So one who is devotee, one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). Sura means devatā. All the good qualities of devatā. A devotee of Kṛṣṇa will never accept that killing is very good. No. "For the satisfaction of my tongue, I shall kill so many animals." A devotee will never accept. Ahiṁśa. Ahiṁśa. That is the third quality. Amānitvam adambhitvaṁ ahiṁśā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8). These are... Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Amānitvam. Amānitvam means to accept this body as "I am." This is amānitvam, er, not to accept. That is amānitvam. Everyone is proud that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Englishman." So it is boastful, very proud of this body. So knowledge means "I am not this body. I am not this body." That is amānitvam. Adambhitvam. As soon as we become aware that "I am not this body," then my false pride immediately goes. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁśā. Then ahiṁśā, nonviolence. Ārjavam, simplicity. There are eighteen qualifications of the demigods. So one who becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa conscious, these, all these good qualities develop. So here is the proof, that Arjuna, because he is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he is considering, "Whether I shall kill them or not?" Ahiṁsā. It is consideration, not that it is final settlement.
Ahimsa (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Vinā paśughnāt (SB 10.1.4). Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. You'll find those who are animal killers, the so-called Christians and Mohammedans, they cannot understand. They (are) simply fanatics. Cannot understand what is soul, what is God. They have got some theories and they are thinking we are religionists. What is sin, what is pious activities, these things are not understood by them because they are animal killers. It is not possible. Therefore Lord Buddha propagated ahiṁsā. Ahiṁsā. Because he saw the whole human race is going to hell by this animal killing. "Let me stop them so that they may, in future, they may become sober." Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita: Two sides. First of all he was very much compassionate, that poor animals, they are being killed. And another side, he saw "The whole human race is going to hell. So let me do something." Therefore he had to deny the existence of the soul because their brain will not tolerate such things. Therefore he did not say anything about the soul or God. He said that "You stop animal killing." If I pinch you, you feel pain. So why should you give pain to others? Never mind he has no soul; that's all right. He did not talk anything about soul. So these people say the animals have no soul. But that's all right, but he's feeling pain when you are killing the animal. So you also feel pain. So why should you give pain to others? That is Lord Buddha's theory.
Sva-dharmam api cāvekṣya. The sva-dharma, the principle is a kṣatriya's duty to fight, is to kill in fight. If you are in fight, you become sympathetic, then the same example: the dancing girl, when on the stage, if she is shy, it is like that. Why she should be shy? She must dance freely. That will be credit. So in the warfield, you cannot be compassionate. That is not required. In so many ways. Ahiṁsā ārjava, these are good qualities. In the thirteen chapter, Kṛṣṇa has described ahiṁsā, nonviolence. Nonviolence is generally accepted. And actually Arjuna was nonviolent. He was not a coward, not that because he was coward, therefore he was refusing to fight. No. As a Vaiṣṇava, naturally he is nonviolent. He does not like to kill anyone, and especially his own family men. He was taking a little compassion. Not that he was a coward.
And in Buddhism... Lord Buddha is accepted as incarnation of Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So we also, Hindus, we worship Lord Buddha as incarnation of God. There is a very nice verse recited by one great poet, Vaiṣṇava poet. You'll be glad to hear. I'll recite it.
- nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaṁ
- sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam
- keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra
- jaya jagadīśa hare jaya jagadīśa hare
The purport of this verse is "O Lord Kṛṣṇa, You have assumed the form of Lord Buddha, taking compassion on the poor animals." Because Lord Buddha's preaching was to stop animal killing. Ahiṁsā, nonviolence. His main objective was to stop animal killing.
In India there is a province called Bihar. In that province there is a district Gayā. In that district Lord Buddha appeared. Lord appeared in Bihar province. He was kṣatriya, He was Hindu, and He propagated this religion of nonviolence, Buddhism.
