730221 - Lecture SB 06.01.13-15 - Auckland

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

730221SB-AUCLAND - February 21, 1973 - 53:43 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

yam . . . yamena niyamena vā

(SB 6.1.13)

So, this human form of life . . .

(aside) Is it working?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupāda: . . . especially meant for these things: tapasā—austerities; brahmacarya—celibacy; samā, śamena—controlling mind; damane—controlling the senses; tyāgena—by giving in charity; satya—truthfulness; śaucābhyām—cleanliness; yamena—by practice of yoga system; yamena, niyamena—by following regulative principles. This is the chance, human form of life, to practice this and cure the disease of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease.

This is not our condition of life to die or to take birth. Things have come to such horrible condition that birth has become also very much risky. One child, one living entity, takes birth in the womb of a human being, and that child is being killed by the conspiration of the mother and the doctor. This is going on. Without any hesitation, the mother is agreeing to kill the child, and the doctor is killing. And the small child, because it has taken birth in that womb, he is subjected to so many tribulation.

After all, again death. Just see, birth and death. The human civilization is coming to such horrible condition that mother is killing the child. Naturally, even the tigress has got motherly affection. The cubs, small tiger cubs, playing on the back of the mother, and the mother is patting. This natural tendency for raising or for getting children, child, there is even in tigress. But human civilization is coming to that stage that it is lesser than the tigress. Lesser than the tigress.

But whatever it may be, the real thing is that our disease is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). We have to stop this disease, simply repetition of birth and death and disease. If we tolerate . . . you can tolerate, but suppose if I become that child who is being killed by the conspiration of the mother and doctor. So, would I like? This is tribulation; it is going on by nature's law. That child which has taken birth in that womb is not allowed to come out of the mother's womb. He is being killed within the womb, and again he enters another womb; there also he may be killed again. This is the law of nature going on. But they do not know; they do not care. They think that, "This child is being killed—I am safe." But you may also be put into, because death is there. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. As soon as death is there, you have to accept another body.

So people are in so ignorance, the so-called material civilization—simply in darkness. Very horrible civilization at the present moment, we think. Simply darkness. They do not know the laws of nature; they do not know what is living entity, what is soul, what is God, how things are going on, how nature's law is working. Nothing of the sort. Simply like animals—eat, drink, be merry and enjoy, that's all. This is going on, very horrible civilization at the present moment, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the only movement to enlighten them to come to your senses; don't be carried away by the laws of material nature. Then Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, therefore:

keno māyār bośe, jāccho bhese'

khāccho hābuḍubu, bhāi

(Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Bol from Gītāvalī 1)

"Why you are going, being washed away by the waves of the nature's law?" Jāccho bhese'. Just like in big ocean or in big river, some straw is being carried away by the force of the waves, we are also being carried away by the force of the material laws.

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

(BG 7.14)

So they should be very serious. That is human civilization. So if one is serious, then he has to practice these things. This is not possible to be practiced by the animals, but the human life. Therefore it is said, tapasā. Tapasā, I have explained the other day, that you have to voluntarily accept some inconveniences. That is That is not inconvenience. But because I am accustomed to such things, it appears to be inconvenient. Just like a smoker, he is veteran smoker, chain smoker. If he is asked that, "Stop this. This is not good" . . . practically every state is now trying to stop it. Every cigarette packet it is written . . . what is that written?

Devotee: "May be hazardous to your health."

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Devotee: "It is hazardous to your health."

Prabhupāda: The advertisement is there, but they cannot be stopped; because they're so much intrinsically habituated, they cannot give it up. But that has to be given up if he wants release from such kind of tribulations, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi—go into the womb of the mother and there being killed, and again go into the womb of the mother and again being killed. If you want to save yourself from this process of nature, then you have to practice tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed (SB 5.5.1). If you want to purify your existence—because you are eternal—then you have to practice this tapasya. Not being carried away by the waves of material nature. No. You have to fight. You're fighting against. That is the . . . but you do not know how to fight. That is tapasya.

So, very simple. Tapasya is not very severe thing. Tapasya means to abide by the orders of the śāstra. Just like a diseased man, his tapasya is to abide by the orders of the physician. The physician says that "You do this; you do not do this." So just like a patient, typhoid patient, he's lying on the bed, the doctor physician has advised, "Don't take any solid food. Take liquid food—barley water, glucose water," this is tapasya. This is tapasya. In order to cure him from the disease he should follow the instruction of the physician if he wants to be cured. Then . . . but if he wants to do anything and everything as he likes, then he'll suffer. So tapasya is required.

