Everything is meant for ending our sufferings. If there was no suffering, then nobody would have taken education. You see? But he thinks that "If I am educated, if I become a doctor or if I become a lawyer or if I become an engineer, I will be happy." Happy. That is the ultimate aim. "I will get a good job, government job. I'll be happy." So happiness is the end of every, I mean to say, pursuance. So... But these mitigation of sufferings, they are temporary. Real suffering, real suffering is due to our, this material existence, these three kinds of suffering. So when one is conscious about his suffering and he wants to make a solution of this suffering, then there is necessary of a spiritual master. Now, if you want to make a solution of your sufferings, and you want to consult a person, now what sort of person you must meet who can end your all sufferings? That selection must be there. If you want to purchase a jewel, diamond, and very valuable thing, and if you go to a grocer's shop... Such kind of ignorance—you must be cheated. You must be cheated. At least you must approach to a jewelry shop. Jewelry shop, you see? So much knowledge you must have.
Very valuable (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So is there no direction for your spiritual realization of life? Yes, there is. We have to abide by that. Therefore Lord says, evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakram: "This is a circle, circle, that in Vedic literature, Vedic scripture, they give you direction how to work." And by working you perform yajña. By performing yajña, you have got regular rainfalls. By regular rainfalls, you get production of grains. And by production of grains, you eat and live happily. So this is a circle. This is a circle. So Lord says, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakram. Cakram means circle. This is a circle.
Nānuvartayatīha yaḥ: "One who does not follow this circle of activity," aghāyuḥ, "he is simply spoiling his life. He is is simply "aghāyuḥ." Aghāyuḥ means "His duration of life, his duration of very valuable human form of life, he is simply wasting." Why? Indriyārāmaḥ: "Simply for sense gratification like the cats and dogs and hogs." Aghāyur indriyārāmo moghaṁ pārtha sa jīvati: "His life is now doomed. His life is now doomed." So this is the injunction of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Evaṁ pravartitaṁ cakraṁ nānuvartayatīha yaḥ: "Anyone who does not follow this circle of activities, then it is to be understood that he is spoiling his valuable human life, and his life is doomed." Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Similarly, here Lord says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: (BG 4.13) "According to quality and karma, these cātur-varṇya, four classes or four castes or four classes of division of the human society, is created by Me." So brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. If you want to know Brahman... Because that is the prerogative of your life, human life. Vedānta-sūtra says, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā: "Oh, here is the chance for inquiring about Brahman." Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now we should take the chance to become a brāhmaṇa. As soon as we begin to inquire about Brahman or the Supreme Brahman, Kṛṣṇa, then my process of becoming the brāhmaṇa begins.
You know that the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas, they have got the sacred thread. You have seen. I have got the sacred thread. This is, of course, not very valuable. It is... (chuckles) It is made of cotton. But this is a badge. This badge is given to a person who is twice-born, who is twice-born.
Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not know that there is relationship that the Parabrahman and Brahman can be engaged in loving transaction. That they do not understand. They think that Brahman, when merges into the existence of Parabrahman, then business is finished. No. Business is not finished. Because we are individuals. It is not possible to remain without any activity. That is theory, that without any activity we can remain. That is not possible. And if we have no information of the spiritual activity, then we have to come back again to this material activity. That is practical example. There are many sannyāsīs. They so-called merging into Brahman, but they come back in material activities, in politics, in sociology and so on. So therefore these instructions are very valuable. nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma. Śārīra, just to maintain your body. Be satisfied. Whatever is supplied by Kṛṣṇa, be satisfied. Don't aspire more and more. Save time for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.... (break).... so that you can, with great enthusiasm, you can make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śārīraṁ kevalam. Not for sense gratification.
Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master. First of all he was talking just like friends, but when he saw that by friendly talkings the problem which was present before him, that cannot be solved, therefore he accepted Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, and the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa, first of all chastised him in this way, that aśocyān anvaśocas tvam: (BG 2.11) "You are lamenting on the subject matter which is not object of lamentation." Aśocyān. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś... "But you are talking like a very learned scholar." So He mildly rebuked him that "This kind of lamentation is not done by paṇḍita, by learned scholar." That means "You are rascal number one. You are fool. You are talking like learned scholar, but you are a fool." Indirectly He says that gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. "Paṇḍitāḥ, those persons who know..." Just like this body. Paṇḍitaḥ, those who are learned scholar, they know that his body is the lump of matter. Just like a nice Rolls Royce car. It is very nice car, very valuable car. But it is after all a lump of matter. The car is important so long the driver is there. Otherwise, it is lump of matter. So those who are fools... Suppose if there is accident in the car. They become bewildered, "Oh, I am lost, I am lost." What you are lost? You are not this car. You are not this car. You are not this car. You get another car. Where is the cause of lamentation? That is being put, that "Why you are lamenting for this body? The body is not the object of lamentation. Either it is living or dead, it is a lump of matter." This is the meaning.
Now, when God came before him, God offered him: "My dear Dhruva, what do you want? Take whatever you like." Then Dhruva said, "My dear Sir," sthānābhilāṣī tapasi sthito 'ham, "oḥ, I was situated in this severe type of penance simply for the matter of my father's kingdom, a land." Sthānābhilāṣī tapasi sthito 'haṁ tvāṁ prāptavān deva-munīndra-guhyam: "But I have now seen You, and You who is impossible to be seen even by the great sages and great saints. So I have seen You. So what is my profit?"
Now, kācaṁ vicinvann api divya-ratnam: "As if I came out of my home to find out some particles of glass, but I have found out a very valuable diamond." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "Oh, I am satisfied. I have no necessity of asking from You."
So if anyone, either in distressed condition or in poverty-stricken, if he goes to God and just like the same determination like Dhruva, that "I must see God and take this benediction from God," and if he happens to God..., see God, if he understands God, then he is, he no more, no more wants to have anything material.
Kṛṣṇa says man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), four things only. And mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.65). "By doing these four things, without any doubt, you come back to Me." And what are those four things? Man-manā bhava. "Always think of Me." That is very difficult job? You are seeing... (break) So man-manāḥ. And then you become bhakta. Unless you are bhakta, you cannot continue to think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad, mad-yājī. "Worship Me." So here is Kṛṣṇa, accepting everyone's worship. And what is the means of worship? Very simple. If you can offer very valuable things, that is all right. But if you think that you are poor man, you cannot supply any valuable things, Kṛṣṇa says, "Never mind." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). "Simply little flower, little fruit, if you offer Me with devotion, I accept." So there is no difficulty.
Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra informs, "Now you should inquire. You have got this developed consciousness of life, human form of life, very intelligent, and you are simply wasting your time simply for this eating, sleeping and mating? Oh, this is not your business. This is not your business." Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām means stool-eaters, hogs. So Ṛṣabhadeva says, nāyaṁ deha, this body, is very valuable body. Every living entity has got a body, but this human form of body, especially the civilized form of body, oh, this is very important. And how to utilize it? Simply for eating, sleeping? No. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. In the human society this form of body is not meant for simply toiling hard only for gaining these four principles of life. Because these necessities are supplied even to the hogs, the stool-eater. The stool-eater is considered to be the lowest of the animals, the hog. Still, he has got mating facility, he has got eating facility, he has got sleeping facility, and he has got defending facility. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says that "This form of life, this human form of life, don't waste in that way." Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ... You will have it. Even if you don't try for it, you will have it.
Kṣetra means field. Just like a tiller, agriculturist. He is given a certain tract of land, and he tills and produces grains or some vegetables or something eatable. And according to his capacity, there is production, and he makes profit out of it. Similarly, this body is the field and I am, or you are, who is occupying this body, we are tillers. This body is given by nature and I am spirit soul. As I want... Just like one may possess a very valuable land, one may possess not so valuable, ordinary, and one may possess a third-class field, similarly, we living entities, we are given a certain type of body to work with it and enjoy or suffer the resultant action.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
"That is karma" means that whatever happiness he has to enjoy, that will come automatically. Otherwise, he is destined to have something—that will come. Yathā dukham ajajñātaḥ. So our only point is that human life is very valuable. We should not waste it for nothing. Modern..., modern method of civilization is to develop economic development, to live very comfortably. That's all right. Do it. Everyone do his own business. But you don't forget Kṛṣṇa. That is not good. The point is, our real business is to understand Kṛṣṇa. But people do not try to understand Kṛṣṇa; they simply try for economic development. Their first business should be to understand Kṛṣṇa. Other business should be secondary. So at the present moment, it is very difficult task.
There are twelve bona fide ācāryas. Balir vaiyāsakir vayam. The ācāryas are mentioned. Dvādaśa-mahājanāḥ. Svayambhū. Svayambhū means Lord Brahmā. (aside:) Don't make sound. Svayambhū, Nārada. Nārada is also one of the authorities. They have been accepted at (as) authority for understanding religious principles. Religious principle is not to be understood by from a rascal. No, that anyone comes and says religious topics. No. We have to receive it from the authority.
So Bali Mahārāja is one of the authorities. Out of the twelve authorities, first is Lord Brahmā; the next, Nārada; the next, Lord Śiva; then next, the Kumāras; then Kapiladeva; then Manu, Vaivasvata Manu; then Prahlāda Mahārāja; then Janaka Mahārāja; then Bhīṣmadeva; then Bali Mahārāja; then Śukadeva Gosvāmī; and then Yamarāja. It is stated in the śāstra that mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). You cannot understand transcendental subject matter simply by dry speculation and argument. You cannot understand. Neither by reading Vedic literature. The conclusion is that you have to follow those who are authorities. Mahājano yena. Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Guhā. Guhā means the cave, mountain cave, and guhā means the heart. So suppose something is very valuable is there in the cave of the mountain, and you do not know how to search it out. But if you know somebody who knows it, if you follow him, that "He is going there so I may also follow..."
Still in India they say, brāhmaṇa-paṇḍita. Brāhmaṇa must be a paṇḍita, a learned. A brāhmaṇa rascal is not brāhmaṇa. You are... "What you are?" "I am brāhmaṇa." "What do you do?" "Now, I pull ṭhelā." So that is not brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means paṇḍita. He must be a learned man. Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. These are the brāhmaṇa's occupational duty. He must be learned scholar himself, and he would try to make others also learned scholar, paṭhana-pāṭhana, not that "I know." If you know something better, means very valuable, you must distribute it. Otherwise, in Sanskrit language they are called jñāna-khala: "miser in knowledge." One who has got knowledge... Just like in the modern world, if one is scientifically advanced, he gives the knowledge to others. He goes from university to university and speaks about the new invention. So similarly, brāhmaṇa means that he must have full knowledge and he must distribute the knowledge, not that keep it for himself, reserved: "Nobody should know it." No. Paṭhana-pāṭhana. So jñānaṁ vijñānam.
Oyster. The oyster produces pearls, very valuable. If you can collect the oysters you'll get valuable pearls. One pearl, ten thousand dollars. The wealth is there. So formerly people used these pearls, the valuable stones, silk, gold, silver, and decorated the body with nice manufactured ornaments. The beautiful for body.(?) But where are those things gone? Those things are now gone. Now plastic bangles. Advancement of civilization. All these beautiful girls without any ornament of gold, pearls and nice jewels, they have got plastic bangles. Just see the fun!
So festival. So there was no scarcity. Why? People were religiously inclined. Even for a beggar, there was sufficient. The temple, sufficient, everything. That is called ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ. Svṛddha, svṛddha means opulent. All the cities and towns were opulent; villages, opulent, no want. And they depended on the trees, plants, this river, the mountain, the sea. Those who were... They're expert, they would go underneath the sea and pick up the pearls. That is very valuable. And still there are. So for rich men, the jewelries, the silk, nice food, nice building. And poor man, also, even they do not require jewelries, but they were not hungry. Everything was complete.
All these rascals say, "In future." And we also believe, that "In future these rascals will give us all happiness." Not now. Now you die. Just like a clever lawyer, his client was condemned to death, to be hanged. I have seen it in Allahabad high-court. And still, he is patting him, "Don't worry. I shall get you released by appeal. Now you can go to be hanged, and I shall get you released." Like that. I have seen it. One big European barrister... In those days European barristers were very valuable. Mr. Armstrong. I had also one case in high-court. So one man, one medical practitioner, he killed his servant in the operation room very mercilessly. The servant was implicated with his wife. To revenge, he called the servant in the operation room. The servant did not know that he was to be killed. And immediately he was captured, chloroform, and mercilessly killed with knife and then packed up in a box. He was taking the corpse in a different place to throw away. In the meantime a police officer was passing. He saw that drops of blood is coming out of the box. He immediately arrested. So this case was. Then the doctor was condemned to death. So Mr. Armstrong was appointed his lawyer. So he was solacing, "Don't worry, I shall get you released by appeal." So our so-called scientists, they also say like that: "In future we shall do this. In future. Now you go to hell.
Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the same. That is absolute. In relative world consciousness is different from the person, but in the absolute world consciousness and the subject matter of consciousness is the same. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name is the same; Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's form the same. Therefore when you worship Kṛṣṇa's form it is not waste of time; it is worshiping Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is omnipotent, He can accept your service by presenting Himself in His form. But Kṛṣṇa can do that, that is His omnipotency. Otherwise why Kṛṣṇa will say patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad aham aśnāmi: (BG 9.26) "If somebody gives me something to eat, it doesn't matter very valuable, very palatable dishes. It doesn't matter. Even patraṁ puṣpam, little flower, little fruits which any poor man can collect"? Just like if you are very, very poor man, you have nothing to offer to Kṛṣṇa, but you want to offer something. So Kṛṣṇa says, "All right. Offer Me a little fruit, little flower." So if you have no money to purchase, if you go to a friend, "Sir, I want to take little flower to offer to Kṛṣṇa," at least if he is human being he will never deny. "Yes, take it." If he's a dog, that is a different thing. If he's a human being you can collect this little flower and fruit anywhere, any part of the world.
Sometimes you have to take tranquilizer pill for sleeping. So impartially studying, your sleep is not as nice as dog's sleep. Is it not? The dogs sleep without any anxiety. And I go to sleep with so many anxieties that the sleeping is disturbing unless I take one pill. At least, in America we have seen. In your country, in Paris, you do not? You sleep without pill? Is it? That's a good credit. Anyway, every one of us, we sleep at night. And another, our, means, advantage is that at night we enjoy sex life. Sleep or sex life. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena. Vyavāyena means sex. Vyavāya. In this way, this human form of life is very valuable. The more we are engaged in these animal propensities, more we waste our valuable life. That we should know. The more we decrease these animal propensities... The animal propensities means eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. So just see. The whole human civilization, how they are wasting their time in animal civilization. It is very serious thing, to be thought of by serious, thoughtful men, that "What we are doing as human being? Eating, sleeping and sex life and defending, that is done by cats and dogs. What extra things we are doing?" That is thoughtfulness. The extra thing is here, worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. This is wanted. This is extra thing. Therefore, those who are intelligent and fed up with this eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, they take Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously. They get something. "Yes, there is some..."
Prahlāda Mahārāja was a great devotee. He learned spiritual knowledge from Nārada from the womb of his mother. So he decided that "I shall live a spiritual life." So although he was king's son, a very powerful king's son, he was not interested anything with spiritual, er, material. He decided. So from the childhood, he was trying to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Where he should get opportunity? He was a child of five years old, and king's son, locked up within the palace. So he was taking opportunity in the school. As soon as he go to the school, and the teachers are out, he'll stand up on the bench and speak of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A five-year-... You have seen the picture. So he was advising, "My dear friends"—they were all five years, four years old—"now take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha: (SB 7.6.1) "This kaumāra, this age, from the very beginning of life, you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." He was advising. They, they were all asuras. They were asking, "Why Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Let us play now, jump like monkey." So he was not... "No, no. Let us take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." "Now, why we should take Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Now, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma: "Oh, it is very valuable. This human form of life is very valuable." Because in this life only you can become Kṛṣṇa conscious, not in the body of cats and dogs. That is not possible. Or trees.
I am eternal part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. I may be very minute part, but because I am now attached to the complete machine, now I am safe. This example I have given so many times. A big machine and a small screw, part of it. When it is detached from the machine, it has no value. But when it is again attached to the machine, even it is very insignificant, small, it has got value.
Similarly, ātma-prasāda uta yatra guṇeṣv asaṅgaḥ. Asaṅgaḥ, no more connection with this material nature. But I have my connection with Kṛṣṇa. It may be little, very. I may be very minute, but that, I mean to say, connection is very valuable. I have given many times this example that a car running at a speed of 60 miles, and a cycle is running at the rate of 10 miles, but as soon as the cyclist catches the car, the cyclist also runs in the 60 miles. So similarly, instead of trying to satisfy our senses independently, if we join with Kṛṣṇa in His rāsa dance, as cowherd boys, gopīs, we join with Kṛṣṇa, then you get the same pleasure as Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't try to enjoy independently. Just like here, in this temple. Every one of us trying to enjoy life in connection with Kṛṣṇa. As soon as we are disconnected with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this kind of foodstuff or this kind of living, simple living, will not satisfy you. You'll be tossed by the waves of material nature.
So when you have got developed consciousness, try to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't waste your time in nonsense literature. Don't waste. The life is very valuable. You don't think that "Because we have got human form of life, we shall live for one hundred years or sixty or seventy years, so let us enjoy." Bhāgavata says this kind of enjoyment is there everywhere—in animal life, in plant life. This enjoyment means sex pleasure. Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. Viṣaya. Viṣaya means eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. This is called viṣaya. One who is very much fond of these principles of life only... Just like animals. They have no other problem. They do not know what Kṛṣṇa consciousness, what philosophy, what is metaphysical understanding. They have no such problem. Their only problem is eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That's all. So this human form of life is not like that.
Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said that vidvatvaṁ ca nṛpatvaṁ ca naiva tulyaṁ kadācana. A man who is learned, and man who is very rich, so how they should be compared? The Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, "There is no comparison." Comparison must be there when there is points of similarity. Just like we say, "Your face is just like moon." So if the face is actually similar to the moon, then we can say. Points of similarity. Analogy means there must be points of similarity. The largest number of similarity makes the analogy perfect. This is logical rules. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that to a rich man and a learned man, there is no comparison. They are different categories. Why? Sva-deśe pūjyate rājā vidvān sarvatra pūjyate. A rich man, a king, may be very respectful, respectable, in his own country amongst his own men, but a vidvat, a learned scholar, he is respected all over the world. Tri-bhuvane mānyau. So if one is respected all over the world and if one is respected in his own village, so how there can be any comparison? These are the Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's instructions, very valuable.
We go on with the temporary problems and become busy to solve it, and in this way we waste our, this valuable human form of life like the cats and dogs. This is the instruction. So we should not do that. We must be sober, and we must... And it is not very difficult. The knowledge is there in the Vedic literature. And it is... Everyone can accept it. It is not a sectarian, so-called religious principle. It is scientific. Every human being should understand his position. Every human being should not waste his valuable time. So therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee and a great Vaiṣṇava ācārya, he has sung a nice song, that hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu: "My dear Lord, I got this chance of human form of body. Unfortunately I have wasted my time without any self-realization." Hari hari biphale, janama goṅāinu. Manuṣya janama pāiyā, rādhā kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā: "I got this very valuable form of life, human form of life, but instead of understanding what is God, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu, "knowingly I have drunk poison." This is the opportunity to understand God and make solution of all different types of births and deaths and transmigration from one body to another.
