Bhagavad-gītā 3.9–14 – February 6, 1974, Vṛndāvana

740206BG-VRNDAVAN [23:56 Minutes]

How to Become Non-Envious

[Poor Recording]

Prabhupada: Om namo bhagavat...

Pradyumna: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. [Prabhupada and devotees repeat]

Prabhupada: Now we are on the ninth verse.

[leads chanting of verse] [devotees repeat]

So,

Entanglement. This material life means entanglement-entanglement from evolutionary process from the lower grade of life. Just like the aquatics, gradually they come to the land as the water is evaporated. Originally, the whole planet was merged in the water. Pralaya-payodhi-jale dhrtavan asi vedam [Sri Dasavatara Stotra 1].

Prayala: that as the water dries up, the lands come out, then plants, trees, insects, beasts-in this way we get this human form of life. This is the process of evolution. This evolutionary process is mentioned in the Visnu Purana, but some Western scholars like Darwin, they have put forward a theory of evolution in a perverted way. But the evolutionary process is mentioned in the Visnu Purana.

So in the lower grade of life the entanglement is conducted by nature. But when you come to the human form of life you get higher consciousness, and you have to utilize your higher consciousness. That is the mission of human life. You cannot spoil your life making yourself behave like cats and dogs or animals. The animals, they have got four businesses: how to eat, how to sleep and how to have sex life and how to defend. This is animal life. So because we are in the material body, we have got the animal propensities and needs of the body. But because we are in higher consciousness, we have got another function. Another function means the cats and dogs, they cannot realize God, but a human being, although he has got the tendency for material necessities of life like cats and dogs,

But on account of developed consciousness we can get out of this entanglement.

So long we are in ignorance, we do not care for these four things: birth, death, old age and disease. We care, but don't take very seriously on them. Whether it can be stopped we do not seriously consider. But we can stop this process of birth, death, old age and disease. We can stop. And that is possible in this human form of life. So in order to get out of this entanglement it is said, saha-yajnaḥ prajaḥ srstva [Bg 3.10]. The praja, the praja-everyone is praja, but especially the human being-they are advised to perform yajna. That is the Vedic principle. So here it is said,

If you, in the human form of life, if you do not perform yajna, then whatever you are doing, you are acting, you are becoming entangled, because you are creating a situation, you are contaminating yourself with the different types of modes of nature. That means you are creating your next body according to that modes of nature. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha [Bg 14.18]: if you are in association with the modes of goodness, then you are preparing your body in the higher planetary system.

If you are associating with the rajo guna, or the modes of passion, then you will remain in the middle planetary system, bhūr bhuvaḥ sva. This Bhūrloka is also middle. And,

And if you are associating with the modes of ignorance, then you will go to the lower grade of life-either in the human form of life or the in animal form of life or birds, beasts-there are so many, 8,400,000 forms of life.

So in the human form of life it is your business whether to get out of this entanglement of constantly transmigrating from one body to another or remain in the cycle of birth and death and suffer the material miseries. As soon as you accept this material body, you'll have to suffer. Because just like we are feeling cold: Why you are feeling cold? Why we are covering? Because the skin is susceptible to cold and heat.

In the material world, in the winter season we think if we get summer season, this suffering will have not happened. And in the summer season we think if it was winter season then this suffering would not have come. This is going on. Both seasons are suffering, because suffering means because we have got this material body. That is explained,

Therefore we should not be very much agitated to this sufferings, the bodily skin suffering. We must execute our business, Krsna consciousness, so that,

This is the mission of human life. So here it is recommended that,

If you perform yajna, then after yajna… Yajna means to worship Visnu, or satisfy Lord Visnu. That is called yajna. Yajnarthe. Another name of Visnu is Yajna. So perform yajna or for Visnu, if you work,

Otherwise you will be entangled. Therefore the process is that you must perform yajna and then take your food. Yajna-sistasinaḥ santo. This is the business of the santaḥ. Santaḥ means saintly persons. Those who are animals, their business is different. But those who are santaḥ, I mean God conscious, Krsna conscious, or brahmana, ksatriya at least. Because,

Brahmana, to take birth in the family of brahmana and ksatriya also, it is higher standard of life. That is accepted. So santaḥ means great saintly person. Learned brahmana scholar and saintly kings, they are called santaḥ. I think in Latin it is called saint. From this word santaḥ it has come. Just like Saint Francis. Saint Francis? Or... Anyway. So,

This is the duty of the human being. And what is the difficulty…, difficulty to perform yajna? There is no difficulty. It is universal. It is universal. Yajna means to satisfy the Supreme Lord, Visnu, or Krsna. So you can offer Krsna foodstuff. You are cooking something for eating, but cook it very nicely, very cleanly, with vow that the cooking is being done for Krsna. Then it will be hygienically also very clean. So you should cook for Krsna and offer Him, "Krsna, whatever I have cooked secure, kindly accept". Then you take your food. What is the difficulty? After all, you have to take your food and cook. So why don't you do it for Yajna, or Krsna? Therefore it is the duty of householders especially. The sannyasi or the brahmacari, they cannot take the responsibility of arcana, because there are so many things to be done. But a grhastha, they are naturally cooking for the family-why not cook it very nicely for Krsna? Where is the difficulty? Simply you have to agree to cook for Krsna, not for yourself. And if I cook for myself, what is the wrong? That is mentioned here, bhunjate te tv agham papam. Papa. Because we have to secure foodstuffs, especially nowadays from black market-yes, because there is no foodstuffs available. So the securing of foodstuffs is also papa. Because government has no black market, so the black market is papa. So if you secure foodstuff from black market and you cook for yourself, then you are responsible for the sinful activity. That is stated here:

