Bhagavad-gita 7.3 Prabhupada: …human being is the life where one can understand what is God. It is not stated here jivanam, the living entities. There are, we have several times explained, many types of living entities. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. The aquatics, they are also living entities. There are 900,000 forms of body within the water. They are also living entities. And… Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. Sthavarah means living entities who cannot move—trees, plants, herbs, grass. They cannot move. So they are two millions. So in this way you come to the human being. They are also living entities. There are 400,000 different forms. We can see here. We are human being, but we have got different forms, different color. So this is the variety of creation. So out of all these living entities, the human form of living entity is very important. So that is the life wherein we can understand what is God. Therefore in the human society there is some process of understanding God which is called religion. Religion means a process by which we can understand what is God, what is our relationship with Him, and what is our duty towards Him. So therefore it is said, these human beings who are actually trying to fulfill the mission of human life… To fulfill the mission of human life means that we living being, spirit soul, we are now entangled within this material body. This is our problem. Really the… To understand the position of the living being is the beginning of Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita does not begin with some utopian ideas of humanitarian work. No. Sri Krsna wanted Arjuna to understand in the beginning that “First of all, you understand your constitutional position, what you are.” To know ourself, what we are, that is siddhi, not to be busy with the bodily comforts of life which are being executed by the cats and dogs and hogs. The hog is whole time engaged how to maintain his body, how to have nice sexual intercourse, and how to eat anything he likes. You will find the hog life, practically. In our country, in India, in the villages the village hogs they are loitering whole day and night, “Where is stool? Where is stool?” So if human life is meant for that purpose, from early in the morning till one goes to sleep, simply find out where is money, “Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?” then where is the difference between this pig life and the human life? If human life is meant for that purpose, “Where is money? Where is money?”… Of course, for the human being the money is very sweet; similarly, to the hog the stool is very sweet. So it is the question of sweetness, not the matter. Taste. So he finds good taste in stool, and we find good taste in money. So money also, we see, why we want money. Diva carthehaya rajan kutumba-bharanena va. Nidraya hriyate naktam vyavayena ca va vayah [SB 2.1.3]. The materialistic persons are engaged whole day and night. The business is… What is their business? That at night to have very sound sleep. “Last night I had very sound sleep.” That is enjoyment. “If I can sleep up to ten o’clock, twelve o’clock, oh, I have enjoyed this.” The sleeping. So at night the enjoyment is sleeping and sex, vyavayena. Vyavayena means sex. In this way night we are wasting. And daytime? Diva ca artha iha… “Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?” And then as soon as we get money, then how to spend it for sense gratification, for kutumba-bharana, for family maintenance, for purchasing, for shopping. In this way we are very busy. We do not know that there is another business beyond this. This is, especially at the present moment this is human civilization. They are always busy in sense gratification and getting money for that purpose. That’s all. So that is not siddhi. Therefore Krsna said that mostly, 99.9 percent, they are busy in these things: “How to get money for sense gratification? And when we get money, then spend it for sense gratification.” Diva carthehaya. That is not siddhi. That thing is going on amongst the hogs. Hogs are also busy in that way. Then where is the difference between human life and hog life? Therefore sastra says, nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [Bhag. 5.5.1]. This was the instruction given by King Rsabhadeva, whose son’s name was Maharaja Bharata, under whose name this land, this planet is called Bharatavarsa. This planet’s original name is Bharatavarsa. Now it has come to India, gradually cut down, cut down. So He instructed His sons, “My dear sons, don’t spoil your life simply working hard for sense gratification like the hogs. Because the hog is also working day and night, but what is the aim? The aim is sense gratification. At night sleep or have sex life, and at daytime collect money and spend it for family maintenance or some sense gratification. This is not meant for human life.” Now, this morning one gentleman was asking us that we are not working. We are not working. They think… He is a lawyer. He thinks that unless one works very hard for sense gratification, he is not human being or he is not doing his duty perfectly. That is his idea. But actual life is to become perfect, from the platform of animal life come to the perfection of life. Therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu [Bg. 7.3]. Everyone is thinking that “Work very hard like the hogs and dogs, and find out your means of sense enjoyment, and then enjoy it.” This is called karmi life. They have no other idea. You will find everyone is working hard. From morning at six o’clock till ten o’clock