750919 - Lecture SB 06.02.16 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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750919SB-VRNDAVAN - September 19, 1975 - 38:26 Minutes

Harikeśa: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Second Chapter, sixteenth verse. (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca

gurūṇi ca laghūni ca

prāyaścittāni pāpānāṁ

jñātvoktāni maharṣibhiḥ

(SB 6.2.16)

(break)

Prabhupāda:

gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca

gurūṇi ca laghūni ca

prāyaścittāni pāpānāṁ

jñātva uktāni maharṣibhiḥ

(SB 6.2.16)

So sinful activities, it is punishable. You cannot violate the laws of nature. Prakṛti is very strong. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Just like the government has police department, military department, law courts. Why? Because not all the citizens they are good citizens. There are many outlaws. So more or less, whoever is in this material world, they are outlaws. Outlaw means they do not abide by the laws of nature, and therefore they are punishable.

The first punishment is that we have got this material body. This is the first punishment.

kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare

pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

(Prema-vivarta)

The first criminal action is that when we forget Kṛṣṇa and our relationship with Him . . . our relationship with Kṛṣṇa is that Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer; we are eternal servant. This is our relationship. Just like a big man, rich man: he is the enjoyer and he has got many servants. That we practically see. The capitalist, he starts some business, big factory. Ten thousand men are working, but the capitalist is not working. It is our practical experience. He is aloof from the factory. In a nice place, in a nice bungalow, garden house, he is enjoying. Similarly, God, Kṛṣṇa, He is the enjoyer. You will find, therefore, Kṛṣṇa here in this temple, He is enjoying. He is standing with His elder brother, enjoying in the forest, sporting with His cowherd boys friend, His cows, calves—enjoying in the forest. The description is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And those who are playing with Him, those who are associates of Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, they are also not ordinary person.

itthaṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā

dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena

māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa

sārddhaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ

(SB 10.12.11)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said that, "These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they are not ordinary boys." Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ: "After many, many births' accumulation of pious activities they have now got this position, the chance of playing with Kṛṣṇa." Similarly, everyone in Vṛndāvana when Kṛṣṇa was present, all the gopīs, all the cowherds boys.

So Kṛṣṇa comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). This is the process. Every living entity is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. He belongs to the Kṛṣṇa's family. Kṛṣṇa's family. This is our original position. Vṛndāvana means whole Kṛṣṇa's family. Even the birds, beast, trees, plants, water—all belong to the Kṛṣṇa's family. Advaya-jñāna. Therefore anything in Vṛndāvana is as good as Kṛṣṇa. Even the dust of Vṛndāvana is as good as Kṛṣṇa. This is the philosophy, Absolute Truth. So Kṛṣṇa, out of His causeless mercy, He comes. At a certain interval during one day of Brahmā, He comes. He exhibits His līlā that, "Anyone who desires to go back to home, back to Godhead, they can enjoy with Me like this." This is Kṛṣṇa's mission. "Come on. Why you are playing here and suffering this māyā's play? Come to the real play." This is Kṛṣṇa's mission. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa comes: "Just try to understand Me, why I come."

The certain section, they say that, "Why God will come? God has no business to come here." So these rascals, they do not know. Why God will not come? Is He your father's servant, that you think God cannot come, therefore God cannot come? You can think in your way, but God is fully independent. Whenever He likes, He can come—yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7)—just to show the example. Why God should be restrained not to come? He is not God. If God is restrained by us, by our speculation, by our imagination, that is not God; that is dog. A dog can be restrained: "Don't come here." Why God can be restrained? So there is no reason. He says freely that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati. He wants. We are part and parcel of God, just like sons are part and parcel of father. If the father is rich man, all-powerful, he does not like to see that his sons are loitering in the street without any food, without any shelter. He doesn't like. Father entreats, "My dear son, why you are rotting in this way? Come home. You'll be comfortable. You'll be happy." But these rascal sons will not go. They are thinking, "We shall make plan here and live peacefully." That is going on. And God is coming, Kṛṣṇa is coming, canvassing that, "Come back to home, back to Godhead," and we are not interested.

