Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.6
Los Angeles, January 3, 1974
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Take a testLos Angeles, January 3, 1974
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Pradyumna: Translation: "The devotees
of the Lord are accustomed to licking up the honey available from the lotus feet
of the Lord. What is the use of topics which simply waste one's valuable
life?"
Prabhupada: The same last paragraph. The... Yadi krsna-kathasrayam. So the proposal was that "We are interested to hear about Kali's being punished by Maharaja Pariksit if there is some connection of Krsna consciousness." That is the principle of Krsna consciousness, that we shall not do anything which has no connection with Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness. One should be very alert: "I am going to do this. Whether it has got any connection with Krsna? I am going to eat this. Whether there is any connection with Krsna?" In this way, we have got always some activities, some action of the senses, but if we test every moment, "Whether this has got any connection with Krsna?" then you will remain safe. I am going to talk with you or somebody else. Whether that talk has got any connection with Krsna? If it has no, then I am not going to talk. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate. That is really renunciation.
Renunciation does not mean I change this cloth to another shape of cloth and another color of cloth. Renunciation means I will not associate with anything which has no connection with Krsna. This is renunciation. Because for a Krsna conscious person, to waste even a moment of life without Krsna consciousness is a great dangerous action. Not only anyone who is interested (?) or higher level of position. He should be very careful of using every moment of life. Canakya Pandita's advice, moral instruction of Canakya Pandita, he says, practical proposition,
ayusah ksana eko 'pi
na labhyah svarna-kotibhih
sa cen nirarthakam nitah
ka nu hanis tato 'dhikah
He is advising that our duration of life, that is limited. That is, by destiny, limited. Therefore in the horoscope it is said that "So many years this man will live." That's fact.
So any big scientist, big philosopher, they may be very, very big, big men, but the so-called scientist cannot increase even one day's life. That is not possible. You have to die. The moment you are destined to die, you must die. So not only day, even a moment you cannot increase. A moment you cannot increase. Therefore Canakya Pandita says, ayusah ksana eko 'pi. We have got a certain duration of life. Now, what is gone in this life... Suppose yesterday was 2nd January, 1974. This morning it is finished. Now it is 3rd January, 1974. Can you bring 1973, 1974, 2nd January, again? No, that is not possible. It is gone forever. It is gone forever. Similarly, every moment of our life is going, forever, never to come back. Canakya Pandita says na labhyah svarna-kotibhih. If you request that "Now my age is, say, seventy-eight years." If I request somebody that "I will give you millions of dollars, make my life seventy-seven years," that is not possible. Not seventy-seven years, even a moment. Therefore Canakya Pandita says that every moment of life is so valuable that you cannot get back it even offering hundreds and thousands and millions of dollars. That is not possible.
So if that moment is wasted for nothing, just imagine what is your loss. A thing which you cannot get back by paying millions of dollars, if that is lost unnecessarily, so how much loss you are suffering just imagine. This is material calculation. Why we keep some valuable things, some jewel, very carefully? Because we know, "If I lose this jewel, I will lose so much money." Similarly, we should always consider that. The modern civilization, rascal civilization, they do not know how to utilize life. So many days, so many hours, they are simply wasting, simply wasting. It is said that the sunrise and sunset, during this period, the sun's business is to take away the duration of our life, sunrise and sunset. That means twelve hours or thirteen hours which is gone between the sunrise and sunset...This sun's business is to take away the portion, the fixed up duration of life which I have been given. That is, some of it, is taken away. The same example. Just like you have got a fixed balance in the bank. If you draw even ten pence, ten shillings, that means it is taken away. You have to replace it. But replacing is not possible. Bank balance you can replace. But the balance... Suppose you have passed... I have passed... Suppose if I live for eighty years or ninety years or hundred years. So this seventy-eight years is already taken away. It cannot be replaced. You cannot make the bank balance or the duration of..., again complete. That is not possible. This is plain fact.
