Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
- arakṣyamāṇāḥ striya urvi bālān
- śocasy atho puruṣādair ivārtān
- vācaṁ devīṁ brahma-kule kukarmaṇy
- abrahmaṇye rāja-kule kulāgryān
- SB 1.16.21
Prabhupāda: (interrupts the synonyms) Hm? Puruṣādaiḥ— by men? Puruṣādaiḥ, puruṣādaiḥ means rākṣasa, the cannibals. So there has been... "Cannibals," it should be. You can have a notebook... Whenever there is some discrepancy, you note in the next. Puruṣādaiḥ means "by the cannibals, rākṣasas. " (synonyms continue)Pradyumna: Translation: "Are you feeling compunction for the unhappy women and children who are left forlorn by unscrupulous persons? Or are you unhappy because the goddess of learning is being handled by brāhmaṇas addicted to acts against the principles of religion? Or are you sorry to see that the brāhmaṇas have taken shelter of administrative families that do not respect brahminical culture?"Prabhupāda: In the last verse, the another question was vṛṣalaiḥ. Vṛṣalair bhokṣyamāṇam. All these questions are being asked by Dharmarāja to the unprotected cows. Cow is the representative of earth, so if there was one question, ātmānaṁ vā vṛṣalair bhokṣyamāṇam. The cow is being questioned, "Whether you are afraid of the meat-eaters who want to eat you?" Vṛṣalaiḥ. What is the meaning of vṛṣalaiḥ? Unlawful meat-eaters. Unlawful meat-eaters. Just like at the modern age everyone is unlawful meat-eaters. There is a certain class of men always who are meat-eaters; not the higher class. The society is divided into four classes: the first class, namely the brahminical class; second class, the kṣatriya, less important; the third class, the mercantile, less important; and the fourth class, less important. And below the fourth class, they are not counted amongst human beings. This is the Vedic division. So, the first class means the brāhmaṇas; kṣatriyas second class; and third class, vaiśyas. They did not eat meat. Among the fourth class, fifth class men, they used to eat meat. Fifth class means caṇḍāla, pañcama, fifth class. Caṇḍāla, they eat pigs and dogs, dog-eaters, pig-eaters. Just like even at the present moment, there are different classes of men, and pig-eaters or dog-eaters, at least dog-eaters, that is not very much common. But more or less, everyone is meat-eater. And when they begin to eat meat, they do not care whether it is pig's flesh or dog's flesh or cow's flesh.So generally, the higher class, Aryans, they did not eat meat; and the lower class, those who were eating meat, they were also checked by regulation. So one who was eating meat without any check, they are mentioned here as unlawful meat-eaters. What is that, unlawful meat-eaters? Yes.Pradyumna: Vṛṣalaiḥ. Prabhupāda: Vṛṣalaiḥ. Vṛṣalaiḥ, unlawful meat-eaters. Then what kind of lawful meat-eaters? the question will be. The lawful meat-eaters mean as enjoined by the śāstra, because meat eating is not required, not at all required. In the śāstra it is said, loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantor na hi tatra codanā. In the śāstras, there is recommendation that "You can eat meat under certain certain condition. You can drink under certain conditions. You can marry, sex life, under certain conditions." Loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā. Vyavāya means sex; and āmiṣa means meat eating; and madya-sevā, drinking, intoxication.So śāstra says that "Everyone, every living entity, has got a general tendency for these things: sex life, meat-eating and drinking." Then where is the need of shastric injunction? That shastric injunction is there not to encourage them, but to restrict them. In the human life, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. You have got a tendency for sex life, take for example. This is your tendency. But if you can check it, that is your success. Not that because you have got tendency, you have to increase it. That is not human civilization. Human civilization means we have got so many animal propensities, and if we can control them, that is advancement of human civilization. Just try to understand. Not that "Because I have got this tendency, let me increase it without any restriction." That is not human civilization. Human civilization... That is the distinction between animal and human being. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa jñānena SB 6.1.13 . Therefore first beginning of human life... (aside:) That child... The first beginning of human life is brahmacārī. Brahmacārī. Brahmacārī means to learn how to restrict himself from sense gratification. That is brahmacārī life—the student, student life. Nowadays, in every college, university, the students are allowed to mix, intermingle, both sex. What is called? Co-education?Sudāmā: Co-ed. Yes.Prabhupāda: But this is not the process of human civilization. Therefore, at the present moment, the population is so much degraded. There is no restriction. That is the difference between animal life and human life. Human life is meant for restriction. The more you restrict your material sense gratification, the more you are advanced. This is the standard. Not that "Because I have got the tendency to act like this, let me do it unrestrictedly." That is not human civilization; that is cats' and dogs' civilization. Human civilization means tapasya, austerity. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam SB 5.5.1 . Sattva. We have to purify our existence. That is the aim of human life. We have to purify our existence.What is the impurification of existence? The impurification of existence is this birth, death, old age and disease. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam BG 13.9 . Everyone is inclined to live, but nature will not allow you to live. Nobody likes to die, but nature will force you to become dead. Nobody wants to become old man, but nature will force you to become old man. Janma... And nobody wants to suffer from diseases, but nature will force you to suffer from diseases. These are the problems. But the rascal civilization, they do not know what is the real problem. They're dealing with petrol problem. Just see. Petrol problem, you have created another problem. Already there is problem. You have created, by so-called civilization, petrol problem. Before these motorcars, the people were living very happily. They were transporting. But there was no such civilization that for your earning livelihood you have to go hundred miles away from your home to work there. Therefore you require vehicle. Then you require petrol. Then you require so many nice road. So many things will be. But formerly, it was village. They will take it, "This is primitive." But remaining primitive, you were more happy than becoming so-called civilized, creating so many problems. You have already problems, but people are so rascal, so blind, they do not see to the real problem. They artificially create problem and try to solve it. Instead of touching the real problem, that is set aside.The Bhagavad-gītā says that problem, one should be very vigilant to the problem. And what is that problem? He says, Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. They do not know what is the real problem. Real problem is repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is real problem. Whole Vedic civilization is meant for stopping these problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. The whole Bhagavad-gītā is taught... You are reading Bhagavad-gītā. You just try to understand what is the real problem. The real problem is birth, death, old age and disease. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa says that,
- janma karma ca me divyaṁ
- (evaṁ) yo jānāti tattvataḥ
- tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
- naiti mām eti kaunteya
- BG 4.9
This is solution, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam: "This is My appearance on this material world, how God appears." Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā. Nobody takes birth. Even we do not take birth; we simply change body. So what to speak of God? God and we, we are qualitatively one. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām ( Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13) . But He is the chief living entity. Just like you have got your chief American, means the president of your country, similarly, everywhere must be there, one chief man. Just like in the society, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, you accept me as the chief. So you have to accept one chief. Either you are a political party or social party or religious party or Communist party... Just like Communist party, they have got their chief men. Lenin, Stalin.