So here is śāstra, Bhagavad-gītā. Hṛṣīkeśa. We have already explained one day. Here also, again we are explaining. Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is there. He never leaves from Vṛndāvana. He is there. Why? Here also. Just like we see, a very rich man, a very influential man, the president, he lives in his... The Queen, she is in the Buckingham Palace. But she cannot go at the same time anywhere and everywhere. No. She is in, packed up in Buckingham Palace. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Therefore He is Hṛṣīkeśa. Try to understand the distinction between Kṛṣṇa and others. Kṛṣṇa is goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Ātma-bhūta. This ātma-bhūta is Hṛṣīkeśa. He is giving intelligence. The more you become purified, the more you get direct instruction from Hṛṣīkeśa. This is the point.
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Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Due to our imperfect senses, we see a planet which is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet, we are seeing just like it is... That means we cannot see very distant place—or nearest. Even we cannot see our eyelids, which is just a smear over the eyes. Packed, the packing material of the eyes, we cannot see.
So people do not know that I am leaving this gross body, but I am entering into subtle body. Subtle body is there, not question of inside. We are packed up. Just like this body is packed up with shirt and coat, so the coat is the gross body, and the shirt is the subtle body. So when this gross body is resting, the subtle body is working. The subtle body is there. The foolish men, they cannot understand that "I am compact in some body, either subtle body or gross body." One who is too sinful, very much sinful, he does not get the gross body. He remains in the subtle body, and that is called ghost.
Our point is that there are so many universes. Just compare. You take a bag of mustard seeds and pick up one grain. In comparison to the pack of mustard seeds what is the value of this one grain? Similarly, this universe is like that. There are so many universes. The modern scientists, they are trying to go to other planets. Even they go, what is the credit there? There are koṭiṣu vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. One cannot go so many planets. Even according to their calculation, if they want to go to the topmost planet, which we call Brahmaloka, it will take forty-thousand of years in the light-year calculation.
So this civilization, modern civilization, having no information of the soul, it is simply a pack of animals only, that's all. Therefore they do not care what is the resultant action of their activities, they do not care for pious, piety and vicious activities. They take everything... That is asuric civilization.
We are getting promotion to a life where there is no birth, no death and no disease, no old age. And that means we come to our normal life. Normally, we want. Nobody wants disease. Nobody wants death. Nobody wants old age. Nobody wants to suffer the suf..., I mean to say, the miseries of birth. Oh. There are great miseries when you are in the womb of the mother, all tightly packed up and in a bag, suffocated bag. We do not (know) how do we live even. And if we put again into that position, it will be very difficult.
If you travel over the seas you will find so many waves are tossing each other, and so many bubbles are formed, and again it is submerged in the water—no account of it. Similarly, all these manifestations are coming and going and coming and going and, packed within this coming and going, there is the actual spirit soul, which na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), which exists, and we are that permanent existent. We are that permanent form, not that we are formless. We have got form, but it is very minute.
Actually, the yoga system is so perfect that they get eight kinds of perfection before achieving the real perfection. And what is that perfection, the eight kinds of...? Aṇimā, laghimā-siddhi, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā, like that. Aṇimā-siddhi means when a yogi is, is not exactly perfect, when he's on the way of perfection, he gets this opportunity. He becomes... He can become the smallest. If you pack a yogi in a room and lock him, he'll come out. He'll come out.
It doesn't matter whether it is rich body or poor body. Everyone has to undergo the threefold miserable condition of life. When typhoid is there, it does not discriminate that "Here is a rich body. I shall give him less pain." No. When the typhoid is there, either your body is rich body or poor body, you have to suffer the same pain. When you are within the womb of your mother, you have to suffer the same pain, either you become in the queen's womb or in the cobbler's wife's womb. That packed up situation... But they do not know. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā. There are so many sufferings. In the process of birth. There are so many sufferings in the process of birth and death and old age. A rich man or poor man, when we are old, we have to suffer so many invalidity.
So if we become bound up by pious or impious activities, then we'll have to accept this material body, karma-bandhana. And material body, as soon as you accept this material body, you are under the laws of material nature, especially birth, death, old age and disease. So you become bound up. Therefore this human form of life is especially meant for to get freedom from this bondage—birth, death and old age. But people do not understand. Their brain is so packed up with material things that they have become just like animals. They cannot understand. But anyway, unless one sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Śāstra has said, go-kharaḥ. Go-kharaḥ means animal. Go means cows, and khara means ass. So anyone who is acting on the bodily concept of life, without any spiritual understanding, he is no better than animal.
So I am the living entity, spirit soul, I am compact within this body, encaged, or I am encaged within this universe. This is also compact. So one who is attached to this compact position, packed up in the body or within this universe, they are called gṛhamedhi. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). They cannot see what is ātma-tattva, self-realization.
This is our real miserable condition. We have to die. We have to take birth again, and again we have to become old, and there will be disease. Between birth and death... Birth is very miserable, To remain in the womb of the mother in a packed-up stage within a bag, and... That is miserable. Biting, the worms biting tender skin. We have forgotten, but these were the miseries for birth. In suffocated condition...But we have forgotten. So forgetfulness is not solution.
In the womb of the mother. The father gives the semina with the living entity within, and mother receives it and develops it, body. This is nature's law. So you have to live within the mother, compact, air-tight packed, for ten months, at least. Just imagine if you are packed in a bag and put in a air-tight compartment, locked up, would you like? You'll die within three seconds. But the arrangement is so nice, by nature's law, the intestine, that the mother (child) breathes with the mother's breathing, mother's fooding. Even unconscious, his development of the body goes on. That is nature's arrangement, but you cannot do that. It is by God's grace the child lives.
You just try it. Take any man, pack him, and put him in the air-tight condition. He'll die within three seconds.
You are simply instrument in the hands of Kṛṣṇa. That is intelligence. Therefore you should work as Kṛṣṇa desires. That is real intelligence. If you work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is real intelligence. And if you work against Kṛṣṇa, that is foolishness. That is the distinction between intelligent and foolishness. Jñānam. Jñāna means knowledge. Now, so far knowledge is concerned, here is a key packet. If you want to make research who has made this packet, who has discovered it, in which country first it was introduced, in what material it is made, oh, you can write volumes of books. You can speculate in any damn thing, and you can write volumes of books. That does not mean that you are a man of knowledge.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
We are prisoned here within this universe. We are thinking that we are very free to move in the sky with, what is called, sputniks. But you cannot go beyond your limitation. That is not possible. They are going to the moon planet, again coming back. You see. That is our conditional life, that you are conditioned, packed up under certain regulations. If you violate, then you are punishable. You cannot violate. You have to remain within the conditions of material nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama... (BG 7.14). You cannot violate.
