Nothing can be manifested without being controlled. It is childish to, not to consider about the controller. Just like a very nice motor car with very good speed and very good engineering arrangement is running on the street. A child may think that "How this motor car is running without the help of any horse or any pulling agent?" But a sane man or an elderly person, he knows that in spite of all engineering arrangements in the motor car, without the driver it cannot move. That engineering arrangement of a motor car, or in electric powerhouse... Now at the present moment it is the day of machinery, but we should always know that behind the machinery, behind the wonderful working of the machinery, there is a driver. So the Supreme Lord is the driver, adhyakṣa. He is the Supreme Personality under whose direction everything is working.
Street (Lectures, BG)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
If one is attracted with this bodily function or mind, mental function, he is outside the spiritual purview altogether. He rejected immediately. That test is in the Bhagavad-gītā. These people, the so-called yogis, so-called karmīs... Karmīs means the ordinary worker, those who are running in the street with motor car, this way and that way, very busy. You see. What are they? They are karmīs. Karmīs means under the bodily concept. They are thinking that comfort of this body and sense gratification is the end of life. That is karmī. If they have got very nice apartment, a nice wife and good bank balance and a very nice dress, oh, there is perfection. That's all. That is karmī.
Simply one must be sincere, not sinful. But a sinful man cannot understand Him. The sinful man, he will say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is also man. I am also man. Why I am not God? He is simply God? No, I am also. I am God. You are God, you are God, every God." Just like Vivekananda said, "Why you are searching after God? Don't you see so many gods are loitering in the street?" You see. This is his God realization. This is his God realization. And he became a big man: "Oh, he is seeing everyone God."
So the dog's business: one side, he is very faithful, and one side, he is simply committing offense, unnecessarily frightening other people, you see unnecessarily, without any offense. And dog's another business is that he is seeking always master. Unless he finds out a good master, it is a street dog and it has no place. It has no place. It will not get sufficient food, become lean and thin, and loiter in the street. Because dog must find out... Śūdra-like. Śūdra, unless he finds out a master to provide him, his all education is useless.
To see every woman except his wife as mother. This is education. This is education, perfection of education, when you can see all women except your wife as mother. This is education. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat. And others' property? Just like garbage in the street. Nobody is interested in the garbage. You throw. That is education. And ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. And thinking all living entities as your own self. If you feel pains and pleasure by something, you could not afflict the pains to others. If your throat is cut, if your head is cut, you feel so much pain, how you can cut the head of another animal? This is education. Samaḥ sarveṣu-bhūteṣu. This is education, three things. This is the test of education.
Similarly, our position is servant. If you don't become servant of Kṛṣṇa, then you serve, you become servant of your wife, your children, your relative, your country, your nation, your dog. At last, if you have no family, then you become servant of your dog. You know in your country it is very usual. If he has nobody, then he keeps a dog, and takes it on the street. His dog passes stool, and he is standing, waiting: "Yes, sir. You pass your stool, I am waiting." Just see. It is practical. If you don't become servant of Kṛṣṇa, then you have to become servant of the dog. This is nature's way. Therefore intelligent person will take lesson from it, that "I have to become servant. Why not become Kṛṣṇa's servant? Then I will be happy. There are so many Kṛṣṇa's servants. They are so happy. Why shall I rem
At that time, to live, actually we have practically seen in recent years, especially in Calcutta, it has become a hellish life. The population, the younger generation, is so polluted, so contaminated, that you cannot safely walk in the street. Anywhere, the young boys they can encircle you and rob you. You cannot say on. The police cannot help, the government cannot help. So these unwanted children, without being trained up in the varṇāśrama system, they become the cause of hellish life in this life also after death. After death according to Vedic regulations, piṇḍa-udaka, piṇḍa, offering Viṣṇu prasāda and water at least once in a year it is required by the family members.
The government, the Lord family has got money deposited with the government, and government gives the interest so that the family tradition may be maintained, the aristocratic style. Or if they spoil, they no more cares for them. Then their house will be sold and they will be street-beggar. That's all. No more Lord family.
So everywhere, you take politically or socially or spiritually, for human beings, if you want to make your life successful, then you must keep the tradition of brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava. So our, we are Vaiṣṇava. Our only tradition is how to satisfy Viṣṇu. That is the tradition of everyone, but, especially Vaiṣṇavas. They must be very alert, very careful, how to keep Lord Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa satisfied. That is our only business. So you should not neglect it.
Sama-darśinaḥ means equal vision. A learned brāhmaṇa, he is most intelligent man in the human society, and a dog... Superficially, externally, there is much difference. Here is a dog, a street dog, and here is a learned brāhmaṇa. But one who is paṇḍita, one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he sees that the paṇḍita and the dog, they are the same, because they are also the same spiritual spark. By his karma, he has become a learned paṇḍita, and by his karma, he has become a dog. But within the different body, dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, in this body there is the soul. That is his vision. Of course, externally, it is not that I shall behave equally with the brāhmaṇa and the dog.
Prabhupāda: Very good.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...when he's walking the street.
Prabhupāda: So he is devotee.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He said he was smoking two and a half packs of cigarettes. Now he only smokes three or four. Soon he will stop.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) You see? How practical. Yes. This is practical. One of my Godbrothers, he narrated his life history, that he was distilling wine for drinking. And he said that all kinds of intoxicants he has passed. He is graduate of all kinds of intoxication. (laughs) But when he came to Guru Mahārāja, he left everything. He has not even smoking a biḍi, cigarette. Pāpī tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo, tāra sākṣī jagāi mādhāi. The witness is Jagāi and Mādhāi. So you accept it.
And there are ordinary class of men, they neither brāhmaṇa nor kṣatriya nor... They cannot live independently. Śūdra means he must find out a master. A master. Paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Śūdra's business is to find out a master. Just like a dog. A dog must find out a nice master. Otherwise it is a street dog. Its condition is not very good. Similarly, a śūdra means he must have a nice paying master. Otherwise his life is at risk. So if you consider in that way, the śāstra says, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. In this Kali-yuga, everyone is a śūdra. You hardly find a real brāhmaṇa or real kṣatriya or vaiśya. Because they are after service. In the śāstra it is said that a brāhmaṇa, if he is in difficulty, he may take the profession of a kṣatriya or up to a vaiśya, but never take the business of a śūdra like a dog. That is prohibited. And nowadays we are claiming to become brāhmaṇa and going here and there with application, "If there is any vacancy, sir?"
Even hundred years ago. So all other thieves warned, "This is your punishment." So there was no thiefing. There was no stealing, no burglary in Kashmir. Even somebody lost something on the road, it will lie down. Nobody will touch it. The order was, king's order was, "If something is lying down on the street uncared for, you cannot touch it. The man who has left it, he would come; he will collect. You cannot take." Even hundred years ago. So this capital punishment is required. Nowadays the capital punishment is excused. Murderers are not hanged. This is all mistake, all rascaldom. A murderer must be killed. No mercy. Why a human killer? Even an animal killer should be immediately hanged? That is kingdom. The king should be so strict.
Again we will have to come. So therefore it is called anādi karama-phale. Anādi means "before the creation." This is going on. And to teach the befooled living entities, Kṛṣṇa personally comes. Kṛṣṇa is very much anxious to take us back to home, back to Godhead. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Suppose if your son is loitering in the street, are you not anxious, "Oh, there may be some accident, and the poor boy will be killed." So you go, try to find out. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's position is like that. We are in this material world simply suffering life after life. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This place is miserable. But māyā's illusion, we are taking this miserable condition of life as happiness. This is called māyā. there is no happiness in this material world. Everything miserable.
"And if one thinks the issues, the by-products of this body as his own kinsmen..." Just like my children, my wife, my relatives, my father, my mother, my brother, my nation, my society—everything is due to this bodily relation. And there are thousands of women loitering in the street of New York, and suppose I have got some ma..., bodily connection with you, I call you my wife. And because I have got bodily relation with you, all the children produced by you, they are my children. You see? So whole thing is... The basic principle is wrong, that "I am this body." Now, from the expansion of the body, the whole thing, the whole thing is false.
We have no power. We are put under certain condition; then we work. Otherwise we cannot work. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). Prakṛti, material nature, puts us under certain condition and we work accordingly, not independently. And the prakṛti, material nature, also working under somebody. Just like when you go on the street you see red light and green light. As soon as you see red light you stop your car. So this red light and green light is being manipulated by the police, and the police is working under government. Similarly, this whole material nature is acting like red light or green light, but behind that red light and green light there is the supreme brain.
So as a layman or as child cannot understand how the red light and blue light, green light, is working... He sees simply, he thinks automatically it is being done. That is foolishness. It is not being automatically done. There is machine. There is manipulator behind this red light. So this is intelligence. Anyone who is concluding that "On the street the red light and green light is working automatically; there is no brain behind it," he's a rascal. Simi larly, the whole material cosmic manifestation is working... Even the big sun planet, it is also working under certain direction. Yac cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām. Without sunrise nobody can see, not only in this planet, in other planets also, sakala-grahāṇām. So this sun planet is so important... Day and night, year and millions of years—everything is being calculated on the solar system. So this powerful planet is described as the eyes of everyone.
