Foolish people may say that "You devotees, you are dying, and the sinful men, or non-devotees, they are also dying. So where is the difference?" No, there is difference. There is difference. This has been described by the example: just like a cat catches its cub and catches the mouse. So formerly we see that the cat has caught the mouse in the mouth and the cub also in the mouth, but there are difference of catching. The cub is feeling pleasure, "My mother is carrying me." And the mouse is feeling death knell, "Oh, now I am going to die." This is the difference. So although a devotee is dying and nondevotee is dying, there is difference of feeling at the time of death. Like the mouse and the cub. And don't consider that both of them are dying in the same process. The process may be same, but the situation is different.
Mice (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
This is māyā's, prakṣepātmika-śakti, āvaraṇātmika. Although he is being entangled, but he's thinking that he's advancing, advancing in scientific knowledge. This is their knowledge. The gentleman was talking that he's a mining engineer. So mining engineer, his business is to make the atmosphere within the mine very comfortable. Just imagine, he has gone down within the earth just like the mousehole, and he's improving that mousehole. After being educated, after getting degrees, his position is to enter into the dark, dark, I mean to say, hole of the earth, and he's trying to scientific advancement by cleansing the air within the mine.
Attachment sometimes leads me to become a tree, to become a mouse, to become a serpent in the same house, attachment. After all, you may decorate your house. You may purchase a nice house. You decorate it very nicely. But you have to leave it. You cannot live here permanently. That is not possible. Either make your country very nice, very nice city, very decorated city, or your house, apartment, wife, children, very nice decorated, but you'll not be allowed to remain.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
What to speak of animal, human life, in the animal life the necessities are eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Everything is there. Eating—there is enough fruit in the tree. The birds will very nicely jumping over from one tree to another, eating. Sleeping—they have got a nest, at night without any disturbance, they sleep. Mating—with the birth they are two eggs, one male and one female. Sex life is there. And defending—they know. The bird, if you attack, they immediately go up. He knows how to defend. The (?) in the (?) Park, the swans, as soon as they pass, immediately jump over the water. They know how to defend. This morning a small mouse he has gone up to collect a small sweetmeat. So these intelligence are there even in the lowest animals, even in the ant. So advancement of civilization, how to make this body comfortable, that is not advancement of civilization. That kind of civilization is there even in the cats and dogs.
Socialism, this "ism," that "ism"—expanded bodily concept of life. This is animal civilization. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Because the animal is also doing that. A cat is thinking that "I am this body. I must secure my food anyway. A mouse, anywhere." A dog is also thinking like that. If human being also thinks like that, then what is the difference between cats and dogs? He may be very much proud that "I am discharging my duties very faithfully," but here Bhāgavata says, dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena kathāsu yaḥ, notpādayet: "If you do not develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you are simply wasting your time." This is the verdict.
One Mr. Nandi, long, long ago, in the Calcutta, he went to some friend that, "If you can give me a little capital, I can start some business." So he said, "You are vaiśya? Mercantile?" "Yes." "Oh, you are asking money from me? Money's on the street. You can find out." So he said, "I don't find." "You don't find? What is that?" "That, that is a dead mouse." "That is your capital." Just see.
So in those days plague in Calcutta, plague was going on. So municipal declaration was any dead mouse brought to the municipal office, he'll be paid two annas. So he took that dead body of the mouse and took to the municipal office. He was paid two annas. So he purchased some rotten betel nuts with two annas, and washed it and sold it at four annas, or five annas. In this way, again, again, again, that man became so rich man.
Everyone who lives in the family, he gets eating and shelter. This is their... But the original, I mean to say, establisher of this family, Nandi, he started his business with a red, a dead rat, or mouse.
Ajagara-vṛtti means that the mouse, they make a hole in the field for his living comfortably. You know? You have seen the holes in the field? And the ajagara, the big snake, they take advantage of this holes. They enter into it and eat the mouse, and live comfortably. So the mouse makes the comfortable place for the snake. The snake business is to enter and live comfortably. So our business is like that.
We should not divert our energy. Now when we are selling book, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are selling book. But if we think that the selling book may be diverted into selling jewelry, that is not very good idea. That is not very good idea. Then we become again jeweler. Punar mūṣika bhava. Again become mouse. We should be very much careful. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be diverted
Punar mūṣiko bhava means "Again you become a mouse." (laughter) A mouse came to a saintly person: "Sir, I am very much troubled." "What is that?" People generally go to saintly persons for some material profit. That is the nature, animalistic nature. Why you should go to a saintly person for some material benefit? No. You go there to learn what is God. That is real business. Anyway, saintly persons sometimes receive. "So what do you want?" Just like Lord Śiva, his devotees are all like that mouse, want something. "Sir, this cat troubles me very much." "So what you want?" "Let me become a cat."
" "Oh, then you may again become a mouse. (laughter) If by my grace, by my favor, you have become tiger, so I will again condemn you to become a mouse."
