They have got a opinion, and that is going on. You may have any opinion. That is all right. This foolishness is going on in this age. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. Manda-bhāgyāḥ, and most unfortunate. Everyone is practically unfortunate. Nobody has certainty what he will eat tomorrow, or in the evening. Everywhere... Don't think only it is only in India. In America. When I went there, I thought everyone is very rich. There are so many poor men. They are lying on the street. The street-lying population is everywhere, either in India or in America or in England. I have seen. The first-class, second-class, third-class men will remain there. You may however try to make everyone first class; the division, first class, second class, third class, will go on. That is nature's arrangement. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). And disturbed. Just like today's strike, unnecessarily. Disturbance. So many disturbance everywhere, all over the world, because the population has degraded, degraded. They must be like that. This is the way.
Strike (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Just like you supply foodstuff to the stomach. That will be distributed. Suppose I have got very good cake. Now, the fingers holding the cake. Now, if the fingers think, "All right, it is a good cake. Why shall I supply to the stomach? Let us eat it." Oh, the fingers cannot eat. That is improper. There is a story in Sanskrit, udarendriyāṇām. Udarendriyāṇām. There was a meeting of all the parts of the senses, that, "We are working, and the stomach is sitting idly, and he is simply eating. So let us get into strike. We shall not work." Just like there is strike system now. Now, all the hands and legs and all parts of the body they, "No, no more we are going to work for the stomach." Now, what happened? Gradually the hand become weak, the fingers become, the eye could not see, the ear... Oh, they thought that "What is happening this? We are becoming weaker, weaker, weaker." Then they decided, "It was a mistake not to supply foodstuff to the stomach. It was good for us."
We find in the present social, I mean to say, status of our life, we are actually existing in four divisions, but there is no cooperation. Practically, everyone is dissatisfied. Take for example the strife between the capitalist class and the laborer class. They, they are trying in different way. There is no compromise. There is always friction. And especially in a country like India, oh, there is always friction, and other countries also. So they are not satisfied. Recently also, in your country also, there was strike by the bus drivers and the subway drivers and administration. So there is always strike. Why? This is due to lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is due to lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There cannot be any cooperation unless there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is an essential fact for harmonizing even the present material society. That is required.
So this is the māyā. This is called māyā. You are creating facilities, but it is being created for your future nonfacilities. You have got experience. When there was strike in your New York City, so for crossing one mile, one had to spend four hours. But if you could go on foot, within ten minutes you could cross that space. So these are the facilities. We are thinking that we are enjoying facilities, but actually they are not facilities. So instead of wasting our energy for so-called facilities, we should apply our energy: "What I am? Why I am suffering? I do not like to suffer. Why suffering is imposed upon me?" This is called knowledge. But by the illusory energy of māyā, the so-called knowledge, our real knowledge has been taken away, and some foolish knowledge has been imposed upon us that we are thinking, "Oh, we are advancing. Advancement of knowledge." By advancement of knowledge, we have manufactured atom bomb so that killing process can be accelerated. People are dying, and that dying process is accelerated, and we are proud. Advancement of knowledge. Oh, manufacture something which will stop death; then you will have advancement of knowledge. Killing is there. What advancement? Killing is there and you are facilitating, you are making more killing at one drop. This is not knowledge. This is called māyayāpahṛta-jñāna, "the knowledge taken by the illusory energy."
"We are working." The leg said: "Yes, I am, whole day, I am walking." The hand says: "Yes, I am working whole day, wherever the body says: "You come here and pick up the food" bringing things cooking. I cooking also." Then the eyes, they said that: "I am seeing." So every limb, length of the body, they made a strike that, "No more we are going to work only for the stomach who is eating only. We are all working, and this man, or is stomach is eating only." Then the, the strike... Just like the capitalist and the worker. The worker under goes strike, no more working. So all these limbs, parts of the body, they observed striking, and after two, three days, when again they met, they talked amongst themselves that: "Why we are becoming weak? We cannot work now." You see. The legs also said: "Yes, I am feeling weak." Hands also feeling weak, everyone. So what is the cause? The cause... Then the stomach says: "Because I am not eating. So if you want to remain strong, then you must give me to eat. Otherwise... So I am the enjoyer. You are not enjoyer. You are to supply things for my enjoyment. That is your position." So they understood: "Yes, we cannot directly enjoy. It is not possible."
