Human life is not meant for

Expressions researched:
"human form of life is not meant for" |"human life is not meant for" |"life is not meant for" |"this life is not meant for"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

BG 4.26, Purport:

The members of the four divisions of human life, namely the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, the vānaprastha and the sannyāsī, are all meant to become perfect yogīs or transcendentalists. Since human life is not meant for our enjoying sense gratification like the animals, the four orders of human life are so arranged that one may become perfect in spiritual life. The brahmacārīs, or students under the care of a bona fide spiritual master, control the mind by abstaining from sense gratification. A brahmacārī hears only words concerning Kṛṣṇa consciousness; hearing is the basic principle for understanding, and therefore the pure brahmacārī engages fully in harer nāmānukīrtanam—chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord. He restrains himself from the vibrations of material sounds, and his hearing is engaged in the transcendental sound vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the householders, who have some license for sense gratification, perform such acts with great restraint. Sex life, intoxication and meat-eating are general tendencies of human society, but a regulated householder does not indulge in unrestricted sex life and other sense gratification. Marriage on the principles of religious life is therefore current in all civilized human society because that is the way for restricted sex life. This restricted, unattached sex life is also a kind of yajña because the restricted householder sacrifices his general tendency toward sense gratification for higher, transcendental life.

SB Canto 2

SB 2.1.3, Purport:

Because human life is a combination of matter and spirit soul, the whole process of Vedic knowledge is directed at liberating the spirit soul from the contamination of matter. The knowledge concerning this is called ātma-tattva. Those men who are too materialistic are unaware of this knowledge and are more inclined to economic development for material enjoyment. Such materialistic men are called karmīs, or fruitive laborers, and they are allowed regulated economic development or association of woman for sex indulgence. Those who are above the karmīs, that is, the jñānīs, yogīs and devotees, are strictly prohibited from sex indulgence. The karmīs are more or less devoid of ātma-tattva knowledge, and as such, their life is spent without spiritual profit. The human life is not meant for hard labor for economic development, nor is it meant for sex indulgence like that of the dogs and hogs. It is specially meant for making a solution to the problems of material life and the miseries thereof. So the karmīs waste their valuable human life by sleeping and sex indulgence at night, and by laboring hard in the daytime to accumulate wealth, and after doing so, they try to improve the standard of materialistic life. The materialistic way of life is described herein in a nutshell, and how foolishly men waste the boon of human life is described as follows.

SB 2.3.18, Purport:

The materialistic man of the modern age will argue that life, or part of it, is never meant for discussion of theosophical or theological arguments. Life is meant for the maximum duration of existence for eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, making merry and enjoying life. The modern man wants to live forever by the advancement of material science, and there are many foolish theories for prolonging life to the maximum duration. But the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam affirms that life is not meant for so-called economic development or advancement of materialistic science for the hedonistic philosophy of eating, mating, drinking and merrymaking. Life is solely meant for tapasya, for purifying existence so that one may enter into eternal life just after the end of the human form of life.

The materialists want to prolong life as much as possible because they have no information of the next life. They want to get the maximum comforts in this present life because they think conclusively that there is no life after death. This ignorance about the eternity of the living being and the change of covering in the material world has played havoc in the structure of modern human society. Consequently there are many problems, multiplied by various plans of modernized man. The plans for solving the problems of society have only aggravated the troubles. Even if it is possible to prolong life more than one hundred years, advancement of human civilization does not necessarily follow. The Bhāgavatam says that certain trees live for hundreds and thousands of years. At Vṛndāvana there is a tamarind tree (the place is known as Imlitala) which is said to have existed since the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the Calcutta Botanical Garden there is a banyan tree said to be older than five hundred years, and there are many such trees all over the world.

SB Canto 5

SB 5.5.1, Purport:

The instructions of Ṛṣabhadeva are very essential at the present moment. People are being educated and trained to work very hard for sense gratification, and there is no sublime aim in life. A man travels to earn his livelihood, leaving home early in the morning, catching a local train and being packed in a compartment. He has to stand for an hour or two in order to reach his place of business. Then again he takes a bus to get to the office. At the office he works hard from nine to five; then he takes two or three hours to return home. After eating, he has sex and goes to sleep. For all this hardship, his only happiness is a little sex. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Ṛṣabhadeva clearly states that human life is not meant for this kind of existence, which is enjoyed even by dogs and hogs. Indeed, dogs and hogs do not have to work so hard for sex. A human being should try to live in a different way and should not try to imitate dogs and hogs. The alternative is mentioned. Human life is meant for tapasya, austerity and penance. By tapasya, one can get out of the material clutches. When one is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, his happiness is guaranteed eternally. By taking to bhakti-yoga, devotional service, one's existence is purified. The living entity is seeking happiness life after life, but he can make a solution to all his problems simply by practicing bhakti-yoga. Then he immediately becomes eligible to return home, back to Godhead. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9):

SB 5.18.2, Purport:

Foolish materialistic persons do not know how they are being controlled and punished at every step by the laws of nature. They think they are very happy in the conditioned state of material life, not knowing the purpose of repeated birth, death, old age and disease. Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā (7.15) Lord Kṛṣṇa describes such materialistic persons as mūḍhas (rascals): na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. These mūḍhas do not know that if they want to purify themselves, they must worship Lord Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) by performing penances and austerities. This purification is the aim of human life. This life is not meant for blind indulgence in sense gratification. In the human form, the living being must engage himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness to purify his existence: tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). This is the instruction of King Ṛṣabhadeva to His sons. In the human form of life, one must undergo all kinds of austerities to purify his existence. Yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam. We are all seeking happiness, but because of our ignorance and foolishness, we cannot know what unobstructed happiness really is. Unobstructed happiness is called brahma-saukhya, spiritual happiness. Although we may get some so-called happiness in this material world, that happiness is temporary. The foolish materialists cannot understand this. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja points out, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: (SB 7.9.43) merely for temporary materialistic happiness, these rascals are making huge arrangements, and thus they are baffled life after life.

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.10.16, Purport:

The real business of human life is to keep oneself fit for advancement in spiritual realization. Human life is not meant for making the senses unnecessarily strong so that one suffers from disease and one increases in an envious, fighting spirit. In this age of Kali, however, human civilization is so misled that people are unnecessarily increasing in economic development, and as a result they are opening more and more slaughterhouses, liquor shops and brothels. In this way, the whole civilization is being spoiled.

Sri Isopanisad

Sri Isopanisad 11, Purport:

They have only one aim in life—sense gratification—and in order to achieve this end they make plans for economic development. Misguided men think that religion should be maintained because it contributes to economic development, which is required for sense gratification. Thus in order to guarantee further sense gratification after death, in heaven, there is some system of religious observance. But this is not the purpose of religion. The path of religion is actually meant for self-realization, and economic development is required just to maintain the body in a sound, healthy condition. A man should lead a healthy life with a sound mind just to realize vidyā, true knowledge, which is the aim of human life. This life is not meant for working like an ass or for culturing avidyā for sense gratification.

The path of vidyā is most perfectly presented in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which directs a human being to utilize his life to inquire into the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is realized step by step as Brahman, Paramātmā and finally Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead. The Absolute Truth is realized by the broadminded man who has attained knowledge and detachment by following the eighteen principles of the Bhagavad-gītā described in the purport to Mantra Ten. The central purpose of these eighteen principles is the attainment of transcendental devotional service to the Personality of Godhead. Therefore all classes of men are encouraged to learn the art of devotional service to the Lord.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:

So chemical analysis means one has to test to find out the characteristic. So this I have seen, one doctor friend, he was keeping one dysentery stool in a plate, on his table, I saw. "What is this doctor?" He said, "Oh, it is to be tasted... It is dysentery stool". So they taste it. They have to. They take fish... Everyone, medical men know. So this hog's business is to eat stool, and as soon as he gets fatty, then sex. And that sex has no discrimination. You will see, a hogs, he does not care whether mother, sister or anyone, daughter. It doesn't matter. So this is hog civilization. Simply eating and getting strength of the senses and enjoy it.

This human life is not meant for that purpose. Therefore it is said that a person without God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is no better than these dogs and hogs. That's all. This is our conclusion. We don't give any formal respect. Of course, we have to give because we are in this world. But at heart we cannot give respect to a person who has not any sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We cannot give. Because who is going to give any respect to the dogs and hogs? Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). Therefore Jīva Gosvāmī has commented on this verse... If somebody says that "This Mr. such and such, this Dr. such and such, he is respected by so many people, and you are saying that he's a rascal? What is this?" So Jīva Gosvāmī says that "This man, who is respected, but he is respected by whom? He is respected by this class of men: dogs, hogs, camel and asses. So he is a big paśuḥ."

Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:

Just like the potter moves the circle to make production—you have seen—similarly, we have to move the circle. Circle means it is meant for moving.

So anyone who does not move the circle of activity, then his life is aghāyur indriyārāmaḥ. His life is full of sin. His life is sinful, simply meant for sense gratification. Aghāyur indriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati. His life is useless, without any purpose. And actually it has become like that.

Our life has become without any purpose. We do not understand why this human life we have got, why it is distinct from the dogs' life or the hogs' life or the animal life. We do not understand that. We have to understand that this human life is not meant for the animal propensities of life like cats and dog; it is meant for some other divine purpose. We have to get rid of this material encagement and attain our spiritual life and be happy forever. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). One has to return back to the kingdom of God. That is the mission of human life.

So one who does not know this mission of human life. So according to Bhagavad-gītā, he is living uselessly. His purpose of life, he has no. Just like a ship without a rudder, a man without aim, you have no aim or purpose of life. This is the purpose of life. So we have to perform yajña. So those who are engaged in activities, by the result of his activities...

Lecture on BG 4.10 Public Meeting -- Rome, May 25, 1974:

If you really, therefore, want to get out of the clutches of material energy, namely birth, death, and old age and disease, you must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And it is not at all difficult. By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, simply by chanting His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, you can achieve the best attainment, which can be attainable in this life. This valuable life, human form of life, should not be wasted or misused simply by animal propensities. The animal propensities means the necessity of the body—eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. The animals also know their business, how to eat, how to sleep, how to utilize sex life and how to defend himself. So the human life is not meant for simply animal necessities of life, but there is another necessity, to understand spiritual life and to achieve the highest perfection of life.

So about the subject matter, there are many things to be learned. They are all described in the Bhagavad-gītā. People are interested only for material success, but they do not know what is spiritual success, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for giving persons the spiritual success of life. There are different divisions of life, or activity. They are called karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti. Jñāna means knowledge. By karma, you can become materially successful. By jñāna, you can understand your identity. By yoga, you can understand how to connect yourself with God, and bhakti means direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By karma, you can elevate your material position. By jñāna, you can understand what you are. By yoga, you can try to connect yourself with the Supreme. And by bhakti, you become completely freed from material entanglement. So we are teaching people to take the bhakti-yoga process directly, so that very quickly you contact with your spiritual life. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to understand what is God, factually, scientifically, then you can understand Him through the bhakti-yoga.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

That is the policy going on. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says, "No, no, no, this is not good. To work so hard like dogs and hogs..."

Especially Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has mentioned the word "hog," "pig." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām. Viṭ, viṭ means stool. Stool—bhujam, "one who eats stool." That means the pigs. So they are working very hard, day and night, to find out where is stool. "How to eat? How to eat? How to def... How to sleep?" This is their philosophy.

But actually, human life is not meant for that purpose. And to reduce some work, sometimes we think that "Let me go to the temple. If God or some demigod becomes very pleased upon me, then quickly I shall get the benefit." That is mentioned here. Kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhim. This is also mentioned in the Vedas, that "If you want success in this line, then worship this demigod. If you want beautiful wife, then worship Umā. If you want..." They're all listed. I don't remember just now, but these are recommended. These are recommended. Therefore, according to Vedic system, if you worship some demigod for some particular purpose, that is recommended.

But Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām. If you get some profit, material profit... You can get it very easily. Therefore it is said, kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ, kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke. Just like... That is the difference between worshiping Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the demigods.

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

We do not belong to this material creation, but we have come here.

Just like one does not belong to the prisonhouse, but by his own action he comes to the prisonhouse. He becomes criminal, and therefore he is put into the prisonhouse. By his own activity. It is not that government wants somebody should live in the prison house and somebody should live outside prisonhouse, free. It is not government's desire. (break) ...enjoyment we act sinfully also, vikarma. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Because we are mad after sense gratification. But in the human form of life one should be sensible. Therefore the university education, school, college, institution, they are meant for human society. There is no such thing in the animal society. And religion. Religion also meant for human society. Why? Because this life is not meant for enjoying senses like the animals.

Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). I have explained several times. This body, deha-bhājām... Everyone, the animals, they have got also a material body, and we human being, we have also this material body. Prahlāda Mahārāja also says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma adhruvam arthadam.

What is the distinction between the animal body and the human body? Biologically.... Here is our friend Mr. Ghosh. He knows very well. There is no difference biologically between human body.... Medical students in the biological department, they study from the frogs, from guinea pigs, the human constitution of the body. There is no difference. But what is the difference? Not this bodily construction, but development of consciousness. That is the difference. So if we do not develop.... That is the opportunity, human life. In human life there is the opportunity to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 4.26 -- Bombay, April 15, 1974:

Prabhupāda: Read the purport.

Pradyumna: "The four division of human life, namely the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, the vānaprastha and sannyāsī, are all meant to help men become perfect yogis, or transcendentalists. Since human life is not meant for our enjoying sense gratification like the animals, the four orders of human life are so arranged that one may become perfect in spiritual life. The brahmacārīs, or students under the care of a bona fide spiritual master, control the mind by abstaining from sense gratification. They are referred to in this verse as sacrificing the hearing the process and the senses in the fire of the controlled mind. A brahmacārī hears only words concerning Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Hearing is the basic principle for understanding, and therefore the pure brahmacārī engages fully in harer nāmānukīrtanam—chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord. He restrains himself from the vibrations of material sounds and his hearing is engaged in the transcendental sound vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, the householders, who have some license for sense gratification, perform such acts with great restraint. Sex life, intoxication and meat-eating are general tendencies of human society, but a regulated householder does not indulge in unrestricted sex life and other sense gratification. Marriage on principles of religious life is therefore current in all civilized human society because that is the way for restricted sex life. This restricted unattached sex life is also a kind of yajña because the restricted householder sacrifices his general tendency towards sense gratification for higher transcendental life."

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

It is very nice verse. He says, "My dear boys, this human form of life..." Na ayaṁ deha. Ayaṁ deha means "this body." Na ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Everyone has got body. The cats, dogs, hogs, and birds, beasts, man, human being demigod—everyone has got this body, material body. But he's especially advising nṛdeha. Nṛ means human form of life. He says that this human form of life is not meant for working hard for sense pleasure just like the hogs and dogs. Human life. Then what it is meant for? He says, tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). One should undergo penance for transcendental realization. And what will be the result of such penance? He says that yataḥ śuddhyet sattvam. Your existence will be purified. And when your existence is purified, then you enjoy brahma-saukhyam, the unlimited spiritual happiness.

You are hankering after happiness. Happiness is your prerogative. You must have. That is your life. You cannot stop happiness. But happiness in the diseased condition is not happiness. That we must understand. So we have to cure this diseased condition and then enjoy happiness, then enjoy pleasure that will be unlimited. There will be no end. In the diseased condition... Suppose whatever pleasure we take, it is for fifteen seconds or few minutes or few hours or few days—it will end. But real happiness, what is real happiness, that is unending. Brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). Anantam means unending. So we are meant for unending happiness. So Kṛṣṇa advises here that śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prāk śarīra-vimokṣaṇāt. Before quitting this material body, if one practices to tolerate the so-called urges of sense pleasure, then he becomes very happy at the long run. He recommends it. And that is the real purpose of human form of life. That we should not derive.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

Throughout the whole world... Of course, in the human society, advanced human society, Aryan society, there is search after God, the Absolute. And the human life is meant for that purpose. Human life is not meant for wasting like dogs and hogs. The dogs and hogs, they are busy whole day and night to find out, "Where is food? Where is food?" But the human life is not meant for that purpose. The dogs and hogs, they do not know that food is supplied by God, everyone's. That is the Vedic information. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. God is supplying food to everyone. Therefore in the Christian method it is prayed, "O God, give us our... O Father, give us our daily bread." That is very good idea. But even if you do not ask, the food is there. We should understand, because the animals lower than human being, they do not go to church or to temple to ask for daily bread, but they get their bread. The elephants, they eat at a time 40 kg in this African forest, but they are getting their daily food twice. And the ant, it is satisfied with one grain. It is also supplied food. There are 8,400,000 forms of living entities. They are all getting their food without going to the church or to the mosque or praying to the Lord.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

Oh, he has to go to the office and work. Śīta ātapa, bāta bariṣaṇa, ei dina jāminī jāgi' re. Night duty. These are severe type of laboring. And the poet says, śīta ātapa, bāta bariṣaṇa, ei dina jāminī jāgi re. Why? Now, biphale sevinu, kṛpaṇa durajana, capala sukha labha lāgi' re. For that momentary happiness I am working so hard.

