So as it is statewise, fire brigade is ready, similarly, universally, this material world is also, there is chance of fire at any moment. We do not want it, but it will take place. Therefore this material existence is called saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. And the forest fire is compared, especially mentioned: this fire cannot be extinguished by your fire brigade. You cannot send fire brigade to the forest. I've seen in Naimitad(?). From Katgudang(?) station, about, oh, one mile up in the hill there is fire. So long ago. So I asked the man, "What is that?" "That is fire." So nobody went there to set fire, but the fire is blazing. You see? So how this fire can be extinguished? Can you send fire brigade or buckets of water? No. That is not possible. Then it will go on, the fire? No. It will be extinguished. How? Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. Just like this forest fire can be extinguished only if there is cloud upon it—if there is rain. You cannot send fire brigade. That means this is the indication that this fire of this material world can be extinguished through the exigency of spiritual master, because he has received the mercy cloud. Cloud. Just like cloud has taken water from the sea, similarly, the spiritual master takes mercy, receives mercy, from the ocean of mercy, Kṛṣṇa, and he pours it over this saṁsāra-dāvānala.
Rain (SB Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"rain"
|"rainbow"
|"rainbows"
|"raincloud"
|"rainclouds"
|"raincoat"
|"raindrops"
|"rained"
|"rainfall"
|"rainfalls"
|"raining"
|"rainmakers"
|"rains"
|"rainstorm"
|"rainwater"
|"rainy"
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
"O my dear Govinda! Because I do not see You, therefore every moment is appearing to Me as twelve years." Yuga means twelve years. "Every second is appearing to be a long duration of time." Everyone, you have got experience. If you love somebody and if you are expecting your lover, every moment you think, "Oh, it is full one day." You see. This is due to love. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa. Nimeṣa means a moment. "My dear Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, a moment is appearing to Me as long as twelve years." Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam: "And My tears pouring water just like torrents of rain." That means He's crying, "Hā Kṛṣṇa, I could not see You." Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitaṁ śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvam: "Oh, I see the whole world void and vacant." You see. He does not see anything. He sees everything void. Just like if you have lost anything beloved, you don't see anything; you see everything is gone. So śūnyāyitaṁ ja... How? Why? Govinda-viraheṇa me. Viraha means separation. "On account of separation." So this should be the only cause, that you cannot tolerate the separation of Govinda. That is love.
So if you regularly chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then the result will be ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), our heart will be cleansed. Because we are in unclean heart, therefore we cannot understand what is God. But if your heart becomes cleansed, then any position, you will be able to understand what is God. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. And as soon as your heart is cleansed, your these material tribulations, the threefold miserable condition of this material world... It is compared with the forest fire. So forest fire is not very easy to extinguish, but it can be... There is process. That is God's arrangement. When there is rain from the sky, the forest fire is extinguished. Similarly, when mercy from Kṛṣṇa comes, your blazing fire of material existence will be extinguished. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā... (CC Antya 20.12). Then real spiritual life begins. So long you are disturbed materially, there is no possibility. But these material disturbances cannot be subsided by your concocted method. It can be subsided by the mercy bestowed by Kṛṣṇa. That is the process. Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. So spiritual life is real life. Material life is not real. Material life is temporary. So everyone can be situated in the spiritual life, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktiḥ (SB 1.2.6), simply by being situated in the devotional service of the Lord. Yato bhaktiḥ. Bhakti required.
Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī inquired that "I do not want this. I do not want this. But why they are imposed upon me?" This is very intelligent question. "If there is any solution?" That is intelligence, not temporary mitigation of... Temporary... Weather... Just like it is summer or winter. Anyway. Summer, in the summer we are suffering, scorching heat. At that time we are hankering after some cool place. And during winter we are suffering from chilly cold, rain. So these thing will go on. So long you are in the material world, you cannot avoid it. Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī inquired, "Why these things give me trouble, although I do not want them?" This is very intelligent. "If there is any solution?"
Then this verse explains... Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yat (SB 1.2.8). (Aside:) Please take the child. So this formula is that you may execute your occupational duties first class, svanuṣṭhitaḥ, as it is prescribed, very nicely, regularly, faithfully. You are discharging your occupational duties. But if it does not awaken your dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is useless. Śrama eva hi kevalam. Because the human life is meant for awakening Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our consciousness is now polluted. Just like the rain water. As soon as it falls down on the ground, it becomes muddy. Otherwise, the rain water is distilled water, very nice, clear, crystal water. But as soon as it touches the ground, it becomes dirty immediately. Similarly, originally, we are all Kṛṣṇa conscious because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Kṛṣṇa says, "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel." Just like the son is the part and parcel of the father, for crude understanding, so we are also similarly part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa.
- mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
- jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
- manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
- prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
- (BG 15.7)
As soon as it comes in touch with this material world, it is contaminated.
The same example: Just like rain water falling from the sky is crystal clear distilled water, but as soon as it comes in touch with the ground, it becomes muddy, dirty. So at the present moment our consciousness is dirty. Abhadra. It is stated in Bhāgavata in one place, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi (SB 1.2.17). Abhadrāṇi, the dirty things within the heart, hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ, within the heart. We have got so many dirty things within the heart. Now, how it has grown? Due to our contact with the material nature. This is our disease. Another place in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. Sad-asat means nice body or very abominable body. You may get a very nice body—learned, scholar, beautiful, very aristocratic—or you may take a body of the worm of the stool. You have to change your body, and there are 8,400,000 different forms of body.
Of course, crying is there, just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to cry. But that stage is very, very high. It is not possible. You are crying, but next moment you are engaged in ordinary thing, that crying is artificial. One who can cry for Kṛṣṇa, he becomes mad, just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Govinda-viraheṇa me. Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat-sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. He says, crying, "Everything is now over. There is I cannot see Kṛṣṇa." So that crying is different crying. Not that in the meeting I cry, and, next moment, I am now dry, "I want this, I want that..." But that not crying. Cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śunyāyitaṁ jagat-sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa. Caitanya cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam, just like torrents of rain falls from the sky, so govinda-viraheṇa, on account of separation from Govinda, cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam, śunyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa.
There is no defect. When God created this world, he created it perfect. Take, for example, we require water. So in every planet there is sufficient water, these oceans and seas. And they are very nicely preserved, adding with, what is called? Salt? What is the chemical name? Sodium...?
Devotee: Chloride.
Prabhupāda: Sodium chloride. Sodium chloride is preservative. So the water is preserved, mixing with sodium chloride. Just see how perfect arrangement. And the water is evaporated on the sky by distillation, making sodium chloride separated from the water. Distillation means to take the pure water, distilled water. Now, the distilled water is taken on the sky, and as rain it drops on the ground, and it is stored on the mountain-hill. Gradually, the whole year, the water is coming down in this shape of river, and supply is there. First of all, the whole land is moistened with water by rainfall. Then portion, and some of the water is preserved in Iceland, in the shape of ice.
Just like Kṛṣṇa lifted the mountain, giri-bara-dhārī. Jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-bihārī gopī-jana-vallabha giri-bara-dhārī. When there was torrents of rain, Vṛndāvana was being overflooded, and all the inhabitants became so much disturbed. They were seeing to, looking to Kṛṣṇa, because they did not know anything beyond Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, I am lifting this mountain. Let it become a big umbrella of the whole state, or whole village." The atheist will say these are all stories. No. They're not stories. Because God is supreme, He is supreme physist, He knows how to make this mountain weightless. He knows the art. Just like so many gigantic planets are floating in the sky. That is a fact. Now who is floating? You cannot float even a small thing in the air, but such gigantic... Not only one, millions and trillions, they are floating. Who has made it possible, floating? So, God can do that. Therefore He is called all-powerful, the great.
Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yajante anya-devatāḥ. Kāma, kā. What is that? Hṛta-jñānāḥ. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.20). We have read, we have discussed, that if you want, if you want to fulfill this desire, then you worship this demigod. If you want to be beautiful, then you worship Umā. If you want money, then you worship Prajāpati, the treasurer of the demigods, Kuvera. And in this way there are different recommendations. But the conclusion is that Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ: (BG 7.20) this material kāma, lust, desires, for this purpose they go, they worship different demigods. There is no necessity. Kṛṣṇa stopped demigod worship. To His father, when His father was going to arrange a festival for worshiping Indra, and He stopped it. The father was so affectionate: "Oh, Kṛṣṇa doesn't want it. All right, stop it." But Indra became very angry. "Who is this boy, stopping my worship?" So he wanted to show his power. So for seven days torrents of rain. And Kṛṣṇa showed His power. He lifted the Govardhana Hill, giri-vara-dhārī, Govardhana Hill to protect the Vṛndāvana vāsī. Then he came to his senses, that "He's not ordinary cowherd boy. I'm... He's my master." Then he...
So similarly, there are six changes of this material world also, because it is also material product. So as I and you enter in our body, similarly viṣṭabhya aham, Kṛṣṇa says He enters within this material world. Therefore the creation takes place, it grows, it gives off so many by-products, and then again there will be destruction. It is said at the time of destruction, first of all there will be no rain, no rain for hundreds of years. So everything will dry up and die, practically by continuous sunshine. And it is said the sunshine will be very, very powerful. Twelve times powerful. So everything will be ablaze, blazing into fire. Then there will be rain. As we have experience, after excessive heat, there is cloud and rain, so there will be rain, and everything will be absorbed into water, and the water will be evaporated. In this way, this material world, cosmic manifestation will be no more. Again there will be creation, mahat-tattva. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). That is stated in the... This material world comes into existence and stays for some time, again becomes annihilated.
This is the proposition, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Otherwise, these changes of Manu, changes of millennium, changes of devastation... In every... Manvantara. At the end of Manu, there is another devastation. Pralaya-samplave, cākṣuṣodadhi-samplave. After the span of life of Cākṣuṣa Manu, there is another inundation. And then again everything comes out gradually and the water dries. Just like you see the Pacific Ocean, it is drying. Of course, we shall not live, but if hundreds years after, if somebody comes here, he will see that the Los Angeles city has expanded and the Pacific Ocean has diminished. This is going on. In this way, one day will be, there will be no Pacific Ocean. And therefore, without water, everyone will die. Simply sunshine, bright sunshine. So then again, as there is after bright sunshine there is cloud and rain, similarly, again there will be rain. Then again there will be water. Samplave, inundation. This is going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This material world, these scientists, the rascal scientists, they are trying to save it, "How to run on our motorcar, how our grandchildren who are coming, how they will drive this motorcar." They are thinking and trying to find out some energy. But the rascals, they do not know where they are going. He is thinking for the future grandchildren. What is the relationship with grandchildren? There are so many living entities, they are coming and going. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).
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 gradually the food grains like rice, wheat, milk, and sugar will disappear. In this way, in the Kali-yuga, prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. In this age, people will be of short duration of life; manda, very slow; sumanda-matayaḥ, accepting some rubbish theology. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ (SB 1.1.10), almost all of them are unfortunate. Manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ: over and above that, they will be disturbed, especially by lack of rain, lack of..., scarcity of food grains, and overtaxed by the government, so much so that people will give up their hearth and home and go to the forest and hills in disappointment and confusion. So these are the symptoms of Kali-yuga, gradually degrading.
How is that? The incidence is that he was performing the śrāddha ceremony of his father, but he had a girlfriend, prostitute. So he wanted to go there very quickly. So somehow or other he finished. And he wanted to go there. But on the road he found that it was very heavily raining and he had to cross the river. So he did everything. And he... The prostitute was... She thought that "Bilvamaṅgala is not coming today. It is very..., so much raining." So when she saw that Bilvamaṅgala is at the door, she was astonished. She said, "Bilvamaṅgala, how did you come here in this rainy, torrents of rainy...?" So he disclosed everything that how he catched one dead body in the river, then he crossed the river, then he jumped over the wall. So she was astonished, and she simply said, "Oh, this much affection if you would have with Kṛṣṇa, how you would have been... Your life would have been nice." Immediately it was... "Oh, Kṛṣṇa...?" Immediately, he left everything. Immediately he left everything and went to Vṛndāvana. He is... So Kṛṣṇa is so nice. Just at the right point He will remind. Yatate ca tataḥ. Here, in the Bhagavad-gītā, yatate ca tato bhūyaḥ saṁsiddhau kuru-nandana, pūrvābhyāsena. He was accustomed, so immediately reminded, immediately.
Pradyumna: "In the last millennium I was born as the son of a certain maidservant engaged in the service of brāhmaṇas, who were following the principles of Vedānta. When they were living together during the four months of the rainy season, I was engaged in their personal service."
Prabhupāda:
- ahaṁ purātīta-bhave 'bhavaṁ mune
- dāsyās tu kasyāścana veda-vādinām
- nirūpito bālaka eva yogināṁ
- śuśrūṣaṇe prāvṛṣi nirvivikṣatām
- (SB 1.5.23)
So this is the previous life history of Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni is explaining about his previous life to Vyāsadeva. What was the previous life? The son of a maidservant. Maidservant means śūdrāṇī, not born of a brāhmaṇa family. Low class, maidservant. So from this position, Nārada Muni became the greatest muni. He is describing his own life.
So this Nārada Muni's history is very interesting, that he was not educated, a boy, and not coming from cultured family—maidservant's son. The only qualification was that nirūpito bālaka eva yoginām. He was engaged as a boy servant to the yogis. So how he got this opportunity? That is here: śuśrūṣaṇe. Śuśrūṣaṇe means in service; prāvṛṣi, during the rainy season. Because saintly persons, mendicants, sannyāsīs, their business is to travel. Travel. When, of course, something established, then a sannyāsī can rest, paramahaṁsa stage. When there are many disciples, workers, it is going on, then he can take rest. Otherwise it is the business of the sannyāsī to travel.
