This conception of life is the greatest barrier for advancing in spiritual consciousness. Therefore the Vedic civilization is so planned that one has to give up this rascal "own men" conception. That is the vairāgya. It is called vairāgya. Jñāna-vairāgya. Two things required in human life: knowledge and vairāgya, detachment. The attachment increases. First of all, it increases. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). This whole world is based on sex life. A man has got attraction for woman; a woman has got attraction for man. This is nature's bondage. Shackle. And when they are actually united, either by the father, mother, or by their own way, that shackle, that attraction, increases. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. Hṛdaya-granthim. Knot in the heart. "She is my wife." "He is my husband." Of course, now that knot is very slack.
United (Lectures)
Expressions researched:
"United"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So long there was no bodily connection with that woman, you didn't care for her. But as soon as there is bodily connection, immediately the attachment is there. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). Generally, everyone has got attraction for woman. Woman has got attraction for man. That is general. But when they are united by marriage, the attraction becomes very acute, hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. Hṛdaya-granthi means very hard knot. Hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. So this is called family attraction. Then I get my attraction for my children, for my society, for my home. So Arjuna's description of this means bodily concept of life. The sum and substance of this whole passage described by Arjuna, kiṁ no rājyena govinda kiṁ bhogair jīvitena vā (BG 1.32). Everyone works so hard to acquire money. Why? The family attraction. We were student of economics and there was a book, Marshall's Economics. That Mr. Marshall is explaining that economic impetus begins from family affection, family affection.
So the attachment of this material world is very strong. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by Ṛṣabhadeva: Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etami (SB 5.5.8). This whole material world is an attachment of male and female. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam, sex impulse, attachment. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. And when they are married, when they are united, then it becomes a hard knot in the heart. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mamet. Then gradually, after being united, one becomes attached to gṛha, home, apartment, kṣetra,... Formerly there was no industry. So everyone must have some land to produce food. Gṛha-kṣetra, suta, then children; āpta, friends; vitta, then money, because without money, nothing can be maintained. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya mohaḥ. He becomes more and more illusioned. And ahaṁ mameti: (SB 5.5.8) "Oh, this is my country. This is my family. This is my house. This is my children." So on, so on. Mama. "Mine." And "I am this person. I am this body." This is illusion.
Just like we individual souls, we want to enjoy our senses. Similarly, God has also senses, He also wants to enjoy. Just like here, we see a young boy, a young girl is united. Similarly, you have seen our pictures, Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, They are also united. There is also love, but that love is real. Here, the same thing, a reflection, is shadow. It is not real. The real love is there. There is no separation of that love. Here in this material world, because it is shadow, it is false, therefore there is separation. Love without separation is in God. Relationship between friend and friend, here it is breakable. As soon as there is some dissatisfaction, the friends separate. But if you make friendship with God, that is never separated. If you love Kṛṣṇa, that is never separated. If you accept Kṛṣṇa as your Son, that Son will never die. So these are the conception of God.
Devotee: "And of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all."
Prabhupāda: Now, here it is clearly stated that of all yogis, there are different kinds of yogis. Aṣṭāṅga-yogī, haṭha-yogī, jñāna-yogī, karma-yogī, bhakti-yogī. So bhakti-yoga is the highest platform of yoga principles. So Kṛṣṇa says here, "And of all yogis." There are different kinds of yogis. "Of all yogis he who always abides in Me," in Kṛṣṇa. Me means Kṛṣṇa says "in Me." That means one who is keeping always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, "abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service is most intimately united with Me in yoga, and is the highest of all." This is the prime instruction of this chapter, Sāṅkhya-yoga, that if you want to become perfect yogi of the highest platform, then keep yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you become the first-class yogi.
These boys, this boy and girl just now married, I am sending to Australia. The boy has come from Australia, the girl has come from Sweden. Now they are united. Now they are going to maintain our establishment there in Sydney. Just now I am sending them within two or three days. They will take care of the temple and they will preach also. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is expanding by their help. I am alone, but they are helping me. They are my gurus. I am not their guru, (applause) because they are helping me in executing my Guru Mahārāja's order. So it is very nice combination that somebody is going to Australia, somebody is going to Fiji Island, somebody is going to Hong Kong, somebody is going to Czechoslovakia. And we are also negotiating to go to Russia also. There is chance of going to China also. We are attempting. We have already sent two boys to Pakistan—one in Dacca and one in Karachi. (applause)
India's business is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is India's business. These Americans and Europeans have come here not to see how much you are economically developed, industrially developed. They have got enough of this, enough, more than enough. They don't care for it. The modern young men, they do not like. They are fed up. They have come here to understand Kṛṣṇa. They come here to understand Kṛṣṇa. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3).
Therefore we have... We are trying to construct this center. Let everyone come, all over the world. And it is the India's business to understand what is Kṛṣṇa and help them. That is India's business. It is very serious movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. On this platform, the whole world can be united. It is not ordinary movement, only on the basis of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa.
The material conditional life means that we are embarrassed with so many plans and concoctions for sense gratification. That is not mukti. That is the stage of nonliberated position. And mukti means to be situated in his original position. That is mukti. Muktir hitvā anyathā rūpam. Hitvā anyathā rūpam. What that anyathā rūpam? Anyathā means otherwise. Everyone one of us acting otherwise. Somebody is acting that "I am Pakistani." "I am East Pakistani." "I am West Pakistani. Let us fight." Anyathā rūpam. A few days before they were all Pakistanis. When there was fighting between India and Pakistan, they were all united. Now they have changed their, another anyathā rūpam, that "I am Eastern Pakistani," "I am Western Pakistani." In this way, so long you are contaminated, you change your mind, you will change your position. But it's not that real position. Unless you come to the real position.
