So God's name... Actually, there is no God's name. There is name, but He has got so many names. His name is given according to His pastimes. Just like according to... It has got meaning. You cannot give any name to God without bearing any meaning. That is the Vedic significance. When we say "Kṛṣṇa" name of God, that means He's all-attractive. All-attractive means He's not only attractive to the devotees but to the nondevotees. It's not that Kṛṣṇa is one-sided, He's attractive to the devotees. No. To the nondevotees also. Just like Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa was also attracted by Kṛṣṇa. He was attracted to Kṛṣṇa as enemy. There are two kinds of attraction. We can become attracted to somebody as friend as well as enemy. That is also attraction. If you think of some person that "This man is my enemy. I want to kill him, or I want to do some harm to him. How I shall do? How shall I capture him? He goes on the office, on the road. So I can capture him in that way..." So many. Just like in America the President Kennedy was killed. So the man who killed him, he made it a plan, thinking of President Kennedy always. That is attraction.
President (Lectures, SB)
Expressions researched:
"presidency"
|"president"
|"president's"
|"presidential"
|"presidents"
|"presidentship"
- VedaBase query: president or presidency or presidential or presidents or president's or presidentship not "temple president" not "president of the temple" not "temple presidents"
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
There are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets, Nārāyaṇa is the predominating Deity, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. And those who enter such planets, they get the same bodily feature, exactly looking like Nārāyaṇa. You have seen the picture of the Viṣṇudūtas who came to deliver Ajāmila. They were exactly looking like Nārāyaṇa. The same helmets, the same ornaments, exactly. You can understand. Just like your president or queen, if you are also dressed, you'll also look like queen. Or if you are dressed, you'll look like the president. But that does not mean you are president or you are queen, simply by dressing. Similarly, although the devotees and the living entities, they get the same feature of the body just like Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu, they're not viṣṇu-tattva. That is called sāyujya, sārūpya. Similarly, sālokya, to live in the same planet. Sāmīpya, to live nearby, near exactly with Nārāyaṇa. Just like we are living together, similarly, you can live with Nārāyaṇa, sāmīpya, side by side. These are the different kinds of liberation.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest: Would you say that...
Prabhupāda: God cannot be lonely. Just like as soon as you say that President Nixon is coming, it does not mean he's coming alone. Because his position as President means whenever he goes he has got his secretaries, his military commanders, so many things. Similarly, God is never alone. God is always with many paraphernalia. So God is not lonely. Never.
Guest: You say that we have eternal relationships with the Supreme?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest: Does that mean that at one time we had this relationship and now we still have it, and then we will still have it later?
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, not once you have it, still. Without God's grace, you cannot live. You are still, but you have forgotten. Just like a prisoner. A prisoner is put into prison house. That does not mean he has lost his relationship with the state. Before coming to the prison house he was a state citizen, and in the prison also, he is also a state citizen. And the government has concern both ways, when he was free, and when he is in prison. So our relationship with God is not broken, or it cannot be separated. It is there always, but at the present moment, we are covered. We are thinking there is no God. That is our ignorance. Therefore you are suffering.
So this verse I am just now quoting is the verse given by Sūta Gosvāmī, the president of the meeting. In that meeting many learned scholars, brāhmaṇas, they assembled to discuss about Kṛṣṇa. The question was that "After departure of Kṛṣṇa from this planet, dharma and jñāna"—dharma means religious principles, and jñāna means knowledge—"these two things, who has taken care of them?" Dharma-jñānādibhiḥ saha. Actually, human society should be concerned with two things: dharma and jñāna. Dharma means the characteristic. The meaning of dharma translated in English is not adequate. Dharma means which cannot be given up. The so-called dharma, or religion... Suppose I am Hindu and somebody is Christian. This is called faith. The dictionary meaning is: "Religion is faith." So faith can be changed. "I believe in Christian religion." So it can be changed next day—I accept Hindu religion or Muslim religion. But actually, dharma cannot be changed. The example is given: just like water. The characteristic of water is liquidity. So you cannot change this quality of water, liquidity. Similarly, stone is solid.
Even if you chant with motive, that will take little time to become pure devotee, but better without any motive. As a matter of duty, you chant regularly. Ahaituky apratihatā. Then there will be no hindrances. You'll make progress without any hindrances. Ahaituky apratihatā. And then you'll be pleased. Yenātmā samprasīdati. Then you'll be feeling transcendental bliss. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni (CC Antya 20.12). And all the blazing fire of this material world will be extinguished. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni. Here, in this material world, it is compared with dāvāgni. Dāvāgni means the forest fire. Nobody goes to set fire in the forest, but it takes place. Similarly, however cautious you may be, you cannot make this material world without dāvāgni. That is not possible. The dāvāgni will continue. Viṣaya viṣānale, divā-niśi hiyā jvale. Narottama Dāsa Ṭhākura has sung that the material world is such that it is just like a blazing fire. Viṣaya viṣānale divā-niśi. Here, everyone, even the Prime Minister, even the President, very opulently situated, but always full of anxieties. Very, too much anxieties.
In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvara means controller or the powerful man who controls. Take for example the president or the king. So there are many īśvaras, or controllers. You are also īśvara; I am also īśvara. Because you also control at least your family members or some animals. So this controlling capacity is there in everyone because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. But we are not supreme controller. We are controller of some entities, but we are controlled also by something superior. Therefore we are not absolute controller. We are relative controller. But about Kṛṣṇa, it is said, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Paramaḥ means supreme. He controls everyone or everything, but He is not controlled by anyone. That is īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. We are īśvara, we control in our jurisdiction, but we are also controlled by somebody. Just try to understand. But in Kṛṣṇa's life you'll find that He controls everyone, but He is not controlled by anyone. Therefore He is called īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1).
So as soon as you have got senses, as soon as you have got sense organs, as soon as you have got brain, as soon as you have got activities, you are a person. This is the conclusion of the śāstra. Therefore the absolute controller cannot be impersonal. By our practical life we see, government. "Government" is an impersonal word, but at the end of the government, there is a governor or president, a person. A person is required, who will apply his brain. So how is that that without brain the whole cosmic manifestation it is controlled? That is not very reasonable. And that is not according to śāstra.
According to śāstra, the Absolute Truth is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā as tattva. Tattva means truth. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that tattva-vit, "One who knows the tattva, truth..."
- vadanti tat tattva-vidas
- tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam
- brahmeti paramātmeti
- bhagavān iti śabdyate
- (SB 1.2.11)
"Those who are actually knower of the Absolute Truth, they know that the Absolute Truth is manifested in three features: impersonal Brahman and localized Paramātmā, antaryāmī or the Supersoul..." As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that in each body there is a soul, kṣetra-jña. Idaṁ śarīraṁ kṣetram ity abhidhīyate. The body... I am not this body, but I know it is my body. Therefore I am kṣetra-jña and the body is kṣetra. And Kṛṣṇa says that kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). That sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata, in every body, that manifestation of God, or Kṛṣṇa, is called Paramātmā, or Supersoul. So the Supersoul and the soul, both of them are sitting on this body. It is compared with a tree. Just like on the tree two birds sitting, friendly birds. One is eating the fruit and another is simply witnessing. Upadraṣṭā-anumantā.
So our only request is that it is a great science. Don't neglectfully take it. It is the real problem of life. We say that you live peacefully, happily, but don't risk your life. Don't risk your life. Just like a man is living very nicely, very good post, very good money, but if he is doing something criminal, then what is his next life? He is put into jail. Just like in America, Mr. Nixon. He was president, everything. Now everything is at risk. So we say that you become Nixon, you become prime minister, you become everything. We don't say... You make your profit, like that. But don't risk your life. That is our proposition. If after this life you are prime minister, you are very big man, and next life, if you become a dog, then what is the profit of your life? Śrama eva... That is explained here:
- dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
- viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ
- notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
- śrama eva hi kevalam
- (SB 1.2.8)
You do your work, duty. Dharma means duty. You are very dutiful. Do your duty nicely, but see by executing your duty whether you are developing your love for Kṛṣṇa. That is the criterion. If it is not done so, if you are in the blindness, then it is said that notpādayed yadi ratim. If you do not become attracted by Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then, śrama eva hi kevalam, simply you are wasting time.
There was a great meeting and..., meeting means... In those days, there was no political meeting. Political meeting was not necessary because there was no democracy. It was monarchy. The kings, they were so trained up that there was no necessity of democracy. Actually, the modern government, democracy... We are experiencing, especially the great democratic country, America. So the democracy, the president elected by popular vote, is now being condemned. So what is the value of this democracy? You elect somebody by your vote, again condemn. That means the electors, the voters, have also no experience, and neither the man who is voted, he is also very good man. Otherwise, why you should change your opinion once you have elected a person to act as your head executive? So the democracy has proved a farce. It has no meaning, because people are not educated. People are mostly śūdras. There must be four classes of men. So brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, first class, second class, third class, fourth class. So at the present moment there is no first-class men, neither second-class men. All third class, fourth class. All of them. So on the votes of third-class and fourth-class men, how you can expect good government? That is not possible.
So you will find in this instruction, in this chapter, these sages decided at the end of the meeting, that ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ (SB 1.2.13). The resolution was passed like this, because there were all brāhmaṇas. Therefore the president, Sūta Gosvāmī, he said all the brāhmaṇas, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. He addressed. Dvija means twice-born: one birth by the father and mother, and next birth by the spiritual father and the Vedic knowledge. This is second birth, initiation. The spiritual father, or spiritual master, he gives the second birth through the mother, Vedas. Therefore they are called dvija, twice-born. Twice-born. Unless one has accepted bona fide spiritual master, he is once born, śūdra. Śūdra has no such thing as twice-born. Only the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas. Because śūdras were less intelligent, they were not initiated. They were not initiated. Only the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas, dvija.
So to become religious, dharmic, means how to nullify these five principles of material existence. In the material world, you have to work very, very hard. You cannot think that "Oh, I am so great man. I'll not work." Na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. Suppose the lion... Lion is supposed to be the king of the forest. Still, he has to work. It is not that a lion will sleep, and some animal will come, "My dear lion, please open your mouth. I shall enter." (laughter) That is not possible. Even he is most powerful, even if he is... Just like your President. He is most powerful man, but he's working hard, more than asses and hogs, to get the post of presidency. So pariśrama...
So nobody can say that "Without working hard, I shall achieve something." That is not possible. But our tendency is that we do not wish to work; therefore, at the end of the week, we take some, I mean to say, leisure, go out of the city, and try to forget all our hard labor throughout the week. But on Monday, again we have to come back. This is going on. Nobody actually... Because a living entity by nature, being part and parcel of God, he wants also enjoy life without work. That is his tendency. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying with gopīs, with Rādhārāṇī. But He's not working. He hasn't got to work. We don't hear from Bhāgavatam, any Vedic literature, that Kṛṣṇa has a great factory, and He has to go office at ten o'clock, and then bring money, and then enjoy with Rādhārāṇī. No. (laughter) We don't want that such kind of rascal God. (laughter) We want God who hasn't got to work anything. That is God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. That is the Vedic information. God has nothing to do.
So pavarga means they have taken the material life in different aspect. First of all, material life is pariśrama, hard labor. This is called pa, pariśrama. And then, pha: the labor is so hard, sometimes foam comes. We have seen from the mouth of the horse, cows, and bulls, dogs. We sometimes, we have also, our tongue becomes dry after working very hard. There are foams. This is pha. Pa, pha. And ba means vyarthatā: in spite of so much labor, our sense gratification is not fulfilled. That is called vyarthatā. Pa pha ba, vyarthatā. And then bha. Bha means bhaya, always fearful. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Every conditioned soul is subjected to fearfulness, "What will happen next?" Big, big politician... Just like in U.S.A., President Nixon, he is also under fear, "How these people will drive me away?" So this bhaya must be there. Hard labor for election, then rejection, then bhaya, fearfulness, "Whether my this position will remain or not?" Nobody is free. Even Brahmā, big, big demigods, they are also fearful. Bhayaṁ dvitīya abhiniveśataḥ syāt. Śāstra says when one is attached to the other thing except God, dvitīya... Because God is one. Eka brahma. When one is not Brahman realized—the other realized means illusion realized—then there is bhaya. So apavarga, pa pha ba bha, in this way ma, means mṛtyu, death.
The Supreme Absolute Truth, He has nothing to do. He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. Everything is being done by His potencies. Just like a big man, a big business man, or a big, the president of the state, he personally does not do anything. But his energies, his secretaries and others, they do everything. He simply signs or gives sanction. So this is the fact. God has nothing to do. Everything is being done very nicely by His energies. Just like the sunshine or the sun planet is one of the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the whole material world is being conducted very nicely by the sunshine... This is scientific. Due to the sunshine all the planets, they are rotating in their prescribed orbit and nobody is colliding with one another. Everything is going nicely, sunshine. Due to sunshine, the seasonal changes are taking place, and the varieties of trees, plants are growing. Everything is going on. The moon is also working under sunshine. And due to the moon, there are waves in the sea. There are changes of the ebb tide and low tide. So one energy of the sunshine is doing so much things.
That is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa says that "This yoga system, bhakti-yoga system, as they are mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, it was first explained to the sun-god, Vivasvān." The śāstra gives us the name of the predominating deity of the sun globe. Just like any gentleman can know or give the name of your president, Mr. Nixon. He might not have seen, but he knows that the present president of U.S.A is Mr. Nixon. Similarly, actually, those who are in knowledge, they know who are the predominating deities of the different planets. They know. Not to speak of others, Kṛṣṇa, who can know better than Him? Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Kṛṣṇa knows past, present, and future. So He's saying that imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "This imperishable yoga system, bhakti-yoga..." It is imperishable, avyayam. This very word is very significant. Bhakti-yoga is imperishable. Other yoga systems may be perishable, but bhakti-yoga is not perishable. Whatever you execute in this life, bhakti-yoga, that becomes your permanent asset, so that in the next life you can begin from the point where you ended in this life. If you can finish in this life, cent percent, that is very nice. If not,... Suppose you have finished fifty percent. Still it is permanent asset. It will never be lost. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says avyayam, inexhaustible. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1).
The Bhāgavata recommends that in the human form of life, the only necessity is to inquire about the Absolute Truth. That includes so many other things. The Absolute Truth is experienced by different persons from different angle of vision. That is explained here. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). That is the Absolute Truth—Brahman or Para-brahman—which is nondual. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11). Advayam means without any duality. When we say Brahman, impersonal Brahman, or when we speak Paramātmā, or when we speak of Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there is no difference between these three terms. Just like sunshine and the sun globe and the sun-god. According to Bhagavad-gītā, we have got the name of the predominating deity in the sun globe. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). This is said in the Bhagavad-gītā. First of all Kṛṣṇa says, "Long, long ago, millions of years ago, I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to Vivasvān." Vivasvān means the present predominating deity of the sun globe. Just like we have got a president, similarly, but he has got a particular name, similarly, the president of the sun globe is called Sūrya, Sūryadeva. But he has got a particular name.
That is a fact. You may have material possessions, power, and everything very good situation, and simply by little motor accident, finished immediately, within a second. In your country, President Kennedy was so powerful, opulent and so on, and within a second it was finished. So these rascals, they do not see that "What I shall gain by this so-called material opulence and power?" It can be finished at any moment by the direction, and Kṛṣṇa says also in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was thinking, "I am so powerful." And when Nṛsiṁha-deva appeared as his death, finished everything.
So that they do not see. They are claiming to become God, but how they will control this death? That will come, "As sure as death." God means controller. Can you control death, can you control disease, can you control old age? No? Then how do you become God? Rascal, you are claiming to have become God. If I give you a kick on your face, you cannot control, yet you claim to have become God. You see, this is going on.
So our point is not to disregard anything, but everything use for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is called saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam: (SB 1.2.13) means satisfying Kṛṣṇa. You have manufactured, you have discovered something, but you will get perfection by manufacturing this. Anything you do, if you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa by your art and intelligence and education, by your work, then your life is perfect. We don't decry, "Don't do this." Do everything, but do it for Kṛṣṇa, then it is perfect. Otherwise, go to hell. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). "Oh, I am a brāhmaṇa, I am doing my duty." "But do you know Kṛṣṇa, do you serve Kṛṣṇa?" "Yes, I know Kṛṣṇa, I am Kṛṣṇa." This will not help you. Suppose a big man, a president, if you say, "I am president," what the government will think of you? "He is a crazy fellow." Similarly, these rascals, when they say, "I am God," then we take it, "That is a crazy fellow."
So the sun is our eyes, actually. Not only this planet, all the planets within this universe. Therefore it is said in the Brahma..., yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. The gāyatrī-mantra, gāyatrī-mantra, oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ, that is worshiping the sun, sun-god, savitā, savitṛ. So, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. Rājā samasta-grahāṇām. Just like there is king, president, similarly, the sun planet is the king of all planets. (aside:) Those who are standing, they can stand near the wall; don't block. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtiḥ. All the demigods, they are worshiping. This gāyatrī-mantra... Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ. Unlimited temperature, unlimited temperature. For millions and millions of years it is diffusing temperature, and if it is little more, we become, ninety millions away, ninety millions of miles away, still, little rising of temperature, we become suffocated. Aśeṣa-tejāḥ, unlimited temperature. And moving, yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā samasta-sura-mūrtir aśeṣa-tejāḥ, yasyājñayā, "by whose order," bhramati, "is moving," sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ, "the orbit." Sun has got orbit. Sixteen thousand miles per second moving. But moving how? Not a little deviation. Exactly in the line. Because little deviation will cause havoc. Just the same way: a little pouncing over, the whole sea, finished Los Angeles. You see?
Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). In the Brahma-saṁhitā this is, that "Those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their karma, their action of, resultant action of karma, is stopped." How it is stopped? Kṛṣṇa gives you assurance in the Bhagavad-gītā: ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). "I shall give you protection from all kinds of resultant action of your sinful life. You just surrender to Me." Kṛṣṇa can do everything. Just like king can give you, excuse you. Although by law you are condemned to death, but if you appeal to the supreme executive, the king or the president, if he likes, he can excuse you. Similarly, by nature's law we cannot be freed from the resultant action of our sinful life. That is not possible. But if Kṛṣṇa desires, if Kṛṣṇa is pleased upon you, He can excuse, He can excuse you. Chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ, kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi. How cāsya karmāṇi? Dṛṣṭa eva ātmani īśvare. Because, at that time, actually when you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, we'll always see Kṛṣṇa ātmani, within mind, within heart. That very seeing is, what is called, immunity from all sinful activities. Then you become free, go back to home, back to Godhead.
So here is the information of creation. The creation is from a person, not from the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth. Creation, there must be brain; otherwise how there is question of creation? We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We are..., we have also creative power. So as soon as there is question of creative power, there must be a brain behind the creation, and brain means a person. Creation cannot be possible from void or impersonal thing. We have several times discussed this point, that the government, this word, appears to be impersonal, but actually, behind the government there is a person—the president or the king, like that. So this creation, cosmic manifestation, is possible through the creative power of the Supreme Person; therefore God cannot be impersonal. Impersonal feature is one of the manifestation of God. God must be a person. This is the conclusion. Sa eva idam: this cosmic manifestation was created. In another place it is stated, aham evāsam agre: before creation, there was God, Kṛṣṇa. And when this material creation will be finished, He will remain.
Because we wanted to become one with Kṛṣṇa, to compete with Kṛṣṇa, therefore we are put into this material world. Māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare. And here, in this material world, it is going on. Everyone is trying to become Kṛṣṇa. That is māyā. Everyone. "First of all, let me become a big, big man; then let me become the minister, let me become the president." In this way, when everything fails, then "Let me merge into the existence of God." That means, "Let me become God." This is going on. This is material struggle for existence. Everyone is trying to become Kṛṣṇa.
But our philosophy is different. We do not want to become Kṛṣṇa. We are trying to become Kṛṣṇa's servant. That is the difference between Māyāvāda philosophy and Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us how to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). The one, a person who is the lowest of the servant of Kṛṣṇa, he's first-class Vaiṣṇava. He's first-class Vaiṣṇava.
Every universe has got a predominating deity, president. We can understand. In every country, there is a president to rule over the country. Similarly, to rule over this universe, there is a president. That is Brahmā, Lord Brahmā. Lord Brahmā's duration of life, span of life, you cannot calculate. You can calculate, but it is something like beyond our imagination. His one day is four hundred..., forty-three crores of years, one day. Similarly, one month, thirty days, one month; then twelve months, year. Such hundred years. So he lives such hundred years. So that Brahmā lives hundred years in his calculation; that is also a breathing period of Viṣṇu.
- yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
- jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ...
- (Bs. 5.48)
These gigantic universes, they are coming out from the hair holes of the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu or from His... Just like sometimes infected persons, they distribute germs from breathing, from perspiration. That is scientific. Similarly, Mahā-Viṣṇu's breathing and perspiration within the Causal Ocean, bringing forth so many universes. And each and every universe, there are so many planets, and one of the planets is this, earth, earthly planet.
Third incarnation Devarṣi, ṛṣi among the demigods. Just like there are ṛṣis among the kings, they are called rājarṣi. In the Bhagavad-gītā the word rājarṣi is used. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Formerly the kings were just like great saintly persons. They were not ordinary vote collectors. They were so saintly there was no need of electing another president every five years. They are ṛṣis, these words are there. So in the third millennium, they were almost all ṛṣis. They were so enlightened that everyone of the population were just like great saints, saintly persons.
So this Devarṣi means Nārada, saintly sage among the demigods. He is also one of the demigods. So he compiled Vedic principles for executing devotional service, Nārada Pañcarātra. Our method, this devotional service, is according to the Nārada Pañcarātra. Especially in this age, Vedic system is not very much convenient. It is very strict. Just like according to Vedic system, if one wants to become a brāhmaṇa, he must be born of a brāhmaṇa father. Otherwise he cannot be accepted as a brāhmaṇa. But according to the Nārada Pañcarātra system, even if one is lowborn, he can be accepted as a brāhmaṇa by this reformatory process. Because kalau śūdra sambhavaḥ—everyone in this age is a śūdra. Śūdra means no intelligence, little better than animals, that's all.
So actually the modern men, without being properly civilized, without being properly educated, they are exactly like dogs, hogs, camels and asses. We take it like that, they are no better than. So what is the votes of them? What will they choose? They will choose another big camel or big cat or big dog, that's all, because he doesn't know. If you are human being, you know who is another human being. But if you are dog, camel and ass, how can you understand who is a human being? Therefore people sometimes misunderstand us, just like the dog comes: bow, wow, wow, wow. Similarly, the society of dogs, they also come, making their chase upon these Kṛṣṇa conscious people. They take away from the street. They do not know that they are the best persons in the world. They are disseminating the message of God, making people men of character. No illicit sex, no gambling, that is character. They are becoming saintly person, always chanting. But they have no respect. Because they are dogs, hogs, how they can respect? So because they have no discrimination, these animals, then how they will choose to make the president a first-class man? He has no choice.
So this is dhīra. Dhīra means even there is cause of disturbance he will not be disturbed. That is dhīra. And one who is disturbed by the slight agitation, he is not dhīra. He is adhīra. So mostly, people are adhīra. They are agitated by a slight disturbance, because they have not been trained in such a way. Otherwise... Just like Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa was being elected as president in the rājasūya-yajña assembly of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, so somebody remarked that "This man..." Because those who were blind, they would see Kṛṣṇa as ordinary man... So "He is woman-hunter from the very beginning. So how He can be elected?" So at that time Bhīṣma, the most celebrated brahmacārī... He never accepted any wife or he had no connection with any woman. He immediately stood up. He said that "I am celebrated throughout the whole world as brahmacārī, but if I would have been in the position of Kṛṣṇa... He was dancing with young girls, but He was not agitated. But I would have been agitated. I admit. Therefore He is dhīra. He should be elected."
