In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated that goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Kṛṣṇa lives at His home, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Just like Kṛṣṇa is in Goloka Vṛndāvana. So still, He emanates, He expands Himself. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ means throughout the whole creation. He has creation; that is also innumerable. We are seeing this creation, this universe. There are innumerable planets. But... Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37), in everywhere Kṛṣṇa is there. Still, He is existing in His own abode. We cannot imagine because we have no such experience. Just like we are sitting in this room. We are not sitting in the other room. Try to understand the distinction between Kṛṣṇa and ourselves. But Kṛṣṇa is here and He's not only in the other room, other building, other city, other universe—everywhere. That is Kṛṣṇa.
Buildings (Lectures, SB)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
My Guru Mahārāja used to say, kāṭh pāthare mistri. If you are simply engaged how to have a skyscraper building, then we become craftsmen only, how to handle woods and stones, that's all. So much success but what we'll do with this woods and stones? You are spirit soul. Woods and stone will not give you any pleasure. That is not possible. You are not wood and stone, you are spirit soul, you must have spiritual food. Therefore in America especially, despite all material opulences, there you are becoming confused and frustrated and disappointed. Because woods and stone will not satisfy you. You must have spiritual food, that is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
There is another science which is called ākāśa-yānam. Ākāśa-yānam means in the ākāśa, in the sky, you can fly with any vehicle. There are mantras... Suppose I am sitting on this throne. By chanting those mantras this seat will be, fly in the sky. We read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that Kapiladeva? No, Kardama Muni, father of Kapiladeva, he made an aeroplane or a exactly a township with big, big buildings, with lake, garden and so many people, that was flying in the sky and visited all the planets.
In India still there are snake charmers. If one is bitten by a snake he remains unconscious. By mantra he can be brought into consciousness, in life. If a man is snakebitten... (aside:) He's sleeping. Why? Don't sleep and you can sleep at the end. Don't in the front. It is disturbing. Enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi'. Lord Caitanya said that "I have brought the medicine." Māyā nāśibāro lāgi'. Just like the snake charmers, they chant mantra. That is factual. It is not story. One medical practitioner friend of mine, when he was student in Lucknow, he stated that there is a palace building, Satar Manji?(?) Satar Manju, in Lucknow. There is some government office. So there were several snakebite cases. Several men were killed by snakebite. So they could understand that there is a venomous snake in this building; at the opportunity he bites. So one snakecharmer was called, and one Muhammadan snakecharmer, he came, and he captured that snake and took it away.
Now these medical students, they do not believe in these mantras. They were surprised. They think that snakebite means finished, there is no medicine. So they were very much, because they were students, very much inquisitive. They went to that charmer at his place and wanted to know from him what is the secret, is it a fact that mantra... So he said, "All right, I shall show you." So he opened one box, and several hundred snakes immediately came out. And all the students, they became so disturbed. Some were crying, some were this way, that way... (laughter) Yes. And the charmer said, "Don't be worried. So long I am here they will not bite. And don't think that these snakes are without poison teeth." He took some of them and showed that "Here is a poison teeth. Not that the poison teeth has been taken away. The poison teeth is there. But by our mantra, we subdue it. He cannot do any harm." So the doctor students, medical students inquired that, "Can we not use this mantra?" Said, "No. You cannot."
Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Kṛṣṇa is spiritual, so His energy is also spiritual. But in the spiritual energy there is the possibility of forgetting Kṛṣṇa. That is called material energy. So if we remember Kṛṣṇa, that is not material energy. A man, stone, wood, brick and constructs a big, high skyscraper building; that is material energy. But the same stone, same wood, same cement, you construct a very nice temple of Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual energy. Now, the question is how the woods and stones which is matter, becomes spiritual. Is not that the question? We say one man is constructing big skyscraper building with woods and stones, we say this is materialism. But they can also challenge you that "You are also interested in woods and stones and constructing a big church or temple. Why is your idea spiritualism?" Now, you can compare. This is spiritualism means in this stone and earth and woods you remember Kṛṣṇa, "I am constructing something for Kṛṣṇa." Therefore it is spiritualism.
So the conclusion is when we forget Kṛṣṇa, that is materialism. And when we constantly remember Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritualism. The materialists means they are thinking of sense gratification. All these big, big buildings were constructed in your country, Edinburgh. The idea was that "We shall show something opulent that we are very great nation. We have got nice buildings, nice churches, nice roads." Puffed up. Everyone wants to be puffed up before his friends and relatives. So this is materialism. But the same thing done for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that "We shall construct this temple for Kṛṣṇa's inhabitation. We shall construct this building for providing the devotees of Kṛṣṇa so that they may be able to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra without any disturbance..." It appears the same thing, karma and bhakti, but bhakti is always in relation with Kṛṣṇa and karma is always in relation with sense gratification. Therefore, the things, the ingredients is originally spiritual because it is Kṛṣṇa's energy. But ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), when we try to impose our proprietorship, that is materialism. Materialism means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is no materialism; everything is spiritual.
Actually, everyone is suffering. That is the law of material nature. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he says, viṣaya-viṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale, juṛāite nā koinu upāy. Viṣaya. Those who are materialistic, that is called viṣaya. Viṣaya means eating, sleeping, sex intercourse, and defence. How I shall be protected, how shall I enjoy sex, how I shall eat more, I shall sleep more: this is called viṣaya. Viṣaya does not mean a very rich man, viṣayī. A poor man can be viṣayī, and a rich man can be renounced. Just like Rāmānanda Rāya. He was governor, a gṛhastha, not even sannyāsī. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted him not as gṛhastha—more than a sannyāsī. So viṣaya. Viṣayī means, does not mean that if one is very rich, then he's viṣayī. Viṣayī means one is only interested with these four things: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. The whole world is going on like that. The modern civilization, they're simply interested how to eat, how to sleep... In your country, in America, you know very well. They're whole day working, how to construct a skyscraper building, how to own at least four cars.
The uttama means transcendental, beyond this material world. So there is śreya, ultimate benefit of life, beyond this material world. So one who is interested the śreya, or ultimate benefit of life beyond this material world, for him there is need of accepting a guru. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Uttamam, not for this... Generally, people go to accept a guru for some material benefit, for cheap āśīrvāda, so that he can become more opulent in this material world. But that is not śreya. These things will be finished. These things will be finished with your body, and body is sure to be finished. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I am the death, and I take away everything at the death, at the time of your... " Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham. You make all asset. You make good bank balance, skyscraper building, good family, everything, but everything will be taken away at the time of death. Then another chapter. Then you do not know what chapter begins. That will depend on your karma. The same thing, contamination. As you have made your mental condition, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6), you will get..., nature will give a similar body. This is going on.
In Bombay we have got now six buildings full of tenants. So they are little disturbed because now we have taken possession of the land. They are thinking that "Swamiji will drive me, drive us some way or other." I told them that "I have got no children with me; neither my former family is coming to live. If I, suppose, vacate these houses, then I will fill up with my devotees. So why don't you become devotee? I don't charge anything from you." But that they are not agreeable. This is the position. Even if we offer that "You come with us, live with us peacefully, take little prasādam and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," they will not agree. We have got hundred branches all over the world. At least, there are ten thousand men. Just as we do not work, we simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and get some prasādam... So there is no scarcity. There is no scarcity. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22).
So you can have your churches, temple or mosque, but if you do not develop your tendency to hear about God, then it will not be successful, śrama eva hi kevalam. Śrama eva hi kevalam.
Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ. Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ notpādayed yadi ratim (SB 1.2.8), by going daily to the temple, or to the church, or to the mosque, or anywhere, any religious building or institution, if you do not develop your propensity to hear about God, then you have wasted your time. Śrama eva hi kevalam. Going and coming, it is simply labor, that's all. So that is the test. Therefore either in temple, or in church, in mosque there must be regular recitation on the talks of God. Otherwise people will lose interest, and the churches and temples have to be closed.
Today one man is very rich; next generation is no longer rich. That is also nationwise applicable. Just like we have seen British Empire. While I was in London I was thinking that "These Britishers brought money from all parts of the world, by business or all other means." I saw in front of St. James Park, Lord Clive's statue. Very, very nice buildings, but it is now difficult for them to repair. That opulence has gone. They have lost their empire. No more income, sufficient income. This is the nature of material world. So many empires were there. There was Roman empire, there was Carthaginian empire, there was Mogul empire, there was British empire, and so many empires. They are no longer existing. Sometimes when I pass by the side of the Red Fort, we see the department, the apartments of the great Mogul emperors in Red Fort, they are now lying vacant. So this is the material nature.
Your money should not be free, should not be spent unnecessarily for sense gratification. Formerly, this was the civilization in India. We see so many big, big temple in South India, in other places also, especially South India. It is not possible—in Vṛndāvana also—it is not possible at the present moment to construct such huge, expensive temple. But actually they were done by rich kings, rich mercantile people. That Madana-mohana temple was constructed by Sindhi merchant. He approached Sanātana Goswāmī. Sanātana Goswāmī was sitting underneath the tree, and his Madana-mohana was hanging in the tree. He had no place, no temple, no cloth. Madana-mohana was asking Sanātana Goswāmī that "Sanātana, you are giving Me dried bread, without even salt. How can I eat?" So Sanātana Goswāmī replied, "Sir, I cannot go to ask for salt. Whatever I've got, I offer You. I cannot help." This was their talks. So one salt merchant came, Sindhi salt merchant, he was passing from Vṛndāvana to Delhi side, and he offered his service, and Sanātana Goswāmī asked him to construct the temple of Madana-mohana. That temple is still existing, Madana-mohana's temple. So this is the proper use. If you have got some money, don't use it for constructing a big skyscraper building. Better you try to construct a very nice temple for Kṛṣṇa's situation. That is proper use.
You can have very nice skyscraper building, but have you made any insurance that you will be allowed to enjoy this house? "No, sir, there is no such insurance." At any moment the nature will call, "Please get out, immediately." "No, I have got to do some business." "No more, sir. Please get out immediately." Can you stop that? Then why you are making plan? Your real plan is not there. Whether you will be allowed to stay here? There is no insurance. And why you are taking so much trouble? Therefore, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4), the whole day, night, they are working like ass, but there is no assurance whether the happiness for which he is laboring so hard will be allowed to be enjoyed. There is no certainty.
So in Vedic system a husband can marry... Why others? Kṛṣṇa, He married 16,000 wives. But not like us. He was present in the house of 16,000 wives by 16,000 forms. Every, each and every wife had palatial building, establishment. Each wife had ten sons. Not that because He has married 16,000, He cannot meet all of them. No. So that is Kṛṣṇa; He is God. But even common man... Just like Kṛṣṇa's father, he had also sixteen wives. Kṛṣṇa is one wife's son. Vasudeva... Subhadrā is another wife's daughter. Balarāma is another wife's son. So in order to stop this rascaldom, that a human, I mean to say, man, he's allowed: "Marry them. Keep them nicely. Give them apartment. Give them nice food, nice dress, nice ornament. You enjoy." But rascaldom means "No, without responsibility I shall make phish, phish, phish" that's all.
There are two kinds of bhāgavata: book bhāgavata and devotee bhāgavata. So in the Śiva Purāṇa, there was a question by Pārvatī to Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva and Pārvatī, husband and wife. Pārvatī means the material nature. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Durgā-devī. Durgā-devī is in charge of this material world. It is called durgā, durgā, just like fort. And the superintendent of this fort is Durgā. You cannot go out of this fort; you are imprisoned. So such Durgā-devī, who is so powerful energy—she can create, annihilate, maintain, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana—she is always sitting by the side of her husband, Lord Śiva, and questioning about spiritual enquiries. Just see. Such powerful deity is also ignorant about spiritual life. So the husband, Lord Śiva, is Vaiṣṇava, and she's always asking, and sitting down underneath a bael tree. She can create so many universes, but for her, no building; only underneath a tree.
Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. Our material life begins by a knot in the heart. What is that knot? That is sex desire. This is the knot. A man is hankering after a woman, and a woman is hankering after a man. This attachment is the beginning of material life. Everyone, not only human society. In animal society, in bird society, in beast society, you'll find this sex attachment. This is the hṛdaya-granthiḥ, beginning. Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, the first teaching to a student is to give him lesson how to become brahmacārī. How not to become attached in sex life, that is called brahmacārī. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Tapasā, to become brahmacārī, to become..., abstaining from sex life, it requires tapasya. It is not so easy thing. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa damena śamena (SB 6.1.13). One has to practice how to control the mind, how to control the senses. This is brahmacarya. Tapasya. It requires tapasya. At the present moment, the students are, what to speak of tapasya, they are given all kinds of luxuries. So how there will be brahmacārīs? It is not possible. Especially in the Western countries, the boys and girls, they are educated in one place, co-education, and they live in the same building, and there are so many things. You know, better than me.
Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated: kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajante anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). Hṛta-jñānāḥ, hṛta-jñānāḥ, those who have lost their intelligence. They are influenced by their lust and greediness. They worship different demigods to get some material temporary benefit. Therefore they are called naṣṭa-buddhi. His real problem is how to get out of this entanglement of repetition of birth and death, but he doesn't care that. He thinks, "Oh, now I am living in this way. If I live in a palatial building, then my problem is solved." That is not your problem, solution of the problem. That is not solution. But people are very much enamored by this temporary material elements. Therefore they are called by Kṛṣṇa as naṣṭa-buddhayaḥ, hṛta-jñānāḥ. They're actual knowledge is lost. Real thing is... Just like in the jail. The same example: the boy was given a little relief. Instead of breaking stone, he was allowed to type in the office. That does not mean his problem is solved. His problem is solved when he's out of the prison. That is. But that the superintendent of police cannot give. That will be given by the government. Similarly, if we want to get relief from this prison house of material existence, we must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. No other method will relieve us.
Yajña means Viṣṇu, the platform of satisfying Viṣṇu. This is the perfection of life. Dull, null brain, ignorance, just like animals, they are in the tamo-guṇa, ignorance. They cannot understand anything. So gradually, they are promoted to the human form of life, rajo-guṇa. Generally, human form of life, rajo-guṇa, activity for creation, we can very well see. Animals, cats, dogs cows, asses... And a little civilized, engaged in sense gratification in a different way, very active, passion... So these two stages of life will not help us. Because our aim is to come to the point of brahma-darśanam, self-realization, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. To remain karmīs or remain animallike life, no knowledge, simply eating, sleeping, mating, that's all... And little advancement means the same eating, sleeping, mating, but in a polished way... Mostly we find in the Western countries, the aim is animal propensities, but in a polished way. Suppose they live in very, very high skyscraper buildings, and the animals live in some cave, in some hole, in some nest.
So here it is said, mumukṣavo ghora-rūpān hitvā bhūta-patīn atha. Bhūta-patīn atha. So those who are actually desiring liberation from this entanglement of material life, transmigration from one body to another... We can get different types of sense pleasure in different bodies. That's all right. But this is not a very good business. Sometimes I become a demigod, and sometimes I become a eucalyptus tree, standing for three hundred years. So why should we waste our time in that way? That is intelligence. But they do not know that "This time I am very nice American. I have got my skyscraper building and motorcar and very good bank balance. I am very happy." They don't care. But he does not know that next life he may become a cats or dog. That he does not know. There is risk. This science is not taught in any university. They are so fools and rascals. It is a great science, transmigration of the soul, immortality of the soul, how to elevate the soul to the highest perfection; these things are... They do not know, the rascals, they do not know. Neither do they teach. Mumukṣavo ghora-rūpān. A so unfortunate time it is.
This is material world. They are saying "Don't... There is no God. We don't care for God. We are, everyone, God." But māyā, the police force, is there, kicking on the face. And they are subjected to so many tribulations, miserable conditions of life. Especially birth, death, old age and disease. Now you don't care for God. So why don't you stop your death? You stop your death. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham, "To the rascals and the demons, I am death. I take away everything." Sarva-haraḥ. Sarva-haraḥ means these rascals are trying to possess so many things: cars, motorcars, skyscraper building, bank balance, big family, big friends, big empire, and so many things. But when death comes, he cannot protect himself, what to speak of protecting other things. You see? So he's under full control, the demons. And every moment, he's under control. Suppose I have got money. I can eat so much. But as soon as you eat little more, immediately you are under control; you cannot eat for three days. Indigestion, immediately. And still, the rascal says that "I am not controlled." If there is little pain here, he immediately becomes: "Where is doctor, where is doctor, where is doctor?" And still he says, "I'm not controlled," and "I am God."
So unless we are sober, for stopping one kind of unwanted thing, we have to introduce another. This is karma-kāṇḍa-vicāra. If you have to raise, erect, a very high skyscraper building, then for the materials, you have to dig somewhere to make it a lake. You take it from there and put it here. This is karma. You cannot manufacture. Suppose a high skyscraper building you have constructed. The another place you have taken out something. The stock is the same, conservation of the energy. You cannot increase the stock. That is not possible.
Now, this māyā, this māyā cannot cover Kṛṣṇa, but we become covered. Therefore in the next verse it is said, yayā sammohito jīvaḥ. That māyā which is so influential that she has extended her influence over all the living entities... Yayā sammohitaḥ, bewildered. We living entities, we are bewildered. So especially those who have not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are bewildered. They are thinking this material world is everything. And therefore they have got some problem, simply problem. He was thinking, that gentleman was thinking, "How this economic problem...?" Because he was in māyā. But had he been in bhakti-yoga, then he could understand there is no problem at all. There is no problem. It is simply māyā. It is simply illusion. There is no problem. All problems are solved. You can practically see. We have got a hundred branches, we have no problem, because Kṛṣṇa is there. So our traveling each time, lakhs of rupees, I am traveling. But one man cannot see once in life London or New York from India. I see four times in a year. So I have no problem—because Kṛṣṇa is there. We are spending lakhs and lakhs of rupees, but wherefrom the money is coming? Kṛṣṇa is sending. We have no problem. Now we have spent in Bombay eighteen, twenty lakhs of rupees. People are surprised. It is fifty lakhs' worth property. People are surprised; some of them are very envious. And if you come, you will find it is very, very fine place. It is just like a paradise garden. Twenty thousand square yards. And we have got six buildings.