No, no, "by chance." This is childish reason, "by chance." It is not very good reason. A child will say, "(By) chance, it has come." That is childish. You must give solid reason. Chance, you can say anything as chance. Everybody can say like that. That is not reason. When you bring in chance, that is not logic. That is not knowledge. If somebody says, "By chance, I have come in this world," that is not logic. I must have my father. I must have my mother. And on account of father-mother being united, I am... This is scientific. "By chance I have dropped from the sky here," (laughter) this is not logic. This kind of logic is vague only. That is no... It has no value. Do you give any value to this logic, nonsensical logic? No sane man will accept, "by chance." When you are caught and you are convicted, then if you say, "By chance, I became convicted"? By chance? No. You committed theft, you were arrested, there were due judgment, and the judge has given you punishment. You must suffer. It is not a chance. And if you say, "By chance, I am now convicted," that is not chance. There is no question of chance. This is a false logic, chance. Nothing takes place by chance. That is sound reasoning. Chance means ignorant. One who does not know, he says chance. That is ignorance. That is not knowledge. Knowledge is different thing. So they are rascals, you can say. This kind of logic, "I have not seen. It has come by chance. There was a chunk," these are all nonsensical proposition. There is īśvara. This is sound knowledge. As you conclude by seeing the arrangement in the Tokyo city there is government, similarly, if you are intelligent enough, then you can understand there must be a controller. That is theism. That is knowledge.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
This whole world is going on on the basis of sense gratification. A man and a woman, or a male or female, they develop this idea of sense gratification. Therefore as soon as a girl is grown up or a boy is grown up, the father, mother get them married, because the sense of sense gratification is very strong. Therefore the system is, Vedic system is, or any..., this human civilization system is, to get them married. So puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). So as soon as they are married, so tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ, that sense of sense gratification becomes too much tied up. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim. We have got already attraction. A man has got attraction for woman; woman has got attraction for man. Now, as soon as they are united, that attraction becomes more and more strong. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. Then ataḥ gṛha, as soon as they are married and united, they require one apartment, gṛha; ataḥ gṛha, kṣetra, then land for cultivating for producing foodstuff. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta, children; āpta, friends. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ, and money. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8).
So the male is attracted by the female, and the female is attracted by the male. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. But what is that attraction, central point? Sex life. So this mentality, this propensity, is there not only in human body, but in the animal body also, that same propensity, sex life. So... But everyone is searching after, "Where is a male? Where is a female?" And when they are united, the karma-granthi becomes tighter. That's all. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). They are searching after, and as soon as they are united, they become tightly knot. Hṛdaya-granthi.
So this is called saṁsāra, this is called material existence. One life after another, one life after another, one life after another. This is called karma-granthi-nibandhanam. So if we want to unknot this tight fitting of our heart... Now, again it is said that as soon as the male-female is united, then further tightening begins. What is that? Ataḥ kṣetra. Ataḥ kṣetra, gṛha, āpta, vitta. In this way, first of all, we are united, husband and wife. Then we want a nice apartment or house, gṛha. Then, to maintain the house, we require a field, field of activity. Generally, formerly, they were agricultural. So you must have income. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-suta. Then children, then āpta, friends. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ then again, money. In this way, our attachment increasing. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). In this way, our illusory position, moha, increases, one after another, one after another. This is called karma-granthi-nibandhanam. Karma-granthi-nibandhanam.
So there is no brahmacārī. There is no brahmacarya. That means the knot in the heart, sex desire, is more and more increased. It is not decreased. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by practice, one comes to the point of giving up all these unwanted things. Chidyante, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. I have several times explained to you that this knot of the heart is the sex desire. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. Sex desire, mithunī-bhāvam etam. Tayor hṛdaya-granthim. And when they're actually united, that knot becomes more and more tight. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then gradually, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ, that knot, sex desire... That is the test whether one's sex desire has diminished. That is the test. Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Saṁśayāḥ. We are now in hazy conclusion, what is our position. We do not know. We do not know what is God, what I am, what is our relationship. Everyone is speculating.
So here it is very clearly described that anyān mohinyā. Mohinī, mohinyā striyā, by the formation. So we should not be attracted. But generally, people are attracted. The whole world, the material world is going on that the woman is attractive for man and the man is attractive for woman. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam. This is the general platform of attraction between man and woman. And when they are united by such attraction, then they become more materially knotted.
Sambandha means "First of all, what is my relationship with God." That is called sambandha. Just like first of all a boy or a girl is to be married. So... That is the Vedic system. The father, mother, selects. That is called sambandha. When they fixed up that "This boy will be married with that girl," that is called sambandha. So relationship. Then when the sambandha is established by marriage, when the boy or girl is married, then the sambandha is done. "Now... Now the boy and the girl may remain separately in their respective homes." No. That is abhidheya. Abhidheya. When they are united by the marriage there must be dealings between them. That is called abhidheya. Abhidheya. Abhidheya means not that "Our now marriage ceremony, relationship is established. Now you Mr. such and such, you go home, I go home." No. There must be actual activities. The wife should take care of serving the husband, and the husband should take care of the wife. Then the relationship... Why this relationship? Why these are activities? Now, there is prayojana.
So prajā-rūpeṇa vartate. Again the wife is considered ardhāṅginī. I think in English also it is said, "better half." Wife is considered half the body. The left hand side half... Perhaps you have seen the picture that Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī, one body. The left-hand side is Rādhārāṇī, right-hand side is Kṛṣṇa. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this, rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api (CC Adi 1.5). Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, They are one, but for pastimes they have become two. Ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau. Again Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa united, caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptam. So these things are there. So wife is considered better half. Ardhāṅginī. So the ardhāṅginī is there, and the son is there. In so many ways they are convincing that "Do not think that Droṇācārya is dead and gone." He's (She's) convincing this point. "Droṇācārya is still existing. So killing the son of Droṇācārya means killing Droṇācārya. So do not do this." He's (She's) putting so many arguments.
A man is seeking after woman, woman is seeking after man. That is in human society, in bird society, beast society, everywhere. Even flies, insects, you'll see that one female is attached to the male, male is attached. So this is beginning of material attachment. Then by attachment, when one male finds out another woman, or one finds out another man, they unite. So this attachment becomes fixed up again. Already there is attachment, and as soon as they are united, that attachment becomes more firm. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. I have already got attachment, but when I am again united actually, that attachment increases. Now, after the attachment increases to some degree, then next degree is find out nice apartment to live together. That is another increase of attachment. Then we have got an apartment. Find out some means of earning money. Formerly, they were earning..., there were no factories. Everyone has to earn his livelihood by agriculture, kṣetra. Ato gṛha-kṣetra. First of all, apartment must be maintained by working, by earning something, gṛha-kṣetra. Then when we, everything is settled up, now we must have a son, children. Yes. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta. Then we shall, we must have some friends, who will come and eulogize me: "Oh, you have such nice apartment, nice wife."