So Vedic civilization teaches this human . . . really humanity. Vedic civilization does not teach that you do irresponsible anything and everything, and that is accepted. Nowadays, the so-called Vedāntists and so-called Vedic civilization, they are also advocating, "Yes, you can do whatever you like; there is no restriction." But actually that is not the fact. There is restriction: you should eat like this, you should sleep like this, you should mate like this, you should defend like this. They are required. That is called tapasya: voluntarily accepting for my interest. Tapasā, brahmacarya.

Brahmacarya means celibacy, not to use the semina unnecessarily, discharge. That is called brahmacarya. Therefore the students are advised, or they are trained up. The students are sent to gurukula to be trained up as brahmacārī. Just like we have opened our gurukula āśrama in Dallas. We are teaching from the very beginning of life small children how to become brahmacārī. That is required. Recently we have received their picture, how nicely they're looking, the children. Children, they're innocent. If you want to kill, you can kill; if you want to train him just like a perfect man, you can train him.

It is the duty of the father, it is the duty of the mother, it is the duty of the government, the state, to raise the children very nicely. Now how horrible civilization it is that instead of raising them to perfect their human life they are being killed in the womb. Oh, how much horrible civilization this is, just imagine. It is simply horrible to think that the duty of the parents is to raise the child to the highest perfection of life; instead of doing that they are being killed in the womb of the mother. This is the situation. This should be stopped.

If you actually want happiness, these things should be stopped, and tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena ca (SB 6.1.13). Tyāgena. Tyāgena, means to give in charity, tyāga. So people should spend sufficiently for propagating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is tyāga. Because everything requires money. Just like our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we have got 102 branches, and we have to spend money. We spend money, not . . . we are spending at the present moment, monthly, seventy thousand dollars. Seventy thousand dollars. In Indian calculation, it is seven lakhs of rupees. So everything required. We have to maintain establishment, we have to feed them, we have to educate them, we have to dress them.

So people should come forward to cooperate with this movement. That is called tyāgena. Charity should be given, money should be given. Money is . . . Gṛhasthas, those who are householders, their money should be spent for good cause, not for drinking and eating meat and dancing. No. It should be used for good purposes. First of all gṛhastha is advised not to bother himself to earn more than he requires. That is Vedic civilization. Just like the brāhmaṇa—brāhmaṇa means he collects money so much as he requires. That's all. Yavad artha, not more than that. brāhmaṇa . . . it is prohibited for a brāhmaṇa to make any bank balance. It is prohibited. He should daily collect some money, because if he makes bank balance it will be attraction.

So bank balance is not meant for the . . . of course, some deposit for gṛhastha is required. That is instructed by Rūpa Goswāmī. He was very rich man; he was minister. When he retired, fifty percent of his money he spent for Kṛṣṇa, and twenty-five percent he kept reserved for personal emergency, and twenty-five percent he gave to his relatives, because relatives require some money—they also expect from father some money, "All right you take also some money." But not that whole thing goes to the relatives and nothing to Kṛṣṇa. No. Tyāgena.

dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ

tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ ucyate

(BG 17.20)

There are three kinds of charity. One charity is where money should . . . must be given: dātavyam. Here must be given. So that is sattvic. Just like to push on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement money should be given, and that is first-class expenditure. And to get some return, that is rajasic. I give some money and I get some return—their business—that is rajasic.

And tamasic means, "I'm giving money. I do not know what will be the effect, what will be the result. I do not know." Just like a man comes to me—I have seen in America, Bowery Street, as soon as your car stops some this bums, they come, (laughter) and they wash your motorcar with a towel, and the man gives him one dollar, "All right." But he does not know that this man, as soon as he gets this one dollar, he will purchase one bottle and drink and lie down on the street. I have seen it. That is called tamasic dān. You do not . . . because you are helping him to become more drunkard. This is tamasic.

Similarly, the whole world is running on under three guṇas: sattvic, rajasic, tamasic. Sattvic, there is sattvic dān, sattvic charity, rajasic charity, tamasic charity. Similarly, religious system also: sattvic religious, rajasic religion, tamasic religion. Everything, whatever you do—everything is going on, any activity—it can be sattvic, it can be rajasic, it can be tamasic. But when it comes to the sattvic platform, then it is perfect. If it is on the platform of rajasic and tamasic, it is useless.

