751205 - Lecture SB 07.06.04 - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

751205SB-VRNDAVAN - December 05, 1975 - 37:37 Minutes

Harikeśa: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Seventh Canto, Sixth Chapter, fourth verse. (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

tat-prayāso na kartavyo

yata āyur-vyayaḥ param

na tathā vindate kṣemaṁ

mukunda-caraṇāmbujam

(SB 7.6.4)

(break) (00:58)

Translation: "Therefore, only for the purpose of sense gratification, material activities like economic development are simply a waste of time and energy without any practical profit. If such energy and endeavor is utilized for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, surely one can attain to the spiritual platform of self-realization. There is no benefit by engaging oneself in economic development."

Prabhupāda:

tat-prayāso na kartavyo

yata āyur-vyayaḥ param

na tathā vindate kṣemaṁ

mukunda-caraṇāmbujam

(SB 7.6.4)

So prayasa, activities. . . Rūpa Gosvāmī has forbidden,

atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca

prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ

laulyaṁ jana-saṅgaś ca

ṣaḍbhiḥ bhaktir pranaśyati

(NOI 2)

There are six kind of activities which will increase your transcendental importance of life, and there are six kinds of activities which will destroy your whatever little devotion you have got. These, in the Upadeśāmṛta you will find, how you can increase and how you can finish. So about finishing, if you are actually advancing in spiritual life, if that is your aim, then these six things should be avoided. As it is said, prayāsaḥ. The first thing is atyāhāra, eating too much than necessity, atyāhāra, or collecting more than you require. For maintenance of your body you have to secure some monetary benefit—but not more than what you require. People are not satisfied. At the present moment everyone is trying to get more and more and more and more. There is no satiation. This kind of endeavor is forbidden. It will not help you. But people are mad after money. If he is getting, say, five hundred rupees, he says, "No, why five hundred? Five thousand." And if he gets five thousand, then he says, "Why five thousand? Five lakhs." And if he gets five lakhs, then he says, "Why five lakhs? Five crores." This is there. The whole world is going on. They are never satisfied. You go to any rich man: "Sir, you have now enough money. Please come to our meeting in the morning, seven-thirty." "No, I have no time." He's earning money.

So everyone thinks, "To earn money is my first business. That is. . . And to work for it, that is my first business." But that is forbidden. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam this is forbidden. Becau. . . Why forbidden? Because you cannot get more than what you are destined to get. That is not possible. If by your karma, karma-phala, by result of your karma, if you are to get some happiness, you will get that much, not more than that. So what is the use of endeavoring? Therefore it is said, tat-prayāso na kartavyo yata āyur-vyayaḥ param. Simply waste your time. Suppose you are doing some business and earning money. And if somebody says that "You cannot get more than five hundred rupees per month," then why you'll work so hard? But because they have no information—they do not take consultation from the right person—therefore they are trying uselessly. The human life was meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa. Instead of using the energy for understanding Kṛṣṇa, they are spoiling the energy unnecessarily to earn money. This is the modern civilization. The whole Western world, how they are spoiling their life unnecessarily. We should be satisfied in the economic position as we are put into.

So in another place Nārada Muni says,

tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatāṁ upary adaḥ

tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ

kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasāḥ

(SB 1.5.18)

Gabhīra-raṁhasāḥ, tal labhyate. Your material gain, happiness or distress, you are destined to get. You'll get it. Again the same, duḥkhavad anyataḥ. Duḥkham anyat nataḥ. Anyat nataḥ. Nobody tries to get distress. If you ask anybody that "Why you are working so hard?" nobody says that "I am working so hard, I want distress." Nobody will say. Everyone will say, "I'll be happy. I'll get happiness. Therefore I am working hard." "No, this is distress." "Yes, this is distress, but I'll get happiness after this." This is called māyā. He is undergoing distress, but he is thinking, "I'll get happiness." This is called māyā.

