760526 - Lecture SB 06.01.26 - Honolulu

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

760526SB-HONOLULU - May 26, 1976 - 26.59 Minutes

Prabhupāda: So, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Sixth Canto, First Chapter, text number twenty-six. (leads devotees in chanting)

bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan

bālakaṁ sneha-yantritaḥ

bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho

na vedāgatam antakam

(SB 6.1.26)

(01:31)

So this is the general way of life. Everyone is engaged in these material activities, and the basic principle of material activity is gṛhastha, family life. Family life, according to Vedic system, or anywhere, is responsible life to maintain the wife, children. Everyone is engaged. They think this is the only duty. "To maintain the family, that is my duty. As comfortably as possible. That is my duty." One does not think that this kind of duty is performed even by animals. They have got also children, and they feed. So what is the difference? Therefore here the word used, mūḍha. Mūḍha means ass. One who is engaged in such duties, bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan. Prapiban. Piban means drinking, and bhuñjānaḥ means eating. While eating, while drinking, khādan, while chewing. Carva cūṣya lehya peya. There are four kinds of eatables. Sometimes we chew, sometimes we lick up, carva cūṣya, lehya,sometimes we swallow, and sometimes we drink. So there are four kinds of foodstuff. Therefore we sing catuḥ vidhā śrī-bhagavat-prasādāt. Catuḥ vidhā means four kinds. So we offer to the Deity so many foodstuffs within these four categories: something is chewed, something is licked up, something is swallowed. In that way.

So bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan bālakaṁ sneha-yantritaḥ. The father-mother takes care of the children, how to give them foodstuffs. We have seen Mother Yaśodā is feeding Kṛṣṇa. Same thing. This is the difference. We are feeding ordinary child, which is done by cats and dogs also, but Mother Yaśodā is feeding Kṛṣṇa. The same process. The process there is no difference, but one is the Kṛṣṇa center and the other is whimsical center. That is the difference. When it is Kṛṣṇa-centered, then it is spiritual, and when it is whimsical-centered, then it is material. There is no difference between material . . . this is the difference. There is . . . just like lusty desires and love, pure love. What is the difference between lusty desires and pure love? Here we are mixing, man and woman, mixing with lusty desires, and Kṛṣṇa is also mixing with the gopīs. Superficially they look the same thing. Yet what is the difference?

So this difference has been explained by the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, that what is the difference between lusty desires and love? That has been explained. He has said, ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā-tāre bali 'kāma' (CC Adi 4.165): "When I want to satisfy my senses, that is kāma." But kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare 'prema' nāma: "And when we want to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa, then it is love, prema." That is the difference. Here in this material world there is no love, because the man and woman, they have no idea that "I mix with the man, the man who will satisfy his desires with me." No. "I will satisfy my desires." This is the basic principle. The man is thinking that "Mixing with this woman, I'll satisfy my sense desire," and woman is thinking that "By mixing with this man, I shall satisfy my desire." Therefore it is very prominent in the Western country, as soon as there is difficulty in personal sense gratification, immediately divorce. This is the psychological, why so many divorces in this country. The root cause is that "As soon as I don't find satisfaction, then I don't want." That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: dāmpatyam ratim eva hi (SB 12.2.3). In this age, husband and wife means sex satisfaction, personal. There is no question of that "We shall live together. We shall satisfy Kṛṣṇa by being trained up how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement: Don't do anything for your personal sense gratification. Do everything for Kṛṣṇa's sense gratification.

