Sunday Feast Lecture "Drinking Poison Knowingly" London, July 25, 1976

25 Jul 76 , London

Prabhupada: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is this. Yei bhaje sei bada, abhakta hina chara [Cc. Antya 4.67]. Anyone who is devotee of Krsna, yei bhaje, who is engaged in devotional service of Lord Krsna, yei bhaje se bada, he is big. Our calculation of big, small, not by the caste system. Yei bhaje: "Anyone who worships or who is engaged in devotional service of the Lord..." There is no particularly any person or any society or any caste or any nation is said. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, yei bhaje se bada. Yei bhaje sei bada, abhakta hina chara. And one who is not a devotee, he is the lowest and abominable.

yei bhaje se bada bhakta hina chara
krsna bhajanete nahi jati kuladi vicara
[Cc. Antya 4.67]

So far Krsna bhajana is concerned, there is no such distinction of caste, creed, nation, religion, no. Everyone. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's word, and Krsna's personal words are, in the Bhagavad-gita, mam hi partha 'vyapasritya ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah [Bg. 9.32]. People are generally against the mlecchas, yavanas or the candalas because according to Vedic system, the brahmanas, the ksatriya, they are supposed to be pious family, brahmanas and ksatriyas. Less than that, even woman, they are not so pious. So in that sense there is discrimination. But Krsna says that mam hi partha vyapasritya ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah. Anyone, it doesn't matter, even he belongs to the papa-yoni, low-grade family. And because women and vaisyas are sudras are also considered as less important, so Krsna mentions, striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te 'pi yanti param gatim: "Even women, sudras, or the vaisyas, everyone can be elevated to the higher transcendental platform, param gati." Param gati. Gati means advancement, stepping forward, gati. So everyone is given this advantage of stepping forward. Stepping forward... (aside:) ...is it finished or not? Eh?

Indian man: Just they're offering.

Prabhupada: Yes. Stepping forward, there are two ways, stepping forward, gatih. One way, go to hell, and another way, go to Krsna, stepping forward. So who is going to back to home, back to Godhead, and who is going to hell? There are two ways. I think the Christians also believe like that: either go to heaven or go to hell. Actually, there are two ways, stepping forward. So here Krsna says, the greatest authority, that

mam hi partha vyapasritya
ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah
striyo vaisyas tatha sudras
te 'pi yanti param gatim
[Bg. 9.32]

This step forward means going back home, back to Godhead. And another stepping forward there is.

matir na krsne paratah svato va
mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam
adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram
punah punas carvita-carvananam
[SB 7.5.30]

Another, this process, is those who are not Krsna conscious... Matir na krsne. Their consciousness is not for Krsna. Matir na krsne. Why they are not Krsna conscious? They cannot be? No, they cannot be. Matir na krsne paratah svato va, by personal deliberation or by congregation deliberation, svato mitho, matir na krsne paratah, or by the instruction of the spiritual master. Matir na krsne paratah svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam.

Grha-vratanam. Grha, there are different meanings of grha. Especially grha, we mean the home, house. Grha-vrata and grhastha, they are two different. Grhastha means although he is in grha, household life, his purpose is to go back to home, back to Godhead. They are called grhastha. And whose only purpose is to live at home-decorate the home, decorate the wife, decorate the children and make money to live very comfortably -- they are called grha-vrata or grhamedhi. They are not grhastha. Grhastha means although he's living with wife, children, family, but his purpose is how to become Krsna conscious, how to go back home, back. They are called grhastha. So grhasthasrama is as good as other asramas. There are four asramas. Vedic civilization means four varnas and four asramas. Brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, and brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa. So those who are not following this principle of varnasrama-dharma, living like cats and dogs, they also live with wife, children. That sort of living is called grha-vrata. Grha-vratanam. Matir na krsne: "They cannot become Krsna conscious." Matir na krsne paratah svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta grha-vratanam. Why? Now, adanta-gobhih. Go means senses. Go means cow. Go means land also. So anyone who has taken the vow of sense gratification... That is the modern world, that "Somehow or other, satisfy senses." They cannot control the senses. Adanta-go. Adanta. Danta means control. Adanta, not controlled. Adanta-gobhih. So what is that? Visatam tamisram: "They are going towards hell," because this sense gratification process, unrestricted sense gratification process, he is creating a situation of different mentality and that mentality will be prominent at the time of death, and according to that situation he'll get his next birth.

Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. Therefore we have to become very, very careful. This life I maybe born in big nation, America, or English nation or some other nation or family, but if I create a mentality of cats and dogs or if I do not take advantage of this human form of life -- I remain dull as the trees or the animals -- then next life we have to accept a similar body. This is the law of nature. You can say or I can say that "I do not believe in the next life," but that is not the fact. The fact is... Just like if a child says, "I do not believe the next stage or next life, to become a boy," or if a boy says that "I don't believe next stage, to become a young man," so a young man says, "I do not believe that I shall become an old man," that is concoction. The nature's law will drag him, one after another. Similarly, the old man's body, when it is finished, you'll have to accept another body according to your mentality at the time of death. This is the law of nature.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is the best welfare activities for the human society to save them from a dangerous type of life. It is a very scientific movement. The fools and rascals, they do not know that there is next life and one has to accept a type of body given by nature. Karmana daiva-netrena jantor deha upapatti [SB 3.31.1]. According to karma, the nature... Just like if you infect some disease without any knowledge, so that disease, infection, will develop. If you have infected the small pox germ, then it will develop. You may believe or not believe or you may know or not know. It doesn't matter. Nature's way is like that. Similarly, we are contaminating within this material world different infection of the modes of material nature -- sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So that is also described in the Bhagavad-gita: karanam guna-sangah asya sad-asad yoni janmasu. One is getting higher type of birth, one is getting lower type of birth, why? Karanam guna sango 'sya: [Bg. 13.22] the cause is different contamination of the material modes of nature. Therefore in human form of life we should not be irresponsible animals. The animals, they do not know what he is contaminating, what he is going to take birth next. That is nature's way. But when you come to the human form of life, you have got your discrimination. You have to make your choice whether you are going to hell or you are going back to home, back to Godhead. That you have to make your choice.