So Ṛṣabhadeva is asking that sense gratification there is necessity, because we have got senses. But not with too much trouble, accepting too much trouble in the name of economic development. Because our time is very valuable. If we want to utilize our short duration of life which we have got at our disposal, we must utilize it for self-realization, not for unnecessarily increasing the necessities of bodily wants. This is not a good type of civilization, simply wasting time for sense gratification. Time should be utilized for greater advantage. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. You know... In your country I have seen many tabloids, "Time is money." Yes, actually time is very valuable, but we do not know how to utilize this time. That is the mistake of this present civilization. Time should not be, I mean to say, wasted simply for sense gratification. So far the problem of sense gratification is there, it should be minimized. It should not be increased. Minimized.
So this human form of life is very valuable, especially those who are born in India. Those who are born in India, it is automatically Kṛṣṇa conscious. Unfortunately, we are killing that consciousness. This is our advancement of civilization. So our only request is that "Don't kill yourself. Don't commit suicide. Take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness." It is explained very nicely in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. Why should we not understand Kṛṣṇa? Why? Why we are spoiling our life? Of course, Bhagavad-gītā is very popular book. Practically everyone reads. But unfortunately they do not... Most of them, they do not take Bhagavad-gītā as it is. That is the difficulty. If you take Bhagavad-gītā as it is, you become self-realized liberated soul. But the misfortune is that we become more than Kṛṣṇa, and we want to comment Bhagavad-gītā in our own way. That is our misfortune. (applause) That is our misfortune.
The modern civilization is so foolish. Simply like cats and dogs, they are eating and sleeping and sex life and little defense, that's all. They have no knowledge. So therefore we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Lokasya ajānataḥ, they do not know what kind of risky life they are conducting. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to make them awakened to the consciousness. That is the duty of a sane man or a gentleman. That is the instruction of the Vedas, to awaken people. Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata. This Vedic instruction is, to the human society, uttiṣṭhata: "Get up." Jāgrata: "Don't sleep. Be awakened." Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata. "You have got a boon. Try to understand it." Nibodhata. Prāpya varān. Varān means benediction. What is that benediction? The benediction is this human form of life. You should understand that you are not cat and dog, simply you shall spoil your life by eating, sleeping, and sex and defense. No. This is very valuable life. Labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte. This is the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. "No, don't spoil it. You have got this boon, this human form of life, after many, many births, evolutionary process. Don't you see so many different varieties of life? And you had to undergo through all these life. Now you have come to human form of life, so you should utilize it."
So here we must know what is dharma and what is adharma. Simply rubberstamp, "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this...," like the tilaka and mālā. No. You must know the science. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends, ye kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei 'guru' haya. Any person who knows about Kṛṣṇa perfectly well, he is guru. That's all. He is guru. So we have to learn this science, what is dharma, what is religion, what is irreligion, what is God. That is human life. Simply talking all nonsense, "There is no God and there is no creation," don't waste your time. Don't waste your time. The human life is very, very valuable. This is the time. In cat's and dog's life... We cannot invite the cats and dogs in this temple and take this lesson on Bhāgavata and Bhagavad-gītā. We invite human beings. We invite human beings because there is chance. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. A human being can understand what is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God. And if we act according to that, our life is successful. Simply denying God and manufacturing atom bomb and killing, is that civilization? No.
So, Kṛṣṇa is always joyful. Kṛṣṇa is always joyful. Just like see before you. Kṛṣṇa is joyfully accepting to be bound up by His mother. He is Supreme Lord; nobody can chastise Him, but He is taking pleasure: "How My mother chastises Me." This is also another pleasure. Just like a very rich man, he always eats very nice foodstuff. So sometimes he wants, "Can you give me little puffed rice?" Puffed rice is not very valuable food, but he likes. This is change of variety of enjoyment. So everyone worships God: "My Lord, my Lord, my Lord." So therefore God sometimes wants that "Who will chastise Me?" He selects one of His devotees, first-class devotees: "You become My father, you become My mother, and you chastise Me." This is God's pleasure. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. Then that is God. Ānanda, that is ānanda. Here, mother Yaśodā is going to bind Kṛṣṇa. It is not His displeasure; He is not unhappy. He is feeling happy. That is Kṛṣṇa. So in this way we have to understand Kṛṣṇa thoroughly. And if you simply understand thoroughly Kṛṣṇa, you are liberated.
Kṛṣṇa says directly, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). They will not hear Kṛṣṇa. They will hear these rascals, so-called yogis, so-called avatāras, so-called mahātmās. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. Therefore upadrutāḥ. They are always, constantly, disturbed. This is the position. So therefore this age, Kali-yuga, is the ocean of faulty things. Doṣa-nidhi. Nidhi means ocean. And you will find... Just like unfathomed water in the ocean, Pacific Ocean, similarly, this Kali-yuga is the ocean of unfathomed sinful activities. Kalau doṣa-nidhe. But Śukadeva Gosvāmī said to Parīkṣit Mahārāja, kalau doṣa-nidhe rājan hy asti eko mahān guṇaḥ. In this age this ocean of faults, there is a very valuable thing. That is special concession to these fallen souls of this age. Because Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He is always anxious to deliver us. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham (BG 4.7). He is father. He is the seed-giving father of all living entities. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, mamaivāṁśaḥ. So He is very unhappy. Of course, He cannot be unhappy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). But at least, because we are His sons and we are rotting in this material world for sense gratification, in this way He is very sorry. Therefore He comes and teaches us, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām: (BG 18.66) "You rascal, why you are going here and there? Just surrender unto Me. I will give you..." But still, the rascals will not take.
One who is intelligent, one who knows things as they are, he is called kovidaḥ. Kovidaḥ means very expert. So Bhāgavata advising the most intelligent man that tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ: "If you are intelligent, then you should try for advancing your Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Why? Na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ: (1.5.18) "Because this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so valuable and rare that if you travel all over the space by your sputnik or something else, you cannot get this Kṛṣṇa consciousness anywhere." Na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so very valuable that I shall simply devote my life only for attaining or achieving this end of life? Then what about my economic problem?" The Bhāgavata says, tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā: "My dear friend, because you are a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, so your economic problem is already solved." You will get something to eat, you will have some opposite sex to satisfy your senses, and you will be able to defend yourself according to your capacity, and āhāra-nidrā, and you will be allowed a place to sleep nicely. That is already arranged.
In Sanskrit language the atheist is called asura, asurian. And the persons who are God conscious, they are suras or āryans. So they belonged to the family of Assyrian(?) or asura. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is fortunately, although he is born of a father, completely atheist, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa and by the grace of his mother, he became a great devotee. From very childhood, from his birth, he was a devotee. Why he became such devotee, that is explained in later chapters. We shall come to that.
