Everyone is deserving to be punished, beginning from Lord Brahma down to the ant, every living entity. Dandam arhanti. And the final dandam... Danda means punishment. The final danda is death. Everywhere, anywhere you go within this universe, planetary system... Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah: "Those who are in the modes of goodness, they are elevated to the higher planetary system." And madhye tisthanti rajasah: "Those who are under the spell of passion, they keep within the middle planetary system." And those who are most abominable, they are given to the lower planetary system. Urdhvam gacchanti sattva-stha madhye tisthanti rajasah, jaghanya-guna-vrtti-sthah [Bg. 14.18]. Jaghanya means very abominable guna, in the darkest region of ignorance. They are put into the lower planetary system, animal. And there are 8,400,000 different forms of life, and they are distributed all over the universe. Don't think that here only there are living entities and all other planets are vacant. This is nonsense. Everywhere there is living entity. Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad..., sarva-gah. The living entity is everywhere. You can go anywhere. You can go to the higher planetary system, you can go to the lower planetary system, and you can go to the kingdom of God also in the spiritual world. Therefore the living entity's another name is sarva-gah. He can go anywhere. If you like, you go to hell. If you like, you go to heaven. If you like, you go to God. If you like, you become animal. If you like, you can become demigod. Everything, fully. That little independence is there. As you like, Krsna will give you facility.

Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati: [Bg. 18.61] "My dear Arjuna, the Lord is situated in everyone's heart." Why He is situated there? Because He is the suhrdam sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 5.29]. We are sons of God. He is very sorry that unnecessarily we are wandering within this universe and suffering in different types of bodies, and this is going on. So isvara, He is very well-wisher, friend. He is simply trying to turn His face towards you. That's it. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam [Bg. 18.61]. He has given little freedom, so do whatever you like. But He is simply taking the chance, "When this rascal will turn towards Me?" That is His business. That is stated in the Vedic sastra, that two birds are sitting in the same tree. One is eating the fruit and the other is simple witnessing. So the eating bird is the jivatma, individual soul, and the witness bird is God, Paramatma. So He is giving us the facility. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna ti..., bhramayan sarva-bhutani [Bg. 18.61]. You cannot, out of your own power, you can go to the higher planetary, lower planetary, anywhere. No. That is to be sanctioned by God. Bhramayan. I want to go here, there. He will give me facility. And what is the process? Now, yantra, a machine. Just like you have got the machine, aeroplane, you go from here to there, similarly, this is also a yantra, this is also a machine. The difference is that this is God-made machine or Yes, everything is God-made, and your machine is man-made. Here the machine is growing automatically, and your machine, each and every machine you have to manufacture in the factory. That is the difference. Both of them are machine, but this machine is God-made, and the other machine is man-made.

So some atheist old man, he challenged me that "Why you are thinking of God? This body is just like a clock. You wind it and it will go on." That's all right. But here a clock machine is there. It can produce other clock. But your clock cannot do that. That is the difference. Here God-made machine is so nice and perfect that He creates one male and one female, and unlimited machine is coming out, so much so that you, being disgusted, you kill some of the machine. And they are trying to manufacture another machine in the laboratory, in the test tube. What is the credit there? Millions of machine are coming out without your test tube. But they want to take credit.

So anyway, this is a machine, and the machine is given by God. Bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya [Bg. 18.61]. God has nothing to do. He simply orders His maidservant, this material nature. The material nature is God's maidservant, lower-grade maidservant. He has got many maidservants, Laksmis. They are all goddess of fortune. Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam [Bs. 5.29]. He has got so many. The gopis are maidservants. The Laksmis are maidservant. You will find this description in Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krsna book, that all the queens of Krsna they were discussing with Draupadi, female talk. Draupadi was asking, "How you were married?" So they were narrating the incidence, how (s)he was married to Krsna. But the conclusion is there: every queen was speaking, "In this way, I have been maidservant of Krsna." Nobody says that "I have become queen," although they were queen. They were also coming from royal family, very good family. Krsna had to conquer such queen by fighting. They're not ordinary wife. But still, they say that "In this way I have become maidservant." So everyone is maidservant. We are also maidservant, prakrti. Prakrti means female. Jiva-bhutah, yayedam dharyate, itas tu prakrti viddhi me parah. Krsna says First of all the material energy, prakrti... The material energy is also prakrti, maidservant. And the spiritual energy, also maidservant. And we are, we jivas, we are also maidservant. Here we are dressed as man, but our original position is maidservant of Krsna, prakrti. Here, of course, even woman, she is also thinking as man. Man means enjoyer, and prakrti means enjoyed. So anyone who is thinking, "I am enjoyer," outwardly he may be in the female form or male formhe is purusa. Therefore this conditioned soul is purusa. Purusah prakrti-sthe api.

