Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.5 Pradyumna: “Saunaka Rsi inquired: Why did Maharaja Pariksit simply punish him, since he was the lowest of the sudras, having dressed as a king and having struck a cow with his leg? Please describe all these incidences as they relate to the topics of Lord Krsna.” Prabhupada: So here is…, the basic principle is yadi krsna-kathasrayam. Devotees are interested to discuss something if it is helping us how we can become more and more attached to Krsna. That is the… Otherwise, we are not interested in the matter of general principles of morality, social culture, ethics. They are required, but because this material world means it is a contaminated world, infected world. So, here in this material world so-called morality or immorality is the same because it is infected. Just try to understand. If there is an epidemic, infection, so in that condition, first of all what is the necessity? First thing is to disinfect the epidemic. In the infected area you cannot derive any benefit by discussing morality or immorality. The man is dying out of infection. So to a immediately dying person, who is sure to die due to infection, what is the use of giving him instruction of morality or immorality? He’s going to die. Similarly, in this world they have invented so many things— philanthropism, altruism, nationalism, this “ism,” that “ism,” but without Krsna. It is the same position. Without Krsna consciousness he’s going to hell, however moral he may be, however pious he may be, so-called. If he does not know Krsna, it has no meaning. Therefore, the first condition was that we are interested to hear about Maharaja Pariksit’s punishing the Kali provided it helps us to advance in Krsna consciousness. Otherwise we have no interest. This should be the principle of devotees. We can take part in everything—politics, sociology or philanthropism, altruism, there are so many things they have discovered—provided by taking part in that department of activities we advance our Krsna consciousness. Otherwise reject. Don’t take part. You’ll be implicated. There, that, that philosophy, technique: dhari’ macha na chonya (?) pani, that we should fish, but don’t touch the water. If on the plea of fishing, you become fall down in the water and you are gone, washed away, then what is this? So sometimes we say that you take part in politics. Our business is not to take part in politics for acquiring big post like president or secretary or attorney general. What you will do that? We have no meaning for this post. Because for a devotee what are these posts? Even the post of Lord Brahma or Indra, the heavenly king, it has no meaning. Vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate. That is stated by Prabodhananda Sarasvati. He says that kaivalyam narakayate. Kaivalyam, the monism, to merge into the effulgence, the Absolute Truth, to become one, that is called kaivalyam, only spirit, that’s all. So for a devotee this kaivalya perfection, monism, is as good as hellish condition of life. Kaivalyam narakayate. And tridasa-pur akasa-puspayate. Tri-dasa-pur means the higher heavenly planets where big, big demigods live. Just like people are trying to go to this planet, that planet. So tri-dasa-pur. Tri-dasa means thirty, three dasa, ten times…ah, three times ten. So there are thirty millions of demigods. And they have got different planets also. So they are promised, “If you come to this demigod’s planet, yanti deva-vrata devan [Bg. 9.25], you will get so much happiness, you will live for so many years, you will have better standard of life, thousand times more than in the… These are… They are described in the Vedas. But a devotee says that this tri-dasa-pur, this heavenly planet, is as good as phantasmagoria. They have no value for these things. So the…, this is the aspiration of the karmis, to elevate life to higher standard of life. As the world is going on… The struggle is going on for having a higher standard of life. But they are becoming implicated. Now, there was bull-drawn cart or horse-drawn carriages. Now they have got nice cars also, but the problem is petrol. So the karmi world is like that. You create one kind of happiness, but side by side you create another kind of unhappiness. This is called karmi-yoga. Just like if you want to raise one big skyscraper building, then you have to dig somewhere to get the earth to make the bricks and the iron. You cannot manufacture without taking help of the nature. So if you raise here, you must dig here. This is karmi-yoga. If you want to enjoy something extraordinarily, you must create another unhappiness extraordinarily. This is called karmi. Therefore they are mudhas. Mudhas means rascals, asses. They do not know that “By increasing every year new motorcars, I am creating another problem. If there is no petrol, then the whole business will be spoiled.” That they do not know. And because they do not know, they are called asses, mudha. The effect they do not know. So the tri-dasa-pur, going to the heavenly planet… Just like they are going to the moon planet, but problems