Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Depend On Krishna

Depend On Krishna
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1-2
London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969

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Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
 
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Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers)

nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam
 [SB 5.5.1]

This is a verse instructed by Maharaja Rsabhadeva to his sons. Maharaja Rsabhadeva was incarnation of Krsna, Vasudeva, long, long years ago. And He was the emperor of the whole world. Formerly there was only one king on this planet. In every planet there is a predominating personality. In every... Not only this planet, all other planets also. And the predominating deity, or you may call the king or emperor... In the moon planet he is called Candra. Similarly, the predominating deity or the emperor of the sun planet, at the present moment he is called Vivasvan. So the predominating deity or the emperor in each and every important planet, they are mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. That means the author of the Srimad-Bhagavatam has complete knowledge not only of this universe, but also beyond the universe.

Beyond the universe, there is spiritual sky. There are also different planets. But in those planets the predominating deity is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. And in this material world, in each and every planet, the predominating deity or the person is a very pious human being or living being. Generally, human being. In other higher planetary system they are also like human being. Their features are exactly like us: two hands, two legs, one head, like that. But they are very pious. They are God conscious. Every, in every planet the living entities or human being, they are of different grades. Just like in this planet also, in some portion of this world there are savages, uncivilized persons, and in some portion of the world there are civilized persons, intelligent persons, God conscious persons, as there are different grades of persons in this planet, similarly, there are different grades of beings, living beings or human beings, in different other planets. The higher and lower grades are calculated in terms of Krsna consciousness. Consciousness is there everywhere, every living entity. Not only human being but also animals, the consciousness is there. But the difference is, consciousness without Krsna is lower grade, and consciousness of Krsna in different degrees, they are higher grade. And when the consciousness is completely Krsna, that is the highest position, or that is the real position of the living entity.

So this human form of life... Maharaja Bharata is instructing to His sons. He had one hundred sons. So all of them assembled together, and the king, before retirement, was instructing. (aside:) Let him come in. (pause) So, instructing His sons. It is the duty of the father that before retirement... Now, here is one significant point. Why the king was retiring? That is the system, Vedic system. Either one is king or one is ordinary human being, at a certain age he must retire. That is Vedic system. Not that because one is king and one has ample opportunities for sense enjoyment, therefore he should indulge in sense enjoyment without retiring from family life. That is not Vedic system. The Vedic system is, the aim is, how to elevate oneself to the perfection of Krsna consciousness. That is Vedic system. You have read Bhagavad-gita. In the Fifteenth Chapter, fifteenth verse, you'll find, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. The whole Vedic system is designed or planned how to know Krsna. So if you follow Vedic system, then the ultimate objective should be to know Krsna. That is the Vedic version and corroborated by Lord Krsna Himself. He is the original compiler of Vedas; therefore His version should be accepted, that the objective of studying Vedas means to know Krsna. That's all. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15].

Therefore the king, Rsabhadeva, is advising, instructing His sons... He was retiring. Why He was retiring? He could enjoy His kingdom. Just like at the present moment, either a king or a family man does not retire. Even a poor man living in with family with great difficulties, but if you ask him to retire, he'll not be agreeable. We have asked many old men. He's suffering, he's not happy within his family members, but if I say, "Why you are taking so much trouble with the family? Why not come and live with us in Krsna consciousness society?" he'll not agree. Because he has no Vedic training. Up to the end of this life he'll stick to the family life. Many, many politicians... In our country we have seen many old politicians, seventy-five years old, eighty years old. Not only in our country, in other countries also. In your country, Great Britain, Mr. Churchill, unless he was forced to death, he would not give up politics. Our Gandhi, he was killed by another political group. Then he was forced to retire. When Gandhi attained independence, I requested him in a letter, "Mahatma Gandhi, now you started your struggle with the Britishers, that they should go and Indians should have their independence. Now you have attained independence and Britishers have gone. Now you preach Bhagavad-gita. You have got some influence. You are known throughout the whole world a very great saintly person, and you also pose yourself that you are a great scholar of Bhagavad-gita. Why don't you take up Bhagavad-gita and preach?" There was no reply. And he was still meddling with politics, so much so that his own assistants became disgusted. And it is said that he was planned to be killed. Just see how much intoxication of this materialistic way of life. He was considered a mahatma, a great personality, and he got his svarajya. The Britishers left India. Still, he would not give up politics. Still, he would stick -- unless he was forced to give up, he was killed. Similarly, Jawaharlal Nehru also. Nobody would retire voluntarily -- unless he is killed by somebody or he is killed by the laws of material nature. This is the disease. He cannot give it up. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. The maya is so strong that even an old man advertising to be very pious man, he cannot give up politics. Because maya is so strong, he's thinking, "If I leave political field, my countrymen will suffer, and so many disaster will happen." He's thinking like that.

But actually, things will go on. Many politicians came and gone. In your country there were many, many great politicians; they came and gone. But your country people are still living and they are going on. In Germany also, many Hitlers came and gone. Similarly, in India also many Gandhis came and gone. But things are going on. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gita:

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

Everything is being done by the laws of nature. You cannot change it. There is a plan, God's plan. It will go on. You don't have to bother yourself, that without you, everything will be topsy-turvied. No. You cannot do anything. You are falsely thinking that your leadership is very much needed. No. I was thinking. When I was householder, several times there was indication given by my Guru Maharaja that I should give up family life and become a sannyasi and preach this Krsna consciousness movement. In several way there was hints from my spiritual master, but still, I was not willing. I was thinking, "If I go away, then my family, my sons, my daughters, they will suffer." But actually, I have left my family connection in 1950. Actually '54, but introductory in '50. For the last twenty years. But they are living; I am living. They are not dying in my absence, and I am not suffering without being in my family. On the other hand, by Krsna's grace, I have got better family members. I have got nice children in a foreign country. They are taking so much care of me, I could not expect such care from my own children.

So this is God's grace. We should depend on Krsna. If Krsna is kind, wherever we go, everyone will be pleased, everyone will be kind. And if Krsna is unpleased, even in your family life you'll not be comfortable. Therefore, according to the Vedic system, at a certain age, it is indicated that one should retire from family life. So this Rsabhadeva Maharaja, He was retired. Although He had one hundred sons, all obedient sons, He was emperor, anything was at His command -- still, He was retiring. That is the Vedic system. He had no disadvantage. He was personally the incarnation of Godhead, an emperor, very obedient sons, and opulence, everything complete. There are many instances. His son, Bharata Maharaja, he also retired. You have seen Pariksit Maharaja. After his retirement, this Bhagavata was recited before him. His grandfather, Maharaja Yudhisthira, they voluntarily retired. So that is the system. In the early age, either you become a son of a king or you are son of an ordinary man, you must go to the asrama of spiritual master and live there as servant. That is called brahmacari. Brahmacari's life means to serve the spiritual master as menial servant. Whatever he will ask, the brahmacari will do. It is so much strict that brahmacari, whatever he collects, he gives to the spiritual master, the spiritual master's property. It is not his property. And the spiritual master, if he forgets to call one disciple, "My dear son, come and take your prasadam," then he will not take prasadam even, without being called. He will starve. Of course, spiritual master does not forget, but these are the injunctions, that if he does not ask you, "Come and take your prasadam," then you should not touch, yourself. There are so many strictures.

So this is the beginning of life, and these strictures are followed even if he is son of a king or even if he is Supreme Personality of Godhead. Just like Krsna. Krsna also undergone this disciplinary action when He was a brahmacari for some time. So this is the system. In the beginning of life one should become brahmacari, and then he marries and lives with wife and children, at most twenty-five years. Then he retires. The husband and wife goes from one pilgrimage to another, in this way travels. Because the children are grown up. And when the husband is completely free from all family attachment, he takes sannyasa. This is the process. Brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. So this Maharaja Rsabhadeva, before retirement it is the duty of the father to give instructions how to look after family affairs, their personal affair, their spiritual advancement, everything, so here Rsabhadeva is instructing, "My dear sons, do not think that this particular body, human body, is equal to the body of the cats and dogs and hogs. Don't consider like that." He has particularly mentioned vid-bhujam. Vid-bhujam means the stool-eater. As in the human society, the dog-eater human being is considered the lowest of the human society, similarly, in the animal society, the animal which eats stool is considered the lowest. So the gradation of human being is also calculated according to the eating process. This is... Modern thinker also says, in your country, Dr. Bernard Shaw? He has written one book. I think it is named You Are What You Eat. So eating is very important thing. If you eat like cats and dogs, then you'll become cats and dogs even in this human form of life. If you behave like cats and dogs, you become cats and dogs even in the human form of life. Similarly, if you work hard, very hard, like cats and dogs or hogs, then what is the value of your human life? Human life should be very sober, peaceful, full of knowledge, full of bliss, peaceful, devotee. These are the good signs of purity. Simply working hard like animal and eating like animal and... No.

