Nārada Muni says that, "Suppose next life a brahmin falls down, he takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Neither he executes the brahminical duties, nor he could prosecute Kṛṣṇa consciousness to perfection, still," Nārada Muni says: "there is no loss." There is no loss. Yatra kva va nica-yony apy amuṣya abhadra abhūt kim. Now, if the brahmin, by not executing his prescribed duties, he becomes a śūdra—next life he takes birth in a śūdra family or lower than śūdra family—so Nārada Muni says: "What is the loss there? Because Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that it will not leave the person who has once taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It will revive even in that lower status of life."
Just like, according to Hindu civilization . . . now, in this country, so the boys and girls who are taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, previous to this, they were meat-eater; they were so many things which, according to brahminical religion, these are abominable condition. But see the practical. Even they were fallen this abominable condition some way or other, but because in their last life they had some advancement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, immediately they are taking up.
So those who are joining in this movement in this country, they are supposed to be previously Kṛṣṇa conscious. Somehow or other, they could not execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness in full. So although they are born in a country where there is no trace of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no, I mean to, even purity of life, still, they are taking up. So where is the loss? There is no loss. Nārada Muni wants to point out that anywhere . . . Bhagavad-gītā also confirms it, that one who has once taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, anywhere he is in the next birth, he will again take it up. This is natural.
So Nārada Muni stresses this point that, yatra kva vā abhadram abhūd amuṣya kim. There is no loss. The . . . because the seed, once sown, it will grow. It will grow. This example is given in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta by Lord Caitanya to Rūpa Gosvāmī: bhakti-latā, the plant of bhakti, growing. Simply we have to water it.
Those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they should not be satisfied that whatever they have done, it is nice—"Even I fall down, there is no . . ." No. You have to execute as far as possible. But this is spoken. If by chance there is falldown, there is no loss. But we should not take that . . . we should not be careless. Śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana (CC Madhya 19.152). Just like our program in this New Vrindaban, very nice program. From four-thirty in the morning till ten o'clock, there is nice program. So this program should be continued. Then there is no question of falling down. Simply executing this program.
Next verse: bhakti-vāsanā sad-bhāva iti bhava avayad vistu kevalam sva dharma pakvo 'tha vayaptya abhajatam. Now, once this Kṛṣṇa consciousness awakens, it is so nice that it will not let the person fall down. No. The . . . rest assured. Fall down. It will grow simply. If it is checked for the time being, but that checking is for temporary checking. It will again come out. So don't lose this opportunity. Go on with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the simple method. So there is no question of falldown. Bhakti-vāsanā sad-bhāvāt. Bhakti-vāsanā, this desire that, "I'll serve Kṛṣṇa," this desire is sufficient to keep him, I mean to say, intact. This very desire, bhakti-sad-bhāvāt. This desire will never die.
- tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido
- na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ
- tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ
- kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā
- (SB 1.5.18)
Nanu svadharma matrad api karmana pitṛloka srute, pitṛloka-prāpti phalaṁ asti va tatraha tasyaite kovida viveki tasyaiva hetoḥ tad arthaṁ yatra kuryād yad upary brahmaloka paryantam adhaḥ sthāvara paryantam brahmadbi jivena na labhate. Now, those who are karma-kāṇḍīya, karmīs . . . karmīs means those who follow strictly the ritualistic ceremonies, as it is indicated in the Vedas. They are karmīs. Karma, akarma and vikarma. There are three divisions of our activities. Generally we say karmīs, ordinary men, who are working hard to earn some money and enjoy. Actually, they are not karmīs, they are vikarmīs.
Real karmīs . . . just like a thief. A thief is stealing. That is also certain kind of activity. It is not inactivity. So we cannot say that this is bona fide activity. He's also planning. He's also making plan—how to steal, how to go upstairs of the house and then come down. So there is activity. But such kind of activity is not bona fide activity. Therefore, according to śāstra, it is called vikarma. Vikarma means it is counteractivity. Activity means you have to work legally. That is activity. If you say that "I am very much active in stealing," then that is not excused. Then you'll . . . Government will say: "Please stop your activity. You come into the prison." Yes. (chuckles)
So similarly, this kind of activity, sense-gratificatory activities, they are not karmīs even. They are vikarmīs. Because they are preparing their ground-adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram (SB 7.5.30) "By such activities they are going to the darkest region of hell." Adānta . . . why? Now adānta-gobhiḥ. Adānta means uncontrolled, and go means senses. Such activities, impulse by uncontrolled senses, they will lead . . . such activities will lead him to the darkest region of hellish conditional life.
So activi . . . real activity means to elevate yourself. That is . . . that is called karma. Karma, akarma and vikarma. Vikarma means such activities will, which will lead him to the hellish condition of life. And karma means that activity which will promote you to the higher standard of life, in the higher planetary system, where the standard of life is far, far greater than in this planet. So that is called karma.