Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.1 Prabhupada: sri-prahrada uvaca kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha durlabham manusam janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam [SB 7.6.1] This is Prahlada Maharaja. He is one of the authorities of Krsna consciousness. There are twelve authorities mentioned in the sastras: svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh prahlado janako bhismo balir vaiyasakir vayam [SB 6.3.20] This is the statement of Yamaraja about the authorities of dharma. Dharma means bhagavata-dharma. I think I have explained last night, dharma means bhagavata-dharma. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19] Just like our Mr. Chief Justice gives judgment on the law, so the law cannot be manufactured by any common man or any businessman, no. Law can be manufactured only by the state, by the government. Nobody can manufacture. That will not give us… If in the high court, if somebody pleads, “Sir, I have got my own law,” Mr. Justice will not accept. (laughs) So similarly, dharma you cannot manufacture. Either you are a very big man… Even Chief Justice, he cannot make a law. The law is given by state. Similarly, dharma means bhagavata-dharma and other so-called dharmas, they are not dharmas. They will not be accepted. Exactly in the same way, law manufactured at your home is not accepted. Therefore dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. And what is bhagavat-pranitam dharma? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, we know, everyone. He came, Krsna came. His mission was dharma-samsthapanarthaya, for establishing the religious principles, or reestablishing. Dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7]. So sometimes there is glani, discrepancies in the matter of discharging the principles of dharma. At that time, Krsna comes. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam [Bg. 4.8]. Yuge yuge sambhavami. So this dharma, Krsna did not come to reorganize the so-called dharmas: Hindu dharma, Muslim dharma, Christian dharma, Buddha’s dharma. No. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra [SB 1.1.2]. The dharma which is a type of cheating process, that kind of dharma is projjhita. Prakrsta-rupena ujjhita, means it is thrown away or kicked out. So real dharma is bhagavata-dharma, real dharma. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said, kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha [SB 7.6.1]. Actually dharma means God and our relationship with God and acting according to that relationship so that we may attain the ultimate goal of life. That is dharma, sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana, these three things. The whole Vedas are divided into three states. Sambandha, what is our connection God. That is called sambandha. And then abhidheya. According to that relationship we have to act. That is called abhidheya. And why do we act? Because we have got the goal of life, to achieve the goal of life. So what is the goal of life? The goal of life is that, to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is goal of life. We are part and parcel of God. God is sanatana and He has His own abode, sanatana. Paras tasmat tu bhavo ’nyo ’vyakto ’vyaktat sanatanah [Bg. 8.20]. There is a place ever-existing. This material world, it will not exist forever. It is bhutva bhutva praliyate. It is manifested at a certain date. Just like your body and my body, it is manifested on a certain date. It will stay for some time. It will grow. It will give some by-product. Then we become old, dwindling, and then finished. This is called sad-vikara. of anything which is material. But there is another nature where there is no sad-vikara. That is eternal. So that is called sanatana-dharma. And the jivas, we living entities, we are also described as eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. And the Lord is also addressed as sanatana. So our real situation is that we are sanatana, Krsna is sanatana, and Krsna has His abode, sanatana. When we go back to that sanatana-dhama and live with the supreme sanatana, Krsna… And we are also sanatana. The process by which we can achieve this highest goal of life, that is called sanatana-dharma. We are executing here sanatana-dharma. So sanatana-dharma and this bhagavata-dharma, the same thing. Bhagavata, Bhagavan. From the word Bhagavan, bhagavata has come. So this bhagavata-dharma has been described by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He says, jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. We are eternal servant of Krsna. This is. But at the present moment, with our material connection, instead of becoming the servant of God, or Krsna, we have become servants of so many other things, maya, and therefore we are suffering. We are not satisfied. There cannot be. It cannot fit. Just like you take one screw from the machine. If the screw somehow or other falls down it has no value. But the same screw, when you fit to the machine or the machine is not working for want of one screw, it is in disturbed condition, so you take that same screw and fit it and the machine working and the screw becomes very valuable. So we are part and parcel of god, Krsna. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah [Bg. 15.7], He says, Krsna. So we are now separated. We are fallen down. Another example is just like big fire and the small sparks. The small spark is also fire so long it is with the fire. And if somehow or other the sparks fall down out of the fire, it extinguishes. There is no more fire quality. But if you take it again and put it into the fire, again it becomes spark. So our position is like that. Somehow or other, we have come to this material world. Although we are a small particle, fragmental parts of the Supreme Lord, but because we are in this material world we have forgotten our relationship with God, and our… Manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. We are struggling against the laws of material world, so many other things. Here also we are serving because we are eternally servant. But because we have given up the service of the Supreme Lord, we have been engaged as servant of so many things. But nobody is satisfied, as (the) honorable Justice said, that nobody is satisfied. That’s a fact. It cannot be satisfied. It cannot be satisfied because we are constitutionally servant of God but we have been placed in this material world to serve so many other things which is not fitting. Therefore we are creating plans of service. That is called mental concoction. Manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati [Bg. 15.7]. A struggle, it is a struggle. So we are making different plans but it will not be successful. That much I explained last night, that we are thinking independent and we are planning so many things independently to become happy. It is not possible. That is not possible. That is maya’s illusory play. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya. You cannot surpass. Then what is the ultimate solution? Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. If we surrender to Krsna, then we revive our original position. That is… Krsna consciousness means instead of keeping so many things in consciousness… They are all polluted consciousness. The real… We have got consciousness, that is a fact, but our consciousness is polluted. So we have to purify the consciousness. To purify consciousness means bhakti. Bhakti, the definition given in Narada-pancaratra… Rupa Gosvami… Rupa Gosvami says, anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam anukulyena krsnanu-silanam bhaktir uttama [BRS 1.1.11] This is first-class bhakti that there is no other motive. Anyabhila… Because here in the material world, under the control of the material nature Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah, ahankara-vimudhatma karta… [Bg. 3.27] We are under the full control of the prakrti, material nature. But because we are foolish, we have forgotten our position, so ahankara, false ahankara. This is false ahankara: “I am Indian,” “I am American,” “I am brahmana,” “I am ksatriya.” This is false ahankara. Therefore Narada-pancaratra says sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. So one has to become free, uncontaminated from all these designations, “I am Indian,” “I am American,” I am this,” “I am that.” “I am…” Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. When he is purified, nirmalam, without any designation, that “I am part and parcel of Krsna.” Aham brahmasmi. This is aham brahmasmi. Krsna is Parabrahman. He is described in the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna… Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan purusam sasvatam adyam [Bg. 10.12]. Arjuna recognized and he said, “You are recognized by all the authorities.” Prahlada Maharaja is one of the authorities. I have described the authorities. Brahma is authority, Lord Siva is authority, and Kapila is authority, Kumara, four Kumaras, they are authorities, and Manu is authority. Similarly, Prahlada Maharaja is authority. Janaka Maharaja is authority. The twelve authorities. So Arjuna confirmed that “You are speaking, Yourself, that You are the Supreme Lord,” mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7], “and from discussion of Bhagavad-gita, I also accept You Parabrahman. And not only that, all the authorities, they also accept you.” Recently, in our time, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, all the acaryas, they also accept Krsna. Even Sankaracarya, he accepts Krsna. Sa bhagavan svayam krsnah. So Krsna is accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all the acaryas. So we have to learn from the acaryas, not any common man or any self-made acarya. No. That will not do. Just like we… Sometimes in the court we give some judgment from the other court and that is taken very seriously because it is authority. We cannot manufacture judgment. Similarly, acaryopasanam, in the Bhagavad-gita it is recommended. We have to go to the acaryas. Acaryavan puruso veda: “One who has accepted acarya in the disciplic succession, he knows the things.” So all the acaryas, they accept Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Narada, he accepts, Vyasadeva, he accepts, and Arjuna also accepts, who personally listened to Krsna, Bhagavad-gita. And Lord