Our aim is to satisfy the Supreme Lord, and this can be done perfectly if we follow the regulative principles of jāti-dharma, kula-dharma. Jāti-dharma means if you are born in the family of a brāhmaṇa you have got particular duties. Simply if you think yourself that "I am born in a brāhmaṇa family; my duty is all finished. Now I can do whatever nonsense..." They think like that. I have spoken. They are very much proud of taking birth in brāhmaṇa family. So when others are engaged in devotional service, they say, "Oh, you are born in lower family. You have got to do this. We are born in brāhmaṇa... We have nothing to do." You see? But they do not know that jāti-dharma kula-ghnānām, utsanna-kula-dharmānam. If you are actually brāhmaṇa, you must keep your family tradition. That is brāhmaṇa. Otherwise if you sacrifice everything of your family tradition... Just like in your country, the Lord family. The Lord family is maintained. The government, the Lord family has got money deposited with the government, and government gives the interest so that the family tradition may be maintained, the aristocratic style. Or if they spoil, they no more cares for them. Then their house will be sold and they will be street-beggar. That's all. No more Lord family.
Deposit (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Instead of making central point to any limited things, if you make the central point God and if you work on His behalf and if you think that it should be enjoyed by the Supreme Lord, then your spiritual life is fixed up. Then your spiritual life is fixed up. Because your... You are not discouraged to produce, but the production or the entire result of your work, the fruitive result, should go to somebody. And who is that somebody? If you are... If you are not going to enjoy, then who is going to enjoy? That means this should be enjoyed by everyone through the central point of God. Just like the state realizes taxes from you. That taxes is distributed. Taxes... Tax is distributed throughout the state. So as you deposit tax to the state and it is distributed throughout the whole state, similarly, if your fruitive result is offered to the Supreme Lord, then your fruitive result is distributed to everyone. The central point. That is the spiritual state.
Praṇaśyati means "It is lost." "The spiritual path is lost by the second six principles." And what are these? Now, atyāhāra. Atyāhāra means to eat more than what you need or to accumulate more than what you need. Āhāra means eating, and āhāra means accumulation. So, of course, any householder, he requires some deposit in the bank for emergency. That is, of course, allowed for householders. But just for us, we are sannyāsī; we are renounced order of... We haven't got to accumulate any money. You see? That is the system of Indian philosophy. But those who are householder, family men, they may have some deposit for emergency. Otherwise, those who are renounced order, those who are brahmacārī, for them to keep money separately for his maintenance or for accumulating bank balance is not allowed. Atyāhāra. Similarly, āhāra, eating. You have to eat only things which can maintain your body properly. Now, say, for human being. Say, human being, the eating things are grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and so many things which are given by God for human eating. So we should be satisfied with those things which are meant for humanity.
Now, the, according to law of karma, you have given one hundred dollars to a poor man to help him. This means that the poor man has to pay you four hundred dollars in your next life, with interest and compound interest. And you will have to take that four hundred dollars. And suppose you are preparing yourself to conquer over the next life, but by contributing this one hundred dollars you are now bound up to take payment of four hundred dollars; therefore you have to take your birth. These are subtle laws. If we are to believe the Vedic literature, the law of karma, these are stated there. We may take it or not take it. That is a different thing. Just like if you deposit in the bank one hundred dollars. So if you forget, twenty years after you will have to take two hundred dollars. The bank will pay you, either you like to take it or not take it. Just like we have this law in this ordinary life, similarly, anything, good action or bad action, we have to suffer or enjoy the result. That is called reaction. But sacrifice for the cause of the Supreme Lord, that has no reaction. This is also bright side. There are so many wrong side also.
So Kṛṣṇa is everything. The atheist will say, "Oh, they have installed some wooden forms and they are worshiping as gods." Atheistic. And one who knows the Kṛṣṇa science, he'll understand that "Kṛṣṇa is everything; therefore He can appear in everything." If electricity current is everywhere, so wherever you touch current you'll feel, "Here is current." Similarly, the Kṛṣṇa current in impersonal form is everywhere. It is the technician who knows how to use that current. That's all. So... Just like we get telephone connection. We simply inform the person, deposit our money. They come immediately. They find out where the connection can be done and he does his work. We do not know. He knows the technique, how to join telephone wire. Within a few seconds he joins and he, oh, "kling, kling," you are ready.
