Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.8
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bombay, December 26, 1972

Prabhupada:

dharmah svanusthitah pumsam visvaksena-kathasu-yah notpadayed yadi ratim srama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]

Svanusthitasya dharmasya, discharging one’s own occupational duties. Svanusthi-tasya dharmasya. According to Vedic system, there are four kinds of social orders, and each one of them have particular duties. Just like the brahmanas, they have got their particular duties; ksatriyas, they have got their particular duties; vaisyas, they have also, and the sudras. And those who do not follow the Vedic principle, they are called pancamal, or sometimes, if they do not follow the rules and regulation, then they are called mlecchas and yavanas.

So, svanusthitasya dharmasya. A brahmana must be truthful: satya sama dama titiksa arjava, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma karma svabhava. So the brahmanas, those who are actually qualified brahmanas, guna-karma-vibhagasah. Lord Krsna said thatcatur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah: by division of quality and activities. So everyone, brahmana must be qualified and must be engaged in his particular duties. Ksatriyas also, they should be engaged in their particular duties. Vaisyas and sudras also. And it is the duty of the government that everyone is discharging his duties. That is king’s business, raja-danda. If one does not observe the regulative principle, then he should not declare himself as brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra. So, just like at the present moment, the government has got inspectors to see, inspect the schools, whether the teachers are duly discharging their educational curriculum, similarly, formerly the king, he was raja-danda-vit. So not only he was inspecting that everyone is discharging his professional or particular duties, but everyone has got employment. That was also the king’s duty. No one should be unemployed. The brahmana should be employed, the ksatriya should be employed, the vaisya should be employed, and the sudra should be employed. If there was any difficulty, then it was the duty of the king to give them employment. So since we have lost our responsible monarchical government, the four divisions of social order—means brahmana, ksatriya, vaisyas and sudra—they are deviated due to unemployment. The brahmana could not get sufficient engagement in their duties, yajana yajana pathana pathana dana pratigraha. People become neglectful, so they thought, “What is the use of calling a brahmana for puja part? There is no necessity. Stop it.” So naturally the brahmanas were obliged to accept to the business or occupational duties of the ksatriyas or the vaisyas or even sudras. What can be done? But in the sastra it is said that a brahmana, if he’s in difficulty, he may accept the profession of a ksatriya or up to vaisya, but never accept the occupation of a sudra. These are described in the sastras.

Besides that, the higher castes, the brahmanas, ksatriyas especially, and the vaisyas also, they must observe the dasa-veda samskara, ten kinds of reformatory methods. The first method is garbadhana-samskara. Before giving birth to a child. There is a ceremony which is called garbadhana-samskara, and it is stated in the sastras that if the higher castes do not perform the garbadhana-samskara and beget children like cats and dog, then he immediately comes to the position of sudra. These are the sastric injunction. There are twenty kinds of dharma sastra, so they have to be followed. That is human society. Not that to live like animal. That is human society. According to Vedic system, unless the human society comes to the institution of varnasrama-dharma, they are not to be accepted as human society. The system, the whole system was to gradually educate people to be elevated to the spiritual platform for understanding Krsna consciousness. That was the whole scheme. Visnu, tad visnoh paramam padam sada pasyanti surayo, to train people to become civilized, surayo, means that they will observe(?) to the ultimate goal of life, visnu paramam padam: how to approach Lord Visnu, how to approach the Vaikuntha, param dhama, by spiritual progressive life. That was there. Every human being was given chance to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is considered as human civilization. Human civilization does not mean to improve the method of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, as it is going on now. The quality or…, the quality has been polished, but actually the human civilization has not improved, because the quality… Eating, sleeping, mating and defending, that is given special stress, but not to the point of, goal of life, reaching Visnu, om tad visnoh paranam padam sada pasyanti surayo. That we have neglected.