So everywhere in the Vedic literature this life, this materialistic way of life is condemned, is condemned. So Ṛṣabhadeva says that "This life is meant for tapasya." Tapaḥ. Tapaḥ divyaṁ putrakā: "My dear sons, you are so... If you think that this human form of life is meant for, oh, sex happiness and working day and night so hard, oh, this life is not meant for that purpose. That is visible in the cats' and dogs' and hogs' life. They are also laboring the whole day and satisfied by sex life. So your life is not meant for that." Then what it is meant for? He says, tapaḥ: "It is meant for tapasya, austerity, penance." "Oh, you are... We are taking so much pains also." Don't you think these materialists, they are earning, they are making so improvement without any labor, without any tapasya? No. They are also laboring. They are undergoing, I mean, severe austerity. That's nice. But here it is said, tapaḥ divyam: "You have undergo austerities and penance for God realization." Divyam. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā (SB 5.5.1). Why? Why not this material world? Why God realization?

The... It is very nicely stated that tapo divyaṁ yena sattva śuddhyet: (SB 5.5.1) "If you accept this tapasya, or austerity, for God realization, then your existential position will be purified." At the present moment, due to my material conditional life, because I have got this material body, therefore my pleasure... I am hankering after pleasure, but whatever pleasure I am acquiring, that is not permanent, or flickering, or simply illusion. But that hankering after pleasure is your constitutional position. Because you are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, who is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), who is by nature blissful, and you are part and parcel of that blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore your nature is also blissful. That is a fact. But you are seeking pleasure or blissfulness in a place where it is not possible. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1).

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

This is proof. So actually if we want jñāna and knowledge... because human life is meant for jñāna and knowledge. Human life is not meant for living like animals, cats and dogs. Cats and dogs cannot be elevated to the platform of jñāna and vairāgya. That is not possible. A human being can be elevated by education, by culture, to the platform of jñāna and vairāgya. That is the ultimate goal. Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings therefore,

hari hari bifale, janama goṅāinu,

manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā

jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu

This is jñāna, regretting "My dear Lord, I got this very opportune moment to possess this human form of life, manuṣya-janama pāiyā, but my duty was to worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa." That is the highest perfection of worshiping. Ramya kecid upāsanā vraja-vadhu-vargabhir ya kalpita. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, "The upāsanā, the worship which was invented by the gopīs to worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, ramya kecid upāsanā, there is no more perfect upāsanā." So this rādhā-kṛṣṇa-upāsanā is the perfection of upāsanā. Even it is better than viṣṇu-upāsanā. In the material way of life viṣṇu-upāsanā has been recommended as the highest. Ārādhanānāṁ paraṁ devi viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param. It is the statement of Lord Śiva to Pārvatī, that "Of all ārādhana, viṣṇu-ārādhanam is the best."

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:

If I get so much money my miserable condition will be mitigated. So everyone is after money. But that mitigation is temporary. Suppose if you get some money, you get a nice apartment, nice bank balance. Does it mean you have ended your main problems of life, janma-mṛtyu, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So they have become so foolish, so degraded, that they do not know what is the meaning of life, what is the problem of life, how to make solution of the problem. Nobody is interested. Simply cats and dogs, that's all. As the cat and dog is working very hard simply for eating, sleeping, and mating, that's all.

The human life is not meant for that purpose. This is the defect of modern civilization. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām, the hog who eats stool, he's also struggling for the same thing. What is that? Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, that's all. So is that human life is also simply meant for this purpose? No. Human life is meant for tāpo divyaṁ yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). You have to purify your existence. My existence is now impure. In the Bhagavad-gītā we learn, na jāyate na mriyate. The living entity, the soul, never takes birth, never dies, but I am subject to birth and death. So this problem does not come. They are simply making adjustment, a temporary problem. That is not human civilization. Vedic civilization means to solve the major problems of life. That is Vedic civilization. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). They don't care for these troubles.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

For the matter of sense gratification you have to practice vairāgya. Indriya. Our all the indriyas—eyes, tongue, nose—they are very much, I mean to say, affected or attracted. Eyes, always attracted by beauty. "I want to see very beautiful thing." But you can control the eyes when you practice to see the beautiful feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Therefore the Deity should be very nicely decorated so layman like us may be attracted by the beauty of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Gradually, he will forget to see any other beauty. This is the practice of indriyārtheṣu. Indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam.

Actually the whole life is meant for understanding vairāgya, renouncement. Human life is not meant for becoming more and more attached to the material enjoyment. Human life is meant for tapasya, vairāgya. Here it is said, vairāgyam, anahaṅkāra, and false prestige, false identification. "Oh, am this. I must do this." That is... In the beginning it is taught, amānitvam, anahaṅkāram. And then janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. We are very much busy to make solution of the problems of life. Political problems, economical problems, social problems. They are also problems. But real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, that you have to take birth, you have to die, and when you are in life, you have to suffer from diseases, jarā-vyadhi, and you have to become old. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha. These are really problems. But who knows that these are the real problems? They have taken it, accepted it.

Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:

"This human form of life is not meant for working very hard like cats and dogs. It is meant for tapasya. Tapasya, simple life, and realize yourself. And then you stop the miserable condition of your life. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam.

Just like when we are diseased, we go to the physician and we try to cure the disease, similarly, we do not know what is our main disease. That is explained by Kṛṣṇa previously. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—this is our real disease, to take birth, to die, to become old and to become victims of disease. But nobody knows how to cure this, and still, we are very much proud of becoming advanced in education and civilization. This is called illusion. This is called illusion. The real disease is how to stop janma-mṛtyu.

Kṛṣṇa has repeatedly said, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ: (BG 4.9) "Simply try to understand Me, Kṛṣṇa. The result will be tyaktvā deham..." That is... After giving up this body we have to accept another body. Kṛṣṇa says, "Simply if you understand Me in truth, then thereafter, no more accepting any material body. You remain in your spiritual body and come to the spiritual world, back to home, back to Godhead."

Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:

The stool-eater, you'll find the stool-eater, the whole day and night searching after stool: "Where is stool? Where is stool?" At night also, you'll find engaged. Day also, engaged. These are the examples by nature. What for? What is the business? Now, eating stool. And then, as soon as he gets some strength, then sex. Never mind, mother, sister, or anything. This is hog civilization. "Eat whatever you like, no discrimination even up to stool, and then have sexual intercourse. That's all."

So this is the warning of Ṛṣabhadeva, that this human life is not meant for this purpose, like hogs and dogs. Then what it is? Tapa. That is state..., stated here also: nātapaskāya. One who has not undergone austerities and penances according to the Vedic system, what he can understand Bhagavad-gītā and the Vedas? Therefore He has warned. And what is the result of tapasya? To become bhakta, devotee. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). One who has actually undergone austerities, penances, then the result will be that he will surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is bhakta. So after tapasya, one becomes bhakta. And as soon as one becomes bhakta, he enjoys life. He enjoys life. Natural stage. That is mukti. Hitvā anyathā-rūpam. Muktir hitvā anyathā-rūpam. Anyathā-rūpam means defying the authority of God. That is anyathā-rūpam. Because we are a part and parcel of God, therefore our business is to abide by the orders of God. But as soon as we defy God, that is anyathā-rūpam. So mukti means hitvā anyathā-rūpam. That is mukti. Mukti means hitvā anyathā-rūpam, giving up this nonsense practice, defying God. Anyathā-rūpam. Sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ, to be situated in his own constitutional position. What is the constitutional position? The constitutional position is to serve. Just like part and parcel of my body, this finger, is to serve the body. This is constitutional position. If the finger denies, "No, I am God. Why shall I serve you?" that is anyathā-rūpam.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- Caracas, February 20, 1975:

They say that "So far these necessities of life are concerned, they are ready, supplied." In any life, either in human life or in birds and beasts, lower animal, trees, plants, that is ready. Therefore we should not waste our time for these things, but we should be ready to enquire about the Absolute Truth. So human intelligence is there to enquire about the Absolute Truth. So they have got better developed consciousness or intelligence than the lower animals. So that higher intelligence should be utilized for enquiring about the Absolute Truth. So that is... Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life, human life, is not meant for wasting time for adjusting how to get better food, better shelter, better sex and better defense. So the human intelligence is that when one thinks that "If these necessities of body are ready even for the animals and beasts and birds, then why not it is ready for me?" It is ready for the human being also. That is a fact. We see when human being are uncivilized, the ready food is there. They live in the jungle. There is fruit ready for eating. Everything is ready there. They do not know how to produce food, the uncivilized man. They eat some animal. They eat some fruit. This is already ready. So uncivilized man, who cannot produce food, even for him, there is food ready. Similarly, the civilized human being, for him also the food can be improved. Just like he can produce from the field, agriculture, so many food grains, varieties of food grains he can produce. So these things are already there. There is no need of extra time for developing how to eat nicely, how to sleep nicely. One should be satisfied like the animals. They are satisfied with their position. They are not agitated. Similarly, we should be satisfied whatever is available automatically by the gift of nature or by God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 11, 1973:

Therefore I am kṣetra-jña and the body is kṣetra. And Kṛṣṇa says that kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). That sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata, in every body, that manifestation of God, or Kṛṣṇa, is called Paramātmā, or Supersoul. So the Supersoul and the soul, both of them are sitting on this body. It is compared with a tree. Just like on the tree two birds sitting, friendly birds. One is eating the fruit and another is simply witnessing. Upadraṣṭā-anumantā.

So this is the science. So human life is meant for understanding this science. This is the ultimate science. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Human life is not meant for wasting like cats and dogs, simply eating, sleeping, mating. That is not human life. At the present moment they are simply engaged in these four principles of bodily demands of life—how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sense gratification and how to defend. Unfortunately, we have become less than the animals because the animals, they have no problem. Even the birds... Out of all living entities, 8,400,000 of forms, the human forms are only 400,000. The majority of the living entities, they are in different forms.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Hyderabad, April 21, 1974:

Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra says, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "This life, human form of life, which is achieved after evolution of 8,400,000's of forms of life..." It is called labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29). Idaṁ śarīram. This human form of body is achieved, bahu-sambhavānte, after achieving many, many other lower forms of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. So many different forms of life we had to pass through to come to the standard of human life. Therefore this life is not meant for spoiling like cats and dogs. This is jñānam. The spoiling the life like cats and dogs means āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna... eating, sleeping, defending and sexual intercourse. These are the bodily demands. Sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. These are common formulas for the cats and dogs and the human being. But what is the meaning of human being? The human being is eligible to understand what is the value of life, what is the problem of life, how to make the solution. That is human life. Not that simply passing our days like cats and dogs working very hard.

Kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye. In the śāstras this is warned again and again. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This human form of life is not meant for satisfying the senses, kāmān kaṣṭān, with great difficulty. Now, eating is necessary, but a hog, he eats the most abominable thing, stool, but whole day and night he is searching out, "Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?" So similarly, if human civilization is so made that simply for eating one has to work so hard day and night, so it is as good as the hog's life; it is not human life. Human life should be peaceful. They should get their foodstuff very easily, eat very nicely, save time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is human life, not like hogs and dogs, simply searching after... But if we create such civilization like cats and dogs and hogs, then Kṛṣṇa will give us the chance to work day and night simply for eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is the position now. We wanted it.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:

So our business is, so far we are concerned, Kṛṣṇa conscious people, we are not advocates of vegetarian and nonvegetarian. Of course, vegetarianism is very good, even for health's sake. But we do not take vegetables even if it is not offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our principle. If Kṛṣṇa said that "You give Me nonvegetarian diet," then we can eat also. But Kṛṣṇa does not say. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). So we are preparing so many nice foodstuffs with this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. We can prepare many, many hundreds of preparation of this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, and we can offer Kṛṣṇa and then take prasādam. That is all right. The human life is not meant for sense gratification. Sense gratification—my food is Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Why shall I go to restaurant? And this is tapasya. Eating is not stopped, but don't eat anything which is not kṛṣṇa-prasādam. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you, for satisfaction of your tongue, you get money and satisfy your tongue, that is forbidden. It is said that kāmasya na indriya-prītiḥ. You have demand. You have to, demand of the body. You have to eat something. You have to sleep somewhere. You must have some sense gratification. You must protect yourself from attack of others. That is all right. But don't do all these things for sense gratification. This is the injunction of the śāstra.

Just like Arjuna fought. Arjuna fought not for sense gratification. He fought for satisfying Kṛṣṇa. Because Arjuna, first of all, he was trying to satisfy his senses. He said to Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, they are all my relatives. The other side: my grandfather, my brothers, my nephews, my son-in-laws. Oh, how can I fight with them?" This consideration was for sense gratification. He was thinking that "In this way I shall be satisfied." Personally. But there was no question of satisfying Kṛṣṇa. But when he understood that his business was to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then he agreed.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973:

Although I am claiming... I do not know, at least. The physician may know, the medical man may know, but I am claiming I am this body," but I do not know how it is working. Therefore we are all abodha-jāta. Abodha-jāta.

Therefore our business is to inquire about the truth. This is explained in this verse, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. This human life should be engaged for inquiring about the truth, anything, either of this body or of this material nature or about God, our interrelationship—so many things that have to be known. Therefore in this verse it is said that jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. It is not our only business that simply to eat, sleep and have sex life and defend. That is not our only business. That may be the business of the cats and dogs. But human life is not meant for that purpose. The civilization should be so molded that people will have the chance to think soberly about the truth of life. That is the point. That is called tattva-jijñāsā. For this purpose the Vedic civilization is perfect. Vedic civilization is for everyone, but nowadays it is said that it is for the Indians or for the Hindus or... But actually, it is meant for everyone. Just like here it is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. It is everyone's duty to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Where is the question of Hindu, Muslim or this or that? Truth is truth. Two plus two equal to four; it is accepted by the Hindus, Muslims, Christians and everyone. Science is science. So therefore we should be interested about inquiring. This is the confirmation in every scripture, in the Bhāgavata also. This is also Bhāgavata.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

So first of all it has been described what is the purpose of life. This human form of life, it is not meant for being spoiled like the dogs and hogs. The dogs and hogs, they're busy to find out food: "Where is food? Where is stool?" And they are spoiling their whole day and night. Their life has been made by nature in such a way that they have no other business than to find out where is some food, where is some food, where is... And laboring, they're laboring very hard.

So human life is not meant for that purpose. It is a chance given by the nature's way. Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva lakṣāṁs tāñ jīva-jātiṣu. Eight million, four hundred thousands forms of life we are passing through. Nature has given a chance, this human form of body, especially civilized form of body... (aside:) Hmm? Don't do that. What is the purpose? Just like try to understand, a government servant, a big minister or M.P.'s, they're given all facilities of living condition, good bungalow, nice salary, servant. What is the purpose? The purpose is that with cool brain, satisfied mind, they'll do, be able to render valuable service to the administration. That is the purpose. Similarly, human being has been given so much facilities. The grains, the fruits, the flowers, the milk, intelligence to construct nice house, nice road, nice cities. The cats and dogs, they cannot do it. Why? You live peacefully and try to understand the value of life. Not that we get more facilities for bodily comfort and we engaged ourself in sense gratification. No.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

Just like in the Western world, they have been endowed with so much facilities of comfortable life, but because they do not know how to utilize the comfortable situation of life, there is so much chaos and confusion. The so rich nations, young boys and girls, they are turning to be hippies. Because they do not find... It is hackneyed. The same wine, same women, and same motorcar and same road, it has become disgusting. That is the nature's way. Because human life is not meant for that purpose. Human life is meant for, as it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. You are working so hard... You are so working hard... Why? Is it meant for simply sense gratification and satisfying the bodily needs? That is being done by the hogs and dogs. The... We see the hogs and dogs, they are always busy. So this human form of life is not meant for that purpose. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Earn money, but... Be comfortable, but utilize time—tattva-jijñāsā, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is your aim of life.

