This material nature is not permanent. It is bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. Everything here, in the material world, everything comes into existence, takes birth, janma, then stays for sometimes, grows the body, then produces some by-products, then dwindles, and then finished. This is the material nature. Just like your body, my body, it has taken birth at a certain date, it is growing, and it is producing some children, by-products. Then, as we are growing old, then one day the body will be finished. This is the material nature. Either you take it personally, individually, your body, or this gigantic body of the universe, in whichever way you may take it, the nature is bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. Here the material nature is you take your birth or appearance and again disappear and again appear. This is the instruction of spiritual life. The spirit soul is there, but it is not getting a permanent settlement. This is material world. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. As the body is changing, there are so many children, they will also become old like me. But the spirit soul is there. In the presence of mother, although the body is changing, the mother knows that "My son is there." Although from babyhood the son has grown to boyhood, the body, original body, child's body, baby's body, is not existing, the mother knows that "My boy is there."

So this is commonsense understanding. People do not understand it, very nice common sense, that the body is changing but the soul is there. Exactly the same example: the mother knows that "My boy, my child, although he has changed body, now he has grown-up, say, fifty years old, but my child he is. He is my child." Where is the difficulty to understand? Anyone can understand. But people do not believe in the transmigration of the soul. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. This kind of education, what is the value? The real knowledge begins when we understand that we are not this body, material body. I am different from body.

So first education should be given to the students that he is not this body, he is spirit soul. And because he is spirit soul, he has got a different business than to maintain this body. Maintenance of the body, that is being done by the cats and dogs also. They also take care of the body very nicely. They fight, struggle for existence to... They fight to keep the body fit. The tiger also, he fights. He secures his eatables by fighting. Similarly, this struggle for existence to get things for eating, sleeping, mating and defending, that is current in the animal society also. So sastra says, therefore, nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. Sastra says, ayam deha, this body, human body... Nayam deho nrloke, deha-bhajam nrloke. Nrloke means in the human society. The animals... Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. Vid-bhujam means an stool-eater animal, stool-eater animal, hogs. You know. Although it is not very easily found in the cities, in our Indian villages, there are so many stool-eater hogs loitering in the street, in the village. The only business is "Where to find out stool?" This is the business. Whole day and night they are working, to find out stool. So if human being is educated to find out his eatables... Of course, the hog's eatables are the stool. They like it very much, very palatable thing. Similarly, we also, for some palatable things, we also work day and night. But sastra says, na ayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate. Why this human society should be trained up to work so hard simply for eating, sleeping, mating and defending? This is not good.

Then what is it meant for, human life? Tapa. Tapasya. Tapo divyam yena suddhyet sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. The human life's business is to accept tapasya, voluntarily accepting some inconvenience of life. That is called tapasya. Tapa means some trouble. Just like to become brahmacari, it is tapasya. Just like we are prescribing this formula: "No illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling." People want to do it. People want illicit sex. The whole city is full of pictures, simply how to indulge in illicit sex. Then meat-eatingbig, big signboardand intoxication, wine shops. They want it. That is the natural propensity. Loke vyavayamisa-madya-seva nitya hi jantor na hi tatra codana. You do not require to encourage them in these things. They have got natural tendency. That is material worldto enjoy unrestricted sex life, to eat meat, fish eggs, amisa... Amisa-madya-seva. Amisa means eat meat, fish, eggs. These are amisa. And vegetarian means niramisa. So amisa-madya-seva. Madhya means intoxication. Either wine or cigarette, bidi or ganja, bhang, teas, coffees, they are all intoxication. So amisa-madya-seva and vyavaya. Vyavaya means sex life. You do not require to educate them. In the school, college, the boys and girls are not, I mean, given lesson... Of course now, I think, they are now giving lesson also. But naturally, without any lesson, they know how to do it. Similarly, without an education, one can take to intoxication. So these things are natural. But when we try to stop these material instincts, that is called tapasya, tapasya.

So human life is not to be carried away by the so-called natural instinct. Natural instinct, material life... There are two kinds of natural instinct. So long we are in the bodily concept of life, there are different natural instincts, and when we come to the platform of spiritual understanding, that natural instinct is different. That is real natural instinct. So that natural instinct, spiritual natural instinct, can be attained by tapasya. Tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1]. That is the instruction of Rsabhadeva. Now, people may say that "Why we should undergo this tapasya, austerities? If we want to enjoy life, why we shall voluntarily give up this and undergo austerities?" No, there is reason. Tapo divyam yena suddhyet sattvam yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam [SB 5.5.1]. It is very reasonable. You have to undergo tapasya, voluntarily restraint. That is called tapasya. So why? Yena suddhyet sattvam. Your existence will be purified. "What is the wrong in my existence?" That we cannot understand; that is called illusion. There are so many wrong things. Always we are in miserable condition. The summary miserable condition is, as described in the Bhagavad-gita, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]. That is intelligence, that "I am now put under... Although I have solved all my problems..." But Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, "You have solved all your problems by your so-called scientific advancement; that is all right. But where is your solution of janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease? Where is your solution?"

