That qualification is practice of bhakti-yoga. It is said, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam means bhakti-yoga, always engaged in service of the Lord with love and affection. So teṣām, those who are always, twenty-four hours, engaged in loving service of the Lord, to him only He gives instruction, "You do like this." And what is that instruction? Yena mām upayānti te. The instruction is meant for giving him facilities to come back to home, back to Godhead. Here in this material world we are struggling for existence, and therefore we are not happy here. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all these rascal engagement; you simply just surrender unto Me." And when we are surrendered, that surrender is oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. That means "Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, I accept Your proposal. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You." Then begin your loving service to render to Kṛṣṇa, and gradually you will get instruction from within, "You do like this, you do like this, you do like this." So it is not difficult for anyone. It is very simple thing. And what is that simple thing? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), means "Always think of Me, man-manāḥ. You just become My devotee." Unless one is devotee he cannot always think of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. On the other hand, who thinks of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours, he is devotee. Therefore we are spreading this news that "You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa means thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava: "Just always think o
Proposal (Lectures, SB)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
"There is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative in this age." Therefore an intelligent man will take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is the test of one's intelligence. And it is very easy. And by simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa you gradually develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the highest platform. So one who has accepted the simply method recommended for this age, he is called the intelligent. That is required. That much intelligence we must have.
So it is quarter past eight. I will stop here. Next meeting we shall explain further. Thank you very much. If there is any question, you can put. (break) ...you say like that, 'Only persons who are joining this movement, they are intelligent and others are not intelligent?' " that is our challenge. Now you can defend on behalf of those who do not accept this proposal. This is my challenge. This is a fact. As I... Now you can talk. It is very intelligent question also. And Janārdana will reply.
No, if... Our proposal is the saṅkīrtanaiḥ, the chanting, chanting of the holy name. So if somebody takes this principles, that "Well, we have got our holy name of God. We shall chant that holy name of God," so we have no objection. So that is not our objection. Our objection... Our submission is that "You chant the holy name." Just like Lord Caitanya said, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). The śāstra says. So it does not mean harer nāma is only Kṛṣṇa. If you have got any other name of Hari, the Supreme Personality of... But that name must be actually the name of the Supreme Personality of God, as it is recognized by scripture.
You may have our own scriptures, but if you have a name sanctioned by the scripture, that "This is the name of God," just like in Jewish scripture they say Jehovah... Similarly, in Christian scripture, if you have got name... Just like Buddhists, they have got God or the Supreme—they accept Lord Buddha. Similarly, if you have got any other name of the Supreme Lord, you can chant. We are not insisting that you chant Kṛṣṇa. But if you have no specific name of God found in your authentic scripture, then what is the harm if you chant Kṛṣṇa? This is not very bad proposal. Any intelligent man... If you have, you chant. Our Lord Caitanya says that nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ, bahudhā nija-sarva-śak..., tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe. There are many names. As there are many potencies, there are many names also. Just like take for Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is not understood simply by uttering this word "Kṛṣṇa."
That's all. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Jñānīs, they want to merge. Karmīs, they want to be elevated to the heavenly planet. Yogis, they want mystic power. They want something. A pure devotee does not want anything. Therefore it is called ahaitukī. Hetu means cause. "I am serving God for this cause: I'll go back to home back to Godhead." That is also cause. Ahaitukī. No cause. "Kṛṣṇa is my lovable Deity. I must serve." That is pure devotion.
Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered all kinds of facilities. "Prahlāda, you have suffered for Me so much. Now you take whatever you like." Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, "My dear Lord, it is not a good proposal. Because I am born of a father, passionate father. Generally, I am passionate, and You are so exalted, You can give me anything. So I shall be inclined to ask You again. Just like my father had so many opulences. So kindly do not induce me in that way. I am not a merchant that because I have rendered some service unto You, I expect some return. No. Sa vai vaṇik. It is not business with You. I am your eternal servant." Oh, just see. This is pure devotee. Ahaitukī. No reason. "It is my duty." That is occupational duty. "It is my eternal occupation to serve You." These are the highest ideas of pure devotion. Ahaituky apratihatā. Then "You are poor man. How you can serve Me?" No. "You are illiterate. You have no education. How can you serve Me? You cannot understand Vedānta philosophy. How you can know Me? How you can serve Me? You are poor man. You are poor man, you are woman, or you are śūdra." No. Apratihatā. Whatever you may be, either you are poor man or rich man or black man or white man or woman or man, it doesn't matter. Everyone has right to serve Kṛṣṇa. Apratihatā.
And each universe is full of millions and millions of planets. And each planet is of different type, different climate, different living entities. These are the information. You cannot expect the same planet or same atmosphere everywhere. Just like even on this planet. I am coming from Europe, America, the climate is different. India's climate is different. Even on this planet. So each and every planet they of different nature. And all the living entities are there. In the Bhagavad-gītā we get information, sarva-ga. Sthāṇur acalo 'yam, sarva-ga. It is not fact that only on this planet there are living entities, and other planets there are no living entities. No, that is not a fact. Anyway, here the proposal is how to achieve perfect happiness of ātma. Ātma, I have already explained, ātma means the body, ātma means the mind, and ātma means the soul. So unless you get happiness of the soul, simply trying to get happiness of the body and the mind, you'll never get happiness. That is the information in this verse. Sa vai puṁsām paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6). Dharma means religion, English translation. But according to the Vedic understanding dharma means the characteristic. Everything has got a characteristic. In the chemical laboratory when something is tested the characteristic is tested. "This is this chemical, it has got so many characteristics." So our characteristic, we living entities, we have got our characteristic. What is that characteristic, general characteristics? In this meeting we may be sitting, so many people, one may be Hindu, one may be... Because I am talking of Hindu, Muslim, Christian. Here the word is used, dharma. Sa vai puṁsām paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6). So dharma, we generally understand that I am Hindu, I am Muslim, I am Christian, I am Arya-samaji, I am this, I am that. That is generally taken as dharma. But according to Vedic principle dharma means characteristic. Just like chili—to become hot—the characteristic of chili.
So it becomes sometimes lost. When the paramparā system... Just like nowadays, everyone is proud of reading Bhagavad-gītā, but he interprets in his own way. Everyone is at liberty to interpret Bhagavad-gītā as he likes. That is the modern proposal. So there are 664 editions of Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone is commenting in his own way. I have heard that there is one doctor, some rabbi. He has interpreted Bhagavad-gītā as the talks between a patient and a physician. You see? So this is going on. Everyone whimsically, he is interpreting. Sometimes in our country also, we see that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to interpret Bhagavad-gītā as nonviolence. It is very difficult to prove, because Bhagavad-gītā is spoken in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. (laughs) So how you can prove nonviolence? So it is a difficult job. So that is not the process of understanding Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is to be understood, as our Swamiji immediately talked, that it has to be received from the paramparā system.
I have traveled all over the world so many times. Because there is no varṇāśrama-dharma, how loose they are. That has been experimented. I have seen. So actually, unless one comes to the standard of varṇāśrama-dharma, he is not considered to be a human being. Therefore the Vedic civilization begins from the varṇāśrama-dharma. And in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said, varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān, viṣṇur ārādhyate (CC Madhya 8.58). Because the ultimate goal is to approach Lord Viṣṇu, viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam.
So this varṇāśrama-dharma was proposed by Rāmānanda Rāya, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, eho bāhya āge kaha āra: "This is not feasible. Better if you know something better than this, you propose." Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew that in the Kali-yuga, practically the varṇāśrama-dharma will never be observed, or it will be very difficult to observe. So people by simply observing the varṇāśrama-dharma will not be able to make very much progress in devotional service. Stereotype. In this way, gradually, Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya presented so many proposals. Varṇāśrama-tyāga, jñāna, jñāna-miśra-bhakti, so many ways, and Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejected all of them. Eho bāhya āge kaha āra. But when Rāmānanda Rāya read one version which was spoken by Lord Brahmā,
- jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
- jīvanti san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
- sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir
- ye prāyaśo 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām
This verse, when Rāmānanda quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, immediately Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted, and He said, eho haya, "This is nice. This is nice." What is that? That sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ.
"Oh, I have no employment. How shall I eat? Where shall I go? Where shall I live?" He has no faith in Kṛṣṇa. The brāhmaṇa has got full faith. The kṣatriya has got little less faith, the vaiśya, little less faith, and the śūdra has no faith. This is the difference.
So your question was that how we can know a śūdra? That because everyone is now faithless and everyone is seeking after employment. Therefore... We may discuss in so many ways. Because people have become śūdra, therefore the capitalists are exploiting them. If everyone denies to be, serve, then these so-called industries will fail. Immediately. That is Gandhi's proposal. "Noncooperate with the British government, and it will wind up." And actually so happened. Because people are now śūdras, they depend for their bread to others, the others exploit them: "Come here. You work and I shall give you bread." They do not believe any more, "O God, give us our daily bread." They think that "This, our master give us daily bread." That is śūdra. Śūdra means one who is dependent on others. Paricaryātmakaṁ kāryaṁ śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam. This is the description, definition of śūdra. And vaiśya: kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). The vaiśya is doing the kṛṣi, agriculture. Why he should depend on...? Take some land from the government. You produce your food. Where is the difficulty? Keep some cows. You get milk. Vaiśya-karma svabhāva... Go-rakṣya. If you have got excess, then make trade. Why you should depend on others?
