760812 - Lecture SB 03.22.22 and Initiation - Tehran

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

760812SB-TEHRAN - August 12, 1976 - 15.57 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Hmm. He knows the rules and regulations?

Atreya Ṛṣi: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Let him say. Let him say.

Atreya Ṛṣi: (Farsi to Mustafa) You can say it in English?

Mustafa: Yes. I can't say it completely, correctly.

Prabhupāda: Say in English. (Atreya Ṛṣi translates from Farsi) No illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, no meat-eating.

Mustafa: . . . and eggs and fish.

Atreya Ṛṣi: His name in Farsi, his name is Mustafa.

Prabhupāda: So his spiritual name, Vallabha dāsa.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Balab?

Prabhupāda: Vallabha dāsa. Not like that, here.

Atreya Ṛṣi: Vallabha dāsa. His name is, in Farsi, Hussein. It means "all-compassionate."

Prabhupāda: So far the ten offenses, you will teach them. Your name, Śrīdhara dāsa.

Hussein: Śrīdhara?

Atreya Ṛṣi: Śrīdhara dāsa.

Hari-śauri: Jaya. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. So read one passage from the books.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting, etc.)

so 'nu jñātvā vyavasitaṁ

mahiṣyā duhituḥ sphuṭam

tasmai guṇa-gaṇāḍhyāya

dadau tulyāṁ praharṣitaḥ

(SB 3.22.22)

Translation: (04:42) "After having unmistakenly known the decision of the Queen, as well as that of Devahūti, the Emperor most gladly gave his daughter to the sage, whose host of virtues was equaled by hers."

Prabhupāda:

so 'nu jñātvā vyavasitaṁ

mahiṣyā duhituḥ sphuṭam

tasmai guṇa-gaṇāḍhyāya

dadau tulyāṁ praharṣitaḥ

(SB 3.22.22)

So here is the Emperor Manu, so he decided to give his daughter to Kardama Muni. And the sanction of the Queen, that was also expected. That means the father's sanction, the mother's sanction, and the girl who is going to be married, her sanction, These things are required before marriage takes place. Nowadays, dāmpatye ratim eva hi svīkāram eva udvāhe: marriage takes place simply by agreement between the parties, the boy and the girl. They can go to any magistrate and get it registered. But according to Vedic system, that is not the system. The system is the father, mother also must agree. The agreement must be, the parents' sanction must be there.

So guṇa-gaṇāḍhyāya, Kardama Muni, great yogī, what to speak about his qualities. Dadau tulyām, and Devahūti also equally qualified. So this kind of marriage is very happy marriage, and the result of such marriage is Kapiladeva. Because the marriage was very appealing, therefore Lord Kapiladeva, incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, He appeared in the womb of Devahūti. There are two Kapilas. Original Kapila is the son of Devahūti and Kardama Muni; therefore He is particularly known as Devahūti-putra Kapila. Sāṅkhya philosophy was enunciated by Him. He taught His mother also. You'll find all those instructions of Kapila Muni to His mother. So the system was very nice. Everything was there. There was no question of simply brahmacārīs. No. There are married couples. This Kardama Muni was a great yogī. Still, he married. There was no disturbance. Although he promised one son only to Devahūti, but I think he got another nine daughters.

So very nice system, everything was there—but for the purpose of realization of the highest truth. That is the civilization. Nothing has to be stopped; everything can go on. For bodily comforts we are very much busy; that's nice. But if you increase the bodily comforts, there is no limit. That should not be the purpose of life. In a Bengali proverb it is said, śarīre na mahaseya ye sahaye taya saba. This body is so nice that if you practice something, it will be accustomed. Just like we are sitting on the floor. If we practice to sit on the floor, there is no necessity of this couch. We are not refusing couch if available, but not that without couch I cannot sit. This kind of civilization is condemned. Besides that, we have got our own business. The real business is athāto brahma jijñāsā. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā (SB 1.2.10). In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will find, kāmasya nendriya-prītir (SB 1.2.10). So there are some necessities for sense gratification, but not for the senses, but for spiritual upliftment. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. The life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth.

So we cannot spare our valuable time for bodily comforts, sacrificing our real aim of life, self-realization. That is not civilization. That is animal civilization. First consideration is self-realization. Therefore you'll find Vedic civilization very simple because they took it main business, self-realization. The bodily comforts . . . big, big kings, because they had to rule over the country, some gorgeous type, style of living. They were . . . ordinary persons, they were satisfied in a cottage. Still you'll find in India in the villages—I think here also the same—they don't mind. I see from the street the original walls. They are not very much interested how to live comfortably. The real purpose of life should be such. At the present moment the civilization is simply for bodily comfort. Divasa-śarīra-sāje. Whole day is spoiled for trying how to make the . . . keep the body in comfortable situation. That is not the purpose of life. The purpose of life is, we should supply the necessities of the body as you can keep fit for executing spiritual purpose. But at the present moment there is no spiritual purpose, simply bodily comforts. This is the civilization of animals. As animals they do not know anything except bodily comforts. If human society becomes like that, then it is animal society. And because it is animal society, there is no peace in spite of advancement of material comforts.

So we can take instruction from the vivid, living examples of this Kardama Muni and Devahūti. Kardama Muni is an ascetic, very simple living, and Devahūti is the daughter of emperor. And she agreed to marry Kardama Muni, so, engage in the service of her husband. So just imagine a person, ascetic. What assets he has got? No home, no good food, nothing. Still she agreed gladly. Here it is said, dadau tulyāṁ praharṣitaḥ. So 'nu jñātvā vyavasitaṁ mahiṣyā duhituḥ sphuṭam. Duhituḥ, consent of the daughter. It was . . . the daughter's consent was taken, "Whether you like?" But she selected her husband. She told that "There is Kardama Muni. I want to marry him, that Kardama Muni." She expressed her desire to her father, and the father and mother came to offer the daughter to Kardama Muni. The first consent was the daughter's. Now just see, she was emperor's daughter, how comfortably she was living, but she voluntarily accepted all the difficulties for becoming the wife of an ascetic. You cannot expect any royal comforts when one becomes the wife of an ascetic. Of course, later on everything was given to her by the mystic power of Kardama Muni, but in the beginning she accepted in a very humble cottage to live with her husband and serve him.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. Thank you, Prabhupāda. (end)