Just like the materialist is always engaged in reading some material literature like newspaper, magazines, and fiction, novel, etc., and so many scientific or philosophies, all these things of different degrees of thought. Similarly, if we transfer our, that reading capacity for these Vedic literatures, as presented by, as very kindly presented by Vyāsadeva, then it is quite possible for us to remember at the time of death the Supreme Lord. That is the only way suggested by the Lord Himself. Not suggested, it is the fact. Nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ (BG 8.5). Undoubtedly. There is no doubt about it. Tasmāt, the Lord suggested therefore, tasmāt sarveṣu kāleṣu mām anusmara yudhya ca (Bg. 8.7). He advises Arjuna that mām anusmara yudhya ca. He does not say that "You simply go on remembering Me and give up your present occupational duty." No. That is not suggested. The Lord never suggests something impractical. This material world, to maintain this body, one has to work. The work is divided into four divisions of social order: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. The intelligent class of the society, they are working in a different way, and the administrator class of society, they are also working in a different way. The mercantile society, the productive society, they are also working in a different way, and the laborer class, they are also working in different way. In the human society, either as laborer or as mercantile men, or as politicians, administrators, or as the highest class of intelligent class of men in literary career, scientific researches, everybody is engaged in some work, and one has to work, struggle for existence.
Maintaining the body (Lectures)
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Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
This will be the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, that there is something which minus, this body is useless. But nobody is trying to understand what is that something. There is no technological institute to understand what is that something. Is it not defective? And still, they are very much proud of advancement of education. The real thing is missing. You have got all departments for comforts of this body, for maintaining this body, but the thing which minus this body, the body is useless, what about that thing? That is Bhagavad-gītā. That is Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is teaching that technology. You should try to understand this Bhagavad-gītā is not technology for the external body. Bhagavad-gītā is the technology of the dehī which is within the body, which is moving the body, which is keeping the body fit. This body is fit very nice, very beautiful, very attractive. How long? So long the spirit soul is there. As soon as the spirit soul is off, immediately it begins to decompose. There may be a nice, beautiful young girl, everyone is hankering after her, but as soon as the spirit soul is gone, nobody will like to accept it. Immediately it becomes useless. (laughs) Huh? So nobody is very serious what is that thing? That is Bhagavad-gītā. Yes.
According to Vedic system, there should be four classes of men: the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, social order; and spiritual order: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. This is perfect system of human civilization. So I shall briefly describe. Brāhmaṇa is compared with the head. Just like you have got your body. In the body there are different departments: the head department, the arms department, the belly department, and the leg department. So to maintain your body fit, you must have all these four departments rightly working. Your brain must work very nicely, your arms must work very nicely, although also the digestive system, intestines, stomach, that must also work very nicely, as well as the legs also must work nicely. Then you are perfectly fit. Similarly, in the social system there must be the head department. (aside:) This child is disturbing. The head department means the most intellectual part of the society, the most intelligent portion of the society. In the society there are naturally four classes of men, very intelligent class of men, politicians, mercantile people and ordinary workers, in every society all over the world, all over the universe. You can name them differently, but these four classes are there. That is by nature's system.
The next class is called the kṣatriya. Just like when somebody comes to attack you, first of all your brain gives you dictation, "Now this man is coming to attack you. You spread your hand." So immediately my hand spreads and I want to protect myself. So these are called kṣatriya class or the armies, from "arm." So next intelligent class is the government class, administrator class. Then next intelligent class is third-class. First-class, brāhmaṇas, second-class, the kṣatriyas, and the third-class, the vaiśyas, who maintain the society for economic condition, development of economic condition, because we require things to consume to maintain this body. So these are called mercantile class, and the ordinary man who is neither brāhmaṇa nor kṣatriya nor vaiśya, he is called śūdra.
Then the result will be, gradually, all the misgivings within our heart will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). And as soon as our heart is cleansed, we can understand that "I am not this material body. I am spirit soul. I have got different business. So long I am working for the maintenance of this body. Now I understand that body is my superficial shirt and coat dress." One should not take simply care for the shirt and coat. Any gentleman knows. Shirt and coat, we take care of course, but not that as the self. Similarly, the present civilization is in a shirt-coat civilization, present civilization. They do not know what is there within the shirt-coat. That they are missing. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is therefore very important. The missing point is being presented that you are not this body. You are within this body, spirit soul. You just try to come out of this entanglement of birth, death, old age, and go back to home, back to Godhead.
According to Vedic system, there are four classes of men in the society. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Human society must be divided into four classes of men. Just like in our body, there are four different departments: the brain department, the hand department, the belly department, and the leg department. You require all these. If the body is to be maintained, then you must maintain properly your head, your arms, your belly, and leg. The cooperation. You have heard many times the caste system of India: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. This is not artificial. It is natural. In any society you go, not only in India, in any other country, these four classes of men are there. Intelligent class of men, administrator class of men, productive class of men, and laborer class of men. You call it by different names, but there must be such division. As I told you, there are divisions in my own body—the brain department, the arms department, the belly department, and the leg department. So all the kings, they belong to the arms department for protection of the people. So formerly, the kṣatriyas..., kṣatriya means one who gives protection to the citizens from being harmed by other enemies. That is called kṣatriya.
Similarly, this human form of life, we can make a solution of this repeated birth and death. And that is the only business of human form of life, how to get out of these material conditions of life: birth, death, old age, and disease. We can make solution. And that solution is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as we become Kṛṣṇa conscious... Kṛṣṇa conscious means Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, He, Lord, God. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply to understand that... Just like you understand your father, and your brothers and yourself. You are all sons of the father. So it is not difficult to understand. As father maintains the whole family, similarly, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, or God, He has many innumerable sons, living entities, and He is maintaining the whole body, whole family. What is the difficulty? Then next duty is to become developed consciousness. Just like a good son, when he feels that "Father has done so much for me. I must repay it, or at least I must accept obligation what my father has done for me," this much feeling is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So you study these material things, a small grain of poison or the sun, how much powerful they are. A small grain of poison immediately can finish the body, and the small disk, although it is not small... It looks... We can see. The sun globe is spreading the light and heat all over the universe. Similarly, the potency of the soul is so powerful that it is maintaining the whole body. Similarly, the potency of God is maintaining the whole universe. Just like on account of the presence of the soul the body is maintained, similarly, on account of presence of God the whole universe or the cosmic manifestation is maintained. As I am, a small particle of spiritual identity, I am maintaining this body so sound and healthy, similarly, the presence of the Supreme Soul Kṛṣṇa, or God, is maintaining the whole material cosmic manifestation. Every one of us can perceive the presence of the soul and presence of God.
So anyone who's accepting this material body as very important... Just like the other day, some rascals came. They were very much eager for feeding this body. Those who are starving, starvation... Starvation of the bodily concept of life. But there is spiritual starvation. That we are not taking care. Material starvation may be there, but actually that is not a problem because there is sufficient arrangement for maintaining this material body. Real starvation is of the soul. The soul is not getting spiritual food. Here, in this meeting, this is meant for giving to the starving spirit soul. And as soon as you get some spiritual food, then we become happy. That is the situation. Yayātmā suprasīdati. Unless you get spiritual food there cannot be satisfaction of the real soul. The same example, within the cage there is the bird. If you simply wash the cage very nicely and cover it and paint it and the bird within the cage is crying, starving... What is this civilization? Similarly, we spirit soul, we have been encaged within this body, so our natural aspiration is to get freedom from this encagement. As much as the bird is struggling to get freedom from the cage.
So first of all, we have to become brāhmaṇa. Then Vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇa simply knows that "I am spirit soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇa. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). By such knowledge one becomes prasannātmā. Means relieved. As you feel relief... When there is burden on your head, and the burden is taken away you feel relieved, similarly, this ignorance that "I am this body" is a great burden, a burden upon us. So when you get out of this burden, then you feel relieved. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Means when actually one understands that "I am not this body; I am soul," then he has to work so hard for maintaining this body, so he gets relief that "Why I am working so hard for this lump of material things? Let me execute my real necessity of life, spiritual life." That is great relief. That is great relief. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). The relief means there is hankering, no more lamentation. These are the brahma-bhūtaḥ.
We haven't got to accumulate any money. You see? That is the system of Indian philosophy. But those who are householder, family men, they may have some deposit for emergency. Otherwise, those who are renounced order, those who are brahmacārī, for them to keep money separately for his maintenance or for accumulating bank balance is not allowed. Atyāhāra. Similarly, āhāra, eating. You have to eat only things which can maintain your body properly. Now, say, for human being. Say, human being, the eating things are grains, vegetables, fruits, milk and so many things which are given by God for human eating. So we should be satisfied with those things which are meant for humanity. We should not simply... For the pleasure of the tongue we should not eat anything. That is called atyāhāra. So atyāhāra and then prayāsa. Prayāsa means to labor very hard to achieve a thing. Life should be conducted in such a way that our necessities of life may come not with great effort, easily, easily.
So we should be very clever to understand about the spiritual life. We should not be dragged to this material conception of life due to this false affection. This bodily affection is false affection. Because the body will not exist. Suppose I and my wife, or my children, we are all very happy. Paśyann api na paśyati. Teṣāṁ nidhanaṁ pramattaḥ paśyann api na paśyati. It is said in the Bhāgavata that... Now, for example, suppose if you are preparing very nice thing, a nice, very nice house. All right. If somebody asks you, "Well, sir, why you are building such nice house?" Now, if you answer, "Yes, just to set fire in it," so what the people will think? "What a fool he is, that he is building such a nice house, and at the end he'll set fire in it? Then why you are taking so much trouble, sir?" "No. Yes." This is called... Actually our position is like this. Actually our position is like this because the whole life I am working so hard because of maintaining this temporary body of myself, my son, my daughter, my father, my mother. So setting fire. At the end the setting fire. Setting fire I am speaking specially because after death, as you put it into graveyard, in India, accord, in Hindus, they set fire. They set fire to the dead body.
Sudāmā: Verse number eight: "Perform your prescribed duty, which is better than not working. A man cannot even maintain his physical body without work (BG 3.8)."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna was talking. Kṛṣṇa never said Arjuna, "Oh, my dear Arjuna, you are My friend, intimate friend and devotee. All right. You haven't got to fight with your... Everything will be done by Me. You go to Himalaya and meditate." No. He never said that. Kṛṣṇa could do, Kṛṣṇa could fight for Arjuna. He was all-powerful. Without fighting, He could give him everything, but still, He wanted to engage him—that one should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness along with his prescribed duty, that is required. Yes. (reading from text:) "Perform your prescribed duty which is better than not working."
If you cannot work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you better perform your prescribed duty according to varṇāśrama. Just like if you are a brāhmaṇa, then you have to act such way. If you are a kṣatriya you have to work in that way. But don't stop working. Kṛṣṇa says that, "A man cannot even maintain his physical body without work." He does not say that "You become Kṛṣṇa conscious beggar and maintain your body in that way." No. That is not required. That service for Kṛṣṇa should not be taken, should not be accepted as profession for livelihood. It should be simply for the service of the Lord. For the service of the Lord you can collect millions of dollars, but for your livelihood you cannot take one dollar from any person. Then you'll be indebted. You have to repay him. You cannot cheat others. It is very strictly enjoined. Simply for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction you can take, you can beg from others.
Sudāmā: Purport: "Since one has to work even for the simple maintenance of the body, the prescribed duties for a particular social position and quality are so made that that purpose can be fulfilled. Yajña means Lord Viṣṇu or sacrificial performances. All sacrificial performances are meant for the satisfaction of Lord Viṣṇu. The Vedas enjoin: yajña vai viṣṇuḥ. In other words the same purpose is served whether you perform prescribed yajñas or directly serve Lord Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is therefore the performance of yajña as it is prescribed here in this verse. The varṇāśrama institution also aims at this, satisfying Lord Viṣṇu. Varṇāśramācāravatā..."
Prabhupāda: Ācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān viṣṇur ārādhyate (CC Madhya 8.58). By following the prescribed duties of a particular section of society in pursuance of the instruction of the śāstra means satisfaction of Viṣṇu. Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. "The demigods are empowered administrators of material affairs." How can you deny the existence of demigod? Go on. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "The supply of air, light, water, and all other benedictions for maintenance of the body and soul of every living entity are entrusted to the demigods who are innumerable assistants in different parts of the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Prabhupāda: Just like my body. Different limbs are working and helping me. I want to go somewhere. The limbs, or the part which is called leg, they will carry me. Similarly, by the supreme order of Kṛṣṇa, all these demigods are acting just like my different parts of the body are acting. Yes. Go on. Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Their pleasures and displeasures are dependent on the performance of yajñas by human beings. Some of the yajñas are meant for satisfying the particular demigods, but even in so doing Lord Viṣṇu is worshiped in all yajñas as the chief." Prabhupāda: Just like if you obey the department, say, the police department. You are obeying the police department means you are obeying the government. Nobody can manufacture a police department and force you to obey. Because it is one of the important department of government, therefore as soon as there is police handcuff you have to stop. You may be very rich man, millionaire, but you have to obey the orders of the police, otherwise you will be prosecuted. And wherefrom. That man is an ordinary man; simply he stops you. Why do you stop? Because you obey the government.
Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the beginning, the karma-yoga begins with the tongue. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santaḥ. We have to eat. Now, we have to control the tongue first. How we can control the tongue? By offering sacrifice. By offering, we have to take foodstuff for maintaining our body. Now, if we offer the foodstuff, preparing to the Lord, that is called yajña. Yajña is not very difficult thing. You are preparing foodstuff for eating at your home. You have simply to prepare that foodstuff in a nice way so that you can offer to Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Your process of eating or your process of securing ingredients for eating, or your cooking, nothing is stopped. Only, only thing is required that instead of cooking for yourself for the satisfaction of your tongue, you please cook it for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. And take the prasādam afterwards.
Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. If you want to exist, if you want to maintain your body and soul together, then you have to take anna. Anna means foodstuff, or anna means grains, natural food. Generally, anna means foodstuff, and another technical meaning of anna—anna means grains, which is produced from the land for eating of the human being. For human being, so many things are produced from the land: the grains, the fruits, the vegetables, so many things. They are meant for human being. The grains are not meant for the tigers. The grains are meant for the human being. The fruits are meant for the dogs. The fruits are meant for the human being. The milk. The milk is produced by the cow, but it is not meant for the cow. It is meant for the human being. If you offer the milk, 30 pounds of milk, after milking the cow, and if you offer to the cow, it will refuse. It will refuse, "I don't want it." Give it dry grass? Oh, it will be very glad. It will be very glad. So everything is organized by the nature.
Now, there are so many scientists. They are discovering vitamin value from foodstuff. Now, what is the vitamin value in the dry grass? Can any scientist say that this is the vitamin value in dry grass? If there is no vitamin value in dry grass, how the cow is producing so much milk, who is full of vitamins A and D? How, from dry grass, vitamins coming out? Nowadays the physician prescribes some artificial vitamins for maintaining your body. Now, what is the vitamin there in the dry grass so that the cow is eating dry grass and giving you nice milk full of vitamins A and D, essential for your life? So these are all wrong theories, that "This contains this vitamin. This contains this." Let them go on. But natural foodstuff which is meant for human being, they are full of vitamins already there by nature's law, by God's wish. So annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14).
And if your karma is regulated by the direction of Kṛṣṇa, just like Arjuna regulated his karma, his warfare, by the direction of Kṛṣṇa, then by regulation of karma, you perform yajña, sacrifice, and from, for your performance of yajña, sacrifice, there is regulated rainfall, and from regulated rainfall there is sufficient production of grains and foodstuff, and from your sufficient foodstuff, you can grow yourself, body, maintain your body very nicely. The whole program is like that. Annād bhavanti,
- annād bhavanti bhūtāni
- parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ
- yajñād bhavati parjanyo
- yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ
- (BG 3.14)
Karma brahmodbhavaṁ viddhi. And the nature of our karma, how we should work, that is directed. That is directed in Vedic literature, just like Bhagavad-gītā, just like Arjuna was directed.
