740131LE.HK
Lecture
Hong Kong, January 31, 1974 Prabhupada: Next verse, go on.
jnanam te 'ham sa-vijnanam
idam vaksyamy asesatah yaj jnatva neha bhuyo 'nyaj jnatavyam avasisyate [Bg. 7.2] Prabhupada: Go on.
Pradyumna: (reading)
Prabhupada: Hm. Bhumir apo...
Pradyumna: (chanting)
Prabhupada:
mayy asakta-manah partha
yogam yunjan mad-asrayah asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1] The duty of human life is to understand God, Krsna. In the Vedanta-sutra, the first aphorism is athato brahma jijnasa. Athah, "therefore.'' Because we have got this human form of body, so this is the time for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. In the other life, animal life, beast life, tree life, plant life... There are 8,400,000 different forms of life, and through evolutionary process we have passed through 8,000,000 forms of life or a few thousand more forms of life, because human beings, they are of 400,000 forms of life. Just like we have got experience over this planet there are different forms of life, different system of religion, different system of culture, even though all of them are of human form life, similarly, there are other forms of lifeaquatics in the water; in the jungle, trees, plants, mountains; and then insects, reptiles, ants; then birds, flies. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. In the Visnu Purana the description is there what are the different forms of life. Jalaja nava-laksani. In the water there are 900,000 forms of life. Who knows that? But in the Vedic sastra everything perfectly calculated is given there. This is called Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge means perfect knowledge. There is no (indistinct) who can calculate how many forms of life are within the ocean. But from the Vedic literature you get just exact conclusion900,000 species of life. The botanists, they cannot say how many forms of trees and plants are there. But in the Vedas you'll find sthavara laksa-vimsati2,000,000's forms of life, of trees and plants. Sthavara. Sthavara means the living entities which cannot move, stand in one place. This is a punishment, those who are too much dull. Means..., dull means cannot understand what is God. That is dullness. Otherwise for eating, sleeping, sex life and defense there is no need of university education. Nobody goes to the university to learn how to eat, how to sleep, how to enjoy sex life and how to defend. There is no education required, because these four kinds of bodily necessities of life are known even to the animals. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca samanyam etat pasubhir naranam. How to eat, the animal knows. Even the newborn child who has no education, no experience, he still... Even the cats and dogs, cubs, as soon as born, they find out the nipples of their mother and eat or suck. Even the eyes are blind at that time, but still he knows where is their food. Similarly, human child also knows.
So for eating, sleeping, mating and defending, there is no need of education. Education means athato brahma jijnasa. That is education. How to know the Supreme Absolute Truththat is education. But the university, they are educating people how to eat, how to sleep. Eh? They are manufacturing so many eatables, different types of eatables, although God has given immense foodstuffs for human society. Just like these fruits, they are made for human beings. They are not eatables for the cats and dogs. They are meant for human beings. So eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has supplied, He is supplying immense foodstuffs for all living entities. Tena tyaktena bhunjitha [Iso mantra 1]. But there is allotment for the pigthe foodstuff is stooland for the human being, the foodstufffruits, flowers, foodgrains, milk, sugar. So as God has allotted, you use that for your eating. Eating is required. Then your life is successful. Tena tyaktena bhunjitha. Do not try to imitate others. Do not try to imitate the hog and the pig to eat stool. That is not human bodies' foodstuff. You eat your own foodstuff. Tena tyaktena bhunjithah. This is life. Food is already there, but the difficulty is that we do not know that we should be satisfied with the foodstuff allotted to us by God. Isavasya. The foodstuff belongs to Krsna, God. You cannot manufacture in the factory this nice foodstuffapple, orange, banana and others, so many hundreds and thousands. So therefore the only business of human form of life is to inquire about the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Lord, the Supreme Being. That should be our inquiry. That should be the subject matter of education. Not how to eat, how to sleep, how to mate. These things do not require education. Because the animals, they also know. So everyone knows what is his foodstuff, how to sleep. When there is..., you feel sleepy, he does not ask for "Give me a good apartment, good bedstead.'' You'll lie down anywhere and enjoy sleeping. Similarly, how to enjoy sex life, nobody requires university education. So if we waste our time simply for being enlightened how to manufacture different types of foodstuff, how to take it on table and chair, nice dishes or plate, that is waste of time. If you utilize your time for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, that is perfection of human life. Not to waste your time in the animal propensities of life. That is not education, that is not human form of life.