The material elements means earth, water, air, fire. A scientist means, or a craftsman means he can utilize the ingredients in such a way. Just like this temple. It is a composition of earth, water, and fire. Tejo-vāri-mṛd vinimayaḥ. Tejo means fire, and vāri means water, and mṛt means earth. So what is this building? It is... You have collected earth, and shaped it into a brick, and then put it with water, and then put into the fire—it becomes brick. Then you smash it, powder it, it becomes mortar. Then you set up. In this way... The, originally, tejo-vāri-mṛt. Fire, water, and earth. So the fire, water, earth, has not made this nice temple. It is the person, the brain, the engineer, the architect—they have made.
So this is a wrong idea, that matter is doing independently. That is not possible. Therefore it is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Matter does not work. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His different energies, He is working. That is Kṛṣṇa. You have to understand like that. Kṛṣṇa is in the background.
So we have to become dhīra. Then we shall not be afraid of death. Unless we are dhīra... There are two classes of men: dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means one who is not disturbed even though there is cause of disturbances. One may not be disturbed when there is no cause of disturbances. Just like we are not, now at the present moment, we are not afraid of death. But as soon as we find there is earthquake, and we are afraid of this building may fall down, the cause of disturbances, then we become very much disturbed—sometimes screaming. So one who is not disturbed, even there is cause of disturbance, he is called dhīra. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. This is the statement of Bhagavad-gītā. We have to become dhīra from adhīra. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that adhīra can be dhīra. This is the profit of this movement. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is pleasing to both the classes of men, namely the dhīra and the adhīra. It is so nice. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau. This was introduced by Caitanya Mahāprabhu and followed by the six Gosvāmīs. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised, ihā haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomāra. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, "Simply by chanting you'll get all success of life." Sarva-siddhi. It is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's blessing. Ihā haite sarva-siddhi haibe tomāra. By simply chanting one gets the highest perfection. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's blessing and gift. So we should be very careful and follow the regulative principles. Then automatically you'll be perfect. There is no doubt about it. Mantra... Just like sometimes the snake-charming mantra can be purchased in the market. But if you do not make yourself perfect about chanting the mantra, it will not be effective.
I'll give you one practical instance. It is not a story; it is a fact. It was spoken... Perhaps some of you know that my friend who came here, Dr. Ghosh. He told me when they were students, there was a case. In Lucknow University they were students. So there is a big building, and two, three snake-biting case happened. So some snake charmer was invited to find out the snake and take him. So he came. He came and took it away, the snake. Then this Dr. Gosh and his class friends, they were medical students. Naturally, the so-called modern scientist, they do not believe in all these things. So they became very inquisitive. All of them went to that snake charmer—he was a Muhammadan gentleman. So he knew that "These students, medical students, they have come to see the fun how the snakes are charmed." So he (they) inquired, "What is the matter? What is the magic that you can catch up snake and the snake cannot do any harm to you?" So he said it is possible by mantra. By mantra it can be done. So they challenged, "Oh, your snakes, I think they are poisonless and they cannot bite. There is no poison. The poison teeth, the fang, is taken away." "No, no. They have got everything." So he took one and showed that "Here is..." So to make a fun... He had many snakes. He let them all come out from the box. And immediately all over the courtyard, just like courtyard, they began to run over, and all these medical students, they became afraid. They were fleeing this side, that side, that side. So the charmer said, "Don't be afraid. So long I am here they'll not bite you."
In Western countries also the churches are being closed-big, big churches. In London I have seen, very big, big churches, but they're closed. When there is meeting on Sunday, the caretaker, two, three men, and some old lady, they come. Nobody comes. And we are purchasing. We have purchased several churches. Because it is now useless. It is useless. In our Los Angeles we have purchased and several others. In Toronto. That recently we have purchased. Big, big churches. But they would not sell us. One church, the priest said that "I shall set fire in this church, still I shall not give to Bhaktivedanta Swami." (laughter) This Toronto church was like that also. And in Melbourne, the condition was, sale condition was, that you have to dismantle this church building. We said, "Why?" He said, "Utilize as temple now, then we shall not give you." They refused. You know that? So they do not like that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will purchase our churches and install Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity." They do not like that. But it is not(?) going on.
They should be trained means they should be advised by the brāhmaṇas. Therefore four divisions required. The brāhmaṇas have no interest or they have no time. Even a brāhmaṇa is made king... It is not his business. He may do it for some time, temporarily. Just like Viśvāmitra also did. But it is not his business. The brāhmaṇa should give advice to the ministers or the legislators. They should be all qualified brāhmaṇas, not paid man. Paid man has nothing to do... Even during the time of Mahārāja Candragupta, emperor, he had a brāhmaṇa minister, prime minister, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. He was not taking a single farthing as salary. When once explanation was called for from Cāṇakya Paṇḍita by Candragupta, immediately he resigned. "You cannot call any explanation. Then I resign." And he was living in a cottage, not that palatial building. He was living in a cottage. That was the system. Brāhmaṇa lived very humbly. He was not poor. Not that they are poor men. They were so rich that when Viśvāmitra approached Mahārāja Daśaratha, immediately he vacated his seat and welcomed, "Sir, sit down here." So respectful. This is Vedic culture.
A Vaiṣṇava must be dakṣa, expert in everything. This is no excuse, that "I have become a devotee. Therefore I am callous to all material things." What material things? Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. Anything in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, that is not material; that is spiritual. I have several times explained that this temple, don't think it is ordinary building. It is Vaikuṇṭha. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu. Kṛṣṇa has His house, prakara-sadmasu. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu. Sadma. Sadma means house. So we should take very, very careful attention that this temple is kept very nicely, managed very nicely. Not that "I have become Vaiṣṇava. Let everything be stolen or spoiled or broken. I have become Vaiṣṇava. I cannot take care. That is not my consideration."
Because I have several times pressed on this point that everything in relationship with Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the advaya-jñāna. Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa and His name, His house, His devotees—His everything. Nāma rūpa guṇa līlā parikara vaiśiṣṭa, everything.
So it is not theoretical-practical. Just like in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, even in America they inquire, these, our devotees, "How is that you do not work? You simply dance and you get big, big buildings, and you have got so many cars, and you eat nicely." They are surprised. Why surprising? Sanātha-jīvitam. We are under Kṛṣṇa's protection. Why shall I live poverty poorly? No. Kṛṣṇa's servant must have the whole opulence. Because sanātha-jīvitam. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So don't forget this philosophy. If you surrender fully to Kṛṣṇa... And Kṛṣṇa is always anxious, Gopī-jana-vallabha, Vraja-jana-rañjana. So to love Kṛṣṇa, to be fully under Kṛṣṇa's control, that is gopī-jana-vallabha, that is gopī-jana. And He's always anxious. Sanātha-jīvitam. In all respect, you simply remain under the control of Kṛṣṇa, fully under the shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then all happiness will be available without any endeavor. That is svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). That is called mukti. Mukti means to live in this condition, that "I am Kṛṣṇa's eternal servant. He will give me all protection. My only business is to carry out His order." This is called mukti.
These materialistic persons, they are engaged in planning for material happiness. They are working so hard, becoming baffled without any benefit. So māyā-sukhāya bharam ud...many, many plans, many, many skyscraper buildings, roads and motor cars. What is the real purpose? The purpose is they want to be happy. But that is not possible. Therefore they are vimūḍhān. Rascals. They are going in the wrong way. How to divert their attention to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then they will be happy.
These European, American boys, they are coming from rich family. They have, even nationally, they have got big, big skyscraper buildings, motor car, and why they have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Because they were not happy. It is a fact. They were not happy. So a Vaiṣṇava can understand this, that outwardly, externally, they may have nice dress or nice building or nice motor car, but internally they are so unhappy that they rise up to the top of the skyscraper building and fall down to commit suicide. This is his position. The Vaiṣṇava can understand that bharam udvahato vimūḍhān. They are making skyscraper building, but there is no happiness. It is simply a, what is called? A Gorgeous arrangement only. Otherwise, there is not a drop of happiness. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ.
So these two classes of men... Mostly people are infected with these two kinds of modes of material nature. Rajas-tamas. The whole world. At the present moment, especially, mostly ignorance, and some of them are passionate. That passionate tendency is engaging them for so many industries and very, very strong work, ugra-karma. Ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means very strong...? What is, should be the English word? Ugra... Ugra, just like chili, pungent. There are many things. They are very strong in taste. So ugra-karma, these... Just like they are building hundred-and-fifty-story building. People can live comfortably in a small cottage or one-storied house or little more. But no, they're increasing. Their passionate activities are increasing. Just like in your country, in New York, now there is hundred-and-four-storied building, or more than that.
So this is difficulty, that we are not very much interested in hearing. And that is the main business. Our bhakti begins: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). We have to hear and we have to speak. But if we are not interested in hearing and speak, then it will be the same ṭhākura-bari(?), simply formula. That's all. And gradually it will be stopped. Unless there is life of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, these big, big buildings, temples, will become burden. So if we are, if we want to create burden for future, then we may give up this hearing and chanting and sleep very nicely. It will be burden. Galagraha. Not śrī-vigraha, but galagraha. Galagraha. Śrī-vigraha means worshipable Deity. So if we give up this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, then it will be thought that "Our Guru Mahārāja has given a burden in the neck, galagraha." This is the danger. So we must be very much alert in śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Otherwise all this labor will be futile. This building will be only the nest, nest for the doves and the pigeons. That is the danger. That is being done. Nobody is interested. Such, such things...
So at the present moment, people are becoming implicated with māyā more and more because foolishly they are thinking that "I am now very comfortable. I have got this skyscraper building. I have got so much bank balance. I have got so nice wife. So I am comfortable." They are thinking like that. They do not know that it is not comfortable life. It is dangerous life because you have to change your body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Why don't you remember that? Because as soon as death will take place next moment... You are proprietor of this house; next moment you become dog of this house. If you have got very much attachment for the house, and at the same time your activities have been like dog's, then you get the body of a dog, and you may remain in this quarter and bark, "Gyeow! Gyeow! Gyeow! Gyeow! Gyeow!" That they do not know. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). When there is nice building, nice comfortable life, they do anything sinful without knowing that "I am not going to be escaped by these sinful activities. I will have to suffer for this. As I am enjoying now material comforts due to my some pious activities in the past, similarly, if I commit sinful life, then I'll have to suffer next life." That they do not know.
Therefore it is always dangerous. To enjoy in this material life is dangerous because you are creating next life very, very abominable. That... The only escape is... That will be explained by Kuntīdevī in the next verse, that they were in danger, but they were simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, we have no other shelter." This position should be taken. We are always in danger, and we should always think of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Then we are safe. Otherwise it is very dangerous. Even Kuntī and others, Pāṇḍavas.
ust like I give some carpenter some wood, some implement, and salary. And he makes a very nice, beautiful closet. To whom this closet will belong. To the carpenter, or the man who has supplied the ingredients? To whom it will belong? The carpenter cannot say that: "Because I have transformed this wood into such nice closet, it is mine." No. It is not yours. Similarly, who is supplying the ingredients, rascal? That is Kṛṣṇa's. Kṛṣṇa says: bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva... prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). "This is My property." You have not created this sea, the land, the sky, the fire, the air. It is not your creation. You can transform these material things, tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ, by mixing and transforming. You take earth from the land, you take water from the sea and mix it and put it in the fire. It becomes a brick. And then you pile up all this brick and make a skyscraper building. But wherefrom you got this ingredient, rascal, that you are claiming this skyscraper yours? This is intelligent question. You have stolen the property of God, and you are claiming that it is your property. This is knowledge. This is knowledge.
So this is Kuntī's realization. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ... (SB 1.8.26). Therefore for spiritual advancement, if one is interested, they should not be too much attached to material things if you want to advance in spiritual life. Janmaiśvarya... Because this will be entanglement. The more and more we shall think, "This is mine. This is mine." Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This is illusion. Nothing belongs to him, but by illusion, he will think, "This is mine. This is mine." Just like we have got this nice, grand building in this district. If we think, "This is my building" or "My building," then there will be mishap. My Guru Mahārāja said. Personally he said that "When we were living in a rented house, if we could collect two hundred, three hundred rupees... We were living very nicely at Ultadanga. And since then—Jayavidatta has given us this marble palace, Gauḍīya-Maṭha—there is friction between our men. 'Who will occupy this room? Who will occupy that room? Who will be proprietor of room?' " Tīrtha Mahārāja... Kuñjabābā was giving one tablet, that "This is..." Everyone is planning in different way. So Guru Mahārāja said... He was personally instructing me that "If I could sell this marble of this temple, and secure some money, and if I could print some books, that would have been better. That would have been better."
Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, because the Gosvāmīs, they worshiped Kṛṣṇa in a different method—going to Vṛndāvana, living underneath the tree, and one night underneath one tree, next night, next tree. This vairāgya is not possible for the Western people. Therefore we require this building. That is the contribution. Unless they live comfortably, it is not possible. And we have to preach all over the world.
So nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. For Kṛṣṇa's... Therefore you'll find in India, there are many very big, big, costly temples, not personal house. You'll never find all over India. You go and see. They have spent lots of money for temple. That was the Oriental civilization. Even the Muhammadans, they would construct very costly mosque, but they would live in huts. That was the intention. One... When... Whenever one is a little bit rich, he'll find out how to spend it for Kṛṣṇa, not for his sense gratification. Just like this Madana-mohana temple was constructed by a big merchant. He approached Sanātana Gosvāmī: "Sir, what can I do for you? I want to serve you." So Sanātana Gosvāmī said, "My Madana-mohana... I am living underneath the tree, and my Madana-mohana is hanging. So if you can, you can construct a temple for Madana-mohana." Similarly, Mahārāja Mansingh approached Rūpa Gosvāmī. They never constructed big, big temple for their own living purpose, but Kṛṣṇa's purpose. That is the way. For Kṛṣṇa, we must have everything very gorgeous and first class, but not for me. That is akiñcana. Personally we should not possess anything, simply for Kṛṣṇa.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "I know..." Tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ. "I can... I have no problem because I have understood what is the value of chanting Your holy name. But I have got another business." What is that? Śoce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ: "I am simply concerned with these rascals who are not Kṛṣṇa conscious." Śoce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ: "They are busy that māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). These rascals, for māyā-sukha, temporary material happiness, they have made very, very gorgeous arrangement," very, very big, big skyscraper building and very, very nice road, very, very nice car, and nice dress, nice this, nice nightclub, this club—simply for māyā-sukhāya. "This happiness is temporary. Still, they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, which will make their life successful and happy. They do not know." Māyā-sukhāya bharam. Bharam means humbug, humbugism. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). "Those who have arranged like that, these rascals," śoce, "I am lamenting for them." This is Vaiṣṇava. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye (CC Madhya 6.254).
So we are giving this chance to everyone. We have constructed this big building, or constructing more and more—why? To give this chance to everyone. Please come here. Chant, join Hare Kṛṣṇa kīrtana, take prasādam and do your best, whatever talent you have got, easily, not very overburdened. If you know something to do, do it for Kṛṣṇa. Everyone knows. Everyone has got some talent. So that talent should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. And if you think that "No, I shall chant simply," all right, you chant. But don't sleep in the name of chanting. That... Don't cheat. That cheating is not good. If you think that you can chant like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, then you simply chant. We shall supply you food. There is no anxiety. But don't try to cheat. You must be engaged. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Of course, if we can chant twenty-four hours, that is very good. But that is not possible. We are not so highly elevated. We must do something for Kṛṣṇa.
So this is... This institution, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is giving chance to everyone. And we are opening centers all over the world for this purpose, that you come, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, hear about Kṛṣṇa, Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, and whatever you can do, just do it for Kṛṣṇa. Then your life is successful.
So Brahmā was approached by the earth, mother earth. She felt overburdened by the sinful activities of the demons. So Brahmā approaches Nārāyaṇa, er, Viṣṇu—not directly he can see, but he can stand on the bank of the ocean of milk, and from there he can submit his petition. And Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu gives His order. So once upon a time, when the whole world was overburdened—this is the history of Kṛṣṇa's birth—so the earthly planet approached Brahmā to appeal to Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to have His incarnation to diminish the burden of the world. The world is, of course, it is very heavy. We can understand there are so many oceans and so many big, big hills, besides your skyscraper building, and certainly the whole lump of matter is very heavy. But not only this planet, but many other planets, even the sun planet. It is heavier by fourteen hundred thousand times. Still, they are floating in the air by... Why? Because Kṛṣṇa enters in each of them.
In each of them... Gām āviśya (BG 15.13). Dhārayāmy aham ojasā. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I enter into each planetary system, each universe, and by My power I hold it. It is floating." Why it is floating? Because Kṛṣṇa is there.
Here in this material world everyone is in ignorance—everyone, even Brahmā. Brahmā, he was ignorant, but he was given knowledge by Kṛṣṇa. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Ādi-kavi means Brahmā. So the Vedic knowledge, tene brahma... Brahma means this Vedic knowledge, śabda-brahman. So there was one creature, Brahmā only, but he was educated. How he was educated? Hṛdā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Because, at that time, there was no other way but to transfer the knowledge from within. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te. That is caitya-guru, Kṛṣṇa, Paramātmā. So Brahmā was also educated. That means beginning from Brahmā down to the small insect, they are all in ignorance, all fools and rascals. That is the constitutional position. Nobody should be proud of his knowledge. Everyone is a rascal, everyone. Here it is said, kliśyamānānām avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ. So Brahmā is desiring that "If I can get the opportunity, the post of Brahmā, and I can create a big universe..." He was also thinking like that. And the small insects, it is also thinking like that—"If I can create a small hole within the room, then I can live very peacefully and eat." The same propensity. As Brahmā is thinking to create an universe, you are thinking to create an skyscraper building, the ant is thinking to create a hole within the room—the quality of the work is the same.
