720318 - Lecture - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720318LE-BOMBAY - March 18, 1972 - 43:06 Minutes

Prabhupāda: I thank you very much for your coming here and participating in this great movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is already there in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So in the morning we shall speak on the Bhagavad-gītā in Hindi, and in the evening we shall speak on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in English. Of course, in India there was no necessity of speaking in English, but at least once if I do not speak in English, all my disciples who have come from Europe and America, they will be bereft of hearing me. Therefore we have made this program: morning I shall speak in Hindi, and in the evening I shall speak in English.

So Śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam (SB 12.13.18). There are eighteen Purāṇas. Out of them, six purāṇas are meant for persons who are in sattva-guṇa. There are three qualities of the material nature. Some of us are in the modes of goodness, some of them are in the modes of passion, and some of them are in the modes of ignorance. So our Vedic literature . . . Śrī Vyāsadeva claims everyone. Not that simply persons who are in sattva-guṇa, or in the modes of goodness, they are eligible for going back to Godhead, back to home.

We should remember this fact, that this human form of life is meant for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate goal of life. This human form of life is not meant for working very hard like the animals. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke, kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām ye (SB 5.5.1). Nāyaṁ deha, this body, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke. Every one of the living entities, they have taken this material form, and there are 8,400,000 species of forms. The best of the form is this human form. But this form of life is not meant for working so hard like an ass and gratifying the senses like the hogs and dogs. That is the injunction of the śāstras.

Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ. Viḍ-bhujām. Viḍ-bhujām means stool-eaters. The stool-eaters you have seen, the hogs. The whole day and night they are searching after stool. So the śāstras, especially Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, says that the human form of life is not meant for working so hard like the hogs and dogs simply for sense gratification. The modern civilization, the so-called economic development, what is the ultimate aim of life? The ultimate aim of life is sense gratification, that's all.

I have traveled all over the world, especially in the Western countries. They are simply after sense gratification. They have no other object. In America, some rich man goes to Florida and spends $50,000 in a week simply for seeing naked dance. That means they have no other information than sense gratification. Wine and woman, that's all. That is gradually being spread all over the world. In our country also, working day, day and night, whole day and night, but the objective is sense gratification.

So śāstra says that this human form of life is not meant for this purpose. The human form of life is meant for tapasya: tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattva (SB 5.5.1). Satya means my existence. We have to purify our existence. Just like if you become feverish, you have to purify yourself from the feverish condition, come to the healthy condition, then you can enjoy life. You cannot enjoy life in diseased condition. That is not possible. Suppose you are feverish, you are given a nice foodstuff, rasagullā, but you will taste it bitter. You cannot enjoy it because on account of your fever the tongue is saturated with bile, and you taste sweet things as bitter. Similarly, we have got our senses—that is all right—but we cannot enjoy our senses in the diseased condition of material life.

Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says: sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyam grāhyam (BG 6.21). If you want happiness, even sense gratification, that is not possible when your senses are covered by these material elements. We have got our senses, that is a fact. We have got our desires, we have got our mind, we have got our other senses, but this is now covered by the material elements. This is called dress. Just like if you are simply dressed, and if you want to enjoy sense gratification, it is not possible. You have to undress yourself, you have to become naked yourself. Similarly, if you want to sense gratify, then you have to purify your this material existence. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). You have to become purified. Śuddhyed satya yeṇa brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). If you purify yourself, then by that purified senses you enjoy brahma-sukha. Brahmā-saukhyaṁ anantam.

Ananta means there is no end. Here, if you want to enjoy your senses in this material world, there is end. You cannot. The highest sense gratification in this material world is sex life, but you cannot enjoy sex life perpetually. For some moments—then it is ended. But brahma-saukhyaṁ anantam. But if you want to enjoy brahma-sukha . . . that is also sense gratification, but that is ananta. Ananta means there is no end. Ramante yoginam anante. The yogīs . . . yogīs means the bhakti-yogī, because of all yogīs, the bhakti-yogī is the best. That is the statement by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā.

yoginām api sarveṣām

mad-gatenāntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

The highest yogī is bhakti-yogī. These boys and girls who have taken this bhakti-yoga, they are the topmost yogīs. So yoginam ramante. They also enjoy. Ramante yoginam anante. But their reciprocation of sense gratification is with the ananta, the supreme unlimited. Ramante yoginam anante satyānanda. That is real happiness, satyānanda.

Here in this material world, that is mithyānanda. But real ānanda is to reciprocate with the Supreme, just like Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā. So ramante yoginam anante satyānanda-cid-ātmani. And that is not material. Cit. That is spiritual, cid-ātmani. Iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate (CC Madhya 9.29). Therefore rāma, rāma means who enjoys spiritual bliss satyānanda. That is . . . that should be the aim of human form of life. Human form of life is a chance to come back to the real platform of transcendental bliss. And if we waste our time simply for animal sense gratification like dogs and hogs, then you are wasting your time.

