The Enjoyer Mentality
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.08
Bombay, December 20, 1974
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Nitai: "The cause of the conditioned
soul's material body and senses, and the senses' presiding deities, the
demigods, is the material nature. This is understood by learned men. The
feelings of happiness and distress of the soul, who is transcendental by nature,
are caused by the spirit soul himself."
Prabhupada:
karya-karana-kartrtve
karanam prakrtim viduh
bhoktrtve sukha-duhkhanam
purusam prakrteh param
[SB 3.26.8]
Purusam. We are also prakrti, but here it has been said, purusa. Living entity is prakrti. Original position is prakrti. Prakrti means subordinate. We have got experience in this material world also: prakrti, stri, and purusa, husband and wife. Natural position is that the wife is under or subordinate to the husband. At least that is the Vedic conception. Therefore woman places herself in the position of dasi. Dasi, maidservant. Even the queens of Krsna, when... You will find in the Bhagavata, Srimad-Bhagavatam, when there was talking between the queens and Draupadi at Kuruksetra on some festival, that, as women, mixing together, they talk about their marriage, about their family, about their husband, so they were also talking. So Draupadi was asking the queens of Krsna how they are married. Because in each time Krsna had to fight to get the wife. That is the ksatriya principle. Without fight, there is no marriage. There must be some fight. And after killing the opposing party, their blood is taken and smeared over it. This is red vermillion. Now it can be purchased. (laughter) There is no fight. You can purchase, two paisa, that's all. But formerly a ksatriya must fight, and there were many opposing princes, and the victorious prince must kill or at least get some blood from the body, and as victorious, the wife will be smeared.
Anyway, so the point is that even the queens of Krsna, they are not ordinary woman, very exalted. So they were giving their acquaintances to Draupadi, "In this way I became a maidservant of Krsna." You will find this in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Even the queens... Every queen possessed a big palatial building, and all the palaces were made of first-class marble, and the furnitures were made of ivory, and the beddings, and the within the room, there was no need of electrical bulb. They are set up with jewels, and they would throw the focus of light. And there was garden, parijata flower. You will find all these things in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. And each queen had ten sons. And the sons were also married. They had sons. In this way, very, very opulent. But still, they were placing themself in the position of maidservant. They were also king's daughter, not ordinary being. So that is the Vedic conception. Of course, I do not know what is the practice here. But in Bengal this is the practice. When the son goes to marry to the bride's house, it is a custom. The mother asks the son, "My dear son, where you are going?" So the bridegroom answers, "I am going to bring one maidservant for you." This is the system.
So the Vedic, according to the Vedic system, there is no equal right of the man and woman. The woman is always subordinate. That is the Manu-samhita law. Na stri svatantryam arhati. A woman does not require, does not deserve, to get independence. That is good for them. If the woman remains under the protection -- in young age under father, when he (she) is child; when he (she) is young, under the protection of husband; and when she is old, under the protection of elderly children -- that is their very safe position. Just like Kunti. Kunti was not ordinary woman. Still, she kept herself under the protection of the five sons. The sons were going to forest. Kunti was not asked to go to the forest, but because she took it, to be protected by the sons, she also went to the forest. Just like Sita-devi. Sita, she was also king's daughter. When Ramacandra was going to the forest, Ramacandra did not ask also; neither Sita was asked by her father-in-law to go to the forest. But she preferred to go with Ramacandra just to be protected by Him. This is the system.
Anyway, the living entities, they are described as prakrti in the Bhagavad-gita, stri, not purusa. But here it is said, purusam, purusam, because in the material world we have given up the idea that constitutionally we are prakrti, subordinate. We want to declare independence, not under the protection of Krsna, or God. This is our position in this material world. Therefore the mentality is not to become prakrti but to become purusa, the mentality. In the material world constitutionally the living entity is prakrti. It is described in the Bhagavad-gita, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim param, jiva-bhutam maha-baho [Bg. 7.5]. The jiva-bhuta, mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7], prakrti. But artificially, we are trying to become purusa. Ultimately, the same spirit is going on. As purusa is the enjoyer, we try to become independent enjoyer of this material world and baffled one after another, one after another, one after another, baffled, and at last, finally baffled still, he wants to become the supreme purusa, "I am God." This is maya. Those who are claiming to become "I am God," they're still in maya. Because he is prakrti by nature, but he is still trying in the, first in the karma field as karmi, working day and night hard. But the purpose is that "I shall become the enjoyer. I shall become the Supreme."
