740411 - Lecture BG 04.22 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1974

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

740411BG-BOMBAY - April 11, 1974 - 41:12 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) (leads chanting of verse)

yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo

dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ

samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca

kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate

(BG 4.22)

(break)

Translation: "He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady both in success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions."

Prabhupāda:

yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo

dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ

samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca

kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate

(BG 4.22)

So Kṛṣṇa is teaching in this Fourth Chapter how to work. Yadṛcchā-lābha. Don't be greedy so, "This man is millionaire, so I have to become a millionaire." Competition. That is material disease. Now there is competition in between the capitalist and the Communist. Now the Communist or the laborer class men, they are thinking that, "Why the capitalist should gain? We must gain. The industry is being conducted by us. The profits shall be divided between us. Why to the capitalist?" So that is not the solution. That is from frying pan to the fire. Either the world is run on on the principle of communistic philosophy or capitalistic philosophy, it will never be happy. Here is the formula, that everyone should be satisfied with the profit that he can easily make. That's all. Yadṛcchā-lābha.

Not that everyone will have the same profit. In material world everyone is working. Somebody is getting per hour thousands of rupees, and somebody is getting not even morsel of food. But still, one has to be satisfied, "Because one is getting thousands of rupees per hour, I will have to get also," no. Then you will never be happy. You be happy what you are gaining. Because everyone is making profit and losing according to his past karma. Pūrva-janmarjitaṁ dhanaṁ pūrva-janmarjitam vidyā, agre dhāvati dhāvati. This is the śāstric injunction. One man is trying with a little capital to do some business, and within few years he becomes very multi-millionaire. And one man is trying to elevate himself to a prosperous condition, but he cannot get even sufficient food. Why? Pūrva-janmarjitaṁ vidyā pūrva-janma. One boy is passing examination, standing first class. Another man, boy, is failing. Everyone is trying. Everyone should try his best, but he should be satisfied with the result which comes without any very much strain, yadṛcchā-lābha. Yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ.

That is lacking in the present civilization. Not only at the present moment, because Kṛṣṇa was speaking five thousand years ago, and before that, He spoke Bhagavad-gītā millions and trillions of years ago to the sun-god. This is the way of material civilization or material conditioned life, competition. The real competition began by being jealous to Kṛṣṇa. Real competition began. Kṛṣṇa-boliya-jiva bhoga vāñchā kare (Prema-vivarta). Kṛṣṇa is the supreme enjoyer. Kṛṣṇa says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). So our falldown, this I have explained the other day, is there when we wanted to compete with Kṛṣṇa or become Kṛṣṇa. The jealous, icchā . . . icchā-dveṣa-samutthena sarge yānti parantapa (BG 7.27). Sarge. Sarge means this creation, this material creation. We have come to this material creation. We do not belong to this material creation, but we have come here. Just like one does not belong to the prison house, but by his own action he comes to the prison house. He becomes criminal, and therefore he is put into the prison house, by his own activity. It is not that government wants somebody should live in the prison house and somebody should live outside prison house, free. It is not government's desire.

(break) . . . live freely, outside the prison house. Similarly, these material . . . (break) . . . sense enjoyment we act sinfully also, vikarma. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Because we are mad after sense gratification. Mad after. Beginning from the aquatic life or plant life, or insect life or birds' life, beasts' life, again in the human life, there is regular competition how we can enjoy more sense gratification. But in the human form of life one should be sensible. Therefore the university education, school, college, institution, they are meant for human society. There is no such thing in the animal society. And religion. Religion also meant for human society. Why? Because this life is not meant for enjoying senses like the animals. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). I have explained several times, this body, deha-bhājām . . . everyone, the animals, they have got also a material body, and we human being, we have also this material body. Prahlāda Mahārāja also says:

dharmān bhāgavatān iha

durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma

tad apy adhruvam arthadam

(SB 7.6.1)

