Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.14.43 — April 7, 1973, New York

My dear uncle, you are all comfortable? Everything is all right?

Pradyumna: Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. [Prabhupada and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

[break]

...yourself; sambhojyan-deserving to dine together; vrddha-the old men; balakan-boys; jugupsitam-abominable; karma-action; kincit-something; krtavan-you must have done; na-not; yat-that which; aksamam-unpardonable.

[01:25]

Translation: "Have you not taken care of old men and boys who deserve to dine with you? Have you left them and taken your meals alone? Have you committed some unpardonable mistake which is considered to be abominable?"

So, "Have you not taken care of old men and boys who deserve to dine with you?" So this is Vedic culture. When there is foodstuff to be distributed, the first preference is given to the children. We remember, even now we are seventy-eight, when we were children, four, five years old, we remember. Some of you have seen that Mallik's Thakurbari, and if you... Anyone? You have seen.

So, the first feasting is for children. So sometimes I was little obstinate, I would not sit down: "No, I will take with the elder men." But that was system. First of all children should be sumptuously fed, then the brahmanas, and children and old men. In the family, the children and old men... Just see Maharaja Yudhisthira, how much he was anxious to take care of Dhrtarastra. Although he played..., played the part of an enemy throughout, still it is the duty of the family member to take care of the old men.

When Dhrtarastra left home after being abused by his younger brother, Vidura, so, "My dear brother, you are still attached to family life. You have no shame. You are taking food whom to..., from whom you considered your enemies. You wanted to kill them from the very beginning. You set fire to their home. You banished them in the forest. You intrigued against their life, and now everything is finished, all your sons, grandsons and son-in-laws and brothers, fathers, uncle...," I mean to say, Bhisma was his uncle. So all the family. In the Battlefield of Kuruksetra everyone was killed except these five brothers: Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva. All male members were killed.

So only the remaining descendant was Maharaja Pariksit. He was within the womb of his mother. And his father died, Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu. He was sixteen years old. Fortunately, his wife was pregnant. Otherwise, the Kuru dynasty was finished. So he rebuked, that "Still you are sitting here just for a morsel of food like dog. You have no shame, my dear brother." So he took it very seriously, "Yes, yes, my dear brother, you are saying all right. So what..., what do you want me to do?" "Lea..., immediately come out. Immediately come out and go to the forest." So he agreed; he went there.

So Maharaja Yudhisthira used to come first of all in the morning, after taking bath, after worshiping. Because first duty was to go and see the old men: "My dear uncle, you are all comfortable? Everything is all right?" And talk for some time just to please him. This is the duty of family member-take care of the children, take care of old men, take care of even a lizard in the house, a serpent in the house. This is the injunction we find in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, grhastha, how much responsible he is.

There it is said, even there is a serpent... Nobody wants to take care of serpent. Everyone wants to kill, and nobody is sorry to kill a serpent. Prahlada Maharaja said that, modeta sadhur api vrscika-sarpa-hatya [SB 7.9.14]. He said that "My father was just like a serpent, vrscika, scorpion. So killing of a serpent or scorpion, nobody is unhappy. So my Lord, You don't be angry. Now everything is finished, my father is finished." So, that was... But still in the sastra says that even in your house there is a serpent, see that he is not fasting, without food.

This is the spiritual communism. They are now after communism, but they do not know what is communism. Everyone will be taken care of. That is communism, real communism. Nobody should starve. Nobody should have any want in the state. That is communism. So when we went to communist country, Moscow, I think everyone was in want. [laughter] They could not get even foodstuff to their own choice. Whatever government rubbish thing they will supply, they will have to accept. And actually there was no good foodstuff for us.

We were staying in that National Hotel, and Syamasundara had to spend at least two hours for getting things. That also not very nice thing. Rice could not be obtained. One Madrasi gentleman, he supplied us some rice, nice atta; otherwise only milk and butter is available, and meat, that's all. No fruit, no vegetables, no nice rice, and... These things are not available. This is Kali-yuga. Things will be..., supply will be reduced.

Actually, the supply is made by Krsna.

That is the difference between God and ourself. We are also person; God is also person. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. He is also living entity; we are also living entity. So what is the difference between God and ourself? That ekaḥ, that one living entity, nitya, singular number. So, bahūnam vidadhati kaman. He supplies the necessities of life to all these plural number, bahūnam. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. Those who know Sanskrit, this nitya means singular number person, and the nityanam, that is plural number. Both of them are persons, both of them are living entities, but why that singular number is considered to be supreme? Because He supplies foodstuff to all the plural.

So actually Krsna has everything ready for supplying to all the living entities. Nobody is meant for starving. No. That is not. Just like in the prison house, although the prisoners, they are condemned, still government takes care of their food, of their hospitalization; not that they should starve. No. Similarly, although in this material world we are all condemned... We are prisoners, prisoners. We cannot move, we cannot go from one planet to another. They are trying so much. Now they have failed. They do not talk now. [laughter] It is not possible, because we are prisoners. Conditioned. You will have to remain in this planet. One has to remain in that planet or.. There is no question that out of your own will and freedom, because you have no freedom.