So these yogis, or the sannyāsīs, they were traveling all over the world or all over the country or all over the province... Their business is traveling. But during rainy season, because it is very difficult... Formerly, there was no airplane. Or might be, but they were not traveling, walking. So for these four months, rainy season, they used to take shelter at a nice place in a pilgrimage and wait. Until the rainy season is finished, they would not go out. That is called cāturmāsya. This is the meaning of cāturmāsya. So Nārada Muni got this opportunity. Now, you can calculate. This is knowledge. Then he had the opportunity to serve these yogis for four months only. Not more than that. And he became Nārada. Just understand how much powerful is service to the Vaiṣṇavas, devotees.
So this is Kṛṣṇa's concern, to reclaim all these fallen souls. Therefore these are the opportunity. The yoginīs, the yoginaḥ, they are traveling all over the world. Only during the rainy season they were resting. Not that in other seasons eating and sleeping only. No. Because in the rainy season, to travel, there is inconvenience, therefore only four months. So during the four months, wherever they stay, simply being served by somebody as, like a boy servant, they become delivered. There was no question of preaching. Simply giving the opportunity to serve, the fallen souls become delivered. But you must be competent, not to take service for nothing. Then you'll go to hell. If you are actually in spiritual position, then by giving others little opportunity to serve you, he'll be delivered. No question of understanding the philosophy. A devotee must be so perfect. The system is, therefore, as soon as one sees a devotee, he falls down and takes the..., touches the feet. This is the system. Because by touching the feet... Mahat-pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam. If one is actually elevated to the spiritual life and he is, mean, takes, the people takes the opportunity of touching his lotus feet, then he becomes devotee. This is the process.
Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). This is the facility of this age, Kali-yuga. This is the only facility. In Kali-yuga you cannot perform meditation or perform big, big sacrifices, as they are mentioned in the Vedas. Or you cannot perform even Deity worship very nicely. There are so many flaws. Everything is very difficult. And charity... And there are so many. Śamena damena dānena tyāgena. So where is the money I shall...? There is no money even to feed me. I am eating... This morning I do not know what shall I eat in the evening. This is the position at the present moment. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ, kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ. The life is also very short duration, and so many disturbances. Not only disturbance of the Kali-yuga, but the disturbance by the government also, by the demigods. There is scorching heat, there is severe cold. And ati-vṛṣṭi, sometimes more than we want, there is rainfall. Sometimes there is no rainfall. And in this way there is scarcity of foodstuff. Anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa, and taxation. These are the disturbances. So many. One side, taxation by the government, another side, by nature there is scarcity of food and there is scarcity of rain.
Pradyumna: Translation: "Thus during two seasons, the rainy season and autumn, I had the opportunity to hear these great-souled sages constantly chant the unadulterated glories of the Lord Hari. As my devotional service began, the coverings of the modes of passion and ignorance vanished."
Prabhupāda:
- itthaṁ śarat-prāvṛṣikāv ṛtū harer
- viśṛṇvato me 'nusavaṁ yaśo 'malam
- saṅkīrtyamānaṁ munibhir mahātmabhir
- bhaktiḥ pravṛttātma-rajas-tamopahā
- (SB 1.5.28)
Ātma-rajas-tamopahā. This is the perfection of life. We are now covered by the modes of material nature, tri-guṇamayī, three guṇas: sattva, rajas, tamas. So mukti means to get out of this entanglement of three guṇas. That is called mukti. We are suffering different modes of material nature. We have several times explained, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. There are different types of bodies. From specie point of view, there are 8,400,000 forms. And they are due to these material modes of nature. I have several times explained. There are three modes of material nature, and if you mix, three into three, it becomes nine, and nine into nine equal to eighty-one. So little more or less, there are 8,400,000 species of life. So in order to get out of this repetition of birth and death, we require to be freed from the influence of the modes of material nature. That is the perfection of life.
So here Nārada Muni says that "During the four months..." In India there are six seasons. There is summer season, and there is spring. There is autumn. Then there is winter, there is fall. In this way, there are six seasons. So the saintly persons, in the, during the autumn and rainy season, they keep together; they do not move. Because saintly persons, sannyāsīs, their business is to move... Gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām, mahad-vicalanam. Mahad-vicalanam. Mahat means mahātmā, great souls. Great soul means not crippled souls, those who are anxious to meet the great, or the Supreme Brahman, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Those who are crippled souls, they are entangled with the limited circle of material enjoyment. But mahātmā... Mahātmā is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Mahātmās are not interested within this material world. They are not under the influence of the external energy. Of course, nowadays it is... Sometimes politicians are called "mahātmā." But that is not the purpose of mahātmā. Mahātmā is not interested with politics or sociology or... They are all material things. Or philanthropy. They are interested with the Supreme: Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). They're interested. Especially mahātmā is he who is interested with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇasya... Mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet. (break) This is the advantage of this age, Kali-yuga. We have got many disadvantages. (break) People are implicated in sinful activities, more and more trouble. And it will be exhibited, there will be no food grains, no milk, no sugar. These things will be completely absent. Now you are getting. In the later age it will be not possible to get them. And there will be scarcity of food, scarcity of rain. Anāvṛṣṭi durbhikṣa. And other side, taxation, heavy taxation. So we should be very alert in the matter of preparing ourself back to home, back to Godhead. Otherwise, if we take birth again and again, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), then we have to suffer some.
We were discussing this verse yesterday. Anartha. This anartha means this material civilization. There is no need, and still we have accepted it. That is called anartha, meaningless. So there are hundreds and thousands of anarthas, as it is stated that śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2). Sahasraśaḥ means thousands and thousands. Because we have created anartha, unnecessary necessities of life, therefore we have to know, we have to learn, we have to teach so many unwanted... Just like there is a problem now, especially in the Western countries, unwanted population. They do not want, but it is increasing. Similarly, unwanted necessities. This is called anartha. Simple thing. Just like we require some food. That is essential. We cannot live without taking food. That is not possible. So Kṛṣṇa is giving very simple formula, that annād bhavanti bhūtāni. If there is sufficient quantity of anna, or eatables, then people become very nice, well-satisfied, either animal or man. If he can eat sufficiently, he's satisfied. So annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Bhavanti means flourish. He becomes healthy, he becomes strong, and he can think nicely, he can work nicely. So anna is required. But simple method is given how anna is produced. That is also given, annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. If there is sufficient rain, then you can easily produce food grain. Just like this year, the rain is sufficient; everywhere we go it is green. Green means sufficient food for the animals. And if the field is very soft, you can till it and you can get easily, very nicely, foodstuff. Therefore parjanya, water, rain, is required. Parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14). And by performing yajña there will be cloud and rain.
That was the... Yajña is required. In this age, Kali-yuga, it is very difficult to perform the Vedic ritualistic yajñas. It requires tons of ghee and food grains. And people have nothing to eat even. But śāstra has made it very easy. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). If you perform the saṅkīrtana-yajña, then it is as good any other yajña. Yajña means to satisfy the yajña-puruṣa, Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu. So in the Kali-yuga, simply by performing yajñas you can satisfy the Supreme Lord. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. We have seen in many places by performing yajña, the saṅkīrtana-yajña, where it was very dry, rain has fallen. This is practical. So things are very easy. But instead of producing food grains, we are producing Goodyear tires. So how we can eat? Now when there is scarcity of foodstuff you cannot eat the Goodyear tires. But people's attention has been diverted in the industrial activities. They are given allurement, "Come here. I shall give you twenty rupees per day. You give up your agricultural activities. You come in the factory. Produce tire tube, iron stool," and so on so on. So we are violating the orders of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says that produce foodgrain. But we are producing unnecessary things. And therefore you are suffering. Kṛṣṇa is giving very good advice: annād bhavanti bhūtāni. You produce sufficient foodgrain, all over, not only here. Another anartha is this nationalism. Nationalism: "This is America," "This is India," "This is Africa," "This is Australia." Why? Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Simple thing. Everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsya. There will be no scarcity. I have studied very thoroughly that there are sufficient land still without any cultivation. In Africa I have seen sufficient land. But they are utilizing it for producing coffee and tea. No food grains. So these are the anarthas. Anartha. Unnecessary. People will not die without coffee and tea. But they have made the whole world self-dependent on coffee and tea, mercantile policy. There is anartha.
That madness wanted. Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa: one moment appears to be one yuga. One yuga means twelve years. So yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam. Crying. There is tears in the eyes like the torrents of rain. Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā... Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvam. "I feel the whole world is vacant." Why? Govinda-viraheṇa me. This madness is wanted. Without Govinda, that madness. So that madness (was) fully exhibited in Vṛndāvana by the gopīs. They were mad after Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa left Vṛndāvana, went to Mathurā, they became so mad that they had no other business than cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam, simply crying torrents of rain. That is wanted. That is Vṛndāvana life. Not that seeking after sex in Vṛndāvana. That is... That means such person will have to take birth as monkey next life. Monkey. Because they have taken shelter of Vṛndāvana, and still they're indulging, monkey's business, so they have to... It is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇaḥ (SB 10.14.8). In Vṛndāvana the land, transcendental land, that will not go in vain. But these persons who are indulging unnecessary sex life in Vṛndāvana, they'll have to take birth as monkeys in Vṛndāvana, and then next life they'll be liberated. So otherwise, why in Vṛndāvana the monkeys? They are also devotees, but they could not proceed nicely. So animal life means stopping sinful activities, and whatever sinful reaction is there in one life finished. We should be very, very careful. Dhāma, dhāma-aparādha. In the dhāma... In other places if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, the result of such chanting will be increased thousand times if you chant in Vṛndāvana. Similarly, in other place, the sinful activities, if you commit that sinful activity in Vṛndāvana, then it will be thousand times increased. So we have to be very careful.
That is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). Now kara-pīḍita, taxation. This is śāstra. Five thousand years ago this Bhāgavata was written, and he has given, Vyāsadeva has given the symptoms of Kali-yuga. One of the symptoms is this, that in the Kali-yuga people will be so much embarrassed by three things. One thing there will be no rain, scarcity of rain. And naturally there will be scarcity of... Durbhikṣa. Durbhikṣa means you will not be able to get anything by begging also. Bhikṣa, bhikṣa means if I have no subsistence, I have no means to eat, I go to... (break) Even if I beg, I become a beggar, there will be no supplies. Especially these things will be no supply: rice, wheat, sugar, and other things, there are mentioned. It is all particularly mentioned. And we are experiencing. You were telling that rice is not available. Where it is? Huh? Poland. I have seen in Moscow, you cannot get any fruit, you cannot get rice, you cannot get wheat. You can get only flesh, meat. And milk is available. These things. So now already it has begun, and ultimately as the Kali-yuga advances and people become very much advanced in denying the existence of God, nirākāra, these things will come. Wait for that punishment. Durbhikṣa, anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). And as soon as there will be scarcity of food, the government men will take advantage of it: "Now we have to supply food." "Where is food?" "No, you give me money, we shall purchase from importer." The taxation. One side, I am suffering—no food; another side—whatever money I have got, it will be taken by taxation. Now see what is your position. The position will be people will become mad, so much troubled. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam. People will be so much harassed that voluntarily they'll give up their family, home, and go to the forest, hopeless. This will be done. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a joke, is a jugglery. It is the only remedy if you want to save yourself. Otherwise, you are doomed. Don't take it, I mean to say, as a joke. It is a fact.
So the heat increased. Radiation heat increased. One weapon was released by Aśvatthāmā, another by Arjuna to counteract, and the heat was so terrible that dahyamānāḥ prajāḥ sarvāḥ, all the inhabitants of different planets, they felt the great heat produced by two brahmāstras. And sāṁvartakam amaṁsata. The sāṁvartaka fire is explained in the śāstra, that in the Kali-yuga... At the last there will be Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga there will be no rainfall. So everything will dry. Not this Kali-yuga, but at the end of the universal life there will be great fire all over the universe. That is called sāṁvartaka. And everything will be ablaze. This fire will take place on account of the heat increase of the sun. It is said that the present temperature of the sun will be increased twelve times, so naturally there will be fire. As we know, sometimes there is forest fire. Similarly, the fire will take place, and everything will be burned into ashes. Then there will be rain. After heat... You have got experience when the atmosphere is too hot, then the rain falls. Same process. When everything will be burned into ashes there will be rain, torrents of rain, and it is said just like the trunk of the elephant, the rainfall will be like that. So everything will be covered with water. That is annihilation. Pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedam **. Then there will be pralaya, and by the grace of the Lord the Vedas will be saved. Keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare.
So the heat increased. Radiation heat increased. One weapon was released by Aśvatthāmā, another by Arjuna to counteract, and the heat was so terrible that dahyamānāḥ prajāḥ sarvāḥ, all the inhabitants of different planets, they felt the great heat produced by two brahmāstras. And sāṁvartakam amaṁsata. The sāṁvartaka fire is explained in the śāstra, that in the Kali-yuga... At the last there will be Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga there will be no rainfall. So everything will dry. Not this Kali-yuga, but at the end of the universal life there will be great fire all over the universe. That is called sāṁvartaka. And everything will be ablaze. This fire will take place on account of the heat increase of the sun. It is said that the present temperature of the sun will be increased twelve times, so naturally there will be fire. As we know, sometimes there is forest fire. Similarly, the fire will take place, and everything will be burned into ashes. Then there will be rain. After heat... You have got experience when the atmosphere is too hot, then the rain falls. Same process. When everything will be burned into ashes there will be rain, torrents of rain, and it is said just like the trunk of the elephant, the rainfall will be like that. So everything will be covered with water. That is annihilation. Pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedam **. Then there will be pralaya, and by the grace of the Lord the Vedas will be saved. Keśava dhṛta-mīna-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare.
