750811 - Lecture SB 06.01.55 - Paris

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

750811SB-PARIS - August 11, 1975 - 25:19 Minutes

(devotee translates into French throughout)

Prabhupāda: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) Which verse? (pause) Verse number 55. (leads chanting line by line)

eṣa prakṛti-saṅgena

puruṣasya viparyayaḥ

āsīt sa eva na cirād

īśa-saṅgād vilīyate

(SB 6.1.55)

Hmm. In the previous verse it has been discussed, na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma-kṛt. Nobody can . . . (child making sounds; mother takes out) Just like this child. He wants to do something. (laughter) He does not know that he is doing something nonsense. Similarly, the child's father also, he wants to do something, although it is nonsense. Therefore here it is mentioned, na hi kaścit, "Anyone," kṣaṇam api, "even for a moment," na hi kaścit kṣaṇam api jātu tiṣṭhaty akarma (BG 3.5), "he must do something." This is the tendency. How? Kāryate hy avaśaḥ. Avaśaḥ means being forced. He has no control. He must do something, and he has no control over it. So why no control? No control means he is controlled by somebody else. He is not in his own control. And what is that controller? Guṇaiḥ svābhāvikair balāt (SB 6.1.53). He has infected some type of material modes of nature and he has to act accordingly. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni. The similar verse is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27).

So we are under the control of the modes of material nature. Now, the next verse says, eṣa prakṛti-saṅgena. Eṣa means all these living entities. In this way, on account of association with this material nature . . . Prakṛti-saṅgena puruṣasya viparyayaḥ. Puruṣasya means the living entities; viparyayaḥ, entanglement. Āsīt: "In this way he is involved." Sa eva na cirād īśa-saṅgād vilīyate. So he is involved in this way, but if he associates with īśa, the Supreme Lord, then na cirād, very soon, all these things, entanglement, can be finished. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). One who is entangled with these modes of material nature, it is very difficult to come out of it. But mām eva ye prapadyante: "Anyone who takes My shelter, he can get out." And practically you have got all experience that our regulative principle is very difficult to give it up, but those who have become devotee, they have easily given up. That is also confirmed in another place, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yoga-prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7). If we engage ourself in devotional service of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, janaty āśu vairāgyam, then very soon he become detached to these material activities. Vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam. These two things required: knowledge and detachment. Knowledge means that "I am not this body," and detachment means "I am not this body; therefore I have nothing to do with this material world."

(break). . .of Yamarāja, came to take him to Yamarāja. In the meantime, because he uttered the name of Nārāyaṇa, the order carriers of Nārāyaṇa also came there. So while the Yamadūtas were dragging this Ajāmila to take him to Yamarāja, the Nārāyaṇadūtas warned, "Don't touch him." So Yamadūtas complained that "This man was very sinful. We must take him to Yamarāja." But the Nārāyaṇadūtas said, "No, you cannot take, because he has uttered the holy name of Nārāyaṇa." So the discussion was going on, "Now who will take him?" In the meantime the Nārāyaṇadutas challenged the Yamadūtas that "Do you know the principle of religion?" And so they were explaining.

Now, these Yamadūtas explained about the past life of Ajāmila. His past life is described in this way, ayaṁ hi śruta-sampannaḥ (SB 6.1.56): "This man, Ajāmila, was formerly was a very learned scholar, brāhmaṇa." Śruta. Śruta means Vedic knowledge, and sampannaḥ means accomplished. So ayaṁ hi śruta-sampannaḥ śīla-vṛtta-guṇālayaḥ. "And very well behaved, properly situated in his position," dhṛta-vrata, "and avowedly following the regulative principles." So he was learned, he was well behaved, and he was avowedly, strictly following the regulative principles. Mṛduḥ. Mṛdu means very gentle. Dāntaḥ: he had control over his senses. Satya-vāṅ: he was very truthful. Mantra vit śuciḥ: and he knew all the Vedic mantras and was very clean. Then gurv-agny-atithi-vṛddhānām. Guru, spiritual master; agni, sacrificial fire; vṛddhā, aged person; and atithi . . . Atithi means guest without invitation. This is the Vedic culture, that these men should be well received. Guru means spiritual master; agni, fire; atithi . . . Atithi. Atithi means without any fixed-up invitation if somebody comes at your place. And old men, they should be respectful.

