750705 - Lecture SB 06.01.21 - Chicago

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

750705SB-CHICAGO - July 05, 1975 - 22:39 Minutes

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, First Chapter, verse number 21. (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścid

dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ

nāmnā naṣṭa-sadācāro

dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ

(SB 6.1.21)

(break) (03:00)

"In the country known as Kānyakubja there was a brāhmaṇa of the name Ajāmila. Later on, he married a kept maidservant, a prostitute. On account of the association with the low-class woman, he lost all his brahminical qualities."

Prabhupāda: This is the history. Yesterday we talked, itihāsam udāharanti, atra codāharanti imam itihāsaṁ purātanam. This Kānyakubja. . .

kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścid

dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ

nāmnā naṣṭa-sadācāro

dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ

(SB 6.1.21)

This Kānyakubja is still there. It is now known as Kanauj, within the division of Kanpur. It is very old city, resided by brāhmaṇas especially. Still, in that city the most inhabitants are brāhmaṇas. Just like Nadia, Navadvīpa, it was formerly, even in Caitanya Mahāprabhu's time, inhabited by brāhmaṇas, learned scholars. So similarly, in northern India this place, Kanauj, since very long, long time, it is a very celebrated place. Now this place is very much famous for manufacturing perfumes, rosewater, scented attars, like that.

So anyway, it is history. Long, long ago there was a brāhmaṇa, dvija. Dvija means twice-born. First birth by the father and mother. . . That kind of birth is obtainable by any person, man or animal. As soon as you take birth, there must be father and mother. Without father, mother, there is no question of birth. Therefore, in the human society they do not take this birth as very important. We are very much proud of becoming American or Indian on account of birth, but according to the Vedic civilization, simply the birth by father and mother is not very important. There must be second birth, dvija. Dvi means second, and ja means birth. So according to the Vedic civilization, a human being must be trained up to become dvija, or take his birth second time. This is human civilization. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Simply by ordinary birth by father and mother, it is śūdra. But the civilization is how a śūdra or less than śūdra can be elevated to the position of a brāhmaṇa. That is civilization.

So, as I was explaining yesterday, that if you keep people fourth-class man, then that is not advancement of civilization. Attempt should be made how a fourth-class man can be raised to the first-class position by culture and education. So this Ajāmila, he was trained up by his parents to be a qualified brāhmaṇa. What is that qualified brāhmaṇa? You have heard many times: śamo damaḥ satyaṁ śaucam ārjavaṁ titikṣā, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). These qualities should be developed. First of all, śama. Śama means equilibrium in the mental position. Mind is never disturbed. There are so many causes of the mind being disturbed. When the mind is not disturbed, that is called samaḥ. Guruṇāpi duḥkhena na vicālyate. That is perfection of yoga.

yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ

manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ

yasmin sthite guruṇāpi

duḥkhena na vicālyate

(BG 6.22)

This is training. Mind is very flickering. Even five thousand years ago, when Arjuna was advised by Kṛṣṇa that "You make your restless mind fixed up," he frankly said, "Kṛṣṇa, it is not possible." Cañcalaṁ hi manaḥ kṛṣṇa pramāthi balavad dṛḍham (BG 6.34): "I see my mind is always very much agitated, and to control the mind is exactly an attempt to stop the wind. So it is not possible." But actually his mind was fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. So those who mind have been fixed up at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, they have conquered. Their mind is fixed up. That is wanted. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane (SB 9.4.18). These are the qualifications of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. He was very responsible emperor, but his mind was fixed up at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted.

So this is brahminical qualification, to practice how to fix up the mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, and that is the perfection of yoga. Yoga means not to show some magical feats. No. Real perfection of yoga means to fix up the mind at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the last conclusion of this yoga chapter, Sixth Chapter,

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

That was encouraging to Arjuna, because Arjuna thought, "Then I am useless. I cannot fix up." But his mind was already fixed up. Therefore Kṛṣṇa encouraged him, "Don't be discouraged. Anyone whose mind is already fixed up in Me always, he is the first-class, topmost yogī." Therefore, we should be always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That is Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, that means your mind is fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. That is the perfection of yoga. So to become a brāhmaṇa, this is the first qualification: to keep the mind fixed up, not being agitated, śama. And when your mind is fixed up, then your senses will be controlled. If you fix up your mind that "I shall simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam, no more business," then the senses will be controlled automatically. Tā'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati (Gitavali).

