So śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte. Śrīmad-Bhāgavata is not some materialistic philosopher's or writer's as you have got... They are called grāmya-vastavaḥ. Grāmya-vastavaḥ means ordinarily these affairs. A man is meeting woman, woman is meeting man—that story, all these novels and fiction and dramas. It is not like that. Therefore it is said mahā-muni-kṛte śrīmad-bhāgavate. It is not ordinary persons writing whimsical, some, manufacturing some story, narration and puzzling the brain. No. Śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte: it is beyond all defects of human life. When an ordinary person writes, he writes with defective instruments. First of all, any man within this world, however great he may be, he must commit mistake. That's a fact. There are many instances, simply for little mistake. Just like Hitler. Hitler planned so gorgeously winning over the world. A little mistake, as soon as his attention was diverted toward Russia, he was finished. The Britishers tried to divert his attention toward the Russia. Little mistake. Otherwise Hitler would have come out victorious. There are many instances, in political field, in sociological field.
Affairs (Lectures, SB)
Expressions researched:
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Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Similarly, there are so many cities in the stars and planets, upwards. So many universes, so many seas, mountains, skyscraper, houses, we cannot see. Because in the universe these are all simply insignificant particles only. So if in this insignificant particle there are so many state laws, you just imagine to manage this universal affair, the Supreme Lord, how much laws and regulation must be there. Who can deny it? Deny means he's a rascal. But intelligent man will understand that if in a small place there are so many rules and regulations, and in so big place, so universal—aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu—there are laws.
Just like in our institution, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, although I am the head, still, I have got so many assistants, the GBC members. They are assisting me, departmental. Somebody is here, somebody is there. Similarly, God has departmental management, and because it is such a huge affair, there are... What is a koṭi? Koṭi means ten million? Huh? Ten millions multiplied by thirty-three. How many it comes?
So there are 330,000,000's officers of Kṛṣṇa. Must be. Such a huge affair. If for managing a small shop, we have got so many things... This is manager, this is assistant manager, this is... In such a huge universal affair, there Kṛṣṇa has got assistants. And 330,000,000 assistants within one universe, and there are innumerable universes. And each and every universe, there must be similarly 330,000,000's or like that. They are called demigods. Demigods means exactly under the position of God. Just like here there is governor. Immediately under him there are secretaries. Similarly these demigods, they are different officers, secretaries, directors under God. We don't deny the existence of demigod, but we don't worship that he is God. We worship, we give him all respect.
Devotee: ".... inquired of the absolute good, which is the ultimate good for the people. The condemned state of affairs of the people of this age is described as follows."
Prabhupāda: The condemned state at the present moment, how the whole world, whole atmosphere, is condemned is described in the next verse.
Motiveless, ahaitukī, no cause. Ahaituky apratihatā. Apratihatā means it cannot be checked. If you want to render service to God, it cannot be checked at any circumstance. Nobody can say that "Because I am poor, I cannot serve God." No. God can be served both by the poor and the rich without any difficulty, because it is not material affair.
When there is material transaction, if I want to purchase something, then I must have the requisite money to purchase. It is conditioned. But if you want to render service to God, or Kṛṣṇa, there is no condition. Therefore ahaituky apratihatā: "It cannot be checked." Because I am born in particular type, particular time, or particular country, I cannot render service to Kṛṣṇa—that's not a fact. Anywhere, any part of the world, any part of the universe, any man, in any condition, he can serve Kṛṣṇa. There is no impediment.
And if anyone wants to accept something for spiritual, that is sumanda-matayo, something bogus. He will accept something bogus which has no spiritual, I mean to say, reference. He will accept, "I have... I have got this religion." Mandaḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā. Because they're all unfortunate, and upadrutāḥ, and always disturbed and anxious by so many external affairs.
Therefore, in this age Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us very shortcut method, not manufactured by Him. No saintly ācārya will manufacture his way. He must refer to the Vedic literature. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu picked up the Vedic instruction, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam/ kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā (CC Adi 17.21) from Bṛhad Nāradīya Purāṇa.
"After departure of Kṛṣṇa, the principle of religion is... Under whom it is existing?" Kṛṣṇa... That is... Everything will be explained. So Sūta Gosvāmī confirms this, that "Your question about Kṛṣṇa is so nice that it is auspicity for the whole world." So we have started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not any personal affair. It is auspicity for the whole world. So you try to inquire about Kṛṣṇa, try to understand about Kṛṣṇa, and yenātmā suprasīdati, then your ātmā... You will feel full satisfaction. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). You will come to that stage.
In the Satya-yuga, they were all saintly person. So that time it was possible to meditate. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum. That also Viṣṇu, meditation on Lord Viṣṇu. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ. And in the Tretā-yuga by performing great sacrifices. That is also not possible. You cannot perform big, big sacrifices. It is very costly affair. You require so much ghee, grains, and distribution of so many things. That is not possible. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ, dvāpare paricaryāyām. In Dvāpara-yuga the temple worship. Now this... We have got in India, especially in South India, many temples, more than two thousand, three thousand years old. So temple worship is very old, since five thousand, six thousand years. So that is also not possible.
Whatever we have created with the bodily concept of life, they are all nonsense. The real religion is that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is real religion. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was questioned by Sanātana Gosvāmī, "My dear Sir, I have come to You to surrender to You because You are my spiritual master. You have asked me to give up my family life. So by Your word I have given up. Now I have come to You. So this is my first question." One should be very inquisitive. After initiation, ādau gurvāśrayam. This is our system. So just to become enlightened in the spiritual affairs of life... As Arjuna also said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Similarly, Sanātana Gosvāmī also, he said, "Sir, You asked me. I am now surrendered to You. So this is my question."
You cannot touch. Human civilization... Now, at the present moment, they're less than animal, They are getting money by hook and crook and amassing money. But not spending for Kṛṣṇa. If you go for begging something for Kṛṣṇa, "No, we are not interested in religious affairs. No. We are secular." Nobody will pay. Now, if you go to somebody that "We are going to open a lunatic asylum and hospital for the drunkards," then they'll pay money. Yes. In USA, there is a big hospital for curing, curing drunkards priests. (laughter) Yes. Drunkard priests. Because they have to execute priesthood, but they are drunkard. So they want to be cured. This is a fact. They'll give money. If you want money for Kṛṣṇa, they'll not give money. They will... More hospitals. More hospitals. The report is "This year, we have increased so many hospital beds." That means that is advancement.
Just like we don't smoke. That does not mean we are dying. It is an anartha. But anyone who has learned this smoking, he cannot stop it. Anartha. The result of bhajana will be substantiated when anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt, he's no more interested with some unwanted things. We have practiced so many unwanted things. The first of all—illicit sex, making so-called lusty affairs without any married bondage, illicit sex. This is anartha. Why? If you want sex, get yourself married according to śāstra. Then there is no hindrance. According to Vedic civilization, the, a girl must be married. But in every country I see the female population is more than the male population. Then how every girl should be married? Therefore in India more than one wife was allowed. Now it is not allowed. That is the Vedic injunction, kanyā-dāna. The father must get, find out a husband for his daughter. There are many histories, the Kulīna brāhmaṇa.
"I am part and parcel of Brahman." This knowledge will help him. And here it is said that ce..., tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ... (SB 1.2.19). So long one is influenced by the modes of ignorance and passion, he is busy in greediness and lusty affairs.
So at least he's free from the lusty desires and greediness. The whole world is working, especially in Western countries, you see... They are working so hard. They have got their nice motorcar, nice roads, and very, very nice ways also, fly over, one road is flying over another road, another road. Very good facility for driving motorcar, and they have got enough motorcar also. Every third man has got a car. But what are these civilization? Kāma and lobha, lustiness and greediness. That's all. The basic principle is lust and greediness. That's all.
So there are so many stages. Earth, then there is wood. Wood is produced from earth. From wood, there is, first instance there is smoke, and then comes the fire. But you require the fire. When you get fire, you can get so many things done through fire, electricity. All industry is going on through fire. Your household affairs, cooking, that is also, you require fire. For your living condition you require fire, heat. So fire is necessity, not the earth, neither the wood, nor the smoke. Similarly, although Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, they are one, from Kṛṣṇa—they are different incarnation of different modes of material nature—but actually, Viṣṇu is required. Brahman, brahma-darśanam. If you want to see the Absolute Truth, then neither Brahmā nor Śiva is required, but Viṣṇu is required.
Nobody can do so. So it is very clearly stated: tamasas tu rajas tasmāt sattvaṁ yad brahma-darśanam. One must come to the platform of sattva-guṇa. Therefore we have got so many restrictions, just to keep him fit in the sattva-guṇa: no meat-eating, no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling. If one indulges in these affairs, he cannot come to the platform of sattva-guṇa, neither the things will be revealed to him. He'll remain in the darkness. Simply by academic scholarship, it is impossible to understand what is Vedas, what is Bhāgavata, what is Bhagavad-gītā.
He is travelling all over the universe to make Vaiṣṇavas. He made many sons of Dakṣa Mahārāja Vaiṣṇavas. So Dakṣa Mahārāja became very angry upon him, "Nārada, you come and you train my sons as Vaiṣṇavas, and they do not take care of the family affairs. So I curse you. You cannot stay anywhere more than some time." So even a Vaiṣṇava has to face some difficulty while preaching devotional service; even Nārada.
So sātvata-tantra means books or literature of devotional service. In the Vedas there are different departments, they are divided into three parts-karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Therefore the other name of the Vedas is trayī. Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā: (SB 1.4.25) for women, for śūdras and for dvija-bandhus, sons of the higher class but not properly educated.
And still, they are very happy. Just like you see Kuntī. Kuntī was widow, but she was very qualified woman, so many ways. But still, she remained under the control of the five boys, five children, Pāṇḍavas. Kuntī also gave birth to a child before her marriage. That is Karṇa. That is Karṇa. So it was not very common affair, and in extraordinary cases it so happened.
So now, in this age, people are not very intelligent. They are claiming, "We are advancing in science. The brain has advanced and so on, so on." Formerly there was animal brain. The Darwin's theory: "Now the brain has evolved." No. Actually, they are degrading. They are degrading. Formerly the brain was very sharp. Otherwise why it is said, dṛṣṭvā puṁso 'lpa-medhasaḥ? The opposite word of this alpa-medhasa is su-medhasa. Alpa means less, and su means very nice.
So it is a question of degrees of spiritual understanding. So there are three million serious sādhus in India. None of them ever attended such Mahatma Gandhi's meeting, neither they invited Mahatma Gandhi. No. They never never recognized, recognized. Because what they have got to do with these political affairs? Just like... They know, this is the business of the crows. The crows will take interest in such meeting. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). What these politicians will do? They'll simply make plan. That's all. Hitler will make one plan, Mussolini will make one plan, Churchill will make another plan. Your Roosevelt will make another plan, Gandhi will make another. Simply planmaking business. They will never be able to bring any peace and prosperity in the world. That is not possible. Because it is under the grip of māyā. They do not know. The peace and prosperity means surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Then you become out of the clutches of māyā. That secret they do not know. They're simply making plans. That's all.
And if the man is detected, this man has killed, these crows will, I mean to say, hurt the head of that man. They'll come in flocks. Yes. I have seen in India. Yes. They sometimes attack. So they have got also their own defensive measure. The crow's meeting.
So they are not interested (in) all these political affairs or so-called social affairs and resolution because they know this is not the method of becoming peaceful or prosperous. This is not the method. Without... Hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti. Without God consciousness, nobody can be happy. Therefore if we write something, if a devotee writes something about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness... Here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavaḥ. Such kind of creative energy which is trying to put something for understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, janatāgha-viplavaḥ, that brings a revolution to the people for killing their effect of sinful activities.
