Because after all these designations belong to the body, and we are not this body. This is the first conception of spiritual realization. So one has no attraction for designation. And jita-saṅga-doṣā, saṅga-doṣā. Now we are associated with the three modes of material qualities, and if we become detached by devotional service of the Lord... So long we are not attracted by devotional service of the Lord, we cannot be detached from the three modes of material nature. Therefore the Lord says, vinivṛtta-kāmāḥ, these designations or these attachments are due to our lust, desire. We want to lord it over the material nature. So, so long we do not give up this propensity of lording it over the material nature, up to that time there is no possibility of going back to the kingdom of the Supreme, the sanātana-dhāma. Dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-saṁjñair gacchanty amūḍhāḥ, amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat (BG 15.5). That eternal kingdom, which is never destructible like this material world, can be approached by amūḍhāḥ.
Attracted by... (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
It is not so easy thing that "I do everything, whatever I like." Some rascals preach that "Oh, religion has nothing to do with your eating. You can eat anything you like, and still you become a religious man." This is all nonsense. Nobody can become religious man if he is attracted by sinful activities. It is not possible. You must stop sinful activities. That is first condition. Otherwise you cannot understand what there... People... Perhaps, in this Kṛṣṇa conscious, except this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, all rascals, they do not know what is God. They have no clear conception of God. Because they are sinful. We can give the name, address and everything of God, clear conception, not vague idea, "God may be like this, God may be like that." Why maybe? He is God.
Actually, the gopīs are eternal associates of Kṛṣṇa. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhāvitābhiḥ (Bs. 5.37). They are expansions of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's pleasure potency expansion. They are meant for Kṛṣṇa's pleasure. They are not ordinary women. But superficially, just to teach us how to love Kṛṣṇa at the risk of anything... Therefore gopīs, when they were attracted by Kṛṣṇa at midnight... Kṛṣṇa was playing flute, and they became attracted and they left home. Some of them were locked up. They gave up their life even. They were so much attracted. Now this kind of behavior, if youngs girls... According to Vedic civilization, they cannot go out from the protection of father, husband or brother. No, they cannot go. Especially at midnight. So this was against Vedic principle. It is openly a kind of prostitution. But because it was done for Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He recommends, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhubhiḥ kalpitā: "There is no more better type of worship than it was conceived by the vraja gopīs. Vraja-vadhu.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee: But he was attracted to Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. So what...?
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the sign of liberated soul. Because to become attracted by Kṛṣṇa, that is our normal condition. So he was liberated; therefore normally he became attracted with Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. That is his normal life. One who is not attracted by Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, he will be attracted by President Johnson's pastimes. (laughter) One has to be attracted. One has to be attracted by the dog's pastimes. Don't you see a person how he is serving the dog? The dog stands, passes urine, he also stands. You see? He's a human being, and he is waiting for the dog passing urine. How much he is attending the pastimes of the dog? So if you (are) not attracted by the pastimes of God, then you'll have to be attracted by the pastimes of the dog. There is no other alternative. Either māyā or Kṛṣṇa. The atheist, agnostic, they deny Kṛṣṇa's pastimes; therefore they remain attracted by the pastimes of this material world. Yes?
If Kṛṣṇa is perfect brahmacārī... Kṛṣṇa is perfect brahmacārī, for... It was declared by Bhīṣmadeva. Bhīṣmadeva is the first-grade brahmacārī in the universe. He promised to Satyavatī's father... You know the story. Satyavatī's father... His, Bhīṣmadeva's father was attracted by a fisherwoman, fishergirl. So he wanted to marry. And the father of the girl denied, "No, I cannot give my daughter to you." So "Why? I am king, I am asking your daughter." "No, you have got a son." Bhīṣmadeva was the son of his first wife, mother Ganges. The mother Ganges was wife of Santanu Mahārāja, and Bhīṣmadeva was the only remaining son. The contract was between Santanu Mahārāja and Ganges, Mother Ganges, that "I can marry you if you allow me that all the children born I shall throw in the water of the Ganges. And if you do not allow me, then immediately I shall leave your company." So Santanu Mahārāja said, "All right, still, I shall marry you." So she was throwing all the children in the Ganges.
So everyone was eulogizing Haridāsa Ṭhākura, such a great devotee. So the zamindar, the village zamindar, he became very much envious. So he employed one prostitute to pollute Haridāsa Ṭhākura. And she came at dead of night, nicely dressed, attractive. She was also young, very beautiful. So she proposed that "I have come, being attracted by your beauty." Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "Yes, that's all right. Come on, sit down. Let me finish my chanting. Then we shall enjoy." So she sat down. But Haridāsa Ṭhākura chanting, he was chanting... We, we cannot chant even sixteen rounds, and he was chanting three times sixty-four rounds. How many it is?
Hṛṣīkeśa. Just like Yamunacārya. He is praying, he is speaking, yad-avadhi mama cittaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt: "Since I have begun to feel transcendental bliss being taken shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa," yad-avadhi mama cittaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde, kṛṣṇa-padāravinde, the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. "Since my citta, my heart, has been attracted by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa," tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame, "since then, as soon as I think of sex life," bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ, "I hate, I spit on it." This is Kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is like that. Bhakti-pareśānubhava-viraktir anyatra syāt. This most attractive feature in this material world is sex. That is the foundation of material life. All these people are working so hard day and night only for that sex enjoyment. Yan maithunādi-gṛha... They are taking so much risk. They are working, karmis, they are working so hard. What is their pleasure of life? The pleasure of life is sex. Yan maitunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. Very abominable activities, but that is their pleasure. This is material life.
And he's professor. Just see. Rascal fools they are becoming leaders, professors, politicians, How the people will be happy? They are put into the ignorance of life. Always put. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). They have been enamored by the external feature of Kṛṣṇa's energy. This is also Kṛṣṇa's energies, this material world. But we are attracted by this material energy. We should be attracted by the spiritual energy. That is perfection of life. Both energies are Kṛṣṇa's. Apara, para. This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā. So we are now attracted by the apara energy. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (. 7.4), these material elements. We want. Because we are attracted by the material energy, therefore, when we construct a very nice stone house, oh, we think, "Now, yes, my life is successful. I have got a very nice house, made of stone." Are you stone? No. Still, my attraction is for the stone. Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives me facility. "All right, you take the stone and try to... But you'll never be happy.
Just like a child is given by the father all facilities to play, but at the same time, the father says, "My dear child, don't play like this. It is not good." But because the child persists, father sometimes says, "All right, you play like that. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa does not want that we should come in this material world and be attracted by the earth, water, air, fire, and become great scientist and make combination of these five elements. Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimaya. What is this world? This world is a mixture of fire, earth, water, air. That's all. What is this? Tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ vinimayaḥ tri-sargo 'mṛṣā. It is a false thing. Actually it is a combination of these five elements. And we are accepting... This body's also like that. Body's also combination of five elements. And we are attracted to this. "Oh, I have got so, such a, such a nice, beautiful body, strong body, American body," "Indian body," "Brāhmaṇa body," "This body," "That body." All māyā. You'll never be happy by this bodily concept of life.
If you want to know Kṛṣṇa in truth, then you have to take this devotional line. Then gradually Kṛṣṇa will be attracted by your devotion, and then you will know Kṛṣṇa and you'll be allowed to enter into Kṛṣṇa's place. Otherwise, sarva-gataḥ, sthāṇur acalo 'yam. Although we are eternal, we have to wander within so many forms of life within this brahmāṇḍa and waste our time. That's all.
Therefore this is another kind of disqualification for advancing in spiritual consciousness, if one becomes too much attached to these material comforts of life. Therefore according to Vedic civilization, a boy is trained to become brahmacārī. Brahmacārī. Brahmacārī means complete celibacy. No sex life, no amusement. Because just to train him not to be attracted by this material sense enjoyment. Then he'll be able to grasp what is spiritual life. Therefore restriction. But if from the very childhood, in the school, college, the boys and girls are allowed to enjoy sex life, then it is very difficult to understand or to enter into spiritual life. Bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām. If we teach our children simply for sense enjoyment, how they can be spiritually advanced? The result will be confusion. Therefore in your country the hippies are there—confusion. They have been brought up in material sense enjoyment very nicely, but still, there is confusion, frustration, because he's hankering after something better. So that is spiritual happiness.
That is the point. Now, how to join it? The religion. The whole worldly religious process is the same, I mean to say, experimental or formulas or rituals so that one may become dovetailed with the supreme consciousness. Every religion. But if we become attracted by the rituals only or formulas, and quarrel on that point that, "Oh, my Bible says like this," or I say, "No, my Vedas says like this," and the Muslim, Musselman, says that "No, my Koran says like this. Your is not right," then we become attached to the rituals only. We forget, we forget the right point. The right point is... The whole process is how to dovetail, how to dovetail myself with the supreme consciousness. Going to the church, it is not a formality, but real thing is to elevate myself gradually, to dovetail myself to the supreme consciousness of God. That is the real formula. So Kṛṣṇa says that karma-jaṁ buddhi-yuktā hi.
It is learned from Vedic literature that... Of course, they are showing us, Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā. They were also sometimes attracted by sense objects. Just like Lord Brahmā, his daughter Sarasvatī... Sarasvatī is considered to be the most perfect form of beauty, womanly beauty, Sarasvatī. So Lord Brahmā became enchanted by the beauty of his daughter just to show us the example that even personalities like Lord Brahmā sometimes become enchanted. This māyā is so strong. He forgot that "She's my daughter." Then to penance this, Brahmā had to quit the body. These stories are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Similarly, Lord Śiva also, when Kṛṣṇa appeared before him in Mohinī-mūrti... Mohinī means the most enchanting, beautiful womanly form. Lord Śiva also became mad after Her. So wherever She was going, Lord Śiva was chasing. And it is stated that while chasing Mohinī-mūrti, Lord Śiva had discharges. So these examples are there. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). The whole material energy is enchanting every one of us by this beauty, the womanly beauty. Actually, there is no beauty. It is illusion. Śaṅkarācārya says that "You are after this beauty, but have you analyzed this beauty? What is the beauty?"
Prabhupāda: It is meditation. When you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, your senses are attracted by this vibration. You hear. As soon as you hear, your mind is fixed-up. That is meditation.
Guest (4): The chanting is...
Prabhupāda: Yes, meditation.
Guest (4): ...bhakti meditation?
Prabhupāda: Meditation, if you meditate individually, you will have to try so many things, but when I loudly chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, your meditation immediately attracted. This is the easiest method of meditation in this age. Chant.
Because there they could not get anything. Therefore something must be done, profession. So open hospital and raise fund. That's all.
So unless you get shelter on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, you'll be attracted by these material activities. But when you are attracted by the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then vīta-rāga-bhaya-śoka... Then, as we... Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10). Mām upāśritāḥ. When you take shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then you become vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). Otherwise, you'll be attacked by, attracted by this material world. So therefore, artificial śūnyavāda philosophy, it may be, for the time being, necessity, śūnyavāda...
Just like Lord Buddha preached his philosophy, śūnyavāda philosophy, nirvāṇa philosophy, because it was needed at that time. It is not permanent philosophy. Any philosophy except Kṛṣṇa philosophy... Nothing is permanent. They are temporary. They have got temporary use. The real use is Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Real use, Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam... (BG 18.66).
We have no power to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But as it is directed by the śāstra, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). So although there is no difference between Śrī Rāma and Śrī Kṛṣṇa, but one devotee is attracted by one feature of the Lord, and the other is attracted by other feature. Sometimes it so happened that Kṛṣṇa disappeared from the rāsa dance and the gopīs were very much eager to find out Kṛṣṇa again. So when they were too much eager to see Kṛṣṇa, where He is, Kṛṣṇa appeared as Nārāyaṇa, four-handed Nārāyaṇa. The gopīs saw nārāyaṇa-mūrti but did not become attracted by Him. All the gopīs said, "Oh, He is Nārāyaṇa. Let us offer our respect," and they went away. Actually there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa. (aside:) What is that? But gopīs were not very much interested with Nārāyaṇa. They wanted Kṛṣṇa, although there is no difference between Nārāyaṇa and Kṛṣṇa.
He doesn't want even liberation. Janmani janmani. He wants to serve the lotus feet of the Lord birth after birth. That is his aspiration.
So kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karma-jā. So karma-kāṇḍīya, those who are on the platform of fruitive activities, generally they are attracted by the demigod worship. But vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56), those who are detached from material happiness, they becomes attached to Kṛṣṇa. Man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ. That is already explained. Now we have to make our choice whether for temporary benefit we shall worship demigods or for permanent benefit we shall worship Kṛṣṇa. That is our choice. But people generally make their choice: kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati, immediate result. Immediate result. That will be explained that immediate result, it may be very palatable in the beginning, but it is.... It will produce bitter result at the end. But that we do not consider. We want immediate.
Then, transcending the material nature, then he becomes zero? No. That is the real nature. Now, the philosophy which preaches that "After our liberation, after nirvāṇa of this material existence, there is zero," oh, that is very dangerous theory because we are not attracted by zero. That is our nature, living entity. Now, suppose I am suffering from some disease and there are so many ailments, and if some doctor comes: "Oh, let me finish your ailments by killing you," oh, will you agree? You'll say, "No, no, better let me suffer from the disease. I don't want to be killed." Is it not? Will you agree? Suppose you have got too much suffering, miseries of life, and I suggest, "All right, let me cut your throat and kill you, and everything will be finished." "Oh, no, no, no, I'm not agreeable to that." That is the sane man's statement. "Oh, I am not going to be killed for ending my miseries." That is the nature. So the theory that "After making end of all these material miseries, there is nothing, void," oh, that is not attractive.