after problem, contemplating how to make a platform in the sky to get petrol. The problem is there, not that very easily going. The problematic… Things are problematic. So these kinds of plans… Just like Ravana. He said, “What is the use of becoming devotee? Oh, if you want to go to the heavenly planet, I shall make a solid staircase, reinforced concrete, and you can go there. There is no need of endeavoring for austerities, penances, no.” So these people are trying like Ravana, that “We shall take you to the moon planet, Venus planet, this planet, and give us money. Now we spend. You go on spending… In future, in future.” So these karmis are just like phantasmagoria, will o’ the wisp. And jnani, they are also merging into the effulgence of Brahman. That is also another foolishness, because actually nobody can remain in that. Just like we are feeling happy here because we have got so many friends here, ladies and gentleman, and you are talking. Now, if it was vacant, nobody is here. Sometimes in our temple, That’s not very good. Nobody likes to sit. Is it a fact? Every day, because we are so many, it is very pleasing to sit down. So by nature a living entity wants society. “Society, friendship and love, divinely bestowed upon man.” That is required. And if you live in a forlorn place, nobody’s there, no society, no friends, then how long can stay there? You cannot stay. Just like if you go on the sky by airplane, after four, five, six hours you, you become disturbed: “When the plane will get down? When the plane will get down?” This is natural. Why…? Why the plane…? You are flying very nicely, huh? There is no turmoil, no noise in the sky. Go nicely. No. Similarly, in the ship also, you travel for many days. So it will be disturbing. People are searching after when we shall land in some place. So living entity by nature, he wants association. Artificially he wants to… Just like some of, some of the devotees, they like that “Now we shall go in a solitary place and chant Hare Krsna.” That is a different position. It is not possible for the ordinary man. So going to the Brahman effulgence, simply realizing that “I am a spirit soul, I have nothing to do,” that will not be beneficial. You will again come down. Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adho ’nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah [SB 10.2.32]. If you do not get shelter, simply to remain in the impersonal Brahman effulgence will not make you happy. Artificially, you can stay there for some time; otherwise, you will again fall down in this material world for varieties of enjoyment. Because that impersonalist, impersonal person, those who are attached to impersonal philosophy, they do not care to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They say, “It is maya. To become impersonal is perfection.” So they cannot remain imper…, in the impersonal feature for very long time because nature… We are part and parcel of Krsna. The only fault is that we have tried to imitate Krsna here in this material world. Otherwise, that instinct is there. Just like Krsna is enjoying with gopis and Radharani. Now, because I am part and parcel of Krsna, that instinct must be in me also, in minute quantity. But that must be in me. Therefore we also want to enjoy with so-called lover or beloved or girls or boys, but we are trying to enjoy in a false platform—this material world. Therefore we are becoming baffled. The same enjoyment is, Krsna is offering, by His descendance, that “If you want to enjoy like this in the society of beautiful young boys and girls, come to Me. Here it is, reality.” But that they will not. That they will make impersonal. Being frustrated in this material platform, they want to make it zero, sunyavadi, sunyavadi, being disgusted… Because you cannot be happy in this material enjoyment. So at time it will be disgusting. That is jnana-bhumika.(?) “So we have tried our best. What is the use of this enjoyment? Brahma satyam jagan mithya. This is all false. Now let us become Brahman, become one with Brahman.” But that is also false. That idea, to become one with the Brahman, that is also false. So real reality is Krsna consciousness. Therefore these sages, big, big great sages, they are hearing Suta Gosvami. So they ask the reason “Why the king Maharaja Pariksit punished that Kali in the dress of a king? ‘So if you…, if possible, kindly describe the reason. And provided it will help our Krsna consciousness.” This is the condition. Yadi krsna-kathasrayam: “If there is connection with Krsna.” Just like the Bhagavad-gita. It is a topics on the battlefield. Senayor ubhayor madhye ratham sthapaya me ’cyuta. Arjuna is asking Krsna, “Please keep my chariot between the two phalanxes of armies.” This is completely military proposal. But why we are interested to hear about Bhagavad-gita? Because krsna-kathasrayam, because there is krsna-katha, there is instruction of Krsna. Therefore we are interested. Otherwise, what is the use of hearing, “Somebody is fighting with somebody, and he’s asking his chariot driver, ‘Place my chariot in this position. Let me see