That these forgetful living entities, conditioned souls, they have forgotten the relationship with the Supreme Lord, and they are engrossed in thinking of the material activities. And just to transfer their thinking power to the spiritual capacity, the Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa, he has made so many Vedic literatures. Vedic literatures means first he divided the Vedas into four. Then he explained them by the Purāṇas. Then for the incapable persons, just like strī, śūdra, vaiśya, he made the Mahābhārata. And in the Mahābhārata he introduced this Bhagavad-gītā. Then again he summarized the whole Vedic literature in the Vedānta-sūtra. And the Vedānta-sūtra for future guidance, he made a natural commentation by himself which is called Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is called bhāṣyo 'yaṁ brahma-sūtrāṇām. It is the natural commentation of Vedānta-sūtra. So all these literatures, if we transfer our thought, tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ, sadā. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6).
Divide (Lectures, BG)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
He advises Arjuna that mām anusmara yudhya ca. He does not say that "You simply go on remembering Me and give up your present occupational duty." No. That is not suggested. The Lord never suggests something impractical. This material world, to maintain this body, one has to work. The work is divided into four divisions of social order: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. The intelligent class of the society, they are working in a different way, and the administrator class of society, they are also working in a different way. The mercantile society, the productive society, they are also working in a different way, and the laborer class, they are also working in different way. In the human society, either as laborer or as mercantile men, or as politicians, administrators, or as the highest class of intelligent class of men in literary career, scientific researches, everybody is engaged in some work, and one has to work, struggle for existence.
He was Indian. But the defect was that He did not acknowledge the authority of the Vedas. Therefore His philosophy was considered atheism. And this Śaṅkarācārya drove away all the Buddhists from the land of India. Therefore they took shelter in China, Japan, Burma. Outside India. So anyway, strict religionists they are followers of Vedas, and they are divided into two groups: one group led by Śaṅkarācārya and the other group is led by the Vaiṣṇavas, or generally Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya or Lord Caitanya. They are all the same, Vaiṣṇava. Now all these two groups, following the Vedic principles, they accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So far India's authoritative persons are concerned, there is no two opinions, that Kṛṣṇa is not God. Both of them accept Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality. So far we are concerned, Vaiṣṇavas, we accept. There is no doubt about it. There are four different parties of Vaiṣṇavas. All of them accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
"Arjuna, I am getting money from Duryodhana. So in this point of danger, if I do not join him, it does not look well. I am getting financial maintenance."
Of course, Arjuna did not ask him. Arjuna was satisfied with Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Kṛṣṇa also divided Himself. Because it is family quarrel. So He said, "I cannot take part with anyone and even if I take part, side, of any of you, I shall not fight. Directly I shall not fight. I may be on your side or that side, but I'll not fight." Still, Arjuna was satisfied. So Kṛṣṇa, in order to satisfy Arjuna, that "I shall not fight, but I shall become your charioteer. I shall drive your chariot." So in this way the battle was arranged, and when Dhṛtarāṣṭra inquired, kim akurvata sañjaya (BG 1.1), "What did they do?" He said, "Sir, don't be disappointed. There was no compromise. Immediately your son, after seeing the military arrangement of the Pāṇḍavas, he was surprised, and immediately he went to Dronācārya."
Go-rakṣya, cow protection, is one of the items of state affairs. And now there is no cow protection. Poor cows, they deliver milk, and later on they become slaughtered. How much sinful the modern society is, and they still want peace and prosperity. That is not possible. The society must be divided—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—and they must execute their proper duty. And the vaiśyas, they should give protection to the cows. And the śūdras, they should work under the direction of the higher three divisions. In this way there will be nice management.
Then, as it is stated during the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Then nature also will help. If you keep things all right, according to the direction, then nature also will help you. Nature will give you sufficient foodstuff. Vavarṣa parjanyaḥ, kāmam. Whatever the necessities of life, it will be supplied by nature simply by proper pouring of water, vṛṣṭi.
There is no happiness actually, expanding selfishness. Just like a national leader like Mahatma Gandhi in our country. He planned that "Let the Britishers go away. My countrymen will be happy. My countrymen will be happy." But when the Britishers went away, giving the responsibility of Indian empire to the Indian people, Gandhi was thinking in the morning, "Oh, I am so unhappy. Now only death will please me." And the next, the same evening, he was killed. He was so unhappy. Because everything was topsy-turvied. He wanted Hindu-Muslim unity. Now the country was divided. The Muslims became separated. The whole program was changed. There were so many things. He wanted that the government should be very simplified. But he saw that his disciples, his followers, were after office, simply for office. So nimittāni. He saw that "I shall be happy, my countrymen will be happy," but at the end he saw viparītāni, all opposite. Everyone will experience that. So long he will be materially attached, he will find viparītāni.
If you live like cats... (break) ...there is no question of family tradition. But if you live, want to live like human being, manuṣyāṇāṁ, then this system must be... (break) ...puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān (CC Madhya 8.58). Catur-vārṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Then society must be divided into four classes... As we have got four divisions in (break) ...brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra must be there. (break) And each one should serve according to his guṇa-karma, quality and capacity to work. Then the whole society is organized... (break) ...will be perfect, there will be peace... (break) ...no war, nothing of the sort, and gradually making progress back to home, back to Godhead. Otherwise it will be chaos... (break) ...become at the present moment.
So... (break) ...utsanna kula-dharmānāṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ. Manuṣya, janārdana. Jana means general public, and "one who controls." Kṛṣṇa controls every... (break) ...Janāradana.
One who is advanced in knowledge, in civilization, they are called ārya, Aryan civilization. So in the Aryan civilization there are four divisions to maintain the society in the correct balance. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society must be divided into four classes of men. The first-class means most intelligent class of men. They should be trained up as brāhmaṇa. Śamo damaḥ satyaṁ śaucaṁ titikṣā ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So this is the beginning of civilization, not that all śūdras as it is now in this age. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. Kali-yuga, there is no training how to qualify a section of person to become first-class brāhmaṇa. That training is not there, neither kṣatriya, neither pure vaiśya class. We are proud of our business, vaiśya, but vaiśya means kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Vaiśya means they should take care of the cows, cow protection, go-rakṣya. Why go-rakṣya?
Otherwise, it is not possible. Bhaktyā māṁ abhijānāti yāvan yas cāsmi tattvataḥ. Reality, in reality, if you want to understand what is God, then you have to adopt this bhakti process, devotional service. Then you transcend. Therefore, in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, Nārada says that: tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer (SB 1.5.17). If anyone, even by sentiment, gives such, gives up his occupational duty according to guṇa... That is called svadharma... Svadharma means one's duty according to the quality he has acquired. That is called svadharma. The brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, they are divided guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), by guṇa and karma.
So here Arjuna says that kārpaṇya-doṣopahataḥ-svabhāvaḥ (BG 2.7). "I am kṣatriya." He understands that: "I am doing wrong. I am refusing to fight. Therefore, it is kārpaṇya-doṣa, miserly." Miserly means I have got some means to spend, but if I don't spend this is called miser. Kṛpaṇatā. So kṛpaṇatā.
Without becoming a brāhmaṇa, nobody can understand a Veda, what is Veda. Therefore, it is restricted. Without becoming brāhmaṇa, nobody is allowed to study Vedas. It's all nonsense. What you'll understand about the Vedas? Therefore Vyāsadeva, after compiling the four Vedas, dividing the four Vedas, he made Mahābhārata. Because the Vedas, subject matter of Vedas is so difficult. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarāḥ (SB 1.4.25). For women, for śūdras, and for the dvija bandhu. They cannot understand what is Vedas. So all these rascal dvija-bandhus and śūdras, they want to study Vedas. No, that is not possible. One has to become first of all situated in the brahminical qualification, satyaṁ śamo damas titiksva ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma karma sva-bhāva... (BG 18.42). Then touch Veda. Otherwise, what you'll understand Vedas? Nonsense. Therefore, Vedas says: tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum (MU 1.2.12). You must approach a guru to understand Veda. And what is that Veda?
"You are a kṣatriya. It is your duty to fight. Why you are deviating from your duty?"
According to Vedic system, there are four classes of men in the society. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Human society must be divided into four classes of men. Just like in our body, there are four different departments: the brain department, the hand department, the belly department, and the leg department. You require all these. If the body is to be maintained, then you must maintain properly your head, your arms, your belly, and leg. The cooperation. You have heard many times the caste system of India: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. This is not artificial. It is natural. In any society you go, not only in India, in any other country, these four classes of men are there. Intelligent class of men, administrator class of men, productive class of men, and laborer class of men. You call it by different names, but there must be such division.
It is very, very small. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). The formation of the soul, measurement of the soul, is very, very... It is smaller than the atom. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya (CC Madhya 19.140). The tip of the hair you divide into hundred part, and take one part. Again divide it into hundred parts. That one part is the measurement of the soul. That means one ten thousandth part of the top of the hair. So how you can see? But that small particle is giving you living force. This knowledge we get from Bhagavad-gītā, and that is the fact. You cannot get life by analyzing this material body. That is not possible. You have to find out what is that small particle. You have to hear. Therefore you cannot get knowledge by your material activities. You have to hear it from the authorities; otherwise there is no possibility. Just like you cannot understand who is your father. You have to take the knowledge from your mother. If mother certifies, "This gentleman is your father," that is correct. But if you go on researching who is your father you will never be able to know who is your father. Similarly, what is life, what is soul, what is our, this body, what is the ultimate goal of life, why you are suffering—all this knowledge you have to take from the higher authorities. That is called Vedic process, not to endeavor by research. What you can research?
So here is an authority, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Authority. His authority, authorityship, is accepted by all over the world. In, in our India there are five different disciplic succession of authorities, just like the Śaṅkarites, followers of Śaṅkarācārya, and Vaiṣṇavites. Generally, they are two: Māyāvādī, impersonalists; and personalists. The personalist school, philosophers, they are divided into four: Rāmānuja-sampradāya—that means followers of Ācārya Rāmānuja; Madhvācārya-sampradāya, or the followers of Madhvācārya; Nimbārka-sampradāya, followers of Nimbārka Ācārya; and Viṣṇu Svāmī-sampradāya. They, their conclusion is the same. Although they are four in number, their conclusion is the same. And another sect is Śaṅkarite sampradāya. So all these four, I mean, five different section of the Hindus, they accept Śrī Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All of them. There is no denial.
