731110 - Lecture Pandal - Delhi

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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731110LE-DELHI - November 10, 1973 - 35:04 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Mr. High Commissioner and Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here, taking so much trouble to participate in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And I shall simply try to draw your attention about the importance of this movement. Importance of this movement is this, that we do not know what is the aim of life. The modern civilization, all over the world, especially in the Western world, nobody knows what is the actual problem and what is the aim of life.

That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā says: "The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), that birth, death, old age and disease, these are the problems." If you take birth, then you will have to die. Anyone who takes birth, he must have to die. And so long, between birth and death, there is old age and disease. Actually, these are the problems.

So far we are concerned, living entities, every one of us, that is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit, "The living entity is never born, never dies." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20): "The living entity is eternal, ever-existing and very old, and," na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre, "it does not die after the annihilation of this body." But the modern civilization, they are thinking that, "This body we have got somehow or other, a lump of matter, and so long we have got this body, let us enjoy life, sense gratification." This is atheistic theory.

In our country there were atheists also. Just like Cārvāka Muni. According to his philosophy, he says, ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet. Because in our country, India, life is enjoyable when we get to eat too much ghee. You see? Pakhika anna. That is enjoyment. Just like in Western countries, if they can eat . . . if they can drink more, that is life's enjoyment. In our country, of course . . . so ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet. If somebody says that, "I have no money," so Cārvāka Muni says that "You take loan from your friend and purchase ghee and enjoy life." Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet. "So long you will live, live happily. Why . . . make beg, borrow, steal and live happily." "No. I shall be responsible. I shall have to pay next life." Cārvāka Muni says: "No, no. Don't bother about next life." Bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya kuto punar āgamano bhavet: "Your body will be burned in the crematorium. That finished. That's all."

This foolishness is there, that this life . . . we do not know that this human form of life we have got by the evolutionary process, going through so many lives. Just like in our present life we can understand that I have come to this body, old body, through child's body, boy's body, youth's body, in this way. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is not manufactured.

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāra yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

You have to accept this, dehāntara-prāpti, from one body to another. Where is my childhood body? That is gone. Where is my boyhood body? That is gone. Where is my youthhood body? That is gone. Not only for me, for everyone there is past, present and future. Similarly, when this body will be gone, I will get another body. Where is the difficulty to understand? Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati. Dhīra. Because we are not sober . . . there are two classes of men: dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means sober, thinking, thoughtful, and adhīra means restless. So with restless brain, it is difficult, but if you have got sober brain, then there is no difficulty to understand that, "I am eternal. I was in the child's body, I was in the baby's body, I was in the boy's body, I was in a young man's body. Now I have got a different body. I am living asmin dehe." Dehino 'smin yathā dehe. It is very easy to understand, but Kṛṣṇa says, dhīras tatra na muhyati: "Those who are sober, they can understand."

So people cannot understand. That means the modern civilization is not sober. It is just like cats and dog. You cannot make a cat and dog sober to understand the philosophy of life. They have degraded so much. That is described in the śāstra. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Ātma-buddhiḥ, thinking, "I am this body." "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fat," "I am thin," "I am this." No, no. You are not this body at all. That is knowledge. That is knowledge. Knowledge begins when you understand that you are not this body. That is the beginning of knowledge. Otherwise, "I am this body," this knowledge is there in the cats and dogs also. The dog also jumping, because he is thinking, "I am very nice dog" or "nice cat."

So śāstra therefore says, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). This body is a bag of three elements—kapha, pitta, vāyu—according to Āyurveda system. This physiological condition, anatomical condition of this body, is made of kapha, pitta, vāyu. So it is a bag of kapha, pitta, vāyu, or flesh, bones, blood, urine, stool and mucus. If you dissect this body, you will find. Do you mean to say combination of these things can make a life, so nice brain? If you are so competent, then take these ingredients, bones, flesh. They are easily available in the slaughterhouse. Make a good brain. But that is not possible. They simply speak, but it is not possible. Therefore this body is not the . . . moving spirit soul, that is different.

