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751004SB.MAU
Prabhupada:
na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum
durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah andha yathandhair upaniyamanas te 'pisa-tantryam uru-damni baddhah [SB 7.5.31] The people in general, especially in this age, they do not know what is the goal of life, and still, they are leaders. That is the defect of the modern civilization. It is the defect of material world, but especially in this Kali-yuga, it is the most abominable, fallen age. There are Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara-yuga, and Kali-yuga, just like there are different seasons in the yearsummer, rainy season, then winter season, autumn, spring, like that. So formerly, in the Satya-yuga people used to live for 100,000's of years. Then, in the Treta-yuga, they used to live for 10,000 years. And in the Dvapara-yuga they used to live for 1,000 years. That is the maximum. And in the Kali-yuga they can live up to one hundred years. That is also not completed. With the advancement of Kali-yuga the duration of life, bodily strength, memory, mercifulness, religious sensein this way everything will be reduced. And the duration of life will be reduced so much so that it is stated in the Bhagavata that "If a man lives for twenty to thirty years he will be considered as a grand old man." And there will be not available especially rice, wheat, milk, sugar. These are stated. This is Kali-yuga.
So the nature of this material world is that without knowing the goal of life they become leaders. Material world, especially in this age, they do not know what is the goal of life. They do not know what he is. That is the defect. Dehatma-buddhih. Everyone, all over the world, they are thinking in terms of this body. Accidentally, somehow or other, because I have got this Indian body I am thinking, "I am Indian." And another person, he has got the American body from America... This land also we have demarcated. That is also our creation. Otherwise the land belongs to God. We have created this, that "This is America," "This is India," and "This is England," 'This is Germany..." But actually every land belongs to..., every land, sea, sky belongs to God. Isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1]. That is Vedic civilization. "Everything belongs to God." Isavasyam idam sarvam. That is Krsna consciousness. People should be free to move in Krsna consciousness. Everything, actually it belongs to Krsna. But we have got restriction because we see "This is America, this is India, this is..." So they have been described here as andha yathandhair upaniyamanah: "These leaders are themselves blind, and they are leading other blind men." General public, they are blind, and the leaders are also blind. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah [SB 7.5.31]. Why they are blind? Now, because they do not know what is the aim of life. Na te viduh. Na te viduh svartha-gatim. Everyone is self-interested. That's very good. You are self-interested; I am self-interested. So that is... But you do not know what is your self-interest. Therefore you are blind. That is described here, that "These blind leaders, they do not know." They are especially mentioned, andha yathandhair upaniyamanah. The leaders, they lead others. So, yad yad acarati srestha tat tad evetaro janah [Bg. 3.21]. Leaders are responsible because yad yad acarati srestha: "Those who are leaders, whatever they do, they perform, common men follow that." Therefore they must be very perfect. Common men follow the leaders. If the leaders are themselves imperfect, then what will be the position of the common men?
So here it is said that because the leaders, they do not know what is the aim of life, what is the goal of life, therefore common men, people in general, they are being misguided. They are being misguided. Suppose a blind man leads some other blind men. What will be the result? Both of them will meet danger. That is the result because... "Why? They are doing very nicely, with great cautiousness." No. But they do not know that they are bound up by the laws of nature. Te 'pisa-tantrya uru-damni baddhah. They cannot divert their attention or deviate from the laws of nature. That is not possible. So they are under the laws of nature. They do not now why the laws of nature acting in a different way, against their will. Suppose I do not wish to die. Why laws of nature enforcing, forcing me to die? Nobody wants to die. So you cannot surpass the laws of nature. Therefore Krsna presents in the Bhagavad-gita that "You are trying to solve the problems of life, but here are the real problems of life: janma-mrtyu-jara vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]." The real problem is that there is death, there is birth, there is old age and there is disease. This is real problem. That problem is due to this material body. Therefore our real problem is that we have got this material body, but we have no sense that "Within this material body I am the spirit soul, living. So how to get out of this material body and again revive our spiritual body?" Spiritual body is already there. How to become free from the bondage of this material body and become free again in spiritual life, that is real problem of life. That they do not. Who knows? Bring any big, big leaders. Ask him that "Do you know what is the problem of life?" They do not know. Therefore it is said, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum [SB 7.5.31].