Oh, it is very regrettable. You are lamenting." Aśocyān anvaśocaḥ. What is this body? It is simply lump of matter. As soon as the soul is out of this body, what is the value of this lump of matter? It will be thrown in the street, and somebody will kick on the face. Nobody will care. Nobody will care. But so long the soul is there, if you touch the hair even—"Why you are touching my hair?" But when the soul is not there, on the same face, if somebody kicks, nobody will care. This is the position of the body. Therefore it is said, aśocyān: "It is garbage. Why you are lamenting on this garbage?" Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam (BG 2.11). "You are talking, very learned man, that 'If I kill my brothers the, my brothers' wives will be widow, and there will be prostitution and then the whole family will go to ruin.' These are all external condition."
Similarly, the Muhammadans, if they follow the ideal life of Muhammad, Hazrat Muhammad, so they get the result. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Just like in a unknown path, in a village, especially when there is a field... Now, in, in the city, you can know that "I have come so far" because the streets are numbered and the, you have got the location and there are some symptoms, this house or that house. But in the country, everything, every, every place is of the same similar nature, the same jungle, the same field, the same grass. We do not know where I am going. Or in the sea. Or in the sea. I have got experience. Have you ever traveled in the sea? No. But when I was coming from India, so everywhere I see a round only, round of water.
Water in the desert. Now, in the desert, due to sun's reflection... You might have experienced in the street also, during blazing sun. It appears like water. Now, that animal, because it has no knowledge, it is, I mean to say, flying towards water in the desert. Although there is no water. But a sane man like you and me, or a human being, he knows that there is no water. There is no water. So this direction, that there is water, this mistake is committed by the animal because he, it has no sufficient knowledge. But one, a human being who has got sufficient knowledge, he does not commit that mistake. Yes.
At the present moment, people are mostly āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Āsuri, āsuri bhāva means to defy God: "There is no God. God is dead. I am God. You are God. So many Gods are loitering in the street. Why you are finding out God?" These are so many statements. So God has become so cheap. There are so many incarnations of God, especially in India. It is a breeding ground of Gods, so many. So that is, means they do not know what is God. Mūḍha. They think God is so cheap thing. But from the śāstra we understand, from Bhagavad-gītā we understand... When Kṛṣṇa was asked by Arjuna, "How You are controlling the whole cosmology, Your vibhūti, Your power, energies?"
Now I order that hundreds of thousands of people shall assemble this night, and we shall go to the Kazi's house." This is civil disobedience. So people agreed, and there were hundreds of thousands of mṛdaṅgas and hundreds of thousands of people, and they chanted and crossed the whole street, don't care for any police action. And the Kazi saw, "Oh, it is a mass movement." He was afraid. You see? When any movement is taken by the people, then the government becomes afraid. Just like the marijuana movement? Now there is no more legal action. Government cannot because all people are taking to marijuana. You see?
You cannot imagine 135. In India we have experienced temperature, I have experienced up to 118 degrees. Not always, unusually. But 110 degree is usual during summertime, 110 degree. Usual temperature. So does it mean... The scorching heat, you cannot get out on the street. But still, one has to go to office, one has to go to work. There are some cases of heat stroke. Still, nobody can stop his duty. "Similarly, even if you think that by discharging your duty as a warrior, as a kṣatriya, your grandfather will be killed or... Of course, there is no cause of lamentation. He'll get another new body. But even if you think, if your bodily concept is so strong, if you are sorry, so you have to, I mean to say, tolerate.
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Downtown he was... He is all right, but he was hit by a car. He crossed the street and a car went through the red light and hit him. So they took him to the hospital and he has to remain there overnight for X-rays. But Viṣṇujana is with him, and I think he's all right. It was just his body... He was scraped. The car hit him and he was pushed along the street. He got bounced on the street so his skin was rubbed and burned a little from the burning.
Devotee: At most a fractured rib or two.
Devotee: They can sue the person and get some money.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We're going to sue the man who was driving the car.
Prabhupāda: So you have taken the number?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, we have all the details.
Prabhupāda: So ask him something to pay. Otherwise sue.
Everyone is practically unfortunate. Nobody has certainty what he will eat tomorrow, or in the evening. Everywhere... Don't think only it is only in India. In America. When I went there, I thought everyone is very rich. There are so many poor men. They are lying on the street. The street-lying population is everywhere, either in India or in America or in England. I have seen. The first-class, second-class, third-class men will remain there. You may however try to make everyone first class; the division, first class, second class, third class, will go on. That is nature's arrangement. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). And disturbed. Just like today's strike, unnecessarily. Disturbance. So many disturbance everywhere, all over the world, because the population has degraded, degraded. They must be like that. This is the way.
Prabhupāda: Oh, ice cream. (laughter) You are taking ice cream? Huh?
Viṣṇujana: No. They go up and down the street.
Prabhupāda: Canvassing?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Don't take ice cream. (music continues louder in background) (laughs) This is māyā. (laughter) "Come on, come on, enjoy me. Come on, come on, enjoy me." (laughs) As soon as you enjoy, you become entrapped. That's all. Just like fishing tackle. They throw the tackle and invite the fish, "Come on, come on, enjoy me. Come on, come on, enjoy me." As soon as—Ap! (laughter) Finished. Then, (sound imitating fish) "Where you go now? Come on in my bag. Yes, I'll fry you nicely." You see? So these are all explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The fish is losing his life by eating, by tongue. He cannot check the dictation of the tongue; therefore he is losing his life. You see?
I mean to say, pleasure which is already enjoyed, which is already tasted. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām. A human being... You'll find that when the dogs, they have sex life, they have no shame. So, many lusty people stand there and see. Seeing means they are willing, "If I could enjoy in the street like this." And sometimes they do. This is going on. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30).
All right, you become Kṛṣṇa. You become enjoyer. That is material world. Everyone is trying to become Kṛṣṇa, enjoyer. So there is fight. Always. You are becoming, trying to becoming Kṛṣṇa. I am trying to become Kṛṣṇa. As there are so many incarnations of God nowadays—every lane, every street. So we are all imitation Kṛṣṇa. And there is fight. That is asanātana-dharma. That is not sanātana. Therefore the brāhmaṇa says, kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. "My dear Lord, I tried to become master, but I have become servant of my senses—kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya, ityādi. Now I see that I have served so long, but my so-called masters, they are not satisfied." Everyone knows. Even up to the end of life, one tries to become master. But that is not possible because he's not master.
You know. Every day, the newspaper proprietors, they are paying to the news collectors, to the photographers, to the staff, to the establishment huge amount of money and producing newspaper, say, fifty pages or twenty-five pages, and throwing in the street. Nobody cares for it. Because everyone knows what is the value of this news. Nobody is taking care. "Oh, here is a newspaper behind which there is so much expenditure." "Oh, here is one. Let me take it." Everyone kicks it. You see? You see practically. Huge bundles of newspapers, nobody cares for it. That means actually this literature has no value. No value. Simply they are wasting their time, producing such nonsense literature. Even if it has got any value, the newspaper boys throws early in the morning. At ten o'clock it has no more value. That's all. Finished all value. Whatever value was there, that finished by ten o'clock.
That's all right, so many young men die within the hospital in the disease. And sometimes old men, they do not die even in the war.
So life and death is not in your hand. You don't think that stopping this or increasing this, you'll be able to stop all inconveniences. Just take, for example, this boy, Vīrabhadra was struck by a car. All right, he was in the street. But another boy, he fell on the staircase and broke his leg. He was at home; he met accident. So how you can stop this, the onslaught of material nature?
On Love Feast day, supply them Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Invite some prominent gentlemen to preside over, to become our chief guest. And in this way make propaganda. And put signboards all through the street with electric light, make the gardens very nicely. This is service. Now you have got the chance to serve. Do it. Here is a chance. We are... Whether a man understands Kṛṣṇa philosophy or not, we don't care for it. Of course, if he understands, it is a great pleasure for us, but we are working on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, on behalf of Lord Caitanya. That should be our philosophy. Don't be disappointed that the whole day you work, you got no collection, and nobody was interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. No. Don't be disappointed. You have worked sincerely the whole day, that is your credit. That's all. That's your credit.
So long we have got this body we have to do something. Without doing something we cannot live. The material world will not allow you, that you cannot do anything and you'll be provided. No. Whatever you may be, you may be President Nixon or ordinary man in the street, everyone has to do something. That is not possible. There is a verse in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa, tṛtīya-śaktir iṣyate (CC Madhya 6.154). There the situation, material situation, is so stringent, that without working, you cannot live. You'll die. There is an example in the Hitopadeśa. Na hi suptasya siṁhasya praviśanti mukhe mṛgāḥ. Suptasya siṁhasya. Siṁha means lion. If the lion thinks that "I am so powerful animal, king of the forest. Why shall I work?" Therefore, it is said that if he does not work, then he'll have to starve. Even though he's a lion.
That is a different thing. So if you give up your material activities, tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ, and, by sentiment or by canvassing or by seeing that "These people are Kṛṣṇa conscious people, they are very nice, they are chanting in the street, let me join," somehow or other, if you come in contact, then... (tape is wavy) I think one of our students joined, he was going to business and seeing the chanting, dancing in the street, he immediately joined. Who is that? I think Dhruva?
