SB 1.17.24 (1965)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 24
Tapah soucham daya satyam iti padah krite kritah Adharma amsais trayo bhagnah maya samgam madais taba.
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Tapah—austerity, Soucham—cleanliness, Daya—mercy, Satyam—truthfulness, Iti—thus, Padah—legs, Krite—in the age of Satya, Kritah—established, Adharma—irreligiosity, Amsai—by the parts, Trayo—three combined, Bhagnah—broken, Smaya—pride, Samgam—too much association with woman, Madais—intoxicating habit, Tava—your.
TRANSLATION
"In the age of Satya (truthfulness) your four legs were established by the four principles of Austerity, Cleanliness, Mercy, and Truthfulness. But it appears that your three legs are broken on account of partially rampant irreligiosities in the matter of pride, too much affection for woman and intoxicating habit."
PURPORT
The deluding energy or the material nature can act upon the living beings proportionately in terms of the living being's falling prey to the deluding attraction of Maya. The deluding attraction of Maya is displayed more appropriately in terms of brightness of light and the falling of the ants. The ants are captivated by the glaring brightness of light and thus become a prey to the fire. Similarly the deluding energy is always captivating the conditioned souls to become a prey to the fire of delusion and the Vedic scriptures warn the conditioned souls not to become a prey to the delusion but to get rid of it. The Vedas warn us not to go to the darkness of ignorance but go ahead on the progressive path of light. The Lord Himself also warns that the deluding power of material energy is too powerful to be overcome but one who completely surrenders unto the Lord can easily do so. But to surrender unto the lotus feet of the Lord is also not very easy. Such surrender is possible by persons who have had cultured transcendental knowledge on the principles of austerity cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. These four priciples of advanced civilization were remarkable features in the age of Satya. In that age every human being was practically qualified Brahmin of the highest order and from the angle of social orders of life they were all Paramahansas or the topmen of the renounced order of life. By cultural standing, the human beings were not at all subjected to become prey to deluding energy. Such strong men of character were competent enough to get away from the clutches of Maya. But gradually as the basic principles of Brahminical culture namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness became curtailed by proportionate development of pride, too much attachment for women and intoxicating habit, of the people in general it became prominent that the path of salvation or the path of transcendental bliss became far and far away from the human society. With the increase of the age of Kali people are becoming too much proud, too much attached to woman and too much victims of intoxicating habit. By the influence of the age of Kali even a pauper is proud of his penny, the woman as a class is always dressed in an over attractive fashion for victimising the mind of man and the man is too much addicted to intoxicating habit in the matter of drinking wine, smoking, drinking tea and chewing pan etc. All these habits or so called advancement of civilization is the root cause of all irreligiosities and, therefore, it is not possible to check corruption, bribery and nepotism as are desired by the leaders to be rooted out. You cannot check all these evils of society simply by statutory acts of police vigilance but you have to cure the disease of mind by the proper medicine namely advocating the principles of Brahminical culture or the principles of austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness. Modern civilization of economic development, is creating a new situation of poverty and scarcity with the result of blackmailing the consumers commodities and if the leaders and the rich men of the society spend fifty percent of their accumulated wealth mercifully for the misled mass of people and educate them in the matter of God-consciousness or in the knowledge of Bhagwatam certainly the age will be defeated in its attempt to entrap the conditioned soul to become the victim of the age of Kali. We must always remember that false pride or too much estimation of one's own values of life, undue attachment for woman or association with them and intoxicating habit of all major or description, will criple the human civilization from the path of factual peace however the people may go on clamouring for such peace of the world. The preaching of Bhagwatam principles will automatically render all men practised to austerity, become clean both inside and outside, merciful to the suffering men and truthful in daily behaviour. That is the way of correcting the flaws of human society very prominently exhibited at the present moment.