So he was agitating in the school amongst his classfellows to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So he's preaching. Just in the tiffin hour, in the recess hour, as soon as the teacher's gone, he took the opportunity and stood up on the bench and began to agitate his friends, "My dear friends," kaumāra ācaret prājñā, "now we should become Kṛṣṇa conscious from this childhood. Don't wait for your old age." Generally, people think that "When we shall become old, we shall take care of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious or God conscious or go to the church or temple. At present, let us play and enjoy life." So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "No." Kaumāra ācaret prājñā. Prājñā means intelligent. Intelligent means who does not waste time. Time is very valuable. You are American people. You know very well how to utilize time. But time is very valuable is also accepted in Vedic civilization. There is a very nice verse in Cāṇakya śloka. You just see how much time was considered as valuable. By this verse, you will know. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says Cāṇakya Paṇḍita was a great politician. He was sometimes prime minister of the emperor of India. So he says, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhya svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. He says that "A moment's time of your duration of life, moment..." Not to speak of hours and days, but moments. He was considering moment to moment.
So the Aryan family, they are considered as advanced, civilized, so, with full developed consciousness, and therefore this is the opportunity for understanding the value of life. So
- kaumāra ācaret prājño
- dharmān bhāgavatān iha
- durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma
- tad apy adhruvam (arthadam)
- (SB 7.6.1)
Adhruvam arthadam. He says that "This life is very valuable, very rare, but it is also temporary." Because it is very rarely obtained, it is not permanent. It is also temporary like cats and dogs. They have got their temporary body. But the one significance of this body is arthadam. Arthadam means you can derive the greatest value in this life. Arthadam. Artha means money, and paramartha means spiritual consciousness. That is also artha. So one should be engaged for earning money because the body requires material necessities. That's all right. But his real attention should be how to achieve spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is arthadam. That is the value of life.
From the word Bhagavān, bhāgavata has come. So this bhāgavata-dharma has been described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is. But at the present moment, with our material connection, instead of becoming the servant of God, or Kṛṣṇa, we have become servants of so many other things, māyā, and therefore we are suffering. We are not satisfied. There cannot be. It cannot fit. Just like you take one screw from the machine. If the screw somehow or other falls down it has no value. But the same screw, when you fit to the machine or the machine is not working for want of one screw, it is in disturbed condition, so you take that same screw and fit it and the machine working and the screw becomes very valuable. So we are part and parcel of god, Kṛṣṇa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7), He says, Kṛṣṇa. So we are now separated. We are fallen down. Another example is just like big fire and the small sparks. The small spark is also fire so long it is with the fire. And if somehow or other the sparks fall down out of the fire, it extinguishes. There is no more fire quality. But if you take it again and put it into the fire, again it becomes spark.
So this type of happiness, different types of happiness, and distress also. Actually, in this material world there is no happiness. Everything is distress. But on account of our ignorance we accept distress as happiness. That is called māyā. Māyā, mā-ya. "That is not." We are accepting something... The same example. Just like a hog is feeling happiness by eating stool. But it is not happiness actually. One who is not in māyā, one is not in the hog's body, he says, "Oh, what nasty food he's taking." That is also food. From food value, the stool is very valuable. It contains all hydrophosphates and so on, so on. The doctors, they have analyzed. But that does not mean because it has got very big food value the human being will agree to take stool. Sometimes it so happens that in the last war in the concentration camp, the human being was obliged to eat his own stool. So this is called karma. This is karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa, jantor deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1).
So this is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction, that "Don't waste your time. Human life is very valuable." And Cāṇakya Paṇḍita also says, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ: "You cannot get back even one moment of your life by paying millions of dollars. So if you waste your time..." The Kṛṣṇa conscious people, they should not be lazy. They should always remember that death is already there. Let me finish my business properly so that after death I may not be a cat and dog. At least I may get... There is no... My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "Why should you wait for another life? Finish Kṛṣṇa consciousness business in this life." In this life. Why you should set aside the business for another life? No. Tūrṇaṁ yateta anumṛtya pateta yāvat. This is the instruction of... Before the next death you should prepare yourself for death. Death is inevitable. You cannot avoid death. But before the next death comes, if you become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your life is successful.
There are so many questions sometimes: whether it is necessary to take sannyāsa and It is... By the routine work, it is necessary. But if one is serious, so for him it is not necessary—ahaituky apratihatā—because for a serious student of devotion, Kṛṣṇa is in his hand. So anyway, even if you are a sannyāsī or gṛhastha or vānaprastha, it doesn't matter. You should remain very humble. That is required. Sthāne sthitāḥ. And you should hear from the realized soul in humbleness. Then the Kṛṣṇa, the great, He will be conquered by you.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja was that type of mahā-bhāgavatam. He was not... As a child, he had... He did not know the sophistry or formality to become unnecessarily very prestigious. He was by nature a small boy. Just like here, these boys. If you insult, he doesn't care for it because he is child. Or if you praise him, he does not think himself very much puffed up. This is child's nature. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was in that position. He didn't care. His father wanted to chastise him in so many ways. He didn't care. He (was) always thinking, "He is my father. He is joking. That's all." This is simplicity. This is simplicity. This simplicity is very valuable. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was in that position. Therefore Brahmā selected him, that "My dear Prahlāda, my dear child, please approach the Lord. You can try to pacify Him." Prahrādaṁ preṣayām āsa brahmāvasthitam antike, tāta: "My dear child, my dear boy," tāta praśamayo upehi, "please go forward and try to pacify Him." Sva-pitre kupitaṁ prabhum: "Our Lord, Prabhu, He has become very, very angry." Nobody can excess in His anger. Just like nobody can excel the Supreme Personality of Godhead in anything, similarly, when He is angry, nobody can excel Him. He becomes so angry. So He is always... "God is great" means great in everything. When He is angry, nobody can excel Him in His anger. And when He is very peaceful, nobody can excel Him. This is God. Asamaurdha. God means nobody is equal; nobody is greater.
This planetary system is running on: the sun is rising in due course; the moon is rising in due course; there is seasonal changes; there are so many demigods, innumerable living entities; their foodstuff is being supplied; it is being produced in different planets, different varieties. So there is a huge, big government of Kṛṣṇa. So if you become a servant of that big government, how much you will be satisfied, just imagine. If you can become satisfied by serving this tiny government, why not become satisfied being the servant of the supreme government? So to become servant of Kṛṣṇa, or God, is the supreme satisfaction. It is not that that service is very valuable service. Sa-nātha-jīvitaḥ. Sa-nātha-jīvitaḥ means that service is not ended, only few minutes' notice. Just like government servant cannot be dismissed simply by saying, "Oh, don't come, come tomorrow. We don't want." So if government service cannot be terminated so whimsically, how Kṛṣṇa's service can be terminated whimsically? No.