His specific propaganda was to stop animal killing. So animal killing is recommended in the Vedic literature. Therefore people wanted to give him Vedic evidences that "In the Vedic literature animal sacrifice is recommended under certain condition. So how do you preach? You are Hindu and you are followers of Vedas. Why you are preaching nonviolence?" Therefore he had to give up Hindu religion. He said that "I do not care for your Vedas. It is my propaganda to stop animal killing. So if you follow me, then you must stop animal killing." Ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ. So later on, of course, Lord Buddha was patronized by a great emperor, Aśoka, and therefore practically all Indian population turned to be Buddhist, with few exceptions.
Anyway, Vedic injunction is there. So when Lord Buddha started this nonviolence, ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ, the Vedic scholars approached him that "How you can prescribe this ahiṁsā? There is already sanction in the Vedas, paśavo vadhāya sṛṣṭāḥ... How you can stop it?" So Lord Buddha said, "I don't care for your Vedas." Therefore he is considered as atheist. Anyone who doesn't care for Vedas, they are technically called as atheist. Veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Nāstika means atheist.
In the Purāṇas... There are tāmasika-purāṇas where it is recommended that if you want to eat flesh, then you can get a goat and sacrifice before Goddess Kālī and you can eat that. The purpose is that if a conditioned soul has got the natural tendencies, then why they are mentioned in the śāstras? The idea is... Just like Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha, his mission was to stop animal killing. Ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ. Lord Buddha appeared, being compassionate with the poor animals. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam. There is a description of Lord Buddha's activities by a Vaiṣṇava poet, Jayadeva Gosvāmī. He says, praying to Lord Buddha,
- nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātaṁ
- sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam
- keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare
Lord Buddha appeared to stop this animal killing. But because in the Purāṇas there are sometimes regulative principle of killing animal, therefore he had to deny the authority of Vedas, because those who are after killing animals, they will find some clue that "Here in the Vedas the animal-killing is sometimes recommended." But that animal-killing is not a, I mean to say, instigation that "You go on killing animals." You can understand by a nice example. Just like the government opens liquor shop. It does not mean the government is encouraging to drink liquor. It is not like that. The idea is that if government does not allow some drunkards to drink, they will create havoc. They will distill illicit distillation of liquor. To check them, the government opens liquor shop with very, very great, high price. The cost... If the cost is one rupee, government excise department charges sixty rupees.
So the idea is not to encourage, but to restrict. The idea is prohibition, at least in our country. Similarly, when there is allowance for sex life or meat-eating or drinking in the śāstras, they are not meant for instigating that "You go on with this business as much as you can." No. Actually they are meant for restriction.
(citing verse)
- buddhir jñānam asammohaḥ
- kṣamā satyaṁ damaḥ śamaḥ
- sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ bhavo 'bhāvo
- bhayaṁ cābhayam eva ca
So we have to understand these qualifications. Intelligence. Buddhiḥ means intelligence. Jñānam means knowledge. Asammohaḥ means freedom from illusion. Kṣamā. Kṣamā, forgiveness. Satyam, truth. Damaḥ. Damaḥ means controlling the senses, and samaḥ, to keep the mind equibalanced. Sukham means happiness. Duḥkham, distress, bhava means birth. Abhāva. Abhāva means death, bhayam, fear, and abhayam, fearlessness. Ahiṁsā, nonviolence; samatā, equality; tuṣṭiḥ, satisfaction; tapaḥ, penance; dānam charity; yaśaḥ, fame; ayaśaḥ, defamation; bhavanti, "all these become," bhāvāḥ... Bhāva means state of being. Bhūtānām, "of all living entities;" mattaḥ, "from Me;" eva, certainly; pṛthag-vidhāḥ, differently. Because Kṛṣṇa has declared already, aham ādir hi devānām (BG 10.2). Maharṣīṇāṁ ca sarva. He is the original cause of everything.
