"At Any Moment--Kicked Out" 76/08/17 Hyderabad, Bhagavad-gita 13.22

Prabhupada: Where is Bhagavad-gita? Bhagavad-gita?

Hari-sauri: Karatalas, Srila Prabhupada? Karatalas?

Prabhupada: Bring Bhagavad-gita.

purusah prakrti-stho hi
bhunkte prakrti-jan gunan
karanam guna-sango 'sya
sad-asad-yoni-janmasu
[Bg. 13.22]

Purusa, purusa means enjoyer and prakrti means enjoyed. So real purusa is Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the living entities, they are actually prakrti. There are three kinds of prakrtis or energies. God has got different energies. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. Svabhaviki. Just like an intelligent person he has varieties of intelligence and energy. We see sometimes in human society a particular person has got special intelligence, special energy. So what to speak of the Supreme Lord. He has got varieties of energies and all of these energies taken together primarily divided into three, the material energy, the spiritual energy and the marginal energy.

The material energy, this cosmic manifestation, as we see one universe and each universe is filled up with many planetary systems, suns, moons, and other planets. This is one universe. Similarly there are many millions of universes. We get information from Vedic sastra, yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti. Jagad-anda-koti [Bs. 5.40].

Jagad-anda means this universe and there are hundreds and millions. Numberless. And each universe is filled up with innumerable planets. Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. Vasudha, planets. So all these manifestations of material energy. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita.

athava bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat
[Bg. 10.42]

This jagat is one-fourth manifestation of the material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called prakrti. So purusa. (aside:) Don't talk.

Purusa. We living entities, we are sometimes called purusa because we artificially exhibit our propensity to enjoy this material world. So purusa means the enjoyer. Therefore sometimes we are called purusa. Here the living entities as a whole is called purusa. Here even the woman, she is also purusa. Because the same spirit. "I shall enjoy to my best capacity." Either man or woman. Therefore she is also in that sense purusa. She wants to enjoy. The man also wants to enjoy.

But both of them, prakrti-stha, we are under the control of this prakrti. This is our position. We must understand our position.

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

Purusa, the living entity, is fully under the control of material nature. That's a fact. You cannot deny it. If you deny it, then ahankara-vimudhatma. Simply by false egotism we declare independence, but that is not possible. This is jnana. So this purusa, this living entity, prakrti-stha, being under the control of prakrti, material nature, bhunkte, he is obliged, He is forced. Prakrti-jan gunan. He is forced, he is obliged to accept the supremacy of the modes of material nature. Prakrti-jan gunan.

There are three modes of material nature: goodness, sattva, rajas, tamas. So goodness, passion, and ignorance. So either of them, we have to accept either of them. So on account of accepting the association of a particular type of modes of material nature, karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu [Bg. 13.22].

Why there are different varieties of living entities? Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati krmayo rudra-sankhyakah. There are nine hundred thousand species forms of life within the water. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. There are two million forms of plants, trees, like that. Creepers. And krmayo rudra-sankhyakah. And insects, eleven lakhs species. In this way there are eight million four hundred thousand forms of life. Krsna says, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayah yah [Bg. 14.4]. In all the forms of life, as many living entities are there, tasam mahad yonir brahma aham bija-pradah pita. "I am the seed-giving father of all of them." So every living entity is the son of God. But according to karma they have accepted different forms of life. Some of them are in the water, some of them are the plants and trees, some of them are insects, some of them are birds, beasts.

And the human life is a great chance to understand that how we have been put into the clutches of prakrti. Purusah prakrti-sthah. How I have been put in... You cannot... If somebody says "It is all right I am put within this material nature, prakrti. So what is the wrong? Let me remain." That is called ignorance. Because you are a spirit soul. You are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. The spirit soul is transmigrating from one body to another beginning from the aquatic life up to this human life and above this human life this transmigration is going on. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. You have to change your body within this material world, according to your karma. You have to change your body.

Unfortunately there is no education, there is no knowledge about this throughout the whole world. We are thinking that after annihilation of this body everything is finished. No, that is not the fact. Tatha dehantara-praptih. If a young man thinks that "I have got now this body for enjoyment. I am young man. I shall not become an old man." That is not the fact. Young man has to become old man. That is prakrti-jan gunan. cannot say that "I shall remain young man forever and enjoy life." That is not possible. Similarly you have to change your body. Tatha dehantara-praptih. Unfortunately there is no discussion, there is no education, there is no institute for this important factors of life and people are kept in darkness. This is Kali-yuga. They do not care to know neither there is arrangement in the educational institution to know this fact although the fact is there it is explained by Krsna. Krsna personally explaining tatha dehantara-praptih. Antavanta ime deha nityasyoktah saririnah [Bg. 2.18]. This body is perishable, but the saririnah, one who possesses this body, he is nitya, sasvata. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. This knowledge is missing. That is the defect of modern civilization. Atheistic civilization. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy. This is not very good position.

