The Sighted And The Blind
Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.1.3
Delhi, November 6, 1973
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Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
Translation: "The lifetime of such envious householders is passed at night
either in sleeping or in sex indulgence, and in the daytime either in making
money or maintaining family members."
Prabhupada:
nidraya hriyate naktam
vyavayena ca va vayah
diva carthehaya rajan
kutumba-bharanena va
[SB 2.1.3]
This is the description of the persons who are blind. Apasyatam atma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2]. Yesterday we have discussed this verse. Apasyatam means one who does not see. Apasyatam, pasyati. Pasyati means "one who sees," and apasyati, "one who does not see," "blind." So there are two kinds of men within the world: pasyati, apasyati. Simply having the eyes, one cannot see. This is not... Because our senses are imperfect. We see every day the sun just like a small disc. But it is not a small disc. It is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet. Therefore our sensual perception is not all. That is not perfect. We are deficient: we commit mistake, we are illusioned, we cheat, and our senses are imperfect. As such, there is no possibility of having perfect knowledge by a conditioned soul. That is not possible.
We have to receive knowledge, therefore, from the supreme perfect. That is real knowledge. Just like we have got experience that nobody knows that there is soul. Nobody knows. But we have to receive the knowledge from the perfect person, Krsna. Krsna says there is soul. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam, tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. Asmin dehe, in this body, there is the proprietor of the body, the soul. But if we want to see... Some rascal said, "Show me where is soul." He cannot see because he has no eyes to see. These modern materialistic persons, they want to see everything, but he does not understand that his seeing power is very limited. If the light is off, immediately he cannot see. So what is the value of your eyes? Why you are so much proud to see everything? "Can you show me God? Can you show me the soul?" You cannot see. You have no eyes to see. And what you cannot see, you can hear. Just like a blind man, he is sitting. He cannot see. Somebody comes. He inquires, "Who has come here?" Now, if somebody says, "It is such and such person," by hearing only he can understand, "Oh, such and such person has come." So seeing is not extremely perfect experience. There are other senses.
So which is beyond the sense perception you have to hear. Therefore Vedic knowledge is called sruti. You have to hear. Not by seeing. Simply by hearing. Sravanam.
sravanam kirtanam visnoh
smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam
[SB 7.5.23]
If you want to know the Supreme, then you have to hear from Him. Just like about Krsna, we have to hear from Him. Krsna is speaking Bhagavad-gita. Krsna is speaking everything. All Vedic knowledge is Krsna. Krsna is speaking. How Krsna is speaking? That is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Tene brahma hrda adi-kavaye. Krsna spoke to Brahma. Adi-kavi means Brahma. He spoke to him. But if somebody says, "Brahma..., when Brahma was born from the lotus flower, there was nobody there. So how he could hear from anybody?" Therefore Bhagavata says, tene brahma hrda. Hrda means "through the heart." Through the heart he was educated. Therefore Krsna's another name is caitya-guru. Caitya-guru means "the guru who is sitting within your heart." Caitya-guru. But He does not speak to anyone. He speaks to everyone, but only the devotee can hear. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:
tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te
[Bg. 10.10]
Unless you are a devotee, unless you are constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, He will not speak to you. He speaks, but you cannot hear. You have no ears to hear Him. That is not possible. Krsna is speaking. Just like Krsna is speaking in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. It is open speaking, but who is hearing? Nobody is hearing. Nobody is hearing. They have got their own conception of life.
Therefore, unless there is mercy of Krsna, there is no possibility of understanding Krsna. Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. By your these blunt material senses you cannot understand what is the name of Krsna, namadi.
Guest: (Hindi)
Prabhupada: That's all right. Atah sri-krsna-namadi. (aside:) That's all right. Why you are bothering? Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih [BRS. 1.2.234]. In these blunt material senses you cannot understand what is this Hare Krsna mantra. It requires purification of the senses, when you will understand what is Krsna's name, namadi, what is Krsna's form, what is Krsna's quality, what is Krsna's entourage, what is Krsna's pastime. You cannot understand. How you will be understanding? Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. When you are engaged in the loving service of the Lord, beginning with your tongue, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau, by chanting this Hare Krsna mantra and taking prasadam, in this way, gradually, when you will be purified, you will understand what is Krsna. He will reveal. Krsna reveals. Naham prakasah sarvasya yogamaya-samavrtah [Bg. 7.25]. For others, He is covered with yogamaya's curtain, but for the devotees, He is open.
This is the secret. Vedesu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. If you simply study Veda, you will never be able to understand Krsna. Therefore so many so-called Vedantists, they do not know what is Krsna. They consider Krsna as ordinary human being. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. So the mudhas, the rascals, they cannot understand Krsna. Only the devotees. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. If you want to understand Krsna in truth, then you will have to accept this process, bhakti. Krsna never says that "By jnana, by yoga, by karma, you can understand." No.
bhaktya mam abhijanati
yavan yas casmi tattvatah
tato mam tattvato jnatva
visate tad-anantaram
[Bg. 18.55]
These things are...
