Breaking Our Karmic Chains
Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.26.26
Bombay, January 3, 1975
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Nitai: "This false ego is
characterized as the doer, as an instrument and as an effect. It is further
characterized as serene, active or dull according to how it is influenced by the
modes of goodness, passion and ignorance."
Prabhupada:
kartrtvam karanatvam ca
karyatvam ceti laksanam
santa-ghora-vimudhatvam
iti va syad ahankrteh
[SB 3.26.26]
So last night we discussed Sankarsana. Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha. Four expansion are there for taking charge of four kinds of different activities. So this false ego and the material world, "I am this body," they are also divided into three, santa, ghora, and mudhatvam, according to the modes of material nature. Santa means sober, serene. Persons who are in the modes of goodness, for them, this material world is manifest in the matter of its constituency. And those who are in modes of goodness, they can see things as they are. And the ghora, those who are in the modes of passion, they are unnecessarily going on, making plan and full of activities without any aim of life. And mudhatvam, that is like animal, do not know what is the aim of life, what for he is working, what is the value of life, nothing of the sort.
So this false ego, "I am this material body. I belong to this material world, I belong to this community, sect, or nation," so many, they are all based on ahankara. Ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]. Actually, every one of us who are in this material world, they are, we are all under the full control of this illusory energy and working differently according to the influence of the different modes of material nature. I am not real karta. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani [Bg. 3.27]. Gunaih karmani. I am under the influence of different gunas, and still, falsely, I am thinking that "I am the doer. I have got the capacity of acting. And the effect, whatever I have produced, it is due to my labor." This is called illusion, moha. Mohah ayam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. This conception of life is moha. Moha, delusion or illusion, just like a person in feverish convulsion is lying unconscious, thinking something else. This is our position. Moho 'yam. So our real business is how to get out of this moha.
So Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, They are controlling by different senses and the sense controller, different demigod. It is a very complicated situation, but we can get out of it by controlling the senses. That is also very difficult. At the present moment, especially in the Kali-yuga, that is also very difficult. The easiest way, as suggested by sastras and great personality, is bhaja vasudevam. Yat-pada-pankaja-palasa-
yat-pada-pankaja-palasa-
karmasayam grathitam udgrathayanti santah
tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo 'pi ruddha-
sroto-ganas tam aranam bhaja vasudevam
Karmasayam, this false ego -- we are creating different hopes of activity: "I shall do this. I shall do that." Grathitam, they are very deep-rooted, grathitam. So we have to pluck out this karmasayam, the root of karma. Kuta-stha, then phalonmukha, and phala-prapti. There are three stages, karmasayam: kuta-stha, in the seed form, kuta-stha; then phalonmukham, sprouting; then prapta, prarabdha. In the beginning it is aprarabdha, not yet manifest, and prarabdha means manifest. The same example, as we have given several times, infection. We have infect... Suppose I have infected some chronic disease or infectious disease. It is not yet manifest, but it is kuta-stha. It is... In the seed form there is. Then, all of a sudden, we get some feverish condition. That is called phalonmukha. And when it is high fever and quite manifest, the delusion and so many other things, that is called prarabdha.
So we are all undergoing prarabdha-phalam, manifest phala, for our past deeds. So they are very deep-rooted. It is very difficult to uproot them. But there is one process. That is recommended: bhaja vasudevam. Bhaja... The others... There are many yogis, jnanis, they are trying to get out of the situation, kuta-stha, phalonmukha, prarabdha situation of our life. But Srimad-Bhagavata says that the devotees, they can very easily uproot the causes of our material miserable condition of life. Yat-pada-pankaja-palasa-
Vilasa means enjoyment. Bhoga-vilasa.
Devotees, they have no bhoga. They have vilasa, enjoyment. And indirectly, this
is also bhoga, transcendental bliss, ecstasy. Sometimes they are crying.
Sometimes they are shivering. Sometimes they are laughing. There are eight kinds
of sattvika transformation. So when one is completely pure devotee, these
symptoms are visible. That is called vilasa, enjoyment.