Today I may be in good position, I may be millionaire, I may be prime minister, but when death will come it will take everything from you, and it will oblige you to go to a species form of life which you cannot you deny. Purusah prakrti-stho hi bhunkte prakrti-jan gunan [Bg. 13.22]. If (indistinct) have infected some disease, you must suffer from it. There is no excuse. Even a child, if he touches the fire, the fire will not excuse. "Because it is a child, he does not know, therefore I shall not burn his finger." No. No excuse. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. You cannot escape the stringent laws of nature. That is not possible. If you are foolishly thinking that "I shall escape the punishment or reward of the prakrti."

Actually so long we are within this material world, prakrti-stha, there is no question of enjoyment. It is false enjoyment. Suppose you are well-situated after hard struggle. How long you will remain in that situation. At any moment he may be kicked out. That is your position. Mrtyuh sarva-haras caham [Bg. 10.34]. So real knowledge is must seriously think that "If I am eternal what shall I do with this temporary position?" I may stay here for fifty years or forty years or... Say a hundred years. Not hundred years, it is not possible. At most thirty, forty years. But I am not meant for thirty, forty years. I am eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. This knowledge is not coming. There is no system of education.

It is a very dangerous type of civilization without any spiritual knowledge. Very, very dangerous position. Risky. So this Krsna consciousness movement on authoritative basis trying to enlighten people to release him from these clutches of maya and ignorance. This is Krsna consciousness movement. And it is authorized because we are speaking on the basis of Bhagavad-gita. On the basis of Vedic knowledge. And Bhagavad-gita is the essence of Vedic knowledge.

Bhagavan says in the Bhagavad-gita, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. What is the purpose of Vedic knowledge? The purpose of Vedic knowledge to understand Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. Bhagavad-gita is also the process to know Krsna. Therefore it is the essence of Vedic knowledge. Because if it is a fact that by studying Vedas one has to understand Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. So Krsna is explaining Himself, what He is. So therefore it is essence of Vedic knowledge. This essence of Vedic knowledge is there. It is very simple. Anyone can understand. There is no difficulty.

When Krsna says dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samaveta yuyutsavah [Bg. 1.1], where is the difficulty? The Kuruksetra is still there. Everyone knows. There is a railway station of the name Kuruksetra and there is a place Kuruksetra. Now it is being developed by the government. So how you can explain Kuruksetra otherwise? Kuruksetra is a fact, and it is a dharma-ksetra. Still many millions of Indians go there to visit, especially during the solar eclipse occasion they go there. And when Krsna was staying on this planet He, His brother Balarama, and His sister Subhadra also visited Kuruksetra. That ceremony is observed as Ratha-yatra. Three persons, two brothers and one sister. We are celebrating, introduced this Ratha-yatra system in the Western countries and recently we had this festival in New York. Very successfully. Perhaps you have read in the paper.

Anyway, this movement is strictly based on the sastra and the Vedic knowledge, and the essence of Vedic knowledge is the Bhagavad-gita. And we are presenting as it is. We do not explain Kuruksetra as this body. There is no meaning. There is no dictionary which means Kuruksetra this body. So Kuruksetra is a place. Dharmaksetra, it is a place of religion or as our Vedic instruction, kuruksetre dharman yajayet. You go to Kuruksetra and perform ritualistic ceremonies, that is recommended. So there is no question of interpreting Kuruksetra Dharmaksetra when you can understand it very easily and directly.

There is no use of interpretation. Interpretation is required when you cannot understand one statement. In the law court if one statement is ambiguous then two parties argue on it. "I think it is this," "I think..." But when it is clear there is no question of interpretation. Unfortunately the Bhagavad-gita is being interpreted by unauthorized persons unnecessarily, and people are kept into darkness. We are trying to protest against this process.

We are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is, and people are taking advantage of it in the Western countries. They are taking good interest, they are reading Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam in very large scale, increasing our book sales every year, millions and millions dollars. we are already selling, I have already stated. unexpected, sixty hundred thousand, sixty thousand dollars per day. People are taking so much interest in this literature.

