741029 - Lecture SB 01.08.49 - Mayapur

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

741029SB-MAYAPUR - October 29, 1974 - 37:25 Minutes

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse, etc.) (devotees repeat)

bāla-dvija-suhṛn-mitra-

pitṛ-bhrātṛ-guru-druhaḥ

na me syān nirayān mokṣo

hy api varṣāyutāyutaiḥ

(SB 1.8.49)

(break)

Translation: "I have killed many boys, brāhmaṇas, well-wishers, friends, parents, preceptors and brothers. Though I live millions of years, I will not be relieved from the hell that awaits me for all these sins."

Prabhupāda:

bāla-dvija-suhṛn-mitra-

pitṛ-bhrātṛ-guru-druhaḥ

na me syān nirayān mokṣo

hy api varṣāyutāyutaiḥ

(SB 1.8.49)

So according to Vedic civilization, special protection for children, Brāhmiṇs, women, and saintly persons—Brāhmiṇ comes (under) saintly person, special—and cow. Special protection. Bāla-dvija-suhṛn-mitra. Others, next, just like we chant the mantra, namo brahmaṇya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca, the first reference is given to the cows and the Brāhmiṇs. Why not others? There are so many animals, so many human being. Why? Go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. This is to be noted. Unless in the society these two creatures are taken care of, that is not human society.

Dvija, dvija especially meant the Brāhmiṇs, although dvija means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, because all of them are twice-born—once born by father and mother, and the next birth is by the spiritual master and spiritual knowledge. So therefore to specify especially the Brāhmiṇs, they are called dvija-śreṣṭha. Amongst the dvija, the most important dvija, the brāhmaṇa. Ataḥ . . . of course, others, they are as good, provided they take instruction from the dvija-śreṣṭha. Dvija-śreṣṭha. Śreṣṭha means the best. Best of the dvijas.

ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā

varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ

svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya

saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam

(SB 1.2.13)

So their welfare is first considered. Go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. Before that, go, cows, cows' protection. In the modern society they do not know even the preliminary knowledge of worshiping the Supreme Being by giving protection to the cows and the Brāhmiṇs.

Besides that, as soon as one is born, he becomes debtor to so many things.

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ

nāyam ṛṇī na kiṅkaro rājan

sarvātmanā yaḥ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ

gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam

(SB 11.5.41)

We become debtor to the demigods as soon as we are born on this earth—as a human being, not as cats and dogs. Cats and dogs, they are not debtor to anyone because they have no sense, nonsense. So first of all we become debtor to the demigods—the sun, moon, the Indra, Candra and many others. So how we become debtor? Because the sun is giving sunshine. We are taking advantage of the sunshine. Unless there was sunshine, you could not live even. Sunshine is so important. It is said that little this side or that side of the orbit of the sun makes the whole world frozen or blazing. Sun is so important thing. It has got an orbit. Yasyājñayā bhramati sambhṛta-kāla-cakro govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi (Bs. 5.52). Sun is very powerful planet, very important planet, of all the other planets. Rājā: it is the king of planets. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇāṁ rājā: the sun is the king of all planet. Because without sun, all planets will be frozen, or if the sun becomes too much bright, then everything will be ablaze. At the last stage of annihilation the whole universe will be ablaze by the scorching heat of the sun, and then there will be torrents of rain. For one hundred years the whole universe will remain ablaze. And then for one hundred years there will be heavy rain. In this way the creation will be annihilated.

So we are so much indebted to the sun, to the moon, to the heavenly king, because they are supplying our necessities. The Indra sends the cloud. By the electrical action . . . we have got experience. And the cloud gives you sufficient rain. Ghanavad vatarhit. Most munificently. The cloud gives you rain even where you do not require. On the hill you do not require, on the ocean you do not require, but when there is cloud, there is no miserly behavior. "Take even samudra, you take." Therefore one who is very charitable and munificent, he's compared with the cloud. If you want to sprinkle water even a few yards, you have to take so much trouble. But you see the cloud distributes rain like anything, more than sufficient, even on the hill, even on the sea.