So this bhagavata dharma, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is started to educate people for enjoying satyānanda. Satyānanda. At the present moment we have no information what is the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is described in the Vedānta-sūtra as janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra begins with this sūtra, that "Now this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth and my relationship with Him." That is the human mission. The dogs and hogs, they cannot understand what is the aim of life, but in the human form of life we can understand that this form of life is specially meant for understanding the Absolute Truth, or Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth.

Kṛṣṇa therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Absolute Truth means the Supreme. In the Brahmā-sūtra it is indicated that the human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. We have to enquire about the Absolute Truth. That is human form of life, not to waste our time simply going to the market and enquire, "What is the rate of rice and what is the rate of ḍāl?" That should go on, but along with it, there should be inquiry what is the Absolute Truth, what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. That is beginning of human form of life.

Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam (SB 5.5.5). The foolish persons, foolish living entities, abodha-jāto . . . all of us, we are born ignorant; otherwise why we are sent to school? Why the children are sent to school? Because they're abodha-jāto. By birth they are all śūdras, abodha. Therefore according to Vedic system there are saṁskāras, reformatory methods, and when the child is taken for saṁskāra, that is called upanāyana. Upanāya means bringing him nearer to understand spiritual life. That is sacred thread ceremony.

Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone is born ignorant. Otherwise why a person even born in brāhmin, kṣatriya family, why this upanāya saṁskāra is there? Because it is to be understood that when a person takes birth, he's śūdra. He has to be educated. He has to be given transcendental knowledge. That is the aim of human life. Unfortunately, these things are now stopped.

So actually we are begetting like cats and dogs, and how you can expect peace and prosperity in the society of cats and dogs or hogs? It is not possible. So in this age especially, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. The population is increasing simply śūdras. But there is great necessity of brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas. There are some population who are vaiśyas and śūdras, but practically the civilization is going on in the hands of vaiśyas and śūdras. I don't mean that brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra by birthright; by qualification.

These are all explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society must be divided into four classes of order. There must be intelligent class of men, who are called brāhmaṇas. They must give spiritual education to the society. Not that everyone should remain laborer and work hard day and night like hogs and dogs for sense gratification. It is a very dangerous civilization. You cannot expect any peace and prosperity in this type of civilization.

Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very, very essential. Very, very essential. I am very glad to inform you that this movement is being especially received in the Western country by the younger generation. I am very much hopeful. I am old man of seventy-six years' age. Now, I can pass away at any moment, but I am confident my disciples, who are mostly Europeans and Americans, they will continue this movement, and I wish there will be considerable change on the face of the globe.

So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives you instruction how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Bhagavad-gītā is the elementary lessons how to understand Kṛṣṇa, then become Kṛṣṇa conscious. If you do not understand Kṛṣṇa . . . it is not very easy thing to understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says:

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati siddhaye

yatatām api siddhānāṁ

kaścin vetti māṁ tattvataḥ

(BG 7.3)

Kṛṣṇa says Himself that, "Out of many, many millions of people, one may be interested how to make life successful. One may know what is the aim of life." That is called siddhi. Yatatām . . . manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye.

Everyone is interested how to earn money or how to gratify senses. That is the modern civilization. Here is a competition of sense gratification. I'm gratifying my senses in one way, and all others, they are trying to imitate me or compete with me, though they hate me. This is going on. Everyone is trying to be the lord of all I survey. There is competition. Why I want to become the lord of all I survey? Because I want to gratify my senses to the greatest extent. This is going on.

But actually our position is not to lord it over. Our position is to be lorded by the Lord. That is our position, actually. If we don't agree to be predominated by the Supreme Lord, then we shall be predominated by her agent, her energy, the material energy. I met one great professor in Moscow. The subject matter was freedom, Communism. So my last question was that, "You people, Communist, you have surrendered to Lenin, and we have surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Then where is the difference? You have selected a personality like Lenin or Stalin or Marx. We have selected a personality, Kṛṣṇa. Now, so far the principle of surrender is concerned, it is there in Communism and our Vaiṣṇavism. Now it has to be seen whether Kṛṣṇa is good or Lenin or good. That is a different question."

So actually we are trying to be free, but we surrender to some rascal, that's all. Instead of surrendering to Kṛṣṇa we prefer to surrender to some rascal and fool. That is māyā. We have to surrender. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Our real identification is eternal servant of God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is our real identification. But unfortunately, artificially we are trying to lord over Kṛṣṇa or over the material nature. This is struggle. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). This struggle you cannot overcome. Kṛṣṇa says duratyayā: it is very difficult to surmount the influence of material nature. Mama māyā duratyayā. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: "If anyone surrenders unto Me, then he can get rid of this influence of the material nature."