So try to understand that we are purusa. Purusa means we are part and parcel of the Krsna is described as the param brahma param dhama purusam param [Bg. 10.12]. He's parama-purusa and we are subordinate purusa. We have got the same constitutional position but very minute. Anor aniyan mahato mahiyan. Krsna is mahatah, greater than the greatest, and we are the smaller than the smallest. But the particle is the same. As particle of gold is also gold. But the particle of gold is never equal to the gold mine. We should understand this. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. We are part and parcel of the Supreme Person therefore we have got all the propensities and qualities of God but very minute quantity. That minute quantity is also now covered by this material energy. That is our position. Purusah prakrti-sthah.

Being under the clutches of this prakrti, whatever little light was there as part and parcel of God, that is now covered. So this position has to be discovered or this covering has to be taken away, then we come to our position, original position. That is called brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. As soon as this covering is taken away, then you become brahma-bhutah. Now we are jiva-bhutah. Under the covering of this material energy we are jiva-bhutah. When covering is taken away then we are brahma-bhutah.

brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]

So if you try to become brahma-bhutah that is not very difficult. Just try to understand that you are not this body. You are spirit soul. You are entrapped by this body, and you have to change this body. And according to your work you have to accept another body.

Don't be satisfied with the present bodily situation, that you are very happily situated. That's not the fact. You have to change this position. You have to accept another body and you do not know what kind of body you have to accept. It will be given by prakrti. Karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu [Bg. 13.22]. So don't be irresponsible to your life. Be responsible and be prepared for the next life and act accordingly, as the direction is there in the Bhagavad-gita, and prove that you are human being. The animal cannot do. If you do not do it, then you remain an animal. The animal has no capacity to understand Vedic knowledge or the Bhagavad-gita. And even though we have got the intelligence if do not utilize it to understand the instruction in the Bhagavad-gita and Vedic knowledge, then purposefully we keep ourself within the category of animals.

So our, this Krsna consciousness movement is a humble attempt to awaken the whole human society to this spiritual knowledge and act according to the instruction of spiritual life and be happy and be prepared for the next life. The perfection of next life is to become free from the laws of material nature. That is the highest perfection. Samsiddhim paramam gatah. That can be possible when you go back home back to Godhead. That is not very difficult at the same time. Janma karma ca divyam me janati tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. Very simple thing. You simply try to understand Krsna. Why Krsna comes. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. What is dharmasya glanih? What is dharma? Why does He come? Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. Who is sadhu, who is duskrta? These things are to be studied.

If you neglect, if you remain like animal without studying all these what is the value of your life? So this Krsna consciousness movement is trying to awaken people. "Wake up!" Uttisthata jagrata prapya varan nibodhata. You have got this opportunity. Try to understand yourself. Why you should go on like animals and imperceptibly change your body from one to another, one to another. This is bhava-roga. This is not very good position. we shall request you to take advantage of this movement, join it, study, and inquire, and be actually in knowledge. Jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42]. This is the business of brahmana. One who knows Brahman. Jnanam vijnanam astikyam. Astikyam means to have faith in the authoritative Vedic knowledge. That is called astikyam.

According to our Vedic principles one who has full faith in the Vedic knowledge, he's astika. And who has no faith in the Vedic knowledge, he's nastika. So be astika, don't be nastika. There is no useful purpose becoming a nastika. Be astika. And the essence of Vedic knowledge is Bhagavad-gita because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is speaking personally. Take advantage of it. Apply it practically life and be happy not only in this life, but the next life.

Thank you very much.

Unidentified speaker: Can we ask if anybody has any questions?

Prabhupada: Thank you very much. If anybody has any questions, he can put them forward. Anybody any questions.

Prabhupada: No question?

Indian: Prabhu, Vivekananda also stated, "Awake. Arise. Stop not until the goal is reached." What goal did he preach?

Prabhupada: Ask him, I do not know. (laughter) Call Vivekananda and ask him. You are devotee of Vivekananda, you do not know what did he mean? What kind of devotee you are? You are asking me? What? You do not know? This is going on. He does not know Vivekananda and he is a devotee of Vivekananda. This is not good. You must know what Vivekananda said, what is his ultimate goal of life. You must be intelligent.

Now we are speaking of Krsna and the Supreme Person. Mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]. So there is no need of Vivekananda. When the Supreme Person is speaking, accepted by all. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that "You are accepted by authorities." Vyasa, Devala, Asita, Narada. We have to accept authority who is accepted by authorities. Vyasadeva, Narada, Devala, Asita, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Caitanya, even Sankaracarya -- they have accepted Krsna as the supreme authority. You take the authorities statement. Don't go elsewhere. Then you'll be misled. When the supreme authority is speaking, take it and apply it in life. You'll be happy. Hare Krsna.

Any other questions? So let us have kirtana. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 13:22 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976