720929 - Lecture SB 01.03.24 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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720929SB-LOS ANGELES - September 29, 1972 - 51:51 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (Govindam prayers playing; sings along) (leads singing of Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava) (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to Śrī Guru and Gauranga. (devotees offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Hmm.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, Chapter Three, text 24. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

tataḥ kalau sampravṛtte

sammohāya sura-dviṣām

buddho nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ

kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati

(SB 1.3.24)

Prabhupāda: Now ladies, ladies. That's all right. Word meaning.

Pradyumna:

tataḥ—thereafter; kalau—the age of Kali; sampravṛtte—having ensued; sammohāya—for the purpose of deluding; sura—the theists; dviṣām—those who are envious; buddhaḥ—Lord Buddha; nāmnā—of the name; añjana-sutaḥ—the son of Añjanā, Lord Buddha; kīkaṭeṣu—in the province of Gayā (Bihar); bhaviṣyati—will take place.

"Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Añjanā, in the province of Gayā, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So these words are significant. Bhaviṣyati. Bhaviṣyati means, "In future He will appear." Other avatāras, just like Lord Rāmacandra, Kṛṣṇa, They have been described that, "He appeared for doing this work." Similarly, in future also who will appear, that is also listed. So no pseudo-incarnation can come in, because past, present, future, everything is described there. Bhaviṣyati.

This Bhāgavata-grantha, śāstra, was written five thousand years ago. Now five thousand years ago there was no Buddha. But in future he will come, and that is mentioned here: bhaviṣyati. Not only Buddha's name only, but his mother's name and the place where he would appear. This is called śāstra. No speculation. Fact. Either past, present or future, it doesn't matter. Tri-kāla-jña.

So we accept knowledge from such person who knows past, present and future. Persons who do not know even present what is going on, how we can accept knowledge from him? This is not our process. Our process is to receive knowledge from a person who knows past, present and future. Just like Kṛṣṇa and the ācāryas. They know. So our knowledge is perfect because we are receiving knowledge from the perfect, as it is. Therefore our knowledge . . . it is not that I am perfect. I may not be perfect, I may be perfect. But because I am accepting the perfect knowledge, therefore whatever I speak on that basis, that is perfect. This is our process.

You don't require to research. What research you will make? You are yourself insufficient. What research you can make? Your senses are insufficient. You try to see the cosmic manifestation with your microscope or telescope, but that is also manufactured by you. You are imperfect, so whatever you have done, that is all imperfect. How you can know? If you are imperfect . . .

The four defects of the conditioned soul—one is sure to commit mistake. Anyone, any big man of this world, he must commit mistake. He is illusioned. He is accepting something for something. Every one of us, we accept this body as "I am," self. And we are fighting on this basis. "I am American; you are Indian," "You are Hindu; I am Muslim." Only on this bodily concept of life. But Bhāgavata says, as soon as we find a person on the platform of bodily concept of life, he is animal. That's all. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow, khara means ass. So anyone who is under the bodily concept of life, he is fool, rascal. That's all.

So these śāstras are written. Just like Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is speaking that kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati. Kīkaṭeṣu means the province of Gayā, still existing. Bhaviṣyati. When? Tataḥ kalau sampravṛtte (SB 1.3.24). Kalau. This age is called Kali-yuga. Sampravṛtte: "Just in the beginning." So Buddha appeared 2,600 years ago. So for thousands of years, it is beginning. Just like the sunset and the sunrise, there is an intermediate period. It is neither light nor dark. That is called intermediate period. Similarly, at the end of every millennium, yuga, and the beginning of another yuga, that is called sampravṛtti, "Just beginning."

So sampravṛtte, just in the beginning. Because the duration of Kali-yuga . . . this yuga, Kali-yuga, it will exist for 432,000's of years. Altogether, all the yugas taken together, they are 4300,000's of years. Out of that, Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. So out of that 432,000's of years, we have passed only five thousand years. We have passed only five thousand years. The Kali-yuga has begun from after the death of Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

During the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the Kali-yuga could not enter. He was so strong king. Kali-yuga means these four principles: illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. This is Kali-yuga. Before the beginning of Kali-yuga, there was no such thing in the world, all over the world. With the beginning of the Kali-yuga, these things have begun: illicit sex, intoxication . . . now it is so spread that every home, every house, every country is full of these four principles of sinful life.