The two words, vaṁśaṁ kuroḥ... Vaṁśa means dynasty of the Kurus. Another word, vaṁśa-davāgni. Vaṁśa means bamboo. So this dynasty is like bamboo. One bamboo, automatically, many bamboos grow side by side. So this dynasty also grows like that. One man, one woman, united, they beget children. They beget children. In this way, dynasty expands. So the expansion of dynasty and the bamboo growing, practically the same thing. Bamboo, they are also living entities, and another thing is davāgni, forest fire, davāgni. The bamboos, when they collide by air, there is heat. Electricity is generated, and the fire takes place. That is the cause of forest fire. Nobody goes to set fire in the forest. Nowadays, of course, in your country they are doing like that. But generally the forest fire takes place by this collision of the bamboos. So this world is like that. Therefore we sing, saṁsāra-dāvāgni. Saṁsāra-dāvā... What is that?
So vaidha. Vaidha means what is sanctioned by the śāstra. That is vaidha strī-saṅga. Yes. One may have association with the women... There must be association with women. By God's creation, there is man, woman. They're meant for being united. So therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that dharmāviruddho kāmaḥ aham. "When sex intercourse is there according to the śāstra, that is I am. That is I am." Dharmāviruddhaḥ. So there are rules and regulations, how to have sex life. So... There are two kinds of association with women, vaidha and avaidha. Vaidha means according to śāstra, and avaidha means without any restriction, without any restriction of the śāstra. So asat, eka strī-saṅgī. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said. And the sahajiyās, rascals, they interpret: asat eka strī-saṅgī. One who has got only one wife, he's asat. One must have many wives. The sahajiyās, you know. They keep so many women, like monkeys, in their company. You see, they have interpreted in this way. Asat eka strī-saṅgī.
That was discussed between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Chand Kazi, the Muhammadan magistrate of Nadia. He, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, challenged the Kazi, Muhammadan, that "What is your religion, that you eat your father and mother?" This was the challenge by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. What is that, father, mother? Now, mother, your cow is your mother. You drink milk of cow. And the bull is your father. Because without bull, without the cow and bull being united, there is no milk. So how is that you are eating your father and mother? It is a great challenge. Actually those who are meat-eater, beef-eater, they are killing their father and mother and become implicated in sinful life. Therefore we say no meat-eating. No meat-eating. If you become implicated in sinful life, how you can be happy? There must be nature's punishment. Just like if you infect some disease, nature must punish you. You must suffer from the disease. You cannot get out. It is not possible. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). Why there are so many varieties of life? Why not one class of men, all President Nixon? (laughter) Why not? Why there is bum in the Bowery Street? In your country I am saying.
No, no, no. She is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa divided Himself into His energy and Himself. That energy, original spiritual energy, is Rādhārāṇī. That is stated by Jīva Gosvāmī. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmāt. When Kṛṣṇa wants pleasure, He cannot accept the inferior energy. The same superior energy, Kṛṣṇa, is divided into two. That is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And again, when they unite, that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Divided, they are Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and united, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya. Anya means another. So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is combination of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. And when they are divided into two, that is Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. This is the purport. Rādhā kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau, śrī-caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptam (CC Adi 1.5). These are the conclusion. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa combination. But He is playing the part of Rādhārāṇī to understand Kṛṣṇa. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
So therefore they are called gṛhastha, "one who lives in a gṛha, in a house." Everyone lives in a house. We are also living in a house, this temple. But gṛhastha means to living with wife in the house. Na gṛhaṁ gṛham ity āhur gṛhiṇī gṛham ucyate. Simply gṛhastha does not mean to live in a room or in a house, but to live with a wife. Gṛhiṇī. So then we require apartment or room or house, according to our position. Then we require some land for producing food. Now they don't require land for producing. They require something else—some slavery or some work in the factory. But formerly, everyone used to have a, possess a piece of land for producing food. Kṣetra. Gṛha-kṣetra. Then, when there is marriage, there will be children, suta. Then there will be friends also, relatives, suta āpta. Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta. Then vitta, the central point money. So as soon as they are united, immediately these things will be required. Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vitta. In this way the attachment for this material world increases.
Everyone is busy to see the body. And the body, expansion of the body, is described here. Body, deha, then from the body there are children, apatya. And then, through the wife, body expands, strī. Strī means "which expands." In this material world the point of attraction is strī and puruṣa, man and woman, male and female. There is an attraction, natural. So the man wants woman, woman wants man, because there is attraction. And when, by that attraction, the man and woman is united, then the result is the children. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). Then the attraction for this material world increases. When one is alone, he's not so much attached with the material world. But as soon as he unites with the other party, then he gets children, and the attraction increases.
It is not so easy to give up attraction for kingdom, wife, children, and motorcar, and paśu, and animals, and so many... He was king, emperor. How much possessions he had! So it is not very easy to give up the attraction for these possessions. Therefore it is called virūḍhām, virūḍhāṁ mamatām. The attraction is so deep-rooted. The example is this, a tree standing. It does not want to give it up, capture. So the attraction begins from this sex attraction. Puṁsaḥ mithunī-bhāvam, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). In the beginning there is attraction. A man wants woman, woman wants man. But as soon as they're united, that attraction becomes deep-rooted. First of all desire. At that time, the attraction is not deep-rooted, but as soon as they are united, either legally or illegally, that attraction becomes deep-rooted, virūḍhām. Puṁsaḥ mithunī-bhāvam, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mithaḥ, as soon as they unite, hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ, is, they, now that attraction becomes a hard knot into the heart.
Always thinking of "Oh, he's my lover," "She is my lover," like that. That attraction. So then, after they're united... Just like one married couple. As soon as they're married or united, ataḥ gṛha. Gṛha. Gṛha means apartment, home. They must live very nicely. Then kṣetra. Kṣetra means field. Formerly there was no industry. The earning, means of livelihood, was agriculture. Everyone must have some land to produce grains, fruits. That's all. Milk. First of all, apartment; then, to maintain the expenditure, now we have invented industry or trade and so many things. Pickpocketing, killing. So many things. Formerly the means of livelihood was very simple. Take some land and work little, produce your grains, and the cows are there. You take milk. So milk, vegetables, grains, your economic question is solved. So first of all, gṛha, home, then kṣetra. Kṣetra means "field." I must produce my food. Ato gṛha-kṣetra, then child. Because married life without any issue, that is not very happy.
