760622 - Lecture SB 07.06.06 - New Vrindaban, USA

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

760622SB-NEW VRINDAVAN - June 22, 1976 -29.32 Minutes

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of synonyms)

puṁso varṣa-śataṁ hy āyus

tad-ardhaṁ cājitātmanaḥ

niṣphalaṁ yad asau rātryāṁ

śete 'ndhaṁ prāpitas tamaḥ

(SB 7.6.6)

(break)

Translation: (01:55) "Every human being has a maximum duration of life of one hundred years, but for one who cannot control his senses, half of those years are completely lost because at night he sleeps twelve hours, being covered by ignorance. Therefore such a person has a lifetime of only fifty years."

Prabhupāda:

puṁso varṣa-śataṁ hy āyus

tad-ardhaṁ cājitātmanaḥ

niṣphalaṁ yad asau rātryāṁ

śete 'ndhaṁ prāpitas tamaḥ

(SB 7.6.6)

Life is so valuable that we cannot waste even a second without any profit. That is the aim of life. The materialist persons, especially in country like yours, they calculate . . . I do not know; when I was in India I heard it that if you go to see an important businessman, his secretary, while talking with that man, the secretary gives you a card that "This Mr. Such-and-such cannot spare more than two minutes." Is it a fact? (devotees laugh) Huh? Anyway, we should not waste our time, either you act materially or spiritually. But materially we have no business, although we have taken it the material business as very important and spiritual business has no meaning. This is the sum and substance of modern civilization. But so far we are concerned—not only we; everyone—the human life is only meant for spiritual purpose. Not for material purpose.

In the previous verse Prahlāda Mahārāja has said:

'tato yateta kuśalaḥ

kṣemāya bhavam āśritaḥ

śarīraṁ pauruṣaṁ yāvan

na vipadyeta puṣkalam

(SB 7.6.5)

And before that he said:

tat-prayāso na kartavyo

yata āyur-vyayaḥ param

na tathā vindate kṣemaṁ

mukunda-caraṇāmbujam

(SB 7.6.4)

People are so ignorant that they cannot understand what is the importance of this valuable human form of life. This is Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction from the very beginning: durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy arthadam adhruvam. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatan iha durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ (SB 7.6.1). Just like these small children, they are being trained up in this bhāgavata-dharma: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). Bhāgavata-dharma means hearing, chanting of the Supreme, glories of the Supreme Lord. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Not for others. If somebody says, "Yes, I am hearing always in the telephone. I am doing business," no, not that kind of hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. If you can contact Viṣṇu or His devotee, Vaiṣṇava, that is all right. Otherwise, you are simply wasting time. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. Always, constantly thinking of Him. These are the bhakti ways.

There are nine different processes prescribed in the śāstra: śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam pāda-sevanam arcanam . . . (SB 7.5.23). This is arcanam, worshiping the Deity in the temple. This is called arcanam. The Lord is called arca-vigrahaḥ, arca-avatāra. He is also incarnation, another incarnation of . . . arca-avatāra. He's giving facility to the devotees to handle Him. If you do not get the opportunity to serve the Lord, how you can be perfect? So this arca-vigrahaḥ is Lord's incarnation to give facilities to people like us who cannot see God everywhere. For the neophyte devotees, it is essential to worship the Deity. But if you simply worship the Deity without hearing about the Lord, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam—these things are essential—then the Deity worship will be a burden. At a certain point, it will be a burden, and gradually it will be neglected, and the whole thing will be spoiled. So both things should continue: bhāgavata-mārga and pañcarātriki-mārga. Deity worship is pāñcarātriki-vidhi, and bhāgavata-mārga is hearing, chanting, like that. Both of them should be accepted, parallel line. Otherwise, one without the other will be later on troublesome. So you must continue. This temple means not only we shall decorate the Deity very nicely, cleanse the temple:

sri-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-

śṛṅgāra-tan mandira-mārjanādau

yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi . . .

(Gurv-astakam 3)

So the temple worship should go on; at the same time, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam of Viṣṇu must go on. Two things, parallel. Then it will be done very nicely.

