"How To Become An Ideal Person"

66/05/30 New York, Bhagavad-gita 3.21-25

Prabhupada: All glories to the assembled devotees. All glories to the assembled devotees.

Yaj-jihvagre nama tubhyam. Aho bata sva-paco 'to gariyan yaj-jihvagre nama tubhyam: "A person, whatever he may be, even he is very low born, but if he utters the holy name of God by his tongue, he becomes the glorious person." Sva-pacah atah. Sva-paca. Sva means dog, and pacah... Pacah means one who eats dogs. In India the dog-eaters are considered to be the lowest class of men, dog-eaters. So sva-pacah. sva-pacah means the dog-eaters. So even the dog-eaters, even if he is a dog-eater, it doesn't matter. If he can chant the holy name of Lord, then he becomes glorious. Aho bata sva-paco 'to gariyan yaj-jihvagre nama tubhyam. So this Hare Krsna chanting is glorious, and anyone who chants this, he becomes glorious.

So Lord Krsna says that

yad yad acarati sresthas
tat tad evetaro janah
sa yat pramanam kurute
lokas tad anuvartate
[Bg. 3.21]

Yad yad: "Whatever is practiced by the principal or the superiors..." In every society, in every country, there are certain class of men who are considered the leaders or the superior men. So Lord Krsna says that whatever is practiced by the top list men, that is followed by the ordinary class of men. Sa yat pramanam kurute. And the top list man, whatever he adopts or whatever scripture or whatever instruction he admits, lokas tad anuvartate. Ordinary class of men, they generally follow. The whole idea is that Krsna wants Arjuna to become an ideal person, ideal person, so that ordinary men can follow. And generally the practice is also the same. Any leader, if the leader of the people, they are ideal, he is ideal... A leader of the man, if he is ideal, the followers also become ideal. And if the leader of the society or country is not an ideal man, then the followers or the countrymen or the members of the society, they are also of the same type.

Now, Krsna says,

na me parthasti kartavyam
trisu lokesu kincana
nanavaptam avaptavyam
varta eva ca karmani
[Bg. 3.22]

"Now see, Arjuna. I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I have nothing to do in this world for gaining something." Everyone does some-thing with the purpose of some gain. Without gain nobody works -- either spiritual gain or material gain. Somebody works for material gain, and somebody works for spiritual gain. There must be some gain. But Lord Krsna, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Supreme Personality of Godhead means He is full with opulence, all opulence. Now, what are the things we, generally, people aspire after? People, generally they want wealth. They want riches. They want to be very highly rich man, accumulate wealth, millions and millions of rupees. Then somebody wants to become very strong man. Somebody wants to become very beautiful man. Somebody wants to become very learned man. Somebody wants to be very famous man, so on. There are six opulences. I have discussed in this hall many times.

Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yasasah sriyah (Visnu Purana 6.5.47). There are six kinds of opulences -- means wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation. Renunciation is also considered as opulence. Somebody has got immense money, immense wealth, but at once he renounces everything and becomes a mendicant, for some cause, of course. There are many instances in political field. Somebody, for political emancipation, he gives up everything, all homely comforts, and everything renounces and becomes a very famous man in the political field. Similarly, there are men in the spiritual field also. They renounces everything for achievement of spiritual perfection. So renunciation is also one of the opulences. So wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge, renunciation -- so these things are opulences. Now, Lord Krsna, He says that "I have nothing to gain, all these opulences." But because the definition of God is one who has got in full all these opulences, He is God. The definition of God is like that in the Vedic literature. Everything has got a definition. So the definition of God is that aisvaryasya samagrasya. One who possesses full wealth, full wealth, and full strength, full fame, full beauty, full knowledge and full renunciation -- He is God.

