|
690113LE.LA
Lecture Excerpt
Los Angeles, January 13, 1969 Prabhupada: We are all in ignorance, in the darkness of ignorance. Ajnana-timirandhasya. So the disciple is praying that "I am... I was in the darkness of ignorance," but jnananjana-salakaya, "but you have opened my eyes by the torture of knowledge..." Not... What is called? "Torch," "torch of knowledge." Ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya, caksur-unmilitam yena: "One who has opened my eyes in that way," tasmai sri gurave namah, "I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master."
So in the Srimad-Bhagavatam also it is stated that parabhavas tavad abodha-jatah. We are all born ignorant. Either in human society or in animal society, we are born all ignorant. Therefore, in the human society the system is that children are given education. Why? Because it is supposed that the child is born ignorant. Similarly, as we give material education to the children, it is the duty of the parents to enlighten them with spiritual education. Srimad-Bhagavata says that "Nobody should desire to become a father, nobody should desire to become a mother, unless one is able to save the child from the impending death." So that is also the duty of spiritual master. One should not become a spiritual master unless one is able to save the disciple from impending death. And what is that impending death? Impending death means... Because we are spirit soul, we have no death. But impending death means of this body. So it is the duty of spiritual master, it is the duty of the parents, it is the duty of the state, it is the duty of kinsmen, friends, everyone, to save people from this impending birth and death.
"Anyone who comes to Me, he has no more to go back to the miserable material existence." Therefore it is the duty of a spiritual master, it is the duty of the parents, that they should enlighten their dependents to Krsna consciousness. If one becomes fully Krsna conscious, the simple factor, then he is saved from this material existence, or accepting repeated birth and death. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. Here, everything in the material world, everything is born, it remains for some time, it grows then dwindles then vanishes. So this is not very desirable. But unfortunately, the modern civilization, they do not know. They are very much proud of advancement of knowledge, but they do not know that the cause of suffering is this body. They do not know. And they do not know how to make a solution of this material existence. Therefore parabhava. Bhagavata says all their so-called, nonsense advancement of civilization is defeat. Defeat. Lord Jesus Christ also said like that, that "If one gains everything and then loses his own soul, what does he gain?" Similarly, parabhavas tavad abodha-jato yavan na jijnasata atma-tattvam. A man's life is defeat only. However he may be very expert in driving motorcar day and night, this way and that way, very busy man, but if he does not inquire about his self"What I am? Wherefrom I have come? Where I have to go to? Why I am suffering? Why I am put to this disadvantageous position?"when one does not inquire for all these things, then his activities are defeat, only defeat. Therefore this Krsna consciousness will save not only humanity but the living entities from this disastrous position of repeated birth and death. The Bhagavad-gita, therefore, they stress on this point. Lord Krsna stresses that janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam: [Bg. 13.9] "You are very much proud of your knowledge, but if you want to be at all a man of knowledge, a man of wisdom, then you should first of all keep before you the problems of birth, death, old age and disease, because your so-called advancement of knowledge cannot make a solution of this birth, death, old age and disease."
So we have spoken many times in various meetings in this hall about these things. Whole Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam is meant for this, to get out of this material stage-playing. We are playing in a stage under different bodies. Just like in a stage, we playsomebody is playing the part of a king, somebody is playing the part of a queen, and so many thingssimilarly, we are, on the material stage, playing different parts, but we are all living entities, pure soul. Antavanta ime deha: [Bg. 2.18] "This body is perishable." Nityasyoktah saririnah: "But the proprietor of the body, that is eternal." [break] ...vani and vapu, and vapu means the physical body, and vani means the vibration. So we are not concerned about the physical body. Not concerned means... We are concerned, of course, because the spiritual master, those who are acaryas, their body is not considered as materiel. Arcye sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir. Just like the statue of Krsna, to consider that "This is a stone..." Similarly, arcye sila-dhir gurusu na... Gurusu means those who are acaryas, to accept their body as ordinary man's body, this is denied in the sastras. So although a physical body is not present, the vibration should be accepted as the presence of the spiritual master, vibration. What we have heard from the spiritual master, that is living. You'll see in these pictures. This movement was started by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and then it was entrusted to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Then we are trying to serve his word, and many of my Godbrothers, they are also... (breakend)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/general/excerpt/los_angeles/january/13/1969 Previous: Recorded Speech to Members of ISKCON London -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968 Next: Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 15, 1969
|