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Unsafe

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 4

SB 4.14.37, Translation and Purport:

In those days there were various disturbances in the country that were creating a panic in society. Therefore all the sages began to talk amongst themselves: Since the King is dead and there is no protector in the world, misfortune may befall the people in general on account of rogues and thieves.

Whenever there is a disturbance in the state, or a panic situation, the property and lives of the citizens become unsafe. This is caused by the uprising of various thieves and rogues. At such a time it is to be understood that the ruler, or the government, is dead. All of these misfortunes happened due to the death of King Vena. Thus the saintly persons became very anxious for the safety of the people in general. The conclusion is that even though saintly persons have no business in political affairs, they are always compassionate upon the people in general. Thus even though they are always aloof from society, out of mercy and compassion they consider how the citizens can peacefully execute their rituals and follow the rules and regulations of varṇāśrama-dharma. That was the concern of these sages. In this age of Kali, everything is disturbed. Therefore saintly persons should take to the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, as recommended in the śāstras:

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
(CC Adi 17.21)

Both for spiritual and material prosperity, everyone should devotedly chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

SB Canto 7

SB 7.13.33, Translation and Purport:

Those who are considered materially powerful and rich are always full of anxieties because of governmental laws, thieves and rogues, enemies, family members, animals, birds, persons seeking charity, the inevitable time factor and even their own selves. Thus they are invariably afraid.

The word svasmāt means "from one's self." Because of attachment for money, the richest person is even afraid of himself. He fears that he may have locked his money in an unsafe manner or might have committed some mistake. Aside from the government and its income tax and aside from thieves, even a rich man's own relatives are always thinking of how to take advantage of him and take away his money. Sometimes these relatives are described as sva janaka-dasyu, which means "rogues and thieves in the guise of relatives." Therefore, there is no need to accumulate wealth or unnecessarily endeavor for more and more money. The real business of life is to ask "Who am I?" and to understand one's self. One should understand the position of the living entity in this material world and understand how to return home, back to Godhead.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1968:

Devotee: "According to the vaibhāṣika philosophy, the so-called soul or ātmā vanishes along with the deterioration of the body."

Prabhupāda: The modern theories, they are exactly like that. They want to... Yes, our Kārttikeya was telling that the boys, the young boys and girls, they put forward this theory that "Our parents have made the position of the world so unsafe. So we do not know when we shall, our this body will be finished. So better to enjoy this bodily sense gratification as far as possible quickly." Is not that theory you were telling me? Huh? Is it a fact they are thinking like that? Oh, now, see this nonsense. Now supposing there is soul... And why not suppose? Because experimentally you have not proved that by chemical combination you can produce such moving things.

So more or less, the modern civilization is in darkness. That is the treatment of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Lokasyājānata. All the people of the world, they are rascals and fools. That is the statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.37 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1973:

So here Kuntī says that "If You think, My dear Kṛṣṇa, now we are well established, we have got our kingdom back, so everything is nicely done, so You want to leave us, that is not a very good proposal. Because we are not free as yet. Because we have killed so many kings, all their relatives and friends, they're also planning to come and again fight with us. This is our position. Parāyaṇaṁ rājasu yojitāṁhasām. They are still engaged. So You don't think that we are already all free from all dangerous conditions. We are not. And we have no other protection except Your lotus feet. This is our position." So indirectly she was asking Kṛṣṇa, "Do not leave us. Don't think that we are safe now. We are not safe. Without Your protection, we are always unsafe." This should be the position of the devotees. We are actually in a dangerous position, this material world. At any time, māyā will catch, at any time. As soon as we are a little inattentive... "Now I have done my duty. Now let me take rest little." No, there is no rest. We must be always alert.

Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Hawaii, January 18, 1974:

Just like you have no connection with ocean. Your place of living is land. But some way or other, if you are thrown in the Pacific Ocean, that is a very troublesome business. You have to swim always. You have to protect... But still, you are unsafe. It doesn't matter you are a very great swimmer, doesn't matter. When you are in the Pacific Ocean, you are in danger. So similarly, when that very man is taken away from the Pacific Ocean and put into the land, then he becomes prasannātmā, "Oh, I am saved." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. "Now I am on the saved..." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54), that when one is in full knowledge that "I have nothing to do with this material world, that everything made by the material nature, that is illusion, I have nothing to do with anything of them, I am spirit, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. I am spirit soul. Now I have my business with the spiritual world," that is liberation. That is liberation. And the means which help you to come to that position, that is called spiritual life, sanātana-dharma.

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

We have seen in India, a madman lies down on the street. That is not in your country? But he thinks that he's safe. He's not safe. Similarly, we are, because we are mad, by the influence of māyā, we are not safe. We are unsafe because at any moment, we have to die, and we have to accept a body. That also we do not understand, the modern civilization. That is the first beginning of spiritual understanding, that "I am not this body, I am the soul. Within the body, I am living, and after giving up this body, I'll have to accept another body." This is the beginning of knowledge. One who does not understand these plain, primary principles of knowledge, he's animal. He's animal. It is not my manufactured word. It is stated in the śāstra that yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).

Conversations and Morning Walks

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 20, 1974, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Just like it may not be that everybody is a physician, but a physician must remain there, must be there so that when one is difficulty by disease, the physician may help him. Similarly, if in the society the brāhmaṇa class and above, post-graduate of brāhmaṇa class, Vaiṣṇava, is not there, then the whole society will spoil . They will indulge in this meat-eating and drinking wine and illicit sex. Then it will be hell, and it has already become. Whole world is full of hellish person. In a civilized country like America you cannot walk alone in the street at night. India is still honest. Any part of India, you can walk. Because the more sinful. Is it not? In New York, especially in Brooklyn or anywhere, you cannot walk alone. Is it not? Yes. Your life is at risk. That Central Park, nobody can walk there. I have heard from many women that they rape. The negroes, they capture and rape. Life is unsafe even in a civilized city like New York. So what is this civilization?

Room Conversation with Robert Gouiran, Nuclear Physicist from European Center for Nuclear Research -- June 5, 1974, Geneva:

Prabhupāda: This anxiety there must be when we are in a different atmosphere. Just like we heard there was a plane crash. So we are travelling by plane. So as soon as we get on the plane, that anxiety is there. So the anxiety is caused on my boarding airplane. So if I do not board airplane, then that anxiety is nowhere. So anyone who is existing in this material world, there must be anxieties. There must be anxieties. Exactly, the same example, that as soon as I... It may be very nice plane; it doesn't matter. But I know that it is unsafe. At any moment it can crash. Therefore there is anxieties. So similarly, we are, so long we are in the material platform, we cannot avoid anxieties.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- July 2, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: So such a big... simply by touching the electric wire that becomes...

Brahmānanda: Well, they were, I think, steel towers, two hundred feet high, so they were pretty sturdy, and it hit four of them.

Ambarīṣa: There was some bad weather.

Brahmānanda: And then it toppled over.

Prabhupāda: No, in bad weather, towers, but simply by touching, such a big machine became in fire. (laughs) Unsafe everywhere. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadam (SB 10.14.58). Every step, there is danger.

Page Title:Unsafe
Compiler:Sahadeva, Serene
Created:07 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=4, Con=3, Let=0
No. of Quotes:9