So Lord Sri Krsna proved. When Lord Sri Krsna was present amongst ourselves, from the history we can see that... If we have to believe the history, then He was in full in everything. He was full in everything. So far as a householder also, when Lord Krsna displayed His capacity as a householder... You will be surprised. Perhaps most of you know that He married 16,108 wives. Sixteen thousand... So somebody may be surprised that "How a person can marry 16,108 wives?" Yes. A ordinary person like us or a little more strong person, that is not possible. But when the word omnipotency is applied... God is called omnipotency, so for Him nothing is impossible. So if we have to believe the history, then Lord Sri Krsna married 16,108 wives, and He built 16,108 palaces also, well-decorated, fully equipped, all-marble palaces. And there was no need of light. The palaces were so nicely decorated with jewels that the light focused by the jewels, that will illuminate the house. And another thing -- He was present in every house simultaneously. Sixteen thousand wives and sixteen thousand houses -- He was present in sixteen thousand expansions by Himself. So that is called opulence. These are the opulences. So Lord Krsna was full.

Now, when Lord Krsna was present on the battlefield of Kuruksetra, He was very old man. He was very old man, although you see His picture just like a young man of twenty years old. But you have seen. Some of you must have seen the picture of Krsna of battlefield. Arjuna is sitting on the chariot, and Krsna is the chariot driver. Arjuna and Krsna was of the same age, but Arjuna looks older; Krsna looks younger. And Krsna at that time had great-grandchildren. His grandchildren and His grandchildren's children were present at that time, and the whole family extended to about ten millions.

So this may be astonishing, but for God is nothing astonishing. If it is a fact that everyone is the son of God... Sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayo yah [Bg. 14.4]. You will find in the Bhagavad-gita that "In every species of life, in whatever form you may see them, I am the father of all of them." Now, if He is the father of all living beings, just calculate how many living beings there are throughout the whole universe or in the creation. In comparison to that, if He displayed that He had only ten millions of sons and grandsons and grandchildren, that was nothing more. So these are things. Krsna was equipped in that way.

So He says that "Partha, My dear Arjuna, I have nothing to give. Don't think that I am here in the battlefield to assist you just for some remuneration or for some gain because I can have anything and everything at My will only." Na me parthasti kartavyam: "Therefore I have no fixed duty." In the Upanisad you will find the definition of Brahman. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate: "The Supreme Brahman has nothing to do." That is the distinction. We have got everything to do. Suppose we want spiritual perfection. So we have to do something. We have to perform something. We have to act practically. We have to go, accept penance, we have to accept... Just like we are trying to chant

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

So the idea is that "I may be elevated to the perfect position." So anything, if we desire, we have to do something. But the definition of Brahman and God is that He has nothing to do. The Veda, Upanisad, say. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate: "He has nothing to do." Still, He is God.

Not that one becomes God by doing something. Nowadays it has been practiced to say that "I have meditated so many years, I have undergone so much penance. Then I have become now God." Oh, God is not manufactured in that way. God cannot be manufactured. Now, Krsna, when He was in the lap of His mother, He was God at that time also, not that He had to grow up and undergo some penance and austerity and vows and go to the jungle or Himalaya or accept some very great spiritual master and so on, so on; then He became God, as it has been now the practice, that anyone who... He's a little advanced in spiritual life, and if he can display some wonders, oh, he at once becomes God. So God is not so cheap thing. Simply by playing some wonders...

Just like the other day I narrated the story of Durvasa Muni. Durvasa Muni was a great yogi. The yogis can display many wonders, many wonders. In my childhood I had got one tutor. So he was telling about his spiritual master. He was a yogi. That... He said that when he visited his spiritual master who was a yogi, his spiritual master asked him, "What do you want to eat?" And because my teacher knew that his spiritual master was a great yogi, he wanted to have a taste of pomegranate of Kabul. In India pomegranate of Kabul, Afghanistan, that is very famous. So his spiritual master said, "Yes, you will find it in this room. You can see it." So he saw that just it has been taken from the tree of pomegranate, and the juice was falling down. You see? So these wonders can be played by a yogi. You see? There are many yogis still living; they can manufacture gold. They can manufacture gold. The process is that they can eat, I mean to say, what is called? Para. What is the English of para, that liquid metal, white?
Rayarama: Mercury?

Prabhupada: Mercury. Yes. (chuckles) Yes. Mercury. They eat mercury. They eat mercury, and after, the next morning, they pass urine, and in that urine they put some copper coins, just like you have got, cents. And when it is heated, the copper coins becomes gold. And it is a chemical, theoretical truth that the mercury, molecules of mercury, the molecules of gold are almost similar. Only one molecule is different. So mercury can be turned into gold. That is a chemical fact. And we have got information from Vedic scripture that formerly gun metal, gun metal mixed with mercury, could be transformed into gold. So these are some of the chemical process, physical process, which is being done by scientific advancement of knowledge. There are many yogis who can do by yogic power. Just like by physical process...