Just like the gopīs, they used to go to Kṛṣṇa. These gopīs, they were married, because in India twelve years, thirteen years girls are married, still. I've told many incidences. So from childhood they are friends, small children, but the girls are married early, so they go to their husband's place, thirteen, fourteen years. But because they had . . . they prayed, Kātyāyanī . . . when they're not married, they prayed to Kātyāyanī that "Kṛṣṇa is so beautiful. Please give me Kṛṣṇa as my husband." Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, so Kṛṣṇa fulfilled their desire, and that is vastra-haraṇa. Of course, these things are not to be publicly discussed, but still you are little interested in Kṛṣṇa. So all the gopīs, girls, before their marriage, they prayed to Kātyāyanī that "You give me Kṛṣṇa as my husband." So Kṛṣṇa . . . it was not possible socially, but Kṛṣṇa made such a plan that He accepted every one of them as His wife. That is vastra-haraṇa-līlā. Vastra-haraṇa-līlā, the girls were taking bath in the Yamunā, keeping their clothing, garments, on the shore. Still in India, especially in Punjab, the practice is that where the women take bath, strictly no man can go there, because they put their clothings on the shore and they dip into the water naked. So this was being done, and Kṛṣṇa took their clothings and got up on the tree. So they begged Kṛṣṇa, their friend, "Kṛṣṇa, this is very bad. Why You have taken away our . . ." "No, you beg the clothes with folded hands, then I shall give you." (laughter) So you have read this story; you do not require. But the idea is that "You wanted Me, all of you, as your husband. Now I'm fulfilling your desire. I'm seeing you naked." Because a woman can be naked only before the husband. No one else. This is chastity. A woman cannot be naked anywhere, just like in the club, naked dance. This is most abominable. Woman can be naked only before the husband. (break)

. . . brāhmaṇa. That will be explained. He was brāhmaṇa. He was well trained as a brāhmaṇa, but one day while he was coming home with the ingredients of worshiping the Deity, he saw one śūdra embracing another śūdra girl, embracing, kissing, because they have no shame. No brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya will do that. It is not the etiquette. But because a śūdra . . . now it is everywhere we can see, embracing, kissing, open to everyone. So young man, seeing this, how he can restrain, check his lusty desire? It is not possible. Kali-yuga is so fallen. If a young man sees another young man, he's enjoying with another young girl, then naturally his lusty desires increases. So these things are forbidden therefore. Still in some places it is forbidden that you cannot . . . India, this is strictly forbidden. There is no such thing in the public street a young man can embrace or kiss. No. That is not possible. Then it will be criminal. Neither a young boy can dare to speak with another young man (girl) on the street. Still it is criminal. She'll again immediately protest that it is incivility.

So the whole civilization is how to restrict this sex desire. Because . . . why restriction? Because the sex desire and sex life will keep him within this material world in different bodies, either as human being or as animal or as bird or as insect—so long there will be this sex desire. To become free, to become liberated means to become liberated from sex desire. That's all. This is the basic principle. Not that this tantra-yoga, how to increase sex desires. This is not civilization. Civilization is how to cut down sex desire and ultimately become free, paramahaṁsa. That is civilization according to Vedic culture. Therefore the training from the very beginning, brahmacārī. Brahmacārī is instructed in such a way that he'll remain brahmacārī throughout the whole life. A brahmacārī is open to accept either a gṛhastha āśrama or vānaprastha āśrama or sannyāsa āśrama. But the guru advises, "Better remain all through brahmacārī. No botheration." So he's trained properly, but still if he has desire, then he's allowed to become a gṛhastha. That is also for a limited time. The whole plan is how to stop, because as soon as here, that Ajāmila, he was not properly married, he became the husband of a prostitute. But there are ten children, but he's entangled with the family, with children, and now he's engaged bhuñjānaḥ prapiban khādan bālakaṁ sneha-yantritaḥ, one after another. First of all sex desire, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam (SB 5.5.8).

This world, what is this world, material world? The material means sex desire. That's all. The woman is hunting after man, and the man is hunting after woman. Either in human society or bird society or beast society or dog society or cat society, the principle is sex. And the human society means to understand it, that what is the basic principle of material life. If we understand it is sex, therefore we have to cut down the sex desire gradually by becoming brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is the process. Otherwise, if I do not know what is the cause of my material bondage, then how we can take remedy? This is the cause, puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etam. The desire is there. As soon as one is grown up, reaching youthful time, the sex desire is very strong, very strong. So they unite. A man, a boy finds out a girl; a girl finds out a boy. They unite, and there is sex, and as soon as there is sex then there is bondage. Immediately. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etaṁ tayor mitha. As soon as they unite, then the relation becomes very tight, very strong. Then, as soon as one is married, or unmarried—generally speaking married—then he wants apartment. Ato gṛha. Gṛha means apartment. So long he remains brahmacārī there is no need of apartment. He can dine right out on the street. (laughter) But as soon as they're joined together, immediately apartment, gṛha. Then how to maintain the apartment? Then he must have land. Because formerly there was no industry; everyone must produce his own food by tilling the field. So to produce food he must have some land. So land was available, is still available. One can produce. But they have left that process of livelihood. They are taking to industry.