So these are the different stages how to become a brāhmaṇa. Śamaḥ, damaḥ, then satyam, truthful. Truthful means in one sense ordinary truthful. But real truthful means to know the Absolute Truth. Absolute Truth. So that Absolute Truth, who is Absolute Truth? Kṛṣṇa. We are searching after truth, what is the truth, what is the relative truth. But when you come to Kṛṣṇa, that is Absolute Truth. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1). This is truth. Then what is the cause of this truth? This is the. . . This is the. . . Neti, neti. So when you come to Kṛṣṇa, so above Him there is no more truth. Kṛṣṇa has no cause, but He is the cause of everything, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, anādiḥ (Bs. 5.1). He has no. . . People ask generally that "Everything has cause. What is the cause of Kṛṣṇa?" The answer is anādi: "He has no cause." That is God. Anādir ādiḥ: "He is the cause of everyone." Anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

So if our mind is fixed up in Kṛṣṇa, then naturally the senses will be controlled. If we fix up our mind that we shall not do anything, dṛḍha-vratāḥ. . . Bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 7.28). This is determination, that "I shall have nothing to do without Kṛṣṇa." Then you are first-class yogī—dvija, brāhmaṇa, everything. Everything. So this is. . . these are the qualification of not dvija. . . Dvija is primary qualification of becoming a brāhmaṇa. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. By saṁskāra, by the reformatory process, one is initiated—that is called dvija, dvitīya-janma. The spiritual master is the father, and the Vedic knowledge is the mother. This is called dvija, dvitīya-janma, second birth. So after being dvija, when the spiritual master sees that he is acquired sadācāra. . . Sadācāra means these four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling; taking bath thrice, rising early in the. . . These are called sadācāra. These are brahminical qualification.

So this Ajāmila was very nicely trained up, born of a brāhmaṇa father, and his father trained up. But unfortunately, when he was young man, he was passing through the road, he saw one śūdra is embracing another śūdrāṇī, or prostitute. Now it is very common affair all over the world, a man is embracing, kissing. But this was not allowed in gentlemen's society. The śūdras, the fourth-class men, they used to do that. Sometimes, not always. So he was young man. Naturally, when he saw that a young śūdra is embracing another young girl, śūdrāṇī, and she is not properly dressed, she became attracted. . . he became attracted. And they were drunk. So in this way, he fell a victim of that prostitute. He liked that prostitute, and later on, he remained with her, and he had very good wife, very respectable family, brāhmaṇa, but he forgot everything. Therefore it is said, naṣṭa-sadācāraḥ: "He lost all brahminical qualification." So he was so much trained up, and still, by seeing the sex behavior of a śūdra and śūdrāṇī, he fell down long, long years ago. Now these things are very common affair. How the young men can be saved? It is very difficult. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given one panacea: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That can save you. Otherwise it is very difficult. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva. . . (CC Adi 17.21). By practicing the tapasya and yoga and. . . Nothing will help you, because the age is very fallen. He especially mentioned, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Otherwise, one cannot. . .

So he lost all sadācāra. Kānyakubje. . . Kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścit. Kaścit, kaścit means "some are." Every brāhmaṇa was very elevated. One, somebody, kaścit. Kaścid dāsī-patiḥ. And why he fell down? Because he married one maidservant, prostitute. The prostitute class you will find in the history of India, but they are a class, a low-class woman. Otherwise, in gentleman class or higher class, namely the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya and vaiśya, it is not possible to mix freely. That is not possible. They still, in respectable families, the young girls, they are not allowed to go out, not to mix with any. . . The first young man is her husband, when the father, mother selects, then. . . This is the process. So prostitution was existent. Now I do not know what is the position. But in the low class, dāsī-pati, maidservant, sweeper, maidservant, one could mix and have the advantage of prostitution. In the lower class, not in the higher class. So therefore it is stated that kaścid dāsī-patiḥ. Dāsī-pati. Not the married wife, but dāsī-pati, a maidservant. And his name was Ajāmila. Dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ nāmnā.

So what was his condition? Naṣṭa-sadācāraḥ. He had no. . . he lost all the sadācāra. Sadācāra, these are the sadācāra: to rise early in the morning, to take bath, attend maṅgala-ārātrika and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, read books, Vedic literature, and take prasādam—always some prescribed duty for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called sadācāra. So Ajāmila, on account of this association of this prostitute, he lost all good qualities, sadācāra, and then he took all abominable professional for earning money. That will be described next verse.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end).