"Modern Facilities--Beneficial?"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.10
September 16, 1972, Los Angeles



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

pancamah kapilo nama
siddhesah kala-viplutam
provacasuraye sankhyam
tattva-grama-vinirnayam

Translation: "The fifth incarnation, named Lord Kapila, is foremost amongst perfected beings. He gave an exposition of the creative elements and metaphysics to Asuri Brahmana, for in course of time this knowledge had been lost."

Prabhupada: So sankhyam. Sankhyam means... Sam means complete, khyam means description. "Complete description of creation." Kala-viplutam, there is complete description how the cosmic manifestation is created, but people forget it, kala-viplutam. So this knowledge is existing since the time of creation. Everything materially created has got six stages. The first stage is creation, and the second stage is growth. The third stage is maintenance, the fourth stage is production, the fifth stage is dwindling, and the sixth stage, vanishing. This is anything material.

The scientists, they are very much busy. Just this morning our scientist, Svarupa Damodara, was speaking about an article: the scientists are very much busy that the source of supply is being decreased. Just like petroleum. Petroleum, gas, that is diminishing. Now, whole modern materialistic civilization is depending on the motorcars and aeroplanes, transportation. So if the petroleum supply is stopped, then what will be the condition of the society? Formerly there was no need of going to see a friend thirty miles away, because every friend was within the village. Now, because we have got motorcar, we create friendship with a man who lives fifty miles away. We accept a job fifty miles away. In Hawaii our Gaurasundara was going to attend office fifty miles off. By fifty miles off... In big, big cities like New York, Calcutta, we have seen people are coming to attend their office from hundred miles off. I have seen also in aeroplane there are many people... I have seen in England. Many workers or gentlemen, they are coming from Glasgow to London for working, by aeroplane.

So we have created a civilization that... We have created a facility for transport by motorcar or by aeroplane, but side by side, we have created another difficulty, that a man has to go to his work three hundred miles away. Side by side. Formerly, a man used to work on his field, a few steps from his house. Now we have created facility of transport; therefore we have to go to work three hundred miles away from home. This is the position. But they have no brain. They're thinking they're advancing. (chuckles) Advancing in this way, that "For my livelihood I have to go three hundred miles, three hours at least, not less than three hours. Or six hours I have to spoil. Then I can go to my office. Then I work there whole day, and again come, again six hours. Then I come at night to sleep along with my family for three hours." Yes. This is our facility. Yes.

One... There is a story. Not story, it is a fact. One day, one grown-up child was asking his mother, "Who is this gentleman?" The father was there. So the mother said, "He is your father, my dear child." So he did not see his father until he grew three years or four years old. Because when he was child, the father was rising early in the morning. At that time, child was sleeping. And he was going to office, and when he comes back, the child was sleeping. So unless the child grew four years old, he could not see his father. Is it not the position of this? It is a story or an instruction, because the man, the gentleman, was going office early in the morning... There are still. They start at six o'clock from home to catch the first train. We have seen in Calcutta. First train is seven o'clock, and they come in Calcutta after two hours, nine o'clock. Then attends office, and again he catches another train, five o'clock. He goes, late at night. In Bombay also, big, big cities. This is the position.

So we are advancing in science, but at the same time, the so-called science, at the same time we are creating many disadvantages. Many disadvantages. From practical experience I say that when I came to your country... In India it is very difficult to get a telephone. You have to wait in the waiting list at least for two years or you have to bribe the authorities, say, five thousand, two thousand, like that. So when I got this facility of telephone... Because as soon as I deposited forty dollars... Forty dollars? The next day the telephone was in my room. So I was very glad. But after getting my telephone, I was disturbed always. (laughter) Some of my students asking, phoning me, (telephone sound) cling, cling, and "Swamiji, how you are feeling?" At twelve o'clock at night. (laughter). Yes.

