720618 - Lecture SB 02.03.21 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720618SB-LOS ANGELES - June 18, 1972 - 45:26 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Page 157, text 21. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam

apy uttamāṅgaṁ na namen mukundam

śāvau karau no kurute saparyāṁ

harer lasat-kāñcana-kaṅkaṇau vā

(SB 2.3.21)

Prabhupāda: That's alright. Word meaning?

Pradyumna:

bhāraḥ—a great burden; param—heavy; paṭṭa—silk; kirīṭa—turban; juṣṭam—dressed with; api—even; uttama—upper; aṅgam—parts of the body; na—never; namet—bow down; mukundam—Lord Kṛṣṇa, the deliverer; śāvau—dead bodies; karau—hands; no—do not; kurute—do; saparyām—worshiping; hareḥ—of the Personality of Godhead; lasat—glittering; kāñcana—made of gold; kaṅkaṇau—bangles; vā—even though. (break)

Translation: "The upper portion of the body, though crowned with a silk turban, if not bowed down before the Personality of Godhead who can award mukti, freedom, is a heavy burden only. And the hands, though decorated with glittering bangles, if not engaged in the service of the Personality of Godhead Hari, are like those of a dead man."

Prabhupāda: So bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam. A silk turban with pearl, what is called, decoration, bedecked with pearl, these are the signs of king. Just like we decorate Kṛṣṇa with turban bedecked with jewels. So this turban is good so long we bow down before the Deity. Otherwise it is a great burden. Although it is made of silk, still, it will be a great burden.

The idea is that if we bow down or surrender unto the lotus feet of Mukunda—Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, one who gives liberation—then we can enjoy princely order or richness. There is no harm. But if we are lacking in that capacity to surrender unto the Supreme Lord, and simply become puffed up with these riches, then it will be burden. Burden means very soon everything will be lost. Just like you cannot keep the burden, heavy burden, on your head for a long time, similarly, this nice turban, silk turban, will be felt as great burden.

This is the law of nature. If you misuse the power and do not feel obliged to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given you the power, then you'll be finished very soon. That is the history. Any nation, any empire, any man, as soon as one begins to defy the authority of the Supreme Lord, like Rāvaṇa, he'll be finished. Sooner or later, he's going to be finished. Just like Rāvaṇa, he was very much puffed up by his material opulence, and he did not care for Rāma. And he wanted the potency, energy of Rāma, spiritual energy, Sītā. And he kidnapped. He wanted that, "I . . ." that he did not like Rāma, but he liked Sītā. Sītā is energy. Woman and money, these are energies of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is puruṣa, and all other things are prakṛti. Prakṛti is enjoyed by the puruṣa.

So Kṛṣṇa says, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He's bhoktā. He's the enjoyer. This . . . in the, in the material world or spiritual world, the same thing is there. The woman is there, the money is there, and the puruṣa is there, enjoyer is there. But here the puruṣa is imitation. Imitation. Because one who is playing the part of puruṣa, enjoyer, he's not actually puruṣa, but he's prakṛti. Falsely, he representing himself as puruṣa, as enjoyer. Therefore we have got trouble. Artificially . . . just like a woman, if he's (she's) artificially trying to be man, as it is botheration, it is not possible. If a woman is dressed like a man, does it mean that he's man . . . she is man, or she can enjoy like man? No. False dress.

Similarly, here in this material world, we are falsely dressed with this material body and imitating Kṛṣṇa, enjoyer, exactly like the woman dressed in male's dress wants to enjoy. That is not possible. Similarly, here, the living entity, either dressed in male dress or female dress . . . this outward body is dress. Somebody is dressed like a female, somebody is dressed like a male, but none of them are male. Both of them are originally female, prakṛti. Prakṛti means feminine gender. Prakṛti. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, aparā, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā (BG 7.5): "This material energy—earth, water, fire, air—these are . . . they are also My energy," Kṛṣṇa says: "But they are inferior energy. But there is another energy, jīva-bhūtaḥ, the living entities, and that is superior energy."

