730507 - Lecture SB 01.08.45 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1973

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

730507SB-LOS ANGELES - May 07, 1973 - 33:55 Minutes

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat)

tāṁ bāḍham ity upāmantrya

praviśya gajasāhvayam

striyaś ca sva-puraṁ yāsyan

premṇā rājñā nivāritaḥ

(SB 1.8.45)

(break)

tām—all those; bāḍham—accepted; iti—thus; upāmantrya—subsequently informed; praviśya—entering; gajasāhvayam—the palace of the name; striyaḥ ca—other ladies; sva-puram—own residence; yāsyan—while starting for; premṇā—in love; rājñā—by the King; nivāritaḥ—stopped.

Translation: "Thus accepting the prayers of Śrīmatī Kuntīdevī, the Lord subsequently informed other ladies of His departure by entering the palace of Hastināpura. But upon preparing to leave, He was stopped by King Yudhiṣṭhira, who implored Him lovingly."

Prabhupāda: So the capital of the world empire is called Hastināpura or Gajasāhvaya. Gaja and hasti means elephant. Maybe there were many elephants, because formerly, the kings, they used to keep many, many horses, elephants. Still, in New Delhi they have taken . . . they have kept some token elephants in the rājyapal bhavan, or the President's house. So formerly there was one king, and the capital was Hastināpura. The king of Hastināpura was ruling all over the world. There was one flag. These are mentioned in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There were not many states, and the world was under one culture, Vedic culture.

The people, the advanced people, they were Āryans, ārya. Āryans means advanced. So the Indo-European stock, they are also Āryans. They came from Central India, er, Central Asia, and some of them went to Indian side. That is the history. The Caspian, Caspian Sea, that was the place of Kaśyapa Muni. Kaśyapa. From kaśyapa the "Caspian" has come. Just like formerly the capital of Afghanistan was known as Gandhar. Now it has become Kandahar.

So by historical references, it will be ascertained that the whole . . . this planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. What is now India is now known Bhārata-varṣa, but formerly the whole planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. Formerly, this planet was known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa, but since the time of King Bharata, who also, the forefathers of the Pāṇḍavas, the planet is called Bhārata-varṣa. So everywhere there was Vedic culture. The treasures are still available, and the history of the whole world is called Mahābhārata. The same point, Bhārata. And Mahābhārata means "greater Bhārata." Greater. Just like nowadays we say "greater India," greater some city, "greater New York," so this Mahābhārata means is history of the greater Bhārata-varṣa. So Hastināpura was capital, and the king of Hastināpura was the emperor of the world. There, the other, there were states, but they were paying tax to the emperor.

So Kṛṣṇa, after receiving the fine prayer nicely composed by Kuntīdevī, He accepted, bāḍham. Bāḍham means, "Yes, that's all right." He smiled because whatever Kuntī has said, they are true; that is not exaggeration. And therefore Kṛṣṇa smiled, that Kuntī was so pleased to enunciate the glories of the Lord. She knows what Kṛṣṇa is. So He said bāḍham, "Yes, it is all right." In this way, He was prepared to go, to return to Dvārakā, and the ladies also, when they were returning, so Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja requested, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, my dear brother, if You kindly stay a few days more."

So Kṛṣṇa is fully independent. He could have refused, "No, I cannot stay more." But here it is said, premṇā. Premṇā means out of love. Rājñā nivāritaḥ. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira cannot order the Supreme Personality of Godhead to stay or to undo His decision. But premṇā, everything is possible. Premṇā. Premṇā means by love. Therefore, if we increase our love for Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa becomes purchased by us. Kṛṣṇa agrees. Kṛṣṇa is the order-giver for everyone, but He accepts the order of the devotee. Just like Kṛṣṇa, while driving the chariot, Arjuna said, senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta (BG 1.21): "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are Acyuta." Acyuta means who never falls, falls back. So "You have accepted my charioteer post . . ." So charioteer post means He has to carry the order of the king who is on the chariot. Chariot driver is a driver, and the master is the man who is sitting on the chariot. That is the position.

So Arjuna knew that, "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Out of friendship, He has become my charioteer, order-carrier." So when he requested Him, rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta, "Just place my chariot between the two soldiers," senayor ubhayor madhye, so he was little hesitating, that "I am ordering Kṛṣṇa." Therefore he reminded: "Acyuta." Acyuta means who never falls back. Therefore, he reminded that "Kṛṣṇa, although You are my master, but because You have voluntarily accepted to become my charioteer, therefore I am asking You. It is not disrespect. So You have to carry it as a charioteer." Kṛṣṇa also said: "Yes, I am willing. Yes." This is the position.

So if we can purchase Kṛṣṇa by love . . . that is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā: adurlabha, vedeṣu adurlabha, vedeṣu adurlabha sudurlabha ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). God is adurlabha, vedeṣu adurlabha, not adurlabha—I am sorry. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Durlabha means very difficult to obtain. Dur. Dur means with difficulty. And labha means getting. So Brahmā says that officially if you study Vedic literature to find out God, to know about God, it is very difficult. It is very difficult. Therefore those who are depending on personal studies, speculation, personal knowledge to understand God, for them, Kṛṣṇa is durlabha, very difficult to find out. It is not possible.

Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said that "I do not expose Myself." Kṛṣṇa reserves the right of being exposed to anyone and everyone. No. That is not possible. Although the Vedic literature is meant for to find out Kṛṣṇa, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ . . . (BG 15.15). All knowledge . . . vedic, veda means knowledge. So any department of knowledge you may pursue, the business is how to find out Kṛṣṇa. That is real business. Either you take chemistry or physics or politics or sociology—anything—medicine—everything, all departmental knowledge, the aim is to find out Kṛṣṇa.

That was being done by Caitanya Mahāprabhu when He was teaching grammar to His students. So He was explaining dhātu. Dhātu means verb. So He was explaining Kṛṣṇa. Later on, the students, they became little dissatisfied, that "Nimāi Paṇḍita simply explains Kṛṣṇa in everything." So the small school was closed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They are described as adhama-paḍuyā. That is in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Adhama, adhama-paḍuyā means, adhama, adhama means very low grade, adhama. And uttama means high grade. Uttama and adhama. And madhyama. Madhyama means via-media. There are three grades in everything: first class, second class, third class. So this class of students, adhama, who are not interested to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, they are third-class student. Adhama-paḍuyā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was explaining during His instruction, Kṛṣṇa. But the adhama-paḍuyā did not like it.

So the purpose of education means to know God, to know Kṛṣṇa. That is the ultimate purpose. But they do not know. These rascals, they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know the ultimate goal of life is Viṣṇu. They are trying to be learned scholar simply by material acquisition. Therefore it is called durāśayā. What is the purpose of education? Purpose of education: to know the supreme cause, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1), and become happy. Everyone is inquisitive, jijñāsu. Everyone is jijñāsu. So that jijñāsu, that propensity, for the lower animals, they are anxious to inquire, "Where is food? Where is food?" Āhāra-nidrā. "Where is shelter, where is sex and where is defense?" The jijñāsu. Everyone is inquiring. The whole world is inquiring. Those businessmen going into the market, they immediately inquires. The answers are . . . nowadays there is . . . what is called, telis . . .?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: The paper comes automatically . . .

Devotees: Telex.

Prabhupāda: Telex. So they are getting . . . in Zurich, we saw that every bank is by television giving the quotation, of price quotation. That city is very speculative. They are speculate on the price of gold, and they purchase and sell, so they must know the price of the gold every moment, how the market is changing. Their brain is always in that way.

So everyone is inquisitive, every one of us, even the animals, birds, beasts, everyone, inquisitive. But when one becomes inquisitive to understand God, then his human life is fulfilled. Then he is actually in human life. Otherwise, to simply inquisitive what is the price of gold, that means selling and purchasing, make some profit, and when there is profit, then there is sense gratification. That's . . . this is their aim. When they get some money, immediately how to spend it for sense gratification, not only for personal self, but also family. Divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā (SB 2.1.3).

Our life is being spoiled. How? Nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night we are sleeping or enjoying sex. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ. Vyavāya means sex. So at night we have got two business: sleeping and sex. And daytime, divā cārthehayā rājan. At daytime, simply, "Where is money? Where is money?" Artha, or self-interest. Divā cārthehayā rājan. Īhayā. Īhayā means searching after, desiring.

Then, as soon as he gets money, then what business? Divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā (SB 2.1.3). Kuṭumba means family. So as soon as we get money, we spend it, go to the store, purchase so many things. So this is our business. The materialistic life means to spoil the night by sleeping and sex life, and to spoil the day: "Where is money? Where is money?" and spend it. That's all. Is it not? This is the clear analysis of materialistic life. Cārthehayā. "Where is money? Where is money?" This is also inquisitiveness, "Where is money? Where is food? Where is shelter? Where is this, where is that?"

So this inquisitiveness is there in the animals. Then what is the use of this human form of life, the . . . if the same inquisitiveness is there—where is money or where is shelter, where is food, where is sex? No. This inquisitiveness is already there in the animal life. Now you have got better life, human form of life, intelligent life, advanced life. Still you'll be engaged in these inquiries. This is Vedic civilization. These things are not to be inquired. They are already there. Supply is there.

So what should be the inquisitiveness in this human form of life? Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra says, atha ato brahma jijñāsā. Now this life is meant for inquiring about the Supreme Absolute Truth, or Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth, ultimate goal. So that is human life, when we inquire about. Therefore those who are inquisitive about God, they are not ordinary persons. They have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as sukṛtina. Sukṛtina means background is pious. Just like you are all. You have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on account of their . . . of your very nice background. In your past life you must have cultivated Kṛṣṇa consciousness, advanced, but it was not complete. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa has given the chance again: "Now come to this platform and make your life successful."

Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo sanjāyate (BG 6.41). yoga-bhraṣṭa. Those who could not fulfill or finish the Kṛṣṇa consciousness business completely, they're given another chance. Another chance. What is that chance? Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. Śucīnām means very pure family, Brāhmin family, Vaiṣṇava family. Just like these children, they have taken birth now in the Vaiṣṇava family. Father is Vaiṣṇava, mother is Vaiṣṇava, and they are taken care of. So very exalted life. From the very beginning of life, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they are dancing, they are taking prasāda. The atmosphere is so congenial for spiritual life. They are getting chance. So this is a chance. These children are not ordinary children. Because they could not complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness in their previous life, they have been given chance to take birth in a family, the father and mother they're Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is . . . śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo sanjāyate (BG 6.41). These are there.

So to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, even if you fail in this life, in one life, there is no loss. There is no loss in this way: that you get another chance. But if you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, there is no certainty whether you are getting next life human form of life or cat's or dog's. There is no . . . that will be decided according to your karma. Therefore we should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously and try our best to complete it in this life. Not waiting for another life. Although there is chance, the next life, even if we fail. But we should not be indolent: "Oh, if I fail in this life, I shall have another chance." No. We must decide to finish this Kṛṣṇa consciousness business in this life and immediately go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be our determination.

Because Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to understand Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Kṛṣṇa is everything. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything. If this much we can understand, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is the cause of all causes, He is the source of everything, these three, four things if we can understand, if we can understand . . . if we can understand one thing, we understand everything. If you simply understand Kṛṣṇa. That is the Vedic injunction: yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, everything becomes understood. The scientists, they are making research, so many things, but a Kṛṣṇa conscious person can understand very easily all the problems of the world.

Just like we were discussing this morning that Kṛṣṇa . . . we have to accept Kṛṣṇa with mystic power, acintya-śakti. Acintya-śakti means beyond our conception. Because the mystic power is there in us also. Although we are teeny living entities, so many mystic power we have got within. We do not know. We cannot understand. Take, for example, just like your hair. You cut; it is again growing. You do not know how it is growing, but it is growing. That is a fact. That's a fact.

How it is growing, that you do not know. That is mystic power. That is mystic power. So many things there are. So if there is any cut on your body, any injury, even if you don't apply medicine, automatically it becomes cured. How it is being cured? Even if you don't go to the doctor, physician, automatically it will be cured. We are experiencing daily. That is mystic power. We are creating so much chemicals, even by passing stool, what to speak of other things. The stool is analyzed by scientists. It contains the greatest amount of . . . what is . . .? Hypo . . .?

Svarūpa Dāmodara: Hypophosphates.

Prabhupāda: Hypophosphate. Yes. And hypophosphate is the very nice medicine for weak health. But that . . . just try to understand that such important medicinal value we are producing in our stool, what to speak of other things. So that is mystic power.

So we have got this mystic power, but we do not know. The example is given like that: The, the deer who has got musk in the navel, and the flavor is very nice. So he is jumping here and there, here and there, here and there, "Where is this flavor?" He does not know the flavor is in his navel. You see? The flavor is there in him, but he is finding out, "Where it is? Where it is? Where it is?" Similarly, we have got so many dormant mystic power within us. We are unaware.

But if you practice the mystic yoga system, some of them you can evolve very nicely. Just like the birds are flying, but we cannot fly. Sometimes we desire, "Had I the wings of a dove"—there are poetry—"I could immediately go." But that mystic power is also within you. If you develop by yogic practice, you can also fly in the air. That is possible. There is a planet which is called Siddhaloka. In the Siddhaloka, the inhabitants, they are called . . . Siddhaloka means they have got so many mystic powers. We are trying to go to the moon planet by so many machines. They can fly. As soon as they desire, they can go.

So mystic power there is in everyone. It has to be developed. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8, CC Madhya 13.65, purport). We have got so many dormant powers. It has to be cultivated. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Say four or five years ago, you did not know what is Kṛṣṇa. By cultivation you are coming to know Kṛṣṇa, what is God, what is our relationship. So the human life is meant for such cultivation, not for seeking where is food, where is shelter, where is sex. These are already there. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate . . . (SB 1.5.18). These things are not our subject matter of inquiry. These are already there. It is enough there even for the birds and beasts. And what to speak of human being?

But they have become so rascal. They are simply absorbed in the thought of the where is food, where is shelter, where is sex, where is defense. This is the misguided civilization. Misguided. There is no question of these things for . . . there is no problem at all. They do not see that the animal has no problem, the bird has no problem.

Why the human society will have such problem? That is not at all problem. Real problem is how to stop this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. That is real problem. That problem is being solved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. If you simply understand what is Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), there are no more material birth.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice, if you make friendship with Kṛṣṇa, then you can talk with Kṛṣṇa as Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja requested, "Kṛṣṇa, kindly stay a few days more." So Kṛṣṇa . . . not few days more; Kṛṣṇa will remain perpetually with you if you love Kṛṣṇa.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)