hard struggle for existence

It is therefore concluded that there are two kinds of duties-mundane duty and duty performed for the sake of yajna or sacrifice (yajnarthat karma). Any karma or activity one performs which is not for the purpose of yajna is a cause of bondage. Yajnarthat karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah: "Work done as a sacrifice for Visnu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world." (Bg. 3.9) Karma-bandhanah, or the bondage of karma, is administered under the regulations of the stringent laws of material nature. Material existence is a struggle to conquer the impediments put forth by material nature. The asuras are always fighting to overcome these impediments, and by the illusory power of material nature the foolish living entities work very hard within this material world and take this to be happiness. This is called maya. In that hard struggle for existence, they deny the existence of the supreme authority, Purusottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. (More...)

By endeavoring to dominate material nature, the living entity simply struggles hard for existence. Indeed, he struggles so hard to enjoy himself that he cannot even enjoy the material resources. Thus he is sometimes called prakrti, or jiva, for he is situated in the marginal potency. When the living entity is covered with the three modes of material nature, he is called jiva-samjnita. There are two kinds of living entities: one is called ksara, and the other is aksara. Ksara refers to those who have fallen down and become conditioned, and aksara refers to those who are not conditioned. The vast majority of living entities live in the spiritual world and are called aksara. They are in the position of Brahman, pure spiritual existence. They are different from those who have been conditioned by the three modes of material nature. (More...)

In this material world there is a great illusion which covers real intelligence. A man in the mode of passion wants to work very hard to derive some benefit, but he does not know that time will never allow him to enjoy anything permanently. Compared to the work one expends, the gain is not so profitable. Even if it is profitable, it is not without its distresses. If a man is not born rich, and he wants to purchase a house, cars and other material things, he has to work hard day and night for many years in order to possess them. Thus happiness is not attained without undergoing some distress. (More...)

Actually pure happiness cannot be had within this material world. If we wish to enjoy something, we must suffer for something else. On the whole, suffering is the nature of this material world, and whatever enjoyment we are trying to achieve is simply illusion. After all, we have to suffer the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death. We may discover many fine medicines, but it is not possible to stop the sufferings of disease or death. Actually medicine is not the counteracting agent for either disease or death. On the whole there is no happiness in this material world, but an illusioned person works very hard for so-called happiness. Indeed, this process of working hard is actually taken for happiness. This is called illusion. (More...)

The living entity is, after all, part and parcel of the Supreme Spirit, Krsna. In other words, Krsna's constitutional position and the living entity's constitutional position are the same qualitatively. The only difference is that the living entity is eternally an atomic particle of the Supreme Spirit. Mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah. In this material world of conditional life, the fragmental portion of the Supreme Lord, the individual soul, is struggling due to his contaminated mind and consciousness. As part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, a living entity is supposed to think of Krsna, but here we see that King Puranjana (the living entity) is thinking of a woman. Such mental absorption with some sense object brings about the living entity's struggle for existence in this material world. Since King Puranjana is thinking of his wife, his struggle for existence in the material world will not be ended by death. As revealed in the following verses, King Puranjana had to accept the body of a woman in his next life due to his being overly absorbed in thoughts of his wife. Thus mental absorption in social, political, pseudo-religious, national and communal consciousness is cause for bondage. During one's lifetime one has to change his activities in order to attain release from bondage. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita. (More...)

And there is strong stringent laws of nature, exactly... Karanam guna-saṅgah asya sad-asad-janma-yonisu [Bg 13.22]. These things are all explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Why one is put into one type of body, and why one is put in another type of body? One body is enjoying very nicely. Not enjoying; he is also suffering. He is enjoying for a limited time. He is also suffering. But he... Comparatively, one is situated in a very nice, comfortable position, and the other is not. Therefore other is envious, that "Why this man is in a comfortable situation and I am put into...? So let us become Communist or revolt against this person or this group of person." In this way the struggle for existence is going on, and there is no solution. How there can be solution? Because they are all uneducated, not educated. (More...)

So if you want to be educated, make the solution of all the problems of the world, then you must take to this Krsna consciousness movement. This is the only solution. It will educate people the real identity, real position. And as Arjuna is trying to understand what is prakrti, what is purusa, what is ksetra, what is ksetra-jna, what is knowledge, what is knowable-these question are posed; gradually we shall discuss-that is wanted. In ignorance if we fight, there is no solution. In darkness if we fight, we may wound. I may wound you, you may wound me, but there will be no solution. So the whole world is in darkness. Therefore there is struggle. One is capitalist, one is Communist, one is this, one is that, and there is struggle, because everyone is in ignorance, maya andhakara, in darkness of ignorance. And Krsna is light. (More...)

