This Nice Car Is Rotten

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6
September 5, 1972, New Vrndavana



Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Pradyumna: Translation: "The supreme occupation or dharma for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self."

Prabhupada: So

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]

Everyone is seeking satisfaction, atyantiksu. Everyone is struggling for existence for the ultimate happiness. But in this material world, although they are thinking by possessing material wealth they will be satisfied, but that is not the fact. For example in your country, you have got sufficient material opulence than other countries but still there is no satisfaction. So in spite of all good arrangement for material enjoyment, enough food, enough..., nice apartment, motor cars, roads, and very good arrangement for freedom in sex, and good arrangement for defence also -- everything is complete -- but still, people are dissatisfied, confused, and younger generation, they are turning to hippies, protest, or dissatisfied because they are not happy. I have several times cited the example that in Los Angeles, when I was taking my morning walk in Beverly Hills, many hippies were coming out from a very respectable house. It appeared that his father, he was (indistinct), a very nice car also, but the dress was hippie. So there is a protest against the so-called material arrangement, they do not like.

Actually we cannot be happy by material prosperity, that is a fact. That is also stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Prahlada Maharaja says to his atheistic father... His father was Hiranyakasipu. Hiranya means gold and kasipu means soft bed, cushion. That is material civilization. They want very soft bed, and the bed companion, and sufficient bank balance, money. That is another meaning of Hiranyakasipu. So he was not happy also. Hiranyakasipu was not happy -- at least he was not happy that his son Prahlada was becoming a devotee of the Lord, which he did not like. So he inquired from his son that "How you are feeling? You are a small boy, child, how you are feeling so much comfortable despite all my threatening. So what is your actual asset?" So he replied, "My dear father, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. Foolish persons, they do not know that their ultimate goal of happiness is Visnu, God, the Supreme Lord." Durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. Durasaya, dur, hope against hope, they're hoping something which is never to be fulfilled. What is that? Durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. Bahir-artha, bahir means external, artha means interest.

So those who do not know that the ultimate goal of happiness is Visnu, they think that by adjustment of this external world... Because we have got external and internal. Externally we are this body. Internally we are soul. Everyone can understand that I am not this body, I am soul. I am covered by this body and as soon as I go away from this body, the body has no meaning. It may be a very important soul's body, a great scientist's body, but the body is not the scientist, the soul is the scientist. The body is instrumental. Just like I want to catch something, so the hand is my instrument. Therefore in Sanskrit word, these different parts of the body, limbs, they are called karana. Karana means, karana means action, acting, by which we act, karana. So na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31], we are now illusioned under the concept of this body. That is also described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13], atma-buddhih kunape, kunape means bag. This is a bag of bones, and muscles, and skin, and blood. Actually when we dissect this body, what do we find? A lump of bone, skin, and blood, intestines, and blood, pus, nothing else.

So kunape tri-dhatuke, these things are manufactured by three dhatus, elements, kapha, pitta, vayu. Kapha mucus, pitta bile, and air. These things manufacturing. These things are going on. After eating, these three things are being manufactured, and if they are in adjustment, parallel, then body is healthy, and if there is more or less, then there is disease. Well, according to the Ayur-vedic -- that is also Veda -- ayur means span of life, and Veda means knowledge. That is called Ayur-veda. So this Vedic knowledge of the span of life is very simple. They don't require pathological laboratory, clinic, no. They require simply to study these three elements, kapha, pitta, vayu. And they, their science is to feel the pulse. You know, every one of you, that the pulse is moving tick, tick, tick, tick, like this. So they know the science: by feeling the beating of the pulse, they can understand what is the position of these three elements, kapha, pitta, vayu. And by that position, constellation, they... In the Ayur-veda, sastra veda, there are, the symptoms, with the... These veins are moving like this, heart is moving like this, beating like this, then the position is this. As soon as they understand the position is this, they verify the symptoms. They enquire from the patient, "Do you feel like this? Do you feel like this?" If he says, "Yes," then it is confirmed. The inner things, how the pulse is beating, and the symptoms are confirmed, then the medicine is ready. Immediately take the medicine. Where is (indistinct).

