Therefore every living entity should be unattracted by material so-called happiness and should take shelter of the Lord by all means. That is the mission of human life. To be attracted by sense gratification is simply foolish. Whether one is a devotee of the Lord or is a nondevotee does not depend upon one's birth in a high or low family. Even Lord Brahmā and the goddess of fortune cannot achieve the full favor of the Lord, whereas a devotee can very easily attain such devotional service. The Lord's mercy is bestowed equally upon everyone, regardless of whether one is high or low. Because Prahlāda Mahārāja was blessed by Nārada Muni, Prahlāda became a great devotee. The Lord always saves the devotee from impersonalists and voidists. The Lord is present in everyone's heart as the Supersoul to give the living being protection and all benefits. Thus the Lord acts sometimes as the killer and sometimes as the protector. One should not accuse the Lord for any discrepancies. It is His plan that we see varieties of life within this material world. All of them are ultimately His mercy.
High family
Expressions researched:
"high and rich family"
|"high aristocratic family"
|"high brahmana family"
|"high caste family"
|"high class family"
|"high family"
|"high or low family"
|"high royal family"
|"high-caste family"
|"high-class brahmana family"
|"high-class family"
|"high-grade brahmana family"
|"high-grade family"
|"higher caste family"
|"higher class family"
|"higher family"
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Chapters 7 - 12
In the Vedānta-sūtra (3.2.26) this is also described in the following words: prakāśaś ca karmaṇy abhyāsāt. "Devotional service is so potent that simply by engaging in the activities of devotional service one becomes enlightened without a doubt." A practical example of this can be seen in the previous life of Nārada, who in that life happened to be the son of a maidservant. He had no education, nor was he born into a high family. But when his mother was engaged in serving great devotees, Nārada also became engaged, and sometimes, in the absence of his mother, he would serve the great devotees himself.
BG Chapters 13 - 18
The demoniac man knows no limit to his desire to acquire money. That is unlimited. He thinks only of how much assessment he has just now and schemes to engage that stock of wealth further and further. For that reason, he does not hesitate to act in any sinful way and so deals in the black market for illegal gratification. He is enamored by the possessions he has already, such as land, family, house and bank balance, and he is always planning to improve them. He believes in his own strength, and he does not know that whatever he is gaining is due to his past good deeds. He is given an opportunity to accumulate such things, but he has no conception of past causes. He simply thinks that all his mass of wealth is due to his own endeavor. A demoniac person believes in the strength of his personal work, not in the law of karma. According to the law of karma, a man takes his birth in a high family, or becomes rich, or very well educated, or very beautiful because of good work in the past. The demoniac think that all these things are accidental and due to the strength of one's personal ability. They do not sense any arrangement behind all the varieties of people, beauty and education. Anyone who comes into competition with such a demoniac man is his enemy. There are many demoniac people, and each is enemy to the others. This enmity becomes more and more deep—between persons, then between families, then between societies, and at last between nations. Therefore there is constant strife, war and enmity all over the world.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
The principle of brahmacarya is celibacy. There are two kinds of brahmacārīs. One is called naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī, which means one who takes a vow of celibacy for his whole life, whereas the other, the upakurvāṇa-brahmacārī, is a brahmacārī who takes the vow of celibacy up to a certain age. For example, he may take the vow to remain celibate up to twenty-five years of age; then, with the permission of his spiritual master, he enters married life. Brahmacarya is student life, the beginning of life in the spiritual orders, and the principle of brahmacarya is celibacy. Only a householder can indulge in sense gratification or sex life, not a brahmacārī. Svāyambhuva Manu requested Kardama Muni to accept his daughter, since Kardama had not taken the vow of naiṣṭhika-brahmacarya. He was willing to marry, and the suitable daughter of a high royal family was presented.
The foolish conditioned soul may think that he is offering charity by opening hospitals for material benefit or by opening an educational institution for material education, but he does not know that all such work is also faulty because it will not give him relief from the process of transmigration from one body to another. It is clearly stated here, sad-asan-miśra-yoniṣu. This means that one may take birth in a very high family or he may take his birth in higher planets, among the demigods, for his so-called pious activities in the material world. But this work is also faulty because it does not give liberation. To take birth in a nice place or a high family does not mean that one avoids undergoing the material tribulations, the pangs of birth, death, old age and disease. A conditioned soul under the spell of material nature cannot understand that any action he performs for sense gratification is faulty and that only his activities in devotional service to the Lord can give him release from the reaction of faulty activities. Because he does not cease such faulty activities, he has to change to different bodies, some high and some low. That is called saṁsāra-padavīm, which means this material world, from which there is no release. One who desires material liberation has to turn his activities to devotional service. There is no alternative.
SB Canto 4
If a person falls from the path of bhakti-yoga, God realization, due to attachment to fruitive activity, philosophical speculation or mystic yoga, he is given a chance to take birth in a high and rich family. The higher authorities appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead thus render justice to the living entity according to the living entity's desires. Although King Purañjana was overly absorbed in thoughts of his wife and thus became a woman, he took birth in the family of a king due to his previous pious activities. The conclusion is that all our activities are taken into consideration before we are awarded another body. Nārada Muni therefore advised Vyāsadeva that one should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, and abandon all ordinary occupational duties. This advice was also given by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself. Although a devotee may fall from the path of spiritual consciousness, he will nonetheless attain a human body in the home of a devotee or a rich man. In this way one can resume his devotional service.
SB Canto 6
Citraketu, the husband of these millions of wives, was endowed with a beautiful form, magnanimity and youth. He was born in a high family, he had a complete education, and he was wealthy and opulent. Nevertheless, in spite of being endowed with all these assets, he was full of anxiety because he did not have a son.
SB Canto 7
"If one is born in a high family like that of a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya but is not a devotee of the Lord, all his good qualifications as a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya are null and void. Indeed, they are considered decorations of a dead body."
In this verse Prahlāda Mahārāja speaks of the vipras, the learned brāhmaṇas. The learned brāhmaṇa is considered best among the divisions of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, but a devotee born in a low caṇḍāla family is better than such brāhmaṇas, not to speak of the kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and others. A devotee is better than anyone, for he is in the transcendental position on the Brahman platform.
It is clearly understood that a devotee does not need to be born in a very high family, to be rich, to be aristocratic or to be very beautiful. None of these qualifications will engage one in devotional service. With devotion one should feel, "God is great, and I am very small. Therefore my duty is to offer my prayers to the Lord." Only on this basis can one understand and render service to the Lord. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55):
- bhaktyā mām abhijānāti
- yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ
- tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā
- viśate tad-anantaram
"One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." Thus Prahlāda Mahārāja decided to offer his best prayers to the Lord, without consideration of his material position.
SB Canto 9
When there was a war, soldiers would certainly die untimely, but if a soldier's body was intact, he could be brought to life again by this art of mṛta-sañjīvanī. This art was known to Śukrācārya and many others, and Kaca, the son of Bṛhaspati, became Śukrācārya's student to learn it. Devayānī desired to have Kaca as her husband, but Kaca, out of regard for Śukrācārya, looked upon the guru's daughter as a respectable superior and therefore refused to marry her. Devayānī angrily cursed Kaca by saying that although he had learned the art of mṛta-sañjīvanī from her father, it would be useless. When cursed in this way, Kaca retaliated by cursing Devayānī never to have a husband who was a brāhmaṇa. Because Devayānī liked Yayāti, who was a kṣatriya, she requested him to accept her as his bona fide wife. Although this would be pratiloma-vivāha, a marriage between the daughter of a high family and the son of a lower family, she explained that this arrangement was made by providence.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
"O my Lord, I do not have any love for You, nor am I qualified for discharging devotional service by chanting and hearing. Nor do I possess the mystic power of a Vaiṣṇava, knowledge or pious activities. Nor do I belong to a very high-caste family. On the whole, I do not possess anything. Still, O beloved of the gopīs, because You bestow Your mercy on the most fallen, I have an unbreakable hope that is constantly in my heart. That hope is always giving me pain."
The Hindus were forcibly made to eat cow's flesh, and consequently they began crying, thinking that they had become Muslims. Actually the Muslims in India did not come from the country of the Muslims, but Hindus instituted the custom that somehow or other if one contacted a Muslim, he became a Muslim. Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī were born in a high brāhmaṇa family, but because they accepted employment under a Muslim government, they were considered Muslims. Subuddhi Rāya was sprinkled with water from the pitcher of a Muslim, and consequently he was condemned to have become a Muslim. Later, Aurangzeb, the Muslim emperor, introduced a tax especially meant for Hindus. Being oppressed in the Hindu community, many low-caste Hindus preferred to become Muslims. In this way the Muslim population increased. Later the British government made it a policy to divide the Hindus and the Muslims, and thus they maintained ill feelings between them. The result was that India was divided into Pakistan and Hindustan.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Teachings of Lord Caitanya
The Vedic literature also states that the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not recognize a nondevotee who is very learned in all the divisions of the Vedas but He likes a devotee even if he was born in a low family. If one offers charity to a brāhmaṇa who is not a devotee, the Lord does not accept it; but if something is offered to a devotee, the Lord accepts. In other words, whatever a person wishes to offer the Lord may be given to His devotees. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also quoted Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to the effect that even if a brāhmaṇa was born in a high family and is qualified with the twelve brahminical qualities, he is lower than the lowest of the low if he is not a devotee of the Supreme Lord. Although a devotee may have been born in a caṇḍāla (dog-eater) family, by devotional service he can purify his whole family for one hundred generations, past and future, whereas a proud brāhmaṇa cannot purify even himself.
"I am poor in love of Godhead, and I have no qualification for hearing about devotional service. Nor do I have any understanding of the science of devotional service, nor any cultivation of knowledge, nor any righteous activities to my credit. Nor am I born in a high family. Nonetheless, O darling of the damsels of Vraja, I still maintain a hope of achieving You, and this hope is always disturbing me." A devotee who is touched deeply by such a strong desire always chants Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
One should approach a Kṛṣṇa conscious person with all humility, put relevant questions to him and not challenge him. If one were to challenge him, such a highly elevated Kṛṣṇa conscious person would not be available to receive any tangible service. A challenging, puffed-up person cannot gain anything from a Kṛṣṇa conscious man; he simply remains in material consciousness. Although Lord Caitanya was born in a high brāhmaṇa family and was situated in the highest perfectional stage of sannyāsa, He nonetheless showed by His behavior that even an elevated person would not hesitate to take lessons from Rāmānanda Rāya, although Rāmānanda appeared as a householder situated in a social status beneath that of a brāhmaṇa.
Thus Lord Caitanya clearly showed that a sincere student never cares whether his spiritual master is born in a high brāhmaṇa family or kṣatriya family, or whether he is a high-grade sannyāsī, a brahmacārī or whatever. Whoever can teach one about the science of Kṛṣṇa is to be accepted as a guru.
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
In this way Vasudeva tried to pacify Kaṁsa by good instruction as well as by philosophical discrimination, but Kaṁsa was not to be pacified because his association was demoniac. Because of his demoniac association, he was a demon, although born in a very high royal family. A demon never cares for any good instruction. He is just like a determined thief: one can give him moral instruction, but it will not be effective. Similarly, those who are demoniac or atheistic by nature can hardly assimilate any good instruction, however authorized it may be. That is the difference between demigods and demons. Those who can accept good instruction and try to live their lives in that way are called demigods, and those who are unable to take such good instruction are called demons.
One who follows in the footsteps of the gopīs by constantly thinking of Kṛṣṇa can attain the highest perfectional stage of spiritual life. The gopīs were born not of any highly cultured family but of cowherd men, yet they developed the highest love of Kṛṣṇa, who is the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Supreme Brahman. For self-realization or God realization there is no need to take birth in a high family. The only thing needed is development of ecstatic love of God. For achieving perfection in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no qualification is required other than to be constantly engaged in the loving service of Kṛṣṇa, the supreme nectar, the reservoir of all pleasure. The effect of taking up Kṛṣṇa consciousness is just like that of drinking nectar: with or without one's knowledge, it will act. The active principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness will equally manifest itself everywhere; it does not matter how and where one has taken his birth. Kṛṣṇa will bestow His benediction upon anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without any doubt.
