Here in this material world goodness is supposed to be very nice quality, but here the goodness also, nice temporary. There is chance of being affected, infected with the other qualities, sattva-rajas-tamo guṇa. So we can, at least we have to transcend the rajas-tamo guṇa. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). Rajas-tamo, the quality of passion and ignorance, mean the symptoms of these qualities is kāma and lobha, lust and greediness. So long there is lust and greediness... Lust for sex, lust for opposite sex, this is called lust. And greediness—to eat more, more than you can digest. When these two things are there, lust and greediness, that means you are now being conducted by the ignorance and passion. I am.... When there is prominence of goodness then we can understand what is what, what is God, what I am, what is this world. That is knowledge. And above this, transcendental, not only knowledge but practical application of knowledge in life. That is called śuddha-sattva, practical application.
Infection (SB Lectures)
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Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So this is the best kind of religious principle, to understand how to become a lover of God and distribute this knowledge, how to love God. That is the best religion. So this description of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, definition of religion, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaitukī (SB 1.2.6), without any cause, apratihatā, without being checked up, without being infected by any materialism. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so beautiful thing that it does not require any material acquisition, neither it can be checked by any material (indistinct). Anywhere, any part of the world, at home or out of home, anywhere you can, with your ecstasy, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and you attain love of God very quickly.
So that dehī, he is, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, he is changing from one body to another. One body... Just like we have got experience in this life also, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. As we are changing, past and present, therefore after this body is annihilated, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), I am not annihilated; I take another body. That body... What kind of body? That will depend on my work. Just like we become diseased. As we infect certain type of disease, we suffer from that disease. This is practical. Nature's law is there. If you infect some disease, you will have to suffer from that disease. Similarly, as we are creating our mentality by different types of activities, our next life will be according to that mentality. This is the law of nature.
But one who is puffed up with false ego, that "I am this," "I am that," "I am big man," "I am small man," but he does not know how prakṛti is working... You may be very big man in this life. That does not mean that you will remain a big man in the next life. You may be bigger or you may be smaller, according, karmaṇā, what you are doing. The same example: Suppose you are prime minister, but if you have contaminated some disease, you must suffer. It is not that nature will excuse you, "Oh, you are prime minister. You have infected this disease, and you will not suffer." No. You have to suffer.
Death means forgetting everything of my past life. That's all. Just like we forget. At night, when we dream, we accept another body, and we forget this body. And in the daytime we forget the night dream body and accept this body. We have got daily experience. So death means forgetting the past life. Otherwise, there was past life. That's a fact. But as we forget daily night body in the daytime and day body at nighttime, so similarly, we are changing our body according to the infection of the quality or material nature, and we are entangled in this material world. Although we are part an parcel of Kṛṣṇa, God, or we ar sons of God, but unfortunately, we have come in contact of this material modes of nature. This is going on.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is the father of everyone. He canvasses, "My dear children, why you are rotting in this material world? Come back."
For all the reactions out of that act. It may be bad or good. That doesn't matter. Our problem is not to be infected with the reaction. If you think that bringing up your brother... It is, actually, it is good thing. You are doing good thing. That's all right. And you'll have the good result of it. But that, having that good result, does not mean that you are free from the reaction. Now, our problem is that we want to be free from the reaction. So long... Now... The same answer is there, that reaction of my good work, that I get good birth, I get good education, I get sufficient wealth or I get good features of body. These things are goodness of this material world. But that does not make solution of the disease in which... (break)...vyādhi, birth, death, old age and disease. The whole problem is that we have to get out of this material existence. So the, from the material point of view, or platform, any act, good or bad, that will have material reaction. And we are, we want to get out of this material reaction. That is our point of view.
So as soon as you come to the platform of devotional service, the two inferior qualities, namely rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, they become finished. Simply sattva-guṇa remains. Because there are three guṇas. If two guṇas are finished, no more useful, then the other one is there. Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). What are the symptoms of rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ? Now, kāma and lobha. Those who are infected with this rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ, they are very lusty, greedy, lobhī. They are not satisfied. The modern civilization is based on rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ. Nobody is satisfied. Everyone is greedy. And lusty. Kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye. Kāma. So long you are lusty, so long you are greedy, there is no question of devotional service. There is no question of advancement to spiritual life. So therefore you have (to) come to the platform of sattva-guṇa, where simply knowledge... There is no other thing, ignorance or greediness, only knowledge.
Without being followed by the ācārya, without being followed by the śāstras, they become guru, they become swami, they become yogi. It is useless. You cannot get... Here are the process, process is given: tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma... (SB 1.2.19). Tadā means when you are fixed up in devotional service, then you can get out of these infections. These are infections. In... It is so dangerous infection. Infection, anyone can understand nowadays, scientific days. If you infect some disease, you have to suffer. You cannot escape. You infect today somehow or other. Not today, not tomorrow, but some day it will come out. It is called kūṭastha, phalonmukha, prārabdha, pāpa-bīja. Pāpa-bīja, remains as seed, kūṭastha. Then it is fructifying, phalonmukha. Then you suffer, prārabdha. This is called prārabdha-karma, infection.
You are under the complete subjugation of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). These guṇaiḥ. The prakṛti is forcing you to work because you have infected a kind of guṇa. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu (BG 13.22). Kāraṇam. Why one man is born, one living entity is born as a very rich man and one is born as a dog? Sad-asad-yoni. Yoni means mother, and bīja means father. Yathā yoni yathā bījaḥ. So the every living entity is born—bīja and yoni, father and mother. So why there are varieties? Nature is working. Why not one, one kind of living entities? No. Sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. There are 8,400,000 of species. One has to take. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You have to change. But why one is in the lower grade birth, why in the higher grade? Now, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. These guṇa. These guṇa, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa.
So we have to give up the association of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Then there is question of progress. Otherwise it is simply a bluff. Therefore in our society we say, "Don't associate... Don't be infected by these rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa." This meat-eating and illicit sex life and drinking and gambling, they are rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Kāma-lobha. You see? There is a big fairground. Gambling, tamo-guṇa. They are going there. Thousands and thousands of people are going there for gambling. This is tamo-guṇa. Why? Lobha: "I must get more money. I must get more money." Lobha, kāma. Kāma-lobhādayaḥ. So we have to get out of all this entanglement. Then there is spiritual life. Otherwise don't talk of spiritual life.
So on account of the three guṇas, there are three types of Vedic literatures. Not directly śruti, but smṛti, the purāṇas, they are divided into three divisions: sāttvika-purāṇa, rājasika-purāṇa and tāmasika-purāṇa. Śiva Purāṇa, Devī Purāṇa, they are sāttvika, rājasika. Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa, they are sāttvika-purāṇas. The whole scheme is that everyone, every living entity within this material world, they are infected. That we have discussed. The most inferior infection is the rajas-tamas. And the superior rajas, uh, sattva-guṇa, that is also infection, but it is less harmful, whereas the infection of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa is very much embarrassing.
Tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). The whole material world is going on, impelled by rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Generally. Sattva-guṇa is very little. Especially in this age, practically there is no sattva-guṇa.
If you want, nature will give you facility. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛti means nature. He's giving, by nature. Just like, if you infect, if you become infected with some disease, so you'll get that disease. It is nature's way. If you touch fire, your finger will be burned. Not that nature has to make a particular arrangement. By nature it is there. Similarly, if you remain like cats and dogs, then by nature you'll get the body of cats and dogs. There is no necessity of making separate attempt, "How shall I become a dog? How shall I become cat?" Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. Prakṛti, nature, will give you. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ. How nature is helping? Nature, this material nature is matter. How it is being done, how matter is working? That is, answer is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "He's acting under My direction." God is giving direction. How he's giving direction? Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe (BG 18.61)—God is situated within your heart. When He sees that you are very much anxious to become a cat, a dog, He knows. He asks nature that "Just give him a body of dog. He wants to become a dog. He wants to become a hog; give him a body of hog. He wants the body of a tree, he wants the body of god; give him the body of god." Anything, you can take. You can have the body of a dog, or you can have the body of a god, as you want.
These gigantic universes, they are coming out from the hair holes of the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu or from His... Just like sometimes infected persons, they distribute germs from breathing, from perspiration. That is scientific. Similarly, Mahā-Viṣṇu's breathing and perspiration within the Causal Ocean, bringing forth so many universes. And each and every universe, there are so many planets, and one of the planets is this, earth, earthly planet.
So incarnation of God, there is no limit. The example is given. Just like there is no limit of waves in the ocean, similarly, there is no limit of incarnation. Sattva-nidheḥ. Nidhi means ocean, and sattva means existentional. And sattva means also goodness. Sattva-nidheḥ. So goodness, here in this material world there is the modes of nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. But real goodness is in the spiritual world. Here in the material world the goodness is, of course, taken as the highest quality, but such goodness is liable to be infected by the other two qualities, passion and ignorance. It is exposed. And here also, goodness is also the cause of bondage in this material world. As passion is cause of bondage, ignorance is also cause of bondage, similarly, the material goodness is also cause of bondage. So we have to transcend the material goodness also. Then, when we get stability of goodness, that is spiritual life. When it is disturbed by passion and ignorance, that means it is not yet perfect. Therefore, sometimes we find a student is doing everything nice goodness, but he is attacked by passion and ignorance, and he becomes entangled.
This is omnipotency. God is omnipotent; He can give you protection when you take shelter of His name. Because His name is nondifferent from Him. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). Nāma-kṛṣṇa. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaḥ, pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ. Don't think this Kṛṣṇa's name is less efficient than Kṛṣṇa. No. Pūrṇa. As Kṛṣṇa is perfect, similarly, this name is also perfect. Pūrṇaḥ śuddhaḥ. As Kṛṣṇa is pure, without any material contamination, apāpa-viddham, no, nothing sin, sinful can affect him... You have read it in the Īśopaniṣad. Just like sunshine. Infection cannot infect sunshine. Some disease can infect you, me, because we are less potential. But it cannot infect the sun. Rather, the sunshine will sterilize the infection. So anything infectious, anything sinful, cannot infect Kṛṣṇa. Rather sinful activities in touch with Kṛṣṇa will become purified. This is the process.
The whole world is infected with the māyā's influence, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, is disinfectant. It is sure. Disinfectant. Tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavaḥ. (commentary) Bhagavad-yaśaḥ-pradhānāṁ vacaḥ pavitram ity aha tad vāg iti, tad vāg-visarga sa cāsau vāg-visargo vacaḥ prayogaḥ. Janānāṁ samuho janatā, tasya aghaṁ viplavati naśayati.(?) Viplava means it kills. Because disinfectant. For example, we can give, now how this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is disinfectant, that those who have seriously taken to it, they immediately stop the sinful infections, the four principles, regulative principles, illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. How disinfectant it is. These four principles increases sinful activities. All other sinful activities will come one after another, one after another. Stealing, then cheating, then... So many other things will come if we follow these four principles. And if we stop these four principles, then the switch is off of committing further sinful activities. You must know that. It is... And how it can be maintained? By this disinfectant method, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, it will not, simply by theoretical knowledge will not do.
So it is disinfectant, actually. Janatāgha-viplavaḥ. It stops further sinful activities of that person. And if we continue, that "Well, I have got a disinfectant method, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Therefore I can go on committing these four principles of sin, and I'll be (dis)infected." Just like in the Christian church they go, confess. That's all right. Confessing is disinfectant. But how is that you again do it? What is the meaning? You go to church, confess. That's very nice. Now your sinful activities is neutralized. That's all right.
So here it is said that dvijaiḥ..., ucchiṣṭa-lepān anumodito dvijaiḥ. Dvijaiḥ, the brāhmaṇa... And the supreme brāhmaṇa is the devotee, kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa. So Nārada Muni, in his previous birth, he was engaged in washing the dishes, eating the foodstuffs left by the dvijaiḥ, by the brāhmaṇas. In this way he infected their disease. As in ordinary material sense if you eat the remnants of foodstuff of a diseased fellow, then you infect that disease. Therefore sometimes when there is a patient suffering from tuberculosis, it is strictly separated from the family to another room or another house so that... It is very infectious. Cholera is very infectious. Smallpox is very much infectious. There are many infectious disease. So as you infect this material disease by eating the foodstuff left by a diseased fellow, similarly, if you eat the remnants of foodstuff left by a Vaiṣṇava you become Vaiṣṇava. This is infection. So we should voluntarily accept this infection. The other infection we should avoid, but this infection we shall welcome. But the process is the same. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). You can refrain from the lower class of infection simply by infecting yourself with the higher class, or transcendental class of infection.
So consciousness is there, but the dirty things contaminated life after life, that is accumulated. We have to cleanse this. That is called viśuddha-cetasaḥ. Viśuddha-cetasaḥ. Just like infection of disease can be also disinfected by injection, by vaccine, similarly if you take this vaccine, or antiseptic... What is that called? Countering? Counteracting?
So for all these anarthas, the only means is bhakti-yoga. Śravaṇam. Bhakti-yoga means śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Let everyone, all over the world, give chance to the people of this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. All the problems of the world will be solved. That's a fact. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt. Directly you'll have. And you can realize from your own life how many, how much anarthas were accompanying with you. Now they are all subsided. Sākṣāt. What is the means? This chanting. Now you enjoyed chanting, dancing. But people will not take to it. This is the only means. Because you have been attracted by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and dancing, you are no more interested. This morning time, in every house, you can go. Either they are sleeping or they are drinking bed tea, without washing mouth, and all the germs are going within the tea, and they are being infected within the intestines, and they are getting so many diseases. But they will not understand. But here, and the bhakti-yogam, everyone rises early in the morning and then washes himself, takes bath, becomes cleansed, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, read book. This is bhakti-yoga. Automatically everything will be... Hygienic principle, health question, economic question, and social, political—everything will be solved. It is not joking.
Actually gosvāmī means who has control over the senses. Svāmī means the control over the senses. That is required. We have to control over the senses and identify ourself that "I do not belong to anything of this material infection, but I am eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa." Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya... (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). This is called svarūpa-upalabdhi. This is called self-realization. This is called mukti. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the definition of mukti has been given that muktir hitvā anyathā rūpam. Anyathā rūpam. I am identifying now myself as this and that. "I am American; I am Indian; I am brāhmaṇa; I am gosvāmī; I am this, that..." No. This is all anarthas, unwanted. So therefore hitvā anyathā rūpam. We are living under the impression of something else. Hitvā means when we give up this wrong impression. And sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ, when you are situated in your original position, that is called mukti. Mukti does not mean anything else. This is the definition of mukti.