So this is the paramparā system. So here it is, Vaivasvata Manu. What is text number? Fifteen. Here it is. Vaivasvata Manu. So this Vaivasvata Manu means at the present moment the president of the sun planet is called Vivasvān. His name is Vivasvān. And because his son Manu... Vivasvān manave prāha... The Bhagavad-gītā was spoken long, long ago by Kṛṣṇa to the sun-god, Vivasvān. Vivasvān. They are trying to understand the historical dates. So how you can understand the historical date? It is beyond your calculation. You cannot calculate even one Brahmā's day. And in Brahmā's one day there are fourteen manus. So it is beyond your brain substance. You can have some idea.
So here also, Vaivasvata Manu. Vaivasvata Manu means the son of the gentleman whose name is Vivasvān. He is the president of this solar world, of the sun, sun planet. There is also president. You have got your president here. Why not in the sun planet? Why...? How can you deny with teeny knowledge that there is no life, there is no city, there is no...? Simply you go on smoking gāñjā and telling anything, but the fact is different. The fact is different. From common sense we can understand that this is a planet made of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. So this whole material world is made of these five elements. Somewhere, some portion is very prominent. Here the earth is very prominent. Similarly, in the sun planet the fire is very prominent. But there are five elements. Nothing is made... Just like if you go to a fireplace, there the temperature is different, but the fireplace is made of these five elements: earth, water, air, fire, ether. Nothing but.
So Bhṛgupati. Brahma-druha. The administrative class, the politicians, they must obey the order of the brāhmaṇas. That is Vedic culture. Therefore although there was monarchy, king, one king, no democracy, but because the king would follow the instruction of learned sages and brāhmaṇa, they would rule over the country very nicely. Take, for example, if your president takes our advice how to rule, then everything will be very nice. Of course, we shall immediately ask the president to stop the slaughterhouse. But it is very difficult. You see? Neither the president is ready... Even if he is ready, he cannot do. Everything is constitutional.
Everyone is employed in his own business. And tax. Tax. The brāhmaṇa had to pay no tax. Only kṣatriyas, they were tax collector. And śūdra also, they had no property; therefore there was no tax. Only the vaiśya class, the productive class, they had to pay tax. And that tax also was very simple. There was no encroachment. You simply give one fourth of your profit to the government. That's all. No more tax. Sales tax, this tax, income tax, excise tax, this tax—simply tax, tax, tax. No. Not like that. Whatever he has got profit. "Got" means whatever profit he has made... If he has no profit, there is no tax. That was the government system. So how he will pay if he has not made any profit this year? Just like we are hearing there is no good monsoon in India this year. So there will be no very much good production. But if there is no good production, the government should not levy any tax. But now, at the present moment, "You go to hell, but you must pay the tax. And we divide the tax amongst ourself." That's all. Finished. Or we employ the taxes for fighting, for declaring war. That's all.
So at the present moment we are in a very, very deplorable condition, no good government. Simply by changing, by so-called parties, the government cannot improve. The government can improve when there are Kṛṣṇa conscious person. So if some day you turn all the people Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you become president.
Thank you very much. (end)
The other day in the television somebody was questioning me that "Why there is caste system in India?" So I answered, "The caste system is everywhere. Why in India?" And what is that caste system? The caste system is that there is a class of men who are intelligent, very intelligent, educationist, philosopher, scientist. They are called brāhmaṇas. That's all. The intelligent class of the society... Just like my head is the most important part of my body. Why? Because from the head all intelligence is coming. If you cut my hand, I will exist. If you cut my leg, I will exist. But if you cut my head, oh, there is no existence. Therefore, as there is the important part of this body, the head, similarly, those who are giving intelligence to the society, they are called brāhmaṇas. That's all. Brāhmaṇa is not a thing which is born by, I mean to say, familywise. No. That is not... In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There is no question of birthright. Anyone, anyone. Just like in our ordinary life, anyone can become your president. It is not that a particular family has to become. One who is intelligent enough, if people like, he will be voted, he'll be elected. Similarly, according to the quality and work, the section of the society is imagined. Not imagined, practically designated.
Just like you are seeing the sunlight, but suppose if you are able to go to the sun planet, that will be still more extensive knowledge. But not only going to the sun planet, if you can meet the president of the sun globe... Everywhere there is a presiding deity. Just like you have got your president in your country, or in my country we have got a president. Similarly, in every planet there is one presiding deity. They are called demigods, and they have got their different names. We get all this information from... Take, for example, the sun planet. The sun planet is presided over by one gentleman whose name is Vivasvān. Vivasvān, Vaivasvata. And his son is Manu. These things are described. In Bhagavad-gītā also you'll find. We read Bhagavad-gītā, but we do not take information. In the fourth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā these things are stated there. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "First of all, I recited this bhakti-yoga or Bhagavad-gītā yoga system to Vivasvān." You can ask me that "Swamiji, where do you get the name of the presiding deity of sun-god, sun planet, as Vivasvān?" I say, "I get it from Bhagavad-gītā. It is mentioned there." Just like in our country who has not seen America, if he has studied the Constitution of America, he knows the presiding gentleman is Mr. Johnson.
So God is one, but there are different kinds of demigods. That is also a fact. They are accepted as different parts and parcels of God, as we are also. The demigods are also living entities. They are not viṣṇu-tattva. There are viṣṇu-tattva, jīva-tattva and śakti-tattva. Viṣṇu-tattva is the Supreme Absolute Truth, jīva-tattva is part and parcel, and śakti-tattva is the energy of God. So the demigods... You can become a demigod. You can become. If you follow the process how to become, then you become one day the demigod in the sun planet. It is not difficult. You can become one day even Lord Brahmā. Just like you can become one day President Nixon, like him. That requires your qualification. But you can... But you cannot become Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa. That is not possible. God is one. You cannot become God, but you can become part and parcel of God, more powerful. That is possible. Just like you are all Americans, but some of you can become a big officer in the government, the president, the secretary, the governor, but their position is better than ordinary man, similarly, the demigods are like that. They are different officers of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. These things are described in Bhāgavatam, that the sun rises under the order of the Supreme Lord.
So at the present moment, people are becoming more and more poor, and they are simply educated to gratify senses. So the whole world becoming chaotic, diseased condition. Even in the topmost level, the President of United States, he was also caught dealing very unfavorably, and he was forced to resign. And what to speak of others? He is not a poor man, he is not uneducated, the topmost man, elected President of USA, but there is cheating even there, just see. And what to speak of others? Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ (BG 3.21), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is, tat tad eva itaraḥ janaḥ, sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate. If a person, president, cheats his countrymen somehow or other, and why not others? They will also do that. "Oh, president does it. What I am? What can I know?" In this way, the more we are inclined to sense gratification, the more we are becoming sinful. And more we are becoming sinful, the more we must suffer. That is the law of nature. Āmayo yaś ca bhūtānāṁ jāyate yena suvrata.
Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt. Anartha means... Artha means which is essential, artha. So anartha means just the opposite. So our present material condition is that we have increased some unwanted things, anartha. Therefore we have been entangled. Just like yesterday I was speaking with that president. He was thinking the problem of economics. And what is the problem? There is no problem. Anywhere, any part of the world, you live, you just have some land, and some animals. Animals means cow. Other animals also, you can keep. There is no harm. But cows must be there, animals. And you cannot destroy the cows. If you want to eat meat... That is the Indian system. Indian system, for meat-eaters, there is concession. Just like for sex life there is concession, similarly, for meat-eater also, there is concession. And for drunkards there is concession. Not impractical. Supposing one is drunkard, meat-eater, if I say all of a sudden, "Stop it," if he is not sober, he will not accept it. Just like in India there was prohibition. Gandhi, by his sentiment... There was no, I mean to say, education. He wanted to make all of a sudden stop. So there was illicit drinking. Illicit manufacture of wine increased so much that government saw that "We are losing the excise duty. These people are distilling illicit liquor." So now government, to save money, now they are manufacturing and inducing people, "All right, you go on drinking."
So necessity has no law. This brahma-bandhu, he knew how to create this brahmāstra. He learned it. But he knew it also that this weapon is not to be used generally. In very, very rare cases this should be used. As I explained, that atomic bomb, the nuclear weapon, is not used when there is fight between two dogs. It is not so insignificant. When the fight is very severe, just like your country used this nuclear bomb. When the Japanese people dared to attack your Pearl Harbor, at that time, your President was Mr. Truman. So it was not to be used, but he took little more precaution. Anyway, such weapon, deadly weapon, should not be used ordinarily. Therefore here it is said that prāṇa-kṛcchra upasthite. He knew that Arjuna was after him, and there is no escape. He would be killed. So whatever last resort he knew, he used that knowledge to throw brahmāstra so that the other party may be killed altogether. But ajānann api saṁhāram. He was not willing, but he did not know how to withdraw that. Formerly they used to know it. They could throw one brahmāstra, and if he likes he can withdraw. Or the other party he, can nullify it. This is warfare. But he did not know that. How to counteract it, he did not know that.
This rascal, he wants to wander within this material world in different capacities. Sometime he's demigod, sometime he's dog, sometime he's tree, sometime he's fish, sometime he is president, sometime he's a nonsense. In this way, in different ways, he is suffering in this material world, and Kṛṣṇa is with him, trying to get him back. And whenever there is opportunity, He's asking, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam: (BG 18.66) "You rascal, why you are suffering in this way? You give up all this nonsense business. You simply surrender to Me." That is Kṛṣṇa's ambition, that "This rascal is suffering, so better give him good instruction."
Especially in political matters, when the kṣatriyas are dealing, there is always violence. Without violence, kṣatriya has no meaning. Kṣat, kṣat means injury. Trāyate. Kṣatriya's duty is to save the citizen from being injured by others. That is kṣatriya. Even an animal. Animal..., just like this Kali was trying to kill cow. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was on his tour. He saw that a black man was trying to kill a cow. So immediately he took his sword, "Who are you, rascal? You are trying to kill a cow in my kingdom?" That is kṣatriya's duty. Kṣatriya's duty is to give protection from injury for the safety of the citizen. The citizen must feel safety, that "We have got such a nice king. There is no fear of anything." It is said in the Bhāgavatam there was no anxiety. The citizens should feel so much safe, that "We have such a nice king that we have no danger at all. Not being injured, not our property being stolen or injustice given." That is the real government—when the citizens will feel completely safe. That requires kṣatriya. Not these cāmāra, bhangis, and śūdras voted and become the president and minister. That will not be successful. That is not possible. There must be trained-up kṣatriyas, then there will be good government. Trained.
This is the relationship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with His devotees. This is wanted. Simply to understand "God is very great," that is not sufficient knowledge. When you deal with the great, exchange your relationship with the great, that is perfect. That is perfect. Suppose your president is very great. That's all right. Everyone knows, "President is very great." But what shall I derive out of that? When I actually deal with him, I become his friend, I become his servant, I become his secretary, I become... Some way or other, if I am related with that great personality, that is my benefit. Otherwise what is the use knowing, "Oh, President Nixon is very great"? There are so many... What I am deriving from that great? This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they simply remain silent, "Oh, God is very great," and they cannot imagine how great He is. But a devotee can understand how great He is. He can see that innumerable universes are within the mouth of God. This is the position of devotee. This is not sufficient knowledge: "God is great." God must be great. That's all right. But unless you come in dealing with that great, you cannot relish actually what is God and how great He is.
Your position is beyond this material world," prakṛteḥ. Prakṛti means this material world. Prakṛteḥ param. That means these controllers within this material world, they are produced at a certain date and they will be finished at a certain date, these controllers. Just like your President Nixon. He is controller of your country, but his controlling power is given at a certain date and it will be finished at a certain date. So Kuntī says, "You are not that kind of controller, that Your controlling power begins at a certain date and finishes at a certain date." Therefore, prakṛteḥ param. In the prakṛti, within the material nature, we have got some controlling power. Everyone. But that has the beginning and ending. As our life begins and ends, everything here in this material world, it has a beginning and end. But Kṛṣṇa's controlling power is not like that. He says, she says, namasye puruṣaṁ tu ādyam: "You are the original person. You have created this cosmos. So before the creation of the cosmos, You were controller, and when the cosmos will end, You will remain controller." Therefore prakṛteḥ param. "Within the prakṛti, within the material nature, everything has got beginning and end, limited. You are not that kind of controller." Prakṛteḥ param, eternal.
Especially one must not kill animals. The Bible also. Therefore it is said, "Thou shalt not kill. You rascal, if you want to understand what is God, you must stop this killing art. Thou shalt not kill." But these rascals will not understand. This is the mis..., misfortune. And therefore God is always covered to their eyes. Kuntī Devī therefore said, māyā-javanikācchannam. Māyā-javanikācchannam ajñā. Ajñā means rascal, who has no knowledge, dull, dull-headed, mūḍhāḥ, ass. These words are used in the śāstra. Why mūḍhāḥ? The word is used as an, an ass. The ass, amongst the animals, is the most, I mean to say, what is called, foolish, most foolish. The ass works very hard, and bears burden, heavy burden, ton, but he does not know "Why I am carrying so big burden? Why I have taken so much responsibility?" That he does not know. So here you will find so many big, big politicians, leaders, they have accepted big, big burden like an ass, but they do not know why they are doing so. They do not know. Their only solace is a temporary satisfaction that "I have become president," "I have become this master," "I have become this," for few years. But he does not know what is his real business. So therefore the karmīs, they are working hard day and night, but he does not know why he is working so hard day and night.
So Kṛṣṇa comes—paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). That is His mission. So how He saved the honest devotees, that is being described by Kuntī. This is studying of Kṛṣṇa, about His transcendental activities. You have to know how He takes birth and how He acts. If you study these two things of Kṛṣṇa's appearance, then you become liberated, these two things only, that why does He come, how does He come, how He acts, what is His position. His position is prakṛteḥ param. He is not a living being like us. We are not prakṛteḥ... Although we are prakṛteḥ param, but at the present moment we are under the clutches of prakṛti. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). We... just like a person in the prison. He is also a citizen. He's not meant for living in the prison; he is actually meant for living outside the prison. But some way or other, he has come in contact with the criminal department and is put into the prison. Similarly, usually, the citizens and the king or president, they are not inhabitants of the prison house. Similarly, we, along with Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa is prakṛteḥ param, similarly, we are also prakṛteḥ param, but we have got the aptitude to fall down in the prakṛti.
Just like these children. They also chant, they also dance. It is not at all difficult. While walking, just like our students, they take the beads. They're walking on the sea beach, still chanting. Where is the loss? But the gain is so great, that we are associating with Kṛṣṇa personally. The gain is so much. If you feel very much proud... If you are associating personally with President Nixon, how much proud you feel? "Oh, I am with President Nixon." So will you not feel very much proud if you are associating the supreme Nixon? Who can create millions of Nixons?
So this is your opportunity. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says: etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi. "My dear Lord, You are so kind upon Me that You are giving Your association always, constantly. You are prepared. You are giving Durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ. But I am so unfortunate. I am not taking advantage of it." Durdaiva. Misfortune. Our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply requesting people: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa."
So if we be, come out of this interruption, then we get similar love affairs as Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. So our business should be how to go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa. Because going to Kṛṣṇa means, Kṛṣṇa is eternal, we get eternal body. Just like to become a secretary or even a servant of President Nixon, he's also big man. He's also big man. Because unless one has got some special quality, he cannot become personal servant of President Nixon or his secretary. It is not possible. Not ordinary man can become President Nixon's servant or secretary. Similarly to go back to home, back to Godhead means you get the same type of body, as Kṛṣṇa has got. You become aja. Ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. This is a disease, that we are changing our body. So Kṛṣṇa is Aja.
But because we are fools, that these things are material... It will not stay. On account of ignorance, we are thinking that "This will be very nice. This will be very nice. This will be very nice. This will be..." Kāma-karmabhiḥ, creating some kāma, desire, and working in that way. Therefore kliśyanti. To become Brahmā, that is not very easy thing. Brahmā is such a big post, very qualified, highly advanced in austerities, penance. He is given... He's also a living entity. Just like in your America, you are also a citizen, and President Nixon or Ford, he's also citizen. But by dint of his ardent labor and diplomacy, this way, tha..., he has captured that post. But he's an ordinary citizen. Just like President Nixon. Now he's dragged down. He's no more president. Ordinary citizen. Similarly, if you like you can also become Brahmā. Kāma-karmabhiḥ.
So here in this material world, who is born, he should not think himself that "I am honored guest or honored son-in-law." No. Everyone has to work. That you see the whole world. In your country there is president, everywhere, that he is also working hard day and night. Otherwise he cannot keep his presidency. It is not possible. The whole brain is congested with political affairs. So many problems, solutions. He has to work. Similarly, a man on the street, he has to work also. This is the nature, material nature. You have to work. It is not the spiritual world. Spiritual world means there is no work. There is simply ānanda, joyfulness. That you see from reading Kṛṣṇa book. They are not working. Kṛṣṇa is going with he calves and the cows. That is not working. That is amusement. That is amusement. They are dancing, they are going to the forest, they are sitting down on the bank of the Ganges. Sometimes the demons are attacking, Kṛṣṇa is killing.
Just like the king gives protection to everyone, every one of the citizens. That is his duty. But he has got special protection for his own men. This is the distinction. This is not unnatural. One is directly engaged in the governor's or the president's service, so when he is in some difficulty, he has got special protection. Although President Nixon is giving protection as president to every citizens, but those who are personally associated with him, giving him the service, they are a special consideration. That is not unnatural. That is natural. That is not partiality. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu: (BG 9.29) "I am equal to everyone." He's God. How He can be partial to somebody and partial to some...? No. Samo 'ham. That is samatā. That is natural. When a gentleman loves all children but he has special love for his own children, that is natural. That is not partiality. Nobody will..., you will say, "Oh, why you are loving your own children more than others?" No, that is natural. This is not partiality. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa loves everyone because everyone is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. But He takes special care of the devotee. Therefore He says, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). His bhakta, His devotee, will never be... He's always allowed to see the comforts of the devotees. And the devotees are always busy to see how Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. By dressing Him, by supplying Him food, by serving Him—always engaged. Similarly Kṛṣṇa is also always engaged to see "How My devotees will be happy?" This is the process going on.
Everything looks beautiful when one is related with something in very intimate relation. Just like at night the sky becomes beautiful when there is moon. Everyone can understand. The sky becomes... The sky is there. Vast sky, at night. But on the full-moon night, when the moon is there and the stars are there brilliantly, it looks very nice. Similarly, the state looks very nice if there is good government, good king, good president. Then everyone is happy, everything going on nicely. Similarly, nārīṇāṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ patiḥ. A girl looks very beautiful... Girls are naturally beautiful. But she looks very beautiful when she has got a husband. Nārīṇāṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ patiḥ. And vidyā sarvasya bhūṣaṇam. But if a person, however ugly he may be, if he's a learned scholar, that is his beauty. Similarly there are kokilānāṁ svaro rūpaṁ strīṇāṁ rūpaṁ pati-vratam. These are there. Similarly everything will look very beautiful when Kṛṣṇa is there, when Kṛṣṇa is there. So Kuntīdevī is thinking that "When Kṛṣṇa will be absent, our, this kingdom will not be beautiful. So long Kṛṣṇa is with us, we Pāṇḍavas, our kingdom, Hastināpura, everything beautiful." It is said, tvat-padair aṅkitā bhāti. "Kṛṣṇa, You are now in our kingdom. You are walking. So by the impression of Your footprints, everything is beautiful. There is sufficient supply of food, fruits, water. Everything looks beautiful. But when You leave us, then it will not look beautiful." That is being described. Neyaṁ śobhiṣyate. Śobhiṣyate. "It will not look beautiful."
So where is the difficulty to understand God? There is no difficulty. If actually one is sane man, if he has got some brain substance, not stool substance, then he can understand God in every step, every step. Every step. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ śabdaḥ khe... (BG 7.8). Everything is explained there. Why they speak lies, that "I have not seen God." Why don't you see God as God directs you to see? Why do you manufacture your own way? You cannot see God by your own way. That is not possible. Then you will remain always blind. That is happening at the present moment. The so-called philosophers and scientists, they are trying to see God in their own way. And it is being supported by rascals that "You can find out in your own way to see God." That is not possible. You cannot see God in your own way. You have to see God by God's way. Then you can see Him. It is not possible to see God in you... What you are? Just like if I want to see President Nixon, can I see him in my own way? So how you can expect to see God in your own way? Is it not rascaldom? I cannot see even an ordinary man in big position in my own way. I have to apply, I have to take the sanction of the secretary, appoint some time, and so on, so on, and I am expecting to see God in my own way. And these rascals are supporting this view that "You can see God in your own way. As many ways you invent, they're all bona fide." This is rascaldom.
So ṛṣabhāvani-dhrug rājanya. Avani-dhruk. Dhruk means rebellious. Actually a, a king should be representative of God. Representative of... The king's honor, in every country, kings, king is honored very gorgeously. Why? He's also human being, and the citizens are also human beings. Why the king is so honored? Just like spiritual master. A spiritual master is honored. Not only honored—in the śāstra it is said, nāvamanyeta karhicit. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit (SB 11.17.27). The spiritual master should not be, I mean to say, taken as ordinary human being. And the king also, practically we see, that we do not treat a king or a president like ordinary human being. What is the reason? What is the reason? The reason is that the king... King's another name is naradeva, "God in human form." Naradeva. So king is honored because a king is supposed to be representative of God. Therefore he's honored. His business is... Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is maintainer, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). God means the supreme living being. Nityo nityānām. We are also living beings. We all living beings in different forms, 8,400,000 forms. We are all living beings. And Kṛṣṇa is also a living being. Kṛṣṇa is not impersonal.
But that is not the Vedic instruction. Vedic instruction is He is also a person. God is also a person. Just like we see Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is person; we are also person. The difference is this person is worshiped, and we are worshiper. That is the difference. Otherwise, He's person, we are person. But the one person... Just like king. King is also person, and the citizens are also person. The president is also person, and the citizens are also person. But what is the difference? The difference is the president or the king or the spiritual master, they, such persons are, exalted persons, are worshiped. That is the difference. Now why one person should be worshiped by so many persons? Because the one person provides so many persons. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. God is also person. He's one; we are many. God is worshiped because He provides everyone. He gives food, maintenance..., all the necessities of life, God is supplying. Therefore, He should be worshiped. We require water; God has given the oceans of water, stocked. Utilize it. How nicely arranged: clear water, mixed with salt so that it will not decompose. Such arrangement. And when you require drinking water, the same water is distilled. By God's arrangement, the sunshine evaporates the water, took it on the high sky, and then distributes clear, distilled water.
That is spiritual world. Pavarga means accompanied by all these things, and apavarga means just the opposite. Just the opposite. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is anapavarga-vīrya. He shows you the path how you become anapavarga. Nāpavarga, anapavarga. Kṛṣṇa says here, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Why this pavarga, why these five kinds of tribulation? Because you have got this material body. As soon as you accept a material body—it doesn't matter whether President Nixon's body or a common man's body—you have to pass through these pavargas: pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. Either you are demigod or a human being or an animal or an insect or Brahmā—whatever you may be—as soon as you have got this material body, you have to go through these tribulations. This is called material existence. And apavarga means just the opposite. That... For that purpose Kṛṣṇa comes, to give you the path of anapavarga. Nāpavarga... Anapavarga is the path.
So the capital of the world empire is called Hastināpura or Gajasāhvaya. Gaja and hasti means elephant. Maybe there were many elephants, because formerly the kings, they used to keep many, many horses, elephants. Still, in New Delhi they have taken, kept some token elephants in the rājyapal bhavan(?), or the President's house. So formerly there was one king, and the capital was Hastināpura. The king of Hastināpura was ruling all over the world. There was one flag. These are mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There were not many states, and the world was under one culture, Vedic culture.
