We are gathering knowledge by the imperfect senses. We are seeing every day, morning, the sun which is bigger than this earth by fourteen hundred thousand times. And we are seeing just like a plate. If he's not informed by an authority when he goes to school... The teacher of geography, when he informs, "My dear boy, the sun is very, very big," then he can understand. I am seeing that the one airplane is running very fast, flying in the sky. A child sees, "Oh, such a big thing. How it is flying?" He does not know that this machine is not flying independently. There is a pilot. Without this pilot all this mechanical arrangement is simply void. If that airplane is kept down for many thousands of years with all the machine complete, it has no power to fly unless there is the expert pilot who pushes on the button, it will fly. So therefore imperfect senses.
Teacher (Lectures, SB)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So he was instructing daily. It is the business of saintly person, whoever comes to him, he would give him instruction about spiritual knowledge. So he was instructing Prahlāda Mahārāja's mother. But the mother, less intelligent woman... But Prahlāda Mahārāja took all the instruction and became a perfect devotee. He has admitted. When his friends inquired from him, "My dear Prahlāda, you are the son of a king and you do not go outside your palace, and we are sent here in this school, teaching. Our teacher is the same. How you have learned all these nice things?" Then he said, "My dear friends, these nice things I learned from Nārada, the same spiritual master. You require spiritual master." He then described that "The instruction was actually meant for my mother, but being woman, she has forgotten." (laughter)
Just like ātmā, the soul, is within this body, but due to our darkness knowledge, insufficient knowledge, we cannot understand ātmā, Paramātmā. We cannot understand. So in the darkness, as you require a torchlight, similarly, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is just like the torchlight. You can see ātmā and Paramātmā. Adhyātma-dīpam. Dīpam means light, lamp. So why it is required? Atititīrṣatām. Just like light is required by a person who wants to go through the darkness but go to the light. Suppose here is light and there is tunnel, and in the tunnel you require some light, to go to the other part of the light. Similarly, this world, this material world, is full of darkness. That is the difference between material world and spiritual world. Material world means darkness wherein you cannot understand what is God, what you are. That is material world. They are very busy in this material world, but they do not know where they are going. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Actually, they are darkness. The material world is darkness. The so-called scholars and teachers, they are also in the darkness, and they are leading other people in the darkness. Because it is darkness, therefore we require sunshine, moonshine and this electricity. As soon as it is covered, the sun is covered, you can experience it is darkness. At night it is darkness. Actually, it is darkness. But by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, He has arranged the light. But there is another world where there is no need of, na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ (BG 15.6).
This question was raised by Hiraṇyakaśipu before Prahlāda, that "Why you are after so much Kṛṣṇa, nonsense God?" So he replied his father, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: (SB 7.5.31) "My dear father, generally, demons like you..." (laughter) Yes. He addressed his father, asura-varya. Asura-varya means "the best of the demons." He was not afraid. He was a five-years-old boy. And he inquired some questions, "My dear boy, what you have learned first class from your teachers?" (Hindi) So Prahlāda Mahārāja addressed his father, tat sādhu manye asura-varya. Asura-varya. His father was addressed not "Father." He was addressed, "My dear the best of the asuras..." Asura-varya. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām.
Indian man (2): It can be explained by ridiculous.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Don't say anything which is contradictory. Education does not mean ridiculous. That means he is not educated.
Indian man (2): I have not said that education is ridiculous. I said that one who has got good education from a teacher...
Prabhupāda: So he cannot act ridiculously. If he acts ridiculously, then he has not good education.
Indian man (2): So if I have well understood...
Prabhupāda: You have not well understood. You say a person who has got education, still, he acts ridiculously. That means you have no knowledge what is education.
Indian man (2): I shall explain myself well, but if you wish to be...
Prabhupāda: So if you cannot explain yourself, how can I continue to hear you?
How he becomes learned? Now, svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Everything becomes revealed. Kṛṣṇa reveals. Nāśayāmy ātmā, ātma-bhāvastho jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā. If one is pure devotee, then Kṛṣṇa, from within, He will give knowledge. The Kṛṣṇa... Just like Kṛṣṇa is giving knowledge to Arjuna. He's a gṛhastha. He's a soldier. He's not even a brāhmaṇa. But who can be greater man of knowledge than Arjuna? Because he's directly receiving from Kṛṣṇa. And who can be greater teacher than Kṛṣṇa? So Kṛṣṇa says that "If you are engaged twenty-four hours in devotional service," then, Kṛṣṇa says, "from within," He will give all knowledge. Therefore vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7). If you actually engage in the devotional service of Vāsudeva, then jñāna and vairāgya automatically becomes revealed unto you. There is no endeavor.
You see the behavior of Arjuna. He wanted to satisfy in the beginning his own senses. "My dear Kṛṣṇa, if I kill my grandfather, my teacher Droṇācārya, my grandfather... No, no, it is impossible. I cannot do that. My brothers are...' That means he wanted to satisfy his senses. But when Kṛṣṇa instructed him Bhagavad-gītā, He inquired from Arjuna, "Now what is your decision?" Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). Then he said that naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā tvat-prasādāt: "By Your grace, now my all illusion is over. I have got my original Kṛṣṇa consciousness." What is that? "My business is to satisfy You, not my senses." Then he became devotee. This is the... Vāsudeve bhagavati. If you engage yourself in the service, regulative principles... In the beginning you must follow the regulative principles. Then spontaneous love, then you will get.
So similarly, if we develop our propensity to hear about God and His activities, with His cowherd boys friend, with His girlfriends, gopīs, with His mother, with His father, with His teacher, so many! Everything is imitation, perverted reflection here also you have got those relationship. Relationship between father and the son, relationship between conjugal lover, the boy and the girl, relationship between friend and friend, relationship between master and servant. Everything is here also, but because they are material, they do not stand. I am servant of somebody. If he does not pay me salary, I give up his service. I am friend of (indistinct). If my intention is not fulfilled, then I give up that friendship. My love with a boy or with a girl is there, but as soon as there is some discrepancy there is divorce. So here everything is perverted and with so many faulty ideas, but this, this very thing is there in the Kingdom of God. In relationship with God, Kṛṣṇa. And there everything is eternal. By becoming servant of God, you'll eternally enjoy, same as master. By becoming a friend of God, you enjoy eternal friendship. By becoming father or mother of God, you enjoy the parental affection between father and son. And by becoming lover of God, you become eternally happy.
So the brāhmaṇas, those who are actually qualified brāhmaṇas, guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Lord Kṛṣṇa said that cātur-varṇyaṁ māyā śṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: by division of quality and activities. So everyone, brāhmaṇa must be qualified and must be engaged in his particular duties. Kṣatriyas also, they should be engaged in their particular duties. Vaiśyas and śūdras also. And it is the duty of the government that everyone is discharging his duties. That is king's business, rāja-daṇḍa. If one does not observe the regulative principle, then he should not declare himself as brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. So, just like at the present moment, the government has got inspectors to see, inspect the schools, whether the teachers are duly discharging their educational curriculum, similarly, formerly the king, he was rāja-daṇḍa-vit. So not only he was inspecting that everyone is discharging his professional or particular duties, but everyone has got employment.
These are the devotional process. Hear. First of all, hearing. Hearing means the perfect knowledge, hearing from the authority. Because we are ignorant... Just like we go to the school, colleges, and hear from the teachers, from the professors, similarly, hearing means hearing from the authority, not from the rascals. That is hearing. Just like in the Vedas it is said, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). To hear the right news, the perfect knowledge, you must approach the bona fide spiritual master. Gurum eva abhigacchet. Must! It is not that "I can get knowledge at home. Why shall I go to guru? I do not find any guru."
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was asked by his father, "My dear boy, will you kindly let me know what best thing you have learned from your teachers?" So Prahlāda Mahārāja replied,
- tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ
- sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt
- hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ
- vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta
- (SB 7.5.5)
"My dear father..." He did not say "father." He said, "My dear the best of the demons..." His father was a demon, and he was not afraid of his father, although his father was always insisting him, "You give up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, learn like me, become a very big king, politician." But he would say, "No. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). This is best thing." So that was the fight between the father and the son. So sometimes, after all, he was father, sometimes patting the son. So he replied, "My dear the best of the demons, asura-varya..." Asura means demon, and varya means the best. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. "I think for any living entity who has accepted this material body..."
So reformatory system is to make one first of all a brāhmaṇa. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Every person is born a śūdra, a rascal. Then by reformatory process... Just like we send our children to school, college, to teachers for reforming, that is reformation. The animals, they are unable to accept this reformatory process. You cannot send a cat or a dog to the school and become educated. That is not possible. All human beings, although they are born śūdra, he can be made a brāhmaṇa by the process. Saṁskāra means by reformatory process, bhaved dvijaḥ. Dvija means second birth. Second birth means by reformatory process, when he is eligible, then he is initiated by the spiritual master. That is second birth. Then initiation means he is allowed to study Vedic literature to achieve real knowledge. Because real knowledge means Vedic knowledge, and any knowledge which is not corroborated with the Vedic version, that is not knowledge; that is imperfect knowledge.
Just like Cāṇakya, in his moral lessons, he says that viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam. When there is a tub of poison, but, if there is little nectar, then you take it. Don't think that "It is in the poison pot, why shall I take it?" No, you can take it. Viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam amedhyād api kāñcanam. Suppose in a very filthy place where people pass stool, urine, there is some gold. So you should take it. Don't think that because the gold is in the polluted place, gold has become polluted. No. You take it. Viṣād apy amṛtaṁ grāhyam amedhyād api kāñcanam, nīcād apy uttamā vidyā. Vidyā, education, was to be received from a brāhmaṇa, because it was the brāhmaṇa's business to become highly learned scholar and make others educated. Teacher's business was entrusted to the brāhmaṇas, administration to the kṣatriyas, production to the vaiśya, and labor to the śūdra. So because generally we have to take education from highly learned brāhmaṇa, but if a person born in low family, he has got some talent, education, so don't hesitate. Take from him. Not that, "Oh, he is low born. Why shall I take education from him?" No. The śāstra says, "No, you can take. It doesn't matter. He has got the learning. You take that. Make him a teacher." Nīcād apy uttamā vidyā strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. Strī-ratnam. If a girl is very qualified, beautiful, even she is born of a low family, you can accept her. This is the injunction of the śāstras.
So Kṛṣṇa is so powerful that even in the ordinary ways it looks sinful, but if it is actually done for Kṛṣṇa's sake... The same thing, Arjuna. He was thinking that "Killing of my family members, it is sinful." He argued with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore this Bhagavad-gītā is there. He was simply arguing that "I'll not fight. I'll not kill my grandfather, my teacher, my brother, my nephews, my brother-in-laws. No, no, I am not going to... It is sinful." But at the end he did it, because he understood, "Oh, it is for Kṛṣṇa. All right. I shall all, take all the risk. That's all right." So as Kṛṣṇa..., the devotee takes all the risk of life, similarly, Kṛṣṇa gives all the protection to the devotee. Don't be afraid.
So for spiritual realization this is very important thing, jijñāsā. Jijñāsā means inquiry. One who is not inquisitive, for him there is no progress, either spiritually or materially. In ordinary school also, the boy who inquires from the teacher always, he is considered to be very intelligent boy. Similarly, in our householder life, sometimes, generally, the children, they inquire from the parents: "Father, what is this? Father, what is that?" That boy, that child, is supposed to be very intelligent. This is experienced. So for spiritual life also, one should be very seriously inquisitive and studious.
So it does not require any artificial musical knowledge or dancing knowledge. Out of your own ecstasy, you will dance, you'll chant. You don't require to study. Just like our playing of mṛdaṅga. Nobody has gone to an expert mṛdaṅga player to learn it. Whatever I play, I sing, I never studied under some expert teacher. But by practice, chanting, it may be melodious, it may be very nice or not. That doesn't matter. We are not concerned about that, whether it is appealing to the people or not. It will appeal; there is no doubt about it. But we don't require to divert our attention on these things. Simply because there is glorification of the Lord, it will be palatable.
So everything is arranged by God. Everyone... Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya (CC Adi 5.142). Everyone is... So if you worship Kṛṣṇa, then your everything is... Just like if you pay tax to the government, you satisfy all the department—the vehicle department, this department, that, light department, water department. You pay once. Similarly, sarvārhaṇam acyutejya. Acyuta means Kṛṣṇa. If anyone is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, if he, one is not sacrificing for Kṛṣṇa, he's becoming indebted to the demigods, to the sages, ṛṣi. Ṛṣi. Just like Nārada Ṛṣi is giving us good literature. He is instructing Vyāsadeva, "Give this literature to the people." We are taking advantage of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Are we not debtor? We go to school, college, and pay so much fees to the teachers. Are we not debtor to Vyāsadeva and Nārada? But we don't care for it. So acyutejya. If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, naturally you will try to propagate the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That means you are paying. You have learned something from them, and you are distributing the knowledge. That was their mission. If you keep it for yourself, then you are simply debtor. You are not paying. So there are so many complications. So all these complications can be solved simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sarvārhaṇam acyutejya. That is the verdict of Veda.
If you... Suppose if you go to a place, to a..., where you can earn money, as much as you like, and if you go there, and if you do not earn anything, you come empty-handed, so, as your mission becomes unsuccessful. Similarly, if in the human form of life you are simply engaged in the animalistic way of life—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending in a nice way than the birds and beasts—then you are not gaining anything. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. In many places these things are very nicely explained. Abodha-jātaḥ. We are born... We are born ignorant. A child is born ignorant. If the father, mother, guardians, do not give him education, then his life is spoiled. The child has no fault. It is the fault of the guardian. Similarly, in this human form of life, if the state, the father, the teacher, the school, college, and every, who are responsible for raising the child to knowledge, to become wise, if they do not care and simply they have trained for eating nicely, sleeping nicely and mating nicely and defending nicely, then there is no gain. The life is the... A chance is missed. Nārada Muni says that "Without coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if he's simply engaged in a polished way to this animalistic way of life—eating, sleeping, mating and defending—then he does not gain anything. On the other side, if a person without any knowledge, without any understanding, by sentiment takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and, being immature, if he falls down, there is no loss." This is the conclusion.
So this verse is very important thing. And everyone should make research work. But a devotee, one who has concluded, one who has perfectly known that Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything, he hasn't got to do anything. His business is finished. He doesn't require any more to go, undergo severe austerities to find out whether Kṛṣṇa is cause or not cause. Because he has already known. He has already known. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra). No more tapasya. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But if you have got doubt, make research work. You'll have to come to the conclusion. But if you have concluded it, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything," then your business is finished. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But if you have got doubt, then do it. That is your business. Don't be blind. Either you accept here the words of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the original cause of everything." That's all right. If you believe that "Kṛṣṇa says," it is all right. If you do not believe, then make the research and find out. That is perfection. In both ways you'll have to come to the...
Because the fact is fact. Either... Suppose somebody says, "Don't touch fire. It will burn your hand." If you accept it, your father's advice or your teacher's advice, "Don't touch fire," it is as good. And if you want to make research, "No, why shall I believe my father, my teacher. Let me experiment, touch," the result will be the same. Result will be the same. But if you want to make experiment, do it. But come to this conclusion, that Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything. Then your life is perfect.
They think that "This, our master give us daily bread." That is śūdra. Śūdra means one who is dependent on others. Paricaryātmakaṁ kāryaṁ śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam. This is the description, definition of śūdra. And vaiśya: kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). The vaiśya is doing the kṛṣi, agriculture. Why he should depend on...? Take some land from the government. You produce your food. Where is the difficulty? Keep some cows. You get milk. Vaiśya-karma svabhāva... Go-rakṣya. If you have got excess, then make trade. Why you should depend on others?
But they do not know. They want that "I shall go at ten o'clock in the office, and I shall do nothing. Simply I shall take the pen and make like this and take my salary." That's all. Cheating. This is going on. Therefore the whole system is polluted. Nobody's doing his duty. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma... (BG 4.13). According to one's quality, one must work. But nobody wants to work. So therefore they are śūdras. They are working, but at the care of somebody else. Not independently. Now the school, college, the teacher is also depending on salary. So they are śūdras. So what teaching they will give? Teaching is the business of the brāhmaṇa. No salary. Formerly, all the brāhmaṇas, they used to have that... It is called ṭola, catuṣpāṭhī. Catuṣpāṭhī. Brāhmaṇa, he'll sit down anywhere and invite that "If you like, you can come and take some teachings from me."
Yes. So still in villages you'll find, the brāhmaṇa is sitting somewhere, and the small children are coming, and they're bringing some presentation. Somebody's bringing rice, somebody ... And brāhmaṇa was satisfied, satisfied. "Whatever Kṛṣṇa sends, that's all right." This is brahminical qualification. He doesn't want more. There was a brāhmaṇa teacher in Kṛṣṇanagara. So the zamindar of Kṛṣṇa..., Rāja-kṛṣṇa-candra, he went that "Brāhmaṇa, what can I help you?" "No, I don't want your help." "No, you are... Your house is not very good, and your..." "No, I am quite satisfied." "How you are pulling on?" "No, I have got my students. They bring some rice. And here is a tamarind tree. My wife collects some leaves and boils it, and that becomes nice soup. And these boys bring some rice. I am quite satisfied."
So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is meant for persons who want to finish this life of anartha, meaningless life. For them is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vyāsadeva has given us. We should study very carefully, and we have tried to give each and every word's meaning and the translation and the purport consulting all the big, big ācāryas. Ācāryavān puruṣo veda. One who is following the footsteps of the ācārya, he knows. He knows everything. So that is explained everywhere. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2), by the ācāryas. We don't create any meaning. Ācāryavān. One has to accept a bona fide spiritual master and take knowledge from him. Vidvān. Vidvān means who is following vidvān. I have given this example many times, that I may be a fool, but if I have learned from a person that this is called microphone... So a child, if he says, "This is microphone," that is correct. Because the child is fool, when he says "This is microphone," that is not foolish, because he has heard it from the authorities, from his father or from his teacher, that "This is called microphone." And if he says correctly that "This is microphone," that statement is correct, although he may be a child, a fool. Similarly, ācāryavān puruṣo veda. Anyone who is following ācārya, whatever he says it is correct. Because he does not manufacture. He says what he has heard from the ācāryas exactly like the child, what he has heard from his father, from the superior, he speaks.
Pradyumna:
- iti priyāṁ valgu-vicitra-jalpaiḥ
- sa sāntvayitvācyuta-mitra-sūtaḥ
- anvādravad daṁśita ugra-dhanvā
- kapi-dhvajo guru-putraṁ rathena
Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as friend and driver, thus satisfied the dear lady by such statements. Then he dressed in armor and armed himself with furious weapons, and getting into his chariot, he set out to follow Aśvatthāmā, the son of his martial teacher."
