731227 - Lecture SB 01.15.50 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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731227SB-LOS ANGELES - December 27, 1973 - 39:48 Minutes

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

draupadī ca tadājñāya

patīnām anapekṣatām

vāsudeve bhagavati

hy ekānta-matir āpa tam

(SB 1.15.50)

(break)

Prabhupāda: All right.

Pradyumna: draupadī—Draupadī (the wife of the Pāṇḍavas); ca—and; tadā—at that time; ājñāya—knowing Lord Kṛṣṇa fully well; patīnām—of the husbands; anapekṣatām—who did not care for her; vāsudeve—unto Lord Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa); bhagavati—the Personality of Godhead; hi—exactly; eka-anta—absolutely; matiḥ—concentration; āpa—got; tam—Him (the Lord).

Translation: "Draupadī also saw that her husbands, without caring for her, were leaving home. She knew well about Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. Both she and Subhadrā became absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa and attained the same results as their husbands."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So, draupadī-patīnām. Patīnām is plural number. So she had five husbands, all the brothers. We should not imitate that. This is possible by Draupadī, not by others. So although she had five husbands, the Pāṇḍavas—Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva—but at the time of retirement, they did not care what will happen to their wife. The same husbands, when they saw that their wife was insulted in the assembly of the Kurus . . . Draupadī was insulted because they lost Draupadī in gambling.

Just see. Gambling is so dangerous. The bet was the wife. The Pāṇḍavas and the Kurus were playing on chess, and they lost their kingdom, they lost their wife, then they were ordered to be banished for twelve years and one year incognito. The condition was, "Now the betting is that if you lose the game, then you will be banished for twelve years in the forest. And one year you have to remain incognito. Nobody will know where you are. If you are," I mean to say: "Picked up, if somebody knows you, recognizes you, 'Here are the Pāṇḍavas,' then again twelve year." This is the previous condition of the Battle of Kurukṣetra. The whole idea was to reject the five Pāṇḍavas and enthrone Duryodhana and his brothers. That was the diplomacy.

So when they were living incognito—nobody could know where the Pāṇḍavas were at—they attempted to gain Draupadī in the dress of brāhmaṇas. Draupadī's father made a bet that, "This is the condition of my daughter being given to a boy." The condition was that on the ceiling a fish was hanging, and the boy who will be victorious in piercing the eyes of the fish by arrow . . . not directly looking, but there was a waterpot, the reflection; he has to fix up his point by seeing the reflection down, and then he has to pierce the eye. Then Draupadī will accept.

All the noted princes in those times, they kept such bet. Even Kṛṣṇa had to marry Satyabhāmā . . . Satyabhāmā's father also made a bet that . . . he kept five very strong bulls. So condition was that, "Any boy who will be able to control these bulls, then I will offer my daughter to him." So all the princes who came to control the bulls, they got their hands and legs fractured by the pushing of the bull. Nobody could . . . then Kṛṣṇa came. And Kṛṣṇa controlled the five bulls, expanding Himself into five strong boy, and He was offered Satyavādi.

So in kṣatriya marriage it was not so easy. The boy had to show how much powerful he is. Then the girl will be offered. Not only that; there will be killing. The opposite party may be killed. When there is fight, there is killing. And by killing, the blood is smeared over here (gestures). That is the red sign. That is the red sign, now used with vermillion. Not by killing. Yes, it has become . . . it is made easier. (laughter) Formerly the red sign was not so easy. There must be blood. That is kṣatriya. Kṣatriya means the fighting race, fighting caste, king, royal. They must be very chivalrous fighting, not timid. A kṣatriya cannot be timid. Brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, śūdras, they are trained differently. Brāhmaṇa—for understanding Vedic knowledge and guide the other three subdivisions, namely kṣatriyas, vaiśyas, not śūdras. Śūdras were not supposed to understand Vedic knowledge. Especially brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas.