So durāśayā ye... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Then why people are leading in that way, the so many political leaders, social leaders? Nobody speaks of Kṛṣṇa. They are simply making plan... This party, the Communist Party, is making one plan. The other party is making plan; another party... But the world is suffering. So therefore they have been described in the śāstra: andha. Andha means blind, rascal They do not know. Actually they have no knowledge that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness the human society can be happy. That is not possible. They do not know this. But by Kṛṣṇa's grace, by our guru-paramparā's grace, we understand, we people who are conducting this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that without being Kṛṣṇa conscious, nobody will be happy. Therefore our struggle is different. We are trying to make the people actually happy. Sarve sukhino bhavantu: "Everyone become happy." Otherwise, what is the use of collecting so much money and constructing such big building and inviting them, "Please come here. We have got nice room, and you shall get food without any hard work"? Why we are...? Still, they will not come. Still, they will not come. Now, in this village, we have got such a nice building. We invite, "You come here and..." But still, how many are coming? So therefore it has been used: kliśyamānānām. These rascals and fools must suffer, must suffer. There is no other way. Kliśyamānānām.
So if we want to be happy, these things are required. What is that? Ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ. Jana-padāḥ, cities and towns, we require. Because we are human beings, we cannot live in the forest. There are certain uncivilized human beings, they are meant for living in the forest because they are not civilized. But civilized men, they require nice towns, cities, full of gardens, parks, and nice roads and paths, nice building. They're all described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about the Dvārakā City, Mathurā City, in the, those days. Still there are some samples. In Mathurā you'll find that outside the city there are many gardens. The gardens... Formerly the guests, kings and big, big men, when they became guests, these garden houses were meant for them. We get this information from many literatures, Vedic literatures.
So festival. So there was no scarcity. Why? People were religiously inclined. Even for a beggar, there was sufficient. The temple, sufficient, everything. That is called ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ. Svṛddha, svṛddha means opulent. All the cities and towns were opulent; villages, opulent, no want. And they depended on the trees, plants, this river, the mountain, the sea. Those who were... They're expert, they would go underneath the sea and pick up the pearls. That is very valuable. And still there are. So for rich men, the jewelries, the silk, nice food, nice building. And poor man, also, even they do not require jewelries, but they were not hungry. Everything was complete.
So therefore we must have positive engagement. Simply negation, jagan mithyā... Why jagan mithyā? We don't say jagan mithyā. This building, this nice building, is it mithyā? It is not mithyā. It is perfectly true because here Kṛṣṇa is being worshiped, the devotees are chanting... This is life, this, truth. So why shall I say "jagan mithyā"? You have to utilize jagat in such a way that it will become truth. That process is saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Here only business is how Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. That is the only business. That is perfection. To become perfect means to learn how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. It doesn't require education and doesn't require big, big titles or... Nothing. You try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13).
Formerly Bhāratavarṣa meant this whole planet, not this small tract of land. Now it is called India. But the Bhāratavarṣa means the whole planet, this planet. There was one flag. Up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit there was one flag, not like at present there are hundreds and thousands of flags. You Americans, you know. In New York, when we pass through that United Nation building, we see so many flags are there. They are united, but everywhere the flag is increasing, disunited. Not like that. Actually, by monarchy, the pious king, there was unity all over the world. All over the world. And in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra it was a family fight, so all the kings of different parts of the world, they joined this side or that side. That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Everything is cycle. If you execute your prescribed duties as a brāhmaṇa, as a kṣatriya, as a vaiśya, or as a śūdra, as a brahmacārī, as a gṛhastha, as a vānaprastha, or as a sannyāsī... Divisions are there. Division must be there. Just like government. For executing nicely the governmental business, there are so many departments. Not that one department, only king, queen. Then government... Why the government is spending so much money, maintaining so many building? Simply queen's palace, that Buckingham, that is sufficient? No. There must be departments. So these are departments, this brāhmaṇa, this kṣatriya, the vaiśyas, the śūdras. Just like in your body there are departments. This department, brain, head. Therefore it is called head, head office, head office. Why do you refer to the head office? It has come from this head. Why Godhead? The Supreme Godhead, the Supreme. Therefore we say, "Godhead. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior person than Me." So the divisions required. The divisions required.
Sandarśanam atha yoṣitāṁ viṣayiṇām atha yoṣitāṁ ca (CC Madhya 11.8). So niṣkiñcana means do not hanker after any more money and women. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu refused to see persons who are after money and woman, because by their association we may be infected. We may be again hankering after. Suppose I have taken sannyāsa, and if I see one gṛhastha having a very faithful and beautiful wife, if I think, "Oh, I left my wife. If I would have possessed, I would have been happy," he's immediately fallen. Because within the mind, he's associating with yoṣit. Suppose we go to see some rich man. I see that he has got money, nice motor car, nice building. If I think, "Oh, I have taken sannyāsa. If I would have possessed all these things, I would have been...," then immediately fall down. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu strictly prohibits that if you have become niṣkiñcana, renounced order, with a idea of going forward, bhava-sāgarasya, on the other side of the ocean, then aspiring after money and women is lower than dying, committing suicide. Hā hanta hanta viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu. If you take poison, that is criminal. Similarly, He says, "A man in renounced order of life, if he's thinking of woman and money, then he's committing suicide more than ordinary suicide." Viṣa-bhakṣaṇato 'py asādhu. Viṣa-bhakṣaṇa. If you drink poison, then you are criminal. If you survive, by law you'll be punished. Perhaps you know it. Anyone attempting to commit suicide, if he survives, by law he'll be punished: "Why you attempted suicide? This is criminal." Similarly, to see, to aspire after women and money, by the renounced order people, is lower than committing suicide. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's version.
So Vedānta means the, the ultimate platform of acquiring knowledge, up to this. So that "up to this" is Kṛṣṇa. That if you talk of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you talk of all the Vedas. Sarva-śruti-mano-haraḥ. You talk of Vedic knowledge, but if you simply talk of Vedic knowledge, it becomes dry, speculative. But if you talk of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's līlā, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, then it becomes simultaneously discussion of Vedic knowledge, at the same time, very beautiful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is described here: uttama-śloka. Kṛṣṇa is never described by ordinary verses. Uttama-śloka. Uttama-śloka means... Uttama means also liberated. Ut. Ut means transcendental, one who has crossed, ud gata. Ut. Ut means one who has gone to the other side. Tama. Tama means this darkness. This world, this material world... Just like it is dark now. Therefore the country on the part of the world which is always covered by darkness... Already there is darkness, and if again that country does not get the facility of sunshine, it is considered that that country is condemned. It is shastric injunction. Any country which does not get the full facility of sunshine, it is to be considered condemned. I think I remarked this long ago, when I first came in the television. They asked me in London that "What is your conception of hell?" And "This is hell, London." Not conception. Practically... Always dark, moist, drizzly. No sunshine. Cloudy, misty. Simply big, big buildings. That's all. So there must be clear sunshine.
But Nārada Muni has freedom. Nārada Muni is going from one planet to another. He is coming from the spiritual sky through the material sky, because he is perfect bhakta. So that is the ideal living entity. As Kṛṣṇa has got full freedom, similarly when we become perfect, Kṛṣṇa conscious, we also become free. This is our position. But not in the conditioned state that we can move. Cannot. Baddha. Brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān, we are conditioned. But in the conditioned state also, if we follow the Vedic principles we can be happy. Happy, and this human form of life especially, it is meant for that purpose, that you live happily, save time for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that next life you are no more in this material world. You are transferred to the spiritual world. This is the purpose of human life. But these rascals they do not know. They think that we are advancing civilization , because the cats and dogs they are lying on..., on the floor and sleep, we have got 104-stories building and we lie dow there. This is their advancement. But they do not understand that the sleeping, the enjoyment by sleeping, it is the same to the dog and to the man who is lying on the 104th planet, story. Similarly, sex life to the dog and to the man or to the demigod, the pleasure is the same. There is no difference. If you drink milk on a golden pot or an iron pot, the taste is the same. You cannot change the taste of the milk, or anything, putting into the golden pot.
We want to be happy, with so many ideas. Everyone is making his own idea, "Now this is the..." But the rascals, they do not know that, what is the actual process for getting happiness, that is Kṛṣṇa. That they do not know. na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). You, you can see in your country, they are trying so many things, so many skyscraper buildings, so many motor cars, so many big, big cities, but there is no happiness. Because they do not know what is missing. That missing point we are giving. Here is, "You take Kṛṣṇa and you will be happy." This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa and the living entity, they are very intimately connected. Like father and son, or friend and friend, or master and servant, like that. We are very much intimately connected. But because we have forgotten our intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and trying to become happy in this material world, therefore we have to undergo so much tribulations. This is the position. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare.
Just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, they were demons, godless demons. Rāvaṇa was very learned scholar in Vedic knowledge and very powerful materially. He converted his capital with gold, all the buildings and everything. It is supposed that Rāvaṇa's brother was a king of..., on the other side of the globe. So it is my suggestion... I do not say it is very scientific proof. So other side of the globe... Rāvaṇa was in Ceylon, and the other side of the globe, if you go by subway, it comes to Brazil. And Brazil is supposed to have gold mines. And it is said in the Rāmāyaṇa that Rāvaṇa's brother was living on the other side of the globe, and Rāmacandra was taken through the subway. So taking this into consideration, we can suppose that Rāvaṇa imported large quantity of gold from Brazil, and he converted them into big, big houses. So Rāvaṇa was so powerful that he made his capital Svarṇa-laṅkā, "capital made of gold." Just like if a man comes from undeveloped country to your country, New York or any city, when they see the big, big skyscraper, they become astonished. Although skyscraper buildings are everywhere nowadays, formerly it was very wonderful.
These so-called scientists, philosophers, they are very much advanced, but their only business is how to become happy in this planet. That's all. That is their... Not mahātmā. Durātmā. Their mind is not very broad. What is called? Ah? What is the English word? Crippled. Mind is very crippled. Durāśayā. Therefore they are hoping against hope. They will not live here. Still, they are decorating, decorating the dead body. "This is my apartment, this is my house, this is my country, this is my skyscraper building." Painting. And one day, mṛtyuḥ sarva... Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He's challenging, challenging, "Where is your God?" "Ah, here is God! Come on! Finished. Finished. Here is God."
So without understanding our real identification, if we remain intoxicated and wander within this wonderful universe... You cannot live. It is not that because you have settled up, "Now I am in America or India. Let me live here comfortably. I have got very good arrangement." But you will not be allowed to live, sir. You must have to change. You may make very good arrangement, but who is allowing to stay here. You will not be allowed to stay here. But they do not know. Intoxicated, because intoxicated. Everyone is thinking that "I shall stay forever. Let there be very big iron skyscraper building. I will be able to stay." But because intoxicated, he cannot understand that he will not be allowed to stay. You may simply spoil your energy. That's all. The energy which was given to you to understand God, you are spoiling that energy in skyscraper building, but you will not be allowed to stay. This is nature's law.
But the rascals, they do not know because they are intoxicated already by the nature's law, māyā, and they are still being intoxicated, more drink liquor, more drink liquor, and go to hell.
This is our charge against this so-called advancement of life. And they are forgetting real thing. They do not understand what is soul. They do not understand. They do not understand that the soul is transmigrating from one body to another. Soul is immortal. Soul is eternal. These things are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. In the beginning, this is the beginning lesson: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāram (BG 2.13). This is the beginning of spiritual understanding. But they do not understand this beginning lesson, and still they are advanced. This is going on. Simply cheating. So this cheating process is going on under the misconception that "I am this body." The basic principle is cheating. Wrong. And on the wrong platform they are building phantasmagoria, big, big ideas.
So everyone should take care that after all, we have to give up this body, estate, and whatever we possess, we have to give up. So after giving up, what is next? We have to give up. That is a fact. If you don't give it up now, at the time of death you must give it up, everything. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). You may try to keep in possession whatever you have got, but at the time of death you have to give it up. By force it will be taken away. Everyone should think like that. That is soberness. One who is thinking that "My family, my nation, my society, my bank balance, my skyscraper building, my motorcars—these will save me," that is not possible. That is not possible. That is the conclusion of the foolish person. Pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati. Those who are mad, they do not see that everything they possess will be vanished. It will not stay. He'll be vanished, his body will be vanished, everything. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api (SB 2.1.4). Asatsu api. All these things are temporary, but I am eternal. They do not think very seriously that "I am eternal, and I am engaged with temporary things. Now, what is my eternal business?" They do not know. That they do not know. This is called foolishness, mūḍha.
When you become in service attitude, just to serve Kṛṣṇa with humble attitude, with devotion, then Kṛṣṇa will reveal. Otherwise you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. If you think that "I am very rich man, I can offer Kṛṣṇa so many things, nice dress, nice foodstuff. Kṛṣṇa now is within my grip." No. Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap. There also it is said that vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa because you are very learned scholar in Vedic knowledge. No. Vedeṣu durlabham, it is very difficult. But adurlabham, He is very cheap unto His devotees. He is very cheap. Like Vidura. Vidura invited Him, and Kṛṣṇa did not to go Arjuna's house..., I mean to say, Duryodhana's house, very palatial building. Vidura, a cottage, so He went there. And Vidura being in ecstasy was offering Him some banana. So he was so overpowered by ecstasy that instead of giving the fruit banana, he was giving the skin, and Kṛṣṇa was eating. So when he came to his senses he saw that "I have given only the skin, and Kṛṣṇa is eating." So this is bhakti. This is bhakti. Kṛṣṇa wants that. Kṛṣṇa can eat anything, either you give the pulp or skin, He can eat anything because He is all powerful and everything is equal to Him.
So religion means, we have already explained, religion means the science of God. So the chance is there in the human form of body to understand the science of God. In the body of cats and dogs, it is not possible. Therefore this life should be fully utilized for understanding the science of God, and understanding... As Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja... Now he is closing the business. The business is that "I am creating this body." Just like a businessman opens a business house. Sometimes when the business is simply troublesome, he liquidates. Similarly, we should come into the understanding that our material business is always troublesome. Is it not troublesome? Practical, material business. Suppose in this life you have got all good facilities. You have got a skyscraper building, nice... Suppose you are Mr. Ford. He was a very rich man in your country. So where is Mr. Ford now? That they do not see. That they have no eyes. In Paris I saw some statue of Napoleon. There is written, "Napoleon is France; France is Napoleon." But I inquired that "Where is Mr. Napoleon? The France is there, but where is Napoleon?" Just see. This is called ignorance, māyā. When Napoleon was very victorious, he might think that "I am making my France very strong, very powerful," but that's all right. But you are not powerful. You have to go away. By one kick of nature, go away. That they do not see. This is called ignorance. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).
So hṛdi brahma paraṁ dhyāyan. This is the principle. If you want to stop repetition of birth and death... This is our real problem, but people are so poor in knowledge, they do not know what is the problem. They are tackling some temporary problem: "There is no petrol, there is no this, there is no that." Well, even petrol is there, but what of yourself? Are you going to live here forever? That is not problem. I am making arrangement for my sense gratification very nicely-skyscraper building, and very nice car, very nice bank balance, everything. That's all right. But you are going to live permanently? What is the answer, my dear scientist? No answer. Just see. You construct a house with a hope that you shall live here, but if you are informed, "Oh, you are going to die tomorrow," will you take that responsibility, constructing, spending millions of dollars? "Oh, I am going to die?" That is natural. That is natural. So before making nice arrangement for our living condition, first of all make this condition sure that you are going to live actually, you will live comfortably. Is that guaranteed? No, that is not guaranteed. At any moment you will be kicked out. Any moment. So that is real problem. First of all make yourself assured that you will not be kicked out.
As soon as you become irreligious, making friendship with Kali and his friends, then you will be punished. Nature will... There will be severe cold, there will be this blast, that blast, and no production, and famine, pestilence, so many things. Nature can disturb you, natural. That is called adhidaivika, which is beyond your control. Adhidaivika. If the Pacific Ocean within a second overflows your Los Angeles town, what you can do? What your scientists can do? "Nothing, sir." But it can be done, at any moment. What is the difficulty? One big wave. Skyscraper building, all skyscrapers will be finished. So that is called nature's disturbance.
So to become priya, very dear to Kṛṣṇa, is very easy. That is siddhi, perfection. Labdhvā harau bhaktim upaiti siddhim. Perfection, highest perfection: to become dear to Kṛṣṇa. That's all. You become dear to Kṛṣṇa. That is your perfection, highest perfection, supreme perfection. So such easy thing, and such highest perfection. Why people should not accept this? And it is practical. It is... Just last night I was talking with Śrutakīrti that this church, nobody was coming. Therefore they were obliged to sell it off, and we purchased. So the church is the same, building is the same, and you are all Americans. But you did not come before, so that it was to be sold. Now everywhere it is packed up. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa is there. This is practical. This is practical. There is no question of enviousness. It is practical. In Boston one Christian priest said frankly that "These boys, girls, they are our boys, our girls. Either coming from Christian group or Jew's group, they are, after all, Americans. So they did not care for anything about God. Now they are mad after God. What is this?" This is practical. There is no question of competition. It is practical. Because they are trying. They are trying. Our only business is, "Just become dear to Kṛṣṇa." That's all.
So the..., this is the aspiration of the karmīs, to elevate life to higher standard of life. As the world is going on... The struggle is going on for having a higher standard of life. But they are becoming implicated. Now, there was bull-drawn cart or horse-drawn carriages. Now they have got nice cars also, but the problem is petrol. So the karmī world is like that. You create one kind of happiness, but side by side you create another kind of unhappiness. This is called karmī-yoga. Just like if you want to raise one big skyscraper building, then you have to dig somewhere to get the earth to make the bricks and the iron. You cannot manufacture without taking help of the nature. So if you raise here, you must dig here. This is karmī-yoga. If you want to enjoy something extraordinarily, you must create another unhappiness extraordinarily. This is called karmī. Therefore they are mūḍhas. Mūḍhas means rascals, asses. They do not know that "By increasing every year new motorcars, I am creating another problem. If there is no petrol, then the whole business will be spoiled." That they do not know. And because they do not know, they are called asses, mūḍha. The effect they do not know. So the tri-daśa-pūr, going to the heavenly planet... Just like they are going to the moon planet, but problems after problem, contemplating how to make a platform in the sky to get petrol. The problem is there, not that very easily going. The problematic... Things are problematic.
