731224 - Lecture SB 01.15.46 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

731224SB-LOS ANGELES - December 24, 1973 - 46:56 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Now, recite.

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct) . . . hmm.

Pradyumna: Do you want me to read the text?

Prabhupāda: No, that's all right. That will be reference.

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of verse)

te sādhu-kṛta-sarvārthā

jñātvātyantikam ātmanaḥ

manasā dhārayām āsur

vaikuṇṭha-caraṇāmbujam

(SB 1.15.46)

te—all of them; sādhu-kṛta—having performed everything worthy of a saint; sarva-arthāḥ—that which includes everything worthy; jñātvā—knowing it well; ātyantikam—the ultimate; ātmanaḥ—of the living being; manasā—within the mind; dhārayām āsuḥ—sustained; vaikuṇṭha—the Lord of the spiritual sky; caraṇa-ambujam—lotus feet.

Translation: "They all had performed all the principles of religion, and as a result rightly decided that the lotus feet of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa are the supreme goal of all. Therefore they meditated upon His feet without interruption."

Prabhupāda: Hm. Te sādhu-kṛta-sarvārthā. Artha means interest. Everyone has some interest. The animal has got also interest. The man has got also interest. The big politician, he has also interest. Everyone has got interest. But nobody knows what is real interest. That is missing. Everyone has created his interest, and he is working in that way. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). Real interest is, for the human being, to know what is God, what is my relationship with Him, and how I shall achieve the highest perfection of life. That is real interest.

Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum. Svārtha. Svārtha or artha. Svārtha means own interest, and artha means general interest. The general interest is, for the human being, dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, CC Ādi 1.90). Because human life is not dog's life, cat's life, so there must be dharma, religion. And religion means no God (dog?). That is first interest. This is first interest. Otherwise how shall I distinguish my life with cats' and dogs' life? They are also eating, sleeping, mating and dying. And if I also, like the cats and dogs, eat, sleep and have sex life and die, then where is the difference? The difference is religion. The dog society, cat society, there cannot be any religion, but in the human society, there is necessity of religion. Otherwise it is cats' and dogs' . . . (indistinct) . . . society. So they do not understand it. They are avoiding religion. Nowadays the so-called advanced civilization, they are avoiding religion. That means they are coming to the platform of cats and dogs. And actually, they have come. Especially in this age, Kali-yuga . . .

Yesterday we were discussing about the Kali-yuga: the most fallen age. People are most degraded. So there is, by calculation, that seventy-five percent irreligion and twenty-five percent religion in comparison to other ages. But this twenty-five percent religious life also will reduce. Before explaining this verse, I shall give you reference to some of the symptoms of this age. This is also explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter.

(aside) Where is that? Give me that book. We have not yet published, so I am reading reference.

Anyonyato rājabhiś ca kṣayaṁ yāsyanti pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.1.41). It is described in the Second Chapter, Twelfth Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So:

tataś cānu-dinaṁ dharmaḥ

satyaṁ śaucaṁ kṣamā dayā

kālena balinā rājan

naṅkṣyaty āyur balaṁ smṛtiḥ

(SB 12.2.1)

This description of the Kali-yuga is given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is called śāstra. This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was written five thousand years ago, when the Kali-yuga was to begin. Now, what will happen in future, everything is given there. Śāstra means . . . that is . . . therefore we accept śāstra. Tri-kāla-jña. The śāstrakāra, or the compiler of the śāstra, must be liberated person, so that he can describe past, present and future. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will find so many things which was told to be happening in future. Just like in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is mention of Lord Buddha's appearance. Similarly, there is mention of Lord Kalki's appearance. There is mention of Lord Caitanya's appearance, although it was written five thousand years ago. Tri-kāla-jña. Know; they know what is past, present and future.

So about the Kali-yuga, discussing, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing the chief symptoms of this age. The first symptom he says, tataś ca anu-dinam. With the progress of this age, Kali-yuga, dharma, religious principle; satyam, truthfulness; śaucam, cleanliness; kṣamā, forgiveness; dayā, mercifulness; āyuḥ, duration of life; balam, bodily strength; smṛtiḥ, memory . . . just count how many. dharmaḥ, satyam, śaucam, kṣamā, dayā, āyuḥ, balam, smṛti—eight. These things will gradually reduce to nil, almost nil.

