700505 - Lecture ISO 03 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1970

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

700505IP-LOS ANGELES - May 05, 1970 - 26:51 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is lion to the demons, and He's a lamb to the devotees. (laughter) Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. So the atheist, they say that "We have not seen Kṛṣṇa." Yes. You'll see Kṛṣṇa as lion when He'll ultimately come and capture you, "Ow!" (laughter) That is death. Atheists will see Kṛṣṇa as death, and theists, devotees see Kṛṣṇa as lover. That's it. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Nama om bhagavate vāsudevāya.

(aside) You sit down properly, back side. Yes.

oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ

pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate

pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya

pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate

(ISO Invocation)

īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ

yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat

tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā

mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

(ISO 1)

kurvann eveha karmāṇi

jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ

evaṁ tvayi nānyatheto 'sti

na karma lipyate nare

(ISO 2)

asuryā nāma te lokā

andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ

tāṁs te pretyābhigacchanti

ye ke cātma-hano janāḥ

(ISO 3)

anejad ekaṁ manaso javīyo

nainad devā āpnuvan pūrvam arṣat

tad dhāvato 'nyān atyeti tiṣṭhat

tasminn apo mātariśvā dadhāti

(ISO 4)

tad ejati tan naijati

tad dūre tad v antike

tad antar asya sarvasya

tad u sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥ

(ISO 5)

yas tu sarvāṇi bhūtāny

ātmany evānupaśyati

sarva-bhūteṣu cātmānaṁ

tato na vijugupsate

(ISO 6)

yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtāny

ātmaivābhūd vijānataḥ

tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka

ekatvam anupaśyataḥ

(ISO 7)

sa paryagāc chukram akāyam avraṇam

asnāviram śuddham apāpa-viddham

kavir manīṣī paribhūḥ svayambhūr

yāthātathyato 'rthān vyadadhāc chāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ

(ISO 8)

andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti

ye 'vidyām upāsate

tato bhūya iva te tamo

ya u vidyāyām ratāḥ

(ISO 9)

anyad evāhur vidyayā-

nyad āhur avidyayā

iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ

ye nas tad vicacakṣire

(ISO 10)

Hmm. Anyone can explain the third verse? Kurvann eveha karmāṇi jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ. Who will explain, please stand up. Nobody? (laughs) How is that? Huh? Yes?

Devotee (1): This explains that the human form of life is meant for realizing our spiritual nature, our nature as part and parcel of the Supreme Lord . . . (indistinct) . . . material servants. It explains that those who do not cultivate this kind of knowledge, they simply to live like the animals, like the swine . . . (indistinct) . . . without caring for the spiritual nature. They are known as ātma-han, killers of the soul, and they will enter into the planets of the . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: No, I wanted that's true, kurvann eva. That is true, yes. That's all right. So anyone will explain this:

kurvann eveha karmāṇi

jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ

evaṁ tvayi nānyatheto 'sti

na karma lipyate nare

(ISO 2)

So you should try to read the explanation, these word meanings. So kurvann eveha karmāṇi jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ. Samāḥ means years. You can live hundreds of years if you understand the philosophy of life. Otherwise, what is the use of living? The trees are also living for five hundred years, for thousands years. There is one tree in San Francisco . . . what is that wood?

Devotee (2): Redwood.

Prabhupāda: Redwood. No. There is some wood, I forget. Crossing bridge. Anyway, they told me that this tree is standing for seven thousand years. So the trees are also living, and you are also living. You are trying to live. Whenever there is question of death, you resist. That means you do not want to die. That is natural sequence.

So here it is said that why should you live? Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, ke lāgi āche, abāchi . . . that, "Why I am living? I could not achieve love of Godhead. Then what is the use of my living?" He's lamenting. Narottama dāsa kena na lāgilā māriyā. Kena bā āchaye prāṇa ki sukha lāgiyā (Song 41: Ākṣepa). He said: "Why I am living? What is the purpose of my living? What is the ultimate happiness?" "Better I would have died, because I could not attain love of Godhead."

That is real life. We should not try to live if we do not develop love of Godhead. Otherwise, the trees are also living; what is the difference? You are, what . . . how many years you can live? Say utmost hundred years, that's all. But the tree is living for seven thousand years, five thousand years. You cannot compete even with the tree, so far living is concerned.

So here it is said, kurvann eveha karmāṇi: one may aspire to live for hundreds of years if he continuously goes on doing work in that way. Which way? īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to God. Our this society, Kṛṣṇa conscious society, we are not dismantling society. No. Not like Māyāvādī. Māyāvādī says this is . . . this world, this material world is false. Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. "Let us give it up just like we give up stool, urine, and don’t aspire after it." Similarly, the Māyāvādīs says: "Give it up just like you leave your stool and urine, and take to Brahma." But our philosophy is not like that.