So the superior energy is dressed in two ways: as male and female. Because without male and female, there is no enjoyment. Therefore they have been dressed falsely by the material nature as enjoyer. Here, either a woman or a man, everyone is trying to enjoy. Nobody is trying to become enjoyed. Everyone is trying to enjoy. But he cannot. He or she . . . everyone is she, but some, some of them, are dressed like he. Because everyone is prakṛti. But this mentality, that "I shall enjoy," that is false, I mean to say, propensity of the living entity. That is called māyā. He cannot enjoy, but he is posing himself as enjoyer. That is the disease. He's po . . . up to the end, he's trying to become God. The so-called tapasya, jñānī, yogī, they are trying to come to the liberated position, but thinking that "I shall become God." The same diseases. Up to the end, the same disease. God means "enjoyer."

So this disease can be cured only by surrender. That is the only medicine. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Here also the same thing: bhāraḥ paraṁ paṭṭa-kirīṭa-juṣṭam. A princely order, a king, he has been given the chance of ruling over, over a kingdom, but if he forgets his position—he actually becomes the proprietor—then this kingdom will be burden. Just like it became so in the case of Rāvaṇa, and he was finished.

Similarly, as soon as the kings of the world became puffed up with their false power, the monarchy is now finished, all over the world. Otherwise, say, five hundred years ago, all over the world there were kings, monarchy, monarchical government. But they misused their power. They did not surrender. Therefore their turban or crown became very burdensome, and they had to give it up. Still in some countries the so-called king or queen are existing, and they have no power. It is simply a show-bottle. So they have lost their power.

So we should be very much careful, not become puffed up by a princely order, turban, but we must know that this opulence, this kingdom, this power . . . everyone. Anyone who has got some power, he must know that, "This power is given by Kṛṣṇa unto me, and to execute His will, not my sense gratification." Otherwise it will be burden, and he will be finished. This is laws of God. Nobody can become the enjoyer. The only enjoyer is God. And if we want to enjoy falsely, then we will be in trouble.

Similarly, those who are rich, have got ornaments, bangles, if the hand is not engaged in the service of the Lord . . . therefore we should always engage our hands. Not only hands, hands, legs, eyes—everything—should be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Either you wipe the floor of the temple, or you type, or anything, or you do something . . . hands must be engaged for the service of the Lord.

Similarly, legs should be engaged also for the service of the Lord. The legs can be engaged . . . if you are living in a distant place, engage your legs to come here. That is the engagement of the leg. Eyes should be engaged to see very beautiful Deity, well decorated. Then you'll feel satisfaction. Otherwise, your eyes will draw you to see something nonsense beautiful. So all our senses should be engaged. Then there is no māyā. If you have got good engagement, then there is no scope for wrong engagement. The wrong engagement is māyā, and good engagement is Kṛṣṇa.

So try to engage yourself always in Kṛṣṇa's service, and māyā will not be able to touch you. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). If you engage your tongue for talking about Kṛṣṇa, to taste kṛṣṇa-prasādam, then there will be no scope of your tongue for being engaged in nonsense talking, for going to restaurant and take nonsense food. You may . . . the Māyāvādī philosophy is to stop by force, to make it zero. "My senses are giving me trouble. To . . . so put out, pluck out the eyeballs." This is their treatment.

That is not possible. Because we are living entity, we have got all our senses. Then because we have got senses, therefore we are living. A dead stone has no senses. So there . . . that is the distinction between living entity and matter. But the so-called rascal philosopher, scientist, they do not know this distinction; still, they philoso . . . philosophize, they theorize. They think that the dead stone and the human being or living entity is the same. That is their fault. The living entity is a different entity. It is not dead stone. Therefore it is called superior energy. It has got will. It has got little independence. Therefore he is selecting different types of body for enjoyment.