If you don't make your choice, if you miss this opportunity, then you are committing suicide. You are knowingly drinking poison. As Narottama dasa Thakura says, hari hari biphale janama gonainu: "My Lord Krsna, I have wasted my time without any meaning, without any good result." Why? No, manusya-janama paiya radha-krsna na bhajiya, janiya suniya visa khainu: "I got this human form of life. It was an opportunity to worship Radha-Krsna, but I did not do it. I simply wasted my time in sense gratification. This means knowingly I have drunk poison." So anyone can drink poison if he likes. Nobody can check. But it is a fact that if one does not become Krsna conscious in this human form of life, he is drinking poison knowingly. That's a fact.

So people should be very careful, take advantage of this Krsna consciousness movement. It is not a blind, sentimental religious faith. It is a great science, vijnanam. Jnanam me parama-guhyam yad vijnana-samanvitam. Jnanam te 'ham pravaksyami yad vijnana-samanvitam. These are the words. It is vijnana, a great science. Don't think that "These people are sentimentally chanting and dancing." That is the process, very easy made for this age. But if you think yourself that you are a great scientist, great philosopher, then we have got eighty-four books of four hundred pages. If you have got actually learning, you can study them. We can convince you. And people are becoming convinced. We are selling books all over the world, daily, sixty thousand dollars' worth. People are receiving, and they are appreciating. We have got big, big learned scholars' opinion.

So the idea is that you must take to Krsna consciousness movement. Otherwise you are drinking poison knowingly. Anyone, it doesn't matter what you are. Either you are Indian or Englishman or American or Hindu or Muslim, it doesn't matter. Krsna consciousness means God consciousness. I may say, "Krsna;" you may say some other name. But this human form of life is meant for this purpose, to understand Krsna, or God. Not vague idea, clear idea what is God, how he looks, what does he do -- so many things we have to know. It is not vague idea. Simply to have a vague idea of God, that is also good, but that is not perfect. You must know that is God. So how you can know God? The God is explaining Himself, coming down for your benefit. That is Krsna. Krsna is explaining Himself, "I am like this. You see Me. You know Me. I am explaining Myself." And still, if we do not take advantage of understanding God, then just imagine how we are drinking poison knowingly. How rascal we are, that God Himself is explaining before me everything about Him, and we are not taking advantage of this opportunity, and I am thinking I am independent and... This is rascaldom. You are not independent. You are completely under the control of the laws of material nature. How you are independent? So this foolishness must be stopped. That is the purpose of Krsna consciousness. Don't remain rascals fools. Take to Krsna consciousness and be happy.

Thank you very much.

Indian man: (indistinct) ...praising anyone that can perform even, praying to Krsna consciousness. So the fundamental is the four things. Please explain.

Devotee: He's talking about the four principles which are compulsory to Krsna consciousness.

Prabhupada: Yes, because we are now dull brain. Anyone who is not Krsna conscious, he is described as rascal.

na mam duskrtino mudhah
prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana
asurim bhavam asritah
[Bg. 7.15]

This is Krsna's words, that anyone who is not Krsna conscious, he must be in one of these groups. What are the groups? Duskrtinah-meritorious sinful person. A person is merit. He has got merit. Just like a thief, a rogue, a cheater. He has got merit undoubtedly. Without being meritorious, they cannot be expert thief or expert rogue or expert politician. (laughter) So they have got merit, but duskrtinah. Krti means merit, and dus means abominable. Merit is being used for bad purposes or sinful purposes. They are called duskrtinah. This is one group. Another group-mudha. Mudha means fools, rascals, or children, those who have no knowledge or one who does not know what is the purpose of life. They are called mudhas. And another group is called naradhamah. Naradhama means the lowest of the mankind. The highest of the mankind is one who is Krsna conscious, and the lowest, one who does not know what is Krsna consciousness, the lowest of the mankind. This human life, human form of life was given to him by laws of nature to understand Krsna, or God, but he's not using it. Misusing it. They are called naradhama. And then, next group is mayayapahrta jnana. You can say, "There are so many learned persons. They are not Krsna conscious. They are after drinking and eating meat and... They are education." So then, He says that "They are educated. They have so-called educated, but their real knowledge is taken away." Just like one is rich man, but his money is taken away. So these four groups... So why this meritorious person or educated person, they do not take to Krsna consciousness? That means dull brain. So in order to make the dull brain suitable for understanding Krsna, these four principles of austerities is the first need: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. Then his brain, the finer tissues of the brain, will develop to understand Krsna. Otherwise, not possible.

Devotee: There's one more question, Srila Prabhupada.

Indian woman: (Hindi)

Prabhupada: Pitar, what is this pitar?

Indian man: Forefathers.

Prabhupada: Yes. So there are different processes. (Hindi)

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



>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sunday Feast Lecture -- London, July 25, 1976