They do not even try to understand wherefrom so many varieties of life are coming-jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. And still they are passing on as scientist. What science? It is only ignorance. If you have to study science, you have to take it from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). According to your guṇa you are creating your next body. Just like according to the infection of a certain disease you are creating your future diseased condition, similarly sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. There are three kinds of the modes of material nature, and as you associate with the three kinds of material nature, you prepare your next body. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). If you associate with sattva-guṇa, then you are promoted to the higher planetary system: Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka. But these rascals, they do not know; still they make an estimate. And what is that estimate? Wherever they go they find only rocks and sands. That's all. There are so many lokas. Each loka is full of living entities, and these rascals are simply taking photograph of rocks and sands. Just see their position. And they are passing on as scientist. How misleading these things are, and how people are being misled. You see.
These rascals, they do not know. Saṁsṛti. Therefore here we see that tvam eko dahyamānānām apavargo 'si saṁsṛteḥ. This is Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna is mahājana. He is mahājana. He's directly Kṛṣṇa's friend. He knows what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he submitted that, "Kṛṣṇa, it is perplexity. I do not like to fight, and You are asking me repeatedly to fight. So it is very awkward position. I cannot understand." Kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ. "I have been infected with kārpaṇya-doṣa, and (I'm) kṣatriya, I am in the battlefield. It is my duty to fight, but I am declining." That is kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ. "My nature, svabhāva, is to fight, but I am avoiding this. So therefore my position is not good, I can understand. Therefore śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). I accept You as my spiritual master. You... I am surrendered, prapannam. You kindly instruct, śādhi mām." This is beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. So Arjuna knows that for this saṁsṛti, for this suffering of the material world, only Kṛṣṇa is the savior.
So if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then this pavarga—pa, pha, ba, bha, ma—will be counteracted. Not otherwise. Not otherwise. It is not possible. Therefore he says dahyamānānām. "We are suffering. Not that to this brahmāstra we are suffering, but the world is so made that there is suffering only." Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, viṣaya-viṣānale dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. Jwale means this dahyamānānām. Jwale means ablaze, fire. So this saṁsāra-viṣānale, it is not ordinary fire. Viṣāna: fire from poison. It is more infectious. Poisonous fire. Just like the atomic energy. There is heat, but what is that heat? It is called... Radiation and... So many things. So viṣānale. Saṁsāra-dāvānala. Saṁsāra-dāvānala is dāvānala, and at the same time that anala, the fire is coming out of poison. Saṁsāra-viṣānale dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. We are always anxiety, full of anxiety. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Even big, big Vaiṣṇava kings they also retired. Just like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he was always engaged in devotional service.
So in this way, if we do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness we'll be more and more implicated. You cannot avoid. That is not possible. The God's nature is working so nicely. I have given you several times the example that if you infect some disease, it must develop and you must have to suffer. There is no excuse. Similarly, if you are associating with the modes of ignorance and you are committing some sins, the effect you must have to suffer. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛteḥ, the nature, God's machine, is working so perfectly that it will act. You cannot avoid. Therefore we should be very careful how anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. For our spiritual advancement of life we must have the sense that "Why we should accept unnecessary things which is not at all important?" The four things are restricted. No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. Nobody dies. But it is a habit. It is a habit.
There is another verse, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Those who are pramatta, those who have no responsibility of life, sometimes unnecessarily stealing and doing some, so many wrong things... Vikarma. Why? Now pramatta, he is also crazy. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And why he is taking risk of being punished? Suppose one man is stealing. He'll be punished. Either by the law of the state or by the laws of nature or God, he'll be punished. He can escape the laws of the state, but he cannot escape the laws of nature or God. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). It is not possible. Just like the laws of nature. If you infect some disease, so you'll have to be punished. You'll suffer from that disease. That is punishment. You cannot escape. Similarly, anything you do, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). If you live like a cat and dog, that is infection, guṇa, the modes of ignorance. Then your next life you become a dog. You must be punished. This is law of nature.
So this paramahaṁsa stage is... We have come to explain paramahaṁsānām. Here it is said, tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām (SB 1.8.20). Amalātmanām. Amala means without any dirty things. paramahaṁsa means without any... What is that dirty thing? The dirty thing is to have any slight desire for enjoying this material body. That is called dirty thing. Amalam. Everyone is samala. Samala, with dirty things. The karmī, jñānī, yogi, everyone is infected with dirty things. Why? The karmīs, they want that "I shall be elevated in the heavenly planet and I shall enjoy there in the Nandana-kānana, and beautiful wife, beautiful women." That is their ambition, the people are working very hard here. Everyone wants very comfortable life with good bank balance, good house, good wife, good children. That is their ambition. That is karmī. They have no other ambition. Similarly, jñānī. When the jñānī sees that his good wife, good family, good money, and good house is nonsense... "It will not stay, but for some years I can enjoy. Then it will be all vanquished." They are jñānīs. They know how things are happening. Therefore they want mukti. But there is still want, that "Now I have given up all this. I don't want this material happiness.
In this stage one cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. Ajñā. Rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). As we have discussed in Bhagavad, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ, those who are infected with the two kinds of material modes, means rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, they are simply busy, kāma and lobha. They are busy only... Those who are passionate, they are simply busy for sense gratification, and those who are in ignorance, in darkness, they have no eyes to see.
So these two classes of men... Mostly people are infected with these two kinds of modes of material nature. Rajas-tamas. The whole world. At the present moment, especially, mostly ignorance, and some of them are passionate. That passionate tendency is engaging them for so many industries and very, very strong work, ugra-karma. Ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means very strong...? What is, should be the English word? Ugra... Ugra, just like chili, pungent. There are many things. They are very strong in taste. So ugra-karma, these... Just like they are building hundred-and-fifty-story building. People can live comfortably in a small cottage or one-storied house or little more. But no, they're increasing. Their passionate activities are increasing. Just like in your country, in New York, now there is hundred-and-four-storied building, or more than that.
So the human life is meant for purification. Sattva-śuddhi. In the Bhagavad-gītā there is, abhayam... What is that? Can anyone... Abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ. Sattva-saṁśuddhi, it is very important thing. Sattva means my existence. I am eternal. So I am existing, but I am suffering. I am suffering. Just like I have got now cold affection (infection). This is not my natural state, but I have been affected by chilly cold or something like that. Therefore I am suffering. So it is my duty to cure it, to take some medicine, to go to the physician. That is called sattva-saṁśuddhi, purifying your existence. By nature, by constitutional position, every living entity is as pure as God. But God does not become impure. We become impure. Therefore we are suffering. That is the... So this impurity can be rectified in this life, this human form of life. Therefore human form of life is meant for purification. Therefore so many scriptures are there, so many teachers are there, so many rules and regulations are there. They are not meant for the animals, because they cannot be purified. They must have to come to this position by evolution of human being. Then there is chance of purification.
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.
So we are always in this painful condition. That is material life. But those who have got eyes, sense, they can see. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, he could see. He was prime minister, well situated materially. Learned scholar, very intelligent. Otherwise how they could become Caitanya Mahāprabhu's personal associates? Very qualified. Caitanya Mahāprabhu... When Sanātana Gosvāmī consulted Jagadānanda, that "I want to do this. What is your advice?"... Sanātana Gosvāmī became infected with itches all over the body. And it was, what is called, bleeding itches. Itches are two kinds: dry and sometimes oozing water.
Sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca (CC Madhya 11.8). So niṣkiñcana means do not hanker after any more money and women. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu refused to see persons who are after money and woman, because by their association we may be infected. We may be again hankering after. Suppose I have taken sannyāsa, and if I see one gṛhastha having a very faithful and beautiful wife, if I think, "Oh, I left my wife. If I would have possessed, I would have been happy," he's immediately fallen. Because within the mind, he's associating with yoṣit. Suppose we go to see some rich man. I see that he has got money, nice motor car, nice building. If I think, "Oh, I have taken sannyāsa. If I would have possessed all these things, I would have been...," then immediately fall down.
So this is dadāti pratigṛhṇāti. And they also come here to inquire: "Swamiji, your movement is very nice. What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of that?" Guhyam ākhyāti, expresses their mind. Pṛcchati. They explain, "This is my position. I cannot do it. How can I do it?" And the Vaiṣṇavas reply them. Then we invite them in our love feast. In all our centers, we have got this arrangement. We invite everyone: "Come on, take prasādam." And if somebody gives us something to eat, we also eat, provided he's not a Māyāvādī, karmī, jñānī. Otherwise, we should not take. We can..., we cannot accept anything from these classes of men, atheist class. Then we'll be... Saṅgāt. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. If we associate with these Māyāvādī, atheist class, karmī, jñānī, yogi, then we'll infect their quality. So if we infect the Māyāvādī quality, karmī quality, jñānī quality, yogi quality... I see some of the students, still they practice some yoga āsana. That quality is not yet... He's not yet free. But this is nonsense. This is nonsense. We should, by promise, we should not associate with any of their qualities.
So sometimes a snake charmer, they mix milk with banana and give them to eat for their satisfaction. But the result? What is the result? Result is as soon as he becomes strong by eating, the poison teeth becomes filled with poison. Just like with our healthy body, our different nerves and parts of the body become healthy, similarly, the snake's most important part of the body... They have got a teeth. They keep... Within the pocket of the teeth there is venomous poison. So when they bite, from the hole of that teeth, the poison is emitted, and the man dies or the animal dies. But this is a fact. If you infect some disease, you will have to suffer from that disease. This is a fact. It is scientific. Similarly, if you are infected with the particular type of the modes of nature, then you will have to suffer like that. If you remain in ignorance, then you will get the body of animal.
We have to get out of this intoxicated condition of life, which is called māyā. Instead of getting out of this intoxicated life, if we more increase our intoxication, big, big signboard, "Beefeaters" and this, "Whiskey," then how much we are degrading the whole population, we have to imagine. You see? People are already in forgetfulness. And the government, the society, they are still giving impetus: "You forget more, you forget more..." And he doesn't know. Viśatāṁ tamisram. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram (SB 7.5.30). And they do not know that "I will have to take next birth, and according to my mentality, because I am infecting a certain type of material qualities, in that way I am creating my next body." That he does not know. This is due to intoxication. He is thinking that "My enjoyment life, in this way forever..." But he does not know that he is creating the mentality, and according to the mentality, hog's mentality, he will become next life a pig, and he will eat... He has to by force. Not by force; he will relish it. Māyā... This is called āvaraṇātmika-śakti, covering influence. The pig is eating stool, but he is very much satisfied: "Such a nice food." He is having intercourse with his daughter or sister or mother, he is enjoying.
Just like a greedy man, he is suffering by eating more. There are so many diseases, just like diabetes or dysentery. There are so many things. These are the diseases for eating more. That's all. So we are suffering; at the same time, we are eating more. Because we are greedy, we are lusty. This is the cause. So therefore kāmād... We are serving. We are serving our lust, our greediness, and suffering. This is practical. If you have no hunger, if you eat... If you have no appetite, if you eat, then you suffer. If you infect some disease, you'll suffer. That is practical. So we are associating in, being infected by lust, greediness, illusion, fearfulness, so many things. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat (SB 7.5.5). If you steal, then you will be under fearfulness: "Oh, I may not be arrested; I may be arrested." Because you have done that, asad-grahat, you have done something wrong, therefore you are under the influence of fearfulness. It is very easy to understand.
How are we becoming contaminated? There are three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa; goodness, passion and ignorance. And we are, according to the association... Just like here we can see, somebody cannot live without smoking. It is practical. But none of our devotees smoke. So it is possible. Because a devotee is associating with the devotees, therefore he is acquiring the quality by association, contamination. This is a fact. If you go to a contaminated, diseased person, you are infected. We should be very careful.
- dadāti pratigṛhṇāti
- guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati
- bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva
- ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam
Intimate relation with somebody, so there is bhuṅkte bhojayate. When you become intimate with certain friend, he gives to eat you, something you eat, and you also give him something to eat, he eats. But if there are different quality, then by eating, you contaminate, you are contaminated by his infection, and he is contaminated by infection. That is practical, medical science. If you eat the remnants of foodstuff of a tuberculosis patient, then you are attacked with tuberculosis. Or cholera patient.
A girl whose name was Mary, wherever she would go, all the people associating with her will be attacked with typhoid. Then the medical board examined her blood, that she is full of typhoid germs. So therefore wherever she goes, people become infected. These are medical facts.
So therefore association is so important. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. According to association we infect different qualities. That they do not know. But nature's law is so particular, as soon as you infect by association a particular type of quality, you have to suffer for that. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was asked by one devotee, gṛhastha devotee, householder, "Sir, what is the duty of a gṛhastha devotee, Vaiṣṇava?" Devotee means Vaiṣṇava. So He immediately informed him, asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra: (CC Madhya 22.87) "A Vaiṣṇava's behavior should be that he should give up the company of asat, nondevotee." That is his first business. He should give up the company of nondevotee. This is first business. Because he will be infected.
So this is the position. You create a situation of your own. Just like when the surgical operation, you have got a boil, then you... You have created by contamination, and the surgeon is simply operating. He has not created that situation. Similarly your transference to another body is not God's creation, it is your creation. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, you have seen. Why one is born in low-grade family, one is born high-grade family, one is born animal, one is born human being, one is born as demigod? Why? What is the cause? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Kāraṇam. The cause is as he has infected the modes of material nature. The material nature is going on in three modes, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. It is up to you if you associate with tamo-guṇa, then you become next life animal or tree or fish. There are so many degraded condition. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ (BG 14.18). Those who are in the darkness modes of material nature, they go down, adhaḥ. Adho gacchanti, degraded.
One shall be considered very expert if he can maintain his family-wife and children. That means this will be difficult. It has already become difficult. To maintain wife and a few children, that is also a great burden at the present moment. Therefore nobody wants to marry. Evaṁ prajābhir duṣṭābhir ākīrṇe kṣiti-maṇḍale. In this way, when all the people will be infected by the poison of Kali-yuga, brahma-viṭ-kṣatra-śūdrāṇāṁ yo balī bhavitā nṛpaḥ.
So it doesn't matter whether he is a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra or caṇḍāla. One who is powerful in getting votes, he will occupy the presidential post or the royal post. Just see. Formerly the system was that not the brāhmaṇa, er, vaiśya, or śūdra can occupy the royal throne. Only the kṣatriyas. Now, in the Kali-yuga, there is no such thing, who is a kṣatriya, who is a brāhmaṇa, who is a... Anyone, hook and crook you get your votes, democracy, and occupy... And whatever you may be... You may be rascal number one, but you will be posted on the supreme exalted presidential post.
So in this way there are so many symptoms. It will take long time to describe. This is Kali-yuga. But there is remedy. There is remedy. Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan. The faults of this age, just like ocean. Just like in the ocean, you cannot... Pacific Ocean... If you are put into the Pacific Ocean, you do not know how your life will be saved. It is very difficult. Even if you are very expert swimmer, so it is not possible that you can cross the Pacific Ocean. That is not possible. Similarly, the Kali-yuga, as it is stated in the Bhāgavata, that infected with so many anomalies that there is no way out. But there is one medicine only: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). That is also described, that "If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra," kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya, "especially the name kṛṣṇasya, mukta-saṅgaḥ, you will be relieved from the infection of this Kali yuga."