Where there is connection of Kṛṣṇa, if you can utilize it for Kṛṣṇa... Just like we are utilizing everything. This building we are utilizing, the chandelier(?) we are utilizing. We are using this microphone and using paper and press. We are using everything. But why? For Kṛṣṇa. We are not engaged here for singing cinema songs or like that. No. We can utilize these instruments for singing the glory of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have taken advantage. Otherwise... But people..., there are so-called tyāgīs: "Oh, these people are using material things. This man is taking material advantage; at the same time, he's condemning material advancement." We don't condemn. We simply teach people that utilize for Kṛṣṇa. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. We don't condemn. We don't say that don't manufacture this microphone. Yes. Microphone-use. But use it for declaring glories of the Lord. Then it is fully utilized. That is our process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
There was a very good example of our Kṛṣṇa conscious men in Melbourne. That was published. There was a fire in one building, and they were, I mean to say, stranded. They were crying. So our girls went there and saved them. Nobody came. Therefore it is said, yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). If one is God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, then other material good qualities will automatically develop. These girls in our Melbourne temple, they were not asked by me or their president, "You go and save them," but out of their good will they went and saved them, and some of the girls jumped from three story and they captured in this, what is called, canopy. So it was published and very much appreciated by the public. So the idea is that one cannot be merciful unless he is a devotee. The so-called mercifulness showed by the philanthropists, humanitarians, that is all false. They are humanitarian, but they maintain slaughterhouse. What is this humanitarian? It does not appeal to you that animals are being killed? So the real fact is that without becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa or God, nobody can be qualified with good attributes. It is not possible. Therefore śāstra says that "Make people devotee." Then automatically, all the good qualities will come in.
So this is civilization, this is culture. So at the present moment there is no respect for brahminical culture. Just like we are trying to make our disciples perfectly men of character. No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating. And people will take it very lightly. They laugh. Because they do not know what is brahminical culture, what is the perfection of human life. So all these are happening and will continue to happen till the end of this age, very, very dangerous. We must always consider. Don't be allured by big, big highways and skyscraper building with full advertisement of wine and cigarette. This is not life. This is not life. Life, here is life. Let anyone come and compare this life in this temple and outside. This is life.
So be careful that this material world is itself dangerous. Especially in this age of Kali, it is dangerous. It is stated in the śāstra, padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58), every step there is danger. This is the position. Māyā is so strong that you should always expect simply danger. But if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you can overcome these dangers... Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām.
This question was asked by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, no, Parīkṣit Mahārāja to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi, hariṣye dhanam. Because here in this material world, the more we possess material wealth, it is our bondage. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Because our bondage is we are entrapped here by material opulences. Material opulences are not very good for spiritual advancement. Just the Western people, they are materially advanced. They possess... They do not possess, but their energy is utilized for converting things from one shape to another, that much, the energy being wasted. It is good credit for you, materially, that you have so nice cars, nice skyscraper buildings, and so many nice things you have created. That is good credit—good credit materially. Spiritually, it is not good credit. Spiritually, it is waste of energy, waste of energy. Because however nicely you have made all these material facilities, amenities, you cannot stay here. You cannot... You have got a certain amount of energy. So that energy is meant for some other purpose. So your energy not being utilized for the real purpose of life, if you utilize it for increasing your so-called material happiness... Actually, they have not become happy. Otherwise, why so many young boys and girls, they are disappointed? Because this kind of advancement will not make us happy. That is a fact. Therefore, if you waste your energy for things which are not wanted, then you are not advancing, you are being defeated. That they do not know.
So that Prahlāda Mahārāja said, that "I have no problem." That is pure devotee. "Then... But you seem to be very unhappy. Why?" "Yes, still, I am unhappy." What is that? Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: (SB 7.9.43) "I am unhappy for these rascals, these rascals. These rascals, they have created a huge mode of civilization for temporary happiness, temporary happiness." That is not happiness. Māyā-sukhāya. Māyā, illusion. Just like you have created these skyscraper buildings. That's nice, very nice. Very good boy. Now, is there any guarantee that you shall be able to live here? Have you made any arrangement? Eh? Where is that arrangement? Just like, if you earn millions of dollars, but to keep that money, you keep in a safe custody, in a bank, so that you're assured that your money is safe and you'll be able to use it. Similarly, you have created this material civilization, very advancement. That is all right. But whether you have made any security arrangement that you'll be able to enjoy them? Is there any arrangement? Eh? This requires little brain. Because at any moment we may be kicked out of the situation. There is no guarantee. At any moment.
So this is another question by Dharmarāja to mother earth, "Whether you are now in tribulation by the influence of time?" Surārcitaṁ kiṁ hṛtam amba saubhagam. So we should remember saubhagam, opulence, can be taken away, in due course of time. You cannot check it. Suppose in America you are all fortunate. You have got very nice roads, very nice cars, very nice skyscraper building, government, food, everything very nice. But in due course of time everything can be taken away. You cannot check it. Śāstra says therefore, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Everything will be taken away, or ultimately, destruction. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. You can find out, somebody, the verse. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. In due course of time, death will come, and it will take everything, what you possess. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham. That death is Kṛṣṇa.
Everyone is suffering who has got this material body. That is the condition. If you have got material body, you must suffer. It is not the question of European, American or white, black. There is no such question. If you are animal or man, as soon as you have got this material body, you must suffer. This is condition. This is material condition. Therefore our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not meant for, I mean to say, mitigating the so-called sufferings of the body. When there is body, there must be suffering. So we should not be very much disturbed by the sufferings of the body. Because you'll have to suffer. Even though you make very nice arrangement. Just like in comparison to Europe and America. In European cities we see so many nice arrangements, living condition, big, big house, big, big road, nice cars. In comparison to India, if some Indian comes from Indian village, he'll see, "It is heaven, so nice house, so nice building, so nice motorcars." But do you think you are not suffering? He may think, the rascal may think that "Here is heaven." But those who are residing in this heaven, they know what kind of heaven it is. (laughter)
So suffering must be there. Suffering must be there as soon as you get this material body. "Why suffering? We are enjoying." What you are enjoying? Is there any guarantee that you'll enjoy? You have got nice building, nice road, nice car. That's all right. You are enjoying. You are thinking enjoying. But is there any guarantee that you will enjoy? Any moment, you'll be finished. Any moment. So there is no guarantee. That is not enjoyment. Real enjoyment is permanent enjoyment. Just like we construct some house, making the, what is called, foundation very strong. In your country, they make very strong foundation. But what is your foundation, sir? Is it very strong? You can be taken away at any moment. So before making the foundation strong, why don't you make your foundation strong that you shall be able to live here permanently? But that intelligence they haven't got. They'll waste time, making the house foundation very strong, not for himself. His foundation tiltering at any moment, any second. This is called yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātu..., sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).
Generally people, they are thinking that "I am now constructing this big skyscraper building. I am successful. I have become Rothschild, I have become Paul(?)." That is not ātma-vit. Ātma-vit... Because he is materially opulent, that does not mean ātma-vit. That's a subject matter that will be discussed in the next verse, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). One who cannot see his ātmā: gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. They are compact in this materialistic way of life, gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Their condition is very... Actually this is the position of the whole world. They are not ātma-vit. They do not enquire ātma-tattvam; therefore they are less intelligent. Therefore I say that we, our propaganda is to make people more intelligent. They might not have taken it very nicely. They thought that "This poor swami has come to make us intelligent." But actually that is the fact. That is the fact. This is not intelligence, that, bodily concept of life, "I spoil my whole life for bodily comforts, and then after giving up this body, I become a cat and dog." Then what is that intelligence? Is that very good intelligence? Actually it has happened. I do not wish to discuss.
Nirmatsarau. Nirmatsarau means they were not en... Vaiṣṇava is not envious. Vaiṣṇava's only business is to see people, how they will... (break) ...let them go to hell. This is Prahlāda Mahārāja's philosophy. Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa indriyārtha-māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). The whole world is suffering from the material disease, and they are always unhappy. So let us preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They should try to save at least one man. That was the version of my Guru Mahārāja, that "I have got so many temples and buildings. If by selling all these buildings, if I can save one man from this material disease, then my mission will be successful." He used to say like that. So that is gosvāmī. They are trying, always trying, how to save. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Just like Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, writing Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, quoting from so many Vedic literatures, giving evidence. Because formerly people would take it as truth when it is proved by the version of the Vedic literature. Nowadays, they have become more and more rascal. They would not take any evidence. They will take evidence of their only senses. If they like, they will accept.
So gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api, teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanam (SB 2.1.4). Everyone is seeing that it will destroy. Suppose if you know... Suppose you are constructing a very nice skyscraper building, but if you know... Somebody says that tomorrow the whole city will merge into the Atlantic Ocean. Would you like to construct such building? No. I am giving that one example, but it is a fact that the struggle for existence for living, but living condition will not be allowed. Then the next question should be that "Why this is happening? We are, everyone is struggling for existing, but existence, there is no... I will not exist. Nobody will exist." This question, unless there is in the human mind, then, Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvat: "His all activities are simply defeat." Yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. So ātma-tattvam. One should be inquisitive to understand, "What is my constitutional position?" Then it is perfect life. Otherwise it is crazy life. We may try to live by so much hard struggle of life, but we cannot exist. We can exist only when we understand "What I am." This is diagnosis. If I know that what is my actual need, if I know what is my actual position, if I know that wherefrom I have come and where I have to go, all these informations, if we are fully informed, that is perfection of life. Otherwise it is simply defeat, whatever we may do here.
So this is our civilization. At night also, we waste our time, and in daytime also, we waste our time. How? Now nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night, we sleep. Everyone sleeps. The dogs sleeps, the cat sleeps. We may sleep in a very nice apartment, skyscraper building, and the dog may sleep on the street, but the pleasure of sleeping is the same. It does not mean that because you are sleeping in a very nice apartment, a skyscraper building, your sleep is better than the dog's sleeping? How it is sleep... Sometimes you may dream something very ferocious, and the dog may sleep without any agitation, sound sleep. Sometimes you have to take tranquilizer pill for sleeping. So impartially studying, your sleep is not as nice as dog's sleep. Is it not? The dogs sleep without any anxiety. And I go to sleep with so many anxieties that the sleeping is disturbing unless I take one pill. At least, in America we have seen. In your country, in Paris, you do not? You sleep without pill? Is it? That's a good credit. Anyway, every one of us, we sleep at night. And another, our, means, advantage is that at night we enjoy sex life. Sleep or sex life. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena. Vyavāyena means sex. Vyavāya.
This Delhi city is important. Why important? Because the jīva-bhūta, the living entities, they are handling this material, cement and stone and wood and so many other material things. And they are constructing buildings. And therefore the importance of this Delhi city is there. If all the people, all the living entities, leave this Delhi city, it is not even one-farthing worth. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). In Calcutta, in 1942, when there was bombing and all the Calcutta was vacated, a house at that time which was rented at two hundred rupees, they were asking, "Give me twenty-five rupees," because the living entities vacated. Similarly, the importance of this material world is there because we living entities are there. And we have come here. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā. All the living entities, they have come into this material world to enjoy material enjoyment. Therefore this material world has value. Otherwise, if all the living entities go back again, back to home, back to Godhead, this matter has no value.
So if we do not take the privilege of accepting the second father and mother, then what is the difference between your birth and dog's birth? That is stated: janma-lābhaḥ paraḥ puṁsām. You have got this human form of body, the best body. That is the instruction of all Vedic literature, simply stressing. But what is this material civilization? Simply working like cats and dogs. The same eating, sleeping, sex intercourse and defending. There are so many buildings in your city, Paris. Where is the culture to make the human life perfect? You have got very nice building. There is intelligence. So many nice buildings. People come to see the building. But that is not all. Simply if you utilize your intelligence... Certainly there is intelligence. But if you use your intelligence for the simply material activities, then you are not intelligent. You are a fool.
That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Just like a blind man is leading other blind men. What he'll do? If a blind man says, "Come on. Come along with me. I shall cross you this road." What is the benefit of this assurance? He is blind himself. Therefore in spite of so much endeavor in the United Nations for the last twenty or twenty-five years, there is no solution. Simply the flags are increasing. Instead of becoming united, the flags are increasing. I have got practical experience. Now India become independent. So India was one. Now there are two: Pakistan and India. So there was one flag; now it is two. And gradually, it will increase to four. So when I pass that United Nations building, I simply see the flags are increasing. Instead of increasing the peace movement, the flags are increasing, that's all. So this sort of bluffing blind leaders cannot make happy the human society. This is the only solution: to push on Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, love of Godhead. Everyone will be happy, the human society.
Just like government departments. If you want to have this, you have to go to a particular department-building department, water department, so many... electric department... many departments. Tax department, income tax department, support tax department.
- vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
- ekeha kuru-nandana
- bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
- buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām
- (BG 2.41)
So there are many statements in the Bhagavad-gītā that... In Indian villages still, there are different wells. One well is meant for washing dishes. Another well is meant for taking bath. Another well is meant for washing cloth. Another well is meant for drinking water. So Kṛṣṇa says, "There are different wells for different purposes, but when you go to the river, all the purposes will be served." You can wash your dishes, you can wash your cloth, you can take bath, and then you take drinking water.
Anyone who is rich in India still, they have got Deity worship at home. Very nicely. A separate house, a small house attached to their big buildings, and there is Deity worship, and the all the members should go there, offer prayers. Just like we are doing, the similar, same thing there. In Kanpur there is one temple, Dvārakādhīśa. The temple belongs to a very rich man, Singhania. The, all the members... It is order of the lady, the mother of Mr. Singhania, that "You all of you, you must visit the Deity..." Very rich men, always busy in business. But still, they have to come to the temple and offer respect, take caraṇāmṛta and prasādam. Then go to office. If one misses one day, then he will be fined. Still. The head man will be fined ten dollars, and the next man five dollars, like that, according to position. So if one day somebody misses, immediately the priest will go with the bill of fine: "Sir, you have to pay this fine." "Yes. You take immediately."
This Māyāvādī philosophy, they are thinking of Brahman, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I have become Nārāyaṇa." So how long they will think like that? Therefore they fall down. Artificially he is Brahman. That's all right. Everyone is Brahman. But simply thinking, "I am Brahman, I am Brahman." Suppose you are rich man. So if you simply think, "I am rich man, I am rich man, I am rich man," will that give you pleasure? You must act like a rich man. If I am rich man, I must have a very nice motor car, I must have very nice society, friendship, love, buildings. Then that will give me pleasure. And if I have got millions of dollars bank balance and if I think, "Oh, I am so rich man, I am so rich man, I am so rich man." That will not give you pleasure. Is it not practical? Try to understand. Will any rich man, if he thinks simply that "I am rich man, I am rich man," will he be happy in that way? Rather, a poor man who has got variegated life, he is happy.
Prabhupāda: So now practice whole day how to pronounce these ślokas.
Pradyumna: Better all chant.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And explain. Practice like this. Then wherever you go, you will be all respected. (break) Very nice. What is this? It is not even W.C. in comparison to the higher planetary building.
Pradyumna: Does not even?
Prabhupāda: W.C.
Sudāmā: W.C., toilet.
Devotees: Water closet.
Prabhupāda: What is called? W.C.? What is it?
Devotee: Water closet.
Prabhupāda: That means your lavatory. Therefore the demigods do not come here even to urine. (laughter) Formerly they used to come. Now they do not come because it is not fit for their urinating. Here, we are very much proud of our advancement, but the demigods do not come even to pass urine. Why they should come?
This is Kali-yuga, very abominable condition, precarious condition. You cannot get justice, you cannot get nice food, you cannot get nice treatment, your age is diminished, your power is diminished, everything is topsy-turvied. The best thing is to prepare yourself very quickly to go back to home, back to Godhead, and there you become one of them, like these Vaikuṇṭha persons. These are the description already there. So many ornaments. We do not see what is... If you ask somebody... They may have some plastic utensils, but if you ask somebody that "Have you seen pearl, sapphire, or coral, or diamond?" everyone will say, "I have never seen in my life." And still they are proud: "Oh, we are now advanced." What advanced? Simply plastic and paper. I see in Japan, all paper, simply papers. All big, big buildings packed up with papers. I was observing from the train all the big, big... What is the contents? Contents means paper. That's it. The house is made of paper. And Japan is considered to be very advanced, and industrialist. Simply outward dress. Actually nobody has got any wealth. The money is also paper. No pearl, no gold, no silver, nothing. But they are satisfied with papers. That's all. Paper house, paper money, paper book, paper everything. Plastic, paper.
at the time of death Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham: "I come as death and plunder everything, whatever you have got." Your bank balance, your skyscraper building, your nice wife, your children—you have to give up. You cannot say, "My dear death, kindly give me some time. Let me adjust." "No adjustment. Immediately get out."
So foolish people, they do not know what is the miserable condition of this material life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says real knowledge is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), to know that "However great I may be, these four principles of miserable condition of life, there are." It is existing in the Brahmaloka, in the Pātālaloka, everywhere, sarvatra. Gabhīra-raṁhasā. Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā. In the due course of time. This is the most wonderful thing.
This material life is sammoha, ahaṁ mameti. Atha... The material life begins: puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam. This material life is described in four lines. What is this material life? Now, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam. Etam, this material life, is nothing but an attraction of sex. Puṁsaḥ striyā. The man is after woman, and woman is after man. This is material life, beginning. Everywhere, not only human society. Even in bird society, dog society, cat society, or demigods' society—everywhere you'll see the sex attraction. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. And... They are seeking, and as soon as they are joined together to satisfy the sex desire, their the, I mean to say, attraction becomes more and more tight. Then ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). So as soon as they are combined, they require one house or apartment or cottage or nest. Something must be private. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra. Then to work, to earn livelihood, one must have some land. Either you construct skyscraper building or till it for get some food grain. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra, suta. Then without children, married life is frustrated. Putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam. Married life without children is void.
So we have go live in this material world in such a way that we shall do everything for Kṛṣṇa, but we'll have no attachment for this material world. We may have big, big buildings, big, big temples, but we should not be attached to this. But for Kṛṣṇa's sake we must have. Because it is Kṛṣṇa's property. That is our mission. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). We have to teach people that "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Why you are occupying it unnecessarily?" Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). "You are thief. Why you are claiming Kṛṣṇa's property, 'This is my land, America,' 'This is my land, India,' 'This is my land, Pakistan'?" It is not your land; it is Kṛṣṇa's land. You are imagining, "This is my land." You come here for, say, twenty years, twenty-five years, fifty years, and fight between yourselves, "This is my Pakistan," "This is my Bhāratavarṣa," and fight. And when you die you do not claim either Pakistani or Indian or American or European. You flat, fall flat. That's all. And then taken away this body and thrown. That's all.