There is a story, Udarendriyāṇām in the Hitopadeśa written by Viṣṇuśarma. There, there was strike. All the hands legs eyes, they observed strike, that "This belly, the stomach is eating only, and we are working. So we shall not work. We shall not work, stop working. Just like nowadays striking goes on. So they stopped working, and after few days, all of them became weak because they were not feeding the stomach. Then they arranged another conference. "Why we are becoming weak?" Then the fault was found out that because we are not giving to eat to the stomach. So all then agreed, "Well, let the stomach eat, and let us work." So this is the nature's arrangement. The stomach will simply eat and the hands and legs and eyes, they must work.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So in family life, if we introduce this arcā-vigraha-sevā... Every family can keep Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa vigraha, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's photo vigraha, and as we are, whatever we are doing, center is Kṛṣṇa, similarly, everyone can do that. That will solve all social problems. Social problems, philosophical problems, economic problems. Economic problems, practically, there is no economic problem... Just like in London they are throwing away tons of tomato into the sea. That is our creation. God has given sufficient to eat. But because there is strike, we have created a problem. So if one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, what will be strike? Strike means they want money, more money, more money. There is no end. When I first came to America in New York, there was strike of the transport men. All transport stopped. The subway, the bus, everything. People became so much in difficulty. So without being Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is no end of sense gratification. Nobody knows, but Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, they are satisfied. The... Even still in India, you'll find this satisfaction by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A poor man, practically very meager income, but he's satisfied. He's satisfied in this way: he thinks, "Kṛṣṇa has given me this much. I must be satisfied. Kṛṣṇa has given me this much; why shall I...?" And that is also recommendation of the śāstras, that tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). We should not waste our time for improving our economic position. That is already settled up.
The whole world, you see... They, sometimes they think that "If I get my income, say, one thousand dollars, I will be satisfied." But as soon as he gets one thousand, he wants one hundred thousand. If he gets one... Just like in your... Everywhere, all over the world, the worker class, they are given increment, but again they undergo strike, "More, more wages, more wages, more wages." So... But as soon as they get more money... Not only... Here in these Western countries, then they'll utilize it for lust. Lust and greediness. That's all. They do not know how to utilize money. That a millionaire is so lusty that... I have seen in Paris. They are going to some clubs. What is the business in that club? Old men, they are going. So lusty that they enter the club by paying fifty dollars, and then there is young women and wine, and that is their pleasure. Lust, kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye. One thing, one side, they are not satisfied, even they have got millions of dollars, "Still I want, still I want, still I want." This is one side, greediness, lobha, and the other side is lust. This is called kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye.
So this question does not strike us, that "If I am immortal—I have no birth, I have no death..." na jāyate mriyate vā kadācit "...at any time. Not that sometimes I was dying. No, never." Nityaḥ śāśvato yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is the position. "Then why I am accepting this birth and death and old age, disease? This is my problem." So we do not think that, neither we are educated how to stop it. But there is process. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa... Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Not Kṛṣṇa ordinarily-factually, kṛṣṇa-tattvataḥ. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, actually, in fact, in truth. Then what is the result? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: "His, the cycle of birth and death, old age, and dis..., stopped." Tyaktvā deham. We have to give up this body; that is certain. But after giving up this body, no more material body. Then what happens? He is finished? No, he is not finished. Mām eti: "He comes to Me, back to home." And when you go there, then you must possess the same body as Kṛṣṇa has got.
So he was going naked and Kṛṣṇa saw. So He asked him, "Where you are going?" "I am going to see my mother." "How is that? You are going naked? At least you have some langota(?). This is not good." So he took the instruction of Kṛṣṇa and covered the private part with a langota. And when Gāndhārī saw, she saw that he was not fully naked, so she regretted, "O my dear son, I asked you to come before me naked. Why you have got this...?" "No, Kṛṣṇa advised." Then she began to smile, that "My attempt is failure." So Kṛṣṇa knew it, that part which was covered, that was not turned iron. The other parts turned into iron on account of seeing by Gāndhārī. So in this fight Kṛṣṇa hinted Bhīma that "You strike here. That part is not ironized." Although it is against the regulative principle to strike the opponent party below this waist, Kṛṣṇa advised that "Unless you transgress this law, you cannot kill him." So he was stroken below the waist, and he was not killed, but his waist was broken. Therefore it is said vṛkodarāviddha-gadābhimarśa. Then he died. This is mentioned here.
So when there is fight on religious principle, there are different rules and regulations. One has to observe these rules and regulations. Just like striking the enemy, it should not come down the waist. You can strike the enemy from head to the waist, not below that. That is illegal. Similarly, when the enemy is like this, mattaṁ pramattam unmattam, one after another... Matta means careless, inattentive. So if by chance, by inattentiveness, one does something wrong, he should not be considered as enemy. He's careless. He should be chastised, but not... Even if he's enemy, he's not subjected to being killed. No. Similarly, pramatta. Pramatta means constitutionally he's not mad, but by some external influence one has become madlike. He's called pramatta.