Prabhupāda: So "Arjuna, who is guided by the infallible Lord as friend and driver." Kṛṣṇa's name is Acyuta. Cyuta means fallen, and acyuta means never fallen. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they foolishly say that when God becomes entangled by māyā, He becomes a living entity-jīva-bhūta. Jīva means when He forgets that He is God, then he becomes a jīva, living entity. This is Māyāvādī philosophy. But how God can degrade to become a man or an animal? He is Acyuta; He never falls. Otherwise how He is God? If God also falls... Just like we fall down... Aśvatthāmā, he is son of a brāhmaṇa, but he is fallen to become a butcher because he's a living being, he's different from God. In another place we find Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna that both Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa was present when the Bhagavad-gītā instruction was given to sun-god millions of years ago. Kṛṣṇa said that "You have forgotten. I did not." So this is Acyuta. He never falls down from any standard. He is always perfect, complete.
So in considering all angles of vision, this Aśvatthāmā was not a brāhmaṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa personally advised him, mā enaṁ pārtha arhasi trātum: "Don't excuse him. Kill him, this brahma-bandhu. He has done wrong, now he deserves to be killed." It is clearly said. So does it mean that Kṛṣṇa is advising brahma-hatyā? No. Kṛṣṇa cannot do that. He is the teacher, world teacher. How He can advise somebody, especially His friend Arjuna? Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3). Can you advise anything adversely to your friend? To your son? No. I must give very good advice. So Kṛṣṇa is advising Arjuna, "Don't excuse this rascal brahma-bandhu. Don't excuse." This is Kṛṣṇa's advice. But it does not mean that we can do anything and everything under the pretext of Kṛṣṇa's advice. You must be first of all a confidential friend or servant of Kṛṣṇa. You must receive direct order from Kṛṣṇa. Then you can do it. Otherwise not. Otherwise not. Under the pretext that "Kṛṣṇa said," "My spiritual master has said," "Prabhupāda has said," we manufacture something. Don't do that. Unless you are directly ordered, you cannot do at least such things as to chastise a brahma-bandhu. This should not be done. Here is direct order.
So Kṛṣṇa, as an impartial observer, He advised Arjuna to kill Aśvatthāmā on the ground of so many offenses. He was also trying to see how Arjuna decides. But Arjuna's decision was very right. Arjuna's decision was right because, naicchad dhantuṁ guru-sutam. He thought that "Although Aśvatthāmā is criminal, he should be killed. But I am going to kill him on account of my sons's or our sons' being killed by him. We are so much aggrieved. So if I kill Aśvatthāmā, then his mother is there. She would be very much unhappy." For the sake of the spiritual master and teacher... Droṇācārya was dead in the fight, but his wife was living. So Arjuna and Draupadī, considering the grief of the wife of Droṇācārya... There were many instances like that. Not that "The person is criminal," but "What will be the effect of killing him?" That is to be considered.
So Draupadī, in the previous verse it has been described, vāma-svabhāvā kṛpayā nanāma ca. Vāma-svabhāvā. Vāma, woman. Women, they are very soft-hearted, vāma-svabhāvā. So although Aśvatthāmā killed her sons very mercilessly, and he was arrested and Kṛṣṇa ordered him to be killed, and Arjuna was just preparing to punish him, but vāma-svabhāvā, woman, being very soft-hearted, without any consideration, she immediately offered her respect, nanāma. Not only she offered her respect to Aśvatthāmā being the son of a brāhmaṇa, especially of Droṇācārya, their teacher... So she immediately ordered Arjuna, mucyatāṁ mucyatām: "Release him immediately. You have arrested a brāhmaṇa." Mucyatāṁ mucyatām eṣa brāhmaṇo nitarāṁ guruḥ. "Brāhmaṇa is always our guru. Although he has killed my sons, still, he stands to be my guru, your guru."
Pradyumna: "So this is a finer military science than that of the gross military military weapons used nowadays. Arjuna was taught all this, and therefore Draupadī wished that Arjuna feel obliged to Ācārya Droṇa for all these benefits. And in the absence of Droṇācārya, his son was the representative. That was the opinion of the good lady Draupadī. It may be argued why Droṇācārya, a rigid brāhmaṇa, should be a teacher in military science. But the reply is that a brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, regardless of what his department of knowledge is. A learned brāhmaṇa should become a teacher, a priest and a recipient of charity. A bona fide brāhmaṇa is authorized to accept such professions."
Prabhupāda: So there is nothing especial to be explained. The only important part of this verse is, that don't learn guru-māra-vidyā. Even if you become more learned that your guru, you should not exhibit it before your guru. You should always remain a fool number one. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed Himself by His example. Guru more mūrkha dekhi 'karila śāsana (CC Adi 7.71). Caitanya Mahāprabhu was not mūrkha, but He has taught us that before guru, we shall always remain a mūrkha. That is advancement. Not that "I know more than guru. I don't care for guru. Now give me blessing that I can find out some better guru." This nonsense, if you don't find... If your guru is not perfect, then why you are asking blessing to find out another?
Therefore it is said that anvayād itarataś ca abhijñaḥ. How does He know? Now, svarāṭ. Because to know means we require some master, some teacher... But because He is the Supreme Being, He does not require any teacher. Svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means independent. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). He knows everything automatically. That is the difference between God and ourself. Just like Kṛṣṇa said that "I spoke this philosophy to the sun-god," and Arjuna became doubtful: "What Kṛṣṇa is saying? He is my contemporary. I do not know how He knows." So he questioned that "Kṛṣṇa, how can I believe You, that you spoke this, this philosophy to the sun-god millions and millions of...?" So Kṛṣṇa explained, "Yes, at that time, you were also there because you are My constant friend. But the difference is you have forgotten; I have not forgotten. That is the difference." Svarāṭ. Abhijñaḥ. We are not fully abhijñaḥ. We do not know.
So Kṛṣṇa is jagad-guru. He is the original teacher. That teacher is teaching personally in the Bhagavad-gītā, and we rascals, we do not take the lesson. Just see. Therefore we are mūḍhas. Anyone who is unfit to take the lessons given by the jagad-guru, he is mūḍha. Therefore our test tube is: if one does not know Kṛṣṇa, if one does not know how to follow Bhagavad-gītā, we immediately take him as a rascal. That's all. Never mind he... He may be prime minister, he may be high-court judge, or... No. "No, he is prime minister. He is high-court judge. Still, mūḍhaḥ?" Yes. "How?" Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ: (BG 7.15) "He has no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. He is covered by māyā." Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Therefore he's mūḍha. So straightly preach. Of course, you may say all these things in soft language just to, not to make any agitation, but anyone who does not accept Kṛṣṇa as the jagad-guru and does not take His lessons, he is a rascal. Just like this mūḍha in Jagannātha Purī. He says that "You take next birth. Then you can..." That mūḍha, take him as rascal. Why? He is jagad-guru; he also says, "I am jagad-guru." But he is not jagad-guru. He has not even seen what is jagat. He is a frog. And he is claiming jagad-guru. So he's mūḍha. Kṛṣṇa says. He is mūḍha because he has not taken the lessons given by Kṛṣṇa.
Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau, yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi **. So this is the business of the spiritual master, yuktasya, to engage them always. Vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam. Such guru, spiritual master, I am offering. This is Gurv-aṣṭaka. So here it is said: śṛṇvanti. Kuntī-devī ... The first business is śṛṇvanti. One must be eager to hear. Lesson, everything is hearing. You go to school, college. What purpose you pay the school fee, college fee? For hearing. You hear from the learned professor, teacher, you sit down and you get knowledge. The first thing is śṛṇvanti. Therefore a devotee is always engaged in hearing about Kṛṣṇa, śṛṇvanti. That is devotee's business. Tavehitam. Those who are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their first business is hearing. So śṛṇvanti gāyanti. And if you actually, you have heard about Kṛṣṇa, then next business will be to chant, gāyanti.
So therefore our direct perception with the experience of these eyes has no value. Similarly all the senses, either eyes or nose, by smelling, by touching, by tasting, by hearing... There are so many senses we can experience knowledge. But because the senses are imperfect, whatever knowledge you are getting by exercising your senses, they're all imperfect. Just like the so-called scientists. Because they're trying to understand by exercising their, this imperfect senses, they always remain imperfect. Just like our Svarūpa Dāmodara inquired, that "If I give you the ingredients to produce life, will you be able to produce life?" He questioned one scientist. He said, "That I do not know." Imperfect knowledge. If you do not know, then your knowledge is imperfect. Why you have become teacher? That is cheating. When you have got imperfect knowledge, why you take the position of the teacher? That should, you should not have done that. Therefore our position, to become perfect, is to take lesson from the perfect. Kṛṣṇa is the perfect. Kṛṣṇa says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So we take the knowledge from the perfect. Therefore this understanding, that soul is eternal, that is perfect.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is all-round. If people understand that this is a religious movement... No. Religious movement is different thing. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... Kṛṣṇa. It is not our manufactured ideas. Kṛṣṇa speaks in the Bhagavad-gītā to make people Kṛṣṇa conscious in every way. He's suggesting how to live, annād bhavanti bhūtāni; (BG 3.14) how the division of the society should be made, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ; (BG 4.13) everything, social, political and... Political also. He is enthusing Arjuna, "You must fight. They are... They have committed so much injustice upon you. So you must fight. Don't consider that he is your brother, he is your..." Even when Arjuna said, "Yes. This is all right. I'll fight with my enemies, but how can I kill Bhīṣmadeva? He is not my enemy. He's my maintainer, my grandfather. We lost our father at early age. He took care. How can I kill? How can I kill my teacher, Droṇācārya?" But Kṛṣṇa supported that "You must kill them." "Why?" "Because they have taken the wrong side. Because Bhīṣmadeva, in spite of his becoming so learned, still, he has gone to the side of the Duryodhana, and simply for matter of getting some money, maintenance."
And actually Bhīṣmadeva went to the side of Duryodhana, considering that "These people are maintaining me. How can I give up their company at times of danger?" That is also another consideration. So similarly, Droṇācārya, although he's guru, teacher of military art, he also went to Duryodhana's side for money. So therefore... Karṇa... Nobody came to this side. So Kṛṣṇa was doing justice, that He was... This is politics, "Tit for tat." This is politics. Śaṭhe śāṭhyamācaret.(?) Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says. "If somebody is śaṭha"—śaṭha means very cunning—"so you should be also cunning." This is politics. You should not be, at that time, a brāhmaṇa, liberal. No. So the idea is that in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa teaches everything very rightly, properly. The whole Vedic literature is meant for that, not one-sided.
This should be one of the propaganda of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Because these people, the so-called scientists and philosophers, is misleading-misleading in this sense that they have no information that everything is coming out from life. They are proposing that everything is coming from matter. Their basic principle, the original cause, original cause, they are find out some material adjustment. The other day our, in the California University, one big man came. He's proposing same thing. So our Svarūpa Dāmodara proposed that "If we supply you all the ingredients, can you produce life?" He said, "I do not know." You see. He's in the category of "I do not know," and he's still a professor, he's a scientist. How he can be scientist if he do not know? If he's in the list of "I do not know," how he can be teacher. This is cheating. A teacher can be in the list of teacher if he does know: "Yes, I know." That is teacher. If he says, "I do not know," then what kind of teacher he is? He's a rascal, cheater. One must teach on the seat of a teacher if he knows things as they are. So that is going... One does not know things as they are; still, they have become teacher. That is the defect of the modern civilization.
This is the injunction of the śāstra. Idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā. In the material world, everyone, at least the higher class, higher section of the society, they are engaged in so many research work. That is called tapasya, how to find out the best thing for the human, benefit of the human society, scientific research. That is also tapasya. When a scientist invents something, that is result of tapasya. It is not very easily obtained. Therefore tapa... So many people are engaged in tapasya. Idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya. So many people are engaged in education. Śrutasya. Śrutasya means "of education." The Vedic process of getting education is by hearing. Therefore it is called śruti. The Vedas are called Śruti. Formerly... Just like we are reading books. The books were not needed because the memory was so sharp—simply by hearing from the teacher, they'll remember. That is... That is called tradition by hearing. Therefore education means śruti. Śrutibhir pratipannam. Anything, if you want to prove, then you have to give evidence from the śruti.
Therefore it is said, prākṛtena ātmanā. Prākṛtena, by worldly relationship, prākṛtena ātmanā viprāḥ sneha-moha-vaśaṁ gataḥ. Sneha, affection; moha, illusion. Just like Arjuna, the same thing: out of affection he was denying. He was denying, "No, no, Kṛṣṇa, I shall not fight. There, on the other side, there are my brothers, my nephews, my grandfather, and my teacher, Droṇācārya, all my object of affection and obeisances, and I will have to kill them. You are inducing me. No, no, don't do it." That is prākṛtena. He did not know the spiritual necessities. Sometimes we take sannyāsa. I have seen. One of our Godbrother, big Godbrother, he took sannyāsa. So his son was crying, and he was also crying. Then, if you have got affection for your family, society, then why you are taking sannyāsa? That is prākṛtena. We should not be carried away by this material affection, no. That is not good. You must do your duty. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, that "Arjuna, you are being carried away by your material affection, and you are hesitating to execute your duty. This is not good." Anārya-juṣṭam: "This is befitting for the anārya, non-Āryan."
Preaching means he must be conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, advanced. Kṛṣṇa conscious means that he's a lover of Kṛṣṇa. Iśvare tad... He'll see four things: first Kṛṣṇa, īśvara; and tad-adhīna, the devotees... Iśvare tad-adhīneṣu and bāliśeṣu. Bāliśa means people, ignorant men, who do not know what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are called bāliśa, just like child. Child is called bāliśa. Ignorant men, bāliśeṣu, dviṣatsu ca, and other class. He'll see four things: īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; he'll see the devotees of Kṛṣṇa; he'll see some ignorant person; and he'll see some envious person. That you will have to meet. If you become preacher, then you'll create so many enemies also. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. His father became enemy, not outside. Outside he might have many enemies, but the five-years-old boy, because he was taking opportunity in the school and as soon as the teachers are out, in the tiffin hour, he would immediately stand up on the bench and preach... You have seen the picture. He was preaching amongst his small class friends. That preaching work is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how he was intelligently preaching.
So this is... First duty is to give protection to the bāla-dvija. But Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is thinking that he has killed so many boys. The other party, there were grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, sons... Brother's son or own son, the same thing. The big family. So he has killed so many bālas. And dvija, Droṇācārya was a brāhmaṇa. He also killed him in the battle. Bāla-dvija, and suhṛt, Karṇa was friend, or there were many other friends who joined. So he has killed suhṛt mitra, friend. And pitṛn, just like grandfather or Droṇācārya, Kṛpācārya, they were killed. They were just like father's age, grandfather's age, pitṛn. Gurūn: Droṇācārya was guru, spiritual master, teacher in military science. Druhaḥ. So he was thinking like that. But the real point he was missing, that whatever he has done, it has been done under the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, for ordinary men this is a great sin. For sense gratification, if we kill so many persons, we are liable. But so far the Pāṇḍavas are concerned, they did not do it for their sense gratification. They did it for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore whatever they had done, that was right. Otherwise, ordinarily, one becomes responsible both ways.
So the human life is meant for purification. Sattva-śuddhi. In the Bhagavad-gītā there is, abhayam... What is that? Can anyone... Abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ. Sattva-saṁśuddhi, it is very important thing. Sattva means my existence. I am eternal. So I am existing, but I am suffering. I am suffering. Just like I have got now cold affection (infection). This is not my natural state, but I have been affected by chilly cold or something like that. Therefore I am suffering. So it is my duty to cure it, to take some medicine, to go to the physician. That is called sattva-saṁśuddhi, purifying your existence. By nature, by constitutional position, every living entity is as pure as God. But God does not become impure. We become impure. Therefore we are suffering. That is the... So this impurity can be rectified in this life, this human form of life. Therefore human form of life is meant for purification. Therefore so many scriptures are there, so many teachers are there, so many rules and regulations are there. They are not meant for the animals, because they cannot be purified. They must have to come to this position by evolution of human being. Then there is chance of purification.
But if you are serious to know about God, there is science, there is teacher, everything is there. God Himself is there within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So actually, if you are serious to know God, so God is within himself. He can understand, "Now this living entity is serious to know about Me." So He will help you, immediately. That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā,
- teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
- bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
- dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
- yena mām upayānti te
- (BG 10.10)
Teṣām, "such persons," satata-yuktānām, "always very much anxious to know about God..." So God can understand. God is omnipotent. He can understand that "This living entity is now serious. He wants to hear about God." So this inquisitiveness is very good. My Guru Mahārāja accepted me as a disciple because he saw in the beginning I was very inquisitive to hear him. So in the beginning, when many gentleman... I was one of them, was introduced to my Guru Mahārāja, that "They are to be initiated.
So here it is said, mahātmā, gata-pūrvāṁ mahātmabhiḥ. We have to follow great personalities for advancement of knowledge. Actually we do. We accept authority, go to school, college, to learn something from the teacher, professor. But unfortunately, the teachers, professors, they are all rascals. Therefore we do not get proper education. Wrongly directed. They are changing. Changing is not knowledge. That is not knowledge. Just yesterday we were talking some theosophist. He is changing his view. Formerly it was right; now it is wrong. That is not knowledge. Knowledge means what you accept as right, it must be accepted perpetually right. That is knowledge. That is knowledge. Just like our principle. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the Supreme," five thousand years ago. So Arjuna who heard from Kṛṣṇa, he also said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). He accepted. I am speaking of five thousand years. Otherwise perpetually. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Long, long ago, before speaking to Arjuna, this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to the sun-god, forty millions of years ago. The same principle. In the Bhagavad-gītā: "I am speaking to you the same principle." Not that "Forty millions of years have passed, so things have changed." No. Nothing has changed. The sun forty millions of years ago used to rise from the eastern side. Forty or trillions of years. Still it is rising from the east. Can you make any new thing, "Let the sun rise from the west?" No. That is not possible.
So knowledge means without any mistake. Anything without any mistake, that is perpetually right. And anything based on mistaken idea, that will change. You have to correct the mistake. The so-called modern scientists, they are simply correcting their mistake. Therefore they have no real knowledge. Nobody can have real knowledge, because we are imperfect. Our senses are imperfect. That is our defect in the conditioned life. We have got four defects: we commit mistake, we become illusioned, our senses are imperfect, and we cheat. Because our knowledge is imperfect, still, we take the position of teacher; therefore we are cheater—not teacher, but cheater. So the teacher society nowadays is the cheater society. And this modern world is a society of the cheater and the cheated. That's all. Somebody is cheating and somebody is being cheated. This is going on.
So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja and his brothers, they say, "Now the Kali yuga has begun." Dṛṣṭvā and spṛṣṭāḥ prajāḥ, "All the citizens and all the land. Now... We have done our duty. Now let us retire. The next king, Mahārāja..." He's their grandchild, Mahārāja Parīkṣit. "He will do his duty." So it is the duty of the king to see, to give protection from this onslaught of nature, to make the life successful. That is the duty of the king. That is the duty of the father. That is the duty of the spiritual master. That is the duty of friends and relatives. Then one should cooperate, one should give protection. Just like these children are there. If the father, mother and the teacher, they do not give these children protection, then what is their future hope?
