Graha-grasto means ghostly haunted or influenced by bad star, graha-grasto. Sometimes we become . . . we are always graha-grasto in this material world. It is said by some Vaiṣṇava poet, piśāci pāile yena mati-cchana haya māyār graṣṭa jīvera sei dāsa upajaya. Piśāci, ghostly haunted or inspired by the witches, when one becomes so, mati-cchana, he becomes bewildered, and his intelligence becomes scattered. Mati-cchana. That is the condition of all living entities within this material world in different degrees. Everyone is ghostly haunted. And what is that ghostly haunted? That ghostly haunted, tan-nimitta-smara-vyāja. This Ajāmila had seen one śūdra and one śūdrāṇī was embracing, kissing, laughing, enjoying in lusty affairs. So he became tan-nimitta. By seeing these activities of the śūdra and the śūdrāṇī, naturally the lusty desire is there, which I explained yesterday. It is called hṛd-roga-kāma (CC Antya 5.45). This kāma, lusty desire, is a heart disease. So he was infected by the heart disease by seeing the scene, that one woman and man is embracing and kissing. Immediately.
So the nature's law is so nice or so perfect that by seeing only, you will be infected. By seeing only. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). We are put into such a position that every moment we are being affected by the three modes of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. The prakṛti, the nature, is working so expertly. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. And kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu (BG 13.22). In this way our transmigration from one body to another, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), it is due to this infection of contacting different material modes of nature. The whole world is going on. So therefore our business of human life is how to protect ourself from this infection of material nature. That should be the aim of human life, not that allow us to be infected more and more and become implicated in the cycle of birth and death, sometimes lower, sometimes higher. This is not intelligence. The intelligence is how to get out of it. In the lower animal forms of life the nature takes care. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-sāṅkhyakāḥ (Padma Purāṇa). From the aquatics to the plant life, then insect life, then bird life, then beast life, then we come to the human life. And that is also . . . when we come to the civilized life we should not waste our time like animals or lower creatures.
Therefore another important thing is that those who are born in India, Bhārata-bhūmi, they are to be considered the topmost. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said:
- bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haile jāra
- janma sārthaka kari kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Those who have taken birth in India, Bhārata-bhūmi, they should make their life perfect by understanding the Vedic knowledge. And the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa comes here to teach the Vedic knowledge. He left Bhagavad-gītā. Then Vyāsadeva developed the idea of Kṛṣṇa consciousness from Bhagavad-gītā, Vedānta-sūtra, into Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyayaṁ brahma-sutrānām. So we have got this advantage, and we are giving up these advantages. First of all, the advantage is that we are born in India, and we have got the stock of knowledge left by great sages, ṛṣis and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and you are not taking advantage of it. How much foolish we are becoming by so-called education, we should understand that. It is graha-grasta. We are thinking that. . . our leaders are thinking that India, becoming too much religiously conscious, they have been poverty-stricken. No. That is not the fact. By Kṛṣṇa's desire, by Kṛṣṇa's will, everyone is provided.
In the Vedas it is said, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). The Supreme Lord is quite competent to provide, to supply the necessities of life to millions and millions of living entities. There is no question of scarcity of supply. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. In the forest there are millions of elephants. Who is supplying them food? Kṛṣṇa is supplying. So there is no question of overpopulation. Overpopulation, there is no question of. If Kṛṣṇa has overpopulation, He is competent to supply them food. But it is the nature's restriction. When we become godless, the nature's trouble will be there. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Just like the flood is going on in many parts of the world. So this is due to our sinful life. Nature is punishing. Ādhidaivika. You cannot control. Nature will punish. Why nature is punishing? Because we are godless. That is nature's business. The more we become godless, the more we'll be punished by the laws of nature. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You cannot surpass. You make many scientific plans to overcome—it is not possible. Then how it is possible? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. Unless you surrender to Kṛṣṇa . . . that is your business.
Therefore Kṛṣṇa openly says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). The Ajamila, he was brāhmaṇa, undoubtedly, but he fell a victim to māyā. But you know the story of Haridāsa. He was young man at that time, and one man instigated a prostitute, young prostitute, to deviate him, but she was unable. On the other hand, the prostitute became a Vaiṣṇavī. This is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee. A nondevotee cannot surpass the stringent laws of material nature, but a devotee can do that, because a devotee is not affected by the influence of material nature.