720930 - Lecture SB 01.03.25 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720930SB-LOS ANGELES - September 30, 1972 - 37:14 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ. (leads singing of Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava) (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much.

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

Pradyumna: (break) . . . mo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto One, Chapter Three, text 25. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

athāsau yuga-sandhyāyāṁ

dasyu-prāyeṣu rājasu

janitā viṣṇu-yaśaso

nāmnā kalkir jagat-patiḥ

(SB 1.3.25)

Prabhupāda: (ladies chant) That's all. Word meaning?

Pradyumna:

atha—thereafter; asau—the same Lord; yuga-sandhyāyām—at the conjunction of the yugas; dasyu—plunderers; prāyeṣu—almost all; rājasu—the governing personalities; janitā—will take His birth; viṣṇu—named Viṣṇu; yaśasaḥ—surnamed Yaśā; nāmnā—in the name of; kalkiḥ—the incarnation of the Lord; jagat-patiḥ—the Lord of the creation.

Translation: "Thereafter, at the conjunction of two yugas, the Lord of the creation will take His birth as the Kalki incarnation and become the son of Viṣṇu Yaśā. At this time the rulers of the earth will have degenerated into plunderers."

Prabhupāda: So there are some remarkable points in this verse. Dasyu-prāyeṣu rājasu. Rājasu means government. Rāja: king, or government. So monarchy is now abolished practically all over the world. Now it is democratic government. So this so-called democratic government or Communist government, as they are going on, they will become rogues and thieves, dasyu-prāyeṣu. All the rogues, thieves, plunderers, they will capture. Because it is by vote. So dasyu . . . just like plunderers, rogues, they, on the point of revolver, they take away your money, so they will take vote on the point of revolver.

Actually, it is happening. In Korea it so happened that sometimes the Communists are coming in power, and sometimes the Capitalists coming in power, America and Russia. So poor people, as soon as there is Communist government, they are under the influence: "If you don't do this, then you'll be shot." By force. The people do not know what is government generally. They want to live peacefully. They want a secure place. So that is not their business, modern government. Their only business is how to collect tax and divide it amongst the government servants. That's all.

So this is the beginning of Kali-yuga. Only we have passed five thousand years, but the duration of Kali-yuga is 432,000's of years. So only we have passed five thousand years. In this way . . . this is called sandhyā, junction. I have already explained that junction means day and night. Day passing, night is coming, that is called junction. Morning passing, noon coming, that is another junction, meridian. So early in the morning and during sunset and in the middle, joining of noon, morning and noon, these are called tri-sandhyā. Tri means three. Three kinds of junction.

So everyone has got this tri-sandhyā of his life. Just like in our life. When we were babies, children, that is the beginning. Say, up to fifteen years, sixteen years, that is one portion, sandhyā, junction. Then another junction, youthhood; then another junction, old age. This is the nature's way. There must be three periods of anything material.

So this Kali-yuga has already begun. So in the beginning sandhyā, junction, Lord Buddha's description is given already. Lord Buddha will cheat the atheist class of men. God is very kind. So sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24). Those who are atheists, just to bewilder them: "Yes, there is nothing after death, it is all zero, but you worship me," Lord Buddha said. "Yes, sir, we shall worship you." So the only business, God's business is, "This rascal may some way or other worship Me." Because they are rascals.

So here Lord Buddha by policy induced them to worship Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha is incarnation of God. Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra (Śrī Daśāvatāra-stotra 9). His philosophy is "No, there is no God, but you worship me." But the policy is to worship God. But they do not know. They are thinking that, "We are worshiping somebody, some great soul," but he does not know that he is God, incarnation of God.

So similarly, when people will be so much degraded that they will not be able to understand anything about God . . . that time is coming gradually. Already the time is there. People are not at all interested in God's business. In your Western world all the churches are vacant. Nobody is interested now in church. Especially in Europe, we have seen . . . in your country also. So people are being degraded, godlessness. Because godless means animal.

What is the difference between animal and man? The animal cannot be instructed anything about God. It is not possible for them to understand. But a man, however degraded he may be, if he is trained up, he can understand about God. Just like five years ago, you did not know about Kṛṣṇa. But because you are being trained up, because you are human being, therefore you are taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Which was unknown to you five years ago, now you are taking it to very seriously. Why? Because you are being trained up.

