740618 - Lecture BG 02.13 - Germany

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740618BG-GERMANY - June 18, 1974 - 36:45 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse)

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

So dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means the one who possesses this body. That is meaning, the dehinaḥ. Just like in Sanskrit word, guṇinaḥ. Guṇinaḥ means one who has got some special attributes. (child cries, Prabhupāda chuckles, devotees laugh) He . . . she is understanding more than anyone else. (laughter) Yes, yes. So asmin dehe. (child cries again) Now . . . (laughs)

(laughter) He will create disturbance. Yes. So one profit, one loss. You get a child, and another side, you cannot hear. This is karma-kāṇḍīya. This is the material world. As soon as you get some profit here, another side loss. As soon as you want to construct a big skyscraper, the another side, digging earth. (laughter) Otherwise, where you get? You cannot create. The stones and bricks, you cannot create. You have to dig from somewhere else and pile here. And that is advancement of civilization, to be engaged in digging and piling. (laughter) (chuckles) This is called advancement of civilization. The rascals, they do not think, "Why, uselessly, I am digging and piling? After all, māyā will kick me out, and there will no more digging and piling." But they are very much busy. They cannot come to hear Bhagavad-gītā. They are very busy. This is called māyā.

So dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means the possessor of the body. This simple thing, that there is a proprietor of this body, or possessor . . . if we don't . . . actually, we are not proprietor; we are occupier. Just like a rented house. The proprietor is different man. (child cries) Now again another. (laughter) Everyone is the . . . knows it, that if you rent a house, the proprietor is different man, and the tenant is the occupier. That much. No proprietorship. So I am the spirit soul. I am not proprietor; I am simply occupier. The, the rascal materialists, they do not know that the proprietor is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is giving me a particular apartment according to my capacity of paying rent. This is my position. Otherwise, why everyone does not get first-class body, king's body or rich man's body? A child born, immediately he is rich man. So there is no arrangement? And another child born in the same moment is very poor man. Why? This is called karma-kāṇḍa. This child is given a room, an apartment, according to his capacity of paying rent. And the other child is given another apartment, very luxurious apartment, according to his capacity of rent-paying. This is called karma-kāṇḍa.

According to your karma, or work, you get a body, either as a king's son or a cobbler's son or a dog's son or a cat's son or a tree's son or a plant's son. This is the nature. This is to be understood. Kṛṣṇa said in the last verse that, "Don't think we did not exist in the past. We are existing at present, and we shall continue to exist in the future." Exactly like that, that we live in one apartment, then if I am able to pay more rent, I transfer to another apartment. Or if I cannot pay the present rent, then I'll have to move to another, less rented apartment. This is called, "I existed in one apartment, now I am existing in one apartment, and I shall exist in another apartment." So I am eternal, I am simply changing my apartment or dress. This simple thing. Asmin dehe yathā. As kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, in this life I am experiencing that I changed so many apartments—I was a child; that apartment I changed into boyhood, then again I changed that apartment into youthhood, then I am old man—so when this apartment will be vacated, I'll have to accept another apartment. Where is the difficulty to understand? I must possess one apartment or body. The body is the apartment. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).

It is just like this apartment, this room is made of bricks, stone and cement. Similarly, this apartment is also made of this stone, brick or cement. So what is this body? This body and this huge, gigantic . . . what is the difference? No difference. Just like here, in the material, in your presence, you see so many rocks. See the bones are like rocks. And so many secretions within the abdomen. At least, we know there is urine. That is water, just like there are sea water, ocean water. Similarly, if you examine scrutinizingly, the same thing as the whole material manifestation is made of, this body is also made of. There is no difference. Simply a small quantity and big quantity. The ant's body is also made of the same ingredient, the elephant's body is also made of same ingredient, and this gigantic universe, so many planets, sun, moon and sky, that is also made of the same ingredient. It is only difference of big apartment and small apartment. That's all. But the proprietor or the occupier of the apartment is different. That is to be understood. He's changing apartments.

So that is also explained here: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). This kaumāraṁ yauvanam . . . we say: "This is child's body," "This is boy's body." So they are different apartments. And according to the apartment, one's intelligence or consciousness is developed, according to the body. When the living being, or the soul, gets a . . . that you'll see. A poor man living in a poor cottage or very unclean apartment, his mentality is different. Another gentle . . . respectable gentleman, he's living in a very nice house, nice apartment, his mentality is different. So according to the circumstances, the mental changes are there. But the poor man is also a human being, and the rich man is also human being. Similarly, these so many apartments, or different types of body, 8,400,000 different types of body, the occupier, the living being, or the soul, is the same quality, but according to the apartment, or body, he has occupied, he has developed different consciousness and mentality. Is it clear or not? Where is the difficulty?