So the grhamedhis, as I have described last night, they are not interested, grhamedhis. Apasyatam atma-tattvam grhesu grha-medhinam [SB 2.1.2]. Grhesu grha-medhinam. Those who are simply attached to this bodily conception of life, they are unable to see the truth. Apasyatam atma-tattvam. They cannot see. Their only business is... That is described here: nidraya hriyate naktam. (aside:) Yes, come if you like. Their business is, these apasyatam atma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2], those who are blind, those who cannot see, the atma-tattvam, "What I am," such persons, what is their business occupation? That is the distinction between devotee and nondevotee. A nondevotee, he is very much happy by sleeping. We have seen it practically in Western countries. You know very well, if they can sleep twenty-four,-five hours instead of twenty-four hours, they are very happy. They think that they are getting some profit. Not only Western countries. I have seen long, long ago, about fifty years ago in Calcutta, the office peons, they took letters for distributing to other men, but what do they do? They will sleep at Delhousie Square with the peon book. I have seen. They thought that "This sleeping is our gain. We are getting salary. That is another gain. But because without working I am sleeping now for three hours in Delhousie Square, it is also another gain."
So this is the conception of the (someone coughs loudly) Disturb... (Hindi) So sleeping is also pleasure, but for the devotees, for advanced devotees, just like Gosvamis in Vrndavana, sri-rupa-sanatana-bhatta-
So to increase sleeping is no qualification. To decrease sleeping. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhir naranam. Eating, sleeping, sex life and defending, these business is meant for the animals. So we have got the animal portion of our life, because we are animals. Unless we come to the Krsna consciousness point, we are simply animals. Those who are working on the bodily concept of life whole day and night, they are simply animals. Their business is to sleep as much as possible at night. Nidraya hriyate naktam. Otherwise, vyavayena ca va vayah. Vyavaya. Vyavaya means sex. Two business at night, either sex indulgence or sleep. This is atma-tattvam apasyatam, apasyatam. Those who are awakened to the atma-tattva, they will simply think, "How much I have wasted!" That is... Avyartha-kalatvam [Cc.Madhya 23.18-19]. Avyartha ka... A devotee should be always alert whether he is wasting time or utilizing time. That is devotee's business.
So this nidraya hriyate naktam or vyavayena ca va vayah this is wasting life, wasting time. It should be minimized as far as possible. This is not required. This is the bodily necessities of life. And we have to come to the spiritual platform. We have to be engaged only in spiritual activities. But those who are not interested in self-realization, there must be some engagement. There are two things, Krsna or maya. Just like darkness and light. Where there is Krsna there is no darkness. Krsna surya-sama, maya haya andhakara: "Maya is just like darkness, and Krsna is just like sunlight." So as soon as there is sunlight, there is no darkness. Just like this is night. What does it mean, night? Means there is no sunlight. Sunlight is there in other part of this globe, but here there is no sunlight; therefore it is darkness. Similarly, as soon as we are not Krsna conscious, there is maya, immediately. Either maya or Krsna consciousness. If you are not in Krsna consciousness, then you should understand that you are in maya. And if you are in Krsna consciousness, then there is no maya. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. These are the open description. Anyone who is fully surrendered to Krsna, he has no maya.
Now, this does not mean that we shall completely exclude sleeping. That does not... Just like gosvamis. They were liberated persons, but they were also sleeping. Because we have got this body, sleeping, rest, is necessary. We cannot neglect this body. But not that that we shall increase the necessities of life, increase the necessities of the body. That is... Rupa Gosvami has given: nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate. We have to, I mean to say, mold our life in such a way. What is that? Anasaktasya visayan yatharham upayunjatah. This is visaya. Visaya means this ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. This is called visaya. Visaya does not mean one who is very rich man, he is visayi. No. Anyone, he may be very poor man, if he is attached to this eating, sleeping, mating and defending only, he is a visayi. The Locana dasa Thakura says, visaya chariya, se rase majiya. One has to gradually give up, minimize this visaya. Visaya means ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. Visaya.