Anyway, that's an abnormal condition. In abnormal condition sometimes we can see one thing into two, divided into two. So now that ignorance, you cannot apply to Kṛṣṇa because He's all-perfect. And if He is not all-perfect, then there is no value of His instruction. A man with defect in knowledge cannot impart instructions. His instructions... Therefore the whole Vedic process is paramparā system. Paramparā system means that I cannot deviate. I cannot make any interpretation. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). You'll find in the Fourth Chapter. Now we are reading Second Chapter. You'll find, as we have explained in the introduction of Bhagavad-gītā, that because... Just like I am speaking to you. I am an imperfect person. I cannot give you any knowledge. I cannot manufacture any knowledge. If I do that, then I shall deceive you. I can simply present before you the original knowledge. I can explain it in an understandable way but not deviating from the original text. Now, here it is clearly stated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead that na tu eva ahaṁ jātu (BG 2.12).
He. That means this aham, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. And na tvam: "And you." That means Arjuna. And na ime janādhipāḥ: "Neither all these kings." He's dividing the whole audience into three: "Myself, yourself and they." And again He confirms it, sarve: "all." He never identifies into one. So this is the version of Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Now, if I say that our interpretation of aham, I, myself, yourself, and he, or she, different vision, this is due to our ignorance. You can say. Because I am ignorant, it may be my mistake, that I see differently from you. But Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, cannot see like that. He is above all this ignorance because He's all-perfect. And we have already defined that the Supreme Lord is full of knowledge. So... He's full of knowledge, supreme knowledge. Now, if the Supreme Personality, with full knowledge... He cannot commit any mistake.
He was convinced that "I am not this body." So he was offered poison. He gladly took it, that "What is that? I shall take it!" Because he was mukta-puruṣa. It is... He is liberated soul. "Never mind. You want to kill me. Kill me. I don't mind. All right." So this liberation. This is liberation.
Now, this liberation is divided into five. There are five kinds of liberation. One of the liberation is to merge into the existence. We, we, we... Our birth was from the Supreme Absolute. Now, after liberation, we merge into the existence of the Supreme. That is called sāyujya-mukti. Now, besides this sāyujya-mukti, there are other five muktis which, we, the Vaiṣṇava sampradāya, or the devotees, the Lord's devotees, they accept. They, they, practically, those who are pure devotees, they do not want any kind of mukti. They do not, even they are offered. They are simply after the service of the Lord. They are prepared to suffer any kind of suffering. They are not affected by all those sufferings. What they want? Pure devotees?
That Kṛṣṇa, singular number, nityo nityānām...nityānām, this is plural number. Cetanaś cetanānām. Cetanānām, this is plural number. So there is one person, singular number. Others, they are plural number, we jīvas. Anantyāya kalpate. Jīvas, that is described, the dimension of the jīva. I have several times explained, keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). First of all, divide the tip of the hair into hundred parts. Then take one of the parts, one hundredth part, again divide into hundred parts. That small, less than atom, that is the magnitude of the jīva. And they are anantyāya kalpate. There is no limit. There is no limit how many living entities are there. If you search out, after passing stool, if you search out stool, you'll find millions of living entities, germs. Even from the hole of your room, there is small hole, and there are ants, hundreds and thousands will come out. So similarly, within the hole, within the earth, within the air, within the fire even, there are germs, worms in the fire. These rascals, they do not know.
That magnitude is stated in the Purāṇas that keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra, your hair. I have no long hair. You have got. Now, you can see the point of the hair, keśa-agra. Agra means the point of the hair. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya. Now, the point of the hair, you divide into hundred. That is imaginable. That is not imaginable by you, how the point of the hair can be divided into hundred. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya. Now, you take one part of that division and again divide into hundred. This is beyond your experience, beyond your power. The, by arithmetic calculation the mathematicians say that "The point has no length and breadth." Oh, this is, this is, this is a disappointment. Because he cannot measure the length and breadth of the point, therefore he says like that. But point has length and breadth. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. Therefore a certain class of philosophers, they are astonished simply by seeing the great magnitude of the Lord, but there is smaller, smallest, aṇor aṇīyān. These are much smaller than the atom, but that is beyond our experience. Therefore we say, nirākāra. Nirākāra means we cannot calculate the ākāra, the actual form. Nirākāra does not mean that it has no form.
What is that? Mind, intelligence, and ego. So you cannot see mind, you cannot see intelligence, neither you can see ego, and what to speak about the soul? The soul is still finer. The dimension of the soul is mentioned in the Vedas: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Just the tip of your hair you divide into one hundred parts, and again take that one-hundredth part and divide again into another hundred parts, that means one ten-thousandth part of the tip of hair is the length and breadth of the soul. So how you can see? You can simply perceive that there is soul, and it is confirmed by the authority of Vedas. And how the soul passing from one body to another, that also you can hear how it is passing. The example is given, just like this some good smell, flavor, is passing by the air and you smell, you feel, "Oh, very nice smell." But you cannot see the smell, neither the carrier of the smell. The carrier of the smell is the air, and the smell, it is still finer.
Not only material energy, spiritual energy, all energies. Everything that we see, everything manifested, whatever we see, that is Kṛṣṇa's energy.
Just like heat and light is the energy of the sun, similarly, Kṛṣṇa's energies... There are many energies, but they have been divided principally into three: external energy, internal energy and marginal energy. So we are living entities. We are marginal energy. Marginal means we may remain under the external energy, or we may remain under the spiritual energy, as we like. The independence is there. Yathecchasi tathā kuru: (BG 18.63) "Whatever you like, you can do." Kṛṣṇa gives this independence to Arjuna. After describing Bhagavad-gītā, He said, yathecchasi tathā kuru. He does not force. That is not good. Forceful thing will not stand. Just like we advise, "Rise early in the morning." This is advised. Not that I have to force everyone. That will... Force, I may force one day, two days, but if one does not practice it, then simply force is useless. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa does not force anyone to leave this material world. We all conditioned souls, material world, we are under the influence of the material energy.
Yes, by your present position. You can simply take the information that the dimension of the spirit soul is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of your hair. Very small particle, that is spirit soul. The dimension is given. You have got your hair. You can just imagine only; you cannot measure. And you divide the top of your hair into ten thousand parts, and that one part is the measurement of the spirit soul. That small particle is so powerful. Just imagine what is spiritual power. It is less than the atom. Therefore it is described in the Vedic lit..., aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān: "The spirit is greater than the greatest, and the smaller than the smallest."
Bālāgra means the tip of your hair. Divide into ten thousand parts. That one part is the dimension of the soul. That is there within the body. So material science has no such instrument or perfection of study that they can see such a small particle. Therefore these foolish people say there is no soul, but the practical application—the soul is there; therefore the consciousness is there; therefore the body is working in order. The soul is minus, the consciousness is minus—this body is a lump of matter.
So we have to study this very intelligently. Then we'll understand that what is soul, what is the business of the soul, why the soul is entrapped in this bodily, material body, why there are so many varieties, body. This is a great science, and that science is explained in this Bhagavad-gītā. Actually, at the present moment there is no education, because education means to understand my identity. The so-called education which is going on, that is called art.
Aprameya. Similarly, there is length and breadth of the soul also. That is also mentioned in the Vedic literature. (aside:) Go little back side. It is said in the Purāṇas: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca, jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa anantyāya kalpate (CC Madhya 19.140). The spirit soul is measured, first of all, divide the tip of your hair into one hundred parts, and then take one part again, and again divide it into one hundred parts. That portion is the measurement of the soul. Or, in other words, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of your hair. Now, we have no measuring instrument. Therefore, because we have no measuring instrument, although the soul is there, within this body, we cannot find it out. Although the soul and the Supersoul both are situated within the heart, and the heart is the center of all vitality, energy of this body... That is accepted. But we have no eyes to see the soul or the Supersoul because these material eyes are blunt, imperfect. You cannot see so many things. I cannot see even my eyelids, the nearest, and I cannot see which is far, far away, distant place.
This is their philosophy. And when the container is broken, then the whole water becomes one. This is their philosophy. Now this nonsense philosophy is refuted in this verse. How? Now because spirit, either you take whole spirit or part spirit, nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi. You cannot divide it by cutting into pieces. That is not possible. So their philosophy is that the water has been put into different pots, therefore we see this small water, this smaller or bigger, this division. But they are all individual always. It is not that it has been divided. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). Sanātana. Sanātana means eternally they are divided. It is not that it has been divided by some means. Just like we keep water in big pot or small pot. That is not possible. They are big or small eternally. Viṣṇu-tattva, jīva-tattva. The jīva-tattva, they are small fragments. They are eternal. Viṣṇu-tattva. Viṣṇu-tattva means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Viṣṇu-tattva is unlimitedly great eternally, sanātana. And the jīva-tattva, they are infinitesimally smaller eternally. Not that it has been cut into small and big. No.
So this Māyāvādī theory cannot stand here if we accept the Bhagavad-gītā's statement. Nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi. It is not divided by some means. No. It is already divided. It is already divided. Neither the small piece of soul or the big piece of soul you can divide.
- nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi
- nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
- na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo
- na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
Air... There are earth, water, fire, air. So none of these material things can act on the soul. It is not that because air dries up everything, anything... Big, big ocean is dried up by evaporation. Big, big river, big, big lakes are evaporated, but soul cannot be evaporated. Nainaṁ śoṣayati mārutaḥ. This is the distinction. The air can evaporate a big ocean. Gradually, it is being done. As the days will go on, the sea water will be evaporated, and at the end there will be no water. These are the statements. Towards destruction, there will be no water. Just like now it is already begun. There is scarcity of water, no rainfall. So we see that the lakes and rivers and other water reservoirs, they are becoming dried up. Śyāmasundara, you were telling that river? What is that lake?
So the karma-vāda, that you follow morality you'll get good results... But where is your morality? Because you are disobedient to God. In the beginning of your life, you are immoral. You are disobeying the greatest authority. There is another example, a story, that a gang of thieves, they stolen some property from different houses, then out of the village they are dividing amongst themselves the booties. So one thief is saying, "Please divide it morally so that one may not be cheated." Now just imagine, the property is stolen. Where is the morality there? But when dividing, they are thinking of morality. The basic principle is immoral. Where you can have morality? Similarly, according to Vedic injunction, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is His property. So the whole planet is God's property, whole universe is God's property. But when we are claiming that this is my property, then where is morality?