That particular thing is being instructed by Rsabhadeva to His sons, "My dear sons, this human form of life..." Ayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke. "Everyone has got body, but the body in the human society is to be treated differently. It should not be just like the hogs." The hogs, whole day and night, they are after stool and sense gratification. Similarly, if human being, his whole day and night after eating and sense gratification, then he's missing the opportunity. That is the instruction. Human life should be regulated. You should eat this kind of foodstuff, you should have sex life in this way, you should sleep in this way, you should act in this way, you should think... They're all regulative principles. You cannot do unrestricted things. In the human society there are books of regulation -- not for the animal society. The lawbook is meant for the human society, not for the animal society. So the human society becomes free, without observing any social conveniences or social custom or abiding by the laws -- no, that is not human body. That is exactly like animal body.

So Rsabhadeva says, "My dear boys, you should not spoil this body, human form of body, like the hogs." He has specifically mentioned the name of the hogs, vid-bhujam. Then what it is meant for? He said, tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1]. This human form of life is meant for austerity, penance. You should voluntarily accept some regulative principles, even they are not very much liking to you. Just like our students. They are, from the very beginning of their life they are accustomed to certain habits, but we are restricting. We say, "You cannot do this," and they are accepting, following. This is called tapasya. Tapo. Tapasya. Tapasya means I am habituated to smoking, suppose, and the spiritual master says, "You cannot smoke." So if he gives up smoking, he feels some inconvenience, some uncomfortable position. But because the spiritual master has ordered, he gives it up. This is called tapasya. Even at his inconvenience, he abides by the order of the spiritual master, regulative principle. That is called tapasya. He feels some inconvenience, but what can be done? He has accepted one spiritual master. A spiritual master means voluntarily accepting a great personality whose rules and regulations he must abide by. This is accepting of spiritual master, voluntarily accepting somebody, "Yes, sir. Whatever you say, I'll accept." Sisya. Sisya means who abides by the rules. That is called sisya. Or English, "discipline." From discipline, disciplic, disciplic succession. From the discipline. So either you take English or Sanskrit, the same meaning. Sisya means who accepts the ruling of his spiritual master; and disciple means also the same thing, who becomes disciplined by the spiritual master.

So tapasya means even at the inconvenience of my personal comforts, I must abide by the orders of my spiritual master. This is called tapasya. And who is spiritual master? He does not manufacture any rules and regulation. He refers to the sastra. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura says, sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya, tinete kariya aikya. If you want to know who is a spiritual master, if you know who is a saintly person, then you should keep in the middle the sastra, the scriptures, and you will corroborate. The saintly person, the spiritual master, and the sastra corroborate if they are abiding one another. Yes. If spiritual master says something which is not in sastra or scripture, that is not good. Of course, sometimes we do not..., we cannot understand, but that is the principle. Similarly, a saintly person also, a mahatma also, cannot disregard the regulative principles of sastra. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya: "A person who gives up obedience to the ruling of the scriptures," vartate kama-karatah, "and he acts in his own way, by his whims," na siddhim savapnoti, "he cannot attain perfection." These are the versions of Bhagavad-gita. Na siddhim savap..., na sukham: "And at the same time, he cannot be happy." Na param gatim: "And what to speak of liberation?"

So therefore this tapasya means voluntarily accepting the rulings of scriptures, spiritual master, saintly person, and mold your life in that way. So He is instructing His sons, "My dear sons, don't spoil your life, living like cats and dogs and hogs. Utilize your life by tapasya, by voluntarily accepting the rulings of sastra, spiritual master, saintly person." The question may be that "Why this injunction? Why I shall not live like an animal? And why I have to live under the regulative principles of scriptures and saintly person and spiritual master?" The answer is also there: tapo divyam. Tapo divyam putraka: [SB 5.5.1] "My dear sons, this form of life should be utilized for tapasya." Why? Yena sattvam suddhyet: "If you accept these principles of life, then your existential condition will be purified." At the present moment we are contaminated by the material nature, modes, mostly ignorance and passion. So He's advising that if you abide by the rulings of tapasya, then your existential condition will be purified. Yena sattvam suddhyet.

Then the question may be, "What is the use of purifying?" The answer is also there. Yena sattvam suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam: [SB 5.5.1] "And when your existential condition will be purified, then you will be situated on the transcendental platform of blissful life." And one may question, "What is that?" Brahma-saukhyam anantam. You are hankering after happiness, pleasure. So when your existential condition will be purified and you will be placed in the transcendental platform, at that time you will enjoy eternal happiness. You are all... After all, you are after happiness. Why you are struggling so much hard in this material existence? For happiness. Why you are after sense gratification? For happiness. Why you want to possess? For happiness. Why you want to become beautiful? For happiness. Why you want to eat so many things? For happiness. You go on. The happiness, your ultimate goal. But the happiness which you are now deriving from the sources you have manufactured, that is temporary. If you want to become happy by intoxication, how long? That is temporary. Any way. If you want to be happy by sex indulgence, how long? That is also for a few minutes, few seconds. But if you want eternal, continued happiness, then you have to purify your existential condition, you have to place yourself in the transcendental position, and you will feel that happiness.

Therefore in another place, there is a version by the yogi..., by the Srimad-Bhagavatam, ramante yogino 'nante. The yogis, they are also having sense gratification. But where? Anante: "With the Supreme." They are also having sense gratification. Ramana. Ramana means sense gratification. Just like Krsna's name is Radha-Ramana. His sense gratification is with Radharani. So the sense gratification is also there, but not this sense... Don't consider like this. Here it is only... Sense gratification is a perverted reflection of the spiritual sense gratification. The whole devotional line of service is also sense gratification. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Hrsika means senses, and Hrsikesa means the master of the senses. The master of the senses is Krsna. So when your senses will be applied for the sense gratification of Krsna, that is your transcendental position. And when your senses will be employed for your sense gratification, that is material. This is the difference. So when one is situated in the transcendental platform, when one's existential conditions are purified by tapasya, by voluntarily accepting austerity and penance under the guidance of spiritual master, sastras, scriptures, saintly person, at that time it will be possible that you are in the platform of satisfying the senses of Krsna and you are fully satisfied.

How it is? The practical example I have given several times that in this body there are different parts of the body. The different parts of the body cannot enjoy senses or satisfy independently. The different parts of the body will depend on the whole body. You can catch up an nice cake, foodstuff, but the fingers, the parts of the body, cannot enjoy it. But if the fingers catch it and puts into the mouth, it goes to the stomach. Then there is some secretion from the stomach, and it goes to the heart, it turns into blood, it is transfused in different parts of the body, and immediately your finger becomes red. This is the process. Tapo divyam yena [SB 5.5.1]. Sense gratification is there, but through Krsna. Then you feel complete sense gratification. Just like the gopis, perfect. All devotees, but the gopis are the supreme.

So this is the process of human life, that we have to purify our present existential condition by voluntarily accepting the regulative principle given by the spiritual master, sastras. Then we become purified. At that time our senses are employed in the service of the Supreme and we actually enjoy our senses.

Thank you very much. (end)
 
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1 -- Tittenhurst, London, September 12, 1969
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.

Isms Are Sense Gratification

'Isms' Are Sense Gratification
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1-8
Stockholm, September 6, 1973

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Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
 
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Prabhupada: ...nice instruction by Rsabhadeva. Rsabhadeva was incarnation of God. He was instructing His sons before retirement. So he's instructing nayam dehah, this body, deha-bhajam nrloke. Deha-bhajam means one who has accepted this material body. Actually this body has no existence. It is simply a covering, therefore it is called maya. Everyone, we have got experience, that at night we forget this body. We act in a different body in dream. At night we feel there is no existence of this body, and at night, dreaming, we get another body, walking in a different place, creating in a different situation, acting in a different body. It is a fact, every day, every night, we see it like this. And during the daytime we forget that night body. So actually we are possessing the gross body and the subtle body. When we act on the subtle body, the gross body is no longer existing, and when we work in the gross body, the subtle body is not existing. But I am existing. I am existing both in the subtle body and gross body. This day's body is also a dream, but we are so foolish that we do not understand it. Mad, we are mad after. Therefore this subtle body and gross body, and their vanishing at daytime and night's time, the cats and dogs cannot understand. But a man, if he has got cool brain, he can understand.

What is that sound? Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. This daytime, or nighttime, we work so hard, but what is the aim. Aim is to satisfy senses. Ask these people all over the world, especially in the western country. They are making so many plans. Yesterday, when we were coming by the plane, the whole two hours one man was working, making some calculation. So everybody is busy, very, very busy, but if you ask him, "Why you are working so hard? What is the aim?" The aim, he has nothing to say except sense gratification, that's all. He has no more aim. He may think that "I have got a big family, I have to maintain them," or "I have got so much responsibility." But what is that? That is simply sense gratification. Even we manufacture so many "isms", philanthropism, humanitarianism, nationalism, socialism, so many. But what are these "isms"? That is also sense gratification. I satisfy my senses. I want to see that the senses of my brothers, senses of my sisters, senses of my friends, or senses of my society people, or my nation, countrymen, they are satisfied. The business is sense gratification. Just like in our country we got Mahatma Gandhi. So he started, he is supposed to be father of the nation. There are many leaders in different countries. But if we, I mean to, take account of their business, it is sense gratification, that's all. Extended sense gratification. These are just like Marx, what is his name, full name?

