All these are described in the Bhagavad-gītā, who is brāhmaṇa, who is kṣatriya, by symptoms. By symptoms we have to accept whether one is brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or vaiśya, not by birth. That is the injunction of the śāstras. So this has to be observed. If we want actually deliverance from this material entanglement, so these rules and regulations of kula-dharma, we must observe. If we do not observe, then immediately we become irreligious. Dharme naṣṭe kṛtaṁ kṛtsnam adharmam abhibhavati iti uta. Uta, Arjuna said, "It is said." He has learned from higher authorities. Uta, "it is said" means "said by authorities." So "If adharma, irreligious life, is propagated, on account of loss of kula-dharma, then everything is lost, my dear Kṛṣṇa. So why shall I kill?" Other things also will be described later on, that the, when the male members are killed, the female members become widow, and they, their character becomes polluted. So many things Kṛṣṇa will speak about this family life.
Material entanglement (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Similarly, at the present moment it is our sleeping stage. Therefore this transcendental vibration will awaken to spiritual consciousness. Just try to understand. When one is asleep, the sound vibration can help him. Similarly, at the present moment, in our material condition of life we are sleeping. This transcendental, spiritual vibration will help you. That is the process.
Man (1): If you follow any one movement, then you automatically close your mind to other things.
Prabhupāda: Your business is how to get success of life. So any method you can accept, but your aim should be one—how to get out of this material entanglement. So here we are presenting one authorized movement, how to get out of this material entanglement. If you have got any other movement or any other idea to get out of this material, that is also accepted. It is not that... But so far we know, this movement is the only movement which can get you out of this entanglement. But if you have got any other alternative movement, we do not grudge. Just like our system is sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). We want to teach people to understand himself and to understand God. That is our method.
The proof of the sacrifice, yajña, is mentioned in the Vedic scripture. After the creation, it was so announced that "If you want to be happy, you must perform sacrifices." Sacrifices.
The Vedic literature is created for guidance of the conditioned souls. Every living being who is in this material world is conditioned by the laws of material nature. And it is a chance, this creation, and especially this human body, is a chance to get rid of this material entanglement. And the chance is open by acting for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu. Saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā. Prajāḥ. Prajāḥ means the living entities, after being created, they were advised that "You perform yajña, or sacrifice, for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu. That will..." Anena, "By this," prasaviṣyadhvam, "you increase your enlightenment." Prasaviṣyadhvam. "And whatever you want, that will be satisfied by this yajña." Devān yajña. That sacrifice.
The proof of this sacrifice, yajña, is mentioned in the Vedic scripture. After the creation it was so announced that "If you want to be happy, you must perform sacrifices." Sacrifices.
The Vedic literature is created for guidance of the conditioned souls. Every living being who is in this material world is conditioned by the laws of material nature. And it is a chance. This creation, and especially this human body, is a chance to get rid of this material entanglement, and the chance is open by acting for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu. Saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā. Prajāḥ. Prajāḥ means the living entities. After being created, they were advised that "You perform yajña, or sacrifice for the satisfaction of Viṣṇu." That will... Anena, "by this," prasaviṣyadhvam, "you increase your enlightenment." Prasaviṣyadhvam. "And whatever you want, that will be satisfied by this yajña." Devān... Yajña, that sacrifice.
And as soon as we get advanced in this chanting of this Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, then we shall gradually realize that actually God is with us. God is dancing on my tongue in the form of sound. You see?
So this is the simplest process of yajña, and that is introduced by Lord Caitanya. Not He has manufactured this process, but it is from authoritative scripture. And you can try it. You can try it. The result will be that gradually you will be on the way, on the path of liberation. Liberation means to get out of this material entanglement. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that by chanting this kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, the first result will be that your heart will be cleared of all dust accumulated by years and years, life after life with this material association.
Just like we are sitting in this loft. So by association of this Bowery Street, always dust is coming in this room, and it is being stuck up, layer after layer, similarly, by association of this material contamination, we have in our heart accumulated so many material dust. The whole thing, our progress of spiritual life, our progress of spiritual realization, is checked only because we have got some misunderstanding of our identification. The identification is that "I am this body." That's all. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).
We have discussed this point that our material bondage is due to hankering and lust for dominating over the resources of matter. We are, in essence, we are pure souls, but circumstantially we are now fallen in this material bondage and therefore we are undergoing threefold miseries of material existence. And the whole Bhagavad-gītā scheme is how to get out of this material entanglement and be situated in your real spiritual life of bliss, knowledge and eternal life. That is the whole scheme of Bhagavad-gītā.
Now, the first chapter... I'm just making a summary of the three chapters which we have already finished... Now, today we are going to begin the fourth chapter.
In the first chapter the situation is created... Just like we are ordinarily entangled in family affairs. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). The bondage of accepting this material body as myself, and the extension of bodily relation is accepted as my kinsmen and the land in which the body is got, that land is supposed to be worshipable. These are analytical study of our material existence. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ. Bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13).
This material, whole material creation is there just to give you a chance to have your things done nicely. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This material creation is giving a chance. But even after getting the chance, and even after getting the supreme body of human life, we do not develop this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and just to get rid of this material entanglement, then we shall be missing the opportunity.
So everyone's duty is that he should take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness by engaging himself in this process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23), chanting and hearing, the simple process. You have nothing to do. Simply if you give aural reception, that will clear everything within your mind, and you, you'll get enlightenment because Kṛṣṇa will help you. He's present within. You have simply to, I mean to say, spare a little time. You, you'll see actually. If you kindly spare a little time in this process which you have adopted here, you'll feel yourself... Nobody has to canvass you that oh, whether you are making your progress? No. You'll understand it. Because it is actual, you'll understand it.
They are called karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti. Jñāna means knowledge. By karma, you can become materially successful. By jñāna, you can understand your identity. By yoga, you can understand how to connect yourself with God, and bhakti means direct service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By karma, you can elevate your material position. By jñāna, you can understand what you are. By yoga, you can try to connect yourself with the Supreme. And by bhakti, you become completely freed from material entanglement. So we are teaching people to take the bhakti-yoga process directly, so that very quickly you contact with your spiritual life. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to understand what is God, factually, scientifically, then you can understand Him through the bhakti-yoga.
So I'll request you all who are present here to take this bhakti-yoga process, and the beginning is chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Thank you very much.
So this movement is not a sentimental movement. It is the scientific movement. It is the most elevated, scientific movement. If you are a scientist, you can question. Here is scientist present. He will answer you scientifically. Don't take this movement as some something sentimental. Authorized movement. We are speaking the science which is given by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Authority.
So here Kṛṣṇa is giving you the idea, how you can get out of this material entanglement. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). In the material life we are attached to four things: āhāra-nidrā-bhaya... Bhaya means fearfulness. So the fearfulness must be there. Because we accepted this material body, there must be always, we must be always afraid. Not only we, even a small ant or birds and beasts, everyone. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Always full of anxiety. Why? Asad-grahāt. Because we have accepted this body, asat. Asato mā gama, sad gama. That is the Vedic injunction. "Don't keep yourself in this asat material world." Sad gama. Jyotir gama. Tamasi mā. These are the Vedic injunctions.