So this is false. Even if you become very much proud that you are a very learned brāhmaṇa or very advanced sannyāsī, that is not your freedom. You are not yet liberated. You are still in conditional life. Then? When you become liberated? That is stated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). This is liberation. Gopī-bhartuḥ, the maintainer of the gopīs, Gopījana-vallabha. Kṛṣṇa's business is how to please the gopīs, the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana. As the vṛndāvana-vāsīs, they have no other business than to love Kṛṣṇa, similarly, Kṛṣṇa has no other business than to please the gopīs and the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Gopījana-vallabha. So how...? Why Kṛṣṇa is so much attached to vṛndāvana-vāsīs? As soon as there was some difficulty—we read it from Bhāgavatam—as soon as there is some fire... The vṛndāvana-vāsīs, they do not know anyone but Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa devours the fire. As soon as there is torrents of rain, Vṛndāvana was going to be overflooded, Kṛṣṇa immediately came to their rescue and lifted the Govardhana Hill: "Come under Me." That is Gopī-jana-vallabha. They do not know anything. They do not know even that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But they do not like to love anybody than Kṛṣṇa. This is their only qualification. They did not love Kṛṣṇa understanding that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12). They did not know this. But they did not like to love even Viṣṇu than Kṛṣṇa. That is their qualification. Gopī-jana-vallabha.
What Kṛṣṇa says, that is practical. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. "How we shall get anna? There is no rain." You see nowadays, there is no rain. Why? Because you are, we are all rascals. We do not know how to get rain. Kṛṣṇa says, parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ: "There will be food grains when there is sufficient rain." And how rain there will be? Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ: (BG 3.14) "And if you perform yajña, then there will be sufficient rain." So nowadays you, people may say, "How to perform yajña? It requires so much money, so much ghee, so much food grains to offer as oblations." But Kṛṣṇa has made it very easy. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ. I know, the śāstras know that in the Kali-yuga it will be very difficult to perform the ritualistic yajña ceremony because people will be poor, poverty-stricken. Where they will get ghee, and where they will get grains? No. This is yajña: kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). This is yajña.
What Kṛṣṇa says, that is practical. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. "How we shall get anna? There is no rain." You see nowadays, there is no rain. Why? Because you are, we are all rascals. We do not know how to get rain. Kṛṣṇa says, parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ: "There will be food grains when there is sufficient rain." And how rain there will be? Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ: (BG 3.14) "And if you perform yajña, then there will be sufficient rain." So nowadays you, people may say, "How to perform yajña? It requires so much money, so much ghee, so much food grains to offer as oblations." But Kṛṣṇa has made it very easy. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ. I know, the śāstras know that in the Kali-yuga it will be very difficult to perform the ritualistic yajña ceremony because people will be poor, poverty-stricken. Where they will get ghee, and where they will get grains? No. This is yajña: kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). This is yajña.
Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya. Sṛṣṭi means creation and sthiti means maintenance and pralaya means destruction. These three things nature can do. Just like this creation, material creation is natural, nature, cosmic manifestation. It is being maintained. By nature's mercy, we are getting sunlight, we are getting air, we are getting rains and thereby we are growing our food, eating nicely, growing nicely. This maintenance also being done by nature, But at any time everything can be finished simply by one strong wind. Nature is so powerful. So for killing these demons, nature is already there. Of course, nature is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). So if Kṛṣṇa says that these demons may be killed, then nature's one blast, one strong wind will, can kill millions of them.
So, avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ. Kāma. Kāma means desire. Just like so many scientists they are researching for new food, just like our scientist friend was talking this morning. Then what is new food? Food is already there, allotted by Kṛṣṇa, that "You are this animal, your food is this. You are this animal, your food is this." So, so far human being is concerned, their food is also designated, that you take prasādam. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. It is the duty of the human being to accept prasādam. Prasādam means foodstuffs which is offered to Kṛṣṇa first. This is civilization. If you say, "Why should I offer?" that is uncivilized. It is gratefulness. If you offer to Kṛṣṇa, then you are conscious that these foodstuffs, these grains, these fruits, these flowers, this milk, it is given by Kṛṣṇa. I cannot produce it. In my factory I cannot produce all these things. Anything one uses, nobody can produce, it is given by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. This kāmān. We are desiring and Kṛṣṇa is supplying. Without His supply you cannot get it. Just like in our India, after independence the leaders thought, "Now we have got independence we shall increase the tractors and other agricultural implements and we will get enough food." Now at the present moment, since two years, there is scarcity of water. There is no rainfall. So these tractors are now crying. You see? It is useless. Simply by so-called tractors, implements, you cannot produce, unless there is favor by Kṛṣṇa. He must supply water, that for want of... Recently the news is that people are so exasperated that they went to the secretary, they demanded food, and the result was they were shoot, shot down. Yes, so many people died. So actually, although we have got this arrangement that one has to work, but that work is simple. If you remain Kṛṣṇa conscious... That, after all, Kṛṣṇa is supplying the foodstuffs. That's a fact. Every religion accepts that. Just like in Bible it is said, "God give us our daily bread." That's a fact. God is giving. That you are..., you cannot manufacture bread. You can, you can manufacture bread in the bakery house, but the..., who will supply you the wheat? That is supplied by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān.
There is another nice verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: samāśritā ye pada-pallavam-plavam. Just like in the current... The currents are in the ocean. So if you get a nice boat. then you can cross over the currents very nicely. So it is recommended: samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavam. You have seen the lotus petal. That is also just like boat. Is it not? Like small boat, imitation. So if you get the help of the pada-pallavam, the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, bhavam, then by that petal boat, bhavāmbudhir, this great ocean of birth and death, vatsa-padam, it becomes just like the water contained in the hole created by the hoof of a calf. Vatsa-padam. You have no experience, but in India, during rainy season, the roads become muddy and the cows and the calves go. They have got holes created, and there is some water. So such vatsa-padam water, you can jump over, at a time, one dozen. So similarly, this great ocean of bhavāmbudhir, birth and death, although it is very great for others, for a devotee, it becomes like that hole. He can jump over one dozen at a time. Bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padam. Then, by that way, he attains the paraṁ padam, the supreme abode. Then what about this world? Now this world is padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). It is simply full of dangers at every step. Na teṣām, not for the devotees. This is not a, this not the place for the devotees. This is for the persons who are suffering, kliśyamānānām. Therefore Kuntī-devī is suggesting "This is the medicine for your suffering." Take it and be happy. Thank you very much. (end)
So here Kuntīdevī is very much anxious that Kṛṣṇa will be absent. But the effect will be, when Kṛṣṇa will be absent physically, He will be more, I mean to say, accurately present within the mind of the devotee. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching is that vipralambha-sevā. By His practical life. He's finding out Kṛṣṇa. Govinda-viraheṇa me. Śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. What is that verse? Cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam, cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam, śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me. He's crying like torrents of rain coming out of the eyes, and He's feeling everything vacant for want of Kṛṣṇa, separation. Vipralambha. So sambhoga and vipralambha. There are two stages of meeting Kṛṣṇa. Sambhoga means when He's personally present. That is called sambhoga. Personally talking, personally meeting, personally embracing, that is called sambhoga. And there is another, vipralambha. The two ways a devotee can be benefited.
So how God is providing everyone with everything. We require light, we require heat. Just like in ordinary life also, in the state there is heating department, lighting department, plumbing department. Why? These are the amenities we require. So why don't you see that these arrangements are already there. Unless... These arrangements are subordinate. The first arrangement is God's arrangement. God supply you water by rain. You catch up and then you supply in the water-works. Without rain you cannot have any water. Therefore original supplier is God. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He's person. He has got brain. He knows that all of them will require everything, such and such thing—heat, light, water. Without water you cannot produce foodstuff. Even the animal eaters, without God's arrangement, how he can eat animal? The animal also must be provided with food, with grass; then you can take it to the slaughterhouse by your expert intelligence. God is supplying food. Still you are creating a rebellious condition. That's an avani-dhruk. These rascals who are going against the law of God, they're rebellious. So they're rebellious. The king's duty is to see as representative of Kṛṣṇa, as representative of God. Otherwise he, what right he has got to take so much honor from the citizens? He has no right. And because the kings, formerly every country there were kings, monarchy, they violated, they rebelled against God, they became themselves God, that "I have got so much property, kingdom. I am God. I am the Lord of all I survey." So when they usurped the power of God, the all monarchies in the world is now finished. Because they did not act as representative of God. They thought their personal property, the kingdom. No. That is not actually fact. Fact is everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1).
We become debtor to the demigods as soon as we are born on this earth. As a human being, not as cats and dogs. Cats and dogs, they are not debtor to anyone because they have no sense, nonsense. So first of all we become debtor to the demigods—the sun, moon, the Indra, Candra and many others. So how we become debtor? Because the sun is giving sunshine. We are taking advantage of the sunshine. Unless there was sunshine, you could not live even. Sunshine is so important. It is said that little this side or that side of the orbit of the sun makes the whole world frozen or blazing. Sun is so important thing. It has got an orbit. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Sun is very powerful planet, very important planet, of all the other planets. Rājā, it is the king of planets. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā: the sun is the king of all planets. Because without sun all planets will be frozen, or if the sun becomes too much bright, then everything will be ablaze. At the last stage of annihilation the whole universe will be ablaze by the scorching heat of the sun, and then there will be torrents of rain. For one hundred years the whole universe will remain ablaze. And then for one hundred years there will be heavy rain. In this way the creation will be annihilated.
Then because he was so perfect king, then, a representative of Kṛṣṇa, therefore, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Parjanyaḥ means rainfall. So rainfall is the basic principle of supply of all necessities of life, rainfall. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ (BG 3.14). If you want to make people happy, both man and animal... There are animals also. They are... These rascal state executive, sometimes they make a show of benefit for the men but no benefit for the animal. Why? Why this injustice? They are also born in this land. They are also living entity. They may be animals. They have no intelligence. They have intelligence, not as good as of man, but does it mean that regular slaughterhouse should be constructed for killing them? Is that justice? And not only that, but anyone, if he comes to the state, the king should give him shelter. Why distinction? Anyone takes shelter, "Sir, I want to live in your state," so he must be given all facilities. Why this, "No, no, you cannot come. You are American. You are Indian. You are this"? No. There are so many thing. If actually they follow the principle, the Vedic principles, then the ideal king will be a good leader. These are... And nature will help. Therefore it is said that during the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ sarva-kāma-dughā mahī (SB 1.10.4). Mahī, the earth. You get all your necessities from the earth. It does not fall from the sky. Yes, it falls from the sky in the form of rain. But they do not know the science, that how things are coming from earth by the different arrangement. Under certain conditions the rain falls and astral influence. Then so many things are produced, the valuable stones, the pearls. They do not know how these things are coming. So therefore, if the king is pious, to help him the nature also cooperates. And the king, if the government is impious, then nature will not cooperate. That we have also information in the Fourth Canto, I think. King? What is that? Pṛthu, Pṛthu Mahārāja, yes.
Nitāi: Pṛthu Mahārāja. When the earth was not supplying...
Prabhupāda: Yes. He was going to punish the earth. And he (she) said, "This is my duty. All the demons there are. I must restrict supply." So these people, they do not know. They think that simply by resolution in the Parliament they will make all, everything. And they may become all rascals. This will not make the world happy. They will simply deteriorate more and more. They do not know. Here it is said, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa also said, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Kṛṣṇa never says, "The factory will make the people healthy and strong," never says. And these rascals are after factories. Then how the people will be happy? Ugra-karma. Everyone will be unhappy, dissatisfied, rogue, bachelor growth. Where Kṛṣṇa has said that "Open factories for economic development"? Nowhere you will find, neither in the śāstra... Here it is said that all economic development will be complete simply by regular rainfall. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Kāmam means all necessities of life. They do not know. The modern people, scientists, philosophers, politicians, they do not know this. Kāmam. Kāmam means necessities of life. We have got so many things. But how it will be supplied? It is clearly said, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). And how parjanyaḥ will be regular? Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14). Where is that program? Where is yajña? In the Kali-yuga other yajñas are very difficult to perform. There is no money. There is no qualified brāhmaṇa. Therefore this yajña... Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Those who have got brain substance, not cow dung, they will take this process, yajñaiḥ. Let everyone chant Hare Kṛṣṇa home to home. Whatever they have got, all right. Just begin chanting. Just see what happens. We are trying to introduce this chanting. But the rascals will not take it. What can be done? There is no loss if they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa worldwide. Where is the loss? But still, they will not. And everything can be had. Sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. Mahī. Kṛṣṇa, He is... The mother... Kṛṣṇa, how He has arranged this mahī? Everything is coming. Actually you will find that the rose flower is coming, the mine is coming, the gold is coming, the coal is coming, the petrol is coming. Everything is there in the mahī. And who has arranged it? Just see. Sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. And if there is regular waterfall, then you get everything supply. And by performing yajña, you get regular waterfall, rainfall. And in this age all other types of yajña is not possible.
We have got experience. In sometimes we find in this mango season profuse mango. People cannot end it by eating. And sometimes there is no mango. Why? The supply is in the hand of Kṛṣṇa through His agent, the material nature, this earth. The earth can produce profusely if people are honest, God conscious. There cannot be any scarcity. Therefore it is said that kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). God gives. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). So God, Kṛṣṇa, fulfills all our desires. Now in Bengal we are seeing some rains. In other parts of India, there is no rain. Last time I had been Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, all dry. People are... In Bombay also. People are very much unhappy. There is famine, declaration of famine. So if there is no parjanya, rains, then everything finished. Your so much, so many schemes, ten-years plan, five-years plan and so many plans, they will all dry up. The rascals, they do not know. And how parjanya becomes possible? Yajñād bhavati parjanyo parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. You perform yajña. There will be parjanya. The rain falling is not in your hand. You may be great scientist and calculate so much hydrogen and so much oxygen, mixed up, there is water. Now mix up and bring water where there is no rain.