And within the universe there are so many material, I mean to say, identities, entities. Even this atom. The śāstra says even within the atom, He, as Paramātmā, He is within the body of everyone. Not only within the body of living entities, but He is within the paramāṇu, the atom. They are studying now atomic energy. Still they are finding difficulty. Dividing, dividing, dividing. Because they cannot find out that there is God, there is Kṛṣṇa.
So without Kṛṣṇa's, I mean to say, presence, nothing can exist. Therefore, one who is advanced Kṛṣṇa conscious, he sees only Kṛṣṇa. Not the outward covering. Because without Kṛṣṇa nothing can exist. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is said: sthāvara-jaṅgama. There are two kinds of entities: moving and not moving. Moving means sthāvara and... Moving means jaṅgama. Sthāvara-jaṅgama. And sthāvara means not moving. So there are two kinds of entities. So you can see these two kinds of entities, some of them are moving, some of them are not moving.
About 200, 300 items, government is ready to help a small industry. But the government does not know or the leaders do not know that to engage people in such industrial affair means to bring them to the śūdra platform. Śūdra platform. Every government is encouraging people how to become śūdra. But actually, the human society must be divided into four parts. Four divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. Just like in our body there is division. The head department, the arms department, the belly department and the leg department. You cannot say, "Let there be only leg department. There is no use of head and arms and belly." Will that go on nicely? If your body, you cut off all other parts and simply keep the legs, will that be very nice proposal? Leg is required. But if you keep the body only by the legs, then this kind of body is dead body. Any part of the body. Especially the head. If you cut off the head then the body is altogether dead. You can cut off the arms, you can cut off the legs, but it is very difficult to cut off the belly also. Then it will be dead.
Because everyone is trying to be happy. That is the struggle for existence. Why this struggle? To become happy. So sometimes they are karmīs, sometimes they are jñānīs, sometimes they are yogis, sometimes... As soon as they become bhakta, that is success. But so long he is not bhakta but otherwise, karmīs, jñānīs... Generally they are divided: karmīs, jñānīs, yogis... Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī has said,
- bhukti-mukti-spṛhā yāvat
- piśācī hṛdi vartate
- tāvad bhakti-sukhasyātra
- katham abhyudayo bhavet
"So long in one's heart there is a piśācī..." Piśācī means, what is called, a witch. Yes. The witch is there, piśācī. What is that piśācī? Bhukti-mukti-siddhi. Bhukti means karmī, to, one who wants to enjoy this material world by working. That is called bhukti. Bhoktā. "I want to enjoy." Everyone is trying that. Struggle for existence. Everyone is trying to... "I want to enjoy this material world to the fullest extent."
There must be intelligent class of men, there must be martial spirit, administrative class of men, there must be business minded men. There must be śūdras, they do not know anything, they want to serve only, master. So therefore, scientifically it is divided. Mukha bahu rupadebhyo(?). Just like in your body you find scientifically it is designed by God or Lord Brahmā: "This is brain department, this is arms department, this is belly department, this is leg department." All of them required. You cannot avoid any one of them. This is called sva-dharma. One must be fixed up to his own position. That is the real perfect social system.
Now here it is said, tyaktvā sva-dharmam. This is material division. The spiritual is different. So far... I am combination of matter and spirit; so far my body is concerned, there is division. But when I come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not like that. That is simply for everyone. Either he's externally a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, American, Indian, black, white, it doesn't matter. That is bodily. When you come to the spiritual platform, that is one. Because spirit is one.
Let them come. Yes. There is a verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in connection with instruction of Nārada Muni to Vyāsadeva. And Vyāsadeva was disciple of Nārada Muni, and Vyāsadeva compiled so many Vedic literatures, Mahābhārata, Purāṇas, Vedānta-sūtra, Upaniṣads, various types of... Not types. Practically the same Vedas, divided into departmental knowledge for understanding of the common people. Just like Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata is the history of India. Mahā means great, and bhārata means India. And you see, Mahābhārata is the history of two royal families fighting in the Battle of Kurukṣetra and politics and diplomacy. This is the subject matter of Mahābhārata. Of course, there are many nice instructions. So this Mahābhārata was especially made for the less intelligent class of men. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayi na śruti-gocara (SB 1.4.25). Strī means woman, and śūdra means ordinary, labor class of men. Strī, śūdra, and dvija-bandhu.
Now, we have to understand this very cautiously. The first thing is that, He says, karmaṇy evādhikāras te. Everybody has got his particular position, and according to his position, there is particular work also. That is the system all over the world. Now, according Bhagavad-gītā, the, by the division... Not according to Bhagavad-gītā, according to Vedic conception of life, the human society is divided into four divisions according to the quality of work. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, we find the cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The caste system, cātur-varṇyam... Perhaps you have heard about Indian caste system. That caste system is natural. Of course, in India it has become a hereditary thing, but this caste system is all over the universe, even amongst the animal society. That division of caste is made according to quality and work. Quality and work. Now that caste system, that quality and work, is divided according to the... Quality means quality of the material modes of nature. There are three qualities by which the material world is moving: the quality of goodness, the quality of passion and the quality of ignorance. Those who are situated on the quality of goodness, they are called brāhmaṇas. And their symptoms are also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā. I shall give you a statement of those systems. Now, those who are situated on the quality of goodness, they are called brāhmaṇas. That quality of goodness is current all over the universe. So anyone situated in that quality, he is brāhmaṇa.
Why? Because they have lost that old culture, God consciousness. You see? And at least my calculation is that, that a state, a secular state... Secular state means he has no... Here in America you have got state religion. You have got state religion. But in India there is no state religion. Every country has state religion. Even Pakistan, it has divided. It is now a part of India. But they have also their state religion. But unfortunately India has no state religion. That means deliberately they are trying to disconnect with God relation, godly relation. But in the same India... You just read the history, five thousand years before, how much profusely the nature was supplying. In the morning we are studying that portion. Mr. Paul was reading that portion, that how much nature was giving. So nature can give you anything. After all, it is the nature that supplies your necessities, not the industry. Industry simply transformed in a different way, and a certain class make profit out of it. Industry does not mean really economic improvement.
Why? Because that killing and this killing is not the same thing. So one who cannot engage himself cent percent in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, let him remain in his own position and try to sacrifice for Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa as far as possible.
The prescription is for the gṛhasthas, for the householder, as exemplified by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī that his income was divided into four parts. Fifty percent for Kṛṣṇa, twenty-five percent for the family and twenty-five percent for his personal reserve fund. That he showed us example how a gṛhastha should live. Not that out of hundred dollars, ninety-nine percent for my wife, and one percent for Kṛṣṇa. No. Not like that. One should sacrifice at least fifty percent. If he cannot sacrifice this... Brahmacārīs, sannyāsīs, they have sacrificed their everything, cent percent. The gṛhastha, they cannot do that. Because they have got wife, children. Therefore fifty percent.
Actual value gold coins were in... Now, that gold coins was about two and a half ounce weight. Just like imagine what is the value now, whatever it may be. That means the estimation is some millions of rupees they brought home after their retirement. And they divided the money in this way: 50% for God... Whatever they accumulated, they set aside 50% for God or God's service. God means God's service. God is not want of your money. (chuckles) He is quite competent to earn money. He doesn't require anything. But if we give, it is our interest. It is our interest. So he set aside 50% of his accumulated money for God, 25% for the relatives, family members, and 25% he kept in some village banker or the original bankers, for emergency.
So that was the system. We can see from great sages and ācāryas that whatever we earn... According to Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra. Whatever you earn, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi. The result of your work should be offered to the Supreme. Now, if it is not possible to offer the whole thing to the Supreme, so at least one should offer 50% of his income for God's purpose. That is the example we get from these ācāryas. So 50% for God, 25%... Of course, the relatives, they expect something from the father or the chief of the family, some, I mean to say, gift.
And originally the Veda is one, Yajur Veda. And because it was very difficult to understand... Veda was spoken by Lord Himself to Brahmā. So seeing, foreseeing the condition of the present age, Vyāsadeva divided four Vedas, one Veda into four. The original Veda is Yajur Veda. Then he divided into Sāma, Yajur, Ṛk, Atharva. Then again the Vedic literatures were explained in Purāṇas, eighteen Purāṇas. Then Mahābhārata. Then again he summarized all the Vedic knowledge into Vedānta-sūtra, Vedānta-sūtra, summarized. Then again the Vedānta-sūtra is explained by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. These are the all Vedic literature. When you read this book, in the preliminary, those who have got books, you will find all this description.
The British government fabricated the Hindu-Muslim riots, and lastly, at last also, their purpose was fulfilled by partition of India, Pakistan and India. Now, Mahatma Gandhi worked throughout his whole life just to make a unification of the Hindus and Muslims. Unfortunately, at last, he had to see that the Hindus and Muslims of India were divided into Pakistan and India. And his nonviolence also failed.
So, because if we do not follow the right person, mahājana—mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186)—then however I may be great in the estimation of the innocent public, that is wrong path. That is wrong path. Therefore the right thing is to follow the succession. Now, we have to follow the principle which Kṛṣṇa sets. Kṛṣṇa is not advocating, I mean to say, nonviolence. You cannot eradicate violence from this world. That is not possible because Kṛṣṇa Himself is on the battlefield and He is trying to induce Arjuna. Arjuna is declining and He is inducing, "No, you must fight." Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ (BG 3.21). So we have to follow the footprints of great personalities. Dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyām. Mahājana. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will find that it has been advised that religious principles should be followed by taking the life examples of great personalities. Religious principles...
We can get from Mahābhārata history that five thousand years before there was only one king of this planet, one flag, and one regiment. We get this information from Mahābhārata. Gradually, the world has divided into many states, and we can see hundreds of flags in the United States, er, Nations. But similarly, the example is that similarly, that in the sun planet there is a chief person who is called Vivasvān, who is called Vivasvān.
So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that "This science of karma-yoga, what I am just trying to explain to you, it is not a new thing, but first I spoke this karma-yoga to Vivasvān." Vivasvān means the sun-god. And then He says that vivasvān manave prāha: "Vivasvān"—means the sun-god—"again repeated the same thing to his son, who is called Manu."
