Anyway, the king of this planet, Rsabhadeva, was instructing His sons as follows:

So however busy we may be, however intelligent we may be, however advanced we may be in material civilization, the real point is sense gratification. I have seen in the Times Square in New York, there are so many advertisements for sense gratification. Advertising, "Here you'll have nice girls. Come on," like that. Freely written, and some naked picture. And so many theaters. The whole idea is sense gratification. That's all. Rsabhadeva... It is not new. This is very old fashioned. This sense gratificatory process is current in all other planets, even which we call the demigods' planet, heavenly planet, the moon planet, the sun planet, everywhere. From the highest planet, Brahmaloka, down to the, what is called, Patalaloka... There are different Sanskrit names of different planets. Everywhere in this material world is, the ultimate point is sense gratification. That's all.

So Rsabhadeva is pointing out that this sense gratification problem or desire or propensity is there even in the hogs and dogs. Therefore He says, distinguishing the human form of life from the life of lowest class of animals, that He says ayam deha, "this body." Na ayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke. Nrloke means in the human society. Everyone has got body. The dog has body, the cat has body, the tiger has body, the bird has body. Everyone has got body. Similarly we have also got body. Therefore He is warning, "My dear sons, in this body the aim of life should not be sense gratification after so much trouble." If the point is sense gratification, then why so much, I mean to say, manifestation of economic development? Do you think that those who are not fortunate to have these flyways or motorcars or a skyscraper building... Take for example the most aborigines, the most uncivilized nation somewhere in Africa or any other part of the world. Are they not sense gratifying? The dogs and hogs, they are not sense gratifying? So if the ultimate aim of life is simply sense gratification, then why should we take so much trouble?

There is a very nice storythese are very instructive story from Bhagavata. There was a very nice prostitute. Her fee was, if anyone wants to visit that prostitute, she was charging one hundred thousands of, what is called, diamond pieces. Diamonds you can understand. One diamond piece is at least five hundred dollars. So she used to charge, "If somebody wants to visit my house, then he must pay one hundred thousand pieces of diamond." So there were rich men. For sense gratification she was being paid. But one poor man and diseased man, so he had his very faithful wife. Although he was very poor and diseased, his wife was serving him very nicely. The husband could not work because he was diseased, and the wife was working, and, I mean to say, maintaining her husband, herself. Fortunately she had no children. But the husband was always morose. Now the wife is asking, "My dear husband, I am trying to satisfy you in so many ways, working myself and cooking for you, giving you foodstuff, and I am getting you bathed and everything. Why you are so morose?"

So he was hesitating to disclose his mind. When she insisted that "You disclose. Why you are so sorry? Then I shall try to satisfy you..." (aside:) Come on. ...so he disclosed his mind. What is that? "I want to visit that prostitute." Just see. He is poor man and (chuckling) he is diseased. Just see how much this lust and sense gratification is strong. He was thinking of going to that prostitute, and he disclosed his mind to his wife. Wife was very faithful. She wanted to satisfy her husband. So she promised, "My dear husband, I shall try my best to take you to that prostitute." "Oh, where you'll get one hundred thousand pieces of diamond?" "All right. I shall see to it." Then she went to the prostitute's house, and without her permission she was washing her dishes, her clothes, and, I mean to say, sweeping the rooms and everything. The prostitute asked, "Who are you? You are coming. You are not charging anything. You are not asking anything. What do you want?" "I shall tell you." So in this way, when she was daily asking that "What is your mind. You tell me. You are very nice woman. You are, for nothing you are working for me. I must something do for you." Then she disclosed her mind: "My dear lady, I am very poor woman, but my husband, he is diseased and he has no money, but he wants to visit you." So the woman could understand. She said, "Yes. You can bring your husband on such and such date." So she was very glad and told her husband that "I have fixed up, appointed a date. You shall be able to go." Oh, he was very glad.

Now when the man visited the prostitute's house, she received the man. In India it is system that when you receive a gentleman or lady you must give him sumptuously to eat. So there was many palatable dishes served to the man, and each vegetable and each preparation was put in two potsone in iron pots and one in golden pots. So he was eating. Now this man asked the prostitute, "Well, you have given me the same preparation in two pots: one in gold pot and one in iron pot. Why? What is the idea?" So she said that "First of all taste it. Then I shall disclose what is the idea." So he was tasting, eating. Then the prostitute asked him, "How do you like?" "Oh, it is very nice." "Then, is there any different taste in the golden pot?" "No. Same taste." "And the iron pot?" "Oh, the same taste." So she replied at that time that "You are so rascal that you want to gratify your senses, but you do not know that sense gratification in poor wife or rich wife is the same. There is no difference of taste, so why you are after a woman by paying this one hundred thousands of jewels?" The idea is... This story is very instructive, and it is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. The idea is the same thing... [break] ...sense gratification is the ultimate aim of life, then why so much hard trouble for decorating the process of sense gratification? Why wasting so much time for decorating?

