Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.34 Pradyumna: “In this way Lord Rsabhadeva followed the behavior of cows, deer and crows. Sometimes He moved or walked, and sometimes He sat down in one place. Sometimes He lay down, behaving exactly like cows, deer and crows. In that way, He ate, drank, passed stool and urine and cheated the people in this way.” Prabhupada: evam go-mrga-kaka-caryaya vrajams tisthann asinah sayanah kaka-mrga-go-caritah pibati khadaty avamehati sma A character, avadhuta, without any connection with human bodily activities, Rsabhadeva remained lying down on the street just like animals. We see so many cows and birds and crows, they do not care for anything of this material world, but eating, sleeping, mating, that is there. As in the human society, so amongst the lower animals the same activities are there. There is no change. Visayah khalu sarvatah syat. Sastra says visayah, the objects of sense enjoyment, sarvatah syat, everywhere. There is no difference. Visayah khalu sarvatah syat. So visaya. Sometimes we say, visayi. Visayi, generally they mean a man having estates to manage. But actually visaya means this eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. These things are there. So He was callous: “Never mind.” Although He was the emperor, but when He took the position of avadhuta, without any conception of body, He became like ordinary animals, exemplifying that the, so far the body is concerned, the activities of the body, there is no difference between the lower animals and the higher animals; or, in other words, without spiritual conception of life, simply in the bodily conception of life we are equal with the animals. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam samanyam etad pasubhih naranam. So our real life is spiritual life, not this bodily conception of life. Narottama dasa Thakura says that anyone who is above the bodily conception of life, he is liberated person. Samsara bandhana Deha-smrti nahi yara, samsara-bandhana kahan tara. Deha-smrti: “I am this body,” “I am Indian,” “I am American,” “I am brahmana,” “I am ksatriya.” These are bodily conception of life. One who forgets this bodily conception of life, he is liberated. So how we can forget bodily conception of life? It can be forgotten. Just like one big person Sometimes we have seen practically. We have, of course, heard, we have not seen, that Mr. Stalin, the great Communist leader, he was to undergo a surgical operation of the intestine. So the physician, the doctor, surgeon, he wanted to give him anaesthetic, chloroform. He refused: “There is no need of. Let the operation go on. I shall see what is there within the belly.” Strong- minded, here, even in material conception, he was, he undergo, underwent the surgical operation without any chloroform. So that is possible. If one is fully absorbed in Krsna consciousness, then he has no more bodily conception of life. That is not to be imitated. It is on the highest stage it is possible to forget completely, and he is liberated. Deha-smrti nahi yara samsara bandhana kahan tara. He is no more conditioned by the material nature. So how it can be possible? It can be possible. I have given already one crude example. Similarly, why Mr. Stalin could tolerate without any trouble? Because he was a leader. He was always absorbed in the thought of how he could advance the Communist cause. This is the real reason. Similarly, if we take our cause very seriously, our… What is our cause? That is explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Our, this Krsna consciousness movement means to serve Krsna. That is explained by Srila Rupa Gosvami: iha yasya harer dasye karmana manasa vaca nikhilasv apy avasthasu jivan-muktah sa ucyate If you become fully absorbed in the thought of serving Krsna, iha… Iha means complete absorption in the thought, “How I shall serve Krsna?” What is serving Krsna? That is explained by Krsna, that He… We can see from his practical behavior, acarana. Not only His acarana, behavior, but later on, His incarnation, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s acarana, or behavior. What is that? To spread Krsna consciousness. Krsna also came for the same purpose, to spread Krsna consciousness. Ya idam paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati [Bg 18.68]. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu also came for the same purpose, to spread Krsna consciousness. So if we follow their footsteps and be fully engaged in spreading Krsna consciousness, then immediately we become liberated. This is the formula: iha yasya harer dasye karmana manasa vaca. We act three ways: by our bodily activities, by the mind, and by words. So if we engage our body Body means senses. What is this body? So long the hand is working, the eyes are working, the legs are working, all these different karma and jnana, indriyas, they are working, then it is body. Otherwise, if the indriyas do not work, then it is dead matter. Indriyani parany ahur [Bg. 3.42]. So these indriyas, so long the indriyas are working, that means my body is working, I am alive. Therefore if we engage our indriyas in the service of Krsna, then this material…, not This is not material activities. To engage the senses in the matter of serving Krsna, these are not material activities. These are all spiritual activities. And the difference between the Mayavada philosophy and Vaisnava philosophy, that the Mayavada philosophy, they want to stop activities. They think stopping of all activities is perfection, sunyam, sunyavadi. Nirvisesa-sunyavadi. Simply stop material. But what is the positive engagement? That they do not know. That is the difference. Positive engagement means serving Krsna. That positive engagement means, engagement means, acting means, the employment of the senses. So when we employ our senses in the positive activities, that is liberation. That is liberation. Just like a diseased man and a healthy man, what is the difference? The difference is that a healthy man is engaged in healthy activities, and the diseased man is engaged in diseased activities. The diseased man is also lying down, and the healthy man is also lying down. There is vast of difference. The diseased man is also eating, and the healthy man is eating. There is vast difference. So these activities, devotional activities, are not material activities. Material activities means sense gratification, and spiritual activities means to carry out the orders of Krsna. This is the difference. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. Nirmalam means purified senses must be there. We are living entities. There must be senses. There must be desires. That is not possible because we are living entities. If our senses do not work, if we do not desire, then what is the difference between the stone and myself? The stone does not move, the stone does not act, the stone does not desire. So if I become like stone, then what is the benefit? No. The nirvisesavadi, sunyavadi, they want to make oneself like stone. That is not curing. They give up everything. Brahma satyam jagan mithya. They That is not mithya but temporary. Anyway, they simply give up. But real thing is to accept the positive life. That is Krsna consciousness. That is bhakti. Anukulyena… sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate [Cc. Madhya 19.170] So hrsika means senses. Because I stop material activities, that does not mean my senses are also finished. No. Senses are there. That is purified senses. When I do not act for any material purpose, that means my sense activities are purified, and that is bhakti. That is bhakti. Anukulyena krsnanusilanam. This is little difference, not very great difference. People are One has to learn. Adau gurvasrayam sad-dharma-prcchat. Sad-dharma-prcchat. To accept guru means to give up all material desires and be ready to ask from guru, “What shall I do?” Just like Sanatana Gosvami, when he approached Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he asked this question, that “By Your grace I am now released from my responsible activities.” He was a minister of Nawab Hussain Shah, so he had many responsible activities, but he resigned from the post. And when he approached Caitanya Mahaprabhu he asked, “Now, by Your grace, I am now relieved from all material activities. Now kindly tell me what shall I do.” So doing, it is not stopped. The Mayavada philosophy means stop doing. Jagat mithya: there is no more activities. That cannot stay. That is artificial. Aruhya krcchrena param padam tatha patanty adhah [SB 10.2.32] If you give up this world as material—you have nothing to do—then you’ll fall down again. Patanty adhah. This is the sastra injunction. So therefore our Gosvamis, under the sastra…, that “Engage yourself in Krsna activities; otherwise you will fall down.” Iha yasya harer dasye karmana manasa vaca. So here is Rsabhadeva giving example. So far the body is concerned, it has nothing to do with the spiritual activities. The body is as good as that of the animals, the crows and the cows, birds, beasts. He is showing the same now, that so far body is concerned, it is the same thing. But when you come to the spiritual platform, that is… This is negation or equation with the material body. But real activities are anukulyena krsnanusilanam bhaktir uttama. Simply be ready to work for Krsna, sad-dharma-prcchat, as Sanatana Gosvami exemplified. He came to Caitanya Maha Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim. He was minister. His business was with the big, big men, mandala-pati. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tucchavat: “It has no meaning. No more dealing with them.” Tucchavat. Bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau. And in order to give some benefit to the dina-ganesakau Gana. Gana means general public. To give them some benefit, that is Vaisnava life. Stop material activities, and for the benefit of the mass of people, dina. They are very dina, very poor. Mahad-vicalanam grhinam dina-cetasam. Dina-cetasam. They’re very, very crippled, dinasam. Grhinam. Those who are grhi, they are very dina, very poor-hearted, because they do not know anything except to maintain the family. Especially in this age a person will be considered very expert if he can maintain his family. Daksyam kutumba-bharanam. The age is so fallen that if one can maintain one wife and a few children, oh, he is Daksa Maharaja. Daksa Maharaja is called Daksa means he was very expert in begetting children and maintaining them. That is Daksa Maharaja. He was begetting children, many thousands, and Narada used to visit and make them sannyasi. That was Narada’s business. So, and Daksa in Kali-yuga, that is not very easy thing, to beget many thousands of children and maintain them and get them married and their children, their children. Because this is the happiness of home life. Yan-maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. These grhamedhis’ happiness is sexual intercourse, that’s all. So he produces dozens of children by sexual intercourse, and when the children are grown-up, educated, then for him also another arrangement for sex, very pompously married. What is the purpose? The same sex. Therefore grhamedhi-sukham is sex. “I have enjoyed sex. I have got so many nice children, educated, now working. Now give him facility for sex. Then again, grandchildren.” So anyone who can maintain like this himself, his children, with wife and eating, ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam, then he is expert. And if he becomes a sannyasi, brahmacari, does not take part in these stereotyped activities, then he is useless, escaping from the world, escaping. They do not take the responsibility. But that is not the fact. If one can maintain himself as brahmacari, he is escaping all the tribulations of this material world, escaping certainly, but he is escaping all the tribulations of the ma…, so much botheration. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham kanduyanena karayor iva duhkha-duhkham [SB 7.9.45]. Kanduyanena karayor iva duhkha-duhkham. Duhkha-duhkham, misery after misery. So kandutivan manasijam visaheta dhirah. Trpyanti neha krpana bahu-duhkha-bhajah. So these dina-cetasam, mahad-vicalanam… Those who are mahatmas, their, I mean to say, wandering here and there is to enlighten these poor-hearted grhi. Grhesu grhamedhinam. Apasyatam atma-tattvam grhesu grhamedhinam [SB 2.1.2]. Grhamedhi, they have no interest in the spiritual advancement of life. They think that “This is meant for the useless person who could not improve in this materialistic way of life. They have taken this dress as a token for maintaining their body and soul together. Useless person.” They think like that. Grhesu grhamedhinam. Because they think, “This is our only interest,” grhesu grhamedhinam. Srotavyadini rajendra nrnam santi sahasrasah [SB 2.1.2]. Those who are grhamedhis, they have got many, many things to learn. Just like you see the newspaper, so many subject matter. You’ll find different stock exchange report, and this municipal report, and the advertisement, wine advertisement, and meat advertisement. What is that? “Beefeater’s” advertisement, and cigarette advertisement, and cinema advertisement, restaurant advertisement even. Grhesu. Nrnam santi sahasrasah. Thousands and thousands subject matter you’ll find. Here we don’t have such newspaper in the Western country. Such a big bunch, at least ten kilos’ weight. Is it not? Big, big bunch, throwing. Who will read? But they have the subject matter. So we have to cease these activities, and we shall consider such activities are no better than the activities of the crows and the cows and the other animals are there. These activities have no value, as the crow or the hogs and the dogs, they are engaged the whole day, activities. But these activities have no value. The human form of life are not meant for these activities. Their purpose is to make these activities and the activities of the crows and cows and lower animals only Krsna conscious activities, how to serve Krsna. That is bona fide. That is our life, real life. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Vrndavana, November 21, 1976