Lecture
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bombay, March 18, 1972

Prabhupada: I thank you very much for your coming here and participating in this great movement, Krsna consciousness. The Krsna consciousness movement is already there in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. So in the morning we shall speak on the Bhagavad-gita in Hindi, and in the evening we shall speak on the Srimad-Bhagavatam in English. Of course, in India there was no necessity of speaking in English, but at least once if I do not speak in English, all my disciples who have come from Europe and America, they will be bereft of hearing me. Therefore we have made this program: morning I shall speak in Hindi, and in the evening I shall speak in English.

So Srimad-Bhagavatam amalam puranam. There are eighteen Puranas, and out of them, six Puranas are meant for persons who are in sattva-guna. There are three qualities of the material nature. Some of us are in the modes of goodness, some of them are in the modes of passion, and some of them are in the modes of ignorance. So our Vedic literature… Sri Vyasadeva claims everyone. Not that simply persons who are in sattva-guna, or in the modes of goodness, they are eligible for going back to Godhead, back to home. We should remember this fact, that this human form of life is meant for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is the ultimate goal of life. This human form of life is not meant for working very hard like the animals. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nr-loke, kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye. Nayam deha, this body, nayam deho deha-bhajam nr-loke. Every one of the living entities, they have taken this material form, and there are 8,400,000 species of forms. The best of the forms is this human form. But this form of life is not meant for working so hard like an ass and gratifying the senses like the hogs and dogs. That is the injunction of the sastras. Nayam deho deha-bhajam nr-loke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye. Vid-bhujam. Vid-bhujam means the stool-eaters. The stool- eaters you have seen, the hogs. The whole day and night they are searching after stool. So the sastra, especially Srimad-Bhagavatam, says that the human form of life is not meant for working so hard like the hogs and dogs simply for sense gratification. The modern civilization, the so-called economic development, what is the ultimate aim of life? The ultimate aim of life is sense gratification, that’s all. I have traveled all over the world. Especially in the Western countries, they are simply after sense gratification. They have no other objective. In America, some rich man goes to Florida and spends $50,000 a week simply for seeing naked dance. That means they have no other information than sense gratification. Wine and woman, that’s all. That is gradually being spread all over the world. In our country also, working day and night, whole day and night, but the objective is sense gratification.

So sastra says that this human form of life is not meant for this purpose. The human form of life is meant for tapasya: tapo divyam yena suddhyet sattva. Satya means my existence. We have to purify our existence. Just like if you become feverish, you have to purify yourself from the feverish condition, come to the healthy condition, then you can enjoy life. You cannot enjoy life in diseased condition. That is not possible. Suppose you are feverish, you are given a nice foodstuff, rasagulla, but you will taste it bitter. You cannot enjoy it because on account of your fever the tongue is saturated with bile, and you taste sweet things as bitter. Similarly, we have got our senses, that is all right, but we cannot enjoy our senses in the diseased condition of material life. Therefore Bhagavad-gita says, sukham atyantikam yat tad atindriyam grahyam. If you want happiness, even sense gratification, that is not possible when your senses are covered by these material elements. We have got our senses, that is a fact. We have got our desires, we have got our mind, we have got our other senses, but this is now covered by the material elements. This is called dress. Just like if you are simply dressed, and if you want to enjoy sense gratification, it is not possible. You have to undress yourself, you have to become naked yourself. Similarly, if you want to sense gratify, then you have to purify your this material existence. Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. You have to become purified. Suddhyed satya yena brahma-saukhyam anantam. If you purify yourself, then by that purified senses you enjoy brahma-sukha. Brahma-saukhyam tv anantam. Ananta means there is no end. Here, if you want to enjoy your senses in this material world, there is end. You cannot. The highest sense gratification in this material world is sex life, but you cannot enjoy sex life perpetually. For some moments—then it is ended. But brahma-saukhyam tv anantam. But if you want to enjoy brahma-sukha… That is also sense gratification, but that is ananta. Ananta means there is no end. Ramante yoginam anante. The yogis… Yogis means the bhakti-yogi, because of all yogis, the bhakti-yogi is the best. That is the statement by Krsna in Bhagavad-gita.