Śiśupāla continued: "Kṛṣṇa does not belong to a high family. He is so independent that no one knows His principles of religious life. Indeed, it appears that He is outside the jurisdiction of all religious principles. He always acts independently, not caring for the Vedic injunctions and regulative principles. Therefore He is devoid of all good qualities." Śiśupāla indirectly praised Kṛṣṇa by saying that He is not within the jurisdiction of Vedic injunctions. This is true because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That He has "no good qualities" (guṇaiḥ hīnaḥ) means that Kṛṣṇa has no material qualities, and because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He acts independently, not caring for conventions in social or religious principles.
Sri Isopanisad
Originally there was only one Veda, and there was no necessity of reading it. People were so intelligent and had such sharp memories that by once hearing from the lips of the spiritual master they would understand. They would immediately grasp the whole purport. But five thousand years ago Vyāsadeva put the Vedas in writing for the people in this age, Kali-yuga. He knew that eventually the people would be short-lived, their memories would be very poor, and their intelligence would not be very sharp. "Therefore, let me teach this Vedic knowledge in writing." He divided the Vedas into four: Ṛg, Sāma, Atharva and Yajur. Then he gave the charge of these Vedas to his different disciples. He then thought of the less intelligent class of men—strī, śūdra and dvija-bandhu. He considered the woman class and śūdra class (worker class) and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu refers to those who are born in a high family but who are not properly qualified. A man who is born in the family of a brāhmaṇa but is not qualified as a brāhmaṇa is called dvija-bandhu. For these persons he compiled the Mahābhārata, called the history of India, and the eighteen Purāṇas. These are all part of the Vedic literature: the Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata, the four Vedas and the Upaniṣads. The Upaniṣads are part of the Vedas. Then Vyāsadeva summarized all Vedic knowledge for scholars and philosophers in what is called the Vedānta-sūtra. This is the last word of the Vedas.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So that opportunity is there in bhakti-yoga. Kṛṣṇa is anxious to take you back. Why you are wasting time? Economic development. What economic development you'll do? You cannot get more than what is destined to you. That is not possible. Then everyone would have been big man, big, educated, very beautiful. Even... Pious activities, the effects of pious activity, is to get nice opulence. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). Birth in very high family, janma; aiśvarya, opulence, riches; education; śrī... Śruta, śruta means education, highly learned. These things are effects of pious activities. You get nice family, you take your birth in nice family, rich family, aiśvarya, you get good education, you become very beautiful. These are the effects of pious activities. Similarly, the effects of impious activities, the opposite. But they are all material. They are destined. Whatever you have got by pious or impious activities, that you cannot change. It is not possible. But you can change your position, this material position, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That you can change. Other things you cannot change. If you are white, you cannot become black, or if you are black, you cannot become white. That is not possible. But you can become first-class Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Either you are black or white, it doesn't matter. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore our endeavor should be how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Other things we cannot change. This is not possible. Sarvatra.
Once heard from the spiritual master they'll never forget. With the advancement of Kali, so many things will reduce. One of them is the memory will be reduced. People will be weaker. There will be no more mercy. The brain will not be so powerful or sharp. These things are described. So we cannot even imagine what kind of brain Arjuna possessed. Another thing, this Bhagavad-gītā is part of Mahābhārata. And the Mahābhārata was written for strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayi na śruti-gocarāḥ (SB 1.4.25). Strī, woman, strī, śūdra and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means a person born in high family, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, at least brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, but he's not qualified brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya. He's called dvija-bandhu, the friend of the twice-born. The brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they are twice-born. One birth is father and mother; another birth is by the spiritual master, by Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is mother and the spiritual master is the father. So the second birth. Therefore, they are called dvija, twice born. So dvija-bandhūnām, those who are not actually twice born but born in the family of dvijas. Therefore they are called dvija-bandhu, "not dvija, friends of the dvijas." Dvija-bandhu.
Of course, there are many nice instructions. So this Mahābhārata was especially made for the less intelligent class of men. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayi na śruti-gocara (SB 1.4.25). Strī means woman, and śūdra means ordinary, labor class of men. Strī, śūdra, and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means, dvija means higher class, twice-born. Śūdra means once-born and dvija means twice-born. That means first birth by the father and mother, and the second birth by the Vedic knowledge mother, and spiritual master father. This is called second birth, according to Vedic reformatory procedures. So dvija, dvija-bandhu means a person born in the higher family who are by tradition very cultured, but a son born in that family is not cultured. He is just like śūdra, once-born. He has no cultural birth. So they are called dvija-bandhu. (tapping sound—child playing) (aside:) You have to take him. Dvija-bandhu means born in high family, but has no quality, higher qualities. They are called dvija-bandhu.
Suppose in this life you become a great scientist, a great scholar, M.A., Ph.D, D.A.C., LL.D., so many titles, and very good opulence, or very good beautiful body, so many material... These are material acquisitions, to get birth in high family, to become highly educated, highly educated, to become very rich, these are material acquisitions. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says that all these acquisitions will be finished as soon as the body is finished. The people, they do not know it. They are thinking that "Whatever I am acquiring in this body, that will go with me, or I shall be happy with these acquisitions." That is called illusion, māyā. Because they have no knowledge that "I am spirit soul. I am changing this position of different bodies." Vāsāṁsi jīrnāṇi yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our dresses. This knowledge is lacking in the present civilization. They want to make permanent settlement here, but forget that "Any moment, I shall be kicked out of this situation. I shall have to accept another situation." That is the lack of education in the modern civilization. They are accepting something temporary as permanent settlement. This is called illusion.
We were just discussing this śloka this morning, that strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnām. Strī means woman class. Woman and śūdra and dvija-bandhu... Śūdra means ordinary people, not intelligent class, ordinary people. And dvija-bandhu? Dvija-bandhu means born in higher caste family, but their qualification is nil, such persons.
Formerly, according to varṇāśrama-dharma, it is not that "Because I am a brāhmaṇa's son, therefore I am a brāhmaṇa," just as the practice is going on now in India, caste system. Oh, that was not the system. The system was different. So this Mahābhārata was written for such persons who are claiming to be a brāhmaṇa because he is born in the brāhmaṇa family. But according to śāstra, scripture, such persons are not called brāhmaṇas. They are called dvija-bandhu, "a friend of a brāhmaṇa." So just like "I am," "I am the son of a high-court judge." That does not mean I am also high-court judge. I must be qualified to become a high-court judge. But if I go on, that "Because my father is high-court judge, therefore I am also high-court judge..." So these things are going on now in India. Because his forefather was a brāhmaṇa, or his father was a brāhmaṇa—and although he has no qualification of a brāhmaṇa, he also claims to be a brāhmaṇa. But the scripture, the Vedic scripture, that does not allow. They will call, "No, you are not a brāhmaṇa. You are brāhmaṇa's son. That's all. We can admit so far.
If we simply act piously, that is good, but it is not perfect. Suppose I execute many pious activities in my life. Then due to my pious activities, I will get birth in good family. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrīḥ (SB 1.8.26). I may get my birth in good family, high family. That is called janma. Then aiśvarya, opulence, wealth; śrī, beautiful body; and education also. I have several times explained that to become highly educated, that is also due to previous pious activities. To be highly rich, that is also due to previous pious activities. But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that Karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, kebala biṣera bhāṇḍa. Karma-kāṇḍa vicāra, fruitive activities for getting better position of life, better body... (break) ...though I get my birth in a good family, there is still risk of degradation. Because sometimes we get our birth in rich family and due to opulence we are associated with bad company. Then we begin to act sinfully. That means again degradation. Therefore the Vaiṣṇava philosophy does not very much approve even pious activities. What to speak of impious activities, they do not approve pious activities also.
Why? Now, either you enjoy the reaction of good work or bad work, your material bondage is there. Suppose by bad work I am born... Because, according to work, there are different position of life. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ pumān (SB 1.8.26). By good work we get good heritage, birth in a very good place, in a high family, in rich family, aristocratic family. And with bad work we may get our birth even in the animal kingdom or lower grade family, poor family. These are Vedic estimation of good work and bad work. But for a person who is going to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, he has no need either for good work or bad work because he has no need bondage again.
So Kṛṣṇa said that these transcendentally advanced persons, they're transferred to the higher planetary system and live there for many, many years to enjoy life there. Then again they are transferred again here. This is called karma-kṣetra. And one may ask question that when he's transferred again to this planet what does he become? Does he become any animal? Or man? No. He still becomes a man. And what sort of man? Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Śucīnām means very pious family, righteous family. Just like in India we have got the brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family. High family. Very... Their mode of life is very high standard, clean and righteous, pious, so many things. So śucīnām and śrīmatām. Śucīnām, such pious family you'll find many in India. And śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means rich. So rich family we'll find in your country, America. So that person who is coming again, he is born in a rich family or in pious family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. One who was not successful in executing the yoga perfectly, he again... That means to have one's birth in a rich family means he has no anxiety for his bread. He's happy. Now he can happily execute the yoga process. Or in a pious family automatically the yoga process of transcendental life is there. So he can begin also there. That is chance. Those who are born in such family, in righteous family or rich family, they should take instruction from Bhagavad-gītā, that this is a chance given by God to execute our spiritual life, not for sense enjoyment increasing, "Because I have got so much money, oh, let me enjoy senses more, I mean to say, acutely."
The beginning of bhakti-yoga is hearing. So you have kindly come here to hear. This is bhakti-yoga. Caitanya Mahāprabhu approved this bhakti-yoga—simply by, simply by hearing from the realized person. Caitanya Mahāprabhu had talks with Rāmānanda Rāya how one develops spiritual life, sādhu-sadanana(?). So Rāmānanda Raya was answering, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was questioning. The Rāmānanda Raya felt a little inconvenience that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu is such an exalted person, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Apart from that, He's born in high brāhmaṇa family." Such a learned scholar Nimāi Pandit He was, and so nice person, a sannyāsī, the topmost order in our Vedic society. "Sannyāsī, brāhmaṇa, scholar and everything complete, and He's questioning; I am answering. Oh, this is very awkward position. I have become teacher and He has become student. How it is possible?" So he was hesitating. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him, "No, no. Don't hesitate, because it doesn't matter that you are a gṛhastha, you are not even a brāhmaṇa." Rāmānanda Raya belonged to the Karana society in Orissa. They are supposed to be śūdra. But still he was a very big man. He was governor of Orissa, uh... governor of Benares and very rich man.
"Why you are hesitant? You are guru. It doesn't matter that you are a gṛhastha, you are governor, you are dealing in politics. But I know that you are Kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā. You know the science of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, you are guru." This is the test. To become guru it doesn't matter that one has to become..., one has to come out from brāhmaṇa family or high family or Hindu family or this family or that family. No. Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva: never mind what is. He may be European, he may be American, he may be śūdra, he may be whatever. That is past. That is his past life. Now, when one has become kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, really Kṛṣṇa conscious, he comes to the transcendental position. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Any devotee, any devotee, māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). Any devotee who has unflinching faith on guru and Kṛṣṇa, such devotee, yasya deva parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau, such person, bhakti-yogi. Bhakti-yoga, you cannot... Without accepting guru there is no possibility of understanding bhakti-yoga. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim, niṣkiñcanānāṁ pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam. Unless one touches the lotus feet of niṣkiñcana vaiṣṇava, there is no question of bhakti-yoga. That is not possible. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim (SB 7.5.32). Urukramāṅghrim means Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. One cannot be attached unless he takes the dust of a niṣkiñcana vaiṣṇava.
So by pious activities you can get all these things. And impious activities, the opposite number: in a family, abominable, pāpa-yoni, lower-grade family, not very beautiful, not educated, suffering in so many ways. So either you get this life or that life, the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi is there. It is not that because you have got very beautiful body and born in very high-class family and highly educated, you will avoid janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is not possible. The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.
So kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad... Sad-yoni (BG 13.22), high-class life, and asad-yoni, pāpa-yoni... So why one is born in lower grade family? Why one is born in high-grade family? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. The cause is as he has associated with different types of qualities. So unfortunately, this science, that there is birth after death, and there is, actually, we are experience, we are seeing, but they do not inquire. They think that one can improve. That is not possible. Unless he changes the quality, he cannot improve. That is not possible. They do not know it. They are falsely trying to improve the position. Nobody is trying to become poor. Everyone is trying to become rich. But it is not possible. Because he has got a particular type of body, and that body is already destined, and he has to achieve happiness or suffer distresses according to the body.