Similarly, God consciousness is there, dormant in every living entity. But the perception varies according to the development of body. Just like child. You say something serious, say, about sex life, they do not understand. But the same child will understand sex life when the consciousness is developed. Similarly, in this material world, our consciousness is covered, God consciousness. So there are different species of life. Just like the aquatics in the ocean; there are so many living entities. But if you preach there Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not possible. Their number is far greater than human being. Still, they have no capacity.

Next development, plants and trees, there also, no sensation. You cut the trees, no protest, because there is no sensation. There is practically consciousness . . . there is consciousness, very slight. Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose has proved that when you cut tree, he feels, and that is recorded in, what is called, that machine? (indistinct reply) So everyone has got consciousness. Living entity means there is consciousness. But they have their consciousness only for eating, sleeping, sex life and defending. There is consciousness amongst the fish. Their consciousness is so strong, two miles away if some big fish is coming, they can understand. Immediately they can take precaution, defending. These are all described.

So different animals in different species of life, they have got one type of consciousness very strong. Just like you can see the vultures—it is a low-graded animal—but it goes four miles above the earth and it can see where is a dead body. You cannot do that. You cannot see even twenty yards after. But the animal, another animal, the vulture, he can see . . . from four miles away he can find out where there is a dead body. So this consciousness of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, that is common. In one animal, or . . . it is very strong. In another man, animal, it is not so strong. But this consciousness is there. But this God consciousness is not there except in human being.

So the human society is becoming so degraded that they are trying to forget God. That is their advancement of civilization. The more you deny existence of God and become a so-called rascal scientist, then you are advanced. This is the position. So this position will degrade so much after, say, 400,000's of years, gradually degrading, that at time, Kṛṣṇa will come in His incarnation as Kalki. At that time the Kalki's business will be simply to kill. That's all. No more. No more preaching of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply kill them. That is Kalki avatāra.

That Kalki avatāra is given the father's name. This is called śāstra. This is called scripture. Four hundred thousand's after, 400,000's of years after, Kalki will come. Now, His father's name is given there. Just like Lord Buddha's mother's name is there. So you cannot imitate that, "I am Kalki avatāra." You have to give evidence, what is your father's name. Just see. This is called śāstra. Any rascal comes, "Oh, I am Kṛṣṇa. I am this avatāra and that avatāra," but where is the evidence from the śāstra?

We cannot accept. Just like any gentleman comes, we want to see the credential. Just like in politics, when some ambassador comes to a new country, then he has to officially present his credential so that he will be accepted that, "This gentleman is representative of such-and-such country." That is nice. Unless you give credentials, identity, how I can accept you?

So . . . but people have become rascal. Anyone comes, he says that, "I am incarnation of God," because the people are rascals, they accept another rascal. But if you follow the śāstras and scriptures, then there you will find all the avatāras, their credentials are there—what is the father's name, what is the name of the place he takes birth or appears, what is his business. So . . . what is the time. Everything is given there. So why should you be misled?

So we accept incarnation of God when all the descriptions are corroborated in terms of the authorized śāstra. Otherwise we reject. That is our business. So in this verse . . . why we accept Vedic scripture as solid truth? Because there is no mistake. Otherwise, how it is predicting that yuga-sandhyāyām, "In the last conjunction of the yugas, there will appear the Lord"? Kalkir nāmnā. Nāmnā kalkiḥ. "His name will be Kalki. But He is not ordinary person." Nāmnā kalkir jagat-patiḥ. "He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is not ordinary man. And His father's name is . . ." janitā viṣṇu-yaśaso: "His father's name will be Viṣṇu Yaśi."

The Yaśi title are there in India still. One Mr. Yaśi (pronounced Joshi) corresponds with us. So the Josha, or Joshi, this title is already there. So they are Brāhmins. Here, all the descriptions are not there, but in other place, all the descriptions are there. Not only His father's name, His village, or the place, Sambhal. There is still a place Sambhalpur in India. So everything is there. We should not be misled that "Here is another avatāra, here is another avatāra, here is . . . so many avatāras." No.

So this is called śāstra: what will happen after 400,000's of years, that is mentioned. Future. Just like Lord Buddha's name was there. Bhaviṣyati yuga-sandhyāyām. Bhaviṣyati. Bhaviṣyati means, "He will come." He was not visible. This is śāstra. Śāstra means tri-kāla-jña. The writer of śāstra should be a full cognizant of past, present and future. That is called unmistakable. Past, present and future. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that, "I know past, present and future."

