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Material existence means struggle for existence

Expressions researched:
"Material existence means struggle for existence"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Material existence means struggle for existence. This is material. Everyone has struggle.
Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

If you want freedom from this fearfulness or this material existence... Material existence means struggle for existence. This is material. Everyone has struggle: "I want to stay. I want to..." In your country there has been so much fight, the French Revolution and so many fighting, fighting between the Protestant and the Catholic. And your Napoleon Bonaparte, he also fought. So fighting, this is called struggle for existence. Everyone wants to exist, and he has to fight. At least, we have to fight with the winter season. If there is no fighting, so at least there must be fighting with the winter season or summer season. Without fighting, you cannot stay. Without fighting, you cannot stay. That is called struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. You must be fit. This is called material world. And spiritual world means there is no fight; simply friendship, that's all. This is spiritual world. Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means "anxiety," and vaikuṇṭha means "without anxiety."

So we have been put into this place of anxiety on account of our rebellious condition against God. That is the cause of all material existence. Kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare. We should know this, that "Why we are put into this condition of struggle for existence, always fearfulness anxiety? Why we are put into this condition? We don't want it." This is human life. When this inquiry will come to a human being, then he is human being. Why? So long this "Why?" question does not come, he is animal. The animal does not question that "Why I am put into the slaughterhouse? Why I have brought, I have been brought here to be slaughtered?" Animal. Similarly, if a human being does not understand that "I have been put into this material world for being slaughtered by the laws of material nature. Never mind I am Napoleon or an ordinary man, I will be slaughtered..." Therefore it is called martya-loka, "the universe of being slaughtered." Nobody wants. Just like the animal does not want to be slaughtered, but he is, by force, it is slaughtered. Similarly, nobody wants death, but we are forced. Even such a big man like Napoleon, he wanted to complete that arch, but he was slaughtered before his desire was fulfilled. This is material nature. You must be slaughtered before his desire was fulfilled. This is material nature. You must be slaughtered as soon as required.

Therefore it is said here that icchatā abhayam: "Anyone, if he wants fearlessness, saved from being slaughtered, then he must do this." What is that? Sarvātmā bhagavān īśvaraḥ: "The Supreme Lord who is the origin of all living entities, sarvātmā, and He is Bhagavān." Bhagavān means all-powerful, all-opulences. He can do anything and everything. That is Bhagavān. Not that imitation rascals who claim that "I am God," but he cannot do anything—not that kind of Bhagavān. Bhagavān means all-powerful. Whatever He likes, He can do. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa, full of six opulences. That is called Bhagavān.

aiśvaryasya samagrasya
vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itīṅganā
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

Bhagavān definition. Everything has definition. Nothing to be accepted blindly. Aiśvaryasya, richness. So Bhagavān means who has got the complete riches. He is called Bhagavān. Now, I have got some money, you have got some money, he has got some money, but nobody can claim that "I have got all the money." No, that is not possible. So one who possesses all the money, that is Bhagavān. Similarly, money, strength, beauty, intelligence, knowledge and vairāgya, when you find out such a person... You can find out some very big rich man in this material world, but you cannot say that he is the supreme richest man. That is not possible. You will find another man richer than him. You will find another rich. In this way, if you are very scholar, researching, you research. When you come to a person where you see that nobody is richer than him, that is Bhagavān. That is God. That is God.

Page Title:Material existence means struggle for existence
Compiler:Laksmipriya
Created:29 of Jul, 2014
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1