Now people are trying to travel in the space, but the yogis can travel in the space very swiftly, more swifter than any sputnik. Just like the other day I narrated, the Durvasa Muni traveled all over the space in the universe and outside the universe, and he came back within one year. So therefore Krsna's another name is Yogesvara. Yogesvara. There are many yogis and many yogic principle, but Krsna is the master of all yoga. So if ordinary yogis, they can display some wonders, so why not Krsna? He is the Yogesvara; He is the lord of all yogis. So by performance of this yoga-prakriya(?), or the yogic mystic powers, one cannot become God. God is different from all of them. So Krsna was that God. So His manifestations, His work...

Now, here He says which I was going to explain from Vedic scripture. So Krsna says, na me parthasti kartavyam: "I have nothing to do." He has nothing to do; still, He is so powerful? Yes. That is confirmed in the Vedic scripture, that Brahman, the nature of Brahman, is described like this, na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate: "The nature of Brahman is that He has nothing to do." He has nothing to do. That is the difference between God and ourself. We have to do everything to achieve a certain aim, but God has nothing to do. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate na tat-samas cabhyadhikas ca drsyate: "And nobody is found who is equal to Him and or greater than Him." Nobody is found. These are the definition in the Vedic literature, that "God has nothing to do. Nobody is equal to Him, and nobody is greater than Him."

That means everyone is below Him. Everyone is below Him. Nobody can be equal with God. Even such great demigods like Siva and Brahma... They are considered to be the highest demigods. Still, in the scriptures it is said that nobody should place all these demigods, even Siva and Brahma, on equal footing with Visnu, Visnu the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or Krsna. So Krsna has nothing to do. God, who is actually God, He has nothing to do. He has nothing to do. He is God from the very beginning. And He is all-powerful with all opulences. That is the God. So Krsna says, "I have nothing to do," trisu lokesu kincana, "not only in this earth, but in the three worlds, anywhere, anywhere I can go, anywhere I can work, anywhere I can see. But still, I have nothing to do."

Na anavaptam avaptavyam: "It is not that I am deficient in My possession." We work because we find deficient ourself. In any power, in any, either spiritual power or material power, we have to work because we are deficient. So Krsna is not deficient so that He has to fill up the deficiency. No. Na anavaptam. So still, varta eva ca karmani. Now, He says that "Arjuna, you see that still, I have engaged Myself in the worldly duties." Why? Just to become the ideal man. Although He was not man, He was God, because He was playing the part of a man, therefore He was...

Why He was taking part in the battlefield? He had nothing to gain out of it personally, but why He was taking part in the battlefield? Just for the right cause. So He wanted to establish that for right cause there must be fighting. You cannot abolish violence from the world. This is the instruction of Krsna in Bhagavad-gita. If required, violence will be taken. And Krsna induced Arjuna to be violent. Arjuna wanted to be nonviolent, but He wanted that "You should. You must fight. This fight is arranged by Me." So these examples.

These are the examples. Nothing is bad... Nothing is good if it is not purposeful. That is the whole purpose of teaching Bhagavad-gita. Nothing is good; nothing is bad. Everything is good, everything is bad, in this material world, but we have to see. Just like the common phrase goes, "The end justifies the means. The end justifies the means." So that is Krsna teaching here that He has nothing to gain. He is full in Himself. But just to set examples in the world He was taking part in the fighting because He wanted to establish it that fighting for good cause should not be avoided. That was His mission.

Then further He says,

yadi hy aham na varteyam
jatu karmany atandritah
mama vartmanuvartante
manusyah partha sarvasah
[Bg. 3.23]

Manusyah. Now just see. Here it is said. Manusyah means all men. All men. So Krsna is not for a particular society or particular religious community or particular country or particular time. No. Krsna is the leader of all men for all the time in all the countries in all the worlds and all the universes. So He is not a sectarian Personality of Godhead. We should know. Manusyah. Manusyah, it is plural number: "All men." All men. So He said, "If I do not set example by My practical work, then because I am the leader of all men, all living entities, they will be wrongly directed." Wrongly directed.