When we were in the womb of our mother, the situation was so troublesome that we remembered at that time Kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa..."Just like when we are in great trouble we sometimes remember God. Similarly, that condition, packed-up condition, when the child's in the belly... You get consciousness back... Death means unconscious for seven months. That's all. That is death.
Death means I give up this body, enter the womb of another mother's body. And the mother nourishes by the materials..., the intestine joined with the belly. So mother supplies it through the pipe and the child grows. When it is fully grown, then he gets back his consciousness. So at that time it becomes very much troublesome to remain in that packed-up condition. So those who are pious, virtuous, they remember at that time, "O Kṛṣṇa, I am again put into this condition of..."(laughter) Oh, don't laugh. It is very serious subject.
I must become old. I do not want to die. Then death is forced upon me. I do not want to take birth. These are all very troublesome business. We have forgotten birth, death, old age, and disease. But when we are within the womb of our mother, it is very precarious condition. Any medical man knows. We have to live there in this way, in a packed up bag, practically without any air. Airtight condition. Just imagine. Now just at the present moment if you are put into the airtight condition, you will die within three minutes or three seconds. The medical opinion is that. But in the womb of our mother we have to live for clear ten months or more than that in that airtight, packed-up condition. Just imagine how much troublesome condition was there. That is practical. We may have forgotten.
A yogi, actual, who has attained perfection yogi, he can pack up in any small thing, but if there is little hole, he will come out, a little hole. We have seen it. There was one Mr. Chakravarti. He learned this art, and he made money in cooperation with a circus, Bose's circus, in Calcutta. I have seen it in our childhood, that this Mr. Chakravarti first of all was packed in a bag, and the bag was sealed before all audience, and the bag was put in a box. The box was locked up, not only locked up, it was sealed. Then a curtain, mosquito-curtainlike curtain, was covered. And on the box there was a tablā. You know tablā, harmonium.(?) So from outside one of the circus men said, "Mr. Chakravarti, will you kindly play the tablā?" The table was going on nicely within the curtain. Then he said, "Mr. Chakravarti, will you kindly play on the harmonium?" The harmonium he played. Then he said, "Mr. Chakravarti, will you please come out?" So he immediately came out from the curtain, and he began to round the box, and the man, circus man, asked everyone, "Catch him, catch him, catch him." So somebody tried to catch him, but nobody could catch him.
You see practically. These young boys and girls, they never asked me that "Give me some money. I shall go to cinema," or "I shall purchase a packet of cigarettes. I shall drink." No. This is practical. And everyone knows that from the very their birth, they are accustomed to eat meat, and... I do not know from the very beginning whether they are accustomed to take intoxicants. But actually they were habituated to these things, but they have altogether given up. They don't drink tea even, coffee, cigarettes, anything. Sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate... This is the test. A man has become devotee, at the same time smoking—this is ludicrous. This is ludicrous. A devotee cannot smoke, cannot indulge in intoxication, nor illicit sex or meat... They cannot. That is disqualification. That means he's not on the platform.
If you do not die, if you do not take birth... If you know what are the miserable conditions of birth, to remain within the womb of the mother... Not only to remain. Nowadays, modern advanced civilization, they are being killed by the mother. Not only abortion, but they are being killed. Now the Western world is very familiar with these things. So just imagine. First of all, you have to remain within the mother's womb, head down, packed-up condition. You cannot move, ten months. And that is also not secure. Even within the... Now this is the... Within the mother's womb you are not secure. At any moment the doctor may advise that "Kill the child." So these are the miserable condition of birth, but we do not remember them. We have to know it from the śāstra. So similarly, at the time of death, coma and... Nowadays it is a very common disease. For seven days or fifteen days he's unconscious, crying.
Those who are worshiping other demigods... That is recommended for the less intelligent class men. Tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām. These things are recommended for the persons who are less intelligent, whose brain is packed up with cow dung, not intelligent persons. Intelligent persons-sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is intelligence.
Everyone is suffering. Suffering is there. Even when we are within the womb of the mother there is suffering. For ten months, packed-up condition. That is suffering. Then come out from the womb of the mother-suffering. In the womb also there is suffering. Not only packed-up, but there are worms with the stool and urine of the mother, and they find very delicate skin. They enjoy by cutting him. The worms enjoy. Naturally, he's... He cannot move. Therefore at the seventh month, when he's little conscious, he feels, "How can I get out of...? Kṛṣṇa, save me." If one is little pious, he prays to Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, this time save me. Now I shall begin worshiping You so that get out of this entanglement of birth and death, birth and death." He becomes conscious.
One who is little advanced in his previous life... Because it is very, very terrible condition within the womb of the mother. We have forgotten. But we can imagine, if you are packed up in a bag and put hand and legs tightly knotted, just imagine. You cannot live even for three minutes. They say if you are airtight packed-up like that, as we are put into the womb of the mother, we cannot exist more than three minutes. But we existed by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Only by the mercy. That is also nowadays very dangerous. In that packed-up condition, he's there, he's already suffering, and the mother is planning to go to the doctor and kill the child. Just imagine how precarious condition in the womb of the mother. And if we do not try in this life that "I shall not again enter into the womb of the mother," then what is the value of this life? We have to learn it from the śāstra. You cannot see actually, but the medical science explains that a child is placed in this way. In Bhāgavata also it is stated how the child grows his body, how it is put into that precarious condition.
When one will spite of sex enjoyment, that means he has attained the Vaiṣṇava stage. Otherwise not yet. That is the test. Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt, tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame. Because nārī-saṅgame, sex with nārī, that is the highest pleasure of this material world. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Very abominable happiness, maithunādi. It is kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham. It is entailed with so many sufferings. Either illicit or legal, there is suffering. So this is saṁsāra. This is the key of saṁsāra, to keep one packed up, compact in these material desires. So, so many things are there, apavarga. But Kṛṣṇa is the only means. When one is attracted by Kṛṣṇa, Madana-mohana... Madana means lusty desires. And Kṛṣṇa, Madana-mohana. He is so attractive that one forgets lusty desires.
