So anyway, we have to act according to the superior order. And so far the spirit soul is concerned, that is the first lesson of spiritual knowledge. Unless you understand what is spirit... We are present here. The body is there and the spirit is there. Now we must analyze according to the direction given in authoritative books. That is very easy. Kṛṣṇa says that within this body there is the spirit soul. And we can experience that unless the spirit soul is there, the body does not change, and as soon as the spirit soul goes away, the body is a dead lump of matter. That's all. Very easy to understand. So we have to first understand this, then spiritual progress. If we remain like asses and dogs and cats, that "I am this body," there is no question of spiritual understanding. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Read it and you will understand what is the difference between spirit and matter. In so many ways they have been described. Then if we understand that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul," then my duty will be assigned, that "I am spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So I am acting for the body only? The body is perishable." Antavanta ime dehāḥ. Everything is there. Antavat means perishable. Nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ: "But the spirit soul is eternal." So I am working day and night so hard only for this body, how to eat, how to dress, how to have sex, how to defend. What I am doing for the spirit soul? That is knowledge. The spirit soul, I am the spirit soul, and because as spirit soul I am within this body, the body is working, moving, and I am simply taking care of the body. What care I am taking for myself, the spirit soul, who is going to change this body?
There is no question (Lectures, SB canto 6)
Expressions researched:
"no question"
|"there can be no question"
|"there could be no question"
|"there is no question"
|"there was no question"
|"there will be no question"
|"without any question"
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Prabhupāda: The gross body is finished. Gross body becomes ash, stool, or earth. Those who are burying the gross body, it becomes after sometimes earth. And those who are giving this body to be eaten by other animals, it becomes stool. And those who are burning this body, the body becomes ash. So gross body there are three ultimate goal: either to become ash, or stool, or earth.
Madhudvīṣa: His question was "Is there a time when the subtle body ceases to exist?"
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is liberation. When... So long you are encircled by the subtle body, there is no question of liberation because the subtle body will take you to another gross body. When we are free from the subtle body, then we are liberated. We go back to home, back to Godhead. Yes?
Devotee (2): What's the subtle body like?
Prabhupāda: I have already explained. Mind, intelligence, and ego—this is subtle body. Everyone has got his mind, everyone knows. But we cannot see. The intelligence... Everyone has got intelligence, but we cannot see. Similarly, subtle body is invisible. Ghost means when the living entity remains in the subtle body, do not get another gross body—they are very sinful—they create disturbance. But we cannot see. That is ghost. Ghost means that those who are too much sinful, they do not get this gross body. They are punished with the position, to remain in the subtle body, at least for some time. That is ghostly life. Therefore you will see, ghostly-haunted places, something is being done, but how it is being done, you do not see because you cannot see the subtle body. But you will see something is being carried in the air. It is not something being carried. It is being carried by the subtle body.
"Therefore, my dear King, according to the gravity of sinful activities, one has to atone similarly." The example is, according to the gravity of the disease, the physician prescribes different types of medicine. If your disease is very severe then the physician says, "You have to take this medicine. This is very costly. You have to live like this." You know, you know everyone. 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.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No, I don't want." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). "Neither I want very nice, beautiful, obedient wife." Then what You want? Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī: "Life after life, let me remain a faithful servant of Your Lordship." This is Vaiṣṇava. He doesn't want anything. Why he will want? If he becomes servant of Kṛṣṇa, then what does he want? Suppose if you become servant of a very, very big man, then what is the question of your want? This is intelligence. Any servant of any big man, he is bigger than his master. Because he is given Master is given so many varieties of food. Master takes little, and the balance the servants eat. (laughs) So where is his want? There is no question of want. Just try to become servant of God, and all your necessities will be sufficiently fulfilled. This is intelligence. Just like a rich man's child, does he want anything from father? No, he simply wants father, mother. The father-mother knows what does he want, how he will be happy. That is the duty of the father and mother. Similarly, this is very good intelligence: just to try to become the sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa. All your necessities of life will be sufficiently supplied. There is no question of asking.
No. In the spiritual world there is no such thing. In the spiritual world even a small ant who is serving Kṛṣṇa by chance... Suppose if there is an ant and the flower is thrown into the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and the ant kisses the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he is as good as the pūjārī. This is spiritual world. So we should give everyone chance how to serve Kṛṣṇa. Then he will remain on the upper platform. Samatītya. Atītya mean transcending. Etan guṇān. Etan guṇān means because the material world is complicated with the modes of material nature, so this is called guṇa. So anyone who is engaged constantly in devotional service, sa guṇān samatītyaitān (BG 14.26), he immediately transcends the influence of the material qualities. Sa guṇān samatītya etān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate.
So these things will be discussed, that "Such person is no meant for going to the hell." No. They are not meant. It is stated that such devotees, they will not in dream also see what is hellish condition of life. They are so, mean, guaranteed. So this hellish condition of life is meant for the persons who are rotting in these material modes of nature, and if you remain above the influence of material nature, always being engaged in devotional service... We have got varieties of service, and we have got such program. So if, some way or other, if we remain engaged always in devotional service, then there is no question of downfall or going to the hellish condition of life.
Suppose you can eat eight ounce. If you eat nine ounce, then you will have to starve for three days. There is no excuse. "Why you have eaten more than eight ounce?" The nature says... Just like we require salt in our foodstuff, everyone. But if the salt is little more, it is useless. And if the salt is little less, that is also useless. It must be exactly to the quantity. So nature's law is like that. People, if they simply study nature's law, he becomes a learned scholar. There is no need of going to school, college. But if he sees how nature is working... You can see this flower. Every flower is so beautiful, nicely constructed symmetrically. You'll find two flowers, the small fiber coming out exactly in the same way. There is no question of accident. There is no question of accident. They are also being manipulated by the laws of nature. And what is the laws of nature? The laws of nature is acting under the supervision of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
The nature is instrument. Just like any machine. Take typewriter machine. The typewriter machine or any machine, working very nicely, but the machine is not working nicely. The man, the person who is typing, he is doing nicely. There may be wonderful machine, computer, but there must be one actor, one manipulator. So the, this nature is an instrument only. The actually worker is Kṛṣṇa. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). But these rascals, they are praising the machine. They have no information that who is the person, what is the brain behind this machine. That is ignorance.
And here Prahlāda Mahārāja uses another nice word with addition, "vi." Vimūḍhān. Vi means viśeṣa, "particularly." The vimūḍhān... Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahataḥ: "They have created unnecessary burden on their shoulder simply for temporary happiness." Temporary happiness. Therefore, in the Vedic civilization, a sannyāsa, renounced order of life, is recommended for prosecuting spiritual life absolutely without any anxiety. If one can execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness in family life, that's very good. Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. He was a family man, magistrate. Still, he executed devotional service so nicely. Dhruva Mahārāja, Prahlāda Mahārāja, they are, they were gṛhastha, householders, but they trained themselves in such a nice way that even householder, as a householder, there was no interruption. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "I have learned the art, how to remain always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." What is that? Tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta: "Simply glorifying the," I mean to, "the victorious activities, pastimes of the Lord." Tvad-vīrya. Vīrya means very strenuous, very heroic. Vīrya means heroic. So Kṛṣṇa's activities are all heroic. You can read from Kṛṣṇa book. Tvad-vīrya-gāyana. Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa's fame, Kṛṣṇa's activities, Kṛṣṇa's associates—everything is heroic. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "For me, I am certain, wherever I shall go, I can glorify Your heroic activities and I am, I mean to say, saved. There is no question of my falling down. But I wish... I am simply anxious for these persons who have created a type of civilization that they are always busy and working hard. So I am thinking of them."
So if he commits some sinful activity, he goes to a very expert brāhmaṇa. They are called bhaṭṭācārya. They are especial... Just like there are physicians for treatment of the disease, there are highly learned brāhmaṇas who are called bhaṭṭācāryas. People go there: "Sir, I have committed this sin. What I have to do?" So they prescribe that "You do like this." So similarly, as we go to the physician, we have to go to consult an expert learned brāhmaṇa, that "I have committed..." But people used to understand that what is sinful and what is pious. Now people are so downtrodden, so dull, mandāḥ, that they do not understand what is sinful, what is pious. They are going on, doing all nonsense without any care. And there is no question of consulting physician or learned brāhmaṇa.
So these things are all gone. In Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time there was misuse also of this... Just like sometimes the physician does not give him the proper medicine. Just to keep him under treatment and take money from him, he continues. Similarly, in this age things are being deteriorated. So even you go to a learned brāhmaṇa, he does not give you the proper instruction. He wants to exact some money from you. Therefore things have gone, everything, very bad. Even in Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu was there, one gentleman, he was made into a Muhammadan. This is a long story. The shortcut is he was very rich man, and the Nawab of Bengal, Hussain Shah, when he was a boy, he was his servant. Later on he became the Nawab, the king. So one day the Nawab was being massaged, and his wife saw that there is a stripe on the back. So (s)he asked the Nawab, "What is this?"
And in another place Ṛṣabhadeva has said also..., several times we have repeated, na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam, kleśada āsa dehaḥ. This world is going on not now. So long the material world is there, the living entities are after sense enjoyment like a madman. This is the position. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). They are acting very irresponsibly, and all kinds of sinful activities they are committing like a madman, without any responsibility of life. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And what for they are doing? Yad indriya-prītaye, simply for sense gratification, that's all. So Ṛṣabhadeva says, na sādhu manye: "This is not good." "Why it is not good? I am enjoying life." No, you are not enjoying. Because you have got this material body, there is no question of enjoyment. It is simply suffering. And you are thinking it is enjoyment. That is illusion. That is māyā. You are accepting something which is not.