So that education will be complete if you become Krsna conscious. That is being taught in the Seventh Chapter by Krsna Himself. What is that? Mayy asakta-manah partha: "You have to become always absorbed or attached on Me,'' on Krsna. Mayy asakta. Asakta means attachment. We have got attachment for so many things. We have got attachment for our family, for our country, for our society, for our business, for our cats, for our dogs, so many things. But we have no attachment for Krsna. That is lacking. Therefore life is imperfect. Srama eva hi kevalam.
dharmah svanusthitah pumsam
visvaksena-kathasu yah notpadayed yadi ratim srama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8] Everyone is performing his duty very nicely. That is..., Bhagavata says, dharma-svanusthitah pumsam. Everyone has got his duty, either as a brahmana, as a ksatriya, as a vaisya, as a sudra, as a brahmacari, as a grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasi. This is Vedic eight divisions of social life, human life, varnasrama-dharma. Unless one comes to this institutional progress of life, varna and asrama, they are animals. Human life begins from these eight divisions of occupational duties. A brahmana must execute his duty, a ksatriya must execute his duty, vaisya... They are all described in the Bhagavad-gita, what are the duties of brahmanas: satya samah damah tapah arjavam jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.42]. Ksatriya-tejah sauryam yuddhe ca apalayanam. Vaisya-krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam [Bg. 18.44]. Sudra-paricaryatmakam karyam sudra-karma svabhava-jam. Everything is there. So if everyone discharges his duty properly, then his life becomes successful. So on the whole, everything is required. The brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudrathese are different divisions, but what for the divisions are meant for? The division is meant for understanding God, Krsna. Atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah. These instructions are given in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that everyone has got a particular type of duty as brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, brahmacari, like that. Atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah. Division of varna and asrama. And everyone has got his duty. So how the duty is perfected? How to know that? That is stated,
Svanusthitasya dharmasya. You are acting your duty as a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, that's all right, sudra, but you have to see whether Krsna, or God, is satisfied by your duty. If you see that Krsna is satisfied by your discharging of duties in a particular position, then you should know that your life is perfect. Otherwise, srama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]. Simply undergoing unnecessary troubles.
So how you can understand whether Krsna or God is satisfied by discharging your particular type of duty? That is Krsna is explaining Himself: mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. You have to increase your attachment for Krsna. Mayy asakta. Asakta means attachment. You should be attached to your business not for the business' sake but for the attachment of Krsna. Krsna is to be satisfied. Generally we do business for my satisfaction, for my family satisfaction, for government satisfaction, for income tax satisfaction and so many satisfaction. But when you try to satisfy Krsna or increase your attachment for His satisfaction, then your business is perfect. Mayy asakta-manah partha, svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhi.. Everyone wants perfection; otherwise what is the use of jumping like cats and dogs? That is not meant for human being, unnecessarily jumping and dancing. You must dance for satisfaction of Krsna. Then your life is... There is tendency for dancing, for chanting, for singing. They are holding ball dances, and musical instruments. The same thing we are propagatingchant and dance Hare Krsna mantra. This is satisfaction. This is satisfaction. Our movement is not dry. We are simply asking people, "Chant, dance, eat nice foodstuffs, take prasadam and go home.'' It is not dry, because the same tendency is there. Everyone goes to the hotel, everyone goes to the nightclub, eats sumptuously and dances with musical instruments, enjoys the same thingbut in connection with Krsna. You take prasadam, you chant, you dance and enjoy life, but in connection with Krsna. Then it is successful. Your life is successful. That is Krsna also saying, mayy asakta-manah partha yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. This is the yoga, this Krsna consciousness movementthe topmost yoga. There are many yogis, you might have seen, for gymnastics of the body. That is not perfection of yoga. That is yoga, a kind of yoga, but there are different kinds of yoga systems, bhakti-yoga, jnana-yoga, hatha-yoga, dhyana-yoga, raja-yoga, so many. But Krsna says,
