Prabhupāda: Yes. We can . . . if you . . . we can . . . a very cheap edition. Or we'll print here, cheap.
David Lawrence: The Kṛṣṇa Books? Kṛṣṇa Books?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
David Lawrence: I have an order that I have to get tonight of those . . .
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa books?
David Lawrence: Yes. Some of my boys saw my copy, and they were reading it, and, er . . .
Śyāmasundara: How old are they?
David Lawrence: These are fourteen-year-olds, these ones.
Śyāmasundara: Fourteen.
David Lawrence: And I've got an order for Back to Godhead and . . . besides this.
Prabhupāda: Hmm. And here is a verse, the guidance to the guardians: pitā na sa syāt . . . what is? Gurur na sa syāt.
Pradyumna: (flipping pages) Is it . . . is that in Fifth Canto?
Prabhupāda: Yes, Fifth Canto, Fifth Chapter. Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum.
Pradyumna:
- gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt
- pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt
- daivaṁ na tat syān na patiś ca sa syān
- na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum
- (SB 5.5.18)
Prabhupāda: Samupeta-mṛtyum. So the idea is one should not become spiritual master. Gurur na sa syāt. Then?
Pradyumna: Sva-jano na sa syāt.
Prabhupāda: One should not become his kinsman. This is negative side, going on. One should not become a spiritual master, one should not pose himself as kinsman . . . gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt. Then?
Pradyumna: Pitā na sa syāt. Prabhupāda: One should not become a father. And pitā na sa syāt, jananī na sā syāt. One should not claim to become mother. Then?
Pradyumna: Daivaṁ na tat syān.
Prabhupāda: One should not . . . because somebody worships some forms of God. So that gods should not be also worshiped. Then? Go on.
Pradyumna: Na pitaś ca sa syān.
Prabhupāda: Na pitā?
Pradyumna: Oh, na patiś ca sa syān.
Prabhupāda: Ah, na patiḥ. And one should not become husband also. Because husband is supposed to be instructor to the wife. Husband is the guardian of the wife. So he's responsible for her spiritual advancement. As much as the father is responsible for the spiritual advancement of his child, the spiritual master is responsible . . .
Anyone who is claiming to be superior, he should be responsible for the inferior's spiritual advancement of life. So the conclusion is that they should not claim to become such and such unless they are able to save the subordinate from the imminent danger of death. Because death is there so long one is not spiritually advanced. As soon as one is spiritually advanced, he goes to the spiritual world, transferred. Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). Spiritually advancement means to be transferred to the spiritual world.
So this is the main business of the father, of the husband, of the spiritual master, of the king, of the guardian, of kinsmen. Everyone should be alert, "Whether I am helping my subordinate in the spiritual advancement of life." Because that will save him from the repetition of birth and death. And otherwise, what benefit you can do? If he's under the laws of karma, if he's going to become a cat or dog in next life, what help you have given to him? If he's under the laws of karma, then your help is no use. Your help is no use.
David Lawrence: It's a tremendous responsibility.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Tremendous responsibility. So everyone should be responsible to save his subordinate from the laws of karma. So laws of karma can be broken. Karmāṇi nirdahati ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). One who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, bhakti, devo . . . bhakti-yoga, he's no longer under the laws of karma. And that is also . . . take Bhagavad-gītā.