KU 01.03.14 ksurasya dhara... cited

Expressions researched:
"ksurasya dhara"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1972:

Even one falls down, still, there is no loss. Because he'll get the chance. Kṛṣṇa will arrange in such a way. They'll get the chance. So actually, there is no loss. But one must be purified completely. So to get this hog's and dog's life means they are being purified. They are being purified. But without being completely purified, nobody can enter into the kingdom of God. That is not possible. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpam. So there is another version in Caitanya-caritāmṛta:

anivijñā tare viṣaye khana diba

sa caraṇāmṛtaṁ diye visa bhula iva(?)

If one, by mistake, while executing devotional service, at the same time, keeping his propensity for sense gratification, material enjoyment, then he is rectified in that way.

So we should be very much careful. Careful... It is said, kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā. The spiritual path, Kṛṣṇa consciousness path, is just like sharpened razor. You take your sharpened razor and shave your cheek. If you are expert, it will be very clean-shaved. But if you are not expert, there is little inattention, immediately cut and blood. Kṣurasya dhārā. This is an example. Durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti. But the safest way... Here it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If we attentively hear about Kṛṣṇa, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, if we hear about Kṛṣṇa, it doesn't matter what I am, but simply by hearing Kṛṣṇa, about Kṛṣṇa, I shall acquire some resultant action of pious activities. Just like there is the Bhāgavata-saptāha. You, within a week, nobody can understand what is Bhāgavata. And the speaker also does not know what he's speaking. But because somehow or other, they're hearing about Kṛṣṇa, there is some pious resultant action. That's a fact.

Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:

So śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). So there is no loss. He begins again worship of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, either in the brāhmaṇa family or in the rich family. And ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ: "And if anyone does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, simply engages in his, mean, prescribed duties as a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or a śūdra, and he's very strict moralist, he may get, he may not get also." There is... Because this life, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yes, Vedas, Upaniṣad, kṣurasya dhara iti duratyayā.(?) The people do not understand that how we are stationed. Any little difference, we may fall down. As there is chance of falldown from Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is chance of falldown from any position. This human life, human form of life, should be very carefully and cautiously utilized. This verse I was explaining yesterday, labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29).

Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 15, 1972:

Pradyumna: So on the purport on page 153, the second paragraph: "The camel is a kind of animal which takes pleasure in eating thorns. Similarly, a person who wants to enjoy family life or the worldly life of so-called enjoyment is compared with the camel. Materialistic life is full of thorns, so one should live only by the prescribed method of Vedic regulations, just to make the best use of a bad bargain."

Prabhupāda: Hm. Just like if you are passing through thorns, you must be very careful. Otherwise the thorns will be stuck up with your garment, and you will be inconvenienced. It is said in the Vedas, kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā. Just like we shave with razor. Razor is very sharp. So if we can carefully handle the razor, we get our cheeks very cleansed, that business is done. But little inattention, immediately cut and there will be blood. Little inattention. That example is given. Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti. The path of salvation is very difficult. Just like we are trying to go back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. The path is very difficult. Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā durgam. Durgam means very difficult to pass over. But little attention will save you. Little attention, that "I am passing through a very dangerous way, so I must be very careful." So our attention should always be how we are executing our spiritual life.

General Lectures

Lecture at International Student Society -- Boston, May 3, 1969:

Anyone, either common man or very rich man, when he's fast asleep he forgets himself. Sometimes he dreams. Although he is sleeping in very nice apartment, nice bedstead, but he is dreaming that he is thrown into the ocean or into the fire or something like that. Sometimes he is dreaming that he is flying in the sky—so many things dreaming. Everyone, you have got experience. Similarly, our this state of consciousness, material consciousness, is on the sleeping state, in the darkness of sleeping state. We do not know. We do not know what is my identity. We do not know wherefrom we have come in this place, where we have to go. Neither they have any information whether there is life after death. Very gross understanding, just like animals. Animal is standing, eating some grass. Although next moment he'll be taken to the slaughterhouse and he'll be killed, but he has no information. He is very happy eating the grass. And even if it is informed, "My dear Mr. Ox, you are eating grass here very happily. Just half an hour after you will be taken to the slaughterhouse. You go away from this place," but he has no knowledge. The grass-eating is very palatable to him than to take protection from being killed. So this is called ignorance, ignorance, sleeping state. Therefore the Veda is crying, uttiṣṭham jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhatam, kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā: "You have got now this human form of life, a great boon, not like animal. Please do not therefore waste your time sleeping like animals simply in the matters of eating, sleeping, mating and defending." That is the verdict of Vedas. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15).

