Cornerstone For Godly Civilization 75/01/23 Bombay, Bhagavad-gita 16.7-9

Cornerstone For Godly Civilization

75/01/23 Bombay, Bhagavad-gita 16.7-9


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada



Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) Hm? You bring. You can bring one chair here. (pause)

pravrttim ca nivrttim ca
jana na vidur asurah
na saucam napi cacaro
na satyam tesu vidyate

asatyam apratistham te
jagad ahur anisvaram
aparaspara-sambhutam
kim anyat kama-haitukam


etam drstim avastabhya
nastatmanah alpa-buddhayah
prabhavanty ugra-karmanah
ksayaya jagatah ahitah

Just like we were talking of industries. The industries, they are mentioned in the Bhagavad-gita as ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means ferocious activities. For livelihood, we require our maintenance. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-mai... These are the primary necessities of this body, material body. For that, Krsna has said, annad bhavanti bhutani. Anna -- means food grains -- we require. Annad bhavanti bhutani. That food grains we can produce very easily by agriculture. In another place, Krsna says, krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. We can produce sufficient food grains for our maintenance, and the whole world has got sufficient land. I have traveled over the world at least fourteen times. During the last eight years, I have traveled all over the world, even interior. I have seen there is enough land, especially in Africa, in Australia, in America, and we can produce so much food grains that ten times of this present population can be easily maintained. Ten times. There is no scarcity of food. But the difficulty is that we have demarcated, "This is my land." Somebody says, "This is America, my land," "Australia, my land," "The Africa, my land," "India, my land." This "my" and "I." Janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. This is called illusion, that "I" and "my." "I am this body, and this is my property." This is called illusion. And this illusion, if we stand on this platform of illusion, then we are no better than the animals.

yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesu abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah
[SB 10.84.13]

Go means cow, and kharah means ass. Those who are in the bodily concept of life, aham mameti [SB 5.5.8], they are no better than these asses and the cows, means the animals. This is going on. I'll not take much of your time, but I shall try to convince you what is the purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement. The purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement is to save the human society from becoming animals, cows and asses. This is the movement. They have established their civilization... As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, animal or asuric civilization, asuric civilization, beginning is pravrttim ca nivrttim ca jana na vidur asurah. The asuric, demonic, civilization, they do not know in which way we have to guide ourself for attaining the perfection of life, pravrtti, and nivrtti, and which we shall not take -- favorable and unfavorable. Human life... Everyone knows, "This is favorable for me, and this is unfavorable for me." So asurah jana, those who are demonic persons, they do not know this, that "What is favorable for me and what is not favorable for me." Pravrttim nivrttim ca jana na vidur asurah, na saucam napi cacarah: "There is no cleanliness, nor good behavior." Na satyam tesu vidya...: "And there is no truth in their life." This is asuric. We have heard many times, "asuras," "asuric civilization," "demonic civilization." This is the beginning.

pravrttim ca nivrttim ca
jana na vidur asurah
na saucam napi cacaro
na satyam tesu...

Satyam, there is no truthfulness. And just the first-class life means the brahmana life. Satyam saucam tapo. The beginning is satyam. The asuric life is no satya, no truth, and the first-class life in human society, the brahmanas, is satyam saucam tapo, and titiksa arjavah astikyam jnanam vijnanam. This is first-class life.

So our Krsna consciousness movement is to create a class of men ideal, first-class men with satyam saucam tapo samah damah titiksah. This is godly civilization. And this godly civilization can be given to the whole world by India. That is India's special privilege. Because in other countries beyond India they are almost asuri-jana and ugra-karma. The industries and other ugra-karma has come from the Western countries. But by this way people will never be happy. That is very elaborately explained in the Sixteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. Duspura akanksa. Their desire will never be satisfied by this material advancement. They do not know. They are forgetting. So we selected this Bombay. Bombay city is the best city, most advanced city in India, the best city in India. And people are also very nice. They are religiously inclined. They are opulent. They can take up better things very nicely. Therefore I wanted to start this center, Bombay, for spreading this Krsna consciousness movement. Although there have been many impediments in my endeavor, still, ultimately it is Krsna's business. It will come successful. So today... The foundation and cornerstone establishment was done two years before, but there were many, many impediments from the asuric jana. Now, some way or other, we have got little relief from such impediments. So we are putting this cornerstone this auspicious day, and I am very glad that you have joined us.

So the mission is very, very authorized, and it comprehends a very large jurisdiction of activities. Therefore my request is that the inhabitants of Bombay, especially those who are our members, they will kindly take active part, how to make this institution very successful in Bombay. So many ladies and gentlemen are present here. We are, whatever we are doing it is not whimsical or mental concoction. It is authorized and just to the standard of Bhagavad-gita. Our present movement is based on Bhagavad-gita -- Bhagavad-gita as it is. We don't interpret. We do not interpret foolishly because... I say purposefully this word "foolishly," that why should we interpret Krsna's words? Am I more than Krsna? Or did Krsna leave some portion to be explained by me by interpretation? Then what is the importance of Krsna? If I give my own interpretation, thinking myself more than Krsna, this is blasphemy. How I can become more than Krsna? If actually we want to take advantage of this Bhagavad-gita, then we must take Bhagavad-gita as it is. Just like Arjuna took. Arjuna, after hearing Bhagavad-gita, he said, sarvam etam rtam manye: "I accept all the words, my dear Kesava, whatever You have said. I accept them in toto, without any change." This is understanding of Bhagavad-gita, not that I take advantage of the Bhagavad-gita and I interpret in my foolish way so that people will accept my philosophy. This is not Bhagavad-gita. There is no question of interpretation in the Bhagavad-gita. Interpretation is allowed when you cannot understand. When the things are clearly understood... If I say, "This is microphone," everyone understands this is microphone. Where is the necessity of interpreting it? There is no necessity. This is foolishness, misleading. There cannot be any interpretation in the Bhagavad-gita. It is... Everything is clear to the point. Just like Bhagavan Krsna says... Krsna does not say that "You all become sannyasi and give up your occupational duty." No. Krsna says, sva-karmana tam abhyarcya samsiddhih labhate narah. You remain in your business. You remain your occupation. There is no need of changing. But still, you can become Krsna conscious and make your life successful. This is the message of Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita is not going to make any topsy-turvy of the social order or spiritual order. No. It should be standardized according to the authority. And the best authority is Krsna.