There is a story in the Hitopadeśa: Udarendriyāṇām. Udara. Udara means this belly, abdomen, and indriya means senses. Udarendriyāṇām. What is that? All the different parts of the body, hands, legs, fingers and everyone, they held a meeting, that "We are working day and night, and this rascal abdomen is sitting down and eating only. (laughter) He is doing nothing. We are collecting everything, and putting into the stomach, and he is eating, very..., sitting nice. So strike: 'We shall not work.' So strike." Udara... Udara said, "All right, you strike. What can I do? I cannot work. You can strike." So they did not work. Did not work means there was no food, no food given to the stomach. They..., gradually they became weak. The indriyas, the different parts of the body, they became weak, because if there is..., if you cannot eat, naturally you shall be... Then again, next meeting they held that "What is this? Why we are becoming weak?" Then they decided that "The stomach must be given, sir. We have to work."
So we are falsely trying to enjoy māyā. Enjoy means master. That is not possible. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ. This is the influence of the three modes of material nature. We are falsely thinking that... The so-called scientific advancement, they are also trying to control over māyā, nature. That cannot be. It is not possible. But they will go on trying for it. The māyā, there is a nice example I have seen in somewhere, in India. There was a mirror and a bird, a sparrow, was coming. And as soon as he comes before the mirror, there is another sparrow on the other side. So he'll strike the mirror, that "There is another bird." And he would also strike. In this way he was struggling. That shadow sparrow was striking and he was trying. He was trying. He thought that "I shall defeat the other sparrow." But that is not possible. That is not possible. I have seen it practically. This is foolishness. The bird is thinking that "There is another sparrow. Strike it." And he is also striking. That perpetual striking is going on. That is called struggle for existence. He has no sense.
So introduce this. What is their loss? If everyone, home to home or work to work, factory to factory... Let them... Let there be factory, but chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Let all the factory members be engaged in chanting and the... supply them prasādam. Just see. There will be no more strike. There will be no more Communistic movement. Everything is there, provided they take it. Everything will be all right. So this is not a sentimental fanaticism, religious movement. This is scientific movement for the good of the whole world. That we have to convince by our character, by our behavior. Then people will accept it. They think it is another type of religious... So religious means fanaticism. It is not that. Just like they fought, the Mohammedans and the Christians. There was fighting? What is that?
Again repeat the first mantra. (devotees repeat the first mantras and Śrīla Prabhupāda sings the second with them) The first one again repeat. (repeats) The meaning of this mantra, that I offer my humble obeisances to Lord Nṛsiṁha, who is the source of bliss to Prahlāda, but hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ. But his father Hiraṇyakaśipu, on his chest the nails of His finger is just like chisel cutting the stone. The same Personality of Godhead is prahlāda āhlāda-dāyine. Āhlāda means pleasure. For Prahlāda... Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇāhlāda, prahlāda. A devotee is, being always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, naturally he is in blissfulness. Still more, when he meets or associates with his Lord, still more blissfulness. That is the position of the theist devotee. Whereas the atheist nondevotee, he's always feeling like a strike of the chisel, like what do you call? Stone cutting chisel. Nakha. Nakhālaye. Simply by the nails of His finger. All right. Where is that book? Now this Bhāgavatam. Yes. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.
So the conclusion is the expert manager, the bank manager, so, if some man in the establishment, is absent, he can do the work immediately because he has learned all the things. Bank manager becomes from the lower clerk. When I was manager in Bose's laboratory there was a strike. So there was no packer. So I asked all the clerks to, "Come on. Let us pack." As soon as we begin packing, the strike was broken. So a man claiming to be in the high position, he must be expert in everything. He must be expert in everything. So therefore a Vaiṣṇava is called dakṣa, expert. Expert. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement being the highest, topmost quality, so in case we require to do the work, some lower quality, we cannot say that "I do not know." We must do it.
So there is no question of displeasure. That is Vaikuṇṭha. There is no discrepancy of the service. Just opposite. Here there is just different thing. The master is not satisfied, and the servant is also not satisfied. Servant, you go on paying him more and more, he'll..., "Oh, it is insufficient. Give me more. I will strike. I will not come. I will not work." This is the position of this material world. Everyone is giving service. And apart from master and servant, even in family the man is giving service throughout his whole life, up to the old age. And ask anybody, any member of the family, "You are satisfied?" "No." Just see. Frustration. Gandhi, he gave service to the country to the best capacity, and people appreciated. He was called Mahātmā, so on, so on. But he was killed. He was killed. So here you go on rendering service to your society, country, family or anyone, you cannot satisfy them. It is not possible—they'll never—because the place is like that, insufficiency.
Part and parcel, we have several times explained. Just like in my body there are different parts, but the business of the part is to satisfy the central point, stomach. The leg is working, the hand is working, the eyes, the ears, everyone is working. Why working? To satisfy the stomach. The Hindi, there is a pe kaste, sat.(?) So similarly, we should work for Kṛṣṇa. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, therefore we should work for Kṛṣṇa. I can repeat the same story again: udarendriyāṇām. The indriyas, the different parts of the body, because they were working hard, and the stomach within the abdomen, he's simply eating, so they went on strike: "We shall no more work. This part is only simply..., this man is simply eating, and we are working. We shall not work." They stopped work. The indriyas, they stopped work. So gradually they became weak. So when next meeting, they saw that "We have become weak," therefore again decided that "Let us supply food to the stomach."This is sense.
Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit, na hanyate hanya... They do... These things do not strike even their dull brain, that "If ātmā... I am ātmā. I am the soul. I do not die even after the annihilation of this body. But that means I will have to accept another body. But is this very good job? Why not seek after our original position, when there is no more change of body?" This question does not arise even. But it is very easy. For that reason, Bhagavad-gītā is there. Everyone can avoid this birth and death. That is the business of human life, how to stop... Jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhaḥ (BG 2.56). Everything is there. This is the aim of life. But not... We are under this false ego, "I am this body." And some of us in the modes of goodness... That is also another kind of bondage: "I am brāhmaṇa. I am very learned scholar." But... That's all right, but still you have to go further, above the brahminical stage, not simply become proud of having nice birth, full of knowledge and learning.
So the intelligent persons, they should understand that how to stop this unlimited plan-making business. Still there is no solution. That is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is life, athāto brahma-jijñāsā, when one is inquisitive to know the broader plan, Brahman plan. Brahman means the biggest, bṛhatva, the biggest. The biggest plan, if anyone wants to understand, becomes inquisitive, then his life, real life, begins. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So wherefrom brahma-jijñāsā? Brahma-jijñāsā... This ordinary jijñāsā, inquiry, "What is the price of rice today?" or "What is the situation of strike? What is the situation of this, that?" that you can ask from the newspaper or from anyone, friend. But so far brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry of Brahman, then where shall you inquire? Will you go to the exchange market or in the other market? No. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Sa gurum evābhigacchet. That is the injunction of the Vedas, that you must find out guru. Samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. Guru means brahma-niṣṭham. Brahma-niṣṭham. That is the guru's qualification. And śrotriyam, one who has heard from the disciplic succession, he is guru, not anyone, magician, no.
If you taste earth, dirt, you will find some salty taste, because earth containing sixty percent soda. That is chemical analysis. So you will find taste, rasa. And rūpa, rasa, śabda you will find also. Any metal you strike together, there will be śabda. Rūpa, rasa, gandha. There is smell. You see so many plants are growing, flowers. Wherefrom they are getting this scent? You see? You getting from the earth. The bad smells and good smell, everything is coming from the earth. And where is the chemist that they can take out rose scent from earth? That is not possible. But there is. There is no doubt about it. Otherwise wherefrom the scent is coming? The rose flower, you are smelling so nicely, but where it has got this smell? From the earth. The earth is there. Rūpa, rasa, gandha, śabda, and sparśa. Then, in the water, one thing is minus. And then, in the fire, two things are minus. And from the air, three things are minus. And from the sound, four things are minus. Only sound is there. The sound is the original cause of this creation where we are materially bound up.
But if you have got a stick they will not come. They are afraid of stick. The dogs also, they are afraid of stick. Therefore in such places one should carry in hand one stick. That is safe. After all, they are animals. They know that a man can strike with the stick very severely. They are afraid of that. In Vṛndāvana, in the beginning, I was eating, and a monkey entered very peacefully and took it, everything. (laughter) He took everything. I could not replace. I began running. Immediately caught also. They do like that. In Vṛndāvana you cannot open doors.
So there was the king in Bengal at that time. He was known as Nawab Hussein Shah. Formerly he was a Mohammedan servant to a big Hindu landlord. So this boy servant committed some theft so the master punished him by striking with a cane. So the striking mark of the cane was there on his backside. So one day the Nawab's wife, Begam, saw the mark and inquired from her husband, "What is this mark?" So the Nawab described that in his childhood, when he was a servant of that Hindu gentleman, Buddhimanta Khan, he beat him with that cane and that mark is there. So the wife of the Nawab, Begum Sair(?), she requested that "You kill this man. Otherwise people will blaspheme you." The Nawab, however, declined. "No, no, this cannot... This is not possible. He was my master, just like my father. He chastised me. There was no fault." So the wife then requested, "At least make him a Mohammedan." So the Nawab, to satisfy his wife, he agreed, "Well, that is not very difficult task." So one day he called Buddhimanta Khan and sprinkled the water on his body.
That is the meaning of religion. Dharmān bhāgavatān. And bhāgavatān means pertaining to God. And what is that, that characteristic of relationship between God and myself? That is called religion. Religion means that oh, characteristics of God, characteristics of the living entity, and to dovetail them. The characteristic of God is God is great. That is the characteristic. And we are small, little. This is our character. If we are not small, then why we are serving the great? Serving means there must be somebody greater than me. At least, the money is greater than me. If I don't serve the man, but the man, my master who supplies me the money, that is greater. So actually in this material world, there is no genuine service. Everyone is serving the intention of sense enjoyment. Just like from tomorrow there will be postal strike. What is that? They are not serving the government or the public. They are serving their salary. Is it not? As soon as there is some less salary, they strike. Therefore I have got my service spirit, and I have to serve somebody. That is my natural characteristic. You cannot deny it. Now you have to find out where your service should be engaged so that you may not be frustrated. That is required.