That is, we are missing. We are simply sticking to a false platform that "This will save me, this will save me." No. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says that jaḍa-bidyā jato māyāra vaibhava. This material advancement of civilization, very nice, very dazzling. Just like when we pass on the street or road of your American cities, it looks so nice. So many lights and so many night—illuminating signboards. But we should always remember that this nice situation is not permanent settlement. Any moment I'll have to give up everything. Everything. So therefore, if one becomes attached to this false platform, illuminating, so-called illuminating, false platform, then his determination to go back to Godhead will not be very much intense. That is being explained. So bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām. What is the English translation? Yes.
That is not possible. You could produce great, complicated machinery, but you cannot produce the machine driver. The machine can be produced, but machine driver cannot be produced. And without machine driver, all machines are useless. All machines are useless. A child may see in the street, oh, how a nice motorcar is passing with so much speed. He is struck with wonder that "Without any horse how the motorcar is going on?" I mean those who have no experience how machine works. Just like in India... Of course, I heard this story from my professor when I was a student of logic in my I.A. class.
Prabhupāda: No, you said that "I have heard from different sources."
Madhudviṣa: From people on the street that I've talked to.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So what is the question?
Madhudviṣa: They talk about the vibration that's going on in the universe at, uh, at all times, and they talk about vibrating with this vibration, and uttering this vibration, and that this is what they're after.
Prabhupāda: Yes, any vibration, there is sound. So there is... The sound is heard oṁkāra. That is also accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā. So there is no objection accepting this...
Yes. Very big, big scientists, astronomers, mathematicians, they have written in that book, Evidence of Existence of God. And they have all agreed that if there is God at all, He must be person. He cannot be imperson. And God says personally, "There is no greater truth than Me. Arjuna, there is no greater truth than Me." Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8), "I am the source of all energy." So God says, Arjuna says, Vyāsa says, Nārada says; why should we hear a street man? (laughter) (Prabhupāda laughs) A man in the street, is he greater than Nārada? Is he greater than Vyāsa? He is greater than Kṛṣṇa? Then why should I hear him? You should ask him, "Please, keep your theory with you. We are greater authority than you." Yes. Yes?
Jaya-gopāla: If we are on the street and collecting money and we are thinking, "Oh, I am a very good collector; I am collecting so nicely."
Prabhupāda: Yes, Yes. You are very good collector for Kṛṣṇa.
Jaya-gopāla: But if we...
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, you should be proud, you should feel proud: "I am working for Kṛṣṇa very nicely." (laughter) We don't reject anything. Even this pride, yes. "I am greater servant of Kṛṣṇa. Yes, I am proud." That pride is nice. Yes?
Guest or devotee: This might be a stupid question, but like, uh...
Prabhupāda: Well we are all stupids. (laughter) So questions must be stupid.
Guest/Devotee: In yoga I've heard a lot about...
Prabhupāda: Yes, because we are stupids we must have... Just like he says, "I have heard in the street." You see? We have to hear everything from Kṛṣṇa, then it is perfect.
Guest/Devotee: Well, uh, sometimes I feel, uh, what they call cakras. Like I feel very light over here, and I feel something swirling over here that I think they call the thousand-petalled lotus. Is this just my imagination, or are these things real?
Now, our affection between ourself is due to this body. Now, I am Indian. I am Indian. Suppose I find some gentleman in the street of New York, an Indian, oh, I am very much anxious to ask him, "Oh, are you Indian? Which province you are coming? I want to..." The affection is there. What is that affection? Due to this body. That's all. Because I am thinking that "My body is Indian, and here, there is another body whose body is also Indian. Oh, let me have some talks with him." This is affection. Similarly, all our affection. There are thousands and millions of women loitering in the street, but there is one woman, oh, with whom I am very much intimately connected because I have got bodily relation. Leaving aside all the women, I call one particular one, "Oh, he's my, she's my wife."
The Īśopaniṣad teaches us, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "Nothing, nothing belongs to you. Everything belongs to God. Everything belongs to God." There is a story that God laughs when two party fights for the land. Actually we have seen. In India, when there was partition day, the Hindu, Muslim, fought. Hindu, Muslim, fought, and when both of them died and lied on the street and strewn all over the street and ask them, "Now, whose land it is?" now nobody replied. Nobody replied. The God's land will remain here. And we simply fight that "This is my land. This is my land." These are all these, I mean to say, paraphernalia of our illusion. Illusion.
Sudāmā: "...or goal of self-interest is to reach Viṣṇu. The whole varṇa and āśrama system is designed to help us reach this goal of life. A householder can also reach this destination by regulated service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For self-realization one can live a controlled life as prescribed in the śāstras and continue carrying out his business without attachment, and that will lead him gradually to the progressive path. Such a sincere person who follows this method is far better situated than the false pretender who adopts show-bottle spiritualism to cheat the innocent public. A sincere sweeper in the street is far better than the charlatan meditator who works only for the sake of making a living."
Prabhupāda: Yes. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that don't accept spiritual life for living. Just like we are sending the saṅkīrtana party. If we take it, "Oh, it is very easy method for living without working. We are getting money for our livelihood," this is not wanted. If your spiritual life is for...
There are recommendation in these Vedas, pañca-yajña. Pañca-yajña means that unknowingly we are killing many living entities. Suppose we are... When we are walking on the street there are many ants who are being killed on the pressure of our shoes. So that is also counted as sin. In God's kingdom, in God's, I mean to say, state. Just like here you have to pay by your life if you kill one man. If you commit a murder, you have to repay this murdering sin by your own life. That is, of course, imperfect law, man-made law. Similarly, in God's law also, if you kill any living entity, you have to suffer for that, because in the God's eye there is no question of man or animal or ant or fly or something like that. Every living entity is the son of God. Now, suppose your father has got five sons.
Now, why your, or this work? Any work. Suppose you will drive a motor car. That is a sort of work in the street. There is injunction that "You should drive on the right. You should stop your car when there is red light. You should not proceed an inch." So, so many regulations, even for your driving car, anything... Anything of your life—you want to do—there are directions, proper directions from the authorities. And why not for your spiritual life? Why not for?
For spiritual life you can do anything and everything, whatever you like, what you manufacture in your own brain? No. How can you do it? In every field of your work, in practical life, you have got some direction, that "You have to act in this direction." Suppose you are working, running on a factory.
There is no expenditure and there is no loss. Suppose you are sitting on the bus, on the car, for two hours. For two hours, if you go on chanting, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa," then tremendous result. So why don't you try it? There is no expenditure; there is no loss, neither loss of time, neither loss of money, neither loss of energy. There is no loss. Simply and melodiously, in a singing way, if you go on, "Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare," you are... You will be directly associating with the Supreme Lord. You will be directly associating.
Just like we are sitting in this loft. So by association of this Bowery Street, always dust is coming in this room, and it is being stuck up, layer after layer, similarly, by association of this material contamination, we have in our heart accumulated so many material dust. The whole thing, our progress of spiritual life, our progress of spiritual realization, is checked only because we have got some misunderstanding of our identification. The identification is that "I am this body." That's all. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).
So the stage of Śukadeva Gosvāmī is ātma-rati, self-satisfied, doesn't care for anything of the world. He is aloof from the world. We should not imitate Śukadeva Gosvāmī and become naked. (chuckles)
Simply by... There are many so-called mendicants in India. They, I mean to say, loiter in the street naked, and sometimes they are arrested by the police, like that. Imitation is not required. Imitation is not required. But there is a stage like that. Just like a madman. Sometimes a madman, he also, I mean to say, wanders the street naked. So he is also compact in some thought, but he is a madman. But similarly, a person who is completely compact in Kṛṣṇa thought, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is also a madman according to the calculation of this world.
So one who has understood these things nicely and he is satisfied in himself...
Just like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He didn't care for anything, who is naked dancing, or naked bathing. No. He has no care. He is going on in the street. Yas tu ātma-ratir eva syād ātma-tṛptaś ca mānavaḥ ātmany eva ca santuṣṭaḥ. He is satisfied in himself and with Kṛṣṇa. Tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate: "He has nothing to do." Bas. He is free. Now, if you are not in that stage, then you have to perform sacrifice, as recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). You have to work in such a way that your work will be purified gradually and you will come to this stage of ātma-rati. But if you, from the very beginning, you are satisfied with your self-understanding, then you have nothing to do. You have nothing to do.
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī advises that "You, if you have actually left home for spiritual realization, then you haven't got any problem for maintaining your life. You have no problem." So he recommends, cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi. "Well, I am naked." Of course, you do not wish to run on as naked. You require some cloth. All right, find out some cloth in the street. There are so many cloth thrown in the street. So you can pick up one of them. So your cloth problem is there solved. Cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ naivāṅghripāḥ. Aṅghripāḥ means these trees. They have got fruits. So you can ask a tree, apple tree, to give you some apple to eat. So your clothing and eating problem is solved. All right, then your shelter... Ruddhā guhāḥ kim. Oh, you find out some cave. There is nice place. So the house problem is solved. Then water?
