So formerly, when there was fight between two kings, it is on the principle that who is giving good protection to the citizens, not for personal profit. Who is able to give good protection, life, security for life and property, he should become king. So these persons, this Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his sons, they were jealous. How they could give protection to the citizens? They are themselves jealous. Just like nowadays, all these politicians, they are jealous. They cannot give any protection to the citizens. They are simply interested with their party politics. They have no time even to think how to give nice protection to the citizens so that they may feel happy always that "We have got good government. There is no cause of anxiety. We have got sufficient food, sufficient protection, sufficient opulence, everything sufficient." That is good government.
Just like nowadays
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Therefore this word is used here, hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśam idaṁ vākyam, hṛṣīkeśam tadā vākyam idam āha mahī-pate (BG 1.20). Mahī-pate, "O King..." Sañjaya was addressing Dhṛtarāṣṭra. He's a king. So mahī-pate. Hṛṣīkeśaṁ kapi-dhvajaḥ. Kapi-dhvajaḥ is nominative. So "He said..." Kapi-dhvajaḥ. Kapi-dhvajaḥ is also significant. Kapi-dhvajaḥ, Arjuna, on his... Just like nowadays also, every nation has different types of flags, so Arjuna also had his flag on the... Dhvajaḥ. Dhvajaḥ means the flag. The flag was on the top of his chariot. And it was marked with Hanumān, Vajrāṅgajī, Vajrāṅgajī, Hanumān, who fought for Lord Rāmacandra. He is fighting for Kṛṣṇa. So he is also following the footsteps of Vajrāṅgajī.
So this question was raised by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "What is the goal of life?" Unless there is goal of life, why there is struggle? Why... There must be some goal of life, sādhya. And sādhana. Sādhana means the means by which we can achieve that goal of life. That is called sādhana, sādhana. So Rāmānanda Rāya quoted... Because when there is talk between two learned persons, they... Just like nowadays it has become a fashion: "In my opinion," "I think in this way." What, nonsense, what you can think? What is your knowledge? But he is very proud. Everyone like that. The other day, that Sir Alistair? Alistair Hardy came. He also said, "It is my opinion." Nobody thinks that he is a nonsense number one; what is the value of his opinion? Nobody thinks. But this is the Vedic principle. Even Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He, when He was asked by Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī that "You are a sannyāsī. You do not engage Yourself in the study of Vedānta. You are simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa."
Now, when the breathing is stopped, a man is dead. Now, you are so much advanced in science. Why don't you replace this breathing? It is nothing but air. So you can manufacture some machine working in electric battery and put some air and fix up, and that same air will come: "Woosh, woosh, woosh, woosh. "Will that give you life? No. Even if you artificially bring breathing, just like nowadays they, with oxygen gas, as if oxygen gas is life... That is not the fact. So if you analyze every part of the body, then you will find that there is no life. This is called education. This is called scientific knowledge. Simply abruptly taking something without any proper understanding, that is not knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa chastised him that "You are talking like very scientific, learned scholar, but you are a fool number one because you are accepting this material body as the self." This is ignorance. This is confirmed in another place, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).
Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ (SB 10.2.32). They, after undergoing severe penances and austerities, they approach the Brahman effulgence, param... Patanty adhaḥ. Again falls down.
The same example. You may go very high. Just like nowadays, the attempt is being made. They are going to the moon planet or Venus planet. We do not know whether they are going or not, but we hear from the advertisement. So because they do not get any shelter, they come back. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Because they do not get any shelter, the shelter of lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, from this impersonal conception of philosophy, they again come to this material world.
He's so powerful, His energies are so perfect, that svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca, simply by His willing, immediately, everything is there. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). That is the appreciation of the energy of God. If you are not appreciating, that is your fault, but there is brain, there is work. But the energy is so perfect... Just like nowadays, electric, electronic energy. You simply push on one button and so many things happens immediately. It is still, still, hundred thousand times subtler. Simply by His willing, everything has come out. This is understanding. But because we have no such brain, neither we can think, we evade the issue. Therefore if we want to understand how this flower has come in, how this fragrance is there, you try to understand that it is due to Kṛṣṇa. And appreciate. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You appreciate: "Oh, my Lord is so..."
You can take directly knowledge. You can understand. You do not require to dive into the water and make study, aquatic research work. You take the knowledge from the Vedic literature. You immediately understand that there are 900,000 species of life. This is different forms. The living entity, soul, is everywhere. But according to his karma... Just like nowadays people are very fond of diving within the water and swim. This has become a fashion. So next life they are going to become fish. Yes. Because yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). If you at the time of death, if you think of that, how to swim very nicely within the water, that means next life nature will give you a fish life. You get it. That is God's mercy. Why you artificially try to become a fish? You become actually fish. That is nature's gift. So you'll get. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran. This is stated in the Bhagavad... Because whatever we practice in our life, so that concept of life, that imagination, continues.
They say, foolish persons say, "It is nature." But you explain what is nature. Nature means God's nature, God's energy. That is nature. God's energy is so fine and so subtle that we cannot see it, how it is working, but it is working. The energy of God is working there.
Just like nowadays the electronic age, when you have got a television machine within our room, simply push a button, push on a button, and immediately the photo is there, the sound is there. But do not think that it is being done automatically. No. There is a good brain. There is a good brain who has discovered this machine. You do not know. You are simply pushing on this button, you are seeing. But don't think it has come automatically by nature. That is not possible. You do not know how it is working. That is your ignorance. But that is not working without direction. There is direction. There is a television house who are broadcasting their direction. They know how to work the machine and everything.
If you develop sattva-guṇa then you are promoted to the higher planetary system. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. If you remain in the passion modes of nature then you may remain within this world or few others. And jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. If you habituate jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti.
Just like nowadays people are being taught drink wine, eat meat, and do whatever you like. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). So they will go down, animal life. So they have no knowledge. And the leaders, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). The leaders are blind and they are leading other blind men. So it is a very dangerous civilization. In spite of being born in India, in spite of having the privilege of studying Bhagavad-gītā, they are not taking advantage of it, and they are being misled like cats and dogs. Very regrettable condition.
There is a story, Udarendriyāṇām in the Hitopadeśa written by Viṣṇuśarma. There, there was strike. All the hands legs eyes, they observed strike, that "This belly, the stomach is eating only, and we are working. So we shall not work. We shall not work, stop working. Just like nowadays striking goes on. So they stopped working, and after few days, all of them became weak because they were not feeding the stomach. Then they arranged another conference. "Why we are becoming weak?" Then the fault was found out that because we are not giving to eat to the stomach. So all then agreed, "Well, let the stomach eat, and let us work." So this is the nature's arrangement. The stomach will simply eat and the hands and legs and eyes, they must work.