So this class of men—those who have got merit, but it is not being used for useful purposes, for some sinful activities—they are called duṣkṛtina. This class of men, atheist class of men, they will never surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narā... Mūḍha (BG 7.15), and they do not understand that he has to face so much trouble in birth and death and old age and he has no knowledge how to stop it. Therefore they are mūḍha, rascal. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. And lowest of the... Human mind, human brain, can understand that "I am suffering," but because he is not understanding, therefore he is the lowest of the humankind, narādhamāḥ. These things are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. "No, they have passed M.A. degree, or Phd, M.A." Now, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. The knowledge has no value because it is māyā. He is thinking... He is employing for temporary happiness, māyā, māyā happiness. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). He has learned engineering and planning very high skyscraper building, but he does not know how long he will live in that skyscraper building. Say, twenty-five years, fifty years, that's all. Māyā-sukhāya, temporary happiness. He is engaging his brain in so stupendous, horrible work, ugra-karma. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). Real business he has neglected, how to get out of these clutches of birth and death, and he's engages his brain for manufacturing a skyscraper building, and he is thinking, "Now advancement of knowledge, advancement of education." This is going on.
So at the present moment our position is contaminated position by the contact of the three modes of material nature. Guṇair vicitrāḥ. Guṇair vicitrāḥ. You see so many varieties of life, different varieties of life. Uccāvaca. Some of them are higher, in higher position; some of them are lower position. But this vicitra, soul, is pure. That is one quality. But this vicitra quality, why? Vicitra means variety. Because guṇaiḥ. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). Why one has become dog and one has become god? God means demigod. They are also living entities within this material world, but they live in higher planetary system. Just like here also we see some of them are living in high skyscraper building, very comfortable apartment, and some are living in the huts, jhupaṛi. In Bombay you can see. Both things are there. Similarly, these demigods—Indra, Candra, Varuṇa, and many others—they are also living very comfortably in higher planets. They are also living entities. But they are in the, mostly in the sattva-guṇa. And here, in this planet or lower than this planet, they are mostly in rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). If you develop sattva-guṇa, then gradually you can be elevated to the higher planetary system where the demigods live.
Therefore Vedic civilization does not recommend that you waste your valuable life simply for so-called happiness or economic..., improvement of economic condition. Because it is not possible that everyone trying for improving economic condition and everyone is becoming millionaire. No. That is not possible. You cannot get more or less what you are destined to get. Otherwise everyone would have been millionaires—everyone. In Bombay there are so many. People are trying, working very hard day and night. Still, somebody is living in a very nice, palatial building and somebody is living in the Jappara, or what is that? Most abominable condition. In Bombay city. Why? Because one is destined.
Anyway, so the point is that even the queens of Kṛṣṇa, they are not ordinary woman, very exalted. So they were giving their acquaintances to Draupadī, "In this way I became a maidservant of Kṛṣṇa." You will find this in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Even the queens... Every queen possessed a big palatial building, and all the palaces were made of first-class marble, and the furnitures were made of ivory, and the beddings, and the within the room, there was no need of electrical bulb. They are set up with jewels, and they would throw the focus of light. And there was garden, pārijāta flower. You will find all these things in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And each queen had ten sons. And the sons were also married. They had sons. In this way, very, very opulent. But still, they were placing themself in the position of maidservant. They were also king's daughter, not ordinary being. So that is the Vedic conception. Of course, I do not know what is the practice here. But in Bengal this is the practice. When the son goes to marry to the bride's house, it is a custom. The mother asks the son, "My dear son, where you are going?" So the bridegroom answers, "I am going to bring one maidservant for you." This is the system.
So generally, whatever we may possess, but the hankering is there. That is rajo-guṇa. That is rajo-guṇa, always hankering, even up to the stage of so-called perfection. Just like the karmīs. Karmīs, they think that perfection of life is very, very high standard of life, very happy, comfortable. Just like in the Western countries, they think that to have nice roads, nice motorcar, and very high skyscraper building, and facilities, modern comforts... What is called? So that is the standard of happiness. And we Eastern people, we are also imitating them. But actually, ask them, who possesses all them, that "Whether you have attained the position of no hankering?" No, that is not possible. The hankering is there. What to think of possessing these material facilities, even one goes to the heavenly planet, that is also included within the happiness of the karmīs. They want happiness in this world as well as after this world. After death also, they want to go to the heavenly planet, Svargaloka, where the duration of life is many, many thousands of years, and the standard of happiness is very, very high. There the place is very beautiful, the women are very beautiful, the gardens there... These descriptions are there. Nandana-kānana and apsarās there are. So this is also another higher standard of life, duration of life. That is the position of the karmīs.
Another vivid example is this: These foreigners, Western boys and girls, how they became attracted with Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless it is natural? Their forefathers or they also, even four, five, six years ago, they did not know what is Kṛṣṇa, neither they cared to know. But now they are almost mad after Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, why they are coming here? They have not come here in India to see your skyscraper building or industry. They are not at all interested. They have seen all these things in their own country. They have enough. So why they have come here? They are after Vṛndāvana. They are after Māyāpura. They are after me. What is the attraction? The attraction is Kṛṣṇa. They are not interested with anything else. They do not go to see your skyscraper building in New Delhi or in Bombay. They have seen it enough. So why it is so? Because it is natural. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is natural. That is the original consciousness.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said that vimūḍhān, māyā-sukhāya. They are trying to be happy within this material existence-māyā-sukhāya bharam. Bharam means gorgeous arrangement, very gorgeous arrangement, very big, big road, big, big skyscraper building, and big machine, big industry, and so many big, big things, big, big words, big, big politician, and big, big political activities. But so mūḍha that he does not think for a moment, "How long these big, big things will be enjoyed by me? I have... Certainly there is credit for creating all these big, big things, but māyā will not allow me to enjoy these things. At any moment I shall be kicked out. And what insurance and guarantee I have made, just I can enjoy this?" Therefore it is called māyā-sukhāya: wasting time making gorgeous arrangement. Not only the sukha, but this whole thing can be finished within a second. If there is a big earthquake, everything will be finished. We have got experience many times—anything will be finished. This Bombay can be turned into sea, and the Bombay can be pushed in an island within the sea. Material nature is so strong. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). And under her spell we are trying to become happy. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43).
Formerly there were agriculture. Now there are so many industries and other places. So this gṛha is the utilization of the earth. People want some gṛha. So this propensity can be utilized by constructing temple. That propensity, that "I must have a very high skyscraper building," that tendency is there, but if we utilize that tendency for constructing, as it is stated, bhāvanaṁ brahmaṇaḥ sthānam... Instead of thinking that "I will have such big building," if we transfer that thinking, that "I will construct such a nice big temple for establishing Deity worship," that is the proper utilization of this tendency. One is for sense gratification; another, the same thing... If you construct a temple, you will have to labor in the same way, how to get municipal sanction, how to get cement, how to get stone, how to get this, that, so many things. But it is nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe: it has got relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your capacity to construct something material, residential... So if we do it for Kṛṣṇa, then it is Kṛṣṇa consciousness; your life is successful.
So in this life also, we can utilize these earthly things, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). We can utilize all these material elements in the service of the Lord. So with the earth, we can prepare the forms of the Lord, we can prepare the temple of the Lord, so many things. That is required. That is sāttvika. It is called here bhāvanaṁ brahmaṇaḥ sthānaṁ dhāraṇaṁ sad-viśeṣaṇam. Sad-viśeṣaṇam. Sad-viśeṣa and asad-viśeṣa. This is asad-viśeṣa. This is to be understood. Asato mā sad gama. That is the Vedic injunction. Asad-viśeṣa... Just like we have got this city, the roads, the cars, the buildings, and so many other things, transformation of the same earth, but they are asad-viśeṣa. They will not stay. Here anything—the house, the car, the road, the city, the body, the society, the friendship, the nation—they are all asat. But the same thing can be done, sad-viśeṣa. Sad-viśeṣa. This temple is sad-viśeṣa. The Deity is sad-viśeṣa. Worshiping the Deity is sad-viśeṣa. So we can utilize. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate.
So this is Vaiṣṇava principle. Vaiṣṇava principle means everything accepted as Kṛṣṇa's. The Māyāvādīs, they say—at least they say—that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Mithyā: "This is false." But Vaiṣṇava says, "No, it is not false. It is the by-product of Kṛṣṇa's energy. If Kṛṣṇa is true, how it can be false?" So they do not take this world, material world, as false. It is temporary, but they know how to utilize this material world for devotional service. Bhāvanaṁ brahmaṇaḥ sthānam. You can utilize the same energy of constructing something out of bricks and stones and wood into a nice temple. That was the Vedic culture. Still in old cities you will find in lanes and streets, there are so many temples. I have seen, especially in Kanpur. Even within the lane there are so many temples, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple, Viṣṇu temples, Śiva temple. So all over India you will find the temples. People were so spiritually advanced, even Muslim. They are also. They have constructed so many mosques. So that should be utilized. If we have got the tendency for making a house or construction of some building with stones and bricks, let it be utilized for constructing temple of the Supreme Brahman.
This morning we were speaking that London, it is without sunlight practically throughout the whole year. Long ago, in 1969, in the television, the television man asked me that "Where is hell?" and "It is here in London." (laughter) That was published in the paper. There is such a... And always dark and always moist and always so cold. So this is hell. Why you have to search out hell? Here is hell. Simply you bring money from outside, exploiting others, and construct big, big building. It is little attractive. People come here as tourist. Otherwise who comes here to see the hell? So actually that is the...
So anyone's heart is always clouded with ignorance and rubbish knowledge. If you want to drive away this knowledge... Ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā. This ignorance... This material world is tama. A Vedic injunction is tamasi mā: "Don't remain in this darkness." If there is light, why we shall remain in the darkness? That is intelligence. If there is light, why should we rot in the darkness? So there is light. Jyotir gamaḥ, brahmajyoti. Jyotir gamaḥ, Brahman. That Brahman world go, not this material world. Yasya prabhā (Bs. 5.40). What is that Brahman world? The Brahman world means where there is complete effulgence, bodily rays of Kṛṣṇa. That is Brahman world.
The Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas under the order of Lord Caitanya, Sanātana Gosvāmī first of all came here. You have seen his old temple at Madana-Mohana. He was..., because he was ordered by his master, he came here, but it was a field only, there was no building, no nothing, nobody knew. But under the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this Vṛndāvana city was established by Sanātana Gosvāmī. And later on, when Sanātana Gosvāmī first of all established the Madana-Mohana temple and then after Rūpa Gosvāmī established Govindaji's temple, then all other temples gradually developed. Many kings and princes came here. That is the history of this Vṛndāvana city. Of course, Vṛndāvana was existing because Kṛṣṇa had His pastimes here. But because it is five thousand years ago, so many things happened. The relics were lost practically, but by the endeavor of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees, this Vṛndāvana is in the present condition.
So unless one will come to the platform of self-realization, we are in the trouble, so long we are not self-realized. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. Without self-realization, whatever we are acting, we are piling up the stones and woods and iron in such skyscraper building. So we may do that, but it is our defeat. It is not conquering; it is defeat. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. If we don't inquire about ourself, "What I am? Why I am put into this miserable condition of life, birth, death, old age, and there are so many other things...?" Unless you come to question why, your human life is not perfect.
So nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). So we have become mad and we are engaged in these forbidden works. If we want to get out of these clutches of material bondage, then we must stop these forbidden activities, mad, the activities of a mad man. So if you go on like that, then we shall have to accept another material body. The problem is that we are suffering threefold miseries, every one of us. Maybe the degree different, but under being intoxicated, we do not take the sufferings as sufferings. That is another madness. But the sufferings are there. That is being pointed out by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You may be very perfect by arranging your material civilization to enjoy life but, you will not be allowed to live. That we do not see. There is no insurance. I am making very nice arrangement for my future enjoyment, having good bank balance, nice skyscraper building and other things, but where is the guarantee that you shall live and enjoy? That we do not see. Therefore we are madmen. If you are arranging something utopian for happiness, and if you understand that "I shall die tomorrow," then immediately my enthusiasm will decline. "Now, who is going to take so much trouble? I am going to die tomorrow."
In this age, it is not possible that as big, big saintly persons they go to the forest and undergo meditation in Himalayan mountain under the snow and so many dif... No food, no shelter, secluded place, there are so many animals. That kind of tapasya is not possible in this age. You remain. We have constructed big, big nice building. But because the building is there, you simply come here as free guest and make life very easy for eating and sleeping, that is not tapasya. That is not tapasya. You must be very careful how to keep the temple very cleansed, yourself clean, worshiping the Deity. That is recommended.
This human life is not meant for, I mean to say, spoiling by working hard like the animals, as we have said that, kaṣṭān kāmān. Kaṣṭān kāmān. We require something, some because we have got this body. Very easy solution is given by Lord Kṛṣṇa: annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce foodgrains. Why you are going to produce tools and implements and... Of course, we do not condemn. But at the sacrifice of producing foodgrains, we simply open big, big tire factory. When I go to Delhi I see, from Vṛndāvana, hundreds and thousands persons are coming from the village on cycle to go to the tire factory, Goodyear tire factory. So now eat tire instead of getting food grains. So this is misdirected civilization. Kṛṣṇa does not say that you produce tire tube. Kṛṣṇa says annād bhavanti bhūtāni: "You produce anna." This is practical solution. We have therefore started in Europe and America farming. And they are very happy. In our latest Back to Godhead the description is published about our farm in France. We have got a very palatial building. We have named it New Māyāpur.
Guru means one who can deliver me from this duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Māyā... We are in the duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), but under the influence of māyā we are thinking we are living very very happily, or we not trying to solve the question. No. This kind of solution will not help you, because you have to die. Whatever you make solution, Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). If you don't agree to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, "All right, make your arrangement. But at the time of death I shall come and take away everything whatever you have got." Mrtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham. Then your bank balance, your skyscraper building, your country, your family, your good name—everything will be taken away. And you have to accept another body, tathā dehāntara-prāptir. Now whatever assessment we're given in this life, everything will be taken away, and we'll be forced to accept one body which you cannot deny.
So Ṛṣabhadeva is pointing out that this sense gratification problem or desire or propensity is there even in the hogs and dogs. Therefore He says, distinguishing the human form of life from the life of lowest class of animals, that He says ayaṁ deha, "this body." Na ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Nṛloke means in the human society. Everyone has got body. The dog has body, the cat has body, the tiger has body, the bird has body. Everyone has got body. Similarly we have also got body. Therefore He is warning, "My dear sons, in this body the aim of life should not be sense gratification after so much trouble." If the point is sense gratification, then why so much, I mean to say, manifestation of economic development? Do you think that those who are not fortunate to have these flyways or motorcars or a skyscraper building... Take for example the most aborigines, the most uncivilized nation somewhere in Africa or any other part of the world. Are they not sense gratifying? The dogs and hogs, they are not sense gratifying? So if the ultimate aim of life is simply sense gratification, then why should we take so much trouble?
And karma means they are not struggling hard to enjoy the fruitive result, as we see generally everywhere, they are working so hard. Big, big buildings, big, big factories, big, big roads, cities, so many things. They are trying to be happy by such advancement of material opulence. They are called karmī. Some of them are trying to be happy within this material, within this world or within this life, and there are others also, they are also performing big, big yajñas, charities, so that next life they may also take birth in very nice family or may be elevated to the higher planetary system where the standard of life is thousand times better than here. There is all arrangement. So they are trying for that. Not only to become very bodily happy in this life, but also next life. But as there is difficulty... Suppose if you want to be happy materially, then... You see how they are working very hard. They have no time. In the morning, at half past five, we go for morning walk, we see, workers are going. At night... You Europeans, you know better than me how they are working very, very hard. What is the idea? To become happy. To satisfy the senses. Similarly, there are others who know that there is life after death. So they are also preparing how "Next life also we'll be happy, we may take birth in very rich family, in higher planet, in heavenly planet."
That the modern civilization, they do not know that. Modern man, society, they do not know. They simply think that, "Yes, dog is sleeping on the street. We must have very nice building, very nice apartment, very nice bedstead. That is advancement of civilization. Otherwise it is primitive, if we remain in the same standard, sleeping anywhere, without any furniture, with..." But after all the subject matter is sleeping, nothing more than that. Similarly, you take eating also, or mating also. Then, the question will be, then what do you say the human life is meant for? The answer is tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed (SB 5.5.1). Human life is meant for tapasya, tapasya. Tapasya means austerity. Denying this, denying. The cats and dogs are satisfied—as they eat more, they think they're enjoying. Nowadays the human being also. They're using so many appetizer, drinking. We study this in the aeroplane. Before eating, they supply wine, make the appetite very strong, then eat so much, huge quantity. You have marked it?
Not that we want to live in big palatial building and take subscription from others. No, this is not our policy. He'll spoil the money in sense gratification, so try to engage him. This is the policy. And exactly following the footprints of Gosvāmīs, we do not require any money. We, we are quiet confident Kṛṣṇa will supply all the necessities. But to engage the whole world who are spending money in so many rascaldom way, if that money is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they'll get a chance. This is called ajñāta-sukṛti. He does not know how he is making progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ajñāta, it is unknown to him. But the person who is trying to induce him to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, that is his friend, real friend.
Therefore our Vedic civilization is that people are satisfied in his own position, a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Whatever by God's grace he got, he was satisfied. The real energy was utilized how to become eligible to receive mercy of Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted, how to learn how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Then ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). That was the end. In India we find not that... The great sages, ṛṣis, they wrote so many books, but they used to live in a cottage. Only the kings, the kṣatriya, because they had to rule over, they used to construct big, big palaces. No one else. They lived very simple life, very simple life. Not waste time for so-called economic development, skyscraper building, subways and so on, so on. This was not Vedic civilization. This is asuric civilization.