Police force is not meant for controlling you. But when you accept to be controlled by police, when you become a criminal, then police force controls you, not that police force is made by the government unnecessarily to control you. No. He's to help you. Government has arranged policeman in every crossing. They are wandering in the street. They are meant for helping you. They are not meant for controlling you. But when you agree to be controlled by the police, then it will control you. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Then you become under the police control, if you become criminal. And what is that criminality? The criminality is that kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā. Kṛṣṇa is the original enjoyer, God.
We have to believe the authority to take knowledge. And the more the authority is perfect, your knowledge is perfect. The more the authority is perfect, your knowledge is perfect. Direct perception in all cases, it is not possible to receive direct perception of everything. Take, for example... (shouts from outside on street) Ask them not to make noise.
So Kṛṣṇa is looking for the opportunity when the living entity will come back to Him. Because we are all sons.
So father, if the son is bewildered, gone out of the home and loitering in the street, the father is very anxious to get him back, although the son has forgotten. This is the position. Therefore, as Paramātmā, He's guiding us. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). From Him, we get the remembrance.
Lord cannot tolerate any insult, or any, I mean to say, misbehave to a sādhu. Although sādhu, they do not, I mean to say, mind if they are insulted, they do not mind, but the Lord will never tolerate if a sādhu is... Just like a small boy, your child, if somebody slaps him in the street... That boy may excuse, "Oh, all right," but his father and mother will never tolerate. "Why you have slapped my son?" That is the nature. Similarly, the sādhu, who is a great devotee of the Lord, they might be tolerant. You can crucify him, can do any misbehavior to him. He's never angry. But God will never tolerate. We must always remember that. He has got special protection, special vision, on the sādhu.
Try to understand in this way. Kṛṣṇa's energy, He cannot, I mean to say, distribute any inferior energy because He's not inferior. He's always superior, spiritual. Therefore His energy is always spiritual. But it is working for different purposes.
The material energy... I shall give you another example. Just like in the street light there is red light and green light and yellow light. The yellow light is, I mean to say, seen sometimes. But either the red light or the green light is always. But it is working under the same electric energy. Sometimes it appearing green, sometimes appearing yellow, sometimes appearing red. But on the background the same energy. Now, by the red light you have to stop, by green light you can start. Your activity becomes different by different light because light is acting by the same energy.
That is not religion. Religion means you must have obligation to God, you must have clear conception of God. That is called... That is... And that relationship is based on love. Just like father and child. What is the relationship between the child? There are hundreds of thousands of children in the street. Why you are interested with your own children? Because there is love. Similarly, religion means love of God. And irreligion means forgetfulness of God. That's all.
Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructs that who can become in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Who can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very nicely? Tṛṇād api sunīcena. Tṛṇād api sunīcena means who thinks himself lower than the straw in the street, I am lower than. Humble, very humble. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. Tolerant more than the tree.
You are taking woods, leaves, flowers, but the trees do not make any protest. They are standing silently. Therefore they are very tolerant. The example of toleration is trees. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that one has to become humbler than the grass or straw in the street, tolerant than the tree, and amāninā, and refusing all kinds of respectful addresses from others, but offering all respect to others. He's not prepared to accept any respect from others, but he is prepared to give all respect to others.
Just like a rich man's son. He has forgotten that his father is very rich, or his father has left immense property. But forgetting his real position, he's loitering in the street, hungry. You can call him, "All right, you take some food." That is not real benefit, that is temporary. But if you awaken his real consciousness, that he is the son of a very rich man, his father has got immense property, "Why don't you go back to your father and be happy?" That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is stated here. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). One has to understand Kṛṣṇa, tattvataḥ, in truth. Not superficially. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader.
"Now if I, my eyes like to see it, why shall I not see?" This is sense enjoyment. This is animalism.
But when you can control them, that is humanity. Therefore laws are made for the human being, not for the animals. I have several times explained. When there is law on the street, "Keep to the left," it is meant for the human being, not for the cats and dogs and cows. Say, if the cat, dog, goes to the left or right against the police direction, he's not punished. Because he's animal. Or a child. If he trespasses. But if an adult person transgresses the law, he'll be punished. So the human life has got responsibility.
"We shall be happy in this material world by adjustment of our scientific or so-called knowledge."
And the leaders who are leading them in that way, what sort of leader they are? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Andha, just like a blind man. Sometimes you see a blind man is in this side of the street. He is asking somebody, "Kindly take me to the other side." But if another blind man comes, "All right, I will help you." So what he will help him? The man who wants help to go to the other side, he is seeking for help, and another blind man comes, "All right, I shall help you." So that help is that in the middle of the street they will be smashed. Both of them will be smashed. So similarly, our leadership is like that. Our leaders, they are compact by the laws of nature, and they are proclaiming that "I am leader."
He can become the smallest. If you pack a yogi in a room and lock him, he'll come out. He'll come out.
In Benares, India, there was a Trailinga Swami, yogi. He was sitting on the street naked. So government took objection, "Oh, you are sitting... It is obscene. You cannot." "Oh, I'll sit." Then he was put into the custody. So he came out. He was locked. That is not a very old story, say, about hundred years before, that Trailinga Swami. So thrice, four times, he was put into the custody, and he came out. So this is the first siddhi, first perfection.
The example is given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). Tejīyasām. Just like the sun. The sun is evaporating the urine from the street. But that does not mean sun is infected. Although sun is evaporating the urine, the stool, or any contaminated place... Rather, he is, sun is sterilizing that process. This is practical. If sunshine is anywhere, even the most contaminated place, the sun does not become contaminated, but the place becomes purified. Is it not a fact?
Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat: "And other's property should be accepted just like refused garbage in the street." Just like we don't care for all the garbages. Simply if others' money or others' property is there sometimes we hanker. We should think, "Oh, these are nonsense, just like garbage." Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat, ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. And loṣṭra means that rubbles. Just like stone rubbles. There are so many rubbles and, er, strewn over the street. Nobody cares for that. Similarly, if others' money is thrown over the street, nobody... He should not care. He should not collect. "Oh, here is some money. Let me take." So mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat, ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. And he should see everyone...
"That man is paṇḍita." Who? Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu. "One who sees every woman as mother." Para-dāreṣu. "Except his wife." Except his wife. If he sees everyone as mother.... And, mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat. And others' money just like kula (?), garbage, not to touch. Para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat. Just like there are so many pebbles on the street. Who is going to catch it or collect it. Similarly, others' money should be like that. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. Be satisfied what God has given you. This is paṇḍita. Not that making plan: "I am big lawyer, making plan how to grab others' money." That is not paṇḍita. How to entice others' woman. It doesn't matter. Even though relationship is very.... So no, this is not.... Nobody's paṇḍita. Even from material point of view. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣ...
Animal killing, according to Buddhist philosophy, or even according to Hindu philosophy, animal killing is a sort of sin. Now, suppose I am not inclined to kill animals or I do not kill animals. I avoid it. But intentionally or unintentionally, sometimes we have to kill animals. How is that? Now, suppose we are walking on the street. There are many ants who are being killed by the pressure of our legs unintentionally. Now, suppose... Of course, here you have got gas oven, but in India they have got ordinary country oven and that is worked daily. And sometimes in the oven some small germs and flies they take shelter. But when you fire the oven, they die. So that is unintentional. Sometimes we kill... The jug of water, and underneath the jug of water, there are many, I mean to say, small germs and flies.
The kṛṣṇa-bhakti, our love for Kṛṣṇa, is there eternally. But on account of our contamination with this material world, we have forgotten our relationship.
Just like a madman, he forgets his relationship with the family. He loiters in the street. He eats anywhere and everywhere and all rubbish things. Although he may have a very rich father, well-to-do family, but forgetting.... Madness means forgetfulness of his real life. So we are now forgetful of our real life.
Because the hogs, they eat up to stool and there is no sex restriction. They do not know whether mother, sister or daughter, they are..., not matter. You will see it. Therefore it is specifically said, nāyaṁ deha, kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The.... Still the hog you will see loitering in the streets whole day and night, "Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool? Whole day and night. At night also you'll see. Those who have got experience to pass stool in the villages, you go at dead of night and the hog will immediately come standing. As soon as you leave the place, immediately, "Phas, phas, phas," They will go eat.
It is God's property. This is knowledge. This is knowledge. And if I think, "It is my property. I must dig my flag here," that is ignorance.
So in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata you'll find that whatever property is... In this morning also I was speaking. Just if you throw in the street some bags of grains, the pigeons will come, but they will pick up only four, five, six, eight, ten grains, and they will go away. They will not take even one grain more than it needs. As soon as he's satisfied to his heart's content—"Oh, I am full now"—oḥ, he'll go away. It will go away. He'll not stock. Similarly, this is natural.
Just like a dog or a hog cannot understand what sort of miserable life he's passing on. He thinks that "I am all right. I am enjoying life very nicely." That is the... That is called covering influence of material energy. A person who is suffering...
Just like you'll find in the Bowery Street there are so many drunkards lying on the street. Oh, they're also thinking, "Oh, we are enjoying life, enjoying life." But others, who are passing on cars, they are taking sympathy on him, "Oh, how miserably they are living." But that is the way of covering, covering influence of material nature. I am in miserable life, but I accept it, "Oh, I am very happy. I am very happy." This is called ignorance.