Therefore here it is said that those who are Krsna conscious, they must weigh, measure every moment, "Whether this moment has been spent without Krsna consciousness?" That is the criterion. Avyartha-kalatvam [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19], nama-gane sada rucih. This is the test of advanced Krsna consciousness. Rupa Gosvami gives, avyartha-kalatvam. Avyartha-kalatvam means "Whether my time has been spent uselessly?" One should be alert. "Whether my time has been used, has been uselessly spent by talking nonsense?" In another place Rupa Gosvami says,
atyaharah prayasas ca
prajalpo niyamagrahah
jana-sangas ca laulyam ca
sadbhir bhaktir vinasyati
By six kinds of activities, you will lose your holding in Krsna consciousness. What is that? Atyaharah, too much eating. Ahara means collection or eating. So either too much collection. Our society, international society, we must collect thousands and thousands of dollars, but for spending it for Krsna, not for keeping in the bank. That is not our business. We must collect as much. Suppose for doing some business... We are constructing our temple in Vrndavana. We require fifty lakhs. That is required. But I shall not collect more than fifty lakhs even one cent. This is atyahara. Similarly, if your body can consume foodstuff one kilo or half kilo, you can eat. But not even an ounce or even a, what is called, grain more than that. That is atyahara. You eat. It is not forbidden to eating. But you must eat as much as you can digest very nicely, not more than that. This is against bhakti principle. Eating too much or collecting too much. Atyahara. And prayasa. Prayasa means do something with extraordinary endeavor. So, of course, we have to do sometime, but it is the general principle. We shall accept... Suppose you are constructing a temple. If it is..., suppose two millions of dollars required, or, say, five millions of dollars. If we cannot do that, we shall not attempt. That is prayasa, unnecessarily endeavor. Which is within your control, you should act. Atyaharah prayasah. And prajalpa. Prajalpa means talking all nonsense. Suppose politics. "What Mr. Nixon did yesterday, or what did he say?" So what interest we have got in Mr. Nixon? We shall not waste our time talking this politics, that politics, this sociology, this cinema, this affair, no. We have nothing to do with that. That is called prajalpa, unnecessary talking. Talking means decreasing your duration of life. Talking. So why should you decrease your life unnecessarily? Every moment you have to utilize, "Whether it is used for Krsna?" This is sadhana. This is sadhana, practice. Unnecessary talking, unnecessary making enemies. Unnecessarily, "You are my subordinate; I am your master." Who is master? Everyone is subordinate to Krsna. Nobody is master. Why you talk unnecessarily?
So therefore it is said that kim anyair asad-alapaih. Asat. Asat means that will not exist, and sat means which will exist. That we do not know, which will exist. But we know that this body will not exist. That everyone, we know. And what is that thing which will exist? That we do not know. The soul. That we do not know. We know what will not exist. That everyone knows. And in Bhagavad-gita it is said,
avinasi tu tad viddhi
yena sarvam idam tatam
antavanta ime deha
nityasyoktah saririnah
[Bg. 2.18]
Everything is there. We know that this body is asat, antavanta. Antavanta means "which has got an end." Antavanta ime dehah. This body has got an end at a certain date. Everyone knows. But the, the other is... Nityasyoktah saririnah. But within the body, which is the living force of this body, which is moving this body, that is nitya. Two things are there: my body and the force within the body. Everyone knows as soon as the force is withdrawn or gone away that this body has no more movement, it has no value. That everyone knows. But they will explain in different way. But according to our Vedic knowledge, that which is moving this body, that is eternal. That is not finished. "After the end of this body, the body is burnt into ashes or into, buried into the earth, and still?" Yes. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20].
In this way, every step, Svayam Bhagavan is personally..., Krsna is instructing us, and we are so fool, we cannot understand. We cannot understand. Big, big politicians, they read Bhagavad-gita, in our country. But by their action it is seen they did not understand even a word of Bhagavad-gita. Even a word of Bhagavad-gita. Big, big politician. They became very big, big mahatmas or great men, but they tried for this body, which is to be finished. Antavanta ime dehah. Nobody tried for that thing which will never be finished, that is eternal. You find from their life, they never instructed about the soul. They dealt with politics very nicely, to give bluff that "Within one year I shall give you liberation and this and that," about the... What is the value of this liberation? Because they did not know the thing which is not perishable, they are after this body, which is, liberated or not liberated, will perish. They are busy. They are busy with the activities of this body, which is surely perishable.
What is the value of your independence? Can you avoid death? Suppose you are independent. What is the meaning of this independence? When death will come, will catch you by your neck and throw you away, your independence, nonsense independence... What is the value of this independence? Be independent from the clutches of maya. No more death -- that is independence. That is independence. No more birth -- oh, that is independence. No more death. Otherwise what is the meaning of independence? You are not independent. You are under the clutches of maya. You are struggling. You are struggling to get out of the clutches of maya or the material nature, external energy of God. You are trying to make nice medicine to get out of the attack of disease. But you can manufacture a better medicine, but you cannot get out of disease. That is not possible. This is struggle. Now we have manufactured such a nice medicine that cancer or any other disease will not attack us. That is very nice. But find out some medicine that death will not attack you. "Oh, that is not possible." Then where is the meaning of your advancement?
