So this is the position of the materialistic person. A materialistic person knows that he is sinful. A materialistic person knows that whatever he is doing is wrong, but he cannot check. Just like the thief. A thief knows that if he commits stealing, he will be arrested, he will be punished. He knows. Because he heard from lawbooks, from other sources, and he has also seen that a thief is arrested and he is taken by the police for being punished. So we have got two kinds of experiences: by hearing and by seeing directly. In Bengali it is called, dekhā-śunā. In India it is called. The two kinds of experience: one by seeing, practically experiencing, hand to hand; another by hearing. So one who is intelligent, he gets his experience simply by hearing from the right source. That is nice.
Thief (Lectures, BG)
Expressions researched:
"thief"
|"thief's"
|"thiefing"
|"thiefs"
|"thievery"
|"thieves"
|"thieving"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
This is sane proposal, that is, upayan cintayet prajño apayan ca cintayet.. A prajña, an intelligent man, not only think of the bright side on this business, or this fight, or this any..., so many things we have to deal with. Simply we should not calculate the brighter side. There is darker side also. We should always think, "If there is some thief, if there is some rogue, they cheat us, then what precaution I am going to take?" This is intelligence. If I simply calculate that "In this business I will make so much profit." In the meantime, somebody comes and cheats me and go away, then... Therefore upayan cintayet prajña apayan ca cintayet. Darker side also should be thought of. That is intelligence. Just like they are doing. After calculating the darker side—enemy means darker side—they can defeat me at any moment. That is darker side.
As the communists, they say, "Everything belongs to the state," we say "Everything belongs to God." We never say that anything belongs to anyone. No. This is Bhāgavata communism. So everything belongs to God. So one can utilize God's property as much as he requires, not more than that. Then he will be thief, he will be punishable. Just like father's property. Each and every son has got the right to live at the father's protection. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. That is spiritual communism. Whatever wealth is there within this universe, all belong to God, and we are, as sons of God, we have got right to take advantage of this wealth, but not more than what I require. That's all. This is spiritual communism. If you take more, then you become punishable. This is the law of nature.
The kṣatriyas are trained up. Hunting. Hunting is allowed for the kṣatriyas. Just like medical practitioners, they are trained up how to practice surgical operation on dead body. It is not possible to, of course, for a gentleman, to push knife in someone's body. It is naturally very difficult thing. Rogues and thieves, they can stab. So as the doctors, medical men, surgeons are trained up to operate their knife on the dead body to see where are the nerves, similarly, kṣatriyas are also allowed for being trained how to kill. Kṣatriya means... Kṣat. Kṣat means injury. And tra means trāyate, saves. A kṣatriya has to save the citizens from being injured by others. He is called kṣatriya. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows brahma, the supreme. So brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. These divisions are there according to quality.
Therefore he is not at all affected by the svajanam, but he is presenting, "This is my problem, that I have to kill..." Dṛṣṭvā imaṁ svajanaṁ kṛṣṇa. "By seeing my own kinsmen, because I am fool number one..." Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tridhātuke (SB 10.84.13)." I am calling them svajana. In śāstra it is called svajanākhya-dasyu. Svajanākhya-dasyu. They are all thieves and rogues, but they are claiming as my kinsmen. Suppose in your pocket there is one hundred dollars. If some pickpocket takes it and if you capture him, then you give him immediately to the police. And when you come home after hard-earned money, and when your wife takes away, oh, you laugh, "Oh you have taken all my money! Ahhhhh!" But the same pickpocket, but the same pickpocket, but because he's svajanākhya-dasyu, "pickpocket in the name of svajana," he is very much pleased: "Oh, my wife has taken, my son has taken. Never mind." That's all. And others?
And similarly, for pious activities, that also requires brain. But those who are applying their brain for mischievous activities, they are called duṣkṛtinaḥ. So duṣkṛtinaḥ... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ. Why they do so? Because they are mūḍhāḥ, rascals. If one has got good brain, he should apply it for good work, but sometimes they are utilized... Just like a thief, he has got good brain. A rogue, he has got good brain, but he's applying for mischievous activities, for making people unhappy. That is not the right use. Jñāna-khala. They are called jñāna-khala. One who has got nice knowledge, it should be utilized for better purpose.