yoginam api sarvesam mad-gatenantaratmana sraddhavan bhajate yo mam sa me yuktatamo matah [Bg. 6.47]

The highest yogi is bhakti-yogi. These boys and girls that have taken this bhakti-yoga, they are the topmost yogis. So yoginam ramante. They also enjoy. Ramante yoginam anante. But their reciprocation of sense gratification is with the ananta, the supreme unlimited. Ramante yoginam anante satyananda. That is real happiness, satyananda. Here in this material world, that is mithyananda, but real ananda is to reciprocate with the Supreme, just like Radha-Krsna lila. So ramante yoginam anante satyananda-cid-atmani. And that is not material. Cit. That is spiritual, cid-atmani. Iti rama-padenasau param brahmabhidhiyate. Therefore rama, rama means to enjoy spiritual bliss satyananda. That is, that should be the aim of human form of life. Human form of life is a chance to come back to the real platform of transcendental bliss. And if we waste our time simply for animal sense gratification like dogs and hogs, then you are wasting your time.

So this bhagavata dharma, or Krsna consciousness movement, is started to educate people for enjoying satyananda, satyananda. At the present moment we have no information what is the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is described in the Vedanta-sutra as janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1], athato brahma jijnasa. The Vedanta-sutra begins with this sutra, that “Now this human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth and my relationship with Him.’’ That is the human mission. The dogs and hogs, they cannot understand what is the aim of life, but in the human form of life we can understand that this form of life is especially meant for understanding the Absolute Truth, or Krsna. Krsna is the Absolute Truth. Krsna therefore says in the Bhagavad-gita, mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7] Absolute Truth means the Supreme. In the Brahma-sutra it is indicated that the human form of life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth. Athato brahma jijnasa. We have to inquire about the Absolute Truth. That is human form of life, not to waste our time simply going to the market and inquire, “What is the rate of rice and what is the rate of dahl?’’ That should go on, but along with it there should be inquiry what is the Absolute Truth and what is Krsna, what is God. That is beginning of human form of life. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, parabhavas tavad abodha-jato yavan na jijnasata atma-tattvam. The foolish persons, foolish living entities, abodha-jato… All of us, we are born ignorant; otherwise why we are sent to a school? Why the children are sent to a school? Because they’re abodha-jato. By birth they are all sudras, abodha. Therefore according to Vedic system there are samskaras, reformatory methods, and when the child is taken for samskara, that is called upanayana. Upanaya means bringing him nearer to understand spiritual life. That is sacred thread ceremony. Janmana jayate sudrah. Everyone is born ignorant. Otherwise why a person even born in brahmana, ksatriya family, why this upanaya samskara is there? Because it is to be understood that when a person takes birth, he’s sudra. He has to be educated. He has to be given transcendental knowledge. That is the aim of human life. Unfortunately, these things are now stopped.

So actually we are begetting like cats and dogs, and how can you expect peace and prosperity in the society of cats and dogs or hogs? It is not possible. So in this age especially, kalau sudra-sambhavah. The population is increasing simply sudras. But there is great necessity of brahmanas and ksatriyas. There are some population who are vaisyas and sudras, but practically the civilization is going on in the hands of vaisyas and sudras. I don’t mean that brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudras by birth-right; by qualification. These are all explained in Bhagavad-gita. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. The society must be divided into four classes of orders. There must be intelligent class of men, who are called brahmanas. They must give spiritual education to society. Not that everyone should remain laborer and work hard day and night like hogs and dogs for sense gratification. It is a very dangerous civilization. You cannot expect any peace and prosperity in this type of civilization. Therefore this Krsna consciousness movement is very, very essential, very, very essential. I am very glad to inform you that this movement is being especially received in the Western countries by the younger generation. I am very much hopeful. I am old man of seventy-six years age. Now, I can pass away at any moment, but I am confident that my disciples, who are mostly Europeans and Americans, they will continue this movement, and I wish there will be considerable change on the face of the globe.