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Indian Guests -- July 11, 1973, London:

Guest (5): Kṣīne puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti (BG 9.21).

Prabhupāda: Kṣīne puṇye punaḥ martya-lokaṁ viśanti. So why should we waste our time. Even I become Brahmā, again we have to come.

Guest (5): (Hindi) Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14), kṣurasya dhara niśita duratyayā.

Prabhupāda: Duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. (Hindi) But if there is physician, it can be cured. So that is there said: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. Very difficult. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. So why don't you do that.

Guest (5): Tam eva śaraṇaṁ gaccha sarva-bhāvena bhārata.

Prabhupāda: Yes. So they'll not do this. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam... (BG 18.66). They'll not do it. They're determined to suffer. So what can be done?

Guest (5): Sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ.

Prabhupāda: But he does not know what is the sva-dharma. Sva-dharma, that is for the lower stage. Sva-dharme nidhanaṁ śreyaḥ. You have got a brahminical body. All right, discharge your duties as brāhmaṇa. But he's not doing that.

Guest (5): So he's not performing his sva-dharma.

Prabhupāda: No!

Guest (5): And that's why it is dangerous for him.

Prabhupāda: It is dangerous. He's already... A brāhmaṇa is doing śūdra's business. Therefore this stress has been given. You have become brāhmaṇa- like, you do like, act like brāhmaṇa. Janma-karma, uh, guṇa-karma. So you have got good qualification of the brāhmaṇas. Now act like brāhmaṇa. Then your life is succ... Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ, svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). You act as a brāhmaṇa and satisfy the Lord, Supreme. Varṇāśramācaravatāṁ puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān, viṣṇur ārādhyate (CC Madhya 8.58). If you strictly act as a brāhmaṇa or as a kṣatriya, as a vaiśya, as a śūdra, it doesn't matter. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). If, by your action, as it is described in the śāstra, the Supreme Lord is satisfied, then your life is successful. But they are not doing even sva-dharma, bodily. Therefore the ultimate solution is sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Even sva-dharma. "Just surrender unto Me. I'll give you protection." Sarva-dharmān means sva-dharma, including, that "You have to give up your sva-dharma. Don't... You cannot act as a brāhmaṇa, you cannot act as a kṣatriya, neither you are brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya. All right, whatever dharma you have got, give it up. Just surrender unto Me. I'll give you protection." Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etām... This is the protection.

Room Conversation -- September 19, 1973, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We have been living, but we have not invited others there.

