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Consciousness is there. That is a symptom of life, symptom of spirit soul. But the difference is due to material contamination

Expressions researched:
"consciousness is there. That is a symptom of life, symptom of spirit soul. But the difference is due to material contamination"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Consciousness is there, but consciousness may be differently contaminated. Different person, your consciousness may be different from my consciousness. You are thinking in a different way, I am thinking in different way. Similarly, consciousness is there. That is a symptom of life, symptom of spirit soul. But the difference is due to material contamination.

Prahlāda Mahārāja says, na tathā vindate kṣemam. Kṣemam means auspicity. The highest auspicity of life is to reconnect his lost relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or Kṛṣṇa. This is called yoga. Real yoga means this, that we are, at the present moment we have lost our consciousness. Not actually we have lost our consciousness; we have lost our memory.

Consciousness is there, but consciousness may be differently contaminated. Different person, your consciousness may be different from my consciousness. You are thinking in a different way, I am thinking in different way. Similarly, consciousness is there. That is a symptom of life, symptom of spirit soul. But the difference is due to material contamination.

Just like superficially your blood and my blood, the same, red. But if we analyze, oh, there may be so many chemicals present in your blood, and so many chemicals may be present which is not exactly equal. Similarly, as soon as there is life and there is spirit soul, the focus of the spirit soul, consciousness, must be there. I am present in this body—how I can understand? Because this consciousness. You pinch any part of your body, you feel. This is your consciousness. That means I am present in this body. And as soon as I am away from this body, you may cut this body into pieces—there will be no consciousness; there is no feeling.

So our consciousness should be purified. Now the consciousness is contaminated by material association in so many ways. Just like the blood purification tonic is given. If the doctor finds by examination of the blood . . . in your country, as soon as you go to a doctor, immediately, "Please offer your blood." The demand is immediately blood. That is, of course, scientific, modern science. But according to Āyurvedic system, there is no demand of blood. They feel the pulse, and according to the different, I mean to say, movement of the pulse, they can understand what kind of disease is there. All right, that is a medical science.

So anyway, Prahlāda Mahārāja says, na tathā vindate kṣemaṁ: "Instead of wasting your time for increasing the standard of sense gratification, the best thing will be to apply your energy for reviving your original Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Na tathā vindate kṣemaṁ mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. Na tathā vindate kṣemaṁ mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. Tat-prayāso kartavyo: "That endeavor should be done by which your time is not wasted, but you can revive, you can purify your consciousness, you can revive yourself to your original position, and that is your highest gain."

tato yateta kuśalaḥ
kṣemāyā bhavam āśritaḥ
śarīraṁ puruṣaṁ yāvan
na vipadyeta puṣkalam
(SB 7.6.5)

"My dear friends, therefore, so long the body is not fallen, or so long death does not come," śarīraṁ, tato yateta kuśalam, "you must try for the highest benediction, kuśalaḥ." Kuśala means benediction. "So long you are in this body, please try to achieve that success, full Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

Puṁso varṣa-śataṁ hy āyus tad-ardhaṁ cājitātmanaḥ (SB 7.6.6). Now, supposing that we have got hundred years of age. Now, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that although you have got one hundred years to live, but because we cannot control our senses, therefore it should be taken half, fifty years. Why? That because out of twenty-four hours, we sleep more than twelve hours. So while we sleep, there is no activity. So immediately you cut off fifty years because you cannot work.

Although you have got duration of life one hundred years, but you cannot work one hundred years. Fifty years immediately cut off on account of ajitātmanaḥ. Ajitātmanaḥ means one who has not controlled the senses. So every one of us cannot control, most of us. Therefore half of the age is immediately cut off. Niṣphalaṁ yad asau rātryāṁ śete 'ndhaṁ prāpitas tamaḥ. Why it is cut off? "Because without any profit we sleep very soundly, and therefore it is simply wasted."

Then, mugdhasya bālye kaiśore krīḍato yāti viṁśatiḥ (SB 7.6.7). Then suppose there is fifty years' balance, oh, sufficient balance. Then he says, bālye kaiśore. Bālye means up to five years. And from five years to eleven years, bālye kaiśore. Because children, generally, from five years to twelve, thirteen years, they are very fond of playing. So niṣphalaṁ mugdhasya bālye kaiśore krīḍato yāti viṁśati (SB 7.6.7): "Twenty years is wasted simply for playing." So half duration of life immediately cut off. Then again, out of that fifty years, again twenty years cut off.