So we are indebted to the demigod. Just like water department, you have to pay tax. Or the light department, you have to pay tax. If you don't pay the bill of the electrical department, it will be cut off, will be discontinued. But we are not paying any bill to the sun-god. Just see. We are taking advantage of the sunshine, but what payment we are paying? Nothing. Therefore this yajña is recommended. Saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā (BG 3.10), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Saha-yajñāḥ prajāḥ sṛṣṭvā. You are born with the responsibility of performing yajña. If you perform yajña or if you perform sacrifice in the name of Sūrya, in the name of Candra, in the name of Indra, Vāyu, then they will be pleased and will give you regular sunshine, regular moonshine, regular rain. Then you'll be happy. Therefore in the Vedas this deva-yajña is recommended.

But this yajña is performed not for satisfying the particular demigod. Even if you perform any yajña for satisfying the demigod, the Nārāyaṇa is situated there. The nārāyaṇa-śilā, śālagrāma-śilā is there whenever there is some yajña, because He is the yajña-puruṣa. Actually, when you pay tax to the light department or water department, it is not that the director or the in-charge of the light department and water department takes that money. He does not take money. It goes to the government treasury. Similarly . . . therefore it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā:

ye 'py anya-devatā-bhaktā

yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ

te 'pi mām eva . . .

yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam

(BG 9.23)

Avidhi-pūrvakam. The tax department . . . there are different tax department, but if you pay the whole amount, government treasury making a bill for this department, this, this department, this, then automatically it will be distributed. Similarly the deva-yajña, to perform yajña in the name of the demigods, can all be performed in one yajña when you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. When you become . . . how? That is also stated in the śāstra, that devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ nāyam ṛṇī na kiṅkaro rājan (SB 11.5.41). Nārada Muni says to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that we have got so many due taxes to be paid to the devatā, demigods, because we are utilizing so many material elements controlled by different devatā.

And then we are debtor to the ṛṣis. Ṛṣis means saintly person. Just like we are reading this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And who has given this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam? By Vyāsadeva. So we are debtor. Vyāsadeva has given us Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, mahāmuni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is made by Vyāsadeva. So we are taking advantage of the knowledge, so we are so much indebted to Vyāsadeva. We are indebted to the demigods, we are indebted to Vyāsadeva or other ṛṣis. Manu-saṁhitā, we are indebted to the great Manu. Viṁśati. We are indebted to Parāśara Muni. He has given dharma-śāstra. In this way, there are so many Vedic literatures, and we take advantage of it. Therefore we must be indebted, deva, ṛṣi and bhūta. We are taking milk from the cows. Bhūta, āpta. Āpta, friends, relatives. We are taking advantage in the family from the father, from the mother, from the elderly brother, from the servant.

So in this way, you are all indebted. You cannot take any service from anyone without being indebted. You cannot take. You must be . . . so we are becoming entangled, complicated with indebtedness. That is called karma. If you don't pay bill, then you have to suffer. Then you have to suffer, because you are taking simply. These rascals, they do not know. They are so much ungrateful. They are taking milk from the cows, and when the milk is no more supplied, "All right, send it to the slaughterhouse." Once he has taken milk, he's indebted; again, it is being killed by him. So how much he has become entangled in his karma he does not know. Mūḍha. Duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ.

Those who are addicted to commit sins, they are all mūḍhas. They do not know. So therefore, because they are mūḍhas and because they are duṣkṛtina, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. The mūḍhas and the duṣkṛtinas, sinful men, they cannot understand. Therefore you'll find generally those who are too much lowborn, without any knowledge, without any pious activities, they are all atheist, godless. They cannot understand. How they will understand? Because they are mūḍhas, narādhama. Narādhama means this life, human life, is an opportunity to understand how things are going on. But they do not take advantage. Narādhama, lowest of the mankind. No? Then you go to the learned, learned māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, the so-called learned B.A.C., D.H.C., P.H.C., what is their learning? Simply the same thing, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna: how to eat, how to sleep. Their learning, their education, is meant for how to eat, how to sleep. That's all. So that is also dog's business. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15).

Real knowledge is, education is, how things are going on within this nature. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So they are not interested in these things. Education means, "How to get one service so that I can get salary and I may live very comfortably, and my wife, my children . . ." The same thing, dog's business. Dog is also interested only for eating, for having sex with another female dog, and get some every mo . . . six months half a dozen kiddies. Like that. This is not . . . therefore, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Even they are so-called educated, their real knowledge is taken away. Real knowledge is to inquire about the Absolute Truth, athāto brahma jijñāsā. So in this way we are going on.