Prabhupāda: No, you invite others or not, whether your program was going on?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, till then it wasn't, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Then it was simply a joint mess, that you go and collect and come and eat and sleep.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That is very dangerous. Then you will all fall down. If you make a joint mess, if you go and collect something and then eat and sleep, then everything will be... Therefore I do not want to keep separate. The temple worship means there will be regulative principles, that you will have to rise early in the morning, you have to attend class, kīrtana... These things, as soon as you give up all these things, zero. Then it will be like karmīs, as they are, hard labor, collecting money, and enjoying senses. That's all. So that is the pitfall everywhere. In the church, temple, as soon as they get some nice income, then in the name of "priest," "sādhu," "sannyāsī," they do the same thing. Therefore Gosvāmīs, they left everything. That is the danger of viṣaya, viṣaya touch. Viṣaya chāḍiyā se rase majiyā. As soon as we give up this śravaṇam, kīrtanam, then it becomes viṣaya. Viṣaya means materialism. There is no spiritualism. Kṣurasya dhārā, kṣurasya dhārā. Kṣura means sharpened razor. If you are careful, you cleanse very nicely. If you are not careful, immediately blood. Immediately. So the spiritual life is like that. As soon as you become little inattentive, immediately māyā captures, "Yes, come on." Then everything failure. We have got the tendency to enjoy sense. So senses are strong. As soon as there is opportunity, the senses will take advantage immediately. Then your whole business finished, Choṭa Haridāsa, and rejected by Mahāprabhu, "Get out." Even associate of Caitanya Mahāprabhu failed, personal associate. So there is chance of falling down even from the personal association of God. Jaya-Vijaya, they had to become demons. So these are the... If we do not follow strictly our regulative principles, routine work, then the whole scheme will be failure. Then, instead of Christianity, it will be "churchianity." You know this word, "churchianity?" You know? Yes. Everywhere this churchianity is going on. And the real aim is how to enjoy sense, under different cover. That is going on all over the world. Therefore it has come to that Rajneesh. Ramakrishna Mission, Rajneesh mission. Vivekananda has given preached, Yata mata tata patha, Rajneesh also, a mata. They have got also followers. Everyone can manufacture his own way of religion. So sense enjoyment, there is free field. This material world means sense enjoyment. But spiritual life means no sense enjoyment, tapasya. Tapo divyam. Sense enjoyment is there even in the hogs. Then where is the difference between man and hog? The man means the more he has denied sense enjoyment, he is advanced. Otherwise the spirit of sense enjoyment there is in the hogs. That is the difference. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). These ordinary men, they are working so hard, but what is their aim? The aim is sense enjoyment. So keeping the point, sense enjoyment, in view, there is no difference between hogs and human beings. Because they are also working day and night, hogs. A particular animal has been mentioned in the śāstra. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. This ayaṁ deho nṛloke, in the human society, is not meant for working so hard simply for sense enjoyment because this spirit is visible even in the hogs. Then what it is meant...? Tapaḥ. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). That is the point. Śamena, damena. Satya-śaucābhyām. Everything is there. And there are different types of sense enjoyment: rūpa, rasa, gandha, śabda, sparśa, six kinds. And each sense, there is an object of sense enjoyment. There is eyes, oh, beautiful woman, sense enjoyment. Maithunam, sex life, there are eight kinds of sex. If one thinks within the mind about sex enjoyment, that is also sex. So anyway, that is the danger, keeping a separate department for money collecting. Then it will turn: "Collect money, eat nicely and sleep nicely." And to live in the temple, at least, one is forced to rise early in the morning, take bath, to have darśana. They'll get regulated life. Therefore this temple worship is needed because we are so impure. So at least, in temple, by following the regulative principles, we can keep ourself pure. Otherwise simply chanting is sufficient. There is no need of constructing big, big temples. But we are so impure... That is Jīva Gosvāmī's, recommended that as soon as we give up this temple worship method, regulative principles, then we become, in the dress of so-called, we become victim of māyā. Veśopajīvaka. They are working and doing some business, and then our dress will be a means of business. This will be also another material business. Actually they are doing so. So that is the danger of keeping a separate department.

Room Conversation -- September 19, 1973, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Can we overcome that danger? We can try to overcome that danger.

Prabhupāda: You cannot ever overcome, because you are all weak. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). Unless you are very strong, māyā is very, very stronger than you. How you can avoid it? Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā, mām eva ye prapadyante. Only one is very, very strong in capturing the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he can avoid. Otherwise it is not possible. All these Villa Parle, Juhu gentlemen, they are daily coming to their city business. And is it very difficult for us?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They have an office, though, in the city where they come to.

Prabhupāda: Office means their business is office. But your business is begging. Your business is not office. Your business is not... They have to direct so many things from there. That we can do. Besides that... Anyway, even they have got office, they come from in Bombay, Calcutta, even from hundred miles away. So if there is no such program, Deity worship, regulative principles, then it will be a joint mess. Hotel. Transcendental hotel. And transcendental fraud. This will go on. The business will be transcendental fraud, and life will be transcendental hotel. (Break) ...twenty, twenty-five. So these women devotees, they are given cāpāṭis by the bābājīs. Kṣurasya dhārā. Actually it is like that. A sharpened razor, A little inattention, immediately blood. Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti (?). That is the risk. Nowadays modern civilization, as we are accepting, there is jeep, there is telephone, everything is there. One can conduct his activities from anywhere.