We are making plan here. This is our misfortune. But this plan will be frustrated. That is the nature's law. Daivi hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Whatever plan you make, it will be frustrated. It will never be successful. Therefore śāstra says, bahir-artha-maninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Where is the destination of life, they do not know it. Na te viduḥ. These rascals, those who have come to this material world, they do not know where is the goal of life because they are rascals, mūḍha, narādhama. Kṛṣṇa is canvassing that, "Give up all this nonsense business." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Nobody will hear. He will manufacture his own way. This is the disease. Why? Because under the spell of māyā. So to forget Kṛṣṇa and to become subjected to the condition of material nature, that is called material life. Material life means to give up the idea of going back to home, back to Godhead, but making plan here to be happy. This is called māyā, or material life. So here it is said that:

gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca

gurūṇi ca laghūni ca

prāyaścittāni pāpānāṁ

jñātvoktāni maharṣibhiḥ

Maharṣibhi. Great learned scholars, realized soul, liberated soul, they have given us Vedic literature. There are different types of explanation, just like main is the Manu-saṁhitā. In the Manu-saṁhitā it is said that if a man kills, then he should be also killed. No excuse. From Manu-saṁhitā the hanging or killing of a murderer, that is enjoined. That is there. Maharṣibhiḥ. A killer of other animal or other living entities, he must be killed. This is Manu-saṁhitā. This is showing the mercy. When a king orders a murderer to be hanged, that is king's mercy. It is said in the Manu-saṁhitā. He is not to be excused. Life for life. Now imagine how many lives we are killing every day. We have now become very civilized. We are maintaining slaughterhouses, thousands and thousands, up-to-date machine, how to kill the animals. This is our advancement of civilization, and they are all sinful activities, pāpāni. And not only killing. There are so many institution how to cheat, how to take your money by tricks, how to kidnap other's wife, how . . . so many things, simply sinful activities. Simply.

Of course, there are different grades of sinful activities. Therefore it is said, gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca. Just like disease. You are suffering from some headache, that is also disease. And you are suffering from cancer, and that is also disease. But when you are suffering from headache the doctors may give you a tablet, Anacin, and the headache is cured. And this is laghū, very insignificant disease. But if you are suffering from cancer, that tablet will not help you. Therefore gurūṇāṁ ca laghūnāṁ ca. As there are different types of diseases—some of them are very, very acute and severe, and some of them are very insignificant—similarly, the grades of sinful activities are there. Some of them are not very serious and some of them are very, very serious. So as the physician prescribes costly medicine for serious disease, similarly, maharṣibhiḥ, big, big saintly person, liberated person, they have prescribed prāyaścitta, atonement, for severe types of sinful activities and insignificant types of sinful activities.

But sinful activities must be there. We are put into certain condition; therefore it is called conditional life. Suppose you are very pious man. You are not killing any man or any cow—we are very careful—but still you have to kill. What is that? Because we are walking on the street, you have seen, you are killing so many ants. The position is like that. Even if you do not wish to kill, even if you are very pious man, still you have to kill, unconsciously or consciously. The world situation is like that. Anyone who has come here, he must commit sinful activities. As soon as you get this material body, then you must have to commit sinful activities, even if you are very careful. It is not possible. Therefore śāstra says, padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58): "Every step there is vipada." You cannot be excused. Because you are killing one ant unconsciously while walking, your name is noted. Your ticket is immediately there: "Oh, you have killed so many ants." The law is so nice. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi (BG 3.27). Automatically it is recorded, automatically, and you have to suffer.

So then what to do? If the situation is like that, how to save? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yajñārthe karmaṇa anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). If you dedicate your life for yajña . . . yajña means for Viṣṇu. Yajñārthe karma means . . . yajña-puruṣa is Viṣṇu. If you work for Viṣṇu, then you are safe. Otherwise you are becoming complicated. Yajñārthe. Kṛṣṇa says, yajñārthe karma anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. If you are going to office to earn your bread, very hurriedly to attend the office, and you are killing so many ants, you are becoming entangled. You think, "I am going to office to do my duty very hurriedly," but you are becoming implicated. But if you go out for receiving some help for worshiping Viṣṇu, then you are free. Then you are free. Exactly like that: a soldier who is fighting in the battlefield and killing so many men and he is given gold medal, "Oh, you have killed so many. So many lives you have killed of the opposite party, enemy. You take this Victoria Cross." He becomes recognized by the government. The same man, when he comes home, if he kills somebody for his sense gratification, he will be hanged. The same man. The same soldier, when he is fighting for king's service, government service, government is supplying him food, everything—"So fight very chivalrously"—and offering him gold medal. And the same men, when he comes home, for his sense gratification if he kills a man, he will be hanged. He may say in the court, "Sir, I have killed so many men in the battlefield and I was never hanged. I was given gold medal. And now I have killed only one man, and I am going to be killed? Why? What is this?" "Yes." For your sense gratification as soon as you do anything, that is sinful, whatever you do. It may be so-called pious activities in your calculation, but in this material world there is no such thing as pious activities or impious. Everything impious.

