Crime, Why and What to Do

Crime, Why and What to Do

Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.20
Chicago, July 4, 1975

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Nitai: Translation. "In this connection, the learned scholars and saintly persons give as an example the description of one very old historical incident, wherein a discussion takes place between the order-carriers of Lord Visnu and the order-carriers of Yamaraja. Please try and understand it as I describe it to you."

Prabhupada:

atra codaharantimam
itihasam puratanam
dutanam visnu-yamayoh
samvadas tam nibodha me
 [SB 6.1.20]

So here is, one example is given, itihasa. Itihasa means history. The Vedic system of itihasa, it is not the modern history. Modern... Itihasa means some incidence which took place long, long ago, and such incidence is very beneficial to hear so that we can follow. That is called itihasa. It is not chronological record of all incidences. Only important things. Puratanam. Puratanam means old and important. So Sukadeva Gosvami is explaining to Pariksit Maharaja how important is Krsna consciousness. Now he is giving one incidence of history -- example is better than precept -- how Ajamila was saved simply by chanting once..., not once, many times, Narayana. That is the itihasam puratanam. In the Vedic literatures there are itihasas, or histories. Just like Mahabharata. Mahabharata is the history. Bharata means India, and Maha means greater. Greater India. Just like modern age they use "Greater Britain," "Greater this," so many, same thing. Mahabharata means "Greater..." Maha means great, and Bharata means India. "The history of Greater India." Although India is very small now in comparison to... Although it is called subcontinent, still, in comparison to your America or Africa, it is very small. But formerly it was not so small. Greater India means India and outside also. And so far we collect records from the Mahabharata, part of Europe, also India. Up to Greek and Rome. Therefore it is called Mahabharata. And when there was the Battle of Kuruksetra, all kings and rulers from different parts of the world, they joined either this party or that party. The Kaurava, the dynasty of the Kurus, they were ruling all over the world. The capital was Hastinapura, which is now known as New Delhi. It is very old. And the emperor, up to Maharaja Pariksit, they were ruling all over the world. There was one flag, not many flags. Therefore it is called Mahabharata.

 

So Mahabharata, the Battle of Kuruksetra was executed by two section of brothers of the same family. It was the one empire, one king, but Dhrtarastra and his younger brother... They were two brothers. So Dhrtarastra being blind, he was not qualified to occupy the throne, so his younger brother, Pandu, he was given the throne. And Pandu died untimely, keeping his children, these five brothers, Pandavas. Because they were son of Pandu, they were known as Pandavas. So Pandu also belonged to the Kuru family, and Dhrtarastra's son also belonged to the Kuru family. Actually they are Kauravas. But when there was fight between the two brothers' son, one party was known as Kaurava, and the other party was known as Pandava. Therefore Dhrtarastra says in the Bhagavad-gita beginning, mamakah pandavas caiva [Bg. 1.1]. Mamakah means "my sons," and... Because both of them are Kurus, now they are divided, mamakah, "my sons," and Pandavas, "the Pandu's sons." Kim akurvata sanjaya [Bg. 1.1].

And this Kuruksetra is dharma-ksetra. Not because the fight was there and Krsna was on the battlefield, therefore it is called dharma-ksetra. Sometimes it is interpreted like that. But actually Kuruksetra was dharma-ksetra since very, very long time. In the Vedas it is stated, kuru-ksetre dharmam acaret: "If one wants to execute ritualistic ceremony, he should go to Kuruksetra." And it is the system still now in India, if there is some disagreement or quarrel between two parties, so still they would go to the temple -- temple is dharma-ksetra -- so that one may not dare to speak lie in front of the Deity. This was still going on. Even one is very low in mentality, still, if he is challenged that "You are talking this false. Now speak before the Deity," he will hesitate, "No." This is India still. You cannot speak lies before the Deity. That is offense. Don't consider that Deity is a marble statue. No. Svayam bhagavan. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As soon as He saw Jagannatha Deity, He immediately fainted. "Oh, here is My Lord." Not like us: "Oh, here is some statue." No. It is the question of appreciation. So you appreciate or not appreciate, the Deity is the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally. We should always remember. So we shall be very careful before the Deity, not to commit offense. In serving Him, in offering Him prasadam, in dressing Him, we should always think, "Here is personally Krsna." He is personally, but due to our lack of knowledge, we cannot understand it.

So everything in the sastra we should follow. This is called brahminical culture. This Krsna consciousness movement means brahminical culture -- the cultural exhibition of the first-class men, first-class men. The brahmana is to be understood as the first-class man within the human society. Therefore Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. Itihasa, history, history means to understand the activities of the first-class man. That is history. They pick up the most important incidences. Therefore the example is given here that udaharanti imam itihasam puratanam. Because it is a first-class incidence... Otherwise, if you record the history of the whole period, then where..., who will read that, and who will appreciate that, and where you will keep that? Daily so many things are happening. Therefore, according to Vedic system, the only important incidences are recorded in the history. Therefore it is called Purana. Purana means old history. Puratanam. Puratanam means very, very old. That are recorded. So this Srimad-Bhagavatam is the collection of very old history, historical incidence. Itihasa purananam saram saram samuddhrtya(?). Saram means essence. Not that all nonsense records have to be taken. No. Saram saram, only the important, essence, that are to be recorded. This is called Indian history. Mahabharata... Maha means Greater India. Greater India, there were so many incidences were there, but the most important incidence, the Battle of Kuruksetra, is there. Not that all the battles should be recorded.