How it is not properly discharged? Just like you love your body. Nobody can deny. Everyone loves his body. All right, what do you want to do? I want to maintain my body nicely. Then what is the means of maintaining your body very nicely? Now, I have to take nice vitaminous foodstuff and supply to the stomach, and then there is assimilation, secretion of different blood or different, I mean to say, humor and so on. The physiological condition is going on. The main position is that you have to give proper foodstuff to this body.
Now, how to supply the foodstuff to the body? The main source of supplying is this mouth. Now we have got several holes in this body, especially nine holes, big holes. Just like these two eyes, they are holes. The ears, they are holes. The mouth is one hole. And the evacuating process is another hole. This navel is another hole. There are nine holes in this body. Now, if somebody says that "I have to put foodstuff within the body..." Just like in medical treatment, sometimes, when one cannot take foodstuff from the mouth, foodstuff is injected from the rectum or somewhere else artificially. But that is not the system of supplying the foodstuff. The real process of supplying the foodstuff is through the mouth. If somebody says, "Oh, there are nine holes. You can put the foodstuff any hole," no, that will not do. You have to supply the foodstuff through the mouth.
Now, for maintenance of your body you have to do something. That's all right. But you don't be attached to that work. You are simply to... Because you have got this body, you have to maintain it so that the body and soul can be maintained and you have to perform this spiritual realization just to keep the body nicely, not neglecting the body. But become detached from the bodily attachment. You just try to... Yuktāhāra. Yuktāhāra means to take food is not forbidden, but you have to take food only just to maintain your body, not for, I mean to say, taste of your palate or tongue. That should be practiced. You should live... You should eat to live. You should not live to eat. That should be your life principle.
Transcendental knowledge. There are two kinds of knowledges: mundane knowledge and transcendental knowledge. Mundane knowledge means how to maintain this body, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam, to meet the demands of this body. What are the demands of this body? We require to eat something. Eating, sleeping. We require rest after working hard. After eating sumptuously, we require sleeping. Eating, sleeping, and during sleeping we sometimes dream, fearing, or without dream, fearing. So we take protection. While sleeping, we close our doors. So eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating—sense gratification. So to arrange for these necessities of life of the body, the knowledge that we require, that is called mundane knowledge.
Why these two chances are given? Because in the family of a pure cultural family, you get the chance of regenerating your lost spiritual consciousness which was unfinished in your last life. That you get chance. And in the rich man family you get chance because you haven't got to bother yourself how to maintain your body and soul together. Rich men get the opportunity that they haven't got to think over much about the maintenance of the body and soul together. Ordinary men, they have to seek how to earn the bread. Problem of bread is there. And for a rich man there is no such problem. He can advance in culture. He has the opportunity. But unfortunately, a rich man's sons are misguided. They get some money without earning and they spend like anything for sense gratification. You see? But he should know, "Oh, I have got this opportunity by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Now let me peacefully advance myself in the science of Kṛṣṇa." This opportunity is offered by Kṛṣṇa, but we misuse.
Therefore I have already quoted this Vedic quotation, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. So far your living conditions are concerned, what you are? Human being. You are only four hundred thousand species, and the other animals, they are eight million. So if eight million forms of body can be maintained by God, the four hundred thousand forms cannot be maintained? He maintains. He maintains. It is a fact. We are simply unnecessarily wasting our time "Where is food? Where is shelter? Where is sex? Where is defense?" So do that. There is no objection. But do not forget God. Then it is perfect. Otherwise, śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), simply waste of time.
The same example can be said here also, that the leg, the hands, and the belly and the mouth—what they are? They are cooperating. Cooperating for what? Cooperating for maintaining this body. This is the common interest. And how it is cooperated? To supply everything to the stomach. The brain is working, earning some money, the hand is fetching something and cooking, and the mouth is chewing, and the leg is going, but the whole function is targeted to fulfill the demands of the stomach. If these parts of the body non-cooperate with the stomach, they'll become feeble and weak and there will be no capacity to work.
Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that in whatever division I may be... I may be the brāhmaṇa, I may be the kṣatriya, I may be the vaiśya, or the śūdra. That doesn't matter. But if we cooperate for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there will be perfect peace in the world. This is a fact. So this idea of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is very important factor, although people are, I mean to say, they are unknown to this fact, although it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
But God is Absolute. Therefore there is no distinction between mouth or the leg. If you offer flowers and tulasī on the lotus feet of God, Kṛṣṇa, and if you decorate the mouth of Kṛṣṇa, it is the same bhakti. Because there is no difference of the mouth and legs, provided the mouth is working as mouth and the leg is working as leg for satisfying the Supreme. Then there is no such distinction. As soon as Kṛṣṇa consciousness is absent, a so-called brāhmaṇa is puffed up. 'Oh, I am born in brāhmaṇa family. I am bigger than the śūdras." That is falldown. The real purpose is that either you be mouth or hand or waist or leg, the real purpose is to maintain the body very perfectly. That is real purpose.
That is the distinction(?). I do not like to kill, but sometimes unintentionally they are killed. Therefore, according to Vedic literature, there are five kinds of yajña performed to get oneself free from this unintentional killing of animals. Now, here Kṛṣṇa says that śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam. If you make your principle of life that "I have to work simply for maintaining my body and soul together." Śārīram. Śarīram means body. Because I have to execute, I have to understand, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but without this body, how can I understand or culture Kṛṣṇa consciousness? So my body must be maintained. And if I want to maintain my body, intentionally or unintentionally, I have to commit so many sins.
Take for example those who are vegetarians. They may think that "We are not killing animals." No. They are also committing sins because vegetables, they have also got life. So the nature's law is that to keep up your body you have to kill another body. Never mind it is vegetable or, I mean to say, animal or some fish or something else. You see? Jīvo jīvasya jīvanam: "One living entity is the subsistence, life-giving subsistence, for another living being." That is the nature's law. You'll find. Ahastāni sahastānām. The everything has been very nicely discussed in Vedic literature. They have discussed all the points.
And the same law is applicable in human society. A big nation is trying to swallow up a small nation. You see? This is going on. This is nature's law. Nature's law. You cannot avoid it. But there are those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious. They... It is said that śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam: "Those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are not entangled in these sinful acts." How? They are also maintaining their body. So when they are maintaining their body, they have to commit sins. They have to eat other animals or vegetables. Never mind. So how they are not committing sins? These are very intelligent questions. There is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So anyone—it doesn't matter what he is—he can prepare foodstuff either family-wise or... Just like I am here, Hindu. I am cooking my foodstuff, and I am offering to Kṛṣṇa, and I am taking, and as far as possible, some of the remnants is distributed to the devotees. So this process we can adopt, everyone, because we have to maintain this body. So if we do not take kṛṣṇa-prasāda, then I become responsible for all kinds of sins. But if we take, accept, kṛṣṇa-prasāda, then I have no responsibility because Kṛṣṇa is taking.
Just like Arjuna is fighting. Arjuna was afraid of sinful acts by killing his kinsmen and, I mean to say, grandfather. But when he understood that "I am fighting on Kṛṣṇa's account, so I am free." Śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan na āpnoti kilbiṣam. If you simply don't try to increase your artificial demands for maintaining this body... You have every right to live, and everyone has got right to live, not only myself. Even the ant has got the right to live. But in human society, so-called civilization, we give all protection to the human society, but we don't give any protection to the animal society.
Therefore, one who has dedicated his life for acting on account of Kṛṣṇa, under Kṛṣṇa consciousness, nirāśīr yata-cittātmā, he has no other hope except, save and except, to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ: "He doesn't like to make, exploit, the resources of the material nature." Whatever is obtained easily, as gift of nature, he accepts and he maintains his body and soul together for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction, and he eats everything which is offered to Kṛṣṇa. Then he is freed from all kinds of sinful reactions.
So atyāhāra. Atyāhāra means to acquire more than we need. Because we have to maintain this body and soul together, then we must earn something or acquire something to keep my health and body fit. That is all right. But we should not try unnecessarily for accumulating more. Suppose if I am satisfied by some grains and vegetables and fruits and milk, if my health is properly kept, why should I eat more than that simply for satisfying the palate, my tongue? Oh, no. We should not do that. Yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. So atyāhāra, atyāhāra, to accept more than what we need, that is against Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
And prayāsa. Prayāsa means we have to acquire something, but if it requires a heavy work, heavy, I mean to say, endeavor, we should avoid it. We should avoid it.
Devotee: Purport: "A Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not make much endeavor even to maintain his body. He is satisfied with gains which are obtained of their own accord. He neither begs nor borrows but he labors honestly as far as in his own power and is satisfied with whatever is obtained by his own honest labor. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is therefore independent in his livelihood. He does not allow anyone's service to hamper his own service to Kṛṣṇa. However for the service of the Lord He can participate in any kind of action without being disturbed by the duality of the material world. The duality of the material is felt in terms of heat and cold or misery and happiness. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is above this duality because he does not hesitate to act in any way for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. As he does not care for duality therefore he is steady both in success and in failure. These signs are visible when one is full in transcendental knowledge."
Twenty-three: "The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature and who is fully situated in transcendental knowledge merges entirely into transcendence."
Prabhupāda: Yes. "The work of a man who is unattached to the modes of material nature." The modes of material nature are three: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Somebody is working in the material world in the quality of goodness. In Vedic culture these divisions are very distinct. Just like brāhmaṇas, sannyāsīs. They are supposed to be working in goodness because they are simply working for Kṛṣṇa consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, brāhmaṇas business.
Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not know that there is relationship that the Para-brahman and Brahman can be engaged in loving transaction. That they do not understand. They think that Brahman, when merges into the existence of Para-brahman, then business is finished. No. Business is not finished. Because we are individuals. It is not possible to remain without any activity. That is theory, that without any activity we can remain. That is not possible. And if we have no information of the spiritual activity, then we have to come back again to this material activity. That is practical example. There are many sannyāsīs. They so-called merging into Brahman, but they come back in material activities, in politics, in sociology and so on. So therefore these instructions are very valuable. nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma. Śārīra, just to maintain your body. Be satisfied. Whatever is supplied by Kṛṣṇa, be satisfied. Don't aspire more and more. Save time for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.... (break).... so that you can, with great enthusiasm, you can make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śārīraṁ kevalam. Not for sense gratification.
So this formula, as it is given, yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ, this is not possible in material civilization. Unless one is advanced in spiritual life, he cannot be yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. Because he has no material demands. Why he should make competition with others material by? Because he has got material body.... (sic:) Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi-daḥ. Those who are yogis, they should be satisfied just to maintain the body and soul together, not for sense gratification. That is sufficient.
He says that viṣaya... Viṣaya means enjoyable things. In the material world, what we want to enjoy, that is called viṣaya. So anāsaktasya viṣayān. So far we have got this body, we have to accept not for sense gratification, but for maintenance. So anāsaktasya, without being attached, we may accept the necessities of our bodily requirements, yathārham, as far as possible, as much as I want for maintaining the body and soul together. In this way, if we live, but everything dedicated to the Supreme Lord, that is the highest standard of renounced. And another, other side he explains that, that the things... Phalgu-vairāgyaṁ kathyate. Nirbandhaḥ. The idea is... I exactly forgot the verse, but it is stated like this, that a person who is trying to renounce this world without knowing that everything can be engaged in the service of the Lord, and he's renouncing, he is..., his renunciation is not first-grade. His renunciation is not first-grade.
If I am always dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa, doing something in connection with... Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. The other day I tried to explain this verse of Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpa Gosvāmī, he has stated in two ways the attachment and detachment. He says, anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. Viṣayān. The things of our enjoyment, that should be accepted, anāsaktasya, without any attachment. I require this for maintenance of my body; therefore I accept this. This is called anāsaktasya. So, in other words, just to make the better use of a bad bargain. I am now materially encaged. So I must make the best use of this body by dovetailing myself with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe.
Just like take, for example, foodstuff. You can take foodstuff as much as you require for your maintenance of the body. Now if you take more, then you'll be in trouble, and if you take less, then you'll be in trouble. You have to take exactly what is prescribed for you. Just like the elephant. Elephant is taking hundred pounds daily, twice. Once at a time he takes hundred pounds or more than that. And the ant takes only one grain. Now if the ant thinks that "I shall also take hundred pounds," oh, it is impossible for him. It is impossible. (chuckling) And if the elephant thinks, "All right, the ant is taking one grain. I shall take." No. That is not. The system is that in God's kingdom, in God's creation, for everybody, there is sufficient food. You take as much as you require.
So these are the statements of authoritative scriptures. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. So this child is born of a devotee father and devotee mother. Now he'll again begin from the point where he lost last life. Suppose Kṛṣṇa consciousness he executed fifty percent. So he'll begin from this life fifty-one percent. That fifty percent was in his stock. But ordinary karmīs—cent percent lost. He has to begin another chapter of life according to his karma. Either he'll become a man or dog, there is no guarantee. If he has maintained a dog mentality, then he'll get a dog's body. All this property he made in this life goes to hell. He becomes a dog if he has maintained a dog mentality. And if he has maintained a god's mentality, then he becomes a god also. But that will depend on his work. But generally the karmīs, they are not very good mentality. So there is risk. You do not know. Karmaṇā daiva netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). The judgement will be done by the superior authority, and he'll be given a particular type of body, as he has maintained the consciousness.
So these rascals, they have no knowledge how to train as brāhmaṇa, how to train as kṣatriya, how to train as vaiśya. Just like, of course, in other field of action, in the śūdras and vaiśyas, there is nice training in your country. If anyone wants to become a businessman, oh, there is training, colleges and schools, technological. That's nice, very nice. But why everyone should be dragged for technology? This is foolishness. Just like in your body, for maintenance, proper maintenance of the body you require the head, you require the arms, you require the belly, you require the legs. So all these four divisions of the body required. You cannot say, "Oh, we don't require this head." Oh, it is nonsense. You require everything. You require the head, you require the arms, you require the belly, and you require the leg. This is fit body. Suppose if there is a body without head—oḥ, it is dead body. It is body undoubtedly, but if there is no head, simply the trunk is there, it is called dead body. The head is considered to be the intellectual part of the body. Similarly, if there is no brāhmaṇa in the society, that is a dead body. If there is no spiritual man in the society, that is a dead society.
In the civilized nation, there is the four divisions of spiritual life and four divisions of... But they do not know it. But those who are followers of Vedic culture, they know how the divisions are to be made. Just like in your body, you have got four divisions: the head division, the arms division, the belly division, and the leg division. They're all required. It is not that simply you have got a nice brain like Professor Einstein; that will do. No. You must have hands also. You must have belly. You must have legs. Then it is complete. The head is most important part of the body—that is all right—but leg is also required. You cannot neglect leg. So similarly, this division is very scientific: intelligent class of men and martial class of men and productive class of men and laborer class of men. When we compare the laborer class of men with intellect, intellectual class of men, there is difference. But both of them are important factors to maintain this body. That is called varṇāśrama-dharma.
So first education should be given to the students that he is not this body, he is spirit soul. And because he is spirit soul, he has got a different business than to maintain this body. Maintenance of the body, that is being done by the cats and dogs also. They also take care of the body very nicely. They fight, struggle for existence to... They fight to keep the body fit. The tiger also, he fights. He secures his eatables by fighting. Similarly, this struggle for existence to get things for eating, sleeping, mating and defending, that is current in the animal society also. So śāstra says, therefore, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Śāstra says, ayaṁ deha, this body, human body... Nāyaṁ deho nṛloke, deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Nṛloke means in the human society.