Yat-pada-pankaja-palasa-
But devotees, being attracted to the flavor of the lotus flower of Krsna's feet, lotus flower... Krsna, His face is called also lotus-eyed, His navel is called padma-nabha, His feet is called lotus feet, pada-padma, and His garland is also padma. He is very much fond of padma. So when a devotee is attached to the lotus flower of Krsna's feet, automatically they forget the all such material activities. They haven't got to endeavor separately. The jnanis and the yogis, they are trying to, by their endeavor, by their different endeavors, they are trying to get out of this entanglement, but the devotees, simply by engaging himself in the vasudeva-bhakti, vasudeva-parayana, simply by bhakti, they come out of the entanglement without any difficulty. That is stated in this verse. Tadvan na rikta-matayo yatayo 'pi ruddha-sroto-ganas tam aranam. Sroto-ganas tam, stop functioning, they cannot do so nicely.
Therefore aranam bhaja vasudevam. Vasudeva is the ultimate aranam, ultimate shelter. Bhaja vasudevam. In other place also, it is said,
vasudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogah prayojitah
janayaty asu vairagyam
jnanam ca yad ahaitukam
[SB 1.2.7]
Janayaty asu vairagyam jnanam ca yad ahaitukam. One cannot understand what is the cause of a vasudeva-bhakta to become so much renounced. Just like in India these young men from America and Europe... They are surprised, "How they have become so much aloof from material activities?" It is surprising. That is... It is not surprising, because bhaja vasudevam: they have taken to the shelter of Vasudeva. If you do also, you shall become. But we are not inclined. In India, "Oh, Vasudeva, we have... We know everything of Vasudeva. Hare Krsna, oh, this is... What you can teach? We know everything." This is the Indian disease. Because familiarity breeds contempt. Because Indians are familiar with the name of Vasudeva, with the name of Hare Krsna, they think... Just like in European and American cities these boys and girls, they go for sankirtana, and the Indian people, they say, "Oh, we know everything about it. We have now come here to learn how to eat meat, how to drink wine." You see? This is the condition. Bhaja vasudevam -- this is not very much appealing. But this is the only way to become out of entanglement. Otherwise, this santa-ghora-vimudhatvam iti va syad ahankrteh. We shall always remain in this false ego that "I am this body. I am of this material world," no information of the spiritual world.
Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31]. They have no information. They do not know the svartha-gatim. Everyone is declaring, "I have my self-interest." But they do not know what is self-interest. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah [SB 7.5.31]. Durasa, the hope which will never be fulfilled. What is that hope? They are trying to adjust this material world to become happy. This is durasa. Durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. Andha, and the leaders, they are also leading in that way. "Give up this Vedic culture. Throw away." The leaders say openly that "Throw away your sastras in the water. No more sastra. Now you take to industry, technology, if you want to become happy just like the Americans, like the Europeans." So the leaders, such leaders, have been described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, andha. Andha means blind. They do not know how to lead people, what is the aim of life. The aim of life is not to understand or learn some technical knowledge by which we can make some bodily comforts. That is not aim of life. The aim of life is different. We are part and parcel of God. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. Now we are separated. Not separated; just like a criminal is not separated from the state. He is in the state, but in a different condition. Similarly, we cannot be separated from God. That is not possible. We are part and parcel of God, but we can be separated by diseased condition. Just like my finger cannot be separated, or can be separated, but in the diseased condition it cannot work. It cannot work in its original, constitutional position. Similarly, due to our this material disease, we cannot properly serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, our, the whole. We are part, and He is the whole. The complete. We are not... Some way or other we are detached. So we cannot be separated. But under certain conditions it appears that we are separated. This is forgetfulness, more or less.