But you can be saved from this black market sinful activities if you offer to Krsna. Practical proposal. It is stated here. Now we have to secure food from black market; there is no denying. You cannot secure any good foodstuff from the ration shop. That is not possible. So either today or tomorrow, the whole world is going on in sinful activities. It is… Therefore they are called pancasuna. Pancasuna-yajna. Pancasuna means five kinds of violence. When you take water, there are many small animals round the jug, and you kill them. When you, I mean to say, rub the spices on the mortar and pestle, you kill some germs or small ants and animals. When you set fire, you kill so many. When you walk on the street, you kill so many animals. So you cannot kill even an ant. If you kill consciously or unconsciously, you are responsible for the sinful activity. In God's kingdom you cannot say, "If I kill a small ant, what is the sin there?" No, it is all sinful, as much as if you kill one man, which is called murder. If man-made law is according to their whims, but God's law is not like that. It is equal to everyone. If you kill a human being or if you kill a small ant it is the same murdering charges against you. Therefore in the sastra it is recommended pancasuna-yajna. Because unconsciously we are killing so many animals; therefore the pancasuna-yajna should be performed.

So anyway, yajna must be performed. Yajna, saha-yajnaḥ prajaḥ srstva [Bg 3.10] it is said, that you are born to perform yajna, especially the human beings. Not the lower animals; they cannot perform. So if you do not perform yajna, then whatever you are eating, you are eating the resultant action of your sinful activities. And therefore if you eat in the ordinary way... If you steal and eat nicely, that means you are creating your path clear for being arrested by the police someday and be punished. Everyone knows that. Similarly, if you simply eat the sinful activities, then what will be the result? You'll be punished. That is being done. People are not performing yajna. Nobody is performing yajna. That you can say that at the present moment to perform yajna, to secure pure ghee and grains, it is difficult job. Yes, that's right. Because in the Kali-yuga the big yajnas, which require lots of ghee and food grains to offer, that is not possible. Therefore it is recommended in the Srimad-Bhagavatam,

Su-medhasaḥ. You have to perform yajna. Without performing yajna you'll be entangled in sinful activites. So in the Kali-yuga this is the yajna recommended in the Vedic literature:

Su-medhasaḥ means those who have got good brain-not persons whose brain is filled up with cow dung. No. Really brain substance, such person, they perform this sahkirtana-yajna. It is not very difficult. Just like we are preaching, here is krsna-varnam tvisakrsnam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He's chanting: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And tvisakrsnam: He's Krsna. He is incarnation of Krsna.

This Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu, They are Krsna-Balarama, incarnation of Krsna and Balarama. So in this yajna means Visnu or Krsna-Balarama, so to satisfy Them.

So in this age if you perform this congregational chanting, there is no expenditure. It is not the question of that you have to go, but somewhere out of your house-even in your house. You just keep one picture of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Nityananda, and the family members sit down, around. Just like we are sitting now and chanting: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. This kind of performing yajna, is there any expenditure? Or is there any loss? But you can perform yajna daily, twice, thrice. This is our preaching. Krsna consciousness movement means that every householder, every man-not only householder; factory holder, every holder-they can perform this sahkirtana-yajna anywhere. If you can distribute some prasadam side by side, it is very good. Even if you do not distribute prasadam, simply chant this Hare Krsna mantra, then your life is successful. Otherwise,

Otherwise if you simply purchase from the black market and cook nicely and eat yourself, the result is that you are becoming more sinful, sinful, sinful and suffer the results, you see? This is the, said by Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You must perform this yajna. And it is not that yajna is to be performed by the rich, richer section of the population. No. Anyone can perform yajna.

This is the first-class system of religious performance, and by which you… The more you perform this sahkirtana-yajna, the more you become advanced in love of Godhead. That is required. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo. That is first-class religious system, yato bhaktir adhoksaje, by which one can develop the dormant love for God. This is the principle. So by this performance of yajna, gradually, ceto-darpana-marjanam, your heart will be cleansed, bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam, and naturally the blazing fire of material existence will be extinguished.

Then, gradually, just like this moon rises daily and becomes bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger, one day the full moon, pūrnima. Similarly, if you perform this yajna in this age as recommended in the sastra, sahkirtana-yajna, then gradually you'll develop your dormant love for Krsna. Adhoksaja. Yato bhaktir adhoksaje, that is required. Ahaituky apratihata: and this development of love of God cannot be checked by any material condition. Nobody can say, "Because I am this and that, therefore I cannot perform." That is not fact. Fact that you can sit down, just like gosvamis, sad-gosvamis, they used to live in this Vrndavana underneath tree. One night under one tree. And they were chanting:

So this sahkirtana, Hare Krsna mantra, just like our these European and American students. They never knew that there was such a system, that… [end]