We get information from sastra, there is a fish which is called timiṅgala which swallows big, big whales, just like big fish swallows a small fish. This is struggle for existence. Jivo jivasya jivanam. Phalguni mahatam tatra jivo jivasya jivanam [SB 1.13.47]. The natural law is that ahastani sahastanam: "The animals which has no hands"-that means four-legged animals; they have got legs, no hand-"so they are food for animals with two legs and two hands." That means human being. Human being is also animal, more powerful, more intelligent than the lower animals. So the sastra says ahastani, "The animals who hasn't got hands, they are food for the animals with two hands." Ahastani sahastanam and apadani catus-padam: "And the animals or the living entities which cannot move, apadani..." Pada means legs. Just like the trees, plants, grass, they cannot move; they have no leg. They have got leg, but they cannot move. They are eating through the legs. Therefore they are called padapa, means "collecting waters through the leg." Just these trees, they are drinking water from within the earth with their legs. Therefore they push their roots very deep to find out where is water. And if you put little water on the root of the tree, they live. They drink water. They are standing on the riverside drinking water and becoming very flourished. But although they are drinking the same water, still, they are differently constituted the different fruits, different flowers. This is God's creation, we have to understand that. (More...)

So apadani sapadanam, apadani catus-padam. Apadani means those who cannot move-these trees, plants, grass-they are eatables for the four-legged animals, catus-padam. Catuh means four. Similarly, nunam mahatam tatra. Those who are weak, they are food for the strong. That is going on. "Might is right," in the human society also. Just like you Europeans, Americans..., Europeans, they have come. You come this land of America. Because you are strong, you have eaten up all the original inhabitants. [laughs] So this is going on. This is called struggle for existence. (More...)

Asat. The spiritual world is called sat. Om tat sat. So we should transfer ourself to the spiritual world. Asato ma gama, sad gama. Asato ma sad gama. This is the Vedic injunction. "Don't keep yourself in this asat." Asat means bad. Asat means which will not exist. That is called asat. Asad-grahat. So because we have accepted this asat, grahat, with very great eagerness, that "We shall become very happy. We shall live here very happily," therefore there is all... Actually there is no happiness. Suppose if you get some money all of a sudden, actually this is also asat, because when you did not get money, you were anxious to get it, and as soon as you get it, how to preserve it? "Shall I keep it in the bank? Because it is black market. Then there will be income tax. Then what I shall I do?" Another anxiety. Another anxiety. (More...)

Just like we are old men. So many difficulties there are. So we do not want all these things, but it is forced upon us. But we are not intelligent enough to, how to make a solution of these problems. Therefore our predecessor, Sanatana Gosvami, first of all put this question that ke ami kene amaya jare tapa-traya. He was minister. He was intelligent and learned scholar, brahmana. So he inquired this. So we should be inquiring that "We are making so much struggle for existence, but existence is not allowed. Then what is the reason?" So we have become so foolish that we do not know. But here we are discussing moksa-dvaram, how to become free from the struggle for existence. This is life's mission. (More...)

So our endeavor should be, instead of being attached to this false enjoyment like cats and dogs, like the animal is running after the false water, the human life is meant for understanding that "The animal is running after false water. Why I shall go there? I am not animal." That is human life. If one, like the cats and dogs and deer, animal, runs after the false water and he dies, struggle for existence... "Survival of the fittest," they say. Nobody will survive. So there is no question. If you take the word in a real sense, survival of the fittest, one who has understood that he is not this body, he is spirit soul, he is fit to survive. Otherwise, bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg 8.19], you will run after this false thing, and this body will be finished, and again you will have to accept another body, and again you will run after, bhutva bhutva praliyate. This is going on. After false thing. Therefore the sastra says that this human form of life is not meant for running after this false thing. They must understand what is reality. And how to attain that reality? Exactly in the same way: intelligent man knows that "This is my diseased condition. How to get out, achieve that healthy condition? Because I am eternal," na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg 2.20]. (More...)

There is another world. That is also informed in the Bhagavad-gita. Parah tasmad tu bhava anyah 'vyaktavyaktat sanatanah [Bg 8.20]. There is another bhava. Bhava means nature. Just like this is nature. We have got experience, the maya. Maya nature means here our main aim is to find out happiness. That is... Because we are spirit soul, part and parcel of Krsna, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs 5.1] Krsna, so we are also minute sac-cid-ananda. Our existence is like that. But because we are very small, therefore that, I mean to say, quality, sat, becomes sometimes extinguished. The example is just like the spark of the fire, it is fire. A spark from the fire falls on your body. As soon as it falls it will burn that small pointlike place. So it has got the same quality, but as soon as it comes out of the fire, it becomes extinguished-no more fire. It is carbon. Again take it and put it in the fire, then again it is fire. So our position is like that. We are factually of the same quality, sac-cid-ananda. So our falling down in this material world from Krsna means we lose our identity of eternity. It becomes covered. Just like the same small spark, it is fire, but it is now extinguished, cinder, just like coal, cinder. So long it is with the original fire, it is also burning, but if you take it and keep it aside, then it becomes ashes. So this is our position. And we are struggling here. We have lost the fiery quality, and still, we are trying to be fire. This is called maya existence. (More...)