This purāṇāni setihāsāni... These Purāṇas... You know, first of all, there is the Veda. Originally, the Veda, Atharva-veda. That is divided now into four: Sāma, Yajur, Atharva, Ṛg. Then all the Vedic instructions are what is called skimmed, concentrated in the Vedānta-sūtra, in one. The Upaniṣads, there are 108 Upaniṣads, and many others. So all the knowledge is concentrated in the Vedānta-sūtra, or Vedānta philosophy. Then again, it is explained for common men by purāṇāni, by Purāṇas. Just like this Purāṇa, this Bhāgavata-Purāṇa. Bhāgavata is also Purāṇa. Purāṇa means old, old history, Purāṇa. And itihāsa means history. But Vedic civilization was concerned with historical evidences which are very, very important. At the present moment, present age, they write history chronologically. One period may be important, one period may not be important, but they write all the history. The Vedic way of writing history was not like that. If you go on writing history... Suppose for millions years of history you write, then where you'll keep the records?
Divide (Lectures, SB)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Yes. First of all, there was only one Veda, Atharva-veda. Then he divided according to the subject matter into four Vedas: Sāma, Yajur, Atharva, Ṛg. Then he explained the Vedas by the Purāṇas, and he compiled Mahābhārata also for same purpose, how one can understand the Vedic literature. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). Those who are less intelligent, woman, śūdra, and dvija-bandhu... Dvija-bandhu means those who are born in brāhmaṇa family but are not just to the quality. They are called dvija-bandhu. For them this Mahābhārata. And at the end he compiled, he summarized the whole thing by writing Vedānta-sūtra. Still, he was not happy, and under the direction of his spiritual master Nārada he wrote himself the commentary of the Vedānta-sūtra, and that is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Go on.
"In this prayer, Śrīla Sūta Gosvāmī practically summarizes the complete introduction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the essence of Vedic literature. That is explained here. "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the natural supplementary commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra." As I told you that Vyāsadeva compiled, he divided. There was originally one Veda, Atharva-veda. Then he, just to divide it for different paths of understanding... Sāma-veda, Atharva-veda, Yajur-veda and Ṛg-veda. Then he explained the Vedas in the Purāṇas. Then again he summarized in the Vedānta-sūtra. The whole Vedānta knowledge was codified, codes. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). There are so many codes. So again these codes were explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the business(?). "Vedānta-sūtra, or the Brahma-sūtra, were compiled by Vyāsadeva with the view to presenting just the cream of Vedic knowledge.
And it is consisting seven islands. That is also mentioned in Vedic literature. Seven islands means Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Oceania. These seven islands are mentioned. Description is there. So this Bhāratavarṣa... This planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. Now it is divided. Now it is divided because on account of loss of the old Vedic culture we have now divided. I am thinking, "I am Indian," you are thinking, "Australian." Another is thinking, "American" or "Englishman." These divisions have come very lately, say about three thousand, four thousand years ago. Before that, this planet was one. There was only one king. We get this information from Vedic literature. And he was ruling all over, then. The culture was one. That is Vedic culture. Still, I hear some of my student was telling that in Australia there is some Hindu temple somewhere.
"In every millennium, every yuga..." There are different periods, just like in the whole year there are different periods in your country called summer, winter, fall, spring. They are coming by rotation. Similarly, there is rotation of time which is divided into four millenniums called Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga. So Kṛṣṇa says that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. Now, one may inquire that "Kṛṣṇa appeared in the Tretā-yuga. And when He is going to appear in the Kali-yuga?" That is also mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in the Kali-yuga there are three different incarnations mentioned in the Bhāgavatam or any other authentic Vedic literature. One incarnation is Lord Buddha, and another incarnation is Lord Caitanya, and another incarnation, in the last stage of this age, is Kalki, so far we get from the authority of Bhāgavatam.
If it is possible for ordinary human being, how much energy is in stock of Kṛṣṇa, and how He can perform everything perfectly. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Everything comes out nicely. So much energy is there. Inconceivable energy. That is God.
So that energy is divided into three. Material energy, spiritual energy and marginal energy. We are marginal energy. We living entities, we belong to the marginal energy, taṭastha-śakti. Marginal means we can remain in the material energy or in the spiritual energy. Now, at the present moment, every one of us, we are under the control of the material energy. You can understand it very easily. Just like government. The government, that is one energy working. Similarly, the prison house, that is also another energy working. And the citizens, that is also another, another energy working. But the citizens are marginal. They can remain outside the prison walls and inside the prison walls. Therefore they are called marginal.
So that is called paro dharmaḥ. Paro dharmaḥ means... Paraḥ means superior, and dharmaḥ means occupational duty. Everyone has got occupational duty. It doesn't matter, either you are a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. Everyone has got occupational duty. That is human society. Human society means when the society is divided into these eight divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Varṇāśrama-dharma. That is Vedic civilization.
They are all equal because my hand is as much important as my brain. But although comparatively my brain is more important than my hand, that is comparative. But you require the brain. So at the present moment, why the society is chaotic condition? Because there is no brāhmaṇa. That is the defect. So society must be divided in the material stage of this brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And gradually, everyone should be educated to become brāhmaṇa. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. Then he will understand what is bhakti.
Simply knowing Brahman is not perfect knowledge; you must know what is Paramātmā, you must know what is the Personality of Godhead. Therefore it is addressed here, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ.
There are many in that meeting at Naimiṣāraṇya. The human society should be divided into four classes of men, not that everything is a drunkard, that's all. This is not civilization; this is animal life. There must be first-class men. There is already, just like you are, you are all first class, but they will not admit. They will admit drunkard first class. That is a different thing. But you are all first class, devotees of Kṛṣṇa. So there must be first class, second class, third class, fourth class, because this material world is conducted under the influence of three qualities—goodness, passion and ignorance. How you can avoid it? So those who are on the platform of goodness, they are first-class men. Those who are on the platform of passion, they are second-class men.
They may have two hands, two legs, but they are simply animals, that's all, no better than animals.
So actually human civilization begins when there is varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ, four varṇas and four āśramas. Here is brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. Unless human society is scientifically divided in this varṇāśrama system, it is animal society. It is not man's society. Therefore he is stressing varṇāśrama. Not others who are not within the category of varṇāśrama, they are animals. So when the human society comes to the system of varṇāśrama-dharma, then they can think about God. Otherwise it is not possible. Animal, how they can think about God? Because you are all first-class boys and girls, therefore you have come to hear about God. Now if you call first-class dogs, they will not come, that is not possible.
So this requires intelligence. That intelligence is divided into this varṇāśrama-dharma. There must be intelligent class of men, brāhmaṇa. They are called intelligent class of men. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). The society must be divided into four classes for cooperation—I have explained yesterday. So at the present moment, two classes are wanting: the brāhmaṇa class and the kṣatriya class. The vaiśya class and the śūdra class and less than śūdra class are there. Because in the Kali-yuga, it is stated, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. Kalau, in this age, most, major portion of the population will be śūdras. Śūdras means fourth-class men. Fourth-class men means śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam. What is that? Paricaryātmakaṁ karma (BG 18.44). Just like dog. A dog, unless it has got a nice master, it is street dog. A street dog. It has no value. Anyone can kill, and it has no shelter, loitering in the street. So śūdra means dog's position. If he does not get a nice master, then he's street dog. In spite of high education, M.A., Ph.D, D.A.C, and this and that, if he does not get any employment, he's street dog. What is his value? Eh? "Oh, I have studied high technical education." But if you do not get a service for using your education, then you are a street dog. Is it not?
And if you continue this, then you'll lose all your opportunities. Artificially, you cannot remain opulent for many days. There were so many empires-Roman Empire, British Empire, Moghul Empire. These were artificial. If you systematically follow the Vedic principles as it is ordered by Kṛṣṇa... Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). You must divide the society according to quality and work, four classes of men: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And less than śūdra, they are neglected. Not neglected, they are incorrigible. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, even those who are incorrigible, they can be devotee. That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:
Why these Muslims were neglected? Why they were not turned into Vaiṣṇavas, just like we are doing? This is the fault of the leaders. Therefore India is now divided, Pakistan and Hindustan.
So if we actually try to understand Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is solution for all the problems of society, of government, and everything. It is not a sentimental movement. Vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ. One must increase the taste for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa came. He came not only to dance with the gopīs. He took part in politics. He killed so many demons. He established good government. He showed how householders' life. Kṛṣṇa It is all in our Kṛṣṇa book, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He was lying with His beautiful queens, and as soon as there is cock crow, immediately He would rise, early in the morning, three o'clock. The queens will be disgusted: "Now it is early in the morning. Kṛṣṇa will go away." But Kṛṣṇa immediately gave up the company of the wife and immediately rise and immediately take bath and do the needful as it is enjoined in the Vedic performances.
Not one, two, three or one thousand, three thousand. No. We have not seen. Even the biologists, or the anthropologists, they cannot calculate. But from authoritative, revealed scripture we get this information that there are eight, eight, 8,400,000's of species of life of which human beings, they are divided into 400,000's species of life. And eighty, eighty million, eight million, there are other species of life. But Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, claims that all of them, never mind, either he is bird or beast or man or a snake or whatever he may..., god, or semi-god, demigod, anything, whatever... "There are different forms, but apart from the forms, real identity is that all of them, they are My sons. I am actually bīja-pradaḥ pitā, seed-giving father." Just like the father gives the seed, and the mother receives the seed, and the body is formed according to the mother's body. And when the body is completely formed, it comes out, either from cats, either from dog, either from man, or anything. That is the process of generation.
So Viṣṇu asya devatā. For this reason brāhmaṇa's another title is Vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava. Or brāhmaṇa-paṇḍita.
So on account of the three guṇas, there are three types of Vedic literatures. Not directly śruti, but smṛti, the purāṇas, they are divided into three divisions: sāttvika-purāṇa, rājasika-purāṇa and tāmasika-purāṇa. Śiva Purāṇa, Devī Purāṇa, they are sāttvika, rājasika. Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa, Viṣṇu Purāṇa, Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa, they are sāttvika-purāṇas. The whole scheme is that everyone, every living entity within this material world, they are infected. That we have discussed. The most inferior infection is the rajas-tamas. And the superior rajas, uh, sattva-guṇa, that is also infection, but it is less harmful, whereas the infection of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa is very much embarrassing.
Upendra: "After this such fortunate living entities have no more to come within the occasional material creation. But those who can not catch up the constitutional truth are again kept merged into the mahat-tattva at the time of annihilation of the material creation. When the creation is again set up this mahat-tattva is again let loose and this mahat-tattva contains all the ingredients of material manifestations including the conditioned souls. Primarily this mahat-tattva is divided into sixteen parts namely the five gross material elements and the eleven working instruments or senses."
Prabhupāda: Five elements means the sky, air, then fire, water, and earth. And five senses acquiring knowledge, just like eyes, ear, tongue, smelling. We are acquiring knowledge by these... And working five senses, hands, legs, the genital, and in this way there are five working senses and five knowledge-acquiring senses, and mind is the center. Therefore eleven. Eleven plus five elements equal to sixteen. Go on.
Upendra: "It is like the cloud in the clear sky. In the spiritual sky, the effulgence of Brahman is spread all round and the whole system is dazzling in spiritual light. The mahat-tattva is assembled in some corner of the that vast unlimited spiritual sky and the part which is thus covered by the mahat-tattva is called the material sky."
You cannot stay anywhere more than some time." So even a Vaiṣṇava has to face some difficulty while preaching devotional service; even Nārada.
So sātvata-tantra means books or literature of devotional service. In the Vedas there are different departments, they are divided into three parts-karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Therefore the other name of the Vedas is trayī. Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā: (SB 1.4.25) for women, for śūdras and for dvija-bandhus, sons of the higher class but not properly educated. Bandhu means friend, a man born by a brāhmaṇa father, but he is not qualified as a brāhmaṇa. He will be called a dvija-bandhu, not dvija. Dvija means twice-born; actually he is twice-born. The birds are also called twice-born: one birth is the egg, and the other birth is from the egg, closed. Similarly every human being is born śūdra, without any knowledge.
We make such, I mean to say, shareholder. But shareholder for other's property. Everything belongs to God. Not only this world—there are many millions and millions of planet. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. Loka means planet. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-loka-maheśvaram. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka... (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor. But we are dividing: "This is American," "This is Indian." But how long you will remain American and Indian? Say, fifty years. Then if you are going to be a dog, then who is saving your country? This is going on. Nothing belongs to us, except everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, and we are all offspring of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone has got the right to father's property, but not to encroach others' property. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam (ISO 1). If people accept this philosophy, then the whole world becomes Vaikuṇṭha. There is no quarrel. There is no... Everything becomes happy.
