730501 - Morning Walk - Los Angeles

Morning Walks by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730501MW-LOS_ANGELES.mp3 - May 01, 1973 - 29:48 Minutes

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Prabhupāda's morning walk. May 1, 1973, Los Angeles.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: When I drove, so the stars were very shining in the sky very clear. (break)

Prabhupāda: Yes, the man-made, it is rubbish, although they have got machine. (break)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Smoother. (break)

Prabhupāda: What other things they can put there?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: From sand?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: Construction.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: There is a compound that is called silicon carbide. That is, I think, it is very hard, as hard as diamond. They make silicon carbide. I'm not sure, but silicon carbide or tungsten carbide. They are used for cutting diamond. They are harder than diamond. It's very strong, very hard. They combine this with carbon. It requires tremendous amounts of force to do this—high temperature, high pressure.

(pause)

Prabhupāda: Anything eatables?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: (laughs) No, not so far.

Brahmānanda: Future.

Prabhupāda: "In future." But God creates so many eatables from sand. Do you know?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The smaller birds, they are eating something from the sand?

Prabhupāda: No, even for man. The cantaloupe, watermelon, they are produced in sand in large quantity. Kharmuja.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Kharmuja.

Prabhupāda: Tarmuja, kharmuja, eisob sandei bhalo hoy. (these grow well in sand.)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Lemons also.

Prabhupāda: Not lemon. Watermelon. These are the products of the desert, as well as dates. Just like these date trees can grow in sand.

(pause)

Svarūpa Dāmodara: (sings quietly) Śrīla Prabhupāda, yesterday's Bhāgavata lecture, the example that the hundred dollar bill, one-hundred-dollar bill. So if somebody picks up and takes it, he's a thief, and if somebody who just does not care . . .

Prabhupāda: Does not take it.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, he's also not good. And the one who takes up and says: "Whose coin is this?" then he's good.

Prabhupāda: Yes, his service is better.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, but how about the one who picks up, and he doesn't find the owner of the coin, but he offers to Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: No, he must find out. Because there are so many men, some of them must have lost that. So, so far Kṛṣṇa's property is concerned, everyone knows, "This is Kṛṣṇa's property." There is no need of finding out. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Just like everyone knows, "This is American state." Where is the difficulty to find out? That was an example. But so far things are concerned, we know that, as we know that this land belongs to the American state, similarly this is false.

Actually, everything belongs to God. There is no difficulty to understand. You have not created this ocean. You have not created this land. You have created nothing. You are simply stealing. That is your business. So how you do not know that it belongs to God? Everyone should know. This is knowledge. If I create something, I must enjoy it. Rather, the Vedic injunction is that you do not enjoy anything which you cannot create. You do not enjoy anything which you cannot create.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So we cannot create anything, so . . .

Prabhupāda: Therefore you cannot enjoy anything. You have to accept everything as prasādam. First of all you take sanction from the proprietor, then you use it. That is your business. Just like if I want to use this land, I have to take permission from the government that, "I want this land. Give me permission." So when your government gives you permission, you can use. Otherwise you will be criminal.

You cannot say: "Oh, there are so much land, let me encircle it with my fence and I live there." No. Immediately criminal. You cannot do anything as you like with this ocean. Can you do? No you have to take permission from the government. Just like the fishing boats, they have got government permission. Otherwise they cannot.

Therefore in the Īśopaniṣad it is said, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthāḥ (ISO 1). Tena tyaktena: "When it is sanctioned, when it is given to you, then you enjoy." Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam: "Do not touch anyone's property." This is Vedic injunction. So if everything belongs to God, how you can touch it without His permission? But they are rascals. They do not know who is God, where is God, how to take permission.

They do not know. Therefore they become criminals, they are suffering. Encroaching upon God's property, and therefore they are suffering. All these things are stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Everything belongs to God, and because we are sons of God, we can use the father's property. But not more than what I require.

Just like in a family everything is father's property, and if you eat more—all the good things in the family—that is not allowed. You must take what the mother or the father gives you. That is your business. Similarly, everything is God's property. Everyone, even the birds, beasts, everyone has right to use the father's property. Just like the birds. They will use. Just like they are picking up the small fishes. Fishes. So as much they require, they are allowed, "Take it." But they are not making any stock for speculation. Man does that. As soon as there is some good harvest, ah, immediately they . . .