So the modern material scientist, so-called scientist, actually, they are fools and rascals. As it is mentioned in the Bhāgavatam, sa eva go-karaḥ. Why big scientist and philosophers have been described in the Bhāgavatam as fools and rascals? Because, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Because they consider this body is self. That is their fault. That is their ignorance. The Darwin's theory, this theory, that theory, simply they are bewildered, thinking this body is the self; the body's developing or evolution . . . no.

So all our senses should be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is perfection. It is indirectly being said in these verses that if our senses are not engaged in the service of the Lord, then it is dead. Śāvau. Śāvau karau no kurute saparyām. Just like a dead man, he has got his legs and hands, but he cannot employ it for any service. It is now flat. Actually, it is flat, but because within the body there is the soul, who is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, if he does not come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness platform and does not engage himself in the service of the Lord, then his hands, legs, heads, everything, is dead body's head—the decoration of dead body. This is the conclusion.

Now go on reading.

Pradyumna: "As stated herein before, there are three kinds of devotees of the Lord. The first-class devotee does not see at all anyone who is not in the service of the Lord, but the second-class devotee makes distinctions between devotees and nondevotees. The second-class devotees are therefore meant for preaching work, and as referred to in the above verse, they must loudly preach the glories of the Lord. The second-class devotee accepts disciples from the section of third-class devotees or nondevotees. Sometimes the first-class devotees also come down to the category of the second-class devotee for preaching work. But the common man, who is expected to become at least a third-class devotee, is advised herein to visit the temple of the Lord and bow down before the Deity, even though he may be a very rich man or even a king with a silk turban or crown."

"The Lord is the Lord of everyone, including the great kings and emperors, and as such, rich men in the estimation of mundane people must therefore make a point to visit the temple of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and regularly bow down before the Deity."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This bow down . . . even the children, they are imitating bowing down, but it has got the effect. Not that the children, they have no seriousness about . . . seriousness or no serious, simply if he bows down, he gets the result. He gets the re . . . dancing, he's dancing. He's getting the result. He's becoming a devotee. This is called ajñāta-sukṛti. These are the statements in Bhakti-rasām . . . Nectar of Devotion. You'll find. The temple is meant for giving chances to the nondevotees. Some way or other, if he comes in the temple, bows down, dances with us, takes the prasādam, takes caraṇāmṛta, that means he is becoming spiritually advanced.

Therefore this is a chance. And actually, our Society is giving this chance. In the beginning they come as a inquisitive visitor. Then dances, then chants, then take prasādam and, say, after a week, he becomes shaven. So this is the process. Association of the devotee, coming to the temple, will give him impetus to make further progress.

Go on.

Pradyumna: "The Lord in the temple, in the worshipable form, is never to be considered to be made of stone or wood, because the Lord in His arcā incarnation as the Deity in the temple shows immense favor to the fallen souls by His auspicious presence. By the hearing process, as mentioned hereinbefore, this realization of the presence of the Lord in the temple is made possible. As such, the first process of hearing in the routine work of devotional service is the essential point. Hearing by all classes of devotees from the authentic sources like Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is essential. The common man who is puffed up with his material position and does not bow down before the Deity of the Lord in the temple, or who defies temple worship without any knowledge of the science, must know that his so-called turban or crown will only succeed in further drowning him in the water of the ocean of material existence. A drowning man with a heavy weight on his head is sure to go down more swiftly than others, who have no heavy weight."

"A foolish, puffed-up man defies the science of God and says God has no meaning for him, but when is in the grip of God's law and is caught up by some disease like cerebral thrombosis, that godless man sinks into the ocean of nescience by the weight of his material acquisition. Advancement of material science without God consciousness is a heavy load on the head of human society. So one must take heed of this great warning."

"The common man, if he has no time to worship the Lord, may at least engage his hands for a few seconds washing or sweeping the Lord's temple. Mahārāja Pratāparudra, the greatly powerful king of Orissa, was always very busy with heavy state responsibilities, yet he made it a point to sweep the temple of Lord Jagannātha at Purī once a year during the festival of the Lord. The idea is that however important a man may be, he must accept the supremacy of the Supreme Lord. This God consciousness will help a man even in his material prosperity."