Devotee: Karl Marx.

Prabhupada: Karl Marx. He is thinking how the laborer, the worker, their senses will be gratified. That is his philosophy. Is it not?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: He's thinking that the capitalist, they are satisfying only their senses in luxuriously, why not the laborers who are actually working. That is his philosophy. The central point is sense gratification. Just try to understand. The whole world is busy in different labels, but the central point is sense gratification. That's all. Is anybody has anything to say against this, here present? But here Rsabhadeva says nrloke kastan kaman arhate, na arhate. Na ayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. Such kind of hard work, it is done by the dogs and hogs also. So does it mean that we shall have to work, we have got this human form of body, and we have to work just like dogs and hogs. Actually they're doing so. Nothing more than that. The dogs and hogs, they're busy all day and night for the same thing: how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life, how to defend. The man is also working in the same way, under different label only. Nationalism, socialism, this "ism" that "ism", but the action of the dog and hog and the human society, so-called civilized, the point is the same. So Rsabhadeva says that the dogs and hogs they are working so hard for sense gratification, but this human form of body is not meant for that. It is for different path.

That the modern civilization, they do not know that. Modern man, society, they do not know. They simply think that, "Yes, dog is sleeping on the street. We must have very nice building, very nice apartment, very nice bedstead. That is advancement of civilization. Otherwise it is primitive, if we remain in the same standard, sleeping anywhere, without any furniture, with..." But after all the subject matter is sleeping, nothing more than that. Similarly, you take eating also, or mating also. Then, the question will be, then what do you say the human life is meant for? The answer is tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyed [SB 5.5.1]. Human life is meant for tapasya, tapasya. Tapasya means austerity. Denying this, denying. The cats and dogs are satisfied -- as they eat more, they think they're enjoying. Nowadays the human being also. They're using so many appetizer, drinking. We study this in the aeroplane. Before eating, they supply wine, make the appetite very strong, then eat so much, huge quantity. You have marked it?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: Yes, so that is their enjoyment. But Rsabhadeva says, or the sastra says, "No, no, you should not eat at all. That is your perfection." Just see. These, these animal like men, they are eating so much, they are enjoying, but your business should be to decrease up to the point of need, no more eating. So are they prepared? No. It is very difficult. But that is the aim. Therefore, you will find, those who are for spiritual advan..., just like Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami. Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami belonged to a very rich man's, son. His father and uncle were very rich men in... Five hundred years ago, the income was twelve lakhs of rupees per annum. That one lakh, one hundred thousand of rupees, I think at the present moment, the value has increased one hundred thousand times.

Devotee: (indistinct)

Prabhupada: Within our life we see in our childhood, our boyhood we have seen rice was selling at three rupees four annas, first class rice. My father used to purchase, fifteen mounds of rice at a time, and the cost was three rupees four annas. Just like cumin seeds, so fine. First-class rice. Now that first-class rice, at least in India, no more available, because all first-class rice is exported. Indian government wants exchange, they want to get machine. So in exchange of machine, they are sending all nice foodstuff outside. Even killing the cows, they are sending meat, skin. With Russia, they have got agreement.

So Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami's father's income was one hundred thousand rupees per month. Now, I have heard that sometimes in one rupee, they were selling nine mounds of rice. So anyway, Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, the point is, Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami was very, very rich man's son, only son, and had very beautiful wife. The father saw that this boy is a little restless, he's very much attracted with Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement, he wants to join, so he'll go away from home. So let him have a very beautiful wife, so that he may not go away. So rich man, to get a beautiful wife is not a very difficult thing, he got, and a special house, garden house, and with guard, so that the son may not go away. This was the position of Raghanatha Dasa Gosvami. So one day Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami's... At that time he was not Gosvami, Raghunatha, Raghunatha's mother was advising her husband or Raghunatha's father, "Why don't you shackle him?" As woman she was suggesting that better, just like in prison house they are locked up in iron chain, similarly you do for my son so that he'll not be able to go away. So the father was replying, "You mad woman, don't you see I have given such a nice wife, shackle, he's not attached at all. And what this iron shackle will do?" This was Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami.

After all, Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, somehow or other, in spite of vigilance of the father and mother, he left home and joined Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Jagannatha Puri. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was very glad that Raghunatha has come. So his father thought that "The boy has gone away, he's not inclined, so he may not suffer for want of money," so he sent four servants and four hundred rupees per month expenditure for Raghunatha. So Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami, in the beginning he was accepting that four hundred rupees, but what he was doing, he was spending by inviting all the sannyasis, including Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So gradually Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami said that all his men, father's men, "You better go home. I don't want your assistance. I don't want this money. You go away." The master..., so they went back. And there was no invitation. Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired his personal secretary, Svarupa Damodara. So Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami was entrusted for training to Svarupa Damodara. He asked Svarupa Damodara, "We don't receive any invitation from Raghunatha nowadays, what is that?" "No, he has refused his father's money. He doesn't take. These men have gone back." Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu went, "Oh, that's very nice. He became a mendicant by taking help from home, it is not good. He has refused, that is very nice. But how he is eating nowadays?" "Now he is standing on the staircase at Jagannatha Temple. When the priests go home, they give him some contribution of the foodstuff. He is maintained."

Then after few days Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired from Svarupa Damodara, "Oh, nowadays I don't find Raghunatha standing there, what he is doing?" Svarupa Damodara replied that "Raghunatha has given up that business standing on this. He thought that it is standing like prostitute. 'No, I don't want.' " Then, "How he's eating?" "No, he is collects some rice which is washed away from the kitchen, and he eats that." Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami was doing that. Caitanya Mahaprabhu one day went to his place and He was searching, just He was encouraging, He was searching. He saw that a small pot some rice is kept. So, "Raghunatha, what is this?" (He) began to eat, "Oh, (this) is very nice. You eat such nice things, you do not invite us?" (laughter). Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami said, "It is not for you, don't take it, don't..." "No, no, it is very nice!" In this way Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami increased, and later on, when after departure of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when he went to live in Vrndavana with the six gosvamis, he is also one of the gosvamis, he was taking three times bathing, but not eating. Every alternate day, he will little buttermilk. That's all. This is called tapasya, austerity. Coming to the point of nil, no more eating. No more sleeping, no more sex life, no more defense. This is perfection. Who will accept this? (laughter)

Therefore Rsabhadeva says nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke, to collect for eating, sleeping and mating, whole day and night working, this is not good. Then what is good? Tapah. Tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyed [SB 5.5.1]. Sattvam means your existence has to be purified. Our existence, this existence is not purified, therefore we have got this material body. Now what is the decitement (?). Let us have this material, we are enjoying very nicely. What is this bad? But these rascals, they have no idea that we can avoid the, I mean to say, miserable condition of this body. We can avoid. This, in the Bhagavad-gita it is said that, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudar... [Bg. 13.9], but they do not know that this is unhappiness, this is distaste.

They are so callous, just like animal. They cannot think that there is possibility of not being slaughtered. When they are taken in the slaughter house, they agree to go because they know there is no other way. We have been made, meant for being slaughtered. Actually that is the position. The poor animals, they have no power to protest, neither combinedly they can give you fighting, to the human being. You will see one hundred cows are being driven by one boy or one man. They are so helpless. If they combine, with their horns they can immediately kill that man, but they have no intelligence. They do not know how to fight. Sometimes they fight, but this is position of the rascals and fools. Take the example, one cow or one bull is quite strong enough to kill ten men. He has got so much strength. But because he has no intelligence, because he is animal, hundreds of cows and bulls are being driven by one man to the slaughterhouse.

So the, this intelligence, that is difference between the animal and the man. If one hundred men was being taken away like that, immediately the man who was taking to kill them, immediate, why one hundred, ten men would have been sufficient, or two men would have been sufficiently stronger. They would not tolerate. Similarly we are also being driven by the laws of nature to accept these inconveniences, repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease. But at the present moment, why at the present moment, always, these people, these rascal people, they do not know that we can be rescued from this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. They have no idea. And that is civilization. How to get out of this birth, death, old age, and disease, that is civilization. But no one, nobody knows, scientists no, philosopher no, politician. They can concede that there is such possibility. In the Bhagavad-gita, therefore it is said,

yam hi na vyathayanty ete
purusam purusarsabha
sama-duhkha-sukham dhiram
so 'mrtatvaya kalpate

Amrtatva, amrtatva means no more births, no more death. No more birth, no more death, no more disease, no more old age. That is called amrtatva. Amrta means eternity or immortality. Hiranyakasipu tried. Hiranyakasipu, you know Prahlada Maharaja's father, he was defeated by the demigods. Therefore he left home and went for tapasya, to become immortal. So he was a demon, so he was undergoing tapasya, other demigods, not Krsna, because he was against Krsna. Demons means against God. They'll never go to God. They'll go to somebody else for power. So Hiranyakasipu, when Brahma visited, that, "Why you are undergoing so serious tapasya that the whole world is trembling by your tapasya? What do you want?" So he said, "I want to become immortal." Lord Brahma said, "That is not in my power because myself is not also immortal? How can I give immortality?"