Vāta. Just like if your ship is on the ocean and it is being tossed by heavy wind, you cannot sit very nicely. I have got experience when I was coming to your country. So it is moving like that. "Similarly, those who are too much disturbed by these material affairs... Mahābhārata is the history. So there are politics, sociology, intricacy, so many nonsense things, in which you have given Bhagavad-gītā, little portion. That's all right. But that will not help very much."
The idea is that one has not only to understand little about God, but one has to live in God. Then his life will be successful. Not that "Yes, God is great, and I go weekly in the church or in the temple. I offer my respect." No, that will not make you liberated. You have to be very serious to understand your relationship with God and go back to Godhead. Then your life will be successful, not that simply by understanding little. No.
This is the fine philosophy. One has to understand how Kṛṣṇa, in spite of His being a person—He's person, without any doubt—He has expanded in so many universes, so many manifestations. Yes.
So I was... This morning, while I was walking, I was talking with Devānanda that how Kṛṣṇa expands. It is commonsense affair. Just like a small seed in a fruit—that seed you sow, it becomes a big tree. And from that big tree, again millions of fruits come out. And again from that, each fruit, there are millions of trees. We can see the potency. Even in our material existence we see so much potencies in everything. Why not Kṛṣṇa's potencies? We see the sunshine, the potency of the sun. The sunshine is spread all over, and everything is existing on the sunshine. Even the sunshine has got the so much potency. That we can experience. And how much potential is Kṛṣṇa, who is the creator of the sun also.
So in order to get out of this blazing fire of material existence, which is a combination of rajas-tamaḥ-sattva-guṇa, one has to take to this devotional service, and that can be achieved only by hearing from munibhir mahātmabhiḥ, those who are munis. Munis means they are silent about material affairs. They are simply interested with spiritual advancement of life. To give up something and to accept something... To give up something is negative, but if you do not accept something positive, this give up something will not stay. Simply to become renounced of the material world will not help. Big, big sannyāsīs, they gave up this material world—brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā—but they, because they did not engage themselves in devotional service, they again come back to this material world for philanthropic work, for altruistic work, for charity, for opening schools... So simply negative will not help us. We have to accept positive.
Then, when he's fully trained up, he should become a gṛhastha. Not should, but if he likes. Then... Otherwise, sometimes you will find naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī. Never... Just like my Guru Mahārāja was. He never married. Naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī. So brahmacārī, gṛhastha, then not to stuck up with the family affairs up to the end of death. No. At a certain stage, after fifty years, he must give up. That is called vānaprastha. And then, after being trained up in vānaprastha very nicely, he takes sannyāsa. This is brāhmaṇa's..., four āśrama. And for the kṣatriya, up to vānaprastha. Up to vānaprastha. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and all the brothers, they left home, but the wife was there. That is called vānaprastha. They did not take sannyāsa. Kṣatriya. Up to vānaprastha. Vaiśyas. No vānaprastha, no sannyāsa. Up to gṛhastha. Brahmacārī... Brahmacārī is compulsory for the dvija. Because there is the training. And for the śūdra there is no brahmacārī. Only gṛhastha, married. Otherwise, life will be very irregular.
That is bhakti-yoga. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Bhakti means when you engage your senses for the service of the Lord. Just like example set by Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. His example is there, because who can be more busy than a responsible king? He has to do so many political affairs, and still, his mind was fixed up, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18), in Kṛṣṇa perfectly. This is the perfect.
So here also, Vyāsadeva, he applied meditation in bhakti-yoga. Yoga means bhakti-yoga. There are different yogas—haṭha-yoga, jñāna-yoga, tapa-yoga, many—but the ultimate goal of these yo... Yoga means connect, connection, connection with the Lord. So ultimately you have to come to the stage of bhakti-yoga. So here Vyāsadeva, bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite 'male (SB 1.7.4). The mind became completely purified, amale. Mala means dirty things, and amala means no dirty things. A means "not."
He is perfect, Vedavyāsa, perfect in Vedic knowledge.
So there are māyās of different kind. Kṛṣṇa's māyā... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva... Māyā means potency. So from the Vedic knowledge we can understand that Kṛṣṇa has many types of potencies, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāv... (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). because He has to execute so many affairs, this material world, spiritual world, and just imagine so big universe. There are innumerable universes, and each and every universe there are so many planets, so many different kinds of living entities, and He has to manage everything. Therefore He is called Parameśvara. Parameśvara means the supreme controller. And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15). "I am living in everyone's heart." Now, imagine.
At that time Umā, Pārvatī, became very much ashamed. She was not very properly dressed. So immediately the saintly persons, they left, that "Lord Śiva is now in his private affairs." So Lord Śiva, to please Pārvatī, he immediately said, "Hence forward, anyone who will enter this forest, he'll become woman." So one king, I forget the name, with his party, without the knowledge he entered the forest, and all of them became women.
So the idea is that the man's body can be transformed into woman's body, and a woman's body can be transformed into man's body. Because we are not this body, dress. Suppose I have got this dress. This man's dress I can transform into woman's dress with a sari; but that does not mean I am woman. So every one of us living entities, we are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.
One should not make any distinction between the two. Saṁsthāṁ ca pāṇḍu-putrāṇāṁ vakṣye kṛṣṇa-kathodayam. Pāṇḍu-putrāṇām, the pāṇḍu-putras, or the Pāṇḍavas, son of Pāṇḍu, they're all devotees. Even their political affairs, because there is connection with Kṛṣṇa, it is kṛṣṇa-kathā. Those who are with poor fund of knowledge (break)
...directly taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa or to take shelter of a pure devotee who is under the shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Mad-āśrayaḥ. So if one takes shelter of a pure devotee... Just like electricity: the powerhouse is far away, but the power is coming. Suppose your body is electrified, and if I touch, then my body immediately becomes electrified. And if somebody touches me, then other's body. This is electric. Similarly, one who is pure devotee, he's authorized by Kṛṣṇa, he's electrified.
In the material world, dvaite bhadrābhadra, "This is good, this is bad," it is all mental concoction. After all, it is material world. Either you become very expert in handling these material affairs, very big businessman, Mr. Ford, Mr. this and that, or so many things... (break) ...successful, what is the meaning of this "Successful, unsuccessful"? You have to die. You have to suffer from disease. Just like nowadays the flu is going on. Does it mean that a big man or a rich man will not suffer? When the disease is there, either you are big man or rich man or poor man or small man, everyone has to suffer. So long you will be in the material world, if you do not rectify yourself, śuddha-sattva... Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). If you don't rectify your existence, then this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi will go on (BG 13.9). Then what is the good?
So he changed to be a very nice, beautiful young man. So all the fifty daughters, they became attracted. They began to fight: "Oh, he is for me. He is not for you." So anyway, he accepted all the fifty daughters. In this way he became very elevated householder. But at some time he began to think, "What is my, this enjoyment? Simply by seeing the sex affairs of the fish... I was a yogi, I was a tapasvī, I've lost everything. Now I am a householder and pet husband of these women." So he came to his senses. Again he went to the forest for tapasya.
So this material life, however opulent it may be, it is māyā-mohita-cetasaḥ. It has no value. It has no value. Why? Because in this life I may be very favorably situated by arrangement by improving my material condition. But after death—dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13)—you do not know, we do not know what kind of body we are going to get. It may not be as comfortable.
No. Vaiṣṇava, twenty-six qualifications. One of the qualifications is dakṣa: he must be very expert in doing things very nicely. Not that because one is Vaiṣṇava he'll be callous in the worldly things. No. Therefore I repeatedly request the management that you must be very expert in managing these temple affairs. Everything to the right point. Not a single farthing should be wasted. A Vaiṣṇava must be dakṣa, expert in everything. This is no excuse, that "I have become a devotee. Therefore I am callous to all material things." What material things? Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. Anything in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, that is not material; that is spiritual. I have several times explained that this temple, don't think it is ordinary building. It is Vaikuṇṭha. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu. Kṛṣṇa has His house, prakara-sadmasu. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu. Sadma. Sadma means house.
He's transcendental. He is almost Viṣṇu. He's neither ordinary human being. Lord Śiva is in between viṣṇu-tattva and jīva-tattva. So how he can be in the tamo-guṇa? Nobody is... They are all transcendental. Especially Lord Viṣṇu.
Lord Viṣṇu has nothing to do with these material affairs, as a big man, a rich man has nothing to do personally, but he gets things done by his assistant, by his servant. It is like that. In the Vedas also, Upaniṣad, it is said, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Lord Viṣṇu has nothing to do personally. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate, na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. Nobody is equal to Him, neither nobody is greater than Him. Everyone is below. Therefore viṣṇu-tattva is asamordhva. Nobody is equal, nobody is higher. To consider equal to viṣṇu-tattva is aparādha, offense. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned this offense very strictly.
Somebody says, "Did you see your father is playing?" "Where is my father? Where is my father?" This is the position. Because Kṛṣṇa is playing His part in a different way. He has ot so much business because He is directing the whole universal affair. You can understand, if one man becomes busy in so many things, his brain becomes puzzled. But Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart—not only the human being; the animals, the trees, plants, everyone. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ. And what He is doing? He is giving direction. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am sitting in everyone's heart," sarvasya ca aham hṛdi sann... Again hṛdi, in the soul, in the heart. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca, "I am giving particular direction to everyone." He is forgetting something, he is reminding..., he is reminded something. In this way Kṛṣṇa is doing. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanam. How much busy is that?
Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad..., svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. If you execute a little of bhakti-yoga, you can be saved from the greatest danger. Bhakti yoga is (so) nice. Buddhi-yogam imaṁ śṛṇu. These are discussed.
So bhakti-yoga means that no more interested in the material affairs. Bhakti, that is the bhakti-yoga. But he is only interested in Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti-yoga. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āś... Nothing except Kṛṣṇa.
So here in this material world, who is born, he should not think himself that "I am honored guest or honored son-in-law." No. Everyone has to work. That you see the whole world. In your country there is president, everywhere, that he is also working hard day and night. Otherwise he cannot keep his presidency. It is not possible. The whole brain is congested with political affairs. So many problems, solutions. He has to work. Similarly, a man on the street, he has to work also. This is the nature, material nature. You have to work. It is not the spiritual world. Spiritual world means there is no work. There is simply ānanda, joyfulness. That you see from reading Kṛṣṇa book. They are not working. Kṛṣṇa is going with he calves and the cows. That is not working. That is amusement. That is amusement. They are dancing, they are going to the forest, they are sitting down on the bank of the Ganges. Sometimes the demons are attacking, Kṛṣṇa is killing.
That is the defect of the modern civilization.
So by ... Here, Kuntī's addressing Kṛṣṇa: Viśveśa. Viśva means the universe. Īśa, īśa means the Lord, the controller. So viśveśa, He is controlling. He's controlling. So nicely the universal affairs are going on. The sun is rising just in due time. Everything is going on nicely. There is no mismanagement. Everyone can understand. The seasons are changing; the seasonal fruits and flowers, they are coming out. Everything is going nicely. But how things are going nicely if there is no controller? But they have no common sense. If we see any establishment very nicely going on, we immediately understand the manager or the director or the controller of this institution is very nice. Similarly, if we see things of these universal affairs are going on very nicely, then we must know that there is a good controller. Who is that controller? That controller is Kṛṣṇa.