So here it is said that tataḥ parīkṣid dvija-varya-śikṣayā: "He was educated and trained up by the best class of the brāhmaṇas," not by the śūdras. Śūdra's training, what he can become? He can become a rascal, that's all. The training was entrusted to the first-class brāhmaṇa, who is himself trained up to speak truth, satyaṁ śamo damaḥ, to remain clean, to become very simple in habit, to become master of knowledge, and practical application. Such person should be the trainer, should be the teacher. Not a third-class rascal becomes a teacher and professor. He has no idea how to speak truth. He is speaking all lies, theories, and getting Nobel Prize. Such a śūdra is honored at the present moment. You see? Who has no knowledge. So many so-called philosophers and scientists, simply speaking lies and untruth. They have no knowledge. As soon as you challenge them, they will say, "Yes, we are trying. In future we shall do it." But if you are trying, then where is your knowledge? Why you are taking the post of a teacher? You are a cheater. You have no full knowledge, and still, you are putting some theory to mislead the people.
So Arjuna, Bhīma and others, they took different types of services in the house, palace, of Mahārāja Virāṭa. So he was appointed as a dancing master, teacher, to the daughter Uttarā. Just see. Arjuna was a great warrior, and he was expert dancing master also. So when it was disclosed that "These servants, they are the Pāṇḍavas. They remained here as ordinary servant," so Mahārāja Virāṭa was very much pleased, that "Such exalted persons are living in my house incognito." So he offered Uttarā to Arjuna, that "You marry my daughter. You have taught her dancing." So Arjuna said, "How can I marry her? I am teacher, and she is my disciple. She is my daughter. How can I marry her?" Then Arjuna said that "If you want to keep this daughter in our family, I have got a grown-up son, sixteen years old." That means Abhimanyu, the son of Subhadrā, this Subhadrā, Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, Subhadrā. So Subhadrā was married to Arjuna, and the son was Abhimanyu. So Uttarā was married to Abhimanyu. And the son was Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Abhimanyu was just married and the war was declared.
So he was Hiraṇyakaśipu's son. He did not appoint any teacher to teach him about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But when he was in the womb of his mother, Nārada Muni advised the mother about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. She had to live for some time at the care of Nārada Muni when her husband was out being defeated by the demigods, the Hiraṇyakaśipu. So the woman's anxiety was when her husband will come back. And at that time the child was within the womb, and she begged a benediction from Nārada, "Sir, kindly arrange in that way, that as long as my husband does not come back, I may not give birth to this child." Nārada Muni said, "All right, it will be." So Nārada Muni was giving her advice about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But her mind was absent, but the child within the womb, he was hearing. He was hearing. This is stated in the Bhāgavatam. You will find that when Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked this question by his friend, "My dear Prahlāda, we are also being taught by the same teacher. You are also being taught by the same teacher. You are a prince. You cannot go out. Wherefrom you have learned all this nice instruction?" So he replied that "This instruction was given by Nārada. So it was given to my mother, but as woman she has forgotten, and I remember."
Real mother, from whose womb we have come to this world, real mother, ātma-mātā. Then guroḥ patnī, wife of the teacher or spiritual master, guroḥ patnī. Brāhmaṇī, the wife of a brāhmaṇa. Ātma-mātā guroḥ patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā, and the wife of the king, or the queen. She's also mother. Dhenu, the cow. Cow is also mother. And dhātrī means nurse. Nurse is also mother. Tathā pṛthvī, and the earth, the earth is also our mother. That we say in country, in the country which we take birth, we say deśa-mātṛkā. In Sanskrit it is called deśa-mātṛkā. That is also mother. Mother land, mother language. So this... So many mothers we have got, out of which, cow is also mother. Therefore she's addressed as amba. Amba means mother. Still in Gujarat province, they call amba. And in U.P., United States, er, United Province, in India, they also call amba, or in a broken language they call amma. Still... That is from very long time, mother is... Amba-devī. There is a... From Amba-devī, there is a big temple of Mother Durgā, Kālī, in Bombay. So this Amba-devī was pronounced by the Englishmens as Bamba-devī, and from Bamba-devī it has come to "Bombay." Actually, there is a big temple of Amba in Bombay. From that name, instead of Amba, they have become Bamba. Just like from Sindhu, they have called, they have designated the inhabitants of Sindhu-deśa as "Hindu." The Muhammadans, they pronounce s as h. So from "Sindhu," it has come to "Hindu." Otherwise, this "Hindu" name is not mentioned in any Vedic literature. It is given by the... This name is given by the other foreigners.
So if one is not even on the stage of self-realization, how he can teach others? That is cheating. That is cheating. If one is not a graduate, if he becomes a teacher, he is not a teacher; he is a cheater. One must be first of all qualified. That qualification means one must be above the three qualities of material nature. Goodness... Even you have to go beyond the quality of goodness. In the material world we have made, concocted, "This is good, this is bad." So even taking it... Actually, everything in the material world is bad. Anything. It is simply mental concoction. We are creating, "This is good, this is bad." The... So long one is in the material world, everything is bad. Even the so-called religious practice, that is also bad, in the material world. So therefore, Bhagavad-gītā says, sa guṇān samatītya etān: "One has to transcend even the quality of goodness, the so-called goodness."
And the memory, memory also reduced. Formerly, people were so sharp in memory that once heard from the spiritual master, he will remember. He will not forget. There was no need of books. Book is required because our memory is now, the power of recollection, is very poor. Just like one who cannot memorize, he has to take note down. Formerly, five thousand years ago, there was no need of books. The students will go to the spiritual master or teacher and... Therefore it is called śruti. The Vedic language is called śruti. Śruti means hearing. It is not reading. Simply, pious students will hear from the right source. Evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Simply by hearing, they will understand everything. They will never forget. But in the Kali-yuga it is not possible. Therefore Vyāsadeva, the whole Vedic understanding, knowledge, he recorded into books. Otherwise before that there was no need of books. The power of recollection will diminish. And mercy. Mercy will reduce. Even in your, in somebody's, in our front, somebody is killed. Nobody will try to help him. What to speak of others, when there is difficulty. Or there are so many. People should cooperate.
So one instruction is that the earth is addressed, "amba." Amba means mother. So the earth is also our mother. There are seven kinds of mother: ātma-mātā guroḥ patnī. Real mother, from whose womb we have taken birth, she is called ātma-mātā, first mother. Then second mother, the guroḥ patnī. Guru means teacher or spiritual master. His wife, she's also... Actually, according to strict moral instruction... Why strict? Ordinary. Any woman except his own wife is mother. Any woman. It doesn't matter whether she is elderly or young. No. That is the way. Still in India, any woman by unknown person, he can address any woman "Mother." The first relationship is mother. Now they have introduced "Sister," "Bahinajī." No, that is not Vedic etiquette. No bahinajī. Bahinajī means sister. Mother. Everyone should be addressed. We should learn this. Except one's one wife, all women should be addressed as "Mother." This is civilization. Then there will be no corrupt relation. If you, from the very beginning, you establish your relationship with other women as mother, then there is no question of other relationship.
There are seven kinds of mother. Real mother, then a spiritual master or teacher's wife, guroḥ patnī. Brāhmaṇī, the wife of a brāhmaṇa. Ātma-mātā guroḥ patnī brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā. And the queen, the wife of the king. Dhenu, cow; dhenur dhātrī, maidservant, nurse. Because it was also formerly the practice, rich man, or mother is not unable to suck breast milk. So they used to employ young girls who has also children. Otherwise there is no milk supplied. So that is also mother. As Kṛṣṇa took Pūtanā as mother... Pūtanā came to kill Kṛṣṇa, smearing poison over her breast. And Kṛṣṇa sucked the milk and her life also. But Kṛṣṇa took her as (His) her mother. This is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa did not take the black side. The intention was to kill Kṛṣṇa, Pūtanā came. But who can kill Kṛṣṇa? That is not possible. But Kṛṣṇa thought Himself as obligation, that "I have sucked her breast. So she is My mother. She must be given the position of mother." So Pūtanā, after being killed, she was given the same opportunity as Mother Yaśodā. This is Kṛṣṇa. Bhāva-grāhī-janārdanaḥ. Any way you serve Kṛṣṇa, it will be accepted. Not any way. I mean to say, we should serve Kṛṣṇa according to regulative principle. Still, some way or other, unknowing or knowingly, if you render some service, that is called ajñāta-sukṛti.
So we must be purely chanting. But we should not be disappointed. Even impure... Therefore we must have fixed chanting process. Because we are not in the pure stage. Therefore, by force... Just like a boy in the school. We had this training in our childhood school. Our teacher would ask me, "You write ten pages, handwriting." So that means practicing ten pages, my handwriting will be set up. So even if we do not follow sixteen rounds, where is the question of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? So don't be artificial; don't be, I mean to say, a showbottle. Be real thing. And that is wanted. If you want real benefit of spiritual life, don't be showbottle. Do you know showbottle? The medical shop, a big bottle. It is full of water only. And color is red or blue or something like. But the real medicine does not require... (aside:) No, not now. Real medicine does not require a showbottle. A small... If one can chant purified offenseless, once kṛṣṇa-nāma, he is free from all material bondage. Once only. Eka kṛṣṇa nāme yata pāpa haya, pāpī haya tata pāpa kari baro nāhi(?).
No. Gṛhastha, when a brāhmaṇa is gṛhastha, he shall be a teacher. Paṭhana-pāṭhana yajana-yājana dāna-pratigraha. Generally, the brāhmaṇas, those who are gṛhasthas... There are four varṇas, or division of castes. The brāhmaṇas, they are generally teachers, priests, and writers, philosophers. So society requires all these things, so they take up this charge. And the kṣatriyas, they are administrators, so they rule over the country. They exact taxes from the citizens. They live on the tax, and the brāhmaṇas, on the contribution of the public. Just like we are teaching, we are living on the contribution of the public. The public knows that there is an important institution. They are giving good lessons. So public contributes. So we can accept contribution. But a king is not allowed to take contribution. Because he is administrator, he can tax, so his source of income is tax. And the brāhmaṇas' source of income is contribution because they are rendering transcendental service. Similarly, the vaiśyas or the mercantile class, their means of living-trade, cow protection, and agriculture. And those who are śūdras, laborer class, they will serve these three higher classes, brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, and the vaiśyas, because they have no independent means. They cannot do anything, neither they are educated, nor they are king, princely order, nor they have money to do business. Therefore they have to serve.
There(fore) Prahlāda Mahārāja said to his class friends... Prahlāda Mahārāja was a great devotee. He learned spiritual knowledge from Nārada from the womb of his mother. So he decided that "I shall live a spiritual life." So although he was king's son, a very powerful king's son, he was not interested anything with spiritual, er, material. He decided. So from the childhood, he was trying to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Where he should get opportunity? He was a child of five years old, and king's son, locked up within the palace. So he was taking opportunity in the school. As soon as he go to the school, and the teachers are out, he'll stand up on the bench and speak of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A five-year-... You have seen the picture. So he was advising, "My dear friends"—they were all five years, four years old—"now take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha: (SB 7.6.1) "This kaumāra, this age, from the very beginning of life, you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." He was advising. They, they were all asuras. They were asking, "Why Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Let us play now, jump like monkey." So he was not... "No, no. Let us take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." "Now, why we should take Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Now, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma: "Oh, it is very valuable. This human form of life is very valuable." Because in this life only you can become Kṛṣṇa conscious, not in the body of cats and dogs. That is not possible. Or trees.
The brahmacārī means no sex life. No sex life. Even the guru... Sometimes guru... Mostly in a school, the teachers, they were householders. It is restricted, "If the guru has a young wife, you should not go to carry out her order." It is restricted. This is brahmacārī life, voluntarily accepting hardship for making life successful. That is brahmacārī life. And then married life. Married life. When the... Brahmacārī is meant for the boys, not for the girls. Girls, they are to be married. A brahmacārī may remain unmarried for life, but according to Vedic civilization, a girl must be married. As soon as... Before the age of attaining puberty, it is the duty of the father, or if she has no father, it is the duty of the elder brother to get her married somehow or other. (laughter) Give her in responsibility to another young man. This is the duty. Yes. This is the duty. So therefore... Female population is always bigger than the male population. Then you can ask, "Where so many husbands?" Therefore polygamy was allowed. And the kings, the kṣatriyas who had money and who had very nice strength also, they used to marry more than one wife. You'll find all the kṣatriyas... Even Kṛṣṇa, the best kṣatriya, He married 16,108 wives. Wholesale. (laughter) Yes.
The so-called advanced civilization going to hell, they do not know. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Chewing the chewed. So many advertisement, only for drinking and sex. We go, when we go to the beach, two sides, the advertisement full of drinking and sex. That's all. So animal civilization. Don't be proud of this rascal civilization. There is no meaning of this civilization. And big professor, he says, "Swamiji, there is no life after death." Just see. And he is a professor. He's teacher. This is the position. Fools, rascals, they are leaders, professors, and scientists and philosophers, and pushing us towards hell. That's all. Because they do not know what is the value of life. They do not know that there is life after death. Otherwise, why there are so many varieties of life? They concoct their own conclusion. They do not refer to the authorities, what is the actual position. They make, they manufacture their own way of life.
Varāka means fools or childish. We are thinking that "I am this body." Such fools cannot understand how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, tad apy abhalatāṁ jātaḥ teṣām ātmābhimāninām, varākāṇām anāśritya, without taking shelter, govinda-caraṇa-dvayam, the lotus feet of Govinda. So bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). We get this chance, and if we are not educated by our teachers, by our fathers, by our leaders, by our government men, by our gurus, by our relatives, how to accept the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who is canvassing... Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Give up all this nonsense engagement, trying to become Kṛṣṇa, or God. Give up this. Surrender unto Me." This is education. This is education. The father should give education at home. The leaders should give education in institution. The politicians should give education in their assemblies, congress. The guru should give education how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. The father should educate, the mother should educate.
That is already explained, that you are soul within this body, the body superficially covered with the senses. Indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ manasas tu parā buddhiḥ (BG 3.42). You have to analyze that "First of all, I am prominent by my senses. My body means my senses. But the senses are useless unless there is mind." Indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ. If your mind is not in order, your senses cannot act. Therefore mind is superior than the senses, and the mind cannot act if you have no intelligence. So manasas tu parā buddhiḥ. And if you can go beyond the intelligence, then you can find out what is soul. So it requires study. It requires education. The education is there. The books are there. The teachers are there. Unfortunately you are not interested to take the spiritual education. You are now interested in technology, how to hammer, that's all.
So all of you should be very careful that you may not fall down again from the Vaikuṇṭha place. That should be your first business, that you have been given opportunity to live in Vaikuṇṭha, but don't fall down again. Either you fall down on goodness, passion... That is material. They go to forest for meditation, but that is goodness, material goodness. But one who lives in temple, he's not concerned with material goodness, passion, or ignorance. He lives in Vaikuṇṭha. In this age it is not possible. You can imagine that "Now I shall go to Himalaya and forest and practice meditation." They're all bogus; you cannot do that. That is not possible.
Because the age is different. We are not trained in that way. Formerly, the brahmacārīs, they used to go to the forest, to the teacher, to the spiritual master, and they acclimatized with the atmosphere. But here, from the very beginning, in school, college, dormitories mixing freely, doing all nonsense. How it can go? That's not possible. That is not possible. Therefore, take advantage of this temple, the centers we are opening, and live in Vaikuṇṭha.
Your American embassy is also there. So he was a great politician. But still, he was living in a cottage. He was not accepting any salary because he was brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa cannot accept any salary. Just like you have accepted me as your ācārya, but you do not pay me any salary. This is forbidden. The teacher will not accept salary. Then he comes down to the śūdra platform. The śūdra accepts salary. "I serve you, you pay me." And the brāhmaṇa will distribute knowledge freely, and the kṣatriya will give protection to the brāhmaṇa. This is the system of Vedic system. Even in fifty years ago, education in India, there was no charges. A learned brāhmaṇa will sit down in corner of a neighborhood and all the children will come there. They will learn primary education. And the parents of the children will send, somebody will send rice, somebody will send ḍāl... Just like we are maintaining, by collecting. Not here, but in Bombay, our center is collecting and distributing.
He simply went on narrating. In the middle, there were some questions, intelligent questions, by Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Question is also required. If you simply hear, do not understand, just like dumb stone, that's not good. You should hear attentively, and as soon as there is some difficulty, you should question. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that you should understand... First of all surrender. Praṇipāta. Tad viddhi praṇipātena. Praṇipātena means you must find out an able teacher, where you can surrender. So nobody wants to surrender, but if he sees that there is a greater personality than him, he surrenders. That is nature. So this praṇipāta word means that you do not go for understanding Bhagavad-gītā and Bhāgavata to a store-keeper. You should go to a person where you can surrender. Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). And paripraśnena. And inquiry. And sevayā. You should not take... You should not inquire gratis; you must give service.
Therefore, in the first chastisement, Kṛṣṇa was accepted as spiritual master. A spiritual master has the right to chastise. Father, spiritual master, they are advised to chastise. Putraṁ ca śiṣyaṁ ca tāḍayen na tu lālayet. So father and teacher is advised by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita that "You should always chastise your son and disciple. Chastise." Tāḍayet. Tāḍayet means "Simply chastise. Always find out mistake." Don't be angry, but it is the business of the teacher and the father simply to find out your mistakes, not to find out your good things. Tāḍayen na tu lālayet. Lālayet means patting: "Oh, my dear son, my dear boy, you are so nice. You have done..." Sometimes it is done, but it is the business of the teacher and the father to chastise. Never recognize the disciple's business or son's business as very good. Then they will spoil. That is the injunction of Cāṇakya Muni. Lālane bahavo doṣāḥ: "If you simply pat, then there will be so many faults." Lālane bahavo doṣāḥ. Doṣāḥ means faults. Tāḍane bahavo guṇāḥ: "And if you chastise, oh, they will be very much qualified." Tāḍane bahavo guṇāḥ, tasmāt: therefore, putraṁ ca śiṣyaṁ ca tāḍayen na tu lālayet, "simply chastise. Don't pat." This is the injunction, moral injunction. So, so far we are concerned, when our spiritual master used to chastise, we took it as blessing. That was very nice. And he would chastise like anything. "Damn rascal, foolish, stupid," anything, all good words. (laughter)
One day it so happened... That was not my fault. My, another old godbrother, was... Prabhupāda was speaking. So I was very much fond of hearing. That gentleman, he was a retired doctor. So he wanted to speak something. He should not have done so, but... Just like... So naturally I also... And Prabhupāda saw it, and he became so angry. So he knew that my attention was drawn by him. He chastised him like anything. He was old man. Actually almost like his age. So he was paying sixty rupees in those days per month. So he became so angry, that "Do you think that because you pay sixty rupees, you have purchased us? You can do anything and anything?" He said like that. Very strong word he used. "Do you think that I am speaking for others? You have learned everything? You are diverting your attention." So many ways, he was very, very angry. You see? So this is nice, to chastise. Therefore, as soon as Kṛṣṇa was accepted as guru... Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "I become Your disciple." Because in the beginning there was friendly talks... So friendly talks cannot make any good advance. Talks must be between the spiritual master or teacher and the disciple.