The human society is meant for not only inquiring Brahman but to worship Brahman, Para-brahman. That is human society. So there is necessity of the four classes. At the present moment they are trying to create classless society. That is chaotic society. That is not real society. That is not Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization means when there is classified society begins: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa. And without this classification, the whole society will remain in chaotic condition. Just like the comparison is given, mukha-bāhūru. Just like in our body there is mouth, there is ūru, there is leg, there is bāhu. These divisions are required. Mukha means brāhmaṇa, bāhu means kṣatriya, and ūru means the vaiśya, and pāda means śūdra. The body can be maintained when four things are properly maintained. So these things are required, and they should be classified by quality and work. In this way we have to organize society. Then there will be no scarcity of real human being. Otherwise they will remain as animal.
So that curing medicine we have to take not to maintain this material body. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This is real intelligence. Everyone is trying to keep this body, this disease, maintaining. This time, next time, next time, next time, going on. Janma-mṛtyu-maran malam.(?) This is not your... Disease should be cured. Therefore śāstra says,
- nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
- yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
- na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
- asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ
- (SB 5.5.4)
People are mad, and they are doing anything mischievous, sinful. And what is the purpose? Now, just to satisfy the senses. You see? There are so many nice foodstuff—Kṛṣṇa has given—fruits, flowers, grains, milk, butter, sugar. And you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparation out of it and offer to Kṛṣṇa and eat it very nicely. "No. We must have meat." This is vikarma.
To know ourself, what we are, that is siddhi, not to be busy with the bodily comforts of life which are being executed by the cats and dogs and hogs. The hog is whole time engaged how to maintain his body, how to have nice sexual intercourse, and how to eat anything he likes. You will find the hog life, practically. In our country, in India, in the villages the village hogs they are loitering whole day and night, "Where is stool? Where is stool?" So if human life is meant for that purpose, from early in the morning till one goes to sleep, simply find out where is money, "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?" then where is the difference between this pig life and the human life? If human life is meant for that purpose, "Where is money? Where is money?"... Of course, for the human being the money is very sweet; similarly, to the hog the stool is very sweet. So it is the question of sweetness, not the matter. Taste. So he finds good taste in stool, and we find good taste in money.
So Kṛṣṇa is present everywhere because everything is resting on Him, on His energies. Just like in a big factory the proprietor may be out of the factory, but every worker is aware that "This factory belongs to such-and-such person." As this is possible to have always a consciousness of the proprietor of the factory by the worker, similarly, it is possible for everyone to become Kṛṣṇa conscious in every activity. That is the philosophy we are trying to preach all over the world. The Bhagavad-gītā philosophy is like that. Yudhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). You have to... This world is so made that one has to work. Without working, nobody can even maintain his body and soul together. That you cannot avoid. But at the same time, we can remember Kṛṣṇa. That is... That depends only on practice and understanding, pure understanding.
So actually Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman. He's not only Brahman, but Para-brahman. That is accepted. Kim adhyātmam. Ātmā. Ātmā means this body, ātmā means this self, ātmā means the mind. But Arjuna is asking, "What is the real meaning of ātmā?" Ātmā means the soul. You are also ātmā. I am also ātmā. Every one of us, the minute particle, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kim karma. This karma means to work. That is material. Working is required in the material world. Without working, you cannot get anything. Here you have to maintain your body and soul together. Therefore you have to work. So work can be divided in different ways, but one has to work. One may work as a brāhmaṇa, one may work as a kṣatriya, one may work as a vaiśya or a śūdra. So work is there. Without working... The just opposite, without working, without any endeavor, you can live eternally—that is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Vaikuṇṭha means without any anxiety. Here we are full of anxieties.
So the Lord says that yat karoṣi... And we have to work. It is not that without working, we can have our body and soul maintained. This is not possible. This material world, we have to work. Everyone is working. Yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi. And we have to eat also. That is a fact. And yaj juhoṣi. And for our salvation or advancement we do something, religious rituals or attending church and temple or mosque. Something there is in human society. And dadāsi yat, and charity. Everyone is more or less charitably disposed, and he makes some charities according to his capacity. Dadāsi yat yat tapasyasi. And everyone accepts some penance, voluntary penance in his life. Yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam. Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "All these activities—your work, your charity, your eating, your penance, and your rituals—everything should be done for me." That's all. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So fortunately we have got now civilized form of life. The Aryan family means they are civilized form of life. But we are utilizing in the matter of maintaining this body. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. We are utilizing this material, this developed body. The spirit soul has got the chance now to liberate himself. There is a process. By nature's way, the evolution is to give chance the spirit to get out of this material entanglement. So people are not giving importance.
Arjuna accepts Kṛṣṇa, after understanding Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitram-paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "You are paraṁ pavitra." And God is paraṁ pavitra is admitted in the Īśopaniṣad. Apāpa-viddham, asnāviram. Asnāviram means in the body of God there are no veins, and therefore apāpa-viddham. Veins, as soon as you have got this veins, that is material body. The body is maintained under certain material condition. You eat, and this eating substance transformed into secretion, then through the veins this comes to the heart, and heart it becomes red, corpuscle, the blood, the blood is diffused. Therefore there are so many channels, veins. And these things are pushed on with the air, and if there is shortage of air circulation, the man becomes paralyzed. This is scientific. So these things are required for the material body, not for the spiritual body. In spiritual body, asnāviram, there is no vein. Therefore one who misunderstands Kṛṣṇa as having a material body, he has been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍhā. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). He has no veins. There is no difference between His body and His soul. We have got difference with our body and soul; therefore this existence with this material body is not śuddha, is not pure. Therefore, sattva-saṁśuddhir, abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir.
So without becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, everyone's life is baffled; he's demon. So demons, they are trying only to adjust things materially, which is impossible. So they are busy, prabhavanti, flourishing, prabhavanti. Prabhavanti means flourishing. Ugra-karmāṇaḥ. Karma... We have to do some work. That's a fact. Kṛṣṇa says that "Without doing something, you cannot maintain your body and soul together." Karmaṇo jyāyo... What is that? No. That... Karma is better then vikarma. The... Kṛṣṇa says that "You must be engaged in some work. You cannot sit idle. That is not good." "Idle brain is a devil's workshop." Kṛṣṇa never said that "My dear Arjuna, you are My first-class devotee. Now you sit down and I'll do everything for you." No. Kṛṣṇa never said. Rather, Arjuna was not willing to fight, and Kṛṣṇa was inducing him, "You must fight. You must fight." Kṛṣṇa never said that "You become idle kṛṣṇa-bhakta," never said. So those who are trying to be idle kṛṣṇa-bhakta, they are not devotees. One must be engaged with Kṛṣṇa's work. That is devotion. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Always chanting the glory of Kṛṣṇa and trying everything for benefit of Kṛṣṇa, that is mahātmā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim... (BG 9.13), bhajanty an... Bhajanti means "He's always engaged in My service." That is mahātmā. Laziness is not bhakti. There must be something. But if somebody says, "Now I'll chant sitting down. Who is going to see me? I'll doze and people will know I am chanting." You see? This kind of cheating will not do.
Why should I give me away to the animal life? Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. Viṣaya means the four necessities of material life. That is called viṣaya. Viṣaya, four nece... What are the four necessities? That so long we have got this material body, we have to eat. We cannot starve. That is not possible. So similarly, we have to take rest, sleeping, and similarly, we have to enjoy or give satisfaction to our senses, and similarly, we have to defend. This is called viṣaya. So śāstra says that this..., viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt: "In any form of life you'll get full facilities for the bodily necessities of life, full facilities." Just see the birds and bees. They have no anxiety for maintaining the body or fulfilling the necessities of life. Early in the morning they are not anxious. They dawn and they chirp and they fly to somewhere, in any tree, and the fruit is there. A little fruit, that is sufficient. And that is eating. And sleeping? Any tree, they'll sit down on the top and sleep. So eating, sleeping... And mating? The other sex is born along with the bird. At least two eggs are there, one male, one female. So he has no anxiety for sex, he has no anxiety for eating, he has no anxiety for sleeping, and defense everyone knows. All birds, beast, knows how to defend himself. The bird's on the ground, eating something, as soon as it sees some danger, immediately go up. That is his defense.
Therefore the brāhmaṇa is considered to be the head of the body. Just like we have got this body, this head is to be considered as brāhmaṇa, and the arm is to be considered as kṣatriya, the belly is to be considered as vaiśya and the leg is considered as śūdra. So as to maintain this body nicely you must everything in order—the head, brain must be in order, the hand, arms must be in order, the belly must be digesting food and getting energy and the leg also must walk—similarly—sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ, never mind you are a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—if your aim is to keep the body in order, then either you become brāhmaṇa, either you become kṣatriya or śūdra, everything is in order. That is required. Unless these instructions are followed as given by Kṛṣṇa... He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). He comes there. He leaves this instruction. If you take advantage of this instruction and make your society, family, or government, everything, according to the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, then everything is perfect. Otherwise you are doomed. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (applause)
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So an intelligent person is inquisitive to enquire, "Who is the manufacturer of this microphone?" Just like we enquire about a child, "Whose son he is? Who is his father?" similarly, this is human mind, to enquire about the origin. That is the only business of human being. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā, means the jīva, means human being especially... Jīva means all living being, but above all living beings, the human being is the most awakened consciousness. Therefore his business is to enquire about the Absolute Truth. It is said, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā.
- kāmasya nendriya-prītir
- lābho jīveta yāvatā
- jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā
- nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ
- (SB 1.2.10)
means that we have got some desires for gratifying our senses or for the maintenance of the body. Such desires are based on four principles of bodily demands. Every living being is busy, the lower animals and the human being, in finding out where is food, where is shelter, where is sex and where is defense. So they have selected four businesses: where to find out food, where to find out shelter, where to find out sex indulgence and how to defend ourself. These propensities are prominent both in animal and man. So these things are common for both the animals and the human being.
They are just like seasonal changes, happiness and distress. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). Just like there is winter season. It is pinching cold. That will also not stay. And the scorching heat, that will also not stay. It comes and goes. Therefore, so long in the material world we are, the so-called happiness and distress will come and go. Don't bother about it. You simply try for reviving your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness. So human being has misunderstood the mode of life. They are simply busy for maintaining this body whole day and night. So we should conclude like this, that "If God can supply eight million types of different lower animals, then why shall not God give the necessities of life to the human society?" So don't execute your religious principle for some material benefit, but try to revive your relationship with God and try to love Him. That type of religious system is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that there is no motive but how to love God. That is stated. "This type of religion means to love God" is stated here, śivadaṁ tāpa-traya unmūlanam. Śivadam means all auspicity, and the three-fold miserable condition of life is completely uprooted.
Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham. As much. We must eat. We must eat to the point that we may not die of starvation, not that "There is nice food, oh, let me eat. Then I cannot digest and I go three times to the W.C." (laughter) Not like that. That anāsaktasya. One should be unattached, that "I have to eat something for maintaining the body and soul together." Not that to the excess. Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. If one makes his life in that regulated way, then he is as good as a... Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ, nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe. And the viṣaya enjoyment should be in connection with Kṛṣṇa. Just like we eat and others also eat, but we eat in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has eaten, and we take the prasādam. In this way we make progress in spiritual life.
Prabhupāda: What is that question?
Devotee: He says hearing, hearing is more important...
Prabhupāda: Everything is more important, but hearing is especially given.
Indian: From whom one should hear about Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: From Kṛṣṇa devotee, not a professional man.
Indian: How one can tell that he is a devotee of Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: That requires little intelligence. One has to learn. It cannot be... You have to see that by chanting Kṛṣṇa, what he is doing? He is maintaining his body, or he is actually desirous of advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That you have to know. Chant. (end)
Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam. Because they do not know, they have no information of the soul, they are talking about this body. Or sometimes about this mind. Philosophical speculation, concoction. One philosophy is theorizing something, another philosopher is theorizing something. Lots of literature. All nonsense, because it is mental speculation. I speculate in one way, you speculate in another way. You refute me, I refute you. So therefore, these talks of the body and talks of the mind, there are varieties. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Why they are engaged in so many talks? Because they do not know, apaśyatām. They have no vision of the soul, ātma-tattva. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Gṛhamedhī, those interested simply to maintain this body, they are called gṛhamedhī.
Then kāmasya na indriya-prītiḥ lābhaḥ jīveta yāvatā. You must have sense gratification, eating, sleeping, mating—but as far as you can maintain your body very nicely. Not that voluntarily you shall starve. No. Just like these boys, these girls, are we..., we are not starving, but our eating kṛṣṇa-prasādam means just to live nicely for executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are not meant for going to the cinema or for other sense gratification purposes, but because we have got this body, there is no question that we shall stop eating. We eat prasādam, kṛṣṇa-prasādam, and that is very palatable. Kṛṣṇa-prasādam..., Kṛṣṇa should be offered all first class preparation because Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. But if we haven't money to supply Him nice thing, the Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied, as Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ pusaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Kṛṣṇa wants that you offer Him something with devotional love, that's all. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry. Kṛṣṇa is ātmārāma. He is self-sufficient. He does not require. He is producing food for us. That's a fact.
So this is the process. Therefore Sūta Gosvāmī said that dharmasya..., nārthasya dharmaikāntasya kāmo lābhāya hi smṛtaḥ, kāmasya na indriya prītiḥ. Kāmaḥ. We have to satisfy our tongue, our senses, but not for indriya prītiḥ. We should eat for living nicely, not for palatable dishes. So many animal killing, unnecessary. Why? Kṛṣṇa has given you so many nice thing—rice, wheat, sugar, milk, fruit, flower, vegetable, and with milk you can get ghee, and you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparation and offer to Kṛṣṇa and take it. Why should you kill so many animals and maintain slaughterhouse for the satisfaction of the tongue? Therefore here it is said, kāmasya, we have some demand for maintaining the body, but not for sense gratification. Kāmasya nendriya prītiḥ. Na indriya prītiḥ. Indriya prītiḥ, if you cannot satisfy your tongue by so many preparation... Hundreds and thousands of preparation can be made from these ingredients-grains, vegetables, fruits, flowers and milk and sugar. Actually we still, in Hindu family, they are preparing so many nice foodstuff. Why should we go for indriya prītiḥ? For satisfaction of the tongue we shall kill so many chickens and cows and goats, why? What is the use. There is no use. It is simply sense gratification. Therefore Sūta Goswāmī recommends that you have got some demand for keeping the health properly, not..., but not, don't try to do it for indriya prītiḥ, indriya prītiḥ.
So anything artificial we may be habituated, but you can give it up. Therefore here it is said, kāmasya nendriya prītiḥ. You should not introduce sense gratification for maintaining your body. Your body can be maintained very nicely if you take simple food made of rice, wheat, vegetable, little ghee and little milk. That's all. And you can get all these things anywhere, in any part of the world, and you can offer to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Any part of the world, any condition of life, you can secure these things. In Africa we have been in the interior African villages. They are supposed to be uncivilized, but I don't think. They have got enough of these things, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, anywhere. And they are being taught by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to offer to Kṛṣṇa and take.