Therefore, at the present moment we are not happy. This social system, observing the varnasrama-dharma, was so perfectly made as the king would see that they are actually being executed. In that way people were very, very happy, even in this material life, because everyone was confident that he was making progress to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is human civilization. But the aim was Visnu. Therefore here it is said,

dharmah svanusthitah pumsam visvaksena-kathasu-yah notpadayed yadi ratim… [SB 1.2.8]

Even we execute the method of varnasrama-dharma very nicely, svanusthitasya dharmasya. In another place it is said by Suta Gosvami,

atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]

Hari-tosanam. You may execute your sectional duties as a brahmana, you can execute your brahminical principles as they are let down in the sastras, or ksatriya, you can do your duty, but there should be a test whether you have become successful in discharging your duty. That test is hari-tosanam, whether you have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then it is perfect. Samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13] Everyone should see perfection of his particular duties. And that is recommended that hari-tosanam. This example is Arjuna Maharaja. Arjuna is a ksatriya. His duty is to fight, to give protection to the poor and to annihilate the disturbing element. That is ksatriya’s duty. So Arjuna was trained in that way—he was a soldier—but by his soldier’s business, occupational duty, he satisfied Krsna. He fought for Krsna, not for his personal sense gratification. That is his test, samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13].

So here also Suta Goswami says, dharmah svanusthitasya, dharmah svanusthitah pumsam visvaksena-kathasu-yah [SB 1.2.8]. You can discharge your duty very nicely, but you have to see whether you are developing attachment for Krsna. Attachment means love, whether you are trying to satisfy Krsna. That is the test. If that is not done, simply formulas, if you execute the formula, as I explained the other day, niyamagraha, without any satisfaction of Krsna, then Suta Gosvami says it is simply laboring and waste of time, visvaksena-kathasu-yah notpadayed ratim yadi, srama eva hi kevalam. Then he says, dharmasya hy apavargasya na artah arthaya upakalpate. Dharma, artha, kama, moksa, these are called apavarga. Apavarga means nullifying the pavarga. Pavarga… This material world is called pavarga. Pa, pha, ba, bha, ma. According to Sanskrit grammar, there are five vargas, ka varga ca varga ta varga ta varga and pa varga. So pa varga, pa means parisrama. Similarly, pha means phena, and bha means bhaya (?), ma means mrtyu. So this material world is pavarga, means here we have to labor very hard. Sometimes by laboring, as you have seen in animals, mules and horses, they produce foam in the mouth, that is pha. And then we are always full of anxieties, and at last there is death. This is material life. We work very hard, struggle for…, struggle hard for existence, and that also, at the end, we die.

So people have become so much foolish that they do not see the defects of the material…, materialistic way of life. They think only that the time, the small duration of life, if you can somehow or other gratify your senses, that is perfection of life. This is called ignorance, mudhah. That is described in the sastras: sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. Go-kharah means animal, like cows and asses. This is not life. So religious life, dharmasya hy apavargasya. One should become religious or accept religious principle to stop this pavarga, the different kinds of hard struggle for existence. To stop, that is the purpose of dharma. But generally people execute dharma to get some artha. Dharma artha. Artha means some material profit. So Suta Gosvami said that dharmasya hy apavargasya na artah arthaya upakalpate. Arthaya, for some material profit, does not mean. Of course, if you take the meaning of artha as paramartha, that is required. But material profit, as it is stated here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam by Suta Gosvami, that to go to the church or to the temple or to become a religious person, does not mean that it is meant for improving your material condition. Generally, people come to us or the temple for asibha (?). What is that asibha? “Now I have got five hundred rupees income. Please give me asibha it may become five thousand.” So this is not the purpose of dharma. Here it is stated, dharmasya hy apavargasya na artah arthaya upakalpate.

Then we require artha. Without artha, without money, how we can live? That is also explained here, narthasya dharmaikantasya kamo labhaya hi smrtah. You require money, that’s all right, but not for sense gratification, not for going to the cinema. Here in Bombay city, people are earning money, lots of money, but we see there are lots of cinemas advertised, and people go there—there are hundreds and thousands of cinema houses—and spend their money. They’re standing for three hours, four hours to take a ticket for going to the cinema. Therefore actually those who are going to be religious for getting relief from this hard struggle for existence, for them arthasya, you require some artha, money… Narthasya dharmaikantasya. If you are actually religious, then your artha should not be spent for sense gratification. Na tasya dharmaikantasya kamo labhayo hi smrtah. Kamah means sense gratification. It should be properly utilized, if you have got money, that you should be properly utilized, not for sense gratification— wine, women, and hotel, and cinema. No. Then by your artha you are going to hell. Artha, everything.