Now as I told you, the Kali-yuga . . . in other yugas . . . just like Satya-yuga, the duration of Satya-yuga was eighteen hundred thousands of years. And the human being was living in that age for one hundred thousands of years. One hundred thousands of years. The next age, the duration of that age, twelve hundred thousands of years, and the people used to live for one thousand years, not over . . . ten thousand years. Ten times reduced. The next age, Dvāpara-yuga, again ten times reduced. Still, they used to live for one thousand years, and the duration of the age was eight hundred thousands of years. Now the next age, this Kali-yuga, the limit is one hundred years. We can live utmost up to one hundred years. We are not living one hundred years, but still, the limit is one hundred years. So just see. Now, from one hundred years . . . now at India the average age is about thirty-five years. In your country they say seventy years? So it is reducing. And it will so reduce that if a man lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered grand old man in this age, Kali-yuga. So āyuḥ, duration of life, will reduce.

Memory, smṛti, that will also reduce. We see nowadays, people are not very . . . of sharp memory. They forget. Daily work they forget. Doing something daily, still, he is forgetting. The loss of memory. Similarly, āyuḥ, bodily strength. Everyone can understand. Your forefathers, your father or grandfather, as they were bodily strong, you are not so, I am not so. So bodily strength will reduce. Memory will reduce. Duration of life will reduce. Then dharma . . . there is no question. It is almost reduced. Nobody is interested in religion. The churches, temples are being closed, locked up. This was a church. Where we are sitting, this was a church, and it was sold, because nobody was coming. Similarly, we are purchasing in Australia a very big church. They are selling. In London I have seen many hundred of churches, nobody is going there. Not only churches. In India also, except a few important temples, ordinary, small temples, they are being closed. They have become habitation of the dogs.

So dharma, religiosity, is reducing. And truthfulness. And kṣamā, forgiveness, that is also reduced. We are very sorry that one thing has happened; he was excused, but again he was shot dead. Just see. No forgiveness. Vengeance. Formerly, if somebody has done something wrong, the other party . . . just like Arjuna, you see. Even in the battlefield, he was so much tortured by the other party, still, he was, "Kṛṣṇa let them go. I don't want to kill them." Forgiveness. So even for a small interest, they will kill. This is going on. So satyam, śaucam, kṣamā, dayā, mercifulness. Even if you see in your front somebody is being killed, you will not take interest. No mercifulness. It is happening already.

So satyam, śaucam, kṣamā, dayā, āyuḥ, duration of life, bodily strength and memory. These eight kinds of things will reduce, reduce, reduce, reduce.When you will see these symptoms, you will find, "Now the age of Kali is making his progress very nicely." This is progress. Then another symptom is vittam eva kalau nṟṇāṁ janmācāra-guṇodayaḥ (SB 12.2.2). Formerly, according to spiritual understanding, one man's position was calculated. Just like brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa was honored because he knew Brahman. He was aware of the supreme spirit. So now in Kali-yuga, actually there is no brāhmaṇa. That will be also described, how a brāhmaṇa is. So janma ācāra, birthright. Birthright was there, but according to the behavior. If a man is born in a brahmin family or kṣatriya family or vai . . . he must behave like that. That was the king's duty, to see that, "This man is not falsely representing himself." Just like in England there is lord family. So to maintain their aristocracy, the family had to deposit some money with the government so that they may not deteriorate in their aristocratic behavior. Still, it is going on. But now things are finished.

So aristocracy and respectability, these things were according to culture, according to education. But nowadays, what is that? Vittam eva kalau nṟṇām. If you get money somehow or other, then everything is there. That's all. You may be a third-class, fourth-class, tenth-class man, but if you get money some way or other, then you are very respectable. There is no question of your culture or aristocracy or education or knowledge. There is no . . . nothing. This is Kali-yuga. And then, dharma-nyāya-vyavasthāyāṁ kāraṇaṁ balam eva hi (SB 12.2.2). And if you have got some influence, strength, then in your favor everything will be decided. You are the most irreligious person, but if you can bribe the priestly order, he will certify, "Yes, you are religious." So money, not actual qualification.

So if you discuss these things . . . long affairs, shortly. Then again it says, dāmpatye abhirucir hetur māyaiva vyāvahārike (SB 12.2.3). Dāmpatye. Dāmpatye, husband and wife relation, will depend on abhiruciḥ. Abhiruciḥ means liking. A girl likes boy, and a boy likes, "That's alright. Now let the marriage take place." They do not see what will be future of this girl and the boy. Never. Therefore everyone is unhappy. Six months after marriage, divorce. Because the marriage took place simply on superficial liking, no deep understanding. So things are taking place like that.