This kind of sporting was not allowed. If you want to kill, you must kill one rhinoceros. Then one can understand that you have power of killing. That kṣatriya used to do. Even, say, twenty-five years ago, Mahārāja of Jaipur, he used to go into the forest every year and he would fight with a tiger, simply with a sword, simply with a sword. He would fight with a tiger in the jungle, and he was so expert, he would kill. And then the tiger would be brought in procession, in royal procession. Because the king used to say, "This tiger is the king of forest, or the lion is the king of the forest. I am also king. So after his death, there must be a royal reception." So this was, the function was going on. So kṣatriya means they used to kill, practice. Unless they practice, how they can kill? And now our president, they practice only smoking, (laughter) that's all. That's all. And when there is fight, he is in the chamber, safety chamber, and others are, the poor boys, they are called by the draft board, and go and fight. This is not kṣatriya, These are śūdras. Kṣatriya, when there is fight, the king must come forward first. The other party's king also. The king will fight with king, and the soldiers will fight soldiers according to position. And when the king is killed, then victory is owned. It doesn't require that all the soldiers were killed. No.
So this monarchy is different. People now, they have taken to democracy. Democracy is also mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in the Kali-yuga there will be no more monarchy or the kingdom ruled by the kṣatriyas, but amongst the people who will be tricky, some way or other get the votes of the people, he will be seated on the throne. That is stated. Some way or other. So therefore, people are in trouble because so many rascals, they somehow or other manage to get some vote and become the president and minister and... So what they know? They do not know how to govern, how to bring peace in the country. But this monarchy, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, just see. Because for the sake of his personal interest so many have been killed, he was sorry. Just see. Not that some way or other, you divide India: "Let me become Prime Minister, that's all." We have got political information that in India when it was..., the proposal was for partition, Gandhi was completely against this partition. He said, "Better I will have no independence; still, I shall not allow the country to be divided." He was stubborn on this point. But he was absent, and in the meantime our, the big Prime Minister signed it, agreed, partition because he wanted to be prime minister anyway, some way or other. "Let the country go to hell." This is politician, going on.
So therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja says, aho me paśyata ajñānam: "Just see how much foolish I am. I am foolish, I am." This body... I may be king, but this body, although I am king, if I do not discharge my duties nicely, president or king or very big man, immediately votes will be against me. So I am working for others. I have to keep... Just like recently in your country, the democratic party and... What is the other party? Republic party. So many things are going on, ajñāna. This is ajñāna. Philosophy means to see intelligently, darśana. The translation of philosophy means darśana. Darśana means seeing. Philosophy means to see the actual fact. That is called philosophy. So if we philosophically take all these things, we are working for others out of ignorance, and I am thinking that "It is my interest. It is my self-interest..." Actually, you have to work for others. That is your business. And that other is Kṛṣṇa, not this material world. I have to work for others. Because I am servant originally. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That is the constitutional position of every living entity, a servant. He cannot be master. If you don't become servant of Kṛṣṇa, then you have to become a servant of māyā. You cannot be master of māyā. That is not possible.
For a devotee, mukti is not very important. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says that mukti, kaivalyam, one with the supreme, kaivalyam, kevalam, narakāyate: "What is this? It is as good as the hell." That is the opinion of the bhakta. They don't want mukti. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "I don't want any material wealth," dhanam. Na janam. "I don't want to be leader of hundreds and thousand of people, president or this or that. No." These are material desires. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is nullifying everything: "No, I don't want this." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitām. "I don't want any beautiful wife also." These are material desires. Everyone wants. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejects. Then you want mukti? Because after all, mukti... Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). Mokṣa means mukti. People are addicted to these four principles. So ultimately, You want mukti? "No. That is also not." Why? Mama janmani janmani. Janma, if one takes birth again, then there is no mukti. Mukti means no more taking birth in this material world. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "I don't want this, don't want this, don't want this." And janmani janmani means "I don't want mukti also." Janmani... If one is mukta, he is liberated, he cannot take birth again. So He says, mama janmani janmani: "Let there be birth after birth, birth after birth. It doesn't matter." Then what You want actually? No. Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi: (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) "Simply I want to serve You. That's all. It doesn't matter. What shall I do with mukti? I may go to hell; it doesn't matter. But I want to serve You there also."
All the kṣatriyas, kings, would be always accompanied by hoards of brāhmaṇas. As soon as they required any instruction, immediately consult the brāhmaṇas, and they gave good advice: "Do like this." This is the business of the brāhmaṇa. And the kings, they would not do anything without consulting. Don't think that because there was monarchy, they were all autocrat. No. 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)
So here is a responsible monarch, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. It is not that some rascal gets some votes and some way or other he sits on the president's chair and secretly doing all nonsense. Just like your President Nixon is now detected, so many things. The monarchy was not like that. Here it is clearly said, pravṛtta-vijñāna-vidhūta-vibhramaḥ. Vijñāna-vidhūta. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was thinking that "For me, so many people have been killed. So I have become very, very much sinful. I am not fit for sitting on the throne, such responsible throne." But his misgivings were dissipated by the words of Bhīṣma.
Bhīṣma, he is authority. Next to Kṛṣṇa, Bhīṣma is one of the authorities. There are twelve authorities. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilaḥ kumāro manuḥ, prahlādo bhīṣmo janakaḥ (SB 6.3.20). They are the authorities of piety, religion. They are... Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We cannot decide what is actually piety, religion. But if we follow mahājana, great authorities, then certainly we are unmistaken. So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, now all the Pāṇḍavas along with Kṛṣṇa, they have come to Bhīṣmadeva for taking his last instruction. He was lying on the bed of arrows for death. So his father's benediction was that Bhīṣmadeva would not die unless he desires to die. He was a very avowed brahmacārī, truthful. And Bhīṣmadeva recommended in the rājasūya-yajña that "Kṛṣṇa is greater brahmacārī than me. Although I am brahmacārī, but Kṛṣṇa is greater brahmacārī." Why? "I am brahmacārī. I have avoided association of woman, but Kṛṣṇa, He was young boy and He had so many young girlfriends, still, He was not sexually agitated.
So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, not that "Here I am getting the opportunity of becoming a prime minister or president. Let me jump over," like monkey. Not like that. Not like that. He... He was convinced by the instruction of Bhīṣmadeva, by the instruction of Acyuta, when he saw that "If I sit down on the throne to rule over the world, I will be right in my position." And that is Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. Not only Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, all the kings who was emperor of the world, they were of the same nature, same nature. Therefore they were called rājarṣi. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam, rājarṣayaḥ (BG 4.2). The Bhagavad-gītā, it meant for the rājarṣis. King, but they are saintly person. Therefore they are called rājarṣi. Rāja and ṛṣi, both, combined together, rājarṣi. So all the kings in those days, they were all rājarṣis. Not this rascal president.
So this is the position of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, that completely being confident, completely being freed from all ignorance, then he sat on the throne. Just imagine what is the position of this monarch and these rascal so-called presidents. Sanātana Gosvāmī presented himself... Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, he presented, both of them presented themself by Caitanya Mahāprabhu as nīca-jāti. Nīca. Nīca means lowest, lowest grade; jāti, born. But actually they were born of very high-grade brāhmaṇa family of Karnatak. But why they presented themselves as nīca-jāti? Because that is explained in Bhakti-ratnākara, that because their behavior on account of mixing with the Muhammadan kings degraded, therefore they considered themself as nīca. That is confirmed by the śāstras. You may take birth in high brāhmaṇa family, but by association and culture, if you become degraded, then you have to be designated as such degraded person. Not that you become degraded, at the same time, you keep yourself as brāhmaṇa. That is not possible. Yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ syāt varṇābhivyañjakam. In the śāstra it is said that there are symptoms of varṇa. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the symptoms, who is a brāhmaṇa. So these are the symptoms. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So if you don't find these symptoms, then how one can become brāhmaṇa? That is not possible.
So mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Kṛṣṇa says, "All the living entities, they are My part and parcels." So when the living entity understands that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman. So I am not Para-brahman. I am the of the Supreme Brahman..." The Māyāvāda philosophy, they mistake this: "Because I am Brahman, therefore I am Supreme Brahman." No. Supreme Brahman is Kṛṣṇa. I am Brahman, because I am part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. Just like in your country, in America, you are American and the president Nixon is also American. Because you are American, therefore you are not President Nixon. That is rascaldom. President Nixon is different. Similarly, because you are Brahman, that does not mean you are Para-brahman. Para-brahman, is Kṛṣṇa. There must be distinction between the Para-brahman and the individual Brahman. This is dvaita-vāda philosophy. And the Māyāvāda philosophy, they say, "Because Para-brahman is Brahman, I am also Brahman; therefore we are one." No. You are one qualitatively, Brahman. As Brahman you are one. But as Para-brahman and Brahman, you are different. This is acintya-bhedābheda, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy, simultaneously one and different. As Brahman we are one, but as Para-brahman... Vibhu and aṇu. The Supreme is vibhu, all powerful. I am aṇu, infinitesimal. Infinite and infinitesimal.
Just like the child is sitting on the lap of the father. So the child is confident that "I'm secure." So it has no more any second desire. In the material world, because we have not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa we are always wandering helpless. Everyone here feeling helpless. Even though one is millionaire, even though one is president, but he's feeling helpless. This is the position, material conditional life.
- bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ
- praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ
- kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ
- praharṣayiṣyāmi sanātha-jīvitam
This is a prayer by Yāmunācārya. He's aspiring, bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ: "I shall always live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Bhavantam. He's addressing the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, bhavantam. Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ. Nirantara means without any stop, continually. "When I shall live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness without any stop?" Bhavantam evānucaran nirantaraḥ. Praśānta-niḥśeṣa-mano-rathāntaraḥ. Manas means mind here on the chariot, and the mind is the driver and the senses are the horses. So we are being driven here and there by the... This chariot is this body. The mind is the coat-man or the chariot driver, and the senses are the horses. So, in this way, we are being forced to wander in so many planets, in so many species of life. This is our material condition. Bhrāmayan yantrārūḍhāni māyayā. Bhrāmayan yantrārūḍhāni māyayā.
But the king was so responsible that now he wanted to retire. There is no other way. As far as possible, he controlled. That is king's business. The government's business is to control these things, and citizen must be happy in every way. Even Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, there was no excessive heat or cold; neither there was prominence of disease or pestilence, famine. These things were absent. Because Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja himself was very pious, and he conducted his government in such a way that people were also pious. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). If the leaders are perfect, then the citizens will be perfect. If the leaders are rascals... Just like in your country, now your president is caught up. Just see. Such an exalted post is occupied by a person who is subjected to so many criticisms. Why? "The Caesar's wife must be above suspicion." There is a... The king or the president, why he should be under suspicion? And if he is under suspicion, then immediately he should resign, "Oh, people are now suspecting." But this these rascals will not resign. You see? Just see how much our leaders are polluted. He has been charged with so many things. Why he? Everyone is. He is weak; therefore he has been caught up. That's all. He is not so perfect diplomat. Otherwise he would have not been caught up.
Similarly, public leader, he must be also above suspicion. A brāhmaṇa... Brāhmaṇa means priest also. He must be above suspicion. And the king must be above suspicion. Then things will go on. But there is no such restriction. Nowadays it is the days of vote. Any rascal, if he gets vote somehow or other, then he acquires the exalted post. That is also written in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that in the Kali-yuga there will be no consideration who is fit to occupy the exalted post of presidentship or royal throne. Simply somehow or other, by hook and crook, he'll occupy the seat. Therefore people are suffering. It is not... Nowadays, in democratic days, the government by the people, government for the people. So if the government is by the people, yes, you select your representative. If you are a fool, then you will select another fool. So Bhāgavata says, śva-viḍ-varāha uṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. Anyone who is not a devotee, Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee of God, then he may be in a exalted post, but he is praised by some people who are exactly like śva. Śva means dog, and viḍ-varāha means pigs who eat stool. Śva-viḍ-varāha. Viḍ-varāha. And uṣṭra, uṣṭra means camel. And uṣṭra-kharaiḥ. Khara means ass. Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ (SB 2.3.19). If a person who is not a devotee, he is praised or he is exalted, then the praisers, the persons who is praising him, he must be among these animals: dog, camel, pig and ass.
So the whole population is like that, like dog, like camel, like ass and like viḍ-varāha, pig, the stool-eater, the whole population, at the present moment. So he must elect another big animal who is also in this category. Because he has no knowledge. If you takes votes from the camels, to whom he will vote? Another big camel, that's all. If you take votes from the dog, then whom he will elect? Another big dog. Therefore, anyone who is not a devotee of God, Kṛṣṇa, he is either of these animals. And if he is praised, it is to be understood that he is being praised by the similar type of animals. So if we remain śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-khara, then we must elect another big śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-khara. So how there can be good situation of the state? It is not possible. Therefore the public must be educated so that they may not elect another big dog or big camel or big ass to the exalted post. It is the public's fault. Nowadays it is democratic days. So why should you complain against such-and-such person or president? You have elected him, and now you find fault with him. So it was your fault that you selected such a rascal, śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra. It is very right conclusion.
So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja's another name was Dharmarāja. Dharmarāja. Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya... So to enthrone Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira... Because king is representative of God. That is Vedic conception. King or president, the chief of the executive... He should be exactly the representative of God. As guru is representative of God, similarly, the king or president is also representative of God. In every planet... Because every planet... Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to God. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the supreme owner of every planet." So every planet is the property of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore to govern that planet, there must be a king who is actually representative of Kṛṣṇa. The king's business or the president's business is to see that the citizens, they mistakenly have come to this material world to enjoy sense gratification. They should be trained up in such a way that they can go back to home, back to Godhead. That is king's responsibility. Similarly, that is father's responsibility. Similarly, that is guru's, spiritual master's, responsibility. Similarly, the relative's responsibility. Suppose one has no father, mother; then it is the responsibility of the relative. It is the responsibility of the king.
So, so long you will engage this hand under illusion for American service or Indian service, you will never get happiness. You purify this hand, that "This hand belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it should be engaged in cleansing the temple with my hand," then you will be satisfied. Then you will be satisfied. Similarly, your tongue. Similarly, your legs. Similarly, everything, all senses. When you are purified of all these designations, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170), when with that purified senses you will engage the senses, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam, in the service of the master of the senses, then you will be happy. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Otherwise you'll never be happy.
So the representative of God, the king, he is very responsible for his... The king or president. So as soon as they take the post for his own sense gratification, he will be charged with so many fault things. So when he is also purified... Therefore Kṛṣṇa wanted that such purified soul is Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira; he should be posted. He should be enthroned. That is the Battle of Kurukṣetra, to make the people happy. Kṛṣṇa is worshiped, jagad-
dhitāya: He comes for everyone's benefit.
So formerly, the whole planet, Bhāratavarṣa... It was named Bhāratavarṣa. And it was being governed by one emperor. Therefore it is said here, sva-rāṭ. Sva-rāṭ means completely independent. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was not dependent on any other king or any other state. He was fully independent. Whatever he liked, he could do. That is king. That is emperor. If the so-called king or the president is dependent on the votes of some rascal voters, then what kind of sva-rāṭ he is? At the present moment, the so-called president is dependent on the votes of some rascals. That's all. The rascals, they do not know whom to vote, and therefore another rascal is elected, and when he is not doing well, they cry. You have elected. Why you are crying now? Because they are rascals. They do not know. So this is going on. But actually, the head of the state should be sva-rāṭ, fully independent. Not on the votes of the prajā. He is only dependent on Kṛṣṇa, just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. All the Pāṇḍavas, they were under the order of Kṛṣṇa.
So the king or the emperor, is representative of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is so honored, naradeva. The king's another name is naradeva, "God in, as a human being." "God as human being," the king is so respected. Because he is representative of Kṛṣṇa. Any representative of Kṛṣṇa... Just (as) king... Not the present king or president, but this is the ideal. So he should be so perfect representative that... It is said by Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. If the king is real representative of God, then simply by pleasing the king, you please the almighty father, God. This was the... So why Kṛṣṇa wanted this Battle of Kurukṣetra to install Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne? Because he knew that "He is My right representative, not Duryodhana. Therefore there must be fight, and this Duryodhana and company should be finished, and Yudhiṣṭhira should be installed."
This cosmic manifestation is going regularly. The sun is rising exactly at the time, it is setting exactly..., the seasons are coming exactly, under the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So when the king is a debauch or the president is a debauch, and the citizens are also debauch, there is restriction of supply by nature, under the order of the Supreme. Just like there is now petroleum problem. Now, by the order of the Supreme, the restriction is there. Now they are howling, cowling. You see? So everything will rest, tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭa. If you keep Kṛṣṇa satisfied, if you all become devotees, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no question of scarcity. There is no question of scarcity. There is immense supply. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān.
So the king is required because the human being has got developed consciousness. So the chance is given. Just like this your president's post is a very exalted post, but he has... Some way or other, people say that he has misused, "Therefore you should go away." Similarly, amongst all living entities, human being is the eldest or the chief or the supermost. So they should use their intelligence properly. But because every human being has got little independence, because he is part and parcel of God... God has got full independence, so he has also little independence. Just like big fire and small fire, a spark. The spark is also fire. When the sparks fall on your body, it immediately burns your clothes, because it is fire. Similarly, in quality, we are as good as God. We are spirit soul, and Kṛṣṇa is the supreme spirit soul, Paramātmā. So qualitatively, there is no difference. But quantitatively, there is difference. His intelligence, His power, and my power, my intelligence, is not the same.
Yes. This was the system, that one must retire. Just like at the present moment, although people are asking the president that "You retire, you resign," he is not resigning, obstinate. Because he knows, "This is the first and last chance. I am not going to be elected again. So stick to the post and take as much money as possible." That's all. But formerly, they voluntarily retired, the kings. In India also, we have seen. So many big, big politicians, they could not give up their political job. Even Gandhi. I wrote a personal letter to Gandhi that "Mahatma Gandhi, you are recognized all over the world as a very pious man, and you are supposed to be very devotee of Bhagavad-gītā. Now you have got your independence. You fought for independence. Now you have got your independence. So I request you to take the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā to preach all over the world." That was my request. Because I was thinking of preaching this Bhagavad-gītā. So I thought that "Gandhi's position is better. If he takes up this job, preaching of Bhagavad-gītā, many people will give attention. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ (BG 3.21). He is a recognized good man, so people will follow."
This varṇāśrama-dharma we have already explained. So any civilized man must be within this category of varṇāśrama-dharma. Otherwise he is animal. Unless you accept some institution of making progress in spiritual life, you are animal. That is the difference between animal and man. Man has got some institution, some social structure, religious structure, political structure. Otherwise what is the difference between animals? The animals, they haven't got any president or senate house or parliament or church. That is the difference.
So this varṇāśrama-dharma means one has to accept these principles of varṇāśrama-dharma and act accordingly. A brāhmaṇa should act accordingly to brāhmaṇa principles. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā. The kṣatriya should act accordingly. The vaiśya should act according. The same example, as we have given many times, that I have got my head department, arms department, belly department, and leg department. To keep the body fit, everyone should act very nicely. Brain should work nicely, arms must be strong, belly must be fit to digest foodstuff, and legs must work. Similarly, these things... The varṇāśrama-dharma is necessary. It is not a convention. It is not a convention, that "The Hindus or the Indians, they are our only brāhmaṇas." No. Here are also brāhmaṇas. Because it is creation of God. God's creation must be there.
So at the present moment, Kali-yuga, it is very difficult to become perfectly realized soul, or Kṛṣṇa conscious. There are two methods. One method is voluntarily giving up all unwanted things. That is one method. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is doing. He is the emperor, most opulent. His position is most exalted. There was nothing, material unhappiness, but still, voluntarily he is giving up. This is civilization. Not sticking to this, "Oh, I have got this emperor. I have got my good brothers, good wife, good children, good influence, good dress, good food, everything good. Why should I give up?" Nowadays even an ordinary post, just like elected post, say, for five years or three years, still, he will stick to that. The president, your president, he knows that "After three years it will be finished. So people are protesting. Why shall I...? Let me give it up." No. He is so much attached to the post that he cannot give it, even for two years or three years or for one day. And here you see in comparison, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, the emperor of the whole world, and so much opulence... I think any executive officer of any state has bangles or ornaments or jewels? No. There is no possibility. But he is giving up, everything. He divided the kingdom to his grandsons, to the grandson of Kṛṣṇa and others. And now he is becoming completely nir, no possessions. No possessions. Why? Nirmama nirahaṅkāraḥ. Nirmama. Nirmama means... Mama means "my." Mama means "my." And nir means negation. This is called nirmama. And nirahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra, "egotism," and nir means "not."
So this is meant for the brāhmaṇa. Therefore we offer second initiation, sacred thread, that one should become brāhmaṇa, not a kṛpaṇa, miser, no. One should be thoroughly learned what is God and teach others how to trust Him. That is brāhmaṇa. Simply slogan, "We Trust In God," and all rascals and fools, that is not good. Now we should take up this point, that "You write, 'In God We trust.' What is God? Do you know what is God?" Ask the President Nixon rascal. He will not be able to. Then who will know? If the president does not know, how the people will know? Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). Śreṣṭha, the chief man, the leader Just like I am leading this society, so what I shall do, naturally it will be followed: "Prabhupāda does it." So that is applicable everywhere. So if the president knows what is God, how to trust Him... Why shall I trust unless I know you properly? It is natural. If somebody says, "Trust this man," so my next question, "I must first of all know this man; then I shall trust." Similarly, if you do not know what is God, what is the meaning of your trust? It is all childish, slogan. Therefore the condition is so deteriorated. Everywhere, not only here, they have no knowledge of God. We can challenge anyone, any so-called scientist, philosopher, politician, big, big men. They know only wine, women, meat-eating. That's all. This much their knowledge. But who knows God? Nobody. Ultimately, the rascal says, "I am God." Failing to know God, he become himself God.
So after getting the chance, if we do not utilize the chance as human being, then I remain a dog. This is the philosophy. Therefore these books are meant for sober human being, not for the so-called human being: he is a dog, but he has got two hands and two legs. That's all. Not like that. Puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. Śva-viḍ-varāha-uṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. Now you are fighting against your president that he must resign because he is just like animal. The charge is. But he is animal undoubtedly. But who has selected the animal? Other animals. You are also animal. Otherwise how you can select one animal? Therefore in the Bhāgavata it is said, śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). Paśu. Anyone who is not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is he is praised, those who are praising, they are also animals. Not to become Kṛṣṇa conscious is animalism. That is animalism.
So if you discuss these things... Long affairs, shortly. Then again it says, dāmpatye abhirucir hetur māyaiva vyāvahārike. Dāmpatye. Dāmpatye, husband and wife relation, will depend on abhiruciḥ. Abhiruciḥ means liking. A girl likes boy, and a boy likes girl. "That's all right. Now let the marriage take place." They do not see what will be future of this girl and the boy. Never. Therefore everyone is unhappy. Six months after marriage, divorce. Because the marriage took place on superficial liking, no deep understanding... So things are taking place like that. Formerly marriage, at least in India, at least up to our time, the marriage was taking place not on the liking of the boy and the girl. No. It was decided by the parents. So... Just like I was also married man. I was married when I was a student, and I did not know what will be the... But the parents arranged. What to speak of me, I will give you another very brilliant example, that you have heard the name of Dr. Rajendra Prasad. He was the first president of Indian... He has written his biography. He was married at the age of eight years. Formerly, in India the marriage was taking place like that. I know. My father-in-law was married when he was eleven years. And my mother-in-law was seven years. You see? So actually, the point is that the marriage was taking by the calculation, "Whether this couple will be happy in their life?" In this way marriage was taking place. Not that a grown-up girl, grown-up boy, mixes together, and he likes, she likes. Then again he leaves or she... This kind of marriage was not sanctioned.