This . . . what is the distinction between the animal body and the human body? Biologically . . . here is our friend, Dr. Ghosh. He knows very well. There is no difference biologically between human body . . . medical students in the biological department, they study from the frogs, from guinea pig, the human constitution of the body. There is no difference. But what is the difference? Not this bodily construction, but development of consciousness. That is the difference. So if we do not develop . . . that is the opportunity, human life. In human life there is the opportunity to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore śāstra says that nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke, "In the human society the body is not meant for spoiling in sense gratification like the cats, dogs and hogs." Don't create a hog civilization. That is the warning. What is hog civilization? Hog civilization means there is no restriction of eating, up to the stool. The hogs eat up to the stool. So when in the human society there is no restriction of eating, that is hog society. And there is no restriction of sense gratification or sex life, that is hog society. Because the hogs, they eat up to stool, and there is no sex restriction. They do not know whether mother, sister or daughter, they are . . . not matter. You will see it. Therefore it is specifically said, nāyaṁ deha, kaṣṭān kāmān na arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The . . . still the hog you will see loitering in the streets whole day and night, "Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?" Whole day and night. At night also you'll see. Those who have got experience to pass stool in the villages, you go at dead of night, and the hog will immediately come standing. As soon as you leave the place, immediately, "phus, phus, phus," they will eat.

So this kind of hard labor simply for satisfying the tongue and the genital, that is hog civilization. That is warned by Ṛṣabhadeva, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate. Why? Kāmān means eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. These are kāmān, bodily necessities of life. As soon as you will get this material body, you will have to eat. In the spiritual body there is no eating. The eating means to sustain this material body. You will find many saintly persons, practically, they do not eat. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he was eating at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, every two . . . after two, three days after, he was eating little butter, just to satisfy. Practically no eating. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was a very rich man's son. His father's income was twelve lakhs of rupees in those days. So he adopted this austerity at Rādhā-kuṇḍa.

So actually that is the fact, that in the spiritual life there is no eating, no sleeping, no sex life, no defense. These are all material necessities. So material necessities, we have got, and the hogs and dogs, they have also got. So if we work also like dogs and hogs day and night for sense gratification, material satisfaction, then where is the difference between hogs and dogs and human being? And this is going on. We are accepting this civilization as advanced. The more you have got facility for sense gratification, it is to be understood that you are advanced. So that advancement means to give satisfaction to the body.

So this formula, as it is given, yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ, this is not possible in material civilization. Unless one is advanced in spiritual life, he cannot be yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ, because he has no material demands. Why he should make competition with others materially? Because he has got material body . . . yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi-daḥ. Those who are yogīs, they should be satisfied just to maintain the body and soul together, not for sense gratification. That is sufficient. Suppose in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, what we are doing? We are giving Kṛṣṇa prasādam. We are distributing, everyone, without any distinction. We don't make any distinction between daridra-nārāyaṇa and a rich nārāyaṇa. We give prasādam to every nārāyaṇa. Of course, we do not think everyone is Nārāyaṇa. That is not our philosophy. Nārāyaṇa is above. Nārāyaṇaḥ avyaktāt paraḥ: "Nārāyaṇa is not of this material world." Nārāyaṇaḥ para avyaktāt. That is the version of Śaṅkarācārya. So it is a wrong philosophy that because Nārāyaṇa is everyone's heart . . . īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Nārāyaṇa, or īśvara, is situated in everyone's heart. That does not mean that everyone has become Nārāyaṇa. This is a wrong philosophy. If you make such distinction, then why there should be daridra-nārāyaṇa? There should be rich nārāyaṇa. There should be chāga-nārāyaṇa, matsya-nārāyaṇa, every nārāyaṇa. If you have got such vision that, "Because Nārāyaṇa is there in everyone's heart, then everyone should be addressed as Nārāyaṇa . . ." But that should not be. That is not be. That should not be. That is insult. If some big man, if I say, equalize him with some insignificant person, that is insult. In the śāstra it is said:

yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ

brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ

samatvenaiva vīkṣeta

sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam

(CC Madhya 18.116)

We cannot bring Nārāyaṇa even to the level of Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva. Yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ samatvena, equally find, sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam.

