25 Sept 73 , Bombay
Prabhupada: Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the father of sankirtana movement within two hundred years. He was acarya and a householder, grhastha. He was very responsible officer, magistrate, householder. But he was a great devotee. Not only devotee-acarya in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu disciplic succession, acarya. So he sung, ye dine grhete bhajana dekhi, grhete goloka bhaya: "The day whenever we find there is bhajana," means worshiping the Supreme Lord, "at that time immediately the house becomes Vaikuntha." Actually, that is so. Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana is not material things. Just like Krsna is not material. Krsna... As Krsna can stay in His abode, Goloka Vrndavana, and still He can stay everywhere... Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham. That is Krsna.
In the Brahma-samhita it is stated,
eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim
yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-caya yad-antah
andantara-stha-paramanu cayantara-stham
govindam adi-purusam...
[Bs. 5.35]
Krsna, Govinda, is everywhere by His one plenary portion, which is known as Paramatma. Eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-koti. That Paramatma is situated in every universe, andantarastham. Garbhodakasayi Visnu. As Garbhodakasayi Visnu He is presented in every universe, and as Ksirodakasayi Visnu He is within everyone's heart. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Not only within the heart of everyone, andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham, He is within the atom. That is Krsna. Similarly, Krsna's place, Goloka Vrndavana, that is also spread everywhere. How that Goloka Vrndavana becomes spread? As soon as there is devotee. Yes. Tatra tisthami narada yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah. Krsna says, naham tisthami vaikunthe na ca yoginam hrdayesu: "I do not stay in Vaikuntha-loka or within the heart of the yogis." Tatra tisthami narada yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah: "I stay there where My devotees are chanting about Me, about My glories." This is the process. Immediately... Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah [Bs. 5.37]. That is Krsna's power, omnipotency, omnipotency. We pray God, "Omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent." So that is fact. God can be present anywhere simultaneously, omnipresent. Similarly, there is no difference between God and His place. Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended, aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam. As Krsna is worshipable, aradhya, similarly His place is also aradhya, worshipable. So as He is all-pervading, similarly, His place is also all-pervading. So how things can be changed into Vaikuntha? That is by chanting the holy name of the Lord. Tatra tisthami narada yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah. So the bhaktas, they are also so powerful that by chanting the holy name of God, they make the supreme all-powerful Lord descend in that place. Therefore the statement of Bhaktivinoda Thakura that ye dine grhete bhajana dekhi, se dine grhete goloka bhaya... So we can change our home also into Vaikuntha. We can change our home. It is not difficult. Because as Krsna can be all-pervading, Vaikuntha is all-pervading. But we have to simply realize it by the authorized process. Everyone, we can change our home into Vaikuntha.
So there is another statement of Bhaktivinoda Thakura that krsnera samsara kara chadi anacara. To turn your home into Vaikuntha is not very difficult job. Simply you have to adopt the method. Krsnera samsara kara chadi anacara. Anacara means sinful activities. You cannot associate with God if you become sinful. That is not possible. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Yesam tv anta-gatam papam: "One who is completely free from sinful life," te dvandva-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam drdha-vratah [Bg. 7.28], "He can worship Me." So therefore our Krsna consciousness movement is that we do not recommend that "You give up your occupation, you become a sannyasi, give up your wife and children." No. That is not our movement. Amongst ourself here there are sannyasis, brahmacaris, grhastha, vanaprastha. Everyone is there. Everyone can worship Krsna. There is no such thing that "This class of men, only the brahmana or the sannyasis or brahmacari or Hindus..." No. Krsna is open for everyone. Mam hi partha vyapasritya ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah [Bg. 9.32]. Even lower born, born in the lower grade family, he is also open. Simply one has to adopt the means. That is recommended by... There are many songs. Locana dasa, Narottama dasa Thakura, he also says,
visaya chadiya kabe suddha ha'be mana
kabe hama herabo sri vrndavana
Visaya means sense enjoyment. Sense enjoyment. So one has to give up this practice of sense enjoyment. Then he becomes purified. There is no prohibition for eating, but there is prohibition of eating things which are rejected, amedhya. Eating is not stopped, but you cannot eat anything which is not accepted by Krsna. That is called anacara. If you eat something which is not accepted by Krsna... Because our life, Krsna consciousness life, means to be always eternal servant of Krsna. As the servant eats the remnants of foodstuff left by the master, similarly, we are servants of Krsna. We also eat, but we eat remnants of foodstuff which is left by Krsna. That is called prasadam, maha-prasadam.
So we have to, I mean to say, mend our life in such a way that krsnera samsara kara, chadi anacara. We have to give up anacara, forbidden things, sinful things. Striyah suna panam dyutam yatra papas catur-vidhah. There are four kinds of sinful activities. Basic principle of sinful life is avaidha, illicit sex life. Avaidha stri-sanga. Striyah suna, unnecessary animal killing. Pana, drinking intoxicant; and gambling. We have to give up these four principles. Then our life becomes pure. If we give up these four principles and chant Hare Krsna mantra, then we become perfect. How it is? You can see the examples. These European, Americans, they were accustomed to all these practices. That is their daily affair. But they have given up this. Now you see, how they are saintly. So the thing is not very difficult, but one has to accept the principles. Then one lifes becomes perfect. They do not know what is perfection of life. People are thinking that material advancement is perfection of life. No. That is not perfection of life. Because even if you make nice material arrangement, you cannot enjoy it. At any time you shall be kicked out. Where is your perfection? Suppose you have very nice apartment, very nice good bank balance, very nice wife, children. Everything is all right. But is there any guarantee that you can enjoy them? Is there any guarantee? At any moment you shall be out. This is not perfection. First of all make guarantee that "Whatever I am preparing for, very happy life in this material world, they will be permanent. I will not be kicked out." Then it is perfection. But there is no such guarantee.
Therefore this is not perfection of life. Perfection of life is that when there is guarantee of no more birth, no more death, no more old age and no more disease. That is perfection. That can be achieved by Krsna consciousness, not by material way. Harim vina na mrtim taranti. If you want to be eternal, blissful, eternally blissful and full of knowledge, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1], then we have to take to Krsna consciousness. There is no other way. There is only way. Mam upetya kaunteya duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. If you are serious about perfection of life, then one has to take to this Krsna consciousness. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], mam evaisyasi asamsayam: "Without any doubt, you shall come to Me." And what is the principle? Man-mana bhava mad-bhakti mad-yaji mam namaskuru. Four things: "Simply always think of Me," man-mana; "you become just My devotee," mad-bhakta; "just worship Me..." So is it very difficult task to think of Krsna and to worship Him, to become His devotee and to offer obeisances to Krsna? Just like we are doing this, in this evening. This is the process. We are thinking of Krsna by chanting Hare Krsna mantra. We are offering obeisances to the Deity and at least trying to become bhaktas. Man-mana bhava mad..., mad-yaji, and worshiping. What is the worshiping? Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. It is not difficult. Little flower, little fruit, little water, anyone can collect. But the thing is a dog obstinacy: "I shall not do it." That is the thing. Otherwise it is very easy thing, Krsna consciousness. And if we adopt it, our life becomes successful. That is the perfection of life. That we are teaching. But there is a dog's obstinacy that they will not adopt: "No." This is our defect. Otherwise the process is very simple; everyone can adopt it in every country, every man. There is no distinction that "This class of men can adopt and that class of men can..." No. Just like the Hare Krsna mantra, it is now being chanted all over the world, and they are becoming Vaisnava. These European, American boys... Then where is the difficulty? But the difficulty is our obstinacy. If one is obstinate, he is determined, then it is very difficult. Therefore Krsna says, na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. Only these classes of men, duskrtina, always engaged in sinful activities, mudha, rascal... Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah. And lowest of the mankind. Because human life is meant for worshiping Krsna. Narottama dasa Thakura sings, hari hari viphale, janama gonainu: "My life is spoiled." Why? Manusya-janama paiya, radha-krsna na bhajiya, janiya suniya visa khainu. So we are trying to stop drinking poison knowingly. Visaya visanale, diva-nisi hiya jvale, taribare na koinu upaya, golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana, rati na janmilo kene taya. These are the Narottama dasa Thakura's... Big... They were stalwart acaryas.
