31--Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.11–19, Calcutta

Prabhupada: So Prahlada Maharaja advising his friends that, "Unless you begin Krsna consciousness immediately from the childhood there are so many dangerous positions ahead. So he has analytically studied the dangerous positions, how we are wasting first of all half of our life by sleeping and the balance half also twenty years in sporting attitude as child and young man. Then fifty and twenty, seventy and another twenty years and old age, suffering from invalidity and adjustment of family affairs. So fifty, twenty and twenty, ninety years practically wasted out of hundred years. [coughs] And balance ten years also; in family life and affection of children and wife, sweet words from small children, nice topics from wife and. So many attractions, katham priyaya anukampitayaḥ [SB 7.6.11].

And friendship-society, friendship and love, these are the attractions of material life. So if one becomes wasted in so many ways then when will he practice Krsna consciousness? That is the proposition of Prahlada Maharaja. But if you begin from your childhood as soon as you are fixed-up in Krsna consciousness all these dangerous positions will not affect you-that is the secret.

Once trained-up, dhari mach na chui pani, there is a Bengali... "You go on fishing but do not touch the water." That is the secret and Rūpa Gosvami says: anasakta, anasaktasya visayan [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.255], "Don't be attached with all these things," because in the materialistic way of life you have to live under such conditions but if you are trained-up not to become attached; then you are safe. You can not avoid all these things but you have to be trained-up not to be attached. Anasaktasya visayan yatharham upayunjataḥ, yatharham: "As much as possible." Suppose you are going to make members outside, they are not devotees. So we have to talk with them as much as required, not very long, not unnecessarily talking, "This and that," yatharham. Similarly even if you have family, children, friends, society you can deal with them without any attachment. You should always know that these things are not the necessities of my life. I am fallen in this condition only, my real business is to serve Krsna. We should always remember that, then we'll not be attached.

Just like we are in Calcutta we are not Calcutta men. Although we are living in the best quarter but we have nothing to do with the Calcutta bhanḍera [?] therefore we are not living in Calcutta, we are living in Vaikuntha with Krsna. The same example can be given that the bug and the king, sitting on the same throne but on account of their different mental attitudes the bug and the king is different. Not that because the bug and the king is sitting on the same throne therefore they are of the same category. No, king is ruling and the bug is biting, that's all. Similarly we may be in Calcutta, I may be in London, you may be in New York, you may be in hell, we may be in heaven, that doesn't matter. If you remain Krsna consciousness then all this conditional life can not affect. That is the position of Krsna consciousness.

There are so many attachments, not only wife, not only small children but also putrans-elderly sons. Putran smarams ta duhitṝr, daughters, hrdayya bhratṝn, brothers, sisters, parents. If parents age they are old enough a gentleman's son is very much anxious to give them protection, dinau. Grhan manojnoru, very nicely decorated home, grhan. Grhan means-apartment, home. Manojna-very attractive. Grhan manojnoru-paricchadams ca: and valuable costly dresses. Vrttis ca kulyaḥ pasu-bhrtya-vargan. Formerly any gentleman: brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya. Brahmana, not brahmanas, especially ksatriya and vaisyas. They must have enough servants, enough animals: cows, animals I mean to say, horses and other animals. Cats and dogs also, these are animals kept in the society.

So vrttis ca kulyaḥ pasu-bhrtya-vargan, pasu, pasu means animals, bhrtya means servants. So, so many attractive features-except Krsna. We are attracted by so many things minus Krsna but if you can bring Krsna in the center then if you are attracted by Krsna only then all these attractions will be inferior, param drstva nivartate [Bg 2.59], then you are free, then you are paramahamsa.

If your attachment is for Krsna, because attachment can be to one side, if you are attached. So if your attachment is towards Krsna naturally just like there is guḍa, molasses and rasagulla. Naturally if there is rasagulla available why one should take guḍa? So when one is actually attracted by Madana-mohana. Madana-mohana, Krsna's another name is Madana-mohana because He can attract even Cupid. Cupid attracts everyone but He can attract Cupid. So when we are attracted by Madana-mohana then we are not attracted by this paraphernalia of Cupid.