So the baby, packed up, cannot move, cannot say anything but feels pain, therefore moves. And the pregnant woman therefore feels that the child is moving at the age of seven months in the womb. So therefore the struggle begins from the womb. And when the child comes out, again struggle. And he is lying on the bed; some bug is biting. He cannot express. He is crying, and the mother thinks that he's hungry. In this way, wrongly understands, cannot give relief him. And he is going on, crying, crying, crying. We have seen it. We have... Everyone has got experience. Then as soon as he is grown up, he is given responsibility for learning ABCD, or going to school. He doesn't like. No child likes. At least I did not like to go to school. So this is also another struggle. Then, when he is grown up, he is given more and more responsibility, examination, and then married life, then family maintenance. In this way, struggling, struggling, struggling—again death.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that this universe is just like a mustard seed in the bag of mustard seeds. You just imagine in a bag how many mustard seeds you can pack. Unlimited. You cannot count. Mustard seed within a bag, two and a half mounds weight. Can you count? No, it is not possible. Similarly all these universes, material universes, each of them is compared with a mustard seed, and this universe which we experience is one of the mustard seeds within the bag of mustard seeds. And all these material universes combined together, aggregate, is one fourth creation of Kṛṣṇa. And the three-fourths part is the spiritual world.
One big European barrister... In those days European barristers were very valuable. Mr. Armstrong. I had also one case in high-court. So one man, one medical practitioner, he killed his servant in the operation room very mercilessly. The servant was implicated with his wife. To revenge, he called the servant in the operation room. The servant did not know that he was to be killed. And immediately he was captured, chloroform, and mercilessly killed with knife and then packed up in a box. He was taking the corpse in a different place to throw away. In the meantime a police officer was passing. He saw that drops of blood is coming out of the box. He immediately arrested. So this case was. Then the doctor was condemned to death.
Prabhupāda: If you do not smoke or do not drink, will you die? We have got so many devotees, they do not smoke, they do not drink. Are they dying? They do not play any gambling. Are they dying? They do not take meat. Are they dying? They do not illicit sex. Are they dying? It is artificial. Māyā's... Artificial. Just like so many cigarette package are advertised, although there is written on the, what is that? It is dangerous...
Devotee: "Smoking is hazardous to your health."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Still the rascal will take. Still... The things will be advertised. The government is writing on the packet, "It is dangerous," but they are not closing the factory of the cigarette. That will... Because they want income. (laughter)
So you have read in Bhāgavatam about the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, how perfect it was. That at that time the cows were supplying so much milk, the bag was packed with milk, that where the cows were moving milk was dropping, and the pasture ground became muddy with milk, so much milk was being supplied. And it is said, sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. And exactly in right time, the right quantity of rainfall was there. Not like nowadays, sometimes there is no rain and there is sometimes excessive rain, flood. What the scientist can do? They cannot check. These regulative principles depend on nature. And nature is being conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Yogic practice means... If you become perfect in yogic practice, you can fly in the air without any instrument. Aṇimā laghimā prāpti īśitā vaśitā. There are eight kinds of siddhi. You are sitting here. If you want such and such thing from London, you can get immediately. This is called siddhi, prāpti. You can become the smaller than the smallest. You can be packed up in a box. We have seen it. And you'll come out. In Bose's circus, Calcutta, in our childhood, we saw this yogic practice. A man was tied up, hands and legs, put into a bag. The bag was sealed up, again put into a box. The box was locked and sealed. And the man again came out. We have seen. So yogic practice is such... Yes. Prāpti siddhi aṇimā. You can become the smaller... There was a saintly person in Benares, Trailanga Baba. So he was practiced to sit naked in the public road. So government objected that "You cannot sit naked here." So he did not speak. So he was arrested and taken to the custody and put into the jail. He again came out.
Just last night I was talking with Śrutakīrti that this church, nobody was coming. Therefore they were obliged to sell it off, and we purchased. So the church is the same, building is the same, and you are all Americans. But you did not come before, so that it was to be sold. Now everywhere it is packed up. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa is there. This is practical. This is practical. There is no question of enviousness.
Smoking. Everyone knows, the scientists, the doctor, they declare, "This is a nonsense thing. It should be avoided." They advertise even in the packet also. But people still smoke. But that is called preya. That is called preya. Preya means immediately very nice. And śreya means when one gives it up, "No, it will keep my health nice." That is śreya. Try to understand what is śreya and preya.
Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). This opportunity is obtained by a very fortunate person. Because the living entities are wandering within this universe, packed up, from one planet to another, from one species life to another species of life. In this way, he is wandering. He is not fixed up. Today I am American or Indian, tomorrow or next birth, I do not know what is going to happen to me. But this body for good will be finished. I'll never get this body. I'll get another body. Maybe a demigod's body or a tree's body or a plant's body or animal's body—I must get another body. So the living entity is wandering in this way, vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. Just like we change our dress from one dress to another, similarly we are changing different positions by the influence of māyā. Māyā is forcing me. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). As soon as I am desiring something, immediately my body is formed. Immediately a particular type of body begins to form, and as soon as I am mature to change, my next body I get according to my desire. Therefore we should always desire Kṛṣṇa. Then from this life, the Kṛṣṇa-approaching body or the spiritual body will be formed.
Somebody is talking, somebody is hearing... Even there is politics, conspiracy, there is also hearing and talking. But these talkings, thousands and thousands of talkings of different subject matter, for whom? For them who are unable to see what is soul. For them. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Why they have become so? Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. They want to be packed up within this material package and they have made their life in that way. Gṛheṣu. Just like ordinary man, he is interested with his apartment, family. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu (SB 2.1.4). That śloka is next explained. He's interested with these things: how his nice apartment is maintained, how his wife is nicely dressed, how his children are nicely educated. So much. That's all. They are called gṛhamedhī.
Nobody thinks that, that "I was embarrassed from the very beginning of my life. I was embarrassed even within the womb of my mother. I was packed-up. And when I came out from the womb of my mother, there also I was embarrassed. I could not express my pains and pleasure. I was crying. Some ant was biting me, but I was crying and my mother gave me more milk, (laughter) although I was fully fed." This is embarrassment.
. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings that "My dear Lord, when I was in the womb of my mother, at that time I saw You once, became visible." Those who are spiritually advanced, they can see God within the womb of the mother. When a child remains packed up and the consciousness is gained, he feels very uncomfortable. So at that time, one who is pious, spiritually advanced, he prays to God, "Please rescue me from this bondage. I am too much suffering. And this time I, after taking my birth, I shall simply be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," promises. But Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, janama hoilo poṛi' māyā-jāle.
As soon as birth is taken, the māyā is there; we forget. Immediately, father, mother, other relatives, they take up the child and pats very nice. So in this way we forget that we were in such a precarious condition, almost suffocating.
After coming out from the womb of the mother, if you are packed up again in such airtight bag, within three seconds you will die. We live under the protection of the Supreme Lord; otherwise that is not a living condition. Just imagine within the womb. So this we forget, and being taken care of, affectionate father and mother, on the lap, we think life is very nice, this life. But this is māyā, this is illusion. Actually, this bhava, to take birth, is very, very unpleasant task. It is blazing fire, bhava-mahā-dāvāgni.
