Culture-Brahminical or Animal
Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.23
Vrndavana, November 10, 1976
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Take a testVrndavana, November 10, 1976
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Prabhupada:Pradyumna: "O respectful
brahmanas, as far as I am concerned, no one is equal or superior to the
brahmanas in this world. I do not find anyone comparable to them. When people
know My motive, after performing rituals according to the Vedic principles they
offer food to Me with faith and love through the mouth of a brahmana. When food
is thus offered unto Me, I eat it with full satisfaction. Indeed, I derive more
pleasure from food offered in that way than from the food offered in the
sacrificial fire."
Prabhupada:
na brahmanais tulaye bhutam anyat
pasyami viprah kim atah param tu
yasmin nrbhih prahutam sraddhayaham
asnami kamam na tathagni-hotre
[SB 5.5.23]
So Rsabhadeva is teaching us what is the value of brahminical culture. Human society without brahminical culture is animal society. We offer our obeisances to the Lord, namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. Krsna is first of all interested to see whether in the society the brahmana and the cow is properly respected. Namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. His first business is to see that the brahmana and cow is being properly honored. Then jagad-dhitaya. Then automatically the whole world will be peaceful. This secret of success they do not know. Nobody is prepared to become brahmana, and so far cow protection is concerned, it is in the oblivion. This is the whole world position. Therefore it is in chaotic condition. It must be, because this is animal society. When these two things are neglected, it is animal society, and then other animal qualities and paraphernalia follow.
Therefore Rsabhadeva personally speaking that na brahmanais tulaye bhutam anyat [SB 5.5.23]. There are 8,400,000 of living entities, and as we have studied yesterday, how gradually evolution comes, elevated. So here it is the conclusion, the evolution must come to the topmost platform of brahminical culture. Satya samo dama titiksa arjavam, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42]. Now people are not at all interested. If you advertise that "We are opening one gurukula where brahminical culture will be instructed. Send your boys," nobody will send. They are not concerned anymore that "My son should be truthful, self-controlled, mind controlled," sama dama. Sama means mind-control, samata, and dama means sense-control. Without controlling the mind, how you can control the senses? The yoga system is practiced to control the mind, to control the senses, because we have to evolve from animal platform to brahmana platform or spiritual platform, sattva-guna.
tato rajas-tamo-bhavah
kama-lobhadayas ca ye
ceta etair anaviddham
sthitam sattve prasidati
[SB 1.2.19]
Unless we control the base qualities, namely the modes of ignorance and passion, you cannot be happy. It is not possible. Tato rajas-tamo-bhavah. Rajas tamo-bhavah means kama and lobha. So long I have lusty desire and so long I have greediness to acquire more and more and more, to enjoy senses more and more That is greediness. One should be satisfied, the minimum possible.
Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhir naranam. Ahara means eating. Ahara, nidra, sleeping, and fearing, and sense enjoyment. These are required, but not for increasing but decreasing. Just like when a person is diseased he should not eat as he likes. Because he is diseased, doctor prescribes that "You take little barley water or glucose, no solid food, if you want to be cured." Similarly, these things are necessity so long this body is there. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. But this should be decreased, not increased. That is human civilization, not to increase. Just like the Gosvamis in Vrndavana. They did not come here to increase ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. No. They came here to decrease. Nidrahara-viharakadi-vijitau **. That is wanted. This is Vrndavana-vasi, not that to live in Vrndavana and increase this ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. This is not Vrndavana-vasa. The monkeys are also living in Vrndavana, and the dogs are also and hogs are living in Vrndavana. But they do not know how to decrease ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam. You'll see the monkeys. They are also in Vrndavana. But you'll find one male monkey followed by three dozen female monkeys. That is not vrndavana-vasa. Ahara-nidra. That means it requires brahminical culture, damo, samo. That is wanted. That is brahminical culture.