Then why one is born as a cat, one is born as a dog, one is born as a rich man's son, one who is born as..., so many varieties? Why? If kāma-haitukam, then why not one variety? Where is the question of varieties? What is the answer? Why there are so many varieties? Everyone wants to take birth in rich family, in high family. Why one is born as a street dog and there is no food and crying, barking, and somebody is capturing and eating and no protection? Why? Why kāma-haitukam, the dog is also born by the lusty desires of the male dog and the female dog, but why he is dog, and why he is such a rich man's son? Why? What is the answer? If kāma-haitukam, lusty desire is the only cause for birth, production, then why there is one production, street dog, cat or pig or a worm in the stool, and why one is born as demigod, as Indra or Candra, Varuṇa? Why? A Brahmā? Who makes this arrangement? Why one is put into such exalted position, and why one is put into that abominable position? What is the answer? Kāma-haitukam.
There is the judgement, supreme judgement: "He has done like this. All right, let him be promoted in the heavenly planet." He goes there. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Ābrahma-loka. The highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, he can go. That is also required, superior judgement, what he has done for being promoted. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ (SB 1.8.26). Janma, to take birth in high class family, to become very rich—they are not accidental. There is background, daiva-netreṇa, by the superior judgement. There are so many things to be learned. Simply to become blind without any knowledge and give some verdict, asatyam, that is nonsense. That is nonsense. Kṛṣṇa is guiding us. Don't be victims of these rascals. Asatyam apratiṣṭhaṁ te jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8). There is God. There is supreme controller. And God says, mayādhyakṣeṇa: (BG 9.10) "Under My superintendence."
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Of course here, in your country, there is no... In India there is a śūdra class. They are..., generally they are servant class. That is called nīcavat. So servant class... A brahmacārī living at the care of spiritual master, he is advised that "You shall carry out the orders of your spiritual master nīcavat, just like the śūdra class." Because a person coming to spiritual master, they are coming from brāhmaṇa family or kṣatriya family or high caste family. But he may say, "Oh, I am coming from a brāhmaṇa family, and my spiritual master is ordering to brush his shoes? Oh, how can I do?" Therefore it is advised, nīcavat. When you are serving spiritual master, you should always think that "I am lowest of the animals." Nīcavat. In that condition you can simply inquire. Otherwise, you have no capacity. There is no need of wasting time, because he will not understand. He will unnecessarily... Praṇipāta.
Praṇipāta means surrender. So nobody wants to surrender, especially in this material world. Everyone thinks, "Oh, I am the lord. I am the monarch of all I survey. Why shall I surrender?" Independent. Especially in the Western countries. They are refusing to surrender to the social laws, to the king's law, everything. But here is the process: surrender. Surrender means everyone is puffed up with some so-called knowledge, and he thinks that "I am perfectly all right. My knowledge is perfect. Why shall I surrender?" But if you want to receive knowledge actually from the person who has actually knowledge, then you must surrender there. This is the process.
Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu (BG 13.22). Why one is born in high family, rich family, why other is poor family or one is born in lower animals, one is born as demigods? What is that reason, kāraṇa? The reason is kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. He has associated with a particular type of the material qualities therefore he has to accept a particular type of body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Therefore we are instructing our students, "Associate with the good qualities, good qualities." The best qualities of association is devotional service, a devotee. Because they're transcendental, above goodness, above goodness. Just like you are living in this temple. This is above goodness according to Vedic.... If you live in the forest that is goodness, association with goodness, because there is no material contamination, simple life in the forest. Or in the village, not in the village, in the forest. Therefore formerly all the sages and saintly persons they used to live in the forest. That is goodness. And if you live in the city that is association with passion. And in the city if you live in the brothel, the liquor shop, gambling, that is association with ignorance. Three kinds.
"It doesn't matter whether he is woman or śūdra or a vaiśya. If he takes shelter of My lotus feet, according to the regulative principle, te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim, they also go back to home, back to Godhead." Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā (BG 9.33). Then what to speak of the persons who are born in brāhmaṇa family and those who are devotee? They must go, provided he takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Even striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyāḥ, who are considered less intelligent or born in lower degrade species of life, still, they can go. And what to speak of the persons who have taken in high family, devoted family? They must go. Anityam asukhaṁ lokam imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām. This world is anityam. Anityam means temporary; asukham, and full of miseries. Imaṁ prāpya... If you want to get relief from this temporary world and the distresses within this world, then bhajasva mām: "Just become a devotee of Me." (aside:) What is the time?
So this is the benefit of being Kṛṣṇa conscious, that whatever we are acting in our past life, and according to that we have got this body... Either impious or pious, whatever you have done, that's all right. Don't think that because we are doing some pious activities we shall be out of the bondage of fruitive activity. No. That is also not possible. I have several times explained that if we do pious activity, then the result will be that we shall be able to get our birth in a very nice family, aristocratic family, rich family, pious family, big family. These are the results. Janma. Or janma aiśvarya. Janma means high birth. A very rich man, born in a rich family or high family, that means automatically he becomes a rich man. Janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26), or somebody becomes very highly or great learned man, śruta. And śrī; śrī means beauty. Or one becomes very beautiful. So these things are obtained by righteous activities. And similarly by acting impious activities we become very ugly, we become fool, we are born in a very low family or animal family and we become very poor. These are the results of different activities.
Now why... One may say, "If I get next life in a very rich family and becomes very rich man and becomes very learned man, very beautiful man, why shall I not take this opportunity?" But intelligent man says that "Even if I get such opportunities, the material miseries are there." It is not that because a child is born of a very rich family, he hasn't got to go into the womb of his mother and suffer the consequence. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). The distress of birth, death, disease and old age equally there, either you become born in a very high family or either you born in a very low family, either you're born in India or you are born in America. This suffering, the four kinds of sufferings are everywhere. Not only India and America, they are in this planet, but even if you go to the moon planet or if you go to the sun planet. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. Even the highest planet. The modern scientist says that if we want to go to the highest planet it will take forty thousands of years. No. Four hundred thousands of years. Something like that they say. By sputnik.
So here it is said, "My dear Vyāsadeva, you have compiled a great literature, Mahābhārata. And in that Mahābhārata you have introduced everything that is knowable for understanding." Mahābhārata was originally written for the women class and strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām (SB 1.4.25). Because the Vedic literature is very stiff. Not only because it is written in old Sanskrit language, but the meaning is very deep. Vedic literature... Because at that time people were very intelligent, so simple one hint gives them lots of meaning. Just like Vedānta-sūtra. Vedānta-sūtra, you'll find simply some clues. Janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "The source of all emanation." Now we can think over, "the source of all emanation." So Vedic literature requires explanation, authoritative explanation. So the original Vedas, they, it was not possible for understanding for ordinary class of men. And who are ordinary class of men? Now, strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhu. Strī, woman class, are taken as less intelligent. It is not partiality; it is stated in the śāstra and practically it is so. So woman class, strī, and śūdra. Śūdra means laborer class. Strī, śūdra, and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means born of a high family... The brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and the vaiśyas, they are considered as in the higher status of social life, and the śūdras... It is everywhere.
So this Mahābhārata... Just try to understand that Mahābhārata was originally designed for the less-intelligent class of men. Less intelligent, who are less-intelligent class of men? The woman class, or the laborer class, and those who are born in high family, but their qualities are not so improved. Suppose a boy is born in a brāhmaṇa family, but his quality just like śūdra or laborer class. The people will not accept. Just like if I am born of a brāhmaṇa family, so they will ask my qualification, how I am qualified. So those who are born in high family but not qualified according to the family tradition, they are called dvija-bandhu. Dvija. Dvija means twice-born. Dvi means two, and ja means birth. The śūdras have one birth, one birth by the father and mother. But those who are higher caste... Just like a man may be born in a low family or poor family, but by his intelligence he gets another birth. He becomes very rich man or very learned man, very intelligent man, very philosophic... That life is from the university. Similarly, dvija means first birth is from the father-mother, and the next birth is accepting a spiritual master. The next birth is... Father is the spiritual master, and the Vedas are the mother. So those who accept the spiritual master as father and the Vedic knowledge as mother, they are called dvija, twice-born. Twice-born. That means cultured. Cultured family. So those who are born in cultured family, but... A son is born in a cultured family, but his cultural knowledge is very poor, he is called dvija-bandhu. So woman class, laborer class, and those who are born in higher family, but intelligence is very poor, they are called dvija-bandhu. And for these classes of men the Mahābhārata was compiled. That means Vedic knowledge explained in simple historical facts.
So ordinary literature, they're full with all this, I mean to say, grāmya-kathā. The man and woman's behavior, that is good literature. There is a hero; there is a heroine. So those who are saintly persons, they do not take interest. So Nārada was advising Vyāsadeva that "You have written this Mahābhārata. That's all right. It is a great epic, history. But the, mostly... History means the ordinary dealings of the worldly men. So what benefit there is? That is nothing. No saintly person will take interest." Actually, this Mahābhārata was written by this, by Vyāsadeva for giving instruction, Vedic instruction to the less intelligent class of men. He has given introduction, strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā: (SB 1.4.25) "The Vedic knowledge is difficult to be understood by these classes of men and women: strī-śūdra-śūdra class, woman class, strī, śūdra—and dvija-bandhu." And dvija-bandhu means born in high family, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, but their behavior is different, like śūdras. They cannot understand Vedas. Therefore there is restriction, that "The śūdras cannot read Vedas." They are restricted.
Just like in India, those who are born in brāhmaṇa family, they are falsely proud that "We are born in brāhmaṇa family. Now we are perfect. Now we can do any nonsense thing. Still I am brāhmaṇa." And it is actually being done. They are doing work less than a śūdra, and still, they are passing on as brāhmaṇa. That is the cause of India's spiritual falldown. Some people, they have exploited simply being born in high family. But actually that is not the position. Actual position is by quality. If one has got the quality of a brāhmaṇa, then he should be recognized as brāhmaṇa, as we are doing here. Here nobody is born in a brāhmaṇa family, but how we are offering him sacred thread? By the quality. That is recommended by Sanātana Gosvāmī.
This is most important point, that even... First of all, he was a boy, three-, four-or five-years-old boy, no knowledge. And second point is that he was not born in a very high-grade family, aristocratic family, rich family. No. Maidservant's son. He did not give any information of his father also. Dāsyāḥ. Dāsyāḥ means there is no certainty who is father. Dāsī. Dāsī-putra. The... Formerly, big, big men, especially kṣatriyas... Just like when Vasudeva was married with Devakī, so with Devakī many hundreds maidservants were given, with Vasudeva. That is the system, especially among the kṣatriyas. When a kṣatriya king is married, then along with the queen, many girlfriends of the queen, they are also taken away. This is also nice solution of social problem. Yes. Because female population is always greater than the male population. And... Therefore, the royal order, they would accept all these girls as associates. And sometimes they would be pregnant, and there will be son. They were called dāsī-putra. They were not neglected. They were equally taken care of. But they were not heir to the throne. Only the married wife's son... Just like Vidura. Vidura's birth was like that. Vidura was not born of the queen, but maidservant. And Dhṛtarāṣṭra, he took him as his brother. There was no discrimination, because one is born of the maidservant... No. Equal treatment. Only the restriction was that he would not inherit the throne. That was the system.
So everyone should be prepared, everyone should understand Bhagavad-gītā. Of course, it is not possible for everyone to go. Still, if one understands... That is also Caitanya Mahāprabhu's order. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). He says everyone of you become a guru. How can I become guru? I am not very learned scholar, I have no education. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says no. Even though you are not very much educated or not born of a very high family, you simply, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). That's all. You become a guru. Kṛṣṇa-upadeśa. Don't adulterate it, but as Kṛṣṇa says, you say. You become guru. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... So I have tried that. I have tried to follow the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction, and I am presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. There is no magic, there is no jugglery and people are taking. If you do that everyone will be happy, the world will be happy and India's glory will be spread all over the world.