So kāmaṁ parjanyaḥ, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Whatever you get, all the necessities of your life will be available if there is sufficient rain. Because after all, the earth produces... This is the system. There is rainfall, proper rainfall, and the earth produces. Not only food grains. Also jewels also, produced. Those who are astronomers, they know. Under certain constellation of the star, if the rain falls on the head of a snake, there is jewel. If the rain falls on the head of an elephant, there is jewel. Then in the sea also, the pearls, they are produced. It is all due to rains. So kāmaṁ vavarṣa. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa. We require so many things. Kṛṣṇa is prepared also to supply. Nature is there. But even Kṛṣṇa wants to supply, if you do not become devotee, nature will restrict, "No." That is the proof. When there was less supply... The Mahārāja Pṛthu wanted to kill Pṛthivī. She explained that "Why you are after me? It is my duty. Now there are only demons. I don't want to give food to the demons. I want to give foodstuff to the devotees." She said. So nature's restriction of supply will be there when people become demons, nondevotees. When people become demons, then nature will stop supply. There will be famine, pestilence. This is the way.
So Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was so pious that during his reign time, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). There was regular rainfall and everything was produced nicely. Sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. Sarva-kāma. The, another side is that you don't require industries, trade. You don't require. If you have got land and cow, then everything is complete. This is basic principle of Vedic civilization. Have some land. Have some cows. Dhānyena dhanavān gavayaḥ dhanavān. Not industry. There is no need of industry. Because you want some food, nice food, nice milk, nice fruit, that will be produced by nature. You cannot manufacture all these things in the factory. So therefore the..., at the present moment, the big, big factories, they are the activities of the asuras, ugra-karma. All the people are dragged in the city, industrial area, to engage them in the produce of iron bars, big, big iron bars, Tata iron industry, and so many other industry. Capitalists, they have drawn all the innocent people from the village. And they think that "We are getting fat salary." But what is the use of fat salary? One side you get fat salary; another side you have to purchase three rupees a kilo rice. Finish your salary. This is going on. Let them produce their own food. Let him have some land. Let him produce his own food. Let there be cows. Let cows become happy.
Therefore there must be some regulative principle to fulfill our desire. And how the regulative principles come to be fulfilled? Here it is said, kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Vavarṣa means showering, showering. And parjanyaḥ means rain. Parjanyaḥ, rain. So our all needs are showered from up. Therefore we pray. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. God. Rain is not under you control. Rain, it comes from sky, through the clouds. It is not under you control. When there is scarcity of rain, it is not your so-called science can produce rain. No. That is not possible. Drought. Drought, so many places, last two-three years. So kāmān, our necessities of life, from material point of view, it is fulfilled by rainfall from the sky. If there is no rainfall, you cannot produce anything. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa...
That was being maintained during the time of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. That is being described. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira maintained this standard of civilization. Just see how the economic problems will be solved simply by one movement, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Try to understand. Mahī. Because mahī will produce everything. Just like here in this Letchmore Heath there are so many, so much land lying vacant. You produce you own food. Why you are going to London, to the factories? There is no need. This is wrong civilization. Here is land. You produce your food. If you produce your food, there is no need of going hundred miles, fifty miles on your motorcycle or motor to earn your livelihood. Why? There is no need. Then you require petrol. And petrol there is scarcity. Then you require so many parts, so many That means you are making the whole thing complicated unnecessarily. Unnecessarily. There is no need. Simply you keep to the land and produce your food, and the cows are there. They will supply you milk. Then where is your economic problems. If you have sufficient grains, sufficient vegetables, sufficient milk from the land where you are living, where your economic problem? Why you should go to other place? That is Vedic civilization. Everyone should remain in the spot and produce everything as he requires, and God will help you. Because you can produce from the land anywhere. The rainfall is there. If you have got land and the rainfall is regular, then you can produce anything. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). And how the rainfall will be possible? How regular rainfall? That is described in the Bhāgavata. Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ (BG 3.14). Is there a Bhagavad-gītā here? Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ.
Prabhupāda: And parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. Parjanya means if there is waterfall, rainfall, then you can produce anna. Parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. One after another. You require foodgrains, and for producing foodgrains, you require sufficient rainfall. Parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. Then?
Pradyumna: Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ.
Prabhupāda: Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14). And the the rain supply be regular if you perform sacrifice. Therefore, what is that next?
Pradyumna: Yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ (BG 3.14).
Similarly the river, the river has its function to supply water all the year. During rainy season the water is collected on the top of the hill. It is stocked there by God's arrangement, and they come down. Just like we, by power pump, we get water down to the top of the roof and stock there. Similarly, on high level of hills and mountains water is stocked. Sometimes they are stocked in ice form, not in liquid form. So according to the seasonal changes the ice becomes melted and the water is supplied. It comes through the river. The same thing is there, but because we have now turned to become demons, the river sometimes overfloods, killing so many men and animals, at the loss. Actually everything is meant for kāmam, for supplying our necessities. And as soon as you are disobedient to God, demons, nature will give you punishment. Instead of supplying you water, water is there, it will overflood. You will be in trouble.
So yesterday we discussed about the profuse supply of milk. That is required. Luxury... Actually, luxury means nature's supply. You can have profuse supply of milk, grains. For dressing you can have profuse supply of silk, cotton. And for eating, profuse supply of grains, fruits, flowers. And for this profuse supply these are the means. The first thing is nadyaḥ, rivers. The stock of water is the ocean, and by evaporation, cloud is formed. Just like you pump water to the topmost floor. So Kṛṣṇa's pumping process is this cloud. Pumping process. He is, I mean to say, evaporating water throughout the whole summer season. And they are on the head, on the sky, and then the water is distributed all over the land. Parjanyaḥ. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ (SB 1.10.4). Because water is required. Just see how nice arrangement. And the water, whatever for the time being in the rainy season, is distributed. And for future supply it is stocked on the head of the hills and mountains. And from that hills and mountains the rivers—they are supposed to be water supply source—throughout the year will supply water. It is stocked on the head. The same principle. We simply imitate. We also keep a very big tank on the head of the house, and through pipe we get water supply. So here nature's pipe water supply is the big, big rivers, and the water is being supplied from the stock on the head. There are big, big lakes and it is supplied. The same process.
So nadyaḥ, samudrāḥ, and girayaḥ. Full cooperation. The stock is the samudrāḥ and the... Just see that such huge stock of water is salty. Why it is salty? It will never decompose. It will never decompose. But you cannot take the salty water. Therefore it is distilled by the sunshine, distilled. You take the distilled clear water. If you directly collect water from the rain, it is distilled water, without any contamination, without any dirty things, clear, very nice. Those who have, I mean to say, traveled by ship, you'll see the ocean and sea is so clear water that up to twenty feet you can see clear water. Clear water. The stock, the ocean water, it is very clear. So everything is nicely arranged. Simply they'll work nicely when you are obedient to God. Just like if you are a good citizen the government cooperation is full with you. But if you are outlaw, if you are rascal, if you are criminal, no supply, you go to jail. That's all. Try to understand. This is the arrangement.
In this material nature, or material world, we have got three kinds of sufferings, tri-tāpa-yantana. Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī inquired, "Why these three kinds of miseries inflict pains upon me?" Ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya. Tāpa-traya. Tāpa means painful condition, tāpa. Just like if you touch fire, it creates a painful condition by burning the part, similarly, this world is also a blazing fire, saṁsāra-dāvānala. The rascals, they do not know. They are always out of the three kinds of miserable condition. Everyone is in some way or other under these conditions. These conditions means it is... These kleśāḥ, painful conditions, they are created by three causes. What are those causes? Daiva-bhūtātma-hetavaḥ. Daiva means created by the demigods. Daiva. Devatā. Just like this rain department, water department, is under the control of Indra. So Indra can supply water just to your requirement, or sometimes he does not supply, or sometimes he supplies over, over requirement. Ativṛṣṭi, anāvṛṣṭi. Anāvṛṣṭi means no rain, and ativṛṣṭi means excessive. So we don't want excessive or less. We want just proper. So this is under the control of the devatā. You cannot say... You may be very great scientist. You cannot say that "It is under my control." When there is no rainfall, you cannot say, "All right, we are scientists. We are creating rain." You can theoretically say, "Now we are making progress. In future."
Therefore it is said, there are three kinds of miserable conditions: daiva, bhūta, ātmā. Daiva means adhidaivika, and bhūta means adhibhautika, and ātmā means adhyātmika. Three kinds of miseries. Adhyātmika, pertaining to your body and mind. Body, we have got, we have got experience, so many bodily troubles, anxieties. If not body, mental. These are called adhyātmika. Then adhibhautika. I am peaceful, but another neighbor, or another animal, will give me some trouble. I am peacefully sitting here, but these flies are giving me trouble unnecessarily. I have to take precaution. So there are flies, mosquitoes, at night so many other animals, they come. Besides that, my brother, my friend, they are also prepared to give me trouble. Some way or other, other living entities causing some painful condition. This is called adhibhautika. And adhidaivika. Daivika, painful condition created by the demigods. Just like there is hurricane all of a sudden. So many trees falls down, sometimes cottages devastated, overflood, excessive rain, overflood, famine, pestilence. You have no control. You cannot control. You can simply say, "In future." That's all. But there is no control.
So you have read in Bhāgavatam about the reign of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, how perfect it was. That at that time the cows were supplying so much milk, the bag was packed with milk, that where the cows were moving milk was dropping, and the pasture ground became muddy with milk, so much milk was being supplied. And it is said, sarva-kāma-dughā mahī. And exactly in right time, the right quantity of rainfall was there. Not like nowadays, sometimes there is no rain and there is sometimes excessive rain, flood. What the scientist can do? They cannot check. These regulative principles depend on nature. And nature is being conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
So Mahārāja Parīkṣit, when he saw that the principles of Kali-yuga, meaning adulteration, prostitution, animal-killing, drinking, intoxication, gambling, these things are coming gradually... Because the age Kali-yuga, this is Kali-yuga. Just like before winter there is some wind, very cold. One can understand, "Now winter is approaching." So of course, you cannot stop winter, but you be careful so that you may not catch cold, coughing. You dress yourself nicely, have warm cloth. It is no use fighting with the seasonal changes. That is not possible. Just like it is raining. It is no use to fight with the cloud and rain, stop it. That is not possible. But you can take raincoat, umbrella, so that you may not be affected. That is your business. So Kali-yuga has entered. Kali-yuga has entered all over the world. Not now. Five thousand years ago, during the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Gradually, people are degrading, only on these principles: illicit sex, animal slaughter, intoxication and gambling. These are the four pillars of the platform of Kali.
And what is auspicity now? Eh? What is auspicity now? We are describing all inauspicity, even without the comet. (laughter) Where do you find the auspicity? One man said that "He has kicked me, he has beaten me with shoes, and again he has said that 'I shall insult you.' " Where is the scarcity of insult? If he is beaten by shoes and kicked by his leg, and still he's expecting some more insult? You are already in inauspicity. Why you are expecting more inauspicity by the presence of comet? We are already in inauspicity. And therefore these descriptions are there. You have no fixture anything—where to live, where to take bath, where to eat, where to have sex life—nothing fixed up. Everything catastrophe, chaos. What more inauspicity you want? Everywhere. Here even one problem, another, in another country, another problem, another problem, another problem. He must be problematic. Daivī hy eṣā... Because anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he must be punished by the laws of nature. He must be punished. Therefore it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ... (BG 7.14). They're already, in inauspicity. The whole atmosphere is inauspicious. So if there is little more inauspicity, what is the wrong there? There is nothing... The more inauspicity will come. Now, still, in your country you are not poverty-stricken. You have got enough food. These things also will be stopped. Now you have got food in chaos, but there will be no food also. Then the mother and father will eat his own children. This is world, this Kali-yuga, everything. No food will be produced. Now by your talent, you are producing nice food, but producing food, the, tilling the ground some way or other, by machine or by this way... There must be rain, so many conditions. But time will come when there will be no rain. Then what you will do with your tractor and machine? You'll have to eat the tractor. (laughter) That's all. What you will do? There will be no rain. It is said that "There will be cloud, there will be lightning, but there will be no rainfall." These are stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the result of our sinful life, restriction. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā (BG 3.27). These rascals are thinking, "We are master." What master you are? You are under the control of nature fully. And they are, these rascals are thinking, "I am free. There is no God. I am free." So, gradually... (break) ...don't you appreciate how, the difference between them and ordinary people? Don't you feel it? You are already known as "the bright-faced." Is it not?
So everything is topsy-turvy and five thousand years ago or more than that, these things were being discussed, and people were very sorry that very bad days were to come. And still we can predict. There is no... It does not require very much advanced knowledge. In the śāstra it is stated what will be the later ages of Kali-yuga. That is also in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The beginning is already there. Anāvṛṣṭyā kara-pīḍitāḥ. One side there will be no rainfall. Now yesterday somebody was telling that in this California, the rainfall is now not so much. I think Jayatīrtha. So rainfall will be practically very, very little. Anāvṛṣṭi. And another difficulty will be kara-pīḍitāḥ. One side there will be famine, scarcity of food, no rainfall, and another side, there will be excessive taxation by the government. So people will be so much disturbed. Because you (indistinct) no food. You are... There is scarcity of rain, you cannot produce food. And at the same time, government will give some morsel of food and levy taxes. So durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9), disturbed, yāsyanti giri-kānanam, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam. Being disgusted, they will give up their family and children, separated, and they will go to the forest or the hills. This is another. And another will be, there will be no more available these foodgrains, especially wheat, rice and milk. These will be finished.
When you go, walk on the paddy field, you will find so many holes. Have you got experience? There are so many holes. Even on the beach, you will find so many holes. But especially in the agricultural field there are holes, because the paddy ... The rats and mouse, they come to eat the paddies, and they make hole to live there. And the snakes take advantage. They enter the hole and eat the rat and mouse and live peacefully. So these holes, because there are snakes, nobody utilizes it, that hole. Similarly, when these earholes are not receptive of the message of Kṛṣṇa, it like that, it is not being utilized properly. Similarly, you have got tongue, but you cannot chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jihvāsatī dārdurikeva. It is just like the tongue of the frogs. The frogs ... You have got experience during rainy season. They use their tongue very nicely. They sing ka-ka-kan, ka-ka-kan, ka-ka-kan.. (laughter) Yes. But what is the result of singing? The result of singing: in the darkness, the snakes, they can understand, "Here is a frog," and it comes and takes, immediately eats.