So everyone should be careful, that "I have got this material body. This is disease. Why I shall get material body?" That they do not know. From Bhagavad-gītā we understand, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We are not finished after the body is annihilated, no, or destroyed, no. So we are eternal. That is called brahma-jñāna. Unless one has the brahma-jñāna, that "I am not this body," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, aham, "I am brahman, spirit soul," so people will go on doing all irresponsible things. Because he does not know. So we human being should come to the understanding—that is knowledge—that so long we get this material body, this is my disease. And disease means suffering. Nobody can say that "By being diseased, I am very happy." Nobody will say that. Disease means suffering. "So the śāstra says—and I am practically experiencing—that I am eternal. I am changing body every moment. So I am eternal. Why I am put into this condition, repetition of birth and death?" This is intelligence. Unless one comes to this intelligence, he is not human being. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).
Prabhupāda: No, I am speaking not of you. I know what you are doing. But we should corroborate. But as a preacher we should simply speak the real truth. There is no question of corresponding with your ideas and another idea, no. We... Whatever we know, whatever we have heard from our authorities we'll speak. That's all. It may be somebody may know better than me. That is another thing. But I have to present what I have learned from the authority. That's all. And our authority is Kṛṣṇa, mainly. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upa... That is the spiritual master. Who does not add or subtract from the talks of Kṛṣṇa, he is spiritual master. One who adds and subtracts according to his whims, he is not spiritual master. He is not bona fide spiritual master. "I, my opinion..." "I give this interpretation..." He is not authorized. You are lawyer, you know better than me. In your law court you cannot change the law by your opinion. That is not possible.
Guest: (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: That is another thing, but that is judged by the expert lawyer that your interpretation is right. And when interpreted. Not ordinarily interpret everything. When it is not distinct. The law point, when it is not distinct then interpretation required. When it is distinct, is there any necessity of interpretation? It is clear. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says, "I am God. I am the Supreme." So how you can interpret that "No, no, not Kṛṣṇa. Something within Kṛṣṇa." Dr. Radhakrishnan says like that. Yes. That is foolishness. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad... (BG 18.65).
Guest: That is something within Kṛṣṇa?
If you simply understand that Kṛṣṇa is the only enjoyer, then your propensity to become false enjoyer will be vanquished, that "I am not enjoyer. Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer." Then there is no question of renunciation also. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram. And He says that "I am the proprietor of all planetary systems." Loka. Loka means universe. Then what you have got to renounce? If Kṛṣṇa or somebody is proprietor of something, what is the meaning of your renouncement? And if He is the only enjoyer, then what is the meaning of you are enjoyer? So if you enjoy, then you become a thief. And if you renounce, you become a pretender. Because we have nothing to renounce, and you cannot enjoy other's property. This is your position.
Prabhupāda: As loud as possible.
Devotees: Jaya! Hari bol!
Prabhupāda: So that others can hear and take benefit of it. There is no secret. It is not that secret mantra, that "I'll give you a special mantra, and you give me $35." (laughter) It is open to everyone. Chant loudly, as loudly as possible. No question of payment.
Guest (3): Have you seen Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Yes. You are not seeing? Why you are so blind? Everyone seeing, Kṛṣṇa is here.
Woman: Is it a very good omen to see in your sleep state person showing to do the Hare Kṛṣṇa chant?
Prabhupāda: Well, sleep, when you sleep and dream, you take it all false. It is not very good omen.
Śyāmasundara: She said...
Woman: Like(?) you do anything about the movement in sleep, and I was... (?)
Prabhupāda: Sleep... Sleep is sleep. But in advanced stages in sleep also... Dream means whatever you act in awakened state, that comes as something, phantasmagoria. But actually, you have to do according to the rules and regulations, not under some dream or phantasmagoria. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness has to be executed according to the rules and regulations. Then it will be successful. Yes?
Increase the problem... Just like I was discussing, they have increased the problems so much so that even in the womb of mother they are being killed. Just imagine how much we have increased the problem. Even there is no security... In India they say, security position, that one is sleeping on the lap of his mother. That is best security. Because the child, when he is sleeping on the lap of his mother, if there is some danger, mother will first of all come forward to save the child. That is natural. But the problems of life has so become complicated that even mother is killing child. Just imagine. The present position of the civilization, that there is no question of security, even on the lap of the mother, and what to speak of otherwise. But the business of human life is to solve the problems of life, but we have increased the problems of life. This is the civilization. Why? Because we are not taking to the process of human life. The process of human life is mentioned here: tapasya, austerity. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena ca (SB 6.1.13). This is the process to make solution of the problems of life. And if we do not do that, then we implicate ourself in more problems. But they do not know. They are so foolish that they do not know the problems of life, how to solve it. And here in the Śrīmad-Bhagavat, Śrīmat Śukadeva Gosvāmī has given you that "You do this." Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa: (SB 6.1.13) "Accept austerities, penance. Observe brahmācārya, celibacy. Control your mind. Control your senses, God consciousness." Dharma-jñā: "Become dhīra, sober." These are the things to be learned in human life. And if we simply, like animals, jump like dog, then what is that civilization?
That is not possible. Just like some foolish people say that "Become desireless." How you can be desireless? I am a living man, living being. I must desire. I cannot be desireless. But if the desire is transformed to Kṛṣṇa... Suppose instead of desiring that "I shall have a very big skyscraper building," if I desire that "I shall have a very big, big temple for Kṛṣṇa." The same desire. But as soon as you desire to have a big skyscraper building, that is material. And as soon as you desire to construct a big temple for Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual. Just like as you get a nice rose flower: as soon as you desire that you shall enjoy it, this is material. And as soon as you desire, "Oh, this is nice flower. I shall go and offer it to Kṛṣṇa," that is spiritual. Simply change the desire. There is no question of desirelessness. Why? We cannot be desireless... That is not possible. Change the... Purify the desire. Purify the desire.
Therefore bhakti means sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalaṁ (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam. We have to cleanse the desire. We have to cleanse our seeing. Now our eyes want to see some beautiful thing. Now, if we become accustomed to see Kṛṣṇa beautifully decorated, nicely decorated, nicely dressed, then we forget other, so-called material beauty. So the activities of the eyes, to see beautiful thing, is not changed, but it is purified. That is bhakti. Nothing has to be changed or nothing has to be stopped, but the process has to be changed. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta vairāgyam ucyate. We cannot be desireless. We cannot be inactive. That is also not possible. We must be active—but active for working for Kṛṣṇa. Then it is devotional life. That is being taught in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that it is not simply negation. Simply negation will not help you. There must be some positive occupation. So we say, "Do not do this, but do this." We say, "Do not eat meat," but we say, "Eat Kṛṣṇa's nice prasādam, halavā."
Devotee (1): ...somehow or other...
Prabhupāda: You are not outsider. (laughter) First of all outsider. You have got chance. So? No question from outsider? Now you can ask.
Devotee (1): If someone has a desire to do something so that...
Prabhupāda: Do something for Kṛṣṇa?
Devotee (1): For Kṛṣṇa. But he begins to realize it's still tinged with a lot of personal gratification...
Prabhupāda: Therefore he should consult spiritual master. The guide is there. Then it is all right. He should take sanction from Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative. If he wants to do something, that's good, but whether that doing is right or wrong you have to know it from Kṛṣṇa or His representative. Is it clear or not? Yes.
Devotee (1): How can one reach the point where he knows that a particular type of service...
Sruta-kirti: How can one reach the point where he knows a particular type of service...
Devotee (1): ...will please the spiritual master?
Madhudviṣa: He wants to know how to find out how to please the spiritual master with one service.
The spiritual master has given you so many things to do. Do it. First of all finish that. First of all finish sixteen rounds, observe the regulative principles. First of all... First of all finish this duty. And neglecting this duty, what you can do further? If you cannot finish sixteen rounds chanting, you cannot observe the regulative principles, then what else you can do? First of all finish this duty. Be expert in finishing, executing these duties. Then ask for another duty. And if you finish these duties, automatically Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). One who is actually engaged in the service of the Lord, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam, "I give him intelligence." Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence. You will be able to talk with Kṛṣṇa from within if you become sincere. If you cannot execute the preliminary duties, then how you can execute further duty? There is no question.
Prabhupāda: Formal initiation means to accept, officially, to abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa and His representative. That is formal initiation. Officially accept, "Yes, sir, I shall accept. I shall do whatever you say." This is initiation, official acceptance of the job. That's all. Now, you formally accept, and if you do not do the duties, then where is the question of other function? There is no question. Initiation means this is the beginning of accepting the orders of Kṛṣṇa and His representative to carry out. This is the beginning. That is initiation. Just like if you enter in an office establishment, so you accept the terms of service. That is initiation. Then you go on serving, you become promoted, you get salary increase. You become recognized. You become officer. You become big officer, like that. That very word initiation suggests, "This is the beginning." Dīkṣā, dīkṣā. Di... Divya. There are two words, divya-jñāna. Divya-jñāna means transcendental, spiritual knowledge. So divya is dī, and jñānam, kṣapayati, explaining, that is kṣa, dī-kṣā. This is called dīkṣā, dīkṣā, the combination. So dīkṣā means the initiation to begin transcendental activities. That is called initiation. Therefore we take promise from the disciple that "You chant so many times," "Yes, sir." "You observe these rules and regulations," "Yes, sir." That is initiation. He has to observe; he has to chant. Then everything comes automatically. In the beginning he is faulty; then how he can make progress? There is no question of in..., what is called? What you were asking?