Similarly, Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa was very beautiful. So gopīs became attracted with Kṛṣṇa. As it is natural, a young boy is attracted with young woman or young girl is attracted... That is natural. Yuvatīnāṁ yathā yūnaḥ.(?) It is natural. So the gopīs, they were attracted by Kṛṣṇa's beauty. And therefore they went to Kṛṣṇa. But the result was that the gopīs became purified; Kṛṣṇa remained uncontaminated. This is understanding of Kṛṣṇa. Some way or other, if one reaches Kṛṣṇa, he becomes... Kamāt krodhād bhayāt. Either by lusty desire or by anger or bhayāt... Just like Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa was always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa is coming. So how shall I kill Him? How shall I kill Him?" Bhayāt, out of fear. So he also got salvation. Kṛṣṇa killed him. He got salvation. So gopīs approached Kṛṣṇa out of lusty desire, but they became purified. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā. So even one approaches Kṛṣṇa with impurity, he becomes purified.
Similarly, we are also like that, shining spiritual molecules. So sanātanaḥ, these particles are sanātanaḥ.
So they must have engagement. Because we small particles of the Supreme, we are also engaged... Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā (Prema-vivarta). We are engaged in material affairs. So our business is to finish this material affair or not to be attracted by the material affairs, but to be attracted by the spiritual affairs. That is required. Not that finishing. It cannot be finished. Therefore in the śāstra (it) says, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "Those who are thinking that 'Now we have brahma-jñāna, knowledge, and we have become one with Brahman, therefore we are now liberated,' vimukta-māninaḥ, that is not liberation." The liberation is not there because tvayy asta-bhāvāt, because the senses are not yet engaged in the service of the Lord." They do not know the Personality of... Tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. They cannot be liberated.
Devotee: "In material existence, one is subjected to the influence of the mind and the senses. In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world because of the mind's ego which desires to lord it over material nature. Therefore the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by the glitter of material nature. In this way the conditioned soul may be saved. One should not degrade oneself by attraction to sense objects. The more one is attracted by sense objects, the more one becomes entangled in material existence. The best way to disentangle oneself is always to engage the mind in Kṛṣṇa's service. The Sanskrit word hi in this verse is used for emphasizing this point, i.e., that one must do this. It is also said: 'For man, mind is the cause of bondage and mind is the cause of liberation. Mind absorbed in sense objects is the cause of bondage and mind detached from the sense objects is the cause of liberation.' Therefore the mind which is always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the cause of supreme liberation."
Prabhupāda: Yes. There is no chance. Mind being engaged always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no chance of its being engaged in māyā consciousness. The more we engage our mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the more you keep yourself in the sunlight, there is no chance of getting into darkness. That is the process. If you like, you are at liberty. You can keep yourself within the room in darkness, and you can come in the broad daylight. That depends on your choice. But when you come in the broad sunlight, there is no chance of darkness. Darkness can be eradicated by light, but light cannot be covered by darkness. Suppose you are in a dark room. You bring one lamp. The darkness over.
This is the conclusion of the yoga system. People generally they are attracted by the yoga system. So the yoga system means always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That is samādhi.
So five thousand years ago, when... (pause—noise in background) Five thousand years ago, when this yoga system was discussed between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, Arjuna frankly admitted that this system was very difficult for him. He thought himself as a gṛhastha and a military man, so concentration of the mind and sitting in a posture and looking on the point of the nose, so many systems, find out a secluded place, alone, and observing so many rules and regulation, āsana, dhyāna, prāṇāyāma, so he thought it difficult for him. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, in order to encourage him, that, although he could not practice the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system, still there was no cause of disappointment.
Kṛṣṇa is eating, but Kṛṣṇa is so full, complete, that He's leaving the whole thing complete. So people do not even understand these things that we are not loser by offering Kṛṣṇa. We become gainer only. Gainer only. You decorate Kṛṣṇa nicely, you see. Then your desire for seeing beautiful thing will be satisfied. You no more will be attracted by the so-called beauties of the world. You keep Kṛṣṇa in comfortable state, You offer Kṛṣṇa nice foodstuff, you'll eat it. So just like if I decorate my face, I cannot see how it is beautiful, but if I bring one mirror before me, the reflection of my face is beautiful. Similarly, you are reflection of Kṛṣṇa. Man is made after God. So if you make happy Kṛṣṇa, then you'll see that your reflection, you are happy. Kṛṣṇa does not require your service to become happy. He is complete in Himself. But if you try to supply, make happy Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be happy. This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So try to decorate nicely Kṛṣṇa, try to give all foodstuff to Kṛṣṇa, try to keep Kṛṣṇa in all comfortable position. In this way you will reciprocate all the things that you offer to Him. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
If you want to be attracted by somebody, we must know about him, something. Simply superficial understanding will not do. Just like we feel sometimes inconvenience in preaching about Kṛṣṇa because people here, they think they know everything about Kṛṣṇa; what they'll hear about from the Americans and Europeans? "What you can teach us?" Familiarity breeds contempt. No. Kṛṣṇa is not so easy to know.
That is Kṛṣṇa is recommending there, that asakti means attachment. So this attachment comes after passing over so many different stages of devotional service. So Kṛṣṇa's recommending mayy āsaktaḥ: you have to increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa, or God. So by practicing this process you come to the stage of asakti, mayy āsakta-manāḥ. Then your mind becomes completely attracted by Kṛṣṇa. Tato bhāvas, then ecstasy. Sādhakānām ayaṁ premnaḥ prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ. These are the different stages to develop your love for God, or Kṛṣṇa.
So this is not very difficult; anyone can practice. How it is difficult? These European, American boys, they were never practiced to it, not in their family or by culture. But because Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there in everyone's heart, simply by little practice it comes, it develops. So we request that to make your life successful, this human form of life, you practice this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness.
So this Deity, description of Kṛṣṇa, is there in the temple, in the book. So if you always simply think of this beautiful form of Kṛṣṇa, that is called perfect meditation. If you simply think of. That is very easy. If you... We are always attracted by beautiful things. So Kṛṣṇa is the most beautiful. So if you meditate upon Kṛṣṇa, then your meditation becomes very easy and perfect. Because Kṛṣṇa has said that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47). "Of all the yogis, one who is thinking of Me within himself," mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā śraddhāvān, "with devotion and faith," bhajate yo mām, "engaged in devotional...," sa me yukta..., "he's the first-class yogi." So you can become a first-class yogi at home without any expenditure, without any loss. But you come, become the greatest yogi and achieve the result. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice. And we are distributing this system of yoga...
Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, says that "If you want to know Me, then you have to increase your attachment for Me." This is the first condition. Mayy āsakta. Mayi āsakta-manāḥ. Our mind is attracted by so many things, especially in the material world. When yoga system was advised to Arjuna that "You concentrate your mind upon Me," Arjuna flatly declined, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I cannot concentrate my mind in any particular thing." But he said that "I have got my mind on You." That is different thing. "But if you ask me to concentrate, it is very difficult for me."
We have got attraction. That is not a new thing. We have got attraction, but we have got attraction in different subject matter, material. So this yoga system, bhakti-yoga system, means you should be only attracted by Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Attraction is there. Nobody can say that "I have no attraction for anything." That is false. Everyone has got attraction. If you have nothing to be attracted, then you keep a cat and a dog to be attracted. That is the nature. Especially in the Western countries we see. He has no family, but he keeps one pet dog or pet cat because he wants to be attracted by somebody. This is nature. So here Kṛṣṇa says that "You have got already attraction, but in false things which will not exist. You turn that attraction unto Me. Then you'll get pleasure." You are attracted to something for getting some pleasure. So that pleasure is interrupted because we have posed our attraction in some false things. You have to change that attraction to the real thing, Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll be happy.
Therefore whole Vedic civilization is meant for curtailing sex life. First of all brahmacārī, no sex life. First of all training is brahmacārī, how to train him to remain without sex. That is brahmacārī. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Tapasya means to remain brahmacārī. This is tapasya. It is very difficult. Therefore it is called tapasya, because the whole world is attracted by sex life, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam, whole world, not only in this planet, every planet, even in the demigods' planet.
So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means not bodily consciousness. The material world means bodily consciousness: how to keep the body in comfortable. But that is not possible. Body means misery. You cannot keep it comfortable. That is māyā. It will never be comfortable, but they are all trying to make it comfortable. This is called māyā. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ. So long you'll have a material body you'll have to suffer. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not on the bodily platform.
That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). The benefit derived from the demigods, that is temporary. But rascals who have got less substance of brain, they are after that. It is clearly said. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām. Alpa-medhasām means one who has got brain substance very little, they are attracted by all these things. They are meant for third-class, fourth-class men. Because they will not worship God, "All right you worship these demigods. At least, you try to worship something instead of becoming atheist." That is the process. But when one is actually intelligent, after many, many births, he should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the supreme father, He is always looking forwad when we shall go back to Him. Therefore, He comes personally, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham. The general opportunity for human being is to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, and go back to Him again. We have come from Him, but we are attracted by this material enjoyment, which is not very pleasurable. It is suffering. Just like here, without this fan, it was uncomfortable, excessive heat. So, excessive heat, excessive cold, so many things, adhibautic, adhyatmic, adhidaivic. We are actually suffering always. This is the nature of this material world. Stringent laws of the material world. And still we are trying to become happy by some adjustment. This is called struggle for existence. In this way we cannot be happy.
Just get out of this. Come to the light." Tamasi ma jyotir gama. Just come to the light. That is spiritual kingdom. So Kṛṣṇa comes to give you information of that spiritual kingdom, that "Life is like this." Just like Kṛṣṇa displayed at Vṛndāvana. Everyone is happy, enjoying. So He displays the spiritual life to attract you. So our business should be to be attracted by Him and prepare ourself to go back to Godhead, go back to home. Not that because Kṛṣṇa came here, He has left some instruction, we shall stick here. You must give up this idea. Kṛṣṇa gives you opportunity how you can live peacefully here. But that does not mean that you make your permanent settlement here. Then you are doomed. You take the advantage of Kṛṣṇa's instruction and prepare yourself so that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: (BG 4.9) after leaving this body, no more coming here. Bas. You go. You are transferred to Kṛṣṇaloka. We should prepare in that way. That is the solution of problem. Otherwise, if you want to live in this material world, this nature is like that.
Artha is required. But not in..., sinfully, but properly. Dharma artha kāma. Then, you have got senses, you require to satisfy the senses. So artha required for sense gratification. But that artha must be based on religion. This is called dharma, artha, and kāma. Dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa. Then, when one actually becomes wise, he is no more attracted by sense gratification, rather, he desires a greater type of sense gratification, namely, he wants to become God, to merge into the existence of God. So that is also a cheating. You cannot become God. (break)
...māṁ prapadyate, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). That is mahātmā, one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, understanding that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes, Kṛṣṇa is the source of material energy and spiritual energy. As it is explained here. And therefore Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. And Kṛṣṇa confirms this fact: mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). This is required.
No. That history of Ajāmila is different. In his childhood he was a son of a brāhmaṇa. He was faithfully discharging the duties of a brāhmaṇa. But accidentally, when he was young... He was married also. Accidentally, when he was young he was passing on the road and some śūdra girl and boy were embracing and kissing, and he became attracted. And he became attracted by the prostitute. And he left home, wife, and everything, and then he became a great dacoit and smuggler, and everything he did. But... And he had so many children. Youngest was Nārāyaṇa. So at the time of death..., because generally, people become attached to the youngest son, so he was calling "Nārāyaṇa." But he remembered, "Oh, that Nārāyaṇa." Reference to the context. As soon as he called Nārāyaṇa... In his boyhood he served Nārāyaṇa under the direction of his father, so he remembered Nārāyaṇa.
Some of them, they agree that "I belong to Christian religion," "I belong to Hindu religion," or "I belong to Muhammadan religion," but at the present age, mostly they simply claim that "I belong to this religion" but do not believe in the scripture, mostly. So those who are believing in the scriptures, they are mostly attracted by pious, philanthropic activities. They, some of them, those who actually believe that charity is very good thing, and... Religious means these three things: yajña-dāna-tapaḥ. Yajña-dāna-tapaḥ. Yajña means sacrifice, dāna means charity, and tapaḥ means penance. Just like brahmacārī. It is tapasya. Tapasya. A sannyāsī, it is tapasya. Tapaḥ. Tapaḥ means penance, voluntarily accepting very rigid principles of life. That is called tapasya. And charity. Charity means voluntarily giving away his material possessions. That is charity. And yajña, sacrifice. Sacrifice, of course, you have no experience. Not you, but we all. Nowadays, in the present days, there is no sacrifice.
Purāṇaḥ means old, the oldest. Who can be older than Kṛṣṇa? Therefore the Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya said that ādi-puruṣaḥ, that oldest person, Kṛṣṇa, He has come down to teach vairāgya-vidyā. Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. What is that vairāgya-vidyā? Bhakti-yoga. Our difficulty is that we have been entangled with this material world, because we have been attracted by this sense-gratification in the material world. And vairāgya vidyā means unless you become detestful, paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 9.59), unless we find a better position, a better enjoyment, we cannot give it up. So this bhakti-yoga means offering the better position, better gratification, better pleasure, so that one can give up this inferior pleasure in the material world. Therefore bhakti-yoga means vairāgya-vidyā, jñāna-vairāgya. Vāsudeve. That vairāgya can be very easily achieved by bhakti-yoga vāsudeva.
So all this manifestation that we see, this is all energy. That is in the Seventh Chapter. We have already discussed that the two kinds of energies of Kṛṣṇa. One is spiritual energy, and one is material energy. Jīva, the living entities, they are also spiritual energies, but because they are sometimes entrapped by this material energy—they have got the potency, or they are prone to be attracted by the material energy—therefore they are called marginal energy. Otherwise, there are two energies only: spiritual energy and material energy. This material world is material energy, and we, the sparks of Kṛṣṇa, we are spiritual energy. So this energy... Just like the fire. Just like the lamp. It is localized in one place, but its light and heat is diffused. Similarly, parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ sarvam akhilaṁ jagat. Akhilaṁ jagat. Akhilam means the whole universe, whole manifestation. They are all simply manifestation of the Supreme Lord. The Lord says that. One who believes Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, then he'll believe. He says, mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni (BG 9.4).