So Vyāsadeva, vidvān. Vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). He is learned; we are all fools. Yasyāṁ vai śrūyamāṇāyām (SB 1.7.7). If we... He has made for us. He is compassionate. Strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām (SB 1.4.25). Those who are actually advanced brāhmaṇa, they take care of. But those who are not brāhmaṇas-strī, śūdra, vaiśya and dvija-bandhu... Dvija-bandhu means born in higher family, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya or vaiśya, but does not take care of the real values of life or does not know what is spiritual life. He is called dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means "a friend of a dvija." He cannot be called the born of a dvija. This particular name is very significant, dvija-bandhu. Just like a son of a high-court justice. You can call him the son of the justice, but he is not justice. Similarly, a son born in brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family, higher circle, if he does not act like that, then he should be called according to his qualification. Tat tenaiva vinirdiśet yady anyatra vinirdiśet (SB 7.11.35). This is the instruction of Nārada Muni. If the son of a brāhmaṇa has acquired the qualities of a śūdra, then he should be called a śūdra, not a brāhmaṇa. Unfortunately the..., in India especially, where we have got all the śāstras, against the śāstras, without any qualification of a brāhmaṇa one is claiming to be brāhmaṇa. In Mahārāja Pṛthu's time, he was especially supervising whether a brāhmaṇa is engaged in his brahminical activities, whether a kṣatriya is engaged in his kṣatriya activities. Not that a brāhmaṇa is engaged in śūdra activities and he should be called a brāhmaṇa. That was restricted formerly.
So, Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead-sākṣāt, not imagination. Here it is said sa eva jīva-lokasya māyā sākṣād... Here, yes. Tvam ādyaḥ puruṣaḥ sākṣād īśvaraḥ. Sākṣāt, directly. Not indirectly. Just like we are meeting face to face. It is not that I am imagining. Face to face, sākṣāt. Sa-akṣa. Akṣa means eyes or senses. With senses. Kṛṣṇa cannot be seen with these material senses. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). It is not possible to experience Kṛṣṇa by our, these material blunt senses. It is not possible. We have to make purified. How it is purified? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. When you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, sevonmukha—"Kṛṣṇa, I want to serve You"—this much wanted, qualification. No educational qualification, no Ph.D. degree, or to take birth in very high family or to become rich. Nothing. Simply a true feeling, desire: "Kṛṣṇa, so long I remained forgetting You. Now, somehow or other, I've come to the sense that You are everything. By hearing from my guru or the spiritual master or from the śāstra..." Sādhu-śāstra. Sat-saṅga-sādhu-śāstra. Lava-mātra sādhu-saṅge sarva-siddhi haya (CC Madhya 22.54).
But when a person is materially opulent in this way, he becomes intoxicated. "Oh, I am rich man. I am educated man. I have got money." Becomes intoxicated. Therefore we advise... Because they're already intoxicated by these possessions. And again intoxication? Then, by nature, these people are already intoxicated. Intoxicated in this sense... Just like if you drink wine, you become intoxicated. You are flying in the sky. You are thinking like that. You have gone to the heaven. Yes. So these are the effects of intoxication. But the intoxicated person does not know that this intoxication, intoxication will be finished. It is within the time limit. It is not going to continue. That is called illusion. One is intoxication, that "I am very rich. I am very educated, I am very beautiful, I am very..., I am born in high family, in high nation." That's all right. But this intoxication, how long it will exist?
Suppose you are American. You are rich, you are beautiful. You are advanced in knowledge, and you are, you can be proud of become American. But how long this intoxication will exist? As soon as this body's finished, everything is finished. All, all intoxication. Just like... Same thing. You drink something, become intoxicated. But as soon as that intoxication is over, all your intoxicated dreams are over, finished. So this intoxication, if you remain in intoxication, hover in the sky and mental platform... These are mental platform, egoistic platform. Bodily platform.
So, so long we possess all these things... That is explained here, janma, aiśvarya, śruta, śrī. These are good material possessions: to born in high family, aristocratic family, or brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family. These were considered high parentage, heritage. Nowadays, everyone is śūdra. That is another thing. Nobody can be proud of his birth. So janma and aiśvarya. If we possess land, home and children, wife, bank balance, that is called aiśvarya. Janmaiśvarya-śruta. And education. "I am philosopher. I am scientist. I am this, poet." So education. That is called śruta. Śruta. Especially Vedic knowledge, śruti. So janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ. And śrī, beauty. So unless one is very happy or born in good family, unless one..., he cannot have bodily beauty. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna, edhamāna-madaḥ (SB 1.8.26). The more we possess these things, then we become intoxicated. It is already illusion. Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). So that illusion becomes more and more stronger. And that is called madaḥ.
So this is the position of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, that completely being confident, completely being freed from all ignorance, then he sat on the throne. Just imagine what is the position of this monarch and these rascal so-called presidents. Sanātana Gosvāmī presented himself... Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, he presented, both of them presented themself by Caitanya Mahāprabhu as nīca-jāti. Nīca. Nīca means lowest, lowest grade; jāti, born. But actually they were born of very high-grade brāhmaṇa family of Karnatak. But why they presented themselves as nīca-jāti? Because that is explained in Bhakti-ratnākara, that because their behavior on account of mixing with the Muhammadan kings degraded, therefore they considered themself as nīca. That is confirmed by the śāstras. You may take birth in high brāhmaṇa family, but by association and culture, if you become degraded, then you have to be designated as such degraded person. Not that you become degraded, at the same time, you keep yourself as brāhmaṇa. That is not possible. Yasya yal lakṣaṇaṁ syāt varṇābhivyañjakam. In the śāstra it is said that there are symptoms of varṇa. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the symptoms, who is a brāhmaṇa. So these are the symptoms. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So if you don't find these symptoms, then how one can become brāhmaṇa? That is not possible.
So this is the position. You create a situation of your own. Just like when the surgical operation, you have got a boil, then you... You have created by contamination, and the surgeon is simply operating. He has not created that situation. Similarly your transference to another body is not God's creation, it is your creation. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, you have seen. Why one is born in low-grade family, one is born high-grade family, one is born animal, one is born human being, one is born as demigod? Why? What is the cause? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Kāraṇam. The cause is as he has infected the modes of material nature. The material nature is going on in three modes, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. It is up to you if you associate with tamo-guṇa, then you become next life animal or tree or fish. There are so many degraded condition. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ (BG 14.18). Those who are in the darkness modes of material nature, they go down, adhaḥ. Adho gacchanti, degraded.
There are many instances. Just like Satyakāma-jābāla, a boy, Satyakāma, he went to Gautama Muni: "Sir, I want to become your disciple." "Oh, very good. Are you brāhmaṇa or brāhmaṇa's son?" Formerly, in Vedic ways, nobody could be accepted as a disciple unless he's born in high class family, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya—especially brāhmaṇa. So this question was asked, "Which family you belong to?" So he said, "I do not know what is my classification." "Now, who is your father?" "That I do not know." "Ask your mother." Then he went to his mother, "Who is my father?" "My dear boy, I do not know." So actually his mother was maidservant. So maidservants have so many men, and by whom she was pregnant she cannot remember. She also told the truth. And this Satyakāma, he also came to Gautama Muni, he said, "Sir, my father, my mother also do not know who is my father." "Oh, that's all right. You are a brāhmaṇa, because you are truthful. You do not hide yourself, that 'I am a prostitute's son.' You say this is the position. 'I am plainly speaking that my mother does not know who is my father. I do not know!' " So because he was truthful... That is the symptom of brāhmaṇa. He accepted, "Yes, I'll accept you as my disciple."
But if he deviates from the family principle... Just like in the śāstra it is said that in a higher class family, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, especially brāhmaṇa, if the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not accepted, the whole family becomes śūdra. Garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. That means begetting the child, there is a ceremony which is called garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. So in the Kali-yuga practically no saṁskāra is performed. Therefore in the śāstra it is said kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. So Vedic process, Vedic principles of accepting. It is not possible in this Kali-yuga. Because the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is not there. In nobody's family there the garbhādhāna-saṁskāra is taken. Sex life is also regulated by garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi. Aviruddha, "Sex life which is not against the religious principles, that I am. That sex life I am," Kṛṣṇa says. "I am that sex life." That is godly. But sex life for sense gratification or for prostitution, that is not Kṛṣṇa. That is Kali. So this is the process.
So that is the difference between a child in the womb and a grown-up woman. You see? That is by nature. They forget. Strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25). Therefore Mahābhārata was created by Vyāsadeva, Vedic instruction through history, to battle of Kurukṣetra. Because strī, śūdra, woman, śūdra and dvija-bandhu... Men born in high-class family, but behavior is different, they are called dvija-bandhu. So they cannot understand the Vedic lessons directly. It is not possible. They have no such intelligence. Strī, śūdra and dvija-bandhu. So Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś cārtheṣu (SB 1.1.1). They cannot understand. Therefore through Mahābhārata they are instructed. History. History they can hear. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "It is the duty of a human being, even from childhood, kaumāra..." Kaumāra means from the age of fifth year up to tenth year. This is called kaumāra. So people should be educated about this, that the problem is how to stop janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). This education. This is called Bhāgavata instruction. You are noting. We are talking on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The subject matter is how one shall transfer himself from this material world to the spiritual world and thereby stop birth, death, old age and disease. This is the whole subject matter.
Therefore He has given this field. "All right, you want to become another God or competitor of Me? You live in this material world and begin your life as Brahmā. I give you first-class chance. And then gradually, you become the worm of the stool." (laughter) This is called karma-kāṇḍīya-vicāra. First of all we get our very opportunity. Just like you Americans, you have got good opportunity. I have several time mentioned that you have wealth, you have got education, you have got beauty, janmaiśvarya, and heritage also. People outside your country, they know, "Oh, he is American. He is very advanced." You have got respect. So this is, this is due to pious life. If one is pious, he gets all those opportunities. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). This is... Janma means to get birth in high family, aristocratic family, or to become the members of a big nation. This is called janma. Janma means birth. And aiśvarya, opulence, money. Janma aiśvarya śruta, aiśvarya, and śruta. Śruta means education. And śrī means beauty. These four things are outcome of previous pious life. So you have got this opportunity. You have got. Now you utilize these assets of life—nice birth, opulence, beauty, education—for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, you take the chance of Brahmā, and then go to become the worm of the stool. The law of karma is like that.
Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā... (BG 18.54). This is the verdict. So for a devotee mukti is not very big thing. Mukti's already there if he's actually a pure devotee. A pure devotee means just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says. He has no other desire. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīm (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Everyone is desiring in this material world for riches, wealth, dhanam, and janam, good family, high aristocratic family, or good followers, leader, minister. Janam. They are aspiring popular votes. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitām. And next is to have a very beautiful, obedient wife. These are the aspirations of material life. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "I do not want all these things." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīm. This is bhakti life. When one is free from all such material desires, he's fit for executing devotional service. That is mukti.
They must take contribution and must spend for Kṛṣṇa. This is brāhmaṇa. No service. Formerly, no brāhmaṇa ... Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, they were born in high-class brāhmaṇa family, Sārasvata brāhmaṇa, but because they accepted the service of Nawab Hussein Shah, immediately they were rejected from brāhmaṇa society. It is by the grace of Caitanya Mahāprabhu that they again became gosvāmī. Otherwise, they were rejected. No brāhmaṇa could take service and especially service of a low-class man. That is ... In Bhāgavata you will see especially that if a brāhmaṇa is in difficulty, he may accept the profession of a kṣatriya or utmost of a vaiśya, but never take the profession of a śūdra. What is the profession of śūdra? Śūdra ... Paricaryātmakaṁ kāryaṁ śūdra-karma śvabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). One who is hankering after service, he is śūdra. He has no capacity to live independently. The brāhmaṇa, real brāhmaṇa, he will starve, he will die out of starvation.
You can become representative of Kṛṣṇa if you do not interpret Kṛṣṇa's words in your whimsical way. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." And if you take it as it is, and if you speak to the people that "There is no more superior authority than Kṛṣṇa," then you become guru. You become guru. You don't change. Then you become guru. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has instructed this. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). His, He was preaching. So He was preaching everyone, from country to country. Of course, He did not go outside India. Within India. And He was instructing that "You learn from Me and teach your people within this village, within this country." Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Ei deśa means "this country, or this place where you are living." Then? Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā. You become guru. So one may think that "I am illiterate. I have no education. I am not born in very high family. How I can become guru?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "It is not very difficult." Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Bas. You become guru. You simply speak whatever Kṛṣṇa speaks. Then you become guru.