Madhudviṣa: Inspiration.
Kṛṣṇa says, "I shall give you release from all sinful reaction which you have committed for many, many births." Kṛṣṇa says. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. There is no question of worrying about it, that "Oh, I have committed." But the thing is that after surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, don't commit any more sinful life. Then you are perfect. Whatever you have done is done. It doesn't matter. But after surrendering, if you think, "It is a good business. I have surrendered," no, that is not surrender. Surrender is that sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). He has no other business. That is surrender. You cannot become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa and engage in sinful activities. Then it is not surrender. You want to do your business on the strength of Kṛṣṇa's blessing—no. That is not allowed. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). All kinds of activities, occupational duty, you should give up. Simply be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service.
Kṛṣṇa's service... Just like Arjuna. Arjuna, in the beginning he was hesitating to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Kṛṣṇa wanted him to fight, to take part in the fight. But he was hesitating. But when he was instructed Bhagavad-gītā, he understood, he decided, "Yes," kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73), "I shall fight." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have got many programs according to our mental concoction. That will not help us. If we simply act as Kṛṣṇa desires, then our life is perfect. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā (CC Madhya 19.167).
Our real identity is that we are eternally servant of God. This understanding, pure understanding, is called mukti. When we understand that "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is my eternal master, and I am eternal servant of Him," that is called mukti. The mukti definition is given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: mukti hitva anyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa avasthiti. Mukti means when we give up our wrong ideas and we stay in our real identification. That is called mukti. So a bhakta who understands clearly that "I am eternal servant of God, and God is my eternal master," this very understanding means mukti. If I wrongly think that "I am something of this material world" or "I am God myself," these are misunderstanding. There is no question of mukti. Here the word is kecit kevalayā: "somebody." The purpose is that most people, they are either karmīs or jñānīs. Karmīs or jñānīs. Karmīs means those who are working very hard day and night for sense gratification, and jñānis means after being frustrated in such activities, he tries to give up this world, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. This is not jñāna, that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. If brahma is satya, then jagat is also satya. Jñāna means to know real fact. The real fact is that is (as) Brahman is satya, anything which is emanated from Brahman, that is also satya. In the Vedānta-sūtra it begins like this: athāto brahma jijñāsā. "Now we have to inquire about Brahman." So about this description, Brahman, yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. And in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Anything which is emanating... Everything which is emanating from a particular source, that is Brahman. So what is that original source of everything? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: (BG 10.8) "From Me everything is emanating." Therefore Kṛṣṇa is Parambrahman. Therefore the conclusion is that if you come to the platform of bhakti, then automatically you become liberated.
So that is sādhu, no meat-eating. Here you will find. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement you will find, nobody is meat-eating. Nobody is prepared to kill even an ant, what to speak of big animal. They put argument that "You are vegetarian, and you are also killing vegetable life." Of course, we are killing. But we are not killing vegetables. First of all, vegetables are not killed. If I take a fruit from the tree, the tree is not killed. Or if I take the grains from the plant, before the grains are ripe the plant dies. So actually there is no question of killing. Although the law is, nature's law is that "One living entity is the food for another living entity." Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam. But a human being should be discriminative. If I can live by eating fruits and grains and milk, why shall I kill animal? This is human consciousness. Milk, if you get milk, you can prepare hundreds of nice preparations, all full of vitamins and nourishing. In our New Vrindaban we are maintaining cows and having so many nice preparations, rābri and lagdu and this peḍā and baraphi and sandeśa and rasagullā and yogurt—varieties enough. The other farmers they come, they are surprised, that "Such nice preparation can be made from milk?" Yes, you do not know. You do not know how to utilize the animal. Ignorance. The milk is also produced out of the blood.
Still, in that city the most inhabitants are brāhmaṇas. Just like Nadia, Navadvīpa. It was formerly, even in Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time, inhabited by brāhmaṇas, learned scholars. So similarly, in northern India this place, Kanauj, since very long, long time, it is a very celebrated place. Now this place is very much famous for manufacturing perfumes, rosewater, scented attars, like that.
So anyway, it is history. Long, long ago there was a brāhmaṇa, dvija. Dvija means twice-born: first birth by the father and mother... That kind of birth is obtainable by any person, man or animal. As soon as you take birth, there must be father and mother. Without father-mother, there is no question of birth. Therefore, in the human society they do not take this birth as very important. We are very much proud of becoming American or Indian on account of birth, but according to the Vedic civilization, simply the birth by father-mother is not very important. There must be second birth, dvija. Dvi means second, and ja means birth. So according to the Vedic civilization, a human being must be trained up to become dvija, or take his birth second time. This is human civilization. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Simply by ordinary birth by father and mother, it is śūdra. But the civilization is how a śūdra or less than śūdra can be elevated to the position of a brāhmaṇa. That is civilization.
And why do they...? What is the difficulty? Dharma-kṣetra kuru-kṣetra, is that a very difficult Sanskrit? Now, there is no question. Even in... If you do not understand Sanskrit, what is the difficulty to understand dharma-kṣetra? Is it not a Hindi word? Kurukṣetra is a name of place. So what is the difficulty? Why do you interpret that Kurukṣetra means this body? This rascaldom has killed the whole spiritual atmosphere of India. They are responsible, these rascal politicians, the rascal scholars, so-called. Actually if we want good of the people, these rascals should be disclosed and people should come back. We should... Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Why we should interpret? You know, you, as a lawyer. When there is legal point, if it is not clear, one lawyer is trying to extract some meaning and the other lawyer is extract... It is... After all, the judges (indistinct) give the judgment. So this interpretation between the two lawyers are there when the subject matter is not very clear. Is it not?
Yes. So when the language is clear it is... Just like anything you take, all these Vedic literatures, simply by interpretation they have played havoc. Now, this Vedānta-sūtra, Vedānta, is accepted as the supreme authority of Vedic literature. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), the sutra, that janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "The Absolute Truth must be the original source of everything." There is no question of interpretation. This is the clear meaning. Janmādi. Janma means birth and... Janma, sthiti and laya. There are three words in this material world. The things come out, just like this body has come out from the womb of my mother. It stays for some time, it grows, it gives some by-products, then it becomes old and again vanishes. So therefore janmādy asya: (SB 1.1.1) "Beginning from birth up to the annihilation, everything is emanation from the Absolute Truth." So is not that very clear? Absolute Truth must be that which is the source of everything and reservoir of everything and who is maintaining everything. That is the meaning of... Now, Bhāgavata, because it is interpretation of the Vedānta-sūtra, it begins from that sutra, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Now, how that janmādy asya yataḥ? It is explained, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ. If the original source... How the characteristics of the original source should be? The original source must be cognizant indirectly and directly of everything. The original Absolute Truth should be cognizant, abhijñaḥ. If He is the source of everything, then He must be cognizant of everything, either directly or indirectly. Just like for example this body is my product. I am spiritual spark. This spiritual spark, as soon as takes shelter into the womb of a woman, it develops this body. The spiritual spark has that power, develops body. So I am a spirit soul, I have developed this body. That means I am a spiritual spark, which is source of this body, all mechanisms. And similarly, the whole creation, it is..., there is supreme spirit.
A brāhmaṇa would receive... People were very honest, that "This man is teaching our children. He does not charge. This man is teaching me how to worship, how to become well behaved." So they have no scarcity, enough. So he would simply use as much as he required; balance he will give in charity. Not that keep in stock for tomorrow. No. That is not brāhmaṇa's business. Whatever is come today, I use it for my necessities of life, and balance, I give to the poor or somebody else, somebody else, somebody..., or make some festival. So paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. So we require some income for our maintenance. So this was the brāhmaṇa's business. There is no question of doing some business or making some profession or going to the office or going to the factory. This is not brāhmaṇa's business.
Then kṣatriya, next, second-class man. So what is his livelihood? His livelihood: to take tax. The kṣatriyas were entrusted certain villages, that "You look after these villages, that the people are becoming well behaved." So kṣatriya's business was to see whether brāhmaṇa is actually acting as brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya actually acting as kṣatriya. This was the ruler's business to see. And to see that nobody is unemployed, nobody is a devil's workshop. Because if you have no business, no occupation, then your brain will plan something. This plan is cauryam and cheating. They had no opportunity to plan all these things. So kṣatriya's income is to take some tax. What is that tax? Not in money. But people are engaged in agricultural work, so whatever he has produced, he gives twenty-five percent to the ruler. That's all. That includes income tax, this tax, that tax. No more tax. "Take. Whatever I have got, you take twenty-five percent." So this is kṣatriya's occupation, second class.
"You try to understand this transcendental knowledge." Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). Don't go to a guru to challenge him: "I shall see how much my guru knows." Then it will be useless. Praṇipātena.
Rūpa Gosvāmī, when he was in Vṛndāvana, he was known, the most learned scholar. So one mundane scholar came, and he approached Rūpa Gosvāmī and said, "Sir, I want to talk with you on śāstras." So Rūpa Gosvāmī said, "Why talking with me about śāstras?" "Now, you are well known, so well known about śāstra, Vedic literatures. So I want to test you." "So what is the purpose?" "Now, if I can defeat you, then I will be renowned." "All right. I am defeated." So there is no question of talking, because Rūpa Gosvāmī saw, "What is the use of talking with this rascal? He is for material name and fame." "So what do you want?" "Now, if you think that you are less intelligent, then give me in writing." "All right, I am giving in writing that 'This scholar has defeated me.' " So he gave him. But Jīva Gosvāmī, his nephew, at the same time disciple, he was standing outside, that... He said, "What is that?" "Now your uncle has already given me in writing that he is defeated." "Let me see." So he took the paper. So he said, "All right, let us talk now." So when he talked with Jīva Gosvāmī, what is his learning? He became defeated. So sometimes, if somebody goes to challenge the guru, the real guru will say, "What is the use of talking with this nonsense? Better say that 'You know better than me.' That's all. 'Go away.' " Upekṣa. Upekṣa. Neglect him, because he has no intention to learn. He has come to simply waste time.
Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Everyone can go. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25).
So our endeavor should be, instead of being attached to this false enjoyment like cats and dogs, like the animal is running after the false water, the human life is meant for understanding that "The animal is running after false water. Why I shall go there? I am not animal." That is human life. If one, like the cats and dogs and deer, animal, runs after the false water and he dies, struggle for existence... "Survival of the fittest," they say. Nobody will survive. So there is no question. If you take the word in a real sense, the survival of the fittest, one who has understood that he is not this body, he is spirit soul, he is fit to survive. Otherwise, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), you will run after this false thing, and this body will be finished, and again you will have to accept another body, and again you will run after, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This is going on. After false thing. Therefore the śāstra says that this human form of life is not meant for running after this false thing. They must understand what is reality. And how to attain that reality? Exactly in the same way: intelligent man knows that "This is my diseased condition. How to get out, achieve that healthy condition? Because I am eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).
So it is possible even by Ajāmila. That is the story we are now trying to understand. Simply we have to accept the association of realized soul. Then it is possible. There is no hopelessness. Anyone can attain the spiritual perfection. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvidaḥ.
Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow and kharaḥ means ass. I repeatedly say this. So unless we understand that I and you, we are not this body, there is no question of spiritual understanding or spiritual education.
So here the Ajāmila, because, although he was a brāhmaṇa, but due to association of a prostitute, he lost everything. This is the version. We have already studied, that,
- kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścid
- dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ
- nāmnā naṣṭa-sad-ācāro
- dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ
Sad-ācāra. Sad-ācāra, just like we are teaching sad-ācāra, rise early in the morning, taking a bath, change your cloth, wash your mouth, and then go to the Deity room and have maṅgala arotika, then study, so many, so many..., simply sad-ācāra. Sad-ācāra means, sat means "that will exist," and ācāra means "behavior." Sad-ācāra So here it is said that Ajamila, he became the husband of a prostitute. It is not the sastric injunction. You can become husband, but not the husband of a prostitute. Then your life is finished. Naṣṭa sad-ācāra. You will be lost all... Therefore so much stress is given that wife should be chaste and husband should be very well behaved, then life will be successful. Arjuna argued with Kṛṣṇa that "You're asking me to kill my brothers and relatives on the other side, so don't You think that if I kill them, their wives will be widowed and they'll be polluted? And as soon as they'll be polluted, there will be varṇa-saṅkara." Varṇa-saṅkara, the practical example of varṇa-saṅkara is the hippies in your country: no caste, no creed, neither useful for the material world, neither useful for the spiritual. That is called varṇa-saṅkara. Then he said, "My...," Arjuna... Strīṣu duṣṭāsu varṇa-saṅkara (indistinct). "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are asking me to kill my... There will be widow, and they'll be polluted, and there'll be varṇa-saṅkara, and (indistinct), and when there'll be varṇa-saṅkara, then the whole world will be hell. It will be no more suitable for habitation of gentlemen. Finished."
That is the difference. Here in this material world there is no love because the man and woman, they have no idea that "I mix with the man, the man who satisfies desires with me." No. "I will satisfy my desires." This is the basic principle. The man is thinking that "Mixing with this woman, I'll satisfy my sense desire," and woman is thinking that "By mixing with this man, I shall satisfy my desire." Therefore it is very prominent in the Western countries, as soon as there is difficulty in personal sense gratification, immediately divorce. This is the psychological, why so many divorces in this country. The root cause is that "As soon as I don't find satisfaction, then I don't want." That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: dāṁ-patyaṁ ratim eva hi. In this age, husband and wife means sex satisfaction, personal. There is no question of that "We shall live together; we shall satisfy Kṛṣṇa by being trained up how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't do anything for your personal sense gratification. Do everything for Kṛṣṇa's sense gratification.
Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we have forgotten this. We are thinking we are part and parcel of America or India. This is called illusion. They are interested... Somebody is interested in his country; somebody is interested in his society or family. We have created so many things, duty. Therefore śāstra says that "These rascals do not know what is his actual self-interest." Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). He is hoping something which will never be fulfilled. Therefore he is rascal. We are trying to adjust things within this material world to become happy, but the rascal does not know that so long he will remain in this material world, there is no question of happiness. That is rascaldom.
Kṛṣṇa says that this place is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This material world, where we are now living under different change of body one after another, it is duḥkhālayam. Why I have to change my body? Why not... I am permanent. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Therefore we have to learn, we have to be educated, we have to receive knowledge from the perfect. And Kṛṣṇa personally, the Supreme Perfect Person, is giving you knowledge. And if we are so unfortunate that we do not take the perfect knowledge—we concoct, we speculate, we create our own idea—then it is to be understood that durāśayā. We are thinking, "I shall be happy in this way. I shall be happy in this..." Nothing. You shall never be happy—this is perfect instruction—unless you go back to home, back to Godhead. Just like a mad boy, he has forsaken his father. His father is rich man, everything is there, but he has become hippie. So similarly, we are also like that. Our father is Kṛṣṇa. We can live there very comfortably without any botheration, without endeavor for earning money, but we have decided that we shall live here in this material world. This is called ass. This is the... Therefore mūḍha. We do not know what is our self-interest.
This Kṛṣṇa says. "One who has ended the process of sinful activities and engaged in pious activities, such person can become a firm devotee." So these four principle, as we have recommended, you must follow. There is no question of optional, "I may do it, I may not do." No, you must. Otherwise, the progress will be checked. Kṛṣṇa will not leave you. Just like the Ajāmila. The progress was checked, but because he did not do it willfully, therefore Kṛṣṇa was giving him opportunity. As soon as possible, again capture him. Because he did not do anything willfully. First of all, this is the condition, circumstantial. Therefore Kṛṣṇa was very kind. He gave him the son, "Call him. You have affection for your son? All right, chant 'Nārāyaṇa' by calling your son." This opportunity was given. So for his sinful activities he saw fierceful features of these order-carriers, or Yamadūta. That is going on. If one is not offender, then he has no chance even to see the Yamadūta. But because willfully or nonwillfully he was engaged in sinful activities, associating with the prostitute, and for maintaining the prostitute he was planning so many sinful activities, cheat and take others' money and enjoy, for that reason, he had to see. And if he remains pure, he hasn't got to see. This is the difference.
He does not become free from the designation. The other day we were talking on Mr. Huxley(?) I think. He was talking of philosophy, but He was thinking, "I'm Englishman. I do this like that." So this bodily concept of life is there although he's philosopher. What kind of philosopher? Philosopher begins when there is no more bodily conception. What is that? Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). So this kind of philosophy has no meaning, because how a dog can become philosopher? That is not possible. A human being can become philosopher. So long I'm on the bodily concept of life, I'm in the line of cats and dogs. So how we can become philosopher? There is no question of. But they're philosophizing, means bluffing, and similar men, he's thinking, "I believe." You believe or not believe, the law will go on.
So everyone is proposing "I believe." That's why the government law is there, that "If you do this, you'll be punished like this." That is government law. Suppose you have stolen something, committed theft, you must be punished for six months' imprisonment. So you believe or not believe, the law will act. If you say in the court, "I believe," what is the meaning of your belief? There's no question of belief. Law is law. Ignorance is no excuse. If you go in the court and if you're punished, so if you say, "My lordship, I believe like this. I'll not be punished. So you're punishing me," so that is no excuse. You believe or not believe, the law is law. So, similarly, these philosophers theorizing so many "I believe."
Who wants to die? And who is forcing me to die? How he can deny the superior power? I do not want to become old man, and superior power forces me, "You must become old man." So, so long there is force behind you, you have to act according to that. Where is your so-called belief or independence? That is foolishness. That is foolishness. But they have no brain that "I am being kicked. I'm being enforced to do something, and still I'm thinking 'independent,' 'I believe.' " What is this meaning of his belief? There is no question of. This is foolishness.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just to educate man that you believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. There is God. There is the proprietor, but He's coming personally and He's saying, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaraṁ suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām: (BG 5.29) "I am the proprietor, I am the enjoyer, and I am everyone's friend. If you want to be delivered from this miserable condition of material life, I am your best friend." Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Kṛṣṇa. Because He's the father. Who can be better friend than the father? Ha? Father always wants to see that "My son is happy." That is natural. There is no begging, "Father, be kind upon me." No. Father is already kind. But if you revolt against the father, then you suffer. Similarly, God is our father, God is our friend, naturally, and He says, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving...," not only for the human beings—all species of life, they are living entities. Then according to your karma, therefore different dresses. Just like we have got in this meeting different dresses. So (indistinct) human beings, the dress will be different.
You must stop. So this is practical going on. How you can violate the nature's law? It is not possible. Nature's law is so strict, a little deviation will put you into suffering. This is going on. That is Yamarāja. And if you violate more and more and more, then you suffer more and more and more. This is the law. You cannot escape. So that is fixed up. But as there is some exceptional cases... Just like one has committed murder, so by law he must be hanged. By law. That is the general law everywhere, all over the world: life for life. So similarly, in the God's law there is no such thing that if you kill a human being you'll be killed, and if you kill an animal you won't be killed. That is imperfect law, man-made law. Therefore Jesus Christ said, "Thou shall not kill." No question of... They have modified, "This killing means murdering." Christ does not say. What is your proof that if you committed mistake, a mistake, instead of writing "Thou shall not commit murder," here is written, "Thou shall not kill," general. Otherwise Christ has no intelligence. He cannot use the proper word. But you are misusing the order of Lord Christ.