But they do not know what is sattvic, rajasic, tamasic. Ignorance, simply ignorance. Defective human civilization. These things have to be learned if you want to make your life perfect, because this is the opportunity, human life. You don't think that the child which is being killed, we are laughing. No. You may also be put into that condition. You may be put into that condition. That we should know. But they do not know it.

So these things are prescribed, therefore, that to make your life perfect you should accept these processes.

tapasā brahmacaryeṇa

śamena damena ca

tyāgena satya-śaucābhyāṁ

(SB 6.1.13)

Satya means truthfulness; one should be very truthful. Truthfulness is prescribed; that is the brahminical qualification. Satya, sama, dama, these are all brahminical qualifications. So one has to become a brāhmaṇa. brāhmaṇa means anyone who is qualified with all these higher quality of human life, he's a brāhmaṇa. By birth one is not brāhmaṇa. As soon as in India they took it that by birth one becomes brāhmaṇa, the whole Vedic civilization has been spoiled. brāhmaṇa means this quality. They have taken it in India now by birth one becomes brāhmaṇa. No. In the śāstra it is not stated that. In the śāstra it is said Kṛṣṇa Himself says, jan . . .

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ

guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ

(BG 4.13)

If you acquire these qualities, and if you work according to that quality, then you are either brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya or śūdra. They should be divided according to, I mean to say, quality and work. Just like a physician, he's a medical man. What is the symptom? He has passed the examination. That means he has got the quality or . . . and he is practicing as medical man. Then he is a medical man. Nobody goes to a medical man to ask him, "Are you brāhmaṇa? Are you kṣatriya? Are you śūdra?" There is no such question. You see what he is by his quality, and by his work you know that he is a medical man. So you understand that he is a medical man. Similarly, by quality and work if you see that he is acting as a brāhmaṇa, with the brāhmaṇa qualities, just as is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: sattva, śamo, dama, tittiksa, ārjavam:

jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ

brahma-karma svabhāva-jam

(BG 18.42)

So we have to accept. Just like we are making brāhmaṇas. The Europeans, Americans, they are not born in brāhmaṇa families, but we are giving and recognizing them as brāhmaṇas because they are being qualified, and they are working. Qualified means they have given up meat-eating, they have given up illicit sex, they have given up intoxication, they have given up gambling. This is the quality. And work: they're chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they're worshiping in the temple, they're thinking of Kṛṣṇa, they're devotee of Kṛṣṇa. This is karma. This is work and the quality. When the quality and work is there, there is a brāhmaṇa. Otherwise even one is born in a brāhmaṇa family, we reject them. He is śūdra; but he has no quality, he has no work. That is śāstric injunction.

Nārada Muni says, yasya hi yal-lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyanjakam. Varṇaṁ, the classification of varṇaṁ, should be, I mean to say, accepted by seeing the symptoms—what quality and what work he is doing. Suppose if you are born in a brāhmaṇa family but if you do the work of a carpenter, then everyone will call you a carpenter. Who will call you a brāhmaṇa? No. But the thing is, now by force they think, "No, although I am carpenter I am brahmin." This has spoiled the Vedic civilization. "Because I am born of a brahmin father, even though I am a carpenter or shoemaker, I am still a brāhmaṇa." This has spoiled the Vedic culture.

So here is satya-śaucābhyāṁ. And another thing is śaucābhyāṁ, cleanliness. We are accepting these boys as brāhmaṇa because they are . . . they have learned. Of course, due to their past habits sometimes they commit some mistakes, but that is not . . . because they have concentrated their mind in Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa says:

api cet su-durācāro

bhajate mām ananya-bhāk

sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ

(BG 9.30)

Because one has concentrated himself simply in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and devotional service, even though sometimes there are some discrepancies in the matter of his work, still he should be accepted as sādhu, as purified soul. So mistakes there may be, but that should be rectified. In this way one has to elevate to the higher standard of spiritual value. That is the success of human life, not to become like cats and dogs—that is a great mistake. Then you will be put into cats' and dogs' category. There is already cats and dogs. If you create your mentality like cats and dogs, next birth you become cats and dogs. This is the law of nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

(BG 3.27)

You may be very proud that, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this or that," but the laws of nature is equal for everyone. If you act as cats and dogs you become cats and dogs, that's all. There is no excuse. You cannot say that, "I am born in such and such family, such and such way." No. Work will be considered. Therefore in the next verse:

deha-vāg-buddhijaṁ dhīrā

dharmajñāḥ śraddhayānvitāḥ

kṣipanty aghaṁ mahad api

veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ

(SB 6.1.14)