They don't understand. Such pictures should be avoided. Kṛṣṇa is the controller. Let there be one picture how Kṛṣṇa is controlling the whole universe. That picture wanted, not these cheap pictures, imitating our rubbish behavior with boys and girls. These pictures we do not want. We want picture how Kṛṣṇa is controller, how He is controlling the universal affairs. Viśveśa. Viśveśa viśvātman. Ātman, the living force. The living force must be there. Unless there is living force within this body, as this body cannot move, cannot work nicely, similarly, within this universe, cosmic manifestation, there is the living force, Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, or Paramātmā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Therefore He's viśvātman. We should know that, how this world is moving, how this universe is acting. But these rascals do not know. They should learn from this Bhāgavata. Viśvātman viśveśa, viśva-mūrte. And His manifestation, universal form.
So here one of the most important points is surākṛtaṁ bhūta-hatyām. Surākṛtam means things becoming impure simply by touching liquor. Liquor is so impure. Just like you have got a very big pot of milk, but if you put one drop of wine in it, it becomes immediately impure. You can analyze chemically—immediately impure. That surā, liquor, has become our daily affair. We are so impure. And bhūta-hatyā, and killing of animals. The modern civilization means large-scale arrangement for killing animals and large-scale arrangement for distilling liquor, especially in the Western countries. And India is also now following. So this is the position of the world. What is being condemned by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, that, those items at the present moment are being encouraged by the government. This is the difference between this government and Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's government. You can just imagine.
And the kings, they would not do anything without consulting. Don't think that because there was monarchy, they were all autocrat. No. If the brāhmaṇas would not agree, then they won't do. The brāhmaṇa's community, all saintly persons and learned scholars, brāhmaṇas... There was a committee, and the king would take their advice how to manipulate the political affairs or administration, and they would consult standard books. Just like nowadays the rascals, every day they are changing some law. Somebody told me, where? In Africa, every week there is change of the cabinet, every week. Means so full of rascals. So one rascal will fight with another rascal. So there is no stability of government. All these rascals, politicians, they are trying to occupy the post: "I shall become president, I shall become secretary, and then I shall exploit the state like anything." This is the motive.
So whenever a medical practitioner gives you a prescription along with his name, he gives his title, M.D., B.S. and registered number. That means he is approved. Then he can practice. This is common sense affairs in the every state, a lawyer is given certificate by the government. Then he is allowed. Similarly, it is the duty of the state or of the monarch to see that one who is claiming as a brāhmaṇa, whether he is qualified, whether he is acting as a brāhmaṇa. Similarly, a man claiming kṣatriya, whether he is qualified as a kṣatriya and he is acting as a kṣatriya. Similarly, the vaiśya. And śūdra is general. Śūdra means one who has no education, no culture. That is called śūdra. So that is the remnants. First of all, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśyas, and others, those who have no sufficient brain, they are counted as śūdra.
Not like animals, unrestricted. Animals are also restricted. So vaidha-avaidha. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has strongly restricted that: "Don't associate with these rascals. Asat." Asat means those who are interested in material affairs. Asato mā sad gama. The Vedic injunction. That is Vedic injunction: sad gama. Just try to make progress towards sat. Oṁ tat sat. Don't be interested in asat. Asato mā sad gama. Jyotir gama. So these are the Vedic injunctions.
So because these Pāṇḍavas and their families were all sat by association of Kṛṣṇa, therefore they were all perplexed within their mind, that "Kṛṣṇa is going back to His home. How we shall live? How we can give up Kṛṣṇa?" Those who are actually devotee of Kṛṣṇa, they cannot give up Kṛṣṇa at any risk. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, and the Haridāsa Ṭhākura in this Navadvīpa area.
Of course, these Pāṇḍavas, they were treating Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his wife Gāndhārī very gorgeously as head of the family, but he was not ashamed that he intrigued so much difficulties and plot against the Pāṇḍavas. There was big fight, Kurukṣetra, in which he lost everything. Still, he was living under their care for some material comforts. So this was very shameful affair. So Vidura was very much attracted, attached to Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Therefore, bhrātur jyeṣṭhasya śreyas-kṛt. Bhrātuḥ means brother, and jyeṣṭha means elder. So actually, Vidura went there for the benefit of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Therefore, kañcit kālam atha avātsīt. He decided to live at home along with the family members for some time.
So it is not different. Similarly, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), this earth, water, air, fire, anything material, that is expansion of His energy.
So He can accept your service through His energy. That is His omnipotency. That is called omnipotent. You cannot do anything of your personal affairs with your energy, but... You can sometimes do. Suppose if you have got money. Even being present on the spot, by spending money you can get the things done. The money will act for you. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa being omnipotent, He can take your service through His agency, through His potency. And potency means śakti. Śakti-śaktimator abhedaḥ. Kṛṣṇa and His potency is not different. So Kṛṣṇa by His causeless mercy, He has appeared before you in a manner by which you can touch Him, you can handle Him, you can dress Him, you can give Him.
Arjuna does not say that "sometimes." At any time, if we are materially attached, then this hṛt-tāpa must be. Hṛt-tāpa means burning fire, blazing fire within the heart. It will continue.
Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that viṣaya-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. This means anyone who is engaged in these material affairs, Viṣaya... Viṣaya means material necessities. Everyone has got material necessities: āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna, how to eat, how to sleep, where to sleep, where to get apartment, where to secure money to get food, and how to secure sex pleasure, where it is available, man or woman, and how to defend. "I have got so much bank balance. It may not be taken away. I have got this property." In this way everyone is suffering. That's a fact. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, viṣaya-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jwale: "The heart is burning." The same word. It is in simple Bengali, and this is in Sanskrit.
Religion means the laws of God. There must be laws. God is the Supreme. As the state laws are there, now the so many affairs in the cosmic manifestation is going on, how they can think of that there is no law? There is law. The sun is rising exactly in time. The Pacific Ocean is exactly in its position. It is not coming even a few yards beyond the area. Such a huge water, it can overflood immediately the whole Los Angeles city in a second. But why it is not coming? You are sure. We are walking by the beach. We are sure that "The water cannot come here." By whose order? By whose law? But these rascals they cannot understand. They are saying, "Nature." They give the explanation, "Nature." But nature is dull. Nature, material nature is dull. We do not find anything... Material nature...
The inferior nature is matter." Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), and superior nature is the living entity. So why superior, living entity? Because the living entity can manipulate the material nature.
So matter, matter is manipulated by a living entity and it has become useful. A microphone. It is common sense affair. So a living entity is not matter. He is superior nature. We should understand that. So everything... Now this superior nature, living entity. He has got mind, intelligence. That is also material. But under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, the mind, intelligence, ego is working. And how it is working? As you wanted. He is giving simply permission. I want to... Just like I want to manufacture something in chemical laboratory. My intense desire is how to make it successful. Then when Kṛṣṇa sees that you are so much, mean, burst to do this, so Kṛṣṇa gives you intelligence that "You do like this." Then He becomes a scientist, discoverer. He cannot do it independently.
Why so many varieties of...? What is the explanation? Just like there are so many varieties of apartment. So what does this mean? You enter some apartment according to the payment you can provide. Therefore there are so many varieties of apartment. It is a commonsense affair. Otherwise all apartments would have been the same, of the same size, same quality, same... No. There are different tenants, they pay differently; therefore there are different kinds of apartment. Similarly, this is also apartment. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). The spirit soul is within this apartment body. So according to karma, according to payment, one has got American body, one has got African body, one has got Indian body, one has got this body, that body, dog's body, cat's body, tree's body. This is karma. This is karma. This is our real problem. And this human life is especially meant for solving this problem, not the problem of petrol.
And if you have got some influence, strength, then in your favor everything will be decided. You are the most irreligious person, but if you can bribe the priestly order, he will certify, "Yes, you are religious." So money, not actual qualification.
So if you discuss these things... Long affairs, shortly. Then again it says, dāmpatye abhirucir hetur māyaiva vyāvahārike. Dāmpatye. Dāmpatye, husband and wife relation, will depend on abhiruciḥ. Abhiruciḥ means liking. A girl likes boy, and a boy likes girl. "That's all right. Now let the marriage take place." They do not see what will be future of this girl and the boy. Never. Therefore everyone is unhappy. Six months after marriage, divorce. Because the marriage took place on superficial liking, no deep understanding... So things are taking place like that. Formerly marriage, at least in India, at least up to our time, the marriage was taking place not on the liking of the boy and the girl. No.
They knew that "Ultimately, Kṛṣṇa is everything." Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ: (BG 7.19) "Anyone who understands that ultimately Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, is everything," sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ, "such person is very rare, mahātmā, great soul." So all these Pāṇḍavas were great soul, and they ultimately... Retirement means no more material affairs. We are active on the platform of this bodily consciousness. That is also required for some time, not for all the time. The aim is to work for the soul. But because now we are covered by this material body, so we have to utilize the best use of a bad bargain. It is a bargain, that we have got this material body. But because... Just like you take care of your car because you, the spirit soul, will utilize it for going here and there. Without a man being interested going by car, nobody takes care. Similarly, this is also a car given by nature.
There are ten kinds of reformation. The first reformation is garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra means when the father is going to give birth to a child, it is not a secret affair. It is open affair. "Now this is the good, auspicious day, and today the father will implant the seed of the son in the womb of the mother." There is great function. That is called garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. And there are witnesses, all the brāhmaṇas, that "This day, such and such time, this king or this person has begotten this child." Just like when the child is born, it is recorded in the government book, similarly, when one is going to give birth to a child, that is also recorded. That is called garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. Not that like cats and dogs in secrecy we have sexual intercourse, and if there is pregnancy, give some contraceptive pill or kill the child.
In Bombay this time I saw in our Juhu-big, big signboards: Beef shop. Beef shop. So Hindus are there also now taking. I asked one lady, she was meat-eater. So I asked her, "Do you eat cow's meat, cow's flesh?" "Yes, sometimes." So this is Kali-yuga. Now government is encouraging drinking and meat-eating. And illicit sex, that is, that has become now a common affair, anywhere you go. Why should you should have to go to brothel? Even big, big, other places. I don't wish to mention. You see.
So this is the age of Kali. So simply full of sinful activities, that's all. That is Kali-yuga. But sinful activities will not help us. That they have no brain to understand. You have to purify yourself. Sinful activities will involve you more and more in the cycle of birth and death. You will take sometimes birth as a king or as a demigod, and sometimes as the worm of the stool. Because according to your karma, you will get next body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1).
Which is within your control, you should act. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaḥ. And prajalpa. Prajalpa means talking all nonsense. Suppose politics. "What Mr. Nixon did yesterday, or what did he say?" So what interest we have got in Mr. Nixon? We shall not waste our time talking this politics, that politics, this sociology, this cinema, this affair, no. We have nothing to do with that. That is called prajalpa, unnecessary talking. Talking means decreasing your duration of life. Talking. So why should you decrease your life unnecessarily? Every moment you have to utilize, "Whether it is used for Kṛṣṇa?" This is sādhana. This is sādhana, practice. Unnecessary talking, unnecessary making enemies. Unnecessarily, "You are my subordinate; I am your master." Who is master? Everyone is subordinate to Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is master. Why you talk unnecessarily?
That you can enjoy. Don't touch anything." So similarly, a person should be so nicely trained up that the one wife with religious, by performing religious ceremony, is given to him, he should be satisfied with her, not to see other women, adulteration. This is Kali-yuga. This is Kali-yuga. Now this adulteration, prostitution, is common affair, common affair. Nobody sees other's wife as his mother, nobody. And neither the woman sees other's husband as father. No.
