And not that in modern days the fighting takes place—the poor soldiers, they come to fight, and the leaders, they remain in safety place. It is not like that. All of them came out, kṣatriya. Bhīṣmadeva came, Duryodhana came, Arjuna came. And face to face, they had to fight. Not that the poor soldiers would fight and they would remain in a secure place, no. So tasya sañjanayan harṣaṁ kuru-vṛddhaḥ. Kuru-vṛddha, the oldest man in the dynasty, Kuru dynasty, pitāmaha, he's the grandfather of Arjuna and Duryodhana. The Dhṛtarāṣṭra's elder uncle, his father's elder brother. He was very old man, brahmacārī, and in that old age also, he was taking the risk of fighting. This is kṣatriya spirit. Not that only... Dhṛtarāṣṭra was escaping. Not escaping, because he was physically incapable, blind, therefore he did not come in the battlefield. Otherwise even Bhīṣmadeva, in such old age he also came. This is kṣatriya spirit. When there is fight, there is no rest. And fight means "Either the other party should be killed or I shall be killed." Not that without any decision the fighting will be stopped. No, that cannot be. When there is two parties, must be belligerent, one party. So decision is that "Either you kill me or I kill you." Not that without killing... "Without being killed one of us, the fighting cannot be stopped."
Escape (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"escape"
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|"escapes"
|"escaping"
|"escapism"
|"escapist"
|"escapists"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
And another class of men he says brāhmaṇa, brāhmaṇas. So he classifies, etad viditvāsmāt ya praiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ. This self-realization process... We shall die. It is sure. Every one of us, we'll die. But we should not die like cats and dogs. That is the difference. We may die. We must die. Nobody can escape death, but before death we must know what is self and self-realization. They are brāhmaṇas. Those who are trying to understand what he is, what is his relation with God and how he should live, they are called brāhmaṇas. And those who are living like cats and dogs, simply eating, sleeping, mating and dying, so they are dying like cats and dogs. So death is inevitable. That is also advised by Prahlāda Mahārāja in his instruction to his class fellows. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). "My dear friends, from this beginning of life... We are now five years old. From this life we should try to understand bhāgavata-dharma."
This repetition of birth, death, old age and disease, this is just like a fire in the forest. Nobody wants it but it is forced up on us. Just like nobody wants to set fire in the forest, but it takes place naturally. Similarly, if you remain in this material world then you have to be, I mean to say, put into these tribulations of materialistic way of life. There is no escape. Saṁsāra-dāvānala **. It is just like dāvānala. So ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. As soon as you understand that "I do not belong to this material world"—brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54)—then all problems of life is solved. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). So as soon as one is cleansed of the dirty things in the heart, then he can understand that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. My duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa. So let me be engaged in His service and become successful in this human form of life."
This is perfection of knowledge. Nobody can be freed from being a servant. Either you become a servant of God or you become a servant of dog, you must be a servant. So the intelligent person, a wise person, he prefers to servant of God instead of becoming servant of dog.
There is no escape, that one cannot..., one is master. Nobody is master. Everyone is servant. "Therefore one who executes his duties according to My injunction," God's injunctions, "and who follows the teachings faithfully becomes free from bondage." As soon as you become servant to somebody besides God, then you are in bondage. You are in obligation. Obligation there is, but that is not bondage. To become servant of God is not bondage. But servant of dog is a bondage.
So the intelligent person is he who knows that "I am servant, so why not become servant of the greatest?" Just like somebody wants to be worker in government service. Why? Because government is very big establishment, great establishment. He has got many facilities. That is not bondage. Similarly, why not become the servant of the supreme government? That is perfection of knowledge. So long we are not servant of God, that means we are deficient in knowledge. And perfect knowledge is to become servant of God. Because you cannot escape by not being a servant. Everyone has to become a servant, this side or that side. Go on.
Yes. If somebody says, "Oh, why shall I serve God?" all right, then you shall have to serve dog. That's all. Therefore he is befooled. He does not know that he has to serve somebody. His constitutional position is like that. He cannot escape. So therefore if he denies to serve God, Kṛṣṇa, then he has to serve māyā, illusion, in the hope that "I have become the master."
Just like in your country the President Johnson was the master. Actually, he was not the master; he was the servant of the country. Now the country has dismissed him. He is no longer master. So our mastership in this material world is like that. Actually, we are servant, but we are thinking master. In a family, I am servant of my wife, I am servant of my children, I am servant of my servants, but I am thinking I am master. "I am master of this family. I am master of this country. I am master of this society." Nobody is master.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Therefore the human form of life is a chance for the living entity to escape the entanglement of material existence. In the human form of life one can conquer the enemy, lust, by culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness under able guidance."
Thirty-nine: "Thus a man's pure consciousness is covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire (BG 3.39)."
Forty: "The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust, which veils the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him (BG 3.40)."
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is very important. "The senses, the mind, and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust." If somebody is lusty, and if one has to search out where that enemy, lust, is there, so Kṛṣṇa is giving you direct information, "Here is your enemy." Where? Senses, mind, intelligence—there is lust. So if you can understand, "Here is the enemy," and if you try to drive out the enemy, you take precaution.
Otherwise, you cannot avoid Kṛṣṇa.
Just like you cannot avoid government control. That is not possible. Either you are in jail life or you are in free life, you are always under government control. Similarly, either we remain in the material world or we remain in the spiritual world, we are controlled by Kṛṣṇa. There is no escape. You cannot do that. But if you remain controlled by the spiritual energy, by directly being controlled by Kṛṣṇa, not by His energy, or by His internal energy, then you will be happy. That is the ambition of persons who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
In England and other countries, they want to see that everyone is engaged in working. Then their factories and other things will go on. And if one is engaged in philosophy, jñāna, then the work will stop. So they do not like this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement anywhere. We are not liked.
They are under the impression that we'll make the people escaping. But that is not the fact. We are actually distributing knowledge. Jñānāgni-dagdha-karmāṇam. When one becomes actually on the platform of knowledge, then he does not work like an ass. But people want that people should work like ass. That is the difficulty. That is... There is a clash between our movement and others. They want to make all people to work hard like an ass, and we say that they... There is a difference of philosophy. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). We are preaching the, nāyaṁ deha nṛloke, in the human society, this is not meant for working so hard, like an ass, like a hog, simply for sense gratification.
Devotee: "Without God consciousness, one must be always seeking self-centered or extended selfish activities. But a Kṛṣṇa conscious person can do everything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa and thereby be perfectly detached from sense gratification. One who has no such realization, must mechanically try to escape material desires before being elevated to the top rung of the yoga ladder."
Prabhupāda: "Yoga ladder." Yoga ladder, it has been compared with a ladder. Just like steps in a big skyscraper house there are steps. So every step is a progress, that's a fact. So the whole stepladder may be called the yoga system. But one may be on the fifth step, another may be on the fiftieth step, another may be on the five hundredth step, and another may be on the top of the house. So although the whole ladder is called yoga system or stair case, but one who is on the fifth step, he cannot be equal with the person who is on the fiftieth step. Or one who is on the fiftieth step, he cannot be compared with the man who is on the five-hundredth step.
Devotee: "Consequently whenever a person tries to escape the clutches of the illusory energy, she tries to defeat the practitioner by various allurements. A conditioned soul is already allured by the modes of material energy and there is every chance of being allured again while performing such transcendental practice. This is called yogāc calita-mānasaḥ."
Prabhupāda: Calita-mānasaḥ. Calita-mānasaḥ means diverting the mind from the practice of yoga. Yogāc calita-mānasaḥ. Yogāt means from the practice of yoga and calita means diversion. Mānasaḥ means mind. Yogāc calita-mānasaḥ. So there is every chance. Everyone has got experience. You're trying to read some book, concentration, but mind is not allowing, it is disturbed. So it is very important factor to control the mind. That is the real practice.
Therefore it is a stage of forgetfulness. Instead of loving Kṛṣṇa, we have expanded our love for so many things. Somebody's loving his body. Somebody's loving his family. Somebody's loving his society, community, nation, or the human society. We are trying to... We must love. There is no escape. I must love somebody, because the propensity's there. So the original love is for Kṛṣṇa. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, therefore our love is distributed in so many ways. But we are frustrated. We, we are not happy. Neither the person whom we love or the country whom we love or the society which I love, they're also not happy. Because everything is misplaced. Everything is misplaced. Just like if you water on the top of the tree or every leaf, every branch, every twig, you cannot keep the tree very fresh. But if you water on the root of the tree, it keeps fresh, always.
So sometimes we become induced, but we should always remember that "I have taken this vow. Why shall I be induced by my friend to smoke?" That is very nice. But even if by mistake you do that, that can be excused, but not willfully: "Now nobody is seeing, Kṛṣṇa is not here. Let me smoke now." Not that. (laughter) Kṛṣṇa's eyes are everywhere. You cannot escape Kṛṣṇa's eyes.
So, in this way, this verse says that "Increase your attachment upon Me." That attachment can be..., the process is this, that first of all you must have full faith in Kṛṣṇa, or full faith in the words of spiritual master. That is the beginning. If you have no faith, there is no question of advancing. The advance, there is no question. Finished, then everything is finished. First thing is faith. Then, then we have to associate with persons who have faith, sādhu-saṅgaḥ. This, this is, our opening of different center means we are giving chance.
You are very busy. Yes, you should be busy always, twenty-four hours. For what purpose? Yajñārthe, not for your sense gratification. That is devotional life. Yajñārthe karma. Karma. We are not dull matter. We have got our flexible hands and legs to work. People think that "These Kṛṣṇa conscious men, Hare Kṛṣṇa people, they are escaping." What is that, escaping? We are not escaping. We are practically taking the real activities. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). Although people see that we do not work, we do not go to the factory, we do not to the mine, we do not go to the so many, so many things, or professional. We do not become lawyer, engineer. They say that we are escaping. No. You see we are always busy, twenty-four hours busy. I am old man of eighty years; still, I am busy. I am traveling all over the world, writing book at night, talking with visitors, and so many things. You can see. So where we are escaping? We are the most responsible worker. So the... What is the difference?
Otherwise you will be bound up in the cycle of birth and death. Don't do it.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching this education, that perform... You cannot escape it. You cannot say that "You are interested. You can do. We are not interested." If you are not interested, then you are living a very risky life because you have to change your body. Dehāntaram. You can see. There are examples of so many types of body. Now, suppose if you live at the risk of your life and next life you become a tree, stand up for five thousand years in the snow, scorching heat, scorching, blasting and so many disturbances, and you cannot move an inch, and people may cut down you, your leaves, your trunk, or you, they are cutting so many... What is that life? And if you think, "No, I am living for five thousand years," what is the use of living such five thousand years?