Therefore śāstra says, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhiḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhiḥ. And as soon as you take this body, that "I am this body," then, in bodily relation . . . because a woman has got bodily relation, "She is my wife," and the children born out of the womb of that woman, "That is my children . . ." Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). Bhauma means the land where we live or where this body is produced. That is worshipable. That is called nationalism. Bhauma ijya-dhīḥ. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicit. And tīrtha, holy place . . . just like people go to Vṛndāvana, Haridwar. Salile. They take bath in the Ganges and the Yamunā, and they think that, "Now we have finished our tīrtha." No. Tīrtha is not that. Tīrtha means we have to find out sober person to take instruction from him.

So people who are not interested to the sober man and lives like this that, "I am this body, and the bodily productions or relation, they are my own men, and if I go to holy place, take bath and then come back . . ." No. Śāstra says: "No." Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣu abhijñeṣu. You must approach abhijñaḥ person. That is the meaning of pilgrimage. As the Vedas says, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet, śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12). You must find out a sober man or guru, so that he can instruct you, he can deliver you from ignorance of life.

So you'll find in this Bhagavad-gītā, when there was talks going on between Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, friendly talks . . . Arjuna was speaking, "Let them enjoy this kingdom. I don't want to fight with my own men." That was his decision. Kṛṣṇa said: "No, no. This is not your duty. You are a kṣatriya. Now you are in the battlefield. You must fight." In this way, ordinary topics were going on. But when Arjuna saw it very difficult to understand, "Whether I shall fight or not fight?" he accepted Kṛṣṇa as guru. Because he thought that "Friendly talks will not make solution. Let me accept Kṛṣṇa as my . . ." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Prapannam: "I surrender unto You. You are my guru. Now You are not my friend; You are my guru." Because a disciple cannot disobey the guru. A friend can disobey. Kṛṣṇa is asking to fight. As a friend, he was disobeying. But if a guru says that, "You must fight," then you cannot disobey. Therefore he accepted, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam.

So actually we are all in the ignorance. The same formula:

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma idya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣu abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

Go-kharaḥ. Go means cow, and khara means ass. This is the verdict of the śāstra that, "If anyone is in the bodily concept of life, he is no better than the animal go and khara, ass and cow."

So this ignorance, when this ignorance prevails, that is called dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata. Kṛṣṇa said, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). When people are become like cats and dogs, the bodily concept of life, and working whole day and night without any spiritual understanding, without the aim of life . . . so this human life is not meant for that purpose. This is the mistake. It is not that the dogs and cats are eating in a different way. Now we eat in a nice table, in nice plate, and very nicely dressed, and you are eating . . . but the eating process is there. Either you nicely eat or wrongly eat, but you have to fulfill your bell(y) and satisfy your hunger. That is not advancement of civilization. To eat nicely, to sleep nicely, to defend nicely and to have sexual life nicely, that is not advancement of civilization. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ narāṇām (Hitopadeśa). Sexual intercourse with beautiful woman and sexual intercourse with the female dog, the pleasure is the same. That is not advancement of civilization. Advancement of civilization is ātma-tattvam. Ātma-tattva.

That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Śrotavyādīni rājendra (SB 2.1.2). Mahārāja Parīkṣit asked Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "Now I am going to die. What is my duty? What I shall hear from you?" So at that time Parīkṣit Mahārāja . . . yes, Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: "My dear King," śrotavyādīni, nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ, apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām that, "Those who are gṛhamedhī . . ." Gṛhamedhī means has made the home, country, society, family as the only means of advancement. They are called gṛhamedhī. But there is another word, what is called gṛhastha āśrama. Āśrama. Brahmacārī āśrama, gṛhastha āśrama, vānaprastha āśrama, sannyāsa āśrama. Āśrama. As soon as . . . any common man can understand. As soon as we say āśrama, there is some spiritual idea. Āśrama. Here is a āśrama. So gṛhastha āśrama is different, and gṛhamedhī is different. Gṛhamedhī means one who does not know what is the ultimate goal of life, and living like . . . cats and dogs also, they live with their children, wife. They also find out food. They also try to defend, protect. Simply with these ideas if we live, that is called gṛhamedhī. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2).

Therefore our Vedānta-sūtra is there to give enlightenment. As our student Śrīman Pradyumna dāsa Adhikārī said, athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is not meant for wasting time like cats and dog. Because after all, we have to give up this life. But before giving up this life, we must gain something. That is described in the Upaniṣad: etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti sa brāhmaṇaḥ (Gargopaniṣad). We'll have to die, like cats and dogs, but we have got the chance to understand what is the value of life. The cats and dogs have no chance. So simply if we waste our time like cats and dogs and do not know what is the aim of life—sa kṛpaṇa. Etad viditvā yaḥ prayāti, aviditvā yaḥ prayāti sa kṛpaṇaḥ.