Therefore from the very beginning it is to be understood one who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he cannot understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. Those who are not devotees... There are different classes of men. Some of them are karmīs, some of them are jñānīs, some of them are yogis, and some of them are bhaktas. The enlightened, cultivated persons, they can be divided into four groups. Those who are ordinary men, they do not know anything except to keep this body comfortably. They're materialistic more or less. In this life or next life they simply want material comforts. They are called karmīs. And jñānīs... Jñānīs means they are disgusted with this karma. Because there is a time, a point, when they become disgusted. Just like the American young men, they are now disgusted with this material civilization. So they are searching after knowledge. But unfortunately, the state is also not very enthusiastic, and there are many who are exploiting. But here is the knowledge. And that point comes, when the karmīs become disgusted, confused. Because the spirit soul, he wants spiritual life. He cannot be happy with any amount of materialistic life. In our childhood we read one poetry that a boy has brought one bird, and the bird is talking with the boy. "My dear bird, you live with me. I shall give you very nice fruits. I shall talk with you," and so many things.
Everything is spoiled. So at the present moment there is no brain, there is no brāhmaṇa, neither there is kṣatriya, simply śūdras and vaiśyas, mostly śūdras. So, as in your body there are divisions, the brain division, the arm division, the belly division, and the leg division, similarly the human society must be divided like the scientific divisions. A section of people must be very intelligent class of men, brāhmaṇa. A section of people may be very strong, kṣatriyas, politicians, fighters. A section of people must be producers, the vaiśyas, and a section of people must be śūdras, or the legs. Just as compared with your body. The full body means, the head, the arms, the belly and the legs. If you say that there is, there is no need of head, is that very bodily sound? It is dead body. It is dead body. So, our propaganda is that we want to make a section of people brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows Brahman. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And we are all Brahman, you, me, everyone, because we are part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, this is the philosophy, that I am not this matter, I am Brahman. This knowledge required.
Forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by seventy-one. It is a very long duration of life. Now, at the present moment the Vivasvān, the Vaivasvata Manu's age is half-finished. That means the number, the numerical strength, forty-three hundred thousands of years into seventy-one, divide by two. So long years Bhagavad-gītā was spoken.
So Bhagavad-gītā is not a new thing, a new adventure. And the person who spoke Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god, does it mean that He left something to be commented by some, these mundane men to understand the meaning of the Bhagavad-gītā? Such a great personality, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He told something which is to be understood by the interpretation of a mundane scholar? Do you think it is reasonable? No. Whatever he spoke, that is all right. And that is clear. There is no question of interpreting in a different way. Just like here, "The Blessed Lord said, 'I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god Vivasvān.'
Why Lord says? In the Vedic scripture also we'll find, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate: (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport) "There are different kinds of nature of the Supreme." Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. So out of many kinds of nature of the Supreme Lord, they have divided the whole thing into three divisions. One is called external nature, and the other is called internal nature. And there is another nature which is called marginal nature. The external nature, the material world, manifestation of this material world, is external nature. And this is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, as we'll find it in the Seventh Chapter, that apareyam. Aparā. Aparā means inferior or lower nature, lower nature. So He has got higher nature.
One may question that "Why? The Supreme Lord is all-good. Why He has got higher nature and lower nature?" Yes, He has got because He says. You cannot say that there is no higher nature and lower nature. There is also higher nature.
So if the part and parcel particles, small atomic particle... We are atomic particle. Our magnitude is described in the śāstra, Padma Purāṇa and Upaniṣad also: keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatāṁśaḥ kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). The top portion of the hair, if you divide it into one hundred parts, and again, that one hundredth part, if you divide again hundred parts, that is the magnitude of the spirit soul. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatāṁśaḥ kalpitasya, bhāgo jīvaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate (CC Madhya 19.140). So we living entities, a small particle, very atomic small particle, one ten thousandth part of the top of the hair. It can simply be imagined. We are acintya. But we understand from Vedic literature what is the magnitude. It is not nirākāra. That is not a fact. It has got ākāra. But at our present position, material condition, we cannot measure it.
Māyā means energy also. māyā means energy. And māyā means illusion also. And māyā means affection. There are different meanings of māyā. So here it is said prakṛtim... Prakṛtim and māyā. Prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya. He has got multi-energies. That energies have been divided into three: external energy, internal energy, and marginal energy. That you will, also, you will find in the Seventh Chapter.
Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Parā-prakṛti and aparā-prakṛti. The aparā-prakṛti is this material energy. And the parā-prakṛti is spiritual energy. There are two kinds of prakṛti. So that spiritual... Because Kṛṣṇa is spiritual whole, so His spiritual energy, prakṛtiṁ svām, that internal potency, or the spiritual energy,... so His body is spiritual. His body is not material. Therefore avyayātmā, it is imperishable. These things are to be understood. Prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). Again He says ātma-māyayā. He's not forced to take birth by the external energy. He appears by His own energy, internal energy, or spiritual energy. Therefore He's avyayātmā. Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san.
We are spiritual atom. The atom is described in the Vedic literature, the form of the spirit which we are actually. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140).
Keśāgra... Keśa means the hair, the upper portion of your hair. When it is divided into ten thousand parts... And just imagine. That one part is the spiritual atom. It is so small, it is so minute, that it is not possible to see with our material eyes. Even the material atom also we cannot see. When the material atoms are combined into six, then you can see floating in the air through the sunshine which is entering your room through the holes of a window. You can see some particles. That small particle, they are combination of six atoms. That particle, when it is divided into six, that becomes the atom. So you cannot see even the material atom, and what to speak of the spiritual atom.
The other day I explained and several times that atom is also described in the Padma-Purāṇa, Vedic literature. And what is the form of that spiritual energy, I mean to say atom, spiritual atom? It is ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair. You have got experience up to the upper portion of the hair. It is just a little point. Now divide it into ten thousand parts, and that one part is yourself, spiritual atom. This is our position. And that spiritual energy is so powerful that we, from that one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair... It is not manufactured.
So far what I am speaking to you, it is from authentic śāstras. The original verse is that, keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca, jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa anantyāya kalpate (CC Madhya 19.140). The exact verse is in Sanskrit that jīvas, the living entities, they are ananta. Ananta means there is no limit, how many there are. Ananta, unlimited. Unlimited. And a small.
So the worship of the demigods, that is also, in one way, searching after the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore in the Vedas, the demigod worship is also recommended. Upāsanā-kāṇḍa.
The Vedas are divided into three kāṇḍas, or division: karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Therefore the other name of Veda is trayī. Trayī na śruti-gocarā. Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). That is stated in the Vedic literature. Strī, śūdra and dvija-bandhu.... Dvija-bandhu means born in brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya family, especially brāhmaṇa family, but he is not possessing the qualities of brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya, as now it is going on. Everyone is presenting himself as a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, but he hasn't got the necessary qualification. A brāhmaṇa's qualification is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, satyaṁ śaucaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavaṁ jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42).
So Kṛṣṇa says four classes of men, catur varṇyam... Catur means "four", and varṇa means "division of society". Just like varṇa means color. As there are division of color, red, blue and yellow, similarly human being, human society should be divided according to the quality. The quality's also called color. Catur varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). So there are three qualities in this material world. Three qualities. Or three colors. Red, blue and yellow. You mix it. Then you become eighty-one colors. Three colors, three upon three, multiplied, it becomes nine. Nine upon nine, multiplied, it becomes eighty-one. So there are eight million four hundred thousands different forms of living entities. Due to this mixture of different qualities. Nature is manufacturing different types of body according to the association of the living entity to the particular type of quality.
Comparatively studying, the brain is most important part of the body, this head. If you cut the head of a man, then, in spite of possessing the arms, belly and legs, he is dead man. But if you cut the hand or the leg, he can live, and the brain can work. This is an example.
Similarly, when the society is divided nicely in these four divisions, the brahminical culture, the kṣatriya culture, the vaiśya culture, and the śūdra culture... Brahminical culture means people should learn how to speak truth, satya, śama, how to control the mind, how to control the senses. Satya, śama, damaḥ, titikṣā, how to become tolerant, ārjavam, how to become simple in life, how to become cleansed, how to acquire knowledge and how to practically apply the knowledge in daily life.
Jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam. And āstikyam means full faith in the Vedic literature. That is called āstikya. Āstikya generally is called theism. So if one has full faith and full knowledge in Vedas, he becomes theist.
Therefore in the human form of life we must perform yajña. Yajña means to satisfy the Supreme Lord. Yajñārthe, for the sake of the Supreme Lord, for satisfying Him, that is our business.
So to do that business in the previous verse it has been prescribed that the human society should be divided into four classes of men. There are, but they should be systematically divided. Just like in any office there are departments. Without departmental work, nothing can be successful. Anywhere you go, either in the law court or in the office or anywhere, there must be departments. Similarly, the human society must be divided into four divisions. Not four division, eight divisions, varṇāśrama.
In the Vedic literature there is no such thing as Hindu dharma or Muslim dharma or Christian dharma or Buddha dharma. These are recent manufacture. Actually, Vedic instruction is to divide the whole human society into four varṇas and four āśramas. That is Vedic dharma, sanātana-dharma. It is called sanātana-dharma. A living entity has got the chance of getting this human... Labdhvā sudurlabhaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29). Bahu-sambhavānte means after many, many births. This present rascal civilization does not know that how with great difficulty we have come to this human form of life after so many evolutions.
The Darwin's theory of evolution, there is some idea, but it is not clear, not scientific. They are trying to prove that (it is) scientific. That is not scientific. But the evolution theory is there, 8,400,000 species of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, like that. Bhramadbhiḥ. We are rotating in this way.
The moon is also rising. The years and season are changing. Everything is going on. Why we should not accept the system of Vedic knowledge, the oldest of all in the world? There is no history. That is intelligence.
So Kṛṣṇa advising here, evaṁ jñātvā kṛtaṁ karma pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥ. What Kṛṣṇa said? That the karma should be divided according to the quality of the person. There are three qualities—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa—of the material world. Guṇa-mayī māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā (BG 7.14). So guṇa-mayī. Guṇa means the three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. And guṇa, another, means rope. Just like strong rope, three, three ropes. You take three ropes and wind it, it becomes very strong. That is also guṇa-mayī. So Kṛṣṇa advised, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). So guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, guṇa, quality, is there. Now you act according to the quality. Don't be idle.
So guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, guṇa, quality, is there. Now you act according to the quality. Don't be idle.
Now at the modern age, in every country all over the world, there is unemployment. Why unemployment? Because people do not know how to divide the population according to guṇa and karma. One is qualified as a śūdra, and he is engaged in the business of a kṣatriya. There is problem. The people are educated as śūdras, and when they are called for recruiting for the armies, they are afraid. The problem is very acute in America. Nobody wants to join military department. Why they will join? They have been trained up as śūdra, and why they will be like the business of kṣatriya? That is the problem. Everyone wants to avoid. Actually, the hippy movement is started on account of this, what is this?