Manu is the father of humankind. Mānuṣyam. So why it is so rare? Artha-dam. You can attain the highest perfection, artha-dam. Artha means money, or artha means substance. Artha-dam. So we are utilizing it for money-making. Artha means money also, but there is another meaning of artha. Artha means substance. We are missing the substance. We are attracted by material money only. So mānuṣyam artha-dam anityam apīha dhīraḥ. And anityam. Although artha-dam—it can deliver you the substance—but it is not permanent, anitya. Nitya means eternal, permanent; anitya means just the opposite. So the scriptures, Vedic scripture, advises you mānuṣyam artha-dam apīha dhīraḥ.
But if you are dhīra-dhīra means sober, intelligent—then how you shall utilize it? Tūrṇaṁ yateta anu-mṛtyu na pated yāvat. You should try to utilize your this human form of life to achieve the highest substance very soon. Tūrṇam means very soon.
Eight millions. The aquatics, the trees, these plants, the grass and the insects. We have experience how many different types of insects are there in Māyāpur. During night, so many different types of insects come to the fire, to the light. This is another illusion. These insects, they are coming, being attracted by the beauty of the light. The electric light, it is not open. Otherwise, these insects come in the burning fire and die. Beauty. Captivated by the beauty of the fire. So actually it is going on. We are attracted by the beauty of māyā and exactly we are falling to the fire and dying.
So there are so many instructions. Even if you study simply these eight million four hundred thousand different kinds of... So how to study them? Kṛṣṇa is explaining. Tat kṣetram. Tat kṣetram means that kind of, that body, there are so many. Tat kṣetram yac ca yadṛk. How they have attained different types of body? The soul is there.
For the matter of sense gratification you have to practice vairāgya. Indriya. Our all the indriyas—eyes, tongue, nose—they are very much, I mean to say, affected or attracted. Eyes, always attracted by beauty. "I want to see very beautiful thing." But you can control the eyes when you practice to see the beautiful feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. Therefore the Deity should be very nicely decorated so layman like us may be attracted by the beauty of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Gradually, he will forget to see any other beauty. This is the practice of indriyārtheṣu. Indriyārtheṣu vairāgyam.
Actually the whole life is meant for understanding vairāgya, renouncement. Human life is not meant for becoming more and more attached to the material enjoyment. Human life is meant for tapasya, vairāgya. Here it is said, vairāgyam, anahaṅkāra, and false prestige, false identification. "Oh, am this. I must do this."
Nitāi: "The demoniac, taking shelter of insatiable lust, pride and false prestige, and being thus illusioned, are always sworn to unclean work, attracted by the impermanent."
Prabhupāda:
- kāmam āśritya duṣpūraṁ
- dambha-māna-madānvitāḥ
- mohād gṛhītvāsad-grāhān
- pravartante 'śuci-vratāḥ
- (BG 16.10)
So the demons... We have explained who are demons and who are divine, or demigods. Demigods means those who are devotee of the Lord. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Viṣṇu-bhakta, the all-pervasive Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotee... The Godhead is called deva, and his devotees are called daiva. So we are discussing about the characteristics of the demons. So they have lost their intelligence. Etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya naṣṭātmānaḥ alpa-buddhayaḥ. Naṣṭātmānaḥ. Ātmānaḥ means spirit soul. So they have lost the sense of spirit soul. They do not know that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi."
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
You cannot give any name to God without bearing any meaning. That is the Vedic significance. When we say "Kṛṣṇa" name of God, that means He's all-attractive. All-attractive means He's not only attractive to the devotees but to the nondevotees. It's not that Kṛṣṇa is one-sided, He's attractive to the devotees. No. To the nondevotees also. Just like Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa was also attracted by Kṛṣṇa. He was attracted to Kṛṣṇa as enemy. There are two kinds of attraction. We can become attracted to somebody as friend as well as enemy. That is also attraction. If you think of some person that "This man is my enemy. I want to kill him, or I want to do some harm to him. How I shall do? How shall I capture him? He goes on the office, on the road. So I can capture him in that way..." So many. Just like in America the President Kennedy was killed. So the man who killed him, he made it a plan, thinking of President Kennedy always. That is attraction.
Just like a child, for him preyas means he wants to play, he doesn't want to go to school and, but his śreyas means he must go to school, must be educated so that his future life may be secure. That is called śreyas. So our life, this human form of life, should be used for śreyas. It is said, puṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyas. We should not be attracted by the preyas. Preyas. But modern education is so nasty that they encourage preyas. Especially in the, not in this country, everywhere. That boys and girls are not checked, rather encouraged, encouraged in the matter of immature sex life. Preyas. They want it, "All right, do it, take tablets and enjoy." This is dangerous. For this reason, the generation are becoming degraded, because they are not aiming at the śreyas. They are simply aiming at the preyas, immediate pleasing thing. They do not know that immature sex life spoils the brain, spoils strength. Everything is spoiled. In student life, brahmacārī system is very nice.
Dharma means duty. You are very dutiful. Do your duty nicely, but see by executing your duty whether you are developing your love for Kṛṣṇa. That is the criterion. If it is not done so, if you are in the blindness, then it is said that notpādayed yadi ratim. If you do not become attracted by Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then, śrama eva hi kevalam, simply you are wasting time.
So our propaganda is that do everything, but don't waste your time. Make improvement. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). Just like by evolutionary process you have come to this human form of body, you can make farther improvement. You can do to other planets. There are many, many other planets where thousand times better standard of life is there. We cannot go. We are so conditioned. Although we are seeing all the planets, the sun planet, moon planet... They are trying to go to the moon planet, but that's a failure.
This karma-bandhana begins from our attachment to this material world. How our material attachment increases? That is also explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). Mithunī-bhāvam. There is sex impulse between man and woman. There are two classes of living entities, man and woman, or male or female. So the male is attracted by the female, and the female is attracted by the male. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. But what is that attraction, central point? Sex life. So this mentality, this propensity, is there not only in human body, but in the animal body also, that same propensity, sex life. So... But everyone is searching after, "Where is a male? Where is a female?" And when they are united, the karma-granthi becomes tighter. That's all. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). They are searching after, and as soon as they are united, they become tightly knot. Hṛdaya-granthi.
There was nothing like that. So that is dhīra. They were devotees, gopīs. They used to come to Kṛṣṇa. But there is no such thing written, as pregnancy and abortion. No, nothing of the sort. That is called dhīra, that in spite of presence of the cause of disturbance... The gopīs came to Kṛṣṇa because He was very beautiful young boy. Actually they were attracted by His beauty. That is stated, kāmāt. They came as a lust. But when they came to Kṛṣṇa, they became purified. That is dhīra. Kṛṣṇa was kind enough. The gopīs, they wanted Kṛṣṇa, to associate with Him. So Kṛṣṇa gave them chance, "Yes, come on." The gopīs wanted Kṛṣṇa as husband. They made tapasya, austerity, to have Kṛṣṇa as husband. But at that time Kṛṣṇa was... The gopīs and Kṛṣṇa were of the same age. Just like boys and girls play together. But girls become at the age of twelve, thirteen years, their sex desires become strong. But boys, they do not become sex desire so strong, unless they are badly associated. So neither it was possible that Kṛṣṇa would marry so many girlfriends.
There was a great poet in Bengal, Bankima Candra. He used to say that everyone has got right to say his wife beautiful. That means the wife may be beautiful or not beautiful to others' eye, but the husband's eyes it must be beautiful. Otherwise there cannot be husband. So the fact is that our householder life is not a platform of being attracted by woman or by wife. No. Wife is not accepted for sex satisfaction, being attracted by her. No. Therefore wife is called dharma-patnī. Dharma-patnī. Dharma-patnī means a religious wife, or husband and wife should execute religious life, spiritual cultivation. That is the purpose of becoming householder. Gṛhastha-āśrama. Not that I become attracted by wife and I become absorbed in simply sex relation and forget my real duty, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is dangerous. So generally, if one's wife becomes very beautiful, he forgets his real duty, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and he simply becomes a pet servant of the wife. That is the... Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says, anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. One should not be attracted for sex life.
Vyāsadeva is not ordinary being. An incarnation of Nārāyaṇa. And he was meant for expanding Vedic knowledge. Then again, Vyāsadeva was born, but nobody could understand. She remained a virgin girl by the blessings of Parāśara Muni. Then she was again attractive to Mahārāja Śantanu. Mahārāja Śantanu became attracted by Satyavatī, and he wanted to marry. But Mahārāja Śantanu had his son. So her father objected. So king proposed to the fisherman that "I want to marry your girl." So the father said, "No, no, I cannot allow my girl to marry with you because you are already married. You have got your son, elderly son, Bhīṣmadeva." So he was a little sorry, Śantanu Mahārāja.
The son could understand that "The father is sorry because he was refused the hand of the girl Satyavatī." So he approached father. Not father. He approached the father of Satyavatī, that "Why you are refusing my father?" "No. You are present. How can I offer my daughter?" "No. Even if I am present..."
You have given more importance to the material activities."
Just like in the Vedas there are ritualistic ceremony of performing great sacrifices. What is the meaning of that sacrifice? That means you get a very opulent position in your next life or in this life. So people are attached to such thing. Veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ. Bhagavad-gītā, you'll find. People are very much attracted by these ritualistic ceremonies. Not only the followers of the Vedas; in every religion, if you perform some ritualistic ceremony, oh, they are very much attracted. And if you simply say, "Let us chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," they will not be very much attracted. So veda-vāda-ratāḥ pārtha nānyad astīti vādinaḥ. So we should not be like that. Our business is how to glorify the Supreme Lord, how to glorify Kṛṣṇa. Then all success is there. That will be instructed by Nārada Muni to Vyāsadeva.
Nārada Muni says that there is another thing which is neither achieved either in the higher planetary system or lower planetary system. That means pāpa-puṇya. You go to the higher planetary system by pious activities, and you go to the lower, I mean to say, less than human life or lower planetary system, by papa, or sinful activities. But Kṛṣṇa says that "Don't be attracted by pious activities; neither go down to abominable condition of life. Simply capture Me." Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. That is the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. He has also explained,
- ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
- punar āvartino 'rjuna
- mām upetya tu kaunteya
- punar janma na vidyate
- (BG 8.16)
"My dear Arjuna, even if you go up to the Brahmaloka, with so much long duration of life..." Kṛṣṇa does not speak that "You go down." Of course, that is for the third-class, lowest class of men. That is another thing. But even if you first-class man and by your pious activities you go up to the Brahmaloka, so punar āvartinaḥ, you have to again fall down. Mām upetya kaunteya: "But if you come to Me, then there is no such fear that you'll fall down." Mām upetya kaunteya punar janma na vidyate.
This is the sign. He cannot give... Just like... The example is given: just like hot sugar juice. It is very nice. Because it is hot, one is feeling uncomfortable to take it, but because it is sweet, it cannot give way. Hot sugar juice. Similarly, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that if somebody, being..., becomes attracted by some kinds of māyā's, I mean to say, influence, still, he does not like to give up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness like others.
This is the specific qualification of a Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Smaran mukundāṅghry-upagūhanaṁ punaḥ. One who has chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa, he cannot give it up. Cannot give it up. He has to come again. This life or next life, Kṛṣṇa will not leave him. Kṛṣṇa... Once surrender sincerely, "Kṛṣṇa, I am Yours," Kṛṣṇa will never leave him. He will protect you. But if he had become little stronger, then there is no question of falling down. Rasagra rasena grhyate vaśi kriyate.(?) Kṛṣṇa vaśi kriyate. Vaśi kriyate means hypnotized. It is so nice that one becomes hypnotized.
This is also ātma-ruciḥ, because the body is also called ātmā. So this is another ātma-ruciḥ, materialist. Then ātmā means mind also, mental speculation, very much busy in mental speculation. That is also ātma-ruciḥ. And the, the topmost ātma-ruciḥ, topmost means that is real ātma-ruciḥ, to be attracted by the self or Superself. That is ātma-ruciḥ.
So our business is to awaken that Supreme ātma-ruciḥ. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Supreme ātma-ruciḥ, supreme ātmā. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). You can take in different platform different kinds of attraction, but when our attraction is in Kṛṣṇa, that is supreme. So... Just like for bodily comforts, there are so many scientists, physiologists, biologists. They are trying to understand the constitution of the body. They are busy. And similarly, mental speculators, philosophers, they are also busy. Similarly, the ultimate ātma-ruciḥ if we want to know, then we should be busy with such persons who are engaged in that type of ātma-ruciḥ. That is called sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. As you associate, so your desires become, I mean to say, attached.
Apart from other instructions, the Bhagavad-gītā is there. Who has given such wise instruction throughout the whole world, throughout the whole universe? Nobody has given. God means the wisest, the richest, the most powerful, the most beautiful. So He was so beautiful that 16,108 very, very beautiful women... And this is married. And unmarried, many millions, they were attracted by Kṛṣṇa, the most beautiful. Śyāmasundara. His name is sundara, very beautiful. Although śyāma, blackish, still He's so attractive. Kandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobham (Bs. 5.30). Kandarpa-koṭi, He's so beautiful that He can surpass in His beauty the Cupids, millions and millions of Cupids. His name is Madana-mohana. Madana-mohana, Madana is Cupid. Cupid enchants everyone, but he is enchanted by Kṛṣṇa. Therefore His name is Madana-mohana.
So bhagavat-toṣaṇam, we must know first of all who is God, who is Bhagavān. So śāstra says, authority says, and history says. What more proof you want? Huh?
Directly you'll have. And you can realize from your own life how many, how much anarthas were accompanying with you. Now they are all subsided. Sākṣāt. What is the means? This chanting. Now you enjoyed chanting, dancing. But people will not take to it. This is the only means. Because you have been attracted by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and dancing, you are no more interested. This morning time, in every house, you can go. Either they are sleeping or they are drinking bed tea, without washing mouth, and all the germs are going within the tea, and they are being infected within the intestines, and they are getting so many diseases. But they will not understand. But here, and the bhakti-yogam, everyone rises early in the morning and then washes himself, takes bath, becomes cleansed, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, read book. This is bhakti-yoga. Automatically everything will be... Hygienic principle, health question, economic question, and social, political—everything will be solved. It is not joking.
