"Lord Buddha"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.24
September 29, 1972, Los Angeles


Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

tatah kalau sampravrtte
sammohaya sura-dvisam
buddho namnanjana-sutah
kikatesu bhavisyati
[SB 1.3.24]

Translation: "Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist."

Prabhupada: So these words are significant. Bhavisyati. Bhavisyati means "in future He will appear." Other avataras, just like Lord Ramacandra, Krsna, They have been described that "He appeared for doing this work." Similarly, in future also, who will appear, that is also listed. So no pseudo incarnation can come in, because past, present, future, everything is described there. Bhavisyati. This Bhagavata-grantha, sastra, was written five thousand years ago. Now five thousand years ago there was no Buddha. But in future He will come, and that is mentioned here: bhavisyati. Not only Buddha's name only, but His mother's name and the place where He would appear. This is called sastra. No speculation. Fact. Either past, present, or future, it doesn't matter. Tri-kala-jna.

So we accept knowledge from such person who knows past, present, and future. Persons who do not know even present, what is going on, how we can accept knowledge from him? This is not our process. Our process is to receive knowledge from a person who knows past, present and future. Just like Krsna and the acaryas. They know. So our knowledge is perfect because we are receiving knowledge from the perfect as it is. Therefore our knowledge... It is not that I am perfect. I may not be perfect; I may be perfect. But because I am accepting the perfect knowledge, therefore whatever I speak on that basis, that is perfect. This is our process. You don't require to research. What research you will make? You are yourself insufficient. What research you can make? Your senses are insufficient. You try to see the cosmic manifestation with your microscope or telescope, but that is also manufactured by you. You are imperfect, so whatever you have done, that is all imperfect. How you can know? If you are imperfect... The four defects of the conditioned soul... One is sure to commit mistake. Anyone, any big man of this world, he must commit mistake. He is illusioned. He is accepting something for something. Every one of us, we accept this body as "I am," self. And we are fighting on this basis. "I am American, you are Indian," "You are Hindu, I am Muslim." Only on this bodily concept of life. But Bhagavata says, as soon as we find a person on the platform of bodily concept of life, he is animal. That's all. Sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. Go-kharah. Go means cow, khara means ass. So anyone who is under the bodily concept of life, he is fool, rascal. That's all.

So these sastras are written. Just like Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva is speaking that kikatesu bhavisyati. Kikatesu means the province of Gaya, still existing. Bhavisyati. When? Tatah kalau sampravrtte. Kalau. This age is called Kali-yuga. Sampravrtte: "just in the beginning." So Buddha appeared 2,600 years ago. So for thousands of years, it is beginning. Just like the sunset and the sunrise, there is an intermediate period. It is neither light nor dark. That is called intermediate period. Similarly, at the end of every millennium, yuga, and the beginning of another yuga, that is called sampravrtti, "just beginning." So sampravrtte, just in the beginning. Because the duration of Kali-yuga... This yuga, Kali-yuga, it will exist for 432,000 of years. Altogether, all the yugas taken together, they are 4300,000's of years. Out of that, Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. So out of that 432,000's of years, we have passed only five thousand years. We have passed only five thousand years. The Kali-yuga has begun from after the death of Maharaja Pariksit.

During the time of Maharaja Pariksit, the Kali-yuga could not enter. He was so strong king. Kali-yuga means these four principles: illicit sex, intoxication, gambling, and meat-eating. This is Kali-yuga. Before the beginning of Kali-yuga, there was no such thing in the world, all over the world. With the beginning of the Kali-yuga, these things have begun: illicit sex, intoxication... Now it is so spread that every home, every house, every country, is full of these four principles of sinful life.

