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Read Bhagavad-gita As It Is Online His Divine Grace |
[The following is an excerpt from a conversation with Srila Prabhupada and his disciples on December 12, 1970, Indore] [Srila Prabhupada is first taking about "Ajamila" "Sukadeva Gosvami said to King Pariksit: In the city known as Kanyakubja [Kanauj in present-day India] there lived a brahmana named Ajamila who married a prostitute maidservant and lost all his brahminical qualities because of the association of that low-class woman. Ajamila gave trouble to others by arresting them, by cheating them in gambling, or by directly plundering them. This was the way he earned his livelihood and maintained his wife and children." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.21- 22)]
Prabhupada: . . .Sadacara means good behavior. Why good behavior was lost? Dasyah samsarga-dusitah. Because he was associating with a prostitute, illegal sex. Therefore, anyone who wants to make progress in spiritual life, he must be sadacara. His behavior must be very regulated. Asadacari, unclean, nonregulated, cannot make any progress. If somebody says that - Whatever you like, you can do. There is no difference. You can imagine your own way..." This is going on nowadays. - Whatever you like, you can do. You can imagine your own way of self-realization." But that is not recommended in the Vedic literatures. One must be sadacara. This is the beginning of sadacara, to rise early in the morning, to cleanse, then chant, or chant the Vedic mantras or, simplified as in the present age, Hare Krsna mantra, maha-mantra. This is the beginning of sadacara. So sadacara means to become freed from sinful reaction. Unless one follows the regulative principles he cannot be freed. And unless one is fully freed from sinful reaction he cannot understand what is God. Those who are not in sadacara, regulative principles, for them... Just like animals, they are not expected to follow any... Of course, by nature they follow regulative principles. Still, but human being, having advanced consciousness, so instead of using it properly, they misuse the advanced consciousness and thus they become lower than animals. The animals, for want of advanced consciousness, cannot follow any regulative principles. But by nature they have got some regulative principle. A human being, advanced consciousness, instead of using it for advance in spiritual life they use it for sense gratification and thus they become lower than the animals. So as soon as one becomes irregulated, without any sadacara, then he doesn't care for any sinful activities for maintaining his body and soul together. He doesn't mind. Their philosophy is, what is called? - Existence is the first law of nature," or something like... Guest (1): Self-preservation. Prabhupada: Self-preservation. So self-preservation... They do not know what is self-preservation. That is another ignorance. They consider this body as the self. Their self-preservation means to keep this body. And that is also not possible. If you do not follow regulative principles, it is not possible to keep your body in good condition. That is also not possible. Those who do not follow the regulative principles, mostly they are diseased, some kind. We find in the medical, modern medical shop the customers are educated people. Mass of people, they are not customers in the medical shop. You'll find it. They are not so much diseased. In every gentleman's house, modern, you'll find so many bottles of medicine. But you won't find such medical bottles in any house of less educated persons. They are not so diseased. So this is one of the items. If you want to advance in spiritual life you must follow the regulative principles to rectify your mistakes in the past life and this present life. Without being freed from all contamination nobody can understand God. That is not possible. Bhagavad-gita says, yesam anta gatam papam: - One who has become completely freed from all kinds of sinful reaction," yesam tv anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam, - Persons who are engaged in pious activities only," te, - such person," te dvandva-moha-nirmukta... [Bg. 7.28]. This life, the material life, is dvandva. Dvandva means fighting or quarreling. Every one of us has got nature for fighting with others unnecessarily. Even some people come here with a spirit of fighting with me. So this is called dvandva and moha. How this fighting spirit becomes developed? On account of illusion. What is that illusion? Accepting this body as self. So if one is contaminated by sinful activity - if he is in illusion, how he can..., illusion of accepting this body as self - what is the meaning of their self-realization? He's illusioned. He'll keep himself in all kinds of contaminated life, and artificially he thinks that by some kind of mystic meditation he'll be all right. This is going on. No. One must follow. Meditation, yogic meditation, is also possible when there is yama, niyama, asana, pranayama - the eight principles of yoga system. And nobody follows the eight principles of yoga system and simply sitting down and meditating, that will not help. The first two steps are yama, niyama, then asana, then pranayama, then pratyahara, then dhyana, then dharana, then