So you American people, you have become tiger now, Nixon tiger. But if you don't behave obligely, if you don't feel obliged, if the tiger feels obliged that "By the grace of the saintly person, I have come to the stage of becoming a tiger, I must be very much obliged to him..." But instead of becoming obliged, if you want to eat, then again become a mouse. If the saintly person has got the power to make you from mouse to tiger, then he can convert you again from tiger to mouse. You must always remember this. So by the grace of God, Kṛṣṇa, you have become so powerful nation, rich, beautiful, educated. By grace of Kṛṣṇa you have become, but if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then you are again going to be mouse. Remember that. Nobody will care for you. Just like Englishmen. Englishmen, they established the British Empire, great, powerful, most powerful nation in the world. Now the
When you go, walk on the paddy field, you will find so many holes. Have you got experience? There are so many holes. Even on the beach, you will find so many holes. But especially in the agricultural field there are holes, because the paddy ... The rats and mouse, they come to eat the paddies, and they make hole to live there. And the snakes take advantage. They enter the hole and eat the rat and mouse and live peacefully. So these holes, because there are snakes, nobody utilizes it, that hole.
When you go, walk on the paddy field, you will find so many holes. Have you got experience? There are so many holes. Even on the beach, you will find so many holes. But especially in the agricultural field there are holes, because the paddy ... The rats and mouse, they come to eat the paddies, and they make hole to live there. And the snakes take advantage. They enter the hole and eat the rat and mouse and live peacefully. So these holes, because there are snakes, nobody utilizes it, that hole.
The same thing that the cat carries in the mouth, the cat as well as the mouse. The mouse, for mouse it is death, and for the cat it is pleasure. Similarly, Hiraṇyakaśipu, when he's captured by Nṛsiṁhadeva, He's death. Tava nakha. Kara-kamale nakham adbhuta-śṛṅgaṁ dalita hiraṇ... Immediately. Finished. The same hand on the head of Prahlāda Mahārāja, "My dear child, be blessed," the same hand. This is the position.
There is a story that a mouse approached a saintly person. "Sir, I have come to you for some favor." "What is that?" "Now, I am mouse. The cats gives me much trouble. I cannot live peacefully on account of the cats." So the saintly person asked, "What do you want to become?" "I want to become a cat." "All right, you become a cat." Then after some time he again came: "Sir, I am still bothered." "Why?" "The dogs, they bother me." "Then what do you want?" "Now, let me become a dog." "All right, you become a dog." Then again after some time he came back, tha
Festival Lectures
We cannot control our senses, we are driving, we are being pushed towards the darkest region of material existence, very hard to leave. Darkest region means that we are going to become animals next life. Because this is animalistic civilization. Nature gave us the opportunity to realize God, but God-realization is meant for human being. The human being, if he does not realize God, he's simply engaged in animalistic way of life—eating, sleeping, mating—then nature will call, "All right, sir, again become animal." Punar mūṣiko bhava: "Again become a mouse.
There is a story. There is a very nice story. One rat, mouse, he came to a saintly person. Everyone comes to saintly person for some blessing, you see. Real blessing they don't want. Some material blessing. Real blessing, Kṛṣṇa, they don't want. If you give him some blessing that "You become very rich man and..." These... they'll be very much pleased. are all very well, this. So this mouse also came and begged the saintly person, "Sir, I am in difficulty. If you give me some blessing?"
"What is that?"
"The cat chases after me always. I'm very unhappy."
"So what do you want?"
"Now, if you make me a cat, then I can get relief from this."
"All right, you become cat." So he became cat.
So after few days, again he comes. "Sir, again I am in trouble."
"What is that?"
"The dog is chasing me." (laughter) Don't laugh, hear seriously. "Dog is chasing me."
"All right, then, what do you want?"
"Now, make me a tiger."
"All right, you become a tiger."
So when he became a tiger he was staring on the saintly person like this.
So he asked, "Why you are staring upon me? You want to eat me?"
"Yes."
So he again curses, punar mūṣiko bhava: "Again you become mouse. Again you become mouse."
We are advanced in civilization. Now we want to kill God. So we are again going to be uncivilized, to remain in the forest and to remain naked. Actually, they are practicing that: nature's life. So again they are going to be aborigines. And that is being practiced. They are going to the forest, they remain naked. So actually, punar mūṣiko bhava: "Again become mouse." Civilized human being means God conscious, happy life, no trouble, no enviousness, everything happy, no hard labor.
General Lectures
There is one example, nice example. Just like the cat. The cat carries the kitties in the mouth, and it carries a mouse also in the mouth. So apparently it is seen that a cat is carrying its kitties in the mouth means it is in pain. But it is not in pain. That is a fact. Rather, she feels very comfortable. You see? But when the cat, the same cat, catches one mouse, his life is gone. But you see that she is carrying in the mouth both of them. Similarly, whenever you'll find that a great devotee is placed into torturing condition, he does not feel. But the demon thinks that "I am torturing him."
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: An introvert doesn't avoid society, but in all his activities he doesn't relate to others actively. He'll go to school, he goes to the things that he has to do, but he's always very quiet and timid, shy.
Nara-nārāyaṇa: A mouse is an introvert, and a tiger is an extrovert. A tiger is an extrovert. He doesn't care for anyone.
Prabhupāda: But the mouse is also.
Devotee: He's like that?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
| Page Title: | Mice (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Matea, Visnu Murti, Govinda5677, Rishab |
| Created: | 15 of Jul, 2008 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=20, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 20 |