Pradyumna: Two. (leads chanting)
- ātma-jāyā-sutāgāra-
- paśu-draviṇa-bandhuṣu
- rājye cāvikale nityaṁ
- virūḍhāṁ mamatāṁ jahau
- (SB 2.4.2)
Prabhupāda: That's all right. So, virūḍhāṁ mamatām. Virūḍhām. Just like you have seen some big trees, standing for so many, many years. The root is firmly captured. You have seen, experienced. The business is to stand up for 10,000 years, but the root is capturing the earth like anything, strong. This is called virūḍhām, attraction. Suppose when you have got sense, improved consciousness, human being, if one asks you to stand up here for one hour, it will be so troublesome. And even if you are forced to stand up for one hour, you'll feel so much uncomfortable. But this tree, because it has not developed consciousness, it is standing up for 10,000's of years, and in open atmosphere, tolerating all kinds of excessive heat, rain, snowfall. But still, it is capturing. This is the difference between developed consciousness and undeveloped consciousness. A tree has also consciousness. Modern science, they have proved, they have got consciousness. Very much covered, almost dead.
Pradyumna: "The four Vedas, namely Ṛk, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva, are present there personally to advise the Lord. The sixteen energies headed by Caṇḍa are all present there. Caṇḍa and Kumuda are the two first doorkeepers, and at the middle door there are the doorkeepers named Bhadra and Subhadra, and at the last door there are Jaya and Vijaya. There are other doorkeepers also, named Kumuda, Kumudākṣa, Puṇḍarīka, Vāmana, Śaṅkukarṇa, Sarvanetra, Sumukha, etc. The palace is well decorated and protected by the above-mentioned doorkeepers."
Prabhupāda: So everything in detail you'll find, the kingdom of God, the nature of that atmosphere, the devotees, the inhabitants. Everything is there clearly. So the festival today is murdered.(?) The festival? (sound of heavy rain in background?)
The brahmacārī goes to householders' place for begging alms. The system cannot be introduced here. It is very difficult. Otherwise, another business of these children were to go door to door and knock and ask some alms: "Give us some alms." So in India they have got sufficient stock of rice, flour, ḍāl. They keep at least one month provision in every house, even in poor's man. As soon as he gets his money, he purchases the whole month provisions—rice, ḍāl, āṭā, ghee—and keeps it. So when the brahmacārī goes there, a little rice or little ḍāl, they contribute. In this way by collection of these alms from the neighboring householders, practically the āśrama's eating problem is solved. Brahmacārī is supposed to live in gurukula at the place of guru just like a menial servant. Even Kṛṣṇa, He also lived as a menial servant. His teacher asked Him to bring some fuel from the jungle, and He went with Sudāmā Vipra, and while collecting these dry woods there was a storm and there was heavy rain, and they became lost in the jungle, Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā Vipra. Then his teacher, Sāndīpani Muni... With the assistance of other boys, they were rescued. So this is the position of the brahmacārī, that they go to collect alms, all kinds of, for gurukula.
The people of this age, they are short-living and manda, very slow in everything, not interested. Actually human life is meant for understanding the spiritual value of life, but on account of the people being śūdras, they are not interested. They are forgetting the real purpose of life. Manda. Manda means slow and bad. Everyone is bad or slow. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. And they have got... Everyone has got a particular type of understanding. Sumanda-matayaḥ. That is not bona fide. Sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ: "And everyone is misfortunate, unfortunate." Upadrutāḥ: "And they are disturbed by so many causes." And the gradually, the situation will be like this. It is already manifest. Anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ: (SB 12.2.9) "There will be no rain in the sky, and there will be scarcity of foodstuff," and kara-pīḍitāḥ, "and government will levy tax very heavily." These are already predicted, and we are experiencing. So this age is very miserable. Kali-yuga is very miserable. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. He came. He advised all people of the world that "You simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Very simple thing. Harer nāma harer nāma. It is not His invention, but it is in the śāstras, Purāṇas.
So behind this material energy... Material energy, just like we see, there is cloud, there is thundering sound, there is rain. And from the rain, there is crops, there is food grain. Then we eat those food grains. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. Then, yajñād bhavati parjanyo yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ (BG 3.14). These things are already stated. Everything, the origin is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yajña. Yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ. Yajña means we have to satisfy the Supreme Person. That is called yajña. And this process can be executed when the human society is very regulated. Regulated means there must be division of these varṇas and āśramas. Varṇa means four varṇas: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. They have got their respective duties. So unless the human society is divided into these eight scientific divisions and everyone acts according to his position, there cannot be any peace in the world. That is called varṇāśrama.
Then adhidaivika. If there is no rain, there will be no food production, and the rice will go eight rupees per kilo. And you have to suffer. Durbhikṣa. Even people are not willing to give you bhikṣā. "Because the rice is so costly, how can I give?" That is called durbhikṣa. Durbhikṣa means when you do not get even bhikṣā. This is the most lowest profession. It is highest also. The sannyāsīs, they go door to door, bhikṣā. Brahmacārī go to door to door. Our Vedic civilization is that in the society there are four divisions: the brahmacārī, the gṛhastha, the vānaprastha, and the sannyāsī. Suppose there are hundred men in a village or in a place. The society is divided into four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha... So... This is material calculation. Suppose if there are hundred men, seventy-five men are to be considered brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsī. So these seventy-five men will live at the cost of the twenty-five men, gṛhastha. Gṛhastha has to give alms to the brahmacārī, to the vānaprastha, and to the sannyāsa. Just see how nice communism. The one twenty-five-percent group, they are earning, and they are maintaining seventy-five men. So they are living by bhikṣā. Brahmacārī will go door to door, "Mother, give me alms," and they'll give. The sannyāsī will go. So when this bhikṣā will not be available, that is called durbhikṣa, famine. This is adhibhautika. Adhibhautika, er adhidaivika. You have no control.
But we say that it is not mithyā. It is... Mithyā means false. It is not false. It is truth, but you are using it in a false way. That is our philosophy. This is the expansion of energy of Kṛṣṇa. So this energy, you are not utilizing for Kṛṣṇa, but you are utilizing the energy for your sense gratification. That is mistake. But otherwise, how it can be false? It is not false. It is creation of God. Mama... Kṛṣṇa says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhiḥ, bhinnā prakṛtir me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). Me. It is Kṛṣṇa's energy. How Kṛṣṇa's energy can be false? If Kṛṣṇa is truth, Kṛṣṇa's energy is also truth. But it may... Just like the cloud. You cannot say the cloud is false. Cloud is fact, although it is temporary. The cloud does not remain in the sky permanently; it appears and again disappears. But when it appears there is rain, there is reaction of the rain, vegetation on the ground, on the field. How you can say it is false? But it is temporary. That is actual philosophy.
It is no longer possible to revive the perfect system, varṇāśrama. Although we are trying to revive, it is not possible. It is very difficult. People are so fallen. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). They are so disturbed, manda-bhāgyāḥ, unfortunate, and upadrutāḥ, always disturbed. Especially anāvṛṣṭi, durbhikṣa and kara-pīḍita. The people of the Kali-yuga will be very much, I mean to say, harassed by these three things. There will be no rainfall, and... There will be no rainfall, and there, food scarcity and taxation by government, income tax. Income tax is to plunder. If you have got some money, this is the means. So this is all stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. People will be so much harassed that ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam. They'll be disgusted so much, they will give up their family all of a sudden... Dāra-draviṇāḥ. Dāra means wife, children and bank balance, everything, "Let them go to..." Recently we have seen one big industrialist, he has committed suicide. So people will do that. They'll be so much harassed. This is Kali-yuga.
By chanting Lord Kṛṣṇa's name... That is also confirmed in the śāstras: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said by Śukadeva Gosvāmī... There are so many faults in this age. Some of them are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. As I was describing yesterday that durbhikṣa, anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam (SB 12.2.9). The Kali-yuga will be so much disturbing that people will be harassed especially by three things. Anāvṛṣṭi: there will be practically no rainfall. It is stated that there will be cloud in the sky. When there is no rainfall, people will be hankering after. Just like sometimes we hanker after rain in summer season, looking after, "When rainfall will come?" The people will be disappointed. There will be cloud, there will be thundering bolt, but there will be no rain. This time will be like that. Anāvṛṣṭi. Anāvṛṣṭi and durbhikṣa. And if there is anāvṛṣṭi, scarcity of rain, certainly there will be no food grain production, as it is now, we are feeling. Food grain production-eight rupees kilo, rice. So why? The food grain is shortage. So anāvṛṣṭi durbhikṣa and taxation, kara-pīḍitāḥ. Government will... Dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. It is said, "The government means a gang of rogues and thieves." That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They'll plunder. The rogues and thieves, they seek opportunity secretly, and government, by law, they will plunder. And still, they will go on as big minister. This is all stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
But actually, the human life is meant for not enjoying the senses. That is called tapasya. To deny. That is human life. That is Vedic civilization. First of all, the brahmacārī system, how to deny sense gratification. That is the first training. Even the, even Kṛṣṇa, He had to go to the forest to collect dry wood for the spiritual master. The, that is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kṛṣṇa was talking with Sudāmā Vipra, how both of them went to collect dry wood, and there was storm and rain. They became stranded in the forest. Then next day their teacher and other students rescued them. So the brahmacārī was trained up, tapasya, not to enjoy. They would have to go beg door to door, brahmacārī: "Mother, give us some alms for our āśrama." 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.
So there cannot be anyone without suffering. That is not possible. There are three kinds of suffering: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Adhyātmika means pertaining to the body and mind. "I have got headache today. I have got some pain here in the back. My mind is not very much settled up today. I cannot talk with you." These kind of sufferings are called adhyātmika, pertaining to the body and the mind. And there are sufferings adhibhautika. Just like at night, unnecessarily, the dogs bark, and we cannot sleep. This is called adhibhautika, suffering imposed by other living entities—the mosquitos, the bugs. Then enemies. Suffering. Just like some of our enemies, they are hindering sanctioning this temple. So this is called adhibhautika. And besides that, big, big sufferings there are. Then adhidaivika, accident, which you have no control over. No sufferings you have control. That is not possible. There is famine; there is pestilence; there is no rain; there is excessive heat, excessive cold. They are called adhidaivika. Earthquake..., so many. So this is the reminder, that "You rascal, you are thinking you are very happy in this material world. What you have done about these sufferings?" Mūḍha. They think, "Oh, this is all right. It doesn't matter." Besides that, there is very grave sufferings. That is birth, death, old age, and disease. So where is your happiness? But because we are under the spell of māyā, we are thinking, "This position is very nice. Let us enjoy life." This is their enjoyment.
This is the experience of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. He was a South Indian brāhmaṇa, very rich brāhmaṇa. But by bad association or something like that, he became a very staunch prostitute hunter. So he engaged all his income, money, everything, after one prostitute. Her name was Cintāmaṇi. So it is a very nice story. I am briefly describing. So one night... Every night he was to go to that prostitute, and one night it was very terribly raining. So the prostitute thought, "Now this night Bilvamaṅgala is not coming. It is terribly raining." But Bilvamaṅgala went there, crossing the river, and the door was closed. He jumped over the door catching a snake. In this way, very dangerously, he reached the prostitute's house. And the prostitute was astonished, that "How is this condition you could come here? Oh, you are so much attracted by this skin. If this much attraction you would have to Kṛṣṇa, how it would have been nice for you." So immediately he left the prostitute's house and went to Vṛndāvana.
So mad-bhayād vāti vāto 'yam. These are the very strong sources of fearfulness. If there is cyclone, it is very fearful. It is going on very nicely, but if it is a big cyclone, then it is fearful. So there is necessity of cyclone also. There is necessity of scorching heat. There is necessity of rainfall. So there are different directors and officers, and they are all servant of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). The only master, supreme master, is Kṛṣṇa, and all others, they are bhṛtya, servant. The demigods, the demigods, they are all servants of Kṛṣṇa. Demigods there are: Sūrya, Candra, Vāyu, Varuṇa, and Bṛhaspati, so many, thirty-three crores of demigods. They have got different planets. But all of them are servants of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The modern so-called scientists, they say, "There is no demigod. There is no God. This is all natural function." That's all right. Nature is working. But nature is matter. Matter cannot work without the direction of the living being. You cannot say matter works independently. That is not possible. Everything is...
So we should not misuse this... Labdhvā sudurlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte mānuṣyam (SB 11.9.29). We should not waste our this valuable life, human form of life. We begin our this evolution. First of all, the world is covered with water. Pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi vedam **. Now, still, three-fourth of this earthly planet is covered with water. In the beginning, the whole earthly planet was covered with water. Gradually, the water is drying up, and the land is coming. Then we are calculating, "This is Asia. This is America. This is Europe." Land is coming out. And gradually land, land, land, land—there will be only land, no water. That means destruction. When there will be no water and scorching heat, the whole earthly planet will be ablaze and everything will be burned into ashes. Then again there will be rainfall, and everything will be mixed up, and then again there will destruction. This is going on. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). And similarly, our position with this body. This will be also dissolved again. This nice form you have got, I have got, but when it will be finished, this is finished forever. We are not going to get any more. You will get different body, not exactly this body. It is bubble. One bubble lost, that is lost forever. That is lost forever. But we are so foolish, we are thinking, "This is permanent settlement, permanent settlement." This is called ignorance. There is no question of permanent settlement. Temporary under the... Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Under the laws of nature we are getting different types of bodies, different types of opportunities. And it is going on. But we are spirit soul; we are not this material body.