Generally, people understand, big, big factories nowadays, or agriculture or anything, there are laukikī. Laukikī means for maintenance of the body. So Nārada Muni recommends that yad atra, anything you are doing, kriyate. Atra means in this material world, atra. Yad atra kriyate karma bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam. It doesn't matter that you do not understand these Vedic rituals, but you want to develop the economic position of your country by industrial enterprises. Yes, that is also good. That is also good. How? Bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam. If it is conducted for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, then it is good.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement does not say you stop anything. No. Whatever you have got liking, you can do, but bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam. By your work you try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. This is our proposal. We do not say the negative, stop. No. And it is confirmed in the śāstras, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ... Generally, according to Vedic principle, there are four division of karma. Not four; eight division. According to varṇa and āśrama. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. The division of work must be there; otherwise the society cannot go on very nicely. If everyone is brāhmaṇa, not interested in anything material or simply... Because it is, after all, material world, if everyone becomes brāhmaṇa, now it will not go. There must be others. Kṣatriyas means the statesman, protector, politician, diplomat, kṣatriyas. And there must be vaiśyas also, productive class of men. They must produce. Economic development, that is also required. Otherwise, how human society will go on? Not only intelligent class of men—the protector class of men, the productive class of men, and the worker class of men. Suppose you are constructing this temple. If we devotees remain Hare Kṛṣṇa, then who will construct this temple? Everything is required. We do not say that "Stop this" or "Stop that." No.
Why they do not take it? There are so many M.A., Ph.D., D.H.C. and doctors and Nobel Prize holder. Why they do not? Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. That māyā has taken away his knowledge. He will not allow. He will not allow. Māyā will not allow to take.
Therefore Bhāgavata says, naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ (SB 7.5.32). Apagama. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim. To get out of this māyā's problem, one has to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). It is easy process. If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, immediately you get out of all these problems. So that is not being taken. It is declared, but people have not taken. Therefore Bhāgavata says that why they have not taken? Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim. They are not accepting this proposal of Kṛṣṇa, that "You surrender." Anartha. Immediately anartha will be vanquished, but they will not take it. How? Why not? They have to surrender to His devotee. Niṣkiñcanānāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam. Mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat. They cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless they bow down to the dust of His devotee, to the dust of the lotus feet of... Mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam. Pāda-rajaḥ. Pāda-rajaḥ means the dust at the lotus feet of mahīyasām, the exalted devotee, niṣkiñcanānām, who has nothing to do with the material world. Niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat. So long one does not take the dust of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa's devotee, he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Therefore it is the duty of the devotees to go from place to place and just give the chance to the people to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then their all problems will be solved.
Dharma means characteristic. Just like sugar has to become sweet. That is dharma. A chili has to be hot. Sugar, if it is chili taste-useless. A chili's sweet taste—it is useless. So this taste of a particular thing is called dharma. So this dharma according to the body is developed in this material world. But the original dharma... Original is the spirit soul. That spirit soul is the part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and his duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is original dharma. So in order to teach that original dharma, Kṛṣṇa comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Glāni means discrepancies. When the conditioned soul is, by the influence of māyā, is engaged in sense gratification, that is called dharmasya glāniḥ. Yadā yadā hi... Just like nowadays nobody's interested. The so-called educated or advanced man, if we say that "You have to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is not your duty. You are going to the office and earning daily five thousand rupees. That is simply useless. Useless. It is simply a waste of energy," who will believe it? Nobody. "Oh, this is a nonsense proposal."
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ. "You must do your duty." Śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. Don't think... The rascal says that "Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching people to escape. They've become..." No, that is not Kṛṣṇa's instruction. We do not allow any lazy man. He must be engaged. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is Kṛṣṇa's order. Niyataṁ kuru karma. Arjuna was refusing to fight. He was trying to be nonviolent gentleman. Kṛṣṇa did not allow him. "No, no, you cannot do that. That is your weakness." Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam: "You are proving yourself rascal. It is anārya-juṣṭam. This kind of proposal is for the anārya, uncivilized man. Don't do that." That is Kṛṣṇa's... So don't think that Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they'll become lazy and imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. That is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means, as Kṛṣṇa instructs, you must be very, very busy, twenty-four hours. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not to become a lazy fellow, eat and sleep. No.
So here Draupadī is reminding that, yad-anugrahāt śikṣito bhavatā: "You are neglecting his, satisfying him. Do you think if you kill his son he'll be satisfied? Maybe his son is a criminal from all points of view; still, ultimately, if you kill his son he'll be aggrieved. That is natural. That is natural." There was... In Allahabad, it is our practical experience. Two brothers, all of a sudden, they became angry. They fought one another. One brother was killed. The anger is so dangerous. So naturally, in the court he was ordered to be hanged. Then the father appealed to the court that "My one son is already killed, and the other remaining son, if he is also killed, then what will be my condition?" So court considered this proposal, and the boy was ordered to be killed, he was saved. Yes. So this consideration is there even in ordinary way. And actually, these sons were rogues. They fought, one is killed, another is going to be killed. But this old man will be finished. The court considered it, and he was saved. He was not hanged. He was given some long duration of imprisonment. That we have seen. The same thing, the affection is everywhere. So Draupadī is giving the best instruction, that "By the mercy of Droṇācārya you have learned this art, and now this art you are going to use for killing his son? What is this logic?" Very good argument.
And prātikūlyasya varjanam. And reject everything which is unfavorable to the procedure of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we forbid that "You don't do this," because they are unfavorable. And we say something, "You do this, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa sixteen rounds," that is favorable. Śaraṇāgati means to give up the unfavorable things and to accept the favorable. Ānukūlyasya saṅkalpaḥ prātikūlyasya varjanam. And believe that "Kṛṣṇa will give me protection." Full faith. And to count oneself as one of the servants of Kṛṣṇa. In this way, śaraṇāgati.
So here Kuntī says that "If You think, My dear Kṛṣṇa, now we are well established, we have got our kingdom back, so everything is nicely done, so You want to leave us, that is not a very good proposal. Because we are not free as yet. Because we have killed so many kings, all their relatives and friends, they're also planning to come and again fight with us. This is our position. Parāyaṇaṁ rājasu yojitāṁhasām. They are still engaged. So You don't think that we are already all free from all dangerous conditions. We are not. And we have no other protection except Your lotus feet. This is our position." So indirectly she was asking Kṛṣṇa, "Do not leave us. Don't think that we are safe now. We are not safe. Without Your protection, we are always unsafe." This should be the position of the devotees. We are actually in a dangerous position, this material world. At any time, māyā will catch, at any time. As soon as we are a little inattentive... "Now I have done my duty. Now let me take rest little." No, there is no rest. We must be always alert.
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. Not...
Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa seriously. The examples are there. Therefore Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and some envious person engaged some very beautiful prostitute to drag him. But she failed. Chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is so strong. At mid of night beautiful prostitute, young, she went to entice him. But Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "That's all right. Your proposal is very nice. Please sit down. Let me finish my rounds." (laughter) So she sat down, and morning, there was morning. So Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "My dear girl, I am very sorry. I could not finish. So this night we shall finish." In this way, after three nights, the prostitute fell down on his feets, "Sir, I came with this purpose. I was induced by such and such person. So I am offender. Please excuse me and give me your favor." So Haridāsa said, "Yes, I knew that. But because you came to me, I wanted to do something good for you. And therefore I stayed here for three nights just to convert you. Now you are so lucky. So whatever you have got, you distribute it to the brāhmaṇas, and you take one cloth and sit down here before the Tulasī tree and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Hmm?
No. There are different tenants, they pay differently; therefore there are different kinds of apartment. Similarly, this is also apartment. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). The spirit soul is within this apartment body. So according to karma, according to payment, one has got American body, one has got African body, one has got Indian body, one has got this body, that body, dog's body, cat's body, tree's body. This is karma. This is karma. This is our real problem. And this human life is especially meant for solving this problem, not the problem of petrol. But they have forgotten this. They are so rascals, the real problem they have forgotten.
Therefore here it is said, dhyāyan na āvarteta yato gataḥ. We are trying to go to the moon planet. But is it sure that you will not die there? "No, no, before going there I shall die. That is happy. Still we shall go." This is their proposal. Either you go to the moon planet or sun planet or any Venus planet, this planet, anywhere within this material world... Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. There are so many planets. The topmost planet is Brahmaloka, Brahma planet, where Lord Brahmā lives. And you know the duration of life of Brahmā. You cannot calculate his one twelve-hours day. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). This is the Brahmā's twelve hours. That is Brahmaloka. You cannot calculate what is the duration of life there. But even if you go there, the problem, death will be there. The problem death will go. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). The problem which is here... Just like the birth-death problem is within the ant society, birth-death problem is there within the animal society, birth-death problem is there in the human society, similarly, birth-death problem is in the moon society or sun society or Brahmaloka society, anywhere in this material world. That is real problem.
What is the use of this enjoyment? Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. This is all false. Now let us become Brahman, become one with Brahman." But that is also false. That idea, to become one with the Brahman, that is also false.
So real reality is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore these sages, big, big great sages, they are hearing Sūta Gosvāmī. So they ask the reason "Why the king Mahārāja Parīkṣit punished that Kali in the dress of a king? 'So if you..., if possible, kindly describe the reason. And provided it will help our Kṛṣṇa consciousness." This is the condition. Yadi kṛṣṇa-kathāśrayam: "If there is connection with Kṛṣṇa." Just like the Bhagavad-gītā. It is a topics on the battlefield. Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me 'cyuta (BG 1.21). Arjuna is asking Kṛṣṇa, "Please keep my chariot between the two phalanxes of armies." This is completely military proposal. But why we are interested to hear about Bhagavad-gītā? Because kṛṣṇa-kathāśrayam, because there is kṛṣṇa-kathā, there is instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we are interested. Otherwise, what is the use of hearing, "Somebody is fighting with somebody, and he's asking his chariot driver, 'Place my chariot in this position. Let me see who, whom I shall have to fight'?" So what is the use of? There is no use. People are interested in reading, but they are reading all so-called literature, poetry. But we are not interested in such, such kind of literature, because there is no kṛṣṇa-kathā. We are interested in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. Why? Because it is kṛṣṇa-kathā. The same propensity. Everyone wants to read something. So we also want to read something. But we read Bhagavad-gītā, Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, because there is kṛṣṇa-kathā. We are not interested with any other rubbish literature, however nicely it is prepared.
