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Flood (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.4-5 -- London, July 10, 1973:

Daiva-bhūtātma-hetavaḥ. These are all described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Daiva means controlled by the higher demigods. Just like famine or earthquake. This is not under your control. At any time the earthquake, there may be. There may be famine. There may be pestilence. There may be natural disturbance, flood. This is called daiva, controlled by higher demigods. Just like Indra wanted to overflood Vṛndāvana being angry upon the residents of the... Kṛṣṇa saved, Giridhārī. He became Giridhārī. So these disturbances are there. Adhyātmika, adhibhautika. But the king or the dictator should be so perfect and he will guide the citizens in such a way that they will not feel all these disturbances. That kind of dictatorship wanted. He will direct in such a way that even this natural adhyātmika, adhibhautika... Adhibhautika means "You are envious of me, I am envious of you." So there is always cold war, struggle. This should be stopped. There should not be unnatural heat or unnatural cold, excessive heat.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

Somebody has called me something. So I am suffering. Or I have lost something or some friend, so many things. So sufferings of the body and mind, and then sufferings by the nature, nature. This is called adhidaivika, which we have to control. In every suffering we have no control, especially... Suppose there is heavy snowfall. The whole New York City is flooded with the snow, and we are all put into inconvenience. That's a sort of suffering. But you have no control. You cannot stop snow falling. You see? If some, some, there is wind, cold wind, you cannot stop it. This is called adhidaivika suffering. And the suffering of the mind and suffering of the body is called adhyātmika. And there is other sufferings, adhibhautika, attack by other living beings, my enemy, some animal or some worm, so many. So these three kinds of sufferings are there always. Always. And... But we do not want all these sufferings. When this question comes... Now here Arjuna is conscious that "There is a fight, and it is my duty to fight with the enemy, but there is suffering because they are my kinsmen." So he's feeling that.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

So one who is situated in this pure consciousness platform, his symptoms will be like this, that duḥkheṣv anudvigna-manāḥ: "He is not disturbed by all these three kinds of miseries," miseries pertaining to the body and the mind, miseries due to other living entities, and miseries due to the natural disturbances, natural disturbance. Now, nature's disturbance: all of a sudden, there is flood; all of a sudden, there is heavy snowfall; all of a sudden, there is famine; all of a sudden, there is so many things which we have no control. We have no control. This is called supernatural disturbances. And disturbances offered by other living entities. We are living in the society with many other living entities, both man and animal, and there is possibility of miseries due to other living entities' behavior upon me. And besides that, due to my this bodily construction, either I have some mental agony or some bodily agony, or so many things.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

So prakṛti will work very nicely provided you are also nice, Kṛṣṇa conscious. If you are not nice, then daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). "My māyā, My prakṛti, My energy, is very strong, duratyayā." These rascals, they are trying to control this flood, government. So much money they have wasted, but still in this quarter there are havoc. Therefore daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot control the nature's way. That is not possible.

How nature can be controlled? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). This is the law of nature. If you become disobedient to God, then prakṛti or nature will give you trouble in so many ways. And as soon as you become submissive, surrender to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there will be no more natural disturbances. I have heard in 1900, 1898—I was born in 1896—so I have heard, I have seen also, I remember, in Calcutta there was a very virulent type of plague epidemic in 1898. So Calcutta became devastated. All people practically left Calcutta.

Lecture on SB 1.10.14 -- Mayapura, June 27, 1973:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

nyarundhann udgalad bāṣpam
autkaṇṭhyād devakī-sute
5niryāty agārān no 'bhadram
iti syād bāndhava-striyaḥ
(SB 1.10.14)

Translation: "The female relatives, whose eyes were flooded with tears out of anxiety for Kṛṣṇa, came out of the palace. They could only stop their tears with great difficulty. They feared that tears would cause misfortune at the time of departure."