"That yogi's perfect who's always thinking of Me,'' mayy asakta-manah. This is being taught. "Always thinking.'' And Bhagavad-gita, in another different place it is said, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah mad-yaji mam namaskuru mam evaisyasi. Asamsaya. The aim of life should be, especially of the human body, that try to understand Krsna. And as far as possible... Krsna cannot be understood fully because He is unlimited, and we have got limited knowledge. But still, as far as possible and as much as possible, if we try to understand Krsna, janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. Krsna advents Himself, comes on this planet. He executes so many duties, takes part in so many occupational functions as human being, but everything is full of instructions. Therefore Krsna says, "Don't try to understand, even that is also good superficially, but in truth.'' Janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah. Tattvatah means "in truth, in fact.'' So if anyone... Janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Divyam means His birth is not ordinary birth. If it had been ordinary birth, then why we are still performing the Janmastami ceremony, Krsna's birthday ceremony? Many big, big kings came and gone. Who is performing the birthday ceremony of that king? But we perform according to Vedic system the birthday ceremony of Lord Ramacandra. Nowadays we have imitated so many other birthday ceremonies, but in the sastra it is enjoined the birthday ceremony of the advent of God should be observed. The birthday ceremony of God is called jayanti. That is special constellation of the stars. But now the jayanti has been used for so many rascals and fools. This is not sastric. So because Krsna's janma and ordinary man's janma is not the same thing, therefore Krsna says, janma karma ca me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Divyam means transcendental, not material. Not material. It is spiritual or transcendental, divyam. Janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. Still you have to learn it in truth.
So if you learn this science, simply to understand why Krsna advents, why Krsna takes part in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra or other activities just like a human being... Why? If you try to understand this fact... That can be known. They are all mentioned in the sastra. The sadhus, they know; the guru, he knows. So if you want to be learned in the science you can become, because sastra is there, guru is there, and sadhu is there. Sadhu-sastra-guru-vakya. Then you will be able to understand what is Krsna, why He advents, why His activities are transcendental. So if you try to understand these things, then what will be the result? Result will be tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. After giving up this body, no more material body. No more material body means no more death. The death takes place on account of this material body; otherwise the living entity, nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Living entity is eternal; he does not die, he does not take birth. Na jayate mriyate va kadacit. Eternal. Then why he dies? That death is of this material body, not of the eternal soul. So although we are eternal, nityah sasvatah, still we have to accept different types of body. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. Dehino'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara [Bg. 2.13]. So this transmigration of the soul from one body to another is not very good business. Who wants to die? Nobody wants to die. But he has to die. He must die. There is no question of he likes or not likes. Nobody wants to take birth, again enter into the womb of mother. And nowadays it is very risky, because mother is killing the child: the ultimate end of Kali-yuga. The mother's shelter, a child feels very happy on the lap of mother, and that is the arrangement of nature. Mother should take care of the child. But in this age the people are so, I mean to say, contaminated that even mother is killing child. Just imagine what is the position of birth and death. Birth and death is not very good business. Therefore if you want to stop this birth and death then take to Krsna consciousness, try to understand Krsna.
janma karma ca me divyam
evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (mam eti so 'rjuna) [Bg. 4.9] Punar janma naiti. You can stop your birth and death. And if you stop your birth and death, then you stop your disease and old age. That eternityyou are eternal. You get your eternal life. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. The eternal..., even if we get this material body, even though we change this material body, just like I was a baby, you were a baby, but that body is no longer existing. I am in different body, still I am existing. Therefore na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Although the body has changed, I am not changed. This is my position. Therefore perfection of life means to keep oneself in his original, constitutional position, not to change body. But that is possible. How it is possible? Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. Everything is there. How it is possible?
yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah bhutani yanti bhutejya yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam [Bg. 9.25] If you want to go to the higher planetary systems by pious activities, you can go there, yanti deva-vrata devan. You can go to the planet where Lord Brahma lives or where Indra lives or Candra lives. The modern process, by taking a sputnik or jet, you can go to the moon planet. But that you can go. Whether you can go or not go, that is up to you. But you cannot stay there. That is not possible. If you want to stay there, then yanti deva-vrata devan. You have to prepare yourself by worshiping that particular deva or deity, demigod; then you will be admitted. Just like if you want to go to a foreign country you have to take the permission of the immigration department, visa, then you can go. If that law is there in this planet, why not for other planet? How you can go abruptly, by force? That is not possible. Yanti deva-vrata devan. You have to prepare yourself to go. You can go there. But after this life, if you are sufficiently prepared to enter that particular type of planet, you can go there. Similarly, you can go to the planet where Krsna lives. Mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam [Bg. 9.25]. So what is the difference between going to the higher planetary systems, heavenly planet, and going to the planet where Krsna lives? The difference is, yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. If you go to the planet where Krsna lives, then you haven't got to come back again. Otherwise, in other planets, in the heavenly planets, ksine punye punar martya-lokam visanti. You can live there, just like you can live in a foreign country so long your visa continues. Simply... Similarly, you can go to the higher, heavenly planets, but you can live there up to the point of visa, punya. By pious activities you can go to the higher planetary systems, but by impious activities you go to the lower planets. Adho gacchanti tamasah. Adho gacchanti tamasah, jaghanya-guna-vrtti-stha, urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha [Bg. 14.18]. So even if you go to Brahma-loka, Indra-lokaa-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartinao 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16]you have to come back again. But, yad gatva na nivartante, tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. If you go to that planet, yad gatva na nivartante, one does not require to come back again. "That is My real abode.'' Tad dhama paramam. Every dhama is Krsna's, but that is the parama dhama, supreme dhama. Just like the king. The kingdom belongs to the king, but still he has got his special royal house, palace. Similarly, Krsna is the proprietor of all planets, sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29], but He still has got His own planet. That is called Gokula Vrndavana.
So this Krsna consciousness movement is a movement to educate people how to go back to Godhead, Krsna. So our request is that you take advantage of this movement. Don't be fully simply absorbed in the activities of animal lifeeating, sleeping, mating, and defending. This is also required, but under regulation. Eating is not prohibited in Krsna consciousness movement, but eating is regulated. Don't eat anything without Krsna's prasadam. Oh, Krsna prasadam, there are so many varieties nice foodstuff. Be satisfied taking Krsna's prasadam so your eating problem will be solved and you will advance in Krsna consciousness to go back to home, back to Godhead. So this Krsna consciousness movement is very important movement for the human society, and this is not a Utopian thing. It is authorized. For every action of Krsna consciousness movement there is support from Vedas, Vedic literature. Just like whenever we speak something we immediately give evidence from the Bhagavad-gita. It is not that something, "In my opinion it is...'' No. We have no opinion. We don't give our opinion. We present Bhagavad-gita as it is, that's all. As Krsna says, we say the same thing. We have no difficulty. Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat, kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. "There is no more superior truth than Krsna,'' Krsna says. We accept that. We preach that, that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. If you are searching after God, that is your duty. Athato brahma jijnasa. That is your human life's business, to search out the truth, Absolute Truth. Then that is Krsna, that is Krsna. In the Vedanta-sutra it is indirectly said, "The Absolute Truth is janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1], from whom everything is generated.'' That is Absolute Truth. That answer is given in the Bhagavad-gita, aham sarvasya prabhavah mattah sarvam pravartate: [Bg. 10.8] "I am the origin of everything.'' Aham adir hi devanam [Bg 10.2]. Somebody may say the demigods like Lord Brahma, Siva, they are the beginning demigods. But Krsna says, aham adir hi devanam. "The all the demigods, but their beginning, they are also coming from Me.'' Sarvasya prabhavah mattah sarvam pravartate. These things are there. So we are teaching that. It is not difficult. We are not manufacturing anything by fertile brain. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gita. And we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is, preaching the Bhagavad-gita as it is. The Bhagavata is also further explanation of Bhagavad-gita, Vedanta-sutra explanation.
So we have got immense literature. We have already published more than twenty books. If you want to understand the Absolute Truth by philosophy, by science, there are books. Otherwise, the easy method is chant Hare Krsna: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So God has given you the tongue, and it doesn't matter whether you are Indian or American or Englishman, German or African. Everyone can chant Hare Krsna mantra. That is actually being done. In Africa they are chanting Hare Krsna mantra. In Australia they are chanting Hare Krsna mantra. In Europe they are chanting Hare Krsna mantra. In Asia they are accustomed to chant Hare Krsna mantra. The chanting of Hare Krsna mantra is going on all over the world. Take advantage of it. Don't miss this opportunity, and make your life successful.
Devotee: Does anyone have any questions? Feel free to ask if you do.