This is the law. You cannot artificially change it. If you do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, if you do not surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or God, then the māyā, or the material energy, will always give you trouble. The triṣu, three kinds of miserable condition. The trident you have seen. The trident in the hand of Goddess Durgā, and she is punishing the demon with the trident on the chest. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, viṣaya-viṣānale dibā-niśi hiyā jvale (Prārthanā, song 4).

Our heart is always burning on account of this material condition, threefold miseries of material life: adhyātmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika. Viṣaya-viṣānale dibā-niśi hiyā jvale juṛāite nā koinu upāya: "I did not make any attempt how to get out of it." Golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana rati nā janmila mora tāya: "Unfortunately, I could not develop my attachment for Kṛṣṇa or His name, which is the only process to get out of this anxieties of material existence."

So these are the facts. Everyone is anxious to have peace. The process of peace is not that you can manufacture. The process of peace is already there in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said by the Lord that:

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasaṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

(BG 5.29)

This is the way of śānti.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for actual peace and prosperity. Now if we are unfortunate, if we do not take this movement very seriously, that is a different thing. But actually this movement is on sound basis of Vedic knowledge, and it is very scientific. Any scientist, any philosopher can scrutinizingly study this movement. We have got books, very big, big books, four hundred, five hundred pages, one dozen book.

If you have time, you read this philosophy, the science, and try to understand what is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. But it is not a new movement. It is already known in India. Unfortunately, we Indian people, we are rejecting. That is our misfortune. Our misfortune is that, as it is said, Apan dhan bilay diye bhiksha mage parer kache. (Giving up one's own wealth, begging from others.) We have kicked out our own culture; now we are trying to develop another culture from other spheres of the world.

So you can do that—there is no objection—but don't forget your original culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which was taught by Kṛṣṇa Himself five thousand years ago in the Bhagavad-gītā, man-manā bhava mad-bhakta mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65): "Always think of Me, always worship Me, always offer your respect unto Me, then you will come back to home, back to Godhead." Sarva dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "Just try to surrender unto Me only," mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ.

Our sufferings are due to our sinful activities. We cannot surpass the vigilance of material nature by committing or by executing sinful life. That is not possible. Therefore in our movement we ask everybody, especially our serious student, to refrain from four kinds of sinful activities: illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. These are the pillars of sinful life. If you think that you are enjoying life by indulging in these four kinds of sense gratification, that means you are implicating yourself.

The chance of human body which you have got now to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you misuse it and indulge in sinful life, then next life is waiting as cats and dogs. That is nature's law. But if we forget the nature's law, if you simply become puffed-up by false education, that is another thing. You can do that. But real fact is this: vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22).

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

You have to change this dress. You have to change this body. And next body is depending on your activities. If you act sinfully, then you have to take the body, by force of nature, as cats and dogs. That is certain. Don't risk your life. Take the opportunity of human life and be Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa personally comes to canvass, to "Please give up all this engagement. Please come to Me, surrender unto Me, and I will give you all protection." This is the lesson we understand from Bhagavad-gītā. And if we actually surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, if we actually understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then your bhāgavata-dhima begins.

That is Vyāsa . . . these are all contributions of Śrīla Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva, the last contribution of Vyāsadeva, after compilation of Vedānta-sūtra . . . He personally wrote the comments of Vedānta-sūtra in the form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyaṁ brahma-sūtrānāṁ. Vyāsadeva has written personally that, "This is the real commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra." Because he knew that many foolish person will comment on the Vedānta-sūtra differently, atheistically that, "There is no God," "I am God," "You are God." Therefore he protected the readers of Brahmā-sūtra.

(break) . . . form of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And because it is commentary of the Vedānta-sūtra, therefore he begins with first aphorism of the Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Now he explains the verse, the sūtra, or the code, Vedic code, janmādy asya yataḥ. The first question is, "Who is . . . what is the Absolute Truth, we should inquire now." This is the beginning of human life. If one does not inquire what is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God, that is animal life. That is animal life, that is not human life. Human life is not meant for simply eating, sleeping and mating and . . . or defending.

So this is the beginning, as I told you. Parābhava. Without understanding our relationship with the Supreme Lord, whatever we are creating by our industrialization, economic development or so on, so, it is all defeat, because we are losing the chance. Lord Jesus Christ also said in one place that, "If we are lost of our soul and if we gain the whole world, then what is the gain?" Actually that is the fact. We are losing ourself. Suppose after making huge amass of money, amassing in the bank balance, and if I die and if I take birth in the next life as a cat and dog, then what is the benefit of amassing such a huge amount of bank balance? We should understand this.

