751001 - Lecture Arrival - Mauritius

Lectures by Date, 1975

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751001AR-MAURITIUS - October 01, 1975 - 44:29 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

. . . timirāndhasya

jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena

tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

(child making sounds)

Devotee: The child has to go. (pause)

Prabhupāda: The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is little different from . . . why little? Completely different from ordinary movement. This is spiritual movement. This movement begins when one understands that he is not this body. (break) Generally we are under the bodily concept of life. Ninety-nine percent people think that one is this material body. But that is not the fact. The fact is that within this body there is the spirit soul. The example is given in the Bhagavad-gītā that because the spirit soul is there within the body, therefore the body is changing from childhood to boyhood, from boyhood to youthhood, then middle-aged, then old man. This body is changing. But if the child is born dead—that means without the soul—then the body does not change. We have got practical experience. A dead child, if you keep the body in a preservative way, it will not grow. So long the soul is there, the bodily changes are there. From the womb of the mother, the embryo, the child, grows daily. Why? Because the soul is there.

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to understand this fact first of all, that body is superficial. Just like you are dressed with your shirt and coat. The shirt and coat is not important, but the person who is putting on the shirt and coat, he is important. Unfortunately, modern education is giving stress on the outward, external body, or to the dress, and not to . . . they do not understand who is the person who is dressed, or who has got this body. This is the first lesson of spiritual understanding. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find, this is the first instruction:

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

(Video start)

The whole world is under the bodily concept of life, even big, big nations. Just like your prime minister has gone to the United Nation. There are many big, big men in the United Nation. They will speak, and they are speaking for the last thirty years the United Nation is formed, but they could not find any solution of the problems of life, because the basic principle they are losing; they do not know. Every one of them is thinking on the bodily platform: "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am German," and "I am Englishman," like that. Therefore there is no solution, because the basic principle is wrong. Unless we understand what is the wrong on the active principle of the body, the problems cannot be solved, just like if you cannot diagnose the disease, simply by symptomatic treatment you cannot make the man healthy. That is not possible.

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not on the bodily concept of life. It is the movement on the basic principle of the soul—what is the soul, what is the soul's necessity, how the soul will be peaceful, happy. Then everything will be all right.

(Video break)

The same example, that if you are healthy, it doesn't matter what kind of dress you are putting on, you will feel happy. But if you are diseased and if your dress is very nice, that will not give you any happiness. Because you have got a very nice dress and you are diseased, suffering from some pains, the dress will not give you happiness. You must be healthy. Then it doesn't matter, whatever dress you are putting on—any circumstances, you will feel happiness.

This is the basic principle of our movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. You try to understand whether you are this body or something beyond this body. This is to be understood. Anyone who is thoughtful, he can understand by little thinking that if you study your body, you will never say that "I body." You will say "my body." You study your finger; you will say: "It is my finger." You will never say "I finger." "My head, my hand." Then who is that "my" or "I"? That is the subject matter of thinking. If we do not find out what is that, "I . . ." On the basis of "I," I am thinking "I am my body, my head, my leg." But it is a fact. If you think little, you will find that you are not this body. You are different from this body. And as soon as we understand that "I am different from this body," then the business will be, "How I shall be happy?" not the "How my dress will be nice?"

So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important movement. We are inviting all intelligent persons, the leaders of the society, to understand the basic principle of this movement. And if the leaders of the society lead the people in the proper channel on the basic principle of spiritual life, then everything will be solved. Everyone will be happy. These instructions are there in the Bhagavad-gītā very elaborately. Simply we have to follow the instruction. It is not at all difficult. Then all the questions—social problem, political problem, economical problem, religious problem—everything will be nicely solved. We are presenting, therefore, Bhagavad-gītā as it is. And you take any question and the answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, very nicely given.

Just like, say, our first problem is economic problem. So Bhagavad-gītā says: "Yes. Economic problem will be solved very easily if you produce food grains." Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce food grain. Just like in your country I see there is enough land. If you people produce your food grain, within three months you can get all the necessities of life for the whole year. And the balance time you can save, nine months. And these nine months you can utilize for advancing in spiritual life, because your life or my life, this human form of life, it is distinct from the cats' and dogs' life. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand what is the basic principle of life. But a human being can understand. If he takes little care, he can understand that his problem of life is due to misunderstanding, accepting this body as self. This is the problem.

