740531 - Lecture SB 01.07.06 - Geneva

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

740531SB-GENEVA - May 31, 1974 - 31:09 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (chants jaya rādhā-mādhava) (prema-dhvani)

Nitāi: (leads chanting of verse, etc.) (devotees repeat)

anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād

bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje

lokasyājānato vidvāṁś

cakre sātvata-saṁhitām

(SB 1.7.6)

anartha—things which are superfluous; upaśamam—mitigation; sākṣāt—directly; bhakti-yogam—the linking process of devotional service; adhokṣaje—unto the Transcendence; lokasya—of the general mass of men; ajānataḥ—those who are unaware of; vidvān—the supremely learned; cakre—compiled; sātvata—in relation with the Supreme Truth; saṁhitām—Vedic literature.

(break)

Translation: "The material miseries of the living entity, which are superfluous to him, can be directly mitigated by the linking process of devotional service. But the mass of people do not know this. Therefore the learned Vyāsadeva compiled this Vedic literature, which is in relation to the Supreme Truth."

Prabhupāda: Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt. Anartha means . . . artha means which is essential, artha. So anartha means just the opposite. So our present material condition is that we have increased some unwanted things, anartha. Therefore we have been entangled. Just like yesterday I was speaking with that president. He was thinking the problem of economics. And what is the problem? There is no problem. Anywhere, any part of the world you live, you just have some land and some animals. Animals means cow. Other animals also you can keep. There is no harm. But cows must be there, animals. And you cannot destroy the cows. If you want to eat meat . . . that is the Indian system. Indian system, for meat-eaters, there is concession. Just like for sex life there is concession, similarly, for meat-eater also, there is concession. And for drunkards there is concession. Not impractical. Supposing one is drunkard, meat-eater, if I say all of a sudden, "Stop it," if he is not sober, he will not accept it. Just like in India there was prohibition. Gandhi, by his sentiment . . . there was no, I mean to say, education. He wanted to make all of a sudden stop. So there was illicit drinking. Illicit manufacture of wine increased so much that government saw that, "We are losing the excise duty. These people are distilling illicit liquor." So now government, to save money, now they are manufacturing, and inducing people, "All right, you go on drinking."

So unless we are sober, for stopping one kind of unwanted thing we have to introduce another. This is karma-kāṇḍa-vicāra. If you have to raise, erect, a very high skyscraper building, then for the materials you have to dig somewhere to make it a lake. You take it from there and put it here. This is karma. You cannot manufacture. Suppose this high skyscraper building you have constructed. The another place you have taken out something. The stock is the same, conservation of the energy. You cannot increase the stock. That is not possible.

So in this way we have been entangled. This is called anartha. Therefore that gentleman was . . . "If we take everyone . . ." That is not possible. Everyone is not going to take Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is not possible. But he was thinking like that, that "If we . . ." Sometimes they put this argument, that "If everyone becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, who will look after this business, that business?" That will be looked after. Don't bother. The śūdra class, they will take care. The brāhmaṇa class, they will take advantage, and the śūdra class, they will work hard. Just like we are taking advantage of this microphone for Kṛṣṇa, but we are not going to manufacture this. That is not our business. Let the śūdras do it. Śūdras will be there. They will do it. This is called ajagara-vṛtti. Ajagara-vṛtti means that the mouse, they make a hole in the field for his living comfortably. You know? You have seen the holes in the field? And the ajagara, the big snake, they take advantage of these holes. They enter into it and eat the mouse and live comfortably. So the mouse makes the comfortable place for the snake. The snake business is to enter and live comfortably. So our business is like that. You śūdras, you make all the advantages, and we take simply, go there. (laughter) (laughs) That's all. That is our business. You construct house, nice house, and we enter. That's all. That George Harrison paid for that house. We enter, that's all. We do not care for this fifty-five lakhs, how to earn. No. That is Kṛṣṇa's policy. Let the less intelligent class of men work hard and the higher intelligent class of men take advantage of it. That's all.

So . . . but after all, it is anartha. To increase too much of these necessities of life, that is anartha. That is not required. So we have now increased the so many unwanted things, and we have been entangled. So . . . but Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that to minimize this anartha, one has to take to bhakti-yoga. Anartha. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt. Just like the other man came yesterday. They have created the anartha, hippie problem and drugs, intoxication problem. Now they want to subside it. They have come to our center for give some advice. But our advice is the same: anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam. Begin chanting.

(aside) What did he say? Did he accept our formula or not?

Yogeśvara: He was reluctant.

Prabhupāda: Just see. He will not accept. He will come to consult you, but if you say something which is already formulated by him, then they will accept. That means you have to say his formula, yes, then he will accept. He has already some formula, and if you say: "Yes, it is good," then you are a very good man. And if you say something else, then I reluctant. You see? This is going on. Actually, it is said in the śāstra.