So this has been described in the previous verses: jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. If you have no program for tattva-jijñāsā, then why should you work so hard? Food is available for birds and beasts. You have also your food. That is already there, destined by nature's way, by God's arrangement. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. God provides food just before your birth. A child takes birth; the mother, young mother, has no milk on the breast a minute ago. But as soon as the child is born, immediately there is profuse milk in the breast of the mother. That is the nature's arrangement. Before birth, the food, the child immediately require, the mother's breast, there is milk supply immediately. So by God's arrangement, the economic position is already arranged. Our only business is tattva-jijñāsā.

Lecture on SB 1.3.9 -- Los Angeles, September 15, 1972:

So penance required. This human life is not meant for enjoying senses like the dogs and hogs. That is not life. We have got advanced sense, consciousness, we can understand what is good, what is bad. At least that talent we have got, even though we are misguided. So we should take guidance from a perfect source of knowledge, and utilize it for making our life perfect. That is wanted; not that because "I want sense gratification, so let me have complete freedom for sense gratification. That is the idea now, life." No, that is not ideal. As I have several times explained to you that law is meant for human beings. What is law? Law means restrictions. You cannot have sense gratification unrestricted; that is law. Otherwise, what is the meaning of law? Just like when we are driving car, the law is red light, we have to stop. That is law. Because if you unrestrictedly drive your car, there will be accident. Either you will die or somebody will die.

Therefore law is required. How can you say that "Unrestrictedly I will enjoy my senses"? That is chaotic condition of life. The so-called civilization, so-called unrestricted sense gratification allowed in the name of freedom, that is disastrous. One must learn how to control. Controlling the senses, this is civilization. To become cats and dogs, that is not civilization. Dog civilization, cat civilization, hog civilization, camel civilization, this is going on.

Lecture on SB 1.3.13 -- Los Angeles, September 18, 1972:

Because a woman can become naked only before husband. That is Vedic. So Kṛṣṇa somehow or other made them naked so that... He declared that "You wanted Me as husband. So much, that's all." So people misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. Unless understood through authoritative sources, Kṛṣṇa is misunderstood. But He is the dhīra. He is not adhīra. He is not like ordinary man. Dhīra.

So here it is said that urukramaḥ. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here as urukrama. Urukrama means one who acts very wonderful things which is not possible for ordinary human being. So He wanted to show the real path of life. Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva, He was king, emperor of the world. So His instruction are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. (tapping sound) He instructed... (aside:) What is this sound? He instructed His sons, "My dear boys, this human form of life is not meant for sense enjoyment, which is available in the life of dogs and hogs." It was His instruction. He instructed that human society should be dhīra, self-controlled. That is ideal human society. That is Vedic civilization.

Here it is also stated, sarvāśrama-namaskṛtam. Āśrama. Sarva-āśrama. Āśrama. I have several times described that the brahmacārī-āśrama, gṛhastha-āśrama, vānaprastha-āśrama, sannyāsa-āśrama. Sarvāśrama, all orders of life. Varṇāśrama. The Vedic civilization is based on four varṇas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra; and four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. So Lord Ṛṣabhadeva planned in such a way to teach His sons—He had one hundred sons—that it will be honored by all the āśramas. Out of His one hundred sons, nine became sannyāsī. Nava Yogendra, very highly elevated spiritually, nine sons. And eighty-one sons... Out of hundred, nine gone, ninety-one sons? So out of them, eleven became kṣatriyas, and others became brāhmaṇas, like that. So this proves that not that by birth one becomes brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra, but it is by different qualification. Otherwise how Ṛṣabhadeva's son... He was kṣatriya, supposed to be kṣatriya. So His sons are also kṣatriya. How they became brāhmaṇa? No. That was the Vedic culture. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. As soon as one is bor

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-4 -- New Vrindaban, May 22, 1969:

So there are two kinds of knowledge, avidyā and vidyā. Real vidyā means brahma-vidyā. This brahma-jijñāsā, athāto brahma..., that is vidyā. That is real knowledge. And avidyā, karma-saṁjña. Another vidyā is how to learn technology, avidyā. Avidyā. That is avidyā. Avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. So now, at the present moment, the education is being given to the people how to work hard, karma-saṁjña. That is not now. That is the system everywhere, because everyone wants to enjoy senses as far as possible, so he has to work very hard. But in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will find the instruction is by Ṛṣabhadeva, that this life is not meant for that simply hard labor for sense gratification. If you work hard, you try to work hard for attaining Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then your life will be successful. You have to work hard. If you want to enjoy senses, they are not very easily available. It is said that udyogināṁ praharṣaṁ praheti lakṣyam.(?) Unless you become industrious, laborious, you cannot enjoy even this material world.

So one has to work because his business is to become servant. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). So if he does not become servant of Kṛṣṇa, then he will have to become servant of māyā. Just like same thing we are doing in this New Vrindaban or anywhere. The same thing. We are also cooking, we are also cleansing. So this is for Kṛṣṇa. So even if we get tired by cleansing for Kṛṣṇa, but that is an asset. Yes. And if we work the same thing for sense gratification, that is simply spoiling time. This is the technology of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that we

Lecture on SB 1.7.7 -- Vrndavana, April 24, 1975:

And somebody known to him, he said, Panditji, palale(?), means "I offer my respect to you," and the ṭhelā-wālā says, jitalau(?). This is the position. A brāhmaṇa is pulling ṭhelā; it is working like an ass. Pulling ṭhelā is not the business of human being, but although he thinks himself to be a brāhmaṇa, he is engaged in pulling ṭhelā. This is Kali's position, manda. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ (SB 1.1.10), unfortunate, unfortunate.

Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva has forbidden, that "This life, human form of life, is not meant for working so hard like hogs and dogs." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This is the advice. But we are advancing in civilization—to get our food, we have to work so hard. This is condemnation of life. Human life should be very peaceful, and without any hard work we shall get our food and save time for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is human life, not that for senses gratification we work so hard like an ass. This is called anartha. Anartha means unwanted things. We can see practically. The birds and beasts, they are living very easy and comfortable life without any problem. They rise early in the morning regularly. You have seen. As soon as there is little light, immediately they will rise up and they will talk amongst themselves and go, one tree to another, and he will eat one or two fruits, little fruits, ample fruit. They have no scarcity of food. And live very pleasantly. For eating, sleeping, sex life, they have no problem. These are primary necessities of life. Why there should be problem for these things? But in the human society there is problem. That is called the effect of Kali-yuga. Effect of Kali-yuga means the so-called advancement of material civilization means to become godless, immoral, and they must suffer. That is going on.

Lecture on SB 1.9.48 -- Mayapura, June 14, 1973:

Anyway, my mission was that I shall go to America, and if some of the American boys and girls, younger section, would accept it, then I'll bring them here to show these rascals that how great this culture is. So portion of the population, they are realizing now.

Now here is a word: Gāndhārīṁ ca tapasvinīm. Gāndhārī, the wife of Dhṛtarāṣṭra... He (She) is qualified herewith as tapasvinīm. Tapasvinīm. She was a householder, wife, having children. Not only children; she had one hundred sons. But still she is addressed here as tapasvinī. Tapasvinī means one who undergoes austerity. Because this human life is meant for practicing austerity. Human life is not meant for extravagancy. Tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). This is the principle of human civilization. Śuddhyet sattvam, existence. Our existence... We are eternal. Every living entity is eternal, but we are subjected to birth and death. Why? Because we are not pure. Just like when you are impure, some disease infects. If you are pure, follow the hygienic principle, you'll not be infected. Similarly, this existence, material existence, we, every one of us, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa originally, the same purity qualitatively...

So Kṛṣṇa is the supreme pure. We are also pure, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Just like a small particle of gold is also gold. The value is gold. It is not iron or something low-grade metal. The same. Similarly, as Kṛṣṇa... Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said Kṛṣṇa is aja. He never takes birth. Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. Although He is the Lord of all living entities, still, by His desire, He appears. Our appearance in this material world is also the same desire, but that is not independent. Our desire... (aside:) Who is talking there? He must stop. That portion is simply talking-camp.

Lecture on SB 1.13.10 -- Geneva, June 1, 1974:

Therefore, the bhāgavatas, they travel all over the world to purify the ordinary human being because they are dīna-cetasa. Dīna-cetasa. Dīna means poor. They are thinking... Materialistic persons, they think, "It is my duty to live comfortably, to give all facilities to the family or to the society or to the nation, earn your livelihood and spend for sense gratification." This is their philosophy. They do not know anything more than that. Especially in the Western countries, they are very expert how to adjust materially for sense gratification. Just like we had been immediately to the park, very nice park. They know how to live comfortably in the material world, but there is no spiritual information. Missing point. That is the defect of the Western civilization. They have got some vague idea of God, practically no idea. But human life is not meant for that purpose, simply living very comfortably in material life. The other necessity is that they should know Bhagavān, become bhāgavata. That is another necessity.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is the desire of Kṛṣṇa that these people who have no information practically about Bhagavān, so they should learn something from this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And therefore we have published so many nice books. It is the desire of Kṛṣṇa they should read these books and try to understand the Kṛṣṇa philosophy, the science of Kṛṣṇa, the science of God. Then their life will be perfect. Otherwise, this one-sided civilization, material comforts, that will not help them. Because however you may create your city, home, very nice, clean, materially comfortable, you will not be allowed to stay. That defect, they do not understand. And after you leave this body, there is no certainty what kind of body you are going to have. There is certainty according to the material laws. There is certainty, but they do not know it. That body will be manufactured according to the association of the material modes of nature.

Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:

He engages. Then fight. That is Kali-yuga. Unnecessarily create, by illicit sex life, enemy, and then become killed and finish your life. That is called gṛhamedhi. You require wife. That's all right. Take wife. There is no scarcity of wife. Live peacefully. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. "No, I have got my wife; I want another. I want another." Like dogs. Yes. So the dog civilization cannot help us. This will not help us. Human life is meant for something else. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām (SB 5.5.1). Everything is discussed in Bhāgavata. Therefore we request the whole human society to read these valuable books, valuable. Oh, they are missing the opportunity. Let them read these books. Then life will be successful.

So this human life is not meant for like dogs and cats and hogs. That is said in the Bhāgavatam. You will find in the Fifth Canto, Fifth Chapter, Ṛṣabhadeva. Every word is so valuable. Just like here in these verses, sarve tam anunirjagmur bhrātaraḥ. How ideal brothers they were. "My elder brother is going, retiring, going to the Himalayan side," all the brothers followed. When the elder brother was king, they acted. They did not fight, that "We are five brothers. Why you shall become king? I shall become king." No, there was a fight. One of them, the elder brother, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, was enthroned, and the other brothers, they acted as commanders of the soldiers. One brother is going one side of the earth to fight, to subdue the rascals. There was fight to subdue the rascals, not for ambition. Because he was emperor, so anyone who is doing wrong irreligiously, go there and fight. That was fight. That is called dharma-yuddha. Just like you can maintain police force, military force. What for? Whenever there is outlaws, go and punish them. That should be the system. That should be... Military force is required, violence is required, when there is irreligion. Then must be, they must be made religious. And because such government was there... That we have discussed. During Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, everything was peaceful, adayovyadha(?)... Even people did not suffer from excessive heat, excessive cold. This is also another punishment. Just like disease is punishment, similarly, excessive heat and excessive cold is also punishment. That is not very good. But Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja's time was such, they did not feel.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Delhi, November 4, 1973:

Although it is the śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ, it is the supreme subject matter to hear. This is the position. This is the position of the material world. They have lost interest even to hear about the transcendental life, what is this life, what is next life, how we can improve, how, where we are going. Nothing. Simply like cats and dogs they are working hard. Therefore śāstra says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujāṁ ye. Viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means the hogs, the pigs who are eating stool. They are also working very hard for finding out the stool, "Where there is stool? Where there is stool? Where there is stool?"

So Ṛṣabhadeva warned, "My dear sons, this life, this human form of life, is not meant for working so hard simply for eating, sleeping, mating and defending." Then what it is meant for? Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). "My dear boys, just try to become austere. Just tapasya." Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some difficulties. Not difficulties. Just like in our Society we say, "No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling." But in the Western countries, these things are daily affair. But they have given up. But they have not..., have died. All these boys and girls who have taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they have given up. No illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication. They do not drink even tea, coffee. They do not smoke even cigarette. This is tapasya, little tapasya. (break)

Everything is there. But we have become so unfortunate, led by rascal and fools leaders, that we are missing the opportunity of this human form of life where we can solve all the problems of life, and the indications are there, here in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that "I give you order. You, every one of you become a spiritual master."

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Delhi, November 6, 1973:

During daytime, "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money? Where is money? Where is money? Go here, go there, go there, go... All right, take money. Then how to utilize it?" Now, kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā. 'Then go to the shop. Purchase this thing for my wife, for my children, for this, for that." So money earned and spent, and night, sleeping and mating. Then where is your time for cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness? This is the position. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). Those who are blind, who do not know what is the value of this life, this human form of life, they are busy in these things. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2).

But actually, this life is meant for understanding ātma-tattvam. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is not meant for like cats and dogs-eating, sleeping, mating and defending. This is all cats' and dogs' business. Therefore those who are engaged only in these business:

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

Go-khara. Go-khara means... Go means cow, and khara means ass. Those who are acting on this bodily concept of life, they are no better than cows and asses. Therefore one who is inquisitive about ātma-tattva, one who is inquisitive about Kṛṣṇa and such praśna, such inquiries as Parīkṣit Mahārāja did before Śukadeva Gosvāmī... He welcomed it immediately. Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ: (SB 2.1.1) "Oh, you have questioned very nicely about Kṛṣṇa." Loka-hitaṁ nṛpa: "Oh it is not only good for you; it is good for all the people of the world."

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Paris, June 12, 1974:

That, that is my advancement of material civilization." You see. Hog means he has no discrimination of food. That is hog. You have seen, a hog can eat up to the stool. So anyone who has no human brain, has no discrimination of food, anything he can eat, he's a hog. "Anything, anyone, never mind, mother, sister or anyone, let us have sex life"—that is hog's life. You'll find the hog's life is practical like that, to eat anything and have sex life with anyone. That is hog's life. Is it not? What is the hog? You have seen hog? They have no discrimination of sex and no discrimination of food. That is hog's life.

So therefore śāstra says that "This human life is not meant for becoming a hog." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). You are working so hard, day and night, very busy, going this side, that side, this side, that side, and getting money, and leading a life like hog. What is this civilization? This is not civilization. Then what is civilization? That is also said, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). This is Ṛṣabhadeva's instruction to His sons. "My dear boys, this life, this human form of life, is not meant for wasting like hogs and dogs, but tapasya, just have little restraint. Don't become hogs and dogs." What is that restraint? Just like we are prescribing, no illicit sex. No illicit sex. Sex is not stopped. Sex is there. But no illicit sex. Illicit sex—unnecessary sex life. Sex life is meant for human beings. There is regulation. Sex life is meant for producing nice children, that's all, not for sense enjoyment. Therefore one is trained as brahmacārī from the very beginning.

The brahmacārī means no sex life. No sex life. Even the guru... Sometimes guru... Mostly in a school, the teachers, they were householders. It is restricted, "If the guru has a young wife, you should not go to carry out her order." It is restricted. This is brahmacārī life, voluntarily accepting hardship for making life successful. That is brahmacārī life.

Lecture on SB 2.3.18-19 -- Bombay, March 23, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:

"Do the trees not live? Do the bellows of the blacksmith not breathe? All around us, do the beasts not eat and discharge semen?" Purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Śrīla Prabhupāda. The materialistic man of the modern age will argue that life, or part of it, is never meant for discussion of theosophical or theological arguments. Life is meant for the maximum duration of existence for eating, drinking, sexual intercourse, making merry and enjoying life. The modern man wants to live forever by the advancement of material science, and there are many foolish theories for prolonging life to the maximum duration. But the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam affirms that life is not meant for so-called economic development or advancement of materialistic science for the hedonistic philosophy of eating, mating, drinking and merrymaking. Life is solely meant for tapasya, for purifying existence so that one may enter into eternal life just after the end of the human form of life.