So he was a demon, he thought by cheating Brahma, indirect way, he took all the benediction, that "I shall not die by any, killed by any man, any demigod, any animal, or any living being. I shall not die in daytime, I shall not die at night, I shall not die in the sky, I shall not die on the land, I shall not die in water." In this way, as much as possible, by the definition of negation, no this, not this, not this, he thought, "Now I have become immortal." But he was also killed by Nrsimhadeva, keeping all the promises of Brahma. He was not killed daytime, neither at night. He was not killed on water, he was not killed in the sky. He was killed on the lap of the Lord. So in this way... Actually even the demons in those days they were thinking that "Why should we be subjected to these laws of birth, death and disease. We must rescue (?)." But the demons cannot. But there is possibility. But who knows? Ask anybody, ask any scientist, philosopher that, "Have you any process by which we can become immortal?" What they will answer? "Up to date we have no such process, but we are trying. In future." They will say like that. But no question of future. Immediately, you can have.

In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Krsna says, "Simply if somebody knows what I am, what is my activities, janma, why do I appear in this material world, janma karma." He appears like human being, not exactly, but it is supposed that He accepts one father and mother, and He appears. Devaki-vasudeva. But that is not ordinary thing. Here also it is said that "You undergo tapasya, but not like Hiranyakasipu, for cheating Brahma. Divyam, for understanding God." Just like Krsna says, janma karma me divyam, transcendental, yo janati tattvatah. Simply to understand Krsna, His transcendental position. If you try to understand, then Krsna says, "What is the result?" Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Where is that verse? Find out. Where is Bhagavad-gita? Yo janati tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. Find it, yes, yes, read it.

Devotee: Translation?

Prabhupada: Yes. And one who does not take birth for him there is no old age, no disease. So here it is summarized that he does not take any more birth within this material world. What is the purport? Read.

Pradyumna: The Lord's descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the sixth verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage, and therefore he returns to the Kingdom of God immediately after quitting this present material body. [break]

Prabhupada: Janma karma me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. How Krsna expands Himself, how He appears, what is the nature of His body, these things if you simply understand, then you become immortal. That is Krsna consciousness movement. Just to give the people a chance to understand Krsna then he becomes immortal. That is the mission of life. Not that to enjoy sense gratification in a polished way, but the business is the same as the dogs and hogs enjoy. That is being instructed here. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. Vid-bhujam means the pigs who eat stool. They're also enjoying like that. They have got very free sex enjoyment. They do not care who is mother, who is sister, with anyone. We have seen, that is, nature has got example, everything, you can study. You'll find in Srimad-Bhagavatam that by studying nature you can get so many instruction, perfect. So one devotee made the nature his spiritual master, and studying nature and getting so much information. So if you study like that, here as it is given, the example, vid-bhujam ye. So vid-bhujam means the pigs or the hog. They are also eating nicely, getting fat, and having sex intercourse very freely, so does it mean that human being is also meant for this business, like the hogs and dogs. This is the point. This is the instruction. This body is not meant for such enjoyment for the senses, but this body is meant for tapah, austerity, as Raghunatha Dasa Gosvami showed example. He came to the point of neti. How to come to that point, tapasya. Why? By that process your existential position will be purified. And if you say, what is the use of purifying? There is use, because you want happiness, but your happiness is disturbed. You cannot have perpetual, uninterrupted happiness in this body. Therefore, if you really want happiness, then you purify your existence and you'll get continued eternal happiness of bliss and knowledge. This should be the aim of human life.

Thank you very much. (end)
 
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Nothing Can Check Us

Nothing Can Check Us
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1
Hyderabad, April 10, 1975

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Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
 

Prabhupada:

nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam
 [SB 5.5.1]

This evening I shall recite some verses from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fifth Canto, Fifth Chapter, on the instruction of Rsabhadeva. Rsabhadeva was the father of King Bharata, after whose name this tract of land is called Bharata-varsa. So Rsabhadeva, before retiring from family life, He had one hundred sons, and He instructed them about spiritual realization of life.

This Bharata-varsa, land of Bharata-varsa, it is meant for spiritual realization. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, His mission is to distribute the message of Bharata-varsa throughout the whole world. He said -- it is recorded in a Bengali stanza –

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

Upakara, you can understand -- it is very common word: to do something good to others. Upakara. And apakara means to do something harm to others. At the present moment, throughout the whole world, the desire is how to do something harmful to others. This is called envy. The material world is full of envies. I am envious of you, and you are envious of me. This is materialism, this struggle between man to man, family to family, community to community, nation to nation, species to species. Everyone is envious. This is material disease. And spiritual life means not to become envious. That is spiritual life.

Therefore in the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam [SB 1.1.2]. This dharma, bhagavata-dharma... Bhagavata-dharma means the religious principles connecting with Bhagavan. That is bhagavata, and that is dharma. If the dharma, or the principle of religion, does not try to understand God, or to reestablish the relationship with God, that is not religion; that is cheating. Therefore Bhagavata says. So all types of cheating religion is rejected from Srimad-Bhagavatam. We have manufactured so many religious systems: Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, and so many others. Why religion should be designated? Just like gold. Gold is gold. There cannot be any Hindu gold or Muslim gold or Christian gold. Gold is gold. Everywhere you take gold, people will accept as gold. Because one Hindu is taking gold to some Muslim country, it does not mean the Muslims will not accept because it is brought by the Hindu. Gold is gold. Therefore religion, the conception of religion, must be gold. That is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
 [SB 1.2.6]

That is first-class religion, parah. Parah means transcendental, not material.

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
 [SB 1.2.6]

That system of religion is first class, or transcendental, which teaches the followers how to become devotee of the Lord. That is religion, and that is instructed in the Bhagavad-gita:

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekamsaranam vraja
 [Bg. 18.66]

That is religion.  
 
Krsna appeared. His mission was,

paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
yuge yuge sambhavami
 [Bg. 4.8]

So He appears for reestablishing the principles of religion. Now, at the end of His instruction in the Bhagavad-gita, He says sarva-dharman parityajya. He did not appear to teach Hindu religion or Muslim religion or Christian religion. He appeared for teaching what is religion. Religion cannot be two. Religion is one. Man's religion should be one. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam  [SB 6.3.19]. Dharma, religion, means the codes or the orders given by God. That is religion. This is the simplest definition of religion. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam  [SB 6.3.19]. Just like law means the codes or the orders given by the state. You cannot manufacture law at your home. That is not possible. That is not law. What the state says, "Keep to the left" or "Keep to the right," that is law. If you violate the law, then you will be punished. Similarly, the laws of God is the laws of material nature. In the Bhagavad-gitait is said,

mayadhyaksena prakrtih
suyate sa-caracaram
 [Bg. 9.10]

Just like the legislative assembly passes the law, to be carried out, to be executed, by the people in general. And if they do not do it, then they are punishable. Similarly, the dharma, or the codes of Bhagavan, you have to accept. Compulsory. If you do not accept, then you will suffer.

mudha janmani janmani
mam aprapyaiva
 [Bg. 16.20]

This is the law.

So human life, especially meant for understanding what is God and what is the law of God and how to follow it and achieve success in life. That is human life. Sambandha, abhidheya and prayojana. Sambandha means first of all we must understand what is our relationship with this material world or with God. So many there are. Everything is relative -- this is a relative world. So what is the relativity between God and ourself? There must be God. The atheist class of men, they deny the existence of God. But that is superfluous. They cannot deny the existence of God, because they have to abide by the laws of God. How you can deny the existence of God? Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, mrtyuh sarva-haras caham  [Bg. 10.34]. The atheist class of men, they do not believe in God, but they believe in death. That they will have to believe. They cannot avoid. And Krsna says that "Death I am. If you do not believe in God, then you will have to believe Me when I come as death and take everything from you."Mrtyuh sarva-haras caham  [Bg. 10.34]. You may deny God, and you may do whatever you like, and you may create your own kingdom by plans. But when Krsna will come, He will come as death, because you are atheist, and He will take away everything what you have created. Just like Hiranyakasipu. Hiranyakasipu was atheist number one, and he was very much persecuting his own son because he was a devotee of God. The only fault. So when it was very, very terrible, at that time Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared and killed Hiranyakasipu within a second.

So unless you make a solution of the four problems, namely birth, death, old age and disease, which is compulsory, how you can deny God? That is not possible. A madman says that "I don't care for God," but no sane man will say like that. So God is there. I may believe or not believe -- that is my business. But God is there, God's laws are going on, and we have to follow. We shall be forced to follow, this way or that way, so there is no excuse to deny the existence of God. That is foolishness. Therefore if you are sane man, then we should be sober. In cool head we should think of how we are being controlled, who is the controller, why we are being controlled, why we are not independent, why we are forced to accept something which we do not want. These things are to be considered in human life, and that is the beginning of Vedanta-sutra, athatho brahma-jijnasa.

Now this human life is meant for inquiring about Brahman. That is the only business. That is the only business. Sastra says that,

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah
 [SB 1.5.18]

Everything is arranged according to the body I have received. How I have received this body? I have received this body by the material nature. Everyone can understand it.