So this Krsna consciousness movement is for everyone's benefit. It is the topmost humanitarian movement to make everyone happy, to make everyone immortal, to make everyone peaceful(?), to make everyone... [break] ...without being wise, nobody can surrender to Krsna. Mudhas, rascals, they cannot. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. These are the qualification, who does not surrender to Krsna. Duskrtina, naradhama. "Oh, how he is naradhama? He is M.A., Ph.D., D.H.C., T.H.C. How he is naradhama?" Mayayapahrta-jnana: his knowledge has no value because he does not know Krsna. These M.A., Ph.D.'s will not help me. Sankaracarya said, na hi na hi raksati du-krn-karane. "By your grammatical jugglery of words nonsense, you cannot be saved." Bhaja govindam bhaja govindam bhaja govindam mudha-mate: "You rascal, just engage yourself in the loving service of Govinda." This is Sankaracarya's advice, although he was impersonalist. Krsna says that "Who does not worship Me?" Naradhama, mayayapahrta-jnana, they have no knowledge. Because if he remains in the real point a rascal, then what is the value of his knowledge? There is no knowledge. Therefore bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. After many, many births of struggling for existence like this, if one becomes actually wise, jnanavan mam prapadyate, he surrenders to Krsna. This is intelligence. This is intelligence. "Krsna, from this day, I surrender. So long I was forgotten. I did not know that my only business is to surrender to You." So any moment you surrender, immediately you are protected.
sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah
[Bg. 18.66]
"Don't bother. Everything is there." Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati [Bg. 9.31].
So this is our Krsna consciousness movement. We are trying to make fools and rascals and sinful men to become wise. If you take advantage of it, you will be glorified and we shall be glorified. This is our process. And actually it is happening. Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement is papi tapi yata chila, hariname uddharila, tara saksi... You want evidence? Jagai and Madhai. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu delivered two Jagai and Madhai. Now you can see how much Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement is strong. Many thousands of Jagai-Madhai's are being delivered. So His movement is greater than Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, personally He delivered two Jagai-Madhai. Now, by His movement, thousands Jagai-Madhai's are being... This is the practical. And it is very easy. It is not very difficult. Anyone can take. But if we take knowingly poison, janiya suniya visa khainu, who can protect you? So it is our appeal to everyone that take to Krsna consciousness movement, chant Hare Krsna mantra. Even if you cannot give up your bad habits, sinful activities, still, you take the chanting of Hare Krsna mantra and your life will be glorified.
Thank you very much. [break] (answering question:) It is just like without eating, if you question that how one is satisfied by eating food. A hungry man, if you give him food, he will say, "Yes, I am satisfied." There is no question of "How?" If you eat... If you are hungry, if you eat, you will feel satisfaction. It is automatic. Similarly, if you chant Hare Krsna mantra, then you will understand. Not from outside. How? You can see how these boys and girls, they are feeling satisfaction. Similarly, if you chant also, you will feel satisfaction. There is no question of "How?" It is so, exactly (as) when you are hungry, if you eat, you will feel satisfaction. It is practical. It is stated therefore,
raja-vidya raja-guhyam
pavitram paramam idam
pratyaksavagamam dharmyam
su-sukham kartum avyayam
[Bg. 9.2]
Pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. It is not theoretical. If you practice, you will see, pratyaksavagamam. And it is very easy to perform. So if you chant Hare Krsna mantra, then you will understand. Exactly like that: if you eat, then you will feel satisfaction. Simply theoretically discussing how it become, we can say to you... It will not be understood. You chant, you will understand. Practical. Pratyaksavagamam dharmyam su-sukham kartum avyayam. This is the process. Any other question?
Indian man (1): To make it more clear to me what I feel, that it is something like not realizing that Lord Krsna is the real reason, to chant the name, it will be something like we have instances in the old sastras and books and histories, that...
Prabhupada: What do you mean by old?
Indian man (1): I mean the history, those stories...
Prabhupada: That story, that stories... You do not know the science. Why you are talking like nonsense? What do you mean by old? It is eternal. There is no question. Avyayam. Nityah sasvatah. You do not know.
Indian man (1): Therefore they used to pray to God before they used to go to commit theft, and they used to come back again to worship the God and to please Him that yes, they were not caught.
Prabhupada: So do you think we are dacoits?
Indian man (1): No, but...
Prabhupada: Then what do you think? Why do you question this? Why do you question these nonsense things?
Indian man (1): That praying to God without...
Prabhupada: Yes, he is better than you because you do not know what is God. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:
api cet su-duracaro
bhajate mam ananya-bhak
sadhur eva sa mantavyah...
[Bg. 9.30]
Who is worshiping God, but his character is not good, he is sadhu. And those who are talking and no connection with God, he is mudha, duskrtina, naradhama. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. We have to talk through the medium of sastra. It is said, api cet su-duracaro bhajate mam ananya-bhak, sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30]. He is sadhu, because he has taken, he has come to the right place, bhagavad-bhajan. Ksipram bhavati dharmatma. He will not remain such thief.
ksipram bhavati dharmatma
sasvac-chantim nigacchati
kaunteya pratijanihi
na me bhaktah pranasyati
[Bg. 9.31]
If one has actually taken to Krsna consciousness, he will never be lost, even though you find for the present he is not well-behaved. That is the version of Bhagavad-gita. Even a thief, even a rogue, even a sinful man takes to Krsna consciousness and follows the rules and regulation, for the time being you may find there are some faults, but it will vanish very soon. Just like the electric fan, it is moving. You make the switch off, you will find still moving. But it will stop moving very soon, because the switch is off. Similarly, if anyone takes to Krsna consciousness seriously, if you find that still he is not well-behaved, that is not very important thing. He has taken to Krsna consciousness. That is important thing. Because this superficial external misbehavior will stop. There are many sastras' example.
tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer
patet tato yadi, bhajann apakva
yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim
ko vartha apto abhajatam sva-dharmatah
[SB 1.5.17]
Krsna consciousness is so nice, even one takes by sentiment, still he is profited. And person who are very honest in executing his duty but does not take to Krsna consciousness, sastra says ko vartha apto abhajatam: "What does he gain?" He does not gain anything, because he is bound up by the resultant action of his karma. So it is a great science. One has to understand. Then... But for the present... Of course, a Krsna-bhakta never takes the profession of a dacoitry. We have no such evidence. Rather, dacoits were made very great devotees. There are instances. But Krsna says, "Even if he is dacoit, but Krsna-bhakta," sadhur eva sa mantavyah [Bg. 9.30], "he is to be considered sadhu." So it is the certificate of Krsna. What can I do? (laughter) [break] Arati. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Lecture -- Bombay, September 25, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
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Showing posts with label 1973 BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPADA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1973 BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPADA. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
"Classless Society-Impossible"
7 Sept 73 , Stokholm
Prabhupada:By quality and by work, there is, or there must be four divisions of the social structure. Catur-varnyam, first-class, second-class, third-class and fourth-class. That is very natural. Just like in your body, my body is divided into four divisions. The head, head department. In every, I mean to say, unit, there is head department, the first-class department, the second-class department. So we can understand from our own body, there is head department, there is arms department, there is belly department and there is the leg department. So head is first-class. Because if the arms, belly and legs are there and head is cut off, then everything is useless. If the head is there, arm is cut off, you can go on with your business. So there is four divisions everywhere. Krsna says:
na tad asti prthivyam va
divi devesu va punah
sattvam prakrti-jair muktam
yad ebhih syat tribhir gunaih
Krsna says that either on this planet or in other planets in the outer space, or anywhere, the three qualities or three modes of material nature is working. The modes of goodness, the modes of passion, and the modes of ignorance. Everywhere, you'll find these three classes of living entities. Not three classes, four classes. The first-class, goodness. Second-class, passion, third-class, mixed passion and ignorance, and fourth-class ignorance. And below the fourth class, all fifth class, pancama.
