731204 - Lecture SB 01.15.25-26 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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731204SB-LOS ANGELES - December 04, 1973 - 30:23 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

jalaukasāṁ jale yadvan

mahānto 'danty aṇīyasaḥ

durbalān balino rājan

mahānto balino mithaḥ

evaṁ baliṣṭhair yadubhir

mahadbhir itarān vibhuḥ

yadūn yadubhir anyonyaṁ

bhū-bhārān sañjahāra ha

(SB 1.15.25-26)

(break)

Prabhupāda: Now read the word meaning.

Pradyumna: jalaukasām—of the aquatics; jale—in the water; yadvat—as it is; mahāntaḥ—the larger one; adanti—swallows; aṇīyasaḥ—smaller ones; durbalān—the weak; balinaḥ—the stronger; rājan—O King; mahāntaḥ—the strongest; balinaḥ—less strong; mithaḥ—in a duel; evam—thus; baliṣṭhaiḥ—by the strongest; yadubhiḥ—by the descendants of Yadu; mahadbhiḥ—one who has greater strength; itarān—the common ones; vibhuḥ—the Supreme Personality of Godhead; yadūn—all the Yadus; yadubhiḥ—by the Yadus; anyonyam—among one another; bhū-bhārān—the burden of the world; sañjahāra—has unloaded; ha—in the past. (break)

Translation: "O King, as in the ocean the bigger and stronger aquatics swallow up the smaller and weaker ones, so also the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to lighten the burden of the earth, has engaged the stronger Yadu to kill the weaker, and the bigger Yadu to kill the smaller."

Prabhupāda: Hm. This is the theory of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. The law of nature is like that, that the stronger overpowers the weaker. The stronger overpowers the weaker. In another place it is stated:

ahastāni sahastānām

apadāni catuṣ-padām

phalgūni tatra mahatāṁ

jīvo jīvasya jīvanam

(SB 1.13.47)

A living entity, they live by eating another living entity. What is that? Now, ahastāni sahastānām. Sahastānām means those who are endowed with hands. That means man, man form, human form, they have got hands. So those who have no hands . . . just like the animals, they have got legs; they have no hands. So ahastāni, those who have no hands, they are food for the animal with hands: bite that animal. Those animal with hands . . . they are animal, those who are eating another animal; they are not human being. Although they have got the form of human being, they are not considered human being. Human being means when he's civilized, cultured, then he's human being. If he's not civilized, if he's not cultured, simply having two hands, he's animal.

So that culture begins, civilized, in the Āryan families. Therefore they are called Āryans, "advanced." Āryan means advanced. People want to group themselves in the Āryan family. Just like Hitler, he declared himself only, "The Germans are only Āryans, and Jews are not Āryans," like that. You can manufacture. But real Āryan means one who is advanced in spiritual consciousness. He is Āryan. Not a class of men. Āryan means he's advanced in spiritual consciousness. The Āryan civilization is so eulogized because they . . . in the Āryan civilization there was Vedic culture. That is Āryan. Otherwise, ahastāni sahastānām, and that is, apadāni catuṣ-padām (SB 1.13.47). This is going on, struggle for existence. In the primitive age that human being, so-called human being, naked, in the jungle, they eating animals. The animals have no leg . . . the Darwin's theory is that there was no civilized man, but gradually it has developed. It is not very clearly explained; he does not know what is the evolution. Evolution means to become civilized. That is evolution. Or to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is evolution.

So this is the law of nature, that the weaker section is devoured by the stronger section. So here it is said, jalaukasāṁ jale yadvat. In the water, there are so many aquatic animals. The struggle is going on, the stronger fish eating the weaker fish. This is going on. That is the law of nature. So therefore meat-eaters, so long they are like animals, they can go on with this nature's law. You are man, you are stronger; therefore weaker animal—cows and goats—you slaughter them. They are stronger bodily, but they have no intelligence. So man has got intelligence. So if you misuse your intelligence in that way, you can do that. That is nature's law. But human being means culture, advance in spiritual consciousness. That is human being. So this consciousness is developing gradually.