This is very intelligent question. Krsna says therefore that "You have solved all the problems of miserable condition of life. That is all right. But you should always keep in front these problems, prominently: janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanu..." Janma, the tribulations of janma, to live within the womb of the mother, everyone, we have suffered, but we have forgotten. Similarly, we are awaiting another suffering at the time of death. That is also suffering. Janma-mrtyu. Then, when we take birth, we get old. That is also suffering. And we suffer from diseases. But as we are spirit soul... That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. The spirit soul does not die after the annihilation of this body. That is our position. We are accepting different types of bodies, but we are eternal, part and parcel of the Supreme. Not only eternal, full of knowledge and blissful. This is our position. But at the present moment, because we have got this body, it is no very pleasurable condition. It is miserable condition. There are adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika miseries, and always we are under. That we cannot understand. We are thinking that "Things go on like this. Don't bother about these things. Go on. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." That means we are living very foolishly. Although the problems are there... I do not wish to die; the death is there. I do not wish to be within the womb of my mother, but I am forced to take a body within the womb of my mother. Then when I get the body, I come out, I am subjected to so many tribulation on account of this body, old age, disease and so many.

So actually, this is the problem of living entities. That knowledge can be acquired in the human form of life and it can be solved, not that simply we get the knowledge, but it can be solved. So therefore, real business of human life, to understand oneself, that is called self-realization, brahma-bhuta [SB 4.30.20], and find out the remedy and act accordingly. That is the mission of human life. Not like to dance like cats and dogs with a nice dress. That is not human life. This is the subject matter of Bhagavad-gita, our whole Vedic instruction. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15]. This is God consciousness, Krsna consciousness, or self-realization. Self-realization means either you see yourself or see the Supreme Lord, either way. But without seeing the Supreme Lord, you cannot see yourself. Just like without seeing the sun in the darkness... Just like it is now night. There is no sun. So I cannot see also. In darkness I cannot see also myself. But when there is sun in the morning, I can see the sun and I can see myself also. This is the theory. So if we want to understand ourselves rightly, that "I am spirit soul," aham brahmasmi, then we must take to Krsna consciousness.

So how one can take to Krsna consciousness, that is being described by Krsna in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gita. The first verse is,

What is that sac-cid-ananda-vigraha? Sat means eternal, cit means full of knowledge, and ananda means blissfulness. But so far my body is concerned, your body is concerned, they are not sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. My body, your body, will not exist. Therefore it is asat. It is not sat. My body, your body is full of ignorance. Therefore, it is not cit. It is acit. And my body, your body is not at all pleasing. There are so many troubles. Therefore it is not ananda. Therefore Krsna's body is different from us. Therefore He is controller. We think, "If Krsna has got a body, then He must have a body like us." Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. "These mudhas, rascals, because I appear before them to give them the lesson about God, what is God, these rascals think of Me as one of them." This is rascaldom. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam, param bhavam ajanantah [Bg. 9.11]. That sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1] can control the whole material naturethat they do not know. Param bhavam ajanantah.

So therefore it is our duty to understand Krsna. What is the difficulty? Krsna is personally..., God is personally explaining Himself, what He is, and if we accept that, then where is the difficulty to understand God? Why you are making so much research work to find out God? God is canvassing at your door, "Here I am. You try to understand Me. Here I am explaining Myself." "No, no, no. We shall find out God somewhere else." This is called mudha. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. Naradhama means not even ordinary knowledge of a human being. Lowest of the mankind. We are searching out what is God, and God is canvassing here. We do not accept. Therefore naradhama. Why? Mayayapahrta-jnanah, because their knowledge has been taken away by the illusory energy. But one who is, whose knowledge has not been taken away... Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was personally instructed by Krsna, and how he accepts Krsna? He accepts Krsna:

So there is no difference of the philosophy. You have to accept. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). That is the Vedic instruction. What is meaning of God? God means the head of the living entities. What is the difficulty to understand it? Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. Nitya means eternal. We are also eternal. And God is also eternal. So what is the difference? So qualitatively we are one. Because God is eternal, I am also eternal. I am now somehow or other in diseased condition, that I have to change my body. But God does not change His body. Sambhavamy atma-mayaya [Bg. 4.6]. He says, atma-mayaya: "By My own will-power. I am not forced." Just like according to my karma, I have been forced to accept this material body, certain type of body. I cannot dictate. As I am creating another body by my karma, so the karma, by... Prakrteh kriyamanani [Bg. 3.27]. Another place. So why the living entities are getting different types of bodies? That is also answered: karanam, the reason is guna-sangah asya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. Karanam, the cause, is the material nature.