So try to understand. The so-called facility of the modern science means creating so many difficulties also. That is the position. Just like formerly, a preacher could not come to your country, say, fifty years or a hundred years ago. So he was preaching within his limit. But we have got now facilities, so we are preaching everywhere. So from Krsna consciousness, we can utilize all facilities in the proper channel. But not materially. Now, we are utilizing this facility of aeroplane; that means we are getting good chance for serving Krsna. But others, materialists, they are getting this facility so that his child cannot recognize him. So we can take all facilities... So therefore we are actually utilizing the scientific improvements for the benefit of the people; the karmis, they cannot. They are in difficulties, in the actually...

So the sankhya philosophy, sankhya philosophy is analytical study of the elements of creation. Samyak khyayate. Samyak means completely, khyayate. So how? First of all, there was vibration; then, from vibration there was sky, creation, beginning of creation. And then, from sky there was sound; then, from sound there was air; then, from air there was electricity, or fire; then, from electricity there was water, and from water there is land. This is shortly described. Then how this mind is created, intelligence is created, how the controller created? These are described in the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam also, in many places. So it is not that we are simply chanting and dancing. That is the ultimate goal of life. But we know how this creation has taken place, how it is being maintained, how it will be annihilated, what will happen after annihilation -- everything we know by this sankhya philosophy. But they do not know. The so-called scientists, they are troubled what will happen next. That is the...

So Kapila Muni is incarnation of God. He described the sankhya philosophy and bhakti-yoga. In the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, His instructions are there. He was giving instruction to His mother, Devahuti. His father left Him under the care of the mother. He went to forest for liberation. So when He grew up, He instructed His mother. He's known..., Kapiladeva is known as Devahuti-putra, the son of Devahuti. All incarnation of God is famous, especially by mother's name. Just like Krsna is famous by Yasoda-nandana, Devaki-nandana. He is very much pleased when His name is made in connection with His mother and father. Nanda-nandana, Vasudeva-nandana. Similarly, here also, Devahuti-nandana, Devahuti-putra Kapila. So this Kapiladeva sankhya philosophy has described how the elements came in, how the subtle elements mind, intelligence develop, how these gross elements earth, water, fire, all these gross elements develop.

So there are eight elements, namely... They are described in Bhagavad-gita also. Five gross elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether. These are gross elements. And the subtle or finer elements are the mind, intelligence, ego. These are eight elements. And the subjects of sense perception, and ten sense organs. Ten sense organs, five subject matter of sense perception, fifteen, and these eight elements, material elements, fifteen and eight, twenty-three, and avyakta, or the living entity. And then God. In this way the whole philosophy is described. That is called sankhya philosophy.

So sankhya philosophy is always there. Kala-viplutam. In due course of time, everything becomes invisible or unknown. Just like Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita was spoken long, long ago, before speaking to Arjuna. Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. Therefore, all Vedic knowledge, they are not research knowledge. They are existing always, since the time of creation. These so-called scientists, they are simply wasting their time by so-called research work. There is nothing to be researched. Everything is there. Every knowledge is there. How to make your life perfect, that is also there, but they will not consult this knowledge. They will try to make a research and waste time and waste money, public money, and pass on as great scientist, philosopher, leaders, politician, and mislead people, without any factual knowledge. Now they are thinking, at the present moment, the scientists, that things are diminishing. Actually, they'll diminish. It is already stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. It will so diminish that there will be no more wheat, no more rice, no more food grains, no more fruits, and no more milk, no more sugar. It will be finished. Simply you have to eat stones and seeds and flesh. You'll have to. And the politicians will go on exploiting.

