760808 - Morning Walk - Tehran

Morning Walks by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

760808MW-TEHRAN - August 08, 1976 - 32:47 Minutes

(Walk at Niavaran Park)

Hari-śauri: (explaining to Pradyumna how to use the tape recorder for recording the morning walk) See? That shows it's playing now it is recoding also. You can see here it's recording. These are already set that is automatic level control, so thats alright. So on the morning walk just take your finger off, just like the early Uher.

(conversation begins in car without Prabhupāda)

Jñānagamya: He was translating early this morning.

Devotee (1): What time did he wake up?

Jñānagamya: I don't know. He was up when I got up.

Devotee (2): He doesn't sleep at night anymore. He told Ātreya Ṛṣi he only sleeps two hours.

Devotee (1): He takes rest during the middle of the day?

Jñānagamya: How is Mahārāja? Has he been sick here? Hari-keśava, has he been sick?

Devotee (3): Always sick.

Devotee (4): What is this park?

Jñānagamya: It's called Niavaran Park. There's a palace here called Niavaran Palace. The Shah has several palaces. This is the one where he usually meets visiting diplomats, heads of state. And this is the park that adjoins that palace. The palace is over beyond that wall.

Nava-yauvana: Jaya, this is where he's getting off. (conversation continues outside car)

Ātreya Ṛṣi: This is His Majesty's palace. This building is the servants' quarters, which has the best granite. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . that this body which we are taking so much care, will leave automatically when the time is finished, and I'll have to accept another body. Useless. The body, which I am taking so much care, will leave me. I'll not have to say: "The body, you leave me," but the body will leave me. When my period . . . just like the house rented under lease, and as soon as the lease is over you have to vacate that house, or forcibly the house owner will oblige you to vacate. So what is the use of becoming so much attached to the body? What is the answer?

Nava-yauvana: There is no use.

Prabhupāda: Every one of us, we are attached to the body, and on account of being attached to the body the material activities are going on. These motorcars are running, karmīs are going here and there, what is the purpose? To maintain the body? Divasa śarīra-sāje. Miche nida-baśe gelo re rāti divasa śarīra-sāje (Aruṇodaya-kīrtana verse 3). The body is given rest at night to revive, and daytime the activity for the matter of maintaining the body. But despite my all endeavor to maintain this body, it will not stay. It will give me up my company and I'll have to accept another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

So Bali Mahārāja says: "What is the use of such endeavor?" Therefore big, big saintly persons, they do not care for the body. Lying down anywhere. But they are very serious about spiritual advancement. And people in general, they are interested in maintaining the body. It is not that we should be neglectful to the body. Just like that example is also there . . . just like we require fruits and flowers. So if we neglect the tree, there will be no fruits and flower. If we cut the tree, it will dry up and there will be no fruits and flowers. The fruits and flower, this human body, the fruits and flowers mean self-realization. Bali Mahārāja analyzes the family. He says family means rogues and thieves. Whatever you want, they'll take away. The pickpocket takes from your pocket and he becomes a criminal, and when the wife takes thousand dollars from your pocket, you do not consider to be criminal. You laugh, "Oh, you have taken the money?" "Yes, I've taken." The business is a pickpocket. But in one case we say "criminal," and one case we say "friend." The business is the same. Svajanākhya-dasyu. Actually thieves and rogues, but we have named them "relatives."

Jñānagamya: They are just like us. They are related to us. We are also thieves and rogues, and they are related to us.

Prabhupāda: This is family relation. Ṛktha-haraiḥ svajanākhya-dasyubhiḥ. Ṛktha-haraiḥ, their only business is that you earn money with hard labor, and they'll take away. Their business is to take away. And they have got legal right. Dāya, dāya-bhāga. The son has got the right, legal right, to take whatever the father has accumulated. Nobody will say, "No, you cannot take." No, he has the right. And so far wife is concerned, her business is to extend your condition, material condition. When one is alone, brahmacārī, he has no condition; he lives freely. But as soon as he's married, so many obligations. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ (SB 5.5.8): must have a nice house, must have good land, good source of income. And then if you have got house and good source of income, then you call friends to oblige them. Then get children, give them education, put them in nice condition of life, get them married, again grandchildren, and so on, so on. That means these material conditions which has embarrassed me, that business is very nicely done by the wife for increasing my embarrassment. Nowadays nobody takes responsibility of family. That is another thing. But marriage means to take so many responsibilities. That is another condition of material life. Then home. People are sacrificing so much for home, for country, for nation. That also will be finished with the end of this body. When the body's ended, you are no more Iranian or American or Indian. You do not know what you are. Even if you have got attachment for the country, you can become a tree in that country. If you can become animal, you are slaughtered in that country. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Even though you have got attachment, on account of changing the body your situation is changing. So in this way Bali Mahārāja analyzes the whole thing, that "What is the use of all this?" Is he right or wrong, his analysis?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Very intelligent, perfect.

