750718 - Morning Walk - San Francisco

Morning Walks by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

750718MW-SAN FRANCISCO - July 18, 1975 - 34:37 Minutes

Prabhupāda:. . . there are many buildings like this.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. (break)

Prabhupāda:. . . there is one word, sva-langulena atithi tīrtvā sindhum. We see sometimes the dogs are swimming. (greets passerby:) Good morning. If somebody thinks, "Oh, the dog is swimming, so let me capture the tail, and I shall swim. I shall cross," so similarly, those who are thinking, the so-called scientists, philosopher, will solve the problems, it is exactly like to cross over the Pacific Ocean by capturing the tail of a dog. (laughter) If one thinks that "Dog is sufficiently strong to carry me. So he is swimming, so I shall swim also," so following the dogs, capturing their tail, if one thinks that he will cross over the Pacific Ocean . . . Similarly, these so-called scientists, philosophers, are like dogs, and if anyone thinks that he will cross by capturing his tail, he will be baffled. (break). . .bomb scientist still living?

Bahulāśva: Yes, he's still living.

Prabhupāda: So, what he is doing now?

Bahulāśva: Now he is retired.

Prabhupāda: Oh. No more swimming.

Bahulāśva: No more swimming.

Nalinī-kaṇṭa: He's taking money from the government for his work so that he can live.

Prabhupāda: Well, money is everyone is getting. The dog is also getting. Sometimes dog is inheriting the property of his master. But that does not mean he is not a dog.

Kṛṣṇadāsa: About one month ago there was a very big story in the newspapers about how this student who went to all the archives in the Washington D.C. library, and from known records he compiled enough information to construct an atom bomb. Did you hear about that?

Prabhupāda: No.

Kṛṣṇadāsa: He became world famous. So they concluded that anyone who wanted to could get normal information from normal sources and theoretically construct an atom bomb. But they have to have . . . They don't have the equipment, but they have the knowledge now. So they're proposing in that sense that any terrorist organization within the next five years will be able to invent their own atom bomb.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that's fact.

Bahulāśva: He was bribing one city in Florida that "You pay me so much money or else I'm going to blow up your city." And he sent them the plans, "Here is the bomb." So they became very frightened. And when they traced the letter, they found that it was only a sixteen-year-old boy who had done this. (break)

Prabhupāda:. . .the sound of the church bell very much. It is very attractive.

Brahmānanda: You want one like that for Vṛndāvana.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Yadubara: They have an organ here, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that you play the organ and the bells chime out a melody from that tower.

Prabhupāda: Which tower?

Yadubara: That big tower here. They have bells up on top, and they can play different melodies.

Devotee: As they fall off. (break)

Yadubara:. . .problem of suicide here, but in all schools all over the country.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are publicly suiciding, and others are silently suiciding. The suiciding policy is going on. Somebody manifests; somebody does not manifest. That's all. If the human life is wasted for sense gratification, that is suicidal. Because you got the opportunity of enlightenment and you live like dogs and cats, this is suicide. (break) This, what is called, hydrogen bomb manufacturer, he is thinking that he is successful in his life by discovering this hydrogen bomb, but he does not know how to save him from death. So it is suicidal.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They are simply expert at accelerating death.

Prabhupāda: Whatever he has done, so he could not save him. He cannot save him from death. So what is the use of this scientific knowledge? If the dog is also going to die and he is also going to die, so where is the difference of his scientific knowledge?

Kṛṣṇadāsa: Coincidentally, the original purpose of the hydrogen bomb was to prevent death, to end the Second World War as soon as possible.

Prabhupāda: How they can prevent? That he does not know, how to prevent. He can accelerate, that's all. (break). . .puts before us, "Here is your problem, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Solve it." Where is that scientist? They avoid the real problem and take some childish problem. (break). . .not any hidden problem. It is the open problem. Kṛṣṇa puts it: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. The real seer will see to these problems. There is no answer or solution of these problems. Where is it, solution of these problems? Where is the biochemist or the psychologist or the atom bombist?