This universe is covered by seven layers: earth, water, fire, air, like that. When we shall be going to the spiritual sky, we have to pass through the seven layers. And each layer is ten times bigger than the first. Suppose we pass the air layer; the next layer, the fire, is ten times bigger. Then water, ten times. In this way, we have to pass through. We are so much tightly packed up. It is not so easy that I take a sputnik and go anywhere. No. That requires sādhana-bhajana, practice, how to give up this encagement of seven layers and then completely pure spirit soul, you enter into the spiritual sky. That is merging in the spiritual effulgence. Brahmajyoti. Then you can go further and enter into the spiritual planets, if you are fit for that. Otherwise you'll remain in the brahmajyoti. Nirviśeṣa, without any variety. Simply light.
When I was manager in Bose's laboratory there was a strike. So there was no packer. So I asked all the clerks to, "Come on. Let us pack." As soon as we begin packing, the strike was broken. So a man claiming to be in the high position, he must be expert in everything. He must be expert in everything. So therefore a Vaiṣṇava is called dakṣa, expert. Expert. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement being the highest, topmost quality, so in case we require to do the work, some lower quality, we cannot say that "I do not know." We must do it.
If you ask somebody... They may have some plastic utensils, but if you ask somebody that "Have you seen pearl, sapphire, or coral, or diamond?" everyone will say, "I have never seen in my life." And still they are proud: "Oh, we are now advanced." What advanced? Simply plastic and paper. I see in Japan, all paper, simply papers. All big, big buildings packed up with papers. I was observing from the train all the big, big... What is the contents? Contents means paper. That's it. The house is made of paper. And Japan is considered to be very advanced, and industrialist. Simply outward dress. Actually nobody has got any wealth. The money is also paper. No pearl, no gold, no silver, nothing. But they are satisfied with papers. That's all. Paper house, paper money, paper book, paper everything. Plastic, paper.
You can go to a person who knows how to open the bottle of honey. Then you can taste. Otherwise, if you simply lick up the book, Bhagavad-gītā, becoming a very big scholar, you will never taste it. You will never taste it. You can satisfy yourself, "Now I am licking up daily Bhagavad-gītā, thrice," but what you will understand unless you are a devotee? You will not understand. The bottle is packed up.
Sometimes a person is dying, he is attacked with coma, and he is lying unconscious. Big, big politicians, "Mr. such and such," prime minister, and this and that, but he is lying unconscious in coma for seven days. And we do not know, but he is going very fierceful test. He is dreaming so many things that sometimes he is crying. He cannot express. Especially those who are very sinful, they die in that way. So this is not finished. Then, after death, you have to enter in the womb of the mother. That is another fierceful stage. You become packed up in a bag, and the bag is filled up or surrounded by stool, urine, worms. And you have to remain there, airtight packed, for ten months.
We have forgotten. Therefore we are not afraid of. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that your real trouble is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). You have to accept your birth within the womb of your mother in a packed-up condition, body developing. The germs, the worms within the urine, stool, biting very delicate skin. You cannot make any adjustment, simply moving. And if one is little pious, he can pray to God, "Please get me relief from this condition. Now I shall worship You." This is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, this consciousness.
We must know how to respect devotee, how to do some service to others also. That is madhyama-adhikārī. Simply if you become satisfied, that "Now I am initiated and I am offering arcana. I have become perfect," no, the perfection is still awaiting. You have to understand who is a devotee. You have to understand how to give service to the innocent. If you do not know that, then if you simply become packed up by arca-vigraha-seva, arcana, then you will remain in the material platform. Na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prakṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ. Prakṛtaḥ means material. He is trying to go to the spiritual platform, but if he simply remains in the arcana and does not preach, this is na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu. Anyeṣu. Anyeṣu means those who are innocent. That is madhyama-adhikārī, middle stage.
Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, His plenary representation is Mahā-Viṣṇu. And what is the description of Mahā-Viṣṇu? Yasya eka niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya. From one exhaling of the breath, then... Yasyaika niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48), all these innumerable universes. We are seeing... We are in one universe. There are many millions of universes. That we cannot see. We are within this universe compact. We can see it is packed up, just like a ball. But there are many such. So all these different universes controlled by one Lord Brahma, they are coming during the exhaling period of Mahā-Viṣṇu's breathing. That is God.
Rebirth, that is very painful. But because we are mūḍhas, we have forgotten what is the painful condition is rebirth. We do not remember it. We do not remember. We had to pass through. We can simply imagine how it is painful to remain in the womb of the mother, packed up in an airtight bag and hands and legs you cannot move even. So this is the tribulations of taking birth. And similarly the tribulations of death. Sometimes one remains in coma for months and he suffers so much. Sometimes he cries. Actually tears come out. We cannot see, but within the body of the dying man is so much painful. This is called janma-mṛtyu.
So one should approach the spiritual master understanding that he's a mūḍha. Not that "I know better than my spiritual master. I can challenge." Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). So if we want to know ourself, as Kṛṣṇa... Everywhere. This is the whole idea of cultivation, spiritual cultivation. First of all, I must know what I am, whether I am this body. Kṛṣṇa said, "No, you are not body. You are within this body. You are enwrapped in this body. You are packed up within this body. First of all, know this." That is Kṛṣṇa's first instruction. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara prāptir (BG 2.13). Very simple thing—that we are changing body. This is first instruction of Kṛṣṇa.
By pious activities, you can get very nice birth. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrīḥ (SB 1.8.26), four kinds of material gain: to get birth in a very aristocratic family or rich family, janma, aiśvarya, to become very learned scholar, śruta, and śrī, very beautiful. Just like you American people or Western people, you are supposed to be very learned, advanced in material science, also good-looking and richer than other countries, janma aiśvarya, or birth in a very powerful nation or family. This can be accepted—due to your past pious activities. But suppose you have taken this opportunity for your pious activities and somebody has taken birth in Greenland, always with snow, and there are so many inconveniences. Or take your birth in Africa. There there is no such facilities, they are not very good-looking, not very learned scholars, not birth is very nice, not aristocratic, not riches, poor. So from spiritual point of view, both of these kinds of facilities or inconvenience are one, because when you take your birth, you have to enter within the womb of a mother and stay ten months in a packed-up condition. Not only ten months. Nowadays it is going on, killing the child within the womb. Even you cannot come out. Before your coming out from the womb of your mother, you might be killed by your very mother or father. Because that movement is going on, abortion.