From morning at six o'clock till ten o'clock at night they're working hard. What is the purpose? To get some money and utilize it for sense gratification. This is animal life; this is not human life. But they are thinking that one who does not work so hard day and night for sense gratification, he is not doing. He is escaping. This is the...
But actually, they do not see that these devotees are engaged in working twenty-four hours but not for sense gratification like the hogs, but for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa consciousness man and ordinary man, karmī man. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that all these men, they are engaged. But the śāstra says, "No, no. You live with the minimum necessities. Don't increase your necessities unnecessarily." This is Vedic civilization. And the modern civilization is even increase your necessities—a machine for shaving your cheek.
We have got four deficiencies. We commit mistakes, we become illusioned... We commit mistake, everyone knows. I have several times talked that even a personality like Gandhi, he committed so many mistakes. So, so long you are conditioned by the material nature, you must commit mistake. There is no escape. Similarly, we are illusioned. Illusioned means we accept something for something. Just like you are accepting this body—"I am American," "I am Indian"—but I am neither American nor Indian; I am spirit soul. This is called illusion. Bhrama, pramāda, and vipralambha. Vipralambha means the propensity for cheating others. I do not know exactly what is the cause of life; still, I am theorizing in so many ways. And when I am challenged by other person that "Can you produce, with chemical, life?" "That I cannot say." Then why you are talking nonsense? This is cheating.
There is no other alternative. Kṛṣṇa-nāma karo bhāi āra saba mithyā. You understand Bengali? It says that "Just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Everything is false, all other means of making some... False." Why? Palāibe patha naya ya mache kichu.(?) "You cannot escape. Just death is waiting behind you." So before death overcomes you, you make a solution of the problem. That is intelligence, that "The greatest danger is awaiting me—death." That is sure. "As sure as death." Everyone knows.
Now, how we shall meet death? Like cats and dogs? Then what is the use of this human form of life? The cats and dogs, they have got body. They have also will meet death. And I have got body; I will also meet death. So am I meant for meeting death like cats and dogs? Then what kind of human being I am? No. The śāstra says that labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte.
That is calculated to be twelve hours of Brahmā. As you have got twelve hours from morning, six, to evening, six. So this duration of period in the Brahmaloka is forty-three and five zero into three zero. Just imagine. That is twelve hours. Similarly, another twelve hours-night, same period. So that becomes one complete twenty-four hours of Brahmā. Brahmaloka. And such one month, and such one year, and one hundred years duration of life is there. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). That is the duration of life there. You cannot calculate how long you can live there. But still, after so many years, millions and trillions of years' life, you'll have to die. Death is there. Death, you cannot... Unless you go into the spiritual planets, there is no escape from death.
Changing different material body is described here: mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Mṛtyu. Because with any body, material body, either cat's body, a dog's body or human being's body or demigod's body or even Brahmā's body, you have to die. There is no escape. Therefore it is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. And the, another path is, aprāpya mām, this mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani means you don't get Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says aprāpya, not getting mām, Me. Two alternatives. Either you get Kṛṣṇa and go back to home, back to Godhead, this is one path. And the other path that you remain in this material world and repeatedly get a body and die again, get again another body. This is going on. Repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. So Kṛṣṇa is, because He is our supreme father, supreme friend... suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām.
We are also sac-cid-ānanda, but at the present moment our vigrahaḥ, our body is different. This is, subjected to birth, death, old age, and disease. This we have to conquer; this is the problem. I don't want to die, why death is enforced upon me? That these rascals they have no brain. That I don't want to die. How I can escape death? Just like we are trying to escape disease. We don't want to be diseased. As soon as we become diseased, we go to a doctor, we take medical help. "Sir, cure my disease, cure my disease." Then why don't you go to a doctor who can give you relief from death? But they have no brain. The educational system is so rascaldom that there is no brain. All over the world. There is no institution where people are being taught how to conquer over death. There is no such institution.
If (indistinct) have infected some disease, you must suffer from it. There is no excuse. Even a child, if he touches the fire, the fire will not excuse. "Because it is a child, he does not know, therefore I shall not burn his finger." No. No excuse. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot escape the stringent laws of nature. That is not possible. If you are foolishly thinking that "I shall escape the punishment or reward of the prakṛti."
Actually so long we are within this material world, prakṛti-stha, there is no question of enjoyment. It is false enjoyment. Suppose you are well-situated after hard struggle. How long you will remain in that situation. At any moment he may be kicked out. That is your position. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). So real knowledge is must seriously think that "If I am eternal what shall I do with this temporary position?" I may stay here for fifty years or forty years or... Say a hundred years. Not hundred years, it is not possible.
Therefore she is equipped with so many weapons, ten kinds of weapons on ten hands. That means there are ten directions. The four corners, east, west, south, north, and the four corners, up and down. These are the ten directions. So you cannot escape. Just like from the jail you cannot escape, there is very strong guard, similarly, we are all put into this fort, durgā, material universe. So... And the deity, predominating deity, is Durgā-devī.
There are some people, they think, "By satisfying Durgā, we shall be happy." That is also mentioned in the śāstras, but that happiness is only within this material world. Dhanaṁ dehi rūpaṁ dehi rūpavatī-bhāryāṁ dehi yaśo dehi, dehi, dehi. After worshiping Goddess Durgā, we ask all these benedictions: "Give me money, give me beautiful wife, give me reputation, give me strength, give me victory." Durgā-devī gives you. But that is not actual happiness.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Āruhya kṛcchreṇa. Kṛcchreṇa means with great difficulty. The philosophers, they try to understand the Absolute Truth by mental speculation. But simply by mental speculation you cannot stay in that understanding. Or, in other words, by theoretical knowledge you cannot escape. It must be practiced. Practiced.
So in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are putting the candidate into practice. Without practice, simply knowledge is no good. That is... Simply foolishly to become puffed up that "I am now liberated," no. That is not liberation. That is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam elsewhere. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Vimukta-māninaḥ. They're thinking that they have become liberated. Just like the Māyāvāda sannyāsīs, they address amongst themselves as "Nārāyaṇa." That means everyone has become Nārāyaṇa. The modern increase of incarnation of God means this Māyāvāda philosophy.
Pradyumna: "Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the natural commentary on this cream. Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī was a thoroughly realized master of the Vedānta-sūtra, and consequently he also personally realized the commentary, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And just to show his boundless mercy upon bewildered materialistic men who want to cross completely over nescience, he recited for the first time this confidential knowledge. There is no point in arguing that a materialistic man can be happy. No materialistic creature, be he the great Brahmā or an insignificant ant, can be happy. Everyone tries to make a permanent plan for happiness, but everyone is baffled by the laws of material nature. Therefore the materialistic world is called the darkest region of God's creation. Yet the unhappy materialists can get out of it simply by desiring to get out. Unfortunately they are so foolish that they do not want to escape."
Prabhupāda: They do not know that there is escape. They think this is all. This is their education. They have no knowledge. Although they are suffering in every step, they are making plan in their own way within this material world. Just like the UNESCO and so many others, all nation attempts are there.
Pradyumna: "Therefore they are compared to the camel who relishes thorny twigs because he likes the taste of the twigs mixed with blood. He does not realize that it is his own blood and that his tongue is being cut by the thorns. Similarly, to the materialist his own blood is as sweet as honey. And although he is always harassed by his own material creations, he does not wish to escape. Such materialists are called karmīs. Only a few may feel tired of material engagement and desire to get out of the labyrinth. Such intelligent persons..."
Prabhupāda: Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). After many, many births they come to realize that "This is not the way of solution. I must take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead."
Sad-asad—good and bad, first-class and third-class. Sad-asad-janma-yonisu. Species of life, they are getting. The reason is, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Because he's associating with different modes of nature. There are three modes of nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance. So if you associate with goodness, you get one type of body. If you associate with passion, you get another type of body. If you associate with ignorance, you get another type of body. This is law of nature and the witness is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So there is exactly everything in order. You cannot escape that. Divī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It is not possible to escape. This is karmavāda. But this karmavāda, just like one man is sentenced by the law to be hanged, nobody can save him, but still there is King's mercy, he can save you.
The animals are kept in the room for being slaughtered. They do not know. They are eating grass and very happy. Not happy. Some of them know that "We are going to be killed." They cry. But there is no escape. What can be done? But human life is not like animals. They must know that "We are in threefold miserable condition of life, adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. And we do not want these all miserable condition. We want to be happy. We want to be peaceful. How to do it?"
He thinks it is śānti. But it is not śānti, because to get that money he has to undergo so much aśānti. But because they are flatterers, they, the modern civilization, they want śānti, and if somebody is chanting or is engaged in bhakti-yoga, they do not like it. They say, "They're escaping."
So actual śānti, if anyone wants śānti, as it is described in the previous verse, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). You can execute any type of religious system. It does not matter. But if it is leading you to the ultimate goal of life, bhakti, then you are successful. Why? The next verse says, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7). Bhakti-yoga, the Adhokṣaja. In the previous verse it has been explained: adhokṣaja. And who is that Adhokṣaja? Adhokṣaja means "that you cannot realize by your sense perception." He's called Adhokṣaja.
So why you are so much busy for fulfilling the belly with a little two cāpāṭis? If the elephant can get so much food at a time, can I not get two, two cāpāṭis or four cāpāṭis? I can get also. But there is no confidence. He's thinking that "Unless I work very, very hard, I cannot live." The more a man is civilized, he's thinking like that. They accuse us, these Kṛṣṇa conscious people, that "They are escaping. They do not want to work." Not only us. Anyone... That is the allegation against the sādhus, that they are parasites, dependent on the society, eating at the cost of others. So many accusations. But actually, that is not the fact. Kṛṣṇa has provided food for everyone. Just like these birds. They're living very peacefully in this tree, and they have no problem. The monkeys... Who is going to give? Anyone, as soon as he sees a monkey, he drives: "Get out. Get out. Get out." But still they are living. They are eating.
