730427 - Lecture SB 01.08.35 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1973

730427SB-LOS ANGELES - April 27, 1973 - 31:17 Minutes

(Video - 00:32)

Pradyumna: (devotees repeating)

. . . kliśyamānānām—of those who are suffering from; avidyā—nescience; kāma—desire; karmabhiḥ—by execution of fruitive work; śravaṇa—hearing; smaraṇa—remembering; arhāṇi—worshiping; kariṣyan—may perform; iti—thus; kecana—others.

Translation: "And yet others say . . ."

(Audio start)

". . . that You appeared to rejuvenate the devotional service of hearing, remembering, worshiping and so on, in order that the conditioned souls suffering from material pangs might take advantage and gain liberation." (SB 1.8.35)

Prabhupāda: So, asmin bhave. Asmin means "this." Creation. Bhave means creation. Bhava, bhava means "you become." "You become" means you vanish also. As soon as there is question of you become, you vanish also. Anything which is born must die. This is the law of nature. The so-called scientists are trying that they will stop death by their scientific research work, but they do not know that anything born must die. Janma-mṛtyu. This is relative. And anything which is not born, that will not die. The matter is born. Anything material, that is born. But spirit is not born. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin (BG 2.20): the soul is never born, and therefore never dies.

Now, bhave 'smin. Bhava, this bhava means this material world, cosmic manifestation. Bhave 'smin kliśyamānānām. Anyone who is within this material world must work. This is material world. Just like in the prison house, it is not possible that he will sit down and he will be honored just like son-in-law. No. In the . . . in our country son-in-law is very much worshiped. "Worshiped" means flattered. Never divorce the daughter. Therefore, nobody should expect that we may speak something humorous about son-in-law in India. Formerly . . . it is still the system that the daughter must get married. That is the responsibility of the father. It is called kanyā-dāna. A father may not get his son married. That is not very great responsibility. But if there is a daughter, the father must see that she is married. Formerly it was ten years, twelve years, thirteen years. Not more than that. That is the system. That was the Vedic system. Kanyā. Kanyā means before attaining puberty. Kanyā. So kanyā-dāna. She must be given in charity to somebody.

So, in the kulina brāhmiṇ, brāhmiṇ, very respectable community, so it was very difficult to find out a suitable son-in-law. Therefore, formerly one gentleman may become a businessman simply by marrying. In my boyhood, when I was a student, a school student, so I had one class friend, he took me to his home. So I saw one gentleman was smoking, and he told me, "Do you know this gentleman?" So I asked, "Oh, how can I know?" That "He is my aunt's husband, and my aunt is the sixty-fourth wife of this gentleman." Sixty-fourth. So these kulina brāhmiṇs, they . . . their business was like that: marry somewhere, stay there some days, again go to another wife, again go to another wife, again go to another. Simply going to the wife, that is business. This was a social system we have seen. Now these things are now gone. Nobody will marry the husband who has married sixty-four times. (laughter) But (laughing) it was there. So son-in-law, in that case, is very much honored. There are many stories. We should not waste our time in that way. (laughter)

So here in this material world, who is born, he should not think himself that, "I am honored guest or honored son-in-law." No. Everyone has to work. That you see the whole world. In your country there is president—everywhere—that he is also working hard day and night. Otherwise he cannot keep his presidency. It is not possible. The whole brain is congested with political affairs. So many problems, solutions. He has to work. Similarly, a man on the street, he has to work also. This is the nature, material nature. You have to work. It is not the spiritual world.

Spiritual world means there is no work. There is simply ānanda, joyfulness. That you see from reading Kṛṣṇa Book. They are not working. Kṛṣṇa is going with the calves and the cows. That is not working; that is amusement. That is amusement. They are dancing, they are going to the forest, they are sitting down on the bank of the Ganges. Sometimes the demons are attacking, Kṛṣṇa is killing. This is all pleasure, amusement. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is spiritual world. Just like, take a sample of spiritual activity, we are. We have got so many branches, so many members, but we are not working. Simple, a sample of spiritual life. Our neighbors are envious: "How these people dancing and chanting and eating?" (laughter) Because they are working hard like cats and dogs, and we have no such responsibility. We haven't got to go to office or factory. Just see, practical example.