samadhi. These are explained in the yogic sastra or Bhagavad-gita. So this man, although born of a brahmana father... Now, here it is said that nasta-sadacara. Although he is born of a brahmana father, his acara, his dealings for advancing in spiritual life...A brahmana is expected to be truthful, to be self-controlled, to be fully cognizant of spiritual life, practical application in life, jnanam, vijnanam, astikyam, to have complete faith in the statement of the sastras. That is... That is called astikyam. We, according to our Vedic system, we do not accept any other system of religion because we consider them nastika. That is the primary principle. Nastika means one who does not believe in the Vedas. He is called nastika. Not that he does not believe in God. One may believe in God, but one who does not believe in the Vedic literature, he is called nastika. Veda na maniya bauddha haila nastika. Lord Buddha, although he is accepted as incarnation of God, but because he defied the Vedic principles it is said, nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha sruti-jatam. Lord Buddha criticized the, I mean to say, sacrificial ceremonies because in the sacrificial ceremonies sometimes there is recommendation of killing an animal. But he was preaching nonviolence. So he criticized even the sacrifice in yajna. He criticized. Nindasi... But a Vaisnava is praying, - My dear Lord, you are defying the Vedic principles." He knows why the Lord is now defying the Vedic principles; therefore he is devotee. In spite of Lord Buddha's defying the Vedic principles, a devotee is offering him obeisances. Kesava dhrta-buddha-sarira jaya jagadisa hare. He knows the Lord, how He is playing, how He is bewildering the atheistic class of men. The atheistic class of men did not believe in God. Lord Buddha says, - Yes, you don't require to believe in God. There is no God. But you feel yourself that when you are attacked with violence you feel pain. Why should you offer to others?" Because his mission was to stop animal killing. Sadaya-hrdaya-darsita-pasu-ghatam. The Supreme Lord became too much compassionate when he saw that people are unnecessarily killing animals, as it is going on still. Instead of... At least those who are claiming Buddhist, they are killing animals. Bruce, is it not? Yes. But in the Buddhist religion there is no sanction for killing animals. Yes? Guest (2): (Hindi) Prabhupada: (Hindi) Muhammad, he also did not believe in the Vedic literature. But according to Vedic literature, anyone who does not believe in the Vedic literature, he is nastika. Just like the Mohammedans, they say, - Anyone who does not believe in Koran, he is kafir." The Christians say, - Anyone who does not believe in the Bible, they are heathens." That is there everywhere. Similarly, Lord Caitanya said that veda na maniya bauddha haila nastika. He is giving the definition because we have to follow the great personalities, great acaryas. That is our process. We do not make any research, or we do not make any statement made by us. We simply accept the injunctions given by great acaryas. Acaryopasanam. That is the process of Vedic system. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. One must approach a spiritual master and learn from him. So whatever spiritual master says, that is accepted. Sadhu guru sastra vakya. Real evidence is, it must be stated in the scriptures, it must be explained by the spiritual master or saintly persons. That is evidence. Guest (3): Sastra-vakya-pramana. Prabhupada: Sastra-vakya-pramana. And it should be known through the spiritual master. Just like nowadays Bhagavad-gita is being interpreted in so many foolish ways because they do not accept explanation from the authority. They become themselves authorities. Therefore misused. That is not explanation. Somebody is explaining that Kuruksetra means this body, panca-pandava means the senses. These are all nonsense. You have to accept Bhagavad-gita as it is. When you cannot understand, you should get it explained by your spiritual master. Therefore one has to accept a spiritual master to understand. Tad-vijnanartham. In order to understand that transcendental science one must approach a bona fide spiritual master. That is injunction. So here it is said that kanyakubje dvijah. Dvijah means he was offered the sacred thread. That means he was born in a brahmana family. Janmana jayate sudrah. Everyone is born a sudra, a foolish. Sudra means a foolish man who simply laments. That is the real meaning of sudra. Anyone who has no intelligence, he is sudra. We also generally say, gadah, less intelligent. So brahmanas, ksatriyas, vaisyas, they are called higher caste. According to their... Brahmana, first-class because his intelligence is first-class. Ksatriya, his intelligence is second-class. Vaisya, his intelligence is third-class. And sudra means fourth-class. And less than sudra, they are called pancama, candala. They are accepted as animals, those who are less than sudras. This is the Vedic system. Now, here it is said that this Ajamila, dvija... Dvija means he was properly initiated, second birth. First birth by father, mother, is sudra. Anyone, even if he is born in a brahmana family, the natural birth is considered as sudra. But if there is garbhadhana-samskara, then