Why they are working so hard? The answer is maithuna, sex indulgence, that's all. They have no other happiness except that sex intercourse at night, he will enjoy. Therefore he is working so hard. Otherwise there is no other happiness. Everything is zero. The only positive happiness, he's thinking like that. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham (SB 7.9.45). That is the only happiness, there is no secrecy. The people are working so hard, simply maithunyam agāram. It is a prison house, agāram. Agāram means packed up, shackled with iron chains, and the only happiness is maithunyam agāram. And this is only abominable, tuccham. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. So how he has accepted this lowest class of happiness as the aim of life? Ajñaḥ, rascal. The conclusion is ajñaḥ. So don't become ajñaḥ, be intelligent.
If anyone is intelligent enough, he should always keep before him that there are, these are my distresses: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. I don't want to die, so what I have done for stopping my death? What have I done to stop my birth? Huh? Because as soon as I die, again I enter into the womb of a particular type of mother. Hm? Again I have to live there, packed up. That is the... Everyone knows. I cannot move even. No independence. The insects biting my delicate body, I cannot protest. I'm simply suffering. So many things. After coming out of the womb, still there is suffering. Suffering, suffering, suffering—the whole life is suffering—but I do not know how to compensate the suffering. That I do not know. That is ignorance. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. Just like the ass cannot understand that he's suffering, loading so much cloth upon his back. That is ass, one who cannot understand the suffering.
We have got two senses: one, by the knowledge-acquiring senses, and practical working senses. So dṛṣṭa means our eyes are working, and we see that a criminal is arrested and he is punished. And śruta means knowledge-gathering. Just like you gather knowledge from book. So we have got two senses—not two senses, but ten senses: five senses, knowledge gathering, and five senses, directing, knowledge, working senses. So dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyām means by two senses, two kinds of senses: knowledge-gathering senses and working senses. We have experience by two kinds of senses. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja says that a person, means a sinful person, he is getting experience from the both kinds of senses, dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyām, and by that experience he knows that "This is not good. This is a sinful act." Just like in your country, in each cigarette packet, what is written there?
Sudāmā: "It is hazardous for the health."
Prabhupāda: So he knows it, that "I am smoking something which is detrimental to my health." But why he is smoking? Why he is smoking? This is the question.
Apa, apa means "negative," and artha means "meaning." "It has no meaning." He immediately rejects the prāyaścittam apārtham. "What benefit will be there? He remains unclean. He does not cleanse his heart, core of heart." In the core of heart he has got all the dirty things: "How I shall cheat, how I shall make black market, how I shall enjoy senses, how I will go to prostitute and drink." These things are packed up. So simply by going to the temple or to the church and make some atonement, it will not benefit. One has to take seriously to this method, saṅkīrtanam. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-davāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). The first installment is that you cleanse your heart.
Siddhi means perfection of life. Generally they take it aṣṭa-siddhi of yoga practice—aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, siddhi, īśitva, vaśitva, prākāmya. So these are called siddhis, yoga-siddi. Yoga-siddhi means you can become smaller than the smallest. Our actually magnitude is very, very small. So by yoga-siddi, in spite of having this material body, one yogi can come to the smallest size, and anywhere you keep him packed, he will come out. That is called aṇimā-siddhi.
The Los Angeles temple, it was sold by the church because nobody was coming. Nobody was coming. We have many churches purchased in that way. Now you will see in Los Angeles it is always packed up. So we did not bring all these men from India. The men are the local men, and the church is the same church. Why they are coming? Why they are taking interest? So this is the effect of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy.
Every step there is punishment. Just study your life or my life. What is that? That beginning from the womb of my mother, when the body is formed, the soul, spirit soul, is injected in the womb of the woman, and then the formation of the body takes place. So the body grows. And now imagine when we are in the womb of the mother, how much difficult position packed up in a bag, airtight bag. If we, at the present moment, if I put into some airtight condition, within three minutes I shall die. Within three minutes. But similarly, just like packed the child remains within the womb of the mother. It is very, very painful. But by the grace of God he lives. He lives. Otherwise it is suffocating. Just imagine if you are put in a airtight box, tied up, hands and legs. How long you can live? So we remain in that condition, unconscious stage. Then, when the body is formed, we get our consciousness.
What is the business of Gosvāmīs? From Vṛndāvana they tried to broadcast the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā. Ei chay gosāi jabe braje koilā bās. So we should follow that principle, that we should not be packed up. Sometimes we find in Vṛndāvana they say, "No, no, I have taken vow. I am not going out of Vṛndāvana." Of course, the Gosvāmīs did not get out of Vṛndāvana, but they preached. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. They were always engaged in writing books, nānā-śāstra, various śāstra, scripture always studying, and taking essence of the śāstra and presenting to the world people. Why? Sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau: just to establish real religious principle, nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau, with scrutinizing thinking over and giving to the people. This is Gosvāmīs' business. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Why? Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau: for the benefit of the whole human society.
With tongue we can taste. Rūpa, rasa, śabda. With the ear we can hear the sound. In this way, five sense objects of three, five, means fifteen, and the mind. The mind is the center of directing the senses. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhuḥ indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ. The senses are there, sense objects are there, but without mind it cannot work. Therefore the mind is the sixteenth item. And everything is being used by whom? By the soul. Therefore seventeenth. And in this gross body there are five elements and three subtle elements. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). In this way there are twenty-four elements which is covering the twenty-fifth, living entity, and he is packed up in this way.
Prabhupāda: Real meaning of yoga means controlling the senses. So because everyone is ajita-ṣaḍ-varga-ajita means not conquered—so those who are too much addicted in the bodily concept of life, for them this haṭha-yoga is prescribed. The purpose is to control the senses, not that to reduce fat or something else. No. Real purpose is yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ because unless we control the senses, we remain in ignorance, blind, and go on. Ajita-ṣaḍ-vargo necchan. Necchan. Na icchan. If we do not try, then even though I do not want to do something, even I... On the cigarette package there is, that "It is not good for health." So I do not like that my health should be ruined, but necchan, I am compelled to smoke. This is our position. It is written, warning there. Government has written. What is the written there?
Satsvarūpa: "The surgeon general has determined that smoking may be hazardous to your health."
Prabhupāda: "May be." Not assured. (laughter) Therefore they take it, "may not be." But we don't say "may be." We say "No intoxication," because it is actually harmful to the health and in every respect. We see so many places in airplane, "No smoking. No smoking." But the rascal will not stop that... Nobody can smoke, but allowed, "Now you can smoke." They say also. First of all write, "No smoking," then, as soon as the plane is running, they say, "Now you can smoke." So this is going on.
Nobody can smoke, but allowed, "Now you can smoke." They say also. First of all write, "No smoking," then, as soon as the plane is running, they say, "Now you can smoke." So this is going on. This is education. This is education. And blind, simply blind rascals. I always say that, the strong word, rascal, because blind, ajñaḥ, anicchan. They hear that smoking is not good, "determined," but as soon as the cigarette packet is there, "Give me a cigarette." Necchan. This is called tapasya, that you have to beat your mind with shoes at least twice. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "When you get up, your first business is to beat the mind with shoes. And when you go to bed, you have to beat the mind with broomstick." (laughter) Then you will be able to control the mind.