Anyone can be delivered. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Low-born, pāpa-yoni. Puṇya-yoni and pāpa-yoni. Puṇya-yoni... Yoni means the source of birth. So there are two kinds of yonis, pious and impious. Those who are pious, they are getting chance of birth, in very aristocratic, high family, educated, learned brāhmaṇa family. Jñāna. Then aiśvarya, opulence, riches; education, śruta; śrī, beauty. These are the symptoms of pious life. And just the opposite, ugly-looking, born in very low-grade family, almost animal, then no education, no character, these are impious life. So... But the sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83), even by, one is born in low-grade family, pāpa-yoni, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya, if one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says, "If one takes shelter of Me..." Kṛṣṇa never denies anyone. Socially, we may deny a caṇḍāla to enter into my house, but Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's devotee does not deny. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They never, they'll never deny. "Yes, you are welcome. You take also education in the spiritual life. You also become devotee of Kṛṣṇa." Sometimes we are criticized. But Kṛṣṇa says, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). He is giving, offering shelter. "Come on. Never mind you are born in low family or impious family. It doesn't matter." Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā (BG 9.33).
So Kṛṣṇa says, "Those who are very, very low-born, even they can come and take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become elevated for liberation. And what to speak of pious persons who have taken birth in the brāhmaṇa family." Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyāḥ. To take birth in brāhmaṇa family requires puṇya. To take birth in rich family requires puṇya. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41). Śucīnām means very, mean, elevated, first-class, exalted brāhmaṇa, śuci. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. So these are, those who have taken birth in high-grade brāhmaṇa family or rich family, they are not ordinary men. The best thing: one who has taken birth in brāhmaṇa family. But who cares for it? They misuse this chance. Kṛṣṇa says, kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyāḥ. "You have taken birth in brāhmaṇa family. Why don't you take shelter of Me?" So because the..., why? The sādhu. Brāhmaṇa means sādhu. Brāh..., Vaiṣṇava means sādhu. Sannyāsī means sādhu. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ..., ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ (SB 3.25.21). This is a sādhu. So sādhu, they are very titikṣavaḥ, ārjavam. Similarly, brāhmaṇa qualification is also... Satyaṁ śaucaṁ samo damas titikṣā. Titikṣā, tolerant, ārjava, simplicity, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So similarly, sādhu. There must be a class of men in the society, first-class sādhu. Then the society will improve. If everyone is debauch and śūdra, then how the society will be peaceful? There is... Therefore, to organize the society, Kṛṣṇa recommends, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There must be ideal brāhmaṇa. There must be ideal kṣatriya, ideal vaiśya. And balance, all śūdras. But nobody's caring that.
So if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your life is secure, guaranteed. If you make complete the Kṛṣṇa conscious life in this life, then tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). That is wanted. But don't be neglectful. Those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they should be very serious. Why should you take another chance of getting birth in a very rich family or a brāhmaṇa family? That is also risky because it is not guarantee. Because generally, those who are rich, they don't care for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Oh, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is meant for the poor fellow." Or if somebody is born in a brāhmaṇa family, he is also puffed up. He is thinking, "Oh, these are mlecchas, yavanas, Americans. Oh, I am brāhmaṇa. I am born in a very high family." That is a cause of falldown, yes, proud, pride, unnecessary pride. A Vaiṣṇava is very humble. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā amāninā mānadena. We have already discussed. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām (SB 3.25.21).
So these are the chance, human being, and there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, there is Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is advising personally—so many opportunities offered by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Why don't you take it? If you don't take it, then you are committing suicide.
Guru means who follows the predecessor, authorized predecessor. He is guru. Not that everyone is guru. So therefore we have to follow the superior order. Then we become guru, not that by cheating others we become guru. No. That is cheater. That is not teacher. Guru means who is following the superior order. The superior order is Kṛṣṇa or His representative. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa. He is ordering, āmāra ājñāya, "By My order," guru hañā, "you become guru." "Sir, it is very difficult to become guru. I have no education. I have no culture. I am not born in a very high family. I am very low." A devotee always thinks like that. He never thinks that "I have become very great man." Just like Caitanya-caritāmṛta, author of, he says, purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha (CC Adi 5.205). Purīṣa, purīṣa means stool, and there are worms in the stool. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta author is saying that "I am lower than the worms in the stool." That is Vaiṣṇava conception. Tṛṇād api sunīcena. He is very humble. He never says, "Oh, I am the Supreme. I have become God." A most rascal, foolish. So that is not... Therefore we have to follow. If we actually want to become guru, there is necessity of many thousands of gurus to teach this cheated public. But how to become guru? That is... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya: "By My order." "What is Your order, Sir?" Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Then you become guru. You simply advise people to follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction. Then you become guru.
When Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya was talking about spiritual realization, so Rāmānanda Rāya was from a śūdra family and he was householder and governor of Madras, politician also. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asking question from him and... This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's līlā: mūkaṁ karoti vācālam, how He is making a śūdra, gṛhastha, politician, His guru, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's guru. So nobody can become Caitanya Mahāprabhu's guru, but He was playing the part. He was questioning, and Rāmānanda Rāya was replying. So just imagine how his position was exalted. So he was little hesitating, and when very intricate questions were put before him... He was quite able to answer. He was answering. So he was feeling little hesitation, "Sir, You are coming out of a very high brāhmaṇa family and the most learned personality, and now You have taken sannyāsa, the supermost position in the human society."
So Rāmānanda Rāya was feeling a little agitation, that "How is that? I am a gṛhastha, householder, not even born in high family, brāhmaṇa family. And I am engaged in politics, I am governor, and He is a sannyāsī, renounced order of life. How is that that He is asking question and I am replying? The question is enquired by the student, and the answer is given by the spiritual master. So how is that?" He was feeling little agitation. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately encouraged him, "Don't hesitate." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's example. He is teaching everything by His personal example. His purpose was that in this Kali-yuga the distinction between brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra will be almost finished. Then who will instruct? Because the instructor's position is brāhmaṇa. One must be brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa's business is paṭhan pāṭhan yajan yājan dāna pratigraha. A brāhmaṇa should be personally very highly learned scholar. Therefore brāhmaṇa is called paṇḍita. Even in India, still a brāhmaṇa is addressed, "paṇḍitji." He may be a fool number one, but he is addressed like that, "Paṇḍitji." So because without becoming a learned scholar nobody can become a brāhmaṇa... We are also giving our student position as brāhmaṇa, but if he remains a fool number one, then we are misusing our attempt. He should be very learned scholar.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, pāpī-tāpī jata chilo hari-nāme uddhārilo, tāra sākṣī jagāi mādhāi. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by His saṅkīrtana movement, has delivered all kinds of fallen souls," pāpī-tāpī. Pāpī means sinful and tāpī means suffering. If you become sinful, then you must suffer. If you... Just like if you contaminate some disease, you must suffer. Similarly, if you contaminate sinful activity, then you must suffer. Pāpī-tāpī jata chilo hari-nāme uddhārilo. They have been delivered. So how they have been delivered? Tāra sākṣī jagāi mādhāi. The living example is Jagāi and Mādhāi. What was the Jagāi-Mādhāi's fault that he's considered pāpī-tāpī? They were addicted to these four principles: illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling. They were addicted to these principles. They were born in high brāhmaṇa family, but by bad association they became drunkard number one, womanhunters, meat-eaters and gamblers and guṇḍās, like anything. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered them. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's process was that He used to send daily His devotees to go and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and preach Hare Kṛṣṇa just like we are trying to do here. We are sending our devotees.
So one has to go above. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ... (BG 3.42). Lord Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ manasas tu parā buddhiḥ. That intelligence required. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, one of the chief disciples of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was the chief minister in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah, and he was born in a very high-class brāhmaṇa family, sārasvata family, and he was very learned scholar in Sanskrit and Urdu and Arabic, very learned scholar. So when he submitted himself after resigning his post as minister, submitted to Lord Caitanya, he put this question, that grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita, tāi satya māni. A brāhmaṇa... Still in our India, a brāhmaṇa is addressed as paṇḍita. Brāhmaṇa means paṇḍita. Brāhmaṇa-paṇḍita, brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava, that a... Learned scholar. So in the society he was addressed as "Paṇḍitajī." So he protested against it. He said to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, grāmya-vyavahāre: "In ordinary behavior they call me 'paṇḍita.' " Grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita, tāi satya māni: "And I am such a fool that I accept myself also as a paṇḍita." It is his humbleness. He was paṇḍita, certainly. But he says, "Why I am not paṇḍita?" Because āpanāra hitāhita kichui nā jāni: "I am such a learned scholar that I do not know what is actually good for me. This is my learning. And I have become a leader. I do not know what is the aim of my life, what is my identification. People address me as paṇḍita, and I take it as fact. But actually I am not a paṇḍita. I do not know what I am. I am thinking I am this body. I am thinking I am this mind."
So that is required. Prāyaścitta and other things, they may be temporarily... That is... We are discussing this point. The real point is that nārāyaṇa-parāṅmukham. Without thinking of Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, no other method will be able to purify you. There are many places... Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā... (BG 4.10). What is that verse? Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ... (BG 4.10). The simple process to become purified. And that simple process is this chanting. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, this name "Kṛṣṇa" is reminding me. I must hear and I must chant with the tongue. Then you keep yourself always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our method is very simple. It doesn't require much education or to become rich or become beautiful or become..., to take birth in high family. No. In any condition. Ahaituky apratihatā. If you want to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, there is no impediment in the world. You can, walking on the street, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will keep you purified. No other method. This is the purport of this verse.
So this point is very important, that if one is addicted to illicit sex life, if one is addicted to meat-eating and if one is addicted in intoxicants, then he is immediately fallen from the standard of human society. (Hindi) The present state of Hindu society is so fallen because a brāhmaṇa, in spite of his kad-ācāra, he claims to become a brāhmaṇa. Do you follow? The śāstra says that as soon as you give up your good habits, the behavior of a brāhmaṇa... The behavior brāhmaṇa or... Just like it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, satya-śama-dama-titikṣa-ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānaṁ āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So we have to select a brāhmaṇa by the symptoms of his life, not that because he is born of a brāhmaṇa family he remains a brāhmaṇa. No. He must continue the brahminical qualification; otherwise he is not a... Naṣṭa-sadācāra. He is lost. Sadācāra must be continued. This is the conclusion of the Bhāgavata. Unfortunately, not only brāhmaṇas—kṣatriyas or śūdras, they are practically... They have lost all sadācāra. Still, they are claiming that "I am born in higher family." Naṣṭa-sadācāra dāsyāḥ sam... And why he was lost of his good behavior? Dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-duṣitaḥ: because he was contaminated by that illicit sex life. And at the present moment a gentleman keeps woman and goes there, and still, he passes on as brāhmaṇa. He does not know that he has fallen down. (Hindi) For this reason the present Hindu society is so degraded.
We have got experience. Therefore you do not wish to die, because it is very, very painful. Similarly, after death, immediately, by the discrimination of Yamarāja, he gets another body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Daiva-netreṇa, by the supervision of superior power, the Yamarāja takes away, and then he gives a body. First of all he is put into the hellish condition of life as he will get. Then, when he is little practiced, then he is given the similar body. Otherwise how it...? It will be... Suppose a person from, coming from very high family or king's royal family, but he has acted just like dogs and dogs. Then next life he is going to have a body of hog or dog. So therefore he is put into such life, subtle life—that is Yamarāja's business—to be used in that way of life Then he is given a solid body or gross body so that the same royal prince, he can very easily eat stool. This is the process, nature's process is going on. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). They are simply explaining "nature." How nature is working, these foolish rascals, they do not know. They do not know. Nature is working. That is fact. But how the nature is working, how different forms of body, different activities are going on, by whose judgment, who is looking after, these things they do not know. This is the modern education.
But Kṛṣṇa conscious person, they know how things are going on, how nature is working, what is the effect.
So this is the beginning of saṁsāra. So there is attraction between man and woman, and as soon as the attraction becomes little intimate, they unite. Then they have children. Then they require money, apartment, so many things. This man became sinful. He gave up his real wife, married wife, coming from very good family, but he became attracted with that śūdrāṇī, fourth class. Śūdra means fourth class, worker class. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. So śūdra women, they are not chaste. Some of them are practically professional prostitute. But that is not in higher caste family—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. But at the present moment it is very difficult to distinguish who is brāhmaṇa and who is śūdra. But formerly this is the system of Vedic civilization—ideal character, ideal behavior of the brāhmaṇa; less, little less, kṣatriya; little less, vaiśya; and less than the vaiśya, the śūdra; and less than the śūdras are called caṇḍālas. First class, second class, third class, fourth class, and then fifth class.