That is called yoga. So by analytical, analytical study of this material world, that is not sufficient. Unless you come in direct touch with the Supreme Absolute Truth, this knowledge has no value. This knowledge has no value. If you want, you can study anything, any straw in the street. You can make a very analytical study of the straw. But that sort of knowledge has no value unless you come to the point of our spiritual existence. So sāṅkh... So Kṛṣṇa says... The idea of sāṅkhya-yoga, analytical study of this material world, means you have to find out the spiritual existence. And that spiritual existence you can have when you directly come to the spiritual life. So direct process is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa is just like the sun.
So this is real knowledge of science of God, that "I am part and parcel of God, so my duty is that everything is nicely done, everything is nicely preserved, everything is nicely utilized for the service of God." That is the knowledge of science of God. And I am personally... Of course, in your country there is no water supply hydrant on the street, but in India that is a system. On big roads there are supply, water supply hydrant, because there are many poor men who cannot provide water supply pipes in their house. They take from the street. So when I was passing... I do not know why. That is my habit.
Devotee (3): If somebody asks us on the street when we're preaching, how do we know that the scripture is authoritative, how do we answer?
Prabhupāda: I do not follow what do you say.
Devotee (3): If on the street when we're preaching, somebody says, "How do you know the scripture is authoritative? How do you know that Kṛṣṇa..."
This is a symbol of toleration. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends that you become tolerant than the tree and smaller than the small grass on the street and you give all honor to others and don't expect any honor. Because people do not know how to honor me. Real honor is that you are servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is real honor. And if I say, "Your majesty, your honor, your lordship," they are all false. Real honor is when I call you that you are servant of God or servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is real honor.
Their whole activities are targetted to capture something nonpermanent. Therefore they are always full of anxieties. Any person, any living entity, man, beast or animal or birds, always anxious. This is material disease. So if you are always full of anxiety, where there is question of peace? You go, I go in the street, I say, "Beware of dog." They are living in a very nice house, but full of anxieties. Somebody may not come. Let there be dog. You see? "Beware of dog." "No trespassers." That means although living in a nice cottage, very nice, but full of anxieties. Full of anxieties. Sitting in an office, very nice good salary, always thinking, "Oh I may not lose this office." You see? You see?
Free, without any charge. But people are so fools, they are not prepared to take this. They'll hanker after that mantra, after Maharishi. Pay thirty-five dollars and take some private mantra, you see? So people want to be cheated. And here, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, these people are preaching without any charge, declaring in the street, park, everywhere, "Come on, take it." "Oh, this is not good." This is māyā, this is called illusion. This is spell of māyā. And if you charge something, if you bluff, if you cheat, oh, people will follow.
There are history of gambling clubs that when a person loses everything he commits suicide and he is thrown away. I have heard that in Europe there are many clubs. They go for gambling, and they lose everything, whatever, and they commit suicide. And the club proprietor throws him in the street. There is no law. I have heard. Of course, I do not know. You may know better than me.
Not only kīrtana, but temple activities, prasāda activities, publication activities, so many activities. Everyone is engaged in some activities and Kṛṣṇa is the central point. Therefore a person who is typing for Kṛṣṇa, he is in yoga system. A person who is cooking for Kṛṣṇa, he is in yoga system. A person who is chanting in the street, distributing our literature, he's also in Kṛṣṇa. So by ordinary habits we are engaged, as in our material life we were engaged in so many things. If we mold our life in connection with Kṛṣṇa, then in every activity there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness and therefore this yoga perfection is there automatically. Yes, go on.
"Because he had his practice in his previous life, therefore it appeals to him." Nothing appeals anything more. He has got a taste from the previous life. So it appeals to him. Pūrvābhyāsena tenaiva hriyate hy avaśo 'pi saḥ. Just like somebody is forcing, "Oh, you take this. You take this." Just like one who is sinful, he is also forced to go to the Bowery Street. You see? Similarly, one who is pious in his life and has begun this spiritual..., he is forced to cultivate and make progress because if God is within you... God is within you. And sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15). He is seated in everyone's heart. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam. He is... He gives reminders: "Yes. You missed this point from here. Now come on. Begin again. Be perfect. Don't lose this chance." He is so kind. Smṛtir jñānam. He is giving knowledge, remembrance. And one who wants to forget God, "Oh, yes, you forget. You come to this here. Here is your place." He gives us chance in every way.
And Kṛṣṇa is there within your heart. As soon as Kṛṣṇa sees, "Oh, this, this is very nice. He is hearing about Me," He will help you. He will cleanse your heart. (break) Because... Therefore to hear of kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is also another pious activity. So these boys, when they are going in the street chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, automatically they are giving chance to the people to become pious. Hearing is so important. They are becoming pious. They are purchasing one copy, Back to Godhead. They are nodding: "Yes, these boys are very nice." They are accumulating something spiritual. It is so nice. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Simply by hearing, chanting, it is pious activities.
That is not advancement, that "I am eating in a better plate in a better place than the dog; therefore I am advanced." But you are eating, that's all. Similarly sleeping. You may sleep in a very nice apartment, six story building or 102nd story building; a dog is lying on the street. But when he sleeps and when you sleep, there is no difference. You cannot know whether you are sleeping in a skyscraper building or on the ground, because you are dreaming something else which has taken you from your bed. You have forgotten that "My body is lying there on the bed, and now I am flying in the air," dreaming. So this sleeping method, if you improve, that is not advancement of civilization.
The dog has no social custom. Whenever there is another she-dog, he mates on the street, and you may do very silent in a secret place, but the mating is there. But people are learning how to mate like dog. So in this way defending. A dog has also his defending measures. He has got teeth and nails. He can defend himself. And you might have atom bombs. But the measure is defending. That's all.
Therefore śāstra says that human life is not meant only for these four principles of life, bodily demands. There is another thing. That another thing is brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. A human being should be inquisitive to learn what is Absolute Truth. So that education is lacking.
So in this land, New Zealand, fortunately you are there. You try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is and preach it. People will take. People will appreciate your contribution. As our Gosvāmījī said that... Actually I have experienced. Whenever I go... When I was in Columbus, I met one gentleman on the street. So as soon as he understood that I am from India, "Oh, India is very poverty-stricken." Yes. This is our advertisement. And actually, in comparison to Western countries, we are poverty-stricken. That's all right. But still we have gift. We have to give something which is so brilliant. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So Bhagavān means one who is in full possession of all these attractive features, He's Bhagavān. Not any rascal loitering in the street and becomes Bhagavān. No. That is misleading. We do not know what is meant by the word bhagavān; therefore we accept any rascal as Bhagavān. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Riches. There are many rich men in Bombay city, but nobody can claim that "I am the possessor of all the riches. All the bank money or any money there is in Bombay, that is my money." Nobody can say. But Kṛṣṇa can say. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Samagra riches, not paltry portion of it. Samagra. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. Strength, influence.
"I do not like to chant. I do not like, like to take the beads. I can carry a trans..." What is called? That? "...transistor throughout the whole road, but if I carry one bead, I'll be criticized." So one has to be tolerant. Now these European, American boys, they don't care for any criticism. They have given their so-called hats and coats and they are chanting. They are going on the street, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Not only here—in European, big, big cities, New York, London, Hamburg, Berlin, everywhere. So they don't care for this so-called criticism. They are fixed up. And people are accepting.
Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Viḍ-bhujām means an stool-eater animal, stool-eater animal, hogs. You know. Although it is not very easily found in the cities, in our Indian villages, there are so many stool-eater hogs loitering in the street, in the village. The only business is "Where to find out stool?" This is the business. Whole day and night they are working, to find out stool. So if human being is educated to find out his eatables... Of course, the hog's eatables are the stool. They like it very much, very palatable thing. Similarly, we also, for some palatable things, we also work day and night. But śāstra says, na ayaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate. Why this human society should be trained up to work so hard simply for eating, sleeping, mating and defending? This is not good.
Full opulent: complete wealth, complete strength, complete beauty, complete knowledge, complete renunciation. One who possesses all these six things completely, he is Bhagavān. Bhagavān is not so cheap thing that it can be found in the lanes and streets and road. So that is also another misunderstanding. Therefore, Vyāsadeva says, "śrī-bhagavān uvāca..." He is complete in everything. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. Īśvara means controller. Parama means supreme, no more better than that. That is also enunciated by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior element than Me." So, if we study Bhagavad-gītā, if we understand what is the nature of Bhagavān, then our life is successful. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). So Kṛṣṇa is describing Himself.
The lowest pay to a person, whatever qualification, he has, must be at least four thousand dollars. This is their law. So how they can be poor? There is no question of poverty in America. Nobody thinks, "What shall I do next? I have no money." Money is there on the street. Go and take it and spend. So why they have come here, taking so much troubles? Because they love Kṛṣṇa, therefore they have come. This is the... Mayy āsakta. Āsakta, attached.