They, these rascals, they do not believe in the transmigration of the soul, but where is the difficulty to understand transmigration of the soul? That is very clearly stated. And who is stating? Kṛṣṇa, the supreme authority. You cannot say: "I don't believe in the transmigration." You may believe or not believe, but this is the fact. This is the fact. What you are, you don't believe? So what is loss there, or gain there, even if you believe or not believe? Nature's work will go on. You rascal, you believe or not believe. It doesn't matter. Nature's work will go on. If you have done nicely to occupy a first-class apartment, then nature will give you a nice body.

Therefore I say repeatedly . . . I am saying again that you Western people, Western boys, Western girls, or Western people, you are given very good chance by nature. Therefore, once upon a time the whole European people were dominating all over the world because they're very intelligent. So they have got good intelligence, good resources, good, nice body, beautiful body. Everything is very good. But don't spoil it. Utilize it for understanding further good. Don't spoil it simply behaving like cats and dogs. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means that you are misled and simply bodily conscious of life. Therefore fight. Germany's fighting Englishman. Englishman is fighting in France. France is fighting . . . why this fighting? If you know that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul. Why I am falsely identifying myself with the land?" "I am, I am, I am a German because I am born in this land of Germany." That is also false. No land is Germany or France or England. Land is land. You have falsely named it, "This is Germany." What is the Germany? Say, two hundred years or three hundred years, there was no Germany. Just like America. There was no America. The land was there, but the name was not there. So you have, some Europeans, they have colonized. They accept, "It is America. It is . . ."

So this is all designation. Actual, the fact is the land belongs not to you, not to the German, not to the Englishman, not to the American, but it belongs to God. The land was created by God, so it is God's property. Where is the difficulty to understand? You did not create anything. You did not create even your own body. That proprietor is also Kṛṣṇa. Because as soon as Kṛṣṇa asks you, "Please vacate," you must vacate immediately. Can you remain in this body? The proprietor asks you to vacate somehow or other, you have to vacate. Or the proprietor does not repair it. Then you voluntarily vacate that, "This is not to be . . . no more useful." This is law, going on. And that is . . . how nicely it is explained:

dehinaḥ asmin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ

(BG 2.13)

As we have changed so many different types of body even in this duration of life . . . now, how this change is taking place, that you cannot imagine. Therefore we say the same body. But actually it is not the same body. The body is different. It is changing. And because the person, the soul, is there, therefore it is changing. And as soon as the person is not there . . . suppose in a child's body, a born baby, a dead body, it will not grow or it will not change. So long the soul is there, it will change. So Kṛṣṇa said that, "We existed in the past." This is authoritative statement. So it is to be understood that I existed in the past in different body. As I existed, say, seventy years before in a different body, I was jumping as a boy, now I cannot jump. Now I have to take the stick. This is a different body. So where is the difficulty to understand? If the same body had been, then I could jump like a boy. I remember that I jumped. But now it is not possible. I have to take help of three men. (laughter) So it is a different body. Although imperceptibly it has changed, but the body is different. Body's different.

So in this way, if we try to understand, dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Dhīra, those who are intelligent and sober, they are called dhīra, not disturbed mind, not rascals. Rascals cannot understand. Therefore the very word is used, dhīra. What is the meaning, dhīra? Dhīra, "the sober," those who have got brain substance, not cow dung. You see? They can understand. Therefore one has to become intelligent, dhīra. For spiritual understanding we have to create the favorable circumstances. Favorable circumstances . . . just like to create healthy body you have to remain in such a way that you'll not fall sick; similarly, dhīra means if you try to remain just like cats and dogs, then you remain as a cats and dog, but if you want to remain as a human being, then you must remain as perfect human being. Therefore no illicit sex. The cats and dogs, they can have illicit sex, and if the human being also have the same process, then where is the difference between cats and dogs?

Therefore you have to be cautious not to become cats and dogs, but to remain as human being. Then you'll be dhīra, sober, not agitated. Therefore this very word is used. It is not understood by the cats and dogs. If I say to the cats and dog that, "You are not this body. You are simply possessing this body," it is useless, because he has got a certain body that he cannot understand, even instructing him for one thousand years, because he has got a different body, cats' and dogs' body. But in the human form of body there is possibility. That is the difference between cats' and dogs' body and human body.