So we are not these so-called Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Why jagan mithyā? Mithyā means false. They say that jagan mithyā, this whole material world is false. We don't say false. We say it is temporary, and so long it is in use, you utilize it for Kṛṣṇa. That even this material world will be utilized for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this is our proposal. We don't reject anything. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī: prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. A thing which can be used for the service of Hari, Kṛṣṇa, if it is given up as material, that vairāgya, that renunciation, is not very good. That renunciation... "I have renounced everything..." Just like amongst the Jains, they will not ride on car, they'll walk. So our principle is not like that. "No, we shall not take advantage of the motorcar or the airplanes. These are all material. I shall walk." Why shall I walk? If I would not have taken the advantage of the airplanes, how I could preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world so swiftly? We must take all advantage, but for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We shall encourage people, but the thing is that we may not forget. If by material opulence we forget Kṛṣṇa, then that is suicidal. That is sui... Therefore we have to be little careful. We may drive the Rolls Royce car, but may not identify with the car: "Oh, now I've become Rolls Royce. You are Chevrolet. I'm Rolls Royce." (laughter) Don't become nonsense like that. Rolls Royce car is different from you, and Chevrolet car is also different from you. You can take advantage of them. Don't identify. They are identifying with the matter. That is the defect. That is called māyā. He's not identifying with Kṛṣṇa, that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. I am not part and parcel of these Rolls Royce cars." If one keeps himself, I mean to say, awakened in this way, so in any condition of life, he is liberated, any condition.
Pradyumna: Translation: "The devotees of the Lord are accustomed to licking up the honey available from the lotus feet of the Lord. What is the use of topics which simply waste one's valuable life?" (SB 1.16.6)
Prabhupāda: The same last paragraph. The... Yadi kṛṣṇa-kathāśrayam. So the proposal was that "We are interested to hear about Kali's being punished by Mahārāja Parīkṣit if there is some connection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is the principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that we shall not do anything which has no connection with Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should be very alert: "I am going to do this. Whether it has got any connection with Kṛṣṇa? I am going to eat this. Whether there is any connection with Kṛṣṇa?" In this way, we have got always some activities, some action of the senses, but if we test every moment, "Whether this has got any connection with Kṛṣṇa?" then you will remain safe. I am going to talk with you or somebody else. Whether that talk has got any connection with Kṛṣṇa? If it has no, then I am not going to talk. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. That is really renunciation.
Renunciation does not mean I change this cloth to another shape of cloth and another color of cloth. Renunciation means I will not associate with anything which has no connection with Kṛṣṇa. This is renunciation. Because for a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, to waste even a moment of life without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a great dangerous action. Not only... anyone who is interested for higher level of position. He should be very careful of using every moment of life.
Devotee (2): You said that one mistake of the neophyte devotee is to think that he is suffering under some condition, some distress, and that it is due to the circumstances under which the distress occurred. And my question is, Can the change of one's service, can changing the type of service one's performing, can that help him to achieve the desired perfection in relationship with the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: So what is the real proposal? I do not follow. Why don't you say frankly? This is... Why in a (laughs) jugglery way? State what is the fact?
Devotee (2): Well, like, if one is in a big temple, he's a cook in a big temple.
Prabhupāda: Yes. In a big temple, the cooker and the man who is worshiping the Deity, and the man who is sweeping over, they're all one. There is no distinction. There is no such material dis... In the material world, if somebody's doing nice job, he is greater, and if somebody's not nice job, he's smaller. In spiritual world, there is no such distinction.
Devotee (2): So one is like that, in a comfortable situation...
Prabhupāda: Comfortable situation is also sense gratification. Any situation, we shall have to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not that "If it is comfortable to me, I shall do it." That is sense gratification. That is sense gratification. That is not spiritual; that is material. "Comfortable or uncomfortable, it doesn't matter. If Kṛṣṇa wants it, I must do it." That is wanted. That is wanted. As soon as I discriminate "This is comfortable, this is uncomfortable," that is material.
Devotee (3): Prabhupāda, how can we know what type of service Kṛṣṇa...
"Whatever you may be, come on, sit down, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and you become more than a brāhmaṇa." This is the highest gift of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. But if you take otherwise from the social conventional life, oh, there is no brāhmaṇa, there is no gṛhastha, there is no brahmacārī. There is all gone, all finished. So those rules and regulation are not now applicable because amongst the śūdras there is no such rules and regulation. It is meant for the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, and those are gone. They are finished. Now, even though the people are in the status of śūdra, they should be given opportunity for spiritual advancement, and that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's special gift, and very easy, that "Whatever you may be, you may be a brāhmaṇa, you may be a kṣatriya, vaiśya, that doesn't matter. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and gradually realize."
So at the present moment we cannot strictly follow; neither we are strictly following; neither it is possible to strictly follow. As far as possible, that's all. Our conception of brahmacāriṇī is in the Kṛṣṇa society, because... Especially in India, there is no brahmacāriṇī. But here, in your country, the boys and girls mix very freely, but just to restrict such free mixing, we think that the unmarried girls should remain separately. That is the contemplation. Actually, in the Vedic system there is no brahmacāriṇī system. Or get yourself married. That is our proposal, that we do not allow illicit sex life. That is impediment. That will not enhance your spiritual interests. Yes?
We have already discussed this point, that we must know the responsibility of our next life. Just like a child is given education for the next life, to become youthful, to get into higher education, admission. Then a youth is given higher education for better life in future. That is natural. Every one is expecting future prospect. Similarly, we, every one of us, we are changing our body exactly the same way as the child is changing his body to boyhood, the boy is changing his body to youthhood, the youth is changing his body to old body. Similarly, after old age, there is next stage is death.
So after death, what is the proposal? That they do not know. And practically we are experiencing that although I am changing body, I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man, now I am old man, so there was past and future in every stage. Similarly, in this stage as I am remembering my past life... I can remember, you can remember... I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man. I was doing like this. Everything I remember. Even if I forget, I had my past life and again I expect my future life. Past, present and future. Why the future should be zero? We have experienced so long, both past, present and future. Why in this old age I shall be future-less, void? There is no life after death? That is the foolishness. That we are not preparing.
When a man becomes actually learned, he's sama-darśī. He sees everyone on the equal level. I was seeing just this evening the Ten Commandments. Now, in the Ten Commandments, the one commandment is that "Thou shall not kill." But I am sorry to feel that killing propensity is so great in the Christian world. Why? Because there is lack of love of God. "Thou shall not kill." Now there is organized killing process. So I do not know how they are following the Christian principles. It is clearly stated, "Thou shall not kill. Thou shall not tease your neighbor." So why should I tease an animal neighbor? These defects are due to lack of love of God.
Therefore the whole problems of the world can be solved only by this movement, how to love God. This is a very sane proposal. Let anybody come before us and we shall be able to convince him that this is the only solution for all the problems of the world. You try to love God and everything will be solved. Otherwise, there is no possibility. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). These are stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. They do not know what is the solution of world problems. What is that solution? They do not know the solution is svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum, your interest is to love God. Unfortunately, you have been misled, durāśayā, by a false hope. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ, by external energy. The leaders... Now we are preaching love of God, nobody is interested. But if we had given some political bluff that "Here will be such and such party's meeting, and it will give you heaven hand to hand," oh, people will throng. You see. Because they are cheating. Satya bole ta mare lakta(?). There is a nice poet, he says that if you tell the truth, people will come with their logs to hurt you. And chuta jagat bolai(?): and if you bluff them, they will be very nicely follower. This is the position. Actually, this is the solution. It is not that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement or Bhaktivedanta Swami who has started, he has concocted this idea." No.
In this material world, which is called "duality," these, our listing, "These things are good. These things are bad," bhadra abhadra... Bhadra means good. Abhadra means bad. These are all the same. It is simply mental concoction. Here, the so-called morality, ethics—all nonsense. Because you, you are trying to lord it over on the property of somebody else. So where is your morality? So these sentiments—morality, immorality, good, bad—they are simply manufactured. Actually, unless one surrenders to Kṛṣṇa, there is no question of this ethics and morality. We are now discussing in our philosophical class, Huxley's morality. These are all crazy man's proposals. Actually, there is no morality.
So that we can understand things as they are if we receive the message of Urukrama, Kṛṣṇa. If you give aural reception to the activities of Kṛṣṇa ... Therefore, you should not waste a moment even with nonsense talkings. You have got so many books. Either chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare, or read books, discuss amongst yourself. Don't waste your time by so-called drama and play. It is simply waste of time. Don't waste your time in that way. If you have got inclination to enjoy some drama, then you should take hint how that drama should be written or played. Don't manufacture. You are not so expert that you can manufacture things. That is illegal. Just like we do not read any rascal's book. They are manufacturing so many ideas. We read Bhāgavatam, authorized. We read Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā. We read Brahma-saṁhitā. Not rascal's book. What these rascals can write? They're imperfect. So don't waste your time. Simply always pour in, give aural reception to the message of Urukrama.
That's all. So this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, without offenses, ten kinds of offenses, will cleanse the heart, and then you will be liberated. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvā... Because we know the path how we can get out of these clutches of birth and death. There are so many big, big scientists, philosophers. They don't talk of this important subject matter, how to get out of birth and death. They have no solution. Neither they can think of. But our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving us the knowledge that "You can get out of these clutches of birth and death, old age and disease." That is our desire.