So te sādhu kṛta-sarvārthāḥ. They have executed all duties. Kṛta-sarvārthāḥ. Jñātvā ātyantikam ātmanaḥ. We are hankering after happiness, temporary, but we do not know what is ultimate happiness. So they knew what is the ultimate happiness. Ātyantikam. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). Bhagavad-gītā. Ātyantikam. The ultimate happiness is not perceived by these gross material senses. The ultimate happiness is appreciated, understood, by transcendental senses. The same senses... Means now the senses are covered by material infection. So when you purify this material infection, then your senses become pure. And in that pure senses, you can enjoy real happiness. Therefore here it is said, ātyantikam ātmanaḥ manasā dhārayām āsuḥ. So they knew what is the ātyantikaṁ dhār..., Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha-caraṇāmbujam. Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. And God's another name is Vaikuṇṭha. If you take shelter of the lotus feet of God, Kṛṣṇa, then you become without anxieties. This is the only. Everyone is full of anxiety. Even a bird, even a beast, even a small ant, what to speak of our position. The material world is such, we must be full of anxieties. That is explained also. Asad-grahāt. Because we have accepted something flickering as shelter. If you accept something which is not permanent, which is tiltering... In a boat suppose which is tiltering, at any moment you will be drowned.
Just like if you infect some disease, nature must punish you. You must suffer from the disease. You cannot get out. It is not possible. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). Why there are so many varieties of life? Why not one class of men, all President Nixon? (laughter) Why not? Why there is bum in the Bowery Street? In your country I am saying. Why there are arrangement of first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class, fifth-class men? Or animals, or trees? Everything is there. Why?
That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. As you have infected yourself with a particular type of modes of nature, you will get a body. That's all. If you have infected to get the body of a dog, you must be infected. People who are keeping dog, that means he is being infected by the germs of dog. Next life he will become a dog. He is infected. What he will think at the time of death? If he has got a beloved dog, he will think of... Somebody... In your country, they bequeath great, I mean to say, wealth, for the dog. That means at the time of death, at the time of death he is thinking of his beloved dog. So he must be a dog.
So here is..., the basic principle is yadi kṛṣṇa-kathāśrayam. Devotees are interested to discuss something if it is helping us how we can become more and more attached to Kṛṣṇa. That is the... Otherwise, we are not interested in the matter of general principles of morality, social culture, ethics. They are required, but because this material world means it is a contaminated world, infected world. So, here in this material world so-called morality or immorality is the same because it is infected. Just try to understand. If there is an epidemic, infection, so in that condition, first of all what is the necessity? First thing is to disinfect the epidemic. In the infected area you cannot derive any benefit by discussing morality or immorality. The man is dying out of infection. So to a immediately dying person, who is sure to die due to infection, what is the use of giving him instruction of morality or immorality? He's going to die.
So in the meantime, in that treatment time, diseaselessness condition, if you make another infection, that is your fault. Otherwise, deathlessness begins from the day of initiation. Ādau gurvāśrayam. As soon as you take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master, your point of deathlessness begins immediately. Immediately. And if you continue the advice and instruction of the spiritual master, or the śāstra, then you become deathless. No more death. And Yamarāja wants to see that actually you are continuing your deathlessness process. This is... Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. Therefore it is advised.
Kṛṣṇa is paraṁ pavitram. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So to go to Kṛṣṇa, one requires to be perfectly purified. Just like without becoming fire, you cannot enter into fire. If your body is not fire, as soon as you enter fire, you will be burned. But you take another fire and push into the fire, there is no reaction. There is no reaction. Just like to live within the water, you must have a particular type of body so that living within the water, you will not be infected. Just like a human being, if he artificially enters into the water, for few hours he can remain. That is also with great difficulty. He will feel bodily pain. But the fishes within the water, they are living very peacefully, happily, for hundreds of years. So this is real fact. You cannot enter into an atmosphere without being fit for living in that atmosphere. Is it very difficult to understand? Because they are going to the moon planet, why they are coming back? Because they have no arrangement to make the body fit to live there.
Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). I have several times explained. As you are infecting yourself with the quality of material nature, you get a different type of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. The lower and higher grade of life, different types of body, how we get? That is explained in the Bhāgavata. Kāraṇam. Kāraṇam means reason, cause. What is that cause? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya. The living entity, the soul, is associating with certain quality of the material nature, and therefore he is getting different types of body. We are all living entities, even the trees and plants and cats and dogs. But why there are so many different species of life, 8,400,000 species of life? Why? The reason is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya. The guṇa-saṅgaḥ. As we are infecting the quality of this material nature, we are getting.
Because after all, you are spirit soul. You are entangled with these twenty-four elements. So your real business is how to get out of it. That is wanted. Suppose if you are a diseased fellow, or you analyze the disease. Just like in the, what is called, pathology. It is called pathology. The doctor examine your blood and he finds out, "This is infection, that is infection, this is this, this is this." That's all right. But simply by understanding the blood analysis, pathology, does not mean it is cured. The cure is different. Similarly, these sāṅkhya-yogī philosophers, they may analyze very critically. Even they can count the atoms which is composing this whole material atmosphere. But that does not mean you have understood the original force which has created all these things. That is discussed here. Etāvān sāṅkhya-yogābhyām. So you become a very big scientist, very big physicist, chemist. That is all right. But you must know how to remember Nārāyaṇa at the time of your death.
After being liberated from these traiguṇya, three material, one has to be situated in nistraiguṇya. Here it is stated, nairguṇya. Nairguṇya, nistraiguṇya. The same meaning. Nairguṇya-sthā ramante, enjoys life. As soon as you come to the platform of nairguṇya, without being infected by the three material qualities, then ramante, everything is pleasure. Ramante yogino 'nante. Therefore those who are yogis, who are bhaktas, bhakti-yogīs, they also enjoy life. It is not that we restrict that "Don't enjoy senses." This is not enjoyment. This is bondage. This is bondage. Suppose I am enjoying either illicit or legal sex life. I am become under bondage. Even it is legal sex life, I get children, so many things, I have got duty to the children. So either goodness or ignorance, this is bondage. This is bondage. Therefore one has to become above the traiguṇya. And that is called nairguṇya. Nairguṇya-sthā ramante. They also enjoy.
It is just like touchstone or infection. You know or do not know, it will act. Because kṛṣṇa-bhakti, love for Kṛṣṇa, is there in everyone's heart. If it is not so, how you all young boys and girls are taking very seriously? It is a question of two, three years, or less than that, our students are joining, but they are becoming first-class kṛṣṇa-bhaktas, devotees. Even in India, they also are surprised that how these Europeans and Americans are coming to such nice Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not only Europeans, Americans, but Africans also. This is the proof that love for Kṛṣṇa is there in everyone's heart. That is stated by Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaṛacā, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti nitya-siddha. Eternally, it is a fact. Simply it has to be awakened. Just like attraction for the opposite sex. A girl or a boy. That is natural. It is not unnatural. It has... Nobody goes to a school and colleges how to love, how to be attracted by young man. No. It doesn't require any education.
Of course, there is practice, but that practice is also very simple. Simply you have to hear. That's all. It doesn't require any gymnastic. Just like in other yogic process, haṭha-yoga, you have to learn so many things: yama, niyama, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, āsana, prāṇāyāma, so many things. But here there is no need. Simply sit down and hear about Kṛṣṇa. That's all. But that hearing must be from a person who is realized. Then it will act. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti nitya-siddha sādhya kabhu naya, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte. By hearing, the more your heart will be cleansed of all material infection, you will understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
In dirty heart you cannot. Therefore to cleanse the heart it is required that you regularly hear. Therefore we are holding this class, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa or about Kṛṣṇa. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that we must hear about Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours.
Death is a symptom of the material infection of the eternal living being, and due to material infection only, the eternal living being is subjected to the law of birth, death, old age, and disease. The materialistic way of pious activities like charity, etc., is recommended in the smṛti-śāstras as quoted by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. Money given in charity to a suitable person is guaranteed bank balance in the next life. Such charity is recommended to be given to a brāhmaṇa. If the money is given in charity to a non-brāhmaṇa without brahminical qualification, the money is returned in the next life in the same proportion. If it is given in charity to a half-educated brāhmaṇa, even then the money is returned double. If the money is given in charity to a learned and fully qualified brāhmaṇa, the money is returned a hundred and thousand times, and if the money is given to a veda-pāraga, one who has actually realized the path of the Vedas, it is returned by unlimited multiplication.
So āyur harati vai puṁsām. The sunshine, sunrise, and sunset means decreasing our life. It is very nice example. The sun's business is to take away a portion of your span of life. That is business. But he cannot take away the portion of the life of a devotee. Because a devotee is going to live. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give a living entity a permanent span of life. Uttama-śloka-vārtayā. Uttama-śloka is Kṛṣṇa. Uttama-śloka. Bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī bhagavaty uttama-śloke. In another place it is stated, tadā... naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Nityam ... Just like we are holding class daily. Nityam, regularly. Nityam means regularly, daily, always. So nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. The beginning... Just like when a man is infected with a disease, he is subjected to death. Crude example. So when a man falls diseased, the physician tries to get him relieved from that infection. So our material body is an infection.
Actually, we spiritual soul, we have no death. It is due to this infection. This infection is called dirty things. Actually it is dirt. "Dust thou art, dust thou beist." That's a fact. Because as soon as I, the soul, will leave this body, it will be immediately decomposed, and after a few days it will be earth, dust. So actually it is dirt. So we have to cleanse this dirt from my real identity, spiritual life. This is the process. And this cleansing process is very nicely done simply by hearing the message of Uttama-śloka, or Kṛṣṇa. You haven't got to scratch it with some machine.
So he has... Now the body is given up. Then how he goes? He says, "He comes to Me." So who comes to Him? Materialistic person, the so-called scientist, philosopher, they know this body—the self. They do not know that the body is the cover of the self. This real self, the real person, goes to Kṛṣṇa to live forever. So those who are devotees, those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are giving up this infected body and they are getting their new... Not new. The old, original body, spiritual body. Therefore, as soon as you get the spiritual body, the sun has no power to take it away. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "The fire cannot burn it, the weapon cannot kill it, the water cannot moist it..." In so many way, indirect way, are described. The spirit cannot be destroyed by anything material. Matter... Just like this body is matter. This body can be cut into pieces, but the spirit soul cannot be. The body can be burnt into ashes, but the spirit soul cannot be.
So this ignorance is going on. Therefore for future guidance, Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired this question, that "How the living entity got this body, material body? Whether it is automatically, without any cause, or with cause?" But with cause... It will be explained. It is not... When the cause is there... Just like if you infect some disease, automatically you'll suffer from the disease. It will come automatically. That is automatically. But your becoming infected, that is cause. So if you become cautious not to be infected, then the cause of lower birth or suffering you can avoid. Therefore we have started this society, society. Society means that you'll get here the cause of being elevated. Just like there are so many societies, equal class of men. "Birds of the same feather flock together." So here is a society. Who will flock here? Who will come here? Because this society is meant for liberation... People are suffering so much on account of material condition of life. Nobody is happy. That is a fact. But because they are in ignorance, they are accepting unhappiness as happiness. This is called māyā. This is called māyā.
We don't hate anyone. Otherwise there will be no preaching. And Lord Jesus Christ said that you hate disease, not the man who is suffering from disease. That is very nice. So we shall hate this influence of māyā but not the man who is now under the influence. Then how we can preach? That is our business. Doctor knows that this man is infected with some serious disease. But if he hates, then he cannot make treatment. He requires treatment. So if he hates, "No. He is diseased. I cannot go there," then how can... So we shall hate this influence of māyā. We should know how māyā is acting, but still, we have to do our duty, preaching work on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, sometimes taking risk also. What can be done? This is the position of the world. All rascals, the so-called PhD, DAC, NAC. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung one nice song: jaḍa-vidyā saba māyāra vaibhava tomāra bhajane bādhā: "My dear Lord, all this material scientific advancement of education, they are simply expansion of the three qualities of māyā. That's all." Jaḍa-vidyā saba māyāra vaibhava. They are all the different combinations.
So actually if there is no thief, where is the cause of anxiety? If there is no burglar, thieves, rogues. It is the duty actually. It is the duty of the king to see that there should be no thieves. People should be anxiety-free. That is nice government. Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, when he was ruling, there was not even scorching heat. People were so anxiety-free. You see? Due to pious activities of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, there was no severe cold or scorching heat, no dangerous disease, infection. They were all free from all this. It can be possible if there is good government. So here is the idea. Pravartate yatra rajas tamas tayoḥ sattvaṁ ca miśraṁ na ca kāla-vikramaḥ. Kāla-vikramaḥ. Here we are governed by the stringent laws of time. I am getting old. Kāla-vikramaḥ. The body is getting seventy-six years. This means time has eaten up my duration of life seventy-six years, influence of time. You cannot avoid it. Kāla-vikramaḥ. Na yatra māyā. Māyā, illusion. Either fixed-up idea. Everyone knows Lord Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality, and they are all happy by serving the Lord.
Here... Sakta, sakta or āsakti, same thing. If our attachment is for this material enjoyment, that is bondage. That means we have to accept another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). You cannot avoid. Because if you infect some disease, then you must suffer from it. If you infect. That is a practical knowledge. If you infect some disease... So kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ. As soon as you infect this tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, you have to, what is called, immune from infection. That immunity is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And if you are not immune, you are subjected to the infection, then you must get another body of the same quality. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya. So to remain free from the infection of these guṇas, then we have to engage ourselves in the bhakti-yoga. That is stated.
- māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa
- bhakti-yogena sevate
- sa guṇān samatītyaitān
- brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
- (BG 14.26)
- Then he is immune to the infection of these guṇas.
So the whole world is going like that, guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. So guṇa means we are, according to our position or according to our mentality, we are infecting some guṇa, sattva-rajas-tamo-guṇa. So guṇa-karma, guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Very scientific this is. You can become... If you acquire the qualities of a brāhmaṇa, then, and if you work as a brāhmaṇa, then guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, you become a brāhmaṇa. If you have the qualities of a kṣatriya and if you work as a kṣatriya, then you are kṣatriya. If you have the qualification of a mercantile man, businessman, and if you work as a businessman or cultivator, then you become vaiśya. This is very scientific. Not that one is classified according to the birth. No. According to qualification. Just like there is medical association. Medical association does not mean all the medical men in the association, they are born of the same family. No. They are born in different families. But because they have got qualification and working as medical man, they are admitted as the member of medical association or member of bar association. This is practically. Similarly, if you acquire the qualification of a brāhmaṇa and if you work as a brāhmaṇa, then you are accepted as a brāhmaṇa. Similarly kṣatriya, similarly vaiśya.