As Vedānta-sūtra gives the code, athāto brahma jijñāsā: this life is meant for brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry about Brahman. The same brahma-jijñāsā and tattva jijñāsā is the same thing. Here also the same thing, as Bhāgavata begins, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). You'll find all the codes of brahma-sūtra or Vedānta-sūtra in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, very nicely explained. It is practically the explanation of vedanta-sutra. Here it is athāto brahma jijñāsā. What is that brahma-jijñāsā? That is explained here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. The same thing, athāto brahma jijñāsā and jīvasya. This human form of life is especially meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, tattva-jijñāsā. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā na artha yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. You are working so hard, simply for maintaining your body. No. It is not. You work hard, keep yourself fit, but live for tattva-jijñāsā. That is life, tattva-jijñāsā: What I am? What is God? What is this material world? Why I have come here? Why I am put into so much trouble? These are the inquiries. Not that everyday go to the share market, (indistinct). That is not tattva-jijñāsā. That is indriya prītiḥ, howling in the market.
So you cannot get out of these principles, either you become rich or poor. Generally, they understand that "By becoming religious, I shall be rich." That is fact; you can become. But what is the benefit? Suppose you are rich. Do you think that you will not die? Do you think that you will not be attacked by any disease? Do you think that you will not become old? So what is the benefit? But real religion means to nullify these principles. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya nārtho 'rthāyopakalpate. Not that becoming religious I become richer, I become, I get so many material benefits. No. That is not. But you can say that "We require some money for existence." Yes, that's a fact, that's a fact.
Therefore, our principle is yāvad artham. You can earn honestly as far, as much as you require for maintaining your body and soul together. Don't earn..., don't work hard simply money, money, money, money, sweeter than honey. That is not life. That is cats and dogs life. They're simply working hard, just like ass, mūḍha. Mūḍha means ass. This mūḍha, this word is applicable to the worker, to the karmīs, because they are working very hard. But actually, what he's enjoying? When he lies down, he requires that six feet bedstead. That's all.
So dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. "A" means negation, negation of pavarga. Pa means pariśrama, labor. Here, in this material world, the sense gratificatory platform is not very easy. You have to work very hard. Karma. Even Arjuna was advised, śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ: "My dear Arjuna, you are denying to fight, but you do not know that without fighting, you cannot live even. You cannot maintain your body." Śarīra-yātrāpi. Just see how hard they are laboring. Even just like an ass. In big cities, we have seen, human beings are pulling on rickshaws, ṭhelās. What for? Simply for maintaining this body. In the Kali Yuga, the working will be more harder and harder. Just like an ass. Ass, the example is given always, ass. How much hard work it carries on. Tons of cloth, carrying on the back, going to the ghāṭa. What for? Simply little grass. That's all. Therefore it is called ass. The ass is working simply for a morsel of grass. Grass, there are so many. You can get. But it is because it is ass, he's thinking that "The washerman is my master. He'll give me the grass." Just see.
Anyone who has taken seriously devotional service... Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu vairāgyam (SB 1.2.7). Liberation means knowledge and detachment. Knowledge, full knowledge means that "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, and my bodily activities are not congenial for my ultimate goal of life. I must engage myself in spiritual activity." This is called jñāna and vairāgya. When one knows that he is not body, then why should he work hard day and night for maintaining this body? That is knowledge. And karmīs, they are trying to maintain this body. Sometimes karmīs also take to bhakti-yoga. Not bhakti-yoga, so-called bhakti. But their aim is how to maintain this body nicely. That is also accepted. Akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ (SB 2.3.10). Because if you take to bhakti-yoga even for maintaining this body nicely, that is also very nice, because gradually, due to the influence of bhakti-yoga, you will come to the platform of mukta, mukta-saṅga. Bhakti-yoga is so strong.
Just like if you are, just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja wanted the kingdom of his father, but actually when he saw Lord Viṣṇu before him, he said, "Sir, I do not want anything." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). "My dear Lord, I have no more any aspiration of this kingdom or that kingdom, that kingdom." This position comes. It is just like that... You are hungry, but if you are given food, if, when your belly is filled up, you will automatically say, "No, no, I don't want any, anything more. That's all right." Kṛṣṇa consciousness is like that. Actually, we don't want to eat. We have nothing to eat. I am spirit soul, you are spirit soul. It is our material hankering. In order to maintain this body, we require some material things to eat. Otherwise, as spiritual soul, I or you don't want to eat anything. There is nothing to be eaten. Therefore the eating propensities should be satisfied by eating Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, so that you gradually become spiritualized and your eating propensities may be diminished. Just like the Gosvāmīs. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau **. Nidrāhāra. These are our necessities, sleeping, eating. Nidrāhāra and vihāra, and sex enjoyment. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau, conquered. Conquered. Because in spiritual life there is no need of eating, there is no need of sleeping. That is a different thing. So nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau.
Very simple process of awakening Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This ātma-ruciḥ... Ātma-ruciḥ means attraction for the self, or soul. There are ātmā. Ātmā means sometimes this body. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Gross materialists, they think that "I am this body." That is also ātma-ruciḥ. They are busy to maintain this body, to decorate this body, to feed this body, to satisfy the senses of the body. This is also ātma-ruciḥ, because the body is also called ātmā. So this is another ātma-ruciḥ, materialist. Then ātmā means mind also, mental speculation, very much busy in mental speculation. That is also ātma-ruciḥ. And the, the topmost ātma-ruciḥ, topmost means that is real ātma-ruciḥ, to be attracted by the self or Superself. That is ātma-ruciḥ.
So Kṛṣṇa does not say... Yes. The Sūta Gosvāmī does not say that simply by vaidikī activities, big, big ritualistic ceremonies, you can be happy. You can be happy even by laukikī. Laukikī mean these material activities. Generally, people understand, big, big factories nowadays, or agriculture or anything, there are laukikī. Laukikī means for maintenance of the body. So Nārada Muni recommends that yad atra, anything you are doing, kriyate. Atra means in this material world, atra. Yad atra kriyate karma bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam. It doesn't matter that you do not understand these Vedic rituals, but you want to develop the economic position of your country by industrial enterprises. Yes, that is also good. That is also good. How? Bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam. If it is conducted for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, then it is good.
So if we say that "I am not this body, so I don't care for this eating, sleeping..." No. That is not. It is not vairāgya. This kind of renunciation is not recommended by our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the Gosvāmīs recommend anāsaktasya viṣayān. You do not be attached to the demands of the body, but you utilize it for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Eating is required. If you don't eat nicely, then body cannot be maintained. But anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham. Eating is required, but not eating too much. Not eating to the taste of the tongue, unnecessarily eating meat, fish, eggs. Why? You are human being. For you Kṛṣṇa has given so much varieties of food stuff. Fruits, vegetables, nice rice, ḍāl, milk, ghee. Why should you go to the meat-eating? This is required. You eat like human being, not like cats and dogs. But eating is not prohibited. That is not our philosophy. Don't eat like cats and dogs, but eat like human being.
Therefore if we want to abolish all unwanted things of life, simply we come to the spiritual platform. Because that is our aim. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human life is meant for spiritual understanding, not for any other purpose. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ, śāstra recommends. Only for spiritual understanding engage your activities. And what will be other things, about my family life, worldly life? That is said that tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. Just like you don't aspire or don't wish for distressed condition. It comes upon you. Similarly, whatever happy condition in your life is expected, that will also come. You don't require... There are many places. So our endeavor, the human energy should be fully engaged in understanding Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Nothing else. Other things we should minimize. Yāvad artha-prayojanam. Just to maintain the body and soul together you should live very nicely. You should not become weak by health; otherwise, we cannot execute. But don't eat more, don't eat unnecessary things. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ. Atyāhāra, to eat more or to collect more than is required, that is forbidden by Rūpa Gosvāmī.
That does not mean you will have to stop your activities. The other part of the activities, they will begin after stopping these material activities. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). One who is ātmārāma, brahma-bhūtaḥ, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am not this material body, no more I have to do anything for this material body. Ātmārāma. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). People are anxious, especially the karmīs, how to maintain this body, but when one comes to the conclusion that "I am not this body," naturally his interest for maintaining the body, diminishes. Practically, it becomes nil. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **, you will find from the behavior of the Gosvāmīs, they practically conquered over the necessities of this body. But that does not mean he has to cease all activities. The Māyāvāda philosophy, they say that when one becomes brahma-bhūtaḥ, ātmārāma, he has nothing to do any more. No. The śāstra does not say that. Śāstra says that when you become ātmārāma, or brahma-bhūtaḥ, your material anxieties, material activities, they become stopped. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), prasannātmā, he has nothing to do.
People are very much attached to the body. We have seen everywhere, especially in European, they are very much attached to make the body stout and strong. And in the morning you'll find... Here also you'll find. They're running to make the body... As if the strong body will save him from death. This is rascaldom. Therefore pramatta. Crazy. We do not say that you remain very weak and lean and thin. No. You should maintain this body properly, but not that that is my only business, how to maintain this body. That is pramatta. These are some of the examples of pramatta. He does not know. Pramatta. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu (SB 2.1.4). Deha, body. One is feeling secure, "I have got very strong body. I shall live forever." Rascal. Pramatta. That is not possible. Deha and apatya. Apatya means sons. "Oh, I have got so many nice sons, very earning, very obedient; therefore Yamarāja will not touch me." No, no. That is not possible. There is a very joking story in Bengal, gaye gum akale jam care na(?). Gu means stool. So one intelligent person, he thought, "I shall be free from the touch of Yamarāja by one tactics." What is that? "Stool is very obnoxious. Nobody comes to stool. So let me smear my body, whole body with stool so that Yamarāja will not come and touch me." Gaya muk gum akale jam care na(?). This is another pramatta. That crazy fellow, that he is thinking "By keeping myself dirty and obnoxious, Yamarāja is gentleman, he'll not come and touch me." This is another pramatta.
As Kṛṣṇa is ānandamaya... We see Kṛṣṇa is always engaged in pastimes, either with the cowherd boys or with the gopīs or with His father, mother, or in the fight of battlefield, Kurukṣetra, or in killing some demon. But His pastimes are always there. He's never inactive. He's never inactive. There it is said, viśvātmann ajasya akartuḥ. He has nothing to do, but still He is acting. Akartuḥ. Akartuḥ means He has nothing to do. Here, so far we are concerned, we have to do something in the material world. We are destined. Śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "If you do not work, you cannot maintain even your body. You have to work." You see therefore all living entities... At night, millions and trillions of living entities, they come, fly and work. The work has no meaning. The work is death. Still, they are working. So what to speak of others? The birds, the sparrows, they are working, from here to there, here... And we are also working. So that is the nature of material existence.
So apav..., this word is meant for this purpose, that without working, you cannot live even. You cannot maintain your body. Therefore it is called pariśrama, pa. Pa means pariśrama, to labor hard. You cannot get your subs... Even if you are a lion, a king, a very powerful, still you have to find out your bread. In the jungle, not that... It is said,
- na hi suptasya siṁhasya
- praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ
Suptasya siṁhasya. Supta means sleeping. Sleeping. A lion, if he thinks that "I am the king of the forest, so let me sleep, and in my mouth, all the animals will come." No, sir, it is not possible. You must find out your food, although you are lion. So everyone has to find out—with great difficulty. The lion, although so powerful, he has to find out his food—another animal to eat—with great difficulty. Not so easily. So ap... Pavarga means labor, and pha means foam, the foam. When you work very hard, from your mouth a kind of foam comes out. Pha. Pa, pha, ba. And in spite of so much hard labor, it is ba. Ba means birth, futile, useless. Pa, pha, ba. And bha, bha means fear. Bhaya, bhaya, fear. Although you are working so hard, there is always some fearfulness: "Now things will be done like this, or not like this," fearful. That is the nature.
So our intelligence is, if we have to work for others and sacrifice this body for others, why not for Kṛṣṇa? That is our philosophy. If I am whole time, whole duration of life, I am working for others... Others means, ultimately, my senses. The senses are others. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. My senses dictating, "You stick to this woman and go to hell." "Yes, I am ready. Yes." Kāma, lust. So I am servant of the lust. Neither I am servant of the woman or servant of this man or that man. I am servant of my lust. And the lust is dictating that "You do this nonsense." "Yes, I'll do. Yes, I'll do." So in this way, we are actually servant of our senses and the dictation of the senses. This is our position. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. Durnideśa means... Nirdeśa means direction, and durnideśa means bad direction. Just like people, they are doing so many sinful activities for maintaining this body. But at the ultimate analysis the body belongs to somebody else. So we are fool, that I am doing so much sinful activities for others. This is sense. But one... Everyone is under this ignorance. Although he is working for others, he is thinking "I am working for myself, for my interest." Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). These rascals, they do not know what is actually his self-interest. He is working for other's interest, but he is thinking that "I am working for my interest." This is ajñāna.
So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja says that this body is meant for others. It is others' body. Everyone should be interested for his own body. Who is interested for other's body? I eat for maintenance of my body, not that your body. It is the very good argument given by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja that "First of all ascertain whether it is your body. If for the bodily sense gratification, satisfaction, you are committing so many sinful life, but first of all consider whether this body is yours."
Now, first of all, consideration is: this body is given by the father and mother. So actually the body belongs to the father and mother. Or just like the slaves—they sell their body to the master. So somebody, if maintains your body, then it becomes... The body belongs to him. Suppose you are working somewhere and he is giving you money for maintaining your body; then actually the body is maintained for the person who gives me payment. You see. So many people are going to the other side of the river, running very quickly to go there because the body is sold to that master who is paying for eating. Otherwise why he's taking the body there? So actually the body belongs to others. And spiritually the body belongs to Kṛṣṇa. But when we forget our relationship with Kṛṣṇa—the body belongs to somebody else; that's a fact—then we think that "The body belongs to my father and mother" or this and that... Sometimes we do not think that. So why, from material point of view, if the body does not belong to me, why shall I commit so many sinful activities for others?
So actually, a sane man is thinking that "After all, the idea was that I should be enthroned on this chair, on this throne of the kingdom, and for me so many animals and men were killed." Here it is mentioned, yes (reading), "A solid phalanx of 21,870 chariots, 21,870 elephants, 109,650 infantry and 65,600 calvary is called an akṣauhiṇī." Such eighteen divisions of soldiers were there on one side. "And many akṣauhiṇīs were killed on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, as the most pious king of the world, takes for himself the responsibility of killing such a huge number of living beings because the battle was fought to reinstate him on the throne. This body is, after all, meant for others. While there is life in the body, it is meant for the service of the others, and (when) it is dead it is meant to be eaten up by the dogs and jackals." Even it is dead body, that is also meant for others. If you throw it on the street, then it will be eaten by the animals and the vultures. So body is meant for others. Or if you don't throw, if you burn it, then—it is right of the sons to burn it—then it belongs to them. So either living or dead, logically the body belongs to others. And another logic is: Who is interested to maintain a body which belongs to others? This is logic. And other point is that everyone is maintaining this body with so many sinful activities, although the body does not belong to him.
Āryan means who are making progress under the institution of varṇāśrama-dharma. That progress means to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the goal. But people do not know that. Not only now; formerly also. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know what is their ultimate goal of self-interest. Why Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is taking, retiring, from the...? That is not... To become king is not the ultimate goal of life. No. He has got another ultimate goal of life. He remained as a king as a matter of duty. Just like you work in some office or as a professional man. You work as a lawyer. You work as an engineer. You work as a medical man. That you can do, because you have to do something to live, livelihood. It doesn't matter. But to become an engineer or to become a scientist or become a medical man or a lawyer, that is not my ultimate goal of life. That is needed to maintain the body and soul together, but that is not ultimate goal of life. For that purpose, you may be what you are, but you must retire.
