731025 - Lecture BG 13.26 - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

731025BG-BOMBAY - October 25, 1973 - 27:33 Minutes

Pradyumna: Translation: "Again there are those who, although not conversant in spiritual knowledge, begin to worship the Supreme Person upon hearing about Him from others. Because of their tendency to hear from authorities, they also transcend the path of birth and death." (BG 13.26)

Prabhupāda: So, again Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is stressing on the point how to avoid death. This is the whole scheme of Vedic knowledge, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). But people have no knowledge. They have become just like animal. Animal, you take them to the slaughterhouse, they cannot do anything.

They are becoming slaughtered. So people at the present moment, they are also being slaughtered by the laws of nature. But they do not know, as the animals do not know how to protect. They do not know. The animal thinks that, "What can be done? I must be slaughtered." So the present civilization also given to the laws of nature, being carried away by the waves of nature, and subjected to the repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. No scientist can stop it. But still, they are very much proud of advancement. They do not know the real problem and how to solve it, but still, they are very much proud. Actual problem is this.

So even they do not know, they can hear. Just we are opening centers all over the world—why? Just to give them the chance to hear. To hear. If people only come to these centers, these centers of spiritual knowledge, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, hear the Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any so-called scholastic interpretation, all rascal, as it is, then they also can derive the benefit, so much so that they can also stop their repetition of birth, death and old age. It is so nice thing.

Anye. Anye means general public, not very important men. Anye. Anye tu evam ajānantaḥ. They do not know—because they are like animals—what is kṣetra . . . Kṛṣṇa is discussing in this chapter what is kṣetra, what is kṣetra-jña, what is knowledge, what is knowable, what is prakṛti, what is puruṣa. Who is studying all these things? There is no institution, no school, college, university, to study these. They have medical college. Kṣetra means this body. Idaṁ śarīraṁ kṣetram ity abhidhīyate (BG 13.2). So they has little knowledge about this anatomical, physiological, condition of this body, but they do not know the kṣetra-jña. Kṣetra-jña they do not know.

They may know something. But Kṛṣṇa says, kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ yaj jñānaṁ tad mataṁ mama (BG 13.3). Unless you know the kṣetra and kṣetra-jña both, then your knowledge is imperfect. The medical man, very experienced medical man, attending a man on the deathbed, oxygen gas, injection, everything is supplied, but the man dies. And when he dies, the medical man says: "We cannot say what has happened. We have tried our best with the modern medical appliances, but we do not know what has happened." Therefore their knowledge is imperfect. They cannot say. They do not know that there is the soul, kṣetra-jña, who has now left this body; therefore it is nothing but a lump of matter.

Then puruṣa-prakṛti. Prakṛti is this material nature; puruṣa, the living entity. The inferior puruṣa and the superior puruṣa. Anumantā upadraṣṭā, the Supersoul, He is overlooking the activities of the jīva soul, and according to his karma, He is giving a different type of body, kṣetra. Again he is working. Again he is creating another situation. This vast knowledge is unknown to the modern educational department. But here it is in the Bhagavad-gītā. They can take advantage of it. But the fools and rascals will not take advantage. They will remain like animals in the ignorance, like cats and dogs. That is their business.

So anyway, how to enlighten these cats and dogs? That is described here by Kṛṣṇa. Anye. Anye tu evam ajānantaḥ. General people, cats and dogs . . . I am not speaking "cats and dogs"; the śāstra says. The śāstra says:

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

Go means cow, and kharaḥ means ass. Anyone who is in this bodily concept of life—"I am this," "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brahmiṇ," "I am śūdra," "I am fat," "I am thin," "I am white," "I am black," "I am male," "I am female," so many bodily concept of life—the śāstra says all of them are no better than the cows and the asses. Sa eva go-kharaḥ. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ. This body is a bag made of tri-dhātu: kapha, pitta, vāyu, or a bag of flesh and blood and bones. I am not this. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul." That is knowledge. But people have no such knowledge. Therefore they are called, according to śāstra, go-kharaḥ. Go means cow, animal, and kharaḥ means ass. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape.

So generally people, at least at the modern age, they do not know. They have no information, big, big professor. I have several times written . . . I mean to say, repeatedly spoken to you that one professor Kotovsky in Moscow, he says . . . he is a big man of Indology, and he said, "Swāmījī, after this body is annihilated, there is nothing. Everything is finished." This is their knowledge. Go-kharaḥ, all go-kharaḥ. We take immediately that here is another go-kharaḥ, cow or ass, although he is posing himself as a big professor of Indology. Go-kharaḥ. And the Bhagavad-gītā also says anye, "all common men," or one who does not know. Anye tu evam ajānantaḥ. They do not know what is this body, what is the occupier of the body, what is the puruṣa, what is the uttama-puruṣa, or the puruṣottama, or what is the field of activities, what is this prakṛti, nature, how it is working. They do not know anything. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13).