Just like a bank. A bank can accept your deposit from any branch. Immediately your account is credited. Similarly, in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is Kṛṣṇa; that is God, that he is always existing in His abode, but akhilātma-bhūtaḥ, at the same time He is existing everywhere within the creation. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Some philosophers attempt, say that "He is everywhere, but He is not in His abode." That is mistake. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāviśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). In his fullness, if He is presented everywhere, still, in his fullness He is in his abode. Just like I am not in fullness in my apartment. Maybe there is some message I can leave, but I am not in fullness. But Kṛṣṇa, God, can remain everywhere in fullness. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37).
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So we are advancing in science, but at the same time, the so-called science, at the same time we are creating many disadvantages. Many disadvantages. From practical experience I say that when I came to your country... In India it is very difficult to get a telephone. You have to wait in the waiting list at least for two years or you have to bribe the authorities, say, five thousand, two thousand, like that. So when I got this facility of telephone... Because as soon as I deposited forty dollars... Forty dollars? The next day the telephone was in my room. So I was very glad. But after getting my telephone, I was disturbed always. (laughter) Some of my students asking, phoning me, (telephone sound) cling, cling, and "Swamiji, how you are feeling?" At twelve o'clock at night. (laughter). Yes. So I asked him, it is the time to inquire? I am very sorry. Not only one, I become so much disturbed. Then I asked them, get out this telephone.
So our duty is as, I mean to say, indicated by Nārada Muni. Our only duty is how to achieve full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other things, there is no need of trying. Actually, I have seen that in India... Everywhere the same case. A person without any education, even without any, practically illiterate... I have seen so many merchants, he cannot sign even his name. In Calcutta I've seen practically a Marwari, merchant. He, he cannot... He has deposited money in the bank. Simply he can sign his own name with great difficulty. So he's canvassing, "Will you kindly write here..." That means the check to be paid to the gentleman, he cannot write. He's asking somebody's help, "You write the name of the person whom I can pay." And he'll simply sign. If he writes something wrong, he'll have to accept. If he writes his own name... (laughter) So that man is earning millions of dollars. You see? And I have seen also very educated medical man, England-returned, M.R.C.P I am speaking from my practical experience. So he goes to a hospital, big doctor, but I have seen in his house. He had not even a good utensil at home. He's so poor in spite of so much education and highly qualified, England-returned doctor.
So in those days plague in Calcutta, plague was going on. So municipal declaration was any dead mouse brought to the municipal office, he'll be paid two annas. So he took that dead body of the mouse and took to the municipal office. He was paid two annas. So he purchased some rotten betel nuts with two annas, and washed it and sold it at four annas, or five annas. In this way, again, again, again, that man became so rich man. One of their family members was our Godbrother. Nandi family. That Nandi family still, they have got four hundred, five hundred men to eat daily. A big, aristocratic family. And their family's regulation is as soon as one son or daughter is born, five thousand rupees deposited in the bank, and at the time of his marriage, that five thousand rupees with interest, he can take it. Otherwise there is no more share in the capital. And everyone who lives in the family, he gets eating and shelter. This is their... But the original, I mean to say, establisher of this family, Nandi, he started his business with a red, a dead rat, or mouse.
So in order to become nirmama... Because here, material world, we are simply fighting, "It is mine, mine." The Arabians, they are, "This oil tank, this oil deposit is mine." Or "our." The same thing, individually or collectively. You just make up a gang, and you steal something, and then you say, "It is our." Your possession is by stealing, but still, you are claiming, "It is our." So the petrol tank belongs to God, but some way or other, they are in possession. They fighting it, "It is our." So this is called mama. So one has to become nirmama. "It is not mine. It is Kṛṣṇa's." Immediately you become nirmama. Everything is bondage so long you claim, "It is mine." And as soon as you understand, "It is not mine; it is Kṛṣṇa's," then you are free. This is the difference of bondage and freedom. Actually, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Everything. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1).