Similarly, the central point is Kṛṣṇa, God. God must simply eat. You must work. We are all part and parcel of... Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Just like part and parcel of my body. They must work. And the stomach shall eat.
He is enjoying. He enjoys a certain type of food according to his quality.
Nowadays, because people are becoming more and more in the modes of darkness, they are eating so many abominable things. And prakṛti also, I mean to say, minimizing the supply of sāttvika food. Just like nowadays it has become scarcity of grains, of milk, of sugar. It is practical experience. Because people are becoming more and more in the modes of ignorance, therefore the foodstuffs... These foodstuffs are in the modes of goodness. Just like Kṛṣṇa wants, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa does not say, "Give me meat and drinking wine." Kṛṣṇa can eat everything. He is omnipotent. But He does not say that "You give me anything and everything." No. He specifically mentions, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. These things are the foodstuffs in goodness: rice, ḍāl, wheat, that means grains. Then sugar, fruits, vegetables, milk products. These foods are in the goodness.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
He is inquisitive. That is human life. He enquires, "What is this, father? What is this father?" And the father replies. So unless this enquiry is there, he is not human being. A cat and dog cannot enquire about the origin of a thing. But a human mind is developed in such a way that he enquires, he makes research to find out the original cause. Just like nowadays the scientists are enquiring about the origin of life. But unfortunately, they are finding out the original cause which is not. Just like they are trying to research out what is the origin of life. And there are many, many learned scientists. They think that the origin of life is chemical combination. So that is not the fact.
Therefore, without being guided by authority, nobody can find out the perfect answer of an enquiry. Even in the university level, those who are research scholar, they are guided by three experienced professors. And when the student's research work is admitted by the three professors, then he is awarded the doctorate designation.
As soon as the process of receiving perfect knowledge is lost, then the original purpose is lost.
So it becomes sometimes lost. When the paramparā system... Just like nowadays, everyone is proud of reading Bhagavad-gītā, but he interprets in his own way. Everyone is at liberty to interpret Bhagavad-gītā as he likes. That is the modern proposal. So there are 664 editions of Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone is commenting in his own way. I have heard that there is one doctor, some rele(?). He has interpreted Bhagavad-gītā as the talks between a patient and a physician. You see? So this is going on. Everyone whimsically, he is interpreting. Sometimes in our country also, we see that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to interpret Bhagavad-gītā as nonviolence. It is very difficult to prove, because Bhagavad-gītā is spoken in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. (laughs) So how you can prove nonviolence? So it is a difficult job. So that is not the process of understanding Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is to be understood, as our Swamiji immediately talked, that it has to be received from the paramparā system.
God is one, God cannot be two. It is not that Hindus have got one God and Christians have got another God. No. God cannot be two. Then there cannot be any competition of Gods. "I am God." Just like nowadays it has become a fashion, so many gods, rascals are coming, "I am God." He says, "I am God," "I am God," "I am God." Now how many Gods are there? No, God is one, eko brahma dvitīya nāsti, that is the Vedic injunction. Just like the sun. Sun is one. From our practical example. You cannot say that "This is American sun," and "this is Indian sun," or "it is African sun." Sun is one. See, if a creation of God is one and it is so powerful... Sun is one of the creation of God. There are millions of suns. We can see one only. So if one sun created by God can do so much work, can distribute so much heat and light, just imagine how much powerful is the creator of the sun. This is common sense. So we get information from Bhagavad-gītā... (aside:) Rūpānuga you can come here.
So it requires brain. How you can say that it has been done automatically? No. There is brain. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The nature is working under His direction. But His direction is so complete that it appears to us as it is being done automatically. Not automatic. There is brain behind it. Just like nowadays there are so many mechanical inventions. You just push one button and things come, as we see in the airplane. There are simply... The pilot is working simply by pushing some buttons, and such a big, gigantic plane is floating in the sky. We can understand. The television, simply by pushing one button... So if materially it is so much advanced, perfection is possible, you can just imagine, spiritually how much it is perfectly possible.
Everyone is searching after some service, service, service. So this service attitude means śūdra. Paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). In the śāstras, therefore, it is said that the brāhmaṇas, even there is some difficult time... Just like nowadays, at the present moment, we are creating brāhmaṇas, but people do not much like us. They do not care for us: "What is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa?" Their street... They are thinking they are beggars. But they are the most intelligent class, brāhmaṇas. They do not honor. So this Kali-yuga, actual intelligent class of men has no honor. A third-class man, fourth-class man, fifth-class man has got honor if he gets some money. That is the system of Kali-yuga. Somehow or other, you gather money and you are fifth-class, tenth-class man—you will be honored. This is Kali-yuga. Not for your qualification, but because you have got money, you are honored. This is going on.
Vedānta means the ultimate knowledge. Veda means knowledge; anta means the last contribution. So under the instruction of Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva first of all made his life perfect. Yes. How he made his life perfect? Because if you write books without any perfection, that will not be effective. One has to become perfect before he writes some books. Just like nowadays especially in the western countries they write any rascal ideas under the name of philosophy or science, "Perhaps," "It may be." That is not the system in the Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization, people, those who are advanced in Vedic knowledge, they'll write. Vedic knowledge is called śruti, and if you write following the principles of śruti, then it is smṛti.
"This is good, this is bad," it is all mental concoction. After all, it is material world. Either you become very expert in handling these material affairs, very big businessman, Mr. Ford, Mr. this and that, or so many things... (break) ...successful, what is the meaning of this "Successful, unsuccessful"? You have to die. You have to suffer from disease. Just like nowadays the flu is going on. Does it mean that a big man or a rich man will not suffer? When the disease is there, either you are big man or rich man or poor man or small man, everyone has to suffer. So long you will be in the material world, if you do not rectify yourself, śuddha-sattva... Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). If you don't rectify your existence, then this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi will go on (BG 13.9). Then what is the good? Actually, there is no good. 'Ei bhāla, ei manda'—ei saba 'bhrama'.. It is simply mental concoction. So in the material world, even you become very expert to deal with your business very nicely, it is all useless.
That spirit soul is the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and his duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is original dharma. So in order to teach that original dharma, Kṛṣṇa comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Glāni means discrepancies. When the conditioned soul is, by the influence of māyā, is engaged in sense gratification, that is called dharmasya glāniḥ. Yadā yadā hi... Just like nowadays nobody's interested. The so-called educated or advanced man, if we say that "You have to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is not your duty. You are going to the office and earning daily five thousand rupees. That is simply useless. Useless. It is simply a waste of energy," who will believe it? Nobody. "Oh, this is a nonsense proposal."