Everything is written there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. You consult Twelfth Canto. Beginning from Second Chapter you'll see, all these things are mentioned. People will decrease their span of life, their intelligence, memory, their propensity for mercifulness, and duration of life, so many things. That will be reduced. And you are seeing, they are being reduced. And people are becoming vagabonds. That is also stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. That when I first read in India the statement lavanyam kesa-dharanam, that "In this age, dwindling age, people will think of himself, one will think he has become very beautiful by keeping long hairs." That is also mentioned. So when I came to your kind country, I saw these young people are keeping long hairs. So it was immediately corroborated. Similarly, everything is described there. The dam-patye ratim eva hi: husband and wife relationship means sex. This is the age. As soon as the husband will be unable to satisfy his wife by sex, he will find out another husband and file divorce. These are stated already in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. And these are happening. And a man, when he lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered grand old man. These are all stated. So why research? You consult Vedic literature, you have got all information, everything. How the world is created, how it will be annihilated, how it is being maintained, who is the Supreme in this management -- everything is there. That is called Sankhya philosophy. Everything is there.

So Kapiladeva, He gave us this sankhya philosophy. Later on, there was another. He imitated. He also named himself Kapila, and he gave the same philosophical process, sankhya philosophy, Kapila. That is nirisa; he's godless. Because all the scientists, all the philosophers in this age, their only tendency is how to get out God, "No more God. That is very primitive. To talk of God is a primitive idea. Now we are advanced in science; why we shall talk about God?" This is the tendency. This is the tendency. But how you can solve all these questions without accepting God? Without accepting a supreme source of everything, how you can solve? It is not possible. You are simply a product of this cosmic manifestation. Your brain, your teeny brain is composed of some muscles and veins. That is product of this material world. You cannot even produce a brain. Just consider. Can you produce a brain? You are eulogizing a great scientist like Professor Einstein. All right. Why not Professor Einstein creating a brain like him? Why? What is the difficulty? He may create a brain like him and keep it in the glass case so that there will be no shortage of scientific men. But why he dies? Why he dies? Who is forcing him to death? Why he becomes diseased? Why he becomes old man? Who is controlling?

So to accept the supreme controller is a must question. You must! Without it, you cannot go forward. You must have to accept. We can, we can appreciate the brain of a scientist, but how, what the is who has created that brain? We are seeing to that person, who has created, not to the brain. Just like a child appreciates a motorcar, how it is running. But his father appreciates the driver, that how the driver is running nicely. So therefore, we should not be surprised by the creation or the working of material nature. We should appreciate who is conducting, who is the background of this material nature.

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

mayadhyaksena prakrtih
suyate sa-caracaram
hetunanena kaunteya
jagad viparivartate
[Bg. 9.10]

He says, mayadhyaksena, "Under My direction," Krsna says, "Prakrti, this material nature, is working." Mayadhyaksena. Just see how he is working, how prakrti is working. Just like in this month in your country, it is called fall? September? After a few days, so many trees will fall, all the leaves will fall down. Again in April, immediately, millions of trees will grow, immediately, all. If you have to manufacture these leaves, one after another, and set up in the tree, just see, how much difficult it will be. But by the laws of nature, by God's energy, immediately, within a few days, millions of trees are getting their leaves again and millions of trees, they are falling. Millions of fruits are coming out. Similarly, all this cosmic manifestation came into existence simply by the will of God. Not that... Just like in season, there are hundreds and thousands and millions of fruits. You haven't got to create each fruit. When the season is there, the fruits are all ready, immediately. Similarly, when God says, "Let there be creation," millions of planets, immediately created. That is God. Not that cheap God, "I am God." In your country they come, and you become cheated. We don't accept such cheap God. We want this God. Simply by His will, millions of universes are created.

yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya
jivanti loma-vilaja jagad-anda-nathah
visnur mahan sa iha yasya kala-viseso
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
[Bs. 5.48]

We are not seeking after a cheap God. Real God. That is Krsna. That is Krsna. Govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami **.

So we are not so fool that... Why we shall make research? Everything is there. So we are confident. We know what is going to happen. It is not astrology. It is... Everything is there in the Vedic knowledge. Veda means knowledge, full knowledge. You take advantage of it and become learned.

Thank you. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.10 -- Los Angeles, September 16, 1972