So we shall advise according to Bhagavad-gītā that, "Make your life very simple, plain living, but the thinking should be very high." Plain living and high thinking. So thinking is that "I am the soul. I am not this body; I am eternal. I am changing only body. And due to change of body I am suffering." For this reason, the śāstra says:

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicit

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

If anyone is living on the bodily concept of life, ātma-buddhiḥ tri-dhātuke . . . yasyātma-buddhiḥ śarīre, tri-dhātu . . . kuṇape tri-dhātuke. This body is a bag. Actually it is a bag. So long the soul is there, it is useful. As soon as the soul is not there, it is nothing but a bag of skin and bones, that's all. Everyone knows it. It is thrown away. It has no value. So actually it is a material bag made of this blood, skin, nails, bones, urine, stool. This is the ingredient of this body. If you think that this body is self, then you can create with this ingredient another soul. If you analyze this body, what is the ingredient? You will find some blood, some veins, some bones, some skin, some urine, some stool and some secretion. So they are available. So why don't you take all these ingredients and create another soul? They are available anywhere. But that is not possible.

The big, big chemist, big, big scientists, they are trying to create living entities. Their theory is, "By chemical evolution there is living symptoms." But it is not possible. The soul is different from these material elements. Soul is different from the material elements. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the . . . first of all, material elements, they have been described, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā me prakṛti aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jaga . . . (BG 7.5). Jīva-bhūta, the living entity, is completely different from this matter.

So unless we understand this philosophy . . . it is not philosophy. Philosophy you can call, because the philosophy means the science of sciences. Philosophy is not a mental speculation. Philosophy is the prime science from which all other sciences are derived. That is philosophy. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to educate people on this science of sciences to understand first of all that "What you are? Are you this body or different from this body?" This is essential. And if you go on constructing your big building on a defective foundation, then it will not stay. There will be danger.

So modern civilization is based on this defective idea that, "I am this body." "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian"—these are all bodily concept of life. "Because I have got this body from a Christian father and mother, therefore I am a Christian." But I am not this body, "Because I have got this body from a Hindu father and mother, therefore I am Hindu." But I am not this body. So for spiritual understanding, this is the basic principle to understand that, "I am not this body; I am soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is the Vedic instruction: "Try to understand that you are spirit soul; you are not this body."

The yoga system is practiced just to understand this. Yoga indriya saṁyamaḥ. By controlling the senses, especially the mind . . . mind is the master or the chief of the senses. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). We are undergoing a struggle for existence with this mind and the senses under the false conception of identifying this body as self. So if we concentrate our mind by controlling the senses, then we can gradually understand. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). The yogīs, they meditate upon the Supreme Person, Viṣṇu, and by that process they realize the self. Self-realization is the prime object of human life. So the beginning of self-realization is to understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi.

So these things are very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. If we simply read Bhagavad-gītā carefully, under proper guidance, then everything will be clear, without any difficulty, that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul. My business is different than this bodily concept of life. I shall never be happy taking . . . accepting this body as self. That is a wrong foundation of knowledge." In this way, if we make progress, then we shall understand, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." Then "Wherefrom I have come?" Everything is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, that the spirit soul, Kṛṣṇa says, the Lord says, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7): "These living entities, they are My part and parcel, fragment, or minute sparks." As the big fire and the small fire, both of them are fire, but big fire and small fire. So far the fire quality is concerned, God and we are the same.

So we can understand, we can study God by studying ourselves. That is also another meditation. But it will be perfect when we understand that, "Although qualitatively I am a sample of God or the same quality, but still, He is the great, I am the small." That is perfect understanding. Anu, vibhu; Brahman, Para-brahman; īśvara, parameśvara—this is perfect understanding. Because I am qualitatively one, it does not mean that I am the Supreme. In the Vedas it is said, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). We are nitya, eternal; God is also eternal. We are living being; God is also a living being. But He is the chief living being. He is the chief eternal. We are also eternal, but we are not chief. Why? Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Just like we require a leader, similarly, He is the supreme leader. He is maintainer. He is providence. He is providing everyone's necessities. We can see that there are elephants in Africa. Who is providing them food? There are millions of ants within the hole of your room. Who is feeding them? Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kaman. So in this way, if we realize ourself, that is self-realization.

And then the next question will be, "Then what is our function?" When we understand our relationship with God, that is called sambandha. And if the sambandha, if the relationship, is established, understood properly . . . just like in Christian religion they go to the church. Or every religion, generally, people go to temple, church, mosque to pray, to offer prayer to the Supreme, and generally we ask for our necessities of life, because eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān: He is supplying the necessities. But in higher standard, He is already supplying the necessities, but then why shall I bother Him for supplying the necessities? He is already supplying without asking. The ants and the elephants, they do not go to the church for asking God, "Oh, give us our daily bread," but still, they are getting.