"My dear boys, for some days you can live in that house. That is very nice." So Vidura gave him hint, so, that "You are being sent there. Be careful for being killed. The house will be set fire." So Vidura was very favorable to the Pāṇḍavas. So they made a subway in that house, and when the house was set fire, they escaped through the subway. In this way, it is said, viṣān mahāgneḥ, set fire in shellac house... Just like nowadays this, what is called, plastic. It gets set fire very soon. Then puruṣāda, they took shelter in a house where there was a rākṣasa, cannibal. He was disturbing the whole village. So the settlement was that every day one family should hand over one man to him for eating, then he will not create disturbance. So the Pāṇḍavas were taking shelter in a house after escaping from the fire, and the... One day the turn came to that family that they would have to hand over one member of the family to that cannibal. So the Pāṇḍavas were present. They thought, "We are guest here, and they are in danger, so we must save them." This is obligation.
It is our fault. Why there are so many discrepancies and nonequality? Somebody is very rich; somebody is very poor. Somebody is eating stool, and somebody eating nice prasādam, halavā. It is all due to the living entity's karma. Otherwise, God is equal to everyone. Samaṁ carantaṁ sarvatra (SB 1.8.28). God is not partial. Just like nowadays, these rascals, they say, "Why God is unkind to the poor man?" No. God is not unkind to the poor man. The poor man, he has become poor by his karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1).
Daiva-netreṇa. Daiva means superior, or godly. Netreṇa. Netreṇa means by the eyes, or netreṇa, by the leadership, leadership, or superintendence. Whatever we are doing... Because God is everywhere situated... Samaṁ carantaṁ sarvatra. Kṛṣṇa is there, everywhere. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in everyone's heart. So we cannot conceal anything from God. In another place it is said, "Just like the sun is the eye of God..."
You cannot say, "Now I have got the gold mine. Now sit down tightly." No. That is not material nature. But Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. That is the Vedic instruction. That is akartuḥ. He has nothing to do. Why He has nothing to do? Now, because He has got many energies. Just like nowadays, by electronics, one man is sitting... We have seen the pilot. He's sitting in his place. He's simply pushing on the button, and the whole, big gigantic 747 is flying in the sky. We see the pilot is sitting there. He's doing nothing, but he's doing everything. But the electronic arrangement is so perfect. But sitting in one place he is working the big gigantic machine. As it is possible for a small material man, how much it is possible for Kṛṣṇa. Although He does not do anything, still, He's viśvātman: He is controlling the whole universe, viśvātman. He's the vital force, viśvāt... This is Kṛṣṇa.
So we have to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kuntī is helping us. Every devotee, Vaiṣṇava, they voluntarily takes this business just to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, to explain Kṛṣṇa, just like Kuntī is explaining, because if we understand Kṛṣṇa thoroughly, then we are liberated.
So everywhere there was Vedic culture. The treasures are still available, and the history of the whole world is called Mahābhārata. The same point, Bhārata. And Mahābhārata means "greater Bhārata," greater. Just like nowadays we say "greater India," greater some city, "greater New York," so this Mahābhārata means is history of the greater Bhāratavarṣa.
So Hastināpura was capital, and the king of Hastināpura was the emperor of the world. There were, the other, there were states, but they were paying tax to the emperor. So Kṛṣṇa, after receiving the fine prayer, nicely composed by Kuntīdevī, He accepted, bāḍham. Bāḍham means, "Yes, that's all right." He smiled because whatever Kuntī has said, they are true. That is not exaggeration. And therefore Kṛṣṇa smiled that Kuntī was so pleased to enunciate the glories of the Lord. She knows what Kṛṣṇa is. So He said bāḍham, "Yes, it is all right." In this way, He was prepared to go, to return to Dvārakā, and the ladies also, when they were returning, so Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja requested, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, my dear brother, if You kindly stay a few days more."
If the brāhmaṇas would not agree, then they won't do. The brāhmaṇa's community, all saintly persons and learned scholars, brāhmaṇas... There was a committee, and the king would take their advice how to manipulate the political affairs or administration, and they would consult standard books. Just like nowadays the rascals, every day they are changing some law. Somebody told me, where? In Africa, every week there is change of the cabinet, every week. Means so full of rascals. So one rascal will fight with another rascal. So there is no stability of government. All these rascals, politicians, they are trying to occupy the post: "I shall become president, I shall become secretary, and then I shall exploit the state like anything." This is the motive. Their manifestation, that "I am going to give you heaven. If you select me president, then I shall give you heaven within three minutes." (laughter)
That is not... It is the duty of the state to see whether you are qualified as a brāhmaṇa. "You are claiming as brāhmaṇa. Whether you are actually qualified as a brāhmaṇa? Whether you are working as a brāhmaṇa?" It is the state's duty to see. It is the king's duty. He may not misguide others.
Just like nowadays a so-called brāhmaṇa is working as a cobbler, and he is claiming to become brāhmaṇa. Not like that. It is the... Just like a medical man. A medical man, if he wants to practice, then he must get certificate from the medical board, registration. The medical board will see whether he is qualified as a medical man, whether he has passed medical examination. Then he will be allowed to practice as a medical man. So whenever a medical practitioner gives you a prescription along with his name, he gives his title, M.D., B.S. and registered number. That means he is approved. Then he can practice. This is common sense affairs in the every state, a lawyer is given certificate by the government. Then he is allowed.
Of course, this is too much following religious principles. This is also another instruction. When Kṛṣṇa said that "You go and speak the lies," he should have done immediately. That is dharma. Because dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means which is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is dharma. You cannot manufacture dharma. Just like nowadays so many dharmas have been manufactured. They are not dharma. Dharma means the order which is given by the Lord. That is dharma. Just like Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We have manufactured so many dharmas: Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma, Parsee dharma, Buddha dharma, this dharma, that dharma. They are not dharma. They are mental concoction, mental concoction. Otherwise, there will be contradiction. Take for example, the Hindus think cow-killing is adharma, and the Muslims think that cow-killing is their dharma. So which is correct? Whether cow killing is adharma or dharma?