The material nature is divided into three modes: sattva-guna, tamo-guna, rajo-guna. So to become within the material nature, under the control of the material nature, means to accept one of these gunas, sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So if you accept this sattva-guna, the brahminical qualification, satyam samo damas titiksa arjavam ksantih, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam... [Bg. 18.42]. If you associate with the brahminical qualifications, then you get nicer body. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah [Bg. 14.18]. Those who are associating with the sad-guna, they are also described. Sad-guna means satyam samo damas titiksa arjavam ksantih, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma... This is brahma-karma. So tapasya means come to the brahma-karma, not to the sudra-karma. Karanam guna-sango 'sya [Bg. 13.22]. Don't associate with the sudra qualifications. Now, what is the sudra qualification? Paricaryatmakam karyam sudra-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. You are highly educated, but your desire is how to get a service. Paricarya... I am highly educated, but unless I render service to somebody else like a dog, I am not recognized. This is called sudra-karma. Why a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya should search after service? Therefore in this Kali-yuga it is said, kalau sudrah sambhavah: "Kalau, in this Kali-yuga, everyone is almost sudras." There is lack of brahmana. There is lack of ksatriya and vaisya.

So in Bhagavad-gita we'll find all the solutions of the human problems, all the solutions. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. Unless you divide the whole human society into four divisions, the brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra... You must have to divide. You cannot say "classless society." That is useless society. Classless society means useless society. There must be an intelligent high class, ideal class of men to see the "Here is human civilization." That is brahmana. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma... [Bg. 4.13]. Unless people see the ideal men, how they will follow? Yad yad acarati sresthah, lokas tad anuvartate [Bg. 3.21]. The brahmana is compared with the brain of the body. Unless there is brain, what is the use of these hands and legs? If one's brain is cracked, madman, he cannot do anything. So at the present moment, because there is scarcity of brahminical qualified men in the whole human society... It is not meant... Brahmana is not meant for simply for India of Hindus. For the whole human society. Krsna never says that the catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg. 4.13] is meant for India, or for Hindus, or for a class of men. For whole human society, there must be a very ideal intellectual man, so that people will follow. Brain, brain of the society. That is the teachings of Bhagavad-gita. You cannot say that "We can do without brain." Suppose from your body if the brain is cut off, your head is cut off, then you are finished. What the hands and legs will do if there is brain, if there is no brain? So at the present moment there is scarcity of brain in the whole human society. Therefore, it is in the chaotic condition. So there is need, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. The human society, the whole human civilization, must be reformed in this way, that there are intellectual class of men, naturally. There are first-class intellectual class of men, second-class intellectual, third-class, fourth-class, like that. So the first-class intellectual man, they must be brahmanas, in the brahminical qualification, and they must be Krsna conscious. Then they can guide the whole society in the right way, and there will be no problem. This is Krsna consciousness movement.

So here Krsna says how to become Krsna conscious. That is for the brahmanas, or the intellectual class of men. That is being described by Krsna. What is that? Mayy asakta-manah: "The mind should be attached upon Me, Krsna." This is the beginning. Some way or other we have to... Our mind is attached to something else. Mind cannot be detached. We have got so many desires. So mind's businessto become attached. Therefore, I accept something, I reject something. This is mind's business. So you cannot become zero, you cannot become desireless. That is not possible. Our process... Just like others, they say, "You become desireless." That is a foolish proposal. Who can become desireless? It is not possible. If I am desireless, then I am a dead man. A dead man has no desire. So that is not possible. We have to purify the desires. That is required. Purify the desires. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. This is called purification. Nirmalam. Tat-paratvena. Tat-paratvena means when God conscious, Krsna conscious, then desires become purified.

So we have to come to the point of not desirelessness, but to the point of purified desires. That is wanted. Therefore here it is said, mayy asakta-manah: "You can not make your mind desireless, but you fix up your mind upon Me." That is required. Mayy asakta-manah partha. This is the yoga system. This is called bhakti-yoga, and this is called first-class yoga. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita, that yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantar-atmana [Bg. 6.47]. The yogi, the first-class yogi, yoginam api sarvesam... "There are different kinds of yoga systems, but the person who has accepted this bhakti-yoga, he is thinking of Me always." Just like these boys and girls they are being taught always thinking of Krsna, "Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare." So if you read Bhagavad-gita and chant Hare Krsna, immediately you learn the whole science, how to become attached to Krsna. This is called mayy asakta-manah. Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan, to practice yoga... This is bhakti-yoga. Mad-asrayah. Mad-asrayah means "under My direction," or "under My protection." Asraya.