It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam: (BG 10.10) "One who is seriously engaged in My service with faith and devotion." Prīti-pūrvakam. Prīti means love, not that official. As soon as there is less salary, oh, there is strike. Not that kind of love. They are considered that government servant and very faithful to the country's service, but as soon as a country or government does not pay, everything is rejected. So Kṛṣṇa service does not mean like that, that as soon as Kṛṣṇa Practically, Kṛṣṇa gives everything. One who knows, one who is intelligent, he knows that Kṛṣṇa is supplying him everything. Actually, Kṛṣṇa is supplying, either you give service or not service. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Even those who are not serving Kṛṣṇa directly Everyone is serving Kṛṣṇa but not directly. What is the difference between ordinary man and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness man? The difference is that Kṛṣṇa consciousness man knows that "I am eternal servant of God. Therefore let me willingly serve Kṛṣṇa." And others, they are also serving Kṛṣṇa, but by force, by māyā, by the qualities of nature.
The present society is just like animals. They have no faith, what to speak of this faith or that faith. That is the position. They are simply after sense enjoyment. That's all. Don't you see? The Pope says that it is not good, it is not God's law, that you should use contraceptive method. But they are so mad after sense enjoyment, they say, "Oh, we don't care for your instruction." Just see how much they have lost their faith. So at the present moment it is very difficult position, no faith at all. (break) ...have no good qualification. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇa (SB 5.18.12). Oh, their education, their scientific advancement, their so-called civilization... Don't you see? The everyone is expected to have national feeling, but the postal strike, mail strike went on for twenty days. The whole nation became disturbed and harassed. Why? They wanted money. "What is this? Go to... Your national feeling go to hell! You pay us. Then we work." So nobody has any faith. Simply he has faith in sense gratification. That's all. "You satisfy my senses. Then you are very good. Otherwise, go to hell." That's all.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So, people are misled. They are thinking that by material comfort they will be happy. And practically we are seeing, this competition of material comfort... The capitalist and the labor class, worker class, they are fighting—strike. Actually, the propensity is that... That is explained in Marshall's theory of economics. We were student of economics. So in that book Mr. Marshall explained that the family affection is the origin of economic impetus. That's a fact. These hippies, they have no family affection. They are not married, and therefore there is no economic impetus. They can live in any way, any wretched condition of life. And one who is married, responsible man, he has got some responsibility to see that..., provided he has got affection for the family. Otherwise, practically, so-called family life, there is no affection.
So even in the minds of the jungle people, there is obedience to the Supreme. As soon as there is some thunderbolt strike, so they offer obeisances. As soon as they see a big sea, ocean, they offer obeisances. Offering obeisances to the great, that is natural. That is the gradual appreciation of the potency or energy of the Supreme Lord. Because whatever we see, whatever there is, they're nothing but different manifestations of the energy of the Supreme Lord. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. We can appreciate the potencies, the energies of the Supreme Lord, anywhere. As I explained yesterday, the potency is there in the seed. As Kṛṣṇa says, bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām (Bg 7.10). A big banyan tree is concentrated within a small seed, smaller than the mustard seed. There is the potency of a very big tree.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Kāśīte lekhaka śūdra-śrīcandraśekhara. Lekhaka śūdra means he was a clerk, clerk. The clerk, clerical post was offered to the śūdras, to the laborer class. There was a strike in Calcutta of the clerks. George and Skinner (?), an European firm, they had many jute (indistinct). The clerks, I mean to say, made a strike. So when their, I mean to say, chief man met the manager, so, and asked that "Whether you want to compromise with us?" the manager said, "No. I don't wish to compromise with you. I don't care for you because you are educated laborer." He gave the title to the clerks, "educated laborer." So actually in Hindu society, the clerks were called educated laborers. So here it is lekhaka śūdra. Lekhaka śūdra means clerk, but he's śūdra. Lekhaka śūdra śrīcandraśekhara, tāṅra ghare rahilā. But spiritually there is no such distinction. We should always remember that materially, there may be higher, lower class. There is, always, in every society, in every country. But spiritually there is no such consideration. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's propaganda. He made Haridāsa Ṭhākura—he was a Muhammadan—as the spiritual master for saṅkīrtana, namācārya. And He picked up Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, who were rejected by the Hindu society, and He made them gosvāmīs. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's peculiarity. And here also we see that a śūdra, a laborer class, a clerk, who is considered to be lower in the society, He was staying at his house.
