Guru-gaurāṅga: Prabhupāda said that Jawaharlal Nehru, the former prime minister of India, someone has said now he is the house dog in a home in Sweden.
Anna Conan Doyle: Yes, (laughs) I hope not for him. Sad.
Prabhupāda: You may not; but nature is different. Just like a child does not hope that if he puts his finger in the fire, it will not burn. But nature is so strict, it doesn't care for the child or the old man. It will burn. I may prove very innocent, but nature doesn't care for that. Nature doesn't care for that. Nature will not show any mercy for the innocent child. No. That is nature. Is it not fact? If a child puts his finger on the fire, nature will not consider that, "Here is a innocent child. He may not be burned." No. Equally.
Therefore nature is very strong. We cannot avoid the control of the nature. If you do something, it must acting . . . react in the same way. The same . . . if you put your finger in the fire, it must react, burn it. Nature is so strong. So as soon as you violate any laws of nature, you'll be punished. That is . . . just like God . . . State police is there, engaged by the government. As soon as you violate law, the police will arrest you and give you punishment. Similarly, material nature means the police of God. As soon as you violate God laws, it will give immediately punishment. That is material nature. It is always punishing us. Because we are, one after another, we are violating the laws of God. Therefore she's always punishing. That is her business.
Mother nature is described as Goddess Durgā, and she has got a trident in her hand. That is punishment. Three kinds of miserable condition: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Adhyātmika, pertaining to the body and mind; adhibhautika, miserable condition offered by others, and adhidaivika, miserable condition offered by higher authorities. Just like if there is no rain, you cannot do anything. Your so-called science and advancement of knowledge will not be able to help. Or if there is overflood. That also you cannot do anything. Therefore you have to accept there is a controller of this raining. It is not under my control. That is nature. But nature is working under the direction of God. Behind the background of nature is God. Just like background of police force is the government, similarly, background of the stringent laws of nature is God.
That they do not understand. They're struggling with the natural laws. And that struggle they are taking as advancement. That's all. It is a struggle, but they're taking it as advancement. This is called illusion. It is not advancement. It is simply struggle. But they're taking it as advancement. Such a great, powerful man like Napoleon, Hitler, they struggled only. Later on, they vanquished. So what to speak of others? Such big, big men, they struggled against the nature, but they vanquished. Nature is there. Nature is always victorious. So we have to own over victory over the nature. That is only possible if you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, not possible.