So that is God, or God's scripture: past, present and future. This Bhāgavata was written by God Himself, Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. That we have described, eleventh or some avatāra. So the Kalki will appear. The śāstra is giving indication that after such-and-such year. And another point is this dasyu-prāyeṣu rājasu. The . . . more and more the government will be just like thieves and rogues.

We are already experiencing. Now a new law has been passed in India that nobody can keep property more than five to seven lakhs of rupees. So people's incentive to earn money is now being cut down. Formerly, it was freedom that you can earn your money as much as you like. Now if you think that, "I will earn money, thousands . . . hundreds and thousands of money, but what is the use? The government will take away."

That means you will be lazy. The economic development will be checked. Because one works so hard for economic development because he is under the inspiration that, "The more I earn, I will be able to enjoy more." But when this impression is given that, "More we earn, it will be taken by government, and I will not be able to enjoy it," naturally he will not work.

So there are so many difficulties. But these difficulties will increase. It will not decrease. They are making so many plans to minimize the difficulties. But actually, because they are fools and rogues, they cannot make anything improvement. They have become involved in more difficulties. That Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung:

sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa

te-kāraṇe lāgila mor karma-bandha-phāṅsa

(Prārthanā)

We do not consult the śāstra, or the unmistakable way of improvement. We manufacture our own concoction. And therefore we are becoming more and more entangled. We do not take right direction. That is our folly in this age. We do not accept authority. We want to become authority ourself: "I am authority." Everyone wants to become authority. And that is being supported by so-called svāmīs, "Yes, you can manufacture your own religion."

But that is not the process. You cannot manufacture your own religion. Religion is given by God. Religion means the law of God. That's all. So how you can manufacture your law? That is not possible. Even if you do manufacture, what is the benefit? It will not be accepted. It will not work. Suppose if you manufacture some law at home, will it be accepted by the public? No. Nobody will accept. So similarly, this Kali-yuga is so dangerous that gradually we are becoming involved in more difficulties. That is the way of Kali-yuga. The symptom of Kali-yuga is disagreement, fight, quarrel. Kali means this quarreling, fighting, unnecessarily fighting.

Just like recently in India we have seen. Formerly there was Hindu-Muslim riot, sporadic riot in some village. Say, some fifty men this side, some fifty men that side, they fought, say, for two hours, and it is finished; again they are friendly. Now, since India has become independent, the Muslims have become Pakistan, and the other part . . . they are not all Hindus. Suppose Hindus, they have become Hindustan. They organizedly fight. Now recently, last year, they fought and spent millions of dollars unnecessarily. This is going on. This is called Kali-yuga. Unnecessarily they will disagree, unnecessarily they will fight and spoil energy, spoil money. This is called Kali-yuga. The brain is so crazy that they do not consider that, "Why you are fighting? Why you are spending money?"

Just like in your country and Russia, they are spending millions of dollars for one crazy thing, going to the moon planet. Just see. Simply wasting time and money. That's a fact. Three or four years ago, some press representative asked me, "What is your opinion," in, I think, San Francisco, "about this moon expedition?" So I asked the reporter, "Shall I flatter you or shall I tell the truth?" (chuckles) So he said, "Tell the truth." "Simply wasting time and money, that's all." This is the truth. Now I think they have realized, and your Senate is denying any money for moon expedition. Is it not? Somebody was telling me.

So anyway, actually, human life is meant for some other purpose—God realization. Because this is not possible in other, lower animals. And we get this chance by evolutionary process. We come to this human form of life, civilized form of life. Now we should know what is God, who is the Supreme Controller, who is the supreme source of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the life for inquiring about Brahman, the Supreme, the great. But we are neglectful. This is called Kali-yuga. And we are so much degraded . . . gradually, we are becoming degraded.

So 400,000's . . . 427,000's of years, if we again come and go, come and go . . . because after . . . dehāntara-prāptiḥ, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). If you continue transmigration from one body to another, then you will have to meet that age. But before meeting that age, try to understand Kṛṣṇa. This is our movement. Then, in this life, in this very life, after giving up this body, you haven't got to come here again. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). No more coming to this rascal world. Go back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances) (end)