731212 - Lecture SB 01.15.34 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

731212SB-LOS ANGELES - December 12, 1973 - 38:24 Minutes

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

yayāharad bhuvo bhāraṁ

tāṁ tanuṁ vijahāv ajaḥ

kaṇṭakaṁ kaṇṭakeneva

dvayaṁ cāpīśituḥ samam

(SB 1.15.34)

(break)

Prabhupāda: Word meaning.

Pradyumna: yayā—that by which; aharat—took away; bhuvaḥ—of the world; bhāram—burden; tām—that; tanum—body; vijahau—relinquished; ajaḥ—the unborn; kaṇṭakam—thorn; kaṇṭakena—by the thorn; iva—like that; dvayam—both; ca—also; api—although; īśituḥ—controlling; samam—equal.

Translation: "The Supreme Unborn, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, caused the members of the Yadu dynasty to relinquish their bodies, and thus He relieved the burden of the world. This action was like picking out a thorn with a thorn, though both are the same to the controller."

Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa's two business is going on in this material world. One is paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), and the other is vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. One business is to give protection to the law-abiding devotees. Devotee means who accept the Supreme Lord as the supreme controller and accept himself as subordinate. This is devotee. Devotee is not very . . . actually, we are subordinate to the laws of nature, and the nature is being manipulated by the Lord. Therefore, ultimately we are subordinate to the Supreme Lord. God is great; everyone knows it. But I am not great; I am subordinate.

Acceptance of this philosophy means, I mean to say, godly conscious or Kṛṣṇa conscious. Very simple thing. There is no difficulty. But the demons are so rascal, they will not admit it. They are already under control—prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27)—under the control of the stringent laws of material nature. Still, foolishly that rascal demon is thinking that he is free. This is rascaldom. Just like a outlaw: an outlaw is thinking that he doesn't care for the government. Although he is put into jail, he is punished there, still, he is declaring, "No, I don't care for the government." Madness.

So as Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us to understand, that jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108-109). A living entity is eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is his position. He can never become master. Just like there are four classes: the śūdra class . . . paricaryātmakaṁ kāryaṁ śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). By nature, one who is śūdra, he cannot work very freely. That is not . . . better . . . his better life is to remain subordinate. Just like women, children: it is better for them to remain subordinate. To remain subordinate. It is practical. I have seen in our country and the Western countries, the woman are given freedom. By such freedom they are not happy. It is a fact. It is a fact. Therefore Vedic system is that it is the father's duty when a girl is mature, before attaining puberty, she is handed over to a suitable boy, "Please take charge of it. This girl . . ." Our marriage system is that "So long she was under my charge. Now I . . ." This is the process.

So women, by nature they should remain subordinate. It does not mean, "Because somebody is my subordinate, therefore I shall cut his throat or her throat." No. Just like sometimes the Christian philosophers say, "The animals are given under the control of man. Therefore they should be slaughtered." This is their philosophy. Control of man does not mean they should be slau . . . they should be taken care of. That is the law. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). The productive class, they should give protection to the cows. The cows are given under their protection, not that, "Because the cows are given under my protection, therefore I must open a slaughterhouse and kill them." Similarly . . . so children under the protection of father and mother . . . just like this child is sitting on the lap of . . . he is comfortable. But if the father thinks, "He is my under protection; therefore I shall cut throat . . ." Now it is going on. The abortion means that. The child is taken shelter of the mother's womb for protection, but now she . . . it is being killed. The time is so bad. You see?

So the idea is that subordinate does not mean he is in difficulty. No. Similarly, we are subordinate to God. That is a fact. Nobody can deny it. So remain under the protection of God. That is our natural state. That is our natural state. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). What is God? God . . . just like here is God, Kṛṣṇa. What is the difference? No difference. He has got two hands, you have got two hands. He has got two legs, you have got two legs. He has got head, you have got head. So from the bodily feature, "Man is made after God," there is no difference. But the difference is that He gives you protection, and you are protected. Therefore we are worshiping God. This is the difference. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān, nityo nityānām. This is the Vedic injunction. God is also nitya, eternal; we are also eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We do not die. This is our conditioned life. We are changing our body because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa; there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But we are manufacturing different consciousness. And as we are manufacturing different consciousness, we are being contaminated by the particular quality of nature. They do not know that.