So it doesn't matter whether he is a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra or caṇḍāla. One who is powerful in getting votes, he will occupy the presidential post or the royal post. Just see. Formerly the system was that not the brāhmaṇa, er, vaiśya, or śūdra can occupy the royal throne. Only the kṣatriyas. Now, in the Kali-yuga, there is no such thing, who is a kṣatriya, who is a brāhmaṇa, who is a... Anyone, hook and crook you get your votes, democracy, and occupy... And whatever you may be... You may be rascal number one, but you will be posted on the supreme exalted presidential post. Then
- prajā hi lubdhai rājanyair
- nirghṛṇair dasyu-dharmabhiḥ
- ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā
- yāsyanti giri-kānanam
Now, these classes of men, who goes to the government post by votes, mostly they are, their qualification is lubdhai rājanya, greedy government men. Nirghṛṇair dasyu-dhar... Their business is plundering. Their business is plundering you. We actually see that they are, every year they are exacting heavy tax, and whatever money is received, they divide amongst themselves, and the citizens' condition remain the same. In every government we can see like that. Prajā dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. In this way, gradually, all people will be so much harassed, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā, that they will like to give up their family. Ācchinna. Dāra. Dāra means wife, and draviṇā means money. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam. They will in the forest. Then these symptoms are also there.
Why people should not accept this? And it is practical. It is... 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. It is practical. In Boston one Christian priest said frankly that "These boys, girls, they are our boys, our girls. Either coming from Christian group or Jew's group, they are, after all, Americans. So they did not care for anything about God. Now they are mad after God. What is this?" This is practical. There is no question of competition. It is practical. Because they are trying. They are trying. Our only business is, "Just become dear to Kṛṣṇa." That's all. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means "You are trying to be dear to so many things." Somebody is trying to be dear to his father, to his mother, or to his family, children, or country, community, society, nation. Everyone is trying to be dear. "I will do such and such thing for you. Please give me vote. Please make me president." They are trying. And after all, the president also is not dear, neither people is not dear. The real fact becomes disclosed after a few days when the, what is called, face covering, aḥ, mask, is over. That's all.
So according to division, the training was there. The first-class training is brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means they must be truthful first. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā. They must be able to control the senses, control the mind. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā. Must be tolerant, titikṣā; ārjava, very simple; jñānam, full knowledge; vijñānam, practical application in life. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā. Śuciḥ, cleanliness. Brahma-karma svabhāva-jam. So they should be trained. A class of men should be trained for these qualities. They are called brāhmaṇa. Similarly, another class, second class, they should be trained up as kṣatriya, very powerful, never goes away from the challenge of fighting. Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. Not that the fighting is going on, and the so-called president is sitting in his parlor and smoking cigarette. No. Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam: "Oh, everyone is fighting there? I must go in the front." He will fight. Otherwise how people will be encouraged? The chief man is in the background, and poor men, they are fighting? No. Yuddhe cāpy apalāyanam. That is kṣatriya.
Mahīm. Mahīm means this earthly planet. Up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, five thousand years ago, the whole world was being ruled over by one king, one emperor. There were no so many nations or no so many presidents or... No. Simply one king. Mahīm, this world. Mahīm means the earthly planet. This is the history. From Mahā-bhāgavata, er, Mahābhārata we understand that, that the whole world was under one flag, these Pāṇḍavas. Now United Nations means three thousand flags, three thousand nations. So that is not democracy, or that is not good ruling. The best ruling is monarchy, and monarch means he must be a perfectly trained-up person by the best brāhmaṇas. That is perfect government. Not that this democracy, some rascals and fools they are voting another rascal and fool, and by hook and crook he comes to the post. He does not like to give it up, and makes things very miserable. This kind of government... Now your Senate is proposing, "Let us pray to God how we can get good government." They are coming down to again. But why not train? Now you are going to pray to God, "Please give us good government." Why don't you elect a person mahā-bhāgavata?
Pradyumna: Translation: "Mahārāja Parīkṣit, after having selected Kṛpācārya for guidance as his spiritual master, performed three horse sacrifices on the banks of the Ganges. These were executed with sufficient rewards for the attendants. And at these sacrifices, even the common man could see demigods." (SB 1.16.3)
Prabhupāda: Now, people say that "Why we do not see the demigods?" So the answer should be, "Where is your sacrifice, horse sacrifice?" The demigods, they are not so cheap. Just like the king or the president. Does he come anywhere, who is a cheap common man? No. Where the kings or the demigods or a great sage like Nārada Muni will come, that place also must be worth coming there.
So there were interplanetary system. Just like Arjuna went to the heavenly planet, similarly, in such sacrifices, if it was arranged by great kings like Mahārāja Parīkṣit and others, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, then the demigods, invited, they would come. Not only they would come, but all common men could see. Therefore it is said here, yatrākṣi-gocarāḥ, devā yatrākṣi-gocarāḥ. We are much proud of seeing everything, but we should wait for being qualified to see. Not that whimsically I want to see, "O God, please come before me. I want to see." God... God is there just suitable for your seeing power. God is very kind. Here He is present in the temple. And you go on seeing. Then you will realize that He is God.
So at the present moment, we want to see God, but we do not acknowledge that we are not qualified. How we can see? If I cannot see even an ordinary president... By my whims I want to see the president or the such and such big officer. You cannot see unless you are qualified. So how you can see God? That is not possible. You have to qualify yourself. Then you will see God. Akṣi-gocaraḥ. Akṣi-gocaraḥ means, just we are seeing—you are seeing me, I am seeing you—similarly, you will see the demigods or God, provided you are qualified.
That was discussed between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Chand Kazi, the Muhammadan magistrate of Nadia. He, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, challenged the Kazi, Muhammadan, that "What is your religion, that you eat your father and mother?" This was the challenge by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. What is that, father, mother? Now, mother, your cow is your mother. You drink milk of cow. And the bull is your father. Because without bull, without the cow and bull being united, there is no milk. So how is that you are eating your father and mother? It is a great challenge. Actually those who are meat-eater, beef-eater, they are killing their father and mother and become implicated in sinful life. Therefore we say no meat-eating. No meat-eating. If you become implicated in sinful life, how you can be happy? There must be nature's punishment. Just like if you infect some disease, nature must punish you. You must suffer from the disease. You cannot get out. It is not possible. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). Why there are so many varieties of life? Why not one class of men, all President Nixon? (laughter) Why not? Why there is bum in the Bowery Street? In your country I am saying. Why there are arrangement of first-class, second-class, third-class, fourth-class, fifth-class men? Or animals, or trees? Everything is there. Why?
So there is no money. Neither there is expert brāhmaṇa also who can conduct such sacrifices, because they must chant the Vedic mantra so perfectly that even a horse or a cow is put into the fire, he will come out with a new life. That is the test. This Chand Kazi, Muslim magistrate, he also challenged Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "What is your this religion? You are eating your father and mother?" Directly. Not that He was talking with a magistrate, He should be a little respectful. No. In spiritual matter, everything spoken frankly, no compromise. Just like we say, "You are not a Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Then you are a rascal. That's all." You may be the president. That doesn't matter. But because you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, you are rascal. There is no compromise, "Oh, here is a big man. How he is speaking." We see everywhere. So many scientists come. I say, "You are rascal. You are demon." (laughter) I say it. And they tolerate. I prove that he is a rascal. I prove that he is a rascal, he is a demon. Then he tolerates, "Yes." We have got sufficient strength to prove, any materialistic man, to prove that he is a rascal. That is possible. Vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate: "If one is practically a devotee of Lord, he doesn't care even personalities like Vidhi." Vidhi means Lord Brahmā.
So Ikṣvāku came from the sun planet. He happens to be the grandson of Vivasvān. So how you can say that in the sun planet there is no possibility of life? We get the history. And if you say that "In fire how one can live?" No. As we see that in water some other living entities can live, similarly, I may not be able to live in the fire, but there are other living entities who can live there. That should be the right conclusion. Because fire is as good another material element as the water is. As water is also one of the material elements, fire is also one of the eight material elements. So if we can see by our practical experience, there are living entities in the water, so why not living entities in the fire? And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that living entity, this spiritual spark, is not affected by material influence. In the Vedas also it is..., asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ. It has nothing to do with this material condition. Adāhya. This special word is used that it cannot burned by the fire. Aśoṣya, it cannot be dried up by air. Acchedya, it cannot be cut into pieces. These things are there. So we are firmly convinced that in the sun planet there is also living entity, and the king or the president there is called Vivasvān, his name is Vivasvān. And our gāyatrī-mantra is worshiping the sun planet. Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi. So this is the Vedic conception. Every planet there is king, and the king's duty is to see that everyone is executing his professional occupational duty.
So sometimes we say that you take part in politics. Our business is not to take part in politics for acquiring big post like president or secretary or attorney general. What you will do that? We have no meaning for this post. Because for a devotee what are these posts? Even the post of Lord Brahmā or Indra, the heavenly king, it has no meaning. Vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate. That is stated by Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. He says that kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Kaivalyam, the monism, to merge into the effulgence, the Absolute Truth, to become one, that is called kaivalyam, only spirit, that's all. So for a devotee this kaivalya perfection, monism, is as good as hellish condition of life. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. And tridaśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate. Tri-daśa-pūr means the higher heavenly planets where big, big demigods live. Just like people are trying to go to this planet, that planet. So tri-daśa-pūr. Tri-daśa means thirty, three daśa, ten times...aḥ, three times ten. So there are thirty millions of demigods. And they have got different planets also. So they are promised, "If you come to this demigod's planet, yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25), you will get so much happiness, you will live for so many years, you will have better standard of life, thousand times more than in the... These are... They are described in the Vedas. But a devotee says that this tri-daśa-pūr, this heavenly planet, is as good as phantasmagoria. They have no value for these things.
So as soon as he uttered the name of Nārāyaṇa, he became eligible to be transported to Vaikuṇṭha, and immediately Nārāyaṇa sent his men, Nārāyaṇa-dūta, "Just go and save this man. He is being harassed by the Yamadūta." So Yamadūta, they were taking away him. In the meantime the messenger from Vaikuṇṭha, Nārāyaṇa-dūta came, stopped, "No, you cannot take this." So they were surprised. "Oh, who are these, so good-looking?" Because they were very odd-looking, and they did not see any good-looking men, especially from Vaikuṇṭha. They were coming with four hands, very nice. In the Vaikuṇṭha, the people are also exactly looking like Nārāyaṇa. Just like in this planet, the president is there. So far bodily features are concerned, there is no difference. The president has also two hands; we have also got two hands. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, the president is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So He has got four hands, so the devotees or the inhabitants there, they have also the similar feature of the body, four hands. So these Yamadūta were surprised, that "You are looking so gentle, so nice. Why you are stopping in our duty? This man is sinful. It is our duty to take to Yamarāja, Mṛtyu."
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja is going to conquer over the world. He was appointed by his grandfathers to become the emperor of the world. But he was not a coward. Not that because his grandfathers appointed, he will sit down in the, comfortably in his capital and let things go on as it is. He doesn't care. No. Personally he wanted to prove himself that he is not a nominated president only. He is actually president. He is not nominated. "Because his grandfather nominated, therefore he has become. He may be a rascal number one." No. The nomination was there, but also on full strength... But if the people are given for nomination, as it is the practice now, by vote, then ordinary people, they are all rascals What is the value of their vote? Therefore another rascal is selected. Because one who is voting, he is a rascal. He does not know whom to give vote. He is not trained up. Simply by number, "Yes, I vote." And that vote you can purchase by bribing, by propaganda. So this kind of democracy is no value. It has no value. If somebody is voted by a number of asses, so what is the value of such vote? Those who elect, they must be very sober. So formerly a king was nominated not only by his father or grandfather, but confirmed by the society of learned brāhmaṇas and saintly persons. So... And he must personally prove that he is actually king.
That is religion. Religion does not mean that you stamp some stereotype religion, "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Buddhist," and then fight. That is not religion. That is fanaticism. Religion means how one has become devoted to God. That is religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). You claim to be religious, or you claim to be Hindu or Christian or Buddhist. That's all right. But do you know what is God? Oh, everyone silent. Everyone, all nonsense rascals, silent. He does not know what is God. And what is his religion? If you do not know what is God, a vague idea, that is not religion. You must know what is God. Just like to become American citizen, it requires to know something of the history of America. So if American citizen, if you ask him, "What you are?" "Now I am American." "Who is your president?" "I do not know." What is this nonsense, American? Would you like to hear from him that "I do not know who is president"? Similarly, a human being professing some certain type of religion, but you ask him, "What is God?" Religion must be in relationship with God, any religion. But ask him, "What is God?" No answer.
Pradyumna: Translation: "Mahārāja Parīkṣit heard that out of His causeless mercy Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu, who is universally obeyed, rendered all kinds of service to the malleable sons of Pāṇḍu by accepting posts ranging from chariot driver to president to messenger, friend, night watchman, etc., according to the will of the Pāṇḍavas, obeying them like a servant and offering obeisances like one younger in years. When he heard this, Mahārāja Parīkṣit became overwhelmed with devotion to the lotus feet of the Lord." (SB 1.16.16)
Prabhupāda: So this is the exchange of love between the Lord and the devotee. It is not Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead... He's master, the Supreme, but we may not calculate the master and the Supreme by our material experience. Just like in our material experience we see the master is always master and the servant is always servant. But in the spiritual world, sometimes the master is the servant also. This is called Absolute, Absolute world. Here there is distinction between master and the servant, but in the spiritual world there is no such distinction. Sometimes the servant is rendering service to the Lord, and sometimes the Lord is serving to the master. Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He was playing with His friends, so they were sporting, and in the sporting there is defeat and victory. So if some of the friends would become victorious, then the challenge was that one who will be defeated, the victorious person will ride on his shoulder. That was the challenge. So when Kṛṣṇa became defeated, the other boys, they rose up and got up on the shoulder of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa had to carry them.
So this statement, that "God has no name," that is fact, but He has got His name in relationship with His activities with devotees. So Kṛṣṇa worked as sārathi, as it is stated here, sārathyam. He acted as the chariot driver of Arjuna. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Pārtha-sārathi. So Kṛṣṇa did all these things. He acted as a chariot driver. He acted as the president of the assembly. Not that He is eternally chariot driver. Eternally servant is the human being or the living entities. Eternally master, that is. In Vaikuṇṭha, in the spiritual world, there is equality with God and the living entities. They enjoy on equal level. But everyone knows that "Here is the Supreme." That is spiritual world. When Kṛṣṇa drives the chariot, Arjuna does not forget, that "He is my chariot driver." He knows that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. But He is so kind, He has accepted the post of my chariot driver." This is spiritual sense. And sometimes, by the influence of yoga-māyā, Kṛṣṇa also forgets that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the devotee also forgets that he is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is the action of yoga-māyā.
So the standard of living, intelligence, increases, as you go higher, higher, higher, higher. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). Ūrdhvam. Ūrdhvam means higher. And adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. There are three qualities. The whole material world is being operated under the influence of three qualities. Traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. So according to the quality, there are different grades of people, and that is called cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. (BG 4.13) So everyone is not on the same platform. Everyone is under the influence of some quality of nature—goodness, passion, ignorance. So there is division. So the kṣatriyas, they are supposed to be in the mode of passion, a desire for controlling, ruling. That is kṣatriya's spirit, ruling. Therefore one kṣatriya king used to attack another kṣatriya king. The idea is not to take possession of other's property. The idea was that "This king is not ruling nicely." Just like in your country, you want to change the president, but forcibly he is sitting in his position, so as you want good government or good man as president, similarly, formerly, although there was fight between the two kings, the objective was different, not to occupy one's property, not to become a big thief.
Therefore, Parīkṣit Mahārāja's situation, vartamānasya, tasyaivaṁ vartamānasya, how he was being situated, in what position he was. Just like not to go so far as to go to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Even those who are neophytes, trying to be beyond the range of Kali-yuga, our members of the Kṛṣṇa society, because they have given up these four sinful activities, they can see how one is influenced by Kali. So this is the position. Therefore he could see. Now because the so-called leaders, so-called presidents, they are themself agent of Kali, how they can stop this illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication? They cannot do. So you have to take shelter of the śāstra, and then you will be able to avoid it. Otherwise, it is not possible.
Thank you very much. (end)
Now, "Supreme I cannot see." You cannot see. Therefore Supreme's name, another name is Adhokṣaja, "beyond the perception of your experimental knowledge." That is called adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛta akṣaja jñānaṁ yatra. By your experimental knowledge you cannot understand. The same thing, that if you say, "I do not see the President of the United States. Therefore I do not believe this law, 'Keep to the left.' " No, no. If you don't believe, that is your business. But as soon as you violate this law, immediately you are under prison. You have seen the President or not seen, it doesn't matter. The law will act. Similarly, you believe in God or do not believe in God. It doesn't matter. The God's order, the God's law, will work on. And for this purpose the material energy is there.
There was a very good example of our Kṛṣṇa conscious men in Melbourne. That was published. There was a fire in one building, and they were, I mean to say, stranded. They were crying. So our girls went there and saved them. Nobody came. Therefore it is said, yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). If one is God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, then other material good qualities will automatically develop. These girls in our Melbourne temple, they were not asked by me or their president, "You go and save them," but out of their good will they went and saved them, and some of the girls jumped from three story and they captured in this, what is called, canopy. So it was published and very much appreciated by the public. So the idea is that one cannot be merciful unless he is a devotee. The so-called mercifulness showed by the philanthropists, humanitarians, that is all false. They are humanitarian, but they maintain slaughterhouse. What is this humanitarian? It does not appeal to you that animals are being killed? So the real fact is that without becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa or God, nobody can be qualified with good attributes. It is not possible. Therefore śāstra says that "Make people devotee." Then automatically, all the good qualities will come in.
This is solution, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyam: "This is My appearance on this material world, how God appears." Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā. Nobody takes birth. Even we do not take birth; we simply change body. So what to speak of God? God and we, we are qualitatively one. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). But He is the chief living entity. Just like you have got your chief American, means the president of your country, similarly, everywhere must be there, one chief man. Just like in the society, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, you accept me as the chief. So you have to accept one chief. Either you are a political party or social party or religious party or Communist party... Just like Communist party, they have got their chief men. Lenin, Stalin.
This question I asked... (aside:) Don't be sleeping. Professor Kotovsky. I asked him that "Where is the difference of philosophy between your Communist philosophy and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy? You have to accept one chief man, that Lenin or Stalin, and we have also selected one chief man, or God, Kṛṣṇa. So you are following the dictates of Lenin or Stalin or Molotov or this or that. We are following the philosophy or the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. So on principle, where is the difference? There is no difference." So the professor could not answer that. You cannot conduct your daily affairs without being dictated by somebody else. That is to be accepted.
So our principle is that Kṛṣṇa should be accepted as the leader because Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader. Eko bahū..., nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Leader means he must... Just like father. Father is the leader of the family. And why father is the leader? Because he earns, he maintains the children, wife, servant, and establishment; therefore naturally, he's accepted the leader of the family. Similarly, you accept the President Nixon as the leader of your country because in dangerous time he gives direction, in peace time he gives direction. He's always busy how to make you happy, how to make without any cares, anxiety. This is duty of the President. Otherwise, why you select one President? Any man can live without any President, but no, it is required.
Now, truthfulness is a, nowadays, is a matter of dream only. There is no truthfulness. Everyone is... Beginning from the president and down to the ordinary man in the street, nobody is truthful. Now the president in your country is being questioned so many ways because he has proved himself not truthful. So this is a forgotten story, truthfulness. That is brahminical qualification. All these qualifications are mentioned. It is not possible to acquire all the qualities by one man. That is not possible. Just like we divide some... If there is something to be done, we divide the task, "Mr. You, you do this. And you, you do this. You do this." Similarly, all these qualities must be divided amongst the whole population. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā we have got the direction from the Supreme Lord, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). One man cannot be... Suppose a businessman. A businessman, he cannot become strictly truthful. That is not possible. A politician, he cannot become actually truthful. Then the whole business will be spoiled. Everyone... Suppose you go to a store. The storekeeper says, "Oh, you are my dear friend. I will not take any profit from you. I will give you at cost price. You take." So you believe, But actually, how it is possible to give at cost price? How he'll maintain the business establishment? I know that he's speaking untruth, still, I accept, "Oh, he is very truthful." So there are so many things.
Tayor evaṁ kathayatoḥ: while the Dharmarāja and the earthly planet was talking between themselves, pṛthivī... Pṛthivī. Tayor evaṁ kathayatoḥ, pṛthivī, the earthly planet and dharmayos tadā. Tadā: "that time," parīkṣin nāma rājarṣiḥ. Parīkṣin nāma rājarṣiḥ. There were many rājarṣis. Rājarṣi means although they're occupying the royal position... Rāja. Rāja and prajā. Rāja means king or the ruler. Here is also regulative principle. Why a king is accepted? Why a governor is accepted? Why a president is...? Even in this day of democracy—we have abolished the system of monarchy—but still, they select somebody to become a monarch, a king, or to occupy the post of the king. That is called president. Why? Because unless there is one head, or on the head of the government, who can actually control... Control means whether citizens are following, executing the rules and regulation, the law of the state. Therefore a certain man, qualified man, who is, who enjoys the confidence of the people, he is accepted as the king. This is the position. So such president, king, or the executive head, must be a saintly person. Therefore here it is said, parīkṣin nāma rājarṣiḥ. Rājarṣi means those who are on the top of the government, he must be ṛṣi, saintly person. Just like this, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the head of the institution must be a saintly person. Otherwise how he can become a controller? Controller there must be. That what is the qualification of the controller? He must be a saintly person. He must know what is the principle of life, what is the value of life, why one should be controlled by somebody else. These things are required to become qualified.
So in this Kali-yuga, rājarṣi, this rājarṣi... Rājarṣi, he's saintly person. Now, we'll find this Parīkṣit Mahārāja, as soon as he'll find this one demon is trying to kill another cow, he immediately took his sword. If he's a ṛṣi, one may inquire that "If he's a saintly person, how is that he's going to kill another person?" So killing is not always bad. But it is not to be judged by you. It is to be judged by the same saintly person: when killing is required, when not killing is required. So that is the qualification of the kṣatriya. Kṣatriya means one who gives protection. Just like when there is attack in a country, the king or the president gives protection to the citizens by killing the enemies. So his business is to give protection to the citizens. So it may be sometimes by killing others, he gives protection. We have discussed many times the violence and nonviolence. Non... These are contradictory terms, but when these two contradictory things are found in saintly persons, we must know they are all the same, absolute. And what to speak of when these actions are found in Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the absolute nature. Absolute, to understand the absolute nature means two plus two equal two, one plus one equal to one, and one minus one equal to one. This is absolute understanding. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya. One is complete number, pūrṇam. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya. And if you take away complete one, still it is one. This is absolute understanding. It is not that one has been taken away from one; therefore it has become zero. No. That is material. That is relative.
The different type of body is due to our different karma and different mentality. That we do not know. But Parīkṣit Mahārāja, although he is king... Nowadays the king and president, they are sure that "I am Prime Minister" and "I am President. My position is secure," because he is prime minister. This is the difficulty. The big, big men, they think that "My position is secure," "I am prime minister," "I am Rahis," "I am Birla," "I am big man, so my position is secure." But Parīkṣit Mahārāja did not think like that. Although he was the emperor, most powerful king, Parīkṣit Mahārāja, he did not think that "I am secure. Because I am emperor of the world, I am secure." No. He immediately become alert: "Oh, I will have to die within seven days. So I must prepare." This is the problem. We do not know whether we are going to die within seven seconds, because there is no guarantee, whereas Parīkṣit Mahārāja had at least seven days' guarantee that he will die after seven days. But so far we are concerned, we can go on the street. There may be any accident. I can die immediately. There are, so many deaths are taking place. The death is sure, and when it will take place, that nobody knows.
