681109 - Lecture BS - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1968

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

681109BS-LOS ANGELES - November 09, 1968 - 12:18 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. Govindam, Lord Kṛṣṇa; Adi-puruṣa, the original person. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that Brahman . . . athāto brahma jijṣāsā. What is Brahman? In this human form of life this is the business, to understand what is Brahman. Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja says:

(break) . . . rājendra

nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ

apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ

gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām

(SB 2.1.2)

Question and answer. Everywhere life means questions and answers. So those who are not interested or do not know what is the aim of life, they have got questions and answers only for sense gratification. That's all. They have no more any questions or answers. Whole field of questioning and answering is sense gratification. That's all.

But the human life is not meant for that purpose. The animals, they are . . . morning . . . just like birds, just early in the morning, they began to chirp, "Where is food? Where is . . .? Where we have to go? Where we have to find out some food?" That is their business. The animals also. But human form of life, does it mean it is meant like that, that they should be simply involved in questions and answers for sense gratification? No.

Therefore Vedānta-sūtra says, brahma-jijṣāsā. Athāto brahma jijṣāsā. Ataha: "After this . . . after the evolutionary process of lower than human being, when we have come, we have got this body, human form of body, the business is brahma-jijṣāsā," jīvasya tattva-jijṣāsā. That is the Bhāgavata.

But there is no education. There are so many universities, they are going on simply how to advance the method of sense gratification. That's all. There is no education. Athāto brahma jijṣāsā. The human form of life should be specially engaged for understanding what is Brahman. Otherwise it is simply spoiled.

Śaṅkarācārya says . . . he was a sannyāsī. Sannyāsīs's business is to travel all over the world, or as far as he can, and enlighten people about Brahman. That is sannyāsīs' business. So Śaṅkarācārya is lamenting, bālasya tāvad kriyā-saktaḥ: "Oh, what I see? I see the boys are engaged in playing."

Bālasya tāvad kriyāsaktas taruṇas tāvad taruṇī-raktaḥ: "Young boy, they are after young girls. That is their business. Boys are playing. Young boys are after young girls." And vṛddhas tāvad cinta-magnaḥ, "And those who are old, they are absorbed in thought, 'Oh, what I have done? I could not do this. I have . . .' "

Vṛddhas tāvad cinta-magnaḥ (chuckles), taruṇī, parame brahmaṇi ko 'pi na lagnaḥ: "Nobody is interested with the Paraṁbrahman. Oh, what nonsense society it is." He analyzed the whole population—boys, youths, old men—and he saw nobody is . . . no rascal is interested with Brahman.

So that is the position. But it is meant for brahma-jijṣāsā. This is the defect of material civilization. The human form of life is being spoiled, simply spoiled. And they are . . . māyā is dictating, "Oh, you are making so much advancement. Thank you." What advancement you have made, sir? Bhagavad-gītā says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

Your problem is birth, death, old age and disease. What you have made for these four problems? What solution you have got, your scientific advancement? Is there any solution of controlling birth? They have invented so many contraceptive method. Still, in every minute, there is three human increasing. Where is your birth control? You cannot control.

So birth . . . similarly, death. So many medicines, so many scientific research, this thing, that thing, they have invented. And what you have done? You have stopped death? "No, sir." Then? Birth, death, old age. What your scientific advancement of knowledge has done to stop old age? Everyone is trying to keep his youth by cosmetic, pomade, lipstick, but nature will not allow him. It is becoming flappy. (laughter) You see?

One Marwari gentleman, he, in Calcutta, he spent eighty lakhs of rupees, or eighty thousand, for changing his gland into monkey gland for increasing his sex life. These things are going on. The monkeys, they have got very good sex life. One monkey has got at least thirty wives, and anywhere, oh he is very enjoying sex life. Markaṭa.

So the scientist has discovered the monkey's gland is very strong for sex life. So kill them, you take out the gland and insert into man's . . . this is going on in medical science. So old age. They are doing . . . science means they are trying to counteract the incapability, incapabilities of old age, but they are still failure. There are so many old men dying.

So janma, mṛtyu, jarā and vyādhi, and disease. You are counteracting one disease; another disease is coming out. They complain that "India is poor. There are so many disease," but here there are so many cancers. So you cannot stop this, the nature's way. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9).

Your only business is to find out Brahman. That is your business. Nature has given you sufficient means to live very comfortably everywhere. If you get a piece of land and one cow, your whole economic question is solved. You haven't got to go fifty miles for working. There is no necessity. Wherever you are living, take little land and keep one cow; your economic question is solved.

So nature has given you all facilities.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍha ātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

Everything is being supplied by the order of Kṛṣṇa, because prakṛti is working, nature is working . . . how it is working? Mayādhyakṣeṇa (BG 9.10).

Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa carācaram. "Under My order," Kṛṣṇa says. Prakṛti, nature, is not working blindly. You see? It has got its master, Kṛṣṇa.

So this life is meant for brahma-jijṣāsā, inquiry, "What is Brahman?" Instead of inquiring Brahman, they are trying to kill Brahman. "There is no soul. There is no Supersoul. It is nature automatically becoming this." These nonsense things are being pushed within the . . . this rubbish brain of the human society.

They cannot explain. They cannot give right understanding. Still, they will say: "I am scientist," "I am philosopher," "I am this," "I am that." But your business . . . what is your business? Now, direct people wrongly, to go to hell.

So this is not life. Life is athāto brahma jijṣāsā: "This human form of life is meant for inquiring Brahman." And if you engage yourself in this Brahman business, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness business, rest assured, Kṛṣṇa will take care of you. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 10.10): "I will take care personally for their necessities of life." Ordinarily, Kṛṣṇa, or God, is taking care of everyone even if he's not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and those who are coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, what to speak of them? Special care by Kṛṣṇa. Rest assured. Engage yourself rigidly to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Be happy. That is our program.

Thank you. (end)