So if we want to serve poor people, that's all right. That is a good business. You are merciful. That also we are doing when we distribute prasādam for everyone's benefit—not for the daridra-nārāyaṇa or rich nārāyaṇa; everyone, Kṛṣṇa's prasāda. So yadṛcchā-lābha, one who is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will be happy simply having a little morsel of Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. Yadṛcchā-lābha. Actually, when we distribute prasāda, we distribute little, little halavā, everyone is satisfied and everyone is accepting because it is kṛṣṇa-prasādam. This consciousness . . . they come here. There are many rich persons, also poor persons, they come here to take a little morsel of halavā. Not that he is hungry, but he is conscious that, "If I take little kṛṣṇa-prasādam, I will be benefited."

mahā-prasāde govinde

nāma-brahmaṇi vaiṣṇave

svalpa-puṇyavatāṁ rājan

viśvāso naiva jāyate

Mahā-prasāda, the foodstuff, remnant of foodstuff of Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, the same . . . mahā-prasāde govinde. And Govinda, Kṛṣṇa. And mahā-prasāde govinde nāma-brahmaṇi, and in the holy name of Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Mahā-prasāde govinde nāma-brahmaṇi vaiṣṇave, as also in Vaiṣṇava. Svalpa-puṇyavatāṁ rājan viśvāso naiva jāyate. Those who are less pious, they cannot believe in these things.

So this is indirectly speaking Kṛṣṇa, yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. You establish Kṛṣṇa at home. This center, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness center, what is the purpose? You can also establish at home Deity. You can also perform the Deity worship. You can also perform kīrtana at home. You can also read Bhagavad-gītā at home. It is not that we are . . . we have made this business that you come here and pay something and we profit by your payment. No. It is education, how one should be satisfied by accepting kṛṣṇa-prasādam, for working Kṛṣṇa. Then you will be feeling satisfaction. You do business for Kṛṣṇa, you do your occupational duty for Kṛṣṇa, you cook for Kṛṣṇa, you offer to Kṛṣṇa, take prasādam of Kṛṣṇa—you will feel very happy. That is the description. Yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo dvandvātīto vimatsaraḥ.

A Vaiṣṇava is never matsaraḥ. Matsaraḥ means . . . it is described by Śrīdhara Svāmī, matsaratā parā utkarṣaṇam asahanam. The material world is such that if your even own brother becomes prosperous, you will be envious, "Oh, my brother has become so prosperous. I could not." This is natural here, jealousy. Because the jealousy has begun from Kṛṣṇa, "Why Kṛṣṇa shall be the enjoyer? I shall also enjoy." This jealousy has begun. Therefore the whole material life is full of jealousy. I am jealous of you; you are jealous of me. This is the business of material world. So here it is called vimatsaraḥ, no jealousy. How one can be jealousless unless he is a Kṛṣṇa devotee? He must be jealous. This is the nature. Therefore Śrī Bhāgavata says that dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇām, vāstavaṁ vastu vedyam atra (SB 1.1.2). Dharma . . . there are many religious system. There is jealousy. So-called religious system, cutting the throat of the animals. Why? If you are so broadminded that if you see everywhere Nārāyaṇa, why you are cutting the throat of the goats or the cows or other animals? You should be merciful to them also. But that mercifulness cannot be exhibited without being a devotee, vimatsaraḥ. Nirmatsaraḥ.