who, whom I shall have to fight’?” So what is the use of? There is no use. People are interested in reading, but they are reading all so-called literature, poetry. But we are not interested in such, such kind of literature, because there is no krsna-katha. We are interested in Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Why? Because it is krsna-katha. The same propensity. Everyone wants to read something. So we also want to read something. But we read Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta, because there is krsna-katha. We are not interested with any other rubbish literature, however nicely it is prepared. tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo yasmin prati-slokam abaddhavaty api namany anantasya yaso ’nkitani yat srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah [ SB 1.5.11] That kind of literature, where namany anantasya, the holy name of the ananta, the Supreme Unlimited, namany anantasya yaso ’nkitani, His glories are described, such kind of literature, srnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah, that is interested, interesting to the sadhavah. They hear, they chant, srnvanti gayanti grnanti, and accept the philosophy. Tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo yasmin prati-slokam…[ SB 1.5.11] Even those verses are not very nicely composed from literary point of view, still, a sadhu, who is saintly person, he’ll take interest of that kind of literature. And other literatures: tad vayasam tirtham. Other literature, because there is no description of the Supreme Absolute, that is the pleasure place for the crows. Tad vayasam tirtham. So we are not interested with such kind of literature; however from literary point of view, from poetic point of view, they are very nicely written. If there is no krsna-katha, there is no description of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no devotee should be interested. Even though… Even we do not touch the daily newspaper. Why? Because there no is krsna-katha. One and the same thing, punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30]. Repeating the same… “This man was stolen of his property. This politician has said like this. That politician has replied like this. There was disaster. There was fire. There was this…” These news are full with newspaper, so many bunch of papers. So who cares for it? Tad vayasam tirtham, crowlike men. Not the swans, white swans. White swans, they go to the very clear water where there is nice garden, nice birds are chirping, nice fruits are there. You will find the white swans will go there, in the park. And the crows will go… Where everything garbage, nasty things are thrown away, they’ll enjoy there. Even in the animals, the birds, you’ll find this distinction. Why the crow does not go to the nice garden? And why the swan does not go to the crow society? So there are different classes of men, crow society and swan society. The swan society is different from the crow society. How you can make equal? The people are making, try to make classless society. It is not possible to make classless society because every living entity is being controlled by a different quality. So the qualitative distinction must be there. You cannot make them classless. It is all imagination. The crow class, the swan class, the pigeon class, the dog class, even in the animals, even in the birds, even in the plants… There is a plant, rose tree, and there are other plants, useless, no fruit, no flower. It is simply meant for becoming fuel. So by nature there are so many distinctions. You cannot make equal everything. This is called variety. But everything is required, provided one knows how to utilize it, and that is possible by Krsna conscious person, not by ordinary person. To accept all varieties of creation and engage them in Krsna’s service, that is Krsna consciousness. So the first condition is yadi, “if,” krsna-kathasrayam. That should be the principle of devotees. Anything which has no connection with Krsna, we have no interest. Let it go. We are simply interested if it is related with Krsna. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe yuktam vairagyam ucyate. Our principle is to follow the Gosvamis. They have given two formulas, Rupa Gosvami. prapancikataya buddhya hari-sambandhi-vastunah mumuksubhih parityago vairagyam phalgu kathyate Where there is connection of Krsna, if you can utilize it for Krsna… Just like we are utilizing everything. This building we are utilizing, the chandelier(?) we are utilizing. We are using this microphone and using paper and press. We are using everything. But why? For Krsna. We are not engaged here for singing cinema songs or like that. No. We can utilize these instruments for singing the glory of Krsna. Therefore we have taken advantage. Otherwise… But people…, there are so-called tyagis: “Oh, these people are using material things. This man is taking material advantage; at the same time, he’s condemning material advancement.” We don’t condemn. We simply teach people that utilize for Krsna. Nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe. We