Don't be implicated in the ugra-karma. Modern civilization is implicated in ugra-karma—vast machinery, everything complicated. The government complicated, the society complicated, economics rule complicated, foreign exchange complicated. Everything has become complicated. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung very nice song. Satsaṅga chāri kainu asatye vilās, ei kāraṇe lāgila more karma bandha-phāṅsa. Because we have given up Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore we have been entangled in the different varieties of material activities. Now we have to simplify it. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to simplify, to save the valuable life, to save the time of valuable life. This human form of life is very valuable. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). After many, many births we have got this important life. So we have to save our time to utilize it for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That should... So far we have got this material body, we want to maintain it. The body and souls live together. That is all right. For that, Kṛṣṇa has given every chance. Anywhere you sit down, you have got land and cow. You produce something and cow's milk. That is sufficient for maintenance. So let us try to make an attempt to organize a New Vrindaban scheme, and I shall request all my students to develop this idea and show a good example to this Western part of the world where people are always engaged in ugra-karma, asuric-karma. Things are becoming very implicated, complicated.
So brahmacārī is taught. From the very beginning he is taught to shortcut the necessities of life. Shortcut. Yes. Mekhalājina-vāsāṁsi jatā-daṇḍa-kamaṇḍalūn. Jaṭā. Jaṭā means the bunch of hair. Means you should not take care of the hair. Then automatically it will become jaṭā. If you apply very nice coconut oil and with comb you dress very nicely, then there will be no jaṭā. The jaṭā means don't (take) care of your hair. If you want to keep hair at all... First of all, there is no question of caretaking if you become clean-shaved. There are two processes. A brahmacārī, either he is clean-shaved or he keeps his hair without any taking care. That is two processes. Jaṭā-kamaṇḍalūn. Not that "I shall keep my hair." Now in the Kali-yuga the hair is very valuable thing, life and soul. I have seen some of our disciples. As soon as he's out of this camp, immediately hair, immediately. I have seen so many. When he was within the camp, very advanced supposed, but as soon as he is one day after, he keeps hair. Immediately. The tendency is there. Because in this age it is understood that if you can keep hair, bunch of hair, not very nice, but simply hair will make him beautiful. Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. Although he has no lāvaṇya—he has no beauty—still, he thinks, "I have become very beautiful by keeping hair." So this should be avoided. In this age, of course, this jaṭā is not possible. If you keep jaṭā, then when you go on the street for begging alms for guru, then perhaps you'll be chained (changed?) by so many animals here. So it is better to remain clean-shaved. It has no botheration, no taking care of the hair, no iron required.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
We should not endeavor for anything which requires too much anxiety. That is called prayāsaḥ. Atyāhāra prayāsaḥ. Automatically, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, whatever comes, that's all right. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpaḥ (NOI 2). Talking unnecessarily, nonsense. Just like people waste their time talking three hours on some political situation. You see. They have got enough time to discuss newspaper, but when they are invited to our class, they find no time.
So we should not waste our time, a single moment. Time is very valuable. In your country, they say, "Time is money." So either you take money, that is artha, or paramartha. Money is required in the material world, and in spiritual world, paramartha, spiritual asset. Some way or other, even those who are materialists, they do not waste their time. So we are after spiritual realization. How we can waste our time? Time is very valuable. So we should not waste time. Prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ, jana-saṅgaś ca. And associating with ordinary persons who are not devotees. Jana-saṅgas. People in general, they have no taste for Kṛṣṇa. And greediness, laulyam. These things are impediments for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ. Niya..., niyamāgrahaḥ. Niyamāgrahaḥ means simply busy to follow the rules, but actually do not understand what is the meaning of such following. Not blindly. One should follow the regulative principles with firm conviction and understanding.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
People are in trouble because they have given up their real business. Human life is meant for this business, brahma-jijñāsā, to enquire about the Absolute Truth. We have been given so many facilities by nature. There are so many living entities, they are standing on the ground for many years. The trees, the plants and the aquatics, for many, many years they are in the water. The flies and insects, for many, many years they are in that condition. And gradually, by evolution, we come to this form of human life. Especially the Aryans, the advanced, civilized human being, he has got all the facilities. The uncivilized men live in the jungle, and they cannot utilize the resources. (people making noise) Ask them to stop. Somebody must remain there.
So therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, in very simple Bengali song, he says, hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu. This is our life. We have got this human form of life, but we are simply spoiling it. This is the whole situation. In our this movement we are traveling all over the world, and according to our views, how they are spoiling their very valuable human life in false identification that "I am this body," everyone, in big, big names, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am German," "I am...," and they are spoiling their life under this bodily concept of life. According to śāstra, anyone who is identifying himself, this body... That is the first instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa brought Arjuna to fight with the Kurus, and he identified himself as this body, and therefore he thought, "Killing of my cousin-brothers, it will not be good because I have got bodily relation." So to dissipate this conception of life—that is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā—Kṛṣṇa chastised him, Arjuna, aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11).
Anyone who understands gauḍa maṇḍala bhūmi in Bengal—this Navadvīpa, Navadvīpa-candra, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu—if anyone understands the spiritual value of this land, he lives in Vrajabhūmi, in Vṛndāvana. There is no difference between Vṛndāvana and this Gaudamaṇḍala-bhūmi. That is the verdict of the śāstra. Gauḍa-maṇḍala-bhūmi yena jane cintāmaṇi tara hoy vrajabhūme vāsa.
So read Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's Prārthanā, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's Prārthanā. They are very, very valuable for advancement of spiritual understanding, especially Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's Prārthanā. So, by reading them, by understanding them, we can understand Kṛṣṇa very easily. Otherwise, it is very, very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa. Big, big scholars, big, big sannyāsīs, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. They understand Kṛṣṇa that Kṛṣṇa is like us—a very great man, politician, historical person—or sometimes thinks of Kṛṣṇa as a debauch because He was in association with the gopīs or He married sixteen thousand wives. So, we shall be misled to understand Kṛṣṇa if we try to do so by our own knowledge. We have to accept Kṛṣṇa through Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
To serve the human society is not ordinary task. And now it is not possible for any ordinary man. All great men or great personalities who have appeared on this earth and rendered great service to the humanity, they are still remembered. Just like in your country, President Washington, he rendered very valuable service to your country. He's still remembered. Recently, President Kennedy... He's still remembered. Similarly, those persons who have dedicated their life for the welfare of the human society, they are not ordinary men. Therefore he is addressed as mahā-bhāga, the most fortunate personality, because he dedicated his life for the good of the humanity. The greater man is engaged for the service to the humanity, he is considered the great man. Similarly, Lord Caitanya, He also renounced this world. You see His feature is just eighteen-years-to-twenty-years-boy. And after this movement, saṅkīrtana movement, at Navadvīpa during His householder life... He was married at the age of seventeen years. So He was considered to be a householder. And His first wife died at the age of twenty years. Then His mother requested to marry...