Nobody wants to die, nobody wants to go again into the womb of the mother. Nobody wants disease, nobody wants old age. But the so-called scientists, they have no proposal to get out of these clutches. Here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives you hint that hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ. By chanting hari-nāma, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21), you can get out of this. And when hari-nāma will be perfect, that symptoms are given here. Netre jalaṁ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ. By chanting, when you will, not always ... Sometimes, out of ecstasy, when tears will come down and there will be shivering on the body, that means you are coming to perfection. This is not to be artificially practiced. When you actually come to the perfectional stage, these will automatically appear. So this verse suggests that if a person is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, but his eyes are not tearful or there is no ecstatic shivering of the body, then that means he's not coming to the perfectional point.
If God is everywhere, why not in the temple? These are the atheistic proposal. If God is everywhere, so why not in the temple? In the temple I can see God, at least. The form of God, it is being worshiped, offered prasādam. So there is a spiritual atmosphere. So why shall I not go to the temple? So actually God is everywhere. That's a fact. But so long I am not purified, I have to see God as they are prescribed in the śāstra. Here the Deity, He is God, but because I have no power to see God, therefore I see that "Oh, it is made of wood. It is made of metal." That is my imperfect senses (perception?). But God is there also. God is everywhere, so God is here also. Why you are talking of metal and wood? From reasoning, argument, if God is everywhere, why not He is in the metal or wood? In your eyes it is metal, but we see God. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as soon as saw Jagannātha, He fainted. Therefore viśuddhy-artham. Ātma-tattva-viśuddhy-artham.
So we have to learn how to purify our senses. Then we can see God everywhere. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). Brahma-saṁhitā. Premāñjana-cchurita. When we develop love of God, prema añjana, that ointment... Just like we apply some ointment to the eyes to make it clear—our vision becomes clearer—similarly, there is ointment which is called love of Godhead. If we develop that love of Godhead, so by that ointment, when our imperfect eyes will be cleansed, then we can see God. This is the process. Ātma-tattva.
"After death everything is finished." After death everything finished—why? Why there are so many varieties of life? After death there is life. But you do not know what is that life. That is your ignorance. Here is a chance, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that you get next life very good life. If you complete, you go to Vaikuṇṭha and get life like this. If you don't complete, if you are so unfortunate that you cannot complete one life, that is unfortunate. Why you... So then you get chance to get your birth as a human being in very rich family, in very pious family. That chance is again given so that you can revive your, again, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is a chance. You had previously some advantage of executing this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Somehow or other, you could not... Not you or you—all of us, we could not. So Kṛṣṇa has given another chance. So don't miss this chance. Make it complete. Make it complete and go to Vaikuṇṭha or Kṛṣṇaloka. Such a nice proposal. Where it is? Who can give this? Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī adored Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "Oh, You are the greatest of the munificent." Namo mahā... Vadānya means the greatest munificent, who gives charity in the greatest... So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is giving that. What is that? Kṛṣṇa-prema. Simply by loving Kṛṣṇa, you are promoted. This is the greatest gift. The human society is so rascal, they cannot understand what is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The greatest gift to the human society given by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So those who are intelligent, those who have taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they should be very serious to execute the, I mean to say, program. Very nice. We should always pray to Kṛṣṇa that "Kṛṣṇa, You have given this chance. Please have Your grace upon me—I may not miss it. By māyā's influence I may not miss it. You have given me so great chance." This should be our business. If you have got to pray anything...
Why he says that "I do not see God"? Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. "I am the sunshine." Who has not seen the sunshine? Everyone has seen the sunshine. Why he says that "I have not seen God"? First of all, try to see God, A-B-C-D; then you'll see the personal God. You'll see everywhere.
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).
We wanted to enjoy independently; therefore we are suffering. Just like if a big man's, very rich man's son, he gives up his home and he want to live and enjoy life independently, it is not possible. Therefore our duty is to go back to home, back to Godhead, again return to our original father, Kṛṣṇa. That will give us happiness. Kṛṣṇa is full of opulences, and He has got enough money, enough strength, enough beauty, everything enough, unlimitedly. So if we go to our original father, back to home, back to Godhead, then we can also enjoy with Him unlimitedly. That is the philosophy, not that... You cannot enjoy... Father has given you birth. You are separate entity from the father. And if you are suffering, if you say father, "My dear father, I am very much suffering. You make me again one with you," is it very good proposal? Father says, "I have begotten you separately to enjoy. You remain separate, I remain separate, and we enjoy. And you are now asking to become one with me? What is this nonsense?"
So this Māyāvādī philosophy, to become one with the supreme father, is like that. They are suffering here. Kṛṣṇa has created. Kṛṣṇa created him to enjoy with his company, but he did not like that. He suffered in this material world. Now he's thinking of becoming one with the father. What is this? So this is... Therefore here it is said, naikātmatāṁ me spṛhayanti kecit. No pure devotee will desire like that. It is foolish proposal. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. They are called aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ, whose intelligence is not yet clear or purified. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. They are thinking, "Now we have become spiritually realized, vimukta, liberated from material bondage." Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32).
So how outsiders will accept? If the outsider is requested, "Sir, you do not smoke," very small thing, then "Swamiji is not very good. He puts so many restriction." And if somebody says, "No, no, you can drink, you can eat anything. It does not...," then he is very liberal. He is very liberal. So we are first of all putting these restriction: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. Intoxication up to drinking tea and smoking cigarette, you have to give up. Anyone who comes to become my disciple, this is my first proposal, that "If you agree, then you come." It is not that you can do anything nonsense you like, and you become my disciple. No. Because one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa unless he is restricted from the sinful activities. And these are the basic principle of sinful activities: illicit sex, and meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication. These are the four pillars of sinful life. And the whole world is addicted to these four things.
So we have to push on Kṛṣṇa consciousness with great difficulty. When I went to America, I went by ship. So it stopped at the, what is that, Commonwealth Pier in Boston. So I was thinking that if "I say that 'No illicit sex, no meat-eating, and no intoxication, and no gambling,' so these people will immediately say, 'Please go home.' " (laughter) Yes. That is the position. It is... These are their daily affairs. These are their daily affairs in Western countries. And if you want to make them stop these things, they will think that "This man is lunatic." But by Kṛṣṇa's grace these boys, these girls, they agreed. That is Kṛṣṇa's grace. I did not expect that they will agree. In India they do not agree, and they are accustomed from childhood, from boyhood. So how they will... But Kṛṣṇa's grace is so nice, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy is so great, that they agreed, and they are pushing on this movement on this principle.
Just like materially, Arjuna was trying to become very gentleman, nonviolent, Arjuna: "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight." People very much appreciate, "Just see, Arjuna is so gentle, he is trying to become nonviolent, and Kṛṣṇa is inducing him to become violent." This is the vision of the demons. They do not know, whatever Kṛṣṇa desires, that is rightful. Kṛṣṇa wanted Arjuna to fight. That is rightful. And Arjuna wanted to become nonviolent. That is not rightful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa chastised him, kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam: "Why you are talking like anārya?" Anārya-juṣṭam: "This kind of talking... You are kṣatriya, and you are not willing to fight. What is this? This kind of proposal is made by the anārya, uncivilized. You are a kṣatriya. Your duty is to fight, and you are trying to refrain from the fight? You have become so ignorant? Oh, this is not good." Then, when Arjuna understood that he was not in the right point, declining the fight, kārpaṇya-doṣa upahata-svabhāvaḥ, kārpaṇya-doṣa. "I am not doing my duty. I can understand. All right. But I am perplexed. Therefore I become Your student." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "I surrender unto You as śiṣya, as Your disciple. Now correct me." And he was, when he was corrected, the same Arjuna said, "Yes." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "Yes, I will fight."
This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to act by the desires of Kṛṣṇa. That is the proper use of your senses. You cannot use for your purpose. Anything... Just like you are working in some establishment. Anything in that establishment, you can use for the proprietor's business. You cannot use it. Just like in hospital there are blankets. It is written there, "Hospital Property." So long you are in the hospital, you can use it. But you cannot take it outside. Then you are criminal. Similarly, everything... Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to God, and you can use it for the service of God. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. This is the instruction, Vedic instruction. You can use it as prasādam, but everything should be offered to the Supreme. Yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). If you do not do that, if you engage yourself always in good activities, as the karmīs they do, and earn money and use it for your own sense gratification, that is pāpa activity.
This sarva-dharmān includes all our material activities. So, but people could not understand. The instruction is still standing, Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya, "Just simply surrender unto Me." But nobody is doing that. God says that, "You surrender unto Me; I shall give you all protection." There is assurance. But we are so unfortunate that we cannot believe or cannot be assured on the words of God also. We do not believe. "Oh, God cannot give us protection. Let me try my own technology. I shall protect myself." This is the world(?). That means he's not detached with these material activities. Kṛṣṇa says also that "You give up..." Just like we are also saying. There are so many proposals. They come, philanthropists: "People are starving. We have to see first of all." The Communists say, "Then we can discuss about spiritual... There are so many people starving," as if they have taken contract for feeding them. But these are only simply big, big words. They cannot do anything. Neither they are willing. They are simply after their own sense gratification. Otherwise, why so many people all over the world, there is voluntary starving? Just like the hippies. Why they are lying down on the street, on the park, no fixed-up program for eating, sleeping? They are not poor men's sons.
So whose ātmā has become attached to the all-pervading Supersoul, he's called mahātmā. Otherwise, kṣūdrātmā. If we are, our heart is attached to limited circle of my friends, wife, children, home, country, then I am kṣūdrātmā, because that is limited. Kṣūdrātmā or durātmā. The opposite is mahātmā. Mahan, great. So we have to associate with mahātmā. Mahat-sevā. How associate? Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34), to associate. Therefore, it is the custom whenever one goes to see one saintly person, he gives something for service, either fruits or something presentation. That is necessary. Mahat-sevā it is said. Sevā means service. Maha-sevā. Not that I go to see one mahātmā, saintly person, and talk with him with all rascal proposal, and waste his time and his own time also. That is not association of the mahātmā. Mahat sevā. You must approach a saintly person to give him some service. This is the beginning. Spiritual advancement of life means you have to give some service. That service begins when we serve the representative of Kṛṣṇa, mahātmā. He's spiritual master or saintly person.
