And kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is so important. In the śāstra, many places, it is said. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). That param is, means spiritual. There are two kinds of, parā and aparā-prakṛti. Aparā-prakṛti, parā-prakṛti. Apareyam. I am, this material world is aparā, inferior energy. Itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Besides this, there is another prakṛti, another nature, which is parā. Parā means spiritual. So we should be interested with the parā, not with the aparā. Why? Now that is real life. That is real life. Here it is said ubhayor api. Considering both this parā and aparā, the superior and inferior. Tattva-darśibhiḥ. Who will study? Tattva-darśibhiḥ. Tattva-darśī means those who have realized the truth, tattva-darśī. And we find this word tattva in various places. Tattvataḥ.
That is real life
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
This ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu was preached by Lord Buddha, this philosophy. This one philosophy was, I mean to say, taught throughout the whole world by Lord Buddha, that there should be no animal killing. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. No living entity should be given suffering, even by words. That is real life. Ātmavat... yaḥ paśyati. One who has such vision of life, he is called learned. He is called learned, not by educational qualifications. One who has acquired... phalena paricīyate. Education is understood, how far a man is educated, by his behavior. By his vision of life, it will be estimated, not by the degree. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ. Similarly, here also, here also the word paṇḍita, paṇḍita has been used.
So this is the actual siddhi to understand, that "I am eternally part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. I can enjoy eternally blissful life in knowledge with cooperation or in the association of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees." That is real life.
Everything we can know. This human form of body is specially meant for that purpose. You can understand what you are, what is this material nature, what is God and how we are related, how things are going on. Everything is there, but we are so foolish that we do not take care. We live like cats and dogs, eat something and sleep and have sexual intercourse and then we are afraid always and then die. This is cats' and dogs' life. Real life is to know, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is real life, human life.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Constantly. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). That is required. Life should be molded in such a way that not for a single moment you are without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real life. That is perfection. Because you have to make your life perfect by satisfying Kṛṣṇa, satisfying God.
This is real life, to go back to home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Mām upetya. If you go back to home, back to Godhead, that is saṁsiddhiṁ paramām. That is the highest perfection of life.
There are so many rasas: śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sākhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa, mādhurya-rasa, in so many. Those rasas, or mellows, are represented here in the material world in a temporary way. Here we have got the same rasa: I love my son. I love my friend. I love my husband. There is love, but this is all temporary. But if you transfer this love to Kṛṣṇa either as your master or the Supreme or as friend or as your son or as your lover or husband, it will never be destroyed. That is permanent settlement. This is to be understood. But the Māyāvādīs, they cannot understand. They think that in the spiritual world there is no more such relationship as master, friend, or father and son, or beloved and the lover. There is no such thing.But here in the śāstra we see that that is real life. This is not real life. It is shadow. In the Bhagavad-gītā in the Fifteenth Chapter it has been described as shadow. Ūrdhva-mūlam adhah-śākham aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam (BG 15.1).
Material life means to work very hard day and night and get some money and then eat sumptuously. Eat, drink, be merry and then enjoy sex life. That's all. So Ṛṣabhadeva said, "My dear sons, this kind of standard of life is available in the life of pigs." Kaṣṭān kāmān arhate ye viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means stool-eaters.Then what is human life? If this is not life, then what is real life? That, He recommends, tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Sattva, your sattva, your existence, is now impure. It is covered by this material nature; therefore it is impure. So you have to purify. That is real life. And to purify means tapasya.
That is materialistic life. As soon as we get this body, there is birth, there is death, there is old age and there is disease. Therefore if you want real happiness then you have to get free from all these four—miserable life. That is spiritual life. You have to become free from birth, you have to become free from death, you have to become free from old age, and you have to become free from disease. That is real life.
Kṛṣṇa says that "If you do not come to Me, if you do not accept Me, then," nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, "you will continue the cycle of birth and death." And that means ananta-duḥkham, ananta-duḥkham, one life after one life, one life after one life. This will go on.So we should be very, very careful that this human form of life should not be wasted even for a moment. That is real life.