But Narada Muni has freedom. Narada Muni is going from one planet to another. He is coming from the spiritual sky through the material sky, because he is perfect bhakta. So that is the ideal living entity. As Krsna has got full freedom, similarly when we become perfect, Krsna conscious, we also become free. This is our position. But not in the conditioned state that we can move. Cannot. Baddha. Brahmanḍa bhramite kona bhagyavan [Cc Madhya 19.151].

We are conditioned. But in the conditioned state also, if we follow the Vedic principles, we can be happy. Happy, and this human form of life especially, it is meant for that purpose, that you live happily, save time for developing Krsna consciousness so that next life you are no more in this material world; you are transferred to the spiritual world. This is the purpose of human life.

But these rascals, they do not know. They think that we are advancing civilization, because the cats and dogs, they are lying on..., on the floor and sleep; we have got 104-stories building and we lie down there. This is their advancement. But they do not understand that the sleeping, the enjoyment by sleeping, it is the same to the dog and to the man who is lying on the 104th planet..., story.

Similarly, sex life to the dog and to the man or to the demigod, the pleasure is the same. There is no difference. If you drink milk on a golden pot or an iron pot, the taste is the same. You cannot change the taste of the milk, or anything, putting into the golden pot. But these foolish persons, they are thinking that, that "Our material pleasure will be very much enjoyable when it is put into the golden pot instead of iron pot." Mūḍhaḥ. They are called mūḍhaḥ. [laughter] They do not know the...

Our real business is how to get out of this material body. That is, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duḥkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg 13.9]. This is real knowledge. One should keep in his thought that "My real distress of life are these four things, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-to take birth, to die, to become old and to become diseased. This is my problem." But they do not know this. They are now busy with the petroleum problem. Yes. Yes. They have created this petroleum problem, this horseless tin carriage. [laughter] Yes. They are thinking, "Better than horse. Now I have got this tin carriage." As soon as it is old, it has no value; you throw it in the street, especially in your country. Nobody takes care of it. And..., but one must have this carriage. And it must run on petrol, and take labor, so hard labor, goes within the desert, drill it, and then take out the oil, then bring it in tanks. And it is called ugra-karma.

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that these rascals, demons, they have created ugra-karma simply for trouble to the whole people. That's all. Ksayaya jagato 'hitaḥ [Bg 16.9], and bringing destruction nearer, nearer. Now they are work going on, and that may be big work, that means destruction, simply for creating a little comfort. Formerly also they were moving. Transport was there. But they do not like to remain in the former ways, because they have no other engagement. Better engagement, that they do not know.

Here is the better engagement: to come before Radha-Krsna and glorify the Lord and to understand our relationship. This is our real, real business, but nobody is interested in the real business. They are interested in superfluous engagement, whole day work in the office, then come here, go to the club, go to the football club, tennis club. In this way they have invented simply how to waste valuable life of this human form. They have done. They have no sense that how this life should be utilized for stopping this, I mean to say, prime problem, janma-mrtyu-jara. They do not know.

So this Srimad-Bhagavatam is giving to the whole world real life, real, what is meant by life. So this..., these are the etiquette: to take care, especially, of brahmana, old men, children, women and cows. This is civilization. These living entities should be taken care of. Now these rascals, they are killing cows and making women prostitutes, and killing the children even in the womb. And there is no question of brahmana respect, and neither there is the brahmana culture. Then how you can be happy? Huh? And if there is no brahminical culture in the societies, then that society is less than animal society.

Therefore we offer our prayers,

First deference is given, go-brahmana-hitaya ca, jagad-dhitaya. If you actually want to do some welfare activity for the benefit of the whole world, then these two things must be taken care of, go-brahmana-hitaya ca, cows and brahmanas. They should be given first protection. Then jagad-dhitaya, then there will be actual welfare of the whole world.

They do not know. Krsi-go-raksya-vanijyam-go-raksya, vanijyam-vaisya-karma svabhava-jam. This is the duty of the mercantile class of men: to improve agriculture, to give protection to the cows, krsi-go-raksya. And vanijyam. And if you have got excess food, you can trade, vanijyam. This is the business. The brahmana is meant for doing the brain work. He will give advice. Just like we, Krsna consciousness movement, we, we are not meant for the ksatriya's business or vaisya's business, the devotees, but if required they can take. Real business is, brahmana's business is to know the Vedas, the Brahman, the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth. He, he must know, and he must distribute the knowledge. This is brahmana. Kirtayanto. Satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drḍha-vrataḥ [Bg 9.14]. This is brahmana's business.

So we have taken this business that preach that there is God. We have got an intimate relationship with God. So if you act, act accordingly, then you will be happy. This is our Krsna consciousness movement. These rascals, they have forgotten, or they do not care to know, God, and that is the cause of their suffering. Yesterday that press reporter asked... What was the question?

Devotee: "Will this help to solve the oil crisis?"

Prabhupada: Yes. So what I answered?

Devotee: "Yes. Why not?"

Prabhupada: Huh?

Devotee: "Why not?"

Prabhupada: You do not remember?

Devotee: Yes. You said the solution is already there: Krsna consciousness.

Prabhupada: Yes. Actually! That is the fact. But they will not take to it. They will not take it. Now, what is the problem? It is not at all difficult. There is petrol, and it is used, it is meant for our use, but [break] difficulty is that the Arabians they are thinking it is mine. [end]