The same example. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. Its business is to serve the body. That is the business. There is no other business. A finger can pick up a rasagullā and keep it here. The finger cannot eat. Similarly, we cannot eat directly. That is our diseased condition. We have to offer Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa eats, if we eat that, then we become energized. Just like you rasagullā put into the mouth. When it goes to the stomach, the finger immediately becomes reddish. The finger enjoys. Not only the finger, the eyes enjoy, the legs enjoy, because the energy is distributed. Directly we cannot be energized by eating. We must eat Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. This is principle. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109).
Pick up (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So the idea is that if the forefather in the family has not achieved a proper life... Sometimes due to sinful activities, too much attachment, a man becomes ghost. Ghost, there is ghosts. Bhūta preta piśāca. Not only this life, demonic life, but after death also, there are ghostly lives. They do not get this gross body. They remain in the subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego. Due to their gross sinful life, they are punished by not getting a gross life. Because without getting a gross life, we cannot enjoy. With mind, I cannot enjoy rasagullā. I must have the tongue, I must have the hand, fingers, I can pick up, then... In the mind, I may think of eating or collecting rasagullā, but actually I do not get the taste. So gross body is required, because every living entity in this material world, they have come to enjoy. Kṛṣṇa bhuliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāśāte māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare. This is the beginning of our material life. When we forget to render service to Kṛṣṇa, immediately we get a material body offered by the material nature.
So how much time he could spare? Utmost, half an hour. Not more than that. So within half an hour, this Bhagavad-gītā was taught to Arjuna, and he could understand it, and then he agreed to fight. Yes, naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava. (BG 18.73) How much advanced he was in education and learning, just imagine. At the present moment they are reading Bhagavad-gītā years after years, big, big scholars, big, big theologians and... But they cannot understand. After reading Bhagavad-gītā, they are accusing Kṛṣṇa as immoral. One professor in Oxford University, he is a student or professor of Bhagavad-gītā, has written book. Now his conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa is immoral. That means he could not understand Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā cannot be understood by any demon or third-class man. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna that: "I am speaking to you the same Bhagavad-gītā (BG 4.1), science of God, which I spoke millions of years ago to the sun-god, because the paramparā is lost and I have picked up you because bhakto 'si me priyo 'si (BG 4.3), you are very dear friend and bhakta."
It doesn't matter whether you are a śūdra or you are a brāhmaṇa, but if you act for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa according to the prescription of your position, then your life is perfect. That is wanted. The whole human civilization should be based on this principle. There must be division. The division is already there. They should be coordinated, systematized. Not that everyone is brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means the intelligent man. So we should pick up the intelligent men. They should be trained as brāhmaṇa. Those who are martial, having fighting spirit, they should be selected as kṣatriya. Those who are for increasing money, mercantile mentality, they should be also collected. Similarly, śūdras. And they should be trained, everyone, to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhiṁ hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13).
Hṛdayānanda: (break) (translating) ...happens after death, where do we pick up?
Prabhupāda: That we have explained that you have to accept another body. And there are 8,400,000 different forms of body. And you will be awarded one of the bodies out of the 8,400,000. The body is awarded according to your karma or action. We are acting in three modes of material nature. Some of them are acting in goodness, some of them are acting in passion, and some of them are acting in ignorance. So there are three different modes of activities. Now, when you mix up three, three into three, it becomes nine. And again if you multiply nine by nine, it becomes eighty-one. So it increases in so subtle division of the mixture of the three qualities. Just like the painter. He knows how to mix the three original color, namely blue, yellow and red. The red color represents passion, and the yellow color represents ignorance, and the blue color represents goodness. So as the color painter, er, painter knows how to mix and make varieties of colors, similarly, the three modes of material nature being mixed up, they are represented in so many different forms of body.
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very much pleased by his proposition and He smiled. He said that "This brahmāṇḍa, this universe, is only just like a mustard grain in the bag of mustard seeds." Our point is that there are so many universes. Just compare. You take a bag of mustard seeds and pick up one grain. In comparison to the pack of mustard seeds what is the value of this one grain? Similarly, this universe is like that. There are so many universes. The modern scientists, they are trying to go to other planets. Even they go, what is the credit there? There are koṭiṣu vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. One cannot go so many planets. Even according to their calculation, if they want to go to the topmost planet, which we call Brahmaloka, it will take forty-thousand of years in the light-year calculation.
So Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, He created. Now, this Mahābhārata... Mahābhārata... You have heard the name of Mahābhārata. It is a history of the fighting between two parties, Kuru-Pāṇḍava. So this Mahābhārata was especially made, I mean the story... Just like expert writer, they will pick up some historical facts and put it into fiction, so, to create more interest. In Bengal there is a famous writer who is compared with (Sir Walter) Scott of England. So Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Oh, all his novels are picked up from some historical facts, historical facts. That makes the fiction very interesting. Similarly, Mahābhārata, this is a history of fighting between two parties, and that was written especially, strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā (SB 1.4.25).
He has recommended that "Why you are anxious?" You, I mean to say, those who are in the renounced order of life, those who have left the world simply for self, spiritual realization... So Śukadeva Gosvāmī advises that "You, if you have actually left home for spiritual realization, then you haven't got any problem for maintaining your life. You have no problem." So he recommends, cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi. "Well, I am naked." Of course, you do not wish to run on as naked. You require some cloth. All right, find out some cloth in the street. There are so many cloth thrown in the street. So you can pick up one of them. So your cloth problem is there solved. Cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ naivāṅghripāḥ. Aṅghripāḥ means these trees. They have got fruits. So you can ask a tree, apple tree, to give you some apple to eat. So your clothing and eating problem is solved. All right, then your shelter... Ruddhā guhāḥ kim. Oh, you find out some cave. There is nice place. So the house problem is solved. Then water? There are many rivers. There is no water problem. So he has recommended like that.
And the beginning is to devote some time. You have got twenty-four hours time. You can find out, you can pick up at least one hour, two hours, three hours, four hours. As much as you can, you devote yourself to this service of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, and then gradually you'll be free, free from the designation, and you'll realize yourself what you are and what is your position, and how you are making progress.
So in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata you'll find that whatever property is... In this morning also I was speaking. Just if you throw in the street some bags of grains, the pigeons will come, but they will pick up only four, five, six, eight, ten grains, and they will go away. They will not take even one grain more than it needs. As soon as he's satisfied to his heart's content—"Oh, I am full now"—oḥ, he'll go away. It will go away. He'll not stock. Similarly, this is natural. This is natural.
So Arjuna was declining to fight. Now Kṛṣṇa is advising him that "Now you can pick up your fight for fighting," that tasmād ajñāna-sambhūtaṁ saṁsthāna... "Because I have spoken to you the mode of working. Your energy... You're fighting not for your family, but you are fighting on My account, or... Therefore you have nothing to doubt. You can break out and just surrender(?)."
So therefore it is upon me, what we want. So we have to simply pray to Kṛṣṇa, as Lord Caitanya has taught us, ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau: "This material atmosphere is a big ocean of nescience. Some how or other I am put into this, fallen. Please pick me up. Please pick me up and make the one dust of Your lotus feet." That should be the only prayer, "Please pick me up." Then He will pick up. And tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Immediately after leaving your body, you will go to Kṛṣṇa. Yes.
So Durvāsā Muni was a great yogi. He was envious of this king. That, "How is that, I am so great a yogi, I can travel in the space, and this man is ordinary king, he cannot show such jugglery of yoga system, but still people honors him most. Why? I shall teach him some lesson." So he picked up some quarrel with the king, that's a long story, I shall state it some other day, so after all he was defeated. And he was directed by Nārāyaṇa to take shelter of the feet of the king, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. These instances we see from authoritative scripture. But he was simply keeping Kṛṣṇa in his mind. And he defeated the greatest yogi. Durvāsā Muni, he was so perfect yogi, that within one year he traveled all over this material space and beyond this material space in the spiritual space, went directly to the abode of God, Vaikuṇṭha, and saw the Personality of Godhead personally. Still he was so weak that he has to come back and fall down on the feet of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. But Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, he was ordinary king, he was simply thinking of Kṛṣṇa, that's all. These instances we'll see.
Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, yudhyasva mām anusmara: (BG 8.7) "As a fighter, you have to fight. You cannot go away from fighting. It is not your duty." Nowadays... I have got experience, practical experience, that the drafting board of your country, calling some boy that "You join military," but he is not willing. Why? Because he is not trained as a kṣatriya. He is trained as a śūdra. Therefore the caste system is very scientific. A section of people should be trained as brāhmaṇas. Those who are intelligent enough in the society, they should be picked up for being trained in higher philosophical science. Those who are less intelligent than the brāhmaṇas, they should be given military training. We require everything—not that everyone is military man. This is nonsense. How everyone can be military man? Because they are sending śūdras to Vietnam they are unnaturally being killed. So any country who is very proud of scientific advancement, if he does not know how to organize society, he is a fool. He's a fool.
In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find Kṛṣṇa says that the four divisions of society: brāhmaṇas, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra... That is natural. Somebody is inclined for spiritual advancement, oh, they should be picked up as brāhmaṇas. Now, we are training boys who are spiritually inclined, and now unnecessarily we are being called for military service. Just see, how discrepancy! The foolish person has no knowledge that "This boy is being trained up in higher science. Why he should be disturbed?" But they have no idea. Therefore imperfect. The intellectual persons, those who have got brahminical qualification... These boys are being restrained for being trained up as brāhmaṇa, brahmacārī. They don't take, I mean to say, meat-eating; they don't take part in intoxication; they don't take part in gambling; they don't take part in illicit sex life. So they are being trained as complete brāhmaṇa, the highest intellectual person, purified person in the society. If there is one brāhmaṇa in a family, or one society, the whole family, whole society becomes sanctified.
So life's aim is self-realization—Viṣṇu—not the skyscrapers. These are piling stones and woods. This is not very intelligent work. The woods and pile, stones and earth is there already—big, big mountain, hills. You do the business of a porter, carry it out, and high, I mean to say, heap, heap it in one place, it becomes a skyscraper building. And if you simply are proud of these heaps of stones and woods and iron, that is not civilization. That is not civilization. Civilization is that the living entity who is using these resources, what, to know what is the actual business. This piling of stones and wood is done also by the birds. They also pick up, according to their strength, some twigs, and they make a nest. That intelligence is there. The rat also, he makes subway. (laughter) You see, So this is not very intelligent work, to imitate the rats, the birds, the cats, the dogs. That is not civilization. Civilization means self-realization, "What I am? Why I am forced to die? I do not like to die." To know this, that is civilization. When all these inquiries will come into one's mind... "Well, I do not wish to die. Why death is there, forced? I am forced to die. I do not wish to be diseased. Why disease comes to me upon me?" When this "why" question will come, "Why?" that is humanity. And if he remains dull, "All right, let me die," then he's cat and dog. That's all. If there is no "Why?" then he's cat and dog.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there. It is very simple. There is no difficulty. We have to always... Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ (BG 9.34). Now, for us, those who are materially attached, we cannot think twenty-four hours of Kṛṣṇa. It is very pleasing, but because we are materially attached, we cannot do that. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is prescribing that "You see the varieties of this material world and try to remember Me." These are the varieties: puṇyo gandhaḥ pṛthivyāṁ ca tejaś cāsmi vibhāvasau. "You study, nature study." Just like we study nature study, similarly, "You study nature and see these important points. And there I am." It is very scientific. You study nature and pick up some point and Kṛṣṇa says that "This is I am." Where is the difficulty? This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You drink water—you remember Kṛṣṇa. You see the light—remember Kṛṣṇa. You see the flavor, aroma of very nice flower, puṇya gandhaḥ—immediately remember Kṛṣṇa. Practice this. It is not difficult.
So this is characteristic. If the finger... I order, "Please pick up this rasagullā." "Yes." "Give it here." "Yes." The finger cannot eat. Just try to understand. The finger, if he gets one rasagullā, nice, tasteful sweetmeat, the finger will never try to smash it and spoil it. (laughter) The fingers immediately will take. You'll find. It is psychology, even for a child. The child captures with the finger some nice sweetmeats and immediately puts in... Why? The child could smash it and taste this rasagullā. That is not possible. Study nature. You take the very nice sweet, but you cannot. The fingers cannot spoil it. The process is that by nature the child knows that "If I put into the mouth, it goes to the stomach, and if it is digested, these fingers will be healthy, the eyes will be healthy, the leg will be healthy, hands will be healthy, every—all parts of the body will be healthy." This is natural.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy is that. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). That is our permanent situation, we are servant of God. I have explained yesterday that we are part and parcel of God. Now, as part and parcel of God, what is our duty? The example I have given. Just like the finger is the part and parcel of my body. So what is the duty? As soon as I say, "Finger, please come here," it comes. "Finger, come here. Do this, do that, pick up." This is finger's business. A finger cannot remain independent. Or if the finger cannot give the service properly, then it is diseased. Similarly, our material condition means we are in diseased condition. We are not giving service to God; we are giving service to the dog. This is our diseased condition.