You cannot get... Here are the process, process is given: tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma... (SB 1.2.19). Tadā means when you are fixed up in devotional service, then you can get out of these infections. These are infections. In... It is so dangerous infection. Infection, anyone can understand nowadays, scientific days. If you infect some disease, you have to suffer. You cannot escape. You infect today somehow or other. Not today, not tomorrow, but some day it will come out. It is called kūṭastha, phalonmukha, prārabdha, pāpa-bīja. Pāpa-bīja, remains as seed, kūṭastha. Then it is fructifying, phalonmukha. Then you suffer, prārabdha. This is called prārabdha-karma, infection.
You are under the complete subjugation of nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). These guṇaiḥ. The prakṛti is forcing you to work because you have infected a kind of guṇa. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu (BG 13.22). Kāraṇam.
When the Japanese people dared to attack your Pearl Harbor, at that time, your President was Mr. Truman. So it was not to be used, but he took little more precaution. Anyway, such weapon, deadly weapon, should not be used ordinarily. Therefore here it is said that prāṇa-kṛcchra upasthite. He knew that Arjuna was after him, and there is no escape. He would be killed. So whatever last resort he knew, he used that knowledge to throw brahmāstra so that the other party may be killed altogether. But ajānann api saṁhāram. He was not willing, but he did not know how to withdraw that. Formerly they used to know it. They could throw one brahmāstra, and if he likes he can withdraw. Or the other party he, can nullify it. This is warfare. But he did not know that. How to counteract it, he did not know that.
Even if you are animal, you have to catch up an animal. Then you'll be able to eat. Otherwise you'll have to starve. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, niyataṁ kuru karma tvaṁ karma jyāyo hy akarmaṇaḥ. "You must do your duty." Śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. Don't think... The rascal says that "Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching people to escape. They've become..." No, that is not Kṛṣṇa's instruction. We do not allow any lazy man. He must be engaged. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is Kṛṣṇa's order. Niyataṁ kuru karma. Arjuna was refusing to fight. He was trying to be nonviolent gentleman. Kṛṣṇa did not allow him. "No, no, you cannot do that. That is your weakness." Kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam: "You are proving yourself rascal. It is anārya-juṣṭam. This kind of proposal is for the anārya, uncivilized man. Don't do that."
And this yearly, we live, we human being, we live for a hundred years, and the demigods, they live for ten thousands of years. But wherever you live, either as insect or as demigod, there is no rescue from the process of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That you cannot escape. Either you become a small insect or you become as powerful as Lord Brahmā, you have to die. There is no escape. Brahmā, he has the greatest amount of years to live. His life is... We have calculation in the Bhagavad-gītā, that sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Sahasra-yuga. One yuga means forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand. That is the one daytime duration of Brahmā. Ahar rātri means morning to evening. Morning to evening, that is sahasra-yuga, one thousand times of forty-three lakhs of years. Similarly night. Then day and night becomes one day.
Why? Now pramatta, he is also crazy. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And why he is taking risk of being punished? Suppose one man is stealing. He'll be punished. Either by the law of the state or by the laws of nature or God, he'll be punished. He can escape the laws of the state, but he cannot escape the laws of nature or God. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). It is not possible. Just like the laws of nature. If you infect some disease, so you'll have to be punished. You'll suffer from that disease. That is punishment. You cannot escape. Similarly, anything you do, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). If you live like a cat and dog, that is infection, guṇa, the modes of ignorance. Then your next life you become a dog. You must be punished. This is law of nature.
In the śāstra it is said that one who is a criminal, he should be killed. Therefore in every country, up to date, a murderer is killed, is hanged. That is good for him. If a murderer is killed in this life, punished by the state, government, then his sinful activities and the resultant action is also finished. He's giving his own life. Otherwise, if he escapes, in next life he'll suffer so many troubles. That is, I think they have described in the previous verse. Tad-vadhas tasya hi śreyaḥ. In the verse number 37 it is explained by Kṛṣṇa that to kill this person, it is for his good. Because he has done so many criminal activities, so by killing him he'll be saved from serious types of sufferings in the next life. Śreya. Tad-vadhas tasya hi śreyo yad-doṣād yāty adhaḥ pumān. Prāyaścitta, it is called prāyaścitta. Prāyaścitta, in the śāstras prāyaścitta is described. In every religion there is prāyaścitta, atonement. In Christian religion the prāyaścitta is also advised. The sinner has to admit that he has committed sin, then he is excused by Christ or God.
Even, even a big ship, it is also not very fixed up position. At any moment there may be tumultuous waves. So in this material world you should always expect danger. You cannot expect very peaceful life within this material world. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). Śāstra says in every step there is danger. But if you become a devotee, then you escape. Māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Otherwise...
So in the beginning, if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there will be so many disturbances by the māyā. Māyā will test you how far you are fixed up. She will test you. She is also agent of Kṛṣṇa. She does not allow anyone who is meant for disturbing Kṛṣṇa. Therefore she tests very rigidly whether you are..., you have taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness to disturb Kṛṣṇa, or you are actually serious. That is māyā's business. So there will be in the beginning test by māyā, and you will feel so much disturbances in making progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Therefore he was very angry. These are politics. So although they knew that "This is the plan of my uncle to send into that house and set fire," but they agreed, "Yes," not disobedient to the order of the superior. In this way the house was set into fire, but they digged a subway within that house, and they escaped.
So that is one incidence. Another incidence is giving them poison cakes when they were at home. That also they escaped. Then puruṣāda-darśanāt. They met one Hiḍimba Rākṣasa, man-eater demon. So Bhīma fought with him and killed him. Similarly, asat-sabhāyāḥ, in the assembly of asat... Asat means those who are not gentle, not gentlemen. In the sabhā, in the assembly, there was Dhṛtarāṣṭra, there was Bhīṣmadeva, Droṇācārya, all elderly persons, and there was trick of playing chess. So somehow or other, Draupadī was taken as bet: "If we lose, then Draupadī is no longer our wife. It is up to you." So lost the game.
"My dear boys, for some days you can live in that house. That is very nice." So Vidura gave him hint, so, that "You are being sent there. Be careful for being killed. The house will be set fire." So Vidura was very favorable to the Pāṇḍavas. So they made a subway in that house, and when the house was set fire, they escaped through the subway. In this way, it is said, viṣān mahāgneḥ, set fire in shellac house... Just like nowadays this, what is called, plastic. It gets set fire very soon. Then puruṣāda, they took shelter in a house where there was a rākṣasa, cannibal. He was disturbing the whole village. So the settlement was that every day one family should hand over one man to him for eating, then he will not create disturbance. So the Pāṇḍavas were taking shelter in a house after escaping from the fire, and the... One day the turn came to that family that they would have to hand over one member of the family to that cannibal. So the Pāṇḍavas were present.
That they do not know. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). When there is nice building, nice comfortable life, they do anything sinful without knowing that "I am not going to be escaped by these sinful activities. I will have to suffer for this. As I am enjoying now material comforts due to my some pious activities in the past, similarly, if I commit sinful life, then I'll have to suffer next life." That they do not know.
Therefore it is always dangerous. To enjoy in this material life is dangerous because you are creating next life very, very abominable. That... The only escape is... That will be explained by Kuntīdevī in the next verse, that they were in danger, but they were simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, we have no other shelter."
Similarly, Durgā is the superintendent of police of this universe. Durgā. Durgā means the fort, durgā. Ga means going, and dur means difficulty.
So where you cannot go unless you accept so many difficulties, that is called durgā, or fort. So this universe, material world, is just like a durgā. You cannot escape. Conditioned souls, you cannot escape. It is very difficult. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī duratyayā (BG 7.14). There are rules and regulations. Just like immigration department, security department-same thing. These are simply reflection of the original function of the supreme government. So this is... Just like prison house. You cannot escape so easily. If you try to escape, then you'll be again punished. So the bhīḥ, the superintendent of police... The original superintendent is Durgā. Durgā means the protector of this durgā, where you cannot escape. So she is also servant of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is said, bhīr api yad bibheti (SB 1.8.31).
Although he was very cautious that these five arrows may not be missing, but promise is promise. Immediately he delivered. So Bhīṣma understood later on that the five arrows were taken by Arjuna by trick. So still, he promised that "Even without those five weapons, today I shall kill Arjuna. Unless Kṛṣṇa gives His special protection to Arjuna, there is no escape. Either Kṛṣṇa has to break His promise, otherwise His friend will be killed."
So Kṛṣṇa, when He joined Arjuna, He said that He would not fight: "I can help you simply by becoming your charioteer, but I cannot fight." Because the purpose was that Arjuna was to gain the fight. But if Kṛṣṇa would fight, people would say that Kṛṣṇa won the fight, not Arjuna; that He avoided fighting. It was sure. Kṛṣṇa fights or not fights, because He was on the side of Arjuna, it was sure that He would gain the battle. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yatra yogeśvaro hariḥ (BG 18.78). Where there is Kṛṣṇa, the victory is assured.
If they think of that there is another life and there is punishment and reward, according to our karma, then their life is very horrible. So just like the animals, poor animal, sometimes facing enemy, close the eyes, as if there is no enemy, so they do like that, close the eyes. Children, when there is danger, they close the eyes. They have no other means to escape. So these people, they close the eyes. "There is no life after death." Otherwise they cannot accommodate.
But there is life after death. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. There is life after death, simply change of body. Now, there are so many bodies, 8,400,000's of bodies. I can become next life a fly, according to my karma. Or I can become next life Brahmā. That is also according to karma. But there are varieties of life. So the so-called scientists, they do not know what is life after death, how it happens, how it is going on. This is a great science.
In future it will be successful." Why not experimental knowledge now? If you say that life is generated from matter... You are writing so many books and getting Nobel Prize. Why not by experimental knowledge prove that "Here are some matters and chemicals and here is life"? That they say, "We are trying." This is their escape. But actually, science means two things: observation and experiment. If you do not experiment practically in the laboratory, simply observation is not sufficient. That is not science. That is theory.
Anyway, this experimental knowledge is not very helpful in the matter of understanding the Supreme. Experimental knowledge there is, but not by these blunt senses. When the senses are purified, then that experimental knowledge, that means spiritual experimental knowledge, that is perfect.
If somebody says, just like state is neutral to religion, if somebody says, "My religion is to cut throat," the state will allow, "Go on with your religion. Yes, it is your religion"? Will the state allow? No.
