730827 - Lecture SB 01.01.04 - London

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

730827SB-LONDON - August 27, 1973 - 30:08 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse)

naimiṣe 'nimiṣa-kṣetre

ṛṣayaḥ śaunakādayaḥ

satraṁ svargāya lokāya

sahasra-samam āsata

(SB 1.1.4)

(male devotees chant)

Prabhupāda: Any ladies? (lady devotees chant) All right. Then, word meaning?

Pradyumna: "Naimiṣe—in the forest known as Naimiṣāraṇya . . ."

Prabhupāda: When you go to India you can see this Naimiṣāraṇya still. It is very nice place. Just like Vṛndāvana, Prayāga, Haridwar—there are hundreds of nice place for spiritual advancement. So this Naimiṣāraṇya is still there. The railway station is now called Nimsar. It is about hundred miles from Lucknow, and people go there. Very excellent position for spiritual advancement. There are many temples like Vṛndāvana and Prayāga and Naimiṣāraṇya. Naimiṣe. Animiṣa-kṣetre. Go on.

Pradyumna: "Animiṣa-kṣetre—the spot which is especially a favorite of Viṣṇu, who does not close His eyelids."

Prabhupāda: Our eyes, we have got closing, eyelid closes. But Viṣṇu's eyelids never closes. Therefore He is called animiṣa. Therefore gopīs condemned Brahmā that, "Why you have awarded us these nonsense eyelids? (laughter) Sometimes closes the eye; we cannot see Kṛṣṇa." This is gopīs desire, they want to see Kṛṣṇa always, without being disturbed by the eyelids. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The moment the eyes are being closed by the eyelids is intolerable by them. This is perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

They are condemning, "Oh, Brahmā did not know how to create. He has . . . why he has created this eyelid?" This is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Because conditioned, we are, in this material world, our eyelids are made like that. It must close for a moment, again, again, again. Not for moment; for hours. (laughs) We want to close our eyes for hours. (laughter) That is our disease. But in the spiritual world, there is no closing of the eyes. Animiṣa. Go on.

Pradyumna: Ṛṣayaḥ—the sages; śaunaka-ādayaḥ—headed by the sage Śaunaka; satram—sacrifice; svargāya—the Lord who is glorified in heaven; lokāya—and for the devotees who are always in touch with the Lord; sahasra—one thousand; samam—years; āsata—performed. Translation . . .

Prabhupāda: So samam āsata, they were performing the sacrifice for one thousand years. How they were able to do? Because in those days, in the Tretā-yuga . . . Tretā-yuga . . . in the Satya-yuga they used to live for one hundred thousands of years; in Tretā-yuga, ten thousands of years; and in the Dvāpara-yuga, one thousands of years. And now in this Kali-yuga, one hundred . . . one hundred years. That also not complete. Nobody can complete one hundred years, and it is reducing. Maybe our forefathers and grandfathers might have lived for hundred years, but we are not living so much.

And gradually our children, our grandchildren, they will gradually reduce that span of life so much so that at the end of Kali-yuga, if a man would live for twenty to thirty years, he'll be considered a grand old man. Yes. We are reducing. But formerly, they were living so many years. Alpāyuṣaḥ. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ. Prāyeṇa. Almost everyone is short span of life. Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ (SB 1.1.10). Kalau. In this age, kalau. It is not for a particular nation or party or religion. Everyone is subjected to the laws of nature.

So in this Kali-yuga the duration of life, the span of life, will be gradually reduced. Memory will be reduced. Strength will be reduced. Mercifulness will be reduced. In this way . . . now, it is a age of reduction, not increasing. So prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ kalau asmin yuge janāḥ. People in this age are of short span of life. And manda. Manda means all faulty, or slow. Manda, two meaning. Either you take slow . . . actually they are manda. Manda means faulty. So many faults. And slow means slow in spiritual realization. Slow. The human form of life is meant for spiritual realization. That is the distinction between human form of life and animal form of life. The animals are not interested, or they do not know what is spiritual life. But the human form of life with developed consciousness is meant for understanding our identification. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life is meant for inquiring about our spiritual identity. That is real business. So in that line of thought we are manda. Manda means very slow. "All right, we shall take it later on. Now I have got strength, let me enjoy senses. Then we shall see later on." That is called manda. Not serious.