Formerly the kings were so... The king himself used to judge. A criminal was brought before the king, and if the king thought it wise, he would take his own sword, immediately cut his head. That was the duty of king. Even not many, about hundred years ago in Kashmir, the king, as soon as a thief was caught, he would be brought before the king, and if he is proved that he was a thief, he has stolen, immediately the king will cut off his hands personally, chopped off. Even hundred years ago. So all other thieves warned, "This is your punishment." So there was no thiefing. There was no stealing, no burglary in Kashmir. Even somebody lost something on the road, it will lie down. Nobody will touch it.
That means "A fool laments," that "You are a fool. Therefore you are a fool." It is in a round about way... Just like, what is called in logic? Parenthesis? Or something like that, called. Yes. That if I say that "You look like that person who stole my watch," that means "You look like a thief." Similarly, (chuckles) Kṛṣṇa, in a round about way, says that "My dear Arjuna, you are talking just like learned man, but you are lamenting on a subject matter which no learned man laments." Go on.
No, I... If you do not believe, that does not mean the things become null and void. That is not a fact. Suppose a thief does not believe in the prison house. That does not mean the prisonhouse will be closed. A thief may think like that. That is another thing. But the prisonhouse will continue, and as soon as you commit theft, you will be put there. That's all.
Those who are duṣkṛtina, sinful, duṣkṛtina... Kṛti means meritorious, and duṣ means..., means miscreants, meritorious for mischief-making. We, everyone has got merit. The mischief-maker, he has also got merit, but one who uses his merit for mischief-making... Just like a great rogue, a thief. When he steals, he requires brain. So he's applying his brain, how to steal tactfully, how to become a great rogue tactfully. How to become a smuggler... They require also brain. So the brain is being misused for mischievous activities. They are called miscreants, duṣkṛtina. So those who are duṣkṛtina... Na māṁ prapadyante, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). One class is duṣkṛtina and the other class is mūḍha. Mūḍha means less intelligence, or no intelligence. na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. And narādhama means the lowest of the mankind.
Prabhupāda: Well, responsible... Just like father creates children. But if he becomes a thief, does it, does it mean the father is responsible? What is your idea?
Indian: The children. (?)
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Indian: The children... But He's the big father. (?)
Prabhupāda: Father creates children, but a child becomes a rogue. Does it mean the father creates a rogue?
Indian: No, the thievery is on account of bad...
The Supersoul is simply witness. That is stated in the Bhagavad... Anumantā upadraṣṭā. Anumantā means without God's sanction, without Supersoul's sanction, you cannot do anything. But because he persists, the soul persists to do something, Supersoul says, "All right, you do at your own risk." Just like a thief is going to steal. The Supersoul is ordering, "Don't do it," because without God's sanction he cannot steal. But when the thief persists, then He says, "All right, you do at your risk." This is the position of the Supersoul and the soul.
And as you, you fulfill your desire, you become complicated with the reaction of your desire. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. If you act for Kṛṣṇa, then you are all right, but if you are acting for your sense gratification, you'll be entangled by the resultant action. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that if you want to do something, first of all He says, "No." Just like a thief, he's praying to God: "My dear Lord, give me some opportunity. I can steal that thing." Kṛṣṇa first of all says, "No, no. Don't do it." But he insists. Then Kṛṣṇa says, "All right. Do it." But as soon as you do it, you become entangled. Why you are doing against the will of Kṛṣṇa? That is your entanglement. Kṛṣṇa says: "Don't do this." Why you are doing that?
Therefore, foodstuff made of these ingredients is nice, sāttvika, goodness. So the karma-vāda, that you follow morality you'll get good results... But where is your morality? Because you are disobedient to God. In the beginning of your life, you are immoral. You are disobeying the greatest authority. There is another example, a story, that a gang of thieves, they stolen some property from different houses, then out of the village they are dividing amongst themselves the booties. So one thief is saying, "Please divide it morally so that one may not be cheated." Now just imagine, the property is stolen. Where is the morality there? But when dividing, they are thinking of morality. The basic principle is immoral. Where you can have morality? Similarly, according to Vedic injunction, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1).