How are we becoming contaminated? There are three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa—goodness, passion and ignorance. And we are, according to their association . . . just like here we can see, somebody cannot live without smoking. It is practical. But none of our devotees smoke. So it is possible. Because a devotee is associating with the devotees, therefore he is acquiring the quality by association, contamination. This is a fact. If you go to a contaminated, diseased person, you are infected. We should be very careful.

dadāti pratigṛhṇāti

guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca

bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva

ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam

(Upadeśāmṛta 4)

Intimate relation with somebody, so there is bhuṅkte bhojayate. When you become intimate to certain friend, he gives to eat, you something you eat, and you also give him something to eat, he eats. But if there are of different quality, then by eating, you contaminate . . . you are contaminated by his infection, and he is contaminated by infection. That is practical, medical science. Medical science. If you eat the remnants of foodstuff of a tuberculous patient, then you are attacked with tuberculosis. Or cholera patient, or . . . there are so many diseases.

Therefore eating is so important thing. And the germs, they come out from the mouth very easily. Very easily. Formerly there was politics, they were called viṣa-kanyā, "poison girl." The politicians used to keep. I do not know whether nowadays the politicians keep, but we find from Vedic literature, viṣa-kanyā. Viṣa-kanyā means a girl, from the childhood, is injected poison, little by little, little, little, little, little. So when she is grown up, she . . . whole body is poisonous. So the politician used to engage such girl to kill the . . . his opponent politician. Very nice, beautiful girl, and (s)he will go, and as soon as the kissing will be there, he will die. Just like poisonous. Yes, it is fact; it is not story. I read in medical journal. There was one . . . not medical journal, in logic class. It is called some "Typhoid Mary." "Typhoid Mary." A girl whose name was Mary, wherever she would go, all the people associating with her will be attacked with typhoid. Then the medical board examined her blood, that she is full of typhoid germs. So therefore wherever she goes, people become infected. These are medical facts.

So therefore association is so important. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ (BG 2.62). According to association we infect different qualities. That they do not know. But nature's law is so particular, as soon as you infect by association a particular type of quality, you have to suffer for that. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He was asked by one devotee, gṛhastha devotee, householder, "Sir, what is the duty of a gṛhastha devotee, Vaiṣṇava?" Devotee means Vaiṣṇava. So He immediately informed him, asat-saṅga-tyāga ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra (CC Madhya 22.87): "A Vaiṣṇava's behavior should be that he should give up the company of asat, nondevotee." That is his first business. He should give up the company of nondevotee. This is first business. Because he will be infected. Therefore we insist our students that, "Don't go out." Even you are discomfortable, you should tolerate, but you should not go out of the Society. Then you will surely fall down. Surely fall down.

So if there is inconvenience, little . . . that is advised in Bhagavad-gītā: mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). These, just like extreme cold or extreme heat, they are troublesome to the body, mātrā-sparśāḥ. On account of this material body we feel extreme cold, extreme heat. But Kṛṣṇa says: "They come and go." It is not that winter season will remain forever or the summer season also remain. They will come and go. If it is intolerable, please tolerate. Please tolerate. Then it will be all right. I have repeatedly said, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa (Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7). Why we have opened this Society? I could have initiated, and let him remain at his home. No. The Society required. So by association we become good or bad. If you associate with goodness, then you acquire goodness quality, and if you associate with bad, passionate, ignorant, then you get that quality. So according to that quality.

This Yadu-vaṁśa, they were Kṛṣṇa's descendants. Just like when a king comes, he comes with his associates. So when Kṛṣṇa appeared, He had to marry so many wives because it was a stage to show Kṛṣṇa's supreme authority, supremacy. So the demigods came down also from different planets to help Kṛṣṇa. So these demigods became Kṛṣṇa's family. Some of the woman denizens, they became Kṛṣṇa's wife, and some of them became their sons. In this way, a huge family of Kṛṣṇa, Yadu dynasty. One crore, very big family, 16,108 wives. Each wife had sons, ten sons, and each son had ten sons. In this way children, grandchildren, and the whole family, big dynasty, Yadu family. It is estimated 100,000 hundred times. So many. Now, Kṛṣṇa wanted to leave this planet. So what will happen there? If they remain . . . although Kṛṣṇa knew that they have come from different planets, but they knew that, "We are sons and grandsons and grandchildren of Kṛṣṇa." They were very much puffed up.

So what is the difference between a demon and devotee? A demon is puffed up. That's all. Falsely. That is demon. And a devotee is submissive, meek and mild. This is the difference. The demons will . . . we go, "My dear sir, we have got these books to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. So you kindly read this book. You will be benefited." "Ah, what is God? Who is God? I am God. Go away." This is demonism. And demigod or a devotee means, "Oh, here is a book, something about God, Kṛṣṇa. All right, let me read it." That is the difference. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ (BG 7.15) means they don't care for God. That is the disease. Although they are under the stringent laws of God, still, they don't care for God.