That is the way. We have to follow great superior personalities, just like ṣaḍ-gosvāmī. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, ei chay gosāñi jāṅr mui tāṅr dāsa: "I become servant, servant or disciple, of such a person who follows the footprints of the six Gosvāmīs." Otherwise one becomes guru, anyone, just like nowadays they become. They are manufacturing guru. Guru is not manufactured. Guru is in the disciplic succession, one who is strictly follows the footsteps of the ṣaḍ-gosvāmīs. Ei chay gosāñi jāṅr. Anyone who is following the footsteps of the gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī... Rūpa Gosvāmī gives his Upadeśāmṛta instruction:
The main problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That is main problem. So our cultivation of knowledge, advancement of civilization, should be on the basis of solving the main problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, not the temporary problem. For the temporary problems, it is advised that the temporary problems, they come and go. Just like nowadays there is the petrol problem. Petrol is there, but because the Arabians are restricting supply, it has become a problem. So there are, as soon as there will be some peace agreement between the Arabians and others, this problem will be solved. Take for example. Best example is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. You can solve your petrol problem, but you can never solve the problem of winter and summer. That will come and go. So it is not that winter will remain for good, or the summer will remain for good. Āgamāpāyino 'nityāḥ. They will come and go away. So don't be bothered about them. If you feel botheration, just try to suffer or tolerate. That is not your real problem.
Those who are impious, sinful, they cannot approach Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Those who are narādhamāḥ, lowest of the mankind, always engaged in sinful activities, and rascals, may be very educated-māyayā apahṛta-jñānāḥ, their educational value has been taken away by māyā... As, just like nowadays it has become. The more one is educated, the more one is atheist. We have received one report just now, Bombay. They are... That singing, Hare Kṛṣṇa singing, nuisance, they say. You see. How degraded human being has become: "Hare Kṛṣṇa singing is nuisance. And cinema singing is very good." Just see. They have become simply rascals, dogs and hogs. Simply.
So we should be very much careful of our next birth. Because... Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). This is the verdict of Kṛṣṇa. At the time of death, whatever thought is there, you get next birth a similar body. The mind, mind creates the body, gross body.
At that time Kṛṣṇa will not preach, because who will understand? All mlecchas and... Just like nowadays even also. Such a nice quarter, nobody is interested. Nobody is interested. If you ask them, "Please come here. We are discussing Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Just try to understand the self-realization, "Oh, these nonsense, what is this? We are... I shall die and everything is finished. That's all." This is the modern civilization. Even up to this time... The Kali-yuga has passed only five thousand years, and when... If the duration of the whole Kali-yuga is four lakhs, thirty-two thousands of years... Out of that, we have only passed five thousand years, since the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Now, still the balance is four lakhs and twenty-seven thousands of years. So just imagine, after five thousand years we have become so much deteriorated, and what will happen even four lakhs of years? The people will reduce to such small stature because they will not be properly fed. Just like at the present moment the stature of the body is reducing. It is reducing.
There is a Bengali proverb, śarīre na mahāśaya ya sahabe taya saya,(?) means "This body is," means, "it can tolerate any condition, provided you practice it." It is not that, that you are under certain condition, and if you are changed, it becomes so intolerable that you cannot live. No. If you practice...
Just like nowadays nobody is going. Formerly they are going to the Himalayan mountain, and there is very cold. And the tapasya... There is practice, method: in high scorching heat the saintly person or sages, they will ignite fire all round. Already there is high temperature, and still they will get fire all round and go on, meditation. This is tapasya. These are the items of tapasya. There is scorching heat and they will arrange that. There is pinching, chilly cold, less than hundred degree, and they will go under water and put the body up to this and meditate. These are the items of tapasya. Tapasya. So for God realization formerly people used to undergo such severe type of penances, and at the present moment we are so fallen, we cannot tolerate these four principles? Is it very difficult? We are imposing some tapasya, that "Don't indulge in these things. No illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling." These are the items of tapasya for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So these four divisions there are. And... This is... So far our material necessities are concerned, there is need of intelligent class of men to guide, there is need of administrators or martial class of men, there is need of mercantile class of men, and there is need of laborer class of men. So these four divisions... And next, culture. Culture means brahmacārī. First, student life. He's educated in the value of life. They are called brahmacārī. They're not allowed to mix with women. Just like nowadays, the schools and colleges, the boys and girls freely mix. The brahmacārī is not allowed to mix with girls and boys. That is restriction, brahmacārī. Only gṛhasthas, householders, they are allowed to mix freely with woman married. So brahmacārī is not allowed, that is spiritual training. In this way there are four department of spiritual training, namely brahmacārī; gṛhastha, or householder; vānaprastha, retired man; and sann... (end)
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given this opportunity that simply by chanting... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has not manufactured it. It is mentioned in the śāstra. No other... Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not introduce anything by manufacturing, just like nowadays these rascals do. There is no question of manufacturing. Whatever is there already in the śāstra, indication, we have to follow. Yaḥ śāstra-viddhim utsṛjya vartate... Otherwise there is no success. Kṛṣṇa also said śāstra. Kṛṣṇa is also the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He refers to the Brahma-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra-padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitam. So we cannot go beyond the śāstra. We must follow. So in the śāstra it is said, in the Kali-yuga people are so fallen, they cannot be persuaded to so many rules and regulation, but kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply that is special facility for these fallen... You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa regularly and you become liberated from the material contamination. And as soon as you become liberated, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54).
That is the difficulty. Therefore this line of action, nivṛtti-mārga, it is little difficult. But it is very easy. If one understands the philosophy, what is the meaning of pravṛtti-mārga and what is the meaning of nivṛtti-mārga, and if he is sane man, then he will accept, "Yes." Just like if you go to a physician and you are suffering from a disease, being... Say, just like nowadays there is prominent alcoholic treatment. People are too much addicted to alcohol, and there are so many departmental treatment, even for the priest also. I have seen one ad in a paper that in America there is a hospital where especially the priestly class drunkard, they are treated. (laughter) And five thousand patients are there. (laughter) So if the physician says, "No, no, you give up your drinking habit," then he will be angry. Then how he will be treated? That is the only medicine, that "You give up." It is not very difficult thing. Nobody learns drinking from the birth. Now, even one has learned drinking, now, all our students, you see practically. They are young men. They are not old men. Their senses are still strong.
Either in your country or my country, it doesn't matter. Gold is gold everywhere. You cannot say "Christian gold," "Muslim gold," and "Hindu gold." No. Similarly, you cannot say "Hindu God," "Muslim God," "Christian God." No. God is one. Otherwise, there is no God. The definition of God is eka brahma dvitiya nāsti. There cannot be any competitor of God. Just like nowadays so many rascals are coming, presenting, "I am God." What kind of God you are? You must check before accepting one rascal as God, what is God.
The description of God is there in the śāstra: yasyaika-niśvasita kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). That is God. By His breathing, millions of universes are coming with exhaling. And when He's inhaling, billions of universes are going within. Can you show like that? That is also not original God. That is plenary expansion of God. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣa (Bs. 5.48).