The materialists want to prolong life as much as possible because they have no information of the next life. They want to get the maximum comforts in this present life because they think conclusively that there is no life after death. This ignorance about the eternity of the living being and the change of covering in the material world has played havoc in the structure of modern human society. Consequently there are many problems, multiplied by various plans of modernized man. The plans for solving the problems of society have only aggravated the troubles. Even if it is possible to prolong life more than one hundred years, advancement of human civilization does not necessarily follow. The Bhāgavatam says that certain trees live for hundreds and thousands of years. At Vṛndāvana there is a tamarind tree (the place is known as Imlitala) which is said to have existed since the time of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the Calcutta Botanical Garden there is a banyan tree said to be older than five hundred years, and there are many such trees all over the world.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

Hog's life. Therefore śāstra says, "Don't lead a hog's life." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Vid-bhujām means the stool-eater. They are also working so hard day and night simply for eating stool. And as soon as there is some strength, hypophosphate... Because stool contains all good chemicals. Hypophosphate, they say, who have tested... Of course, I do not know. They say that it is full of hypophosphates, and if you take hypophosphate... Sometimes doctor prescribes sera of hypophosphate for the weak people. So actually the hogs are very fatty. Therefore those who are meat-eaters, they like hog's flesh very nicely.

So anyway, this human life is not meant for imitating the hog's life. Human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). This is Vedic civilization, tapasya, the state, different grades of tapasya—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—give them chance—gṛhastha, vānaprastha, brahmacārī. They are all meant for inducing people to come to this perfectional stage of understanding God. This is called varṇāśrama-dharma. Real purpose of this is varṇāśrama, four varṇas and four āśramas. Why?

Lecture on SB 3.25.10 -- Bombay, November 10, 1974:

They have no sex discrimination. They do not discriminate, "It is..., she is my mother," or "She is my sister." No. So this is hog's life. Therefore śāstra says that "Don't be foolish to lead a life like hogs." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The material civilization should not be like that. What is that? Now, simply for sense gratification. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān. That sense gratification is also not very easy. People are working so hard. They are stealing even, risking life. So many things they are... This is not very easygoing life. Kaṣṭān kāmān. Everything is studied by śāstra. Arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye. This kind of life is meant for the hogs.

So human life is not meant for like that. Human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam, śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). You have to purify your existence. Now our existence is not purified. We get this contaminated body and change it; again another contaminated body, another... Just like one man is suffering from disease: one contamination, then another contamination, another... This is not life. You purify yourself. And that purification begins when you accept the life of austerities, tapaḥ, tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some... This is not inconvenience. Just like in our society it is enjoined, the students, they should voluntarily accept the principle: no illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no fish-eating, no, nothing of the sort, no intoxication, and no gambling. This is tapasya. Especially for these European and American students, they are, from the beginning of their life, they are accustomed to these habits. But they have voluntarily given up on my word. And that is guru's business. So to purify so that he may be saved from this illusion—he must be purified—so this little inconvenience for higher happiness, that is desired, that is required.

Lecture on SB 3.26.7 -- Bombay, December 19, 1974:

That is not to be appreciated by these material senses. Sukham ātyantikam. Ātyantikam means supreme. This is not... Whatever so-called happiness we derive in this material world, that is dependent on so many conditions. That is not ātyantikam. Ātyantikam means the supreme happiness. That is different from this material happiness, but we have no information or taste because we have been conditioned for many many creation, anādi. Just like a man suffering from disease from many, many years. He becomes accustomed. He does not take any more that this suffering is suffering. He thinks this is natural.

So we have been accustomed to this habit of material disadvantages. We have no information of spiritual life. Therefore śāstra says that we should try... This life, human life, is not meant for suffering but to make endeavor to end suffering. That is human life. Human life is not meant for suffering like the animals. Just like the life of pig. Is that very good life? Whole day and night they are searching after stool, "Where is stool? Where is stool?" because that is their enjoyment. Actually, if you give a pig halavā and, side by side, stool, he would prefer to accept the stool than the halavā because he is habituated to that kind of food. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says that human life... He was instructing to His sons, "My dear sons, don't be like pigs. You just become like human being." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye: (SB 5.5.1) "My dear sons, don't try to get happiness like the pigs, dogs, hogs." Kaṣṭān kāmān. With hard labor, you get some food, and then you enjoy sex life. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Material life means to work very hard day and night and get some money and then eat sumptuously. Eat, drink, be merry and then enjoy sex life. That's all. So Ṛṣabhadeva said, "My dear sons, this kind of standard of life is available in the life of pigs." Kaṣṭān kāmān arhate ye viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means stool-eaters.

Then what is human life? If this is not life, then what is real life?

Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974:

So Kapiladeva is giving knowledge, beginning how the creation, the material creation, is begun. He is beginning from that point of view. Pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ sad-asat and yat tat tri-guṇātmakam. This material world is tri-guṇamayī, tri-guṇātmakam, or tri-guṇamayī, the same thing. As Kṛṣṇa said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī, guṇamayī (BG 7.14). Guṇa. This material world, this prakṛti, is guṇamayī; there are three modes of material nature. So we are controlled by these tri-guṇamayī, and we have to become guṇātītam. As Kṛṣṇa advises to Arjuna, traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna: "You just try to become above the three guṇas." That is human life. Human life is not meant for remaining within the category of these three guṇas and struggle for existence. That is not human life. That is animal life.

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke

jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ

manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi

prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

(BG 15.7)

Kṛṣṇa said that "The living entities, they are My part and parcel. They are as good as I am." But because the part and parcel of gold is also gold... It is nothing else. It may be small gold, but it is gold. Similarly, we may be very small fragmental part of the Supreme Person, Brahman, but we are Brahman. This is Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is Brahman realization. It is not very difficult. If you simply understand that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa," that is Brahma-jñāna. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). It does not take very much time, but it requires little brain, that "If I am part and parcel of God, then I must be qualitatively the same." Part of gold is also gold.

Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:

So in the modern civilization especially, they are being trained up to work very hard and, to get strength, eat meat, and to digest meat drink wine, and then become infuriated and work very hard. This is the modern type of civilization. But Vedic civilization is different. Vedic civilization is not meant for working so hard. The human being should be very peaceful and sober and intelligent and cultivate spiritual knowledge, become brāhmaṇa, brahminical culture. Satyaṁ śaucaṁ śamo damas titikṣā. This is Vedic culture.

So Vedic culture or the representative of Vedic culture, Mahārāja King Ṛṣabhadeva, He advised His sons, "My dear sons, this human life, human form of life, is not meant for working hard like the animals. This is not." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Kaṣṭān kāmān. Kāmān means we require some necessities of life, but civilization should not be made in such a way that one has to live at the cost of sacrificing everything. This is not human civilization. Kaṣṭān kāmān. Everyone wants something. That is required. So long the body is there, we must have to eat, we must have to sleep, we require sense gratification and protection or security. This is required. But the Vedic civilization was very simplified, simplified. A class of ideal men, the brāhmaṇa, they are ideal. They are simply assimilating the Vedic knowledge and guiding others—kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—how to live peacefully. The kṣatriya, they are meant for giving protection to the people, security. And the vaiśya is meant for producing food. And śūdra, because they cannot do anything independently, they must serve these three masters: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. So this is very scientific.

Lecture on SB 3.26.19 -- Bombay, December 28, 1974:

"More, more, more, more, more." Ask him that "What will be satisfaction for you?" Oh, there is no such limit. This is rajas and tamas. And some people, they are śūdras. So some political party, by agitation, by propaganda, makes them convinced to accept some way, and they do it. Another party will do another... They have no their own discretion. They elect some president, and again they want to dethrone the president. Because they are śūdras, they have no intelligence. They do not know how to elect the president, who should be the governor, who should be the executive head. They commit mistake. They again cry.

So rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ, it is going on, very strong. Therefore human life is not meant for this purpose. It is very difficult to convince the present society. Still, we are trying our bit, that "This is not the right type of civilization, godless civilization, no sattva-guṇa, only rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, mostly tamo-guṇa. This thing will not improve your situation, neither solve your problem. The problem... Human life is meant for solving the problem." Therefore creation is made. The living entities within this material world, daivāt kṣubhita-dharmiṇyām, this material energy, they are given chance, again creation. Daivāt. Daivāt kṣubhita-dharmiṇyāṁ svasyāṁ yonau. This material energy is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. That I was trying to explain last night. Just like the heat and light. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. The light and heat. Similarly, spiritual energy and material energy. Take the spiritual energy as heat and material energy as the light. There is some idea of fire. Heat, if somewhere is very hot, you can make an idea, "There must be some fire." That is... The material world is like that. We have got some heat of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Things are going on so nicely. So we can at least imagine that there is some management. Otherwise how the sun is rising exactly in time every day, according to the calculation, almanac? The moon is rising, the ocean is flowing, and the breeze is blowing. Everything is doing its own duty. Unless there is some superior brain, arrangement... This is common sense, because in the material world we have no direct connection with the Supreme Lord. But in the spiritual world there is direct connection. That is exactly like heat.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Los Angeles, January 20, 1969:

Of course, in the deserted country, just he has to find out "Where is stool, where is stool?" You see?

So there are different grades of life. So does it mean that we shall live a life like a hog while we have got this human form of body? Just try to understand. The hog is eating stool, which is rejected by everyone. And still, he is searching that out, where is that stool. And it is called research work. So we should not make our life complicated like the hog. And what is the aim of his life, the hog? The aim of his life is sex. The hogs and, especially hogs and goats, they're very sexually influenced. The hog does not discriminate. The monkeys, they do not discriminate—mother, sister, or anyone—they must have sex. So especially mentioned here, not like hog, don't live like hog. This is the instruction of Ṛṣabhadeva. This human form of life is not meant for living like a hog. Then what it is for? That is stated in the next line, tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). "My dear boys, this life is meant for tapasya." Tapasya means restraining your senses. That is. That is human life. That is human civilization. The more you restrain your senses from its activities, the more you're advanced, civilized, advanced human life. Tapasya. Tapasya means, tapa, tapa, from tap, tapa comes. Tapa means temperature.

So if I restrain my senses, because we are, from time immemorial, we have been practiced to indulge our senses for gratification, and in the human form of life, because we have to control the senses, it sometimes gives us some pains. I am accustomed to do something, but my spiritual master said... Just like in this country I say that you cannot take meat, you cannot smoke. So all my students, they were accustomed to this habit, but by my order they have restrained. In the beginning there is plot of land and a cow—your whole economic question is solved. Why you should work so hard day and night? So we have created a civilization simply working hard day and night, and the purpose is sense gratification. That's all. That is prohibited. Make your life simplified. Save your time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- London, August 30, 1971:

Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva is advising His sons, "My dear sons," ayaṁ deha. Na ayaṁ deha. "This body, this human form of body," deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke, "those who have taken, accepted this material body in this human society," nṛloke, kaṣṭān kāmān na arhate... Sense gratification is needed because we have got this body. So that is not denied. But He says that kaṣṭān kāmān na arhate: "For sense gratification, there is no need of working very hard." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This kind of labor, hard labor, day and night, and get some money, and then apply it for sense gratification, kaṣṭān kāmān... Kāma means sense gratification. So this is not very good. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Human form of life is not meant for this purpose. This type of working hard day and night to find out the necessities of life, that is the business of the hog. Hog. Viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means "the animal who eats stool." That means hog. Or the animal who has no discrimination of eating. He's called hog. The hogs have no discrimination. He'll eat anything, up to the stool. So if you say that "We have to accept food," well, even stool is also food for a certain type of animals. And by eating that stool, it becomes very much fatty. And their sense power is so strong that daily, at least one dozen times, they are having sexual intercourse. And there is no discrimination whether it is mother or sister or any daughter. It doesn't matter. You'll find in hog's life, they have no discrimination.

So Ṛṣabhadeva is warning, "My dear boys, this life, this human form of life, is not meant for gratifying the senses like the hogs." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Then what it is mean? What for? Tapo divyaṁ putrakā. This life is meant for tapasya, austerity. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā. Why? Why we should accept austerity, penance? So He says that tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). Sattvam. Your existence. You are existing. Now your existence is not pure because we, all living entities, we are eternal soul, spirit soul. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Johannesburg, October 20, 1975:

Therefore it should be properly utilized. Nāyam deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Nṛloke means in human society. So how it should be utilized? He says, kaṣṭān kāmān arhate, arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye. Kaṣṭān. Kaṣṭān means very, very hard labor, kaṣṭān. And kāmān means necessities of life we require. The necessities of this body, that is required. We want to eat something, we must have a shelter to live, Bhāgavata.-bhaya, and we must defend from the enemies or from the attack of other living beings. Kaṣṭān kāmān. So we require all these things, but not very hard labor, working day and night. That is for the lower animal. Kaṣṭān kāmān na arhate viḍ bhujāṁ ye. As the animal is working very hard day and night for meeting their necessities of life, the human form of life is not meant for that purpose. This is the basic principle of instruction. Ayaṁ deha. This deha, this body, is meant for higher purposes, not for simply meeting the necessities of life. This is the basic principle of instruction. They have no other way. The cats and dogs and hogs, they are working day and night where to find out some stool and eat it, and as soon as the body is filled, then sense gratification, sex life This is going on in the lower class of animal life.

So does it mean that human life also will be utilized only for this purpose? No. That is his advice. "This is not meant for wasting our time and living like the lower animals, cats and dogs and hogs." Then what it is meant for? He says, tapo divyaṁ: (SB 5.5.1) "My dear sons, this body is meant for tapo, austerity." Austerity. What is that austerity? Divyam, to realize God. That is the whole Vedic principle, that human body, human society should be trained intelligently in such a way that he can understand God. This is the goal of life. In the Vedānta-sūtra... Those who are philosophically advanced, they might have studied the Vedānta-sūtra or Brahma-sūtra. So the first aphorism of the Brahma-sūtra is athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is there..." We have got it by the material nature's grace. There are 8,400,000 different forms of life, transmigration or evolution, as you say.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Bombay, December 25, 1976:

They will be so much harassed by these three principles—no rainfall, scarcity of grains, and taxed heavily by the government... They will be so much harassed that ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā giri-kānanam, they will be forced to leave home, that "Now it is hopeless. I cannot manage. Let me go to the forest." And there will be... Now we are getting rice or wheat or sugar. But these things will be completely stopped. Now we are getting milk powder, but there will be no milk. It is not my imagination. They are described in the symptoms of Kali-yuga, that the end of Kali-yuga these things will happen. That means more and more suffering. More and more become godless, more and more suffering will be inflicted by the laws of nature.

Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says here that tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed (SB 5.5.1). This human life is not meant for, I mean to say, spoiling by working hard like the animals, as we have said that, kaṣṭān kāmān. Kaṣṭān kāmān. We require something, some because we have got this body. Very easy solution is given by Lord Kṛṣṇa: annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce foodgrains. Why you are going to produce tools and implements and... Of course, we do not condemn. But at the sacrifice of producing foodgrains, we simply open big, big tire factory. When I go to Delhi I see, from Vṛndāvana, hundreds and thousands persons are coming from the village on cycle to go to the tire factory, Goodyear tire factory. So now eat tire instead of getting food grains. So this is misdirected civilization. Kṛṣṇa does not say that you produce tire tube. Kṛṣṇa says annād bhavanti bhūtāni: "You produce anna." This is practical solution. We have therefore started in Europe and America farming. And they are very happy. In our latest Back to Godhead the description is published about our farm in France. We have got a very palatial building. We have named it New Māyāpur. What is the place?

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:

And in India, New Delhi, there is a quarter where foreign ambassadors are supplied place. So that quarter is known as Cāṇakyapuri. Cāṇakyapuri. Because he was politician, under his name that place is ascertained Cāṇakyapuri. So the prime minister, the great scholar, the great scientist, they used to live in a cottage. They gave us so much contribution how to make scientific advancement. Because the brāhmaṇas, they were meant not for material enjoyment. Simply for... Therefore four classes. Only the kṣatriyas and vaiśyas were meant for economic development.