The horse has suddenly swollen his throat. So please treat." Then the physician took a hammer and strongly struck the swollen portion, and it was at once cured. The servant saw, "So this is the process of curing swollen parts of the body." So on that very day, he resigned his service and he thought that "Now I have learned how to cure swollen parts of the body," and whenever he was called to treat such disease, he used to hammer over that swollen part and the patient died. So when he came to his former master, "Sir, you cured that horse, the swollen part, by beating hammer, but when I treat, it dies, the patient dies. What is the matter?" So he explained, "You nonsense, the swollen is not cured by beating. That was a special case. The horse took a squash while he was in the garden, and he could not swallow it up. Therefore it was swollen. So I struck therefore, and it was broken, and the same thing, his swollenness, cured. But you foolish, you are simply striking on swollen parts?"
My position is eternal servant," that is brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Then undoubtedly he becomes immediately jubilant, that "Now I have got my real master to serve. I am serving so many, I mean, items, in the family, in the society, in the community, in the nation. But I could not be satisfied. Neither I am..., persons to whom I have given my service, they are also not satisfied." This is wrong service. Nobody is satisfied. The so-called master is not satisfied, and the so-called servant is not satisfied. The so-called servant means that "Unless you pay me, I am not going to serve you." Strike. "I am your master. You pay me. Then I shall serve you." So nobody is servant actually. Everyone wants to become master, either collectively or individually. That is māyā. This is material world. And when one understands that he is not a master—he is servant—and the real master is Kṛṣṇa, that is liberation.
Festival Lectures
Prabhupāda: (in background:) Pradyumna. After he speaks they may...
Gaurasundara: ...importance or the real striking features of our own existence. Again I want to come back to this point. Kṛṣṇa's existence is the most certain. Sometimes people have the idea that they can debate whether Kṛṣṇa exists or not. They can do that as long as they want to close their own eyes or keep their own brains, their own minds clouded by so many extraneous factors. Actually, Kṛṣṇa's existence is the most certain. We can go through many so-called proofs or logical proofs. Simply because that fact is already established, I might give one or two. We can understand in our mundane logic that if something exists, that there's some reason for its existence, and similarly, if something does not exist, that there's some reason for that. Just as we can say something exists... For example, a harmonium exists because somebody has made that harmonium. A circle exists on the wall because somebody has drawn that circle on the wall. But on the other hand, a square circle does not exist because that existence would involve a contradiction or that would be absurd.
So for anything which exists there must be a reason, and for anything which does not exist, then there is a reason why it does not exist. Now Kṛṣṇa's existence therefore is most certain because any reason which could deny Kṛṣṇa's existence is impossible to be found. Kṛṣṇa means He is the all-inclusive entity. Therefore any reason which could prevent Kṛṣṇa's existence would have to be either external to His own divine nature or in His own nature. Nothing can be outside of Kṛṣṇa's all-inclusiveness. Therefore no external agent can prevent Kṛṣṇa's existence. And it is again self-contradictory to attribute any imperfection to the perfect being. Therefore the conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa necessarily exists because no one can prevent His existence.
By definition, God is the perfect entity. So just as we've seen that existence of Kṛṣṇa cannot be checked... And actually nobody can prove that Kṛṣṇa does not exist, neither can they prevent Him from existing. This is sort of an indirect way to prod you to think about the position that you're in now. People become very proud because they have some material opulence or material knowledge, and they tend to think that they are self-sufficient. But actually, we're dependent on so many things. For example, we are just taking it for granted that our bodies will remain unmutilated by various forces in nature, when actually at any moment the bodies could be totally destroyed. And, even granted that our bodies will be with us for some time in operable condition, this field of our activities has many laws which we're dependent upon. Just as the other day we were discussing the law of gravity. This idea of laws in nature necessarily implies the existence of the lawmaker. And this can be demonstrated very easily in many, many ways. We'll take the law of gravity again. If some object in nature which has no consciousness behaves in a regulated manner, then it's obvious that it's under the control of a law. We call it a law. For example, if an apple drops from a tree, the apple is obeying the law of gravity. The apple does not know the law of gravity; therefore that law is being enforced by some superior entity. In our dealings in society, people know laws. Still, they don't obey them. They have to be forced to obey the laws, and still, people disobey the law. But the laws of nature are so perfectly enforced that nobody can disobey. Just a little thought will make this a little bit more clear to anyone. So there are twofold implications, namely the law proceeds from lawmaker, law enforcement proceeds from law enforcer. Man has tried so hard to establish law and order. Law and order is already there in this existence which he's now facing. I think that we don't need to consider any more on these points just now. The main point or the main information which we're considering now is that by understanding Kṛṣṇa's existence, understanding Kṛṣṇa's appearance before the perception of ourselves, that we can terminate this material existence which we now face. This life we're now conscious of through these bodies which were born... Now these bodies were very small. They develop into impressive size. The bodies will dwindle and the bodies will be gone ultimately, lost. But all these living entities here in the room will go on existing. This process of birth and death we should understand. And we should especially understand how Kṛṣṇa appears before us who are trapped by birth and death. If we understand that Kṛṣṇa's appearance is not like ours, because He's perfect and because He's appearing for our benefit, then we may be able to reach out and grab hold of the lifeline that can... (break) ...of our own suicidal bogs.