We are born servant, jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It is made for the purpose of serving me. This is the purpose. But when it is diseased When it cannot serve the body, then it is diseased. Similarly, our constitutional position is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Jīvera svarūpa haya-nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa. That is real life. And when you don't serve Kṛṣṇa or deny to serve Kṛṣṇa, that is diseased condition. And that is called māyā.
So long we are in the bodily concept of life, that is called jīva-bhūta-mamivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ—conditioned soul. And when one understands ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that is called (SB 4.30.20) brahma-bhūta. There are two words. The conditioned soul is called jīva-bhūta. He is thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am cat," "I am dog," "I am this," "I am that." That is called jīva-bhūta. And in the human form of life, when he studies athāto brahma jijñāsā, when he is inquisitive to understand Brahman, spirit, that is real life. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā.
So here Prahlāda Mahārāja recommended in the first verse, kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha: (SB 7.6.1) "From the very beginning of childhood one should be trained up to act according to the bhāgavata-dharma." That is real life. But instead of bhāgavata-dharma, they have created so many false dharmas.
So vipra means just the previous stage of becoming completely a brāhmaṇa. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ: "By birth everyone is born a śūdra." Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ: "When he goes to the spiritual master and the spiritual master initiates him, at that time his second birth is there, dvija." Dvija. The birds are called also dvija because they get twice birth. Once they come as egg, the form of birth in the egg, and then, when they come out from the egg and the shell, break the shell and come out, that is real life. Similarly, we are in the egg, within the shell of ignorance.
So it is the duty of the father and mother to train children in such a way that they will be interested in guru and Kṛṣṇa. Why? By the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa, he'll get bhakti-lātā-bīja. And that is real life.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the best. Anyone, individually or collectively, you take it. You'll enjoy real life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is real life. And actually, people are accepting. All over the world.
Those who are in goodness of material nature, they're being promoted to the higher planetary systems. Those who are in passion, they are left within this Bhūr, Bhuvarloka. And those who are in ignorance, jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti, they, one who has no systematic life, living like animal, so eating, sleeping like animal, jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ, they go down. This is going on. Out of many millions of living entities, in this way, wandering all over the universe, one who is fortunate, he comes in contact with guru and Kṛṣṇa. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). Beginning of devotional service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.So that is real life.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Anyone who is preaching something else other than God consciousness, he is a cheater. He is a cheater. Sumanda-matayo. Because real progress of life is to become God conscious. That is the real progress. And without God consciousness, the so-called yogis, so-called meditation... What is this meditation? What is the profit? Simply some bogus propaganda. It has no value. Real progress of life is to know what is God and what is my relationship with Him and how to act in that relationship. That is real life.
Because common men, they know activities means sense activities, sense satisfaction... So yogis, they artificially try to stop the sense activities. That is called praṇāyāma. Dhyāna, dhāraṇā, āsana, praṇāyāma, like that. But that artificial stoppage of sense activities will not be ultimately beneficial. Or thinking that my sense activities may be stopped, I become silent, become one with the supreme—that will also not help us. The real philosophy is, the sense activities must be there, but purified. That is real life. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Purified.
Of course, it is not pride, but take from example of my life. I was retired in Vṛndāvana, and at seventy years old I thought that it was to be done: "Nobody did it. Let me try." So I came to America. Today is the tenth anniversary. (devotees cheer) So at least from material calculation, if I had not taken that risk... When I was coming, my friends and others said, "This man is going to die." "Never mind," I thought, "death will come. Let me try." So this activity must be there. That is the begging of Sanātana Gosvāmī, that he said, āpana-kṛpāte kaha 'kartavya' āmāra: "What shall I do?" Doesn't matter what is your age, young man or old man. You must execute the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, paramparā, Caitanya Mahāprabhu and your guru. That is real life of devotional service, to take some responsibility for working and execute it to your best capacity.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani is not good life. Mṛtyu, mṛtyu... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. If you take birth, then you'll have to die, and if you have to die, you have to take birth again. This is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartma. So this is not very good business. That intelligence is lacking. We are simply trying to adjust things for a few years, but we are not taking account of our real life. Our real life is na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). That is real life, that we do not die. But our brain is so dull that we have accepted janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9) as usual thing.
General Lectures
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is such a thing. It is leading you to a standard where going you will forget all this nonsense. That is real life. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as you come that state, then your symptom will be that you are jolly.