And what is this prakṛti? That prakṛti is mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Oh. Kṛṣṇa says, "Under My direction this prakṛti is working." The prakṛti, nature, is the agent. The real worker is Kṛṣṇa. We are simply instrument. That is our position. If you have got intelligence, then you have to understand that you are simply an instrument. Just like my hand. What is this hand? This is an instrument. I can pick up. So I am working, not this hand is working. I am working. So people do not understand it. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. By false ego he is thinking, "Oh, I am scientist. I am philosopher. I am Rockefeller. I am businessman, I am swami. I am this." Sometimes we think, "I am poor. I am this. I am that."
The example, as we have given several times, that this finger captures some nice foodstuff, but actually the fingers are not enjoyer. The fingers can help the real enjoyer, namely the stomach. It can pick up some nice foodstuff and put into the mouth, and when it goes to the stomach, the real enjoyer, then all the prakṛtis, all the parts of the body, all the limbs of the body, they feel satisfaction. So the enjoyer is the stomach, not any part of the body.
"We are working." The leg said: "Yes, I am, whole day, I am walking." The hand says: "Yes, I am working whole day, wherever the body says: "You come here and pick up the food" bringing things cooking. I cooking also." Then the eyes, they said that: "I am seeing." So every limb, length of the body, they made a strike that, "No more we are going to work only for the stomach who is eating only. We are all working, and this man, or is stomach is eating only." Then the, the strike... Just like the capitalist and the worker. The worker under goes strike, no more working. So all these limbs, parts of the body, they observed striking, and after two, three days, when again they met, they talked amongst themselves that: "Why we are becoming weak? We cannot work now." You see. The legs also said: "Yes, I am feeling weak." Hands also feeling weak, everyone. So what is the cause? The cause... Then the stomach says: "Because I am not eating. So if you want to remain strong, then you must give me to eat. Otherwise... So I am the enjoyer. You are not enjoyer. You are to supply things for my enjoyment. That is your position." So they understood: "Yes, we cannot directly enjoy. It is not possible."
t. He is forbidden that "Don't take sugar, don't take starch." Nivṛtti. Similarly, the śāstra gives us direction that you should be accepting these things and you should be not accepting these things, śāstra. Just like in our society, we have picked up the most essential nivṛtti and pravṛtti. The pravṛtti... We are instructing our students, "No illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no āmiṣa-sevā." Āmiṣa-sevā nityā sujantoḥ. But the śāstra says that if you can give up nivṛttis tu mahāphalām, then your life is successful. But we are not prepared. If you are not prepared to accept the pravṛttis and not to accept the nivṛttis, then one must know that he is asura. Kṛṣṇa says here, pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ (BG 16.7). They do not... "Oh, what is that?" They say, even the big, big swamīs will say, "Oh, what is there wrong? You can eat anything. It doesn't matter. You can do anything.
So relatively... Everything is relative. This is called relative world. Dar... What is...? Professor Einstein, he has proved the law of relativity. So the ant, he has to go, to pick up one grain of sugar, by going hundred miles in his capacity, but it will go. That is desire. You have got experience. You put little sugar here. You don't invite ants, but they'll come. They'll come. They'll get immediately information. Just like from Europe many people came in America-gold rush desire. So desire must be there. The ant has desire; Lord Brahmā has desire; I have got desire; you have got desire. This is artificial, to make desireless. That is not possible.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
here are 8,400,000's of forms. All together, every one of us, not only human being, but also animal, beast, birds, trees, plants, insect, everyone—they are all part and parcel of the Supreme, just like the hair, a piece of hair, is also part and parcel of the body. When one hair is picked up, you feel pains and pleasure. When the finger is pinched, you feel pains and pleasure—because they are part and parcel. Now, this is our relationship with God: part and parcel. God, or Kṛṣṇa, is the whole, and we are part and parcel. Then what is our duty? If this relationship is accepted, then what is the duty of the part and parcel? The duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole. Anyone can understand. This finger is part and parcel of my body, so as the body desires, the finger is working. I desire the finger may work here like this; immediately works.
Therefore, in this age Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us very shortcut method, not manufactured by Him. No saintly ācārya will manufacture his way. He must refer to the Vedic literature. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu picked up the Vedic instruction, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam/ kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā (CC Adi 17.21) from Bṛhad Nāradīya Purāṇa. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also it is said,
- kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan
- asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ
- kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya
- mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet
- (SB 12.3.51)
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu picked up these Vedic instruction and introduced it to the world five hundred years ago, and He predicted that this mission should be spread all over the world, and specially the task was entrusted with Indians.
This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are making center Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi tapasyasi yat tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). "You work. Whatever you like, you work, but ultimately you give Me the result of it." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We do not want to stop anything. People may not misunderstand that we want to stop business, we have to stop industries, our, our general modes of life. You be engaged in your occupational duties, but resultant action of that duty you offer to Kṛṣṇa. Don't take it. Karmaṇy evādhi-kāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana. Don't take the result. Then it will be (indistinct). The same example, just like this hand picks up a very nice rasagullā, but it does not take; it gives to the stomach. Then it enjoys. That is the process. This spirit of giving to Kṛṣṇa is now forgotten. Therefore people are suffering, because they are not trying to enjoy in the process, that this is the process. You take a rasagullā, give it to the stomach. This is the process. Similarly, whatever you possess, you give it to Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam. Then you will be happy. Otherwise it will not bring happiness, because that is not the process.
The example you can see. These European and American boys and girls, how they have become vairāgī? They have got immense opportunity for material enjoyment. Material enjoyment means money and woman. That is the standard of material enjoyment. So these boys, these girls, they have got enough. The money is thrown on the street. And woman is loitering on the street. You can pick up as many as you like. You see. That is the Western countries. But they have left everything. That is vairāgya Why? Jñānam. They have obtained the real knowledge. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). As Bhavānanda Mahārāja said. They are firmly fixed up. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, "Let us sacrifice our life for Kṛṣṇa." That is real jñāna and vairāgya. Bhaktyā. This is to be understood, bhaktyā. Because without bhakti, there is no admission in the kingdom of God. That is not possible.
Yes. That was the custom. Not that by removing the king from the throne or killing the king, the brāhmaṇas and the sages would come there to sit down on the throne. No. His son will be given chance to become king. The descendant was picked up, and they would take charge of the minor king, advise him, but they will never touch the throne. There are many instances. Just like Veṇa Mahārāja. He became too much atheistic. He was also killed by the brāhmaṇas and the sages. Then his son Pṛthu Mahārāja became king, and he was a good administration, administrator. So in this way, things were going on.
So these families, dynasties, are very, very old. Every... According to Vedic system, any family—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, those who are higher caste—they must give at least seven generations account. Otherwise he is not a respectable family. Seven generations. His father, his father, his father, his father, his father, like that. When there is marriage, then there is check corroboration. The bride's party and the bridegrooms party, they should narrate their seventh generation. If within their seventh generation it, what is called, collide, becomes the one man, then there will be no marriage, because it becomes the same family. One cannot marry in the same family. He must pick up another family. Otherwise one could marry his own sister. No. That is not possible.
Pradyumna: Translation: On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, forms, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest. (SB 1.5.11)
Purport: It is a qualification of the great thinkers to pick up the best even from the worst. It is said that the intelligent man should pick up nectar from a stock of poison, should accept gold even from a filthy place, should accept a good and qualified wife even from an obscure family and should accept a good lesson even from a man or from a teacher who comes from the untouchables. These are some of the ethical instructions for everyone in every place without exception. But a saint is far above the level of an ordinary man. He is always absorbed in glorifying the Supreme Lord because by broadcasting the holy name and fame of the Supreme Lord, the polluted atmosphere of the world will change, and as a result of propagating the transcendental literatures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, people will become sane in their transactions. While preparing this commentation on this particular stanza of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we have a crisis before us. Our neighboring friend China has attacked the border of India with a militaristic spirit. We have practically no business in the political field, yet we see that previously there were both China and India, and they both lived peacefully for centuries without ill feeling. The reason is that they lived those days in an atmosphere of God consciousness, and every country, over the surface of the world, was God-fearing, pure-hearted and simple, and there was no question of political diplomacy. There is no cause of quarrel between the two countries China and India over land which is not very suitable for habitation, and certainly there is no cause for fighting on this issue. But due to the age of quarrel, Kali, which we have discussed, there is always a chance of quarrel on slight provocation. This is due not to the issue in question, but to the polluted atmosphere of this age: systematically there is propaganda by a section of people to stop glorification of the name and fame of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, there is a great need for disseminating the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all over the world. It is the duty of every responsible Indian to broadcast the transcendental message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam throughout the world to do all the supermost good as well as to bring about the desired peace in the world. Because India has failed in her duty by neglecting this responsible work, there is so much quarrel and trouble all over the world. We are confident that if the transcendental message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is received only by the leading men of the world, certainly there will be a change of heart, and naturally the people in general will follow them. The mass of people in general are tools in the hands of the modern politicians and leaders of the people. If there is a change of heart of the leaders only, certainly there will be a radical change in the atmosphere of the world. We know that our honest attempt to present this great literature conveying transcendental messages for reviving the God consciousness of the people in general and respiritualizing the world atmosphere is fraught with many difficulties. Our presenting this matter in adequate language, especially a foreign language, will certainly fail, and there will be so many literary discrepancies despite our honest attempt to present it in the proper way. But we are sure that with all our faults in this connection the seriousness of the subject matter will be taken into consideration, and the leaders of society will still accept this due to its being an honest attempt to glorify the Almighty God. When there is fire in a house, the inmates of the house go out to get help from the neighbors who may be foreigners, and yet without knowing the language the victims of the fire express themselves, and the neighbors understand the need, even though not expressed in the same language. The same spirit of cooperation is needed to broadcast this transcendental message of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam throughout the polluted atmosphere of the world. After all, it is a technical science of spiritual values, and thus we are concerned with the techniques and not with the language. If the techniques of this great literature are understood by the people of the world, there will be success.
When there are too many materialistic activities by the people in general all over the world, there is no wonder that a person or a nation attacks another person or nation on slight provocation. That is the rule of this age of Kali or quarrel. The atmosphere is already polluted with corruption of all description, and everyone knows it well. There are so many unwanted literatures full of materialistic ideas of sense gratification. In many countries there are bodies appointed by the state to detect and censor obscene literature. This means that neither the government nor the responsible leaders of the public want such literature, yet it is in the marketplace because the people want it for sense gratification. The people in general want to read (that is a natural instinct), but because their minds are polluted they want such literatures. Under the circumstances, transcendental literature like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam will not only diminish the activities of the corrupt mind of the people in general, but also it will supply food for their hankering after reading some interesting literature. In the beginning they may not like it because one suffering from jaundice is reluctant to take sugar candy, but we should know that sugar candy is the only remedy for jaundice. Similarly, let there be systematic propaganda for popularizing reading of the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which will act like sugar candy for the jaundicelike condition of sense gratification. When men have a taste for this literature, the other literatures, which are catering poison to society, will then automatically cease.
We are sure, therefore, that everyone in human society will welcome Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, even though it is now presented with so many faults, for it is recommended by Śrī Nārada, who has very kindly appeared in this chapter.
Prabhupāda: In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, there is a description of the age of Kali. Age of..., this is age of Kali. According to Vedic understanding, there are four ages: Satya-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Tretā-yuga, and Kali-yuga. This age is called Kali-yuga. It has begun about five thousand years ago, after the battle of Kurukṣetra. The duration of this Kali-yuga is estimated four hundred thousand..., four hundred and twenty-seven thousands of years. Out of that, we have passed only five thousand years. So the symptom of the human being in this age is that prāyeṇālpāyuṣa: people will become very short duration of life. It is said that time, at the end of Kali-yuga, the, if somebody lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered as very old man.