So make this center successful, you ladies and gentlemen of Bombay. We have got very nice place. We are building so that you can come here, stay, at least in weekend. If you stay, all those who are retired or elderly gentlemen, ladies, they can come here and stay. We will have sufficient place. But try to organize these principles of Bhagavad-gita all over the world. That will be the gift of India. Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired that anyone who has taken birth in India as human being, not cats and dogs... Cats and dog cannot take any part for doing good to others. He said,

bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]

"Anyone who has taken his birth as human being in India, Bharata-bhumi, first of all make your life successful." Because you have got the standard, how to make life successful. Here is Bhagavad-gita. Try to understand it, make your life successful, and then broadcast this message all over the world. That is paropakara. So actually, India and India's people, they are meant for paropakara. We are not meant for exploiting others. That is not our mission. Actually that is being done. Everyone goes out of India. They go there to exploit. But it is for the first time that India is giving something to the outsiders, this spiritual knowledge. And the proof you can see. We are giving, we are not taking. We do not go to beg, "Give me wheat, give me money, give me this, give me that." No. We are giving something substantial, and they are feeling obliged. Otherwise, why these young men and girls, they are after this Krsna consciousness movement? They are feeling something, that they are getting something tangible. So it has got potency, very good potency. They are not feeling like Americans or Canadians or Australians. We are also not feeling as Indians. On the spiritual platform we are one.

vidya-vinaya-sampanne
brahmane gavi hastini
suni caiva sva-pake ca
panditah sama-darsinah
[Bg. 5.18]

This is real learning. Atmavat sarva-bhutesu. Even the great politician, Canakya Pandita, he says,

matrvat para-daresu
para-dravyesu lostravat
atmavat sarva-bhutesu
yah pasyati sa panditah

So this is a great culture, Bhagavad-gita as it is. So those responsible ladies and gentlemen are present here, make this center very successful and come here, study Bhagavad-gita as it is without any foolish interpretation. I say foolish again and again because interpretation is not at all required. Everything is clear, from the very beginning.

dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre
samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavas caiva
kim akurvata sanjaya
[Bg. 1.1]

So very clear. Kuruksetra is dharma-ksetra still. In the Vedas it is stated, kuruksetre dharmam acaret: "One should go to Kuruksetra and perform religious rituals." Therefore it is dharma-ksetra from time immemorial. And why should we interpret it that "This Kuruksetra means this body, dharmaksetra, this body"? Why? Why mislead people? Stop this misleading. And Kuruksetra is still there. Kuruksetra station, railway station, is there. So try to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is, make your life successful, and spread this message all over the world. You will be happy; the world will be happy. Of course, I am now very old man. I am eighty years old. My life is finished. But I want some responsible Indian and combined with other countries... Other countries, they are giving good cooperation. Otherwise, it was not possible for me to spread in so short time, only seven or eight years, to preach this cult all over the world. So I require the cooperation of the Indian, especially young men, educated men. Come forward. Stay with us. Study Bhagavad-gita. We haven't got anything to manufacture. Nothing to manufacture. And what we can manufacture? We are all imperfect. Whatever is there, let us study it and practically apply in life and spread the message all over the world. That is our mission.

So today is very auspicious day. With great difficulty we have got now sanction. Now please cooperate with this attempt as far as possible with your pranair arthair dhiya vaca, four things: by your life, by your words, by your money... Pranair arthair dhiya vaca sreya-acaranam sada. This is the mission of human life. Whatever you have got... It is not that "Because I am poor man, I cannot help this movement." No. If you have got... You have got your life. So if you dedicate your life, that is all-perfect. If you cannot dedicate your life, give some money. But if you can..., poor man, you cannot give money, then you give some intelligence. And if you are fool, then give your words. So any way, you can help this movement and do the welfare activities for India and outside India. So that is my request. I welcome you. Of course, today is ekadasi. We are, mostly we are fasting. Some prasadam will be given. So it is not the question of prasadam; it is the question of the important work we are taking in hand, how to spread a God consciousness movement. Otherwise, you will never be happy. Simply material consciousness, grha-ksetra... Ato grha-ksetra-sutapta-vittair janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. This material civilization means the sex desire. Woman is hunting after man; man if hunting after woman. Pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam tayor mithah. And as soon as they are united, they require grha, apartment; grha-ksetra, land; grha-ksetra-suta, children, friends, money; and the moho, the illusion, aham mameti [SB 5.5.8], "It is I, it is mine." This is material civilization. But the human life is not meant for that. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam 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 Bharatavarsa.

bharata-bhumite manusya-janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]

This is paropakara movement, to do welfare to others, not like cats and dogs, simply bring money and sense enjoy. This is not human life. Human life is for paropakara. People are in ignorance, without any knowledge of God, without the ideal of life. They are simply working like cats and dogs and hogs. So they should be educated. Human life is the chance for getting such education. So this is the center for educating the human society to become actually human being and make his life successful.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Cornerstone Laying -- Bombay, January 23, 1975