Therefore the so-called religious system which is full of matsaratā, jealousy, that is called kaitava-dharma, cheating in the name of religion. So this God consciousness is not a cheating religion. It is very broad-minded. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām (SB 3.25.21). This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means every wants to become friend of everyone. Otherwise, if a Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not feel like that, why he should take trouble to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world? Vimatsaraḥ. One should understand that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that everyone should relish it, everyone should take part of it.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness means God consciousness. Because people are suffering on account of lack of God consciousness. That is the cause of suffering.

kṛṣṇa-buliya jiva bhoga vāñchā kare

pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare

(Prema-vivarta)

This is the formula. As soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa, immediately there is māyā. Just like in the sunshine and in the shade, they are existing side by side. If you don't remain in the sunshine, then you come to the shade, darkness. And if you don't remain in the darkness, you come to the sunshine. Similarly, if we don't accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we have to accept māyā consciousness. And if we don't accept māyā consciousness, then we have to accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Side by side.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means not to remain in the dark consciousness. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. That is the Vedic instruction, "Don't remain in the darkness." And what is that darkness? The darkness is bodily concept of life.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

The . . . so long you are in the bodily concept of life, "I am this body," "I am Indian," "I American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fatty," "I am thin . . ." These are all bodily concept of life. So, so long one is in the bodily concept of life, he is sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Go means cows, and kharaḥ means ass.

So unless we come out of this conception, bodily concept of life . . . that is Vedic instruction, to come to the transcendental platform, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am not this body. I am spirit soul, Brahman." This is called brahma-bhūtaḥ situation. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). When one actually is situated, that is called jñāna, knowledge. Actually, this is ignorance. So long in the bodily concept of life, gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam. This is not jñāna; this is moha, illusion. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). So unless one is freed from the bodily concept of life, he cannot be satisfied in anything which is easily achieved, easily gained. That is called yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. Because he knows that, "I don't require anything, but because I have got this body, I cannot neglect it also. So let me eat something, let me earn something," whatever God gives him. God has given everyone. Nobody is starving, nobody cannot starve, especially those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious. They cannot starve. There is no question of starving, either by Kṛṣṇa conscious or not Kṛṣṇa conscious, because Kṛṣṇa has provided food for everyone. The elephant is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, but he is getting his food. He is eating at one time one maund. Kṛṣṇa is supplying. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. So there is no such question. God is supplying food to everyone—to the birds, beasts, ants, insects, aquatic. There is no such question that, "I have to feed them." If you have to feed them, just try to give them kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Prasāde sarva-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. This is the policy.

So if a person becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious that, "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa," as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). We are actually part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is providing food for everyone. Avaśya rakhibe kṛṣṇa viśvāsa pālana. Kṛṣṇa is providing everyone. Just like in our Society . . . this is practical. We have got about hundred branches, and each branch, we have got not less than twenty-five men, up to two-hundred and fifty. But we have no, I mean to say, provision store. Every day we depend on Kṛṣṇa. If food comes . . . this is called ākāśa-paḍati. The food must be dropped from the sky. This is called ākāśa-paḍati. And Kṛṣṇa will send. If Kṛṣṇa sends, then we eat. But you will be surprised that we have to spend not less than $80,000 per month, but Kṛṣṇa is supplying. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Why Kṛṣṇa will not supply? If Kṛṣṇa is supplying to the elephant in the forest, and those who have dedicated their life there Kṛṣṇa, they will not be supplied with the necessities? Why not?

Viśvāsa pālana. This is called faith. One should know, "If Kṛṣṇa is supplying food to the elephants in the jungle and to the ants in the hole of my room, what we have done that He will not supply food?" This is common sense. That is called yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. But he must be satisfied, whatever Kṛṣṇa gives. If Kṛṣṇa gives lucī, purī, that is also all right, and if he gives śuka chana, that is also all right. Yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. Because we are depending on Kṛṣṇa. Whatever Kṛṣṇa gives, we should be satisfied. We should not never be dissatisfied, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa today is giving only śuka chana." No, whatever Kṛṣṇa gives. That is devotee. Yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭaḥ. Dvandvātītaḥ, no enviousness. Why I shall be envious? If somebody is eating very nicely and I am not eating nicely, why I shall be envious? We should be satisfied. Kṛṣṇa has given him. Just like in the hospital, one patient is eating very nutritious food and another patient, the physician has ordered, "He should not take anything." So why he should be envious? He should know that, "Physician has prescribed like this, that I shall not take anything, and he has prescribed to the other patient, next bed, nutritious food. So it is the physician's desire for treatment."