So tatah sampravrtte kalau sammohaya sura-dvisam [SB 1.3.24]. Sura-dvisam. Dvisa means, "I don't like to see you." That is called dvisa. Dvesa. Iccha-dvesa. We have got two kinds of likings. We want to see somebody, and we want to, we do not want to see somebody. Iccha-dvesa. These are our activities. Iccha-dvesa samutthena sarge yanti parantapa. Our creation within this material world, iccha-dvesa... We wanted to enjoy this material world, and we did not like Krsna. Dvesa. Dvesa means, "I don't like you." There are so many things, we say, "I don't like." So as soon as we don't like Krsna, God, and want to enjoy this material world, then we fall down, immediately. Iccha-dvesa samutthena sarge yanti parantapa. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Sarge means... This is the cause of our creation of this material body. Just like when you enter into the water, just like so many swimmers now entering within the..., you have to particular type of dress. As you are going to the moon planet, you have to fortify yourself with a particular type of dress. It costs about forty millions dollars? Something like that. You see? Similarly, the spirit soul... We are all spirit soul. When we want to enter this material world, we get this material body. This is the process. Now... Just like they take pleasure diving within the water, swimming like the fish. That natural tendency is there. You cannot say, "Why I have come to this material world?" Why you are swimming within the water? Why? Who has induced you? There is no such question. But the fact is as soon as you want to enter this material world, you have to accept this dress. Otherwise you cannot work here. This is the fact.

So our problem is that we have entered this material world out of our own will. Iccha-dvesa samutthena. No one... Krsna has not pushed us. You wanted something for your enjoyment, so-called enjoyment. Krsna has provided you. Just like you want to enter into the prison life, therefore government creates a prison house. Government does not like that there should be prison house, and government has to make a department, criminal department, and spend millions of dollars for nothing, for maintaining the prison house. Government has no such thing, plan. But because you want to enter into the prison house, therefore, before your entering, government is prepared, "Here is your house. Please come." So that is the way of material creation. There was no need of this material creation. Some rascals questioned that "Why God has created this miserable world?" But you wanted, therefore God has given you. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham [Bg. 4.11]. Krsna says. Krsna is very kind. You wanted such a thing. The same example, the prison house. The prison house, government is not canvassing, "Please, you all gentlemen and ladies, come here." No. You are going. You are going. Similarly, this material world is created for you because you wanted it. And here you cannot expect..., as you cannot expect in the prison house to live very comfortably... Because after all, it is prison house. There must be tribulation so that you may not come again. You cannot expect that prison house will be very comfortable and you live forever.

So upon these infliction of so many condition, so many miserable condition, still, we do not want to leave this place. Just see how much attachment we have got. Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. This place has been described that it is a place for suffering. It is not the place for enjoying. But still, we are not inclined to leave it. Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. You cannot make even compromise: "All right, it is a place of suffering, but we have got our radio and television. We shall live here." No. You may have your radio, television, and if you make compromise, nature will not allow you. After some years you kick out: "Please get out of this apartment." "No, I have got my television and this and..." "That's all right. You get out." Asasvatam. You cannot make even compromise, that "All right, it is miserable place. I will live here." But you will not be allowed to live here. But these foolish rascals, they do not understand. Bhutva bhutva praliyate.

Therefore Lord Buddha appeared. These rascals... Sammohaya sura-dvisam [SB 1.3.24]. Sura-dvisam means rascals, atheists. "There is no God." In Buddha religion they don't believe in God. "Yes. There is no soul. There is no God." That is Buddhist theory. Sunyavadi. "Everything void. Make void." Buddha philosophy is that "These bodily pains and pleasure are due to the combination of matter." This body, this gross body, or the subtle body, is made of physical matters: earth, water, air, fire, and ether, and mind, intelligence, ego. These are gross and subtle matters. So Buddha philosophy is that "Due to the combination of this matter, we are feeling pains and pleasure. So everyone is trying to eradicate all kinds of pains. That is the struggle for existence. So these pains will be automatically mitigated if you break this combination." That is Buddha... Nirvana. That is called nirvana. Break. Just like this house is combination of several material thing. Now, when it is broken... You have seen, so many houses have been dismantled. There is no more house. And as soon as there is no more house, there is no question of living or feeling pains or pleasure. That is Buddha philosophy.