Then jarayā grasta-dehasya yāty akalpasya viṁśatiḥ: then cut off another twenty years due to old age, invalidity, and so many other, accidents, and so many other things. So it is cutting, cutting, cutting.

durāpūreṇa kāmena
mohena ca balīyasā
śeṣam gṛheṣu saktasya
pramattasyāpayāti hi
(SB 7.6.8)

"In this way, when a man is too much addicted to the materialistic way of life, cannot give up the family life . . ." You'll find many old men, almost going to die, but still, there is family attachment. It is very difficult to get out of family attachment. Although the other members—his wife, his son—disgusted with the old man, and all of them want that "This old man may die very soon. He is simply bothering us," but the old man tries to live: "Oh, let me live for some time. Don't drive me away."

I understand that in Russia they intentionally try to kill these old men (laughter). And in Africa, I have heard, there are still cannibals. They make a feast by killing the grandfather. (laughter) So old man is always neglected in the society, and therefore I have come out of my home—I have taken your shelter. You see? (laughter) It is actually a fact. You see?

So in this way we are wasting our time. Śaṅkarācārya, he was walking on the street and he was lamenting, because he has got the eyes to see. What he said? He said: "Oh," bālas tāvad kridāsaktaḥ, "oh, all the boys I see in the street, they are very nicely playing. They do not know anything except play." Bālas tāvad kridāsaktas taruṇas tāvad taruṇī raktaḥ: "And the young, youngsters, they are after young girls, embracing, kissing. That's all." So taruṇas tāvad taruṇī raktaḥ. And vṛddhas tāvad cintā-magnaḥ: "And the old men, they are thinking, 'How to pull on? What to do? How to adjust family affairs?' "

Parame brāhmaṇe ko 'pi lagnaḥ: "Oh, it is very lamentable. Nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." He is lamenting, because he has got to . . . he has seeing practically. A sannyāsī is supposed to wander from one country, one village to another. So he is lamenting, bālas tāvad kridāsaktaḥ: "Oh, boys are playing. They are not being trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The youths, they are very much enjoying. So the old men, they are thinking, deep, thoughtful, the same thing. But nobody is interested."

So same thing:

durāpūreṇa kāmena
mohena ca balīyasā
śeṣaṁ gṛheṣu saktasya
pramattasyāpayāti hi
(SB 7.6.8)

At the last end, the old men . . . because this material world is such a nice place that nobody can adjust things. It is simply waste of time, who are trying to adjust things. The other day, in television or radio, the man asked me, "Swāmījī, whether it is possible to adjust the misadjustments of this material world?" I told him flatly that it is not possible. You can simply refer the history that the same thing is rep . . . "History repeats itself." When there was Roman Empire, Mogul Empire, the same strife, the same political dissension, the same fight. Everything was there, say, two thousand years before, as history gives us evidence, and the same thing is happening also.

So there is no adjustment. The only adjustment is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So long your life is there, you just improve, revive your original consciousness. What is that? "Kṛṣṇa, or the Lord, or God, is great. I am His eternal servant." That's all. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Kṛṣṇa" means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and "I" means I am His eternal part and parcel. Every one of us—servant. Everyone. Now, you are all, boys, ladies and gentlemen, sitting here. Nobody can say that "I am not servant." Everyone is servant. Everyone is servant. If he is not servant to anyone, at least he is servant of a dog. You see?

So servant we are, but we are thinking, "I am master." This is māyā. This is māyā. Actually I am servant. I am serving this, that, that, that—so many. Even President Johnson, he is also servant of the nation. So nobody is master. Similarly, if you take president, if you go higher, if you go up to Brahmā, if you go still more, more—everyone is servant.

Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is very nicely said that ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142): "The only one master is Kṛṣṇa, and everyone is servant." The only one master is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all other living entities, they are all servant. He may be a Brahmā, he may be a president, he may be a minister, or he may be a cat, or he may be a dog, or whatever he may be, everyone is servant. And to understand this philosophy is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Page Title:Consciousness is there. That is a symptom of life, symptom of spirit soul. But the difference is due to material contamination
Compiler:SharmisthaK
Created:2022-09-11, 14:12:40
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1