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. What is called? A quarantine, quarantine...
Here we have to practice to become siddha, perfect, but there, in the Siddhaloka, they are so perfect that they can go from one planet to another. The yogis can go, but they are born yogis. One planet... This is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We have seen in this Second Canto. There is Siddhaloka. So many planets are there, so many opulences are there, that it cannot be compared. And there is description. So one planet to another, or one planet to the Sumeru hills, there is long, millions of miles, made of gold. They are gold. Similarly copper. Similarly, there are different oceans. Now, we may not believe, but there is no question of believing. You cannot say, "There is no such thing." But we can say because we get the information from the śāstra. You have no evidence, so you cannot say "No." You can say "Maybe," but we don't say "Maybe." There is because we get the information from the śāstra.
So kasya vā kuta āyātāḥ kasmād asya niṣedhatha: "Then why you are forbidding us? You look so nicely, very highly born, and why you are forbidding us? We have come here to discharge our duties, to take this man to Yamaloka. He is so sinful. Why you are interrupting our business?" Yes. So in the next verses the description is there of the Viṣṇudūta. So sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ: exactly the feature like Nārāyaṇa. Padma-palāśa: their eyes are compared with the lotus petal, very nice. Sarve: "All of you look so nice." Padma-palāśa-akṣāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ. In Vaikuṇṭha, people, they also dress with yellow cloth, pīta-kauśeya, or this saffron color. This is Vaikuṇṭha dress. Kauśeya, pīta, the dress, garments. Kirīṭinaḥ: "with helmets." Kuṇḍalinaḥ: "with nice earring." Kirīṭinaḥ kuṇḍalino lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ, "and very nice flower garland." This is Vaikuṇṭha dress. Lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ, sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ: all young men.
So in that interview I gave that information that woman's freedom? I gave this reply, that "Where is the woman's freedom? The boy and the girl intermingle, and the girl becomes pregnant, and the boy goes away without any responsibility, and the burden..., the child is a burden for the woman. Either she should kill or beg from the government. Is that independence?" They are trying to be independent. This is not civilization. There is no question of independence. The woman must be given protection in childhood by the father unless she is married, and in youthhood by the husband, and in old age by grown up sons. This is Vedic civilization. Na striyaṁ svatantram arhati. Just like children, they must be always protected. It is not dependence, it is protection. So there should be responsible father, responsible husband, responsible sons to keep woman very happy. In India still it is going on.
So the point is that here the sex life is the highest pleasure, and in the spiritual world there is no sex. So what is that pleasure? That pleasure is this chanting and dancing, Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. That is stated in the śāstra. They are so much absorbed in this chanting and dancing, they are no more interested in sex. That is the only way. If you want to stop the pleasure of sex, then you have to take this pleasure, this transcendental pleasure. You'll forget everything. That is said by Yamunacārya:
Then what is the necessity of reading Bhagavad-gītā? Simply because it is written in Sanskrit? No. That is not the fact. The words of Bhagavad-gītā are Kṛṣṇa. That should be taken into consideration. That is real reading of Bhagavad-gītā. And if we read Bhagavad-gītā according to my whims—I like some stanza; I take it, and other stanza I give up—that is not reading of Bhagavad-gītā. You have to take everything, what it is presented. Just like Arjuna says, who has taken Bhagavad-gītā as it is. He says, sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yan māṁ vadasi keśava: (BG 10.14) "My dear Lord..." He... Of course, he was friend. "My dear Kṛṣṇa, whatever You have spoken, I accept in toto." There is no question of eliminating this stanza and that stanza. I accept some, selected, and I become a student of Bhagavad-gītā and authority of Bhagavad-gītā. No. That is not authority of Bhagavad-gītā. You have to accept. And then it is...
Similarly, Vedas, as I gave you the example, that in the Vedas you will find that stools are considered as impure, stool of some animal, but Vedas says that "This stool, the cow stool, is pure." So there is no argument that "Once you said that stool of animal is impure, and another time you say that this stool is pure. Once you said that all bones of animals are impure; again you say that śaṅkha, conchshell... This is also a bone of an animal. You say it is pure." So there cannot be any argument. Veda says, "This is this; this is that." We have to accept it. That is the following of religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). And vedaḥ sākṣāt... Vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt svayambhūḥ. Svayambhūr iti śuśruma. Svayambhū. Svayambhū means which is not created by any man. Just like Brahmā is sometimes called Svayambhū. His another name is Svayambhū. Svayambhū means he was not created by father and mother. The father-mother...
So this is taught also in the Bhagavad-gītā. Amānitvam adambhitvam. No false pride. Then ahiṁsā. Unless one is prideless, unless one is humble, it is not possible to become nonviolent. So this nonviolence is also there, the Vaiṣṇava. So automatically they don't encourage animal-killing. So every religion, the highest principle of any religion is there in Vaiṣṇavites, or the followers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Any best thing, in any religion, you will find in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore it is perfect. Buddha religion teaches ahiṁsā; the Kṛṣṇa conscious people are ahiṁsā. Lord Jesus teaches love of God; they are the best lover of God. And Hindu religion teaches liberation; they are... As soon as they become Kṛṣṇa conscious, immediately they are liberated, immediately, instantly. There is no question of asking for liberation. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura says liberation means... What is that? Liberation from this material hankering. And what is that material hankering? To satisfy the senses. So these devotees, they are not for satisfying their senses. They are simply trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). They are determined to preach this cult, that "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." Therefore they are actual representative of Kṛṣṇa. Immediately they are liberated. So, so far liberation is concerned, there is. So far ahiṁsā, nonviolence, there is. So far love of God is there, there is. So combination of Hindu religion, Muslim religion... And Muslims also, they also say their bandeḥ.(?) They also pray in the mosque. I do not know, of course, all other religions. These principal things I know. They also accept "Allah akbar", "God is great." We are all bandehs,(?) all servants. So that is also... Vaiṣṇavism, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Kṛṣṇa is great."
This will be explained, next verse, how He is controlling, how things are managed. We can see practically that universal affairs, how things are being managed. Exactly in the right time, the sun is rising, the moon is rising, and they're working exactly to the time. In this season, the sun will stay during daytime so many hours. Exactly we find. Not that this year he's staying from six to six, and next year he's not appearing. No. There is no question of accidents. The same date, same month, and the same appearance of the sun and the moon. Everything. And still we say "There is no God," "God is dead," "There is no controller." This is foolishness. Mūḍha. The mūḍhas, the asses... Mūḍha means asses, one who has no knowledge. It is commonsense affair. That if everything is going on so nicely, how I can think there is no controller? In your house, in your office, if everything goes very nicely, systematically, there is the director, there is the manager, superintendent, and everything is going nice, how, without these things, how the whole universal affair can go so nicely? That is not accidental, that there was a chunk and immediately it became a this and that. No. There was no accident. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). There is no question of accidents. Kṛṣṇa says, "Under My supervision, everything is going on."
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that the three qualities are also emanated or generated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And the three qualities are represented by Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. The quality of goodness is represented by Viṣṇu, the quality of passion is represented by Brahmā, and the quality of darkness is represented by Lord Śiva. By the quality of goodness this whole material world is maintained, and by the quality of passion the whole material world is created, and by the quality of ignorance the whole material world is again annihilated. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). The nature of this material world is that it becomes manifest at a certain time and again it disappears. That is the difference between material world and spiritual world. Spiritual world is eternal. There is no question of occasional appearance and occasional disappearance. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyaḥ (BG 8.20). In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the description that "There is another nature, bhāva." Bhāva means... Svabhāva, bhāva, these are the Sanskrit terms of the nature. So that nature is vyaktāvyakta. This nature is vyakta and avyakta, manifest and nonmanifest. So, and above this, beyond this manifested and nonmanifest material nature, there is another, spiritual nature, which is sanātana. Sanātana means eternal. And it is also stated, yasmin sarveṣu api naśyatsu na vinaśyate: "When everything is annihilated, that sanātana nature is not annihilated. That sanātana nature remains as it is." That is the spiritual nature and material nature.
Deity also not bona fide?
Prabhupāda: I do not follow. What does he say?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: His idea is that if one receives a mantra from a spiritual master, if the spiritual master is not bona fide...
Prabhupāda: Then there is no question of mantra. There is no question of worshiping Deity. These are all bogus things. If you are not... Just like here is a young medical man. If he has not received instruction from a bona fide medical college, so what is the value of his medical, being... That is... What is called? What is the technical name?
Devotee (4): Quack.
Prabhupāda: Quack! (laughter) (pronounces like "quark")
Devotees: Quack.
Prabhupāda: A quack is not a medical man, however he may show all red bottles, white bottles. There is a Bengali proverb, naj jal yac curi tini ei daktar.(?) One stethoscope, naj(?), and some bottles, jala, and talking all nonsense, he becomes a doctor. That means the quack doctor, not a... Qualified doctor, he knows what is what. So naj jal yac curi tini ei daktar(?). In Bengali they say. And mostly in villages they go on like that. But of course, they have got some experience. I know in Allahabad there was a doctor, Kabhir, a Dr. Kabhir. And because in my previous household life I was a chemist and druggist, I was supplying medicine, so he was my customer. So he had that... This Dr. Kabhir was a compounder. Later on he practiced. So he had very, very big prac... He was my biggest customer. He was purchasing medicine like anything. But he had experience. He learned from an experienced doctor.
