760527 - Lecture SB 06.01.27 - Honolulu

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

760527SB-HONOLULU - May 27, 1976 - 18.36 Minutes

Pradyumna: Translation: "When the time of death arrived for the foolish Ajāmila, he began thinking exclusively of his son, Nārāyaṇa." (SB 6.1.27)

Prabhupāda: So in the previous verse also it has been described, bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho (SB 6.1.26), and here is also, sa evaṁ vartamāno ajñā. Ajñā means one who has no sufficient knowledge. He is called ajñā. And mūḍha means ass, rascal. So in both the verses the Ajāmila is described as fool, rascal, and without sufficient knowledge. Why? Because he's attached to the child, and he does not know that death is coming now. Death is there. This is our position. We say that "God is dead." God is not dead. God is coming very soon. Wait a few years, you'll be dead. This is the position. You rascal, God is not dead. God is coming to kick you, to kill you. (laughter) Yes. Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). What is death? Just like in your previous life you had been something. Death means you have forgotten everything. Suppose I was a very big king or prime minister or president. But that is all finished. Now I've got another life, another chapter of life. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir (BG 2.13). You have to change your body. It may be lower degree or higher degree, but you have to change your body. There are 8,400,000 species of life, forms of life. You have to accept one of them. That is our real problem. If we forget the real problem and blindly or foolishly say that "God is dead . . ." God may be dead, but God's law is not dead. Suppose a king dies, a president dies; does it mean the government dies? Huh? The government will go on. You can say, "God is dead." God is not dead, neither you are dead. But if you foolishly say that God is dead, that does not mean His law is also dead. The law will go on. One king may be dead; the next, his son or somebody will become king, and the government law will go on. So what is the use of talking foolishly like "God is dead. God may be dead?" God is never dead. This is going on. This morning we were talking.

So we are concerned with the laws of God. God may be dead or alive—it doesn't matter. Suppose by law we are prisoners, we are in the prison house, and all of a sudden the president or the king dies. Does it mean you shall be free? No. You have to rot. Just like Bengali proverb says raja morle rajya atakay na, (if the King dies, his country won't be stopped,) that if the king dies, his government is not stopped. We should remember that. That government is prakṛti, the material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). You are reading Bhagavad-gītā. So this is . . . these are all foolish things, that "God is dead," "I don't care for God." But God, actually, God is not dead—you are dead. You are dead because . . . you are dead actually, because this body, the bodily concept of life, this body is dead. Just like you are driving one car. But if you think that "I'm the car . . ." The car is dead. The car is moving because you are alive. Similarly, this dead body . . . this body is dead, already dead from the very beginning, but it is moving on account of the soul. This is knowledge. It is dead from the very beginning. Therefore in the śāstra it is said that . . . what is that? I am just now forgetting. Aprāṇasya hi dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 3.11). Aprāṇasya hi dehasya. Deha, deha means this body. So either it is dead or alive, it has no life. Aprāṇasya hi dehasya. Deha, it is not alive. It is always dead. Simply we understand, because we are foolish rascals, we understand that this body is dead when the soul is away. The body is always dead. So bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya jatiḥ japas tapaḥ kriyaḥ (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 3.11). If one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, bhāgavata-bhakti-hīnasya, then his big nationality, jatiḥ, his achievement, japas tapaḥ, his activities, everything, bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya jatiḥ japas tapaḥ kriyaḥ, all these things are like decoration of the dead body. Aprāṇasya hi dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. Maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. We are decorating this body with flower, ornaments, nice cloth. How long? So long the life is there. Then it is beautiful. Otherwise no more beautiful. If you garland . . . suppose I become dead and you garland. It may be pleasing to somebody, but what is the value? There is no value.

So this material civilization, they're decorating this body. So the bodily concept of life is condemned in the very beginning of Bhagavad-gītā. This knowledge was given to Arjuna by Kṛṣṇa when he surrendered. When he was talking friendly, He did not say. When Kṛṣṇa . . . Arjuna submitted that "Kṛṣṇa, I'm now perplexed. So how my intelligence can be revived, You know." Kṛṣṇa . . . Arjuna knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, so his perplexed position can be solved by Kṛṣṇa. That he knew. Therefore he said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7): "Kṛṣṇa, no more friendly talks. We are wasting time. Now I become Your disciple, śiṣya." Śiṣya means disciple. "You kindly advise me. I'm surrendering unto You." Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). Spiritual master means you must surrender to him. If you talk foolish, then you will not be benefited. You must submissively hear and accept whatever he says. So when Kṛṣṇa began to teach him as teacher, the first thing He uttered . . . anyone can say what He first said?

