SB 7-06-14 NV 1976-06-28 The Problem of Family and Belly
ANNOUNCER: The following is a class on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
7th canto 6th chapter, text number 14,
given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
recorded on June 28th, 1976, at the New Vrindaban farm community,
in West Virginia (USA).
PRABHUPĀDA: …poṣāya viyan nijāyur na budhyate ’rthaṁ vihataṁ pramattaḥ
sarvatra tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā nirvidyate na sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ [SB 7.6.14]
So more we become implicated in this material world,
more we suffer from the threefold miseries, adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika.
But by the grace of māyā we forget them,
on account of our pleasing atmosphere in the family, kuṭumbha-rāmaḥ.
Therefore it is said,
ramante yoginaḥ anante. [Śata-nāma-stotra 8]
Those who are yogis…
There are many different types of yogis.
Of all of them bhakta-yogis,
ramante yoginaḥ anante. [Śata-nāma-stotra]
The difference between yogi and bhogī—there are two classes.
Bhogī means those who are trying to enjoy this material world, they are called bhogī.
And there is another word, rogī.
Rogī means diseased; neither yogi nor a bhogī.
Yogi means transcendentalist, trying to go back to home,
back to Godhead, they are called yogi.
And those who are only interested with this material happiness,
they are called bhogī.
And those who are neither of them, they are called rogī.
So those who are yogis, they are first class.
yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā
śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ [Bg. 6.47]
“Of all the yogis,”
yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā [Bg 6.47]
“always thinking of Kṛṣṇa,” śraddhāvān, “very faithful,” bhajate mām,
“always engaged in My service, he is first-class yogi.”
So our business is how to become yogi, bhakta-yogi.
That is the mission of life.
Unfortunately, we are not given the opportunity.
It is the duty of the guardians, family, natural guardian, father and mother,
and political guardian, the government, the teacher, the guru;
it is the duty to give facility, facility for achievement of the highest goal of life.
Unfortunately, it is always… But at the present moment, on account of Kali-yuga,
they do not know what is the aim of life, how the dependents should be trained up.
It is the duty of the king to train up the citizens.
This is… Everything is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
And the first business is how to lead men,
to the highest perfection of life; that is called siddhi.
Siddhi.
Siddhi means highest perfection of life.
saṁsiddhiṁ paramaṁ gataḥ [Bg. 8.15]
There are different kinds of siddhis. [splice]
The yogis, the mystic yogis, they also try to possess some
siddhi—animā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā.
Eight kinds of siddhis.
But such siddhis, all material.
So in the modern age, advancement of material civilization,
they also do not care for these siddhis, material siddhis.
Just like laghimā.
Laghimā-siddhi, the yogis, they become so light that they can float in the air.
So nowadays you have got airplane.
The yogi can float alone in the air.
Now five hundred passengers, they can float in the air.
So there is no need of such yoga, yoga-siddhi.
The science, the material science of craftsmanship, mechanical,
they have done it.
Or formerly these things were very magical.
Still, the so-called yogis, they are trying to achieve such perfection.
Sometimes they can float in the air, they can walk on the water,
they can get anything they desire, prāpti.
Prāpti, in my childhood there was my teacher.
He said that he had his guru, a yogi.
So he told me that his spiritual master, yogi,
he inquired from his disciple, “What do you want to eat?”
So he said that “We want to eat some pomegranate from Kabul.”
So he said, “Yes, you can get it; go into the room and you’ll find.”
So they found a bunch of pomegranate just fresh taken from the tree.
This is called prāpti.
The yogis, they can get all these facilities.
Prāpti siddhi.
Īśitā, they can keep anyone under his control.
Īśitā, vaśitā… There are eight kinds of aṣṭa-siddhi.
But that is not perfection of life.
Caitanya-caritāmṛta kaja says,
bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī —sakali ‘aśānta’
kṛṣṇa-bhakta—niṣkāma, ataeva ‘śānta’ [Cc. Madhya 19.149]
Bhukti means karmis, they are also wanting something, material success.
Mukti, the jñānīs, they want liberation, to merge into the existence of Brahman.
