661005 - Lecture BG 07.11-16 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1966

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

661005BG.NY - October 05, 1966

Prabhupāda: Balaṁ balavatāṁ . . .

balaṁ balavatāṁ cāhaṁ

kāma-rāga-vivarjitam

dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu

kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha

(BG 7.11)

Now, this particular verse we are discussing last day, that lust, or sex desire, on the principles of religiosity is Kṛṣṇa. This point we have discussed very elaborately, you may remember, that so far necessities of this body are concerned, that is allowed, but in a regulated form.

The necessities of this body are four: we must eat something; we must have rest, sleep for some time; we must defend ourself from the attack of enemies; and we, er, we must have the facility for sex life also. These things are necessary for keeping up this body. But one who is going to liberate himself from this material entanglement, he cannot use this excessively. There must be regulated.

Just like a diseased person, he is put under regulation. He is also given to eat something. Although eating is not very good for a diseased person, still, he is allowed to eat something, some barley water, some fruit juice, some light food, so that . . . starvation is also not good, so he is allowed. But he cannot be allowed foodstuff according to the patient's desire. The foodstuff is allowed to him according to the direction of the physician.

So if we want to be conversant, well-equipped, with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we have to regulate our life. That regulation, that regulation is given in various scriptures, and here also Lord Kṛṣṇa says. He is describing Himself, how you can remember Him in every circumstances of your life. So similarly, sex life is also a necessity, a necessity for our life.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says: "Yes, I am also in sex life, provided it is," I mean to say "carried according to the scriptural injunction." What is that scriptural injunction? That one must get himself married; otherwise, sex life is not allowed. It is considered sinful.

Married life sex life is allowed. Kṛṣṇa says that dharma-aviruddhaḥ. Aviruddhaḥ means not against religious principle. The religious principle is putrārthe kriyate bhāryā putra-piṇḍa-prayojanam. According to Vedic literature, one should marry just to have a child, putra. Putra means son. The derivative meaning of putra is pun-nāmno narakād yasmāt trāyate iti putraḥ. For our sinful reaction we have to visit some hell, which is known as pun.

So it is prescribed in the Hindu scripture that the child, when the father dies, the boy has to perform several ceremonies, which is called śrāddha ceremony, so that if the father for his sinful acts is in trouble in his next life, this ceremony will protect him. These are the some of the thoughts. And they are true. So putra means pun-nāmno narakād yasmāt trāyate iti putraḥ: "One who delivers the father from the hell which is known as pun, he is called putra."

So therefore, how can I have putra without wife? If one wants a son without wife, that is not possible. Therefore the scriptural injunction is that according to the Vedic rules you get yourself married and have good sons to protect your family and to protect yourself. This is called religious sex life. So this religious sex life, Kṛṣṇa recommends. And He says that "Sex life in religiosity is I am. I am present there. I am present there." And next He says:

ye caiva sāttvikā bhāvā

rājasās tāmasāś ca ye

matta eveti tān viddhi

na tv ahaṁ teṣu te mayi

(BG 7.12)

I think we have discussed all this. Now, tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair ebhiḥ sarvam idaṁ jagat (BG 7.13). We are discussing about the three modes of material nature. Now, the Lord says that the whole world is captivated by the three modes of material nature. And mohitam, and bewildered by the actions and reaction of these three modes of material nature, one has forgotten his eternal relationship with God, or Kṛṣṇa. We have got eternal relationship with God because we are sons of God. How the relation can be broken?

Suppose you have got son. Now, he is not obedient to you. That is all right. He has gone out of home. He does not like you. But the relation cannot be broken. When he will be asked, "What is your father's name?" he has to name your . . . that, "I am son of such-and-such gentleman." That relation cannot be broken.

Similarly, we are all sons of God, Kṛṣṇa. So our relationship is eternal, but we have forgotten. Just you understand: God is all-powerful, all-famous, He possesses all wealth, He possesses all beauty, He possesses all knowledge and He possesses all renunciation. So we are sons of such a great personality. We have forgotten. Just a rich man's son forgets his father and becomes mad and lying on the street and begging—oh, that is due to his forgetfulness.

