Prabhupada:
yad asau sastram ullanghya
svaira-cary-ati-garhitah
avartata ciram kalam
aghayur asucir malat
[SB 6.1.67]
Degradation. The first degradation is undesirable association, the first degradation; then no more respect for scriptural injunction, second degradation; and then the third step, aghayur asucih, you become infected with the low-grade quality. Jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha adho gacchanti tamasah. The first grade qualification is sattva-guna, second rajo-guna, and the third, tamo-guna. So they believe in the evolution. Now, in this human form of life, what is further evolution? The further evolution is that if you are keeping in sattva-guna, in goodness, then you can be promoted, elevated, to the higher planetary system. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah [Bg. 14.18]. And if you keep yourself in the rajo-guna, then you will keep within this Bhurloka. And if you are infected with the tamo-guna, then you again go to lower grade life, again animal life, plant life. This is the nature's process. You cannot avoid it. You may be very much proud falsely, but after death, after giving up this body, you are completely... You are already completely under the regulative principle of nature. You cannot violate even. But if you foolishly violate, then you are preparing your next life according to your karma. Karmana daiva-netrena [SB 3.31.1].
So this man, Ajamila, by his association with the prostitute, he degraded. Therefore it is the duty of the guardians, of the government, of the father, to protect the civilization from degradation. But nobody cares for that. Therefore, at the present moment, everything is chaotic. They are degraded. Prostitution is allowed freely, bad association, and they are encouraging by opening liquor shop, brothel, restaurant, meat-eating. So how you can expect a very nice civilization? That is not possible. We are suffering the consequence of our own degraded life. So how we can protect ourself from degradation? The sastra is there. Sastra, the scriptures, are there. Never mind whatever scriptures you have got -- Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddha, or any. Every religion has got scripture. Just like the Christians have got Bible, the Muslims have got Koran, and Hindus, they have got Vedas. They should abide by the injunction of the sastra. Lord Krsna also recommends that you must follow the sastric injunction.
So Krsna says,
yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya
vartate kama-karatah
na siddhim avapnoti
na sukham na param gatim
[Bg. 16.23]
If you do not follow the injunction of the sastra, then your human life is unsuccessful. Na siddhim. Human life means that you stop the process of transmigration from one body to another. That is human life mission. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. One should endeavor in such a way that you do not take again birth in this material world. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Because as soon as you accept any material body, either the material body of Lord Brahma or the material body of an ant, most inignificant, the trouble is there. You will have to suffer. You cannot escape it. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4]. Irresponsibly, we, if we act, pramattah, like madman, without following the sastric injunction... That is a madman. Just like a madman does not care for any instruction. He acts according to his own whim. That is described here: svaira-cari. Svaira-cari. Svaira-cari means "I will act according to my whims. I don't care for any authority." That is called svaira-cari. No. The laws are meant for human beings. Even on the street, as soon as you go out on the street, immediately the law is there: "Keep to the right. Keep to the left." And if you violate, immediately you'll be punished, immediately become criminal. Similarly... This is government law. Similarly, law given by the Supreme Lord.
So we must follow the rules and regulations as given by God. That is religion. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Religion means the law which is given by God, and if you follow, then your life is successful. This is religion. Religion is not that concocted, you manufacture some religion. That is not religion. Just like you cannot manufacture law. The law is given by the state, by the government. That is law. Similarly, religion means the law given by God. So therefore in the Bhagavad-gita the real religion means sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Don't manufacture concocted religion, this samaj, this religion, that, all nonsense. The only religion is how to surrender to Krsna, or God. That is religion. But nobody will surrender to God, and they will manufacture religion. So what is the meaning? Therefore Bhagavata has rejected all this cheating type of religion. Dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmataranam [SB 1.1.2]. Religion means for the paramhamsa. Paramo nirmataranam. Nirmatsara. Matsarata means envious. Everyone is envious of his friend, of his neighbor, even of his father or son. This is material nature. So this bhagavata-dharma is meant for the first-class nonenvious person, because everyone is envious, and the enviousness begins by envying Krsna or God. Then other enviousness begins. And he becomes svaira-cari, living whimsically. This kind of living is condemned herewith. Aghayuh. Aghayuh means sinful life. Ayuh means life; agha means sinful life. Aghayur asucih, impure. Malat. Malat means material infection, especially rajo-guna, tamo-guna, dirty things. So one is expected to go above these dirty things. Dirty things means greediness and lusty desires. These are dirty. Tato rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas ca ye [SB 1.2.19]. Rajas-tamah, these are the dirty qualities, and sattva-guna is pure quality, and you have to go above sattva-guna. Then your life is perfect. Even if you rise, elevate yourself to sattva-guna, means a pure brahminical stage -- sama dama satam saucam titiksa arjavam, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42] -- still, you have to go further, suddha-sattva. Sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam. Then you can understand what is Krsna.