So there was an old man. He said, "My dear such-and-such, oh, after working for ten years, you have learned something who is two cents worth." Oh, that man was very angry. "Oh, it is two cent worth, do you think?" "Yes, I think it is two cent worth." "Why?" "Now because you'll walk over the river. All right. But I shall pay to the boatman two cents. I shall walk over the river." (laughter)
So these things are two cents worth in comparison to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't be after them. Suppose you'll learn something to play wonderful. What you'll do with that? How it will help you? Your problem is how to get out this, get out of this material entanglement. Suppose if you play something wonderful in the... There are so many wonderful men here. They are showing. So a man who is after Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are not after these wonderful things. Because they know it perfectly well that "All this display will not save me." What is that? If I get anything I desire? That may be something wonderful for you, but how do I benefit. Oh, what I want here? I want simply to get myself, get free from these miseries of material existence. That can be done only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not by playing all these wonderful.
So one who is serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all these wonderful things, they do not captivate. You see? For them, two cents worth. Two cents. Suppose you can fly in the air. What is that? A rich man pay something to the aeroplane and, say, hundred dollars. He can fly from one place to another. Modern science, modern, has made everything cheap. So don't be after this perfection, material perfection. Any kind of material perfection will not solve our real problem. Our real problem is how to get rid of this material entanglement, the threefold miseries, birth after birth, I am going, repeating transmigration of, repetition of, getting one birth after... These are the problems.
So Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "After leaving this body, no more birth in this miserable world. He comes unto Me." We should stick to that point. And that will make us successful in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anything, any more questions? (break) ...very ideal prayer to follow. What to ask from Kṛṣṇa? That is the goal of every living being. What is that?
So those who are engaged in the bhakti-yoga, unflinching bhakti-yoga, unalloyed bhakti-yoga, such person is above this material entanglement. Material entanglement is within the modes of material nature. That is brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, or brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa, and gradually develop your spiritual constitutional position and be transferred to the transcendental position... Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That is the process.
But if you live in the conditioned life like animals, then you continue the life of animals—eating, sleeping, mating and defending, and struggle for existence. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Then you struggle within this material world forever. Sometimes you become the king Indra, and sometimes you become that germ indra. This is karma-phala. This is karma-phala. But we are so ignorant of this law of karma, we are thinking "Now this position of American or Indian or this or that, for fifty years or sixty years, utmost, that is one, everything, all in all. There is no more life." Yes.
Just at the present moment our conception is that I am the proprietor of everything. Actually, I am not the proprietor. The Īśopaniṣad says that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "The Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead, or Kṛṣṇa, He is the proprietor." But deluded by the illusory energy of the material existence, we are thinking that "I am the proprietor." Therefore in the scriptures, in Vedic scriptures, sacrifice is recommended. Sacrifice means you give voluntarily. You give voluntarily. Because we have been so much attached to this material proprietorship, that... And without that attachment, there is no possibility of our becoming free from this material entanglement. But that attachment is very difficult to give up. Therefore sacrifice has been recommended, that "You sacrifice."
Of course, transcendental knowledge, as we have discussed already, they are viewed in different, three different angles of vision: the knowledge of Brahmavāda, or impersonal, impersonal Absolute Truth, and the knowledge of Paramātmā, the localized Supersoul, and the knowledge of Bhagavān, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are different stages of development of knowledge. But the first beginning knowledge is that we must understand that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul, and my aim of life should be how to get out of this material entanglement." That is knowledge. That is the beginning of knowledge.
And that knowledge, when developed gradually... The first, first stage of knowledge is impersonal Brahman realization, and the next stage is the Supersoul realization, and the last stage is realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we have got this information, that the tattva, that the Absolute Truth is realized in three visions: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). Brahman means impersonal Absolute Truth, and Paramātmā means Supersoul, and Bhagavān means the Supreme Personality of God. That Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa.
We do not know. Because we are foolish, we are trying to adjust these things. That is our foolishness. We should...
Just like in a railway carriage. You are being transported from one place. Suppose it is crowded. So instead of adjusting the crowd, better tolerate for few hours and get down and go to your destination. Similarly, we may have many dangerous spots in this material life, but if we are preparing ourselves for going back to Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then these things will be not cared for. Let them happen. Āgamāpāyinaḥ anityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. They come and go. Let them happen. The bombing was not for all the days. All right, let them take place for few hours or few days. We have to adjust like that. But it is very difficult to adjust. But one who is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is not disturbed. He is not disturbed. That is the technique of not being disturbed. The more we advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we become free from this material entanglement.
There is a very nice verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
When one is fed up with this hard working for material enjoyment and get little sense above material enjoyment, gets little sense for spiritual understanding... That we have discussed yesterday. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam (BG 7.2). That is knowledge. To work hard like an ass for sense gratification, that is not siddhi. Siddhi is different thing. Siddhi means to understand the spiritual identification and work for it. That is called siddhi. So the attempt for such thing is called mukti, to get rid of the material entanglement. So bhukti-mukti-siddhi. There are three stages. So siddhi means when one understands his spiritual identity and tries to make his life perfect on that platform, that is called siddhi. Otherwise, bhukti mukti.
So in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. "So long one is on the platform of bhukti, mukti and siddhi, he is restless. He is working because he's desiring." Siddhi is specially meant for the yogis. The yogis, they want to play wonderful magic: aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti-siddhi, īśitā, vaśitā. There are eight kinds of yoga siddhis. That kind of siddhi is not recommended here. Siddhi means to understand one's spiritual identity and work for it; that is called siddhi. So manuṣyāṇām... Who knows it? There is no such education. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3), "Out of million, million persons, one tries for this siddhi, perfection of life, to understand spiritual identity and to work for it." That is called siddhi. And yatatām api siddhānām: (BG 7.3) "One who has attained siddhi and trying for it further, further progress, out of them, millions of such persons, one can understand what is Kṛṣṇa."
The necessities of this body are four: we must eat something; we must have rest, sleep for some time; we must defend ourself from the attack of enemies; and we must have the facility for sex life also. These things are necessary for keeping up this body. But one who is going to liberate himself from this material entanglement, he cannot use this excessively. There must be regulated. Just like a diseased person, he is put under regulation. He is also given to eat something. Although eating is not very good for a diseased person, still, he is allowed to eat something, some barley water, some fruit juice, some light food, so that... Starvation is also not good, so he is allowed, but he cannot be allowed foodstuff according to the patient's desire. The foodstuff is allowed to him according to the direction of the physician.
Then what is to be done? Now, best thing is mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: (CC Madhya 17.186) "You just try to follow the higher authorities."