So this purificatory process, here it is very simple. Try to take shelter of mahat-pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam. Vinā mahat-pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam. It is stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja, naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim (SB 7.5.32). Urukrama. Urukrama means Kṛṣṇa, whose activities are very, very great. Just like Kṛṣṇa lifts the mountain. It is called urukrama. Urukrama means his power is very, very great. Foolish persons accept a rascal as Bhagavān, but we are not so rascal. We accept Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, Urukrama. He can lift when... He can pick up the mountain, and immediately, He can keep on His finger. We want this kind of God. Not making like this and a grain of gold. (laughter) We are not so fool. We want this kind of God, Kṛṣṇa, Urukrama. So how this Urukrama, one can surrender? Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukrama aṅghrim. Aṅghrim means this leg. How one can be attached? Now, what is the use of taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet? Because these misgivings, this garbage of different types of desires, will be finished. So how it is possible? Niṣkiñcanānāṁ mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam. So long one does not take the dust of the lotus feet of a devotee who is niṣkiñcana, who has nothing to do with this material world... But he's exalted in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Unless you do that, there is no possibility. Mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam.
So you don't want to..., if you don't want to become a rascal, if you want to become a mahātmā, then you accept what Kṛṣṇa says and preach that. Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior authority than Me." You say that. You say, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). "Here is... Kṛṣṇa is the cause." You understand or don't understand, if you simply pick up the words of Kṛṣṇa and talk like that, then you become mahātmā. There is no difficulty to become mahātmā. But these durātmās, the rascals, they talk differently from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are not mahātmās. They are all durātmā. Therefore the process is that if you want to make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you have to find out a guru who is mahātmā. Ādau gurvāśrayam. That is the first business. Ādau, in the beginning, gurvāśrayam, to take shelter of a bona fide mahātmā guru. That is the Vedic instruction. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). "Must," abhigacchet. This verb is used—"must." It is not, "Oh, I can do without guru." No, that is not possible. That is not possible. If you want to understand the transcendental science, spiritual science, you must approach. Gacchet. This, this form of verb used when there is the meaning "must." Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet, samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. And guru's qualification is brahma-niṣṭham. Brahma... And again this word. Brahma, and Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman. Again this param. That Para-brahman has been said by Arjuna to Kṛṣṇa, bhavān. Bhavān: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are Para-brahman." Pavitraṁ bhavān. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12).
So śāstra has given us... Kali-yuga is very dangerous to... One cannot make his life's mission fulfilled. One is not very happy. There are so many obstacles in the peaceful way of life. Even in the family, in the society, politically, nationally, internationally—so many difficulties. Everyone has got the experience. Therefore the recommendation of the śāstra, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Kevalam. You cannot rectify all these difficulties, because this is the age for all these difficulties. You must know it. They are trying to mitigate all these difficulties in different ways, but śāstra says that it is not possible. Only, it is possible only by chanting the harer nāma, the holy name of the Lord. The holy name of the Lord is Kṛṣṇa, Rāma. Other names are there, but they are subordinate. Not subordinate. There is no question of "superior" or "inferior" in the holy name of the Lord. But we have to pick up the order of the śāstras. Tasmād śāstra-vidhānokta As the śāstra gives regulative, we have to accept that. And if we do not accept that, yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ (BG 16.23), if we do whimsically, then na siddhiṁ sāvāpnoti, you cannot get any perfection of life, na sukham, neither you'll be happy.
But Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. Akartuḥ. He has nothing to do. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). He has not... But He comes as a human being just to teach us how to work, how to work. That He explains in the Bhagavad-gītā, how to work and be happy. But not to work, Kṛṣṇa has never... And neither this place is like that, that you will not work, and everything will come automatically. Things are coming automatically, but you have to pick up the things by working. That is the nature. Just like you have got gold mine under your feet. So you have to take it by working, by digging. You cannot say, "Now I have got the gold mine. Now sit down tightly." No. That is not material nature. But Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. That is the Vedic instruction. That is akartuḥ. He has nothing to do. Why He has nothing to do? Now, because He has got many energies. Just like nowadays, by electronics, one man is sitting... We have seen the pilot. He's sitting in his place. He's simply pushing on the button, and the whole, big gigantic 747 is flying in the sky. We see the pilot is sitting there. He's doing nothing, but he's doing everything. But the electronic arrangement is so perfect. But sitting in one place he is working the big gigantic machine. As it is possible for a small material man, how much it is possible for Kṛṣṇa. Although He does not do anything, still, He's viśvātman: He is controlling the whole universe, viśvātman. He's the vital force, viśvāt... This is Kṛṣṇa.
So intelligent persons, they should be aware that "Simply for sense gratification if we are working so hard, then this is being done by the animals also. Then what is the difference between us and the animal?" But they are so mad after sense gratification... Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vi... They are prepared to work for something which one should... Just like stealing or black-marketing and... There are so many things. They are working hard. Even a, a thief, he is risking his life not to work hard, but he's risking his life. Especially in the Western countries, the burglars, they risk their life because there the law is that anyone trespassing within your house, even ordinarily, you can kill him. Is it not? The law is so hard that even if you, if you enter anyone's gate, anyone's property, without permission, he can kill you. Is it not I am right? Yes. Here in India we don't take it so seriously. So many people are passing here and there. But in your country... I know that one of our boy went to pick up some flowers in Los Angeles, and he was fired. Of course he did not like to kill him, but the firing was there. So just see. For sense gratification the thief taking the risk of his life... The working... Not only working hard. Those who are not thief, they are working very hard to get some money, honestly or dishonestly, and those who are not very honest, to steal they make so many plans, so many devices to steal at the risk of life.
So festival. So there was no scarcity. Why? People were religiously inclined. Even for a beggar, there was sufficient. The temple, sufficient, everything. That is called ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ. Svṛddha, svṛddha means opulent. All the cities and towns were opulent; villages, opulent, no want. And they depended on the trees, plants, this river, the mountain, the sea. Those who were... They're expert, they would go underneath the sea and pick up the pearls. That is very valuable. And still there are. So for rich men, the jewelries, the silk, nice food, nice building. And poor man, also, even they do not require jewelries, but they were not hungry. Everything was complete.
This is the plan of varṇāśrama-dharma. Varṇāśrama-dharma is not meant for planning something, and you remain in the family. No. The Varṇāśrama... Varṇa means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Guṇa, not everyone is qualified in the same way. Therefore you... The ācārya will pick up that "They are meant for becoming brāhmaṇas. They are meant for kṣatriyas." Or for coming from kṣatriya family, or the brāhmaṇa family... So first of all, these varṇas, then āśrama. The brāhmaṇa, one who is qualified as a brāhmaṇa, he has to observe the four āśramas, a brāhmaṇa: the brahmacārī-āśrama, the gṛhastha-āśrama, the vānaprastha-āśrama and sannyāsa-āśrama. The kṣatriya, they'll have to observe three āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha and vānaprastha. And the vaiśyas, two āśramas: brahmacārī and gṛhastha. And śūdra, only one āśrama, only gṛhastha. A śūdra is never offered sannyāsa. A... Only the brāhmaṇa is offered.
So Sūrya asked him (her) that "You have called me. You take some benediction. Take a son from me." She refused. "No, I am unmarried. I cannot." "No, there is no harm. Your son will be born from the ear." Generally, the son is born from the vagina, but Kuntī's son was born from the ear. Therefore Karṇa. The first son was Karṇa. Unmarried. Therefore Karṇa was, I mean to say, given away, because she could not show, and when Karṇa was floating on the water, that one carpenter picked up and he raised him. So Karṇa was known as the carpenter's son, śūdra's son. Actually, he is Kuntī's son. So when Karṇa was killed, Kuntī began to cry. And Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja inquired, "Mother, why you are crying?" At that time she admitted, "Karṇa was my son." "Oh? Such a secret you did not disclose? We treated Karṇa as our enemy. We could have taken..." There are so many incidences like that.
We are different parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa, God, so we must act accordingly. Just like my hand. Hand is there. If the hand is in proper place, he can act nicely. But if I cut the leg and make hand or hand make the leg, then it is all lost. All lost. One must act according to his qualification. That, according to that qualification, the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, they are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. This brāhmaṇa means, these are the symptoms, satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). This is human civilization. We must train people in such a way that we must see there what is his quality. According to quality. Just like a physician gives medicine according to the symptom of the disease, then it is cured. Not that any medicine. In the drug house, there are so many medicines. You cannot say "Any medicine will do." No. It is the physician who will pick up the real medicine and he'll administer to the patient. Then he'll be cured.
So now this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is picking up who are the brāhmaṇas. They mixed up. They are mixed up. So long there was no picking up of the brāhmaṇas. Now, by this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are picking up the brāhmaṇas. Because there is need of brāhmaṇas at this time. Because brain is not there. The brain... Brāhmaṇa means the brain. They must have knowledge. That is brāhmaṇa. In India, the brāhmaṇas are called paṇḍita, although nowadays he is fool number one. But it is a title of the brāhmaṇa to become paṇḍita. Paṇḍita. He must know everything. Satyaṁ śamaḥ, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). He must be very wise man. Jñānaṁ vijñānam, and practical application, vijñānam. Jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam. And not nāstika, not atheist. Jñānaṁ vijñānam means one must know what is God. That is jñāna. And brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Brāhmaṇa means one who has already known God, or brahma-vastu. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). That is brāhmaṇa.
So there are many incidences by cursing, by accident. Even by accident, you have to accept a body which you do not desire. So that is, just like Bharata Mahārāja. Bharata Mahārāja, he was the king of this planet, and at the age of twenty-four years, very young age, young wife, young children, kingdom of the whole planet, he left everything. He went to the forest for cultivating spiritual advancement. But one day he saw that a deer was drinking water in front. In the meantime there was a roaring of a lion, and the deer was pregnant. She gave birth to a calf and she fled away. So Bharata Mahārāja saw the little calf is dying. He picked up and kept and it became..., it began to growing. So he had some little affection, just like we have got affection for cubs of dog and others. So one day, that little calf did not return in the evening, and he went to search out on the hill, and accidentally he fell down, and next life he became a deer. Yes.
The same husbands, when they saw that their wife was insulted in the assembly of the Kurus... Draupadī was insulted because they lost Draupadī in gambling. Just see. Gambling is so dangerous. The bet was the wife. The Pāṇḍavas and the Kurus were playing on chess. And they lost their kingdom, they lost their wife, then they were ordered to be banished for twelve years and one year incognito. The condition was, "Now the betting is that if you lose the game, then you will be banished for twelve years in the forest. And one year you have to remain incognito. Nobody will know where you are. If you are," I mean to say, "picked up, if somebody knows you, recognizes you, 'Here are the Pāṇḍavas,' then again twelve year." This is the previous condition of the Battle of Kurukṣetra. The whole idea was to reject the five Pāṇḍavas and enthrone Duryodhana and his brothers. That was the diplomacy.
In your country it is very usual to find in the dustbin so many things are thrown away. So sometimes nice dress is also thrown away. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that if you have problem of dressing yourself, just pick up some old garments from the street. Cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi. "All right. I get my garment. What about my food?" He said, cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ. Aṅghripāḥ means the living entity who eats by its leg. Just like we eat by our hand. Do you know what is that living entity who eats by the leg? Can you... Huh? No. Trees. Yes. Yes. The trees, they eat from the root. That is their eating process. You pour water on the root of the tree, and that water the whole tree sucks. That is their eating. Therefore they are called aṅghripāḥ. They drink their food, eatables, by the leg. So their qualification is para-bhṛtaḥ. Para-bhṛtaḥ means trees are meant for sustaining others. Trees. Just like a nice mango tree, it produces nice fruit, but it does not eat. It is for you. Para-bhṛtaḥ, maintains others. The tree gives shelter, the tree gives fruits. You cut trees for your purpose; it does not protest.
So because it is very difficult to maintain sannyāsa in this age, therefore the sannyāsa order is completely prohibited. Real sannyāsī means... Here is the description of life. What is that? Cīrāṇi kiṁ na pathi santi. They have to pick up some torn cloth lying on the street and cover it. That's all. Then this diśanti bhikṣāṁ naivāṅghripāḥ, aṅghripāḥ, aṅghri means legs, and pa means drinking. The trees drink water through the root. That is their leg. Therefore they're..., another name is aṅghripa. And aṅghri means leg. So different species of life there is different process of eating. We are eating through mouth; the trees are eating through the legs. This is God's creation. Not that the mouth is only eating. No. There are other senses, active senses, hands and legs, tongue. These are active senses. Genital, rectum, these are active senses. So aṅghripa means tree. The sannyāsī should depend completely on God. That is sannyāsa. Not that I shall go to a rich man and beg something and take money and utilize it. No. That is not required. Completely independent. Because that kind of sannyāsa is not possible at the present age, therefore, generally, sannyāsa should not be accepted. They cannot follow the prohibit.