First of all awaken your own Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you understand Kṛṣṇa, and then go out, kara para upakāra. Because people are in darkness. People are in darkness. They have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness meant, not that "I have understood Kṛṣṇa. Now pack it up in the box and see sometimes: 'Oh, I have become Kṛṣṇa conscious.' " My Guru Mahārāja condemned this. He said, mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava: "My dear mind, you are thinking that you have become a very good Vaiṣṇava and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura, and smoking bidi." This imitation has no value. My Guru Mahārāja condemned it. He said, mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava: "What a rascal you are. You are thinking that you are Vaiṣṇava."
This spiritual cultivation cannot be checked by any material impediment. Because the child is packed within the womb, within the belly, under the shackles (circles?) of intestines and so miserable condition... In the belly or the abdomen of the mother, the child remains in a very miserable condition. Because the consciousness is not developed. But as soon as the consciousness is developed at the age of seven months, the child wants to come out. Therefore it moves. If it is male child, then it moves toward the right side. If it is female child, then it moves to the left side. So these are description in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So by the movement of the child you can understand whether it is male or female. (woman exclaims) So this transcendental sound is not checked by any material condition.
This whole world, people are suffering on account of these different circumstantial position, the three guṇas and the mind being polluted by these three stages, jāgriti, svapna, suṣupti, and so many things—they are described, twenty-four elements. On account of this packing of the soul, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, asmin dehe, dehi... Dehi asmin yathā dehe: the real spirit soul is packed up within the body in so many coverings. So our so-called pleasure and pains in this material world, they're artificial. They are not factual, on account of being packed in so many material things. Therefore it is called moha, illusion. It is not fact.
So if one is serious about spiritual advancement, then he should not... First of all he must know "What is my position? How I am packed up with all these twenty-four elements?" Of course, due to our habit we are sometimes subjected to these pains and pleasure. Still, Kṛṣṇa says, "You do not become disturbed by these so-called artificial pains and pleasures. Don't be disturbed."
You have heard of so much advertisement of yoga. Actually, when one becomes perfect in yoga, aṣṭa-siddhi-yoga, eight kinds of material perfection, that he can become the smallest... Smaller than the atom he can become. He can go out from anywhere. You lock him in airtight packed, but he'll come out. This is called animā-siddhi.
There was a swami. His name was Trailuṅga Swami. Trailuṅga Swami, he was wandering in the street naked. Government... It is not very old story, say about 150 years ago this happened in Benares. So he was naked yogi, and government will not allow, police will not allow. So he was thrice arrested and put into the custody, and thrice he came out. Then he became very famous man, simply by exhibiting one perfection of yoga. That means a yogi can come out. Not only Trailuṅga Swami, but we have seen one Mr. Chakravarti in our childhood in a circus, he was playing this part. He was packed up. First of all, his hands and legs were tightly knotted with seal. Then he was put into a bag and the bag was also sealed. Then with this bag he was put in a box. The box was locked and sealed. And he came out from that box—in everyone's presence. We have seen it. And again, he was seen that he was packed up in that way.
Durgā energy means this material energy. Durgā. Durgā means fort. We are packed up within this fort. You see the round sky. It is just like a football. And within, we are packed up. Just like the soldiers, they are within the fort or there are other persons also, similarly, this is a durgā. Durgā. Duḥ means difficult, and ga means going. Dur-gā. So because the nature is feminine, therefore it is called Durgā. So just like in the fort, in the jail, if you are put, it is dur-gā, very difficult to come out, very, very difficult. Duḥ means it is not so easy. Therefore it is called dur-gā. You cannot enter in the fort or in the jail. Big, big walls, you cannot enter there without permission, and you cannot come out without permission. That is called durgā. So this Durgā, or durgā-śakti, material energy, very, very powerful. You cannot come out from this fort of material existence without superior permission. That is Kṛṣṇa's permission.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
This conditioned life means we accept one type of body, we suffer sufficiently. It is simply suffering. There is no enjoyment. Where is enjoyment? To remain in the womb of the mother for ten months, is that enjoyment? Packed up in airtight bag? Just imagine, if you were put in airtight bag at the present moment, within three seconds you will die. You cannot live without air, even for three seconds. This is our position. And by māyā's arrangement, we have to remain at least for ten months within the airtight bag, embryo, within the abdomen of our mother. So if we cannot live for even three seconds without air, how it was possible to remain in that airtight bag for ten months? That is also Kṛṣṇa's mercy, to allow us to develop the body, so that coming out of the mother's womb we can live independently. To make us strong in the body. But the māyā is so strong that even within that position, the mother is also killing the child. This is Kali-yuga.
The real problem is how to stop your death. That is the real problem. But because it is very difficult subject matter, nobody touches it. "Oh, death—we shall peacefully die." But nobody peacefully dies. If I take a dagger and I say, "Now die peacefully," (laughter) the whole peaceful condition finished immediately. He will cry. So these are nonsense, if somebody says, "I will die peacefully." Nobody dies peacefully, that is not possible. Therefore death is a problem. Birth is also a problem. Nobody is peaceful while within the womb of the mother. It is packed-up, airtight condition, and nowadays there is risk of being killed also. So there is no question of peacefulness, birth and death. And then old age. Just like I am old man, so many troubles I have got. So old age. And disease, everyone has got experience, even headache is sufficient to give you trouble. The real problem is this: birth, death, old age and disease.
What is the goal of life? Sanātana Gosvāmī... Not only Sanātana Gosvāmī, he's representing us. We do not know, we do not know. So by the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu or by the mercy of the servants of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one can be enlightened as to the..., what is the goal of life, why there is struggle for existence, why there is death. I do not want to die; why there is birth? I do not wish to enter into the mother's womb and remain packed-up condition for so many days; I do not want to become old man; but these things are enforced upon me. Therefore our business is..., real business is how to solve these questions, not to arrange for economic development. Economic development, whatever we are destined, we shall get it. Either happiness or distress, we shall get it. Just like we don't try for distress, but it comes. It is enforced upon us. Similarly, the little happiness which you are destined to obtain, that will also come. That is śāstra's advice. Don't waste your time to get artificially some happiness.
Festival Lectures
Tons of beef are sold simply for satisfaction of the tongue. The tongue becomes dry... And a great trade is going on in India, everywhere, in your country also—cigarettes. It has no necessity, but simply for the satisfaction, temporary satisfaction of the tongue, this great trade is going on. So just vikarma. In this country, there is no such government... But in your country, perhaps you know, in every cigarette package, packet it is written it is dangerous for health or what is that?