at night they’re working hard. What is the purpose? To get some money and utilize it for sense gratification. This is animal life; this is not human life. But they are thinking that one who does not work so hard day and night for sense gratification, he is not doing. He is escaping. This is the… But actually, they do not see that these devotees are engaged in working twenty-four hours but not for sense gratification like the hogs, but for satisfaction of Krsna. That is the difference between Krsna consciousness man and ordinary man, karmi man. Therefore Krsna says that all these men, they are engaged. But the sastra says, “No, no. You live with the minimum necessities. Don’t increase your necessities unnecessarily.” This is Vedic civilization. And the modern civilization is even increase your necessities—a machine for shaving your cheek. You see? Another machine, another attention diversion. More machine means more diversion of attention. I have to take care, more technician, more technologies. Simply if one razor can shave, can make my cheek very clean, where is the necessity? Formerly, at least we Indian know that go to a blacksmith and he prepares a razor, very nice razor. You pay him four annas, and it will last for your life and shave your cheek very nicely, daily or occasionally. But the modern civilization means that in everything there must be machine. That is the advancement of material… But the sastra says, “What is the use of taking so much labor?” Kastan kaman. Kastan means with so much labor. If you create some convenience by the so-called machine use, you create so many other inconveniences. Just like we have got now motorcar. Of course, it is convenience. But there are many inconveniences. Formerly people used to find everyone within the village. Now, because we have got big, big motorcars, we have to go thirty miles to find out a doctor. So the other inconveniences are also increased. Now we have to find out petrol and flatter the Arabians, “Give me petrol.” In this way… And if I stop manufacturing, then there is unemployment. In this way we are becoming implicated. By the so-called advancement of civilization, we are becoming implicated to these material activities and we are forgetting our real business, self- realization, what I am. Athato brahma jijnasa. The real business is to enquire about Brahman, about atma, Paramatma, but we are forgetting that. We are simply busy for the temporary life, say, for fifty years or hundred years, utmost. But we do not know the life is continuation. As the life is continued we have got experience—from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then in old body, then what is next? You ask anybody who has become old man. Ask him, “Sir, you have come to this stage. Your body is now old. You have to die. Now, from childhood you came to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then middle age, and now you have come to… Now what is next? Do you know?” Oh, they will be silent. Nobody knows that what is my next life. A child can say, “My next life is boy. I shall become a boy.” The boy can say, “Yes, I will be like very nice young man.” The young man can say that “I shall become middle-aged man, father of many children.” And the middle-aged man can say, “Yes, I will become old man.” And ask the old man what he will become? He cannot answer. Can anyone say? But there is next life. This body is now old enough. It will be finished. Everyone knows. “As sure as death.” Then after finishing the body, what will be your next body? Who will answer this? Where is the scientist? Where is the philosopher? Where is the learned man? Nobody knows. Nobody knows. Therefore he is blind. He does not know what is his future. But there is future. You cannot say no. The example is here. And besides that, Krsna says, tatha dehantara-praptih. Krsna, the most superior authority, He says, and it is accepted by all the acaryas and all persons who have attained perfection. So we should learn it, that “What is my next life?” And if I prepare for the next life, that is called siddhi. That is called siddhi. If we don’t prepare for the next life, if we remain just like cats and dogs… The cats and dogs, they do not know what is next life because they are animal. And if I do not know what is next life, then what is the difference between the cats and dogs? Where is the difference between? Sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13], sastra says. “One who does not know what is the next life, he is no better than go-kharah.” Go means cows, and kharah means ass. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih, sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13]. These men are no better than these cats and dogs and animals. So practically you ask so many big, big men… Last time when I was here, Lord Fenner Brockway came here to see me. I asked him this question, that “What is your next life?” He is also old man, eighty- four years. He said, “Swamiji, we shall die peacefully. That’s all.” Peacefully you may die, but you have to accept the next body. Whether that will be peaceful or not, that they do not know. Similarly, I spoke with Professor Kotovsky in Moscow. He also said that “Swamiji, after finishing this body, everything is finished.” This is the position of human society at the present moment, that they do not know how to make life perfect. To make life perfect means how to make my next life very perfect or happy or better life. Otherwise, if I remain in darkness—Krsna says, tatha dehantara-praptih—then I shall be, I may become any of these so many types of body. I may become a tree, I may become a dog, I may become a cat or maybe a demigod. There are so many, different. But I must be sure what kind of life I must have. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. We are not imagining. Our movement, this Krsna consciousness movement, based on Bhagavad-gita. So Krsna says that… As He says, there is next life, that is a fact. Now, how we can prepare for the next life, that is also said in the Bhagavad-gita. How? yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah bhutani yanti bhutejya yanti mad-yajino ’pi mam [Bg. 9.25] If you want to go the the higher planetary system where the material happiness is thousands and thousands time more comfortable than on this planet… Just like Svarlokas, Svargaloka, Svargaloka, Maharloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka. There are many different planetary system up and down also. So if you want to go to that, urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah, if you prepare yourself, contacting the modes of goodness, then you are promoted to higher planetary system. Yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti pitr-vratah: [Bg. 9.25] “You can go to the Pitrlokas or you can remain within this planet, planetary system. And if you like, you can come to Me also.” “As you can go to the higher planetary system or remain here…” That is all preparation. Bhutejya. Yanti deva…yajinah. “Similarly, if you,” mad-yajinah, “if you become My worshiper, then you come to Me.” Krsna said. So what is the difference between going to the higher planetary system and what is the difference, going to back to home, back to…? Everything is explained there. If you go to the higher planetary systems, suppose to the planets of the demigod, Krsna says, “Then you will have to again come back.” Abrahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ’rjuna [Bg. 8.16] Even if you go to the topmost planet, then from there also, after… Ksine punye martya-lokam visanti [Bg. 9.21]. After your resultant action of pious activities is finished, then you have to come back again here. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. But there is another planet, which is called Goloka Vrndavana. If you go there, then you’ll haven’t to come back again in this material world, which is described by Krsna Himself: duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. Mam upetya tu kaunteya duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]—napnuvanti mahatmanah. They… Not ordinary person can go to Krsna’s loka, back to home. Who can go? Mahatmanah, those who are great souls. And who are great soul? They are called mahatmas. Who are mahatmas? Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah, bhajanty ananya-manasah [Bg. 9.13]. This is mahatma. Those who are fully engaged in Krsna consciousness, absorbed in the service of Krsna, they are called mahatma. Sa mahatma sudurlabhah. That kind of mahatma, the so-called mahatma having an orange dress and talking that he is God, incarnation of God, and he can give you perfection within six months, give him $35—not like that. The mahatma means mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah [Bg. 9.13]. They are under the spiritual energy. And if one inquires, “What is that spiritual energy?” the spiritual energy means to be engaged in devotional service. Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah, bhajanty ananya-manasah [Bg. 9.13]. They have no other business than to work for Krsna, serve Krsna. They are mahatma. So our Krsna consciousness movement is teaching people that “You have no other business than to work for Krsna. That’s all.” This is Krsna business. This is called Krsna consciousness business. That is called the highest perfection. Samsiddhim paramam gatah. Siddhi. Here it is, siddhi. Manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Siddhaye means to understand “What is my position? Why I am working so hard day and night for simply for sense gratification, for satisfying the tongue, to fulfill the belly, and satisfy the genital? This is my business. That is being done by the dogs and hog.” When one comes to this sense, that “Shall I work like the cats, dogs, and hogs, or I have got any other business?” that is human life. Therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu. All of them working like hogs and dogs. They do not know there is something other. This is the position. And the modern civilization means keep him in the darkness, that “Let him work hard like hogs and dogs, and don’t give him any knowledge.” Neither they know, the so-called leaders, what is the perfection. They think, “This is life: work like hog and dog, and then die like hog and dog, finish all business.” This is not human life. Therefore Krsna says, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. They do not know what is perfection of life. Therefore we sometimes… We do not say. Krsna says. And if we repeat Krsna’s words, the rascals, they become angry. Actually they are rascals. We plainly say. Because he does not know. If I ask him, “What is your next life?” he cannot answer. Then what is the difference? If I ask the dog that “What is your next life?” he cannot say. “Gow! gow!” That’s all. So if I ask any human being that “What is your next life?” “I don’t bother about that thing.” (laughter) The same answer, “Gow! Gow!” That’s all. So this is the position, that we do not know what is the perfection of life. Krsna says, therefore, begins real knowledge. This chapter is “Knowledge of the Absolute.” So everyone… You ask any M.A., Ph.D., that “What is your next life, sir?” “Gow! Gow!” (laughter) That’s