And siddhi, the yogis… So everyone wants something.
Therefore they cannot get peace, that is unfortunate…
If you want something, then, you have to struggle for it.
But… kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma. [Cc. Madhya 19.149]
Kṛṣṇa-bhakta does not want anything.
They simply want to be engaged in the service of the Lord.
That is their satisfaction.
That is the aim of life.
Unfortunately we are not educated, we are not given training.
Prahlāda Mahārāja’s subject matter is that…
kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha [SB 7.6.1]
From the very beginning of life,
the children should be educated in bhāgavata-dharma.
That is the subject matter.
So he’s explaining in different ways.
kuṭumba-poṣāya viyan nijāyur na budhyate ’rthaṁ vihataṁ pramattaḥ [SB 7.6.14]
So without fulfillment of our life’s mission,
generally we become involved in maintaining the family,
and all of a sudden, death appears, then finished all our attempts.
According to karma, we have to accept another body,
maybe human body or not human body.
In this way we become entrapped, and…
sarvatra tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā [SB 7.6.14]
Tāpa-traya, traya means three and tāpa means tribulation, suffering.
So tāpa-traya, three kinds of tribulations: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika.
Pertaining to the body, we feel so many troubles due to the body, due to the mind.
Then adhibhautika, troubles offered by other living entities,
and adhidaivika, troubles offered by nature or the demigods.
In this way, sarvatra.
It is not that in India there is tāpa-traya,
and in America there is no tāpa-traya; no, in America there is tāpa-traya.
“All right, I shall go to the heavenly planets;” no, there is also tāpa-traya.
Anywhere you go within this material world,
as soon as you get this material body, then tāpa-traya will be there.
So therefore our mission of life is how to get out of this tāpa-traya,
and Prahlāda Mahārāja is giving description
how we remain involved in tāpa-traya.
sarvatra tāpa-traya-duḥkhitātmā [SB 7.6.14]
Repeatedly, tāpa-traya, still na nirvidyate sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ. [SB 7.6.14]
Especially those who are family men, it is very difficult.
Therefore according to Vedic civilization, after fiftieth year,
one should give up the family responsibility, vānaprastha.
From vana, vana means forest.
And from vana the word vana has come.
Prastha means “who has gone.”
pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet [Kala-viveka?]
Vanaṁ vrajet means to free from all family responsibility,
and prepare for going back to home, back to Godhead.
But those who are too much attached to family life, na nirvidyate,
being repeatedly frustrated, repeatedly they are put into trouble.
Still.
But if one wants regular advancement of spiritual life,
he must retire at the age of fifty.
That is Vedic civilization.
Not that unless one is killed, he’s not going to retire.
Even great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, he was seventy-eight years,
and still he would not retire from this… Political life means greater family life.
A family man is interested with his family members,
and a political leader is interested with the whole, a group of family.
The principle is the same.
Ordinary family man, he’s looking after three, four members of the family,
and a political leader is thinking that he’s responsible for so many millions of men.
The idea is the same: the extended family.
But extended or diminished family, sva-kuṭumba-rāmaḥ, [SB 7.6.14]
he’s thinking, “I have to do something for them.”
But when death comes,
so you are unable to do anything, you have to immediately leave the scene,
and according to the laws of nature,
you’ll have to accept a body according to your karma.
This is the law of nature.
So we should be very careful.
This education is recommended by Prahlāda Mahārāja,
should be given, just like these children, they are getting education,
this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
It will not go in vain.
It is being impressed within the mind.
Very fortunate children, they have got this association.
Automatically, they are being trained up.
That is Prahlāda Mahārāja’s mission; he was talking among his,
class friends who were as small as these boys were there, five years old.
So they were very much eager to play, but Prahlāda Mahārāja was asking them,
“No, don’t waste your time.
Just be trained up in bhāgavata- dharma or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.”
Bhāgavata-dharma means Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Thank you very much
Subtitles by Gopī Kāntā Dāsa, Causelessmercy.com Sponsored by Jitarati Dāsa & Pratyatoṣa Dāsa