So we have to revive this old consti... That is the whole subject matter of the Sankhya philosophy, Kapiladeva, how we are becoming degraded from the original state of Krsna consciousness. So our only business is how to revive again. That revival is possible only by this process, bhaja vasudevam. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. Sudurlabhah mahatma, not ordinary mahatma. Mahatma, mahan atma yasya iti mahatma. Not cripple atma: "This is my community. This is my nation. This is my family. I have to maintain it. I have to make them..." This is not mahatma. Mahatma means one who is broader, Krsna consciousness. Sarva-yonisu. Krsna is the supreme father of all living entities, and they are suffering. Tato vimukha-cetasa maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43]. Prahlada Maharaja says that "I am simply anxious, perplexed only for these persons who are bereft of Krsna consciousness. So I am thinking of them." This man is mahatma. He is thinking of all living entities who are bereft of Krsna consciousness and making plan how to again take them to Krsna consciousness.
Because this is the cause of all unhappiness, they are suffering, and they are making plan. Maya-sukhaya. Maya-sukhaya means the happiness which has no standing, false, illusory. For this purpose, bharam udvahato vimudhan, big, big adventure, big, big things, they are contemplating, planning. That is called ghora, ghora-rupa. Here it is called ghora. Santa-ghora. If you go to some industrial place in a factory, iron factory like Tata's, you will see how they are engaged in ghora activities, horrible activities -- after all, you have to eat something -- but they have planned a ghora activity, very fierceful, ugra-karma. By nature's way, Krsna has given us everything. You can simply work little. You get food grains. Krsna says like that. Krsna never says that "You open big, big fierceful, horrible industries." You will never find in Bhagavad-gita. For your livelihood, Krsna says very simple method. Annad bhavanti bhutani [Bg. 3.14]. Annad. Anna, you produce anna. Why you are planning big, big industries? The oil will come from America through the channel, and the Arabia will refuse to supply oil. There will be power problem, so many things, one after another, one after another. But Krsna does not say that do all these things, ghora. No. He says, annad bhavanti bhutani: "You just produce food grain." And bhavanti bhutani. Bhutani means all living entities, they will be stout and strong by eating. What you want more? Annad bhavanti bhutani parjanyad anna-sambhavah. And if there is sufficient rain, then automatically, then it will be very easy to grow food grains. Parjanyad anna... If there is no parjanya, rain, then your so-called tractor will not help you, or knowledge, agricultural knowledge, will not help you. You will have to depend on Krsna for rains. Parjanyad anna-sambhavah. And yajnad bhavati parjanyah [Bg. 3.14]. If you perform yajna, then there will be regular rainfalls.
In the Kali-yuga there is no yajna. Therefore there is anavrsti, anavrsti. The Kali-yuga people will forget performing yajna. They will be busy in ghora-rupa activities, horrible and fierceful activities, not yajna. They will neglect yajna. So then how your these bolts and nuts and rubber tires will help you? Therefore there is scarcity of anna. That will increase more and more. It will so increase that now you are getting anna by paying high price, but time will come when even if you are prepared to pay price, there will be no more anna. That time is coming. Naturally, what people will eat? They will eat mamsa and roots and seeds. No milk. No sugar. No wheat. These things will be stopped. As we are becoming entangled in ghora-rupa activities or mudha activities, then the more we shall be entangled with sufferings of material existence. They do not know what is the actually interest. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31].
So therefore this planning, real planning, is this varnasrama-dharma. Varnasrama means a regulative, regulative life. So we have come to this world. There will be no difficulty for our maintenance. Peacefully let us live and save time for spiritual consciousness, for advancement of. Tapo divyam yena suddhyet sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. We have to rectify, purify our existence. This present existence is not purified. Otherwise, why we are accepting death? Because the existence is not purified. But we don't care for it. We are so dull, mudha. Mudhatvam. Mudhatvam. There are so many big, big scholars of Bhagavad-gita, but they do not know the first lessons of Bhagavad-gita, first lessons of Bhagavad-gita. First lesson of Bhagavad-gita is there. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Na jayate na mriyate va kadacit, nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire. Who is thinking of this, that na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20], if after the destruction of this body, I am not annihilated -- that is a fact -- but who is making research about it? And still, they are big, big scholars of Bhagavad-gita, and they do not know even the ABCD of Bhagavad-gita.