So Rupa Gosvami gives the instruction, anasaktasya visayan. Anasakta. Ana..., means no attachment. Sleeping required, but not for attachment. Somebody is living for sleeping, and somebody is sleeping just to give rest to the body. Similarly, eating also. Eating is not prohibited. You have to eat, because you have got this body. But not that simply for eating I am living. This is called yukta-vairagya. Rupa Gosvami says anasaktasya visa... Don't be attached to the visaya, eating, sleeping, mating, that "I have to eat so much. I have to satisfy my palate. I have to eat this thing in the restaurant." No. You eat simply just to keep your body fit, not extra. Atyaharah prayasas ca prajalpo niyamagrahah. Don't eat more than it is required for maintaining your body. Similarly, don't sleep more; as much as you require for maintaining your... Don't have sex life more than it is required. They are allowed. Just like Krsna says that "Sex life which is not against religious principle, that is I am." Sex life against religion, what is that? Avaidha-stri-sanga. Avaidha, illicit sex life, that is against religious principles. Otherwise, to get married and to beget nice children, Krsna conscious children, according to sastra, that sex life is not forbidden. Krsna says. So dharmaviruddhah kamo 'smi, "Which is not against religious principle, that kama, that kind of lust, I am." But not for other purposes.
In this way we have to mold our life if we are actually interested to become free from this janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-
So it is a great science. Therefore Pariksit Maharaja inquired about Krsna, and Sukadeva Gosvami is describing, and he immediately said, variyan esa te prasnah: [SB 2.1.1] "Your question is very glorified." Yad loka-hitam: "It will be..." Variyan esa te prasnah krto loka-hitam nrpa.
variyan esa te prasnah
krto loka-hitam nrpa
atmavit-sammatah pumsam
srotavyadisu yah parah
[SB 2.1.1]
Krsna prasna, and Krsna answer. So answer is srotavya. So srotavyadi, we are hearing so many answers. Just like you go to the market. We question and answer. There are so many questions, so many answers. But this Krsna question and Krsna answer, srotavyadisu yah parah. Parah means superior or transcendental. This is not material things. Narayanah parah avyaktat. Anything about Narayana, that is not of this material world. That is of the spiritual world. Therefore, Krsna question and Krsna answer, they are not material things. Therefore, if we always engage ourself in Krsna question and Krsna answer... sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. Therefore it is called Visnu. Not that any other sravanam kirtanam. Only Visnu. Visnu means visnu-tattva. Ramadi-murtis u kala-niyamena tisthan. Visnu-tattva means ramadi-murti. Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha, Krsna... There are so many. They are described. They are visnu-tattva. Visnu-tattva, jiva-tattva, sakti-tattva. There are different tattvas. So sravanam kirtanam. If you engage yourself in sravanam kirtanam, that should be for Visnu, not for any other, anyone else. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam. Smaranam, meditation. That is also Visnu. The yogis, those who are actually yogis, they meditate upon the visnu-murti within the heart. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. Yogis, their meditation, Visnu.
So this krsna-prasna, Krsna question and Krsna answer, this is loka-hitam. Anyone hears... In another place Sri Bhagavata says, srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. "About Krsna, if you hear and speak, it is automatically punya-sravana-kirtanah." As it is said, sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. So this sravanam Krsna, Visnu, means punya, punya-sravana-kirtanah. Even if you do not understand anything, if you simply sit down silently and give aural reception to the sound vibration of Hare Krsna maha-mantra, you become purified. Punya-sravana-kirtanah. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah [SB 1.2.17]. Simply by hearing, you become pious. Because we are all impious. Unless we are impious, we don't accept this material body. There may be difference of degrees. That does not make... Anyone who has come to this material world, he is to be considered as impious.
Therefore Krsna said, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami. Because all of us are now in this material body means there is papa. Otherwise why there is... Just like in the prison house, anyone, he may be Gandhi or he may be a small pickpocket, anyone who is in the prison house, it is to be considered that he is criminal. He is a criminal in the eyes of the government. We may worship Gandhi, that's all right, or any political leader, but government think that he is a criminal. Similarly, we have to accept the government's decision. Similarly, Krsna's decision. Krsna's decision is that anyone who is in this material world, beginning from Brahma down to the small ant, some way or other, they are criminal.
krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha
kare
nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare
nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare
The maya's business is to capture. Just like criminal is arrested by the police, similarly, maya is also engaged for this purpose. Anyone who forgets Krsna, anyone who wants to enjoy life, imitate like Krsna... Krsna is the supreme enjoyer. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the enjoyer. But we are imitating. Sometimes we say, "I am Krsna, I am God." This is our disease. We want to imitate Krsna. We want to become Krsna. We want to enjoy like Krsna. This is going on. So so long we have got this propensity, we are sinful. This is the substance.
Therefore Krsna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyah: "If you surrender to Me... Because you have rebelled against Me. Rebelling against Me, you have come to this material world to enjoy. So I have given you all chances. I have given you chance to become Brahma, to become Indra or become Candra, to become Nixon, to become Gandhi, to become Jawaharlal Nehru, to become ant, to become cat, to become dog. I have given you all chances, and you have enjoyed. But you are not satisfied. Now, if you have got sense, just surrender to Me."
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
[Bg. 18.66]
"If you actually want real happiness, then you surrender to Me. I will give you protection from this sinful reaction of life."