So he could not find any person. Still he took it seriously and began tapasya. Therefore in the beginning of Bhāgavata it is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye: "From heart." Yes. He heard from outside. From the heart the order was, "Yes, now you begin your tapasya." So he began. So Kṛṣṇa is helping both sides, from externally, internally. Externally he heard. Somewhere the sound came, and internally He confirmed, "Yes." So Kṛṣṇa is helping us externally by the spiritual master, internally by instruction. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi. In this way, He is trying to help us. Unfortunately we do not care to take His help. Then why should we not suffer? Antar-bahiḥ. Antar-bahiḥ. There are two things, inside and outside. So Kṛṣṇa is... Outside He is helping, spiritual master. Spiritual master is external manifestation of the Supreme Lord. Just like if somebody is going somewhere in this Tokyo city. I have to say something. So I apply him, "Will you kindly carry this message to him?" Similarly, Kṛṣṇa deputes some of His confidential devotees to help the people to become Kṛṣṇa conscious: "Please go and tell him this." The spiritual master is, therefore, external manifestation of the Supreme Lord. And internally He is sitting there as Paramātmā. So both ways, He is helping. And because the business is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore there is no difference between the external teacher and the internal teacher. Because teaching is the same.
The brahmacārī goes to householders' place for begging alms. The system cannot be introduced here. It is very difficult. Otherwise, another business of these children were to go door to door and knock and ask some alms: "Give us some alms." So in India they have got sufficient stock of rice, flour, ḍāl. They keep at least one month provision in every house, even in poor's man. As soon as he gets his money, he purchases the whole month provisions—rice, ḍāl, āṭā, ghee—and keeps it. So when the brahmacārī goes there, a little rice or little ḍāl, they contribute. In this way by collection of these alms from the neighboring householders, practically the āśrama's eating problem is solved. Brahmacārī is supposed to live in gurukula at the place of guru just like a menial servant. Even Kṛṣṇa, He also lived as a menial servant. His teacher asked Him to bring some fuel from the jungle, and He went with Sudāmā Vipra, and while collecting these dry woods there was a storm and there was heavy rain, and they became lost in the jungle, Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā Vipra. Then his teacher, Sāndīpani Muni... With the assistance of other boys, they were rescued. So this is the position of the brahmacārī, that they go to collect alms, all kinds of, for gurukula.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was asked by his father, "My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers? Will you explain to me," so Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately replied, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt: (SB 7.5.5) "Yes, I have learned the best thing is that these materialistic persons, who have accepted the asad-vastu..." Sat and asat. Sad gama asato mā: "Don't keep yourself in the asat; go to the sat." Oṁ tat sat. That is the Vedic injunction. So... Material world means asad-vastu. Asad-vastu means not good or which will not stay. Asat. Sat means which exists, and asat means not existing. So in the material world nothing will exist. It exists for some time, temporary. The Māyāvādī philosopher says that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. We Vaiṣṇavas, we do not say mithyā, because God, or the Supreme Brahman, is truth, so there can be anything untruth from the truth. That is not possible. Just like if you prepare something from gold, an earring, that earring is also gold. You cannot say it is something else. So yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. That is the Vedic instruction. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So Supreme Absolute Truth is that from whom, or from which, everything has emanated. So if everything has emanated from the Absolute Truth, it cannot be untruth.
So here we see, viduram prītaḥ. Vidura was hearing from Maitreya Ṛṣi, and Maitreya Ṛṣi was very much pleased. Prīti. Unless you satisfy your teacher, or guru, very nicely, you cannot get the right knowledge. That is natural. If you receive your guru, give him very nice place, he can sit comfortably, and he's pleased with your behavior, then he can speak very frankly and very freely, which will be very much beneficial for you. Therefore this word is... He was talking. He was preaching. He was giving instruction to Vidura, being pleased, prīti. Maitreya Ṛṣi was very much pleased. That is also recommended in the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā: tad viddhi praṇipātena. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). Simply going and asking the spiritual master or guru, and not to accept his instructions, then don't waste your time. Don't waste your time. In a challenging spirit, if you go to a spiritual master, without any service, sevayā, and praṇipātena... Praṇipātena... Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāta. Nipāta means fall down, and pra means prakṛṣṭa-rūpa, sufficiently. No reservation. This knowledge, the transcendental knowledge, is based on this praṇipāta. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just surrender unto Me." And similarly we have to surrender to Kṛṣṇa or His representative.
So here Devahūti, because she is the wife of a great yogi, she understands what is the constitutional position of herself, and she has got her son, the incarnation of God. So she is getting here, mean, problem to the teacher. It doesn't matter... Because Kapiladeva is the son of Devahūti, Devahūti does not deny to take instruction from Him. She does not say, "Oh, He is my son. What He can instruct me? I am His mother. I shall instruct." No. Instruction has to be taken from the person who is in knowledge. It doesn't matter what is his position. It doesn't matter, whether he's son or a boy or a śūdra or a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī or a gṛhastha. It doesn't matter. You should take instruction from a person who knows, who is in the knowledge.
Therefore by studying Vedic literature, we can understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore one must seek for a Vedic teacher. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Not that "At home, by speculation, I can understand what is God." That is not produce.(?) Vedas says... Just like if you want to be educated, you must accept some school. It doesn't matter whether the school is perfect or not perfect, but you cannot avoid school going. That is not possible. If you think that "Without going to school, I shall learn everything," that is not possible. Vedas says that if you want knowledge actually... Tad-vijñānārtham. Tad-vijñāna means transcendental knowledge. Because Vedic knowledge... There is material knowledge also. Just like Āyur Veda, Dhanur Veda, and Jyotir Veda. Veda, veda means knowledge. There are all different types of knowledge. But real knowledge is brahma-vidyā, to understand the Absolute Truth. That is real knowledge. Other knowledge, they are temporary. We require medicine; therefore there is Āyur Veda. We require sometimes to fight; there is Dhanur Veda. And... So that is also required. Because the body is there. But real requirement is to know the Absolute Truth, Absolute Person. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). That is our self-interest. That is our self-interest. If we want to become perfect, then we must see what is the ultimate Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the instruction of Vedānta.
So here it is said bhagavān uvāca. Even he does not say, Vyāsadeva, that kapiladeva uvāca. No. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gītā also, Vyāsadeva says... Kṛṣṇa says actually. But Vyāsadeva says, bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān means above the defects of this material world. That is Bhagavān. Bhagavān is not subjected to the deficiencies of this material world. There are four deficiencies in the material world. Just like we are concerned, in the material world, we are not perfect because we commit mistake, bhrama. We are illusioned. Bhrama pramada. And vipralipsa, we try to cheat others. I have no knowledge; still, I become teacher or preacher. That is cheating. We have no perfect knowledge. Therefore our principle is to teach what Bhagavān says. We don't manufacture teaching. This is not our business. As they manufacture... They say, the ordinary, I mean to say, so-called scholars and learned men, they give their opinion... Especially in the Western world, there are so many philosophical speculations, each one giving his own mental gymnastics. That philosophy is not perfect. We have to take ideas from Bhagavān. That is perfect.
So in this position of harassment, how the peaceful varṇāśrama can be revived? It is very difficult. It is almost impossible. Therefore this system should be taken. What is this system? Saṅkīrtanair yajñair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. Those who have got brain, they will worship Viṣṇu. Yajña means to satisfy Viṣṇu. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ. Viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa... The whole aim is to satisfy Viṣṇu. Therefore Viṣṇu comes Himself, Kṛṣṇa. Viṣṇu comes Himself as Caitanya Mahāprabhu and teaches. There is no difference between Viṣṇu's teachings... Other bogus teachers, they can teach something else, but Viṣṇu's teachings... Just like Kṛṣṇa. Whatever Kṛṣṇa... Of course, Kṛṣṇa incarnation was after Kapila's incarnation. Before that, there were other Viṣṇu incarnations. So here it is said, tam imaṁ te pravakṣyāmi yam avocaṁ purā anaghe. Purā, "Formerly. I am not manufacturing." Nowadays it has become a fashion to manufacture a new system of religion. It is not that. It is not new.
But actually, the human life is meant for not enjoying the senses. That is called tapasya. To deny. That is human life. That is Vedic civilization. First of all, the brahmacārī system, how to deny sense gratification. That is the first training. Even the, even Kṛṣṇa, He had to go to the forest to collect dry wood for the spiritual master. The, that is mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Kṛṣṇa was talking with Sudāmā Vipra, how both of them went to collect dry wood, and there was storm and rain. They became stranded in the forest. Then next day their teacher and other students rescued them. So the brahmacārī was trained up, tapasya, not to enjoy. They would have to go beg door to door, brahmacārī: "Mother, give us some alms for our āśrama." So they were trained from the very beginning to address any woman as "Mother." So... And there were so many other things: to rise early in the morning... Tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). We have become so foolish that we do not know what is the actual condition of life. I am repeating this again and again. Our actual position is not to die, but we are dying.
Sādhu's business is to become very tolerant. Because everyone becomes enemy. If you become a devotee, everyone will become enemy, because they're asuras. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Even the father. Hiraṇyakaśipu is the father of Prahlāda Mahārāja. The boy, five-years-old boy. What is his fault? He's chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And his father became enemy. Up to which, what strength? Now, he was prepared to kill. He was insisting the boy that "Why you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? Why you are speaking of a separate God? I am God." That is the asuri. Those rascals who claim to become God Himself, they are demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu. So Prahlāda Mahārāja will not accept. Prahlāda Mahārāja, even the father insisting that "I am God. Why you are talking of any other God? I am God," and Prahlāda Mahārāja will not accept that. He will accept the father as asura. Sometimes it was quarrel between father and son. Sometimes the father would call, "My dear Prahlāda, all right, let me know what you have learned, the best thing, from your teachers."
So this conditioned life... Dog has got a conditioned life, I have got a conditioned life, you have got a conditioned life. We are all conditioned, under different... And according to the condition, we have got different bodies. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). This conditioned life, different forms of life, we have got daiva-netreṇa, by superior, superior administration. Netreṇa means netṛtva, leadership. So superior leadership. Just like Yamarāja. Karmaṇā, according to my karma, he offers me some body. Daiva-netreṇa. Jantur deha upapatti. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Karma... Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). Guṇa and karma... Just like here, in the practical world, you can work as an engineer, karma, if you have got the qualification. If you have got the qualification of a shopkeeper, you cannot act as engineer. That is not possible. If you have got the qualification of a teacher, educationist, then you can become a teacher.
Therefore our system is, Vedic system is from the very beginning, a child, a boy is sent to gurukula to learn. Not that automatically one learns. One must go to gurukula, brahmacārī. Brahmacārī goes to guru, and he works like a menial servant. He may be a son of a big brāhmaṇa or big king, it doesn't matter. The one who goes to gurukula, he immediately becomes the menial servant of guru. This is the system. That means guru can order him to act any, I mean to say, low class service, still he is prepared to do it. This is the business of brahmacārī, and he takes all trouble, and childhood, he doesn't mind. Even Kṛṣṇa, he went to gurukula. To teach us. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, what is the use of His going to gurukula? No, He is teaching, āpani ācari' prabhu jīveri śikhāya. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also accepted guru, teacher, guru more mūrkha dekhi' karila śāsana (CC Adi 7.71).
So Devahūti, although mother of Kapiladeva, because she is woman, not only woman, because she is going to be disciple or the student, she is presenting herself as very humble student, not that superior mother, no. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). One has to learn. The first condition is praṇipāta. Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa nipāta, complete surrender. Praṇipātena. Then paripraśna. Sad-dharma-pṛcchat. First of all, praṇipāta, a full submission, then paripraśna, guided by sevā, service. We have to please the spiritual master, the teacher, by service. This whole bhakti process depends on service attitude. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. I have several times explained this verse. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Our present material senses are blunt. By these present senses it is not possible to understand the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa, His name, His form, His quality, His pastimes. Everything of Kṛṣṇa, they are all divyam, divine. Janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). So divyam, transcendental subject matter, is not possible to understand by these material blunt senses. Therefore one has to purify it. That is bhakti-mārga. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to purify the senses, and when the senses are purified, then, with that purified senses, hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. When our senses are purified, then we can serve Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. Bhakti means to serve Kṛṣṇa, the master of the senses, by our senses. But these present senses, they cannot be fit for serving Kṛṣṇa. It has to be purified.
Guru means who follows the predecessor, authorized predecessor. He is guru. Not that everyone is guru. So therefore we have to follow the superior order. Then we become guru, not that by cheating others we become guru. No. That is cheater. That is not teacher. Guru means who is following the superior order. The superior order is Kṛṣṇa or His representative. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa. He is ordering, āmāra ājñāya, "By My order," guru hañā, "you become guru." "Sir, it is very difficult to become guru. I have no education. I have no culture. I am not born in a very high family. I am very low." A devotee always thinks like that. He never thinks that "I have become very great man." Just like Caitanya-caritāmṛta, author of, he says, purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha (CC Adi 5.205). Purīṣa, purīṣa means stool, and there are worms in the stool. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta author is saying that "I am lower than the worms in the stool." That is Vaiṣṇava conception. Tṛṇād api sunīcena. He is very humble. He never says, "Oh, I am the Supreme. I have become God." A most rascal, foolish. So that is not... Therefore we have to follow. If we actually want to become guru, there is necessity of many thousands of gurus to teach this cheated public. But how to become guru? That is... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya: "By My order." "What is Your order, Sir?" Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Then you become guru. You simply advise people to follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction. Then you become guru.
There is a little story, very interesting. So one poor boy, he was student in a school, and the teacher's annual ceremony of father's death would be held. So he requested all his student, "What you will give me, contribution?" Formerly the teacher was not taking any salary. But whatever he wanted, the students will bring either from parents' house or by begging. That was the system. The teacher would not charge anything. A brāhmaṇa cannot be..., charge anything. Generally, the brāhmaṇas were teachers. That is one of the profession of the brāhmaṇa. Everyone must have livelihood. So brāhmaṇa livelihood is paṭhana pāṭhana. He must become a learned scholar, and he will make others also learned scholar. That is brāhmaṇa's business. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigrahaḥ. Ṣaṭ-karma. Six kinds of profession for the brāhmaṇas. And kṣatriya's profession is to give protection to the citizen and levy some tax, twenty-five percent, not more than that. Whatever is income your, give twenty-five percent to the kṣatriya king. That's all. That includes sales tax, this tax, that tax, so many tax, income tax. All finished.
So this teacher, the original story, the teacher asked the student for... Somebody said, "I will contribute this cloth," somebody said, "I'll rice," somebody said something, something, something. There was one poor student, he had no means. He was very poor. So when he was asked, so he replied that "I cannot say anything without asking my mother." "All right, you ask your mother and tell me tomorrow." So he asked, "My dear mother, all my class friend has promised the teacher to contribute this, that, this, that. So my turn is there. What shall I promise?" The mother said, "My dear son, we are so poor, we cannot give anything. But if Kṛṣṇa gives, He is dīna-bandhu, the friend of the poor. So if He gives something to you, you can promise." "Oh, where is Kṛṣṇa? What is His name?" "Now, His name is Dīnabandhu, friend of the poor." "Where He is?" "I understand that He is in the forest." So he went to the forest and called, "Dīnabandhu brother, Dīnabandhu brother, where You?" He began to cry. So Kṛṣṇa came. When a devotee is very much eager to see Him, Kṛṣṇa comes. He very is kind. So "Why you are asking?" "My mother... You are Dīnabandhu?" "Yes." "So this is my condition, sir. What can I promise?" So He said that "You promise that you will supply yogurt, dahi. You will supply dahi." So he was very much satisfied. And he came to the teacher that "My Dīnabandhu brother, dādā, He will supply dahi, or yogurt, for whatever you require." "Oh, that's nice. Very good."
So on the day of ceremony, so he went to the forest again and called Dīnabandhu dādā, and He gave him a small pot of dahi, yogurt, a small pot. Oh, he was a child. He did not know. And the..., he brought it to the teacher, "Now, this is my contribution. My Dīnabandhu brother has given. So you take." "The hundreds and thousands of people will be given foodstuff and this much dahi?" He became very angry. He became angry, he did not care, and the pot fell down, and the yogurt also fell down. But after some time, when he came, he saw that although the yogurt has fallen down, the pot is full. Then he again dropped it; again it is full. He dropped it; again it is full. Then he could understand it is spiritual. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). You take the whole thing; still, the whole thing is there. That is Kṛṣṇa. Not that because you have taken something, one minus one equal to zero. No. In the spiritual world, one minus one equal to one. And one plus one equal to one. That is called advaya-jñāna. There is no duality. Plus and minus, they are two things. But in the spiritual world, either plus or minus, the same. That is to be understood. That is called Absolute, advaya-jñāna.
So jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena bhakti-yogena (SB 3.25.18). How this jñāna and vairāgya can be awakened? The jñāna is there, but it is now covered. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya. It is stated in the Caitanya..., that my relationship with Kṛṣṇa is nitya-siddha. Nitya-siddha means it is eternal; it is not artificial, not that we accept Kṛṣṇa as my master or father or like this, artificially. This is eternal fact. But by forgetting Kṛṣṇa, I am suffering. This is your fact. So if we want to be free from this fearfulness, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām... That is the Prahlāda Mahārāja's advices. Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father, "My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers?" So he said,
- tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ
- sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt
- hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ
- vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta
- (SB 7.5.5)
That is the best thing. He said tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehinām. Anyone who has accept this material body... This is asat. It will not stay. But we have accepted this body. But we are so foolish that we do not know that "I am not this body; I am separate from this body. Somehow or other, I am not entrapped or encaged in this body."
Brāhmaṇa, he is supposed to know six kind of activities, ṣaṭ-karma. Ṣaṭ means six. What is that six kinds of? Paṭhana pāṭhana. Brāhmaṇa must be very learned, very expert, expertly learned in Vedic knowledge. That is called paṭhana. And pāṭhana: and he must teach others. He must be teacher, not that "I know and keep all the knowledge in my belly." No. Therefore formerly all the brāhmaṇas they had catuṣpāṭhī. The brāhmaṇa will sit down anywhere and begin teaching others. The student will come. That is brāhmaṇa's business. Paṭhana... But unless he is himself learned, how he can teach? So therefore, first of all he must be learned, paṭhana, and then pāṭhana, then he can teach others. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana. He must worship the Supreme Lord, and he must teach others how to worship the Supreme.
The millions of years ago Kṛṣṇa said, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). That does not mean that the meaning has changed. "Because it has become old, now I can change." The speaker can say that "When Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, so Kṛṣṇa is dead and gone. Now I am incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. You think of me." This is going on. This rascaldom is going on. "Kṛṣṇa is now dead and gone. Now I am avatāra." Then the answer is: "Then you will be dead and gone, then somebody will come." Just like the meaning of "my head." One child, one boy, was reading "my head," and the teacher is explained, " 'My head' means my head." So the child thought teacher said... When he explained the meaning " 'My head,' it is my head," so the child thought, "The teacher says 'my head.' Therefore 'my head' means teacher's head." (laughter) Another person came: "No, no. It is not teacher head. It is 'my head.' " Then he thought brother's head, then father's head. In this way he became puzzled.