So the whole idea here is expressed by Ṛṣabhadeva. "My dear sons," ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān na arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye, "you should distinguish yourself from the hogs and dogs, that simply for sense gratification, this life is not meant for working very hard." That is the modern civilization. Not only here... Now, the whole material world, history is like that. People are after sense gratification. (aside:) Come on. So Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, a great commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is explaining this verse that kaṣṭān, kaṣṭa-pradan kāmam yoṣit-darśana-sparśanadim na arhate naivarhati iti.(?) Kāmān. He has plainly explained that kāma, sense gratification, means to see woman with lust or to touch woman with lust. That is called kāma, or sense gratification. So this is natural. Materialistic life means wherever there is some beautiful woman or girl, it is natural. It is not... One sense, it is not bad because it is natural. There is a very nice verse written by Rūpa Gosvāmī. He is explaining, yuvatīnāṁ yathā yūni yūnāṁ yathā yuvatau.(?) Yuvatī means young girl, and yūna means young boy. So he is expressing his desire, "My dear Lord, as a young boy has got natural affection for a young girl, or a young girl has got a natural affection for a young boy..." Spontaneously. It is not to be taught or to be educated in the schools and colleges. Spontaneously the attraction is there. "...how my attraction for You will be like that, spontaneous?" It is a very nice example.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- London, September 17, 1969:

Not only here, everywhere. So this materialistic civilization, actually people are not very happy. And as I have told you that people are going to live underground next hundred years. That means they'll lose this freedom of living in the free air for fear of this atomic attack. That is predicted in the World Almanac. We have seen, that people are going to live under. They'll... Sometimes they will come out to have fresh air in the surface. Otherwise, they will have to live underground.

So actually we are, by advancing this materialistic way of life, for the time being we may feel happy, but we do not know how much risk we are taking in our life. That science is not yet discussed. That science is described in the Bhagavad-gītā that if you hear also, we have begun, that this life is not meant for simply sense gratification with hard labor. No. This life is meant for restraining. Restraining. Tapa. We have to restrain our business of sense gratification. Without restraining our business of sense gratification, it is not possible to make ourselves liberated. That is not possible. This is entanglement. Sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilās. If people give up the association of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society and they simply indulge in the sense gratificatory process, then more and more they'll be entangled. Sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilās, te-kāraṇe lāgila ye karma-bandha-phāṅs. People are now entangled in hard working. Actually, human life should be very easy, very easy. No hard work. Living very simple life and eating very healthy food, living in open space, no quarrel, no antagonism, everyone is happy, everyone is free. That is human civilization. Not to become entangled. But at the present moment we have become entangled. So Ṛṣabhadeva says that mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). If we actually want liberation from this entanglement, then we should associate with mahātmās, great souls. And who is a great soul? That is being described.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

In continuation of the last verse I recited day before yesterday, the second verse is suggesting how one can be liberated from this material bondage. In the first verse it was suggested that this human form of life is not meant for wasting uselessly like the animals, dogs and hogs. It should be properly utilized. The suggestion was tapa, tapasya. Tapasya means austerity, voluntarily accepting some inconvenience. This is called tapasya. Tapa, one meaning is "disturbances." Suppose I am practiced to some habit. If I am advised to give it up, it becomes little troublesome. For example, if I am habituated to smoke and somebody or higher authority says, "Don't smoke," to give up smoking is little difficult, those who are habituated to smoke. Similarly... But according to the doctor's advice if somebody has to give up smoking, he has to. Otherwise his disease may not be cured.

Similarly, our, this present position, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). We are constantly, repeatedly changing body, transmigration of the soul. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). That means we are accepting death. Death means change of the, final change of the body. When this body is no more useful to continue, then by nature another body is offered. At the time of death, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6)—we create a mental situation. We have got two kinds of bodies—subtle body and gross body. This gross body is made of five gross material elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether. And the subtle body is made of mind, intelligence and ego. When we sleep, the gross body does not work but the subtle body works. We dream therefore. So the... At the time of death this gross body is finished, but the subtle body—mind, intelligence and ego—will carry me to another gross body. It will enter into the womb of another mother, and she will create another similar body like the mother, and when it is complete, then it will come out.

So the spirit soul is in this way bound up by the material gross body and subtle body. This is our disease.

Lecture on SB 5.6.4 -- Vrndavana, November 26, 1976:

The Vedic culture is actual civilization, varṇāśrama-dharma. That is the beginning of civilization. Without Vedic culture and varṇāśrama-dharma it is animal civilization. When Rāmānanda Rāya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was talking, Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired from Rāmānanda Rāya, "What is the beginning of life?" Sādhya-sādhana."What is the object, objective of the ultimate goal of life, and how that objective of life is attained?" Sādhya-sādhyana. Sādhya means the objective thing, and sādhana means the process. Sādhya-sādhana. So Rāmānanda Rāya, he said, varṇāśrama. Varṇāśrama. That is the beginning of life. Because varṇāśrama means... The life is... Human life is meant for understanding the Supreme Lord. That is human life. The cats' and dogs' life is not meant for understanding God; it is not possible either. They cannot understand. But the evolutionary process, when you come to the civilized form of life, especially the Vedic culture...

There are many living entities. Out of them, some of them are cala, and some of them are acala. Cala means moving. Just like tree is not moving, but it is life. But a small insect, it is moving. Sthāvara jaṅgama, they are called in technical words. Sthāvara means standing in one place, and the vegetables, trees, plants, they are more condemned. They cannot move even. They'll have to stand up in a place for thousands of years. There is no possibility even to move. If there is storm, scorching heat, pinching cold, they cannot move. They'll have to suffer. So it is very condemned life to become tree and plant, sthāvara. Then jaṅgama. The jaṅgama means moving. So there are many varieties of moving animals. The insects, the birds, the beast, then human form. So how out of the human moving forms, the civilized form... Out of the civilized form, those who are in Vedic culture... Out of the Vedic culture, many are addicted to the fruitive activities, ritualistic ceremony, how to go to the heavenly planet, how to become members of rich family. They are working very hard, karmi. So out of many millions of karmīs, one jñānī... Jñānī means who understands, "What is the use of this karma, fruitive activities?" So out of many jñānīs, one is mukta, liberated. And out of many millions of mukta-koṭiṣv api mahā-mune—one is a bhakta. This is the gradual development.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-8 -- New York, July 21, 1971:

Don't think that it is lost along with the dissolution of this body. No." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Na hanyate means it is not killed, or it is destroyed, even after the destruction of this body. This is the missing point of modern civilization. They do not know... There is no educational system in the university, what happens after death. There is no such educational system. The most defective education, because without this knowledge, what happens after death, without this knowledge, one who is dying without this knowledge, he's an animal. The animal does not know that what he's going to have, another body, how it is... He has no such knowledge. But human life is not meant for becoming an animal, simply interested in eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. You may have very nice arrangement for eating or you may have very nice building for sleeping, or you may have very good arrangement for sex life, or you may have very good defense force to protect yourself. But that does not mean that you are in human civilization. That type of civilization is there in the animal life. They are also interested in eating. They are also interested in sleeping. They're also interested in sex life. And according to their own method, they defend also. Then where is the distinction between a human life and animal life if you are simply engaged with these four principles of our bodily necessities?

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:

"My dear boys, don't live like cats and dogs and hogs." He advised. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). "If I don't work hard, how shall I satisfy my senses? At night I must have this intoxication, this woman, this club, this If I don't work hard how shall I get this enjoyment?" So Ṛṣabhadeva says, "This kind of enjoyment is available to the hogs. It is not very good type of enjoyment, sense gratification." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām means the stool-eater. So they are also enjoying by eating stool and having sex without any discrimination, don't care for mother, sister So this kind of sense gratification civilization is there amongst the dogs and hogs, but human life is not meant for that. Human life is meant for tapasya, austerity, so that human life you can stop your repetition of birth and death and come to your eternal life and enjoy blissful eternal life of knowledge. That is the aim of life. Not that "Never mind." The education is that a university student, and if he is said, if he is informed that "If you live irresponsibly, then you may become dog next life," so they say, "What is the wrong if I become a dog?" (laughter) This is the result of education. He doesn't care. He is thinking, "If I get the life of a dog, I will have no restriction of my sex life on the street." That's it. He is thinking that is advancement. "If now there is restriction, now unrestrictedly if I get sex life on the street..." And they are coming gradually, that advancement.

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975:

I am not animal." That is human life. If one, like the cats and dogs and deer, animal, runs after the false water and he dies, struggle for existence... "Survival of the fittest," they say. Nobody will survive. So there is no question. If you take the word in a real sense, the survival of the fittest, one who has understood that he is not this body, he is spirit soul, he is fit to survive. Otherwise, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), you will run after this false thing, and this body will be finished, and again you will have to accept another body, and again you will run after, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This is going on. After false thing. Therefore the śāstra says that this human form of life is not meant for running after this false thing. They must understand what is reality. And how to attain that reality? Exactly in the same way: intelligent man knows that "This is my diseased condition. How to get out, achieve that healthy condition? Because I am eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).

So it is possible even by Ajāmila. That is the story we are now trying to understand. Simply we have to accept the association of realized soul. Then it is possible. There is no hopelessness. Anyone can attain the spiritual perfection. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvidaḥ. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended,

sādhu-saṅga, sādhu-saṅga—sarva-śāstre kaya

lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya

(CC Madhya 22.54)

So our aim of life should be how to associate, how to keep association with devotee. Then everything will be possible. And as soon as we give up the association and we associate with māyā, then our life is finished. Always remember this. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was enquired by a devotee that "What is the business of a devotee? How he will make progress without any difficulty?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said in two lines that asat-saṅga-tyāga, ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra: (CC Madhya 22.87) "A Vaiṣṇava should always avoid asat, materialistic person, always avoid the association.' Asat-saṅga-tyāga. But matter is asat, not permanent. So those who are attached to the material world, they are called asat.

Lecture on SB 6.1.32 -- Surat, December 16, 1970:

Why they are engaged in misdeeds? Because mūḍha. They do not know what is the responsibility of this human form of life. They are simply wasting their life in animal propensities, mūḍha. Mūḍha is the symbol of an ass. He does not know. The ass does not know why he is working so hard for the washerman. He carries a very heavy load, but he does not know "Why I am carrying so much heavy load?" That is the symbol of an ass. If you work so hard, you must know what benefit you are deriving out of it. But the ass does not know. Similarly, the karmīs, they are very busy, very busy accumulating wealth. But he does not know what for he is doing so, why he is so laboring hard. Ṛṣabhadeva says that this life, human form of life, is not meant for so much hard working. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Why people are taught to work so hard? Simply for morsel of bread and little sense gratification. So Ṛṣabhadeva says that that is done by the hogs and dogs. Daily they are whole day and night working: "Where is some food? Where is some stool?" But that human form of life is meant for that purpose, working hard, so hard like hogs and dogs simply for fulfilling the belly and having sex life? No. So they should be taught for tapasya. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). Ṛṣabhadeva was advising, instructing His sons, "My dear boys, this life is meant for tapo-divyam, for spiritual realization, austerity. That should be taught."

Lecture on SB 6.1.55 -- Paris, August 11, 1975:

So in this posture—krīḍantam, doing their own business; anugāyantam, singing; hasantam, laughing, cheering, hasantam; anayāntike, in a place in the forest—so he saw, this young man. So after seeing that, he also become inclined, lusty, and that will be explained next, that he became a victim of this lusty woman and then he lost his good character and left home and his young wife, coming of very respectable family. He forgot everything. Then, in association with this prostitute, he gradually became degenerated, degraded. He became a thief. He became a rogue. He became a cheater. That will be explained later on.

The purport is: human life is not meant for these things. Human life is meant for being elevated to the highest platform of good character and controlling the senses, controlling the mind, remain very clean. Then you can make progress and your life can become successful. So because they are not accustomed already to follow this, therefore so many rascals and dangerous yogis are advertising that "There is no need of control. You can join this yoga system and give me money. I shall give you mantra, and you become God." Be careful of these dogs.

Lecture on SB 6.1.68 -- Vrndavana, September 4, 1975:

This is the responsibility of human life. This human life is not meant for working day and night like the dogs and hogs for sense gratification. At the present moment it is going on all over the world. Simply for sense gratification, they are working so hard. From hundred miles they are going to the working place, hanging on the Delhi passenger train. Sometimes there is accident. These things are going on, very hard labor like the asses. So this is also another punishment. The more punishment is awaiting, Yama-daṇḍa, at the court of Yamarāja. Not only they are suffering here, but they will be taken to the Yamarāja. And there, according to his work, abominable work, he will be punished. Therefore the Yamadūtas said, tata enaṁ daṇḍa-pāṇeḥ sakāśaṁ kṛta-kilbiṣaṁ neṣyāmaḥ. "Now it is our duty." Just like police force, they are engaged to arrest the criminals and take him to the court or to the police officer for necessary action, so these Yamadūtas, they have given sufficient reason that "This man has committed sinful life; therefore he is punishable."

Lecture on SB 7.5.1, Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 12, 1973:

That is called sambandha. Everyone is speaking about God. That is human nature. Any civilized form of human society has some sort of religious principles, to understand God. That is a fact. So in the human form of life, this is the main question. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. "What is my relationship with God? What I am? Why I am suffering in this material world? Is there a solution?" This is the business of human form of life, not to imitate the animals, how to eat nicely, how to live nicely, how to have sexual intercourse nicely and how to defend. These are animal propensities. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narānām. The animals are also doing the same business, whole day and night. Therefore Bhāgavata says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye: (SB 5.5.1) "This human form of life is not meant for to work so hard like hogs and dogs simply for sense gratification." The aim is only sense gratification. In the modern civilization they have no other aim. They do not know "What is God, what is my relationship with God, what is the ultimate goal of life, how shall I work in this material world?" These questions are rejected. It is very abominable condition of the human society. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important to enlivening the whole human society to his real position, constitutional position. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109).

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- Mauritius, October 2, 1975:

We don't drink Coca-cola. We don't drink Pepsi-cola. We don't smoke. So many things which are selling in the market in huge quantity by advertisement, by victimizing the poor customer... But they are called unnecessary things. There is no need of such things. But adānta-gobhiḥ, because the senses cannot be controlled, they are making business. They are making business, unnecessary thing. So we have to control the senses. If we really want spiritual life, if we really want to be free from these material clutches, then we have to learn how to control the senses. That is wanted. That is the purpose of human life. Now... That is the purpose of human life. Human life is not meant for imitating the life of cats and dogs and hogs. That is not human life.

This morning there was press representative. So they came to take some information. Our first information is that we are trying to bring human being to the standard of human being from the standard of cats' and dogs' life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Cats' and dogs' life means these adānta-go, uncontrolled senses. That is cats' and dogs' life. Just like one dog, one female dog, is surrounded by one dozen male dogs. Why? Adānta-gobhiḥ: they cannot control their senses. On the street they are having sex. They cannot control the senses. Adānta-gobhiḥ. So human life means control the senses. That is human life. If you remain like cats and dogs, adānta-gobhiḥ, without controlling the senses, then where is the difference between dog and you? There is no difference. Actually that is being accepted at the present moment. The so-called civilization means to allow the senses to enjoy as far as possible. This is advancement of civilization. The same example: Just we can be very happy by eating the food grains which must we have to produce either for me or for the animal.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1968:

So the same thing: Prahlāda Mahārāja says that dharmān bhāgavatan, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, or God conscious, is so important that we should not lose even a moment's time. Immediately we shall begin. Why? Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Mānuṣaṁ janma. He says that this human form of body is very rare. It is obtained after many, many births. So modern civilization, they do not understand what is the value of this human form of life. They think that this body is meant for sense enjoyment like cats and dogs. The cats and dogs, they are also enjoying life in four principles; eating, sleeping, defending, and mating. So human form of life is not meant for spoiling like cats and dogs. Human form of life is meant for something else. And that "something else" is Kṛṣṇa conscious or God consciousness because without human form of life, no other body can understand what is God, what is this world, what I am, wherefrom I have come, where I have to go. These things are meant for human life. So he says that "From very childhood..." Actually this is essential. From childhood, in the schools, in the colleges, this bhāgavata-dharma, or the occupation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, should be introduced. This is necessary, but they do not understand. They think that this spot life is all, and this body is all, and there is no other life. Next life, they do not believe it. This is all due to ignorance. Life is eternity, and this spot life is preparation for the next life.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Hong Kong, April 18, 1972:

That means spiritual platform. So those who have no spiritual knowledge, they are on the mental platform. There are many platforms of our life. Indriyānī parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ manasas tu parā buddhir (BG 3.42). So ordinarily we are bodily, we think I am this body. This is called... Body means my senses. So civilization based on this bodily concept of life are interested only sense gratification. That is their aim of life. Indriya. Sense gratification. And those who are disgusted with sense gratification, they go little higher on the mental platform, mental speculation. Just like philosophy, poetry, like that. Gross means they are working very hard day and night for sense gratification. Just like hogs and dogs. That is stated in the śāstra. Nāyaṁ deha deho bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Ṛṣabhādeva says that this human form of life is not meant for working so hard like cats and dogs. That is not recommended. Ayam deha. But the material world, people are so enchanted that working day and night they think "I am enjoying." This is called māyā. Actually he is working day and night and he is thinking that "I am happy. I am making progress." This is called māyā. So the world situation is very very downward. Don't think that you are making progress. It is not progress. Śāstra says parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. So long a human being is not interested in the subject matter of ātma-tattva, what I am, then whatever he is doing, he is becoming defeated. He is not victorious. He is defeated. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto. Abodha-jāto. He is a rascal fool. He does not know what is his interest.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja is requesting, "My dear friends, you try to learn this science," dharmān bhāgavatān iha, "from this very childhood life." Because this human form of life, he says that, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Mānuṣaṁ janma. This form of body... We have got by evolutionary process. It is a chance given by the nature to understand what is God. This is the main business of this body. Not that economic development. That is not the business of human body. Sense gratification. Sense gratification is there in the animals. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The human form of life is not meant for to live like the dogs and the hogs. They are busy always for maintaining the body. They are busy. They have no other business. They cannot understand. If I bring some dog in this meeting and try to make him understand, "Please note that you are not this body." It is not possible for them to understand. But a human being, he may be educated like dogs and hog, but if he's given reasonably the, as Kṛṣṇa is giving that the soul is the proprietor of this body and he is as he's changing in this body He's a child-child means he has got a child's body. Baby means he has got a baby's body. Young man means he has a youth's body. So this body has been changed. Similarly when this body is useless, no more can be used, then he transmigrates to another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir.