So Mahārāja Parīkṣit, when he saw that the principles of Kali-yuga, meaning adulteration, prostitution, animal-killing, drinking, intoxication, gambling, these things are coming gradually... Because the age Kali-yuga, this is Kali-yuga. Just like before winter there is some wind, very cold. One can understand, "Now winter is approaching." So of course, you cannot stop winter, but you be careful so that you may not catch cold, coughing. You dress yourself nicely, have warm cloth.
So you are following the dictates of Lenin or Stalin or Molotov or this or that. We are following the philosophy or the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. So on principle, where is the difference? There is no difference." So the professor could not answer that. You cannot conduct your daily affairs without being dictated by somebody else. That is to be accepted.
So that is the law of nature. So nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Then why don't you accept the supreme authority? This subordinate authority... We have to accept somebody as our leader. It is not possible that we can live without leadership. That is not possible. Is there any party, is there any school, or is there any institution that they're conducting without any chief leader or director? Can you show me any instance throughout the whole world? Is there any instance? No.
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
- kiṁ kṣatra-bandhūn kalinopasṛṣṭān
- rāṣṭrāṇi vā tair avaropitāni
- itas tato vāśana-pāna-vāsaḥ-
- snāna-vyavāyonmukha-jīva-lokam
- (SB 1.16.22)
Translation: "The so-called administrators are now bewildered by the influence of this age of Kali, and thus they have put all state affairs into disorder. Are you now lamenting this disorder? Now the general populace does not follow the rules and regulations for eating, sleeping, drinking, mating, etc., and they are inclined to perform such anywhere and everywhere. Are you unhappy because of this?"
Prabhupāda: So śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam. The study of Bhāgavatam means complete knowledge. This is the mature contribution of Vyāsadeva to the human society. Lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). Before writing, by the instruction of his spiritual master, Vyāsadeva meditated in bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite amale. Samyak praṇihite 'male, apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam (SB 1.7.4).
Nitāi: (leads chanting, etc.) "The so-called administrators are now bewildered by the influence of this age of Kali, and thus they have put all state affairs into disorder. Are you now lamenting this disorder? Now the general populace does not follow the rules and regulations for eating, sleeping, drinking, mating, etc., and they are inclined to perform such anywhere and everywhere. Are you unhappy because of this?" (SB 1.16.22)
Prabhupāda:
- kiṁ kṣatra-bandhūn kalinopasṛṣṭān
- rāṣṭrāṇi vā tair avaropitāni
- itas tato vāśana-pāna-vāsaḥ-
- snāna-vyavāyonmukha-jīva-lokam
In this Kali-yuga everything is topsy-turvied. The Vedic way of life... For living condition, we require to eat, we require to take bath, we require to sleep, we require to have sex also. Everything must be in regulative principle. Because human life means regulative principles. Unfortunately, the human life has become irregulated than the animals.
So how this principle should be observed? Just like government, still they regulate. In your country there are so many regulative principles. Just in the shop, foodstuff or fruits, they should not be too old, or rotten. The inspector is there. If there is not to the standard, they are thrown away. Similarly, not only, only these stores and shopkeepers, but even in household affairs, there should be government inspection. That is stated in the śāstra. Whether a man who is professing to become a brāhmaṇa, whether he is following strictly the brahminical rules and regulations. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Similarly, kṣatriyas, whether he is powerful, he is brave, he has got forwardness to fight. When there is fight he does not go back, and whether he is making charity. The kṣatriya qualifications also there. And similarly, the vaiśya qualification. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44).
She does not like that so easily you go back to home, back to Godhead. That is māyā's business. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī (BG 7.14). Just like police. Police business is to see the criminal that is actually, he is in his original consciousness to become law-abiding citizen. Otherwise police will go on punishing him. That is police affair. Similarly, this māyā is the police agent. Her business is to chastise you. Every moment this is going on. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa brahmite kona bhāgyavān jīva.
So this material life means within the jurisdiction of māyā, and she's always punishing us. Anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela ataeva māyā tare (indistinct). Because we have tried to forget Kṛṣṇa, that is not good for us.
Ātmavit, self-realized person, transcendentalist, they are not interested with these material affairs. Ātmavit.
So there are three kinds of ātmavit or tattvavit. Some of them are brahmavit, some of them are paramātmavit, and some of them are bhagavadvit. Those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth through knowledge, by dint of their own knowledge, that is called brahmavit. They can approach up to the impersonal Brahman. And those who are yogis, trying to understand the Absolute Truth by meditation-dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1)—they are paramātmavit. And those who are devotees, they are bhagavadvit, or bhāgavata. They are called bhāgavata. So there are three classes of transcen..., vit, but everyone accepts this. ātmavit-sammataḥ. We should accept something which is agreed by the ātmavit, not ordinary person. Now it has become a fashion that you manufacture any way of thinking of self-realization, that is accepted. No. Whether it is accepted by ātmavit? Whether it is accepted by the Vedic culture? Then it is true. Otherwise you cannot manufacture.
Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet (SB 5.5.1). "My dear boys, just try to become austere. Just tapasya." Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some difficulties. Not difficulties. Just like in our Society we say, "No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling." But in the Western countries, these things are daily affair. But they have given up. But they have not..., have died. All these boys and girls who have taken up Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they have given up. No illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication. They do not drink even tea, coffee. They do not smoke even cigarette. This is tapasya, little tapasya. (break)
Go means indriya. Svāmī means... Indriya means senses, and svāmī means the master. One has to control. If one is busy only family matters... What is this family? It is simply sense gratification, sexual intercourse. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). So if one is engaged in these family affairs only, sexual affairs, he's not a gosvāmī. Gosvāmī means who has, one who has... Wherefrom this gosvāmī comes? Rūpa Gosvāmī. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva... They, they were not family men. They were not in sense gratification. They were in the service of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa. That is gosvāmī. We must know what is gosvāmī. Loka-hitaṁ ratam. Everyone who is on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is engaged to preach Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, throughout the whole world... Pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt. A gosvāmī means he must have disciples all over the world. That is gosvāmī. Not that within some area. These are the things.
Just like I was seeing just now the rooms of our gṛhastha, householder, boys and girls. Things are scattered. (laughter) But if you go to another person's, gṛhastha (gṛhamedhī), you will find their apartment nicely decorated, chairs, cushions, and sitting place, but they have no vision about self. And here, although we see that household affairs, their resting place, is not so nicely decorated, but their aim is Kṛṣṇa. So that is the difference between gṛhamedhī and gṛhastha. Gṛhamedhī means they simply want to decorate their apartment and children and wife. That is their end of life. That is all. They have no other business. Apaśyatām, blind of the value of life. Whereas the gṛhastha, he is not blind about the value of his life. He is simply looking forward, how to become successful, Kṛṣṇa conscious. So those who are blind of the point of self-realization, such householders, they have got many subject matter of hearing in the newspapers. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2).
The Suta Gosvāmī, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he is addressing a king, rājendra. Formerly, that was the system. The saintly persons, learned brāhmaṇas and sages, they would give instruction to the kings because the king was in charge of the public affairs. So they would take instruction from the learned and by their direction, they would rule over the citizens. This is the division of four orders of life: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. The brāhmaṇa means the most intelligent class of men in the society. Kṣatriya means the administrators, the politicians, the rulers of the society. Vaiśya means the productive class, traders, industrialists, those who are producing money or food, vaiśya. And śūdra means ordinary workers. That is the Vedic social system. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), "The social order, the brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriya, the vaiśya, and the śūdra, they are created by Me." So anything created by God is present everywhere within the universe.
The same subject matter, that those who are too much attached in the family affairs, gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Gṛhamedhī means one who has made his center of activity home. He is called gṛhamedhī. There are two words. One word is gṛhastha, and one word is gṛhamedhī. What is the significance of these two words? Gṛhastha means one... Not only gṛhastha. It is called gṛhastha-āśrama. Whenever we speak of āśrama, it has got spiritual relationship. So all these four divisions of social orders-brahmacārī-āśrama, gṛhastha-āśrama, vānaprastha-āśrama, sannyāsa-āśrama... Āśrama. Āśrama means... Whenever... Āśrama, this word, has become little popular in your country also. Āśrama means situation for spiritual cultivation. Generally, we mean that. And here also, there are so many yoga-āśrama.
So in the material world there cannot be prema. Prema means love. The prema is only possible in the spiritual world. Here, what is going on as love, that is not love, that is lust. A boy loves a girl, a girl loves a boy. That is not love, that is lust. As soon as there is some disturbance in lusty affair, they divorce. So therefore that is not love. So we should note it, that so-called love is bogus in this material world. Love cannot be possible. This very word love, prema, is specially reserved for Kṛṣṇa. Premā pum-artho mahān. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching, that the highest perfection of life is to evoke one's dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.
The love is there. It is reserved for Kṛṣṇa, but due to our foolishness, we are distributing that love in so many ways, up to the dog. This is called illusion. We do not know where to apply love. If you see, all these words is touched with the word kāma, kāma. Kāma means lust. There is no question of love.
That's all right, but it is also temporary. It is not permanent. And next life you do not know. Even if you have no information what is life after death, but there is. There is life after death. The body is changing. This is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The body is changing, but the soul is eternal. We are busy with the bodily affairs of life, but we do not take care of the soul. That is the mistake of the present civilization. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is teaching to the people in general, the philosophers, the religionists, the leaders, that this is not the way of civilization. You try to develop your consciousness to the standard of Kṛṣṇa. Then your life will be successful.
Thank you very much. Any question? (break)
The laborers in great factories and workshops are also engaged in such burdensome work, and after working hard during the day, the poor laborer has to be again kicked by the fair sex, not only for sex enjoyment but also for so many household affairs.
So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam's categorization of the common man without any spiritual enlightenment into the society of dogs, hogs, camels and asses is not at all an exaggeration. The leaders of such ignorant masses of people may feel very proud of being adored by such a number of dogs and hogs, but that is not very flattering. The Bhāgavatam openly declares that although a person may be a great leader of such dogs and hogs disguised as men, if he has no taste for being enlightened in the science of Kṛṣṇa, such a leader is also an animal and nothing more.
In the impure state of a living being, the various senses are fully engaged in mundane affairs. If the ear is not engaged in the service of the Lord by hearing about Him from Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, certainly the holes of the ear will be filled with some rubbish. Therefore the messages of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam should be preached all over the world very loudly. That is the duty of a pure devotee who has actually heard about them from the perfect sources. Many want to speak something to others, but because they are not trained to speak on the subject matter of Vedic wisdom they are all speaking nonsense, and people are receiving them with no sense.
Pradyumna: "In the impure state of a living being, the respective senses are fully engaged in mundane affairs. If the car is not engaged in the service ..."
Prabhupāda: "If the ear..."
Pradyumna: "If the ear is not engaged in the service of the Lord by hearing about Him in the Bhagavad-gītā or in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, certainly the holes of the ears will be filled up with some rubbish."
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the secret. We have got the ears, and we have got the sound also. Just like we are reading this book. So if we don't fill up our ears with this transcendental sound, then it will be filled up with some rubbish things. It cannot remain empty. Either you fill up with transcendental message, or you fill up with rubbish nonsense. Two ways. So if you take care that your earholes are always filled up with the transcendental message of Kṛṣṇa, so there is no scope for rubbish things to enter into it. So therefore our attempt should be twenty-four hours hearing. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Twenty-four hours. As soon as you get time, read books, discuss amongst yourselves, partial closing.(?) Don't fill up the ears with rubbish things. Then advance will be choked up. Go on.