So this Srimad-Bhagavatam gives you instruction how to become Krsna conscious. Bhagavad-gita is the elementary lessons how to understand Krsna, then become Krsna conscious. If you do not understand Krsna… It is not very easy thing to understand Krsna. Krsna says,

manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascin vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]

Krsna says Himself that “Out of many, many millions of people, one may be interested how to make life successful. One may know what is the aim of life.’’ That is called siddhi. YatatamManusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. Everyone is interested how to earn money or how to gratify senses. That is the modern civilization. Here is a competition of sense gratification. I’m gratifying my senses in one way, and all others, they are trying to imitate me or compete with me though they hate me. This is going on. Everyone is trying to be the lord of all I survey. That is competition. Why I want to become the lord of all I survey? Because I want to gratify my senses to the greatest extent. This is going on. But actually our position is not to lord it over. Our position is to be lorded by the Lord. That is our position, actually. If you don’t agree to be predominated by the Supreme Lord, then you shall be predominated by other agent, other energy, the material energy. I met one great professor in Moscow. The subject matter was freedom, Communism. So my last question was that “You people, Communists, you have surrendered to Lenin, and we have surrendered to Krsna. Then where is the difference? You have selected a personality like Lenin or Stalin or Marx. We have selected a personality, Krsna. Now, so far the principle of surrender is concerned, it is there in Communism and our Vaisnavism. Now it has to be seen whether Krsna is good or Lenin or good. That is a different question.’’ So actually we are trying to be free, but we surrender to some rascal, that’s all. Instead of surrendering to Krsna we prefer to surrender to some rascal or fool. That is maya. We have to surrender. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109] Our real identification is eternal servant of God, or Krsna. That is our real identification. But unfortunately, artificially we are trying to lord it over Krsna or over the material nature. This is struggle. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya. This struggle you cannot overcome. Krsna says duratyaya. It is very difficult to surmount the influence of material nature. Mama maya duratyaya. Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te: “If anyone surrenders unto Me, then he can get rid of this influence of the material nature.’’ This is the law. You cannot artificially change it. If you do not become Krsna conscious, if you do not surrender to Krsna, God, then the maya, or the material energy, will always give you trouble. The trisu, three kinds of miserable conditions. The trident you have seen. The trident in the hand of Goddess Durga, and she is punishing the demons with the trident on the chest. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura has said, visaya-visanale diba-nisi hiya jvale. Our heart is always burning on account of this material condition, threefold miseries of material life: adhyatmika, adhibhautika, and adhidaivika. Visaya-visanale diba-nisi hiya jvale juraite na koinu upaya. “I did not make any attempt how to get out of it.’’ Golokera prema-dhana hari-nama-sankirtana rati na janmila kene taya. “Unfortunately, I could not develop my attachment for Krsna or His name, which is the only process to get out of this anxieties of material existence.’’

So these are the facts. Everyone is anxious to have peace. The process of peace is not that you can manufacture. The process of peace is already there in the Bhagavad-gita, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said by the Lord that,

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram suhrdam sarva-bhutanam jnatva mam santim rcchati [Bg. 5.29]

This is the way of santi. So this Krsna consciousness movement is for actual peace and prosperity. Now if we are unfortunate, if we do not take this movement very seriously, that is a different thing. But actually this movement is on sound basis of Vedic knowledge, and it is very scientific. Any scientist, any philosopher can scrutinizingly study this movement. We have got book, very big, big books, four hundred, five hundred pages, one dozen books. If you have time, you read this philosophy, this science, and try to understand what is this Krsna consciousness movement. But it is not a new movement. It is already known in India. Unfortunately, we Indian people, we are rejecting. That is our misfortune. Our misfortune is, as it is said, (Hindi). We have kicked out our own culture; now we are trying to develop another culture from other spheres of the world. So you can do that—there is no objection—but don’t forget your original culture, Krsna consciousness, which was taught by Krsna Himself five thousand years ago in the Bhagavad-gita, man-mana bhava mad-bhakta mad-yaji mam namaskuru: “Always think of Me, always worship Me, always offer your respect unto Me, then you will come back to home, back to Godhead.’’ Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] “Just try to surrender unto Me only,’’ mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah. Our sufferings are due to our sinful activities. We cannot surpass the vigilance of material nature by committing or by executing sinful life. That is not possible. Therefore in our movement we ask everybody, especially our serious students, to refrain from four kinds of sinful activities: illicit sex life, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. These are the pillars of sinful life. If you think that you are enjoying life by indulging in these four kinds of sense gratification, that means you are implicating yourself. The chance of human body which you have got now to develop Krsna consciousness, if you misuse it and indulge in sinful life, then next life is waiting as cats and dogs. That is nature’s law. But if we forget the nature’s law, if you simply become puffed- up by false education, that is another thing. You can do that. But real fact is this: vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya [Bg. 2.22]