Similarly, we cannot create religion. We cannot create religion, "This is my religion." Then everyone will escape(?) in the name of religion. Because you have created so many rascaldom as religion, therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya: (BG 18.66) "You rascal, you give up all these religion. Real religion is surrender to Me." This is religion. Otherwise why Kṛṣṇa says, "Give up all religion"? Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), He says in the beginning. Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. "I come, I descend just to reestablish the principle of religion." Does it mean that He came to support Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion? No. He came to reestablish religion. People do not know what is that religion. They have created their own religion.
Pradyumna: Translation: "O Sūta Gosvāmī, there are those amongst men who desire freedom from death and get eternal life. They escape the slaughtering process by calling the controller of death, Yamarāja." (SB 1.16.7)
Prabhupāda: Kṣudrāyuṣāṁ nṛṇām. Kṣudra, means very small, āyuṣām, duration of life. As we can compare that an ant's life or a germ's life... They are also living entities. Their duration of life is very small. There are many flies, they take their birth at night, in the evening, and the whole night they are busy, the same way: eating, sleeping, begetting children and being afraid of. All the qualities are there. In India we have got experience. They are called diwali germs or insects. In the evening before the light—one, two, three—in this way, by midnight, it increases to thousands and millions. And in the morning, at the end of the night, you will find heaps of insects or dead body. Heaps. Millions.
Woman is meant for that. And now the problem is the mother doesn't want children. You see? And to avoid children, they are killing. Regularly they are killing. So what is the use of this civilization? Because you are becoming implicated in sinful activities, and therefore you'll have to be punished. You cannot escape the punishment of God as you can escape the punishment of the state. No. You have no right to kill even an ant without any purpose, without any sanction. So they do not know.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, bharam udvahato vimūḍhān. Prahlāda Mahārāja, great devotee, so he was offered by Nṛsiṁha-deva benediction, "My dear Prahlāda, you have suffered so much for Me from your father's side. He has chastised you in so many ways because you are My devotee. Now your father is killed. That is finished. Now you take whatever benediction you want from Me."
Because how far he's advanced? Because he goes to the forest and he'll think of woman and money, what is the use? By his action, it will be proved. The same way, taking rest, sleeping, and doing everything whimsically. So Kṛṣṇa knows everything. How can you cheat Kṛṣṇa, by so-called forest-going? Because your enemy, your senses have gone with you. So how you can get out by going to the forest? Because your real enemies are your senses. So the enemies, you cannot escape. They'll force you again to these material activities. So what is the use of going to the forest? It is simply show, make show. It has no value. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Therefore there is no need of the material body. That is a different world. But in this material world we have to work. Tṛtīyā-karma-samjñaṇya avidyā-karma-samjñānya tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. This material world means you have to work and adjust things for your maintenance. That you cannot escape. But still, we have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.
So things are to be adjusted as it is prescribed by great authorities. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta you'll find the regulative principles. That is called Vaiṣṇava-smṛti. So here we cannot live without working, and still we have to become always Kṛṣṇa conscious. This art, to understand and to practice, is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then in spite of my being engaged in so many so-called material things Because a devotee has nothing to do with material things. Even if he works for maintenance of the body, that is not material.
Because karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1), your next body will be offered to you. Therefore the atheist class man (indistinct). That is next life. Because his life is sinful he'll get his next life, he'll be punished. He'll be put into abominable condition of life. He does not like to think like that, but that does not mean that he escapes. There is a Bengali proverb that (Bengali). One body, one person, he thought that "I've done so much sinful activity that Yamarāja will come and capture me and punish me. So what is the way to avoid?" So he thought that "Let me smear over my body stool so he'll not touch me." (laughing)
So that is not possible, sir. You are under the control of māyā, material nature. You try to avoid it somehow or other, but it is not possible. It is not possible. According to the infection... Just like if you have infected some disease, artificial means will not save you. You must develop that disease and must suffer.
Devotional service is nirguṇa. All other services or activities... We are rendering service. Either you are rendering service in office, or to your family, or to your cat, or to your dog, or to your government, or to your society—you must be giving some service. There is no escape. But that is saguṇa service, under these material laws. So you have to give nirguṇa service. If you give nirguṇa, then you become nirguṇa.
Sarva-loka-namaskṛtam. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is worshipable by the devotees. He is worshipable by the nondevotees also. But how the nondevotees are worship How Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by the nondevotees? They do not want to worship Kṛṣṇa. How he makes...? He doesn't want. That's all right. But nature will oblige him to worship. How he can escape the laws of nature? Kṛṣṇa will come before you as death, and you have to worship Him. Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). If you do not take advantage of worshiping Kṛṣṇa within your lifetime, Kṛṣṇa will come, just like Nṛsiṁha-deva came to Hiraṇyakaśipu: "You rascal, now do you think that you are independent? Do you think?" Immediately finished, within a second.
Therefore He is worshipable by everyone, devotee and nondevotee. The devotee take advantage of this life and worship Him, and the rascal, fools, demons, they are forced to worship Kṛṣṇa at the time of death. Therefore it is called sarva-loka-namaskṛtam. You have to worship Him. You cannot escape, you rascal. If you escape, then the time will come—He will take you, He'll take everything, all your possession, and the nature will give you the body of a dog. Just go on, barking, for so many years. This is the law of nature. You cannot stop it. It is not possible. You better take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and worship as sane man, as nice gentleman. Then your life is successful.
"Now, who is going to take so much trouble? I am going to die tomorrow."
So tomorrow not, say hundred years after, you will have to die. You cannot escape this. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You are very scientifically advanced. There is no doubt about it. But what about your death? Why you shall accept death? You are eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). "You do not die after the destruction of this body." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). These informations are there, but you are not considering that. We are going on to establish ourself very tightly in this material world, but Kṛṣṇa says that you will not be allowed to live. These things are to be considered. Therefore they have been described as pramattaḥ. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4).
That is the law. Just like one man is murdered. That murdering is committed by one man, but if has got many associates who has induced him, who has supplied him the weapon, or giving, so many assisted—all of them are arrested. This is the law. As we have got law here, here we can escape man-made laws, but you cannot escape God-made laws. That is not possible. Man-made laws sometimes we escape because everything made by man, that is insufficient, imperfect. So you can escape sometimes. That is not escaping. But you cannot escape God's law. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). God is situated within your heart. He's seeing everything and recording. Anumantā upadraṣṭā, you cannot escape.
Similarly, in this human form of life, if we do not come to this understanding sahasā vipaścit, that without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, I am simply taking poison, then his life is spoiled, gata-smṛtir vindati tatra tāpān. He will simply be put into miserable condition. That is the nature's way, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā dur... (BG 7.14). You cannot escape the stringent laws of material nature. You will go on suffering, suffering. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra vartmani (BG 9.3). You will suffer again and again this body and next body, next body. That is nature's way. But ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). These rascals, on account of false prestige, false knowledge, false education, he is thinking that I am independent, I can do what ever I like. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham (BG 3.27), we have to give up this, then vipaścit, sahasā vipaścit. Otherwise we have to continue the miserable condition of life. Gata-smṛtiḥ, because we have forgotten our real position.
As soon as you become rebellious to Kṛṣṇa, immediately māyā is there, just like as soon as you become rebellious the government laws, immediately you are under the police custody.
There are two things: government and the police. So you cannot escape. It is... When you think that "I can escape God's ruling. I can deny the existence of God," that is your foolishness. Mūḍhā. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). These rascals, they are not only sinful but also lowest of the mankind, who denies the existence of God, godless, the so-called, so many parties. They want to improve by becoming godless. Among the scientists it is a great sin to utter even the name of God. They will say, "Oh, you are talking of God. You are not scientist." Is it not? Yes. Scientist means you must be godless. This is going on. Therefore we are making so much propaganda against these rascal scientists.
You cannot change it. That is not possible. Only... Such law can be changed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). You cannot. That is not possible. Nobody can do it. If you have done something wrong, sinful, you must suffer. There is no escape. But He can do that. Just like if you are condemned by the law court to be hanged, nobody can change it. Even the judge who has given you the punishment, even if you appeal to him, "Sir, excuse me," no, he cannot excuse you by law. But if you file petition to the president or the king—that is called king's mercy—he can change. Similarly, whatever we are doing, we must enjoy or suffer. There is no question of enjoyment. When there is birth, death, old age and disease, where is enjoyment? There is no enjoyment. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This is a world of suffering. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. You cannot There is no question of enjoyment.
He is fit for being transferred to the spiritual world. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Punar janma... One who does not understand Kṛṣṇa, he will have to repeat birth after birth. Nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3). Unless you understand Kṛṣṇa—hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti—you cannot escape death, birth, death, old age and disease. It is not possible.
So if you want actually your life successful, you must try to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then your life is successful. And to understand Kṛṣṇa, no other method will help you. Kṛṣṇa said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Never said that "I can be understood by yogic process or by karma, by jñāna." The modern politicians, they stress on karma because they want to work hard like hogs and dog. They think karma-yoga... So karma-yoga is good, but karmīs are mūḍhas.
So anyone who can maintain like this himself, his children, with wife and eating, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam, then he is expert. And if he becomes a sannyāsī, brahmacārī, does not take part in these stereotyped activities, then he is useless, escaping from the world, escaping. They do not take the responsibility. But that is not the fact. If one can maintain himself as brahmacārī, he is escaping all the tribulations of this material world, escaping certainly, but he is escaping all the tribulations of the ma..., so much botheration. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham (SB 7.9.45). Kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham. Duḥkha-duḥkham, misery after misery. So kaṇḍūtivan manasijaṁ viṣaheta dhīraḥ. Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhajaḥ. So these dīna-cetasām, mahad-vicalanam... Those who are mahātmās, their, I mean to say, wandering here and there is to enlighten these poor-hearted gṛhi.
That means that three classes are always there, either you go to America, or hell or heaven—anywhere—because there are three guṇas: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Prakṛtijān guṇān. You cannot escape it. There is no question of becoming poor. In the Western countries the government arrangement is so nice. And still, voluntarily they will become poor. That is hippies. Because nature is working. Most of these hippies, they are coming from very respectable family, rich family. I have seen. In Beverly Hills when I was walking in the morning I saw nice boy, there is car, he is coming from a very nice house, but he's a hippie. I have seen it. Why he has become hippie? Prakṛtijān guṇān. He might have taken his birth in a very rich family, respectable family. Because the mode of nature is working, voluntarily he has become hippie. This is going on all over the world.
Nobody wanted, but there is fire, just to prove that you people, you have avoided jungle life but you cannot avoid dāvānala. This is the proof. You can make arrangement, very large arrangement for living comfortably, but you cannot escape dāvānala. That is not possible.
