This process, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to help people to go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa. It is not very difficult. Why it is difficult? Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Try to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, not vaguely. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We think of God. So why don't you accept Kṛṣṇa? He says and śāstra says, the ācārya says, Vyāsadeva says, Nārada says, your Guru Mahārāja says. Why not accept? Why rascaldom? Why you are searching after any other God? Here is God. Name, address, activities, everything is there, authorized statement of the Vedas. So is there any difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa? But this rascal will not take it. Persistent. "Oh, why Kṛṣṇa can be accepted? I have got a God, manufactured." This is misfortune. Durbhaga, durbuddhi, miscreant rascal. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). These are the qualifications of persons who do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa: miscreants, mischievous, sinful, mūḍha, rascal, asses, narādhama, lowest of the mankind. These are the qualifications. So they are all durbuddhi. Human life is meant... This is an opportunity to understand Kṛṣṇa.
Naradhama (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
We have to accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no doubt about it. But why people do not accept? Why are so many big, big scholars and big, big scientists, why they do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, how these people do not accept. The statement is there:
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
Those who are duṣkṛtina, sinful, duṣkṛtina... Kṛti means meritorious, and duṣ means..., means miscreants, meritorious for mischief-making. We, everyone has got merit. The mischief-maker, he has also got merit, but one who uses his merit for mischief-making... Just like a great rogue, a thief. When he steals, he requires brain. So he's applying his brain, how to steal tactfully, how to become a great rogue tactfully. How to become a smuggler... They require also brain. So the brain is being misused for mischievous activities. They are called miscreants, duṣkṛtina. So those who are duṣkṛtina... Na māṁ prapadyante, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). One class is duṣkṛtina and the other class is mūḍha. Mūḍha means less intelligence, or no intelligence. na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. And narādhama means the lowest of the mankind. And māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ, those whose knowledge have been taken by māyā, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. These classes of men do not surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. We are not manufacturing these words. These words are in the Bhagavad-gītā. If we study Bhagavad-gītā, we have to accept the statements, Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā means the speeches which is delivered, or the song which is sung by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Those who are trying to defy the presence of God, saying, "God is dead. There is no God," and trying to prove by so-called scientific method there is no God, the matter is working out of his own way, and things are taking place—there are so many theories—they are called classified as miscreant. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ. Miscreants, and mūḍhāḥ means rascals. Mūḍha... Real meaning of mūḍha is ass. Ass has no knowledge. He is working day and night, oh, very... But he does not know what for he is working. He has no ambition, he has no information where is the destination of perfection. Therefore they are called mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍhāḥ means rascals. So na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. Na prapadyante: "They do not surrender unto Me, God." Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ.
Now the question may be that "Why they do not surrender? Why they do not believe in God? Why they do not take to God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness? They are very educated, advanced. They have got university degrees. But why they do not do it? They are supposed to be very culturally advanced." So the answer is given there in the Bhagavad-gītā, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Because their intention is to deny God, therefore although they are very much advanced in so-called education, the effect of knowledge has been taken away by the illusory energy of māyā. The māyā has taken away the effect of knowledge.
We are in the grip of the material nature. However we may declare ourself that we are independent, we are not independent. We are dependent, completely dependent. We may foolishly mislead ourself by the sense of independence. No. You are not independent. You are completely under the control of the material nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). The material nature is so strong that it is very difficult to get out of the entanglement.
But there is a way. That is also said in the Bhagavad-gītā, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: "Anyone who surrenders unto Me..." The whole process, the whole process of material activities, material nature, is going on under this principle, that we are required to go back to the eternal world, to get our eternal life and eternal blissful knowledge. These things are awaiting us. But if we do not try, do not endeavor for attaining that sublime position and spoil our reserve energy in making an adjustment of this temporary material world, that is our foolishness.
You will find in the Seventh Chapter in Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says,
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
Lord says that "there are persons who are duṣkṛtina, duṣkṛtina, or miscreants, mūḍha, foolish; duṣkṛtina, mūḍha, and narādhama—and the lowest of the human kind—and māyayāpahṛta-jñānā—and they have been plundered of their real knowledge by the stringent laws of material nature. Such people do not come unto Me."
Just try to understand Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa. And the result is that after leaving this body, you are no more going to accept any material body, but you enter into the spiritual kingdom and you have your spiritual body which is eternal, full of knowledge and blissful. This is the chance.
So Kṛṣṇa says... Although the chance is there, people, out of foolishness... Exactly this very word has been used in the Seventh Chapter.
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
He has used very strong words, that persons who are miscreants, do not care for vice or virtue, never mind—they don't care which is vice and which is virtue—such persons, duṣkṛtina, those who are always engaged in vicious work, and those who are foolish... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. And māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, and one whose knowledge is deluded by the external energy. These people, they do not take the shelter of Kṛṣṇa. They do not like, although the opportunity is open for everyone. But we may not be like the miscreants, foolish, and lowest of the mankind. Let us become intelligent.