Unfortunately the present civilization, they are not meant for decreasing. They are simply increasing. The Western civlization means increasing the means of sense gratification, "machine, machine, machine, machine." So, and the brahminical culture means samo damo titiksa. Titiksa means without something I may suffer. Suffer. So one should be practiced to suffer. Suffer, that is tapasya. Tapasa brahmacaryena [SB 6.1.13]. Tapasya begins from celibacy. We are practiced to sex life or sense gratification. Tapasya means first of all stop this. Tapasa brahmacaryena [SB 6.1.13]. This is practice.
So to become fit for going back to home, back to Godhead, it is not so easy. It is not so easily... We have to make our material life almost zero. Not almost zero -- practically zero. Anyabhilasita-sunyam [Brs. 1.1.11]. That is wanted, practice. Therefore this, our Krsna consciousness center, is meant for practicing this samo damo titiksa. Therefore we want to see how far he is eligible to pratice the samo damo titiksa. So some new boy come, and as soon as they are given some work, not very good for sense gratification, they go away. That means they are not prepared. It is better they may go away. In Bengal it is said, dusta gorute sunya goaloa(?): "If there is troublesome cows, better keep the cowshed zero, without cow. Don't allow." So this Krsna consciousness movement is meant for elevating the animal class of men to the platform of brahmana. Therefore the sacred thread ceremony is given as second initiation, that "He has practiced now samo damo titiksa arjava, and he has learned what is Krsna, what he is, what is his relationship with Krsna, now how to act for satisfaction of Krsna." These are brahminical qualification. If one is elevated to this platform This platform is called sattva-guna. Sattva-guna.
There are three gunas -- sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. If you remain in the lower platforms, tamo-guna, rajo-guna... Tamo-guna, rajo-guna means, as I have already explained, greediness and lust, desires. That is tamo-guna, rajo-guna. Tato rajas-tamo-bhava kama-lobhadayas ca ye. What is that rajo-guna, tamo-guna? Now, kama, lusty desires, and greediness, not satisfied with the minimum necessities of life, want to increase more and more, more and more. That is called greediness. The Vedic civilization teaches that "Be satisfied with the minimum necessities of life. Don't increase unnecessary necessities of life, and then you have to work for it very hard like hogs and dogs." That's all. Then you have to work very... Modern world, they have increased their unnecessary necessities of life, and therefore you'll find how hard working. In European and American cities we have seen how people are working very hard, beginning from morning at five o'clock till four o'clock next night, for sense gratification. So this is not civilization. This is condemned civilization. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. This is not civilization. This is animal civilization, working so hard day and night for eating. That is the business of the hogs and dogs. You will find the hogs and dog, they are loitering on the street whole day and night: "Where is food? Where is sex?" That is not civilization. They must be peaceful brahmana. Of course, not that everyone can be elevated to the position of a brahmana, but at least they must have the chance to see that "Here is a class of men, brahmana." That is wanted. Otherwise the civilization is failure.
Therefore it is said, na brahmanais tulaye bhutam anyat [SB 5.5.23]. Actual brahmana, not the so-called brahmana, that was the Vedic culture. Just like Krsna Himself. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When He received Sudama Vipra, a brahmana, He immediately vacated His own seat: "My dear friend, sit down here." And Krsna's first wife?
Devotee: Rukmini.
Prabhupada: Rukmini. He (she) took immediately the camara. He (she) said, "My husband is respecting." But he was dressed very poorly, lean and thin. Brahmana, because they refuse unnecessary necessities of life, sometimes they look very poor, poverty-stricken. They are not poverty-stricken. They are the richest. Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim sritah, bhajanty ananya-manaso [Bg. 9.13]. Those who are engaged in bhajana never think of their poverty. No. They are not poor. Otherwise, if Sudama Vipra, externally he looked very poor, lean and thin, not very nice cloth... Krsna is: "My dear friend, sit down here." He brought water, washed the feet, just respectable person, guru, brahmana. This is etiquette. Krsna is showing personally. He is the king. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also respects a brahmana. When Narada used to come to Krsna, immediately He would get down from the seat and offer obeisances, and Narada was smiling, "Just see Krsna's lila."
