Punar musiko bhava... cited

Expressions researched:
"Punar musiko bhava" |"punar musika"

SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13

SB 10.10.13, Translation and Purport:

Atheistic fools and rascals who are very much proud of wealth fail to see things as they are. Therefore, returning them to poverty is the proper ointment for their eyes so they may see things as they are. At least a poverty-stricken man can realize how painful poverty is, and therefore he will not want others to be in a painful condition like his own.

Even today, if a man who was formerly poverty-stricken gets money, he is inclined to utilize his money to perform many philanthropic activities, like opening schools for uneducated men and hospitals for the diseased. In this connection there is an instructive story called punar mūṣiko bhava, "Again Become a Mouse." A mouse was very much harassed by a cat, and therefore the mouse approached a saintly person to request to become a cat. When the mouse became a cat, he was harassed by a dog, and then when he became a dog, he was harassed by a tiger. But when he became a tiger, he stared at the saintly person, and when the saintly person asked him, "What do you want?" the tiger said, "I want to eat you." Then the saintly person cursed him, saying, "May you again become a mouse." A similar thing is going on all over the universe. One is going up and down, sometimes becoming a mouse, sometimes a tiger, and so on. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said:

brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva

guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

(CC Madhya 19.151)

The living entities are promoted and degraded by the laws of nature, but if one is very, very fortunate, by association with saintly persons he gets the seed of devotional service, and his life becomes successful. Nārada Muni wanted to bring Nalakūvara and Maṇigrīva to the platform of devotional service through poverty, and thus he cursed them. Such is the mercy of a Vaiṣṇava. Unless one is brought to the Vaiṣṇava platform, one cannot be a good man. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ (SB 5.18.12). An avaiṣṇava never becomes a good man, however severely he is punished.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.8.25 -- Los Angeles, April 17, 1973:

Dehāntaram means you have to accept another body. If you do not know what kind of body you are going to get... You can know it. That is stated in the śāstra, that if you have got such and such mentality, you get such and such body. So in a comfortable position, if I keep myself in the dog's mentality, then I am going to get my next life as dog. Then what is the value of this comfortable position? I may be in comfortable position for twenty years, thirty years, fifty years, or utmost, one hundred years. And after that comfortable position, when I give up this body, if, due to my mentality, I become a cat and dog and mouse, then what is the benefit of this comfortable position?

These, they, people do not know that. They think, especially in this age that: "I am now in comfortable position. I have got enough money. I have got enough estate. I have got enough comforts, enough food. So as soon as the body's finished so I am not going to take birth again. So long I am living, let me enjoy life." This is the modern philosophy, hedonism. But that is not the fact. Kuntī is therefore anxious: apunar bhava-darśanam (SB 1.8.25). Apunar bhava, not to repeat. If you see always Kṛṣṇa, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Your consciousness should be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa thought.

Therefore we give different varieties of engagement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We should not divert our energy. Now when we are selling book, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are selling book. But if we think that the selling book may be diverted into selling jewelry, that is not very good idea. That is not very good idea. Then we become again jeweler. Punar mūṣika bhava. Again become mouse. We should be very much careful. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be diverted. Then you are gone to hell. Even there is danger, even there is suffering in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should tolerate. That is the instruction of... We should welcome such danger. And pray to Kṛṣṇa. What is that prayer? Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇaḥ (SB 10.14.8). "My dear Lord, it is Your great mercy that I am put into this dangerous position." That is the viewpoint of devotee. He doesn't take danger as danger. He takes: "It is Kṛṣṇa's mercy." What kind of mercy? Now bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam. "Due to my past activities, I was to suffer so much. But You are mitigating that suffering, giving me little suffering."