Canakya Pandita, the great politician, he says… He was not a…, he was a religious brahmana, but he was not for salvation—he was more or less politician—still he says, san-nimitte varam tyage vinase niyate sati. San-nimit, if you have got some money, it will be spent up. In your life or your next life, your son’s life, it will be spent up. Vinase niyate sati, that is the nature’s way. Suppose you earn crores of rupees. It will not stay after one generation, after two generations. It will not stay, because in this material world, Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, is called cancala. She does not remain at one place. We have got experience. Today one man is very rich; next generation is no longer rich. That is also nationwise applicable. Just like we have seen British Empire. While I was in London I was thinking that “These Britishers brought money from all parts of the world, by business or all other means.” I saw in front of St. James Park, Lord Clive’s statue. Very, very nice buildings, but it is now difficult for them to repair. That opulence has gone. They have lost their empire. No more income, sufficient income. This is the nature of material world. So many empires were there. There was Roman empire, there was Carthaginian empire, there was Mogul empire, there was British empire, and so many empires. They are no longer existing. Sometimes when I pass by the side of the Red Fort, we see the department, the apartments of the great Mogul emperors in Red Fort, they are now lying vacant. So this is the material nature. Therefore Canakya Pandita advises, san-nimitte varam tyago vinase niyate sate: “If you are actually religious, then don’t spoil your money for sense gratification.” Use it for sat karyam. Sat karya means for service of Krsna. Om tat sat param brahma. San-nimi. San-nimitte varmatyago vinase nigate sate. That is Vedic civilization. If money comes, you don’t hate it. Welcome. But it should be used properly. That is proper use. If you use properly your money, then you make your path parapavarga, clear. And if you misuse your money, then you become again entangled in the 8,400,000’s of species of life.

Therefore, as recommended here, narthasya dharmai-kantasya. Dharmai-kantasya: not for the irreligious demons, but those who are actually religious, dharmaikantasya. Kamo labhaya… No kamo labhaya hi smrtah. Your money should not be free, should not be spent unnecessarily for sense gratification. Formerly, this was the civilization in India. We see so many big, big temple in South India, in other places also, especially South India. It is not possible—in Vrndavana also—it is not possible at the present moment to construct such huge, expensive temple. But actually they were done by rich kings, rich mercantile people. That Madana-mohana temple was constructed by Sindhi merchant. He approached Sanatana Goswami. Sanatana Goswami was sitting underneath the tree, and his Madana-mohana was hanging in the tree. He had no place, no temple, no cloth. Madana-mohana was asking Sanatana Goswami that “Sanatana, you are giving Me dried bread, without even salt. How can I eat?” So Sanatana Goswami replied, “Sir, I cannot go to ask for salt. Whatever I’ve got, I offer You. I cannot help.” This was their talks. So one salt merchant came, Sindhi salt merchant, he was passing from Vrndavana to Delhi side, and he offered his service, and Sanatana Goswami asked him to construct the temple of Madana-mohana. That temple is still existing, Madana-mohana’s temple. So this is the proper use. If you have got some money, don’t use it for constructing a big skyscraper building. Better you try to construct a very nice temple for Krsna’s situation. That is proper use.

So Suta Gosvami said, narthasya dharmaikantasya kamo labhaya hi smrtah: don’t spend your hard-earned money for sense gratification. Then one may say that “After all, we have got this body, and we have to eat, we have to sleep. And because we have got senses, the senses must be a little bit satisfied.” No. Krsna says, Suta Gosvami says, it is not that you shall stop. That is already explained. I, the other day: nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. You eat in relationship with Krsna. Just like here, in this temple, what we are doing? We are also cooking. Others are also cooking at house. Then what is the difference? The difference is that we are cooking for Krsna; others, those who have no Krsna consciousness—I don’t say everyone—they are cooking for themselves. Just like the hotel. In a hotel they are cooking for the customer palatable dishes. So that is the difference. But Rupa Gosvami says that “Dovetail with Krsna consciousness.” That is yukta vairagya. Because in this human life we require to develop jnana and vairagya. So if we dovetail our activities for Krsna’s service, that is yukta vairagya. So here also it is said that narthasya dharmaikantasya kamo labhaya hi smrtah. We should not earn money for sense gratification.

