SB 1.16.20 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 20
Padaiar nyunam sochasi ekapodam Atmanam va vrisalair bhakshamanam Aho suradin hritayajna bhagan Praja uta swit maghavati avarsai.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Padair—by three legs, Nyunam—diminished, Sochasi—if you are lamenting for that, Ekapadam—only one leg, Atmanam—own body, Vrisalair—by the unlawful meat eaters, Bhakshamanam—to be exploited, Aho—in the sacrifice, Suradin—the authorised demigods, Hritayajna—devoid of sacrificial, Bhagan—share, Praja—the living beings, Uta—increasing Swit—wheter, Maghavati—in famine and scarcity, Avarsati—on account of rainlessness.
TRANSLATION
I have lost my three legs and am standing on one leg only. Are you lamenting for my this state of existence ? Or you are in great anxiety because henceforward the unlawful meat eaters will exploit you ? Or you are in sorry plight because the demigods are now bereft of the share of sacrifical offerings on account of no sacrifice being performed at present ? Or you are aggrieved for the living being on account of their suffering due to famine and rainlessness.
PURPORT
With the progress of the age of Kali four things particularly namely duration of life, mercy, power of recollction, and moral or religious principles will gradually diminish. Dharma or the principles of religion being lost in the proportion of three out of four the symbolical representation bull was standing on one leg only. When three fourth of the population of the whole world become irreligious the situation is practically converted into the haunting place for the animals. In the age of Kali godless civilization will create so many so called religious societies in which the personality of Godhead will be directly or indirectly defied. And thus faithless societies of man will turn the world inhabitable for the saner section of people. There is gradation of human being in terms of proportionate faith in the supreme Personality of Godhead.
The first class faithful men are the Vaishnavas and the Brahmins, then the Ksatriyas, then the Vaisyas, then the Sudras, then Mlechhas, then the Yavanas and at last the Ghandalas. Degradation of the human instinct begins from the stage of the Mlechhas and the Chandala state of life is the last word in the matter of human degradation. All the above terms of nomenclature mentioned in the Vedic literatures are never meant for any particular community by birth. They are different qualifications of the human being in general. There is one question of birth right community but one can acquire the respective qualifications by a one's own effort and as such the son of a Vaishnava can become a Mlechha or the son of Canadala can become more than a Brahmin in terms of his association and intimate relation with the Supreme Lord.
The meat eaters are generally called the Mlechhas. But all meat eaters are not Mlechhas. Those who accept meat in terms of scriptural injunctions are not Mlechhas but those who accept meat without restriction are called Mlechhas. Beef is forbidden in the scriptures and the bulls and cows are offered special protection by followers of the Vedas. But in this age of Kali people will exploit the body of the bull and the cow as they like and thus they will invite sufferings of various types.
The people of this age will not perform any sacrifice. The Mlechha type of population will care very little for performances of Sacrifices although performance of Sacrifice is essential for persons who are materially engaged in the matter of sense enjoyment. In the Bhagwat Geeta such performance of sacrifices are strongly recommended (B.G. 3/14-16)
The living beings are created by the creator Brahma and just to maintain the created living being progressively towards the path of back to home back to Godhead the system of performing sacrifice is also created by him. The system is that the living being lives on the produce of grains and vegetables and by eating such foodstuff they get vital powers of the body in the shape of blood and semina and from the blood and semina one living being is able to create other living being. But the production of food grains, grass etc become possible by rains and this rain is made possible to shower properly by performances of the recommended sacrifice. Such sacrifices are directed by the rites of the Vedas namely Sama Yaju Rik and Atharva. In the Manusmiriti it is recommended that by offering sacrifice on the alter of the Fire the sun-god is pleased. When the Sun-god is pleased he properly collects water from the sea and thus sufficient cloud collected on the horizon and rains fall down. After sufficient rain falls there is sufficient production of food grains for men and all animals and thus there is energy in the living being for progressive activity. The Mlechhas however make plans for installing slaughter houses for killing the bulls and the cows along with other animals thinking that they would prosper by increasing the number of factories and live on animal food without caring for performance of sacrifices and production of food grains. But they must know that even for the animals they must produce grass and vegetables otherwise hardly they can live on animal food only. And even for producing grass for the animals they must require sufficient rains from the horizon and therefore they have to depend ultimately on the mercy of the demigods like the Sun, Indra, Chandra etc. and such demigods must be satisfied by performances of sacrifice.
This Material world is a sort of prison house and we have several times mentioned this fact. The demigods are servants of the Lord to see to the proper upkeep of the prison house. Such demigods want to see that the rebel living beings, who want to survive faithlessly, may gradually be turned towards the Supreme power of the Lord. Therefore, the system of offering sacrifice is there recommended in the scriptures.
The materialistic men want to work hard and enjoy the fruitive result in the matter of sense enjoyment. As such they are committing many types of sins at every step of life. Those who are however consciously engaged in the devotional service of the Lord are transcendental to all varieties of sins and virtues. Such activities are free from the contamination of the three modes material qualities. For the devotees there is no need of performances of prescribed sacrifices because the very life of the devotee is a symbol of sacrifice. But persons who are engaged in fruitive activities for sense enjoyment must perform the prescribed sacrifices because that is the only means for getting free from the reactions of all sins committed by the fruitive workers. Sacrifice is the means for counteracting such accumulated sins. The demigods are pleased when such sacrifices are performed as much as prison-officers are satisfied when the prisoners are turned into obedient subjects to the state laws. Lord Chaitanya however has recommended only one Yajna or sacrifice called the Samkirtan Yajna in which everyone can take part and thus both devotees and the fruitive workers can derive equal benefit from such performances of Samkirtan Yajna.