(break) . . . problem. If everyone only takes as much he requires, there is no problem in the world. But he wants to take more. Just like you American, you have covered so many thousands of miles. And you don't allow anyone: "No, you cannot enter. Here is gun." What is this nonsense? It is God's property. Why do you disallow others? Let them come.

So there is no question of overpopulation. There are so much land in Australia, in Africa, here in America, that ten times of the present population can be provided. God has provided. But these rascals will not allow. So there is overpopulation in India, in China and other places, and there is problem. They are trying to occupy more land, but you will not allow. Therefore war, there is war.

So we create problem. Otherwise God has supplied us enough. You can use it; as much as you like you can use what you have . . . they are creating trouble, and the scientists giving them, "Yes, I am giving you this chemical composition. You drop on the enemies' camp." This is scientific research, to impel the rascals. (laughter) The rascals, rogues, they are trying to usurp others' property, and the scientists helping them. That's all.

If you help one murderer, if you help one thief, then you also become criminal. Is it not? So they are helping one another, all these thieves and rogues. Therefore there is so much trouble in the world. They are all criminals. Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). One who does not recognize the proprietorship of the Lord, he is a thief. Find out, take statistics how many people recognizes God. Take statistic. Everyone will say: "Eh! What is God? Nonsense." Everyone will say. Therefore they are in trouble.

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura summarizes this fact: māyār bośe, jāccho bhese, khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi, jīv kṛṣṇa-dās, e biśwās, korle to ār duḥkho nā.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Ār duḥkha nā?

Prabhupāda: Ār duḥkha nā. As soon as you believe in God and accept yourself as eternal servant, there is no more problem. Everything is there. But they are being carried away by the illusory energy. Therefore they are under the control of time and nature. Māyār bośe, jāccho . . . just like these seaweeds are carried by the waves, "Get out"; similarly, one who is not accepted . . . there are other seaweeds, they are not thrown away, but these seaweeds, because little outside—thrown. There are millions and millions of fishes, they are not thrown away, because they are surrendered to the sea, under the protection of the sea. The sea is protecting them. Just see.

Similarly, you surrender, you will be protected. Kṛṣṇa says that. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ (BG 18.66): "Don't be worried. I will give you protection. You surrender unto Me." And the scientists say: "Oh, what is God? This is all nonsense, primitive ideas. Primitive." They have become advanced; therefore they should give up the idea of God. Now India is declared famine. What these leaders will do?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They are fighting each other. They're just simply fighting each other.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is asking you that "You realize Me." "No, I cannot see You." "No, why 'Cannot see You'? Here is water. You are drinking water." "Yes." "I am water. I am the taste of the water. Why don't you see Me?" Prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ (BG 7.8): "I am the sunshine." So who is not seeing the sunshine? Why the rascal says: "I do not see God"? God says, "I am here." But he says, "I do not see." Liars.

If you are in my front, if I say, "Here I am," if you say, "No, sir, I don't see you," what is this? Similarly, God is before you in the form of sunshine. Don't you see the sunshine? Why do you say that "I do not see God?" Who has not seen the sunshine? In the morning, very early in the morning, you see God. That is Gāyatrī mantra. Oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya. That is the obeisances to the sun. Savitṛ. Savitṛ means . . . savitā means sun.

In the very beginning you see God by the sunshine, and then think of the sunshine, how much potential it is, how everything is being produced by the sunshine. As soon as there is no sunshine, we become disturbed, so many business become disturbed. So why don't you understand that without God's presence, we cannot do anything? Where is the difficulty? Does it require any very big philosophical speculation? The rascal will not admit as directed in the Vedic literature. That is their fault. Otherwise, where is the difficulty? No difficulty. What is the explanation of these scientists of the sunshine?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They say the sunshine is just some . . . sun is a . . . there is a gaseous material, very hot temperature. So the rays are coming from the sun . . .

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but it can kill you. Is it not? So when did you accept with God? Sunshine, if it increases a little temperature, millions of you will be killed immediately. So why don't you accept sun as God? Therefore, according to Vedic principles, sun in the beginning is accepted as God.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: They take it as a material object.