So Rsabhadeva is asking that sense gratification there is necessity, because we have got senses. But not with too much trouble, accepting too much trouble in the name of economic development. Because our time is very valuable. If we want to utilize our short duration of life which we have got at our disposal, we must utilize it for self-realization, not for unnecessarily increasing the necessities of bodily wants. This is not a good type of civilization, simply wasting time for sense gratification. Time should be utilized for greater advantage. Canakya Pandita says that ayusah ksana eko 'pi na labhyah svarna-kotibhih. You know... In your country I have seen many tabloids, "Time is money." Yes, actually time is very valuable, but we do not know how to utilize this time. That is the mistake of this present civilization. Time should not be, I mean to say, wasted simply for sense gratification. So far the problem of sense gratification is there, it should be minimized. It should not be increased. Minimized.

Just like according to Vedic system there are brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasafour divisions of the society. Brahmacari, vanaprastha. Brahmacari means student life, vanaprastha means retired life, and sannyasa means renounced life. For them the minimum necessities of life is prescribed. And they should be automatically minimum because they are ordered to beg from door to door and live. The brahmacari is meant for begging. Now, no beggar can live very luxuriantly. That is not possible. It is not possible. So if a beggar goes somebody's house, "Mother, give me some alms," so it is not that one is awarding some hundred thousands of rupees or dollars. So naturally, they have minimized their... Only little luxury or, I mean to say, high standard of life is allowed to the grhasthas, according to Vedic system, and the three other sections of the society, they should minimize. Why minimize? Because the idea is not to waste time unnecessarily. Unnecessarily.

After all, either you live very high standard of life or low standard of life... There is no question of low standard of life. The proper upkeep of health is cleanliness. If you keep yourself clean, then your, I mean to say, problem of health is solved. Simply cleanliness. "Cleanliness is next to godliness." That is also an English proverb. And in Sanskrit literature also, bahyabhyantara-sucih: "One should be cleansed within and without." So without, you can clean yourself simply by water. By the laws of nature you have got enough water so you can cleanse yourself outside by water. There is no necessity of soap. There is no necessity of anything. Simply if you wash your body with water sufficiently. Of course, in your country it is cold country. In India, common people they go to the river and take bath very nicely because it is a tropical climate. There is no trouble. So you can cleanse your body. There are many saintly persons residing on the bank of the river Ganges. Early in the morning they cleanse the body. They go to evacuate on the field. After evacuating they come to the river, cleanse the body very nicely, and smear the body with the clay received from the river, and they sit down at a place and chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsnawhole day. They don't care for whether they have got to eat or not to eat. By God's grace somebody is coming, somebody is giving something, somebody is giving something. Just like in your country also you are offering, somebody is offering food, somebody is offering something. So there is arrangement by God's law, everyone shall eat. It is not that... You have never seen any animal or any bird has died for starvation. No. There is no starvation in the law of God. Everyone has food. Visayah khalu sarvatah syat. By the laws of nature, by God's order, everyone has, I mean to say, provision for four things. What is that? Eating, shelter, and sense gratification, and defense. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam ca. This is secure. Everyone. If you see a bird, bird's life. By nature, one bird has got another mate. A male and female, they are together. Anywhere you go: a tiger, a tigress; a dog, a she-dog; a hog, a she-hog. So these are not problems. Here also, anyone. A boy, a girl; a man, woman; there is. So the arrangement is there. That is not problem.

So we should be satisfied. The Krsna consciousness means whatever is received through the mercy of God, we should be satisfied. That's all. Therefore we prescribe that our students should be married. Because that is a problem. Sex life is a problem. So this marriage in every society, either Hindu society or Christian society or Muhammadan, marriage is done under religious rituals. That means one should be satisfied. "Oh, God has sent me this man as my husband." And the man should think that "God has sent me this woman, this nice woman as my wife. Let us live peacefully." But if I want, "Oh, this wife is not good. That girl is nice," "This man is not good. That man is good," then the whole thing is spoiled. Whole thing is spoiled. Because these demands are there, sense gratification. On the basis of sense gratification, "I don't like this girl. I like that girl." "I don't like this boy. I like that boy." That means sense gratification. Otherwise, the sense gratification... As I have already cited the example, the prostitute gave two pots of vegetables, that "You are thinking that you shall enjoy this woman who is charging one million dollars, or like that, the sense pleasure from this woman will be greater than the other woman. It is mistake." The sense pleasure is the same either you derive it from this man or that man or this woman or that man.