Just like big, big newspaper, bunch of papers, full of rubbish news only, advertisement, cinema. But you won't find anything talking about the necessity of the... (break) So to become a gṛhastha is not bad. But to become unaware of the necessity of the soul, oh, that is bad. The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, they are sannyāsīs. They have also renounced gṛhastha life. But they have no idea what is the goal of life. They are simply thinking in negative way: "This life is very troublesome." That they have realized, that even in highest stage of life of the material relation, your country, President Nixon, he's the president of the most rich country, but there is no happiness. He is now embarrassed, so many attacks are upon him. And he does not know how to defend him, how to keep his position. He's embarrassed. So in this way, everyone is missing the point. Nobody sees that "Why I am embarrassed? I have become now President of USA, and still I am embarrassed. And when I was a, a nonsignificant man, ordinary man or ordinary lawyer, nobody cared for me. That time I was also embarrassed. I was trying to improve my position. And now I have come to the highest point of success in the material world. Still I am embarrassed." Is it not a question?
As ordinary man has got, so Arjuna was playing the ordinary man, just like. He was thinking, "Here is my brother-in-law, here is my brother, here's my nephew, here's my father-in-law, here's my grandfather. How can I kill them?" So... But they will be killed. Nobody can protect. But we are paśyann api na paśyati, that "I have my father; he was killed. He is gone, dead and gone. So I will be also dead and gone, and my son will be also dead and gone." So why we are depending on these things which will be dead and gone? Nobody will live. Nobody will live. Take big big leaders in our country or any country. They are absorbed in nationalism, cannot give up the post of prime ministership, presidentship or leadership. Even great leader like Gandhi. He was always... He got sva-rājya. I wrote him letter: "Mahatma Gandhi, you have got respect as a religious personality. If you..." (aside:) Don't bother, don't... "If you take preaching these things, what I am doing, preach Bhagavad-gītā... You are also lover of Bhagavad-gītā." No. Even after getting sva-rājya, he was implicated. Unless he was killed he would not leave it. Everyone has to leave it, voluntarily or by force, but they will not leave it voluntarily.
One who is faithfully engaged in his own business, particular type of business, janma-lābhaḥ paraḥ pumān, his human birth, his human life is successful, janma-lābhaḥ paraḥ pumān, if he's successful man, then by successfully, properly executing his particular type of business, if he can, at the end of his life, remember Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Lord, that is the success of life. It doesn't matter that you have got to chant or dance, but here it is recommended somehow or other, if you can manage to remember or memorize the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, at the end of your life, that is your success. Etāvān sāṅkhya-yogābhyāṁ sva-dharma-pariniṣṭhayā. Otherwise, your life is failure. If after Suppose you have earned millions of dollars and you have become a very successful businessman or lawyer or politician Just like in your country President Kennedy. He was killed, but we do not know, after his death, what he has become. That information there is no. But if you somehow or other you can remember about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, about His activities, about His form, about His name, anything, form, name, quality, paraphernalia, anything, if you can remember, then that is success of your life.
So who does not want abhayam? Abhayam means fearlessness. Everyone wants. Because by material nature, we have got four positions. One position is always fearful, "What will happen next?" Even the big man, President Nixon, he is also fearful, "What will happen next?" Because so many charges are being brought against him, although he is on the very exalted position, President of USA, but he has, he is also always fearful. This is the nature, material nature. Can anyone say that he is not fearful? Is it possible? Then what to speak of us. As we require to eat something... This is material existence, eating. Then after eating, rest, sleeping. Then after rest, sex indulgence. Similarly, fearfulness.
So if you have got the energy to search out such person, that is Bhagavān. It is not difficult. The definition is there. Here there is competition. Not only Bhagavān, but īśvara. Īśvara means controller. Everyone is īśvara. I also am controlling this institution. Or somebody is controlling his office, his factory, his kingdom. Just like President Nixon, he is controlling the United States. So all of us, more or less, we are īśvara, controller. Everyone. Just like this mother, she is controlling the small child. So she is also īśvara, means she is controlling. So anyone who has controlling power... So God has given everyone a little controlling power. In that sense every one of us, īśvara. But here it is said, bhagavān īśvaraḥ: "the supreme controller." Supreme controller means we are controllers, but we are controlled by somebody else. But the Bhagavān Īśvara means He is no more controlled by anyone. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is described. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: "The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa." Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1).
That I have repeatedly explained in this meeting. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, how He appears, how He disappears, what is His constitutional position, what is my constitutional position, what is the relationship with Kṛṣṇa, how to live. Everything. Simply if you understand these things, Kṛṣṇa says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ... Tattvataḥ means reality, scientifically. Not by whims or sentiments or fanaticism. No. Everything. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is everything scientific, solid scientific. It is not bogus. It is not imagination. So tattvataḥ. That is called tattvataḥ, in fact, in reality, in truth. If one understands Kṛṣṇa in truth, then the result is tyaktvā deham. By giving up this body... We have to give up this body, willingly or unwillingly. A day will come when you have to submit to the laws of nature and give up this body. Even your president, Mr. Kennedy, he was going in procession, but when nature's law demanded that "Now you submit your body here and change for another body," he had to. There was no question, "Oh, I am president, I am Mr. Kennedy, I cannot do this." No. You have to do it. Force. That you do not understand, how this nature's force is working on us.
So if... The crows take it a place of passing stool on the head of your leader. (laughter) That is their method of worship. They are respecting president George Washington, keeping a statue and honoring him with the stool of crows.
You see. This is their intelligence. This is their intelligence. And our Indian people are also imitating. I have seen one statue of Sir Asutosh Mukherjee. He was a very respectable man. Or Gandhi. The whole year, the crows passed stool on the face. It becomes covered with stool. And the day of their anniversary the municipal washing brush, street , they brush over the..., in the morning. (laughter) They brush over the... Because the gene..., gentlemen will go, they have to call some sweeper. So he will brush the face of Sir Asutosh Mukherjee and wash, and then in the evening-big garland. In the morning it was washed with municipal brush, and in the evening there is big garland. So people have become so... So therefore they are compared with these dogs, asses, camels. They have no intelligence. We are worshiping Deity. Shall we allow like that? That is worship. But this is a fictitious thing, and they are thinking "We are honoring Sir Asutosh Mukherjee or president Jawaharlal Nehru," like that. Such foolish persons. If I know that "This is Sir Asutosh Mukherjee," how I can allow his mouth to be washed by the municipal brush?
We have no other business, no more any business. I am not interested hearing about something Indian, and you are also not interested to hear something about American. No. This is called sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). The designation is ... Freed from the designation. Tat-paratvena nirmalam. When we simply hear about Kṛṣṇa, then we are purified. Hearing. The machine is there. People are hearing as American, the message of the President or some politics or ... They are very much interested, "What my country is advancing, how they are killing in Vietnam, how they are doing this, that?" The whole big, big lump of newspapers, you see. For hearing. For hearing. So when one is interested with this big, big lump of newspaper, lumpy newspaper, for American interest or Indian interest or German interest ... Everyone has demarcated. "This is Germany, this is America, this is ..." Everything belongs to God, and these rascals, they have demarcated "This is Germany.
God does not serve anyone. Just like you see, we have God here, Kṛṣṇa. He's not serving, He's enjoying. That is God. You'll always find God enjoying. God is not servant. Master. Kṛṣṇa says bhoktā. Bhoktā means enjoyer. Everyone should be engaged for His service, and He's the only enjoyer. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa (CC Adi 5.142). The only enjoyer, only master, is Kṛṣṇa, and all others, they are servants. Now, there may be gradation of servant, just like in your country, President Nixon is also a servant. And ordinary constable, he is also a servant. Everyone is servant; nobody is master. So there is gradation of service. That's all. Somebody is serving as President, somebody is serving as constable, somebody is serving as dog, somebody is serving as cat. And similarly, somebody is loving reciprocally.
In this way, the whole situation is there. But the central point is, master is Kṛṣṇa, or God, and our love should be reposed unto Him. This is the point. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śraddadhāno mahā-manāḥ. So one who has fixed up his goal of life in this way, that "I am rendering service. That's a fact. But I am not satisfied. Why? I am rendering so much service."... Just like in our country, Mahatma Gandhi rendered so much service to his country that at the end he was killed by his countrymen. Just see. This is the return. Your country also. President Kennedy, he was a nice president, but he was killed. So here in this material world, or māyā, if you render service to māyā, illusion, you'll never be satisfied. Neither the person to whom you are giving service, he'll be satisfied. There is no satisfaction, either to the so-called master or to the servant. Because Kṛṣṇa is missing. That's all. One should understand this.
So if there is difficulty, we should discuss among ourselves and clear it, but there must be thorough discussion and understanding. And the president of the center, he should be able to answer the questions of other members. If he is unable, then he should ask the local general secretary. Then, at last, it should come to me, not that all the questions are going to me directly and "We are simply busy, vouchers and reports." So these things should be very carefully noted. The president means he must be very expert. He should be... Secretaries, they should be all expert in reading. This is our main business, to study, to know things. Otherwise, what is this? Now, this boy is asking question means he should have asked question to the senior members. What is your next question?
So, still you are not prepared to go to Vaikuṇṭha? If you get this body, if you go to Vaikuṇṭha, four hands, catur-bāhavaḥ, four hands? You cannot see any human being here with four hands. Although Kṛṣṇa is two-handed, but Nārāyaṇa, He is four-handed. Therefore when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes on this platform... You have seen two hands, not four hands. Four hands is not for human being. It is only Brahmā has got four hands, and above him, in the spiritual world, all the inhabitants, they have got exactly the form like Viṣṇu. You cannot distinguish who is Viṣṇu and who is ordinary living being. But Viṣṇu has got some special feature on His chest. So by seeing that, He is recognized by the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmī. Otherwise, just like here, if some big man comes, president, he looks like ordinary man, but he has got his badge. By that badge one can understand that he is president or some big man. From general body feature, bodily feature, one cannot understand distinction between Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, and the devotees. But there are special features of Lord Viṣṇu by which He can be... Then?
So anyway, then Bhāgavata says anadhena nyāya ratim(?): "If you have no money, then don't expect justice. Don't expect justice." Even high-court judges, they take bribe to give you favorable judgement. In India we have seen so many bribe. Police, you give bribe; high-court judge, you can give bribe. This is the position of Kali-yuga, horrible position. The king or the so-called president is simply showbottle. If you approach... You cannot approach. Formerly, if anyone was ill-treated, injustified, then he could go in front of the king. Just like Lord Rāmacandra, He was approached by a citizen: "My Lord, in the presence of father, son has died. What is Your kingdom?" Just see. The king is responsible. Natural death is father dies first, the son dies later on. But somebody's son died in the presence of the father. He immediately brought the case before the king: "Why it is?" This is called king. The king is responsible. In our Kṛṣṇa book you will find that one brāhmaṇa's sons were stolen, and he, every time he chastised the king. You have read that portion? Yes. So in Kali-yuga they are not actually functioning as king or president, but still, they are drawing high salaries and respect, doing harm to the people, and still, they are exploiting.
Prabhupāda: So here, as Brahmā saw God, His abode, His associates, so anyone can see also. Brahmā is also living being. Just like if Mr. Nixon can become president, you can also become president. But not that you can become God. You can become president, but you cannot become God. That is not possible. A foolish conclusion is that "If I can become president, then I can become also God." But these associates of God, they are equally... We have already heard how their bodily features are. They are also of the same color. They are also same color.
- bhrājiṣṇubhir yaḥ parito virājate
- lasad-vimānāvalibhir mahātmanām
- vidyotamānaḥ pramadottamādyubhiḥ
- savidyud abhrāvalibhir yathā nabhaḥ
Where is, the color is described? Ah, yes.
Pradyumna: "When we speak of the king, it is naturally understood that the king is accompanied by his confidential associates like his secretary, private secretary, aide-de-camp, ministers, advisors, etc."
Prabhupāda: Otherwise what is the meaning of king? "God is imperson. God is zero"—what is this nonsense God? If our great conception, king or president, we understand is a great personality, if in this tiny material world in one corner of this planet there is a big president like Nixon and he has got secretary, his staff, his this and that, so many things, and why God should be without any associates, nirākāra, nirviśeṣa, zero? What kind of God? He must be associated with so many associates. Then?
Pradyumna: "So also, when we see the Lord, we see Him with His different energies, associates, and confidential servitors, etc. So the Supreme Lord who is the leader of all living entities, the Lord of all devotee sects, the Lord of all opulences, the Lord of sacrifices, and the enjoyer of everything in this entire creation, is not only the Supreme Person, but also He is always surrounded by His immediate associates, all engaged in their loving, transcendental service to Him."
Prabhupāda: Śriya-pati. Śriya, the goddess of fortune. He is not only sātvatāṁ patim. He is not only the Lord of the devotees. So therefore if we accept the Lord of everything, then where is the question of our poverty? If your father is very big man, very rich man, then where is the question of poverty? So devotee renounces. But a devotee has got all the opulences of the Supreme Lord, background. So he doesn't want to be opulent himself, but the background is all-opulent. If need be... Just like a small child, a very rich man's son. So he may remain a simple child, but all the property of his father is there on his back. If there is need, the father will spend all the property for the child. So the child does not require to acquire property. That is bhakti. If you simply become devotee... Because Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, is described here, sātvatāṁ patim... Sātvata, a devotee. Then you get everything. If you know Kṛṣṇa, then you know everything. If you get Kṛṣṇa, then you get everything. Why should you try to get this thing, that thing, that thing? Simply try to get Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's protection. Then you get everything. You simply try to know Kṛṣṇa; then you know everything. Śriya-pati. Śriyaḥ patiṁ yajña-patiṁ jagat-patim.
So this service... Here in this material world, service means neither master or servant. Service means to the senses. That's all. We are servant of our senses. We give service to the master—not to the master. I give service to the money—he pays me—not to the master. I have no love for the master. Here anyone goes to the office or goes to service, he does not... He has no business to give service to a certain man, but because he will pay, that means he gives to the, service to the money. And why he gives service to the money? Because it is required for my sense gratification. Therefore ultimately I give service to my senses. The so-called service to the society, friendship, love, country, nation—all bogus. I do service to my senses, sense gratification. That's all. Therefore here service means service to my sensuous kāma, lust. Kāmādīnām, kāma. First of all I am lusty; therefore anyone who is not, who does not require money, he does not go to give service. So because I am lusty—I require some money to fulfill my lusty desires—I go to serve. So therefore kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā. And I give service to a man. If he proposes that "I will give you $5,000. You go and kill that man," oh, I will do immediately. I will go because I want money. As it happened. Even the president is killed. Why the president is killed? You can hire anyone and kill anyone, especially in Western countries. So I want money, so even something which I should not have done, if it is ordered, "You do this. I will give you this money," I will do because I want money. Without money I cannot satisfy my senses.
So this is our position. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā. And even... Just like this man who killed President Kennedy, he was also killed. So although he accepted to kill President, which he should not have done, but still, the man who paid him or engaged him, he was not satisfied. He also killed him. This is the position. Even if you do something abominable, still, the man for whom you are doing, he will not be satisfied. He can kill you. This is going on. This is the sense of service here in this world. Try to understand.
Anyone can come in light of the sunshine. It is open to everyone. Then the another feature of the sunshine is the sun globe. That is not so easily available. You cannot go to the sun globe. According to the modern scientific conclusion, we can understand that the sun globe is away from us by 93,000,000's of miles, and still, we cannot tolerate the temperature. And what will be your position if you go to the sun globe? Before reaching sun globe even by some millions of... We are already apart 93,000,000 miles, and suppose when there is three million miles apart from ninety, then the temperatures is so high that we will be finished. We cannot approach the sun globe even, and what to speak of entering into the sun globe? That requires a different body. Of course, there are living entities in the sun globe, within the sun globe. And there is the predominating deity also, the president. You may call. There is a state. Just like you have got here, United State, there is state also. And there is also president, and the president's name is Vivasvān. Everything is there in the śāstra. We read from Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa said, "I spoke to Vivasvān, the president or the predominating deity in the sun globe." So this is all fact. It is not fiction. You are seeing the sun globe, and you are seeing that the sunshine is coming from the sun globe. So it is a globe; therefore there must be inhabitants. But their body is different. That is... Just like this earthly planet is made of earth or dirt—that is made of fire. This is within these five elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether. So the mixture of these things are there also, but the fire element is there prominent. As here, in this earth, all the mixtures are there, but here the earthly element is prominent. So this is also one of the material worlds.
So this assembly, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is an attempt to make people fortunate. From the unfortunate position, to become fortunate. Everyone is unfortunate, at least in this age. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ (SB 1.1.10). Now see everyone. Everywhere, there is simply problems. There is simply problem. One problem in one country, another problem in another country. There is strife, there is government... There is... Even the president, and he is also, has to meet so many problems. At the end he has to be dragged down. Now he's going to die in the hospital. What to speak of others. The problem, only problem. Therefore everyone is unfortunate. This is the conclusion. You may think that "I am very fortunate." President Nixon was thinking, "I am very fortunate. I have become the President of United States." But now he's realizing, "I am the most unfortunate."
So this is for everyone. Don't think that "Only the culprit is President Nixon, and we are, I am very safe." There is a Bengali proverb: ghuṇṭe pore gobar hase.(?) Gobar means cow dung, and ghuṇṭe means... What is called in English? The dried cow dung. So dried cow dung is used for fuel. So when the dry cow dung is being burned into the oven, the safe oven is laughing, "Oh, you are being burned. I am in safe side." (laughter) He does not know that when he'll be dry, he'll be put into the fire also. So we are laughing that "President Nixon is in trouble. I am very safe. I have got so much bank balance." No, nobody's safe. They... As like the same, cow dung soft. When it will be dried up, it will be put into the fire. And that dryness will come to everyone. That is a fact. What is that? Death. You may be safe at the present, for a few years, but you cannot avoid death. "As sure as death." And what is the result of death? The same. As the president is taken out from his position, everything, all honor, all money all..., even life, similarly, at the time of death Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham: "I come as death and plunder everything, whatever you have got." Your bank balance, your skyscraper building, your nice wife, your children—you have to give up. You cannot say, "My dear death, kindly give me some time. Let me adjust." "No adjustment. Immediately get out."
So then you will understand ya bhagavān. Ya bhagavān puṁsām īśvaraḥ. Bhagavān means Īśvara, controller. You are not independent. Everyone is dependent. Somebody is dependent of somebody, somebody... But you are dependent. Nobody can say, "I am independent." Even President Nixon, he's not independent. He was dragged down from the post. So you cannot say that "I am independent." That is a foolish proposal. You must always think that you are dependent. That is said, stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Bahir-artha-māninaḥ, and there is said, te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Īśa-tan... We are bound up by the laws of nature, hands and legs, tightly, and you still think that you are independent? You don't care for God? This is the mūḍha. The mūḍha says like that. No intelligent man will say like that. So why it is so happened? The Devahūti says that tamasā andhasya, lokasya tamasā andhasya. Generally, all these people in this material world, lokasya, they are blind by the darkness of ignorance. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Therefore Kapiladeva comes. When they become dark, when they become blind out of ignorance—"There is no God," "I cannot see God"—then God comes, "Here I am. See. See My feature. I am a person. I am a flute-player. I am... I enjoy in Vṛndāvana. Why don't you see Me?" That is called yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7).
Therefore Devahūti proposes, "Sir,..." Yaḥ avagrahaḥ. This false conception of life, ahaṁ mameti... (SB 5.5.8). "I am American,""I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian..." Or "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya..." This avagraha... It is called upādhi, designation: "For the time being." Just like you become minister for five years or three years. Or president. Just like Nixon was president; now he's not president. So this is an upādhi. You are Indian, American, this, that—they are all upādhis. Therefore if we are attached, if we are attached to the upādhi, that is called avagraha. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). And according to the upādhi, I become attached to "me" and "mine"—"I am this," "I am that," and "It is mine, it is..." But actually, they are all illusion. Fact it is. If you suppose... Just like the president was five years very powerful. Now he's dragged down. Then what is the value? What is the value? So it may be for five years or fifty years or utmost hundred years. Or a million years. Just like Brahmā. But they are all temporary. In the eternal time, five years or ten years or hundred years or five million years, they are all limited. They are not eternal. But we are eternal. We living entities, we are eternal. So why we should be illusioned by the noneternal?
Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not alone. Kṛṣṇa is always with His friends, either gopīs or the cowherd boys, or with His father, with His mother. You'll never find Kṛṣṇa alone. Just like here is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not alone. Kṛṣṇa is with His Rādhārāṇī and with His devotees. Just like a king. When we say that "The king is coming here," or "The president is coming here," so it means that president is not coming alone, but he's coming with his secretaries, with his ministers, with so many others. In England, the Queen has bodyguards. So similarly, when we... Yoga ādhyātmikaḥ. Yoga means connection, and ātmā, ātmā means this soul, actually, but sometimes ātmā means the mind, ātmā means the body also. So body has nothing to do with the Supreme Being, because Supreme Being is complete spirit. He has no material covering. One who thinks that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Being, has got a material covering, covered by māyā, as we are, covered by māyā, this material energy... Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Kṛṣṇa says, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). Kṛṣṇa does not say that "I come here as ordinary living being." Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). One has to learn how Kṛṣṇa takes birth. It is not ordinary birth. Had it been ordinary birth, then why we should observe the Janmāṣṭamī ceremony? It is divyam, divine, transcendental. Everything of Kṛṣṇa is divine. And if we think Kṛṣṇa as like us, then according to the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā, immediately we become a mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11).
So nobody can be greater than God or equal to God. That is... That means greatness of God. Asamordhva. Asama. Asama means nobody is equal to Him. And nobody is greater than Him. That is God. If somebody claims to be God, then he has to prove that nobody is equal to him and nobody is greater than him. Then he's God. This is the simple definition of God, that nobody equal to Him and nobody greater than Him. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "My dear Dhanañjaya, Arjuna, there is no more superior authority than Me." And in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvara. Īśvara means controller. So we small living entities, very minute, still, we are controller. We control. At least, we control our family members, my wife, my children. Or if I am bigger, I control my office, or I control my factory, I control the country, I become president. In this way, controller, controller, bigger controller, bigger controller, you go to the Brahmā, the controller of the universe. But he is also not Supreme Controller. It is said, tene... Brahmā is meditating. Although he is the greatest creature, living creature, within this universe, he's also meditating to learn controlling. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. He learned first of all how to control over the universe. Then he became Brahmā. Of course, he was born Brahmā, but still, he was to be educated. Just like we require to be educated. So Brahmā was educated. So who educated him? Kṛṣṇa. Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). Kṛṣṇa says. Aham ādir hi devānām. Deva, the original deva, is Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. So Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa is Viṣṇu, but He is the instructor of Brahmā and Śiva also. This is the shastric conclusion. That is greatness. That is greatness.
So Kṛṣṇa also says, all śāstra says, that our only obligation is to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and if we take to that process, then we are no more obliged to anyone. We are free. That is really freedom. How it is done? That is the almighty God's power. He can do that. Just like we have got practical experience. If a man is condemned to death, nobody can save him by law. But if the president or the king excuses him, then he is saved. That we have got practical experience, king's mercy or the president's mercy. So if you actually surrender your everything, your life... Prāṇair arthair dhiyā vācā. We can sacrifice our life, our wealth... Prāṇa, artha... We can sacrifice the intelligence. Everyone is intelligent. If he sacrifices... This is called yajña. If you sacri... You have got some intelligence. Everyone is intelligent how to make his sense gratification very nice. Even an ant knows how to gratify his senses. So you have to sacrifice that. Don't gratify your senses, but try to gratify Kṛṣṇa's senses. Then you are perfect. Then you are perfect.