So tataḥ sampravṛtte kalau sammohāya sura-dviṣām. Sura-dviṣām. Dviṣa means, "I don't like to see you." That is called dviṣa. Dveṣa. Icchā-dveṣa. We have got two kinds of likings. We want to see somebody, and we want to . . . we do not want to see someone. Icchā-dveṣa. These are our activities. Icchā-dveṣa samutthena sarge yānti parantapa (BG 7.27). Our creation within this material world, icchā-dveṣa . . . we wanted to enjoy this material world, and we did not like Kṛṣṇa. Dveṣa. Dveṣa means, "I don't like you." There are so many things we say, "I don't like." So as soon as we don't like Kṛṣṇa, God, and want to enjoy this material world, then we fall down, immediately.

Icchā-dveṣa samutthena sarge yānti parantapa. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sarge means . . . this is the cause of our creation of this material body. Just like when you enter into the water, just like so many swimmers now entering within the . . . you have to take a particular type of dress. As you are going to the moon planet, you have to fortify yourself with a particular type of dress. It costs about forty million dollars? Something like that. You see? Similarly, the spirit soul . . . we are all spirit soul. When we want to enter this material world, we get this material body. This is the process.

Now . . . just like they take pleasure diving within the water, swimming like the fish. That natural tendency is there. You cannot say, "Why I have come to this material world?" Why you are swimming within the water? Why? Who has induced you? There is no such question. But the fact is as soon as you want to enter this material world, you have to accept this dress. Otherwise you cannot work here. This is the fact.

So our problem is that we have entered this material world out of our own will. Icchā-dveṣa samutthena (BG 7.27). No one . . . Kṛṣṇa has not pushed us. You wanted something for your enjoyment, so-called enjoyment. Kṛṣṇa has provided you. Just like you want to enter into the prison life, therefore government creates a prison house. Government does not like that there should be prison house, and government has to make a department, criminal department, and spend millions of dollars for nothing, for maintaining the prison house. Government has no such thing, plan. But because you want to enter into the prison house, therefore, before your entering, government is prepared, "Here is your house. Please come."

So that is the way of material creation. There was no need of this material creation. Some rascals questioned that "Why God has created this miserable world?" But you wanted, therefore God has given you. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. You wanted such a thing. The same example, the prison house. The prison house, government is not canvassing, "Please, you all gentlemen and ladies, come here." No. You are going. You are going. Similarly, this material world is created for you because you wanted it. And here you cannot expect . . . as you cannot expect in the prison house to live very comfortably . . . because after all, it is prison house. There must be tribulation so that you may not come again. You cannot expect that prison house will be very comfortable and you live forever.

So upon these infliction of so many condition, so many miserable condition, still, we do not want to leave this place. Just see how much attachment we have got. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This place has been described that it is a place for suffering. It is not the place for enjoying. But still, we are not inclined to leave it. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. You cannot make even compromise: "All right, it is a place of suffering, but we have got our radio and television. We shall live here."

No. You may have your radio, television, and if you make compromise, nature will not allow you. After some years you kick out, "Please get out of this apartment." "No, I have got my television and this and . . ." "That's all right. You get out." Aśāśvatam. You cannot make even compromise, that "All right, it is miserable place. I will live here." But you will not be allowed to live here. But these foolish rascals, they do not understand. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

Therefore Lord Buddha appeared. These rascals . . . sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24). Sura-dviṣām means rascals, atheists. "There is no God." In Buddha religion they don't believe in God. "Yes. There is no soul. There is no God." That is Buddhist theory. Śūnyavādi. "Everything void. Make void." Buddha philosophy is that "These bodily pains and pleasure are due to the combination of matter." This body, this gross body, or the subtle body, is made of physical matters: earth, water, air, fire and ether, and mind, intelligence, ego. These are gross and subtle matters.

So Buddha philosophy is that, "Due to the combination of this matter, we are feeling pains and pleasure. So everyone is trying to eradicate all kinds of pains. That is the struggle for existence. So these pains will be automatically mitigated if you break this combination." That is Buddha . . . nirvāṇa. That is called nirvāṇa. Break. Just like this house is combination of several material thing. Now, when it is broken—you have seen, so many houses have been dismantled—there is no more house. And as soon as there is no more house, there is no question of living or feeling pains and pleasure. That is Buddha philosophy.

The Śaṅkara philosophy is, "No, simply breaking is not the solution. There is soul within this." Dehino 'smi yathā dehe. Śaṅkara gives him that "Wherefrom this living cognizance come? There is soul." That is Śaṅkara philosophy. But he is nirviśeṣa-vādī, nirākāra. That consciousness has no form, he says. Then farther development is this Vaiṣṇava philosophy, that as soon as there is consciousness, there is a person. These are the gradual development.