Therefore saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. The whole material world is blazing fire. Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. Now, this dāvānala... Just like in the forest, you cannot send your fire brigade. That is not possible. Neither you can go there to help the animals for extinguishing the fire by bucketful of waters. That is also not possible. Helpless. Similarly, this saṁsāra dāvānala, you cannot extinguish it. So how it will be extinguished? Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **.
Similarly, fire is created and the dry leaves of bamboo tree, they set in fire. Then, gradually, the whole forest is in blazing fire. And especially the snakes, they are the first sufferers. Because they remain on the ground and there are dry leaves and it takes fire very quickly, so they cannot fly away. Other animals, they can... Nobody can escape, but they can try because they can go fast. But the snake... Similarly, when there is catastrophe in the world, the persons like snakes, cruel, envious, they suffer first like a snake. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has said, sarpaḥ krūraḥ khalaḥ krūraḥ. There are two envious living entities, very dangerous. What are they? One is snake. And another? The man whose habit is like snake. Without any fault he will bite. Without any fault.
So just like we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So what is our fault? That we are trying to make men—no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating, no intoxication, and they take it otherwise. They take: "It is very dangerous."
So this education is lacking now. They are... Everyone is thinking that he's independent, he can do whatever he likes. That is not possible. Then you'll be punished. Nature's law is so strict, stringent. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot escape the stringent laws of nature. Little discrepancy... Suppose you can eat eight ounce. If you eat nine ounce, then you will have to starve for three days. There is no excuse. "Why you have eaten more than eight ounce?" The nature says... Just like we require salt in our foodstuff, everyone. But if the salt is little more, it is useless. And if the salt is little less, that is also useless. It must be exactly to the quantity. So nature's law is like that. People, if they simply study nature's law, he becomes a learned scholar. There is no need of going to school, college. But if he sees how nature is working... You can see this flower.
The other day I was explaining. Just like the state law is that if you commit a murder, if you kill your fellow man, then you have to atone that sinful activity by being killed, by offering your life. That's a fact. Everyone knows it. You cannot escape. If you have killed one man... Of course, not man; if you kill even an ant, you are responsible for that, what to speak of man. Because that distinction is imperfect because this is man-made law. Man-made law, they're taking consideration of the man being killed. Another, the killer, must be killed. Why not an animal? The animal also a living entity. The man is also living entity. So if you have law that if a man kills one man he must be killed, why not if a man kills an animal he should be killed also? What is the reason? This is man-made law, defective. But there cannot be defect in God-made laws.
Now, the brāhmaṇas, they are not going to produce food or other things. They are simply for knowledge, giving the best knowledge to the human society. There is a need of brāhmaṇa. Everyone śūdra, simply working hard and because they are accusing, "Oh, you people are escaping..." What is escaping? We are giving the best knowledge to the human society.
So it is specially mentioned, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). The vaiśyas, food production means produce food grains, agricultural. By agriculture, you can. So much land is vacant all over the world. They are producing coffee. I have seen in Africa. Vast land is engaged in producing coffee. No food grain. So this is the defect of the civilization. They do not know how to live. Will man die without drinking coffee? No. That is not the fact. But man will die if they have no real food, anna, food grains.
They cannot think of. How it can be stopped? They cannot think of. They're trying the different way—contraceptive method of killing the child. That is not how to stop this. No. Nature's law is so strong that if you kill the child in the womb then you'll be also killed. You'll be also killed. Tit for tat. There is no escape. "Life for life," just like in the law. You cannot do that. So this is very important things to understand. You are thinking very free but no, there is: prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Exactly. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). Just like if you contaminate some disease, you must suffer from it. That is natural law. You cannot avoid. There is no escape. So similarly, this spiritual life, this human life is a chance that you learn how to purify yourself. That is human life. And if you don't purify yourself, you remain impure without any endeavor, then what is the difference between you and cats and dogs? There's no difference.
So this is old custom. Once one girl becomes prostitute, she'll never be touched. Kṛṣṇa married sixteen thousand wives. Kṛṣṇa can do anything. That is another thing. So these sixteen thousand girls were kidnapped by that Bhaumāsura. So without finding any way how to escaped from this asura's hand, they appealed to Kṛṣṇa that "You save us. This is our position." So Kṛṣṇa is bhakta-vatsala. He came and released them and killed the Bhaumāsura and asked them, "Now you can go to your father's house." So they began to cry. Why? "Now our fathers will not accept us because we have been kidnapped." Just see. "We have been kidnapped. I have no right to go to the father. And we're not married also." "Then, what you want?" "You kindly marry us." "All right. Come on." (laughter) This is Kṛṣṇa. Yes. "You have no shelter. You're taking My shelter?
What is that? Yac-cakṣur eṣa, this is God's eyes. As soon as there is sunlight, you see everything. You cannot avoid His eyes. You think that "Nobody's here. Let me steal this." No. Immediately recorded. At night the moon is there. There are so many witnesses. And the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also witnessing within. So we cannot escape His witnessing. He's witnessing from inside, from outside. So how He's escape your sinful activities? No. That is not possible.
So immediately things are recorded and, at the time of death, just as in the previous verse, we studied, vikarṣato 'ntar hṛdayād. Antar hṛdayād, in the core of the heart the individual soul and the Supersoul is there, and Yamarāja will take, his order carriers will take the, not the heart, but the soul. The heart of the body, that is made of this material element, that will lie down here. But the soul may be taken by arrangement. This is very, very subtle arrangement, and these rascals, they do not know how things are going on.
The machine is so perfect that as you have infected this disease... This is practically we know. So all of a sudden one gets cholera. So the doctor says that you are very bilious, or cholera (indistinct). So nature's law is so perfect. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot escape. Suppose you can eat two ounce, and if you eat four ounce, then you have to starve three days. This is the law. "There's some very palatable dishes. Now eat, let me eat it to my satisfaction," and you'll overeat. No. The nature's law is that you have to starve for three days. Next eating will be after three days.
So this way nature's law is acting. And what is this nature's law? Nature's law means a system, a machine. Just like in this government there is system. You cannot violate. "Keep to the right!" "Stop here, red light!" You must have to stop. "I'm governor." "Never mind, you stop." This is law. You cannot say that "I am governor," "I am Mr. Ford" or "Mr. Rockefeller," "Why shall I stop my car?"
You must stop. So this is practical going on. How you can violate the nature's law? It is not possible. Nature's law is so strict, a little deviation will put you into suffering. This is going on. That is Yamarāja. And if you violate more and more and more, then you suffer more and more and more. This is the law. You cannot escape. So that is fixed up. But as there is some exceptional cases... Just like one has committed murder, so by law he must be hanged. By law. That is the general law everywhere, all over the world: life for life. So similarly, in the God's law there is no such thing that if you kill a human being you'll be killed, and if you kill an animal you won't be killed. That is imperfect law, man-made law. Therefore Jesus Christ said, "Thou shall not kill." No question of... They have modified, "This killing means murdering." Christ does not say. What is your proof that if you committed mistake, a mistake, instead of writing "Thou shall not commit murder," here is written, "Thou shall not kill," general.
So when Bhīṣmadeva saw that "Duryodhana is thinking that I am inclined to Arjuna, I am not fighting properly," so he said: "All right, tomorrow I shall finish Arjuna. Tomorrow I shall fight in such a way, either Arjuna has to die, or his friend who has promised not to fight, He has to fight. Otherwise there is no escape of Arjuna." So Duryodhana became very satisfied. And Bhīṣma was a great hero. He was not ordinary hero. He fought in such a way that Arjuna's chariot became broken and he became fainted and so on, so on. Then Kṛṣṇa saw that "My friend is going to die." So He became very angry. And He was coming with the chariot wheel to kill Bhīṣmadeva, and Bhīṣmadeva was piercing His body with arrows like anything. So Kṛṣṇa was feeling very satisfaction, because Bhīṣma is also great devotee. So when Kṛṣṇa came before Bhīṣmadeva, that "Now I shall kill you, you are doing too much," so he immediately left, means "That was my promise, that either You have to fight or Your friend will be killed."
Anywhere you go... We are in this room. Because it is daytime, the sunlight is there. Sūryaḥ agniḥ. Agniḥ means fire. We have to touch with fire in so many ways. The factories are working fire, the electric powerhouse, the electricity, the oven, the kitchen, fire. So agniḥ..., sūryaḥ agniḥ kham ākāśa, sky. Where you can escape sky? Within the room there is sky; outside, the sky; up, the sky; down, the sky. Everywhere is sky. Sūryaḥ agniḥ khaṁ marud, air. Where is no air? Every place there is air. Devaḥ. Devaḥ means the Supreme Lord. What is that devaḥ?
He said, I remember, that "Where is the evidence? The Hindus believe in the karma, but where is the evidence that I did it?"
The answer is here, that... We may not compare our inefficiency with the arrangement of the Supreme Lord. Now, God has kept so many witnesses. How you can escape? Here is a name, list of witness. Sūrya first of all—the sun. So how you can escape Sūrya's light? You cannot escape. So here is one witness. Then Agni, fire. Then Kham, the sky. Where there is no sky? Here we are sitting; there is sky. And there is light also. Then Marut, air. Deva. Who is deva? Demigods, yes. Then Soma. At night there is moon. Sandhya, evening or noon. Noon is also sandhya. Sandhya means junction. When the night is going away—the day is coming early in the morning—that is also sandhya. When midday, the forenoon is passing—the afternoon is beginning—that is also sandhya. Tri-sandhya.
Ahany ahani lokā gacchanti yama-mandiram. This ahani. Every day hundreds and thousands of living entities are dying. Śeṣaḥ sthitam icchanti kim aścaryam ataḥ param. Still, one who is not dead, he is thinking, "I'll not die. I'll remain." This is the wonderful thing, most wonderful thing. Everyone should be prepared for death. Death is inevitable. So diśaḥ, and ten directions: north, south, east, west, the four corners, eight, and up and down. They are ten directions. Where you'll go? Everywhere there is witness. You cannot escape. Kaṁ kuḥ svayam. What is kaṁ kuḥ?