Similarly, one who has got the sacred thread means that he has approached qualified ācārya, and the ācārya has recognized him as brāhmaṇa. This is sacred thread, not that purchase one sacred thread and get it and become a brāhmaṇa. No. This is very important thing. And then divide. First of all educate. Where is that education? Of course, this is meant for...
At least in India, Indians should be educated as brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.
- bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Anyone who has taken birth in India, he must take the Vedic culture.
The same principle of working order is being discussed by Kṛṣṇa again in this verse. The beginning was cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). We should remember the same principle always. Four classes are divided according to quality and karma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, karmaṇo hy api boddhavyam. What is actually work. Boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Vikarmaṇaḥ means forbidden. This is the human life's business. He should know what is actual work and what is forbidden work.
Just like a good citizen knows what is lawful work and what is unlawful work. Lawful work is executed knows what is lawful work and what is unlawful work. Lawful work is executed by intelligent citizens, and unlawful work is executed by the criminals. He has to suffer. You can cheat the man-made government by hiding yourself, so-called hiding. You cannot hide yourself from, any vikarma or unlawful work, from the eyes of the Supreme Lord. That is not possible. You can hide yourself from the eyes of the police, man-made law, but it is not possible to hide yourself from the eyes of the Supreme. That is not possible. Because the Supreme is sitting within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61).
And the gṛhastha, householder, they have got their duties. And vānaprastha, retired life, they have got their duties, and the sannyāsī, renounced order of life, they have got their duties. The first division called varṇa: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And the second division is called āśrama. So Vedic civilization means varṇa and āśrama, the human society divided into varṇas and āśramas. So everyone has got his particular duty.
Therefore Sūta Gosvāmī (says) ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: "O the best of the brāhmaṇa." Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Every varṇa, caste or division of the society, social division. And āśrama means spiritual division. Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. As there are divisions so... svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Everyone has got his duty to do something particular. But whether he is perfect in discharging that duty, that may be considered when, svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhiḥ, perfection. What is that? Hari-toṣaṇam. Whether you have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead by your duty.
Not that everything will be done by everyone. No.
Suppose if I want to do some engineering work. That is not possible for me. I must take help of an engineer. But if one wants to understand something about Bhagavad-gītā, about the spiritual movement, he may consult me. Therefore, the society must be divided into four divisions. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There must be a class of men very intelligent, brahminical class. They should also work just like brāhmaṇa. The kṣatriya, they should work just like kṣatriya. Because there will be some violence. Kṣat. So one who defends or protects from injury, that person also should be there in the society, kṣatriya. So on this basis the society must be divided.
But at the present moment, because everything is lost, now simply śūdras are there, therefore the common medicine is prescribed:
There is nothing material. The distinction of matter and spirit is this. Now, from the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that two energies are working. One energy is called inferior energy, and the other energy is called superior energy. Now, take for example the inferior energy. The energy emanating from the source, is there any possibility of dividing the energy and the energetic? No. That is not possible just like you cannot divide heat from the fire or the illumination from this light. This is not possible. If there is no illumination, then the light has no meaning. If there is no heat, then fire has no meaning. Similarly, if the energy is separated from the energetic, the energetic has no meaning.
So Kṛṣṇa says that there are two kinds of nature: superior nature, or higher nature, and inferior nature. Now, even the inferior nature... We take it for granted that there is something like inferior nature.
Now, these four yugas are divided. Kṛte, kṛte means in Satya-yuga, when people were all virtuous. That is called Satya-yuga. So kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum: "In the Satya-yuga what was attained by meditation on Viṣṇu..."
We shall always remember that whenever we call for meditation, that meditation is not on void. Void meditation is very much troublesome. Kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā. Those who are trying to meditate upon the void, they are in very troublesome condition. And it is very difficult to achieve success. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. So meditation always means meditation on Viṣṇu.
So in the Satya-yuga, in the millennium when all people were virtuous, cent percent virtuous, at that time this meditation was recommended. Because their minds were not disturbed and they could sit down peacefully and concentrate his mind on Viṣṇu. That was the process recommended.
"This man is millionaire, so I have to become a millionaire." Competition. That is material disease. Now there is competition in between the capitalist and the communist. Now the communist or the laborer class men, they are thinking that "Why the capitalist should gain? We must gain. The industry is being conducted by us. The profits shall be divided between us. Why to the capitalist?" So that is not the solution. That is from frying pan to the fire.
Either the world is run on the principle of communistic philosophy or capitalistic philosophy, it will never be happy. Here is the formula, that everyone should be satisfied with the profit that he can easily make. That's all. Yadṛcchā-lābha. Not that everyone will have the same profit.
In material world everyone is working. Somebody is getting per hour thousands of rupees, and somebody is getting not even morsel of food. But still, one has to be satisfied. "Because one is getting thousands of rupees per hour, I will have to get also." No. Then you will never be happy. You be happy what you are gaining. Because everyone is making profit and losing according to his past karma.
There are generally three classes of human beings: those who are under the influence of the modes of goodness, and those who are under the modes of passion, and those who are under the modes of ignorance. The whole Vedic scriptures, they are also divided into three divisions according to these modes of material nature. There are eighteen Purāṇas. Purāṇas means supplementary to the Vedas. The Vedas, they are written in very difficult language, but in order to explain them to the ordinary person there are Purāṇas, Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa.
(coughing) (aside:) It is disturbing to me. (pause)
The Vedic principle is described... According to these modes of material nature, there are eighteen Purāṇas. Out of that, six Purāṇas are in the modes of goodness, and six Purāṇas are in the modes of passion, and six Purāṇas are in the modes of goodness (ignorance). So there are different varieties of sacrifices according to the different class of men. The whole idea of Vedic literature is to give chance to every human being to develop spiritual consciousness under certain rules and regulations. So what is applicable to the persons who are in the modes of ignorance, they are not applicable to the persons who are in the modes of goodness, or those who are in the modes of passion, they are not applicable to the modes of goodness. The gradual process of evolution.
There are different types of yajña, sacrifices, and the person who offers sacrifices, he is called yogi. Daivam evāpare yajñaṁ paryupāsate. Yajñam and yoginaḥ. Generally, the Vedas are divided into three types of yajña: karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Generally, the yajñas are performed for satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But one who hasn't got the chance of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they offer different types of yajña for satisfying the demigods. Here it is said, daivam: "in the matter of satisfying the different demigods."
"I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a sannyāsī, I am a kṣatriya, I am not a brahmacārī." Because these are designation. Varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. Of course, now we do not know even this designation. We are simply animals at the present moment. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam. But human society means to divide the whole human society into these eight divisions, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha. Then it is systematic. But you have to go above that. That systematic division of the society is also sense gratification. That is not real life. That is also sense gratification. But it is systematized.
Just like I have several times said, the marriage is sense gratification, sex life. But somebody may say... They say that "Marriage is legalized prostitution." It may be, but still, there is some control. Although it is called "legalized prostitution," there is no difference between prostitution and married life, but there is some control. People become responsible. By responsible life, they can make advance. Irresponsible life will not help. Therefore loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantoḥ.
If sacrifice of one's material possessions is not dovetailed for spiritual realization, then such sacrifice becomes material. But one who performs such sacrifices for a spiritual objective or in devotional service, makes a perfect sacrifice. When we come to spiritual activities, we find that these are also divided into two: namely, understanding of one's own self or one's constitutional position, and the truth regarding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who follows the path of the Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as it is..."
Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda, in verse number forty-two, the purport of verse number forty-two, it divides spiritual activities into two, namely understanding of one's own self or one's constitutional position, and the truth regarding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Is this first division Paramātmā realization and the second division is realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Prabhupāda: Yes. That I have already explained, that our relationship with God is that I am infinitesimal, and He is infinite. This is knowledge. I am very small, and He is very great. "God is great." That is definition of every theistic man. So I cannot be equal with God. This is transcendental knowledge.
Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "O Dhanañjaya, Arjuna, anyone who is working in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or yoga..." Yoga means God conscious, or Kṛṣṇa conscious. Everything, anything, any attempt, which we perform, which we do for spiritual realization is called yoga. Yoga. So there are many different kinds of yoga, but they have been divided into three: the jñāna-yoga, karma-yoga, and bhakti-yoga. Jñāna-yoga means realization of self by culture of philosophical discussion. That is called jñāna-yoga. And dhyāna-yoga... Oh. And karma-yoga... Karma-yoga means that the ordinary persons who are engaged in working...
That we have got experience, that these people in New York City, they are working day and night. And karma means work and get some profit. That is called karma. Karma... Nobody is going to work without any remuneration. Everyone is working for getting some profit. That is called karma. But that ordinary karma and karma-yoga is different. You can engage yourself in ordinary work, but, at the same time, you can become a yogi. How that is possible?
So we have been discussing Bhagavad-gītā. In Second Chapter, the Lord has very elaborately explained the constitutional position of the living entity, and the whole first portion of the Six Chapter. The Bhagavad-gītā is divided into three portions. The first six chapter, the second six chapters and the third six chapters. Actually just like this book, there are two hard covers, and in the middle there is the substance, writing. So the first six chapters, they are just like two coverings. Karma-yoga and jñāna-yoga. And the middle six chapters, well-protected, that is bhakti-yoga. So at the end of the first six chapters, Kṛṣṇa concludes the yoga system. In the Sixth Chapter He has explained the sāṅkhya-yoga system and the concluding portion of the sāṅkhya-yoga system is:
We accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: (BG 10.8) "I am the origin of everything." The Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So why don't you accept? Why you comment in a different way? No. Why you comment like this? When Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī (BG 18.65), "Oh, it is not to Kṛṣṇa, it is something within Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa is not divided in that way—"something within and something without." He is absolute. We are divided within our soul, outside of this material body, but not Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says one who thinks Him as ordinary human being, he is a mūḍhāḥ. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum... (BG 9.11). "Because I appeared as a human being, mūḍhās, those who are rascals, they think Me as ordinary human being." No. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānanto. He does not know what is immense power behind. That Kṛṣṇa showed. Kṛṣṇa, when He was present, when He was seven years old, He lifted the Govardhana Hill.
Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Another place. So why the living entities are getting different types of bodies? That is also answered: kāraṇam, the reason is guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. Kāraṇam, the cause, is the material nature.