So yajña is required. Human life is meant for performing yajña. Karma, yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said. Karma... Karma means activity. There must be activity. It is not that because we are interested in self-realization, in the elevation of the soul to the spiritual world, that does not mean we shall be idle and lazy. No. You cannot be idle and lazy because if you become idle and lazy, you cannot even maintain your body. That is advised in Bhagavad-gītā. You have to become busy and active. That is required. Even if you want to go to heaven, then also you have to become busy and active. If you want to go back to home, back to Godhead, that also will require your busyness and activity. And if you want to remain here in this material world, that also required. Activity you cannot stop, but we have to consider the quality of activity. Quality of activity is bhakti. You have to work. You cannot remain inactive or lazy. You have to work. So Kṛṣṇa advises in the Bhagavad-gītā that "Work for Me." That is intelligence.
What is the problem? First of all, we have got some physical necessities. So āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Our physical necessity is that we want to eat. That is necessary to maintain this body, āhāra. Nidrā, rest. We must have some rest also. So āhāra-nidrā-bhaya. Bhaya means being, to become afraid of. That is material nature. We are always afraid of. Therefore we have military strength. Your country is very busy in that way, how to protect. Everyone should be, protection. We also sleep at night, closing the door because we are afraid of burglars and others, so many dangers. So that is also required, to take protection from enemies. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya, and maithuna, and sexual intercourse. These are physical necessities. So these physical necessities, if you study, they, amongst the animals, they have no problem. But as yesterday we were talking, in the human society, they have created problem. Nobody knows where to eat. These hotels means, increase of number of hotels means that people have no place to live. They have no fixed place to live.
So their business is very nicely explained. What is that? Nidrayā, sleeping. Sleeping. Hriyate. They waste their life by sleeping. When? At night. Nidrayā hriyate naktam. Or they waste their time in sex life. At night there are two things. One who has no advantage of sex life, he sleeps alone. And if he has got advantage of sex life, he enjoys. So at night they waste their life in this way. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ (SB 2.1.3). In this way their life is being wasted. And at daytime? Now, divā cārthehayā rājan. At the daytime, simply "Where is money? Where is money?" Artha. Artha means... Because to maintain this body we require money. Divā cārthehayā rājan. All right, if one gets money, then next? Kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā. Then shopping. As soon as you get money then shopping, the wife's bill. Yes. So in this way, day and night, they are simply under the impression of this bodily conception of life.
This very word sainya... Sainya means soldier. Here in the material world, every one of us is struggling very hard. That is a fact. Everyone knows. So when we struggle, when we fight, then we must have soldiers. Without soldiers, nobody fights. So they are our soldiers: this body... Everyone wants to keep this body fit. And maintaining the children and the wife... Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu. We are thinking that "My, this body and wife and children and home and country and society will save me." I am struggling against... What is that struggling? I do not wish to die. I do not wish to be diseased. I do not wish to become old man. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). I don't wish to get birth again, or I want to stop birth. Janma-mṛtyu. I want to stop death. I want to stop disease. And I want to stop old age. These are the activities, material activities, struggling against. And I am thinking that "These soldiers, or this, my body, or my wife, my children, will protect me," dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api (SB 2.1.4), although I am experiencing every day that they are asat, they will not exist.
You have to eat, because you have got this body. But not that simply for eating I am living. This is called yukta-vairāgya. Rūpa Gosvāmī says anāsaktasya viṣa... Don't be attached to the viṣaya, eating, sleeping, mating, that "I have to eat so much. I have to satisfy my palate. I have to eat this thing in the restaurant." No. You eat simply just to keep your body fit, not extra. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ (NOI 2). Don't eat more than it is required for maintaining your body. Similarly, don't sleep more; as much as you require for maintaining your... Don't have sex life more than it is required. They are allowed. Just like Kṛṣṇa says that "Sex life which is not against religious principle, that is I am." Sex life against religion, what is that? Avaidha-strī-saṅga. Avaidha, illicit sex life, that is against religious principles. Otherwise, to get married and to beget nice children, Kṛṣṇa conscious children, according to śāstra, that sex life is not forbidden. Kṛṣṇa says. So dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi, "Which is not against religious principle, that kāma, that kind of lust, I am." But not for other purposes.
Anāsaktasya viṣayān. Viṣaya means necessities of the body: eating, sleeping, mating, and defense. So one should understand that "I am this body. I am not this body, but because I am now encaged within this body, so I must maintain the body also, without being attached." Just like you have got a nice car. You require it for movement. But you should, you know very well that "I am not this car. I am taking service from the car. The car should be maintained to give me regular service, not that I shall identify with this car." Similarly, this body is just like car, mechanical car. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61).
Māyā has given us this car for satisfying our desires. Sometimes it is called field. Kṣetra. We want to work on this, just like agriculturist work on his field and produce some results. Similarly, we are working on this field, we are moving by this car, but I am not this field, I am not this car. If one has understood this philosophy that "I am not this body..." But "I am not this body," that does not mean I shall neglect it. I must maintain it because ... The same example: if I want to move nicely, my car must be maintained very nicely. So our business should be not to be attached by the car or the body, but to maintain it for our work, and our real business is to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our... Just like we move by the car to go some business. So car is not my business. I have got a different business.
We don't say false. We don't say false, because we have to take work from it. Why shall I say false? When I take some work from the typewriter or some other machine, why shall I say it is false? It is real. So our philosophy is, we don't neglect this material world as false. That is pseudo, pseudo renunciation. You cannot give up. Why should you call it false? Sometimes ... Just like some materialists, they criticize that "You are using material things. Why do you say false?" So that criticism is applicable to the Māyāvādī philosophy, who says jagan mithyā, "This whole material world is false." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. We don't say false. We say, "It is temporary. It is temporary, and I have to take some benefit out of it."
Because I am in this material world. How can I say it is false? I must eat. How can I say eating false? That is not our business. But we must eat something which will help me in my real philosophy. But we must eat something which will help me in my real business. My real business is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore I must eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam. That will maintain my body and help my business. This is our philosophy. Thank you very much. (end)
So we have to practice this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here, in this material world, we have to work. Without work, you cannot maintain even your family, your body. That is not possible. Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says (to) Arjuna that without karma you cannot maintain even your body. So you have to work. Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. And this material world means you have to maintain by working. And spiritual world means na tasya kāryam kāranam ca vidyate. There is nothing to work, as Kṛṣṇa has nothing to work. He is simply enjoying What is called? Swing. So Kṛṣṇa is enjoying, and Kṛṣṇa's associates are enjoying. They have nothing to work. That is spiritual world. Cintāmaṇi prakara sadmasu kalpa vṛkṣa: (Bs. 5.29) that is a different world. There is no material body. Therefore there is no need of the material body. That is a different world. But in this material world we have to work. Tṛtīyā-karma-samjñaṇya avidyā-karma-samjñānya tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. This material world means you have to work and adjust things for your maintenance. That you cannot escape. But still, we have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.
So things are to be adjusted as it is prescribed by great authorities. In Bhakti-rasāmṛta you'll find the regulative principles. That is called Vaiṣṇava-smṛti. So here we cannot live without working, and still we have to become always Kṛṣṇa conscious. This art, to understand and to practice, is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then in spite of my being engaged in so many so-called material things Because a devotee has nothing to do with material things. Even if he works for maintenance of the body, that is not material. Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, who was magistrate. But it is not for a magistrate to write so many books—siddhānta-pūrṇam. So he was in a different transcendental platform. So that is possible. The mind may be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa's thought, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ (BG 9.14), tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca. That is possible by practice. Here Kardama Muni is a living example. And there are mahy other examples, that we can remain fully Kṛṣṇa conscious in spite of being engaged in so-called material activities. That is possible.
This is the Vedic information. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. Just like we maintain our family. One man is earning, and he is maintaining his family, wife, children, servants, dependents, workers, so many. Similarly, that one, Bhagavān, is maintaining all the living entities. You do not know how many there are. In Africa there are millions of elephants. They are also eating forty kg's at one time. So that, they are also being maintained. And the small ant, that is also being maintained. There are 8,400,000 forms of different bodies. Who is maintaining them? Maintaining, Bhagavān, that ekaḥ. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. That is a fact. So why He'll not maintain us? Especially those who are devotees, who have taken shelter at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, leaving aside everything simply for His service.
This verse we have discussed. "I have taken shelter unto You..." This is the process. The mother is not ordering the son. It doesn't matter whether he is son or somebody else. When one is interested in uttamam... Tasmād jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Śreya and preya, there are two things. Śreya and preya. Just like children, they like to play. That is called preya, preya. Very nice. But śreya means go to school and take education for future improvement of life. That is called śreya. So human being should be interested in śreya, not in preya. That is not human life. Preya means immediately gives me some sense pleasure: "Oh, it is very nice." No. That is human life. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. We require these things. We require to eat something for maintaining the body. But not that we shall be accustomed to eat very palatable things. No. That is not good. Bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised His disciples, "Never eat very palatable foodstuff. Never talk these village talks." Ordinary novel, literature, newspaper, He forbade. Fortunately, in our Society there is no newspaper.
And how one can be saved? The saved means if the father and mother together gives education to the son about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he can be saved. The father-mother's duty is... The same, apavarga-vartmani. Apavarga-vartmani. To give education in such a way that no more pavarga. No more pariśrama, no more phena, no more bhaya, no more vyarthatā, no more maraṇa. That is called apavarga-vardhanam. This is here real human life—human society cultivating knowledge in such a way that apavarga-vardhanam, gradually we are going forward for liberation. That is human civilization. Otherwise it is cats and dogs civilization. The same thing. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Again eating, mating, sleeping... That's all. Fearing and dying. This is general process. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. Eating, sleeping and sex life, and defending, and dying. So this is... Under these regulations the dogs and cats are there. But the human life is meant for other purposes besides this. Of course, we have got this body. We have to maintain it. It is not that we should neglect... In our society we don't advise that you should neglect your body. But don't unnecessarily be engaged simply for maintaining the body.
Therefore na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This instruction, the common sense is that if my position is like that, acchedyo 'yam adāhyo 'yam na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), that what is that life? How I can attain that life? That is brahma-jijñāsā. One should be inquisitive. If you remain fools and rascals like cats and dogs to maintain this body only, then what is the benefit of this human life. Human life is meant for understanding this science that I am not this body, but I am busy with this bodily comfort. I am soul within the body, what I am doing for that which is Brahman? This is required. Therefore tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12), if you want to learn about that then you must find out a guru. What kind of guru? Just like Kapiladeva, Kṛṣṇa, or His representative. Not a bogus guru. Then you will be cheated. Andhā yathāndair upanīyamānāḥ.
The Gosvāmīs, they conquered over these things. Nidrāhāra-vihāra. That is required. That is spiritual life. If you are embarrassed with these four things, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca, then we are not making progress in spiritual life. It should be reduced. Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī did. All the Gosvāmīs—they had no business. But that is very difficult. If one has to imitate the behavior of Rūpa Gosvāmī and all the Gosvāmīs, it is very difficult. Therefore yukta-vairāgya. We must eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam as much as it is needed for maintaining my body. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-mai... In this way, spiritual progress of life... But it will be very easy if we chant this transcendental vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, offenselessly, niraparādhe. Then immediately you become advanced. Not only advanced, actually spiritual situated.
That is the verdict of Vedic literature. If you say that we have got senses, so in order to keep the body fit, we have to give something for the enjoyment of the senses. That is accepted, yes. But don't aggravate it. The śāstra says that do not increase artificially the demands of the senses. Then you will be entangled. Just like eating. We have got tongue, we have got belly. We require to eat something for maintaining the body. That's right—you maintain. But do not try to satisfy the senses, tongue or belly or any other senses, unreasonably. Why? That is unreasonable. What is that unreasonable? Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthāḥ (ISO 1). What is ordained to you, what is allotted to you, you eat. Just like for human being. Human being—Kṛṣṇa, or God, has given so many nice things. God has given us grains, rice, pulses, vegetables, and fruits, flowers, so many, milk. Are they not sufficient for maintaining our body and soul together? Yes, why not? Those who are vegetarians... Simply you take, for example, we, all the members in the temple. We live simply on these things, fruits, vegetables, grains, milk, that's all. So are we dying for want of food? Then why should we eat meat? What is the reason? Simply for satisfaction of the tongue? If I can live peacefully, otherwise which is allotted to me by God, why shall I give trouble to another animal for satisfaction of my tongue? What is the reason? If you have no food... Of course, in the deserted country, just he has to find out "Where is stool, where is stool?" You see?
So many things forbidden. So this austerity is called tapasya, denial, self-denial. So we should learn it. If we want to utilize this body sane, like a sane man, then we should learn tapasya. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). And this tapa, what is the purpose of tapasya? Tapasya everyone knows. Just like a man walking on the street, pulling a thela. What is the purpose? He'll get five or ten rupees, whole day working like an ass. That is also tapasya. Tapasya means labor. So he's thinking, "I'll get ten rupees by working." He cannot pull it, the load is so heavy. Still, some way or other... That is also tapasya. A scientist discovering something, he has to work very hard, and make experiments So many things. That is also tapasya. But not that kind of tapasya. That kind of tapasya is not required. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). You are working hard for maintaining your body and soul together. You have to work hard. But here, that hard work should be for self-realization, divine contact. That is called divyam.
So here is also the statement that even... It's not required that sannyāsī is only mahātmā, but a gṛhastha can be, is also mahātmā. So gṛhastha-mahātmā, his symptoms are described: ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthāḥ. Their only business is to please Kṛṣṇa. That is the first qualification. They have no other business. Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthāḥ. Then how they deal with others? A gṛhastha has to live... A sannyāsī may live alone in forest or in Himalaya or in a secluded place in Vṛndāvana or somewhere, but a gṛhastha, he has to deal with ordinary persons, so many others, businessmen or ordinary people. So that is stated here, that a gṛhastha-mahātmā, his first symptom is that he has no other business than to please Kṛṣṇa. That is his first business. And so far dealing with others, that is janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke. Very nice. What does he say? That people who are simply interested in maintaining this body and sense gratification, dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Deha means this body, and bhara means maintaining, and vārtika means occupation.
Now you analyze everyone in this world. What is their business? Their business is how to maintain this body. That's all. If you ask somebody, "My dear sir, what you are doing?" "Oh, I am doing this business." "Why you are doing this business?" "Oh, I must get money. Otherwise how can I maintain myself?" This is called dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Their only engagement is how to maintain this body. This is their business. So janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. And gṛheṣu, a householder has got home. And jāyā, jāyā means wife. Ātmaja, ātmaja means children. Rāti, some money, bank balance or some wealth, rāti. Or persons who are engaged simply for the business of maintaining this body, their only business is how to maintain a home, how to maintain a wife, how to maintain children, how to have good bank balance. In this way their life is like that. But a householder who is mahātmā, whose only business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, for him, these things are not prīti-yuktāḥ, not very pleasing. Not very pleasing. Na prīti-yuktāḥ.
Then what is their dealing? Yāvad-arthāś ca loke. They deal as much as required only. That's all. I have to deal with some gentleman who is completely out of our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, but I have to deal with him. Then how I have to deal? As much as possible to avoid him, but so far the business is concerned, all right. This is all. Just like a businessman talks with another businessman so far profit is concerned. That's all. No more talk. A businessman, a lawyer, talks with his client so much... Especially in America, they cannot waste their time. Any businessman will not waste their time. They will talk. Similarly, a householder devotee whose only business is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, they will deal with other persons... Other person means those who are simply interested for maintaining this body, wife, children, in this way. They have no other ideas. We should not have any very intimate relationship, but we shall have to deal with them only as far necessary. No more. That's all. We shall try to avoid them as far as possible. But because we are living with the human society we have to deal with such persons. So our dealings should be so far as required. Not more than that. Then, if one lives a householder life in this way, keeping his viewpoint only in Kṛṣṇa, in the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and other dealings superfluous, he is also mahātmā. He's also mahātmā. Na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke. Mayi īśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthāḥ puruṣārtha yeṣām.