So this Krsna consciousness movement is that medicine by which you can conquer over death. Therefore this is the best medicine. Bhavausadhi. It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, bhavausadhi. Nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanat... (aside:) You can stand on the wall, not in the middle. Nivrtta-tarsair upagiyamanad bhavausadhat [SB 10.1.4]. This word bhavausadhi means the panacea for all material diseases. Bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-'bhiramat. Pariksit Maharaja says that this chanting of Hare Krsna mantra, it is chanted by whom? Nivrtta-tarsaih, one who has finished his hankering after material pleasure. Nivrtti. Nivrtti means finished, no more. There are two ways: pravrtti and nivrtti. I want to smoke -- that is called pravrtti. And when I give up, that is called nivrtti. Pravrtti and nivrtti.
So there are two things: pravrtti and nivrtti. But asuras, demons, they do not know "In which way I shall guide my pravrtti and which way I shall guide my nivrtti." This is the pasu. "In which way I will..." Pravrtti and nivrtti, these two things are there, but the difference between a demon and demigod is that a demon does not know how to direct these two propensities, pravrtti and nivrtti. And a demigod knows how to guide these two things, pravrtti and nivrtti. These two...One who does not know... Pravrttir esa bhutanam nivrttis tu maha-phala. Sastra says that these things... Just like, loke vyavayamisa-madya-seva nitya hi jantor na hi tatra codana. This eating, sleeping, mating and defending, every animal, every small animal, knows it very well, how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex intercourse and how to defend. These four things, everyone knows by nature. So this is called pravrtti. Pravrtti. But it has to be made nivrtti, stop. They do not know what is the perfection. The perfection is... The pravrtti, propensity is eating, sleeping, mating, defending. And when you make it just the opposite -- no more eating, no more sleeping, no more mating, no more defending -- oh, that is perfection of life. Who knows this? Ask any scientist, philosopher, of this world, that "Can you show me any way, no more eating, no more sleeping, no more mating and no more defending?" That is spiritual life. Therefore we have to reduce it. It is not possible, but there is possibility. Just like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, he made it in his life, during Caitanya Mahaprabhu's... Even after departure of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, about four hundred years ago. He was a very rich man's son. Very good wife, very good state. He left everything, and ultimately, he made these things, even eating, nil. He was eating every third day a small quantity of butter, nominal, little. Otherwise he gave up eating. So it is possible. It is not that "How one can give up eating and live at the same time?" That is possible. By the life of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami we see.
So actual civilization means to deny material conveniences. That is actual civilization. That is perfection of civilization. Otherwise the cats and dogs, they are also after food, after sleeping, after sexual intercourse, after defense. Then what is the difference? The difference is the animals after it and the human beings should be not after it. Negation. That is perfection of life. So how we can negate? The Mayavadi philosophers, they want to negate. Or the Buddhist philosopher. "Make it zero. Make it zero." Sunyavadi. Sunyavadi. Nirvisesavadi. Nirvisesavadi and sunyavadi, almost the same. So they are after negation. But that is not possible. Artificially, if you negate, "I shall not eat," you cannot continue it for very many days. That is not possible. That is not possible. Similarly, eating, sleeping, mating -- everything -- artificially you cannot do. But you can do it as perfectly, as much possible, simply by Krsna consciousness. Therefore it is said here that kim anyair asad-alapaih. If we stop hear Krsna talking, then that is negation. If we stop artificially these mundane talks, that will be artificial. You cannot sit down. If I say that the so-called meditation... So meditation is artificially stopping mundane activities. That is meditation. But how long you will do that? He is becoming suffocated, "When I shall talk? When I shall talk? I am meditating, meditating, meditating." But how will it stop? That is not possible. Just like these Mayavadi philosophers, they say, "Become desireless, no more desire." That is not possible. I am a living entity. How can I be desireless? It is not possible.
So this negative process will not help us, sunyavadi. Sunyavadi. Nirvisesavadi. It will not be helpful. Therefore in the sastra it is said that aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adhah anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah [SB 10.2.32]. The same example I have given several times, that these rascals, they are going to the moon planet and sun planet, but they do not get any shelter, and they come down again. Their advancement means go to some extent and again come back again, earthly planet. When the Russian aeronauts was flying, he was seeing, "Where is my Moscow? Where is my Moscow?" The anchor is there. The attraction is there in the national, in the country, in the city, in the home, in the wife, in the cats, in the dogs. And he is trying to go up. So that is not possible. Just like a vulture. He goes three miles up or more than that, but his aim of life is to find out a dead body. That's all. He is finding. He has gone so up. You can see that advancement of going up, but the business is to see where is a dead body so that he can eat.