Now, actually we see also. At least in India we have got this experience. Now, this Bhagavad-gita... The Bhagavad-gita, we always... We must always remember that it is being taught in the actual battlefield. Now, a great personality like Mahatma Gandhi, he wanted to prove from Bhagavad-gita nonviolence. He was... He was in favor of the doctrine of nonviolence. Now, you have seen Mahatma Gandhi's picture that he is always standing with Bhagavad-gita like this. So Bhagavad-gita was his life and soul practically. And in the morning he was having Bhagavad-gita class; in the evening he was having Bhagavad-gita class. So that was his life and soul. But unfortunately he interpreted Bhagavad-gita in his own way. Although he took Bhagavad-gita as his life and soul, so, but he interpreted it in his own way. That is not the way of understanding Bhagavad-gita. Therefore such a great man and such a good man... He was not only a great man; he was very good man in the worldly estimation. His character, his behavior, his dealing -- everything was good. He was ideal personality. But just see. He was killed by violence. He could not stop violence.

Rupanuga: He was killed by violence?

Prabhupada: Yes. He was killed by violence. And his idea... He wanted to make Hindu-Muslim unity in India. The British government fabricated the Hindu-Muslim riots, and lastly, at last also, their purpose was fulfilled by partition of India, Pakistan and India. Now, Mahatma Gandhi worked throughout his whole life just to make a unification of the Hindus and Muslims. Unfortunately, at last, he had to see that the Hindus and Muslims of India were divided into Pakistan and India. And his nonviolence also failed.

So, because if we do not follow the right person, mahajana -- mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186] -- then however I may be great in the estimation of the innocent public, that is wrong path. That is wrong path. Therefore the right thing is to follow the succession. Now, we have to follow the principle which Krsna sets. Krsna is not advocating, I mean to say, nonviolence. You cannot eradicate violence from this world. That is not possible because Krsna Himself is on the battlefield and He is trying to induce Arjuna. Arjuna is declining and He is inducing, "No, you must fight." Yad yad acarati sresthah. So we have to follow the footprints of great personalities. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. Mahajana. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam you will find that it has been advised that religious principles should be followed by taking the life examples of great personalities. Religious principles...

It has been described in the Bhagavata that tarko 'pratisthah. If you want to establish religious truth, you cannot establish it by your logic and argument. It is not possible because I may be a very perfect religious man, but I may not be a very good arguer; another strong man who can argue very strongly, who knows logic very nicely, he can defeat me. He can make my all conclusion null and void. So therefore, simply by argument or logical conclusion one cannot reach to the truth, to the religious truth. It is not possible. Tarko 'pratisthah srutayo vibhinnah. Srutayah means revealed scriptures. Revealed scriptures. Just like in the world there are many revealed scriptures. There are Vedas, Puranas, the Bible, the Koran, and there are so many religious scriptures also. And if you go on reading them, although the aim is one, still, you will find some discrepancy from one to another. Srutayo vibhinnah. Vibhinnah means they are diverse. They are diverse. Srutayo vibhinna nasav rsir yasya matam na bhinnam. And so far philosophers are concerned, one philosopher tries to defeat another philosopher. That is the philosophical way. So nasav rsir yasya matam na bhinnam, dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam. Therefore this truth of religion is very confidential. Nihitam guhayam. Guhayam means it is very confidential.

Now, how to know it? Now, mahajano yena gatah sa panthah: [Cc. Madhya 17.186] "You just try to find out great men, great men of religious life, and you just try to follow." Now, you may have in your own ideal some great men. No. They are also checked. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam twelve different personalities have been described that "These persons are great men." So we have to follow their principle and, or their, in the principle in their disciplic succession. Then we can fulfill. The same thing is here also described. Yad yad acarati sresthas lokas tad anuvartate. And Sri Krsna Himself... Undoubtedly Sri Krsna is the greatest personality in those days and still now also. Still, in all, not only in India, in all parts of the world, Sri Krsna is accepted as the greatest leader of philosophical presentation of this Bhagavad-gita. Every nation, every country reads it very minutely. So undoubtedly He is a great leader. Now, if we follow Krsna, not only we are chanting

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

But we have to follow the principles laid down in the Bhagavad-gita. That will make our life successful. Practically we have to apply this, have to apply the principle. Otherwise the whole attempt will be failure.