The Sankara philosophy is "No, simply breaking is not the solution. There is soul within this." Dehino 'smi yatha dehe. Sankara gives him that "Wherefrom this living cognizance come? There is soul." That is Sankara philosophy. But he is nirvisesa-vadi, nirakara. That consciousness has no form, he says. Then farther development is this Vaisnava philosophy, that as soon as there is consciousness, that is a person. These are the gradual development. Actually, they are not contradictory. But according to the time, circumstances, different types of philosophies are there. Just like Jesus Christ. He is advising, "Thou shalt not killing." That means the people were so much accustomed to kill. Very first-class gentlemen. Simply wanted to kill. So what advice can be given there? First is that "Thou shalt not kill."

So according to the time, circumstances, men, the different scriptures are there. The ultimate aim of scripture is to bring one to Krsna consciousness. But everything is not explained because the people are unable to understand. Just like in our Krsna consciousness movement, we are making movement, but not that everyone is understanding. Those who are very intelligent, or those who are, whose background is pious, they can understand. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. Those who are miscreants, mudha, rascal; naradhama, lowest of the mankind; and mayaya apahrta-jnana, and knowledge is taken away by maya -- such person never submit to Krsna. But who submits? Catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtinah arjuna Those who are pious, out of them, four classes of men, arto artharthi jnani jijnasuh. Arta means distressed, and artharthi means need of money, jnani means man of knowledge, wise man, and jijnasu, inquisitive.

So Lord Buddha appeared at a time where people were too much addicted to animal killing. Still it is going on. Kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira, jaya jagadisa hare. Sadaya-hrdaya darsita-pasu-ghatam. Pasu-ghatam. Any religion where pasu-ghatam is there, that is not religion. That is not religion. That is simply barbarianism, under the name of religion. So God Himself becomes so much disturbed that these rascals are simply killing. At that time, of course, the Buddha religion was not there. The so-called followers of the Vedic religion. In the Vedas there are sanction for killing animal in a special sacrifice, but people took it as general, and they began to kill animals like anything, under the protection of Veda. Therefore when Lord Buddha began to preach his philosophy, ahimsa, nonviolence, he did not accept the authority of Vedas. Because people will misuse it. Therefore he said that "I don't care for your Vedas." Just like Lord Jesus Christ rebelled against the whole Testament. He formulated his own testament, New Testament. Similarly, Lord Buddha also, he rejected Vedas and He presented his own philosophy: ahimsa, nonviolence. Ahimsa paramo dharmah. Because he was very kind upon on the poor animals. Sadaya-hrdaya darsita-pasu-ghatam. Pasu-ghatam means animal killing. Nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam. Sruti-jatam. Sruti means Veda. So in the Vedas, although there are, in particular cases, there are animal sacrifice... That is also very restricted. But we cannot say that there is no animal sacrifice. There is in some cases. So Lord Buddha, nindasi, He decried, "No, I don't accept your Vedas." Therefore Buddha religion is different from Vedic religion, because he rejected Vedas. And the Vedic followers, because he rejected Vedic principles, Vedic followers said that he, "You are nastika." Nastika means unbeliever.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu has explained this Buddha religion. Veda na maniya bauddha haya ta' nastika. Because nastika means, atheist means one who does not follow the principles of Veda. That is the, in every religion there is such restriction. Just like Christian religion. One who does not believe in Christianity, they are called heathens. Similarly, in Muhammadan religion also, one who does not believe in the Muhammadan religion, they are called kafirs. So everyone has got manufactured some word. But so far our religion is concerned, we accept anyone, either he is a kafir or he is a heathen or he is a Hindu or Muslim or..., because Krsna is for everyone. But here, Lord Buddha also, he is also for everyone. But he wanted to cheat, sura-dvisam, sammohaya. Sammohaya, the sura-dvisam, means those who are envious of the devotees, atheist class of men, just to cheat them. But when Krsna or God cheats, that is also for the welfare of the people. So he wanted to stop animal-killing. So he said... (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.24 -- Los Angeles, September 29, 1972