View source for If, after executing your duties very properly, if you do not develop your consciousness to know about yourself or the Supreme Self, then whatever you have done, it is simply waste of time. That's all

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{{terms|"if, after executing your duties very properly, if you do not develop your consciousness to know about yourself or the Supreme Self, then whatever you have done, it is simply waste of time. That's all"}}
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{{compiler|Narottama}}
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[[Category:After]]
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[[Category:Our Duty (Disciples of SP)]]
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[[Category:If You Do Not (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Develop Krsna Consciousness]]
[[Category:To Know]]
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[[Category:Yourself (Disciples of SP)]]
[[Category:Supreme Self]]
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[[Category:Useless Waste Of Time]]
[[Category:That's All]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="General_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="11" parent="Lectures" text="General Lectures"><h3>General Lectures</h3>
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<div id="ConwayHallLectureLondonSeptember151969_0" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="61" link="Conway Hall Lecture -- London, September 15, 1969" link_text="Conway Hall Lecture -- London, September 15, 1969">
<div class="heading">This is the beginning of Vedānta-sūtra. People are indulging in studying Vedānta, but Vedānta-sūtra is not a matter of speculation. It is to be studied from the authorities. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). So if, after executing your duties very properly, if you do not develop your consciousness to know about yourself or the Supreme Self, then whatever you have done, it is simply waste of time. That's all. Śrama eva hi kevalam. Simply laboring after nothing. That's all. That means spoiling human life.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Conway Hall Lecture -- London, September 15, 1969|Conway Hall Lecture -- London, September 15, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The Vedānta-sūtra says, the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman." And the Veda says that ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman. I am not this body. I am spirit soul." And when one understands that he is spirit soul, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā ([[Vanisource:BG 18.54|BG 18.54]]), at once he becomes joyful. That is the sign of brahma-jñāna. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. These are the versions of Bhagavad-gītā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. As soon as one realizes that "I am Brahman. I have nothing to do with this material world," his all anxieties immediately finished. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati. In the Vedānta-sūtra you'll also find, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The spirit soul or the Supreme Soul, both of them are ānandamaya. Ānanda means blissful, by nature blissful. Always wants to enjoy. That is the nature of spirit. But at the present moment, because we have forgotten that I am..., we are spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 15.7|BG 15.7]]), identifying ourself with something else which is transitory, we are suffering. This is the cause. There are many places. Bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād īśād api etasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. Viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ means converted thinking. I'm not this, any product of this material world, but I am thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Englishman," "I am German," "I am Chinaman," "I am Russian," or "I am cats and dogs," these so many. These are all designations. These are all designations. My real identity is ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman. I am the part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. Qualitatively, I am one with God." Just like a particle of gold is also gold. A small particle of the ocean is also salty. The chemical composition of the small particle of ocean water is the same as the big ocean. So qualitatively, I am one with God, or Kṛṣṇa.</p>
<p>When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, you'll please understand I am meaning God. Because Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. Without being all-attractive, there cannot be God. God must be all-attractive, all-opulence, all-powerful, all-wise, all-renounced, all-beautiful. These are the qualification of God. So bahūnāṁ janmanām ante ([[Vanisource:BG 7.19|BG 7.19]]). After cultivation of knowledge, many, many births... Cultivation of knowledge is also not easy for everyone. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye: ([[Vanisource:BG 7.3|BG 7.3]]) "Out of many millions of persons, human being, one may be interested to know 'What is the aim of life? Why I am suffering?' " Everyone is suffering. That is the fact. In this material world nobody can be happy. If he's thinking… If one is thinking that he's happy materially, he's a fool. Nobody can be happy. This is the place for distress. It is certified by the Supreme Lord, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam ([[Vanisource:BG 8.15|BG 8.15]]). This place is for miseries, as well as it is temporary. Even if you accept, "All right, it is a miserable place. I shall stay here. Never mind," but nature will not allow you to stay even. You... One day it will come, immediately kick you out. You have seen the great President of United States, Mr. Kennedy. He was supposed to be the happiest man in the world, but within a second he was kicked out, immediately. In our country Mahatma Gandhi was very popular leader, but in a second he was removed from the field. So we do not know when we shall be removed immediately by the freaks of nature. Therefore the intelligent man should try to know, "What is my constitutional position? Why I want to stay, but some superpower kicks me out of this stage? Why?" (Why?) This is question. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra instructs that every human being, not the animals but human being, you should not be bewildered. You should question, "Why I am suffering threefold miseries? Why... I do not want death. Why death overcomes me?" Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam ([[Vanisource:BG 13.9|BG 13.9]]). An intelligent man should always keep before him four principles of material miseries: birth, death, old age and disease. These are instructions of the Bhagavad-gītā. One who is making progress in knowledge, he must keep before him these four problems—birth, death, old age and disease. You may be very much proud of your scientific advancement of knowledge, but here is the real science. If you can overcome birth, death, old age and disease, then you can say your science is triumphant.</p>
<p>The Bhāgavata says, therefore, that,</p>
:dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
:viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
:notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
:śrama eva hi kevalam
:([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.8|SB 1.2.8]])
<p>Śrama eva hi kevalam. After executing your proper service or duties... Everyone is entrusted with some kind of duties. So if, after properly executing your duties as Indian or American or Englishman or scientist or businessman or father or mother... So many duties we have got. Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ, notpādayed yadi ratim ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.8|SB 1.2.8]]). After executing your duties, if you do not develop your anxiety to inquire about Brahman... Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the beginning of Vedānta-sūtra. People are indulging in studying Vedānta, but Vedānta-sūtra is not a matter of speculation. It is to be studied from the authorities. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). So if, after executing your duties very properly, if you do not develop your consciousness to know about yourself or the Supreme Self, then whatever you have done, it is simply waste of time. That's all. Śrama eva hi kevalam. Simply laboring after nothing. That's all. That means spoiling human life.</p>
<p>So this message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, is to warn you, "Don't spoil this opportunity of human form of life. Don't spoil it." Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending, these things are common to the animals and the human being. You eat; the animals eat. You sleep; the animals sleep. You mate; the animals mate. You are also afraid of your enemy; they are also afraid of their enemy. So by discovering very palatable dishes to eat, or fashionable dresses for sex life, or atom bomb for defending... Eating, sleeping, mating and defending, these four principles, if you advance in these four principles only, that does not mean that you are better than animals. You are as good as animals. Then how we can utilize this human form of life? That is stated: dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. Dharma, dharma means not a religious faith. According to Sanskrit, dharma means constitutional position, which you cannot change. That is dharma. Just like sugar, sugar is sweet. Similarly, whenever there is sugar, it must be sweet. If you say, "Oh, this sugar is salty," that is not sugar. So sweetness is the dharma of sugar. That is real dharma. Not that today I accept Hinduism, next day I accept Christianism or next day I accept Muhammadanism. These are not dharmas. Real dharma you cannot change. It is not possible to change. And what is that dharma? That dharma, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66|BG 18.66]]): "You give up all nonsense religion;" mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, "just surrender unto Me." To surrender unto the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is real religion, and all other things are simply ritualistic or to lead one to that point. Real religion is when you surrender unto the Supreme Lord. That is your religion, real religion. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate ([[Vanisource:BG 7.19|BG 7.19]]): after many, many births, when he is actually intelligent, he surrenders unto the Supreme Lord, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā ([[Vanisource:BG 7.19|BG 7.19]]). This mahātmā. I began the topic "Who is mahatma?" So here is mahātmā. Who is mahātmā? Who has surrendered  himself fully unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is mahātmā. And what are the symptoms of mahātmā? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ. ([[Vanisource:BG 9.13|BG 9.13]]). Those who are mahātmā, they are not under the control of this material nature. They are under the control of the spiritual nature. Daivī-prakṛtim āśritāḥ. And what is the symptom of such person, that he is under the control of spiritual nature? That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:</p>
:mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
:daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
:bhajanty ananya-manaso...
:([[Vanisource:BG 9.13|BG 9.13]])
<p>Bhajanti. This bhajan, that is the sign of mahātmā. You cannot create a mahātmā by rubberstamp or by votes. Mahātmā's symptom is that he's fully surrendered unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always engaged in glorifying His activities. His activities. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 9.14|BG 9.14]]). He's always very much careful about executing devotional service. Namasyantaś ca mām. He's always offering obeisances. Tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca. In this way they enjoy, tuṣyanti, and they're satisfied. These are the signs of mahātmā.</p>
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