"If the wife is not chaste and friend is cheater, or śaṭham..." Śaṭham means duplicity, not very sincere friend. Outwardly he's showing he's very good friend, but inwardly he has got some intention. Such friend, duplicity, and unchaste wife, duṣṭā bhāryā śaṭhaṁ mitraṁ and bhṛtyaś cottara-dāyakaḥ, and servant giving reply, and sa-sarpe ca grhe vasaḥ, and in your room if there is a snake... Of course in this big, big concrete building there is no question of snake, but in cottages, huts, made with mud, earth, there are sometimes snakes. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, "If you live with a duṣṭā bhāryā and a duplicity friend and an answer-giving servant and a snake, then you are sure to die sometime. You'll be cheated."
Kāma, kṛṣṇa-kāma-karmārpaṇe. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has advised that kāma and the desire will be transformed how to serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇārthe akhila-ceṣṭa, the same thing. Kāma means fruitive activities for sense gratification, but this kāma can be utilized in Kṛṣṇa's service. Just like we have constructed this temple with the enthusiasm, there must be a very nice temple for Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma. The same desire, as somebody is willing that "I must have a very big skyscraper building," so the same desire. People may ask, "What is the difference between these two desires? Somebody is desiring to possess a very big house and another body is desiring to possess a very nice temple, expensive temple. So what is the difference?" Difference is one is kāma and the other is prema. That is difference. As soon as we desire, that is natural. We cannot be desireless. That is not possible. People say that you become desireless. That is not possible. I am living being. How I can be desireless? No. That is very difficult task. If we want to become desireless, that is not possible. Kleśo adhikāras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām. Desireless means your desires are suppressed by forced, "I shall not desire." That is not possible. You have got eyes, and if you want to suppress your eyesight, "I shall not see anything," is that possible? That is not possible. Yes, I have got my eyes, but I want to see Kṛṣṇa-Balarāma. That is wanted. That is wanted. Not that "No, I shall not see." Even meditation, so-called meditation, that is also seeing. Real meditation, seeing within. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasaḥ paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ. Paśyanti, this word is used. Paśyanti means sees, but within, not without. Meditation means seeing within. Not that without seeing. Concentrating the mind to see the form of Lord Viṣṇu, that is real meditation. And without seeing Lord Viṣṇu, that is (indistinct). If you want to fix up my mind into nothing, they say nothingness, that is not possible.
So you cannot be desireless. Desireless means kāma. You cannot be. But desire has to be purified. That is wanted. Kāma, kāma kṛṣṇa-karmātmane. Kāma should be utilized. The same desire should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service. Then it is bhakti.
To understand this truth, the varṇāśrama system required. Without this varṇāśrama system nobody can understand that we are individual person, we existed in the past, and we shall exist in the future, and we are existing at present. Anyone can understand. There was no change in the past, neither there will be change in the future. Simply we change the dress: tathā dehāntara-praptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). This is our self-realization. This is called ātma-tattva-jñāna. But people in the present day, they are not interested. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Yāvan na jijñāsata krūraḥ ātma-tattvam. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. Our activities, they are all defeat. The difference... Just like you are constructing this huge, gorgeous building and another person also constructing another huge skyscraper building. So what is the difference? The difference is here we are doing on the ātma-tattva, and they are doing for being defeated in the material world. That is the difference. You'll find the same activities, dealing with stones and bricks and workers, engineers. But one is based on ātma-tattva and the other is based on without any ātma-tattva. That is the difference.
Sometimes bhakti is observed as similar to the activities of the karmīs, but there is difference. One is bhakti, one is going back to home, back to Godhead; and the other is going forward to the hellish condition of life by the same activities. This is the technique. How it is possible? It is possible. By practical example, it is said in the śāstras... Just like if you take more quantity of milk preparation, you get diarrhea. But the same milk preparation, yogurt, is there. It will stop diarrhea. Both of them are milk preparation. One has created the disease diarrhea, and another is stopping diarrhea. So why? Cikirsitam. One is by medical process and the other is without any medical process. The medical process is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Here the building is being constructed to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. To satisfy Kṛṣṇa. And in other places the building is constructed to satisfy senses. This is the difference, material and spiritual.
So yesterday we talked about Parīkṣit Mahārāja. So he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy. So he prepared himself for death. What was the preparation? That he left immediately his kingdom and the kingdom was divided among his sons. He was young man, not very old, but he understood, "Now, within seven days, I will have to die." So immediately he left home and went to the bank of the Ganges. He was situated... His capital was what is now called New Delhi. Formerly it was known as Hastināpura. The another name of Hastinā..., New Delhi, is there still, and there is a very, very old fort. They say that this fort belonged to the Pāṇḍavas, Mahārāja Parīkṣit. They are keeping just like in Rome they are keeping old buildings. So apart from historical reference... So Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was king, emperor of the world. So he was preparing for dying. Many, many, from all over the world, saintly persons, kings, even some demigods from other planets, they came to see him.
Now, by nature's law the evolution brings you to a nice body, civilized human body, with higher consciousness. But if we utilize this higher consciousness simply for constructing very high skyscraper buildings and do not know what form of body I am going to accept next, that is not very good intelligence. My business is that by nature's evolutionary process I have come to this human form of life. Now I have got good intelligence, better than the animals. If I utilize that intelligence for simply having nice motorcar and skyscraper building, but I do not know what is my future, then it is not very good intelligence. You can construct a very nice skyscraper building, and you can have a nice car, but you will not be allowed to stay here. What you have done for that? You will be kicked out at any moment.
You can solace yourself that "My children will enjoy" or "My grandsons will enjoy." But why not enjoy yourself? That is very uncertain. Any moment I shall be kicked out. And then, if it is a fact that I am going to accept another body, there is no guarantee what kind of body I am going to accept. I have constructed a skyscraper building on account of my attachment. I may be allowed by the nature's law to stay in that building, but if by my activities I become a rat or cat in that building, then what is the profit? We are under the nature's law. You cannot say that you are independent. Nature's law is very strict. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Nature's law... Just like fire. If you touch fire, it will burn. And even a child who is innocent, if the child touches the fire, it will burn. There is no excuse. You cannot say that "The child is innocent. It does not know the effect of touching fire, so he should be excused." No. Ignorance is no excuse. Especially... That is the state laws. You cannot say... Suppose you have committed some criminal act. If you plead, "My lord, I did not know that the, after doing this act, I had to suffer imprisonment. So you excuse me," no, that will be no excuse. You know or not know the law, if you have acted like that, you must suffer. This is going on.
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja addressed Śukadeva Goswāmī as mahā-bhāga, the most fortunate. Because he's perfect Vaiṣṇava, therefore he addresses, "My dear, the most fortunate," mahā-bhāga. Adhunā, "Now," yathaiva narakān naraḥ, "these people are suffering in the hellish condition of life. How they can be rescued?" Nānā ugra-yātanān. Very severe punishment they are undergoing. People cannot see. They have no eyes to see, you see? They suffer in great calamities, and still they cannot see that "I am suffering." Just like when you pass through the streets of Australia, we go daily, morning walk, big, big skyscraper buildings have been constructed, and people are making plans, designs, working very, very hard, lifting so many heavy things. These are very heavy tasks, but they are thinking, "It is very happiness." (laughter) They are thinking, "We are making progress, we are making progress. We are bringing stones and irons on head and putting together, and it is progress. We are very happy." (laughter) This is going on. This is called varāta māninaḥ(?). They are enamored by the external energy of the Personality of Godhead. These material things are products of the external energy of the Lord. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vayuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). Bhūmi, the earth, the iron, stone, wood, they are nothing but transformations of earth. Similarly, apo, water. So whatever we are manufacturing here, they are simply combination of earth, water, air, fire, that's all. Nothing but.
Prakṛti will take charge of you immediately. As soon as you give up this body, prakṛti will take charge. Take charge means the prakṛti will test what is the mentality at the time of your death, and he will give you a body like that, automatically. The nature's law is working so nicely, so perfectly, that everything is becoming manifest automatically. Just like fire, ah, flower. You see how beautiful flower, rose flower, is coming into existence automatically. Don't think that there is no brain. There is brain, but the brain is so perfect and instant that you are seeing that it is becoming automatically grown. No. There is brain. Just like electric, electrons. Just like here is a machine working, and pushing some buttons it is recorded, and pushing some buttons it is stopped. A child may think that it is being done automatically. No. There is a big brain behind this machine, big brain. But a foolish man sees that it is being automatically. Similarly, nature's law is parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Na tasya kāryam... These are the Vedic versions. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇam ca vidyate. Just like if we have to construct a skyscraper building, then we have to work so hard to collect the materials and piling them and making them secure and so many things. So..., but this material creation, this universe, was created not like that. Just like it is said in the Bible, " 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." Similarly, actually it is so. Parāsya śaktir. God's potencies are so subtle and perfect, as soon as He desires, immediately thing is ready. This is called yoga system, yoga system. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is known as Yogeśvara. Of all the yogis, He is the supreme yogi. Yathā yogeśvara. So, there is work, but do not think that "There was no work; automatically it comes." No. There was work, but it is so subtle and perfect. The same thing, the working, so many things are working, going on within the machine, that simply I push it on and it acts. Similarly, work is there for creation. The work is there, but it is actuated by the perfect potency of Kṛṣṇa. That is real understanding.
The animal does not know that what he's going to have, another body, how it is... He has no such knowledge. But human life is not meant for becoming an animal, simply interested in eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. You may have very nice arrangement for eating or you may have very nice building for sleeping, or you may have very good arrangement for sex life, or you may have very good defense force to protect yourself. But that does not mean that you are in human civilization. That type of civilization is there in the animal life. They are also interested in eating. They are also interested in sleeping. They're also interested in sex life. And according to their own method, they defend also. Then where is the distinction between a human life and animal life if you are simply engaged with these four principles of our bodily necessities?
Actually, we are not meant for suffering. If we are sons of God, who is full with all opulence, why should we suffer? Does a rich man's son suffer anytime? If he suffers, it is due to his ignorance. Similarly, we are suffering, but our ignorance is so strong that we are suffering, but at the same time we are thinking that we are happy. This is the influence of ignorance. Just like last night in the television, that gentleman was talking with me. He said that "We have got good brain and we are utilizing it. So that is better for our advancement of happiness. Why Hare Kṛṣṇa?" His idea was, he plainly told me, that "If Hare Kṛṣṇa is so powerful, then why India is so poverty-stricken and they are suffering?" So I replied that "Do you think that your problems are solved because you have got a dozens or a hundreds dozens of skyscrapers? That problem is here also. It is not that because America is materially advanced, 'Oh, they are free from all sufferings.' Why there are so many hospitals? Why there are so many lunatic asylums? Why this confusion of the hippies? Why young boys are always disturbed for the draft board? So how can you say the Americans are free from all sufferings?" This is ignorance. The sufferings are there, here or India or hell or heaven—anywhere within this material world—there is suffering. But people are so foolish that simply having a nice motorcar or a skyscraper building, he thinks that "My all problems are solved." He does not know that this life is a flash only. I am eternal.
Suppose I have got some comfortable situation as born as American. How long shall I remain American? Say, fifty years or hundred years. That's all. Then finish. Get out of the skyscraper building. Throw away your motorcar. Go to the graveyard. And then, what is next life? That I do not know. That I do not know. The life is continuous. Vāsāṁsi jīrnāṇi yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). I am changing my dress. Supposing I have got very nice, good dress, American body, very fair complexion, comfortable life, all these things. That's all right. But do you think what is your next dress? Are you going, are you sure that you are going to be American again? Who can say? Is there any scientist? Is there any astrologer who can say, "Yes"? No. Nobody can say.
But the śāstra can say. Śāstra means the authoritative scriptures.
At home if one has no mother and if his wife is not very, I mean, what is called, apriya-vādinī, does not speak very well... Wife is meant for speaking very well to the husband. That is the husband and wife relationship. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says if the wife is not very attached and does not speak very well... Means does not like the husband on the whole. If such wife is at home and mother is not there... This is ideal Indian happy home. But in your country it is very rare, you see. But this is the standard of happiness. So if there is no mother and there is no good wife, then araṇyaṁ tena gantavyam, immediately he should give up that home. Araṇyam: he should go to the forest. "Why forest? In the city, I have got very nice home, nice building." No. For a person who has no good wife, neither mother, for him, yathāraṇyaṁ tathā gṛham. For him either this home or the forest, it is same. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu had these two greatest attachment at home, very affectionate mother. You have read about Śacīmātā is... Because He was the only... Out of his (her) ten children, only Caitanya Mahāprabhu was the living child of Śacīmātā. So naturally she was very, very affection to his (her) son, and this Viṣṇupriyā, wife, very, very affectionate, beautiful, young—but He gave up. This is called vairāgya-vidyā, no attachment. Although there is reason of attachment, but He had no attachment.
- tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita rājya-lakṣmīṁ
- dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam
- māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad
- vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam
- (SB 11.5.34)
He left home for the benefit of the whole human society. This is vairāgya-vidyā.
But in neither of the paths you'll be happy, because that is not your proper position. You cannot enjoy or you cannot renounce. Actually the whole thing belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Nothing belongs to anyone. Whatever you have got in possession, that is Kṛṣṇa's property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything. You do..., you try to understand. The trees, the plants, the water, the land—have you produced it? Then how do you claim that it is your land, it is your country, it is your water, it is your tree? That is the wrong position. And similarly, tyāga, renouncement... What can you renounce? What you had? What is the meaning of renouncement? You had nothing. You came here in this world from the womb of your mother empty-handed, a child. Then you falsely claim: "This is my country, this is my home, this is my wife, this is my children, this is my property, this is my bank balance, this is my skyscraper building..." All these false. Because you did not brought this. You came empty-handed, and when you go, you go empty-handed. The things are there. The bank balance is there. The building is there. You cannot take anything. So what is the meaning of bhoga and tyāga? There is no meaning. Either now, neither able to enjoy, because it is not your property. If you want to enjoy other's property, then you'll be implicated in criminal offenses. And if you say others' property, "I renounce this bank, I renounce this Bank of America," when did it belong to you, that you are making renouncement? It is all lunacy.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is devotee's inclination. That we must have. Just like the gopīs were searching Kṛṣṇa and they saw that Kṛṣṇa sitting in one place as four-handed Nārāyaṇa. They offered respect, "Oh, He is Nārāyaṇa. We don't care for Him." (laughter) "We don't care for Him." But they offered respect, "Oh, Nārāyaṇa, namaskara. But we want Kṛṣṇa." And when Rādhārāṇī came, Kṛṣṇa wanted to remain Nārāyaṇa, He could not. Rādhārāṇī's desire is so strong that Kṛṣṇa could not remain as Nārāyaṇa. He became Kṛṣṇa. You see? So somebody is offering us a little piece of land. Sak... Saket.(?)
Guest: Saket.(?) It is good quarter.
Prabhupāda: Saket(?). It is good quarter. So why not accept that land and immediately have our building.
Guest: (indistinct) say about four o'clock. (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Yesterday there was a meeting. There is a hope of getting 87 life members. So if you get some life members, say 50, then we can have immediately one center.
Guest: But anyhow...
Prabhupāda: No, either we purchase or we invest (indistinct) but we require some life members.
Guest: (talks about making some appointment at between four and four-thirty)
Prabhupāda: But at that time somebody comes to see me. Somebody comes to see me and talk with me.
Guest: (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: All right. If you can make some life members.
Guest: (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: You are trying for that?
Guest: Yes.
Prabhupāda: All right. All right.
Guest: (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: So Maharani has got many buildings also, I see.
We don't say that the world is false; we say the world is temporary. How it can be false? If God created this world, if God is true, how His creation can be false? We don't approve this philosophy. We accept that this is not false, but this is temporary. And because it is creation of God, because He's Absolute Truth, it is also true. Simply we are seeing it otherwise. Just like I'm claiming something within this world as my property. That is false. But this is someone's property—that is fact. That is God's property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Not that the property is false. Just like this house, this building, this nice room, it is so nicely decorated; there is electric light. If somebody says: "It is false," how it is false? It is not false. Why I shall say false? Why I shall discourage the persons who are using this room as for their devotional service, they're making progress...? How we can say it is false? It is not false. The false is when I claim that "This is my house." That is false. That is false. That is my false puffed-up consciousness, that "I am the proprietor, I am the master, I am God." This is false. Just like first of all we want to become a proprietor, then master, then minister, then president, then God. When everything fails, then "I am God." Same tendency is there—that I want to become the greatest. But how you can be the greatest? God is greatest. You are always smallest. That is... That smallest is thinking greatest that is false. The smallness is not false. The greatness is not false. But when the small thinks as great, that is false. That is māyā.
As soon as your senses are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, your senses are controlled. The automatic yogic process you attain. If you simply try to control the senses, it is very difficult. But if you give the senses engagement, then it is automatic. Because senses must work something. Just like a child. A child at home without engagement, he will simply spoil things, so many. But if you send him to school, give him some engagement, he will be peaceful. Similarly, our senses, we cannot stop the activities of the senses. That is not possible. Just like some foolish people say that "Become desireless." How you can be desireless? I am a living man, living being. I must desire. I cannot be desireless. But if the desire is transformed to Kṛṣṇa... Suppose instead of desiring that "I shall have a very big skyscraper building," if I desire that "I shall have a very big, big temple for Kṛṣṇa." The same desire. But as soon as you desire to have a big skyscraper building, that is material. And as soon as you desire to construct a big temple for Kṛṣṇa, that is spiritual. Just like as you get a nice rose flower: as soon as you desire that you shall enjoy it, this is material. And as soon as you desire, "Oh, this is nice flower. I shall go and offer it to Kṛṣṇa," that is spiritual. Simply change the desire. There is no question of desirelessness. Why? We cannot be desireless... That is not possible. Change the... Purify the desire. Purify the desire.
Prabhupāda: So you, amongst yourself, consider all these. I cannot tax my brain. So whatever is good, you do it. At Gurudāsa's meeting we shall be required all to represent there? Some of them may go.
Yamunā: Not all.
Prabhupāda: Not all. Then some of them may go directly to Delhi, and some of them may go via Krishnanagar. What do you think, Haṁsadūta?
Haṁsadūta: I think so, yes.