There are so many educated. If they have no employment, their life is zero. So, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ. As soon as we are united, male and female, then these things are required: nice home or apartment, some field for producing food, then some friends, suta, then children. Children, friends... Then money also. Without money... because without money, everything will be zero. In this way, just like a tree gradually expands his root, so our attraction, that male-female attraction, becomes deeply rooted by these things. Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam. This is illusion. This is illusion. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This mamatā. "This is 'I,' this is mine." And one day, the Mr. Death will come, he'll break everything, smash everything. We forget that. But we want to remain here with this sense of "I" and "mine," but Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa says, that "These rascals who are not God conscious and creating ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), very, very big scheme to become happy, the whole happiness is dismantled by Me as death." Kṛṣṇa ultimately comes as death. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He was planning so many things, but Nṛsiṁha-deva appeared as death and smashed everything, everything.
So ātma-darśanam means hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam, opening the knot. Hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam, that is ātma-darśanam. When I become free from all attachment of this material world, that is called hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam. And how the hṛdaya-granthi, knot in the heart begins? That begins, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etat tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. We are in this material world, it is going on, puṁsaḥ, the man, and striyā, of the woman, attachment. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī, what is that attachment? Sex. Sex. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etat tayor, the desire is there, and as soon as they unite by marriage or by agreement, by any way, then hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. Then the attachment becomes more and more. There are thousands and millions of women, but the woman with whom I have got my bodily relation, I cannot forget her, and she cannot forget me. Hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. The attachment increases. And as soon as they are united the, that is hṛdaya-granthi, knot between heart to heart. "You my dear, you my heart." So then, "We must find out an apartment."
That is described by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Nidrayā hriyate naktam: "At night they spoil the valuable time by sleeping." Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ (SB 2.1.3). Vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex. "Either by sex or by sleeping." Divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā: "And during daytime they are after money, 'Where is money? Where is money?' And if they get money, 'How to spend it for kuṭumba, for family members?' " This is material life. And as soon as we are united, mithunī-bhāva, then gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). Then we want apartment or house, big, big house, gṛha, and kṣetra. Kṣetra means earning fee. Formerly there were agriculture. Now there are so many industries and other places. So this gṛha is the utilization of the earth. People want some gṛha. So this propensity can be utilized by constructing temple. That propensity, that "I must have a very high skyscraper building," that tendency is there, but if we utilize that tendency for constructing, as it is stated, bhāvanaṁ brahmaṇaḥ sthānam... Instead of thinking that "I will have such big building," if we transfer that thinking, that "I will construct such a nice big temple for establishing Deity worship," that is the proper utilization of this tendency. One is for sense gratification; another, the same thing... If you construct a temple, you will have to labor in the same way, how to get municipal sanction, how to get cement, how to get stone, how to get this, that, so many things. But it is nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe: it has got relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Your capacity to construct something material, residential... So if we do it for Kṛṣṇa, then it is Kṛṣṇa consciousness; your life is successful.
So unless one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is doomed. So many senses. Tongue is taking him to the hotel, ear is taking to the musical, and eyes is taking, the beautiful things to see. In this way we are embarrassed in so many ways. That is called maithunyam agāram ajñaḥ. He has forgotten his real business, but he is entrapped in a pot or in a place where sense gratification is going on. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8). So this mithunī-bhāvam, the sense enjoyment is very strong. So there are two sexes, male and female. And each one of them are attracted by sense gratification, and when they are united, that... (break) In this way, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ, then they become attached to gṛha. Because they must live in an apartment, they must have some land, gṛha-kṣetra. Everywhere that is going on. In this way they become entrapped. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means... But those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, for them, it is not... They are vigilant that "My real business is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but it is a license given to me for sense gratification, for gṛhastha, but we should not forget our real business and entrapped in this material nature." That should be our business.
So that is regulated, that you must have wife. Not must have, but if you cannot avoid, take one wife and remain as a gṛhastha. And there are so many rules and regulations of gṛhastha life. Gṛhastha life is not that "Whenever I like, we have sex." No, that is not. There is regulated. Once in a month. When there is menstruation, and if the wife is pregnant—then no more sex life. There are so many rules and regulations. Gṛhastha means one who follows the rules and regulation of sex life. That is gṛhastha. Not that simply united, man and woman, and live like animals. No, that is not gṛhastha. That is called gṛhamedhi. Gṛhamedhi and gṛhastha, there are two words. Gṛhamedhi means he does not know the rules and regulation. He thinks that this family, this husband and wife, children and home, that is everything. That is called gṛhamedhi. But gṛhastha means he is as good as a sannyāsī. Gṛhe tiṣṭhati 'pi gṛhastha (?). He is suitable..., he is not suitable to become a brahmacārī, because every facility is there, but regulated. And one who follows the regulative principles, he is āśrama. Either it is gṛhastha āśrama or sannyāsa āśrama, the same thing. Āśrama means—very easily understood in India, there is discussion—the place where the spiritual culture is cultivated, that is called āśrama. What is the difference between the āśrama and ordinary home? Ordinary home means the..., without any regulative principles, and āśrama means real purpose is self-realization, development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if one is unable to accept sannyāsa āśrama or brahmacārī āśrama, that is gṛhastha āśrama. Not that animal āśrama.
These words are there, tad-bhavati alpa-medhasām, in the Bhagavad-gītā. Those who are trying to be happy in this material world, kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ... (BG 7.20). They, people generally, they are kāma, this kāma, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī, this is kāma. This kāma is manifested in different ways. The actually the central point is kāma. So that when that kāma is fulfilled Because a man is searching after woman and woman is searching after man, when they unite, then the kāma becomes hard knot, very tightly. When they are separated, there is chance of not being tied, but as soon as they are tied by marriage or by some way or other, then tayor mitha hṛdaya-granthim āhur. Hṛdaya-granthim. We are already attracted to these things, and when it is united, then we see practically in our Indian families that when the boy is grown up and the girl is grown up, the father-mother unite them by marriage system. Everywhere. But India still going on. Why? Because unless he is married, he'll not get attracted to this material life.
So the father and mother's duty is to unite them so that they may not be spoiled, they may not be like cats and dogs. At least there will be some regulative principles they will follow. But the bondage is, as soon as they are united, the economic development, ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair (SB 5.5.8), then searching after: "Now we must have an apartment, so to..." Either you construct a house or rent a house, anyway money is required, so you will be enthused to earn money. "I have got wife, I have to keep nicely, I have to eat nicely, I have to give her dress, and so on, so on." So first of all, get one apartment or house, ataḥ gṛha. Then how to maintain the house. Formerly there was no other business except that agriculture. Agriculture, that is the economic, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). We have to eat, so grow food grains.