So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja said, bāla-dvija. He says bāla-dvija-suhṛt-mitra. We should not go against them. Bāla, yena bāla na partita. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that mātā śatru pitā vairī yena bāla na partita. The mother is enemy and the father is enemy who does not take care of the children how to educate them, how to become God conscious, how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. He's enemy. So any father and mother who has not given education for spiritual advancement of life, he's enemy, he's not father and mother. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja saw, himself, the father being killed. Why? Because he was against Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He was against Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Father being killed. Similarly, suhṛt mitra. Just like Vibhīṣaṇa. Vibhīṣaṇa is Rāvaṇa's brother, but he complicated himself in the plan how Rāvaṇa should be killed with Rāmacandra. Rāmacandra . . . He made a . . . that, "This, my brother, should be killed." Suhṛt mitra.

So there are many instances. Bali Mahārāja. Bali Mahārāja, he rejected his spiritual master, "Oh, you are nonsense. You cannot become my spiritual master." Because why? That Śukrācārya, when Bali Mahārāja was going to promise, so Śukrācārya advised, "Don't promise anything. He is Viṣṇu. He has come as dwarf to take everything from you." Then Bali Mahārāja found that, "This is a foolish man." This Śukrācārya . . . Śukrācārya means jāta-gosāi: by semina they become ācārya. The semina. That is the, in India, guru-vaṁśa. Guru-vaṁśa, guru meaning spiritual master, the spiritual master, vaṁśa. That is disciplic succession. Evaṁ paramparā, that is guru-vaṁśa, not by semina. But that is going on. The Śukrācārya, "This is my guru's family." Guru's family . . . "He has begotten a child, so something must be given. His credit is he's begotten child. Therefore something must be given." So this is going on, Śukrācārya.

So Śukrācārya was rejected by Bali Mahārāja, Śukrācārya. "No, this family guru, or the jāta-gosāi, no. Real guru." So why rejected? When Śukrācārya was thinking that, "This man Bali is going to give everything to Viṣṇu. Here is Vāmana. Then how I shall live? Because I get something from this man, and I live. So if he's going to give everything to Viṣṇu, then what is our position? We shall starve." That is their business only, how to exploit the disciple and take money from him and fill up the belly. That is Śukrācārya's business. Therefore Bali Mahārāja rejected, "No, no, I don't want you." So there are many instances. Svajana-tyāga. The gopīs, when they were going to Kṛṣṇa, they, all the svajana, their brother, the husband, their sons and everyone forbade, "Oh, where you are going? Where you are going?" Or the yājñika brāhmaṇas' patnī, they also did not care for Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore the conclusion is that you can be freed from the debts of devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇāṁ nāyam ṛṇī na kiṅkaraḥ (SB 11.5.41). Who? Sarvātmanā ye śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam. One who has taken full shelter of Kṛṣṇa sarvātmanā, without any reservation, he's no more ṛṇī. He's no more. He's fully liquidated. How? Kṛṣṇa says:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo . . .

(BG 18.66)

"If you think that without liquidating the debts of so many persons—devatā, ṛṣi, bhūta, āpta, general people—if you think by simply surrendering to Me you will be liable to punishment for not paying bills to so many persons," Kṛṣṇa assures, mā śucaḥ, "don't bother. I'll give you protection."

So from the material point of view, everyone must be prepared to pay, to take protection. But does it mean that if one becomes devotee he becomes irresponsible? No. These things automatically come. Just like we are giving protection to the children. So many children are here. Why? What is the aim? The aim is that we want to see that everyone become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That automatically comes: to take care of the children, to give them education, to give them food, to give them shelter. That is real protection. And simply to give them . . . just like in Western countries they feed the children with powdered flesh, mixed with water, boiled, and push with the spoon and . . . they become fatty, of course. But that is not really maintaining the children. That is not really.