Then kamasya na indriya-pritih labhah jiveta yavata. You must have sense gratification, eating, sleeping, mating—but as far as you can maintain your body very nicely. Not that voluntarily you shall starve. No. Just like these boys, these girls, are we…, we are not starving, but our eating krsna-prasadam means just to live nicely for executing Krsna consciousness. We are not meant for going to the cinema or for other sense gratification purposes, but because we have got this body, there is no question that we shall stop eating. We eat prasadam, krsna-prasadam, and that is very palatable. Krsna-prasadam…, Krsna should be offered all first class preparation because Krsna is the Supreme Lord. But if we haven’t money to supply Him nice thing, the Krsna will be satisfied, as Krsna says, patram pusam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Krsna wants that you offer Him something with devotional love, that’s all. Krsna is not hungry. Krsna is atmarama. He is self- sufficient. He does not require. He is producing food for us. That’s a fact. We get so many fruits and flower. We don’t manufacture it in the factory; neither it is possible. It is Krsna’s manufacture. It is Krsna. Raso ’ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi-surayoh. By His action of different energies these things are produced. Why? These things are produced for whom? For Krsna? No. For us. Eko bahunam vidadhati kaman, He is maintaining us. So is it not our duty to offer Him first, “Sir, You have supplied so many nice things. You take firt, then we shall…”? This is bhakti. It is just like worshiping mother Ganges with Ganges water. You have all seen that those who are devotees of mother Ganges, they go in the Ganges water, and after taking bath, takes little water from the Ganges River and again pour it with some mantra. Now from the river Ganges if you take, say, one pound of water, and if you pour it again, one pound, then what is the loss and gain? But you become, by using the Ganges water in that way, you become a devotee of the mother. Similarly, what we can offer to Krsna? Everything belongs to Krsna, and if in the store of Krsna there are millions and millions of tons of fruits and flower, if you take one or two of them and offer to Krsna, so what is Krsna’s loss? And if you offer one fruit to Krsna, what is His gain? Krsna is not concerned with your offering and not offering, but if you offer, it is for your interest. It is for your interest, so Krsna will recognize, “Here is a devotee.”

So this is the process. Therefore Suta Gosvami said that dharmasya…, narthasya dharmaikantasya kamo labhaya hi smrtah, kamasya na indriya pritih. Kamah. We have to satisfy our tongue, our senses, but not for indriya pritih. We should eat for living nicely, not for palatable dishes. So many animal killing, unnecessary. Why? Krsna has given you so many nice thing—rice, wheat, sugar, milk, fruit, flower, vegetable, and with milk you can get ghee, and you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparation and offer to Krsna and take it. Why should you kill so many animals and maintain slaughterhouse for the satisfaction of the tongue? Therefore here it is said, kamasya, we have some demand for maintaining the body, but not for sense gratification. Kamasya nendriya pritih. Na indriya pritih. Indriya pritih, if you cannot satisfy your tongue by so many preparation… Hundreds and thousands of preparation can be made from these ingredients—grains, vegetables, fruits, flowers and milk and sugar. Actually we still, in Hindu family, they are preparing so many nice foodstuff. Why should we go for indriya pritih? For satisfaction of the tongue we shall kill so many chickens and cows and goats, why? What is the use. There is no use. It is simply sense gratification. Therefore Suta Goswami recommends that you have got some demand for keeping the health properly, not…, but not, don’t try to do it for indriya pritih, indriya pritih.