Animals like horses, elephants, cows, and dogs are all household animals, and a householder has to keep them as household paraphernalia. In modern civilization the horses and elephants have been replaced by cars and conveyances with considerable horsepower. To maintain all the household affairs, one has to increase the bank balance and be careful about the treasury house, and in order to display the opulence of material assets, one has to keep good relations with friends and relatives, as well as become very careful about maintaining the status quo. This is called material civilization of material attachment.
They do not... Śūdras does not require any training. Śūdra means no training. Ordinary worker class. Otherwise other three, especially two, namely the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas, they require very magnificent training. Because they will administer the whole affairs of the society.
So brāhmaṇas, they would give advice to the kṣatriyas, and kṣatriyas, according to their advice, would rule over the citizens. This was the system. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Vibhāgaśaḥ, "by division of quality and work." A brāhmaṇa must be qualified and at the same time work as a brāhmaṇa. So we are training, especially, our students to become qualified brāhmaṇas. We cannot take up all other department. Similarly, others may take up the line of training... Military men... Others may take... There are training classes. Maybe mercantile firm, you can get your lessons.
There is another example Rūpa Gosvāmī gives, that a woman who has got an extra lover besides the husband. So she's always thinking of that lover although she's busy with household affairs. Para vyasaninanina(?). That means if you want somebody very seriously, you can think of him always, twenty-four hours, in spite of your being engaged in so many duties. It is possible.
So we have to practice this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here, in this material world, we have to work. Without work, you cannot maintain even your family, your body. That is not possible. Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says (to) Arjuna that without karma you cannot maintain even your body. So you have to work. Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. And this material world means you have to maintain by working.
Even he's a managing director or proprietor or the supreme person in some establishment, he has got so many anxieties. He's not very happy. Although he's sitting in his room without any disturbance, but because he has to manage, the brain is working, "How to do this? How to do that? How to manage that affair?" He's always full of anxiety. This is material nature. In the material world you cannot be without any anxiety. That is not possible. Asad-grahāt.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was asked by his father, "My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers? Will you explain to me," so Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately replied, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt: (SB 7.5.5) "Yes, I have learned the best thing is that these materialistic persons, who have accepted the asad-vastu..." Sat and asat. Sad gama asato mā: "Don't keep yourself in the asat; go to the sat." Oṁ tat sat.
So transcendentalists, those who are advanced in spiritual life, when they hear some questions from persons to understand about spiritual life, they become very happy. Those who are transcendentalists, they are not interested in these worldly talks. That is very disgusting to them. They avoid such company who talks nonsense about these worldly affairs. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised His disciples, grāmya-kathā nā kahibe. Grāmya-kathā. Grāmya means pertaining to the village, society, neighborhood. People are interested in talking this grāmya-kathā. Grāma, from grāma, grāmya. Just like the newspaper. This newspaper is full of grāmya-kathā. There is no spiritual understanding. The whole newspaper... Here we have got four, five, ten pages newspaper, and in USA they have got bunch, one load of newspaper-full of grāmya-kathā. There was an estimation that the New York Times required, to publish one day's publication, to kill so many trees. Because the paper is now in scarcity. Why?
So in every society there is a class of men who are very intelligent than ordinary men. Then kṣatriya. Kṣatriya means... Kṣat means harm. One who protects others from being harmed. Suppose I am trying to harm you. And the person who protects you, he's kṣatriya. And who protects you? The king or the government. Therefore, those who are engaged in governmental affairs or takes the administrative charge, they are called kṣatriyas. So the kṣatriyas, they are in every human society, the administrator class, politicians, diplomats. Next vaiśya, mercantile class. That is not to be explained. In your country there are so many mercantile class. And śūdras. Śūdra means neither intelligent nor administrator nor merchant. General laborer. Give them something, they'll work. They have no intelligence. So they are called śūdras.
Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ, that you are not a paṇḍita, you are a fool. Just try to understand, that real life is for the soul, therefore you should take care of the soul. The whole Vedic language, Vedic education means to take care of the soul. The soul is entangled, embodied, engaged in this material affair, and he is suffering, and to rescue him, to get him out of this material clutches, that is called education.
That is called education and for that education one has to approach a proper guru like Kapiladeva. Kapiladeva is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. So guru is there, Kṛṣṇa, and His instruction is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Why you are not taking advantage? You have become so foolish. The instruction is there. Guru is there. Somebody says that Arjuna had the opportunity, good opportunity to talk with Kṛṣṇa face to face, but we haven't got that. But what is that talk?
Just like Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, he was a great devotee, and his business was, although he was a king, very responsible king and ruling over the world, but his mind was always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. This is possible. This is possible. That example is given, that a woman or a lady is always busy in his (her) household affairs, but she also takes care of her bunch of hair, how to set it up and very nicely comb it. She does not forget. In spite of her being engaged in so many household affairs, she does not forget to take care of the bunch of hair. Similarly, one who is actually devotee, he may be engaged in so many things, but he does not forget Kṛṣṇa. That is the example, very good example.
So hṛtātmano hṛta-prāṇāṁś ca bhaktiḥ. This is the perfection. "This" means that the gross body and the subtle body becomes digested, no more existence of this gross body. Gross body means sense gratification, and subtle body means speculation, "God is like that, God is like that," speculation, subtle body.
So if a man thinks that "I am this body," then what is this position? He is no better than a dog. You should not be that. This human form of life is meant for this inquiry, athāto brahma-jijñāsā. "If I am Brahman, then what is...? Brahman means eternal. So why I am busy with these bodily affairs?" This is called brahma-jijñāsā. And if you become very learned scholar in the Vedānta and busy with these bodily affairs, that is another foolishness. If you actually Vedantist, then you should be inquiring that "I am eternal. Why I am put into this temporary body, and on account of this body, I am subjected to so many miserable condition of material life? Why I should remain in this condition? How I can get released from this condition?" That is human life. That is human life. And tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). If you actually very much eager to inquire about it, then you require a guru.
So how He has expanded? That is stated here, bhagavān ātma-māyayā: by His internal potency. Bhagavān ātma-māyayā. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport).
The example is given: just that the sun is localized in one place, but he is managing the whole universal affair by his heat and light. That is potency. That does not mean... For time immemorial, sun is supplying unlimited quantity of heat and light all over the universe day and night. There is no stoppage. It is not that sun's heat and light has been stopped because it is night. It is night for us, but his heat and light is being distributed. It is distributed. But still, has the sun has diminished by a small quantity? If it is possible even for the material thing... Sun is nothing but an insignificant material thing. There are millions of suns, millions and trillions of suns. That is admitted even by modern science. So this sun is only an insignificant portion of the sun category. This universe is the smallest.
So we have to push on Kṛṣṇa consciousness with great difficulty. When I went to America, I went by ship. So it stopped at the, what is that, Commonwealth Pier in Boston. So I was thinking that if "I say that 'No illicit sex, no meat-eating, and no intoxication, and no gambling,' so these people will immediately say, 'Please go home.' " (laughter) Yes. That is the position. It is... These are their daily affairs. These are their daily affairs in Western countries. And if you want to make them stop these things, they will think that "This man is lunatic." But by Kṛṣṇa's grace these boys, these girls, they agreed. That is Kṛṣṇa's grace. I did not expect that they will agree. In India they do not agree, and they are accustomed from childhood, from boyhood. So how they will... But Kṛṣṇa's grace is so nice, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy is so great, that they agreed, and they are pushing on this movement on this principle.
Kṛṣṇa is here, and you see Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, and if you practice to meditate upon Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, Kṛṣṇa's bodily feature, then immediately your mind becomes controlled. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, he was the emperor of the world. He had to manage many political affairs. But he was one of the topmost devotees at the same time. Why? Because... About him it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that he practiced this yoga system, the topmost yoga system. What is that? Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ: "He kept always his mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa." And his legs engaged for going... He was king, emperor. He had no business to go. But still, he was using his legs to go to the temple. This is this yoga system. You employ your senses. Instead of going to the cinema and standing there for three hours for a ticket, if you engage your legs to come to this temple, it is yoga system, so simple thing.
Because the children are grown up. And when the husband is completely free from all family attachment, he takes sannyāsa. This is the process. Brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. So this Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva, before retirement it is the duty of the father to give instructions how to look after family affairs, their personal affair, their spiritual advancement, everything, so here Ṛṣabhadeva is instructing, "My dear sons, do not think that this particular body, human body, is equal to the body of the cats and dogs and hogs. Don't consider like that." He has particularly mentioned viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means the stool-eater. As in the human society, the dog-eater human being is considered the lowest of the human society, similarly, in the animal society, the animal which eats stool is considered the lowest. So the gradation of human being is also calculated according to the eating process. This is... Modern thinker also says, in your country, Dr. Bernard Shaw?
So Mahārāja Pṛthu..., er, Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva, before retirement... Formerly, even one is king, he was to take leave of householder affairs. The Vedic culture means that the social order and the spiritual order of life. The social order of life is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). According to quality and according to work, the social order is divided into four. The most intelligent class of men are called the brāhmaṇas, and the next intelligent class of men, namely the politicians, or one who wants to take part in administration, they are called kṣatriyas. And the next intelligent class of men, those who are busy in production—because we want food—so the productive class of men is called vaiśya, mercantile. And the laborer class of men, namely one who is neither intelligent nor administrator nor trader, but wants to live at the shelter of somebody, master, they are called śūdras.
Where You are?" Not that "I have seen." That is not bhajana. Bhajana means how to become mad after Kṛṣṇa. One who has once heard the tinkling sound of His ankle bell, He'll be mad after Him—"Where You are? Where You are? Where You are?" Not that hearing and becoming engaged in the family affairs. No. That is not possible. One who has seen, one who has heard, he'll become mad—no more interest in this material affairs. That is the sign. We can say. Of course, if you are experienced devotee... But so far we see of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His immediate successors, Gosvāmīs, they are mad after Kṛṣṇa. They never said that "We have seen Kṛṣṇa." This is called bhajana by separation, vipralambha-sevā.
Yes, that I know. But you can rectify it provided you like. But if you don't like to rectify yourself, how it can be done? If you are thinking that you have got so many defects, you rectify your defects, just like these European, American boys. They were all illicit sex-hunters and intoxicators and meat-eaters. That is their daily affair. How they have given up? They have decided that "We shall rectify ourself." You rectify yourself and you will be able to do. Are you prepared to rectify yourself?
Then the next verse it is said... This is, this sādhu, this mahātmā, generally those who are in the renounced order of life. There are four grades of life: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. The description already given, it is meant for mendicant who have nothing to do with material affairs or household life, renounced order, sannyāsī. It, that is applicable to them. But another mahātmā also is recommended here:
- ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā
- janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu
- gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu
- na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke
Another, that gṛhastha, householder... It is not that simply sannyāsī, renounced order, those who have renounced this material connection, they can become great soul. Not necessarily. Even those who are in family life, living with wife, children, friends, they can also become great soul. They can become great soul. So how they can become great soul? Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā.
The saintly persons are there. If you try to understand from right sources, then your knowledge is there. It is not that because in previous life you had been something, therefore you cannot understand. It is not like that. You, as human being, you have got the capacity to understand. Just like I am explaining that "Do you like death? Do you like birth? Do you like disease? Do you like old age?" Everybody will say, "No, I don't like." Then the next point is if you want to avoid it, if there is any process, do you like it? Certainly you'll say, "Yes. I like it." So this is commonsense affair. It doesn't require any great achievement or pre-education. These are commonsense things.
