740118 - Lecture SB 01.16.22 - Honolulu

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

740118SB-HONOLULU - January 18, 1974 - 44:41 Minutes

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse) (devotees repeat)

kiṁ kṣatra-bandhūn kalinopasṛṣṭān

rāṣṭrāṇi vā tair avaropitāni

itas tato vāśana-pāna-vāsaḥ-

snāna-vyavāyonmukha-jīva-lokam

(SB 1.16.22)

Prabhupāda: (after devotees chant verse) All right.

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of synonyms) (break)

Translation: "The so-called administrators are now bewildered by the influence of this age of Kali, and thus they have put all state affairs into disorder. Are you now lamenting this disorder? Now the general populace does not follow the rules and regulations for eating, sleeping, drinking, mating, etc., and they are inclined to perform such anywhere and everywhere. Are you unhappy because of this?"

Prabhupāda: So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam. The study of Bhāgavatam means complete knowledge. This is the mature contribution of Vyāsadeva to the human society. Lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). Before writing, by the instruction of his spiritual master, Vyāsadeva meditated in bhakti-yoga.

bhakti-yogena manasi

samyak praṇihite 'male

apaśyat puruṣaṁ sākṣāt

māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam

(SB 1.7.4)

yayā sammohito jīva

ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam

manute anarthaṁ

tat-kṛtaṁ cābhipadyate

(SB 1.7.5)

It is said . . . Vyāsadeva, before writing . . . writing book is not a whimsical, whatever I like. No. You must be empowered by superior authority; then you can deliver the right things. So Vyāsadeva was empowered by his guru, Nārada. Vyāsadeva, after writing so many books, he could not find any peace of mind. So he was sitting, morose, and his spiritual master, Nārada, came there, asked him, "My dear Vyāsa, you have done so much in writing for the welfare of the society. Why you are not happy?" Vyāsadeva replied, "Yes, my lord, I think I have done so much things, but I am not happy." So he was instructed that, "You have written so many books, but not about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I admit that you have written so many books. So because you have not described about the superiority or glories of the Lord, therefore you are unhappy." So after that instruction—that means after his writing of the Vedānta philosophy—he was also not happy. But when he wrote Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam under the instruction of Nārada, he became happy.

So the purpose of writing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). All the people of the world, they're fools and rascals, lokasyājānataḥ. Why they are fools and rascals? Now, there are two things. Vyāsadeva, by his bhakti-yoga meditation, he found out that there is God and there is māyā. Two things are there. Bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite 'male, apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇam (SB 1.7.4). There is the Supreme Person, the supreme controller—apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam—and there is also māyā, which is on the back side. Just like if you stand before the sun or light, your shadow will be on the back side. You have got, all, experience. You stand up; you'll see a long shadow on your back side. So that is māyā. The māyā is the back side. That means if you stand before the sun in the front, you can see in the sunlight very nicely. But if somebody stands on your back side, he cannot see you. This is the position. Apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam.

What is this māyā? Why this māyā? That is also explained. What is that? Yayā sammohito jīva: "These conditioned souls, they're bewildered by māyā, illusion." That is māyā. Yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam (SB 1.7.5): "Being bewildered by this māyā, this soul, who is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God, he's thinking that 'I am a material product. I am made of these material things.' " Just like the so-called rascal scientists, they'll never accept that within this body there is the soul, because they're always thinking there is no such thing as soul; only the material, that's all. This is illusion. They cannot explain how this body is moving, why the dead body does not move, what is the difference, what is the thing that is missing. These rascals will not understand. Even there is instruction by higher authorities that within this body there is the soul . . . dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanam (BG 2.13). Dehino 'smin dehe, in this body, dehī. The dehī . . . dehī means the possessor, the owner of the body. It is said clearly, and we can understand, that when I meditate upon my body, actually what I am, so if one is deep thinker, he'll immediately understand that, "I am not this body." Take, for example, study on this finger, and if you think, "I am this finger"? no, you'll come to the conclusion, "It is my finger." Any part of your body you study; you'll never agree that, "I am this." It is "I am in possession of this." We say also "my body," "my finger," "my head," "my hand." And where is that "I"? You are simply thinking, "My, my, my, my," but where is that "I"? But they have no brain. And still, they're passing on as great philosopher, great scientist, and getting Nobel Prize. But they are illusioned.

Yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam (SB 1.7.5). Ātmānam means the soul. Soul, they're thinking that it is a product of this matter, by evolution or so on. So many nonsense theories they have got, all rascaldom. There is no evolution. Evolution is there in the matter of consciousness. Just like a child: his consciousness is not developed. A child goes to capture a fire because his consciousness is not developed. But that does not mean the child has no consciousness or the child has no soul. Just like some rascal says: "The animals, they have no soul." So why the animals have no soul? Their consciousness is not developed, but soul is there. If the animal has no soul, then the child has also no soul, because the child behaves like an animal. In the family, a small child and a dog, they're behaving similarly, and therefore dog is also considered as one of the family members, children, because his consciousness is not developed.