So for all these anarthas, the only means is bhakti-yoga. Śravaṇam. Bhakti-yoga means śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Let everyone, all over the world, give chance to the people of this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. All the problems of the world will be solved. That's a fact. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣāt. Directly you'll have. And you can realize from your own life how many . . . how much anarthas were accompanying with you. Now they are all subsided. Sākṣāt. What is the means? This chanting. Now you enjoyed chanting, dancing. But people will not take to it. This is the only means. Because you have been attracted by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and dancing, you are no more interested. This morning time, in every house, you can go: either they are sleeping or they are drinking bed tea, or without washing mouth, and all the germs are going within the tea, and they are being infected within the intestines, and they are getting so many diseases. But they will not understand. But here . . . and the bhakti-yogam, everyone rises early in the morning and then washes himself, takes bath, becomes cleansed, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, read book. This is bhakti-yoga. Automatically everything will be . . . hygienic principle, health question, economic question, and social, political—everything will be solved. It is not joking. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje.

Why the anartha is created? How? That is explained in the previous verse.

yayā sammohito jīva

ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam

paro 'pi manute anarthaṁ

tat-kṛtaṁ cābhipadyate

(SB 1.7.5)

Vyāsadeva, under the instruction . . . (break) Everything is possible simply by bhakti-yoga. So bhakti-yogena, by the means of bhakti-yoga, his mind was cleansed. Bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite amale (SB 1.7.4). The mind became completely cleansed. The whole trouble is our mind, our consciousness, unclean. So Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us the saṅkīrtana movement for cleansing the heart, the consciousness, the mind.

So Vyāsadeva, under the instruction of his spiritual master, Nārada, he meditated in bhakti-yoga, and he saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. Pūrṇam means complete. So we are also puruṣa, living entities. Puruṣa means enjoyer. So we are trying to enjoy, but we are incomplete, not complete. We have got so much desire to enjoy, but we cannot, because we are incomplete. There are . . . that song sung by Vidyāpati, that tātala saikate vāri-bindu-sama (Śrīla Vidyāpati Ṭhākura). Tātala saikate. In hot sand beach you require so much water. But if somebody says: "Yes, I will supply water." "Give me some water." "No, one drop." So that will not satisfy me. So we have got so many desires. That cannot be fulfilled by so-called material advancement of life. It is not possible.

So Vyāsadeva saw the pūrṇaṁ puruṣam. Pūrṇaṁ puruṣaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. And he saw māyā also, but māyā is not conquering over him. Because Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇam, māyā cannot conquer. In full light there cannot be darkness. Any amount of darkness you put before the sunshine, there is no possibility . . . it cannot stand. Within the sun globe, within the orbit of the sun, any amount of . . . because the sun globe is so big and the orbit is so big that the whole universal darkness you bring there, there will be no darkness. Just imagine. It is not imagine, it is fact. The universal darkness, all the darkness of the universe, you bring before the sun, it will not effect. It cannot effect. Because the sun is full light. It is not that imitation light. Here we have got this imitation light. The big amount of cloud is there. Immediately it will be dark. But sunlight is full light. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa-puruṣam. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they think that when Kṛṣṇa comes, He reduces His energy; therefore He also becomes covered by māyā. This is called Māyāvāda. Māyāvāda means the māyā has covered everything, so māyā has covered Kṛṣṇa also. This is Māyāvāda philosophy. "Because māyā has covered me, you and everyone, therefore māyā has covered Kṛṣṇa. Unless Kṛṣṇa, or the Absolute Truth, Brahman, becomes covered by māyā, He cannot take a form." This is Māyāvādī philosophy. As we have taken form, because the prakṛti, material nature, has helped us to take this form, similarly, their philosophy is, even the Absolute Truth, Brahman, He incarnates, He accepts a body of this material nature.

But that is not the fact. Kṛṣṇa said, sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6): "I am not external energy. I come in My own energy." And the Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not understand. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Therefore they have been described as mūḍhāḥ, asses, fools, rascal. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11): "Because I have come here in the form of a human being, they take it for acceptance that 'Kṛṣṇa is another human being.' " But that is not fact. Here, if one sees Kṛṣṇa through bhakti-yoga as Vyāsadeva saw, bhakti-yogena manasi . . . (SB 1.7.4). Mind must be saturated with bhakti-yoga. Then you can see the Supreme Person pūrṇam, not affected by māyā. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam. And so far māyā is concerned, although māyā is very influential, that's all right . . . apāśrayam: standing at the background, cannot come in front. Just like the same example, the darkness cannot come in front of . . . you stand before, facing your mouth towards the sun, the darkness will be the background, not in front. Similarly, the darkness, māyā, cannot stand before Kṛṣṇa. She is always behind. Māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam.