So He is teaching us. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the teacher. Āpani ācari' prabhu jīvere śikhaila. But still, it is very difficult to strictly follow. But we must try to follow as far as possible. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has therefore taught us, tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. We must be tolerant like the trees or more than the tree. The trees, they are standing in the open air, and there are so many disturbances, storms, scorching heat, and somebody is taking the leaf, somebody cutting. It doesn't protest. Tolerance. This is very good example of tolerance. So in order to execute our spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we shall learn tolerance. Tolerance, that is advised in Bhagavad-gītā, that tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata: "Don't be disturbed." Just like a brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī has to take three times bath. And if it is very chilly cold, it does not mean that he will give up that taking bath three times, early in the morning. He must take. That is called tolerance. This is one of the example of tolerance.
One must be brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa's business is paṭhan pāṭhan yajan yājan dāna pratigraha. A brāhmaṇa should be personally very highly learned scholar. Therefore brāhmaṇa is called paṇḍita. Even in India, still a brāhmaṇa is addressed, "paṇḍitji." He may be a fool number one, but he is addressed like that, "Paṇḍitji." So because without becoming a learned scholar nobody can become a brāhmaṇa... We are also giving our student position as brāhmaṇa, but if he remains a fool number one, then we are misusing our attempt. He should be very learned scholar. That should be the aim. And there is no difficulty to become a learned scholar because we have got so many books. You simply read and digest what we are speaking. Not that we are simply meant for selling books. We are reading. We must read. Then our position as brāhmaṇa will be fulfilled. Because brāhmaṇas are teacher. Anyone who can teach, he is brāhmaṇa. So unless you read thoroughly what you are going to speak to the world, how you can become a brāhmaṇa and paṇḍita? You should carefully note this.
He is Bhagavān, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whatever He speaks, that is authorized. You cannot argue, because for the..., for us, we are conditioned soul. We have got four defects—means we commit mistake, we become illusioned or bewildered, our senses are imperfect, and, because everything is imperfect, still we want to become teacher, that is cheating. I am imperfect. How can I teach? That is going on. A imperfect person is teaching about transcendental knowledge. Therefore people are being cheated. Our process is to take lesson from the perfect person and distribute it, just we are doing. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are preaching what Kṛṣṇa has said, that's all. Not that we have manufactured something new. No. That is not our business. How I can manufacture? I am imperfect. How can I manufacture? But the spiritual master who follows the perfect teacher, he is perfect. He is perfect because whatever he is speaking, that is the statement of the perfect person.
Whole Vedic civilization means: realize God. That is Vedic civilization. Viṣṇur ārādhyate. We are part and parcel of Viṣṇu, or the Supreme Lord. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Jīva-bhūtaḥ, these living entities, not only human being but everyone, sarva yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4), in every form of life, the living entities are covered with the material dress. So Bhāgavata-dharma, or spiritual life, can be understood when one has understood his identification, what he is. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā the first lesson given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna is to bring him to the spiritual platform. When Arjuna was lamenting on the body of his relatives on the other side, he was too much affected in the bodily conception of life: "How I shall fight with the other side? They are all my brothers, nephews, my teacher, my grandfather, and who has fought with such enemies in the history?" Everyone fights. There is fighting but not fighting with own men, even at the present moment, although there is sometimes civil war.
In Prahlāda Mahārāja's teaching also... At childhood he was five-years-old boy, and he was teaching to his class friend, "My dear friend, that kaumāra ācaret prajño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1)." He was teaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness as soon as he was getting little opportunity. In the tiffin hour, when the teachers are gone, he'd immediately stand up and preach to his friends, "My dear friends, begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness from this point. Although you are very small boys, still we have to begin here." kaumāra ācaret prajño dharmān bhāgavatān iha. "Why so quickly? Let us become old and feeble and I'll not be able to do anything. Then I'll chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." "No," he says no immediately. Kaumāra ācaret prajño dharmān bhāgavatān iha, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. "You do not know when you shall die. So before the next step comes, complete your Kṛṣṇa consciousness." This is the business. Kaumāra ācaret prajño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). Where is that education now? This is misleading civilization. They do not know the value of life. They are simply wasting time for sense gratification. That's all.
In the Vedic literature the father, the teacher, the king, they are advised to look upon them as God. This is for the common person. But when he is advanced, then he goes above, that there is God above father, above king, above teacher. So according to the stages, there are different literatures in the Vedic knowledge. Sometimes demigods are also accepted. So they have also got power, but... Controller, they are also controller, but the ultimate controller is fixed up—īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). "The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa." That is the verdict of the Vedas. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior controller or person than Me." So that is Absolute. Everywhere you will find. Suppose if you accept me God, but I am controlled by somebody else. So I am not absolute God. But if you can find out somebody—he is not only controller, but he is not controlled by anyone—then he is absolute. That is Kṛṣṇa. Yes. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
So if one is inquisitive to know what is the ultimate goal of life, for him, a guru is required. But if he wants immediate some sense gratification, he doesn't require a guru. For sense gratification there is no need of guru. Even these birds and beasts, they know how to gratify senses. There is no need of university or teacher. Say for sex life, nobody requires to go to the university. They know. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. These four things, there is no need of university education. But at the present moment to go to university means how to gratify the senses very scientifically. Scientifically. How to steal scientifically. Does it require any scientific knowledge how to cut throat and how to steal? No. They require education for spiritual understanding, tad-vijñānārtham, not this vijñānārtham, this material knowledge. It doesn't require. It is simply a waste of time. This modern university education is simply a waste of time.
So, one has to be vipaścit, learned, to understand the interest of life, self-interest. Everyone is working, especially the karmīs, the jñānīs, the yogis, and mixed devotees, they are working for self-interest. The devotees also, so long there is self, there is self-interest also. So there is little difference, that the devotees, they work for Super-self-interest. There is self, but it is Super-self-interest. And the karmīs, jñānīs, yogis they work for individual self-interest. Self-interest there must be. That is the difference between lust and prema, or love. It has been defined in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, what is the difference between lust and love. It appears almost the same but Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has given a definition very clear, ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā-tāre bali 'kāma' (CC Adi 4.165). When one is interested for his personal sense gratification, that is called kāma or lust, and kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare 'prema' nāma, and when one is interested for satisfying the senses of Kṛṣṇa, that is prema. And the concrete example is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, that in the beginning Arjuna was thinking of interest of the family. How can I kill my brother, my nephews, my master, teacher, my grandfather, in terms of his family interest.
So in order to know that science, one has to approach a perfect teacher. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Here also it is said, gurau haṁsa. Haṁse gurau mayi. The mayi is also significant. That means, paramahaṁsa guru means, he's as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because he does not deviate from the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the symptom of guru. Guru does not deviate from the instruction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He does not manufacture something new, novel. No, the same thing. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter, although He is the speaker, millions of years ago He instructed the science to the Sun god, and again when He was instructed to Arjuna, He said that, "I am instructing the same thing." Sa evāyaṁ purātanaḥ. Not that on account of change of time, the instruction has been changed, no. (aside:) What is that exact verse? Sa evāyaṁ purātanaḥ?
He, superficially he might have said something which is not understandable, but he also followed the same thing, bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ mūḍha. But due to unfavorable time, he had to say about impersonal feature. But ultimately he said, bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindam, bhaja govindaṁ mūḍha mate. You rascal, you just worship Govindam. And this jugglery of words, grammatical jugglery, will not help you at the time of death. Nahi nahi rakṣati dukṛn-karaṇe(?). If you misinterpret that "With this grammatical addition or grammatical alteration this meaning can be derived." No. That is mal-interpretation. Real understanding is bhaja govindam. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. Lord Brahmā, he also says, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. And Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya, he is incarnation of Śaṅkara, he also saying, govindam, bhaja govindam, bhaja govindam, bhaja govindam. And we are following the same thing, so that is guru-paramparā, that is real knowledge. So don't approach a cheater, but actually approach a teacher, not a cheater. Then bhakti-yoga will be... That teacher is guru, and he is representative of Kṛṣṇa. He does not say anything else.
So there are two kinds of ruler or controller. One is the government, and the other is the teacher. Or guru means spiritual master. Spiritual master can control. The disciples obey the order of the spiritual master out of love. Guror-hitam. This is brahmacārī. Brahmacārī guru-gṛhe vasan dānto guror hitam. What guru wants, the brahmacārī has to do, not for his hitam. Just like Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa: śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). So Arjuna, for his personal benefit he did not want to fight, but for Kṛṣṇa's sahitam, hitam, for benefit of Kṛṣṇa, he fought. This is the example. He did not like to kill his kinsmen for his hitam. "Oh, if I kill my kinsmen I'll go to hell, I'll be responsible, this, that..." So many arguments he put forward. That means he was considering his hitam, not Kṛṣṇa's hitam. But Kṛṣṇa wanted that fight, and when Arjuna agreed, "No, no more my hitam. Your hitam," oh, that is wanted. That is wanted. Guror-hitam.
So this is going on. But that is not the fact. Fact is different. Therefore, putrāṁś ca śiṣyāṁś ca. Śiṣya... The citizen, they are also śiṣya. Śiṣya means one who is controlled. That is called śiṣya, who is disciplined, disciple. The same meaning. Disciple means one who is controlled, one who is disciplined. So controller is the teacher or spiritual master and the government. So the government rules and regulation, teacher's rules and regulations should be in such a way that the dependent, either the śiṣya or the citizen, they must know that this is not life. This material life is not life. Real life is in the spiritual world. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). That is real truth. And this is... This material world is illusion, illusion, the mirage. We are finding here happiness. Kṛṣṇa says, "No, no, there is no happiness." Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "Why you are finding out happiness here? It is not possible." Kṛṣṇa personally teaching. This is duḥkhālaym aśāśvatam. "If you don't want it, then come to Me." Mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ (BG 8.15). That is mahātmā.
You have to do it, because we are placed in a condition of suffering. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). I have given this example many times. Just like in the school the teacher engages two naughty boys to catch the ears of one another. And he is pulling the ear; he is also pulling the ear. There is competition of pulling the ear. So nature engages them. Jagat ahita ugra-karma. They have manufactured this ugra-karma world for the annihilation of this world. Russia has discovered the nuclear... What is that? Nuclear weapon? And the Americans, they are finding out the opportunity so, to drop the bomb here and there, and everything will be destroyed. They do not know what is the aim of life. Simply they are engaged in ugra-karma and creating enmity, anyonya-vairaḥ sukha-leśa-hetoḥ. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). Prahlāda Mahārāja has also said that śoce tato vimukha-cetasaḥ: "I am simply thinking of these rascals," vimūḍhān. Here it is said, "mūḍha," and Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "vimūḍha," viśeṣa-rūpeṇa, "particularly mūḍha."
So one person is utpathagam yathāndham, another person is vipaścid tad-abhijñaḥ. Two classes of men generally: one who knows the things as they are and one who does not know what is the value of life, how to make progress. So one does not know and one knows. So naturally there must be two classes of men to make real social progress or any, anything. Actually we see that there are a class of men in the school, colleges, universities, who can teach, and class of men who are taught. So without these two classes of men, how society can make progress? But the modern theory is "classless society." Modern rascal theory is classless society: "There is no need of teacher, or there is no need of higher class, or there is no need of... One class." Therefore they fall down. Even in socialistic country like Russia, first of all they wanted to make classless society. Later on they have made a manager class and worker class, because this is not possible.
So one class. First-class man, first of all teacher, they require. Therefore the brāhmaṇa class must be there, I mean to say, the properly trained-up brāhmaṇa, not by caste brāhmaṇa or... Śamo damo titikṣa... Otherwise where is the ideal class who will teach? And it is the business of brāhmaṇa to teach. Those who are śūdras, avidyāyām antare vartamāna, how they can teach? They cannot teach. Therefore brāhmaṇa business is paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigrahaḥ. Six. Ṣat-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. Still, if he is not a Vaiṣṇava, avaiṣṇavo gurur na sa syāt. If one is qualified brāhmaṇa but..., mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ, everything is well equipped, but if he is not a Vaiṣṇava, if he is impersonalist, Māyāvādī, he cannot teach others. Avaiṣṇavo gurur na sa syāt. He cannot be guru. Sad-vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ. And if a person born in a family of dog-eaters, śva-paca, means caṇḍāla... There are many kinds of meat-eaters. So the class of men who are dog-eaters, they are the lowest. They are the lowest, caṇḍāla. So if a person born in a dog-eaters' family, he can be also trained up. Sad-vaiṣṇavaḥ śva-paco guruḥ. So guru does not mean a rascal.
So in the previous verse it has been described that kas taṁ svayaṁ tad-abhijño vipaścid. The guardian should be abhijñaḥ, and vipaścit, very learned. The government, the father, the guru, the teacher, or even husband of... Because we are guided, everyone is guided by somebody else. That is society. Not cats and dogs. Just like the cats and dogs, they give birth to the children and then they have no responsibility. The dogs are loitering in the street; nobody takes care. But human society should not be like that. There must be responsible guardians. The some of the responsible guardians are described here. First of all, guru. Either you take ordinary teacher in the school or colleges, they are also called guru, and the sublime guru is the spiritual master. Not only the spiritual master, but anyone who has taken the post of becoming guru to teach others, he must be very learned, very responsible, vipaścit, abhijñaḥ. Abhijñātaḥ, it is the qualification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said in the beginning of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, abhijñaḥ. Janmādy asya yataḥ 'nvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). The controller must be abhijñaḥ. The same thing is here. Of course, we cannot be as abhijñaḥ as God—that is not possible—but little quantity of that abhijñātaḥ must be there. Otherwise what is the use of becoming...?
It is said in the śāstra that ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. The brāhmaṇa, he knows the brahminical business, sat-karma, means paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigraha. A brāhmaṇa must be very learned scholar, pathana, and he shall make others also good scholar. The brāhmaṇa is the teacher. That is brāhmaṇa's business. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana. He must be a good worshiper of the Supreme Lord, and he must teach others how to become brāhmaṇa, how to worship. Yajana yājana. And dāna pratigraha. Brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava Still the world is going on. At least in India the brāhmaṇa Vaiṣṇavas, they are given charities without any hesitation. Because that mentality is still existing in India, so somebody is taking advantage of it. Unnecessarily they are changing dress and begging and making money. No. So dāna pratigraha. Therefore a brāhmaṇa, as soon as there is excess money, he would immediately spend it for Kṛṣṇa. Dāna pratigraha. He will charity. He'll make charity. He'll distribute prasādam.
We get information. Timiṅgila. Many very big, big animals are there within the water, deep. So there are nine lakhs, 900,000 forms of life within the water. And then jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Then... Sthāvarā means "stand up." We have got experience. I do not know whether you have got. In our school days, if a boy is making trouble, the teacher will ask him, "Stand up on the bench." So the stand-up punishment... The trees, the plants, they are stand-up punishment. (laughter) "Stand up here for five thousand years." You see? There are many trees, they are standing up for five thousand years, seven thousand years. In California I have seen one tree, they say it is seven thousand years old. So just imagine. If the teacher punishes a boy to stand up for few minutes, how much troublesome it is, and if one is ordered to stand up for seven thousand years, so just imagine what is the punishment. So that is punishment.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving that enlightenment, that you are not this body. Not this movement; it is there... in the statement of Kṛṣṇa. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yau... (BG 2.13). Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). When Arjuna was declining to fight... Other side was his kinsmen, his brother, nephews, his teacher, all very affectionate. So Arjuna declined, "Kṛṣṇa, I am not going to fight. They have usurped our kingdom. That's all right. They are also our own men. Let them enjoy. But I am not going to kill them." This is Vaiṣṇava. Because he is a devotee, in spite of being harrassed by the other party... Wife was insulted, then kingdom was taken by betting, by gambling. In this way they were put into so many troublesome position. Still, when there was actual fight, because Arjuna was a Vaiṣṇava, devotee, he said, "Let them enjoy. I am not going to fight." This is Vaiṣṇava. Ordinary man would have taken very seriously, "Oh, these people have insulted like that.
And who requires a guru? Guru is not a fashion. It is necessary. How it is necessary? Now, anyone who is inquisitive to understand the spiritual science, for him it is necessary. Jijñāsuḥ sreya uttamam. Even if you want to become an ordinary electrician, still, you require a teacher, and what to speak of spiritual science. So that is necessary. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet. So Arjuna followed it, and he submitted himself to Kṛṣṇa to become His disciple, not to talk as friend. So when he accepted Him as the spiritual master, so... Teacher... The teacher has the right to chastise the student. That is accepted. So He immediately chastised him, Arjuna. Arjuna was chastised. What is that? Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase: (BG 2.11) "My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no learned man laments. That means you are a fool." It is indirectly said. "No learned man laments on this subject." What was the subject? He was considering that "If I kill the other side, my brother or my nephew or my teacher, they will die."
Simple life: plain living, high thinking—simplicity. And titikṣa, tolerance. Because this world is miserable. If we become disturbed with the miseries of this world, oh, you cannot live for a moment, because this life is, material life is full of miseries. So you have to become tolerant. When Kṛṣṇa was instructed about the eternity of the soul to Arjuna, Arjuna understood it. He said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I quite understand that soul is eternal. Even my teacher and grandfather is killed, he is bodily killed, but he is eternal. I can understand. But do You think that if my brother or if my grandfather or if my teacher with whom I am so thickly connected, if they die, shall I be happy?" So Kṛṣṇa answered, "Yes. You'll not be happy. Although you know that your son is eternal, he is not dying, he is changing his body... By theoretical knowledge or by understanding, you know it. But who is there in this world who will not cry when the son is dead? He will cry. But that crying is not crying like a layman. He knows that 'My...,' this is habitual. This is habitual."
So God is singular number person, and we are plural number. We are many. God is one, but living entities are many. Not that God also is many. No. God may have many expansion—that is another thing—but God is singular number. God is not plural number. Nityo nityānām. So what kind of singular number? That He is chief singular number. Just like leader. There are many followers. Take any example: in the class room or here, a teacher is one, but the audience they are many. Similarly, God is one, but the living entities are many. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). And what kind of living entity? Now, living entity means living entity, he is also living force. He is not dead. Just like just now we were taking that "God is dead." No. Nitya, cetana. Cetana means conscious, and nitya, eternal. We are also conscious and eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). It is not that after we have..., our body is destroyed, we become destroyed. No. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. These things we have learned from Bhagavad-gītā. This is the position. We are many, and God is one.