So for the go-kharas, these two-handed and . . . two hands, two legs, go-kharas, for them this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is being pushed on, so that the go-kharas may kindly come and hear Bhagavad-gītā and see how the Deity is being worshiped, how Kṛṣṇa is recognized as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By seeing only, by sitting only, by hearing only, they'll come. This is the chance. It is not idol worship, nonsensical. It is worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally. But one has to learn the art and the science about it. Therefore we are opening all over the world different centers so that these go-kharas can take advantage of this movement. Otherwise why in this old age . . .? What is the use of fighting with Mr. Nair and take this land? Because we are anxious to open centers; people, the go-khara people, may come and take advantage of it. That is our mission. We don't want that they remain go-kharas and lose the chance of this human body.

Our mission is very big, the best welfare work. Other welfare activities, they keep them as go-khara and promises all sorts of big, big promises. No, we do not say. Our mission is to enlighten him, that he is not this body, he is spirit soul. There is Supersoul; both the soul and the Supersoul living in this body. The Supersoul is observing and the living entity is working. According to his work, he is getting the result, a different type of body. In this way, repeatedly he is taking birth and repeatedly he is dying. So one has to stop this repetition of birth and death. That is the perfection of life. That is the perfection. But they do not know how to stop this repetition, neither they do know that death can be avoided.

In the śāstra says, gurur na sa syāt sva-jano na sa syāt pitā na sa syāt (SB 5.5.18). In this way, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. A guru should not become a guru, a father should not become a father, a mother should not become a mother, nobody should become relatives, kinsmen, if one cannot save his son, his disciple, his friend from the imminent danger of birth and death. The society should be like that. Everyone should be eager to save his friend, to save his son, to save his disciple from the imminent danger of birth and death. But they have no . . . (indistinct) . . . neither they do know how to stop it, neither they are interested. But that is the real problem, how to stop. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

So here Kṛṣṇa say, anye tu abajānantaḥ . . . ajānantaḥ śrutvā: simply by hearing. If you hear from a realized person—of course, interestedly, seriously—then you can get benefit, śrutvā. Śrutvā anyebhya upāsate. Just like it is very natural: just like these children, they do not understand, or the children's father, anyone, they do not understand. But if they come here and simply hear. The children, they are also chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, they are offering obeisances, they are offering a lamp, they are playing some instrument—all these things will never go in vain. It is being accounted. This is called ajñāta-sukṛti. By doing this, doing this, doing this repeatedly, one day becomes a great devotee. It doesn't require studying all the Vedic literatures. Simply if one is accustomed to this practice of devotional service and hears the vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra . . . simply by hearing. It is said, śrutvā anyebhya upāsate. These are upāsanā. You know or do not know, when you offer obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is immediately taken to your credit: "Oh, this living entity has now offered some respect." Immediately. It is so nice. And then by hearing, hearing . . .

Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when He was discussing with Rāmānanda Rāya about this process of advancing in the spiritual life, so Rāmānanda Rāya first proposed varṇāśrama-dharma.

varṇāśramācāravatā

puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān

viṣṇur ārādhyate pumsam

nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam

(CC Madhya 8.58)

The varṇāśrama system, Vedic system, that is the beginning of human life. Those who are not in the jurisdiction of varṇa and āśrama—four varṇas, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and four āśramas, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vāna—one who does not follow these principles, they are not considered as human being. They are animals, go-kharaḥ. So real human life begins, accepting these principles of varṇa-āśrama. So Rāmānanda Rāya proposed that actual human life . . . because human life is meant for realization of God. That is only necessity; not to increase a type of civilization how instead of eating simple thing, how you can eat beef. That is not advancement of civilization. That is animalism. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśu . . . (Hitopadeśa). What is that advancement? A flesh is eaten by tigers, dogs. So if you have learned how to eat flesh, does it mean that you advance in civilization? It is the business of tigers and dogs, the dog civilization.

So they are interested in advancing dog civilization, cat civilization, tiger civilization, not human civilization. Human civilization is:

varṇāśramācāravatā

puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān

viṣṇur ārādhyate pumsam

nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam

(CC Madhya 8.58)

Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). The human civilization is how to advance to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. Na te viduḥ. These rascals, they do not know. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. These rascals are interested to adjust things materially. That's all. Durāśayā. It is called durāśayā: which hope will never be fulfilled. Therefore it is called durāśayā.

The bahir-artha-māninaḥ, external energy. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Andhāḥ, blind leaders, they are leading other blind men. They do not know they are under the stringent laws of material nature. What their program will get fulfilled? Just like see, so many plans are being made, but the result is rice is selling at six rupees' kilo. This is the result. The poor man . . . they are making so many plans, increasing wallet, material comforts, but the poor man is still poor man. As I have several times told you, fifty years ago when I came to Bombay, I saw there are person care of footpath. Still there are under care of footpath.