all. “Gow! Gow!” means “Why you are bothering about these things?” Now, this is the position. And we have taken very hard job to convince these people about Krsna consciousness. They will not accept it. They will deny immediately. They will say, “Why do you bother us? You do your own business. Let us do our own business.” But why we are bothering? Because we are servant of Krsna. Krsna wants that these rascals should be informed. These rascals should be raised from this status of ignorance. So that is our mission. Therefore we are going and pleading, “Sir, I am a beggar, I have come to beg from you that you kindly purchase one book and you read it.” So sometimes they are doing. After all, human being… So this is our… This is our business. We are stressing on pushing on these books because modern man, if he purchases one book, then at least he will see one line, “What these nonsense have written?” So if he reads one line, if he is intelligent man, he will understand the value. That is sure. That is sure. So the Krsna consciousness movement is completely scientific. As Krsna said… We have given therefore. When I was registering this association in New York, some friend suggested that “Why you are giving this name ‘Krsna’? Why not put the name ‘God,’ ‘God consciousness’?” Then “Yes, I can give the name ‘God consciousness.’ Then it will be confused.” Because we want to preach Bhagavad-gita as it is. That is Krsna’s speaking. And we are trying to place this Krsna’s teachings to the world. And not only that, Bhagavan, God, means Krsna. And if I give the name of “God” instead of “Krsna,” they will bring forth so many competition of Krsna. That is not our purpose. Krsna means God. If God has any perfect name, that is “Krsna.” Because “Krsna” means all-attractive. God cannot be attractive for certain person. God cannot be Christian God or a Hindu God or Muslim God. God is equally attractive for Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddha. That is real God. And if Hindu has manufactured some God, Christian has manufactured some God, that may be God partially, but not the Supreme God. The Supreme God is Krsna. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Parama means supreme. God… You are also god, I am also god, and every one of us, god. Why? God means controller. So controller, every one of us is a controller to certain extent, not the complete controller. But Krsna means the complete controller. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Controller… You may be controller; I may be controller; he may be controller; but not controller like Krsna. Krsna can control all other controllers. Therefore He is called supreme controller, Paramesvara, Paramatma, Parabrahman. These words are used. In the Bhagavad-gita you will find. Arjuna says param brahma. Not Brahman. Brahman we are, every one of us. Sarvam khalv idam brahma. Brahman is the small Brahman, and Parabrahman means the Supreme Brahman, or the biggest Brahman. So Krsna is the biggest Brahman, biggest Lord, biggest controller. We may be a small Brahman, a small controller. That is the distinction. How the distinction is made? That is also stated in the Vedas. nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman In Bhagavad-gita it is said, ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata. Everything is there. The ksetra-jna means the possessor of this ksetra, body, the owner or occupier. So you, me, and every one of us, we are occupying each, one body. But I have no business with your body, but Krsna has got business with your body, my body, his body, everyone’s body. Therefore Krsna says, ksetra-jnam capi mam viddhi. Just like a landlord. He has got many houses. The occupier is there, or apartment. He is concerned with that apartment or the house he is occupying, but the landlord has concern with so many houses. Similarly, this body, I am the occupier. God has given me this body, this machine, but proprietor is Lord, the Supreme Lord. Therefore both of us has got the concern with this body. Atma, Paramatma. Soul, Supersoul. So in this way we have to understand Krsna. Therefore Krsna says, yatatam api siddhanam kascid vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]. What is Krsna’s position, how is Krsna the Supreme Lord, how He is the supreme controller—we have to know these. Then our life is perfect. We must know our position, what is the perfection of life, what is Krsna, and what is my relationship with Krsna. In this way, if we understand, that is our perfect life. Krsna is describing that. Because in this chapter He says, asamsayam samagram mam yatha jnasyasi tac chrnu [Bg. 7.1]. Krsna is ready to give us instruction, asamsayam, without any doubt. Anyone who is advanced in Krsna consciousness, ask him any question like this. He will give full answer, without any doubt. That is the perfection of life. We must know krsna-tattva. The same thing I was explaining yesterday. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, yei krsna-tattva-vetta sei guru haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]. You try to understand Krsna. Simply try to understand and study Krsna. And Krsna is giving about Himself. You haven’t got to speculate just like so many theosophists and philosophers and theologists, and they are trying to speculate to understand what is God. Why you are speculating, wasting your time? Why not take full knowledge here? Everything is ready. No, that they will not take. They will speculate. So let them speculate. They will never be successful. But if you want success, you Krsna conscious men, then you read Bhagavad-gita thoroughly and understand and try to understand Krsna perfectly. You’ll understand because Krsna is giving His own identity, identification, what He is. Then where is the difficulty? And if you understand Krsna, you become perfect. You become perfect, So perfect that… Janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg. 4.9]. If you understand Krsna in truth, then immediate benefit is that tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. You have to give up this body. It is a fact. But after giving up, this is your last material body. No more material body. Your spiritual body. So why not try one life to get back your spiritual life, get back your spiritual body, sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1], and live eternal, blissful life with full knowledge and live with Krsna and dance with Krsna, eat with Krsna? Why you are missing this opportunity? This is our solicitation to everyone. dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya krtva ca kaku-satam etad aham bravimi he sadhavah sakalam eva vihaya durad caitanya-candra-carane kurutanuragam This is our preaching process, that “Flattering you hundred times, falling down on your feet, I am speaking one thing. Please hear.” “What is that?” “Whatever nonsense you have learned, forget.” This is our only solicitation, that “You have learned all nonsense. Please forget. Try to hear Caitanya Mahaprabhu and be perfect.” Thank you very much. Any question? [break] So what you will learn about that, by studying the human species? You study Krsna. This is sufficient. There are 400,000 species of life. What will you benefit by studying? The botanist, the geologist, the biologist, they are doing that. Let them do that. You have to do, how to understand Krsna. But you can simply know that there are so many different… That much, that is sufficient. What is the use of? Now, suppose I am using this microphone. What is the use of studying how it is manufactured? Why…? That’s all right. It is already manufactured. Let me use it. That’s all. Why should I waste my time, “How it is manufactured?” I am not going to be manufacturer of microphone. I am going to become servant of Krsna. That’s all. Devotee: Does the word nirvana mean Krsna? Prabhupada: Nirvana means, as I told you, you forget all nonsense, what you have learned. That is nirvana. Because you have learned so many nonsense things, if you finish that “We don’t want this,” that “Whatever is done is done. Now let me try to understand Krsna,” that is nirvana. Nirvana means finished. Nirvana means finished. Do you understand? Finish this all nonsense, material business. Now begin spiritual life. That is nirvana. Brahmananda: You say that Krsna consciousness solves the problem of death. Does it mean that we won’t die? Prabhupada: Yes. As soon… That is said. Die means this is the last time. Because you have got this body, you will die. But after this death, no more death. Brahmananda: So we will die, but it will be the last death. Prabhupada: That is not die. We never die, but we change the body. But the change of body, we take as death. Otherwise there is no death. Na jayate na mriyate va. There is no death, no birth, of the soul. But just like the dress, the coat, may be old and you throw away, that means you are not annihilated. Your coat is annihilated, shirt is… Similarly, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. After being destruction of this body, you are not destroyed. You live, but in the material existence you accept another material body. That means you continue the process of birth and death. But if you understand Krsna, if you become fit to enter into the society of Krsna, then you get only that spiritual body, no more material body. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9], “He comes to Me.” That is your eternal life. Pusta-krsna: Srila Prabhupada, in the Seventh Chapter Krsna explains that He is the taste of water, and in different chapters that He’s the source of light in all luminous objects. So when we think like this, how should we think of Krsna? In His personal form? Prabhupada: That is already stated. There is no difficulty. Why do you ask this question? It is said, raso ’ham apsu kaunteya, that “I am the taste of the water.” So where is the difficulty? You take the taste of the water. There is taste, and Krsna says, “I am that taste.” So you understand that, that “This taste is Krsna.” Where is the difficulty? You do not know what is Krsna, but Krsna says “I am this taste.” Why don’t you accept it? Then you know Krsna. According to your position, you understand Krsna. Krsna says, “I am this.” So take it, that taste of water… As soon as you drink water, “Oh, here is Krsna.” So you will… Smaranam. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam [SB 7.5.23]. Then you will at least memorize Krsna. That will enlighten your spiritual life. Because you will say… You take… Just like I am taking water several times, and if each time I remember, “Here is the taste, Krsna,” then Hare Krsna. Chanting of Hare Krsna, whatever you will be going. Girl: Does Krsna speak the Bhagavad-gita in the hellish planets? Prabhupada: Hellish planet? It is hellish planet. (laughter) You are not thinking it is hellish? This is hellish planet. What do you mean by hellish planet? Especially this London, (laughter) always dark and moist, and what do you want more, hellish? (laughter) You have to close your door. You cannot go out. Then go to the mine and subway. That is hellish. That’s all right. Thank you. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
London, March 11, 1975