So the kṣatriyas were very chivalrous. In every action there is fight. And this gambling was allowed for the kṣatriyas. If the opposite party challenges, "I want to play with you gambling," "Yes." The kṣatriya cannot deny. If somebody, opposite party, comes, "I want to fight with you," "Yes, come on." Just like Jarāsandha. Jarāsandha was requested by Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna and Bhīma that, "We have come to you to fight with you. Any one of us you can select, and that is our request." Jarāsandha, he immediately accepted, "Yes." So he rejected Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. He said: "Kṛṣṇa is a coward. I do not wish to fight. And Arjuna, Arjuna is less strong than me, so I don't wish to fight with him. Now, the only combatant is Bhīma. So I shall fight with him." So during daytime they would fight, all day. And after daytime they are friends. All these three gentlemen, Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna and Bhīma, were guest of Jarāsandha. From evening, they will eat together, talk together, laugh together, and then in the morning they will fight. This is kṣatriya spirit.

So this Draupadī was achieved by Arjuna by piercing the eye of the fish. So when they came home in great jubilation, Arjuna said, "Mother . . ." no, Yudhiṣṭhira said: "Mother, we have got a great boon today." So mother was affectionate. She said: "All right, my dear boys. Just equally share amongst your brothers." So she was only woman. So by the order of Kuntī, although Arjuna achieved the hand of Draupadī, by the order of mother she was divided amongst the five brothers. Therefore patīnām. Patīnām. And when she was insulted . . . because she was lost in the gambling. Bet was that, "This time if you lose, then your Draupadī should be lost." So she was lost in that way.

So Karṇa was refused to take part in the sporting, piercing the eyes of the fish, because Draupadī actually knew that, "Arjuna is my real husband. So if Karṇa takes part in this sporting . . ." Karṇa was powerful. He would gain. But she did not like Karṇa. Therefore at that time she said that, "This sporting is meant for the kṣatriyas, not for the śūdras." Karṇa was known at that time as śūdra. You will find all these stories in the Mahābhārata. Karṇa was also Yudhiṣṭhira's brother, born of Kuntī before her marriage. So Kuntī did not disclose that Karṇa was her son, but she (he) was raised by a śūdra. People know that he was a śūdra. So Karṇa had a grudge against Draupadī. Therefore he planned to place her in the gambling game. And when the Pāṇḍavas were lost, now he wanted to retaliate the insult given by Draupadī during her svayaṁvara. So he advised—he was friendly to Duryodhana and brothers—"Now this lady is lost. Now we can deal with her as we like. She is our property." So she was lost. "So I want to see her naked in this assembly." So vastra-haraṇa, you know. But Kṛṣṇa saved her. So Draupadī knows very well Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is said, tadājñāya draupadī ca.

And another side is that when . . . at the time of retirement, there is no more responsibility. Here it is said, patīnām anapekṣatām. They are retiring from home without any consideration, "What will happen to our wife, Draupadī?" No. "Now everyone should take care of himself. We are also going alone." This is retirement. Anapekṣatām: without waiting for anyone; alone, simply depending on Kṛṣṇa. This is called renounced order of life. So this is the process of renouncement, not that to make arrangement in the family that, "I am now retiring. You send me some money, and I shall maintain myself." No. No dependence. Simply dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is said, ekānta-matir āpa. Ekānta.

Actually, Kṛṣṇa saves us. Why we should depend on others? Kṛṣṇa saves. Kṛṣṇa says that, "Anyone who is completely dependent upon Me," yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22), "I personally bring whatever his necessity is." That is the promise of Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā. So renounced order means no more dependence on father, mother, husband, or . . . no. Completely dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Ekānta. That is perfection. One who is fully convinced that "Kṛṣṇa is with me . . ." Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61)—"I will not have to search out Kṛṣṇa anywhere. He is within me, within my heart." There are many instances.

So cirāṇi kiṁ na pathi santi diśanti bhikṣām (SB 2.2.5). Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he was wandering all over the world alone, naked, even no cloth. Simply while walking on the street early in the morning, he would stand anywhere. Because in those days, every house, they had cows, and the time for milking is early in the morning. We are also milking cows in London, in our Letchmore Heath, early in the morning. That is the time. Here also the same system?

Devotee: Oh, yes.

Prabhupāda: So any house he would stand before, and those who were milking, they would give him a glass of milk. That's all—finished, for the whole day. That was Śukadeva Gosvāmī's practice. So in this way one has to depend . . . in the renounced order of life, one has to depend completely on God. That's all. That is renounced order.