So this Yadu dynasty, Kṛṣṇa thought that, "In My absence they are powerful. Because they, to assist Me . . ." "To assist Me" means . . . He had two missions: paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). They have killed so many demons. Everywhere they came out victorious because Kṛṣṇa was there. Now, in the absence of Kṛṣṇa, they would be puffed up; therefore they would be turned again into demons, "Oh, I am belong to Kṛṣṇa's family." Just like in our country, Nityānanda-vaṁśa: "I belong to the Nityānanda Prabhu," exploiting people. The Muhammadans also, "I belong to the family of Muhammad, Hazrat Muhammad." Christ has no family; he did not marry; otherwise, some would have been very much puffed up, "I am family of Christ." So this material nature is such thing that as soon as you get little power, you become puffed up. That is demonic nature. That is demonic nature. So Kṛṣṇa wanted to take them with Him, because they came to help Kṛṣṇa, and after His departure, these demigods would turn into demons. That He did not like to see.

Therefore this Yadu dynasty was erased amongst themselves. Because there was no other person to kill the Yadu . . . and any one of the Yadu dynasty; therefore this fratricidal war was manufactured and they died. Yayāharad bhuvo bhāraṁ tāṁ tanuṁ vijahāv ajaḥ, kaṇṭakaṁ kaṇṭakena (SB 1.15.34). Kaṇṭakaṁ kaṇṭakena. Just like if you have got some thorn pricked in your leg, you take another thorn and get it out. This is the law of nature. One demon is killed by another demon. That is the keeping balance. There is war. We have experience. One demonic nation has grown up very strong, so immediately another demonic nation declares war, or he declares war—both of them are finished. This is going on.

(aside) So read the purport.

Pradyumna: "Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura suggests that the ṛṣis like Śaunaka and others who were hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from Sūta Gosvāmī at Naimiṣāraṇya were not happy to hear about the Yadus' dying in the madness of intoxication."

Prabhupāda: (aside) Don't move the leg, not . . . ah.

Pradyumna: "To give them relief from this mental agony, Sūta Gosvāmī assured them that the Lord caused the members of the Yadu dynasty to relinquish their bodies."

Prabhupāda: Yes, everyone will be sorry that, "How Kṛṣṇa's descendants could fight amongst themselves and die like this?" It was not very happy to think by other devotees. Therefore the explanation is given. Go on.

Pradyumna: ". . . by which they had to take away the burden of the world. The Lord and His eternal associates appeared on earth to help the administrative demigods in eradicating the burden of the world."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yadā yadā hi dharma . . . the beginning of Kṛṣṇa's appearance . . . you know that in the Kṛṣṇa book, how Kṛṣṇa appeared. There was an appeal by the earth, Mother Earth, that she is overburdened with demons, and it was unbearable for her what to do. So this petition was submitted to Viṣṇu by Brahmā, and Viṣṇu replied that, "Kṛṣṇa is coming, and He will do the needful." This was the beginning. So as soon as there is yadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ (BG 4.7), the planet becomes overburdened by the sinful demons, so they require to be moved and the burden lessened.

That was the function of Kṛṣṇa's coming. Whenever Kṛṣṇa comes in different incarnation, there is need. Glānir bhavati bhārata. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ. dharmasya glāniḥ means . . . we have explained several times. You have read in the Bhagavad-gītā. Glāniḥ means discrepancy. Discrepancy. And dharma means obedience to God. That is dharma. Religion means . . . religion does not mean anything else. You can manufacture so many formulas and theses. The real meaning is obedience to God. That is religion. Simple definition. If a man is obedient to God, it doesn't matter to which religion he belongs. He may be a Christian, he may be a Hindu, he may be Mussulman. It doesn't matter. Religion means . . . this is the . . . I have given. Religion means the laws of God.

There must be laws. God is the Supreme. As the state laws are there, now the so many affairs in the cosmic manifestation is going on, how they can think of that there is no law? There is law. The sun is rising exactly in time. The Pacific Ocean is exactly in its position. It is not coming even a few yards beyond the area. Such a huge water, it can overflood immediately the whole Los Angeles city in a second. But why it is not coming? You are sure. We are walking by the beach. We are sure that, "The water cannot come here." By whose order? By whose law? But these rascal, they cannot understand. They are saying: "Nature." They give the explanation, "Nature."

But nature is dull. Nature, material nature is dull. We do not find anything, material nature . . . just like this is a material thing, but it is being manipulated by a living being. This has . . . this iron or other metallic preparation, they have been turned into microphone by a living entity, not that the matter has come automatically and combined together and it has become microphone. Where is that instance? Nature, material nature, does not combine together. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). He is defining very nice. You read book. Kṛṣṇa says: "There are two kinds of nature: inferior nature and spiritual nature. The inferior nature is matter, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ (BG 7.4), and superior nature is the living entity." So why superior, living entity? Because the living entity can manipulate the material nature.

