(This lecture was translated into French. Srila Prabhupada speaks a few sentences, Jyotirmayi-devi dasi translates this, and then Srila Prabhupada continues. Jyotirmayi-devi dasi also translates the questions and answers at the end of the lecture)

Therefore Rsabhadeva advises His sons, "My dear sons, do not waste your valuable body, human form of body, like the dogs and hogs." Then what, what is the purpose of human life? If we are not meant for living like the dogs and hogs, then what is the standard of human life? The answer is tapo divyam putraka [SB 5.5.1]. "My dear son, this life is meant for tapah." Tapah means austerity. Tapah another meaning is that temperature. Just like if we go in front of the fire, or if you go in the open sunlight, we get some temperature. That is called tapah, or tapah, sometimes it is called tapah, temperature, Yes. So this tapah means some temperature. (aside:) Why it is not working? That means voluntarily we have to accept some tapah, or little temperature. So generally the animal, they are meant for sense gratification, but human life has to practice tapasya to control sense gratification. Just like we are prescribing to our disciples: no illicit sex life, no intoxicants, no meat-eating, and no gambling. No illicit sex means, just like the dogs and hogs, they have no consideration with whom they're having sex intercourse. The hog especially, pig. He does not discriminate whether sister, mother, or anyone, you see. So tapah means... We are accustomed to so many, I mean to say, sinful activities, so we have to restrain from them. So tapasya, accepting voluntarily some painful situation, that is required. Say for (example) I am accustomed to smoke or to drink wine. So, I have to give it up. This is meant for human life. I have to give it up. Although I shall feel some pain in the beginning, but still I have to tolerate it. This is called tapasya.

In the western countries to give up these habit is little difficult, because about forty years ago, one of my brother, God-brother, came to London and he had a talk with Marquis of Zetland, and the Lord inquired from him whether he can be converted into a brahmana. He inquired from my God-brother whether he can be made into a brahmana, brahmana. So our God-brother said, "Yes, you can be converted into a brahmana if you give up these habits, namely illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating, and gambling." The gentleman's reply, Lord Zetland, "It is impossible." So that means he was not prepared to accept the tapasya. Voluntarily, abnegation. But here Rsabhadeva says that the human life is meant for tapasya, and not for living like pigs, hogs, and dogs. Next he says tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1], because tapasya means to accept voluntarily some painful situation. It is not very much painful, but they consider. But we are undergoing already, some painful situation working day and night. To satisfy the senses that also requires tapasya, hard labor, but here Rsabhadeva says that you accept some painful condition. It is not at all painful, but it appears. Tapo divyam, for God realization. [break] ...that everyone is working hard day and night, but that is for sense gratification. Similarly, if you take little trouble, if you accept voluntarily some painful condition for realizing God, divyam, that is the human mission. Now the question may be raised that both ways I have to accept some painful situation, so why shall I accept painful situation for realizing God? For material sense gratification, although I am working very hard, I am getting, immediately, some pleasure, sense pleasure. So why shall I work hard or accept some painful situation for realizing God which is unknown and fictitious to me? So the reply is, tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam [SB 5.5.1], "My dear boys, if you accept a little trouble for realizing God, then your existential condition will be purified."

What is the use of purifying? There is need. If you purify, purify yourself, existentional condition, then you will be saved from the four kinds of troubles or miseries of life, namely birth, death, old age and disease. So God realization means spiritual realization. So Rsabhadeva says tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyed [SB 5.5.1], by purification of your existentional condition you enjoy brahma-saukhyam. After all, we are searching after happiness, pleasure. So on account of our impure existential condition, our so-called happiness is temporary. Brahma-saukhyam means, here again, yena sattvam suddhyed, when your existence is purified. Now we have got impure existence, this material body. When we get our spiritual body, that is called purified. So Rsabhadeva says sattvam yasmad brahma-saukhyam anantam. As soon as you get your spiritual body, then there is unlimited happiness. We are, after all... In the Vedanta-sutra it is said that the living entity or God, both of them are for enjoying life, blissful life. Just like when you are diseased, you have got some fever. So, you cannot enjoy life. Similarly in this diseased condition of material existence we, actually, we cannot enjoy life. Therefore, if we purify our existential condition by tapasya, then we come into our spiritual existence and we can enjoy our life eternally. [break] ...therefore, that when we have got this human form of life, we shall not waste it simply for sense gratification like the dogs and hog. We should practice tapasya, restrain, and then we purify our existence and we are situated in a position wherein we can enjoy blissful life forever.