Kṛṣṇa says, "There is no more good brain than Me." He says. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The prakṛti, nature, is instrument. Nature is not brain. Just like nowadays you have got very complicated machine, computer. The computer machine is not brain; the man who is pushing the buttons, he has got the brain. So we have to learn like that. Therefore we have to take knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is giving knowledge directly in the Bhagavad-gītā. So if you read and accept it as it is without any foolishness, then you become perfectly in knowledge.
Dhṛta-vrata. These things not occasionally but regularly, dhṛta-vrata. "I must rise early in the morning"—that is called dhṛta-vrata, vow. "I must do it." Dhṛta-vrato mṛduḥ, mild, gentleness. This is human life, not to live like cats and dogs. That is not human life. Real human life, the picture is here. One must be trained up to all these qualifications. Just like nowadays we send our boys to school, college, for being trained up as a technician, formerly the boys were sent for education... These are the effects of education.
Education means to become human being. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he also, although he was a politician, but brāhmaṇa, he also says who is educated, paṇḍita. The brāhmaṇa is known as paṇḍita. So what is the sign of paṇḍita?
So Prahlāda Mahārāja, although he was born of a father who was atheist number one, godless, by the grace of Nārada Muni he became a great devotee. So his father was very careful that nobody comes and instructs his son about Vedic way of lfe or God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He was very careful not to allow anyone. He appointed teachers for his son, strictly prohibiting about... Just like nowadays it has become, what is called? Secular state. Don't talk of God. This is the present situation of the world, atheist class. Don't talk of God. But they do not know that they have not much improved by don't talk of God. The situation is becoming grimmer and grimmer. But they have no eyes to see. They have no eyes to see. This Godless civilization will not make them happy. That's a fact. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad guṇa manorathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12). If one is Godless, then however qualified he may be from the material point of view, he is useless. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad guṇā. He cannot have any good quality. Why? Manorathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ.
Just like nowadays it is very cold. It will not stay. Say for two months, three months, it will stay, and again there will be summer, and that is also very unbearable. And that will also not stay. Say for two months. So āgamāpāyina. These things, seasonal changes, they come and go. Don't be bothered about these things. So long you have got this body, this śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ... The same thing: sometimes it is distressful, sometimes it is very pleasant. Just like water. Water now is distressful. If you have to take your bath, you have to make it hot; otherwise it is very distress. And similarly, same water in the summer season, it is very pleasing. The water is there, but it is sometimes distressful, sometimes pleasant. So they are āgamāpāyino. In touch with the skin it is sometimes pleasing, sometimes distressful. So this distress and happiness will be possible... Sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām. As soon as it is in touch with the body, such kind of distress and happiness will be fact. But don't be agitated. Your real purpose is that you must increase your Kṛṣṇa consciousness in any circumstances. And that is your business, human life. Don't waste your life. Don't be misguided.
When his son... Fortunately, his son Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was a great devotee, Vaiṣṇava, by the grace of Nārada, and he was always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When he was in school, five-years-old boy, and naturally, the school was an atheistic school. Just like nowadays, in no school, colleges they encourage any theological study. What is called? Secular state. So gradually we are becoming like that Hiraṇyakaśipu. But Hiraṇyakaśipu tried, Rāvaṇa tried, Kaṁsa tried to exist without God, but they did not exist. So nobody can exist. So this Hiraṇyakaśipu tried to protect himself by so many material ways, but when he was too much against his innocent devotee son, then Kṛṣṇa appeared as Nṛsiṁhadeva, and He was very fearful. So much fearful that all the demigods came to pacify Him, but He was groaning in anger. So there is anger in God also. Somebody says that "Why God should be angry?" No, God, there is anger. Everything is there in God.
You have to execute your business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If there is any trouble, you must know no trouble or no happiness exists because this is material. It has come. It will go. So for the time being, don't be mad after happiness and don't be mad after miseries." Āgamāpāyina: "They come and go." Just like nowadays it is very hot. This season will change, and again we will be disturbed by cold. So disturbance will continue, either heat or cold due to this material body, mātrā-sparśā, due to this skin attachment. So we have to tolerate.
So one who is actually vipra, he is tolerant. He is not disturbed by these material tribulations, kṣānti, ārjavam. Simple, very simple. Duplicity is very bad qualification for spiritual advancement. We have got a tendency for cheating, everyone, conditioned soul. That should be minimized. This is called ārjavam. Ārjavam means sad-rata. And viraktata, detachment. The whole system is detachment from matter.
"Mother, give me your prasādam meat." Abhadra. Why should we eat meat? Abhadra. Therefore this explanation is very nice, bhadram aniṣṭa-nivṛttiḥ. Aniṣṭa... If you eat meat, that means you become implicated in sinful activities. You have to be killed by your enemy, and he will eat you, or you become a goat or a hog or a cow, and your other person will kill you. Just like nowadays this contraceptive, abortion, killing the child is going on, so the same man, again he is killed by the so-called father and mother. It will act. Karmaṇo 'anya... Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyātra karma-bandhana. Unless you act for satisfying Kṛṣṇa—you become bhadra—then whatever you'll do, there will be reaction. This is nature's law. You cannot escape. If you have killed an animal, then you must be killed by that animal. Māṁsa. Māṁsa means māṁ sa khadati. When I eat meat, māṁsa, it means, "This animal also will eat me again." This is māṁsa. Māṁ sa khadati. Is it all right?
Therefore, because the brahmacārīs used to live in the jungle, it was essential. But on the whole the huts are(?) recommended, not that gorgeous dress, very nice bedstead or... As far as possible, yāvad-artha, whatever is absolutely necessary... That is Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization does not recommend that artificially you increase your necessities, life, and there is so much trouble. Just like nowadays in your country the machine is there in every respect. Even for shaving your cheek you require a machine. So this increasing the artificial necessities of life is possible when there is no higher thought. After all, we are thoughtful. We have got better consciousness in the human form of life than the animals. Our consciousness is developed. But because in this age, material world, we have no spiritual idea, so whatever power we have got in thinking, we are trying to increase artificially material way of life. "The idle brain is a devil's workshop."
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
The Brahma-saṁhitā, this Brahma-saṁhitā was compiled by Brahmā. It is very old book. It was picked up by Lord Caitanya from South India. When He was traveling in South India, in a temple He found this book, handwritten, very old. Formerly there was no press. If anyone wanted some book, he would have to copy it from others. That was the system. The books were not available just like nowadays we have got printed, thousands and thousands copies. That was not available. So two books were collected by Caitanya Mahāprabhu from South India.