Mana tumi kisera vaiṣṇava. Why? Nirjanera ghare, pratiṣṭhāra tare. To get some cheap adoration as a great chanter. Because if one is actually chanting, why he should be attracted by woman and biḍi? If he is actually in such position like Haridāsa Ṭhākura then why he should be attracted by material things? That is a false show only. That is not possible for ordinary person.
Therefore ordinary person must be physically engaged. That is not physical, that is also transcendental. Always busy in some business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is wanted. Not that, "Oh, I have become a great scholar and I have now learned how to become a great Vaiṣṇava. I chant sixty-four rounds, and think of my wife somewhere, and then good-bye to Govindajī and leave Vṛndāvana." These rascaldom do not follow. Govindajī drives such rascals away from Vṛndāvana. So Vṛndāvana, one who is living in Vṛndāvana, he must be very anxious how to spread the glories of Vṛndāvana-candra all over the world. That is wanted. Not that Vṛndāvana-candra is my private property and I sit down in a place and lick up.
Suppose a thief, he has taken the occupation or profession of stealing. That is also sva-dharma. But that is not systematic; that is whimsical. So anyone must have some engagement. That engagement is called sva-dharma, his own business occupation. Sva-karma or sva-dharma.
So if by chance somebody becomes attracted by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and gives up his profession, good profession or bad profession... There is no good profession in this material world. Everything is bad. That is... Here we have divided, "This is good, this is bad." This is mental concoction. It has no value, because material world is bad. I have given this example many times. Just like stool, the upside and downside. Downside is moist and upside is dry. If somebody says, "This side is very nice," what is this nonsense? It is stool. Why do you forget that the dry side is good and moist side is bad, but it is stool, this side or that side?
Very abominable happiness, maithunādi. It is kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham. It is entailed with so many sufferings. Either illicit or legal, there is suffering. So this is saṁsāra. This is the key of saṁsāra, to keep one packed up, compact in these material desires. So, so many things are there, apavarga. But Kṛṣṇa is the only means. When one is attracted by Kṛṣṇa, Madana-mohana... Madana means lusty desires. And Kṛṣṇa, Madana-mohana. He is so attractive that one forgets lusty desires. Therefore His name is Madana-mohana. So if you don't contact with Madana-mohana, then you'll be suffering madana-dahana. Dahana means this, dahyamānānām, always suffering the blazing fire of lusty desires. Unless you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you'll have to suffer. Therefore it is said dahyamānānām apavargo 'si: "You are the apavarga."
So here Kuntī says, janma karma ca viśvātmann ajasya. Aja means who never takes birth. Ajasya. Aja, the living entities, they are also aja, but sometimes the living entity, being attracted by the material energy, they come to this material world. Then their quality of aja, or not to take birth, becomes vanquished, because in the material world one has to take birth. But actually spirit soul, or the Supreme Spirit, Kṛṣṇa, they are aja. Ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said clearly that living entity is aja, nitya, śāśvata, ayam. "Then how he is dying?" one may question. That is also replied: na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Don't think... That dying means he's changing body, not dying. Therefore... Because Kṛṣṇa says the living entity is aja, everyone can question that "If he's aja, he does not take birth, then why he's taking birth? Why he's dying?" The answer is immediately there: na hanyate: "Don't think that he's dying."
I think I could not save myself, keeping myself amongst the young girls. No. But Kṛṣṇa can do so. He is real brahmacārī." So therefore His another name is Acyuta, "never falls down," "infallible."
Every living entity is fallible. Only Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Brahmā is fallible, what to speak of others, demigods. Brahmā was attracted by seeing the beauty of his daughter. Lord Śiva was fallible when he saw the beauty of Mohinī-mūrti. So what to speak of others. And Indra, Candra, they are all fallible. Only Kṛṣṇa is infallible. All others fallible. Therefore pravṛtta-vijñāna, bhīṣmoktam atha acyutoktam. Acyuta. Kṛṣṇa was addressed by Arjuna in the battlefield, "Acyuta." Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta (BG 1.21). Acyuta. Acyuta means... He was addressing Kṛṣṇa as Acyuta because he was feeling rather little hesitation that "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has voluntarily accepted the position of my driver, and I have to ask Him, 'Mr. driver, please take me there.'
So here is the... If you simply carry Kṛṣṇa within your heart always in a very devotional service, exalted devotional service, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and think of Kṛṣṇa, wherever you will go, you will purify the whole place. Svāntaḥ-sthena gadābhṛtā. It is fact. It is confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Try to remain in your position as devotee, and as far as possible teach these rascals who are simply attracted by the glaring material stones and woods, and let them have some knowledge and do benefit to your countrymen, to your society, to your family.
So they worship Durgā, Kālī, or Lord Śiva. Kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhim. They get immediately some material benefit. But tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām. What you will do with some temporary material benefit? That is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Don't be attracted by the temporary material benefits. Just try for permanent eternal benefit. Go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the... That is the... What you will do? Suppose you become king. How long you will remain king? Or there are so many dangers. Sometimes the kings are beheaded. King Johann(?) was beheaded. So material position is always tiltering, tilting. Yes. There is no fixed position. It will end. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, antavat tu phalaṁ teṣām (BG 7.23). Antavat means it will end, today or tomorrow or hundred years after. It will end. So why should you... You are eternal. Why should you hanker after these things which will exist for some few years? You are eternal. Accept the eternal position.
"I gave up sat-saṅga, oṁ tat sat, spiritual society. I associated myself with the material society. Therefore I am now entangled by karma by karma, one after another, one after another."
So spiritual realization is difficult for persons, asadbhiḥ. Why it is difficult? Viṣayātmabhiḥ. Because they are simply attracted by the four principles of material life: eating, sleeping, sex life and, one day, death. They cannot. One must be above this interest. One must be very sane man, that "These kinds of interests are there in the animals. So if I am also interested in only these things, then where is the difference between this dog and me?" Something more.
That information is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. Yena sarvam idam. This body is perishable, asat. But there is another sat, means permanent thing. What is that? Avināśi tu tad viddhi. You try to understand that thing, which is eternal. What is that?
That is real love. That you cannot find in this material world. Because it is based on sense gratification, therefore there is love between a boy and girl, and as soon as there is little discrepancy, there is divorce. They are separated. Because the whole principle was on the basis of lust. So there is no love. Or we do not know what is meant by love. Love does not mean just a boy is attracted by a girl or a girl is attracted by a... That is not love. That is sense attraction. So in the material world there is no love. It is impossible. There is little, little example, just like I cited the example of mother and son or similar. That is also temporary. But real love is in the spiritual... That is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. That is real love. There is no separation. There is no cheating. There is no divorce. There is no sex attraction. Simply for love's sake, loving, that is real love.
Then the attraction for this material world increases. When one is alone, he's not so much attached with the material world. But as soon as he unites with the other party, then he gets children, and the attraction increases.
The real business is that we have to withdraw our attraction for this material... That they do not know. I am a spirit soul. Being attracted by this material nature, I am now encaged within this body, and I am changing this body. Just like I am changing this body from boyhood to childhood, childhood to, from childhood to boyhood, from youthhood. In this way, I have been entangled in this transmigration of the soul. This is my problem. Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, says, "Real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." This is not problem. Nowadays they have discovered so many problems. But actual problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi—they are not very much serious. Therefore they have been described here as pramattaḥ, madmen. He does not know what is the real problem, but he is very busy with the superficial problems.
Even those who are liberated persons, they are also attracted by the pastimes of the Lord. Not that only the conditioned souls should execute this order, but even one who is liberated. He's giving his personal experience. He says,
- idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma
- purāṇaṁ brahma-sammitam
- adhītavān dvāparādau
- pitur dvaipāyanād aham
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is supposed to be liberated soul from the beginning of his life. That is a long story. He was sixteen years within his mother's womb. Anyway, he's accepted as a liberated soul. But still, he's attracted by the activities of the narration of the activities of the Lord, and he says that, idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma purāṇam, nairguṇya-sthā ramante sma guṇānukathane hareḥ. Idaṁ bhāgavataṁ nāma. This Bhāgavata, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, brahma-sammitam... Brahma-sammitam.
He's described by chosen language, not ordinary language. You'll find, those who are students of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you'll find each and every word so nice and so sublime, even from literary point of view. Therefore He's called Uttama-śloka. And His līlā, His pastimes So Śukadeva Gosvāmī admits that "Although I was situated in the liberated stage of life, still I was attracted by the activities or pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa." Pariniṣṭhito' pi nairguṇya uttama-śloka-līlayā, gṛhīta-ceta rājarṣe. "My dear King, I, I heard it wholeheartedly. It was, it is so nice, it is so sublime that it was attractive to me."
So the question is that a liberated person is never attracted with anything which is material. That is the sign of liberated person. But he was attracted by the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That means the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa are not material activities. Otherwise how a liberated person can be attracted? For example, Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya, He took sannyāsa. He was very... Sannyāsī.
So here all the godly qualities are misrepresented, perverted reflection. Just like love. Now our worshipable God is Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā, conjugal love perfection. The same love is descended here also, love between boy and girl, but that is perverted. The love is there. The same love is there also. Otherwise wherefrom this girl? Why a girl is attracted by a boy? Why a boy is attracted by a girl? That is natural. That is coming from God, His pleasure potency. But because that love is being manifested with the contamination of this material world, that is perverted. So every quality... That is the, I mean to say, scientific way of studying God. Whatever qualities you have got, you can understand the same qualities is there in God, but your present condition being contaminated with material contact, it is being pervertedly represented. This has to be purified. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The same thing. The same love affair, the same anger or anything, that is to be purified. Then it is godly. That's all.
That is stated by Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaṛacā, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti nitya-siddha. Eternally, it is a fact. Simply it has to be awakened. Just like attraction for the opposite sex. A girl or a boy. That is natural. It is not unnatural. It has... Nobody goes to a school and colleges how to love, how to be attracted by young man. No. It doesn't require any education.
The natural instinct is already there. When the boy and the girl are grown up, naturally the attraction is there, spontaneous. Similarly, he has to be, they have to be brought up in the proper situation. In India, therefore, early marriage is recommended, according to śāstra. According to Vedic civilization, a girl, before attaining puberty, must be married. There are so many injunctions about that. And the responsibility is of the father, or, in the absence of father, the elderly members or brothers. It is called kanyā-dāya. Kanyā-dāya means it is the obligation.
"I am this body, and in relationship with this body, everything is mine. My wife, my children, my home, my bank balance, my society, my community, my nation, my country, my." This is called mamatā. So how this mamatā, or the consciousness of "my," grows? There is a machine, manipulated by māyā, illusory energy. The beginning. What is that? Attraction. A man is attracted by woman, and the woman is attracted by man. This is the basic principle. Here, in this material world, there is no attraction for God, but there is attraction. That attraction is, on the whole, sex attraction. That's all. The whole world, not only human society, animal society, bird society, beast society, any society, any living being, the attraction is sex. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). The attraction here, the center of attraction, is sex. So, boys and girls or any, in younger age there is that sex impulse increase and want mating.
Prabhupāda: ...transcendental vibration. So everything is there. If you do not practice, what can I do? The transliteration is there, the accent is there, and now our Pradyumna is there also. Utilize time; become attracted. As Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, you become attracted at least to some. Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive. You cannot become all-attracted. At least you become attracted to some. They are becoming attracted by good apartment, by shaving the beard or..., like that. You told me they are trying to remain young?
Sudāmā: Yes, yes. You have given us so many. Now we have so much to start. So many mantras, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Īśopaniṣad.
Prabhupāda: Huge. So why you are not utilizing this facility?
Sudāmā: We're missing the point.
The same woman, beautiful, everyone is after this: "Oh, very nice woman." But as soon as the spirit soul is gone... Just like dolls. There are very, very beautiful women's dolls in the tailor's showroom, and nobody cares for it. Well, everyone knows this is false. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya said that "Why you are being attracted by this woman? It is simply lump of matter. It is a simply lump of matter." Everyone, it is in our experience that a lump of matter is standing, sometimes photograph of a nice woman, or the doll of a nice woman. Everyone knows that this is false. Nobody is attracted. So therefore there, there is nothing material. Everything is spiritual. The body is also spiritual. He is and everything... There is no distinction between body and soul. Everything is one. That we cannot experience now, but we have to get information from the authorized book. Therefore they are far far better. There is no question of comparison. Pramada uttamādyubhiḥ. Pramada.
Śreyaḥ and preyaḥ, there are two things. One is called preyaḥ. Preyaḥ means immediately pleasing. And śreyaḥ means ultimately benefit, benediction. Generally, conditioned souls, they are attracted with immediate pleasing things. Just like children. They are attracted by playthings more than education. They do not like to go to school. They like to play the whole day. In my childhood also, I was very naughty boy, and I was not going to school. And my mother kept a special man to drag me to the school. At that time, there was no system like in your country, school buses. One had to go to school on foot. So my father was very lenient. I was not going to school. Preyaḥ, pleasing. Children like to play. Similarly, there are two paths, śreyaḥ and preyaḥ.
Nitāi: "The stage in which the consciousness of the living entity is attracted by the three modes of material nature is called conditioned life. But when that same consciousness is attached to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one is situated in the consciousness of liberation."
Prabhupāda:
- cetaḥ khalv asya bandhāya
- muktaye cātmano matam
- guṇeṣu saktaṁ bandhāya
- rataṁ vā puṁsi muktaye
- (SB 3.25.15)
Two words, bandhana, bondage, and mukti, liberation. So people in ignorance, dull-headed, mūḍha, they do not know what is mukti and what is bandhana, what is liberation and what is bondage. They do not to know. Just like animals. The animal, he does not know, the dog, that "I am bound up in this dog's body. This is bondage. This is not my life." He does not know. Similarly, a human being, if he does not know what is bondage and liberation, then he's animal. From animal life, this human life is evolved for understanding this: what is mukti and what is liberation.
So the prostitute thought, "Now this night Bilvamaṅgala is not coming. It is terribly raining." But Bilvamaṅgala went there, crossing the river, and the door was closed. He jumped over the door catching a snake. In this way, very dangerously, he reached the prostitute's house. And the prostitute was astonished, that "How is this condition you could come here? Oh, you are so much attracted by this skin. If this much attraction you would have to Kṛṣṇa, how it would have been nice for you." So immediately he left the prostitute's house and went to Vṛndāvana.