So matter, matter is manipulated by a living entity, and it has become useful—a microphone. A commonsense affair. So a living entity is not matter. He is superior nature. We should understand that. So everything . . . now this superior nature, living entity, he has got mind, intelligence. That is also material. But under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, the mind, intelligence, ego is working. And how it is working? As you wanted. He is giving simply permission. I want to . . . just like I want to manufacture something in chemical laboratory. My intense desire is how to make it successful. Then when Kṛṣṇa sees that you are so much, I mean, burst to do this, so Kṛṣṇa gives you intelligence that, "You do like this." Then He becomes a scientist, discoverer. He cannot do it independently. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). One man is committing mistake and one man is doing right. Why? Because within the heart there is Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is giving direction as he wanted.

Actually, Kṛṣṇa does not want you to do anything else except to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is Kṛṣṇa's desire. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is His desire. People say foolishly, "What is the desire of God?" And here is the desire of the . . . openly it is said that, "You give up all other occupation. Simply take to this occupation, how to become a devotee." Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. That is Kṛṣṇa's desire. But we shall not do that thing. We shall do everything except that thing. That is our promise. And therefore we are suffering. That is demoniac. That is demoniac. Āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ. Āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ, disobedience to Kṛṣṇa.

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ

(BG 7.15)

Āsuri bhāvam is there. So in order to save sometimes, āsuri bhāva, that is increasing the āsuri bhāva, so immediately there is death.

So this law is going on, nature's law. Nature is not independent. Nature is working under the direction of the Lord. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). So everything is under the law, under the order of God, but He is not under anyone's order, anyone's guidance or anyone's order. That is God. That is the difference. This morning we were discussing that if everything has got cause, then God has got also cause. Some of our . . . yes. But that is the difference, that if God also has got cause, then how He becomes God? He is one of us. God has no cause. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

(Bs. 5.1)

Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. He is cause of all causes, because He is anādi, means He has no cause. Ādi, He is the original cause. This is to be understood.

That is the difference between God and ourself. Eko bahūnām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). God is also two hand but the mūḍhas, "Because God has got two hand, therefore He is also like me." That is mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). "Because God comes as human being with two hands, two legs, one head, therefore He is one of the . . ." No. It is miscalculation. Just like in the hospital, there are so many patients lying down on the bed, and when the doctor comes, if the patient thinks, "Now he is also patient," how is that? He is not patient. He has come to treat patient. Similarly, God may come like us. Because otherwise he will not accept. He'll be something . . . God never incarnates with four-handed viṣṇu-mūrti. This will be something extraordinary. So He comes like exactly like us, but He is not one of us. That is God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

(aside) Go on reading.

Pradyumna: "He therefore called for some of the confidential demigods to appear in the Yadu family and serve Him in His great mission. After the mission was fulfilled, the demigods, by the will of the Lord, relinquished their corporeal bodies by fighting amongst themselves in the madness of intoxication. The demigods are accustomed to drinking soma-rasa beverage, and therefore the drinking of wine . . ."

Prabhupāda: Now, we can take one lesson that intoxication is so bad that it had a bad effect in the family of God, Yadu dynasty. And what to speak of others? Intoxication is so bad.

(aside) Go on.

Pradyumna: "Therefore the drinking of wine and intoxication are not unknown to them. Sometimes they were put into trouble for indulging in intoxication. Once the sons of Kuvera fell in the wrath of Nārada for being intoxicated, but afterwards they regained their original forms by the grace of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is goodness. One may be intoxicated. When he comes to his senses that, "This is not good," then he is godly. That is the difference. But the demon cannot understand that. They continue. Just like our devotees, they are all godly. Because they had some bad habits—it doesn't matter—but they have given up. That is difference between the demons and the devotee. A devotee understands what is what, and he does according to the direction of God. Therefore he is demigod. And the demons will never agree. That is the difference.

(aside) Yes?

Pradyumna: ". . . for the Supreme Lord, both the asuras and the demigods are equal."

Prabhupāda: Yes. All of them are sons. They, whether one is demon or demigod, both of them are sons of God. But what is the difference between them? Just like a father has got two sons or more sons. One son is very obedient to the father, and the other son is not. That is the difference here. God has not made anyone demon or demigod. For God, everyone is equal. Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ (BG 9.29). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā: "I am equal to everyone." Otherwise, how He is God? He is equal to everyone. But they are creating their own situation and becoming god or demon. So in the human form of life, advanced consciousness, instead of becoming demon we should become demigod. That is the fulfillment of human life. And if we remain demon, then this opportunity is missed. This human form of life is missed.

All right. Thank you.

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