So anyone who has come within this material world, everyone is thinking, "I am purusa. I am enjoyer." That is sinful. That is... Just like if a woman artificially dresses herself as a man, that is not very good business. That is not appreciated. So our position is that we are actually maidservant of Krsna, but here, in the material world, we are trying to become purusa, or enjoyer. This is our disease. That is sinful. That is sinful. Suppose if a woman dresses like man... Of course, nowadays it is very fashionable to have coat, pant, like the... So that is not very, liked very much. It is artificial. So anything artificial we do, that is sinful. This is the description of sin. What is sin? You, if you act naturally, that is good; but if you act artificially, that is sinful. This is the distinction between sinful activities and pious activities. So our natural function is, as described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, jivera 'svarupa' haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. This is our constitutional position, that we are eternally servant of Krsna, or maidservant of Krsna, as you say. But we are trying to become master. So that is sinful. So we are creating so many positions, situations, "How I can become the master." Krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare, pasate maya tare japatiya dhare. The living entity, forgetting his real position as maidservant of God or servant of God, when he wants to enjoy this material world, that is maya. Maya tare japatiya dhare. Immediately. That is sinful.

So this disease is there even in Lord Brahma down to the small ant. Everyone is trying to enjoy this material... The whole material civilization means everyone is trying to enjoy this world, that civilization. So many cars are running here and there, but what is the purpose? The purpose is everyone is trying to enjoy. That is sinful. That is sinful, because you cannot enjoy. Enjoyer is Krsna. Bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. So long you are trying to encroach upon Krsna's jurisdictioneverything is Krsna's jurisdiction, but you are falsely trying to enjoythat is disease. So this human life specially meant for understanding this truth. That is human life. Krsna is educating the human society. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim parah. First of all He described the material energy, bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh [Bg. 7.4]. This is also Krsna's energy. Krsna is everythingthe material, spiritual, marginal, everything. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. Somewhere He is personally present. Somewhere He is present by His energy. So everything is energy of Krsna. Parasya brahmanah saktih.

So every living entity who has forgotten Krsna, trying to imitate Krsna, that is sinful. So these sinful activities we are doing in ignorance, in lower grade of life. Just like cats and dogs and birds and trees and the..., they do not know, there is no capacity. They are so much covered with ignorance that a tree is standing, you cut it: there is no protest because it is so dull. Similarly, you take the animal, slaughterhouse, it cannot protest. These are the symptoms of ignorance. And as soon as there is awakening of Krsna consciousness or advanced consciousness, then if I pinch you, immediately you protest, "Why you have pinched me?" That is the difference between the lower-grade life and higher-grade life. So if in the higher-grade life we do not understand Krsna, then we are making suicide, cutting our own throat. That is sinful. So here is a chance, the human form of body. Death will come to the dog and to me also. Then where is the difference? The difference is so long I am living, I can try to understand Krsna; others cannot. If we miss this opportunity, then we are committing suicide. This is the verdict of the sastra.