So the first proposal was that this human form of life is not to be wasted like cats and dogs. This is the first proposal by Ṛṣabha. He was advising His sons, "My dear boys, don't waste your, this valuable life like cats and dogs and hogs." This are the Actually, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness our life is no better than the dogs' and hogs'. That's a fact. That is the beginning of this instruction, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujaṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The dogs and hogs, they will try whole day and night for eating purposes and sense gratification. Why the human society should be like that? So these things can be learned by mahat-sevā. Therefore this Vedic civilization that first of all send the children for mahat-sevā, brahmacārī. Mahat-sevā, that is the essential part of human life. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). To make this human life successful, to understand the value of life, to understand what I am, one must approach, go to gurukula. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. This abhigacchet, this form of verb is used when it is called vidhi-liṅ, must! There is no option. I may go or I may not go. No. One must. That is human life. That is the instruction of Vedic śāstra.
First of all, know this." That is Kṛṣṇa's first instruction. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā tathā dehāntara prāptir (BG 2.13). Very simple thing—that we are changing body. This is first instruction of Kṛṣṇa. So as with the association of Kṛṣṇa, by instruction of Kṛṣṇa, I can understand my position... As Sanātana Goswāmī, by the association of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he could understand his position, similarly, we should approach such person wherefrom we can understand our position. Therefore it is recommended, mahat-sevām. You do not approach Kṛṣṇa or His representative to order him or to make him your servant: "Sir, give me this, give me that." "Yes, you can take it, you can..." Flattering. So that is not the position. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur. If you want to know First of all, you know what you are. Then the question is vimukti. The same thing, same proposal. In the Vedic instruction there is no difference. Everywhere we'll find the same thing. That is standard knowledge. Not that I am saying something, you are saying something. That is not Vedic knowledge. That is speculation. Vedic knowledge means wherever you take, it is the same thing. There is no difference. Either you read Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the Cātur-Veda or Upaniṣad or Vedānta, you'll find the same conclusion. That is Vedic knowledge. They are instructed, they are arranged in such a way that according to the position of the person one can understand. This is the Vedic scheme. The Purāṇas and the Mahābhārata, they are meant for the less intelligent class of men who cannot understand directly the Vedic instruction. But gradually by reading historical fact and instances, they can understand. Trayī na śruti-gocarā. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). Vyāsadeva worked very hard to awaken the human society to the Vedic knowledge. And what is that Vedic knowledge? To understand Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). That is Vedic knowledge. Otherwise you are a big Vedānti, big student of Upaniṣad, and so on, so on, but you do not know Kṛṣṇa, what He is—it is useless. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). That is simply wasting time.
Kṛṣṇa's favor, mad-anugrahārthaḥ. Teach them like that, how. So Kṛṣṇa will be very much pleased if you simply... Kṛṣṇa says... Here it is said that mal-loka-kāmaḥ. How one can go to Kṛṣṇaloka or Vaikuṇṭhaloka? Very easy. Very easy. Kṛṣṇa personally says. It is not our manufactured word. Kṛṣṇa said, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Do these four things: "Always think of Me." That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Manmanā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: "Become My devotee. Worship Me and offer obeisances to Me," and asaṁśaya, "you'll come." Mal-loka. Very good. Very easy thing. Asaṁśaya. "Without any doubt you'll come to Me." Why do they not accept this proposal of Kṛṣṇa? It is not our manufacture. We are not washing brain. It is Kṛṣṇa's word, that simply by doing four things, manmanā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.68), without any doubt. That is required. Kṛṣṇa will be pleased.
So don't waste your time making material plan, big, big plan. "Big, big monkey, big, big belly, Ceylon jumping, melancholy." One European gentleman, he translated this Bengali proverb. Baro baro badare, baro baro pet, lanka dingake mata kare het.(?) There are many monkeys. The one monkey, he jumped over the Indian Ocean, went to the other side. So there were other monkeys also. They were asked, "Can you do it?" And mata kare het:(?) "He simply bowed down." So this plan is meant for how to, by chanting "Jaya Rāma," I'll jump over the other part of the material world. That is required. Not to work hard to improve your material condition. That will never be possible. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). You cannot get happiness within this material world. Bhramatām upary adhaḥ. Upary adhaḥ means, upari, in the higher planetary system, and down, lower planetary system.
Prabhupāda: Initiation is the third stage. First stage is that... Just like you have come. This is called śraddhā, faith, little faith, not full faith. Then you have to increase this faith by association of devotee. That is required. And when the faith is increased, then the question of initiation. Initiation should not be immediately offered. That will be misused. Therefore when we initiate, we inquire from the head of the temple, "How long he is coming? What is his behavior?" If he certifies that "Yes, he is doing nice," then we initiate. Our initiation is not so cheap, "You come and be initiated." No, we do not do that. We must test you first of all. Then we initiate.
Madhudviṣa: His question was that can you take initiation by accepting the spiritual master in your heart without actually taking...
Prabhupāda: These are bogus proposition. It has no meaning. (laughter) It has no meaning. If you think within yourself, "I am eating," will you be satisfied? You starve and simply think, "I have eaten everything." (laughter) Is that very practical proposal? You must eat. We don't say all these bogus proposition. All right. Thank you very much. (end)
Aśraddadhānāḥ. What Kṛṣṇa is speaking in the Bhagavad-gītā, if we take it, "Let Kṛṣṇa speak. I am not going to accept anything..." Aśraddadhānāḥ: there is no faith in the words of Kṛṣṇa. Aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣa dharmasyāsya: "The religious system which I am speaking." What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66), this religion. So if one is neglectful, does not like this proposal, then what is the result? Aprāpya mām: "He'll never get Me." Aprāpya mām nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Then he will have to continue this process, mṛtyu-saṁsāra vartmani. He'll take birth, again die, again take birth, again die. That will continue. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. So,
- pravṛtti-lakṣaṇaś caiva
- traiguṇya-viṣayo mune
- yo 'sāv alīna-prakṛter
- guṇa-sargaḥ punaḥ punaḥ
So we have to give up this habit that "I am master. I can enjoy, and I can do. I am independent." You have to give up this habit. Then you will be eligible for going back to home, back to Godhead.
This is also living entity, but it has no leg to move. It has leg, but it is fixed up. It cannot move. They're condemned, that "You cannot move." A tree is standing for seven thousand years. It cannot move. So they are food for moving animals. Just like cow eats grass. The goat eats grass. So apadāni catuṣ-padām. Phalgūni mahatāṁ tatra. In this way the world is being exploited. The weaker section is being exploited by the stronger section. Phalgūni mahatāṁ tatra jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: "One life is meant for being exploited by other life." This is nature's law. So we have no quarrel with persons who are meat-eating. But our propaganda is to make people God conscious. That's all.
So in order to become God conscious, you have to follow some rules and regulations. We do not give any credit to the vegetarians than the meat-eaters. Because one has to eat. But our proposal is, Kṛṣṇa conscious men, that we shall eat remnants of foodstuff offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our philosophy. And Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26), that Kṛṣṇa says that "Anyone who offers Me a little fruit, a little water, and little leaf with devotion and love, I accept it." Kṛṣṇa is not hungry that He is begging some food from us. No. He is trying to create loving transaction: "You love Me; I love you." Kṛṣṇa is God. Kṛṣṇa, practically by His energy everything is produced. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So why He should beg for, from me, a little leaf and little fruit and little water? He has no business. But if we offer a little fruit and little leaf and little water with love—"Kṛṣṇa, I am so poor that I cannot secure anything. I have secured this little fruit and little flowers and a leaf. Kindly accept it"—Kṛṣṇa is very glad. Yes. And if He eats, offered by you, your life is successful. You make friendship with Kṛṣṇa. That is our preaching.
They should be given education how to become self-controlled, śamaḥ; how to control the mind, how to control the senses; śama damaḥ satyam, how to become truthful; śaucam, how to become cleanse; śamo damaḥ satyaṁ śaucaṁ titikṣa, how to become tolerant; ārjavam, how to become simple, no intricacy; śamo damas satyaṁ śaucaṁ titikṣa ārjavam eva ca, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam, full of knowledge; and vijñānam, practical application in life; āstikyam, and to believe in the existence of God or knowing God partially or fully. Partially knowing God means impersonal or Paramātmā. This is partial. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11).
They say religion is a kind of faith. Similarly, during some play I heard it is that...(?) So "You are okay; I am okay." Our proposal is not that. Our proposal is: "You are not okay; I am okay." (laughter)
It is air. So you can get so much air and put it into a machine, just like, what is called, bellow, and pump it through the nose. It is possible to get life? No. In this way, item by item, you analyze this body. Now you are advanced in laboratory analyzing. Take this breathing, take this blood, take this skin, take this bone. So many things are there, ingredients. Analyze each one of them. Will you find life? Therefore common sense, that this is not life... Life is beyond this, beyond this material. So so-called rascals, they think that this is body, this is life, combination. There are many theories. One of the theories is the combination of this matter, these bones, this blood, this skin, the veins, the stool, the urine, so many things—that combination makes the life. And why don't you put... All these things are available. Why don't you put together and bring life? "That we shall do in future." Just see. What is this proposal? Therefore we are so fools and rascals that we do not know what is spirit, life, spirit. Still, we are passing as big scientist and philosopher, all rascals. Anyone who is thinking, "I am this body," he's a rascal. He's an animal. Sa eva go-kharaḥ. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma-ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). This is Bhāgavata, practical analysis.