But spiritual life is essential—it is very serious subject matter, that I am covered by this material body, and I am changing one after another. And I do not know what the next change is going to happen, either cat or dog or tree. We are not at all interested. You see? There is no such education in the university, the transmigration of the soul, the eternity of the soul, what is the aim of life. Therefore, mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. Sumanda-mati. Their philosophy is still more bad. You see? They are simply thinking on the bodily concept of life. Asses' philosophy, dogs' philosophy, frogs' philosophy. This is going on. And they are passing on as philosopher.

Frog philosophy we have discussed in our Back to Godhead. A frog is informed, "Oh, there is Atlantic Ocean. What is that?" "A very big span of water." So he is calculating how big. He is in the three feet. He thinks, "Maybe four feet." "No, very . . ." "Five?" "No, very big." "Six?" Go on—five, four, six, seven, millions. Where is your calculation? Similarly, these speculators, they are thinking, "God? I am God. He may be like me. He and me. All right." "No, you are not God." "All right. God may be little more than me. Little more intelligent." (laughter) This is frog philosophy. And when they hear, yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48), that the all the universes are coming out in the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, and that Mahā-Viṣṇu is partial representation of Kṛṣṇa, "These are all stories." Even they are informed about the capacity of God, they take it as story. This is the position. Therefore sumanda-matayaḥ.

Their philosophy, their opinion, they are all condemned. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyāḥ (SB 1.1.10). Mostly unfortunate. Mostly. They cannot get even the primary necessities of life—eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Even in your country, the British Empire, the Empress Queen, oh, so many people are lying on the street. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. Unfortunate. They can get all the facilities of life, but because unfortunate, they are lying on the street. In America, such a big nation, with everything complete, no scarcity, so many hippies. Manda-bhāgyāḥ. Unfortunate.

If one is unfortunate, you cannot make him correct. Condemned. You cannot check one's unfortunateness. If one's unfortunate position can be changed, that is only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other way. You cannot make any philanthropic work and change the fortune of any person. No. That is not possible. Tāvad tanu-bhṛtāṁ tvad-upekṣitānām. These are very nicely discussed. Bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ nṛsiṁha, pitarau nṛsiṁha (SB 7.9.19). It is not that because a child has got his father and mother he is happy, he should be happy. No. In spite of rich father and mother, he must be unhappy, just like these hippies. In spite of they have parents, they have grandparents, they are all very rich, but they are lying on the street. I have seen. Torn clothes, this. Why? Means condemned. Condemned by God. Tvad-upekṣitānām.

So simply by having rich father and mother does not mean that he'll be happy. No. If he is unfortunate, in spite of having rich father and mother, he'll be unhappy. Bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau nṛsiṁha nārtasya cāgadam udanvati majjato nauḥ. Ārtasya, one who is suffering from disease, it is not that because he is given the help of good physician and first-class medicine he'll be cured. No. There is no guarantee. There is no guarantee. We have seen. First-class medicine, first-class physician employed for curing one . . . but he dies.

So we have manufactured so many counteracting. The scientists, they are very much proud that, "We are now manufacturing counteracting medicine." But where is your counteracting medicine for stopping death and disease? Disease is happening. You cannot make . . . manufacture any medicine that one tablet I take, I shall never be diseased or I shall never die. That is not possible. You are manufacturing some medicine for some disease. All right, that disease is cured, but another disease is there. Huh? Just like in India there are malaria or some disease. In your country there is cancer, rich disease. You are rich men. Their disease is also very rich. (laughter) (laughs) India, poverty-stricken, they suffer only a little malaria, that's all, "Oh, you are rich. Oh, you have got cancer. There is no cure. That's all. Finished." This is actually to be studied.

So why this is happening? You are . . . you may manufacture, you may invent so many nice things, counteracting all this suffering, but if you are neglected by Kṛṣṇa, no counteraction will save you. Tāvad tanu-bhṛtāṁ tvad-upekṣitānām. If one is neglected by God, he cannot be saved. There is no . . . that is not possible.

So which point we were discussing?

Pradyumna: Translation: "Once in a holy place in the forest of Naimiṣāraṇya, great sages, headed by the sage Śaunaka, assembled to perform a great thousand-year sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Lord and His devotees."