Therefore this movement, Krsna consciousness movement, is preaching back to Godhead, not go forward for meeting again and again birth, death, old age, and disease. That this portion of problem, we have already discussed yesterday. Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. Punah punas carvita-carvananam means chewing the chewed. You have got sugarcane, many quantity. If somebody chewed the sugarcane, took out the juice, and if the remnants is thrown away, what you will get by chewing again that remnants? So punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. By our activities we are being placed under the laws of material natureprakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]infecting different modes of material nature. Just like if you infect that... This morning some medical officer came to inject me about the yellow fever. So why this injection, vaccine, against the disease? That means if I infect this yellow fever, I will have to suffer. Similarly, the modes of material nature are three: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. And as we are infecting ourself with the three kinds of modes of material nature, we are getting different types of bodies. Karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu [Bg. 13.22]. I am put into these laws of material nature, and as I am acting under the influence of different modes of material nature, I am getting a type of body. That is my material position. Bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]. Tatha dehantara praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. We have to change this body. Death means changing body. We are changing body every moment, every second, and getting a new body imperceptibly. And the last change of this body is taken as death, transmigration of the soul. But nobody knows "What kind of change is going to happen in my next body or next life." But there is change of body, dehantara-praptih. Just like I was a child. Now I have got another body, the body is changed. Similarly, when this body will be finished, then I will get another body. This is a fact. If we cannot understand, then we have to take it from authority to understand, because understanding means taking knowledge from the authority.
So Krsna says, dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara, tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. Dehantara-praptih is there, information. So how can we deny that there is no life after death? There is. But nobody is caring to understand, "What is my next life, what is going to happen? Today I may be in a very big position, and tomorrow, if I am going to be a tree..." Here we are sitting very comfortably in this room. Just a few yards after, there is a tree. He cannot move an inch even, and he has to stand there in cyclone, in scorching heat, in everything. Why? We are Both of us, we are living entities. Why he has got this body, I have got this body, and one may have better body than me? Why there are so many, 8,400,000 species of life and different position? Why this is? There is no such inquiry. There is no such knowledge. Therefore they have been described here as andha, blind. They do not know the goal of life that we are part and parcel of God. Mamaivamso jiva bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. Some way or other, we have come in material contact. Now it is our duty to get out of these laws of material Isa-tantrya. Isa-tantrya, under certain condition Just like under certain condition a criminal is put into the prisonhouse. So it is his duty to know that "I have committed this criminal activity; therefore I have been put into this jail or prison life. Some way or other, complete it, and let me decide not to commit again any criminal acts so that I may be put again into prison life." This is intelligent. Similarly, we should be educated how we have been put into this material conditional life and how we can get out of it and then again in our spiritual life we can go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be the aim of life. But na te viduh: "They do not know." Na te viduh svartha-gatim. The progress should be towards Visnu, Lord Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, back to home, back to Godhead. They do not know. Why? Because durasaya. They are thinking that "We shall make adjustment in this material life, and we shall be happy."
Durasaya ye bahir-artha-maninah. Bahih. Bahih means external. This material world is the external energy of God, and the spiritual world is the internal energy of God. So we are in the external energy of God. The external energy of God means although we are eternal, we have to accept different types of body according to our desire, according to our tendency to enjoy this material world, and therefore that facility is given in this material world. In the spiritual world there is only one aimthey are all eternal servitors of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They have no other desire. That is spiritual world. So you can transform this material world into spiritual world if you have got only aim to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then it can be transformed into spiritual world, although spiritual world is differently situated. Paras tasmat tu bhavo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktat sanatanah [Bg. 8.20]. There is another nature which is spiritual world. They have no information. But we get information from Bhagavad-gita and other sastras that spiritual world is still bigger. This material world is the one-fourth of the God's creation, and the spiritual world is the three-fourth. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, ekamsena sthito jagat.
"My dear Arjuna, how long I shall describe you about My opulence? I summarize it that this material world is only one-fourth manifestation of My opulence." Ekamsena sthito jagat. This material world means... You have... We have got experience about this universe up to the sky, as far as we can see, the horizon. This is one universe. And there are millions of universes like this. That is stated in the Brahma-samhita, that yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti-kotisv asesa-vasudhadi-vibhuti-bhinnam [Bs. 5.40]. Yasya prabha. The Lord's effulgence is Brahman effulgence. Within that Brahman effulgence there are innumerable universes, jagad-anda-koti. Jagad-anda means this brahmanda. Anda. It is round; it is not flat. Anda, just like egg. Koti. Koti means innumerable. And in each universe... Yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti kotisv asesa-vasudhadi [Bs. 5.40]. In each brahmanda there are unlimited number of planets and stars, asesa-vasudha. And vibhuti-bhinnam. And each planet is differently situated. Each planet has got specific atmosphere, specific arrangement. Just like the sun globe. The sun globe is fiery. The moon, moon planet, it is very pleasing. There is also fire, but it is surrounded by cold atmosphere; therefore it is very pleasing. So vibhuti-bhinnam. Each every planet has got different atmosphere. And each and every planet, there are different kinds of living entities just suitable for that atmosphere. Don't think that in the sun planet there is no life. There is also life. If there is no life, how Krsna says that imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]? Vivasvate means... The king of sun planet is known as Vivasvan. So Krsna spoke with him, so how you can say there is no life? This is material world, many millions of universes. In another place it is said, yasyaika-nisvasita-kalam athavalambya jivanti loma-bilaja jagad-anda-nathah [Bs. 5.48].
