740605 - Morning Walk - Geneva

Morning Walks by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

740605MW-GENEVA - June 05, 1974 - 28:04 Minutes

Prabhupāda: As soon as . . . just like dog, he does not know that he is controlled by the master, tch tch tch tch, chain. He does not know. He is thinking, "I am now free. Rau! Rau! Rau! Rau! Rau!" This is the position, no difference between the dog and so-called big, big men. If the dog thinks that he is free and he can jump over anywhere freely, is it possible? No. Fully controlled under the master. He has accepted this control.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Especially in the Western countries, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the people do not like to think that they are controlled or that they are . . .

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are rascals. He is controlled in every step, and he is thinking . . . therefore rascals. In spite of this big, big house, nice road and good car, they are rascals. But he thinks falsely. He thinks that he is independent; he will not undercons . . . he will not die? Then why does he think like that, like a foolish man? As soon as māyā kicks on his face, he will die. That's all. Immediately. "I have got some business, sir." "No, no, you must die immediately." And still, he thinks that he is not controlled. What is this nonsense?

(aside) We shall go that side? That is knowledge that, "In spite of my all so-called advancement of civilization, I am controlled." That is knowledge. That is the beginning of knowledge. Then he should think how to get out of it. That is intelligence. And if, like cats and dogs, he thinks that "I am not controlled," then he is no better than cats and dogs. That is explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni (BG 3.27). By prakṛti, by nature, he is pulled by the ears, "Come here!" "Yes, sir." "Come there!" "Yes, sir." And he is thinking not controlled. As soon as he eats little more than his require, "You must starve three days." And he is not controlled. Just see how much foolishness. And they are getting Nobel Prize. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ (SB 2.3.19).

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No one has ever gotten a Nobel Prize for saying: "Yes, we are all controlled."

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No one has ever gotten a Nobel Prize for saying: "That we are all controlled."

Prabhupāda: Because the man who is awarding him Nobel Prize, he is also a rascal, (laughs) and he is also rascal. The society of rascals, that's all. My Guru Mahārāja used to say, therefore, "This is a society of cheaters and cheated." That's all. Somebody is cheater, and somebody is cheated. And they have made a civilization of cheaters and cheated. That's all. They have got good sense. They have . . . just try to utilize it. Just like last night that gentleman, "In my opinion . . ." He never thinks that what he is, what is the value of his opinion. But he thinks, "In my opinion . . ." And what is this nonsense? What is your opinion? That he admits "No, no, I have no objection." That is progress, that he admitted his fault. What is the value of your opinion? I said, "We have no opinion. We take the opinion of Kṛṣṇa, that's all." We have no opinion.

Guru-gaurāṅga: You caught him in the end, though, when you said: "If Kṛṣṇa is man, then this is no value." And then he said, "How do you know Kṛṣṇa really spoke this? How do you know this is really Kṛṣṇa?" So actually, he just did not accept Kṛṣṇa from the beginning.

Prabhupāda: No. He thinks that "Kṛṣṇa is a bigger philosopher, that's all. And I am also philosopher. So He has got His opinion, I have got my opinion. That's all." They think like that. That is described, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11): "These rascals thinks Me as one of him, one like him, just see." Mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Therefore Dr. Radhakrishnan and other rascals like him, they think, "Why Kṛṣṇa shall say, 'Surrender unto Me?' " This is sophistry. What is the meaning of sophistry?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Half-wise and half-foolish.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Sophist is half-wise and half-foolish

Prabhupāda: Yes. He thinks that, "I am as good philosopher as Kṛṣṇa. Why shall I surrender to Kṛṣṇa? I have got my own opinion." He thinks like that. And that rascal is writing commentary on Bhagavad-gītā. And it is selling also. Therefore we presented Bhagavad-gītā as it is, not a rascalism.

Yogeśvara: People buy his book because he is the former president of India. They think he's authority.

Prabhupāda: That's all. He does not know that he is a fool number one, fully under the con . . . now his position . . . I saw him in Madras.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Paralyzed, paralyzed.

Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be, you cannot recognize. And he gives his opinion. Just see. Nobody thinks that "If I am not controlled, I do not wish to die, why there is death? I do not wish to become old. Why there is old age?" A common sense. "I do not wish to be diseased. Why there is disease?" And still, I am thinking that "I am not controlled." That means no brain even, common sense. (japa) Piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya (Prema-vivarta). Just like ghostly-haunted, madman. He stands on the st . . . "I am the king." He stands on the street. It is like that. He does not know, "At any moment I will be knocked by any car and I shall die." But he thinks like, "I am the king." Madman. They are all madmen.