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

karanam guna-sangah asya
sad-asad-janma-yonisu
 [Bg. 13.22]

So the prakrti is instrument through which God's law is working. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita. The scientists are trying to make something new, but the real problem,

janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-
duhkha-dosanudarsanam
 [Bg. 13.9]

That is under the control of prakrti, or the instrument of God.

Now, how to make our life successful, that is being instructed by Rsabhadeva to His sons. The first business, He says,

nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
 [SB 5.5.1]

"My dear sons, this life,"ayam dehah. Ayam dehah means this body, this human form of body. Deha-bhajam nrloke. There are many other bodies. There are 8,400,00s forms of body.

jalaja nava-laksani
sthavara laksa-vimsati
krmayo rudra-sankhyakah
paksinam dasa-laksanam
 [Padma Purana]

Then,

pasavah trimsal-laksani
catur-laksani manusah
 [Padma Purana]

So there are so many forms of life in this material world. Ayam loke. Deha-bhajam. Deha-bhajam means one, the spirit soul, has accepted this body -- but by evolutionary process, from aquatics to plant's life, then insect life, then reptile's life, then bird's life, beast life, then human form of life, then civilized form of life, then the life of human body born in Bharata-varsa. This is the highest, highest developed life by evolutionary process, this land of Bharata-varsa.

So I am especially speaking to the Indians, bharata-varsis, that you have got this life in this land after many, many evolutionary process, bahunam janmanam ante. Bahu-sambhavante, the sastras say. Bahu-sambhavante  [SB 11.9.29]. Unfortunately, we are forgetting this. At the present moment we are forgetting the importance of this life born in the land of Bharata-varsa. This is our misfortune. Don't be misled. You have got this human form of life, bharata-varsi. Very easily you can take the opportunity of understanding what is God, what is your relationship with God, because in India there are so many Vedic sastras. I am reading one, this Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is also Vedic literature. It is the commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. Bhasyam brahma-sutranam  [Garuda Purana]. So this Krsna consciousness movement means that we are spreading this knowledge of Srimad-Bhagavatam throughout the whole world. And as far the Indians, bharata-varsi, it is a special prerogative to understand these Vedic literatures and make his life successful. Do not spoil your, the gift, the boon given by God -- this human form of life. Do not waste it for nothing. Utilize it.

Therefore long, long ago, about some millions and millions of years ago, this knowledge was imparted by Rsabhadeva to His sons: "My dear boys, you have got this human form of life, especially the body received from Me -- I am King in royal family -- so don't spoil it."Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke. How to spoil it? Kastan kaman, simply for sense gratification. Working very hard like an ass is not human form of life. Human form of life should be utilized to become very sober, cool-headed, and to understand what is God, what is my life. This is the necessity. Therefore Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,

catur-varnyam maya srstam
guna-karma-vibhagasah
 [Bg. 4.13]

Not that everyone should be very much intelligent. It is not possible. In the... Although everyone has got this human form of body, not that everyone is very intelligent.

So according to the intelligence, the divisions should be there. That is confirmed by Krsna:

catur-varnyam maya srstam
guna-karma-vibhagasah
 [Bg. 4.13]

In the human society there must be four divisions -- the brahmana, the ksatriya, the vaisya and the sudra -- according to the quality. The most intelligent class of men, they should become brahmanas. Satya, samah, damah, titiksa, arjavam,

jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam
 [Bg. 18.42]

So the next-intelligent class of men should become the administrators. And the next-intelligent class men should be the productive class, vaisyas.

krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam
vaisya-karma svabhava-jam
 [Bg. 18.44]

Everything is there. And especially in India, this ideal life of human society should be inaugurated. We should not imitate the Western people, who are now dwindling. Their material civilization is no longer giving them happiness. That is a fact. They are seeking after athatho brahma-jijnasa. They are now seeking after inquiring about Brahman. Therefore you will find so many Europeans and Americans, they have taken to this Krsna consciousness movement because they are now inquisitive –inquisitive: "What is next?" Why..., why we are following them, how to make machine and skyscraper building? They are coming to Krsna consciousness.

So long, long before, Rsabhadeva advised, "My dear sons, this body should not be misused working whole day and night for sense gratification, because that is the business of the hogs and dogs." Here it is clearly said, kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye. Vid-bhujam. You have seen. In our India we see vid-bhujam. Vid-bhujam means stool-eater, the pigs. They are seeking after stool, whole day and night, and they are eating. And after eating stool... The stool is very substantial food. According to chemical examination, it contains all the hydrophosphates, because the essence of the foodstuff we have taken, that is stool. So anyone, if one can eat. But we can see that the hogs, they become very fatty, because it contains fat. Sometimes in the wartime, I learned that the German people are taking, extracting, fat from stool. So there is enough fat. The result is they become very much sexually inclined. And they have no distinction how to enjoy sex life. Never mind it is mother or sister or daughter, it doesn't matter. That is hog's life.

Therefore Rsabhadeva is advising His sons, "Don't be like hogs -- eat very sumptuously, become fatty, and then seek after sex life and without any discrimination. Don't be like hogs and dogs. This life is not meant for, to become like dogs and hogs." This is the first instruction. Then what it is meant for? He says, tapo divyam putraka: "My dear sons, this life is meant for tapasya." Tapasya means voluntarily accepting some miseries. Just like we ask our students for tapasya: no illicit sex. So in the Western countries it is very difficult to give up this habit. But these boys and girls, on my request, they have given up. This is called tapasya. I do not like to give up something, but for achieving some higher result, if I give up voluntarily something, which may cause some miseries, still I shall accept it. That is called tapasya. Tapah.

So why tapasya? Tapasya is accepted for some higher achievement. So therefore He said, tapo divyam putraka. Divyam. Divyam means "transcendental." Just like Krsna says, janma karma ca me divyam. Divyam: transcendental, divine. So Krsna says that,

janma karma ca me divyam
yo janati tattvatah
 [Bg. 4.9]

Anyone who tries to understand Krsna's activities, that is divyam. So tapo divyam: "My dear sons, accept tapasya for that transcendental realization." Not for manufacturing atom bomb. That is also tapasya. The scientists undergo severe penances how to find out, discover some... Not that kind. That Hiranyakasipu... Hiranyakasipu, he also underwent great tapasya, but what was the result of that tapasya? To tease his own son, because he was devotee. Not that kind of tapasya. That is demonic. Tapo divyam. Divyam. You just try to undergo austerities and penances for divine, transcendental realization. That is tapasya. "Why I shall go? I am enjoying my senses very nicely like the dogs and hogs. Why shall I undergo tapasya?" Now the answer is given: tapo divyam yena sattvamsuddhyed. This tapasya is required if you want to purify your existence. Just like a man suffering from some disease, he is advised by the physician that "You don't eat for some time. Fast." That is tapasya. Why? Not to be cured -- to purify the body from the disease. That is tapasya.

So here tapasya is advised not for some material profit but for transcendental realization. Then what will be the result? Now, suddhyed sattvam. This existence... At the present moment my existence, this bodily existence, is not pure. If it is pure, then why shall I be subjected to birth, death and old age? Because it is not pure. The so-called scientists, philosophers, they do not know. They say death is, it is inevitable; we cannot avoid it. No! Death is..., can be avoided. That is called tapasya. That is called purification. Just like Krsna says, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti  [Bg. 4.9]. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti  [Bg. 4.9]. After giving up this body, Krsna assures, then you don't get another material body. Where is that science? They do not know whether we are going to accept another body. That's a fact, but they do not know it. Big, big scientist, big, big professor, they do not know it. They think that this life is the end, and after, there is nothing -- zero. Sunyavadi. Nirvisesa-sunyavadi.

But that is not the fact. Krsna says, tatha dehantara-praptir. The most, I mean, authorized person, Krsna. Who can be greater authority than Krsna? All acaryas accept -- Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Sankaracarya -- the acaryas who guide the destiny of Indian civilization, they accept krsnas tu bhagavan svayam  [SB 1.3.28]. So how can you deny the statement of Krsna? Krsna says, tatha dehantara-praptir. As you are changing body in this life,

dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
 [Bg. 2.13]

So there is dehantara-praptir. So this dehantara-praptir means diseased condition. And we have accepted the so-called material happiness as happiness. But that may be happiness, but that is temporary. But real happiness, as it is stated here, that,

tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam
 [SB 5.5.1]

If you purify your existence, that you are hankering after happiness -- that happiness should be eternal. Eternal. Never interrupted. That is wanted. Ananda-cin-maya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis  [Bs 5.37]. Ananda-cin-maya-rasa. Rasa means "taste." We taste some happiness, but not this material happiness. But just like you taste sugar candy when you are suffering from jaundice, the taste will be bitter. But sugar candy is not bitter; it is sweet. But when you are cured from the jaundice disease, the same sugar candy will be tasting very sweet.