But they will not accept it. They will artificially create some assembly of rogues and thief and pass resolution for fifty years but no peace. They want to be united, but flags are increasing daily. We have seen in New York the flags are increasing. Actually, during Mahārāja Parīkṣit's time there was one flag only, and people were controlled by the Pāṇḍava kings all over the world, and they were peaceful. During the battle of Kurukṣetra, it was a family fight, so all the people of the world, they joined this side or that side. The Bhāratavarṣa means under the name of Bharata Mahārāja, who is mahānubhāvaḥ... He is not ordinary person. Bharataṁ parama-bhāgavatam bhagavaj-jana-parāyaṇam. Bhagavaj-jana. He is the follower of devotees, bhagavaj-jana. Bhagavaj-jana and hari-jana, the same thing. Hari means Bhagavān, and here it is stated, bhagavaj-jana, and hari-jana, the same thing. But nowadays hari-jana means if somebody comes and presents himself as hari-jana, immediately we understand he must be a chamar or bhangi.
There are three classes of men: akāma... Akāma means devotee. He has no desire. He has no... Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Personally he has no desire. His only desire is how he would glorify Kṛṣṇa. That is the only desire. Akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo. He is akāma. And sarva-kāma means the karmīs. They are desiring, "Bring money, bring money, bring money, bring money." They are called karmīs, sarva-kāma. Their desire is never fulfilled. And akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma (SB 2.3.10), the jñānīs. They want to become united, one with the Supreme, mokṣa-kāma. So Caitanya-caritāmṛta, the mokṣa-kāma Tara madhye mokṣa vāñchā. That is very inferior desire. And Śrīdhara Swami, he has commented on the Bhāgavata verse, atra mokṣa-vāñchā api nirasta. A devotee should not desire even for mokṣa. What is mokṣa? Mokṣa is very insignificant thing for a devotee. Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura has explained, muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān. "Mukti, she is standing on my door and flattering me, 'Sir, what can I do for you?' " This is mukti. So why a devotee shall aspire about mukti?
So when they are united, then the attraction for man or attraction for woman becomes very, very strong. Then it requires gṛha, apartment, home. Then it requires field, land, because land is the means of livelihood. Ato gṛha-kṣetra. Then children, then friends. In this way he becomes implicated. Moho 'yam. These things are not required, but out of illusion he is thinking that "These things will give me protection, life and pleasure." That is explained in the previous verse: sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham. He becomes too much entangled and captivated by this family affection. So therefore in the Vedic civilization, from the very beginning of life the brahmacārī is educated not to be attracted by family life, very strictly. Even though he is educated so, if he is found unable, then he is allowed to marry. That also not for many years. To remain in the household life for twenty-five years, then compulsory, I mean to say, separation, pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. Then when the mind is settled up, he is awarded sannyāsa. This is the system.
So, the beginning of instruction was kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). This material world, beginning, those who are not trained up, their beginning is hankering after union for sex. And puṁsāṁ striya mithuni-bhāvam, this is the material world, attraction, and when they are united the attraction increases, we have already discussed. In this way our attraction for material wealth, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair (SB 5.5.8). In this way material possessions, material facilities, we increase. Modern civilization is that. They are simply increasing material wants. The process is pravṛttir eṣaṁ bhūtānāṁ nivṛttes tu mahā-phalaṁ. Natural tendency is, because we have come to enjoy this material world... Conditioned soul means we wanted to enjoy this material world, not to serve anyone. Although our constitutional position is to serve, but artificially we want to give up service and we want to enjoy. That is material disease. So gradually, if we want to enjoy material world, then we require money. Money is the via media for enjoyment of material world. People are working so hard, day and night, just to get money because money is the source or the means of sense enjoyment. That is the disease, sense enjoyment.
So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is addressing, "My dear Lord, the son of Nanda," and vṛṣabhānu-sutā-yuta, "and present with the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu..." Rādhārāṇī's father was Vṛṣabhānu. He was also a king. So Kṛṣṇa and Rādhā is combined, and the devotee is addressing, "My dear son of Nanda, You are now united with the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu." Karunā karaha ei bāra: "Now You bestow Your mercy upon this fallen soul." Narottama dāsa kahe. This prayer is offered by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Vaiṣṇava-sampradāya. He is saying for himself, "My dear Lord, don't kick me away." Narottama dāsa kahe, nā ṭheliho rāṅgā pāya: "Don't kick me away. Accept me in the service of Your lotus feet." Tomā bina ke āche āmāra: "I have no other shelter than Yourself." This is the sum and substance of all prayers. If you submit to the Lord that "I have no other shelter than Yourself," then He takes at once charge of you. But if you think that "My dear Lord," or "My dear God, I come to You for my daily bread, and as soon as You give me my daily bread, my business is finished with You..." No. That is also very good, but this is not love. This is business. The Kṛṣṇa wants lover not for any business.
Thirty years. And where is unity of the nation? It is not possible. And here we are talking about Kṛṣṇa, say, for seven, eight years. Just see the sample, how these young men are becoming united in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is practical.
So why so much restriction on the sex life? The people do not understand throughout the whole world. They are captivated by sex life, especially in the Western countries. Puṁsāṁ-striyaṁ-mithunī-bhavam etat. Material existence means a desire of sex life, both man and woman. Puṁsāṁ-striyaṁ-mithunī-bhavam etat. Not only in human society, in animal society, in bird society, everywhere, that is material life. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. And when they are united for this purpose, a man and woman, they... We are already attached to the material activities. Then our attachment becomes more and more strong. Tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ. Then, out of this attachment, ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). In this way, being united, then they want gṛha, apartment, to live together. Then they want some land. Formerly there was no service. The gṛhastha used to produce the food grains from the land. Neither there was factories or big, big offices to get job. One had to produce his own food from the land. So simply apartment will not help.
Then we desire for some children. Sūta, āpta, then friends. Sūta, āpta. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta vittaiḥ. But all these establishment can be maintained by money only. Then money. Then, in this way, gradually, janasya moho 'ham. We are already bewildered. We are attached to this material world, but when we are united, man and woman together, our attachment for this material world becomes increased. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Material world mean "I am this body, and in relationship with this body everything is mine," this conception. They forget altogether that "Nothing is mine. Even this body is not mine. Even I am not mine. Everything is Kṛṣṇa's." That is wanted. Unless we get to that status of life, that "Nothing belongs to me. This body also belongs to Kṛṣṇa; I, as spirit soul, belong to Kṛṣṇa; and everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa...," then we become liberated. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13).