Prabhupada: No questions? Everything understood? No difficulty in understanding? Tad viddhi pranipatena pariprasnena sevaya [Bg. 4.34]. Try to clear if it is not understood. I have spoken nothing which is not understandable, but still, if you have not understood, you can put your question. Hm. All right, then chant Hare Krsna. If you have any question, you can ask.
Prabhupada: Four hundred and twenty-seven thousands of years. The complete age of Kali-yuga is 432,000's years. Out of that, the Kali-yuga has begun from the date of Battle of Kuruksetra, historical. So we have passed 5,000 years from the date of Battle of Kuruksetra. Therefore 432,000's of years minus 5,000's of years, the remaining age427,000's of years. This is practically the beginning of Kali-yuga. Now the more the age of Kali-yuga will increase, the sufferings of Kali-yuga will also increase. At the end of Kali-yuga there will be no food supply. There will be no more food grains, no more fruits, no more milk, no more sugar. These things are stated. And everyone will be obliged to take meat and roots. Gradually the condition of the people will be so dull that they'll not be able to understand what is God. At the present, even in the beginning, even 5,000 years have passed, people cannot understand actually what is God. A vague idea. They do not know actually what is the nature of God. So gradually it will be forgotten. But still, because still people have got some sense, therefore this preaching work is going on. At the end they will be all nonsense, just like animals. Therefore there will be another incarnation, Kalki, at the end of Kali-yuga. He'll simply kill the whole population.
mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavalam
dhumaketum iva kim api karalam kesava dhrta-kalki-sarira jaya jagadisa hare Mleccha. Mleccha means misbehaved. As we saymleccha, yavana. One who does not follow the Vedic principles, they are called mleccha. And those who are meat-eaters, they are called yavana, mleccha, yavana. This is the meaning of mleccha, yavana. It is not a particular class of men. Anyone who eats meat, he's a yavana, and anyone who does not live to the standard of Vedic understanding, he is a mleccha. So everyone will become mleccha. So mleccha-nivaha-nidhane kalayasi karavalam. The Lord will become very much vicious. Asi karavalam. Just like dhumaketuh, comet. Dhumaketum iva kim api karalam nidhane. Mleccha-nidhane. That will be the only remedyto kill all the mlecchas. The avatara, Kalki avatara will come. Kesava dhrta buddha sarira, ah, kesava dhrta kalki sarira. Buddha sarira is also, kesava dhrta buddha sarira, to give protection to the poor animals. Lord Buddha appeared to stop animal-killing. Sadaya-hrdaya-darsita-pasu-ghatam, nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam. Lord Buddha, he declined to accept Vedic authority. Why? Because in the Vedas also there is sanction sometimes in yajna, animal sacrifice. But he wanted to stop animal sacrifice, animal-killing. Therefore he denied the authority of Vedas. Because people will give evidence that "You are preaching no animal-killing, but in the Vedas sometimes in sacrifice the animals are sacrificed. How you can stop this?'' Therefore Lord Buddha had to deny the authority of Vedas. That is described, nindasi yajna-vidher. The animal-killing is described in the Vedas, in the yajna-vidher, not in the slaughterhouse. In the Yajna-vidher. That also was decried. Nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam. Because according to Vedic civilization, sruti, Veda, is the evidence. Therefore if Lord Buddha accepts the authority of Vedas, he cannot say, "Stop animal-killing.'' Then he said, "No. I do not follow Vedic principles.'' Therefore he is called nastika. Anyone who defies the authority of Vedas, he is called nastika. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore says, veda na maniya bauddha haya ta' nastika. On account of denying the authority of Vedas, the Buddhas became nastika. Vedasraya nastikya-vada bauddhake adhika. And those who are lip-sympathy vedi"I am following Vedic principles'' and doing all nonsensethey are lower than these nastika. Lower than the nastika. Veda na maniya bauddha haya ta' nastika. So Lord Buddha appeared to stop animal-killing, ahimsa. He did not say anything more. His only mission was, "Let these rascals first of all stop this animal-killing, they'll understand further about spiritual advancement.'' Those who are animal killer, they cannot understand anything about spiritual advancement. That is not possible. Therefore this thing must be stopped first. That is Buddha philosophy. But in spite of that... (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/general/hong_kong/january/31/1974 Previous: Lecture at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan -- Bombay, October 18, 1973 Next: Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973
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