Formerly marriage, at least in India, at least up to our time, the marriage was taking place not on the liking of the boy and the girl. No. It was decided by the parents. So . . . just like I was also married man. I was married when I was a student, and I did not know what will be the . . . but the parents arranged. What to speak of me—I will give you another very brilliant example, that you have perhaps heard the name of Dr. Rajendra Prasad. He was the first president of Indian . . . he has written his biography. He was married at the age of eight years. Formerly, in India the marriage was taking place like that. I know. My father-in-law was married when he was eleven years, and my mother-in-law was seven years. You see? So actually, the point is that the marriage was taking by the calculation of past, present and future, with astronomy, astrological calculation, "Whether this couple will be happy in their life?" In this way marriage was taking place. Not that a grown-up girl, grown-up boy mixes together, and he likes, she likes; then again he leaves or she . . . this kind of marriage was not sanctioned.

But in this Kali-yuga it is said that dāmpatye abhiruciḥ. That's all. Abhiruciḥ. Boys and girls are intermingling freely, and if she likes, that's all right. But no future calculation. This is Kali-yuga. No future calculation, whether in future marriage is sanctified life, the man and the woman live peacefully, make spiritual culture, each one will help the other so that they will live very happily and become advancement in spiritual life and then go back to . . . that is the system. But nowadays, in Kali-yuga, it will be simply liking. Liking means next moment disliking. That is a fact. You see? Liking has no value. As soon as you based on liking, then you expect next moment disliking. That's all.

And strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir vipratve sūtram eva hi (SB 12.2.3). You know, the brahmin, they are offered sacred thread. So people will consider, "Now I have got sacred thread, I have become brahmin. I may act like the caṇḍāla, it doesn't matter." That is going on. We introduced this brahminical culture, but things are deteriorated. I am very sorry, that taking brahminical initiation, he is acting as a caṇḍāla, angry caṇḍāla. You see? So this is Kali-yuga. He does not understand that as brahmin he has got so responsibility. But because he has got the two-cent-worth sacred thread, he thinks now he has become brahmin. Vipratve. And strītve puṁstve ca hi ratir eva hi, and husband and wife, they will remain together because it was liking. And as soon as there will be sex difficulty, there will be disliking immediately.

Liṅgam eva āśrama-khyātau (SB 12.2.4). Liṅgam eva. A dress simply. Taking white dress, a gṛhastha, he may do like anything, he is gṛhastha. No. There are so many duties. Taking a saffron cloth, he is sannyāsī. These are the . . . if we explain, it will take more . . . but these are the symptoms. Avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyaṁ pāṇḍitye cāpalaṁ vacaḥ. If you have no money, then you will never get justice in the court. This is Kali-yuga. Nowadays the high-court judges, they are also taking bribe to give you a favorable judgment. You can purchase judgment. So if you have no money, then don't go to court. To push good money after bad money. No. No.

Avṛttyā nyāya-daurbalyaṁ pāṇḍitye cāpalaṁ vacaḥ. If a man can talk expertly, it doesn't matter what he talks. Nobody requires to understand him. Then he is paṇḍita. He is learned scholar. (speaks gibberish) "Haperkulasvena bhagavad dagvendikali gundulas, by the lacticism of wife . . ." like, if you go on speaking, nobody will understand. (laughter) Nobody will understand, and people, "Oh, see how learned he is." (laughter) Actually it is happening. There are so many rascals, they are writing book, and "Oh, such and such, oh . . ." "What you have understood?" "Oh, it is inexplicable. Inexplicable." (laughter) This is going on.

anāḍhyataivāsādhutve

sādhutve dambha eva tu

svīkāra eva codvāhe

snānam eva prasādhanam

(SB 12.2.5)

Anāḍhyatā. If you are poor man, then you are dishonest. People will understand that, "This man is actually not honest, because he does not know how to earn money by hook or crook." Svīkāra eva codvāhe, "And marriage will take place by agreement." And that is very much experienced in your country. In our country also. Now government has appointed marriage magistrate. So any boy and girl likes, simply go to him. Maybe there is some fee: "Yes, we agree to marry," and certifies, "They are married." No. Not like that. Formerly, as the father and mother used to select and see the future. Svīkāra eva codvāhe. Svīkāra. Svīkāra means agreement.