Therefore unless we inquire about the Brahman or the Absolute Truth, then whatever activities we are performing without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, without the knowledge of the Brahman, then they are all defeat. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam (SB 5.5.5). Therefore human life actually begins when this inquiry is there. If this inquiry is not there, then it is animal life. That is stated in the Upaniṣad: etad viditvāsmāt ya praiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ.

If anyone passes away from this material world, from this body, after understanding what is Brahman, what is Kṛṣṇa, what is this world, what I am, then he is a brāhmaṇa. (Sanskrit: etad aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa kṛpaṇa) And if one passes away like cats and dogs without understanding, then he's a kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser, who could not properly use his property or assets. He's called a miser.

So we have got this human form of life. Don't become a miser simply by seeing that, "How I can enjoy?" How I can enjoy, that is also very much nicely explained, that if you think that, "If I can live for three hundred years, or say one thousand years, then my life is successful." The Bhāgavata says: "Why three hundred years? There are many trees who are living for ten thousand years." So do you think by living for ten thousand years your life is successful? Śaṅkarācārya lived for thirty-two years. Lord Caitanya lived for forty-eight years.

So living for many, many years is not success of life. Live for a moment, but live for . . . with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is success of life. Live for a moment. It doesn't require to live for thousands of years. Because there are many trees . . . I have seen in San Francisco, one great tree is standing for seven thousand years, this tree, and standing in the jungle. Do you like such kind of life, living? Live. Live for worth living. Don't live like cats and dogs. That is life. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1).

So try to understand the Bhāgavata. Try to understand Vedānta philosophy. Unfortunately, when we study Bhāgavata we immediately jump over kṛṣṇa-līlā with the gopīs. That is not the process. The process is first of all you try to understand Kṛṣṇa. (coughs) Without understanding Kṛṣṇa, which is very difficult subject matter . . . Kṛṣṇa says that yatatām api siddhānām kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). (coughs)

So the preliminary study of Kṛṣṇa is Śrīmad, er, Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa explains Himself.

(aside) Give me water.

In the Seventh Chapter, we shall begin from tomorrow morning, the study of this Bhagavad-gītā in the morning. Please try to come. Kṛṣṇa is giving personally instruction. You cannot understand God, Kṛṣṇa, by your mental speculation. That is called kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya (Nyāya-śāstra), Dr. Frog philosophy. A frog, from within the well, he's trying to study Atlantic Ocean. This is a logic given in the Nyāya-śāstra. Kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya. What he'll study about the Atlantic Ocean? One who has got knowledge, three-feet water in the well, what idea he'll get about Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean? As it is not possible simply by imagination, simply, similarly, if you try to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, by your mental speculation, it will be simply a waste of time.

nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo

na medhayā na bahudhā śrutena

(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23)

That is already forbidden that, "You cannot understand by your great brain." What brain you have got? Teeny brain. You cannot compare your brain with God's brain. You are very proud by flying a sputnik in the sky. That's all right. You have got good brain. But there is another personality who has got brain who is floating millions and trillions of planet as weightlessness in the sky. So you cannot compare your brain with that brain, but there is a brain.

So nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhya. Simply by speculating, simply by concoction, you cannot understand. You have to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, from Him. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Just like you cannot see the sun at this time, when the night is dark. You cannot, ah, I mean to say, invent some searchlight and ask people, "Please come on the roof. I shall show you the sun by the searchlight." It is not possible. By your endeavor you cannot see the sun at night. But when the sun rises in the morning, you can see. That is the process.

Similarly, you cannot understand God by your mental speculation. You have to submit yourself. As Kṛṣṇa says: that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Then He will reveal Himself, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. He'll reveal yourself. He is within yourself. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, is situated as Paramātmā in everyone's heart. But if you become submissive, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). Those who are cent percent engaged in the loving service of the Lord, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam, He speaks from within. Then you can understand.

He comes out, He exhibits Himself, manifests Himself the spiritual master, as spiritual master. Kṛṣṇa is trying to help you from within, from without. Evaṁ paramparā prāptam (BG 4.2). You take advantage of it. From within, He, as Paramātmā, caitya-guru, He'll help you, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. And from without, as spiritual master, He'll give you instruction from the śāstra, from the Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, and the Kṛṣṇa's representative, Kṛṣṇa's manifestation, the spiritual master, will rightly inform you. That is the position.

So we should take advantage of these facilities offered to human society. If we don't take advantage of it, simply we work hard like dogs and hogs and die like cats and dogs, then what is the value of life? So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is started to educate people to understand Kṛṣṇa. That's all. We have no other concoction. There is no invention. Simply we are trying to convince people to understand Kṛṣṇa.

So our main subject matter is based on the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So we have opened this center in Bombay to give you facilities. Please try to take it. Please come and encourage us, and we shall continue this movement, here in this center, as long as possible.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)