So if our Krsna consciousness improves, then we may be satisfied whatever is krsna-prasada. That's Krsna cons... Whatever Krsna has offered me, that is sufficient. No more. Then our problem of sense gratification is solved. Similarly, your bread problem is solved, your apartment problem is solved. If you make your life very simple and shortcut, then the balance time you can utilize for Krsna consciousness. This is the program. This is the program of Vedic civilization. You'll find great scholars, Vyasadeva... There is no comparison of his scholarship, how many... Now, this Srimad-Bhagavatam, he has written eighteen thousand verses. And not only Srimad-... He has written eighteen Puranas. Out of eighteen Puranas the Srimad-Bhagavatam is one Purana. And in one Purana you find eighteen thousand verses, and each and every word is so meaningful that you study throughout your whole life, oh, still you'll find refreshed. Why this Srimad-Bhagavatam? There is Mahabharata. And out of the Mahabharata the Bhagavad-gita is only one chapter, seven hundred verses. Such a great scholar was living in a cottage. You see. Not only that. He was, of course, brahmana, he was saintly... But he was family man. He had his wife, he had his children.

Similarly, you'll find the history of Canakya Pandita. He was a great politician, prime minister of Emperor Candragupta. Those who have read history of India, they know it. The Candragupta was during the time of Alexander the Selkar(?) in Greece. He also visited India to conquer. That history is there. So at that time Candragupta was the emperor of India, and he had his prime minister Canakya Pandita. And he was not charging a farthing. And he was vastly learned man. You see. His politics is studied in the M.A. class in India university. And those who are the students of politics, they might have known this gentleman's name, Canakya Pandita. And in India, New Delhi, there is a quarter where foreign ambassadors are supplied place. So that quarter is known as Canakyapuri. Canakyapuri. Because he was politician, under his name that place is ascertained Canakyapuri. So the prime minister, the great scholar, the great scientist, they used to live in a cottage. They gave us so much contribution how to make scientific advancement. Because the brahmanas, they were meant not for material enjoyment. Simply for... Therefore four classes. Only the ksatriyas and vaisyas were meant for economic development.

So the whole idea here is expressed by Rsabhadeva. "My dear sons," ayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman na arhate vid-bhujam ye, "you should distinguish yourself from the hogs and dogs, that simply for sense gratification, this life is not meant for working very hard." That is the modern civilization. Not only here... Now, the whole material world, history is like that. People are after sense gratification. (aside:) Come on. So Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, a great commentator on Srimad-Bhagavatam, is explaining this verse that kastan, kasta-pradan kamam yosit-darsana-sparsanadim na arhate naivarhati iti.(?) Kaman. He has plainly explained that kama, sense gratification, means to see woman with lust or to touch woman with lust. That is called kama, or sense gratification. So this is natural. Materialistic life means wherever there is some beautiful woman or girl, it is natural. It is not... One sense, it is not bad because it is natural. There is a very nice verse written by Rupa Gosvami. He is explaining, yuvatinam yatha yuni yunam yatha yuvatau.(?) Yuvati means young girl, and yuna means young boy. So he is expressing his desire, "My dear Lord, as a young boy has got natural affection for a young girl, or a young girl has got a natural affection for a young boy..." Spontaneously. It is not to be taught or to be educated in the schools and colleges. Spontaneously the attraction is there. "...how my attraction for You will be like that, spontaneous?" It is a very nice example.

So this attraction for man or woman is called kama. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that this has to be controlled. This has to be controlled. That is the distinction between human life and animal life. Animal life, they are still controlled, but human life, being so-called advanced in civilization, they have no control. You'll be surprised that lion... These examples are given in the sastras. It is not that the animal-eaters or meat-eaters have got more passion than the vegetable-eaters. No. The example is given there is the sastra, comparison between lion and the pigeons. The pigeons are vegetarian. They simply eat grains. And the lions, they eat only meat and flesh. So... But still, in spite the lion's eating flesh, he has got only one sex appetite, once in a year. But the vegetarian, the pigeon, although eating grains, oh, at least hundred times daily. You see? So it is not that the vegetarians are less passionate than the animal-eaters or flesh-eaters. Nature's codes are different. It can be controlled. But human consciousness, this control is, I mean to say, practiced from the brahmacari life. Because the... Unless we control our sex life, there is very little possibility of advancing in spiritual consciousness.

