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Divine life means

Expressions researched:
"Divine life means"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Divine life means, as it is stated in the Bhāgavata, that ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭha.
Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Divine life means, as it is stated in the Bhāgavata, that ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭha. In Naimiṣāraṇya, all the big brāhmaṇas were addressed by Suta Gosvāmī, and he said that "My dear all the great brāhmaṇas, you are present here," ataḥ puṁsāṁ dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. There are different duties of the varṇa and āśrama. A brāhmaṇa has got his duty, a kṣatriya has got his duty. Now, a kṣatriya's duty is fighting. So how this fighting can be utilized as perfection of life? Nobody will say, "Oh! Fighting, how it is perfection, killing others?" No. There is perfection. What is that? Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭha varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. You are kṣatriya; your dharma is fighting. You try to please the Supreme Lord by your fighting. That is perfection. You are brāhmaṇa, so you try to please the Supreme Lord by your brahminical knowledge. What is that brahminical? Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. So one who knows brahma, he is brāhmaṇa. Then, then next stage is for brāhmaṇa to become Vaiṣṇava. To become Vaiṣṇava. Because brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham. Simply one, if one stop simply by brahma knowledge and does not make further progress, that is not perfection. Perfection is, Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the origin of brahma-jyotir." Therefore from the brahma-jyotir one should make progress up to Kṛṣṇa. Just like sunshine. You are in, everyone, is sunshine. That's all right. But if you have got power, then you'll reach the sun planet, you'll see the sun-god, because the original source of the sunshine is the sun-god. Similarly, brahma-jyotir, the origin of brahma-jyotir is Kṛṣṇa, brahmaṇo hi pratiṣṭhāham. Brahmajyoti is emanating from the body of Kṛṣṇa. It is, it is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā, yasya prabhā prabhavato jagand-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). So in this way we make progress. So here Arjuna, although he was fighter, Arjuna did not change his position. He did not become a brāhmaṇa. After hearing Bhagavad-gītā it is not that he gave up his profession as a kṣatriya and went to Himalaya to become a brāhmaṇa, meditation. No. He became perfect by his own profession. How? Because he satisfied Kṛṣṇa. So you can be situated in any position. That does not matter. But try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement: how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. It is not very difficult. Kṛṣṇa says... Now you can say that "Arjuna was a fighter, and there was great need of the Kurukṣetra fighting, so he satisfied Kṛṣṇa, but I am a poor man, I am not Kṣatriya, not (indistinct)." That doesn't matter. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). No, you come here. Here is Kṛṣṇa. You always think of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā. You become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Whatever you can, offer to Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī: you worship Kṛṣṇa. If you don't come here, you can do it in, at your home. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Somehow or other, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. There is no difficulty. "No, I have no money. I cannot worship Kṛṣṇa in this way, so gorgeously." No. That Kṛṣṇa does not say. Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalam: "If you are poor man, all right, you give Me little fruit, little flower, little water, I'll eat it." Then what do you want more? Or if you cannot do anything, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Page Title:Divine life means
Compiler:Rishab
Created:08 of Nov, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1