Water and earth, yes. So how you can escape God's eyes? Sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat sarvato cakṣuḥ. Everywhere God's eyes are there. So you cannot escape. You are wanting witness? Here are so many witnesses. How you can hide your sinful activities? That is not possible. You can hide yourself from the material laws, that "The police has not seen me. Then I may escape." No. God's law you cannot do that. That is not possible. So we should remember it, that when we act sinfully, then there are so many witnesses, and we have to be punished. You cannot escape. Kaṁ kuḥ svayam. Svayam. These are so many gods, witnesses, and over and above them svayam, the Personality of Godhead in His Supersoul feature Supersoul means God is present in everyone's heart. Not only heart, He is everywhere present, even within the atom.
We have got some rays of the eyes, three feet. But, you see, from the 93,000,000 miles away he is seeing you. So brightly he is seeing. So you have to understand in that way. The śāstra says, "Here is the eyes." Another eye, another eye, one after another, one after another. How you will escape? That is not possible.
Therefore we must be very cautious and, I mean to say, with sense we must act, and if we act according to the direction of the śāstra, then our position is safe. Otherwise, we are risking life. Risking life means this human life, human life. The dog has got ear; we have got also ear. But a dog cannot understand śāstra; that is not possible. Or the elephant has got ear, very big ear. (laughter) Does it mean that he can hear more? No. This is rascaldom. One must be quite able to hear to understand śāstra. Therefore śāstra is meant for the human society.
One should endeavor in such a way that you do not take again birth in this material world. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Because as soon as you accept any material body, either the material body of Lord Brahmā or the material body of an ant, most inignificant, the trouble is there. You will have to suffer. You cannot escape it. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Irresponsibly, we, if we act, pramattaḥ, like madman, without following the sastric injunction... That is a madman. Just like a madman does not care for any instruction. He acts according to his own whim. That is described here: svaira-cāri. Svaira-cāri. Svaira-cāri means "I will act according to my whims. I don't care for any authority." That is called svaira-cāri. No. The laws are meant for human beings. Even on the street, as soon as you go out on the street, immediately the law is there: "Keep to the right. Keep to the left." And if you violate, immediately you'll be punished, immediately become criminal.
Nirveśam means... Suppose I have committed some sins. I must be arrested. Sometimes a great criminal voluntarily goes to the police and surrenders because he knows, "I will be arrested, and if I surrender immediately, my punishment may be lesser." So you cannot escape the punishment. So punishment... Suppose you have stolen something. You must be punished for six months' imprisonment. That is the law. If you have killed somebody, then you must be killed. You must be hanged. This is the law. So that is called nirviśeṣam, to counteract. If I have stolen some property, then I must suffer imprisonment. This is counteracting, prāyaścitta. If you have infected some disease, then you must suffer for some time from that disease. So akṛta-nirveśam: "So he has not neutralized his sinful activities."
If you don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Yamadūtas Then you'll be punished. You cannot avoid. You are completely dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme, and you are the servant. You have declined to serve Kṛṣṇa; therefore you must be punished. This is the nature's way. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī (BG 7.14). You cannot escape. You can not escape the mundane, man-made laws, but you cannot the God-made laws. That is not possible.
So Yamadūtas, they came to take him. Now the Viṣṇudūta... Evaṁ te bhagavad-dūtā. So Bhagavad-dūtā... Bhagavān is not alone, without any followers. In the Vaikuṇṭhaloka Bhagavān is there in His innumerable forms. There are innumerable Vaikuṇṭhalokas, and in each and every planet there is innumerable devotees. He is not alone. Advaitam acyutam anantam ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33).
So anyone who is not following the principles of religion, they are to be punished, because the human form of life is meant for executing religion. Not the animals.
So if we do not follow religious principle, then we are punishable. You cannot escape. Exactly if you do not follow the state laws, then you are punishable, criminal. Similarly the original law or original controller, the original king is Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). These rascals, those who manufacture religion, they do not know that religion can be given by Viṣṇu, and we have to satisfy Viṣṇu. Therefore there is varṇāśrama-dharma: four varṇas and four āśramas. The brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. This is the conception of human civilization, Aryan civilization. There are Aryans and non-Aryans. Aryan means who follow the varṇāśrama-dharma.
This is our actual distress, that we are obliged to take birth, death, disease, old age. So we are struggling against it. Nobody wants to become old man, especially in this winter season. It is very difficult for old men. So, but you have to accept jarā and vyādhi. Nobody can escape disease. Nobody can escape birth. Nobody can escape death. But struggle is going on. When you are diseased, there is a great struggle how to cure myself, go to the doctor, take good medicine and so on, so on. But we cannot check the diseased condition. Similarly, we cannot check our old age, cannot check our birth, death. Therefore here it is said, kuśalaḥ. Kuśalaḥ means if you actually want benefit, because this kind of struggling has not given you any benefit, but if you want actually benefit, kuśalaḥ, tato yateta, then you should endeavor for this. What is that? Ksemāya, for your ultimate benefit. And how long? Śarīraṁ puruṣaṁ yāvan na vipadyeta puṣkalam.
Who could give up such comforts? The attached householder is like a silkworm, which weaves a cocoon in which it becomes imprisoned, unable to get out. Simply for the satisfaction of two important senses—the genitals and the tongue—one is bound by material conditions. How can one escape?" Purport: In household affairs the first attraction is the beautiful and pleasing wife, who increases household attraction more and more. One enjoys his wife with two prominent sense organs, namely the tongue and the genitals. The wife speaks very sweetly. This is certainly an attraction. Then she prepares very palatable foods to satisfy the tongue, and when the tongue is satisfied one gains strength in the other sense organs, especially the genitals. Thus the wife gives pleasure in sexual intercourse. Household life means sex life (yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45)). This is encouraged by the tongue. Then there are children.
These laborers here, they have come. Whole day they are working. But if I say that "Why you are working so hard? Come here, live here, take little prasādam, and make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," nobody will come. Nobody will come. "No, no. I am very happy here." This is pa, pariśrama. They... Sometimes we are accused that we're escaping labor, we are parasites, we are dependent on the society. We are not dependent on the society; we are dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). Kṛṣṇa is supplying us this nice building, nice food, nice opportunity. Not only one—we have got hundreds of buildings like that, without any labor. We are not working like these laborers. Just see. I went to your country with forty rupees, and now I have got forty crores of worth, property. So I did not work like them. (laughs) Yes. The people are bringing money. Kṛṣṇa is sending money, daily one to five lakhs of rupees.
You have seen it. They are also mixing very intimately, again fighting, So either you take birds... Or dogs. They are famous for fighting. So this is going on: somebody very dear, somebody inimical and fighting between them. Sakala-yoniṣu dahyamānaḥ. You cannot get escape by avoiding one society and go to the other society. That is not possible. Thus fire of disagreement, enmity and friendship, it will go on, not only here, even in the heavenly planet. In the heavenly planet there is fight between the devas and asuras. The asuras are envious of the devas, and devas are also envious of the asuras. Everywhere. Even King Indra, he has got enemies although he's very opulent. We want to go to the heavenly planet for enjoying the opulence of that atmosphere, but there is also the same thing. (aside, coughing:) Water. So you cannot avoid it, Prahlāda Mahārāja says.
This is the conviction of a (person) perfectly convinced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The preacher who are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they must be convinced that without accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness, nobody has any means of escaping these stringent laws of material nature. It is everywhere stated. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. Unfortunately, the conditioned souls, although they are very, very much afflicted with the pressure of material nature, they have become callous. Every moment, every second, they are being controlled, and still they are thinking they can do anything and everything independently. So in this way they are suffering. But a learned, saintly person... Prahlāda Mahārāja, he thinks that "Without delivering these fallen souls, alone I am not prepared to go back to home, back to God." Naitān vihāya kṛpaṇān.
Even if you do not work hard, you will get that gain. Don't try for it. Better utilize the time for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is the injunction of śāstra. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (1.5.18). The people do not understand. They think that these young men are being induced to escape. No, it is not escape. This is the only path of liberation, āpavargya. To make the pavargas, pa, pha, ba, ba is vyartha, and bha... Bha means bhaya, fearfulness. In spite of working so hard, everyone is afraid: "What will happen next? What will happen next?" Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. This is the nature. And then, after working so hard, bringing out foam in the mouth, disappointment, then fearfuless—at last die, mrtyu, ma. Pa pha ba bha ma, these five, pavarga. In Sanskrit grammar there are vargas: ka-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga, like that, five vargas, the pa-varga. So this word is used generally in the Vedic literature, āpavarga. Dharmasya ca... Eh?
Just like nowadays this contraceptive, abortion, killing the child is going on, so the same man, again he is killed by the so-called father and mother. It will act. Karmaṇo 'anya... Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyātra karma-bandhana. Unless you act for satisfying Kṛṣṇa—you become bhadra—then whatever you'll do, there will be reaction. This is nature's law. You cannot escape. If you have killed an animal, then you must be killed by that animal. Māṁsa. Māṁsa means māṁ sa khadati. When I eat meat, māṁsa, it means, "This animal also will eat me again." This is māṁsa. Māṁ sa khadati. Is it all right?
Yes. This is, means, māṁsa. You cannot escape this. "Life for life." That is the law everywhere. If you have murdered somebody, you must be killed also. So you can escape the so-called state laws, but you cannot escape the laws of the material nature.
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
(aside:) Don't talk.
So we should not think independent. We must become bhadra. Then all auspicity will come. These two words, if you can understand... Prahlāda bhadra bhadraṁ te (SB 7.9.52). If you are not bhadra, then you will remain always abhadra, rākṣasa or asura. And here it is said, 'prīto haṁ te asurottamam: "You are the best of the asura family." Because Prahlāda was born of a father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, and the most ferocious asura, so he cannot escape the relationship with his father, with reference to his father.
So if we accept this principle, that "This is my nonsense activities, that I am trying to become very big in this material world, and that will not satisfy us..." Even Brahmā has no satisfaction. He is also full of anxiety. This material world is like that. You may be very, very, very, very, very big man, but anxiety you cannot escape. That is not possible. That is material world. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Samudvigna-dhiyām. Everyone in this material world, even this bird, a small bird, he is also always anxious that "So many people are here, and there is so many daṇḍas. They may not kill me." Therefore they're very cautious. As soon as you raise the daṇḍa, immediately they go away because anxiety is there. Or either in Brahma's life or ant's life, this is the material nature. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asat... Why? Asad-grahāt. Because you have accepted this material body, this means you have accepted anxiety.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Prabhupāda: You can arrange a light here. Yes.