So according to these three modes of material nature, there must be division of the society. The first class men are called brahmana, most learned scholar. Learned scholar means, as I was explaining, one who has complete knowledge of God, that is learned scholar. Otherwise, to know how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse and how to defend, this, these knowledge is also there in the animals. They know how to eat. There is no need of university for teaching how to eat or how to sleep or how to have sex life or how to defend. These are animal necessities. But actually human being should be still more advanced in knowledge. That knowledge is not comprising only eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That knowledge is to understand the Absolute Truth, God. That knowledge.
Therefore, the Vedanta-sutra philosophy, that begins with the word athato brahma jijnasa. Now, this life, this human form of life, is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. Athato brahma jijnasa. Brahma means the Absolute Truth. So, that should be the subject matter for studying in human form of life. So Bhagavad-gita is the right book to understand about that brahma, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth, whatever you call. The Absolute Truth is known in three phases: Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
[SB 1.2.11]
The Absolute Truth is one, but it is realized from three angles of visions. Some of them are realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, some of them are realizing the Absolute Truth as the localized Paramatma, and some of them are realizing the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Absolute Truth is one, but because we are under different modes of material nature, we are understanding the Absolute Truth in three modes of material nature.
So Krsna says that these three modes of material nature is current all over the universe. Even in the topmost planet down to the lowest planet. Therefore he says: na tad asti prthivyam va divi devesu va punah. Prthivyam means on this earth. Or in the other higher planetary system or even the heavenly planets. Everywhere. Sattvam prakrti-jair muktam. Nowhere, anyone is freed from the influence of these modes of material nature. Sattvam means existence. Sattvam prakrti-jaih. Prakrti-jaih means by the material nature, gunaih, means the modes, this goodness, passion, and ignorance. Yad ebhih syat tribhir gunaih. Everything, everywhere, even amongst the plants life, beast life, there these three gunas are working.
Just like some trees, they're useless. Neither produce any nice fruit nor flower. That is third-class, in ignorance. In animals also. Just like cows, they are first-class animal, in the modes of goodness, supplying so valuable nutritious food, milk. But the cats and dogs, they are third-class animals. This is the calculation of the three modes of material nature. Either human being or animals or trees, birds, everywhere Krsna says, or in the higher planetary system, everywhere, these three modes of material nature is working. Therefore, in the human society, because there are three modes of material nature, the classification should be made scientifically according to these three modes of material nature. And that is explained by Bhagavan, Sri Krsna, in the Bhagavad-gita, catur-varnyam maya srstam: [Bg. 4.13] four classes of men. Brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra. Brahmana means the most intelligent class of men who can understand even up to the knowledge of Brahman, brahma janati iti brahmana. And the second class are the ksatriyas or the administrative class of men, and the third-class are the mercantile class of men, industrialists, traders, agriculturalists. Everything will be explained. And the fourth-class men means workers. They have no intelligence, but they find out some good master and get some money. That's all. So there are four classes. So here Krsna says,
brahmana-ksatriya-visam
sudranam ca parantapa
karmani pravibhaktani
svabhava-prabhavair gunaih
According to the modes of material nature, the brahmana should be selected, the ksatriya should be selected, the vaisyas or the mercantile people should be selected, and the sudras, the worker class, should be selected.
Then Krsna says, that how the brahminical class should be educated. This should be taken very seriously by educational department of all countries. And it is the duty of the government to see that every man according to his quality is working, is employed. Not that... Secular state does not mean they should be callous about the quality and work of the citizens. There must be department of practical psychology to see the students, in which class he belongs to. Either he belongs to the first-class, brahmana class, or second-class, the ksatriya class, administrator class, and the third-class, mercantile, or business man, and the fourth-class, sudras, worker. If education is given according to the quality and position, then there will be complete system in the whole human society. Take the same example. Just like your body, if your head is working nicely, if your hand is working nicely, if your stomach is working nicely, if your leg is working nicely, then the whole body is to be considered as healthy and working nicely. If any part of this body, either head, leg, or arms or belly, does not work nicely, then the whole body becomes diseased. So that is the instruction of Krsna, Bhagavad-gita. That... Not that...
Now there is a hobby that classless society. Classless society cannot be. That is not possible. So long you are in the material world there must be classes. By nature, there is. Just like even in birds, there are a class of birds known as the crows and there is a class of birds which are called the swans. The swans will try to reside in a place where there is very clean water, flowers, good trees, nice arrangement parking. So they will flock there. Birds of the same feather flock together. And the crows, the will flock... In your country you don't find many crows, but in India there are many crows. They go to the place where all garbages are there. They'll enjoy there. So there is division actually, taste. But one thing is, that the human form of body, although there is natural such division, but one can be raised to the higher position by this Krsna consciousness movement. So far material body is concerned, you cannot change the quality. This is already. One has got the particular type of body by nature's arrangement according to the quality. According to the quality. Now, if you want to change him to the better quality, then you have to accept this Krsna consciousness. Because Krsna consciousness is on the spiritual platform. It has nothing to do with the material platform. From the material platform, you cannot change anyone's quality.
For example, I can tell you, practical example, in United States, America, the government is spending millions of dollars to stop this intoxication habit, LSD habit. Many responsible government officers, they have given us certificate. But they could not control. But in our Krsna consciousness movement, anyone who is coming, even though coming from the LSD-addicted society, still, as soon as he comes to our society he gives us not only LSD or any intoxication, he gives up even drinking tea, coffee and smoking cigarette. You can at once check. Because our principle is: anyone who wants to join seriously this Krsna consciousness movement, just like these boys, they have joined, our first condition is that one must give up these four prohibited things: no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating, no intoxication. So that is being possible. Although they are habituated to all these things from their very beginning of life, but as soon as they take to Krsna consciousness activities, they give up these habits very easily.
So if, practically, the world wants classless society, then one has to take this Krsna consciousness movement. Then there will be classless society. We have got in our society boys and girls from various parts of the world. There are Africans, there are Indians, there are Canadians, Englishmen, American, Australian, but they have forgotten that he is Englishmen or American or Australian or black or white or Indian. No. They have forgotten. They are simply interested in Krsna consciousness. This is the importance of the movement. If you want classless society, actually pure, without any contamination of these material modes of nature, then this Krsna consciousness movement is the prime movement. That is the definition of Krsna consciousness movement, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam, hrsikena [Cc. Madhya 19.170], anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Bhakti, devotional service, first-class devotional service can be achieved when one is freed from all designations. So long one feels designated that "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Englishmen," "I am German," "I am black," "I am white," and, no. You have to feel yourself. Not feeling, practically, training that I am spirit soul, I am eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. When you come to this position, this is called sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Freed from all designation. These are, the bodily identification is designation.
Just like you are sitting here, so many boys and girls in different dress. Some is dressed in black coat or some in white coat or red coat. If I ask you what you are, if you say "I am black coat," or somebody says, "I am white coat," that is not your identification. Similarly, we living entities, we are neither American or Indian nor African nor Englishman. We are all spirit soul. That is our position. Aham brahmasmi. This is perfect knowledge. Aham brahmasmi, I am spirit soul. When you come to this understanding, aham brahmasmi, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], then your position will be different from this material understanding. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. Prasannatma means jubilant. You'll find all our boys and girls, they're always jubilant. Unless they are jubilant, they cannot dance in this way. It is not dancing dogs. They are not dancing dogs. They're feeling jubilant, and therefore they are dancing. This is the position of brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. Prasannatma, unless one is very satisfied he cannot be jubilant. He should be morose, he cannot dance, he cannot chant. That's a fact. So this is sign of brahma-bhutah. Without any material designation. Brahma-bhutah. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gita. If you study carefully you'll understand everything. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati [Bg. 18.54]. How one is jubilant? When one is freed from all anxieties. What are these anxieties? Anxieties mean if I lose something, then I will lament, and if I haven't got anything, something, then I hanker after it.