So nayam deha deho-bhajam nrloke. Everybody has got material body. The ant has got also material body, and Lord Brahma has got also material body. Anyone who is in the material world, he has got this material body. Therefore it is called ayam deha: "this deha, this body." I am not deha. That is the tenth-class ignorance if I think, "I am this body." Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke. Everyone has got body, but nrloke, in the human society, the body which you have got, or the person who has got this human form of body, kastan kaman na arhate, for such animal, having this material body, human body, it is not meant for working so hard. That is first-class civilization when people are not working very hard, living very peacefully, and getting their necessities of life. That is first-class civilization, not that to work day and night like hogs and dog, and get a cup of tea and little morsel of bread. That is not civilization. Therefore sastra says, nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhu... [SB 5.5.1]. This kind of hard labor for sense gratification little, it is done by the hogs and dogs. So to teach people to work day and night for simply eating purposes, sense gratification, that is hog civilization, according to sastra. Nayam deha deho-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. Then what is the purpose of human life? Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattva yena brahma-saukhyam anantam. You are seeking after happiness. So this life is meant for tapasya, austerity. Not to indulge in sense gratification. That is done by the dogs and hogs. You are human being, you are meant for practicing austerity. "Oh, why shall I practice austerity?" Now, yato suddhyed sattva. Your existence will be purified. You are suffering in this material world because your existence is not purified. Therefore you are accepting death. Who dies? The diseased man dies. Of course, everyone dies. Everyone is diseased here. But generally, we understand, one who is not healthy, he dies. So why we die? We are eternal. Everyone knows. Nityah sasvato 'yam na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. Then why I am dying? Why I am suffering from disease, from old age? This should be the human question, and they should try to solve this, and this opportunity is given by nature and God combined. God has ordered nature to give me this machine, human form of body. If we do not utilize it as human being, that is sinful. That is sinful.

So there are so many witnesses, as we have already discussed.

So therefore it is said here, etair adharmo vijnatah. One who is religious or irreligious, there are so many witnesses. They inform. Krsna personally sees also. He is there within the heart. So it is not very difficult for Krsna and His agent to understand who is religious or irreligious. Just like I have said many times that our test tube testing is Krsna's word that "One who is religious or unreligious..." What is that? Catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtinah arjuna: "Four classes of men who are pious, they come to Me for worshiping." Who are they? Arto artharthi jijnasuh jnani, four classes. One who is distressed, he goes to God: "Sir, I am very much distressed. Kindly give me relief." Artharthi, one is poor, he also goes, provided he is pious. The impious, they'll "Uh, what is God? I will do it." Just like the Communists, they say, "You are poor, so why you are going to the church? Beg from us bread." And poor men, they beg, and they give many breads, and they become atheist: "Well, we are getting from the Communist leaders bread. Why shall I go to church, 'God gives us, give me'?" But because they are poor, poor in knowledge, they do not know that the bread is coming from the Communist factory. It is coming from God, the wheat. That is not manufactured in the factory. But they have no intelligence. They think that "Our Communist friend, he is giving me bread."

So in this way we are misguided by so many rascals and forget God, and that is sinful life. That is the sinful life. Therefore it is said, etair adharmah vijnatah: now as soon as you are sinful, you have to be punished. That is nature's law. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. It is not that God has to come personally to punish you. When God comes personally to punish you, then you are not ordinary. (laughter) Just like He came to punish Ravana, Kamsa. They are not ordinary. But ordinary person, a little headache is sufficient to finish him. He doesn't require to bring God. God's agents, there are so many agents. One agent is sufficient. So in this way there are different grades of punishment. Just like first-class, second-class, third-class prisoner. They are all punished in the prison house, but some of them are first class, some of them are second class. So similarly, within this material world it is called durga. Durga means fort, and the superintending deity is called Durga, goddess material nature. So it is a fort like. You cannot go from here and there. You are trying so much to go from this planet to moon. You cannot do. Just like in the prison house, no prisoner can leave this place to go to another unless he is ordered to do so; similarly, we are conditioned. It is not possible, "Because we have manufactured some machine, by force I can go anywhere." No. That is not possible. That is not possible. You may do it for perpetually, but sastra says if you practice piously, then you can be elevated to the higher planetary system. It is very easy, but we are so fool, we cannot understand that... Suppose in coming, either from India to America or America to..., we have to make so many arrangements: visa, passport, medical certificate, this, that. No country will allow you without all these things. So how you can go to the other planets without being equipped? This is foolishness. This is not possible. We are conditioned means we cannot go from here to there. There is rule and regulation. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. So this is futile attempt. Therefore the Vaisnavas recommend that "Why you are foolishly attempting so many things? Just utilize this life for developing Krsna consciousness. Chant Hare Krsna."

Thank you very much. (end)