he's accepted as born brahmana, born brahmana. Still, one is born brahmana, he has to undergo the samskaras. So our, this... Now it is known as Hindu society although the - Hindu" word is given by the Mohammedans. It is called sanatana-dharma or varnasrama society, who very strictly follow the four divisions, social divisions of varna - brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra - and four divisions of spiritual life - brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. So our, the Vedic system is called varnasrama. Varna means the social order. Asrama means spiritual division. Therefore those who are following strictly the Vedic principle, that family life is called grhastha asrama. Asrama. Whenever you add this word asrama there is spiritual significance. So all the division - brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa - they are known as asrama. Anyone can understand asrama. As soon as there is asrama that means - Here some men, saintly persons, spiritually advanced persons, lives." That is asrama. So that asrama, when a student follows the regulative principles, he is supposed to be situated in brahmacari asrama. A householder living with family, husband, wife, children, if they are following strictly the regulative principles - grhastha asrama. Similarly, retired life, if he is following the regulative principles - the vanaprastha asrama. Similarly, a renounced life, sannyasa, if he is following the regulative principles, that is sannyasa asrama. Not that imitating somebody, I put on a saffron dress and I become a sannyasi and by begging I live. This has killed the whole Hindu society or the sanatana-dharma society. Unqualified persons, they do not know the regulative principles but for solution of economic problem they dress themselves. This is Kali-yuga. They will pass on simply by the dress without any knowledge. So here also, although Ajamila was born of a brahmana father and he was strictly following the regulative principles of a brahmana - that will be stated - but he fell. He fell in love with a prostitute And therefore his characters were lost. Nasta-sadacarah. The reason is why? Dasyah samsarga-dusitah. Because he associated with a prostitute, therefore his all regulative principles became lost. And as soon as you are lost of regulative principles then you take to all kinds of sinful activities. The regulative principles will keep you on the standard of life. If you give it up, then immediately you fall down, maya. So this man Ajamila, because he was duracara, nasta-sadacara, lost of all regulative principles on account of associating with a prostitute, then, although he was born of a brahmana family, he became... His livelihood was juha(?), bandy-aksaih, cheating and stealing. Bandy-aksaih kaitavais cauryaih. Cauryaih means stealing. Garhitam vrttim asthitah. This kind of profession is garhita. Garhitam means... Hita means beneficial. But this profession is garhita because it is not beneficial. Ultimately he will be punished either by the king's law or by the God's law. I can escape the king's law by doing something which is abominable but I cannot escape God's law. That is not possible. Therefore, although he is thinking that - Now I am cheating this person," or - I am stealing and getting some profit," that is not good for him. Just like a man is killing some man, another man. So that is not good for him because as soon as he will be arrested he'll be hanged. So they think that - I am cheating the state, I am cheating God, and I can go on gratifying my senses by all these activities," but that is stated in the sastra as garhita. Garhita means it is not beneficial for you." Na sadhu manye yato atmano 'yam. In another place it is said, - These kinds of activities, vikarma, is not good ultimately." Na sadhu manye yato atmano 'yam asann api klesada asa dehah [Bhag. 5.5.4]. Although atma, the self, is different from this body - that is the first lesson in spiritual life - still, this body, although temporary, but as soon as you accept this material body you will have to suffer according to the body. If you get a dog's body you suffer according to that. If you get a man's body... Suffering will be there more or less as soon as you get this material body. Therefore Rsabhadeva said, na sadhu manye: - You are acting abominable. It is not good because you are already suffering in this body." Otherwise why you are stealing? You are in want of money. You are suffering. Therefore necessity is now law. Therefore you are accepting. Even you know that stealing is bad, still, you are accepting it because that is a suffering. So for some of your activities in the past life you are now suffering, and if you go on, continuing committing this nonsense, then you will again, you will have to again accept a body and you'll suffer. Therefore garhitam. There are so many things to know but these things are not discussed nowadays. Very cheap thing: - You can do whatever you like. You simply meditate and become God, that's all." So much cheating is going on everywhere, all over the world. So-called yogis, they go, - Oh, you meditate. You are... And as soon as you realize, you are God, within six months." No. Therefore in this age the only method... It is a concession to the fallen people of this world, this Hare Krsna mantra. They 'll not be able to follow all the regulative principles; therefore they must commit all kinds of abominable activities. Under the circumstances the sastra or God has given a concession that you simply chant Hare Krsna mantra and gradually you will be elevated to the highest position of spiritual life. Other things you cannot follow. You are already fallen. So you take to this process of chanting Hare Krsna mantra without any offense. And in order to save yourself from the offenses, a little austerity that you cannot have illicit sex life. Why should you have illicit sex life? Everyone's need is sex life. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithunam. These are the bodily needs. So sastra has sanctioned, - All right. You can live peacefully by married life and have sex life for children, good children." That is allowed. But why should you have illicit sex life? What is this? Irresponsible life. - I shall not take responsibility of family life, and I shall go on as so-called bachelor and have illicit life." But that is not good. That is garhitam. Na sadhu manye: - This is not good." This is the advice of Vedic literature. Ultimately you'll suffer. You are thinking at the present moment that you are avoiding suffering because family life is very responsible life. So if you think that family life is responsible, yes, it is responsible life. If you don't take, if you cannot take the responsibility, then remain as a brahmacari. Why should you marry? Yes. If you practice brahmacarya, then you become free, seventy-five percent freedom immediately. But you do not want to undergo the austerities of a brahmacari, and still, you want to remain as an unmarried man. Everywhere in the world it is going on. This is increasing. That is stated here, sadacara. Nasta-sadacaro dasyah samsarga-dusitah. The illicit connection with man and woman will certainly make him abominable, fallen down to this abominable life. I... When I was... In my younger days, when I was in business, so I was to take agency one of big company, Smith's Transit Company. So they had to... I had to give some guarantee of my honesty. So in that program the question was whether married or unmarried. Because unmarried man mostly become dishonest. So that inquiry was there, - Whether he is married?" Married man cannot be dishonest because he has got responsibility. If he is arrested he will be insulted in his family. His family members will be in difficulty. Therefore he does not commit dishonesty very easily unless it is absolutely... But that should not be done. But unmarried man, because he has got no responsibility, he commits all kinds of sinful activity. That's a fact. Therefore in our Krsna consciousness movement we do not allow such illicit sex life, no. You must get yourself married. And practically, we are seeing, that is very effective and that is going on nicely. All right. (Hindi) Guest (4): (Hindi) Yesterday I had a talk with Bhagavati Hema. [edited, they discuss an editorial in a magazine which misrepresents Srila Prabhupada, Guest (4): is a writer and Srila Prabhupada asks him to help him write but tells him he can not pay him]
Guest (4): But for my family liabilities... Prabhupada: That I know. You are qualified, educated boy. You can do it. But one thing I can do, that you can live with your family just like they are living. That I can arrange. And whatever food we can provide you have to accept. We can... We can arrange for the education of your children also, everything. But we cannot pay anything. That is not possible. We can take charge of the husband and wife. We can take charge of your children. But it is not possible to pay. And besides that, when there is question of payment the service is not good because the payment means he is serving the money. He is not serving the cause. (tape of kirtana plays for a second)
Guest (4): His old mother listens to these chantings. [break] Prabhupada: They are sincere, sincerely seeking after. Their material business is finished because they have enjoyed enough of material things. Now there is spiritual inquiry. That is natural. When our material necessities are complete, we enjoy, then next stage is spiritual hankering. And that is explained in the Vedanta-sutra, athato brahma jijnasa. After finishing karma-kandiya life... Karma-kandiya life means you do pious activities and enjoy life. That is called karma-kandiya. So... But the fact is that even you get your birth in a very rich family, you cannot avoid the sufferings of this material nature. Just like yesterday we had an interview with Holkar(?), His Highness Holkar, the old gentleman. So he was a king. He has got very beautiful wife, very beautiful family, very palatial building, but he is not happy, we saw. So the foolish people, they do not know that in this material life there is no happiness. They hanker after these palatial buildings, the motor cars, the bank balance, and so on, so on. Therefore those who have enjoyed all these things but have not become happy, there is another inquiry: - How to become happy?" [break] ...say America, they have enjoyed material life. Their children have enjoyed material life to the fullest extent but they are not happy. Therefore they have come to this spiritual life.