So anyone who has accepted this body, daihyasya, and whatever he is doing, it is all being witnessed by so many witnesses. How can you avoid? How you can do something very secretly? That is not possible. Everything is being noted. And so punishment or reward, you will have to accept because you are not independent. We foolishly say independent. "We don't care for anybody. There is no God." But there is death. That you have to believe. So that death is God. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca. One who does not see God during lifetime, so he will see God at the time of death. So there is no question of not seeing God. Here is God, Kṛṣṇa. He is standing. He is so merciful. He has come to this temple so that we can take the advantage of seeing Him, But we are seeing Him still idol or something, stone or wood. He does not know that because we cannot see now at the present moment without being wood or stone or something material, so Kṛṣṇa has very kindly come to me so that I can see Him in a form which I can see. That is His mercy. We have repeatedly said this.
Therefore we should never think, arcye viṣṇu śilā-dhīḥ, the worshipable Deity, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, as made of stone. In the higher sense, stone is also Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa's energy. Just like if you go to the street, you may see the sun in the sky, but when you are within the room, you may not see the sun in the sky directly. But because it is daytime, therefore we can understand there is sun on the sky. Similarly, we do not require to see God directly. We can see Him through His energy. Just like in a telephone hanger, as soon as somebody speaks, immediately see him. How it is possible? By his word, immediately see him. You are in a closed room, somebody knocking, and you say, "Who is it?" He says, "I am." So immediately by his voice, you can see him. So why do you want to see directly? We can see anything by his energy. Just like if you feel heat here, then immediately you becomes alert, "Oh, there must be some fire." If there is some smoke, immediately you can understand that there is fire. So by intelligence and by the energy of God, you can see God. That is intelligence.
So dharma and adharma... Our real dharma is to serve God. That is our real duty. And as soon as we neglect this permanent service or occupation, then we are liable to be punished. You cannot become independent of God. That is not possible. That will (not) make you happy. The healthy condition of the finger is that it is able to serve the body. If the finger is not able to serve the body, that will mean unhealthy. Otherwise... Similarly, when we are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and engaged in the service of the Lord, that is our healthy state. That is mukti, liberation. Mukti means no disease. So when we deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, when we are not engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, that is our diseased condition. That is not healthy condition.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a treatment to cure this disease, atheist and rogues, to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be happy. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not an artificial thing to give you facility for your sense gratification. No. There is no question of sense gratification. That is disease. The healthy state is how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti. Bhakti definition, you know:
Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "Long, long years ago, millions of years ago, I spoke this philosophy to the sun-god, Vivasvān." So, Kṛṣṇa, as He was instructing Arjuna, similarly, He was instructing the sun-god that... Arjuna is a person. Kṛṣṇa is a person. Similarly, sun-god is also a person, and Kṛṣṇa is a person. And Kṛṣṇa says in the Second Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā that "My dear Arjuna, you, Me, and all of them who are standing here in this battlefield, we were existing in the past, we are existing now, and we shall continue to exist." So God is person; we are also person. We existed in the past as person, we are existing now as person and we shall continue to exist as person. There is no question of imperson. If past, present, future, everywhere is a person, where is the question of imperson? So imperson means... Just like the sun-god is person, but the sunshine is imperson. Those who are in the sunshine, they cannot understand what is sun-god. That is not possible. It requires strength. If you want to go and see the sun-god Vivasvān, that requires qualification. It is not so easy. You cannot enter even the sun planet, what to speak of talking with him. But Kṛṣṇa could talk. Kṛṣṇa can go anywhere. And when there is sun-god, then "god" means not alone. A king does not mean alone. King means he has got his kingdom, he has got his subjects, he has got minister, he has got military strength. Everything is there. So similarly, if we accept Kṛṣṇa's statement that "I spoke to sun-god," the sun-god is there in the sun globe, and he has his kingdom, so dazzling kingdom. It looks like fire, blazing. But don't think it is impersonal. Impersonal? How Kṛṣṇa could talk with him? There is no question of impersonality.
So this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra will cleanse our heart. We are loaded with so many dirty things, so this can be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam (CC Antya 20.12). This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to cleanse the heart of the human being and get out all the..., projjhita, kick out all dirty things and concentrate on devotional service of Kṛṣṇa. And the beginning is śṛṇvatām, śṛṇvatām, this process. It doesn't require that you should be very rich man or you should be very educated or so on, so on. No. In whatever position you are, remain. There is no question of artificial improvement. There is no question. You remain. Simply God has given you the ear. Utilize it properly. That's all. You don't require to go to the university and get a Ph.D. degree and then you can understand. No. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that,
- jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
- jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
- sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ
Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement is so nice that you don't require to acquire something artificial. No. Wherever you are, remain there. Simply hear. And preaching means to propagate or to vibrate what Kṛṣṇa has said. So this is the position of the preacher, that you simply repeat, like a parrot, no qualification. You simply ... Whatever is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, you repeat. And the others simply hear. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Then both of them become liberated. There is no question of that, to become a qualified person. This is the only qualification, that a preacher should preach only what Kṛṣṇa has said. That's all. No manufacturing, no concoction. And the audience? They will hear from such person who does not speak anything else except Kṛṣṇa's teaching, that's all.
So pious activities means to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa, and impious activities means to be controlled by māyā. We have to be controlled. Our position is such that we cannot become controller. That is not possible. If we want to become controller, that is my artificial desire. And the resultant action we will have to suffer. First of all you must understand this, that we are controlled. Either you agree to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa or you agree to be controlled by māyā, but you cannot become controller. Is there anyone here who can say that "I am controller"? Is there anyone who will answer this? So I may think that "I am controller," but I am controlled by drugs, by sense gratification, desires-kāma krodha lobha moha mātsarya. So there is no question of the living entity's being independent. That is not possible. He is dependent. But if he becomes dependent on Kṛṣṇa, then life is successful. Exactly the position, the dog. The dog is loitering without being controlled by somebody, he is seeking, "Somebody may control me." He's seeking position. But if he does not get anybody to control him, his life is very precarious; he is not happy. Therefore, if you want to be happy, then we must return to our own original position: to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa. This is perfection of life.
They are expansion of Kṛṣṇa; they are not ordinary women. Expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtiḥ hlādinī-śaktiḥ asmād. The gopīs, Rādhārāṇī, they are expansion of the spiritual energy of Kṛṣṇa. Don't think they are ordinary women. They are Kṛṣṇa. Śaktiḥ śaktimator abhedaḥ. They are not different from Kṛṣṇa. But to give Kṛṣṇa pleasure, Kṛṣṇa expands Himself by His spiritual energy, ānanda hlādinī, spiritual energy, sandinī hlādinī. That is the expansion of His pleasure potency. It is not that to imitate gopīs. That is sahajiyā. That is sahajiyā. They are ānanda-cin-māyā-rasa-pratibhāvitābhis tābhir ya eva nija-rūpatayā kalābhiḥ goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto (Bs. 5.37). When Kṛṣṇa wants pleasure, He is full spiritual, His pleasure is full spiritual. There is no question of material.
It has been very broadly described by Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī. Read all this. Don't try to imitate. That is sahajiyā. We should know the position of Kṛṣṇa. His expansion of pleasure potency. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's līlā is put into the middle of the Tenth Canto. First of all, try to understand Kṛṣṇa from the very beginning. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). What is Kṛṣṇa? Vāsudeve, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. So what is Vāsudeva? Janmādy asya yato. Here is the original source of everything. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). First of all, try to understand Kṛṣṇa. So therefore Vyāsadeva has dedicated full nine cantos for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). (break)...siddhis, they think of gopīs. That is recommended in Caitanya-caritāmṛta, siddha-deha. Where is siddha? And siddha-deha means there is no more any material lusty desires. That is siddha-deha. Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne. So long we shall think of nārī-saṅga, association, unity with woman, we must consider this is material body. Not siddha body. Siddha body means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). All material desires, zero. That is siddha body. So therefore it is very confidential. But to clear it, that "How Kṛṣṇa accepted to dance with so many gopīs," this was for clearance.
I am suffering or enjoying in this body. Then I am manufacturing another body for the future. And that manufacturing of future depending on the influence of kāla and the material modes, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. In this way I am implicated. That they do not know. Vartamānaḥ anyayoḥ kālaḥ guṇābhijñāpako. Those who are learned, they can understand why this man has become like this or why the animal has become this. Guna-jñāpa. Guṇa, according to guṇa. There are three guṇas, and mix it then it becomes nine, then mix it, it becomes eighty-one. Guṇa-jñāpakaḥ. It is not that every different types of body and living entities have come by chance. This is nonsense. There is no question of chance. Everything is being carried or being conducted by the three modes of material nature. Guṇa-jñāpakaḥ. Evaṁ janma anyayoḥ. As I have got this body according to guṇa, similarly, anyayoḥ, in the future we shall get different types of body according to guṇa. Evaṁ janmānyayor etad. But all these—based on dharma and adharma. The principle is dharma and adharma, our occupational duty according to modes of material nature.
This is our position. This is our advancement of science, that we do not know "What I was before this life and what I shall become after this life?" Life is continuation. That is spiritual knowledge. But they do not know also even that life is continuation. They think, "By chance, I have got this life, and it will be finished after death. There is no question of past, present or future. Let us enjoy." This is called ignorance, tamasā, irresponsible life.