So Kṛṣṇa is the higher authority. Kṛṣṇa is the higher authority. If we accept Him and follow this instruction, and if we believe Him, then we get perfection. There is no doubt about it. Of course, these philosophical questions are difficult. It may not be very interesting. But it is..., they are to be understood. Actually, if we want to get out of ignorance, these books are meant for driving our ignorance. And as we become out of the ignorance, so we become free from this material entanglement. But at the present age people are not so intelligent that they can follow. Therefore this saṅkīrtana movement is the best. Everyone can take part. And when Hare Kṛṣṇa is chanting there, undoubtedly... We discuss this Bhagavad-gītā only for understanding that we are not blindly following a principle. It is a science. It is based on philosophy and science. But we have made the process easy, that's all, by following great stalwart personalities. But it is not that it is a blind following. It is based on philosophy and science, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Now, suppose if you are placed in some country where you can understand that "In this country I'll have no more death, no more miseries, no more old age, no more disease," will you not be happy? Suppose you are transferred to a country where these things are available... Oh, yes, I shall, I must be happy. If I can get some place where going I'll have not to die again or not to become old and not to have any diseases, oh, certainly I shall accept it. That is my desire, heart's desire. I want. I want that. Why you want that? Because you have got the right to have that prerogative. You have got the right. Therefore you want. You are eternal. You are blissful. You are full of knowledge. Simply you are covered by this material entanglement. Therefore you have forgotten yourself. Now, here is the chance. Here is the chance to take advantage and revive my original status of life, original status of life. Here it is clearly said, yaṁ prāpya na nivartante: "If you somehow or other can approach that spiritual atmosphere, then you haven't got to return again in this land of miseries of the atmosphere."
He's making analytical study of the living entities. Beginning from eighty-eight, er, eight hundred, 8,400,000 species of life, He's selecting only few human civilized life; then addicted to the, I mean to say, certain kind of faith; then extracting them who are actually believing; and then those who are actually believing. Out of them, those who are sacrificing, making charities and adopting penances, out of many millions of like, persons like that, some of them are actually in knowledge what he is.
You'll find in your country also. There are many foundations. They are making charities. But hardly you'll find amongst them that he knows that what he is. So out of many millions of these religious persons, some of them know what he is, "I am not this body." Now, simply theoretically knowing that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," that is not perfect. You have to actually become liberated from the material entanglement. That is called mukti, liberation. So out of many thousands of persons who are in the knowledge what they are or what he is, some of them are actually liberated. Liberated. And out of many thousands of people who are liberated, they can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa understanding is not very easy job. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind because He knows that in this age, in this age of Kali, it will be very difficult for persons to become liberated under the process—first to become civilized, then to become religious, then to perform this charity, sacrifices, then come to the platform of knowledge, then, after coming to the platform of knowledge, you come to the platform of liberation, and after being liberated, you can know what is Kṛṣṇa.
So you have got very good atmosphere. Just you compare in the same way: If in Atlantic Ocean there is no wind, there is no hurricane, and you have got a very good ship and very good captain, now take this opportunity of crossing. If you don't cross, then you are committing suicide. Oh, very nice.
So these are the opportunities of developing your knowledge in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and spiritual culture. And the advantage is that as soon as you become fully conscious of your constitutional position, then you are freed from this material entanglement. This is called jñānam. Jñānam asammohaḥ. Don't be very hesitant. Asammohaḥ means if you want to acquire some knowledge, you should acquire it maybe slowly but acquire it very surely, step by step. Don't be impatient. Asammohaḥ. Not that blindly accepting something and thinking that "I have got all knowledge. Finished." No.
You have got developed consciousness, you have got intelligence, but that intelligence, consciousness, depends also on your mode of living, on your mode of behavior. Therefore one has to become a brāhmaṇa, sāttvika, in the modes of goodness. Then you will be patient, patient, śānta, peaceful. If you become hesitant, then you cannot. This is called asammohaḥ.
There is actually evolution from lower status of life beginning from the aquatics, small, then plant life, then germs' life, then birds' life, then beast life, then human form of life, then civilized human form of life.
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.
Therefore sometimes we find there is overpopulation. Overpopulation. What is this overpopulation? Overpopulation means that just like from lower class a student is promoted, and when he comes to the final class, if he does not pass, then the class is overcrowded. Suppose from one, two, three, four, one comes to the tenth class. Tenth class is meant for final examination and go to the college. So if in the tenth class the students fail, then the tenth class becomes overpopulated. Similarly, the present civilization we sometimes find that there is overpopulation. Overpopulation means we are not being promoted to higher life.
One who understands what is the constitution of this material world, how it is working, what we are, why we have come here, why we are so struggling hard for existence, what is our duty, how to get out of this entanglement... That is Vedic knowledge. Not only to get out of this material entanglement, but to be engaged. Because simply to get out is not the final business. Suppose you are being employed in a place you do not like. You want to change. Simply if you resign your post, that is not good. You must take another nice post. Then it is good. Similarly, simply to become freed from this material ent... (break)
...is to remain eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection of life. Anyone who is engaged in the eternal service of the Lord, he is perfect, he is mukta. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ (SB 2.10.6). This is mukti. Mukti means to be freed from the useless activities. The material activities, they are all useless activities, because in the bodily concept of life. Just like the monkey. He is also very active. In Vṛndāvana we have got good experience, always active. But useless. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has described, phalgu-vairāgya. The monkey is vairāgī. He lives in the forest. He has no cloth even. Other vairāgīs, they have got little cloth, but these monkeys have no cloth.
This process of extrication should be understood. In the previous chapters it has been explained that there are many processes by which to get out of the material entanglement. And, up to the Thirteenth Chapter, we have seen that devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the best way. Now, the basic principle of devotional service is detachment from material activities and attachment to the transcendental service of the Lord. The process of breaking attachment to the material world is discussed in the beginning of this chapter. The root of this material existence grows upward. This means that it begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of the universe. From there, the whole universe is expanded, with so many branches, representing the various planetary systems. The fruits represent the results of the living entities' activities, namely, religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.
"Why we should be vegetarian?" No, no, we have no quarrel with the nonvegetarian. Let them eat at their risk. But because we recommend, "You take Kṛṣṇa's prasādam," therefore we must be satisfied with this patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26), nothing more than that.
But unfortunately, instead of taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa, we have taken shelter of lusty desire. This is demonic. Therefore it is said, kāmam āśritya duṣpūram. Duṣpūram... Duḥ. Duḥ means very difficult, and pūram means satisfaction. Duṣpūram. We have taken shelter of lusty desires which will never be satisfied. This is our position. Kāmam āśritya duṣpūram. These materialistic person, demon, their desires are never fulfilled-increasing, increasing, increasing, more, more more. So that means, increasing means, we are becoming implicated more and more. The business of human life is how to become free from this material encagement, but the asuras or the demons, instead of becoming free from material entanglement, they become more and more involved. That is...
Just like that kite-flying. Kite-flying, there is that reel? What is called? No, you have no experience. So You can fly. The kite goes very high and high. In India kite-flying is very popular sport. So you can allow the kite go and go, very high, and at the same time you can bring it near and nearer by that wheel. So this wheel, this human form of body, is meant for not prolonging the unclean material life, but now stop it. Now stop it. It is meant for that purpose.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So this is called pravṛtti and nivṛtti. Pravṛtti means the living entity has come here to enjoy this material world. This is called pravṛtti. And the other side is nivṛtti. Nivṛtti means become detached to material life. So long he'll be attached to the materialistic way of life, there is no question of liberation. He will be more and more entangled. According to his mind, he will get a particular type of body, material body. And there are 8,400,000 species of body. So as soon as one gets the body, he becomes under the laws of the material nature, and the material nature means under the laws, stringent laws, threefold miserable condition, that will continue. Therefore the Vedic literature they gives us opportunity to gradually renounce. Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalām. That is a pravṛtti, inclination. But a Vedic student is trained up in such a way that ultimately he becomes renounced or detached from this material entanglement. Go on.