Formerly every brahmana used to learn these two sciences, Ayur-veda and Jyotir-veda. Jyotir-veda means astronomy..., astrology not astronomy. Because any other, the less intelligent than brahmanas, the ksatriyas, the vaisyas, the sudras, they would need the brahmanas for health and future. Everyone is very inquisitive to learn what is future, what is going to happen next, and everyone is concerned with the health. So brahmanas, they would simply advise about health and the future, so that is their profession and people give them eatables, cloth, so they have nothing to do for working outside. Anyway this is a long story. So this body is a bag of the three elements, yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. (baby cries) That baby. So Bhagavata says yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke, I am not this body. This is a vehicle. Just like we ride on a car, drive car, so I am not this car. Similarly, this is a yantra, car, mechanical car. Krsna or God has given me this car, I wanted it. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. "My dear Arjuna, the Lord as Paramatma is sitting in everyone's heart," bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya [Bg. 18.61], "and He is giving chance to the living entity to travel, to wander," sarva-bhutani, "all over the universe." Yantrarudhani mayaya, riding on a car, driving a car given by the material nature. So actual our position is that I am soul, I have been given a nice car -- it is not a nice car but as soon as we get a car, however rotten it may be, we think that it is very nice, (laughter) and identify with that car. "I have got this car, I have got that car." One forgets if one drives a very costly car, he forgets himself that he is a poor man. He thinks that "I am this car." This is identification.

So yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih [SB 10.84.13]. One who thinks this body as himself, as self, and bodily relations, sva-dhih, "They are my own, my brother, my family, my nation, my community, my society," so many things, my, I and mine Misconception of "I" as this body and misconception of "my" in relationship with body. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih [SB 10.84.13]. Bhauma ijya-dhih, bhumi, bhumi means land. Ijya-dhih, ijya means worshipable. So at the present moment it is very strong, the conceit that "I am this body," and "I am American," and "I am Indian," "I am European," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am brahmana," "I am ksatriya," "I am sudra," "I am this, those...," so many. This is very strong and bhauma ijya-dhih, that because I am identifying to a certain type of body, and wherefrom the body has come out, the land is worshipable. That is nationalism. So yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih [SB 10.84.13], yat-tirtha-buddhih salile, and tirtha, place of pilgrimage.

We go, we take bath in the river, like the Christians, they take bath in the Jordan River, or Hindus, they go to Hardwar, take bath in the Ganges, or Vrndavana, they take bath. But they think by taking bath in that water, his job is finished. No. Actually the job is to go to such pilgrimages, holy places, to find out experience spiritual advancement. Because many spiritually advanced men, they live there. Therefore one should go such places and find out the experienced transcendentalist, and take lessons from him. That is really going to pilgrimage. Not that simply going and take bath and business finished. No. So

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

Abhijne, one who knows. (indistinct) we should approach person who knows things very well, abhijnah. Krsna is abhijnah, svarat. So similarly Krsna's representative is also abhijnah, naturally. If one associates with Krsna, if one talks with Krsna, he must be very abhijnah, very learned, because he takes lessons from Krsna. Therefore Krsna's knowledge is perfect, therefore, because he takes knowledge from Krsna, his knowledge is also perfect. Abhijnah. And Krsna talks. It is not that it is fictitious, no. Krsna -- I have already said -- that Krsna is sitting in everyone's heart and He talks with the bona fide person. Just like a big man, he talks with some bona fide person, he doesn't waste his time talking with nonsense. He talks, that's a fact, but he does not talk with nonsense, he talks with the bona fide representative.

How it is known? It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, tesam satata-yuktanam [Bg. 10.10]. Who is bona fide representative? Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam, buddhi-yogam dadami tam. Krsna says that "I give him intelligence." To whom? Satata-yuktanam, those who are engaged twenty-four hours. In which way he is engaged? Bhajatam, bhajana, those who are engaged in devotional service. What kind of devotional service? Priti-purvakam, with love and affection. One who is engaged in devotional service of the Lord in love and devotion. What is the symptom of love? The symptom, the prime symptom, most important symptom of love is that the devotee wants to see that his Lord's name, fame, etc. become widespread. He wants to see that "My Lord's name be known everywhere." This is love. If I love somebody, I want to see that his glories are spread all over the world. And Krsna also says in the Bhagavad-gita, na ca tasmat manusyesu kascit me priya-krttamah, anyone who preaches His glory, nobody is dearer to Him than that person.

Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gita, how you can love, what are the symptoms of love, how you can please God, how He can talk with you, everything is there. But you have to take advantage. We read Bhagavad-gita, but by reading Bhagavad-gita I become a politician. So what kind of reading Bhagavad-gita? Politician is there, of course, but the real purpose of reading Bhagavad-gita is to know Krsna. If one is Krsna, if one knows Krsna, he knows everything. He knows politics, he knows economics, he knows science, he knows philosophy, he knows religion, he knows sociology, everything. Tasmin vijnate sarvam etam vijnatam bhavanti, that is the Vedic injunction. If you simply understand God, Krsna, then everything will be revealed to you because Krsna says, buddhi-yogam dadami tam. If Krsna gives you intelligence from within, who can excel Him? Nobody can excel Him. But Krsna can give you intelligence provided you become a devotee, or lover of Krsna. Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam, buddhi-yogam dadami tam [Bg. 10.10]. And what is that buddhi-yoga, what is the value of buddhi-yoga? That buddhi-yoga or bhakti-yoga, the value is yena mam upayanti te. Such buddhi-yoga, such intelligence will get him back to home, back to Godhead. Not that by such intelligence he will go down to hell. That is material intelligence.

Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram. Everything is discussed in Bhagavatam. For the materialist person, adanta-gobhi. Adanta means unbridled, uncontrolled. Go means indriya or senses. Materialistic persons, they cannot control their senses. They are servant of the senses, godasa. Go means indriya, and dasa means servant. So when you come to the position of controlling the senses, then you'll be gosvami. That is gosvami. Gosvami means controlling the senses, who has completely controlled the senses. Svami or gosvami. Svami also means that and gosvami also means the same thing. Generally adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram. Uncontrolled senses, they are going. It is not that Krsna is sending them. He is making his own path clear, either back to home, back to Godhead, or glide down to the darkest region of hell. Two things are there, and that opportunity is in the human form of life. You can select. Krsna, as He inquired from Arjuna, whether "Your illusion has been dissipated now, after hearing Bhagavad-gita, now you can do whatever you like." So that "You can do whatever you like," that facility is always given to living entity by God. You can do whatever you like. It is not that we are, we are given no facilities to select, to make choice. We are given facilities and choice, everything to do.

So to select the path of hell and to select the path of back to home, back to Godhead, depends upon us. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gita, mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh, yositam sangi-sangam, tamo-dvaram, tamo-dvaram yositam sangi-sangam [SB 5.5.2]. Mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes, vimuktes. People, the modern educated society, they do not know what is vimukti. They do not know. They know, but they do not know what is the ultimate vimukti. Just like scientists, they are trying to give us so many facilities by machine, by different processes. That is means, that is also vimukti. We are in some inconvenience, just like we are in inconvenience for transport, oh, scientist gives us some horseless carriage. That is also vimukti. We feel inconvenienced for working so the scientist has given us the car. So every attempt is being made for vimukti, for getting out of some inconvenient position. But they do not know ultimate vimukti. What is the ultimate vimukti? Ultimate vimukti is to get freedom from birth, death, old age, and disease. That is ultimate goal. The modern scientists, they are giving us so many facilities to get out of some material difficulties but that is temporary. That is not actually vimukti. Actual vimukti is to get freedom from birth, death, old age, and disease. That vimukti can be achieved from Krsna, harim vina na mrtim taranti.

You cannot get out of it, out of these four kinds of material tribulation, without being favored by the Supreme Lord. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita, daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya. Mama maya duratyaya, it is very difficult to get out of the entanglement of created by My maya, illusory energy. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14], but anyone who surrenders unto Me, he can get out of this entanglement. So here it is stated that sa vai pumsam paro dharmah yato bhaktir adhoksaje, the whole human civilization is trying to get freedom from some inconvenience. The state, politics, sociology, humanity, religions, so many things. So ultimately it is taken religion is the path of vimukti, religion. Because other things are being tried by the animals. The animals also have their ways of getting out of inconvenience. They know how to do it. Just like a bird, he knows that on the land I am in danger. As soon as there is some danger, immediately flies up to the tree. He knows. So everyone knows. You will find in animal kingdom, in birds' kingdom, everyone knows how to protect. It is said, we learn from Bhagavata that also that fish within the water, they have got so sensitive power that miles away if some enemy is coming, they can understand and they take shelter. Just like a dog can smell from distant place that somebody unknown is coming. So every animal has got special qualifications. Don't think that human being is only intelligent. No. The intelligence for these four things, how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex intercourse, and how to defend, these intelligence are there in every animal. Don't think simply human being has got this intelligence.