The example is given here: yathā apāṁ prakṛtiḥ parā. Just like the water, rains, fall from the sky. If you do not allow to touch the water, the ground, you take it in the middle, you will find crystal, distilled water. You will find. And as soon as it comes down on the ground, it becomes muddy, the purity lost. Muddy, opaque, you cannot see, agitated. Similarly, our original consciousness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is svaccha, svacchatvam avikāritvam. In the original consciousness we do not know anything else than Kṛṣṇa. Avikāritvam. There is no change. Therefore in the Vaikuṇṭha planets, especially in the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet, that is exhibited. When Kṛṣṇa comes to show His dhāma-goloka-nāmni nija-dhāmni—that is His own abode. So Kṛṣṇa, when Kṛṣṇa comes, He brings everything with Him: His dhāma, His qualities, His place, His paraphernalia, His associates, His father, His mother, His friend, His consort, His trees, His water—everything He brings. That is Vṛndāvana. You will find in Vṛndāvana still—still you will find—people are all automatically Kṛṣṇa conscious. Eighty-four, curāśī crores, about 160 miles' area. So they are Kṛṣṇa conscious naturally. And if you go to Vṛndāvana, this area, wherever you go, you will feel Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So the example of purity is still there. And what to speak of in the original Vṛndāvana?
So Vedic injunction is that we are obliged to so many living entities, and we have to satisfy them. Just like you are obliged to the government for supplying so many amenities, and you have to pay tax just to fulfill your obligation. If you don't pay tax, then you are liable to criminality. Similarly, we are receiving so many benefits from the Indra, Candra. We are getting rains from Indra, the moonshine from the Candra or the moon-god, and the sunshine from the sun-god. These are essential things, heat and light. So we are obliged, certainly. But if you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, then you are free from all obligation. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). If you don't pay tax, then you are liable to be punished. That is pāpa. Similarly, we are obliged to so many living entities, demigods, saintly persons. Certainly we are obliged. We are receiving so much benefit from them. But if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa... Śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundam. Śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam. Giving aside all other duties, if we simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then we are no more obliged. Nāyaṁ kiṅkaro na ca ṛṇī ca rājan. We are indebted, and we must give service to all of them, but if you surrender to Mukunda...
Because this is the cause of all unhappiness, they are suffering, and they are making plan. Māyā-sukhāya. Māyā-sukhāya means the happiness which has no standing, false, illusory. For this purpose, bharam udvahato vimūḍhān, big, big adventure, big, big things, they are contemplating, planning. That is called ghora, ghora-rūpa. Here it is called ghora. Śānta-ghora. If you go to some industrial place in a factory, iron factory like Tata's, you will see how they are engaged in ghora activities, horrible activities—after all, you have to eat something—but they have planned a ghora activity, very fierceful, ugra-karma. By nature's way, Kṛṣṇa has given us everything. You can simply work little. You get food grains. Kṛṣṇa says like that. Kṛṣṇa never says that "You open big, big fierceful, horrible industries." You will never find in Bhagavad-gītā. For your livelihood, Kṛṣṇa says very simple method. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). Annād. Anna, you produce anna. Why you are planning big, big industries? The oil will come from America through the channel, and the Arabia will refuse to supply oil. There will be power problem, so many things, one after another, one after another. But Kṛṣṇa does not say that do all these things, ghora. No. He says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: "You just produce food grain." And bhavanti bhūtāni. Bhūtāni means all living entities, they will be stout and strong by eating. What you want more? Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And if there is sufficient rain, then automatically, then it will be very easy to grow food grains. Parjanyād anna... If there is no parjanya, rain, then your so-called tractor will not help you, or knowledge, agricultural knowledge, will not help you. You will have to depend on Kṛṣṇa for rains. Parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14). If you perform yajña, then there will be regular rainfalls.
So what is the guru? Guru has received the kāruṇya. Kāruṇya means just like the cloud has received water from the sea, similarly, a guru, spiritual master, receives the cloud of mercy from the ocean of kindness of Kṛṣṇa. Ghanāghanatvam. And it is only the cloud that can extinguish the forest fire, saṁsāra. No other watering system will be helpful. If there is fire in the forest, your fire brigade or buckets of water will not help. It is impossible. Neither you can go there; neither you can render any service by your fire brigade and bucket. Then how the fire can be extinguished? Now, ghanāghanatvam. If there is cloud in the sky and if there is rainfall, then the expansive forest fire can immediately be extinguished. So that cloud is supposed to be the spiritual master. He pours water. He pours water. Śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana (CC Madhya 19.152). What is that water? The water is this śravaṇa-kīrtana. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni, the fire, the forest fire of material existence, is blazing continually. So you have to extinguish it by the rainfall from cloud, and that rainfall means śravaṇa-kīrtana. Śravaṇa means hearing, and kīrtana means chanting. This is the only way. Śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana.
So nature is producing our foodstuff, and He is the controller. And He is the father. So how there can be scarcity of food? This is a bogus propaganda: because the population is big therefore we cannot... This is our incapability. We cannot manage—we accuse that overpopulation. But actually if you study śāstra, if you accept Kṛṣṇa as the father, the Supreme Lord, He is not a poor man. He knows. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). He knows past, present and future. So it is not that because there is overpopulation there is scarcity of food. No. That is not the cause. The cause is that as soon as people will become godless, the supply will be stopped. That time is coming. That time is coming. It is predicted in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that anāvṛṣṭi and kara-pīḍitāḥ. People gradually being godless, they will be suffering from these three principles. There will be no more rainfall. Therefore last time when I was in Europe—I do not know what has happened now—there was scarcity of rain, and England was making plan to import water. So this is scientist's program. There is enough water in the sea, but they cannot use it. So that is hand of God. Unless God helps, Kṛṣṇa helps, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram... (BG 9.10). The vast ocean, although the water is there, you cannot use one drop. You are so controlled.
So the cause is godlessness. If we become godless, the prakṛti will restrict supply—so much so there will be anāvṛṣṭi. How can control? Because you may be very great scientist, you may deny the existence of God, but when there is anāvṛṣṭi you are looking up in the sky, "When there will be cloud? When there will be rain?" Then taking this plea, our government will tax for relief fund. That is all mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Anāvṛṣṭi karo-pīḍita. People will be so much harassed. And ācchina-dāra-draviṇā giri-kānanam. They will be so much harassed by these three principles—no rainfall, scarcity of grains, and taxed heavily by the government... They will be so much harassed that ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā giri-kānanam, they will be forced to leave home, that "Now it is hopeless. I cannot manage. Let me go to the forest." And there will be... Now we are getting rice or wheat or sugar. But these things will be completely stopped. Now we are getting milk powder, but there will be no milk. It is not my imagination. They are described in the symptoms of Kali-yuga, that the end of Kali-yuga these things will happen. That means more and more suffering. More and more become godless, more and more suffering will be inflicted by the laws of nature.
So find out guru. Who is guru? Guru means who's coming from the paramparā system. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Rajarṣaya, big, big, learned saintly kings. That means government. Now we are taking, accepting king by democracy, anyone by votes. No. Rājarṣaya. One must be governor, he must be as good as a ṛṣi, saintly person. Rājarṣaya. They must understand the purport of Bhagavad-gītā, the aim of life. Then they will educate, the governor will educate the citizens how to make life successful. But if he does not understand what is the success of life, how he will govern? But it is going on. But Bhagavad-gītā says, imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. The Bhagavad-gītā is meant for the rājarṣis, saintly kings, saintly governor. Because he has to govern, he must know how to govern: what is the aim of life, how they can be elevated. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, because he was a good governor, good king, so during his time, it is said that kāmaṁ parjanya vavarṣa. There is word I am just forgetting, that all the necessities of life were supplied through rain. Kāmaṁ vavarṣa parjanyaḥ sarva-kāma-dugha-mahī: (SB 1.10.4) that we derive all necessities of life through the earth. Sarva-kāma-dugha-mahī. So if the king is pious, then the earth will give you production enough for your satisfaction. Now I've seen in your country so much land is lying vacant. Why it is not being produced? Because you do not know how to derive all benefits from earth. That you do not know. Therefore people are in scarcity. There is no question of scarcity. Kṛṣṇa has given everything. Pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇāt pūrṇam.. (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). There cannot be anything imperfect which is created by God. Everything is perfect. But if we become godless, the supply will be crippled. That is the secret we do not know. These things we have to learn from śāstra. As soon as people will become demonic, nature will restrict supply. "Now you become demonic. That's all right."
So this is going on. Therefore it is recommended mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes, if you want to become free from all anxieties. First of all this material world means anxiety. We are put... We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Why we are sent to this material world? Icchā-dveṣa sammutthena, sarge yānti parantapa, because we wanted to enjoy life independent of God, or Kṛṣṇa. This is the disease. We are not independent. If there is no rain and there is no food grain, what your independence will do? No. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14), very practical. That if you want to be happy, either animal or man, bhūtāni, then you produce anna, food grains sumptuously. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. And there must be sufficient rain for producing sufficient food grains. Yajñād bhavanti parjanyaḥ, and you perform yajña, there will be regular rainfall. Yajñaḥ-karma samudbhavam. Who is following this principle? Yajñaḥ-karma samudbhavam. Kṛṣṇa never says that factories, by factories bhavanti bhūtāni. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni, He says this is practical. We are not interested how to produce anna. We are now interested how to produce tire tubes. So eat tire tube.
Haṁsadūta: It's not working?
Prabhupāda: What is the use of keeping big, big paraphernalia? Bahvārambhe laghu kriyā. Ārambha, arrangement is very big, but work is no, no work. What is the use of keeping useless machine? So that is going on. In the material world, everything is bahvārambhe laghu kriyā. That has been spoken by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Ajā yuddhe muni śrāddhe. Ajā yuddhe. Ajāḥ means goats. You have seen goat fighting? As if, though, two big, big heroes are fighting. But as soon as somebody comes: "Hut!" they'll go away. Have you seen, experienced? Goats and lambs, they'll fight: (makes sound:) "Onh, onnh." Like this. But, but as soon somebody comes: "Hut!" So this is one of the example of bahvārambhe laghu kriyā. Ārambha, as if something very serious going to happen. But actually it is nonsignificant. Ajā yuddhe muni śrāddhe. Muni, in the jungle, in the forest, there are munis. So they are arranging for some festivals to offer oblations to the forefathers, śrāddha. So what they have got? They have got some fruits and leaves. That's all. So the arrangement may be that "Tomorrow, we are going to have this festival." But the festival means some leaves and some water. That's all. No utensils, no gold, no jewels, nothing of the sort. So this is another bahvārambhe laghu kriyā. Arrangement is very big, but fact is nothing. And dāmpatya kalahe caiva. And fight between or quarrel between husband and wife. In India, there is no question of divorce. So nobody takes very serious care when there is fight between husband and wife. So there also: "I'm going to immediately leave you, going to kill you..." and so many things. But after an hour, everything is finished. No more quarrel. Dāmpatya kalahe caiva prabhāte megha-garjane. And in the morning, if you see big cloud assembly and thundering sound, but you rest assured. There will be no rain in the morning. So these things are bahvārambhe laghu kriyā. Ārambha, beginning is very gorgeous. But end is nothing. So that is not good, bahvārambhe laghu kriyā.
Therefore saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. The whole material world is blazing fire. Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. Now, this dāvānala... Just like in the forest, you cannot send your fire brigade. That is not possible. Neither you can go there to help the animals for extinguishing the fire by bucketful of waters. That is also not possible. Helpless. Similarly, this saṁsāra dāvānala, you cannot extinguish it. So how it will be extinguished? Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. You have to beg for the mercy of Kṛṣṇa; then this blazing fire can be extinguished, not by your arrangement. That is not possible. Trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam. That cloud is mercy cloud, not this ordinary cloud. Because dāvānala, the example, personal experience that on the hill of Nainital, some thousand feet high, how this fire will be extinguished? The extinguished it will be when there is cloud on the sky and there is rainfall. Otherwise it is not possible. Similarly, the mercy cloud, kāruṇya, kāruṇa, ghanāghanatvam... So just like ordinary cloud is made possible by evaporating water from the sea, similarly, Kṛṣṇa has the sea of mercy, kāruṇayamaya, kāruṇa-sāgara. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Kāruṇa-sāgara. So as the air evaporate or the heat evaporate from the sea, and the cloud is formed in the sky, similarly, one who has connection or the power to evaporate the mercy sea of Kṛṣṇa, he can extinguish the saṁsāra dāvānala. And that is guru. Guru is the cloud or he is the agent of drying water from the ocean of mercy of Kṛṣṇa and turn it into a mercy cloud and pour water on the saṁsāra dāvānala, and then it is extinguished. Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam, prāptasya kalyāṇa **.
But there are different kinds of planets. That we get from Vedic literatures. Vibhūti-bhinnam. Bhinnam means different, and vibhūti means opulence. Every planet has got special opulence. Just like the moon planet. It is shining. It has got a special opulence—it is shining. The sun planet is so hot and so brilliant. Similarly, each and every planet, either small or big, they have got a particular type of opulence. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagadaṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). Vibhūti-bhinnam. In this planet also, different places have got different opulence. Just like in India you will find throughout the whole year brilliant sunshine, and in Western countries, in London, hellish—always moist, raining, and cloudy. You cannot distinguish whether it is night or day. In our... Now I was in London. When I was, I think, last year, in this time, December, the morning was at ten o'clock, and the evening was at three o'clock. So how many hours from ten to three?
Now, we can see in our front, there is a tree standing for many years, and he has to stand in scorching heat, torrents of rain, pinching cold. He cannot move an inch. And if we think seriously, "Suppose if I would have been put into that condition, that 'Stand up here for five hundred or five thousand years. You cannot move an inch, and you bear all the sufferings, scorching heat, storm,' " would I agree to do that? No. I will not agree. But the tree is also a living entity. He is a living being. I am also living being. So I am put in a different condition of life and the tree is put in a different condition of life. Why? Why this distinction? Is there any upper hand superior judgment that one is put in the condition of standing tree and one is put in the beautiful human body, freely moving? There must be, because we are all living entities. We are all soul, spirit soul. We are simply put in different dresses.