So there is no use. This is śāstric injunction. You have to see your future through the śāstra. So don't waste your time in that way. Āyur-vyayam param. Ayur-vyayaḥ. This duration of life, human life—Prahlāda Mahārāja has begun with the words durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma—this life is very, very important, and after many, many births you have got it. So you should always remember that every moment of this life is so important. How much it is important, that is explained by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Anyone can understand. He says. . . He is not a, I mean, Kṛṣṇa conscious person but moralist. He was prime minister. He says, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Your duration of life. . . You have got a certain years' duration of life. You cannot live more than that. If you have got your duration of life for fifty years, you can live up to fifty years, not hundred years. These are all destined. It is useless. So therefore it is very important. In the Bhāgavata in another place it is said, tūrṇaṁ yateta anumṛtya pateta yāvat nihśreyasāya (SB 11.9.29). The same thing repeatedly. Here Prahlāda Mahārāja also says that durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam (SB 7.6.1). First of all you have to consider that we have got this human form of life after many, many hundreds and thousands, millions, 8,400,000. . . (break) Durlabham. So therefore it is, although temporary. . . Everyone knows that "I'll not live forever." But even though it is temporary, adhruvam, not eternal, it is arthadam. It is said, arthadam. Whatever little life you have got, you can attain perfection. This is the advantage. You can attain perfection.

How perfection? Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mam ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi. . .

(BG 18.66)

This is perfection. Kṛṣṇa says that "You give up all these nonsense engagement. Simply surrender unto Me, and I shall give you relief." Our continuation of material life means full of sinful activities. We act some way, and we get a similar body. And again the life continues, and again we get another body, another body, another body. But in the human form of body, you can get the highest perfection, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that will stop your continuation of this material life. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni indriyāṇi karṣati.

mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ

jīva-loke sanātanaḥ

manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi

prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

(BG 15.7)

By mental concoction and sense gratification he is continuing this material existence.

So every man, the same instruction is there, that this human form of life is only meant for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But the rascals, they will not hear. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura sings, hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu: "My Lord Hari, I have simply wasted my time." Actually, if one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is simply wasting his valuable time. Hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu. How? Manuṣya-janama pāiyā rādhā-kṛṣṇa nā bhajiyā jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. The same thing as Prahlāda Mahārāja says. This is called mahājana. The one mahājana is speaking something, another mahājana will say something else—that is not mahājana. Mahājana means evaṁ paramparā prāptam (BG 4.2). What Prahlāda Mahārāja said millions of years ago, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is saying the same thing. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma, tad apy adhruvam arthadam (SB 7.6.1), and the same thing is being repeated by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: hari hari biphale janama goṅāinu. (aside:) Why they are going there with children? So this is called paramparā prāptam. (aside:) Nobody should go within, with children. Eh? They. . .

Akśayānanda: She was standing at the doorway. She didn't go in.

Prabhupāda: No. So, why should we waste our time? Just see practically. We are asking people that "Don't waste your time. We are opening hundreds of centers. You come with us. Little prasādam you require. We shall supply. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." "No. No. I shall do the same thing, prayāsa, trying for this, trying for that, trying for something else, something else. No." Nobody is satisfied that "My life is meant for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here is a chance to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Let me live here peacefully and let me eat the prasādam and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." You will find no customer. This is māyā.

daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī

mama māyā duratyayā

mām eva ye prapadyante

māyām etāṁ taranti te

(BG 7.14)

It is very, very difficult. But still, Vaiṣṇava, he will advise. A moralist who knows śāstra, he will also advise, just like Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, I was saying. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Formerly there was exchange for. . . Means of exchange was coins, gold mohur. Even in India, even in Muhammadan time, there was gold mohur, not this paper, cheating: "I give you money, one thousand rupees, some paper. That's all." Where is money? But people are satisfied. "Yes, I have got one thousand rupees. It is written there. That's all." But actual money is the gold, gold exchange.

So therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said. . . This means at that time there was gold coin exchange. Even in our childhood we have seen in India there was coins—gold coins, silver coins, everywhere, all over the world. In England there was pound, gold coin. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Svarṇa means gold coins, and koṭi means ten millions. So suppose today is 6th December. Now seven o'clock, morning, seven o'clock, 6th December, passed. Can you bring it again by paying one crores of gold coins? Hmm? That "Let me get back again seven o'clock, 6th December, 1975, again"? No. It is gone forever. So just see the value, that you cannot get back even a moment of your life by paying millions and millions of dollars. How time is valuable, just calculate. Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. . . sa cet nirarthakaṁ nītaḥ ka no hānis tato 'dhika. If you waste your time, such valuable time, for nothing, just imagine how much loser you are. But we do not know.