Now, this māyā, this māyā cannot cover Kṛṣṇa, but we become covered. Therefore in the next verse it is said, yayā sammohito jīvaḥ. That māyā which is so influential that she has extended her influence over all the living entities . . . yayā sammohitaḥ, bewildered. We living entities, we are bewildered. So especially those who have not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are bewildered. They are thinking this material world is everything. And therefore they have got some problem, simply problem. He was thinking, that gentleman was thinking, "How this economic problem . . .?" Because he is in māyā. But had he been in bhakti-yoga, then he could understand there is no problem at all. There is no problem. It is simply māyā. It is simply illusion. There is no problem. All problems are solved. You can practically see. We have got a hundred branches; we have no problem, because Kṛṣṇa is there. So our traveling, each time lakhs of rupees I am traveling. But one man cannot see once in life London or New York from India. I see four times in a year. So I have no problem—because Kṛṣṇa is there. We are spending lakhs and lakhs of rupees, but wherefrom the money is coming? Kṛṣṇa is sending. We have no problem. Now we have spent in Bombay eighteen, twenty lakhs of rupees. People are surprised. It is fifty lakhs worth property. People are surprised; some of them are very envious. And if you come, you will find it is very, very fine place. It is just like a paradise garden. Twenty thousand square yards. And we have got six buildings.

So actually, when we come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no problem. Problem is created. So long we are bewildered by māyā, there is problem. Otherwise, there is no problem. Therefore it is said, yayā sammohito jīvaḥ. The jīva, or the living entities, are covered by this material encagement. He is called jīva, jīva-bhūta. Otherwise brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Otherwise Brahman. So long he is covered by this māyā, he is called jīva. Sammohito jīvaḥ. But when he is not sammohita, he is not bewildered, he is Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So being bewildered by the māyā, sammohito jīvaḥ, what is his position now? Yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam (SB 1.7.5). Ātmānam, the soul, spirit soul, on account of his being bewildered, he is thinking that, "I am depending on this material nature." Tri-guṇātmakam. "I am depending on these three material qualities, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa." Therefore, one who is strictly following the principle, bhakti-yoga principle, he is not touched by the tri-guṇa. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). Immediately he is in his original position, brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati (BG 18.54). This is the science. And so long one is captured by māyā, covered by māyā, his position is sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. He is thinking that, "I am something of this material nature," tri-guṇātmakam. Paro 'pi, although he is transcendental, he is spirit soul, paro 'pi manute anartham, he is thinking so many problems. Anartham. He is thinking of so many problems. Just like the gentleman came to consult, as soon we proposed that "This is the medicine," he will not take it. He . . . then it can be mitigated otherwise. "They are simply trying to introduce their philosophy." He thought like that.

But that is not the fact. That is explained in the next verse. Yes. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. If you want to get out of the problems, then take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything will be adjusted. This is the fact. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje loka . . . these rascals, they do not know. These rascals, mūḍha. Non–Kṛṣṇa conscious men, they have been described as mūḍhāḥ. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Lowest of the mankind. They will not surrender to Kṛṣṇa on account of their mischievous and sinful life and being fool number one, duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ, and being the lowest of the mankind. And mankind means, lowest of the man . . . in human form of body one can understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa con . . . but he will not take to this. Therefore he is called narādhama, lowest of the mankind. In the human form of body, there is a chance, but they will not take it. Therefore nar . . . why they do not take it? There are so many M.A., Ph.D., D.H.C. and doctors and Nobel Prize holder. Why they do not? Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. That māyā has taken away his knowledge. He will not allow. He will not allow. Māyā will not allow to take.

Therefore Bhāgavata says, naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ (SB 7.5.32). Apagama. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim. They . . . to get out of this māyā's problem, one has to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). It is easy process. If you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, immediately you get out of all these problems. So that is not being taken. It is declared, but people have not taken. Therefore Bhāgavata says that why they have not taken? Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim. They are not accepting this proposal of Kṛṣṇa, that "You surrender." Anartha. Immediately anartha will be vanquished, but they will not take it. How? Why not? Now, they have to surrender to His devotee. Niṣkiñcanānāṁ . . . niṣkiñcanānāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam. Mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat (SB 7.5.32). They cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness unless they bow down to the dust of His devotee, to the dust of the lotus feet of . . . mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam. Pāda-rajaḥ. Pāda-rajaḥ means the dust at the lotus feet of mahīyasām, the exalted devotee, niṣkiñcanānām, who has nothing to do with the material world. Niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat. So long one does not take the dust of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa's devotee, he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Therefore it is the duty of the devotees to go from place to place and just give the chance to the people to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then their all problems will be solved.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Haribol. Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)