Prabhupāda:

nyarundhann udgalad bāṣpam
autkaṇṭhyād devakī-sute
niryāty agārān no 'bhadram
iti syād bāndhava-striyaḥ
(SB 1.10.14)

You can practice this diacritic mark. English transliteration is there. It is not very difficult. Simply if you practice twice, thrice, four times, it will come exactly, the pronunciation. You have to learn the diacritic marks. Then it will be all right. Word meaning. (Pradyumna leads chanting)

Lecture on SB 1.15.38 -- Los Angeles, December 16, 1973:

Therefore it is called leader, leader.

So you have read in Bhāgavatam about the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, how perfect it was. That at that time the cows were supplying so much milk, the bag was packed with milk, that where the cows were moving milk was dropping, and the pasture ground became muddy with milk, so much milk was being supplied. And it is said, sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. And exactly in right time, the right quantity of rainfall was there. Not like nowadays, sometimes there is no rain and there is sometimes excessive rain, flood. What the scientist can do? They cannot check. These regulative principles depend on nature. And nature is being conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on SB 3.25.42 -- Bombay, December 10, 1974:

Devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they are acting always in love for Kṛṣṇa. So Nanda Mahārāja changed his idea of worshiping Indra. Rather, on the contrary, all the ingredients he collected, he worshiped the Govardhana Hill and stopped Indra-yajña. So Indra became very much angry, and he sent the vicious cloud, and whole Vṛndāvana was inundated by flood. And Kṛṣṇa showed that "Your power is not even competent to compare with the finger of My hand." Therefore He lifted the Govardhana Hill with the finger of His left hand and saved all the people of Vṛndāvana. Then Indra came to worship Him. These things are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:

Who is supplying them food? Kṛṣṇa is supplying. So there is no question of overpopulation. Overpopulation, there is no question of. If Kṛṣṇa has overpopulation, He is competent to supply them food. But it is the nature's restriction. When we become godless, the nature's trouble will be there. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Just like the flood is going on in many parts of the world. So this is due to our sinful life. Nature is punishing. Adhidaivika. You cannot control. Nature will punish. Why nature is punishing? Because we are godless. That is nature's business. The more we become godless, the more we'll be punished by the laws of nature. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot surpass. You make many scientific plans to overcome—it is not possible. Then how it is possible? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. Unless you surrender to Kṛṣṇa That is your business.

Lecture on SB 6.1.64-65 -- Vrndavana, September 1, 1975:

This is vairāgya—"Don't indulge in grāmya-kathā." Therefore we always advise, "Don't read newspaper. Don't read any other book," because it is full of grāmya-kathā, grāmyaiḥ. So to avoid it as far as possible. There is no need. What is the news of a grāmya-kathā newspaper? The same thing repeated. "Here there is flood, where there is train disaster, where there is accident, and political, and one politician is giving speech, another politician is giving speech." These are the grāmya things. So we should save ourself. Grāmyair manoramaiḥ. These externally very attractive news, we should avoid it completely. We shall simply talk of Kṛṣṇa. That is the safest method. We shall simply talk kṛṣṇa-kathā. And kṛṣṇa-kathā means what Kṛṣṇa has said. That is kṛṣṇa-kathā. Or what is spoken about Kṛṣṇa. So Bhagavad-gītā means kṛṣṇa-kathā, what Kṛṣṇa has said. And Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is also kṛṣṇa-kathā because everything said about Kṛṣṇa. So we don't We should not indulge in grāmya-kathā. That will mislead us.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9-17 -- San Francisco, March 31, 1969:

Sometimes the mind is disturbed. That is also..., it may be due to other friend or other relative; so mind is not in order. This is called adhyātmika. So adhibhautika, adhyātmika. And other disturbance created by adhidaivaika. Daiva means on which we have no control. Just like earthquake, flood, or similar nature's disturbance on which we have no control.

