750305 - Lecture SB 02.02.05 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

750305SB-NEW YORK - March 05, 1975 - 71:06 Minutes

(kīrtana)

Prabhupāda: (prema-dvani)

(18:30)

(Prabhupāda sings Jaya Rādhā-Mādhava)

(24:56)

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 2nd Canto, 2nd Chapter, 5th verse. (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ

naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ sarito 'py aśuṣyan

ruddhā guhāḥ kim ajito 'vati nopasannān

kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān

(SB 2.2.5)

(break) (30:13)

"Are there no torn clothes lying on the common road? Do the trees which exist for maintaining others no longer give alms in charity? Do the rivers, being dried up, no longer supply water to the thirsty? Are the caves of the mountains now closed? Or, above all, does the Almighty Lord not protect the fully surrendered souls? Why then do the learned sages go to flatter those who are intoxicated by hard-earned wealth?"

(break)

Prabhupāda:

cīrāṇi kiṁ pathi na santi diśanti bhikṣāṁ

naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ sarito 'py aśuṣyan

ruddhā guhāḥ kim ajito 'vati nopasannān

kasmād bhajanti kavayo dhana-durmadāndhān

(SB 2.2.5)

So Śukadeva Gosvāmī was in renounced order of life from the very beginning of his life. As soon as he came out of the womb of his mother he immediately left home. He was within the womb of his mother for sixteen years. So he was in favor of renounced order of life, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. There was no question of his following the other āśramas. Generally, for ordinary man, there are four āśramas . . . eight āśramas. For social upkeep there are four āśramas, namely brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is for spiritual. And for social, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. This is social division. And there is spiritual division also, because we are combination of matter and spirit. I am the soul. I am living within this material body. This is actual position. I am not this body. This is the beginning of spiritual education, that "I am not this body." One who understands fully well that he's not this body, then the spiritual education begins. And so long we are in the bodily concept of life, there's no question of spiritual education. Spiritual education for whom? For the human being. Also very advanced human being, not ordinary human being. At least the civilized human being.

Therefore in the human society, in the civilized human society, there is acceptance of religious principle. Maybe it is Hindu religion or Muslim religion or Christian religion or Buddha religion, but there is some religion. A civilized society is not without religion. Without religion means animal society. The animals, they have no religion. Cats and dogs, they have no church, no temple that they have to go. It is for the human beings. Therefore śāstra says that dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. If in the human society there is no culture of religion, then it is animal society. It is not human society.

So this human society should be divided into eight divisions. That is first-class human society. Just like any organization, any establishment, there are divisions of labor: the directing board, board of directors there are, then the secretarial board, then ordinary clerks, then menial, then workers. There must be division; otherwise it is chaotic. Nowhere you'll find without division it is going on very smoothly. There must be division. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). It is ordered by God that there should be four divisions for the materialistic condition of life and four divisions for spiritual upliftment. So there must be the brāhmaṇa, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam. Varṇa means four divisions of society. Varṇa means class. It has been taken now as caste; but actually class. Class is not caste. Caste, of course . . . throughout the whole world there is no such thing as caste. But anyway, in India there is caste. But Kṛṣṇa says that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13): "Four divisions of classes I have created—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra." Who is a brāhmaṇa? That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā: satya, śama, dama, titikṣā, ārjava, āstikyam, jñāna, vijñānam, so many qualifications required to become a brāhmaṇa. Not that because I was born in a brāhmaṇa family. This is discussed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that to take birth in a brāhmaṇa family is not all. You must be qualified, śamo damas titikṣā. That is required. The Indian culture has failed at the present moment because instead of considering the qualification, they accept only the birth: "The birth in a brāhmaṇa family makes a man a brāhmaṇa." No. That is not the śāstric injunction. Qualification. There must be qualification.

So without such division . . . therefore there is no such thing as Hindu dharma. No. There is no such word in the whole Vedic literature. You won't find in the Bhagavad-gītā or Bhāgavata as Hindu dharma. There is one word as Bhāgavata-dharma, but there is no such word as Hindu dharma. This Hindu dharma or Hindu . . . this is creation by our neighbor, Indian neighbor, the Middle-East Muhammadans. They gave the name, Indian people, as "Hindu." "Hindu" means . . . there is one river, Sindhu. The Muhammadans, they pronounce sa as ha. So those who were on the riverside of the Sindhu River, Hindu River, they were called Hindus. But actually Vedic religion is neither for Hindus nor for Christian nor for . . . it is meant for the human being. Vedic literature. So in the Vedic literature . . . this Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they are Vedic literature. So there is injunction for observing the rules and regulation of varṇa and āśrama, four classes and four āśrama. Āśrama means where spiritual cultivation is practiced. That is called āśrama. So brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Cātur-varṇa and cātur-āśrama, material and spiritual. So sannyāsī is supposed to be on the topmost of the human society. Cātur-varṇa, four classes, then among the varṇas there are four classes: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. Sannyāsa is the topmost order of human society.