If somebody gives him information that, "Why you are suffering in this way? You have got your father's riches. You go home and enjoy your father's property. Your father is very much anxious to have you. Why you are rotting in this condition?" And if he comes to his senses that "Oh, I have suffered so much. Now I shall go back to my father and enjoy life . . ."

This is our condition. We are under threefold miseries here in this material world. Always we are suffering by these threefold miseries: adhyātmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika, threefold miseries. Some miseries are pertaining to this body and mind. Just like one of our student—all of a sudden, he has got some aches and he has to undergo surgical operation. So this is going on.

Something misery are due to the body, something miserable due to the mind, something miserable due to the nature. All of a sudden, it becomes very cold. All of a sudden, it becomes very hot, warm. Nature. All of a sudden, there is great snowfall. All of sudden, there is earthquake. So many miseries, so due to nature, due to body, due to mind and due to other living entities. Oh, somebody attacks me with dagger. A tiger attacks me with his jaws. So many difficulties, miseries in every step. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām (SB 10.14.58).

So we should remember this. But due to the illusion, being covered by the illusion, we don't take account of these miseries. But we must remember that we are always in miseries. An intelligent person who is developed in consciousness, he enquires, "Why I am in miseries? I do not want miseries. Why I am in miseries?" When this question arises, then there is chance of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. You will find how one becomes . . . comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You will find, later verses. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna (BG 7.16).

So, bewildered by this interaction of these three modes of nature, we have forgotten our eternal relationship with God. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that we have to revive. Just like a psychiatrist, psychiatrist, they, by some lectures revive his consciousness. So we are, more or less, not the person who is going to the psychiatrist, but every one of us more or less mad, bewildered by this material nature. So we have to cure our madness and become situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the whole problem. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam (BG 7.13).

Param avyayam. Avyayam means which has no end; which never, I mean to say, annihilates. That is called avyayam: eternal, never can be killed. So we are also avyayam. We have discussed all these points in the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, that we are living entities, we have no birth, no death. The birth and death is concerned with this body, but we are sons also of this supreme eternal, param avyayam. So we are also avyayam. The sons of gold is also gold. But we are in this miserable condition. Why? Because we are bewildered by these material three modes of nature.

daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

(BG 7.14)

This madness, this hallucination, this illusion of this material world, is very difficult to overcome. It is very difficult. But Lord Kṛṣṇa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. If anyone voluntarily, or understanding his miserable life, if he surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I forgot You for so many lives. Now I understand that You are my father, You are my protector. I surrender unto You." Just like a lost child goes to the father, "My dear father, it was my misunderstanding that I went away from your protection, but I have suffered. Now I come to you." The father embraces, "My dear boy, you come on. I was so much anxious for you all the days. Oh, it is happy that you have come back." The father is so kind.

So we are in the same position. As soon as we surrender ourself to the Supreme Lord . . . that is not very difficult. A son's surrender to the father, is it very difficult job? Do you think is it very difficult job? A son is surrendering to his father. It is quite natural. There is no insult. Father is always superior. So if I touch the feet of my father, if I bow down before my father, it is glory. It is glorious for me. There is no insult. There is no difficulty. Why should we not surrender unto Kṛṣṇa?

So this is the process. Mām eva ye prapadyante. "All these bewildered living entities, when they surrender unto Me," māyām etāṁ taranti te, "he has no more any miseries of life." He becomes at once under the protection of the father. You will find in the end of Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66).

When the father . . . when the child comes on the breast of his mother, the mother protects. If there is any danger, the mother is prepared to give her life first, then the child's life. Similarly, when we are under the protection of God, then there is no fear. We becomes fearless under the protection of God. The child . . . small children, they have got this faith on the father and the mother.

So we should take shelter of Kṛṣṇa—mām eva ye prapadyante. "Anyone who takes shelter unto Me, he is out of this danger at once." At once. So why not do this? Is it very difficult job? No. Then why the person do not take shelter? If it is so easy thing, a certain child is going to surrender unto the care of his father, it is so simple thing, why people do not do this? Why? Because people are, I mean to say, challenging even the existence of God.