Pradyumna: "...which had been deposited with a village banker and escaped from the prison of Hussain Shah. In this way, both brothers joined Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Rūpa Gosvāmī first met Lord Caitanya at Prayāga (Allahabad, India) on the Daśāśvamedha bathing ghāṭa of that holy city and on the Daśāśvamedha bathing ghāṭa of that holy city the Lord instructed him continually for ten days. The Lord particularly instructed Rūpa Gosvāmī on the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These teachings of Lord Caitanya to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda are narrated in our book Teachings of Lord Caitanya.
Pradyumna: (reading:) "...who was later to become Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, took advantage of his brother's personal money, which had been deposited with a village banker, and escaped from the prison of Hussain Shah. In this way, both brothers joined Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rūpa Gosvāmī first met Lord Caitanya at Prayāga (Allahabad, India), and on the Daśāśvamedha bathing ghāṭa of that holy city the Lord instructed him continually..."
Prabhupāda: Now sometimes it is questioned that Sanātana Gosvāmī paid the money in black market. Yes. Actually he paid. When the Hussain Shah, Nawab, imprisoned him, he was minister. The superintendent of jail, he was working under him. He was minister. So the Sanātana Gosvāmī requested him that "I had done so many times your benefit. So you do me one benefit.
So he was imprisoned. So he wanted to evacuate in the field. And the superintendent of jail was accompanying him. In this way, he fabricated story and he told that "When he was evacuating, immediately he jumped over the river and the river's waves were so strong, he was carried away. I could not find him." So in this way, Sanātana Gosvāmī escaped after bribing.
Now the question is whether this kind of black marketing, bribing, is required for spiritual life. And the answer is that everything is required, provided you can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. This is the principle. In, according to time, circumstances, the dealing... Just like Arjuna, we have, in the battlefield, there was fighting, and Kṛṣṇa is advising Yudhiṣṭhira that "You go and tell Dronācārya that your son, Aśvatthāmā, is dead." So Kṛṣṇa is advising to speak lie. And Yudhiṣṭhira hesitated: "How can I speak lie? I never spoke lie in my life." So the idea is that our dealings in the ordinary...
Take it, Kṛṣṇa, as He is. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the Supreme." Accept it, supreme. Actually He's supreme. Who can be bet..., more supreme than Kṛṣṇa? Prove it by śāstra, by history, by incidences, by action—everything. By votes also. If there are so many rascal Gods, but if you take vote, still in this age, the vote for Kṛṣṇa will be greater. Still. Although we are so fallen. So how we can escape Kṛṣṇa? And śāstra says, confirm, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). If you want the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvara means controller. So everyone is controller, but nobody's supreme controller. That is not possible. Even the so-called Gods, they also, when there is some toothache, they go to the doctor. They cannot control even toothache. So these kind of Gods will not help you. Take to Kṛṣṇa. Take to Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa says, the method: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65).
Therefore hard-working activities, they take it as pleasure. If some saintly persons do not work, he is engaged in devotional service or meditation or chanting. Sometimes devotional service or meditation or chanting, sometimes it is misunderstood that these people are escaping, because they take it very nice to work very hard. Unless you work very hard, they take it as a process of escaping: "They, they're escaping the social obligation and other obligations by taking to mendicant life and living at the cost of others." So many things. So they like it, to work very hard.
But our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is transferring that hard working to the business of Kṛṣṇa. That tendency for hard working may be utilized. Just like the Māyāvādī philosophers, they think that lust and anger, these are our enemies. Kāma-krodha-lobha-moha-mātsarya. But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that the kāma also can be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service. Kāmaṁ kṛṣṇa-karmārpane.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
When he wanted to resign, the Nawab become very angry because Nawab was depending on him for the ruling of the kingdom. He was free, but when Sanātana Gosvāmī proposed to retire, he became very much disturbed. A long history. So anyway, he escaped from the government service, and with great difficulty, he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was at Vārāṇasi, Benares.
So now, he's ācārya, Sanātana Gosvāmī, he's ācārya. Ācāryaṁ vijānīyān, māṁ vijānīyāt. Ācāryopāsanam. This is the recommendation of Vedic knowledge. One should worship the ācārya. So Sanātana Gosvāmī was made ācārya. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was made ācārya. Ācārya means one who knows the meaning of śāstra, personally behaves according to the śāstra and teaches his disciple accordingly. He is called ācārya.
That is false. One has to submit. In order to know the solution of life, we have to submit to the proper spiritual master. That is essential. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. This is Vedic injunction. This abhigacchet, this word is used when it is meant "must." There is no escape. We have seen big, big personalities... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu; He is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but He accepted Īśvara Purī as His guru. Kṛṣṇa, He also accepted His guru as Sāndīpani Muni. Lord Rāmacandra, He accepted His guru as Vasiṣṭha. So it is (not) necessary, Kṛṣṇa or Rāma. They are Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are the supreme instructor, full of knowledge, everything. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. There is nothing short, but still, to show us example, They accepted guru. That is essential. So here Sanātana Gosvāmī, he is also born in a very well-to-do brāhmaṇa family. He was well-situated as minister in charge of the government of Hussain Shah.
Why?" This is human life, to inquire why. Not to... The modern theory is struggle for existence. There are troubles, and you try to save yourself, and survival of the fittest. But nobody is fit, nobody survives. Nobody wants death, but we are talking of survival. Who can escape death? There is no possibility. So there are so many slogans, but actually there is no remedy. There is remedy, but we do not know. That is the defect of modern civilization. There is remedy. Otherwise why we are talking this śāstra? Why Sanātana Gosvāmī is putting this question? Just to get the solution from the spiritual master. Otherwise there was no need of putting these questions, that "What is my position? Why these threefold miseries always give me trouble? Why I die? Why I become old? Why I become diseased? Why I have to take birth?" They are simply struggle for existence, that here is a child, and the child-bearing is very troublesome, and if I give birth to a child... The mother is killing. This is going on. But that means she is implicating herself again in another way of life. This is going on.
Therefore, in spite of all evidences from the śāstras, they'll not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead. That's it. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja requested his father so many times, but still, he did not agree that there is God. (break) But he agreed there is God when he was killed by God. Yes. That you cannot escape. Then you'll see God: "Here is God." The asuras, they'll never accept God, but when they are killed by God, they understand that "Yes, there is God." That is the difference between asuras and devas. The devas, they accept God while living, and the asuras accept God by being killed. That's all. And who can escape killing? Is there any scientist, is there any philosopher, any great man who can stop being killed by the cruel death? Is there any man? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). "I am mṛtyu." Mṛtyu means death, which takes away everything at a time. Just like "I am very rich man," "I am very big industrialist," "I am prime minister," this, that, so many things. "I am in possession of all I survey. I am the master of my country and everything."
Festival Lectures
There are so many arrangement. But forest fire there is, a fact. And what is this forest fire? The forest fire... Nobody has got any interest to set fire in the forest, but it takes place automatically. And when the forest fire is there, all the animals within the forest, they become so much disturbed. They cannot escape. They die, especially the snakes. Because snakes are always envious, so they are first off to be burned into that forest fire. They cannot go very swiftly. Others, tigers and other beasts, they go away. But the snake, they crawl. They cannot get out. Mostly they burn. So this example is given to this materialistic life as forest fire because nobody wants any disturbance, but disturbance is created. Actually I am seeing. Since I have come to this part of the world in 1965, so many boys are chased by the government draft board. You see? They belong to the independent nation, and formerly they were independent. And what is this nonsense independence? You see? Simply nonsense.
"I shall not be killed by any man-made or any God-made weapons." That was given, "All right." So he was killed by the nails. In this way, all the benedictions were kept intact, still he was killed. Similarly, we may make plan, we may make very advancement in scientific knowledge, but the killing process of nature will be there. Nobody can escape. By our intelligence we cannot escape. The four principles of material existence means birth, death, old age and disease. We can manufacture many medicines, many weapons, many means, many methods, but you cannot escape these four principles of material existence, however great you may be. That was proved by Hiraṇyakaśipu. Hiraṇyakaśipu was one of the stalwart materialistic and he wanted to live forever, enjoy, but he also could not live. Everything was finished.
Initiation Lectures
That is the only remedy. Kṛṣṇa nāma kara āra saba miche (?). Simply take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All other things are simply illusion, false. Palaibe phat yei jo mache piche (?). You cannot escape. The death is awaiting always. You are given a chance. If you don't take, properly utilize use this chance, then another death is coming, and you are awaiting another type of body according to your karma. We are manufacturing our next body. This is our position. So this initiation means to enter into transcendental life. Why? Now, to make a solution, complete solution of this material existence. This is called illusion. Ādau gurvāśrayaṁ sad-dharma-prcchāt sādhu-mārganugamanam. You will read all these things in our book, the Nectar of Devotion, and Bhagavad-gītā also. You should read all these books and appear in the next year examination.
Why you are subjected to birth, death, old age, and disease? Because we are impure. Now if we purify our existence, then there will be no such thing as birth, death, old age, and disease. That is the version of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa Himself. Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, you become purified and you escape the contamination of birth, death, old age and disease. So try to convince the people in general, the philosophers, the religionists. We have no such thing, sectarian view. Anyone can join this movement and become purified himself. Janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra. So I am very much pleased. You have given already service to the society. Now you take up sannyāsa and preach all over the world so that people may be benefited.
General Lectures
So Brahma-saṁhitā gives us this information. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā. Savitā means the sun planet. Yac-cakṣur eṣa. This savitā, the sun, is considered to be the eyes, one of the eyes of the Lord. In His universal form the sun is considered to be one of the eyes of the Lord, and the moon is also another eye. Take it figuratively or universal form of the Lord, but you cannot escape the seeing power of Govinda. He is seeing always. There are so many witnesses according to Vedic literature. So we cannot do anything hiding from the eyes of the Lord. He is seeing. He is witness. And that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: upadraṣṭā anumantā. Upadraṣṭā. Upadraṣṭā means overseer. Overseer.
So every day we are drinking water. There is nobody here who does not drink water. So when you drink water and you feel satisfaction, that satisfaction is Kṛṣṇa. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ. Nobody can escape seeing the light of the sun, of the moon. Śaśi, śaśi means moon. Sūrya means sun. So Kṛṣṇa says, "That illumination is I am."
So there is so many list of understanding that God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So when one is fully cognizant of the energies of the Lord, how they are acting... And we have to practice. We take lesson from Bhagavad-gītā and we practice. You will be able to understand. Then after bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19), when you become mature, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti, "Oh, Vāsudeva is everything," then you surrender. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. That person, who has widened his soul in that way, he is very rare to be seen.