That is explained in the next verse.

utsideyur ime loka
na kuryam karma ced aham
sankarasya ca karta syam
upahanyam imah prajah
[Bg. 3.24]

"If I do not place idea before the living entities, praja..." Praja means those who have taken birth, they are called praja. Ja means birth. Janma, janma. And praja, prakrsta-rupena ja. Anyone, praja... Just like in a state it is called praja, or citizens, who have taken the birth in that particular place. So similarly, Lord Krsna says that "If I do not set example in My life, then there will be unwanted population." Unwanted population. And actually that has become now in the present world. By not following the principles of God consciousness or Krsna consciousness we have got now unwanted population. Unwanted population. Here it is plainly written, sankarasya ca karta syam. Sankarasya ca means cross-breeding, sankarasya.

According to Vedic rites, the breeding of child is very nicely enunciated. That is called garbhadhana-samskara. Garbhadhana-samskara. Before begetting a child, one has to perform some ceremonies just to make his mind completely pure and sanctified. Both the husband and wife become sanctified, and then they take part in sex life, and that child becomes, comes out a very nice child. So from the very beginning of the birth there are systems how to beget good population. So these things are there.

Now, Krsna says that "If I do not place the ideal life, then the population will be sankara." Sankara means unwanted, creating disturbances always. There will be no peace in the world. And actually we are feeling that there is no peace in the world. Why? Because the population has become unwanted. And by increasing such population the natural sequence will be... There must be. There will be some disease, there will be some famine or there will be some war when the population will be vanquished. That is the law of nature. That is accepted in economics also, Malthusian theory. Perhaps most of you know that whenever there is unwanted population these three things will naturally, by nature's course will appear -- famine, pestilence, and war -- and the population will be finished. So there was some unwanted population at that time also for which Krsna arranged the war, battlefield of war. Battlefield of war. So we have to follow. If we want very good population, very good generation, then we have to follow the principles of Bhagavad-gita.

The principles of Bhagavad-gita is ultimately described, as we will find in the last state,

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
[Bg. 18.66]

That is the real religion. Now, in the Fourth Chapter you will find that Lord says that "I come down in this, as incarnation." Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata: [Bg. 4.7] "I come down whenever there is some flaw in the religious principles." Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, abhyutthanam adharmasya. The flaw in the religious principle means advancement of irreligiosity. Abhyu tthanam adharmasya. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8].

Paritranaya sadhunam. Sadhu. Sadhu means who are actually following the religious principles. They are called sadhu. Sadhu means good men. There is description of sadhu also,

titiksavah karunikah
suhrdah sarva-dehinam
ajata-satravah santah
sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah
[SB 3.25.21]

Sadhu, one who is called sadhu... Sadhu means titiksavah. Titiksavah means very tolerant, very tolerant, very much tolerant. Titiksavah karunikah. At the same time very kind-hearted. We find these two characters in the life of Lord Jesus. He was very much tolerant, at the same time kind to the people in general. You see? So titiksavah karunikah suhrdah sarva-dehinam. And he is friend. A sadhu is friend of all living entities. He is not only friend of the human kind. He is friend of the animals. He is friend of the trees. He is friend of the ants, worms, reptiles, serpents -- everyone. Titiksavah karunikah suhrdah sarva-dehinam. And ajata-satru. And because he is friend of everyone, he has no enemy. But unfortunately the world is so infidel, even to such a sadhu there is enemy. Just like Lord Jesus Christ had some enemies, and Mahatma Gandhi had also some enemies who killed him. So the world is such treacherous. Even a sadhu, he has some enemies. You see? But sadhu, from his side, he has no enemy. He is friend of everyone. Titiksavah karunikah suhrdah sarva-dehinam. And ajata-satravah santah, always peaceful. These are the qualities of sadhu, saintly persons.