Now, the godless civilization: "Oh, nature is everything. Science is everything. God is nothing." Their advancement of this material knowledge means they are getting more and more mad. Their madness is increasing. Instead of being cured, their disease is being increased. This is the material civilization. "Don't care for God." All right, don't care. Then you care for this material nature. He will give you . . . she will give you good kicks. She is engaged for kicking you always, twenty-four hours, threefold miseries. Mind that. But we are so much, I mean to say, what is called, accustomed to this kicking that we don't . . . we think, "It is all right. You go on kicking. My dear material nature, thank you very much for your kicking." You see?

So we have become so fools, and we are very much proud of our education. Can you conquer material nature? Who has conquered? The material nature is always inflicting upon us threefold of miseries. That's all right. Again the four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

The birth, the miseries of birth; the miseries of death; the miseries of old age; and miseries of diseases—can you solve? No. Then what advancement of knowledge you have got? The death is there. The old age is there. The disease is there. Then what advancement you have made? You are so much proud. This is called māyā. He is in the same stage, miserable stage, but he is thinking that "I am advanced in knowledge. I am advanced in knowledge." This false pride. You see?

So the simple thing is that father has to surrender . . . er, the son has to surrender to the father. Simple thing. And the father, what kind of father? He is not ordinary father. He is Bhagavān. Bhagavān means possessing full power, full strength, full wealth, full knowledge. He's not ordinary father. He is not like material father, a poor father without any knowledge. But here is the father who is full of knowledge, full of opulence, and we have to surrender to such father. Don't you think yourself to be lucky to go to such a father and enjoy His property? Why you are so fools? This foolishness, why they are so much fools, that is described in the next verse:

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

(BG 7.15)

These are the good qualifications of the fools. What is that? Duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina means always doing against the scriptural or religious injunction. Always, continuously. Our business is now to break the rules of scriptures. That's all. That has become our business, duṣkṛtina, always. Duṣkṛtina, sukṛtina, means a pious worker and impious worker. Just a man, lawful; and law . . . outlaw. Who is outlaw, and who is lawful? One who obeys the state laws, he is called lawful citizen. And one who does not obey the state laws, he is put into the prison house, he is called outlaws.

So these duṣkṛtina and sukṛtina, who is pious and who is impious, there must be some standard rules. The pious is he who follows the scriptural injunction, and impious is he who does not follow. Every civilized nation, every civilized man has got his scripture. May he be a Christian, may be a Hindu, may be a Muhammadan or may be a Buddhist—it doesn't matter. But everyone has got his authority, book of authority, scripture. So one who does not follow the scriptural injunction, he is outlaw. He is punishable. Duṣkṛtina.

And mūḍha. Mūḍha means fool number one. These people do not go to God. These qualified peoples—duṣkṛtina, means impious; mūḍha, fool number one; and narādhama, and lowest of the humankind, lowest of the humankind; and māyayāpahṛta-jñāna, and bewildered of his knowledge; and āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ, and atheistic mentality. These people. One who has developed . . .

now, the simple thing is to surrender unto the father. Anyone can do it. There is no difficulty, there is no insult, and it is all prospective. Everything is good. But still, people do not do it. Why? These are the qualifications. What are the qualification? That he is impious, he is fool number one, he is lowest of the mankind, his knowledge has been plundered by illusion and he is atheistic. Anyone who is qualified all by these qualifications, he cannot surrender to his father. He is still to be punished by the agent of father, the material nature. He is still to be slapped and caned very good and kicked. He has to suffer.

Just like the father chastises the unruly boy, so the father, Kṛṣṇa, or God, has employed this material nature, nurse. She is nursing also. She is giving us very nice foodstuff, at the same time giving good slap. Both things are going on. Because we are all rich man's son. We are not poor man's son, poor man's son. No. So we are getting all supply of food. That is all right. God is kind. Even we are rebelled, even we do not surrender unto Him, still, He is so kind, He is sending us grains, He is sending us fruits, so many things. And duṣkṛtina, instead of so many things for foodstuff, he is still doing impious acts for his eating, which is not sanctioned. So these things are going on.