So far we are concerned, we have no business, we have no profession. We do not know what we shall eat tomorrow. Or in the evening. We are in such a position. But we have no anxiety. You can see practically. We have no anxiety that "what shall I eat in the evening, what shall I eat tomorrow, there is no bank balance, there is no money." No. There is no anxiety. We know certain that as soon as we go, chant Hare Krsna, Krsna will send us everything. That is actually a fact. If you study our activities, you'll see practically it is so. Na socati na kanksati. We have no hankering, no lamentation. Suppose we have got thousand dollars, and somebody takes away. It happens so. Somebody comes and mixes with us and takes away some money. So we are not very much sorry for that. We think: Krsna gave us, and Krsna has taken away. It doesn't matter. Na socati na kanksati. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati kanksati samah sarvesu [Bg. 18.54]. Equal to all living entities. Our philosophy is not like that, that we give protection to the human being and send the cows to the slaughterhouse. No, that is not our philosophy. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. We think on this subject matter, that if a man is killed, as he's put into so difficult position for being killed, the animal also. They also feel. It is nonsense to think that animal has no soul, no. Everyone has got soul. There are 8,400,000 species or forms of life. Everyone has got soul. Even the ant has got soul, or the elephant has got soul, what to speak of other animals. Everyone, even the trees, birds, beasts, plants, everyone has got soul. And in the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says
sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]
The part and parcel of Krsna or God, the soul, is there everywhere. Don't think that simply human being has got soul. This is not very good philosophy, that the animals have no soul. They have got soul. You can practically examine. What is the symptom of possessing soul? First of all try to understand. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita: avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam: The presence of soul can be perceived when there is consciousness on the body. This is the proof. When you pinch my body, I feel pain, when I pinch your body, you feel pain, when I pinch an animal's body, he also feels pain. Even I pinch even the tree's body he feels pain. It is scientifically proved. Sir Jagadish Candra Bose has proved by machine that when you cut a tree, it feels pain and it is recorded in this statistic machine. So everyone has got the soul. So how you can think...?
When you take the animal to the slaughterhouse for killing, he cries. Why? Because he's feeling pain. He knows that "I'm going to be killed." So there is soul. Soul is there. You don't think that soul is not there: soul is there. Therefore, a Krsna conscious person who has realized God, he is samah sarvesu bhutesu, he's equal to all living entities. He'll feel pain even for cutting a tree. He'll feel pain, he'll feel pain even he traverses over an ant. There is a story that one hunter, he was killing in the forest all kinds of animals and he was killing them half. So they were suffering too much severe pain. So Narada Muni was going in that way. He saw that these animals have been half killed, and they are so much suffering. Who is doing that? So he searched out the hunter. He requested, "Sir you are killing the animals, why don't you kill them all at a time? Why you are killing half? They are suffering. You'll have to suffer in that way." The hunter did not know that killing animals is sinful and he has to suffer again. So he said, "Sir, I am trained like this by my father. This is my profession. I do not know what is sin, but this is the first time I am hearing from you that killing this animal, especially in this way, is very much sinful."
So because he saw a saintly person, he got his sense. He asked him that "How I can get rid of this sinful life?" So Narada Muni suggested, that "I shall give you the way how you can become free from this sinful life." So he made him a disciple and asked him to chant this Hare Krsna mantra and sit down on the bank of the Ganges, and the hunter said, "Sir where shall I get my food?" Narada Muni said, "I'll send you, don't bother. I'll send you food." So the village people, when they understood that the hunter has become a saintly person, so everyone used to come and see him. Somebody was bringing some rice, somebody wheat, somebody some sweets, some fruits, some flower. So huge quantity of foodstuff was coming. So in this way, he became a perfect saintly Vaisnava.
Later on, when Narada Muni came to see him, he was coming to receive the spiritual master jumping over the road. So when the hunter, now he becomes Vaisnava, so Narada Muni and his friend, Parvata Muni asked "Why you are jumping?" He said, "Sir, there are so many ants, so I was trying to save their life." The same hunter who was killing animals one time half-dead and was enjoying, is no more interested to kill even an ant. This is called saintly life. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. Samah, equal to all living entities. Not that simply protection should be given to the human being.
And the Communist philosophy also, there are so many defects. They also think of equal rights for everyone but why not for the animals? What right you have got to kill the animals? Similarly, the animal also kill you. So this is not organized society. The organized society should be that there should be first-class men, brahmana. They would give advice to the second-class men, the administrators. And the administrator class of men, they will see that everyone is following the religious principles. And the third class men or the mercantile class of men, they should produce food. Krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. You'll find here, I'll read it. So, in this way, there must be classification. Not that everyone is one. No, that cannot be. By nature's division... Just you try to understand from your body. The nature's division is there. Why nature has not made only the head? No leg, no arms. No. They are required. But they should not cooperate. It doesn't matter that one is brahmana, one is ksatriya, one is sudra. Just the same example of the body. The head is there, very important department of this body. But the leg is not unimportant. Although the leg is not as important as the head, still leg is also required. There is necessity. You cannot avoid the leg. Similarly, there should be first-class intelligent men, administrative class of men, mercantile class of men and the worker class of men, but they should cooperate.
Just like in this body, the head, the arms, the belly and the legs, they are cooperating for the proper upkeep of the bodily health. Similarly, if we actually want the human society should be organized, then the intelligent class of men, the administrative class of men, the mercantile class of men, and the worker class of men, they should cooperate for understanding Krsna, or God. Then there will be harmony in the human society. Without God consciousness, everyone will think "I am very important, others are not important. I should be given only protection, not others." No. As soon as you become Krsna conscious, as soon as you become brahma-bhutah, then you'll see samah sarvesu bhutesu. Samah, samah means equality to all kinds of living entities. Not only human being.
How many human beings are there out of 8,400,000 species of life? A few only. Only 400,000 species. This information we get from the sastras, Vedic literature. Bhagavad-gita is the summary of all Vedic literature. Therefore, it is advised here that how the first-class of men should be trained up. How the second-class men should be trained up, how the third-class men should be trained up and how the fourth-class men should be trained up. Not that everyone should become first-class. Even everyone is not first-class, because there is cooperation, there is no distinction between first-class and third-class or fourth-class, the same example. Just like if there is some disease on my leg, it does not mean that I shall neglect, I shall take care of the head only. No. I spend more money to cure the disease of the leg. May not be I don't spend any money for the head. So no part of society is unimportant provided there is cooperation. But there must be division, first-class, second class, third class, fourth-class. There must be division. Without division, as there is division anywhere you go, in office, there are the head department, the directors, they are working in a different atmosphere. There must be division, there is already division, you cannot avoid it. Because the material nature is working in three modes of material nature. So anyone who is in the modes of goodness, he's not equal to the person who is in the modes of ignorance. That is not possible. There is difference, but they should be trained up in such a way that they can cooperate to understand the (this) Absolute Truth. That is first-class society. That is real perfect human society. So here it is said
samo damas tapah saucam
ksantir arjavam eva ca
jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam
[Bg. 18.42]
If you want to train the first-class men then they should be qualified like this. Samah, samah means controlling the senses. Controlling the senses, samah. Damah, controlling the mind. These are very disturbing elements, our senses are very disturbing elements. My eye is dictating, "Please take me to see that naked dance," Yes. "Yes, come on, I'm going." So, the eyes are dictating some way, the tongue is dictating some way, the ear is dictating some way. Therefore, one should be trained up not to be dictated by the senses, but he must be master of the senses. That is called samah. And damah, mind is dictating something. You should not be carried away by the dictation of the mind, but mind should be carried by your dictation. That is called damah. These are the qualities of the first-class man. Not that because I have got some degrees and I'm dictated by my mind and senses. He is not first-class man. He's not first-class man. Because he's the servant of the senses. How he can be first-class man? One must be the master of the senses. Then he is first-class man.