So we are hankering after tasting sugar candy in the diseased condition, and we are tasting the bitterness of it. But if you are cured, sattvamsuddhyed, our existence is purified, then we shall taste brahma-saukhyam tv anantam -- unlimited, eternal happiness. That is the business of human life. Not that for temporary happiness we shall work like hogs and dogs perpetually, and getting change of another body, another body, another body. That is not very good intelligence. That will be described by Rsabhadeva in the later verses:

nunam pramattah kurute vikarma
yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti
na sadhu manye yata atmano 'yam
asann api klesa-da asa dehah
 [SB 5.5.4]

This kind of working means I am creating another body. That we do not know. Neither this science is known to the modern civilized man. They are in ignorance how we are creating another body, how there are so many different types of body. That is warned: yata atmano 'yam asann api klesa-da asa deha. This body is not tempo..., not permanent, but as long the, as long the body is there, you must suffer. You must suffer threefold miseries. That is not coming to our brain. We are accepting suffering as happiness. Hah?

asatyere satya kori mani
nitai-pada pasariya
ahankare matta hoiya
 [Manah-siksa 3, Prarthana]

Asatyere satya kori mani: you are accepting untruth as truth. This is our modern disease. It is not new, and some thousands and thousands of years ago...Srimad-Bhagavatam was written five thousand years ago, and this instruction of Rsabhadeva is there, so it must have had happened long, long, many, many years before this Bhagavata was written.

So the same disease. Because the material creation is not new. The disease is there from the very beginning. Now, in the Kali-yuga, the disease is very acute. Otherwise the same birth and death. We have not improved anything, because the same birth and death is continuing. We are eating, sleeping, mating, and everything is going on. So if we want to improve our position, if we want to enjoy life eternally, blissfully, then we must take to this Krsna consciousness movement. That is our request. If you don't take it compulsorily, then you are committing suicide. We are just trying to save the human society from this suicidal policy.

So my request is that it is a very scientific movement, authorized, taken from the Vedic literatures, and based on the principles of Bhagavad-gita as it is. So our only request is, especially here in India, they should take it very seriously and try to apply the principles in their life, and spread it all over the world. That is the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara  [Cc. Adi 9.41]. We Indians, we are not meant for exploiting others. That is not our civilization. Cheating others. No. That is not ours. Our civilization is to do good to others. This is Indian civilization. Don't forget it! You have got a very exalted position. Take advantage of the sastras, make your life successful, and try to do good to others. Thank you very much.

Devotee: Jaya gurudeva. Jaya Srila Prabhupada. Haribol. [end]
 
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Saturday, October 27, 2012

Hog Civilization

Hog Civilization
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1
Delhi, November 28, 1975

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Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
 
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Prabhupada: What is that? Plain water bring.

sri-rsabha uvaca
nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam
 [SB 5.5.1]

This is Fifth Chapter of the Fifth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is the last contribution of Vyasadeva. Srimad-bhagavatam nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam idam [SB 1.1.3]. In the beginning, introduction of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vyasadeva giving the information that this Srimad-Bhagavatam is the nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam idam. Nigama means Vedas. So he compared the Vedas as a tree where you can get many fruits. So this Srimad-Bhagavatam is described as nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam idam [SB 1.1.3]. Kalpa-taru means desire tree. Desire tree, you can get any kind of fruit from that tree. In the material world there are many different types of trees, fruits, and flowers, but you can get one type of fruit or one type of flower from a particular type of tree. But there is another tree. That is in the spiritual world. That is called desire tree. Whatever you want from that tree you can get. Kalpa-taru. The spiritual world, description of the spiritual world is there in the Brahma-samhita. Cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa [Bs. 5.29]. There the trees are kalpa-vrksa, or nigama-kalpa-taru. Kalpa-taru or kalpa-vrksa, the same thing.

So Vedas means knowledge. So from the Vedas you can get all kinds of knowledge, both material and spiritual. Therefore it is called Veda, knowledge. So in that tree of knowledge the ripened fruit is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srimad-Bhagavatam is written by Vyasadeva after writing four Vedas and the eighteen Puranas, the 108 Upanisads, then Vedanta-sutra, and Mahabharata, in which Bhagavad-gita is set up. So after compiling all these Vedic literatures Vyasadeva was not satisfied. Then his spiritual master advised him to describe the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhagavat. Bhagavan. The word Bhagavat and... Bhagavata is also in relationship with Bhagavat or Bhagavan. So every sloka of Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of spiritual information. If we take advantage of this great Vedic literature, then we become fully aware of Bhagavan and the devotees of Bhagavan. Therefore it is named Bhagavatam. But this Bhagavatam has to be studied from the very beginning and take the lessons from live bhagavata. There are two kinds of Bhagavatam -- one, this grantha bhagavatam, and the other is a person bhagavatam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised that if you want to understand Bhagavatam, then you must approach a person whose life is Bhagavatam. He said, bhagavata para-giya bhagavata sthane, that "If we learn, listen, Srimad-Bhagavatam from the person bhagavatam, then it is very easy to understand the spiritual knowledge given in the Srimad-Bhagavatam."

So here Rsabhadeva... Rsabhadeva was the father of Maharaja Bharata, under whose name this land is called Bharatavar\ sa. Bharatavarsa is derived from the name of Maharaja Bharata. So his father, Rsabhadeva, He is accepted as incarnation of Krsna. So He is giving instruction to His sons before retiring. In our Vedic culture there is compulsory retirement. There is compulsory retirement. That is Vedic civilization, varnasrama-dharma. What is going on... As we are going on in the name of Hindus, but Hindu is not mentioned in the Vedic literature. In the Vedic literature the principles or the institute followed by the inhabitants of Bharatavarsa is called varnasrama-dharma. That is real occupation.

varnasramacaravata
purusena parah puman
visnur aradhyate pumsam
nanyat tat-tosa-karanam
 [Cc. Madhya 8.58]

Whole Vedic civilization means: realize God. That is Vedic civilization. Visnur aradhyate. We are part and parcel of Visnu, or the Supreme Lord. As it is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. Jiva-bhutah, these living entities, not only human being but everyone, sarva yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4], in every form of life, the living entities are covered with the material dress. So Bhagavata-dharma, or spiritual life, can be understood when one has understood his identification, what he is. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita the first lesson given by Krsna to Arjuna is to bring him to the spiritual platform. When Arjuna was lamenting on the body of his relatives on the other side, he was too much affected in the bodily conception of life: "How I shall fight with the other side? They are all my brothers, nephews, my teacher, my grandfather, and who has fought with such enemies in the history?" Everyone fights. There is fighting but not fighting with own men, even at the present moment, although there is sometimes civil war.

So Arjuna was too much affected by the bodily conception of life. That is the disease of this material world. We are thinking in terms of this body, but the sastra says that,

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

The bodily conception of life is animal life. If I think that "I am this body. I am Indian," and you think that you are this body, you are American or Englishman -- in so many ways we are designated -- so, so long we think in these terms of knowledge, that "I am this body..." Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke. This is a bag of three elements: kapha, pitta, vayu. Or if we don't understand kapha pitta vayu, we can understand that this body is made of flesh, bone, mucus. What you will find if we dissect this body? You'll find flesh, blood, bone, urine, stool, so many things, these material things. But if we think that "I am this body, a composition of blood, flesh, bone, and urine and stool," is that very good intelligence? No. Therefore sastra says, "Anyone who is thinking this body combination of these elements" -- combined together it is called tri-dhatuke-sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13], "such person is no better than the cows and the asses." Because I am not combination of this blood, bone, flesh, and urine and stool. I am not this combination. Aham brahmasmi. I am spirit soul. This is really realization, knowledge.

So unless one comes to that platform, that "I am beyond this blood, flesh, bone, urine, stool..." Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim parah. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, that "These material elements -- earth, water, air, fire, sky, mind, intelligence, ego -- these are eight separated energy of the Supreme Lord." And the Lord says, apareyam: "These elements are inferior energy." Itas tu viddhi me prakrtim parah: "Beyond this, you try to understand, there is another nature, prakrti." What is that another nature? Jiva-bhuto maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat: [Bg. 7.5] "That is jiva-bhutah." So mamaivamso jiva-bhutah: [Bg. 15.7] "These living entities," Krsna said, "they are My part and parcel." So we are now covered with these material energies although I am spiritual energy. This is our position. So this human form of life is a chance to understand that "I am not this body; I am spiritual energy," aham brahmasmi. This chance is given to the human form of life, not to the cats and dogs.

So the same principle is explained throughout all the Vedic literature in different way just to understand one's identity, that he is not this matter; he is spirit soul. And when he understands, then the next stage will be: "Then what is my duty?" Because at the present moment we are acting on the bodily concept of life, how this body shall be kept in comfort, how the bodily relationship -- wife, children, family, community, society, nation... They are all expanded bodily concept of life. So in any conception of this material world, if we live, then you are living like cats and dogs. You are not living as human being. Otherwise where is the difference? When we see on the street two dogs are fighting, one dog is thinking, "This neighborhood is my jurisdiction, and why you have come from other jurisdiction in this neighborhood?" The fighting with the bodily concept of life. Or he is thinking, "This neighborhood belongs to me. Why you have come from other neighborhood here?" I say sometimes to my student, "This is immigration department. One dog is barking on other dog, 'Why you have come here?' " It is dog conception of life.