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

That positive world, here it is said, tvayi me ananya-viṣayā matiḥ. This is positive. The negative side is to give up. To give up... Because we are living beings... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). So we want ānanda. So whatever I possess, now I give up. Then, if I don't get better engagement, then where is my ānanda? There is no ānanda. So as we do not get ānanda, so then I come back again. There is a Bengali hearsay, napad jimane na, na jamai batta.(?) When a widow, old woman, her husband is dead... We have got experience. And she talks very loosely with the grandson-in-law. I have got experience. When we were young, young married, so my grandmother-in-law, my father-in-law's mother, she was talking very loosely, just like husband and wife. So that's a practical... Because she... She is hopeless of getting another husband because she is old enough. So where is the husband? She accepts or talks like husband to the grandson-in-law. So similarly, the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not accept Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's līlā. They think it is māyā. They do not accept it. So there is no ānanda. Therefore they come down again. Punar mūṣiko bhava. Again open hospital because there is no engagement. And he has to raise fund. So this is very easy thing: "Sir I am going to open a hospital. Give me some fund." Nowadays, especially, it is very difficult to collect fund. If you say, "I am going to open a temple," nobody will give you. But if you say, "I am going to open a hospital," he'll give you. So therefore we must have positive engagement. Simply negation, jagan mithyā... Why jagan mithyā? We don't say jagan mithyā. This building, this nice building, is it mithyā? It is not mithyā. It is perfectly true because here Kṛṣṇa is being worshiped, the devotees are chanting... This is life, this, truth. So why shall I say "jagan mithyā"? You have to utilize jagat in such a way that it will become truth. That process is saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Here only business is how Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. That is the only business. That is perfection. To become perfect means to learn how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. It doesn't require education and doesn't require big, big titles or... Nothing. You try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13).

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

So this is the process. The more you become attached to Kṛṣṇa... That is very psychological. If you become attached to something, you become detached to something else. Attachment, detachment cannot be. So more you become attached to Kṛṣṇa, then more you become detached to this material world. Just like... You, you, you cannot by artificial means, all of a sudden, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "I take sannyāsa." No, that will not be. First of all, you have to increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa. Then the sannyāsa order will be durable. Otherwise you'll fall down. Again you'll be attached. Punar mūṣiko bhava. There are so many instances. So both things should be performed simultaneously, parallel line that you should take up the process how to increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa, and then automatically detachment will be there. The same example, as given by Rūpa Gosvāmī, that you are hungry. When you take food, that, gradually you become satisfied and your hunger is also satisfied. So when you are fully satisfied... Just like Dhruva Mahārāja said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "My dear Lord, my dear Sir, I am not hankering after any benediction. I am completely benedicted. No more benediction. I have got everything. I have got You, Kṛṣṇa. So what do I want more?" Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. If one gets Kṛṣṇa's favor, if one gets Kṛṣṇa, what does he want more? He has got everything, because Kṛṣṇa is everything.

Lecture on SB 1.15.20 -- Los Angeles, November 30, 1973:

So after departure of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's all the wives, 16,108, they were being taken care of by Arjuna. But some cowherdsmen, they plundered all the queens, and Arjuna could not protect them.

So this is the instance, that we may be very powerful so long Kṛṣṇa keeps us powerful. We are not independently powerful, even in the case of Arjuna. We are very much proud of our janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrīḥ (SB 1.8.26). The material world, everyone is very much proud of his birth, riches, education and beauty. Beauty. These four things are obtained as result of pious activities. And as a result of impious activities, the opposite number. Not birth in a very nice family or nation, no wealth, poverty, no education and no beauty. But one should know that these assets, material assets... Just like you American people. You have got nice assets. You are born of a very respectful nation-American nations are still honored all over the world. So that's a good opportunity for you, janma. You are born in... Every American is... In comparison to India, every American is rich man, because any ordinary man earns here at least four thousand, five thousand rupees. And in India, even the high-court judge, he cannot earn so. Utmost four thousand. So you should be conscious that by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, you have got all these things. There is no poverty, there is no scarcity, there is good chance of education, and you are wealthy, beautiful, everything. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrīḥ. But if you do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, if you misuse these assets, then again punar mūṣiko bhava.