So the evolution means developed consciousness, and according to the developed consciousness, one gets a particular type of body. This is nature's law.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham . . .

(BG 3.27)

The evolution means evolution of consciousness. The same child, when he's . . . he'll get a different body. Just like a female child—by evolution, means when she gets another body, youthful body, her consciousness is different. If you get the body of a pig, your consciousness is different from the consciousness of a man. A pig will very easily eat stool, but a human being will not eat. Similarly, in every behavior . . . just like we, Kṛṣṇa conscious people, we have given up intoxication. Now, if somebody comes and bribes and offers some money that, "You take this one thousand dollar and drink," you'll not agree, because your consciousness is developed. So evolution is not of the body. Evolution of consciousness. And as your consciousness develops, you get a particular type of body. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Therefore, the evolution should be of the consciousness. And this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your life is perfect. And fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, then you, after giving up this body—tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), no more material body.

So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And it is the duty of the guardians like guru, like father, like the state, they should look to the interest of the wards, subordinate, that he is developing his Kṛṣṇa consciousness nicely. That is the duty. So when that duty is not done . . . just like . . . we have no business to come so far. In Vṛndāvana I could live very peacefully; there is two room still, in Rādhā-Dāmodara Temple. But because there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . Kṛṣṇa consciousness means serving the Lord. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa dictated that, "You are sitting here very peacefully, without any botheration. No. You go to the Western countries. Teach them." So that is also Kṛṣṇa consciousness, developed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to render service to the ignorant of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is better. Because Vyāsadeva saw that māyā, illusory energy, or the shadow, darkness . . . yayā sammohito jīva. The whole world, living entity, conditioned soul, they're bewildered by this māyā, yayā sammohito jīva ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam (SB 1.7.5), thinking this body as self, foolish, rascal. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). One who thinks that, "I am this body," he's no better than dog and cat. However nicely dressed he may be, he's a dog, he's a cat. That's all. No more than animal. Because he has no knowledge of his self. (aside:) Don't do that. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke . . .

(aside) You cannot sit like this?

Devotee: Yes, I can.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ. This is going on. People are bewildered, thinking, "I am this body," just like cats and dogs. "And the issues from the body or connection with the body, that is mine." Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu. "I have got some connection, bodily connection, with woman. Therefore she's my wife or my protected," something like that. Children also—the same thing, bodily. They have no idea of the spirit soul, simply body. "So the body is born in a particular land. Therefore I am national." Bhauma ijya-dhīḥ. They're sacrificing so much their energy for the particular land because by accident he's born in this life in that land. Everything is described in the Bhāgavata.

Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

(SB 10.84.13).

Bhauma means land.

So this is going on. This is called illusion. He has no connection with all these things. When one realizes that "I have no connection with this body, this country, this wife, these children, this soc . . . these are all illusory," that is called liberation. That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). People are suffering, identifying himself with these false things, which is not. Ātmānaṁ tri-guṇātmakam. Tri-guṇa, these, all these materials, they are manufactured by the three modes of material nature, and he's . . . he has no connection with the material nature. But somehow or other, he is now fallen in the ocean of the . . . just like you have no connection with the ocean. Your place of living is land. But somehow or other, if you are thrown in the Pacific Ocean, that is a very troublesome business. You have to swim always. You have to protect . . . but still, you are unsafe. It doesn't matter you are a very great swimmer. Doesn't matter. When you are in the Pacific Ocean, you are in danger. So similarly, when that very man is taken away from the Pacific Ocean and put into the land, then he becomes prasannātmā, "Oh, I am saved." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. "Now I am on the saved . . ." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54), that when one is in full knowledge that, "I have nothing to do with this material world, the everything made by the material nature, that is illusion. I have nothing to do with anything of them. I am spirit, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. I am spirit soul. Now I have my business with the spiritual world," that is liberation. That is liberation. And the means which help you to come to that position, that is called spiritual life, sanātana-dharma.