The Caitanya-caritāmṛta kar has said, dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samana. In this material world . . . the material world means the world of duality. And the absolute world means the world of one. Eka brahma dvitīya nāsti. That is absolute, spiritual world. There is one only, spirit. There is nothing . . . although there are varieties of spiritual manifestation. So, so long you are in this material world of duality, then you have to commit sinful activities. Therefore the whole Vedic literature is meant for taking you to the spiritual world. Tamasi mā jyotir gamā: "Don't remain in this material world of darkness. Come to the spiritual world." Tamasi mā jyotir gamā. This is instruction. And jyotir means that spiritual world. First appreciation of the jyotirmān, Brahman, Brahmaloka, Brahman effulgence, that is the first entrance. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti (SB 1.2.11). Just like you see the sunshine: it is impersonal, only light. But if you have got power, strength, if you can go to the sun planet, that is another . . . this is also . . . Sun planet is also shining. The heat and light is there. And in the sunshine there is heat and light and shining. But the temperature in the sun globe is different from this temperature. And if you have got strength, then you can see who is reigning over that sun planet. In the Vedic literature you will find his name. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). The name of the predominating deity, or the president, of the sun globe is Vivasvān. His name is also there. His address is also there. The god is there. God's name is there. God's address is there. Now if you have got power to go there, you can go. Just like Indira Gandhi or the President's name is there, address is there, but if you are fit to see him or her, that depends on you. Not that because you cannot see the President or Indira Gandhi, she is nirākāra. This is foolishness. This is foolishness. Why God should be nirākāra?

Śāstra says that brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayaṁ

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

(SB 1.2.11)

The Absolute Truth, advaya jñāna. There is no duality. He is absolute in three features: Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. So Brahman realization means sac-cid-ānanda, simply realization of the sat proportion, eternity. That is Brahman realization. And Paramātmā realization means eternity and knowledge. And Bhagavān realization means eternity, knowledge and ānanda. Ānandamāyo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). There are three things, if you can reach. But foolish person, although they are advanced in spiritual knowledge, they do not get the information that behind this Brahman effulgence, behind this Paramātmā realization there is the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. They cannot understand it on account of poor fund of knowledge. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā:

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuri-bhāvam āśritāḥ

(BG 7.15)

Why an impersonalist, although very advanced in knowledge, in Vedic knowledge, still he does not know what is Kṛṣṇa? He inquires, "What is God?" Just see. God is canvassing, "Here I am," and he is inquiring, "What is God?"

So this is our misfortune. Why they cannot realize? Duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina means acting sinfully, specifically denying the existence of God. That is the greatest offense. Suppose you are a gentleman, and if I say: "You are blind. You are lame. You are handless. You are armless. You have no head. You are . . ." will you be sat . . . happy? Will anybody will be happy? Similarly, those persons who are describing the Absolute Personality of Godhead, "He has no eyes . . ." in other words, He is blind; "He has no hand," mean armless, "He has no leg," then He is lame man, "He has no tongue." In this way it is the definition by negation, and after all, make it zero. If you cut my hand, leg, my head, my eyes, ears, then what I remain?