And actually in no other city in Europe and America I have seen so many people walking on the street. We can study. Just like there is rice cooking. You take one grain of rice and press it. If it is soft, then you know that now the rice is prepared. So it is intelligence required.
So from this taxi affair, I could understand that these people are not happy. And another incident I saw that... Śyāmasundara was there. Even... He could not collect even nice rice, nice ḍāl, only milk was available. Milk and yogurt, that is very sufficiently available. No vegetable, no fruit, no grain, at least, men like us cannot live there happily. (indistinct) But they'll not get any food. Unless he's meat-eater, he'll have to starve. The whole world is coming to like that. And it is said in the śāstra, gradually this condition of human civilization will deteriorate to such extent that no more rice will be available, no more wheat will be available, no more sugar will be available.
He had very bad experience of these two things, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Therefore he gave this injunction, viśvāso naiva kartavyaḥ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca: "Never trust woman and politician." So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita was not inexperienced; he was very experienced. All the ślokas of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita—very useful for daily affairs. So similarly, we should not trust the mind, that "Now I have become liberated." Never think so. We should always remember that liberation is not so easy thing, but if we follow the rules and regulation, then there is every possibility of becoming liberated.
But this is the business in the human...Tapaḥ. That is the instruction. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed sattva (SB 5.5.1). You must purify your existence. This is the only business of human life, tapasya. So tapasya means brahmacārī. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Tapasya means brahmacaryeṇa, no sex life. That is tapasya, real tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena ca.
Desireless means kāma. You cannot be. But desire has to be purified. That is wanted. Kāma, kāma kṛṣṇa-karmātmane. Kāma should be utilized. The same desire should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service. Then it is bhakti. Then it is prema. We sometimes mistake the activities of gopīs, it appears just like lusty affairs, but actually that is not. Gopīs used to dress themselves very nicely, attractively, so that Kṛṣṇa may be very pleased. That was gopīs' desire. Just like in the material world the woman dresses very nicely so that a man may be attracted upon her, and then both of them will fulfill their sex desire or sense gratification. That is material world. But in the spiritual world it appears that gopīs are dressed very nicely not for the purpose of her own satisfaction. They want to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, that "If I dress nicely, Kṛṣṇa will be pleased." So that is prema. And as soon as... In the material nobody wants to please anyone. He wants to please himself, his senses. That is kāma. We should understand what is kāma and what is prema.
So therefore the process of reviving their Kṛṣṇa consciousness is Kṛṣṇa's. No other process will help. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was Kṛṣṇa Himself. He advised, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). The only hope is if you go through the śāstras, Vedic literature, that is the way to understand. But at the present moment people are so engrossed with material affairs that they are not interested even to hear or to talk about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not a very good sign. It is the feverish condition of durbhikṣa. That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that people in general, when they come to the point of suffering from natural law, then they will revive their nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. So therefore, as I was speaking in this morning, we have to elevate the human civilization from a platform which is on equal level with hog civilization. We should very carefully study and try to know whether the advancement of civilization which we have accepted is genuine. No. It is not genuine.
They are making big, big program. He will live for fifty years, but he is making program for five millions of years. So I am...," śoce, "I am actually lamenting for them." This is Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava is not very anxious or unhappy for his personal affair. He knows that "Everywhere I will be protected by Kṛṣṇa," so he has no problem. Therefore real Vaiṣṇava, he wants to deliver all these fallen souls from this miserable condition of life. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja is Vaiṣṇava. His first attention was drawn to the persons in the hellish planet. They are suffering. He questioned, "How they can be saved?" That is his concern. This is Vaiṣṇava.
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī is answering. The spiritual master and disciple... First of all he wanted to test where is standing Parīkṣit Mahārāja. So there are three kinds of processes for becoming free from these material clutches.
Similarly, the Gosvāmīs, they were ministers. They were not ordinary men, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī. Practically they were governing the whole affairs of government at that time, a very exalted post. So about them also, it is written by Śrīnivāsācārya, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. Aśeṣa-maṇḍala. Maṇḍala-pati means big, big leaders, big, big leaders of the society. He was minister, so he was associating with big, big men, not ordinary men. But he gave up. He's such a position, minister, drawing high salary, and association, all the big, big men of the country or the society. But he gave them up—sadā tuccha-vat, that "What is the use of this?" This is called vairāgya. Tyaktvā tūrṇam... Very soon. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. Not only one, many, many big men were flattering them.
Sometimes this argument is put forward. But that argument is not strong. Rūpa Gosvāmī has given a very nice example that a woman, if she is attached to some man and she has a fixed up time to meet the man at some place or at some hour, so she may be engaged in household affairs very busily, but she is expecting, "When that hour will come?" This is very factual example. The mind is there, "When that meeting will take place?" Similarly, you can remember Kṛṣṇa. The... It is a crude example, but it is possible that you be busy in so many ways, but at the same time you can remember Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. We have no objection. You do business, you do this, you do that. But if you can always remember Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. It doesn't matter. Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet. And if you remember always Kṛṣṇa, that means you are becoming purified. You are purified immediately.
These are brahminical qualification.
So this Ajāmila was very nicely trained up, born of a brāhmaṇa father, and his father trained up. But unfortunately, when he was young man, he was passing through the road, he saw one śūdra is embracing another śūdrāṇī, or prostitute. Now it is very common affair all over the world: a man is embracing, kissing. But this was not allowed in gentlemen's society. The śūdras, the fourth-class man, they used to do that. Sometimes, not always. So he was young man. Naturally, when he saw that a young śūdra is embracing another young girl, śūdrāṇī, and she is not properly dressed, he became attracted. He became attracted. And they were drunk. So in this way he fell a victim of that prostitute. He liked that prostitute, and later on, he remained with her, and he had very good wife, very respectable family, brāhmaṇa, but he forgot everything. Therefore it is said, naṣṭa-sadācāraḥ: "He lost all brahminical qualification."
Therefore it is said, naṣṭa-sadācāraḥ: "He lost all brahminical qualification." So he was so much trained up, and still, by seeing the sex behavior of a śūdra and śūdrāṇī, he fell down long, long years ago. Now these things are very common affair. How the young man can be saved? It is very difficult. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given one panacea: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That can save you. Otherwise it is very difficult. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva... (CC Adi 17.21). By practicing the tapasya and yoga and... Nothing will help you, because the age is very fallen. He especially mentioned, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Otherwise one cannot...
So he lost all sadācāra. Kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścit. Kaścit, kaścit means "some are..." Every brāhmaṇa was very elevated.
Of course, these historical incidences, and, some thousands and thousands of years ago happened. But because it is material world, these things were there at that time also. Now it has increased. Kali-yuga means it has increased. The same thieves, cheater, everything were there at that time. It was rare incidences. But now it has become daily affair due to the Kali-yuga. So his business was kaitavaiḥ. Kaitavaiḥ means cheating. Cheating. Now what kind of cheating? The cheaters will round, surround one man, and he says, "Have you seen some gold lump falling down? I have seen. One is lost." Then another man will come, "Sir, I have got this gold lump. If you pay me something, I will give you." But that is not gold, actually, but he creates a situation that "Somebody lost his gold lump. Now he has got. He wants to sell me. All right, I give you ten rupees. Give me." (laughter) This is called kaitavaiḥ. I know some things. (laughter) So bandy-akṣaiḥ kaitavaiś cauryaiḥ, and then direct stealing.
This is not honest. So if you produce such tenth-class and eighth-class and seventh-class men, then how you can expect without crime in the society? That is not possible. So we should know that this is the defect of civilization, that by education, by practice, by examples we are simply creating eighth-class, tenth-class of men, so there cannot be any peace. Therefore the human society must take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and teach people at least how to become second class, third class, if not first class. But there must be first-class men, second-class men. Then everything, social affair, political affair, will go very smoothly, without any trouble. Otherwise you have to meet with this class of profession, stealing, cheating, and so on.
The whole idea of human civilization should be how to fix one to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to Viṣṇu. Because they do not know na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). The real interest is to approach Viṣṇu, to go back to home, go back to Godhead. That he does not know. He is entangled with these material affairs. Anartha. They are called anartha. They are not required. When you get a human form of body you must know that your food and shelter is already ordained. You don't require to try for this. Even the birds and beasts, they do not try for their food and shelter. They are certain that "Somewhere we have got our shelter and there is somewhere my food." Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. Kṛṣṇa, the supreme patron, He is supplying food to everyone. He is supplying food to the elephant, who eats one time one hundred pounds, and He is supplying a grain of sugar to the ant also. So why should bother about my food?
And this literature is meant for swan-class of men, swan, paramahaṁsa. We are also reading... We are not interested with the lump of newspaper. We are interested in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why? Because within this literature there is glorification of the Supreme Lord, how He is conducting the whole universal affair, how the sun is rising exactly in time by His order, the moon is rising exactly by His order, not a minute's deviation. The big, big ocean, Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, very big, powerful, but still within the limit. The Pacific Ocean cannot come beyond the jurisdiction. So who is managing this? Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ. Even the biggest planet within this universe, the sun, it is also rotating in his orbit by the supreme order. So there is supreme order everywhere. There is government. There is ruling. But the rascals, they cannot see. They simply believe in the direct experience. Direct experience is not first-class experience.
This will be explained, next verse, how He is controlling, how things are managed. We can see practically that universal affairs, how things are being managed. Exactly in the right time, the sun is rising, the moon is rising, and they're working exactly to the time. In this season, the sun will stay during daytime so many hours. Exactly we find. Not that this year he's staying from six to six, and next year he's not appearing. No. There is no question of accidents. The same date, same month, and the same appearance of the sun and the moon. Everything. And still we say "There is no God," "God is dead," "There is no controller." This is foolishness. Mūḍha. The mūḍhas, the asses... Mūḍha means asses, one who has no knowledge. It is commonsense affair.
The mūḍhas, the asses... Mūḍha means asses, one who has no knowledge. It is commonsense affair. That if everything is going on so nicely, how I can think there is no controller? In your house, in your office, if everything goes very nicely, systematically, there is the director, there is the manager, superintendent, and everything is going nice, how, without these things, how the whole universal affair can go so nicely? That is not accidental, that there was a chunk and immediately it became a this and that. No. There was no accident. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). There is no question of accidents. Kṛṣṇa says, "Under My supervision, everything is going on."
So he is so powerful that through his mind he can see the past and the future, tri-kāla-jñā, by mind. And because he is so powerful, he is addressed here as Bhagavān. I have several times explained, Bhagavān means the most powerful, full of opulences. So those who are in charge of departmental affairs within this universal kingdom, they are also sometimes addressed as Bhagavān. And Aja, Aja is Brahmā. Aja means who does not take birth. So Brahmā also did not take birth like ordinary human being. He sprouted like the lotus flower from the abdomen of Mahā Viṣṇu..., Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Therefore he is called Aja or Svāyambhu, Svāyambhu: "personally born, not through the womb of the mother." Brahmā was not born through the womb of mother; therefore he is called bhagavān ajaḥ.
Nirapatrapam. Nirapatrapa means one who does not care for any public criticism. Nirapatrapam, krīḍantam anugāyantaṁ hasantam anayāntike. And was laughing and smiling and singing and enjoying. And this boy, Ajāmila, when he was passing on that road he saw everything. Dṛṣṭvā tāṁ kāma-liptena bāhunā parirambhitām. The boy, when he saw that they are engaged in such lusty affairs, bāhunā, with arms, parirambhitām... Parirambhitām means embracing one another.