Not very long ago, when we were young men, say thirty years old, that time we have seen that a young man would not smoke before an old man. This was the etiquette. Now they have all forgotten this cultural civilization. They have no respect for old men. And the time is coming when old men will be killed as mercy?

Brahmānanda: Mercy killing.

Prabhupāda: Huh? Mercy killing. Sarva-bhūta-suhṛdam. Not only these particular persons, but he was friendly to all living entities, sarva-bhūta-suhṛdam. Sādhu, very honest devotee, sādhu. And mita-vāg: did not speak more than required. This is also good qualification: don't talk nonsense. Unless you are required to speak, don't speak. This is also another good feature. Mita-vāg anasūyakaḥ: and not envious to anyone. These were his qualification when he was young man. Up to the age of, say, twenty, he was like this.

Ekadāsau vanaṁ yātaḥ pitṛ-sandeśa-kṛd dvijaḥ (SB 6.1.58). Once upon a time, he was passing through the forest to collect flowers, dry wood, by the order of his father for performing sacrifices, worshiping the Deity. He asked his son, "Please collect all these things and bring it." Ekadāsau vanaṁ yātaḥ pitṛ-sandeśa-kṛd dvijaḥ. He is explained as dvija. Dvija means twice-born. So this dvija, he was a brāhmaṇa, dvija. He was initiated for the second time, dvija. So about his going to the forest for collecting all these things he was going. Yes. Ādāya tata āvṛttaḥ phala-puṣpa-samit-kuśān. In this way he collected all the things required for sacrifice, yajña. Sacrifice, yajña, is . . . It doesn't require any money. You can collect. Just like flowers you can collect, leaves you can collect, kuśa, a kind of grass, you can collect, and nobody will object. Even you collect from a nice garden nobody will object. So while he was coming back home with all these things, what happened? Dadarśa kāminaṁ kañcic chūdraṁ saha bhujiṣyayā (SB 6.1.59). Kāma, a lusty śudra. There are four classes—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra. So he saw one lusty śūdra, fourth class. Dadarśa kāminaṁ kañcic chūdraṁ saha bhujiṣyayā. What he saw? That this śūdra was embracing another śūdrāṇī, woman śūdra.

So nowadays it has become a fashion—young man is kissing another young woman on the street. So this embracing of young man and young woman on the public street was strictly prohibited, especially for the higher caste. But the śūdras, the lower class, fourth-class men, they used to do such things sometimes; not always. And what was their position? Pitvā ca madhu maireyaṁ madāghūrṇita-netrayā (SB 6.1.59). They were not only embracing but they were drunken, and their eyes were rolling in a different way. Mattayā, and being mad, almost mad, mattayā, or intoxicated, viślathan nīvyā vyapetaṁ nirapatrapam, the dress of both of them were loose, and they did not care for it. So in this posture—krīḍantam, doing their own business; anugāyantam, singing; hasantam, laughing, cheering, hasantam; anayāntike, in a place in the forest—so he saw, this young man. So after seeing that, he would also become inclined, lusty, and that will be explained next, that he became a victim of this lusty woman, and then he lost his good character and left home and his young wife, coming of very respectable family. He forgot everything. Then, in association with this prostitute, he gradually became degenerated, degraded. He became a thief. He became a rogue. He became a cheater. That will be explained later on.

The purport is: human life is not meant for these things. Human life is meant for being elevated to the highest platform of good character and controlling the senses, controlling the mind, remain very clean. Then you can make progress and your life can become successful. So because they are not accustomed already to follow this, therefore so many rascals and dangerous yogīs are advertising that "There is no need of control. You can join this yoga system and give me money. I shall give you mantra, and you become God." Be careful of these dogs. (laughter)

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (end).