He has got his regulative principles. They're also realized souls on Vedic principles. They wrote so many books. In this Parāśara-smṛti it is said: kṣatriyo hi prajā rakṣan śastra, śastra-pāṇiḥ pradaṇḍayan. Śastra-pāṇi means always with sword in the hand for the benefit of the prajas. He should be so strong. "Oh, you are a thief? You have stolen?" Immediately cut his hand, bas. This one example will stop millions of thieves not to commit stealing. Simply by cutting. Even a hundred years ago this system was prevalent in Kashmir. If a thief is arrested and if he's proved that he has stolen, immediately king will cut off his two hands. Bas, finished. No court witness. And it will go for ten years to find out whether he has stolen. This is government. Therefore, the injunction is kṣatriya hi prajā rakṣan śastra-pāṇiḥ pradaṇḍayan.
She was a prostitute. And then he forgot his father and mother, his wife, everything, home, everything forgotten. So he became addicted to that prostitute, and to maintain he became a thief, rogue, burglar, drunkard, anything, someway or other bring money, bring money, bring money. You see. So he was doing that. In this way his life was spoiled. And he begot ten children in that prostitute's womb. So the last child... Naturally the last son, the youngest son because very father's pet. So he was taking care of the son. And his name was Nārāyaṇa. That is the system of Vedic..., children are given..., Nārāyaṇa dāsa. Just like we give name, spiritual name. So when he was old enough, he was going to die out of disease. His so-called prostitute wife neglected.
That means next life I'll be thrown into the cycle of birth and death in the 8,400,000 species of life, and my life is spoiled. We do not know for how many millions of years I'll have to travel in that cycle of birth and death. Therefore it is poison. Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. I know this, I am hearing. Still,... Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa... Just like a thief. Jāniyā śuniyā, these words are very significant. Jāniyā means knowing, and śuniyā means hearing. So a habituated thief, he knows that "If I steal I shall be put into jail." And he has heard from scriptures that "Don't steal. Then you'll be put into hell." So he has heard from the scriptures and he has seen practically. He has experienced practically, but still, as soon as he's freed from the prison life, he again commits the same mistake. Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu.
Now, God or God's agent is supplying you so many things, and if you do not acknowledge or repay by sacrifice, then what is your position? Yo bhuṅkte. "One who enjoys," stena eva saḥ, "he is a thief." He is a thief, therefore, punishable. As a thief is punishable by the state law, similarly, one who takes advantage of these natural facilities and do not acknowledge it and do not offer sacrifice to the Supreme, then he is considered to be a thief. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, stena eva saḥ (BG 3.12). So yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. So, we are becoming debtors and debtors life after life in this way, and the only way to liquidate our so many debts is to perform yajña.
Yes. Just see, a strong word is used. Suppose if there is mention, there is recommendation that you should perform sūrya-yajña. Sūrya means the sun. The sun is supplying you so much heat, warmth, and don't you want to give him some tax or satisfy him by sacrifices? So that is our duty. If you are receiving from me so many things and if you do not at least acknowledge your gratitude, then you are a thief. We are receiving so many benefits through the agents of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and if we do not acknowledge even, "God is great, He is so kind, in spite of our so many faults He's supplying us nice foodstuff, nice everything," so how much ungrateful the human society has become, just imagine. And they want peace and prosperity. Nonsense. Where is peace and prosperity? You must suffer. You must suffer. That is your due. Go on.
There are hundreds and thousands of preparation. But as soon as you prepare for yourself or you try to satisfy your tongue, then you are bound up by the laws of nature. Anything. Because that is sinful. Sinful. If you do not acknowledge, if you do not acknowledge the authority, if you do not feel your gratitude for the supplier, then you are a thief. Especially it is mentioned. "It is thief." I am taking your things, I am eating, but I am not feeling any gratitude for you, then I am a thief. Yes. Go on.
Everyone is envious. This world is envious. They have declared that God is dead. You see. (laughs) (Bengali) There is a proverb in Bengali that one person wanted to see how many thieves are there in this village, and when he began to scrutinize, he saw that everyone is a thief. (laughter) Similarly, envious, you begin from President Johnson and go to anyone, they are all envious of God consciousness. You see? Otherwise in Los Angeles city, there are millions and trillions of people, and only a dozen people are coming here. You see? Why? They are envious. "What is this nonsense God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" You see?