So many things, this is necessary. Therefore he says "All right, if you want cloth, don't you find cloth, torn cloth, thrown in the street," Cīrāṇi kiṁ na pathi santi. "Don't you find?" "All right, I can collect it, pick up some cloth. That's all right. Then where is my food?" Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ, bhikṣāṁ na diśanti. The trees... Formerly trees mean fruit trees. They used to go to jungle means there are enough fruits. Still there are so many jungles. In Hawaii there are so many jungles, enough food. Mango, and many others—banana, pineapple, guava, so many fruits. So going to the jungle means to be free from food problem, enough food. And then water... Water is river. Therefore it is said, sarito 'py aśuṣyan. Do you think all the rivers are dried up? Enough water. Then you may say that I must require some pot to take the water. No. You take water like this. Then where shall I live? Ruddhā guhāḥ kim. Do you think all the caves of the mountains they are now closed? There are many caves. If you want at all shelter, there are already there are natural rooms, apartment. (everyone laughs) You can live there. Ruddhā guhāḥ kim. "And above all," Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, kim ajito 'vati nopasannān, na avati upasannān, upasannān means those who have surrendered.
So the consciousness is there in the trees also. But that has been known by the scientific apparatus, but according to our Vedic injunction, that is already mentioned in the śāstras, that the trees have consciousness. They are also living entities. Don't say that they are without life. They have got life. And therefore the system is... Just like we pick up flowers from the trees for offering to Kṛṣṇa, but the injunction is that after evening you should not touch the tree. The idea is that they are sleeping, don't disturb. So the consciousness of the trees are admitted in the Vedic literature. Similarly, the consciousness is developed from tree to worms, microbes, worms, germs—their consciousness is little more higher. Then birds, their consciousness is little more higher; then beasts, their consciousness is little more higher.
He will never accept anyone's service. That is brāhmaṇa. Uñcha-vṛtti. If he has no income, he will go on the field ... And when the grains are taken away, some grains fall down. They will pick up all those grains and live on that. Still, they will not go to anyone that "I am hungry. Give me something." No. Uñcha-vṛtti. So our education ... And why we were so independent? Because the education was very high, Vedic education. Satisfied with Brahman realization. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Not very long ago, say about 300 years ago, there was a brāhmaṇa, a very rigid brāhmaṇa, in Kṛṣṇa-nagara, near our Māyāpur. And brāhmaṇa's business, he was teaching. So the king of that place, means a big zamindar, Rājā Kṛṣṇa-candra ... By his name, that place is Kṛṣṇa-nagara. So he heard about the brāhmaṇa, very learned brāhmaṇa, but very poor. So he one day came to him and asked him, "Brāhmaṇa, can I help you any way?" So he said, "No, I don't require any help from you."
Just like these European, American boys. They are born to enjoy material happiness. They are, in their country, the affluence of material happiness, money and women, they are thrown in the street. You pick up as much as you like. But they are now vairāgya, because they are devotees of Vāsudeva. They have no more attachment. This is bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means vairāgya, detachment for material enjoyment. That is the sign. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Not that "I am a big, big devotee, but I have got very great attachment for material enjoyment." That is not bhakti. This is the sign. If you have got bhakti, then you will have no attachment for material enjoyment. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktiḥ. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 2.59). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is... Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā. Param means better, superior things; dṛṣṭvā, by seeing, these lower inferior things is rejected. That is... Two things cannot go on.
Sugar, the characteristic of sugar is to become sweet. The characteristic of chili means to become hot. If sugar becomes hot and chili becomes sweet, then nobody cares for it. Similarly, our characteristic is to serve Kṛṣṇa. And when we serve anything other than Kṛṣṇa, that is our diseased condition of life. Just like this hand is meant for picking up something eatable and put it into the mouth. If it is unable to do it, then it is diseased. If the fingers and hands cannot pick up nice foodstuff and put into the mouth, then it is diseased condition. Similarly, when we are unable to serve Kṛṣṇa, or we do not serve Kṛṣṇa, we serve... Serving we are. That is a fact. We cannot become master. Nobody... Can anyone say that he is master? He's not serving anyone? Everyone is serving. That's a fact. Either you are serving your family or society or country or office or so many service. If anyone hasn't got to serve anything, then he picks up a master, a cat and dog, and serves him. Because service is my nature. But we are missing where to put the service. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is, that is Kṛṣṇa.
So they were trained from the very beginning to address any woman as "Mother." So... And there were so many other things: to rise early in the morning... Tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). We have become so foolish that we do not know what is the actual condition of life. I am repeating this again and again. Our actual position is not to die, but we are dying. But we are so foolish, we do not take care of it. "Let us die. Let us die." But śāstra says, Kṛṣṇa says, Bhagavad-gītā says, that "Why you should die?" But they are so dull brain, they say, "Let us die. What is that?" Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu. Kṛṣṇa has picked up... Their whole life is miserable condition, tri-tāpa-yatana, adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, but we are so foolish, we have accepted this miserable condition of life as customary. So they have become accustomed.
But the Bhagavad-gītā, Bhagavān, personally says that "Your real miserable condition of life are the four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." But who is taking seriously? There are so many advancements of education, scientific and... Who is making research work how to stop death? No. Nobody is there.
So this is understanding. So we have to return to that understanding. Therefore it is advised how to make our relationship stronger with Kṛṣṇa. That is recommended here. Tasmiḻ labdha-padaṁ cittaṁ sarvāvayava-saṁsthitam. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa or God has no head, no tail. No. Sarvāvayava saṁsthitam. Virāṭa-mūrti. They are repeatedly said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But His avayava, different parts of the body, they are different from our, this material, at the present moment the material conception. That is different. He... Just like we can pick up our foodstuff by this hand. This hand is not just like Kṛṣṇa's hand. Kṛṣṇa's hand appears to be nonmoving. I think my hand is moving, but Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that even He has got the so-called statue hand, a metal hand or a stone hand, He can capture food which you offer. That you have to understand. When Kṛṣṇa is described as "He has no hand," that means He has no that limited hand as we have got. He has got... He appears before us just like a stone idol or statue, but He has got all the capacity of the limbs of the body, sarvāvayava. He has kindly appeared before us so that we can see. Here it is recommended that saṁyujyād aṅge. You have to see each and every part of the body, limb of Kṛṣṇa. That is meditation.
Philanthropy is when one becomes interested in Kṛṣṇa's interest, that is real philanthropy. Otherwise it is all kāma. There is no question of prema. It is going on as prema, deśa-bhakti (?), love for humanity. Hm? The whole world is going on, but these are all imperfect things. The so-called philanthropism, altruism, humanitarianism, they are all, means imperfect, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). That is not self-interest. Self-interest... Just like this finger, pick up some nice cake, rasagullā, but if the fingers think that, "We have got it, we shall use it," all the fingers together, it will be spoiled. But if the fingers think that, "Give it to the stomach," then it will be everyone's interest. As soon as the rasagullā goes to the stomach the energy is distributed not only to these fingers of right hand, but left hand fingers also. This law they do not know. This law they do not know. Therefore it is yadā na paśyanti, paśyaty ayathā guṇehām. Everyone is trying communally, nationally, individually, for his or their interest, so that is not good svārthe pramattaḥ. They do not know what is real self-interest.
Yadā na paśyaty ayathā guṇehāṁ svārthe. Everyone should be interested, but svārthe. This is svārthe, that if you get a nice food stuff, if you put to the stomach, then real svārthe. Not only the fingers which have picked up the foodstuff, not only his interested, tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭaḥ. Yathā taror mūla, prāṇopahārāc ca yathendriyāṇām. If you put the foodstuff through this one way, not foolish way, that we have to put the foodstuff within the body. So there are nine holes in the body, this mouth, the eyes, the ears, the genital, the rectum the navel. There are nine holes. If some rascal says that any hole will do, you put the foodstuff through any hole. Sometimes it is done. When one cannot eat, the foodstuff is forced through the body, through the rectum, through the nose. That is very troublesome. But the real process is, one process, you put the foodstuff through the mouth.
So Durvāsā Muni, he was a great yogi, and he became very much envious that "Here is a person who is a gṛhastha and a kṣatriya, he is not even a brāhmaṇa, and he does not practice anything. He is always engaged in his royal activities, and this man is so famous as a great person, great devotee. So I'll chastise him. I'll show." So he wanted to pick up some quarrel with Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, and on dvādaśī day he approached there with sixty thousand disciples and he said, "Mahārāja, arrange for our prasādam. We..." "Yes, welcome." But his purpose was different. So he went to take bath in the Ganges and Yamunā, and then he came late. In the meantime he had to observe dvādaśī-pāraṇa. With the advice of the brāhmaṇas he took little water. The brāhmaṇas advised, "Mahārāja, water is food and no food. It has no actually food value. So your guest has not returned as yet. You can take little water and observe the completion of dvādaśī." So he did it, and Durvāsā came very angry, that "I am your guest, and you have taken food?" That is not food, little water. So he wanted to chastise him. He created a big giant to kill the Mahārāja.
So He pointed out on the sixty-fourth śloka so many defects. He was surprised that "This boy is a student of grammar, and He has picked up so many mistakes in my composition." One of the prominent mistake was bhavānī-bhartā. Bhavānī-bhartā. Bhavānī means the wife of Bhava, Lord Śiva. And He pointed out, "Who can be bhartā, he, her, again?" So both of them were paṇḍita, yes. And there were so many mistakes He pointed out. So that was His learning. He was known as Nimāi Paṇḍita. Of course, brāhmaṇas were all called paṇḍita. Still in India that is the practice. The brāhmaṇas are addressed as "paṇḍitjī" because brāhmaṇa cannot be mūrkha. That is possible. Then he's not a brāhmaṇa. He must be a scholar. At least he must know what is the ultimate goal of knowledge.
Therefore guru must be authorized person, not that bhūmi-phala-guru(?). No. "I am guru," no. You cannot become guru unless you are agent to draw out the mercy water from the ocean of mercy of Kṛṣṇa. That is guru. And therefore a guru is not an ordinary person. He is the representative, bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, kṛṣṇa se tomāra, kṛṣṇa dite pāra: "Vaiṣṇava Ṭhākura, Kṛṣṇa is your property. If you like, you can give." Vedeṣu durlabhaṁ adurlabhaṁ ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). You cannot get Kṛṣṇa by studying Vedas. That is not possible. There is Kṛṣṇa in the Vedas, but you cannot pick up. It is not possible. But if you go to the Kṛṣṇa's favorite person... Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. Kṛṣṇa's very dear servant, confidential servant, is guru. Nobody can become guru unless he is in confidence of Kṛṣṇa. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścid me priya-kṛttamaḥ. These things are there. Not that by magic one can become guru.
Jayatīrtha: The radio, some interference on the microphone. The radio is being picked up outside.
Prabhupāda: I have already explained that there are three ways, karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa, and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Therefore Veda is called trayī, three kinds of activities. So devotees, they are not in the karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa. He is not pure devotee. Bhakti means jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam: (CC Madhya 19.167) "There is no touch of this fruitive activities or speculative knowledge." The devotees do not accept this.
That is first-class bhakti, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlana, just to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Just like Arjuna. He was not willing to fight or to kill the other party. That is very good. He is a Vaiṣṇava. Naturally he does not like to fight or pick up quarrel with others or do some harm to others. Vaiṣṇava is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He knows very well that "If something harmful is done to me, I am unhappy, so why should I commit the same thing to others?" So But in spite of his conviction that he should not fight, still, when Kṛṣṇa insisted up to the point that "Your this mercy upon them will not act because it is already My plan that they will have to die. So you have become very kind, but you cannot surpass My plan. That is not possible. I have come here..." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). "That is My true mission: to save the devotees and to annihilate the nondevotees. So here I have brought them all together in this battlefield, and it will be finished."
At the present moment our consciousness is polluted. Just like water. Water is always pure. But when it is... Just like rain falls from the sky. You catch. Before touching the earth, you catch the water, it is distilled water. It is distilled water. Sometimes they catch, they hold the water. It is distilled water. You take so much time to distill water. Rain is distilled water, purified, without any contamination. But as soon as it touches this surface of the earth, it becomes muddy. Similarly, we are also... When we come from Kṛṣṇa, we come pure, but as soon as we touch these material modes of nature, we become muddy, impure, the consciousness. Therefore, as muddy water can be filtered, settled up and filtered and again it becomes clear, similarly, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that however muddy you may be, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness you will be picked up and you will come again clear, crystal like water. This is the process.