The fact is in his previous life he executed devotional service up to bhāva-bhakti. So his Cintāmaṇi, that prostitute, became his guru, remind that "You are so much fond of prostitute. If this attraction would have been to Kṛṣṇa, how much successful you would have..." So it acted, and he left to Vṛndāvana and lived for seven hundred years. So he has a book, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. That is recommended by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for reading, Kṛṣṇa-karnāmṛta.
When Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura was in Vṛndāvana he voluntarily plucked out his eyes. Because he was very much fond of seeing beauty of woman, so he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." So he personally plucked out his eyes. When he was going to Vṛndāvana, still he became attracted by a woman, and therefore... That woman, of course, was a very rich merchant's wife. So she told her husband that "This man is coming after me. What to do?" So that merchant received him. "Oh, he's saintly person. All right, you serve him." So Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura came to his senses. He said, "Mother, you give me the pins of your hair. So I am so much after the beauty of woman, so let me pluck out the eyes." So he made voluntarily blind. So he could not see, but still, Kṛṣṇa was coming in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa is always in Vṛndāvana. So He was supplying milk. So divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ, he practically realized through bhakti.
Bhagavān has got natural affection for us, and we have got also natural affection for Bhagavān. And the external covering which checks this natural affection, this is called māyā. Just like touch... What is called, magnetic stone? Magnetic stone naturally attracts the iron, and iron is naturally attracted by the magnetic stone. Similarly, kṛṣṇa-bhakti is not something which is unnaturally taught or unnaturally gained, artificial. This...
Another vivid example is this: These foreigners, Western boys and girls, how they became attracted with Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless it is natural? Their forefathers or they also, even four, five, six years ago, they did not know what is Kṛṣṇa, neither they cared to know. But now they are almost mad after Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, why they are coming here? They have not come here in India to see your skyscraper building or industry. They are not at all interested.
He has forgotten his real business, but he is entrapped in a pot or in a place where sense gratification is going on. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). So this mithunī-bhāvam, the sense enjoyment is very strong. So there are two sexes, male and female. And each one of them are attracted by sense gratification, and when they are united, that... (break) In this way, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ, then they become attached to gṛha. Because they must live in an apartment, they must have some land, gṛha-kṣetra. Everywhere that is going on. In this way they become entrapped. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means... But those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, for them, it is not... They are vigilant that "My real business is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but it is a license given to me for sense gratification, for gṛhastha, but we should not forget our real business and entrapped in this material nature." That should be our business.
Everyone can offer Kṛṣṇa patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ (BG 9.26). Everyone can hear from Kṛṣṇa what is Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? The difficulty is that we want enjoyment in this material world. That is the difficulty. Therefore it is recommended that akiñcanānāṁ mayi bhakti-bhājām. For a devotee there is no problem. He is not attracted by liberation or by Svargaloka, by yogic perfection. He is not at all interested. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmi-sakali 'aśānta'. Because they cannot get śānti because they want something The bhukti, the karmīs, they are working so hard. They want some material profit or go to the Svargaloka to enjoy more. This is bhukti. And mukti, they are also undergoing severe austerities, penance, tapasya, for becoming one. Kaivalya sukham. Kevalādvaita. They are also working. And the yogis, they also work very hard. Yoga practice is not so easy. Dhyāna, dhāraṇā, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, samādhi. It requires And especially in this age it is not so easy. It was easier in the Satya-yuga.
The purpose is that our mind is like that, puṁścalī, unchaste wife. Not that everyone is unchaste. We have got many example, the character of woman. It is not that. It is not generalization. But there is chance. If they are not controlled, not properly educated, there is chance of becoming puṁścalī, and there have been many instances that woman, for being attracted by paramour, has killed even one's own son. There are cases. So Bhīṣmadeva also advised that the shyness of woman, lajja, is the control. If you break that shy, what is called, shyness, then there will be disaster. That is the control valve naturally given. And woman's shyness is one beauty, beauty. We have got practical experience. And command also. We have practical experience in our life. You have seen that my friend came, Dinanath Mishra. They were our neighbor. So one day we were sitting on the corridor of the house. One sweeper woman, she wanted to come within, but very shyful, and with a covering of the head, although with broomstick and bucket, she was waiting because we were sitting both side. So she was feeling little shy not to enter the house. So we decided to move so that she may come.
This means that if one is turned to be a pure devotee, then all the good qualities automatically become manifest in him. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā manorathenāsato dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12). Whereas a nondevotee, he has no good qualification because he is acting on the mental platform, as such, he will be always attracted by material things.
In this connection I shall recite one historical incident from the Purāṇas. There was a hunter in Prayāg. Prayāg you know, in Allahabad. So he was hunting in the forest indiscriminately. So Nārada Muni was passing through the jungle and he was very compassionate to see the animals being half-dead and half-killed by the hunter. Nārada Muni, being Vaiṣṇava, he was very kind to all living entities, so he went to the hunter whose name was Mṛgāri. So the Mṛgāri thought that "This saintly person is coming to me for some deerskin," so he said, "Sir, don't disturb in my business. If you want deerskin I shall give you. Please get out of my activities for the present."
Still he should be accepted as sādhu because very soon he'll be completely reformed. The same thing Śukadeva Gosvāmī says: sakṛn manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor niveśitaṁ tad-guṇa-rāgi yair iha. Anyone who has taken the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, sakṛn, manaḥ kṛṣṇa, and has dedicated his mind unto Kṛṣṇa, and one who is attracted by the transcendental qualities, na te yamaṁ pāśa bhṛtaś ca tad-bhaṭān. You are assured that they will never be touched by Yamaraja or his assistants, tad-bhaṭān. Na te yamaṁ pāśa bhṛtaś ca tad-bhaṭān svapne 'pi paśyanti. Not even dream they can see that "The Yamaraja's assistants are coming to take me." It is so much assured. All right. So have little kīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)
So some gentlemen were coming, and ladies. I think they are not prepared to hear these things. If you talk that "You are God, I am God," then they will like it. As soon as the real process of self-realization, God-realization, is put before them, they are not agreeing.
When one man is ghostly haunted, he speaks so many nonsense. Similarly, when one is entangled by the illusory energy, māyā, he also speaks all nonsense. At last he speaks that "I am God." That is the last snare of māyā. So they are not, they cannot be liberated, because they are under the false impression still. Anyone who is under the false impression, or anyone who is attracted by false knowledge, he's under the clutches of māyā. When there is right knowledge, right conception of life, then one is liberated. That is called brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as you get right knowledge, you become jolly. First jolliness is due to "Oh, I was in such false notion so long. Oh, how fool I was." Then you become happy that "Now I am no longer fool. I was thinking that I'm God. But now I can understand that I am God's eternal servant." That gives him liberation and he becomes prasannātmā, jolly.
Perhaps this message is being distributed by this movement only. Otherwise, people are in darkness, very slow, and most of them very bad, mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). And if one is a little interested, then he's captured by some party. Sumanda-matayo. Mata means cult. So many cults there are. They'll mislead. So people are attracted by such cults. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ. And everyone is unfortunate. They have no fixed, I mean to say, arrangement, even for the bare necessities of life. What the animals, birds and beasts, they have got arrangement, they believe in that, but our human society, because we are so advanced, there are so many hundreds and thousands of men, there is no fixed purpose of life. Even in your rich country we see such men without any purpose, without any aim of life. So they are called manda-bhāgyāḥ, most unfortunate. Most unfortunate. Manda-bhāgyāḥ and upadrutāḥ. Over and above that, they are always disturbed. This is the condition of life.
It is difficult because we are associated with the material desires life after life, from time immemorial. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings therefore: anādi karama phale pori bhavārṇava-jale toribāre na dekhi upāy. Anādi karama, time immemorial I am fallen in this ocean of fruitive activities and I have no rescue from this ocean. Toribāre na dekhi upāy. This is our position. Very, very difficult to come out of these elements. But if we practice, that is possible. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā (BG 8.8). Cetasā nānya-gāminā, this is practice. Mind is going somewhere. When we sit down the mind is manufacturing so many ideas. All of a sudden mind is attracted by something which has no connection with my present position, still, mind is dragging me. Therefore Arjuna said, when he was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "You concentrate your mind..." That is the yoga practice. Yoga-indriya-samyaya. So Arjuna said, "Kṛṣṇa it is not possible for me."
Madana-vepitam. Madana, this Cupid. When Cupid attacks somebody or one who... When one becomes, I mean to say, too much attracted by lust, all his education, all his culture, all his knowledge, becomes stunned. That is the... Therefore one has to avoid this society. Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam. The Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he advises us, tyaja durjana-saṁsargam: "Always avoid durjana-saṁsargam, association with durjana." Durjana means sense gratifying persons, those who are engaged only in sense gratification, durjana. And sujana means those who are engaged for spiritual enlightenment. They are called sujana. That is the instruction everywhere. Therefore, from the very beginning of life a boy is sent to gurukula for good association. Gurukula means... Still there are many gurukulas in India, a spiritual master training some boys in spiritual life. That has also become polluted. 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.
Gross and subtle, there are so many subtle sex enjoyments—to think of woman, to see a beautiful woman going on the street, or to talk about woman, to read about woman. There are eight kinds of subtle sexual intercourse. So it is restricted. But in the Kali-yuga it is very difficult to follow all the rules and regulation. One is not trained up. Even up to ripe old age, one becomes attracted by beautiful women. Especially in the Western countries. I have seen in Paris, old man, seventy-five years old, eighty years old, they are going to the brothel. They are going to the night club. They are purchasing ticket to enter into the club-fifty dollars. Then they have to pay for the woman and wine and everything. In this way...
So hṛd-roga-kāma, this hṛd-roga, hṛc-chaya, is a heart disease. It is very, very difficult to avoid unless one is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Just like when you are eating, you do not require any certificate from others, "Whether I am feeling all right?" Eating means you are hungry, so if you eat, you will feel satisfied. Your hunger will be satisfied. You will be getting strength. 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.
Rādhārāṇī is the servitor, serving. Rādhārāṇī is so expert that She always attracts Kṛṣṇa by Her service. This is Rādhārāṇī's position. Kṛṣṇa is called Madana-Mohana. Here in Vṛndāvana there is Madana-Mohana, and Rādhārāṇī is called Madana-Mohana-Mohinī. Kṛṣṇa is so attractive that we are attracted by Cupid, and Kṛṣṇa attracts Cupid. Therefore His name is Madana-Mohana. And Rādhārāṇī is so great that She attracts Kṛṣṇa. Therefore She is the greatest. In the Vṛndāvana, therefore, people are accustomed to chant Rādhārāṇī's name more than Kṛṣṇa's name—"Jaya Rādhe." Yes. If you want Kṛṣṇa's favor, you just try to please Rādhārāṇī. So this is the way.
Now here it is said, mana madana-vepitam: "Mind was agitated." So this mind agitation will go on unless one is attracted by Madana Mohana. If we do not be attracted by the Madana Mohana, so long we are not attracted by Madana Mohana we must be attracted by Madana, madana-vepitam. This is the process.
Still, they are not very much interested. Mandāḥ, slow: "All right, I shall do it at the time of death. Now let me enjoy." Mandāḥ. And manda-matayo. And if one is interested for spiritual advancement of life, he will go to some rascal, some avatāra, some yogi, some bluffer, some magician, as spiritual salvation. Mandaḥ manda-matayo. Why they are attracted by these rascals? Manda-bhāgyā, unfortunate. Kṛṣṇa says directly, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). They will not hear Kṛṣṇa. They will hear these rascals, so-called yogis, so-called avatāras, so-called mahātmās. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. Therefore upadrutāḥ. They are always, constantly, disturbed. This is the position.
So therefore this age, Kali-yuga, is the ocean of faulty things. Doṣa-nidhi. Nidhi means ocean. And you will find... Just like unfathomed water in the ocean, Pacific Ocean, similarly, this Kali-yuga is the ocean of unfathomed sinful activities. Kalau doṣa-nidhe. But Śukadeva Gosvāmī said to Parīkṣit Mahārāja, kalau doṣa-nidhe rājan hy asti eko mahān guṇaḥ. In this age this ocean of faults, there is a very valuable thing. That is special concession to these fallen souls of this age.
Vaiṣṇava is not in the particular caste. As soon as he is fixed up... He may be coming from the pāpa-yoni, from the most abominable family, but as soon as he is fixed up, immediately he is fixed up in the position of a brāhmaṇa because sattva-guṇa... Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu. Naṣṭa. Tato rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). He has no more inclination to be attracted by the activities of tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. They have no more attraction for drinking, no more attraction for meat-eating, therefore no more attraction for smoking, drinking tea. This means that the rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ, kāma-lobha, greediness... We are addicted to all these bad habits due to greediness. There is no other cause. A man will not die if he does not drink. A man will not die if he does not eat meat. He will not die. It is due to our greediness: "I want." And lusty. The illicit sex means lusty. So rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ means lustiness and greediness. So when one is fixed up in devotional service, then tato rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye, ceta etair anāviddha.
The sahajiyās, they do not know it. They think that "We shall sit in a secluded place and chant, imitating Haridāsa." We have seen it. Their imitation is useless. They fall down. Therefore, they must be always engaged in some activities. Otherwise, he'll be attracted by the modes of ignorance and passion. Etāvatālam agha-nirharaṇāya. Agha means the reaction of sinful activities. Every one of us, anyone who is in this material world, he is sinful. Without being sinful, nobody is here in this material world. If he's not sinful, then he'll be immediately transferred. Yeṣām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām. Immediately transferred to the spiritual world. He has... Just like a person who has finished his criminal punishment, immediately he is released from the prison. Similarly, a person who is freed from the resultant action of sinful activities, he immediately becomes liberated. Therefore anyone who is in this material world engaged in fruitive activities... Not the devotees.
You should not be disturbed by nature's process. But if you want to help anyone, just try to help him in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That will be real benefit.