Why not these Indian youths? What is the wrong there? This is not good. Let us join together, start this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously, and deliver this suffering humanity. That is our purpose. They are suffering for want of knowledge. Everything is there, complete. Simply by mismanagement... Simply by the... It is being managed by the rogues and thieves. Take. You become perfect in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and take the management and make your life successful.
Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (pause) So you can announce that I shall speak here every... (end)
Or anything you drink, you can see Kṛṣṇa there. Rasa. That taste is Kṛṣṇa. So there is no difficulty to see God. These rascals, they said, "Where is God?" Here is God. You are drinking water. Why don't you see... Give me water.
So Kṛṣṇa can be seen always, provided you want to see God. But we don't want to see God. That is the difficulty. Otherwise, you can see sadaiva. In the Brahma-saṁhitā, it is said, santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Santaḥ, if you are santa... Santa means saintly person. If you become saintly person... But if you remain rogues, thieves, cats and dogs, then how you can see God? You have to become a santa.
We should not take Kṛṣṇa as one of us because He is bhūtānām īśvaraḥ. Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. Just like a crude example may be given. When there was independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi went to jail, and many, many big leaders. But there are other criminals also, pickpockets and thieves and murderers. If they would think, "Now Mahatma Gandhi has come into jail. We are the same. We are the same." No. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes, if the rascals and fools think that "Kṛṣṇa is also like us, as we have come into this material world," they are fools. No. We are forced. Just like criminal, a pickpocket or a thief, a rogue, a murderer. He is forced to... So of course, here, Mahatma Gandhi was also forced. But that is not the case. Because He is the controller. Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. He... The material energy cannot force Kṛṣṇa. Because He's īśvaraḥ. He's the controller. A controller cannot be forced.
Of course, a devotee or a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's never immoral. But it may be that due to his past association he may appear to be immoral or he may fall down, fall down. Due to habits, we may sometimes fall down.
There is a story how habit is the second nature. There was a thief, and he went to pilgrimage with some other friends. So at night, when other friends were sleeping... Because his habit was to steal at night, he, so he got up at night and he was taking one body's baggage and tried to pickpocket or take something. But he was thinking, "Oh, I have come to this holy place of pilgrimage. Still, shall I do that, committing theft, my habit? No, no. I shall not do it." So he was taking the bag of one person and was keeping in another place.
So in the morning, when all other friends got up, everyone said, "Oh, where is my bag? I don't see!" Another man says, "I don't see my bag." Then somebody says, "Oh, here is your bag!" So there was some row. So they, they thought, "What is the matter? How it so happened?" Then the thief rose up and told all friends, "My dear gentlemen, I am a thief by occupation, but because I have that habit to steal at night, so I wanted to steal something from your bag, but I thought that 'I have come to this holy place. I shall not do it.' So I placed, I might have placed one man's bag in another man's place. So excuse me." So this is the habit. This is the habit. He does not want. He does not want to commit theft. But he has got the habit of doing that. So similarly, here he has decided not to commit theft anymore, but because he's habituated, sometimes he does.
You can study. By nature's study you can understand how the miscreants are punished. But unfortunately we have become so dull that even by seeing or by hearing we do not believe them. That's it.
Just like a thief. He sees personally that a man who has committed theft is taken away by the police to the custody, to the prison. He is seeing that, and he has heard the law that "Any man who steals, he will be punished." He has heard it, and he has seen it. Still, he commits theft. Why? He is seeing, and he is hearing. In both ways he is understanding, but still, he is committing theft. That means his heart is not pure.
That is not possible. Because the Supreme is sitting within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). And He is sitting as anumantā and upadraṣṭā. He is simply seeing what you are doing, and He is giving sanction also. Even a thief who is going to act something criminally, without the sanction of the Supersoul, who is sitting within everyone's heart, he cannot do that.
That you have got experience. Suppose you are doing, going to do something which is not very good. The conscience is beating, "No, no, you should not do this. You should not do this." But because without the sanction of the Supreme, I cannot do anything, so if we persist to do something, then the sanction is given, "At your risk." That is going on.
Suppose a person is working very hard for his nation and trying to drive away others, non-national. But that is not kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ, That is kāma-saṅkalpa-sahitāḥ. So therefore that is material. Superficially, it may be very philanthropic, sacrificing. Now, suppose one man is stealing for his personal benefit, and the same stealing, if he steals for his family, is he not a thief? Either he steals for his family or for himself, stealing is stealing. But nowadays it is going on that if you steal for greater selfish interest, it is not stealing. No.