So eating, the satisfaction of eating, anything you eat the pleasure is the same. A hog is eating stool. He's enjoying the pleasure of eating. And a human being eating very nice palatable food, he's also enjoying the same pleasure. There is no difference. Similarly sleeping also, similarly sex life. A dog is enjoying sex life on the street, and the king is enjoying sex life in the palace. But the pleasure is the same. Similarly defense. If you attack one animal, he knows how to defend himself. He has got also nails and jaws. A tiger or a dog or a cat, if you attack he knows how to defend himself. We may defend with atomic weapon, but the business is the same, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ...
These five things are to be known. You cannot deny that "There is no God." God is controller, supreme controller. You cannot say that you are not controlled. There is controller. Just like in the state, you cannot say there is no controller. There is controller. In every street, in every house, there is control, government control. Suppose this store, here is also government control. You have to build store like this, you cannot live. If it is residential house, "The fire arrangement should be like this." There is control. Even you walk in the street, you drive your car, there is control: "Keep to the right." You cannot cross where there is written "Stop." You have to stop.
They have got their own defending measures, they have got their own sleeping measures, they have got their own mating measures. You are mating with your wife in a secluded place, in a nice room, in a decorated room, but a dog is mating on the street, but the result is the same. So to improve the method of mating is not advancement of civilization. That is animal civilization polished, that's all. The animal also, the dog can also defend from other dogs. And if you think that you have discovered atomic energy to defend yourself, that is not advancement of human civilization. The defending measure, that's all. Similarly, you go on analyzing.
Take, for example, just like I am coming from Boston here by aeroplane. It is very nice discovery. But as soon as you get on the aeroplane, every second there is danger—because there is no guarantee. There is no guarantee. So similarly, we may crossing over the street... Oh, there is danger. Recently in Delhi one of our Godnephew, oh, he was crushed by motor accident, completely crushed. He fell down, and the motor car passed over him, and all the bones were crushed. I have received that letter. So we should know that this place is not at all safe. At any moment there is danger. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām. Therefore in the Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's version it is said that "If you want to have spiritual realization, then you should always think that 'Death is coming, and danger is coming immediately.' " That should be our attitude.
"Because I am eating on table, chair and nice dish and nice preparation, therefore I am civilized." The śāstra says that it may be different types of taking the eatables, but it is eating. That is even in dog. It does not make any difference. You are not civilized. Similarly sleeping. The dog can sleep on the street without caring for anything. We cannot sleep without nice apartment. So eating, sleeping, mating... Similarly, sex intercourse. Dog has no shame. It can enjoy sex on the street, but we have got some restriction, but the sex is there. Similarly, defense also, bhaya. Bhaya means to take care of fearfulness. That is there in the dog and in you also. It does not make any difference. Because you have got, discovered atomic bomb for defense, it does not mean that you are better than a dog. This is shastric injunction. Because he has to defend himself according to his intelligence and you are defending yourself according to your intelligence.
That he has to learn, how to become humble. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahi... If you preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, so many people will chastise you. The government will not allow you to go on the public street, and you'll not get visa. You'll be refused to enter. So you have to tolerate all these things. That is humbleness.
So this is the process. So those who are not even inclined to chant this holy name of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, although there is no loss and there is no expenditure... Anyone can chant. It is freely distributed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Anyone can take the chance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Automatically... Sometimes we find friends on the street. Simply by seeing us, they chant "Hare Kṛṣṇa." So that is a good sign. They are learning the value of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. So in this age the chanting of the holy name is very, very important. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. For God realization.
You can become father of God. God has no father but He accepts His devotee, His lover, "Oh, you are My father." So that is the question. So if this process is for simply hearing, aural reception, sincerely, then by this process, whatever position I may be, in whatever position I may be, I can conquer the Supreme Lord. He agrees to be conquered.
This Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be spread. It is very easy. You drink water—Oh, you remember Kṛṣṇa. You hear something—Oh. Suppose there are... So many sounds are occurring in the street, but if you know that "This sound is Kṛṣṇa," then in every step you will feel Kṛṣṇa.
Simply for political reasons, some innocent people, lakhs of innocent people, are being killed. These are the symptoms of Kali-yuga. The bare necessities of life will not be available. There is no protection. In Calcutta there is no surety. When you go out on the street, there is no surety whether you will come back home at the present moment. Perhaps you all know. So there is no proper defense even, which is not refused to the animals. Why? Because everything is going on—dharmāviruddha. They are going against the law, nature's law. We say "Nature's law" or "God's law." Therefore so much mismanagement.
If we take kṛṣṇa-prasādam, then we become freed from all kinds of sinful reaction. Because the material world is so made that willingly or unwillingly... If you are not willing, unwillingly you have to commit so many sinful actions. Just like to kill an animal is sinful action, but you don't want to kill. Still, when you are passing on the street, you are killing so many ants. While drinking water, besides the..., all around the water jug there are so many animals. When you crush, I mean to say, spices, we kill so many animals. So we are responsible for that. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā you know, bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). If you simply cook for your sense gratification, then you have to take responsibility of all the killing business.
Just you understand, God is all-powerful, all-famous, He possesses all wealth, He possesses all beauty, He possesses all knowledge and He possesses all renunciation. So we are sons of such a great personality. We have forgotten. Just as a rich man's son forgets his father and becomes mad and lying on the street and begging—oḥ, that is due to his forgetfulness. If somebody gives him information that "Why you are suffering in this way? You have got your father's riches. You go home and enjoy your father's property. Your father is very much anxious to have you. Why you are rotting in this condition?" And if he comes to his senses that "Oh, I have suffered so much. Now I shall go back to my father and enjoy life..."
Is there any disagreement on this point? That is the problem. Everyone is trying to solve this problem in his own way. They are manufacturing different ways only, but the problem is not solved. The problem is there. Here in America, whenever I meet some gentleman in the street and he understands that I am coming from India, he says, "Oh, India is very poverty-stricken." You see. So... As if there is no problem in America. There is one problem, food scarcity. But I told him that "You have got also many problems. You are not problem-free." So there is... Suppose you have got some pain here. Sometimes we think that "If pain would have been here, then it would have been nice. Here it is very painful." So pain, here or there, it is pain. You see.
German Devotee (4): I know so many people, young people, that when they see us chanting on the street, I can see their eyes, that they really want to chant also, but something is stopping them.
Prabhupāda: That is māyā. Māyā is there. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "The māyā is very strong." But if you capture Kṛṣṇa very, more strongly, then māyā cannot do anything. If something is opposing your chanting, then you'll have to chant more loudly: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So you defeat māyā. The medicine is the same. At least, I do so. When I am in some danger, I chant Hare Kṛṣṇa loudly. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ (laughter) Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. That's all. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura... There is song: jāy sakal bipod bhaktivinod bole jakhon o-nām gāi. He says, "As soon as I chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa, I become immediately free from all dangers."
"Oh, we have broken their mosque. Therefore I have broken their God." These are foolishness. In another case... I have got experience. When there was, I mean to say, noncooperation movement of Gandhi's, the people became riotous, and they began to break anything government, especially the post boxes on the street. They thought by breaking the post boxes they are finishing the post office.
So showing respect to the constable in the street means showing respect to the government, not to that particular person. So these things are there in the Vedic literatures. But if you want some favors from the police officer, then you are also entangled, and that police officer is also entangled. You have to go by the rules. But one who is directly in touch of the Supreme Lord, they do not require to worship any other... Because actually... Suppose a man is personally in contact with your President Johnson. That does not mean he'll disobey the constable. No. Naturally he will obey, although he's direct contact.
Why should I try for any, I mean to say, very hard job? Why shall I take to that? We chant Kṛṣṇa: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and twenty-four hours you can chant. There is no rules and regulation. Either in the street or in the subway, or at your home, or in your office, oh, there is no tax, no expenses. Why don't you do it? Always chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
The Kṛṣṇa, this sound vibration, and Kṛṣṇa, the original Personality of Godhead, the same. By sound vibration, you can have Kṛṣṇa associated with you. Just like we are associating, we are sitting together, similarly, while, I mean to say, you are walking on the street, if you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, that means Kṛṣṇa is going with you. Just like you have seen. While walking on the street, you see up on the horizon. You'll see the moon is going with you. The sun is going with you. And a long... I remember..., very long... It is about fifty years before. When I was householder, my second son—he was about four years old—he was walking with me on the street, and he was ask me, "Father, why the moon is going with us? Why the moon is going with us?" Yes.
You are rich, I am rich, he is rich, but nobody can claim that "I am the only rich," or "Nobody is richer than me." That is not possible. But if you find somebody who is the richest—nobody is richer than him—then he is God. Then he's God. God is not so cheap thing that in every street, every village, there is incarnation of God. Don't accept that. You must know what is meaning of God. At least we followers of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we do not accept such cheap God. The God's description is there in the śāstra.
Because sometimes this dress gives us good opportunity for easy livelihood. That is another thing. But those who take this dress for begging and for fulfilling the hungry belly, that is..., that mahātmā is different thing. He is not mahātmā; he is durātmā. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that if one is inclined to collect money by showing Deity, it is better to become a sweeper in the street. It is better to become a sweeper in the street, because he's earning his livelihood honestly. And this man who is keeping a temple and doing all nonsense, simply by showing Deity, collecting some money, this class of men, they're most sinful. You cannot do so. You cannot take other's money. You'll be debtor.