"Mahārāja Pratāparudra's subordination before Lord Jagannātha made him a powerful king, so much so that even the great Pathan in his time could not enter into Orissa on account of the powerful Mahārāja Pratāparudra. And at last, Mahārāja Pratāparudra was graced by Lord Śrī Caitanya on the very grounds of his acceptance of subordination to the Lord of the universe. So even though a rich man's wife has glittering bangles made of gold on her hands, she must engage herself in rendering service to the Lord."

Prabhupāda: So this is an actual fact, that Mahārāja Pratāparudra . . . he was the King of Orissa, and in the fifteenth century, India was conquered by the Muhammadans, Pathans, but they could not conquer that portion of the country, Orissa, because Mahārāja Pratāparudra was very strong king. But his strength was on the basis of his devotion to Lord Jagannātha. So even if we want to enjoy the material world . . . the devotee does not want to enjoy, but Kṛṣṇa keeps his devotee in all comfortable situation. There is no question about it.

So we should not desire separately for material comfort. We should simply depend on Kṛṣṇa and be satisfied. In whatever condition He keeps, be satisfied. Then He will look after whether you are comfortable or uncomfortable. If you try yourself, independently, to become comfortable, that is māyā. You cannot become so. Otherwise, you see everyone is trying to be comfortable in this material world. Do you think that everyone is comfortable? Who is trying for discomfiture? No, nobody's trying. Everyone is trying to be very happy, but why there are so many discrepancies? Somebody is very poor, somebody is very rich, somebody is in the middle. That means there is superior supervision. If you simply try to become rich, that is not possible.

Therefore śāstra says intelligent men, they should not bother about this so-called happiness and distress of the world.

tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido

na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ

tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ

kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā

(SB 1.5.18)

Distress and happiness, they're already destined, according to our body. We have discussed this point. Take, for example, you American boys and girls: you have got a body by your previous activities. So your standard of living is better than other country. So actually, I see that even if you go outside your country, your standard of living is maintained. Because you have got already the body. Deha-yogena dehinām. Just like a hog. A hog, if he changes his country or position, if he's taken to heavenly planet, then what he will be? He will try to find out, "Where is stool?" Because the body is hog's body. Similarly, a Indian, because he has got Indian body, even if he goes to America, he'll try for spiritual upliftment. That is the nature. A tiger, if you take the civilized human society, he'll try to hunt.

So they do not understand that by superior management every living entity has been offered a different type of body for material distress and happiness. Everyone. It is not possible to change. Therefore, if we are intelligent enough, we should know that "My distress and happiness in this material world is already fixed up because I have got a particular type of body. Then when it is fixed up, then why . . . why I shall waste my time for so-called distress and happiness, when it is fixed up?"

Just like you are running in a train. You have already purchased a ticket for third class. Then how you can run on the first class? That is not possible. If you want to run on the first-class compartment, you must purchase a ticket. Similarly, we have already purchased a ticket according to our body. Therefore śāstra says that don't bother about this so-called distress and happiness. They are already fixed up. If you have got some energy, please utilize it how to develop in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't spoil your energy for so-called distress and happiness. That is mistake.

But the modern civilization is so foolish, they are simply trying for bodily distress and happiness and spoiling the energy which he could utilize for understanding God. This is the defect of modern civilization. Actually, foolish civilization. They do not know what is the value of life, how we can realize our ultimate goal of life, what is this body, what is God. There is no education. There is no enlightenment. Simply just like animals. The animals, I mean to say, trying; animal also trying to become comfortable. But it is not possible. Because he's animal, he cannot be as comfortable as a human being. That is not possible. It is destined.

So everyone is destined and fixed up, his comfortable life. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Therefore one who is intelligent, he should simply spend his energy how to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is intelligence.

Hmm. All right. Have kīrtana.

Devotees: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. (devotees offer obeisances)

(kīrtana) (end)