Lecture on SB 1.15.20 -- Los Angeles, November 30, 1973:

You know the story, punar mūṣiko bhava? Anyone knows? Punar mūṣiko bhava means "Again you become a mouse." (laughter) A mouse came to a saintly person: "Sir, I am very much troubled." "What is that?" People generally go to saintly persons for some material profit. That is the nature, animalistic nature. Why you should go to a saintly person for some material benefit? No. You go there to learn what is God. That is real business. Anyway, saintly persons sometimes receive. "So what do you want?" Just like Lord Śiva, his devotees are all like that mouse, want something. "Sir, this cat troubles me very much." "So what you want?" "Let me become a cat." "All right, you become a cat." So he became a cat. Then after few days, he came back. "Sir, still I am in trouble." "What is that?" "The dogs, (laughter) they trouble us very much." "So what you want?" "Now I want to become a dog." "All right, you become." Then after few days... One after..., there is nature's arrangement. One is weak, one is strong. That is nature's arrangement. So after all, he wanted to become a tiger. So by the grace of the saintly person, he became a tiger. And when he became a tiger, he was staring on the saintly person like, oh. (Prabhupāda makes a face-devotees laugh) So the saintly person asked him, "You want to eat me?" "Yes." "Oh, then you may again become a mouse. (laughter) If by my grace, by my favor, you have become tiger, so I will again condemn you to become a mouse."

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:

Without following the principles, religious principles... The human life is given a chance by the nature, that "In this life you make a solution of this birth and death," janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So these rascals do not know that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi is actually problem. They are simply trying to solve so many temporary problems. They do not know the real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. Therefore, following the real religious principle means sad-dharma. That is lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, the greatest benefit to the human society—to stop their repetition of birth and death. That is the greatest... That is the business of the Gosvāmīs. Not this, this party or that party, capitalism and communism, this "ism," that... What they will derive? You may follow capitalism or communism or this "ism," that "ism"; after death, you'll be immediately under the grip of material nature, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). "Now all your so-called rascal nationalism go to hell. You become a dog. Finish." That is nature's course. You have treated your life like cats and dogs. You did not take advantage of your human life. Now nature will give you, "All right, again you become cats and dogs." Punar mūṣiko bhava. They do not know. They do not know the secret science of nature. You may be a very great leader, prime minister now. Next life you are going to be a dog in Scandinavia.

Lecture on SB 5.5.6 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1976:

. Just like you Americans, you are born in rich family, rich nation, but falling down, becoming hippies. Falling down. So there is chance. Not that it is guaranteed. "Because I am born in a rich family or brāhmaṇa family, that is guarantee." No guarantee. This māyā is so strong that it is only trying to drag you—drag you down, drag you down. So many influences. So therefore we sometimes see that these Americans, they are so fortunate they are born in a country where there is no poverty, there is no scarcity. But still, because the leaders are rascals, they have arranged for meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, and gambling. Advertise. Advertise naked woman and, what is called, beefeaters, and liquor. This is going on. Advertise cigarettes, just to pull them down again. Go to hell. Punar mūṣika bhava. They do not know what dangerous civilization this is dragging them. Therefore sometimes some saner section of the old men, they come to me, they offer their thanks: "Swamiji, it is a great fortune that you have come to our country." They acknowledge. Yes, that's a fact. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a great fortunate movement. And especially in the Western countries, that's a fact.

Lecture on SB 7.12.2 -- Bombay, April 13, 1976:

This is aim of life. One has to become mahātmā, greater soul, great soul, must understand. So therefore there must be training. Without training, how... Because after all, we are coming from the lower grade of life, animal life, and they are very expert scientist that "Man is coming from monkey." That's all right, but shall you remain a monkey or you shall become a better person than the monkey? But they have preferred to remain as monkey. That's all. When there is impotency, they borrow glands from the monkey for increasing their sex appetite. That means again going to the monkey. Punar mūṣiko bhava. There is a story that a mouse approached a saintly person. "Sir, I have come to you for some favor." "What is that?" "Now, I am mouse. The cats gives me much trouble. I cannot live peacefully on account of the cats." So the saintly person asked, "What do you want to become?" "I want to become a cat." "All right, you become a cat." Then after some time he again came: "Sir, I am still bothered." "Why?" "The dogs, they bother me." "Then what do you want?" "Now, let me become a dog." "All right, you become a dog." Then again after some time he came back, that "Still they bother me, sir." "What do you want?" In this way, after, one after, he, at last he begged the saintly person to become a tiger. So the saintly person, "All right, you become a tiger." Then, when he became tiger, he began to stare his eyes on the saintly person. The saintly person, "What do you mean by this?" "I shall eat you." "Oh, you shall eat me? All right. Punar mūṣiko bhava: Again you become a mouse. I have made you tiger, and you want to eat me. So you become again mouse."