The material nature is divided into three modes: sattva-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa. So to become within the material nature, under the control of the material nature, means to accept one of these guṇas, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So if you accept this sattva-guṇa, the brahminical qualification, satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavaṁ kṣāntiḥ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam... (BG 18.42). If you associate with the brahminical qualifications, then you get nicer body. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). Those who are associating with the sad-guṇa, they are also described. Sad-guṇa means satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavaṁ kṣāntiḥ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma...
"Kalau, in this Kali-yuga, everyone is almost śūdras." There is lack of brāhmaṇa. There is lack of kṣatriya and vaiśya.
So in Bhagavad-gītā we'll find all the solutions of the human problems, all the solutions. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Unless you divide the whole human society into four divisions, the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra... You must have to divide. You cannot say "classless society." That is useless society. Classless society means useless society. There must be an intelligent high class, ideal class of men to see the "Here is human civilization." That is brāhmaṇa. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma... (BG 4.13). Unless people see the ideal men, how they will follow? Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ, lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). The brāhmaṇa is compared with the brain of the body. Unless there is brain, what is the use of these hands and legs? If one's brain is cracked, madman, he cannot do anything. So at the present moment, because there is scarcity of brahminical qualified men in the whole human society... It is not meant... Brāhmaṇa is not meant for simply for India of Hindus. For the whole human society.
The brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya, śūdra, they are ascertained by the symptom. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: (BG 4.13) "I have created these four divisions of society, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra. So that should be divided according to the qualification and work." Just like if you are qualified as a medical man and if you are practicing as a medical man, then you are medical man. Simply by posing yourself that "I am the son of a medical man; therefore I am medical man," this is useless. In the śāstras, a person born of a brāhmaṇa family or a person born of a kṣatriya family but his qualities are not brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, he is called brahma-bandhu, kṣatri-bandhu, not brāhmaṇa.
Ah. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Everyone has got different type of activities. Formerly it was divided into four: the brāhmaṇa activity, the kṣatriya activity, the vaiśya activity, and the śūdra activity. Now it has been developed at the present moment, so many. But if you again connect all of them, they will come to the same categories or divisions. Some intelligent class of men, they are working day and night about understanding the Absolute Truth or the truth. Just like the theosophists, the philosophers, the theologists, the scientists, so many brain workers, they are working to discover better way of life, how the human society should be more and more happy. So this is the work of the brāhmaṇas. But nowadays the brain is not utilized for understanding Brahman, but for understanding the ways of higher standard of life, sense gratification. Anyway, that is intelligent work. Next the administrative work. Next the productive work. And next the worker, general worker. The same brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra.
Therefore minute... But we are... What is the ratio? The ratio is, it is said in the śāstra... What is that? Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya. Just giving an idea. What is that? The tip of the hair, just a small full stop, you divide this point into one hundred parts. And that one part again divide into one hundred parts. That is, mean, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. That is a full-stop-like. That is the magnitude of the jīva, spirit, spiritual spark, molecular parts, atomic parts. So keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ sa cānantyāya kalpate (CC Madhya 19.140).
So there is magnitude, but because in the material eyes we can see simply the gross thing, the subtle things we cannot understand. But from the śāstra you have to understand, from the śruti. Then you'll understand.
Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya. The upper portion, the tip of the hair, just like a point, you divide it into hundred parts and take another one part and divide another hundred parts. That means one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair is the dimension of the spirit soul. That spirit soul, on the basis of that spirit soul, this body develops. Any medical scientist knows. And we know from the Vedic literatures that this small particle, atomic particle of spiritual spark, takes shelter in the semina of the father, and the father injects the semina in the womb of the mother. Then, if the situation is favorable, then it takes a form of body just like a pea in the first night. That pealike body develops. Then different holes are manifested. They are developed into eyes, ears, mouth, and so many holes, nine holes in the body. So anyone can understand that that small particle of atomic portion of a spiritual spark develops this body, big body. Not only human body, all sorts of bodies. Similarly, this whole universe is also a development of the spiritual body of Kṛṣṇa, Paramātmā.
They accept God is omnipotent, but they cannot understand what is that omnipotency. The omnipotency is that so many things are being manifested by the Kṛṣṇa's energies, but Kṛṣṇa is not lost. Kṛṣṇa is there. We haven't got to worship so many things, pantheism. No. That is not our... Pantheism, the same idea, that "Kṛṣṇa, or the Absolute Truth, has become divided into so many ways; therefore everything combined together is the Absolute Truth," this is the theory of pantheism. But ours is Vedic proposition, that Kṛṣṇa is the cause of everything. Varieties of material and spiritual things are there, but Kṛṣṇa's identity is there in Vṛndāvana. Vṛndāvanaṁ parityajya padam ekaṁ na gacchati. Kṛṣṇa is there. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is stated.
Every one of us, the minute particle, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kim karma. This karma means to work. That is material. Working is required in the material world. Without working, you cannot get anything. Here you have to maintain your body and soul together. Therefore you have to work. So work can be divided in different ways, but one has to work. One may work as a brāhmaṇa, one may work as a kṣatriya, one may work as a vaiśya or a śūdra. So work is there. Without working... The just opposite, without working, without any endeavor, you can live eternally—that is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Vaikuṇṭha means without any anxiety. Here we are full of anxieties.
Puruṣottama. Arjuna addressed Kṛṣṇa as Puruṣottama, uttama-puruṣa. There are three kinds of puruṣas. Puruṣa means the male, or the enjoyer. So uttama-puruṣa, madhyama-puruṣa, adhama-puruṣa. Adhama means the lowest. We are also puruṣa. At least, we have taken the position of puruṣa to enjoy this material world.
Everyone is trying to enter into the higher planets.
So Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes, you are trying to enter into the moon planet, or any other planet. That's all right. But you must remember..." What is that? Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. This, this universe of... They... The universe is divided into fourteen divisions of planetary system, fourteen divisions. We are just in the middle planetary system. There are fourteen. Caturdaśa-bhuvana. There are seven down and seven up. We are in the middle. So Kṛṣṇa says that ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ: "Oh, what to speak of moon planet or sun planet or Venus, if you even enter into the highest planet, which is called Brahmaloka, still, there is birth and death, punar āvartinaḥ, repetition of birth and death, repetition of birth and death." Punar āvartinaḥ means just like I have got this body. Now, say, I'll live eighty years. Now I am seventy-one. So after nine years I'll have to change this body. Sure. There is nobody can, by scientific process, can stay here. No. That is not allowed. You have to change your body. This is called punar āvartinaḥ, changing... Just like you change your old dress, similarly, you have to change your old body, again enter into another new body.
He has analyzed that the living entities... There are innumerable living entities all over the universe. If you dig earth, you'll find many living entities. If you make a study of the air, you'll find many living entities. If you go deep into the water, you'll find living entities. So all over the universe there are full of different types of living entities. And He has divided all these living entities into two classes. Some are moving and some are not moving. Just like trees, plants, grass, they cannot move. Stone. Stone has also life, but it is not developed conscious. It is too much covered, stone life. Similarly, a person, even in human body, if he does not understand his position, he's almost stonelike. So these are stones, trees, grass and so many others. They are "not-moving" living entities. And there are moving entities just like aquatics, beasts, birds, reptiles, human being, demigods, oh, celestial angels, so many. There are moving. So out of the moving entities, very small number are human beings.
The best form of human life, the Aryans... Aryans. Aryans means those who are advanced. So the Aryan family, the history of Aryan family... From Central Asia, Caucasian ranges, they divided, the Indo-Aryans, Indo-Europeans. This is the history of mankind. So the Europeans, they belong to the Indo-Europeans, and some of the Europeans, not the uncivilized, the civilized, they came from that side, eastern side, when there was a threatening by Paraśurāma to kill the kṣatriyas. So most of the kṣatriyas, they came to Europe, and some of them settled in the middle, the border of Europe and Asia, Turkey, Greece. There is a big history, Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means the greater history of India. So on the whole, the conclusion is that the Aryans spread in Europe also, and the Americans, they also spread from Europe. So the intelligent class of human being, they belong to the Aryans, Aryan family. Just like Hitler claimed that he belonged to the Aryan family. Of course, they belonged to the Aryan families.
As we have discussed many times, God has got many energies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). There are unlimited energies, different varieties of energy. Out of that, those who are in the knowledge, they have divided the whole energy into three divisions. What is that? Material energy, spiritual energy and marginal energy. This material energy, you are seeing. And the spiritual energy, now we have no knowledge. But the marginal energy, something spirit, something matter, that we are, we living entities. I am... As I am, I am spirit. But I am mixed up with this matter. Therefore I am marginal energy, between spirit and matter. I am combination of spirit and matter. As soon as I am spirit, I am away from this matter, this bodily matter. "Dust thou art; dust thou beist." Yes. So those who are mahātmā, they have take shelter of the spiritual energy. Of course, for God, every energy is His energy.
I will give you one example how Kṛṣṇa sometimes breaks His promise. It is very nice story. Kṛṣṇa, when He joined Arjuna, He promised from His own side that "Because the fight is between your brothers, so it is not My duty... Because both of you are My relatives, so it is not My duty to join one party and not to join another. But because I have divided Myself—Myself, one side, and other side, My soldiers—but Duryodhana has decided to take My soldiers, not Me, so I shall join you. But I shall not fight. I shall not fight. I may take some work which may assist you." So Arjuna offered, "Whatever work You like, You can take." So He said, "All right. I shall drive your chariot." So Kṛṣṇa's promise was that He will not fight. But at a time when Arjuna was perplexed by fighting with Bhīṣma... Bhīṣma was the greatest fighter, although he was very old man. Duryodhana incited him that "Because the other side are your very pet grandsons, you are not fighting fully."
Maharṣīṇāṁ ca sarva. He is the original cause of everything.
Now... Then He must be the cause of all good qualification and bad qualification also. Whatever we see in this material world, we consider, "This is bad, and this is good." We have divided that, according to our calculation. But actually there are... They are varied manifestation of the qualities of Kṛṣṇa. Here in the material world, those qualities, transcendental qualities, they are in Kṛṣṇa and they are in living entities. Just like we have all these qualities.
Take for example buddhi. Buddhi means intelligence. And what is that intelligence? Real intelligence? Real intelligence is to know, to understand that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme, and I am part and parcel." It is stated here that intelligence means sukhārtha-vivecana-samatyam.(?) Suppose one is very intelligent to drive a car. That is not... That is material intelligence for earning our bread.