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31): "Your life is meant for chanting. Therefore you should simply chant sadā, always, consistently." This is the advice. This is properly using the moments of time. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says that tat-prayāsa. If you foolishly endeavor for making some economic development, then what is the. . .? Āyur-vyayaḥ param. You have got this valuable life. Every moment is so valuable. That means you are wasting your valuable life by such endeavor to improve your economic condition. It is not possible. Tad ayatnataḥ. If you get distress without endeavoring for it, you will get happiness without endeavoring for it, because that is destined. You cannot get more or less. You have to. . . You'll get it.

Therefore, whatever little life we have got, instead of wasting for improving economic condition, let us use it for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is life. Who understands this philosophy, this rascal world? Nobody understands this philosophy, but this is real philosophy: not to waste your valuable time for improving your economic condition. That is not possible. You have to utilize every moment to see how we are improving Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So "How I am improving? Who will give me the certificate?" No. You don't require anyone's certificate. You'll know it. If you actually trying for advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the certificate will be understood by yourself automatically. What is that? Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). If you advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means you'll be detestful for material enjoyment, especially sex enjoyment. That is the last word of material enjoyment. So this is the test, that bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt.

yad avadi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde

nava nava dhāman udyata rantum āsīt

tad avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne

bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca

Yamunacārya. This is the test. The more you advance in spiritual consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you'll dislike this material happiness. This is the test.

How it is? Just like if you are hungry and if you get food, then the more you eat, your appetite or hunger will be minimized, and at last you'll say, "No, no, I don't want any more." Similarly, advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness means, "No, no, I don't want." Not only saying "Don't want," but yad avadi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava nava dhāman udyata rantum āsīt tad avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame. Here our feelings of happiness is sex life. Sometimes we think, "Oh, how I was enjoying sex life with my wife, with my husband." That is also pleasure. They read so many novels because there is sex life. They feel very happy: "How this man is talking with this woman, woman is talking this woman, and how they are enjoying." So that is subtle, subtle enjoyment.

There are eight kinds of subtle sex life. If you see one beautiful woman and if you appreciate, "Oh, how nice the face is," that is subtle sex. If you read books, that is also subtle sex. If you endeavor how to approach that woman or man to find out the opportunity, that is subtle sex. There are eight kinds of subtle sex life. So it is forbidden for a brahmacārī even to think of woman. That is brahmacārī. Even thinking of woman is subtle sex life. It is very, very difficult. But mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). If you catch the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa very tightly, these things will not disturb. That is said by Yamunacārya. Bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ. If you become pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then as soon as you think of sex, you'll spit: "Eh! Nonsense. What is this?" This is the result. That is the certificate, whether you have got that attitude—spit on it. Then you understand that you are increasing. Otherwise you are in the same hellish condition. You may show that you are becoming a devotee, very great devotee, so test yourself how much you have advanced.

So that is the śāstric injunction everywhere. Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇa bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. Bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ.

yan-maithunādi gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ

kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham

kaṇḍūtivan manasi yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ

tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇa bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ

(SB 7.9.45)

Everyone is practically aware that how sex life is followed by so many miserable condition of life—everyone knows it—either illicit or legal. The world is going on. Because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, now they are creating so many sinful life, killing the child openly. The doctors, the medical men, scientists, advise it, "If you like, you can kill your child." And to kill a child means how much sinful activities they do not know, but they are inducing. He has to become a child, and he will be killed by somebody else. And again, as many times he has killed children, he will have to live within the womb and be killed. Bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. It will be followed by so many miserable condition of life. But now they are advertising, "One, two, three—no more children." But "one, two, three" means balance children, you kill. This is going on. Then why not stop sex life? Oh, that is not possible. Bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. Not only in this life but in the next life, next life, because there is no. . . Mūḍhā nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam (BG 7.13). These rascals. . . This rascal civilization is so dangerous, mūḍhā, full of rascals.