"My dear king, you rule over the country in this fashion. People will be happy." So when the kings became sensuous, they thought that the kingdom is their father's property. They haven't got to do anything with the people. They can employ the taxes for sense gratification, as it is going on now. Whatever taxes are levied, they are divided among the government servant. That's all. You don't get any benefit. You are simply paid, to pay tax. That's all. You don't get any benefit. That is everywhere, the modern government. So such thing happens because this material world is such that even if you make very nice arrangement, it will deteriorate. The time factor. So sometimes, when it happens so that the administrators, nṛpān, the kings, were neglectful in their proper duty, so it was so much aggravated, at that time Jamadagni, Bhṛgupati, he took the matter, took his sword. He was a brāhmaṇa, but to chastise these irresponsible kings, He killed them, killed them seven into three times, twenty-one times.
So how he will pay if he has not made any profit this year? Just like we are hearing there is no good monsoon in India this year. So there will be no very much good production. But if there is no good production, the government should not levy any tax. But now, at the present moment, "You go to hell, but you must pay the tax. And we divide the tax amongst ourself." That's all. Finished. Or we employ the taxes for fighting, for declaring war. That's all.
So at the present moment we are in a very, very deplorable condition, no good government. Simply by changing, by so-called parties, the government cannot improve. The government can improve when there are Kṛṣṇa conscious person. So if some day you turn all the people Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you become president.
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
- tataḥ saptadaśe jātaḥ
- satyavatyāṁ parāśarāt
- cakre veda-taroḥ śākhā
- dṛṣṭvā puṁso 'lpa-medhasaḥ
- (SB 1.3.21)
Translation: "Thereafter, in the seventeenth incarnation of Godhead, Śrī Vyāsadeva appeared in the womb of Satyavatī, wife of Parāśara Muni, and he divided the one Veda into several branches and sub-branches, seeing that the people in general were less intelligent."
Prabhupāda: So this Parāśara actually was not husband of Satyavatī. When Satyavatī was not married, Parāśara gave birth to Vyāsadeva. Later on Satyavatī became the wife of Mahārāja Śantanu, father of Bhīṣmadeva. This Satyavatī was the daughter of a fisherman. She was neither born of a brāhmaṇa father or kṣatriya father. So formerly, a higher-caste man could accept a girl born of lower caste, but a lower-caste man could not accept a girl born of higher caste. That was the system. Because in the śāstra it is... Ordinary, I mean to say, instructive śāstra.
A very exalted status of society. So this Satyavatī is a famous woman in the history. Satyavatī. The whole Pāṇḍu-vaṁśa from Satyavatī. So now, here it is said that tataḥ saptadaśe jātaḥ satyavatyāṁ parāśarāt. Parāśarāt, semina given by Parāśara Muni in the womb of Satyavatī, satyavatyām. And cakre veda-taroḥ śākhāḥ. Veda, the knowledge, he divided. Vyāsadeva divided into many branches. Therefore Vyāsadeva is known as Veda-vyāsa. He expanded the Vedic knowledge. Formerly there was only one Veda, Atharva-veda. And this Atharva-veda was learned by tradition, by hearing from the spiritual master. There was no book. Therefore Veda is known as śruti. Śruti means hearing. The spiritual master will recite Vedic mantra, and the disciples will hear. Just like we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra or any other Vedic mantra. You hear. But there was no need of book. His memory was so sharp that once heard from the lips of the spiritual master, the students become completely well versed. There was no need of book.
So poor people, as soon as there is Communist government, they are under the influence: "If you don't do this, then you'll be shot." By force. The people do not know what is government generally. They want to live peacefully. They want a secure place. So that is not their business, modern government. Their only business is how to collect tax and divide it amongst the government servants. That's all.
So this is the beginning of Kali-yuga. Only we have passed five thousand years, but the duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. So only we have passed five thousand years. In this way... This is called sandhyā, junction. I have already explained that junction means day and night. Day passing, night is coming, that is called junction. Morning passing, noon coming, that is another junction, meridian. So early in the morning and during sunset and in the middle, joining of noon, morning and noon, these are called tri-sandhyā. Tri means three.
Materially we cannot understand. But there is a form. We get the information from the śāstra, although we cannot see it with our material eyes. Śāstra says that every living entity is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. Śāstra says. Everyone has seen the tip of the hair, but he has no idea how to divide it into ten thousand parts. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra. Agra. Agra means tip, keśa means hair. So you just imagine only that you see the top, tip of the hair, and divide it into ten thousand parts. That one part is the form of the living entity. (aside:) Who is extending the...? This is not good.
India's real name is Bhāratavarṣa. Perhaps you know. Bhāratavarṣa. This whole planet was known in the beginning as Ilāvṛtavarṣa. Then there was a king, Mahārāja Bharata. So according to his name the whole planet became Bhāratavarṣa. This whole planet is called Bhāratavarṣa according to Vedic literature. But now it is now divided. There is a long history, how the human society was distributed all over this planet. So far Mahābhārata is concerned, you Americans or Europeans, you also originally belonged to India, according to Mahābhārata. Turkish civilization and Greece civilization was originally from India. Two sons of Mahārāja Yayāti, they were given kingdom of Turkey and Greece, and from Turkey and Greece the European civilization or population has increased and from Europe, the Americans, they have come here. Of course, that is historical point.
So here Nārada Muni advises that "You have explained..." Dharmādayaś ca artha. "In different literature you have divided the whole Vedas in understandable language, Purāṇas." Purāṇas means supplementary to the Vedas, to explain the Vedic knowledge according to the quality. Every human being is under some quality of the material nature. Some of them are in darkness, or ignorance. Some of them are in passion. And some of them are mixed ignorance and passion. And some of them are in light, or goodness. Not all in the same level. There are different classes of men. Just like in our Hayagrīva's library we find so many philosophical books. But if you go to ordinary man you'll find some nonsensical literature, fiction, and sex psychology, this, that. According to taste. According to taste, different taste. Because there are different classes of men.
Prabhupāda: That was not small. That was very big. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was going on tour because he was the emperor of the whole planet.
Indian: (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Now it is divided.
Indian: (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: No, that was another thing. That was for, fight for the right cause. Not for... It may be politically like that, but the division was there, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And the last, Kṛṣṇa's compromising plan was that "After all, they are kṣatriyas, these five brothers. They cannot take the business of a vaiśya or brāhmaṇa. So give them five villages so that they may be satisfied, ruling over these..." "No, not even land holding the upper portion of the needle." Then there was fight. Then there was fight.
So if by chance somebody becomes attracted by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and gives up his profession, good profession or bad profession... There is no good profession in this material world. Everything is bad. That is... Here we have divided, "This is good, this is bad." This is mental concoction. It has no value, because material world is bad. I have given this example many times. Just like stool, the upside and downside. Downside is moist and upside is dry. If somebody says, "This side is very nice," what is this nonsense? It is stool. Why do you forget that the dry side is good and moist side is bad, but it is stool, this side or that side?
Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Even big, big Vaiṣṇava kings they also retired. Just like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he was always engaged in devotional service. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha (SB 9.4.18)—still, he retired. Still, he retired. After this incidence with Durvāsā, then he divided the property to his sons and he retired. Although he was the most exalted Vaiṣṇava, such a great Vaiṣṇava that because he was put into difficulty by Durvāsā Muni, Kṛṣṇa showed His brilliance and glories in such a way that Durvāsā Muni was attacked by sudarśana-cakra, and for fear of life... Even there is fear, Durvāsā Muni, a great yogi. There is no comparison of his yogic mystic power. Immediately, for the sake of his life, to protect his life, he went all over the universe for protection. And when he could not get the protection, he went to Lord Brahmā, "Kindly give me protection." He refused. "No, it is not possible.
So according to Vedic system, the government has to look after about the ultimate goal of life also. The modern government, they are anxious to give material comforts, but formerly the aim was to, how to educate people for spiritual advancement of life. Therefore the society was divided into four higher and lower divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. You cannot make one class of men. That is not very good arrangement. There must be different departments according to capacity. You cannot engage a śūdra in a brāhmaṇa's position, neither you can engage a brāhmaṇa in the śūdra's position. But every one of them should be cooperating. Not that everyone has got the same capacity. Combinedly, they should make progress, and that progress is yajña. Yajña. Yajña means how to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu. Lord Viṣṇu's another name is Yajña-pati, Yajñeśvara. So in the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated... (coughs strongly) Water. Hmm. Another rascal. While drinking water they have to take. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9).
This has been described by Svarūpa-dāmodara Gosvāmī, rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau (CC Adi 1.5). These are described, that the Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency, Rādhārāṇī, is Kṛṣṇa. But to take pleasure They became two. Ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau. They became divided into two, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Again, Śrī Caitanya, prakaṭam. When Kṛṣṇa came as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combined together. Therefore the devotees of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa or Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they worship śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. They say. This is a fact. So Lord Rāmacandra is also Kṛṣṇa. Sītā-devī is also expansion of Rādhārāṇī. They are the same tattva.
Because we are in the material world, we have no experience of the eternity, what is eternity. We have no experience. We see everything as generated, and then it stays for some time, then it is finished. That is our experience. Janma, mṛtyu, vṛddhi. They have... They have made past, present and future, but it is divided into six development. One takes birth, then it develops, then it stays for some time, then it produces some by-product, then diminishes, and then, I mean to say, finished. Ṣaḍ-vikāra. Ṣaḍ-vikāra. This body, ṣaḍ-vikāra. So eternity, eternity means there is no ṣaḍ-vikāra, the six kinds of changes. There is no birth. There is no death. There is no diminishing. There is no by-product. Everything eternal, eternally existing.
They cannot see the mind, intelligence, ego, and what to speak of the soul? Therefore they say, "This body is everything, and there is nothing more." But actually that is not the fact. The fact is that the spirit soul is very, very small. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra, the tip of the hair, agra-bhāga, front portion, front portion, śata-bhāgasya, you divide into... Can you do it? Take one hair and divide into hundred parts? No, that is not possible. But if... The direction is there. If you can, you can do it. Śata-bhāgasya. Then again take one part of that śata-bhāga, one hundredth part, again make it hundred parts.
So it is not possible, impossible by the so-called scientists. But how to learn? Then you have to learn from the authority, "It is like this," that much. It is not under your experimental knowledge. That is not possible. Because your knowledge is so imperfect, you cannot deal with these things. But these rascals, they think... Because they cannot deal with these things, they think that the matter is the cause of life.
That is the verdict of all Vedic śāstras. What is the meaning of Vedic..., studying Vedas? Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That is the only necessity. To become educated, learned scholar and learned in Vedas, catur-vedi, tri-vedi, dvi-vedi, four-vedi... The brāhmaṇas were divided according to education. Ordinarily they must study, vedi, Vedas. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipraḥ. Without Vedic knowledge, nobody can become a brāhmaṇa. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. And by Vedic knowledge, when one understands Brahman, the Absolute Truth, he becomes brāhmaṇa.
So there are four Vedas: Sāma, Yajur, Ṛk, Atharva. Generally they read one Veda, Sāma-vedi, Ṛg-vedi, Yajur-vedi, vedi. But one who studies two Vedas, he is called dvi-vedi, and the apabhraṁśa is du-veda. And one who studies three Vedas, he's called tri-vedi.
You should fight wholeheartedly." A little criticizing. So to, in order to please Duryodhana, Bhīṣma promised that "Tomorrow I shall kill all the five brothers. Is that all right?" 'Yes, sir. Do that." "So they cannot be saved unless Kṛṣṇa breaks His promise." Kṛṣṇa said that... Both the parties were informed that "It is family fight. I cannot take part in the family. But I can divide Myself into two: My soldiers one side, and I am one side. But even if I am in one side, I'll not fight." So this was His promise, that He would not fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. But Bhīṣma obliged Him to fight, to break His promise in order to save Arjuna. Therefore Bhīṣma conquered over Kṛṣṇa, because He had to break His promise. Arjuna was in such a precarious condition that unless Kṛṣṇa would take up the weapon to stop Bhīṣma, Bhīṣma was determined: "All right, let, let me kill my grandson." So in battlefield, it was a great ocean of fighting, and Bhīṣma, Droṇa, Karṇa, they were compared with big, big sharks, crocodiles in the ocean.