So anyway, everybody has been coming here knows that we're recommending, simply associate with us, chant with us and listen to the teachings of our spiritual master. Put questions to us. Any question. And at this point I'd also like to invite questions. Is there any question?
Prabhupāda: Let him speak. Mukunda.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
No. Economy will not suffer, but economy will be simplified because we have made some artificial economy. Actually, in the Bhagavad-gītā we find the economic problem is solved by producing food grains. It is stated there, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "By eating food grains, both the animals and the men, they become stout and strong." That's a fact. According to Bhagavad-gītā, economic problem can be solved anywhere. If you get, if you have some land, you produce your food grain and give it to the animals, especially to the cows, and she will give you in return milk. So if you get milk, fruits, vegetable and food grains, the whole economic problem is solved. We have already started this example in New Virginia. A group of men, we have got about five hundred acres of land, and we keep cows, and they work to produce some vegetable and food grain. So they don't go outside for solving economic problems. At the present moment—now I am coming from India—in Bombay there is strike, railway strike. People are in so miserable condition to go to their work fifty miles, forty miles, hundred miles, for earning their bread. This kind of economic situation has increased the problems of life. Rather, if we accept this economic problem solution, then anywhere, any part of the world, you live.
Initiation Lectures
Hare means addressing the energy of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is Lord Himself. So we are addressing, "O energy of Kṛṣṇa, O Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, O the supreme enjoyer, and Hare, the same energy, spiritual energy." Our prayer is "Please engage me in Your service." We are all engaged in some sort of service. There is no doubt about it. But we are suffering. By rendering service to māyā, we are suffering. The māyā means the service which we offer to somebody, that somebody is not satisfied; and you are also offering service—we are not satisfied. He is not satisfied with you; you are not satisfied with him. This is called māyā. Just like recently there was postal strike. This is most important department of the state. The state is offering them salary to the best capacity; still, the postmen, they are not satisfied. And they are offering service to the state; the state is also not satisfied. So māyā's service is like that. You go on throughout whole life. There are many examples.
General Lectures
Well, sound can be vibrated in any language. It doesn't matter that Hare Kṛṣṇa can be sounded in Sanskrit only. You can sound it in English tone also: "Hare Kṛṣṇa." Is there any difficulty? These boys, they are also sounding in Hare Kṛṣṇa. So there is no difficulty. It is the sound that matters. It doesn't matter who is sounding. Just like in piano, if you touch, there is "dung." It doesn't matter whether an American is striking or an Indian striking or a Hindu striking or Muslim striking, the sound is sound. Similarly, this piano, Hare Kṛṣṇa, you just touch it and it will sound. That's all. Yes?
He's in the darkness. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). The same repetition of same foolishness and uncontrolled senses, he does not know where he is going. Just like unbridled horses. The man does not know "Where the horses are dragging me, either in the hell or heaven? I do not know." But the horses are not controlled, under his con..., simply running, high speed. That these motorcars are running this way and that way. They do not know whether they will reach their destination. Any, at any point, they may be striking each other and finished. This is not successful life. Successful life means one should have peaceful life, with great hope, future hope, without any disturbance. What is successful life? Even a man is not secure. He does not know when he goes to his office whether his household things are taken away by some thief. You see? Where is success? Successful life means he must feel secure that the government is taking care of everything. That is successful life. He has no cares and anxieties. He's simply developing his spiritual life. That is successful life.
No. The new thing is that they do not go outside for bread. That is the new thing. Here, at the present moment, in every big, big city, they are coming from hundred miles to the office. Now there was railway strike in Bombay. I was there at that time. Oh, people are suffering so much. You see? From five o'clock in the morning, they are standing in queue for catching one... Not bus, it is truck. The buses on strike. So people are so much in difficulty. And if one train or two train was running, so many people smashed the... They were on the top of the train. So the problem is why one should be induced to go hundred miles off from his home for earning his livelihood? This is a very bad civilization. One must have his food locally. That is good civilization.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: God has made the law so perfect that one after—one cause affects something, and that affects another thing, another thing, one after another, so many things, ultimately. So we do not know so many things. We see the fruit, but how the fruit is growing, under which law, we simply explain nature. But it is not nature. There is a law. It is not only growing, the apples are having this nice color outside the skin, they have been painted; everything is perfectly being done by the laws, by the energy of Kṛṣṇa. Just like if you want to make a beautiful fruit, you paint it yellow or red, you take so much time. You apply your energy. The same energy is being applied there. Otherwise why, wherefrom you get the idea that a nice fruit can be painted like this? God is dictating that "You want to make a fruit, paint, you do like this, do like that." So similarly He is doing. But my doing takes so much time, because my energy is so blunt and limited. But His energy is so perfect that immediately (indistinct). The same example, just like Telex. There are so many methods, now this is latest. Immediately type here, immediately there. So before that, one could not believe that how is it I type here and five thousand miles away the type striking. So there is a law. It is not that it is magic.
