Prabhupāda: Yes. Just see how much the human society has degraded. One side, they're killing their own child, and after killing it, they're cooking it, and it becomes a very good delicacy. Just see. So this is the surety of become a pig, less than a pig. You see? But they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). This human life was meant for understanding Viṣṇu, God, but they did not use it. So thus, try to understand how much important is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, how we are trying to save the whole human society from their irresponsible life.
So we have to undergo tapasya because our grandfather, he had to undergo tapasya. So anyone who is in this material world, Brahmā, beginning from Brahmā down to the ant, must undergo tapasya. But for the ant, cats and dogs, it is not possible. They are condemned. They will have to come to the human form of life by evolutionary process by the help of nature. But as soon as we come to the human form of life, the responsibility is there. What is that responsibility? Because you have got developed consciousness more than the cats and dogs, you have to decide, "How I have come to this material world? Why I am suffering? I do not wish to die; this death is there. I do not want disease; the disease is there. I don't want to take birth, enter into the womb of the mother; still I am forced to do it. I don't want to become an old man; I become old man." So this is human intelligence. Unless you come to this intelligence, athāto brahma jijñāsā, "What I am? Am I this body or something else . . .?"
So we have to analyze, analyze that this body is made of the material elements: earth, water, fire, ether, like that. The . . . We are breathing. What is this breathing? We are very much proud of breathing. Huh? The breathing is simply ventilation, air. But you cannot set up this breathing to a dead man. That is not possible, although it is simply air, nothing but air. But as soon as it is gone out of it . . . You are great scientist. Bring this air, pump. "No, there is no life." So in this way there is analysis. From water we are getting blood. From blood we are getting semina. From urine . . . So many things we are getting. So this body is manufactured by these things, by the material elements. So am I this body? If I am this body, then after the death, why . . .? These material elements are there. Why you cannot replace it? I am not body. I'm living within the body. And that is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam, tathā dehāntara (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe: "In this body there is the living entity."
So one has to learn this. But they cannot learn, because they do not undergo austerity. That is the defect. No education is there how to perform austerity. Therefore Vedic civilization is how to teach small children austerities. That is brahmacārī. So we want to start this brahmacārī āśrama, or gurukula, to learn austerity from the beginning of life. Then their life will be successful; they'll understand. Not to become a grammarian. That is not our . . .
So we should take lesson from Brahmājī, our grandfather, that pariśuddha-bhāvāḥ tīvra-tapasā. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace, mercy, that we haven't got to undergo tīvra-tapasā. But we are thinking, "This is also very difficult." What is that? No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. But they are taking it very, very severe. What is the severity? We don't say "No sex," but "No illicit sex." This much tapasya, austerity, you cannot follow? Tapasya must be there. Unless you undergo tapasya, there is no rescue. Even Brahmā had to perform tapasya, what to speak of us. You cannot avoid it. Tapasā brahmacaryena (SB 6.1.13). Tapasya begins from brahmacarya: no illicit sex, no sex. But that is not possible, at least stop illicit sex. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa. This is very important thing.
So we should always remember that without . . . Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Ṛṣabhadeva advised His sons, "My dear sons, this human form of life, don't live like cats and dogs. Don't spoil your life." Then what to do? Now, tapaḥ: "Undergo . . ." Just like Brahmā was advised. Brahmā is the son of Viṣṇu, so when he was perplexed, the same advice was given: tapaḥ. So he underwent. He underwent tapasā, tīvra-tapasā. Tīvra means very severe. So we are advised, tīvra, tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena. It is said in the śāstra,
- akāmaḥ sarva kāmo vā
- mokṣa kāma udāra-dhīḥ
- tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena
- yajeta paramaṁ puruṣaḥ
- (SB 2.3.10)
This is injunction. We are mixed up. Somebody has got all desire to fulfill within this material world. Sarva-kāmaḥ. They never become desireless—increasing, increasing, increasing, one after another. And that is . . . They are called sarva-kāmaḥ. And akāma means no more desire. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). So we have to purify ourself. So to purify ourself means don't desire anything material. "Then I shall become void of desire?" No, not void of desire. Real desire must be there. Therefore we are singing daily, guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete kariyā aikya, āra nā koriyā mane āśa. Āra . . . "No more. That's all." Āra nā koriyā mane āśa. We are singing daily. You must understand what is the meaning. Because we are bewildered, we are misdirected, so . . . so guru's word, that should be taken seriously. Āra nā koriyā . . . "No more, anything." That is . . . Therefore how much difficult it is to find out such guru. Ādau gurvāśrayam. First of all you have to accept guru. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). So we have to follow guru.
"So how I can find out the real guru by whose words I'll be nicely directed and achieve?" That is not very difficult. You read Bhagavad-gītā, you'll understand. Just like Arjuna. When he was perplexed, he accepted Kṛṣṇa guru. He said, śiṣyas te 'ham (BG 2.7): "I become Your . . . now. We are talking friendly. The argument will not be ended. Now I become Your disciple." Śiṣyas te 'ham. Because as soon as one becomes a śiṣya . . . Śiṣya means under the order, regulation. A person cannot disobey the order of guru. Then he is śiṣya. If he argues, he's not śiṣya. He's not a śiṣya. Therefore Arjuna says, śiṣyas te 'ham: "I surrender, voluntarily surrender to become Your disciple. Now I shall not argue." That is called śiṣya. If you argue, then you are not a śiṣya.
Guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā, āra nā koriyā mane āśa. This is tapasya, that "I shall not act anything which is not ordered by my guru." That tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā (SB 5.5.1). Then we'll be nicely guided, and then sattva śuddhyam. Then our this existence will be purified. And as soon as our existence is purified, then we realize the situation, what is God, what is our relationship with Him, what is our activities, athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), everything.