So real point is, Prahlada Maharaja is trying to induce you, to Daitya class friends. Daitya before being attracted with all these things, because as we grow up the more we grow up the more we become attracted to this material paraphernalia.

The more we are grown-up the more. Therefore in the brahmacari stage, first of all, the students is taught vairagya. In the gurukula at the care of spiritual master they are not allowed to live very comfortably. Nowadays students are allowed to live very comfortably. What is called? Dormitory? Eh? Dormitory? No.

Devotee: Dormitories.

Prabhupada: Dormitories.

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: Ah. The young boys and girls live in this nice carpeted room and allowed to smoke and there is attraction for boys and girls. They are dancing, dating and what other things? So many things going on. Eh? How he can be Krsna conscious?

The brahmacari system means from the very beginning of life they were taught how to live simply and for sacrifice. A brahmacari is living, lying down on the floor, he has no comfort, even though he is a king's son. Krsna also became a brahmacari at his gurukula, Sandipani Muni. He went to collect wood and one day He was in danger. You have read that story, in the jungle. So a student under spiritual master, he is advised to work, just like a menial servant. He never thinks, "Oh I am coming from such a royal family, I am coming from such a highly learned brahmana family." No, whatever family you may be and in younger age a person doesn't care, he has no such distinction because he is simple. The more he grows, grown up, grown up, he becomes conscious of his so-called prestige and false position.

So brahmacari-austerity. The injunction is that brahmacari should go in the morning to beg alms or to collect wood from the forest and they will bring. Or whatever they will get, that is not his property, that is not his property, it is his spiritual master's property. He surrenders everything. And if the spiritual master forgets he should call. Brahmacari he can not eat without the permission of the spiritual master or teacher. That the teacher will call individually, "My dear boy please come and take your food, take your lunch," and if he forgets then he should not. That is the injunction. So these austerities, these penances, makes him very strong, Krsna conscious. Any circumstances he is able to combat. That is real play. Helping. Prahlada Maharaja is recommending that in the Daitya's, we are in the Daitya's school, there is no such training but you take to Krsna consciousness. Be strong so that you may not be allured when you are a family man or when you are in the actual world.

Aupasthya-jaihvam bahu-manyamanaḥ. The materialistic people, they are giving too much stress, aupasthya. Aupasthya means the genitals, sex, and jaihvam, and tongue. Aupasthya-jaihvam bahu-manyamanaḥ. If I have seen, in my younger days, friends are talking, "Oh I went there, I ate so much mangos and this mango, that mango I went, I ate this." Eating, simply eating. How he enjoyed the tongue and that was talking. And next talk how he enjoyed sex. That is the only topic amongst friends circle, enjoying. So such persons who are simply dealing, they have no other important matter. Subject matter to discuss but only talking about pleasure of the tongue and pleasure of the genitals. Jaihvam aupasthya bahu-manyamanaḥ katham virajyeta duranta-mohaḥ. How they can save [themselves] from this illusion of maya? It is not possible. How they can save? They are animals. Tyajeta kosas-krd ivehamanaḥ. Just like the silk worms becomes entangled, becomes encaged by his own work. You know silk worms? The, the...

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupada: Eh? What is called?

Devotee: Cocoon.

Prabhupada: Cocon.

Devotee: Cocoon.

Prabhupada: Cocoon.

Devotee: Cocoon.