So here all the five husbands, how much responsible they were. Because their one wife was insulted, they declared the war, Battle of Kurukṣetra, and killed the whole family. Similarly, Lord Rāmacandra, His wife was kidnapped, Sītā, by Rāvaṇa. So Lord Rāmacandra is God. He could create many millions of Sītās. But no. For that one Sītā, war was declared against Rāvaṇa, and the whole family dynasty with kingdom, everything was finished. So this is the duty of the husband, that . . . not like the modern days' husband: marries for three months; on the sixth month, they were no more husband. Not like that. Husband means one who takes charge of the girl for life, and wife means the girl who has the resolution to serve the husband throughout life. That is husband and wife. And when the wife is in danger, the husband's duty is to give protection, at any cost. That is husband-wife relationship.

But when one is going to retire, that is another thing. Because life is divided into four parts: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. So woman has got three positions. They require protection. Women is never allowed to become in renounced order of life. No. They are supposed to be under the care of somebody. So early age under the care of father, young age under the care of husband, and old age under the care of grown-up children, sons. This is woman's position. They remain always under the care of. So Draupadī was being taken care of, their husbands, but when the husbands were going for renounced order of life, anapekṣatām, without caring, she could understand, "Now I will be uncared for. No more . . . my husbands are no more in duty bound to give me protection." She could understand. Tadājñāya. She could understand.

And there is no such obligation. That is the sanction of the śāstra.

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ

nāyam ṛṇī na kiṅkaro rājan

sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ

gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

(SB 11.5.41)

We have got so many duties. So long we are not fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa . . . it is not that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give shelter to some irresponsible man who does not carry the responsibilities of family life or brahmacārī life. But that is now forgotten. Everything is topsy-turvy. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that kṛṣṇa-bhakti, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, may be offered even to the caṇḍāla. Caṇḍāla means the lowest of the human society, the dog-eaters. A caṇḍāla. This is the, mean, benefit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can be accepted by anyone, and it can be bestowed to anyone, without any discrimination. Without any discrimination. And that is happening. We have no discrimination that, "This movement is meant for such-and-such class of men or such-and-such nation or such-and-such country." No. It is meant for everyone. And anyone who takes to the shelter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is happy.

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means—that is also explained here—ekānta-matir āpa: simply to concentrate one's mind on Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeve bhagavati, hy ekānta-matir āpa tam.

vāsudeve bhagavati

bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ

janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ

jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam

(SB 1.2.7)

This is the benefit of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Vāsudeve bhagavati. Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ. One who takes the shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa by bhakti-yoga process . . . vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, when applied, janayaty āśu vairāgyam. Because in the human form of life, two things are required. That is perfection: jñānaṁ vairāgyam. Jñānam means knowledge, and vairāgyam means detachment. When one has full knowledge, then he becomes detached to this material world. We are suffering in this material world because we have got attachment. And the attachment is, by nature's law, man's attachment for woman, woman's attachment for man. This is attachment. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8). The central point is sex, and that is the attachment. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. The whole world, this material world, is moving. What is the central point? Sex attachment. So one has to become free from this attachment. That is called vairāgya. Vairāgya.

So if one can give up this attachment from very beginning of life, that is brahmacārī. A brahmacārī is trained that, "Don't be attached. You will save so much time and save your life." That is brahmacārī life. Because this attachment is the continuation of our material life. We have got different attachment, different varieties of attachment. The central point is sex. Therefore school, college means that to train the students how to become detached. That is the school, college. That is brahmacārī system.

A brahmacārī should live under the guidance of the spiritual master as menial servant, and whatever he collects, he would give to the spiritual master. If the spiritual master says, "Now you can eat," then he will eat, otherwise he will starve. He will not take the things of spiritual master by his own hand. No. First of all . . . his is the austerity of brahmacārī. And no meeting with young girls. Even the wife of the spiritual master is young, the brahmacārī is not allowed to go there. There are so many. These are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa.