Guest (4): Last night in your learned discourse you said that you're supposed to found a temple in this city.
nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam These are Vedic injunctions. You know all this; then why don't you believe in this? [break] (Hindi) So it is coming? (Hindi) [break] We must have faith. Adau sraddha (Hindi) You should be prepared even there is difficulty. Just like when I took sannyasa I gave up my family life. In the beginning there was so much difficulty. I was living alone. But I never cared for it. Hare Krsna.
Guest (6): Swamiji, suppose one wants to become life member... They can't pay whole money in one charge. They want to pay in installments. He may advertise himself as scholar or this or that, but our only test is whether he accepts Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That is the test. Is that person accepting Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead? He himself accepts that - I am God." Is it not? Therefore he's a foolish. He is squandering money, public money. That's all. That is his business. He might have some qualification to collect money, but he does not know what is Krsna.
Guest (6): He's all (unclear). Prabhupada: I know. So that is the test. That is the test. Therefore it is a revolutionary movement. Even so-called followers of Gita, they will be caught up by this movement as rascals. Because the real purpose of Gita they do not know. Real purpose of Gita is to know Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That you will find in the Bhagavad-gita. Sarvam etad rtam manye yan mam vadasi madhava [Bg. 10.14]. And Arjuna says that - Whatever You have said, they're all right and I accept them in toto without any revision." So Krsna says that - I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." One who does not understand Krsna as the Supreme Person, what he has read Gita? He is useless. Srama eva hi kevalam. Simply has labored. That's all. That is the test. Don't you agree to this point? So anyone who does not accept Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has no knowledge of Gita. He immediately becomes foolish. That is our test. So Muktananda, what do you think?
Muktananda: Yes, Prabhupada. - Anyone... How one simply by concentrating his mind upon Me," mayy asakta, - with asakti..." Asakti means attachment, love. Mayy asakta-manah. Mind attached to Krsna in love. Yogam yunjan mad-asrayah. And performing the bhakti-yoga, mad-asrayah, under the disciplinary action by a bona fide spiritual master, mad-asrayah. Asamsayam samagram mam: - Then he can understand without any doubt and fully what I am." That means one who has not understood Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he has not found the yoga properly. And why? That is mad-asrayah, he does not follow the disciplic succession. Mad asrayah. And in the beginning, in Fourth Chapter it is said, evam parampara-praptam. So these foolish persons, they do not follow all these principles; therefore they cannot understand Bhagavad-gita. Anyone... We say... It may appear to be very strong word but that's a fact. (Hindi) That's a strong word, that's all right, but he's a chor. (Hindi) Strong language used here... (Hindi)
Guest (6): (unclear)... From the very day I saw this movement, I have intent only in Krsna, not in any other movement. Yasya-prasadad na gatih kuto 'pi. If he displeases Krsna's representative he has no entrance to the Krsna's kingdom, however learned he may be or whatever he may be. Immediately rejected. In a business office, suppose a secretary is there. A clerk does not accept the order of the secretary. Immediately he should be dismissed. In my personal experience, when I was young manager in a big chemical concern, one correspondent clerk, he disobeyed me. I reported to the head boss. He immediately came and he said, - Get out immediately from the office." And he wanted to plead in so many ways. Said, - No, I don't want. If you don't go out, then I shall call my doorman. He will forcibly get you out. Get out." I was sorry because this man is dismissed immediately, but he took. Disobedient... - Obedience is first discipline." So if Krsna's representative is disobeyed - - Get out immediately." Krsna is very strict.
Guest (6): (unclear) ...From tomorrow he was not able to get (unclear) Send this story to a friend This story URL: http://society.krishna.org/Articles/2005/01/039.html |
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