So ajñaḥ. Ajñaḥ means one who has no knowledge. And who has no knowledge? Now, tamasā. Those who are in the modes of ignorance. There are three kinds of material nature, modes: sattva, raja, tamas. Sattva-guṇa means everything is clear, prakāśa. Just like now the sky is covered with cloud; the sunshine is not clear. But above the cloud there is sunshine, everything clear. And within the cloud there is not clear. Similarly, those who are in the sattva-guṇa, for them everything is clear, and those who are in the tamo-guṇa, everything is ignorance, and those who are mixed up, neither rajo-guṇa, neither tamo-guṇa, via media, they are called rajo-guṇa. Three guṇas. Tamasā. So they are simply interested in the present body, does not care what is going to happen, and has no knowledge what he was before. There is another place it is described: nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Pramattaḥ, just like madman. He does not know why he has become mad. He forgets. And by his activities, what is going to happen next, he does not know. Madman.
So this civilization, modern civilization, is just like madman civilization. They have no knowledge of past life, neither they are interested in the future life. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4).
Tapo divyam. 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.
So among the senses, the tongue is the most formidable, very difficult to control. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, tār madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati ta 'ke jetā koṭhina saṁsāre. Of all the senses, the tongue is the strongest enemy, always proposing, "Eat this, eat this, eat this, eat this, eat this." Just see, for tongue, only one person eats little bit of beef only, not much. No, I have seen. A piece of beef. But for the satisfaction of the senses, thousands of innocent animals are being killed. Just see. They cannot control this, a bit of beef. They cannot control. If they decide that we shall not... We are prohibiting, "No meat-eating." So this is controlling the sense. Because unless you bring the senses under control, there is no question of spiritual advancement. Tār madhye jihvā ati. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Tṛpyanti neha kṛpana bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. The sense, the tongue, the belly, the straight line, and then the genital. If you can control the tongue, then you can control your belly and then control your genital. And that is required. Unless you can control the genital, there is no question of liberation from this material bondage. This is the principle.
"Nanda-kiśora, what I have got? I have got this body, and I have got some mental speculation, and maybe I have got some house and family. So everything I surrender unto You." This is called full surrender.
- mānasa deha geha, yo kichu mora,
- arpilūn tuwā pade nanda-kiśora
That is wanted. If we can do that, then we shall be happy. Otherwise there is no question of happiness. Viparyayaḥ: always reverse condition, miserable condition. Thank you very much. (end)
In Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a śūdra, a caṇḍāla, the lowborn, he can be elevated to the highest stage of Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava is higher stage than brāhmaṇa.
So this boy, Ajāmila, he was passing, he saw that the śūdra was embracing another śūdrāṇī. Dṛṣṭvā tāṁ kāma-liptena. When he saw that this man and woman is embraced with one another with lusty desire... Embracing woman or man, this is kāma, lust. There is no question of any other thing. Kāma-liptena. Dṛṣṭvā tāṁ kāma-liptena bāhunā. The man was embracing the woman, and the woman was embracing, pari-liptena, very closely attached, and everything was going on. Then... We have got lusty desires. Everyone's heart... Hṛd-roga-kāma. The material world means there is a heart disease which is called kāma, hṛd-roga-kāma. So hṛc-chaya-avaśam. If we... This is called impetus. If I see one engaged in lusty or sex affairs, naturally my sex desire also becomes awakened. Even though I am trying to control in the neophyte stage, still, if I see in my front something, lusty affairs, naturally I will be inclined to such. Therefore it is called avaśam. He was student, brahmacārī, practicing śama, dama, satyam, śaucam. He was not very old man; he was young man. But he could not control. Therefore it is said hṛc-chaya-avaśam. Avaśam sahasaiva: "all of a sudden," vimohitam, "he became very much attracted."
They are now preaching openly the yoga by sex. Yoga by sex. They have invented. Yoga means to find out the Supreme Lord within one's self, within the core of the heart. That is real yoga. Yoga means to connect. To connect with whom? With sex life? No. The sex life connection is there even in the birds, beast, ants, animals, worms—everywhere—because the whole world is going on on sex life. Does it require any yoga system? But people are fallen so down that they have invented because people want it, and these rascals, they exploit. This is going on. So real yoga system means to control the senses, not to increase or indulge. They are clearly advertising in the Western countries, "Transcendental meditation. There is no restriction. There is no question of faith," and so many things, means as people want it. They want money, and they advertise like that. People do not want to follow the religious principles. People do not want any restriction. They advertise, "Yes. You haven't got to follow any restriction. You haven't got to believe in some religion. You simply pay me $127, and I give you mantra, and you become happy." This is going on.
Therefore She is the greatest. In the Vṛndāvana, therefore, people are accustomed to chant Rādhārāṇī's name more than Kṛṣṇa's name—"Jaya Rādhe." Yes. If you want Kṛṣṇa's favor, you just try to please Rādhārāṇī. So this is the way.
Now here it is said, mana madana-vepitam: "Mind was agitated." So this mind agitation will go on unless one is attracted by Madana Mohana. If we do not be attracted by the Madana Mohana, so long we are not attracted by Madana Mohana we must be attracted by Madana, madana-vepitam. This is the process. And unless you can control your mind, unless you are able to control your mind not to be disturbed by Madana, there is no question of liberation or salvation. The ultimate goal of life is how to become free from this material engagement, repetition of birth, death, and threefold miseries. That is the perfection. They do not know what is the goal of life, what is the perfection of life, the whole world. Especially in this age they are so fallen that they do not know what is the goal of life. All these big, big political parties, philosophers, scientists, they have no knowledge. They are in the darkness. Therefore it is called illusion, in the darkness. But we understand that kṛṣṇa sūrya sama: "Kṛṣṇa is just like sun." Kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama; māyā andhakāra: "And this darkness means māyā."
First of all, the advantage is that we are born in India, and we have got the stock of knowledge left by great sages, ṛṣis and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And you are not taking advantage of it. How much foolish we are becoming by so-called education, we should understand that. It is graha-grasta. We are thinking that... Our leaders are thinking that India, becoming too much religiously conscious, they have been poverty-stricken. No. That is not the fact. By Kṛṣṇa's desire, by Kṛṣṇa's will, everyone is provided. In the Vedas it is said, yo eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. The Supreme Lord is quite competent to provide, to supply the necessities of life to millions and millions of living entities. There is no question of scarcity of supply. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. In the forest there are millions of elephants. Who is supplying them food? Kṛṣṇa is supplying. So there is no question of overpopulation. Overpopulation, there is no question of. If Kṛṣṇa has overpopulation, He is competent to supply them food. But it is the nature's restriction. When we become godless, the nature's trouble will be there. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Just like the flood is going on in many parts of the world. So this is due to our sinful life. Nature is punishing. Adhidaivika. You cannot control. Nature will punish. Why nature is punishing? Because we are godless. That is nature's business. The more we become godless, the more we'll be punished by the laws of nature. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot surpass. You make many scientific plans to overcome—it is not possible. Then how it is possible? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. Unless you surrender to Kṛṣṇa That is your business.
So it is the duty of guru, it is the duty of father, it is the duty of the government, it is the duty of the elderly relative to educate everyone. This is human life, not that simply eating like dog and dancing like dog. This is not human civilization. So sa kathaṁ nyarpitātmānaṁ kṛta-maitram acetanam. If I think that "My spiritual master is here. He will save me," and if I do not train him how to save them, then what is the use of having such spiritual master? What is the use of having such father? And what is the use of such government? There is a Bengali poetry by a Bengali Vaiṣṇava: kaname janame sabe pitā mātā paya, kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhajaha e aya.(?) As soon as you take birth, there is father. Either you take birth as a snake or you take birth as a human being, without father and mother there is no question of birth. So father and mother you will get in every birth. But kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhajaha e aya(?): Kṛṣṇa and guru will not be available in every birth. That is very important thing. You cannot get Kṛṣṇa in the form of a snake or a cat and a dog, but you can get Kṛṣṇa in the form as a human being.
We interpret in our own way about the nāma. And to consider the holy name of Viṣṇu and other name equally potent, that is nāmāparādha. And nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. And because one is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, he thinks, "Even if I do something sinful, it will be counteracted." That is aparādha. And to instruct to a person who has no interest in hari-kīrtana, that is also aparādha. So we should not be very much interested to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness if one is not very much interested. But tactfully, if you can, just try to give him a book. In this way there are ten kinds of offenses. We have discussed many times, and I think all of you know it.
So here it is said, mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt. Because at the time of death he has uttered "Nārāyaṇa," so now there is no question of offense. There is no question of. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā that yeṣāṁ tu anta-gataṁ pāpam: by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one gradually becomes free from all sinful reaction. Yeṣāṁ tu anta-gataṁ. Te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 7.28). And the proof is, as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- anta-kāle ca mām eva
- smaran muktvā kalevaraṁ
- yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ
- yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ
- (BG 8.5)
If at the time of death one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then he is glorious. Nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ. Here is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāsty atra. Anta-kāle: "At the time of..." I have several times said, the test will be examined at the time of death. They say in Bengal, bhajan koro pūjān koro murte jānle haya.(?) Your austerity, penances, chanting of the holy name, all these things... Just like there is examination. Before promotion to the higher class, one is examined in the school, and the, if the marks are sufficient, then he is promoted.
This is practical seen. Even a snake bite... You may be saved. The author says, never says, that you may be saved from death, but the suggestion is that you may not feel much pain. This is practical.