We have invented so many nonsense things for simply satisfaction of the tongue. A vaisnava kavi, Vaisnava poet, acarya, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, he has wrote a song. That song we chant or sing during the time of taking prasadam. In that song he writes, sarira abidya-jal jodendriya tahe kal: “This body is an emblem of ignorance.” Actually we get this material body due to our ignorance. By ignorance we commit so many wrong things, and you have obliged to accept a certain type of body. Therefore it is a network of ignorance. Sarira abidya-jal jodendriya tahe kal. In that network of ignorance there are different senses, jodendriya tahe kal, gross material senses. They are just like our death. Sometimes these senses are described as kala sattva. Kala sattva means the black cobra. As soon as the cobra touches—immediately dead. Similarly, if we allow this kala sattva to act in their own way, that means we are inviting death at every moment. Therefore those who are too much bodily attached, for them this yoga system is controlling the senses, yoga indriya samyamah. Yoga does not mean to increase the power of sense gratification. Yoga means controlling the senses.

So the Bhaktivinoda Thakura said that this network of ignorance, where the senses are like black cobra, out of all those senses the tongue is the greatest black cobra. Ta’ra madhye jihva ati, lobhamoy sudurmati. The tongue, if you practice… Just for example, nobody learns smoking from the birth, but when he’s habituated, then they are as chain smoker, one cigarette after another, one cigarette after…, you see. This is simply by bad association. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura said that ta’ra madhye jihva ati lobhamoy sudurmati. Because we have indulged this tongue to increase his greediness, therefore we see so much advertisement of liquor and cigarettes and so many, or teas and coffee. Simply it is practice. So as you have practice, by practice you have increased so-called demands of your body, you can decrease it also. Just like these boys. They were practiced to all these things, but since they have taken to Krsna consciousness, by practicing they have given up everything. So anything artificial we may be habituated, but you can give it up. Therefore here it is said, kamasya nendriya pritih. You should not introduce sense gratification for maintaining your body. Your body can be maintained very nicely if you take simply food made of rice, wheat, vegetable, little ghee and little milk. That’s all. And you can get all these things anywhere, in any part of the world, and you can offer to Krsna. Krsna also says, patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Any part of the world, any condition of life, you can secure these things. In Africa we have been in the interior African villages. They are supposed to be uncivilized, but I don’t think. They have got enough of these things, patram puspam phalam toyam, anywhere. And they are being taught by this Krsna consciousness movement to offer to Krsna and take.

Therefore, this artificial civilization for sense gratification is not very good. It is not good for us. We may gratify our senses while we are living, but when we quit this body, we are completely under the grip of material nature. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27] And when you are on the clutches of prakrti, you cannot dictate that “Give me this kind of body.” That will be decided by superior authority, daiva netrena, karmana daiva ne. These are the scientific knowledge, but unfortunately, there is no culture of this scientific knowledge. Superficially, simply for sense gratification, that is going on in the name of advancement of civilization. Actually it is very risky civilization. Suppose after this body, human form of body, if I get the body of an animal or a tree. There is every chance. Wherefrom the tree comes? Wherefrom the tiger comes, the cat comes, the dog comes? There are demigods also. So you can get any form of life. Dehantaram. Krsna says personally, tatha dehantara. This is bogus theory that after death everything is finished. No. There is another life, and the species of life are in your form, 8,400,000 of species, and we have to accept, according to our karma, a type of body given by the material nature.

prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]

Ahankara-vimudhatma. Simply by false pride I am thinking that I am karta, I am master. You are not master; you are under the grip of material nature. So how you can avoid? Therefore we should not indulge in sense gratification. We should try to practice how to take krsna-prasadam. That will help us.