People are very much attracted by humanitarian work, but there are so many institutions that improvement the world's, I mean to say, condition has not improved. Just like from India I was thinking that every American is rich man, but actually, when I come to America, there is economic problem. There is poverty problem here also, although not in comparison to India. But proportion is there, five thousand upon five and five hundred upon..., like that. Proportion is the same. So karma, the karma, the law of karma is there. Everyone is subjected to law of karma, and he has to enjoy or suffer according to law of karma. So we cannot interfere.
"These things will give me protection, life and pleasure." That is explained in the previous verse: sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham. He becomes too much entangled and captivated by this family affection. So therefore in the Vedic civilization, from the very beginning of life the brahmacārī is educated not to be attracted by family life, very strictly. Even though he is educated so, if he is found unable, then he is allowed to marry. That also not for many years. To remain in the household life for twenty-five years, then compulsory, I mean to say, separation, pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Then when the mind is settled up, he is awarded sannyāsa. This is the system.
So on account of this deep affection for maintaining family, everyone is risking life. The example is given here that taskaraḥ. There are many professional thieves, any country, India also. They are family men—not they are loafers—but their business is to steal. Their business is to steal. Why?
They cannot give up the association of their families, even in old age or invalidity, for they are attached to sense enjoyment. As we have several times discussed, yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham: (SB 7.9.45) so-called householders are simply attracted by sexual enjoyment. Thus they keep themselves shackled in family life, and furthermore they want their children to be shackled in the same way. Playing the parts of playboys in the hands of women, they glide down to the darkest regions of material existence. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Because they are unable to control their senses, they continue a life of chewing the chewed and therefore descend to the darkest material regions. One should give up the association of such demons and adhere to the association of devotees. Thus one will be able to be liberated from material bondage.
So here liṅga also means the mūrti, the form. Liṅga means whether he is a puruṣa, or he is a woman or man, or his form. Liṅgānām mūrtinām. Mūrtinam īkṣaṇa. Īkṣaṇa means seeing. Therefore, the Deities should be very nicely decorated, the temple should be very much cleansed, all-attractive. People may come and immediately become attracted by the Deities, īkṣaṇam, with devotion. That is the system of temple worship. Unclean temple worship or no decoration, no flower, this is useless. If you want to introduce temple worship, that should be properly done so that any man who comes immediately become attracted with the form, īkṣaṇam. That facility should be given to the ordinary man. If he comes and he hears the chanting, the kīrtana, the bell sound, the karatāla sound, in this way gradually he becomes attracted. As we have seen, many students come in this way. They live and they become devotee. So these chances should be given. These chances should be given, according to śāstra, according to Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction.
He is dangerous. That is spoken by Canakya Pandita, bhṛtyaś cottara-dāyakaḥ. Bhṛtyaś cottara-dāyakaḥ. Bhṛtyaḥ, subordinate, servant, if he is giving reply. Cānakya Paṇḍita, you know Cāṇakya-śloka, he is a great politician as well as moral instructor. So he has said duṣṭā bhāryā, his wife is duṣṭa, polluted. Wife becomes polluted if she is attracted by somebody else more than her husband, she is called polluted. Duṣṭā bhāryā ṣaṭhaṁ mitram, and friend playing duplicity. Duṣṭā bhāryā śaṭhaṁ mitraṁ bhṛtyaś cottara-dāyakaḥ, and servant replying to the order. Master says, "You do this first!" "Sir, we have got so many business, this and that, we shall do it." Oh, that is a dangerous thing.
Just like to keep your health in good order, sometimes it is said, "You don't eat it." That does not mean eating is prohibited. The some particular thing is prohibited. But we are accustomed to satisfy our senses; therefore we are misled.
Here it is said that jihvā ekataḥ acyuta. The first important sense is jihvā, means tongue. So tongue is attracted by so many varieties of foodstuff. That is our good experience. As soon as you go out in the street, you'll find so many restaurants. Why so many restaurants? How they are going on? Because we have got the tongue, and the restaurant business can go on very nicely, attracting the tongue. Especially in Bombay you'll find. Practically every alternate shop is a restaurant. Similarly, I have seen in Germany, Hamburg. Every alternative shop is a drinking shop. (laughter) Trinken?
And you maybe trying to speculate that he is not this body, he is something else. That's a fact. But because out of the influence of the tamo-guṇa, he cannot understand (indistinct). And we have to come to the stage of nirguṇa, even there will be no sattva-guṇa. Here sattva-guṇa, the mode of goodness, is sometimes not (indistinct), they are attracted by the lower qualities, by the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. Mixed. It becomes mixed. But if you want to become devotee, then you have to overcome even this mixed quality of sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. You have to come to the platform of nirguṇa, no more influenced by the material qualities. That is the bhakti stage, nirguṇa. Therefore, here it is said, bhaktyā bhaktena nirguṇaḥ.
So there is verse. I (am) just now forgetting. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). Mahat-sevā. Mahat-sevā means to serve the mahātmās or devotees. That is the way of liberation. Tamo-dvāram... Tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. So this material world means that yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam, to be attracted by money and woman. This is material world. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has warned very rigidly, hā hanta hā hanta viṣayiṇāṁ sandarśanam, paraṁ jigamiṣa... What is that? Eh? I forget that verse. The brain is not working.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
This attraction for Kṛṣṇa can be developed in the association of devotees, satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Automatically, nobody's attracted for Kṛṣṇa. The whole world is like that. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to give these people a chance to associate with devotees and thus become attracted to Kṛṣṇa. That is required. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Mayy āsakta, to become attracted by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means attractive, Kṛṣṇa. Akasatira-śakti. Kṛṣṇa means attractive. Just like magnetic stone, attractive, naturally the iron... But the iron, if it is rusty, it cannot attract. It cannot attract. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is attractive, and we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. We are also attracted by Kṛṣṇa. But because we are now covered by the māyā rust, we are not attracted. This māyā rust has to be polished; then you'll be attracted. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa is attractive. Kṛṣṇa means attractive. Go on.
Yes. We cannot work unless we derive some pleasure. Just like the, in the Ahmedabad, the dramatic performance, he was killing animal, and he was attracted by killing, that's all. The butchers... I have seen in Calcutta, while passing through, one hotel man was cutting the throat of a chicken, and the chicken was, after being cut, the throat, it was jumping like anything. You see. And he was laughing. He was taking pleasure. It was for me so horrible, but he was taking very nice pleasure: "This half-cut chicken is jumping." And his son was crying. And he was asking, "Why you are crying? Why you are crying?" So it is the question of different qualities. One is attracted, and one, he finds that, that they are detracted. Go on.
Yes. This point is missing. We cannot... It is not possible that we can approach everyone and offer our loving service. Just like people are very much attracted by the humanitarian services. They take it very great, loving service to the human society. But however you may love... Suppose in the beginning one loves his own self, his own body... Just like a child. He loves for himself. Anything he gets, he wants to eat. Own sense gratification. Then, as he grows, he shares his foodstuff with his little brother and sister. Then, as he grows, he loves his mother, his father, then other friends. In this way, as we go, we can love our society, our community, or nation, or internationally, all human beings. But still it is imperfect. Still it is imperfect. It is not all-inclusive. Just like at the present moment, every country, they are national, they consider the human being as national, not the animals.
Pradyumna: "Karma, or fruitive activities, are sometimes understood to be ritualistic activities. There are many persons who are very much attracted by the ritualistic activities described in the Vedas. But if one becomes attracted simply to ritualistic activities without understanding Kṛṣṇa, his activities are unfavorable to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Actually, Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be based simply on hearing, chanting, remembering, etc. Described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are nine different processes, besides which, everything done is unfavorable to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus one should always be guarding against falldowns."
Prabhupāda: So we should directly take to the nine different processes of devotional service, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). That we are stressing specifically every time, that hearing about Kṛṣṇa is very important. Śravaṇam. As it is described in the Bhāgavatam, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Śṛṇvatām. Simply hearing, śṛṇvatām, those who are hearing... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also recommended, sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. One may stay in his position as a brāhmaṇa, as a kṣatriya, as a vaiśya, or as a śūdra. Everyone can hear about Kṛṣṇa.
That is the attraction. That is pure devotional service. Kṛṣṇa also gave him certificate: bhakto 'si priyo 'si (BG 4.3). "My dear Arjuna, you are My dear friend and devotee." So by any action, if it is dovetailed for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is devotional service, and one can attract Kṛṣṇa, attention of Kṛṣṇa. Attention of Kṛṣṇa can be attracted by pure devotional service, without any personal motive. If it is... And that motive, that order, is received through the disciplic succession of the spiritual master, how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. In the present condition, we do not know how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased, but we know from the śāstras... We can know also from the direction of the spiritual master how Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. So Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says you have to follow the direction of the spiritual master. He's guiding as a leader. And if he's pleased, that means Kṛṣṇa is pleased. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **.
There is even an attempt in the form of the United Nations for world-help activity. But due to the shortcomings of limited national activities, such a general mass welfare program for the whole world is not practically possible. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, however, is so nice that it can render the highest benefit to the entire human race. Everyone can be attracted by this movement, and everyone can feel the result. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī and other learned scholars agree that a broad propaganda program for the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement of devotional service all over the world is the highest humanitarian welfare activity."
Pradyumna: "How the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can attract the attention of the whole world and how each and every man can feel pleasure in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is stated in the Padma Purāṇa as follows: 'A person who is engaged in devotional service in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness is to be understood to be doing the best service to the whole world and to be pleasing everyone in the world. In addition to human society, he is pleasing even the trees and animals because they also become attracted by such a movement.' A practical example of this was shown by Lord Caitanya when He was traveling through the forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa in central India for spreading His saṅkīrtana movement. The tigers, the elephants, the deer and all other wild animals joined Him and were participating in their own ways, by dancing and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa."
Prabhupāda: Yes. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was passing through the forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa, in central India, the, all the animals joined with Him. Of course, He's Kṛṣṇa Himself. But if one becomes purified, there is no question that... All animals, living entities, would join in saṅkīrtana movement. There is evidence. But one must be very sincere and powerful preacher. If we cannot preach in the, in the society of the animals, we can preach at least in the human societies, who are supposed to be uncivilized or very lower status of life.
Acyutānanda: "At the present moment, groups of people are engaged in welfare activities in terms of society, community or nation. There is even an attempt in the form of the United Nations for world-help activity. But due to the shortcomings of limited national activities, such a general mass welfare program for the whole world is not practically possible. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, however, is so nice that it can render the highest benefit to the entire human race. Everyone can be attracted by this movement, and everyone can feel the result."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now the human welfare activities are now developed in the form of United Nations. They are tackling various subject matter, but still, it is not possible. They are trying for the last twenty years, but still, even the nations have not become united, what to speak of other welfare activities. It is just a comparison, a little comparison, but this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was started, practically, from 1967. I went there in 1965, and for one year I could not do anything. In 1966 this movement was registered in New York, and from 1966 it is spreading. So within four or five years it has spread all over the world. We have got branches in every part of the globe. And at least, these people know there is a movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and we are welcome everywhere as Kṛṣṇa conscious people, "Hare Kṛṣṇa People." Our name is "Hare Kṛṣṇa People."
Acyutānanda: "In addition to human society, he is pleasing even the trees and animals, because they also become attracted by such a movement.' A practical example of this was shown by Lord Caitanya when He was traveling through the forests of Jhārikhaṇḍa in central India for spreading His saṅkīrtana movement. The tigers, the elephants, the deer and all other wild animals joined Him and were participating, in their own ways, by dancing and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Caitanya Mahāprabhu practically exhibited that hari-nāma saṅkīrtana, kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, can attract even animals, tigers, elephants. They also join with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Of course, His power, our power is not the same. But there is potency. The potency... The potency, as we become powerful, gradually, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has shown that one can come to the stage of enchanting the forest animals also. Go on.
Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he sings, jaḍa-vidyā saba māyāra vaibhava. This advancement of material education means advancement of the snares of the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa. Māyāra vaibhava. Because we are already enamored by the glimmer of this material world. Just like the insects are attracted by the fire. They, with great force, enter into the fire without knowing that he's going to die. His forceful entrance into the fire means his sure death. Actually, we are seeing, especially in the Western countries, this motorcar civilization, when we run on on the motorcar, especially with high speed, it is always we think that any moment danger can take place. (aside:) You remember, you were driving your father's car, eighty miles. So I asked you, "Don't go so fast." So the materialistic way of life is that. We create some so-called comforts of life for temporary enjoyment, but at the same time, we take the risk of so many dangerous condition.
Madana-mohana, Madana-mohana. Madana means sex attraction. Madana, sex attraction, Cupid, and Kṛṣṇa is called Madana-mohana. One can, I mean, neglect even sex attraction if one is attracted to Kṛṣṇa. That is the test. Madana (is) attracting in this material world. Everyone is attracted by sex life. The whole material world is existing on sex life. This is the fact. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-suhkhaṁ hi tuccham. Here, the happiness, the so-called happiness is maithuna, maithunādi. Maithunādi means here happiness begins from maithuna, sex intercourse. Generally, people..., a man marries. The purpose is to satisfy sex desire. Then he begets children. Then again, when the children are grown up, they, the daughter is married with another boy and the boy is married with another daughter, another girl. That is also the same purpose: sex. Then again, grandchildren. In this way, this material happiness—śriyaiśvarya-prajepsavaḥ. The other day we discussed.
So everyone is infuriated by the force of sex life. There are many places... In Bhāgavatam it is said, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etat tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhur. The whole material world is going on: the man is attracted by woman, the woman is attracted by man. And, seeking this attraction, when they are united, their attachment for this material world becomes more and more. And in this way, after being united, or after being married, one woman and man, they seek nice home, gṛha; kṣetra, activities, business, factory, or agricultural field. Because one has to earn money. So get food. Gṛha-kṣetra; suta, children; and āpta, friends; vitta, wealth... Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam (SB 5.5.8). The attraction for this material world becomes more and more tight. This is called madana, attraction by madana. But our business is not to be attracted by the glimmer of this material world, but to be attracted by Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Unless you become attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, we must have to be satisfied by beauty of this false beauty of this material world.