Lecture on SB 7.6.2 -- Toronto, June 18, 1976:

So aindriya sukham, sense pleasure, that is available everywhere. Even cats and dogs, they have got sense pleasure. But human life is not meant for that purpose. Human life is meant for, this is the idea: yathā hi puruṣasyeha viṣṇoḥ padopasarpaṇam. This is required. They do not know it. Prahlāda Mahārāja another place said, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Generally, those who are not trained up by guru, they do not know the svartha-gatim is Viṣṇu. Durāśayā. They are trying to be happy with this external energy. Bahir-artha, bahir, bahir-aṅga-śakti. Bahir-aṅga-śakti means this material world. So one who does not know what is the goal of life, they are interested in this bahir-aṅga-śakti, external energy. Therefore guru required. how to get him delivered from the clutches of external energy. Therefore guru required. One who is interested to get out of these activities of external energy, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta (SB 11.3.21), for him, guru is required. Don't make a guru as a fashion. That is useless. Then you get some guru who can manufacture gold, and you are interested in gold, so that kind of guru will be... No. Here it is said, tasmād guruṁ prapad..., tad-vijñānārth

Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:

Otherwise, if he simply labors hard, day and night, like the hog... The hog is day and night working very hard to find out "Where is stool? Where is stool?" And after eating stool, as soon as they get little fat... The pigs are fatty therefore because stool contains all the essence of food. According to medical science, the stool is full of hydrophosphates. So hydrophosphate is good tonic. So one may try if they like. (laughter) But actually this is the fact. The pig becomes very fatty because it is stool.

So this life is not meant for becoming a pig or hog. One should become a saintly person. That is human civilization. Therefore in the Vedic civilization—brāhmaṇa, the first-class men. There is no first-class men now in this society. Everyone third class, fourth class, fifth class. Satya-śama-dama-titkṣa ārjava jñānaṁ-vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). This is first-class man. Truthful, very peaceful, full of knowledge, very simple, tolerant, and believer in the śāstra. These are the symptoms of first-class men. So where is that first-class man throughout the whole world? So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to create at least one section first-class men so that people may see, "Oh, here are ideal men." Therefore my request to persons who have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they should very carefully keep them as first-class men. People will appreciate and they will try to follow. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). If there is a class of men first class, then people will appreciate. At least, they will try to follow, even though are unable to become first class. They will try to follow. Tat tad eva, sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate. So that is first-class man required. If he acts, then others will follow. If a teacher does not smoke, the students also will stop smoking naturally. But if the teacher is smoking, how the students...? They are also smoking in the class. I have seen in New York. At least in India this is not yet begun. It will begin. Because they are also making progress. (laughter) These rascals are making progress, going to hell.

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Vrndavana, December 7, 1975:

Here it is recommended by Prahlāda Mahārāja, śarīraṁ pauruṣaṁ yāvan na vipadyeta puṣkalam. So long you do not become invalid, old, unable to work, you should try. Not try, you must—yateta—for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not that "When I shall become old, before death I shall try a few months Hare Kṛṣṇa." No. From the very beginning of life, from childhood, they should be taught how to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, how to attend maṅgala ārati, how to... In this way, by this practice, vidhi, vidhi-bhakti, regulated principle, tapasya... This is called tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). If you want to purify your existence, then you should begin... That is human life, tapasya. Human life is not meant for polished dogism and pigism. That is not human life. If a cat and dog becomes nicely dressed, that does not mean he becomes a human being. He is cat and dog. Similarly, if we keep our mentality like cats and dog and outwardly we dress very nicely, they have been described as dvi-pada-paśuḥ, "two-legged animal." Animal. He is animal because he is not cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The cats and dogs cannot do it, so he is no better than cats and dog. This is the conclusion. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). That is the verdict of Vedic literature.

Lecture on SB 7.6.7 -- Vrndavana, December 9, 1975:

Suppose I live hundred years. Still, I have already died eighty years. Therefore it is mṛtyu. The whole life is mṛtyu. Every moment you are dying, dying, dying, dying, from the very birth. Suppose a child is born one hour before. So one hour passed means he has died one hour out of hundred years, the beginning of death. This is called mṛtyum. So we are thinking, "We are growing. We are living." This is all mugdha, bewildered. Where you are growing, you are living? You are dying every moment.

So dying, death is going on. It is called mṛtyu-loka. So long you are in the material world, you are simply dying. That's all. At the end, when the balance of life, it becomes finished, we take, at that time, it is mṛtyu. But no, from the very birth there is mṛtyu, always, dying, dying, dying, dying. So mugdha. We are thinking, "We are living and growing, young. We are getting strength." But he does not know that he is dying. Therefore it is explained, mugdhasya: "illusioned." He is taking death as life, mugdhasya. So one should not be so bewildered, mugdhasya, and waste time by playing. Human life is not meant for... Similarly, jarayā grasta-dehasya. Akalpasya. This is also very important. Generally the old man does not know what is going to happen. He is in the hands of the nature. Ask anybody, any big, big man, old man, "What you are going to do?" I met some very important old man in London, one... He was Lord...

Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Hawaii, March 21, 1969:

What is called? Freeways. Four lines of motor cars running this way and four lines of motor cars running this way at the speed of seventy miles, and everyone is busy. You see? And they take, "It is a very good civilization." And if you shortcut your hard labor, sit down and discuss what is the Absolute Truth, what is the philosophy of life, "They are nonsense." You see? And if you work day and night, hard labor, and to get that energy, inject some medicine or some tranquilizer and this and that... You see? This is the..., going on. So actually, this is not life. This is cats' and dogs' life. That is the verdict of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye: (SB 5.5.1) "This life, human form of life, is not meant for working so hard just like animals." Then? "This kind of engagement is for the dogs and hogs." The hogs also, they work the whole day and night and have some sex pleasure. They are happy. So is that life, simply working day and night hard and enjoy some sex pleasure some way or other, and we are thinking happy? No. This is not life. Life is to utilize the energy for perpetual happiness. They do not know that there is some perpetual happiness, there is perpetual life. They are so ignorant. Therefore they are trying: "Whatever happiness can be had here, just enjoy." But there is. You are eternal. You are blissful. Simply you are covered by this material energy.

So the demons, they do not know it, and if somebody tries for it, they do not take it very nicely, exactly. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. His philosophy was to finish all anxieties of life. His father asked him that "What finest thing you have learned, my dear boy? Can you say?" "Yes." "What is that?" "Now, these people are working hard and full of anxieties on account of their materialistic way of life. Therefore, I think to give up all this nonsense and go to the forest and surrender to Kṛṣṇa. "Oh," the father said, "what nonsense this child is learning?"

Lecture on SB 7.9.15 -- Mayapur, February 22, 1976:

These are the... Therefore you'll find, all transcendentalists, they are practicing tapasya very, very severely. That is required. The human life is meant for tapasya. That is human life. Human life is not meant for living like cats and dogs. That is not human life. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). To live like cats and dog is not meant for the human life. Human life is meant for tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). We have to execute tapasya, austerity. Why? Now, to purify our existence. This present existence is not purified; therefore we have to meet death. Otherwise we are eternal. "Why should we meet death?" This question does not arise at all. The modern civilization, they do not care for death. This is another daring. Death... They never question that "We are eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). "Why I shall meet death?" But this question does not arise for... They think, "Death? We can finish everything." This is called mūḍha. They do not know things are there, what it should be. They do not know that.

So in order to know all this transcendental subject matter, it is recommended, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "One must approach to the proper guru to understand this subject matter." And that is success of human life. Otherwise, to live like cats and dogs—sa eva go-kharaḥ: (SB 10.84.13) cows and asses, animal life—this is not civilization. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an attempt, however small it may be, to bring back the human society to real civilization. It is not ordinary movement. They are not civilized. Mūḍha. This is a civilization of rascals and fools. But to bring them back to knowledge, that is civilization. That civilization is spiritual life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

Lecture on SB 7.9.16 -- Mayapur, February 23, 1976:

Sometimes we are accused that we're escaping labor, we are parasites, we are dependent on the society. We are not dependent on the society; we are dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Kṛṣṇa is supplying us this nice building, nice food, nice opportunity. Not only one—we have got hundreds of buildings like that, without any labor. We are not working like these laborers. Just see. I went to your country with forty rupees, and now I have got forty crores of worth, property. So I did not work like them. (laughs) Yes. The people are bringing money. Kṛṣṇa is sending money, daily one to five lakhs of rupees. So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why one should work? Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām, the stool-eaters, they will work hard. Human life is not meant for... Take Kṛṣṇa's shelter. Kṛṣṇa will supply everything. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy.

So this pa means working hard, pariśrama. And pha means foam, phenam. If you work very hard... You have seen sometimes the horse. They are having foams in the mouth. So we have to work so hard in this material world that sometimes foam comes. Yes. We become thirsty. We require some drinking because the tongue becomes dry, the lips become dry, and sometimes, the pa, pha... And ba—still, we are disappointed, vyarthata. And bha—we are always fearful, bhaya. And ma—after this, mṛtyu, death. After so working hard, after always being fearful, being baffled and so on, so on, still, you cannot live here; you must die. This is called pavarga. In Sanskrit grammar, there are vargas: ka-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga, pa-varga. So pa-varga means pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. So material life means these five kinds of difficulties; at last—death. Ma means mṛtyu. But if you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then you are saved. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is described as apavarga-śaraṇaṁ. If one wants to nullify this pavarga, then he must take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva... Because we are working hard why? According to our sinful activities, we are put into the situation, working very hard. Without working, we cannot get our food. So Kṛṣṇa is apavarga-śaraṇaṁ. If you want apavarga, if you want to nullify these five kinds of pa, pha, ba, bha, ma, then you must take shelter of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 7.9.39 -- Mayapur, March 17, 1976:

The opposite word of brāhmaṇa is kṛpaṇa. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. This life, human life, is meant for understanding Brahman, the Absolute Truth. So a person who has understood what is Brahman—ahaṁ brahmāsmi—so he is called brāhmaṇa. Anyone who understands Brahman, he is brāhmaṇa. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. And one who does not understand, he's kṛpaṇa. In the Upaniṣad also it is said, etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti sa brāhmaṇaḥ, etad aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa kṛpaṇaḥ. This human life is meant for understanding Brahman—athāto brahma jijñāsā, Vedānta—simply meant for understanding Brahman, such a nice life, human life, not cats' and dogs' life. In everywhere the same thing is repeatedly said. Ṛṣabhadeva says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhati viḍ-bhujāṁ ye: (SB 5.5.1) "This human life is not meant for acting like the pigs." Kaṣṭān kāmān arhati. So it is meant for becoming a brāhmaṇa. And one who does not become a brāhmaṇa—become a pig—he's kṛpaṇa, kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means he got the chance of becoming a brāhmaṇa, but he remained a cat and dog and pig. That's all. Kṛpaṇa. And if I give you, say, ten thousand rupees, that "You take this, do some business and be happy," but you could not do anything, simply kept the money and see it or spoil it, then you are kṛpaṇa. You could not use it. And there are others who can increase.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.119 -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

Karmīs means they are working hard simply for sense gratification. And according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are called mūḍhas. These are the statement in the śāstras. So we have to explain the śāstras. So karmīs are called mūḍhas because they are working so hard, but do not know what is the aim of their life. Simply going on working very hard. And in the modern education, in the modern civilization, people are simply taught to work very hard and gratify senses. That's all. "Get money and gratify your senses." That is the modern mode of civilization. But according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, an authority, Ṛṣabhadeva, He says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). He says that this human form of life is not meant for working very, very hard simply for sense gratification. That is the business of the hogs, viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means the animal which eats stool. You have seen in the villages or sometimes in the cities, there are hogs. Whole day they are busy: "Where there is stool? Where there is stool?" And they become fatty also, very, by eating stool. And as soon as they become fatty... Not fatty. Even the hogs in the cub state, they're very much passionate, sense gratification. Perhaps you have seen. So to work very hard and get some means of sense gratification and live like hogs without any discrimination of eating and sleeping and mating, that is called hog life. The hog has no discrimination. By nature, there are examples. One who has no discrimination in the matter of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Just like hog. They have no discrimination. Mother or sister or what is to be eaten, there is no discrimination. Anything they can eat, anything they can do, or any female they can mate, never mind. That is hog's life.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971:

We have explained this verse yesterday, that in order to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, bhakti, devotional service is required. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti: (BG 18.55) "Simply through devotional service one can understand Me." Not through knowledge, not through fruitive activities. There are various types of men. The lowest stage is the karmīs. Karmīs means those who are working very hard for sense gratification. They are called karmīs. And the next stage is the jñānī. Wiser than the karmīs, they try to realize the value of life, what is the value of life. Not that blindly, simply working hard day and night. Actually, human form of life is not meant for that purpose, to work so hard. Because the animals... Our tendency is also... Therefore the capitalists and the laborer class are there. Actually, we do not want to work hard. That is our tendency. But we want more profit for sense gratification. Therefore we utilize other's service, who will work for me, and I shall take the profit. This is the defect of modern civilization. Actually, my tendency is... Just like when a man gets some money, he does not work very much. He takes some profit, either keeping in the bank some balance, and lives in a comfortable place. That is the tendency. Because we are spiritual entities, our natural tendency is to enjoy life. Spiritual entities means by nature, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12); by nature, they want to enjoy life. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. That is the spiritual nature. As Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is by nature joyful, similarly, we being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are also by nature joyful. But unfortunately, we have been put into such condition, material condition, that we are trying to enjoy life in this material condition. That is not possible. So karmīs, they are trying their best to make material adjustments and enjoy life. They are called karmīs. But when they are wiser, that "We have worked so hard, but actually we could not enjoy life. Then what is the problem of life?" that is the platform of the jñānīs and the yogis.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 9, 1968:

Question and answer. Everywhere life means questions and answers. So those who are not interested or do not know what is the aim of life, they have got questions and answers only for sense gratification. That's all. They have no more any questions or answers. Whole field of questioning and answering is sense gratification. That's all. But the human life is not meant for that purpose. Animals, they are... Morning... Just like birds, just early in the morning, they began to chirp, "Where is food? Where is...? Where we have to go? Where we have to find out some food?" That is their business. The animals also. But human form of life, does it mean it is meant like that, that they should simply be involved in questions and answers for sense gratification? No. Therefore Vedānta-sūtra says, brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā, atha: "After this, after the evolutionary process of lower than human being, when we have come, we have got this body, human form of body, the business is brahma-jijñāsā," jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. That is the Bhāgavata. But there is no education. There are so many universities, they are going on simply how to advance the method of sense gratification. That's all. There is no education. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The human form of life should be specially engaged for understanding what is Brahman. Otherwise it is simply spoiled.