Therefore the first condition of acquiring knowledge is adambhitvam. Amānitvam adambhitvam. First of all to deny that "I am not matter. I am..." Then "If I am not matter, then I am God." Oh, then Kṛṣṇa says, "No. That is your false pride. You are not God." Adambhitvam. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā (BG 13.8). Then nonviolence. As soon as one is a realized soul, he will be nonviolent. These are the different stages of acquiring knowledge. And when one is in full knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he becomes qualified with all the good qualities, all the good godly qualities.
We can study this thing, that somebody is living in a poor slum and another man is living in a very palatial building. So simply by endeavoring that "I shall live in a palatial building, and I shall not live in this poor slumhole," it is not possible because the destiny is there. Therefore the body is made according to our past karma, and that is called destiny. Your happiness and distress according to the body is already settled up. It is not possible by natural way to improve or disimprove it. It is already settled up. Therefore śāstra says,
- tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido
- na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ
- tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ
- kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā
- (SB 1.5.18)
The human life should be utilized for understanding the Absolute Truth. The next paragraph, that describes how one can understand the Absolute Truth. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam. So our life should be utilized for understanding the Absolute Truth, not for economic development. Economic development, what is already destined, you cannot improve less or more. It is already settled up.
It is not a fashion to accept one guru. If you are actually interested, śreya uttamam, the highest perfection of life—tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta—then you have to accept a guru. This is called ācāryopāsanam.
Even Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He accepted Sāndīpani Muni as teacher, master. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is also incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, but He accepted Īśvara Purī as His guru. They do not require guru, but just to keep pace with the official program, even God personally, He accepted spiritual master. So this is essential. Ācāryopāsanam.
To become humble, meek, ahiṁsā, non-violence, śānti, tolerance. In this way you have to make progress. The other items will be described by and by. We have to... Yes. Tomorrow we shall describe.
So we have been discussing for the last few days about the process of knowledge. So we have discussed already amānitvam, humbleness. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā (BG 13.8). Ahiṁsā, non-violence. So ahiṁsā kṣāntiḥ, tolerance, ārjavam, simplicity. These things we have already discussed.
The knowledge, the chapter has already explained, in order to make progress in the line of knowledge there were about twenty items: amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir arjavam (BG 13.8). These are the process, not to become falsely proud of possessing knowledge. There are symptoms that who is actually in knowledge and those symptoms have been explained. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam. The most important... Of course, all the items are very important.
As soon as you become a pure devotee of the Lord, all the good qualities of the demigods, surāḥ. There are two classes of men: sura and asura. Sura means devotees, and asura means nondevotees. So good qualities can be found in the suras. Ahiṁsā amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8). There are many instances that the devotees are all qualified.
Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart. Actually He is knowledge, and He is the object of knowledge, jñeyam, and one should try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Jñānaṁ jñeyaṁ jñāna-gamyam. And He is in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Simply we have to know the process how to know Him. That is explained already, We have discussed. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8), ācāryopāsanam, indriya, vinigrahaḥ, bhakti-yoga... Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena... (BG 14.26). These things are already discussed. So human life is meant for understanding this.
Prabhupāda:(citing verse)
- ahiṁsā satyam akrodhas
- tyāgaḥ śāntir apaiśunam
- dayā bhūteṣv aloluptvaṁ
- mārdavaṁ hrīr acāpalam
- tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam
- adroho nātimānitā
- bhavanti sampadaṁ daivīm
- abhijātasya bhārata
These qualities have been discussed. They are called daiva, godly qualities.