So it is not difficult. Everyone can give up illicit sex life, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. That's all. This is the restriction of sinful activity. And chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. If these European, American boys can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra day and night while walking in the street, while going in the car, while in the temple, everywhere, where going to sell books, what is the difficulty for the Indians? There is no difficulty. But they will not do it. That is the difference. They'll not agree to do it. If we simply accept these principles, these four restraining principles—no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating and no intoxication—and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, your life is success.
So in India especially—not only India; everywhere—we have been especially encouraged to go on with these sinful activities. They do not like. In the American countries we see, while passing on the street, two sides of the road they're hoarding, advertising these things, either wine or cigarette or gambling or this or that, or some sinful activity. So our first propaganda is to not only give one Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but also to stop this sinful activity. Just like when you are treated by physician, he gives you some medicine and also ask you some restriction: "Do not do this," "Do not eat this, eat this." So if you are actually interested to get out of this entanglement of transmigration from one body to another, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa brahmite kono bhāgyavān jīva, Lord Caitanya says.
Still, so much fallen condition of India, still, you go to a village, they will very easily understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness without any advanced education. Because by birthright they have got the knowledge. In Vṛndāvana, when we walk on the street, the ṭhelā-walla, the cartsmen, the milkmen carrying milk, immediately they'll offer namaskāra, "Swamiji." The other day, I think you were present? We were walking. So we entered one field, just for walking. So the villagers, the cultivators, they came to congratulate us. To receive us. "Swamiji, it is our great fortune that you have come to our field." But in this country if I would have entered in another place, perhaps would have brought charge of trespass or might shot down. So that is the different system. That by birthright they are Kṛṣṇa conscious.
No intelligent person. Formerly money was gold and silver coins. It had some value. But what is the present currency? Simply piece of paper. Bunch of papers. During the last war the government failed in Germany, and these bunch of papers were thrown in the street. Nobody was caring. Nobody was caring.
So our civilization is based on that way. You require food. That's fact. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce your food. Anywhere you can produce your food. The land is enough land. In Australia you have got enough land. In Africa you have enough land, uncultivated. No. They'll not produce food. They will produce coffee and tea and slaughter animals. This is their business. I understand that in your country animals are slaughtered and exported for trade. Why export? You produce your own food and be satisfied.
So what kind of God you are? Everyone worships, "Oh, I am the Lord. I am everything."
So this is a sense that in that process one may understand, if one day comes into his sense "Well, I am God. I am worshiping myself, but if I go to the street, nobody asks me. What kind of God I am?" So this sense should come. I may think, "Well, I understand that God lifted the hill. Kṛṣṇa, He lifted the hill at the age of seven years. Oh, I cannot lift even hundred pounds or fifty pounds. What kind of God I am?" So this sense should come. You can worship yourself as God. That's all right. That's a process. That process is to understand that you study yourself, and then you understand the real constitution of God, not that you become God.
He has no other idea. This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), "chewing the chewed."
Just like we take a sugar cane and we chew it, take out all the extra juice. I throw it in the street, and again somebody comes and chewing it. What is there? Already all the juice that contained, I have taken it. So this material life experience—chasing after woman and drinking and sense gratification and so many things, spending like anything—we have seen it, but we have not experienced any actual happiness. Still, I am trying to induce my son, my dependent, into that way. The foolish people do not think that "I have already experimented all these things. What benefit, what happiness, I have got?"
Especially in these days, however educated I may be, with an application I take shelter of a big man: "Please give me some employment." However great I may be... I may be very intelligent man to become the ruler of this country. Oh, I will have to, I mean to say, place flatters on the street: "Please vote for me. Please vote for me. Please reelect me." So I am taking śaraṇam. I am flattering. I am taking shelter in every moment. Why not God? Oh, when I say, "Oh, what do you say? Why do you say, Swamiji, about God?" So they will take shelter of dog but not God. You see? This is going on. Śaraṇaṁ suhṛt. Suhṛt means well-wisher. Who can become more well-wisher than God? Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29).
So far He has spoken about the elevationists, materialist elevationists. Evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante. Repeating, repeating the same process, sometimes going up, sometimes coming down—this is the material process. Today I am the richest man, and tomorrow I may be a poverty-stricken man in the street. This is going on. As we find in this earth, so also by our pious activities we can be promoted in better planets. Then kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti (BG 9.21). And when the resultant actions of pious activities is finished, then again we are driven to this earth or down than this earth. So this is going on. Lord Caitanya said that ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151), that "This way, this cycle of different species of life, they are going on.
So this inquiry goes on. This is called brahma-jijñāsā, this inquiry.
Now, if you inquire something, then you have to ask somebody. You cannot go on inquiring and answering yourself. That is another foolishness. If you inquire, then you have to inquire from a person who is bigger than you. Is it not? Can you inquire yourself when... Suppose you may cross a street. You have forgotten which way to go. Then you have to inquire some police standing there or some gentleman, "Where is this way?" So similarly, this inquiry, if this inquiry comes into you, that "What I am?" then you have to go to an authority. The Vedic injunction therefore asks you, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "If you are actually seriously an inquirer, then you must go to a spiritual master."
Just like one is considered to be intelligent when he tries to understand not this physiological or anatomical construction of this body. He wants to see by intelligence what is the active principle of this body that is working. That is intelligence, not that...
Just like a child. A child sees that a nice motor car runs in the street. He thinks that the motor car is running out of its own accord. That is not intelligence. The motor car is not running... In spite of its... Just like here we have got this tape recorder, this microphone.
These are the examples. Nature's. They are very stout and strong, fatty, eating stool. And as soon as fatty, immediately sex life, without any discrimination, mother, sister, or anyone. That is hogs. You see from nature's example. Dogs and hogs. The dog has no, I mean to say, courtesy or shame. At, in the street, they're having sex life.
So I shall fly over to another body. Tathā-dehāntara prāptiḥ. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind...
Because we are all sons of Kṛṣṇa... We are wandering in this material world as mad chap. Just like a rich man's son has become mad. He leaves his home and loitering in the street and eating in the garbage. That is our position. We are the sons of the richest person. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya. Bhagavān means who is the proprietor of all riches. So we are sons of such a rich man. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanā... But we have become mad. We have become mad. We want to enjoy... Just like there are many sons. Although the father is... In America we find many. Although father is rich, millionaire, he has become a hippie, out of frustration, confusion, or some other reason. So our condition, like that.
So dry grass means although he has fallen, he has no material desire. That is sattva-guṇa. There are men, who... Just like devotees. The devotees are also wandering, moving in Bombay, but they have no such desire to enjoy Bombay. That desire is dried up. They're not walking in the Bombay street for going to the cinema or to the restaurant or to the meathouse or that or that, no. Don't consider they are on the same position like others. There are many persons loitering in the street, but they are different person. They are not in touch with anything of Bombay, material facilities.
Suppose I am very much advanced in spiritual knowledge, but I should not be very much proud of it. Generally, in this age people want false, I mean to say, designations, that "I am very religious. I know everything. I am God." So many things. These are false pride. So actual knowledge is that "I am smaller than the straw in the street." That is the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that tṛṇād api sahiṣṇunā: one should be tolerant. One should be humbler than the straw in the street. Sunīcena. One should think himself as smaller than the grasses on the street. And tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. And one should be tolerant like the tree. Amāninā, without claiming any respect from others. Amāninā mānadena, but one should give all respect to others. Mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). In that stage one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very nicely. Of course, it is very difficult, but Kṛṣṇa will help us.
In that stage one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very nicely. Of course, it is very difficult, but Kṛṣṇa will help us.
Now, this tṛṇād api sunīcena, one may think, "Oh, it is artificial to think that I am smaller than the grass in the street." But actually, it is not artificial. It is actually the fact. Why? From the Padma Purāṇa, Vedic literature, we understand that the form of the soul is one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair. Now how much small we are, just we can imagine only. There is no instrument to divide the upper portion of the hair into ten thousand parts. And just to take one part as the magnitude of the soul, that is not... Actually, we are very small. That small particle of soul is within the ant and within the elephant.
That small particle of soul is within the ant and within the elephant. It is a bodily expansion only that we are, we appear..., the elephant appears to be the biggest animal, and the ant or the germ appears to be the smallest. But actually, these are bodily expansions. The soul as it is is really smaller than the grass or straw on the street.
So Vedic aphorism says that ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So ahaṁ brahmāsmi sometimes mistakenly is understood that "I am the Supreme God." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi means "I am Brahman." Brahman means spirit. "I am spirit soul." This conception, this identification, is right. This is the right identification. As soon as I think that "I am elephant" or "I am ant," that is not my identification.
My real identification is that "I am neither ant nor elephant, but I am spirit soul." But sometimes by identifying myself with the spirit soul, sometimes I falsely claim that "I am the supreme soul." Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that tṛṇād api sunīcena, "You are soul, you are spirit soul, but you are smaller than the smallest straw in the street." So actually, there is no miscalculation. The conclusion is there. So adambhitvam dharmikatva-khyāti-phalaka-dharmācaraṇa. Khyāti. We should not be very much anxious about being famous. Not, "Oh, there is a great man who knows everything about spirit and who is perfect." No. We should be very sincere to understand things as they are. We should not falsely claim which I am not.
