(cited verse)
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
So to understand Kṛṣṇa is not very easy thing. Kṛṣṇa says that manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu, "Out of many millions of millions' person, one tries to become perfect." Who is going to become perfect, especially in this age? Everyone is working like cats and dogs. That's all. Whole day working for eating, sleeping, sex and defense, that's all. They are not manuṣyas. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām. Eating... I eat; dog eat. So what is the difference between eating between the dog and me? He is eating according to his taste, I am eating also. The eating business is there in the dog also. Don't think that because you are eating on table, chair, plates, nice preparation... It is eating. People are taking that "Because I am eating on table, chair and nice dish and nice preparation, therefore I am civilized." The śāstra says that it may be different types of taking the eatables, but it is eating. That is even in dog. It does not make any difference. You are not civilized. Similarly sleeping. The dog can sleep on the street without caring for anything. We cannot sleep without nice apartment. So eating, sleeping, mating... Similarly, sex intercourse. Dog has no shame. It can enjoy sex on the street, but we have got some restriction, but the sex is there. Similarly, defense also, bhaya. Bhaya means to take care of fearfulness. That is there in the dog and in you also. It does not make any difference. Because you have got, discovered atomic bomb for defense, it does not mean that you are better than a dog. This is shastric injunction. Because he has to defend himself according to his intelligence and you are defending yourself according to your intelligence.
So this business, four business—eating, sleeping, mating and defending—these are common. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ sāmānyam etat. This is common. Then what is the special advantage of human life? The special advantage is athāto brahma jijñāsā. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. You should be inquisitive to know the value of life, the Absolute Truth. That is... The dog cannot do it. That is the distinction between dog and human being. The human being... In the human form of life there should be inquiry about Brahman, Parabrahman. That is human life. So after inquiring what is Brahman, Parabrahman, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), the original source of everything, when you attain brahma-jñāna, brahma-bhūtaḥ, that is your perfection, not that to compete with the dog in eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is not civilization. That is not perfection of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). These foolish men, animalistic, dogs and cats, two-legged animals, they do not know what is the aim of life.
Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. The aim of life is to understand Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They are trying to become happy in the bahir-artha, in the external energy of God, material energy. And the so-called leaders, politicians, philosophers, scientists, they're all blind. They do not know what is the aim of life. Still, they are leading the whole society.
- na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
- durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ
- andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
- te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ
- (SB 7.5.31)
Uru-dāmni baddhāḥ. Uru means very strong, and dāmni means rope. Just like if I tie you with very strong rope, it is very difficult to open it, and you are put into difficulty. Similarly, we are in this material world uru-dāmni baddhāḥ, tied very tight with the laws of material nature. And we are declaring still, "I am free. I am independent, I can do whatever I like." This is called imperfection. So long we are in the bodily concept of life and think ourself that we are free to do anything, whatever we like, we are in ignorance, darkness, tama. Tama means darkness.
So Vedic injunction is tamasi mā jyotir gama. "Don't remain in darkness." This is darkness. Darkness means "I am this body, and the, to fulfill the necessities of the body is the highest perfection of my life." Everyone is trying for that, competition. Everyone is trying to have a skyscraper building and three Rolls Royce cars and so on, so on. They think that this is perfection of life, durāśayā, durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31), this material energy's production. But you do not think that "How many years I shall enjoy this skyscraper building? And what is my main business? My main business is how to become perfect." There are many animals within the skyscraper building. There are human being, there are dogs, there are cats, there are worms, rats, so many things. So to live in the skyscraper building, that facility is there even to the worms, cats, rats, everyone. That... Then what is the difference between these animals and me? The difference is how to become perfect, siddhi, svarūpa-siddhi. "What I am? Am I this body?" This should be the question. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.