Festival Lectures

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

If you want to pay to the worker, a big, big salary. So they want to save. They are taking machine, and they think they will save money, so many workers. But the workers are becoming unemployed. The government has to give them welfare. The government will tax. That's all. (laughter.) Government will not give money, welfare, from government's pocket. The government will increase your taxation. So you are..., you stop payment by importing some machine, now you have to pay that money to the government. This is called entanglement. This is a crude example. I don't say that you stop all this business, but the material world is like that. You want to solve something; instead of solving, you'll create so many problems. This is material life. Because our life is not meant for solving problems and creating problems. Our life is meant for understanding God. Then everything is all right. But that you have given up.

na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ

durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ

andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās

te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ

(SB 7.5.31)

They do not know that you cannot go an inch beyond the stringent laws of material nature. That is not possible.

Then the next question is that how... People are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and then, they are misled by blind leaders. So how, what is the solution?

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- London, August 29, 1971:

Out of millions of persons, one may try to make his life perfect. Everyone is working like animal. There's no question of perfection of life. The animal propensities: eating, sleeping, mating and defending... So everyone is engaged like animals. They have no other business, just like animal, hogs, dogs, whole day and night working: "Where is stool? Where is stool?" And as soon as he gets some stool, gets some fat, "Where is sex? Where is sex?" No consideration of mother or sister. This is hog's life.

So human life is not meant for hog civilization. So modern civilization is hog civilization, although it is polished with shirt and coat. So, we shall try to understand. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for understanding Kṛṣṇa. For understanding Kṛṣṇa, it requires little labor, austerity, penance. Tapasya brahmacāryeṇa śamena damena ca. Tapasya. One has to undergo tapasya; brahmacārya, celibacy. Tapasya. Brahmacārya means stopping sex life or controlling sex life. Brahmacārya. Therefore Vedic civilization is, from the very beginning, to train the boys to become brahmacārī, celibacy. Not that modern days, the schools, boys and girls, ten years, twelve years, they're enjoying. The brain is spoiled. They cannot understand higher things. The brain tissues are lost. So without becoming brahmacārī, nobody can understand spiritual life. Tapasya brahmacāryeṇa śamena damena ca. Śama means controlling the senses, controlling the mind; damena, controlling the senses; tyāgena; śaucena, cleanliness; tyāga, tyāga means charity. These are the processes for understanding oneself, self-realization. But in this age it is very difficult to undergo all these processes. Practically it is impossible. Therefore Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa Himself, has made Himself easily available by one process:

Cornerstone Ceremonies

Cornerstone Laying -- Bombay, January 23, 1975:

So that is my request. I welcome you. Of course, today is ekādaśī. We are, mostly we are fasting. Some prasādam will be given. So it is not the question of prasādam; it is the question of the important work we are taking in hand, how to spread a God consciousness movement. Otherwise, you will never be happy. Simply material consciousness, gṛha-kṣetra... Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This material civilization means the sex desire. Woman is hunting after man; man if hunting after woman. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhavam etaṁ tayor mithaḥ. And as soon as they are united, they require gṛha, apartment; gṛha-kṣetra, land; gṛha-kṣetra-suta, children, friends, money; and the moho, the illusion, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), "It is I, it is mine." This is material civilization. But the human life is not meant for that. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). So you study. We have got now enough book. There is no difficulty to study our books. We have given in English translation. Everyone, any gentleman, knows English. And we are going to give in Hindi, in Gujarati, in all other languages. Our friends, they have already begun translating. So there will be no scarcity of knowledge. Please come here, sit down at least once in a week, study all these books, try to understand the philosophy of life, and spread all over the world. That is the mission of Bhāratavarṣa.

General Lectures

Lecture at International Student Society -- Boston, May 3, 1969:

Simply people are engaged for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That is the modern trend of civilization. Everyone is busy how to eat and how to sleep nicely in big palatial building, nice apartment, very good room, sleeping, the business of sleeping. And economic condition, developing the business of economic condition, means the business of eating. And defending—either you defend with atomic energy or with your nails and claws, the process is defending. That is in the animal life also. And mating, sex intercourse or sense gratification.

So human life is not meant for simply for these four kinds of business. There is another business. Therefore the Veda says, uttiṣṭhaṁ jāgratam: "Please get up. Don't be sleeping simply for these four principal things(?)." These are not problems, eating, sleeping, mating, and... The Vedic literature says, "Wherever you take your birth, the eating, sleeping, and mating and defending is there, even in animal life." Suppose there is a cat. It knows how to eat, it knows how to sleep, it knows how to mate, and it knows how to defend. The dog also knows. The hog also knows. So do you mean to say scientific advancement of education is simply for this purpose—how to eat, how to sleep, how to mate, and how to defend? No. That is not human civilization. These are bodily needs undoubtedly, but we are not body. That we do not know. We are spirit soul. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā very nicely in a very common sense words:

Lecture at Engagement -- Columbus, may 19, 1969:

So, I do not know how long I shall live—I am now seventy-three—maybe a few years more; but actually the duration of life gradually decreases. This is the symptom of this age, practically. And it is said that at the end of this millennium, that if somebody lives from twenty to thirty years, he will be considered as very old man. So, memory is decreasing also. People's sentiment for doing good to others, or to become merciful, that is also decreasing. Strength is decreasing, stature is decreasing. So this is one side. Another side, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā (SB 1.1.10). One side they're decreasing so many nice things, another side they're very slow for self-realization. Practically, they have no interest. This human form of life is meant for self-realization. This life is not meant for working hard like cats and dogs and hogs for sense gratification. No. This life is not meant for that purpose. We have got developed consciousness, intelligence. We should ask, "What is this life?" The Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. We are ignorant, we are born ignorant, and we are doing so many things, activities, we are engaged. But we should see whether we are gaining or losing, whether we are conquering or being defeated. That should be our business to see.

So, how to test it? The Bhāgavata says, so long you do not come to the platform of understanding yourself, whatever you are doing, it is simply defeat. Zero. Zero has no value. If you go on adding zero, zero, zero, zero, million times, the value is zero. But, if there is zero and put on the left side one, it becomes immediately ten. Therefore, according to... Not according to. Everyone, everyone reasonable man can understand that "What I am doing? What I am gaining?" In your country especially, I see there is so much frustration among youngsters. They are finding that this is zero. Somehow or other they are trying to realize that this sort of life is zero. Actually. Human life, simply increasing the demands of our senses, these activities are zero activities. Parābhava, defeating. Yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. When a human being, as long as a human being does not inquire "What I am? Why I am suffering? I do not wish to die. Why death is enforced upon me? I do not want to be diseased.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni. It has been compared with dāvāgni. Dāvāgni means the blazing fire in the forest. In this material existence, nobody wants unhappiness, but it comes, forced, by force. That is the law of material nature. Nobody wants that there may be fire, but especially in this country, wherever in a city we go, the fire brigade is always active. You see? Nobody wants fire, but the fire brigade is active. Yes. There is fire. Similarly, nobody wants so many things. Nobody wants death; there is death. Nobody wants disease; there is disease. Nobody wants old age; oh, there is old age—against my, against my desire. We should have to think that what is the status of this material existence. This human form of life is meant for understanding. The human form of life is not meant for wasting the valuable life like cats and dogs in the matter of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That is not advancement of civilization. The Bhāgavata says that "This body is not meant for working very hard simply for sense gratification. No." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye: (SB 5.5.1) "To work very hard and satisfy oneself by sense gratification, that is the business of the hogs or dogs, not for human being." The human being, tapa, they should learn tapasya. And especially in India so many great sages, so many great kings, and so many brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs, they passed their life in great tapasya, not to go further. Just see Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha was a prince. He gave up everything, and he engaged himself in tapasya. This is life. King Bhārata Mahārāja, under whose name India is called Bhāratavarṣa, when he was twenty-four years old he gave up his kingdom, he gave up his young wife, young children, and went for tapasya. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was only twenty-four years He gave up His young wife, mother, everything. There are various, many, many examples. India is land of tapasya, but we are forgetting that. We are forgetting. Now we are making it the land of technology. It is surprising that India has gone so down, forgetting its tapasya, the land of tapasya, the land of dharma. Dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1). Dharma-kṣetre.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

So these Western boys and girls, they are taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So they should have a place like Vṛndāvana. So here is present our Swami Kīrtanānanda. He went to Vṛndāvana with me two years ago, and he has taken the idea, what is Vṛndāvana. So I have instructed him that "You should construct at least seven temples." In Vṛndāvana there are five thousand temples, not one, two. Five thousand temples of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But the most important temples are seven, established by the Gosvāmīs. So our program is to live there, depending on agriculture and cow, cow protection and agriculture. That should be the economic solution. And peacefully be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the Vṛndāvana scheme. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhidaḥ. This human form of life is not meant for increasing artificial needs. We should be satisfied just to maintain the body and soul together, and balance time we should save for enhancing our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or spiritual consciousness, so that after this body we haven't got to make another material body, but we go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be the motto of human life.

Another thing I may inform you in this connection, that when I first came to New York, one big man in India, mean rich man, Sir Padampat Singhania of Kanpur, I had correspondence that "Singhaniajī, if you give me some money, I can construct a temple here of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa." So he was ready. He said that "Swamijī, whatever amount you want, I can give, provided the government gives sanction." So I had many correspondence with the government, but they did not give me sanction. But here the embassy, they have given me sanction that "You can raise funds from the residents in America and construct temple." So you are so many Indians. If you help me, I can construct temples everywhere.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam. There are eighteen Purāṇas, and out of them, six Purāṇas are meant for persons who are in sattva-guṇa. There are three qualities of the material nature. Some of us are in the modes of goodness, some of them are in the modes of passion, and some of them are in the modes of ignorance. So our Vedic literature... Sri Vyāsadeva claims everyone. Not that simply persons who are in sattva-guṇa, or in the modes of goodness, they are eligible for going back to Godhead, back to home. We should remember this fact, that this human form of life is meant for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate goal of life. This human form of life is not meant for working very hard like the animals. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke, kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām ye (SB 5.5.1). Nāyaṁ deha, this body, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke. Every one of the living entities, they have taken this material form, and there are 8,400,000 species of forms. The best of the forms is this human form. But this form of life is not meant for working so hard like an ass and gratifying the senses like the hogs and dogs. That is the injunction of the śāstras. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means the stool-eaters. The stool-eaters you have seen, the hogs. The whole day and night they are searching after stool. So the śāstra, especially Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, says that the human form of life is not meant for working so hard like the hogs and dogs simply for sense gratification. The modern civilization, the so-called economic development, what is the ultimate aim of life? The ultimate aim of life is sense gratification, that's all. I have traveled all over the world. Especially in the Western countries, they are simply after sense gratification. They have no other objective. In America, some rich man goes to Florida and spends $50,000 a week simply for seeing naked dance. That means they have no other information than sense gratification. Wine and woman, that's all. That is gradually being spread all over the world. In our country also, working day and night, whole day and night, but the objective is sense gratification.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

So śāstra says that this human form of life is not meant for this purpose. The human form of life is meant for tapasya: tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Satya means my existence. We have to purify our existence. Just like if you become feverish, you have to purify yourself from the feverish condition, come to the healthy condition, then you can enjoy life. You cannot enjoy life in diseased condition. That is not possible. Suppose you are feverish, you are given a nice foodstuff, rasagullā, but you will taste it bitter. You cannot enjoy it because on account of your fever the tongue is saturated with bile, and you taste sweet things as bitter. Similarly, we have got our senses, that is all right, but we cannot enjoy our senses in the diseased condition of material life. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyam grāhyam (BG 6.21). If you want happiness, even sense gratification, that is not possible when your senses are covered by these material elements. We have got our senses, that is a fact. We have got our desires, we have got our mind, we have got our other senses, but this is now covered by the material elements. This is called dress. Just like if you are simply dressed, and if you want to enjoy sense gratification, it is not possible. You have to undress yourself, you have to become naked yourself. Similarly, if you want to sense gratify, then you have to purify your this material existence. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). You have to become purified. Śuddhyed satya yeṇa brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). If you purify yourself, then by that purified senses you enjoy brahma-sukha. Brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam. Ananta means there is no end. Here, if you want to enjoy your senses in this material world, there is end. You cannot. The highest sense gratification in this material world is sex life, but you cannot enjoy sex life perpetually. For some moments—then it is ended. But brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam. But if you want to enjoy brahma-sukha... That is also sense gratification, but that is ananta. Ananta means there is no end. Ramante yoginam anante. The yogis... Yogis means the bhakti-yogī, because of all yogis, the bhakti-yogī is the best. That is the statement by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972:

"There is no God. I am God. You are God." Therefore he protected the readers of Brahma-sūtra. (break) ...form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And because it is commentary of the Vedānta-sūtra, therefore he begins with first aphorism of the Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Now, he explains the verse, the sūtra, or the code, Vedic code, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The first question is, "Who is... What is the Absolute Truth, you should inquire now." This is the beginning of human life. If one does not inquire what is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God, that is animal life. That is animal life, that is not human life. Human life is not meant for simply eating, sleeping, and mating and, or defending.

So this is the beginning, as I have told you. Parābhava. Without understanding our relationship with the Supreme Lord, whatever we are creating by our industrialization, economic development or so on and so on, it is all defeat, because we are losing the chance. Lord Jesus Christ also said in one place that "If we are lost of our souls and if we gain the whole world, then what is the gain?" Actually that is the fact. We are losing ourselves. Suppose after making huge amounts of money in the bank balance, and if I die and if I take birth in the next life as a cat and dog, then what is the benefit of amassing such a huge amount of bank balance? We should understand this. Therefore unless we inquire about the Brahman or the Absolute Truth, then whatever activities we are performing without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without the knowledge of the Brahman, then they are all defeat. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. Therefore human life actually begins when this inquiry is there. If this inquiry is not there, then it is animal life. That is stated in the Upaniṣads: etad viditya (...Sanskrit). If anyone passes away from this material world, from this body, after understanding what is Brahman, what is Kṛṣṇa, what is this world, what I am, then he is a brāhmaṇa. (Sanskrit) And if one passes away like cats and dogs without understanding, then he's a kṛpaṇa.

Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973:

Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow and khara means ass. This is the verdict of the śāstra, that "If anyone is in the bodily concept of life, he is not better than the animals go and khara, ass and cow." So this ignorance, when this ignorance prevails, that is called dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata. Kṛṣṇa said, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). When people are become like cats and dogs, the bodily concept of life, and working whole day and night without any spiritual understanding, without the aim of life... So this human life is not meant for that purpose. This is the mistake. It is not that the dogs and cats are eating in a different way. Now we eat in a nice table, in nice plate, and very nicely dressed, and you are eating... But eating process is there. Either you nicely eat or wrongly eat, but you have to fulfill your bell(y) and satisfy your hunger. That is not advancement of civilization. To eat nicely, to sleep nicely, to defend nicely and to have sexual life nicely, that is not advancement of civilization. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām. Sexual intercourse with beautiful woman and sexual intercourse with the female dog, the pleasure is the same. That is not advancement of civilization. Advancement of civilization is ātma-tattvam. Ātma-tattva. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Śrotavyādīni rājendra (SB 2.1.2). Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "Now I am going to die. What is my duty? What I shall hear from?" So at that time Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, "My dear King," śrotavyādīni, nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ, apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2), that "Those who are gṛhamedhī..." Gṛhamedhī means has made the home, country, society, family as the only means of advancement. They are called gṛhamedhī. But there is another word, what is called gṛhastha āśrama. Āśrama. Brahmacārī āśrama, gṛhastha āśrama, vānaprastha āśrama, sannyāsa āśrama. Āśrama. As soon as... Any common man can understand. As soon as we say āśrama, there is some spiritual idea. Āśrama.

Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973:

As soon as we say āśrama, there is some spiritual idea. Āśrama. Here is a āśrama. So gṛhastha āśrama is different, and gṛhamedhī is different. Gṛha-medhī means one who does not know what is the ultimate goal of life and living like... Cats and dogs also, they live with their children, wife. They also find out food. They also try to defend, protect. Simply with these ideas, if we live, that is called gṛhamedhī. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2).

