Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.50 Nitai: (leads chanting, etc.) “The mind is the sixteenth item, and above the mind, the soul is the seventeenth item. He is the living being; therefore he is one only. In cooperation with the other fifteen items along with the mind, the living entity is enjoying the material world alone. The instruments are the five sense organs, the five working organs, and the five objects of the senses. Thus the mind is sixteen and the living entity himself is seventeen. In this way the living entity is enjoying different situations of three types, namely happiness, distress, or a mixture of both.” Prabhupada: pancabhih kurute svarthan panca vedatha pancabhih ekas tu sodasena trin svayam saptadaso ’snute So we are fallen into great ocean of nescience, covered. First of all the five senses, knowledge-acquiring senses, jnanendriya and karmendriya, working senses, ten, and sense object… We have got eyes; therefore eyes are engaged for seeing something beautiful, rupa. Rasa. Rasa means taste. That is the business of the tongue. And to see beautiful thing, that is the business of the eyes. Rupa, rasa, sabda. Sabda means sound. The ear, we have got ear. We want to hear nice songs, music, radio, television. So ear is there; the objects are there. Rupa, rasa, sabda, gandha, smelling. There is good odor also, bad odor also. Rupa, rasa, gandha, sabda, sparsa. In this way we are entangled, completely under the laws of material nature. I am the spirit soul. Saptadasah. I have given my power of attorney to the mind, and mind is creating different varieties of the sabda, sparsa, rupa, rasa, gandha, sabda, sparsa. In this way, life after life, as it is explained in the previous verse, yathajnas tamasa upaste vyaktam eva hi na veda purvam aparam nasta-janma-smrtis tatha So nasta-jan… I do not know. I do not know means I cannot remember what I did in my past life and what is going to happen in the next life, in ignorance, tamasa. Ajnas tamasa upaste. This is tamo-guna. The present life as it is, we try to enjoy—that’s all— without caring for the next life, or without understanding what was my past life. But human being should be intelligent enough that “Why…? I am enjoying or I am suffering. The other person, he is differently enjoying or suffering differently. Why the differences are there?” This is intelligence. Why not one kind of enjoyment? Why not everyone millionaire? Why not everyone pauper, or poor? There are varieties. So they do not consider it. They are so fool, they… They should, that “Why I am put into this condition? Why he is put into another condition? Why the other is put in another condition?” That is called tamasa. They do not care to know also. Tamasa. Tamase ca. So this is not life. This is animal life. Therefore Vedic injunction is, “Don’t keep in this animal life.” Tamasi ma: “Don’t keep yourself in this darkness.” Jyotir gama: “Come to the light.” So jyotir gama means… That is tapasya. To come to the platform of light, it requires tapasya, austerity. That is required. The human life is meant for tapasya, to come to the life platform. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet sattva. Tamasic or tamas, or darkness, means just like a person is attacked with tuberculosis, but he doesn’t care for it. But intelligent man goes to the physician, asks that “Why I am suffering? What is the medicine?” That is intelligence. So human life begins when one is inquisitive to know, “Why I am suffering?” That is human life. And if he keeps himself in darkness— “Oh, this is… Suffering is suffering. Let me enjoy…” Sometimes they want to forget the suffering by another suffering, drinking or LSD, to forget suffering. That is another suffering, another suffering so much so that one becomes crazy and commits suicide. This is going on, a very precarious life. And human life is the only opportunity to rectify these mistakes and come to his original position, constitutional position, means the spiritual platform. brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param [Bg. 18.54] That is wanted. Brahma-bhutah. As soon as one becomes brahma-bhutah, then immediately he becomes prasannatma, jubilant, just like one is suffering from a disease, and some way or other, when he is relieved from that disease, immediately he becomes jubilant. That is required. That is wanted. Brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54] And when one becomes jubilant, then, in that attitude, one can enter into devotional service of the Lord, not in the material condition, which is always suffering. Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. But we go on suffering just like animal. Animal is being taken to the slaughterhouse; still, he is eating very jubilantly. Next item, he will be killed. So this kind of consciousness is called animal consciousness. yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke sva-dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya-dhih yat-tirtha-buddhih salile na karhicij (janesu abhijnesu) sa eva go-kharah [SB 10.84.13] Go-kharah. So this Krsna consciousness movement means to deliver people from this ignorant ignorance platform and bring him to the light platform, or…, and knowledge platform, so that one can understand what is his constitutional position, how he can stop the sufferings of life, and how one can become eternally blissful life of knowledge. [break] …ness. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He has given us the Siksastaka. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12] By chanting the Hare Krsna mantra… [break] In the Bhagavata says tapasa. Tapasa means “by undergoing severe austerities, penances.” Tapasa brahmacaryena samena damena va [SB 6.1.13]. This is the instruction in the sastra. One has to become perfect by tapasa, by austerities. Tapasa brahmacaryena [SB 6.1.13]. And becoming brahmacari, celibate. What is called? Celibate life? Eh? Jagadisa: Celibacy. Prabhupada: Celibacy, yes. Life of celibacy, controlling the sex desire. This is tapasya. Tapasa brahmacaryena samena damena va [SB 6.1.13] These things are education. And what is this nonsense education how to become a big mechanics of motorcar parts? This is not education. This is sudra, sudra education. It is not education. It is called silpa. Silpa-vidya, brahma-vidya. Vidya means brahma-vidya. Therefore, in the Vedic society, education was meant for the brahmanas. Education was not meant for the sudras. Education was meant for the brahmanas, and partially of the ksatriyas, neither of the vaisyas nor of the sudras. What education? Vaisyas livelihood is, or his occupational duty is, how to produce food, how to give protection to the cows, and if there is excess stock, how to trade with it. So anyone can learn by seeing only. It doesn’t require any high education. If the father is tilling the field, the son can learn it by seeing it. If the father… Just like in Vrndavana, we… Krsna… Krsna was going to tend the cows and calves of Nanda Maharaja. There was no education. It can be learned simply by seeing others doing that. So at the present moment education means many Indians are coming to America to learn how to polish motorcar parts or how to create technology. So this is not education. This is not ed… But the Europeans and Americans, they are going to India for learning brahma-vidya. That is education. The Europeans and Americans, when they go to Vrndavana and Mayapur, they do not go there to see how we have manufacturd cycle and machine for sewing. They have seen enough of this. We may be very proud in India: “Now we are manufacturing cycle and sewing machine or some motor parts, advanced.” This is not advanced. Education means how to make one brahmana, how to teach him how he become sense controlled, sama, dama, mind control, how to become truthful, how to become clean, how to become simple, how to become full of knowledge, how to apply knowledge in practical life, how to know God. This is education. This is education. So the present situation of the human civilization is very, very dark, tamasa. They want to live in the city without working for producing their food. And there are butchers, they kill innocent animals. And in the city they eat the meat, and to digest they drink and work like hogs and dogs whole day and night. This is civilization. This is not civilization. This is darkness, darkness of life. So we are in the darkness of life at the present moment because it is Kali-yuga, and… The system is always there so long the material world is there and the living entities are fallen in this material world. So they are implicated more or less. So in the Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga, Dvapara- yuga, they were not so implicated as they are implicated at this moment, Kali-yuga, because the age of misunderstanding… And the duration of age is also very short. Prayena alpa ayusah. In this age people are living not very long. Although the limit is hundred years, nobody is living hundred years. It is reduced, reduced, more and more. In the Kali-yuga the memory will be reduced, the duration of life will be reduced, the strength of the body will be reduced, people’s sense of mercifulness will be reduced. In this way there are eight items mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, it will be reduced. So this is the age of Kali, and we are in darkness, and a mode of life just like animals. So this is our position. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, He is sympathetic. He comes, therefore. He comes… He came in the Dvapara-yuga, by the end of Dvapara-yuga, and He left behind Him this Bhagavad-gita, being merciful upon these conditioned soul, that “You make your life perfect by reading this Bhagavad-gita. I am leaving behind him. Arjuna is My friend.” So in the way of questions or answers and in the way of Arjuna’s falling in difficulty… Arjuna was not difficulty. He is personal friend of Krsna. But in order to derive the instruction of Bhagavad-gita, he showed himself as in ignorance. The benefit is our, that we have got this Bhagavad-gita. But still, we are so fallen. Because Krsna said that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, therefore people misunderstood. Again Krsna came in this Kali-yuga as Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Krsnaya krsna-caitanya namne. The Rupa Gosvami, he prayed to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, namo maha-vadanyaya. Krsna came. That’s