We must approach a bona fide guru for enlightenment. And samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyam: one who has received knowledge by hearing, not by speculating. Nowadays it has become a fashion to speculate. The Vedic injunction is, "No. By hearing." You have to approach the right person and hear. Therefore the whole Vedic literature is called śruti. One has to learn very intelligently by hearing from the authority. The same example we find in Bhagavad-gītā. In the battlefield, where time is very valuable, still, Arjuna is hearing from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is instructing, and Arjuna is hearing. So this hearing process is our Vedic process. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended, according to, of course, Vedic injunction: sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. You haven't got to change your position. It is not necessary that you have to take sannyāsa from gṛhastha life, you have to give up your occupation. No. That is not very important thing. The important thing is This verse was submitted by Lord Brahmā:
- jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva
- (jīvanti) san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām
- sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir
- ye prāyaśo ajito 'py asi tais...
If you want to understand God... That is the business of human life. Human life is specially... That is the chance. Because we are in the cycle of birth and death, changing, migrating from one body to another... This is our position.
We accept Caitanya Mahāprabhu as the ideal bhakta. He's teaching us how to become exceptionally perfect devotee. So He says in His Śikṣāṣṭaka, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). "I do not want riches," na dhanam. Na janam, "I do not want number of followers." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye. "I do not want very beautiful, nice, poetic wife." Mama janmani janmanīśvare. Janmani janmani means He does not want even liberation, because when there is liberation, there is no question of janmani janmani. So He says, mama janmani janmani īśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. So this is the sample of pure devotee. A pure devotee does not want even liberation. Dīyamānaṁ na gṛhṇanti. If liberation is offered to a devotee, he does not want it. He'll refuse to accept it. He is satisfied only in the service of the Lord. That is the standard of satisfac... Or in other words, to a devotee, liberation is not very valuable thing. Just like our one devotee, Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī... No, Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. He says, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tridaśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate. Like that. So devotee's position is very sublime. Devotee's position is the most exalted, transcendental position of a pure devotee who does not want anything except Kṛṣṇa.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
So, the description is that Govinda is very fond of playing on flute, venum. Venum means flute. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ. His eyes are just like lotus petals. Very beautiful eyes. Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam. And He likes peacock feather, peacock feather on the head. So you will find Kṛṣṇa always with peacock feather. He wears a very valuable helmet, helmet on His head, but you will find one peacock feather. Barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam, and His complexion of the body is blackish, just like new clouds. He is not that complexion light; He is blackish, Kṛṣṇa, and..., but He is so beautiful, all-attractive. Here, of course, in this material world, blackish we do not like; we want fair complexion. But Kṛṣṇa, the original person, He is blackish, but not blackish like this. Kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-visesa-sobham. His beauty is surpassing many millions of Cupids. You have heard the name of Cupid. He is a very enchanting person, loving person, but here it is descibed, kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁ. If you assemble millions of Cupids in one place, still it can not be compared with the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful.
Brahmā says tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. I am worshiping that Supreme Personality of Godhead, and we are disciplic succession from Brahmā. Therefore our process is to follow the footsteps of ācāryas. Ācāryopāsanam, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, for making progress in knowledge, one has to worship ācārya, ācāryopāsanam. So by paramparā system we follow. How Govinda enters, that doesn't matter. We do not bother about that thing. That is not our business. How Govinda enters in the atom, that is not our business. Our ācārya says, aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham, He enters. We accept, that's all. Our business is finished. This is Vedic way of understanding. We take knowledge from the authority and do not bother unnecessarily speculating. We don't waste our time in that way. Our time is very valuable. Instead of researching how Govinda enters in the atom, we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, utilize that time. So this line is very nice. Every knowledge is perfect there from the disciplic succession. You take it and be advanced, that's all. We don't bother much.
General Lectures
...vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. Lord Caitanya instructed this verse. He gave us eight verses, known as Śikṣāṣṭaka. Śikṣa means "instructions"; aṣṭaka, "eight." This Śikṣāṣṭaka poetry, containing eight verses, are very valuable, and they were given by Lord Caitanya for understanding of the whole human society. It was not meant for any particular country or particular society, but it was meant for the whole human race. Lord Caitanya entrusted His countrymen, who are known as Bhāratīyas, to distribute this message througho ut the whole world, in every village and every town. There is a nice Bengali verse in Caitanya-caritāmṛta:
- pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
- sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
The Lord predicted that "As many towns and villages are there on the surface of the world, everywhere this message will be known."
In Calcutta, in my younger days, I was traveling in tram, and my youngest son, he was with me. He was only two years old, or two or two and a half years old. So the conductor, out of joke, asked him, "Give me your fare." So he first of all said like this: "I have no money." So the conductor said, "Then you get down." He immediately said, "Oh, here is my father." (makes some gesture) (laughter) You see. "You cannot ask me to get down. My father is here." You see? So this is the psychology. If you have approached Kṛṣṇa, then even the greatest fear will not agitate you. That is a fact. So such a thing is Kṛṣṇa. Try to achieve this greatest boon, Kṛṣṇa. And what Kṛṣṇa says? Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). "My dear Kaunteya, son of Kuntī, Arjuna, declare in the world that My devotees will never be vanquished." Will never be vanquished. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati.
Similarly, there are many passages in the Bhagavad-gītā. I'm quoting from Bhagavad-gītā because this book is very popular all over the world, and... Try to understand, read this book, very valuable book of knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa says,
- ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
- mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
- iti matvā bhajante māṁ
- budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
- (BG 10.8)
Who can worship Kṛṣṇa? That is described here, that budhā. Budhā means most intelligent person. Bodha, bodha means knowledge, and budhā means one who is wise, full of knowledge. Everyone is after knowledge.