Kṛṣṇadāsa: The theory nowadays is that by the proliferation of atomic weapons—that Russia has so many weapons, China has so many weapons, the United States has so much . . .

Prabhupāda: Everyone now. India has also.

Kṛṣṇadāsa: They're all afraid of using them.

Prabhupāda: They must use it. That is nature's arrangement.

Kṛṣṇadāsa: Yeah, right. History.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is nature's arrangement (chuckles) that you all die. That is nature's arrangement.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: When someone gets some power he wants to try it out. Just like there was that demon. Lord Śiva gave him power: whoever head he touched, the head would fall off.

Prabhupāda: Just like in your country there are so many cars so that a poor man like me has car always, not an inch move on leg. So because there is so many, there are so many cars. So there are so many weapons now. That must be used. That is a natural sequence. They must use it.

Bahulāśva: That is why they have wars, just so they can use up the weapons.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Kṛṣṇadāsa: The only difficulty is that if one person uses the atomic weapon, that means entire . . . it would be entire waste of mankind. So everyone's afraid of using the ultimate.

Prabhupāda: Well, anyway, they must be used. There is no doubt about it. Therefore we can say there will be war. It is no astrology. It is natural conclusion.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Common sense.

Kṛṣṇadāsa: That'd mean total destruction.

Prabhupāda: Well, total or partial, that we shall see. But they must be used.

Bahulāśva: Now they like to blow them up in the ground. The scientists like to play by blowing them up in the ground.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Or in the sea.

Bahulāśva: They create big disturbances.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break). . .everything can be solved by understanding these three items: God is the proprietor; He is the enjoyer; He is friend of everyone. They are acting just the opposite way: "I am the proprietor; I am the enjoyer; I am the friend, because I am God." This is their . . . Everyone is becoming friend—ultimately proves to be enemy of the country, because he is not friend. President Nixon took votes by pretending friendship, and later on, he proved enemy. This is going on. Everyone knows. Gandhi pretended to become friend, but he proved to become an enemy. Otherwise why he was shot down? Unless one thought him as enemy, why he was shot down? This is going on. Nobody can become friend except Kṛṣṇa.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: But a pure devotee is a friend to all.

Prabhupāda: Because he carries the message of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is friend, and he is carrying the friendly message. Therefore he is friend. If there is a nice friend and if somebody gives information of that nice friend, he is also friend. Therefore nobody can become friend except Kṛṣṇa's representative. The material world is: "I am your enemy, and you are my enemy." This is the whole construction of the material world. So how the enemy can become friend? It is pretension, cheating.

Devotee: When we go out to distribute books, we try and show the karmīs that the devotee is actually their friend also.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, certainly. That is the real friendship work. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kota nidrā jāo māyā-piśācīra kole.

enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi'

hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi

This is friendship. "You are sleeping under the spell of māyā, and how long you will sleep and suffer in this material world? So I have brought this medicine. You take it and you will no more sleep."

enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi'

hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao . . .

"Now take Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, this medicine." Hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi

Bahulāśva: So all relationships in this material world are . . .

Prabhupāda: Inimical.

Bahulāśva:. . .based on this enemy.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bahulāśva: Even the so-called love.

Prabhupāda: No, that is lust. That is not love. And as soon as my lusty desire is not fulfilled, then you are my enemy. (break) If we take shelter of any materialistic person, that is like to take the . . . capture the tail of a dog and try to swim over the Pacific Ocean. It is like that. (break)

Nalinī-kaṇṭa:. . .saying that we should not give people anything other than Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: And what you have to give? First of all you consider what you have to give. What you have got to give?

Nalinī-kaṇṭa: I was thinking that sometimes the devotees engage in business, selling so many things to help the temples, and you were saying that we should not do that?

Prabhupāda: If you are business-minded, you can do that. Do business and give the result to Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Brahmānanda:. . .planting a tree. And here are the animals. The tiger and the lizard, fish.

Prabhupāda: So what is the meaning?

Bahulāśva: This is zoology. Zoology. They study all the animals.

Prabhupāda: Not himself?

