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Because people are becoming more and more in the modes of darkness, they are eating so many abominable things. And prakrti also, I mean to say, minimizing the supply of sattvika food. Just like nowadays it has become scarcity of grains, of milk, of sugar

Expressions researched:
"because people are becoming more and more in the modes of darkness, they are eating so many abominable things. And prakrti also, I mean to say, minimizing the supply of sattvika food. Just like nowadays it has become scarcity of grains, of milk, of sugar"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Nowadays, because people are becoming more and more in the modes of darkness, they are eating so many abominable things. And prakṛti also, I mean to say, minimizing the supply of sāttvika food. Just like nowadays it has become scarcity of grains, of milk, of sugar. It is practical experience.

Prakṛti-sthaḥ means this material world. The living entity, although part and parcel of God, spiritual entity, but he has come to this material world to enjoy. Anyone who is in this material world, his original cause of coming down from the spiritual platform to this material platform means he wanted to enjoy.

In the spiritual world the only enjoyer is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All others are enjoyed. But here in this material world everyone is trying to become the Supreme, and others, to be enjoyed. Everyone is trying to become God, and the last snare of māyā is that one is claiming that, "I am God." When he tries to become big businessman, big zamindar, big minister, big president, or in the society big rich man—big, big always . . . and when he fails to become all kinds of "bigs," he wants to become one with God. By mixing, by merging into God, he will be the biggest. That is the philosophy. So basic principle is how to become big. Otherwise . . . because unless I become very big, I cannot enjoy.

So what is the field of these enjoying activities? This body. That we have discussed. Kṣetra-kṣetra-jña. Idaṁ śarīraṁ kṣetram ity abhidhīyate (BG 13.2): "This body is the field of activities." So puruṣa, the living entities, has been entrapped by this material energy. That is called puruṣaḥ prakṛti-sthaḥ. He is not required to stay in this material world, but he has decided to enjoy this material world. Therefore he is here.

But he can give up. That is called liberty. That is called salvation. He can give up. Mukti. Mukti means . . . that is also described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: hitvā anyathā-rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). That is called mukti. Muktir hitvā anyathā-rūpam. Here, every living entity is situated anyathā-rūpam. Anyathā-rūpam means "otherwise," which is not his nature. His nature is to serve, but he is staying here not as servant but as master.

(aside in Hindi: No no you please go, that child.)

So puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte (BG 13.22). Bhuṅkte means enjoys. Prakṛti-jān guṇān. Prakṛti . . . he has come here to enjoy, but he is enjoying not the prakṛti, but prakṛti-jān guṇān, means the qualities of the prakṛti. There are three qualities of the prakṛti: goodness, passion and ignorance. Prakṛti-jān guṇān. These, these are products of material world. It is therefore described in another place, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī . . . guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). This illusory energy is . . . there are three qualities, qualitative. Some of them . . . therefore we find different types of species of life.

Every living entity has association . . . has associated with a particular type of guṇa. There are three guṇas, namely, goodness, passion and ignorance, and if you mix them up, then it becomes nine. Three into three equal to nine. And again if you mix up, nine into nine, then it becomes eighty-one. Therefore there are 8,400,000 species of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati (Padma Purāna). Nine hundred thousand species in the water. Similarly, birds, beasts, trees, insect, animals. Then we come to the human form of life. These different types of bodies are meant for enjoying in a different spirit. Everyone is trying to enjoy, but he is enjoying . . . He is not enjoying the prakṛti, but he is enjoying the association of the guṇa. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22).

So every living entity is suffering or enjoying. There is no enjoyment. Everyone is suffering, but he . . . that is called māyā. He is suffering, but he takes it as enjoying. Even the hog, the pig, he is eating stool, but he is thinking that he is enjoying. He is enjoying. He enjoys a certain type of food according to his quality. Nowadays, because people are becoming more and more in the modes of darkness, they are eating so many abominable things. And prakṛti also, I mean to say, minimizing the supply of sāttvika food. Just like nowadays it has become scarcity of grains, of milk, of sugar. It is practical experience. Because people are becoming more and more in the modes of ignorance, therefore the foodstuff . . .

These foodstuff are in the modes of goodness. Just like Kṛṣṇa wants patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa does not say: "Give me meat and drinking wine." Kṛṣṇa can eat everything. He is omnipotent. But He does not say that, "You give me anything and everything." No. He specifically mentions, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. These things are the foodstuff in goodness: rice, ḍāl, wheat—that means grains—then sugar, fruits, vegetables, milk products. These foods are in the goodness. Similarly there are foods, very chili, very hot, these are in the passion. And similarly in ignorance also there are many foods, stale food, meat—these are in the ignorance.

So our business is, this human form of life, to get out of this cycle of birth and death and wandering in different species of life. This is the mission of human life. Human life, advanced consciousness, it is meant for getting out of the cycle of birth and death and wandering in different species of life.

Page Title:Because people are becoming more and more in the modes of darkness, they are eating so many abominable things. And prakrti also, I mean to say, minimizing the supply of sattvika food. Just like nowadays it has become scarcity of grains, of milk, of sugar
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-10-11, 06:02:39
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1