There are two classes of persons. One is interested for developing material standard of life, and one is interested for spiritual development of life. So a householder, he can also become a mahātmā, provided he has got this tendency that he wants to develop his spiritual life. Then he is mahātmā. And not interested to increase economic development, or persons who are too much attached for enjoyment. Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Dehambhara-vārtikeṣu means persons here in the ordinary men, they are simply interested how to satisfy the bodily needs. That's all. They are called dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. The materialistic civilization means how to keep this body very comfortably. Not only in this life. From their thinking also they accept works of piety, just like charity, religion. How? So next life they may be elevated to the heavenly planets and they can enjoy very long duration of life, association of very beautiful girls, and drink so many beverages. Their only aim is like that, how to provide this material body with all comforts. They are called dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Deha means this body, and bhara, just to maintain this body.
Janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Generally people, they're interested how to maintain this body, because they are in bodily concept of life. Just like we pass through the streets, there are so many shopkeepers, and they're all decorating their shop to supply the needs of the body. Cloth shop, tailor shop, wine shop, this shop, that shop, but what are these shops? Dehambhara-vārtikeṣu, they are simply interested in maintaining this body, that's all. This is only business in the big, big cities, you'll find that business is going on, how to maintain this body. There is advertisement, as you look just like a human being, not some, something advertisement. So that is going on. We, our business at the present moment in conditioned life, nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night we sleep, and vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ. Vyavāyena means sex. At night our business is to sleep, and to indulge in sex. In this way we are wasting time, night. And daytime, divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā (SB 2.1.3). And in the daytime, we are very busy going this side, that side. Why? To get some money, div ā ca artha ihayā. Desiring where I shall get money? Where I shall get money? Divā cārthehayā, and as soon as I get money, I spend it, kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā, to maintain our family. So where is time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness? There is no time sir.
So one should not be interested in that way. Therefore it is said, that, dehambhara-vārtikeṣu, those who are busy only for maintenance of this body, to such person, he is not interested, na prīti-yuktā. This is the sign. He, he may be a gṛhastha, it does not matter, but he is interested with Kṛṣṇa's business, not dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Those who are interested with this body only, with them he has no interest. This is the sign. That is also mahātmā. Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā, his only business is how to keep friendship with Kṛṣṇa. That is his only business. Then he is mahātmā. And so far janeṣu, people in general, who are simply interested how to maintain this body, janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. And, then what about his family? Yes, gṛheṣu, at home. Jāyā, jāyā means wife. Jāyā ātma-ja, ātma-ja means children. Gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu, and business about earning money, na prīti-yuktā, he's not interested. Although he is at home, he is not interested at home. Therefore generally devotees, they become very reluctant in the interest of maintaining family, children, wife.
So if you want to find out a mahātmā within the society, not as a renounced sannyāsī, then these are the symptoms. There are other symptoms. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4), that we shall describe later on. These are the general symptoms of a mahātmā gṛhastha. He is not interested in this bodily concept of life, or maintaining very opulently his family members, or talking very seriously with persons who are simply materially interested, dehambhara, just to maintain this body. Of course we require to maintain this body. He is not neglectful. There is no question of negligence. He takes care of his children, of his wife, everything, but without any attachment. That is recommended by the Gosvāmīs. That, anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. You give education to your children, that is required. You maintain your wife, that is also required, no negligence, but no attachment at the same time. No attachment, that I shall sacrifice everything for my wife, and children, and home. That is not a mahātmā's business, because he knows that he cannot improve the destiny. Everybody has got his body with certain destiny already settled up. That you cannot change. Otherwise everyone is trying to become very rich, very important, there is no scarcity of endeavor, but not that everyone is becoming like that. That is called destiny.
Pradyumna: "Translation: Those who are interested in reviving Kṛṣṇa consciousness and increasing their love of Godhead do not like to do anything that is not related to Kṛṣṇa. They are not interested in mingling with people who are busy maintaining their bodies, eating, sleeping mating and defending. They are not attached to their homes, although they may be householders. Nor are they attached to wives, children, friends or wealth. At the same time, they are not indifferent to the execution of their duties. Such people are interested in collecting only enough money to keep the body and soul together."
Prabhupāda:
- ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā
- janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu
- gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu
- na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke
- (SB 5.5.3)
So the recommendation is that if you want to go back home, back to Godhead, divyam, so you have to practice austerities, penance. That austerity and penance is according to the age, deśa, kāla, patra. Not that... Just like in the common law also, if a grown-up man commits some theft, he is punished more. And if a child or a boy commits theft, he is not so much punished. So there is consideration of deśa kāla patra. In the Kali-yuga people cannot undergo very severe austerities. That is impossible for them, because mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10).
Acyutānanda:
- ya vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā
- janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu
- gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu
- na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke
- (SB 5.5.3)
"Those who are interested in reviving Kṛṣṇa consciousness and increasing their love of Godhead do not like to do anything that is not related to Kṛṣṇa. They are not interested in mingling with people who are busy maintaining their bodies, eating, sleeping, mating and defending. They are not attached to their homes, although they may be householders. Nor are they attached to wives, children, friends or wealth. At the same time, they are not indifferent to the execution of their duties. Such people are interested in collecting only enough money to keep body and soul together." (reads purport)
- nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
- yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
- na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
- asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ
- (SB 5.5.4)
"When a person considers sense gratification the aim of life, he certainly becomes mad after materialistic living and engages in all kinds of sinful activity. He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he has already received a body which, although temporary, is the cause of his misery. Actually the living entity should not have taken a material body, but he has been awarded the material body for sense gratification. Therefore I think it not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratification, by which he perpetually gets material bodies one after another." (reads purport)
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.
- nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
- yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
- na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
- (asann api) kleśada āsa dehaḥ
- (SB 5.5.4)
The real problem of life is not to adjust things materially, change from one form of government to another form of government. These things are temporary things. It will not give relief. And this fighting between one party with another amongst the politicians or the kṣatriyas or the administrators, they are going on perpetually. That is not a very new thing. So we should not forget our real life. For ruling over to get political predominance, there may be fighting. That is natural. It is going on. Just like the Battle of Kurukṣetra—it is a fighting between two sections of the same family, who will rule over. So there was fighting, but at the same time, they did not lose Kṛṣṇa culture. That is the important point. Similarly, India has got a great culture, background, Vedic culture or Kṛṣṇa culture. Vedic culture means Kṛṣṇa culture, and Kṛṣṇa culture means Vedic culture. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). So study Veda or Vedānta means to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is the purpose. Vedaiś ca sarvair. Veda means knowledge, and anta means end. Vedānta. Vyāsadeva, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, he has given us the Vedānta philosophy.
So there is no anxiety for maintenance of the body. There is no anxiety. Śāstra therefore says that "Don't spoil your energy for the matter of maintenance of the body. That is already settled up." Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is the Vedic injunction. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). The Supreme Lord is nitya as we are nitya. Nitya means there is no birth and death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is our constitutional position. And what is the difference between the two nityas? One is plural number and the other is singular number. The singular number nitya, or Kṛṣṇa, He supplies food to everyone. Oh, whatever we require, that is already settled up. Therefore we should not spend our energy for maintenance of the body. That is not required. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad brahmatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Our human energy should be utilized only for that purpose which was not fulfilled in other lives, in the 8,400,000 different species of life, and you are changing, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), by nature's law, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). According to guṇa and karma, we are changing our body in 8,400,000's of species and forms. That is By nature's law it is going on, and the nature's law, according to the body, one has to eat, sleep, and sense gratification and protection. At night we see so many dogs. The whole day they could not get food. At night they are crying. And there are other bodies; they are eating nicely. Even the small birds, they have got food. But this dog, they cannot get food. This is God's arrangement. They are condemned life. Otherwise others are getting food; why this body is not getting food? The hogs, they are eating stool.
So anyone who can maintain like this himself, his children, with wife and eating, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam, then he is expert. And if he becomes a sannyāsī, brahmacārī, does not take part in these stereotyped activities, then he is useless, escaping from the world, escaping. They do not take the responsibility. But that is not the fact. If one can maintain himself as brahmacārī, he is escaping all the tribulations of this material world, escaping certainly, but he is escaping all the tribulations of the ma..., so much botheration. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham (SB 7.9.45). Kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham. Duḥkha-duḥkham, misery after misery. So kaṇḍūtivan manasijaṁ viṣaheta dhīraḥ. Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhajaḥ. So these dīna-cetasām, mahad-vicalanam... Those who are mahātmās, their, I mean to say, wandering here and there is to enlighten these poor-hearted gṛhi. Gṛheṣu gṛhamedhinām. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛhamedhinām (SB 2.1.2). Gṛhamedhi, they have no interest in the spiritual advancement of life. They think that "This is meant for the useless person who could not improve in this materialistic way of life. They have taken this dress as a token for maintaining their body and soul together. Useless person." They think like that. Gṛheṣu gṛhamedhinām. Because they think, "This is our only interest," gṛheṣu gṛhamedhinām. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2).
Pradyumna: "Lord Ṛṣabhadeva was the head of all kings and emperors within this universe, but assuming the dress and language of an avadhūta, He acted as if dull and materially bound. Consequently, no one could observe His divine opulence. He adopted this behavior just to teach yogis how to give up the body. Nonetheless, He maintained His original position as a plenary expansion of Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Remaining always in that state, He gave up His pastimes as Lord Ṛṣabhadeva within the material world. If, following in the footsteps of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva, one can give up his subtle body, there is no chance that one will accept a material body again."
Prabhupāda:
- Athaivam akhila-loka-pāla-lalāmo 'pi vilakṣaṇair jaḍavad avadhūta-veṣa.
(SB 5.6.6)
So this is also opulence of Kṛṣṇa. Jaḍavad avadhūta-veṣa. Although He is the proprietor, sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29), still, this is another opulence, how to become renounced. This is another opulence. It is as good as the other opulences. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya. All the op..., means property, money, wealth—these are aiśvarya. And He says, Kṛṣṇa, sarva-loka-maheśvaram. Not only in one planet but all the universes, all the planets within the universes, they are all the properties of Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya vīryasya.
How the hogs are...? Especially this animal has been... Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān (SB 5.5.1). Kaṣṭān kāmān means with hard labor to satisfy the four necessities of life. The four necessities of life I have already mentioned: eating, sleeping, sex life, and defense. This is bodily necessity. So the hog or the pig is trying to maintain his body. You have no experience. In India we have got experience. In the villages there are hogs. Day and night, they are loitering in the street, and when they find out some stool, they are very happy. Therefore this animal has been especially mentioned, that "Do you spoil your life like the hog, working day and night, night duty, work day duty and this duty, that duty, and what is the gain? You get some food which may not be very nice and eat it. And then you satisfy your sex." Is that life very perfect life? That is being done by the hogs. They are working day and night to find out where is stool. Stool is not very good food, but it is for them very good food. If you give, offer, the hog halavā, they will not accept it. They will accept stool. Just like Don't mind. We are offering such nice food. But people do not like. They will go to the restaurant and eat some rotten, one week passed, some meat preparation. They will like.
That is being prescribed, that aśnataḥ pathyam eva annam. Pathyam means just suitable for your health. Such kind of foodstuff, you should eat. If you don't eat, then you'll fall sick. You cannot avoid eating. That is essential for maintaining the body. But if you eat everything, whatever you like, then you cannot keep good health. The example is given that if we do not carefully live, we shall be liable to punishment. But people do not care for punishment. "Oh, we shall see later on. Now let me enjoy." This is going on. The modern civilization means they do not care for next life or hellish condition of life. They do not care. They do not believe. It is great relief: "If I think that there is next life and I will have to suffer for my sinful activities, then life becomes very difficult, extravagance. Better don't accept this 'There is no life,' and then go on doing whatever we like." This is modern civilization. But that is very irresponsible life, because from the śāstra we understand—by practical experience also—just if the boy does not go to school and he is not educated, then his future life is very dark. And a boy has to become a young man. A boy who says, "No, no, I am not going to be young man. I will remain a boy and go on playing whole day. I don't go to school, don't take education...,"that is not the fact. The fact is tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Kṛṣṇa says, and we practically experience.
So he is recommending, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that this regulative life should be conducted: first of all tapasya. Tapasya means... Tapa. Tapa means voluntary suffering. That is called tapasya. The voluntary suffering means what is our enjoyment? First of all let us see. The enjoyment is if we can eat voraciously, eating, and if we can sleep thirty hours, and if we have got sex life without any discrimination, and don't care for defense. That's all. This is enjoyment life, material enjoyment means. Now, tapasya means denying all these things, denying. Eating as much as I require to maintain my body—this is tapasya, not that voraciously eating. Tapasya means practically not eating. That is tapasya: not eating. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he was a very rich man's son. So he showed us the example, what is tapasya. He gradually reduced his eating, every alternate days a little butter. That's all. Raguṇatha dāsa Gosvāmī. And still, he was taking three times bath and hundred times... Sāṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. He was offering obeisances flat hundred times and taking bath three times. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, those who have gone to Rādhā-Kunda, you have seen, the extreme tapasya. He was very rich man's son. In those days his father's income was twelve lakhs of rupees. He left his happy home and joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu and exemplified tapasya. He showed.
Why especially in this or that? All over the world, to remain a brahmacārī is little difficult. One who can, it is very good. But it is difficult. So brahmacaryeṇa, by practicing celibacy, a life of celibacy, even one has the intention, the association, the society is so much polluted that one cannot. It is very difficult. So in bhakti-yoga it is not very strict that one has to observe celibacy strictly. He can marry. Marriage is allowed, but not for indulgence. But because a man requires a woman or a woman requires a man, there is sacred marriage. This man and woman is educated that he or she is not this body. Therefore advancement of this education will stop him for this bodily enjoyment. Just like eating also. We are eating; we are not fasting. We are eating. But we are eating just to maintain the body and soul together, not extravagantly. Although we have very nice plates, kṛṣṇa-prasādam, but we do not make any palatable dishes for enjoyment. We make all nice things for Kṛṣṇa, and we take prasādam. Therefore the material effect of eating, it does not act upon the devotees.
Bibhrat. Bibhrat kuṭumbam aśucir yātayām āsa dehinaḥ. Bibhrat, we have to maintain our body. This is called bibhrat. That is necessary. We have got this body in this material world. This is not spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no necessity of maintaining the body. The body is spiritual. As we have got here in this material world, to maintain this body I require to eat, I require to sleep, I require to satisfy my sense, and I require to defend—the four necessities... Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. And spiritual body means these four kinds of bodily demands, nil, no more. That is spiritual life. That means no eating, no sleeping, no sex, and no defense. The six Gosvāmīs in Vṛndāvana, they practiced it. (sic:) Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. They conquered over sleeping, eating, mating, and defending. Nidrā means sleeping, āhāra means eating, vihāra means sex. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. Conquered.
This material world is karma-kṛt—you have to do something. Kṛṣṇa has explained that "Without acting, you cannot even maintain your body and soul together." Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. If you become idle, then you cannot even maintain your body. That is the difference between civilized man and uncivilized man or developed country... (aside:) Stop that. Developed country and undeveloped country. Just like America. This land was inhabited by the Red Indians. They could not do anything, but the Europeans, when they migrated, they made it so beautiful country. So karma-kṛt, one has to work. This material world is so made. Tṛtīyā karma-saṅgā anyā śaktir īṣyate.
Indian man: Are we duty-bound to maintain our body?