Deha-vāg-buddhijaṁ dhīrā. Dhīrā, dhīrā means "advanced," those who are sober, not animals but human beings. There are two kinds of living entities: dhīrā and adhīrā. Dhīrā means "sober," one who thinks, "What is my condition? What I am? I am this body or I am something beyond this body? What I am meant for? Why I have come here? What is God? What I am?" So many things, they are a subject matter to think. That is called dhīrā. And adhīrā means one who does not know anything. Just like cats and dogs, jumping, that's all. That is called adhīrā. So adhīrā and dhīrā, there are two classes of men. Here it is mentioned dhīrā:

deha-vāg-buddhijaṁ

dharmajñāḥ śraddhayānvitāḥ

(SB 6.1.14)

If you want to be free from the reaction of sinful life . . . because these, the example of this child in the womb of the mother being killed, this is due to our ignorance, sinful life. He is put into that torturing condition. So:

kṣipanty aghaṁ mahad api

veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ

(SB 6.1.14)

Just like dry grass on the field, if you want to cleanse, you simply set fire. You simply set fire, and gradually, everything will be cleansed. If you take one's—what is called—broomstick to cleanse, it will take so much time, but if you set fire, then everything will be cleansed. Veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ. Analaḥ. Analaḥ means "fire," if you set fire. That is done actually. To cleanse one field, agricultural field—in India they do so—that fire produces some . . . what is called?

Devotee: Chemical?

Prabhupāda: Chemical? It is . . .

Devotee: Ash, ashes.

Prabhupāda: No, no, steriliz . . .

Devotee: Fertilizer.

Prabhupāda: Fertilizer, yes. Actually it creates potassium . . . what is called? They say some chemical?

Devotee: Potassium nitrate?

Prabhupāda: Potassium nitrate, yes. By them. So here also, deha-vāg-buddhijaṁ: we are creating, creating so many sinful reaction of life by our body, deha, and vāg, by words. By our words also we create so many sinful life. Suppose you are innocent, and if I call you by bad names and use my words without any restriction, "You rascal fool" and so on, so on, so that is also sinful. Deha-vāg. And buddhijaṁ. As we create sinful reaction of life by our body, by our words, by our intelligence, similarly, by our body, by our intelligence, by our work we can be elevated also. Just like we have engaged our body. What is that? In cleansing this temple. Cleansing. What is that verse?

śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-

śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau

(Śrī Śrī Gurv-aṣṭaka, 3)

śrī-vigraha. śrī-vigraha. This deity is called śrī-vigraha. Ārādhana: worshiping the śrī-vigraha. Decorating, cleansing the temple, tan-mandira-mārjanādau. So we can engage our bodily activities in that way. Similarly, deha-vāg: we can engage our words in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, in preaching Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, in reciting the book. That is vāg. And we can ask others to hear, deha-vāg; and buddhi, intelligence.

How to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? First of all you have to undergo the austerities. You must be purified, tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena. Then you have to engage your body, intelligence and words for spreading the Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. Dhīrā. Dharmajñāḥ. Dharmajñāḥ means one who is in knowledge of dharma, real religion. Dharma, adharma. So, dharma, real dharma, means to abide by the orders of God. But they do not know what is God. They do not know what is the order of God. Of course, there are scriptures, but we have to know. Dharmajñāḥ means to know, just like good citizen means he knows what are the laws of the state. That is good citizen. If you know the laws of the state and you do not drive your car against the order of the state—either is left or as is, somewhere it is left, somewhere it is right. Anyway . . . what is this in this country? Left or right? Left?

Devotee: Left.

Prabhupāda: Left. So if you know the laws of the state, then you cannot drive your car on the right side. Similarly, dharmajñāḥ means one should know what is the order of God. That is dharma. But they do not know what is God. They do not believe in God, and what to speak about His order and law. This is the position. They do not know what is God. "God is zero, therefore His order is zero. I can do anything and everything." This is going on. But real dharmajñāḥ means one who knows what is religious principles. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means the orders given by God.

So one must know what is God; then one must know what is order. But there is. Just like Kṛṣṇa: Kṛṣṇa is accepted God by all the Vedic followers. In India there are ācāryas, ācārya-upāsanam: Rāmānuja Ācārya, Madhvācārya, Śaṅkarācārya, Nimbārditya. There are so many. There are different ācāryas, they are preaching about God, and they have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all of them. Indian Vedic civilization is guided by the ācāryas, not by the rascals and fools. ācāryas. Anyone who is not under the guidance of this ācārya, he is not accepted as bona fide follower of Veda. You cannot create.

Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). You cannot create one religion. No. Nowadays there are so many rascals, they are creating religion. Religion . . . just like you cannot create law. Is it possible? If the state law is that you must drive your car left, can you create the law, "No, I create the law it should be driven on the right"? Will you be accepted? Similarly, if you cannot create the law of the state, how you can create the law of God? Common sense. But they are creating, "Oh, this is a new type of religion I have created." "What you are, sir, you can create?" No, religion means the order of God, and it can be created only . . . it can be given by God, and we should receive it through the ācāryas.

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam

imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ

(BG 4.2)

Kṛṣṇa said by paramparā system, and that the law is executed through the state servant, paramparā.

Similarly, one should receive religion through the ācāryas. Not whimsically, anyone and everyone. "Anyone can become an avatāra; anyone can become God"—this is all rascaldom. We have to become dharmajñāḥ, knower of religion. How I shall know? Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186).

dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ

mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ

(CC Madhya 17.186)

These are the indications, tarko ‘pratiṣṭhaḥ. You cannot establish religion by arguing. What is the value of your argument? You can argue very nice, but I can argue better than you, I can defeat you. Then another man comes; he is better arguer than me, he defeats me. So in this way, simply by argument you cannot establish religion. That is not possible. That is not possible. Tarko 'pratiṣṭhaḥ. It will never establish what is actually religion. śrutayo vibhinnā: if you consult different scriptures, Bible, Koran, or Vedas, you cannot understand what is what.

You will find different methods, different ways; although they are one, may be one, but according to country and place and people, the methods are different. Therefore we sometimes argue that "Our scripture says like that; your scripture says . . ." No. The scripture says the same thing, but it is adjusted according to time, circumstances, audience. So therefore if you simply read scripture, śrutayo vibhinnā—there are Ṛg Veda, Sāma Veda, Yajur Veda, this Veda, so many—you cannot come to the conclusion. Neither by argument. Neither by argument, nor by simply reading books. śrutayo vibhinnā (CC Madhya 17.186).

Then philosophical speculation—there are so many philosophers. No. He says nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. Philosophers . . . one philosopher means not agreeing with another philosopher. That is philosopher. I become a great philosopher when I defy. So one philosopher is trying to defy another philosopher. So that also very difficult. Tarko ‘pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā nāsāv munir yasya . . . muni, muni means philosopher, mental speculator. So my mental speculation, your mental speculation may be different, and it is always different, because it is mental speculation. You have got a different type of mind, I have got a different type of mind. It cannot agree. So by following these different types of mental speculation you can also . . . you cannot establish what is religion.

tarko ‘pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā

nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam

(CC Madhya 17.186)

Therefore, dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ: the actual truth of religion is very confidential. How can I know it? Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ: you just try to follow mahājana. Try to follow. Never mind if you follow Jesus Christ, you follow Kṛṣṇa—but you follow the most authorized personality. That is wanted. That is wanted. Then you will come one day to perfection, one day make perfection. There may be difference, but because they are mahājana, accepted authority, try to strictly follow. The Christian people . . .

We come sometimes to the priestly order. I ask them that "Lord Jesus Christ says: "Thou shalt not kill." Why you are killing?" They cannot give us any satisfactory answer. Where is Christian? The first commandment is violated by the so-called Christians. The first commandment. They give some interpretation: "It is meant for murdering human." Why? He says "killing," ah, a clear . . . how you are killing—not only killing animals, they are now killing children, and they are proud of becoming Christian. This is going on. Simply disobeying.

Therefore śāstra says, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ—if you strictly follow. You never mind either you follow Muhammad, either you follow Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa. Of course, Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, and Jesus Christ is represented as the son of God, and Muhammad presented himself as servant of God. So there is no difference. In the absolute world there is no difference between the master, the father and the son. There is no difference. There is no difference, because they are absolute. Here, just like . . . here also, suppose a father and son, a son has committed something, "Yes, I shall give you something," a father cannot deny it. If it is a good family, the father will say that "Yes, although my son should not have promised it, but he has done it. All right, it will be given." That is natural.