Prabhupāda: So when Kṛṣṇa advises, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), it is the right advice, but we cannot take it. Kṛṣṇa is the right friend, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29), but we don't accept His friendship. We want to go in our own way. (break)

Jñānagamya: There is so much envy in my heart, and when I'm chanting I'm understanding the envy is causing me so much distress. And yet I can't give it up. I cannot leave off these envious feelings. How is it that the spirit soul . . .

Prabhupāda: That is material world, envious. That is a disease, to become envious. The spiritual world means no enviousness. That is spiritual world. And material world, there is only envious. I'm envious of you, you are envious of me. It is a society of enviousness. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). Paramo nirmatsara. One who is not at all envious, for him, bhāgavata-dharma. (break) Dharma is for the envious person.

Nava-yauvana: Dharma is for the envious?

Prabhupāda: Yes, so-called dharmas. Just like we have created so many dharma—Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma. They are so-called. They are not dharmas. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means what is given to you by the Supreme Lord, that is dharma. Otherwise, if you manufacture some ritualistic ceremonies, some formulas, some dogma, that is cheating. That is not religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is first-class religion. What is that? Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: wherefrom you learn how to love God. If you learn, "I believe this," "I believe that," "This is our ritualistic ceremony," these are all cheating. As people are cheating one another in different ways, this is another cheating. That's all. They will say: "We believe in this way," "We believe in that way." So what is that, you believe in that way? What is the fact? If you believe something wrong, is that to be taken as religion? (break) We say tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Other religious sect, they say: "This is Hindu belief." It is not question of Hindu belief. It is the fact. Does it mean that a Muhammadan or Christian child does not become a boy? When Kṛṣṇa says dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13), just like the child is becoming boy, boy is becoming young, this is science. And why do you say it is Hindu belief? Does it mean that a Muslim or Christian child does not become a boy? What do you mean by Hindu belief? But they say it like that, "Hindu belief." Is that correct if somebody says it is Hindu belief? No, it is fact; it is science. (break) Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Similarly, you have to change this body, another body. The example is given. Why do you think that because it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā it is Hindu belief? They say like that, "This is Hindu belief." What do you think? Is that Hindu belief?

Dayānanda: No, it's just like you said, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It's given by the Supreme Lord, so therefore it's . . .

Prabhupāda: Apart from Supreme Lord, it is a law of nature.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: It is logical. It is factual.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it is the law of nature, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. The law, nature's law, is acting like that. How you can avoid the laws of nature? If some young man says: "No, no, I'll not become old man," will the law of nature will excuse him, because he does not like? You have to become old man.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

The law of nature is working so strongly, but this rascal is proud of his own belief. This is foolishness, mūḍha.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Rascaldom, enviousness.

Prabhupāda: Just see. No, no. Rascaldom includes everything. If you say "rascal," that he includes everything. The so-called scientists say: "Oh, after this . . ." The Communists say. When I was talking with Professor Kotovsky, he said: "Swāmījī, after death everything's finished." Such a big professor. Just see. Why everything finished? We see this life, stage by stage, one stage is coming after another, another stage is coming, another. Why do you say finished?

Pradyumna: So we analyze that the material body is temporary, so it's no good anyways. Then if, even if someone says: "Well, it may be temporary, but in this life we can get something out of it . . ."

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Pradyumna: Then someone says: "But in this life, we can get something out of it," then we analyze that other people are taking that—the wife is taking that, the children are taking that. So . . .

Prabhupāda: No, how . . . we should first of all fix up what is our business. People have taken this, that to maintain the body, to maintain the family, to protect the . . . earn money and protect it, these have become their business. They do not know anything else. The whole world is going on on this platform—the nationwise, communitywise, everything. Other countries have developed, now the Shah is trying to develop equally. But what is the aim of development? The same—motorcar and accident. That they do not know. No. "They have got motorcar. I must have motorcar." But what is the aim? Same aim: meet accident and die. They do not know what is the aim of life. Na te viduḥ. They do not know it. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are thinking that by adjusting this material way of life they'll be happy. That's all. This is ignorance. The whole civilization is wrong because they do not know what is the aim of life. That is the fault. If they know the aim of life, then it is all right. You live comfortably. There is no . . . who asks you that you live discomfortably? You live comfortably. But you must know the aim of life. That they do not know. Ask anybody what is the aim, why you are working so hard, why you are maintaining family, why you are maintaining body, what is the aim of your life. That they do not know. (break) . . . control. These things are growing on account of water. And if there is no water, how they will grow? So it is not in the hands of the scientists. It is in the hands of God. (end)