Devotee: Yes, yes. "Warning: The surgeon general has determined that cigarette smoking may be hazardous to your health."
Prabhupāda: Yes. So the warning is there. But still they're smoking. Why? Pramattaḥ. And vikarma. They have given warning that it is not good for health. Warning is there in every cigarette package, packet, but because he has become mad after that bidi and cigarette, he kurute vikarma. Although it is forbidden, he's still taking advantage of it.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Our life should be very simple. We shall act so simply that we shall have to save time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we should not attempt anything which is very difficult to execute. So atyāhāra prayāsaś ca prajalpa, Unnecessary talking all nonsense, politics, rascaldom, speculation, this, that. No. Be grave. Don't talk nonsense, waste time. Atyāhāra prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ. Niyamāgraha means not to accept the regulative principle, niyama āgraha. Āgraha means not to accept, and niyamāgraha means simply I am packed up with the regulative principle but I do not see whether I am making progress.
Bhakta will create Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa says, nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭha. "I do not stay in Vaikuṇṭha." Nāhaṁ tiṣṭhāmi vaikuṇṭhe yogināṁ hṛdayeṣu. "Neither I stay at the heart, core of the heart of the yogis." Tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ. "When My pure devotee chants the glories of My..., I immediately stay there. I immediately stay." It's not that He is packed up in some place. He's all-pervading. Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva. Therefore His name is Vāsudeva.
Initiation Lectures
When the tongue is engaged, gradually all other senses are also engaged in the service of the Lord. The tongue is the most important sense within our body; therefore for controlling our senses it is recommended that one should control first of all the tongue. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings in his song: tā'ra madhye jihvā ati lobhamaya sudurmati. Our present conditional state is like this. Śarīra avidyā-jāl, we are packed up in the network of this material body. It is just like a fish is caught within a net. Similarly, we are caught up by this network of this material body. Not only this body—we are changing this net in various phases of life.
Everything should be for Kṛṣṇa. And there is another rod that is the living entity. So within this packet there are four rods, symbolizing mind, body, and words. Word is very important thing. Now preaching will be through words, by presenting words. Vaikuṇṭha guṇanuvarṇane. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). Vacāṁsi, our talks should be always engaged in describing the glories of the Lord. That is the proper use of our talking. Otherwise, there are frogs also, they are vibrating, "kakaka, kakaka, kakaka, kakaka." That kind of vibration is simply inviting death.
General Lectures
So actual material problem is this, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. We have forgotten that "In the abdomen of my mother, how precarious condition I was living in." Of course, we can know from the description of medical science or any other science how the child is packed up there and how much suffering is there. The worms bite the child and he cannot express; he suffers the suffering. Similarly, the mother eats something and the pungent taste also gives him suffering. So these descriptions are there in the śāstras, in the scriptures and authentic Vedic literature, how the child suffers within the abdomen of mother. So these are the sufferings of birth.
At least, one child has to remain in that air-packed condition at least for ten months. Now just imagine if you are put into that air-packed condition for three minutes now, you will immediately die. But actually, we had that experience to remain in the mother's womb in that air-packed condition for ten months. So suffering was there, but because the child was incapable of expressing, therefore... Or his consciousness was not so elevated. He could not cry, but the suffering was there. Similarly, at the time of death there is suffering.
So this expansion from bodily concept of life to family life, or to, from family to community life, from community to society life, or national life, or universal brotherhood life, that is very much appreciated. "Oh, this man is after universal brotherhood." These are all bogus. You see? But this is a misconception. You can expand. However you may expand, the defect will be there. Just like the so-called nationalist or humanitarist or universalist, they are packed up within the boundary of the human being. They have no expansions toward other living entities. Their national conception, that the human body should be given protection but animal body no protection... Why? They are also nationals. But they have no such idea because all these ideas are defective.
They're promising, "My dear citizens, my dear countrymen, if you give me vote, because the country needs me at the present moment, then I shall give you all comforts, all solutions." But he is īśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. By the laws of God, by the laws of nature, he is tightly packed up. You see? If your hands are tightly knotted, if your legs are tightly, then how you can work? So these leaders, they do not know that they are under the control of the stringent laws of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Suppose if there is a heavy earthquake. Suppose the Atlantic Ocean... And there is some suggestion like that, some years they will mix together, by the scientists. Suppose the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean mix together. Then how you can check?
Your hands and legs are tightly packed up. You cannot check the laws of nature. Therefore blind leaders who are so tightly packed up by the laws of nature, how they can lead? They cannot lead. They cannot lead to the goal of life. The goal of life is God or Kṛṣṇa, but they are enamored by the glimmering of, the glittering of this material nature. So they cannot lead. Then how, what is the solution? If Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not possible to cultivate by speculation, by assembly meeting, or by knowledge derived from higher authoritative sources, the leaders are misleading, then how it is to be attained? How the goal of life can be attained?
No one wants to become diseased, but everyone becomes diseased. Everyone dies. It is not that rich man will not become old and the simply poor man will become old. No. Everyone will become old. It is not that... When a child takes birth, the condition within the womb of the mother, air-tight packed, cannot move—we forget, but that is a great suffering. The suffering of death, suffering of birth, suffering of disease and suffering of old age—these are imposed on the living entities, those who are criminals. Criminals means revolted against the service of the Lord.
Can anyone count what is the number of mustards seeds in a bag, in a one-ton or two-ton bag? Innumerable. It is beyond our experience. But there are so many universes just like packed up in a bag. This is called material world. So what to speak of the spiritual world? The spiritual world is at least three times greater than this material world. That information we get from Bhagavad-gītā.
After the sex intercourse of the man and woman, there is an emulsification of the two kinds of secretion. And in the first night there is a pealike form that takes place. Then he grows, growing. Then many holes come out of that pealike form—that becomes our eyes and other nine holes. In this way the body is developed in seven months. Then the child gets consciousness, and he feels very much inconvenience. Therefore moves this side, that side. Then, if he is fortunate, he prays to God, "My Lord, please save me from this inconvenience, this position." Just imagine, airtight packed. In this way he comes up and cries, and again grows. But after coming out, he does not..., he forgets in what position he was. But mother, father takes care. He forgets, again grows. So this evolution is going on. In the material stage of our life, we have got birth, growth, sustenance, by-product, then dwindling, then this body vanishes, again accepting another body. This is called cycle of birth and death.