So you cannot improve in that way. But you can improve the position of the living entities by giving them this knowledge, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness knowledge, "What I am, what is this material world, or this nature, why I am suffering." The Bhāgavata says, therefore, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). You have many, many lives, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). You have many species of life. But what you could not get in those lives, you can get it now.

Mānuṣam. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy arthadam. In this human form of life, you can make the solution of the problems of this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Therefore Kṛṣṇa says te 'pi. Te 'pi means those who are sincere and seriously hearing about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness message. Te 'pi. Simply by sitting down. You haven't got to study Sanskrit. To become . . . by becoming a Sanskrit scholar, that is good, but it is not necessary also. Simply you have to hear the message. Te 'pi ca atitaranti, transcend; ca, they also. Simply by hearing.

So as I told you, Rāmānanda Rāya, the discussion between Rāmānanda Rāya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya proposed different steps of spiritual advancement, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "Yes, this is good, but this is external. It is not very effective." Even sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), that also Caitanya Mahāprabhu said: "It is also not effective." It is not effective for these go-kharas. Otherwise it is effective. But in the beginning, they cannot. Otherwise, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is plainly said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam. Who is taking it? Nobody is taking it. Therefore it is not effective for the go-kharas. It is effective for one who is actually human being, but they are not human being. They are all rascals, go-kharas. Therefore it is not effective.

If you instruct a dog, "My dear dog, please surrender to Kṛṣṇa," will he do that? So similarly, human being who does not surrender, he is no better than the dog. What is the difference between dog and this human being, go-kharas? The cats, the dogs, they cannot do it. And if you human being, they cannot do also, then what is the difference? Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. Simply eating, sleeping, sex life and defending. These are common things of the cats and dogs and the human being. The human being is specially benefited when he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise he is cat and dog.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew that these cats and dogs, they are so degraded, they cannot understand what is the meaning of surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. They cannot understand. Therefore He said, eho bāhya, āge kaha āra (CC Madhya 8.59): "This is external. Please speak more, something effective." So when Rāmānanda Rāya said, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta . . . this is a statement given by Brahmā.

jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva

. . . san-mukharitāṁ vārtām.., .bhavadīya-vārtām

sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir

ye prāyaśo 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyām

(SB 10.14.3)

When he proposed this verse, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "Yes, this is nice. This is nice." What is that meaning? That jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. "Because you are no better than an animal, so what is the value of your speculative knowledge?" Jñāne prayāsam: "Don't endeavor in this speculative way." Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. "Give it up." Namanta eva: "Just become namra, humble, humble and meek." Lord Jesus Christ also said: "The kingdom of God is for the humble and meek."

So namanta eva san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām: "Just try to hear the message of God from realized soul." San-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vār . . . "Simply hear." Then sthāne sthitāḥ, "You remain in your position. It doesn't matter what you are. You remain in . . ." Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. "Kindly give aural reception to the words, authoritative words, of Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, like that." Then . . . God is called Ajita. Nobody can conquer. Kṛṣṇa his . . . another name is Ajita. "He becomes jita, conquered, simply by hearing from him." Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ. There are many such verses in Bhāgavata also.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ-stho abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

When you begin to hear about Kṛṣṇa, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ, so Kṛṣṇa is within your heart. He immediately becomes alert, "Oh, this man, this human being, is now hearing." Śṛṇvatāṁ sva . . . puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. So if you simply hear, even if you do not understand what it is being spoken . . . just like the children. They do not understand anything, but they are hearing. They are sitting. They are hearing. Or some woman, they do not understand; I am speaking in English. But because they are hearing, it is puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, they are acquiring piety . . . acquiring.This is called ajñāta-sukṛti, piety acquired without knowledge.

Ajñāta-sukṛti. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Śravaṇa-kīrtana. One is hearing and one is chanting. Both of them becoming pious. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ . . . and the more you become pious in this way, then all the dirty things within your heart will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Therefore Kṛṣṇa here says, te 'pi ca atitaranti eva mṛtyum. He can also conquer over mṛtyu. What to (speak of) conquer over mṛtyu; he can conquer over Ajita, who is never conquered by anyone. Ajita 'pi jito 'py asi.

So these things are there. We should take advantage of the śāstras, Vedic knowledge. It is India's property. Everything was cultivated in India, but because andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31), our rascal leaders, they are leading these andhas, they are not interested. They are not interested. They are now interested how to eat meat and drink wine. Very horrible condition of India. Those who are responsible persons, they should take note of it and try to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement as far as possible. That will be beneficial for all the people in general, and the preachers also. This is our movement.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)