Bahulāśva: Well, they think they get an idea of man by studying the animals.

Brahmānanda: Catching the tail of the dog.

Bahulāśva: Of the crab. Then they come to conclude that since all the animals do is eat, sleep, mate and defend, man should also just do that.

Prabhupāda: Then why he has become man? Why not animal? Therefore the śāstra says, "One who is engaged in these animal activities, he is animal. He is not man." Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma idya-dhīḥ (SB 10.84.13). Actually, man is doing like that. In the jungle the similar animals, they flock together. This is nationalism is like that. It is nothing better than that. So our defending, that "We are Americans," "We are Indians," "We are Germans"—the same thing. Because they are animals, they have this United Nation. The animals will fight, so they are trying to compromise, "Let us live peacefully." That is not possible, because they are animals. All failure. (break)

Kṛṣṇadāsa: Under the threat of nuclear warfare wouldn't Kṛṣṇa consciousness be more easy to spread?

Prabhupāda: No, threat is already there. But they are so fool that they are not afraid of the threat. Threat is already there. Everyone will die. That is the problem. So who is caring for this? They are avoiding this. They cannot take any anti-measures.

Yadubara: So it will take a war to bring them to their senses a bit?

Prabhupāda: No, war is going on. But they are so senseless that they will not come to this, so rascal. Therefore they are described as mūḍha, all rascals.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very hard to preach to these fools, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These people are so stupid, it is very difficult to preach to them.

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) No, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will be . . .

Dhīra-kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, we are hearing from you and your books that we will die, and we must learn to face these problems as you mentioned, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), but still, even as your disciples, we are not so convinced.

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Dhīra-kṛṣṇa: Because we've been brought up in a culture where we've been taught that we will never die. Particularly in America, we never even see death here.

Prabhupāda: You think you will not die?

Dhīra-kṛṣṇa: I know I will, but how can we realize that, come to the platform of realizing?

Prabhupāda: Everyone is dying. Your father is dying, your mother is dying, your friend is dying, and still if you cannot understand, then how it will be possible to make you understand? Every day you see so many people are dying. Ahāny ahāni lokāni gacchanti yamālayam iha. Every moment, every day, we see so many animals or men are dying. Śeṣaḥ sthitam icchanti kim āścaryam. . . But those who are living, he is thinking, "I will not die." Death is inevitable but still, he is thinking, "I will not die." Therefore that is the problem. Everyone is dying, and everyone is trying not to die. This is the problem. Nobody wants to die, but everyone is dying. That problem this rascal scientist cannot solve. Therefore they are like dogs, and to catch their tail is like that. Yes. And that is the real problem. Everyone is dying, and everyone is trying not to die.

Jayatīrtha: The Śaivites go down to the burning ghāṭas. The Śaivites, they go down to the place where the bodies are being burned in order to meditate on the fact that everyone is going to die.

Prabhupāda: What is meditation? Without meditation even, one can understand, if he is intelligent.

Jayatīrtha: Yes. So much trouble.

Bahulāśva: So one must become convinced philosophically.

Prabhupāda: Why philosophically? Philosophy means, at the present moment, mental concoction. We don't say that. Philosophy means to find out the reality. That is philosophy, not that "I think like this. He thinks like this. He thinks like this." That is not philosophy; that is mental concoction, hovering over the mental plane. Philosophy is here. Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9): "Keep always in your front that there is death, there is birth, and try to save yourself from this." This is philosophy. (pause) What is this hot air? Wherefrom . . .

Bahulāśva: It is coming from the heating system of the university. They have a nuclear heating system.

Kṛṣṇadāsa: Is that nuclear waste?

Bahulāśva: Yes. They have a reactor on the campus. (break)

Prabhupāda:. . .they require so many scientist to get heat from the nuclear system, then who has created the sun to diffuse so much heat, how great scientist He is. They have no sense that who has created the sun's nuclear system, that heating the whole universe.

Bahulāśva: They can't even measure how much heat is coming from the sun.