In our, there is one Canakya Pandita, he was a great politician. Perhaps those who have gone to India, New Delhi, there is Canakya-puri where all the ambassadors and foreign diplomats are situated. That Canakya Muni, Canakya Pandita, he was a great learned brahmana and politician. He gave his instruction. So he gives the formula, "Who is a learned scholar?" Who is a learned scholar. He has given three formulas. What is that?
matrvat para-daresu
para-dravyesu lostravat
atmavat sarva-bhutesu
yah pasyati sa panditah
Who is a learned man. He said, "A person who can see all the women of the world, except his wife, as mother." Matrvat-para-daresu. Para-dara means other's wife. If one has learned this art how to see other's wife as mother, and para-dravyesu lostravat, and other's riches, possessions, as garbage in the street. Just like you don't touch the garbage. Similarly, other's property, other's riches, one does not touch or even see to it. And he thinks all woman as mothers except his own wife. And atmavat sarva-bhutesu, and treating everyone equally, as he wants to be treated himself. If by pinching your body or giving pain to your body, if you feel pain, you should not give pain to any living entity. If one has learned these three things: matrvat para-daresu para-dravyesu lostravat atmavat sarva-bhutesu, then he's is learned scholar. It is not that one has got this degree from this university, then he has got. That degree will not help us. Unless one is God consciousness, he cannot have any good qualification. That is the Vedic injunction. Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah [SB 5.18.12]. As I have given the example of the hunter: before becoming God conscious, he was a cruel hunter, and after being God conscious, he was not ready to kill even an ant. This is the result. Samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]. Then he's entered in the devotional service of the Lord. Not abruptly one can become devotee. The symptoms must be there, the qualities must be there. Suppose if somebody comes and says, "I am very rich man." So I shall have to see his symptoms, whether he has got a nice car, nice dress, or, there are so many symptoms. Similarly, simply by speaking that "I am God conscious" will not do. These are the symptoms:
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]
Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. The God can be realized only by the devotees who have got all these good qualities. These good qualities already mentioned, samah sarvesu bhutesu. That is God consciousness. God consciousness does not mean that I shall be protected, I shall be happy, and let others be unhappy. Let them go to hell. Never mind. No. That is not God consciousness. Therefore, in order to become perfectly God conscious, the first-class men must be there in the society. And that first-class man is described here, samo damas tapah: he is able to control the mind, he is able to control the senses, tapah, he has undergone austerities, tapah. Saucam, he is always clean, outside and inside, saucam ksantih, always peaceful, arjavam, simplicity, and jnanam, full of knowledge, vijnanam, practical application of knowledge in life, jnanam vijnanam astikyam, and firmly convinced about the existence of the Supreme Lord. These are the qualification of the first-class man. Brahma-karma svabhava-jam. These are the qualities.
So there should be educational department to create first-class men by all these qualities. How to become controller of the mind, how to become controller of the senses, how to become cleansed, bahyabhyantaram, inside clean and outside clean. Saucam, titiksa, how to become tolerant, tolerant. One should be not agitated by a single cause. Tolerant, and similarly, simplicity. He should be so simple. It is said simplicity: even the enemy inquires from him some secret thing, he'll say, "Yes, it is like this." Simplicity. And jnanam full knowledge. Full knowledge, what is this world, what I am, what is my relation with this world, what is God, what is my relation with God. Everything full knowledge. And vijnanam, vijnanam means completely application of the knowledge of life. And astikyam, astikyam means full faith in transcendental literature, that is called also astikyam, and full faith in the existence of the Supreme Lord. Astik... These are the brahminical qualifications. So those who are claiming to become first-class, learned men in the society, they must have all these qualifications. This is Bhagavad-gita's teaching. The second-class man, what is that?
sauryam tejo dhrtir daksyam
yuddhe capy apalayanam
danam isvara-bhavas ca
ksatram karma svabhava-jam
[Bg. 18.43]
Administrator class. Ksatriya, ksatriya means those who are in the governmental power. They should be sauryam, very powerful, and very influential. Sauryam tejah. Nowadays, without seeing these qualifications, a third-class, fourth-class man is voted, and therefore we find out that Mr. Nixon, he's attacked now so many... Because he has no ksatriya qualification. These are the ksatriya qualification, administrator. Saucam, sauryam tejo dhrtih. He must be determined, daksyam, he must very expert, yuddhe capy apalayanam, and he should not flee away from fighting. When there is... Nowadays, when there is... the politicians and diplomats, they sit down very safely in their room and poor people, they are, by force, sent to fight. This is not ksatriya, this is not administration. The ksatriya is, he must come forward first of all. Then others will follow. Yuddhe capy apalayanam. And danam, he must be very charitable. That is another qualification of the administrator. Isvara-bhavas ca, and the governing spirit. These are the ksatram karma svabhava-jam. Similarly, this is second class.
The third-class means krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. Third-class means mercantile traders. They should produce food, enough krsi, agricultural products, and go-raksya. Now we see instead of go-raksya... Go-raksya means protection to the cows. Instead of protection to the cows, they are killing the cows. How you can have perfect society? Cows must be protected. It is so important animal. It is giving the you nectarean food milk, and from milk, you can save your children, you can save your diseased persons. And how it is that you take the cow's milk and send it for slaughterhouse. Oh, this is not, not at all human civilization. Here it is said go-raksya. You should give all protection to this important animal. Krsna does not say that you should protect the pigs and hogs or other animals. He especially meant the cows because cow is very important animal to the human society. If there are meat-eaters, they can kill other animals, but they should not kill the cow. This is, if you want actually perfect society. Krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam [Bg. 18.44]. And these persons, they let them produce enough food grains, and where there is no, there is scarcity of food grain, let them supply there. That is called trade. Vanijyam. Vanijyam.
But at the present moment, there are so many countries, they can produce profuse quantity of food grain. Sometimes they do it and throw it in the ocean for what is called, economic balance. This is not good. Everyone should produce enough quantity of food grains, and if there is shortage, they should send there. In this way, the whole world should cooperate. There is United Nations, but what they are doing? Let them study Bhagavad-gita, how to make United Nations. That will be perfect. Not these short-sighted men, with politics and diplomacy in the heart, they can bring all the nations united. That is not possible. Let them discuss Bhagavad-gita. Let them discuss how perfect society can be established. Then there will be peace. And vaisya-karma svabhava-jam.
And paricaryatmakam karma sudrasyapi svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. And those who are not intelligent, to be trained up as a brahmana or a ksatriya or a vaisya. The fourth class men, let them work these three other classes, let them work. Paricaryatmakam karma sudrasyapi svabhava-jam. In this way the human society should be divided into four divisions, they should cooperate, and they should be trained up. Not a single man should remain unemployed. He must be engaged in some employment as a brahmana, as a ksatriya, as a sudra or as a vaisya. Otherwise, idle brain will be devil's workshop. Therefore, in spite of so much educational propaganda in the Western countries, the young men are coming to become hippies. Because there is no proper training. Here is the hint, Bhagavad-gita gives you. You train the students in that way, then there will be perfect society. Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
For higher quality audio, you may purchase the MP3s/CDs from www.Krishna.com
Prabhupada:By quality and by work, there is, or there must be four divisions of the social structure. Catur-varnyam, first-class, second-class, third-class and fourth-class. That is very natural. Just like in your body, my body is divided into four divisions. The head, head department. In every, I mean to say, unit, there is head department, the first-class department, the second-class department. So we can understand from our own body, there is head department, there is arms department, there is belly department and there is the leg department. So head is first-class. Because if the arms, belly and legs are there and head is cut off, then everything is useless. If the head is there, arm is cut off, you can go on with your business. So there is four divisions everywhere. Krsna says:
na tad asti prthivyam va
divi devesu va punah
sattvam prakrti-jair muktam
yad ebhih syat tribhir gunaih
Krsna says that either on this planet or in other planets in the outer space, or anywhere, the three qualities or three modes of material nature is working. The modes of goodness, the modes of passion, and the modes of ignorance. Everywhere, you'll find these three classes of living entities. Not three classes, four classes. The first-class, goodness. Second-class, passion, third-class, mixed passion and ignorance, and fourth-class ignorance. And below the fourth class, all fifth class, pancama.