Our business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Ekaṁ bahu syām. The Vedas, we understand God has become many. Many... In many ways we are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. There are two kinds of manys. One many is called svāṁśa. Svāṁśa means personal expansions. And another expansion is differential expansion. The differential expansion are we, the living entities. We are also expansion of Kṛṣṇa, and the viṣṇu-tattva, They're personal expansions. But all of them are meant for serving Kṛṣṇa. That is explained in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Kṛṣṇa has expanded. The demigods, they are also living entities like us, but they have got better position. Just like here also in the government. Ordinary living... Everyone is citizen, but somebody has got better position as the minister, as the president or some big officer. Similarly, the demigods, they are also living entities. The same thing as we are but different body. Different... The dog has got the dog's body. He's hungry or there is some company, barking. And somebody has got minister body, he's ordering. He's in better position. And better than him somebody else, better than him somebody else, better than him somebody else. In this way you go up to Brahmā, Lord Brahmā. He also servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is the position.
Everyone wants some prestigious position, lābha pūjā pratiṣṭhā, some material profit, lābha, and prestigious position so that people will give him salaam, minister, president, and to become very famous, historically very famous. These are material hankerings. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). We don't want. This is animittā bhakti. Nimittā, for some certain reason, if you become a bhakta, then you are not a śuddha-bhakta. You are a viddha(?)-bhakta, a polluted bhakta. Pure bhakti is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), zero. Material hankerings, anything material, hankering, should be void. The void philosophy, nirvāṇa, that indicates that you should completely finish these material desires. That is Lord Buddha's philosophy, nirvāṇa. Nirvāṇa means material desires, to make it void, no more. Lord Buddha said up to that. Because the people who were following him, they were not so expert, advanced; therefore he did not say what is after giving up every desires. Because desireless it cannot be. Desires... People say that "You become desireless. Give up your all desires." That give up all desires means you give up your material desires, because you cannot be desireless. Then you are dead body.
So some people, they do not know that there is another platform of service or another platform of activities which is called Brahman activities, because those who are grossly in the bodily concept of life, they have no information there is Brahman, or soul, within this body. So mukti means to deliver that Brahman from this material encagement. But actually, if you don't give him engagement, because actually the soul is working... That everyone can appreciate. We are very active. "Oh, I am prime minister." "I am president," "I am Birla," "I am Srila (?)," and so many things. That's all right. But is... That prime minister is this body or the soul? Because as soon as the soul is out of the body, what is the value of this prime minister's body? It is no more useful—finished. That we do not understand. Actually, the soul is working in different capacities. Either as prime minister or Lord Brahmā, King Indra, or the cat, or dog, or the insect, the soul is working in different atmosphere, in different body.
So Arjuna is person, and Kṛṣṇa is person. Therefore the..., in the sun planet the predominating deity is a person. He is not imperson. So you cannot understand that person simply by seeing the sunshine. That requires better qualification, how to enter the sun planet, how to see the predominating deity. The impersonalists, they simply conclude that, the same way as we foolish persons conclude, that the sun planet is simply a fiery substance, and there is nothing, no... If there is nothing, if there is no sun-god, predominating deity or the president of the sun globe, then how Kṛṣṇa could speak with him? In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān. Just like we talk. We are talking with you. We are not talking in the sky, vacant. We are talking with persons. These are intelligent. These require intelligence. So how we can imagine that "How the sun-god can be person? It is a fiery, big fire substance, and how one can live?" This is also foolishness. "Because I cannot live in the fire, therefore nobody can live in the fire." That is my foolishness. My body is not so made. Just like you cannot live in the water. It does not mean that there is no living entity in the water. It requires intelligence. Similarly, if you cannot live in the fire, it does not mean that nobody lives there. Yes. There are living entities whose body is so made. Just like the fish and other aquatics, they live. Their body is so made. This is intelligent study. Otherwise, if you simply compare with my intelligence, my position, my circumstances, and we'll conclude all others like that, that is blindness. That is not... Blindness.
But Kṛṣṇa says, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama: (BG 15.6) "If you, some way or other, you go to that place where I live..." Kṛṣṇa lives everywhere. Kṛṣṇa, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61), but He has got a special home. Just like the governor or the president, he can move many places, but still, he has got his own place, the rāja-bhavan, like that. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's place is Goloka Vṛndāvana. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu sura... (Bs. 5.29). But goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is Kṛṣṇa. He can live in Goloka Vṛndāvana like you see here Kṛṣṇa, His Goloka Vṛndāvana. He is enjoying the company of Vṛndāvaneśvarī, Rādhārāṇī. So goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. That is viśvato-mukham. Here it is said, visṛjya sarvān anyāṁś ca mām evaṁ viśvato-mukham.
"I explained this philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness many, many millions of years ago to the sun-god." When He says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam... (BG 4.1) Vivasvān, the name of the sun-god... At the present moment his name is Vivasvān. People do not know what is the sun planet, but we know the president of the sun planet. His name is Vivasvān. How do you know? We understand from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore our knowledge is perfect. You can say, "Have you gone to the sun planet?" No, there is no need of going there. Here is the authority. Kṛṣṇa says, so we accept it, that's all. Our business is finished. Kṛṣṇa is perfect. Whatever He says, it is perfect. Therefore... I am not perfect; that's a fact. But because I am speaking of the words coming from the perfect, therefore it is perfect. It is not speculation. It is very easy for us—because we accept the words of the perfect. Therefore, whatever we say, it is perfect. You may challenge, "Are you perfect?" I am not perfect. Because I am not speaking my words, I am speaking the words of the perfect, therefore, whatever I speak, it is perfect.
The Kapiladeva, the son of Devahūti, explained to His mother. The mother wanted to know from the son. His father left home, and the mother was kept by the, at the care of his son, grown-up son. That is Vedic system, that when the son is grown up, the mother should be left at the care of the grown-up son, and the father should leave. He should become vānaprastha or sannyāsa, no more connection with wife. This is Vedic system. So Kapiladeva's father, Kardama Muni, he left home, and he kept his wife under the care of Kapiladeva, and He is propounding this Sāṅkhya philosophy. And today's verse is na anyatra mad bhagavataḥ: "Without Him, without taking shelter of bhagavataḥ, Bhagavān..." Bhagavān means ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa, almighty Lord. Nobody can give you protection. Just like when one is condemned to death by the justice, so there is no other way to save him than by the mercy of the king or the president—he can save—similarly, we are all condemned. We are suffering this material condition of life, constantly a chain of body, and suffering the threefold miseries. Tīvraṁ bhayam. This is very fierceful, but we do not understand. We are living in such condition. But by the spell of māyā we are thinking we are very happy. But that is not actual fact. It is tīvraṁ bhayam.
So here it is said puruṣa. Puruṣa means the living entity, who is trying to enjoy. He is trying to enjoy. But he is trying to enjoy where? In the material world, therefore he is not satisfied. In the spiritual world, the puruṣa, the living entity, enjoys with Kṛṣṇa, not alone. Therefore you will find Kṛṣṇa is always accompanied by someone else. Either Rādhārāṇī or cowherds boy, or the gopīs, or Mother Yaśodā, or Nanda Mahārāja, or the cows and the calves, like that. Or even with the monkeys. Kṛṣṇa, you will never find alone. Therefore as soon as we speak Kṛṣṇa, you must know there are so many associates. Kṛṣṇa, just like if I say the president is coming, so one should know the president is not coming alone. He must be accompanied by his secretaries, by his military aide-de-camp, and so many other people, cabinet members. At least one dozen persons are coming with him, or with some soldiers, bodyguards. So similarly when you mean Kṛṣṇa or God, you should immediately know that He is not alone. He is not impersonal boy. He is full with opulence, full with associates. Therefore this description is of the spiritual world in the Brahma-saṁhitā, Vedic literature, cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). This is the trees, plants, and animals.
So who can do that? That is done by Kṛṣṇa. Not the demigods can do that. It is not possible. Only Kṛṣṇa can give. Just like if you..., one is condemned to death, nobody can save him. Only the king can save him, the president can save him. Nobody can save him. It is not... By law, nobody can save him, one who is condemned to death. Everyone knows that. By king's mercy, by president's mercy... So similarly, we are here in this material world just like condemned to death. Condemned... That's a practical, condemned to death. Who is not condemned to death here? Who can say, "No, I am not condemned to death." Can anyone say? Everyone is condemned to death. "As sure as death." That is condemned to death. Why shall I die? If my nature, constitutional position, is na jāyate na mriyate—I do not take birth; I do not die—then why I am dying? That is condemned to death.
Recently one of our life members—he is a big industrialist—he has jumped from the, what is called, that Daksinasvara(?) Bridge, down to the Ganges. No, Wellington Bridge, I think. So committed suicide. In Western countries also, because there is no end of greediness: "More, more, more, more, more." Ask him that "What will be satisfaction for you?" Oh, there is no such limit. This is rajas and tamas. And some people, they are śūdras. So some political party, by agitation, by propaganda, makes them convinced to accept some way, and they do it. Another party will do another... They have no their own discretion. They elect some president, and again they want to dethrone the president. Because they are śūdras, they have no intelligence. They do not know how to elect the president, who should be the governor, who should be the executive head. They commit mistake. They again cry.
So either material world or spiritual world, they are two different energies of the Supreme Lord: parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. They are śakti. Parasya. Just like here it is said, paraḥ pumān. Parasya. Parasya means beyond this material world. That is paraḥ. Śaṅkarācārya also, he admits, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, He is paraḥ. He is beyond this material world." So paraḥ pumān. So Kṛṣṇa is paraḥ pumān. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Paramaḥ or paraḥ, the same thing. Paramaḥ, the Supreme or beyond this material world. Here there are īśvaras. They are... Up to Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Indra, Candra, there are many īśvaras. But Kṛṣṇa does not belong to this material world. Kṛṣṇa is paraḥ pumān. He is also puruṣa, He is also controller, but not the controller like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā, Indra, Candra, or president this, president that. We are... There are so many controller. And even in this planet there are so many controller: the president of India, president of America, and so on, so on. Similarly, there are many presidents in innumerable planets. The president of the sun planet, that is also mentioned in the śāstra. His name is there: Vivasvān. The president of the sun planet, his name is Vivasvān. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Candra is the president of the moon planet. Sūrya, Sūrya is Vivasvān. So everywhere there is a president or predominating deity. But above all of them is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is called paraḥ pumān, param, not within this material world. So He is controlling everything, and His two energies, material energy and spiritual energy, is acting like the heat and light of the fire.
So this is the point. Therefore Bhāgavata's instruction is that you must be careful of being successful by discharging your duties. That should be your point of view. You do not remain blind. You see that you are successful. So how it is successful? That is also given indication in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsām (SB 1.2.8). This is also there. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. There was a big meeting of very, very learned brāhmaṇas at Naimiṣāraṇya. Perhaps you know Naimiṣāraṇya, there is a place. In Uttar Pradesh near Lucknow, there is a place, Naimiṣāraṇya. So long, long ago, say, four thousand, five thousand years ago, there was a big meeting of learned brāhmaṇas. In that conference this resolution was passed. What is that resolution? Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ: "Now we are assembled here, guided by the learned brāhmaṇas." There were kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, and śūdras also. So the resolution was passed. The president was Sūta Gosvāmī.
You see the whole world, the big, big politicians. In our government, central government, there is a planning commission. Perhaps every one of you know it, planning commission. From, for the last twenty years they are making simply plans, and no plan has become successful. Every plan (chuckling) is unsuccessful, and the result is eight rupees kilo rice, your staple food. The plan has come successfully to bring rice eight rupees per kilo. That is not possible. So long the, you are materially affected and making plan how to get out of it, the material nature is so strong that it will baffle all your plans, and therefore you will have to remain perpetually restless. One plan you make, and it is baffled by the material nature, stringent laws of nature. And at last, making plan, making plan, making plan—one day the time comes and immediately orders, "Please vacate your presidency, your prime ministership." Although I am trying to make plan, successful plans, up to the point of death... Pralayānta, pralayānta, asuric plan, up to the end of life... And then he entrusts. He says, "My dear son, my dear daughter, I could not fulfill this plan, so you do it. Now I hand it over to you." And the son also going on, making plan, plan, plan. It will never be fulfilled.
So they manufacture all these concocted ideas. Therefore it is called māninaḥ. They are thinking they have become liberated. Vimukta-māninaḥ. They are ordinary living being, but they can befool some foolish persons. But they are not liberated. They are under the spell of māyā. Māyā is dictating. Just like in the material world, māyā is dictating, "Now you are prime minister. Now you are president. Now you are very rich man, so your life is..." (break) Then you can surrender. Yes. Mattaḥ... Actually, He is na mattaḥ paratara... That is fact. Even Śaṅkarācārya accepts: nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṇa is not a living being of this world," but his followers, they are thinking, "I am Nārāyaṇa." You see? They do not know even their original philosophy. It is clearly written by Śaṅkarācārya, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. So... And in the śāstra it is said, yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ, ekatvena or samatvenaiva vīkṣeta sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam (CC Madhya 18.116). Pāṣaṇḍī. Unbeliever, atheist, infidel, faithless—they are called pāṣaṇḍī. So anyone who thinks Nārāyaṇa on the same level with such exalted demigods like Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā, brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ samatvenaiva vīkṣeta, if he puts Nārāyaṇa on the same level, sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam, he is pāṣaṇḍī.
Why should you pay the electric bill? Go there and live there. There is no need of... Na yatra... Na tad bhāsayate. It is... The spiritual world is not lighted by the sun, moon. Na tad bhāsayate sūryaḥ. Because everyone is effulgent, every planet is effulgent, so therefore there is no need of these things. There is no ignorance. There is no scarcity. There is no miserable condition. That is called Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata kuṇṭha yasmād iti vaikuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha, anxiety. Here every man, even the richest man is full of anxiety. Your president, he is the richest person in this country, and he is the third richest man in the world, somebody. But do you think he is without anxiety? No. That is not possible. That is not possible. He is full of anxiety: "The other party may not take." (aside:) You sit down properly. Other party may not take his position. This is all politicians' anxiety. Even the king of heaven, Indra, he is also full of anxiety. There are Hiraṇyakaśipus. So sometimes they drive away that Indra, King Indra, and he enjoys there. This is going on, not only in this planet. In all planet, wherever you go, the same condition prevails. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino 'rjuna. Don't think that by going to the heavenly planet you'll be happy there. No. There is no possibility. Either you go to the heavenly planet or you go to the hell, you will have to undergo the threefold miserable conditions.
Where is that table light? Table light? (chants maṅgalācaraṇa prayers) In the last meeting we are discussing about the life of a fallen brāhmaṇa, Ajāmila. He was addicted to prostitute. Therefore his high standard of life became degraded. This morning also we were reading in the Īśopaniṣad that God is apāpa-viddham. "A" means not, and pāpa means sin, and viddham, infected. The God is never infected by sin, sinful activities. Common sense. Just like a king orders somebody to be killed, "This man should be killed." This killing is sinful for the ordinary citizen, but killing by the order of the supreme executive head, the president or the king, that is not criminal. If you say that "Killing by me is criminal. Why it is not criminal for you, you, the president or the king?" I am giving a crude example. Similarly, if you go higher and higher, when you come to God...
The qualification of this material world are two. So long you live, it is always full of miseries. And if you try to make compromise—"All right, I shall live here. Never mind it is miserable"—that is also temporary. You cannot live also. You cannot... Suppose you think that "All right, I have got this American body, American country. Never mind there are some sufferings due to this body. I shall live here." Oh, you cannot live. You cannot. You'll not be allowed to live also. How long? Therefore the qualifications of this material world are two. It is full of misery and it is temporary. But our demand is full of pleasure and eternal life. Just opposite. But the foolish persons, they do not understand. They think, "Oh, we are very much happy." Oh. How we are happy? Supposing you are feeling happy. How long you'll be happy? Any moment you'll have to give up this place. Take example, your President Kennedy. He approached to the most happiest position, president, young man, good wife, children. Within a second, everything finished. Within a second. He was going on car very nicely, protected, thinking protection, but just in a moment—finished. So that possibility is for everyone. Even the President of America, Mr. Kennedy, he could not save himself, in spite of so much power and opulence. And what of us? We have to think, you see, very with cool head that every arrangement here in this world, however nice you may think, however you may be free, they are all temporary, all temporary, backed up by full of misery. Unless one is not conversant with this principle of life, he cannot actually seriously take up what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So the bhukti... Bhukti means bhoga, sense enjoyment. They are called karmīs. So bhukti or mukti. Mukti means liberation to get out of this material contamination. That is called mukti, sva-rūpena vyavasthitiḥ. But just like the jñānīs, they want mukti, sāyujya mukti, to become one with the Supreme. So mukti, bhukti, mukti and siddhi. Siddhi means yogic perfection. Aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, eight kinds of yoga-siddhi. So the yogis, the jñānīs, and the karmis, they want something. They want something. Therefore they are not praśāntā. As soon as, so long you'll want, you... There cannot be peacefulness. There is no question of peacefulness. Caitanya-caritam... Bhukti mukti siddhi kāmi-sakali aśānta, they are not praśāntā. Kṛṣṇa-bhakta-niṣkāma, ataeva 'śānta' (CC Madhya 19.149). Kṛṣṇa bhakta, he does not want anything. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is teaching that.
- na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
- kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
- mama janmani janmanīśvare
- bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi
(Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4)
This is called śānti, "I don't want it." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye. This is bhukti. Karmīs, they want. They want many followers, many voters, so that "I can become minister or president."
"That Absolute Truth is realized... They are one, but realized in three different phases." Just like the example is given, I have given several times, that the sun, the sun globe and the sun-god. There is... Within the sun globe there is sun-god. His name is Vivasvān. As you refer to Bhagavad-gītā, in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the predominating deity or the president of the sun globe. His name is Vivasvān. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa says that many millions of years ago He went to the sun globe and He preached this Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god, the president of the sun globe, Vivasvān. So there are living entities. The sun-god is the living entity. The difference is that the living entities there, the body is made of fire. As our body is made of earth, dirt, their body is made of fire. Therefore they are so glowing, everything. It is a fiery planet, airy planet, watery planet, earthly planet—five elements. So if we cannot imagine that "Because we have got earthly body, there cannot be fiery body." That is our lack of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge. In God's creation there are varieties.
Here is nationalism, that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) everything belongs to God. And Kṛṣṇa says bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He's the proprietor. He's the proprietor; everyone is His subject. Everyone requires protection. That is nationalism. Not that crippled ideas: "I am good, my brother is good, and everyone is bad." That is not nationalism. This is going on. My nation, a few people Russia is thinking, "A few people in this area, they are our men." And America is thinking like that. India is thinking like that. But what is this nonsense nationalism? Because it is not perfect. Simply taking care of some human being. Otherwise there is no question of nationalism. Even according to their definition of nationalism, there are so many discriminations. Nowadays in your country, now the white and the black have been given the equal rights. But formerly, although the blacks were born, they were treated like animals. But one of your president has given them the right. But there are so many defects. Unless you become mahātmā. So unless you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this so-called nationalism, philanthropism, altruism, this "ism"—that is all rascaldom. It has no value. Real value is here. Mahātmā vimanyavaḥ sādhavaḥ suhṛdaḥ.
So this abodha-jātaḥ, this rascal civilization, whatever they are planning, whatever they are doing, that is simply defeat. He does not know what is the aim of life. They are being defeated. So this time, this life I have become prime minister, making so many plans and so many things and so many things. Next life I become a dog. That you cannot check. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). The God's law or nature's law, will not take account of your premiership, prime ministership. What you are actually—that is nature's law. Kṛṣṇa is there within your heart. Outwardly you become a very big man—minister, president and so on—and God is seeing within what you are. Within. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Within you are a dog, and outside if you are a president, that will not help you. That will not help you. Abodha-jātaḥ. Therefore whatever plan they are making, that's all defeat. Plan-making is already there. Kṛṣṇa has given plan gradually. The last plan is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is real plan. This is Kṛṣṇa has given so many plans: karma-yogi, dhyāna-yogi, this yogi, that. But everywhere He has concluded that the real plan is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is real plan. Yoginām api sarveṣām mad-gatenāntarātmānā śraddhāvān... (BG 6.47). You are trying to be yogi, that's all right. This is haṭha-yoga. Go to a secluded place, sit down in this way, looking. Not sleeping. Eyes half-open. See to the point of your nose. So on, so on. Complete celibacy.
So we have got example in our country, many countries, not only our country, your country also, that President Kennedy, he was killed. Many other presidents also—in our country Gandhi was killed—because in that way, you cannot satisfy everyone. It is not possible. The so called socialism, communism, altruism, humanitarianism, will never be able to satisfy everyone. That is not possible. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās teṣāṁ jātā mayi na karuṇā na trapā nopaśāntiḥ. These different types of isms, that is simply satisfying different desires. It is not the program.
- dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ
- viṣvaksena kathāsu yaḥ
- notpādayed yadi ratiṁ
- śrama eva hi kevalam
- (SB 1.2.8)
So, that is simply waste of time. The same thing is repeated, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Durāśayā, people are trying to be happy by so many bahir-artha, external desires. Artha, artha means actual interests. And anartha, anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6). Artha means how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, this is artha.
Classless means fools, rascals, śūdra. If you classify... Classify means "Here is intelligent class, here is next class, here is next." If you don't classify, that means śūdras. So śūdras, they have got votes. Similarly, what they will elect? They will elect another rascal, that's all. Big rascal. A small rascal and big rascal, that's all. Therefore in the Bhāgavata it is said, śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19). Here is our president. Here is our prime minister. But what is he? He is elected by the śūdras, so he is a big śūdra, that's all. How you can expect nice things? If you say, "Now he is elected President, he is so much honored and he's exalted post, His Excellency," so Bhāgavata says, "Yes. This is all good, but by whom he is praised?" Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. Just like lion. Lion is very strong animal. He is considered to be the king of the forest. So all other small animals, they are very much afraid of, very respectful. But does it mean because he is lion he is not an animal? He is animal. He may be lion, very powerful, very strong, he can subdue others. But that does not mean he is any advanced intelligent person like brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya. This is going on. The Bhāgavata therefore says, śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. The next line I just forget.
So both ways. The king should be ideal, as here it is, paramahaṁsa. Mahānubhāvaḥ. So, and the prajā should be also strictly following varṇāśrama dharma. Then this world will be happy. Otherwise it is not possible. Not one sided. "The king is not good. Dethrone him. Kill him," and some rascals and fools in the name of democracy, they occupy the seat. What benefit will be there? The whole thing has to be changed, the prajās and the king. The advantage of democracy is there. By votes you can elect somebody as president. One has to follow the principle, monarch, one man on the head of the government. It may be a monarch or it may be a president—it doesn't matter—but there must be one chief executive officer on the head. That you cannot avoid. That is essential. Therefore if we do not have an ideal president or ideal king on the head and the prajās also, the citizens, they do not follow the varṇāśrama, then there cannot be any peace.
The mahā-bhāgavata knows that, that although this material world is a world of forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa... Material world means when you forget Kṛṣṇa. Here you will find cent percent people, they have forgotten Kṛṣṇa. They do not care to know Kṛṣṇa, neither they have got any relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is material world. Here the nature is how to forget Kṛṣṇa. There is a verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: īśād apetasya viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. That is called māyā. Māyā means viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ. Everything is in relationship with God, but he, the rascal atheist, he'll say, jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8), there is no īśvaram. This is materially This is material world, forgetfulness. Viparyayo 'smṛtiḥ.
So the devotee's business is how to enlighten him to come to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, real smṛti. So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, means it is an endeavor to bring the rascals and fools and atheists to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the most, I mean to say, important welfare activities in the human society. So that Bharata Mahārāja was therefore... He had the power. He had the power to control how to bring the citizens to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore he was selected to become the king, not a rascal by vote and come to the become president and you become happy. That is impossible.