So here Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna, mā śucaḥ: "Don't think that because I am engaging you to fight, don't think that you are demonic person." Because generally, people take, when one fights, he is considered to be violent demon. But Kṛṣṇa has already encouraged Arjuna to fight, but here he says that "These are the godly qualities." Apaiśunam, nonviolence, ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam, ahiṁsā. These things have been stated. So because Arjuna is Kṛṣṇa's very intimate and dear friend, immediately He says... As soon as He says that daivī sampad vimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā (BG 16.5). Āsurī matā. This asurika fighting or asurika qualities, this is the cause of being entangled in this material existence. So Arjuna may be thinking that "I am fighting. I am also in asurika sampat." So Kṛṣṇa (is) immediately encouraging him, mā śucaḥ. Mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijāto 'si bhārata: "Don't think that you are in the asurika sampat." Why? He was fighting, he was killing. Why Kṛṣṇa says that "You are in the daivī sampat"? The thing is that he is fighting not for himself; he is fighting for Kṛṣṇa. That is the secret.
Arjuna is advised by Kṛṣṇa. He has described before the..., what is daivī sampati and what is āsurī sampat. Abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir. These are daivī sampat:
- abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir
- jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ
- dānaṁ damaś ca yajñaś ca
- svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam
- ahiṁsā satyam akrodhas
- tyāgaḥ śāntir apaiśunam
- dayā bhūteṣv aloluptvaṁ
- mārdavaṁ hrīr acāpalam
- tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam
- adroho nāti mānitā
- bhavanti sampadaṁ daivīm
- abhijātasya bhārata
The viṣṇu bhaktaḥ bhaved daivaḥ, those who are devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, they are deva, devatā, or demigods, and asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. What is the difference between devatā and asura? The, that is explained by Kṛṣṇa, that daivī sampad vimokṣāya (BG 16.5). If you develop your divine qualities, as they're described, ahiṁsā, sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ... Sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ, sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ means existentional purification. Our..., we, as spirit soul, we are pure, original, because Kṛṣṇa is pure. Arjuna accepts Kṛṣṇa, after understanding Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitram-paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "You are paraṁ pavitra."
Therefore Bhagavān said, daivī sampad vimokṣāya (BG 16.5). If you develop daivī sampat, these qualities, as described—ahiṁsā, sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ, ahiṁsā, so many things—then you'll get out, vimokṣāya. Unfortunately, the modern civilization, they do not know what is vimokṣāya. They're so blind. They do not know that there is some position which is called vimokṣāya. They do not know. They do not know what is next life. There is no educational system. I am traveling all over the world. There is not a single institution which is meant for giving education about the transmigration of the soul, how one can get better life. But they don't believe. They have no knowledge. That is āsurī sampat.
Daivi sampad the qualities, divine qualities. That is described abhayam sattva samsuddhir, That is elaborately stated in the fisrt verse (indistinct)
- abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir
- jñāna-yoga-vyavasthitiḥ
- dānaṁ damaś ca yajñaś ca
- svādhyāyas tapa ārjavam
- ahiṁsā satyam akrodhas
- tyāgaḥ śāntir apaiśunam
- dayā bhūteṣv aloluptvaṁ
- mārdavaṁ hrīr acāpalam
- tejaḥ kṣamā dhṛtiḥ śaucam
- adroho nātimānitā
- bhavanti sampadaṁ daivīm...
These are the daivī sampad. So last night we have discussed. That daivī sampad is described. There is nothing secret. Everything is open. So if you develop these qualities, abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ, etc., then you become qualified with divine possession, Sampatti. Sampatti means what you possess, under your control. So sampatti, two kinds of sampatti, divine sampatti and demonic sampatti.
There are two classes of men throughout the whole universe. One class is called daiva and the other class is called āsura. Daiva āsura eva ca. Daivo vistaraśaḥ proktaḥ. So far the devas are concerned, Kṛṣṇa has explained in various ways in the last chapters, ahiṁsā, kṣānti, ārjavam, how to practice this things. So viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved devaḥ asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. These two classes, how they are ascertained? One who is a devotee of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, they are called deva, or demigods, and persons who know Viṣṇu or may not know—on the whole, they are not devotees of Viṣṇu—even they are devotee of other demigods, they are called asura.
| Page Title: | Ahimsa (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika |
| Created: | 20 of Mar, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=44, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 44 |