So here the Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he's a sannyāsī. He's renounced order from the very beginning of his life. He never entered into any āśrama or varṇa. He's paramahaṁsa. Paramahaṁsa means the topmost amongst the sannyāsīs. Sannyāsī is the topmost. Above . . . within the sannyāsī the paramahaṁsa is the topmost. Sannyāsīs are also, they are called kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka, parivrājakācārya and paramahaṁsa. Kuṭīcaka means after accepting sannyāsa order . . . one has to accept the sannyāsa order. After gṛhastha there is vānaprastha and then sannyāsa; brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. In the beginning the, especially the brāhmaṇas and the kṣatriyas, two classes, higher classes, they have to take sannyāsa at the end. If not, at least the brāhmaṇas must take sannyāsa. The brāhmaṇas have got four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. The kṣatriya have got three āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha. No sannyāsa. And the vaiśya, two āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha. Neither vānaprastha nor sannyāsa. And the śūdras, they are simply one, gṛhastha, that's all. This is the Vedic order.

So because it is very difficult to maintain sannyāsa in this age, therefore the sannyāsa order is completely prohibited. Real sannyāsī means . . . here is the description of life. What is that? Cīrāṇi kiṁ na pathi santi. They have to pick up some torn cloth lying on the street and cover them. That's all. Then this diśanti bhikṣāṁ naivāṅghripāḥ. Aṅghripāḥ. Aṅghri means legs, and pa means drinking. The trees drink water through the root. That is their leg. Therefore their another name is aṅghripa . . . (indistinct) . . . iti pa, and aṅghri means leg. So different species of life there is different process of eating. We are eating through mouth; the trees are eating through the legs. This is God's creation. Not that the mouth is only eating . . . (indistinct) . . . no. There are other senses, active senses, hands and legs, tongue. These are active senses. Genital, rectum, these are active senses. So aṅghripa means the trees. The sannyāsī should depend completely on God. That is sannyāsī. Not that I shall go to a rich man and beg something and take money and utilize it. No. That is not required. Completely independent. Because that kind of sannyāsa is not possible at the present age, therefore, generally, sannyāsa should not be accepted. They cannot follow the prohibited.

But so far our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there, we are not like that māyāvādī-sannyāsa. Our sannyāsīs completely devote life for serving Kṛṣṇa. Sannyāsa. Sannyāsa means sat, nyāsa. Nyāsa means to give up; and sat, oṁ tat sat, the Absolute Truth. So for the service of the Absolute, Kṛṣṇa, we give up our family life. Family life means to give up the whole world, because people are struggling hard just to maintain the family. That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ

vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ

divā cārthehayā rājan

kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā

(SB 2.1.3)

This is the materialistic life. What is that? At night, nidrayā, if one can get the opportunity of sleeping twenty-four hours, he thinks he's very much gainer, especially on Sunday. (laughter) So this is materialistic . . . (indistinct) . . . it is gain. In Calcutta we have seen there are office peons, they take letters and peon book and . . . those who have gone to Calcutta, there is a Dalhousie Square, that is downtown square. They'll take the peon book and letter and come to the Dalhousie Square, and lie down and sleep up to four o'clock. Then they'll return to the office, and if the master asks him, "Why you are so late?" "No, this man was not there. I could not find. What can I do? I had to wait." (laughs) But he has spent his time by sleeping. So he thinks that "I'm getting so much salary, so if I do not work, if I sleep, that is my gain, that is extra profit." So that is material life.

So material life means nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night they want to sleep as much as possible or, those who have got facility, then they utilize sex life. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca (SB 2.1.3). Vyavāyena means sex. Vayaḥ, in this way wasting time. The whole twelve hours or ten hours, wasted. And during daytime, divā cārthehayā rājan. Divā ca artha īhayā: "Where is money? Where is money?" Just like in your country, from early in the morning, 5:30, the road is congested. People are going to working place. Why? For seeking money, money, "Where is money, money?" Divā cārthehayā rājan. Then when he gets money, then spend it for sense gratification, for family maintenance. So in this way materialistic person waste their time day and night.