Jayatīrtha: They say that the sun is inefficient because in some places it's too hot and in some places it's too cold, so therefore they have to make the adjustment by making the air conditioners and the heaters in order to make up for the sun's inefficiency.

Prabhupāda: But who is getting this advantage?

Kṛṣṇadāsa: Big businessmen. (Prabhupāda laughs)

Bahulāśva: Actually, the fact is that now the scientists are spending so much money on this research, but the research is only being used in their personal homes. The common people have never seen any of these great devices. I saw a picture . . . This one devotee, Jayarāma, his uncle is a big scientist. He has created this radio telescope. So I saw pictures of his personal home, and it must cost about $300,000, all these scientific devices he has. But the people never see those things. (break)

Kṛṣṇadāsa:. . .and for all the success of scientific advancement, they have not created any love for God or their fellow man.

Prabhupāda: That is the defect. They should scientifically explain what is Kṛṣṇa. Then their science is perfect. Idaṁ hi puṁsas tapasaḥ śrutasya vā (SB 1.5.22), education, tapasya, sviṣṭasya sūktasya ca buddha-dattayoḥ, charity and gentleness, all good qualities. So kavibhiḥ nirūpito. Kavibhiḥ, big personalities, they have decided, yad-uttamaśloka-guṇanuvarṇanam. If, by their knowledge they can establish vāsudevaḥ sarvam. . . Kṛṣṇa is the origin, then their scientific knowledge is perfect. Avicyutaḥ arthaḥ kavibhir nirūpito. Kavibhiḥ means great learned scholars.

They have decided like this, yad-uttamaśloka-guṇanuvarṇanam, instead of talking all nonsense, "This is this. This is this," if they can scientifically explain that "Kṛṣṇa is the original scientist, and His brain has done this, like this, like this . . ." That is Bhāgavata: who is the original scientist, who is original philosopher, original—everything original. Anādir ādir govindaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Govinda is the origin of everything. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). Vāsudeva is the original founder. That is a fact. The origin is Kṛṣṇa, but they do not find it. (loud noise of water truck) Now, this sprinkling is being done, water and air. Now, who is the origin of air and water? You have combined together, utilizing as a spray, but who is the origin of air and water? You cannot manufacture air or water. You are taking advantage of it by mixing together, sprinkling, but where is the origin of water and air?

Bahulāśva: The scientists now, they have been studying the different atoms. They say that the origin is what they call pure energy. And they describe that as a disembodied electrical charge.

Prabhupāda: Jugglery of words, that's all.

Bahulāśva: Their idea is very close to the Brahman conception, though. They think that one pure energy is pervading the whole universe.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bahulāśva: And it has no material properties.

Prabhupāda: As soon as you accept energy, then you must enquire what is the source of the energy. Energy is produced. Just like here is energy, but it is produced under certain arrangement. Where the energy is being produced? If you accept energy, that is knowledge. Now, just like electrical energy is, what is called, generated in the powerhouse. You cannot say the electrical energy has jump over. It is being generated. Eh?

Bahulāśva: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: Then wherefrom this electric energy is coming? Where is the generating house? You cannot say that electric ener . . . so many electrical light, they have come all of a sudden. No. There is a regular generating house. So where is that generating house? What is their reply?

Bahulāśva: They have none.

Dhīra-kṛṣṇa: You may get some of them to admit that they don't know, but then they'll think, "No one knows." They will say, "Well, no one knows that."

Prabhupāda: No, because you are rascal, therefore you cannot say that everyone is rascal. You rascal, you do not know. But we know, because we are not rascals. We know. Kṛṣṇa says, aham ādir hi devānām (BG 10.2). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). So we know. You do not know, you rascal. But we know. Now, what is the answer?

Dhīra-kṛṣṇa: Well, I said that once to a professor, and I was dressed in plain clothes, and then he became very upset, and he said, "I thought I was talking to a book salesman, and now I find out that you're a preacher."

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) He is gentleman. He has admitted. A gentleman, if he commits some mistake, he admits, "Yes." He is gentleman. And if he persists on his mistake, he is rascal. He is a rascal. So he is a gentleman. (end)