don’t condemn. We don’t say that don’t manufacture this microphone. Yes. Microphone—use. But use it for declaring glories of the Lord. Then it is fully utilized. That is our process, Krsna consciousness. So we are not these so-called Mayavadi sannyasis, brahma satyam jagan mithya. Why jagan mithya? Mithya means false. They say that jagan mithya, this whole material world is false. We don’t say false. We say it is temporary, and so long it is in use, you utilize it for Krsna. That even this material world will be utilized for Krsna consciousness, this is our proposal. We don’t reject anything. Therefore Rupa Gosvami: prapancikataya buddhya hari-sambandhi-vastunah. A thing which can be used for the service of Hari, Krsna, if it is given up as material, that vairagya, that renunciation, is not very good. That renunciation… “I have renounced everything…” Just like amongst the Jains, they will not ride on car, they’ll walk. So our principle is not like that. “No, we shall not take advantage of the motorcar or the airplanes. These are all material. I shall walk.” Why shall I walk? If I would not have taken the advantage of the airplanes, how I could preach Krsna consciousness all over the world so swiftly? We must take all advantage, but for Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. We shall encourage people, but the thing is that we may not forget. If by material opulence we forget Krsna, then that is suicidal. That is sui… Therefore we have to be little careful. We may drive the Rolls Royce car, but may not identify with the car: “Oh, now I’ve become Rolls Royce. You are Chevrolet. I’m Rolls Royce.” (laughter) Don’t become nonsense like that. Rolls Royce car is different from you, and Chevrolet car is also different from you. You can take advantage of them. Don’t identify. They are identifying with the matter. That is the defect. That is called maya. He’s not identifying with Krsna, that “I am part and parcel of Krsna. I am not part and parcel of these Rolls Royce cars.” If one keeps himself, I mean to say, awakened in this way, so in any condition of life, he is liberated, any condition. That is also given by Rupa Gosvami, that, iha yasya harer dasye karmana manasa gira nikhilasv apy avasthasu jivan-muktah sa ucyate Iha. Iha means “desire.” Yasya, anybody’s desire. He’s always thinking how to serve Krsna. How to serve Krsna with whole world paraphernalia, he’s planning, such person. Iha yasya harer dasye. His main aim is how to serve Krsna. Karmana manasa gira. One can serve Krsna by his activities, karmana, by mind, by thinking, by planning how to do it nicely. Mind is also required. Karmana manasa vaca. And by words. How? Preaching. Such person, nikhilasv apy avasthasu, in any condition of life he may be… He may be in Vrndavana or he may be in hell. He has nothing to do with, with anything else, except with Krsna. Jivan-muktah sa ucyate: He’s always liberated. That is required. Therefore it is said, yadi krsna-kathasrayam. “If this description which (we) are asking you, what is the reason that Pariksit Maharaja was going on his tour, royal tour, what business he had to punish one man who dressed like a king and trying to kill cows… So why he was interested? Is it for Krsna or for his personal interest? If it is for Krsna, then please…” Kathyatam maha-bhaga. “You are most fortunate. Please describe this.” And another point is nrdeva-cihna-dhrk. Nrdeva. Nr means “human being,” and deva means “God.” So the king is considered as God in the human society. Just see what should be the position of the king. And how much qualified he must be. Because a king is supposed to be the representative of God to develop Krsna consciousness of the people. That is king’s duty. Therefore he’s called nrdeva. Anyone who is trying for Krsna, to make people Krsna conscious, he is a representative of Krsna, real representative. Therefore guru is offered the respect exactly like Krsna. Saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata **. Because he is kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya, he’s the…, doing the most confidential service, Krsna. Krsna wants everyone to surrender to Him, and the spiritual master is doing the same: “Please surrender to Krsna.” Therefore he’s the most confidential servant of Krsna. He should be honored as Krsna. That is the duty of the king also. Everyone should come forward. The father, the mother, the king, the spiritual master. Upon whom the instruction of the disciples, of the subordinate wards, is depending, they should be all Krsna conscious. Therefore it is said nrdeva…, nrdeva-cihna-dhrk. And he was punished because, although he dressed himself like a king, but he had no responsibility. Therefore nrdeva-cihna-dhrk sudrakah. He was actually sudra, and he was taking the place of a king. Therefore he should be punished. This is the duty of the government. Nobody can cheat. If you dress like such and such person, you must deal also honestly. Otherwise you will be punished. Thank you very much. Take this. Chant. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Los Angeles, January 2, 1974