the example is given in this connection, that when there is fire, if you think that putting more and more ghee the fire will extinguish, that is not possible.
Hayagrīva: He ultimately believes in bringing people under control. He says, "If there is any purpose or direction in the evolution of a culture, it has to do with bringing people under the control of more and more of the consequences of their behavior."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Human life is meant for control. That is the Vedic process, tapasya, because the aim is spiritual perfection. If we allow material activities according to the desire of the people, then they forget spiritual identity altogether. So that aim of life in the human form of body is missing, that Vedic civilization is how to raise one to the spiritual platform. Otherwise he remains an animal. First of all we must know what is the aim of life, and then the question of organization. If you do not know what is the aim of life, material adjustment will not make the condition of the society very good.
| Page Title: | Behavior (Lectures, Others) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 02 of Aug, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=76, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 76 |