It is for paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ, for persons who are not envious. The crowlike birds or crowlike men or karmīs, they're envious. You'll find. And even, without any offense... Just like dog: You pass on. Without any offense, he'll bark, "Ow, ow, ow, ow." (laughter) You have no offense. You have no offense, but it will try to pick up some quarrel with you. Sometime it will come to bite you unless you have got sufficient stick to show. (laughter) So, similar... There are dogs and cats and hogs. There are similar men also. They will simply pick up quarrel unnecessarily. Sometimes political leaders... Just like in Europe, Hitler unnecessarily picked up some war, and there was devastation all over the world. You see. There was no gain. The Germany become defeated and bifurcated. So this leader could not do anything good to the nation, but unnecessarily picked up some quarrel. So that is the cause of world trouble, the crowlike men, the doglike men, the hoglike men. So we have to create paramahaṁsas, good men. Then you can expect peace and prosperity. If you create cats and dogs, then how can you expect that there will be peace, there will be no war, there will be no disturbance? No. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vāstava-vastu vedyam atra (SB 1.1.2).
So everything in the śāstra we should follow. This is called brahminical culture. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means brahminical culture—the cultural exhibition of the first-class men, first-class men. The brāhmaṇa is to be understood as the first-class man within the human society. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Itihāsa, history, history means to understand the activities of the first-class man. That is history. They pick up the most important incidences. Therefore the example is given here that udāharanti imam itihāsaṁ purātanam. Because it is a first-class incidence... Otherwise, if you record the history of the whole period, then where..., who will read that, and who will appreciate that, and where you will keep that? Daily so many things are happening. Therefore, according to Vedic system, the only important incidences are recorded in the history. Therefore it is called Purāṇa. Purāṇa means old history. Purātanam. Purātanam means very, very old. That are recorded. So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the collection of very old history, historical incidence. Itihāsa purāṇānāṁ sāraṁ sāraṁ samuddhṛtya(?). Sāram means essence. Not that all nonsense records have to be taken. No. Sāraṁ sāram, only the important, essence, that are to be recorded. This is called Indian history. Mahābhārata... Mahā means Greater India. Greater India, there were so many incidences were there, but the most important incidence, the Battle of Kurukṣetra, is there. Not that all the battles should be recorded.
So praṇipāta, if you find out somebody where you can fully surrender, then accept guru. Don't make guru a fashion, just like you keep a dog, fashion, pet dog. People, they generally do that, that "Everyone has a guru. Let me collect. Let me pick up some guru who will be dancing dog." That kind of guru will not help you. You must be convinced that "Here is a guru where I can surrender." So then you can make praśna, or question. Then the question will be answered. Otherwise it is waste of time. That is not the Vedic system, simply waste of time. And if there is really talk between one philosopher to another philosopher... Just like Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was a great scholar, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu...? Who can speak about scholarship? So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was defeated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was elderly person.
There is another example. Just like somebody drops his money bag, unconsciously drops. So somebody picks up and he thinks, "Oh, here is so much money. Put it in my pocket." (laughter) He's a thief. He's a thief. That is karmī. Karmī is trying to simply take from God's property and putting in his own pocket. That is karmī. "Bring me more. Bring me more. Bring me more." And the jñānī, he sees that one purse is there, somebody has left, so "Why shall I touch it? Let it remain there." He doesn't touch anyone's property. Jñānī: "Why shall I be criminal? Let it remain." He's jñānī. But a bhakta, he finds a purse, so what his duty? He does not put into the back pocket, neither he throws away, let it be there. He finds out, "Who is the proprietor? Who is the proprietor?" So he can ask somebody if anyone has lost anything. So somebody says, "Yes, yes. I have lost my purse." So you can examine whether it belongs to him: "I will now examine it." "Sir, here is the purse." "Yes, it is mine." So these three men, who is best? Ha? The man who takes the purse and puts in his pocket, he, or the man who neglects, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, "Why shall I touch? It is mithyā. This is false." Eh? He is good? Or whoever puts in the pocket, he is good? Or one who finds out and gives to the proprietor? Who is good?
So why not select this, that "I have to work for the next life. Why not devote this life for Kṛṣṇa? I shall go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa"? This is intelligence. I am suffering so many lives, accepting this fish life or the tree life, the plant life, the moth life, the insect life, the serpent life, the bird's life. And not only bird's life—there are so many varieties of birds, beginning from the eagle. There is a big eagle bird. We have no information. They are very big bird. They are flying in the sky, and their rest is from one planet to another. Just like here you find the birds, they are flying from one tree to another. Similarly, there are so big birds... They are called garuḍa. So garuḍa, these birds, they start their flying from one planet and sits in another planet. Just try to understand what is their flying. Not only that, they also lay eggs while flying, and the eggs, while falling down, it becomes another bird. And these birds can pick up elephants for eating. So this is God's creation. So if you want to become such a big bird, you can become. (laughter) Yes. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). God is so kind. Whatever you desire, you will get. Therefore it is depending upon our discretion, that "What kind of desire I shall maintain?" That desire is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will be happy. Otherwise, you prepare your next life and you suffer or enjoy and again next life, again next life... That is not very good. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Nobody wants that, that "I accept some position: again it is lost. Again I accept another position, again it is lost."
All fourth-class, fifth-class śūdra. Kalau śūdrā-sambhavāḥ. Śūdra means fourth-class men, and caṇḍāla means fifth-class men. So nowadays they are mainly caṇḍālas. Kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ (SB 2.4.18). Yavana and caṇḍālas. By the grace of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this movement is able to pick up even caṇḍālas and yavanās to become brāhmaṇas.
- māṁ ca (yo) 'vyabhicāriṇī
- bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate
- sa guṇān samatītyaitān
- brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
- (BG 14.26)
"One who is engaged in devotional service, he becomes immediately transcendental to this infection of the three qualities of material nature." Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. That is actually happening. This powerful Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so strong that we can pick up from the lowest stage of life and bring him to the highest stage of life if we follow the rules and regulation. It is possible. Practically we are seeing. So that is required, yad yad ācarati śreyān, a class of men. Maybe minority; it doesn't matter. But their ideal behavior, character, will lead other people to appreciate: "Yes. We should be like this." Now, who was telling this night? I think Praṇava was telling that some friend has told that in the Western countries they are appreciating this movement because I have stopped amongst my members this intoxication. There are. Are you not telling?
So if one hears rāsa-līlā from authoritative source, the result will be that he will be promoted to the transcendental platform of loving service to Kṛṣṇa. And the material disease, lusty desires, will be vanquished. But they do not hear from the authoritative source. Some professional reciters they hear; therefore they remain in the material existence of lusty affairs and sometimes they turn to be sahajiyā. When Kṛṣṇa had connection with so many women... You know that in Vṛndāvana, the "yugala-bhajana"—one becomes Kṛṣṇa and one becomes Rādhā. That is their theory. And so many things are going on. Therefore we instruct that first of all read the nine chapters very carefully, and then... There are so many nice instructions, but they do not hear about this nice instruction, ajāmila-śraddhā caritra. At least, picked up, some incidences, they should hear.
Pure soul, being part and parcel, it is naturally very pure. And Vedas says even when the soul is within the material existence, it is not mixed up. It remains always separate. Just like if you put a drop of oil in the water it does not mix—although it is in the water, it does not mix—similarly the spirit soul, part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa, although in the material world, he does not mix. Therefore if there is a process... Just like you can pick up the spot of oil floating in the water by some process immediately, similarly, by bhakti-yoga process, although the spirit soul is floating in this material ocean, he can be picked up immediately. He can be picked up. And asaṅgo 'yaṁ puruṣaḥ. The Veda says that "This puruṣa, the spirit soul, is always unmixed, unmixed." Therefore Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that "This material association is simply a bewilderment. Actually it does not exist. I am Brahman; I am the same." But actually, although I am the same, because I am associating with the different qualities, I mean to say, higher qualities or lower qualities of the material nature, then that association will give me a different position, although I am not mixed up with this material existence.
Thank you very much. (break) Viṣṇujana is doing very nice. He has printed some literatures, and he's going for enrolling members. So I think this literature should be rendered into Hindi and Bengali. He has picked up from the purport of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam very nicely and presenting this booklet about the mission, missionary activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, The Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement Is the Genuine Vedic Way. He has done it nicely, so I think this should be translated in different languages. Yes. The selected portion he has picked up from the purport of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that is a very nice arrangement. If you simply preach these principles, people will very much appreciate. Where is Girirāja?
So these things happened on account of not clear conception of life. That is Prahlāda Mahārāja. Therefore the clear conception of life, how to serve God, Kṛṣṇa, that is called bhāgavata-dharma. This should be taught to the children. Otherwise when he is engaged in so many nonsense service it will be very difficult to drag him from this false engagement and again establish him to the Kṛṣṇa's service. So when we are children—we are not polluted—we should be trained up in bhāgavata-dharma. That is Prahlāda Mahārāja's subject matter. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha durlabhaṁ mānuṣa (SB 7.6.1). We are serving. The birds are serving. They have got small, kiddie, children. They are picking up food and working very hard and bringing it in the mouth, and the small kiddies, they are chanting, "Mother, mother, give me, give me," and eat food. There is service. There is service. Don't think that anyone is without service. Everyone is serv... A man is working hard day and night. Why? To give service to the family, to the children, to the wife. The service is going on but he does not know where to give service. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ: (BG 18.66) "Give Me service. You'll be happy." This is this philosophy, bhāgavata-dharma. Thank you very much.
Unless one is born by a brāhmaṇa father, he is not given the advantage of becoming a brāhmaṇa. That is Vaidic vidhi. But Pañcarātriki-vidhi means although he is not born of a brāhmaṇa family, if he has got a little tendency to become a brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. One who is inquisitive to understand Brahman—brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11)—he should be given chance. Just like there is a little fire. Fan it. Fanning, fanning, fanning, and it becomes a big fire. So our process is that. Anyone, we pick up anyone, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā, what to speak of the śūdra. Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyaḥ. In the ordinary way the stri, woman, śūdra, the fourth-grade man, and vaiśya, they are taken together, not very intelligent. But Pāñcarātriki-vidhi offers facility even persons who are lower than these striya, śūdra, vaiśya. Kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ, ye 'nye ca pāpā (SB 2.4.18). And less than that, ye 'nye ca pāpa yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ... A devotee, a pure devotee of the Lord, and if these persons take shelter of a pure devotee of the Lord, then śudhyanti—they become purified by following the injunction of the spiritual master. He knows how to deal with them, how to elevate them to the brahminical position. So that is not artificial. Śāstra says, Bhāgavata says, "Yes. By such expert management these kirāta-hūṇāndhra, lower than the śūdras, śudhyanti..." Śudhyanti.
So therefore He is prepared to take anything, little, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ (BG 9.26), so that you can begin to give something to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's neither hungry nor wants anything from you. For your benefit, for our benefit, Kṛṣṇa is prepared to take a little leaf, little flower, little water, which is available anywhere all over the world, without any price. Even if I am very poor man I can pick up a flower, a little leaf, patraṁ, and little fruit, and water is available everywhere. Everything is available. Kṛṣṇa does not particularly say that "You give me such fruit, such flower." Any fruit, any flower, He's prepared to take, accept, provided you are a bhakta. Otherwise, even if you prepare very nice, palatable dishes, He'll not accept a single of it. It is the bhakti. Kṛṣṇa is very much anxious to see that you have become a bhakta. Then your problem is solved. Because we are sons of Kṛṣṇa—ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4)—He's suffering more in one sense because we are suffering. Just like your son is on the bed suffering from some disease. The father and mother feels more pain than the son, if the father and mother is affectionate. So Kṛṣṇa is so affectionate; therefore He comes.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So the bhakti-mārga means we want real life, eternal life, and varieties also. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Ānanda cannot... Variety is the mother of enjoyment. Without variety, you cannot feel enjoyment. That is not possible. Suppose if I simply give you a lump of flour. Will you enjoy? But the same flour, you make kacoris, luci, puri, and this and... Oh, you'll enjoy. The ingredient is the same, but when it variety, it is enjoyable. Similarly, spiritual varieties... The impersonalists, they being fed up with this material varieties, they want to make it zero. But that will not help us. In zero we cannot be happy, because we are by nature, we want to enjoy. Enjoy means there must be varieties. The same flour, but you pick up some different varieties of flour and keep it, oh, you'll enjoy. "Oh, it is very nice." Therefore Kṛṣṇa has given so many varieties.
Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate. Anāsaktasya viṣayān. If we utilize the same matter for our sense gratification, viṣaya, then it is material. The same flower, if I collect it for my sense gratification, this flower is material. The same flower, when I pick up for offering on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, this is spiritual. Then how the material thing transformed into spiritual? By the consciousness. Therefore our propaganda is to raise the Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. That is our propaganda. As soon as we raise the consciousness to the platform of Kṛṣṇa, then we become spiritualized. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate. Who is talking? Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate.
The conclusion is, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa is picked up out of many, many liberated persons. Mukta-saṅgasya jāyate. Kṛṣṇa realization, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam, mukta-saṅgasya jāyate. Bhagavat-tattva, the truth, the Absolute Truth, which is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam. Tattva means truth, and that is Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti (SB 1.2.11). Brahman realization is not all. One has to go further. Paramātmā realization—one has to go further. When one comes to realization of Bhagavān, ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇa-bhagavān-Bhagavān means full will six kinds of opulences, person, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1)—that is ultimate goal of life. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Such kind of mahātmā is very rare. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature, and confirmed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: koti-mukta-madhye durlabha kṛṣṇa-bhakta. Kṛṣṇa bhakta, a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, is very rarely to be found out amongst the muktas, amongst the liberated souls. Others are trying to become liberated, but a Kṛṣṇa-bhakta is above liberation. Pañcama-puruṣārtha. People are busy for dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). Some of them are busy to become religious.
These are clear things. There is no hazy idea. Everything is clear. We have to become designationless, free from designation. We shall forget. Not that "Here are some foreigners. Pick up some quarrel with them and try to drive them away. Why they have come?" So many nonsense things are going on, for want of actual spiritual education. This is not good, at least, for Vṛndāvana. This is not good. People have not been educated properly with the Vṛndāvana spirit. Therefore things are happening like that. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam: (CC Madhya 19.170) how to engage the senses, being freed from designation, in the service of the Lord. That is Vṛndāvana life. That is Vṛndāvana atmosphere. If there is any other purpose than this, then it is very difficult to utilize the opportunity, the fortune of living in Vṛndāvana. One has to be designationless. Go on.
So we have become crippled. Therefore we are talking this, that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is killing our Hindu principles." No. It is really, actually Vedic principle that one should be learned, and he should distribute the knowledge for paropakāra. That is brahminism. Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Kṛpāmbudhir yas tam ahaṁ prapadye (CC Madhya 6.254). Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. These are the statements in the śāstra. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. These Gosvāmīs, they compiled this... Rūpa Gosvāmī compiled this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu not for the study, a few selected persons. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau: for the benefit of the whole human society. And actually that is happening. We have translated this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu in English, and we have got the greatest sale of this book. Everyone is picking up. It is a study book in the Temple University of United States. They like it. So it is required. We have got so much treasure-house of knowledge. They should be, each and every book should be..., at least, Vaiṣṇava literature, Bhāgavata literature, should be translated into English and distributed all over the world. That is lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, to benefit the whole human society. Not to remain crippled within a boundary. That is not brahminism, that is not Vaiṣṇavism.
Yes. Three kinds of happinesses, bhoga, tyāga, and bhakti, sevā. Bhoga tyāga sevā. The karmīs, they are after bhoga, sense enjoyment. And the jñānīs, they are after another side of negation of sense enjoyment. When one is fed up with sense enjoyment... Just like in your country, the young boys, they are practically fed up with the way of sense enjoyment as their fathers and grandfathers had done. So in the name of tyāga, renunciation, they have taken another kind of sense enjoyment—intoxication, unrestricted sex. So this is also another sense enjoyment. Bhoga and tyāga. Real enjoyment is devotion. There is a very practical example. Just like if you get all of a sudden a certain amount of money, say, one hundred rupees note lying on the street, if you get... Or lying here. So if you take it, your conscience will beat, because that does not belong to you. You have picked up. You'll always think, "Oh, I am taking somebody's money. Whose money it was? I'm doing some sinful." In this way, your mind will disturb. So that is the taking. And similarly, if you don't take, if you leave it there, then you'll also be disturbed. You'll think, "Somebody has left this money here. So I did not collect it. Somebody will collect it, and he'll take it away. This is not nice." The best thing is that you pick it up and, if you deliver to the person who has lost the money or who has left that money. Three things. The one thing is bhoga, if you take yourself. And if you don't take, that is tyāga. And if you pick it up and deliver to the right person, that is devotion.
"Today I have got so much money. And tomorrow I am going to increase it to so much." Ko 'sti āḍhyo 'yam. "I am the richest." This is karmī's conception. And jñānīs, because they're fed up, so they say, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "This world is false." Grapes are sour. You know the story, jackal? He wanted to take the grapes, jumping, jumping, jumping. When he could not get it, he says, "Oh, grapes are sour. I have no necessity. I have no necessity." Similarly these rascals, they renounce the world. What renouncement? What you had? You are renouncing? This is also wrong. The real happiness is sevā. "This is Kṛṣṇa's, and it must be used for Kṛṣṇa's purpose." That is real happiness. Actual, that is the fact. The same example: If you pick up one hundred rupees' note, if you pocket it, then you are a thief. If you don't touch it, then it will be lost; somebody will take it. You pick up and give to the original proprietor, that will be satisfaction. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. We do not say anything bad. We do not say. That is Rūpa Gosvāmī's formula. That is Vaiṣṇava formula.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So when their, I mean to say, chief man met the manager, so, and asked that "Whether you want to compromise with us?" the manager said, "No. I don't wish to compromise with you. I don't care for you because you are educated laborer." He gave the title to the clerks, "educated laborer." So actually in Hindu society, the clerks were called educated laborers. So here it is lekhaka śūdra. Lekhaka śūdra means clerk, but he's śūdra. Lekhaka śūdra śrīcandraśekhara, tāṅra ghare rahilā. But spiritually there is no such distinction. We should always remember that materially, there may be higher, lower class. There is, always, in every society, in every country. But spiritually there is no such consideration. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's propaganda. He made Haridāsa Ṭhākura—he was a Muhammadan—as the spiritual master for saṅkīrtana, namācārya. And He picked up Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, who were rejected by the Hindu society, and He made them gosvāmīs. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's peculiarity. And here also we see that a śūdra, a laborer class, a clerk, who is considered to be lower in the society, He was staying at his house.
So in that blindness he was penancing, austerity in Vṛndāvana. So by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa came like a boy. "Oh, my dear sir, why you are starving? Why don't you take some milk?" "Oh, who are You, my dear boy?" "Oh, I am a boy of this village. I am a cowherd boy. If you like, I can give you daily some milk." "All right." So Kṛṣṇa supplied him milk. So there was friendship. And he has written that bhakti is such a thing that muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān: "Mukti, mukti is nothing for me." So this is his verse, muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān: "So we have no desire for mukti. When Kṛṣṇa comes to supply milk, oh, then what is the use of my mukti?" You see? That's a great soul, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. It is worth to remember his name. For seven hundred hears he lived in Vṛndāvana, and he has written a nice book which is Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. That is a very authoritative book, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. Lord Caitanya picked up this book, and He recommended all His devotees to read that Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta book.
This material is called Devī-dhāma. Durgā. The presiding deity of this Devī-dhāma is Durgā. He's giving evidences from many authentic Vedic literatures. One of them is Brahma-saṁhitā. Then He's giving another evidence from Padma Purāṇa, the existence of spiritual planets. In Indian spiritual society the evidences are given from Vedic literature. Then it is accepted, not that mental speculationist's theory, "I think this. I think that..." No. Just the same example I have several times cited before you, that the law court, they give evidences from the lawbook, sections from the lawbook. Similarly, the process is whenever we speak something transcendental subject, if we can pick up evidences from Vedic literatures... There are many authentic Vedic literatures. They are accepted by the spiritual societies. And one's learning is proved if he can give evidences from these Vedic literatures. Similarly Lord Caitanya, whatever He is speaking, He's giving immediately references from Vedic literature. So, so far the existence of the spiritual world and different planets, spiritual planets, Vaikuṇṭha and Kṛṣṇaloka, one may think... Of course, those who have no knowledge, they may think that these are all stories. No, they are not stories. They are actual facts, and Lord Caitanya is giving evidences from Brahma-saṁhitā, from Padma Purāṇa, and similar other Vedic literatures.
The Brahma-saṁhitā, this Brahma-saṁhitā was compiled by Brahmā. It is very old book. It was picked up by Lord Caitanya from South India. When He was traveling in South India, in a temple He found this book, handwritten, very old. Formerly there was no press. If anyone wanted some book, he would have to copy it from others. That was the system. The books were not available just like nowadays we have got printed, thousands and thousands copies. That was not available. So two books were collected by Caitanya Mahāprabhu from South India.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
So Govinda, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. Aṅgāni, aṅgāni means the limbs of the body. Just like hands, legs, ear, nose, they're different parts of our body. The distinction between this material body and spiritual body is that just like this hand is made for particular purpose—you can pick up something, you can touch something, but you cannot taste something. If you want to taste something, then the hand will bring that food to your mouth and will touch your tongue. Then you can know that it is bitter or sweet. But simply by touching the hand it is not possible to understand what is the nature of that particular... Therefore God's body is described here that aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. Each and every part of the body has got the capacity for other parts of the body. Just like if you want to eat, we have to taste it through the tongue, through the mouth, but Kṛṣṇa, or God, if He simply sees only, He can eat, simply by seeing. This is spiritual body.
Another śloka is to explain: aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti (Bs. 5.32). The spiritual body is equally qualified for doing everything. Just like with our hand, we can touch only. We cannot do... Or we can pick up something. But by simply having hand, or with the hand, we cannot eat. For eating we shall have to use this mouth, we have to use the stomach. But in the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa, about Him is described: aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti (Bs. 5.32). Each and every limb of Kṛṣṇa has got the potency of other limbs. He can eat by His eyes. He can hear from His eyes. And anything, all the parts of the limbs, because they are spiritual, you can use it for any purpose. This is not understandable in this material condition of life, but it is possible. These things are there.
This prayer for Govinda is from Brahma-saṁhitā. It is very old literature, and nobody can say when it was spoken, but it is understood that these verses were written by Brahmā, and when Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India He picked up this book from a temple, hand-written, and He delivered to His devotees. So, it is very authorized book. In this book the description of Kṛṣṇa is very vivid, vividly given. There His place, His activities, His form, everything is there nicely given. So, this, this verse, it is, it is not first verse. This is the 34th verse of the Fifth Chapter. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam. That, that place, cintāmaṇi ... Cintāmaṇi, a stone. In the transcendental world the, as we have got experience here, the houses are made of bricks, there the houses are made of cintāmaṇi stone. The cintāmaṇi stone is..., of course there is no exact translation, but it is understood it is something like touchstone. Touchstone means the stone which if it touches a iron, it transforms into gold.
Another śloka I wish to explain: aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti (Bs. 5.32). The spiritual body is equally qualified for doing everything. Just like our hand, we can touch only. We cannot do... Or we can pick up something. But simply having hand... Or with the hand we cannot eat. For eating, we shall have to use this mouth, we have to use the stomach. But in the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa, about Him it is described, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti: (Bs. 5.32) "Each and every limb of Kṛṣṇa has got the potency of other limbs." He can eat by His eyes; He can hear from His eyes. Anything. All the parts of the limbs, because they are spiritual, you can use it for any purpose. This is not understandable in this material condition of life, but it is possible. When it is spiritually realized, it is possible. These things are there.
Festival Lectures
So Gandhi thought that, "I shall make these bhaṅgīs and camars as Harijana, as great devotees." But simply by rubberstamping, how one can become devotee? That is not possible. Without going the pāñcarātrikī-vidhī, they remain the same unclean drunkard and the all nonsense habits. And simply by stamping rubberstamping, Harijana? No. Here what we are doing, it is not rubberstamping. It is actually training according to the pāñcarātrikī-vidhī. We are training our boys to become brāhmaṇas, to refrain from four kinds of sinful activities, to take bath, to take this, take that. And above all, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Ceto-darpaṇa-marjanam (CC Antya 20.12), cleansing of all sinful activities. So in this way Harijana can be made, but not that you pick up somebody nonsense and rubberstamp this "Harijana." No. There must be process.