Prabhupāda: Yes. The . . . anything sacrificed, yajña . . . yajña means Lord Viṣṇu. Yajñārthe karmaṇaḥ anyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). So whatever we do, it must be done for Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. You do whatever you like, but do it for Kṛṣṇa. Then there is perfection. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was a fighter, expert in killing. So he was considering, "Why shall I kill my own family members? Better stop." But Kṛṣṇa encouraged him, that "You must kill." So that is yajña. Kṛṣṇa . . . under the instructions of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was engaged in killing art, but that is yajña, because it is for Kṛṣṇa, not for himself. For himself he was denying to fight. But when he agreed to fight and kill on account of Kṛṣṇa, it is called yajña. This secret people do not know. They think that killing is very . . . killing is very bad, that's all right. Killing, why killing? Even if you give charity, if you become munificent, merciful, that is also not good unless you do it for Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi yad dadāsi yat kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Yat karoṣi. Everyone is engaged in some work. Yat karoṣi. Everyone . . . (indistinct) . . . they're engaged in performing sacrifices . . . juhoṣi. Everyone is liking to give in charity. He has got some money; he wants to make some charity. Dadāsi yat. Everyone is eating. Yad aśnāsi. (break) That is Kṛṣṇa. If you give me a plate, thinking that, "Guru Mahārāja will keep some prasādam," I eat everything. (laughter) That's all. No prasādam. You see? You are cheated. But Kṛṣṇa will not cheat. Kṛṣṇa will eat everything and you still keep everything. So where is your loss? Why don't you offer to Kṛṣṇa? Why in the temple? Everyone can do it at home. Everyone is eating. Why not offer to Kṛṣṇa? That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Is it very difficult?

But the difficulty is that Kṛṣṇa does not eat all nonsense, (laughs) and one has to eat all nonsense. So therefore they are not . . . they are afraid of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Yes. Because they'll be forbidden. Kṛṣṇa said, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa is limiting. He can eat everything. He can . . . just like in Vṛndāvana, He swallowed the fire. So for Kṛṣṇa to eat meat is not very difficult job. He can eat, because He is Kṛṣṇa, all-powerful. But He has prescribed that, "Give Me this foodstuff." Just like if you call me at your house, you'll ask me, "What can I offer you?" So similarly, we have called Kṛṣṇa, "Kṛṣṇa, please come and stay with us in this temple." So therefore we must give Him food what He wants. Not whimsically. And it is clearly stated, Kṛṣṇa says: "All right. Give Me patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam." Patram, vegetables; phalam, fruits; toyam, milk, water. In this way. Kṛṣṇa says: "You give Me this." So you give Him. And Kṛṣṇa says: "If it is offered with faith and love, I eat. I eat." So Kṛṣṇa is saying, lying, that He does not . . .? He eats. But we do not know how He is eating. That is a spiritual process.

That is answered in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti (Bs. 5.32). He has got . . . because He is omnipotent. Every part of His body has got all the potencies of other parts of the body. Therefore you offer with faith and love to Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, simply by seeing, He can eat. Because aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. We can see with our eyes. We cannot eat with our eyes, but Kṛṣṇa can eat with His eyes, and He can see with His tongue, He can hear with His hair. That is Kṛṣṇa. Omnipotency. We say all this "omnipotency." How He is omnipotent, when you discuss, then we fail. This is omnipotency. Every part of His body has got the potency of other part. That is Kṛṣṇa. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti (Bs. 5.32). Why? Ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya. Because His body is not this body, this material body. Ānanda-cinmaya. Therefore don't think that, "Here is Kṛṣṇa, stone." No. Because stone is also part of His body.

So this is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa. One has to learn. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti. So this is not stone worship. It is Kṛṣṇa, personally present. We should worship Kṛṣṇa, as He is personally present. Not with . . . if you think that it is stone, then it is aparādha, offense. Arcye śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matiḥ (Padma Purāṇa). To think of the Deity, worshipable Deity, as stone and wood, to think of the spiritual master as ordinary human being, these are not allowed. Then he is not making progress.

So in this way, this naimiṣa-yajña . . . svargāya lokāya. They performed yajña. That is our only business, to perform yajña. So in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, because everything is being done for Kṛṣṇa, it is simply yajña. Nothing else. It is not karma. When it is karma, you are bound up by the results of karma. But if you perform yajña, you are not bound up. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). Bhakti-bhājām, those who are engaged in devotional service, they have no more any karma. Karma means if you do something, then it will have reaction, either good or bad. But here, because everything is done for Kṛṣṇa, I haven't got to enjoy or suffer for the resultant action. Karmaṇy evādhikāras te mā phaleṣu . . . this is the philosophy.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. All glories to Prabhup . . . (cut) (end)