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So if follow that policy that one who is born in India as brāhmaṇa, except him, nobody can become brāhmaṇa, then this Vedic civilization will be, in due course of time, lost. We should be very careful. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading Vedic culture outside India. And they are welcoming it, those who are intelligent, they are welcoming it. They are accepting it. We should encourage them. Instead of discouraging this movement, we should encourage, so that the whole world can be united on the platform of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If we simply hate low-grade families, low-grade men, that will not solve the problem. Just like when there was political movement in India, the Britishers, they presented so many problems. Just like the untouchables, the Muhammadans, and so many things. The Britishers they put forward these problems (because) they were not willing to separate the British rule.
So everyone is infuriated by the force of sex life. There are many places... In Bhāgavatam it is said, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etat tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhur. The whole material world is going on: the man is attracted by woman, the woman is attracted by man. And, seeking this attraction, when they are united, their attachment for this material world becomes more and more. And in this way, after being united, or after being married, one woman and man, they seek nice home, gṛha; kṣetra, activities, business, factory, or agricultural field. Because one has to earn money. So get food. Gṛha-kṣetra; suta, children; and āpta, friends; vitta, wealth... Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam (SB 5.5.8).
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Nitāi: "The loving affairs of Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are transcendental manifestations of the Lord's internal pleasure-giving potency. Although Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united in the form of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī although He is Kṛṣṇa Himself."
Prabhupāda:
- rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī śaktir asmād
- ekātmānāv api bhuvi purā deha-bhedaṁ gatau tau
- caitanyākhyaṁ prakaṭam adhunā tad-dvayaṁ caikyam āptaṁ
- rādhā-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitaṁ naumi kṛṣṇa-svarūpam
- (CC Adi 1.5)
So another feature of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is described here by the author, Kavirāja Gosvāmī. In the beginning He has been described as the ultimate Absolute Truth, ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ ya bhagavān. The Absolute Truth realized in three phases. The ultimate phase is Bhagavān. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. Bhagavān means full of six opulences. Not as nowadays there are so many Bhagavāns, they have no aiśvarya. But Bhagavān means ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ, full opulences, six kinds of opulence. Then that Bhagavān, Supreme Personality of Godhead, has descended as incarnation, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, just to bestow the topmost understanding of loving affairs with Kṛṣṇa. Samarpayitum unnata ujjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam.
e system even five hundred years before. So Keśava Kāśmīrī, he was a paṇḍita.
Now, India was united on the strength of religious culture and Sanskrit language. All over India the lingua franca, or the language, common language, at least for the scholars, not for the common man... The common man could speak any language—Hindi, Parsi, or Bengali, Oriya, Telegu, so many. There are so many languages. In every district you will find some language. But that was not taken into consideration. When education is concerned, every student all over India, they would take education in Sanskrit. Sanskrit language was the... So our present government, they have introduced a state language as Hindi. There are so many protests and so many quarrels. They would have done better if they would have introduced Sanskrit language as it was previously. So the Sanskrit language was one, and the culture was Vedic. Therefore there was no disunion.
Festival Lectures
So He simply said, but He was expecting that in later days His followers would do that. So that attempt was made by Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he desired and, that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message, it should be accepted by East and West equally, and both the Indians and Europeans, Americans, they should dance together in ecstasy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy. That was his desire, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. He simply expressed the desire, "When I shall see this happening, that both the eastern and western people they are united on the basis of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult and dancing together in ecstasy?" That was his ambition. That was ambition of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and this was ambition of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. And Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura took up this affair, business, and he wanted first of all.
So every student, any disciple, every disciple, especially those who are competent, he requested that "You take up this mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and preach in the western countries. That was Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura's first attempt. Before that, even the ācāryas, Rūpānuga Gosvāmīs, they left literature, but they did not attempt to preach practically. And Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was very, very anxious to preach this Caitanya cult in the western countries. This is Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura's special contribution.
Initiation Lectures
ja-yuddhe: "Fighting of the goats, and a śraddhā ceremony performed by the sages in the forest, and sounding in the sky, vibration of cloud, rumbling of the cloud early in the morning, and similarly, fight between husband and wife-don't take it seriously." You have got experience that rumbling early in the morning—never there is heavy shower of rain. There may be very great rumbling, but the result is very small, maybe some drizzling. Similarly, a husband and wife may fight, but if you don't give them any seriousness, they'll mitigate. That is the process. But in the Western countries, in the name of liberty, so many family lives are dismantled simply by this divorce case. So according to Vedic civilization, there is no divorce. Once united, it cannot be disunited in any condition of life. That you should follow. That is our first. So I think you promise this, all of you? Say yes.
She is doing very nice; therefore I advised her husband that "You also take sannyāsa." Because wife's affection is very, very tight knot. It is stated, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etad tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). Naturally there is tendency—a man wants woman; a woman wants man. This is the material world, puṁsaṁ striyā mithunī-bhāvam, sex impetus. That is natural. But when they are united, that impact becomes very, very tight. It is very difficult. It is very difficult to give it up. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind that his wife has voluntarily has become like sannyāsīnī. So it is very good fortune. Therefore I advised him that instead of accepting another wife, you also become sannyāsī. So he is my faithful disciple. He has accepted. And all of you Vaiṣṇavas, give your good wishes that he can keep the sannyāsa order very nicely and preach Kṛṣṇa through the rest of the life. His life will become successful.
Cornerstone Ceremonies
Woman is hunting after man; man if hunting after woman. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhavam etaṁ tayor mithaḥ. And as soon as they are united, they require gṛha, apartment; gṛha-kṣetra, land; gṛha-kṣetra-suta, children, friends, money; and the moho, the illusion, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), "It is I, it is mine." This is material civilization. But the human life is not meant for that. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). So you study. We have got now enough book. There is no difficulty to study our books. We have given in English translation. Everyone, any gentleman, knows English. And we are going to give in Hindi, in Gujarati, in all other languages. Our friends, they have already begun translating. So there will be no scarcity of knowledge. Please come here, sit down at least once in a week, study all these books, try to understand the philosophy of life, and spread all over the world. That is the mission of Bhāratavarṣa.
Unless you come to that brahma-bhūtaḥ stage, that "I am not this body. I am soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. I am part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman"—paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12)—there is no question of unity. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted to introduce this movement how actually there can be possibility of being united. That is possible. That is not difficult because they are all sons of Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhevanti..., ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). He's the original father. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to introduce in the human society, and not on my conviction, on the assurance of the śāstras, that if you want to be united, you'll have to come to this platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness; otherwise it is not possible.