If we are pious, then we are promoted to the higher planetary system, Svargaloka, Janaloka, Maharloka, Tapoloka, Brahmaloka, Satyaloka. There are so many... Siddhaloka. And if we are impious, then we are downtrodden. We go down more and more. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). If you are situated in sattva-guṇa, then you are promoted to the higher planetary system: adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. If you are infected with tamo-guṇa, then you go down, down, down, down. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. And if we are infected by the modes of passion, then we keep ourselves in the middle. But Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Even if you go to the highest planetary system—it is called Brahmaloka—where the duration of life is very, very long... That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17).
So apart from God, now our present problem is that we are entangled by the infection of material qualities, rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19) especially. Kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye, ceta etair anāviddhaṁ sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati. We have to conquer over the quality, the infection of quality of rajas-tamaḥ, and then we have to situate ourself in sattva-guṇa. Then we are in the safe position. And if we do not allow to be infected again by the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, if we keep ourself purely in sattva-guṇa, that is called śuddha-sattva, simply purified sattva-guṇa. Then we will be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. So not only we have to acquire the qualities of sattva-guṇa, satyaṁ śamaḥ śaucaḥ ārjavaṁ titikṣā, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam... (BG 18.42). These are the characteristic of sattva-guṇa: truthful... So much so truthful that, as they are stated by the commentators, that even an enemy asks some secret from you, you can say. Suppose a thief has come: "Now, what you have got in your box?" So if you say, "I have got so many thousands of rupees" or "hundreds," truthfulness should be like that. Even to your enemy it should be disclosed. That is called truthfulness.
So if we discriminate like this, then we shall be advancing. Apavarga-vartmani. Taj-joṣaṇād āśu apavarga-vartmani śraddhā bhaktir anukramiṣyati. Just like if we are diseased, there is infectious disease, epidemic, so we should be careful not to be infected by the infectious disease. Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī said in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa... He has written one book, "The Behavior of the Vaiṣṇava," Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. So in that book he has recommended, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam. He has said that "One who is not Vaiṣṇava by his behavior, by his action, by his mode of life, if he speaks something from śāstra, especially hari-kathā..." Hari-kathā means Bhagavad-gītā, the Purāṇas, out of which the Bhāgavata, Mahāpurāṇa. So we should not hear from a professional reader, or avaiṣṇava, or Māyāvādī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned, māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa (CC Madhya 6.169). If we hear Bhagavad-gītā—that is kṛṣṇa-kathā, hari-kathā—we should not hear from the Māyāvādīs or avaiṣṇava. Then it will not be effective.
Rāga means attachment, and vi means vigata. Vigata-rāga. And from virāga-vairāgya. Jñāna-vairāgya. This is wanted. Human life is meant for jñāna and vairāgya. Two things required. We are continuing this material existence on account of rāga, attachment, attachment for sense gratification. That is the cause of material bondage. Material bondage means, we have explained several times, to accept one body, then create another body. We have got now this human form of body, and according to our, I mean to say, affection or infection to different qualities of the nature, we are creating another body. So in this way we are entangled. So unless we become virāga, virāga aindriyāt, sense gratification... These different changes of body are being possible on account of sense gratification. Nature or God or Kṛṣṇa will give me full facility. Just like in the Western countries especially, they are now trying to become naked, nudies. So nature will give them to stand naked like a tree, or tree, for many years. "You are so fond of become nudie. All right, you stand up here for ten thousand years without any dress." Nature will give you. Those who have no discrimination for eating—"Anything, damn rascal, let me. Give me. I will eat it"—"All right, then you can take the body of a pig and eat up to stool."
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means completely become purified from the infection of māyā, sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). That is stated by Kṛṣṇa. One who is a devotee fully engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service... So what is his position? The position is sa guṇān... sa guṇān etān, this prakṛter guṇān. Here it is said, prakṛter guṇānām. There are three guṇas—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa... So if one is engaged in devotional service, immediately he becomes transcendental to all these guṇas. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). Then he becomes again in his transcendental position, Brahman. Brahma-jñāna, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is... This position he comes. And as soon as one comes to this position, brahma-jñāna, brahma-bhūta... (SB 4.30.20). Now we are māyā-bhūta, identifying with ourself with this māyā, this prakṛti-guṇa, the modes of material nature: "I am this," "I am that," "I am this," "I am that." But when he becomes brahma-bhūta—"I don't belong to these prakṛti-guṇān, these nature's..., these modes of material nature. I belong to the spirit soul, Supreme. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi"—this brahma-jñāna will immediately make him happy. That is the symptom of a person who has attained brahma-jñāna.
So that is not possible, sir. You are under the control of māyā, material nature. You try to avoid it somehow or other, but it is not possible. It is not possible. According to the infection... Just like if you have infected some disease, artificial means will not save you. You must develop that disease and must suffer. There is no way out. Simply the way out is that if you take precaution, some vaccine, some injection, then you may avoid. Similarly, cannot... It is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot avoid the hands of māyā upon you, or material nature. We call "māyā," and the modern scientific word is "material nature." Completely under. You cannot avoid it. But mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa... When Kṛṣṇa will save me? I am so much sinful.
So at the present moment, especially in Kali-yuga, they are not very much educated, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhā... (SB 1.1.10). They are simply busy how to earn some money and fill up the belly, that's all. They are not no more interested in Vedānta-sutra. Mandāḥ, mandāḥ means very slow, or very bad. They are so badly infected with the influence of māyā, they do not care to understand that there is life after death, and that life may be anything of these 8,400,000 forms of life. And if I become one of them, if I become tree, if I become cat, if I become dog, or insect or even human being, then, if I am in a very inconvenient condition then they do not care to know. Sometimes they say, "Never mind if I become a dog, what is the wrong there? I will forget everything." People say, in western country, even the university student, they say they don't, so ignorance. Therefore they have been described as mandāḥ.
So there is affection, either as master or servant or son and father, but it is the duty of the servant or son to give service to the Supreme. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has defined that real svarūpa... Svarūpa means original identification, not artificially. Artificially you can think, "I have become God. I have become Bhagavān. I am this. I am that," all rascaldom. The real position is that eternal servitude. That is not this servitude. We sometimes shudder, "Oh, I have to become servant?" No, you do not know how much happy life is that servitude. That we do not know. We compare with this because materially, we are infected. We are thinking to become servant of God is like servant of... No. There, in the spiritual world, the servant of God and servant is the same.
So we should take this chance. We should not be foolish. Don't be foolish, mūḍha. Just surrender to Kṛṣṇa and execute Kṛṣṇa's service, what Kṛṣṇa says. Do that; you will be saved. You will be saved from these clutches of māyā, repetition of birth and death. Even if you fall down, if you do not be able to execute devotional service fully, still, you will get next change as a human being. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). You will get again chance of this human body. But if you don't take Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then there is no guarantee. You can become next life a cat, dog, tree, or anything, according to the infection and quality. But if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious and if you give even little service to Kṛṣṇa, your next life as human being is guaranteed. And that is not ordinary human life, but śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi (SB 1.5.17). Nārada Muni said that "If one engages himself in devotional service out of sentiment, it doesn't matter. Still, if he does some service to Kṛṣṇa, then he is gainer. And one who is very practical, does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and take to material activities and thinks that he is very advanced, there is no gain." He is under karma. According karma, he will get body.
This is the disease. This is called material disease. One is infected by the prākṛta-guṇa. The prākṛta-guṇa... Guṇa means quality, mode. So prākṛta means this material prakṛti, and spiritual means aprākṛta. There are different stages of knowledge: pratyakṣa, parokṣa, aparokṣa, adhokṣaja, aprākṛta. One has to go step by step. General knowledge means pratyakṣa, whatever you perceive by the senses. That is called pratyakṣa. And the knowledge which you receive from authorities, that is parokṣa. Then aparokṣa, realization. Then adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means knowledge which beyond your perception. But there is source of knowledge, adhokṣaja.
So the prākṛta-guṇa. So long we are in this material world, infected by the material qualities, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, that is prākṛta life, not aprākṛta. You have to go step by step. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness is adhokṣaja, far beyond this prākṛta knowledge, prākṛta-guṇa. The highest position of prākṛta or material life is the standard of brahminical qualities. But that is also prākṛta. That is not aprākṛta. That is also not the Brahman realization. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. That is also the highest stage of prākṛta, glimpse of the light. But one has to become free from the prākṛta envelopment. Prākṛta-guṇaiḥ. Our present position is we are infected by the prākṛta-guṇa. Some of them are infected by the sattva-guṇa; some of them are infected by the rajo-guṇa; some of them are infected by tamo-guṇa. So long one is infected by the tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, his position is very abominable, rajas-tamas. One has to become at least on the sattva-guṇa, the brahminical qualification. Then spiritual knowledge can be realized, prākṛta-guṇa.
So we have to understand Bhagavān and we have to hear from Him. And He's speaking perfectly in the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And if you take it yad viditvā, if you are fortunate enough to understand the words of Kṛṣṇa and Kapiladeva, then the result will be vimucyeta: immediately become liberated. If you are fortunate enough, if you are intelligent enough to understand the words of Kapiladeva or Kṛṣṇa or Ṛṣabhadeva—there are so many incarnations—then puruṣaḥ prākṛtair vimucyeta. Vimucyeta means become free, uncontaminated. What is that contamination? Prākṛta-guṇa, these material infection that "I'm brāhmaṇa," "I'm kṣatriya," "I'm vaiśya," "I'm śūdra," "I'm American," "I'm Indian," "I'm this," "I'm that." These are all prakṛti. Prakṛti, material qualifications. Even if you are perfect brāhmaṇa, that is also material qualification. But in the platform of pure brāhmaṇa you can have the chance of understanding the aprākṛta, adhokṣaja. Therefore you have to become brāhmaṇa, qualified brāhmaṇa. Then there is chance.
Just like a physician, a doctor, medical man. He goes to the hospital to treat the infected patients. So he is not affected by the infection. He has got such precautionary measures, or he is so equipped with, that he is not infected with the disease. Those who are weak... That is stated in the Bhāgavatam: etad īśanam īśasya. That is īśa. Īśa means the controller. Rather, if something infectious come in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it becomes purified. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29), it is said. Another example can be given: just like the sun. The sunshine absorbs water even from urine or any infectious place. Any filthy place, the sun absorbs the water. But the sun is not infected, because it is very powerful. Similarly, if you try to absorb water from the urine, then you will be infected. That is called etad īśasya īśanam.
Even those who are devotees, they are not infected by the three modes of material nature.
So even ordinary living entities, those who are devotees, they are not infected by the three modes of material nature. How we can expect the Supreme Lord can be infected by the three modes of material nature? That is not possible. This is not... Even from ordinary argument, it cannot be accepted.
Sunshine is combination small particle of shining molecules. Similarly, we are also the same spark. Dīpārcir eva hi daśāntaram abhyupetya dīpāyate (Bs. 5.46). So Kṛṣṇa and His expansion, They are all the same. And we, vibhinnāṁśa jīva, we are very small. Therefore our condition is different from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not infected by the material qualities but, we become infected. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14), it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā. The activities in this material world, Kṛṣṇa remains unaffected, but we, being a small particle, we become infected by the qualities: tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ.
So those who are too much infected by these material qualities, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). They think that "Kṛṣṇa and we are the same." But that is not the fact. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because Kṛṣṇa comes as human being, we may think that "Kṛṣṇa is as good as I am." No, that should not be... Kṛṣṇa is vibhu, and we are aṇu.
So we have contacted, we have infected some prakṛti, some guṇa, some quality of the material nature. We are acting in that way. So at the present moment the material life means we are all working under the spell of this material nature, guṇaiḥ, guṇaiḥ. So I have got this body, Indian body. I am thinking, "I am Indian. My duty is like this, like that." One is born in America. He is thinking like that. One is born in dog family. He is thinking like that. One is born in cat's family... In this way, different varieties of body and different varieties of thinking. Different varieties of body. It is due to the body. So karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu. We do actually according to the body or according to the temperament. Karmasu kriyamāṇeṣu guṇaiḥ. And that is spelled by this material nature.
So everything is going on under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, but according to our position, we are enjoying different result. Not enjoying-suffering. Here there is no question of enjoyment. It is suffering. So this prakṛti, this material nature, is creating the situation—we have discussed already many times—according to our... Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). As we are associating with different modes of material nature or infecting different modes of material nature, so we are getting different situation, different body, different activities. The original cause is the material nature. Then we can say, "Then why we are suffering? Everything is given by the material nature. Why?" No. That is stated here, that bhoktṛtve sukha-duḥkhānāṁ puruṣaṁ prakṛteḥ param. The material nature is creating the situation for your suffering, so she is not responsible. You have to suffer. This is our position. You cannot say that "Material nature is creating. Why I shall suffer?" No. Just like if you say, "I did not know when I infected this disease, so why shall I suffer from it?" No. Because you have, somehow or other you have infected some type of disease, you must suffer. This is our position. Because you have come to this material nature and you have infected a certain quality or modes of material nature, the resultant action you have to suffer. Although the body is given to you by material nature, the bodily pains and pleasure, that you have to suffer. This is our position.
So if a devotee becomes nirguṇa immediately, as soon as he is engaged in devotional service of the Lord, how the Supreme Lord can become saguṇa? Just try to understand. Use your logic. If one becomes a devotee of the nirguṇa, he becomes nirguṇa, so why the nirguṇa God can be saguṇa? This Māyāvādī theory is not very logical, that when God comes He is saguṇa, He accepts this material body. No. That is not possible. Why He should accept body? He is all-powerful. He cannot be affected by the material laws. A man is suffering from some disease, infected. That does not mean when the physician comes to treat him he is also infected. He knows how to protect himself, disinfectant.
So saguṇa, this word... The Māyāvādī theory is saguṇa worship and nirguṇa worship. Saguṇa worship means when you worship a deity, in form, that is called saguṇa worship. And when you meditate upon impersonal, that is nirguṇa. That is their theory. But meditation is not possible unless there is form.
That is better platform to understand. Sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati. You can understand, you can get light of the spiritual world, by sattva-guṇa. But you have to surpass the sattva-guṇa. That is called śuddha-sattva, untinted, without any tinge of these rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. In the material world you may be situated on the brahminical qualification, sattva-guṇa, but there is chance of being infected by the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Therefore it is not śuddha-sattva, pure sattva. So you have to come to the platform of pure sattva-guṇa. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. That pure sattva, pure sattva-guṇa, mode of goodness, is called vasudeva, and Vasudeva he gives birth to Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. So when you come to that platform, then you will be able to give birth to Vāsudeva. That means you will meet Vāsudeva. śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. This is the process.
