Lecture in Hindi – April 25, 1974, Tirupati

Pradyumna: [Prabhupada and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse]

[01:28]

Translation: "Life's desires should never be aimed at gratifying the senses. One should desire to live only because human life enables one to inquire about the Absolute Truth. This should be the goal of all works."

Prabhupada: You'll be able to translate?

Devotee: Myself prabhu?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee: [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Anyone who can translate.

We have been discussing... So, in the human form of life dharma, artha, kama and moksa, ordinary people desire simply these four things to accumulate some money by performing religious rituals. Usually, when people go to the temple. Just like this balaji temple, they go to get something, like money. They want money, because to maintain their lives everyone needs to have some money. But the money that we get shouldn't just be used to gratify our senses. That is why in the scriptures it has been said, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, kamasya nendriya-pritir [SB 1.2.10], that kama or desire is not meant for earning a lot of money and engaging in sense enjoyment, this is not appropriate, kamasya nendriya-pritir labho jiveta yavata [SB 1.2.10].

One should be satisfied with whatever he has got by the mercy of the Lord. According to Vedic religious principles, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sūdra, these are the four divisions. The business of brahmana is pathana, pathana, yajana, yajana, dana and pratigraha. Pathana, pathana, yajana, yajana the brahmanas should become very learned and should also teach others. Those who are ksatriyas they should maintain themselves by levying taxes. The total production by the subjects can be taxed up to twenty five percent for the ksatriyas to maintain themselves. that is why it has been said kamasya nendriya-pritir [SB 1.2.10], brahmana, ksatriya and vaisya, they shouldn't think that they should get a lot of money and utilize it for sense gratification.

Nowadays, in this kaliyuga people are generally interested in getting money somehow or other and engage it all in sense gratification this is going on. This is the reason why even though people are very rich but they are not happy. This is the reason why we have money but someone else snatches it away from us. The commodity that they have, they inflate it and there are different prices every day. This makes everyone upset. So, if anyone doesn't take to sense gratification but earns his wealth by the mercy of the Lord and maintains himself, it is not like that they should eat less or eat more. It has been given in the scriptures yuktahara-viharasya yogo bhavati siddhi da [Bg. 6.17], that which you need you should earn and utilize but one should not become greedy to accumulate more and more money, and use it for sense gratification, this is not appropriate. That is why in the scriptures it has been said, jivasya tattva-jijnasa [SB 1.2.10], jivasya means not Hindu, not Muslim, not Christian, everyone should inquire about tattva. Therefore, it has been said in the Vedanata Sutra, athato brahma jijnasa., this life, the human life, which is obtained after many, many lifetimes, after wandering about in eight million four hundred thousand species of life. That is why one should try to inquire about the absolute tattva when in the human form of life.

Prabhupada: Why are these people going away?

Translator: They are just visitors, they keep coming and going.

Prabhupada: Jivasya tattva-jijnasa nartho yas ceha karmabhiḥ [SB 1.2.10]. Every man is engaged in his duty. Everyone is busy in earning money, but all that money one has earned should not be simply utilized for sense gratification. One's duty is to inquire about the spirit, soul, jijnasa. This is possible only in the human form of life because in other forms of life just as a dog, a cat and other animals they cannot inquire about the spirit soul, tattva jijnasa. Tattva jijnasa means knowledge and renunciation. Knowledge leads to the inquiry about the spirit soul tattva jijnasa. So, now it is required to know what is tattva jijnasa? What it is? Whom should one inquire about it from? These questions arise. Therefore, in the scriptures such as the Vedas it has been said tad vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet: [Munḍaka Upanisad 1.2.12], to inquire about tattva one should certainly approach a guru. And the symptoms of a guru have also been given:

The symptom of a guru is that he understands perfectly the subject of para brahma and he has the ability to explain the same. that is why in the Srimad Bhagavatam, in the eleventh canto it is has been said:

So, the spiritual master, if someone has to be accepted as a spiritual master then he should be accepted the way it has been said in the scriptures such as the Bhagavad-gita. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2] the Lord Himself has given the spiritual knowledge tattva jnana of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. First, he gave this knowledge to the sun god. The sun god then gave this knowledge to his son Manu and then King Manu gave this knowledge to Iksvaku, his son, in this disciplic succession the guru comes. The symptom of a guru has been given by Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakur:

It is the symptom of a guru that he goes about the whole world, samsara-davanala, this world is like a big forest fire. Just like sometimes there is a fire in the middle of a forest, no one goes to set it but it starts burning anyways. So, we will sing something one the subject of guru, all of your please listen:

So, this is the principle, if one wishes to understand the essence of spiritual life, he should approach a spiritual master. The symptoms of a guru has been explain by Vishvanath Cakravarthi in these eight verses. The first symptom of a guru is that he delivers the disciple from the forest fire of this material world. The spiritual master who is tattva vit, the guru who knows everything. Just like it hass been given in the Bhagavad-gita:

There is tattva, the essence of spiritual life, and the guru is required to have seen this essential truth, tattva darsi, because only when he has seen the spiritual reality then one will he be able to explain it. So, the tattva vit guru what do they understand? This has been given in the Srimad Bhagavatam, that

The tattva vit spiritual master, the one who has seen the truth, the truth or the tattva which is non dual object of knowledge which is addressed by some as impersonal brahman, some call it Parmatma and others Bhagavan. So, in the scriptures, this object of essence, its non-dual knowledge, advyaya jnana. This non dual knowledge means that the object is one but according to the ability of the student they understand him in different ways. So, first one should try to understand what tattva is, then comes tat tvam asi. If one doesn't understand the primary aspect of spiritual truth tattva, wherefrom comes the question of understanding advanced topics such as tat tvam asi? That is why in the Srimad Bhagavatam it has been said, that the object of essence, those who are jnanis, they perceive the tattva as impersonal Brahman, and those who are yogis, they perceive the tattva as Paramatma and those who are devotees, they perceive the tattva as Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam , those who wish to understand the Supreme Truth by the dint of their own intellect they can understand up to the point of Impersonal Brahman, no further. We are supposed to understand completely the object of spiritual essence tattva vastu, but if we stop our research upon concluding that the Supreme Truth is impersonal brahman then our pursuit remains incomplete. That is why those who are mental speculators, take the Supreme to be impersonal brahman, will not be able to understand the Supreme Lord Vasudeva which is why their knowledge will remain incomplete. So, these impersonalists, brahmavadis, after performing austerities for many, many lifetimes, when after so much endeavor their knowledge becomes perfect, then they understand Lord Vasudeva. That is why it has been said in the Bhagavad-gita bahūnam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. [Bg. 7.19] So this jnani or mental speculator community, they don't understand God properly. Even though they have all the knowledge their knowledge still isn't perfect. So, after performing austerities for many, many lifetimes bahūnam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate. [Bg. 7.19], when they attain complete and perfect knowledge, then they come to the conclusion, that vasudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahatma su-durlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19], then he comes to the conclusion that Supreme Personality of Godhead is everything, and then he surrenders unto His lotus feet.

Now, we are running out of time, you all are also going to be busy, so if we get the chance tomorrow, then I will explain further about this tattva the object of essence. Now, let us all offer our respects to Lord Govinda, govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami, we will sing this song:

[end]