...and, I mean to say, ornament Kṛṣṇa, the more you become rich. The reflection... Kṛṣṇa being richly dressed, richly fed, it will be reflected on you. Kṛṣṇa is not in necessity, but we should dress Kṛṣṇa with the first-quality ornaments. In India, the Deities, They are given very, very valuable jewelry. The Muhammadans were attracted for these jewelries. They came to India to plunder the temples to get the jewelries. Still in temples there are millions of dollars of jewelries, temple. In Jagannātha temple there is a valuable jewel just here. It is kept here in a pocket. So the Deities should be very nicely dressed. That will be temple worship. At the same time should also chant.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to let people know how much valuable life is his, and utilize it in that way. Our movement is sarve sukhino bhavantu: everyone become, be happy. Not only human society, even animal society. We want to see everyone happy. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And it is practical; it is not dream. You can become happy. Don't be disappointed, don't be confused. Your life has value. You, in this life, you can realize your eternal life, eternal blissful life of knowledge. It is possible; it is not impossible. So we are simply transmitting this message to the world, that "Your life is very valuable. Don't waste it just like cats and dogs. Try to utilize it fully." That is the statement in the Bhagavad-gītā. We have published Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Try to read it. In that Bhagavad-gītā in the Fourth Chapter it is said, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ: if simply tries to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is His business, what is His life, where does He live, what does He do...., janma karma. Janma means appearance and disappearance; karma means activities; divyam—transcendental. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. One who knows the appearance and activities of Kṛṣṇa in fact, in truth—not by sentiment but by scientific study—then the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, you'll no more have to come back to this miserable condition of material existence. This is fact. Even in your life, in this life, you'll understand, you'll be happy.
Just like our student Govinda dāsī in Hawaii. In a meeting she became very angry when the so-called incarnation of God and God... Perhaps you know this incident. And the people did not say, of course, Govinda dāsī, but they heard her husband, Gaurasundara. But she became very angry, that "These rascals," and so many things she spoke. (chuckles) So she did right, like a heroine. I very much liked it. So we should be very much angry. When? When there is anything against God and God's devotee. But generally, for my personal interest, I should not be angry. "All right, if you like to call me by ill names, I don't mind. You go on with your business." I do not become angry. So just like Hanumānjī, Vajrāṅgajī. Vajrāṅgajī, he set fire in the kingdom of Rāvaṇa. A very beautiful kingdom, almost made of gold, but he set fire in that capital of Laṅka. He became very angry. But why he became angry? Not for his personal interest. But he was angry for the interest of Lord Rāma. Sītā, the Lakṣmī, wife of Lord Rāma, was kidnapped by this man Rāvaṇa, and he was very angry that "He has kidnapped my Lord's spiritual energy, Sītā. I shall set fire in his very valuable capital." So this anger, this demonstration of anger and setting fire was accepted as service.
In your country, this, this movement is started since 1966, but in '67 I was sick. I went back to India and again came back in 1968, and since that time, we are pushing on this movement little, very highly, and it is being effected. It is being effected. People are understanding. So my request is that you have got all material resources. Don't waste your time. Life is very valuable, especially this human form of life. Labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte. This human form of life is achieved after many, many births of evolutionary process. We had to undergo 900,000 species of life in water. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Two millions of species of life through plants and trees. Sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ. Eleven hundred thousand species of life of insects and reptiles. Pakśiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam. And one million species of life amongst the birds. Then triṁśal-lakṣāṇi paśavaḥ: and then three million species of life amongst the beasts. In this way, there are four hundred thousand species of human form of life, out of which, the civilized form of life, when our consciousness is developed, that is the opportunity to understand what is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God, what is this material world, how I shall treat. That is needed. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human, this civilized form of human life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, the Supreme, the Absolute Truth.
There are other verses in the Bhagavad-gītā. (break) ...of cousin-brothers, the Pāṇḍavas and the Kauravas. They met there for fighting. That's a historical fact, Mahābhārata, Greater India. Mahabhārata means Greater, History of Greater India. So everything is there. But we do not take advantage of this great book of knowledge. So we request that everyone should cultivate... Should try to know what he is, what is Kṛṣṇa, what is their relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and what is their real life, what is the goal of life. Unless we do cultivate all this knowledge, then it is simply we are wasting our time, this valuable life of human form of life. It is very, very valuable. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad api adhruvam arthadam. Although everybody will die, that's a fact, but one who dies after knowing all these things, he is benefited. His life is successful. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is wanted. Everyone... The cat will die, dogs will die, everyone will die. That's a fact.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: One king, by the grace of Lord Śiva, he got information in the Himalaya some spot of gold, so he hugely manufactured gold utensils. And the yajña, everything is gold, and the brāhmaṇas are given gold plates and gold. And they, in those days brāhmaṇas are not greedy, so they thought, "Who carries this weight? Throw it. It is bothersome." The king thought that "I am giving a very valuable, contributing charity," but they thought that "What is this utensils? I have to carry this. Throw it." So they are stacked up. So when Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira finished his whole treasury on account of the war and he wanted to perform yajña, he asked Arjuna, "You bring some money somewhere." So Arjuna was little perplexed. Kṛṣṇa gave him this information: "You go there. There is stack of gold utensils you can bring." So when he brought it, his name was Dhanañjaya, "conquering over wealth." There are so many gold peaks, gold mines. Who cares for that? Those who are materialistic person, they will give some man, and those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they will see, "What I have to do with all gold? I require some money for making propagation. Otherwise what is the use of stacking gold? There is no use."
Purports to Songs
Prabhupāda: One who takes shelter... As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Now, either you say Kṛṣṇa or you say Superconsciousness... Superconsciousness is impersonal conception of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is personal conception of Superconsciousness. Because Kṛṣṇa means He's not only superconscious, but He's supreme bliss and supreme knowledge—supreme knowledge means superconsciousness—and eternal, supreme consciousness, supreme bliss. That is the definition of Kṛṣṇa. Now, then the devotee says that durlabha mānava-janama sat-saṅge taroho e bhava-sindhu re. Now, this body, this human body, is durlabha. Durlabha means very valuable. It is obtained with, after a great struggle of existence. We have to come through so many species of life: aquatics, birds, then trees, then reptiles, then beasts... There are so many, so many. There are eighty-four lakhs, means 8,400,000 species of life, and we had to pass through by gradual evolution. This theory is accepted by Darwin also, evolutionary theory. So this human body is very valuable. So he requests, "My dear mind,..." Mind, of course, in the lower animal life the mind is there also. Also mind is not developed, but they have got mind. It is a... In the very lower animal living condition, the mind is not at all developed, but at least, in animal life there is mind. Now, the devotee requesting that "This life, this human form of life, is very valuable. Don't waste it. Don't waste it, but you just to make your life successful in the association of saints and sages."
| Page Title: | Very valuable (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene, Labangalatika |
| Created: | 07 of Feb, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=55, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 55 |