Prahlāda Mahārāja said that kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). From the very beginning of life, when kaumāra, a small child, boy, from that age one should begin this bhāgavata life, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called brahmacārī, to teach brahmacarya from the very beginning of life. And when you are young, then you should work with more vigor and intelligence. At that time brain is very nice. Young man has got all the facilities. The machine is strong. This is a machine. So old machine cannot so work. So it is a great fortune for the young boys and girls of Europe and America that in this young life they are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is a very good fortune.
Here it is recommended by Prahlāda Mahārāja, śarīraṁ pauruṣaṁ yāvan na vipadyeta puṣkalam. So long you do not become invalid, old, unable to work, you should try. Not try, you must—yateta—for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not that "When I shall become old, before death I shall try a few months Hare Kṛṣṇa." No. From the very beginning of life, from childhood, they should be taught how to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, how to attend maṅgala ārati, how to. . . In this way, by this practice, vidhi, vidhi-bhakti, regulated principle, tapasya. . . This is called tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). If you want to purify your existence, then you should begin. . . That is human life, tapasya. Human life is not meant for polished dogism and pigism. That is not human life. If a cat and dog becomes nicely dressed, that does not mean he becomes a human being. He is cat and dog. Similarly, if we keep our mentality like cats and dog and outwardly we dress very nicely, they have been described as dvi-pada-paśuḥ, "two-legged animal." Animal. He is animal, because he is not cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The cats and dogs cannot do it, so he is no better than cats and dog. This is the conclusion. Sa eva go-kharaḥ. That is the verdict of Vedic literature.
- yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
- sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma-ijya-dhīḥ
- yat tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicit
- janeṣu abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
- (SB 10.84.13)
Just like in Vṛndāvana many visitors come. They think that by simply taking a dip into the Yamunā water their tīrtha is finished, pilgrimage is finished. But śāstra says, yat tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. If one comes to Vṛndāvana and simply takes advantage of taking a bath in the river Yamunā, that is also very good, but that does not finish his business. He must seek out where in Vṛndāvana Kṛṣṇa consciousness is going on, janeṣu abhijñeṣu, "Where there is a person who can teach me about Kṛṣṇa conscious. . ." That is humanity. Otherwise, if he thinks simply by going to Vṛndāvana and taking a dip in Yamunā or shaving the head and purchasing some utensils for sons and daughter, their tīrtha. . . They have been described as sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Go means cow, and kharaḥ means ass. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni (SB 1.13.10). When you go some holy place, because in the holy place there are many persons who are very learned, who can give you very good instruction about spiritual life, so you must seek such person and associate with him. That is tīrtha. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni. Because it is said in the śāstra that ordinary men with sinful habits, they come to tīrtha, holy place, and actually they become purified. Actually they become purified. That is the glory of tīrtha-sthāna, dhāma. But when such sinful garbage is accumulated, who will clear? It will be cleared by the saintly person, by their puṇya work. Tīrthī-kurvanti tīrtha. . . Again they make it tīrtha.