Especially in the Western countries they are habituated to all these things, meat-eating, illicit sex, intoxication, gambling. How they give it up? Association. We are opening so many branches all over the world to give opportunity of association. It is not a business firm. Just to give spiritual association, chance. Why you are going the street saṅkīrtana? We are giving chance: "Come here, be saved." It is not business.
Duṣkṛtina means always engaged in sinful activities. If you do not have Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your eating, sleeping, or walking, whatever you are doing, it is all sinful. All sinful. You do not know how you are becoming responsible for killing so many ants while you are walking. You are walking. You do not know... We have seen, so many ants are loitering on the street, and you are killing. That means you are responsible. You cannot kill even a single ant.
"Where is Sanatāna Gosvāmī?" "Vṛndāvana." So when he went there, so he had a touchstone. The touchstone was kept with the garbage, and he asked him, "All right, you take that. You are poor man. You take the stone, and if you touch this stone with iron, it will turn into gold. You take this. Find out in that garbage." So he took it and went away. So on the street he began to think that "Lord Siva advised me that 'He has the best thing. You go there.' But he has given me this stone—it is very nice—but why did he keep it with the garbage? He has not delivered me the best thing." So he returned back. So when he returned back, then Sanatāna Goswāmī..., he said, "Sir, I, I, this is very nice, but I don't think this is the best thing, because Lord Siva said me that you have the best thing. If it is the best thing, why did you keep it with the garbage?" So Sanatāna Goswāmī smiled and said, "Yes, it is not the best thing, but for you it was the best thing. You want more than this, more valuable?"
What is the purpose? Sex, that's all. "Why you are working so hard, sir?" "I will enjoy sex at night. (laughter) This is my ambition." "Oh, very good ambition. This ambition the dogs also have got. So why you are working so hard?" "No, that is my ambition. That's all. I am less than dog. Dog gets opportunity of sex life in the street without any working hard, but I will have to work hard to enjoy the same thing. So I am less than dog." One should admit that, that "I am less than dog." Dog gets sex life without any... Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. Śāstra says that viṣaya... Viṣaya means the sense enjoyment. The primary sense enjoyment is eating, sleeping, sex life and defense.
That is from the very beginning.
In New York, when we started this movement, so in the morning, at seven o'clock, we used to hold our class, and there was little sound. Immediately the tenants from upwards, they'll come down and complain. Sometimes they will call for police. And on the street, Second Avenue, there is always big, big trucks and motor cars going on, heavy sound. Then in your country the garbage carrier sound, the digging sound. So many sound they'll tolerate. And as soon, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," "Oh, it is intolerable." (laughter) This is demonic, the demonic. They'll not hear. Because that will do good to them by hearing, they'll not accept it.
That is not allowed in the Vedic śāstra. Na striyaṁ svatantratām arhati. That is called śāstra.
You have to understand that woman is never given to be independence. Independence means just like child has to be taken care, similarly, woman has to be taken care. You cannot let your child go in the street alone. There will be danger. Similarly, according to Vedic civilization, Manu-saṁhitā, woman should be given protection. In this way, ācāra, this is called ācāra. So the demons, they do not know. The demons, they do not know what is what, how one thing should be treated, how... They do not know. In the Western countries there is no such distinction between man and woman, but there is. We have to accept it and construct this social institution in that way. Then it will be perfect.
This is not actually our self-interest. Our self-interest is to understand that "I am son of God. My father is complete in everything. So why shall I suffer?" Does a rich man's son suffer? No. But a rich man's son, if he goes out of home and voluntarily accepts suffering, loitering in the street... Just like we see amongst the hippies. Unnecessarily they have accepted suffering. Similarly, unnecessarily we have accepted sufferings of this material world. If our real consciousness, means Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is awakened, then we become aware of our position, constitutional position. Then we are saved from this repetition of birth and death and go back home, back to Godhead.
The police department, the government. So how can you say there is no control? We have to... This is called upamā, analogy, the points of similarity. Analogy means the points of similarity. Then you can conclude some idea.
Now, as we see in the street that the cars are moving in high speed but they are within the orbit, within the line, demarcation of line, white line or yellow line, so there is some brain, there is some management, everything is there, Similarly, all these planets, they are rotating with high speed. Just like this planet. It is rotating 25,000 miles in twelve hours. Is it not? The circumference of this earth is 25,000 miles and... Yes, day and night, twenty-four hours.
They're all imperfect. But here you see that such perfect arrangement, it is moving one thousand miles per hour, and there is no jerking. There is nothing of the sort. We are thinking, "We are sitting in the same place." And there is no brain? Here it requires so much brain to move the car orderly on the street. So many police has made, so many government, scientist, this, that, so many, and this not only one planet, but many millions: yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40).
First of all there are many millions of universes, jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Koṭi means unlimited. Or 100,000 times 100,000. So yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣu (Bs. 5.40). And each universe... Koṭiṣu aśeṣa-vasudhādi. Vasudhā means planet. Just like this is one planet. Aśeṣa. Aśeṣa means you cannot count, so many. That's a fact. You are seeing every day.
What is your analogy? What is your logic, that you say there is no God? Let us discuss. Can anybody say here? What is the idea? If things are going on systematically, the planets are moving in the orbit systematically, everything is going on... Just like same example. Always remember. I may be foreigner, but because I see that on the street the cars are moving in order, the police is standing, there must be government. That is... I may know or not, but this is common sense affair. There must be government, and there is government. Similarly, when I see that the cosmic order is working so nicely, systematically and reasonably, then how I can say there is no controller? Where is my logic? Tell me, anyone. Can you say, anyone, why they say there is no controller? Jagad āhur anīśvaram (BG 16.8). What is their logic? You tell. You are sometimes on their side. (laughter) What is their logic?
Then why one is born as a cat, one is born as a dog, one is born as a rich man's son, one who is born as..., so many varieties? Why? If kāma-haitukam, then why not one variety? Where is the question of varieties? What is the answer? Why there are so many varieties? Everyone wants to take birth in rich family, in high family. Why one is born as a street dog and there is no food and crying, barking, and somebody is capturing and eating and no protection? Why? Why kāma-haitukam, the dog is also born by the lusty desires of the male dog and the female dog, but why he is dog, and why he is such a rich man's son? Why? What is the answer? If kāma-haitukam, lusty desire is the only cause for birth, production, then why there is one production, street dog, cat or pig or a worm in the stool, and why one is born as demigod, as Indra or Candra, Varuṇa?
So why he has become less intelligent? That is described in this verse, kāmam āśritya. His basic principle of life is lusty desire, āśritya. He has taken shelter of principally the lusty desire, kāmam āśritya. Our constitutional position is we have to take shelter of somebody. Just like the dog. The dog, if he has no shelter, a good master, he has no position. Street dog. They say, "street dog." He has no food. He has no shelter. He is lean and thin and do not know where to go, in this way. So the constitutional position of the dog is that it must have a good master. Then he is happy. Then he's happy. Otherwise it is not happy. Is it not? Otherwise it is street dog. Sometimes it is killed by the municipality.
Who is a learned man. He said, "A person who can see all the women of the world, except his wife, as mother." Mātṛvat-para-dāreṣu. Para-dāra means other's wife. If one has learned this art how to see other's wife as mother, and para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat, and other's riches, possessions, as garbage in the street. Just like you don't touch the garbage. Similarly, other's property, other's riches, one does not touch or even see to it. And he thinks all woman as mothers except his own wife. And ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu, and treating everyone equally, as he wants to be treated himself. If by pinching your body or giving pain to your body, if you feel pain, you should not give pain to any living entity.
So śamo damaḥ, brahminical first qualification, can be practiced provided you agree to undergo tapasya, tapaḥ. And it is not very difficult. Not that because these boys, European, American boys, have given up these bad habit, they are dying for it. No. Rather, their parents, their countrymen, say they are bright-faced. When they chant on the street, they become surprised, their fathers. And some of the fathers, they come to thank me, "Swamiji, it is our great fortune that you have come to our country," because they know that how their sons are being rectified from the LSD habit. Professor Judah has written a book, very nice book, appreciating that "How these LSD men could become Kṛṣṇa conscious servant of Kṛṣṇa?" So it is... Everything is possible provided you agree, tapasya. Śamo damas tapaḥ.
As your position is. If you falsely think that "I am this," so what is the use of such increasing that ego? It is psychologically wrong. Just like madman, he is thinking, "I am the king of this Ahmadabad." And if he increases that ego, what benefit he'll get? Just like the madman does also. He falls down on the street: "I am the king." So this kind of false ego increasing is simply suicidal. If it is right ego... Therefore the Vedas says that "You are not this body. You are spirit soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi." That is right ego. And if I am thinking I am this body, then that kind of increasing the ego is a dangerous. That is actual... The Americans are: "We are the greatest nation." The Indians are thinking, Pakistan is thinking. There is fight. You increase your ego, I increase my ego. Then we fight. What is the benefit of this ego? But if every one of us thinks that "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa," increase that, then there will be happiness.
| Page Title: | Street (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 10 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=137, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 137 |