And as He is worshipable, similarly His place, the Vṛndāvana, where He appeared, that is also worshipable. Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇā yā kalpitā. And the method of worship, the best method of worship of Kṛṣṇa was exhibited by the gopīs. Now what were the worshipable method of the gopīs? They were not very learned scholars or Vedantists. Or theosophists or mental speculators. None. They were ordinary village girls. And that also, not coming of a very high royal family or brāhmaṇa family. They were cowherdsmen. So their fathers were not very rich, but they had several cows, that's all. So the gopīs' method of Kṛṣṇa worship was that they could not forget Kṛṣṇa even for a moment. That was their qualification. There are many verses about the mental situation of the gopīs. I shall just try to explain you about their mentality, how they are loving Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa used to take His cows to the forest for pasturing. And the gopīs, when Kṛṣṇa was away from the village, the gopīs were thinking, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa's, I mean to say, foot is so soft, and He's walking barefooted on the stones and chips of stones, and they are pricking His foot. Oh, how much He's suffering!" In this way they were thinking and crying. Kṛṣṇa is away from the village and is walking in the forest, and the gopīs were thinking at home that, "How much troublesome the walking is that He has gone out." In this way there are so many. So while they were at home, while they were cooking or they were feeding their children, always they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That was their qualification. That's all. They were so much absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa that not a single moment were without Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
If one can understand nitya-siddha bhāgavata, then he immediately becomes eligible to go back to home, to back to godhead. This is the privilege of associating with mahā-bhāgavata. So our system is, (child crying—aside:) try and maintain (?). Evaṁ paramparā, to associate with the mahā-bhāgavata by words or by physical exposition (?). So mahā-bhāgavata arbhakaḥ. One may argue, arbhakaḥ means foolish child, who has no knowledge, he is called arbhakaḥ. How we can say mahā-bhāgavata? Arbhakaḥ, he has no knowledge. No. It is possible. Ahaituky apratihatā. Bhakti does not depend on age, or on advanced knowledge, or richness, or so many other things. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). To take birth in high family, aristocracy, and to become rich, to become beautiful, to become very learned scholar. These things are material assets, but spiritual life does not depend on these things. One can become spiritually very advanced even though he is poor, he is born in a low, low-grade family.
So because Brahmā and other demigods asked Prahlāda Mahārāja to pray, therefore he is suggesting, he is guessing that "Material qualification is no assessment for approaching the Lord." He says that manye, "I think." Manye, "I think," dhana. Dhana means wealth. Abhijana. Abhijana means to take birth. Śrīdhara Swami says abhijana means sat-kule janma, to take birth in high family, in brāhmaṇa family, in rich family. And rūpam, sundarya, śrutam, saundarya. Rūpa means beauty, and śrutam means education. Ojaḥ, indriya-naipuṇyam. Ojaḥ means power of sense. A man who can use his senses very nicely, he is called ojaḥ. Just like the vultures. The vulture, he can go three, four miles up, but he can see... From that four miles away, he can see whether there is a carcass. So simply by sense power one does not become very great. The example is this: although this creature, vulture, has gone very high... We are human being. We cannot see three, four miles away anything. So sense power... There are different animals who have got different kinds of sense power. Just like dogs.
They are all, after all, material qualifications. The brāhmaṇas means they are situated in the modes of material goodness, the kṣatriya means they are situated in the quality of material passion, the vaiśya means they are situated in the mixed quality of passion and ignorance, and a śūdra means who is situated in the material quality of the modes of ignorance. And those who are less than that, the śūdras, they are called caṇḍālas or śvapaca. So a brāhmaṇa is estimated the high-class man. Why? That is also materially estimation. But if he has no devotion to the Lord, then that is... That means he has no spiritual qualification. Then a person who is born in the family of dog-eaters, if he has got this bhakti, spiritual qualification, he is more than that.
- viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābha
- pādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaṁ variṣṭham
- manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha-
- prāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ
"Because that person, although he is born in a caṇḍāla family, because he becomes a devotee, he can deliver his forefathers. But the person who is simply puffed up, born in high family, he cannot deliver himself, what to speak of others." He cannot deliver even himself, and what to speak of others.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja also says the same thing, that "I consider that person is better than the so-called qualified brāhmaṇa because his endeavors are engaged in the service of the Lord." Śvapacaṁ variṣṭham. Prāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ. A highly qualified materialistic person, he's proud of his qualification. Anyone. There are four things to become proud: janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). If one is born in very good family, high family, aristocratic family or rich family, he is proud. He's always proud. And one who is very wealthy, he's also very proud. And one who is very beautiful, he is also proud. And one who is very learned, a great scholar, he is also very proud. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that what this pride will help him? You may remain a very proud man, full of pride so long this body is there. That's all. As long the body is finished, your designation as Rockefeller finished. Your degree, M.A., Ph.D., finished. Your beautiful body finished. Your aristocratic family finished. Then you have to take another platform according to your work. If you have done works like again aristocratic or learned activities, then you get similar body. But in spite of all your acquisitions, you have played the part of a dog, then you are going to become a dog. Because after leaving this body we are completely in the hands of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). The Bhagavad-gītā says that the material nature is acting.
So why the low-grade man cannot be offered tri-daṇḍa if he is qualified? If he has dedicated everything to Kṛṣṇa, why he should be prohibited? No. That is not the śāstric injunction. Śāstric injunction is for anyone. Nobody is prohibited to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32), Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa says even pāpa-yoni, less than the śūdra... Śūdra is also pāpa-yoni. Even woman is called pāpa-yoni according to strict... Striyaḥ śūdras tathā vaiśya. Vaiśya. Except brāhmaṇa and kṣatriyas, everyone is considered to be lowborn, according to the Vedic injunction. But not that because he is lowborn, he cannot elevate himself. That is not the fact. The present, so-called Hindu society is degraded because if one is born in higher family, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya—he may be less than a śvapaca—he's accepted as a brāhmaṇa. That is the fault.
But śāstra does not say that without... Even if you are born in a high family, brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family, and if you do not act or if (you) have not the qualification of brāhmaṇa, dvi-ṣaṭ, twelve qualifications... What is that? Dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda... That is explained, what are the twelve qualifications. Dharmaḥ: "He must be strictly religious principles." Dharmaḥ. Dharmaḥ begins strictly when one is fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. There begins dharmaḥ, because Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is saying, rajaḥ-prabhava: "My dear Lord, Īśa, my, this body, I have got this body from father and mother. They belong to the low-grade family." Suretara. Sura itara. Sura means high-class family, demigods, brāhmaṇa. That is called sura. And itara means low grade. So suretara-kule: "Because I am born... because everything is being done very perfectly by the laws of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛti, nature, is working. If you develop a kind of quality... There are three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So if you develop sattva-guṇa, then your body gradually will be sattva-guṇa-ized. Sattva-guṇa, the goodness... The body will be purified and become good. Good, bad, and via media, three kinds. So that is the process. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means everything is being gradually developed into goodness. And at last, to surpass goodness... Here in this material world the goodness may be contaminated with the other qualities, but in the spiritual world it is so good... It is called śuddha-sattva. There is no contamination, there is no tinge of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. That is spiritual quality.
Therefore, there is no guarantee. And this time I may have so very nice body in a very aristocratic family. Next life it may be the same aristocratic standard or in the higher planetary system in heavenly body, and it may also be that I can get the body of a cat and dog. Therefore, it is very essential that we should be prepared for the next body. Because after we will give up this body, and our pains and pleasure is according to the body. That is also the statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja, sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām, we get a standard of happiness or distress. Take for example only happiness, forget about distress. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām. One who has got his body in the Khatau's family or any nice family, so his standard of happiness is already fixed up according to the body. He has got a body in such family or in such species of life, so his standard of life is also fixed up according to his karma-yogena. Jantur dehopapattaye. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). Karmaṇā, by our act. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). By pious activities, one can get these four things: birth in high family, rich family, brāhmaṇa family, cultured family, janma; aiśvarya—riches, opulence; śruta—education; and śrī—beauty.
Another symptom is how a man is respectable. He says, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, vittam eva kalau nṟṇām. Vittam means money. If you have got money, some way or other, whatever you may be, you are very respected. Janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ. Formerly a man was respectable by his birth in a respectable family and by his behavior. Just like a brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa was respected because his behavior was so nice. He was truthful, he was clean, he was man of knowledge, he was faithful in scriptures, and so many qualifications. Therefore he was respected. So here it is said that janma, birth in a good family or high family, or good behavior. Janmācāra. Janmācāra, and guṇa, quality. Suppose a man is a great philosopher, a great learned scholar. That is a very good qualification. So these things will not be considered. If a man is very learned scholar or coming of a very respectable family and has got all good qualities, that will be neglected. Another man, if he has all the bad qualities but he has got money, he's respected. He'll be respected. This is the symptom of this age. And dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāṁ kāraṇaṁ balam eva hi. Dharma.
So just to place oneself as born of higher class, especially in India that is now being done. One man can purchase a two-cent worth this thread and put it on the..., "Oh, I come from a brāhmaṇa family." Without any education, without any acceptance of spiritual master and without anything, simply by showing the thread, that "I have got this thread," he becomes a brāhmaṇa or vipra, or twice-born or... Nonsense. But this will be done in Kali-yuga. Actually, these things are being done in India especially. Because here, in your country, there is no sacred thread ceremony, but in India there is this division of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and still the sacred thread ceremony is there. So in order to pose oneself as born of high family, one can simply purchase two-cent-worth thread and put on the breast and he can introduce himself, "Oh, I am brāhmaṇa." And nobody is going to inquire whether he is actually a brāhmaṇa. As soon as one sees that sacred thread: "Oh, he's a brāhmaṇa." That's all. So this is the, another symptom of Kali-yuga, that simply by two-cent-worth sacred thread one becomes a brāhmaṇa.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
But people are enamored by this material life to have high parentage, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). They are enamored by these things. "I must have birth in high family, in brāhmaṇa family, in king's family, in heavenly planet, in demigod's family." They think this is life. But a devotee knows, "No, this is not life." For devotee... Vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate. What to speak of this rich family or that family or brāhmaṇa family? Vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate. Even vidhi... Vidhi means Lord Brahma, and mahendra means Lord Indra. They are also considered, "What? They are insects, a pāpa living entity, just like ordinary insects." That is the position. The devotee is richest. Just like somebody... We were discussing. Somebody was speaking about me that "You are richest." Yes, I am richest. Why not richest? Because a devotee does not care liberation. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. The jñānīs are after merging into the Brahman effulgence. A devotee thinks, "What is this Brahman effulgence?" Narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate. And the heavenly planet, that is phantasmagoria.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Bhakta-śakti, everything requires strength, so we can derive strength by chanting Caitanya Mahāprabhu's name, and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. You don't require very high education, neither you require to take your birth in very high family. Ahaitukī. Execution of devotional service is independent, completely. It has nothing to do with material condition. Ahaituky apratihatā. No material condition can check. Who can check it? If all the world over they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, who can check? No government can check, no communist party can check. Go on chanting; that is the principle. So ahaituky apratihatā yenātmā suprasīdati, and you will get individually and collectively Where is he? Haridāsa, he went to Moscow? He has gone (indistinct). He was chanting in Moscow. So people could not understand, they were asking, "What you are doing?" "I am singing some cinema song." (laughter) He was telling like that. Very clever. (laughter) "I am singing because the Muscovites, they are after Indian culture." So he said that "This is Hare Kṛṣṇa cinema song."
The Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: vidyā-kule hi karibe tāra. So if you do not know yourself, then what your so-called education and high family, high nationality, will help you? Nature's law is different. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). If you do not cultivate spiritual knowledge, if you remain like cats and dogs, then prakṛti, nature, will give you the cats' and dogs' body next life. Suppose you become very big businessman and you have got nice, very big balance and so on, so on, but by your activities you remain like a dog mentality is, then you are going to get the body of a dog. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). The test is at the time of death. At the time of death, if my mentality is different, so according to that mentality I shall get the body. This is called transmigration of the soul. There is no teaching of this science throughout the whole world, and we are trying to educate people. Of course, it is very difficult to understand, but this is the science, that there is transmigration of the soul. And if we do not take care of this, that "What I am going to become next life?" if you simply waste your time simply on the matter of eating, sleeping, mating and defense, then we are wasting our time. This is the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Sri Isopanisad Lectures
Yes. This is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, Fourth Chapter: yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Our, this conditioned life is so situated that in every step we are committing some sins. In every step, without knowing, ignorance, because we, we are born ignorant. Therefore Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abhodha-jātaḥ. Abodha-jātaḥ. Abodha-jāta means every living entity is born fools. Therefore there are so many educational institutions. If the man born... May be in very high family or in high nation, but he is a fool. Otherwise, what is the necessity of so many educational institution? It is a fact. So that foolishness, when it is come to light... That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. This foolishness will continue so long as he does not come to the platform of understanding self-realization. Otherwise, all these universities and institution for imparting knowledge, they are continuation of that same ignorance and foolishness. Unless one comes to the point of understanding, "What I am, what is God, what is this world, what is my relationship...?" Unless these questions come into one's heart, and there is no proper answer, he continues to be foolish like animal, and he is subjected to different species of life, transmigration from one body to another. This is ignorance.