So this is the way, brahmana. That brahmana, the India, the brahmanas, their sons later on, later ages, taking advantage of the facility offered to the brahmanas, so without qualification of brahmana, they wanted the facility for nothing, very cheap. Therefore the brahminical culture is failure now. They are... They should be real brahmanas, ssamo damo. But nobody is prepared to practice samo damo titiksa, but he wants the respect of a brahmana. This is the cause of India's culture being failure at the present moment. They... "First deserve, then desire." So without deserving, they desired. Therefore whole thing is..., it became false. So that is not the purpose. Even somebody says that "Without culture one can remain a brahmana," but sastra does not say that. Sastra says culture is the first consideration.
yasya hi yad laksanam proktam
varnabhivyanjakam
yady anyatrapi vinirdrsyeta
tat tenaiva vinirdiset
[SB 7.11.35]
So laksanam must be, laksanam, the symptom, what is brahmanas' symptoms. So my request to you, the Europeans and American boys, you have been initiated as brahmana but you must practice the laksana. Otherwise, if you think, puffed up, that "Now I have got the sacred thread. My business is finished. I can do whatever I like," no. That is not. Laksanam. Laksanam means symptoms. That you must observe, laksanam. Yasya hi yad laksanam proktam. Then nobody can check you. You will be very much dear of Krsna. Namo brahmanya-devaya go brahmana-hitaya ca. If you keep yourself in the platform of a true brahmana as you are expected... It is not difficult. We have selected the four principles: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, and no gambling. That's all. If you keep to these practices, then you remain. And if you chant, then above brahmana, you become Vaisnava. Manmana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. Qualify yourself as a brahmana. Qualify yourself as a Vaisnava. Then your position is guaranteed. Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati [Bg. 9.31]. Sure. Guranteed.
Here also said, na brahmanais tulaye bhutam anyat [SB 5.5.23]. Namo brahmanya-devaya go brahmana-hitaya ca. So when Krsna takes care of you, He..., attention is on you. Then who can...? Maya's... There is no strength of maya to touch you. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. Maya may be there. Police may be there. Police is there, so what business I have got with the police if I am honest? If I am properly observing the rules and regulation of the government, what business police has got to touch me? Maya is there. Maya must be there. Maya... (aside:) Don't stop... Maya is there, but it does not mean maya can touch you if you are actually surrendered to Krsna. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. So here it is (aside:) Sitting there. So Krsna personally will take care. And to come to the brahmana stage, this is also Everything is described. Everything is prescribed. If you have to follow again and again We can come to the brahmana stage by a simple method, as we are practicing, that nityam bhagavata. Nasta-prayesu abhadresu nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18]. Bhagavata-sevaya. The book Bhagavata and the person bhagavata. Person bhagavata, the guru, is the symbolic representation of person bhagavata, whose life is bhagavata and book Bhagavata. So you have to serve two bhagavata, nityam bhagavata, not the bhagavata-saptaha. This is another cheating. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. There is no such thing as bhagavata-saptaha in authoritative literature. They have manufactured as a business. But bhagavata should be served nityam. Nityam bhagavata.
Who can do that? Nasta-prayesu abhadresu. By developing Krsna consciousness whose sinful life is almost nil, not completely nil but almost nil, prayesu. How? Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. If you engage yourself to serve, to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam and to serve the person bhagavatam. Nityam bhagavata-sevaya. Bhaktih, uttama-sloke bhaktir bhavati naisthiki. Then your bhakti will increase uttama-sloke, to the Supreme. Uttama-sloka means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And when you come to that stage, not that completely pure, almost pure, by nityam bhagavata-sevaya [SB 1.2.18], and increasing your devotional service, then you immediately be situated in the brahmana qualification. As soon as you increase your devotional service by serving person Bhagavatam and hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam, immediately you become situated on the sattva-guna. Tato rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye, ceta etair anaviddham [SB 1.2.19]. Then this rajo-guna, tamo-guna, cannot touch your heart. The whole process is purification of the heart. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Everything is there. Krsna-bhakti is there. It is not an artificial thing. Nitya siddha krsna bhakti. It is our natural relationship with Krsna because we are part and parcel. Just like father and son. Son may be rebelled for some time but the affection between father... [break] ...return... (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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