Snānam eva prasādhanam. Snānam eva prasādhanam. Cosmetic. Simply if one can take little shower bath, then everything is finished. Actually, snāna means sandhyā. You have to take bath nicely, then you have to put tilaka and candana, then perform your gāyatrī-mantra. This is called snāna. Tri-sandhyā-snāna. Now they are simply taking somehow or other bath, and finished, "No more." But Kali-yuga, this will be snānam eva. And then dūre vāry-ayanaṁ tīrthaṁ lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. Just see how future tell. At the present moment, Kali-yuga, a man will think himself, he has become very beautiful by keeping long hairs. You have got very good experience in your country, long hairs. Just see how future. Who knew that there are people would be interested for keeping long hairs? But that is stated in the Bhāgavata. Just see. Keśa-dhāraṇam. Keśa means hair, and dhāraṇam means keeping.

Dūre vāry-ayanaṁ tīrtham. And pilgrimage, it must be far away. Just like in Calcutta there is Ganges. So nobody cares for Calcutta Ganges. But they'll go to Haridwar. The same Ganges. The Ganges is coming from Haridwar down to the Bay of Bengal, but people will like to go to Haridwar, taking so much hardship to take bath there, because that becomes tīrtha. Every religion, they have got tīrtha. The Muslims, they have got mosque. What is that? Mecca, Medina. The Christian, they have got, where? Jerusalem. Similarly, the Hindus. Then they must travel very long. That will be tīrtha. But actually tīrtha means tīrthī-kurvanti tīrthāni. Where there is saintly person, that is tīrtha. Not to go ten thousand miles and simply take a dip in the water and come back. Then:

. . . udaraṁ-bharatā svārthaḥ

satyatve dhārṣṭyam eva hi

dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇaṁ

yaśo 'rthe dharma-sevanam

(SB 12.2.6)

Udaraṁ-bharatā, the interest. I was speaking of interest. Now, in Kali-yuga, the interest will be if you can eat some day very sumptuously, then your all interest is fulfilled. That's all. Mane, (Means,) people will be so hungry, so nothing to eat; therefore if they can eat some day very sumptuously, that will be fulfillment of all interest. And satyatve dhārṣṭyam eva hi. And one who will simply play jugglery of words, he will be considered as very truthful. Another, dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇam: one shall be considered very expert if he can maintain his family, wife and children. That means this will be difficult. It has already become difficult. To maintain a wife and a few children, that is also a great burden at the same . . . (indistinct) . . . therefore nobody wants to marry.

Evaṁ prajābhir duṣṭābhir ākīrṇe kṣiti-maṇḍale (SB 12.2.7). In this way, when all the people will be infected by the poison of Kali-yuga, brahma-viṭ-kṣatra-śūdrāṇāṁ yo balī bhavitā nṛpaḥ. So it doesn't matter whether he is a brāhmaṇa or a kṣatriya or vaiśya or śūdra or caṇḍāla. One who is powerful in getting votes, he will occupy the presidential post or the royal post. Just see. Formerly the system was that not the brāhmaṇa, er, vaiśya or śūdra can occupy the royal throne. Only the kṣatriyas. Now, in the Kali-yuga, there is no such thing, who is kṣatriya, who is a brāhmaṇa, who is a . . . anyone, hook and crook you get your votes, democracy, and occupy . . . and whatever you may be—you may be rascal number one—but you will be posted on the supreme exalted presidential post. Then:

prajā hi lubdhai rājanyair

nirghṛṇair dasyu-dharmabhiḥ

ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā

yāsyanti giri-kānanam

(SB 12.2.8)

Now, these classes of men who goes to the government post by votes, mostly they are . . . their qualification is lubdhai rājanya, greedy government men. Nirghṛṇair dasyu-dhar . . . their business is plundering. Their business is plundering you. We actually see that they are, every year they are exacting heavy tax, and whatever money is received, they divide amongst themselves, and the citizens' condition remains the same. In every government we can see like that. Prajā dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. In this way, gradually, all people will be so much harassed, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā, that they will like to give up their family life. Ācchinna. Dāra. Dāra means wife, and draviṇā means money. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam. They will go in the forest. Then these symptoms are also there.