So here it is said, tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā. Duḥkhi. That is our ignorance. We are always unhappy due to these three kinds of miseries inflicted by the laws of nature, but still, we think that we are very nice. But actually we are duḥkhitātmā, we are always sorry. Nirvidyate na kuṭumba-rāmaḥ. But there is no satiation because the only solace is that he is within the so-called friendship, love and society. That's all. Kuṭumba-rāmaḥ. Vitteṣu nityābhiniviṣṭa-cetā vidvāṁś ca doṣaṁ para-vitta-hartuḥ. And being too much attached to money matters, even learned persons, even very, I mean to say, advanced intellectually, they also try to steal others money. Para-vitta.

General Lectures

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 12, 1971:

Similarly, adhibhautic. Just like Pakistan is ready to attack us. If not Pakistan, then there are many other enemies. Even there are many other living entities, just like mosquito, fly, bugs. So adhibhautic: another living entity giving us trouble. And adhidaivic. Just like this famine, flood, pestilence, so many things which you cannot control.

So this is the position of this material world. Tri-tāpa yantraṇā trisura. You have seen the picture of Goddess Durgā, she is piercing the trisura on the chest of the asura, and he is suffering, his struggle for existence, fighting with the lion, rajo-guṇa. So this is the position of the material world, and the certificate is given by Kṛṣṇa, the Lord Himself, that this place is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Duḥkhālayam, always full of miseries. So the human form of life is meant for understanding what is my position. In the animal life we cannot understand that we are in a very, very miserable condition of life in this material world.

Lecture What is a Guru? -- London, August 22, 1973:

Suffering caused by myself, this is called ādhyātmic. And suffering caused by other living... And there are other sufferings, caused by the nature, superior power, ādhidaivic. All of a sudden, there is no rain, no rainfall, and now for want of rainfall, there is no food grain. Excessive heat, excessive chilly cold; earthquake, famine... So many, by natures, imposed by the natures. Flood. So there are three kinds of sufferings in the material world, and everyone is suffering either by one, two or three or..., but nobody can say that "I am completely free from suffering." That is not possible. And why this suffering? Due to ignorance. I do not know. I am committing sinful life, I am committing mistakes; therefore I am suffering. Therefore guru's business is first to rescue his disciple from ignorance, ignorance.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Karandhara: Appearing and disappearing according to the seasons.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like this Los Angeles City, there is a havoc of flood from the ocean and all men die. That does not mean extinct; the men are there somewhere else. You cannot say that human species is now extinct, because your study is limited.

Śyāmasundara: Supposing one man is particularly adapted, and he is smart, intelligent, and he survives when everything else is killed...

Prabhupāda: That he may survive, that we don't disagree.

Śyāmasundara: But he would say that that man passes on his superior traits to his children, and it's another species.

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner:

Śyāmasundara: By punishment and reward. By punishing them when they are wrong...

Devotee: Say he had a house, and he was doing that, and all of a sudden there was a flood came and the house... How could he control the environment?

Śyāmasundara: Of a person, not of a house.

Devotee: That is what I mean. How can you control the environment if that person is going to be punished and rewarded when he wants...

Prabhupāda: He says from childhood.

Śyāmasundara: He is talking about child. Infant.

Prabhupāda: Infant. Yes. That is possible. That is possible. Just like our children, from childhood they are dancing.

Philosophy Discussion on Mao Tse Tung:

Prabhupāda: Apart from Communist state, by nature's law... You have spoken about nature's law. So we are controlled by the nature's law. Who can deny it? When there is severe cold, I am controlled. When there is severe heat, I am controlled. When there is epidemic, I am controlled. When there is famine, I am controlled. When there is flood, I am controlled. So how you can say that you are not controlled? You are not independent. The basic principle is that you are not independent.

Śyāmasundara: Mao Tse Tung uses this as the basis of his...

Prabhupāda: Basis is that you are controlled. That is mistake.

Śyāmasundara: His methodology is to present slogans to the people...

Prabhupāda: But you may manufacture slogans. First of all, let us talk on the principles. Everyone is controlled. How Mao can deny it?

Page Title:Flood (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:27 of Jun, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=15, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:15