Wedding Ceremonies
So according to Hindu conception of life, even there is some misunderstanding between husband and wife, it is not taken very seriously. Never taken very seriously. But in your country, in the name of liberty and freedom, there are so many things. I do not wish to discuss all those things. But according to Vedic system, husband and wife, united together, there cannot be any separation. Perhaps you have heard the name of Mahatma Gandhi. He was married when he was student, sixteen years old, and his wife was also of the same age. Later on Mahatma Gandhi became a very famous man. So one day there was husband and wife quarrel. So Mahatma Gandhi, he has written in his own biography, he drove away the wife: "You get out from my house." So the wife got out of the house and was crying in the street, "Where shall I go?" And again Mahatma Gandhi went there, "Come on." So even there was quarrel between Mahatma Gandhi and his wife. So this quarrel of husband and wife is not very serious thing. So I'll request you, even there is some misunderstanding, forget it. Don't take it seriously. Simply you concentrate on Kṛṣṇa consciousness business. You have got nice business now, both of you, conjointly working for editing my Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You consult in that business and live peacefully. You are educated, she is also educated. If there is any misunderstanding, don't take it seriously. That is my request. Besides that, I am always at your service, I am always (here) to help you. So this marriage ceremony is very happy occasion. I shall request all friends, relatives, parents, to give their blessings to this nice couple and let us perform.
General Lectures
The man is attracted by woman, woman is attracted by man. And the business is going on. Especially in this country, I see the girls are attracting by their bodily features in so many ways. You see? So similarly boys are attracting girls by so many features, especially by nice motorcar and so many things. So in every society, according to the standard of living, according..., these attractive features are going on. In birds, beasts... And when they are united... Everyone is trying to attract others. A girl is trying to attract another boy, the boy is trying to attract another girl. These attracting features is going on. And as soon as they are actually attracted and joined together, the illusion becomes doubly knotted. Tayor mitha hṛdaya-granthim āhur. Hṛdaya-granthim means everything is within the heart. If I study, "Oh, what is this attraction?" if I understand how it is simply combination of blood, stool and urine and intestine and muscle and skin and hair and nails, then if I study philosophically, so what is there? Have I got any attraction for all these things? No. So it is all false. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), that if we clarify our heart, then we become liberated. So this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting process is clarifying.
So when they're united some way or other, then next demand is nice apartment, gṛha. The next demand, gṛha-kṣetra, land. Because human civilization is based on land and cow, gavayā dhanavān. Formerly, a person was considered to be rich man by possession of the number of cows, by possession of land, not these papers, this false money. At the present moment, if you have got some printed paper, thousand dollars, they are papers actually. When the government is a failure, it has no value. But actually if you possess some land and cows, the government may fail or not fail, your value is there. That is actual property. Therefore in Sanskrit language it is said gavayā dhanavān. A man is known as rich man by the number of, by possession of the number of cows. That was the mode of civilization in the Vedic age.
Guest: If we had that love we would then be united with God. That is our ultimate end.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, you are already united with God because your relationship cannot be rejected with God. Just like father and son. The son may forget his father. That does not mean the relationship of father and son is no more there. So our relationship is there with God, but we have forgotten. So we have to revive our consciousness. It is not that it has to be manufactured something new. The relationship is there. Just like a son, he has forgotten his father. He is very rich man's son, but he's loitering in the street, and he does not know. Just like there is a story of Tarzan. So we are all Tarzans. So we have forgotten, you see? So the whole process is to revive. That is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness means we have to increase our attachment for Kṛṣṇa to the perfectional stage, when there is no more order, but automatically. Automatic. That is required. Mayy asakta-manaḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. That yoga system... At that time there is no yoga. It is already... Yoga system means a process which helps uniting with the Supreme. That is called yoga system. But when there is spontaneous love, that is not a yoga system. It is yoga already. United. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that united means the individual soul has no more any separate existence, monism. They become one. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy, they say they become one, but at the same time they remain separate. So these things are to be realized. As we make advance in spontaneous love for God, then these things become automatically revealed. It is... Simply by theoretical exposition they cannot be understood.
Because, as I explained just a minute before, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: (BG 18.54) as soon as you come to the transcendental platform, you become joyful, happy. Joy... That is the sign. It is not that simply you say that "I am in the transcendental meditation. I am a..." No. Actually you have to become happy. How you have to become happy? Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. There is no hankering; there is no lamentation. And material life means as soon as we are hankering after sex conjugation, and as soon as there is conjugation, atha gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8), as soon as we are united, man and woman, then I want a nice apartment, I want some business, I want some land, I want some friends, I want some society. Similarly, we extend our bodily concept of life. There is no question of transcendental platform.
He's creating disturbance. (pause) So as this man is talking about sex, so this world's, material world, is enchanted by sex. That is material world. Striya, puṁsāṁ striya mithuni-bhāvam etad. This whole material world is existing on sex attraction. Not only in the human society, in animal society also, this sex impulse is there. Birds, beasts, animal, human being, even demigods, they are attracted in this material world by sex impulse. The śāstra, or the Vedic literature, there is mention about this, that we are in this material world only for this sex impulse. First of all, we think of sex. A man also thinks. A woman also thinks. And when they are united, that attraction becomes more and more complete. Then, in a gentlemanly way, when there is sex unity, then there is need of a nice apartment or house. Then there is need of land. Formerly, for living condition, everyone possessed some land to grow foodstuff. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ. So after sex unity, there is need of house, land, gṛha, kṣetra, then children, ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-suta, āpta. Then friends.
These are the symptoms. Dāmpatye, husband and relationship, husband and wife, means sex power. We have practically seen in the Western countries, as soon as there is some disturbance in the sex relation of husband and wife, there is divorce. So that, these are the symptoms. Strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir vipratve sūtram eva hi. So man and woman should be united in marriage relationship simply on sex urge, not on the religious principle. That we have seen. And sūtram, vipratve sūtram eva hi. And if anyone, somehow or other, gathers a sacred thread—not sacred, even not sacred; thread—he becomes a vipra. Liṅgam eva āśrama-khyātāv anyonya āpatti-kāraṇam, avṛttyā nyāya-daurbhalyam. If you go to the court, court of justice, if you have no money, then you cannot get. Suppose you have to claim from somebody, say, some few thousands of rupees, first of all you have to deposit the stamp fee, five percent, and the pleader's fee. So you have to push good money after bad money. So these are the symptoms. There are many symptoms. In this way, the conclusion is... This is the description given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. There are many other symptoms. Our time is short. The king, the government, that is also stated. Government will be simply taxing. And people, being harassed in famine and taxation, they'll give up their hearth and home, will go to the forest and hills. And gradually, time will come when the ages will be reduced so much that a person twenty to thirty years old will be considered as great, grand old man. These are the symptoms of Kali-yuga.