Because spiritual perfection means to stop the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. That is real spiritual perfection. Stopping. Stopping the soul, the spirit soul, transmigrating. This process is going on. Ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Lord Caitanya says that each and every spirit soul is just wandering throughout the whole universe from one planet to another, one body to another. This business is going on. But the basic principle of that continued transmigration is sex life or sense gratification. Anyway, as long we have got a pinch of sense gratification we have to take birth in any form or any shape within this material world. That is the whole process. Therefore if we are at all interested... And that interest must be there in human life; otherwise it is spoiling. That is the problem, that no more transmigration from one body to another. That problem can be solved in this human form of life. Therefore Rsabhadeva advises His sons, "My dear sons, to work very, very hard simply for sense gratification is not the business of human form of life." Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke.

Then what it is meant for? The next line He says that tapah. Tapah means austerity. Austerity. What is that austerity? The austerity is to follow the rules and regulations by which one can elevate himself to the spiritual platform. That is required. In human... Either you practice yoga or hatha-yoga or jnana-yoga or dhyana-yoga or karma-yoga or... Everything is yoga. As I explained last night in the meeting in the church, that yoga is one staircase to reach to the perfection of spiritual realization, and there are many steps. Just like hatha-yoga, dhyana-yoga, jnana-yoga, there are many steps. But the perfectional stage is bhakti-yoga. The perfectional stage is bhakti-yoga. That should be the aim of life. But people do not know it that what is the aim of life. The aim of life is self-realization and to understand and to know and to reestablish our lost relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That should be the aim of life. Therefore it requires tapah. Tapah means voluntarily accepting some penances. Just like I am inclined for sense gratification, and tapasya means voluntarily avoid too much sense gratification. The sastra does not stop sense gratification. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. If the nature law allows sense gratification to the lower animals, birds and beast, why not to the man? But it should be controlled. Tapasya.

So this is also tapasya. Just like if one man is satisfied with one woman or one woman is satisfied with one man and live peacefully, that is tapasya. Because natural inclination is that "I want to enjoy that man or that woman." But if you can control, that you be satisfied with woman or with one woman, that is called tapasya. That is austerity. That is, voluntarily, you are restraining himself. Tapasya means voluntary restraint. In India, still, the system is followed in conservative families that a widow cannot marry. There is no widow marriage in India. They, the... Manu-samhita, the law-givers, the saintly persons, Manu-samhita... Why widow marriage is prohibited? The idea is generally, everywhere, in all countries, the female population is greater than the male population. So the idea is that she has become widow. She was once married. Now if again she is married, another virgin girl, she does not get the chance of being married. Therefore there is no widow marriage according to Hindu scripture. And a man is allowed, if he is, I mean to say, able man, he can marry more than one wife. Not that simply marry. To get more than one wife does not mean sense enjoyment. The wife must be maintained very respectfully. She must have good house, good ornaments, good food, good servants, good children. Then one can marry. Not that simply for sense gratification.

Just like Krsna. Krsna married sixteen thousand wives. And sixteen thousand wives, sixteen thousand palaces. And each wife, ten children. And Narada wanted to see how Krsna is managing these sixteen thousand wives. He wanted to visit each and every palace, and he saw that everywhere Krsna is present. That means not that He remained one and there were sixteen thousand. Because there were sixteen thousand wives, so with each and every wife He was present. That is God. He can expand Himself. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma-bhutah [Bs. 5.37]. Akhilatma-bhutah. He is all-pervading. Why sixteen thousand women? If He's omnipotent, all-powerful, then sixteen millions of wives also insufficient for Him.

So the program of sense gratification should be minimized, and that is called tapasya. Tapah. Tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1]. Then, "Why I shall minimize my sense gratification? If I have got opportunity, I must utilize it to the best of my capacity. That is being done not only now. Every time." No. You have to do it: divyam, for self-realization, for God-realization. You have to save your time. Tapo divyam putraka. And what is the purpose of that self-realization, or God-realization? That is yena sattvam suddhyet. Then your existence will be purified. What is the necessity of purifying my existence? Yena sattvam suddhyed yasmat... If you purify your existence, then yasmad brahma-saukhyam [SB 5.5.1], you'll relish unlimited pleasure. You are after now temporary pleasure by sense gratification, but in this life, in this human form of life, if you control your sense gratification and utilize the time for self-realization, so as soon as you are self-realized man or Brahman realized man then your happiness is unlimited. You are after happiness. Your sense gratification means you are after happiness, but this happiness is temporary. Any material happiness, it has no continuity. It has got limit. But if you want... But my desire is to have unlimited happiness, unlimited life, unlimited knowledge. If you want that, so try this life, this human form of life. Don't waste it simply after sense gratification, but practice austerity. Minimize your sense gratification. Be satisfied whatever is offered by nature or by God. We don't... Not complete abstinence, but regulate it, and the balance time utilized for self-realization. Then your perfection will be there by which you'll live eternally. You will enjoy eternally and your knowledge will be unlimited.