But these things are not now possible. Everything is now topsy-turvy. There is no regular training of the human being. They are being trained up like cats' and dogs' life. Cats and dogs, they don't require training. Because what is the modern civilization? Eating, sleeping, sex life and dying. It does not require any education. Just like these children. When I distribute these cookies, it does not require . . . immediately spreads the hand and immediately in the mouth. (laughter) So for eating, (laughs) there is no necessity of training. Everyone knows. Similarly, sleeping also, everyone knows. And similarly, sex intercourse everyone knows. And dying, there is no question. (laughter) So where is the education?

Where is the necessity of education for these things? Rascals. You are enhancing advancement of knowledge how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life and how to die. Where is the necessity of education for these things? There is no necessity. Anyone—animals, man, bird, beast, insect—they know all these things. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca. It does not require any education. If there is education for this purpose, that is for restraining. Just like in human society, there is education for sex life, marriage. What is that marriage? Marriage means restricting sex life to one. That is education. If you are not restricted in that way, then you are animal. That is education. But . . . because sex life does not require any college education, but if there is education in sex life—not to increase the propensity of sex life, but to reduce it. To reduce it.

So these four things, primary necessities of the living entity, eating, sleeping, mating, it does not require any education. If there is education . . . people may say: "Why there is description how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex life?" It is for decreasing. Just like . . . in your country it is different. At least in our country it was. Just like drinking. Drinking, you can manufacture wine, liquor at home. Anyone can do it. It is not very difficult. In India, the lower class of men, the santals, so they make . . . they simply moist some rice overnight and boil it, and then ferment it for few days. Then it becomes nice wine. So it is not very difficult. Everyone can manufacture. But why the government restricts, "You cannot manufacture at home. You must purchase from the licensed shop"? The meaning is to restrict. Otherwise everyone will do that.

So when there is śāstra sanctioning for this eating, sleeping, mating, that means to restrict. Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttes tu mahā-phalām (Manu-saṁhitā 5.56). This inclination is natural, but when there is regulative principle, that means to restrict. Because the whole human society is supposed to be advanced in the art of detachment, jñāna-vairāgyam. That is perfection. First of all knowledge, perfect knowledge that, "I am not this body. I am simply wasting my time taking care of this body, but I am different from the body." That is natural. Suppose you are sitting in some place. If you know that place does not belong to you, then why should you take so much care? You are sitting there for some business. Finish, and go. Similarly, if one is in knowledge, full knowledge that, "I am not this body," that is called jñāna. Then why he should be bothering so much for this body, which is going to be, as I explained yesterday, either ash or stool or earth? This is the last stage of this body.

So the real thing is the soul. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). So we should take care. Just like we can take care of the shirt and coat by soaping it, but we must take care of myself, the body which is putting on the shirt and coat. Similarly, this material body is shirt and coat. Real is the spirit soul. So what is the necessity of the spirit soul? The necessity of spirit soul, because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, he is hankering to unite with Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious . . . the soul is hankering after uniting with the supreme soul. That is natural. You study your body.

Why do you love your body? Or why do you love your son's body? So long the spirit soul is there. As soon as the spirit soul is off, you do not care for the son's body or daughter's body or your wife's body. Then who is the lovable object? The soul. It is very natural to understand. Why don't you love a dead body? Because the soul is not there. Then soul is the object of your love, not this body. And why you take care of the soul? Because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate object of love. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But they do not know.

So these Pāṇḍavas were trained up very nicely. Therefore vāsudeve bhagavati hy ekānta-matir āpa tam. They knew that, "Ultimately, Kṛṣṇa is everything." Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19): "Anyone who understands that ultimately Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, is everything," sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ, "such person is very rare, mahātmā, great soul." So all these Pāṇḍavas were great soul, and they ultimately . . . retirement means no more material activities.

We are active on the platform of this bodily consciousness. That is also required for some time; not for all the time. The aim is to work for the soul. But because now we are covered by this material body, so we have to utilize the best use of a bad bargain. It is a bad bargain that we have got this material body. But because . . . just like you take care of your car because you, the spirit soul, will utilize it for going here and there. Without a man being interested going by the car, nobody takes care. Similarly, this is also a car given by nature.

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati

bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni

yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

(BG 18.61)

This is a yantra, machine.

So in this way we have to understand the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then everyone will be happy, not only in this life, next life also. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much.

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