So here it is said, the enquiry, that kiṁ kṣatra-bandhūn kalinā upasṛṣṭān rāṣṭrāṇi vā tair avaropitāni, "Are you very much anxious that, on account of this Kali-yuga, that kṣatra-bandhūn, the rulers, they have occupied the rāṣṭra position, the government position?" So what is the symptom of such a rascal government? That is also stated: itas tato vāśana-pāna-vāsaḥ-snāna-vyavāyonmukha-jīva-lokam. There will be no fixed position of these things. Just see. What are these? Aśana, eating. Aśana, pāna, drinking; vāsaḥ, residence; snāna, taking bath; and vyavāya, sexual intercourse. There is no rules and regulation. Irresponsible government means, the Kali's government means, that these things will be irregular, not regularized. Just see. This is Vedic civilization. Aśana, eating—there must be regulative principle, not that like hogs and pigs you can eat everything. No. There must be control. Control is there already. Just like in government, when you open a restaurant, immediately there is control. You have to take license that, "You have to supply food like this or like that. You cannot supply anything rubbish." Is it not? Control is there, but because it is controlled by another rascal, group of rascal, so they allow everything to eat. Everything eat.

Control is there, but they do not know what kind of control should be there. The control should be, as we are prescribing, Kṛṣṇa consciousness move . . . "You cannot take anything without Kṛṣṇa's prasāda." That is real control. Then you'll be happy. Control is already there, but they do not know because they are being governed by kṣatra-bandhūn. Kṣatra-bandhūn means kṣatriya. Kṣatriya means the ruling class. Kṣat. Kṣat means injure, and trāyate, one who gives you protection from being injured. He's kṣatriya. It is the duty of the government that every citizen, never mind whether human being or animal, he may not be injured by anyone. That is responsible government. It is not responsible government that one poor animal, because he does not know how to give him protection, although there is government, he is taken away to the slaughterhouse. This is not government.

Here we see Mahārāja Parīkṣit, as soon as he saw that a cow was being attempted to be killed, immediately he took his sword . . . "Who are you, nonsense? You are killing my citizen." This is good government. This is good government. Why the cow is not national? He's also . . . she's also born in the land, so she's as important a national as you are. Kṛṣṇa has given her the grass to eat. She's not interfere . . . interfering with your food. Why? What right you have got to kill? You have got your own food. The cow has got the grass for her food. You have got food grains. You have got . . . cow is giving you milk, just to give her protection that, "You take my blood, turn into milk. Please do not kill me." So why these things are happening? Because there is rascal government. Kalinā upasṛṣṭān. Rascal government. So one should lament that this, "We are under this rascal government, under the rascal guru, rascal father. But who are meant for giving protection, they are all rascals. This is our position." This is called Kali-yuga. This is Kali-yuga.

So if you study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you'll be able to understand the whole material position and how you are situated in that material position, how to get out of it. Everything you'll understand, provided you have got the brain. If you have got a dull brain, filled up with cow dung, that is another thing. If there is brain substance, then you'll be able. Tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Alpa-medhasām and su-medhasām, they are two words in the Vedic language. Medhā means brain substance. So one who has got su-medhasa, nice brain substance, they will understand something. And one who has got no brain substance but cow dung, they will understand something else. So we are selecting, or even if he is filled up with cow dung, by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness education we can make him su-medhasa, fine brain. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Even one is filled up with cow dung, su-medhasa. Therefore Bhāgavata says:

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

(SB 11.5.32)

Su-medhasaḥ. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam. Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He's Kṛṣṇa. Tviṣākṛṣṇa: by complexion golden. Therefore, by complexion is not kṛṣṇa, or blackish, but He's Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has four colors. That is in the śāstra: śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ (CB Ādi-khaṇḍa 14.136). So one of the colors of Kṛṣṇa is yellow, golden. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam (SB 11.5.32), that Lord Kṛṣṇa now, in the form of Lord Caitanya, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, and sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, associated with His personal expansion, śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda . . . this is described. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam, with these . . . in the former incarnation, He was killing the demons directly with sword or the sudarśana-cakra, some way or other. Now, in this age, they're already dead. So if Kṛṣṇa comes to kill them with sudarśana-cakra and sword, they will not be profited. Therefore, these are the astras, these are the swords: the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa who was preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are the Lord's weapon. And they're getting victory. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. So those who are intelligent, su-medhasaḥ, they will worship this form of God in this Kali-yuga. And what is the process of worshiping? Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ.

So these rascal, position, the rascal guardians, you have to fight with them, but not with sword or any other weapon: the saṅkīrtana movement, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ. If you stick to this principle of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, yajñaiḥ, if you have got good brain, su-medhasaḥ, then you will take this means, and by the help of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu you'll conquer all over the world. All over the world. You cannot take up any other means. That will not be successful, because the śāstra says, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). So at the present moment, our position is very precarious. We are in the darkness, the ignorance, and so many other things, corollaries to these things. Rāṣṭrāṇi vā tair avaropitāni itas tataḥ. Just see. Five thousand years ago this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was written, the symptoms of Kali-yuga. Now you see that itas tato vāśana-pāna-vāsaḥ-snāna. Now everywhere, all over the world, the young boys and girls, they have no fixture where they'll live, where they'll take their bath, where they'll eat or how . . . or how they have sex. No. These are preliminary necessities of life. One must have a good place to live. One must have sufficient nice foodstuff to eat. Sleep. Eating, sleeping, mating—this is physical necessities. So in the Vedic civilization, these necessities are prescribed in a regulated way so that he can satisfy his physical necessities, at the same time, become Kṛṣṇa conscious and go back to home, back to Godhead.