So in this way there are so many symptoms. It will take long time to describe. This is Kali-yuga. But there is remedy. There is remedy. Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan. The faults of this age, just like ocean. Just like in the ocean you cannot . . . Pacific Ocean . . . if you are put into the Pacific Ocean, you do not know how your life will be saved. It is very difficult. Even if you are very expert swimmer, so it is not possible that you can cross the Pacific Ocean. That is not possible. Similarly, the Kali-yuga, as it is stated in the Bhāgavata, that infected with so many anomalies that there is no way out. But there is one medicine only: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). That is also described that, "If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra," kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya, "especially the name kṛṣṇasya, mukta-saṅgaḥ, you will be relieved from the infection of this Kali-yuga."

(break) The five Pāṇḍavas, te sādhu, they have been described as sādhu, very honest, saintly, sādhu. Kṛta-sarvārthāḥ. They have executed all their duties. The human being has got duty. There are so many duties. Devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇāṁ pitṟṇām (SB 11.5.41). Devarṣi. We have got duties. We are ṛṇī. Ṛṇī means indebted. Whom we are indebted? As soon as you take your birth on this planet, you are indebted to so many persons. What are they? Now, first, deva. Deva means the demigods or God. Actually God. God has got many assistant demigods. So you are indebted. Just like you are getting the sunshine. Just like we are getting this electricity. Now, the bill will be presented. If you don't pay, the next day your electricity will be cut off. So the . . . by nature's or God's arrangement, there is sunshine. Therefore you have to perform yajña. If you don't perform yajña, then there will be no sunshine. Therefore in the Western countries there is very difficulty to get sunshine. This is the natural sequence.

So we are indebted to the sun-god. We are indebted to the Indra, who is supplying water. Just like you have got electricity department, water department, this department, so many departments, similarly, so big kingdom of God is going on, there are also different departments. But rascals, they do not know, "Why I am getting?" Just like a child does not know how this electricity is coming. He thinks it is coming automatically. Why automatically? Is it coming automatically? You have to pay for it. There is powerhouse, there is connection, so many things. But he does not know. Similarly, all the rascals, they will say: "Oh, sunshine is by nature, automatically. Moonshine, automatically. This is automatically." What do you mean by "automatically"? What thing happens automatically unless there is arrangement? And because there is so nice, good arrangement, it is to be understood there is good government. And as soon as you accept this, you must have to accept necessity of God, without which, arrangement cannot be done.

So we are debted to God. So just like, if you don't pay taxes to the government, the government does not become poor, but your supply will be stopped. You will suffer. Similarly, if you don't accept there is supreme government, the supreme governor . . . the governor is quite sufficient. God is completely munificent, or rich. He will not suffer, but you will suffer. Therefore it is said, te sādhu kṛta-sarvārthāḥ. Just like if you remain cleansed, paying all your taxes, then you are very honest citizens. Similarly, if you become obedient to God and His government, then you are sādhu. Otherwise you are dishonest. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. One who is very much obedient to the laws of God, he is sādhu. Not that changing dress one become sādhu.

So te sādhu kṛta-sarvārthāḥ. They have executed all duties. Kṛta-sarvārthāḥ. Jñātvā ātyantikam ātmanaḥ. We are hankering after happiness, temporary, but we do not know what is ultimate happiness. So they knew what is the ultimate happiness. Ātyantikam. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21), Bhagavad-gītā. Ātyantikam. The ultimate happiness is not perceived by these gross material senses. The ultimate happiness is appreciated, understood, by transcendental senses. The same senses . . . means now the senses are covered by material infection. So when you purify this material infection, then your senses become pure. And in that pure senses, you can enjoy . . . (indistinct) . . . real happiness. Therefore here it is said, ātyantikam ātmanaḥ manasā dhārayām āsuḥ.

So they knew what is the ātyantikaṁ dhār . . . vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha-caraṇāmbujam. Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means vigata-kuṇṭha. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. And God's another name is Vaikuṇṭha. If you take shelter of the lotus feet of God, Kṛṣṇa, then you become without anxieties. This is the only. Everyone is full of anxiety. Even a bird, even a beast, even a small ant, what to speak of our position. The material world is such, that we must be full of anxieties. That is explained also, asad-grahāt. Because we have accepted something flickering as shelter. If you accept something which is not permanent, which is tiltering . . . in a boat suppose, which is tiltering, at any moment you will be drowned. So you cannot be free from anxiety. But if you accept a strong, very big ship, you are assured that, "I will not be drowned." Similarly, we are accepting this shelter, that shelter, that shelter, that shelter—avoiding the shelter of God. Therefore we are full of anxiety. If you want to become free from anxiety, then here is the prescription, vaikuṇṭha-caraṇāmbujam: take shelters of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jay . . . (cut) (end)