Our philosophy, we have created a Kṛṣṇa conscious society. We are having wives, children, brother, sister, father, mother. That is society. So we have got everything here. In which way we are lacking, that there is no father, there is no mother, there is no husband, there is no wife, there is no children? No, it is not negation. How these children are coming to receive? Just like in an ordinary family when the grandfather comes, little children takes pleasure, and the grandfather takes pleasure. Here the same thing is there; we are not denying. I do not say: "Oh I am a sannyāsī. Oh, you do not send these children to me. I have left my children. Why another children would come and bother me?" (laughter) No! (laughter) It is not like that. We are changing the face of the society, Kṛṣṇa conscious society.

Kṛṣṇera saṁsāra koro chāḍi anācāra (Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura). Our propaganda is that let us become the member of Kṛṣṇa's family. That is our program. And if we enter into Kṛṣṇa's family . . . just like Kṛṣṇa is enjoying with His consort. So there is nothing negation, everything is there. Kṛṣṇa is eating, Kṛṣṇa is enjoying, Kṛṣṇa is dancing, Kṛṣṇa is offering His prasādam—reciprocation. Nothing is denied. If we live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness then we can live for hundreds, thousands, or any number of years. Actually, we do not die. What is death and birth? That is of this body. So we are eternal; Kṛṣṇa is eternal.

Our purpose is how to get out of this atmosphere where I have to repeatedly accept one body and then again quit it. And that I do not know what sort of body I am going to get next. There are 8,400,000's of bodies, and if I get a body like that tree, red tree, standing, stand up for thou . . . seven thousands of years, would you like it? But māyā is so strong that even that life, the tree, is standing seven thousand of years happily, and it is growing nicely. But those who are outside the atmosphere, they’re, "Oh, what is horrible life!" Tree is also living entity, standing for seven thousands of years, so he becomes shocked. That is human life. We should be shocked seeing so many varieties of life, abominable life. And here is a chance, this human form of life, that you can get out of this shocking atmosphere.

So this verse instructs us that if you realize that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, or God, everything should be employed in the service of the Lord. I am Lord's . . . I am part and parcel of the Lord; therefore my energy should be utilized in the service of the Lord. If you develop this consciousness, then you can live.

jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ

evaṁ tvayi nānyatheto 'sti

na karma lipyate nare

(ISO 2)

If you live like that, na lipyate nare karmani. Otherwise, every work has got some reaction if you don’t work for Kṛṣṇa. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gitā:

yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra

loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ

(BG 3.9)

Yajña-arthāt: only for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Yajña, Yajñeśvara. So yajñeśvara means . . . yajña means we offer sacrifice. And who is accepting? Kṛṣṇa. Our sacrifice should go to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa also explains in the Bhagavad . . .

yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi

yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi

kuruṣva tat mad-arpaṇam

(BG 9.27)

Kṛṣṇa has . . . the karmis, they are working. But Kṛṣṇa says: "All right, you do." Yat karoṣi: "Whatever you are doing, you just do it for Me, and give the result to Me." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You can work. You can have very big factory, working—but give the result to Kṛṣṇa. Then your, that factory-running is also as good as we are running this temple, because ultimately the profit is going to Kṛṣṇa. Why we are working for this temple, employing our energy? For Kṛṣṇa. So any field of activities, if you utilize it for Kṛṣṇa, that is wanted. In that way you can do. Jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ (ISO 2). Otherwise, you'll be entangled; you'll be responsible.

Because when you work intentionally or unintentionally, we are committing so many sinful activities. Take, for example, that we are not in favor of animal killing—but when we walk on the street, unintentionally we are killing so many animals. You cannot get out of this entanglement. When you are drinking water, you are killing so many animals. When we are exhaling, inhaling, we are killing so many, water. When we are igniting fire, so many animals are killed. So we cannot avoid it. So if you do not devote your life for Kṛṣṇa's service, you’ll be responsible for all these minor killings also—intentionally or unintentionally. Ignorance is not excused. If you drive unintentionally to the left side of the road, you are immediately prosecuted. You cannot say: "Oh, I was little inattentive." No. That is not. The law of state is so strict and how much the law of God is strict you should understand. Don't take it trifle. His agents are very . . .

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

(BG 7.14)

You can avoid the vigilance of police, but you cannot avoid the vigilance of God. The day is witness, the night is witness, the air is witness, the sun is witness, the moon is witness. How we can avoid the sinful activities? Therefore if you want to save yourself, then you have to take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, you are doomed.

Devotees: Oh!

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya! (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Chant begin.

(kīrtana) (Prabhupāda plays gong)

(prema-dhvani) Thank you very much. (end)