So the beginning is to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Anything about Kṛṣṇa. But first thing we want to hear... If we want to know Kṛṣṇa, naturally we are inclined, "What is Kṛṣṇa? What is Kṛṣṇa?" Just like our Kṛṣṇa book is now selling. Because the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there, so people are, I mean to say, eager to know, "What this Kṛṣṇa is?" Naturally they want to purchase some Kṛṣṇa books. Actually, that is the first business. Just like we are speaking about, "In God We Trust," this slogan of the American people or American government. So naturally, people should be inquisitive to know actually what is God, scientifically. We say, "In God We Trust," but we do not know what is God. Then where is the question of trust? Suppose if you, if somebody, friends, say that "You can trust the Bank of America." But if he does not know what is Bank of America, then how he can trust? How he can deposit his money? So that is the difficulty. This is simply slogan. Otherwise, everyone should have been inquisitive, "What this government has made this slogan, 'In God We Trust'?" What is God? Nobody knows. Then where is the question of trust? Therefore it has become everything humbug.
So satyam, śaucam, kṣamā, dayā, āyuḥ, duration of life, bodily strength and memory. These eight kinds of things will reduce, reduce, reduce. When you will see these symptoms, you will find, "Now the age of Kali is making his progress very nicely." This is progress. Then another symptom is vittam eva kalau nṟṇāṁ janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ. Formerly, according to spiritual understanding, one man's position was calculated. Just like brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa was honored because he knew Brahman. He was aware of the supreme spirit. So now in Kali-yuga, actually there is no brāhmaṇa. That will be also described, how a brāhmaṇa is. So janma ācāra, birthright. Birthright was there, but according to the behavior. If a man is born in a brāhmaṇa family or kṣatriya family or vai..., he must behave like that. That was the king's duty, to see that "This man is not falsely representing himself." Just like in England there is lord family. So to maintain their aristocracy, the family had to deposit some money with the government so that they may not deteriorate in their aristocratic behavior. Still, it is going on. But now things are finished.
So kāla, to control... You cannot control time. Just like if you have got one hundred dollars, if you deposit in a bank, you will get some interest, but you cannot make without any endeavor two hundred dollars. No, that is not possible. But if you don't spend it, then the hundred dollars remains. Similarly, your duration of life is there, and it is being wasted by breathing. If you can control the breathing process, then your life can be increased. This is yogic... But after all, we are under the full control of time. Kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā. That is explained here. Kālena vā te balināṁ balīyasā. Very, very strong—there is no power. Your so-called scientific power... You cannot struggle against the influence of time. So save time. Save time.
So here Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa is present. Even a child comes and offers his respect, it is taken into account, that "Here is a devotee." He does not know anything. Simply by seeing the chanting and dancing—you'll see practically—even a small child, he dances, he claps, he enjoys. He takes part. So the temple means to give chance to everyone, even to the child, to advance one step to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One step. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Even little is accepted and is done, it becomes into account. Just like if you deposit even two annas in the bank, it is kept on your account. It will increase with interest. Similarly, devotional service even done very little, it is not lost. In the śāstra it is said that even it is lost... Not lost. Suppose some reason a man comes and joins this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and in the middle he falls down, he does not make further progress because he falls down. But whatever he has done, that is permanent credit. That will never be lost. Even he stops, then from that point, again he will begin as soon as there will be chance. But whatever he has done, that is a permanent credit. That is the instruction of śāstra.