It is our duty to understand Kṛṣṇa. What is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa is personally..., God is personally explaining Himself, what He is, and if we accept that, then where is the difficulty to understand God? Why you are making so much research work to find out God? God is canvassing at your door, "Here I am. You try to understand Me. Here I am explaining Myself." "No, no, no. We shall find out God somewhere else." This is called mūḍha. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Narādhama means not even ordinary knowledge of a human being. Lowest of the mankind. We are searching out what is God, and God is canvassing here. We do not accept. Therefore narādhama. Why? Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, because their knowledge has been taken away by the illusory energy.
As soon as we find that we do not abide by the orders of Kṛṣṇa, we must know that you are in ignorance and in abnormal condition, madness. That is my duty. Kṛṣṇa does not require my help, and still, He says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is my good. If I surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then that is my benefit. Kṛṣṇa does not require my service. He is omnipotent. But we are so rascal, we think, "Why shall I surrender to Kṛṣṇa?" This is imperfection.
So when you come to this point, that you abide by the order of Kṛṣṇa and surrender to Him, that is perfection. But they do not do that.
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
Why they do not surrender? Now, because duṣkṛtina, always acting sinful activities, duṣkṛtina, and mūḍha, rascal. He does not know his own interest. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Mūḍha, rascal. And then narādhama. Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. "This human body was given to him by material nature to understand Me, to surrender to Me, but he will not do this. Therefore lowest of the mankind." "No, he is so educated." No, this is nonsense. If he does not understand Kṛṣṇa, what is the meaning of education? There is no education. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Why these things are...? Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. He's defying Kṛṣṇa, defying God, "What is God? I am God." This is the position.
Prabhupāda: Anyone who does not know what is Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa, he is a rascal. He is not a prophet. He's a rascal. Nobody can become prophet without full knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. Not that everyone will become and be a prophet, no. That is stated in the Bhagavad... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Anyone who has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he is a narādhama. How he becomes a prophet? (laughter) Just see. Don't bring so-called prophets. They are all narādhamas, lowest of the mankind—and he is prophet. No. Prophet is not so cheap. Don't be misguided by these rascals. Kṛṣṇa says—it is not our manufacture—the sign, that anyone who does not know about Kṛṣṇa and he has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he is narādhama.
Indian man (8): Is it that a man becomes a man after the death?
Prabhupāda: No guarantee.
Indian man (8): He may go to an animal.
Prabhupāda: Species. He may become a dog, and he may become a demigod also, according to his karma. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. Api. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni (BG 9.25). So according to his karma, he gets the next body. There is no guarantee that he'll get human body. Therefore it is very risky civilization at the modern time. They do not know what is the goal of life. Simply like cats and dogs, they are eating, sleeping, having sex life and dying. That's all. They do not know. Very risky life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). This is the statement of the śāstra, "These rascals, they do not know that what is the goal of life, to understand Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa."
Even war, there is dharma. That can be also dharmāviruddha. Just like Arjuna fought. He fought dharmāviruddha, under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa. That is not ordinary fighting. That fighting is Kṛṣṇa, because he was fighting under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa. Personally he refused to fight, but when he understood that Kṛṣṇa wanted that fighting, under His guidance he fought. That fighting is Kṛṣṇa.
So similarly, there are actions, different actions. Some of them are duṣkārya and some of them are sukārya. Sukārya means when you act such action under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa. That is nice. And when you act under your whims, then that is miscreant. So miscreant and they act like human beings, mūḍha and narādhama. Narādhama means... Nara means human beings, and adhama means the lowest. Just like we accept some caṇḍāla as narādhama. Or... There are many low-grade people, but actually, a caṇḍāla is not a low-grade man. The man who does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is supposed to be narādhama because he has got the chance. An animal hasn't got the chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. I cannot call animal, cats and dogs, in this meeting. That is impossible, because they have no chance. But we can call, we can hold a meeting amongst the human beings for discussing Kṛṣṇa because they have got the special power to understand. This special power to understand Kṛṣṇa, if it is misused for other purposes, he is narādhama. He got the chance of human being, but he has become degraded on account of his unwillingness to take Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So such persons, duṣkṛtina, always engaged in mischievous activities, always engaged to work hard like an ass and does not take the advantage of human being, they are called duṣkṛtina, mūḍha, narādhama. Then one may say, "All right, these people are lowest of the mankind or like an ass or miscreant, but there are many, many educated persons, highly elevated in discussing philosophy. Why they do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Why they say that "God is nirākāra. There is no God. I am God. You are God"? Why do they say? Why do they not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? This question may be raised also. "They are not fools. They are very highly learned. They have undergone tapasya, sannyāsī. Why do they not take shelter of Kṛṣṇa?" Kṛṣṇa is answering to that question, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15). Yes, they are advanced in knowledge undoubtedly, but because they are āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ... Āsuraṁ bhāvam means atheistic principle: "There is no God. I am God." This is called atheistic or āsura.
| Page Title: | Naradhama (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Sahadeva, Serene |
| Created: | 18 of Jan, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=71, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 71 |