They will be very glad to accept military service, because in their blood the kṣatriya spirit is there. In India there is no scarcity to find out a fighter. But when people are trained as śūdra, how he can fight? Therefore it is very scientific. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society must be divided. There is division already, natural. We have to simply pick out, that "This boy is brāhmaṇa, this boy is kṣatriya, this boy is vaiśya, and this boy is śūdra." So they should be given separate employment. Then there will be peace. If a person is employed according to his natural tendency, he becomes successful, he becomes successful. But if you give some employment, just like to put a cart before a horse, like that, no, that will not be successful.
So what they know? They do not know how to govern, how to bring peace in the country. But this monarchy, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, just see. Because for the sake of his personal interest so many have been killed, he was sorry. Just see. Not that some way or other, you divide India: "Let me become Prime Minister, that's all." We have got political information that in India when it was..., the proposal was for partition, Gandhi was completely against this partition. He said, "Better I will have no independence; still, I shall not allow the country to be divided." He was stubborn on this point. But he was absent, and in the meantime our, the big Prime Minister signed it, agreed, partition because he wanted to be prime minister anyway, some way or other. "Let the country go to hell." This is politician, going on. Not...
The people are suffering for unnecessary increase of price, although things are available in the black market. How to manage this?" That is the duty of the government first. But nobody is caring. Hundreds and thousands of people are starving, unemployment, but they are getting their fat salary, and they are satisfied. Bring income tax and divide amongst themselves, that's all.
So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not that type of king. Therefore he is known as Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira, most pious king. So he was now sorry, and prabodhito 'pi, prabodhito 'pi. He was trying to pacify Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, "Don't be sorry. It is done for the sake of good cause for establishing dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, so don't be sorry," but still, he could not be pacified. Śucārpitaḥ. Śucā means distress. He was so much distressed within his mind that he could not be satisfied.
So we prohibit these four kinds of sinful life: killing of animals and illicit sex... Striya, sūnā, and... Pañca-sūnā. Yes... Striya-sūnā-pāna. Pāna means intoxicants, and dyūta means gambling. So these are four kinds of sinful activities. So out of that, sūnā is one. That is also divided in many divisions, at least five. Willingly, we are not going to kill anybody, but unwillingly... Therefore there is pañca-sūnā-yajña. You have to perform yajña every day to counteract the sinful reaction of your imperceptible killings of animals. That's it. This is Vedic life.
So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja says that "It is not possible to counteract." But indirectly, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja says, that if you... He says simply the negative side, but the positive side is, in this age, simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, you become purified. That is the recommendation by Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
For his sake, sixty-four crores of men were killed in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. So he was not happy although the battle, the fight, was religious fight. It is not whimsical. Just like in the modern days the politicians, they fight unnecessarily to fulfill their desire... Just like in our country, unnecessarily they divided Pakistan, and to fulfill the whims of the leaders, they are fighting with nobody's gain, neither there is any religious principles.
So fighting whimsically by the politicians, that is not sanctioned. There must be dharma-yuddha. Dharma-yuddha means religious fight, fight on religious principles. So what was the religious principle? (aside:) Hm, where is that mat? (Bengali) Saccidānanda. Here it is said, hatvā ātatāyinaḥ. Ātatāyī means aggressor. If somebody comes to your home to kidnap your wife, to take by force your property or to set fire in your house, he is called ātatāyī. He should immediately be killed. It is not that nonviolence nonsense. If somebody is coming to attack you unnecessarily, you must kill him first. It is not Vaiṣṇavism... "Oh, this man is coming to kill me. Right.
The Supreme is vibhu, all powerful. I am aṇu, infinitesimal. Infinite and infinitesimal.
So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, when he was firmly convinced of his position, then he took charge, took charge of ruling over the whole world. Not... Just like at the present moment, India is a small tract of land, and that is also being divided now. Bangladesh has gone out. Pakistan has gone out. Some day some other province will... Not that. The whole world. He took charge of ruling over the whole world. śaśāsa gām indra iva. Indra. Indra is the king of heaven, heavenly planets. So as Indra is powerful... Nobody can even... Indra is never defeated. Sometimes there is fight between the devāsura, asura and deva. But when there is fight between the deva and asura... Deva means the demigod, and asura means the atheist class. They are always existing, the atheist class, two classes of men, atheist class and theist class.
That is nature's law. But human being means culture, advance, in spiritual consciousness. That is human. So this consciousness is developing gradually.
So unless you come to this platform, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), then you must divide the society. Amongst the animals, there is no division. Everyone is on the same status. No. Because the aim is how to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore there must be some system. So that system, unless one comes to the platform of this varṇāśrama-dharma, four divisions, social divisions, and four spiritual divisions, and those divisions are made by Kṛṣṇa Himself, mayā sṛṣṭam, He says. That is natural. But by such institution we can gradually understand what is the aim of life.
Everyone will see the finger falling on the ground. Somebody will say, "Yes..." Somebody, if he knows that it is that man's finger. But this finger is useless. It is simply name "finger." That you have to understand. The finger's value is so long it is attached with the body. As soon as it is separated from the body, it is useless. You can call it finger. Similarly, our societies, human society is divided into so many departments. Generally, it is divided into four classes-intelligent class, administrative class, productive class and worker class, the whole human society. There are certain men who are very intelligent. They are scientists, philosopher, writers, thinker. There are so many department. So similarly, there are politicians, diplomats. Similarly, there are industrialists, agriculturalists and general worker. They are neither intelligent nor administrator, nor producer, but simply worker. You give them some money and they are satisfied. So that is natural division of a society. And you call it by different names.
We take our birth and we accept our death not independently. We are under the another potency. We are also one potency. The potency... There are... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Those potencies have been divided into three. Multi, but roughly, they have been divided into three. One is called internal potency, one is called the external potency, and one is called the marginal potency. So the external potency means this material world. The whole material universe—so many universes, so many planets, stars, skies, and everything—these are the demonstration of the external potency. And similarly, there is the spiritual world. Spiritual world. That we cannot see. That is not within our experience. But we get it from the śāstra. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). Kṛṣṇa says, "There is another nature." Paras tasmāt. "This material nature, beyond that there is another nature."
So long you are, you must try your best to do things according to the prescription, according to the injunction. But it is also your duty to retire from family life. Therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja... It is not that he has to work up the end point of his life. No. The life is divided... That is Vedic civilization: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. So at the end of life, one must retire from family life. Therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja decided, "Now things are deteriorating." But that was taken care of, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, his next descendant. That is king's duty. But so far Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is concerned, he did not like to bother any more, because he has his personal duty also. That is retirement, completely engage himself to the service of the Lord.
So everyone should retire at a certain age. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. As soon as one is fifty years old, he must retire. He must retire. Not that he will say, "I have got this duty, that duty, that duty." No. Within this age, whatever duty you can perform, that's all right. Next, to retire. That is Vedic civilization. So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja concluded to retire from the service.
He could not stand even. He was doing like this, always. Still he would not give up. Similarly, Jawaharlal Nehru, he was paralyzed. Unless he was dead, he could not give up.
So this is not Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization is that at a certain age, you must retire. Never mind. The age is divided into four parts: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. So Vedic civilization means varṇāśrama-dharma, accepting the institution of four varṇas and four āśramas. Social and spiritual order. For social order there must be brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and for spiritual order, there must be brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. This is the system. So unless you accept this institution of varṇāśrama-dharma, you are not considered as civilized man, Ārya, Āryan.
Nitāi: "The system of four orders of life and four castes in terms of quality and work known as the varṇāśrama-dharma is the beginning of real human life. And Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, as the protector of the system of human activities, timely retired from the active life as a sannyāsī handing over the charge of the administration to a trained prince, Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The scientific system of varṇāśrama-dharma divides the human life in four divisions of occupation and four orders of life. The four orders of life as brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa, are to be followed by all, irrespective of the occupational division. Modern politicians do not wish to retire from active life even if they are old enough, but Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, as an ideal king, voluntarily retired from active administrative life..."
Prabhupāda: Yes. We have referred to the politicians, because king means he is also politician. As soon as we speak of king, he is in politics. So these are the example. Although he was also great politician, he had to fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, he had to adopt diplomacy, everything, but not that he would forget his real duty. This is perfect civilization, that one should not forget the real duty. The real duty is to fulfill the mission of the human life. The mission of human life is to understand God. And God is there, you cannot deny, God is there. But we do not know what is God, what is our relationship with Him. That we do not know. Just like in your country, the currency notes are advertised, "In God We Trust." But if we ask anybody that "This is the slogan of your state. What do you know about God?"
And here you see in comparison, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the emperor of the whole world, and so much opulence... I think any executive officer of any state has bangles or ornaments or jewels? No. There is no possibility. But he is giving up, everything. He divided the kingdom to his grandsons, to the grandson of Kṛṣṇa and others. And now he is becoming completely nir, no possessions. No possessions. Why? Nirmama nirahaṅkāraḥ. Nirmama. Nirmama means... Mama means "my." Mama means "my." And nir means negation. This is called nirmama. And nirahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra, "egotism," and nir means "not."
So in order to become nirmama... Because here, material world, we are simply fighting, "It is mine, mine." The Arabians, they are, "This oil tank, this oil deposit is mine." Or "our." The same thing, individually or collectively. You just make up a gang, and you steal something, and then you say, "It is our."
Now, these classes of men, who goes to the government post by votes, mostly they are, their qualification is lubdhai rājanya, greedy government men. Nirghṛṇair dasyu-dhar... Their business is plundering. Their business is plundering you. We actually see that they are, every year they are exacting heavy tax, and whatever money is received, they divide amongst themselves, and the citizens' condition remain the same. In every government we can see like that. Prajā dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. In this way, gradually, all people will be so much harassed, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā, that they will like to give up their family. Ācchinna. Dāra. Dāra means wife, and draviṇā means money. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam. They will in the forest. Then these symptoms are also there.
"Mother..." No, Yudhiṣṭhira said, "Mother, we have got a great boon today." So mother was affectionate. She said, "All right, my dear boys. Just equally share amongst your brothers." So she was only woman. So by the order of Kuntī, although Arjuna achieved the hand of Draupadī, by the order of mother, she was divided amongst the five brothers. Therefore patīnām. Patīnām. And when she was insulted, because she was lost in the gambling... Bet was that "This time if you lose, then your Draupadī should be lost." So she was lost in that way.
So Karṇa was refused to take part in the sporting, piercing the eyes of the fish, because Draupadī actually knew that "Arjuna is my real husband. So if Karṇa takes part in this sporting..." Karṇa was powerful. He would gain. But she did not like Karṇa. Therefore at that time she said that "This sporting is meant for the kṣatriyas, not for the śūdras." Karṇa was known at that time as śūdra. You will find all these stories in the Mahābhārata. Karṇa was also Yudhiṣṭhira's brother, born of Kuntī before her marriage. So Kuntī did not disclose that Karṇa was her son, but he was raised by a śūdra. People knew that he was a śūdra.
Not like that. Husband means who takes charge of the girl for life, and wife means the girl who has the resolution to serve the husband throughout life. That is husband and wife. And when the wife is in danger, the husband's duty is to give protection, at any cost. That is husband-wife relationship.
But when one is going to retire, that is another thing. Because life is divided into four parts: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. So woman has got three positions. They require protection. Women is never allowed to become renounced order of life. No. They are supposed to be under the care of somebody. So early age under the care of father, young age under the care of husband, and old age under the care of grown-up children, sons. This is woman's position. They remain always under the care of. So Draupadī was being taken care of their husband, but when the husbands were going for renounced order of life, anapekṣatām, without caring, she could understand, "Now I will be uncared for.
So it was the duty of the king to go on tour and see persons who are actually not abiding by the laws of Vedic principles. This is the duty of the king. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: (BG 4.13) "In the human society I have divided four classes of men." Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). Kṛṣṇa says, "I have done it."
So by nature, there are four classes of men. Anywhere you go you'll find four classes of men. First-class, intelligent men. In whichever you take, you'll find not all of them of the same category. First class, second class, third class and fourth class. First class means the most intelligent class, scientists, philosophers, like that; mathematicians, great religionists. They're first-class men. The second class, administrator, to see that the government is going nicely, people are not unhappy, people are not suffering from thieves and rogues. This is the first business.