So if you read Bhagavad-gita as it is, that is mad-asrayah. But if you interpret Bhagavad-gita according to your rascal imagination, that is not Bhagavad-gita. Therefore it is called mad-asrayah, "under My protection, as I am tea..." We are therefore presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. We do not change. Why should you change? What right you have got to change? If Bhagavad-gita is a book of authority, and if I make my own interpretation, then where is the authority? Can you change the lawbook according to your interpretation? Then what is the meaning of that lawbook? That is not lawbook. You cannot change. Similarly, if you accept Bhagavad-gita as the book of authority, you cannot change the meaning. That is not allowed. What right? If you have got some opinion, if you have got some philosophy, you can write in your own book. Why you are, I mean to say, killing others and yourself by interpreting Bhagavad-gita? You give your own thesis in a different way. But these people, they take advantage of the popularity of Bhagavad-gita and interpret in a different way according to their own whims. Therefore people do not understand what is Krsna. That is the difficulty. And the purpose of Bhagavad-gita is to understand Krsna. And all the so-called scholars' and politicians' commentary is to banish Krsna or to kill Krsnathe Kamsa's policy. The Kamsa was always thinking of Krsna, how to kill Him. This is called demonic endeavor. So that will not help you.

Therefore Krsna says you have to develop your love and attraction for Krsna. That is wanted. Mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. "This yoga practice can be performed," mad-asrayah, "under My protection or My devotee's protection." You cannot take protection of another rascal who interprets Bhagavad-gita in a different way. You have to take shelter directly. Of course, Bhagavad-gita instruction is there. Everyone can take shelter of Krsna directly. Where is the difficulty? Just like here is is said, mayy asakta. You have to develop your attachment for Krsna. You can do that. How these Americans and European boys, they have developed their attraction for Krsna? There is a process. If you adopt this process... They are with me for the last two, three or four years. Now they are... You detach them from Krsna consciousness if you have got any power. You cannot do that. Even you bribe them or, no, what you can do? Their father, mother, their countrymen can give you enough. They are all rich men's sons. But they cannot give up Krsna consciousness. Even the Christian priests, they regret that "These are our boys, and they never came to church. They never liked to understand what is the idea of God. Now these same boys, they are after, mad after God. What is this movement?" They are surprised.

So there is a process. If we adopt that process, then everyone can become mayy asakta-manah, Krsna asakta-manah. We have to accept the process. That process is called yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. You have to accept the yoga system under the protection of Krsna personally or His bona fide devotees, representative. Then you will be... Then what will be the result? The result will be asamsayam, without any doubt. Now people are educated in all other institution about God, but they are all full of doubts, full of doubts: "What kind of God? What is the nature of God? Whether there is God? Whether there is no God?" So many doubts. But if you accept this Krsna consciousness yoga system, then you can understand Krsna asamsayam, without any doubt. And samagram, in fullness, not that partial. Partially understanding of God, that is also understanding, but it will again take time, because unless you fully understand what is God, you cannot go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the formula.

There are different stages or phases of understanding. That is described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam [SB 1.2.11]. The Absolute Truth is that. It is one, but it is realized into different phases: as Brahman, as Paramatma and as Bhagavan. So if you understand Brahman, that is also partial understanding. If you understand Paramatma... Brahman is understood by the philosophical speculation, Mayavada philosophy, or jnana-marga. Then you can understand partially. Just like to understand the sunshine is partial understanding of the sun. It is not full understanding. Full understanding, if you have got power to go to the sun globe, to see the predominating deity there, Vivasvan, the sun-god, then it is full understanding. If you think that understanding the sunshine you have understand the whole feature of the sun globe, that is wrong. Similarly, to understand Brahman, impersonal Brahman, is also partial understanding. And to understand Paramatma, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61], that is also little higher stage, but that is also partial. But when you understand Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality, that is full understanding. Therefore it is said, bhagavan uvaca, bhagavan uvaca, full understanding. Vyasadeva could have said, "krsna uvaca." But because Krsna is understood wrong way sometimes by the fools and rascals, therefore he says directly, "bhagavan uvaca." Bhagavan uvaca.

You cannot question the statement or instruction of Bhagavan. Bhaga means opulence. There are six kinds of opulences. Bhagavan means one who is full with six kinds of opulences. So nowadays there are so many bhagavans, but because they have no full opulences, they cannot be accepted as Bhagavan. Bhagavan means full opulences.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is not a concoction of mind. It is scientific. It is based on the Vedic knowledge. It is primarily on the background of the teachings of Bhagavad-gita. If we take to this Krsna consciousness, then our human life, its mission, will be successful. That is our request to you all.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)