They will... More hospitals. More hospitals. The report is "This year, we have increased so many hospital beds." That means that is advancement. So what is this advancement? People have become sick. You just stop people becoming sick, there should be no disease. That is advancement. No. Their advancement of civilization means you open more hospitals and more beds. That is advancement.
So this is all sense gratification, kāma, for sense gratification. You give medicine to a diseased man to cure him just to make him able to enjoy senses. That's all. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that you give him medicine so that he can get out of the clutches of this material entanglement and go back to home, back to Godhead, and live eternal, blissful life of knowledge. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
So those who are actually advanced in civilization, those who are in the platform of goodness, their aim is how to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is their business. It is not that to take to religious life for some material gain. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na arthaḥ arthāya upakalpate (SB 1.2.9). We have discussed these verses. To become religious means to become free from material entanglement. Not that to take to religious life means to, I mean to say, to develop economic condition. Generally, people take to religious to make economic development very easily. Therefore at the modern age the educated public, they are not interested in religious life because they think that in primitive stage the people were taking to religious life for economic development. Actually, that is the idea, because ordinarily people go to ask for bread in the church: "O God, give us our daily bread." So modern advanced in science people, they think: "Oh, what is the use of asking bread in the church? Why not take to industry?" That is their aim. In India, especially, this is the situation. The government is thinking that Indian people, being too much religiously inclined, they have fallen down economically; therefore these religious sentiments should be stopped completely. It is not encouraged. Here in Vṛndāvana so many pilgrims, they come from all parts of India; now all parts of world, they're coming.
Just like Viśvanātha Cakravartī has given that the mango in the ripe stage and unripe stage. Unripe stage, it is bitter, but the same mango, when it is fully ripe, it is sweet, the sweetness. We shall have to wait for this stage, and we shall have to be careful that we may not commit offenses. Then we, surely, we shall come. Just like a diseased patient, if he follows the regulations given by the physician and takes the medicine, then surely he'll be cured.
Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja said that the chanting is for the persons who are liberated. Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. Actually, chanting can be perfectly done by persons who are already liberated. But those who are not liberated? Then he says, bhavauṣadhi. But it is the medicine of this material entanglement for becoming liberated. That is also, it is also medicine. When we are liberated, we'll chant and relish what is actually love of God. That is liberated. But even if we are not liberated, this will act as medicine to become liberated. So any stage, nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc (SB 10.1.4). Those who are chanting, they'll be liberated. And another thing is: for the common men who are not serious, śrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt. They will hear and they will enjoy: "Oh, it is very nice."
So these abhijāta-kovidāḥ, expert astrologers, whatever they predicted, everything was performed by Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Samādiśan vipra mahad-guṇas tathā. So all the high qualities... Mahārāja Parīkṣit was in his childhood play, he was worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity. Childhood play. Just like our children, some of them they are worshiping Jagannātha. This is required. From the very childhood. Our Prahlāda Mahārāja therefore says, kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma (SB 7.6.1). Just like I began that this human form of life is the only opportunity to become free from this material entanglement, to become perfect. So it is the duty of the father, it is the duty of the guru, it is the duty of the king, government, to give all opportunities, that "No more birth. This is the last birth. Now you go back to home, back to Godhead." That is government. No more again coming as cats and dogs and trees. And if we do not do that, then again we enter into the cycle of birth and death. This is the risk.
That includes, Kṛṣṇa includes everything. So if you think of Kṛṣṇa, then automatically you'll think of everything. The same process, watering the root. Why we are preaching? Why, what was the necessity to come in the Western country? No. Kṛṣṇa wants, Caitanya Mahāprabhu wants. Therefore devotee goes from town to town, village to village. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) This is Vaiṣṇava. He is thinking for everyone. Because it is a fact, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everyone is suffering. That's a fact. So therefore preaching is so important—to awaken them. Jīva jago, jīva jago, gauracand... This is Gauracand, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, to awaken everyone from this material entanglement. That is preaching.
Actually, they are suffering. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We are getting these elements according to the circumstances, according to the body. The same encagement, but quality. A dog has got body, I have got body. The body is made of the same ingredients, but according to the body or quality of the body, the thinking, feeling, willing and activities are different. Because mind, mind's sphere of activities is thinking, feeling and willing, psychology. So according to the body... Just like a child. His thinking, feeling, willing is different from the child's father. Why? Because he has got a body, child, and the father has got a different body. People cannot understand. We are changing. Child is the father of man. So the same child, he has become now father, but he's not talking nonsense now because the body has changed. The child is talking so many nonsense things. People laugh, enjoy. But if the father talks nonsense, then he'll be called, "Here is a rascal." Because the body has changed. So in this way, body is being changed. The child is becoming father, the body has changed.
"I am Indian," "I am this," "I am that," "I am that," "I have got so many duties." These things. But when one understands that these so-called duties and entanglement of these twenty-four elements of matter, "I do not belong this. I am aloof, I aloof," this understanding is called brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). At least theoretically if we understand, then our duty changes. Prasannātmā, fixed up. That whatever I am doing now, I am doing with this material, for the benefit of this material, not for my personal benefit. I am not these twenty-four elements. This is called mukti.
So we have to practice. We are accustomed to this material entanglement. This practice is there. Then gradually we shall be freed from this entanglement. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). That is purification, when we become free from this designation. Then hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. And when you are freed from this... Therefore bhakti actually begins after liberation. Bhakti is not... Nivṛtta-tarṣair-upagīyamānā. Nivṛtta means one who has ceased tṛṣṇa. Tṛṣṇa means aspiration. We have got so many aspirations. So this transcendental life or chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is means for the liberated person. Nivṛtta-tarṣair-upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc-chrotra-mano 'bhirāmāt (SB 10.1.4). This chanting is the medicine for our conditioned stage.
This advertisement. So one has to control the tongue. Tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati. This is very secret science that you have to clear out your path of liberation by controlling the tongue. Then other things will be controlled, the straight line: tongue, then belly, then genital. Therefore in our society we have restricted the tongue: "Don't eat meat. Don't take intoxication." And then, the straight line: "No free use of the genital, illicit sex." These things are required if you want to be free from this material entanglement. This is called tapasya.
Human life is meant for tapasya, not to live like cats and dogs and hogs. That is not human life. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). This body, all bodies, are there in the darkness. Therefore it is said, dehy ajñaḥ. The lower animals, they are ajñaḥ. They cannot control. But human body is meant for controlling. Na ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke. Nṛloke means "in the human society." Na ayaṁ deha. Everyone has got body. Cats and dogs, they have got body. The trees also have body. The worms have body. All living entity, anyone who has come into this material world, under different body or different dress, they are suffering in this material world. Therefore the śāstra is meant for the human being so that he can understand his awkward position. So everywhere this is advised, ayaṁ deha: "You had many other bodies in your past lives' evolution. Now, this body," ayaṁ deha, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke, "one who has got this human form of body," nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām (SB 5.5.1), "don't engage yourself for simply for eating, sleeping, in very hard labor." Just like at the present moment huge, big, big industries, karma It is called ugra-karma.