So we have to take information from the authoritative literature what is the position of this material world, the spiritual world, God, and His relationship with us, our position. This is real knowledge, not that a knowledge that how to live. Living condition is fulfilled by the nature's way. There are 8,400,000 different forms of living entities. They are not concerned how to eat, how to sleep. They know, by nature's arrangement there is already arrangement. Just like the birds in the morning. They rise up early in the morning. They are not concerned where they will eat. They know there is already arrangement for eating. The elephants in Africa, they know that God has already arranged for their eating forty kilos at a time. The ants within the room, they know there is already arrangement. So if God has arranged for everyone, eight million different species of life or forms of life, why not for human being? There is arrangement. But in the human being is advised to do certain things. They must do it. Then there is no question of scarcity. There is... Everything is arranged there. Just like Krsna says, annad bhavanti bhutani: [Bg. 3.14] "You produce your food grains so that the animals and the man, both will be happy." But if you don't produce food grains, if you produce sugarcane, then how they will be satisifed? Food grains must be produced. That is the injunction of the sastra. So, yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah [Bg. 16.23]. If you do not follow the instruction of the sastra-sastra means the instruction of Godthen na siddhim sa, such civilization will never be perfect, na siddhim sa avapnoti, na sukham, neither they will be happy, na param gatim, neither they will be elevated back to home, back to Godhead. This is the defect. Therefore we should try to understand what is the goal of life. But that we do not know. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnu. By their own blind intelligence they are trying to adjust things within this material word, and they are being failure repeatedly. Still, they have no sense. So those who are actually leaders of the society, they should be sensible. They should take advice, instruction from the most perfect personality, Krsna, and adjust things. Then they will be happy.
Devotee (1): He is asking if we are sure if we are right in what we are saying.
Prabhupada: Are you sure that you are right? I am sure because I am not speaking my words; I am speaking from the authority. Therefore I am sure.
Indian man (1): You are sure of somebody else's...
Prabhupada: No, your question is "Are you sure?" So I am sure because... Just like a small child, he does not know what is this. He asks, "Father, what is this?" The father says, "My dear child, it is called ring." So I heard from my father, "It is called ring," and if I say, "It is ring," then I am sure. I don't say it is something else. I heard it from my father that it is called ring. So if I call a ring a ring, that is truth. I may be child, but because I have heard from my father, who is not a childhe is mature, and he gives me the knowledge"This is called ring," and if when I say, "This is ring," that is perfect. You can say that "You are a child. How do you know it is ring?" But if he says, "My father has said this is ring," then he is perfect. Similarly, we are not talking anything, manufacturing: "I think." We don't say like that, because I know I have no value. But we say what the authority says, Krsna says. That is our position. Therefore we are sure.
Indian man (2): I want to know one thing, Prabhupada. You have just said that in the moon there is a cold atmosphere and there is still a living entity there? You see? But what the Americans have said... Of course, they have sent man there, different rockets there, satellites...
Prabhupada: So I understand. Your authority is America, and my authority is sastra. That is the difference.
Indian man (2): But they...
Prabhupada: That is the difference. That means your authority is America. You say through the words of the American. You have not experienced. Your position: you have no experience. My position: I have no experience. But you accept the Americans, authority, and I accept the sastra as authority. That is the difference.
Indian man (2): This I want to know the difference, whether it is true or not.
Prabhupada: That is up to you whether you accept American or the sastra. (laughter) That is up to you. But you cannot say because you have learned from America, therefore it is correct.
Indian man (2): But they have revealed to the world that there is no living entity there, but the sastra says there is...
Prabhupada: Why? Reason does not say so. Why there is no living entity? We see living entity are everywhere. Why you say that there is no living entity?
Indian man (2): But when these fellows have come there...
Prabhupada: These fellows... Therefore your authority are these fellows. (laughter) These fellows will say something now, and after ten years they will change. These fellows are like that. (laughter)
Indian man (3): According to science it is said that...
Prabhupada: "According to science" means American science or Russian science. That's all.
Indian man (2): The sun, you see, is a ball of fire. Nothing can exist there, according to...
Prabhupada: No. We have got informationeven in the fire there are living entities. Why? Because, in the Bhagavad-gita you will find. The constitutional position of the living entity is that it does not become burned. So how you can say that in the fire? What is the verse? No, no. In the second chapter there is the description of the living entity, you find. The living entity... Find out.
Harikesa: Acchedyo?
Prabhupada: Huh? Acchedyo 'yam adahyo 'yam. Find it.
