Just like when you are diseased, your senses are under certain symptoms of the disease. Just like I am feeling the tongue. Whatever I am eating, the tongue is tasting bitter. Bitter. That is the symptom of my disease. So we haven't got to cut this tongue altogether, but we have to make treatment so that we can taste properly.
There is practical example. One who is suffering from jaundice, if you give him something sweet, sugar candy, he will taste it bitter. Although sugar candy is not bitter, but due to his illness, due to his jaundice disease . . . you'll . . . you can make a practical test of it. But at the same time, that sugar candy is the medicine for jaundice. If a man is suffering from jaundice, if you simply give him water of sugar candy . . . you just moisten sugar candy at night, and just early in the morning you get a glass of sweet sugar candy water, oh, within very short time you'll be cured from jaundice disease.
Similarly, this restriction, do not . . . when we make spiritual life progressive, there are certain restriction, and they may seem at the present stage very bitter. Very bitter. But that is the way. We have to accept. Therefore it is called saṁyatendriyaḥ. And if we can make progress in that way, restrained sense gratification and following the rules and regulation, then we are sure to acquire the knowledge.
Labdhvā jñānaṁ parāṁ śāntim. And when you . . . when you are situated in that perfectional stage of knowledge, then you get parāṁ śānti, perfect peacefulness, perfect peacefulness of mind. Parāṁ śāntim adhigacchati. So, these are the prescription laid down by Kṛṣṇa, Lord Kṛṣṇa.
So we must have faith in Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is not ordinary man like me. I am speaking not from my own account; I am speaking on account of Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the supreme authority by great scholars, great philosophers, religionists, and if you have any respect for Indian spiritual culture, you may know it that in India, whatever sect they may be—there are many sects—but every one, each and every one, all, all sects, including the Muhammadans, they have got great respect for Kṛṣṇa.
Now, the Kṛṣṇa Janmāṣṭamī is just approaching on the 8th September, the birthday of Kṛṣṇa we observe in India, and probably we may also make a program for observing the birthday ceremony here. So you will find that just like in your country in Christmas day you all observe the birthday of Lord Christ, similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the birthday of Kṛṣṇa, will be observed in India, cent percent people.
So Kṛṣṇa is a great authority, undoubtedly. That is accepted. So here Kṛṣṇa gives us a prescription, and if we try to follow, then surely we shall achieve the stage of perfect knowledge, and the result will be that we shall be perfectly peaceful in life. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29).
That is the perfect knowledge, when we understand that the Supreme Lord, He is the supreme enjoyer—bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram—He is the supreme proprietor. And if we think very, I mean to say, scrutinizingly with cool head, then we can understand that everything, whatever there is in our presence, the actual proprietor is God, or Kṛṣṇa. We are not proprietor. We have got the right to use them, the things which are given by God to us. We shall have the right to use them, but we are not proprietor. So that is real knowledge.
- ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca
- saṁśayātmā vinaśyati
- nāyaṁ loko 'sti na paro
- na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ
- (BG 4.40)
So this faith is very essential, and one who hasn't got such faith, for him, it is stated here that vinaśyati. Vinaśyati means he is put into the wilderness of this material world. Now, what is that wilderness? Oh, there are 8,400,000's different species of life. Now, if we miss this opportunity, this human form of life. . . it is the developed, conscious life, and if we miss the opportunity, then we shall be again thrown into the cycle of birth of death in that 8,400,000's of species of life. So there is comparative. Vinaśyati. Vinaśyati means where you shall be put up, oh, there is no certainty. So you must make proper utilization.