dehino ’smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]

You have to change this dress. You have to change this body. And next body is depending on your activities. If you act sinfully, then you have to take the body, by force of nature, as cats and dogs. That is certain. Don’t risk your life. Take the opportunity of human life and be Krsna conscious. That is the message of Krsna consciousness movement. Krsna personally comes to canvass, to “Please give up all this engagement, please come to Me, surrender unto Me, and I will give you all protection.’’ This is the lesson we understand from Bhagavad-gita. And if we actually surrender unto Krsna, if we actually understand Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then your bhagavata-dhima(?) begins. That is Vyasa… These are all contributions of Srila Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva, the last contribution of Vyasadeva, after compilation of Vedanta-sutra… He personally wrote the comments of Vedanta-sutra in the form of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhasyam brahma-sutranam **. Vyasadeva has written personally that “This is the real commentary on the Vedanta-sutra.’’ Because he knew that many foolish persons would comment on the Vedanta-sutra differently, atheistically, that “There is no God. I am God. You are God.’’ Therefore he protected the readers of Brahma-sutra. [break] …form of Srimad-Bhagavatam. And because it is commentary of the Vedanta-sutra, therefore he begins with first aphorism of the Vedanta-sutra: janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1] Now, he explains the verse, the sutra, or the code, Vedic code, janmady asya yatah. The first question is, “Who is… What is the Absolute Truth, you should inquire now.’’ This is the beginning of human life. If one does not inquire what is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God, that is animal life. That is animal life, that is not human life. Human life is not meant for simply eating, sleeping, and mating and, or defending.

So this is the beginning, as I have told you. Parabhava. Without understanding our relationship with the Supreme Lord, whatever we are creating by our industrialization, economic development or so on and so on, it is all defeat, because we are losing the chance. Lord Jesus Christ also said in one place that “If we are lost of our souls and if we gain the whole world, then what is the gain?’’ Actually that is the fact. We are losing ourselves. Suppose after making huge amounts of money in the bank balance, and if I die and if I take birth in the next life as a cat and dog, then what is the benefit of amassing such a huge amount of bank balance? We should understand this. Therefore unless we inquire about the Brahman or the Absolute Truth, then whatever activities we are performing without Krsna consciousness, without the knowledge of the Brahman, then they are all defeat. Parabhavas tavad abodha-jato yavan na jijnasata atma-tattvam. Therefore human life actually begins when this inquiry is there. If this inquiry is not there, then it is animal life. That is stated in the Upanisads: etad viditya (…Sanskrit). If anyone passes away from this material world, from this body, after understanding what is Brahman, what is Krsna, what is this world, what I am, then he is a brahmana. (Sanskrit) And if one passes away like cats and dogs without understanding, then he’s a krpana. Krpana means miser, who could not properly use his property or assets. He’s called a miser. So we have got this human form of life. Don’t become a miser simply by seeing that “How I can enjoy?’’ How I can enjoy, that is also very much nicely explained, that if you think that, “If I can live for three hundred years, or say one thousand years, then my life is successful.’’ The Bhagavata says, “Why three hundred years? There are many trees who are living for ten thousand years.’’ So do you think that by living for ten thousand years your life is successful? Sankaracarya lived for thirty-two years. Lord Caitanya lived for forty-eight years. So living for many, many years is not success of life. Live for a moment, but live for, with Krsna consciousness. That is success of life. Live for a moment. It does not require to live for thousands of years. Because there are many trees… I have seen in San Francisco, one great tree is standing for seven thousand years, this tree, and standing in the jungle. Do you like such kind of life, living? Live, live for worth living. Don’t live like cats and dogs. That is life. Janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1].