Better than them, anyone who is going to the temple or the church and asking for bread or something, material benefit, that is good. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna: "Those who are pious, whose background is piety, such persons, divided into four classes..." Ārto jijñāsur arthārthī jñānī, four classes. Ārtaḥ means distressed, and arthārthī means in need of money. Ārto arthārthī. Or some material benefit. And jñānī, one who is searching after knowledge. And jijñāsuḥ, inquisitive.
These four classes of men, if their background is life of piety, they go to God to pray, "My Lord, my Lord, give me some money. I am very poor. I am very distressed. Kindly mitigate my distress." Or jñānī, they are searching after actually what is God. Or inquisitive, simply inquiring what is God. So there are four classes. Whose background is life of pious activities, they go to God. And those who are...
Just like I am not this body, I am within the body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). I am the proprietor of the body.
But what is my magnitude? Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). You just take the top of the hair and divide it into ten thousand parts. That one part is your identity. So in these material ideas, we cannot understand that such a small particle, smaller than the atom, has got so power. Therefore, because it is so small, these so-called rascal scientists, they cannot find it, where it is; therefore say, "There is no soul." The rascals will not admit their inefficiency to know and still they will say, "no soul." And if there is no soul, then how it is working? They have no even common sense.
Similarly, as I am very small, smaller than the atom, and I am living within this body and my body is working so nicely. My brain is working so nicely. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is also, according to our conception, Kṛṣṇa is person, individual, but He has got a very gigantic body. This is the material world, material expression. That is expressed in the next verse: kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi. I am also kṣetrajñam. As you are knower of your body, the bodily pains and pleasure you know, I know.
You do not know everything.
If I know everything then why should I go to a physician when there is something wrong in my body. I do not know. I am eating, but I do not know how the eatables are being digested within the stomach, and they are being divided into different secretion. The rejected part is becoming stool and urine, and the other parts, they're becoming blood, and the blood is distributed all over the body, through the veins. How the veins are, what do we know? Although I am claiming my body. But I do not know everything, what is going on in my body, in my brain. The brains are made of so fine tissues. What do you know?
But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Kṛṣṇa knows everything in detail. Anvayad itarataś ca artheṣv abhijñaḥ. Throughout the whole universe, throughout the whole creation, in any corner, in any place, whatever is going on, Kṛṣṇa knows. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and myself. I do not know even what is going on within my body. And still I am claiming I am God. How rascal. Just see, imagine.
Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. You must find out sufficient grains. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. Parjanyāt. When there is sufficient rain, then there will be food grains, not by your advaita-vāda philosophy or dvaita-vāda philosophy. These are practical solution.
Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Kṛṣṇa has divided the society, human society, in four divisions: the brāhmaṇa, the kṣatriya, the vaiśya, the śūdras. These divisions of the human society must be there. If there is no intelligent person, brāhmaṇa, simply śūdras, you cannot be happy. That is not possible. Just like to keep your body, there must be head, there must be arms, there must be belly, and there must be legs. Simply if you have got legs, that is dead body. Even simply you have got head, that is also dead body. Four things must be there. How you can violate? "No, no, we don't require head" or "don't require leg."
Europe has got another atmosphere, India has got another atmosphere. Similarly, all the planets, they are of different atmospheres and each and every planet there are varieties of living entities. Just imagine the living entities are eight million four hundred thousand species. So even if you divide so many thousands and hundreds, still, eight million. This is God's creation. God's creation means all these living entities, they want to enjoy this material world in a different capacity and God has given the facility, "Yes, you can enjoy. You can enjoy." He is giving facility. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo (BG 15.15). He's sitting, God is so kind, Kṛṣṇa is so kind.
Just like you have seen the master taking his dog. The dog is allowed to do whatever he likes, the master waits. The real business of the dog is to obey the master's order. But the master gives the dog facility, "Yes, you can walk, you can run, you can pass urine, stool, I'll wait." As the master gives facility.
Let me sleep, and my eating animals will come and enter into my mouth..." No. You have to struggle. You have to struggle. You have to find out.
Therefore this energy is called karma-saṁjñānyā. This... There are many energies of Kṛṣṇa. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). But learned scholars, they have divided into three: the spiritual energy, the marginal energy, and the material energy. Avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīya-śaktir iṣyate. So here this material world, either you become a tiger, either you become Lord Brahmā or you become a small ant, you have to struggle for your existence. This is material world. You cannot think that "I shall be happy without any working."
People are trying to do that, that... When a man get some money, bank balance, he no more works. But that is the tendency, that "Without working, I shall maintain myself happily." That is our tendency. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt.
Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). They are trying to become happy within this material world. Durāśayā ye bahir artha-māninaḥ. Bahiḥ, bahiḥ means external energy. God has got parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). He has got multi-energies. All these multi-energies have been grossly divided into three: the external energy, the internal energy, and the marginal energy. So we living entities, we are the marginal energy. Marginal means between the two: spiritual energy and material energy. At the present moment, those who are in this material world, we are under the influence of material energy.
But we can get out of this material energy by bhagavad-bhakti. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etān taranti te. By our surrendering to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, we can get out of these clutches of external energy and again become under the internal energy.
Just like chemically, if you mix one chemical with another chemical, a third element is produced, similarly, originally the reservation of all these elements is called mahat-tattva. It is called pradhāna, upadhāna. So gradually they manifest, they divide by three guṇas. Three guṇas means in the mahat-tattva, in the total material reservoir, three guṇas, three modes of nature, first of all appear and they act with one another, and then gradually, one after another, the twenty-four elements become manifested. Etat kṣetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛtam.
Now, of course, we can theoretically accept that this is the position, but actually to understand the position, to acquire the requisite knowledge, that requires many stages of development. And how that knowledge is developed, that is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā by Kṛṣṇa. What is that?
Now, this tṛṇād api sunīcena, one may think, "Oh, it is artificial to think that I am smaller than the grass in the street." But actually, it is not artificial. It is actually the fact. Why? From the Padma Purāṇa, Vedic literature, we understand that the form of the soul is one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair. Now how much small we are, just we can imagine only. There is no instrument to divide the upper portion of the hair into ten thousand parts. And just to take one part as the magnitude of the soul, that is not... Actually, we are very small. That small particle of soul is within the ant and within the elephant. It is a bodily expansion only that we are, we appear..., the elephant appears to be the biggest animal, and the ant or the germ appears to be the smallest. But actually, these are bodily expansions. The soul as it is is really smaller than the grass or straw on the street.
So Vedic aphorism says that ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So ahaṁ brahmāsmi sometimes mistakenly is understood that "I am the Supreme God."
That is a fact. Four varṇas and four āśramas. What are the four varṇas and four āśramas? There are four division of social life and four divisions of spiritual life. The four divisions of social life is the intelligent class of men, the martial class of men, and the mercantile class of men, and the laborer class of men. You can divide any social system in any country, in any place, there are these four classes of men. One class of men, they are very intelligent. They are scientists, they are philosophers, they are great writers, poets, thinkers. Naturally, by nature, they are inclined to these kinds of work. They are called intelligent class. Similarly, there is a class of men who are interested to take part in politics, in diplomacy, or to stand for election as president or as governor. In every country, in every place. They are called administrator class, or martial-spirited. They are prepared to fight also. So there is a class. And the third class is the mercantile class. They want to do some business, trade, industry, and make some profit.
Jagad-aṇḍa-nātha means Brahmā. As in each department, for management there is a manager, similarly, in each brahmāṇḍa there is a manager who is called Brahmā. And each planet, there is also a manager or head. That is the system. And the supreme head is Kṛṣṇa.
Just like we have a manager, a head, on this planet. Now we have divided. Formerly this planet was one unit, and there one head, the emperor. Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was the emperor of the whole world. Parīkṣit Mahārāja. All kings formerly, whoever became king, emperor, he ruled over the whole planet. In each and every planet there was a ruler, but now, in the days of democracy, there are so many rulers, practically each and every one of us is a ruler. This is democracy.
But actually the arrangement is that ruler should be one, and the supreme ruler is Kṛṣṇa. Ruler means īśvara. So there are so many īśvaras.
He has no eyes to see what is that ākāra, what is that form. Because he cannot see, therefore he says nirākāra. Nothing is nirākāra. Neither God is nirākāra, nor you are nirākāra. We have got ākāra. The ākāra is also mentioned in the śāstra. What is that? One ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. You know the point of the hair. If you divide into ten-thousand parts, that one part is the magnitude of the soul.
- keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya
- śatadhā kalpitasya ca
- jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ
- sa cānantyāya kalpate
- (CC Madhya 19.140)
So the soul is there, but you cannot see even the topmost point of the hair. And if we divide that hair into ten-thousandth part, then these eyes cannot see. Therefore we say nirākāra. No nirākāra. There is ākāra, but these eyes cannot see. Therefore we have to understand through śāstra.
We require some instrument, just like microscope. But even with microscope, our so-called microscope cannot see what is that soul. It is very very minute. Ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair. Jīva-bhāgaḥ sa vijñeyaḥ. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya. Keśāgra (CC Madhya 19.140), the tip of the hair, you...Śata-bhāgasya. You divide into hundred, and then take one part, again divide into hundred. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). That ten, one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair, it is so minute. But there is the thing, very minute.
Just like a small grain of poison, venomous poison. If it is injected in your body, you will die immediately. It has got so power. Similarly, the minute spirit soul is so minute, one ten-thousandth part. Still, because that minute spirit soul is there, you are moving, you are acting, your brain is working, you are denying the existence of God, you are doing all these things. Sūkṣmatvāt tad avijñeyaṁ dūrastham, dūrasthaṁ cāntike ca tat.
Pradyumna: Although the Supersoul appears to be divided among all beings, He is never divided. He is situated as one. Although He is maintainer of every living entity, it is to be understood that He devours and develops all.
Prabhupāda: Avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). This is another statement of Bhagavad-gītā, that the Lord, Supreme Lord, he is situated in everyone's heart, hṛd-deśe, particularly pointed out. Hṛd-deśe means "in the heart". Hṛt means heart. So modern medical science, they see that the energy is coming from the heart and as soon as the heart stops to work, it is said that the body is dead. So here also the same thing is confirmed. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). They cannot say, explain, why the heart stops, but here we get the explanation that as soon as the soul, both the soul and the Supersoul, leave this body, then it is only a lump of matter only. "Dust thou art; dust thou beist." It is developed from these material elements, five gross elements and three subtle elements, but so long... It works as long as the soul, the spirit soul and the Supersoul, remains.