That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Unless you become attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, we must have to be satisfied by beauty of this false beauty of this material world. Therefore Śrī Yamunācārya said that yadāvadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor nava-nava-dhāma rantum āsīt: "So long I have been attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa and I have begun to serve at His lotus feet, and I am getting newer, newer energy, since then, as soon as I think of sex intercourse, I want to spite on it." That is vitṛṣṇā, no more attraction... The central point of attraction of this material world is sex life, and one, when one gets detached from sex life...
"As soon as I think of sex intercourse, immediately my mouth becomes turned aside and I want to spite on it." So therefore Kṛṣṇa is Madana-mohana. Madana is attracting everyone, sex life, and Kṛṣṇa, when one is attracted by Kṛṣṇa, then madana also becomes defeated. So as soon as madana becomes defeated, we conquer over this material world. Otherwise it is very difficult. The... Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Duratyayā means very, very difficult. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. But if anyone surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, catches His lotus feet very strongly, "Kṛṣṇa, save me," Kṛṣṇa promises, "Yes, I'll save you." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66). "Don't worry. I shall save you." Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31).
Pradyumna: "This fact is corroborated by Kṛṣṇa in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Twelfth Chapter, 1st verse, where He says, 'My dear Uddhava, you may know it from Me that the attraction I feel for devotional service rendered by My devotees is not to be attained even by the performance of mystic yoga, philosophical speculation, ritualistic sacrifices, the study of Vedānta, the practice of severe austerities or the giving of everything in charity. These are, of course, very nice activities, but they are not as attractive to Me as the transcendental loving service rendered to My devotees.' How Kṛṣṇa becomes attracted by the devotional service of His devotees is described by Nārada in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Seventh Canto, Tenth Chapter, 37th verse. There Nārada addresses King Yudhiṣṭhira while the King is appreciating the glories of the character of Prahlāda Mahārāja. A devotee always appreciates the qualities of other devotees."
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the sign of devotee: appreciation (of) the activities of devotee. This appreciation means a devotee who is actually freed from all contamination, he does not find any fault with other devotee. That is the sign. He does not think himself that he is bigger devotee or greater devotee than others. He thinks himself as the lowest of all.
Bhavānanda: "This evidence from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives assurance to the pure devotee of being elevated to association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī remarks in this connection that one who is actually attracted by the beauty of the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa or His service and whose heart, by such attraction, is always full with transcendental bliss will naturally never aspire after the liberation which is so valuable to the impersonalists."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Liberation, a devotee never... Why liberation? Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he says... Liberation means kaivalya. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. What is this liberation? It is as good as the hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. Tri-daṣa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate (Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5). The persons, they are hankering after being elevated to the heavenly planet. So for a devotee, this is will o' the wisp, phantasmagoria, it has no value. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpayate indriya-kāla-sarpa-paṭalī protkhāta-daṁṣṭrāyate. And the yogis... Karmīs, jñānīs, yogis. Karmīs are after heavenly planet; jñānīs are after kaivalya, liberation; yogis are after controlling the senses. So senses are very dangerous. Everyone knows.
Mādhavānanda: "In other words, unless one is already beyond liberation, one cannot relish the transcendental glories of the Lord, nor can one understand the transcendental form of the Lord.
"A similar statement is found in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Fifth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, 43rd verse. Śukadeva Gosvāmī addresses Parīkṣit Mahārāja there and says, 'The great soul of King Bhārata was so much attached to the service of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa that he very easily gave up his lordship over the earthly planet and his affection for his children, society, friends, royal opulence and beautiful wife. He was so very lucky that the goddess of fortune was pleased to offer him all kinds of material concessions, but he never accepted any of these material opulences.' Śukadeva Gosvāmī eulogizes this behavior of King Bhārata very highly. He says, 'Any person whose heart is attracted by the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusūdana, not to speak of material opulences, does not care even for that liberation which is aspired to by many great sages.' "
Prabhupāda: This Mahārāja Bhārata was the son of Ṛṣabhadeva and under whose name, after whose name this planet is called Bhārata-varsa. This, the same Bhārata Mahārāja, he left this world at very young age, twenty-four years. Young wife, children, kingdom, everything he left. Then he developed some attachment for a young deer. So he had to take the birth in the shape of a deer. The next birth he remained silent, Jaḍa Bhārata. So (the) Jaḍa Bhārata story is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Very enlightening. Go on.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Our most difficult position is sex. Māyā has given such a—they call it nice—such propensity, sex, that it will create disturbances. Even though you are rigid, avowed, you are doing nicely, at sometimes, especially at night, it will disturb. It will disturb. Therefore suratau. Kṛṣṇa is the most expert in this conjugal love. Kṛṣṇa... Therefore we have to submit, surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Suratau paṅgoḥ. We are very much feeble and very slow. And so far our sex impulse is concerned, here is especially mentioned, Madana-mohana. Sex impulse is called Cupid, Madana. But if we become staunch devotee of Kṛṣṇa, this material sex impulse will vanish. Because Cupid becomes, I mean to say, attracted. Even Cupid becomes attracted by Kṛṣṇa. We are attracted by Cupid, but Cupid is attracted by Kṛṣṇa. Therefore His name is Madana-mohana. That is the only remedy.
This is Vṛndāvana life. There the gopīs, they are village girls and the cowherd boys, they are also village boys. Nanda Mahārāja is the head of the village, agriculturist. Similarly, the elderly persons and the elderly gopīs, mother Yaśodā and her other friends—all are attracted by Kṛṣṇa. This is Vṛndāvana life. They even did not know what is Kṛṣṇa. They did not know by reading Vedas, Purāṇas, Vedānta, to understand Kṛṣṇa. But their natural affection was for Kṛṣṇa.
So this svābhāvika ākarṣaṇa can be... At the present moment we have no natural attraction for Kṛṣṇa; therefore we must understand by knowledge what is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa tattva vettā. So why one should be attracted to Kṛṣṇa unless Kṛṣṇa has all the attractive features? The attraction... Generally, in this material world we are attracted to a rich man or to a powerful man, man or woman. Just like our Prime Minister, she is woman, but because she is powerful, we are attracted. We talk of her. So the points of attraction are discussed by Parāśara Muni as bhaga. Bhaga means opulence. So these opulences... When one is very rich, he is opulent. One is very powerful, he is attractive. One is very influential, one is very beautiful, one is very highly learned... In this way, attraction.
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "Most people, they call themselves as followers of Vedic civilization, but actually they do not obey all the rules and regulations." Then again He says that "Persons who are actually trying to follow the Vedic rules and regulations, mostly they are karmīs." Karmīs means they are attracted by the ritualistic ceremonies just like performing great sacrifices, yajña, for elevating oneself to the higher planetary system. They are called karmīs. "And above them," He says, "out of many thousands of karmīs, one person is jñānī or yogi. So out of many such jñānīs, one person may be a mukta, or liberated soul. And out of many thousands of liberated souls, there may be one devotee of Kṛṣṇa." That is the division Caitanya Mahāprabhu makes.
Then he was (going to) Vṛndāvana. He saw another beautiful woman because he was practiced to that habit. So he was going behind. Although he determined, "Now I am going to Vṛndāvana," on the way he was again attracted by another woman. So he followed that woman. That woman belonged to a respectable family. So he came, and the woman said to her husband, "Oh, this man is following me. Please ask, 'What is the idea?' " So the husband asked, "My dear sir, you appear to be very nice gentleman, and you belong to very aristocratic family. From your appearances I understand. What do you want? Why you are following my wife?" He said, "Yes, I am following wife because I want to embrace her." "Oh, you want to embrace? Come on. Embrace. Come on. You are welcome. Come on." So the wife also... She (he) ordered, "Oh, here is a guest. He wants to embrace you and kiss you. So please decorate yourself nicely so that he may enjoy." So the wife also followed the instruction of the husband because wife's duty is to follow the instruction. And when Bilvamaṅgala came inside before the woman, he said, "My dear mother, will you kindly give your hairpins?" "Yes. Why?" "I have got some business." Then he took the hairpin and at once pierced his eyes: "Oh, this eye is my enemy." And he became blind. He became blind. Then all of them... "That's all right. Now no more I shall be disturbed."
The beauty, beauty of Kṛṣṇa, is fully manifested in Vṛndāvana. As sixteen-years boy and playing flute, the beauty was so attractive that even Vāsudeva Himself became attracted by the beauty.
- sei vapu bhinnābhāse kichu bhinnākāra
- bhāvāveśākṛti-bhede 'tad-ekātma' nāma tāṅra
Now, that original feature of Lord Kṛṣṇa, when there is a little difference, that is called tad-ekātma.
How they fall down? Sometimes they fall down, becomes a victim of a woman. Sometimes they fall down for this philanthropic work. Sometimes they fall down in the matter of opening hospitals. Generally they fall down by becoming a victim, victim of woman, and others, they also become victim of this material nature, become attracted by this social work. So a sannyāsī is supposed to be renounced order. He has nothing to do with this material world. Then why should he come to the social order or philanthropic order? That is his falldown. That is his falldown. He should be situated completely in spiritual order. He has nothing to do. He should simply be engaged in spiritual service, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the perfection of renouncement.
Renounce means... What is renunciation? Renunciation means paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 9.59). One is engaged in the material activities, being attracted in it, and when he loses his attraction in this material world—he is attracted by the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa—that is renunciation. By seeing the Supreme, he rejects this. Just like sometimes we also, if we get some better type of foodstuff, then we reject inferior type of foodstuff naturally. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Because, "Oh, it tastes very nice, so let me take this, reject this." Similarly, material attraction is so long..., as long as we are not in touch with Kṛṣṇa. As soon as we are in touch with Kṛṣṇa, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the result will be that we shall lose our material attraction. Those who are falling down from Kṛṣṇa consciousness again to the material attraction, that means they are not serious about advancing in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not ordinary thing. It is very easy. At the same time very, I mean, difficult also. Those who are not attracted by the Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, there is every chance of falling down again in the... Because he has no other alternative. Either he has to serve this way or serve that way.
Festival Lectures
The urine and stool is affecting... There are some worms, they are very much attracted with the stool. You see? They are also creatures of Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, this material nature, external energy of Kṛṣṇa, is Kṛṣṇa's. There is... Undoubtedly, it is Kṛṣṇa's. But that worm class of living entities, they are attracted by it. You see? So we should not be attracted. That should be our... Because we are not going to be worms of the stool. Kṛṣṇa, if He cannot... There are many arguments. If you ask question, "Why the government has created this criminal department?" Is that valid question? The jail department is criminal department, prison, where citizens are put into jail and given trouble. So if the prisoner says, "Why the American government has created this prison department?" is that valid question? The American government may create prison departments, but why you are interested there? Why you are going there?
So these are our foolishness. Meditation means to think over all this subject matter very intelligently, not like a rascal, that "If I am person, why God should be imperson? If I am eternal, why God should be dead?" This is meditation, to study diligently. If I have got an instinct to love others, so why God shall not, God will not have this instinct to love others? If I have got attraction for the opposite sex, why God should not have? Why He should not be attracted by Rādhārāṇī? Very simple truth. And why Rādhārāṇī should not be attracted by Kṛṣṇa? But the difference is: here everything is false. False means the attraction is not real attraction. But there the attraction is real. Here I am attracted with a boy, with a girl—after six months, finished. Because there are so many defects, therefore the attraction does not exist. It is all defective. This body is false, false in the sense it is an imitation. Just like you see one idol in the dress shop, very nice girl standing, but it is a false; similarly, this body made of material elements is not our real body. False. Similarly, the girl's body is false. Therefore, because false, the so-called love and attraction is also false. Therefore our so-called love breaks. There is no love here. It cannot be. There cannot be any love. This is... That tendency is there, but due to this material contamination, lust is going on in the name of love. Actually it is lust.
Taruṇī, taruṇī means young girls. You'll see the pictures, they are all young girls. But of all the young girls, She is the most beautiful. She is enchanting to the young girls also. She is so beautiful. Gokula-taruṇī-maṇḍala-mahite. Dāmodara-rati-vardhana-veśe. And She always dresses Her so nicely that Dāmodara, Kṛṣṇa, becomes attracted by Her beauty. Hari-niṣkuta-vṛndā-vipineśe. And She is the only lovable object of Kṛṣṇa, and She is the queen of Vṛndāvana. This queen of Vṛndāvana... You'll find in Vṛndāvana, if you go to Vṛndāvana, everyone is worshiping Rādhārāṇī. Rāṇī means queen. They are always speaking, "Jaya Rādhe!" Rādhārāṇī. All the devotees in Vṛndāvana, they are worshiper of Rādhārāṇī. Hari-niṣkuta-vṛndā-vipineśe. Vṛṣabhānudadhi-nava-śaśi-lekhe. And She appeared as the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and Her companion, Lalitā-sakhī and Viśākha-sakhī, and the devotees... So on behalf of the pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa, Rūpa Gosvāmī is praying, karuṇāṁ kuru mayi karuṇā-bharite.
Material life means the current is sense enjoyment, and this current has to be turned-sense enjoyment of Kṛṣṇa. Sense enjoyment is there, but the material civilization, the misled civilization, is that the sense gratification is taken personal. When this sense gratification will be turned towards Kṛṣṇa, then our life is successful. Just like gopīs. Apparently it appears that gopīs, they were attracted by young boy, Kṛṣṇa, and for their sense gratification they made friendship with Kṛṣṇa. No. That is not the fact. The fact is that gopīs used to dress themselves nicely because by seeing them, Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied, not that for their sense gratification. Generally a girl dresses also to attract the attention of the boy. So the same thing is there but it is Kṛṣṇa's sense gratification, not the gopīs'. The gopīs did not want anything. But Kṛṣṇa will be satisifed. That is the difference between lust and love. Love is there, only possible, when it is diverted towards Kṛṣṇa. That is love. And beyond that... Not beyond that... Below that, everything is lust. So we should always remember this.