The spiritual conception of life is that everything belongs to God. That is the fact. Isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1]. Everything belongs to God; the land, water, sky. It is said, bhumir apo analo vayuh. This is expansion of the energy of God. So what is the use, claiming God's property as my property? That is mistaken. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape. This body is also God's property. Everything God's property because Krsna says, bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca [Bg. 7.4]. This microphone, what it is? It is made of some earthly metal, wood, but the material belongs to God. I may have taken advantage of taking this material and manufactured something. That does not mean it is mine. If a carpenter makes a good furniture and the wood is supplied by somebody else and the carpenter is paid his wages, when the nice furniture is made, to whom it will belong? To the carpenter or to the person who has supplied the ingredients? It is very commonsense question.

So actually nothing belongs to us. We also do not belong independently. We are not independent. Krsna says jiva-bhutah, or mamaivamso [Bg. 15.7]. We are part and parcel of Krsna. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body, so the finger has no separate existence. If this finger is cut off from my hand and it has a separate existence, it will fall down on the street, and it has no value. Others are trampling down; still nobody cares for it, although it is the same finger but cut off from this body. But so long this small finger is attached to this body it has value. If there is some disease or pain, I can spend thousands of dollars for curing it. And when it is cut off from my body it has no value. Similarly, we being part and parcel of God, when we are forgetful or cut off It cannot be cut off, but still, when we forget God, then we have no value. The same example: When I ask my finger to come here and give me some itching sensation, then the finger is in normal condition. And if the finger cannot give me any service, that is useless. Similarly, we being part and parcel of God, our business is to give service to God. That is our normal condition. And if we do not give service to the Lord, if we keep separately, then we have no value.

This point is stressed here that nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. Rsabhadeva is advising to His sons, "My dear sons, this body specially," nayam deha nrloke, "in the human society, it is not to be spoiled." Nayam deho deha-bhajam..., kastan kaman: "It is not be spoiled engaging it uselessly, very hard labor for satisfaction of the senses. Because this kind of business is there, vid-bhujam." Vid-bhujam means the stool-eater, hogs. The hogs are stool-eater, and they are working very hard day and night, and the business is kastan kaman, to satisfy the senses, these two business: where to find out source of income, and eat anything without any discrimination. Just like the hog has no discrimination. It is prepared to eat even stool. So this kind of life, to work very hard and get foodstuff without any discrimination and then satisfy the senses without any discrimination of sex A hog, you will find, they have no discrimination of sex -- mother, sister, or anyone. You will find. These are the natural instruction. So therefore, the example is given here, "My dear sons, don't live like hogs, toiling whole day and night and eating stool and without any sex discrimination you go on satisfying your senses." This is the first attack to the human civilization, that simply work very, very hard and then satisfy your senses and you take it as civilization.

It is not civilization. If we think over these two lines, then we can find out that our modern civilization... It was formerly also the same, but not so extensively. At the present moment, in this age of Kali, the hog civilization is spread very widely. Therefore this instruction is very important. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. Human life means very peaceful life, without any trouble. That is Vedic civilization. These books written by Vyasadeva, he was writing these books, such exalted knowledge, in Hardwar, in a secluded place, very peacefully situated. And that knowledge was taken by the ksatriyas, and they were distributing. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. Vedic knowledge was first of all taken up by the ksatriyas. Brahmanas, they used to cultivate knowledge and they used to advise the ksatriyas, rulers, and they took it and they distributed to the general mass of people for the elevation of the spiritual platform. This is civilization. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. This is creation of God, catur-varnyam: brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra. This is called varna, and as spiritual cultivation, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. So our civilization, Vedic civilization, means varnasrama-dharma, following the four principles of varnas and four principles of asrama. The ultimate goal is God realization. That is the human civilization. If there is no God realization, simply working hard day and night for sense gratification, it is accepted as hog civilization, dog civilization. That is stated here: nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1].
 
Then, if we give up this kind of civilization, then what is to be done? Tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyet. The next engagement is tapasya, tapo. Tapasya means austerity, penances, voluntarily acceptance of something, some means of activity which may not be very palatable. But still, we have to do that. Just like a patient, if he is forbidden by the physician not to certain type of foodstuff, it may be pain... Just like typhoid fever. The doctor advises, "Don't take any solid food." But if we... I am accustomed to take paratha. So in typhoid to take paratha means death. Similarly, we have to follow the sastric injunction. If we really want to come out this material bondage... Material bondage means this body. Our real problem is this body. That we do not know. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti [SB 5.5.4]. This will come, that "We have now become mad after sense gratification." Pramattah. Pramattah means prakrsta-rupena mattah. Mattah means mad. And when this affix is there, prefix is there, that pra, pra means prakrsta-rupena, sufficiently mad. So in this material world we have become sufficiently mad -- not only mad, but sufficiently mad. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. And we are engaged in activities which are forbidden. Forbidden. Just like we are drinking. This is forbidden. We are eating meat. This is forbidden. We are having illicit sex. This is forbidden. We are having gambling. This is forbidden. This is called vikarma. But because we have become mad, we are, whole human civilization is meant for these four things: illicit sex, meat-eating, and intoxication, and gambling.

So nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti [SB 5.5.4]. So we have become mad and we are engaged in these forbidden works. If we want to get out of these clutches of material bondage, then we must stop these forbidden activities, mad, the activities of a mad man. So if you go on like that, then we shall have to accept another material body. The problem is that we are suffering threefold miseries, every one of us. Maybe the degree different, but under being intoxicated, we do not take the sufferings as sufferings. That is another madness. But the sufferings are there. That is being pointed out by Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita: janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]. You may be very perfect by arranging your material civilization to enjoy life but, you will not be allowed to live. That we do not see. There is no insurance. I am making very nice arrangement for my future enjoyment, having good bank balance, nice skyscraper building and other things, but where is the guarantee that you shall live and enjoy? That we do not see. Therefore we are madmen. If you are arranging something utopian for happiness, and if you understand that "I shall die tomorrow," then immediately my enthusiasm will decline. "Now, who is going to take so much trouble? I am going to die tomorrow."

So tomorrow not, say hundred years after, you will have to die. You cannot escape this. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam. So therefore Krsna says that "You are very scientifically advanced. There is no doubt about it. But what about your death? Why you shall accept death? You are eternal." Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. "You do not die after the destruction of this body." Nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. These informations are there, but you are not considering that. We are going on to establish ourself very tightly in this material world, but Krsna says that you will not be allowed to live. These things are to be considered. Therefore they have been described as pramattah. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti [SB 5.5.4]. They are acting sinfully or they are committing so many sinful activities, and they are becoming entangled for another's body, who is the resultant action of our sinful activities. Therefore Rsabhadeva says that na sadhu manye: "This is not good that you are wasting your time simply for sense gratification and you do not know that you have got a next life."

dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati
 [Bg. 2.13]

You are living entity; you are not these flesh and bones. You are spirit soul and you are within this body. You are now entrapped with this material body, and so long you will act irresponsibly, you will get another material... Tatha dehantara-praptih. You will get another body, and that body is not guaranteed. There are 8,400,000 different forms of body. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya [Bg. 14.4]. Although the spirit soul is there, but this particular body, the hog's body or the man's body or the demigod's body There are so many. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. There are 900,000 forms of body within the body. Sthavara laksa-vimsati. And there are trees, plants, two million forms of body. So we have already gone through all this body, and we have got this human form of body after many, many millions of years by evolutionary process. Therefore Rsabhadeva says, ayam deha. This body, don't think it is ordinarily received. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke: "In the human society you should not waste it like the hogs and dogs simply for sense gratification." This is the Bhagavata instruction. You should soberly use it.

So how soberly used? That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutejya yanti bhutani
mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam
 [Bg. 9.25]

You can utilize this body properly for higher standard of life. You can go to the higher planetary system. The higher planetary system begins from the sun. That is another subject matter. But so far we get information from Srimad-Bhagavatam, there sun, then moon, according to Bhagavatam. And I think... We were talking about these things, that whether the moon is the first planet or the sun is the first planet. So far we understand from Vedic literature, the moon is the second planet. The sun is the first planet. If we consider like that, then moon is beyond the sun planet. The estimation is there in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: 1,600,000 miles above the sun the moon is situated. Now, if we take consideration of the sun planet situated 93,000,000 miles from earth, then add 1,600,000 miles again, it comes to 15,000,000..., 95,000,000's miles away from the earthly planet. And how you can reach there in four days, 95,000,000 miles away? If we apply our common sense, then it appears they have never gone to the moon planet. It is all bogus propaganda. It is not possible.