So the atheist class men, they say openly they don't believe in God. That is honest. And those who have taken the shelter of Vedas and talking of God as armless, legless and headless and earless, they are saying the same thing. Vedāśraya nāstika-vāda bauddha ke adhika. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said that veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika: "Persons who do not agree with the Vedic authority . . ." He called them nāstika. As the Mussulman, they say one who does not believe in the Koran, he is kafir, and Christian, one who do not believe in the Bible, they are called heathens, similarly, according to our Vedic civilization, anyone who does not accept the authority of Vedas, he is called atheist. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Buddha philosophy, they do not accept the authority of Vedas, although Lord Buddha is accepted as incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. But for the time being, he did not accept the authority of Veda. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam. Lord Buddha was preaching ahiṁsā, so according to Vedic rituals there is prescription sometimes—not always—killing of animals. So when Lord Buddha was preaching ahiṁsā, "No more animal killing," the so-called Vedāntists and Vedic followers, they said, "Why you are preaching in that way? We have got in the Vedas many animal sacrifice is prescribed there, paśu-bali." So Lord Buddha, what he will reply to these foolish persons what was his mission? He said: "I don't care for your Vedas." Therefore nindasi. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam: "Although it is Vedic injunction, my Lord, you have decried." Means there is no way. Why? Sadaya-hṛdaya-darśita-paśu-ghātam: "You are so kind, you wanted to stop this poor animal killing: 'Never mind. For the time being stop Vedic authority.' "

So these things can be understood by the devotees. Although he decried Vedic authority, still, he is worshiped, keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa. This is the understanding of the devotees. They know everything perfectly well, what is what. They know Śaṅkarācārya, what he is. Śaṅkarācārya is the incarnation of Lord Śaṅkara, Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva. Vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ. He is the topmost Vaiṣṇava. So the devotees know that Śaṅkarācārya was at heart a Vaiṣṇava, but he had to preach like a vaiṣṇava because he had to drive away Buddhism from India. That was the mission. So therefore he made something compromise with the Buddhist philosophies. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said he wanted to accept Vedas against Buddhism, who did not accept the Vedas, but he preached this atheism under the shadow of Vedas. He said therefore that veda nā māniyā buddha haila nāstika, vedāśraye vāda nāstika ke adhika. So these are the discussion. One has to learn very cautiously how, what is the purpose of why Lord Buddha came, why Lord Śiva and Śaṅkarācārya came, why other ācāryas came, why Caitanya Mahāprabhu came. It requires thorough study under able guidance. Then one can understand.

So on the whole, the conclusion is that anyone who is in this material world, he is a sinful man. Anyone. Otherwise he would not have gotten this material body. Just like anyone who is in the prison house, you can conclude that he is a sinful, criminal man. You do not require to study one after another. Because he is in the prison house you can conclude that, "Here is a criminal." Similarly, anyone who is in the material world, he is a criminal. But not the superintendent of jail. You cannot conclude, "Because everyone is in the jail criminal, therefore the superintendent of jail, he is also criminal." Then you are mistaken. Those who are conducting these sinful men to take them back to home, back to Godhead, he is not criminal. His business is how to release this rascal from this prison house and take him to back to home, back to Godhead.

So mahad-vicalanaṁ nṛṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasāṁ (SB 10.8.4). Gṛhiṇāṁ. Gṛhi means anyone who is living within this body or anyone who is living within this material world. It is a compact thing. So they are very poor-hearted. They do not know what is the value of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). So instead of enlightening them, if mahāt or mahātmā, they keep them in the darkness, that is a great disservice. They must be enlightened. Their business is to preach that, "Don't keep yourself within this material world. Come to the spiritual world." This is the business of mahātmā. Mahad-vicalanaṁ nṛṇāṁ gṛhiṇāṁ dīna-cetasām. They are very poor knowledge, mūḍha. They have been described as mūḍha, duṣkṛtina. All these men are engaged in sinful activities on account of their ignorance. If you say: "No, how you can say they are in ignorance? There are so many universities. They are passing M.A.C., D.A.C., Doctor, Ph.D., and still they are ignorant?" "Yes." "How?" Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā: "The so-called knowledge is taken away by māyā." Otherwise, why they are sticking to this material world? If you become enlightened, then you must know that this material world is not for our habitation. We must go back to home, back to Godhead.

Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is preaching that, "This is not your home. Don't try to be happy here." Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Bahir, the external energy. They are thinking that, "Materially, if we make some arrangement . . ." Some of them are trying to be happy by scientific improvement or some of them are trying to go to the heavenly planet, and some of them are trying to become this, that. But they do not know that real happiness is to go back to home, back to Godhead. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. They do not know that. So this is very important movement, that we are giving them hint and education how to go back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)