This is only a little tinge of spiritual life. Simply you are trying to come to the spiritual life, a sample. (break) . . . so much enjoyment in the sample, just imagine what is reality. Anyone can realize. This is practical. You take to spiritual life. We are inviting: "Please come, join us. Chant, dance with us. Take prasādam, be happy." "No, no. We shall work." (laughter) Just see. What is our business? We are canvassing simply, "Please come." "No." "Why?" "I shall work like cats and dogs," that's all.

So just try to understand. This is the difference between spiritual life and material life. Material life means you have to work. You will be forced. Avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate (CC Madhya 6.154). When analyzing the energy of Kṛṣṇa, in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said, viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā (CC Madhya 6.154). Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu's energy is parā, superior energy or spiritual energy. Parā. Parā and aparā, you have read in the Bhagavad-gītā. Apareyam itas tu vidhi me prakṛtiṁ parā (BG 7.5). When Kṛṣṇa is analyzing, two kinds of nature, parā and aparā, inferior and superior. This is also nature, bhūmih, āpaḥ, analo, vāyuḥ (BG 7.4): land, water, fire, air. This is also Kṛṣṇa's nature. Kṛṣṇa says, vidhi me prakṛtiḥ aṣṭadhā: "These eight kinds of material nature, they are My nature, they are My energy. But they"—apareyam—"but this is inferior energy. And there is another, superior nature." "What is that, Sir?" Jīva-bhūta, this living energy. And these rascals, they do not know that there are two natures working—material nature and spiritual nature. The spiritual nature is within the material nature, therefore it is working. Otherwise material nature has no power to work independently. This simple thing the so-called scientists cannot understand.

So here in this material world, asmin bhave, bhave 'smin, saptame adhikāram. Asmin, in this material world. Bhave 'smin kliśyamānānām (SB 1.8.35). Everyone. Everyone, every living entity, is working hard. Hard or soft, it doesn't matter; one has to work. It doesn't matter. Just like we are also working. It may be soft, but it is also work. But it is practicing, therefore it is work. We should not take this work, bhakti, is not actually the fruitive activities. It appears like that. It is also working. But the difference is when you are engaged in devotional service you will not feel tired. And the material work, you will feel tired. That is the difference, practical.

Materially, you take one cinema song and chant, and so after half an hour you will be tired. And Hare Kṛṣṇa, go on chanting twenty-five hours, (laughter) you will never be tired. Is it not? Just see practically. You take one's material name, "Mr. John, Mr. John, Mr. John," how many times you will chant? (laughter) Ten times, twenty times, finished. But Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa," go on chanting, you will get more energy. That is the difference. But the foolish person, they think they are also working like us, they are also doing like us. No, that is not.

So if they . . . try to understand: material nature means anyone who has come here in this material world. It is not our business to come here, but we have desired to come here. That is also mentioned here. Kliśyamānānām avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ. Why they have come here? No vidyā. Avidyā means nescience, ignorance. What is that ignorance? Kāma. Kāma means desire. They are meant for serving Kṛṣṇa, but they desire that "Why shall I serve Kṛṣṇa? I shall become Kṛṣṇa." This is avidyā. This is avidyā. Instead of serving . . . that, that is natural. Sometimes it comes, just like a servant he is serving the master. He is thinking, "If I could get such money, then I could have become a master." That is not unnatural.

So when the living entity thinks . . . he is coming from Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa bhuli' jīva bhoga-vāñchā kare. When he forgets Kṛṣṇa, that is, I mean to say, material life. That is material life, as soon as one forgets Kṛṣṇa. That we see, so many of . . . not many—some of our students, they think that, "Why should I work in this mission? Oh, let me go away." He goes away, but what does he do? He becomes a motor driver, that's all. Instead of getting honor as brahmacārī, sannyāsī, he has . . . he, he has to work just like ordinary worker.