That I was going to speak, as Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, ta’ra madhye jihva ati lobhamoy sudurmati. This tongue is sudurmati. It is very, very badly intelligent. Not at all intelligent. He wants to eat. That I hear, we can see, in these big city. They have taken their lunch at home, and as soon as goes to the office, immediately, bring tea. So why the unnecessarily tea? But the tongue dictates, “Bring tea, bring coffee, bring cigarette.” Therefore the tongue is very formidable enemy of this human being, if you indulge. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, ta’ra madhye jihva ati lobhamoy sudurmati ta’ke jeta kathina samsare. It is very difficult to… [break] …we can sometimes avoid the dictation of the genital, but it is very difficult to avoid the dictation of the tongue. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, ta’ra madhye jihva ati lobhamoy sudur…, ta’ke jeta kathina sam…, krsna boda doyamoy, kori bare jihva joy, sva-prasad-anna dilo bhai. Now, Krsna is so kind that He has returned so much nice foodstuff, prasadam; now we can eat and thereby we can conquer the dictation of the tongue. In another place it is said, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. God realization can be possible. How? If you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord. It is very wonderful. People may say, “How is that? The tongue has to be engaged in the service of the Lord?” Yes, that is the sastric injunction. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. If you simply engage your tongue in the service of Krsna, then Krsna will appear to you, svayam eva sphuraty adah. He will personally appear before you. And what is that? You can utilize your tongue simply chanting Hare Krsna and satisfy the tongue by taking prasadam. Finished. Very simple and very easy. By simply controlling your tongue, you can control all other senses. You can control belly, you can control the genital, you can control everything. Therefore, here is recommendation, “Please do not take this, do not take this. Don’t take animal foodstuff. Simply take Krsna prasadam. Don’t drink, don’t smoke…” There are so many don’ts, and so many do’s also.

So therefore we have to practice this Krsna consciousness method. Here it is said that kamasya nendriya-pritir jiveta yavata [SB 1.2.10] Try to live decently by taking krsna-prasada and chanting Hare Krsna mantra. Jiveta: in this way you can live hundreds of years. That is recommended in the Isopanisad, isavasyam idam sarvam. So jiveta yavata, jivasya tattva-jijnasa nartho yas ceha karmabhih. And why shall you live at all? What is the use of living? The trees are also living for ten thousands of years. What is the meaning of that living? Similarly you live for a hundred years or two hundred years. What is the meaning of your living? Of course, living in this material world is not very comfortable. Every one of us will know it. Padam padam yad vipadam. Those who are living in Bombay city, they know it very well. When you pass through the road in taxi-cab or motorcar, so much congested, and at any moment there may be some danger, padam padam yad vipadam. In America also, the cars are running in seventy-mile speed, and if one car collides with another, immediately four, five cars—disaster. So actually you are living in such a condition. Padam padam yad vipadam. Every moment there is danger. It is not very peaceful living at the present moment. We are running, we are flying in the sky, we are… We do not say that this should be stopped, neither it can be stopped, but you do everything in Krsna consciousness so that even danger takes place, ante narayana-smrtih, you can at least remember Krsna at the time of death. Then your life is successful. Yam yam vapi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram, Krsna says. Yam yam vapi. At the time of death our remembrance to a certain thing gives me next body. If I think like a dog, then I become next life a dog, and if I think like a god, then I, next life I become god. That is the test at the time of death.

So unless you practice, how you can remember Krsna at the time of death? Therefore, (indistinct) Kulasekhara, the great emperor devotee, he is praying to Krsna,

krsna tvadiya-pada-pankaja-panjarantam adyaiva visatu me manasa-raja-hamsah prana-prayana-samaye kapha-vata-pittaih kanthavarodhana-vidhau smaranam kutas te

“My dear Lord Krsna, now I am healthy. I am thinking rightly. Kindly give me immediately death, and I can be entangled with Your lotus feet tight, like the swan entangles itself with the lotus stem.” You have seen, the swans take pleasure by entangling itself with the lotus stem. It goes down the water and catches the stem and binds itself. In this way, it is a sporting of the swan. So (indistinct) Kulasekhara says, manasa. Krsna tvadiya-pada-pankaja-panjarantam adyaiva visatu me manasa-raja-hamsah. “At the present moment my mind is just like the swan. It is playing with Your lotus stem. So, let me die immediately. Otherwise, if I die ordinarily,” prana-prayana-samaye kapha-vata-pittaih, “the three elements kapha, pitha, bile, they will overwhelm me, and I may not remember You at that time. I may forget You. So Krsna, give me immediately death so that I, remembering, I may die.” This is process. Krsna consciousness means somehow or other try to remember Krsna at the time of death, ante narayana-smrtih. Then your life is successful. Just like Ajamila. Ajamila, he was a great sinner—we shall one day describe about Ajamila’s life—but at the time of death, out of his affection for his youngest son, whose name was Narayana, he thrice called “Narayana! Narayana!” But the original Narayana took notice of it: “Oh, this man is calling Narayana.” Immediately sent His personal assistant to take him back to home, back to Godhead. Ante narayana-smrtih. Somehow or other. He was not remembering the original Narayana, but Narayana was the name of his son. Therefore according to our Vedic system we keep God’s name our children or family member, so that somehow or other, there are thousands of names of Krsna, if we remember one of them, our life is successful. This is Krsna consciousness.