The cow is being questioned, "Whether you are afraid of the meat-eaters who want to eat you?" Vṛṣalaiḥ. What is the meaning of vṛṣalaiḥ? Unlawful meat-eaters. Unlawful meat-eaters. Just like at the modern age everyone is unlawful meat-eaters. There is a certain class of men always who are meat-eaters; not the higher class. The society is divided into four classes: the first class, namely the brahminical class; second class, the kṣatriya, less important; the third class, the mercantile, less important; and the fourth class, less important. And below the fourth class, they are not counted amongst human beings. This is the Vedic division. So, the first class means the brāhmaṇas; kṣatriyas second class; and third class, vaiśyas. They did not eat meat. Among the fourth class, fifth class men, they used to eat meat. Fifth class means caṇḍāla, pañcama, fifth class. Caṇḍāla, they eat pigs and dogs, dog-eaters, pig-eaters.
So that is a real civilization of life, to understand, to appreciate, to appreciate the greatness of God. That is real civilization.
So, there is a process how to appreciate, how to become qualified to appreciate, and that system is called varṇāśrama-dharma, to divide the whole human society into four classes of men: the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. And those who are not regulated, they are pañcamas, below the śūdras. So the, our subject matter was unlawful meat-eaters. So even the śūdras, who are meat-eaters, they're lawful meat-eaters. What is that lawful meat-eating? Lawful meat-eating is... In any religion, formerly, even the Muhammadans or Hindus or the Jews, they used to kill one animal as sacrifice. They used to kill. Not in the slaughterhouse. Even up to date, those who are strictly religious followers... Suppose the Muhammadans. There in the Koran, the injunction is that "You should sacrifice one animal in the mosque."
"I cannot pay." If you apply to the court... I do not know whether this act is there in your country. In India there is insolvency act. If one is debtor, then his assets, then he submits to the court that "I have got so much asset and I have got so much debt. So people may not harass me, the court may divide amongst my creditors whatever I have got." This is called insolvency. So court decides that he has got thousand dollars' debt, but he has got only hundred dollars, so that hundred dollars is divided: "You take this and be satisfied." He is not... That is called insolvency. That is in terms of debts.
But so far the debts of the daughter, it is not debt, it is called dāya, kanyā-dāya. Debt you can take insolvency, but dāya means it is so obligatory, there is no such question that you can get relief from it. It must be... Therefore the word is used, kanyā-dāya. Still in India, the process is as soon as the girl is grown up the father is very anxious to find out a suitable boy and hand her over.
If you are in love with God, then you'll forget material love. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Bhakti, love of Godhead, the symptom is that he's no more in love with material things. That is the test. You cannot... Just like you cannot love two persons. That is divided. One love concentrated, that is perfect love. Similarly, another example is given that we are all hankering after love. Because we do not find whom to love, therefore we place our love even cats and dogs. We love a dog. Anyone who has no other object to love, no children, no family, no wife—all right, keep a cat, keep a dog. But love is there.
So that love is deserved for Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So the more we learn how to love the Supreme Lord, that is perfection of life. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. And what kind of love? Ahaituky apratihatā: that love is not motivated, that "I want this thing; therefore I shall love."
Yes. You have got body, shape, very minute shape. That we cannot see, we cannot measure. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, anumeyam, or... What is that? You cannot measure. What is that word used? Aprameyam. Aprameyam. You cannot measure. But it has a form. How, what is the length and breadth of that form, that is not in your power. In your power, but not materially. That is... If you have got spiritual power, then you can measure it. And that measurement is also given in the śāstra. What is that? One ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. Hair is a very small point. And divide it into ten thousand parts. That one part is the measure, magnitude of the soul.
If I simply remain engaged in religious principles and nobody is engaged where to get food... Because food also is required. So therefore not only religious principle, there must be economic development attempt also. But not one-man show. We should divide our society in such a way that somebody, some group of men is engaged in studying the dharma principle and spreading it. Just like we have taken the principle, generally, to spread what is meant by real dharma. That is the business of the brāhmaṇa. And similarly, some group of men should be kṣatriya for ruling over. Unless there is discipline, ruling, everything will be chaos. The government must be there. The principle of directors must be there. So dharma, artha, kāma. And we must live peacefully. Our senses should not disturb us. Because we have got senses, they want satisfaction. So we must give food them also, senses. Dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa. But ultimate goal is how to get out of this material existence. This is four principles: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. And mokṣa, by the impersonalists, their mokṣa and real mokṣa... Real mokṣa... Mokṣa means liberation. Liberation means to get out of this material existence.
Now the president in your country is being questioned so many ways because he has proved himself not truthful. So this is a forgotten story, truthfulness. That is brahminical qualification. All these qualifications are mentioned. It is not possible to acquire all the qualities by one man. That is not possible. Just like we divide some... If there is something to be done, we divide the task, "Mr. You, you do this. And you, you do this. You do this." Similarly, all these qualities must be divided amongst the whole population. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā we have got the direction from the Supreme Lord, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). One man cannot be... Suppose a businessman. A businessman, he cannot become strictly truthful. That is not possible. A politician, he cannot become actually truthful. Then the whole business will be spoiled. Everyone... Suppose you go to a store. The storekeeper says, "Oh, you are my dear friend. I will not take any profit from you. I will give you at cost price. You take." So you believe, But actually, how it is possible to give at cost price? How he'll maintain the business establishment? I know that he's speaking untruth, still, I accept, "Oh, he is very truthful." So there are so many things.
No, no, no. She is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa divided Himself into His energy and Himself. That energy, original spiritual energy, is Rādhārāṇī. That is stated by Jīva Gosvāmī. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmāt. When Kṛṣṇa wants pleasure, He cannot accept the inferior energy. The same superior energy, Kṛṣṇa, is divided into two. That is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And again, when they unite, that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Divided, they are Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and united, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. Anya means another. So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And when they are divided into two, that is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. This is the purport. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau, śrī-caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptam (CC Adi 1.5). These are the conclusion. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combination. But He is playing the part of Rādhārāṇī to understand Kṛṣṇa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Because the whole world is running on under three qualitative divisions. And under these three qualitative divisions, some of them are very intelligent class of men, some of them are administrator class of men, some of them are trader class of men, some of them simply worker. So this subject matter is also divided into three groups according to the quality of the readers or hearers. Here Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "For ordinary general people, there are many thousands varieties of subject matter for hearing." Just like you have got, especially in your country, so many varieties of magazines. So some time ago I was seeing that there is a society, Diabetic Society. All the diabetic persons are members of the society and they have got magazine, and that is also distributed very widely. So that is nice division, different division. So that is the point not now, it was also in the past days.
This planet, earthly planet, is called Bhāratavarṣa because it was ruled over by the King Bharata. Gradually, the original Vedic culture lost, Aryan, Aryan family... You French people, you are also Aryan family, but the culture is lost now. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is actually reviving the original Aryan culture. Bhārata. We are all inhabitants of Bhāratavarṣa, but as we lost our culture, it became divided. Now it is divided into so many countries: "This is India," "This is France," "This is Germany," "This is this," "This is this." But formerly, the whole planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. One culture, Vedic culture, one flag. Now they have increased hundreds and thousands of flags. So actually, if you want United Nations, unity, then you must take this culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, again to become Bhārata. That will save the situation.
Cats and dogs they have no church, no temple, that they have to go. It is for the human beings. Therefore śāstra says that dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. If in the human society there is no culture of religion, then it is animal society. It is not human society.
So this human society should be divided into eight divisions. That is first-class human society. Just like any organization, any establishment, there are divisions of labor. The directing board, board of directors there are, then the secretarial board, then ordinary clubs, then menial, then workers. There must be division; otherwise it's chaotic. Nowhere you'll find without division it is going on very smoothly. There must be division. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). It is ordered by God that there should be four divisions for the materialistic condition of life and four divisions for spiritual upliftment. So there must be the brāhmaṇa, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13).
Prabhupāda: (interrupting, correcting Pradyumna's pronunciation) In the text, it is yadā. So why it is divided in that way "yad ā"? The text is yadā. Yadā means "when." Jñānaṁ yadā pratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram. Read it.
Pradyumna: (continues chanting, then devotees chant verse)
Prabhupāda:
- jñānaṁ yadā pratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram
- ātma-prasāda uta yatra guṇeṣv asaṅgaḥ
- kaivalya-sammata-pathas tv atha bhakti-yogaḥ
- ko nirvṛto hari-kathāsu ratiṁ na kuryāt
- (SB 2.3.12)
Word meaning? (synonyms read) Jñānaṁ yadā pratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram. Knowledge, progressive knowledge, so, when it comes to the real standard, yadā, jñānaṁ yadā, when the knowledge or speculative empiric knowledge, pratinivṛtta-guṇormi-cakram, no more affected by the waves of these modes of nature ... Our present conditioned stage is due to our being carried away by the waves of material nature. We are being carried away. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has translated in his song, keno māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi.
They have no grievance for their living condition. They are happy. At the same time, they are preparing for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is good government. And the government who simply levies taxes somehow or other... Every year, the budget is increasing tax. "You give us tax, and you go to hell. It doesn't matter. You give us tax." And the tax is divided amongst themselves. That is government. Whatever... We know in India, the tax collected, eighty percent is spent among the government servants. That's all.
So this is the position of Kali-yuga. Mlecchā rājanya-rūpiṇo bhakṣayiṣyanti prajās te. That is predicted in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in Kali-yuga the mlecchas, means the rejected from human society, such persons, rogues and fools and rascals, they will take the post of king. Rājanya-rūpiṇaḥ. They are unworthy to be kicked, but they will take the post of government.
This America is mine. You cannot enter." So this is the karmī's position. Falsely, they are claiming proprietorship, which does not belong to them. Thieves, rather; they are thieves, rogues. There is a story that a, a group of thieves, they plundered some booty, some property, somewhere, and then, out of the town, they were dividing. So one of the thieves was speaking, "Please divide the property morally." Now, the property's stolen property, and they are speaking of "morally." Devil recites scripture. Similarly, you Americans, you have come from Europe, you have stolen this property. Now you are speaking of morality.
So not you. Everyone. Nothing belongs to us. There is no question of morality unless one surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Everything immoral for a person who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, everything immoral.
That is wanted, not to see the vouchers only, "How many books you have sold, and how many books are in the stock?" That is secondary. You may keep vouchers... If one is engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, there is no need of vouchers. That is... Everyone is doing his best. That's all. So we have to see that things are going on very nicely. So in that way the GBC members should divide some zones and see very nicely that things are going on, that they are chanting sixteen rounds, and temple management is doing according to the routine work, and the books are being thoroughly discussed, being read, understood practically. These things are required. Now, suppose you go to sell some book and if somebody says, "You have read this book? Can you explain this verse?" then what you will say? You will say, "No. It is for you. It is not for me. I have to take money from you. That's all." Is that very nice answer?
This is... "You Write books on this principle, that they are sticking to their so-called religious principle, so if anyone giving up his own religious system or occupational duty..." Religion means this sva-dharma. Sva-dharma means that the whole human society is divided into four classes—brāhmaṇas, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—in different names maybe: intelligent class, administrative class, mercantile class, and laborer class. It may be in different names, but these four classes, division, is there all over the world in different names. So sva-dharma means, intelligent class means they are interested in philosophy, in religion, in uplifting the human society to the proper position. That is intelligent class. And administrator class means they are interested in giving protection to the people. Now it is under nationalism. And give them protection from the enemies, from thieves, from rogues. That is the duty of the kṣatriya. Kṣat. Kṣatta means injury, and tra means one who protects or liberates.
We suffer on account of our sinful activities. So here everything is sinful. Anything you do in this material world, that is sin. Even your so-called service to the society, country, they are also sinful. Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna. This material world is so polluted, everything is polluted here. So here we have divided that "This is nice, and this is bad." This is simply mental concoction. There is nothing good here; everything is bad. That should be the conclusion. But we have divided: "This is very good, and this is very bad." Everything is very bad. There is no question of good because there is no connection of God.
So here is the picture of God, bhṛtya-prasādābhimukhaṁ dṛg-āsavam. Bhṛtya-prasāda. He is always ready to bless the servants, just like a father. Here you have got some little examples, father and mother. Without any service from the child, he is always ready to bless, always ready. He does not take any offense.