One book is named Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. That book was written by one of the devotees, very great devotee, Bilvamaṅgala. His life is very interesting. He was too much prostitute-hunter. In one incidence his kept prostitute gave him instruction, "Oh, you have got so much attraction for this skinny body. If you would have such attraction for Kṛṣṇa, I do not know what you have done." Oh, at once he became, "Yes." This is called reference to the context.
This is called dvirukti-doṣa (?). Sanskrit language is very scholarly language, reformed. You cannot deviate even a line, even a letter in the sense, in the poetry, in the writing. There are all regulation, strict regulation, grammatical and metric and so many things. So nobody can surpass, not that... Just like nowadays we write poetry—one line is three hundred miles, one hundred, (chuckles) and only one mile. That sort of poetry will not be allowed in Sanskrit. You cannot adjust three hundred miles and one mile. No. It must be very symmetrical. That is Sanskrit language.
So the Paṇḍita, Kāśmīrī Paṇḍita, became surprised. The Kāśmīrī Paṇḍita became surprised: "How is that? This boy understood? He was a student of grammar, and He is pointing out literary defects?" Oh, he became very much, much surprised. Then he admitted. He was learned scholar. He admitted his fault and he said, "How is that?
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So anything pure will attract. That is natural. Pure love, pure foodstuff, anything pure. Pure gold. In economics also. It is said, "Bad money drives away good money." If you put bad money, just like nowadays the currency is some paper, paper currency, so drives away good money. Good money means gold coins. They are not to be seen. That's economic law. As soon as you put bad money, the good money will vanish.
So try to present Kṛṣṇa as He is. People will be attracted, because everyone has got Kṛṣṇa's intimate relationship. We are all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁso jīva bhūta (BG 15.7), all living entities, not only human being, other than human being, everyone, all living entities. They have got different bodies only, according to their different desires and inclinations. Otherwise, every living entity from..., beginning from Brahma down to an insect, a small ant, they are all living entities, and they are all parts and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God. We are all part and parcel of God. Therefore, just like you are part and parcel of your parent, so there is some intimate relationship with your parents. It cannot be broken, even if you are absent from home for many years.
Initiation Lectures
Simply by serving the lotus feet of Mukunda, I can do this. This is the sum and substance.
So this sannyāsa order, although it is prohibited in this age... Because so many rascals will accept sannyāsa and do all nonsense things; therefore sannyāsa is prohibited. Just like nowadays in Kali-yuga the, some of the sannyāsīs, they are eating meat. Disastrous. So this kind of rascal sannyāsīsm is prohibited in the śāstra. Sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam, devareṇa sutotpattiṁ kalau pañca vivarjayet (CC Adi 17.164). But Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, they took sannyāsa for preaching work, not for doing rascaldom. Preaching work. So Mukunda ahaṁ niṣevaye. Mukundāṅghri-niṣevayaiva. Simply by serving... Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, what does He want? He wants that this philosophy of Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavad-gītā, should be spread all over the world. You take up this determination and be steady in your sannyāsī. That is my request.
General Lectures
So we have discussed this point in our small book Easy Journey to Other Planets. So there is life in other planet, there is standard of living.
Now, in the moon planet we understand the duration of life is ten thousands of years according to our calculation. Scientifically, everything is relative. Just like nowadays, formerly, to come to your country it would take two months from India on the surface. And now the airplane is there, we come within one day, within fifteen hours or twenty hours. So everything is relative. Just like the sputnik. The sputnik surrounded, circumambulated the earth in one hour, twenty-five minutes, three times. That means by the sputnik speed, the three days... To circumambulate the earth three times means three day and night. That means according to our calculation, seventy-two hours. That seventy-two hours was finished in one hour and twenty-five minutes. How? Because the thing is relative.
All glories to the saṅkīrtana movement. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, five hundred years ago in Navadvīpa, at the age of sixteen years only, a boy of sixteen years, He introduced this movement, saṅkīrtana movement. Not that He manufactured some religious system. Just like nowadays there are..., so many religious system have been manufactured. Actually, religion cannot be manufactured. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: (SB 6.3.19) "Religion means the codes of God, the laws of God." That's all. Just like you cannot live without obeying the state laws, similarly, you cannot live without obeying the laws of God. And in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati: (BG 4.7) "Whenever there is discrepancies in the process of religious, prosecution of religious activities," yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, abhyutthānam adharmasya, "and there is predominance of irreligious activities," tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham, "at that time," Kṛṣṇa, the Lord, says that "I appear." That is the way. The same principle. Just like as soon as there is disobedience of state laws, there is advent of some particular state officer or the governor or the state man to take step and to set things right. That is the way.
So our process is, process of acquiring knowledge, is very easy and perfect. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We cannot say anything which is not accepted by the authorities coming from Kṛṣṇa. And in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa recommends this process of knowledge: evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). "This knowledge, formerly, all the great saintly kings..." Formerly, there was monarchy. Just like nowadays also, the government is authority. Your President is authority. So in the days of monarchical king, government, the monarch or the king is head of the government. He is authority. But formerly, those authorities, those kings, were ṛṣis, great learned scholars, ṛṣis, great devotees. They were not ordinary men. That system of government was very nice. One person, well talented, well trained as the head of the government, very peacefully he could execute the governmental function. There were many instances, the Vedic civilization, how the kings were perfect.
Don't think that is has coming out automatically. No. Nothing comes out automatically. It is coming out of the energy of the Supreme Lord, but the energies are so subtle, nice and artistic that all of a sudden you see a nice flower.
So He is the greatest artist. Just like nowadays, the electronic age, the artist or the scientist just pushing on one button and it is working so nicely. Nowadays it is very easy to understand. In the aeroplane the pilot is simply pushing on button, and such a huge machine, just like a small city, it is flying in the sky, and the wings are working, the machine is working. But we see that a person is simply pushing some button. As it is materially possible, that a man of this world can work so wonderfully simply by pushing some button, so how much great is God, or Kṛṣṇa—"God is great"—how His brain is fertile, how energies are fine, that simply by His desire, "Let there be creation," immediately everything is there. So that is the greatest artist.
In the Vedas, Upaniṣad: na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. God has nothing to do personally. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Na tat-samas cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. Nobody is found equal to him or greater than Him. Nobody. That is God. If somebody is competitor, one God competitor, another God competitor... Just like nowadays it has become a fashion to become God, and there are competitions between one "God" and another. But actually, nobody can compete with God. That is God. Na tasya sama. Sama means equal. Adhikasya, or greater. That means greater. That means everyone subordinate. Everyone subordinate. Everyone is lower than God. He may be very powerful, but nobody can be equal or greater than God. That is the Vedic information. Na tasya sama adikasya dṛśyate. We don't find... They are also, great saintly persons, they're researching that who is the greatest personality. Greatest personality. So by research work by great saintly persons, especially by Lord Brahmā... He is the first creature within this universe.
Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). Surabhīr abhipālaya. In the transcendental world, in Kṛṣṇaloka, there are..., there that is called goloka. Goloka means that planet is full of many cows, and those cows are known as surabhī. Surabhī. The Kṛṣṇa is habituated to take care of the cows. Just like nowadays any respectable gentleman is supposed to take care of dog, similarly, Kṛṣṇa (indistinct) take it as hobby, so He has got the hobby of giving protection to the cows. Surabhīr abhipālayantam. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). And Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by many, many thousands of Lakṣmīs, these gopīs. The gopīs, they're all Lakṣmīs, expansion of goddess of fortune. They're not ordinary. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyā. Here in this material world everyone is worshiping Lakṣmī, or goddess of fortune. In the beginning of the year everyone worships Lakṣmī so that Lakṣmī may be pleased and money may come.
And if you judge from good sense and intelligence, you'll have to admit what is said in the śāstra. Now just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). We are very much astonished to see the activities of the material nature wonderfully working. But we do not know that behind the material nature there is God. Under His direction the material nature is working. That is intelligence. Material nature, matter... Matter cannot act independently. That is not possible. Just like this microphone is a combination of material things—some iron, some other metals. But it has been adjusted, created by some living entity. Not that matter has automatically come into intermingling with this other and become a microphone. That is not possible. Take any machine. It may be very wonderful machine. Just like nowadays the wonderful machine is computer. What is called?
So this material world is the prison house of God. Anyone who is living in this prison house, they are all prisoners. It may be demigod, as it is said, deva. Na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ na siddha-mukhyā asurā manuṣyāḥ. We are human being. There are other beings. They are called asuras. They are very powerful, asuras, but godless. Just like nowadays some portion of the world is occupied by the asuras. They are materially very powerful, but they are asuras because they do not believe in God. Take, for example, Russia. Of course, the mass of people, they are not like that. A fragmental portion of Russian people, they are godless. So you cannot be godless. If you become godless, if you become without religion, if you become without any intentions to abide by the orders of God, then you will be punished. This is nature's law. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā we learn that daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Every one of us is serving under the order of māyā, illusory energy, material energy, and we are becoming tired, sometimes very much fatigued, every one of us. Nobody is satisfied, cannot be satisfaction.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: This is evidence: that there is no soul. The self, the individual soul, is now departed; therefore this body is lump of matter. This is evidence. And because the soul is there, therefore the body changes or develops. Just like if a child is born dead, then the body does not develop or changes. It remains in the same condition. But so long the soul is there, the child grows or changes his body. That is evidence. Because the soul is there, therefore the child is growing or changing body from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youth. Suppose a child is born, doctor says it is dead child. You say something is wanted, but what is that something? You do not know. Otherwise, if you know, you add it. What is that something? Suggest, what is that something? Simply vague idea something, that is nonsense idea. That is not science. You must give, "This is wanting." Suppose that you say that the blood, the redness, just like nowadays blood supply is the theory, so what is this blood? Blood is a liquid, red liquid, like chemical or something, with some salt. So you can add salt, just like in cholera cases, they add saline injection.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1970 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Śāstra-vākya-pramāṇa. And it should be known through the spiritual master. Just like nowadays Bhagavad-gītā is being interpreted in so many foolish ways because they do not accept explanation from the authority. They become themselves authorities. Therefore misused. That is not explanation. Somebody is explaining that Kurukṣetra means this body, pañca-pāṇḍava means the senses. These are all nonsense. You have to accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is. When you cannot understand, you should get it explained by your spiritual master. Therefore one has to accept a spiritual master to understand. Tad-vijnanārtham. In order to understand that transcendental science one must approach a bona fide spiritual master. That is injunction. So here it is said that kānyakubje dvijaḥ. Dvijaḥ means he was offered the sacred thread. That means he was born in a brāhmaṇa family. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone is born a śūdra, a foolish. Sudra means a foolish man who simply laments. That is the real meaning of śūdra. Anyone who has no intelligence, he is śūdra.
Prabhupāda: The same thing. The parliamentary members... Just like nowadays, party. India is suffering in party politics. And they did not like to give importance to monarchy. They wanted to rule according to their whims, and therefore the whole scheme failed. The so-called democracy under party politics is nonsense. Monarchy... I have said. That day I was in remarking that "This democracy is the government of the asses," because the population are asses and they vote another ass to be head of the government. So what you can do? Sayuddhe kriyate rājan sa kim asnu pahanam. These are instructions in Sanskrit. "If you make a dog a king, don't you think that he will still lap the shoes?" You cannot change his habits. Sva... Yasya bhāvasya na sa sudurate kramaḥ. Anyone's habits, even if you give good position, you cannot change it. The example is just like if you make a dog the king, he will immediately come from the throne and bite the shoes. You see? So materially you cannot change. Only by spiritual understanding one can be...
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Well, provided it is done for Him. Just like Arjuna, fighting. Fighting, if you take..., just like nowadays fighting is going on, that is material. But the same fighting done for Kṛṣṇa is spiritual.
Dr. Singh: It is the attitude with which one does it.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the definition of bhakti. Bhakti means hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ, that is bhakti. Now to serve Kṛṣṇa, Hṛṣīkeśa, that requires qualification. Just like you are king, if somebody wants to serve you as your secretary, he has to have specific qualifications. Not ordinary man. Similarly, bhakti means to serve Kṛṣṇa. So everyone can serve Kṛṣṇa provided he is qualified. And what is that qualification?
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So he became so strong that when he was traveling in the state, everyone was trembling. So very strong king. In this way, when he became too much powerful, then he began to preach atheism. That is the way. The rākṣasī, the demonic way is there. If a demon becomes powerful—just like nowadays it is going on—somehow or other if somebody becomes powerful, he doesn't care for the śāstric injunction or religion or God. They don't care for it. Just like there are many instances, Rāvaṇa, Hiraṇyakaśipu, like that. So he also became like that. Then he began to order
- na yaṣṭavyaṁ na dātavyaṁ
- na hotavyaṁ dvijāḥ kvacit
- iti nyavārayad dharmaṁ
- bherī-ghoṣeṇa sarvaśaḥ
- (SB 4.14.6)
By bugle announcement. In your country, I do not know, maybe. It is here in India still existing that if some public announcement has to be done, one takes a drum or bugle, he stands in one place and bugles or beats the drum, people when gathered they announce something that "This will be done. This is the order of the king or the state." Is there any such system in England?