So according to these three modes of material nature, there must be division of the society. The first class men are called brahmana, most learned scholar. Learned scholar means, as I was explaining, one who has complete knowledge of God, that is learned scholar. Otherwise, to know how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sexual intercourse and how to defend, this, these knowledge is also there in the animals. They know how to eat. There is no need of university for teaching how to eat or how to sleep or how to have sex life or how to defend. These are animal necessities. But actually human being should be still more advanced in knowledge. That knowledge is not comprising only eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That knowledge is to understand the Absolute Truth, God. That knowledge.
Therefore, the Vedanta-sutra philosophy, that begins with the word athato brahma jijnasa. Now, this life, this human form of life, is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. Athato brahma jijnasa. Brahma means the Absolute Truth. So, that should be the subject matter for studying in human form of life. So Bhagavad-gita is the right book to understand about that brahma, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth, whatever you call. The Absolute Truth is known in three phases: Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan.
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
[SB 1.2.11]
The Absolute Truth is one, but it is realized from three angles of visions. Some of them are realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, some of them are realizing the Absolute Truth as the localized Paramatma, and some of them are realizing the Absolute Truth as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Absolute Truth is one, but because we are under different modes of material nature, we are understanding the Absolute Truth in three modes of material nature.
So Krsna says that these three modes of material nature is current all over the universe. Even in the topmost planet down to the lowest planet. Therefore he says: na tad asti prthivyam va divi devesu va punah. Prthivyam means on this earth. Or in the other higher planetary system or even the heavenly planets. Everywhere. Sattvam prakrti-jair muktam. Nowhere, anyone is freed from the influence of these modes of material nature. Sattvam means existence. Sattvam prakrti-jaih. Prakrti-jaih means by the material nature, gunaih, means the modes, this goodness, passion, and ignorance. Yad ebhih syat tribhir gunaih. Everything, everywhere, even amongst the plants life, beast life, there these three gunas are working.
Just like some trees, they're useless. Neither produce any nice fruit nor flower. That is third-class, in ignorance. In animals also. Just like cows, they are first-class animal, in the modes of goodness, supplying so valuable nutritious food, milk. But the cats and dogs, they are third-class animals. This is the calculation of the three modes of material nature. Either human being or animals or trees, birds, everywhere Krsna says, or in the higher planetary system, everywhere, these three modes of material nature is working. Therefore, in the human society, because there are three modes of material nature, the classification should be made scientifically according to these three modes of material nature. And that is explained by Bhagavan, Sri Krsna, in the Bhagavad-gita, catur-varnyam maya srstam: [Bg. 4.13] four classes of men. Brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra. Brahmana means the most intelligent class of men who can understand even up to the knowledge of Brahman, brahma janati iti brahmana. And the second class are the ksatriyas or the administrative class of men, and the third-class are the mercantile class of men, industrialists, traders, agriculturalists. Everything will be explained. And the fourth-class men means workers. They have no intelligence, but they find out some good master and get some money. That's all. So there are four classes. So here Krsna says,
brahmana-ksatriya-visam
sudranam ca parantapa
karmani pravibhaktani
svabhava-prabhavair gunaih
According to the modes of material nature, the brahmana should be selected, the ksatriya should be selected, the vaisyas or the mercantile people should be selected, and the sudras, the worker class, should be selected.
Then Krsna says, that how the brahminical class should be educated. This should be taken very seriously by educational department of all countries. And it is the duty of the government to see that every man according to his quality is working, is employed. Not that... Secular state does not mean they should be callous about the quality and work of the citizens. There must be department of practical psychology to see the students, in which class he belongs to. Either he belongs to the first-class, brahmana class, or second-class, the ksatriya class, administrator class, and the third-class, mercantile, or business man, and the fourth-class, sudras, worker. If education is given according to the quality and position, then there will be complete system in the whole human society. Take the same example. Just like your body, if your head is working nicely, if your hand is working nicely, if your stomach is working nicely, if your leg is working nicely, then the whole body is to be considered as healthy and working nicely. If any part of this body, either head, leg, or arms or belly, does not work nicely, then the whole body becomes diseased. So that is the instruction of Krsna, Bhagavad-gita. That... Not that...
Now there is a hobby that classless society. Classless society cannot be. That is not possible. So long you are in the material world there must be classes. By nature, there is. Just like even in birds, there are a class of birds known as the crows and there is a class of birds which are called the swans. The swans will try to reside in a place where there is very clean water, flowers, good trees, nice arrangement parking. So they will flock there. Birds of the same feather flock together. And the crows, the will flock... In your country you don't find many crows, but in India there are many crows. They go to the place where all garbages are there. They'll enjoy there. So there is division actually, taste. But one thing is, that the human form of body, although there is natural such division, but one can be raised to the higher position by this Krsna consciousness movement. So far material body is concerned, you cannot change the quality. This is already. One has got the particular type of body by nature's arrangement according to the quality. According to the quality. Now, if you want to change him to the better quality, then you have to accept this Krsna consciousness. Because Krsna consciousness is on the spiritual platform. It has nothing to do with the material platform. From the material platform, you cannot change anyone's quality.
For example, I can tell you, practical example, in United States, America, the government is spending millions of dollars to stop this intoxication habit, LSD habit. Many responsible government officers, they have given us certificate. But they could not control. But in our Krsna consciousness movement, anyone who is coming, even though coming from the LSD-addicted society, still, as soon as he comes to our society he gives us not only LSD or any intoxication, he gives up even drinking tea, coffee and smoking cigarette. You can at once check. Because our principle is: anyone who wants to join seriously this Krsna consciousness movement, just like these boys, they have joined, our first condition is that one must give up these four prohibited things: no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating, no intoxication. So that is being possible. Although they are habituated to all these things from their very beginning of life, but as soon as they take to Krsna consciousness activities, they give up these habits very easily.
So if, practically, the world wants classless society, then one has to take this Krsna consciousness movement. Then there will be classless society. We have got in our society boys and girls from various parts of the world. There are Africans, there are Indians, there are Canadians, Englishmen, American, Australian, but they have forgotten that he is Englishmen or American or Australian or black or white or Indian. No. They have forgotten. They are simply interested in Krsna consciousness. This is the importance of the movement. If you want classless society, actually pure, without any contamination of these material modes of nature, then this Krsna consciousness movement is the prime movement. That is the definition of Krsna consciousness movement, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam, hrsikena [Cc. Madhya 19.170], anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama [Cc. Madhya 19.167]. Bhakti, devotional service, first-class devotional service can be achieved when one is freed from all designations. So long one feels designated that "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Englishmen," "I am German," "I am black," "I am white," and, no. You have to feel yourself. Not feeling, practically, training that I am spirit soul, I am eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. When you come to this position, this is called sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Freed from all designation. These are, the bodily identification is designation.