Actually, they are not contradictory. But according to the time, circumstances, different types of philosophies are there. Just like Jesus Christ. He is advising, "Thou shall not killing." That means the people were so much accustomed to kill. Very first class gentlemen: simply wanted to kill. So what advice can be given there? First is that, "Thou shall not kill."

So according to the time, circumstances, men, the different scriptures are there. The ultimate aim of scripture is to bring one to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But everything is not explained, because the people are unable to understand. Just like in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are making movement, but not that everyone is understanding. Those who are very intelligent, or those who are . . . whose background is pious, they can understand.

Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15): those who are miscreants, mūḍha, rascal; narādhama, lowest of the mankind; and māyayā apahṛta-jñāna, and knowledge is taken away by māyā—such person never submit to Kṛṣṇa. But who submits? Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtinaḥ arjuna (BG 7.16). Those who are pious, out of them, four classes of men, ārto arthārthī jñānī jijñāsuḥ. Ārta means distressed, and arthārthī means need of money, jñānī means man of knowledge, wise man, and jijñāsu, inquisitive.

So Lord Buddha appeared at a time where people were too much addicted to animal killing. Still it is going on. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra, jaya jagadīśa hare. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam (Daśāvatāra Stotra 9). Paśu-ghātam. Any religion where paśu-ghātam is there, that is not religion. That is not religion. That is simply barbarianism, under the name of religion.

So God Himself becomes so much disturbed that these rascals are simply killing. At that time, of course, the Buddha religion was not there. The so-called followers of the Vedic religion. In the Vedas there are sanction for killing animal in a special sacrifice, but people took it as general, and they began to kill animals like anything, under the protection of Veda. Therefore when Lord Buddha began to preach his philosophy, ahiṁsā, nonviolence, he did not accept the authority of Vedas. Because people will misuse it. Therefore he said that, "I don't care for your Vedas."

Just like Lord Jesus Christ rebelled against the Old Testament. He formulated his own testament, New Testament. Similarly, Lord Buddha also, he rejected Vedas and he presented his own philosophy: ahiṁsā, nonviolence, ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ, because he was very kind upon on the poor animals. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam. Paśu-ghātam means animal killing. Nindasi yajña-vidher ahaha śruti-jātam. Śruti-jātam. Śruti means Veda.

So in the Vedas, although there are, in particular cases, there are animal sacrifice . . . that is also very restricted. But we cannot say that there is no animal sacrifice. There is, in some cases. So Lord Buddha, nindasi, he decried, "No, I don't accept your Vedas." Therefore Buddha religion is different from Vedic religion, because he rejected Vedas. And the Vedic followers, because he rejected Vedic principles, Vedic followers said that he, "You are nāstika." Nāstika means unbeliever.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has explained this Buddha religion, veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta' nāstika (CC Madhya 6.168). Because nāstika means . . . atheist means one who does not follow the principles of Veda. That is the, in every religion there is such restriction. Just like Christian religion. One who does not believe in Christianity, they are called heathens. Similarly, in Muhammadan religion also, one who does not believe in the Muhammadan religion, they are called kafirs.

So everyone has got manufactured some word. But so far our religion is concerned, we accept anyone, either he is a kafir or he is a heathen or he is a Hindu or Muslim or . . . because Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. Kṛṣṇa is . . . but here, Lord Buddha also, he is also for everyone. But he wanted to cheat, sura-dviṣām, sammohāya. Sammohāya, the sura-dviṣām, means those who are envious of the devotees, atheist class of men, just to cheat them. But when Kṛṣṇa, or God, cheats, that is also for the welfare of the people. So he wanted to stop animal-killing. So he said . . . (break) "My dear followers please stop this animal killing." He just, "If I pinch you-you will feel pain why you should give another animal pain?" This is natural this was his business. "And so far God, you don't believe in God, yes there is no God but you follow what I say . . . (indistinct) . . . yes . . . (indistinct) . . . yes." That is cheating, he is God but he is accepting that you don't believe in God, "That's all right but you follow Me." (laughter) this is cheating. He is God, He is an incarnation of God. So however the Buddhist may say that there is no God-they are following God in a different form. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra, jaya jagadīśa hare.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! (offering of obeisances) (kīrtana)

Prabhupāda: (prema-dhvanī) Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda! (Offering of obeisances). Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda, Haribol!

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. (end)