Everything Here Is Punishment
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.18
Honolulu, May 18, 1976
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Take a testHonolulu, May 18, 1976
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Prabhupada: Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sixth
Canto, Chapter Three, verse number eighteen. (devotees repeat)
prayascittani cirnani
narayana-paranmukham
na nispunanti rajendra
sura-kumbham ivapagah
[SB 6.1.18]
So bhakti-yoga, devotional service, is so powerful that simply by taking to the bhakti-yoga according to the rules and regulation one is supposed to be purified. Yesterday we have discussed, sadhricino hy ayam loke panthah ksemo 'kuto-bhayah. First of all we are so ignorant that we do not know what is the aim of life. The modern education, modern civilization, they are so much misled that they do not know what is the aim of... Ask anybody, very learned scholar, scientist, philosopher, or medical man, engineer, lawyer, that "What is the aim of life?" Nobody knows. They think aim of life -- eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy, that's all. This is aim of life. So that is not the aim of life. That eat, drink, be merry and enjoy, that is being done by the cats and dogs and hogs. So do you mean to say that this human form of life is also meant for that purpose? No. Human life is meant for understanding "What I am? What is God? What is relationship with God? Why I am here in this material world? Why I am suffering?" These are the questions for human life. Eating, sleeping, mating, that is wanted because we have got this body. So suppose there is car and a driver. So the petrol and grease, these things are required for the car. But you cannot eat petrol and grease and live. That is not possible. You have to eat something else. So we are thinking that the bodily necessities, petrol and grease, is my food(?). That is the mistake.
So therefore they do not know what is the aim of life, and the nature's law is, unless you come to the point of understanding what is the aim of life, the nature will go on punishing you in so many ways. Little mistake, you'll be punished. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. We have come to this material world, disobeying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So just like police: as soon as you become outlaw, the police will take you and the police will go on punishing you unless you become lawful. This is the... So without understanding "Why I am put into the jail?" if I simply think that "It is all right. Let me remain here and suffer the punishment," jail life is not for happiness. That is, everyone knows. Jail life is for punishment. Similarly, in this material world everything is punishment, but by the illusory energy you are thinking, "This is all right." Every step there is punishment. Just study your life or my life. What is that? That beginning from the womb of my mother, when the body is formed, the soul, spirit soul, is injected in the womb of the woman, and then the formation of the body takes place. So the body grows. And now imagine when we are in the womb of the mother, how much difficult position packed up in a bag, airtight bag. If we, at the present moment, if I put into some airtight condition, within three minutes I shall die. Within three minutes. But similarly, just like packed the child remains within the womb of the mother. It is very, very painful. But by the grace of God he lives. He lives. Otherwise it is suffocating. Just imagine if you are put in a airtight box, tied up, hands and legs. How long you can live? So we remain in that condition, unconscious stage. Then, when the body is formed, we get our consciousness. Therefore at the age when the child is seven years, er, seven months old, it moves because he feels the pains.
So in this way we have to remain within the womb of the mother. And when the body is formed, time is right, then by nature's way the child comes out. But he forgets that "I was in such condition. Now I am relieved." But he forgets. The mother or the father or the relative takes him. Bhaktivinoda Thakura has sung these different conditions. So we forget. That is spell of maya. Then, even in this childhood, there are so many pains. Just like our... Here are children. They are crying. There is some pain. But we cannot understand what is the pain. Suppose some bug is biting. He's crying and mother is thinking that "He is hungry, so he's not stopping. So just..." Our point is: just try to study this life, how much painful it is. This is the human body and what to speak of the dog's body, cat's body? You study very minutely. You'll find, from the beginning of my life in the womb of my mother up to the death point, simply miseries. Simply miseries. Simply. Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. Krsna said that this material life is duhkhalayam, simply full of miseries. But under the spell of maya we are thinking that we are very happy. That's not the fact. Therefore human life is a chance to get out of this miserable condition. That should be the aim of life, how to get out of this miserable condition of life. That requires knowledge how we are suffering, how it can be mitigated. The sufferings will be ended... The same thing: unless you become law-abiding to the laws given by God, you'll suffer. That is nature's way. The same principle: unless you become lawful, the police will give you punishment. Similarly, material nature, that is explained in Bhagavad-gita, purusah prakrti-stho 'pi bhunkte tad-gunan. We are suffering because in the material there are threefold miseries generally: adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. That is permanent. Besides that, extra miserable condition due to the age, due to the climate, due to the condition of life. So we have to study these things. Why... The human life begins when he begins to say "Why?" Kenopanisad. "Why I am suffering?"
So there are different methods how to get out of the suffering condition, karmi, jnani, yogi. But ultimate, very easy process is, if you become a devotee, if you become engaged in Krsna consciousness, then it is very easy. Ksemah akuto-bhayah. Then your prosperity, your auspicity, is guaranteed. Ksemah akuto-bhayah. Akuto-bhayah means "without any fear." You can keep yourself in Krsna consciousness as it is prescribed. Then your life is secure, akuto-bhayah. Therefore no more fear. Because why? Krsna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami: [Bg. 18.66] "If you become surrendered unto Me and if you keep yourself under My instruction, then I'll give you protection." Therefore it is said, akuto-bhayam. Then your character will be formed, you'll become... You'll manifest your all good qualities simply by becoming narayana-parayana. And so far atonement... We began this atonement. So atonement is concerned, here it is said, prayascittani cirnani narayana-paranmukham. You can have some atonement, but if you are bereft of Krsna consciousness, so this purification will not be complete. How? Rajendra sura-kumbham ivapagah. According to Vedic civilization, a pot in which wine was kept, it is impure forever. It is impure forever. You cannot use for any other purpose. It is so abominable. If you think that "This bottle contained wine. Now wine is finished. Wash it, then it becomes pure," then according to Vedic civilization wine is so impure that even the pot in which wine was kept, it will never become pure. Sura... These examples outsider cannot understand, but it is said in the sastra.
So we have to understand that what is the aim of life. Aim of life is go back to home, back to Godhead. Unless we understand this, our life is in darkness. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah [SB 7.5.31]. We are trying to be happy in this place of miserable condition, manufacturing so many ways of life. In the modern age they are thinking that "If we have got a very nice car and nice residential quarter and nice wife..." Oh, people also do not care now for wife and children. They want car, of course. (laughter) That is essential, although at any moment he can meet accident and finish. So this is not the aim of life. The aim of life is described that how to go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be. So if that is our aim of life, then we must engage ourself in devotional service, or Krsna consciousness. Then our life is successful. Otherwise we shall continue and drag the miserable condition of life, means we shall change in different ways, but it will never be successful.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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