Just like you are sitting here, so many boys and girls in different dress. Some is dressed in black coat or some in white coat or red coat. If I ask you what you are, if you say "I am black coat," or somebody says, "I am white coat," that is not your identification. Similarly, we living entities, we are neither American or Indian nor African nor Englishman. We are all spirit soul. That is our position. Aham brahmasmi. This is perfect knowledge. Aham brahmasmi, I am spirit soul. When you come to this understanding, aham brahmasmi, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170], then your position will be different from this material understanding. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. Prasannatma means jubilant. You'll find all our boys and girls, they're always jubilant. Unless they are jubilant, they cannot dance in this way. It is not dancing dogs. They are not dancing dogs. They're feeling jubilant, and therefore they are dancing. This is the position of brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. Prasannatma, unless one is very satisfied he cannot be jubilant. He should be morose, he cannot dance, he cannot chant. That's a fact. So this is sign of brahma-bhutah. Without any material designation. Brahma-bhutah. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gita. If you study carefully you'll understand everything. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati [Bg. 18.54]. How one is jubilant? When one is freed from all anxieties. What are these anxieties? Anxieties mean if I lose something, then I will lament, and if I haven't got anything, something, then I hanker after it.
So far we are concerned, we have no business, we have no profession. We do not know what we shall eat tomorrow. Or in the evening. We are in such a position. But we have no anxiety. You can see practically. We have no anxiety that "what shall I eat in the evening, what shall I eat tomorrow, there is no bank balance, there is no money." No. There is no anxiety. We know certain that as soon as we go, chant Hare Krsna, Krsna will send us everything. That is actually a fact. If you study our activities, you'll see practically it is so. Na socati na kanksati. We have no hankering, no lamentation. Suppose we have got thousand dollars, and somebody takes away. It happens so. Somebody comes and mixes with us and takes away some money. So we are not very much sorry for that. We think: Krsna gave us, and Krsna has taken away. It doesn't matter. Na socati na kanksati. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati kanksati samah sarvesu [Bg. 18.54]. Equal to all living entities. Our philosophy is not like that, that we give protection to the human being and send the cows to the slaughterhouse. No, that is not our philosophy. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. We think on this subject matter, that if a man is killed, as he's put into so difficult position for being killed, the animal also. They also feel. It is nonsense to think that animal has no soul, no. Everyone has got soul. There are 8,400,000 species or forms of life. Everyone has got soul. Even the ant has got soul, or the elephant has got soul, what to speak of other animals. Everyone, even the trees, birds, beasts, plants, everyone has got soul. And in the Bhagavad-gita Krsna says
sarva-yonisu kaunteya
murtayah sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija-pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]
The part and parcel of Krsna or God, the soul, is there everywhere. Don't think that simply human being has got soul. This is not very good philosophy, that the animals have no soul. They have got soul. You can practically examine. What is the symptom of possessing soul? First of all try to understand. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita: avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam: The presence of soul can be perceived when there is consciousness on the body. This is the proof. When you pinch my body, I feel pain, when I pinch your body, you feel pain, when I pinch an animal's body, he also feels pain. Even I pinch even the tree's body he feels pain. It is scientifically proved. Sir Jagadish Candra Bose has proved by machine that when you cut a tree, it feels pain and it is recorded in this statistic machine. So everyone has got the soul. So how you can think...?
When you take the animal to the slaughterhouse for killing, he cries. Why? Because he's feeling pain. He knows that "I'm going to be killed." So there is soul. Soul is there. You don't think that soul is not there: soul is there. Therefore, a Krsna conscious person who has realized God, he is samah sarvesu bhutesu, he's equal to all living entities. He'll feel pain even for cutting a tree. He'll feel pain, he'll feel pain even he traverses over an ant. There is a story that one hunter, he was killing in the forest all kinds of animals and he was killing them half. So they were suffering too much severe pain. So Narada Muni was going in that way. He saw that these animals have been half killed, and they are so much suffering. Who is doing that? So he searched out the hunter. He requested, "Sir you are killing the animals, why don't you kill them all at a time? Why you are killing half? They are suffering. You'll have to suffer in that way." The hunter did not know that killing animals is sinful and he has to suffer again. So he said, "Sir, I am trained like this by my father. This is my profession. I do not know what is sin, but this is the first time I am hearing from you that killing this animal, especially in this way, is very much sinful."
So because he saw a saintly person, he got his sense. He asked him that "How I can get rid of this sinful life?" So Narada Muni suggested, that "I shall give you the way how you can become free from this sinful life." So he made him a disciple and asked him to chant this Hare Krsna mantra and sit down on the bank of the Ganges, and the hunter said, "Sir where shall I get my food?" Narada Muni said, "I'll send you, don't bother. I'll send you food." So the village people, when they understood that the hunter has become a saintly person, so everyone used to come and see him. Somebody was bringing some rice, somebody wheat, somebody some sweets, some fruits, some flower. So huge quantity of foodstuff was coming. So in this way, he became a perfect saintly Vaisnava.
Later on, when Narada Muni came to see him, he was coming to receive the spiritual master jumping over the road. So when the hunter, now he becomes Vaisnava, so Narada Muni and his friend, Parvata Muni asked "Why you are jumping?" He said, "Sir, there are so many ants, so I was trying to save their life." The same hunter who was killing animals one time half-dead and was enjoying, is no more interested to kill even an ant. This is called saintly life. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. Samah, equal to all living entities. Not that simply protection should be given to the human being.
And the Communist philosophy also, there are so many defects. They also think of equal rights for everyone but why not for the animals? What right you have got to kill the animals? Similarly, the animal also kill you. So this is not organized society. The organized society should be that there should be first-class men, brahmana. They would give advice to the second-class men, the administrators. And the administrator class of men, they will see that everyone is following the religious principles. And the third class men or the mercantile class of men, they should produce food. Krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. You'll find here, I'll read it. So, in this way, there must be classification. Not that everyone is one. No, that cannot be. By nature's division... Just you try to understand from your body. The nature's division is there. Why nature has not made only the head? No leg, no arms. No. They are required. But they should not cooperate. It doesn't matter that one is brahmana, one is ksatriya, one is sudra. Just the same example of the body. The head is there, very important department of this body. But the leg is not unimportant. Although the leg is not as important as the head, still leg is also required. There is necessity. You cannot avoid the leg. Similarly, there should be first-class intelligent men, administrative class of men, mercantile class of men and the worker class of men, but they should cooperate.
Just like in this body, the head, the arms, the belly and the legs, they are cooperating for the proper upkeep of the bodily health. Similarly, if we actually want the human society should be organized, then the intelligent class of men, the administrative class of men, the mercantile class of men, and the worker class of men, they should cooperate for understanding Krsna, or God. Then there will be harmony in the human society. Without God consciousness, everyone will think "I am very important, others are not important. I should be given only protection, not others." No. As soon as you become Krsna conscious, as soon as you become brahma-bhutah, then you'll see samah sarvesu bhutesu. Samah, samah means equality to all kinds of living entities. Not only human being.
How many human beings are there out of 8,400,000 species of life? A few only. Only 400,000 species. This information we get from the sastras, Vedic literature. Bhagavad-gita is the summary of all Vedic literature. Therefore, it is advised here that how the first-class of men should be trained up. How the second-class men should be trained up, how the third-class men should be trained up and how the fourth-class men should be trained up. Not that everyone should become first-class. Even everyone is not first-class, because there is cooperation, there is no distinction between first-class and third-class or fourth-class, the same example. Just like if there is some disease on my leg, it does not mean that I shall neglect, I shall take care of the head only. No. I spend more money to cure the disease of the leg. May not be I don't spend any money for the head. So no part of society is unimportant provided there is cooperation. But there must be division, first-class, second class, third class, fourth-class. There must be division. Without division, as there is division anywhere you go, in office, there are the head department, the directors, they are working in a different atmosphere. There must be division, there is already division, you cannot avoid it. Because the material nature is working in three modes of material nature. So anyone who is in the modes of goodness, he's not equal to the person who is in the modes of ignorance. That is not possible. There is difference, but they should be trained up in such a way that they can cooperate to understand the (this) Absolute Truth. That is first-class society. That is real perfect human society. So here it is said
samo damas tapah saucam
ksantir arjavam eva ca
jnanam vijnanam astikyam
brahma-karma svabhava-jam
[Bg. 18.42]
If you want to train the first-class men then they should be qualified like this. Samah, samah means controlling the senses. Controlling the senses, samah. Damah, controlling the mind. These are very disturbing elements, our senses are very disturbing elements. My eye is dictating, "Please take me to see that naked dance," Yes. "Yes, come on, I'm going." So, the eyes are dictating some way, the tongue is dictating some way, the ear is dictating some way. Therefore, one should be trained up not to be dictated by the senses, but he must be master of the senses. That is called samah. And damah, mind is dictating something. You should not be carried away by the dictation of the mind, but mind should be carried by your dictation. That is called damah. These are the qualities of the first-class man. Not that because I have got some degrees and I'm dictated by my mind and senses. He is not first-class man. He's not first-class man. Because he's the servant of the senses. How he can be first-class man? One must be the master of the senses. Then he is first-class man.