If somebody can say that "I have got all the riches," he is God. That is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. Nobody has said in the history of the world. Kṛṣṇa said, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the enjoyer of everything, and I am the proprietor of all the universe." Who can say that? That is God. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya. Samāgra means total, not that partial, that "I have got so much. Now I have distributed." I do not wish to mention by name—one artificial God, he was teaching his disciple, and the disciple was feeling electrical shocks. So unfortunately, I cannot give you electrical shocks. (laughter) You see? Electrical shocks, and he became fainted by electrical shock. And these are written publicly, and fools are accepting. Why teachers should give electrical shock? Where is that mentioned in the śāstra? (laughter) But these things are, bogus things are stated. Electrical shock. And when he fainted, then the God was sitting, and when he got his senses, then the disciple asked God, "Sir, why you are crying?" "Now, I have finished everything. I have given you everything." Just see. Does a teacher finishes everything by teaching his disciple? These things are going on. So Kṛṣṇa is not that kind of God, that "I have finished everything." Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). This is definition of God. God is so perfect and full that even if you take all His opulences, still, He is full. That is God. Not that "I have finished my stock."
Śrīdhara Swami says that bhakti mārga, the path of devotion, is immune from all kinds of fearfulness because jñāna-mārga, jñāna mārga, the path of knowledge is full of difficulties. Because I am trying myself, I have no protector. I do not know if I am in danger who will give me protection. Jñānīs, they try to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of their knowledge. So Śrīdhara Swami says they are atahaya. Atahaya means without any protection. If they make any mistake... Just like a little student they are learning something, but there is protection of the teacher. As soon as he commits a mistake, immediately the teacher rectifies: "My dear boy, do like this." But anyone who has no teacher, no protector, simply trying himself, if he commits any mistake there is nobody protecting him. Therefore jñāna-mārga, the path of knowledge, is risky. Similarly, the path of karma is also risky. Mataraka(?). If you prosecute the path of karma, there is envy between the karmīs. If you become greater than me in execution of your fruitive activities, I become envious of you: "Oh, this man is making so much progress in business or in some other way, in practice. I could not do." So I become envious. Similarly, if I advance, my friend becomes envious. So karma-mārga is the path of enviousness. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). The Bhāgavata is meant for persons who are absolutely free from enviousness.
Simply this determination, that "From this day I belong to Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa. Whatever He wants..." That is the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā So long Arjuna... That is a superficial picture. Arjuna is always for Kṛṣṇa, but just to teach us, he became for his family. He became... In the warfield, when there was to be fighting, he became to the family side and he said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, how can I fight with my family? They are my brothers, they are my nephews, they are my grandfather, they are my teacher, the other..." Because it was a family fight, five brothers and hundred brothers. So at the warfield he became perplexed, that "I am fighting with my family. The fight means to fight with enemies. How is that? What kind of war it is? Eh? I have to fight with family." He said, Kṛṣṇa, "So who has taught this kind of fighting, Kṛṣṇa, to kill his own brother, his nephews and...?" Therefore that means he leaned to the family side. This is designation. This is designation. Because he belonged to the Kuru's family he took side of the family. But after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, after understanding Kṛṣṇa, when he came to the conclusion that "I must be with Kṛṣṇa's side, not to the family side," then he became perfect. After hearing thoroughly Bhagavad-gītā, he... Kṛṣṇa said, "Now what you will do? To the family side or My side?" Yathecchasi. That freedom is there. Yathecchasi: "Whatever you like, you can do. I have given my instruction."
So we have to understand this philosophy. Everything is there in the book. So we have to read it carefully, understand it through the teacher's or guru's instruction. So in this way, if our mind becomes fixed up in Kṛṣṇa the person or the Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa word, sakṛt, once only... Sakṛt means once only, yes. Kṛṣṇa padāravindayoḥ, pandaro(?), niveśitam, fully absorbed. This practice, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, means to practice this, how to fix up the mind always at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also advised the same thing: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Mayy āsakta-manaḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. This is yoga, meditation. If you simply sit down in a place and you... It is recommended that in a solitary place and sitting straight, right angle, and not closing the eyes but half open—this is yoga practice—and looking over this point of nose, and observing celibacy, brahmacarya, following the rules and regulations, in this way you can practice yoga. Not that you can do whatever nonsense you like and you have become a yogi.
So this is going on. Don't be misled. Īśa-tantrya, by the laws of nature, we are bound up tight, hands and legs. We are not independent. You cannot do anything independently. You are completely under the clutches of material nature. And behind the material nature is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore our business is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa and take knowledge from Him, and then you become perfect. That is explained here, sakṛn manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor niveśitaṁ tad-guṇa-rāgi yair iha. Who will take instruction from Kṛṣṇa? Tad-guṇa-rāgi. When you understand that "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. We have to take instruction from Him." Nobody is perfect except Kṛṣṇa. Or one who follows Kṛṣṇa, he is perfect. Kṛṣṇa is perfect; one who follows Kṛṣṇa, he is perfect. Just like a child. He does not know what it is, but if he takes instruction from his father or teacher that "This is microphone," so when he says, "This is microphone," this is perfect. He may be child, but because he has learned from his father or teacher, "This is microphone," and he says, "This is microphone. This is this," then it is perfect. So the instruction of Kṛṣṇa is perfect, and the teacher or guru who speaks the same thing as Kṛṣṇa says, that is perfect. And if he manufacture his own ideas and becomes more than Kṛṣṇa, then he's a rascal number one. There is no benefit.
A śūdra, actually those who are by qualification śūdra... Śūdra means lamentation, simply changing. They accept something, and then they find it useless, and they lament. The so-called scientists, philosophers, they're all śūdras because they say, "We have discovered something," and after few years, "Oh, it is now useless." Another theory. Śūdra. So śūdra cannot give you any education. That is not possible. Education has to be taken from brāhmaṇa. That is the Vedic system. Brāhmaṇa is the teacher because they are trained up—satya śama damo titikṣa ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma-svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Therefore in India still, not in the city but in the village, the brāhmaṇa is accepted as teacher, natural teacher. And there was... (aside:) You sit down properly. Yes. Brāhmaṇa, they are teachers, natural teachers, and there is no fees. No fees. Just like we started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, teaching, but there was no fees. This is the teaching, real teaching. So brāhmaṇa should not charge anything, but they can take charity. So the students, they would bring charities naturally.
Guest (3): But one who is self-realized, he interprets them out, the ślokas or...
Prabhupāda: There is no interpretation. Kṛṣṇa says. In the Bhāgavata it is said that He lifted the mountain just like a child snatch one flower or the..., what is called? Yes. Mushroom. Yes. So easily. They do not believe.
Guest (3): No, but in Bhāgavata there are many ślokas interpreted by many teachers and...
Prabhupāda: Those who believe in Bhāgavata, they do not interpret. Those who do not believe in Bhāgavata, they interpret.
Guest (3): But its meaning has to be understood.
Prabhupāda: Meaning is clear. There is nothing to be understood. But the rascals, they draw their own meaning. Just like Bhagavad-gītā.
Real mother and guru-patni, the wife of spiritual master or teacher. Ādau mātā guru-patni, brāhmaṇi, the wife of a brāhmaṇa, and rāja-patnikā, the queen, she is also mother, rāja. Dhenu, cow. Dhenu, dhātrī, nurse. Dhenur dhātrī tathā pṛthvī, as well as the earth. Earth is mother because she is giving us so many things, fruits, flowers, grains for our eating. Mother gives for eating, cow gives us milk. This is sense. But if one becomes addicted to prostitute hunting then he will be fallen. That is the example. Then he'll become thief, rascal, cheater, drunkard, and so on, so on, so on. Why? Now, only for maintaining the family. The family maintenance, the cats and dogs, they also do, the birds also do, but they do not do anything unnatural. The bird maintains his children, brings some fruit or something in the mouth and push into mouth of the small kiddies. That is natural. But why one should take unfair means for maintaining family? This is culture. This is culture. But nowadays they have manufactured "Necessity has no law." "I require money, somehow or other I must have it and let me adopt this means, that means." No. So evaṁ nivasatas tasya lālayānasya. Lālayānasya tat-sutān. So without understanding what is the duty of human being, because he is fallen... We should not bother for maintaining our family and children till the time of death. No. Up to twenty-five years.
So Vaivasvata Manu. So either Kṛṣṇa is talking lies... How Kṛṣṇa spoke unless he's a person, living there? Everything is there. We cannot conjecture from here that "Because I cannot live in such atmosphere, therefore others cannot live." No. There are different varieties of living entities, 8,400,000 varieties. How many you have seen? Therefore you have to take knowledge from the perfect source. Then we you can understand. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ gurum eva abhigacchet. This is Vedic injunction. If you want to know perfectly everything, then you must go to the proper teacher. Then you will learn. But how you can imagine from here? A dwarf is trying to touch the moon. How it is possible? That is not possible. The Vedic injunction is in order to... Tad-vijñānārtham. Higher science. Vijñāna means science. If you want to know higher science—not this science, simply filling of the belly, not this science—higher science, which is above fulfilling the belly, that, for that purpose, you have to go to guru. Guru means who knows more than you. That is guru. So who can know more than Kṛṣṇa? Therefore we have to accept Kṛṣṇa as guru and learn from Him. Then you'll get perfect knowledge.
Why shall I say that "It has no soul, and let me kill it"? So that means he does not know how to see other living entities like himself. Buddha philosophy is based on this, that "Whatever you feel, pain, you should not inflict to others." This is education. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat ātmavat. So this is moral education, and in the śāstra it is also said that there are seven mothers.
- ādau mātā guru-patnī
- brāhmaṇī rāja-patnikā
- dhenur dhātrī tathā pṛthvī
- sapteti mātarī smṛta
Real mother and guru-patnī, the wife of spiritual master or teacher... Ādau mātā guru-patnī, brāhmaṇī, the wife of a brāhmaṇa. And rāja-patnikā, the queen, she is also mother. Dhenu, cow. Dhenur dhātrī, nurse. Dhenur dhātrī, tathā pṛthvī, as well as the earth. Earth is mother because they are giving us so many things, fruit, flowers, grains for our eating. Mother gives for eating. Cow gives us milk. This is sense.
So this father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, he defied God: "Who is God? I am God. Take my (indistinct)." The child said, "My dear father, you are not God." He would never address his father as "father." He addressed him "the best of the asuras." "My dear best of the asuras," tat sādhu manye asura-vārya dehinām. After all, the relationship is father and son. So one day the father took him, "My dear son, what you have learned, the best thing, from your teachers? Tell me." "Yes, I'll tell you." "What is that?" Tat sādhu manye asura-varya. He never addressed "father." "O the best of the asuras." Asura-vārya means "the best of the asura." Tad sādhu manye: "I think that is very good thing." "What is that?" Tad sādhu manye asura-vārya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). "All these people, they're simply full of anxieties." That's a fact. Who's not full of anxieties? Those who are in this material world, who can say, "No, I have no anxiety"? That is not possible. Either you become President Nixon or in the street beggar, there is anxiety. At any moment danger will come. But they are busy.
So this material civilization, they're decorating this body. So the bodily concept of life is condemned in the very beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā. This knowledge was given to Arjuna by Kṛṣṇa when he surrendered. When he was talking friendly, He did not say. When Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna submitted that "Kṛṣṇa, I'm now perplexed. So how my intelligence can be revived? You know." Arjuna knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so his perplexed position can be solved by Kṛṣṇa. That he knew. Therefore he said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "Kṛṣṇa, no more friendly talks. We are wasting time. Now I become Your disciple, śiṣya." Śiṣya means disciple. "You kindly advise me. I'm surrendering unto You." Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). Spiritual master means you must surrender to him. If you talk foolish, then you will not be benefited. You must submissively hear and accept whatever he says. So when Kṛṣṇa began to teach him as teacher, the first thing He uttered... Anyone can say what He first said?
So he can stay three days, four days. So there is no scarcity. Still they will invite you, "Please come. Take prasādam." So because... Why this system? Because sannyāsī means he will give good instruction, spiritual knowledge. But that is his business, parivrājakācārya, wandering all over the world and giving good instruction. Therefore parivrājaka. Parivrājaka means wandering, and ācārya means teacher. Parivrājakācārya. This is sannyāsī's business. So they must be well received. At the present moment, if a sannyāsī is trying to enter in some householder's house, immediately the doorman, "Please get out. Get out. Get out." Because some of the sannyāsīs, they have taken this dress as a means of livelihood. But still in the village, any sannyāsī—he may be a cheater, still he is welcome. In the cities, of course, in India, they are now doubtful, "Whether he is actually sannyāsī or to fill up his belly he has taken this dress?" So this is the formula. So very learned men, the... generally, the sannyāsī and brāhmaṇas, they should be worshiped, not the fools and rascals.
Even in this process, when they are engaged in Deity worship, arcāyāṁ haraye yat-pūjāṁ śraddhāyehate, with great devotion doing, but na tad bhakteṣu cānyeṣu, but he has no sympathy with others or he does not know what is the position of a devotee, then sa bhaktaḥ prakṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ: "He is called material devotee, material devotee." So we have to elevate ourselves from material devotional stage to the second platform when one can understand what is a devotee, what is a nondevotee, what is God, what is atheist. These discriminations are there. And in paramahaṁsa stage there is no such discrimination. He sees everyone is engaged in service of the Lord. He does not envy anyone, he does not see anything, anybody. But that is another stage. We should not imitate, try to imitate, but we may know that paramahaṁsa is the highest stage of perfection. Just like as a preacher we have to point out... Just like I told this boy, "You sit down like this." But a paramahaṁsa will not say. A paramahaṁsa, he sees, rather: "He is all right." He sees. But we should not imitate paramahaṁsa. Because we are preacher, we are teacher, we should not imitate paramahaṁsa. We must tell the right source, right course.
So it is said that the Brahmā is the first living being who understood Vedas. So how he understood? Where is The teacher? There is no other creature. How he understood Vedas? Now, that teacher was Kṛṣṇa, and He is situated in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So He is teaching from the heart. So Kṛṣṇa teaches—He is so kind—as caitya-guru, from the heart, and He sends His representative from outside. Caitya-guru and guru, both ways, Kṛṣṇa is trying. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. So therefore Vedas, they are not man-made books. Veda, apauruṣeya. Apauruṣeya means not made by... We should not take Vedas as ordinary mental speculation book. No. It is perfect knowledge. It is perfect knowledge. And one has to take as it is, without any adulteration, interpretation. So it is spoken by God. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is also Veda. It is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. So you cannot make any addition, alteration. You must take it as it is. Then you get the right knowledge. Vedas, how... The example is given. Perhaps you know several times that the Vedas, how it should be accepted as it is without interpretation. Just like Vedas says that if you touch stool, immediately you have to take your bath. You have become impure. This is Vedic injunction.
So here also these Yamadūtas said, "We have heard it from the authority." That is perfection. Go to the authority and hear from him the real knowledge. Then you become perfect in knowledge. Actually, we imitate, we also go to a school, college, hear from the professor, teachers. That is the process anywhere, either transcendental or material knowledge. The hearing is most important thing. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended this hearing very important in transcendental knowledge especially. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir: if you want to know God, that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's recommendation, he's recommending from the śāstra. He doesn't recommend anything, "I think," "I believe," "Perhaps." No, not this nonsense. You may... You are rascal. What is the value of your belief? No. It is the... Here is the knowledge. Iti śuśruma, "We have heard it from authority." This is knowledge.
So we have to follow the principle of religion; otherwise we are misguided. Just like a child has to be sent to school to understand, to become learned scholar. It is compulsory, not that I may send my child to school or if I like, I don't send. No. It is compulsory. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is Vedic injunction. If you want to be learned fully, especially if you want to learn the transcendental science, gurum eva abhigacchet: "One must go to a guru." Guru—the spiritual master as well as the teacher also, guru. So he must att..., he must go to a guru. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). And going to guru, what you have to do? Praṇipātena. You have to fully surrender. Paripraśnena. After surrendering, then you can enquire, you can put question. Otherwise, it is illegal. If you do not accept anybody as guru, then don't put question before him to waste his time and your time. This is the process. First of all find out whom you like to accept as guru. Then put question. But sometimes we have to talk with persons who is not student: outsider. That is preaching work. But śāstra says that one should approach a guru, and with surrender he would ask him, and guru will talk with a person who is surrendered.
When a living being, criminal, sinful living being is brought before him, he can understand through his mind. Just see that everyone's mind is not of the same category. There are difference of mind also, according to the position. That we have got experience. A high-court judge's mind and ordinary person's mind—far different. The judges can immediately understand what is the position. So this is also God's gift. Different people have got different power of the mind. That is also through Kṛṣṇa. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ mattaḥ smṛtiḥ jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). So mind means whose memory is very sharp, he is called great-minded. So this greatness of mind and smallness of mind are different according to the dictation of the Supersoul. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam... One man can remember small things for many years; another man forgets. Immediately he hears and immediately forgets. Why this difference of mental position? It is due to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa helps one to memorize or to forget. Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). One can, one has... Just like in school some student has got very sharp memory. Once heard from the teacher, he never forgets it. So these different stages are due to the association of different modes of material nature.
So ordinary brain or brain with cow dung, they cannot understand the spiritual science. Therefore the brahmacārī should be trained up how to control the senses. Then they will be able to understand. The brain will be sharp. Instead of discharging semina, there are brahmacārīs who takes the semina to the brain. They are called ūrdhvaretaḥ, means the brain becomes very, very fertile. Once heard from the spiritual master or teacher, he will remember. He will never forget. Therefore, formerly there was no written book. Śruti, simply by hearing, a brahmacārī would be educated, simply by hearing. There was no need of books, writing. Therefore the Vedic literature is known as śruti. It is to be learned by hearing. Even there is book, still, one has to learn it by hearing from the realized soul. Therefore it is called śruti. So this śruti memorizing power should be increased if one observes strictly the life of celibacy. This is the science. Therefore brahmacārī is taught strictly. The brahmacārī is supposed to remain in gurukula up to the twenty-fifth year. He is trained up. Then if guru finds him that he requires to be married, then he goes home and he is married. Otherwise the teaching is to remain a brahmacārī throughout the whole life.
So the assistants of Yamarāja charged that "This man was throughout his whole life a sinful man. Therefore he is punishable and we must take him to the Yamarāja." And the Viṣṇudūtas protested that "Even though he was sinful throughout his whole life, because he once uttered the holy name of Nārāyaṇa some way or other—it doesn't matter—therefore he is now free from all reaction of sinful life." And he has spoken that there are different kinds of sinful life, and he has described some of them. Stenaḥ. Stenaḥ means stealing, thieves, burglars. They are very sinful. Stenaḥ; surā-paḥ, drunkard, intoxicant, those who are addicted to intoxication. So stealing and drinking, these are the honorable occupations of the moralist. But they are condemned by the Yamarāja..., by the Viṣṇu... Stenaḥ surā-po mitra-dhruk (SB 6.2.9). One who is unfaithful to his friends, mitra-dhruk; brahma-hā, one who has killed a brāhmaṇa or a Vaiṣṇava, brahma-hā. And guru-talpa-gaḥ: and one who has dishonored a spiritual master or teacher. Strī-rāja-pitṛ-go-hantā, one who has killed a woman, one who has killed a king, and one who has killed a cow. These are all the severest type of sinful activities. Ye ca pātakino 'pare. Some of the sinful activities are mentioned here. And besides these sinful activities, there are other, many.