Festival Lectures
So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is an ideal guru. He was not a sannyāsī; he was gṛhastha, householder, living with family, wife, children. Still, he was guru. So anyone can become guru. Not that a sannyāsī can become guru. A householder also can become guru, provided he knows the science. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya... Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a sannyāsī, very highly born in brāhmaṇa family, very learned scholar. So He was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya, a gṛhastha, governor of Madras. And He was questioning, and Rāmānanda Rāya was answering. That means he was taking the part of guru, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was taking the part of a disciple. So he was hesitating, Rāmānanda Rāya. He thought himself that "I am a gṛhastha; I'm not even a brāhmaṇa. Besides that, I am dealing in material affairs. I am governor, politics. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu is a sannyāsī, born of a high-class brāhmaṇa family. So it does not look well that I shall teach Him." So he was hesitating. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Oh, why you are hesitating?"
So here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya: "Everyone has got a particular type of occupational duty, but the ultimate goal of that duty is saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). If you want to make perfection of your duty, then you have to satisfy the Supreme Lord." It doesn't matter what you are. You may be a brahmacārī, you may be a householder, you may be in renounced order of life, and you may be a laborer class, you may be a brāhmaṇa, or you may be administrator. Whatever you may be, it doesn't matter. But your duty, your occupational service, will attain perfection when you try to satisfy the Supreme Lord by your occupation. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no harm that one is born a laborer class or uneducated or one is very learned or one is born of a very high family. These material qualification has nothing to do for spiritual evolution. Spiritual evolution is that you have to satisfy with the, with your talent, with your capacity, with your work, to satisfy the Supreme Lord. That is your perfection. That is your perfection.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So I am very glad to see this temple. You have purchased it? No. That's nice, very good space. And devotees are very nice. So our process is very simple, that we dedicate our life to the service of Vaiṣṇava and, according to his direction, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting of Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, and refrain from the sinful activities. Then life is successful. It is not very difficult. We do not require to be very learned scholar or very rich men or to take birth in a very high family. We do not require all these things. If we are endowed with all these blessings, janma aiśvarya śruta śrī—means birth in high family or great nation, to be very opulent, rich, and very highly educated, or very beautiful—these things are very good material possessions. But if we have got them, it is all right. Even if we have not got, there is no impediment. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is without any check by any material condition. Anyone can execute this devotional service, provided he wants to do it. And especially when one is endowed with other blessings, it is just like good scent in gold. Gold is appreciated by everyone. It is valuable, but there is no good flavor. Similarly, janma aiśvarya, to... You American boys and girls, you are born of a very big nation. That is very good. You are all educated, you are beautiful, and janma aiś..., śruta śrī, four things.
Initiation Lectures
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu also accepted sannyāsa in very young age, when He was only twenty-five years. So why? Tyaktvā tūrṇam, rājya-lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very, very well situated. He was born in a very respectable high brāhmaṇa family, Jagannātha Miśra, and mother's side, the Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, he was very respectable brāhmaṇa. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu's learning, nobody could excel Him, He was so learned scholar. And when He was sixteen years old, He defeated one of the most learned scholar of India, Keśava Bhāratī. So learning, family... And wife? Personally goddess of fortune, Lakṣmīpriyā and Viṣṇupriyā, most beautiful and young. Viṣṇupriyā was His second wife, so faithful, so beautiful, personally goddess of fortune, such wife. And mother, most affectionate. There is no comparison with Śacī-mātā. So this was... And influence? When He was twenty years old, He could, by His command, gather 100,000 people to protest against Kazi, He was so popular. So popularity, born in high family, having good wife and good mother, everything complete—still, He took sannyāsa. Therefore it is said, pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ. Why? Now, just to show mercy to the fallen souls. Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayā (SB 11.5.34). Just to show mercy to the fallen souls. This the the meaning of sannyāsa. One must be very merciful. Vaiṣṇavas, they are merciful. All devotees of God, Vaiṣṇava, they are merciful. You know Lord Jesus Christ, how he was merciful.
General Lectures
You cannot oblige God to become manifest before you because you are very good scholar or you are a very rich man or you are very good looking or you have got very good memorizing power. No. Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute. When He is pleased, then He reveals unto the devotee. Therefore our business should be, for God realization, to please Him. And that pleasing process is this devotional service. Let us engage in His service, and when He becomes pleased, "Yes. He's very sincerely..." Just like the gopīs. They were village girls, not even born of very high family. Cowherds, ordinary agriculturists, cowherds men. So their daughters. So how much education you can...? There was no education practically. In the village even men... In India still, they are ninety-percent illiterate. And what to speak of the girls, the men are not even literate. Because according to Vedic civilization it was not necessary that everyone should go to school. There was no necessity. Because things were being learned by śruti, by aural reception. Knowledge from the perfect man, one would hear, and he would become learned. There was no necessity of, I mean to say, learning ABCD. No. Even in Vedic age, everything was memorized. There was nothing in writing. People were so sharp in brain that once heard from the spiritual master, they will never forget. The brahmacārī system made their brain so powerful that whatever they will hear from the spiritual master, they will keep in the brain and never forget. They will repeat verbatim. Smṛti. It is called retaining power.
So God realization does not depend on material opulence. Material opulence means to take birth in high family, janma. Janma means high parentage. Then... Janmaiśvarya, and wealthy, great riches. These are material opulences: high parentage, great riches, and great learning, and great beauty. These four things are material opulences. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). Janma means birth, aiśvarya means wealth, and śruta means education, and śrī means beauty. So for God realization these things are not essential, but Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can utilize everything. So nothing is neglected. That is another point. But if somebody thinks that "I have got all these opulences; therefore God realization is very easy for me," no, that is not. So God realization depends on God, because God, you cannot oblige God by some force. Just like if you have got money, oh, you can do anything nowadays. If you have got strength of wealth, you can have any power, you can do anything. But that does not mean that you can purchase God. No. That is not possible. If you have got beauty, you can conquer over very stalwart, very strong men. Just like what is the... Cleopatra. You have heard the Grecian history. She was very beautiful, and she conquered many great warriors.
"I am learned." Now, this Sanātana Gosvāmī, he was formerly known as Dabira Khāsa. He was born in a high aristocratic family, brāhmaṇa family, and he was finance minister in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah, the then Bengal governor of Bengal. It is about five hundred years ago India was governed by the Pathans, Muslims, and in Bengal the governor was known as Nawab Hussain Shah. Under his government this Dabira Khāsa was minister of finance, and his brother also, Sākara Mallika, he was also a departmental minister. So both the brothers were in very high position. They were great scholar in Sanskrit and Parsi, Urdu. Parsi, Urdu, you know the language spoken in Arabia, in that part of the world. So they were very good scholar and born in very aristocratic family and associated with rich men, aristocratic persons. Because they were ministers, no ordinary person could mix with them. So that was their position. And when they met Lord Caitanya, they decided to retire from the service and propagate the movement of Lord Caitanya, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So he resigned from the service. The Nawab was very much sorry. He did not like that he should resign from the service because the Nawab was so much dependent on his good service. But he decided that "I must resign."
The Nawab was very much sorry. He did not like that he should resign from the service because the Nawab was so much dependent on his good service. But he decided that "I must resign." So some way or other he got rid of the service and approached Lord Caitanya in a very humble way. Now he's presenting himself before Lord Caitanya that "I am very low born, and my association is abominable. And people call me a very learned man, and I also accept that I am very learned man. But actually, I am not, because I do not know what I am." It is very nice picture, you see? In the Vedas the injunction is that if anyone wants to understand the transcendental science, he must approach to a bona fide person or a spiritual master in such humbleness as Sanātana Gosvāmī is approaching. He is born of a very high aristocratic family, but he says that "I am born very low." He's very learned man, but he says that "People say me learned man, but actually I am not." Just the position. So why he's saying that? That will be explained. Because actual learning means to know oneself. That is real knowledge. This knowledge that "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am born of this family," "I am father of this person," "husband of that lady," and this and that, so many designations, that is not real knowledge. Real knowledge is to know oneself. That is being taught by Sanātana Gosvāmī, that "I do not know what I am. I am simply identifying myself with this body. That is not real knowledge." He's presenting in that way.
Simply by distributing this chanting, He claimed everyone, however fallen he may be. "Come on, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and become delivered." So nice thing. Pāpī-tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārila. What is the evidence that He has? Ta 'ra sākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. Jagāi-Mādhāi, they were two brothers, debauch number one. You see. They were all kinds of sinful affairs. They were drunkards, they were woman hunters, meat-eaters, so many things. And, of course, they were born in a very high brāhmaṇa family, but bad association, they became like that. Similarly, at the present age, this human society, although they are coming from the Aryan family, very nice family, but due to association the only environment is there's woman and intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling. That's all. So Jagāi-Mādhāi is the specimen sample of this population, and Lord Caitanya delivered them simply by this Hare Kṛṣṇa. So this chanting process, Hare Kṛṣṇa, will actually deliver all these fallen souls without any failure. It is not bogus propaganda. Anyone who will take to this chanting process, whatever, you don't consider about his past life. He will become saintly. He will become a pure Kṛṣṇa conscious person. So pāpī-tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo, ta 'ra sākṣī jagāi-mādhāi. The evidence is Jagāi-Mādhāi.
So anyway, apart from their business, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is especially meant for awakening the dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness of every man. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there in everyone. Otherwise how these European, American young men, young girls, children, they are taking part in it? It is not that I have bribed them. Sometimes the Christian missionaries go to our country. They bribe the poorer classes of men, and they become Christians—not by understanding the philosophy or the religion. Because India is poverty-stricken, so if you do some social work, give them some medicine, give them some financial help, they think of, being obliged, and whatever you like, you can tell them. Similarly, in Muhammadan time also, all the Indian Muhammadans, they were not coming from very respectable high family. You know, in India there are four classes of men: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Out of them, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya are considered the topmost class. Now everything has deteriorated. So we find from the history of this conversion, from the śūdra class, lower than the śūdra class, not very many from the higher class. So still, that was based on bribing, giving some social help, political help, financial help. But our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement I started in 1966.
These ministers were, by caste, brāhmaṇa, but because they accepted the service in Muhammadan government, they were rejected from the brāhmaṇa society. And they also became like Muhammadans. They changed their names to Sākara Mallika and Dabira Khāsa. Practically they became Muhammadan. And in those days many other Muhammadans, they also became this follower of Caitanya cult, especially Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Haridāsa Ṭhākura was born in Muhammadan family. These Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī, they were born in high-class brāhmaṇa family, but on account of their service in the Muhammadan government they were rejected from the brāhmaṇa society. That is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's special mercy, that this Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who was actually born in Muhammadan family, he was made nāmācārya. We offer our respect, "Nāmācārya Śrīla Haridāsa Ṭhākura."
Philosophy Discussions
Purports to Songs
Vidyā-kule ki koribe tār. Somebody may say, "Oh, why he is going to hell? He is so much educated, he has got academic qualification, he has got degrees." Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura replies, vidyā-kule ki koribe tār: "If he has no connection with Nityānanda and if he does not come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his vidyā or his so-called academic education, and kula, and birth in high family or great nation, will not protect him because nature's law will act. "Either you are born in a very big family or nation, or either you have got a very advanced academic education, at the time of death your work will be judged and you will get another body according to that work. So vidyā kule ki koribe tār. Why they are doing so, these animals, human animals? Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā: "They have become maddened by a false concept of the bodily life." Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā: "And for this reason they have completely forgotten their eternal relationship with Nityānanda." Ahaṅkāre matta hoiyā, nitāi-pada pāsariyā, asatyere satya kari māni: "Such forgetful persons accept the illusory energy as fact." Asatyere. Asatya means which is not fact. In other words, it is called māyā. Māyā means which has no existence, a temporary illusion only. So such persons who have no contact with Nityānanda, they accept this illusion as fact, this illusory body as fact. Asatyere satya kori māni.