So Lord comes down. Paritranaya sadhunam [Bg. 4.8]. His special purpose of coming down as incarnation is to save the sadhus because sadhus are always persecuted by the demons, the demonic class, the atheist class. They are always prepared to persecute the sadhus. The Lord comes -- paritranaya sadhunam -- just to protect the sadhus or the saintly persons, and vinasaya ca duskrtam, and to vanquish the miscreants. That is the mission. When Lord Krsna comes or any incarnation of Lord comes actually, not so-called advertised incarnation... I mean to say that you will find. All the incarnation in the Vedic literature, they are named there, not that anyone can manufacture himself as incarnation. Every incarnation is mentioned in the Vedic scripture, when and how, what kind of work he will do, and what place, which place, and everything in detail is there so that there is chart of the incarnation. Nobody can become an incarnation beyond that chart. There is chart. Just like there will be an incarnation of Kalki, I have several times spoken before you, which will take place about four millions of years later on. Still, His name is mentioned in the Bhagavata, and the place is also mentioned. His father's name is also mentioned. This is called incarnation.

So Lord comes as incarnation for these two purposes: to protect the saintly persons and to annihilate the atheistic demons, and to establish the real purpose of religion. Now, the point was that is the real purpose of religion? That real purpose of religion, now, Krsna said that "I descend for establishing the purpose of religion." Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati, dharma-samsthapanarthaya [Bg. 4.7]. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. Duskrtam.

These two things, and the third thing is dharma-samsthapanarthaya, and for the purpose of establishing the principle of religion. Now, in the last word He says that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], that "You give up all kinds of religion that you have manufactured. You simply surrender unto Me." So religious principle means to surrender unto God and nothing more. But that's all. That is the real principle of religion. Religion without God consciousness, that is no religion, at least according to Bhagavad-gita. Without God consciousness, without establishing my relationship with the Supreme Lord, there cannot be any religious principle. You may go on advertising some new kind of religious principle, and every day and every moment they are being manufactured in all over the world, and there are so many groups of religious principle, but here, according to Bhagavad-gita, real religious principle means to establish your lost relationship with the Supreme Lord.

We are eternally related with the Supreme Lord, just like the father and the son is eternally related. That relation cannot be cut off. A father may become, a son may become rebellious to his father, but he cannot say that "he is not my father." Is it possible? No, that is not possible. How can it be possible? I may disagree with my father in so many points of view, but if somebody asks you, "Who is your father?" oh, I will have to say the same enemy, who I have taken as my enemy. Similarly, as the father and the son, the relationship cannot be cut off, similarly, our relationship with the Supreme Lord cannot be cut off. It is not possible. If we want to cut off our relationship with the Supreme Lord, or God, by artificial means, then the result will be that we shall be more and more unhappy.

Therefore the principle business of the human civilization is to establish, reestablish the lost relationship. The world is suffering by this lost relationship, godless civilization. That should not be tolerated. People should be taught, they should revive their God consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, by all means and then they will be happy. That is the whole principle. Lord Krsna says that

utsideyur ime loka
na kuryam karma ced aham
sankarasya ca karta syam
upahanyam imah prajah
[Bg. 3.24]

"If I do not set examples in this way, then the whole population of the world will be contaminated, and there will be unwanted population and there will be..." The whole world will appear just like hell. It is not it will be inhabitable for good men.
So therefore, He says, saktah karmany avidvamso yatha kurvanti bharata.

saktah karmany avidvamso
yatha kurvanti bharata
kuryad vidvams tathasaktas
cikirsur loka-sangraham
[Bg. 3.25]

Cikirsur loka-sangraham. Now, somebody is fighting for some personal gain. Now, at the present moment sometimes fighting takes place for some personal ambition. To fulfill some personal ambition. But that was not... That should not be the case. To fulfill one's personal ambition, any risky thing should not be taken. No. Krsna says, "Just like foolish people, they work being too much attached for their sense gratification, similarly, those who are learned, those who are advanced in spiritual knowledge, they also may work similarly, but not for the purpose of sense gratification."