So this devotional service means to go above sattva-guna. Sa gunn samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. You have to transcend all the material qualities, even sattva-guna. Therefore a Vaisnava is above sattva-guna. So his brahminical qualities is supposed to be included. A Vaisnava is already a brahmana. We give a Vaisnava the sacred thread, the mark of becoming a brahmana, because without becoming a brahmana, nobody can come to the platform of Vaisnava. That is the idea. Nobody should come to the platform of suddha-sattva without being elevated to the sattva-guna platform. So this man... Sattva-guna... He was already sattva-guna. He was son of a brahmana. He was being trained up very nicely. But because it was not suddha-sattvata, therefore he fell down, even on the sattva-guna platform. But when one is on the suddha-sattva... Just like Haridasa Thakura. This man was brahminically qualified, but as soon as he saw that a sudrani and sudra were engaged in lusty affairs, he fell down. But see the behavior of Haridasa Thakura. Because he was situated on the suddha-sattva-guna and... Although he was young man, one, another young prostitute came to deviate him, and he remained in his position. Rather, he converted the prostitute to become a devotee. This is the difference between sattva-guna and suddha-sattva-guna. If you keep yourself on the suddha-sattva-guna, then you will be able to convert others to become devotees. Therefore it is not difficult. It is very easy also.
Krsna says,
mam cavyabhicarini
bhakti-yogena yah sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan
brahma-bhuyaya kalpate
[Bg. 14.26]
This brahma-bhuyaya means suddha-sattva. Suddha-sattva. That is also, in suddha-sattva-guna, that is liberated stage. If you do not stick to devotional service, then there is chance of fall down also. So without taking to the devotional service, life is very, very risky. Risky means now we can dance and laugh because we have got this human form of life. But after death we do not know. We do not know unless we are very much cautious. That is... Here it is said aghayuh. Aghayuh. This Ajamila lived for more than eighty-eight years, but what is the use of prolonged life? Aghayuh. Just like trees, they are standing for thousands of years. Taravah kim na jivanti [SB 2.3.18] . You are trying to prolong your life by scientific method, but what is the use of such life? This material life, there is suffering. Just like the tree. It does not do any harm to anyone. Rather, it is very hospitable. It gives shelter to the people. They are taking fruits, they are taking branches, leaves, sometimes cutting. They are very harmless, but still, there is harm, suffering. Must stand there for five thousand years and scorching heat and pinching winter, storm, and sometimes fall down. The suffering is there. Even we become a nonviolent... Even Gandhi. He was nonviolent, very moralist. Still he was killed. Just see. This is material world. He was killed by bullet. So the material world means suffering. So what is the use of making a prolonged life? Prolonged suffering. Therefore it is said, aghayuh. If you live for a moment as a devotee, your life is successful. And if you live for many thousands of years without any Krsna consciousness -- aghayuh, useless life, useless. Aghayur asucir malat, because the desire is there, kama and lobha, greediness and lusty desire.
So this Krsna consciousness movement is very important, scientific movement. Take to it. Stick to the principles. Don't live uselessly like a tree or cats and dogs. They have also sense pleasure. It is not that because in human life we have got full opportunity for sense pleasures... Well, sense pleasure is offered to the monkeys and pigs and dogs more leniently. So that is means that is life? No. That is not life. This has been discussed in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Bhastrah kim na svasanty uta, taravo kim na jivanti. They have been analyzed. No, the real life is Krsna conscious life. That is success of life. So some way or other, you have come to this platform of Krsna conscious life. Stick to the principle carefully. Don't fall down. Then try to understand Krsna. Then life is successful.
Thank you very much. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase =>
Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.67 -- Vrndavana, September 3,
1975
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
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