Tattva-saṅkhyātā. Saṅkhyātā means expounder, and tattva means the Absolute Truth. So Absolute Truth is Bhagavān Himself, Kṛṣṇa Himself. So we cannot understand the Absolute Truth or the Supreme Person by mental speculation. That is not possible, especially when we are under the influence of the three modes of material nature because material nature is divided into three status: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, and tamo-guṇa. Those who are in the sattva-guṇa, they are fit for understanding the Absolute Truth. Sattva-guṇa means the brahminical qualification. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). They can understand. Therefore, in our Vedic conception of human society there must be a class of men, actually brāhmaṇa. Then they will be able to expound the real truth of life. If everyone becomes śūdra, then the Absolute Truth cannot be understood.
That is called yajña. And this process can be executed when the human society is very regulated. Regulated means there must be division of these varṇas and āśramas. Varṇa means four varṇas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. They have got their respective duties. So unless the human society is divided into these eight scientific divisions and everyone acts according to his position, there cannot be any peace in the world. That is called varṇāśrama.
Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān, viṣṇur ārādhyate... (CC Madhya 8.58). The ultimate goal is to satisfy the Lord, Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). But the foolish people, they do not know. Their ultimate interest is how to satisfy Viṣṇu. Viṣṇur ārādhyate. So when there is dharmasya glāniḥ, then Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, by His incarnation or personally, He comes. Therefore it is said, yad yad vidhatte bhagavān.
Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. You remain in your position, in your place. You do not require to change it. Sthāne sthitāḥ.
Sthāne sthitāḥ means the varṇāśrama, four varṇas and four āśramas. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. So this is civilization. Unless the society is divided into these eight divisions, that is animal civilization. That is not human civilization. You must be systematized, regulated system. Just like in this body there are different divisions: the head division, the arm division, the belly division, and the leg division. Similarly, without these four divisions, no society can be conducted very nicely. Then it will be chaos. So sthāne sthitāḥ means to remain in these regulative principles of varṇāśrama. That is called sthāne sthitāḥ. You remain in your position. It doesn't require you have to change. It is not that a śūdra, without becoming a brāhmaṇa... Of course, śūdra will become brāhmaṇa—by hearing. Brāhmaṇa means brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ.
Durbhikṣa means when you do not get even bhikṣā. This is the most lowest profession. It is highest also. The sannyāsīs, they go door to door, bhikṣā. Brahmacārī go to door to door. Our Vedic civilization is that in the society there are four divisions: the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, the vānaprastha, and the sannyāsī. Suppose there are hundred men in a village or in a place. The society is divided into four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha... So... This is material calculation. Suppose if there are hundred men, seventy-five men are to be considered brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsī. So these seventy-five men will live at the cost of the twenty-five men, gṛhastha. Gṛhastha has to give alms to the brahmacārī, to the vānaprastha, and to the sannyāsa. Just see how nice communism. The one twenty-five-percent group, they are earning, and they are maintaining seventy-five men. So they are living by bhikṣā. Brahmacārī will go door to door, "Mother, give me alms," and they'll give. The sannyāsī will go.
The separated expansions we are. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. And viṣṇu-tattva also expansion of Kṛṣṇa. But viṣṇu-tattva is vibhu; we are aṇu—very, very small. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca, jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ (CC Madhya 19.140). The, if you divide the top portion of your hair into one hundred parts, then take one part, again divide into one hundred parts, that is the dimension of the jīva. Therefore aṇu. Aṇu means like atom. And Kṛṣṇa is vibhu. So therefore Kṛṣṇa is ādya. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Kṛṣṇa says, and Devahūti says also, the same thing.
Therefore by studying Vedic literature, we can understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore one must seek for a Vedic teacher. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Not that "At home, by speculation, I can understand what is God." That is not produce.(?) Vedas says... Just like if you want to be educated, you must accept some school. It doesn't matter whether the school is perfect or not perfect, but you cannot avoid school going. That is not possible. If you think that "Without going to school, I shall learn everything," that is not possible.
He was not Hindu, because He's describing Himself, nāham. Nāham means "I am not, I am not." He's declining. What He's declining? "I am not brāhmaṇa, I am not kṣatriya, I am not vaiśya, I am not śūdra, I am not brahmacārī, I am not gṛhastha, I am not vānaprastha, I am not sannyāsī." The Vedic system of human life is divided into eight departmental activities, and that is going on under the name of Hinduism. It is now broken and degraded and so many things have happened. But actually, what is called Vedic system, that Vedic system is not meant for a particular class of men, but it is meant for the human society. Actually, human activities actually begins when they observe these eight principles of social divisions. More or less, they observe in any human society. What is that? Brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means the most intelligent class of men of the society. Philosophers, scientists, astronomers, so many, intelligent class. So in every society there is a class of men who are very intelligent than ordinary men. Then kṣatriya.
So this is self-realization. We must understand our position. In the Purāṇas also, our minute particle identification... What is that? One ten-thousandth part of the top of the hair. We cannot see even the top of the hair. That you divide, keśāgra, keśa agra, the front portion of the hair. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya (CC Madhya 19.140). You divide into one hundred parts. Śatadhā kalpitasya ca. Again take one part and divide into hundreds parts. That is the dimension of the jīva. That small particle is there within the ant, the microbic germ, and he, that part is within the elephant. q. That is the dimension. So self-realization... Self-realization means one must know his identity. That identity, that small particle is there, within me, within you. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehī is within the idea. But because it is so small, with our material eyes it is not possible to see. There is no such instrument that you can find out. Therefore on account of our inability to find it out, we say, "It is nirākāra," because we cannot calculate what is the ākāra, or what is the dimension.
Because he was friend—Kṛṣṇa thought that Arjuna is thinking unable to execute this yoga—He pacified him by saying ultimately, "My dear Arjuna, don't be agitated." Indirectly He said that "You are a first-class yogi." "How is that, I am first-class yogi?" "Now, because you are always thinking of Me." Arjuna, he did not know anything but Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, when He placed Himself divided into two in the battlefield... Because it was a family fight, so Kṛṣṇa said that "I can divide Myself." Both of them approached. Duryodhana approached and Arjuna also approached, "Kṛṣṇa, You become my side." So Kṛṣṇa said that "I have got eighteen akṣauhiṇī, division of soldiers. That is one side. And I personally, one side." So Arjuna (Duryodhana) thought that "What shall I do simply by taking Kṛṣṇa? And He says that 'I'll not fight. If I go to any side, I'll not fight.' " So Arjuna (Duryodhana) thought it wise that "Let me take His soldiers, eighteen divisions, many thousands of elephants, horses, chariot." There is estimate, very big number of elephants, horses.
That is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. Just like Arjuna, he did it very conscientiously. Kṛṣṇa said that "This war, your fight, is family. I am connected with both the families. So I cannot take part in this war." But they insisted that "At least You take some part as You like." Then He said that "I divide Myself into two. So one side, all My soldiers, eighteen akṣauhiṇī soldiers, and one side, I am alone. Now you select. Which one you want?" So Duryodhana's thought that "What shall I do with Kṛṣṇa? He's one man. Let me take His soldiers." So he took all the soldiers. And Arjuna said, "No, Kṛṣṇa, I want You." Then Kṛṣṇa said, "No, I'll not fight." "No, You simply remain in my side." "All right, I shall become your chariot driver, that's all."
So this is intelligence. You just capture Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa, how He can be captured? Kṛṣṇa can be captured by your bhakti. Otherwise, He's very, very, crafty.
Nitāi: "Divided into varieties by her threefold modes, material nature creates the forms of the living entities, and the living entities, seeing this, are illusioned by the knowledge-covering feature of the illusory energy."
Prabhupāda:
- guṇair vicitrāḥ sṛjatīṁ
- sa-rūpāḥ prakṛtiṁ prajāḥ
- vilokya mumuhe sadyaḥ
- sa iha jñāna-gūhayā
- (SB 3.26.5)
Living entities, they have knowledge. That is the difference between matter and living entities. Living entities, they have got knowledge. The dull matter still requires to be developed. They are also covered knowledge. There is knowledge, but it is covered. Just like the tree: it is also a living entity, but the knowledge is more covered than the moving living entities. There are two kinds of living entities: moving and not moving, sthāvara-jaṅgama. Sthāvara means standing, cannot move. And jaṅgama means moving. So jaṅgama is better than this sthāvara. And amongst the sthāvara, there are varieties.
A part of life must be engaged for tapasya. The Bharata Mahārāja, Bharata Mahārāja, under whose name this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa... So you will find in the Fifth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam his life. He enjoyed his kingdom, then voluntarily he left. After the end of his material way of life, he divided the property to his sons and left. And he was living alone at Pulahāśrama near Haridwar, and undergoing severe tapasya. That is human life, to accept tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). You are searching after happiness, but why don't you see that in this material life your happiness is conditioned? That is not easily going or flowing. There are so many conditions. If you have to become a millionaire, before becoming millionaire there are so many condition. So this is not happiness, after going through so many conditions, and which we get, that is also not for good.
Para, the Supreme Lord, Absolute Truth, has multi-energy. So the multi-energy is divided into three division. That is called antaraṅga-śakti, internal energy, external energy, and the marginal energy. All of them are energies, or prakṛti. So in the Sāṅkhya philosophical discussion, Devahūti—she is also the mother of Kapiladeva—she asked this intelligent question: "What are the characteristic of the prakṛti, and what are the characteristic of the puruṣa?" Prakṛteḥ puruṣasyāpi lakṣaṇaṁ puruṣottama. He (she) is addressing his (her) son, Kapiladeva, God, as Puruṣottama. Uttama puruṣa. Uttam a, madhyama, and adhama. There is a comparative. So uttama puruṣa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, or His incarnation like Kapiladeva, Ṛṣabhadeva. There are many incarnations. So they are all Puruṣottama.
Therefore there are so many prayers to be offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, vandanam (SB 7.5.23). Vandanam means offering prayer. This is also bhakti-mārga.
So the total energy of material creation is called mahat-tattva or pradhāna. Then, when the mahat-tattva is agitated by the three guṇas, then they become divided into twenty-four elements, catur-viṁśatikaṁ gaṇam-originally one, but agitated by the guṇas. Because material existence means the three guṇas. When there is interaction of the three guṇas, then this one mahat-tattva becomes divided into twenty-four catur-viṁśati tattva. This is called Sāṅkhya philosophy, to analyze and to study the twenty-four elements which is controlling the activities of the whole material world. That is called catur-viṁśati tattva. What are they? Pañcabhiḥ . First the five elements, namely earth, water, fire, air, sky. This is pañcabhiḥ .
That is the difference between two, Sāṅkhya philosophy, atheist Sāṅkhya philosophy, and theist Sāṅkhya philosophy.
So etac catur-viṁśatikaṁ gaṇaṁ prādhānikaṁ viduḥ. Then, by their interaction, so many other things. But the dividing principle is the three guṇas. Three guṇas. Originally these twenty-four element; then they are acting with the three guṇas, and they are creating so many varieties. As I have explained many times, that three into three equal to nine, and nine into nine equal to eighty-one. So at least eighty-one varieties of living entities there should be. But actually, there are eighty-four. Eight million four hundred... Curāśī-lakṣa. Aśītiṁ caturaś caiva, jīva-jātiṣu. That evolutionary process is there in the Padma-Purāṇa, in the Vedic literature. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ, then pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam, paśavaḥ triṁśal-lakṣāṇi mānuṣāḥ catur-lak...
So last night we discussed Saṅkarṣaṇa. Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Four expansion are there for taking charge of four kinds of different activities. So this false ego and the material world, "I am this body," they are also divided into three, śānta, ghora, and mūḍhatvam, according to the modes of material nature. Śānta means sober, serene. Persons who are in the modes of goodness, for them, this material world is manifest in the matter of its constituency. And those who are in modes of goodness, they can see things as they are. And the ghora, those who are in the modes of passion, they are unnecessarily going on, making plan and full of activities without any aim of life. And mūḍhatvam, that is like animal, do not know what is the aim of life, what for he is working, what is the value of life, nothing of the sort.
So the modern psychologists, they have divided the function of the mind: thinking, feeling, willing, and then other subdivisions. That is known as the science of psychology. But intelligence... Above mind there is intelligence. I don't think in the modern science there is any analytical study of the intelligence function. But in the Vedic literature there is analysis of the intelligence. They are described here: saṁśaya, doubtfulness. The saṁśaya, saṁśayātmā vinaśyati.