So on account of this purusa mentality the jiva is described here as purusa, purusam. And this purusa's position is prakrteh param. Purusam prakrteh param. We do not belong to this material world. Prakrteh param, transcendental. Because we are spirit soul, we belong to the spiritual world. Prakrteh... This prakrti is material. This prakrti is material, but we are falsely identifying ourself as something made of this matter. The whole scientific world is going on under this misconception of life, that we belong to this material world. This is called illusion. Anyway, there are three things: karya-karana-kartrtva karanam prakrtim viduh. We are doing something according to our position, karya, karana, and karta, so according to circumstances, according to different causes, and we are placed to execute different types of business, and we are obliged to do that. As soon as karanam, karya-karana-kartrtve karanam purusa... karanam prakrtim. Karya-karana-kartrtve karanam prakrtim. Prakrti. We accept this prakrti because as soon as we develop this mentality, that "Why shall I serve Krsna? Why shall I serve God? I shall become independent," so immediately we are placed in this material world.
There is a verse in the Bhagavad-gita, iccha-dvesa samutthena sarge yanti parantapa [Bg. 7.27]. Sarge means in creation. This is the creation, created world. The spiritual world is not created. That is eternal. How it is created? Just like the sky is eternal, but the cloud is created. That we have got experience. That is in the clear sky, clear sky is always there, but at some time, seasonal changes, the cloud is created. The water is taken from the..., the stock is already there, taken from the sea, ocean, and it is made into gas, and that appears as cloud. And it covers the sun. The sun is the cause of cloud, but the cloud covers the sun and we cannot see the sun. Similarly, everything -- creator is the Supreme Lord. Aham sarvasya prabhavah [Bg. 10.8]. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. This material world is also created by God, and the work is going on. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram [Bg. 9.10].
So everything is going on under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, but according to our position, we are enjoying different result. Not enjoying-suffering. Here there is no question of enjoyment. It is suffering. So this prakrti, this material nature, is creating the situation -- we have discussed already many times -- according to our... Karanam guna-sango 'sya [Bg. 13.22]. As we are associating with different modes of material nature or infecting different modes of material nature, so we are getting different situation, different body, different activities. The original cause is the material nature. Then we can say, "Then why we are suffering? Everything is given by the material nature. Why?" No. That is stated here, that bhoktrtve sukha-duhkhanam purusam prakrteh param. The material nature is creating the situation for your suffering, so she is not responsible. You have to suffer. This is our position. You cannot say that "Material nature is creating. Why I shall suffer?" No. Just like if you say, "I did not know when I infected this disease, so why shall I suffer from it?" No. Because you have, somehow or other you have infected some type of disease, you must suffer. This is our position. Because you have come to this material nature and you have infected a certain quality or modes of material nature, the resultant action you have to suffer. Although the body is given to you by material nature, the bodily pains and pleasure, that you have to suffer. This is our position.
That means because we have come to this material nature... How we have come to material nature? That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, that iccha-dvesa samutthena sarge yanti parantapa [Bg. 7.27]. Iccha-dvesa. There are two things: hatred and desire. Something we desire and something we hate, iccha-dvesa. Two kinds of propensities there are. So when we want to enjoy this material world, that is called iccha, and when we want to disobey God, that is called dvesa. So that iccha and dvesa, there can be. That is two opposing elements. There are. So iccha-dvesa samutthena. When we think... That is not very difficult to understand. Everyone is thinking, "Why shall I worship God? These are all bogus things, they are going to the temple. No." That propensity is there, dvesa. Tan aham dvisatah kruran ksipamy ajasram asubhan yonisu [Bg. 16.19], Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita. Tan aham dvisatah kruran. These persons who are envious of God and kruran... Krura means, krura also, envious, very, very atheistic. Duskrtino mudhah asuram bhavam asritah [Bg. 7.15]. This is asuri-bhava. When we become envious, atheist, godless, without any God consciousness, that is called atheism. That is dvesa.