So vimukti, therefore they do not know what is the ultimate goal of vimukti, for getting out of the inconveniences of life. Na te viduh, they do not know. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya [SB 7.5.31], they are trying to adjust things by material adjustment. That is not possible. They do not know that. Adanta-gobhir. Andha yathandair upaniyamanah, But they are being misled by blind leaders. They are themselves blind and some blind leaders. Therefore we should not accept blind leaders, we should accept a leader who is not blind. We therefore accept Krsna, the Supreme Person, Who knows everything, past, present, and future. We take His leadership or we take the leadership of His representative. That is our process. So here some of our leaders, Suta Gosvami says, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah, because ultimate goal is how to get out of the entanglement of material convention.

So he says, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah. Dharma means, I have already explained, dharma means occupational duty. So everyone has got occupation and he is trying to get out of the inconveniences of material existence. So here it is suggested, because the question was dharma, dharmah kam saranam gatah, under whose protection is dharma now existing? So he is coming to that point. First of all he's explaining what is dharma, what is occupational duty. Actually dharma means occupational duty. Religion, I have already said, it is a kind of faith. Faith can be changed, but our constitutional position, occupational duty, that cannot be changed. We are eternal servant of Krsna, but without serving Krsna we are serving maya. We have accepted a false occupational duty, therefore it is called maya. Maya means false. Just like if I have got a body of America, American body, then my occupational duty is different from the body of an Indian, or from the body of a dog or a cat. So according to the body, our occupational duties change. But real occupational duty is of the soul. When you come to that platform -- the occupational duty of the soul -- that is the highest class of religion. That is explained here, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah.

Dharma, occupational duty, there are two kinds of occupational duties according to Vedic system, pravrtti and nivrtti. Pravrtti means propensities, material propensities. We have come here within this material world to enjoy material resources. That is called pravrtti. And when we come to the platform of understanding that I am not this body, I am soul, then my occupational duty changes. At the present moment we are all working on the platform of bodily concept of life but when you come to the platform of understanding that aham brahmasmi, I am not this matter, I am spirit soul, then my occupational duty changes. Not... That is my real occupational duty, because I am really spirit soul. Therefore,

brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]

When we come to the platform of brahma-bhutah... At the present moment we are jiva-bhutah. We are thinking that I am this body, but when you come to the platform that I am Brahman, I am part and parcel of Krsna, or God, then my duty changes. That is called bhakti. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]. When, after being brahma-bhutah, after being liberated from material concept of life, that is called brahma-bhutah, aham brahmasmi.

So sometimes people say that bhakti, devotional service is for less intelligent class of men. No. It is the one who has become highly intelligent, he can take to Krsna consciousness. Krsna says, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyante [Bg. 7.19], after many, many births of cultivation of knowledge... Everyone is cultivating knowledge but when his ultimate goal of knowledge is achieved, that is to understand Krsna, vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma su-durlabhah [Bg. 7.19], one who understands. That is the ultimate goal of knowledge. So here is also the same thing explained, sa vai pumsam paro dharmah. Dharma, every human...

First of all, dharma is meant for the human society. The animal society, they have no, nothing to do about religion, neither they know what is religion, what is this body, what is soul. It is not their business. Dharma is the business of the human society. Therefore in any human society, there is a kind of dharma, religion. It doesn't matter whether it is Christian religion, or Hindu religion, or Buddha religion, or Muhammadam religion, some sort of religious propensities are there. Because without this propensity, dharma, religious, he is not a man, he is animal, because animal has no sense of religion. Dharmena hina pasubhih samana, anyone who has no religion, it doesn't matter what kind of religion he has got, but he must have some religion. Without religion he is animal. Dharmena hina pasubhih samanah.

So now, at the present moment, they are rejecting religion. Everywhere, all over the world. We have to... Travelling all over the world, the only scarcity is sense of God, Krsna consciousness, God consciousness. They have practically rejected God consciousness. So that will not make him happy because he cannot become happy imitating the animals. Now they are imitating animals, becoming naked. That is they, that is their advancement of civilization, to become naked, nudist. So actually decline, from human life they are decline to animal life. Because two kinds of life, animal life and human life but if they do not take to the proper position of human life, cultivation of knowledge and religion, then they are animals so gradually they will decline to animal life. So we should not decline, we should make progress, that is human life.