So, avidyā-kāma-karmabhiḥ. Kāma. Kāma means desire. Just like so many scientists they are researching for new food, just like our scientist friend was talking this morning. Then what is new food? Food is already there, allotted by Kṛṣṇa that, "You are this animal; your food is this. You are this animal; your food is this." So, so far human being is concerned, their food is also designated, that you take prasādam. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26).

It is the duty of the human being to accept prasādam. Prasādam means foodstuff which is offered to Kṛṣṇa first. This is civilization. If you say: "Why should I offer?" that is uncivilized. It is gratefulness. If you offer to Kṛṣṇa, then you are conscious that, "These foodstuff, these grains, these fruits, these flowers, this milk, it is given by Kṛṣṇa. I cannot produce it. In my factory I cannot produce all these things." Anything one uses, nobody can produce; it is given by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This kāmān. We are desiring and Kṛṣṇa is supplying. Without His supply you cannot get it.

Just like in our India, after independence the leaders thought, "Now we have got independence we shall increase the tractors and other agricultural implements, and we will get enough food." Now at the present moment, since two years, there is scarcity of water. There is no rainfall. So these tractors are now crying. You see? It is useless. Simply by so-called tractors, implements, you cannot produce, unless there is favor by Kṛṣṇa. He must supply water, that for want of . . . recently the news is that people are so exasperated that they went to the Secretary, they demanded food, and the result was they were shoot, shot down. Yes, so many people died.

So actually, although we have got this arrangement that one has to work, but that work is simple. If you remain Kṛṣṇa conscious . . . that after all, Kṛṣṇa is supplying the foodstuff. That's a fact. Every religion accept that. Just like in Bible it is said, "God, give us our daily bread." That's a fact. God is giving. That you are . . . you cannot manufacture bread. You can, you can manufacture bread in the bakery house, but the . . . who will supply you the wheat? That is supplied by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān.

So we have created unnecessary problem simply by forgetting Kṛṣṇa. This is the material nature. Bhave 'smin kliśyamānānām. Therefore you have to work so hard. Kliśyanti. There is another verse in the Bhagavad-gītā, manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānī prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Karṣati, you will be struggling very hard, but ultimately sense gratification. Ultimately. In this material world means sense gratification, because kāma, kāma means sense gratification. Kāma, the just opposite word is love. Kāma and . . . kāma means lust, and love, love means loving Kṛṣṇa. So that is wanted.

But here in this material world they are engaged in very, very hard work. They have invented so many factories, iron factories, melting the iron, huge machinery, and it is called ugra karma, asuric karma. After all, you will eat some bread and some fruit or some flower. Why you have invented so big, big factories? That is avidyā, nescience, avidyā.

Suppose hundred years ago there was no factory. So all the people of the world were starving? Eh? Nobody was starving. In, in, in our Vedic literature we don't find any mention anywhere about the factory. No. There is no mention. And how opulent they were, even in Vṛndāvana. In Vṛndāvana, as soon as Kaṁsa invited Nanda Mahārāja, immediately they took wagons of milk preparation to distribute. And you will find in the literature they are all well dressed, well fed. They have got enough food, enough milk, enough cows. But they are village, village men. Vṛndāvana is a village. There is no scarcity, no moroseness, always jolly, dancing, chanting and eating.

So we have created these problems. Simply you have created. Now, you have created so many horseless carriages, now the problem is where to get petrol. In your country it has become a problem. Brahmānanda was speaking to me yesterday. There are so many problems. Simply unnecessarily we have created so many artificial wants. Kāma-karmabhiḥ. This is called kāma.