Similarly, we should not be disturbed by all these things that, "He is eating more, he is enjoying more." Nobody is enjoying more. Whatever Kṛṣṇa has given, he is enjoying. That is called yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo dvandvātītaḥ. Dvandvātītaḥ and vimatsaraḥ. He is not envious. Why he should be envious? Just like at the present moment, politically, a poor man is envious of a rich man, because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And a so-called rich man, he is eating himself sumptuously, but he does not take care of the poor man. This is envious, "Let him die." No. The rich man should distribute prasādam through Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the poor man, and the poor man should not be envious of the rich man. Then there will be happiness, prosperity. Not that to form the political party and to become envious. Vimatsaraḥ. Samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca. If you are working for Kṛṣṇa, this is Kṛṣṇa's desire if you be successful or not successful. Here it is, the word is used, asiddhau. That means don't think that because you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, you will be always successful. No. It doesn't matter. Even if you are unsuccessful, you must know it firmly that without Kṛṣṇa's desire, nothing can happen. If you are unsuccessful, then you should . . . that is Kṛṣṇa conscious. You should know also that, "It is Kṛṣṇa's desire." It is Kṛṣṇa's desire. So there is no question of being depressed because you are unsuccessful. A devotee is never depressed in the horrible condition of life. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna . . . (SB 10.14.8).

Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was always being put into trouble by his father, but he was never envious of his father. When he was requested by Nṛsiṁha-deva to take benediction, he refused anything for himself, but he begged to the Lord for his father, "My dear Lord, my father has become envious to You; so I request You to excuse him." Just see. This is vimatsaraḥ. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29). He was not against his father. Similarly, a Vaiṣṇava, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he is nirmatsara, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). It is meant for the paramo nirmatsaraḥ, paramahaṁsa, those who are not envious. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. They are friend of everyone—not this particular class, but everyone. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Samaḥ siddhāv asiddhau ca kṛtvāpi na nibadhyate. Because the law of karma is so accurate that every action is being recorded.

But if you live like this . . . "Live like this" means you live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, nirmatsara, siddhāv asiddhau samaḥ. That can be possible only when you live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then all our actions will not be binding upon us. Otherwise any little thing we do, yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9), we shall be entangled. And that is material life. If we become entangled more and more, then the process of changing body, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), it will go on. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). Although this body is temporary, it is full of miseries. That we do not understand. We are thinking that we are very happy. Where is your happiness?

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that even though you think that by material advancement you have become very happy, but you should always keep in your front janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Then you have to die. Then where is your happiness? If you can make such arrangement that you will not die, whatever you have created you will enjoy, then it can be said as happiness. But that is not possible. You have to die. Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives more prominence to these four kinds of miseries: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.

So people should be satisfied in any condition of life given by Kṛṣṇa, and he should endeavor for developing his Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the real aim of life—not to make competition to get more comfortable life than your neighbor or father or brother or like that. That is not our business. That is the business of the cats and dogs. Kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). Then, what is that? Tapo divyam. This human life is for tapasya. This is tapasya, "All right, Kṛṣṇa has given me this position. That's all right. I will be satisfied." This is called tapasya. Why should I make competition? Simply by doing competition I am not going to be successful. That is the instruction of all śāstra.

tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ

tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ

kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā

(SB 1.5.18)

Do you think that if you try to become more happy, you will be happy? No. The śāstra says that you get miserable condition of life without hankering after this. Nobody hankers after that all miseries may come upon him. No. But it comes. Similarly, all kinds of happiness that you are destined to enjoy, that will also come. So you don't waste your time for material happiness. You simply save your time for development of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will be happy. Then you will be free. That is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa.

Thank you very much. (end)