So where is time? Ask any materialistic person, 'Why don't you come to our temple, sir? Why don't you hear Bhagavad-gītā?" "We have not time." Because they're wasting time in that way. You see? So this is the materialistic life. And spiritualistic life means that one should be trained up as brahmacārī. Then regulated life in gṛhastha, regulated life. Gṛhastha is not bad. Family life is not bad; therefore it is called gṛhastha-āśrama. Āśrama means . . . this very word is meant where the spiritual cultivation is practiced. That is called āśrama. So it may be household life, it may be renounced order of life, it may be brahmacārī, student's life, or retired life. The spiritual culture must be there. That is human civilization. If there is no spiritual culture, that is not human society. That is animal society. The cats and dog, they have no spiritual culture.

So in the spiritual culture, the renounced order should be only dedicated for the service of the Supreme Lord, not for taking easy money from others and utilize for sense gratification. That is not renounced. This is the purpose of this verse. If somebody says that "If I do not get some money, then how I shall live?" to answer this question, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that "Why you are anxious for your maintenance? What you want for your maintenance?" "I want an apartment. I want clothing. I want food. I want water. So many things, this is necessary." Therefore he says, "All right, if you want cloth, don't you find cloth, torn cloth, thrown in the street?" Cīrāṇi kiṁ na pathi santi. "Don't you find?" "All right, I can collect, pick up some cloth. That's all right. Then where is my food?" Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, naivāṅghripāḥ para-bhṛtaḥ, bhikṣāṁ na diśanti. The trees . . . formerly, trees mean fruit trees. They used to go to jungle means there are enough fruits. Still there are so many jungles. In Hawaii there are so many jungles, enough fruit—mango, papaya, and many others, banana, then pineapple, guava, so many fruits. So going to the jungle means to be free from food problem, enough food. And then water . . . water is river. Therefore it is said, sarito 'py aśuṣyan, "Do you think that all the rivers are dried up?" Enough water. Then you may say that "I must require some pot to take the water." No. You take water like this. (shows hands together) You drink. "Then where shall I live?" Ruddhā guhāḥ kim: "Do you think all the caves of the mountains they are now closed?" There are many caves. If you want at all shelter, they already there are natural rooms, apartment. (laughter) You can live there. Ruddhā guhāḥ kim. "And above all," Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, kim ajito 'vati nopasannān. Na avati upasannān. Upasannān means those who have surrendered.

Ajita . . . God's another name is Ajita. A means "not," and jita means "conquered." Nobody can conquer God. That is God. God is never conquered by anyone. He conquers everyone. God is conquered by His devotee only, not by the demons. The demons are conquered by God. But devotee can conquer. Ajito 'pi, jito 'pi. Although God is ajita, He becomes jita, means conquered, by His devotee. That is also stated: sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ, prāyena ajita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām (SB 10.14.3). This process we have introduced, opening centers, that is the system in spiritual, to hear. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. Śruti. Śruti means this ear, aural reception. Everyone may remain in his own position. It doesn't require to change. Just like one gentleman was asking whether, for spiritual advancement, one has to live in the temple. I said, "No. There is no such hard-and-fast rule that one should live in the temple." He can live anywhere. But the spiritual practices should be going on. Kṛṣṇa never says that you live in the temple or you go to the jungle or Himalaya. Never says. You'll never find in the Bhagavad-gītā that Kṛṣṇa says Arjuna that "You give up this fighting and go to the jungle or to the Himalaya and become perfect person." No. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). You follow this principle: "Always think of Me," man-manāḥ, mad-bhaktaḥ, "you become My devotee." Man-manā bhava mad . . . mad-yājī, "Worship Me and offer your obeisances unto Me." These four things. You can do anywhere. It doesn't matter. But you do all these things. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, gṛhe vā vanete thāko hā gaurāṅga bole ḍāko. Either you remain as a gṛhastha with family, wife, children—it doesn't matter—or either you live in the forest like sannyāsī, renounced. In whichever position you prefer, you can remain. But do these things: man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65).

So here Śukadeva Gosvāmī advises—this is very important word—kim ajito na avati upasannān. Ajita, the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, He's maintaining everyone: yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). And He'll not maintain a person who has fully surrendered to Him? No. How it can be? Suppose a gentleman is maintaining so many others' children. And he does not maintain his own children? Surely he does. Therefore our principle should be we should not think about our personal maintenance. We should dedicate our life for Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa will take care of it. That should be the principle. Don't be harassed, thinking always, "How I shall be maintained?" That is not the problem. Maintenance is not problem. Real problem is, "How we shall be fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa?" That is wanted. Upasannān. Upasannān means those who have surrendered. So if we are fully surrendered souls then there is no problem for our economic advancement. That is automatically it will be done. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham ..

teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ

yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

(BG 9.22)