So those who are very grossly sinful, their business is in sleeping. Nidraya hriyate naktam. To sleep at night or to indulge sex life.
Pradyumna: Vyavayena.
Prabhupada: Vyavayena ca va vayah. Vyavaya means sex life. So vyavayena ca va vayah. The vayah... Vayah means duration of life. The more you indulge in sex life, your duration of life is reduced. That is the scientific method. Therefore the yogis, they give up sex life. It is a very great science, the breathing. During sex life there is more breathing. So the more you misuse your breathing, your duration of life is reduced. And if you can preserve this breathing, then you can increase your duration of life. Why people are dying nowadays, fifty years, sixty years, seventy years? No. One should live for at least hundred years. But because they unduly indulge in sex life, they die early. Their duration of life is reduced.
So these people, apasyatam atma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2], those who are ignorant of the atma-tattvam, they indulge in nidraya hriyate naktam vyavayena ca va [SB 2.1.3]. This is their night's business. And day's business. What is the day's business? Diva carthehaya rajan. During daytime, "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money? Where is money? Where is money? Go here, go there, go there, go... All right, take money. Then how to utilize it?" Now, kutumba-bharanena va. ‘Then go to the shop. Purchase this thing for my wife, for my children, for this, for that." So money earned and spent, and night, sleeping and mating. Then where is your time for cultivating Krsna consciousness? This is the position. Apasyatam atma-tattvam grhesu grha-medhinam [SB 2.1.2]. Those who are blind, who do not know what is the value of this life, this human form of life, they are busy in these things. Apasyatam atma-tattvam [SB 2.1.2].
But actually, this life is meant for understanding atma-tattvam. Athato brahma jijnasa. This life is not meant for like cats and dogs -- eating, sleeping, mating and defending. This is all cats' and dogs' business. Therefore those who are engaged only in these business:
yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke
sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih
yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva go-kharah
[SB 10.84.13]
Go-khara. Go-khara means... Go means cow, and khara means ass. Those who are acting on this bodily concept of life, they are no better than cows and asses. Therefore one who is inquisitive about atma-tattva, one who is inquisitive about Krsna and such prasna, such inquiries as Pariksit Maharaja did before Sukadeva Gosvami... He welcomed it immediately. Variyan esa te prasnah: [SB 2.1.1] "Oh, you have questioned very nicely about Krsna." Loka-hitam nrpa: "Oh it is not only good for you; it is good for all the people of the world."
So this Krsna consciousness movement is not a sectarian movement. It is good for all human being because as soon as there is question of Krsna, people will hear. Actually, it is happening all over the world. Especially the younger generation, why they are taking interest? Because loka-hitam. They are understanding that it is beneficial. Every student, every disciple, they write me letter how much they are feeling grateful, that "We have got something. Prabhupada, you have given us something." Of course, I have not given. It is not my property. I have simply informed them, "Here is Krsna, and the life's business is to become a devotee." Krsna said, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is your business. So anyone who becomes engaged in this loka-hitam, beneficial to the human society, he will be happy. But he has to control over these things: ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca. These animals propensities should be controlled. Then it will be impetus. It will give acceleration to advance in Krsna consciousness. Therefore we have got the restriction: no illicit sex life, no gambling, no meat-eating, no intoxication. If we can control, if you follow these regulative principles and regularly chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra, gradually you'll realize everything. Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam.
So this is the actually understanding of Bhagavata. We are speaking on the Second Canto. So Bhagavata should not be finished... Now they have become, made a business, finish within seven days, Bhagavata-saptaha. So what they will understand Bhagavata. One sloka, you cannot understand in seven months, one sloka. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. What you will understand? This has become a business. The Bhagavata never says that "You hear for seven days." Never says it. We have read. There is no mention in the Bhagavata that Bhagavata should be heard for seven days. No commentator. There are many, many big commentators. Sridhara Svami, Jiva Gosvami and Visvanatha Cakravarti, Viraraghavacarya, Madhvacarya, so many big, big. There are... Nobody has mentioned about Bhagavata-saptaha. And in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Nityam: "daily." What you will understand? What is your merit that you will understand?
So everything has become professional. So therefore people are in darkness. One should be very serious, serious to understand the teachings of Bhagavatam. Then he will actually make profit and make a successful life. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. This... Nityabhiyuktanam. Nityabhiyuktanam. This Krsna consciousness movement is meant for engaging the people twenty-four hours in Krsna consciousness, twenty-four hours. Not that partial: "Twenty-three hours and sixty minutes I spoil myself in this nidraya hriyate naktam, and for fifteen minutes I make some Krsna consciousness." No, not like that. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, kirtaniyah sada harih.
trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih
[Cc. adi 17.31]
Sada means twenty-four hours. You should have to mold your life in such a way that twenty-four hours you will be thinking of Krsna. Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. That will make your life perfect.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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