So our simple test is whether a man is devotee or not. If we find that He is a devotee, then we respect, "Yes, here is nice Vaiṣṇava." Even Yamarāja says, "Offer my respect to the Vaiṣṇava." But if we see that he is not a devotee, he is claiming himself as God, as the supreme, then immediately, according to the formula of Bhagavad-gītā, we accept-mūḍha. Because a mūḍha does not surrender. Mūḍha. That is the test. Anyone who has not surrendered to the principle of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja... (BG 18.66). That is the test. If he has not surrendered to God, or Kṛṣṇa, then he is mūḍha. That is also explained in the Bhāgavata that ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Why they are so mūḍhas? Just like cause and effect. If a man has no money, he is called poor, poor man. Similarly, if a man has no such sense to surrender unto God, he is mūḍha. He is mūḍha. So ye 'nye... But thinking that he has become liberated, he has become one with God, and he is God Himself, everyone is God. Therefore they are mūḍha. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ.
So it is in good words, vimukta-māninaḥ. Because it is said by Vyāsadeva or a devotee, little respectful, vimukta-māninaḥ, falsely thinking that he has become liberated. But when Kṛṣṇa says, because He is the Supreme Lord, He says that "He is a mūḍha. He is a rascal." Just like father can immediately call his son rascal or spiritual master can say, because superior position, a rascal. Others, the rascal may be addressed in an ornamented language. He is to be proved a rascal. But some, for friendly sake... Just like Kṛṣṇa, when He was talking with Arjuna, He directly did not say, "My dear Arjuna, you are rascal number one. You are rascal number one." Because friend. But He did not say that. But He said,
- aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ
- prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase
- gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca
- nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ
- (BG 2.11)
"My dear Arjuna, you are simply lamenting on this body. So, this is not the subject matter of lamentation." Actually, that is the fact. He was thinking that "My grandfather, my brothers, they will be killed," and he was putting forward great philosophy, this, that. "Humbug. And after all, this body will be finished. Either your grandfather's body or your brother's body, we do not kill them, in due course of time everything will be finished. That's a fact. Therefore aśocyān, why you are anxious, pertaining to their body?" Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). "And at the same time, you are talking great philosophy." Prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase. Prajñā, philosophy means prajñā-vādān. So aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). But nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ: "One who is actually learned, he does not take very much care of these things." That means "You are a fool." That means "You are a fool." It is called parenthesis, or... That "A paṇḍita, a learned man, does not do like this." It is called... What is the English? I do not remember now. That if I speak that "Sometimes, from my home, this thing was stolen, and the man who stole, he looked like you." But not directly, "You are the man who had stolen my property," but you can say in a gentlemanly way, "He looked like you." You see?
So similarly, Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who is not surrendering unto Me, who is not a surrendered soul, and thinking that he has become God, he is very learned scholar, Vedantist... These things are vimukta-māninaḥ." "Now I have no business to go to temple." In our country, there is a class. They have developed a system not to go to the temple. That is their propaganda, not to go to the temple. "Why you should go to the temple for finding out God? God is everywhere." If God is everywhere, now why not in the temple? What the temple has done? If God is everywhere, then in the temple there is God. You may call Deity worship as idol worship, but this situation created by Deity worship, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, practical... This was a church. This was a church. How many years ago? Since when we have occupied? Four years ago. And because nobody was coming, so this church was sold, and we purchased. Now why people are coming? The church or temple, if there is no God, so why people are coming? The same church. Because you could not convince them about the science of God. Therefore it was vacant. You cannot bluff all people for all the time. That is not possible. You must give them substantial. Then they will agree, "Yes, there is God."
So Parīkṣit Mahārāja special qualification... Sva-pūrveṣāṁ mahātmanām. This mahātmā I have already described. Mahātmā means devotee. Mahātmā does not mean a politician. Mahātmā means simply...
- mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
- daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
- bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ
- (BG 9.13)
He is mahātmā. Ananya-manasaḥ, without any deviation, twenty-four hours, he is engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. That is mahātmā. That is mahātmā. So Mahārāja Parīkṣit's situation is described. Here it is said, tasyaivaṁ vartamānasya. How he kept himself always, na pūrveṣām. Pūrveṣām, the very word again, as it was used previously in the thirteenth and fifteenth verse. Sva-pūrveṣāṁ mahātmanām. He was so responsible that always thinking, "Whether I am deviating from the path of my grandfathers, Yudhiṣṭhira, Arjuna?" That was his... In this way he was always thinking. That was his first business. Because his grandfathers were devotees, rājarṣi. Rājarṣi Yudhiṣṭhira.
So he wanted to keep himself on the position of rājarṣi. And because he kept himself on the position of rājarṣi, therefore he was able to punish the Kali. Because at the present moment there is no rājarṣi, all rascals and fools and animals are on the top of government, they cannot see what is Kali. They cannot see. Because he is also one of the members of the Kali. How he can see? Therefore the whole world is now being led by the Kali's agent. So they cannot check. Here it is said that nātidūre kilāścaryaṁ yad āsīt tan nibodha me. Suppose if you are not yourself in healthy condition, you cannot understand what is unhealthy condition. If you are not a scientist, you cannot see how the other thing is not scientific. If you are not yourself a medical man, you cannot understand what is the disease. So Mahārāja Parīkṣit, because he was addressed, rājarṣi, pūrveṣāṁ vṛttim anvaham... He was following strictly the occupational duty of his forefathers. Anu, ahani, day to date, not forgetting even for a single moment. Therefore he could see that what is that Kali. The Kali, we have, I mean, avoiding Kali: no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, and no meat-eating. These are Kali. You will understand from this chapter gradually. These four things are representative of Kali. Now at the present moment, all over the world, Kali's influence is going on. Everyone, almost everyone, 99.9 percent. You cannot say cent percent because there are some saintly persons. So take it, 99.9 percent, all under the influence of Kali. Illicit sex life, gambling, intoxication and meat-eating. So how these people can see what is Kali? He is himself under the influence of Kali.
Therefore, Parīkṣit Mahārāja's situation, vartamānasya, tasyaivaṁ vartamānasya, how he was being situated, in what position he was. Just like not to go so far as to go to Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Even those who are neophytes, trying to be beyond the range of Kali-yuga, our members of the Kṛṣṇa society, because they have given up these four sinful activities, they can see how one is influenced by Kali. So this is the position. Therefore he could see. Now because the so-called leaders, so-called presidents, they are themself agent of Kali, how they can stop this illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling, and intoxication? They cannot do. So you have to take shelter of the śāstra, and then you will be able to avoid it. Otherwise, it is not possible.