Prabhupada: Yes, cocoon. He becomes entangled in, encaged, and can not. And when he is too much tied he cuts out and tries to get out but before coming out the silk worm cultivator, they take it, and put it in the warm water. Otherwise if the worm comes out by cutting then the whole silk is lost. So in this way we are encaged by our own activities. Saliva, so the silk means saliva of that particular type of insect. Just like you have seen cobwebs, it is similar. There are many craftsmanship even by the insects, nice, nice. So:

And why they are so much active to become entangled? Now, avitrpta-kamaḥ. Never, unsatiated lust and greediness, unsatiated, never satiated. There's a gentleman I was asking, he has taken that, "You come here, live with us," but he is not very anxious to live with us, avitrpta-kamaḥ. Everyone is thinking, "Let me finish this business, let me finish this business," up to the point of death. And there are many stories, many instances. Just like Gandhi, unless he was killed by his own disciples he would not leave politics, avitrpta-kamaḥ. Similarly there are many family men, they do not like to leave family atmosphere, avitrpta-kamaḥ. Tyajeta:

The illusion is very strong and he is still more creating the circumstances that he will become more and more entangled. Then where is the chance of becoming free? There is no chance.

And why they are so much active in this way? Now kutumba-posaya, kutumba. They are simply for maintaining kutumba. Dehapatya-kalatradi. Deha refers to this body, apatya-children, kalatra-wife.

Devotee: Yes, reel.

Prabhupada: So when the kite goes very high you will see he is moving like this and when he's getting down, that is also like this. But one is getting down and one is going high. So this struggle is get out of maya's clutches and that struggle is to become more and more entangled in maya. That is the difference.

They are so much injured by maya, pramattaḥ, mad, simply for maintaining family, kutumba-posaya. Viyan nijayur, wasting, spoiling the duration of life-viyan nijayur. Na budhyate 'rtham: no chance for understanding what is the aim of life, there is no chance.

"He does not know that his self-interest is how to approach Visnu."

So long he is office he is in struggling earning money. Diva carthehaya rajan [SB 2.1.3]. The whole day, "Where is money, where is money, where is money?" And to earn money is not easy thing. You have to struggle, you have to accept so much trouble. Sarvatra tapa-traya: outside, inside, at home. Mr. [indistinct], "Oh it is very troublesome, these factory men, they are not satisfied, there is income tax, there is this, there is that, again stressing? Again. So many things, just see. Tapa-traya-full of miserable conditions. Tapa-traya-duḥkhitatma. Always morose and sorry, sarvatra. Na nirvidyate but he will not retire. Why? Sva-kutumba-ramaḥ. As soon as he sits down with the family members he thinks that, "I am the king of all I survey," just see-sva-kutumba-ramaḥ.

Vittesu. Vittesu means for his profession sometimes he has to act in black market-vittesu. Or sometimes stealing. Means that is not prescribed, such actions he has to do. Nityabhinivista-ceta: but he is absorbed in that business.

pretyeha vathapy ajitendriyas vidvams ca dosam para-vitta-hartuḥ. [coughs]

Everyone knows that the black way of my business is punishable by the court and because unfairly I am earning my livelihood so in my next life I will have to suffer the consequence, if we believe in sastras. So knowing all these things, asanta-kamo harate kutumb. Kutumbi. Because he is entangled in family life therefore he can not check, asanta, asanta-kamo. He is forced to do all these things, asanta-kamo harate kutumbi.

Even educated persons, even rich persons, they are also stealing, they are also stealing. So unless one is cent per cent Krsna conscious these things do not strike them, then everything is alright.

Those who are so much attracted by this materialistic way of life for them: vairagyady-asambhavam-renouncement is almost impossible. Actually that's a fact, there is no question of renouncement therefore one has to voluntarily renounce and join this Krsna consciousness movement just like our Ksirodakasayi prabhu has done. He has, I mean to say, forcibly he has given up everything. Now fully surrendered in Krsna consciousness movement. Otherwise it is impossible, it is impossible to get out. Therefore it is compulsory: pancas ordhvam vanam vrajet. According to varnasrama system: brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. Why? Because voluntarily nobody can give up this materialistic atmosphere but by the order of the sastras. Now we have, I meant to say, spent up your time for grhastha asrama now you come out as vanaprastha and sannyasi. Just like there is a warning bell. Some...

