740319 - Lecture SB 02.01.04 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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740319SB-VRNDAVAN - March 19, 1974 - 15:26 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (sings, with devotees joining in, Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka) (break)

śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

(Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 1)

nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau

lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

(Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 2)

dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv

ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api

teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanaṁ

paśyann api na paśyati

(SB 2.1.4)

Ātma-tattva, apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). This verse we have discussed. People are blind about the interest of the soul—actually, his own person. The soul is the chief within this body. Neither the mind, nor the body—they are simply covering. Just like we are covered by dress. Dress is not important. But I, the man who is putting on the dress, I am important. That we cannot see.

Everyone is busy to see the body. And the body, expansion of the body, is described here. Body, deha, then from the body there are children, apatya. And then, through the wife, body expands, strī. Strī means "Which expands." In this material world the point of attraction is strī and puruṣa, man and woman, male and female. There is an attraction, natural. So the man wants woman, woman wants man, because there is attraction. And when, by that attraction, the man and woman is united, then the result is the children. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitho hṛdaya-granthim āhuḥ (SB 5.5.8). Then the attraction for this material world increases. When one is alone, he's not so much attached with the material world. But as soon as he unites with the other party, then he gets children, and the attraction increases.

The real business is that we have to withdraw our attraction for this material . . . that they do not know. I am a spirit soul. Being attracted by this material nature, I am now encaged within this body, and I am changing this body. Just like I am changing this body from boyhood to childhood, childhood to . . . from childhood to boyhood, from youthhood. In this way, I have been entangled in this transmigration of the soul. This is my problem. Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, says: "The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." This is not problem. Nowadays they have discovered so many problems. But actual problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi—they are not very much serious. Therefore they have been described here as pramattaḥ, mad. He does not know what is the real problem, but he is very busy with the superficial problems. Therefore śāstra says that these people, blind, they do not know what is the problem. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). My real self-interest is to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is my real self-interest. They do not know. They want to live here, which is described as duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), simply a place of miserable condition and repetition of birth, death, old age and disease.

So, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2), those who are not very intelligent to see about the truth of ātma, they're entangled. How it is entangle? deha-apatya, this body and the offspring, children, born out of this body through the wife, dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣu (SB 2.1.4). Everyone is thinking that 'I have got my good wife. I have got very nice children. I have got my nice society, nation', and so on, so many. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu. And he's thinking that 'They are my soldiers, here is this fight, struggle for existence'. Everyone is struggling to exist, and everyone is thinking, 'They are my soldiers. These, my wife, children, society, friendship, nation, they'll give me protection'. But nobody can give protection. Therefore he's explained here as pramattaḥ, pāgala. Nobody can give you protection. Not only will (not) be able to give protection, but they will be also finished. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api, teṣāṁ pramatto nidhanam (SB 2.1.4). At any moment it can be finished. Paśyann api na pa . . . he's seeing that, "My father died. My father's father died. The uncle died." So they will also die. How he can . . . "I'll also die." So how, all we are dead bodies, how we can help one another? But because he's mad, he does not see. He's trying to maintain the status quo. That will not give him protection.

Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). Therefore it is called durāśayā. He's thinking that, "These things will give me protection." No, that is not possible. You cannot get rid of the four principles of material life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), by these soldiers. That is not possible. They will die, you will die, your . . . formerly, your father died, your father's father died. Everyone will die. This is called mṛtyu-loka. Everyone will die. But we are actually hankering after existing. We do not wish to die. That is our natural propensity, because we are eternal. "Oh, why shall I wish to die?" So the solution is not depending on these so-called soldiers, but the solution is different. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

mām upetya punar janma

duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam

nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ

saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ . . .

(BG 8.15)

If you some way or other can reach Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, then you'll be saved. Otherwise, mām upetya kaunteya. Then you'll not have to come to this material world again simply to suffer.

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy. This material world is called world of death. Every living being, beginning from the Brahmā . . . it is not that . . . Brahmā has got very long duration of life. We cannot even calculate Brahmā's one daytime. Forty-three lakhs of years multiplied by one thousand, that is twelve hours of Brahmā. So he will also die. Beginning from Brahmā, whose duration of life is some thousands of millions of years, down to the microbial germs, who live for a few seconds only, he's struggling for existence. Therefore this life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all. This is struggle. Everyone wants to live, but . . . he may live for some time—for few seconds, for few minutes, or for few years, or for few millions of years—but death will come. And our struggle is how to overcome death.

In the human form of life a living being is competent enough to come to an understanding of this great struggle for existence, but being too attracted to the family members, society, country, etc., he wants to win over the invincible material nature by the aid of bodily strength, children, wife, relatives, etc. Although he is sufficiently experienced in the matter by dint of past experience and previous examples of the diseased predecessors, he does not see that the countrymen are all fallible in the great struggle. One should examine the fact that the father or his father's father has already died, and therefore he himself is also sure to die. And similarly his children, who are the would-be fathers of their children, will also die in due course. No one will survive in the struggle with material nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).

So our real problem is how to revive our original, eternal life. That is struggle. The modern people, scientists, philosophers, they even do not know what is our original constitutional position, and . . . na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). I do not die, even after the destruction of this body. These things are unknown. And still, they are posing themselves as leader of the society. Therefore the śāstra says, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31): "One blind man is leading several other blind men." Te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ: they do not know that they are bound up by the laws of nature very tight, hands and legs. There is no question of freedom.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

So real life is to know what is the value of my life, how I have to attain the original position, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). And now I am getting this śarīra, or body, and I am being annihilated one after another. And I am getting one body annihilated, again getting another, next body. This great science is unknown to the modern civilization, and therefore they are considered as pramattaḥ, all madmen, hankering after some temporary happiness. Pramattaḥ. They are called pramattaḥ.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya . . . (break) (end)