So our little, humble attempt is to give them relief from this rascaldom civilization. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to give little relief or little knowledge to the people in general, especially to the human being. Like Prahlāda Mahārāja is. . . Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam (SB 7.6.1). In the human life one can understand. We are speaking all these instruction from śāstra by Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's devotees. Why? Just to give a little relief. They may understand how to live. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. "Before the next death let me finish my Kṛṣṇa consciousness life." That is required. That is intelligence. Otherwise, as soon as the life is finished, there is no guarantee that I am going to take again a human form of life. It is not possible. But there is little guarantee for the devotee. For the devotee, if he has rendered little service to Kṛṣṇa even for a moment, the life of human life next is guaranteed. Guaranteed in this way, that if he unknowingly commits some mistake, then it is guaranteed. And if he knowingly commits mistake, then he is going to be cats and dogs.

This is the facility. Yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sanjāyate (BG 6.41). Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer patet tato yadi bhajann apakvaḥ (SB 1.5.17). One has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but on account of immature Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if he falls down, falls down like that, then he gets. . . Yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sanjāyate śucīnāṁ. But if one purposefully commits mistake and sinful life, "Now I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. I can do all sinful life; it will become counteracted," that rascal will be punished very, very much. Nāmnād balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. "I am living in Vṛndāvana. Oh, it is dhāma, so let me do all nonsense. It will be counteracted." They'll be these cats and dogs and monkeys in Vṛndāvana. Dhāmāparādha. Dhāmāparādha. Of course, Vṛndāvana's influence will be there, but at least one life he has to become the hog and dog in Vṛndāvana. Then next life he'll be. . . Because as soon as he becomes animal, there is no scope of unlimited committing sinful life. Animals are restricted. They can commit one kind of sinful life. That, the human being, because he has got intelligence, he commits unlimited duration of sinful life. That is another danger. So one who commits this sinful life in Vṛndāvana, remember, he has to become next life cats and dogs. There, as you see, there are many dogs, hogs. But still, Vṛndāvana-dhāma is so powerful that next life he will get salvation, even if he has become dogs and hogs. But that is not good. Why should we act in such a way that in Vṛndāvana-dhāma we shall commit sinful life and become a cats and dogs? Jaya jaya vṛndāvanavāsī yata jana. We should be careful. We should be careful, especially in dhāma, dhāmāparādha.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "Don't waste your time for improving your bodily comforts. That is not good. It is simply waste of time." Tat prāyaso na kartavyo yata āyur vyayaḥ param. This life, human form of life, param, the supreme life. . . In the material existence the human form of life is supreme. Even the demigods, they desire that "If I can again go to Bhārata-varṣa and get a human life." This is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So you have come to Bhārata-varṣa, or you are born in Bhārata-varṣa, human life. Take full opportunity of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't waste a single moment. This is the instruction. And even if you develop your economic condition, then what is the gain? Real gain is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Therefore it is said, na tathā vindate kṣemaṁ mukunda-caraṇāmbujam (SB 7.6.4). You simply dedicate your life to serve Mukunda. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Mukunda. Muk means liberation. Mukti. Muk means mukti. So ānanda, the mukti-ānanda, that is real ānanda, liberation. So therefore our business is how to surrender fully unto the lotus feet of Mukunda, mukunda-caraṇāmbujam, and fully engage in His service. That is the only business of human life. Don't try to make economic development, dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41). Don't try to become a religious person also.

Religious person means strictly following the rules and regulation of varṇāśrama-dharma. That is called religious.

varṇāśramācāravatā

puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān

visnur ārādhyate puṁsāṁ

nānyat tat toṣa-kāraṇam

(CC Madhya 8.58)

Varnāśrama-dharma is called dharma. Dharma. . . There is brāhmaṇa. He has got his duties, prescribed duties. Kṣatriya, he has got his prescribed duties. This is all explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. And vaiśya, he has got his prescribed duties. So even if you are executing your occupational duties very perfectly, but if you do not enhance your Kṛṣṇa consciousness it is useless. Dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, CC Ādi 1.90). It is useless. You can say, "I am executing my brāhmaṇa-dharma very nicely." No. Even if you are executing,

dharma-svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ

viśvaksena kathāsu yaḥ

notpādayed ratiṁ yadi

śrama eva hi kevalam

(SB 1.2.8)

Even if you are execute your occupational duties very nicely, but if you do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then it is simply waste of time. Śrama eva hi kevalam. The real purpose of life is mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. That is real purpose of life. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Don't try for anything else, so-called happiness or distress." So-called happiness, distress, we should always remember. Even the distress, we should neither. . . (break) (end).