He was beautiful, Gaurasundara. His another name is Gaurasundara, very beautiful boy. And a very learned scholar, Nimāi Paṇḍita. Nobody could defeat Him. And very influential and born of a very high-grade brāhmaṇa family. His father, His grandfather, was very, very learned scholars. So in every way He was very well situated, although the brāhmaṇas are not very rich. They do not care for money. They are interested in knowledge, brahma-jñāna. And if one knows Brahman, then he is brāhmaṇa. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ: "Brāhmaṇa means one who knows the Absolute Truth." That is brahma-jñāna. The human life is meant for that purpose, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Everyone should be interested to enquire about Brahman, the Absolute Truth. At least, a class of man must be there in the society. That is the brain, brain of the society, brāhmaṇa. Just like you have got the brain in your body. If the brain is absent, if the brain is gone mad, then your whole body is useless. That is the position at the present moment. There is no brain in the society. All śūdras, no brāhmaṇas. Because nobody is interested with the Absolute Truth.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Guest (2): What can appreciation of Kṛṣṇa do for the Americans (indistinct)?
Prabhupāda: That, that I have repeatedly said, that you Americans, you are..., you have already the grace of the Lord. According to our Vedic formula, when a man is born in rich family he is understood to be possessing the grace of the Lord. So you Americans, you have got sufficient riches, you are sons of rich men. So this is the grace of God, janma aiśvarya, to take birth in a high family, to possess riches; janmaiśvarya śruta (SB 1.8.26), to become learned scholar. Just like you are going to the moon planet. Your scientific knowledge is advanced. And śrī, śrī means beauty. So you are beautiful also. So considering all these four points, it is to be understood that you are in favorable condition, favorable consideration of the Absolute Truth Supreme Personality of Godhead. Now, if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness, then all your these material opulences plus Kṛṣṇa consciousness makes your life perfect.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Guest (8): That inspired the devotees, really, like anything, and...
Prabhupāda: And that was written for strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām (SB 1.4.25). Mahābhārata was written by... This is history, but it was written by Vyāsadeva for woman, strī, śūdra and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means those who are born in high family, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, but they are not cultured as their forefathers. They are called dvija-bandhu. And they are compared with śūdras. So strī-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām. For these women, śūdra and dvija-bandhu, Mahābhārata is Vedic literature. But for their understanding... They could not understand the Vedic language directly. Therefore Mahābhārata was written. And in Mahābhārata he gave the topics, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of all Vedic literatures.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Rāmeśvara: "...and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self."
Prabhupāda: Unmotivated means "Oh, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, service of Kṛṣṇa, is so nice. Let me begin immediately." Now, "What will be the result? What shall I gain? What is the profit?" No such consideration. "Begin immediately." And if you begin in that way, there is no impediment. Apratihatā. It is so nice thing. In the material world, if you want to begin some work, then you require some preliminary qualification. It doesn't require any preliminary qualification. Whatever qualification you have got, that is sufficient. Begin. And nobody can say, "Oh, I am not educated," "I am not rich," or "I am not born of a high family." There are so many. No. These things are not impediments. Educated or uneducated, culture or no culture, it doesn't matter. You can begin immediately. The Indian culture was checked by the caste brāhmaṇas, that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is meant for the Hindus." Therefore it was not spread. Such a great thing, philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā, remained covered because they thought it is meant for the Hindus, for the Indians, or those who came out of India, they misinterpreted in a rubbish way. And now it is being presented as it is, it is becoming effective. Therefore apratihatā: nothing material can check its progress. Unless one voluntarily refuses it, there is no checking. Some other professor was to come?
Brahmānanda: Yes, but he did not come.
Prabhupāda: These are the criterions, that he is actually, seriously doing this. Then he can be initiated. Otherwise useless. He will fall down. (break)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...stated that one who does not, an unsuccessful person in yoga practice takes his next birth, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41).
Prabhupāda: That is another thing, but you are fallen. Who take birth in high family or in opulent, that is the fallen condition. That is not successful con... But they are taking, "This is success. I have got so much money. I have got so much prestige. This is success."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's a fallen condition.
Prabhupāda: That is fallen condition.
Devotee: They think that is the success of life.
Prabhupāda: They think. They are foolish. They can think like that. Generally, that is... Not that devotees are not opulent. No, that is not. But this materialistic opulence means fallen condition.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The demigods are in a very opulent position also.
Prabhupāda: Yes. But they are devotees.
Dr. Patel: Sir, I have one point to ask you, that Vyāsa Bhagavān was not satisfied, doing all these things, and he finally composed the Bhāgavatam. But even Mahābhārata can be called equal to any of them. Mahābhārata, with the Bhagavad-gītā in... With the Vidura-nīti, with the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma and all these things can be equal to any other...
Prabhupāda: Stri-śūdra-dvija-bandhūnām (SB 1.4.25). It is meant for less intelligent class of men: stri, woman; śūdra; and dvija-bandhu. Dvija-bandhu means persons who are born in high family but they have no education. Just like a man born in brāhmaṇa family...
Dr. Patel: Brahma-bandhu.
Prabhupāda: ...but without education, without qualification, he wants to become a brāhmaṇa. They are called brahma-bandhu or dvija-bandhu. So Mahābhārata is meant for the, these persons: stri-śūdra-dvija-bandhunam. They cannot understand directly the Vedic injunctions; therefore it is simplified in a history. Mahābhārata is the history. History and stories, ordinary people, they can read with interest. But those who are advanced, they want higher philosophical thoughts. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo atra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ vāstava-vastu vedyam atra (SB 1.1.2). Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3). It is meant for higher class. So there are different literatures for different persons. Why there are eighteen Purāṇas, sattvic, rajasic, tamasic?
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Dr. Sharma: What would you classify as demigods, then?
Prabhupāda: Demigod means just like you or me, ordinary living being, but they are very pious. On account of their piety they have got very good post. Just like janma... There are four: to get birth in very high, aristocratic family; to become very learned scholar; to become beautiful in bodily feature. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26): high parentage, birth, to take birth in aristocratic family, in brāhmaṇa family, or very exalted royal family. This is janma. And śruta, to become very learned scholar. Janma, aiśvarya, to become very rich. Janmaiśvarya-śruta, śruta means education, and śrī, bodily beauty. These things are obtained on account of piety, pious activities. And just the opposite, low-class family, lowborn, no money, always poverty-stricken, no education, no bodily beauty, these are the results of impious activities. So the demigods means on account of their pious activities they get the situation in higher planet where the duration of life is ten thousands of years, and their one day is equal to our six months. Such ten thousands of years. Very beautiful body, facilities. There... The other day I was reading about the bodily construction of woman there. They are ever-young, the chest is very hard. (laughs) It is stated, yes. So such class of women is there, and aiśvarya, nandana-kānana, so many things. The roads are paved with pearls and jewels, not these pebbles. In the higher planetary system there is facility for higher standard of material comforts. So they get there birth and enjoy for ten thousand of years. But it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, kṣīṇe puṇye punar martya-lokaṁ viśanti. As soon as they spend up their resultant action of pious activities, then again drop down, kṣīṇe puṇye punar martya-lokaṁ viśanti. And again begins life from the grass. They fall down with rains, and then they grow as grass. Then evolutional life begins, from plant life to insect life, to insect life to bird's life.
Prabhupāda: In Bengal the, just like here, so many, black mixed up with white. In Bengal and Madras, so many Dravidian have been mixed up with the Āryan. Therefore in Bengal and Madras you'll find many black.
Hari-śauri: Dravidian?
Prabhupāda: Dravidian culture. Dravida. They are non-Āryans. Just like these Africans, they are not Āryans. Now they are mixing up with Europeans and Americans. In India, it was, one from the higher section, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, they will be fair complexion. Śūdras, black. So if a brāhmaṇa becomes black, then he's not accepted as brāhmaṇa. Kāla bahu (?). And if a śūdra becomes fair, then he's to be know that he's not pure śūdra. Although we do not take very, but, this brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, by birth, but still, we have seen, those who are coming purely from high caste family, their behavior and śūdras behavior is different. The family culture. And the spiritual culture lost, still, the family culture keeps them separate.
Prabhupāda: Vittam eva, that's it. Vittam eva?
Pradyumna: Vittam eva kalau nṛṇāṁ janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ
Prabhupāda: Ah. Vittam means money. So if you have got money, then you are coming from high family. There is no consideration of brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya. If you have got money, then you are everything. Vittam eva hi?
Pradyumna: Vittam eva kalau nṛṇāṁ janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ.
Prabhupāda: Ah. Janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ. That is practical, we see. If you have got money, then people will come to you, "Oh, you are so learned, you are so qualified." Just like George, or John Lennon. What qualification they have got? But people will go there and take them as very highly learned and scholar and everything. The press reporters take their opinion. But what is their qualification? The qualification, by selling some records they have got money, that's all. What is that qualification? Now of course, they are coming to, George at least, coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, from qualification point of view, they are not learned, educated in university, nor they have got any spiritual assets, born brāhmaṇa family, nothing. Simply money. We also go and flatter them to get some money (laughs). So this is Kali-yuga. Vittam eva. If you have got money, then you have got everything. Therefore people are after, so much after money.
Indian man: So happiness lies above the senses. Above our indriyas.
Prabhupāda: Ha. Happiness means spiritual happiness. That they do not know. Therefore I began my words that so long one is after material happiness he remains as an animal. Because the animal cannot derive spiritual happiness. They do not know. The man can know. Just like this boy, he's coming from very high family in America but he's now happy in this way, by taking sannyāsa, giving up everything, living very plain. He has got money he had got beautiful wife, he had got beautiful home, everything. But he has given up. Not his example. In our country there were many many big, big kings, rājarṣis. Just like Bharata Mahārāja. He was emperor of the whole world. He gave up everything at the age of 24 years, young wife, young children. There are many examples. So actually, we have lost our Vedic culture, the objective, and therefore we are suffering. Simply by holding meetings and... Of course, these things will go on. Government has no other remedy by tax. Whether people are happy or they are happy, it doesn't matter. They have got the power, tax.
Indian: He has no locana.
Prabhupāda: And he has called Padma-locana. Similarly, this harijana movement is a farce because they remain the Cāmāra and Bhangis, and still they are called harijana. The same thing. No locana, but padma-locana. Everyone has got right. You can become the most advanced devotee. There is no hindrance. But they must be trained up as harijana. Not that artificially you simply rubberstamp harijana. Therefore that movement is failure. We have no objection to make anyone... Kṛṣṇa says māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Pāpa-yoni, lower class. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī, these four things, to take birth in high class family, janma, aiśvarya, to become very rich, and śruta, to become very learned scholar, and śrī, beautiful, these four things are there whose background is pious life. Otherwise, not possible. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). So those who are just the opposite—means not born in very high class family, not... They say "accident." No, it is not accident. According to śāstra, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1), there is superior examination. Yamarāja is there. Now, this man is now dead, this soul is now changing body. What kind of body he'll get next? That is judged by the superior authority. Just like in the office a person is promoted. So his record is examined, how he has worked honestly to the interest of the establishment. All this consideration. Then he's given increment of salary or promotion to higher post. This is common sense. So it is not accident. A man is born from the very beginning, a rich man's son. That does not mean that it is accident. Daiva-netreṇa. By a superior arrangement he is given the chance to take birth in a aristocratic family or rich family or educated family or in a beautiful family. There is... But this is, so far it is concerned, it is body, and our movement, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is not of the body. Body is superfluous. It is spiritual movement. Kṛṣṇa therefore begins, asmin dehe, dehī. This body is external. Just like dress. We are having this dress. I am not this dress. I am within the dress.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
- bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
Bhārata-bhūmi, anyone who has taken birth in Bhārata-bhūmi, especially in high family, it is the duty of every Indian to understand this sublime knowledge and distribute it to the world. Para-upakāra. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Because we have got this knowledge, everything. This knowledge you cannot have anywhere. Therefore scholarly people, man or elderly persons, many, they are accepting our books very nicely. In foreign countries... And Bhāgavata, it is not their religious book. We are selling... In Russia also we have got copies. What is that institution, they have ordered?
| Page Title: | High family |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 26 of Nov, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=2, SB=8, CC=2, OB=7, Lec=76, Con=11, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 106 |