We are now vimūḍha. Now when you say that "These mūḍhas," they become angry. But actually, this is the verdict of the śāstra. So long you are within the time factor, within the material nature, you are vimūḍha. We are all vimūḍha. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhasya. And the same thing is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). Nobody is kartā. Here the prakṛti is kartā. Just like when you are under the influence of some contaminated disease, at that time, that disease infection is kartā. You are not kartā. That is our practical experience. When you are in high fever, then your so-called mastership is gone. You are under the mastership of the feverish condition. Similarly, we spirit soul, although we are better in quality than the material element... That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām, jīva-bhūtām: "The jīva, living entities, they are better quality than the material elements." But still, on account of his viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ, forgetting God—we are leading a different type of civilization or different type of life—therefore we have been subjected to the influence of time. This is Kṛṣṇa's, or God's, influence.
Karmāśayam, this false ego—we are creating different hopes of activity: "I shall do this. I shall do that." Grathitam, they are very deep-rooted, grathitam. So we have to pluck out this karmāśayam, the root of karma. Kūṭa-stha, then phalonmukha, and phala-prāpti. There are three stages, karmāśayam: kūṭa-stha, in the seed form, kūṭa-stha; then phalonmukham, sprouting; then prāpta, prārabdha. In the beginning it is aprārabdha, not yet manifest, and prārabdha means manifest. The same example, as we have given several times, infection. We have infect... Suppose I have infected some chronic disease or infectious disease. It is not yet manifest, but it is kūṭa-stha. It is... In the seed form there is. Then, all of a sudden, we get some feverish condition. That is called phalonmukha. And when it is high fever and quite manifest, the delusion and so many other things, that is called prārabdha.
The first step is given there, that sva-dharmācaraṇam. Sva-dharmācaraṇaṁ śaktyā. As far as possible, be situated in your natural life. Natural life means there are three modes of material nature. So somebody is affected or infected by some modes of material nature—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So the śāstra has made the path so clear that in either of these infection, either sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, you can make progress spiritual life. Because we must be in either of these. Just like a train is going on: there is first class, second class, third class. So because the train is going, either you place yourself in the first-class compartment or second class, you will go. You will go. It is not that because you are situated in the third-class compartment the your train is not going. No, you can go. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā has taught that one can go back to home, back to Godhead, in any position, provided he knows how to tackle the situation.
Where is that table light? Table light? (chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers) In the last meeting we are discussing about the life of a fallen brāhmaṇa, Ajāmila. He was addicted to prostitute. Therefore his high standard of life became degraded. This morning also we were reading in the Īśopaniṣad that God is apāpa-viddham. "A" means not, and pāpa means sin, and viddham, infected. The God is never infected by sin, sinful activities. Common sense. Just like a king orders somebody to be killed, "This man should be killed." This killing is sinful for the ordinary citizen, but killing by the order of the supreme executive head, the president or the king, that is not criminal. If you say that "Killing by me is criminal. Why it is not criminal for you, you, the president or the king?" I am giving a crude example.
The contamination of material world is called seed. That is seed. Just like you infect some disease, germ, you become diseased. I have got some infection, so I am diseased. You may know it or not know it, that doesn't matter. If you infect, knowingly or unknowingly, you will be diseased. So what is that infection? That infection, that is stated in the Īśopaniṣad, we read every morning, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). This everything what we see, either in the sky or in the water or outside our vision, everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. So everything God's property. You cannot, even you are son of God, you cannot take anything without God's permission. Just like even your father's property. You'll inherit your father's... That's a fact. But suppose a father has got on the table one thousand dollars. If you take it without his permission, if you think that "It is my father's money," but by law you become a criminal. Your father can prosecute you criminally. That is the state law. Even it is your father's money, even your father is very kind, but if you take your father's money without his permission, then you are a criminal. And what to speak of others?
Similarly, we are all sons of God.
We are working under the control of material nature, and we are infecting, contaminating different modes of material nature. Just like a person who has contaminated the smallpox infection, he must suffer from smallpox. That is medical science. Similarly, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). There are three material modes of nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. So if you associate with goodness, then your next body becomes manifest in the modes of goodness, just like highly intelligent class of men or the brāhmaṇa. If you infect the modes of passion, then you become passionate; you get passionate body. And ignorance also.
Every reply is there. As we are associating or contaminating different modes of material nature, we are manufacturing or giving chance to get a certain type of body, exactly if I infect the smallpox disease, I must suffer from it. This is the law of nature.
So when, after associating with the modes of goodness for many, many years—or not many, many years but many, many lives—then one can become very intelligent brāhmaṇa.
Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). The laws of nature is working, and he is infecting a particular type of the modes of material nature, he is preparing his next body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu.
So in the human form of life if we do not purify our existence, if we do not realize God, if we do not understand what is my relationship with God, then we are simply wasting time living like cats and dogs. These things should be stopped. And our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for stopping this rascal civilization and giving you life.
Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
So you can mix with ordinary people in that way. As far as your business is concerned, as it is necessary, but not intimately. And do your own business, chanting, and following the rules and regulations. That's all. It is simple thing. Just like doctors. They also mix with infected persons, but they do not become infected. You see. So preaching is like that. Unless you preach among the fallen souls, then where is the question of preaching? So you should not become fallen. (laughs) You should deliver the fallen. That should be your strength. But if you are less powerful, then you will become fallen. So your power is, your strength is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, strong Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will be powerful. You'll not fall. So we should be careful. All right. So little chanting? (devotees offer obeisances) Mukunda has not come back? Why he is so late? Hare Kṛṣṇa. Nobody has come back from London? You are coming from the temple, Uttamaśloka? You are coming from the temple, Jim? Oh, you are living here. All right.
Last night we had discussion on the first verse, Fifth Chapter, Fifth Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that this human life is meant for tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). We have to purify our existence. This is the mission of human life. At the present moment we are transmigrating from one body to another, and there are 8,400,000 species of life we are going through according to karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). How we develop a certain type of body, that is stated—everything is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam—by our karma. I have explained last night, it is just like infection. We are associating with different types of the modes of material nature. Generally there are three types of material nature, three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Now, you multiply these three by three: it becomes nine. And again you multiply nine by nine: it becomes eighty-one.
It is very great shackle, repetition of birth and death, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). One should understand this implication, how we are implicated. We are thinking, "Now I am very happy." No, next moment you can become a low-graded body because karmaṇā daiva... If we are acting in a different way, the nature's way is to give you... Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Guṇa-saṅga. As we are associating, infecting the different types of material modes of nature, the body is ready immediately. Everything is explained. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). At the time of death everything will be, I mean to say, the atmosphere of our death. So, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. If you have acted like devas or bhaktas, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti: (BG 4.9) you can immediately transfer to the spiritual world, go to Kṛṣṇa, go to Vaikuṇṭha. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). If you are thinking of some demigods whom you are worshiping, you can go there. Bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. If you think of Kṛṣṇa, then you go immediately. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Everything is there.
We are not independent. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). As you are associating with the different modes of material nature, the prakṛti, material nature, by pulling your ear, "You'll come on here. Take this body." "No, I don't want." "No, that is not your discretion. Now you have infected, you see. You must take this body." This risk is there. And just to forget ourself we sometimes say, "No, there is no life after death." Why there is no life after death? You were a child. The child became a boy, the boy became a young man, the young man became an old man, and what is the old man? He must have a body, next body. That is not simply mental speculation. This is confirmed by the most exalted authority, by Kṛṣṇa. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As you have changed your body in so many ways from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then, similarly, dehāntara-prāptiḥ.
Prabhupāda: Disease you contact. Nobody forces you to contact disease. When you become diseased, you contaminate some infection, not that anyone forces you to contaminate. So when you come to the material world, it is your own disease.
Woman: But it is a disease if you have to be reborn. It's reincarnation then, going to another form of disease again. But you haven't attained the spiritual, complete spiritual...
Prabhupāda: Yes. Then you'll be cured of this material disease. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Yena śarīra-bandhaḥ. People are working very hard, day and night. Karmātmakam. Karmātmakam means that "I shall work and make profit and enjoy." That is called karmātmakam, fruitive activities. Everyone is working for some profit. So in this way, according to different karma, or according to different association. Everyone is engaged in different karma, or activities. Just like disease. Disease means different type of contamination. This is disease. Doctors, they have got different..., they have to treat different types of diseases by different types of medicine. Why? Because the patient has contaminated a different type of infection.
Therefore unless one comes to the standard of inquiring, "What I am? Why I am forced to suffer? I do not like to suffer. I do not like to die. Why there is death? I do not like to become old man. Why I become old man? I do not want any disease. Why there is disease?" they are not making solution of these problems. They are after these temporary problems. Therefore they are working hard. Working hard means simply contaminating another kind of infection, and therefore the śarīra-bandha. Śarīra-bandha, different types of bodies I am transmigrating from one body to another. My problem remains the same: birth, death, old age and disease. And therefore whatever I am doing, it is all defeat. Parābhava.
That is a temporary infection. But it can be cured. If one likes, he can cure his disease and again he can become healthy. Similarly, we are fallen somehow or other. "Somehow or other" means the reason is as soon as we become independent, we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, but we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa—we want to become independent. Then immediately we are forced by the illusory energy to come under her and work under her direction. We are born servant, jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It is made for the purpose of serving me. This is the purpose. But when it is diseased When it cannot serve the body, then it is diseased. Similarly, our constitutional position is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa. That is real life. And when you don't serve Kṛṣṇa or deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is diseased condition. And that is called māyā. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare, pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare.
So we have to cure our disease. This disease means... Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means purification of our diseased condition, infectious condition. It is not anything artificial.
Māyā is there means the laws are so automatic, māyā's law, that as soon as you do something, immediately the next stage is ready. The māyā hasn't got to do anything. Just like if you infect some disease, the next stage—then you must suffer from that disease. It is automatic, not that māyā has to come, and he has to convince you, "Sir, you have infected smallpox. Now you suffer from this smallpox." No, automatically it takes. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Everything is going on systematically. You cannot change. That is called destiny. Destiny means that so long we are under the laws of nature, that is to happen. You cannot change it. That is not possible. Only... Such law can be changed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
he rascals, they are thinking they are independent. They are not independent. Completely under the control of the material nature. Otherwise why there are different species of life? Where is the arrangement? Arrangement is there. If you remain in sattva-guṇa, then you get higher form of life. Nature's law is so perfect that it hasn't got to create. It is automatically. Just like if you infect some disease, germs, you will automatically suffer from that disease. Similarly, if we are in contamination, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa... Sattva-guṇa... Here sattva-guṇa is also a contamination. And what to speak of rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa? So this is called pravṛtti-mārga. According to our inclination we are contacting a certain type of the modes of material nature and we are getting different types of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Kāraṇam. Why one is getting better position, and why one is not getting? Why one is dog, and why one is millionaire? So it is due to our association with different modes of material nature.
So pravṛtti-mārga means if I do things according to my whims, that is called pravṛtti-mārga. Then the next life is waiting for my suffering. That is fact. Just like if you irresponsibly live and there is epidemic and you contact some disease, infection, then you must suffer from it. There is no excuse. So we are acting in this life, in this material world as it is stated here, traiguṇya-viṣayo mune Pravṛtti-lakṣaṇaś caiva traiguṇya-viṣayo mune. Our desires According to the modes of material nature, we are associating. Just like in the temple, in this temple. Here everything is on the modes of goodness. So if you associate with this temple atmosphere, your behavior, your mode of life, will be different. And if you associate with the atmosphere of a brothel, a slaughterhouse, then your atmosphere will be different. That means infection. Association means infection. If we infect tamo-guṇa, then your life is different. And if you infect the rajo-guṇa, then your life is different. Therefore there are varieties of life. Why there are varieties of life? Because we have infected different varieties of infection. There are three kinds of infection originally: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, just like originally there are three colors: red, yellow, and blue. Now, you mix up these three colors. Three into three, it becomes nine, and nine into nine, it becomes eighty-one. So those who are expert color mixer, they make varieties of color originally from these three color. Similarly, originally there are three kinds of material modes of nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Now mix it. It become nine, and again nine into nine, Therefore there are 8,400,000 forms of life on account of this mixture.
It may be faith. Just like different kinds of disease. You infect one kind of, I mean to say, infection. You suffer in that disease. So it is due to... Different desire means different types of association. We are, therefore, recommending that you associate with us. Then there will be one desire, how to understand God, that's all. That is wanted. The bhakti means sarvopādhi... Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Anyābhilāṣa, other desires, other material desires, when we give up and only desire to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is our perfection. This has to be learned. We have got certainly many desires according to infection and association. But when we agree to give up all these desire... Desire must be there. If there is no desire, then you are a dead stone. Desire must be there. Any living being, he must have desires. Otherwise how he is living? He is dead stone. So desire must be there. But is should be proper desire. The proper desire is... Because we are part and parcel of God, so our desire should be how to meet Him again and work with Him conjointly. That should be the only desire. Therefore when Kṛṣṇa comes, He orders, or He commands, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all other desires.
Ordinary disease, that can be cured by giving some tablet, but if the disease is very severe, then you have to undergo severe medical treatment and suffering and so on. This very example. This is practical. This is practical. There is no question of doubt. The example is given that in this life, if you have some severe type of disease, you have to pay the doctor's bill, also severe. That you cannot avoid. So why not for sinful activities? And what is disease? Disease infection means that is also violating the laws of nature. That is disease. Just I gave you the example, a little scratching of nail, again means (indistinct) so much trouble. So you cannot violate, that is, that is breaking the laws of nature, breaking the laws of God. That is sinful. Either you take it as disease or take it as sinful activities or whatever you call it. This is... So you have to atone.
A thief knows that stealing is not good. It is against law, and against our revealed scriptures also. No religious book or scriptures will say that "You go on stealing." No. Neither the state laws also allows stealing. A man knows. And suppose he's stolen in the past and he was punished or he sees that one who has stolen property, he is arrested by the police and he's being taken into custody. He has seen it, he has heard it. We experience. We gather our knowledge by seeing and by hearing. So both things he has done, but still he is stealing. Why? This is the question. So suppose if I knowingly do something and I make atonement and again I do it. Or a disease. I know that if I attack this infection I'll suffer, still I, ah, become infected, and again I suffer. Again I go to the physician, he gives me medicine, again I'm cured, again disease. This is going on. Why this is? He has got experience, and still he has experienced, he has seen, he has heard, he has full knowledge that "This kind of sinful activity will be fruitful in this way, and I'll have to suffer."
He's prescribing first thing. Just like if you live regularly, if you take foodstuff not more than what you require, if take nice foodstuff, healthy foodstuff, if you follow the hygienic principles, then you will never be attacked with disease. Very reasonable (indistinct). Similarly, we have to live very regulated life; then we shall not be affected or infected by sinful activities. That is the prescription. This is required. If we do not live regulated life, if we do not follow the regulative principles as they are given in the śāstra, then in spite of being put into jail, in spite of my suffering, as soon as I come back, I again commit the same thing and again go to jail. This is... The example is given very nicely here that if anyone does not know how to live hygienically, healthfully, he must fall diseased. That's a fact. Similarly, one must have knowledge what is the value of this life, how I shall live, then he will be not subjected to the sinful activities. This is the conclusion. And if he lives like ass and cow, without any knowledge, without knowing the values of human life, then he must be subjected to sinful activities and will be punished one after another, accepting different types of bodies.