Yogeśvara: I remember when I was living downtown eastside New York, there was one drunkard who was standing on the street directing traffic, trying to stop the cars.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They do that. We have seen that. He thinks, "I am the controller. A mad man. He must do . . ." (laughter)

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Everyone who has read your Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīla Prabhupāda, after having read so many Bhagavad-gītās, everyone has said that "At last Bhagavad-gītā is very clear and simple to me. I have not understood before."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Because all these so-called Bhagavad-gītā commentaries written by rascals, that's all. They are all rascals. They cannot understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. The Macmillan Company's trade manager has admitted that while others' Bhagavad-gītā is selling less, this is increasing. (pause)

Yogeśvara: So I prepared one argument this morning.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Yogeśvara: There's a theory of the psychologists that—in some ways it's similar to our idea—that people are conditioned, that according to their environment, according to their upbringing, according to their parentage and so on, they have a kind of way of acting and thinking. So their argument is that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is just another kind of conditioning, that you leave one kind of conditioning, a material conditioning, but then you also enter into another kind of conditioning when you live in the temple.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is conditioning, certainly. The position is that you must be under certain condition. That is your position. So if you become conditioned by God, that is your perfection. And if you become conditioned by māyā, that is your trouble. You must be conditioned. That is your position. You cannot be independent. And therefore, if you become naturally conditioned, then that is your happy life. Like a child, he must be conditioned. But when he is conditioned by his parents, that is his perfection of life. Your position is that you must be conditioned. Why you are thinking to be independent? That is your rascaldom. You should always know that, "I must be conditioned. That is my life." Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Condition. Still conditioned, but daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, under the spiritual nature. That is mahātmā. Mahātmā is not independent. He is also conditioned.

So first of all, we must understand that our natural position is to be conditioned. Now, why, where I shall be conditioned? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). "You condition here. You become conditioned by Me. Then you will be happy." Those who are thinking that "We shall not be conditioned," they are still in māyā. You cannot be without condition.

nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām

eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān

(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)

So that one God is supplying the necessities of life. That is His condition. Suppose you are giving me all necessities of life. Then it is . . . the best part of my valor is to live under your control. That's all. I cannot be independent. It is not possible. That is the wrong philosophy, that these rascals are thinking of complete independence. That means they are becoming more and more conditioned by this material external energy.

Yogeśvara: Their program is that if a child's problems comes from the wrong kind of conditioning, then he should be given the opportunity in childhood of a good family, good education and so on, and that way there won't be bad reaction later on in life.

Prabhupāda: That means he should be given chance for better conditioning. Conditioning must go on. It cannot be said that, "Let the child be given freedom." No.

Yogeśvara: Yeah, that's what they say. They say it's freedom when there is a lack of bad conditioning.

Prabhupāda: That is . . . bad conditioning, good conditioning, where is freedom? From bad conditioning you are suggesting good conditioning. That is not freedom. Just like you are in the prison house, you are badly conditioned, but the so-called freedom—you are still conditioned under the laws of the state. You are not free. But from bad conditioning to good conditioning. And if you obey the state laws, then you are good citizen. But you are conditioned. How you think of freedom? That is your foolishness. Just like a servant, he is in some mercantile firm; he is trying to seek out some government service. But he cannot be free.

Yogeśvara: So in other words, they would say your idea is to give them a better conditioning, give them a better situation.

Prabhupāda: No, no, no, not better conditioning. You must know what is the best condition and take that condition. The best condition is to be under the control of Kṛṣṇa. That is your best, first-class way.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You said that in the Bhagavad-gītā when it speaks of being desireless, it means that actually one is desiring for Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (CC Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4): "I don't want this." "Don't want, don't want, don't want" does not mean he becomes negative. "I want Kṛṣṇa. So many things 'Don't want,' but actually I want Kṛṣṇa. And that is my life." And not that, "Don't want, don't want, don't want, then become zero." Not that.

Yogeśvara: No, they also say, "We know what we want. We want food for everyone, we want . . ."

Prabhupāda: No, no, he does not know. Therefore he is changing from this place to that place. He does not know. If he had known, then he would have surrendered immediately to Kṛṣṇa. That is the defect. He does not know.

Yogeśvara: But the idea is, "We can accomplish the same good results even without Kṛṣṇa."

Prabhupāda: That he does not know. He is a fool. He does not know what is a good result. He will change again. He is a rascal. He is putting himself in this condition; again he'll desire another condition.

Yogeśvara: Or for example . . .

Prabhupāda: That is the change of body. That is his wanting. Sometimes he's taking the body of a dog, sometimes he is taking the body of a demigod. Bhramatam upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). Down, just like . . . what is that? Merry-go-round.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Ferris wheel, ferris wheel. Ferris wheel. Ferris wheel goes up and down.