So Suta Gosvami said that kamasya nendriya pritih. We have got some demands of body—eating, sleeping, mating. That’s all right. But don’t use it…, don’t spoil it by sense gratification. You can eat; there are so many nice thing, krsna-prasadam. Why should you eat meat? Why should you eat, drink and all nonsense? Be little frugal. No aindriya pritih, kamasya nendriya pritih jivetayavata. You simply taste such foodstuff, krsna-prasada, so that you can lead very healthy life and execute your Krsna consciousness business. It is not that you have to voluntarily stop and make yourself weak. No. In the Bhagavad-gita also it is said, yuktahara-viharasya, yoga bhavati siddhira. Artificial starving, artificial vairagya has no meaning. You should live nicely, but not for sense gratification. That is the recommendation of the sastra. Don’t indulge in sense gratification, but live very healthy life so that you can execute Krsna consciousness. Kamasya nendriya pritih jiveta yavata-jivasya tattva-jijnasa. The real business is jivasya. Our, we living entity, our real business is tattva-jijnasa. This tattva-jijnasa… Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam is commentary on the Brahma-sutra, Vedanta-sutra. As Vedanta-sutra gives the code, athato brahma jijnasa: this life is meant for brahma-jijnasa, inquiry about Brahman. The same brahma-jijnasa and tattva jijnasa is the same thing. Here also the same thing, as Bhagavata begins, janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. You’ll find all the codes of brahma-sutra or Vedanta-sutra in Srimad-Bhagavatam, very nicely explained. It is practically the explanation of vedanta-sutra. Here it is athato brahma jijnasa. What is that brahma-jijnasa? That is explained here in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, jivasya tattva-jijnasa. The same thing, athato brahma jijnasa and jivasya. This human form of life is especially meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, tattva-jijnasa. Jivasya tattva-jijnasa na artha yas ceha karmabhih. You are working so hard, simply for maintaining your body. No. It is not. You work hard, keep yourself fit, but live for tattva-jijnasa. That is life, tattva-jijnasa: What I am? What is God? What is this material world? Why I have come here? Why I am put into so much trouble? These are the inquiries. Not that everyday go to the (indistinct?) market, (indistinct). That is not tattva-jijnasa. That is indriya pritih, howling in the market.

So our life (is) being spoiled without Krsna consciousness. That is our mission, that we are trying to save men from great falldown. Uttisthata jagrata prapya varan nibhodata, this is the Vedic injunction. Don’t sleep. Uttisthita: “Just get up.” Jagrata: “Be awakened.” Prapya varan nibhodata. You have got this benediction of human form of life. Nibhodata. Try to understand the advantage, nibhodata. This is the only business of human birth, being, to understand his constitutional position, to understand God and relationship with God. We are avoiding this. What is the solution? Here it is clearly said, jivasya tattva-jijnasa nartho yas ceha karmabhih. You work hard, but what is your aim of life? Simply sense gratification. It is falling life. Jivasya tattva-jijnasa. Now what is that tattva? That is explained in the next verse, vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam [Bhag. 1.2.11]. Those who are tattva-vit, those who are knower of the Absolute Truth, they say as follows:

vadanti tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate [Bhag. 1.2.11]

That Absolute Truth, tattva-vastu, those who are in the knowledge of tattva-vastu, they say the Absolute Truth is one, advaya-jnana. There is no duality. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam [Bhag. 1.2.11] Brahman, Paramatma and Bhagavan. They are the same tattva-vastu, but according to our angle of vision, somebody is understanding the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, somebody is understanding the Absolute Truth as localized Paramatma, and somebody… That is highest realization, Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)