So ignorance is no excuse. In the law court if you say, "Sir, it was not known to me," so that does not mean that you will be excused. Similarly, knowingly or unknowingly, if you do something, sinful act, then you are immediately criminal. You'll be punishable. It doesn't matter whether you know or not know. Just like fire. This child, if he touches the fire, the fire will not excuse. There is no consideration, "Sir, here is a little child. He does not know this fire is burning." But as soon as he touches, it will burn. This is nature's law. You infect some disease knowingly or unknowingly, it doesn't matter, but the disease will be manifest. Suppose you have infected smallpox infection, contamination. Then it will be manifest.
Surfer, yes. (devotees laugh) Surfer. I call "sufferer." "Sea-sufferer." (laughter) Sea-surfer, it is practical because we are creating a situation by which we shall become a fish. Yes. Contamination. Just like if you purposely contaminate some disease you must suffer from that disease. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22), in the Bhagavad-gītā. Why there are different varieties of life? What is the reason? That reason means kāraṇam. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad..., kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni prakṛti-stho 'pi puruṣaḥ bhuñjante tad-guṇān. So the reason is as we are infecting. The nature's law is so perfect that you infect something, some disease, some contamination, then you must suffer. This is nature's law, automatically going on. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya.
. And again, if we act sinfully, then it will increase. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī is advising that "Before your death, you should atone for the sinful activities, what you have done." Just like in the Manu-saṁhitā, if a man has committed some murder, it is advised that King should order him to be hanged. Otherwise next life he will have to suffer so much. So this order of hanging a murderer is a kind of kindness to the criminal.
So here it is advised that doṣasya dṛṣṭvā guru-lāghavaṁ yathā (SB 6.1.8). There are different kinds of sinful activities, and there are different kinds of suffering also. A little infection of bronchitis, the suffering is not so acute, but infection of smallpox is fatal. We should always remember that. We are infecting. On account of this material world, we are infecting different modes of material nature. I have explained several times. There are three modes of material nature, and when you mix up, then it becomes three into three equal to nine, and again mix up, nine into nine, eighty-one, and again mix up Every minute particles, there is account. You cannot avoid. Material nature's punishment you cannot avoid. Even little, whatever you have done, it will be punished. Automatically the rules and regulations are there. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-sangaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. Why there are so different varieties of life if there is no some judgment behind it? There must be. Otherwise everyone should have been of the same bodily feature, same standard of life, same opulence. No. So many grades, because the modes of material nature are different, different mixture.
If one has got little headache, he gives one that tablet, aspirin tablet, but if it is pneumonia, then the treatment is different. That is being advised, that "One has to see what kind of sinful activity he has done and what is the atonement for that purpose." This is advised. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was advised that "These people, they are suffering in different grades of suffering on account of different grades of sinful activities. So best thing is: before death, if they seek atonement for different grades of sinful activities, then it is good for him so that after death he may not suffer very severely." But people do not accept even that "There is life after death, we are eternal, and the infection which you are committing, that will react." There is no such knowledge. The modern civilization is so foolish. Simply like cats and dogs, they are eating and sleeping and sex life and little defense, that's all. They have no knowledge.
So therefore we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lokasya ajānataḥ, they do not know what kind of risky life they are conducting. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to make them awakened to the consciousness.
Then Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued to speak, "My dear king, if a diseased person eats the pure, uncontaminated food prescribed by a physician, he is gradually cured and the infection of disease can no longer touch him. If one follows the regulative principles of knowledge, he gradually progresses toward liberation from material contamination." Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this life, human form of life, is simply meant for inquiring about Brahman." At the present moment, especially in this Kali-yuga, nobody is interested in brahma-jijñāsā.
Santoṣa: "My dear King, the pure uncontaminated food prescribed by a physician is suitable for a diseased person. If the patient continues eating such food, the infection of disease cannot touch him, for although diseased, he gradually advances on the path toward cure. Similarly, if one follows the regulative principles of preliminary knowledge, he gradually progresses toward liberation from material contamination."
Prabhupāda:
- nāśnataḥ pathyam evānnaṁ
- vyādhayo 'bhibhavanti hi
- evaṁ niyamakṛd rājan
- śanaiḥ kṣemāya kalpate
- (SB 6.1.12)
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he, prāyaścittam atho 'pārtham (SB 6.1.10), he rejected this prāyaścitta policy, "I do something wrong and..." Just like in your country it is very... You make little mistake in driving car and you get a ticket. You go to the police and give some fine. But you should be careful no again ticket, again ticket. So this is condemned by Parīkṣit Mahārāja, that we can do mistake once or twice, but what is this? I go on committing mistake, and the police ticket is there, and again give, pay fine, and again do the same mistake again, again and again? Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Better be careful.
So here Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "My dear king, if a diseased person eats the pure, uncontaminated food prescribed by a physician, he is gradually cured, and the infection of disease can no longer touch him. Similarly, if one follows the regulative principles of knowledge, he gradually progresses towards liberation from material contamination." This is the translation of the... Nāśnataḥ pathyam. Pathyam. Pathyam means good foodstuff, not "Anything I can eat." That is the business of the hogs and dogs. Just like hogs have no discrimination. Anything, up to stool you give him: it will eat. That is not human civilization. Although it is the law of nature that ahastāni sahastānām. Vegetables or animals who has no hand... Just like ordinary animals, they have got four legs, no hand. So these four-legged animals is the food for the two-legged animals. Ahastāni sahastānām. Uncivilized men means two-legged animals. They are animals, but two-legged.
I want to control death, disease, but I cannot. Everyone is trying. As soon as one is diseased, he tries to control it. He goes to take help from other, the physician, but he cannot. Therefore he is not supreme controller. And at the same time, I want something, but it is not happening. Just like I want to eat something palatable, but due to my diseased condition, I cannot eat. Forbidden apple. But I have the desire to eat it. So because I am not supreme controller, because I am in diseased condition, therefore my business is to cure the disease. Cure the disease—that is sane man's business. If you are infected with some disease, you should try to cure it. That is your business. If you don't care of it, then you are nonsense. You are not very intelligent man. If you keep yourself always in diseased condition, that is... You are not very intelligent man. Similarly, we are part and parcel of God, a small God, but under material conditions we are subjected to birth, death, old age and disease. We should understand this.
In the ordinary life also, we live a little carefully so that we may not fall sick. For that purpose there is very vigilance in the immigration department that in Australia we had some nice mangoes brought from Bombay, and they did not allow to take it. They thought this mango is more dangerous than the dry meat. They will allow importation of dry meat, three hundred years old, (laughter) put into the refrigerator, and that is imported. That is not infectious. But mango, very nice mango, fresh mango—we started in Bombay at night, and we came in the morning, it has become poisonous. So we are so much precautious that not any germs, infectious disease, may enter. That is there. But what is that infection which has caused me to accept this material body again and again? That they do not know. That they do not know. They do not believe in the next life, and therefore āsurāḥ janāḥ. This is, the symptom or characteristic of the āsurāḥ janāḥ. You should be precautious. That is natural. We become precautious, that "We should not do this so that I may not fall sick." But we do not know what is our real sickness. That we do not know.
They are, of course, investigating how to stop birth, but still, birth is going on. This sort of stopping births, by killing the body, is not stopping because the body is not the person. The real person is within the body, within the body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). We have explained. That they do not know. They are taking... No. By killing the body or by protecting the body, that is not the solution. The solution is that the living entity has infected itself with the material disease. It has to be cured. That is the whole purpose of Vedic civilization, how to cure your material disease.
So this cure of material disease have been described—we are discussing—first by atonement. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja did not like it very much because he saw, the atonement is like bathing of the elephant. By atonement we may be free from the infection, but again we do it. Karmaṇā. Then again... That is called karma-kāṇḍa, fruitive activities. Because the bīja, the seed of my sinful desires, that is not cured.
They have no distinction what is sinful life or what is pious life. But we may not believe in these things, but things are there like that. Just like if you infect some disease, it will come out. You believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. Here is our doctor saheb. He knows that if you have infected some disease, it will come out. So we are infecting so many infectious qualities. There are three qualities—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa—and according to our infection, we have to accept a different type of body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Every one of us, we are working under the modes of material nature, and according to our association we will have to accept a certain type of body, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Unfortunately, there is no science, there is no college, there is no university to learn this science of nature, how things are going on. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛti is being there.
So we are in this material world on account of this infectious condition.
So here is one significant word, surā-kumbham. Everything is washed very nicely. If you go to the river, you can wash very nicely. But just see how much infectious is liquor that the any pot or any bottle which was filled up with liquor, they cannot be purified. This is Vedic civilization. How much condemned is liquor! Because a pot was filled up with liquor, you cannot use it for any other purpose. It is lost. Even if you wash it very nicely, no, it will not be accepted. Finished. Similarly, there are many processes of purification; they cannot be as useful as bhagavad-bhakti. Bhagavad-bhakti is so nice that Kṛṣṇa says that "You surrender to Me," sarva-dharmān parityajya, "and immediately you become immune from all reaction of sinful activity, immediately."
So in our other branches, all the devotees, they take together prasādam. That is nice. Why one should be not liking to take prasādam in the temple? What is the fault? No, this is not good. We should... Everyone should take prasādam. You see still if you go to Jagannātha Purī. Even outsiders who go there, they do not cook. Strictly, they do not cook. They purchase prasādam. And if you go there, one thousand men—because there are pilgrims, they are coming, there is no—you will get immediately ready prasādam, purchased from the the market, the Jagannātha Purī, still. And there is no such thing as infection. I am taking your prasādam remnants. Whatever you left, I am... He is taking. Even if you are outcaste, if you are not brāhmaṇa, still there is. Because prasāda is transcendental. It is not material thing. So one must have faith that it is not material. It cannot be infected by any material things. In this way prasāda should be taken. It is called prasāda-sevā, not "prasāda enjoyment." Sevā means giving service. Prasāda is as good as Kṛṣṇa; therefore prasāda should be respected as good as Kṛṣṇa. As soon as one gets prasādam, immediately he touches on the head because it is Kṛṣṇa, absolute. In this way we have to be trained up as it is prescribed in the śāstras.
Everyone likes the taste of the prasādam. I used to go in my household life to take prasādam in the temples and pay them. I used to do that. And I used to go... Especially in Śrī Rāmapur, there are two temples, one of Jagannātha and one of Rādhā-Vallabhajī. So it was very nice. On Sunday I used to go to take prasādam. So you should be habituated to prasādam as far as possible unless you are very sick, you cannot take. That is different. Otherwise you should take it. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Then we will remember Kṛṣṇa, and that will keep us fit and immune from all infection of material miserable condition.
So prāyaścittāni, because one, if he, one is not nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukha... Nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukha and nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa—just the opposite. One is Nārāyaṇa..., attached to Nārāyaṇa, and one is detached to Nārāyaṇa. So Nārāyaṇa detached cannot be purified simply by performing or executing the ritualistic ceremony. That is the verdict of this verse.
So we have to give up this body and we have to accept another body. So labor or work for such body which will no more be material body. This is intelligence. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). Next body means as we are acting, according to the resultant action of our activities, we get next body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). How you get next life? In this life we are acting in a certain way, and by nature we shall get a similar body. Nature's law is so perfect that the law you... Just like infection. I have several times explained. You infect some disease, the disease will come out. Not that somebody will come to award you the disease. By nature's way, it will come out. If you say that "Somebody will come," no. The nature's law is so perfect. Just like if you touch fire, immediately it will burn, not that you have to wait. Similarly, nature's law. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). As you are associating with different modes of material nature, you are creating your future.
As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Pavitra. Kṛṣṇa is addressed by Arjuna, pavitram. In the Upaniṣad it is said, Īśopaniṣad, apāpa-viddham. God cannot be infected by sinful activities. That is God's... Just like we are infected by sinful activities, God is not like that... There is Absolute. So He is always pure. So we have to make ourselves purified before we can approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So these are sinful activities: illicit sex life and meat-eating, unnecessarily killing the animals. Why should you kill animals? If God has given you so many nice foodstuffs—varieties of fruit, varieties of grain, sufficient milk—why should you take to this obnoxious foodstuff? But it is ill luck, unfortunate. By ill association you have learned all this nonsense. So therefore one has to give up these nonsense habits. That is called tapasya. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1).
You can do that, but things are going on. The government is very, very strong. Little deviation from the law, you'll be punished. Little deviation. Nature's law, they are so systematically set up that automatically... Just like the same example I've given: you'll infect some disease, automatically you'll have to suffer from the disease. Not that somebody's come to ask you that "You have infected this disease. Now you have to suffer from this." No. The machine is so perfect that as you have infected this disease... This is practically we know. So all of a sudden one gets cholera. So the doctor says that you are very bilious, or cholera (indistinct). So nature's law is so perfect. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot escape. Suppose you can eat two ounce, and if you eat four ounce, then you have to starve three days. This is the law. "There's some very palatable dishes. Now eat, let me eat it to my satisfaction," and you'll overeat. No. The nature's law is that you have to starve for three days. Next eating will be after three days.
So you are suffering. You are maintaining so many slaughterhouses, and when it will be mature, there will be war, the wholesale murder. Finished. One atom bomb—finished. You'll have to suffer. Don't think that "Innocent animals, they cannot protest. Let us kill and eat." No. You'll be also punished. Wait for accumulation of your sinful activities, and there will be war, and the America will drop the atom bomb, and Russia will be finished. Both will be finished. Go on now enjoying. It takes time. Just like even if you infect some disease, it takes time. Not that immediately you infect, and immediately the disease is there. No. It takes a week's time or so.
Everything is being supplied by the nature. By the order of Kṛṣṇa, according to the modes of nature, we are contaminating guṇa-nāma. As we are infected with a certain type of guṇa, immediately our body, activities, name... We have contacted, contaminated, with tamo-guṇa... There are so many animals in the tamo-guṇa—trees, plants. Tamo-guṇa: darkness, no knowledge. So similarly sattva-guṇa. If you associate with sattva-guṇa, then you get the body of a brāhmaṇa, intelligent man, saintly man. Everything is ready. It requires only our association. That's all. Therefore the advice is that "You all become the topmost qualified man." That is the propaganda of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So we must know what is our constitutional position. That we do not know. We are sat, eternal; therefore we shall act in such a way that will benefit my eternal life. That is sat. Therefore the Vedas instruct, asato mā sad gamaḥ: "Don't be engaged in temporary activities, bodily..." Bodily necessities means temporary. If I am child, my body is of a child's body, then my necessities are different from my father's necessities. So everyone is engaged in bodily necessities. Therefore it is said, dehavān na hy akarma-kṛt. And kāriṇāṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sti. Infection. We have got this practical understanding. If your body infects some disease, then you have to suffer. And if your body remains uninfected, unaffected by any poisonous..., then you remain healthy. Therefore it is said, sambhavanti hi bhadrāṇi viparītāni cānaghaḥ. Viparītāni. Viparī means just opposite.