So progress means to make progress in religious concept of life. That is progress. Not, that is not progress, material comforts, that is not progress. Material comforts according to the body, that is already settled up, deha-yogena dehinam. As we have got body, a particular type of body given by nature, the machine... Just like your comfort of driving car is estimated according to the car you have got. If you have got a very nice costly car, then it drives very comfortably, but if you have got a less costly, cheap car, then you are not so comfortable. Similarly our comforts and discomforts are already settled as soon as you have got a particular type of body. There is no necessity to improve it. We cannot improve it. For example, just like a hog, he has got a particular type of body, he can eat stool. You cannot improve his eating process by giving him halava, that is not possible. Therefore sastra says, deha-yogena dehinam. Our material comforts, standard of material comforts, are already settled up by the body which you have got. Therefore our business is: if you are not in the bodily concept of life, then our business is how to make spiritually advanced. Bodily comforts of life, we cannot improve. That is not possible. We can improve our spiritual advancement of life. That is given to us.

Therefore all the sastras, all the Vedic literatures, all the great saintly persons, they come. They simply come to give you hint how you can make spiritual advancement of life. They do not come here to say how you can make very comfortable material life. They never say. Either you say Jesus Christ or Krsna or Lord Buddha or Hazrat Muhammad or anyone, all of them have come to give you information for spiritual advancement of life, not for any material advancement of life. That is intelligence. Material advancement of life, you should be satisfied. Whatever God has given you, you be satisfied with that. Don't waste your time, that is not possible. Therefore your occupational duty should be... The highest occupational duty is suggested here, yato bhaktir adhoksaje. If you engage yourself in such occupational duties by which you can increase your devotional service for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here in this chapter as Vasudeva Adhoksaja. Vasudeva, Krsna's name, another name is Vasudeva, and His another name is Adhoksaja. Adhoksaja means not to be understood by direct perception of our senses. Aksaja, we try to understand everything with our senses, we want to see something, we want to touch something, we want to smell something, we want to hear about something, we want to taste something, these are our direct test. So Krsna, God, cannot be understood by these direct tests. Therefore He is called Adhoksaja. You cannot understand Krsna. Krsna is here, but because we have no training, we see that it is a stone statue. But He is Krsna. We do not know that Krsna is so kind but because I cannot see Krsna at the present stage of life therefore Krsna has appeared in a form which I can see. That is Krsna. Krsna, the same Krsna, but Krsna can appear because everything is Krsna, everything is Krsna's energy, so He can appear in His energy. So He has appeared in this material energy, bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh. So He has appeared just like stone, because we cannot see except stone. Therefore He has appeared like stone, but He is not stone, He is Krsna. Therefore Krsna's name is Adhoksaja. Adhoksaja means we cannot perceive Krsna by direct sense perception but He is so kind, so merciful that He appears before us as we can perceive Him directly.

That yato bhaktir adhoksaje, and that bhakti, that devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, should be ahaituki. This is first-class, this is their system. Because the enquiry was where is now dharma. So he is describing what is the nature of dharma. The nature of dharma is that bhagavata is the topmost knowledge. He is giving directly the topmost religious system. The topmost religious system is devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Who is not perceived by direct senses. And that devotional service should be ahaituki. No hetu. Hetu means cause. I am going to the temple with some cause. For mitigation of some difficulties, I shall pray to... That is also nice, but that is haituki, there is some hetu, or cause. We should serve Krsna without any cause, not that by serving Krsna I shall improve my material position and so many causes maybe. But real service, real devotional service must be without cause. That is pure devotional service.

anyabhilasita-sunyam
jnana-karmady-anavrtam
anukulyena krsnanu-
silanam bhaktir uttama
[BRS 1.1.11]

There are different stages of bhakti. The first-class bhakti is anyabhilasita-sunyam, without any material desires, ahaituki. Apratihata and cannot be checked by any material condition. Bhakti, or devotional service is not such a thing which can be checked. "Sir, I was feeling very sick, therefore I could not chant." No, that is not bhakti. We are subjected to all these tribulations utterly, but bhakti... Just like Haridasa Thakura, he was going to die, or he's change his body, he's going to Vaikuntha. Caitanya... He was chanting daily 300,000s. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised him, "Now you are sick-willed, you can reduce your chanting." Haridasa Thakura said, "No, sir. That I cannot do." That is Haridasa Thakura. We cannot imitate Haridasa Thakura. Even at the point of death he was chanting 300,000s of Hare Krsna mantra. Apratihata, this is called apratihata, without being checked by any material condition. So if you want to become a devotee, no material condition can check you. It is so nice, so easy, ahaituki apratihata yayatma suprasidati. The real thing is that we want satisfaction of our self, so if we want actually satisfaction of self then we shall take to this devotional service without being checked by any material condition or for without any material reason, then you shall be happy. Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972