So that city was full of nondevotee class of men, asuras. There are two classes of men everywhere. Asura and sura. Devata and asura. In Sanskrit language, those who are devotees, they are called devata, demigod or godly persons. And those who are nondevotees, they are called demons or asura. These two classes of men are always there in this material world. Mostly they are demonic, atheist, and few of them are devata. But there are two classes. In the sastra it is said: dvau bhuta-sargau loke 'smin daiva asura eva ca [Bg. 16.6]. There are two classes of men-godly and atheist. Visnu bhakta bhaved daiva asuras tad viparyaya. Those who are devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all-pervading God, they are called devata or demigod, and those who are nondevotee, viparyaya, just the opposite number... Viparyaya means the opposite number, nondevotee. They are called asuras.

So Prahlada Maharaja, because he was devotee, although he was five years only old, he was taking opportunity of preaching Krsna consciousness or God consciousness even during his tiffin hour in the school. So this talking of Prahlada Maharaja happened when the teachers in tiffin hour went away. The teachers did not like because Prahlada Maharaja's father's strict order was that "This boy is inclined to become a devotee. Please take action that he may not become a devotee." So teachers were afraid. His father was a very powerful king. So teachers also did not allow to talk anything about God. But still, he took the opportunity. When the teachers are gone out of the class and the students are free, he would stand up on his bench and speak about God. So he's speaking; "My dear friends, kaumara acaret prajnah." The other boys, they said: "Prahlada, let us come and play. Why you are talking of God now? When we shall become old, you can talk of God." So Prahlada Maharaja said "No, we should learn about God kaumara." Kaumara means from five years to ten years. Somebody says up to fifteen years. Anyway, kaumara acaret prajnah. Prajnah, if one is intelligent enough, then he should learn about God from the very beginning of life.

Actually, teaching begins, according to our Vedic system, everywhere, teaching begins at the age of four or five years. Either you teach about material things or spiritual, teaching must begin at the age of four and five. So Prahlada Maharaja said that "My dear friends, it is not that we have to wait up to our old age because there is no guarantee of life. Where is the guarantee that we shall become old? We may die tomorrow or today. There is no guarantee. Therefore immediately we shall begin how to learn bhagavata-dharma." Kaumara acaret prajno dharman [SB 7.6.1]. Dharman means religion. And specially, he has specifically, Prahlada Maharaja says dharman bhagavatan. Dharma, religious, religion means bhagavata-dharma. The other dharma cannot be dharma. Therefore you'll find in Bhagavad-gita Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Mam, Krsna is bhagavan. If you follow the instruction of Bhagavan, Krsna, that is bhagavata-dharma.

There may be other dharma, just like desa-dharma or samaj-dharma. There are many other dharmas. Brahma-dharma, this dharma, that... But that is not dharma. Real dharma means bhagavata-dharma. That is real dharma. Otherwise, why Krsna says sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja? Mam ekam. He is bhagavan. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gita, it is said, bhagavan uvaca. Whenever you find the instruction, bhagavan uvaca. Bhagavan, bhagavata-sabda. The original word is bhagavat. So from bhagavat, this sound bhagavan also comes. And from bhagavat, bhagavatam. The same root is bhagavata-sabda. So Krsna says, Krsna, in the Bhagavad-gita He says that, yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata, tadatmanam srjamy aham [Bg. 4.7]. "When there is discrepancies in the matter of understanding religious system, at that time I incarnate, I come." Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir. Now this dharma, one can say there are so many dharmas, in the different dharmas. But dharma cannot be different. Dharma, religious system cannot be different. If it is... Dharma means from the Bhagavan.

Just like law. Law means it is given by the government. You cannot manufacture law. Law means government law. Not that privately you have manufactured some law; that will be accepted as law. No, that is not law. Similarly, dharma means which is given by God. That is dharma or religious system. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. In the Vedic injunction you'll find, dharma means the law which is given by God. So you must know what is God and what order He is giving. That is dharma. Otherwise, it is not dharma. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. "In this Srimad-Bhagavatam kaitava-dharma..." Kaitava means cheating. "...a cheating type of religious system is completely kicked out in this Srimad-Bhagavatam." Dharmah projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam [SB 1.1.2]. It is for the best person. Unless one is the best person, he cannot take up this dharma, bhagavata-dharma. This very word is there. For whom the bhagavata-dharma is meant for? In the beginning, so that others may not be misled that "Dharma means whatever I accept, that is dharma."... They are preaching now in India, yata mat tata path. "Whatever you accept, that is dharma." No. Dharma means bhagavata-dharma. Whatever Bhagavan says or God says, that is dharma.