So actually this life is meant for this purpose, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). There is no other purpose. All other activities secondary. So those who are very much advanced in spiritual life, just like the brāhmaṇas, the sannyāsīs, they did not bother about what to eat, where to sleep. Sex life is completely forgotten. Even what to eat, where to sleep, there is no such consideration. Simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the only business. Of course, we cannot do that in the neophyte stage, but actually that is the only purpose. Unfortunately, the modern civilization has discovered so many artificial ways of life that it is very, very difficult to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness business. So therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says that simply for sense gratification, if we waste our time, that is not good. Tat prayāso na kartavyam (SB 7.6.4)—don't waste your time for increasing the scope of sense gratification. That is not at all required. Tat-prāyaso na kartavyam yata āyur-vyayaḥ param. Āyur means duration of life. Simply wasted. Vyayaḥ, vyayaḥ means expended or wasted. Param. This duration of life, human form of life, is param. Param means the supreme. Not like cats and dogs. Their āyuḥ, they also live for some time, we also live, but their life is useless. They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. But we human being, if we are trained up, we can understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness; therefore it is called param. Everything is param. Just like anna. Anna means ordinary rice. And paramānna, paramānna means the first-class, sweet rice, cooked with milk. You have got good experience. (laughter) So similarly, āyuḥ, the ant has got āyuḥ, the worm has got āyuḥ, the cat has got an āyuḥ, some duration of life. But so far the human being is concerned, that is param āyuḥ. Param āyuḥ. So if we waste our time simply for sense gratification, then we waste our, this valuable life.

Prahlāda Mahārāja advises:

tat-prayāso na kartavyo

yata āyur-vyayaḥ param

na tathā vindate kṣemam . . .

(SB 7.6.4)

We are acting, working for some good achievement. So our achievement, means the human form of achievement is mukunda-caraṇāmbujam—Mukunda means Kṛṣṇa—how to get shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is the supreme achievement. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises, tato yateta kuśalaḥ kṣemāya bhavam āśritaḥ (SB 7.6.5). Those who are fallen in this material world, somehow or other . . . it is not our place. This is a rotten place, but somehow or other we have fallen. Bhavam āśritaḥ, we have, instead of taking shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, we have taken shelter of this material world. Therefore it is called bhavam āśritaḥ. For them it is imperative, that śarīraṁ pauruṣaṁ yāvan na vipadyeta puṣkalam (SB 7.6.5).

So long we are young, very strong body, senses are very working nicely, this opportunity should be utilized for advancing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore a calculation is there, that one may think, "Yes, that's all right, but I'll live at least one hundred years. So let me enjoy now sense, and later on we shall see the business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness." No. Prahlāda Mahārāja is warning: Yes, you have maximum. But nobody now is, now, is living hundred years. Everyone knows it. This is the symptom of Kali-yuga, that:

prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ (sabhya)

kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ

mandāḥ sumanda-matayo

manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ

(SB 1.1.10)

It is the symptom of this age, Kali-yuga, is that we are not living the full term of our life, hundred years. We are not living . . . (aside) You can go to the wall side.

So anyway, supposing we shall live one hundred years: puṁso varṣa-śataṁ hy āyus tad-ardhaṁ cājitātmanaḥ (SB 7.6.6). Ajitātmanaḥ. Ajita means not conquered. One who has not been able to conquer over the sense activities, for them, it is not, even if he lives for one hundred, fifty years immediately minus in sleeping. In our temple in New York, in the beginning when I was having classes in the morning at seven o'clock, still people from here and there, they would come and protest and go to the police because we were disturbing their sleep. Yes. They want to sleep as much possible hours. I think that is very great gain in the Western country, to sleep. So to sleep means simply waste of time. You must know it. Either I sleep five hours, six hours, ten hours, twelve hours, it is simply waste of time. The valuable life which you have got, immediately so many hours minus. Sleep is not good. Sleep, if we can do without sleep, that is perfection. Not that "Let me enjoy sleep twelve hours, fourteen hours, whole life." No. That is waste of time:

nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ

vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ

diva cārthehayā rājan

kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā

(SB 2.1.3)

The materialistic way of life means nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night either sleep or enjoy sex. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca . . . (SB 2.1.3). Vyavāyena means sex. And at daytime? Diva cārthehayā rājan. In daytime, "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?" Go, take your car and run. So diva cārthehayā rājan. And when you get money, kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā: then find out, purchase something for my wife, for my children, for myself, spend the money. Again night comes, again sleep, again sex. Again day comes, all right, go to market, earn money and spend it. This is going on. This is called material life.