There is said guṇa-saṅgaḥ, infected by the modes of material nature. But Kṛṣṇa says anyone, māṁ ca avyabhicāriṇi-bhakti-yogena, avyabhicāriṇi, without any stoppage, twenty-four hours, if one is engaged in devotional service, avyabhicāriṇi bhakti-yogena ya sevate, serving Kṛṣṇa, then he is no more in the guṇa-saṅgaḥ. Here it is said guṇa-saṅgaḥ, infection of the material qualities. So if one is twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, he is no more in touch with these three guṇas. Otherwise he will be in touch with the guṇas, different guṇas, and he will be infected, and you have to... Just like if you infect some disease, you have to suffer from that particular disease. This is going on.
She was not suffering, but wherever she used to go, everyone was infected with typhoid. So that is the explained. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). If you are strong enough, then the lower qualities will not affect you. And if you are not strong, if you are weak yourself, then where you are going to convert, they will induce their infectious quality, and you will be victimized. So kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṇgo 'sya. So in the Western countries, everywhere, all over the world at the present moment, Kali-yuga, the guṇa, the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, is very prominent. The rajo-guṇa... How it is understood that the rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, is prominent? Now, the rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, the symptom, rajas-tamo bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhadayaś ca ye... Tada rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhadayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). When one is infected with tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, the symptoms will be that he is very greedy and lusty. This is the symptom. If one is very greedy and lusty, then you should know that he is infected with rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. And if one is not greedy and lusty—satisfied in every circumstances, and is Kṛṣṇa conscious or trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious—then it is sattva-guṇa. He is turned.
Because there is no satiation of want, therefore every man or woman planning something, "How my sense gratification will be fully satisfied." This is rajo-guṇa, kāma. Everyone is forgetting his real business. His real business is he should know, one should know, that "I am eternal. I have taken this temporary body and subjected to the laws of nature, birth, death and old age. So my real problem is how to become again eternal, not accepting any more birth, death, old age. That is my real business." But because I am infected with the material modes of nature, we are making different plans. Everyone is busy. Everyone is busy in different plans, forgetting his real business. This is called māyā. Māyā means..., ma means not; ya means this. Therefore māyā means when you understand, "This is not my business," then you are out of māyā. "This is not," mā-yā.
So these are all due to different infection of the guṇa. Tamo-guṇa means shameless, tamo-guṇa. Rajo-guṇa means lusty desire. And sattva-guṇa means knowledge, to see things as they are. So just like here in the temple, we are cultivating sattva-guṇa, or more than that, above sattva-guṇa. Above sattva-guṇa. It is said in the śāstra that to live in the forest is sattva-guṇa. Sattva-guṇa, people have got tendency to live in a secluded place, solitary place, without any disturbance. That is sign of sattva-guṇa. And to live in the cities, big, big cities, skyscraper building, this is rajo-guṇa. And to live in the brothel, in the liquor shop, in the slaughterhouse, this is tamo-guṇa. Sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. But to live in the temple is transcendental. Transcendental. It is above sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, to live in temple. Therefore we are introducing this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement so that the persons who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, living in the temple according to the regulative principles, they are above all these sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. That is wanted. Nistraiguṇya. Traiguṇya means three guṇas, and niḥ means negative.
So tapo means undergo some austerities, penances, for divyam. For awakening your spiritual existence. Then your struggle for existence will stop. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Just like one man is infected with some disease. That is aśuddha, impure condition. So we try to make it purified by injection, by medicine. And similarly, we are getting repeatedly different types of body. Now we should purify this bodily existence. And that purification in this age, it is very, very simple: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That's all. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's contribution. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). If you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, paraṁ vijāyate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. So very simple thing. There is no question of cast, creed, nationality, color, richness. No. Everyone has got the tongue by the grace of God. Everyone can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So just continue and be happy.
Then tad etat ṣoḍaśa-kalam liṅgam. Liṅgam means the form. Liṅgaṁ śakti-trayaṁ mahat. Just like we have got this microphone, so the machine is made of these elements. That is analyzed. Then how it is working? Śakti-traya. The sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, mahat-tattva, the material elements... In this way the living entity is under the full control of material nature. And everything is coming out swiftly by our desire. These desires are also being generated from the soul, but by the infection of three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So just try to understand how the nature's law is working very finely and immediately. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). And above all these things, the nature's working, there is Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The prakṛti, nature... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Everything is being done. Just like the big airship is floating in the sky, but the pilot is pushing the button, similarly, the whole cosmic manifestation is working, but the button-pusher is Kṛṣṇa. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate. His knowledge is so perfect, and He has made this machine so perfect. A man can make so nice perfect machine, so what to speak about God? So mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10).
So one desire, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," this is called mukti, as soon as Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is mukti. If we give up all other desires and agree to accept Kṛṣṇa's desires, that mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, "You surrender unto Me," that is mukti; that is liberation. Otherwise, under the influence of these twenty-four elements and the material nature and the three guṇas, infection, dhatte anusaṁsṛtiṁ puṁsi harṣa-śoka-bhayārtidām, you go on changing any body. The subject matter is very difficult, but we have to learn it from śāstra what is our position. Otherwise, to realize these things, it is not very easy. But if we accept the direction of the śāstra, that this is our position We cannot know what is my disease, but if I go to a doctor, physician, he can feel the pulse and he can recommend, "This is your disease. You do like this."
So necchan karmāṇi kāryate. And as soon as you act, immediately the reaction is there. That you cannot avoid. If you have touched fire, it must burn. The action is touching fire, and the result is burning. So necchan. We do not know. We are ignorance. We are committing so many abominable things, and we are becoming entangled like that silkworm. He is making a bag without knowledge, and gradually he becomes entangled within this and dies. That is our position. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We entangle ourself in a different activities and create another result, and according to the result... Because it is infection... Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. We are getting different types of body. Why? The cause, kāraṇaṁ, guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). In ignorance... Just like we are infecting different types of disease—we have to suffer—similarly, we, under ignorance we are infecting the modes of material nature and different types of bodies. Today I am Indian or American, and tomorrow I may be a cat, a dog. That these people, they do not know. Ajñaḥ. These rascals, they do not know. At least one should know that "I am going to die." That's a fact, inevitable. You may be very intelligent, but Kṛṣṇa says, "You don't like Me. All right, I shall come to you as death. Then you will understand. And at that time I shall take away whatever you have accumulated."
Therefore, here it is mentioned, na hi kaścit, "Anyone," kṣaṇam api, "even for a moment," na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma, "he must do something." This is the tendency. How? Kāryate hy avaśaḥ. Avaśaḥ means being forced. He has no control. He must do something and he has no control over it. So why no control? No control means he is controlled by somebody else. He is not in his own control. And what is that controller? Guṇaiḥ svābhāvikair balāt. He has infected some type of material modes of nature and he has to act accordingly.
By seeing these activities of the śūdra and the śūdrāṇī, naturally the lusty desire is there, which I explained yesterday. It is called hṛd-roga-kāma. This kāma, lusty desire, is a heart disease. So he was infected by the heart disease by seeing the scene, that one woman and man is embracing kissing, immediately.
So the nature's law is so nice or so perfect that by seeing only, you will be infected, by seeing only. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). We are put into such a position that every moment we are being affected by the three modes of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. The prakṛti, the nature, is working so expertly. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. And kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu (BG 13.22). In this way our transmigration from one body to another, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), it is due to this infection of contacting different material modes of nature. The whole world is going on. So therefore our business of human life is how to protect ourself from this infection of material nature. That should be the aim of human life, not that allow us to be infected more and more and become implicated in the cycle of birth and death, sometimes lower, sometimes higher. This is not intelligence. The intelligence is how to get out of it. In the lower animal forms of life the nature takes care. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-sāṅkhyakāḥ. From the aquatics to the plant life, then insect life, then bird life, then beast life, then we come to the human life. And that is also When we come to the civilized life we should not waste our time like animals or lower creatures.
So in this age, especially Kali-yuga, it is very, very difficult to save oneself from these infections of life. We have got already... We have come to this material world to fulfill our lusty desires. Naturally whenever there is any lusty activities, our heart disease immediately becomes impeted, and the same thing happened to Ajāmila. And graha-grasto vicetasaḥ. Graha-grasta. Just like when we are haunted by ghost—a ghost captures, then vicetasaḥ, we are lost, lost of our our consciousness, our intelligence—he became like that. Tām eva manasā dhyāyan. Then, instead of meditating on Kṛṣṇa, he began to meditate on the lusty affairs of the śūdra and the śūdrāṇī.
Therefore, in the Kali-yuga the so-called meditation is a farce. Because we are always seeing these lusty affairs before our eyes, naturally when we close our eyes and meditate, instead of thinking of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, we shall think of woman and other things. Therefore it is not possible. In the Kali-yuga it is not possible. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). In the Satya-yuga it was possible, meditation on Viṣṇu, not on other things. But now, in this Kali-yuga, we are infected with so many lusty desires that it is not possible.
The first degradation is undesirable association, the first degradation; then no more respect for scriptural injunction, second degradation; and then the third step, aghāyur aśuciḥ, you become infected with the low-grade quality. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. The first grade qualification is sattva-guṇa, second rajo-guṇa, and the third, tamo-guṇa. So they believe in the evolution. Now, in this human form of life, what is further evolution? The further evolution is that if you are keeping in sattva-guṇa, in goodness, then you can be promoted, elevated, to the higher planetary system. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). And if you keep yourself in the rajo-guṇa, then you will keep within this Bhurloka. And if you are infected with the tamo-guṇa, then you again go to lower grade life, again animal life, plant life. This is the nature's process. You cannot avoid it. You may be very much proud falsely, but after death, after giving up this body, you are completely... You are already completely under the regulative principle of nature. You cannot violate even. But if you foolishly violate, then you are preparing your next life according to your karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1).
Then other enviousness begins. And he becomes svaira-carī, living whimsically. This kind of living is condemned herewith. Aghāyuḥ. Aghāyuḥ means sinful life. Āyuḥ means life; agha means sinful life. Aghāyur aśuciḥ, impure. Malāt. Malāt means material infection, especially rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, dirty things. So one is expected to go above these dirty things. Dirty things means greediness and lusty desires. These are dirty. Tato rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). Rajas-tamaḥ, these are the dirty qualities, and sattva-guṇa is pure quality, and you have to go above sattva-guṇa. Then your life is perfect. Even if you rise, elevate yourself to sattva-guṇa, means a pure brahminical stage—śama dama sataṁ śaucaṁ titikṣa ārjavaṁ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42)—still, you have to go further, śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Then you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa.
So that is called nirviśeṣam, to counteract. If I have stolen some property, then I must suffer imprisonment. This is counteracting, prāyaścitta. If you have infected some disease, then you must suffer for some time from that disease. So akṛta-nirveśam: "So he has not neutralized his sinful activities." Yatra daṇḍena śuddhyati: "Because he has not nullified his sinful activities by atonement or other measures, then he must be punsihed. Then he will be purified."
So punishment is also purification. Purification. Same law: If you infect some disease, then you must get that disease and you must suffer from that disease. That is your punishment. Therefore you should be very much careful not to infect any disease. Similarly, don't infect the material qualities, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Remain in sattva-guṇa and try to elevate yourself from sattva-guṇa to transcendental stage, brahma-bhūtaḥ. Then life is successful. Otherwise we shall be repeatedly punished so long we have got the tendency to enjoy material happiness and get another body, one after another. We shall be punishable by the Ya mache piche. It is the Bengali poetry. It is said, kṛṣṇa nāma koro bhāi (end)
Evaṁ te bhagavad-dūtā yamadūtābhibhāṣitam, upadhārya. They listened to the words of Yamadūta very carefully, upadhārya, not that haphazardously they heard, no. Their reason, their everything, that "This man was like this, and he must be carried to Yamarāja for punishment..." Why punishment? No, to make him purified, it is said. Punishment required. This is nature's law. Just like if you have infected some disease, the punishment is you must suffer for it. The punishment is good. If you have infected some disease, and when you suffer, that means you become purified from the disease. Suffering is not bad, to become purified. Therefore when a devotee suffers, he does not take it illy. He thinks that "I am being purified. I am being purified."
"One who is engaged in devotional service, he becomes immediately transcendental to this infection of the three qualities of material nature." Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. That is actually happening. This powerful Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so strong that we can pick up from the lowest stage of life and bring him to the highest stage of life if we follow the rules and regulation. It is possible. Practically we are seeing. So that is required, yad yad ācarati śreyān, a class of men. Maybe minority; it doesn't matter. But their ideal behavior, character, will lead other people to appreciate: "Yes. We should be like this." Now, who was telling this night? I think Praṇava was telling that some friend has told that in the Western countries they are appreciating this movement because I have stopped amongst my members this intoxication.
Even if you are associating with sattva-guṇa, still, it is contamination, what to speak of other, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Those who are contaminated by rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, they are fully engaged in lusty desires and greediness. Tadā rajas-tamo bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). Kāma, lobha, rajas, tamaḥ. The whole world is infected with rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Therefore they are simply absorbed in kāma and lobha, lusty desires and greediness. Not that only the poor man is hankering after money. Even the richest man in this material world, he is also hankering after. Lobha: "I want more. I want more." Kṛṣṇa is assuring that yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham: "If one is fully surrendered, I supply him personally. I carry his personal necessities," yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham, "Not that I ask somebody but I carry Myself." He is giving assurance. So why we should be hankering after other things to become happy? It is foolishness. Kṛṣṇa assures, teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22).
Even the hard-hearted, stone-hearted, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, can be melted, can be reformed. How? Īśāṅghri-sevayā. Īśa. Īśa means the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Āṅghri means His lotus feet. Sevayā. This is possible. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, Kṛṣṇa says the same thing. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Pāpa-yoni. Puṇya-yoni means according to the infection of the heart with different qualities of these material modes of nature. That is called pāpa-yoni. One whose heart is too much engrossed with tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, they are lower grade, pāpa-yoni. And gradually one who is free from the tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa... Even sattva-guṇa. Of course, sattva-guṇa is taken—the platform of goodness. That is the only hope in this material world, that one has to come by endeavor to the sattva-guṇa platform. Then the heart disease, kāma... hṛd-roga-kāma(?). It is a heart disease. Kāma means lusty desires simply to enjoy senses. This is called kāma. Hṛd-roga-kāma āpṛṇoti.