So the Gosvāmīs, six Gosvāmīs, they picked up Lord Caitanya's eight verses and they wrote so many books. (door opens) The Gosvāmīs are coming. (laughs) Hare Kṛṣṇa. So these Gosvāmīs were chanting and dancing, kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. So we are creating the descendants of Gosvāmīs here in the Western countries. You are also chanting and dancing, following the footprints of the Gosvāmīs, kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. And they were chanting and dancing, not dry. Premāmṛtāmbho-nidhi, dipped into the ocean of love of Kṛṣṇa. You cannot chant and dance for a long time unless you are dipped into the ocean of love of Kṛṣṇa. That is the specific qualification of the dancer and chanter. If you ask somebody to chant and dance for one hour, he'll get tired. But this chanting and dancing is so nice that these Gosvāmīs, they can go on chanting and dancing for twenty-four hours. Premāmṛtāmbho-nidhi. Because they were dipped into the ocean of love of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhi dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. Dhīra, dhīra means gentle, and adhīra means ruffians, not gentle. So they were affectionate and popular both to the gentle as well as ruffians, these Gosvāmīs.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
I can give you one example. Just (as) a man, if he is thrown into the ocean, he may be very expert swimmer, but simply by swimming over the ocean, he cannot be happy there. Because he is put in a different condition of life. It is not possible. So the best thing is that if we can pick up that man from the ocean, then he will be happy. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that we do not wish to swim over the ocean foolishly and to become happy there. That is not our program. Because you cannot be happy. When you are put into the ocean, however expertly you may swim, you will never be happy there. That is not possible. The only remedy is to pick you. If somebody can pick up from the ocean and give you shelter on the land, then you will feel happy. Similarly, our program is not to become happy by so-called adjustment of material condition. That is not possible.
So Hanumān is example. Hanumān was ordered to bring some medicine from some mountain. And he was a monkey, he was animal, he did not know how to pick up it—"Take the whole mountain. Execute the order. And then Rāmacandra and Lakṣmana, They'll find out what is that medicine." So this is Vaiṣṇava. In one's own capacity he should give the best service to the Lord. That is bhakti. Bhakti is not laziness. If somebody thinks that "The bhaktas are lazy fellows and they are out of the worldly activity," that is mistake. It is mistake. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Kṛṣṇa says personally, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat tapasyasi yat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam: "Come on! Do it for Me." That is bhakti.. He does not say that "You become a lazy fellow, give up your occupational duty, and sleep, and snore, and become a great devotee." No. He never says. He says that "You are attached to this kind of work. All right, do it, but the result you give Me," that is bhakti. "Arjuna, you are a military man. All right, I ask you to fight. You become a fighter and become My devotee." Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3). Just see.
Initiation Lectures
So when one, after being freed from all designation, when one is actually engaged in the activities of Brahman, that is called bhakti, or devotional service. So initiation means to be engaged in that Brahman activities. How Brahman activities? The same example can be cited, that Arjuna remained active, engaged in the battlefield, but in the beginning his identification was with his country, family, and so many other things. But later on, after understanding Bhagavad-gītā, he identified himself with Kṛṣṇa. This identification with Kṛṣṇa means beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So ādau śraddhā, when one becomes firmly convinced that "By becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious or being engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, my life is successful, life will be successful," that is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or initiation. It is a stage. We have to go further and further till the stage of perfection. But initiation is the beginning. Ādau śraddhā. When one is firmly convinced, then he makes association with the devotees. Just like we have got this society, International Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are picking up persons who desire to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is a society.
So we, our... One of the item of this mission, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is to establish real varṇāśrama by qualification. We have to pick up brāhmaṇas from everywhere, throughout the whole world, not that we have to pick up brāhmaṇas in India in some class. No. There are brāhmaṇas every part of the world. We have to pick up. Just see. None of these boys are born in India or a brāhmaṇa family, but they have got the symptom. They have got the brahminical... They have either acquired willingly or by some way. So we have to pick up. Anyone who is truthful, who is controlling the senses, no illicit sex life... That is controlling senses. There are many other things. This is the most important thing. Śamo dama titikṣa. They are tolerant. To these American boys, to take up another culture, which they are not accustomed from the birth, that is tolerance. This is tolerance. But it is not painful, but it is tolerance. I am asking the American boys, "Don't smoke. Don't take intoxication." They are accustomed to this habit from the very childhood, but they are doing this. This is tolerance.
In the śāstra it is said that if you commit some offense to Kṛṣṇa, He excuses, but if you commit offense to His devotee, He never excuses. Personal offense to Kṛṣṇa can be excused by Kṛṣṇa. He is so merciful. The Durvāsā Muni, he offended Mahārāja Ambarīṣa and he went up... He was so powerful that he went to Viṣṇuloka to see Viṣṇu for being protected because the sudarśana cakra was after him. So Viṣṇu said, "Oh, this is beyond My power. I cannot excuse you. You have to go to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja and ask his pardon. Otherwise there is no excuse." So that Durvāsā Muni, he was a great yogi and brāhmaṇa, and he was very proud, so he came back and fell down on the feet of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. Then he was excused. You see? Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a kṣatriya, a king. He was neither yogi, but he was a great devotee. So this yogi, Durvāsā Muni, he wanted to supersede him, that "He is ordinary kṣatriya king, and because he is advertised that he is a devotee, I shall teach him some lesson." So that was the quarrel between the... The king was very nice, he never picked up quarrel, but this old man picked up quarrel and he was chastised by Viṣṇu like that.
So Dr. Rao, your spiritual name is Rāmānanda. Yes. This Rāmānanda, he was also Rāya, Rāmānanda Rāya, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya and governor of Madras. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu picked up a very important persons, the Six Gosvāmīs, Rāmānanda Rāya, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, like that, eight or ten direct disciples. And later on, they preached the whole thing. In the Bhagavad-gītā there is a verse, yad yad ācarati śreṣṭha itaras tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). If a śreṣṭha, if an important man, acts in some way, others follow. That is natural. So by the grace of Lord Caitanya we are meeting and you have got great responsibility, because you came here to take your doctorate degree. That's very nice. When one of my Godbrothers went to England during my Guru Mahārāja's time, so Lady Wellington, she challenged that Godbrother that "Your men from India, they come here, and we give them some degree, and they become big men there.
Wedding Ceremonies
It is stated, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The Lord says that "The four divisions of social order—namely the brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, śūdras—these divisions were created by Me," and guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, "not by birthright but by identification of qualities and actual work." In the similar way, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, it is stated that yasya hi yad varṇābhivyañjakam, lakṣaṇaṁ syāt. Yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyañjakam, tat tenaiva vinirdiśet (SB 7.11.35). The whole Vedic system is to pick up qualitative persons. There is no such thing as birthright qualification. And Śrīdhara Swami, the greatest commentator on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he has commented on this verse, yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyañjakam tat tenaiva vinirdiśet, yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta tat tenaiva vinirdiśet: (SB 7.11.35) "If such qualities are found in another platform, then he should be designated in that position." Just like if a boy born of a brāhmaṇa family, he has got the qualities of a śūdra, he should be indicated as śūdra. And if a boy born of a śūdra family but he has got the brāhmaṇa's qualities, then he should be accepted as brāhmaṇa.
General Lectures
So Sūta Gosvāmī, he was representative of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and he was addressing very learned brāhmaṇas. So he's addressing, dvija-śreṣṭhā. Śreṣṭhā means the, I mean to say, picked-up, the topmost of the brāhmaṇas. They were topmost of the brāhmaṇas; still, they require knowledge. Knowledge is so nice that even if you think that you are very learned, you are well versed in everything, still, you require knowledge. That should be our motto. Don't think that "I have finished." Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught this lesson in His life, that He represented Himself as a fool. So everyone should think of himself that "I am still a fool." Just like it is said that Sir Isaac Newton... He was such a learned man, but he used to say that "I have simply collected a few grains of sand from the beach of knowledge." Knowledge is so vast that his knowledge was simply a few grains of the vast amount of sand of knowledge. So everyone should think like that. Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaj, the author, he says that "I am lowest than the germs in the stool. I have no knowledge." So the more you become advanced in knowledge, you'll know that how insignificant you are in comparison to the Supreme.
At the present age, as it is recommended and it is followed, practiced, and experienced, this bhakti-yoga is the only possible way for self-realization. It is made very simple: simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma... Anyone can do it. Any part of the world can people practice it, of any age, it doesn't matter, either old, young, or child. We have got many children of our devotees, they are also chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And many old men like me, they are also chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And these young boys and girls, they are also chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. So it is universal. And all these boys and girls, they are neither Hindus nor Indians, nor they have any knowledge of Sanskrit. But they easily pick up this Hare Kṛṣṇa and chant and getting the result. So this is the easiest, universal method of self-realization in the present age. Any other practice of yoga system will never be successful. It will be simply waste of time.
So the example is set by the Supreme Personality of Godhead that human civilization will advance only on the basis of brahminical culture and cow protection. As soon as there is falldown from brahminical culture, and as soon as there is discrepancy in the protection of cows, there will be no more peace in the world. Therefore He specifically said, go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for the protection of brahminical culture and cows. Then automatically the peace of the world will come, if two things are done. This is Vedic literature. They pick up the essence of the things, and all other things follows. Just like meditation. Meditation means... Not meditation, the yoga system. Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ. Yoga system means to control the senses. This is the primary factor of practicing yoga. Now the senses, we have got five senses acquiring knowledge and five working senses. So of all the senses, the tongue is considered to be the most powerful sense.
So Bhagavad-gītā says, "Not like that." Bhagavad-gītā says that these classes of men, cātur-varṇyaṁ—the brahminical class, the kṣatriya class, the vaiśya class, and the śūdra class—is everywhere. Not only in India, but also throughout the whole universe, in every country, in every nation, in every society, there must be some people who have brahminical tendency. Just like from your country, we have picked up some boys and girls who are inclined to adopt this way of life. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply picking up where there are brahminical class of boys, girls, men. Not that we are taking account, "Oh, who is your father? Is your father a brāhmaṇa?" No. We don't take account. His father may be anything; it doesn't matter. But if he has got tendency to accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we immediately welcome: "Come on." And we teach him this brahminical qualification—to become brahmacārī, not to indulge in illicit sex life, don't take nonvegetarian diet. We recommend not exactly nonvegetarian diet. We are vegetarian diet, we restrict from nonvegetarian diet, but we recommend Kṛṣṇa prasādam. We have no quarrel with the nonvegetarians, because vegetable also has got life. The plants, the grass, the trees, the fruits, the flowers, they have also life. They are not dead.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just trying to turn the face of the people towards the Supreme Lord and by practical application of the knowledge in life, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa... This is the process. So it is not sectarian process. Just like students can be picked up from any society, similarly, person inclined to understand the science of God can be picked up from any society. There is no question of designation. It is not that it is meant for the Hindu or meant for the Christian, meant for the Buddhist. Anyone who is interested in the science of God, they are welcome in this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances) Any question?
So the first question is, "What is the practice you preach?" Yes. We are preaching the original practice. Practice means which is practically done. And sometimes things are impractical when they are unnatural, and natural things can be practiced very easily. So our preaching is to reinstate the living soul to his original condition. The original condition of living being is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. As such, the part and parcel is meant for rendering service to the whole. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. The finger is expected to give service to the whole body. When I am feeling itching, my finger is helping it. When I want to pick up something, my finger is helping. Similarly, any part of my body... When I want to go out, my leg is walking. When I want, I want to see something, my eyes are helping. So in this way you can understand what we mean by part and parcel. Take materially also, any machine. The part and parcel... Just like here is a machine, tape recorder. There are different parts. One part is required to give, adjust speed; one part is required how to move, how to start, how to stop, how to increase. So different parts. Similarly, we are living entities, and the Lord is also a living entity. And we are originally created to help the Lord. He does not require... Because He's complete. But just to give a crude example, as the part and parcel required: now, suppose this finger is not giving me service. It is diseased. So sometimes doctors advise that "You have to amputate this finger, otherwise it will affect the whole body." Similarly, we living entities, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, when we rebel, that is our diseased condition. We, when we don't want to render service to the Lord, that is a state which is called demonic state.