Now the process is prescribed how to execute this tapasya life. Rsabhadeva says, mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes, to get liberation, liberated from this entanglement of material life, one has to serve mahat, great saintly person. [break] Mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh [SB 5.5.2], vimukteh means for liberation. If you want to get liberation from this material bondage, repetition of birth, death, old age, and disease, and not only that, so long we live there are so many miserable conditions of life. This is called material existence. If we want to get out of this entanglement, then we must take to the service of great saintly personalities. So, that is the way for liberation, mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimuktes tamo-dvaram yositam sangi-sangam. There are two, just like we are in the crossroad, which way we shall go? That can be understood in this human form of life. This human form of life, we have come to this point by evolution. Now we are on the, just on the crossroad, whether we shall go this way or that way. If we want to be free from the entanglement of material misery, then here it is recommended, mahat-sevam. We must render service to the holy, saintly person and if you want to go deeper and deeper in the darkest region of existence, then we should turn our face for sense gratification.

So the instruction is very long, so (to) make it shorter I beg to inform you that this Krsna consciousness movement is trying to save person from going to the way of darkness. [break] ...go farther and farther on the path of darkness we become more and more entangled. More entanglement means: there are 8,400,000 forms of body. So after death we have to accept another body. [break] ...in the Bhagavad-gita, tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13], as we are passing from one body to another in this life... I was a child, you were a child, everyone, but that child body is no more existing. I am existing in a different body, and I have to pass through many different bodies. So this is also dehantara-praptih, changing the body. So similarly after death we shall change the body. Dehantara-praptih means to accept another body. Now as I have already said, there are 8,400,000 forms of bodies. So we have to accept one of them at the time of death on the basis of our mental condition. So if we are accustomed to the beastly mentality like dogs and hog, then naturally we are going to get such body. But if we practice during this life, human form of life, while we are intelligent enough, godly life, then you are going back to home, back to Godhead. It is up to us to decide whether we are going to the dogly life or Godly life, that is our choice. According to the instruction of Rsabhadeva, he says that this human form of life is a chance to practice Godly life and go back to home, back to Godhead. (aside:) What is the time now?

We should request you, we have opened this branch of Krsna consciousness movement just to give chance to everyone to come here and associate with the saintly devotees, and make your life very successful. I shall finish this lecture by reading one line only. The symptoms of saintly person is given, mahantas te sama-cittah prasanta vimanyavah suhrdah sadhavo ye. Who is saintly personality? That is given here, mahantas te sama-cittah. Sama-cittah means they are equipoised, means they're not agitated by the worldly activities. That means, it is described in the Bhagavad-gita, brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. This, one of the qualification is sama-cittah, not disturbed by worldly activities, because in the worldly activities either you make some profit or you make some loss. So our position is when we get some profit we are very jubilant, but when we are losing something we are very morose, unhappy. But a mahanta is equipoised. He is neither very happy when he makes profit, neither at all sorry when he makes losses. This is the first sign. Mahat-sevam, mahantas te sama-cittah prasanta. Prasanta means very peaceful. This is another qualification. Mahantas te sama-cittah prasanta, vimanyavah, he is never angry. Suhrdah, and he's a well-wisher. He's well-wisher not only for the human beings, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29], for all living entities. Like this person just, who are very friendly to the human being, but they sell the poor animals to the slaughter-house. Saintly person. Saintly person is suhrdam sarva-bhutanam, for all living entities he's friend. Suhrdah and sadhavah. Sadhavah means well-behaved. Sadhavah sadhu-bhusanah, well-behaved. The well-behavior is described in the sastra, to become a devotee of the Lord. [break] ...of saintly person is to become devotee of the Lord. [break] ...finish this now. You can ask if you have got any questions.