So long the human history is there, there must be war. You cannot avoid it. Because it is material world, disagreement, misunderstanding must be there. You cannot avoid it. Because everyone is not of the same standard. That is not possible. Somebody is in the lower standard, somebody is in the middle standard, and somebody in the highest standard. That is division: goodness, passion, and ignorance. You cannot avoid it. So out of these three qualities, goodness, passion and ignorance, the ignorance and passion are base quality, and goodness is first-class quality. So the human life means we are born either in the base qualities... Nobody is born in the first-class quality. One who is born in this material world... May be somebody has taken his birth in the mode of goodness, but very rare. But maybe. Mostly they are born in the base qualities, ignorance and passion. But the sastras are there. Anyone can be raised to the first-class quality by training. That is human civilization.

janmana jayate sudrah
samskarad bhaved divjah
veda-pathad bhaved vipro
brahma janatiti brahmanah

This is the process. When you take your birth, that birth is not significant -- a sudra, fourth-class man. Everyone is born fourth-class man. So if you keep them fourth class and degrade them into fifth class, sixth class, then how there will be peace? How there will be peace? Therefore in your country, in America, they are now perplexed, "Crime, Why and What to Do?" Because you kept them fourth class, and they are going down to be fifth class, sixth class, how you can expect peace? It is not possible. If you do not elevate them... He is already born sudra, janmana jayate sudrah. Now you have to reform him. Samskarat. Samskara means reforming. You are born sudra. You are inclined to do something, so many things -- intoxication, illicit sex and drinking and gambling and meat-eating. These are all sudra qualities or less than that. Sudras also, they abide by the Vedic orders. Sudras also do not do whimsically whatever he likes. Sudras, they are taken among the, in the Vedic society... Because sudras also, they are last class, fourth class, they are eager to follow the orders or the orderly things as given by the brahmanas. Therefore sudras, up to sudras, accepted as bona fide classification. And below the sudras, they are called candalas, candalas, fifth grade. They are also mentioned, kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasah. Everything is analyzed.

So human civilization should be to raise the fourth-class man to the first-class man. That is human civilization. But there is no idea who is first-class man. Everyone is a drunkard, everyone is illicit sex hunter, and everyone is gambler, and everyone is meat-eater. Where is first-class man? There is no first-class man. All fourth-class man. And they are being taught simply how to manufacture big, big skyscraper, and every year, new model of car. Is that civilization? That is not civilization. You may be advanced in technology. So technology means technician. Suppose a man knows how to work in electricity, in so many things. Does it mean he is a learned man? No. Learned, first-class man, that is given in the Bhagavad-gita: samo damah satyam sucis titiksa arjavam jnanam, vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42]. These are the first class. There is nothing mentioned that "electrician" or a "motor mechanics" and a... (laughter) So you are misled. Therefore you are facing this crisis, that "Crimes, and Why and What to Do?" So unless you take to Krsna consciousness, how to create first-class man, you are doomed. You must know this. Therefore, those who have taken to Krsna consciousness, it is my request that you help your countrymen how to become... At least, there must be a section of men first-class so that people will see. They are appreciating. I know that. When I was going from Los Angeles to Hawaii, one priest in plain dress came to see me. He came to..., "Oh, Swamiji, can I speak with you?" "Yes, come here." So his first question was that "How your disciples look so bright?" They are appreciating that "Here is a first-class man." So I replied, "The process is so nice. Face is the index of mind. If you become purified within, then your faces will be bright. If you dirty within his heart, how you can be brightened? No, that is not possible. Face is the index of mind."

So this Hare Krsna mantra means to purify inside. Purify inside. Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. So, of course, we are trying our best. Now, you American boys and girls, try to understand more and more and help your countrymen how to become first-class men. That I have requested every time, that from material point of view, you are already first class because you are not poverty-stricken. You have got enough everything. But in spite of materially first class, bigger or stronger than other nations, because there is no training spiritual, therefore there is crime. Therefore there is crime. And it is very difficult to solve. So this is the problem. I am talking since yesterday when as soon as I saw the Times magazine and the heading, "Crime: Why and What to Do?" Yes, this is a problem. It is a problem. But the solution is here, Krsna consciousness. Solution is here. And it is very easy to become first-class men. You know by practical experience: simply by chanting Hare Krsna mantra. That's all. It is not difficult. Anyone, even a child can do it. So increase this chanting of Hare Krsna mantra and give them nice prasadam.

So one Ajamila was delivered by chanting Narayana's name, you can deliver many millions of Ajamila. The process is the same. The process has not changed. Therefore he is quoting that itihasam atra codaharanti imam itihasam puratanam. It is spiritual. It is not that now the mode has changed. No. What was potent millions of years ago, that is potent still. That is spiritual. It does not change. Therefore it is said, itihasam puratanam. Although it is very old, but the effect is the same, effect is the same. In the old times people used to eat and get satisfaction; the same satisfaction is now also. You eat; you feel satisfaction. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending -- this is the material necessities. So the such necessities were in the old, millions of years ago, and those necessities are still there. It is no change actually. So this is the process how to... They are now thinking, "Why there is crime, and why, what is the remedy?" They are think in the material way. They are thinking that "We have got enough everything. Why there should be crime?" But they do not know that unless you make first-class men by training, the fourth-class man will degrade more and more. Just like a child, if you don't send him to school to get education, he will be street boy and degrade more and more. So this is the problem. So how to train first-class man, that method is here, Krsna consciousness movement. And take it seriously, and if you actually love your countrymen, raise them to the standard of first-class man.

Thank you very much. [break] Not in this way. This is not the process. The process is you must be free. Don't manufacture something. That is the way of dancing. You have seen all the Panca-tattva. They are dancing like this. So you should follow them. Hare Krsna. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.20 -- Chicago, July 4, 1975

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