So result is... That is stated by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who inaugurated this movement. You see this picture, five learned brāhmaṇas. In the center there is one picture who is Lord Caitanya. He started this movement when He was only seventeen years old, a boy. A boy only—a schoolboy. He was student, but He introduced this movement five hundred years ago, and some of the elderly men, as you see, one elderly man with beard, He also helped Him, and the others... Actually this movement was originally started by young boys. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, and Advaita Prabhu, They started. And there was a great agitation against Them by the brāhmaṇas, priestly brāhmaṇas, at that time. So Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu picked up these sixteen words from Vedic literature. It is not that He manufactured something. No. In the Vedic way there is no question of manufacturing something, religious process. No. Just like you manufacture law. In your state, privately, you cannot manufacture law. The law is given by the state. Similarly, any process, any process for self-realization, you cannot manufacture. That is to be taken directly from God and His representative.
So any way you do it, it is all the same. Absolute. Tad-arthe akhila-ceṣṭitam, ity ady asmin eva purāṇe tatra tatra pathyate. Śrīdhara Swami says, "In this Purāṇa, Mahā Purāṇa, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, these things are explained everywhere, as well as these things are explained in all other Vedic scriptures. Purāṇantare ca pāpa-kṣayaś ca bhavati smaratāṁ tam ahar-niśam iti. These are the authoritative statements; therefore, we have to follow the ācāryas. They pick up nice authorized verses from various Vedic literature and present before you. So Śrīdhara Swami says, purāṇantare. In other Purāṇas also it is stated, pāpa-kṣayaś ca bhavati smaratāṁ tam ahar-niśam. "Anyone who is always absorbed in Your thought, no material scene can effect him, cannot touch him." Pāpa-kṣayam. "And if he has any sinful activities in his past life, that also becomes nullified." Pāpa-kṣayam. Pāpa-kṣayaṁ bhavati smaratāṁ tam ahar-niśam. "Anyone who is always..." Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā: "One who is always thinking of Me within himself, he is first-class yogi." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ (BG 6.47). There is no need of speculating. Simply this easy process, thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. All big, big yogis, there may be, but a person who is always absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa within himself, he is greater than all such big, big yogis. Greater than the greatest yogi. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā. Mad-gata means his life is so molded that he cannot stay without thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Mad-gata. He has become absorbed. That is samādhi. Mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān. Not for artificial makeshow, but śraddhāvān, with faith and love. Śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here to participate in this great Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This movement was started by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as we have explained several times, and the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was followed by the six gosvāmīs. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yagan śrī-jīva-gopālakau. The six gosvāmīs, who lived at Vṛndāvana, they came from different parts of the country. Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī belonged to formerly South Kanada, and they established..., their forefathers established themselves in Bengal. So Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was South Indian. Similarly, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī belonged to Bengal. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu picked up very great personalities from all parts of the country. Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yagau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. So how they... (break) (end)
Devotee: The gentleman asks, "How do we apply that internationally?"
Prabhupāda: It is a international society. We are picking up men of this mentality, not that the whole world will be followers. That we do not expect. But there are men all over the world who like this movement; therefore we say international society. And actually it is happening. We are picking up our devotees from all parts of the world, so therefore it is international.
Guest: Thank you very much.
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. All right, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Prabhupāda: Full agreement. That's nice.
Guest (1): Your devotees say that you aim to get beyond the stage of material existence. I don't quite pick up what your process was for doing this, and could you tell me what the end result is once you do get beyond this.
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Madhudviṣa: In Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the process is to get beyond the disease of material existence. The first part of his question is how to do this, the second part of this question, "What is the end result after taking to the process?"
Prabhupāda: The process is to transfer yourself from material energy to spiritual energy. We are under energy. God has got two energies—material energy and spiritual energy. We are also energy. We are marginal energy. So marginal energy means we can remain under the material energy or on the spiritual energy, as we make our choice. Marginal... Just like on the beach you find sometimes on the border of the water, the water is covering the land, and sometimes the land is open. This is called marginal position. Similarly, we are marginal energy, or we can remain open also, in spiritual energy. So this process of, I mean to say, converting the material energy to spiritual energy is called bhakti-yoga.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: Just like the bird—whether the bird caused the fruit to fall, or whether the fruit happened to fall coincidentally. It doesn't matter. Is that the point?
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is simply useless talk. Because it is a fact that the fruit has fallen, and the crow has flown away. Now why should we bother? A waste of time. But both can be possible. These argument—one is saying that the bird sat down, which is the cause of falling of the fruit, and the other says the falling down is the cause of the bird's not being able to sit on it—both can be possible. But we say therefore the ultimate desire is of God. If God desired that the fruit would not fall, it would not have fallen. That is our proposition.
Śyāmasundara: I think you said once that the devotee picks up the fruit and offers it to Kṛṣṇa and eats it.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We don't see the cause and effect; we see that ultimate cause is Kṛṣṇa. "By Kṛṣṇa's desire we have got this nice thing. Offer it to Kṛṣṇa and eat it," that's all.
Śyāmasundara: So whether the water's parting allowed the rock to fall in, or whether the rock caused the water to part, it doesn't really matter.
Prabhupāda: It is ultimately depending on God's will. That is the explanation.
Śyāmasundara: Well, they found bones...
Prabhupāda: Bones, that's all right. There are many... We also say from the Vedic śāstra there is fish, timiṅgila, which can swallow up big, big whales, you see. That is also very big. And there is Varāha incarnation, He picked up the whole earth on the tusk. How much big the Varāha animal was to show that it can pick up the whole earth, earthly planet just like a ball. He cannot imagine such big animals.
Śyāmasundara: But my point is they excavated down into the ground and they found that gradually, through the years, animals are evolving towards more and more complex forms, from very simple forms in the water to land animals, plants, and these big dinosaurs, then they died out.
Prabhupāda: If they died out, that means there is no more existence of that animal. But how can you say that the animal is existing somewhere else? Now, according to his statement that from a certain basic principle, by gradual evolution, the human body is coming. Now his theory is that the human body is coming from the monkey.
Prabhupāda: So we have seen in our childhood, they're also. No voucher or receipt. I'll tell you one little story. My father was dealing in cloth. So supposing he has come, my customer, he wants so many things. So I haven't got stock all of these things, but I wrote down his order, that you are market broker, I say just get these things immediately from the market. You go to the particular person who has got the stock and you order him to my shop, "Such and such you send me." So you have ordered for say twenty, fifty men. So their men are coming with a load of cloth, and he'll simply ask the firm's name: "This is Rajaram (indistinct)?" And someone declares, "Yes, yes, yes." But no voucher. He simply asks whether this firm is Rajaram (indistinct), and somebody nods, "Yes, yes." So he drops the bundle of cloth. It may be five hundred, or thousand rupees' worth or more than that. So similarly, many porters drop, because I require so many things. Now, you are my broker, you come, you see the stack of cloth, you ask my clerk, "Just credit this from such and such firm." But firm has sent without any voucher, without any (indistinct), and the porter simply asks whether this is the same firm, and somebody nods and we (makes noise like stamping something), that's all. Then you come, you pick up so many bundles, "Just note down, 'This has come from such and such firm.' " You note down. Then my clerk notes it. This is transaction. And out of many such bundles, you find that you did not order this, "Wherefrom it came? It is not mine." So we set aside. Three days after, one (indistinct) comes, "Sir, on such and such date I dropped a bundle here which did not belong to you, so please give me this back." "Oh, you will see there are so many. What is yours you can take back." And he picks up, "Sir, this is my bundle," "All right, take it." He's unknown, but simply he comes and says that "I dropped one bundle here which does not belong to you. By mistake I dropped it," and I say, "Yes. So many bundles there are, you can take whatever is yours." This was the transaction.
Devotee: I saw that book
Prabhupāda: Yes, simply blaspheming Indian temples, culture, priest, like that. Gandhi remarked on that book, "Drain Inspector's Report." And he has simply picked up the bad side. Sometimes these priests in the temple, they make some bad behavior with woman; she has picked up this, not the better side.
Śyāmasundara: Practically, until now, no one except you has brought Indian culture out.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: No one has known before that they had high culture.
Prabhupāda: No. Because regular propaganda. And all the swamis and yogis, they also rascals, they brought some yoga system, exercises, like that.
Śyāmasundara: No philosophy...
Prabhupāda: No philosophy, no culture. As we are touching now everything: sociology, politics, religion, culture, philosophy, everything, completely. Just like we are discussing now this Pṛthu Mahārāja's kingdom, how nice it is.
Śyāmasundara: Mill makes a distinction between quality and quantity. If we are only thinking of quantity of pleasure...
Prabhupāda: Then if you come to the quality, then it will be the smallest, because quality... Suppose the whole population, two million population, if you pick up from the population quality, first-class population, you find very small number. In a mass meeting if you ask in the meeting, "Who has passed M.A. examination?" maybe three or four may come. Quality.
Śyāmasundara: But I mean the pleasure, the type of pleasure, he says it should be qualitatively and quantitatively the greatest.
Prabhupāda: Pleasure also, whatever you take, when you put the question of quality of pleasure... Just like ordinary people, they are taking pleasure in eating, sleeping, mating, drinking, like that. But Kṛṣṇa pleasure is transcendental pleasure. Very few people are taking it. Very small number. So the same question again, why he said that many number of people, they are taking pleasure, so-called pleasure in taking LSD? So will that be taken as pleasure or will that be accepted? We are talking of philosophy.
Hayagrīva: That contradicts the previous statement.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hayagrīva: Concerning consciousness after death, Jung feels that after death the individual must pick up the level of consciousness which he left.
Prabhupāda: He continues.
Hayagrīva: The level of consciousness.
Prabhupāda: Continues.
Hayagrīva: Continues.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore, according to that consciousness he has to accept a body. That is trasmigration of the soul. That ordinary person, they can only see the body, but along with the body there is mind and there is intelligence, there is ego. One cannot see what is mind, what is intelligence. So there is no reason that when the body is finished why the mind and the intelligence should be finished. But he cannot see the mind, cannot intell..., see the intelligence. He said everything is finished. Why everything should be finished? The body is finished, but the mind is not finished. So the soul is carried by mind, intelligence. That is subtle body. And it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). He is not finished, he is there. He is being carried by mind and intelligence. But these foolish person they cannot see. But even in lifetime they cannot see what is mind. They cannot see what is intelligence.
Hari-śauri: Labhate paurva-dehikam.
Prabhupāda: Ah, labhate paurva-dehikam. That is everything, spiritual and material. Materially also we find sometime when one person is very extraordinary individual. In the class some student picks up very quickly, some student cannot understand. So this is continuation. One is intelligent means he has got some previous revival of his consciousness. So in this way it is going on. That is the proof, immortality of the soul. Otherwise why? Paurva-dehikam, previous birth. This is the proof.
Śyāmasundara: He says the institutions such as laws can participate in this unfolding of the reason of the universe, duty of the universe for instance by controlling conflicts between personalities and so on. Law, the laws of the state, the laws of (indistinct) can participate in the unfolding of the universe, the purpose of the universe.
Prabhupāda: Yes. We accept that personality may be (indistinct), not that we pick up any man from the street and we accept guru. That will not (indistinct). Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12), one who has heard properly from his spiritual master and as a result of such hearing he is perfectly in God consciousness (indistinct).
Śyāmasundara: How does this fit in with what I was just saying about institutions such as laws, things like that. They can participate in the purpose of the universe, in bringing out the purpose of the universe. I make a law that you shall not kill, does that participate...
Prabhupāda: No, you cannot make law. Law can be made by God. You have to abide by the law. You cannot (indistinct), you are imperfect, how you can make law? Your law will be imperfect.
Hayagrīva: (aside:) This is picking up fine, the reading? Socrates considers the contemplation of beauty to be an activity of the wise man, but relative beauty in the mundane world is simply a reflection of absolute beauty. In the same way, good in the relative world is simply a reflection of the absolute good. In either case, absolute good or beauty is transcendental.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our opinion. Beauty, knowledge, strength and opulence—everything—they are transcendental. Here, in this material world, it is perverted reflection. Just like the example is the mirage. A fool, animal, is thinking there is water in the desert, and he is running after it, and after sometimes he dies of thirst because there is not. But a sane man knows there is no water; it is simply a reflection by the sunshine, and this foolish animal is running after it. So he does not..., a sane man does not go for this false water. But another thing is that because there is no water in the desert, it does not mean there is no water. Water is there, but not there. Similarly happiness, beauty, opulence—everything is there. That is in the spiritual world. Here it is only a perverted reflection. So generally people have no information of the spiritual world; therefore they imagine something God, something spiritual world.
| Page Title: | Pick up (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 06 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=116, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 116 |