Thank you very much. (end)
So in this way, here is... Ṛṣabhadeva is teaching us how we should select. Now it is the time for democracy. So Lord Ṛṣabhadeva is teaching us that how you shall select the president or the king, Bharata Mahārāja, the ideal king, parama-bhāgavatam. And vairāgya-lakṣaṇaṁ pāramahaṁsya-dharmam, and bhagavaj-jana-parāyaṇam. These are. So democracy Sometimes I say to my American students that "Your country is opulent in every respect." Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26), four kinds of opulences, everyone is trying for. Now everyone is trying for money, because if you get money, then, although you are born in the lowest family, chamar, bhangi, if you have got money, you'll be respectful, everything. Now there is no question of caste because everyone is lost. Kalau śūdra-sambhavāḥ. So you cannot find out who is brāhmaṇa, who is kṣatriya, who is vaiśya, who is śūdra. Everyone is the same. Now they are trying for classless society. Classless society means śūdra. So how a śūdra can be equal to the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya? But if you earn money, then you are more than brāhmaṇa, you are more than a sannyāsī. This is Kali-yuga. So therefore people are after money only.
Everything is going on systematically. You cannot change. That is called destiny. Destiny means that so long we are under the laws of nature, that is to happen. You cannot change it. That is not possible. Only... Such law can be changed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). You cannot. That is not possible. Nobody can do it. If you have done something wrong, sinful, you must suffer. There is no escape. But He can do that. Just like if you are condemned by the law court to be hanged, nobody can change it. Even the judge who has given you the punishment, even if you appeal to him, "Sir, excuse me," no, he cannot excuse you by law. But if you file petition to the president or the king—that is called king's mercy—he can change. Similarly, whatever we are doing, we must enjoy or suffer. There is no question of enjoyment. When there is birth, death, old age and disease, where is enjoyment? There is no enjoyment. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This is a world of suffering. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. You cannot There is no question of enjoyment. But because we are in māyā, suffering we are accepting as enjoyment. Suffering is accepted as enjoyment. This is called māyā.
So we can become immediately liberated. Liberated means who has no karma-bandhana, no resultant action. Ava-bharjitāni. That is liberation. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Devotee, he may seem, it may appear, that he is also dying, but his death and ordinary death is different. Here—tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9); and others—they are dying tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). There is a difference. Karmī... It appears that karmīs... People may say, "A karmī is dying, and bhakta is dying. What is benefit?" No. He's not dying, but he is dying or giving up this body for living forever. And the nondevotees, he is dying to accept another body. That is the difference. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. So if you remain a minister, a president or some very big man, but if you are not a devotee, then you have to accept another body. Karmaṇā daiva netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). You have to... Daiva-netreṇa, by superior management, superior administration, you'll be judged what kind of karma you have done. Although you are minister, but you have done, acted like a hog, like a dog, then you have to accept the body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantor dehopapatti. But that we do not know. They do not believe. At the modern days they do not believe that there is next life and it is conducted by the laws of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ sarvaśaḥ... (BG 3.27). Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Why there are difference of birth? One is king, another is dog; one is tree, another is worm. They are all living entities, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayoyaḥ (BG 14.4). They are all part and parcel. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ: (BG 15.7) "They are all My part and parcel." Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. They're struggling in this material nature because conducted by this mind and indriyas.
If you associate with devotees, mahat, mahātmā, great soul... Who is great soul? Great soul means who has understood God. He is great soul. He is called mahātmā. That is stated, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ-prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). Mahātmā means he is not under the condition of this material nature. He is under the protection of the spiritual nature, he is mahātmā. You have to live under somebody. That is our position. You cannot say that "I am not living under somebody. I am independent." No. That is not possible. Nobody can say. Can anybody say that "I am independent"? No. Because our constitutional position is that, to serve. Either I serve my family or serve my community or serve my nation or serve my government—in this way go on increasing—but your position is to serve. You... Here you will find, therefore, that the so-called master is also servant. Just like President Nixon. He was elected the master, president, but actually he was the servant of the popular vote. As soon as he became unpopular, he was immediately dismissed. So the president of a big state is the position that he is a servant. How you are not a servant? That is our nature. So people are engaged in service generally. "Generally" not. That is the law. If one hasn't got to serve anybody, no family, no children, no wife, then he keeps a dog, to serve him. Is it not a fact? I have seen in the Western countries, old man who has no family, his whole day he is keeping a dog and seeing the television. That's all. (laughter) Because nature is to serve. That you cannot... Therefore pravṛtti-mārga means that we are trying to become false master, sense gratification.
No, if you can make the people Kṛṣṇa conscious, then everything will be automatically..., because the democracy is there. So if they vote for a Kṛṣṇa conscious person to become president and prime minister, then everything will be saved. So that means you have to create voters, Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then everything will be right. That should be one of your aims, the Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. The government still is under the control of the public. That's a fact. If the public becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, naturally the government will be Kṛṣṇa conscious. But that is up to the public. But they do not want to be. Therefore they want a king—the crane was sent. You know this story? The frogs, they wanted a king from God, and God gave. He gave them one stone. (indistinct) small. So they were expecting a king. Then, when they saw that king is not speaking, somebody jumped over it. Still, the king did not say. "What can be done to the king?" So they accused the God that "What kind of king you have...? He does not speak. He does not move." "All right." Then He sent one crane. So the crane came and began to catch one like that. Then they became, "Oh, what kind of king?" (laughter) So the public is like that. They wanted. They defied this religious system. They defied their... Yes. The modernized. Who was saying, "the modernized version of Bhagavad-gītā?" Chinmayananda?
Just like here it is said, dṛṣṭa. Dṛṣṭa means by direct experience. Direct experience everyone has seen, that a thief, he is arrested. This is our direct experience. He has committed theft, and therefore he is arrested by the police. It is our direct experience. And śrutābhyām, by hearing from the lawbook or scripture, whatever you take... "O my dear lion, O king..." Lion is considered as the king of the animals, paśu rāja. Actually, he is the king in the jungle. Everyone is afraid of him, he is so powerful. Even the elephant is afraid of the lion. So if the lion is praised by some small animals, does it mean the lion is not animal? Has it any value like the human being? No. Still he is animal. Even though the small animals are praising, giving votes, "You become president," (laughter) but who is these voters? Another animal. This is democracy. The small animals are voting the big animal. So how you can expect peace? That much I have already explained. So this is not civilization, that the small animals giving vote to the big animals to occupy the government. That is going on. This will not help.
So according to Vedic civilization, the king or the president or the ruling chief must be representative of God. That is wanted. Therefore you will find in the Bhagavad-gītā, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ: (BG 4.2) "This Bhagavad-gītā was understood by the rājarṣi." Rājarṣi means... Rāja means king, and ṛṣi means great saintly person. Rājarṣi. So education, culture, is meant for the higher two classes, the brāhmaṇas and the kṣatriyas. Education means for them, those who are intelligent, for them. Education is not for masses. Now it is called mass education. So mass education means it will produce undesirable elements. That's all.
The whole Vedic civilization is to elevate people. There are two kinds of systems in the Vedas: pravṛtti-mārga and nivṛtti-mārga. Because we are all here criminals. Criminal means we have come here within this material world with a purpose to enjoy to the fullest extent. Don't you see? Anywhere you go, people are struggling so hard because the idea is that "I shall be greater than him" or "I shall be very great." "I shall be minister," "I shall be president," "I shall be big merchant," "I shall be very big leader." "How I can be bigger?" When he fails everything, then he thinks, "Now I shall become God." This is going on. So up to the understanding to become God is materialism. All endeavors up to the point of becoming God is materialism. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You cannot be happy by all these religious systems." Religious system, there are two kinds of religious systems. Some of them are pravṛtti-mārga, increasing the path of enjoyment, sense enjoyment. That dictates that "You come to the heavenly planet. You'll have ten thousands of years duration of life and very beautiful women to enjoy. Very nice garden, and drinking soma-rasa." So this is called pravṛtti-mārga. And nivṛtti-mārga means a little more advanced, when one understands that there is no actual happiness in this way, then he says, "This is all false." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "The world is false. Now let me search out Brahman." Athāto brahma jijñāsā. But... That sort of brahma-jijñāsa is called nivṛtti-mārga, negativating this path of enjoyment. But śāstra says that simply by understanding that "This is false, and I'll have to become away from these false engagements," so without knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, such elevators, they become impersonalists and voidists, to make negative this material enjoyment.
We say it is not false. Our philosophy is... We don't say that the world is false; we say the world is temporary. How it can be false? If God created this world, if God is true, how His creation can be false? We don't approve this philosophy. We accept that this is not false, but this is temporary. And because it is creation of God, because He's Absolute Truth, it is also true. Simply we are seeing it otherwise. Just like I'm claiming something within this world as my property. That is false. But this is someone's property—that is fact. That is God's property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Not that the property is false. Just like this house, this building, this nice room, it is so nicely decorated; there is electric light. If somebody says: "It is false," how it is false? It is not false. Why I shall say false? Why I shall discourage the persons who are using this room as for their devotional service, they're making progress...? How we can say it is false? It is not false. The false is when I claim that "This is my house." That is false. That is false. That is my false puffed-up consciousness, that "I am the proprietor, I am the master, I am God." This is false. Just like first of all we want to become a proprietor, then master, then minister, then president, then God. When everything fails, then "I am God." Same tendency is there—that I want to become the greatest. But how you can be the greatest? God is greatest. You are always smallest. That is... That smallest is thinking greatest that is false. The smallness is not false. The greatness is not false. But when the small thinks as great, that is false. That is māyā.
It is very now popular to become God. We are God. That's all right. But the Godhead, He is Godhead. Therefore we use the word "Godhead," "Back to Godhead," not "Back to God." That God is everyone. That's a fact. Just like there are clerks and head clerk in the office. There are many clerks, hundreds of clerks, but one of them is the head clerk. Similarly, the atheistic persons, they are declaring themselves as God. We accept that we are all god—not theoretically, practically. God means controller. So everyone controls. So in that sense everyone is god. Everyone is opulent. In his relative position, everyone is opulent. I have got one thousand, you have got ten thousand, he has got hundred thousand. But we have got something. So in that way everyone is opulent. Everyone is god. I control my children, my family. Or bigger than me, my boss, he controls a big establishment, a factory, big factory. And similarly, the president, he controls the state. So relatively, everyone is controller, god; but he is not supreme controller. That is not possible. Supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ-paramaḥ-kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Therefore it is stated in the śāstra, "The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "My dear Arjuna, above Me, there is nobody." Above Him, there is nobody. Therefore He is the supreme controller or Supreme Lord, Parameśvara.
So this father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, he defied God: "Who is God? I am God. Take my (indistinct)." The child said, "My dear father, you are not God." He would never address his father as "father." He addressed him "the best of the asuras." "My dear best of the asuras," tat sādhu manye asura-vārya dehinām. After all, the relationship is father and son. So one day the father took him, "My dear son, what you have learned, the best thing, from your teachers? Tell me." "Yes, I'll tell you." "What is that?" Tat sādhu manye asura-varya. He never addressed "father." "O the best of the asuras." Asura-vārya means "the best of the asura." Tad sādhu manye: "I think that is very good thing." "What is that?" Tad sādhu manye asura-vārya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). "All these people, they're simply full of anxieties." That's a fact. Who's not full of anxieties? Those who are in this material world, who can say, "No, I have no anxiety"? That is not possible. Either you become President Nixon or in the street beggar, there is anxiety. At any moment danger will come. But they are busy.
The politician or, what is called, leaders, andha, they will promise you that "You will be happy in this way. You give me vote, and I shall bring heaven for you, and let me become minister. That is... You simply wait, and as soon as I become a minister and president, I will give you such and such benefit." So you select Mr. Nixon, and again you become disappointed. Then we request, "Mr. Nixon, you get out." And we accept another fool. This is going on. This is going... But śāstra says you will not be getting right information in that way. These foolish men, they will promise you something, and he is unable to make you happy. You will be again disappointed, again regret. Then what is..., wherefrom I shall get the right information? That Vedas says, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "If you want right information, then go to the guru." And who is guru? That Caitanya Mahāprabhu explains that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). He says, "You just become on My order." Guru means who carries the order of Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa. Or who is Kṛṣṇa's servant, that is guru. Nobody can become guru unless he carries the order of the Supreme.
So in both the verses the Ajāmila is described as fool, rascal, and without sufficient knowledge. Why? Because he's attached to the child and he does not know that death is coming now. Death is there. This is our position. We say that "God is dead." God is not dead. God is coming very soon. Wait a few years, he'll be dead. This is the position. You rascal, God is not dead. God is coming to kick you, to kill you. Yes. Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). What is death? Just like in your previous life you had been something. Death means you have forgotten everything. Suppose I was a very big king or prime minister or president. But that is all finished. Now I've got another life, another chapter of life. Tathā dehāntara-prāpti. You have to change your body. It may be lower degree or higher degree, but you have to change your body. There are 8,400,000 species of life, forms of life. You have to accept one of them. That is our real problem. If we forget the real problem and blindly or foolishly say that "God is dead..." God may be dead, but God's law is not dead. Suppose a king dies, a president dies; does it mean the government dies? Huh? The government will go on. You can say, "God is dead." God is not dead, neither you are dead. But if you foolishly say that God is dead, that does not mean His law is also dead. The law will go on. One king may be dead. The next, his son or somebody will become king, and the government law will go on. So what is the use of talking foolishly like "God is dead"? God is never dead. This is going on. This morning we're talking.
So we are concerned with the laws of God. God may be dead or alive—it doesn't matter. Suppose by law we are prisoners, we are in the prison house, and all of a sudden the president or the king dies. Does it mean you shall be free? No. You have to rot. Just like Bengali proverb says (Bengali), that if the king dies, his government is not stopped.
You cannot supersede the laws of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Just like ordinary criminal, thief. The police is chastising him. He does not think that there is any other power over the police. He thinks the police is the father and mother, and he is poor class. He does not know that police is not the supreme power. The supreme power is the president or the minister of law and order. He thinks, "This constable is everything." So poor-class thinking, they think nature is everything. But any way, everyone is under the control of nature.
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
The so-called scientists, thinker, they are thinking that "We are everything. We can create, and we can control over the nature." These are all mad thinking. It is not possible. Nobody has ever been able to control over the nature, what to speak of understanding God. God is the controller of nature. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Nature is not independent.
"You are so nice." Because they are Yamarāja. Their bodily features already described: twisted face and the hair standing just perpendicularly. So they never saw. Why they? Even... We are supposed to be civilized man. We have not seen how the bodies are there in the Vaikuṇṭha. Here you can understand that in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, as the Lord Viṣṇu is four-handed, similarly, all the inhabitants there, they are also four-handed and equally dressed. Just like here, if your President Ford comes, he also dressed like a nice gentleman. And there are many others also, equally nicely dressed. You cannot distinguish who is President and who is ordinary man. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka all the inhabitants are equally in external feature: four-handed with the weapons—the disc, the club, the conchshell, the lotus flower. All the Vaikuṇṭha's inhabitants: the same dress, same garment, same ornaments, same weapons. But still, there is distinction, that kaustubha jewel. That you will find Him hanging. By that kaustubha jewel, one can understand that "Here is Lord Viṣṇu, and here is ordinary living being." Just like the president has got his confidential plaque. If one challenges his credential, he can show, "Yes." The same principle.
I am the enjoyer." He is the master. Caitanya-caritāmṛta also said, ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa. Īśvara means controller or master. Ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya: "Except Kṛṣṇa, they are, any big or small living entity, they are all servants, except Kṛṣṇa." You will therefore see: Kṛṣṇa is not serving anybody. He is simply enjoying. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka... Others like us, they first of all work very hard, and then enjoys. Kṛṣṇa never works. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāranaṁ ca vidyate. Still, He enjoys. That is Kṛṣṇa. Na tasya... This is the Vedic information. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāranaṁ ca vidyate: "God, Kṛṣṇa, He has nothing to do." You see, therefore, Kṛṣṇa always dancing with the gopīs and playing with the cowherd boys. And when He feels fatigue, He lies down on the Yamunā and immediately His friends come. Somebody fans Him; somebody gives massage. Therefore He is the master. Anywhere He goes, He is master. Ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa. "Then who is controller?" No, there is no controller of Him. That is Kṛṣṇa. Here we are director of such and such, president of United States, but I am not supreme controller. As soon as the public wants, immediately pulls me down. That we do not understand, that we are posing ourself as master controller, but I am controlled by somebody else. So he is not controller. Here we will find a controller to some extent, but he is controlled by another controller. So Kṛṣṇa means He is controller, but nobody is there to control Him. That is Kṛṣṇa; that is God. This is the science of understanding. God means He is controller of everything, but He has no controller.
So trai-vidhyam, three kinds. Three kinds. Here also, in this world, we see varieties of men, varieties of animals, varieties of trees, varieties of insects-many varieties. It is already informed that altogether, within this universe, there are 8,400,000 varieties of life. Life is one. The varieties means body. Just like we are sitting. Every one of us has got a particular type of body. You will never find that this man or this boy or this girl exactly of the same bodily feature. Varieties. So altogether there are classes, or species, 8,400,000. So those who are experienced, thoughtful men, by reading scripture... Just like Kṛṣṇa says that imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān. He said to the sun-god or the president of the sun planet, Vivasvān. So that means that is also a similar place like this. You cannot say there is no living entity. Anumīyate. That is intelligence. Because this planet is also one of the material things, everything is made here, earth, water, air, fire. So somewhere some element is very prominent. Here in this planet the earth is prominent. In the sun planet the fire is prominent. But that does not mean there is no living entity. This is foolishness.
We are changing the circumstances, naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis. As soon as one form of body is finished... Death means forgetfulness. Death means forgetfulness. Everyone is continuing life, but when one forgets the activities of this life and accepts another body, that is called death. Otherwise, a spirit soul has no death. So therefore we should be careful that I have already got this body which is meant for suffering. More or less, it doesn't matter. There is suffering. A cat or dog is suffering more than a human being, but it does not mean that the human being is without suffering. That is not possible. Everyone is suffering. So in the human form of life we can inquire, "Why I am suffering." That is human being. So śāstra says that you are already suffering, in any form of body. Either you are President Nixon or a man in the street, you are already suffering. That's a fact. Now you are suffering on account of this body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And still you are doing something which will cause to accept another material body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. And you are suffering because you indulged in your past life sense gratification, and you have got this body according to karma, and again, if you are engaged in sense gratification, do not try to elevate yourself from this platform of sense gratification, then you'll again suffer. You'll get, by nature's way, you'll get another body according to the desire. According to the mentality you create at the time of death, nature will supply you another body. And as soon as you get another body, your suffering begins. Your suffering immediately begins, even from the womb of the mother. As soon as the body is developed, the suffering is there. To remain in that compact bag and for so many months, hands and legs all tied up, cannot move. And nowadays there is risk of being killed also. There is so much suffering from the beginning of my body in the mother's womb. And then I come out, again suffering, again suffering.
So that is the tendency, not to work hard, but live peacefully. That can be done. Everyone can do that, provided he lives in the village, he lives in the village and produces his own food, little labor, vegetable, food grains. Anyone can produce. This is human civilization. Therefore... Not that all, everyone has to do. The third class... First-class men, they should cultivate knowledge to guide the human society, brāhmaṇa. Śama dama titikṣa... (BG 18.42). They should learn, ideal men. Under their advice... Brāhmaṇa is considered to be the guru of other sections: kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. So anyone can live very peacefully without any hard labor. What is this civilization? For getting foodstuff one has to go hundred miles away from home, daily passengers. And some of them are going in the foreign countries also. Recently there was news that in Africa, Uganda, that, the President Amin, he asked some very respectable English gentleman to carry his palanquin just to insult them. But the Englishmen, now they are in a precarious condition. The British Empire is now finished. Now they had to carry this man. And under protest they could not go away because they have got business. So why one should go so far distance? Everyone can produce his foodstuff at home. Nature's arrangement is so nice. If not, little trade. So it is not meant for so much hard labor. Śāstra says, "This kind of laboring hard simply for satisfaction of senses is the business of the hog and pig. It is not the business of the human being." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1).
Come to the spiritual world." Tamasi mā jyotir gamā. This is instruction. And jyotir means that spiritual world. First appreciation of the jyotirmān, Brahman, Brahmaloka, Brahman effulgence, that is the first entrance. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti (SB 1.2.11). Just like you see the sunshine: it is impersonal, only light. But if you have got power, strength, if you can go to the sun planet, that is another. This is also... Sun planet is also shining. The heat and light is there. And in the sunshine there is heat and light and shining. But the temperature in the sun globe is different from this temperature. And if you have got strength, then you can see who is reigning over that sun planet. In the Vedic literature you will find his name. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). The name of the predominating deity, or the president of the sun globe, is Vivasvān. His name is also there. His address is also there. The God is there. God's name is there. God's address is there. Now if you have got power to go there, you can go. Just like Indira Gandhi or the President's name is there, address is there, but if you are fit to see him or her, that depends on you. Not that because you cannot see the President or Indira Gandhi, she is nirākāra. This is foolishness. This is foolishness. Why God should be nirākāra?
Now state is secular; therefore this is the condition. Formerly the kings and the executive heads were very responsible to protect religion. That is the duty of the king, to protect. Just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja, when he was on tour. As soon as he saw that one man is trying to kill a cow, immediately he became fire: "Oh, in my kingdom there is killing of cow? Who are you? I shall immediately kill you." You know this? The kings were taking. The kings were so responsible. But here they have declared... The so-called kings, they are themselves debauch, and they do not know what is religion. Therefore, in the Kali-yuga there is no other alternative than to chant peacefully, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare... There is no protection. And what does the executive heads, the presidents or secretaries? They simply manipulate some votes, third-class men. Who has written that article?
Now, Yamarāja says that "I have got a master like that." The Yamarāja has anubhūti. Therefore he describes what is the nature, characteristics, of his master. Yamarāja also does not say that "I have seen my master." But he still accepts that there is a master. "I am not all in all." Never said... In these ślokas we do not find anywhere Yamarāja says that "I have seen Him." It is very common thing. Now the government is going on. Not that everyone has seen the president or the king, but still, the government is so nicely managed that everyone knows that there is an executive head. So there is no question of this villainy that "There is no God. I do not believe in God. God is dead," or "Everyone is God." Not like that.
- tasyātma-tantrasya harer ahīśituḥ
- parasya māyādhipater mahātmanaḥ
- prāyeṇa dūtā iha vai manoharāś
- caranti tad-rūpa-guṇa-svabhāvāḥ
- (SB 6.3.17)
Now, Yamarāja says that,
- bhavaty evaṁ bhūta anyaṁ
- parameśvara ye punar asmād
- niduḥṣasya pāpinaṁ rakṣita-vāñchā
te ke tān āha tasyeti dvābhyām (?)
So the Yamadūtas inquired from Yamarāja, "Whether there is another controller than yourself?" So that he has described, that "There is supreme controller than myself." Tasyeva rūpaṁ guṇaḥ prabhāvaḥ prabhāvāya svabhāvaṁ bhakta-vatsalyādi yeṣām.
So that tasyātma-tantrasya harer ahīśituḥ parasya māyādhipater mahātmanaḥ, so he is informing that "There are Viṣṇudūtas also. They are..." Viṣṇudūta means devotees, the devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. "They are also..." Just, the Yamadūtas, they are also traveling everywhere to find out... Not to find out. Everyone is sinful. "Similarly, there are Viṣṇudūtas also." That is the information. "They are also seeing, inspecting what kinds of actions we are actually performing." Prāyeṇa dūta iha vai manoharaḥ. Because the Viṣṇudūtas came to take away Ajāmila, so they were surprised, that "Who these persons, the great personalities, were there?" So now Yamarāja is explaining that "These manohara, these beautiful personalities who appeared, they are Viṣṇudūtas. Just like you are Yamadūtas, similarly, they are Viṣṇudūtas." Prāyeṇa dūtā iha vai manoharāś caranti. Caranti: "They also travel all over the universe." And what is their qualities? Tad-rūpa-guṇa-svabhāvāḥ: "Exactly looking like Viṣṇu, four hands with śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma, tad-rūpa." This is called liberation of possessing the similar feature of the body as Lord Viṣṇu. Tad-rūpa-guṇa-svabhāvāḥ. And their qualities are also the same. And svabhāvāḥ, and nature, character, is also the same. That is oneness. When one is liberated in his original spiritual feature, he becomes equal, just like in svarūpa, in form; guṇa, in quality; and svabhāvāḥ, characteristics, exactly like Viṣṇu. Prāyeṇa dūtā: "It is very difficult to recognize." Just like in this world also, if the president or the king comes in common dress, you cannot understand who is president, who is king and who is a common man. Similarly, in the Vaikuṇṭha world also the inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha, they have got the same feature of the body, same qualities, and same characteristics. This is described here. Try to understand.