That part of Bhāgavata is very interesting, and people gather in ten thousands to hear rāsa-līlā. And the reciter will make very monetary profit. This is going on, Bhāgavatam. Nobody is interested to hear the incidences of Ajāmila. They at once go to Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā is not this lusty affair—that is a different thing—but people, because they want such thing, they are very much addicted to Bhāgavata reading, or Bhāgavata recitation when rāsa-līlā is described. So the rāsa-līlā should be strictly... Caitanya, according to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction—we follow that—this rāsa-līlā chapter is not for ordinary person. They are meant for liberated persons, not for ordinary persons. Therefore they should not be, this rāsa-līlā description should not be made amongst ordinary people. Those who are advanced devotee, those who are liberated from material contamination, they should try to understand what is rāsa-līlā.
That is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that one should not even imagine the rāsa-līlā of Kṛṣṇa. But it is meant when one is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is for them only.
So dṛṣṭvā tāṁ kāma-liptena bāhunā parirambhitām. Kāma-liptena, engaged in such lusty affairs, embracing one another by the arms, jagāma hṛc-chaya-vaśaṁ sahasaiva vimohitaḥ, all his education and training become bewildered, and he become attracted and stunned by the scene. Stambhayann ātmanātmānaṁ yāvat sattvaṁ yathā-śrutam.
So many things... This is Kali-yuga. Therefore the only way of deliverance from this bewilderment is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa... He became attracted. Na śaśāka samādhātuṁ mano madana-vepitam. He is personally seeing the sex affairs. How he can be checked from the sex appetite? It is clearly said, na śaśāka: "He was unable," na śaśāka samādhātum, "to control himself." Controlling.
Therefore these things are strictly prohibited for public seeing. These things... Everyone knows that when there is man and woman or husband and wife there is..., but not to be publicly exhibited. According to Hindu system—we have seen it—the wives go to the husband at night and nobody could see. Everyone... When everyone has gone, all elderly people has gone to sleep, then the wife goes.
When everyone has gone, all elderly people has gone to sleep, then the wife goes. And he (she) comes early in the morning so that nobody can see when she has come out from the husband. This was the system. And at daytime no wife was allowed to see the husband, especially young wife. So this sex affair, according to Vedic civilization, is strictly regulated. It is not that cat's and dog's sex life. Because if you allow the sex life like cats and dogs, then the society will be cats and dogs. So these things are to be taken lesson from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. All right.
So in the morning we shall speak in Hindi for the foreign students. In the evening there will be Hindi. Morning, seven up to eight or little more, and similarly in the evening.
So we are talking about Ajāmila. He was a nice brāhmaṇa boy executing the duties of a brāhmaṇa, but one day, when he was passing, he saw one śūdra and one śūdrāṇī embracing, kissing, talking, laughing—all lusty affairs. So it is mentioned here, śūdra.
We have got lusty desires. Everyone's heart... Hṛd-roga-kāma. The material world means there is a heart disease which is called kāma, hṛd-roga-kāma. So hṛc-chaya-avaśam. If we... This is called impetus. If I see one engaged in lusty or sex affairs, naturally my sex desire also becomes awakened. Even though I am trying to control in the neophyte stage, still, if I see in my front something, lusty affairs, naturally I will be inclined to such. Therefore it is called avaśam. He was student, brahmacārī, practicing śama, dama, satyam, śaucam. He was not very old man; he was young man. But he could not control. Therefore it is said hṛc-chaya-avaśam. Avaśam sahasaiva: "all of a sudden," vimohitam, "he became very much attracted."
That is the result. But in spite of disappearing our, this lusty desire, if we increase our lusty desire, that means we are spoiling our life. Therefore it is forbidden that neophyte students, they should not indulge in these affairs of rāsa-līlā. You should be very careful. People are very much accustomed to see rāsa-līlā in Vṛndāvana. Maybe they are advanced, but the test is whether he has given up his lusty desire. That is the test. If he has given up, then, after seeing rāsa-līlā, he should not have returned to home. My Guru Mahārāja used to say, "Do not go to Vṛndāvana with return ticket." So therefore it is very confidential. There are ten cantos in Bhāgavatam. Nine cantos are devoted to understand Kṛṣṇa, nine cantos. Then tenth canto begins. Then Kṛṣṇa's birth and pastimes are mentioned there. So we should not jump over the tenth canto all of a sudden. People are very much anxious to jump over the tenth canto. No.
These are the symptoms that have eaten. Similarly, when you'll no longer be attracted by this sex desire, then you should understand that "I am now making progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." This is the test.
So this boy became victimized. Although he was under training, he was not completely fit. Therefore he fell victimized by seeing this affair, lusty affairs. So at that time might be one or two cases. Now the whole world is full with all of these lusty desires, especially in the Western country. Here also now it has come. No more they are following the Vedic principles. But it is not so deteriorated as in the Western countries, and so we should be very, very careful. Not only... Simply becoming careful will not. We must advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that is very easily done by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. If you keep yourself always engaged in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, then it will be... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). This is hṛc-chaya-vaśam.
That is the condition of all living entities within this material world in different degrees. Everyone is ghostly haunted. And what is that ghostly haunted? That ghostly haunted, tan-nimitta-smara-vyāja. This Ajāmila had seen one śūdra and one śūdrāṇī were embracing, kissing, laughing, enjoying in lusty affairs. So he became tan-nimitta. By seeing these activities of the śūdra and the śūdrāṇī, naturally the lusty desire is there, which I explained yesterday. It is called hṛd-roga-kāma. This kāma, lusty desire, is a heart disease. So he was infected by the heart disease by seeing the scene, that one woman and man is embracing kissing, immediately.
So the nature's law is so nice or so perfect that by seeing only, you will be infected, by seeing only. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). We are put into such a position that every moment we are being affected by the three modes of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni.
And graha-grasto vicetasaḥ. Graha-grasta. Just like when we are haunted by ghost—a ghost captures, then vicetasaḥ, we are lost, lost of our our consciousness, our intelligence—he became like that. Tām eva manasā dhyāyan. Then, instead of meditating on Kṛṣṇa, he began to meditate on the lusty affairs of the śūdra and the śūdrāṇī.
Therefore, in the Kali-yuga the so-called meditation is a farce. Because we are always seeing these lusty affairs before our eyes, naturally when we close our eyes and meditate, instead of thinking of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, we shall think of woman and other things. Therefore it is not possible. In the Kali-yuga it is not possible. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). In the Satya-yuga it was possible, meditation on Viṣṇu, not on other things. But now, in this Kali-yuga, we are infected with so many lusty desires that it is not possible. Therefore śāstra said, kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ majato makhaiḥ.
He was being trained up very nicely. But because it was not śuddha-sattvata, therefore he fell down, even on the sattva-guṇa platform. But when one is on the śuddha-sattva... Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. This man was brahminically qualified, but as soon as he saw that a śūdrāṇī and śūdra were engaged in lusty affairs, he fell down. But see the behavior of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Because he was situated on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa and... Although he was young man, one, another young prostitute came to deviate him, and he remained in his position. Rather, he converted the prostitute to become a devotee. This is the difference between sattva-guṇa and śuddha-sattva-guṇa. If you keep yourself on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa, then you will be able to convert others to become devotees. Therefore it is not difficult. It is very easy also.
So this is bhāgavata-dharma, strictly following the words and the injunction of God. That is bhāgavata-dharma. And that is real dharma.
So this man deviated from bhāgavata-dharma. Therefore he was to be arrested by the Yamadūtas for purification. That was his external affair. But by chance, by the grace of the Lord, at the time of his death he chanted "Nārāyaṇa," not exactly meaning the Supreme Lord Nārāyaṇa, but his son's name was Nārāyaṇa. He was thinking that "I am being dragged by the Yamadūta. So my son will save me." Therefore he exclaimed, "Nārāyaṇa, please save me." So he meant his son, but Nārāyaṇa, actual Nārāyaṇa, heard it—"O Nārāyaṇa, please save me." This is the... Nārāyaṇa is so kind that although the name of Nārāyaṇa was called by Ajāmila, meaning his son, still, because he has chanted the name, holy name of Nārāyaṇa, it was immediately taken seriously by Lord Nārāyaṇa, and His order-carriers, the Viṣṇudūtas, were sent to save this man. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt.
And the material disease, lusty desires, will be vanquished. But they do not hear from the authoritative source. Some professional reciters they hear; therefore they remain in the material existence of lusty affairs and sometimes they turn to be sahajiyā. When Kṛṣṇa had connection with so many women... You know that in Vṛndāvana, the "yugala-bhajana"—one becomes Kṛṣṇa and one becomes Rādhā. That is their theory. And so many things are going on. Therefore we instruct that first of all read the nine chapters very carefully, and then... There are so many nice instructions, but they do not hear about this nice instruction, ajāmila-śraddhā caritra. At least, picked up, some incidences, they should hear.
Saptarṣi-maṇḍala, yes. That saptarṣi-maṇḍala is the abode of great seven ṛṣis. So here it is said, Yamarāja says, "Even the seven ṛṣis..." They are controlling the affairs, like the demigods, and they are brāhmaṇas amongst the demigods, the great sages. The demigods, some of them are brāhmaṇas, some of them are kṣatriyas, exactly in the same way. So this bhṛgv-ādayaḥ ṛṣis, they are brāhmaṇas. Sattva-guṇa-pradhānāḥ. Sattva-pradhānāḥ. They are standing on the modes of goodness. So... And they are viśva-sṛjo 'mareśāḥ. Amara. Amara means the demigods. They are supposed to be amara in our calculation. Just like Brahmā. We cannot calculate his duration of life. His duration of life is so long that it is beyond our calculation. Therefore they are sometimes called amara. Amara means immortal.
And still we have got twelve hours for Kṛṣṇa's service. Is there any mistake? Just calculate. Why there should be, "Oh, I work so hard. I have no... Therefore I am sleeping more," to find out an excuse. "I was dysentery." Why you dysentery? Why there should be dysentery unless you eat more? This way, personally we have to adjust things, not that by dictation or by rules and regulations. Personal affairs cannot be adjusted by rules and regulation. It can be adjusted by oneself. And then everything will be all right.
Janaka. Janaka Mahārāja. Yes. King Janaka. He's the father of Sītā, Janaka Mahārāja. He was a great king, but he had no attachment. Even great sages used to go to learn from him about spiritual affairs. He was so..., such a great personality, although he was a king and gṛhastha. All of them were gṛhasthas. Lord Svayambhū, Brahmā, he is also gṛhastha. Nārada is brahmacārī. Śambhu, he is also gṛhastha; he has his wife. Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilaḥ (SB 6.3.20), he is also gṛhastha. Kumāraḥ, they are brahmacārīs. And Manu, he is also gṛhastha, Prahlāda Mahārāja, gṛhastha; Janaka, gṛhastha; Bhīṣma, brahmacārī; and Yamarāja, a gṛhastha. So the number of gṛhasthas are greater than the brahmacārīs, but they are mahājanas. It doesn't matter whether he is a gṛhastha or brahmacārī. Just like we are practically following. We are giving equal rights to everyone.
That's all. Thinking that "I am in family. My..., they are friends, they are countrymen, they are my children, and they'll give me protection. What this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will give us protection? They have no money. They are begging. So how they can?" No. That is their idea, that "This, my family affairs, a nice situation, that will give me protection." But that is wrong. Teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati.
The veins are so nicely arrangement, the intestines are so nicely arranged. Just like the same way as in a machine the wirings are very nicely arranged. So if for that machine there is a brain, don't you think that in this machine, behind this, there is no brain? There must be brain. This is common sense affair. So this godless civilization means people have lost even common sense. Even common sense. Otherwise, you may, if you use in a harsh word, that they have become fools and rascals, that's all. They have lost their common sense.