So at the present moment there is no fixture even for the physical necessities. Physical necessities. No hope. When I first came to America, when I saw in the Bowery Street, they're lying on the street, "And how is that?" I understood, "The Americans are very rich. Why they are lying on the street?" I was surprised. But see, even in such rich country like America, they're lying on the street—no fixture of sleeping, no fixture of sex life. Nobody knows with whom one has to satisfy his sex life. Nobody knows. In New York City I was . . . I saw that one friend asking another friend, "Can I take my showers in your room?" Then I understand, "Oh, there is no fixity of even taking bath." There is no fixity of where to sleep. There is no fixity where to satisfy sex. Everything, although such a rich country. Why? Because the leaders are rascals. The leaders are rascals. These are the first duty of the government, to see that everyone is nicely situated so far his physical necessities are concerned. But a sane man, when he sees this disturbance, or everything mismanaged, he becomes very unhappy and tries to set up by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (break)

Sudāmā: Any questions?

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes it is seen that even materialistic political power is successful in overthrowing government. So is it not possible for . . . in this age for devotees to overthrow a government?

Prabhupāda: Yes, if you become all devotee, it is very easy. Because nowadays, the "Government of the people, by the people." So if the people are Kṛṣṇa conscious, naturally the government will be Kṛṣṇa conscious. And if you are fools and rascals, the government will be fools and rascals. Because government is the representative of the people. You have got the opportunity, because nowadays, democracy that, "Government for the people, by the people." Is not that? So if you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, naturally the government will be, because government is by the people, for the people. So not that kind of revolution. So if you make a revolution of this saṅkīrtana movement, everyone chanting and dancing, the government will be changed immediately. So push this movement.

Devotee (2): Prabhupāda, there are certain groups saying that there's a comet in the sky and that there's going to be some very inauspicious effects because of that. Do you know anything about that?

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Satsvarūpa: The comet.

Devotee (2): There's a comet in the sky, and they're saying that some very inauspicious . . .

Prabhupāda: And what is auspicity now? Eh? What is auspicity now? We are describing all inauspicity, even without the comet. (laughter) Where do you find the auspicity? The one man said that, "He has kicked me, he has beaten me with shoes, and again he has said that, 'I shall insult you.' " Where is the scarcity of insult? If he is beaten by shoes and kicked by his leg, and still he's expecting some more insult? You are already inauspicity. Why you are expecting more inauspicity by the presence of comet? We are already in inauspicity. And therefore these descriptions are there. You have no fixture anything—where to live, where to take bath, where to eat, where to have sex life—nothing fixed up. Everything catastrophe, chaos. What more inauspicity you want? Everywhere. Here even one problem, another; in another country, another problem, another problem, another problem. He must be problematic. Daivī hy eṣā . . . because anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he must be punished by the laws of nature. He must be punished. Therefore it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ . . . (BG 7.14). They're already inauspicity. The whole atmosphere is inauspicious. So if there is little more inauspicity, what is the wrong there? There is nothing . . . the more inauspicity will come.

Now, still, in your country you are not poverty-stricken. You have got enough food. These things also will be stopped. Now you have got food in chaos, but there will be no food also. Then the mother and father will eat his own children. This is world, this Kali-yuga, everything. No food will be produced. Now by your talent you are producing nice food, but producing food, the . . . tilling the ground some way or other, by machine or by this way . . . there must be rain, so many conditions. But time will come when there will be no rain. Then what you will do with your tractor and machine? You'll have to eat the tractor. (laughter) That's all. What you will do? There will be no rain. It is said that, "There will be cloud, there will be lightning, but there will be no rainfall." These are stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the result of our sinful life, restriction. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ, ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā (BG 3.27). These rascals are thinking, "We are master." What master you are? You are under the control of nature fully. And they are, these rascals, are thinking, "I am free. There is no God. I am free." So, gradually . . . (break) you are already known as the bright-faced. Is it not?

Devotees: Yes, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Before coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness see the photograph of your face, and now see. Practical. But if you deviate, if you fall down again, that is your business. But if you strictly follow the rules and regulation chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you'll go forward. Nobody can check it. Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to . . . (break) (end)