In this age, Kali-yuga, it is very difficult to perform the yoga system. This is also yoga, bhakti-yoga. Other yoga system is very difficult to execute. It is not possible. Even if it is possible—it may be possible for one or two persons—but bhakti-yoga is so nice that even a small child can practice it. We see practically, the small children. They also taking part in it without any education, without any culture, without any knowledge, automatically chanting, dancing, taking caraṇāmṛta, offering respect to the Vaiṣṇava. Automatically it is becoming. And that makes his life successful. Bhakti-yoga is so nice. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. Even little bit practiced, it will never go in vain. It will be an asset. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11). In this way... Just like if you put a one single paisa in the bank deposit, that is your money. It will be never lost. And when it becomes a lump sum, the bank asks you to... Credit you get, one hundred rupees or similar... Similarly, bhakti-yoga is so nice that whatever you acquire, intentionally or unintentionally, even if you neglectfully chant Hare Kṛṣṇa by imitating others, by joking others, it will have effect.
Devotee (3): Prabhupāda, are all one's efforts to serve Kṛṣṇa virtually useless...?
Prabhupāda: That I have already explained, that you are coming here. Even though you are not initiated, that is also service. So if you deposit one cent daily, one day it may become a hundred dollars. So when you get the hundred dollars, you can get the business. (laughter) So you come here daily, one cent, one cent... When it will be hundred dollars, you will become a devotee.
Devotees: Jaya! Hari bol!
Prabhupāda: So this is not wasted. It is... That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11). Kṛta-puṇya. Kṛta means done. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing when Kṛṣṇa was playing with His cowherd boys friends, so he was describing that "These cowherd boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they have not come to this position in one day." Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. "After life after life, having performed pious activities, now they have come to this position that they are allowed to play with the Supreme." So kṛta-puṇyaḥ-puñjāḥ. Any pious activities done for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, that is your permanent asset. It will never be lost. So go on increasing the asset. One day it will so help you that you will be able to play with Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Just imagine what is his position. And His name is Bhakta-vatsala. Kṛṣṇa's name is "very much affectionate to the devotee." So you have taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Take it seriously. Follow the rules and regulations. Then Kṛṣṇa will give you all protection. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ pranaśyati (BG 9.31). If you are sincere devotee... It is very easy thing to become devotee. Simply four things: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Four... A child can, they are learning. They're also offering a flower, mad-yājī. This is worship. If a child can do it, you cannot do it? What is the difficulty? If you offer a flower to the Deity, if you offer your obeisances... The child, it's learning. Don't think it is knowing for nothing. Everything is calculated, "Ah, here is this child. He is offering obeisances." Credit. "He's offering flower." Credit. (laughter) Yes. From his childhood, if one becomes, simply deposits credit, then someday it will be a big balance, a good bank balance. So therefore this institution means to give everyone the chance to do these four things: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). And Kṛṣṇa says maṁ evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ: (BG 18.65) "Without any doubt, simply by doing these four things, you'll come back to Me." So what is the difficulty? Live properly and be happy.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa as cowherd boys, they are not ordinary boys. Śukadeva Gosvāmī says. They are kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. For many, many lives, they accumulated their pious activities and thus now they have got the association of Kṛṣṇa to play with Him. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. Similarly, these ajñāta-sukṛti, when they are accumulated... Just like you deposit in the bank, four annas, two annas. In this way, one day it becomes one hundred rupees. Similarly, these ajñāta-sukṛti, when they're accumulated, that makes the fortune of a person to associate with guru and Kṛṣṇa.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So how He becomes parama, the Supreme? Because He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). His body is spiritual, full of bliss and eternal. Therefore He is Supreme Lord. Anādi. So we have got experience that everything has got its cause. Suppose I am lord. But I have got some cause to become lord. Either my father was lord or I have accumulated some wealth, the government has recognized me as lord... Under certain condition, I have become lord. But He is ādi. Ādi means He is the origin. There is nothing beyond Him; therefore ādi. Ādi, anādi. Anādir ādiḥ. Everything has got a cause, but He has no cause. He is Lord, but there is no cause how He has become Lord. When I am lord, there is cause. I cannot become... Perhaps you know that in England, if somebody becomes very rich, he has to deposit some amount of money to the government, then government will award him the title "lord." And with that huge amount of money his family will be maintained, and the first son of the lord family, he will be declared as lord. In this way. So far I have heard. I do not know exactly. But this lord is made, recognized, by the government on deposition of some certain amount of money. The government recognizes, "Yes, this family may be recognized as lord family." They create. In England they create aristocracy. Similarly, when they were in India, they also created many aristocracies. So Kṛṣṇa is not a created, aristocratic lord. That we should know.