Prabhupāda: You are not maintaining your body. You are given a body to fulfill your desire. You get a particular type of body to fulfill your desire. You desire... Just like we have got, you analyze each and every one of us, each and every one has got a different type of body. Why? Each and every one of us has got a different type of mentality. That mentality is going on, and according to that mentality you are getting different types of body. So this body means to give me opportunity to satisfy a different type of mentality. That is God's grace. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). You wanted this body, God has given you this body. If you want a tiger's body, God will give you a tiger's body. If you want a demigod's body, God will give you a demigod's body.
But if you want a God's body you will get it also. So why not take a God's body? This is the opportunity. This is the opportunity. (break) ...desire this body, that body, this body, that body, I have traveled so many bodies. 8,400,000's of bodies. Now here is a body, where is perfect consciousness. I can understand that if I like I can get next birth God's body. (break) ...means the same body as God has, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So this is illusion that I think that I am maintaining this body. You are not maintaining this body. The nature's law, nature's supply, nature's arrangement, that is Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). The nature is acting according to the different qualities. And ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā, being puffed up, one thinks that "I am doing this." Nonsense, you cannot do it anything. You are being forced to do by the laws of nature. Yes.
That Kṛṣṇa said, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ... (BG 18.66). "You nonsense. You give up all this nonsense business. Come to Me." So we have, you have to develop such knowledge. "Oh, Kṛṣṇa says like this, let me do this." (break) "...faith that whatever engagement you have manufactured, it is simply troublesome, miserable for your life. Don't try to manufacture any more. Please come to Me." "Oh, how shall I live?" Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66). "Don't bother. I shall give you protection." Unfortunately, we do not follow. We have no business to maintain this body or that body, but simply to surrender to God. Then everything will be done. (break) ...maintain your body. Every one is trying to become President Johnson or something like that. Does it mean that he will become? The arrangement is pre-arrangement. You may work day and night, hard labor. But you'll get whatever is destined to you. That's all.
This is the main business of this body. Not that economic development. That is not the business of human body. Sense gratification. Sense gratification is there in the animals. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The human form of life is not meant for to live like the dogs and the hogs. They are busy always for maintaining the body. They are busy. They have no other business. They cannot understand. If I bring some dog in this meeting and try to make him understand, "Please note that you are not this body." It is not possible for them to understand. But a human being, he may be educated like dogs and hog, but if he's given reasonably the, as Kṛṣṇa is giving that the soul is the proprietor of this body and he is as he's changing in this body He's a child-child means he has got a child's body. Baby means he has got a baby's body. Young man means he has a youth's body. So this body has been changed. Similarly when this body is useless, no more can be used, then he transmigrates to another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir.
So make your life regulated. There is no denial. It is not that you cannot eat or you cannot sleep or you cannot have sex life or you cannot defend yourself. Do all these things according to the rules and regulations. But don't waste your time for artificial increment of sense gratification. Don't do that. You require to eat to maintain your body and soul together. You eat. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi-daḥ (?). You don't require to eat less. Suppose you can eat one pound. The Kṛṣṇa conscious prescription does not say, "You simply eat one ounce." No. You eat one pound. But don't eat more. Similarly, you have to sleep. All right, make your shelter, apartment, nicely so that you can comfortably sleep. Defense, yes, you defend your country, you defend your home nicely. Sex life, yes, you have sex life, but not in the unrestricted way. Limited with married wife or married husband and comfortably and very gentlemanly. So these are prescriptions are there. There is no denial. But make it systematic. But the balance of your life Don't spoil your life simply for sense gratification or so-called advancement of material civilization. You should utilize your time how to make advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the sum and substance of Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction to his class fellows who were born of atheistic family, and we shall gradually discuss.
There are six kind of activities which will increase your transcendental importance of life, and there are six kinds of activities which will destroy your whatever little devotion you have got. These, in the Upadeśāmṛta you will find, how you can increase and how you can finish. So about finishing, if you are actually advancing in spiritual life, if that is your aim, then these six things should be avoided. As it is said, prayāsaḥ. The first thing is atyāhāra, eating too much than necessity, atyāhāra, or collecting more than you require. For maintenance of your body you have to secure some monetary benefit—but not more than what you require. People are not satisfied. At the present moment everyone is trying to get more and more and more and more and more. There is no satiation. This kind of endeavor is forbidden. It will not help you. But people are mad after money. If he is getting, say, five hundred rupees, he says, "No, why five hundred? Five thousand." And if he gets five thousand, then he says, "Why five thousand? Five lakhs." And if he gets five lakhs, then he says, "Why five lakhs? Five crores." This is there. The whole world is going on. They are never satisfied. You go to any rich man: "Sir, you have now enough money. Please come to our meeting in the morning, seven-thirty." "No, I have no time." He's earning money.
Suppose we are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness... So this body has to be maintained. Suppose my body is sick. I must go to the doctor, take help, and keep it very nicely. And I must take foodstuff so that the body is maintained nicely. That care should be taken. But not that we forget our real business. The same example: If we forget that I have to use this car and go to such and such destination and simply take care of the car, that is our foolishness. So society, friendship, love, and everything should be so adjusted that it may not disturb our real purpose of life. Not that we forget our real purpose of life and we become more and more entangled in the so-called society, friendship and love. That is the instruction of Prahlāda Mahārāja.
Poor people, they do not know what is their self-interest, what is the aim of life. Therefore Vyāsadeva he is called vidvāṁs. Vidvāṁs means very learned. He has compiled the śāstra. Anartha, unnecessarily want. Wants we have increased. Now we, instead of wasting our time for increasing our unnecessary needs of life, we shall be satisfied with the bare necessities of life. Eating, sleeping, mating, we can minimize it. But don't, we don't say that you starve, you keep your body uncomfortably, and then fall sick, and then your Kṛṣṇa conscious business is hampered. No. Yavad-artha prayojana. Anāsaktasya viṣayān. Don't be attached to sense gratification. Satisfy senses as little as possible, which is essential, needed. It is not stopped. Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa, anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. Don't be attached to the sense gratification. Just like eating, it is also a kind of sense gratification, to satisfy the tongue, satisfy the belly. But eating is also necessary if we want to maintain our body, and with the body you have to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Without maintaining the body, or disturbing the body, we cannot.
So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung very nice song. Satsaṅga chāri kainu asatye vilās, ei kāraṇe lāgila more karma bandha-phāṅsa. Because we have given up Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore we have been entangled in the different varieties of material activities. Now we have to simplify it. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to simplify, to save the valuable life, to save the time of valuable life. This human form of life is very valuable. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). After many, many births we have got this important life. So we have to save our time to utilize it for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That should... So far we have got this material body, we want to maintain it. The body and souls live together. That is all right. For that, Kṛṣṇa has given every chance. Anywhere you sit down, you have got land and cow. You produce something and cow's milk. That is sufficient for maintenance. So let us try to make an attempt to organize a New Vrindaban scheme, and I shall request all my students to develop this idea and show a good example to this Western part of the world where people are always engaged in ugra-karma, asuric-karma. Things are becoming very implicated, complicated.
So if you study yourself, that "I am spirit soul and this body is external expansion only," then you can understand that within this external expansion of cosmic manifestation there is the Supersoul. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). The Lord says that "By My one portion I enter into this cosmic manifestation and thus I maintain it." Similarly, as we are maintaining this body by entering into this body, similarly God is maintaining this cosmic manifestation by entering into it. Therefore we are qualitatively one. As I enter into this material body and expand it and maintain it, similarly the Supersoul enters into this cosmic manifestation and maintains it and develops it. (disturbance in the background) (aside:) That's all right. Don't disturb. So as you have got consciousness, a small consciousness or limited consciousness, similarly the Supersoul has got unlimited consciousness. You are conscious of your bodily existence, I am conscious of my bodily existence, but I am not conscious of your bodily existence, neither you are conscious of my bodily existence. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. And the Supersoul is conscious of your bodily existence and my bodily existence.
Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). And as soon as you become cleansed of your heart, then the anxiety... Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. You'll gradually increase. Then you will understand that "I am neither American, neither Indian, nor cat, nor dog, but I am the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord." Then, if you understand that you are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, then you will understand your business. Just like in your body you have got so many parts and parcels. You have got the hands, you have got the legs, you have got the head, you have got the fingers, you have got the ear, you have got the nose—so many parts. So what is the business of all these parts of your body? The business of parts of the body to maintain the body properly, to serve the body. Just like this finger is there. I am feeling some incomfort; immediately my finger comes and serves, automatically. Therefore the conclusion is that it is the business of the part and parcel of God to serve God. That is the only business. Natural business. So when you are engaged in the service of the Lord, because you understand—by chanting the holy names Lord you will understand who is Lord and what is His advice, what does He want service from me—then you will be engaged in that service. That is the perfection of your life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Atyāhāra, eating or collecting more than necessity. That is atyāhāra. Āhāra means eating and collecting. Āhāraḥ. So we should not collect more than what we need. Kṛṣṇa will give, giving us. Just like we are spending so much money in all our centers. So Kṛṣṇa is sending us the necessary expenditure. How... Otherwise, how we are maintaining? So... But we should not be hankering after collecting more than what is necessity. That is atyāhāra. Similarly, we should not eat more than what we need for maintaining the body and soul together. Atyāhāra prayāsaḥ, prayāsaḥ. We should not endeavor for anything which requires too much anxiety. That is called prayāsaḥ. Atyāhāra prayāsaḥ. Automatically, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, whatever comes, that's all right. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpaḥ (NOI 2). Talking unnecessarily, nonsense. Just like people waste their time talking three hours on some political situation. You see. They have got enough time to discuss newspaper, but when they are invited to our class, they find no time.
Yes. The brāhmaṇa is considered to be the mouth of the total body, and the śūdras are considered to be the legs. So by comparative position, the head is more important than the leg, but they are equally important in terms of the whole body. Because the head cannot walk. For walking, you require the cooperation of the legs. So, as to maintain this body we require the cooperation of the head, arms, waist and legs, similarly, for serving Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, the whole, it doesn't matter whether one is a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra; everyone can be engaged. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). One has to worship the Supreme by his own work. The leg has to work in his own way, the head has to work in its own way. But the aim should be to survive, to maintain this body. That is the process. If the aim is one—Kṛṣṇa—then it doesn't matter whether one is brāhmaṇa or one is śūdra. Equally they are serving and they are sharing the equal profit out of it.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So on the whole, for the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava, means the followers of Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Especially in Bengal, there are many thousands followers, Bengal and Orissa. They are mainly followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and you will find in Vṛndāvana, Navadvīpa, many Bengali Vaiṣṇavas, followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They are living there very, I mean to say, austerity, following austerity, no very much careful about the bodily maintenance. But they are living. They have practically no income, but still, they do not go away from Vṛndāvana. Similarly, Kavirāja Gosvāmī also took shelter of Vṛndāvana under the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. Therefore he says, mat-sarvasva-padāmbhojau: "The lotus feet of Madana-mohana is my everything. I have taken shelter of Madana-mohanajī. That is my everything." That is Vaiṣṇava feeling. They think the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa as their only possession. But that is the greatest possession. What this material possession will do? One who has taken possession, at least one who is allowed to take possession of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana, is not very easy thing. If Kṛṣṇa gives him the facility... Kṛṣṇa is prepared. How? Simply by service, one can easily become in possession of the lotus feet of the Lord. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). We cannot bring in possession the lotus feet of the Supreme Being. That is not possible. But if we render service, He gives the allowance, "Yes, you can be under My shelter of feet."
Those who are not fallen, they go directly. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately they are transferred to the spiritual world after giving up this body. And those who are fallen, they are not immediately transferred, but they are given the chance again for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness and being transferred, transferred to the spiritual world, because one who takes birth in the family of Vaiṣṇava and pure brāhmaṇa, he gets the chance again. Just like these children are getting chance again—deity worship, offering to the Vaiṣṇava obeisances, offering some flower, dancing, chanting. He is again getting the opportunity. Although he was fallen in his last birth, that fallen is not so serious. He has got again human body, and he has got chance to be associate with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And rich man. Rich man means... Everyone is embarrassed with the maintenance of body. So if one is not embarrassed... To take birth in rich family means he has nothing to think of maintenance. Just like one of our devotee, Mr. Alfred Ford, he is the great-grandson of Mr. Henry Ford. He has given us one big house in Honolulu. The boy came to see me, very nice boy. So this is śrīmatāṁ gehe, born in rich family, and he has got the opportunity to give something for the service of the Lord. So either you are born in rich family or in poor Vaiṣṇava family, you are not loser. So we should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and try to introduce it very nicely, and even though we fall, there is no loss. The human life is guaranteed and in very good family. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.
The brahmacārī does not, I mean to say, earn anything. They depend on the society. Sannyāsī—depend on the society. Vānaprastha—depend on the society. Only the householder who is living with wife and children, he has got the whole responsibility to provide these brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. You see. In India still, if a brahmacārī, if a sannyāsī goes to a householder, immediately offers something. So they do not want more, but they want little for their maintenance of this body and soul together. It is the duty of the householder. So unless one becomes responsible householder, how he'll execute his responsibility? If he thinks, "Oh, what is the use of keeping a cow when the milk is available in the market? Oh, sex life is so cheap. Why shall I take the responsibility of marrying?" This is going on. This is going on. Just like cats and dogs. So the cats and dogs cannot understand Vedānta philosophy. First condition. It is not meant for the cats and dogs. It is meant for human beings. So we should be human being first of all. Then we shall try to understand... Our life is so wretched that it is less than cats and dogs, and we try to understand Vedānta philosophy. It is not possible.
So mūḍha. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ. "A person who is as rascal as an ass," mūḍhāḥ, na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ duṣkṛtina, "and always engaged in sinful activities, and the lowest of the mankind and demon, he does not," I mean to say, "surrender unto Me, accept Me." Oh, there are many educated persons... Just like Dr. Radhakrishnan, he also says, he also, "Not to Kṛṣṇa." Then what about his education? Oh, that is also replied, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. "Oh, he's educated—so-called. The māyā has plundered his all knowledge." That means although... He's an educated fool. There are educated rascals. They have got some university degrees, but actually they are rascal, less than an ass. So that is also described: māyayā apahṛta-jñānā. They have acquired some knowledge undoubtedly, but the essence of the knowledge is taken away by māyā. Essence of the knowledge. Just like I give you milk, but I churn it. I take the butter out, and I give you milk. It is just like that. If milk is administered, taking out the butter, that is also a cheating, because milk means to take fat. Fat we require. For our proper maintenance of the body, we require fat. So milk-drinking means eating fat. So if the fat is already taken away, what is this milk?
So these are facts. These are not stories. But foolish people, they have no knowledge or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All your material necessities will be... But don't be extravagant. Take only whatever you need to maintain your body and soul together and execute this... Make this primary and other things secondary. Kṛṣṇa will supply you. But if you want to make your sense gratification, if you want to accept more than what you need, then you'll be in trouble. That is māyā. So Kṛṣṇa has provided for everyone, everything. There is no need of being anxious. But that does not mean that I shall feel, "Oh, I shall do everything and anything." No.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
No, no. We have nothing to do with cakra. These cakras are concerned who are in the bodily concept of life. The bhaktas, they do not accept that "I am body." The śata cakra is concerned with this body, not with the soul. Yes. So these, the yoga process is prescribed for them who are too much in con..., bodily concept of life. Otherwise, those who are spiritually advanced, they're, they do not have to practice this yoga. This, simply name, if we follow... Actually, practically, you see... You practically see that all over the world, these boys, how they're advancing simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So this is fact. It is not imagination. How they're advancing, how they're becoming... Now, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam, to make zero (CC Madhya 19.170). They've made everything zero. They don't consider that Americans. Yes. They don't consider that "I am this body. I have to eat flesh, meat and wine; therefore my body will be maintained." They never think like that. This is mukti. Simply talking will not do practically. "I practice yoga and immediately my throat has become dry. Please give me cigarette. Please give me cigarette." There are so many. I have seen.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
We don't say that "Stop altogether." No. We say, "No illicit sex." We don't say, "No sex." So we should indulge in sense gratification as far as it is required for the maintenance of the body, and balance time, we shall save for brahma-jijñāsā. This is civilization. Otherwise it is animal civilization. So that has come now. So the American people, the leaders, they are now thinking, "What to do?" And call big, big men, and give our program, "Here is to do. Come here to do." This is opportunity. Then?