Prabhupāda: Yes, go on.
Hayagrīva: He felt that industry or science could make man happier by emancipating man from...
Prabhupāda: We don't think so because in the industry the worker are not satisfied. They are, they are observing strike. Why? If there is happiness, why there is strike?
Hayagrīva: He felt... Well this... Of course Marx wrote before Communism came into actual existence as a, as a political institution, so he's simply theorizing.
Prabhupāda: Still, his theory, he...
Hayagrīva: He's never, he's never, he never saw Communist Russia for instance, or any Communist state. He, he felt that religion has..., was the cause of antagonism between men. He says, "The most persistent form of antagonism between the Jew and the Christian is religious antagonism." How has one solved an antagonism by...
Prabhupāda: No.
Prabhupāda: That must be. Not only the capitalists exploit, the laborers also exploit.
Śyāmasundara: Laborers exploit?
Prabhupāda: Yes. One laborer is charging five rupees, another laborer is charging ten rupees. That profiteering, exploiting tendency is everywhere. Why the laborers strike? To make more profit. Do you mean to say because he is laborer he is free from this profit-making desires?
Śyāmasundara: But their idea is that if the means of production are owned by the people, that this condition, this social condition, will wither away.
Prabhupāda: That was perfect in Vedic system, that you... The land is supposed to belong to the government or to the king. The king gives you the land that "You make production and give me tax, one-fourth. That's all." So there is no question of profit. If you have produced one kilo, give one-fourth kilo to the king as tax. That is real social system. Actually, according to our Vedic system, everything belongs to God and the king is supposed to be representative of God to manage things. So for his managerial work he requires some money. Therefore I have taken some land for my livelihood. So whatever production is there, I pay one-fourth to the king for management. This is nice system. As soon as the tax is realized in terms of pound, shillings, pence, whole difficulty arises. I have produced ten mounds of rice and out of that one-fourth I give to the government or to the king. So I have no anxiety. If I produce twenty mounds, I give one-fourth. If I produce ten mounds, I give one-fourth. If I don't produce I don't give. This is perfect system.
rabhupāda: To disobey the order of Kṛṣṇa, or not to serve Kṛṣṇa. Just like some servant, he tries that "Why I am serving this master? Why not become a master." The, sometimes psychologically it comes. A man is working in the office, he is seeing the managing director is sitting and is taking all the money, and sometimes the worker... Just like a capitalist and the worker. Why it is Communist movement? That they are thinking that "We are working, and the capitalist is taking the money." So they revolt, they make strike, and they form a society that "We have the..., we must have this money." That is communism. So similarly, when the living entity—he is eternally part and parcel of God; to serve God, that is his real position—but when he thinks that "Why I shall serve God? I shall enjoy myself," that is the beginning of falldown. So what is your question? When the... This was your question, that "When the sinful life begins?"
Hayagrīva: His most famous book was Walden II, which was... Thoreau lived in Walden, Henry Thoreau. He lived alone. It was a solitary experiment of plain living and high thinking. He writes, "We practice the Thoreauvian principle of avoiding unnecessary possessions." Thoreau pointed out that the average Concord laborer worked ten or fifteen hours of his..., fifteen years of his life just to have a roof over his head. We could say ten weeks and be on the safe side. Food is plentiful and healthful but not expensive." So he goes on to say that "We strike for economic freedom, we do not believe in unnecessary consumption, we consume less than the average American." So it's an attempt to construct a society somewhat similar to New Vrindaban, with the exception of no spiritual basis as such.
Prabhupāda: That is primitive life, jungle life. Monkey civilization. Of course they claim to be descendant of monkey, that they will go on like that. But that is not human civilization, to keep the monkey in the jungle. We want life, very peaceful life without any unnecessary, what is called, necessities. That is all right. But the aim should be spiritual perfection. Therefore the first thing is what is the aim of life, that should be ascertained. Without aim, if you lounge on this ocean, where you are going? That is useless attempt. We must first of all know what is the aim of life. These people, they do not know what is the aim of life. Simply, superficially they are trying to adjust, "This will be done, this will be done." No. These are all mental speculation. First of all you must know what is the aim of life, and to this, to that direction, we have to adjust things. That is perfection.
| Page Title: | Strike (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 23 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=43, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 43 |