Religious laws

Expressions researched:
"religious law" |"religious laws"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Kṛṣṇa warns, na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti: (BG 4.14) "These social, political or religious laws do not apply to Me." Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:

So here Kṛṣṇa says that na me karma-phale spṛhā. He is ātmārāma. Ātmārāma. Ātmārāma means He is fully satisfied in Himself. And He can create so many things. He is creator. So there is no question of desiring something. He can do anything, whatever He likes. But... That will be explained.

He sets example. Just like in the previous verse. We have already discussed.

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ

guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ

tasya kartāram api māṁ

viddhy akartāram avyayam

(BG 4.13)

Although He has set up the principle of varṇāśrama-dharma, but He's not within the varṇāśrama-dharma. Just like Kṛṣṇa takes the incarnation of becoming a pig, but that does not mean He is a pig. Ordinary conception of pig we have got. Or He takes the incarnation of a fish, but that does not mean He's ordinary fish.

So similarly, He comes here as a human being, as son of Nanda Mahārāja, or husband of Rukmiṇī, or son of Vasudeva, but actually, He is nobody's son. He is everybody's father. He is the origin. Nobody can be cause of His creation. This idea should be understood. And if anyone understands that Kṛṣṇa, or God, is not under any rules and regulation and laws of this material world, then he understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly.

Just like Kṛṣṇa performed the rāsa dance. At the midnight many young girls came by hearing His flute, and He danced with them. This is, from Vedic standard, it is not very moral. Because at dead of night, with others' wives or sisters or daughters, to dance... Kṛṣṇa was young. That is not very good example from Vedic principles. But He did it. So, so... And that is the highest understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhuḥ. All the Gosvāmīs, even Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu... He was a sannyāsī. He was very strict about woman. No woman could come near Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As a sannyāsī. But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended, ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā: "There is no better method of worshiping Kṛṣṇa than the method conceived by the gopīs."

And the Gosvāmīs also... Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī... Vande śrīla-rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. The Six Gosvāmīs, they gave up their material opulence. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. They gave up their... They were ministers of the government, very exalted position. Their associates were most aristocratic persons. But he gave up everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. Maṇḍala-pati means leaders of the society, big, big men, zamindars or government officers. So he gave up, tucchavat, considering them most insignificant. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā. They have, gave up their opulent family. He was also belonging to the aristocratic family. He gave up. And became a mendicant, beggar, madhukārī. They were asking one cāpāṭi from one gṛhastha. They would not accept three or four or..., cāpāṭis at a place. Only half, one, like that. All in this way.

So so much in the renounced order of life. But they lived—how? Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhuḥ. They were always thinking of the gopīs' dealing with Kṛṣṇa. So from this standpoint of view, the, the dealings of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa, that is not these ordinary human dealings. That is all spiritual. Without understanding the spiritual platform of Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs... Nobody try to understand it. Then they will be misled. So... Therefore Kṛṣṇa says. People may not be misled. Sometimes He's seen to be acting against the social laws. Therefore Kṛṣṇa warns, na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti: (BG 4.14) "These social, political or religious laws do not apply to Me." Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti.

This question was raised by Parīkṣit Mahārāja when Śukadeva Gosvāmī described the rāsa-līlā. So that... "Kṛṣṇa appeared on this material world, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. So why He violated these rules of dharma?" Violation because, according to Vedic civilization, nobody can mix with other's wife or other woman. Even in moral principle, as Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. "All women should be treated just like mother." Not like the present society. Formerly, every woman should be addressed as "mother," Mātājī. And now they have invented "Bahinjī." No. Woman should be addressed as "mother." Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu.

So this question was put forward by Parīkṣit Mahārāja before Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "How Kṛṣṇa danced with others' wives and sisters, like that?" This is against principle of dharma. So just to clear the position of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is personally said, personally saying also, and this is confirmed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī that tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). Kṛṣṇa cannot be polluted.

Because by chanting Kṛṣṇa's name one becomes purified, how Kṛṣṇa can be polluted? If, by chanting... Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam... paraṁ vijayate kṛṣṇa, śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12). And in another place, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, one becomes freed from all sinful activities. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. Especially. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ. He becomes free from all contamination.

In material world we are simply becoming contaminated. Therefore karmāṇi limpanti. In the... We are becoming entangled by the reaction of our karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). By karma, the jantu, means living entity, is getting different types of body one after another, one after another. In this way he's wandering 8,400,000 forms of bodies. This is karma. Therefore to the living entities, as we are... We are bound up by the laws of karma. But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti.