That greater, the greatest selfish interest is Kṛṣṇa. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). So you make it greater. That's all right. But where is the point where the greatness will be limited or there will end? That is Kṛṣṇa.
"Whatever is allotted to you, be satisfied." Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam: "You do not encroach upon other's property."
If anyone is satisfied in this way in Kṛṣṇa consciousness where is the question of stealing? There is no question of stealing. There is no need of law for the thieves. People will become so honest. He will be satisfied.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is all pervading. Either you take socially, politically, religiously, scientifically, philosophically—any way you take. Just like sandalwood. Sandalwood you rub it on the stone in any way the pulp will be flavored. It is not that if you rub the wood on the stone in this way then the pulp will come flavored. No.
Now Nārada says that "You can use all these material resources as much as you require, but, if you want more, if you get more, then you'll become the thief, and you are punishable." Just see the idea of communism. Everything in the world, in this planet or in other planets... Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet. The Russians are trying to put their flag first so that if they go to moon planet, they will conquer. Just like you came from Europe. You have conquered this tract of land, America, and you have put up your flag. So now they are trying to go, trying to go to the moon planet. But this putting, I mean to say, this digging the flag, it is called ignorance. This is called ignorance. Where you are putting your flag? It is not your property. It is God's property.
We have to take everything as God's property, nobody's property. And we can use things which are available by the nature's product. Suppose there is iron ore, mine. So everyone has got the... Whatever iron he requires, he can take. But if somebody makes the, the iron mine as his own property, then he, according to Śrīmad-Bhāgavata and, it is, he becomes a thief. He becomes a thief, and he's punishable because that is God's property. Nobody can create the iron mine. We cannot create anything. Even in the economic laws, we cannot create anything. We can simply transform just like worker or laborer. That's all. Suppose we manufacture a very nice table, but the ingredients, the wood, and the instrument, iron, oh, this is supplied by God. You cannot manufacture iron. You cannot manufacture the woods. So how, why do you claim that it is yours? This is ignorance. This is ignorance.
Now, in the śāstra, in the Vedic literature, it is said that "Everything belongs to God. Everything is manufactured by God. So everyone has right, not only human being, even the animals, everyone has got the right to live and use things as much as he requires. But if he stocks more, if he acquires more, he becomes the thief, and he is punishable." Now, suppose if I say, "Oh, I do not know this law. Therefore I have accumulated so much things in my control," oh, that does not mean that you'll not be punished. You'll be punished. You'll be punishable. This knowledge we require to know. And people at the modern age, they are lacking this knowledge.
All the days there are certain classes of men who are called meritorious, intelligent. So kṛtina. But there are duṣkṛtina and sukṛtina. Those who are using their merit for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are sukṛtina. And those who are using their merit for nothing, uselessly, for sense gratification, they are called duṣkṛtina. Both of them are using merit. It is not that a sinful man, a rogue, a thief, a dacoit, has no merit. He has got good merit, but he's utilizing for different purpose. Therefore they are called duṣkṛtina. Merit should have been... Just like we have got human merit, better than the animal merit.
The difference is that just like a living being. I can ask any of my disciple to do something. He'll do it. But this microphone, it has also a form, but if I want microphone, "Please do this," he cannot, it cannot do because it is material. It can mechanical, give some mechanical service, one only, but it cannot do any other thing. A man can speak or he can dance or he can become a thief, he can become so many—because he's living. That is the difference between material form and spiritual form.
Just like a thief in the prison house. How he becomes liberated? When his term of suffering in the prison house is finished, then he is again free man. And again if he is criminal, he is put into jail. So human form of life is meant for understanding, as I am explaining, what is the problem of my life. I do not wish to die; I am put to death. I do not wish to become old man; I am obliged to become old man. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So he... Just like the same example, a thief. When he is free, if he thinks, ponders, that "Why I was put into this miserable condition of six month prison life? It was so botheration," then he becomes actually human being.