So sastra-caksusat: our knowledge should be through the sastra. That is practical. And our process of knowledge is this: we get knowledge from sastra, like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Vedic knowledge. We do not claim to be very big scientists. That is not possible. But we get knowledge from the best scientific man or person, the Personality of Godhead, Krsna, Vyasadeva, Narada, Asita, Devala, later on the acaryas, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Sankaracarya, Caitanya. Our process of knowledge is not any speculation: "It may be," "Perhaps." No. We don't accept this knowledge. "It may be," "Perhaps" -- these are all foolishness. That means one who has no perfect knowledge, he will say, "It may be," "Perhaps." One who has definite knowledge, why he will say, "It may be"? It must be. That is knowledge. Just like we get knowledge from the sastra, jalaja nava-laksani: "There are nine hundred thousand species or forms of life in the water." So we have not gone into the water, but we get from the authorities, Padma Purana, and we accept it. So our process of knowledge... You may say that "You have not practically experimented," but what you have experimented? You also hear from others. You believe that they have gone to moon planet. You have not gone. You have heard from somebody in the newspaper, that's all. That is your authority. So if you can believe in the newspaper, then I cannot believe in the sastras?

So it is a different source of knowledge, but one takes one source, another takes another source. Our source of knowledge is Krsna or Krsna's disciples. That is our Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. This is the source of knowledge, avaroha-pantha, knowledge coming from higher authorities. Just like Rsabhadeva is giving knowledge to His sons. That is natural. Sons take advice from the father. That is the beginning of knowledge. If a little child asks the father, "My dear father, what is this machine?" The father says, "My dear child, this is called microphone." So when the child says, after hearing from the father, that "It is microphone," that is perfect knowledge. The child may be a innocent child. He does not know. He is not a scientist. But when, after hearing from the authority, father, if he says, "It is microphone," that statement is correct. There is no mistake. Similarly, we may be fools and rascals. That's all right. But when we receive knowledge from Krsna, who says, asmin dehe, dehino 'smin, yat kaumara yauvana, tatha dehantara-praptih... [Bg. 2.13].

When Krsna says that within this body there is the living soul and the living soul is transmigrating... Tatha dehantara-praptih. As we are getting different bodies in this life also, from childhood to boyhood, from boyhood to old body, then what is after old body? Tatha dehantara-praptih: you get another body. But we do not know what kind of body we are getting. Where is that science? Where is that education, that there is dehantara-praptih, there is transmigration of the soul, and there are so many different types of body? Suppose in this body I am very comfortably situated, I am a very big man, or very great minister, politician, everything is all right -- but in the next life, if I am going to get the body of a dog, who can check it? Nature's law will go on. At that time, as minister or big man, if you dictate that "Give me a body like this," oh, that will not be heard. You will get a type of body according to your karma. Karmana daiva-netrena jantor deha upapatti [SB 3.31.1]. According to your karma, you will get a type of body. This is nature's law. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. We are completely under the grip of nature's law. We cannot change it. If we challenge that "There is no death," no, death will come. That is nature's law. And if you want to stop death, then that is another process. That is described here. Tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyet: [SB 5.5.1] You have to accept this process of austerity by which you will purify your existence. Then you will get deathless life, eternal. Yat gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama. Tyakva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya. This is the science. This Bhagavata literature, this Vedic literature, is giving you information how you can revive your original, eternal life. Nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. That is the business of human life, not to become mad like hogs and dogs and simply work very hard -- "Where is stool?" -- and eat it and get some strength, and then enjoy senses. This is not life. This is not civilization.

So Rsabhadeva's instruction is tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyet [SB 5.5.1]. Why it is necessary to purify my existence? Suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam tu anantam. You are seeking after happiness, but your happiness is being checked. You have made very good arrangement for enjoying life, happiness, but it is being checked. You have to die. You make all nice arrangement, but you have to die. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Mrtyuh sarva-haras caham [Bg. 10.34]. Aham. Krsna says that "Those persons who do not want Me, or persons who do not like to understand God, they will see God, Me." When? "At the time of death," as Hiranyakasipu saw. He challenged always God. His son was devotee, and that was the misunderstanding between the father and the son...[break] This father said that "God is enemy. Visnu is my enemy. You do not take the name of Visnu." And the child, boy, will take. That is the cause of enmity. So at the end he saw Hiranyakasipu Hiranyakasipu saw Nrsimhadeva. Immediately finished everything. So that is the case of everyone, that one has to meet death. And at the time of death, whatever arrangement he has made for so-called happiness will be taken away. Mrtyuh sarva-haras caham. Then he will be offered another body. It may be a human body or he may be a dog's body or hog's body, and we have to accept it.

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

 Karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu [Bg. 13.22]. The laws of nature is working, and he is infecting a particular type of the modes of material nature, he is preparing his next body. Karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu.

So in the human form of life if we do not purify our existence, if we do not realize God, if we do not understand what is my relationship with God, then we are simply wasting time living like cats and dogs. These things should be stopped. And our Krsna consciousness movement is meant for stopping this rascal civilization and giving you life.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. [break] Yes?

Guest (1): Your good sir, if you describe the following of Bharata Maharaja, Bharata-varsa. I'd like to be enlightened on that, how the Bharata-varsa is derived.

Prabhupada: Bharata, Bharata Maharaja, yes.

Guest (1): You have very named... I couldn't get it. I feel, personally for myself, that the Bharata was the new vision of the self as the fulfiller, and from that, it has been derived.

Prabhupada: There are two, three Bharatas. So Sakuntala's son was Bharata, and Ramacandra's brother was Bharata, and the Rsabhadeva's son was Bharata. But from the sastric information we understand this Bharata-varsa is meant from the name, from the name of Rsabhadeva's son Bharata.

Guest (1): Name of?

Prabhupada: Bharata.

Guest (1): And you say it has been derived from the twelfth son, Bharata.

Prabhupada: Yes. He had one hundred sons. The eldest son's name was Bharata.

Guest (1): And what do you think about the factor in reincarnation? Do you think it has got any significance?

Prabhupada: I do not think anything. I have already explained. We do not think, "Perhaps," "Maybe."

Guest (1): Do you think reincarnation is there...

Prabhupada: Yes, that is stated in the sastra.

Guest (1): What is your opinion about it?

Prabhupada: I have no opinion. I take sastra as it is.

Guest (1): After all, you are writing...

Guest (2): My general difficulty, that the soul is not itself impossible to turn about, but...

Prabhupada: [break] They train children as vyabhicari, so how you can expect good civilization? So everything is there. It is very difficult, undoubtedly, but if you train from the very beginning of life... That is stated by Prahlada Maharaja:

kaumara acaret prajno
dharman bhagavatan iha
durlabham manusam janma
tad apy adhruvam arthadam
 [SB 7.6.1]

He says... He was child, five years old. His other... In tiffin hours the other children of the demons, they were playing, and Prahlada Maharaja was asking to sit down and hear him. He was preaching, "My dear friends," kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan, "don't spoil your life by playing. Now this is the period of understanding bhagavata-dharma." Bhagavata-dharma means to understand God and our relationship with God and act accordingly. That is called bhagavata-dharma. So kaumara acaret prajna dharman bhagavatan. If you want... We might have done mistakes in our life, but if we train our children in the brahmacari system and gradually they understand the bhagavata-dharma, at least their life becomes perfect. And in the Bhagavata it is ordered that... You will find all this in this Rsabhadeva's instruction. Pita na sa syat janani na sa syat sva-jano na sa sya..., guror na sa syat: "One should not become guru... One should not become guru, one should not become kinsmen, one should not become father, one should not become mother" -- na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum -- "if one cannot give lesson to the children how to avoid death." This is the duty of the guardians, of the government, how to avoid death. Where is that education? So that is the defect of the modern education. There is no training. So, gardulika pravaha.(?) It is going on, very risky civilization.

Guest (2): Swamiji, I was asking point in a different way, that we are so helpless. We are born as human being with inherent weaknesses and shortcomings, like kama, krodha, moha, lobha...

Prabhupada: Yes, that I know. But you can rectify it provided you like. But if you don't like to rectify yourself, how it can be done? If you are thinking that you have got so many defects, you rectify your defects, just like these European, American boys. They were all illicit sex-hunters and intoxicators and meat-eaters. That is their daily affair. How they have given up? They have decided that "We shall rectify ourself." You rectify yourself and you will be able to do. Are you prepared to rectify yourself?

Guest (2): That's why nature has given us to..., why nature...

Prabhupada: Nature has made you a dog. Why should you remain a dog? You should become a human being. That is your duty.

Guest (3): My question: Do you think your quality to change... A person, if that sould becomes fate or lift...

Prabhupada: No fate can be changed. I understand. These questions are generally put. Fate can be changed.

Guest (3): By name.

Prabhupada: By Krsna consciousness. Karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam [Bs. 5.54]. Others cannot change their fate, but only the devotees can change. How? Krsna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami [Bg. 18.66]. Krsna says, "I shall give you protection from all the resultant action of your sinful life." That is fate changed. If you don't surrender to Krsna, then you have to suffer or enjoy the actions of your fruitive activities. But when you surrender to Krsna, He takes charge of squaring up all your sinful activities and their reaction. That is... So you surrender to Krsna; then your fate is changed. Otherwise it is not possible.

Guest (4): Your Divine Grace, on behalf of the residents of the Jorbhag Colony, I thank you most sincerely for coming here, taking the trouble of coming here and giving this learned discourse. In the inscrutable past and from the holy ages, this land of ours has thrown up great masters who have drunk deeply at the inexhaustible spiritual knowledge handed over to us... (end)
 
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1 -- Delhi, November 28, 1975
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.