Because this material world is full of dangers, these symptoms of dangerous position, patitaṁ skhalito bhagnaḥ... Especially in the modern age, in the Western countries, accident, motor accident and die, is very common thing nowadays. Here also it is becoming. On the whole, even there is no motor accident, there are so many accidents. In every step there is danger. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). This material world means every step there is danger. There is no question of safety. At any moment. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja recommended, kaumāraṁ ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha. Why in the beginning of childhood one should learn bhāgavata-dharma? Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Somehow or other, we have got this body, human form of body, durlabham, after many, many births. They do not know. The foolish persons, they do not know what is the value of this human form of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyatāḥ. In this way 8,400,000 different forms of life we have to pass through. Then we have got this. Especially a civilized human being. The human race, they are also 400,000..., 400,000 types. Out of them, those who are civilized, they are called Aryans. Aryan means civilized. Aryan means those who are making progress. They are called Aryans.
You see? He was not puzzled that "He is Viṣṇu and this..." No. So we should learn from the Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's treatment that this jugglery or this so-called power is not, no good for advancement in spiritual life. You have to follow the regulative principles as enjoined in the śāstra. Yaḥ śāstra vidhim utsṛjya. If you do not follow the injunction of the śāstra, then there is no possibility of attaining perfection. Na siddhiṁ sāvapnoti. So our business is to accept a bona fide spiritual master, being guided by him, to follow the rules and regulations. Then advancement is sure. There is no doubt about it. And if we become hodgepodge and mix with hodgepodge and do hodgepodge, there is no progress. Na siddhim. It is clearly said by Kṛṣṇa, "There is no question of perfection," na sukham, "neither happiness," na parāṁ gatim, "and what to speak of being promoted to the spiritual world? There is no..." Therefore vaidhi-bhakti, as it is enunciated in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Nectar of Devotion, by the Gosvāmīs, we shall try to follow as far as possible. Be sincere and hard-working. Then the success is sure. Not to be bewildered, misled by the so-called avatāra, incarnation. You see? The so-called avatāras, they are simply rascals. Especially in Bengal, every day there is an avatāra. (laughter)
That should be the process. Kṛṣṇa is omnipresent. He can see you, He can understand you, what are doing. So we have to execute devotional service in such a faithful way that Kṛṣṇa will see us. Then you will be successful. "Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa. Try to become seen by Kṛṣṇa." That was my Guru Mahārāja's instruction. Cakṣur yathaiva kṛtayaiva antaḥ-param. Tasyātma-tantrasya harer ahīśituḥ parasya māyādhipater mahātmanaḥ. Evaṁ bhūtaḥ parameśvaraḥ mad-anyad astīti.
Now, Yamarāja says that "I have got a master like that." The Yamarāja has anubhūti. Therefore he describes what is the nature, characteristics, of his master. Yamarāja also does not say that "I have seen my master." But he still accepts that there is a master. "I am not all in all." Never said... In these ślokas we do not find anywhere Yamarāja says that "I have seen Him." It is very common thing. Now the government is going on. Not that everyone has seen the president or the king, but still, the government is so nicely managed that everyone knows that there is an executive head. So there is no question of this villainy that "There is no God. I do not believe in God. God is dead," or "Everyone is God." Not like that.
Prāyeṇa dūtā iha vai manoharāś caranti tad-rūpa-guṇa-svabhāvāḥ, bhūtāni viṣṇoḥ sura-pūjitāni: "These Viṣṇudūtas, they are not only worshipable by common men, but they are worshipable by the demigods." Sura-pūjitāni. Sura means the demigods. Pūjitāni: "They are worshiped." Bhutāni viṣṇoḥ: "Those who are associates of Lord Viṣṇu..."
So there is no question of impersonalism. This oneness with God and the living entity, these are the oneness, that they attain the same quality, the same characteristics, the same feature of the body. That is oneness. Not that they have no individuality. God has got individuality and His devotees or the living entities, even though not devotees, nondevotees, everyone has got individuality. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says that "I, you, and all these persons who have assembled here in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, they existed in the past, they are existing at the present moment, and they will continue to exist in the future." Now, where is the question of mixing together? They existed as they are existing now, and at the present moment they are existing as individuals, and in the past, they also existed as individuals, and the future, they will continue to exist as individuals. So there is no question of losing the individuality. That's a theory only. No living entity loses his individuality even after liberation. They try to keep mixed up with others. Just like the sunshine is a combination of molecular parts, something shining. Is it not? Similarly, brahma-jyotir is combination of the individual parts and parcels of God. But without individual activity they cannot stay in the brahma-jyotir for long. Because everyone wants some individual activity. Just like we are sitting together now. After some hour, every one of us will feel what is our individual... Everyone will be engaged in his individual activity. Therefore, according to Bhagavat-siddhānta, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanti (SB 10.2.32).
Prabhupāda: Yes. Because every relationship is very palatable. The gentleman, the head of the family, his relationship with wife and his relationship with servant is as much palatable. Maybe some degradation, but it is palatable. There is no question of changing. Not that "I am tasting this rasa at the present moment. Then I will get better rasas." No, that is not. Everyone thinks, "My rasa is the best." Although there is comparative gradation, but everyone thinks. These things are explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Why don't you see?
Haṁsadūta: And Nectar of Devotion.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone thinks, "My relationship with Kṛṣṇa is the best."
Haṁsadūta: So it's not a matter of aspiring to some...
Prabhupāda: No, there is no question of aspiring, because he is already situated in the best of relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Even the trees in Vṛndāvana, they want to serve Kṛṣṇa silently in that way, supplying fruits and flowers. That is their ānanda, everyone enjoying the supreme bliss. When Kṛṣṇa comes, takes a flower or fruit, that is their enjoyment: "Oh..."
Revatīnandana: When Kṛṣṇa doesn't come, then they are feeling separation?
Yes, certainly. That is another bliss, to feel separation from Kṛṣṇa. Everything, either you meet or you separate, the bliss is there. Crying for Kṛṣṇa is better bliss. So as there are Yamadūtas—they are arresting all the sinful persons—similarly, Viṣṇudūtas, they are always protecting the devotees. Nārāyaṇa-paraḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). Therefore those who are devotees, they are not afraid of anything because they know confidently that "Kṛṣṇa is there." That is one of the items of śaraṇāgati. Surrender means when... Unless one is convinced that "Kṛṣṇa will give me protection," so how he can surrender? There is no question of surrender. Avaśya rakṣibe kṛṣṇa vivaśa-pālana. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said to be firmly convinced: "Then Kṛṣṇa will give me all protection." Therefore surrender is perfect. Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyaṁ vivarjanam. Surrender means one should simply accept favorable service to Kṛṣṇa and reject anything which is unfavorable, and then next is avaśya rakṣibe kṛṣṇa viśvasa-pālana: "And to be firmly convinced that 'Kṛṣṇa will give me all protection.' " Therefore, instead of "trying to protect myself," a devotee should always remain dependent on Kṛṣṇa. That is śaraṇāgati. And to consider oneself that "Now I am in the association of Kṛṣṇa," these are different items of śaraṇāgati. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the best contribution to the human society. There is no comparison with this movement, any other welfare activity of the whole world. There is no comparison. Can you suggest any better welfare activities than this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that "Here is another item which is better than Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" What is that? Who will suggest?
That's all. It doesn't matter what he has done in the past. It is called nagna-mati. Nagna-mati.(?) One's mother was naked in her childhood. So one is asking, "Mother, why you are putting on those saris? You were naked. You can remain naked." This kind of argument is no argument. Whatever one may be in his past, that's all right. As soon as he is situated in pure devotee, devotional state, that's all. One hasn't got to inquire, "from the beginning" or "from the end." There is no need of such inquiry. As soon as he is situated in his original position, hitvā anyathā-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6), gives up nondevotional activities, but is situated in devotional service, immediately he is all right, pure devotee. Doesn't matter whether he was in the beginning. Because even a person, ordinary person, ordinarily, he is not contaminated. He lives aloof from this material existence. But for sometimes, even if he is influenced, that doesn't matter. As soon as he comes to his real position, he is a pure devotee. There is no question of tracing his past history. There is no question. You be situated in pure devotional service; you are pure devotee. That's all. There is no question of inquiring what he was in the past. That doesn't matter. Is it clear? Yes. Just like Ajāmila. In the past history he, simply sinful, Jagāi-Mādhāi, simply sinful, but as soon as they come to the position of pure devotional life, he is pure. That's all. Yes.
They have the eyes to see that "This is mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has put me into some dangerous position. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy." And actually it is so. By a little inconvenience, immediately he's rectified.
So Yamarāja says, naiṣāṁ vayaṁ na ca vayaḥ prabhavāma daṇḍe. Atas tān nopasīdata samipan api na gacchat.(?) Śrīdhara Svāmī says, "Do not try to go their vicinity even, what to speak of going directly before them. Where they are sitting, don't go hundreds of thousands years away's time." Vayaḥ kālo 'pi na prabhavati. Then the Yamadūtas can say that "We may not go, but the time factor will act on them." So that is also, "No. There is no question of time factor for them." Such are the facilities. Now, Yamarāja is a mahājana. We have to take his statement, how devotees are stated. Kṛṣṇa says summarily that "I'll give you protection." And how they are protected you have to learn from the mahājana. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Then next question will be: "Then what is our business? Where to go? Suppose they're all devotee?" Sometimes a rascal question is there, that "If everyone becomes devotee, how this world will go on?" That is their concern. If everyone becomes honest, how the prison house will go on? What is the use of prison house? If it is closed, that is good. Similarly, if the whole world becomes devotee and the business of the material world is closed for good, that is very good. But that will not happen. That is not possible.
| Page Title: | There is no question (Lectures, SB canto 6) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 17 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=66, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 66 |