Actually, everything belongs to God. Now, the Japanese claiming that "Japan is our country." Indians are claiming, "India is our country." But nothing belongs either to the Japanese or to the Indians or to the Americans. Everything belongs to God. This consciousness is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If we understand three things only, that God is the only proprietor, Kṛṣṇa is the only proprietor, He is the only enjoyer, and we are simply servant to help Him in His enjoyment... The highest perfection is found in Vṛndāvana. Everyone is trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is real life. That is real mukti.
Departure Talks
Because living entity by nature is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), by nature they want pleasure, every one of us. Every one of us, we are struggling so hard. Why? To get some pleasure. Nobody is trying so hard to making suicide. Is anybody there in this material world who is working so hard for ultimately making suicide? No. Everyone is trying to become happy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Because he wants. That is his nature, sat-cit-ānanda: eternal life, full of knowledge and full of bliss. This is real life.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: Does the condition of being entrapped, enhance the understanding of liberation?
Prabhupāda: Yes, unless one understands that he is entrapped, there is no question of liberation. If he's in ignorance that this is the real life... Just like ordinary man, they think this is real life but we are giving education, "No, this is not real life. The real life is Kṛṣṇa consciousness."
Hayagrīva: This is the real meaning of creative evolution.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Everyone is in ignorance due to long separation from God. In the material world the living entity has forgotten his relationship with God; therefore his activities are only sense gratification, like the animals. And when he is given lesson, instruction how to become God conscious, how to love God, that is activity, and that is real life. Otherwise it is animal life.
Hayagrīva: He writes, "It was obedience which brought me grace. One must be utterly abandoned to God. Nothing matters but fulfilling His will. Otherwise all is folly and meaninglessness."
Prabhupāda: Very good. Surrender. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). That is real life. Śaraṇāgati, to surrender to God, to accept things which is favorable to God, to reject things which are unfavorable to God, always maintaining conviction that "God will give me all protection," and remain humble and meek, and think oneself as one of the members of God's family—that is spiritual communism.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: You cannot (indistinct). God is the spirit and you are spirit. Therefore you have to take lessons from God. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated there mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke (BG 15.7), that these living entities they are My part and parcels. So, because part and parcel of God, therefore the part and parcel must be active on account of God. That is real life. Why stop activity? That is real life.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Everyone should become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is the plan. That is the whole plan. That is stated. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Just like this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, this is man-manā, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. This Kṛṣṇa chanting means thinking of Kṛṣṇa, immediately, man-manā. Mad-bhaktaḥ, there is in the temple, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa deity, they are worshiping. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, they are regularly, according to the rules and regulations from morning to up to ten, there is worshiping method. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), offer your obeisances. Then you come back to Me. That is perfection. They do not know where they are going, whether they are going to be cats and dogs. But here by this process you go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore this should be adopted. Why should you spoil your energy to become cats and dogs? This is...
Scholar: It's time for real life.
Prabhupāda: That is real life. That is real life, to go back to Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise you do not know where you are going. After all, you're preparing for something next. But your energy is being spoiled because do not know.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: So all the living entities are completely satisfied.
Prabhupāda: Certainly. Because they are in the spiritual life. That is real life. Here it is covered. There is no such season as winter season, as summer season. Always spring. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), simply ānanda, blissful life of knowledge. What do they know, the scientists, about the spiritual life?
Prabhupāda: Yes. We are giving the right information, how human being can be really happy. This is end. It is not a religious sentiment. Religion means kind of faith. Today I am Hindu; tomorrow I am Christian; next day I am Mohammedan. What benefit I may get by changing so-called faith? Unless I understand what is my constitutional position, why I am suffering, how to get out of it? That is real life. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that. It is not a sentimental religious faith.
Śyāmasundara: In the Jewish tradition, they yearn for a life of living on farms, villages, small communities with cows and agriculture.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: Is this also expressed in the Vedas.
Prabhupāda: Oh yes.
David Lawrence: You feel that strongly.
Prabhupāda: Oh yes. That is real life. Real life means you have to minimize your bodily activities so that you can save time and devote for spiritual understanding. That is real life. And the present civilization based on bodily concept of life is animal life. It is not civilized life.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Indian man (1): Don't you think the people are lazy also?