"This individual soul is unbreakable and insoluable and can be neither burned nor dried. He is everlasting, all-pervading, unchangeable, immovable and eternally the same."
Prabhupada: So if he is all-pervading and if he is unburnable, then how it is possible that in the fire he does not exist? It cannot be burned, and it is everywhere. Sarva-ga. And we find also when we go on the sea beachwithin the sand there is life. Now it is up to you to accept the authority of Bhagavad-gita or authority of the Americans. That is your... We follow the authorities of Bhagavad-gita. Adahyo 'yam: "It cannot be burned." And from reason also, there is... In the water there are living entities; in the air there are living entities; in the earth there are living entities. So the material elements are five: earth, water, fire, air and sky. So if everywhere there is living entities, fire is also one of the material elements. Why not in the fire? What is the reason? And Bhagavad-gita says, adahyo 'yam: "It is never burned." So why do you think like that, that in the fire there is no living entity? Therefore they have been described as blind. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah [SB 7.5.31]. They are blind, and they are leading other blind men. But they do not know what is the laws of nature, how things are going.
Devotee: There's another question. Yes? [break]
Guest (1): about all the words that you said about Krsna and God. If someone is a cruel man, he never expects in God, and all that we say for the man that you are saying falls from right here and get out on earth... In original life all was difficult for him.
Prabhupada: I cannot follow him. You are following?
Guest (1): What about his soul? Did God welcome it to paradise or soul are always in the air and makes people think that he is a devil's man too?
Devotee: If a man does not understand God in this lifetime, is he still accepted by God? What he is hearing does not come...
Prabhupada: God is everywhere, and God is with you also. God knows you, and He is trying to guide you. But you do not know Him.
Guest (1): You just said that the soul takes rebirth when he does. Therefore what's the soul? Got rebirth, soul, so that he will make always difficult thing in life and would not fix in God, or what God do with the souls?
Prabhupada: Soul is there, and God is there. When you take rebirth, God is also there. He is trying to guide you. You are desiring the... Just like "I want to enjoy like this," and God is giving you facility: "All right, you enjoy like this." Just like driver. You are asking driver, "Please take me to this place," so driver is taking you to that place. Similarly it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese arjuna tisthati: [Bg. 18.61] "My dear Arjuna, the God is situated in everyone's heart, core of the heart," bhramayan sarva-bhutani [Bg. 18.61], "and He is causing the traveling of the living entity," yantrarudhani mayaya, "on a machine which is given by this material nature." So this body is just like a machine, motorcar, and Krsna is the driver, charioteer. And as you are desiring, He is driving your car in the same way or He is supplying different types of car. In this way you are... Life after life, you are trying to satisfy your senses. Krsna is giving you the facility, God is giving you the facility, but He is asking you that "Give up this business, nonsense." Sarvam-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. He is simply finding out the opportunity how to say that, this ultimate truth of life. So our business is, instead of traveling in different cars and fulfill our whimsical desire, better surrender to God and abide by His order and be happy.
Guest (1): One more. If Krsna knows when he dies that he will...
Prabhupada: Krsna knows everything. There is no question.
Guest (1): Does He know that he will rebirth and then come to earth and to preach us and make all that?
Prabhupada: He is preaching always. He is preaching always, "Do this like this." Just like Bhagavad-gita is open to everyone. That is His preaching. But we are not accepting. That is our fault. Otherwise He is preaching always.
Guest (2): If man be part and parcel of God, how do you explain the evil deeds of man?
Prabhupada: Because he likes to do that.
Guest (2): That means God also likes to do evil.
Prabhupada: No. God gives simply facility. That's all.
Guest (1): Therefore he must have the same power as God.
Prabhupada: Not same power, but it has got a little independence.
Guest (1): It will exists on us.
Prabhupada: Yes, independence. By misusing the independence, he can... Just like a child, a small child, and his father. The father gives the little child little independence. But the child is not as powerful as the father. But still, the father, out of affection, he gives little independence to the child. Even to the dog, a master gives a little independence to the dog. That is affection.
Indian man (3): But if you say this affection... The child is doing something wrong, say, becoming enthusiastic, becoming mad to go...(?)
Prabhupada: Father says, "Don't do it. But if you do it, do it at your risk."
Indian man (3): But if Krsna is guiding us...
Prabhupada: But you don't accept Krsna's guidance. That is the difficulty. Just like you are taking the guidance of Americans. You are elderly man, educated man, you prefer to take guidance from the Americans, not from Krsna. So what can be done? That is Krsna's ill luck and your misfortune. What can be done? All right. Chant Hare Krsna. (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/7/5/31/mauritius/october/04/1975 Previous: Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.30 -- Mauritius, October 2, 1975 Next: Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 3, 1967
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