We have forgotten how much miserable condition we passed during our stay in the womb of mother, in a suffocated condition. You just imagine. Some of you might have seen the picture how the child remains within the womb of the mother. It is air-tight packed. And there are many germs who are biting the delicate skin of the child. And when the child is little grown up, at seven months, it feels too much pain. Therefore the mother can feel that the child is moving. It wants to come out, and prays... One who is fortunate, he can pray to God, "Please give me relief from this condition. This time I shall try my best not to come again in this position of life." So there is severe pain of birth. Similarly, there is severe pain during death. And for disease and old age, everyone has got experience. When you are diseased, simple, if you have got some headache... So these miseries are there always. If we forget and if we think that we are living very comfortably, this is called illusion.
Now, I gave some gentleman the example that the coconut tree, on the tree there are coconut and there are one-kilo water. Now, how the water is transported there? Where is the pipe? Where is the pumping? Because you have got experience if you want to get water high, you have to pump and you must have pipe. So where is the pipe and where is the pumping machine?
Indian man (1): In the tree.
Prabhupāda: So as you see, actually it is packed up nice, two pounds of water, very nice... And so nicely packed. How it has happened? What is the explanation of the scientists? According to their calculation, there must be pipe. There must be pumping. Somebody must be pumping. Where are all these? Then is it legend? It is fact. Now you explain how it is happening. If you are scientist, you explain how it is happening. Or you do that. Simply observation will not do. You must make experiment. You make a log standing like that, keep anything, and the, it, water must go.
We should not be illusioned. We should know that there is, I mean to say, distresses when we take birth. We have forgotten. We do not know how much suffering we had to undergo when we were within the belly of our mother. It is very miserable condition. We had to remain there in packed-up condition like this in a bag, and it is suffocating. And because we are... At that time, the skin is very tender. There are many worms and germs within the belly, mixed up with stool and urine; they bite. We have forgotten that, the actual position.
Anyone who knows how a child remains within the womb of his mother... The medical profession, they also know how much it is suffocating. Suppose you are packed up in a bag... It is simply by the mercy of God, Kṛṣṇa, that we can remain in that condition. If you are put again into that condition, you will immediately die. So we have forgotten what is the distress to remain in the womb of mother. And that also, sometimes a child is killed. At the present moment, advanced civilization, pregnancy is killed sometimes. So we cannot see even light. We die within the womb of a mother and again enter another womb. And it may be we die again. So just try to understand what is the miserable condition of birth. But because we forget, we think we are very happy.
So this Prahlāda Mahārāja is repeating the same instruction which he heard from Nārada Muni when he was packed up within the womb. So this is one of the instruction, that spiritual instruction does not depend on any material condition. In any position one can understand spiritual instruction.
We see big, big cities in America, always in blazing fire. Still, they like this kind of life. But one who is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are no more interested, no more interested. They are interested back home, back to Godhead. Back to Godhead. Therefore our magazine is Back to Godhead. They are no more interested in front. They are going back to... (laughter) Therefore this name was given, Back to Godhead. They are trying: "No more we are so foolish. To go forward, material civilization..." And where you'll go? You are packed up within this universal atmosphere. Just like they are running for the moon planet, for the Mars planet. And where the rascals running, they'll come back.
From the point of tourist program, the government will benefit. And when they're attracted to see Jagannātha Purī, Jagannātha Swami... Unfortunately, you do not allow these foreigners to enter the temple. How it can be adjusted? This stumbling block should be dissolved. If you want Jagannātha Swami to pack up within your home, and you do not expand the mercy of Jagannātha... He is Jagannātha. He's not only this Purī-nātha, or Oriya-nātha; He's Jagannātha. Kṛṣṇa declares in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). That is the definition of Jagannātha, sarva-loka-maheśvaram. So why you should deny the inhabitants of Sarva-loka the darśana of Jagannātha? That is not... Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never approved such thing.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: What is this yogic power? What does that mean?
Prabhupāda: That is called laghimā siddhi, aṇimā siddhi, laghimā siddhi. Aṇimā, you become the smallest. The yogis, you pack in a box. I've seen it. Pack them in a box. One Mr. Cakravartī, (laughter) he was packed in... I told you, he was packed in a bag, it was sealed then put in a box. The box was locked, it was sealed, and he came out. I have seen it. That is called aṇimā siddhi. Simple: there must be some hole-however tightly you pack it, there is little hole—and the spirit soul is so little, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair, then comes out...
Śyāmasundara: And then he materializes another body outside.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: You are packed up with the layers of the earth, that's all. That is your boundary of knowledge. That is not knowledge. That is not knowledge.
Prabhupāda: We are simply, loudly stating, "Please wake up. Please wake up. We are not this body. We are not this body." So these are the (indistinct) dream. You cannot raise him to the consciousness. He is fully packed up in matter. That is not possible. But he is also conscious. That is proved by (indistinct). He applied machine: in the remote part he is feeling the pain when you cut. But it is not very manifest. Just like children, they are not so conscious, you operate. I have got a (indistinct), my eldest daughter, she (indistinct). So she was about less than one year... No, no. About six months. The doctor was operating, (indistinct). She was not frightened. (indistinct) Minor operation. So the human form of life is the developed consciousness of the living entity. In other forms of life they're more or less in dreaming state or unconscious state. But as living entity, the consciousness is there, in different stages.
Prabhupāda: So when a man dies from awakening state, he enters into the dreaming state and then enters into the deep sleeping state. So transmigration of the soul means he gives up this gross body, and the subtle body, mind, intelligence carries him to the another body, and in another body, unless the body is prepared properly, he lives in deep sleep. And when the body is prepared at seven months for human being, then he comes to consciousness. He feels, "Oh, why I am put into this packed-up status." If he is pious he feels very uncomfortable. He prays to God—these things are described—that "Kindly excuse me from this awkward position. Now this time I shall become a devotee." This is position.
Prabhupāda: Now this same church is there, and the same Americans are there, but at the present moment in our Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Temple it is always packed up. So what is the reason? The same church is there and the same men are there, but formerly nobody was coming, so that the church was sold to us. Now it is all packed up. What is the reason? The reason is that simply religious sentiment, assembly in the church, will not help us unless there is spiritual life and based on philosophy and full understanding of the goal of life. That will make religion perfect; otherwise no.
Purports to Songs
Actually, when$the child remains within the womb of his mother, packed up in airtight bag, at the age of seven months within the womb, when he develops his consciousness, he feels very uncomfortable, and the fortunate baby prays to God, "Please relieve me from this awkward position, and this life I shall fully engage myself in developing my God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness." But as soon as the child comes out of the womb of his mother, under the spell of these three modes of material nature he forgets, and he cries, and the parents take care, and the whole thing is forgotten.
| Page Title: | Packed (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Sahadeva, Priya, SunitaS |
| Created: | 14 of Aug, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=97, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 97 |