Lecture on SB 7.12.2 -- Bombay, April 13, 1976:

So our civilization is like that, that in the gradual process of evolution we have come to the platform of human being. This human being is meant for understanding God, but they are forgetting God. Therefore the next stage is punar mūṣiko bhava, "Again become monkey." That is waiting us. The nature's law is like that, that from monkey we have become human being, and in the human being we are dancing like monkey. So nature will say, "All right, again you become monkey." You cannot check that. That is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). This nature's process is going on, but we are so advanced scientist that we do not know how nature is working. Automatically working. Nature's way of working is automatic. Just like you have got so many automatic machine, similarly, this is, this machine is made by the Supreme Lord. It is perfect machine, one after another, one after another. So just like if you infect some disease, nature's way, you will develop that disease. That is the way. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). This is stated. Now we have got this nice human form of body, but if we associate with the low-grade qualities of this material world—means tamo-guṇa—then again we are going to become animal automatically. They do not know it. They are thinking, "I am enjoying life by eating meat and drinking wine and having illicit sex and gambling. It is very joyful life." But he does not know that he is associating with tamo-guṇa, and he is going to be an animal, cats and dogs and monkey. This is a fact.

Festival Lectures

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

Because we cannot control our senses, we are driving, we are being pushed towards the darkest region of material existence, very hard to leave. Darkest region means that we are going to become animals next life. Because this is animalistic civilization. Nature gave us the opportunity to realize God, but God-realization is meant for human being. The human being, if he does not realize God, he's simply engaged in animalistic way of life—eating, sleeping, mating—then nature will call, "All right, sir, again become animal." Punar mūṣiko bhava: "Again become a mouse." You know this story? Punar mūṣiko bhava. There is a story. There is a very nice story. One rat, mouse, he came to a saintly person. Everyone comes to saintly person for some blessing, you see. Real blessing they don't want. Some material blessing. Real blessing, Kṛṣṇa, they don't want. If you give him some blessing that "You become very rich man and..." These... they'll be very much pleased. are all very well, this. So this mouse also came and begged the saintly person, "Sir, I am in difficulty. If you give me some blessing?"

"What is that?"

"The cat chases after me always. I'm very unhappy."

"So what do you want?"

"Now, if you make me a cat, then I can get relief from this."

"All right, you become cat." So he became cat.

So after few days, again he comes. "Sir, again I am in trouble."

"What is that?"

"The dog is chasing me." (laughter) Don't laugh, hear seriously. "Dog is chasing me."

"All right, then, what do you want?"

"Now, make me a tiger."

"All right, you become a tiger."

So when he became a tiger he was staring on the saintly person like this.

So he asked, "Why you are staring upon me? You want to eat me?"

"Yes."

So he again curses, punar mūṣiko bhava: "Again you become mouse. Again you become mouse."

So that is our position. We are advanced in civilization. Now we want to kill God. So we are again going to be uncivilized, to remain in the forest and to remain naked. Actually, they are practicing that: nature's life. So again they are going to be aborigines. And that is being practiced. They are going to the forest, they remain naked. So actually, punar mūṣiko bhava: "Again become mouse." Civilized human being means God conscious, happy life, no trouble, no enviousness, everything happy, no hard labor. Why hard labor? Everything is there. You just employ your little intelligence, you get sufficient food by grains, by fruits, by flowers, milk. There is no difficulty if we remain in our own way. So that is the difficulty, that we do not know that our ultimate goal of life is God-realization. Then God has got all arrangement. You cannot produce fruits and grains in factory. They are given by God. Why? That "You eat them and be Kṛṣṇa conscious, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." But we don't want that. We want slaughterhouse, unnecessarily.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Montreal, June 26, 1968:

All methods of acquiring knowledge can be divided into two groups. One group is called āroha-panthā, or research, inductive process. And another method is called deductive process, or avaroha-panthā. The knowledge coming from the supreme source, that is called avaroha-panthā, and the knowledge which is being sought after by using our imperfect senses, that is called āroha-panthā. Ascending process and descending process. So by ascending process, we can never come to the real knowledge. That is not possible, because our senses are imperfect. How we can ascend? Just like people are trying to ascend to the higher planetary system, but the instrument, sputnik itself, is imperfect. How you can go there? You can go 25,000 miles, again come back. Punar mūṣiko bhava. So this is going on. Because we are imperfect in every respect, so therefore we have to receive knowledge from the perfect. That is the process, real process. If your knowledge... Just like Janārdana suggested three processes, one by applying our senses, another by accepting knowledge from others, and another, rejection. Two ways. Or skepticism, make void. So this is out of frustration. So make the mind void, no more thinking. And knowledge by imperfect senses, that will always remain imperfect. And knowledge from others, that is real goal. But provided you receive that knowledge from the perfect... As we have given several times the example, just like a child wants to know who is his father. Now if he searches out "Who is my father?" he asks everybody, "Are you my father? Are you my father? Are you my father?" he will have to go on searching. Then again if he asks his neighbor, "Who is my father?" the neighbor also may not know and may give him misinformation. So that is also not possible. But if he goes to his mother and his mother is sincere and perfect, she can give, "My dear boy, he is your father." That is perfect. So neither by researching one can find out his father, neither by employing his imperfect senses. But if he receives the knowledge from the sincere mother, then the knowledge is perfect. And he has no other alternative to know who is his father except the source of a sincere mother. Similarly, the Bhāgavat says, acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet. Things which are beyond your power of realization, don't try to understand by your so-called logic and argument. All nonsense. All nonsense.

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 13, 1970, Indore:

Prabhupāda: The Indore was far better before. You can see from the buildings, from the whole city. It was very prosperous city. Still it is going on. So every state, the native prince, the Britishers maintained so many native prince. And because they maintained them, they were friends to the Britishers. They knew the policy, if you create zamindar, landlord. They created this aristocratic class to support them. So when Gandhi and other leaders started this movement all the princes and zamindars, they were in favor of British. Therefore it took so much time to transfer. And as a retaliation, the common people have bereft them of their kingdom. "No more kingdom because you always supported Britishers." It is a great politics. Therfore they have taken... The zamindars, immediately after this attainment of independence, all the zamindars and kings were bereft of their possessions. You were in Calcutta? Oh, none of you were with me. We saw one house for purchasing. That was a big zamindar's house, Tagore Thakur(?) You saw? Yes. If you have saw... How nicely it was. When they were in opulence in our childhood, oh, it was a house to be seen. There are many houses. Just like in England the lord families. In Ascot, where we stayed, that was also lord family's house. Now Yoko's house, a third-class Japanese girl. She has become the queen of the house. And how third-class, low-grade. It is the sitting room and a naked picture has... How much degraded people have become. How this man is daring to hang that picture in his sitting room so that everyone who comes sees. How much low-graded they are. They want change, but because they have no (indistinct) education they are going to the animal sphere. That is hippie movement. Yes. From animal standard they become civilized. The same story, punar muṣika bhāvaḥ. You know that story? "Again become mouse."

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 5, 1975, Mayapur:

Prabhupāda: Well, that is... Cats and dogs have also responsible for the family. What is credit for him?

Devotee: Well, what actually is responsibility?

Prabhupāda: No, no. The dog also allows the nipple to be sucked by the cubs. That is family maintenance. So what credit do you get by family maintenance? Why do you specially claim any benefit by maintain...? That is being done by the cats and dogs. Do you think that the animals do not take care of their children? Then if you take, then what is the difference between him and yourself? You are also the cats and dogs. Your main business is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. If you forget that—you remain cats and dogs—then you'll become again cats and dogs. Punar muṣiko bhava: "Again become a mouse." The mouse was given the chance to elevate gradually to a tiger, and when he became tiger, he wanted to devour the saintly person. And he said, "All right, again you become mouse." That is also... You are given the chance of self-realization. If you do not do it, then again become cats and dogs, maintain your family.