There are two things: brāhmaṇa and kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. A person who got this valuable body . . . just like if you get millions of dollars, if you do not utilize it, if you simply see in the treasury that you have got so much money, then you are kṛpaṇa. It is practical. But if you utilize that money and instead of one crore you make ten crores, then you are called intelligent. Similarly, if we think that, "I have got this human form of life, better standard of eating, sleeping and mating," then you remain kṛpaṇa. You could not utilize it. But if you know in this life, which is possible, "What is the value of this life? What is Brahman? What I am? What is my connection with Brahman? Why I have come here? Where I shall go again? Why I am put into the miserable condition of life? I do not wish to die. Why death is enforced upon me?" this is called brahma-jijñāsā, inquiry, "Why?" Therefore there is a Kena Upaniṣad, "Why?" Unless this "why" inquiry comes in the human body, then he is failure. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam (SB 5.5.5). Whatever we are doing, we are being defeated, because we are doing everything in ignorance. "I am this body. This is my country. This is my kinsmen." And in this way I die like cats and dog.

So Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, abhyutthānam adharmasya . . . (BG 4.7). Adharmasya. What is that dharma? Kṛṣṇa says:

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ

vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām

dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya

yuge yuge sambhavāmi

(BG 4.8)

So what is that dharma? dharma, it is said, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma, the simple description of dharma is 'the codes which are given by God'. It doesn't matter whether you are Hindu, Muslim or Christian or any. Everyone, any civilized man has got some religion. Because dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samānāḥ (Hitopadeśa 25). If you haven't got . . . not religion . . . it doesn't matter whether Hindu religion, Muslim religion. You must have some religion. Religion means to understand God. That is religion. Religion does not mean I manufacture something. No. You cannot manufacture religion. Religion means . . . just like you cannot manufacture laws. Law is given by the state, by the government. Similarly, religion means the codes, the orders given by God.

Therefore you must know what is God, what is His order and how to carry out it. Then you will be success . . . your life is successful. Otherwise, just like the cats and dogs, they do not know how to carry out the laws of the state. Of course, they are excused. The "Keep to the right," "Keep to the left," the cats and dogs, they can violate. Law is not meant for the cats and dogs. Law is meant for the human being. Therefore the cats and dogs, if they violate the codes of God, the law of God, they can be excused because they are animals. But a human being, he has got the developed consciousness. If he does not utilize this body for understanding, "What is God? What I am? What is my relationship with God? How to act? Wherefrom I have come? Where to go . . ." There are so many questions. That is called brahma-jijñāsā. Athāto brahma jijñāsā.

This life is meant for brahma-jijñāsā. Now, where to jijñāsā? That is called Vedic injunction: tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Tad-vijñānārtham. In order to understand that transcendental science, one must have to go to the bona fide guru. And who is guru? Guru is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. And anyone who represents that Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is guru. Guru means representative of guru, er, God. Therefore according to Vedic śāstra, guru is worshiped like God. This is . . . just like my disciples, they have given this seat and . . . almost equally with God's seat. That is injunction. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. Guru should be worshiped as God, but guru will never claim that he is God. That is not guru. Guru will always claim that he is servant of God. Because the śiṣyas worship him as . . . Śiṣya . . . guru does not say that, "You simply worship me." He directs that, "You worship God." But because one gets God's connection through guru, therefore guru is worshiped as God.

Just like in our country there was viceroy. He was given the same respect as the king because he is representative of . . . the royal representative. Similarly, śāstra says:

sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair

uktas tathā bhāvyata eva sadbhiḥ

kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

This is the offering obeisance to guru. Guru is described as respectable as the Supreme Personality of God. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyāt (SB 11.17.27). The Supreme Personality of Godhead says that "Ācārya should be accepted as I am." And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, ācāryopāsanam. Ācāryopāsanam. So therefore we have to receive the knowledge in the disciplic succession of ācārya.

