751227 - Lecture BG 03.14 - Sanand

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this Lecture

751227BG-SANAND - December 27, 1975 - 20:12 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

annād bhavanti bhūtāni

parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ

yajñād bhavati parjanyo

yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ

(BG 3.14)

(to translator) You will translate? No.

Indian man: You can speak in English. He will translate.

Prabhupāda: I'll speak in English. So here is a verse from Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā, Third Chapter, fourteenth verse. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. When I was coming to your village, I saw there are so many agricultural field producing tobacco. So tobacco-producing can give you some money, but you will be shortage of food grains. Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, said that if you want to make happy and prosperous the people in general, then you must produce anna, food grains. Bhagavān has not said anywhere that you produce tobacco, jute and similar other things, which are not required at all.

The whole purpose of life is to perform yajña. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa there is a verse, varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān. Varṇāśramācāravatā puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān, nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam (CC Madhya 8.58, Viṣṇu Purāṇa 3.8.9). Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ (SB 11.5.32). Yajña means to satisfy the yajña-puruṣa, Nārāyaṇa, or Bhagavān. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Prahlāda Mahārāja also says:

na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ

durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ

andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās

te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ

(SB 7.5.31)

The people do not know that the aim of life is to approach Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu. That is the aim of life. Viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam (CC Madhya 8.58).

So viṣṇu-ārādhana is the ultimate goal of life. In the Purāṇas also, Lord Śiva was instructing Pārvatī, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param (Padma Purāṇa). Lord Śiva said that "Of all different types of worship, the worship of Viṣṇu is topmost." So human life is specially meant for worshiping Viṣṇu. Unfortunately, the blind leaders, they are not teaching people how to execute viṣṇu-ārādhana. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is started just to educate people how to worship Lord Viṣṇu. Viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param—this is our mission to teach all over the world. (break) Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Yajñārthe. Yajña means Viṣṇu. Simply for satisfying Viṣṇu one should act. Any work one is habituated to do, it should be aimed to satisfy Viṣṇu. Otherwise we shall be implicated in the karma. Karma means we act in some way under the direction of material energy or illusionary energy, and we become implicated. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). According to our work and association with particular type of the modes of nature, we get different types of body. If we give up viṣṇu-ārādhana, if we give up the aim of achieving the favor of Viṣṇu, then we are becoming implicated in the resultant action of our different activities.

Kṛṣṇa therefore teaches, yat karoṣi: "Whatever you do, it doesn't matter." Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27): "Whatever you be, that doesn't matter, but the result should be given to Me." So at the present moment in this age, all over the world people have forgotten Viṣṇu, or God. They are whimsically doing things which will implicate them birth after birth, sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu, either higher class of birth or lower class of birth, sat and asat. But this is not solution of life. So here in this verse Kṛṣṇa says:

annād bhavanti bhūtāni

parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ

yajñād bhavati parjanyo

yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ

(BG 3.14)

So karma . . . everyone has got different types of occupation. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-karma, kṣatriya-karma, vaiśya-karma, śūdra-karma. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ (BG 18.46). There is no . . . in the worship of Kṛṣṇa, there is no such distinction that only the brāhmins can offer prayers or worship to Kṛṣṇa, but everyone can offer. Māṁ hi vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Even less than the śūdras, they can also take the advantage of worshiping Kṛṣṇa.

So yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra. This karma should be performed for executing yajña. (aside) Why . . . translate. So this yajña . . . formerly yajña was performed very gorgeously. So many maunds of ghee and grains were put into the fire. But in this age, Kali-yuga, there is neither ghee nor grains to offer in the fire, yajña fire. Therefore in this Kali-yuga the yajña is performed by chanting the holy name of the Lord.

So I do not wish to take very much time. I have got another engagement. My only submission is that you produce enough quantity of food grains. Don't waste your time by producing tobacco. Besides that, in the śāstra it is forbidden, striya sūnā pāna dyūta yatra pāpaś catur-vidhā (SB 1.17.38). Striya, avaidha, illicit sex; striya, sūnā, jīva ko hatya, killing the animals. Striya sūnā pāna . . . pāna means smoking also. Drinking liquor and smoking. Dhūma pāna. This pāna is forbidden. Striya sūnā pāna dyūta, and dyūta means gambling. So these four things, they are considered as sinful activities. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said:

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ

janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā

bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

(BG 7.28)

Unless one is free from the sinful activities, he cannot be fully engaged in worshiping the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. So these four principle of sinful activities—illicit sex, and animal-killing, and intoxication, including smoking and drinking tea, and gambling—anyone who wants really benefit of life, human life, they must give up these four principles of sinful life. Kṛṣṇa therefore says to every one of us:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi . . .

(BG 18.66)

It is not possible that we can give up sinful activities by our own endeavor, because in this age, Kali-yuga, everyone is addicted to some sort of sinful activities. But if we surrender to Kṛṣṇa as He is instructing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), fully, without any reservation, He will help us to become free from the sinful reactions. (break) (end)