So try to understand the Bhagavata. Try to understand Vedanta philosophy. Unfortunately, when we study Bhagavata we immediately jump over Krsna-lila with the gopis. That is not the process. The process is first of all you try to understand Krsna. Without understanding Krsna, which is very difficult subject matter… Krsna says that yatatam api siddhanam kascid mam vetti tattvatah [Bg. 7.3] So the preliminary study of Krsna is Srimad, er, Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita, Krsna explains Himself. (aside:) Give me water. (coughs) In the Seventh Chapter, we shall begin from tomorrow morning, the study of this Bhagavad-gita in the morning. Please try to come. Krsna is giving personally instruction. You cannot understand God, Krsna, by your mental speculation. (coughs) That is called Kupa-manduka-nyaya, Dr. Frog philosophy. A frog from within the well, he’s trying to study Atlantic Ocean. This is a logic given in the Nyaya-sastra. Kupa-manduka-nyaya. What he’ll study about the Atlantic Ocean? One who has got knowledge, three-feet knowledge in the well, what idea he’ll get about Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean? As it is not possible simply by imagination, simply, similarly, if you try to understand about God, or Krsna, by your mental speculation, it will be simply a waste of time. Nayam atma pravacanena labhyo (Sanskrit). That is already forbidden, that “You cannot understand by your great brain.’’ What brain you have got? Teeny brain. You cannot compare your brain with God’s brain. You are very proud by flying a sputnik in the sky. That’s all right. You have got good brain. But there is another personality who has got brain who is floating millions and trillions of planets as weightlessness in the sky. So you cannot compare your brain with that brain, but there is a brain. So nayam atma pravacanena labhya. Simply by speculating, simply by concoction, you cannot understand. You have to understand God, or Krsna, from Him. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau. Just like you cannot see the sun at this time, when the night is dark. You cannot, ah, I mean to say, invent some searchlight and ask people, “Please come on the roof. I shall show you the sun by the searchlight.’’ It is not possible. By your endeavor you cannot see the sun at night. But when the sun rises in the morning, you can see. That is the process. Similarly, you cannot understand God by your mental speculation. You have to submit yourself. As Krsna says, that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Then He will reveal Himself, sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah. He’ll reveal yourself. He is within yourself. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. Isvara, the Supreme Lord, is situated as Paramatma in everyone’s heart. But if you become submissive, tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. Those who are cent percent engaged in the loving service of the Lord, buddhi-yogam dadami tam, He speaks from within. Then you can understand. He comes out, He exhibits Himself, manifests Himself the spiritual master, as spiritual master. Krsna is trying to help you from within, from without. Evam parampara praptam. You take advantage of it. From within, He, as Paramatma, caitya-guru, He’ll help you. buddhi-yogam dadami tam. And from without, as spiritual master, He’ll give you instructions from the sastra, from the Bhagavad-gita. The Bhagavad-gita is spoken by Krsna, and the Krsna’s representative, Krsna’s manifestation, the spiritual master, will rightly inform you. That is the position.

So we should take advantage of these facilities offered to human society. If we don’t take advantage of it, if simply we work hard like dogs and hogs and die like cats and dogs, then what is the value of life? So this Krsna consciousness movement is started to educate people to understand Krsna, that’s all. We have no other concoction. There is no invention. Simply we are trying to convince people to understand Krsna. So our main subject matter is based on the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. So we have opened this center in Bombay to give you facilities. Please try to take it. Please come and encourage us, and we shall continue this movement, here in this center, as long as possible.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.

Devotees: All glories to Srila Prabhupada. (end)