Yes. A devotee of Lord thinks like that. Similar devotee was Vāsudeva Datta, Lord Caitanya's... He requested the Lord that "You have come. Kindly deliver all these people now present on this earth, and take them to Vaikuṇṭha. And if You think that they are so sinful that they cannot be delivered, then please transfer all their sins unto me. I shall suffer. You take them." This is Vaiṣṇava: "So for all their sins, I shall suffer. You take them." This philosophy is also expressed in Bible, Lord Jesus Christ, that he agreed to suffer himself for the sins of all the people. But that does not mean that Jesus Christ or Vāsudeva Datta should make a contract for ourself and we shall go on committing sins. This is most heinous proposal. A Vaiṣṇava and a devotee suffers for all humanity, human race. But that does not mean that human race, or the particular followers should take advantage of this facility and go on committing sins. That is not a good proposal. They should take rather seriously, that "Lord Jesus Christ or Vāsudeva Datta who has suffered for us so much, we shall stop committing sins now." That is sane proposal. Otherwise, if I think, "Well, there is Vāsudeva Datta and Lord Jesus Christ. He will suffer for us and let us go on merry-making. That's all." A most heinous life.
A man... Suppose a man... Of course, if..., if he commits murder, he's killed and gone. That's another thing. The, the Śukadeva Gosvāmī's proposal was that tasmāt puraiva āśu iha pāpa-niṣkṛtau yateta mṛtyor avipadyatātmanā. "Before your death, next death comes, you should perform atonement so that you may not carry the sinful activities to suffer next life." If I do not commit, perform atonement for the commit, for the sinful activities, then nature will not excuse me. You'll have to take the effect of it and suffer in the next life. The law... As I explained the other day, that a murderer should be killed, that is mercy upon him. The, when the king orders... It is very old law. It is not new law, "Life for life." So that, when the king awards, or the judge, high-court judge, that "This man must be hanged," the judge is not the enemy of that man, but, according to law, in order to save him from further trouble in the next life, this prescription of hanging is there. The..., exactly like that: according to the disease, the prescription of medicine is there. Similarly, according to the gravity of the sinful activity, the atonement is there. If one has killed a man, he should be should be hanged—according to the gravity of his sin. So that is showing mercy upon him. But, if he's not killed, then he'll be killed in so many ways. He'll be... Suppose something, some animal, and this man who has killed. He will take another birth and he will slaughter him. There are so many subtle laws. Māṁsa. The word māṁsa, Sanskrit. Mām means "me," and sa means "he." "As I am eating him just now, he will eat me next life." That is called māṁsa. Māṁsa khādati. This is the definition of māṁsa, or flesh. Māṁsa khādati. "As I am eating, enjoying now, palate, eating some animal, so he'll also eat me next life." This is called karma-bandhana. Karma-bandhana means being locked up in one's material activities. Yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ.
It is the most scientific movement, but because there are so many gurus, rascals, they imagine something and cheat people. People want to be cheated. They take advantage. So we are also one of them, because majority is this. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." When everyone is rascal, to become intelligent is rascaldom. Otherwise you say, "I am also a rascal." Then it is all right. If you say, "No, you are rascal," then there is fight.
So this is going on. Actually it will be explained in the next verse. Parīkṣit Mahārāja puts a very intelligent question, that "What is the use of this kind of prāyaścitta, atonement? It has no use." So as the student is intelligent, the spiritual master is also gradually giving him more intelligence. First of all, for ordinary man the atonement, punishment, he proposed. But when the student, intelligent student, Mahārāja Parīkṣit said, "It is useless," then next proposal is,
- karmaṇā karma-nirhāro
- na hy ātyantika iśyate
- avidvad-adhikāritvāt
- prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam
Avidyā. If somebody is kept into darkness, then there is no use of this punishment or prāyaścitta. So he proposes that the man in darkness should be educated. Vimarśanam. Vimarśanam means cultivation of knowledge, culture. So where is that culture? There is no culture. We propose that the beginning of culture is no illicit sex. This is the beginning. Who is accepting that? "Illicit sex? Why illicit sex? Sex is sex." No, that is the beginning of culture because in the dog society there is no marriage, and why in the human society there is marriage? They could avoid it. Nowadays they are being avoided. In the Kali-yuga there will be no more marriage. That is stated in the Bhāgavata. It is stated. Five thousand years ago it was foretold that during Kali-yuga, svīkāram eva hi udvāhe. Just see. This is called śāstra. Five thousand years ago it was foretold that marriage means agreement.
"The demons are fighting with us. We are being defeated. We want a commander in chief, who must be born out of the semina of Lord Śiva." But he was in meditation. So how to do it? So Pārvatī, she was sent. She was young girl. And she was worshiping the genital of Lord Śiva. So a young girl, touching the genital, and she's present, but still Lord Śiva was in meditation. So Kālidāsa—here is the example of dhīra. He's called dhīra. In spite of presence of a young girl touching the genital, he's not, I mean to say, disturbed. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. You have heard the Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and somebody wanted to cut down. He was young man. So young prostitute was sent at dead of night. And he, she proposed... Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "Yes, it is very nice proposal. Please sit down. Let me finish my chanting, and I shall enjoy." So it became morning. The prostitute became, I mean to say, perturbed. And Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, "I am very sorry. I could not finish my chanting. Please come this night again." The first night, second night..., third night the prostitute fell down on his feet and said, "Sir, this was my intention. I was induced to do this act by some man who is your enemy. So kindly excuse me." So Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, "I knew that. But because you came to me, therefore I allowed you to come here, three days, so that you may be converted to be a devotee. So now take these chanting beads. You sit down. Go on chanting. I am leaving this place." Here is another dhīra.
That is the advantage. This advantage: that if you go to Kṛṣṇa for some material advantage even, then day will come, you'll forget that material advantage.
Just like Dhruva Mahārāja, he was repentant, that "I came to Kṛṣṇa for asking some material..." The example is given: Just like one has pleased a very big, rich man, and the rich man said, "All right, you ask me whatever you want. I shall give you." So when he's asked to beg whatever he wants, then if he asks that "Give me some broken rice grains," is that very good proposal? If he's asking that "You can ask anything else from me"—he's a rich man—ask him for millions of dollars or something like that. But instead of..., if you ask for your foolishness, that "Please give me some broken grains of rice..." So similarly, to go to Kṛṣṇa and to ask some material benefit is exactly like this, to go to some rich man and ask from his "Please give me some broken grains of rice." Why one should ask for material happiness from Kṛṣṇa? Material happiness will roll on his feet: "Please take me, please take me." These Kṛṣṇa conscious boys and girls, in sixty centers, just see how they are materially opulent. They're living in the best house. They're eating best food. They're in best consciousness. They have got the best hope. Everything best. Their feature of body is best. What you want material happiness more than this? They have got wife, children, happiness, home—everything—full. So material happiness is nothing to a Kṛṣṇa conscious person. He gets automatically by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. There is no need of asking for it. Simply be steady to ask Kṛṣṇa, "Please engage me in Your service." Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). How Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied? Then your satisfaction will automatically come. Don't bother for material happiness.
Thank you very much.
Yes. We are propagating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement just to make everyone Kṛṣṇa conscious. Never mind what is his past background. If one takes to this process, he becomes purified. That is our propaganda. We are not taking account of his past deeds. In the Kali-yuga everyone's past deeds is not very happy. Therefore we don't consider about the past deeds. We simply request that you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And Kṛṣṇa also says that,
- sarva-dharmān parityajya
- mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
- ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
- mokṣ...
- (BG 18.66)
It might be I was very sinful in my past life, but when I surrender to Kṛṣṇa He gives me shelter and I am free. That is our proposal. We don't consider about the past deeds. Everyone may be sinful in his past deeds. That doesn't matter. But if he takes to Kṛṣṇa's shelter as Kṛṣṇa says, then Kṛṣṇa will give us protection. That is our propaganda.
Prabhupāda: Temple we have to construct. But for that construction, temple, they will pay. But for residential and other buildings and maintenance we have to arrange. That's not a bad proposal. It is very nice proposal. They are giving us land, giving us a temple. And we can raise funds and construct as we increase men. In the meantime we can manage the temple. It is good proposal. Open it. Somebody is knocking. Keep it open. No, don't keep it ope... Yes, open, open. Keep it open like that. Yes. Another thing: that Gopāla is not offered sacred thread? You were not doubly initiated? So he can be initiated doubly. And Bruce, what it is? He is not going to be initiated?
Yamunā: I'll have to ask him (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: Huh? No, you can ask later on. He is now practiced to our habits. So he can be initiated, yes. There is sufficient place. You can sit down here. (break) (Hindi) You can sit down behind the women. Aiye, aiye, (Hindi) Come. Come on forward. Come forward. (Hindi) Now the difficulty is if I speak in English, most probably the ladies will not be able to understand. And if I speak in Hindi, then these...
Guest (2): (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Huh? Speak in English? You can do one thing. You can translate. Huh? That will be nice. So you come here. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt.
Guest (2): The Sanskrit... I don't read Sanskrit.
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī, therefore, he remained within the womb of his mother for sixteen years. And as soon as he got out from the mother's womb, immediately he left home. You will read in Bhāgavatam. So father was going after. After all, father, that "This boy, going out. My dear son, come back. Where you are going? Where you are going?" He didn't care. He didn't care. He went away. There are persons like that. They don't want to be attached to this material affection. Māyāra vaibhava. These are expansion of the illusory energy. That is sense. That is first-class understanding. Actually, there is no need of this material world. Just like somebody says that "If all the prisoners become free, how the prisonhouse will go on?" And is it a very good proposal? The prisonhouse, as soon as it is stopped, as soon as it is closed, that is good for the society. Why there should be prisonhouse at all? But they want to maintain the prisonhouse and very anxious, "If people all are set free, then who will fill up this prisonhouse?" They question that, that "If all people go to back to home, back to Godhead, then how this world will go on?" (laughter) That is their anxiety. But we say the sooner you close this business and all of you go back to home, back to Godhead, then everything is very nice.