In the Bhagavad-gītā there is a statement: "Those who are doubtful about the existence of God," vinaśyati, "they are finished." Their progress is finished. Saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. That niścayātmā, that is very good, to believe, to have faith, niścaya, by full assertion. Just like Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So if by your intelligence you become doubtful, "Whether Kṛṣṇa is able to give me protection?" then you are finished. Saṁśayātmā vinaśyati. But if you have faith in Kṛṣṇa's words, niścaya, "When Kṛṣṇa says that if I surrender unto Him, He will give me protection, there is no doubt about it," that is called faith. Niścayātmikā.
You are scientist, very good. You are botanist, you are physist, and so many, mathematist, and so on, so on. Because these things, laws are going on. People are studying the laws of mathematics, laws of physics, laws of chemistry, laws of botany, biology. Divide into different departmental scientific knowledge. So that, do that, very good. Become, very big scientist, very big botanist. Similarly, from other point of view, pious activities, you become very noble, a man of charity or tapasya or austerities, penance, so many things in the spiritual line, jñāna, yoga, karma. That's all right. As you deal with material science, you become big mathematician, chemist, physician, or lawyer, or so many, naturalist. Similarly, spiritually, you become karmī, jñānī, yogī. Do that. That is not discouraged. But what for you are trying? Why you are trying to become a chemist or physist or a man of charitable disposition, educationist? Why?
Sva-dharma. Sva-dharma will be explained, and it is explained in the Bhagavad... Sva-dharma means one may be in goodness, one may be in passion, one may be in darkness, and one may be in mixture. So that is divided into four classes of men: the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra. So Bhagavad-gītā teaches us that anyone, if he worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead by sva-dharma, by his occupational duty, he also becomes perfect. For example, just like Arjuna. He was a military man, and his sva-dharma, his occupational duty, was to fight. So that fighting capacity he engaged himself in the service of Kṛṣṇa, and he became a devotee. Kṛṣṇa certified, bhakto 'si. What did he do? He did not chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Of course, he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra constantly because he was thinking of Kṛṣṇa. He had no other business than to think of Kṛṣṇa. But by formality he did not become a Vaiṣṇava or chanting. But he was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is certified as the foremost yogi. Yoginām api sarveṣām (BG 6.47).
So that is the trick—how we shall always think of Kṛṣṇa even we are engaged in our occupation duty. That will make us perfect. Actually, real sva-dharma is to be attached to Kṛṣṇa. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, but because we have got this material body, we have got this bodily concept of life. Therefore the Vedic injunction is divided that one class should be brāhmaṇa, one class should be kṣatriya, one class should be vaiśya, another should be śūdra. In this way they should cooperate for the ultimate benefit of life, just like in our body there is the head, there is the arm, there is the belly, and there is the leg. So we are all cooperating for upkeep of the body. Similarly, if either as a brāhmaṇa or as a kṣatriya or as a śūdra we keep up in mind that we have to serve Kṛṣṇa, then in either position we can become perfect. That is confirmed in many places.
So before that, before Emperor Bharata, this planet was known as Ilāvṛtavarṣa, and after the reign of Mahārāja Bharata this planet is known as Bhāratavarṣa. Gradually, the Vedic culture being forgotten, the whole planet is now divided. The seven islands, as already existing, they are mentioned in the Vedic literature also, sapta-dvīpa. Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and the Archipelago (Arctic level?). In this way this whole world is divided into seven lands, islands.
So Mahārāja Pṛthu..., er, Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva, before retirement... Formerly, even one is king, he was to take leave of householder affairs. The Vedic culture means that the social order and the spiritual order of life. The social order of life is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). According to quality and according to work, the social order is divided into four. The most intelligent class of men are called the brāhmaṇas, and the next intelligent class of men, namely the politicians, or one who wants to take part in administration, they are called kṣatriyas. And the next intelligent class of men, those who are busy in production—because we want food—so the productive class of men is called vaiśya, mercantile.
The Battle of Kurukṣetra between the two section of cousin-brothers, the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas, took place under the guidance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa five thousand years ago. And in that battlefield, Kṛṣṇa instructed Arjuna, His friend, the great book of knowledge, Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā.
So human life must be divided into four orders, varṇāśrama-dharma. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said,
- varṇāśramācāravatā
- puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān
- viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā
- nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam
- (CC Madhya 8.58)
The aim of human life is to understand God. That is the main business of human life. Main... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Viṣṇu is the Supreme Lord, Supreme Personality of Godhead. People, they do not know what is the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal of life is to understand the Lord, the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu means "all-pervading God." God is not localized. God is all-pervading.
Varṇa means four classification of the society, and āśrama means four division of spiritual life. The society, it is not meant for any particular nation or particular community. It is meant for the whole human society. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The human society should be divided into four groups. What is that? The first-class men. There are first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class men. We have got our experience. Not that everyone is equally intelligent. No. There is difference of classification or intelligence or genuineness. There are so many things, division. So here also you have got division, classification. That is natural.
So first-class, the first-class men, means they should be trained as brāhmaṇa, at least one class of men. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). In order to realize the highest goal of life there must be division in the society and there must be division in spiritual life. The social life is divided into brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra.
He is accepted as the incarnation of Godhead, king or emperor of the world. He instructed His sons. He had one hundred sons, and He was... Before retiring from His family life, He wanted to install His eldest son, Mahārāja Bharata, on the throne. And before retiring He was instructing His other sons as follows. Mahārāja Bharata was a great king, and after his name, India is called Bhāratavarṣa. This planet is..., was known before that as Ilāvṛtavarṣa, and after Mahārāja Bharata ruled, this planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. Gradually, the planet was divided into so many other states. Now Bhāratavarṣa means a small piece of land known as India.
Without friend... Society, friendship and love, these things are required. But a mahātmā householder, he is seeking actual friendship with Kṛṣṇa. Īśe sauhṛdārthāḥ. Because he knows, "If Kṛṣṇa is my friend..." Just like Arjuna sought friendship with Kṛṣṇa; Duryodhana sought friendship with Kṛṣṇa's power. Kṛṣṇa divided Himself. Because it was a family warfare between two cousin brothers, and Kṛṣṇa was also related with both of them by family relationship, so He said, "How can I take part with one and not with the other? Then that will be partiality. So anyway, I divide Myself into two. I am alone, one side, and in which side I shall go, I shall not fight. I shall not touch even a weapon. And the other side, all My soldiers." Kṛṣṇa had many soldiers. So Duryodhana thought that "I shall take Kṛṣṇa's soldiers," and Arjuna thought, "I shall take Kṛṣṇa only, even He does not fight."
Prabhupāda: That's all right. He is creator. He is creator of everything. But why divide everything "bad" and "good"? Now, why do you distinguish "This is good" and "bad"? If everything is created by God, but that does not mean that everything is divine. Do you follow? Yes. You have to learn what is divine. Not that because God... God is creator of everything.
Guest (4): But we should have divine love for life...
Prabhupāda: Therefore I say what is divine love?
Guest (4): What is divine love?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest (4): Compassion.
If you want to manage things, there must be two classes of men, and two classes can be divided into so many other classes. Therefore the intelligent way of civilization is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā-sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There must be four classes. In order to manage things very nicely, you cannot make classless society. Four classes. The most intelligent class, brāhmaṇa, and then next intelligent, the kṣatriyas, and the next intelligent, the vaiśyas, and the last one, who has no intelligence, śūdra. These four classes must be there. Without this division of classes, society, who will guide them? At the present moment, without any class the government has made adult vote. Anyone who is above certain age, say eighteen years or twenty years, he can vote. But there is no class, that "This class can vote; this class cannot vote." There is no such thing. Anyone who is above eighteen years old, he is competent to cast his vote. And people are not educated in this division, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. They are all classless.
Everywhere the division is increasing. In Europe there is only one city. That is also another state. Luxembourg or...? So without the central point, certainly, gradually the division will increase, and in the name of nationalism, the strife and quarrel and fight will increase. Just like in India twenty years before or thirty years before, there was no Pakistan. Now they are divided, and already two big fights have been fought.
So this is the position, that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness everyone will try to enjoy sense gratification independently. Either individually, collectively, socially, economically, politically, go on dividing, dividing, divide. There is no oneness; simply division. So Ṛṣabhadeva is advising His other sons—He had one hundred sons—that bharataṁ bhajadhvam: "You just be obedient to Bharata. Don't try to rule independently, because if you follow the principles of Bharata Mahārāja, that will satisfy the citizens, not ruling over independently."
Tomorrow I shall do that. At least I shall finish Arjuna tomorrow. Either his intimate friend Kṛṣṇa will have to break His promise or His friend will die. You'll see tomorrow." Because Kṛṣṇa said, "Arjuna, I am joining you, but I shall not fight. Do you want Me?" Still, Arjuna said, "Yes, I want You. You don't fight." And Duryodhana saw Kṛṣṇa divided, one side Himself and another side His eighteen aksauhini military force. So Duryodhana thought that "Better let me take the forces. If Kṛṣṇa does not fight, what shall I do with Him? Better take His forces." So Duryodhana accepted the military force, and Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa, with the promise that "I shall not fight. So I shall become your charioteer." So Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa, and Pitāmaha, the Grandfather Bhīṣmadeva, this is the scene.
So Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva analyzing the different grades of living entities. Bhūteṣu, anything which is generated. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Everything is generated from Kṛṣṇa, Parabrahman. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). From Kṛṣṇa everything is generated. But according to consciousness, they are divided into two energies: the superior energy and the inferior energy. The more the consciousness is developed, one comes to the platform of superior energy. So the dull stone, dull matter, they have no consciousness, but there is life.
We learn from Brahma-saṁhitā that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is within the atom. Atom is..., not that atom was not known, atomic energy was not known to the Vedic scholars. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣam (Bs. 5.35). Anor anīyāṁ mahato mahīyān. The Supreme Lord can enter even within the atom.
And finer than the mind is intelligence. And finer than the intelligence is the soul, very minute part and parcel of the Supersoul. That is also mentioned: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). So minute, you cannot imagine. Keṣa agra, the tip of the hair, it is a small point. Divide into ten thousand, then you can get an idea what is the measurement of the soul. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya, jīva bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ (CC Madhya 19.140). Everything, measurement, is there. It is not that without body. It is. There is body. And the impetus is coming from there. Intelligence is working, then mind is producing the senses, and the senses are transforming into a gross body. This is material existence. How finely it is. Where is the science? The rascal do not know except this body. Dehātma buddhi.
"There is bomb. You cannot go there." So this is going on. In London, in Germany, and other places it has become a terrible place. At any moment there can be bomb. And what is the bombing? The fight between the Catholics and the Roman Catholics and Protestants. Just like we have got experience, Pakistan and India, in 1947. Calcutta itself became divided into two, Pakistan and Hindustan. Nobody was going. There is one big road, Chitpoor Road. So up to Hanson Road, it is Hindustan, and after that, it is Pakistan. The Pakistanis did not dare to come to this side.
So this is matsara. The matsaratā, enviousness, that is the nature of this material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness, kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā-matiḥ, it is very, very rare. Rūpa Gosvāmī said, "This rare thing, if you can purchase, do it immediately wherever available." Kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā-matiḥ krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate: "If it is available, if you can purchase it, you do it." "So purchase it?
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.
The man and woman, father and mother, after sex the two secretion is emulsified and it takes a form like a pea. And the small living entity, the measurement is also given. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitaḥ: (CC Madhya 19.140) "One ten-thousandth part of the upper portion point of hair." You know the point of hair. Now divided into ten thousand part and take one part. That is the form of the soul. That little spark takes shelter into that emulsified pea, and because the soul is there within, it develops from the mother's womb. The child does not develop all of a sudden. Every mother knows that. It grows gradually, little by little, little by little. When it is seven months, then it is further..., it moves. So in this way the... Kṛṣṇa says that don't take this body as the living being. Dehinaḥ asmin dehe. Within this body, the soul is there. So everyone can understand.
At the end of the Fifth Chapter, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī has given description of the hellish planets. You have seen in the sky. There are millions and millions of stars or planets, and they are divided into three groups. Everything is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So as it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). (break) ...sattva-sthāḥ, meaning that those who are in the sattva-guṇa, modes of goodness, they are promoted to the higher planetary system. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasaḥ: "Those who are under the influence of passion, they remain in the middle planetary system." And those who are in the lowest grade of tamo-guṇa, adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, after hearing the pitiable condition of persons in the hellish planets, he became sympathetic. Therefore he is putting the statement before Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Adhuneha mahā-bhāga yathaiva narakān naraḥ: "My dear sir, you have described about the hellish condition of the suffering persons. Now kindly give me any enlightenment how they can be delivered."