Prabhupāda: Then accept you are under its control. God means controller. Īśvara. Īśvara means controller. God means controller. So He is controlling you. It is material, but it is not under your control. You are under its control. So if anything is controlling you, that is God. God means controller. If you cannot see Kṛṣṇa, you can see the sun.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: So sun is the product of Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes, energy. Yac cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala grahāṇām (Bs. 5.52). Sun is working under the order of . . . just like if you don't see the managing director or the proprietor of a firm, the immediate boss who is controlling you, you have to obey—in the office or in the factory. Similarly, you cannot see directly God, but God's agent is working. Why don't you obey? God's agent is working.

How it is working? Yasyājñayā bhramati saṁbhṛta-kāla-cakraḥ, exactly in time by the order of Kṛṣṇa, rising exactly in the time, without any deviation even by one ten-thousandth part of a second, astrological calculation. Is it not? So how it is working? Under whose order it is working? Śāstra says, "By the order of Kṛṣṇa." Yasya ājñayā. "Under whose order he is working," govindam ādi-puruṣam, "I worship that Govinda."

The śāstra is giving you information that he is working under . . . he must be working under . . . otherwise, why it is so accurate, so punctual, unless there is some direction? Unless there is order of God, why this big ocean is so obedient, it is not coming here? Why don't you study like this? Where is the difficulty? There must be some direction, that "You Pacific Ocean, you are so big, that's all right, but you cannot come here.

Remain up to this." Otherwise, why you are feeling so safety, although in the front of a big ocean? If the ocean likes, within a second he can finish it immediately. But she will not do, because there is order. Similarly sun. Sun is also moving under the order. You have to study like that. If you do not see God, see how God's order is being carried out. Then you will understand.

Just like we do not see President Nixon, but you know there is direction, and the government is going on under his direction. That we can know. This is seeing of God: to see how things are going on under His order. That is seeing of God. Just like from long distant place like this hills, you are seeing, but at the same time not seeing distinctly. You are seeing those things, but you do not see the detail. Similarly, you are seeing God by these things, but because you are not so powerful, you are not seeing Him detail. But you are seeing God. You cannot say that: "I don't see God." How can you say? These are the directions. You are seeing that things are going on under direction. Yasyājñayā.

Therefore you have to . . . śāstra yonitvāt (Brahma-sūtra Vs. 1.1.3). The Vedānta says: "You have to understand God through śāstra." By the scriptures you have to understand. Śāstra yonitvāt. Everything is there. The śāstra gives you direction. Therefore human being is meant to study the śāstras. The śāstras, Vedic literature, is meant for the human being, not for the cats and dogs. If you don't consult the śāstras, then you remain a cats and dogs. That's all. Why you are taking so much trouble, writing śāstra, explaining to you? So that you may come to the real platform from the platform of cats and dogs. That is our mission. That is the duty of the spiritual master, nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau (Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka 2).

The spiritual master is the most beneficent friend; he is giving you direction from the śāstra. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau: "He is the real welfare worker for the human society." Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. You see? Śāstra is giving direction.

So many lawyers are going to the school, colleges to learn the government laws. Why they are taking so much trouble? Just to give people the direction that, "You work under this direction, you will not be in difficulty." Similarly, the spiritual master is the lawyer. He knows things as they are. He gives direction to the disciple so that he'll be happy, he will not be in trouble. This is guru-śiṣya-saṁparka.

Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. By the mercy of guru everything is . . . Bhagavat-prasādaḥ, immediately, mercy of God. (referring to sprinkler starting) Oh, it is coming. No. Now, one should study the sprinkler. We'll give credit, "Oh, who has manufactured the sprinkler?" but there is no glorification for the original sprinkler, who takes all the water in the sky and sprinkles all over. (chuckles) There is no appreciation, rascal. You'll appreciate this only.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: The engineers, they'll say, "Oh, we have made this."

Prabhupāda: Yes, but another engineer, such a big engineer, he has no appreciation. Just see.

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

Prabhupāda: We simply ask that you appreciate the original engineer. That is our . . .

Devotees: Jaya! (end)