We can find in the history of old days that they knew everything. From the books we can understand they had advanced knowledge for material civilization. Because we find description of aeroplanes, description of television. But they were used very, I mean to say, only limited circle, not that extensively. Because the whole process of civilization was to divert your attention too much for material advancement, but whatever little span of life you have got, just utilize it for spiritual advancement and get out of this material entanglement. That is the basic principle of civilization. Therefore the social life, human society, was divided into eight divisions. They are called varṇa and āśrama. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, you will find, cātur-varṇyaṁ māyā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Four divisions of society, for spiritual advancement and for material advancement both. For spiritual advancement, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, and sannyāsa.
So first twenty years, twenty-five years, or twenty years, because education begins from five years... Up to five years the child is given full liberty—whatever he likes, he may do. Lālayet pañca-varṣāṇi. It is said that you can give liberty to the child only for five years. And tadayet daśa-varṣāṇi. And as soon as he is on the fifth year, you must be very strict on the child, on the boy, so that he may not be spoiled. Very strict.
And what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to... Īhā. Īhā means desire. Desire is a function of mind. So īhā means desire. So what is that desire? Īhā yasya harer dāsye. Anyone whose desire is to engage himself in the service of Kṛṣṇa. So whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness activity is purification of the mind, of the intelligence, of the ego, everything, purifying process. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). The impurification is that upādhi, designation. I'm thinking "I am American," "I am Indian." This is designation. Actually, spirit soul is neither American nor Indian nor Hindu nor Muslim. So one has to get out of this entanglement, material entanglement. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). And how one can become purified? Tat-paratvena, when he identifies himself, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa. I am Brahman, I am pure self. I'm not matter. I'm not this body." This is the stage of purification. And when one is purified, then hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Hṛṣīka means senses. So mind is also one of the senses. There are eleven senses. Five senses gathering knowledge and five senses working, and mind is the center. So mind is also accepted as sense. So hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). When your purified senses are applied in the service of the master of the senses, Hṛṣīkeśa, that is called bhakti. This is the definition of bhakti. So mind required there.
Why you are giving so much stress on Bhagavad-gītā as it is? Because it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, anything written by Kṛṣṇa's pure devotee, that is important. Otherwise it's not important. It is not important. So 'haṁ priyasya suhṛdaḥ. We should be engaged always. Reading book is very good, but it must be written by authorities. Then it is good. Now, otherwise, if you read twenty-four hours the newspaper or ordinary book, that kind of reading is simply waste of time. But if we read authorized literature, then that... What will happen then? Then ajas titarmy anugṛṇan guṇa-vipramukto. Very easily, simply by reading such book, we shall be free from material entanglement, simply. Because... Just like Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, they are identical. There is no difference. Don't think, "When I am reading Bhagavad-gītā not with purpose, then I am bereft." But to associate, to..., with a desire that "I shall be able to associate with devotee and Kṛṣṇa," then Bhagavad-gītā is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference. Advaya-jñāna. Advaya-jñāna means without any difference. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11), Advayam. If you are a devotee, bona fide devotee, when you read Bhagavad-gītā, you must know Kṛṣṇa is there. If you are a pure devotee, when you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is there on your tongue, dancing. Don't think otherwise. Kṛṣṇa is there.
So why it is required to serve Vaiṣṇava? If you want to get relief from this conditional life, then you have to serve Vaiṣṇavas. Chādiyā vaiṣṇava sevā, nistāra payeche keba. This is the... "Who has got," I mean to say, "liberty from this entanglement of material existence"—chādiyā vaiṣṇava sevā—"if you do not serve a pure Vaiṣṇava?" Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). This is everywhere. If you want liberation from this material entanglement, then you must take to mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). You must. There is no alternative. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21). "If you are actually interested to inquire about the transcendental subject matter, you must accept a guru." Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta.
- tad viddhi praṇipātena
- paripraśnena sevayā
- upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ
- jñāninas tattva-darśinam
- (BG 4.34)
So these are the ways. You cannot understand by your erudite scholarship what is Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. Then Kṛṣṇa would have instructed Bhagavad-gītā to..., finding out a very great Vedantist. No. Kṛṣṇa found Arjuna. What was Arjuna? Arjuna was a gṛhastha. Arjuna was a kṣatriya, and although a soldier... A soldier is not expected to become a Vedantist. We recruit soldiers not from the Vedantists' group.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's contribution: harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). "Just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That will make you everything progressive. Mūrkha tumi, tomāra nāhika vedāntādhikāra. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is representing Himself as the chief man of the fools and rascals, and He says that "My Guru Mahārāja, My spiritual master, ordered Me that 'You better chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will make You happy and progressive. That will make You one day understand what is Vedānta.' " 'Kṛṣṇa-mantra' haite habe saṁsāra-mocana.
Now one may question, "Oh, Vedānta-sūtra, understanding Vedānta-sūtra, one is liberated from this material entanglement. So you are asking me simply to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa? Will that purpose be served?" Oh, His guru said, "Yes, it will be served." He said, kṛṣṇa-mantra haite habe saṁsāra-mocana: "If You go on, continue this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, there will be a day when You come to the perfectional stage. Then You will be liberated." The same result as one gets out of studying Vedānta philosophy or Sāṅkhya philosophy, the same result also you will get by simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-nāma haite pābe kṛṣṇera caraṇa. "Not only that, the Vedantists, sometimes they cannot reach up to the Kṛṣṇa planet. But Your advantage will be that You'll not only be liberated, but You will be achieving the highest planet, planetary kingdom, or the kingdom of God, You'll be able to achieve there." And nāma vinu. Nāma vinu kali-kāle nāhi āra dharma. Now Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained that, "This Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa is the only universal religious principle in this age."
"This is perfection of life. This is perfection of life." So dharma, artha, kāma, and the last stage is salvation. Salvationists. What are the salvationists? When a person becomes frustrated by become a man of religiosity, a rich man of economic development, and satisfaction of sense gratification, when he, one has seen that all these things has not given him any peace of mind, then he wants to become out of this scene and become one with the Supreme. This is called salvationist. So somebody is thinking void, somebody is thinking impersonal Brahman. So the last stage is to become extinguished in the void or impersonalism. That is called salvation. Salvation from this material entanglement.
So general people, they have got these four kinds of ideas: religiosity, economic development, sense gratification, and at last monism, or become one with the Supreme. That's all. In the Bengal, there is a proverb that mullah do musjik (?). Mullah do (?). Amongst the Muhammadans, the priest is called mullah. So mullah is going very hurriedly, and a person is asking...