How it is possible? Just like a merchant, a mercantile man, he is doing some business and working very hard day and night to accumulate some money, similarly, a devotee of the Lord also can earn money in the same spirit, working day and night. Superficially it will appear just like this man and that man. There is no difference. They are working the same day and night for earning some money. But the devotee or the man who is established in relationship with God, his expenditure will be different. His expenditure will be not for sense gratification. For advancement of God consciousness. That is the ideal man. There is no harm. If you work, very, very much attached to your business or anyone, that doesn't matter.

The same thing just we have explained before, that the results should be given to God. Just like Rupa Gosvami. Rupa Gosvami... The other day I cited the example. When they retired, they brought home two boats ful of gold coins, millions of rupees. But before retirement they spent 50 percent of the accumulation of wealth for God's cost. And 25 percent he distributed to the relatives. They also expect some money. And 25 percent they kept in the bank for personal needs in some extraordinary times. So here Krsna also said that saktah karmany avidvamsah. Just like fool, those who are after sense gratification, as they are working with full attachment, that "I must have this money. I must accumulate this bank balance and so on, so on," so similarly, yatha kurvanti bharata, as they devote, similarly, vidvams... Vidvan means learned also may work in that way, but he would spend the money in such a way that is example. That is example. That example -- "Oh, such a big man, such a rich man. He distributed his money..." Just like Rupa Gosvami. He distributed his money like this. Oh.

Therefore those who are devotees, those who are following the principles of devotion, they see the ideal. Well, our former acarya or former devotee, I mean to say, guru or spiritual master, he had so much money, and he distributed in this way. The distribution, money, was accepted like that. So people would follow that. So Krsna advises Arjuna that "You also become an ideal man, that you become a fighter for the cause of God. Then you become the ideal man. Your principle will be followed by others."

And that is what I want and therefore I am instructing you. Thank you very much. Now, if you have got any questions, you can put. [break] ...one is checked from doing his rightful duty. That is real violence. In some years ago at Jhansi I was, not in the sannyasa days. I went there, and, by invitation of some friends, and they wanted to give me some lectures. That was Gandhi's birthday, and they asked me to speak on some nonviolence. So I spoke that violence means to check a person from the discharge of his duties. That is violence. That was my viewpoint.

Devotee: To interfere with another's course.

Prabhupada: Yes. Now, every man has got his prime duty of life. If that duty is checked, that is violence. So I wanted to place, and that is a fact from Vedic literature, that human life is meant for realization of God consciousness or reestablishing his relationship, lost relationship, with God. This is the claim of every human being. Human being... I have several times explained to you. The human being is distinct from animal life in this way, that animal, they do not know what is the aim of life. The human life is meant for realizing, self-realization. If any civilization, that is checking people's progress in the matter of self-realization, that is the most virulent type of violence because people are being checked from the natural advancement of life. This human life is the point when one has to end all the miseries of material existence. That is the aim of human life. If people are not educated to that light, if people are misled in other ways, that is the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called atma-han. Atma-han means the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called atma-han. Atma-han means suicidal, suiciding.

There is a nice verse that just like this material world is accepted as a great ocean. Now, to cross over a great Atlantic Ocean from New York to, I mean to say, Portugal... Just like Columbus came. Now we have got great big ships, but he had to face many dangers. Just it is very difficult to cross over the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, but if you have got a very good vehicle, ship or anything else, you can very nicely cross over, similarly, the example is given that this material life is a great ocean, and this human body is a good boat. This human body is a good boat for crossing this ocean. And the spiritual master is a good captain. You see? And the instruction of Lord Krsna, or a similar instruction, Vedic instruction, are favorable wind. Just like if you want to cross the Atlantic Ocean from New York, if the wind is blowing westward, then your journey becomes very favorable. So the favorable wind is blowing by this instruction of the Vedas, and there are many stalwart acaryas who are just like the captain, and this human body is just like a good ship.

Now, the living soul who is seated in such a favorable condition, if he does not cross over the material ocean, then he is making suicide. He is making suicide. Sa eva atma-han. So we have to take advantage. We have to take advantage of this favorable condition to end this miserable material existence. And if anyone does not take the advantage, then he is committing suicide. That is the version of Bhagavata. Or... Either he is personally committing suicide or any civilization which is checking this process, that is also violent, the most virulent type of violence, because people are misled. So this is the idea of the scriptures, that human life should be utilized only for spiritual self-realization. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966