That Kṛṣṇa said, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ... (BG 18.66). "You nonsense. You give up all this nonsense business. Come to Me." So we have, you have to develop such knowledge. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa says like this, let me do this." (break) "...faith that whatever engagement you have manufactured, it is simply troublesome, miserable for your life. Don't try to manufacture any more. Please come to Me." "Oh, how shall I live?" Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66). "Don't bother. I shall give you protection." Unfortunately, we do not follow. We have no business to maintain this body or that body, but simply to surrender to God. Then everything will be done. (break) ...maintain your body. Every one is trying to become President Johnson or something like that. Does it mean that he will become? The arrangement is pre-arrangement. You may work day and night, hard labor. But you'll get whatever is destined to you. That's all. You cannot get more. That is being taught by Prahlāda Mahārāja. Just like a dog, he has got a particular type of body. He is confined in that bodily activities. If a dog likes that "I shall be President Johnson," is it possible? However, how much he may try, that body will not allow him. Similarly, we have got a particular type of body to enjoy a particular type of sense gratification. If we try to go beyond that, it is not possible. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Don't try foolishly in that way.
Viṣṇu means all-pervading God. God is everywhere. Just like the sun. The sun is a planet and there is a sun-god also. In each and every planet there is a predominating deity. Just like in this planet you have got a predominating man, president. Similarly, in each and every planet there is a predominating living creature. In the sun planet the predominating living creature is called sun-god. In the moon planet the predominating deity is called moon-god. And similarly, there are millions of millions of planets and there is a predominating deity. So similarly, the original planet, Kṛṣṇaloka, the predominating Deity is Kṛṣṇa who is Viṣṇu. So just like the sun is situated in the particular planet but the sunshine is spread all over the universe. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, although He's in His planet, His energy is distributed all over the creation. Therefore He is all-pervading. Viṣṇu means all-pervading God. He is everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). He's within this universe, He is within the atom also. He's within you also. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61).
Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "From the childhood, one should be taught the science of God." Dharmān bhāgavatān means the science of God. Just try to understand the word dharma. Dharma is generally translated into English as religion. But dharma does not mean a particular type of faith. That is not the Sanskrit import. Dharma means the natural quality. That is. Everything has some natural quality characteristic. Everything. So natural characteristic for every living entity is to serve. That is the natural characteristic. Every one of us who are sitting in this meeting, nobody can say that "I am not servant." Everyone of us is a servant. You go up to the highest man, your prime minister, or USA, the president, everyone is servant. Nobody can claim that "I am not servant." So therefore, either you are a Christian, or either you are a Hindu, either you are a Muhammadan, but you have to serve. It is not that because one is Christian or Hindu, he hasn't got to serve. Just like so many Indians, they have come here. What is the profession? They are serving. They are serving here some company or some institution or some university. So serving was there in India. Service is also here. So this is religion.
In the fourth chapter, those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, you'll find, that Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "First of all, I spoke this yoga system to Vivasvān." Vivasvān is the name of the controlling deity in the sun planet. There is also a president. As we have got many presidents, in the other higher planetary systems there is one president, and some of them is called the moon-god or the sun-god or the Varuṇa according to Vedic languages. They have got... Such post can be occupied by you also if you become qualified. Just like you can become the President. Similarly, you can also occupy the predominating post in the sun planet, in the moon planet, and all the other planets. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, devān deva-yājo yānti, that anyone who aspires after to be elevated to such planetary system which is inhabited by the demigods, they can go.
First of all, you have to understand what is dharma. Dharma, as I have already explained, the order given by God. That is dharma. And what is the order of God? God says that "You surrender unto Me." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). God says that "You always think of Me," and, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, "You just become My devotee," and, man-manā bhava, mad-yājī, "You worship Me, and you offer your obeisances." These things we are doing. We are thinking of somebody. Because without thinking you cannot remain. But God says, "You think of Me." You cannot avoid thinking of somebody. Just like a girl is thinking of his lover, a boy, a boy is thinking of his lover. So we must be thinking of somebody. Or in grown-up stage, I am thinking something else, my child, my home. So Kṛṣṇa says, God says, that "You think of Me." So you have to change your thinking process. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. And we are already devotees. We are devotees of the country, of the society, of the person, of the president, of the king, so many. God says, that, "You become My devotee." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto. Mad-yājī: We are worshiping our leader. So God is the supreme leader.
So servant we are, but we are thinking, "I am master." This is māyā. This is māyā. Actually I am servant. I am serving this, that, that—so many. Even President Johnson, he is also servant of the nation. So nobody is master. Similarly, if you take president, if you go higher, if you go up to Brahmā, if you go still more, more—everyone is servant. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is very nicely said that ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya: (CC Adi 5.142) "The only one master is Kṛṣṇa, and everyone is servant." The only one master is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all other living entities, they are all servant. He may be a Brahmā, he may be a president, he may be a minister, or he may be a cat, or he may be a dog, or whatever he may be, everyone is servant. And to understand this philosophy is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not very difficult. It is not very difficult. If we understand our position, that māyā's spell is so nice that everyone is thinking, "I am master," "I am president," "I am minister," "I am teacher," "I am philosopher," "I am scientist," "I am this," "I am that," at last, "I am God." (laughter) When everything fails, when everything fails, he thinks, "Oh, I am God," although he is still a dog. You see? This is called māyā. And to get out of māyā means to understand one's position, that "I am eternal servant." That's all.
So such... We are loitering in this material world without any protection. Kadāham aikāntika kiñkaraḥ praharṣayiṣyāmi sānatha-jīvitam. There is a verse by Yamunacārya. Kadāham aikāntika nitya kiñkaraḥ. Just now I forget the first line. He's praying, "My dear Lord, I am loitering in this material world without any guardian. So when the time will come that I shall be jolly always that 'There is my guardian, Kṛṣṇa'?" Kadāham aikāntika nitya kiñkaraḥ praharṣayiṣyāmi. Anātha. Everyone is in this material world, anātha. Anātha means without any protection. The... We are thinking, "My family, my wife, my children, my society men, my nation will give me protection." No. Nobody can give you protection. It is false hope. Just like the birds, when they fly in the sky, everyone has to take his own care. Nobody can help anyone. One can help only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not in the material way. Nobody can help. Because... This is called destiny. I have given that example that in our country Mahatma Gandhi, he was a big man, he was in the meeting. In your country also, President Kennedy. So nobody could help him when he was killed.
Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father, "My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers? Will you kindly explain?" So he answered immediately, tat sādhu manye: "To my opinion, my dear father, that is very nice thing." What is that? Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ asad-grahāt sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Dehinām means those who have accepted this material body. There are many millions and millions, unlimited number of liberated souls in the spiritual world. They have not accepted this material body. We are conditioned souls. So Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that "For those who have accepted this material body, and due to acceptance of this material body, they are always full of anxiety..." Nobody can say that "I am freed from all anxiety," beginning from a person lying on the street, up to..., go to the President Johnson. Ask everybody, "Are you free from material anxiety?" Everyone says, "No." Everyone has got some problem. That is material existence. So sometimes, when we are disgusted with this material life, we want to forget, forget all the things. Sometimes a man takes to drinking: "Oh, business anxiety, so many worries, cannot solve. Let me drink. Annh." So sometimes we take to LSD or other intoxicants, gañja, pan. So this is... There is a tendency for suṣuptiḥ, going to the stage of suṣuptiḥ. Sometimes they take injection to sleep soundly. Now there are sleeping pills also, so many things. So actually, as pure spirit soul, I want to forget, but because I do not accept the real path, how to get out of this material existence, therefore we have to accept something, concocted means. That will not save us. That will not save us.
So... So brahmacārī, brahmacārī's business is that he will collect, he'll earn everything, but it is for his spiritual master. Everything given. "Sir, I have given you." He doesn't possess anything. This is brahmacārī. Even there is injunction that even if the spiritual master forgets to call the brahmacārī—"My dear boy, come and take prasādam,"—oḥ, he'll not touch by his own accord. Because Guru Mahārāja has forgotten to call him, oh, he'll fast on that day. There are so many restrictions. Of course, in the Vedic scripture... So brahmacārī means that he has no personal profit. And do you mean to say that the spiritual master will take from the brahmacārī everything and he'll, I mean to say, grab the whole thing for his personal sense enjoyment? No. He, whatever he receives, he offers to Kṛṣṇa. For Kṛṣṇa. So therefore Kṛṣṇa, offering is to Kṛṣṇa through the transparent via media of spiritual master. Because directly I do not know Kṛṣṇa. Directly I do not know how to offer Kṛṣṇa. Therefore my business is to offer it through the agent. Just like if you want to pay something to the government, you have to pay to the treasury, not directly to president. You have to pay through the treasury. Similarly, this is the process of understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is asking the asuras, his friends, "My dear..." Friends are sometimes addressed in strong languages. That does not affect friends, in friendly terms. So Prahlāda Mahārāja directly asserting that "You are all atheists." But he was speaking among friends. There was no questions of offending. And actually they were sons of all atheists. So he is submitting, "My dear friends," that nirūpyatām iha svārthaḥ, "you just try to find out what is your interest. You do not know your interest." Everyone is called selfish: "I am self-interested." Yes. You should be self-interested. Everyone should be self... And that is the nature. I am thinking for my self-interest; you are thinking for your self-interest. When we become philanthropist, there is also self-interest. "I want to become a very welfare worker in the society because there is my self-interest that you will elect me as president or some big officer." Oh. So self-interest is natural. That is not abominable. If you become self-interested, that is not abominable. That is nice. But you do not know what is your self-interest. Prahlāda Mahārāja submits that nirūpyatām: "Just try to analyze what is your self-interest."
- nirūpyatām iha svārthaḥ
- kiyān deha-bhṛto 'surāḥ
- karmāṇy ārabhate dehī... niṣekādiṣv avasthāsu
- kliśyamānasya karmabhiḥ
Now you are trying to be happy by your work. Everyone is trying to be happy by his work. A man, ordinary worker, he is also trying to be happy by working, and a great capitalist, he is also trying to be happy by work. But Bhagavad-gītā says that they are trying to be happy in what sense? They're trying to be happy with the body for sense gratification. But how long you shall be able to satisfy your senses? Your interest is different: not sense gratification. Your interest is that you have to find out what you are.
So "I think," tat sādhu manye-sādhu means honest, very good, very nice—"that is very nice." What is that? Dehināṁ: "For the entities who have accepted this material body..." He is speaking universally. Not for himself or for his father, but he was speaking generally for everybody. Everybody. Anyone. Dehināṁ. Dehi means this body. We are different from this body. We have several times discussed this point. So in Sanskrit word there are two implications in the understanding of our existence. One is deha. Deha means this body. And dehi means the proprietor of this body. I am the proprietor of my body, you are the proprietor of your body. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "For all the proprietors of the body"—that means for everyone who has accepted this material body, all living entities—"that is the best thing." What is that? Sadā samudvigna-dhiyṁ. And anyone who has accepted this material body, his symptom is that he is full of anxieties. This is the disease. To get this body, material body, means to remain always full of anxieties. Either you become the first-class, I mean to say, executive head, President Johnson, or an ordinary man in the Bowery Street—everyone is full of anxiety. Not only human society but also bird society, beast society—everyone. Anyone who has got this material body, he's full of anxiety. But we want to get free from anxieties. That is our aspiration.
Devotee: He said God means everything, and they say that God is everywhere.
Prabhupāda: Are you everywhere? Now you are on the street. Are you in your home?
Devotee: Some people say they are, though. They say, "I am everything."
Prabhupāda: That's all right. Are you President Johnson? If you are everything, then why you are abiding by the state laws? You are under the state laws. If you say in the police station, "I am everything. You cannot say anything," will it be accepted? How do you say you are everything? You are crazy. Yes.
Girl devotee: That's what it comes down to, really.
Prabhupāda: So if you are not crazy, then we can talk with you. You are crazy. How you are everything? Prove that you are everything. What is the answer? What should be the answer that he is everything? Simply by claiming? If you simply, falsely claim that "I am everything of this city. Everything belongs to me," will that stabilize him, that he is everything? Then? How you are everything? Prove it.
Sudāmā: Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
So this is the process. God not dead. God cannot be dead. This is all foolishness. God is there. How you can conceive, how you can perceive that God is not dead? There is sufficient symptom that God is not dead. Just like your body. If you are breathing, if your bodily functions are working nice, if there is blood, and if you are feeling, thinking, willing nicely, will the doctor say that you are dead? No. He will say, "No. All the symptoms of life are present there, so he is not dead. He is alive." Similarly, if you have got that talent to test how God is alive, that is very simple. The whole cosmic manifestation, the whole gigantic body of God is working so nicely. The sun is rising in time, the moon is rising in time, the seasonal changes are taking place in time, the planets are moving. Everything is in order. How you can say that God is dead? What is your reason? No. God is not dead. God is alive, and you can meet also God because He is a person and you are a person. Just like here, if you try, you can meet the greatest personality of this material world, say, the president. It is not difficult. You have to simply arrange your meeting. Similarly, you can meet God face to face, just we are meeting here face to face. Simply you have to make arrangement. That's all.
No. Utopian, yes. That is the exact word. You are thinking something, building castle in the air. So Bhāgavata says durāśayā, utopian theory. He's thinking that "I shall be very great by doing this business or doing, having this education," or this or that. So many things. Everyone has got his own plan. But Bhāgavata says durāśayā, "This is utopian." Why this utopian they have taken? They are so much educated, they are so much wealthy, beautiful, and intelligent. Why durāśayā, utopian? Because bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They have taken their basic platform—the external energy. So what is the fault there? Because external energy is itself temporary. The Māyāvādī philosophy, it is called false, but we say temporary. So what is the profit by temporary achievement? Just like... There are many instances. President Kennedy: with great endeavor he became a president. Temporary. The post is temporary, say five years or four years. But still, people, they exert so much energy. And even if he is president, if there is something wrong in somebody's mind, he is killed. So is it not utopian? His energy should have been utilized for self-realization, "What I am?" But if somebody wastes his energy to capture some utopian post which will be finished at any moment, so is it not utopian?
So this is our position. And what is God's position? That is described in the Vedic literature, in Bhagavad-gītā: asamordhva. Asamaurdhva means nobody is superior, nobody is equal. Two things. If you somebody, if you find somebody who has no competitor, equal, and who has no superior, then He is God. The definition of God can be given in two words: one who has no superior and has no equal. Asamaurdhva. This is the Vedic version. In the Upaniṣads, it is said, na tasya sama adhikasya dṛśyate. Nobody is found equal to Him or greater than Him. Na tasya sama adhikasya dṛśyate. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). And His energies are manifested in so many ways. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. And He has nothing to do. Everyone... Take any important man. Take your president. Just like the president of United States of America, he is considered to be the supreme man in the States, but as soon as there was some disturbance in Central Europe, immediately he had to call meetings of his Cabinet and to consider how to deal with the situation. So he has to do something always. If he does not do anything, then he's no more the supreme man. But in the Vedic literature we find, na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. That is superiority. If he has to do something, then he's not supreme. He cannot be. He's acting.
So the Lord was very satisfied. That is the way of pure devotion. That was taught by Lord Caitanya. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye: (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) "My dear Lord, I do not ask from You any amount of wealth," na dhanaṁ na janam, "neither any number of followers." Because every one of us, we want to be the richest man in the world, the greatest leader of the world, and to have a very beautiful wife... This is our heart's desire in the material world, to control over a vast mass of people—I want to be prime minister, president, or political leader, Hitler or Gandhi, like that—and to amass vast amount of wealth. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No, no, no. I don't want all these things." This is prayer. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). "Then what for You have come to Me?" Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi: "My dear Lord, I pray that birth after birth I may have unconditional, causeless devotion unto You." Not devotion for some purpose. That is not pure devotee. If you have got some purpose to... That is, of course, accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā, that if anyone goes to Lord to pray something with purpose, that is also good. But that is not pure. Pure devotee never asks anything from the Lord. That is pure devotion. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was a pure devotee. Therefore he does not make any business with God, that "I offer You my prayer to take something from You." We shall discuss these prayers of Prahlāda Mahārāja one after another, and in none of the paragraph you will find that Prahlāda Mahārāja is asking something, "Give me this for my sense gratification." No. This is the sign of pure devotion.
So it is for me. We are always suffering with anxiety. Beginning from President Johnson down to the small ant, or beginning from the greatest living creature, Brahma, down to the ant, everyone is anxious. That is material consciousness. And to become free from anxiety is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So if you want to be benefited, what is that benefit? The benefit is to become anxiety-less. That's all. Just like this little child, he is anxiety-less because he is confident that there is his father, his mother, and they will protect him. He doesn't care for anybody. He is free. So that is the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not that you shall become a foolish, but the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that you will be happy. You will be happy in the feeling, "There is my protector. There is my protector." There is one nice prayer by Yamunācārya. He says, apaharṣayiṣyāmi sa-nātha-jīvitaḥ. Mano-rathena... I... Exactly I don't just now remember. Sa-nātha-jīvitaḥ. Kadāpaharṣayiṣyāmi sa-nātha-jīvitaḥ. Bhavantam evaṁ caran nirantaraṁ praśānta-nihśeṣa-manāntaram. He says, bhavantam eva caran nirantaram: "My dear Lord, when I shall be always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Bhavantam eva caran nirantaram. Nirantaram means incessantly, without any partition that "This much I am worldly conscious, and this much I am Kṛṣṇa conscious." No. Simply Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Sometimes I am feeling, "Oh, I shall become a great businessman," "Oh, I shall become the president," "I shall become the minister," or "I shall become this and that," so many. The mind is always agitating: "I shall possess that thing. I shall possess that thing. I shall kill him. I shall finish him." So these are called mental hallucination. So one has to become completely free from this mental hallucination or craziness. Then one can be fixed up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So bhavantam eva caran nirantaraṁ praśānta. Praśānta means prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa śāntaḥ. Śāntaḥ means peaceful, completely peaceful. Bhavantam eva caran nirantaraṁ praśānta-nihśeṣa-mano-rathāntaram, kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkara. This can be achieved when we constantly engage ourself—our mind, our body, our action, our words—simply for Kṛṣṇa. Simply for Kṛṣṇa. If you talk, you talk for Kṛṣṇa. If you eat, you eat for Kṛṣṇa. If you sleep, you sleep for Kṛṣṇa. If you work, you work for Kṛṣṇa. Always. Bhavantam eva caran nirantaram praśānta-nihśeṣa-mano-rathāntaram, kadāham aikāntika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ. Nitya means eternally. Kiṅkara means servant. Praharṣayiṣyāmi. Oh, you are becoming servant? How you can be happy? "Yes." How one can be happy by servant, becoming servant, there are many instances.
So it is automatically You have cut down, You have killed my father. But Your real business was to protect these demigods, Your devotees." In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, yuge yuge sambhavāmi (BG 4.8). Dharma saṁsthāpanārthāya yuge yuge sambhavāmi. So the Lord appears with two missions. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām: just to rescue the devotees or the persons in goodness, sādhu. Sādhu. There is description, definition of who is a sādhu. Sādhu means saintly person. In French language, I think it called saint? Saint? But actually the saint is in Sanskrit language also. Santa. Santa. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. In Sanskrit language the saintly persons are called santa. Maybe it is Latin derivative, because in Latin there are many words resembling Sanskrit. And Professor Rowe, a great English scholar in India, an Englishman, professor in Presidency College, he wrote one grammar, English grammar. In our childhood we had to read. He has stated that "Sanskrit is the mother of all languages."
So beginning from Brahmā... "A." "A," this word, is used, this affix is used, with this meaning of beginning. So here in this material world Brahmā is also a materialist, Brahmā, what to speak of ourselves, Brahmā, who is directly appointed the creator of this universe by the grace of God. Why he is in this material world? Because he has got some desire that "I shall be the master of a brahmāṇḍa." Just like everyone is trying to become the master of his house or the society or the community or the country. Just like in your country so many people are trying to become the President. Everywhere, everyone is trying to become master. It doesn't matter it is a small circle or big circle. This is material disease. So Brahmā is also trying to become the master of this universe. The same mentality is there. Hiraṇyakaśipu underwent severe penances. Why? To become the master of the world. This is the material disease. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga-vāñchā kare. So this bhoga-vāñchā are different degrees. One man is satisfied having a family, three, four men. He thinks, "I have become master." But other is not satisfied. Other wants, "No, no. Why a family? I must be master of a society or a community or a nation." So Brahmā is also the same thing, same degree—not same degree; different degree—but the desire is how to become master. That disease is there. We are trying to be... Disease is disease.
So from this false ego, when we come to real ego... What is that real ego? That "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa." Gopī-bhartur pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). That is real ego. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching people how to come to the real ego, real constitutional position. The Māyāvādī philosophy, they are also trying to do that, but they're another false ego: ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi—"I am Brahman"—that is a fact, but I am not Supreme Brahman, Para-brahman. The Māyāvādī, they take it: "Because I am Brahman, I am Supreme Brahman." No. Suppose you are all coming from America. You can claim that you are American, but that does not mean you are Mr. Ford, the President. So similarly, this is false ego. If somebody thinks, "Because I am American, therefore I am equal to Mr. Ford," that is false. That is not... So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is how to bring back these, I mean to say, insane, crazy fellows to their real consciousness. These crazy fellows, they are thinking, "I am God," "I am master," "I am this," "I am that," "I am prime minister," "I am president." This false ego. The real ego is, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is the beginning of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching.
So those who are after these things... That is the material world, lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā. Everyone is for some material profit. That is called lābha. And pūjā. Pūjā means he wants a position so that all others will come and worship him: "Sir, you are so great. You are big minister. You are big president. You are this, that. Kindly give me this favor, that favor." That is called pūjā, "Everyone will come and worship me." And pratiṣṭhā: "And I will be so celebrated man that even after my death, there will be a statue in the maidan and people will come to worship me." After death where he is going? He is going to be a dog or cat. He doesn't mind. But his statue should be worshiped. Such rascals. He does not know where he is going after death. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). He'll have to change his body. So as soon as he changes body, he has to accept another body, but he keeps in memory of this body. A drunkard, a woman-hunter, and such a person, most sinful life in this, and what will help him by having a statue? But they are fools, vimūḍhān, rascals. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udva... (SB 7.9.43), making big, big arrangements. That is material world. Everyone is.
So that is for this purpose, Kṛṣṇa comes. For this purpose, Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes, the same purpose, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa vimūḍhān. "These rascals, they have forgotten You and making plan to be happy." So everyone. Kṛṣṇa also comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). This is dharmasya glāniḥ. When people forget God, that is dharmasya glāniḥ. Just like when the people forget the government, do not care for the government, there is chaos, there is chaos; similarly, when people forget God, Kṛṣṇa, there is chaos. That is the position now all over the world, chaotic condition, because they have purposefully avoided God. Purposefully. In your country it is said, "We trust in God." On the bills it is stated there, "We trust in God." But ask any of the scientists, philosopher, president, that "What is that God? You trust in God and what is that God? Can you explain?" "No." That means "We trust in air, not in God." Nobody can explain. Such a big country, so many scientists, politicians, philosophers... Ask. Challenge the government that "You write on the bills, currency notes, 'We trust in God.' So what is that God?" Ask anyone. Will they be able to answer? No. It is simply formality.
| Page Title: | President (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 13 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=193, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 193 |