So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to cure the heart disease full with lusty desires. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So he was simple boy. He decided, "Where is Kṛṣṇa?" "Now, my dear child, I know that He is found in the forest." So he went to the forest, and he very severely Nārada Muni tried to persuade him, "No, no, you are simply a small child. Why you are so much infected with the insult given by your stepmother?" So he said, "No, I don't want your advice. If you can give me God, just talk of that. You don't talk of compromise. I am not going." This is determination. This is determination. So he, actually, within six months he saw Nārāyaṇa. But when he saw Nārāyaṇa, then his all material desires finished. He said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "I came to ask You for some benefit, material benefit. Now, by seeing You I am so satisfied that I have no more any desire to ask for." This is the ultimate stage, no more desire. We may begin with desire, but perfection is that, when there is no more desire. That is the beginning of bhakti.
So here, na adharmajaṁ tad-dhṛdayam. Adharmajam. So long our heart is compact with material desires, we have to take birth after birth to fulfill that desire. It is automatic. So how to become desireless? Not desireless but no material desires. There is desire to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is natural. To become a devotee, to desire like that, that is wanted. We cannot stop our desires. But desires have to be purified. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). So this is the process of bhakti. Therefore even one is infected with these lusty desires, kāma-lobhadayas ca ye, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa... Rajo-guṇa, and tamo-guṇa means lusty desires and greediness. Kāma-lobha. So, so long we are influenced by the two material modes of nature, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, then we will be pushed for fulfilling our lusty desires and greediness. And that will help us to become implicated in sinful activities. The people are becoming implicated in sinful activities only for this kāma-lobha. He is never satisfied, and his greediness increases and we create sinful life.
If somebody chewed the sugarcane, took out the juice, and if the remnants is thrown away, what you will get by chewing again that remnants? So punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). By our activities we are being placed under the laws of material nature—prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27)—infecting different modes of material nature. Just like if you infect that... This morning some medical officer came to inject me about the yellow fever. So why this injection, vaccine, against the disease? That means if I infect this yellow fever, I will have to suffer. Similarly, the modes of material nature are three: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. And as we are infecting ourself with the three kinds of modes of material nature, we are getting different types of bodies. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). I am put into these laws of material nature, and as I am acting under the influence of different modes of material nature, I am getting a type of body.
These rascals, they are thinking, "I am free. I can do anything and whatever I like." No. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. You have to... Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). As you are infecting the different types of modes of nature, you are making your next life like that. So we should be very careful. Therefore the others accept... Because without this varṇāśrama system of religious principles, we can declare, there is no scientific understanding of the modes of material nature, how we are contacting, how we are becoming infected and where is our next life. But if we... Śāstra-caksusat. If you see through the śāstra, then you can understand.
So the, he was a sage, muni. So he asked the Yamarāja that "Throughout my whole life, I never did any wrong. Why you are punishing me in this way?" So Yamarāja replied that "You have forgotten. In your childhood you pierced one ant with a needle. You have forgotten. Therefore you are being punished." So of course, he became..., Yamarāja became Vidura because the sage also punished him, that "For my childhood criminality you are punishing me in this way. So I also punish you, that you have no sense, you have to take birth in a śūdra family." Anyway, either in childhood, or knowingly or unknowingly, if we do something wrong... There are many other instances. Just like some contaminous disease: either a child or a grown-up man, if he infects himself with that contaminous disease, some way or other, the disease will manifest and he has to suffer.
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that these Māyāvādīs, zero-vādis, they are more dangerous than the bauddha. Vedāśraya nāstikya-vāda. All these Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, they are very learned, but they'll never accept that God has form. They say it is kalpanā, it is imagination. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has designated them very, very dangerous, these Māyāvādīs. He has therefore strictly forbidden, māyāvādī-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa: (CC Madhya 6.169) If you hear this Māyāvādī speaking, then your future is doomed. You are finished. Because as soon as you have become infected with the Māyāvāda philosophy, it will take millions of years to come to the platform of devotional service. It is so dangerous. Māyāvādī-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. Sarva-nāśa means everything is finished when you become godless, or you think yourself as you are God. The Māyāvādīs do that. They accept God, Kṛṣṇa, as God, but Kṛṣṇa's body is māyā. He has assumed a form, with a body which is created by māyā, just like our body is created by māyā.
Because I am born of a chili father." (laughter) Then he considers that gunair api, jam nārādhituṁ na pipruḥ tat purna saktai tyaktva sa harir me katham toṣṭum praptam arhati (?). Sa hareḥ, "That Supreme Personality of Godhead, how He can be pacified by me?" Toṣṭum arhati. In other words, that God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be achieved by persons who are polluted by the chili quality and salt quality, or tama-guṇa and raja-guṇa, rajas tamaḥ. Rajas tamo bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). If we are infected with... There are three qualities within this material world, sattva-guṇa, raja-guṇa, tama-guṇa. So generally people are infected with tama-guṇa and raja-guṇa. There are very few persons who are under the sattva-guṇa. But Kṛṣṇa says that one can overcome the influence of raja-guṇa and tama-guṇa by simply hearing about Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā or from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is the recommendation.
So when Prahlāda Mahārāja engaged himself in sattvika life, not only sattvika, śuddha-sattvika... In the material world there are three guṇas: sattvika, rajasika, tamasika. The sattvika is the best. So, and devotional activity is śuddha-sattvika, where there is no contamination. In the material world, sattvika, a person who is a brāhmaṇa, he may be contaminated by tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. Just like Ajāmila. He was the son of a brāhmaṇa, and he was executing the brahmacarya regulation very nicely, but he became infected with rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, became attached to a prostitute and left everything, all brahminical qualification, and he became a rogue, thief, cheater, drunkard, woman-hunter, so on. There are many instances. And Jagāi-Mādhāi, they were born of very good brāhmaṇa family, rich family, but with bad association they became drunkard, woman-hunter, meat-eater. Now these things have become common thing. Avaidha-strī-saṅga, illicit connection with woman, and meat-eating and drinking, it has become a daily fashion. But formerly, at least five hundred years ago, these things were accepted as most abominable. So just like here, our Jagāi-Mādhāi. Jagāi-Mādhāi, they were zamindars and born of brāhmaṇa family, but because by bad association they became drunkard, gamblers and woman-hunters, they were condemned. They were taken as pāpī, sinful. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement is to rescue them.
Then one may ask that... Then... Just like sometimes foolish persons, they say that "Kṛṣṇa, God, has kept me in this way. According to His desire, I am now in this position because nothing can happen without His desire." This argument they say. That is another rascaldom. So Prahlāda Mahārāja clears, therefore, that baddhaḥ sva-karmabhiḥ: "It is not desired by You. I have created this situation." Baddhaḥ sva-karmabhiḥ. I have been put into this condition by my own work, sva-karmabhir. Baddhaḥ sva-karmabhir uśattama. You cannot overcome this resultant action of your karma. You must suffer. The same example: just like if you infect some contaminous disease, you must suffer, similarly, we are creating karma and we are suffering. Baddhaḥ sva-karmabhiḥ. My work. Śāstra does not say that you steal. Nobody says. Neither śāstra says, nor the moral codes say, nor the law, government law, say that "You can steal whatever you like." No. Everybody says... The government says, "Don't steal." The śāstra, scriptures, they also say, "Don't drink. Don't steal. Don't do this. Don't." All forbidden. But I steal. So that is sva-karmabhiḥ. There is forbidding everywhere, but still, I steal. Then whose fault it is? It is government's fault or my fault? If I kill, I'll be hanged.
So nānā yoni bhraman kare, kadarja bhakṣaṇ kare. Very peculiar condition we are in this material world. But do not think that when Kṛṣṇa comes, He also is subjected to this suffering. No. That is īśitā. Just like there are many patients in the hospital, infectious disease, but that does not mean the doctors who are treating them, they are also infectious. No. They are not infectious. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). So He is not subjected to this māyic influence. He's not subjected. Therefore it is said, tvam nitya-vijitātma-guṇaḥ. This material world is created by Him, composition of three material qualities—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa—but He does not belong to any one of them. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they think that when God comes, incarnation, He also accepts the sattva-guṇa and therefore the form is there. Their conclusion is, "The Absolute Truth is formless, so when He accepts a form of this material world, He accepts this sattva-guṇa." But that is not the fact. He's above sattva-guṇa even. Therefore it is said, nitya-vijita ātma-guṇaḥ. Sva-dhāmnā. He comes with His own spiritual energy, sva-dhāmnā. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, in the beginning it is said, dhāmnā nirasta-kuhakam. Nirasta-kuhakam. Kuhakam means illusion. So the spiritual world, there is no such illusion or these three guṇas. Therefore it is said, nirasta-kuhakaṁ sva-dhāmnā. In the spiritual world there is no influence of these three guṇas. That is in this material world. So when Kṛṣṇa comes, He does not become affected or, rather, infected with these guṇas. Nirguṇa... That is nirguṇa. Nirguṇa guṇa-bhoktā ca. He's bhoktā. He's bhoktā or nirguṇa. Nirguṇa means spiritual guṇa, not material guṇa. When it is said, nirguṇa, "nirguṇa" means without any material quality. That is nirguṇa.
Some of you have seen that my friend, Dr. Bose. I have said many times that when he was student, so one professor, he—in those days medical professors were Englishmen—he said in the class that "In our country, seventy-five percent of the students, they are infected with syphilis." So this doctor, he was a student. He said in the class, "Oh, horrible." So that professor said, "Why you are saying "horrible"? In your country eighty percent, ninety percent, they are infected with malaria, and they are in syphilis. So what is the difference? Why you make...? As a medical man, why should you make difference that 'This disease is better than that disease'? Disease is disease." Actually that is the fact. You say that "We are suffering from malaria. It is better than to suffer from syphilis." No. Disease is disease. Similarly, either Brahmā or the ant, the disease is how to become master. This is the disease. Therefore, to cure this disease, Kṛṣṇa comes to cure this disease, to say plainly, "Rascal, you are not master; you are servant. Surrender unto Me." This is the cure of disease. If one agrees that "No more," āra nāre bapa (?), "No more trying for becoming master," that is the cure of disease.
That is His causeless mercy, that "I am not qualified, I am not worthy of this facility." This is the humbleness. Kvāhaṁ rajaḥ-prabhava īśa tamo 'dhike 'smin. "Not only I am influenced by rajo-guṇa, but mostly, seventy-five percent, I am infested with tamo-guṇa." Adhika. Akhika means "in larger quantity." And there is no question of sattva-guṇa. Adhika 'smin jātaḥ sure... "Otherwise why I am born in this family?" That is the test. Now they are... By force they are trying to be equal. Of course, in this age everyone is śūdra. That is an... Otherwise lowborn means this differentiation of different low qualities. By nature it will give. I have several times explained that as you infect a certain type of contaminous disease, you get that, you suffer from that. So the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, then antaja, (?) caṇḍāla, mean, so many, kirāta, hūṇa, pulinda, pulkaśā, abhīra, śumbha—so many, low-grade, low-grade, low-grade, low-grade, low-grade. Then why this low-grade birth? That is due to this kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). In the Bhagavad-gītā it says. It is due to our association with low-grade qualities.
We are qualitatively one with God, not quantitatively. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they think we are also quantitatively the same. That is mistake. That is not possible. Otherwise why it is said, sthito na tu tamo na guṇāṁś ca yuṅkṣe? This... He is so big that He is above these qualities. Just like we become infected in a filthy place, but the sun does not become infected. It, rather, sterilizes that infected place. So we should not compare with God, that "I am equal to Him." No. That is not possible. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). The sun, when it absorbs water from the urinal, he is not infected. He makes that urinal sterilized. Similarly, if sometimes we see some behavior of the Supreme Lord which appears from social, our social point of view as not permitted... But He can do anything. That is the meaning of all-powerful. But He's not affected. He's not affected. Apāpa-viddham. Apāpa-viddham, in the Upaniṣad, Īśopaniṣad, that sinful activities... He cannot do anything which is sinful. God is always good. But to our calculation, limited calculation, if we see that He is committing something sinful, it is not sinful. It is sterilizing. The same example. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya. If by chanting His holy name we become sinless, how God can become sinful? It is not possible. This is common sense. If by chanting His holy name, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa...
The judge is impartial. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). This is the version. We act according to our whims, and the resultant action is there immediately. The nature's law, God's law, is there. We have got experience that if we infect some disease, contaminous disease, then we must suffer from that disease. So it is not God's creation that somebody is suffering from some painful condition and somebody is enjoying. No. We infect ourself with some contamination because this world, this material world, is full of contamination, full of contamination. Just like when there is epidemic, the whole situation is contaminous. Therefore one has to take vaccine injection to protect himself. So anyone who has come to this material world must know that he has come in a place which is a place of epidemic. So you must have to remain very cautious. Otherwise you will have to suffer.
This is only medicine. To become free from the infection, this harer nāma is the only medicine, bhavauṣadhi. Auṣadhi means medicine. Parīkṣit Mahārāja said, harer nāma, this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, is not meant for the conditioned soul, because as soon as one chants Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, he immediately becomes free from the contaminous, contagious position. There is a verse, eka hari nāme yato pāpa hare, pāpī haya tato pāpa karti bare nāre (?). Once chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is so powerful that all the sinful reaction of life—immediately gone.
So in this body... Suppose you have got immense wealth, immense men under you, or very beautiful wife. How long you shall enjoy? Immediately, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham: (BG 10.34) "You do not like Me. You like these things. All right. At the time of death I shall take away everything—finish." This is fact. After death where is your beautiful wife? Where is your wealth? Where is your followers? Everything finished. Now according to your karma, you have to accept the body of a dog. Nature's way. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). "You have infected doggish mentality. Now you become a dog." This is nature's way. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-sango 'sya (BG 13.22). You have simply associated with the tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, no sattva-guṇa, so you have to accept a body, rajas-tamo-guṇa. Tamo-guṇa means animal, and rajo-guṇa means the karmis, and sattva-guṇa means jñānīs. So if one is struggling in this life how to accumulate money, that means rajo-guṇa. Rajas-tamo-bhāvā kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye.
This nature's process is going on, but we are so advanced scientist that we do not know how nature is working. Automatically working. Nature's way of working is automatic. Just like you have got so many automatic machine, similarly, this is, this machine is made by the Supreme Lord. It is perfect machine, one after another, one after another. So just like if you infect some disease, nature's way, you will develop that disease. That is the way. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). This is stated. Now we have got this nice human form of body, but if we associate with the low-grade qualities of this material world—means tamo-guṇa—then again we are going to become animal automatically. They do not know it. They are thinking, "I am enjoying life by eating meat and drinking wine and having illicit sex and gambling. It is very joyful life." But he does not know that he is associating with tamo-guṇa, and he is going to be an animal, cats and dogs and monkey. This is a fact.
| Page Title: | Infection (SB Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Rishab, Mayapur |
| Created: | 18 of May, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=155, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 155 |