You will find... All the demons -- we
have got description in the sastra -- their only business is to become envious
of God, that's all. This is the business. Just like Kamsa. Kamsa, as soon as he
heard one omen that this eighth son of his sister, Devaki, would kill him,
immediately he became furious: "Oh, let me finish my sister so that there will
be no eighth or first or second son. Finish the origin of..." So anyway,
Vasudeva saved her. It is the duty of the husband to save, give protection to
the wife. So some way or other... It was a family matter. But he promised that
"I shall bring all the children to you." So this is Kamsa. And actually,
Vasudeva, to keep his word, brought all the issues before him, and he killed.
Only in case of Krsna, he violated the promise: "No, no, I cannot allow this
child to be killed." So he transferred the child from Devaki's protection to
Mother Yasoda's protection. So anyway...
So the Kamsa was thinking of killing Krsna always. He was also Krsna conscious, always thinking of, but how to kill Krsna. That is the difference between the demon and the devotee. The demons are also Krsna conscious, but they are Krsna conscious in the opposite way, how to kill Krsna. And devotees, they are Krsna conscious, but not like the demon. They are always thinking how to serve Krsna. Both of them are Krsna conscious. Therefore, this is... Because these demons are also Krsna conscious, they cannot be called devotee. They cannot be called devotee. But they get the good result of Krsna consciousness because by thinking of Krsna, "Krsna..." And when they are killed by Krsna, they get immediately liberation. That is the absolute position of Krsna. Either you go to Him as enemy or you go to Him as friend, your result is the same. So somehow or other, come to Krsna consciousness. But the demonic Krsna consciousness is not bhakti. That is not bhakti.
So liberation is achievable even by the nondevotees because these demons... They are nondevotees. They are getting also liberation because thinking of Krsna always. So why the devotees also get the same type of liberation? No, for them, better type of liberation. Sayujya, sarupya, sarsti... [Cc. Madhya 6.266]. There are five kinds of liberations, and the sayujya-mukti, to become one with the Supreme, that is obtainable even by the enemies, demons. The devotees, they do not want that kind of liberation. They want to keep their identity eternally and serve Krsna. That is perfect. So anukulyena krsnanusilanam [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Therefore bhakti is described, anukulyena krsnanusilanam. Krsnanusilanam. Anusilanam means cultivating the knowledge of Krsna. The demons are also cultivating, but that is not anukulyena. That is pratikulyena, how to kill Krsna. So that is not bhakti. When we cultivate Krsna consciousness anukulyena-anukula means favorable -- that is called bhakti.
So here it is said that,
karya-karana-kartrtve
karanam prakrtim viduh
bhoktrtve sukha-duhkhanam
purusam prakrteh param
Purusa, we living entities, because we have developed this consciousness somehow or other, that we don't want to serve Krsna, but we want to become Krsna, this pratikulya, this iccha, and not to serve Krsna, this dvesa, two things combined... Iccha-dvesa samutthena sarge yanti parantapa. They cannot... Just like I will give you very small example: just like the criminals. The criminals, they have got two things: iccha, dvesa. Dvesa: "Why shall I abide by the government law? I can do anything, what I like." This is dvesa. And iccha means, "I shall work independently, without the law." So just like this iccha-dvesa, the result is they are put into the jail. On account of these two things -- iccha, that "I shall live independently without the control of the government. Whatever I like, I shall do," this iccha, and dvesa, "I don't like to carry out the orders of law," dvesa -- this is very nice example -- the result is that he will be arrested, and he will be put into the jail.
So it is exactly like that. We are in this material world on account of this iccha and dvesa. We wanted to satisfy the senses, material senses, independently. And we wanted to disobey the orders of the Supreme Lord. These are the two causes for which we are put into this material world. So we have to rectify this mentality, that "I am independent. I am God. I can do whatever we like." This mentality has to be rectified. For that rectification we are in this material world, and we are undergoing different types of miserable condition of life to become rectified so that we may come to the senses, that "I want to be happy. I want to enjoy life. Why I am put into this unfavorable circumstances? The most unfavorable circumstance is that I do not want to die. Still, I have to die." This is common sense. So in order to... On account of this purusa mentality... Just like I have already explained the stri can enjoy happy life along with the husband, not independently, similarly, we, being prakrti, our business is to remain eternal servant of Krsna. Then we will be happy. Otherwise we will not be happy. It is not possible.