Prabhupāda: Well, you are the same Indian. Why you are not lazy here? It is the government's policy or government's management. You see? To become lazy is the recommendation of the śāstra. To become lazy... It is a bad word, "lazy," but actually life means not to work very hard. That is real life. And to work hard for eating, that is animal life, that is not human life. Human life should be very peaceful, without any hard work, and cultivating spiritual knowledge.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Devotee (3): That is the symptom. Then, if they loved him, they would not be able to see that and glorify that.
Prabhupāda: That there was something (indistinct), one picture (indistinct). There was competition that painter has to paint a picture that there is (indistinct) of the mother with child, so what would be the facial expression. So the painter has to express the feelings (indistinct). That one painter he painted a picture of the mother, intimate picture. (indistinct). So that is real life. You may paint (indistinct) expression, that is artificial. The real thing, the mother cannot see it.
Prabhupāda: If you keep him in the ignorant platform, then what is the benefit of making a Hindu Muslim or Muslim Hindu? That was going on, "holy war," between Christians and the Muslims. Because both of them will die. (chuckles) And they are engaged in holy war. War, but "holy war." "Holy impiety." Artificial change of "ism" will not help. One must know the philosophy of life. One must know what is God. One must learn how to love God. That is real life.
Prabhupāda: All other business subordinate. That is only, because you have got this body, material body, it requires little rest, little sense gratification, little eating, little sleeping. We don't say stop it completely. That is not possible. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya, as far as it is required. As little as possible. That is spiritual advancement. If we make our progressive life engaged in understanding Kṛṣṇa instead of devoting in these unnecessary things, that is real life. That is real human life. The Vedic civilization is that.
Prabhupāda: We think, according to our philosophy, everything is the property of the Supreme Lord, and we are all sons. So everyone has the right to use the property of the father. So that consciousness should be spread. This barrier of nationalism is against Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why there should be? Actually everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). The sky, the land, the water, they are all creation of God, God's property. But we should not take more than what is allotted to us. That is real life. Otherwise, I have practically studied that there is enough land. Just like in your country, in America, there is enough land, not utilized. They can be properly utilized, and if food grains are produced, there is no question of scarcity of food all over the world.
Interviewer: In other words you think people should get away from what they're doing in the world.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, that is real life.
Theoretically you learn swimming. That is not swimming. You get into the water and practically learn swimming. Then it is swimming. Theoretical knowledge, that you put yourself in the water, you move your hands like this, move your legs like this, that is good. But it will be... Just like in the airplane before starting, they give so much instruction. It is going on really. But when actually the airplane is danger, that will be practical. Is it not? They are giving so much instruction, who cares for it? (laughter) They're talking and people are hearing. But when it will be practically demonstrated, that is real life. So, spiritual knowledge, understanding theoretically, it is little good, but when it is done practically, then it is reality.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Svarūpa Dāmodara: I'm also thinking of writing some books for children, for Gurukula.
Prabhupāda: Write.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: For the Bhaktivedanta Institute.
Prabhupāda: Write. That's a very good idea. (Bengali) This is real life. You are all qualified to do this. Idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā (SB 1.5.22).
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No more death for a devotee.
Prabhupāda: No. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). If you don't attain Kṛṣṇa in this life, then again you go back to the process of birth and death. That's all. And in that process of birth-death, sometimes you become Indra and sometimes you become that small bug, that's all, according to your karma. So our struggle should be how to stop this birth and death, punar-janma-jayāya, to conquer over rebirth. That is real life.
Correspondence
1975 Correspondence
The modern civilization is a condemned civilization. The innocent people are being dragged from the villages and exploited in the cities. But in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna recommends them to remain where they are and produce grains: annad bhavanta bhutani. Grow your food, eat sumtuously, and chant Hare Krishna. This is real life. If we establish such projects all over India, we shall be the proprietor of India. Similarly in the USA. And if USA and India join together in such Krishna consciousness projects, then the whole world will be paradise.
| Page Title: | That is real life |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Sureshwardas |
| Created: | 15 of Aug, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=27, Con=14, Let=1 |
| No. of Quotes: | 42 |