In the previous verse Śukadeva Gosvāmī gave the example that "The dried leaves of creepers beneath a bamboo tree may be completely burned to ashes by a fire, although the creepers may sprout again because the root is still in the ground." You have seen practically. On the field the grass is dried up, and sometimes fire is set and it becomes all burned into ashes. But as soon as there is rainy season, again they sprout and become green. The idea is that you may perform the religious, ritualistic ceremonies, but if your heart is not cleansed, simply by performing these ritualistic ceremonies you'll not be purified. So we have got two desires: pious desire or impious desires. So either you become desirous of doing pious thing or you desirous of doing impious things, the sufferings of this material world will continue.
So if we want to know, everything is there; but to understand, that will require a separate brain. That is recommended here. You create your brain. Tapasā, first of all austerity. You cannot create your brain by doing nonsense things. That is not possible. You have to control: śamena damena, tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). These are the process to create a brain to understand God. Otherwise it is useless. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). It is simply laboring for nothing. So this is the recommended, that treatment. That is also not sufficient. In the last, Śukadeva gives an hint that "This kind of purification, by tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13), is like veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ." Veṇu-gulma, veṇu-gulma means the dried creepers and grass. You can set fire. In India or here also—I have seen in London—they set fire, and all the dried creepers and grass become... But what is the purpose of saying veṇu-gulman ivānalaḥ? Veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ means that superficially we see that now it is burnt into ashes, but the root remains there. As soon as there will be rain, waterfall, they will come out again. So the whole process is how to become detached from this material world. So this, even if you practice this tapasya, it is not completely able to finish these attachments. Therefore it is said, veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ.
So persons who observe the principles of tapasya, austerities; brahmācārya, celibacy; controlling the mind; controlling the senses—these are practiced—this is called yoga system. Then, mahad api agham. Even he is subjected to the resultant action of great sinful life, he can vanquish it. The example is given just like to set fire in the field and all the dry plants and grasses immediately become burned. So by austerity, tapasya, brahmācārya, celibacy, these regulative principles can burn out the sinful reaction, not by the root. The example is given the dry vegetables or plants, they are burned from outside, but the root remains. The root is not burned. And the root remaining within the earth, as soon as there is favorable condition, there is some rain—again they come out. In other words, by tapasya, by austerity, by celibacy one can superficially get out of the sinful reaction, but because it is not rooted out, as soon as there is some opportunity, favorable conditions, again they come out.
He is giving another example, nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. Fog, when there is big fog that you cannot see in front of you anyone, but as soon as there is sunlight the fog immediately disappears. Similarly, agham dhunvanti. Kecit kevalaya bhaktya vasudeva parayanaḥ (SB 6.1.15). Simply by becoming devotee of Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, one can immediately vanquish all sinful reaction. Just like the sun causes disappearance of the fog without any extra effort. You take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness sincerely, seriously, then all the past reaction of your sinful activities will be vanquished. Now there are two kinds of vanquishing: one by setting fire on the dry plants, and the rising of the sun and fog, the fog disappearing. Again in the presence of sun there is no possibility of appearance of fog. That is not possible. But the dry plants burnt out, as soon as there is rainfall, it again comes out.
Therefore bhakti means sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalaṁ (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam. We have to cleanse the desire. We have to cleanse our seeing. Now our eyes want to see some beautiful thing. Now, if we become accustomed to see Kṛṣṇa beautifully decorated, nicely decorated, nicely dressed, then we forget other, so-called material beauty. So the activities of the eyes, to see beautiful thing, is not changed, but it is purified. That is bhakti. Nothing has to be changed or nothing has to be stopped, but the process has to be changed. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yukta vairāgyam ucyate. We cannot be desireless. We cannot be inactive. That is also not possible. We must be active—but active for working for Kṛṣṇa. Then it is devotional life. That is being taught in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that it is not simply negation. Simply negation will not help you. There must be some positive occupation. So we say, "Do not do this, but do this." We say, "Do not eat meat," but we say, "Eat Kṛṣṇa's nice prasādam, halavā." So he forgets meat-eating. This is our process. We give immediately alternative. You dance. You don't dance in the naked club; dance in the Kṛṣṇa's temple. The dancing is there, but is purified. In the club there are also girls are dancing and boys are dancing. Here also, girls are dancing and boys are..., but they are dancing for Kṛṣṇa ecstasy. So nothing is stopped. This is bhakti. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means you have to simply change your consciousness. Consciousness is there. 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.
A series of practice. Then the brain will be clear. So this process also—not very safe. The example has been given that kṣipanty aghaṁ mahad api veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ. It is something like burning, setting fire into the dry grass. And superficially it appears that all the grasses are now burned into ashes; there is no possibility of coming out. No. Therefore this very word is there, iva analaḥ. Although superficially, outside, it appears that everything is burned, but the root remains there. The root remains there, and as soon as there will be facility or there will be rainy season, the same grasses and twigs and other things will come out again, new growth. That is... Even after so much tapasya... There are many instances. Just like Viśvāmitra Muni. Viśvāmitra Muni was a king. He wanted to become a brāhmaṇa, and he practiced mystic yoga for many years. Still, he became a victim of a woman, Menakā. He was meditating, closing eyes, and Indra sent this woman, Menakā. And simply by hearing the sound of the bangles, ching, ching, ching, "Oh, there is woman. Yes, very nice," (laughter) all mystic yoga finished. Then he begot one daughter. That..., her name is Śakuntalā, the famous beautiful daughter. So that history is there.
Guest (3): Stotra says Brahmā didn't know something about...
Prabhupāda: Yes, even if he knew, but sometimes he become bewildered. Therefore it is..., Bhāgavata says that even the big, big demigods, they become bewildered. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāt tene brahma hṛdā muhyanti yatra sūrayaḥ (SB 1.1.1). That māyā is so strong that they can bewilder a personality like Brahmā and Indra, and what to speak of us? Māyā is so strong. Similarly, Indra was also bewildered when He stopped Indra-yajña. Kṛṣṇa, when He asked His father, "There is no need of Indra-yajña..." He is under the order of the Supreme Lord. He did not say..., Kṛṣṇa said to Nanda Mahārāja that "I am the Supreme Lord," but He said, "He is working under the Supreme Lord. He has to supply water. There is no need of yajña." In other words, Kṛṣṇa is not in favor of any type of demigod worship. No. In the Govardhana chapter He stressed: simply the Supreme Personality of Godhead should be satisfied. That is stated everywhere, in Bhagavad-gītā also, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.20). So Indra, when his yajña was stopped, so he tried to punish the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana by torrents of, incessant torrents of rain for seven days—havoc. The whole Vṛndāvana was to be drowned under water, and Kṛṣṇa immediately lifted the whole Govardhana Hill. And He stood seven days without taking any food and protected all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana. Now God is displaying as God. When these things are there, the rascals will say, "Oh, these are all legends." When God displays Himself as God, the rascals take it as legend. Just see. They do not believe in the śāstras. They interpret in a different way. Is it not? Yes. And this is going on. And they are supposed to be... What is their interpretation about this Govardhana Hill? Do you know? Kṛṣṇa's lifting the Govardhana Hill, what, how they interpret it? I know, the Māyāvādīs, they do not accept. Or "Kṛṣṇa is ordinary human being." The Ārya-samājīs and others, they take it as legend. But the ācāryas, they do not take it as legend. Therefore we have to follow the ācāryas.
Everyone is trying to become fortunate. Now, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita gives three things, formula, "If you want to be fortunate, then do these three things." What is that? Mūrkhā yatra na pūjyante: "Do not give any credit to the rascal." That is first qualification. Don't be carried away by the rascal. Mūrkhā yatra na pūjyante. If you worship a rascal, then your life is spoiled. You must worship a really learned representative of God. That is very good. And dhānyaṁ yatra susañcitam: "Food grains, they are properly stocked." Not that for your foodstuff, getting your food grain or earning your livelihood, you have to go hundred miles, fifty miles. No. At home, you produce your food grain and stock it. In India still, they work for three months during this rainy season, and they get their food grains for the whole year. You can save time so nicely. So these things are required for happy home. There must be food grains. You cannot be happy without eating. That is not possible. Annād bhavanti. Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). If you have got sufficient anna, eatables, foodstuff, then you become happy.
So these questions do not arise. They are simply, I mean to say, engrossed with animal propensities—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending—as if these are the problems. These are no problems. We have created these problems. Eating is no problem. The animals, they do not endeavor for doing some work for eating. Eating is already there. The birds, beasts are eating. Similarly, human body, eating is there. For example, we are, these forty heads, we are traveling. So eating is already there. Before our coming, our Padubhai(?) has arranged for our eating. So why should we think for eating? So, but actually that is the fact. There is no problem of eating. They have created this problem. God has given enough food. In America they throw away foodstuff in the ocean. You see. This is nonsense. Because they have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they do not know that these food grains belong to Kṛṣṇa. He has sent. So instead of throwing in the ocean, it should be dispatched to the countries where there is scarcity. There cannot be any scarcity. Pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Everything created by God is sufficiently pūrṇam. Pūrṇāt pūrṇam. It is... There is arrangement of raining; there is arrangement of producing. We simply, so-called rascals, so-called politicians, they have created all this trouble for their political ambition. Just like our politicians created the Pakistan and Hindustan. So all the foodstuff is there in Pakistan. Rice is in East Bengal and wheat is in East Pakistan. So this Hindustan is in shortage, in short of wheat and rice. So this is the creation of the politicians. By God's arrangement everything is complete. Therefore you have to change the whole consciousness of the people if you want to be happy. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
What Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā? First of all, He establishes Himself that "I am the Supreme Lord." Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). So, the Māyāvādīs, they also think that "I am also Kṛṣṇa. I can also speak." No, that you cannot do. Just like we are singing this song daily, gopī-jana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī. It is... Kṛṣṇa is playing with the gopīs. The sahajiyās, they take it very easily. But giri-vara-dhārī, oh, that is very difficult thing. He raised the whole Govardhana Hill in His finger; that nobody is imitating. But gopī-jana-vallabha, very easy. "You are gopī, I am Kṛṣṇa. Let us enjoy." This is sahajiyā. This is sahajiyā. That is going on. Parakīyā-rasa. All rascaldom is going on. But one should understand that here is Kṛṣṇa. He can dance with the gopīs and He can lift the Govardhana Hill also, simultaneously. That is also for pleasing the gopīs. When there was incessant rainfall, all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana became so disturbed, and they had no other friend than Kṛṣṇa. So they appealed, "Kṛṣṇa, do something!" "Yes!" Immediately, He raised the whole hill as umbrella. "Come on under this." So that is Kṛṣṇa. So don't imitate Kṛṣṇa, but hear Kṛṣṇa, what says, then our life is successful. We cannot imitate God. We have to simply follow His order. That is dharma. And if you imitate Kṛṣṇa, that is adharma. Don't try to imitate. There are two words in Sanskrit, anukāraṇa, anusaraṇa. Anukāraṇa means imitation, and anusaraṇa means follow. We have to execute anusaraṇa, follow. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29).
Just like, now this month of June, we have got a certain type of experience, what are the natural changes, atmosphere, in this month of June. Similarly, when you are in month of December, you can foretell what will be the next month of June. It is not difficult. Because you have got experience, the atmospheric changes and situations in this month of June. Just like in Bombay there is practical calculation that by the tenth of June, the rain, rainy season will begin. Actually so happens. In different places, different types of seasonal changes. So everything should be seen through the śāstra. Śāstra-cakṣuṣāt. This is Vedic process. In the śāstra it is said that ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ: (BG 14.18) elevation in this material world is when a person is in the sattva-guṇa, the modes of goodness. And middle, via media, is rajo-guṇa. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. And jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Those who are very, very low class, jaghanya-vṛtti, their behavior is very, very abominable, they go down, adho gacchanti.
These are all described in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. The nature was not supplying sufficiently, and then Mahārāja Pṛthu, the personified Prithivi, he was going to kill her, punish her. King's business is, if somebody is doing wrong, then the king must punish. So he was prepared to punish Pṛthvī. She submitted that "King, why you are trying to punish me? It is my business when people become demons, I restrict my supply." So this is nature's law. As soon as you become demons, godless, nature will restrict supply. There will be no rain, no production. There will be scarcity, everything. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Everything is being carried by prakṛti. And prakṛti is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Without prakṛti's cooperation you cannot get anything. You may have big, big mills and factories—useless. You cannot manufacture, I mean to say, rice, grains. Even if you eat meat, the cows and the animals, they must eat vegetables. There will be no vegetables. How you will be able to eat meat even? So nature has got the restricting power. As you become more and more demons and sinful, nature will restrict supply and you'll suffer. This is the law.
The people in general, especially in this age, they do not know what is the goal of life, and still, they are leaders. That is the defect of the modern civilization. It is the defect of material world, but especially in this Kali-yuga, it is the most abominable, fallen age. There are Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, and Kali-yuga, just like there are different seasons in the year—summer, rainy season, then winter season, autumn, spring, like that. So formerly, in the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000's of years. Then, in the Tretā-yuga, they used to live for 10,000 years. And in the Dvāpara-yuga they used to live for 1,000 years. That is the maximum. And in the Kali-yuga they can live up to one hundred years. That is also not completed. With the advancement of Kali-yuga the duration of life, bodily strength, memory, mercifulness, religious sense—in this way everything will be reduced. And the duration of life will be reduced so much so that it is stated in the Bhāgavata that "If a man lives for twenty to thirty years he will be considered as a grand old man." And there will be not available especially rice, wheat, milk, sugar. These are stated. This is Kali-yuga.