all right. But He was not so liberal. He wanted first of all surrender. sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami… [Bg. 18.66] Krsna made condition. Krsna is personal Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. He came to show His mercy, and therefore He left Bhagavad-gita to be read by common… Any common man can understand. But the rascals are so rigid that they will misinterpret. Krsna left it for reading it by everyone. Any common man can understand. Dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samaveta yuyutsavah [Bg. 1.1] This is the beginning. Any common man can understand. The Kuruksetra is still there, and it is dharma-ksetra. Still people go there to take bath in the Brahma-kunda during lunar and solar eclipse. It is a great dharma-ksetra. But they will interpret, “Dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra means this body.” Where they get this meaning? Where is the dictionary? No, because he is scholar, he has invented some meaning. This is going on, and people are misled. So the time is very, very, bad, and even there is attempt to deliver them, they are so rigid and so stubborn, dog obstinacy, they want to remain in the doggish condition of life. It is very, very difficult. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so kind. Krsna said in the Bhagavad-gita, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascid vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3] To understand Krsna is not so easy thing. Manusyanam sahasresu After many, many millions of persons, one tries to become siddha. Siddha means to understand what he is, jnana. That is brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54] And yatatam api siddhanam… [Bg. 7.3]. Just like there are two classes of transcendentalists: the Mayavadi and the Vaisnava. That is all over the world. So Mayavadi, they are supposed to be siddhas. They are not siddha, but they are trying to become siddha, to understand the spiritual position. Neti neti: “I am not this; I am not this; I am not this.” But they are not siddhas. Siddhas, when they will understand that vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19], when they will understand Krsna, that “Krsna is everything,” sa mahatma, that mahatma, not this ordinary mahatma, “Narayana, namo narayana…” He is ordinary. Sa mahatma sudurlabhah. Very rare mahatma. Who is? Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma: [Bg. 7.19] “Vasudeva, Krsna, is everything.” That is siddha. Siddha. And again, yatatam api siddhanam kascid vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very kind that without considering whether he is a siddha or viddha or anything else—“Let them take Krsna-prema.” Therefore Rupa Gosvami prayed to Caitanya Mahaprabhu, namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne gaura-tvise namah [Madhya 19.53] He understood that “Here is Krsna, but He has come now in the most liberal way. Everyone He is giving krsna-prema.” How? “Chant Hare Krsna, dance, and become a lover of Krsna.” So nice. Simply by chanting and dancing, one is becoming… Practical it is. All these boys and girls, four or five years ago they did not know who is Krsna. That is surprising to everyone. The whole world is praising this movement because they see practically that how these European-American boys and girls are so much absorbed in the thought of Krsna. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s gift. Namo maha-vadanyaya krsna-prema-pradaya te, krsnaya krsna-caitanya-namne [Madhya 19.53] So very simple thing. Don’t think I have played something wonder. No, it is not my wonder. The process is wonderful, the process itself. You have to simply accept; then your life will be successful. It is not that “Bhaktivedanta Swami has brought this.” They say. They give me the credit. That is my good fortune also. But actually I am just like a peon. I have brought, but I am delivering it without any adulteration. That may be my credit. And if you take it without any adulteration and practice it, then your life is successful. This is the secret of success. Chant, dance, take prasadam, live very happily, and look very brilliant, and next life go to home, back to Godhead. So kindly… I am very pleased that you are doing nicely. But don’t be proud. Always remain humble, meek, that “I am nothing. I cannot…” That will be nice. And if you think, “Now I have become liberated. I can chant and dance,” no, don’t think like that. Just like even Caitanya-caritamrta author, he says, purisera kita haite muni se laghistha: “I am lower than the worm in the stool.” Jagai madhai haite muni se papistha: “I am more sinner than Jagai-Madhai.” In this way… That is not artificial. A Vaisnava must think like that, that “I am rotten. I have no value.” Don’t be proud. Then the things will go on nicely. And as soon as you become proud, then maya—“Yes, you are God. Come on. I will kick you on your face. Come on.” (laughter) These rascals becomes God, and the maya kicks on the face, and they think that they have become God. Don’t become like that. Always remain humble servant and you will be happy. Thank you very much. Devotees: Jaya Prabhupada! (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Detroit, August 3, 1975