Kṛṣṇa says, "Out of many millions of persons, one is interested how to become siddha." Siddha means liberated, one who is not entangled with this material atmosphere. He is called siddha. So out of many millions of people, one may be interested how to become free from this material entanglement. And yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3), and out of many such siddhas, one may understand Kṛṣṇa. Kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ. So it is not so easy to understand Kṛṣṇa, but when Kṛṣṇa comes personally as a devotee and shows us the ways and means how to approach Kṛṣṇa, then it becomes easier. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So if we follow the methods, the method prescribed by Kṛṣṇa is very easy, but still, because we misunderstand Kṛṣṇa... Therefore, if we go through the mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then we can easily understand Kṛṣṇa. That is recognized by Rūpa Gosvāmī, the younger brother of Sanātana Gosvāmī. Two of them were ministers. So Rūpa Gosvāmī has described,
- namo mahā-vadānyāya
- kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
- kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
- nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
- (CC Madhya 19.53)
He said, "Caitanya Mahāprabhu, You are Kṛṣṇa. Now, this time, You have appeared as Kṛṣṇa Caitanya in order to give everyone Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa made some condition, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), but here now, as devotee of Kṛṣṇa, You are distributing Kṛṣṇa without any condition.
So by devotional service one should not expect, "My miserable material condition may be improved" or "I may be liberated from this material entanglement." So that is also a kind of sense gratification. If I want that "Let me be free from this entanglement..." Just like the yogis and the jñānīs, they try. They try to be free from this material entanglement. But in the devotional service there is no such desire, because it is pure love. There is no expectation that "I shall be profited in this way." No. It is not a profitable commercial business, that "Unless I get in return something, oh, I shall not practice the devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no question of profit. Lord Caitanya prays to the Lord like this:
- na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
- kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye
- mama janmani janmanīśvare
- bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi
(Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4)
"Oh," He says, "My dear Lord, Jagadisa..." Jagadisa means the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. Jagat, jagat means this world, material world or spiritual world, all worlds. Jagat. Jagat gacchati iti jagat:
Lord Caitanya, summarizing the purport of the Vedic knowledge... He says that vedādi sakala śāstre kṛṣṇa-mukhya sambandha. All the Vedas, all the Vedic literature, all scriptures, all over the world, all over the universe—what is meant? What is the purpose of the scripture? The purpose is to understand Kṛṣṇa. That's all. He is summarizing the whole thing, that "All purposes of different types of scriptures, Vedas, they are meant for realizing what is Kṛṣṇa." That's all. Tāṅra jñāne ānuṣaṅge yāya māyā-bandha. Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, one becomes automatically liberated from this material entanglement. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person hasn't got to make separate endeavor and attempt to become liberated. The more you understand Kṛṣṇa, the more you become liberated, ānuṣaṅge, as a by-product. (coughing) Just see how material entanglement, this body. At any moment, at any moment you can be finished. You cannot be finished, but your all activities is. Therefore we should be very careful because we have to pull on with this body. Because unless you are perfectly in understanding of Kṛṣṇa, there is no release from this body. It is not that "I want to get release myself from this body; therefore I cut my throat and I get relief." No. That is not possible. You have to be completely detached from this body, and that can be possible when you come..., (coughing) when you understand at least something about Kṛṣṇa. You cannot know Kṛṣṇa completely. That is not possible. He is unlimited. But even a little knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, preliminary knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, will make you liberated from this material entanglement. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so valuable that even little progress will make you liberated from this material entanglement.
Frog's philosophy. So Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He has given you all facility: "All right, you enjoy. You build up. You construct skyscrapers and again break it and again do it. Do it and waste your time." So He gives us facility. He supplies us materials: "All right, you take material." Because He has no scarcity, pūrṇam, He is complete, so whatever you go on taking, you take, you build and break and keep it again. Dig earth and make high buildings, and again break it and fill it up. This is your business. Go on doing that and waste your valuable time. Your life is meant for realizing your self, self-realization, and get out of this material entanglement. But if you want to waste in that way, well, Kṛṣṇa will give you all facilities. Waste. This is going on. Therefore Vedas, they give you instruction, "All right, you want to enjoy? Just try to enjoy this way, so that by following the Vedic principles you will come to this stage of liberation." And what is that? Knowing Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). By study of Vedas, when you come to that conclusion, that Kṛṣṇa is everything, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: (BG 7.19) "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is everything," sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ: "That great soul is very rare."
Rāma is also puruṣāvatāra, I mean to say, līlāvatāra, Rāma. So līlāvatāra, then guṇāvatāra. Gunāvatāra is according to the modes of this material nature there are three guṇāvatāras. So first, Himself, Viṣṇu, and the second, Brahmā. Brahmā is also guṇāvatāra, incarnation of the quality. There are three qualities in the material world. Brahmā is the incarnation of the passion, mode of passion, and Viṣṇu is the incarnation of the mode of goodness, and Śiva, Lord Śiva, is the incarnation of the mode of ignorance. So all these three avatāras, although they are different manifestation of God, still, in the scriptures this is recommended that if anyone wants to get out of this material entanglement, then he has to worship These incarnation in the modes of goodness, Viṣṇu-avatāra. That is... These things are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
So one may say that "If three of them are incarnation of the Supreme, why particularly to Viṣṇu? Why not Lord Śiva and why not Brahmā?" That is described in the Bhāgavata. Just like I require fire. So fire, the fire, there is. Just like wood is produced from the earth, and fire is produced from the wood, similarly, although it, production, the source of production, is the same, but still, I require fire. I cannot have fire from the earth or from the, just tree. I have to take the wood, fuel. This example is there. Although the source is one, still, unless I get fire, my purpose will not be served. Similarly, this Viṣṇu and Śiva and Brahmā... From, I mean to say, gross earth the wood is produced like tree, and from tree we take wood, and from wood there is fire.
This is a śloka, verse, from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in connection with conversation with Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and, when the description of this Kali-yuga was given, Mahārāja Parīkṣit became very sorry that, because he was a pious king, he was thinking always of the welfare of the citizens. So when he heard about the description of the Kali-yuga, he was very much disturbed in his mind. Although he was going to die, still he was so compassionate: "Oh, in the age of Kali, the people will suffer so much."
So, when he was so sorry, so Śukadeva Gosvāmī encouraged him, "Mahārāja, don't be sorry. There is very nice process in the Kali-yuga. In the midst of so many difficulties of this age, there is one boon, and that boon is one can become liberated from this material entanglement altogether simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma..." Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. It was especially mentioned, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya (SB 12.3.51), simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one can become... This is the greatest boon in this age. Although there are so many difficulties, full of miseries, increase in the greatest volume... The world is, material world is miserable. Just like cold season, this winter season, today we are feeling most inconvenienced. Similarly, this material world is always miserable. But still, in this age it is most miserable, in this age of Kali. But the boon is, the first-class boon is that even there are so many miserable conditions, in the midst of all those disadvantages, one can become free from all contamination simply by kṛṣṇa..., kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. Simply by this.
The same example. If we, in diseased state, if we imitate a healthy man's activities, then death is sure. Death is sure. Nobody can say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with so many girls. Oh, let me enjoy also." You cannot, because you are in diseased condition. If you do that, then you continue your diseased life and you'll die.