So unless you come to this platform, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), then you must divide the society. Amongst the animals there is no division. Everyone is on the same status. No. Because the aim is how to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore there must be some system. So that system, unless one comes to the platform of this varṇāśrama-dharma, four divisions, social division, and four spiritual division, and those divisions are made by Kṛṣṇa Himself, mayā sṛṣṭam, He says—that is natural—but by such institution we can gradually understand what is the aim of life.

varṇāśramācāravatā

puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān

viṣṇur ārādhyate puṁsāṁ

nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam

(CC Madhya 8.58)

Our . . . what is the aim of life? The aim of life is that we are now detached from God. This is our position. Material life means detached from God, detached from Kṛṣṇa. So this detachment is the cause of suffering.

mukha-bāhūru-pādebhyaḥ

puruṣasyāśramaiḥ saha

jajñire catvāro varṇā

viprādayaḥ guṇair pṛthak

(SB 11.5.2)

We are different parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa, God, so we must act accordingly. Just like my hand. Hand is there. If the hand is in proper place, he can act nicely. But if I cut the leg and make hand or hand make the leg, then it is all lost. All lost. One must act according to his qualification. That, according to that qualification, the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, they are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. This brāhmaṇa means these are the symptoms: satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). This is human civilization. We must train people in such a way that we must see there what is his quality. According to quality. Just like a physician gives medicine according to the symptom of the disease, then it is cured. Not that any medicine. In the drug house, there are so many medicines. You cannot say: "Any medicine will do." No. It is the physician who will pick up the real medicine and he'll administer to the patient. Then he'll be cured.

So this varṇāśrama-dharma means—cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13)—from the animal position of the human being, to bring him to the human position. That is varṇāśrama-dharma. Just like in school, college, to become graduate means to become distinguished from the fools and rascals. Similarly, human being does not mean the struggle for existence, as the one big fish is eating another small fish, another is . . . no, no. That is not human. That is natural, but you have to rectify the natural position for the . . . for realization of the utmost aim of life. That is human life. Not to treat like animals. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).

So that spiritual consciousness begins when one understands that he is soul; he is not this body, he is spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahman means the spirit soul. And there human civilization begins. Otherwise, anārya, anārya-juṣṭam. Kṛṣṇa, when Arjuna was declining to fight, He chastised him that, "This denial is anārya-juṣṭam. It is befitting for the anārya, those who are not advanced. One must do his duty. You are a kṣatriya. Your duty is to fight to give protection to the citizen. So why you are denying this?"

So here the example is given, jalaukasāṁ jale yadvan mahāntaḥ adanti. Adanti means swallows up. Similarly, when the Yadus became very powerful . . . because they are descendants of Kṛṣṇa. Who can be . . .? So they were fighting anywhere, conquering anywhere, and everywhere they were victorious. So that was bhū-bhārān. Bhū-bhārān means burden of the world. When one becomes extravagant and misuses his power, that is burden of the world. You cannot misuse your . . . you get power by the grace of God, by grace of Kṛṣṇa. If you misuse it, then you become a burden. A burden. As soon as there is burden, then it is dharmasya glāniḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). As soon as there is misuse of power, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham, He comes. So Yadu-vaṁśa, Kṛṣṇa's dynasty, when Kṛṣṇa saw that they are becoming so powerful, that unnecessarily they are fighting, therefore to kill them, that fighting spirit was engaged for fighting amongst themselves, one another. Therefore they were all . . .

Fighting, there is necessity; but if you misuse that fighting spirit . . . just like at the present moment the politicians, as soon as they see that they cannot manage things, and in the country there is confusion, they declare some war so that the whole attention may be turned that side, and there will be no agitation of the internal dissatisfaction. This is diplomacy. This is diplomacy. We have seen it in Pakistan. As soon as they cannot rule over, they cannot, but they throw . . . (indistinct) . . . "Oh, the Hindus are our enemy. Kashmir, he has taken." Attention is diverted and they declare war, and again become defeated. So this kind of war is not required. This kind of war is not required. But war is there already, struggle for existence. Just like here, when Kṛṣṇa saw that the Yadu dynasty is becoming . . . on the strength of Kṛṣṇa, they have become so powerful that they unnecessarily fighting, so Kṛṣṇa wanted that His family may be . . . it may not be degraded further, so He wanted to kill them. And who can kill them? No outsider can kill them; they are Kṛṣṇa's descendants. That is not possible. Therefore yadūn yadubhir anyonyaṁ bhū-bhārān sañjahāra ha, they fighting amongst themselves, they reduced the burden of the world.