So there is no difference, either you follow the father or you follow the servant or you follow . . . because in the absolute world there is no such difference. Advaya-jñāna. It is called advaya-jñāna, "no duality." Although the relationship is father, son and servant, but the fact is one. That is to be understood, what is the spiritual world. The spiritual world, everything is one because everything is spiritual. Here everything is material; therefore they are defining. Here also materially they're one. Similarly, in the spiritual world, because everything is spiritual, therefore it may be father, it may be son, it may be land, it may be water, it may be flower, it may be trees, whatever it may be—varieties there are. As in the material world there are varieties, similarly in the spiritual world also there are varieties; but those varieties are of the same quality, spiritual quality. That is called one. That is oneness.

So this is called dharmajñāḥ: one who knows what is religion. Dharmajñāḥ. Śraddhayānvitāḥ: and faithful. śraddhayānvitāḥ. If one acquires all these qualities, dharmajñāḥ, and undergoes the—what is called?—the process, tapasā brahmacaryeṇa, then the result will be kṣipanty aghaṁ. Then he becomes completely free from all sinful life. Completely. Kṣipanty aghaṁ. Mahad api: even it is the greatest sinful reaction, it will be counteracted. Mahad api.

How it will be counteracted? Then, veṇu-gulmam ivānalaḥ. Just like there are different kinds of dry grasses—some are very strong, some are very weak, some are very small, some are big—but you set fire, then everything is gone, everything. Everything. It doesn't matter, either the strong, small, big. It doesn't matter. You follow this, and your sinful life will be mitigated. Then you become to the purified state, then no more this birth, death, old age and disease. You are elevated to the transcendental platform, and in your pure state. Because you are part and parcel of God, you are as pure as God, but now you are put into this material condition. You are being contaminated in so many ways; therefore you are suffering, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). And if you want to stop this, then you have to adopt this process. And then Śukadeva Goswāmī says:

kecit kevalayā bhaktyā

vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ

aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena

nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ

(SB 6.1.15)

And somebody, somebody is going step by step this, by this process. And somebody, he recommends . . . kecit. Kecit means "somebody." Kevalayā bhaktyā: simply by discharging pure devotional service, kevalayā bhaktyā. Who can do so? Vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ: who has become devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. Vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ. Aghaṁ dhunvanti: he also cleanses all sinful reaction. How? Totally. How? No, nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. Just like fog. In the fog you are in darkness; you cannot see anything. It is very difficult. There is some accident, in water, in air; the fog is very dangerous. But if somehow or other sun rises, immediately fog disappears. So Kṛṣṇa is sun:

kṛṣṇa—sūrya-sama; māyā haya andhakāra

yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa

(CC Madhya 22.31)

We have given this that, "Godhead is light and māyā is nescience. Where there is light, sunshine, there is no māyā." Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ (BG 7.14).

So it is very difficult at the present moment to undergo all these processes, but if you take to devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, just like these boys and girls are taking, immediately everything is finished.

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ

(BG 18.66)

So take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be saved from the pitfalls of sinful life; otherwise nature will not allow you to go out. Thank you very much. (obeisances)

(break)

This question was answered the other day. This material world, there are different seasons. They come and go. Just like winter season, spring season, summer season, rainy season, they come and go. Similarly, these yugas by rotation, just like day and night. Now it is night, again the day will come. So day and night is there; it comes by rotation. Similarly these yugas—Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga. So different yugas, just like day means light and night means darkness. Similarly, Satya-yuga means people are all very advanced in spiritual life. Dvāpara-yuga . . . Tretā-yuga means one-fourth sinful, three-fourths pious. Dvāpara-yuga means half and half. Kali-yuga means one-fourth pious and three-fourths sinful. In this way, when Kali-yuga will be finished, again Satya-yuga will come. This is yuga. Is it clear to you? Yes.

So this is not very important thing. This is material changes. They come and go. If we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness then you are above all these things, because as soon as you become spiritually elevated, these material changes does not effect. Just like Kali-yuga means three-fourths sinful life. So one who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, becomes devotee, he has no sinful life, although he is in the Kali-yuga. He is not affected. Just like there is police, but if you are not a criminal, the police has nothing to do with you; and if you are a criminal, you may be on the street or in your very nice flat, apartment, the police will be after you and arrest you. So if you become pure, there is no influence of this yuga.

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva

nāsty eva gatir anyathā

(CC Adi 17.21)

But if you are impure, it doesn't matter that you go to the forest or you are in your apartment—the nature will not excuse you.

tad viddhi praṇipātena

paripraśnena sevayā

(BG 4.34)

It is recommended in the śāstra by service, by surrender, by question, try to understand this transcendental subject matter.

tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet

samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham

(Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12)

These are the Vedic injunctions.

So, no questions? Then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (kīrtana) (end)