In the material platform we have got two symptoms: hankering and lamenting. The things which we do not possess, we hanker after it, "I must have it. I must have it. I must have this, this, that . . ." Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). There is nice explanation how this hankering, hankering is expanded. This hankering expanded: this whole material world is hankering after sex life. That is the basic principle of hankering. Puṁsāṁ mitho. Puṁsāṁ striyo mithunī-bhāvam etam. This is Sanskrit language. Mithunī-bhāvam means sex life. Either in human society or animal society or bird society or insects'—everywhere you will find that sex life is very prominent. That is materialistic way of life, indriyāṇi, senses.
So the everyone . . . a boy is hankering after a girl, a girl in hankering after a boy; or a man is hankering after woman, woman is hankering . . . this is going on. This is not unnatural. This is the natural life. And tayor mitho, the hankering is there. But as soon as they meet, or unite, it becomes a hard knot, tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8), a hard knot in the heart, that "I am matter. I am this matter. This world belongs to me. This country belongs to me. This body belongs to me." That means hard knot. Instead of transcending from the concept of body life, it becomes still more hard knot. It is very difficult.
Therefore those who are practicing yoga, or trying to be on the transcendental platform, the restriction is that one must cease from sex life, if you at all interested. But that is not possible. Therefore our this method, we don't say, "Stop sex life," but we say: "Don't have illicit sex life." Illicit sex life . . . of course, even there is no question of transcendental life, that is a question of civilized life. Civilized life.
In every civilized society—it may be Hindu society or Muslim society or a Christian society—any civilized human society, there is the system of marriage. And beyond marriage, if there is sex life, that is called illicit sex life. That is never indulged in any society. So what to speak of transcendental life? Transcendental life must be purified from mental concoction or bodily concept of life. It is the transcendental platform. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ.
So these things are very restricted in order to reach that transcendental platform. But in this age, in this Age of Kali, where everything is disturbed, always full of anxieties, and the life is very short . . . that is also explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: prāyeṇa kalau asmin yuge janāḥ. Life is very short, and they are not interested for any transcendental subject matter. They are interested only with the bodily concept of life. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). And always disturbed by so many anxieties. How he can ascend to the platform of transcendental realization? It is very difficult in this age.
Therefore Arjuna, who was being taught by Kṛṣṇa that, "You try this practice of transcendental life," but Arjuna said . . . Arjuna means he was taking this instruction five thousand years ago. He was a royal prince. He was very much advanced in so many things. He said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible to practice this transcendental process of ascending by yoga practice, this haṭha-yoga practice. It is not possible."
He refused. He refused that, "Because I am a family man, I have come here to fight for my, I mean to say, political interest, how I can practice this system, that I have to go to a solitary place, I have to sit down like this, I have to practice like this, I have to cease from sex life? So it is not possible." Just try to understand.
So transcendental platform by the haṭha-yoga system, practicing all the rules and regulations, is not possible in this age at all. If somebody is trying to practice that thing in so-called ways, that is not . . . actually, you cannot perform this transcendental meditation in city life. It is not possible.
That is very clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. You'll read. So you have to live in the city. You have to live with your family. You have to live with your friends. It is not possible to go to the forest and find out a secluded place.
So here, in this age, if you want to rise on the transcendental platform, then, as it is recommended by Vedic literature, kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt: "In this age, simply by chanting the holy name of God . . ." Kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt (SB 12.3.52). We are introducing this system not to make it very easy by our mental concoction. It is recommended. It is practiced.
Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced this transcendental meditational process. You'll see. You have already seen that these boys and girls, as soon as they begin chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately there is a transcendental feeling. If you practice, you will understand how you are feeling transcendentally. The easiest process.
Now I have begun this movement in this country, say, from 1966. So I began in New York in a small storefront, and gradually they came. Now it is spread. There are about fifteen, sixteen branches all over your country, and these boys are practicing simply, the simplest process, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.