Prabhupāda: Sometimes "I am so up," and again come down. This is going on. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān. Therefore, in this way going round, one who is very, very fortunate, he, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151), he comes to the devotional life by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. This is the beginning of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction. They are under the myth, under the spell of māyā. This is going on.

Yogeśvara: Well, they say: "You are distributing food, and we are also distributing food. You are opening schools, and we are also opening schools."

Prabhupāda: Yes. But we are opening school for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore the rascals, they cannot understand what is bhakti and what is karma. Bhakti looks like karma, but it's not karma; it is bhakti. They cannot understand what is bhakti. Bhakti means the same karma, but for Kṛṣṇa's sake. That is bhakti. Just like the same fight, battlefield, but because it was done for Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna is accepted, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me (BG 4.3): "You are My devotee. You are My very dear." But what did he do? His business was to fight. He fought, that's all. But fought for Kṛṣṇa. That is the secret. He did not change his fighting capacity as a warrior, but he changed his mentality. His mentality was that "Why shall I kill my kinsmen?" But Kṛṣṇa wanted, "Oh, that's all right." So therefore service is for Kṛṣṇa, that's all, not for his sense gratification. Karmī means sense gratification, and bhakta means Kṛṣṇa's sense gratification. That is the difference. Sense gratification is there. When you do it for your personal sense grati . . . it is karma. And you do it for Kṛṣṇa's sense gratification, that is bhakti. So therefore they look similar, but the quality is different. Harer nāma (CC Adi 17.21). (pause)

Dhare prema nāma. The gopīs, they acted like prostitute, but the center was Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends, ramyā kācid upāsanā vrajavadhū-vargeṇa yā kalpitā (Nārada Pañcarātra 1.2.6): "Oh, there is no more better mode of worship than it was conceived by the gopīs." What is their conception? Prostitution, that's all. Simple prostitute. Kṛṣṇa was a beautiful boy, and they were attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa. They wanted Him as their husband, lover, to dance with them. That is the gopīs. And these rascals are taking that, "This is very good. Kṛṣṇa also did like this. So let us do; gather some girls and dance, and we become Kṛṣṇa." This is Māyāvāda. Therefore Vyāsadeva has devoted nine cantos just to understand Kṛṣṇa, then try to understand what is the gopīs' behavior with Kṛṣṇa. But these rascals jump over it. Sahajiyās. Jump over Kṛṣṇa's dealing with the gopīs. And that is Bhāgavata. Because rascals, they shall remain rascal.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: If the Māyāvādī accepts the principle that bhakti is good, but at the end he throws it away, will he have a change of heart?

Prabhupāda: That is Māyāvāda. That is Māyāvāda. They have no conception of the eternity of bhakti. That is Māyāvāda.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Will the change in heart come about for such persons because they're somehow associated with Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Just like Kaṁsa associated with Kṛṣṇa always, their position is like that. That is not bhakti. Bhakti is ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167), favorably, not to reject Kṛṣṇa or kill Kṛṣṇa, and think of Kṛṣṇa, "How to kill Him? How to kill Him? How to kill Him?" That is also Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but that is not favorable. Therefore it is not bhakti. But they get the salvation because they have somehow or other thought of Kṛṣṇa. Impersonal salvation. They are not allowed to enter into the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa.

Satsvarūpa: In the beginning of devotional service, the concentration is on the service more than on Kṛṣṇa the person.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Satsvarūpa: But then gradually, as we serve and serve and concentrate on service, then there's realization.

Prabhupāda: Yes, realization comes.

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Of who we're serving.

Prabhupāda: Serving?

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Of who we're serving.

Prabhupāda: The disciple serves Kṛṣṇa under the direction of spiritual master. Vidhi-mārga, regulative principles. Vidhi-mārga, rāga-mārga. (break) . . . gunarna jata nat kṛpā mukha santi.

(referring to path) So, I think it is mud.

Satsvarūpa: Here it's getting more and more moist, dew. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . friend, but what is my business? My business is to serve the senses, that's all. Kāmādīnām. Kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya, mada, the six kinds of sense gratification I am doing. This is actual . . . just like this man, he is thinking he is very big man, but he's servant of his dog. Is it not? But he is thinking that he is very big man. He does not think that "What is my business? To serve this dog in the morning?" He has no sense. Because he has no prescribed duty to serve Kṛṣṇa . . . he must serve, therefore he must serve dog. That is his position. But still, he's thinking, "Why these foolish people are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? I am serving the dog. I am very big man." He has become very big man by serving the dog, and we are trying to serve Kṛṣṇa. We . . . (end)