So it is . . . Kṛṣṇa is exhibiting how things are going on. As soon as there will be burdensome, there will be some war, pestilence, famine—and finished. And finished. You don't require to reduce population by contraceptive method. By nature's way, the wholesale it will be reduced, bhū-bhārān sañjahāra. By nature's way. Why should you commit sinful activities? You don't beget children unnecessarily and don't kill them. That is religion. That is civilization. Why should you unnecessarily produce children like cats and dog? There śāstra says that don't become father, don't become mother if you cannot save your sons from death. This is the responsibility. This is father's, mother's responsibility. Na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum, pitā na sa syāj jananī na sa syāt (SB 5.5.18). One should not become . . . try to become father, one should not try to become mother if the parents cannot save the child from imminent death. That is the responsibility. And who is that father? Who is that mother?

This is Vedic civilization. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that, "I am a sannyāsī. I am not married, neither I am meant for marrying. But if I can produce Kṛṣṇa conscious children, I can marry hundred times." That is the responsibility. Don't produce cats and dogs, produce Kṛṣṇa devotees. Then you marry. Otherwise don't marry. This is Vedic injunction. Marriage is not meant for sense gratification. Marriage is meant for producing nice children, Kṛṣṇa devotees. So that is our aim. Our aim is not to produce cats and dogs. There are so many cats and dogs—the world is not happy. Now there is need of producing nice children, sober, gentle, devotee of Kṛṣṇa, good brain, good character. These things are required.

So they were not unwanted children, these Yadus. This is a make-show only. They came, they are all demigods, they descended just to fulfill the Kṛṣṇa's mission. Kṛṣṇa's mission, Kṛṣṇa came down, so all the confidential servants of Kṛṣṇa, they also appeared to help Him in different . . . so when Kṛṣṇa wanted to go, He wanted to go with the descendants also, who came to help Him. So this is a make-show that the Yadus fought amongst themself. The real purpose is, Kṛṣṇa wanted to take them away. Otherwise, superficially, when one becomes unnecessarily powerful, disturbs the world situation, he's a burden. He's a burden. That kind of burden is vanquished by Kṛṣṇa's desire, will. There must be some catastrophe like war, pestilence, famine, and everything will be finished.

So our duty is, the human form of life, duty is that we should know that we are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa and, forgetting our relationship, we have come to this material world, and there is struggle for existence, beginning aquatics, jalajā nava . . . there are nine hundred thousand species of aquatics. Who is that physiologist who can know nine hundred thousand species of aquatics? But in the śāstra you will find, exactly. It doesn't say nine hundred one, or eight hundred ninety-nine. No. Nine hundred. Nine hundred thousand species, there are. So because we are in the material contact, and according to our desire, we are having different types of body—aquatics, trees, birds, like that. This is our botheration. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), in this way you are . . . this is our problem.

Therefore human civilization means when people are interested to solve the problems. That is human civilization. Otherwise animal, struggle for existence. They . . . there is no human side; that is on the animal side, struggle for existence. The human life is not for struggle. To become sober, not like animals. The animals are engaged whole day and night for searching out food and sense gratification, sex. That is not human civilization. Human civilization is meant for tapasya, tapasya. You should know what is my responsibility. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena ca damena ca (SB 6.1.13). One should learn how to practice tapasya. Tapasya. This is tapasya, little tapasya. No illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating and no intoxication, this is tapasya, little tapasya. Who is dying without meat-eating? We have got so many students. There are so many Vaiṣṇavas, they do not eat meat. Are they dying? This is only bad habit. But if you practice little . . .

In the beginning it may be little troublesome. It is not troublesome. I am thinking . . . just like one gentleman came, "We cannot give up meat-eating. I want, but I cannot." The practice. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā (BG 8.8). Anything you practice, habit is the second nature. So in association of the devotee, if you try to practice this tapasya . . . tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13), not to have sex life without any purpose, that is called brahmacārī. Brahmacārī does not mean celibacy. Brahmacārī means who does not use sex life for any other purpose than begetting nice children. He is brahmacārī.

So this is . . . everything should be systematic; otherwise there will be chaos. There will be chaos. Nobody will be happy, and . . . that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, naraka eva kalpate: the whole world will be hell. That has become now. The whole world has now become hell. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important movement. It is overhauling the whole human, social, political, religious . . . so those who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, they should be very, very responsible, sober, try to understand the situation and take the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and everything will come very successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupā . . . (cut) (end)