This is to be understood. Unless we understand Kṛṣṇa, that He is not bound up by the material laws, then we do not understand Kṛṣṇa. And if anyone understands it perfectly, then what is the result? The result: iti māṁ yo 'bhijānāti karmabhir na sa badhyate (BG 4.14). If one understands clearly that Kṛṣṇa is not under any material laws, then he also becomes not bound up by any material laws. Simply by knowing it. Karmāṇi nirdahati ca bhakti-bhājām.

In the Brahma-sūtra it is said... Brahma-saṁhitā. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma... Indra, indra-gopa, and the King Indra, both are named as indra. Yas tu indra-gopam atha mahā-indra sva-karma-phala-bhuk. Everyone is enjoying the resultant action of his karma. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam ātanoti (Bs. 5.54). Everyone is enjoying or suffering the resultant action of his karma. Sva-karma-phala-bhuk. But karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). But one who is in the devotional service, although he has to suffer the resultant action of his past karma, but that is reduced to the minimum. Karmāṇi nirdahati. Or practically no.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

There is in Bhagavad-gītā, that dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi. Find out. You can come here and read.

Room Conversation with Alcohol and Drug Hospital People -- May 16, 1975, Perth:

Guest (3): Do you teach abstinence or moderation in the use of these things?

Prabhupāda: No, we say "Stop." We don't allow even smoking and drinking tea. That is also intoxication. We are so strict. But still, they give up. None of us take tea. We eat very simple things, vegetables, wheat, rice, little milk, that's all.

Guest (1): Did you say you eat meat?

Paramahaṁsa: Wheat, wheat.

Guest (1): Wheat. Ah. Is there any reason why you don't, you prohibit people from eating meat?

Prabhupāda: Because it is sinful. It is sinful. According to Vedic conception, these four things are sinful activities, four pillars. Just like four pillars, the legs of this table, similarly, illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling are the four legs of sinful life.

Guest (1): What do you consider illicit sex?

Prabhupāda: Illicit sex means animal life. The marriage is in the human society, not in the dog society. So if one has illicit sex, that means he is no better than dog.

Guest (2): I don't quite understand that. Did you say that illicit means sex between people who are not married?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sex is allowed only married couple. And that is also only for begetting child.

Guest (1): Married under what law? Under what religion? Under what religious law?

Prabhupāda: There is in Bhagavad-gītā, that dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi. Find out. You can come here and read.

Paramahaṁsa: Which was that? Dharma...

Prabhupāda: Dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi.

Paramahaṁsa: Dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu?

Prabhupāda: No, dharmāviruddhaḥ kāmo 'smi. Dharma-aviruddha. You know that verse.

Paramahaṁsa: Is that balaṁ balavatāṁ cāham?

Prabhupāda: Ah, yes, yes, yes.

Paramahaṁsa:

balaṁ balavatāṁ cāhaṁ

kāma-rāga-vivarjitam

dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu

kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha

Translation: "I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bhāratas, Arjuna."

Guest (1): You can follow actually? What does that exactly mean? It's a direct translation, I think.

Paramahaṁsa: He says, "What does that exactly mean?"

Prabhupāda: Explain to him.

Paramahaṁsa: Well, as it explains here, "The strong man's strength should be applied to protect the weak, not for personal aggression. Similarly, sex life, according to religious principles, dharma, should be for the propagation of children, not otherwise. The responsibility of parents is then to make their offspring Kṛṣṇa conscious."

Guest (2): The question was which religion, which religious principle?

Paramahaṁsa: Well, he means our marriage under... We accept that marriage, sex life in marriage, is licit, not illicit. So he asked, "Under what religious principles or under which religion?"

Prabhupāda: Any religion. Christian religion does not allow illicit sex. No adultery.

Guest (2): Any religious principles?

Prabhupāda: This is religious principle. In the animal kingdom there is no marriage, but in the human society—may be Christian, may be Hindu, may be Muslim—there is marriage system. That is religious system.

Guest (2): Is polygamy illicit?

Prabhupāda: No.

Guest (2): Not illicit. But it is...

Prabhupāda: Polygamy means if it is married. Just like in the Vedic society they used to marry many wives. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa had sixteen thousand wives. And He maintained them sixteen thousand palaces. And He expanded Himself into sixteen thousand Kṛṣṇas. So that is a different thing; He is God. But if you can maintain each and every wife, you can marry more than one wife. But if you are unable to maintain, that is illicit. All the kṣatriya kings, they used to marry more than one wife. Still in India, the kṣatriyas, kings, they have more than one wife. But they maintain very nicely.