This is the first lesson of Bhagavad-gita:
dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati
[Bg. 2.13]
Na jayate na mriyate va kadacit, na hanyate hanya... They do... These things do not strike even their dull brain, that "If atma... I am atma. I am the soul. I do not die even after the annihilation of this body. But that means I will have to accept another body. But is this very good job? Why not seek after our original position, when there is no more change of body?" This question does not arise even. But it is very easy. For that reason, Bhagavad-gita is there. Everyone can avoid this birth and death. That is the business of human life, how to stop... Jara-marana-moksaya. Vita-raga-bhaya-krodhah [Bg. 2.56]. Everything is there. This is the aim of life. But not... We are under this false ego, "I am this body." And some of us in the modes of goodness... That is also another kind of bondage: "I am brahmana. I am very learned scholar." But... That's all right, but still you have to go further, above the brahminical stage, not simply become proud of having nice birth, full of knowledge and learning. That is not sufficient. The learning should be perfect. What is that perfect learning? That vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. If you are actually learned, if you are proud of becoming vedanti or knowledge in Vedanta, then you must be aware of Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. Otherwise srama eva hi kevalam.
dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah
notpadayed yadi ratim
srama eva hi kevalam
[SB 1.2.8]
Either you become santa or ghora or mudha, three kinds of position in this material world... santa. Santa means in the brahminical qualification, and ghora means activities, material activities, fruitive activities, and mudha, just like animal, neither santa nor ghora, simply animal. Udaram bharitah. Svartham udaram bharitah. Svartham, interest, means if one somehow or other fulfills his belly, then he thinks, "Now all my mission is fulfilled." This is called mudhatvam. Svartham udaram bharitah. Daksyam kutumba-bharanam. Generally in this age, people will be interested to fulfill his own belly. Because that is also very difficult task nowadays. To get sufficient food daily, that is also a problem. And if one can maintain his family in these hard days -- family means husband, wife, and a few children -- then daksyam kutumba-bharanam, then he is just like Maharaja Daksa. Daksa, daksa means very expert. Those who are maintaining big family, working very nicely, many business, they are called daksa. So in the Kali-yuga, if one can maintain a family, small family, then he will be considered daksa. Daksyam kutumba-bharanam. Otherwise, if one can fulfill his belly only, his all interest is fulfilled. This will be the condition of this age. That means mudhatvam, mostly mudhatvam. They do not know. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31].
So this is the position, mudhatvam, at least in this age. Rajas tamas. Mudhatvam, some of them are busy in ghora activities, and some of them are mudhas. Generally, they are mudhas. The so-called active persons, they are also mudhas. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Na mam prapadyante mudhah duskrtino naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. So unless you come to Krsna consciousness, unless you become a pure devotee of Krsna, then our life is unsuccessful. It has begun since we have come to this material world. Under different influence, we have come to this condition of santa, ghora, mudha. But we have to become above this condition -- even above this santa condition. This conception that "I have become now brahminically qualified. I have got knowledge. I can see things," jnanam vijnanam astikyam, that is not sufficient. You have to stop your birth and death. This process you have to stop. Then your life is successful.
And that can be easily done if you become Krsna conscious. Bhaja vasudevam. You have to become devotee of Vasudeva. Vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah [SB 1.2.7]. You have to take the shelter of bhakti-yoga, Vasudeva. Then your life will be successful. Sa mahatma sudurlabhah. Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma [Bg. 7.19]. You have to become sudurlabhah mahatma, not cheap mahatma. A cheap mahatma will not help you. You have to become real mahatma. What is real mahatma? Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah, bhajanty ananya-manasah [Bg. 9.13]. That is mahatma.
Thank you very much. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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