He personally takes care, he's taking care of others also. Nobody is dying for want of food this is a misconception. Everyone is getting food according to his capacity. There are 8,400,000 species of life, out of that 8 million are lower grade life, fishes, plants, insects, trees. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthavarā lakṣa-viṁśati (Padma Purāṇa). Eight million, they have no business, they have no means of other income, by nature they are getting their all supplies. So why not the human being? Even the uncivilised human being they are living in the jungle. They have no business, they have no source of income but still they are getting food. Similarly, why the civilised man should be so much anxious for their maintenance? It is due to lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness therefore they are thinking how I shall remain. The maintenance is already there, simply you have to work it. You just till the ground, or the field and sow some seeds and naturally in due course of time one seed will give you thousands. So if you little work there is no question of scarcity of foodstuffs Kṛṣṇa has given everything. So our main business should be, how to develop our dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our first business, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido (SB 1.5.18). Everyone should endeavour, we have lost our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore we have got so many problems in life. If you revive your Kṛṣṇa consciousness all problems will be solved. That is a song sung by Bhaktivinode Ṭhākur:

miche māyār bośe, jāccho bhese',

khāccho hābuḍubu, bhāi

jīv kṛṣṇa-dās, e viśvās,

korle to' ār duḥkha nāi

(Śrī-Nāma)

That is very instructive, that we are being carried away by the waves of this material nature and sometimes we have drowned and sometimes we are up. In this way:

manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi

prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

(BG 15.7)

Our struggle for existence in this way, in this material world. In this way we are being carried away by the waves of time. That is pointed out by Bhaktivinode Ṭhākur, māyār bośe, jāccho bhese', khāccho hābuḍubu. Then yes, I am actually in this position, how to save me? Jīv kṛṣṇa-dās, e viśvās, korle to' ār. If simply, if you believe, this is the fact, if you believe or not believe. This is the fact, what is that? I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, you simply revive your knowledge. We are not master, jīv kṛṣṇa-dās, e viśvās, korle to' ār duḥkha nāi. So if we revive our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and engage in the service of the Lord. Then there is no more, any problems. That is instructed throughout the whole Bhagavad-gītā. In many places, in many ways, that you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is the only instruction, at last it is clearly said:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ vraja

(BG 18.66)

There it is clearly said, in another place it is said:

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

(BG 7.14)

The waves of material nature, time, is very, very stringent, māyār bośe yāccho bese, and Kṛṣṇa also says the same thing in a different way:

daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī

mama māyā duratyayā

You cannot surmount the waves of material nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

You are being carried away by the laws of nature, you cannot. You are thinking foolishly that you are independent. Everyone is under the stringent laws of nature. That you cannot avoid, you are. If I am a young man, I am thinking, that I shall not become old man. I shall remain young, that is foolishness. You must become old, that is nature's answer. You cannot avoid it. Similarly, if you think that this is old body. When it is finished, everything is finished. No! It will not be finished, you will have to accept another body. This is material life, these foolish men they do not know it. They are thinking that I shall remain in this prosperous position, throughout. No sir! This is not prosperous position, it is all miserable condition. And even if you take it as prosperous position, you will not be allowed to stay. This is material life. This is the problem, but foolish men they do not know what is the real problem. They are busy in the small problem, the real problem is birth, death, old age and disease. So the opportunity is in this human form of life, so we should take advantage of this human form of life and solve these problems and it can be solved very easily. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa. What is this Kṛṣṇa? Why He has come down? What is His purpose? What is His life? In this way try to understand Kṛṣṇa and if you are sincere Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence:

buddhi-yogaṁdadāmi taṁ

yena mām upayānti te

(BG 10.10)

If you try to understand Kṛṣṇa sincerely, then Kṛṣṇa will give you intelligence how to understand Him and as soon as you understand Him. You are liberated.

janma karma ca me divyam

evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

(BG 4.9)

That is liberation, Kṛṣṇa said, and the process is to know it. Not by challenge, Kṛṣṇa what you are? Please tell me. Kṛṣṇa is not your father's servant, you have to become servant first of all. Then Kṛṣṇa will tell you. It is not challenge, it is by submission. You have to understand Kṛṣṇa and it is not very, that submission means:

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

(BG 18.65)

Therefore Kṛṣṇa is present here to accept your obeisances, to accept your worship, to accept recognise you as devotee. Kṛṣṇa is there. So follow the principles, follow the instruction of the spiritual master. How to worship Kṛṣṇa, how to offer Him obeisances, how to think of Him 24 hours. In this way if we live very nicely then the time will come when we will understand thoroughly Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as we understand thoroughly Kṛṣṇa. Then immediately you're transferred to the spiritual world after giving up this body. Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! (end)