So for us, so long we are conditioned by this material nature, we have to live under regulation, under restriction, and as soon as we are free from this material entanglement, when we come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness fully, even in perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness here you'll have that transcendental nature. Just like several times I have cited one śloka from Yamunācārya. Yamunācārya was a great king. Later on, he became a great devotee. He has written his life's experience in one verse. Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor: "So long my mind and attention is absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," tadavadhi, "since then," tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame, "sex life, as soon as I remember about that, it becomes very nasty thing for me." This is the experience. And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also... Sex life is there in Kṛṣṇa, not exactly like this, but there is a, I mean to say, unification of embracing, kissing, everything is there, but there is no pregnancy, there is no abortion. That is the perfection. So that we cannot do here. Therefore we have to avoid. Yes. We have to avoid. The perfection... Kṛṣṇa mixed with so many girls, but there was not a single case. And Bhīṣmadeva certified that "If I had been among such beautiful young girls..." Because Bhīṣma was famous as brahmacārī. "So I think I could not protect myself, but Kṛṣṇa is so nice that He, He was always..." Kṛṣṇa is all-perfect. It is because the girls wanted Kṛṣṇa as their husband; therefore Kṛṣṇa accepted them. Kṛṣṇa did not, I mean to say, need the assistance of any other person or girl or boy or anything for His... He's fully satisfied. He's God. He's full perfect.
Sugar candy is, by nature it is very sweet. But if you give it to a patient who is jaundiced, if you give, he will taste it, that he'll say that it is bitter. It is bitter. You will have practical exam... If you ask him what is the taste, he'll say bitter. Everyone knows that sugar candy is very sweet, but if you give to a patient suffering from jaundice, he'll say it is bitter. Similarly, the kṛṣṇa-kathā, the Lord's name, fame, quality, entourage, all these things are very sweet. To whom? Those who are liberated from this jaundice of materialism. For them it is very sweet. So as you feel sweetness of this Kṛṣṇa-kathā, you should know that you are becoming liberated from this material entanglement. The same thing: sugar candy is the only medicine for jaundice. Those who are suffering from jaundice, they are prescribed by physician to take sugar candy water in the morning. And by drinking that sugar candy water, gradually he feels the sweetness of sugar candy. That is the test that he is getting free from the disease. So similarly, Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or anything where the topics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is discussed, if you feel it is interesting, that means you are getting out of the jaundice of this material disease. Yes. This is the test. If you don't feel interested, then you must know that the jaundice of material disease is there. So this is the test. The more you feel kṛṣṇa-kathā, the topics of Kṛṣṇa, tasteful, the more you'll know that you are getting free from the jaundice of material disease.
There are eighteen Purāṇas, the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyaṇa, and there are so many, Vedānta-sūtra... They are called... Upaniṣad is Veda; it is śruti. That is the gist of Vedic knowledge. But Purāṇas, they are called smṛti. So this śruti smṛtir, according to Indian theistic scholarship, there are two kinds of literature: śruti smṛti. So there was another devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He has written another nice song. He says, śrutim apare smṛtim apare bhārata manye bhava-bhītāḥ. Well, people are taking shelter of the Vedic literature who have become afraid of this conditional life. What is the end of Vedic literature? Just to get oneself liberated from this material entanglement. So he says that "People, those who are afraid of this material life, material entanglement, let them worship śruti, Veda, or smṛti, or Mahābhārata. Let them be engaged in that way." Śrutim apare smṛtim itare bhāratam anye bhajantu bhava-bhītāḥ. "Then? What is that?" "Now, I am not going to do that." "What you are going to do?" Aham iha nandaṁ vande yasyālinde paraṁ brahma: "I shall worship Nanda Mahārāja." "Why? You have left all Veda and Purāṇas, everything. Why you are going to worship Nanda Mahārāja?" "Because he has captivated the Supreme Lord playing as a crawling child in his courtyard. So I shall worship Nanda. Nanda Mahārāja is so great that God is obliged to come to him to play as a child and crawling in his courtyard. So I shall... Nanda Mahārāja." So if you approach such a devotee who can bring God to crawl in his courtyard, that is all perfection.
Those who are such envious upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the result is that they are thrown into perpetual ignorance, and born life after life where they cannot understand what is God. Because they want to forget God, therefore God puts them into such condition that they will never be able to understand what is God. This is the version from Bhagavad-gītā by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
That means the condition of the atheists are always abominable. Tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān saṁsāreṣu narādhamān (BG 16.19). Saṁsāreṣu. Saṁsāra means this material entanglement. This is called saṁsāra. And narādhama. They are called the lowest of the human kind, because human life is especially meant for God realization, self-realization. So instead of realizing oneself and the Supreme Self, if one derides, doesn't want to understand what is God, what is God consciousness, what is Kṛṣṇa, he is to be understood as the lowest of the mankind, narādhama. Adhama means lowest. Or, in other words, he is an animal in the form of a man. Narādhameṣu. And birth after birth, such atheist is put into the species of life where there is no chance of understanding God. There are different species, we have discussed. Even in human society there are some species or class, that it is not possible for them to understand what is God at all. Not even the idea. Generally, even the aborigines, they have got some sense of God. Whenever they find something extraordinary, just like lightening, or a great hill, or a great tree, they offer their respect. So that is sense of God.
Festival Lectures
So this human form of life is meant for spiritual realization. Please try to understand that this human form of life is a chance to get out of this material entanglement. In other than human life—animal life, trees life, beast life, birds life, aquatic life—there are so many, 8,400,000 species of life. Out of that, this human form of life is a boon wherein you can get out of this material entanglement and, being freed from this material entanglement, you can enter into the spiritual world, the kingdom of God. Yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). And if you go there, then you haven't got to come back in this material world, which is called duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). It is the place of miseries as well as temporary. Even if we accept this place, miserable place, you will not be allowed to live here for long. You will have to quit this stage. Therefore it is called aśāśvatam. This is our position. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself says that this is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. So the human form of life should endeavor how to get out of it.
Therefore you require pravṛtti and nivṛtti to understand how you should think, how you should live, how you should eat, how you should sleep. This training is required. Why it is required? Because to get out of this material bondage, where the birth, death, old age and disease is compulsory. If you want to avoid this, because you are eternal, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), why don't you think that "If I am eternal, why am I accepting birth, death, old age, and disease?" This is intelligence. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is Vedānta-sūtra. Now we should enquire how we can get out of this material entanglement.
So my Guru Mahārāja, in the paramparā system, Kṛṣṇa comes also, that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). This is dharmasya glānir. One does not know what is his duty, aim of life—everyone. Ninety-nine point nine percent, this is dharmasya glanīr, dharmasya glānir. Tadātmānam sṛjāmy aham: to teach the rascal people to understand what is his duty, what is his aim of life. So not only Kṛṣṇa comes, but also His representatives also come. Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He leaves book, He leaves representative, and He comes Himself. In so many ways He is trying to give us the benefit. Asura: we do not take the advantage, and continually suffer, mūḍhā janmani janmani (BG 16.20), birth after birth we suffer. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so beneficial that He wants to benefit the whole human society how to stop this process of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease.