Brahma. Yesterday somebody questioned that “Whether there was the name of Krsna before Dvapara-yuga?” No, there was. In the sastras there are Krsna. In the Vedas, in Atharva Veda and others, Krsna name is there. And in the Brahma-samhita—Lord Brahma, he wrote Brahma-samhita—it is clearly explained there, isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1], anadir adih. Anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1] And Krsna also says, mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7]. Aham sarvasya prabhavo [Bg. 10.8]. Sarvasya means including all the devatas, all the living entities, everything. And the Vedanta says, janmady asya yatah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. So Krsna is the absolute Supreme Person, isvarah paramam, from Lord Brahma. He is the distributor of Vedic knowledge, and Krsna says also, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. This is ultimate goal. So the bhagavata-dharmam, bhagavan, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. In the list of the incarnation given in the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is name of Krsna also. But at the conclusion, Vyasadeva says, ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [Bhag. 1.3.28]. He concludes that “All the incarnation mentioned here, they are amsa-kalah, part, partly manifestation or part of partly manifestation.” Kalah means part of partly(?) manifestation. “But the name which is mentioned here, Krsna, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. [break] Ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. So Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is accepted by all the acaryas. And in the Bhagavad-gita Arjuna says, asamaurdhva. Asama: “There is no equal to you, asama, and urdhva, nobody is greater than You.” That is God. Supreme means who has no equal, neither anyone is greater than. Everyone is under. That is called asama urdhva. This is there. So there cannot be any competitor of God. God is one. Ekam brahma dvitiyam nasti. But He expands in different way. That is explained in the Varaha Purana, svamsa vibhinnamsa. He expands as Visnu-tattva. That is svamsa. And he expands as jiva-tattva. That is vibhinnamsa. So we are also expansions of God, vibhinnamsa, a small fragmental portion. The qualities are there, very, very small quantity. But the whole potency is there in Krsna. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. So there is one supreme living being, a supreme eternal, and that is Krsna. This is… And to cultivate this knowledge is called bhagavata-dharma. So Prahlada Maharaja, he learned this bhagavata-dharma when he was a baby within the womb of his mother he learned this bhagavata-dharma. So the devotees—sravanam kirtanam visnoh—they are engaged with these nine different phases of bhakti. sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam [SB 7.5.23] So they are different devotees who have accepted one of them. Just like sri-visnu-sravane pariksit. Pariksit Maharaja, he simply heard, listened from Sukadeva Gosvami the bhagavata-dharma. He simply heard. He did not do anything else. Simply by hearing. And abhavad vaiyasakih kirtane. Vaiyasaki, the son of Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami, he simply explained bhagavata. So both of them got the same goal of life, liberation. And liberation means muktir hitva anyatha rupam svarupena avasthitih. This is called mukti. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said. Mukti means… Just like a person has fallen sick. He cannot walk. He cannot go to his office or… So many disadvantages. But when he is cured of the sickness or fever, he again comes to his normal life. Similarly, when we come to our normal life, that is called mukti. Mukti does not mean, “Now I have got two hands; I’ll get four hands or two heads or five heads,” not like that. Simply to come to our normal condition. That is the definition of bhakti also. Real mukti means to be situated in bhakti. That is mukti. Mukti… Simply to understand that “I am Brahman,” that is not mukti. That is mukti… That is like convalescent stage. Just like a man has no fever but he is not cured. There may be relapse again. There is possibility of relapse, typhoid fever. So the brahmanubhuti, Brahman realization, aham brahmasmi, it is mukti but it is not very secure position. One may fall down again. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Ye ’nye ’ravindaksa vimukti-maninah. Vimukti-maninah. They think they are Brahma-lina. They think that they have become mukta. But actually they are not muktas. Ye ’nye ’ravindaksa vimukta-maninah. He is thinking like that. Why? Avisuddha-buddhayah. His intelligence is not yet purified. As soon as it is purified, then it is bhakti. Therefore Bhagavan says that bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19] He is a jnanavan that… Jnanavan means “I am not this body; I am not matter; I am spirit soul.” That is jnana. Jnana means there must be vairagya, detestfulness, that “I have nothing to do with this material world.” Jnana-vairagya. If there is real jnana, then there will be vairagya. Because we are suffering on account of an attachment to this material world, so jnana means that “I have nothing to do with this material world because I am not this material body.” Everyone is engaged in this bodily engagement, so-called, so many isms, all the activities of the world, because on account of this bodily conception of life. So when one becomes freed from the bodily conception of life he comes to the understanding of Brahman identification, and that is the beginning of mukti. That is not mukti. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said that brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. As soon as one realizes that “I am not this body, so why I should be interested in so-called social life or political life or this life, that life, because they are all due to this bodily conception of life?” So when one understands that “I am not this body, so what business I have got, this bodily conception of activities?” Prasannatma, “I have no responsibility. I have no more responsibility with this bodily platform,” prasannatma, he gets relieved of so many engagements on account of this body: “I am Indian. I am a Hindu. I am brahmana. I am chief of this family. I have to take care of the so many persons,” and so on, so many responsibilities. And so he feels relieved: “No, I have no responsibility.” Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati [Bg. 18.54] If he does not identify himself with this matter, then if the matter is lost or gained what he has got to do with it? Na socati na kanksati. Because you have got material attachment, therefore something material lost we lament and something material we do not possess, we hanker. The two kinds of diseases. So brahma-bhutah means these things are the symptom: he is joyful, prasannatma, na socati na kanksati, and samah sarvesu bhutesu. Then he can see. Vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmani gavi hastini, suni caiva sva-pake…, pandita… [Bg. 5.18]. He has become pandita. Samah sarvesu bhutesu. When these conditions are fulfilled, mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54]—then he enters into devotional service. So devotional service is not a sentiment. It is most scientific, just to become freed from the contamination of this material world. That means one who is devotee, he is already mukta, he is liberated. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that mam cavyabhicarini bhakti-yogena yah sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26] So if you want to be brahma-lina, so that is… Actually brahma-lina means to be engaged twenty-four hours in devotional service. That is brahma-lina. There is not a second vacant without Krsna’s service. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, sunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me: “I am seeing everything vacant without Govinda.” That is Krsna consciousness. He is thinking simply on Krsna. And without Krsna, everything is zero. So simply to make the material world zero, sunyavadi… Just like the Buddhist philosophers, they think sunyavadi. And the Mayavadi, nirvisesa. They are practically the same. The Buddhists say, “There is no God.” And the Mayavadis say, “There is God, but He has no head, tail, nothing.” It is in the indirect way to say there is no God. What is difference? If somebody says, “There is no God,” and if somebody says, “There is God, but He has no head, He has no tail, He cannot eat, He cannot sleep,” negatively. The same definition in a negative way. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that veda na maniya bauddha haila nastika. Our standard of philosophy, especially Vaisnava philosophy… Anyone who does not accept the Vedic principle… Because vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15] If you do not accept the Vedic authority, then how you can understand God, Krsna? That is not possible. So anyone who says “There is no God. I don’t care for the Vedas,” he is calculated as nastika. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said… The Buddhists, they decry the authority of Vedas. He had to do that. There was no way. Jayadeva Gosvami offered his prayer to Lord Buddha. Nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam. Sruti. In the Vedas there is recommendation of yajna, and in some of the yajnas there is recommendation of killing pasu. So Lord Buddha, he preached ahimsa paramo dharma, no killing of animals. So these panditas, they will give evidence that in the Vedas there is description of killing animals. How you can stop it? So therefore he said, “I don’t care for your Vedas.” Nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam. Why? Why he did so? Sadaya-hrdaya-darsita-pasu-ghatam. He was so much compassionate to see unnecessary killing of animals. Sadaya-hrdaya. Therefore ahimsa paramo dharmah. That was his… Although he is the incarnation of God… Kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira, jaya jagadisa hare. So the Vaisnava can understand what is Lord Buddha and why he decried the authority of… Because there was no other way. So nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam sadaya-hrdaya darsita-pasu-ghatam kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira jaya jagadisa hare So a Vaisnava can understand what kind of part he is playing. So in this way there are different activities going on, and they have been taken as different types of dharma. But real dharma is bhagavata-dharma. Therefore Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is dharma. That is called bhagavata-dharma, intimate relationship with the Lord, Bhagavan. Brahmeti bhagavan iti… Brahmeti paramatma iti bhagavan iti. Tattva-vit. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam [Bhag. 1.2.11]. There is no difference between Brahman and Paramatma and Bhagavan. But still, there is difference. This is called acintya-bheda-bhedabheda. There are two kinds of philosophers, bheda and abheda, oneness and different. So these bheda, abheda, combine together. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s philosophy, acintya bheda abheda, simultaneously one and different. So other gods, they are also gods. We are also god. You are also god because god means controller. Your Honor, Chief Justice, he is also controlling the whole high court. I am controlling this institution, you are controlling your family or office or factory. So in that sense everyone is god, controller. But he is not Supreme God, that is not. Supreme God is Krsna. We may be isvara, god, but Supreme God is Krsna. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. That is the verdict of Lord Brahma. Even Brahma, he is also worshiping the Supreme God. Tene brahma hrda adi-kavaye muhyanti yatra surayah. Janmady asya yatah anvayad itaratas ca arthesu abhijnah svarat [Bhag. 1.1.1]. So God is svarat. He is not dependent on any other controller. That is God. We are god, that’s all right, but we are controlled even by the material nature, what to speak of other things. So we are not independent. Independent God is Krsna. Svarat. He is described as svarat. Svarat means independent. He is not controlled by anyone. That is real God. And we may be god but imitation god or small god. But the great… “God is great.” That “great” God is Krsna. So Prahlada Maharaja says that kaumara. The boys… He was taking the opportunity of teaching his class friend. He was five years old boy and his father was a great demon, Hiranyakasipu: “Don’t talk of God.” So in this way he was in a very precarious condition. Still, because he was a Vaisnava he was taking the opportunity of preaching Krsna consciousness. Preaching Krsna consciousness. So he was asking… The boys were very eager to play and he said, “No, no, no, my dear friends, don’t play. Let us discuss something about bhagavata-dharma.” Therefore he says that kaumara acaret prajnah: “Don’t think that in the old age we shall discuss about Krsna consciousness. Immediately, in this age,” kaumara a…, “if you are really intelligent.” Why? Is there any guarantee that you become old man? You can die at any moment. So take this opportunity. Until the next death comes you take this opportunity in the matter of Krsna consciousness. That is Prahlada Maharaja’s instruction. There is no guarantee. Why you are thinking that way, that now you are five years old; you will live for five hundred years? No. There is no guarantee. At any moment you can die. Durlabham manusam janma. This body, human form of body, is obtained after many, many millions of years through evolutionary process. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati, 8,400,000 species of life we had to come through. Then we have got this body, human form of life, and civilized. Civilized, according to our Vedic conception, a civilized means arya, arya. When Arjuna was declining to fight, Krsna condemned him, anarya-justam: “You are just like…, speaking like an anarya, not an arya. It is your duty. You must do it.” Anarya-justam akirtim karam arjuna. “You’ll be defied by others. Don’t do it.” So an arya… Aryan means who accepts this varnasrama-dharma, four varnas, four asrama. Varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman visnur aradhyate. The real aim is to go back to home, back to Godhead, Visnu. So this is the process. If we execute this varnasrama-dharma rightly, then we gradually make progress towards spiritual realization. It is so arranged in that way, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, not by birth but by qualification. Catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg. 4.13]. If these qualifications are found anywhere else, you should accept that. Even… That is explained by Narada, that yasya hi yal-laksanam proktam varnabhivyanjakam. Just like in the court, there is no such race or caste as lawyers. Anyone who knows law, he is accepted a lawyer. Similarly, the quality of brahmana is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, samo dama titiksa satyam saucam arjavam, jnanam-vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam. So you can train anyone. Just like you can train anyone as lawyer, you can train anyone as an engineer or medical practitioner, similarly, you can train anyone as brahmana. That is wanted. That is wanted. So our Krsna consciousness movement is like that. We are trying to train some men as real brahmana because brahmana is the head, is the brain of the society. If the society has no brain, it is in chaotic