Devotee: Aśocyān anvaśocas tvam.

Prabhupāda: Ah.

aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ

prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase

gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca

nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ

(BG 2.11)

My dear Arjuna, you are talking like very learned scholar, but you are so rascal that you are talking of this body.

So, so far the body's concerned, either it is dead or alive, it is not the subject matter of any talk. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. Those who are learned scholars don't talk about the body. They'll talk about the soul. That is paṇḍita. What is the . . . this is dead body. Suppose this is cloth. Uh? Now if you talk about this cloth, you can talk. You can write volumes of books: "This silk was purchased from that shop, and it was manufactured in such and such date, and the man manufactured, he's like this . . ." You can go on talking nonsense like that and can write books. So all these rascal philosophers, they are writing about this cloth. That's all. Yasyātmā-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13).

But this is not the subject matter for the learned scholars. Nānuśocanti paṇḍitāḥ. What is this body? A combination of matter. It is already dead. Because the living soul is there, it is moving, and as soon as the living bo . . . soul is out of this body, it is useless, dead matter. So what is there important talking about this dead body? It is made of this earth, earthly ingredient, bhūmir āpo 'nalo (BG 7.4), and it will become again. It will go away. Either . . . there are three, how do you say, transformation of this body. One transformation is ash. Another transformation is stool. Another transformation is earth. There are three different types of transformations. Just like Christian people, they bury the body. So, in due course of time you'll find, say, after ten years, your body's finished. It is now earth. The body has become earth. And Hindus, they burn it, so the body becomes ash. And the Parsis, they throw the body to be eaten by the vultures. It becomes stool. This is the last, I mean to say, transformation of this body. And we are so much busy about this ash, stool and earth. Just see how foolish we are.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna, gatāsūn agatāsūṁś ca (BG 2.11). Just like motorcar: with driver or no driver, what is it? It is dead matter. That's all. Why one should be busy about this motorcar? One should be busy about the driver, whether he's paid nicely, whether he's eating nicely, he'll drive. If you don't take care of the driver, simply you wash the car, what is the use? The car will not be moving without driver. Similarly, the whole civilization should be on the basis of understanding the soul. That is civilization. So unfortunately, by the spell of māyā . . . just like this Ajāmila. He's committing sinful activities. He's now rogue, thief, cheater. He doesn't care for that. But he's taking care of the body of the child. He's thinking, "This child will save me when I'll be in danger." There is another verse in the Second Canto:

dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu

ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api

pramatto teṣāṁ nidhanaṁ

paśyann api na paśyati

(SB 2.1.4)

Deha, deha means this body. Apatya means children. Dehāpatya. Kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣu. Here is struggle for existence, and you're thinking that "This my strong body and my nice children and my wife, they are my soldiers. So I am saved." Everyone is thinking like that. "Now I am in a good family. I've got my family members very nice. I've got very strong body. Oh, what do I care, God is dead?" That's all.

So this is our misconception. We are thinking that this paraphernalia—my country, my community, my countrymen or my family, my wife, my children and so many things, mine, mine, mine—so I'm thinking that they will give me all protection. No. Therefore, in the Bhāgavata it is said, dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu asatsv api. He knows that "They will be finished. They cannot give protection to themselves. What protection they'll give to me?" This is knowledge. This is knowledge. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api pramatta teṣāṁ nidhanam (SB 2.1.4). He knows that they will be finished, paśyann api na paśyati. He has practical experience, still he does not see. This is called māyā. Māyā means thing is one and he's thinking otherwise. His soldier, the so-called soldier, the protector, will be finished, but still he's depending on him. Suppose a bird is flying with his family in the sky. But if there is some danger, then no other bird can help him. You have to help yourself. Just like aeroplane. If dozens of aeroplane is flying, but if one aeroplane is in danger, no other plane can give him any help. It will fall down and crash. Finished.

So we have to take care of ourself. Daily, we are thinking, "My country, my community"—they're all busy in this way—"they'll save me." No. When death will come, nobody will save you. You remember that. You are challenging, "God is dead." When God will come and make you killed, nobody can save you. So we are so foolish, we are thinking that "God is dead, and I shall continue my life, and my wife, my children, my countrymen, my nation will save me." That is not possible.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! (end)