So yad asau bhagavan-nāma mriyamāṇaḥ samagrahīt. Because the Yamadūta..., yes, Viṣṇudūta says that "We know that this person was addicted to sinful activities throughout his whole life, but at the time of his death he has remembered. He has uttered offenselessly once the name of Nārāyaṇa." But one should not think that "All right. Let us go on committing all sinful activities, and at the time of my death I shall think of Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa." That is not possible. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. If you practice when you are alive, when you are strong for chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa, then there may be chance. Otherwise it is not possible. Not that a layman will all of a sudden will chant "Nārāyaṇa." He must have previous practice. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). If you practice in your life chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa... I remember one of our teachers in our school life. He instructed that "If you always think that 'I shall pass my examination with distinction,' then you can pass in first division. If you think that 'I shall pass my examination in the first division,' then you may pass in the third division. And if you think that 'I shall some way pass my examination in the third division,' then you will fail." That means if you expect more than your capacity, then it may be possible that at the time of examination you get the right number and pass your examination.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja was a devotee and he was a child. So his father thought that "He is taking good education in politics, in diplomacy." So one day he asked the boy, "My dear boy, will you kindly say what nice things you have learned from your teachers?" Prahrādānūcyatāṁ tāta svadhītaṁ kiñcid uttamam: "My dear son Prahlāda, will you kindly explain what you have learned very good thing from your teacher?" Svadhītaṁ kiñcid uttamam: "Very selected best things what you have learned," ucyatam, "please explain." Kālena etāvatā āyuṣman yad aśikṣad guror bhavān: "You have taken lessons from your teachers." Hiraṇyakaśipu appointed some special teachers for teaching Prahlāda Mahārāja. "So tell me what you have learned." And Prahlāda Mahārāja says,
- śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
- smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
- arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
- sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
- (SB 7.5.23)
- iti puṁsārpitā viṣṇau
- bhaktiṣ cen nava-lakṣaṇā
- kriyeta bhagavaty addhā
- tan manye 'dhītam uttamam
He wanted to know from the son what best knowledge he has received. He said, "This is the best knowledge." Tan manye adhītam uttamam: "I think he has learned very nice thing. His education is first class." Who? Now, "Who is always engaged in śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇu, who is always engaged in chanting and hearing about the glories of Lord Viṣṇu."
When he heard, the atheist father, "Oh, this boy is speaking nonsense," you see, he became very much angry. Ruṣā. Ruṣā means became too much angry. Ruṣā-prasphuritādharaḥ. His lips were throbbing. He was so angry. Immediately called the teachers, "Come on!" Guru-putram uvācedaṁ ruṣā, brahma-bandho kim etat te vipakṣaṁ śrayatāsatā. "I gave my child, my boy, to be educated by you. What sort of education you have given him? He is talking nonsense, devotional service. I wanted to make him politician, diplomat, tricky, and you have taught him śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23)?" You see? That is still going on. That is still going on. When I wanted to start this movement in India, I approached many friends, "Sir, you have got four boys. Give me one boy. I want to make him devotee." They refused. "Oh," he will say, "Swamijī, what will be the benefit by becoming devotee? After all, he has to earn his livelihood." (laughter) Nobody agreed. Nobody agreed. Everyone wants that his son should be hard working, just like hogs and dogs, and satisfy senses. That's all. Everyone wants. That is civilization.
So Hiraṇyakaśipu did not like that his son was becoming a devotee. So he chastised the teachers because he was king, emperor, very powerful. He conquered all the universal planets, he was so powerful. So the teachers became very much frightened. So when they were asked, "What nonsense you have taught my boy, spoiled? He has become a devotee," so they said,
- na mat praṇītaṁ na para-praṇītaṁ
- suto vadaty eṣa tavendra-śatro
- naisargikīyaṁ matir asya rājan
- niyaccha manyuṁ kad adāḥ sma mā naḥ
So the teacher said, "Sir, we have not taught this. I do not know how your son has learned all this devotional service. By nature he is so like that." Prahlāda was doing that. Because the teachers were very much cautious that "This Prahlāda has got tendency to become a devotee," so they were very careful. But Prahlāda Mahārāja, what he did do, as soon as there is tiffin hours, all the teachers gone, he would immediately call all the class friends and stand up on the bench and speak on bhagavad-bhakti. Perhaps you have seen that picture. That teaching is there. If there is time we shall..., how he was teaching his class friend to become devotee. Just like our boys going on the street try to teach all others how to learn devotional service.
So following his footsteps, we have to do that. Everyone did that, preaching. Preaching is required. People are in ignorance. They do not know what is God, what is his relationship with God. Therefore preaching is necessary. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was doing that. Therefore the teacher said that naisargikīyaṁ matir asya rājan niyaccha manyum: "Don't be unnecessarily angry upon us. We did not teach him. By nature he is like that."
So this is also another feature, that why one becomes devotee, why the other does not become? That means in his former life he was a devotee. It could not be finished in one life, but in this life automatically he is trying to become devotee. Therefore devotional service is so nice that even if you cannot finish the whole course in one life, next life you are guaranteed to get a very nice birth so that you can develop further. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭoḥ sañjāyate (BG 6.41).
So he was executing, the boy. Devotional service... If one is devotee, he cannot sit down silently. He wants to preach God's glories to others, even at the risk of life, like Lord Jesus Christ did it. Even at the risk of life, he preached God consciousness. That is the duty of a devotee. Lord Nityānanda did it, Haridāsa Ṭhākura did it. There are many instances; a devotee risked even life for preaching glories of God. So Prahlāda Mahārāja also did that. He knew that "My father is nothing but a ferocious animal, Hiraṇyakaśipu." Even big, big demigods would be threatened by his red eyes. He was so powerful. Still, he was executing devotional service at the risk of life. And he was put to so many dangerous condition of life. Still, he did not give up. Then, if we try to understand Prahlāda Mahārāja's character... Now, at the present moment the teacher said that, naisargikīyaṁ matir asya rājan. "My dear king, your boy, this tendency of God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is by nature. We never taught him. Please don't be angry with us unnecessarily." Niyaccha manyum. "Please give up your anger." Niyaccha manyuṁ kad adāḥ sma mā naḥ. "Don't degrade us in that way."
So the nine different processes of devotional service. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father to say something from whatever he had learned. He considered that what he had learned from his spiritual master was the best of all teaching, whereas what he had learned about diplomacy from his material teachers, Sanda and Amarka, was useless.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was inquired by his father that "Who has taught you this Kṛṣṇa consciousness...?" Because he knew that "He is my son, king's son. He does not go to mix with anyone else. He simply takes his lesson from the appointed teachers. How is that this boy, five years old only, and he is so much Kṛṣṇa conscious?" So he was surprised. He asked him that "How you have taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" The answer is that "My dear father, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness cannot be achieved by a person like you, whose vow is simply to enjoy this material world." Hiraṇya. Hiraṇya means gold, and kaśipu means nice bed, very soft, cushioned bed. Hiraṇyakaśipu.
So one should learn this bhāgavata-dharma from the beginning. Just like we send boys, children, to schools for training, similarly, the children should be trained for learning bhāgavata-dharma. Unfortunately, nobody is interested. He was... Prahlāda Mahārāja also was in difficulty. His father... Even his father was against him because he was teaching this bhāgavata-dharma, and the teachers were complaining to his father, "Sir, your son, we do not know how he has learned this bhāgavata-dharma. He is simply teaching. As soon as he gets some opportunity he makes this education of God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to other children. So what to do with your son?" The father asked, "Where you have learned this? Tell me." Those topics will come later on. Now here Prahlāda Mahārāja, as soon as he saw some opportunity that the teacher is out of the class, he will call all the boys, "My dear friends, this bhāgavata-dharma, this understanding God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, should be learned from the very beginning of life." "Why? Let us play. Why bhāgavata-dharma now? All right, if there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, when we shall get older or when the time of death will be nearing, we can study at that time bhāgavata-dharma."
So he was agitating in the school amongst his classfellows to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So he's preaching. Just in the tiffin hour, in the recess hour, as soon as the teacher's gone, he took the opportunity and stood up on the bench and began to agitate his friends, "My dear friends," kaumāra ācaret prājñā, "now we should become Kṛṣṇa conscious from this childhood. Don't wait for your old age." Generally, people think that "When we shall become old, we shall take care of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious or God conscious or go to the church or temple. At present, let us play and enjoy life." So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "No." Kaumāra ācaret prājñā. Prājñā means intelligent. Intelligent means who does not waste time. Time is very valuable. You are American people. You know very well how to utilize time. But time is very valuable is also accepted in Vedic civilization. There is a very nice verse in Cāṇakya śloka. You just see how much time was considered as valuable. By this verse, you will know.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is teaching to his class friends, that "My dear friends, you try to understand this Bhāgavata-dharma." What is Bhāgavata-dharma? This is Sanskrit word. Bhāgavata means pertaining to God. Bhagavān means God and Bhāgavata, pertaining to God, that is called Bhāgavata. So Bhāgavata-dharma, the purpose of Bhāgavata-dharma means pertaining to my..., you have to test the success of your activities by pleasing God. That is Bhāgavata-dharma. Just like in your office you want to satisfy your boss. In your school or college you want to satisfy your teacher or principal. Similarly, the supreme teacher, the supreme boss is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). This is the sum and substance of Bhāgavata-dharma, that one has to test the success of his activities. It doesn't matter what it is.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is stressing that this God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be learned from the very beginning of life. Kaumāra ācaret prājña. Prājña means one who is intelligent. So children, they have no intelligence. They have intelligence, but they have to be put into intelligence by the guardians. So if the guardian, if the father and mother is intelligent, if the teacher is intelligent, if the government policy is intelligent, then the process should be to teach the small children from the very beginning of life God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise this world is going to hell. It has already gone and it will go. The result will be that I'll kill you, you'll kill me. So both of us will be killed. And this human form, or the facility of this human form of life, which was given to us by grace of God or by the mercy of material nature, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "Don't misuse it. Don't misuse it like animals, simply eating, sleeping, and mating and defending." Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Don't be assured that your next life is going again to be a human form of life. It may be... There are 8,400,000 species of life and according to my work I may enter into any type of body. Durlabhaṁ. Therefore this rare opportunity that we have got this human form of life, mānuṣaṁ durlabhaṁ janma, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam. And it will not exist for very long time.
Now suppose a boy in this classroom is given some task. The teacher says, "You are allowed two hours to finish this task." Now if the boy is intelligent he can finish it in few minutes. Or if he is not intelligent he cannot finish even in two hours. Similarly, that allowance is very nice, the 72,000 of years. But if you get the opportunity in 72 days to come out why should you not take that opportunity? Why should you put yourself into that 72,000 years? If there is a means to get out of this entanglement in 72 days why should you lose this opportunity? Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said
- bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
- jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
- vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
- sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ
- (BG 7.19)
After many, many births. The same thing, 72,000 of years or any number of years. One who is wise, one who has attained wisdom, he surrenders unto Me. How? Now, he understands, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all-pervading. Vāsudeva means all-pervading. He is everything. Therefore let me surrender unto Him. Sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. That sort of great soul is very rare.
When the people become just something against the social convention, it is not the fault of the youngsters, but it is the fault of the education system, it is the fault of the parents, it is fault of the teachers. Because they are not teaching. Prahlāda Mahārāja says that from the very childhood one should be taught. I have seen in India. The Muhammadans, they are very much particular about it. The small children, within ten years, they are... From the very beginning they are taught Koran in the mosques. I have seen. In my Delhi headquarter, it is just behind the Jama Musjid. You have heard the name of Jama Musjid. That is the greatest mosque in the world. Many foreigners go to see it. It was constructed by Emperor Shah Jahan, say, about three hundred years or little more than that. So the Muhammadans, they are very particular to teach the Koran from the very beginning. That's a very nice system. Either you teach Koran or you, Koran, Bible, or you teach Bhagavad-gītā, it doesn't matter. One should have the idea of God consciousness. Then he can develop. So this opportunity should be offered to the children. If not, they are not real guardians, real parents, or real teachers. Why? Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. This Prahlāda Mahārāja teaching is not this Bhāgavatam. Just mark it. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, dharmān bhāgavatān, "the religion of God consciousness." He does not say Hindu religion or Muhammadan religion or Christian religion.
Therefore you have to be guided by your spiritual master. Otherwise how can you know? It is not possible. Any school you go, you have to be guided by the school teacher. Otherwise you don't have any education. So this is also a kind of education, Kṛṣṇa education. So you have to find out a bona fide school, you have to find out a bona fide teacher, and then you learn. That's all. If, for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you go to somebody who is engineer, then you cannot have Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if you go to engineer, how to become engineer, you can become engineer. Unfortunately, we have got departments of knowledge in our educational system, but actually there is no department of knowledge where Kṛṣṇa consciousness is taught scientifically. That is the great necessity of the present day. But if you are sincere to learn, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12), it is indicated by the direction of the Vedas, "Then you have to approach a bona fide person who can teach you Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Then you will learn it.
Devotee (2): How do you teach Kṛṣṇa consciousness to a five year old who is only a children? What it means to be a teacher? What teaching...?
Prabhupāda: How you are learning? You are also young. Anyone who is completely, I mean to say, unaware of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is to be taken as child. Doesn't matter one who has got age. It doesn't depend on the age. It depends on the knowledge. So not only young children, but anyone who is unaware of the science, he is also child. And anyone who knows this science, he is old. Vṛddhatvaṁ vāyasā vinā. There is a Sanskrit word that "One man has become old even without age." This is contradictory. How one can become old without age? Suppose a man, a boy, is sixteen years old, just like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He was teaching Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when he was only sixteen years old, but he was so learned that when he entered the assembly, all the great sages, including his father, stood up to receive him. So he was oldest. So he was older than his father even. Why? Because he was so learned. So our childishness or experience, old age, means according to the acquirement of knowledge. If one is advanced in knowledge, he is to be understood older.
So that was his business, and he wanted to train his boy in that way. But fortunately, this boy happened to be a great devotee by instruction of Nārada. So this boy, although born in the family of atheist—his father is great atheist—but because he was bestowed benediction by a great devotee, Nārada, he became a great devotee. Now he took the opportunity of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness where? In his school. In his school. He was five years old boy, and as soon as he would get opportunity he would spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness to his classfellows. That was his business. And so many times the father of Prahlāda Mahārāja called the teachers, "So, what education you are giving to my child? Why he is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? (laughter) Why you are spoiling my boy?" (laughter) You see? So don't think that I am spoiling these boys and girls by teaching them Hare Kṛṣṇa. So that teacher said, "My dear sir, I teach your son very nicely about politics, economics, and as you want, to become very clever man in the material world. But unfortunately I do not know wherefrom your son has learned this Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Just like, man is mortal. Man is mortal, I have learned it from my parents or my teachers that man is mortal. Now, if you want to make research worker, work, whether man is mortal or not, it will take long, long time. But you accept it from the authorities, man is mortal, your knowledge is perfect. So this paramparā system of knowledge is given in the Vedic system of knowledge, and this system of knowledge is followed by the great ācāryas, and the Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the great ācāryas. So you try to accept what Prahlāda Mahārāja is advising to his classfellows.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja, although he was born of a father who was atheist number one, godless, by the grace of Nārada Muni he became a great devotee. So his father was very careful that nobody comes and instructs his son about Vedic way of lfe or God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He was very careful not to allow anyone. He appointed teachers for his son, strictly prohibiting about... Just like nowadays it has become, what is called? Secular state. Don't talk of God. This is the present situation of the world, atheist class. Don't talk of God. But they do not know that they have not much improved by don't talk of God. The situation is becoming grimmer and grimmer. But they have no eyes to see. They have no eyes to see. This Godless civilization will not make them happy. That's a fact. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad guṇa manorathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ (SB 5.18.12). If one is Godless, then however qualified he may be from the material point of view, he is useless. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad guṇā. He cannot have any good quality. Why? Manorathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ. Because he is on the mental platform. So by speculation on the mental platform, he will accept which is not spiritual. Asata.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja, because he was devotee, although he was five years only old, he was taking opportunity of preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness even during his tiffin hour in the school. So this talking of Prahlāda Mahārāja happened when the teachers in tiffin hour went away. The teachers did not like because Prahlāda Mahārāja's father's strict order was that "This boy is inclined to become a devotee. Please take action that he may not become a devotee." So teachers were afraid. His father was a very powerful king. So teachers also did not allow to talk anything about God. But still, he took the opportunity. When the teachers are gone out of the class and the students are free, he would stand up on his bench and speak about God. So he's speaking; "My dear friends, kaumāra ācaret prājñaḥ." The other boys, they said: "Prahlāda, let us come and play. Why you are talking of God now? When we shall become old, you can talk of God." So Prahlāda Mahārāja said "No, we should learn about God kaumāra." Kaumāra means from five years to ten years. Somebody says up to fifteen years. Anyway, kaumāra ācaret prājñaḥ. Prājñaḥ, if one is intelligent enough, then he should learn about God from the very beginning of life.
That is highest perfection. Na te vidhuḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. Practically, the so-called civilized men at the present moment, they do not know what is the actual goal of life. The Prahlāda Mahārāja advising, although he's a child, but he has heard from authority, from Nārada Muni, therefore he's instructing his class friend. Because his father was a great atheist, Hiraṇyakaśipu. He was very angry. When Prahlāda Mahārāja used to talk of God consciousness, he was very much disturbed, he used to chastise him, "Wherefrom this nonsense boy has learned this God, God, God?" He was very much disturbed. So he was very afraid of his father at home. But in the school, as soon as the teachers were away, tiffin hour, he would take the opportunity and preach something about God. That is the statement here. So he says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ: "My dear friends, this human form of life is very rarely obtained." Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam. Adhruvam means it will also not stay. "Because I have got this human form of body, therefore, I'll live forever." No. I'll have to die like cats and dog. But because I have got this human form of life, I can understand what is the truth. That is my opportunity. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam. It will not stay.
Even President Johnson, he is also servant of the nation. So nobody is master. Similarly, if you take president, if you go higher, if you go up to Brahmā, if you go still more, more—everyone is servant. Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is very nicely said that ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya: (CC Adi 5.142) "The only one master is Kṛṣṇa, and everyone is servant." The only one master is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all other living entities, they are all servant. He may be a Brahmā, he may be a president, he may be a minister, or he may be a cat, or he may be a dog, or whatever he may be, everyone is servant. And to understand this philosophy is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not very difficult. It is not very difficult. If we understand our position, that māyā's spell is so nice that everyone is thinking, "I am master," "I am president," "I am minister," "I am teacher," "I am philosopher," "I am scientist," "I am this," "I am that," at last, "I am God." (laughter) When everything fails, when everything fails, he thinks, "Oh, I am God," although he is still a dog. You see? This is called māyā. And to get out of māyā means to understand one's position, that "I am eternal servant." That's all. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So actually I am now servant of senses, everyone. So that has to be transferred. Instead of being servant of the senses, of your so-called material body, you have to become the servant of the senses of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means agreeing, "Kṛṣṇa, whatever You will say, whatever You like, I shall do that." Just like Arjuna did. First of all he was a servant of his senses. He was thinking, "How can I kill my teachers? How can I kill my grandfather, my brother, nephews, the other side, all my relatives? How can I kill?" So that was, that thinking was, he was servant of his senses. He was thinking that "This father, this brother or this grandfather, or this teacher will save me." But when he understood that "Nobody can save me except Kṛṣṇa," then he said, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava: (BG 18.73) "Oh, I shall satisfy You. Whatever You will say." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. First of all he was trying to satisfy his senses, and when he understood Bhagavad-gītā nicely, he agreed to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa.