condition. Brahma-janati iti brahmanah. Janmana jayate sudrah samskarad bhaved dvijah. So some section of the people must know what is Brahman, what is God, and they should preach all over the world. That is the greatest necessity at the present moment. So our Krsna consciousness movement is trying to do that although we are captivating or attracting some younger section, especially in Western countries. But Prahlada Maharaja recommends that kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan [SB 7.6.1]. Training should start immediately from the childhood. So we are opening one Gurukula in Vrndavana to train brahmacari. First of all brahmacari. The society, the students should be brahmacari. Brahmacari gurukule vasan danto guror hitam. Everything is there. Now we have to introduce these things. Otherwise the human society is already fallen, and it will fall down more and more, and it will be hellish condition, and so only hope is this Krsna consciousness. So I request you all to take this movement very seriously and try to help us. Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (applause) [break] Any question? Acyutananda: Kindly remain seated. Kindly remain seated. We will have some moments for questions and answers which will be followed by our cinema. [break] Prabhupada: So far our philosophy is concerned, we want to be free from sinful activities because in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, yesam anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam te dvanda-moha-nirmukta bhajante mam drdha-vratah We are trying our best to become a perfect devotee of Krsna. So to become a perfect devotee means he must be sinless. If one is sinful he cannot become perfect devotee. So according to sastra, this animal-killing is sinful. Striya-suna-pana-dyuta yatra papas catur-vidha. These four kinds of sinful activities, namely illicit sex, striya… That is also… In our Vedic culture this is common morality. Canakya Pandita even says that matrvat para-daresu. Anyone, any other woman, the wife of other gentleman, she should be considered as mother. This is civilization. So what to speak of illicit sex? But people are degrading. That is another thing. But this is our standard of civilization. Even a great politician, he says who is pandita? Who is learned? matrvat para-daresu para-dravyesu lostravat atmavat sarva-bhutesu yah pasyati sa panditah He doesn’t say one has to take degrees. By behavior one should be understood. So these four principles, namely illicit sex, animal killing, and intoxication… Yes. So these are sinful activities and our position is how to become sinless. Therefore we do not recommend animal killing. That is not possible. Acyutananda: Another question. (break—repeating question) This is a world of sakti or energy. There is a worldwide rise in prices of energy resources, like oil, coal, gas, and electricity. This means that there is a depletion of these energy resources. Naturally, there will be worldwide destruction of mankind and other living beings and materials in the near future. What are your views? Prabhupada: So yes, these material things, they are energies. That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. Bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca, bhinna me prakrtir astadha. The petrol is also another form of Krsna’s energy. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. Any energy. There are many millions of energies. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Krsna has nothing to do because everything is being done by His energy. Although He is the ultimate source of everything, but He is doing everything by His energy. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca. And it appears that it is being automatically done. Not. It is not automatically done. It is done by Krsna’s energy. So this material energy is also Krsna’s energy. It is not a different energy. Krsna says, bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh. Now, this petrol is liquid thing, so apa. It is a kind of liquid thing, apa, so it is Krsna’s energies. So our Vaisnava philosophy is that Krsna’s energies should be utilized for Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness. So everything can be utilized for service of Krsna. So when you use this petrol for Krsna’s, spreading Krsna consciousness, if we can use one thousand or one hundred thousand motor cars using petrol for spreading Krsna consciousness, that is the proper utilization of petrol. (applause) Acyutananda: (repeating lady’s question) Krsna says to perform your sva-dharma, so how does one know what is his sva-dharma? Am I correct? Prabhupada: That is sva-dharma. When Krsna says, “You surrender unto Me,” that is your sva-dharma. Because you are part and parcel of Krsna, your business is to serve Krsna. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body, so I say, “Finger, please come here.” He immediately comes. This is the normal condition of the finger. Similarly, if you are really healthy, in normal condition, then you must be ready to serve Krsna. That is your sva-dharma. If the finger cannot come immediately on my order on my head, that means it is not in normal condition; it is in diseased condition. (applause) Similarly, when you cannot serve Krsna, that is your diseased condition. (laughter—applause) Indian man: …many incarnations including Krsna. So Krsna gave Bhagavad-gita. That doesn’t means that the author has not given all the gods, whether including Krsna… [break] Acyutananda: …nations, so… Prabhupada: So that I have already explained, that incarnation— whose incarnation? The question will be: whose incarnation? Indian man: God. God. Prabhupada: God’s. So that God is Krsna. You do not know that. Now learn it. Guest: Is not Rama a God? Prabhupada: Yes. Incarnation means somebody’s incarnation. So who is that somebody? That is Krsna. That’s all. If you do not know it, you understand now. Acyutananda: One more question, last question. Is it necessary that a person should pass through the three asramas, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, before coming to sannyasa? Prabhupada: That is the normal rules and regulation, that especially brahmana, he must go through the four asramas, first of all become brahmacari, then grhastha, then vanaprastha, then take sannyasa. This is for the brahmanas. And for the ksatriyas, brahmacari, grhastha, and vanaprastha. And for the vaisyas, brahmacari, grhastha. And for the sudras, only grhastha. This is the process. This is normal process. But either one is brahmana or ksatriya or vai\ zya and sudra, if he takes to Krsna consciousness he becomes above these rules and regulations. (applause) Yes. mam cavyabhicarini bhakti-yogena yah sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26] So this Krsna consciousness movement is that it is giving immediate lift to everyone to come to the transcendental platform, brahma-bhuyaya kalpate. But general state is varnasrama-dharma. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu, when he was discussing with Ramananda Raya, he first of all said, “What is the aim of life?” Caitanya Mahaprabhu (was) asking. So Ramananda Raya replied that “First of all to begin this varnasrama dharma.” So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, eho bahya, age kaha ara: “Yes, this is all right. But this is external. If you know something better, please tell me.” So in this way, step by step, Caitanya Mahaprabhu… This varna, asrama, dharma, karma-tyaga, karma-sannyasa, and karma-misra-bhakti, jnana-misra-bhakti—everything was described by Ramananda Raya, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu not rejected. He said, “It is all right, but if you know something better…” Then at last, when Ramananda said… (aside:) Stop it. When Ramananda said that, quoting one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih, that it doesn’t matter what you are. You remain in your post. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam. Through the oral reception if you hear about Krsna, then you become perfect. That is the statement. So this is required at the present moment, that you remain whatever you are, either brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, Englishman, Indian. It doesn’t matter. You try to understand Krsna. That’s all. If you do that, then everything will be perfect. And that can be very easily done by chanting Hare Krsna mantra. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has given this mantra—it is from sastra—harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam, kalau nasty eva nasty eva [Adi 17.21] In this age, in Kali-yuga, it is very difficult to bring back the fallen population again to the standard of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya. It is practically lost now. The best thing is that all of them combine together, brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra, or even less than sudra, kirata-hunandhra-pulinda-pulkasa. Take to this process of chanting and hearing of the Lord’s name. Everything will be all right. [break] …entities, we have no such distinction. It is confirmed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu when he was discussing with Ramananda Raya. He was a governor of this Madras province under the regime of Maharaja Prataparudra of Orissa. And he was politician but he was a very learned scholar in Krsna science. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu was talking with him. So because he was a sudra by birth and Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not only very exalted position, brahmana and sannyasi… So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was questioning and he was answering, so he felt little hesitation, that “Sir, You are so exalted. I am a grhastha and a politican, and how can I…” Immediately Caitanya Mahaprabhu encouraged him, “No, no, no, don’t hesitate.” kiba sudra kiba vipra nyasi kene naya ye krsna-tattva-vetta sei ‘guru’ haya He said, “Don’t hesitate. It doesn’t matter whether he is a grhastha or sannyasi or brahmana or sudra. If he knows Krsna, he is guru.” He is guru. That is wanted. We are teaching that Krsna consciousness. If one man becomes Krsna conscious or knows… And Krsna also says, janma karma ca me divyam yo janati… [Bg. 4.9]… [break] “Anyone who knows…” (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Madras, January 2, 1976