In our, there is one Canakya Pandita, he was a great politician. Perhaps those who have gone to India, New Delhi, there is Canakya-puri where all the ambassadors and foreign diplomats are situated. That Canakya Muni, Canakya Pandita, he was a great learned brahmana and politician. He gave his instruction. So he gives the formula, "Who is a learned scholar?" Who is a learned scholar. He has given three formulas. What is that?
matrvat para-daresu
para-dravyesu lostravat
atmavat sarva-bhutesu
yah pasyati sa panditah
Who is a learned man. He said, "A person who can see all the women of the world, except his wife, as mother." Matrvat-para-daresu. Para-dara means other's wife. If one has learned this art how to see other's wife as mother, and para-dravyesu lostravat, and other's riches, possessions, as garbage in the street. Just like you don't touch the garbage. Similarly, other's property, other's riches, one does not touch or even see to it. And he thinks all woman as mothers except his own wife. And atmavat sarva-bhutesu, and treating everyone equally, as he wants to be treated himself. If by pinching your body or giving pain to your body, if you feel pain, you should not give pain to any living entity. If one has learned these three things: matrvat para-daresu para-dravyesu lostravat atmavat sarva-bhutesu, then he's is learned scholar. It is not that one has got this degree from this university, then he has got. That degree will not help us. Unless one is God consciousness, he cannot have any good qualification. That is the Vedic injunction. Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah [SB 5.18.12]. As I have given the example of the hunter: before becoming God conscious, he was a cruel hunter, and after being God conscious, he was not ready to kill even an ant. This is the result. Samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]. Then he's entered in the devotional service of the Lord. Not abruptly one can become devotee. The symptoms must be there, the qualities must be there. Suppose if somebody comes and says, "I am very rich man." So I shall have to see his symptoms, whether he has got a nice car, nice dress, or, there are so many symptoms. Similarly, simply by speaking that "I am God conscious" will not do. These are the symptoms:
brahma-bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad-bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]
Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. The God can be realized only by the devotees who have got all these good qualities. These good qualities already mentioned, samah sarvesu bhutesu. That is God consciousness. God consciousness does not mean that I shall be protected, I shall be happy, and let others be unhappy. Let them go to hell. Never mind. No. That is not God consciousness. Therefore, in order to become perfectly God conscious, the first-class men must be there in the society. And that first-class man is described here, samo damas tapah: he is able to control the mind, he is able to control the senses, tapah, he has undergone austerities, tapah. Saucam, he is always clean, outside and inside, saucam ksantih, always peaceful, arjavam, simplicity, and jnanam, full of knowledge, vijnanam, practical application of knowledge in life, jnanam vijnanam astikyam, and firmly convinced about the existence of the Supreme Lord. These are the qualification of the first-class man. Brahma-karma svabhava-jam. These are the qualities.
So there should be educational department to create first-class men by all these qualities. How to become controller of the mind, how to become controller of the senses, how to become cleansed, bahyabhyantaram, inside clean and outside clean. Saucam, titiksa, how to become tolerant, tolerant. One should be not agitated by a single cause. Tolerant, and similarly, simplicity. He should be so simple. It is said simplicity: even the enemy inquires from him some secret thing, he'll say, "Yes, it is like this." Simplicity. And jnanam full knowledge. Full knowledge, what is this world, what I am, what is my relation with this world, what is God, what is my relation with God. Everything full knowledge. And vijnanam, vijnanam means completely application of the knowledge of life. And astikyam, astikyam means full faith in transcendental literature, that is called also astikyam, and full faith in the existence of the Supreme Lord. Astik... These are the brahminical qualifications. So those who are claiming to become first-class, learned men in the society, they must have all these qualifications. This is Bhagavad-gita's teaching. The second-class man, what is that?
sauryam tejo dhrtir daksyam
yuddhe capy apalayanam
danam isvara-bhavas ca
ksatram karma svabhava-jam
[Bg. 18.43]
Administrator class. Ksatriya, ksatriya means those who are in the governmental power. They should be sauryam, very powerful, and very influential. Sauryam tejah. Nowadays, without seeing these qualifications, a third-class, fourth-class man is voted, and therefore we find out that Mr. Nixon, he's attacked now so many... Because he has no ksatriya qualification. These are the ksatriya qualification, administrator. Saucam, sauryam tejo dhrtih. He must be determined, daksyam, he must very expert, yuddhe capy apalayanam, and he should not flee away from fighting. When there is... Nowadays, when there is... the politicians and diplomats, they sit down very safely in their room and poor people, they are, by force, sent to fight. This is not ksatriya, this is not administration. The ksatriya is, he must come forward first of all. Then others will follow. Yuddhe capy apalayanam. And danam, he must be very charitable. That is another qualification of the administrator. Isvara-bhavas ca, and the governing spirit. These are the ksatram karma svabhava-jam. Similarly, this is second class.
The third-class means krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. Third-class means mercantile traders. They should produce food, enough krsi, agricultural products, and go-raksya. Now we see instead of go-raksya... Go-raksya means protection to the cows. Instead of protection to the cows, they are killing the cows. How you can have perfect society? Cows must be protected. It is so important animal. It is giving the you nectarean food milk, and from milk, you can save your children, you can save your diseased persons. And how it is that you take the cow's milk and send it for slaughterhouse. Oh, this is not, not at all human civilization. Here it is said go-raksya. You should give all protection to this important animal. Krsna does not say that you should protect the pigs and hogs or other animals. He especially meant the cows because cow is very important animal to the human society. If there are meat-eaters, they can kill other animals, but they should not kill the cow. This is, if you want actually perfect society. Krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam [Bg. 18.44]. And these persons, they let them produce enough food grains, and where there is no, there is scarcity of food grain, let them supply there. That is called trade. Vanijyam. Vanijyam.
But at the present moment, there are so many countries, they can produce profuse quantity of food grain. Sometimes they do it and throw it in the ocean for what is called, economic balance. This is not good. Everyone should produce enough quantity of food grains, and if there is shortage, they should send there. In this way, the whole world should cooperate. There is United Nations, but what they are doing? Let them study Bhagavad-gita, how to make United Nations. That will be perfect. Not these short-sighted men, with politics and diplomacy in the heart, they can bring all the nations united. That is not possible. Let them discuss Bhagavad-gita. Let them discuss how perfect society can be established. Then there will be peace. And vaisya-karma svabhava-jam.
And paricaryatmakam karma sudrasyapi svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. And those who are not intelligent, to be trained up as a brahmana or a ksatriya or a vaisya. The fourth class men, let them work these three other classes, let them work. Paricaryatmakam karma sudrasyapi svabhava-jam. In this way the human society should be divided into four divisions, they should cooperate, and they should be trained up. Not a single man should remain unemployed. He must be engaged in some employment as a brahmana, as a ksatriya, as a sudra or as a vaisya. Otherwise, idle brain will be devil's workshop. Therefore, in spite of so much educational propaganda in the Western countries, the young men are coming to become hippies. Because there is no proper training. Here is the hint, Bhagavad-gita gives you. You train the students in that way, then there will be perfect society. Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.
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