General Lectures
You may be able to construct very high building, skyscrapers, and many millions of motorcars, but you have to think whether you have solved the real problem of life. The real problem of life is birth, death, disease, and old age. Not that to live in a high skyscraper our problems of life is solved. No. The problem of life is how to stop these four things: birth, death, old age, and disease. But we have neglected the real problems of life. And we are misusing our intelligence for constructing big buildings and constructing or increasing the so-called bodily necessities of life. The bodily necessities of life are four only. What is that? Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. To maintain this body you require to eat something. Everyone is eating. You are eating, the cats are eating, the dogs are eating, the birds are eating. They have no economic problem. Eating is there already. Have you seen ever that a bird is dying for want of eating, eatables? No. So these things are already arranged. That is no problem. In every form of life your eatables are there by nature's supply. Similarly sleeping.
If he is not properly dressed, that does not mean he should be hated. Similarly, one who is paṇḍita, learned, he does not discriminate between man and animal because they have got different dress. No. The animal life and human life, so far maintenance of the body is concerned, it is equal. The animal eats, the man eats. The animal sleeps, the man sleeps. The animal mates, the man also mates. The quality or degree of mating or eating may be different, but the eating is there, sleeping is there, mating is there, and defending is there. But what is the difference between man and animal? Man knows, at least, he should try to know, "What I am? What is God? What is this world? What is our interrelation?" This is man's business. This is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. In the Vedānta-sūtra, the first sūtra, aphorism, is atha ataḥ brahma-jijñāsā: "This human form of life is meant for inquiry about the spirit, Supreme Spirit, Brahman." That is the beginning of spiritual education.
So they should have a place like Vṛndāvana. So here is present our Swami Kīrtanānanda. He went to Vṛndāvana with me two years ago, and he has taken the idea, what is Vṛndāvana. So I have instructed him that "You should construct at least seven temples." In Vṛndāvana there are five thousand temples, not one, two. Five thousand temples of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. But the most important temples are seven, established by the Gosvāmīs. So our program is to live there, depending on agriculture and cow, cow protection and agriculture. That should be the economic solution. And peacefully be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the Vṛndāvana scheme. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhidaḥ. This human form of life is not meant for increasing artificial needs. We should be satisfied just to maintain the body and soul together, and balance time we should save for enhancing our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or spiritual consciousness, so that after this body we haven't got to make another material body, but we go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be the motto of human life.
So Ṛṣabhadeva recommends that human form of life is specifically meant for austerity, regulative principles, not to do anything according to whims. Very regulative life, that is human life. We require, so long we have got this body, we require four things for maintenance of the body: āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. We require to eat something, every one of us. We require to sleep; therefore we must have an apartment or sleeping place. That may be very nice or... But we must have some place to sleep, shelter. So eating, sleeping. Then some protection, defense, and sense gratification. We have got our senses; they want some satisfaction. So these are, these principles are bodily needs. These are not the needs of the spirit soul. So long we have got this body, we have to satisfy it, but not, I mean to say, unrestricted. That is not human life. That is the difference between human life and animal life. But at the present moment human life has become more than animal life. The animals have restricted periods of sense gratification, but the human life has no restricted... So Ṛṣabhadeva is instructing, "This should not be done."
There are two use, two kinds of uses of everything. Just like this microphone is being used for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the same microphone can be used for singing a cinema song. So microphone is not bad, but as you use it for different purposes it is bad or good. Similarly, this world, or things which we accept for our maintenance of the soul, body and soul together, they are called viṣaya. Viṣaya means eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. That is viṣaya. So anāsaktasya viṣayān. We should not be attached to the viṣayas. Just like eating. Everyone is eating. You are eating, I am also eating. So what is the difference between you and me? The difference is that we who are engaged in the service of the Lord, we are eating for maintaining the body just to keep ourselves fit for working for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Another person, he is also eating. He is eating to satisfy his palate or with the aim simply to make the body stout and strong.
Similarly, we are so imperfect that we may have little knowledge even of our own body. We are eating, but how the eatables are being transformed into secretion, how they are becoming blood, how they are being passed through the heart, and it becomes red, and again diffuse all over the veins, and in this way the body is maintained, we know something, but how the work is going on, how this factory is going on, how the factory, machine, is working, we have very little knowledge. So indirectly we know that "This is my body." "Indirectly" means we have heard, but we have no direct knowledge. But Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, the original of everything, He knows everything. Anvaya-vyatirekābhyām, indirectly and directly. Kṛṣṇa knows. I do not know how my body is working, but Kṛṣṇa knows. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Kṣetra-jña... He is real, Supersoul. There is a Supersoul who is in knowledge of everything. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanam. Full knowledge. I have no full knowledge of my body, but He has got full knowledge. I forget. What I did in the morning, early in the morning at four o'clock, if you ask me, I'll have to remember, "Yes, what I was doing?" We are so forgetful. Similarly, how we can remember of our past life? We are so forgetful. But Kṛṣṇa... (end)
Cripple-minded man thinks in terms of personal interest or society's interest or community's interest, nation's interest, or international interest. Even international interest is cripple-minded, because there are many planets. If we expand ourself from self-interest to family interest, from family interest to community interest, similarly, even you expand to the international interest, it is imperfect unless your interest is expanded up to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the Vedic injunction in the Ṛg Veda, oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Those who are advanced in knowledge, their aim is, their interest is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu. Tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. But people do not know what is his self-interest. That is indicated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇu. Everyone should be self-interest. But in this material world, being illusioned, being bewildered by the material energy, we are thinking our self-interest in terms of our particular type of education. Somebody is thinking that "Simply I have to maintain my body somehow or other." Little expanded, thinking interest of society, you go on. But they do not know that the self-interest must expand to Lord Viṣṇu. And that is explained by Prahlāda Mahārāja.
We are eating on the chair and table our nicely prepared foodstuff. But you are eating. So at the present moment, we are thinking that because we are eating on tables and chairs, we advance. That is our mistake. That is no advance. Eating... The benefit of eating, whatever you eat or the animal eats, it is the same. Eating means to maintain the body and soul together. So by advancing in the modes of eating, that does not mean advancement of civilization. Advancement in the modes of sleeping, that does not mean advancement of civilization. Similarly, advancement in the modes of sexual intercourse, it does not mean the advancement of civilization. Or advancement in defending, discovering atomic bombs for killing my enemy, that is also not advancement of civilization. Advancement of civilization means how much you have advanced to know the soul and the ultimate goal of the soul, how the soul is transmigrating from one body to another.
Otherwise, so far your eating is concerned, it is same, either in Eastern country or Western country. You eat something on plate, or they also eat something. You sleep in nice apartment. They also sleep in something like that. You try to defend with your atomic weapons. They also try to defend. You also, after sex, the East and Western, they are also after sex. Not only Eastern and Western, the animals, they are also after these things. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etad paśubhiḥ narāṇām. Eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. This is common to the animal and to the human being. You may improve the cooking process or eating process but, after all, it is eating. Eating is meant for maintaining your body. That is done by the animals also. These things are not cultural advancement. Real cultural advancement is to know that "I am not this body." "I am spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is the difference.
We are eulogizing nationality so much, but actually, if you study these principles of nationality, it is most ignoble. Why? Because Īśopaniṣad says, Veda, that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "Everything belongs to God." How you are claiming that "It is our" or "It is mine"? Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This is illusion. What is not yours, you are claiming, "It is mine." Just like this body. This is also not mine. The nature has given me this body according to my karma. Just like the landlord has given me this house to live, but it is not my house. This is a fact. So if I live in this house and later on claim, "Oh, this is my house," the whole trouble begins. Similarly, everything which we are utilizing for our comforts, for our livelihood, everything is given by God. This body is given by God, the maintenance also given by God. You are maintaining this body by eating fruits, flowers, grains, or even meat. But who is supplying? You cannot create all these things in your machine-made factories. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He is supplying. This is God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Philosophy Discussions
Hayagrīva: Within the world Bergson sees nothing but constant, unceasing change. He even sees ego change. He says, "If our existence were composed of separate states with an impassive ego to unite them, for us there would be no duration, for an ego which does not change does not endure, and a psychic state which remains the same so long as it is not replaced by the following state does not endure either." So he sees the psychic state of the individual in the ego and all that the ego contains as cognitively changing.
Prabhupāda: This is false ego, that "I am this body." So it has to be changed by education, that "You are not this body." Then when he understands that he is spirit soul, then the activities of the spirit soul begin, mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). That is stated in Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, that first of all he has to understand that he is not this material body; he is spirit soul. That is the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Within this body the soul is there, and that soul is Brahman, spiritual. People, if they do not understand this, so they are in the animal status of life. But if he understands that he is not this body, then his struggle for existence, to maintain the body, stops. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). That it is, when he understands that he is not this body, then his unnecessary endeavor to keep the body in comfortable position without the, without executing the business of spiritual life, then he is kept in darkness. So when one understands that he is spirit soul, so how to elevate the spirit soul to the highest perfection, that will be the main business. So that is wanted. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Then he understands that "Not only I am spirit soul, but everyone is spirit soul," then equal, equipoised. Every spirit soul should be given the chance of perfect understanding, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Then activities of devotional service. If everyone is engaged in devotional service, then he gradually comes to the state of loving God, prema. Premā pumartho mahān. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended perfection of human life is how to raise oneself to the platform of loving God. That is perfection. Otherwise it is not perfect society.
Prabhupāda: Just like one can analyze in this way: I am sitting on this comfortable, I mean, seat, cushion. Why I am sitting here? Because it is giving comfort to my body. Then I come to the study of body: Why I am maintaining this body? Because I am the soul, I am living in this body. Then ultimately I love my self, my soul. I love this seat because it gives shelter to my body. I love this body because it gives shelter to my soul. I love this soul because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore ultimately I love Kṛṣṇa. Is it not? That is pure consciousness.
Hayagrīva: Jung sees atheistic Communism as the greatest threat in the world today. He writes that "The Communist revolution has debased man, because it robs him of his freedom, not only in the social but in the moral and spiritual sense. The state has taken the place of God. That is why, seen from this angle, the socialist dictatorships are religions, and state slavery is a form of worship."
Prabhupāda: Yes, I agree with him. That is the degradation of human civilization. But the philosophy of the Communist, that everyone has equal right or everyone must take share of the state equally, that is little, basic principle of real communism. According to our understanding, God is the father, material nature is the mother, and we, all living entities, are sons of the father and mother. So as sons everyone has right to live at the cost of father's property. The whole universe is the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all living entities, they are being supported by the father. But one should be satisfied with the supplies allotted to him. That is, Īśopaniṣad says, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1). There is no need of encroaching on others' property. We should not become envious of the capitalist or rich man, because everyone is given his allotment by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I should be satisfied with my allotment. I should not encroach upon others' allotment. But the exploitation idea is not there. The same thing, that nobody should exploit. If one has become rich man, that's all right. That, that is natural. One is born in rich family, from his very birth he is a rich man. So why we should interfere his richness? But everyone should be God conscious. Either the rich man or the poor man, they must be God conscious. And God consciousness means that the property I am owning, or the position I am placed in, that is by God's arrangement. Therefore my duty is to serve God in my position. Sthane sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ manobhiḥ. This is the philosophy of, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, confirmed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sthane sthitāḥ. We should stay in our place, as it is allotted by God, but our common culture should be śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ manobhiḥ. We should hear about God and act accordingly—it doesn't matter in which work—then there will be harmony. If we become envious, that "Why this man has become rich? I shall encroach upon him," that is again, another type of revolution or encroachment. That is not required. You remain in your position as you have been allotted, but everyone be engaged in the service of the Lord. The, another example is that the, there are different position of different parts of the body—the head, arms, the belly, the legs. They are different parts of body doing different function. But the idea is how to maintain this body. So if we, even if we remain in different position, that is we get from the birth, but we, we should be engaged in the service of the Supreme, the owner. Just like the hand is owned by the body; therefore hand must work for the body. The leg is owned by the body; therefore the leg must work for the body. So we are all part and parcel of God, and we should, everyone, we should work for God. And how we shall work, that we have to hear from the position where we are, and act accordingly, then there will be real spiritual communism.
Hayagrīva: For instance...
Prabhupāda: Bījāhaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate, that even the spiritual world and material world, everything is emanation from Him. The difference is, in the material everything is created and maintained then annihilated. In the spiritual world that is not the case. Just like material world this body, and spiritual world the soul. The body is created, maintained and annihilated; the soul is not. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). After the destruction of the body, the spirit soul is not destroyed. What happens to him? He takes another body. And one who is perfect, he goes directly to Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). So we can make this life... Because we are preparing for the next life, so why not take advantage of going back to home, back to Godhead? This is our mission. You have to prepare yourself either for going to the higher planetary system, yānti devān deva-vratāḥ... You can go to the higher planetary system, you can go lower, and you can go to Godhead. So they, therefore, if I have to change this body and go elsewhere, why not go to God? That is intelligence. Now what is the advantage? If you go to God, then you will have..., haven't got to change any more this body. That is eternal, blissful. Therefore our intelligence should be utilized how to go to back to home, back to Godhead. That is intelligence.
Purports to Songs
So that is the last stage of this body. So everyone knows that everyone will die. Still, we are working so hard. We are making our bank balance, we are just making will and papers just to give protection to our family or to our children, and there is no time. Everyone is very busy, very busy. But he does not see that "All these, what I am doing, all these body ultimately become either ash or animal stool or turn into earth. So why I am taking so much trouble?" Therefore the revealed scripture advises that "You have to maintain your body. That's all right. But for simply material comforts, you should not devote time more than it is absolutely required." That means don't increase your bodily necessities. Don't increase your bodily necessities. That was the standard of Indian civilization. They did not, the sages and saints, they did not advise to increase the necessities of the body. They, I mean to say, planned the social system in such a way that people should be satisfied only for, by the bare necessities of life. We require some eating, we require some sleeping, or shelter place, and we require some sense gratification, and we require some protection from enemies. Yes? Come. Ah hah! Ah ah haha, ah hah! Come in. Come in. (end)
So there is necessity of a class of men who will act as the brain of the society. That is called brāhmaṇa. That is real human society, where there are four classes of men: one acting as brain, one acting as arms or armies or protection, one acting as belly, or the food digesting machine... Unless you eat and digest food, how your body will be maintained? So everything is very scientifically designed in the Vedic civilization. So in the Kali-yuga there is scarcity of brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa is vairāgya. A brāhmaṇa is not interested with pounds, shilling, pence, "Get money and enjoy." That is not brāhmaṇa's business. What us enjoyment? That is illusion. You cannot enjoy because you are conditioned by the stringent laws of nature, and where is enjoyment? There is no enjoyment. But they are thinking, "I am enjoying." This is called illusion, māyā. There cannot be any enjoyment. When you are not free, when you are conditioned under the stringent laws of... You do not like to die. You are forced to die. You must die. You cannot say, "No, I will not die." No, that is not possible. So where is your freedom? But we are declaring, "Now we are independent." This is all illusion.
| Page Title: | Maintaining the body (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 08 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=147, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 147 |