Dāntaḥ means self-control. Śānta, dānta. Śānta means how to become self-controlled, not to become disturbed by the senses. These are training for a first-class human being. But there is no class human... Nowadays it is said "classless." First class and last class, all one. This is the modern philosophy. But that is not very scientific proposal. The scientific proposal is that there is first class man and there is tenth class man, but everyone can be utilized for the ultimate goal of life. That is classless. And that means everyone can become Kṛṣṇa conscious. It doesn't matter whether by his qualification he is first class or last class. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is transcendental. First class, last class is considered in the material world. But so long one is not on the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for him this training is required to become a first-class man. And for a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, if he simply becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, then automatically he becomes a first-class man. This is the secret of success. Kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyanāḥ, dhunvanty aghaṁ nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. It is said, dhunvanti Every sinful reaction becomes washed away if one becomes vāsudeva-parāyanāḥ, kevalayā bhaktyā. All these qualities can be attained by a devotee automatically. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇair tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). Sarvair guṇaiḥ, all good qualities As it said, guṇālayaḥ, the reservoir of all good qualities. This can be attained, this stage can be attained, only by training in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Our business is to fix up my mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. So this Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting, will help us. As soon as we chant, we hear. It is not that simply by seeing Kṛṣṇa you become perfect. By hearing Kṛṣṇa also. This is also another sense. We gather knowledge from different senses. Suppose there is a good mango. So when you say, "Let me see how the mango is," but you are seeing. No, this seeing is imperfect. You take little portion of the mango and taste it; then you can understand. So experience is gathered from different senses. Why you are giving stress only on seeing? This is foolishness. Just like you can... Even if you do not taste—the mango seller may not allow you to taste—but you can smell. By smelling, you can understand whether the mango is good or bad. After all, you have to get experience. So why we should stress upon seeing Kṛṣṇa? That is most foolish proposal. You have other senses. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to be perceived by you by other senses. What is that? If you hear Kṛṣṇa, then you must know there is Kṛṣṇa. There is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not different from His name, from His form, either form or name or quality or paraphernalia, anything. He is Absolute. There is no duality. Anything you perceive, that is Kṛṣṇa. This Kṛṣṇa temple is also Kṛṣṇa. So we have no sufficient knowledge how to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to be understood by us in so many ways. So the Kali-yuga, therefore, name is so important. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). This formula should be seriously taken. Kṛtāśeṣa agha-niṣkṛtam. Aśeṣa. Unlimited amount or unlimited number of sinful activities are already finished.
So the Yamadūta forbade them, that "Don't touch him. He is not fit for going to Yamaloka, but he is fit for going to Viṣṇuloka." Bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṇaḥ. The most important thing is how to become successful. At the time of death chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This should be there. Bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṇaḥ. That will be the perfection of life.
So Yamarāja says, (reads Sanskrit commentary) ko 'sau yatra yasmin vittam otam protam urdham urdhva tiryak tanti tu tatavat yasya tu amsabhyo brahma-visnu-rudrebhyasya trtiyadaya bhagavān tu yasya ca bhase loka vartase nasi nasikayam prota bali madhyam iva vastu.(?) So, before claiming oneself as the Supreme, one should consider how he is the Supreme. There are different controllers. And the supreme controller, as is explained by Yamarāja, is one who creates this cosmic manifestation, maintains, and again annihilates. He is the supreme cont... And this is confirmed by Bhagavad-gītā, that this prakṛti, or the nature, is not working independently. The scientists take it, a platform, that the nature is doing out of its own accord. That is not a very scientific proposal. Anyone knows that nothing takes place automatically unless one living force adjusts the materials. The house does not come automatically, although the ingredients are there. It has to be handled by a living entity, and then the house is appearing as one of the product of this material world. Similarly, we have to consider that this big cosmic manifestation is not creation of blunt material energy. No. That is not possible. There must be. How one can deny God? There is no possibility of denying God.
So Yamarāja is explaining that "He is above me, the supreme controller, and He is the..., He is such controller that He creates, He maintains, and He annihilates also." We become so much harassed even for creating a family and maintaining them. We have become so much harassed. And foolishly we claim that we are the Supreme Personality of Godhead who creates the whole cosmic manifestation. And Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, the directors of creation department, maintenance department, and annihilation department... Annihilation also required. That annihilation is one of the business of Kṛṣṇa, or God, for this material world. Not in the spiritual world. There is no annihilation. Here it is required. Sometimes, because everyone has come here to lord it over the material nature, so there must be an ultimate situation when it becomes intolerable, and therefore Kṛṣṇa has to annihilate, finish. That is kalki-avatāra.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja's proposal is that kaumāra ācaret prājñaḥ. Intelligent Who is intelligent? He should begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness from childhood. Not that we have to wait. And he is presenting an analytical study of the whole life, that unless we begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness from childhood, hardly there will be opportunity to practice this transcendental method. Because in the beginning he has said that this life, human form of life, is very rare. The present educational system, they do not know it, that how important this human form of life is and how it has to be utilized. So that is being explained.
So he is analyzing the whole life, that puṁso varṣa-śataṁ hy āyuḥ (SB 7.6.6). Accepting that we have got one hundred years of life, but we have to waste half of it, fifty years, by sleeping at night. So immediately fifty years minus. Niṣphalaṁ yad asau rātryāṁ śete 'ndhaṁ prāpitas tamaḥ. When we sleep, we have no activity. We cannot make any advance, any department of knowledge. Sometimes we sleep more by intoxicating habit. So niṣphalaṁ yad asau rātryāṁ. The whole night is wasted because we cannot produce anything. There are two kinds of production: material production and spiritual production. Arthadam. Artha means factual profit. So there are two kinds of profit. Those who are materialists, they calculate profit by dollars, and those who are spiritualists, they calculate profit: "How much I have advanced today in spiritual or Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Both of them are profits. So either make this profit or that profit, but don't waste your time. That is the proposal. But the best profit is, for human form of life, to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The balance ten years, because the whole life we have spoiled in material activities, in the balance, ten years are wasted: "What I have done, and how to pull on? Oh, this was not successful. How I have to make successful? This boy was not educated. That boy was not properly brought up. He has gone out home...," so many anxieties. That means if we do not practice from childhood, then in the advanced age it is not possible. That is the proposal of Prahlāda Mahārāja.
There is a proverb in Bengali that kañcaya noyale bhas pas korbe nyastas (?). Bhas means bamboo. Bamboo, while it is green, you can bend it, but when its yellow or dry, oh, it cannot be bent. It will break. It will be break. Therefore school children... Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja is instructing his class fellows. School children, from five years old, they should be given lesson about Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness. Otherwise, in advanced age, oh, it is not possible. Generally, we find in our class or in this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, the youngsters, they become little more interested, but we don't find any old men. Why? Because whatever they have been taught, they cannot forget. It is very difficult to forget what he has been already taught. So they do not become interested.
The wrong is that so long we remain attached to these temporary illusory things, you'll not be able to get out of it. That is the whole program. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya. These pains and pleasure is due to this skin; it is not real. But because you are attached to the skin and bone, therefore you feel sometimes pain and pleasure. But that will not endure. Better tolerate it. Tolerate. That is spiritual, tapasya. That is called tapasya. When one can learn how to tolerate these temporary so-called pains and pleasure, then he is advanced.
So if one is simply attached to these pains and pleasures of material skin and bone, then how he can be free from the material condition of life? Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja is describing. It has to be... Prahlāda Mahārāja's proposal is that spiritual life should begin from very childhood, kaumāram ācaret prājño dharmān bhagavatān. Otherwise that attachment will continue, and you'll never be able to give up this attachment, and the spiritual..., material condition of life, the accepting one body, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), accepting one body and accepting another body, this will continue. But the real business of human life is to end this materialistic way of life, that die and again take another..., janma, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), to be implicated in these four things. Then our suffering will never end. This is spiritual life. Spiritual life means to end the sufferings of material existence. That is Prahlāda... Dharmān bhagavat..., durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma.
Thus fire of disagreement, enmity and friendship, it will go on, not only here, even in the heavenly planet. In the heavenly planet there is fight between the devas and asuras. The asuras are envious of the devas, and devas are also envious of the asuras. Everywhere. Even King Indra, he has got enemies although he's very opulent. We want to go to the heavenly planet for enjoying the opulence of that atmosphere, but there is also the same thing. (aside, coughing:) Water. So you cannot avoid it, Prahlāda Mahārāja says.
So we can try to counteract. Just like in this material world there are so many attempts to mitigate. Just like the United Nation. They have formed the United Nation formula to mitigate—no more fighting, no more war, no more enmity. This is an attempt. Enmity is there; otherwise why there is proposal of United Nations? Because we are disunited, therefore the counterproposal is "Let us become united." So he says, "To organize such thing is also very difficult and troublesome." "Although it is remedial measure, let us settle our misunderstanding"—it is very good proposal. But to settle up this misunderstanding is more troublesome. You have got experience. When you make some agreement with other party, he proposes something, you propose something. So although the agreement is a remedial measure, but come to the agreement is very, very difficult. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says this remedial measure, auṣadha, is still more troublesome. When there was enmity, that is troublesome. Just like when there is some disease, something—you have got a boil in your body—it is painful, but when you take the remedial measure, surgical operation, it is still more painful, still more. You have to take anesthetic, chloroform, because it is more painful. So anywhere there is fight, there is enmity, and if you want to settle up, it is more troublesome. So duḥkhauṣadhaṁ tad api duḥkham. The remedial measure is more troublesome than the disease, than the painful condition.