So where is that first-class man throughout the whole world? So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to create at least one section first-class men so that people may see, "Oh, here are ideal men." Therefore my request to persons who have joined this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they should very carefully keep them as first-class men. People will appreciate and they will try to follow. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ (BG 3.21). If there is a class of men first class, then people will appreciate. At least, they will try to follow, even though are unable to become first class. They will try to follow. Tat tad eva, sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate. So that is first-class man required. If he acts, then others will follow. If a teacher does not smoke, the students also will stop smoking naturally. But if the teacher is smoking, how the students...? They are also smoking in the class. I have seen in New York. At least in India this is not yet begun. It will begin. Because they are also making progress. (laughter) These rascals are making progress, going to hell.
Actually, this material life is our bondage. It may be... Just like gold handcuff or iron handcuff. So handcuff is bondage. Either it is made of gold or iron, it doesn't matter. So we are in this material world handcuffed, imprisoned. Our aim of life is how to get out of this material bondage or prisonhouse. Prahlāda Mahārāja, in another place, when he was asked by his father what's the best education he had received from his teachers, so father asked him to explain, so the son, Prahlāda Mahārāja said that hitvātma-ghātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). This is the best thing he has learned. What is that? Hitvātma-ghāṭam gṛham andha-kūpam. Gṛha, this family life is called gṛham andha-kūpam. Just like a man fallen in the dark well, so it is sure death, ātma-ghātam. Unless we are very cautious, this gṛha-andha kūpam, this family life, is very dangerous for spiritual advancement. Therefore, according to Vedic system, it is very regulated. First of all one is trained up as a brahmacārī, not to be attached in sex life. That is brahmacārī, celibacy. Just like these boys, these children, if we train them how to remain in celibacy... They can be trained up. The first training is brahmacārī. To remain in the gurukula... They are innocent. As you train them, they will be trained up.
So our business is how to become yogi, bhakta-yogi. That is the mission of life. Unfortunately, we are not given the opportunity. It is the duty of the guardians, family, natural guardian, father and mother, and political guardian, the government, the teacher, the guru; it is the duty to give facility, facility for achievement of the highest goal of life. Unfortunately, it is always... But at the present moment, on account of Kali-yuga, they do not know what is the aim of life, how the dependents should be trained up. It is the duty of the king to train up the citizens. This is... Everything is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And the first business is how to lead men to the highest perfection of life. That is called siddhi. Siddhi means highest perfection of life. Saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ. There are different kinds of siddhis. (noise in background) (aside:) What is that? Saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ. There are different kinds of siddhis. The yogis, the mystic yogis, they also try to possess some siddhi-animā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā. Eight kinds of siddhis. But such siddhis, all material.
So in the modern age, advancement of material civilization, they also do not care for these siddhis, material siddhis. Just like laghimā. Laghimā-siddhi, the yogis, they become so light that they can float in the air. So nowadays you have got airplane. The yogi can float alone in the air. Now five hundred passengers, they can float in the air. So there is no need of such yoga, yoga-siddhi. The science, the material science of craftsmanship, mechanical, they have done it. Or formerly these things were very magical. Still, the so-called yogis, they are trying to achieve such perfection. Sometimes they can float in the air, they can walk on the water, they can get anything they desire, prāpti. Prāpti, in my childhood there was my teacher. He said that he had his guru, a yogi. So he told me that his spiritual master, yogi, he inquired from his disciple, "What do you want to eat?" So he said that "We want to eat some pomegranate from Kabul." So he said, "Yes, you can get it. Go into the room and you'll find." So they found a bunch of pomegranate just fresh taken from the tree. This is called prāpti. The yogis, they can get all these facilities. Prāpti siddhi. Īśitā, they can keep anyone under his control. Īśitā, vaśitā... There are eight kinds of aṣṭa-siddhi. But that is not perfection of life.
That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father, "My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers? Will you kindly explain?" So he answered immediately, tat sādhu manye: "To my opinion, my dear father, that is very nice thing." What is that? Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ asad-grahāt sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. Dehinām means those who have accepted this material body. There are many millions and millions, unlimited number of liberated souls in the spiritual world. They have not accepted this material body. We are conditioned souls. So Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that "For those who have accepted this material body, and due to acceptance of this material body, they are always full of anxiety..." Nobody can say that "I am freed from all anxiety," beginning from a person lying on the street, up to..., go to the President Johnson. Ask everybody, "Are you free from material anxiety?" Everyone says, "No." Everyone has got some problem. That is material existence.
Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt hitvātma-ghataṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). Prahlāda Mahārāja said to his father, "My dear father, if somebody quits this scene of gṛham andha-kūpam, a dark well of this material life, and goes to the forest and takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, oh, that is very nice thing." That was the beginning of misunderstanding between the father and mother..., father and the son. The father expected that Prahlāda Mahārāja will explain something diplomacy, politics, technology, something like that. "Oh, what is this foolish boy is explaining, that one should go away from the scene and take shelter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Oh. The teacher has taught them all nonsense." So he became angry, and the misunderstanding between the father and the son began from that point. But he was devotee, fully Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So he told the plain thing, "Yes, unless one comes to this platform, that that platform, the material platform to the spiritual platform, there is no question of peace and prosperity." It is simply, I mean to say, artificial trying to forget this full of anxious life. It is not possible.
So Arjuna, he was a fighter. In the beginning, he was a fighter. At the end he remained a fighter. He did not change his position. After hearing Bhagavad-gītā, he did not change his position—he was a fighter, and he become a mendicant, or he become a swami. No. He did not become a swami. He remained as fighter, but the account was changed. Rubber stamp was changed. That's all. He was considering fighting from his own standard point of view. He was thinking, "Oh, how can I fight with my grandfather? How can I fight with my teacher? How can I..." So he was thinking on his personal account. But when Kṛṣṇa informed him, instructed him, Bhagavad-gītā, that "Your business is to fight for Me," and he changed his decision. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to change your position only. That's all. This is Bhāgavatam. This is, if you practice acting only for Kṛṣṇa, then that seed of your material existence will be wiped out completely. So that is bīja-nirharaṇam, wiping out the seed altogether.
Now he's describing what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how to practice it. The practice is, the first thing is, Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends guru-śuśrūṣayā. Guru-śuśrūṣayā. Guru-śuśrū... means that you have to first of all select a spiritual master. Without a teacher, without guidance, nobody can make any process. Even if you have passed M.A., and if you want to put some theses and if you want to get yourself doctorate degree, then it is the system that the theses should be guided by three expert Ph.D.'s. This is the system. So similarly, if you want to be purely Kṛṣṇa conscious person, then you must select a person who can give you instruction, who can guide you in the matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Bhagavad-gītā also teaches us the same thing: tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). If you want to understand that transcendental science, then you have to understand from an expert, upadekṣyanti tad jñānam. The expert who is in, expert in that knowledge, he will instruct you, upadekṣyanti tad jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ. One who has actually realized, he will teach you.
Today I shall recite before you the prayers offered by Prahlāda Mahārāja to Nṛsiṁha-deva. This Prahlāda Mahārāja was tortured by his father on account of his becoming a Kṛṣṇa conscious boy. The only fault was that... (aside:) What is that? The door may be open. The Prahlāda Mahārāja was a boy, five years old, youngest son of his father. Very affectionate son. But one day the father took the little boy on his lap and asked the boy, "My dear child, what you have learned the best from your teachers? Will you kindly explain?"
Prahlāda Mahārāja answered,
- tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ
- sadā samudvigna-dhiyāmasad-grahāt
- hitvātma-ghātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ
- vanaṁ gato yad-dharim āśrayeta
- (SB 7.5.5)
The father asked the best thing the boy learned from his teachers, and the boy, five-years-old boy, replied, "My dear best of the demons." He never addressed his father, "My dear father," because his father was atheist number one, godless, and he was a great devotee of God. So when the father inquired, he straightly replied. He knew that his father was very powerful demon, but he was not afraid, although he was five-years-old boy. He plainly replied, "My dear the best of the demons,' sura-varya, asura varya. Asura means demons, and varya means the best, first-class demon.
So from all angles of vision, when one comes to the point that kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya, if one is engaged in the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa, then everything is perfect. That is the conclusion of Bhāgavata. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). You... How you can test that the particular engagement in which you are occupied, whether it is successful or not? How it is to be tested? The Bhāgavata gives you the formula. What is that, the formula? Now, saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). You just try to see whether by your work Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, has become satisfied. If you see that He is satisfied, then whatever work you are doing, either you are philosopher or a businessman or a scientist, or anything, politician... There are so many occupational duties. But you have to test whether that is giving you real perfection. That test is that you have to see whether by your activity the Supreme Lord is satisfied. Then... This is a great science. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness science. Simply... Therefore we have to take shelter of an expert. Just like a student goes to a school, and if he works on exercises and he puts before the teacher, and if the teacher says, "Yes, it is good," then he is successful; similarly, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) you have to approach to a guru or representative of Kṛṣṇa, and if he says, "It is all right," then you know that Kṛṣṇa is satisfied. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. You have to approach such a person whose certificate will ensure that Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. You have to find out such person. Then your life is success. That will also... You will get according to your sincerity of purpose because Kṛṣṇa is within you.
So these two types of faith. So which one is better? Anyone can judge. Just like Arjuna, in the beginning he had faith in Kṛṣṇa. He said, "Kṛṣṇa, please give me instruction. I am not talking any more as friend. I accept You as my spiritual master." So he had faith, good faith. Otherwise how he accepted Kṛṣṇa as spiritual master? But that faith in the beginning, and at the last faith, after learning Bhagavad-gītā, he said, "Kṛṣṇa, by Your grace I have got my memory." That means, "In the beginning I was thinking that I should give more importance to my grandfather, my teacher and my family, but I have learned that my only duty is to serve You. Therefore whatever You say, I'll do." This is another faith. The same man, the same Kṛṣṇa—in the beginning, one faith, and at the end, another faith. So beginning faith is that God, understanding God. But unfortunately, at the present moment they don't believe in God, so there is no question of faith. They have lost all faith. This is the condition of the present society. What to speak of this faith or that faith, they have no faith. They have lost all faith, just like animal. Animal has no faith in God. That is the distinction between human being and animal. The animal has no faith, but in human society there is a kind of faith, either it is Christian faith or Hindu faith or Buddhist faith or Muhammadan faith. But when we give up this faith, then our position is just like animal.
So it is possible. Because a living entity is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, so he has got the qualities of Kṛṣṇa in very, very minute, fragmental portion. I have several times explained this. Just like a small drop of sea water has got the same chemical composition as the vast sea water. Therefore, if you taste the vast sea water, it is salty, and the drop is also salty because the same chemical composition is there in minute quantity. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is svatantam. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ svarāṭ (SB 1.1.1). Svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means independent. Bhāgavata begins that "The origin of everything, the Absolute Truth, is sentient." He's not a chunk. He's sentient. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Abhijñaḥ means sentient. He's not a dull matter. But, the question is, wherefrom knowledge and sense comes? We have to take senses, learn knowledge, from master, from teacher. But so far Kṛṣṇa is concerned, He is svarāṭ. He hasn't got to take any knowledge from anyone. That is Kṛṣṇa's, I mean to say, feature, svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means independent. Everything He's independent. He's not dependent. Nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥ. The other day we learned, nija-lābha-pūrṇaḥ. He is always complete in Himself. He hasn't got...
So we have got this opportunity of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's merciful movement, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. So take it very seriously and chant śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhatka-vrnda. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam tvisakṛṣṇam (SB 11.5.32). That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He is Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, but now He's chanting Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇaṁ varṇayati. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa he, kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa... That is the... It is confirmed in the Vedas that "In the Kali-yuga the Lord will appear as this." Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣa akṛṣṇam. He is always describing Kṛṣṇa. When He was a teacher, that time also, He was explaining Kṛṣṇa. When He was explaining grammar, He was explaining Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Jīva Gosvāmī, understanding the desire of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he compiled Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyakāraṇa. In the vyakāraṇa, in the grammar, all examples, all sandhis, samasa, everything with Hari. Hari-nāmāmṛta-vyakāraṇa. Dhātu. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu was explaining dhātu... Dhātu has got different meaning. Dhātu means the life force, the vital force. So He was explaining that this dhātu means Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa is not there, then life is finished. So the disciples who were students, they thought that "This person has gone mad."
So everyone knows there is smell within the earth. There is color within the earth. Everything is there within the earth. Otherwise how in a particular plant the color and the smell, the flavor, and everything is..., beauty, everything is coming? You daily see. So ordinarily you see heaps of dirt, but everything is there. Similarly, ordinarily we see this universe, but in every atom there is Kṛṣṇa. That was realized by Brahmā. Then he became the great personality to teach us. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye, In this way he instructed ādi-kavi, the first learned man-kavi means learned man—Brahma, Vedic knowledge. So there was no other teacher. Kṛṣṇa taught him. Therefore we belong to the Brahma-sampradāya. Kṛṣṇa instructed Brahmā. Brahmā instructed Nārada. Nārada instructed Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva instructed Śukadeva. In this way our guru-paramparā system... Therefore we worship the guru as Vyāsa-pūjā because representative of Vyāsa. And who is Vyāsa? Representative of Nārada. What is Nārada? Representative of Brahmā. What is Brahmā? Representative of Kṛṣṇa. This is called paramparā system.
So everyone is full of anxiety. That is also explained by Prahlāda Mahārāja that sadā samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). When his father... After all, father and son, the relationship is very affectionate. So even though father was not happy that his son was growing to be a great devotee, still one day he called his son, "My dear son, what best thing you have learned from your teachers?" So Prahlāda Mahārāja is answering. He knew that his father was a demon, so he is addressing directly. Tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehinām. Asura-varya. "My dear father, you are the best of the asuras." Asura-varya. Varya means the best. "My dear father," tat sādhu manye asura-varya dehinām. "I think," dehinām, "for the living entities who have accepted this material body..."
So in this way, guru, arka, these are the training. Where is that training? Where is that school? So why they will not learn from eight years, ten years of age, smoking bidi and cigarette? When I was in America first, I saw some little boys, not more than ten to twelve years, smoking cigarette. I was astonished that "What kind of education is there?" But they don't mind. Even in their classroom, the elderly young boys and girls, they smoke before the teacher. I have seen it in New York University. So this is not training. Training is he must be very controlled. And if you teach from the beginning, then he will be trained up. There is a Bengali proverb, gancai noale vas, mas korbe tans tas(?): "When the bamboo is green, you can bend it, but when it is yellow, dried, it will crack." So education begins from the very childhood. That is education. Therefore gurukula is required. It doesn't require how much he has learned ABCD and grammar. No. First of all character. That is gurukula living. Let him become dānta, guru-gṛhe. Brahmacārī guru-gṛhe vasan dāntaḥ. How to become sense controller, that is first education.
Although this culture—brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsī—is Indian culture, unfortunately we have given up. Varnāśrama-dharma, varṇa, four varṇas and four āśramas, they're simply giving up. No more brāhmaṇa, no more kṣatriyas, no more vaiśyas, no more śūdras. They are less than śūdras. Pañcama. Less then śūdra means caṇḍāla. Kirāta-hūṇāndra-pulinda-pulkaśāḥ. There are so many divisions of caṇḍālas. Pañcama. They are called pañcama. So the whole thing is topsy-turvied. We have given up our own culture and imitating the foreigners and the Western country. That also we cannot do very properly because we are meant for different purpose in India. In India, one who has taken birth in India, it is understood that in his previous birth he tried to cultivate spiritual culture; therefore he has been given the opportunity to take birth in India. India is so fortunate. But as soon as he takes birth, the rascal leader spoils him, the rascal father spoils him, the rascal teacher spoils him. So what can they do, the poor younger generation? They are being taught that "The spiritual culture is useless. Because we are so much spiritually inclined, the foreigners came and they ruled over us. Now give up all this nonsense. Become technologist." This is going on.
Or if you want to learn about engineering you have to seek after somebody who knows engineering or technology. That is the way of education. So many universities and department of knowledge teaching different department of knowledge. Similarly, if you want to learn about yourself, Brahman, then you have to seek after some teacher who can teach you about your self. This is common knowledge. This is common knowledge. So all the Vedic literature says that in order to learn that transcendental science about yourself or about God, then tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In order to learn that science, don't manufacture, but scientific way, if you want to learn... Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva..., gurum eva abhigacchet. Guru means spiritual master. Eva, eva means certainly. Not that if somebody thinks, "Oh, I can learn about myself without approaching any spiritual master." That is wrong. Actually eva, eva means certainly. One must. And this verb gacchet is used where this sense is used, "must." Gacchet, "must go," "must approach." That is the injunction of the Vedas. Similarly, the injunction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is also tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21).
So bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). We get this chance, and if we are not educated by our teachers, by our fathers, by our leaders, by our government men, by our gurus, by our relatives, how to accept the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, who is canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Give up all this nonsense engagement, trying to become Kṛṣṇa or God. Give up this. Surrender unto Me"... This is education. This is education. The father should give education at home. The leaders should give education in institution. The politician should give education in their assemblies, congress. The guru should give education how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. The father should educate. The mother should educate. Therefore Bhāgavata says, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta. Guru na sa syāt jananī na sa syāt pitā na sa syāt. There are some negative definition, that there are so-called gurus, so-called swamis, but Bhāgavata says that "You should not become a swami or guru. Kindly don't become if you cannot save your disciple from the imminent danger of birth and death." Guru na sa syāt. This is the injunction.
Prabhupāda: Just to... Because here is the center. Everything is being done properly. You will learn. Just like you have to go to school or college to learn. So just similarly, if you have to take the education of spiritual life, they will come here and see how people are doing, ideal. And you should be ideal. If you are not ideal, then it will be useless to open center. You behave nicely; they will come, they will see, and they will learn. If you go to some school and the professors are rascals then what you will learn? It is both, reciprocal. You shall act as professor, teachers. Your life should be ideal, and they will come and see, and they will learn.
Girl: Śrīla Prabhupāda, if the kings were taught to govern the whole universe, does that mean all the worlds, all the worlds in the universe?
Madhudviṣa: She's just wondering how it would be possible for one king to rule the whole world? It seems like it is very difficult. Nowadays we have so many leaders and they cannot manage...
Prabhupāda: Forget that. Why you are thinking that you cannot rule over; therefore others cannot? You are thinking in your term. But there are. That is possible. So that is not our field of activities. It is others', politics and... But let us... Our business is how to improve our spiritual condition of life. Even if you don't rule over the world, it doesn't matter. So why you are anxious to rule over the world? It is not our business. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam. All right, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
| Page Title: | Teacher (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 03 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=169, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 169 |