Prabhupāda: You cannot create male aeroplane and female aeroplane so that you haven't got to manufacture a third one. The third one is produced. Why third one? Millions. And then from millions, another millions, another million. That is God's creation. That means He has got different energies. He pushes on one button of one energy and the production goes on. (Sanskrit) These are the Vedic explanation. His energies are so subtle. Just like nowadays electronic television button, you press, and thousands and thousands of miles away something is happening, you see. So if it is materially possible, it is nothing but exhibition of the energy of the human brain. So if human brain can exhibit such wonderful activities, how much God can do? He has got better brain, that's all, or the best brain. If you have got brain, that's all right, but He has got the best brain, param. Therefore He is called parampuruṣa, parameśvara.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now we can simply study the beautiful flower, and we can come to God consciousness. How it is made, so beautiful, unless there is brain? And what is that brain? Then you come to God. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svā-bhāvikī-jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Para, the Supreme, has got so nice brain that things are happening as if natural. But no, the brain is acting, brain is acting. But His energy and brain is so nice that He hasn't got to do it personally. As soon as He desires, immediately the energy works. Just like nowadays electronic. So simply by pushing one bud, a button, thousands of business is done immediately. So if it is materially possible, just we have to think how much it is great and possible by spiritual energy. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. These are the Vedic description. God hasn't got to do anything with His hands. Just like here also. A big man, he has got secretaries, officers.
Prajāpati: Not so much, no.
Prabhupāda: That means they are failure.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They are interested in politics now.
Prabhupāda: Just like nowadays they are not talking of going to the moon planet. There is no newspaper news.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They have a bigger plan.
Prabhupāda: That is another bluff. Now the small plan they could not make successful. Now they are thinking of bigger plan. You see?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: They are planning to go to Mars now.
Prabhupāda: Yes. The sinful activities have increased because the world has produced too much wealth. Because they can purchase sinful activities. And that is being increased by inflation. False money I have got, and with that false money I can purchase all this illicit sex, wine, intoxication, and... It is just like nowadays, bank is giving you a card, "Americard..." What is that?
Karandhara: Charge card. Bank Americard.
Prabhupāda: Ah. So you simply show the card, you get the goods. So to exchange, it has become very cheap. So cheaply you can purchase. Therefore cheaply you can purchase sinful things also. The people are becoming sinful. The modern economy is, "Engage people in hard working to produce, and by artificial cheating, secure the goods, commodities." This is modern economy. So a worker is getting three thousand dollar per month, but he is getting paper. But he is thinking that "I am getting money." He is giving his labor, and things are being produced. This is the policy. "Cheat him. Without giving money, give him paper, and get his labor, and produce goods." This is modern economy. Is it not?
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: It can come.
Dr. Patel: Not so.
Prabhupāda: Now, this is also tantra. Just like nowadays, they were flying sputnik, and from here controlling everything. Millions and millions of miles...
Dr. Patel: But there is a science behind it, no?
Prabhupāda: So that is also a kind of science, subtle science.
Dr. Patel: This writing, writing letters, two and two, and, and...
Prabhupāda: Yes. There are subtle sciences. These are gross sciences. There are subtle science also. Just like now mechanically you are flying. But there is science... Anything. I can fly with this stick. That is possible. Ākāśa-patana. There is a science, ākāśa-patana. Kapota-vāyu. Kapota-vāyu. Now, you can train the pigeons, and it will, you'll fly in the sky.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Some way or other, if you go to God, that is very good. With motive or without motive, you have come to God, that is piety. That is better than to become impious. Impious men, they do not go to God. Just like nowadays nobody goes to church. Church are selling. Simply... Temples also. So now there are in India so many township development. They are constructing very fashionable houses, but no temples. Nobody is constructing temple. At the present moment everybody has become disinterested with anything religion and God. All over the world. That is degradation. Especially I am seeing in Bombay, that Juhu scheme, very nice houses are being manufactured. You have all seen. But nobody is constructing a temple. The modern economists, they say "nonproductive endeavor"—means there is no income. Simply you have to spend money for maintaining the temple.
Prabhupāda: So if your government wants to kill you, who can save you? That is another thing. Rakṣa bhakṣaka. Government is meant for giving you protection, but if the government wants to kill you, then who will give you protection? Just like nowadays. The mother is meant for giving protection to the child, and the mother is killing now. Then who will protection? There is no other way. Even in the animals, birds, the mother is giving protection. And the small children, they are going after the mother.
Guest: Except the serpent. They eat their children. There are too many of them so they eat at least half or three-fourths, don't allow the serpent population to grow. Because after the child must be hungry, and she must...
Prabhupāda: Still, those who live, they depend on mother.
Prabhupāda: No, that means their life is not properly conducted. And therefore the word laziness has come. Laziness is not actually the word. Laziness means minimizing the bodily labor and engaged in spiritual work. If you ask people, "Please come to our temple," who is coming? Because he says, "I have no time." But we are not working hard. So real aim of life is to... In German, I think, or somewhere there is classification: "Lazy intelligent, busy intelligent, lazy fool, and busy fool." So at the present moment (laughs) the whole world is full of busy fools. But the first-class man, he is lazy intelligent. Lazy and intelligent, that is first-class man. And second-class man, busy intelligent. And third class means lazy fool and fourth class means busy fool. When the fools are busy... Just like nowadays they are busy but they are fools. Like monkey, he is very busy. You see? And they prefer to be generation of monkey, busy fool. That's all. Fools, when he is busy, he is simply creating havoc. That's all.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: That means that respect is partial. Our process is whomever we respect, we worship him. That is more perfect.
Guest (2): Well, all right. That's fine.
Prabhupāda: That is perfection. If you respect somebody you must worship him. Just like.... Nowadays it has become a fashion. I don't.... That is European fashion, that you respect some gentleman, political or social, who has done good service to your country, but you keep him in a public park and the crows are passing stool on his head.
Hari-śauri: Make a statue.
Prabhupāda: Statue.
Hari-śauri: If you want to glorify some great personality.
Prabhupāda: But we, if we keep that statue in a temple, is it not more respectful?
Prabhupāda: That they do not know. Their advancement of knowledge is so poor, that if the chemicals of the semina and ovum, by mixture, life can be generated, so why you wait for such accident? You can combine such chemicals. Why you are waiting for the accident or chance meeting? You can produce. That they cannot. Then how it is accident? Just like nowadays the ox, bull's semina is injected in the cow, artificial semination?
Jñānagamya: Yes, for cows they do that.
Prabhupāda: But that semina is taken from a bull. Why not chemically prepare and inject?
Jñānagamya: Also for humans sometimes, humans also.
| Page Title: | Just like nowadays |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 22 of Sep, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=56, Con=15, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 71 |