You are doing something, you have not finished but the warning bell is there. In your country just like that motor stand, the hour is finished and there is warning bell: cling, cling, cling, cling, calling. What is that? Is there not? Ah. So similarly by force: "Now you have passed your fiftieth year please come out. Please come out." Now say, say one man is sleeping the warning bell is there: cling, cling, no more sleeping.

Devotee: Alarm clock.

Prabhupada: Alarm, yes. So the sastric injunction is like that. That, pancas ordhvam vanam vrajet, "Now you have enjoyed this family life for fifty years. No more Sir. Please stop, come out."

The influence of maya is so strong that it is not that only uneducated persons are attracted but even those who are highly educated. Manorathenasati dhavato bahiḥ [SB 5.18.12]. Because they have no sense of Krsna consciousness they will act as good as an illiterate man.

This is a still, after describing all the conditions of materialistic way of life.

In this way, as a person who is unable to get out of the clutches of of maya.

"Therefore my dear friends I say," tato vidūrat parihrtya daitya: "Give up all these engagements," vidūrat. "Voluntarily give up all these engagements."

"Association with this materialistic way of life and," visayatmakesu, "And simply for sense enjoyment. Give up this atmosphere," upeta narayanam adi-devam: "And surrender to Narayana or Krsna". Adi-devam, adi-devam, just like so, because they are asuras, asuras are attracted by many demigods. Somebody is worshipping Lord Siva, somebody is worshiping Lord Brahma somebody Durga, somebody. So here he says: "No, no, adi-devam, the original deva not the demigods." Half-gods, no, we don't want half-god we want full God, Krsna. If you have got full God what is the necessity of half-god. Here it is very significant. Narayanam adi-devam sa mukta-sahgair isito 'pavargaḥ: and by association with the devotees your path for liberation will be opened.

"As there is no other way to come out of this entanglement better surrender unto Narayana."

"And those who are unable to surrender to Narayana they are just like dancing dogs. The maya is influencing them: 'Dance please, go on dancing like this, dancing dogs.'"

So Prahlada Maharaja is recommending especially that, "You remain kumara," kumara-brahmacari, "Don't enter into family life."

Then one may question that, "To surrender to Narayana," there are so many people question us also that, "I want to surrender to Krsna but where is Krsna?" Arjuna surrendered to Krsna, Krsna was present before him but where shall I surrender. So actually Krsna even physically not present, Krsna's representative is there: evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo [Bg 4.2]. Parampara the parampara system, just like we accept parampara system. I accepted Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati as representative of Krsna, similarly my disciples are accepting. The representative of Krsna is there. So even if you don't accept that somebody is the representative of Krsna, you may have doubt, but Prahlada Maharaja says that: "That is not. That is not very difficult job," because:

"Narayana being the soul of everything, He is everywhere. It is not that for searching out Narayana you have to make a very tremendous effort."

"So it does not matter, don't think that because you are all children, minor ages. It will be very difficult job for you to search out Narayana. No. It is very easy. He is within you, He is without you. You have to simply learn how to catch Him, that's all." Narayana, although narayanaḥ avyaktat paro, paro 'vyaktat The Mayavadi philosopher Sahkaracarya says that: "Narayana is above this material creation." All other material creations, they are within this material atmosphere. But Prahlada Maharaja says that, "Narayana, although He is paro 'vyaktat, He is easily available. He is everywhere." That is the fact.

[coughs]

Krsna or Narayana, although He is transcendental, beyond this material cosmic manifestation a still a part, a portion a plenary portion of Him as Paramatma, Antarjami [the indwelling Supersoul], entering this material world, He is maintaining everything. Visnu is the maintainer and Brahma is creator and Siva is annihilator. So Narayana, Brahma-samhita says that He is not only within this brahmanḍa, anḍantarastham paramanu-cayantarastham. He is also within the atom. So where is the difficulty for finding out Narayana? There is no difficulty. Simply you have to learn how to find out.

Ok. [End]