Therefore our Vedānta-sūtra is there to give enlightenment. As our student Śrīman Pradyumna dāsa Adhikārī said, athāto brahma jijñāsā, this life is not meant for wasting time like cats and dog. Because after all, we have to give up this life. But before giving up this life, we must gain something. That is described in the Upaniṣad. Etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti sa brāhmaṇaḥ. We'll have to die like cats and dogs, but we have got the chance to understand what is the value of life. The cats and dogs have no chance. So simply if we waste our time like cats and dogs and do not know what is the aim of life—sa kṛpaṇa. Etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti, aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa kṛpaṇaḥ. There are two things: brāhmaṇa and kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. A person who got this valuable body... Just like if you get millions of dollars, if you do not utilize it, if you simply see in the treasury that you have got so much money, then you are kṛpaṇa. It is practical. But if you utilize that money and instead of one crore you make ten crores, then you are called intelligent. Similarly, if we think that "I have got this human form of life, better standard of eating, sleeping and mating," then you remain kṛpaṇa. You could not utilize it. But if you know in this life, which is possible, "What is the value of this life? What is Brahman? What I am? What is my connection with Brahman? Why I have come here? Where I shall go again

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

This is the instruction of Ṛṣabhadeva to his sons. "My dear sons, this human form of body, ayaṁ deha, this body, na, not..." Na ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Everyone has got a body. The cats and dogs, they are also possessing a body, and the human being also possessing a body. So what is the difference between the cats and dogs and human society? So Ṛṣabhadeva says, ayaṁ deha-bhājāṁ nṛlo..., kaṣṭān kāmān na arhati yad viḍ-bhujām. To accept too much labor for the necessities of life, kāmān... Kāmān means the necessities of life. This life, this human form of life, is not meant for that. It is meant for viḍ-bhujām, the hogs and dogs. They are... The hog is whole day working to find out "Where is stool? Where is stool?" The human life should not be like that. Human life should be very peaceful and prosperous and save time for spiritual culture. That is stated here. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1), for tapasya, tapasya, voluntarily accepting renouncement. This is human life. That is our Vedic principle, compulsory sannyāsa. There are varṇāśrama-dharma. So student life, brahmacārī; then married life, gṛhastha; then vānaprastha; then sannyāsa. That is tapasya. The brahmacārī is also trained up for austerity and penances. That is brahmacārī. The gṛhastha also... Because from brahmacārī life, they go to gṛhastha life, they are trained up in tapasya. Then again, at the age of fiftieth year, they give up the family life, they take vānaprastha. Only the husband and wife go out of home and travels all over the holy places. Then, when one is little trained up, he sends back his wife to the care of his grown-up children, and he takes sannyāsa. This is varṇāśrama-dharma. The so-called Hindu dharma, that is a gift of the Muhammadans. We don't find the word "Hindu" in any Vedic scripture. This "Hindu" word has come from the Muhammadan countries. They used to say the people of this part of the world, means, across the river Indus, they call "Hindas" or "Hindus."

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

Therefore it is said, tapo divyaṁ putrakā (SB 5.5.1). The tapasya, the spiritual culture, is necessary. Divyam. Tapasya. Tapasya means... There are so many scholars. They also undergo tapasya for finding out, discovering... Just like we have now discovered this atomic energy. That is also tapasya. Or something wonderful, discovery, that also, tapasya. But here it is said, tapo divyam: "Undergo tapasya, austerity, penances, for transcendental realization." Divyam. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). So we should undergo tapasya, penance, austerity, for transcendental realization. Divyam. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā: (SB 5.5.1) "My dear boys, this life, human form of life, is not meant for working so hard like hogs and dogs. This life is meant for tapasya, and for transcendental realization." Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyet. Sattva means existence. We exist, but this existence is not pure. Therefore we have to accept birth and death, old age and disease. This is not pure. Actually, we are living entities. Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. The living entity never takes birth, neither dies. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) "This body being destroyed, the living entity is not destroyed." So as eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Lord... The Supreme Lord is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), eternal, full of bliss, and knowledge. But we have got this body, material body, which is full of ignorance, full of miseries and neither... It is only temporary. This is our position. Therefore tapasya should be executed, how we can also revive our original constitutional position, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. This is called śuddhyet sattva. Just like when a man becomes diseased, it is his duty to go to the physician, consult him, take some medicine to get out of the disease, similarly, human life is meant for to get out of this disease. What is that disease? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976:

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to rectify this mistake. Bhagavad-gītā is the most authorized scripture in the Vedic literature. Vedic literature means it is not spoken by any ordinary human being. Apaureṣaya means this literature, Vedic literature, is spoken directly by the Supreme Person or Lord. So it was instructed through Brahmā, Lord Brahmā. Tene brahma hṛda ādi-kavaye. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Oṁ namo bhāgavate vāsudevāya. These are the Vedānta philosophy's beginning. The Vedānta philosophy begins with the word athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman. The human life is not meant for any other purpose. That is the distinction between a dog's life and a human being's life. A dog cannot inquire about Brahman. That is not possible. But a human being can inquire about Brahman. Therefore this life is meant for brahma-jijñāsā about Brahman. So if we accept these aphorisms of the Vedānta-sūtra... Vedānta-sūtra is supposed to be the most authorized summary, cream of all the Vedas. So Kṛṣṇa has said in the Bhagavad-gītā, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaṁ vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham (BG 15.15). So if we accept these words of Kṛṣṇa, then we become actually Vedānti. Without understanding these things as spoken in the... Bhagavad-gītā is the summarized Vedānta or Vedic philosophy. Because in this age, Kali-yuga, we are not very advanced. About us, it is described in the śāstra, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā upadrutāḥ, prāyeṇālpayuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ (SB 1.1.10). In this age, Kali-yuga, we are living not very long time. In Kali-yuga, the duration of life will be reduced so much, gradually, that if a person lives for twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a grand old man. That day is coming. Now we have got practical experience. Our grandfather or father lived for so many years, but we are not living for so many years. Our sons will not live so many years. In this way the duration of life, the memory, the mercifulness, the bodily strength—everything will be reduced. This is already foretold in the śāstras. So therefore in this age we are all short-living, mandāḥ, very slow or bad, and sumanda-matayo.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk At Cheviot Hills Golf Course -- May 15, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: (break) ...transmigration of soul. Suppose this time I am very great scientist, and next life I become a tree like this. What is my advancement? Stand up for ten thousand years. What is the advancement?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Going backwards.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Going to hell, that's all. You are trying to be naked; nature will say, "Yes, you stand here naked for ten thousand years." Yes. That is the punishment for being naked. Human life is not meant for becoming naked. That is according to Vedic civilization a great sin. You see. So their, their propensity they are increasing to become naked like our George... What's his name? Lennon, Lennon. So next time he is going to be tree, stand up. Otherwise wherefrom the trees come? They cannot explain. You become tree. That's all. Just like the Nalakūvara; they were taking bath naked without caring for Nārada. All right, you become naked for one hundred years.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Among the trees also, there are different grades of trees, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Oh yes, everywhere different grades. That is God's creation, variety.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So those trees which bear nice fruits and nice flowers, they are...

Prabhupāda: Yes, they are pious, pious trees. Otherwise why I am taking care of this leaf? Because the flower is there. And who cares for this leaf? Trampling down. As in the human society, there is first-class man, second-class man, third-class man, similarly in every field, first-class, animal also.

Room Conversation -- September 19, 1973, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Vedānta. Jijñāsā. Jijñāsā, inquisitiveness, should be satisfied by the answers given in the Vedānta. Jijñāsayā. So Vedānta begins with this jijñāsā, inquisitiveness. Jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life is meant for inquiring about the Supreme Brahman. Jijñāsā. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. And Bhāgavata says jijñāsu. And Bhagavad-gītā also says, jñāni jijñāsuḥ ca bharatarṣabha. Catur-vidhā. Find out this. Catur-vidhā bhajante mām, sukṛtino 'rjuna. Those who are pious, they can begin bhajana. Sukṛtinaḥ. So four kinds of men: ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī. Artaḥ means distressed, materially distressed; arthārthī, poor man who needs some money; jñānī and jijñāsu—these four classes of men, if they are pious, they inquire about the Absolute Truth. If they are pious. If one is pious, if he is distressed, he prays to Bhagavān, "Sir, I am in distressed condition. Kindly save me." This is piety. Arthārthī. Jñāni. They are... So jñānī. Human life is developed consciousness, jñānī, so why they should waste their time in inquiring so many unwanted things? They should devote their life simply for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, jijñāsu. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is meant for brahma-jijñāsā. This life is not meant for to live like cats and dogs. They have no jijñāsā. Their only jijñāsā is inquiry. Where is food? Where is sex? Where is nice apartment? Where is defense? This is their inquiry. In the animal life, there is no possibility of inquiring about the Absolute Truth. Everyone is working. They are also jijñāsu. "Where is money? Where is money?" That is also inquiry. So athāto brahma jijñāsā means... (Aside) You can come this side. Brahma-jijñāsā means this human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, brahma-jijñāsā. This is human life. Unless one is jijñāsu, just like Sanātana Gosvāmī went to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and he inquired... His first inquiry was, "What I am?" His first inquiry was. Ke āmi, kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya? He said, "grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita, tāi satya māni." He was a brāhmaṇa. So brāhmaṇas are addressed as "paṇḍitjī." He was paṇḍita. He was very learned scholar in Sanskrit and Parsee, Urdu. But he admitted his fault, that "Everyone calls me as paṇḍitjī, but I am such a paṇḍita that I do not know what I am. This is my 'paṇḍitjī.' Therefore I have come to inquire from You what I am." That is brahma-jijñāsā. Nobody knows in this material world what he is.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Press Conference -- April 18, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: So at the present moment, the godless civilization... Therefore the leaders, they do not know how to lead people so that they may become happy. It is the duty of the leader, government, father, teacher, gurus, to see that the subordinates are very, very happy. We find in the history of Mahābhārata that during the time of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira people were not suffering even from excessive heat or cold or any anxiety. So it is the duty of the leaders of the people and the government to see that the citizens are perfectly happy in their occupational duties and they are advancing in spiritual knowledge, because human life is not to live a polished animal life. That is not human life.

In the śāstras we see that Ṛṣabhadeva, the father of Mahārāja Bharata, under whose name this planet is called Bhārata-varṣa, He taught His one hundred sons, "My dear boys, this human form of life is not meant for working hard like cats and dogs for sense gratification." Ultimate end is sense gratification, satisfying the senses. This is the business of the cats and hogs, or dogs and hogs. The hog is whole day working to find out stool: "Where is stool? Where is stool?" And as soon as he gets some stool, little strength, immediately sex life, without any discrimination whether she is mother or sister or daughter. This kind of life is described in the śāstras as hog civilization. So at the present moment, without any reference to God consciousness, people are being taught to satisfy the senses, work very hard, and ruin the chance of human life.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- March 4, 1975, Dallas:

Prabhupāda: This is called avidyā. Avidyā-karma-samjñānya. Our tendency is not to work but get things. Therefore he has asked that question. Because he has to get cloth by working, therefore he asking, "Why God has not created?" That means tendency is not to work. That is spiritual tendency. Everything, necessities, automatically available. That is our... Therefore as soon as one man becomes rich, he does not work. He gets his thing by working others. The tendency is there, to retire from work. They go to a solitary place. They retire. They do not go out. Weekly, at least, they want to stop worker, working. So why this tendency? He does not want to die. He does not want to work. This is spiritual. Why man should work like... Therefore real civilization is that minimize work. Minimize work, save time, and go back to your spiritual life. That is civilization. And this is not civilization, to get the necessities of life, sense gratification, and work like hog and dog. That is condemned. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭan kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This human life is not meant for working so hard for sense gratification which are done by the dogs and hogs. Human life is meant: tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed (SB 5.5.1). Human life is for tapasya. Why tapasya? Yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed: their existence will be purified. Then you will get unlimited pleasure. Yato brahma-saukhyam anantam. We are seeking after unlimited pleasure. So that is not possible in this material life. And we are thinking, "By working very hard, like hogs and dogs, we will get happiness." This is... The dogs and hogs, they work day and night for searching out where is stool, and as soon as he gets stool, he becomes very strong and stout. Then sex. Never mind, the mother, sister, daughter. This is hog life. Therefore this particular animal has been... Kaṣṭan kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujāṁ means this hog, stool-eater. So this human life is not meant for imitating the stool-eater hogs. This is in the Bhāgavata. But they have imitated this, "We shall work.

Morning Walk -- June 29, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: Yes. We are rich man's son, Kṛṣṇa's son. Why shall I work? That is the nature. A rich man's son never works. He enjoys. We are dancing and taking nice prasādam. Why shall I work? What do you think? Poor man will work. Rich man, why they will work? He will enjoy. Kṛṣṇa says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor of all planets, and we are servants of Kṛṣṇa, a rich man's servant. Why shall I work so hard? The ass will work hard, not a human being. And that is the instruction of Rsabhādeva. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This human life is not meant for working so hard simply for food and sex enjoyment. That is the business of the hogs. The hogs do like that. They work day and night to find out some stool, and as soon as a little strength, he enjoys sex without discrimination, mother, sister, anybody. Is that life? Tell them, "You are working like hogs, and we are living like human being. That is the difference." If somebody does not work like hog, does it mean he is escaping? (laughter) Just see. And the hog is asking to work like hog. Why human being will accept this proposal? Marshall theory. I was student of economics. He says the human nature is, unless he has got some obligation he will not work. That is the beginning of economics. If one has got sufficient to eat, he will not work. When he is obliged to work for some reason, he works hard. That is the economic theory. So nature is... It is not escaping. If I have got sufficient to eat, why shall I work? What is the answer? This is not escaping, it is comfortable life, not to work and get everything, all necessities. That is comfort. And working hard getting the necessities, that is for the hogs and dogs, not for human being.

Devotee (1): They have no faith or trust that this can be done.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Seven Ministers of Andhra Pradesh -- August 22, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Kleśa. Material body means kleśa, suffering. Why you are using this fan? Because without fan the body will be in pain, painful condition. So we are adjusting, trying to counteract. But the position is miserable. Therefore whole plan of Vedic civilization—how to avoid this material body. That is called mokṣa. That is the plan. So Ṛṣabhadeva is advising that nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). People have become mad, and they're doing everything which is not sanctioned by the śāstra. Pramatta. Pramatta means mad. And why they have become mad? Indriya-prītaye, for sense gratification. There is no big hope. It is simply sense gratification. Sense gratification is there even in the animal life. So human life is not meant for sense gratification. That is also said in the śāstra.

nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke

kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye

tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ

śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam

(SB 5.5.1)

So the human life is meant for tapasya, not for sense gratification. Sense gratification, the facility is there even in the hogs and dogs life. So the human life is meant for yajña. We have got this chance. And especially in your province there is Bālajī, and Bālajī has got sufficient income. That income should be utilized for satisfaction of Bālajī. Not otherwise. That is our request. People are suffering for want of God consciousness. So everything should be spent for spreading God consciousness all over the world. At least, people are contributing to Bālajī, so whatever Bālajī's property is there, that should be utilized for Bālajī's mission. The Bālajī's mission is... That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

Morning Walk -- December 5, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Te hitam. So it is not for all. One who is in confidence of Kṛṣṇa, a pure devotee, for him, not for the ordinary man. Ordinary man—"You do your prescribed duty." But they have no prescribed duty even. The people of this age, they are so fallen, they have no prescribed duty. They are simply engaged like animals-eating, sleeping, sex, and defense. That's all. Animal is engaged like that, eating, sleeping, sex, and defense. So we are being educated only like animals. We do not know the value of life, how nature is working, how we are changing our body. No education all over the world. Simply making plans how to eat, how to sleep, how to enjoy senses, how to defend, that's all. This is animal life. This is not prescribed duty. Prescribed duty is above this. From animal, one has to become brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, utmost, śūdra, like that. That is prescribed duty. And simply whole day working for eating, sleeping, mating, that is the business of the hog. Hog is also whole day working for eating, sleeping, and sex, and defense. Therefore śāstra says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). You should not live the life of a hog, viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means the stool eater. He is also working day and night. What is the business? "Where is stool?" That's all. And as soon as he's strong then, "Where is sex," without any discrimination. That is hog's life. So human life is not meant for spoiling like hog's life. Therefore niyataṁ kuru karma tvam. You should classify yourself amongst the four divisions, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), and then your prescribed duties are there. If you want to become a brāhmaṇa, then śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). If you want to be kṣatriya, tejaḥ... What is that?

1975 Correspondence

Letter to John Panama -- Vrindaban 19 April, 1975:

I am in due receipt of your letter dated nil and have noted the contents. Yes, I can help you. But you must want to be helped. Life is not meant for simply eating, sleeping, mating and defending as the animals are doing. It is meant for developing spiritual consciousness or Krishna Consciousness. I think if you could visit one of our temples, it would be very nice for you. We have many temples there on the east coast in Baltimore, Boston, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, etc. I hope you will make the opportunity to go to one of them in the very near future.