So Rsabhadeva instructed in this way. It is very instructive chapter. If you continue to understand this instruction of Rsabhadeva... Now we have only read one verse. The next verse is that mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh [SB 5.5.2]. Mahat-seva. If you want this platform of self-realization, or spiritual life, then your engagement should be mahat-seva, to serve a great soul, to associate with great soul. Then that will be possible. We shall discuss this next sloka. Mahat-seva. Who is mahat, who is great soul, how to serve, everything we shall discuss next meeting.

Thank you very much. Any questions? Any question? Try to understand this philosophy scrutinizingly. You have got intelligence, you have got brain. So if there is any doubt, whatever is spoken... It is not dogmatic, pushing, or thrashing something. No. It is scientific and reasonable, whatever is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Amalam puranam. It is spotless. Nobody can find any fault. Srimad-Bhagavatam amalam puranam. Amalam means spotless. Yes.

So if we human beings, if we forget even ordinary mercy, compassion and gratefulness, then what is that human life? And then from national point of view... National means one who is born in this land. The cow is also born in this land. So why the man should be given protection, not the cow? But according to Vedic civilization you see. You have read in Srimad-Bhagavatam, I explained. Oh, one man was going to kill one cow. Immediately Maharaja Pariksit took his sword, "Oh, you are trying to kill cow in my kingdom? I shall immediately kill you." The special protection, brahmanas and cow. You know, we offer Krsna obeisances, namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca: "Krsna, You are the leader of brahminical civilization." The purest civilization. Namo brahmanya-devaya go-brahmana-hitaya ca. "You are the well-wisher of cows and the brahmanas." Why special stress is given to the words go and brahmana, cows and brahmanas? Then he said, jagad-dhitaya. "After being, first being well-wisher to the cows and brahmanas, then You are well-wisher of this general world." Jagad-dhitaya krsnaya govindaya namo namah. This is the prayer, namo brahmanya-devaya.

So why this specific stress has been given to the cows and brahmanas? Just see Krsna's picture, how He's loving the cow. You see? He is instructing by His practical life how He is compassionate with the cows. He played as a cowherd boy. Why? Because if in human society these two things are neglected, cows and the brahmana, that is animal society. Animal society. That is not human society. That is the idea. Because the brahmanas, they will give you good information of spiritual life, and cows will give you the best food you can have within this material world. That is the real interpretation of go-brahmana-hitaya ca. If you have simply a cow and... The great sages, just see. A child born, it lives simply on cow's milk. First of all, mother's milk. Milk for six months. Then when it is a little grown up, you simply give her sufficient milk, oh, she'll be very stout and strong. Then supply it little grains, fruits. That's all.

So we have got many foodstuff in the vegetarian kingdom, and Krsna asks you that patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati: [Bg. 9.26] "Anyone who is offering Me..." This is universal. Patram means a leaf. Just like a leaf. Puspam, a flower. And patram puspam phalam. Phalam means a fruit. And toyam means water. So any poor man can offer Krsna. There is no need of, I mean to say, luxuriant foodstuff, but it is meant for the poorest man. The poorest of the poor men can secure these four thingsa little leaf, a little flower, a little fruit, and little water. Any part of the world. Therefore He is prescribing, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati: "Anyone who offers Me with love and devotion..." Tad aham bhakty-upahrtam. "Because it is brought to Me with love and devotion," asn ami, "I eat." Krsna is not hungry, neither He is poor. But the main thing is bhaktya, devotion and love. So whatever you offer Krsna with devotion and love within this group as prescribed by Him, Krsna accepts it. So you can offer anywhere. It does not matter that you have to offer in temple. Krsna is everywhere. So you offer and eat that. This cauliflower is also flower. This is also flower. (chuckles) And potato is fruit. Fruit, flower. Yes.

So any other question? Yes?