So to become dhīra means not to use this, I mean to say, very important, very useful body, human body, to pass as cats and dogs. That is very dangerous. It is a great loss. Prahlāda Mahārāja instructed this. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. We have to very, mean, intelligent to understand that, "I have got this body. Must be after many, many births." That is the evolutionary theory. I can understand that this tree, that is also a living being, but it is standing there for thousands of years. Thousands of years they are standing. So many Napoleons, so many Kaisers, so many Hitlers came and gone, but the tree is standing. That is a punishment. But that is also a living being. It is also growing. As your body is growing or changing, that body's also growing and changing. Unless you pour water on the root of the tree, no eating, then it will die. Similarly, if you don't eat, you'll die. You'll die. There is no difference. It is the simply different methods of living. That's all. The cats and dogs living in a certain method. The human being is living in a certain method. The trees are living in a certain method. The fish in the waters, they are living in the certain method. But the eating, sleeping, mating, defending is there. Is there. So according to the different bodies, they're living differently.

So all living entities, as Kṛṣṇa said, that "They existed." So existed in a different body; now existing in a different body. This is called evolution or transmigration. This is . . . the evolution . . . evolution theory is there. Not theory, fact. In the Padma Purāṇa . . . it is not Darwin's invention. There is . . . asatiṁ caturaṁ caiva jīva-jātiṣu. As clearly stated, the evolution theory is, evolution fact is there are 8,400,000 different species of life, and the living entity passing, transmigrating, from one, another, one, another. Therefore, when one comes to this human form of body, Prahlāda Mahārāja says, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma: "It is very rarely . . . this human form of body is very . . ." Why it is so rare? Now, arthadam adhruvam. We shall die also. We shall give up this body like the cats and dogs. But I can get a sublime knowledge in this body. The cats and dogs cannot get. Therefore we should utilize this. So to understand this importance of this body is explained here that, "I am not this body; I am a spirit soul. I have been given a type of body by the material nature under the order of Kṛṣṇa and God." Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). This, these things are going on by the nature's law. The law is so perfect. Just like I have given several times that if you infect some disease, the nature's law is so perfect that you must suffer from that disease, unless you take precautions. Everyone knows that any infectious disease . . . that is . . . you see in the Bhag . . .

(break) . . . because it is full of cheating, full of mistake, full of illusion, imperfectness, then how you can understand the thing or the person who is beyond your perception? That is not possible. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet (Mahābhārata, Bhīṣma-parva 5.22). This is Vedic instruction that, "Things which are beyond your perception, don't try to understand by this foolish argument and logic." Don't try to understand. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā. Acintya means beyond your perception. Cintya means within your perception, and acintya means beyond your perception. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa. You cannot understand by this rascal logic and philosophy. That is not possible. Then how it is to be understood? There are many places. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136).

These blunt senses, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's qualities, Kṛṣṇa's activities—you cannot understand. "Then, I have got this . . . this is my, in possession. How can I understand Kṛṣṇa?" That is said, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. When you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord. Now, this is also another peculiar thing, that to understand by the tongue, not by the mind. Tongue. Tongue means we have got two businesses we perform with the tongue. One is tasting foodstuff, and vibrating voice. So you use this tongue vibrating Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam—bās. Then you understand Kṛṣṇa. You don't understand, but He reveals.

And actually that is happening. All over the world, these young boys and girls, because they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and because they are eating kṛṣṇa-prasādam, now they are developing their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are not Vedāntist. They have not studied all the Vedas. But how they are understanding? If they are not understanding Kṛṣṇa, how they are sticking to this life? In this life everything is forbidden: no illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication. Everything no. Material life finished. Why they are sticking, unless they are understanding Kṛṣṇa? This is the proof. The more you stick to these principle, sevonmukhe jihvādau, engage your tongue in two business—chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam—your life will be perfect.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (break)

Prabhupāda: Any question? (pause)

Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā that "Of all the senses, I am the mind."

Prabhupāda: You first of all question on the topics we have finished. Of course, this is also pointing . . . what is your question? Go on.

Devotee (1): Well, you explained that we have three kinds of miseries . . .

Prabhupāda: Three kinds of miseries. Yes.

Devotee (1): . . . ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika and ādhidaivika. So ādhyātmika is the misery also of the mind.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee (1): How can I understand it?