So ato gṛha. First of all apartment, then kṣetra. Kṣetra means agricultural land. Then some capital. Ato gṛha-kṣetra. Then as soon as they're married they, at least woman, wants some child, children. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta-āpta. If he has got very nice apartment and good condition of living, then he'll invite some friends, "Please come and see I am happily living." (laughter) And one after one—bondage. One after another. Because if you're opulent, you have to show your friends. Otherwise what is your opulence? If your friends do not come and say, "Oh, you're so wonderful. (laughter) Yes. You have got such a nice wife, nice apartment. Wonderful." Because in the Kali-yuga this is wonderful. Everything is mentioned in śāstra. Dakṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇam (SB 12.2.6). If one can maintain one wife and some children, ah, he's most expert. (laughs) Forget Kṛṣṇa. Here is expert. (laughter) Dakṣa. Dakṣa means expert: "Oh, he's expert. How he's maintaining." When I first came, I met one elderly lady. She had a son. So, as Indian I asked, "Oh, why don't you get your son married?" She replied, "Oh, I have no objection. If he can maintain a wife I have no objection." That means to maintain a wife is a very big job in your country. I've seen it. (laughter) Of course, when we talk, we must talk freely, what is the fact. (laughter) But formerly, in our father's age, they used to come to foreign countries and they thought it, it is a great laugh to possess one white wife. Yes, they are thinking like that. So all the students who used to come to England for higher studies, naturally he would carry one white elephant. (laughter) They used to say—it is not my coined words—they used to say, "Oh, to maintain European wife, it is maintaining white elephant." So anyway, you have got so many white elephants. (laughter)

So this is the way, ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta-āpta, friends. Arjuna was lamenting, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are asking me to fight with my relatives. Then suppose I become victorious and they're killed. Then whom I shall show the kingdom?" That was his objection. (laughter) "If everyone is killed on the other side, my friends and relatives, and suppose I become victorious, then whom I shall show my prosperity?" So āpta, suta, ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta-āpta and vitta, and money. So this, one after another. First wife, then apartment, then field for agriculture, then friends, then children, then money, bank balance. In this way he does not know he's becoming entangled more and more. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-suta-āpta-vittaiḥ, janasya moho 'yam (SB 5.5.8). He's thinking that "Now everything is settled up; I am very happy." (laughter) And next day death comes and kicks him out: "Get out!" That he does not understand. That he does not understand, that "Any moment death can come and kick me out of all this arrangement." That is ignorance. That is foolishness.

So here, bhojayan pāyayan mūḍho na veda āgatam antakam (SB 6.1.26). He was eighty-eight years old, so he was busy in maintaining the family, children, everything. But he never thought that "Death will come all of a sudden without waiting for my settle arrangement." That is the eighth wonder. This question was asked by Dharmarāja to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja: "What are the wonders, the most, I mean, wonderful wonders? What is that?" So he said, "This is the most wonderful thing." "What is that?" Ahany ahani gacchanti lokāni yama-mandiram (Mahābhārata). Every moment we see that someone is going to the court of Yamaraja—that means death. That is our experience, everything. Ahany ahani lokāni gacchanti yama-mandiraṁ śeṣāḥ sthitam icchanti. Śeṣāḥ, who is not yet dead, still alive, he thinks, "I will never die. My dear friend is dying. That's all right. But I'll . . . your father is dead. No, still I will be . . ." Śeṣāḥ sthitam icchanti kim āścaryam ataḥ param. This is the most wonderful thing that we have experienced, that "My father is dead, my father's father is dead, so I shall also be, die, my sons will die." Well, who will stay? Where is the struggle for existence, survival of the fittest? He never thinks of it. This is the eighth wonder.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! (end)