So it is very difficult to convince the people of the modern day how they are wasting their time, how they are risking their life by this way of irresponsible life of material existence. They are thinking that "The more I enjoy sex, the more I enjoy sleeping, that is perfect. That is my profit." And to convince them, "No, it is simply loss. You are simply risking your life," it is very difficult. But this is the fact. This is the fact, in this way, because in this duration of life, human, if I do not make my life perfect, stop the materialistic miserable condition, namely janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—birth, death, old age and disease—then I am missing the opportunity. Next life will be given by the laws of nature. Just like you are in the forest, you see so many trees are standing. You do not know how many years they will stand. Yes. It is possible. If I have acted just like a tree, nonsense, no sense . . . just like tree has no sense. If you cut it, he does not reply, because practically it has lost the senses. There is some senses, consciousness, but it is not developed. It is not developed. The animal, little more developed. The human, fully developed. This is with all the consciousness, stages of different consciousness. And when we come to the stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this is perfect. Otherwise, in the lower grade. So if we neglect in this life, human form of life, to develop our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then there is chance to become an animal, to become a tree.

So people do not know this, how this science is working, but this is the fact. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So we have to read all these things very carefully. Tathā dehāntara-after death there is dehāntara, another body. So we must be very careful what kind of body I'm going to get. Now, this life I have got very nice, beautiful body, and everything is all right. But if we act irresponsibly, the nature will give me a suitable body. Otherwise, why there are so many varieties of life, 8,400,000? Therefore we should be very, very careful not to waste the duration of life even by a second. We shall eat less, then we shall sleep also less. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi: then our sex appetite also will be lessened. Unnecessarily eating, unnecessarily sleeping is not required at all. That is the practice by the Gosvāmīs. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. They conquered over eating, sleeping. Mating, there was no question: they were sannyāsī, renounced order of life. And defense also, there was no question, because they depended on Kṛṣṇa, the most powerful defender. So there was no question of defense. Simply two things, eating and sleeping. And that they also conquered. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau (Sad-Gosvami-astaka 6).

So spiritual life means you have to control. That is called gosvāmī. One who has control over the senses, one who has control over eating, you'll find this instruction in the Nectar of Instruction: jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam manaso vegam etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt (NOI 1). Guru should be . . . guru means one who has control over the six duties, six engagements. Manaḥ, to control the urge of the mind. The mind wants to do this. "No, if it is not profitable, don't do this." The control over the mind. Control over the senses, control the words. I am angry, I want to abuse somebody with some ill names. "No, why shall I . . ." Control of the . . . talking unnecessary, useless talking, that is control over the tongue. Vāco vegam. Krodha-vegam: "I am just going to be very angry upon you." No, we have to control. In this way, when one is able to control over these things, especially jihvā-vegam udaro-vegam upastha-vegam, straight line—the urge of the tongue, the urge of the belly and the urge of the genital—then we become svāmī, gosvāmī. Artificially, it is not . . . it is to be practised. Nidrāhāra-vegam, these are material things.

So to control over the material urges, that is required in spiritual life. We have to come to the spiritual platform. That is called tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam (SB 5.5.1). We are searching after happiness, but in the material world you cannot have happiness. That's a fact. Whatever little happiness you get, that is also distress. One has to attain to that stage of happiness with distress. So that is a long history; everyone knows that happiness is not possible. But we arrange to get so-called . . . happiness means sense gratification. That is not happiness. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad ātindriya grāhyam (BG 6.21). Directly sense perception is not happiness. These things are in the Bhagavad-gītā, you will find: sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. Ātindriyam means beyond these material senses, transcendental, there is another happiness. That is transcendental bliss. That we perceive little bit while we are chanting. By chanting, chanting, chanting, when you'll be purified, then you will have the opportunity of tasting that transcendental bliss. Otherwise, the so-called happiness derived from the senses, that is not happiness. That is crude; that is for the fools and rascals. That is not happiness.

So we should utilize our time very carefully. Puṁso varṣa-śatam . . . because here is the calculation that although, supposing that I shall live for one hundred years, puṁso varṣa-śataṁ hy āyus tad-ardhaṁ cājitātmanaḥ (SB 7.6.6). Immediately, those who are not controlling the senses, ordinary, they are immediately at least half minus, fifty years gone for sleeping. And then niṣphalaṁ yad asau rātryāṁ śete andhaṁ prāpitas tamaḥ. So in this way, if you are actually serious . . . it is not that we are imposing something. We must be serious about the Kṛṣṇa consciousness business, that simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa or simply being Kṛṣṇa conscious, we become liberated:

janma karma ca me divyam

evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti kaunteya

(BG 4.9)

You have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Take it a little more seriously and practice, follow the rules and regulations, chant regularly, then your life will be successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda! (end)