It takes long, long duration of time because there is evolutionary process. So again you'll come to this human form of life, when the term is finished. Exactly the same example: A thief, when he has finished his term of imprisonment, he's again a free man. But again he commits criminality; again he goes to the jail. So there is cycle of birth and death. If we utilize our human form of life properly, then we stop the cycle of birth and death. And if we do not use this human form of life properly, again we go to that cycle of birth and death.
So if we associate with sattva-guṇa, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā (BG 14.18), then those who are associating with sattva-guṇa...
This is very easy to understand. If you become a nice, educated person, good character, you'll be always welcome anywhere, good position. And if you are a thief, rascal, without any education, then your position will be different. So kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya. So if we associate with goodness of the material nature, then we are promoted to the higher planetary system where we get better comforts of life, long duration of life, so many facilities.
He is controlling, but he is giving some facilities: "This dog is my servant. Let him have." This is going on. Without God's sanction, we cannot do anything.
Then why does He give sanction for our sinful activities? Because we want to do it. Because we want to do it. God does not want that you become implicated in sinful life. Therefore thief, he steals very stealthily. God says from within, "Don't steal. You will be implicated. You will be punished. Why you are stealing?" But he will do. He will do. That is ajñāna. That is ignorance. God is always helping us, but we do not care for God. That is our disease. Therefore we are getting different types of bodies and suffering. This is the philosophy, real philosophy, that God is there with me in the same bird, in the same, exactly the same, that the driver is there and the proprietor is there in the same car. The car is a machine. Similarly, this body is a machine.
This is the injunction of the Gosvāmīs, that we have to accept everything as Kṛṣṇa. That is the fact.
And we are using everything without utilizing for Kṛṣṇa's purpose; therefore it is material. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, stena eva sa ucyate: (BG 3.12) "He is thief. He is thief." Yañārthāt karmano 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). As one man is criminal because he does not satisfy the state... What is the position of a criminal person? Because he disobeys the laws of the state, he is criminal. That is the distinction between a good citizen and a criminal citizen. One who does not obey the laws of the state, he is criminal. So everyone who does not obey the orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is criminal. Stena eva sa ucyate. This is the verdict of the śāstra. Forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, or God, is materialism, and not to use things for Kṛṣṇa's satisfaction is criminality.
Those who are not purified, sinful acting, sinful, acting only sinfully, such person is called duṣkṛtina. Kṛtina, they are... Kṛti means meritorious. But these rascals are meritorious in doing all sinful activities. Sinful activities also require merit. Even if you become a very expert thief, this stealing is sinful activity, but it requires some brain. It requires some brain. Therefore the word is used, kṛtina. Kṛtina means meritorious. But duṣkṛtina. Their merit is being applied for sinful activity. Similarly, there is another word, sukṛtina. You can employ your merit for pious activities. The merit is the same.
"Just be under My control." "And what benefit I shall derive?" Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ: "I'll give you protection." Because you're suffering for your sinful activities... everything is sinful activities. Everything.
Just like a gang of thieves. A gang of thieves, after plundering booties from some gentleman's house, they came outside the village, and they were dividing. So one of the thieves is saying, "Sir, let us divide it honestly. Let us divide the booty honestly." Now, their basic principle is dishonesty, and now they want to divide honestly. So all these rascals, politicians, they are all dishonest, and they are trying to make adjustment honestly. Honestly. What is this honesty?
That philosophy will not do. You must know that this prakṛti, this material world, you are not enjoyer. The enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29).
If you want to become enjoyer, then you are thief. Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). You cannot be happy with stolen property. So everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Whatever we are trying to enjoy, it is stolen property. The philosophy is tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā. You can enjoy whatever is allotted to you by Kṛṣṇa. Tene tyak... Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. Don't try to encroach upon other's property. This is real proposition for peace and prosperity. But we are trying to become the biggest enjoyer, and we are trying to encroach upon others' property, others' life, others' jurisdiction. Therefore there is no peace.
In modern days also, practically nobody is devotee, so how they are described in the Bhagavad-gītā? They are described as duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ (BG 7.15). These asuras also divided into so many classes. The first-class asura is the duṣkṛtina, one who is engaged in sinful meritorious action. Sinful meritorious. Just like a big thief. There are many organization of smugglers, black market, thieves. They have got brain to organize. Without brain they cannot organize. Now, in the Western countries there are big, big organizations simply for smuggling, cheating, bluffing, and very good brain, educated, lawyers. I have seen practically in New York these cheating concerns. There are many lawyers to help them how to cheat. And they make arrangement, take money from one, cheating. Many organizations.