So we have to transcend all these three qualities, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, especially rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. If we do not try to do that, then there is no hope of spiritual salvation or liberation from the material entanglement. But in the Kali-yuga there is no practically sattva-guṇa, simply rajas, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, especially tamo-guṇa. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthaḥ (BG 14.18). Kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
So from this place Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu started this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, throughout whole India, and He desired that pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma: "So as many towns and villages are there, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be spread." (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is now in your hand. Of course, in 1922 Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he wanted me to do something in this connection. He wanted from his, all his disciples. Especially he stressed many times that "You do this. Whatever you have learned, you try to expand in English language." And in 1933, when he was in Rādhā-kunḍa, I was at that time Bombay in connection with my business life.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Therefore human life should be utilized to understand God, because forgetting God we are in this material world and suffering so many miserable conditions of life. That is our problem. And the most important problem is birth, death, old age and disease. So to make a solution of this birth, death, that is meant in the human form of life. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you simply become Kṛṣṇa conscious, Kṛṣṇa says,
- janma karma me divyaṁ
- evaṁ yo vettitattvataḥ
- tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
- naiti mām eti...
- (BG 4.9)
Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa you'll become free from this material entanglement—birth, death, old age and disease.
Yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). That should be our aim of life. Not the so-called rat-racing or dog-racing. No. This is not civilization. And Kṛṣṇa has given... (end)
General Lectures
So we are being contaminated by certain type of quality, and the nature is supplying me a type of body. And there are 8,400,000's of bodies, and we are going through them in a cycle. And as soon as we become, I mean to say, devotee, or we look forward to the Paramātmā, then we can be free from the cycle of repeated birth and death. This yoga system is..., meditation means to find out the Paramātmā. The Paramātmā is described in the śāstras: His feature, His body, His hand, Supersoul. And one has to meditate. And by meditation, when one is in samādhi, always thinking of the Supersoul, then he becomes freed from this material entanglement. That is self-realization. That is liberation. So Paramātmā and individual ātmā, or the living creature, they are qualitatively one but quantitatively different. Yes. Yes?
Indian man: Bhagavad-gītā explains that every devotee is protected by the Lord, and Prahlāda Mahārāja, in this life as Prahlāda Mahārāja, his father becomes a demon, demon, and he has to fight Nṛsiṁha. That means it is the karma of a previous life, and he's praying, he has to pray to the Lord to protect him. Or is it understood that he'll get the protection? So why this prayer?
Girl: "There must be activities in liberation. Sanātana clearly asks, 'You have saved me from the entanglement of material existence. Now after liberation what is my duty? Kindly explain it to me.' Sanātana further inquired, 'Who am I? Why are the threefold miseries always giving me trouble? And finally, tell me how I will be relieved from this material entanglement.' "
Prabhupāda: Now here is another question, that when... Our inquiries should be how to get out of the threefold miseries. In the conditioned state... Just like an animal. Animal is always suffering. That is a fact. Everyone knows. In the lower grade of life than human being, every animal is always under very strict condition. Why? What is the difference between civilization and not civilization? The difference is that their life is most conditional life. In the civilized life there is a pinch of liberation. So what is that statement? Yes. Threefold miseries. Threefold miseries are there in every living condition, but when a man is enhanced or advanced in knowledge he can understand that "I am under always threefold miseries." What are those threefold miseries? Miseries, that I explained the other day. The threefold miseries means first, pertaining to the body and mind, and second, miseries inflicted by other living entities, and miseries by nature or higher authorities. Just like severe cold or severe heat or famine or earthquake. They are also miseries. This is beyond our control. So miseries which are beyond our control. So far bodily disease, mental disturbance, we can get some remedy in our own way. We can go to a psychiatrist or we can go to a doctor and get some medicine and get relief. And so far miseries from other living entities, we can take protection, we can defend ourself. But so far miseries offered by the demigods, daiva, there is no remedy.
This is not possible so long he has not the opportunity of touching the dust of the lotus feet of a personality who is niṣkiñcana, who has no material hankerings; mahīyasām, and life is dedicated only for Kṛṣṇa. As soon as one comes in touch with such personality, by his grace, this thing, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be achieved. Not by any other method. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim (SB 7.5.32). The test will be spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ mahīyasāṁ pādo-rajo-'bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat. This is the test, and this is the way to approach a bona fide person and receive this Kṛṣṇa consciousness from him, by his mercy, by his grace. But as soon as one receives, immediately his liberation from material entanglement begins. Immediately, immediately. And then as he makes further progress, progress, progress, his life becomes sublime. Now one thing... One may question, suppose one has taken up to Kṛṣṇa consciousness out of sentiment, but he could not finish it. What is the result? That is also said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer (SB 1.5.17). Sva-dharmam. Sva-dharma means everyone has got some specific duty, occupation. Everyone. So if somebody gives up his specific duty in which he's engaged, tyaktvā sva-dharmam... Just like many boys and girls, they come here. They were engaged in something else, but all of a sudden they give up and they join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So for them, Bhāgavata says, tyaktvā sva-dharmam... Sva means his own occupation, dharma. Now here the dharma is not religion. Occupational duty.
Māyā means the illusory energy, where we want to enjoy, but it is not actual enjoyment. It is illusion. So the sex life in this material world is the center of this attraction.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is how to get the living out..., living entity out of this material entanglement. Because real happiness is not sensual happiness. Real happiness is above the senses. It is supramental sense, or spiritual sense. With the gross senses, what we enjoy, that is temporary. It is not permanent. Permanent enjoyment is transcendental sense enjoyment. There is in the Vedic literature a verse:
- ramante yoginaḥ anante
- satyānanda cid-ātmani
- iti rāma-padenāsau
- paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate
- (CC Madhya 9.29)
Yoginaḥ, those who are yogis... Yogis means those who are trying to reawaken Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He's called yogi. Our present consciousness is material consciousness. The material consciousness, the sex urge is very strong. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). It is said in the śāstra that the gṛhamedhi, those who are attracted by this material world, their center of enjoyment is sex.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: That means, what he called three stages, karmī, jñānī, yogi. That karmīs, they are trying to improve their condition by this material science and material advancement of education, and some of them are trying to go the heavenly planets by pious activities. These are karmīs. And higher than the karmīs are the jñānīs. They are speculating on the Absolute Truth by their education and coming to the conclusion that God is impersonal; when we merge into that impersonal feature, that is our liberation. And the yogis, they are trying to get some mystic power by practicing mystic yoga system—wonderful power, aṣṭa-siddhi, eight kinds of perfection: to become lighter than the lightest, to become smaller than the smallest, to become bigger than the biggest. Whatever they like, they can get. They can subdue anyone, bring under his control with that yogic (indistinct). But real yoga means to see the Supreme within the core of the heart. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). In this way there are different processes. They are called karma, jñāna and yoga. But they require endeavor to elevate, strenuous endeavor, all these practices. But the, the supreme process is simply to surrender unto the Supreme One, and He gives out intelligence how to be free from this material entanglement, and that is called bhakti-yoga. It is very pleasing to execute, and without any, much endeavor. Simply being fully surrendered to the Supreme Lord, he immediately becomes purified from all material contamination, and little practice of bhakti-yoga makes him completely fit for going back to home, back to Godhead.
| Page Title: | Material entanglement (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Mayapur, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 22 of Sep, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=58, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 58 |