So if the Mohammedan takes little water from the badna and sprinkles upon a Hindu, then Hindu community will immediately reject him, "Oh, he has become Muhammadan." This was the Hindu community. Therefore so many Muhammadans were there in India, and ultimately, by the British policy, they divided. They were not actually Muhammadans coming from Turkey or from West. They were lower-class Hindus. But the Hindus were so foolish that if a Muhammadan sprinkled some water in this way, so he becomes Muhammadan and he is rejected, in this way the Muhammadan population was there.
That is law's nature. Similarly, we living entities, we are part and parcel of the supreme father. We are very minute. The dimension is also given there in the śāstras: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra, the tip of the hair. Agra means tip; keśa means hair. Just imagine—very small point. And you have to divide it into ten thousand parts. And that one part is the dimension of the living entity, spirit soul, spark. Everything is there in the śāstra. But because we have no eyes to see... Our material eyes cannot see what is the dimension of the soul. But the soul is there within this body. And as soon as the soul departs or takes another body, according to the work the soul is doing here, there is superior superintendence. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). We are working here... Just like in a office, somebody is working, and the service record is kept, "How this man is working." He does not know what is the opinion of the superior boss. But a service record is there in the office.
That is brahmacarya. So this is the beginning of civilization. The unlimited, unrestricted sex life like hogs and dogs, that is not civilization. Civilization, the first of all, to learn how to observe celibacy, to come to the point, no sex life. That is perfect civilization: no sex life. Therefore in the Vedic civilization you'll find the human society is divided into four orders and four spiritual or..., material and spiritual, varṇāśrama. Varṇa and āśrama. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa.
Simply by devotional service unto the Vāsudeva, one can become free from all sinful reaction of life. Bhaktyā means "by devotional service." So bhaktyā, there are nine different processes. (break) ...and the same, but according to our capacity they are divided into nine processes. So it begins with śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma... (SB 7.5.23). Beginning with śravaṇam, hearing. (break) ...nine processes are hearing, chanting, then worshiping, serving, offering everything. In this way there are nine different ways. The beginning is hearing. Hearing, just you all ladies, gentlemen, you have come here to hear. Then hearing, if your hearing is perfect, then kīrtanam, means describing or preaching.
So according to different grades of person, the taste is also different. You cannot expect that the taste will be the same. "One man's food, another man's poison." This is an English proverb. One man's food is another man's poison. Therefore the society is divided. That is scientific method, class. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). That is God's creation, four classes, men. And the fifth class is almost rejected. Up to fourth class. First class, second class, third class, fourth class. And below fourth class, from fifth class, they are not human being. So taste of different classes are different. But one thing is that in whichever class we may belong, if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you'll become one. People are wanting unity. There is United Nation organization, but so long we keep ourself on the material platform there cannot be unity. That is not possible. Only in the spiritual platform there can be unity.
Actually they are Kauravas. But when there was fight between the two brothers' son, one party was known as Kaurava, and the other party was known as Pāṇḍava. Therefore Dhṛtarāṣṭra says in the Bhagavad-gītā beginning, māmakāḥ pāṇḍavāś caiva (BG 1.1). Māmakāḥ means "my sons," and... Because both of them are Kurus, now they are divided, māmakāḥ, "my sons," and Pāṇḍavas, "the Pāṇḍu's sons." Kim akurvata sañjaya (BG 1.1).
And this Kurukṣetra is dharma-kṣetra. Not because the fight was there and Kṛṣṇa was on the battlefield, therefore it is called dharma-kṣetra. Sometimes it is interpreted like that. But actually Kurukṣetra was dharma-kṣetra since very, very long time. In the Vedas it is stated, kuru-kṣetre dharmam ācaret: "If one wants to execute ritualistic ceremony, he should go to Kurukṣetra."
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 similar plan is always there, that we are struggling for existence and accumulating so many things. Just like you have got this nice city, Chicago. Not only Chicago; there are many others in America. But the people are not thinking that "How long I shall remain American and enjoy this? Maybe fifty years, twenty-five years or utmost hundred years. But everything will be taken—my American citizenship, my body, my wealth—everything will be taken by death. So what insurance I am doing for that purpose, that it will not be taken, I shall enjoy it?" Therefore mūḍha. There is reason why they are called mūḍhas, rascals. They do not know their actual interest. Everyone, not only you, everyone, the whole material world, they do not know what is is actual interest.
Minute quantity, if you take one grain, immediately you'll die. Immediately you die. Similarly, if some ordinary material thing is so powerful, just imagine the spirit soul, how much powerful he is. And they have no machines to find out. How they will find out? One ten-thousandth part of the hair, we cannot see—the tip of the hair is so small—and divided into ten-thousandth part. That one part is dimension of the soul. Everything is there in the śāstra, Upaniṣads. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca jīvaḥ bhāgo sa vijñeyaḥ (CC Madhya 19.140), and... It is very powerful. We can take the example that very minute quantity of potash cyanide. There is no taste. In chemical analysis there is a taste. So up to date, nobody has tasted potash cyanide, because as soon as chemist will taste, immediately, he'll not be able to say what is this. (laughing)
And another sense, everyone is following the Vedic religion if it is religion.
How? In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find that vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Sarvaṁ vedam: "all Vedas." "All Vedas" means originally there was one Veda, Ṛg Veda, or, somebody says, Atharva Veda. Then, later on it was divided into four: Ṛg, Sāma, Yajur, Atharva. Then, from the Vedic injunction, then it was summarized, which is called Vedānta, summarized in sūtras. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā. In the sūtra there are so many meanings. Then the Upaniṣads, 108 Upaniṣads, they are also Vedic. Then they were explained further for ordinary men—the Purāṇas. They are also Vedas. Then it was further explained by Mahābhārata. So that is also Veda. Rāmāyaṇa, that is also Veda. So any scripture, any literature, transcendental literature, whose aim is to understand God, that is Veda.
Now, nobody can say when the sun planet was created. But we can calculate, as it is said, vivasvān manave prāhuḥ, that Vivasvān, he explained to Manu. So Manu's age we can calculate. Manu's age, there are seventy-two Manus in one day of Brahmā. And the one day of Brahmā means forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand and divided by seventy-two. Then we can immediately calculate what is Manu's age. So by Manu's age we can calculate that forty millions of years ago Kṛṣṇa spoke to the sun-god about this philosophy. This is called śruti. The exact calculation, by śruti you can make. So śruti-pramāṇa.
So here it is said deva-pravarāḥ. The Viṣṇudūtas, they are coming from Vaikuṇṭha, so beautiful, so nicely dressed, four-handed with ornaments, helmet, garland. So they have experience of the demigods, but the Viṣṇudūtas do not belong to this material world. They belong to the spiritual world. Therefore they are addressed deva-pravarāḥ, "More than the demigods," deva-pravarāḥ.
So there are three phases of time: past, present and future. Time is eternal; I am also eternal. But because I am in the material world, the time is relatively divided into past, present and future. Relativity, the law of relativity—I have explained several times. Brahmā's past, present, future and the ant's past, present, future are not the same. Similarly, our past, present, future or the ant's past, present, future are not the same. Time is eternal, but according to the quality of the body, the past, present, future is calculated. So it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā... Kṛṣṇa says vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Because Kṛṣṇa is not changing body, therefore He has no past, present, future. Those who are changing body, they have got past, present, future. I had my childhood. I have changed the body in this old age. Therefore I think, "In the past I was like this, or future, I will be like this." So this is relative. Time is eternal, we are eternal, but because we have accepted this temporary body, therefore we have to calculate past, present and future. So future means... Just like there is ordinary word in English, "Child is the father of man," future. The same child will be father or grandfather in future.
So here the prakṛti, this material nature—earth, water, air, fire, sky, mind, intelligence, and ego, egotism—these are eight material things. So in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā prakṛtiṁ me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). These are eight kinds of material energy. Material energy is one, mahat-tattva, but they have been divided. Mahat-tattva, when it is separated... Just like some philosopher says, "There was a chunk, and it became broken, and the creation took place." This can be applicable... The mahat-tattva, the total material energy, by, when the three guṇas break them, they become twenty-four elements, five material, and three material, subtle, and the ten senses, and the ten object of senses. In this way twenty-four elements is become.
There must be arrangement for food. That is entrusted to the vaiśyas. In this way this is classification. Not by birth one becomes brāhmaṇa, and working less than a śūdra, and he is still brāhmaṇa. This is nonsense. One must be Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society is divided. According to the quality, he is working accordingly.
So this is the Vedic society. Now it is all lost. But if you revive it, people will be happy, if you can revive it. There is no difficulty. But unfortunately, in this age everyone has become śūdra, so it is little difficult to raise them again. But if everyone is engaged in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then everything is possible. Without chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra they are all fallen. Artificially you cannot raise them to the standard of living. That is not possible. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). They must be cleansed of the dirty things within the heart, and then it will. That is the instruction we are going...
Religion is for... Religion means the relationship between Bhagavān and me, or everything. Bhāgavata-dharma. So the Bhāgavata-dharma is spoken by Bhagavān Himself, Bhagavad-gītā. So He says that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The human society must be divided into four classes: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. He says. That is bhāgavata-dharma. If you abolish this, everyone is śūdra, no brāhmaṇa. That brāhmaṇa means guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ-guṇa, quality and action, not by birth. He never says, "by birth." Anyone who is qualified... Just like in ordinary life, anyone who is a qualified medical man, he is given the title "doctor," "medical practice," not that a doctor's son is necessarily a doctor. Even if he is a son of a doctor, still, he has to be educated as a medical man, then he will be accepted as doctor. This is bhāgavata-dharma. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). And in another place it is stated, yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ varṇābhivyañjakam.
Very important verse. Ideal class of men therefore needed in the society. Therefore Vedic society is divided—ideal men: the brāhmaṇas. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. The brāhmaṇa, the saintly person, the sannyāsī, the rājarṣi. This is required. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the Bhagavad-gītā was taught to the rājarṣi, not to the third-class men. Rājarṣi, rāja and ṛṣi at the same time. Although king, but they were saintly king, just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the ideal king. Bhagavān, Rāmacandra, the ideal king, ideal king, so ideal that because some citizen criticized that "Lord Rāmacandara, King Rāmacandra, has accepted His wife who was kidnapped by Rāvaṇa," and he was a low-class man, washerman, and still, the king, Lord Rāmacandra, thought that "My citizens are criticizing Me." Immediately He separated Lakṣmī-devi, Sītā. This is ideal king, no criticism from the citizen, even Lord Rāmacandra. This is called rājarṣi.
Actually dharma means God and our relationship with God and acting according to that relationship so that we may attain the ultimate goal of life. That is dharma, sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana, these three things.
The whole Vedas are divided into three states. Sambandha, what is our connection God. That is called sambandha. And then abhidheya. According to that relationship we have to act. That is called abhidheya. And why do we act? Because we have got the goal of life, to achieve the goal of life. So what is the goal of life? The goal of life is that, to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is goal of life. We are part and parcel of God. God is sanātana and He has His own abode, sanātana. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). There is a place ever-existing. This material world, it will not exist forever. It is bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is manifested at a certain date.
Our spiritual identity is that we are ten-thousandth part of the top of the hair. It is like a very small, we divide it into ten thousand part, and one, that is our identity. And that small identity is within this body. So where you'll find it? You have no such machine. Therefore we say nirākāra. No, there is ākāra, but it is so minute and small, tlat it is not possible to see with this material eyes. So we have to see through the version of Vedas. Śāstra cakṣuṣa. That is the Vedānta version. We have to see through the śāstra. Not by these blunt eyes. That is not possible.
So all these things should be discussed, should be understood, so long we are young, strong, brain is in order. Then our life will be successful. And Prahlāda Mahārāja is advising:
You must be prepared, especially the higher castes, especially the brāhmaṇas. The brāhmaṇas must observe the four adhyātmika principle: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha... Brāhmaṇa, they do not go even to the gṛhastha life. Remain brahmacārī. But even he goes, only for twenty-five years. It is said, puṁso varṣa-śataṁ hy āyuḥ. So divide this varṣa-śatam, hundred years: twenty-five years, brahmacārī; twenty-five years, gṛhastha; twenty-five years, vānaprastha; and last twenty-five years, sannyāsa. That is real civilization, not that no brahmacārī, no vānaprastha, no sannyāsa, simply gṛhastha. They are not gṛhastha. They are called gṛhamedhi. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). There are two words, gṛhamedhi and gṛhastha. Gṛhastha means that is only for twenty-five years, not more than that. That is gṛhastha. And those who are gṛhastha up to the point of death, or unless he is killed, that is gṛhamedhi. Gṛhamedhi means he has made his center the wife and family.
Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, there is compulsory get-out from household life. Compulsory get-out means pañcāś ordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Pañcāś means fifty years. "As soon as one passes over fifty years of age, he should get out." That is the injunction of the scriptures. No more in household affairs. The life is divided into four parts, four divisions. First of all brahmacārī. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja is teaching. Brahmacārī, a boy from five years old is taught, and up to twenty-five years. And if he is not... Of course, he is properly taught, but if he is not properly convinced that "Worldly life is botheration. Better remain brahmacārī for throughout the whole life..." There are many brahmacārīs in India still, naistika-brahmacārī. They are called naistika-brahmacārī. That means they had never any experience of sex. They are called naistika-brahmacārī. Just like my Guru Mahārāja was naistika-brahmacārī. He never married.
Because the whole process of civilization was to divert your attention too much for material advancement, but whatever little span of life you have got, just utilize it for spiritual advancement and get out of this material entanglement. That is the basic principle of civilization. Therefore the social life, human society, was divided into eight divisions. They are called varṇa and āśrama. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, you will find, cātur-varṇyaṁ māyā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Four divisions of society, for spiritual advancement and for material advancement both. For spiritual advancement, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa.
So first twenty years, twenty-five years, or twenty years, because education begins from five years... Up to five years the child is given full liberty—whatever he likes, he may do. Lālayet pañca-varṣāṇi. It is said that you can give liberty to the child only for five years. And tadayet daśa-varṣāṇi.
Sannyāsa means he should distribute spiritual knowledge from door to door. That is his business. He has no family attraction, he has nothing to think for his maintenance, because the society is advised to take care of brahmacārī, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Just see. This is spiritual communism. One section of people, the householders, they have to maintain the three other divisions. We have divided the society into four divisions: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. Only the gṛhasthas are allowed to make money, to earn money. But the brahmacārī and the vānaprastha and sannyāsī is to live at the cost the gṛhasthas. Brahmacaris shall go from door to door and beg alms and bring it for the spiritual master. The spiritual master is a sannyāsī. So whatever the brahmacārīs bring, they cook and they eat and they cultivate spiritual Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the system. That means it is the duty of the gṛhasthas, or the householder, to maintain the other three section of the people. And that is varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ.
The Hindus means those who follow these eight divisions of human society. That is called Hindu. Now it has become a name only, but actually this is... Actually this is Hindu religion..., this is not Hindu religion. This is actually the occupation or the basic principle of human civilization. If you do not divide human society in such eight divisions, there is no proper advancement of human society's ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is to make perfect in this life or to realize the Absolute Truth. That is ultimate goal. In other place the Bhāgavata says... The ultimate goal, they do not know. Not nowadays... In all the days there are a class of men who are called demons, and here Prahlāda Mahārāja instructing to the children of the demons, those who have no idea of what is the ultimate aim of life. They are called demons. The Aryans and the demons, sura and asura. Aryan means those who are advancing. And those who are static, not advancing...
In New York our boys wanted to purchase one house, and they had a few thousand dollars, and a group of lawyers, I mean to say, they made a plan to take out this ten thousand dollars from these boys, and... I know it personally. They are educated lawyers, but because they're acting on the mental plane, they are thinking that "By somehow or other, if we can grab this money and we shall divide amongst lawyers..." This is going on. The so-called educated persons, for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they can act less than even an animal. You see? So vidvān apītthaṁ danujāḥ kuṭumbaṁ puṣṇan sva-lokāya na kalpate vai. So they do not care for what is going in the next life. Tamaḥ prapadyeta yathā vimūḍhaḥ. They also fall into the darkness, the darkest region, or ordinary illiterate or ignorant persons also fall.
We have seen practically in India. During the partition days, when the Britishers left India, they gave a parting kick by dividing Pakistan and India. So I have seen in my own eyes there was fighting between the Hindus and Muslims for at least one week in Calcutta, and heaps of dead bodies there were. So the fighting was between Hindu and Muslim, but when they died the body is piled up and it was taken for burning or to throw away. So the land remained there and these people fighting between themselves, that "This is mine, this is mine," they finished their life. The land remained where it was there.
So this is called illusion. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), "It is mine, it is yours." Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Why they should think like that? Bhagavān, in the Bhagavad-gītā He says that sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ: (BG 14.4) "All the forms of different grades of life," sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yaḥ tāsāṁ mahad yonir, "the material world is the mother and I am the father." Very simply understanding.
Or two millions of plants and trees and creepers—that also, you can corroborate. But we get from Vedic literature these informations. So these are the different manufactures, different presentation of this interaction of these twenty-four elements. Dehas tu sarva-saṅghāto jagat tasthur iti dvidhā. And this deha, this body, is divided into two classes of body: one class, moving, and one class, not moving, standing stationary.
Atraiva mṛgyaḥ puruṣaḥ neti netīty atat tyajan. Now, if you are intelligent enough, then you can find out the puruṣa. Purusa means the enjoyer. We... I have got this body because I wanted a certain type of enjoyment. So nature has given me a certain type of body. You wanted certain type of enjoyment: the nature has given you a certain type of body. The tiger wanted a certain type of enjoyment, so he, it has got a certain type of body. Similarly, every one of us, in the 8,400,000's of species of life, we have got different bodies. But the soul is there.
Prabhupāda: You can derive (divide?) the syllables. Sa tat-kara-sparśa-dhuta-akhila-aśubhaḥ. You cannot pronounce combinedly, just divide. Sa tat-kara-sparśa-dhuta-akhila-aśubhaḥ, like that. Anyway, chant. (Pradyumna chants again, devotees chant slowly) There is no board writing. Why? So many men could not write the board? They cannot see. Go on. (devotees attempt to chant) That's all right. Difficult.
Pradyumna: "Translation: By the touch of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva's hand on Prahlāda Mahārāja's head, Prahlāda was completely freed of all material contaminations and desires, as if he had been thoroughly cleansed. Therefore he at once became transcendentally situated, and all the symptoms of ecstasy became manifest in his body. His heart filled with love, and his eyes with tears, and thus he was able to completely capture the lotus feet of the Lord within the core of his heart."
Therefore he says, "I think that any kind of material qualification, such as tejaḥ, prabhāva, influence, strength, bodily beauty, tejaḥ, prabhāva, pauruṣa, capacity, buddhi, intelligence, yoga, mystic power, and all similar qualifications"—they are divided into six opulences: strength, influence, fame, and beauty, knowledge, renunciation—"these six kinds of opulences are fully present in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So how you can conquer over the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all these material qualifications?" Suppose if you are going to see some gentleman who is very rich, just like Rockefeller, and suppose you are drawing, say, one thousand dollars per month, or say five thousand dollars. So how we can become proud of your opulence before a very rich man? 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.
It is so nice. He does not require to be very learned man. In the spiritual platform there is no such consideration. Tasmād ahaṁ vigata...īśvarasya sarvātmanā. So the qualification is, without any reservation—"So much for God, so much for my sense gratification," there is reservation. In the Bhagavad-gītā also the same thing is ordered by Kṛṣṇa: sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Don't divide your energy, that "So much energy for God, so much energy for māyā, or matter." No. Sarvātmanā. Fully. Then whatever energy you have got, that is sufficient to approach God. It doesn't matter what you are. Sarvātmanā mahi gṛṇāmi yathā manīṣam. Yathā manīṣam means "as far as it is possible by me." Nīco ajayā, "although I am born low," guṇa visargam anupraviṣṭaḥ, "but as soon as the vibration of Lord's name will enter unto me, so I am, I may be qualitatively very low..." Just like there are three qualities. Someone may be in the quality of goodness, someone may be in the quality of passion, someone may be in the quality of darkness, or ignorance.
No nation. It belongs to God. If... We can understand, if the United Nation passed resolution that "The whole planet belongs to God; we are sons of God; so let us live peacefully as sons of God," oh, there is no quarrel. But that they will never understand. They'll simply try to divide. Just like some gangs of thieves, they have stolen some property. Now they have come out, and they're dividing, and one of them is asking, "My dear brothers, let us divide piously. Let us divide piously." (laughs) Nonsense. The whole property is impious. So what is the meaning of your piously divided?
Just like in India, nonvegetarian diet, according to Vedic system it is condemned. Nobody can eat any meat. But now they have learned how to eat meat. They are doing that. So somebody is saying, "Yes, today I have cooked meat, but in the Ganges water." Ganges water is considered to be pious. So he thinks by cooking meat in the Ganges water, it has become purified. You see? This is our mentality.
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.
These Puruṣas are three. In the Bhagavad-gītā Arjuna recognized Kṛṣṇa as puruṣa. Puruṣaṁ śāśvatam ādyam. So He's the puruṣa. God is puruṣa, male. God is not female. Female... The śakti, that is female, prakṛti.
In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is mentioned, prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā, bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā. This material nature is separated energy, divided into eight elements: earth, water, air, and fire, then ether, mind, intelligence and ego. These are all prakṛti, material. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. Bhinnā. Bhinnā means separated. There is not direct connection, but another prakṛti, that is... Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā (BG 7.5). This is inferior energy, material elements, and there is superior element, prakṛti. That is also prakṛti. We are prakṛti. Prakṛti means under the control of the puruṣa. That is natural. We cannot conceive equal rights of puruṣa and prakṛti. That is not Vedic conception. Vedic conception is puruṣa, the superior, Supreme, and prakṛti means subordinate.
So in that history, Vedic literature, Pañcama-veda, there is the Bhagavad-gītā, essence. So if you read Bhagavad-gītā, even if you read Mahābhārata, that is all Vedic literature, Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa, the Purāṇas, the Upaniṣad, Vedānta-sūtra, and the Vedas, original Vedas. Original Veda is Atharva Veda. Atharva Veda was divided into four parts, Sāma, Yajur, Ṛg, Atharva. So they are all Vedic literatures.
So especially in this age Bhagavad-gītā is essence of Vedic literatures, and it is based on the Vedānta-sūtra. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, hetumadbhir viniścita. Brahma-sūtra padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścita. This Bhagavad-gītā is based on Brahma-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra means Vedānta-sūtra. Vedānta-sūtra is very important. It is the summary of Vedic study, sūtra. The janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), this is a sūtra, a synopsis. And you can explain very nicely from the Vedas. So there are small sūtras, aphorism. From that aphorism you can expand.
Viprād, brāhmaṇa, dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa, a brāhmaṇa not by birth but with quality. Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. That is śāstra. Śāstra means, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). A brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya or a vaiśya or a śūdra or a brahmacārī or a gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsī, they are divided according to the quality. According to the quality. Never says janma. Quality. So here also it is said viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād. Dvi means double, twice, and ṣaḍ means six, then means twelve. Twelve kinds of qualities a brāhmaṇa meets. The twelve kinds of qualities are also mentioned here. (reads from Śrīdhara Swami commentary:) Evaṁ bhaktyeva kevalaya hari (indistinct) sambhavati tukta idaniṁ bhaktiṁ vinā na kiñcit toṣa (indistinct) dviṣaṭ (indistinct) guṇa (indistinct) variṣṭhaṁ manye. Even a brāhmaṇa, unless one is qualified by the twelve prescribed qualities in the śāstra, he cannot be accept..., he cannot be accepted as brāhmaṇa.
So at the present moment, practically there is no brāhmaṇa, no kṣatriya, no vaiśya, only śūdras, fourth-class men. So you cannot expect any happiness guided by the fourth-class men. That is not possible. Therefore throughout the whole world there is chaotic condition. Nobody is happy. So this is essential that the human society must be divided into four divisions. The brāhmaṇa class means the first-class ideal men, so that by the seeing their character, their behavior, others will try to follow. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ (BG 3.21). So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are trying to create some first-class men. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this movement. So therefore we have got these rules and regulation: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. This is the preliminary qualification of a first-class man. So we are trying our bit to make some men ideal first-class men. But formerly it was there. Catur... Still there is.
| Page Title: | Divide (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 08 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=137, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 137 |