That is the original life. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So that Supersoul is always helping us as friend. Therefore here it is said, avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu. Avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktam iva ca sthitam. The Supersoul appears like an individual soul. He is staying as friend. So He has been divided. Vibhaktam iva, "as if divided." It is not divided.
The example you can understand Just like there is sun in the sky, and if you keep millions of pots with water, you will find the sun is reflected there. That does not mean that the sun has divided into millions. This is the best example. Just like there are millions of people standing at twelve o'clock. And you ask every one of them even five thousand miles away, that "Were is the sun?" Everyone will say, "It is on my head." Does it mean that the sun has divided into millions of personal..., on each head sun is standing. No, sun is one. But it appears like that.
No, sun is one. But it appears like that.
Therefore, it is is said, avibhaktaṁ ca bhūteṣu vibhaktam iva ca sthitam. He is not vibhakta. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Lord as Supersoul, is staying in everyone's heart. That does not mean he has become divided. No, he is one. That is already explained, that sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. Kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Kṛṣṇa said that in each and every individual body there is the soul, kṣetra-jña. This body is kṣetra, field of activities. And within the body the soul is there. He is working according to the position, he is working. So he is kṣetra-jña. Just like I know it is my body. I don't say, "It is I body." No, I say, "My body." You say, "My body." Everyone says. I know, "This is my body." If I see my finger, I think, "It is my finger." I don't think, "I finger," because I am not this body. Anyone, simply little sober thinking. So therefore, one who knows that "It is my body," he is kṣetra-jña. He knows.
So we should have brain to understand that: "Why there are different personalities and different activities? Because there are different qualities. So to organize human society these qualities should be taken into consideration. We should divide. Just like in our body we have got four departments. This head department, the arm department, the belly department and the leg department. Everyone is working according to the departmental function. The brain is working differently. The office or the direction, the brain is giving direction. Then my hand is moving, my leg is moving. Similarly, there must be a directory department. In office also there are board of directors, then secretaries, then clerks, then menials, then servants, then cāparāsi. So even in your body this arrangement is there.
How can you avoid? If you simply say that "Let there be all heads," that cannot. Or "Let there be simply legs." That is cannot that cannot be. There must be the heads, the legs, the hands, the belly. Similarly, the whole society should be divided into that way and they should work cooperatively.
Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ: "I'll give you protection." Because you're suffering for your sinful activities... everything is sinful activities. Everything.
Just like a gang of thieves. A gang of thieves, after plundering booties from some gentleman's house, they came outside the village, and they were dividing. So one of the thieves is saying, "Sir, let us divide it honestly. Let us divide the booty honestly." Now, their basic principle is dishonesty, and now they want to divide honestly. So all these rascals, politicians, they are all dishonest, and they are trying to make adjustment honestly. Honestly. What is this honesty? There cannot be honesty. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Anyone who is not a devotee of the Lord, he cannot be possessing any good qualities. That is not possible. He must be dishonest if he is a not devotee of the Lord. He must be dishonest. This is the verdict of the śāstras.
Just like an intelligent person he has varieties of intelligence and energy. We see sometimes in human society a particular person has got special intelligence, special energy. So what to speak of the Supreme Lord. He has got varieties of energies and all of these energies taken together primarily divided into three, the material energy, the spiritual energy and the marginal energy.
The material energy, this cosmic manifestation, as we see one universe and each universe is filled up with many planetary systems, suns, moons, and other planets. This is one universe. Similarly there are many millions of universes. We get information from Vedic śāstra, yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40).
Jagad-aṇḍa means this universe and there are hundreds and millions. Numberless. And each universe is filled up with innumerable planets.
They are not producing food grains. Therefore there is scarcity. There is scarcity of...
Especially in a country like India where the population is very big and there is no land available, there must be scarcity of food. Especially the Britishers, they have divided India: Pakistan and Hindustan. So all the food grains are there on the Pakistan side, and in the Hindustan side all the industries are there. So they are fighting. They have no industrial facilities, and they have no agricultural facilities. All policies. They would fight all along. The Britishers wanted that "You have taken your independence. All right, you'll suffer all the time, fighting between your..." This was a policy. So it is going on nicely.
So anyway, the whole world situation is degrading, that people are not producing their own food. This is the problem, real problem. Kṣetra-kṣetra-jña. This example is given. As every man must possess a piece of land... Therefore this...
There must be intelligence. They have no intelligence. They are thinking of philanthropic work, but still thinking that "I am this body." So what that philanthropic work will do? We... With ignorance, with no knowledge, whatever you do, it is foolish. As there are... Sometimes they divide, four classes of men: lazy intelligent, active intelligent, and lazy fool and active fool. The active fool is fourth-class because whatever he'll do, it is foolish. So result will not be very good. Active fool. So lazy fool is better than the active fool.
Just like the monkey. It is active fool. In your country, in the Western country, you don't see many monkeys. But in India, there are many monkeys. As soon as a monkey will come, he will create some mischief. He's very busy, jumping here, there, here, here, there, but always creating mischief. So modern civilization... And the Darwin's theory is that they have come from monkey. (laughter)
This tree, being the reflection of the real tree, is an exact replica. Everything is there in the spiritual world. The impersonalists take Brahmā to be the root of this material tree, and from the root, according to sāṅkhya philosophy, come prakṛti, puruṣa, then the three guṇas, then the five gross elements (pañca-mahābhūta), then the ten senses (daśendriya), mind, etc. In this way they divide up the whole material world. If Brahmā is the center of all manifestations, then this material world is a manifestation of the center by 180 degrees, and the other 180 degrees constitute the spiritual world. The material world is the perverted reflection, so the spiritual world must have the same variegatedness, but in reality. The prakṛti is the external energy of the Supreme Lord, and the puruṣa is the Supreme Lord Himself, and that is explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Since this manifestation is material, it is temporary. A reflection is temporary, for it is sometimes seen and sometimes not seen. But the origin from whence the reflection is reflected is eternal.
Daivī sampad vimokṣāya (BG 16.5). Vimokṣa. Vimokṣa means liberation. This word vimokṣa is very significant. Mokṣa means liberation. And why this word vi? Vi means viśeṣa, specifically. Specifically mokṣa. There are two kinds of mokṣas. Actually, there are five kinds of mokṣa, but five kinds can be divided into two kinds. Liberation... Sāyujya, sāmīpya, sālokya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi (CC Madhya 6.266). Then again, these five kinds of liberation can be divided into two. One is sāyujya-mukti and another: sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya—these four into one division. Sāyujya-mukti means to merge into the existence of the Supreme. And sārūpya-mukti means to acquire exactly the bodily feature of Viṣṇu, four hands. Just like in the Vaikuṇṭha the inhabitants are exactly of the same feature as Nārāyaṇa. They have got also four hands. You cannot distinguish who is Nārāyaṇa and who is not Nārāyaṇa. So that is called sārūpya-mukti. Just like when vaikuṇṭha-dūtas were sent to reclaim Ajāmila, they were four-handed, exactly looking like Nārāyaṇa.
So unless one is Vaiṣṇava or devotee of the Lord Viṣṇu, he is asura or rākṣasa. This is the instruction of the śāstra.
In modern days also, practically nobody is devotee, so how they are described in the Bhagavad-gītā? They are described as duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ (BG 7.15). These asuras also divided into so many classes. The first-class asura is the duṣkṛtina, one who is engaged in sinful meritorious action. Sinful meritorious. Just like a big thief. There are many organization of smugglers, black market, thieves. They have got brain to organize. Without brain they cannot organize. Now, in the Western countries there are big, big organizations simply for smuggling, cheating, bluffing, and very good brain, educated, lawyers. I have seen practically in New York these cheating concerns. There are many lawyers to help them how to cheat. And they make arrangement, take money from one, cheating. Many organizations. So they are called duṣkṛtina.
That is stated in the Vedas, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). Kṛṣṇa, expanding Himself into millions, still, He remains a Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa. It is not that material thing. If you take a material thing, anything, if you divide it into millions portion, then original form is finished. There is no more. You take a piece of paper and cut it into pieces and throw it all over. Then the original paper is lost. There is no more. That is material. But Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa, He is expanded. Eko bahu syāt. The Lord said, "I shall become many." Many... Still, He is there. Is not because He has become many, therefore His original person is finished. No. That is the injunction in the Vedas, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). He remains still pūrṇa. One minus thousand times one is still one. That is absolute. Absolute Truth means the truth never diminishes or becomes relative or conditioned. That is Absolute Truth.
In previous chapters, Śrī Kṛṣṇa has explained: cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). By quality and by work, there is, or there must be four divisions of the social structure. Cātur-varṇyam, first-class, second-class, third-class and fourth-class. That is very natural. Just like in your body, my body is divided into four divisions. The head, head department. In every, I mean to say, unit, there is head department, the first-class department, the second-class department. So we can understand from our own body, there is head department, there is arms department, there is belly department and there is the leg department. So head is first-class. Because if the arms, belly and legs are there and head is cut off, then everything is useless. If the head is there, arm is cut off, you can go on with your business. So there is four divisions everywhere. Kṛṣṇa says:
And paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). And those who are not intelligent, to be trained up as a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya or a vaiśya. The fourth class men, let them work these three other classes, let them work. Paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam. In this way the human society should be divided into four divisions, they should cooperate, and they should be trained up. Not a single man should remain unemployed. He must be engaged in some employment as a brāhmaṇa, as a kṣatriya, as a śūdra or as a vaiśya. Otherwise, idle brain will be devil's workshop. Therefore, in spite of so much educational propaganda in the Western countries, the young men are coming to become hippies. Because there is no proper training. Here is the hint, Bhagavad-gītā gives you. You train the students in that way, then there will be perfect society. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
The problem, only problem, beginning from the womb of mother up to the again, next death, simply problems—this is material life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mām upetya tu kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), nāpnuvanti: "He does not come again." That is the solution. That is saṁsiddhiṁ labhate parām.
So the society must be divided as suggested in Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic literature, that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There must be four varṇas and four āśramas, ideal. Then you may be a śūdra, you may be a gṛhastha, or you may be a brāhmaṇa. Everyone will get salvation, everyone attain the perfection, if we adopt this process. So there must be one class of men, first-class men, ideal, that people will learn that "Here is an ideal class of men. Let me try to imitate or follow them." But there is no ideal men now, at the present moment. Everyone is śūdra. Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. Then how the society will be happy? It is not possible because there is no ideal men.
| Page Title: | Divide (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 08 of Nov, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=110, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 110 |