And the whole material world, whole Vedic sastra, whole Vedic culture is meant for rectifying this mentality, that "I am not independent. I am dependent on Krsna. So I have forgotten Krsna somehow or other, and I have taken this mentality of purusa, enjoying this material world. I have to rectify this." So if I rectify that, then I become free from the clutches of maya. Otherwise, since I have put myself under the clutches of this material energy, she is giving me different types of body, different types of situation, to fulfill my desire. But because she has given a different type of body, a different type situation, she is not responsible; I am responsible. Therefore I will have to suffer or enjoy of the sequence or the resultant action made by the material nature.
Therefore it is said that karya-karana-kartrtve karanam prakrtim viduh. One should understand the... I have got this body. This is given by material nature. I have got a different type of mentality. That is also given by prakrti, na... I am suffering. That is also given. There is circumstances created. But prakrti, material nature, is not responsible, nor she will suffer, but you will suffer. Just try to understand. This is the position. Karya-karana-kartrtve bhoktrtve. Kartrtve is material nature. But bhoktrtve I am, bhoktrtve. I am put into that. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura sings, anadi karama-phale, padi' bhavarnava-jale: "Somehow or other, I have fallen in this ocean of birth and death." Taribare na dekhi upay: "I do not find how to get out of it." But we can get out of it very easily. That is advised by Krsna: mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. Otherwise you cannot. Here it is a great struggle. Manah sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. Karsati, great hard struggle going on. We are trying to be happy, but that is not possible. Just like if you are put into the ocean, you may be very good swimmer, you may struggle very nicely, but you are under the control of the prakrti. You cannot be happy in the water. But if somebody helps you to get out of the water, then you will be happy.
So our business is to pray to Krsna to get me out of this struggling, hard struggle for existence in this material world. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu teaching us this prayer, no other prayer. Ayi nanda-tanuja patitam kinkaram mam visame bhavambudhau. "O Krsna..." Krsna is very pleased when we address Him with His devotee. Nanda Maharaja is devotee playing as the father of Krsna. So therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu is addressing Krsna, ayi nanda-tanuja: "Krsna, You are born out of the body of Maharaja Nanda." This is very pleasing to Krsna. Therefore He is addressing, ayi nanda-tanuja, patitam kinkaram mam visame. Patitam kinkaram. Kinkaram means servant. "I am Your eternal servant, but somehow or other, I am now fallen in this ocean of nescience, repeated birth and death." Patitam kinkaram mam visame bhavambudhau. Krpaya: "By Your causeless mercy, because I am servant... I have somehow or other fallen." Krpaya tava pada-pankaja-sthita-dhuli-
So we cannot be happy in this purusa mentality to enjoy this material world. We can never be happy. Abrahma-bhuvanal lokah. Even if you are... Now, just like they are trying to go to the moon planet... But what this moon planet? It is very near. Even if you go to the topmost planet, abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16], the struggle will go on. You cannot be happy. Either you go to the heavenly planet or the moon planet or the Brahma planet, anywhere in this material world, the four things -- birth, death, old age, and disease -- will go on. You cannot stop it. Therefore Krsna says that "Don't try to be elevated to the higher planetary system, to the moon planet or sun planet or heavenly planet. Try to come to Me." Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6].
This should be our endeavor. Don't try to elevate yourself materially. That will not make you happy. Just try to get out of these material clutches and begin your spiritual life. That will make you happy. That is the only source of happiness. Otherwise it is not. The same example, that if you are put into the ocean, you may be very good swimmer -- it will be great struggle. You can keep yourself floating, but that is not happiness. Happiness is different thing. If you want happiness, then you have to give up the association of prakrti. Karanam guna-sango 'sya [Bg. 13.22]. Because as so long you will be in the material world, you will have to associate with some of the modes of material nature, sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. By association with the sattva-guna material modes of nature, urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah [Bg. 14.18], you can be elevated to the higher planetary system, or by jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah, by associate in the tamo-guna, you will be put downwards either in the animal forms of life or lower planetary system. In this way you are wandering up and down. Give up this business. Krsna says, "Surrender unto Me." You surrender to Krsna and be happy.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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