General Lectures
Just like this verse says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). If one is intelligent to understand this verse, that only a wise man, only one who has become very wise after many, many births; cultivation of spiritual knowledge, he surrenders to Vāsudeva or Kṛṣṇa... So I do not know whether I cultivated knowledge in my past life, but if it is a fact that this is the result of many, many births' cultivation of knowledge, why not surrender immediately and become the most learned wise man? Take the opportunity. One has to become very intelligent. Just like if one man is earning, say, ten hundred millions of dollars by depositing little, little, in the bank, so if somebody offers, "All right, you take immediately ten hundred thousands of dollars immediately," so who will refuse it? So if it is a fact that one comes to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness after many, many births... So, little intelligence required, that "Why not take it immediately? Even I did not cultivate knowledge in my past life, let me take immediately." So this opportunity is offered. Take Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no tax. There is no loss. But everything is gained. Try it.
Strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir vipratve sūtram eva hi. So man and woman should be united in marriage relationship simply on sex urge, not on the religious principle. That we have seen. And sūtram, vipratve sūtram eva hi. And if anyone, somehow or other, gathers a sacred thread—not sacred, even not sacred; thread—he becomes a vipra. Liṅgam eva āśrama-khyātāv anyonya āpatti-kāraṇam, avṛttyā nyāya-daurbhalyam. If you go to the court, court of justice, if you have no money, then you cannot get. Suppose you have to claim from somebody, say, some few thousands of rupees, first of all you have to deposit the stamp fee, five percent, and the pleader's fee. So you have to push good money after bad money. So these are the symptoms. There are many symptoms. In this way, the conclusion is... This is the description given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. There are many other symptoms. Our time is short. The king, the government, that is also stated. Government will be simply taxing. And people, being harassed in famine and taxation, they'll give up their hearth and home, will go to the forest and hills. And gradually, time will come when the ages will be reduced so much that a person twenty to thirty years old will be considered as great, grand old man. These are the symptoms of Kali-yuga.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Why he is trying to find out men's bones there? What is the...
Śyāmasundara: I'm just saying that it appears, because layer after layer is deposited in the earth's crust, that the animal forms are evolving toward more complex forms, from simple animals to bigger animals, and then more complex, then to the man, civilized man.
Prabhupāda: From where it began?
Śyāmasundara: It began with the simplest forms.
Prabhupāda: What is that simplest form?
Śyāmasundara: Small one-celled animals, then bivalves, then mollusks, then simple forms of aquatics.
Karandhara: So the one-celled animals must be God.
Śyāmasundara: That isn't what I'm talking about; I'm just saying that this evolution appears to exist, evolution of species, from simplest forms to more complex forms. That's Darwin's idea.
Prabhupāda: But the simplest form is still existing and the complex form is also existing at the present moment. Not that from the simplest form developed, developed, developed. Just like development means, just like I have developed my childhood body. The childhood body is no more there. But it is a fact I have developed from childhood body to this body. There are so many. So similarly, all the species are existing simultaneously, still.
Prabhupāda: That is not perfect knowledge.
Śyāmasundara: You must admit, though, being a scientist, that supposing you go down to the bottom of the Grand Canyon, you see so many layers of earth going up thousands of feet, that the layers at the bottom are very, very old. You must admit, because the earth takes so many years to deposit soil. Even if it's only one million years, it's still very old. And in that lowest layer we find only evidences of simple...
Prabhupāda: So where is the lowest layer, he has gone? Where is it? Wherefrom it begins?
Śyāmasundara: The Grand Canyon is an example. That's a very deep canyon in the ground in Arizona.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: What happens if there was no human beings in that area so that they don't find any...?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
| Page Title: | Deposit (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 15 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=24, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 24 |