Śāstra says that unless you save him from the imminent danger of death, then there is no protection. What is this protection? Suppose if you make your child very fatty. Does it mean because he's fat, he is very strong, therefore he'll not die? He'll die. Where is your protection from the death? Therefore śāstra says, pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum (SB 5.5.18). One should not become father or mother . . . that is real contraceptive method. If one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he knows that "What is the use of producing some children like cats and dogs? What is the use? If I produce any children, then they must be Kṛṣṇa conscious so that this will be their last birth." Because if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then there is no more birth. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). You send to Kṛṣṇa, back to home—that is required. Father, mother, guardian's duty is to educate the wards, subordinates, in such a way that he becomes fully Kṛṣṇa conscious and so that he can be saved from this repetition of birth and death.

So this is . . . first duty is to give protection to the bāla-dvija. But Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja is thinking that he has killed so many boys. The other party, there were grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, sons or . . . brother's son or own son, the same thing. The big family. So he has killed so many bālas. And dvija. Droṇācārya was a brāhmaṇa. He also killed him in the battle. Bāla-dvija and suhṛt, Karṇa was friend, or there were many other friends who joined. So he has killed suhṛt mitra, friend. And pitṛn, just like grandfather or Droṇācārya, Kṛpācārya, they were killed. They were just like father's age, grandfather's age, pitṛn. Gurūn: Droṇācārya was guru, spiritual master, teacher in military science. Druhaḥ. So he was thinking like that. But the real point he was missing, that whatever he has done, it has been done under the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, for ordinary men this is a great sin. For sense gratification, if we kill so many persons, we are liable. But so far the Pāṇḍavas are concerned, they did not do it for their sense gratification. They did it for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore whatever they had done, that was right. Otherwise, ordinarily, one becomes responsible both ways.

Just like this bali-dāna. Bali-dāna, before the goddess Kālī, if it is done properly, then the goat which is sacrificed before the goddess Kālī, it gets immediately a human body, which would have taken so many years, millions of years to come to the . . . but because it is being sacrificed, that is the Vedic mantra. Therefore . . . but this man who is killing, he has to become goat to be sacrificed by this goat having taken birth as human being. Therefore it is called karma-bandha. Yajñārthe karma anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. So there are rules and regulation. So his only aim is to eat some meat. So you can take this risk. You eat meat, but give the, what is called, facility the animal to become human being immediately after death. That facility is given to him, so that he can also take advantage of . . . māṁsa. Sa māṁ khadati iti māṁsaḥ. So these things are there. Na me syān . . . syāt nirayān mokṣaḥ. There was a king who killed so many animals for sacrifice. So when he was entering heaven—I forgot the name; famous king—so many souls were ready for killing him, because he killed so many animals. So therefore it is said, ordinarily, nirayāt mokṣaḥ. We have to take responsibility for all this, nirayān mokṣaḥ. Why? Hy api varṣāyutāyutaiḥ. Ayuta, ten hundred thousand million.

So this is karma-cakra. We are getting some opportunity and making our next life. In this way it is called karma-cakra. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendra maha sva-karma-phalam-bhājanoti (Bs. 5.54). Everyone is enjoying the result of his past karma. Who? Now, from, beginning from that King Indra, the heavenly king, very powerful, exalted position. That Indra, and there is an insect which is called indra-gopa. Yas tv indra . . . indra-gopam mahā-indra. Beginning from this insect known as indra and up to that Indra, everyone is bound up by his karma-phala. That is called destiny. Everyone is bound up. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanātanoti kintu ca bhakti-bhājāṁ . . . (Bs. 5.54). Those who have taken . . . fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, bhakti-bhājām, karmāṇi nirdahati, their karma . . . nirdahati, means as far as possible the result is diminished or practically made nil. Even it is there, karma-phala, very slight. Just like the example is just like one is condemned to be murdered by somebody by cutting his head, but by Kṛṣṇa's grace he may be saved from cutting the head; suppose there is some accident by knife in the hand. They are calculated like that. And generally, a devotee is completely relieved from all karma-phala.

So ordinarily, we are indebted to so many persons, not only bāla, dvija, gopa, but ṛṣi and the devatās. We have to take care of it. But if we become fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, sarvātmanā ye śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundam. Not any other demigods. Mukundam. Mukundam means . . . muk means liberation. So one who gives liberation. Gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam. So one who takes full shelter of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, then He's freed from all this indebtedness to so many persons. So this is our duty, to surrender fully to Kṛṣṇa and be saved from the reaction of so many sinful activities in our past life.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (end)