We have to dovetail it with Kṛṣṇa's consciousness. This is called oneness, or agreeing with the superconsciousness. That is called oneness. For example, just like you are citizens of this German state. If you are in agreement with the state laws, your life is secure and safe. But if you are in disagreement with the state laws, your life is not safe. Similarly, when we are in agreement with the supreme consciousness, then we become immediately peaceful and happy. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā says at the ultimate end, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "My dear Arjuna..." He is teaching to Arjuna—not only Arjuna, but all human society—that "You give up your all manufactured occupational duties. You simply agree to My proposal, and I shall give you all protection." It does not mean that we lose our individuality. Just like Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, "You do it," but He does not force him: "You do it." "If you like, you do it." Kṛṣṇa does not touch your independence. He simply requests you, "You do it."
So we can become happy and peaceful by keeping our individuality if we dovetail our consciousness with the supreme consciousness. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). This surrendering process, this voluntarily surrendering oneself to dovetail his consciousness with Kṛṣṇa, is possible after many, many births. (end)
"You are searching after another God than me. Now I shall kill you. Let me see how another God..." This is demonic. The demonic means atheist and unnecessarily, falsely, very much proud of their knowledge. This is demonic. This morning as I was talking, the so-called scientists, they are falsely proud and challenge, "There is no God. Everything..." That is demonic. So in the Kali-yuga the demonic spirit is very very prominent. Everyone is thinking, "I am God." So it is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy to cure all these madmen. Madmen.
- piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya
- māyār grasta jīvera haya se dāsa udaya
Piśācī, ghost-haunted. A man is ghost-haunted; he speaks all nonsense. So in this age, Kali-yuga, they are mostly like that. They speak all nonsense. So we should be careful not to accept their proposal. We shall stick to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We shall accept what Kṛṣṇa says and reject everything. Then we'll be saved.
When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was approached by Sanātana Gosvāmī, his first question was ke āmi: "Who am I?" This is the first education, spiritual education. And the same thing is taught in the Bhagavad-gītā because Arjuna was too much identifying himself in the bodily conception of life: "I belong to this Kurus' family, so if I kill them, then family will be ruined. The women will be widows, and they'll be corrupted. Then there will be unwanted children, varṇa-saṅkara, and in this way the whole world will be hellish," and so on, so on, so many, but beginning with the bodily conception of life. All, what was, Arjuna was explaining to Kṛṣṇa, that was... From material point of view, it is very nice. He wanted to become nonviolent. He did not like to kill his family members. He, rather, liked to forego his claim, that "I don't want. Let them enjoy." But everything, from material point of view, it was very nice proposal. But this identification with family, with nation, with community, this is all foolishness. All foolishness.
So if you study this point only, you'll see the whole world is full of fools and rascals, that's all, because everyone is identifying with his body. There is fight, the United Nation. What is this United Nation nonsense? Assembly of rascals and fools, that's all. (laughter) Because they have got this bodily concept of life we can say, freely. There is no—what is called?—defaming. Everyone, fools and rascals. How we can say? On the strength of Vedic knowledge. This is our power. Otherwise how we can challenge the United Nation that "You are all assembly of fools and rascals"?
Just like Jagāi-Mādhāi. Jagāi-Mādhāi was most dangerously sinful persons, and they surrendered to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You know the story, that he injured... Both the brothers injured Nityānanda Prabhu. Still, Nityānanda Prabhu was so persistent that He decided that "Inspite of all the faults of these two persons, I shall deliver them." So when He was injured by these two brothers, so Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very, very angry, and He immediately called for His cakra to kill these sinners. But Nityānanda Prabhu requested, "My dear Lord, in this incarnation You promised that You'll not take any weapon to kill. So don't kill them. Have mercy on them." This is Vaiṣṇava. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu became pacified. In the meantime these two brothers fell on the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's lotus feet: "Sir, excuse us and save us." In this way they became surrendered. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu made one condition, that "You have committed so many sinful activities. I shall excuse them immediately, provided you promise that you'll not commit again." This is initiation. This is called initiation, that to the spiritual master or Kṛṣṇa we surrender. He immediately excuses all sinful reaction of life. But if we commit again and again, that is not very good proposal. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra we become immediately free, undoubtedly, but if we take it as an instrument for committing sinful activity, then the danger is very...
Just like in the Christianity there is a process of confession?
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 the Vaiṣṇava's duty is... That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's proposal, that "Personally I have no problem. I am begging Your mercy for everyone, not for me, sir. I am quite sure. Because You are assuring, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14), so I have no such māyā. I have fully surrendered unto You. And You also promise, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). So I am simply fully surrendered unto You. Then as far as I know, I have done it. I shall continue it. So I have no problem." Therefore Vaiṣṇava is worshiped as para-duḥkha-duḥkhī.
This is going on. And Prahlāda Mahārāja is lamenting for these rascals, vimūḍhān. Vimūḍha means... Vi means viśeṣa pūrvaka, particularly. And mūḍha means rascal. Not only rascal—"particularly rascal." That is the problem for the Vaiṣṇava. Therefore, following the footprints of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and before that, Prahlāda Mahārāja, Nārada Muni, many, many ācāryas... So Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He also, He is thinking of these fallen souls. He has come again. First of all He came as Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You rascal, you are creating so many plans. It will not help you. You just surrender unto Me." He said, but still, we are so rascals, we could not take up the proposal of Kṛṣṇa: "Oh, why shall I surrender? Kṛṣṇa is also as good as I am. I am also a man; He is also man." Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritāḥ (BG 9.11). These rascals, they are so rascal that Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa comes to bestow His mercy as human being, they think that "Kṛṣṇa is like me." Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto. The rascal means he does not understand what is Kṛṣṇa, paraṁ bhāva. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). And these other rascals, they are declaring that "Kṛṣṇa is dead and gone; now I am Kṛṣṇa." So this is going on.
So that is the problem. For Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement these are the problems. First of all the public is also vimūḍha, rascal, and their so-called leaders, political, social, religious, and so on, so on, so on, so many leaders, misguiding them. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantrya uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Everyone knows that "I am completely under the stringent laws of material nature," and still, they are making plan to become independent. This is their vimūḍha, vimūḍhaka. This is their stupidity. Stupidity.
You cannot understand. There are many, many tapasvīs, raha. In Vṛndāvana you'll find many devotees, they are in a very secluded place. But my Guru Mahārāja did not like this process, secluded. We have discussed many times. Sometimes if you sit down in a secluded place, imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura, then you'll complain, "I am being disturbed in this way." One, that African boy, came? So he became disturbed. You must be disturbed. Because your mind is not controlled, if you sit down to get some extra credit, that "I have become so great devotee. I can remain in a secluded place and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa like Haridāsa Ṭhākura," it is cheating. It is cheating. You cannot do that. You cannot imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He met one beautiful young prostitute at dead of night, and the prostitute offered her body, and he was young man. He simply said, "Very nice proposal. You sit down. Let me finish my Hare Kṛṣṇa." (laughter) So this is not Don't laugh. It is very serious thing. So you cannot do that; I cannot do that. It is not possible.
So we should not imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. But we should... My Guru Mahārāja used to say, man tumi kisera vaiṣṇava. It is mental speculation that "I shall do like that. Raha, I shall... In a secluded place, I shall chant." You cannot do that because your mind is not yet trained up. It is for the highest perfection stage that anywhere one can sit down and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and remain happy. That is not possible for the ordinary stages. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja criticized, man tumi kisera vaisnava. Because it is all mental speculation, therefore he's chastising his mind, "My dear mind, you have become a Vaiṣṇava?" Man tumi kisera vaiṣṇava, pratiṣṭhara tāre nijanera ghare, tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava: "In a secluded place, sitting down, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, for you it is simply to get some material adoration and cheating the people." He has said like that. Don't try to do that. Always be engaged actively in Kṛṣṇa's activities.
We (conduct) our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, therefore, engaging each and every one of you in some active service. We don't advise that "You have become so advanced... Now you are initiated.
If we remain again like the monkeys and cats and dogs, eating, sleeping, mating, and dancing, that is not very responsible life. Every man should be responsible. That is Vedic culture, to create responsible man, not varṇa-saṅkara. Therefore Arjuna was very much afraid that "After war the women will be widows, they will be polluted, and varṇa-saṅkara population will come out." Actually that is the fact. After the last war the hippies have come out all over the world. This is the fact.
So if there is varṇa-saṅkara population, that means the human civilization is lost. Therefore here is the civilization, how... In this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada Muni is describing how civilization should be advanced. The first proposal is brahmacārī, how to create brahmacārī. Brahmacārī guru-gṛhe vasan dānto guror hitam. What is that? So what is the duty of the brahmacārī, it is now said. The first duty is that sāyaṁ prātar upāsīta: "They should be taught how to worship the Supreme Lord at least twice in a day," sāyaṁ prātaḥ, "in the morning and in the evening." Tri-sandhya. The prescription is for tri-sandhya. One should take bath three times. In India there is no difficulty. Even in Western countries you have got very good arrangement, hot water and cold water. You can arrange and can take bath. This is essential. Not that sleeping up to ten o'clock. This kind of civilization will not help you. This asuric civilization will degrade the human society. He got the opportunity of elevating himself, even going back to home, back to Godhead. But for want of real civilization they are going again back to monkey and cats and dogs. This is a fact. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to save them from going back to become cats and dogs. Instead of going back there, they are trying to send him back to God. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
| Page Title: | Proposal (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 10 of Feb, 2013 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=65, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 65 |