Then the next question is that, "What is our duty?" Our duty is to feel obliged to God and try to serve Him. That is our duty. Just like a child, when he is unable to move or to work, the parents, the father, supplies everything. But when the child is grown up, if he thinks as a young man that, "Father has given us so much service. Now we shall give service," oh, that is perfection. That is wanted. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). At the present moment we are taking so much supplies from God, but we are not eager to serve Him. This is our position. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He is supplying us everything. We require light, there is the sunlight. We require water; there are oceans of water. Who has created this? We require these things, and God has created. He has given us enough. Pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśo Invocation). Everything is complete. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything is completely arranged by the Supreme Lord. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā. So we should be cognizant how we are benefited by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and what is our duty. Our duty is to serve God. That is our duty. Hṛṣīkeṇa-hṛṣīkeśa sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). We are taking so much service, already taken. Now, when we are grown up as human being, then we should serve God.

This is the instruction we get from Bhagavad-gītā, how Arjuna in the beginning was declining to serve Kṛṣṇa on consideration of his bodily attachment, but at the end he decided, "No, it is my duty to serve Kṛṣṇa, not to serve my senses." And that is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Similarly, when we actually become self-realized and agree to serve the Supreme Lord . . . the another point is that Lord is perfect. He doesn't require our service. But if we are engaged in His service, that is our healthy condition. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. Now I am asking this finger, "Keep like this. Move like this." This is healthy condition of the finger. But if I want to take service from the finger in some way, but if the finger cannot serve me, this means unhealthy condition. Similarly, when we do not serve God, that is our unhealthy condition. That is material condition. Therefore . . . there was a big meeting in Naimiṣāraṇya. All the great learned sages and brāhmaṇas were present, and the resolution was passed:

ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā

varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ

svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya

saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam

(SB 1.2.13)

This is perfection of life. If you want perfection of life, then try to satisfy God, Kṛṣṇa. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13).

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching this conclusion of the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that if you want perfection of life, then try to satisfy the Supreme Lord. This is the conclusion. So about this, you can make some question if you like.

Cyavana: Anyone have any question? . . . (indistinct) . . . (long pause)

Prabhupāda: If there is any question, you can ask. Let them ask.

Cyavana: Someone must have a question. Everything is clear? (silence from audience)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You explained that the active force is the spirit soul, and this is what is causing the body to move about, to eat, to develop. If this is the active force, then at what stage are the activities of the soul realized as distinct from the activities of the body?

Prabhupāda: Oh, that is not very difficult. When the soul is gone, there is no activity of the body. Where is the difficulty to understand? So long the soul is there within the body, body is acting. As soon as the soul is out, it is not acting. It is very easy to understand. Is there any difficulty to understand? Why the body was moving one moment before, acting very nicely, but as soon as the soul is gone, it is dead body? That's all. Finished. It is lump of matter. What is the difficulty?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Does the self-realized soul experience the actions . . .?

Prabhupāda: Anyone can experience. The body is active so long the soul is there. It doesn't require much intelligence. Simply one can understand what is the difference between the dead body and the living body. Living body means there is the soul, and dead body means there is no more soul. Father dies; the son is crying, "Oh, my father has gone." "Oh, where your father has gone? He is lying on the bed. Don't you see?" "No, no, he is gone. He is now . . ." So that means I never saw my father, I saw his body only. Now I realize, "My father is gone." That is my ignorance. I do not know who is my father; I do not know who is my son. But on this false understanding we are going on. When the father dies or the son dies, we cry, "Oh, my son is gone," "My father is gone." "And where is your father gone? He is lying on the bed." "No, no, he is gone." And then we realize. It is very difficult to understand? Simple thing.

Indian man: When the body dies, the body is finished, but what about the soul? The soul, about the soul?

Prabhupāda: Soul enters another body.Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). That is the misunderstanding of the modern civilization. They do not know that soul is eternal, it is changing body, different bodies, and there are 8,400,000 different forms of body. According to his desire, he is entering another body. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). As he is associating or he is being infected by the different modes of material nature, he is getting, next life, another body. (break) . . . big king or big minister or the body of an ant, as soon as you accept this material body, the suffering is there.

So if you want to be happy, then this is the opportunity. This human form of body is the opportunity. Don't waste this human form of body like cats and dogs. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand that he is not this body, he is spirit soul, but a human being can understand. There is so, so many books of knowledge, and so many self-realized persons. So if anyone wants to understand what he is, he can understand in the human form of body.

So if we take this opportunity, then we make the solution: no more accepting body.

janma karma me divyaṁ

yo jānāti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti kaunteya

(BG 4.9)

The solution is there. You try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then you will have not to accept any more material body. Simple thing. Hmm? What is your question? Is it answered? Yes. (break) . . . Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to enlighten people. It doesn't matter what is his nationality, what is his religion. Simply you try to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. Don't waste time. Don't waste your life, valuable life. Try to understand God. Then your life is success.

Any other question? (pause)

Devotee: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Huh? What is that? Finish? All right. Then you will have kīrtana? No. Have . . . (break) (end)