Now at the present moment in a godless civilization, if some great scientist proves... Just like Professor Einstein, he also said that as we are making advance in science we find that there is a big brain behind this cosmic manifestation. That is acceptance of God. What is that big brain? That big brain is God. The Vedānta-sūtra says janmady asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Just like when you see a wonderful bridge or wonderful engineering work, you must think that there is a brain behind it. This nice construction, there is a brain behind it. Similarly, those who are sane men, they'll see that with this cosmic, in this cosmic manifestation, so wonderfully working. The sun is rising in due time, the moon is rising in due time, the seasons are being changed in due course, the rain is there, the produce is there, the fruit is there, everything is nicely arranged. So don't you think that there is a brain behind it? Must be. The Bhagavad-gītā says mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Don't think that this material nature is working automatically or independently. There is a brain behind it.
There is a very nice verse in Cāṇakya-śloka that... He gives the example, I mean to say, broadmindedness. Na hi harate jyotsnā chandraś caṇḍāla-veśmani. Caṇḍāla. Caṇḍāla, according to Vedic conception, a caṇḍāla, a class who are dog-eaters, and they are meant for very low-class duty. So they are out of the caste system. Caṇḍāla means fifth dimension. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—these four classes are accepted. And beyond that, they are called caṇḍāla. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that "Even one is caṇḍāla, that does not mean that moonshine will not be delivered there." The moon is so liberal that it doesn't matter whether it is the house of brāhmaṇa or it is the house of a caṇḍāla. It doesn't matter. Just like when rain falls... You have seen, experienced. There is no necessity of rain on the sea. A vast mass of water there is, but rain is falling there also. Why? It is liberal, meant for everyone. Rain is not only meant for land. It is meant for the sea also. Similarly, any God consciousness movement, it does not mean that it is meant for that particular country or for that particular section. No. Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, don't consider it, that it is meant for the Hindus or for the Indians. It is meant for everyone. Just see. Dharmān bhāgavatān.
If you... Always remember that Prahlāda Mahārāja was talking with his child friends. So he says, tasmād bhavadbhiḥ kartavyam: "My dear friends, therefore it is your duty..." Kartavyaṁ karmaṇāṁ tri-guṇātmanām, tri-guṇātmanām... "Now, these activities of three material qualities, or material activities," bīja-nirharaṇam, "the seed of these material activities, you should crush it." Seed. There is a seed. Just like there is a seed, and so along the seed will remain... Just like you have seen in the fall season, so many creepers, they appear to be dried. There is no leaf. It almost dead. But as soon as the spring comes, oh, there is green leaf again. Why? The seed is there. Sometimes in India they set fire because it is very hot climate, so when there is no rainy season and by..., the sun is always bright there, so all these small plants, except big trees, they become dried up, and the cultivators, they set fire, and it becomes manure. But what is the fire? In the fire the outer portion is burned, but the seed is there. The next rainy season, again they awaken. Again there is, again green, again dry, again set fire, again green. Why? Now, seed is there. Seed is there. What is that seed? Bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ. You are trying to practice yoga, but you do not know how to crush the seed of material life. That is... This is bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The more you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, that seed, that material... What is that material seed? The material seed that "I want to lord it over everything, all resources." This is struggle. Everyone is trying. What is economic development or, what is called, the exact technical word? In a country... Undeveloped. Undeveloped country, and to develop. So what is this development? Development means to lord it over these material resources. That is the seed. That is the seed. Everyone is thinking that "I am the monarch of all I survey. Whatever I am seeing, I shall be the monarch. I shall be a Rockefeller. I shall be a Ford. I shall be this. I shall be that." But what is this "I shall be"? For few years I shall be like this, and then, according to my karma, according to my work, I'll leave this body here. I take another body, the "I shall be" finished.
So in last day meeting we have discussed that we have to crush the seed of this material existence. Bīja-nirharaṇaṁ yogaḥ. Bīja. So long the seed is there, we may practice something for spiritual realization, meditation, or the gymnastic yoga—or there are so many other things—but the seed is there. We may be forgetful of our existence, nirvāṇa, void, or hallucination. But because the bīja, the seed, is there, as soon as the effect of such imperfect method is finished, again you come to that Again. This is the bīja. The same example, just like weeds in the field. They appeared completely dried up. There is no more. But as soon as there are drops of rain, oh, again it becomes green. Because the seed is there. So if you want to wipe out the seed of this material existence, then Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that tatropāya-sahasrāṇām. There are maybe..., there may be many hundreds and thousands of process for wipe out, not wipe out, just to bring you to some transcendental position, forgetfulness of your material existence. There may be. But Prahlāda Mahārāja says that sahasrāṇām ayaṁ bhagavatoditaḥ. The method of Kṛṣṇa consciousness described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yad īśvare bhagavati yathā yair añjasā ratiḥ, this can give you the wiping-out method. If you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the seed of material existence will be completely stopped. Because there will be no... It is very practical.
So maintenance cannot be taken by anyone except by God. Therefore this material world is being operated in three departmental qualities: sattva, raja, tama. Sattva is maintenance. Sattva means goodness. Goodness is maintenance. And raja means activity. Without activity, there cannot be any creation in this material world. If you want to construct something, there must be activity. Raja means activity. And tama means darkness. So these, these qualities are working. These qualities are working. Now, in your country, by the rajo-guṇa you have created so many things, a nice country, very nicely operating. But another side: the confusion is there, the hippies. You see? Future hope of the country is very dark. You see? It will spoil the whole thing if the country's not alive to the situation. This is another way of protest. Just like in Europe there are, in Russia there is communist, so this is another way of... So these qualities will work because this material world—one side, goodness; another side, darkness; another side, activity. This is going on. So as there are so many departments of activities, all these demigods, they are in charge of, director, director in chief. So brahmādayaḥ. Brahmā is in charge of something. Indra is in charge of something. The demigods, they're officers. They have no information. They say, "It is nature, nature, nature, nature." No nature. They are department, department. Indra is in charge of this cloud, how cloud is conducted, how rain falls there, and he's in charge of... Water department, like that. Just like moon. Moon is in charge of lighting at night. Sun is in charge of lighting in daytime. Because it is darkness. The whole world is darkness. So these demigods... Similarly, Lord Śiva is in charge of destroying, tamo-guṇa. When there will be necessity of destroying this whole thing... Because this world is like that. Everything that is created, that must be destroyed. Your body is created from the father and mother. Now it is being maintained. So creation and maintenance, and then the time will come—it will be destroyed. So these three departments are there. So for creative department of this material world, Lord Brahma; for maintenance department, Lord Viṣṇu Himself; and for destruction, Lord Śiva. These are the guṇa avatāras, three, trinity. One is creating, one is maintaining...
So actually everything is that same Kṛṣṇa. In the Bhagavad-gītā it further explains, aham... What is that? Mayā tatam idam. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam. Sarvam, everything. Everything is expanded. Mayā tatam idam. Tatam means expanded; idam, this universe or this world or everything, whatever you take... Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4). He... That is His avyakta, impersonal form. Everything is Kṛṣṇa, but that does not mean that His personal form is finished. Because He is expanded everywhere... This is Māyāvāda theory, that "Because God has expanded in so many varieties, therefore God has no form." No. That is not the fact. Fact is, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). He is... In His original sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1) He is existing always in Goloka Vṛn... He does not go anywhere, leaving aside His friends, father, mother, beloved, anywhere. He's always... Vṛndāvanaṁ parityajya padam ekaṁ na gacchati. He does not go anywhere. Padam ekaṁ na gacchati. Just like a big man. We have got so many examples. A big man, he is sitting at his home. With family he's enjoying. But he is managing many, many hundreds of factories sitting there. We have got practical experience. Big, big business magnate, they do not come to the office, neither he goes to the factory. Simply by his order, telephone, "You do this," that's all. Things are going on. So if it is possible materially that one ordinary man, he can manage hundreds of factories and offices without going there, simply by his order, so how much powerful is Kṛṣṇa, we have to imagine. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. Still, even a man or even a demigod... Just like demigod Indra: he's managing the affairs of rains, how to collect the clouds, how to disperse them, how... And there are management, so many managements. But all these managements are going on on the supreme management, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He says in the Bhagavad-gītā that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). This is to be understood. That one Supreme Person, He is managing everything. The material and spiritual world, everything is being managed by Him. That is God. God is not so cheap. This is God.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Giri-vara-dhārī.
Prabhupāda: Giri-vara-dhārī. Just see. Gopījana-vallabha. The gopīs and their husbands and sons, so they were in danger when there was torrents of rain. They were very much perplexed. They approached Kṛṣṇa: "This is the danger. What You can do?" "Yes." Immediately He lifted the Govardhana Hill as umbrella: "Come on under this." Gopījana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī. This is Kṛṣṇa, that as soon the gopījana, they are in dangerous, He is immediately, although seven-years-old boy: "All right, I am making a big umbrella." Giri-vara-dhārī. This is Kṛṣṇa. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa.
So in the Kali-yuga there is durbhikṣa. Nobody can give even little rice. That is called durbhikṣa. Anāvṛṣṭya durbhikṣa kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). People in this age will be harassed by three things. One thing is anāvṛṣṭi. There will be scarcity of rainfall or no rainfall. When I first went to Hyderabad they said that for three, four years there was no rain. Is it not? But since Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is being chanted, there is rainfall. So they do not know the secret of rainfall. Yajñād bhavanti parjanyaḥ. If you perform yajña, then there will be cloud. Parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ (BG 3.14). This prescription is there. As soon as you stop performing yajña—you take pleasure in sporting, no yajña... Now big, big cities, they have got big, big Olympian sporting, but no yajña performance. So why there shall not be scarcity of rain? And as soon as there is scarcity of rain, there is scarcity of food grains. And as soon as there is scarcity of food grain, so many so-called associations will come out, "Give us grain. We have to feed such and such person, such and such village." So it is not going to the village. It is collected, and they use at their own. And government also raise tax. There will be constant durbhikṣa. So to stop durbhikṣa, government will tax the people. These are all stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Anāvṛṣṭi durbhikṣa kara-pīditāḥ, acchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam (SB 12.2.9). In this Kali-yuga people will be very, very much harassed. First of all there is scarcity of rain, then scarcity of food grain, and then taxation by the government. These things we are expecting. It is already begun.
So this is discipline and hardship, voluntary hardship. The brahmacārī may come from the royal house... Just like our Kṛṣṇa is actually son of Vasudeva, and He was brahmacārī. And when Sudāmā Vipra... Kṛṣṇa was supposed to be kṣatriya and Sudāmā Vipra was brāhmaṇa, so brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas are especially meant for going to the gurukula and live very strictly according to the principle of gurukula. So Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā Vipra went to collect dry fuel from the woods. When Sudāmā Vipra came to Kṛṣṇa's house, He reminded, "My dear Sudāmā, do you remember that day that both of us, we went to the forest and there was cyclone and rain, we could not come out?" So that means so much painstaking for the matter of guru. One cannot refuse, that "I am coming from very rich family. Why should you ask me to go to collect some... I can purchase it. I have money." No. If you have to... Here it is said that brahmacārī gurukule vasan dānto guror hitam, ācaran dāsavan nīcaḥ. Even if you are coming from the royal family, even if you are coming from the very respectable brāhmaṇa family, when you are under the control of guru you should act like servant. And what kind of servant? Menial servant, nīca. Not that "I am very rich man's son. You are asking me to do this? No, I cannot do it." No. This is called tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13).
So dāmpatye... It is not only in your country. In every country. Because the age is like that. Dāmpatye abhirucir hetur māyaiva vyāvahārike. Māyā means false dealing. Vyāvahāre. Even in ordinary dealing there will be cheating and faultiness, even in ordinary. Even you go to purchase something from a store, oh, there is false dealing. Dāmpatye. Strītve puṁstve ca hi ratiḥ. And strītve, a husband and wife will agree so long they are sexually strong. That's all. Strītve puṁstve ca hi ratiḥ. Ratiḥ means sex. Formerly it was not the system. The husband and wife combined together as life companion. Even the husband becomes diseased and paralyzed, the wife cannot give, give him up. "Oh, he is my husband." Similarly, wife. Either she becomes diseased or so many things, the husband and wife combined together for life. There was no question of divorce. There was no question of divorce, even they do not like each other, even they fight. Fight there must be, whenever there are two men or woman. That is individuality. Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, dāmpatye kālahe caiva bambhārambhe laghu-kriya. Whenever there is fight between husband and wife, it should be neglected. The formula of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita is given like this: Aja-yuddhe. When the goats are fighting, as it is very insignificant... If you understand that in the door two goats are fighting, you don't care for it. You see, a goat fight. So aja-yuddhe muni-śraddhe. And some sages are performing śraddhā ceremony. Śraddhā ceremony means after the death of one's father and mother there is great ceremony and the son spends lots of money. The father spends lots of money during the marriage ceremony of the boy and the girl, and the boy spends lots of money after the death of the father and mother. That is the system, Hindu system. So aja-yuddhe muni-śraddhe. Muni-śraddhe means the muni is performing the śraddhā ceremony after the death of his father. Muni means he lives in the forest. They are mendicants. And what is the expenditure? Some flowers and fruits, that's all. So that is not very expensive. So... And in the forest you haven't got to pay anything for flowers and fruits. You can get from the trees. Aja-yuddhe muni-śraddhe, and prabhāte megra-dumbhake (?). In the morning if there is thundering sound in the cloud, you should know it will not rain. It will never rain. That thundering may be very loud, but there will be no rain. That means you can neglect. As you can neglect the fight between two goats, as you can take not seriously the śraddhā ceremony of muni, as you do not take very seriously the thundering sound of the cloud in the morning, similarly, dāmpatye kālahe caiva, similarly, whenever there is fight between husband and wife, you should take like that. Don't take it seriously. But at the modern civilization, the husband and wife quarrel is taken so seriously that immediately they go to the court and there is filing of divorce, and the combination, the married life, dissolved, and both are unhappy. And this psychology is, as it is stated... I do not know, but probably it is right, that disagreement between husband and wife is due to sex difficulty. That's all. It is clearly stated here. Either the husband or the wife, if there is not complete sex satisfaction, one of them must be very unhappy, and disagreement and dissolution...
| Page Title: | Rain (SB Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Rishab, Mayapur, MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 27 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=102, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 102 |