So these kinds of people who are fool number one, impious, lowest of the mankind, and whose knowledge has been exploited by this illusory energy and who is atheistic, these people, they do not go to God. Now why mūḍha? Mūḍha means fool number one. Just like I explained that he is being kicked in every step—still, he is thinking that "Oh, I am very intelligent." This is a sign of fool number one. And narādhama. Why narādhama, lowest of the mankind? Oh, because this human form of life is meant for recognizing our relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God. This is an opportunity. In the life of cat and dog, oh, they cannot come here to understand what is spoken in the Bhagavad-gītā. Even they come, they cannot understand. First of all they will not come. But human being, it is made for human being.

So if human being does not take advantage of this knowledge, any knowledge that will help him to revoke his forgotten relationship with the supreme father . . . that is called knowledge. So here is the book, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is personally speaking. So if we do not take advantage of this knowledge, simply like cats and dogs we eat, sleep, and have sexual intercourse with the opposite sex, and die without taking advantage of the higher consciousness, developed consciousness, which have been given to us by the grace of Lord through the material energy . . . we have got intelligence, but if we misuse this intelligence, do not take advantage, then are we not the lowest of the mankind?

So lowest of the mankind. Who does not take full advantage of this human form of life, he's the lowest of mankind. He should not have given this form of human life and developed consciousness, because he is misusing it. But Lord is so kind, gives us chance. Gives us chance.

The material nature, although it is very powerful and it is punishing, but here is a chance by the will of God, "All right, let these living entities, who are suffering under different covers of this material body in 8,400,000 species of life, now here he has got a chance, the human form of life, after many evolutionary process, many, many thousands and millions. Here is a chance." If you do not understand that, "Here is a chance to get me free out of this entanglement," if you don't take this chance, are you not the lowest of the mankind?

So the lowest of the mankind, the fool, the impious. Now, you can say: "Oh, they are all degree holders at the university, M.A., Ph.D., D.A.C., and you are calling him the fool?" Yes, still. "Why?" Māyayāpahṛta-jñānaḥ: by the illusory energy of the Lord, all their knowledge has been taken away. Why? Now, because the knowledge is meant for to understand what is, "What I am? What is this nature? What is God? Why I am suffering? Is there any remedy?" These are knowledge. And the more knowledge to manufacture a motorcar, to manufacture a radio, or television, and something for sense enjoyment, this is not knowledge. This is the plundered knowledge.

The knowledge was given to understand the problems of life, but it is being misused in manufacturing something which will satisfy my senses. That's all. That is not knowledge. They are thinking that this is knowledge. What is their knowledge? Do you think when there was no motorcar people could not go from one place to another? All right, some facility. That's all. But that is also becoming a problem. When everyone will have a motorcar, there will be no place to drive motorcar. You see?

So this is the māyā. This is called māyā. You are creating facilities, but it is being created for your future non facilities. You have got experience. When there was strike in your New York City, so for crossing one mile, one had to spend four hours. But if you could go on foot, within ten minutes you could cross that space. So these are the facilities. We are thinking that we are enjoying facilities, but actually they are not facilities.

So instead of wasting our energy for so-called facility, we should apply our energy, "What I am? Why I am suffering? I do not like to suffer. Why suffering is imposed upon me?" This is called knowledge. But by the illusory energy of māyā, the so-called knowledge, our real knowledge has been taken away, and some foolish knowledge has been imposed upon us that we are thinking, "Oh, we are advancing. Advancement of knowledge."

By advancement of knowledge, we have manufactured atom bomb so that killing process can be accelerated. People are dying, and that dying process is accelerated, and we are proud. "Advancement of knowledge." Oh, manufacture something which will stop death, then you have advancement of knowledge. Killing is there. What advancement? Killing is there, and you are faciliting, you are making more killing at one drop. This is not knowledge. This is called māyayāpahṛta-jñāna, "the knowledge taken by the illusory energy."

Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ: and atheistic, atheistic, challenging against the supreme authority, challenging the father. Now, without father, I could not see the light of this world. Then what is the use of challenging my father, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1): who is the supreme father, from whom everything has born? So how, what is this challenge? The āsuraṁ bhāvam.

There are two classes of men. In the Vedic scriptures we find there are two classes of men. Dvau bhūta-sargau loke 'smin daiva āsura eva ca (BG 16.6). Daiva. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daiva āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ. There are two kinds of men. One is called the gods, demigods, and other is called the demons. And who is demon and who is god? Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. One who is devotee of the Supreme Lord, he is called demigod. He is also becomes god. And one who defies the authority of the Supreme Lord, he is called demon. So this demon and the gods are always there. Some are . . . but number of gods are very small, but there are.

So here, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ, one who has acquired that demoniac qualities, challenging the authority of the Supreme Lord, they are asura, asura. Asura means demons. But of the demons, and the fools, and the lowest of the mankind, and whose knowledge has been plundered by the illusory energy, and who is impious, oh, they cannot go to God. It is impossible. They are not allowed. But they can be, provided they agree. God is always kind to accept anybody, but these people, they cannot have, due to their . . . they will have to suffer these threefold miseries for many more days. Then when they come to the senses, then they can come.

So against these four classes of men, there are another four classes of men, who take to the shelter of God, beginning. Beginning. And what they are?

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ

janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna

ārto jijñāsur arthārthī

jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

(BG 7.16)

Lord Kṛṣṇa says that, "Four kinds of men who are pious, they come to Me." And who are they? Ārta. Ārta plus pious. Ārta means distressed, at the same time pious. A man distressed does not mean that he is impious. He may be pious. A pious man, he may be in distress, because this material world is full of distress. So it is meant for pious or impious, both. Just like when there is winter, winter season, everyone suffers. It does not care for the pious, impious, or rich or poor.

Similarly, this place is full of miseries. Though the pious, he thinks of God in his miserable condition, but the impious, he cannot think. Just like if somebody is distressed and he goes to the church and prays, "My Lord, I am distressed. Please help me," oh, he is good man. He is good man. Although he is praying for some necessities, but still, he is good man than the man who does not go at all to the church, because he does not believe. So here is a faith, faith in God, therefore he is accepted. Ārto arthārthī. Arthārthī, a poor man. He goes to the church and temple and prays to the God, "My dear Lord, I am very poor man. Give me some money so that I may be happy." Oh, he is good man. He is good man.

So now these two class, and another class, jijñāsu. Jijñāsu means inquisitive. Just like an intelligent boy is very much inquisitive to understand. He asks always his parent, "Oh, mummy, what is this? What is this? What is this?" So mother explains. Similarly, one who is intelligent . . . these boys, these children who enquire, they are very intelligent boys. They will come out very intelligent in future. These are the signs of intelligence, the enquiring boy.

So similarly, there are persons who are very inquisitive. They are studying. Just like the scientist, they are making research. Similarly, when one makes research what is God, what is God . . . now, scientifically, with great intellect, one tries to understand what is God, oh, he is also good. He is also good. He is making proper research. Yes. Then the distressed and the person in want and the inquisitive and jñānī. Jñānī means who has understood his spiritual constitutional position. He is called jñānī, man in knowledge. He also enquires; he also becomes; he also goes to God. Maybe personal, impersonal conception, but he is trying to take shelter of the ultimate truth, Absolute Truth.

So these four classes of men, they are called sukṛtina, they are called pious, because they are after God. And those four classes of men, they are impious, they are fools, they are lowest of the mankind, and their knowledge is plundered and they are demons—they cannot take shelter. So these two classes of distinction are always there. Not only now; from time immemorial, so long the history of this creation is there, material world, there have been so many atheists and so many . . . but in the ancient days their number were very small. Now they have increased. So these two classes of men are always there.

So it is better that we should . . . even we have been in a different way . . . this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is open for everyone, and we can take advantage of it, and that is . . .

(aside) Will you read that prospectus?

Hayagrīva: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Where is that prospectus? Yes. (break) (end)