And God is one. There cannot be different Gods. If God has got competitors, then He is not God. There cannot be Hindu God, Muslim God, Christian God, or other conception of God. God is one. God cannot be Hindu, Muslim, Christian. So... And His order is also one. That is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gita. Krsna says, God says that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Real dharma is to surrender unto God. And surrender and to follow His instruction and become a lover of God. Then it is dharma. It is perfectly clear. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. In another place it is said, sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [SB 1.2.6]. That is first-class religion. What is that? By which one can learn how to love God. This is the definition. How to love God. We have learned to love so many things, but when we love God, that is real religion. And that is first-class religion. It does not matter whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or this or that. There are so many dharmas. But the thing is whether you have learned how to love God. Then it is perfect.

So here is the order of God: sarva-dharman parityajya... So where Bhagavad-gita ends, the Srimad-Bhagavatam begins there, from that point. So here is another instance. Prahlada Maharaja, he is teaching that: kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha [SB 7.6.1]. Iha, in this life, our only duty is to understand the bhagavata-dharma, how to serve God. That is the only business. There is no other business. That is the only business of human life. In another place, it is stated tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah [1.5.18]. Prahlada Maharaja also says here that durlabham manusam janma. "My dear friends, you have got this human form of body after many millions of years." Durlabha, very rarely. That is nature's law. We are in the cycle of birth and death. Tyaktva deham punar janma [Bg. 4.9]. Tatha dehantara-praptir. After death we shall get another body, but we do not know what kind of body we are going to get. There are 8,400,000 different types of body and the life begins from the grass, from the ground. We have seen so many grass. And gradually the grass is eaten by some animals or insects, and then there is semina. Then the same semina becomes insect. From insect to bird, bird to beast, from beast to animals. It takes millions and millions of years to come to the form of human being. This is evolution. They do not know it. But that is the process. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says durlabham manusam janma. You must understand that this human form of body you have got after many millions of years. Don't waste it like animals. If we utilize this human form of body just like cats and dogs, what is the difference between my life and dog's life? Therefore he says: durlabham manusam tad apy adhruvam arthadam.

So anyone can say "This material body is there, even to the dogs and the cats, and what is the difference? Let us enjoy." No. Arthadam, in this life, in this human form of life, you can fulfill your mission. Arthadam. You can understand what is the value of life. So don't waste it. Begin bhagavata-dharma immediately. And what is that bhagavata-dharma?

God is everywhere. Eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-caya yad-antah andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham [Bs. 5.35]. God is everywhere. Even within the atoms. But we have no eyes. The part of God, mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7]. The little portion of God is there in you and me. The living force. But we cannot see that. So we haven't got eyes to see God. We cannot eyes to see my father, mother. We are seeing the body. When the father dies, we cry, "My father has gone." Where your father has gone? Here he's lying. But he has not seen ever who is his father. Therefore our present eyes are not fit to see spiritual thing. We are fit to see stone, wood, like that. Therefore Krsna, out of His great kindness, He has appeared before you. You are thinking it is stone. It is not stone. Krsna. But because you cannot see except stone, He appears like stone. This is called Deity worship. Krsna is so kind that because you cannot see anything except stone and wood or something material...

The material is also Krsna. Krsna is everything. God is everything. Bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca [Bg. 7.4]. What is this material world? Krsna says, "This bhumi, this land, apah, the water, the ocean, that is My energy." There is no difference between the energy and the energetic. Just like the sunshine is the energy of the sun. The sunshine is also heat and light, and the sun is also heat and light. Similarly, this bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca, these material things are the energy of Krsna; therefore these energies are also Krsna. So if we study about bhakti-marga, about Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, then we shall gradually understand. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says that "Begin to understand bhagavata-dharma, what is God, what He is like, what is His relationship with Me."

Why you should understand God from the beginning of life? That is explained here: because the human life is meant for understanding God. The cats and dogs, they cannot understand God, but although He has got this material body like us, the cats and dogs body and my body, if we make analysis, there is some blood, there is some muscle, there is some bone, there is some urine and stool. You'll find in the dog's body and in my body. Although these material things I am not. I am different from this muscle or blood or air, whatever it is composition. I am different. That also we can analyze what is this body. This body, first of all, you analyze when there is no breathing, the life is lost. Do you think that breathing is life? No. Analyze it. What is breathing? It is a air only, little air. Do you mean to say when this breathing is stopped you can inject some air by some machine and life will come? No, that will not come. Therefore air is not life. Neither the blood is life, neither the bone is life, neither the muscle is life. Life is different from all these things. That you have to learn. That is called bhagavata-dharma.

So, in this way... This Krsna consciousness movement, don't think that it is a sectarian religious system, no. It is a science, bhagavata-dharma, the science of Krsna. Try to understand the science of Krsna. We have got so many books to educate people about this science. Not that simply we are talking sentimentally. It is... Everything is scientific reason, philosophy. But the simple method is so easy to perform that anyone can understand very easily. What is that? Sarva-dharman parityajya... [Bg. 18.66]. What Krsna says, you accept. Then you will understand what is bhagavata-dharma, what is God, what you are, what is this world, what is the relationship, why you should become a devotee of God. Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gita as it is. Try to understand this bhagavata-dharma and be happy in your life. (end)