He who has no connection with Nityānanda Prabhu, and he does not say, "Jaya Nitāi! Jaya Gaura!" And majilo saṁsāra-sukhe, he thinks that this society, family, and... "Society, friendship and love, divinely bestowed upon man." These materialist persons, they say like that. That is called majilo saṁsāra sukhe. In saṁsāra there cannot be any sukha, but he's attracted by that. Majilo saṁsāra sukhe. Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. What we'll do with university education or born in big family or... This will not help. This is not possible. Vidyā-kule ki karibe tār. Why they're accepting this false? Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pasariya, asatyere satya kori māni. On account of being misled by false prestige and false egotism, asatyere satya kori māni, we are accepting this body which is asat, which will not exist. That we have taken as reality. Ahaṅkare matta hoiya, nitāi pada pasariya. But if we take shelter of Nityānanda Prabhu, then you get the enlightenment. Asatyere satya kori māni. Nitāiyer koruṇā habe, braje rādhā-kṛṣṇa pabe, dharo nitāi-caraṇa du'khāni.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). So we have this test tube. If you see one has no information of Kṛṣṇa, then he is mūḍha. We haven't got to study more: whether he is Kṛṣṇa conscious, whether he has got any portion of his heart attracted, attached to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means attraction. So whether he has been attracted by Kṛṣṇa. That is our natural position—to become attracted by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. Just like the magnetic stone attracts the iron. It is natural. And if the iron is covered with dirt, then it does not become attracted. So this is the test, to make people prepared for being attracted by Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. They are by nature... Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. It is not unnatural. Otherwise how you European, American, you are so much attracted to Kṛṣṇa? If Kṛṣṇa is artificial and Kṛṣṇa consciousness is artificial something, so how you should be attracted? That they are surprised. They are attracted because that attraction is there already.
This is Vṛndāvana. The Yamunā water, everything. Fruits, flowers and everything. That is Vṛndāvana. So Kṛṣṇa is the center of attraction. You might have read that when Brahmā stolen all Kṛṣṇa's associates, so He created Himself again all of them, and everyone was feeling more attracted by Kṛṣṇa. So this is natural. This is not unnatural. Our position is, natural position is, to be attracted by Kṛṣṇa. If we do not become attracted by Kṛṣṇa, that is unnatural. And to become attracted by Kṛṣṇa, that is not unnatural. That is natural.
So we want to revive our natural position, uncovered position. Now we are covered by dust, by dirt, by corroding materials. So we have to cleanse this. Therefore the bhakti process is sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). I am thinking I am Indian. You are thinking you are American. This is a dirty thing, covering the spirit soul. So we have to cleanse this. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa.
Initiation Lectures
Otherwise, if we see that he is unmindful, then we should not canvass. Let him come. Just like Kṛṣṇa says Arjuna that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just surrender unto Me." He's saying. Not that by force making him surrender. That kind of surrender will not stand. We should not canvass. Let him become attracted by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and he personally asks for harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, bhakativinoda prabhu-caraṇe paḍiyā. As soon as Lord Caitanya says that "I have brought this medicine for killing māyā." Hari-nāma mahā-mantra loilo. "Everyone can take from Me this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." So bhakativinoda prabhu-caraṇe paḍiyā. The Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura immediately fell down on the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya and begged, "Please give me." So this, this should, the chance should be given like that. One should beg. Not that canvassing. No. That is not required.
General Lectures
This is called māyā. But that stool, urine, muscle, brains, and intestines are so nicely decorated that it can attract you. It has got a full attraction, both for the boys and the girls. Bhāgavata has done nice that the illusion of this world is that attraction. What is that attraction? False attraction. The man is attracted by woman, woman is attracted by man. And the business is going on. Especially in this country, I see the girls are attracting by their bodily features in so many ways. You see? So similarly boys are attracting girls by so many features, especially by nice motorcar and so many things. So in every society, according to the standard of living, according..., these attractive features are going on. In birds, beasts... And when they are united... Everyone is trying to attract others. A girl is trying to attract another boy, the boy is trying to attract another girl. These attracting features is going on. And as soon as they are actually attracted and joined together, the illusion becomes doubly knotted.
In every scripture, every great personality, devotee, representative of God... Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he gave information of God. Although he was crucified, he never changed his opinion. So we have evidences from scripture, from Vedas, from great personality, still, if I say, "God is dead. There is no God," then what kind of man I am? This is called demon. They'll never believe it. They'll never believe... Yes. Just the opposite demon is budhā. Budhā means very intelligent, wise man. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, therefore, kṛṣṇa ye bhaje se baḍa catura. Anyone who becomes attracted by Kṛṣṇa and loves Him... Worshiping means loving. In the beginning it is worshiping, but at the end it is love. Worshiping.
So iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā. Anyone who is wise, who is intelligent, who knows that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of all causes...
We must know thoroughly how Kṛṣṇa is acting. That is all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. If we study Bhagavad-gītā very carefully, as it is, we can understand. Tasmin vijñāte sarvam eva vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you can simply understand the Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa philosophy, then you understand everything. It is so perfect. (break) ...question you can put. (break) Now, modern-days people are very much attracted by scientific knowledge. Oh, there is complete scientific knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if you want to understand, even from scientific point of view, these boys will be able to answer you. (break) ...question, then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Mitho vā means assembly, just like we are talking about this in assembly. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha-vratānām, those who have fixed up their aim of life simply to enjoy these four things, eating, sleeping, mating and defending, they cannot be attracted by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī also confirms here that apaśyatām ātma-tattvam: (SB 2.1.2) because they do not know what is the goal of his soul. That they do not know. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam. And because they have not engaged themselves in the spiritual culture or cultivation of self-realization or advancement of the self, their business is simply on these four principles of life, eating, sleeping, mating, and defending.
Tapasya means austerity, restriction. Restriction. Just like our students. We advise our students—and they follow—that "You don't have illicit sex life." Boys and girls, they are mixing, making friendship. That is nice. That is natural. A young boy is attracted by a young girl, or young girl is attracted by young boy. That is not unnatural, because it is in the Supreme Lord. That nice love attraction is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is a boy, sixteen-years-old boy, and Rādhārāṇī is also a fifteen-years-old girl. Not even one year's... I think, fifteen days younger. So our worshipable object is that spiritual love, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. But the so-called love in this material world is only a perverted reflection. It is only lust. So you have, by austerity, you have to change that lust into love. If you love one girl, if you love one boy, that is very nice. That is natural. That is not unnatural. But don't change that love. Be combined permanently. Be combined. Not that "After few months I give up this girl," "I give up this boy," "I capture another." No. That is austerity.
There are many nice stories... Of course, our time is very short. Still, I wish to narrate one short story, that one man, one boy, was attracted by a beautiful girl. So the girl does not agree, and the boy is persistent. So in India, of course, the girls, they keep their chastity very strict. So the girl was not agreeing. So she said, "All right, I agree. After one week you come." She appointed, "Such and such time, you come." So the boy was very glad. And the girl took some purgative throughout the seven days, and she was passing stool, day and night, and vomiting, and she kept all these vomits and stool in a nice pot. So when the appointed time came, the boy came, and the girl was sitting on the door. The boy inquired, "Where is that girl?" She said, "I am that girl." "No, no. You are not. You are so ugly. She was so beautiful. You are not that girl."
Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, he was also learned scholar. So all rich men, rich politicians, scholars, great brāhmaṇas, they joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is so nice movement. It attracted thousands of people, just (as) it is attracting you, American boys and girls.
So in those days, a scholarly section, learned section, rich section were attracted by Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. And what was their business? This business, as you are doing: kṛṣṇa kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. Their engagement was kṛṣṇa ut kīrtanam. Kṛṣṇa kīrtanam, singing about Kṛṣṇa, just like you are doing—Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana, very loudly chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna, and sometimes prayers, songs. Nartana. Naratana means dancing. These were their engagement: kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī.
Yogis means those who are trying to reawaken Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He's called yogi. Our present consciousness is material consciousness. The material consciousness, the sex urge is very strong. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). It is said in the śāstra that the gṛhamedhi, those who are attracted by this material world, their center of enjoyment is sex. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham. This sex urge is a, a sort of itching sensation. Kaṇḍūyanenam. Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. By satisfying this itching sensation, he becomes entrapped in so many ways. So many ways. That's a fact. Apart from those who are enjoying illicit sex, even those who are enjoying sex in regulated principles, they are also entrapped. Take, for example, one regular householder. In your country, it is different social situation, but in our country, in India, a family life is a great responsibility.
So the saṅkīrtana movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the more you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, your, the heart disease, material enjoyment, that will decrease, and then you will understand what is your position and you will be gradually attracted by Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). This is the test of bhakti, that if you engage yourself twenty-four hours in devotional service, then immediately you become liberated. Bhaktiḥ pareśā... Liberation means to become detestful to material enjoyment.
So Kṛṣṇa attachment is so nice that... Dhruva Mahārāja, he was in the beginning attracted by material enjoyment. He wanted a kingdom more than his father, and he went to the forest for meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead to get this benediction. So Dhruva Mahārāja actually, when he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he refused to accept any benediction. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). This is the benefit of Kṛṣṇa āsakti. If you actually become attached to Kṛṣṇa, then you'll think yourself completely filled up.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Not only that. A person does not like to bear children; therefore this contraceptive method is there. It is botheration, painful. It is called pain. (indistinct) (indistinct) means pain. So nature is prohibiting that, (indistinct), child delivery, so the man is also given so much trouble. The woman is also given so much trouble. So why is the trouble there? The (indistinct) for everything is don't be implicated in this sex life. If you simply tolerating a little itching sensation, then you will not have so much pain. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). These ordinary men who are attached to the materialistic way of life, their only happiness is this sexual intercourse. So śāstra says this happiness derived from sexual intercourse is very, very insignificant. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. This is not happiness. It is very (indistinct) third class or even lower than happiness. But because we have no idea of other happiness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the materialistic way of life, that is the happiness. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. That is a very insignificant happiness. Then how is this happiness experienced? Kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham. You have got itching, and if you scratch like this, so you get some happiness, but aftereffects of that happiness is very abominable. So even if you have legal sex, the mother has to undergo the labor pains and the father has to take responsibility for raising the children nicely, give them education. Of course, one who is irresponsible like cats and dogs, that is another thing. But those who are actually gentlemen, for them it is not painful. Therefore they are avoiding children by contraceptive methods, because they know to raise children is a very difficult job. So śāstra's injunction is simply to try to tolerate this itching sensation and you save so much pain. This is real psychology. That itching sensation can be tolerated if one practices this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will not be very much attracted by this sex life.
Hayagrīva: And in his book, his autobiography, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, we find most of his thoughts about the, about theology and psychoanalysis. In that book he writes, "I find that all my thoughts circle around God like the planets around the sun and are as irresistibly attracted by Him. I would feel it to be the grossest sin if I were to oppose any resistance to this force." He sees all creatures as parts of God. He says, "Man cannot compare himself with any other creature. He is not a monkey, not a cow, not a tree. I am a man. But what is it to be that? Like every other being, I am a splinter of the infinite Deity."
Prabhupāda: Part and parcel. That is our theory. We are part and parcel of God. Like fire and the sparks.
Hayagrīva: He writes, "It was obedience which brought me grace. One must be utterly abandoned to God. Nothing matters but fulfilling His will. Otherwise all is folly and meaninglessness."
Prabhupāda: Yes. That the individual soul, being attracted by this illusory energy, he comes here for sense gratification. It is not by the desire of the Supreme One. By his personal desire. So God gives him freedom. So he begins the life from a very exalted position in this material world—sometimes like Brahma. But on account of material activities he becomes entangled, so much so that degradation from the exalted position like Lord Brahma, he comes to become a worm in the stool. Therefore we find so many species of life. The degradation and elevation is going on—sometimes elevated, sometimes degraded—and in this way they will..., individual soul is suffering. That is his suffering, material miserable condition. When he comes to understand that "This kind of degradation and elevation going on perpetually, this is my suffering," then at that time he becomes fortunate. Then he seeks after the Supreme One, Kṛṣṇa, and by the grace of Kṛṣṇa he gets bona fide spiritual master. So by the mercy of both the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa, he gets the chance of being engaged in devotional service, and little effort and sincerity makes him perfect, and he goes back to home back to Godhead.
Purports to Songs
Gaura-kīrtana-rase magana nā painu. "And I could not merge myself into the saṅkīrtana movement started by Lord Caitanya." Oh, that is actually the fact. Those who are too much attached to materialistic way of life, or always drinking the poison of sense gratification, they are not attracted by the saṅkīrtana movement.
So at the last, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is lamenting. He's not lamenting. He's representing ourself. If one comes to that point of lamentation, that is also very nice. He immediately becomes purified. Lamentation means purification. So he says, keno vā āchaya prāṇa kichu bali... "Why I am living? I do not make association with the devotees. I do not take part in the saṅkīrtana movement. I do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa. I do not understand what is Lord Caitanya. Then what for I am living?" This is lamentation. "What is my happiness? What is the standard of my happiness? Why I am living?" Narottama dāsa kena nā gela. "Why I did not die long, long ago? I should have died. What is the meaning of my living?" So it is not Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's lamentation. Everyone of us should think like that, that "If we cannot make association with devotees, if we do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, if we do not come in touch with Lord Caitanya and associates, it was better for me to die. And there is no other remedy." This is the substance of this song.
Viṣaya majiyā, rohili poriyā, se pade nahilo āśa. "I could not desire to be attached to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya." So why it is so? So he's lamenting that āpana karama, bhuñjāye śamana, that "I am suffering the sequence of my past misdeeds, that I could not be attracted by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is a punishment on me by the Yamaraja, the superintendent of death." Actually, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, saṅkīrtana movement, is so nice and attractive, every simple, I mean to say, unsophisticated person shall be attracted. But if one is not attracted it is to be understood that he is being punished by the laws of the superintendent of death. Anyway, if we stick to this principle of chanting, then even Yamarāja, the superintendent of death, he'll also fail to punish. That is the verdict of Brahma-saṁhitā. Brahma-saṁhitā says, one who takes to this devotional life, his reaction of past deeds are adjusted immediately. so every one of us should take part in this movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.
| Page Title: | Attracted by... (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 02 of Oct, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=145, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 145 |