Suppose I am vacating this room, and while vacating, while I am going from this room if I say to the landlord, "Well Mr. Such-and-such, I leave this place for you now." Now, what is this place? That place belonged to him.
How we are leaving? So he'll laugh, "Oh, you were my guest, you were my tenant. How you can leave? It is mine." Similarly, if we say: "All right. I am giving up this . . . renouncing this enjoyment life . . ." so either . . . we cannot either renounce or enjoy. Both are illegal. Simple thing is that we must know that as it is formulated here, that everything belongs to God, so everything should be engaged for the service of God. That is real knowledge.
Just like suppose here is a hundred dollar note somebody left by mistake. Now, what is to be done with that hundred dollar note? If somebody takes that hundred dollar note, "Oh, here is a hundred dollar note. Take me . . . let me take it and enjoy it," that is illegal. And if that hundred dollar note is neglected, "All right, let it remain there. The owner will find it," that is also not good, because if I do not find out the person and hand over that hundred dollar note, that is not my duty, because others may take it away. Similarly, to leave that hundred dollar note is also not good, and to enjoy that hundred dollar note is also not good. The best is that find out the proprietor of that hundred dollar note. Ask somebody, "Have you left something, sir? Anybody?" If one, "Yes, I'm missing one hundred dollar . . ." "Here is . . ." That is real service.
Similarly, if we understand that everything belongs to God, so that sense will lead me, "No, I am not enjoyer." So my sense gratification, my anger, my lust, all finished. All finished at once, at stroke, if I understand that, "Nothing belongs to me; everything belongs to God." If I want to enjoy it, that is illegal, and if I neglect it, that is also illegal. If I say, "Oh, let . . . jagan mithyā, this world is false.
I don't want it. Let me go to the Himalaya and the jungle," oh, that is also not good. You must try to utilize the whole thing for the purpose of Kṛṣṇa, because everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That will be your duty. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because He is the proprietor.
Now, this tape recorder is advancement now of material science. We should think, "Oh, this is the property of Kṛṣṇa. Let it be utilized in the propaganda work for Kṛṣṇa's service." That is proper utilization. So everything. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Suppose if . . . if somebody says that, "I am the proprietor everything of this room. So you have no claim." So we have actually no claim. We simply come. And the whole philosophy is . . . that is spiritual communism.
In the Bhāgavata you'll find that this anything, all the richness, all the riches that is all over the world, all over the universe, that is created by God. So you are at liberty to make its use. You can take as much as you like, but if you claim proprietorship, then you make fault and you have to suffer. You can use them.
There is no harm using. Kṛṣṇa has given, God has given us enough things. Now, why you are suffering? Why the world is suffering? Because we are trying to occupy it, "Oh, this is my country." He says: "This is my country. Oh, this is my property. You cannot come here. You cannot enjoy." This is the trouble. But if we think, "Oh, it is all Kṛṣṇa's property. Let us enjoy and be Kṛṣṇa conscious and be happy," then there is no disturbance. Automatically, peace is there.
So we do not know what is peace, what is the formula of peace, but we are trying to make peace. We keep all the, I mean to say, dirty things within our heart, and we are making propaganda that we want peace. How you can have peace? Here is the peace formula. What is that? Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). The Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, He is the enjoyer, He is the proprietor, and He is the real friend. In the Vedic scripture you'll find, He's such a nice friend that I am transmigrating from one body to another, and Kṛṣṇa is also transmigrating in the same body, Supersoul. Suppose I am transmigrating to the body of a hog. Oh, Kṛṣṇa is present there also. He's such a friend.
Now, suppose we have got our friends. So when I've got richness, I am very rich, I will have so many friends. Suppose I am poverty-stricken now, no friends come to us. But Kṛṣṇa is not such a friend. Kṛṣṇa is such a good friend, in whatever condition you may live, He is always with you. He is always with you. In the Vedic literature you find that two birds are sitting on the same tree. One bird is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird is witnessing. That witnessing bird is Kṛṣṇa, and the eating bird is myself. I am eating, I am enjoying the fruits of my work in this material world, and Kṛṣṇa is simply observing.
Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was talking so many things; Kṛṣṇa was observing. But when Arjuna came to his senses, he surrendered to Kṛṣṇa: śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Similarly, the bird, the Supersoul bird, is sitting. He's simply waiting for the opportunity when he'll say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, I surrender unto You. Now protect me. Give me instruction." He is waiting. So this is the formula of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
- bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
- sarva-loka-maheśvaram
- suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
- jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
- (BG 5.29)
If you really want peace, then this is the formula. You should always know that Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer of everything, He is the proprietor of everything and He is the only sincere friend. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā. One who understands this secret, he becomes happy; peace is for him.