So everyone, because of that unlimited desire, one after another . . . this desire, when this desire fulfilled, another desire, another desire, another desire. In this way you are simply creating problem. And when the desires are not fulfilled, then we become frustrated, confused. The frustration is there. One kind of frustration . . . just like in your country the hippies, that is also frustration. Another kind of frustration is just like in our country, that is very old frustration, to become sannyāsī. So to become sannyāsī—brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā, this world is false. How it is false? He could not utilize it properly; therefore it is false. It is not false. Vaiṣṇava philosophy is, this world is not false; it is fact. But false when we think that "I am the enjoyer of this world." That is false. If we accept it that it is Kṛṣṇa's, and you should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service, then it is not false.

We have given it, this example, just these flowers. These flowers, they are in the florist shop, there are so many flowers that people are purchasing, we are purchasing, others are purchasing. They are purchasing for sense gratification, and we are purchasing for Kṛṣṇa. The flower is the same. So one may ask that, "You are offering Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Spirit. How you are offering material things, these flower?" But they do not know that actually there is nothing as material. When you forget Kṛṣṇa, that is material. That is material. This flower is meant for Kṛṣṇa. This is spiritual.

And when we take it, this flower, for my sense enjoyment, this is material. This is avidyā. Avidyā means ignorance. Nothing belongs to me. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore our movement is for awakening this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We should know that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is fact. The world is fact. This world is created by Kṛṣṇa, therefore it is also fact. So everything is fact when it is done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise it is māyā, avidyā.

So by avidyā, by ignorance, we want to enjoy sense gratification, and we create problems. We create so many artificial work, ugra-karma. Although we are in avidyā, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa everything is very simplified. Just like anywhere, any part of the world, there is food. Everything is there, complete, pūrṇam idam. Pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Just like somebody is living in the Greenland, Alaska, that the atmosphere is not very favorable to our constitution, but they are living, the inhabitants there.

There is some arrangement. Similarly, if you study minutely everywhere . . . just like there are millions and millions of fishes in the water. If you are put on a boat, and you have to live for say one month, then you will die. You will have no food for you. But then in the . . . within the water there are millions and millions of fishes, they have got enough food. Enough food. Not a single fish will die for want of food. But if you are put into the water, you will die.

So similarly, by God's creation there are 8,400,000 species or forms of life. So God has given everyone's food. Just like even if you are in the prison house, the government provides your food. Similarly, although this material world is to be considered as prison house for the living entity, still there is no scarcity of anything. Our necessity, so far our bodily necessities are concerned, in eating, sleeping and mating and defending, that is arranged for everyone according to his life. That is arranged. So in the lower species of life they cannot understand that everything is there, arranged, although they know, just like a bird, a bird rises in the early morning, he knows there is some food. He knows. But still he is busy to find out the food. So little business, little flying from one tree to another, he . . . he sees in all, most, fruits, all the small or big, there are so many fruits they can eat.

Similarly, for all the living entities, there is arrangement for food—food, drink. Eating, sleeping, mating and defending, there is arrangement. Even in Africa there are some trees which produces fruits, those fruits are harder than the iron bullet. But these fruits are used by the gorillas. They collect those fruits. Just like we chew some nuts, so they also enjoy chewing that nut. But it is so hard. I read in some book, so perhaps you also know that the quarter of the jungle where gorillas live, God gives them fruit—"Yes, here is your food."

So there is everything arranged. There is no scarcity. We have created scarcity, avidyā, due to ignorance. Otherwise, there is no scarcity. Pūrṇam idam. Therefore Īśopaniṣad says pūrṇam, everything is complete. Just like we want water; we want water very much. Just see how God has created these oceans. You can take the . . . whatever water we are using, that is from the ocean. The stock is there.

It is simply distributed from that stock. By nature's arrangement, God, God's arrangement, it is evaporated by sunshine. It is evaporated, and it becomes gaseous, cloud. The water is there. By other arrangement this water is distributed all over the surface, and it is thrown on the top of the hill to supply you constantly. The river is coming down. The whole, throughout the whole year the water supply is there.

In this way, if you study the whole situation, creation of the Lord, you will find everything is complete, perfect. That is philosophy. Everything is complete. There is no necessity. Our only necessity is . . . (Audio end)

. . . that we take advantage of Kṛṣṇa's arrangement. (Video end)