Kṛṣṇa comes to teach us dharma... Dharmasya glānir bhava... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). So what is that dharma? This Bhāgavata-dharma. When the rascals forget what is the relationship with Kṛṣṇa, what is the relationship with God, he becomes entangled in this material affair, māyā. He is harassed, harassed in this way, that he has to take birth one after another, beginning from Brahmā down to the small ant. There are so many varieties of life. So according to karma, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1), by superior arrangement one has to accept a type of body. That we are forgetting. We are thinking that we shall remain free like this. That is not possible. Your every inch of activity is being recorded and at the end of life these things will be taken into account, karmaṇā. And by the superior arrangement you have to accept one type of body.
They do not know anything except play." Bālas tāvad kridāsaktas taruṇas tāvad taruṇī raktaḥ: "And the young, youngsters, they are after young girls, embracing, kissing. That's all." So taruṇas tāvad taruṇī raktaḥ. And vṛddhas tāvad cintā-magnaḥ: "And the old men, they are thinking, 'How to pull on? What to do? How to adjust family affairs?' " Parame brāhmaṇe ko 'pi lagnaḥ: "Oh, it is very lamentable. Nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." He is lamenting because he has got to... He was seeing practically. A sannyāsī is supposed to wander from one country, one village to another. So he is lamenting, bālas tāvad kridāsaktaḥ: "Oh, boys are playing. They are not being trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The youths, they are very much enjoying. So the old men, they are thinking, deep, thoughtful, the same thing. But nobody is interested."
"One who has passed his life simply being attached to household affairs, sneha-pāśair, and when the affection of household life is too strong, it is very difficult to get out of it." That will be very nicely explained, one after another.
Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, there is compulsory get-out from household life. Compulsory get-out means pañcāś ordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Pañcāś means fifty years. "As soon as one passes over fifty years of age, he should get out." That is the injunction of the scriptures. No more in household affairs. The life is divided into four parts, four divisions. First of all brahmacārī. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja is teaching. Brahmacārī, a boy from five years old is taught, and up to twenty-five years. And if he is not... Of course, he is properly taught, but if he is not properly convinced that "Worldly life is botheration. Better remain brahmacārī for throughout the whole life..."
Now, that does not mean that Prahlāda Mahārāja is recommending to neglect the, this family life or society and... No. He was family man. Prahlāda Mahārāja was a great king. He was ruling over. So it is not the question of neglect. But we must know that if we become more and more entangled in these affairs, then our real business will be lost. Our real business is how to get out of this entanglement, not to be more and more, I mean to say, implicated in this entanglement. That should be the point of view: to make the best use of a bad bargain. That should be the philosophy of life. We are put into this material existential condition, and we have to get out. But at the same time, so far, so long this material body is there, we have to maintain it also. Just like... The example is very nice. We can cite that you have to go to some place, and you have got a car.
One's elderly parents and one's sons and daughters are also very dear. A daughter is especially dear to her father, and while living at her husband's house she is always in his mind. Who could give up that association? Aside from this, in household affairs there are many decorated items of household furniture, and there are also animals and servants. Who could give up such comforts? The attached householder is like a silkworm, which weaves a cocoon in which it becomes imprisoned, unable to get out. Simply for the satisfaction of two important senses—the genitals and the tongue—one is bound by material conditions. How can one escape?" Purport: In household affairs the first attraction is the beautiful and pleasing wife, who increases household attraction more and more. One enjoys his wife with two prominent sense organs, namely the tongue and the genitals. The wife speaks very sweetly. This is certainly an attraction.
Then there are one's own father and mother to be taken care of, and one also becomes concerned with the social atmosphere and with pleasing his brothers and sisters. A man becomes increasingly entangled in household affairs, so much so that leaving them becomes almost impossible. Thus the household becomes gṛham andha-kūpam, a dark well into which the man has fallen. For such a man to get out is extremely difficult unless he is helped by a strong person, the spiritual master, who helps the fallen person with the strong rope of spiritual instructions. A fallen person should take advantage of this rope, and then the spiritual master, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, will take him out of the dark well.
So before that, we have already described, even Lakṣmījī, he (she) could not go forward. Although she had daily affairs with Nārāyaṇa, she could not dare to go forward. Brahmā, Lord Brahmā offered their prayers, other, Lord Śiva offered their prayers, but nobody could pacify him. Therefore he is in doubt that "I am born in the family of demons," ugra-karma, ugra-jāti. "If Brahmā failed, Lakṣmījī failed, Lord Śiva failed to pacify Him, how it is possible by me to pacify the Lord?" That he's doubting. Brahmādayaḥ sura-gaṇā-munayo 'tha siddhāḥ. "All they are exalted persons and siddha." There is a Siddhaloka. In the higher planetary system there is a planet known as Siddhaloka. If there is opportunity, as we are contemplating, we shall show here in Caitanya-candra, er, Māyāpur-candrodaya temple. That is our plan, to make a very big temple and to show all the planetary system within that from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. It will not be an ordinary temple, so that people from the whole world, they'll come.
One day he went to collect some flowers and some wood from the forest for his father's worship. His father was worshiping Deity, and he was helping. On the path he saw that one śūdra and his wife, without any shame, they were embracing and kissing. This young boy became attracted. Therefore this system, that loving exchange or affairs should not be exhibited on the street. This is not very civilized form. In India it is not at all allowed. It is calculated indecent. There is punishment by law. But here the practice is different. But why it is so strict according to Vedic scripture? Here is the example. A young man was passing, and another young man and girl was embracing. Naturally he became excited. And of course this kind of embracing and kissing on the public street is done not by any high class. So he was a śūdra. So this Ajāmila was standing there, and the śūdrāṇī or the śūdra woman also called, and he became more excited, and he embraced and kissed her, and gradually became attracted to her.
So is that emancipation? But it was advertised as emancipation. Similarly, whatever material advancement we are making in the name of facility, emancipation, we are simply bungling the whole affair, disturbing. They do not know that. Life is so simple. Of course, it is not acceptable at the present situation. Therefore our only remedy is that whatever situation is there, you simply chant. Everything will be adjusted. But this atheistic way of life, this materialistic way of life, is always disturbing. That you should know. Disturbing to whom? To the Supreme. Just like the more they become materially advanced, they'll decry, "Oh, there is no God. I am God. We don't care for God. Why you are clamoring for God?" What...? That is their business, simply to decry God. Therefore they are...
There is controller. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "All these natural rules and regulations, they are being conducted under My superintendence." It is foolishness to understand that there is no director or no supreme controller or superintendent in these affairs. This is scanty explanation, that "Nature is doing." No. Nature cannot do. Nature is dull. Nothing can move without spiritual touch. Matter is dull. A stone, however great it may be, without touch of a spiritual individual soul, the stone cannot move. So similarly, the whole gigantic material cosmic manifestation is being moved by the spiritual touch, and there are different departments, and they are called vidhi-karāḥ. Vidhi means regulative, and karāḥ means the performers. So he says, sarve hy amī vidhi-karās tava sattva-dhāmno brahmādayo. And he specifically mentions now, brahmādayo, headed by Lord Brahmā.
This is the test of bhakti. If one has entered the domain of devotional service, this material world will be not at all tasteful for him. Virakti. No more. Āra nāre bapa (?). The Jagāi-Mādhāi, too much materialistic, woman-hunters, drunkard, meat-eater... So these things have become now common affairs. But it is very, very fearful for the devotees. Therefore we say, "No intoxication; no illicit sex; no meat-eating." It is very very fearful. But they do not know. Mūḍhaḥ nābhijānāti. They do not know it. They indulge in. The whole world is going on on this platform. He does not know that he is creating a very, very fierceful situation by indulging in these sinful activities.
And when Kṛṣṇa says, "Keep him under your control," so you have to remain. So we are captivated now within this material world. We are announcing that "We are independent. Whatever we like, we can do." These are all foolishness. You are entangling yourself, simply entangling. A little mistake—you'll have to suffer. Just like in our daily affairs you can eat so much. A little more eating means disturbance in the digestion. You are so much under the control of nature. But these rascals, they do not understand it. They declare, "Freedom."
So if it is possible materially that one ordinary man, he can manage hundreds of factories and offices without going there, simply by his order, so how much powerful is Kṛṣṇa, we have to imagine. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. Still, even a man or even a demigod... Just like demigod Indra: he's managing the affairs of rains, how to collect the clouds, how to disperse them, how... And there are management, so many managements. But all these managements are going on on the supreme management, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He says in the Bhagavad-gītā that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). This is to be understood. That one Supreme Person, He is managing everything. The material and spiritual world, everything is being managed by Him. That is God. God is not so cheap. This is God.
There are many examples, practical.
So this kāmāturam, this lusty desire, is not good. Either you do it legally or illegally, the result is śokaḥ. That we must understand. Unforunately, although the result ..., everyone knows practical experience, that nobody has become happy by these sex affairs. There is a Urdu word, they say durlika-lugdu, yo khāyā abhipastāyā yo na khāyā abhipastāyā.(?) The meaning is "There is a lugdu"—you know lugdu, of course—"lugdu which is known as durlikalugdu. So this durlikalugdu is so dangerous, one who has eaten it, he's also lamenting, and one who has not eaten it, he's also lamenting." (laughter) Durlika lugdu ya khāyā abhipastāyā ya na khāyā abhipastāyā. So this man and woman connection is durlikalugdu. One who has married, he's also lamenting, and who is not married, he's also lamenting. So this is the thing. The śāstra also says... Not only... Any experienced man will say like that, that "Both ways, it is simply lamentation."
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: "O my Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You are the original spiritual master of the whole world. Your special interest in managing the affairs of the universe is to deliver the fallen souls who are engaged in Your devotional service. You are already the friend of all suffering humanity, and I think You will show Your causeless mercy upon persons like us, who are engaged in Your service."
Prabhupāda:
- ko nv atra te 'khila-guro bhagavan prayāsa
- uttāraṇe 'sya bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoḥ
- mūḍheṣu vai mahad-anugraha ārta-bandho
- kiṁ tena te priya-janān anusevatāṁ naḥ
- (SB 7.9.42)
So Kṛṣṇa is bhava-sambhava-lopa-hetoḥ. Everything which is going on—creation, maintenance, and also annihilation—the original cause is Kṛṣṇa. When there is need of creation, the cause is Kṛṣṇa. When there is need of maintenance, the cause is Kṛṣṇa. Everything, the cause is Kṛṣṇa. And there is annihilation—the cause is Kṛṣṇa. So sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya, although it is being done... Sṛṣṭi means creation; sthiti means maintenance; pralaya means destruction. These things are going on in the material world. Everything is created. Just like your body, my body, it is created at a certain date. There is history.
There are goṣṭhy-ānandī and bhajanānandī. Bhajanānandī is interested for his own welfare, or they think it that he is not competent enough to preach; therefore he does not go for preaching work. Sva-vimukti-kāmā: "Let me look after my own affairs." "Oil your own machine."
So this is another stage, and other stage is a devotee taking all risk, preaching for the benefit of the whole human society. He is called goṣṭhy-ānandī, increasing the number of devotees. That is preferred by Kṛṣṇa. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, ya imaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati: "Anyone who is engaged in preaching this confidential science of Bhagavad-gītā," na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścid me priya-kṛttamaḥ, "nobody is dearer to Me than he is." So if you want very quickly recognition by Kṛṣṇa, go on preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
| Page Title: | Affairs (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 22 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=137, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 137 |