"The Western people are very happy because the country is very cold." But nobody is happy; that is a fact—neither the Westerners nor the Easterners—because all of them under the grip of māyā. That is a fact. So in this way you cannot escape the stringent laws of māyā, or material nature. That is impossible. That is said by Kṛṣṇa Himself. It is not my statement. Kṛṣṇa says, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot escape. Suppose you are escaping by some arrangement, by heating arrangement, by cooling arrangement. But that does not mean by that process you will escape the actual laws of material nature. Just like we have got cold storage. We keep fruits and other things in the cold storage. It looks that it is keeping fresh, but the decomposition method is not stopped there.
As soon as you take out from the cold storage, it is all rotten. So you cannot escape the actions or reactions of material nature by these methods. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). It is very difficult, duratyayā, most difficult task to get out of the, I mean to say, regulative principles of material nature. Then how it is possible? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: "Simply by surrendering unto Me one can do it."
So the idea is that... Just like one man is suffering from some disease. The doctor is giving, physician is giving, some medicine and some diet. So if we follow the directions of the physician and eat the diet prescribed by him, there is hope of curing the disease. This is one way. And another person who is suffering from disease but does not care for the physician's instruction or any medicine, he is going on. He is certainly destined to die. As you can understand, similarly, in this material world, both the devotees and nondevotees are there.
There is no other way. Hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti. We cannot get relief from these clutches of material world unless we surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa therefore says very clearly, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). That is the ultimate end of this Kṛṣṇa philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā. We have to ultimately surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is no escape. But those who are miscreants, those who are mūḍhas or narādhamas, they do not do it.
So you can train your children from the very beginning and make his life... That is the duty of father and mother. The Vedic injunction is: one should not become a father, one should not become a mother, unless they can help the child from the imminent danger of death. So who can save? Unless one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, nobody can escape the cycle of birth and death. Nobody can. This is the only process if you want to stop. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). After giving up this body, there is no more birth in the material world. You get immediately transferred to the spiritual world, and you get your eternal, blissful, knowledge life.
So this is the opportunity in human life. Kṛṣṇa is explaining, God is explaining Himself, and still if you remain dulls and fools and rascals, then it is our misfortune. That is explained narādhama. Narādhama. Narādhama cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Narādhama, lowest of the mankind. Narādhama. Nara means man and adhama means lowest. So those who are narādhama they will escape this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Otherwise anyone who is intelligent, intelligent after many, many birth's experience, he'll accept. So we can understand by this crucial test or test tube(?) what is what. So anyway, our business is you Western boys and girls, you have taken this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously. I'm very much thankful to you. So try to make the people uttama, although at the present moment they are narādhama, without understanding Kṛṣṇa. So these are not exaggeration. This is stated in the śāstra.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Yes. Certainly there is higher. That highness is within this material world. There are two stages, two platforms: transcendental platform and physical platform. That highness is physical. Just like Mahatma Gandhi. He was known as a very high-class man, but he was a materialist, that's all. By his pious activities he may be elevated materially. Just like if you act piously, giving charity, then next birth you get very nice opulent birth, you are born in a rich family, you get enough money. But that is not the solution of your conditional life. To take birth in this family does not mean he hasn't got to undergo the process of birth, the pains of birth, the pains of death. But real problem is that I want to stop these pains of birth, death, old age and disease. Hari me nana mitinatante (?). Without love of Kṛṣṇa, nobody can escape these material conditions of life.
Prabhupāda: Yes, therefore when one is killing an animal, he should be prepared for being killed. That will be justice. That is Manu's... Manu-saṁhitā says that when a man, murderer is hanged, that is complete justice, complete justice. That is to save him, because without being hanged in this life, he if he escapes justice, then he will have to suffer next life very severely. So to save him from so many troubles in the next life, if he is killed, I mean to say, hanged, in this life, then he is saved. Therefore the king who is hanging him is doing him justice. Life for life. If this is the justice, then why one should not be prepared of being killed because he is killing an animal? That is justice. That is Vedic philosophy. In Vedic philosophy, when an animal is killed, it is said that "You are animal, you are being sacrificed before goddess Kālī, so you get next chance to become a human being."
Prabhupāda: Christianity believes in the immortality of the soul?
Śyāmasundara: Yes. So for Christians, suicide is no answer to escape their sinning or their despair. So he says...
Prabhupāda: You have committed so many sinful activities, and simply by killing you are trying to escape. In that way you are committing another sin. You are committing another sin. Therefore these persons who commit suicide, they become ghosts.
Śyāmasundara: So he says that we must live as if at any moment we may die, so that at the last moment we must be fully absolved of all sins. We must be fully authentic at the last moment. So he says that we must live as if we were going to die at any moment.
Prabhupāda: That is not possible. If you don't practice, it is not possible to understand at the last moment.
Śyāmasundara: He says that suicide is no escape from evil because the will is indestructible and eternal.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is a fact. He is putting himself in more. By suicide he becomes a ghost. That is more troublesome. Yes. Because the body given by God, he is killing. So from this body he has to accept another body. So unless that point comes, he has to remain a ghost. No body. Suppose I have to live in this body eighty years. I'll make suicide. So up to five years I have to remain a ghost, no body. Then it may be chance to get another body. This is wrong. Killing of any body, because na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So one can put this argument, that the soul is everlasting, so what if the body is killed? But that's all right, body is killed, but you cannot kill the body to hamper its progress. One living entity is destined to live in a certain body. If you destroy that body, then he has to wait for the next body. That means you are interfering with his progress. Therefore you are sinful. Just like I am living in this apartment. If somebody by force drives me away, it is criminal.
Śyāmasundara: Yes. Oh, yes. Still more. He says that a man finds himself flung into the world, and he finds that he is a fact within this world. He cannot deny that he is here. And he is subject to the resultant mood of fear or dread that comes about when he discovers that there is no escape to being here. "I am here. There is no escape." So there is immediate anxiety always within the man, that "I am here." So...
Prabhupāda: So when one is under some condition, then there is (indistinct). So therefore, this material world, every one of us are living under conditions and everyone is anxious.
Śyāmasundara: Yes. He said that the basic mood of existence is anxiety.
Prabhupāda: No. But when you were in the womb of your mother, that's a fact. Now when you think of it you can understand how horrible condition was that. Therefore śāstra says that even if you have forgotten, it does not mean that you have escaped the incidents. It is that you are waiting for another painful situation like that.
Śyāmasundara: His idea is that many of our present unconscious wishes and conflicts have their origin in infantile or childhood experiences.
Prabhupāda: You are going to be again (indistinct). Why you forget Kṛṣṇa? After this life, you will be put in another womb of mother, so that the same thing will again happen. You are not finishing your business, so therefore it is the duty of guru and father and mother to save him from that situation again. Pitā na sa syāt, gurur na sa syāt, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. So that is the opportunity of this human life. They should know that I had such-and-such bad experience. (indistinct), I will also experience the same thing again at the time of death, horrible situation. Again after, again enter, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). You have to again take birth in the womb. The same situation is repeating. You may forget.
Prabhupāda: When one commits suicide, that is not in sane condition. He is crazy. In sane condition nobody commits suicide.
Śyāmasundara: He observed, for instance, when someone came up against a massive task, that sometimes they got sick in order to escape the task—these kinds of things. He investigated slips of the tongue and different accidents. He said that a lot of times they are caused by the self, the psychic.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is intention, not insanity.
Śyāmasundara: Another area of his investigation was the problem of anxiety. He says that the source of anxiety is the id, or the primitive instincts, which are always forcing us to do this and do that. In other words, desire. These impulses threaten to overpower the rational or the moral self. So there is always a tension or an anxiety produced.
Śyāmasundara: He says that we cannot escape this situation of freedom, that somehow or other we are therefore responsible for our activities. We cannot escape the situation of being free. Everyone is free to determine what is his future.
Prabhupāda: Then why do you speak of accident? If you are irresponsible, then why do you say accident? The two things cannot go. If he was responsible, he must be responsible to something else, who is condemning you or blessing you. How it can be accident? These are contradictions.
Śyāmasundara: This situation that we find ourselves in, choosing our future, everyone has to choose his future, what is the next step...
Prabhupāda: Then why do you say accident? First of all you withdraw the word accident, then you can talk all this.
Śyāmasundara: He said in the act of giving up, you don't find anything any better.
Prabhupāda: No. He does not find because he is blind, but we find. We take vision from superior person. So our vision is not blind.
Śyāmasundara: He says that we are trying to find the state of escaping contingency, or we are trying to reach an absolute state where we are not conditioned by anything. This is what we are striving for. But we will never be able to find that state.
Prabhupāda: If we are not conditioned, then how are we trying to reach the absolute state?
Śyāmasundara: He says that we are conditioned, but we are trying to be unconditioned. But we can never reach that state.
Hayagrīva: Uh huh. So Plotinus was not Christian, neither was Origen...
Prabhupāda: If you say Christian, you must follow the four..., ten commandments of Christ. If you don't follow, you make your own ways to escape, then you are no longer Christian. So you cannot talk.
Hayagrīva: But Augustine was one of the ones who maintained that animals do not have souls.
Prabhupāda: Therefore he is a rascal.
Hayagrīva: Yes.
Prabhupāda: He is a rascal.
Hayagrīva: And this was accepted...
Prabhupāda: It may be that you know something about God. Then you have to admit that you do not know everything about God. So their knowledge is imperfect. Our point is that we know everything of God from God. So that knowledge is perfect. As Kṛṣṇa said in the Seventh Chapter, that mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. "If you concentrate your mind on your attachment to Me, and if you execute yoga meditation, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you understand Me fully and without any doubt." So instead of speculating in God, if we simply think of God, that will help us. To escape from darkness, if you speculate about the sun by some suggestion, by some concoction, this is one kind of knowledge. But if you actually come out of the darkness and see the sun, then it is complete (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hayagrīva: He says..., but he says, "This attempt to escape from evil has ended in flight from the battlefield." He doesn't advocate this for an Englishman. In a typically British manner he quotes Alfred Lord Tennyson. He says, "We are grown men and must play the man strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield."
Prabhupāda: Rascal, at last you die. (laughter) You do not like to yield, but the nature kicks on your face and says you must die. That he does not like.
Hayagrīva: Well, at any rate he's dead now, so...
| Page Title: | Escape (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 25 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=122, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 122 |