That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā: evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Rājarṣayaḥ. This knowledge, they were understood by the rājarṣi. Rājarṣi means king, at the same time, saintly person. Not the king and robber, dasyu-dharma, imply exacting taxes, "Come on, give me tax, and you go to hell." That is not king. That is not government. It is government's duty to make . . . the government should be Kṛṣṇa conscious, and it is government's duty to see that everyone is Kṛṣṇa conscious or God conscious—you say "Kṛṣṇa" or "God", it doesn't matter. If you think that, "Let the people go to hell. It doesn't matter. Bring taxes and let us enjoy, and you go to hell . . ." It is very horrible condition.

So everywhere this is going on; therefore there is necessity of awakening this God consciousness of the people. It is not a childish thing or sentimental fanaticism. It is real science. Because this human life is meant for understanding, "What I am," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. "I am not this body; I am spirit soul." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). If you can educate people to become brahma-bhūta, then prasannātmā, he becomes happy, jolly.

Just like these American boys, American girls, they were many, many times in better condition of life. Now they are wandering with me. What can I give them? I cannot give them nice food. I cannot give them nice shelter. Neither I have money. They are coming. They are all rich men's sons, but they are after me. Why? Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. They have got something. They are feeling obliged that, "Bhaktivedanta Swami has given us something." That is . . . therefore they are after me.

So this is the Brahmā cond . . . brahma-bhūta ātmā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. That is the sign, "I have become Brahman. I have become Nārāyaṇa." No. If you are prasanna, if you are always joyful, then it is to be understood that you have realized Brahman. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati. There is no śocana. Here in the material world I have got something. If I lose it, I cry, "I have lost, I have lost, I have lost." And if I do not possess, then kāṅkṣati, "I must get it. I must." These two businesses are going on. But when you become brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā, these two things will go away. Na kāṅkṣati, na śocati.

And samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu: equally seeing all living entities. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). That because . . . brahma-bhūta means he is learned scholar, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, self-realized; therefore he has no such distinction that, "Give protection to the human being and send the poor animals to the slaughterhouse." Equality. What equality? What the poor animals have done that you are sending them to the slaughterhouse? Is that civilization, this rubbish civilization, maintaining hundreds and thousands of slaughterhouse?

So simply speaking "love," "fraternity . . ." Where is your fraternity? Where is your love? This cannot be possible. This may be big talks only—but to be understood by the nonsense. Unless you become brahma-bhūta, self-realized, Kṛṣṇa conscious, God conscious, these things are only stories. It is not possible. This is the description in the Bhagavad-gītā.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

na śocati na kāṅkṣati

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu

mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

(BG 18.54)

Then he becomes a devotee. To become devotee is not so easy thing. Not so easy thing. People think that devotion is a sentiment. No. It is not sentiment; it is a great science. It is great science to become fully satisfied. Fully satisfied. And Kṛṣṇa says:

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

(BG 5.29)

This is the process of śānti. Bhoktāraṁ. Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer. We are after worshiping Kṛṣṇa. That is our business. Wherever we go, we install this Kṛṣṇa Deity and we work for Kṛṣṇa, we print books for Kṛṣṇa, we distribute books for Kṛṣṇa, we beg everyone to become Kṛṣṇa's bhakta. Therefore it is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have no other business than Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We are doing that. We have no other business. Simply Kṛṣṇa. Why? Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavata, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7): "I am the Supreme."

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhava

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ

budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

(BG 10.8)

Only the learned scholars can worship Kṛṣṇa. Only the learned scholar, self-realized soul, can understand Bhagavad-gītā. Not by the politicians and the so-called scholar. No. It is not possible.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important movement. We appeal to the sober class, dhīra, not the adhīra. We also accepting dhīra and adhīra by the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by the mercy of the Gosvāmīs. Dhīradhīra. Dhīra and adhīra. Just like these boys and girls, they were adhīra. Now they are dhīra. Adhīra. Adhīra means without any responsibility, doing all nonsense. Actually they are rich men's . . . nation's sons and daughters. They are doing ev . . . but now they have become dhīra, "No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling." "Yes, sir." This is dhīra. You are already intoxicated. You are already illusioned in this material world. If you still go on drinking, where is the possibility of knowledge? You must have sober brain to understand.

So this is going on. Therefore my appeal to all the sober men—to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and join it for the benefit of his personal self, for the benefit of his country, for the benefit of the whole human society.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Guests: Haribol (applause) Jaya Prabhupāda . . . (end)