Prabhupāda: So you consider. Make a meeting amongst yourselves. Decide what to do. And here for opening a center it is already proposed that they will give us land and they will give us a temple also. Other buildings we have to manage.
Haṁsadūta: They will give us a temple also?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Haṁsadūta: Where is that temple?
Prabhupāda: Temple we have to construct. But for that construction, temple, they will pay. But for residential and other buildings and maintenance we have to arrange. That's not a bad proposal. It is very nice proposal. They are giving us land, giving us a temple. And we can raise funds and construct as we increase men. In the meantime we can manage the temple. It is good proposal. Open it. Somebody is knocking. Keep it open. No, don't keep it ope... Yes, open, open. Keep it open like that. Yes.
Īśa tantra, by the laws of nature or laws of God... Laws of nature means laws of God. They accept, "By nature it is..." But they do not know who is behind this nature. That is intelligence. Nature is dead matter. It cannot... Just like this microphone. This is matter, material. What is that? Some iron, some other thing, some wood, some... But this iron-wood combination cannot take place and become a microphone. No. There is a life behind this iron and wood, and he has manufactured. Therefore it is working. But these rascals, they are thinking that combination of this iron and wood and something else, it has become microphone. No. It is a machine, but machine is manipulated and manufactured by life, not that automatically the iron-wood becomes a machine. No. So these rascals, they cannot understand that... The nature is working, that's all right, but how it is working? What is the background? That they do not know. That answer is in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "Under My superintendence it is working," Kṛṣṇa says. That's a fact. You might have manufactured a very big machine. That is all manufactured by some light. Not that the iron and wood has come together, a skyscraper building—the bricks have come all together automatically. They say, "By chance." What is this nonsense? By chance these bricks have come and piled and become rooms? Just see. These things are going on, rascals. Therefore andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). (aside:) Let him sleep somewhere.
In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). We are accumulating so many things, big, big buildings, big, big estate, big, big bank balance, big, big family. That's all right, but what is the guarantee that we will be able to enjoy this? That they are not thinking. And it is a fact that death may come at any moment. Especially nowadays. So you... There is no guarantee. Even in your ordinary life you are going by the car, there may be accident. "Maybe" not. They are taking place. So many people are dying. He does not expect that "I am going to office. I shall be killed." In aeroplane crash... So there is no guarantee. Any moment we can die. But we are not thinking..., because they have made this theory, "There is no life after death. So enjoy. Enjoy life as far as possible." But that is not the fact. After death, we will have to accept another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). But they try to forget it. And the argument they put forward, that "Even I get one body next life, I shall forget this life. So what is the wrong? Let us enjoy." This is called life of ignorance, passion. But this is not the proper life.
So not only in these activities, in every activity we are very busy with material activities. And we do not know that on my back side death is standing. He will take everything, what I have got. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. The death is also Kṛṣṇa. He said, aham, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham: "I am death. You cannot see God. You are very much proud of your eyes. Now you see I have come. I will take away everything, what have you got. Now you protect yourself and your property, your skyscraper building, everything. Now you protect." So therefore mūḍha. He does not know how to protect things, but he is creating things. That is called mūḍha. Just like I am collecting lakhs and millions of money, but next moment there is standing somebody, he will take away. So that I do not know, that one man is waiting. I am collecting. There was a caricature picture when India was struggling for independence. So the Gandhi's picture, Gandhi was fishing with the tackle, and Jinnah was standing behind with a knife and plate, that "Let this rascal struggle for independence, and as soon as (sic:) he's get, I will take share and go away, Pakistan." Actually he did so. He never went to jail, but he took the share and made Pakistan. So Gandhi, therefore, was not in favor of partition. But he had to do, accept it. Because the Britishers were very intelligent, that "Let us divide it so that India may not become a strong power." So that still, it is going on, the animosity between Pakistan and Hindustan. It is British plan. That is politics.
So here the Yamadūtas says that dharma means what is spoken or directed in the Vedas. And what is Veda? Veda nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Veda means God Himself. Just like... We can understand very easily. Just like the king and the king's law. What king has said, that this should be done like this, keep to the right, king or government, whatever it may be, authority... So that is Veda. What is... Just like the law means what the government says. You cannot manufacture law. Similarly, veda nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. What Nārāyaṇa says, that is Veda. There is no other authority. And one who follows the Nārāyaṇa, he is also authority. Śaṅkarācārya says, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. Nārāyaṇa is transcendental. He's not anybody of this material world. Nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. Avyaktāt anasambhavaḥ. Avyakta. The cosmic manifestation, this is called vyakta, and when it is not manifested, it is called avyakta. Just like a house is manifestation of the five elements: earth, water, air, fire. So earth, water is there already, but that is not manifested as the house. But the same combination, it becomes a house, big skyscraper building. This is difference between vyakta and avyakta. Avyakta means the whole material energy, when it is not manifested, that is called avyakta; and when it is manifested it is called vyakta. Nārāyaṇa paro 'vyaktāt. That means Nārāyaṇa is not of this material world. God is nothing of this material world. He's transcendental. Para, nārāyaṇa paro 'vyaktāt. Para means superior, transcendental.
So Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa, He's controlling everything. And this material world is made of three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). The Bhagavad-gītā also says the same thing. Prakṛteḥ, this material nature, is working under three modes of material nature—sattva-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa. In the rajo-guṇa, the material world is created. In sattva-guṇa, the material world is maintained. And in tamo-guṇa, this material world is dissolved, or annihilated. This is the way, going on. So sattva-guṇa, maintenance, in charge is Viṣṇu Himself. Without Viṣṇu, nobody can maintain. Just like one contractor, he can manufacture a very big skyscraper building, but to maintain it, it requires another management, how to manage and maintain. And dissolution, anyone can break this big skyscraper. These three things are going on. So the maintenance in charge is Nārāyaṇa, His expansion, Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu is supplying all the needs of our... We are so many living entities, innumerable, but Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, He is supplying all our needs. Just like father, he supplies the needs of the family, children. Similarly, Viṣṇu is maintaining. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. So many different varieties of living entities and they have got different demands, different necessities, everything is supplied by Viṣṇu. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is God.
So these are all due to different infection of the guṇa. Tamo-guṇa means shameless, tamo-guṇa. Rajo-guṇa means lusty desire. And sattva-guṇa means knowledge, to see things as they are. So just like here in the temple, we are cultivating sattva-guṇa, or more than that, above sattva-guṇa. Above sattva-guṇa. It is said in the śāstra that to live in the forest is sattva-guṇa. Sattva-guṇa, people have got tendency to live in a secluded place, solitary place, without any disturbance. That is sign of sattva-guṇa. And to live in the cities, big, big cities, skyscraper building, this is rajo-guṇa. And to live in the brothel, in the liquor shop, in the slaughterhouse, this is tamo-guṇa. Sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. But to live in the temple is transcendental. Transcendental. It is above sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, to live in temple. Therefore we are introducing this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement so that the persons who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, living in the temple according to the regulative principles, they are above all these sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. That is wanted. Nistraiguṇya. Traiguṇya means three guṇas, and niḥ means negative. Nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. That is our aim, that although we are in this material world, by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness process we shall live above these three guṇas. These three guṇas cannot touch me. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). Who? Māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi bhakti-yogena ya sevate. Anyone who is engaged in pure devotional service avyabhicāriṇi, not mixed up, whimsical, regularly, as they are ordained, as they are prescribed. So if anyone is engaged in such transcendental loving service of the Lord, then his position is: he is above the three guṇas.
You may be very intelligent, but Kṛṣṇa says, "You don't like Me. All right, I shall come to you as death. Then you will understand. And at that time I shall take away whatever you have accumulated." Mṛtyu aham. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "I come as death and take away everything, whatever you have earned or collected in this life." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Sarva-hara: "I will take. I will take all: your bank balance, your skyscraper building, your nice family. Your everything will be finished. I will take it away." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. So after death I may be very proud of my intelligence and power and talking, completely under the laws of material nature. Then nature... Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1), by superior supervision, as you have acted, jantur deha upapatti, then you will have to accept one body.
So in this way, life after life, we are changing the body. In this planet, in other planet, in this variety, in that variety, we are wandering. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says,
- ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa brahmite kono bhāgyavān jīva
- guru kṛṣṇa kṛpa pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
In this way we are wandering, life after life. But somehow or other, if he becomes fortunate, fortunate Unless one becomes fortunate, one cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not possible. So we are trying to make this fallen soul fortunate. Be fortunate and take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So Kṛṣṇa is the supreme nitya, eternal, and we are also eternal. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśa jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). We are eternal, and Kṛṣṇa is also eternal. That is qualitatively one. Kṛṣṇa is cetana, living force. We are also living force. So in that way, we are one in quality. But His living force and our living force, different in quality. His creative power, my creative power, your creative power, they are different. You can create a few skyscraper buildings, but Kṛṣṇa has created millions and trillions of universes. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. We are simply experiencing one jagad-aṇḍa, or universe, but there are jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi, there are millions and trillions of universes. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat.
So here we have taken this... Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. We want to be happy by adjustment of this external energy. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. That cannot be. You are spirit soul. You must have spiritual food. You must have spiritual life. Then you can be happy. Simply as you cannot be happy by having nice shirt and coat, similarly, simply by materialistic way of life, I mean a gross and fine... Gross means this high skyscraper building, machines, factories, nice road goes motorcar. These are gross. And subtle: nice song, poetry, philosophy. That is subtle, subtle matter. So people are trying to be happy with this gross and subtle material existence. That cannot be. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Why they have accepted this sort of civilization? Because they are led by blind leaders. Now, suppose we are conducting this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Nobody is interested. Very few interested. But if we give some false hope that "If you follow this path, then within six months you will become God and you will be all-powerful, and then...," oh, so many people will come. You see?
The so-called economic development may be temporary. Actually, you cannot improve. We can see practically, so many people, in big, big cities, they are trying to develop their economic condition to improve their status of life, but do you think that everyone is successful? In big, big cities, in our country India, Calcutta, Bombay, at least, we have seen it that everyone, there are so many millions of people, they are trying, but still you'll find somebody is living in palace building and somebody is living in slum. "Everyone has got equal chance in big, big cities. They can improve." No. That is not possible. In Western countries, when I did not come to your country I thought USA or in Europe, there is no poor man. I was thinking like that. But when I came, I actually saw there are so many poor men. Why they could not take advantage of the facilities in the Western countries and be equal? No, that is not possible. According to the nature's arrangement, there are three modes of condition: sattva-guṇa, raja-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So every one of us is under either of these sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So always you'll find three classes of men, first-class, second-class, third-class. Also fourth-class, fifth-class. But we are taking the first three. Or, in other words, some class richer, some class middle class men, and poor men. Everywhere you'll find, all over the world. Either in USA or in Europe or in India. You cannot change that. That is not possible. But because we are not educated in the aim, understanding what is the aim of life, we are misled.
The whole Bhagavad-gītā teaching ultimately ends with this order, mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the ultimate. But because people have become deviated, fallen, they do not know what is the aim of life, what is the goal of life. They are simply wasting time. Vimara-cetaḥ (?). Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "My Lord, I am not very much anxious for me because I have no trouble. As I have learned to chant Your glories, so anywhere I am happy simply by glorifying Your activities. But I am unhappy for this reason: when I see that these rascals simply for little material happiness, they are working so hard." Tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). "They have forgotten You." Vimukha cetasam. They think that "What is the use of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Vimukha. And what is required? Māyā-sukhāya. For few years to live in material comforts, bharam udvahato vimūḍhān, they are manufacturing so many big, big skyscraper building, nice road, nice car. Māyā-sukhāya. In Western countries there is very... We are also imitating in India like Bombay city and others, bharam udvahato, gorgeous arrangement. And what for? For living for a few years. Then he is going to cats and dogs. He doesn't know that. Therefore māyā-sukhāya. If somebody says that "You come here at my place. I shall give you very good food, nice shelter, all comforts, and after few days I shall drive you away and I shall beat you with my shoes," will anybody agree? No. So we are doing that. Forgetting our real business, we are busy in māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43).
So this is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction, that "Don't waste your time. Human life is very valuable." And Cāṇakya Paṇḍita also says, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ: "You cannot get back even one moment of your life by paying millions of dollars. So if you waste your time..." The Kṛṣṇa conscious people, they should not be lazy. They should always remember that death is already there. Let me finish my business properly so that after death I may not be a cat and dog. At least I may get... There is no... My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Why should you wait for another life? Finish Kṛṣṇa consciousness business in this life." In this life. Why you should set aside the business for another life? No. Tūrṇaṁ yateta anumṛtya pateta yāvat. This is the instruction of... Before the next death you should prepare yourself for death. Death is inevitable. You cannot avoid death. But before the next death comes, if you become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your life is successful. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). What is Kṛṣṇa? Try to understand Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, why He appears, why He disappears, what is His nature, who is He. So many things are to be known. Kṛṣṇa is God. He is not an ordinary thing. He has got unlimited qualities, unlimited function. And if we simply understand that kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam... (SB 1.3.28). Without going into the details, if we accept simply this fact, that "Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva, and everything is the exhibition of His different energies," vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19), if you simply understand, even if blindly, that everything, whatever we see, that is exhibition of Kṛṣṇa's energy... Just like in this material world the practical example is, whatever we see, the trees and the plants and buildings, the chemicals, the... Everything is generating from the sunlight, energy of the sun globe.
Suppose you worship a demigod. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). You can be elevated to the celestial world, heavenly planet. But what will be benefit? You'll have to die there. The same death is there. You have to struggle there. Don't think that the demigods, they are living very peacefully. No. That is not possible. Indra is always embarrassed with so many things. You have read the fight with Indra. So many asuras, devāsura, Hiraṇyakaśipu. The same thing as... Simply they have got a long duration of life, a high standard of life, but the same struggle. Just like here you see in India and Europe, America. They have got the high standard of life, they have got skyscraper building, very big, big roads, motorcar. But what is that? Simply struggling. Are they happy? We are poor country. Of course, we have no such opulence. But the standard, the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), is there, not that they are sitting idly and food is coming automatically. No. They have to struggle. So either you be in the heavenly planet or in the lowest planet, the struggle is there. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). So long we'll be in the material world, you have to... Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino 'rjuna. Even you go to the Brahmaloka or Indraloka, Candraloka... They are trying to go to the Candraloka. They are trying to go to the Candraloka, but they do not know where is Candraloka. They are going and coming, going and coming. So one must know it that "Even if I go to the Brahmaloka by our material power, that is also punar āvartino arjuna. That is bhavam āśritaḥ." So we should try to avoid the material existence and come to our original life, eternal life, blissful life, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). That is really solution of the problem, ksemāya. Kuśalaḥ ksemāya. So long this human body we have got, and especially young men, don't spoil it. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has said, 'yara vidyā sa māyā boyba: our attachment for this material world, it is māyā, illusion. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). This material happiness is made by māyā, and they are making gorgeous arrangement, these fools and rascals, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). They're making gorgeous arrangement. Why? Because they are vimūḍhān, all rascals. "Why rascals? They are scientists, they are philosophers." That's all right, but after making all these arrangements, you are under the clutches of māyā. You are not free from the clutches of māyā. So why you are wasting time in this way? You cannot..., you did not make any solution or any assurance that whatever you are creating for enjoyment you will be able to enjoy. No. That is not possible. That they do not see. They are constructing big, big roads, motorcars, and skyscraper building, but there is no assurance that you'll be able to enjoy it. That is not possible. At any moment, finished. Your skyscraper building, your big, big road, your big, big motorcars, it will remain where you manufactured and you have to leave. That they do not see. This is called mūḍha. Mūḍho nābhijānāti. They..., they're not They are afraid of death, but on account of foolishness they declare, "Oh, we don't We are not afraid of death." They're afraid.
So voluntarily accepting poverty, this is Indian civilization, this is Vedic civilization. Not to increase material opulence but to decrease. The more you decrease, you are civilized. And the Western countries, if you decrease, if you instruct them that "Decrease these nonsense activities. No more tire(?) civilization," they'll say "Oh, this is primitive, primitive." This tendency is present. But actually, the primitive civilization... Not primitive; that is very sober civilization, anartha. Instead of increasing unwanted necessities, decrease it. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6). Lokasya ajānataḥ vidvāṁś cakre sātvata saṁhitām. This sātvata saṁhitām bhāgavata is there, simply to decrease this unwanted so-called material civilization. It is very difficult to understand, but our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for that purpose. We are interested to construct a nice temple, but we are not interested to construct a very big skyscraper building for people's generally No. We should live very humbly. But for Kṛṣṇa we can In India you'll find there are so many valuable temples which cannot be constructed at the present moment. You will see in this Vṛndāvana that the broken Govindaji's temple, it is not possible to construct such costly temples at the present moment. Even by spending crores of rupees you cannot construct. But one who has money, they used to do that. It should be engaged for Kṛṣṇa's comfort. This is bhakti. This is bhakti. For Kṛṣṇa's The Vṛndāvana means everyone is engaged how to keep Kṛṣṇa in comfort. This is Vṛndāvana. Not for personal comfort. The whole Vṛndāvana is engaged, beginning from Mother Yaśodā, Nanda Mahārāja, the young gopīs and the young cowherd boys—that is Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa is the center.
So Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, means that nobody can excel Him in richness, in fame, in strength, in beauty, in wisdom, and renunciation. However you may exhibit or manifest your opulences, still it is very insignificant. We can practically experience. Just like this very nice city, perhaps the greatest city in the world, New York, with so many skyscraper buildings, industrial enterprises, everything very opulent. But as soon as you go seven miles or eight miles high by airplane, you will see just like they are matchboxes. You have practical experience. And if you still go high you will find this whole planet just like a point. As you are daily experiencing that so many planets in the sky hanging just like small spots, but they are as big or greater than this planet. So nobody can excel the opulence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is not possible. If you want to purchase the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by your material acquisition, it is impossible. It is impossible.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "All these qualifications are not good assessment for approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead." He is nullifying. Do not think that because you have got good education or scientific knowledge, then you can understand what is God. That is not possible. Just like the other day we were, I was reading one magazine. In the Bible it is said that God said "Let there be creation," and there was creation. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gītā also, we understand that Kṛṣṇa says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca: (BG 7.4) "These eight gross and subtle material elements, they are My differentiated energy." So these statements of Bible or Bhagavad-gītā... We can understand that God created this cosmic manifestation. But in the paper we read the other day that the scientific men believe that there was a chunk in the beginning, and all of a sudden it burst out and the planets came out. (break) So anyone can understand that God is all-powerful. He can create. But the scientist says that "There was a chunk, and creation took place from the chunk." Just see. When you say that God created, one can understand that God is... If a man can create such nice things, skyscraper buildings, very complicated bridge, engineering work, so God is great, He may have greater brain, so He has created this cosmic manifestation. There is a, I mean to say, standard to believe. But how the scientists believe that there was a chunk? And what is the explanation? I cannot understand. From the chunk everything come out. And who made the chunk? The next question should be that "Wherefrom this chunk came?" There is no answer. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says that all these material qualification cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
You are thinking something, building castle in the air. So Bhāgavata says durāśayā, utopian theory. He's thinking that "I shall be very great by doing this business or doing, having this education," or this or that. So many things. Everyone has got his own plan. But Bhāgavata says durāśayā, "This is utopian." Why this utopian they have taken? They are so much educated, they are so much wealthy, beautiful, and intelligent. Why durāśayā, utopian? Because bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They have taken their basic platform—the external energy. So what is the fault there? Because external energy is itself temporary. The Māyāvādī philosophy, it is called false, but we say temporary. So what is the profit by temporary achievement? Just like... There are many instances. President Kennedy: with great endeavor he became a president. Temporary. The post is temporary, say five years or four years. But still, people, they exert so much energy. And even if he is president, if there is something wrong in somebody's mind, he is killed. So is it not utopian? His energy should have been utilized for self-realization, "What I am?" But if somebody wastes his energy to capture some utopian post which will be finished at any moment, so is it not utopian?
So this church building or temple building or mosque building is coming down from time immemorial. People are investing their money, hard-earned money. Why? Uselessly? Nonproductive? No. They do not know. They do not know how much productive that is. Therefore in this godless civilization they have stopped building nice, decorated... In Vṛndāvana there is a temple of Govindajī that was seven-storied. Four stories was broken by Aurangzeb on political grounds. Still, three stories are still remaining. If somebody goes there he'll see how wonderful workmanship is there in that temple. So does it mean that those kings or rich men, they were all fools? Simply at the present moment we are very intelligent? No. They are not fools. That is explained in the Prahlāda Mahārāja's prayers. Naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo. You cannot satisfy the Supreme Lord by constructing a nice temple, but still He is satisfied. Still, He is satisfied. He is nija-lābha-pūrṇo. He is fully satisfied in Himself because He has no want. We are in want. Suppose I am renting one small apartment. If somebody says, "Swamijī, come on. I shall construct a very nice palatial temple. You come here." Oh, I shall be very much obliged. But does Kṛṣṇa, or God, is like that? He can construct so many nice planets, not only one, two, but millions and billions, with so many nice oceans and hills and mountains and forests, and full of living entities. And why He is hankering after a temple constructed by me? No. That is not the fact.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "My dear Lord, we belong to that class because we belong to the demon family, so but these demigods, they are not like that." This is the first... Brahmādaya vayam iva īśa na ca udvijantaḥ: "Just like us, we rascals, demons, we simply disturb You, they are not like this." Kṣemayā bhūtāya bhūtātma-sukhāya cāsya vikrīḍitaṁ bhagavato rucirāvatāraiḥ. Sarve hy amī vidhi-karās tava sattva-dhāmne, brahmādaya... The vidhi-karā. Vidhi-karā means these demigods are in charge of... Just like Brahma. Brahmā is in charge of the creation. Viṣṇu, God Himself, has taken charge of maintenance. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. I can employ any engineer to construct a nice building for my family, but that engineer cannot take charge of the maintenance of my family. Is it possible, that if I ask any engineer that "You have now constructed a very nice house for my family. Also you take charge of maintaining"? "No, sir, I cannot do that." Immediately. "How can I take charge of your family? Now I have created. You have paid me. That's all."
So maintenance cannot be taken by anyone except by God. Therefore this material world is being operated in three departmental qualities: sattva, raja, tama. Sattva is maintenance. Sattva means goodness. Goodness is maintenance. And raja means activity. Without activity, there cannot be any creation in this material world. If you want to construct something, there must be activity. Raja means activity. And tama means darkness. So these, these qualities are working.
Here Prahlāda Mahārāja is trying to offer his prayer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya mahi gṛṇāmi. Mahi. Mahi means glorious. His glorious activities. Don't you think His activities are glorious? If... A modern scientist has manufactured one what is called sputnik, and we are advertising in the paper, "So nice sputnik. It is flying in the air and it's going..." And the Supreme Personality has created not only a childish sputnik, but millions and trillions of planets, they are flying in the air. So is not it glorious? But the rascals will say, jagan mithyā: "This world is false." Why it is false? There are so much brain in manufacturing this world, and is it false? Suppose if you decorate this temple and invite some friend, if he says, "Oh, this is all false," is it not decrying or insulting you? You decorate this temple so nicely, you prepare very nice foodstuff, and he says, "Oh, this is all false." Why? That means he has no appreciation. He's prosaic, he's dull, he's a rascal. So therefore devotees, they appreciate, "O God, O Kṛṣṇa, how nice You are. How nicely You have manufactured these trees, these flowers, the sky, the planets, the sun, the moon." And he becomes overwhelmed with joy: "Oh, my God is so great." And the rascal says it is false. (chuckles) You see how much rascaldom? False. Is it false? If you want to construct one building, you have to work hard your whole life, and if I say "It is false," how much insulted you are. So they do not know, they have no idea what is God. Yes.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, prīto 'pavarga-śaraṇaṁ hvayase kadā nu: "My Lord, You are apavarga-śaraṇaṁ." This is very important word, apavarga. Pavarga and apavarga. Pa means just the opposite, and pavarga, here in this material world, we are in the pavarga. Pa means pariśrama, laboring. Here you cannot get food without any labor. Just see. These laborers here, they have come. Whole day they are working. But if I say that "Why you are working so hard? Come here, live here, take little prasādam, and make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," nobody will come. Nobody will come. "No, no. I am very happy here." This is pa, pariśrama. They... Sometimes we are accused that we're escaping labor, we are parasites, we are dependent on the society. We are not dependent on the society; we are dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Kṛṣṇa is supplying us this nice building, nice food, nice opportunity. Not only one—we have got hundreds of buildings like that, without any labor. We are not working like these laborers. Just see. I went to your country with forty rupees, and now I have got forty crores of worth, property. So I did not work like them. (laughs) Yes. The people are bringing money. Kṛṣṇa is sending money, daily one to five lakhs of rupees. So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why one should work? Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām, the stool-eaters, they will work hard. Human life is not meant for Take Kṛṣṇa's shelter. Kṛṣṇa will supply everything. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy.
So we have to learn all these things. Then, taptasya tat-pratividhiḥ. I think in some reading there is yat-pratividhiḥ. Eh? But here it is tat-pratividhiḥ. All right, what it is... So they, we have so many countermeasures for..., because this whole world, this material world, means duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). It is a place for suffering. And that also not permanent place. But our struggle is that "We may not suffer, and we may remain here permanently." That is foolishness. This place is meant for suffering, and you cannot stay here for permanently. This is the constitution of this place. And the whole world, this foolish world, they are struggling to stop suffering and to remain here, permanent. Just see their foolishness. Everyone is trying to remain permanently. Just like we are constructing temples very sound, very strong, but they are constructing skyscraper building, strong, permanent. But he does not know, "Whether I shall be able to live here permanently?" So they can put the argument to us also, that "This is the case with you also." But our case is different. We are constructing this temple not for our living but for Kṛṣṇa's. That is the difference. That is the difference. We do not make any temple or house for ourself. We try to give chance to the devotees, and Kṛṣṇa shall live here. Kṛṣṇa's devotees will learn how to worship Him. That is our purpose. Here it is not a free hotel for learning how to gratify senses. No. This is not our aim and object. That is the difference. Therefore nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate. The same energy is being enacted here for constructing big house, but it is nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandha.
So we are just trying to introduce the real civilization. Actually there is no civilization at the present moment. They are simply cats and dogs and fighting one another. There is no civilization. This is not civilization. Atheists, demons, they are predominating. And because they have got big, big skyscraper building and many motorcars, India has become victimized: "Oh, without this motorcar and without this skyscraper building, we are condemned." So they are trying to imitate. They have forgotten their own culture, the best culture, Vedic culture. So it is the first time that we are trying to conquer over the demonic culture with this Vedic culture. This is the first time. So it is very pleasing that you have joined this movement. If you want to make the human society happy, give them this culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is being described by Prahlāda Mahārāja, that saṁsāra-cakra. If you become involved in this demonic culture, then the saṁsāra-cakra, the wheel of repetition of birth and death, will go on. You cannot stop it. It is not possible. But if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then there is possibility. This is the purport of this verse.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, yad ātma-para-buddhir iyaṁ hy apārthā. This is misconception, ātma-para-buddhiḥ. Ātmā means "mine," and para means "others." Where is "my" and "your"? Everything Kṛṣṇa's. Hy apārthā. This is misconception. But the whole world is going on on the basis of this ātma-para-buddhiḥ: "My country," "My city," "My building," "My family," "my, my, my," that's all. And "my" and "your." Neither your nor mine. It is all Kṛṣṇa's, the different energies, manifestation of different energies. Just like fire. From fire, two energies are coming, and if we fight that this, you say, "The light energy is mine, and the heat energy is your," that is foolishness. The heat and light, both of them, are coming from the fire. Everything belongs to the fire. But we are fighting: "Heat is mine, and light is your. Let us divide." How you can divide? Parasya brāhmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Everything is manifestation of energy. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). We see in the garden so many flowers, different color, different flavor, different utility. But wherefrom it is coming? It is coming from this earth. We do not know even how much inconceivable energies are there within this earth. We do not know. Where is the scientist? They are very much proud of their scientific knowledge. Let them say how many varieties of things are within this earth. They analyze the earth. What do they find? They see only sixty percent soda bicarb. No. There are many, many finer chemicals. Who is that rascal who can say that so many things are there, "This is soda bicarb"? And this is scientific, that's all. Nobody scientist; all fools and rascals, mūḍhā. They do not know anything.
So at the present moment we have got a bhāva: "I am this. I am that. I belong to this family. I belong to this nation." Bhāva is ecstasy, and everyone is overwhelmed with such kind of ecstasy. The politicians, they think that we are simply wasting time in chanting and dancing. "They have no sense how to improve the position of the country." They do not like because they are in different bhāva. But we are trying to change that bhāva. The bhāva must be there. The whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to purify the bhāva. Bhāva. That is stated here. Pariśuddha-bhāva. We are not negativating everything. We are simply changing from material bhāva to spiritual bhāva. That's all. Here is a big building, but there are many other hundreds and thousands of big building in this district or in this country. But here the bhāva is changed. The bhāva is changed. In your country there are many big, big skyscraper buildings. In comparison to those buildings, this is nothing. But still, you have come, spending thousands of dollars here, to change the bhāva. That is the... That is required. Otherwise you American boys and girls, you have no business to come here to see this big building. No. To change the bhāva, that requires. That is very important thing.
If one is pure devotee, then he has all the good qualities. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja was addressed, prahlāda bhadra bhadraṁ te (SB 7.9.52). Bhadra, a gentleman. Who can be more gentleman than the devotees? The devotees are thinking, "How these rascals will be happy?" Prahlāda Mahārāja, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: (SB 7.9.43) "My Lord, I am thinking that these rascals, simply for flimsy happiness, temporary happiness, they are making so gorgeous arrangement." Big, big road, big, big building, big, big car, congested. If you want to go one mile it will take two hours. Māyā-sukhāya. We have seen in your country. You'll go two miles in a car in three hours. So what is the use of this car? In London I have seen. I was going. It was about two miles, and it was so congested that it took two hours. Paris is always congested. So in India also they are becoming like that. So this is māyā-sukhāya. They are thinking that "Getting a car, we shall be very, very happy," but there is no place to drive car. (laughter) Therefore it is called māyā-sukhāya. And for manufacturing this car there are three thousand parts. So many factories are going on for that. Who was telling me that within a few minutes a car is prepared in the Ford's factory? Somebody was telling. They bring the different parts of the car and mix and assemble them within half an hour. That means each half hour they are manufacturing car.
So description of brahmacārī is going on here, the dress. The dress should be as simple as possible. So the ajina means the deerskin. That is very essential because formerly the brahmacārīs used to go to guru-grha. In those days the guru-gṛha was not palatial building. Now if you haven't got palatial building, nobody will come. The different stage. But actually brahmacārī, the guru also, they were living in the forest, and brahmacārī used to go that guru-gṛha. So the deerskin in the forest is very essential. Just like we take some blankets, we can spread anywhere and sit down. Deerskin, it is said that if you have got deerskin, you can sleep in the jungle; the snake will not touch you. That is the dravya-guṇa, the special effect of deerskin. Either tigerskin or deerskin, if you sit down, if you sleep, the snakes will not come. This is also very scientific. Therefore, because the brahmacārīs used to live in the jungle, it was essential. But on the whole the huts are(?) recommended, not that gorgeous dress, very nice bedstead or... As far as possible, yāvad-artha, whatever is absolutely necessary... That is Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization does not recommend that artificially you increase your necessities, life, and there is so much trouble. Just like nowadays in your country the machine is there in every respect. Even for shaving your cheek you require a machine. So this increasing the artificial necessities of life is possible when there is no higher thought. After all, we are thoughtful. We have got better consciousness in the human form of life than the animals. Our consciousness is developed. But because in this age, material world, we have no spiritual idea, so whatever power we have got in thinking, we are trying to increase artificially material way of life. "The idle brain is a devil's workshop."
Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje, lokasya ajānataḥ (SB 1.7.6). These rascals, they do not know how to accept leader. And vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitā. Therefore Vyāsadeva is the most learned person, vidvān. He has prepared the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam. So if we read, nityaṁ bhāgavata sevayā (SB 1.2.18), daily... So we are making so much effort. We are building nice building. So you come and hear Bhāgavatam, discuss Bhāgavatam. Then you'll be happy. Otherwise, if you want to go to hell... Tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. If you simply associate with the debauches, yoṣitāṁ saṇgam... Yoṣitām saṅgi-saṅgam. Those who are too much fond of woman, they are called yoṣit-saṅgī. They are called yoṣita-saṅg... So not only to become... It is condemned, too much being attached to woman. If one is too much attached to woman, if you make association with him, then you are also condemned. Tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). If you want to be relieved from these anarthas, unwanted things, to become clean, sattva, yes... Sattva-śuddhi. It is called sattva-śuddhi. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattva (SB 5.5.1). We do not understand that we are in aśuddha-sattva. Our existence is impure. Therefore, although I am eternal, although I am living entity, nityo śāśvato 'yam, still I have to suffer this consequence: birth, death, old age, and disease. They have no brain even. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). After annihilation of this body the soul is never destroyed. Then why I am suffering this destruction, death? The whole problem is there, but they do not care. They have become so rascals and fools, they do not know what is the problem. The real problem is stop your repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. They don't care, just like animals. The animals, they do not care. But the human form, if they do not care like that, they are animals.
So it is very difficult at the present moment to introduce all these principles because the days are different. If we become very strict, so then... Ordinarily they are not coming. There is no such strict principle, and we are constructing very nice palatial building with attached bathroom and everything complete. Still, people are not coming. This is different days. So it is very difficult to introduce the original way of brahmacarya, vānaprastha, sannyāsa, and gṛhastha. Everything has topsy-turvied. But there is only one way. That is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that "Although this age is full of faults..." Kalau doṣa-nidhe rājan. The Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, "My dear King, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, I have described so many faults of this age, and you must be perplexed. It is just like the ocean of faults. But there is one benefit. That is specially for this age." What is that? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet: (SB 12.3.51) "If simply this system is introduced, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra..." Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. This Hare Kṛṣṇa... Sometimes they come to fight with us that "Why you say 'Hare Kṛṣṇa'? Why you do not say 'Hare Rāma'?" Perhaps you have got experience. But śāstra says, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. It does not mean that we do not accept Rāma as the Supreme Per... That does not mean. Śāstra said, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. And it is said in the śāstra that if you chant Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma, after chanting thousand times Viṣṇu's name, it is equal to one Rāma nāma. And after chanting thrice Rāma nāma, it is equal to one Kṛṣṇa nāma. This is said in the śāstra. So this Hare Kṛṣṇa... Of course, in some Purāṇas the beginning is Hare Rāma, but in many Purāṇas it is Hare Kṛṣṇa. So we have no objection. Either you begin with Hare Rāma or Hare Kṛṣṇa, we have no objection. But the śāstra says, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. The Rāma and Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference, but why in the śāstra it is said, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya? So Hare Kṛṣṇa is quite to the rulings of the śāstra. There is no discrepancies, although we have no objection. Either you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or Hare Rāma.
So these things as far as possible we shall introduce, but our main principle is chant.
So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī followed strictly the Rūpa Gosvāmī. Just like Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī introduced that a sannyāsī should go for begging alms in motorcar. In motorcar. They should live in palatial buildings. Now if in this age if we follow that rūpānuga... Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī used to live underneath a tree, and if we say now we shall also imitate..., just like there are many bābājīs in Vṛndāvana, they are imitating, a small loincloth but doing all nonsense. So imitation is not required. Real thing is required. How, what is the purpose of Gosvāmī? They say that yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe. Somehow or other first of all engage him in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is my Guru Mahārāja's gift. He first of all started that there is no need of going to Vṛndāvana and imitate the Gosvāmīs. Live in big, big cities, in big, big palatial houses, but preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People may understand. Give chance to the people how they will understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He opened many centers. Similarly, in big, big cities. So we are doing that. And because we are following strictly the principles of Rūpa Gosvāmī, rūpānuga, therefore it is somehow or other coming out very successful. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be pushed according to the rūpānuga principle.
| Page Title: | Buildings (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Floyd |
| Created: | 20 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=156, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 156 |