Prabhupāda: Everyone. Don't you see it is practically? They were all Christians, Jews, Mohammedans. How they are coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
Guest: So is Kṛṣṇa consciousness the only method?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa conscious... You... Maybe it in otherwise. But the aim is that there is God. We are part and parcel of God. Somehow or other, we are now separated. We must be united again. That is the life's business.
Guest: So any other religion also can give...
Prabhupāda: Oh yes. Why not? Any religion. We do not way that "You practice this religion or that religion." We say "Just try to go back to home, back to Godhead." That is our philosophy.
Departure Talks
Jayatīrtha: They're flags, I think, of different nations. This is international airport. So they put so many flags, of all friendly countries. Russian flag, Chinese flag are not there. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...by United? No.
Brahmānanda: Continental. DC 10. (break)
Rāmeśvara: ...spoke to Ambarīṣa dāsa yesterday, and he said he will make a plan to come and visit Your Divine Grace in Denver because he is so close by.
Brahmānanda: He's in Wyoming now?
Rāmeśvara: Wyoming, finishing up some business there. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...parking car?
Jayatīrtha: Yes. In Los Angeles there's one car for every 1.3 people. Seven million cars for ten million people.
Prabhupāda: (chuckles) That is the largest number?
Jayatīrtha: Yes. Biggest car population in the world. Biggest smog problem.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: That will never happen. The so-called unity of man by the imaginative process of so-called intelligent philosopher, it has never become possible, neither it will become possible, because every man has got little independence. So unless they are controlled, they will assert their independence, and by this imaginative process they cannot be united. That is another insanity. History has never proved this in the past, and it is not going on in the present, so naturally in the future it will not be possible. That is sane man's conclusion.
Hayagrīva: You..., when you discussed Dewey with Śyāmasundara Prabhu, you said that Dewey wants to make God his scapegoat—why does he mention the word God, and he uses the word God to serve his own ends. His philosophic conception is the working union of the ideal and the actual. This is rather vague, but this is his definition of God: Man striving for perfection.
Prabhupāda: He can define, but he must be a very, what is called, sane man to define. The sane man's definition of God is there. Just like everyone says, "God is great." So now if he can define what is the greatness... The greatness, if one man is very rich, we consider him great man. If a man is very wise we call him a great man. If a man is very strong or influential or beautiful... Greatness according to our estimation. So all this greatness must be there in God.
Śyāmasundara: Yes. I see what he's saying now. He's saying that our existence as men, man's existence, continually becoming something else, separates thought from our being, our actions, so that there is always a gap between the two, so that we're always becoming something. But when we are united, thought and being are united, then we cease to become.
Prabhupāda: Why don't you unite? Why don't you unite? Why refusing to unite? God is conversing, "Unite with Me. Yes. Surrender unto Me. I'll fix up. What is (indistinct)?" If that is the perfection, (indistinct), why don't you unite? That "You surrender unto Me," that is the difficulty. "You keep your individualism, I keep My individualism, but you surrender unto Me," then it is (indistinct).
Śyāmasundara: That unifies thought and being together.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's the only way.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That seems to be the only way that thought and being can actually be united.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Śyāmasundara: He says this is man's fundamental orientation, that he wants to become God.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That we confirm in this way, that because he is part and parcel of God, so he wants to be united with God. Because he is now detached from God, so therefore, just like a man who is for long, long years out of home, so he wants to go home again.
Śyāmasundara: He says that this desire to be God is bound to fail.
Prabhupāda: Because he is not God. If he is God at all, then how will he fail to become non-God?
Śyāmasundara: What was that?
Prabhupāda: He is desiring to be God, that means he is not God at the present moment. So if he is God, how did he become non-God? Therefore he cannot become God, but he can become godly. That is our philosophy. Just like I am in darkness, I want light, so I can come into the sunshine. That does not mean I become sun. But when I come to the sunshine, I come to the light. Similarly, when you come to perfect knowledge, that is godly. But you cannot become God. If you are God, then there is no question of becoming non-God. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Acyuta. Acyuta means He never becomes non-God. He is God always. When He is three months old on the lap of His mother He is God. When He is seven years old, lifting the hill, He is God. And when He is marrying 16,000 wives He is God. When He is dancing with the gopīs He is God. That is God. God is always God. Not that I am non-God now and I shall become God by some means, mystic factory.
Hayagrīva: (aside:) That's the end of that tape. Augustine speaks of two cities in his... He wrote a famous book called The City of God, and one city is divine. In one city, love of God unites all men, and the other city, men are united by love of the world. One society loves the flesh, and the other society loves the spirit.
Prabhupāda: So this figurative description is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The body is considered as like city, and the soul is described as the king of the city, and he goes out from different gates. The body has got nine gates. In this way a figurative description in the..., is in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But that city is figuratively taken as this body, and the king of the city is the soul. (break)
Hayagrīva: This is the continuation of Augustine. Augustine writes, "God is not the soul of all things but the maker of all souls." So this doctrine seems to admit of the transcendence of God but not of the eminence of God, at least not as the Paramātmā accompanying the individual soul.
Prabhupāda: He does not accept Paramātmā?
Hayagrīva: It doesn't seem to be. It seems that...
Prabhupāda: Then how God is all-pervading? The Paramātmā conception is there in the Brahma-saṁhitā:
- eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ
- yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara...
- (Bs. 5.35)
One part of His feature, eko 'py asau. Racayitum, creation, this creation is done by one plenary portion of His person, the puruṣa-avatāra, the Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, in expanding. So, and not only one universe but millions of universes, jagad-aṇḍa-koṭim. And in the Bhagavad-gītā also same thing is confirmed, atha vā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna, ekāṁśena, viṣṭabhya aham, sthito jagat: "By My one plenary portion I expand throughout all the universes, all the living entities. Even within atom I am present." So unless God has got that omnipresence potency everywhere, then how He can be omnipresent? This is one meaning. He is everywhere present by His expansion of His one plenary portion.
| Page Title: | United (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 19 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=63, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 63 |