Prabhupāda: Well, the, a mind is sometimes not in order. That is ādhyātmika. Suppose somebody comes to me and asks some question. I am not thinking very . . . but, "Well, later on I shall say." That means mind is not in order. You are hearing Bhagavad-gītā, but your mind may be somewhere else. So there is . . . this is mind's disease, rejecting and accepting. There is mind's disease, there is bodily disease. That is called ādhyātmika.

Indian man: Kṛṣṇa says according to your . . . as you said, learn to tolerate. Learn to endure, toleration. And what . . . how can one be better equipped to tolerate these despairs and miseries of our human existence?

Prabhupāda: The more he understands that he is not body.

Indian man: Ah, yes. Yes, thank you.

Prabhupāda: The more he understands that, "I am not this body," then he can tolerate. And if we become disturbed by the pains and pleasure of the body, then we shall forget our real business. Our real business is to get out . . . I am not this body, but this human body is a chance how to get out of this body. That is my real business. So if we are disturbed by these bodily pains and pleasure very much, then I forget my real business. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised, taror api sahiṣṇunā.

tṛṇād api sunīcena

taror api sahiṣṇunā

amāninā mānadena

kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

(CC Adi 17.31)

Tṛṇād api sunīcena. Just like grass. Everyone is trampling over the grass. The grass does not protest. Therefore humbler than the grass and tolerant than the tree. In this way we shall have to keep our position in this material world and advance in spiritual consciousness. If we become disturbed, then we cannot make progress. Suppose we are prohibiting so many things. Especially in the Western world, this is very painful. But you have to tolerate. If you want to get out of this body, you have to tolerate. Actually it is not painful. If you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it is not difficult. It is very easy. It is not very . . . so any other question?

Devotee (2): Prabhupāda, how does one develop his desire, then, to get out of this body?

Prabhupāda: No desire. No material desire. Simply think of how to push on this movement. That desire and no other desire. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). No material desire. Śūnyam. Make zero all material desires. Simply desire, "How shall I push on? How shall I serve Kṛṣṇa? How shall I decorate this . . .?" Therefore we have given so many engagements, to divert the desire. Desire cannot be stopped. That is not possible. Those foolish persons are: "Become desireless." That is not possible. Desireless means I am dead. No. Purify desire. Purify desire. You have got the desire for driving motorcar. Just drive motorcar for preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (laughter) You see? This is the . . . change the quality of the desire.

Desire cannot be stopped. That is not possible. I want to eat very nice foodstuff. All right, eat remnants of foodstuff. We offer Kṛṣṇa the best food. That is the regulative principle. Kṛṣṇa should be offered the best foodstuff, and you take the remnants. Kṛṣṇa is not so hungry that He is . . . He is taking, but He is leaving also. That is Kṛṣṇa's eating. Kṛṣṇa says that patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aśnāmi (BG 9.26): "Anyone who is offering Me these foodstuff made of patraṁ puṣpam, vegetable and food grains and milk and this . . ." He never says: "Give Me meat or eggs." No. He never says. He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. These foodstuff we can prepare nicely in so many ways, and Kṛṣṇa says: "If somebody offers Me with faith and love, I eat it."

Now, the question is, you see that, "Whatever I offer, these things are there. How Kṛṣṇa has eaten?" Therefore His eating process is different. But He has eaten. That you have to learn from the śāstra, that pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). He is not hungry—still, He can eat the whole world. But still, the world remains as it is. That will require some brain to understand. (laughter) Kṛṣṇa eats. Kṛṣṇa eats, and again keeps the whole thing as it is for your eating. So you are not loser. If you offer to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will eat and He will again get you the foodstuff for eating. That is His fullness. That is His fullness.

So therefore you prepare very, very nice foodstuff and offer to Kṛṣṇa and take it. Then your desire for eating nice foodstuff will be automatically fulfilled. And at the same time become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Why don't you do this? Anyone can do, either in this temple or at home. But they will not worship Kṛṣṇa. They will worship a dog. Instead of God, keeping dog and taking all care. This is the mentality. Then next life he becomes a dog. Because he has got good faith and love for dog, therefore he becomes dog. And if you have got good faith and love for Kṛṣṇa, you become a body like Kṛṣṇa. Unless you have got the same type of body, how you can play with Kṛṣṇa, dance with Kṛṣṇa? Therefore when Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti . . . (BG 4.9). If you become a perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then after giving up this body, you get a body like Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), and live eternally, blissful life of knowledge. That should be the aim of life.

All right, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Haribol . . . (end)