And one who is not fortunate, his intelligence is used how to go to hell. That's all. That is duṣkṛtina. To become a member of the hellish condition of life, that also requires intelligence. How to become first-class thief, how to become first-class cheater, first-class drunkard, first-class smuggler—does it not require intelligence? It requires intelligence. But their intelligence is being used for going to hell. Another intelligence is being used to going back to home, back to Godhead. Intelligence is there in both the cases. Now, it is the technique, how to use it. That's all. That requires.
Just like Gurukṛpā Mahārāja. If you say if he's taking by this way or that way, but what he is doing? He is not smoking with that money. He is not drinking. He is sending to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he is giving the best service. So people may say, "Nonsense people. They're doing this, doing that." But he is giving the best service to Kṛṣṇa because he is not accepting a farthing out of this. And these so-called worldly, honest men, they may be very honest, moral, but they are taking everything for their sense gratification. They are dishonest. They are the greatest fraud. Kṛṣṇa's money they are taking for their own satisfaction. The greatest fraud. Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). What is that? Ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). Bhuñjate te aghaṁ pāpāḥ. Stena eva sa ucyate. What is that? Everyone is thief. Everyone is taking Kṛṣṇa's money for his sense gratification, and they are advertising they are very moral. What is that?
Nitāi: "In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being satisfied by the performance of yajña, sacrifice, supply all necessities to man. But one who enjoys these gifts, without offering them to the demigods in return, is certainly a thief."
Prabhupāda: So anyone who is simply exploiting the resources of nature, the so-called industrialist, others, they are taking all goods from Kṛṣṇa. Now, suppose you are making some machine. In making machine, you want the iron. But have you produced the iron? Wherefrom you have got the iron?
Trivikrama: From the nature.
From the mine. So who has created mine? Your father has created this mine, that you are taking this iron? That means you are thief. You are thief. The iron is not your property. The iron is there already. If it is already there, you must conclude it is somebody's property. So you are taking it away without asking the proprietor. Then are you not thief? What is the meaning of stealing? If you take something without asking the proprietor, that is stealing. So the iron is there, you are taking from the mine iron. You may convert into various things. That is another thing. But the original iron, to whom it belongs? Kṛṣṇa declares in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the proprietor." So He is the proprietor. Sarva-loka, all planets.
"I am the proprietor." So He is the proprietor. Sarva-loka, all planets. So in this planet, when you find this iron, then whose property it is? When you find it, you must know it belongs to somebody. And who is that person? Without asking that person, without taking permission of that person, if you take away, are you not thief?
The so-called civilization, they are all set of thieves, rogues. And they are formulating rules and regulation for others' fraud, those who are devotees. They are themselves fraud. Everything belongs... Suppose you have got this iron, stealing from the mine Kṛṣṇa's property. Then if by some way or other, I take your iron and give it back to Kṛṣṇa, so I am fraud or you are fraud? You do not possess anything. But you are claiming that you are proprietor of this thing, that thing, which you have taken by stealing. And if your stolen property, I take it from you and return it to Kṛṣṇa, then who is fraud? You are fraud or I am fraud?
That is our business. Although it is warned that if we discriminate in that way, that here is a person, he has not undergone any austerities. He's not a devotee, he's not, I mean, prepared to hear, then where we shall find our customer? The whole world is like that. (Hindi) Phag gause sei gan oja.(?) If, if, if A gentleman tried to find out who is the thief in this village, and after scrutinizing, he saw everyone is thief. So what to discriminate? So world is so situated now—no tapasya. Just like we are simply asking people, requesting people: "Kindly give up these four principles." What is that? Illicit sex and meat-eating and intoxication and gambling. Oh, it is very difficult. People find it very difficult. Even a person like Lord Zetland. He was proposed that... He, he inquired... One of my Godbrothers went to London, and he was talking with Lord Zetland, Marquis of Zetland. So Marquis of Zetland inquired, "Well, Swamiji, can you make me a brāhmaṇa?" "Yes, we can make you brāhmaṇa." "How?"
| Page Title: | Thief (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 06 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=50, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 50 |