So this kind of artificial going up and making things negation will not help us. That is not possible. Therefore they are failure. Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah [SB 10.2.32]. These Mayavadi philosophers, they may go very high by knowledge, by speculation, but they will again fall down. Why? Anadrta-yusmad-anghrayah: "Because they could not get the shelter of Your lotus feet, therefore they will fall down." That is not secure. Because a man cannot remain without any activity, without any desire. That is not possible. A man, animal, any, even insect, he must be doing something. I have got practical experience. One of my sons in child..., when I was young man, he was very naughty. So sometimes we used to put him on the rack. He could not get down. So he was feeling so uncomfortable because his activities stopped on the rack. So you cannot stop activity. That is not possible. You must give better activity. Then you will stop. Param drstva nivartate.
So this Krsna consciousness movement is that you get better activity. Therefore you can give up the inferior activities. Otherwise, simply by negation, it is not possible. We must work. We must work for Krsna's sake. We shall go to the Krsna's temple, or we shall go for selling Krsna's books, or meeting some Krsna devotee. That is nice. But you cannot stop working. That is not possible. Then your idle brain will be devil's workshop. Yes. Then you will fall down, "How to go to that woman? How to go to that man?" If you stop working, then you have to work again to sense gratification. That's all. Similarly, you take any sense; you cannot stop it, but you have to engage it. That is Krsna consciousness. You engage your hand and engage your legs, you engage your eyes, you engage your ears, engage your tongue -- simply in Krsna. You can engage everything. For eyes, instead of hankering after some beautiful man or beautiful woman, just see Krsna, how nicely dressed. Then you will forget these other seeing. For tongue, you engage your tongue simply for chanting. Then your nonsense talking will automatically stop. You engage your tongue eating very nice prasadam of Krsna, offered to Krsna. Then you forget to go to restaurant. In this way our time should be utilized. As it is said that kim anyair asad-alapaih. We should not allow our senses to be engaged in such thing which will never exist. That is the criterion. Simply engage yourself in such things which will continue, will exist forever.
Just like we are learning here Krsna's service. So Krsna's service is here, and if you are perfect, then Krsna's service is there after death also, the same thing. Therefore it is said, mara va jiva va. One saintly person said to a royal prince, raja-putra ciran jiva, ciran jiva: "Oh, you are the son of a king. You will live forever." Muni-putra muni-putra ma jiva ma jiva: "Oh, you are the disciple of a saintly person, brahmacari, you please die immediately." Just see. Raja-putra ciran jiva, blessing raja-putra, "You live forever." And muni-putra, the son of a muni, or the disciple of a muni, he says, ma jiva, ma jiva: "You don't live, you'll die. You die." And that thing... That, what is called? This butcher. Butcher, he is advising the butcher, jiva va mara va: "Either you..." No. He is advising butcher, ma jiva ma mara: "Don't die, don't live." And to a sadhu, saintly person, he is advising, jiva va mara va, two things. So what is the purport? The purport is that this prince, he is enjoying material enjoyment, but next life he will have to become a dog. "So better you live with your enjoyment. Ciran jiva. Because as soon as you die, you are going to be a dog. So better you live. So long you will live it is good for you." And muni-putra, a brahmacari, his business is fasting and go to collect for Guru Maharaja, and then whatever he takes, he offers to the guru. Then the guru says that "You can eat," he can eat. It is hardship, but by this hardship he is now prepared to go back to home, Godhead. So he says, "You immediately die so you can go to Vaikuntha immediately." And the cruel butcher, he is advised, ma jiva ma mara: "You don't live and don't die. Because your living condition is so horrible that every day, morning, you have to kill so many animals and see bloodshed and this. It is a horrible life. Your occupation is very, very horrible. Therefore you should not live. But at the same time, if you die, then you are going to suffer all this suffering yourself. Then you don't die also." So this is the position. And sadhu, those who are saintly person, devotees, he is advised, jiva va mara va: "Either you live or either you die, your business is to serve Krsna. You are serving Krsna now, and after death, you will serve Krsna. So there is no question of your death, neither there is no question of your birth." So these are some moral instructions.
So here it is said that kim anyair asad-alapair yad. What is this? Avyayah, asad-vyayah. What is the meaning of vyayah? Asat, "unnecessary waste of life." So unnecessary waste of life, we should be very careful. That is Krsna consciousness. That is the criterion of Krsna conscious life. We should not waste our time. That is advised by Rupa Gosvami also. Avyartha-kalatvam [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19]. We should be very cautious not to waste a single moment without Krsna consciousness. So we have got so many activities. If we have no activities, then we can polish the floor of the temple? That is not very difficult. If I am illiterate, I have no interest in reading books, I have no interest in chanting or I cannot do it constantly, then take something and mop over the temple and cleanse the temple. That is also service. It is not that one who is engaged in the Deity worship, he is better engaged, and one who is polishing the floor, he is less engaged. No. Both of them will get equal benefit. Krsna consciousness is so nice. So find out some business for Krsna. Don't waste time. That is the perfection of Krsna consciousness.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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