Krsna's soldiers

Srila Prabhupada: So you should not be simply chanting and dancing. Along with, you must know philosophy. There are so many Mayavadis; you have to defeat them. It is not that we are coward. We are Krsna's soldiers. So as soon as there is Mayavadi attack, you must immediately defeat him. That is wanted. Therefore so many books are being written.

When you go, walk on the paddy field, you will find so many holes. Have you got experience? Huh? There are so many holes. Even on the beach, you will find so many holes. But especially in the agricultural field there are holes, because the paddy... The rats and mouse, they come to eat the paddies, and they make hole to live there. And the snake take advantage. They enter the hole and eat the rat and mouse and live peacefully.

So these holes, because there are snakes, nobody utilizes it, that hole. Similarly, when these earholes are not receptive of the message of Krsna, it is like that: it is not being utilized properly. Similarly, you have got tongue, but you cannot chant Hare Krsna—jihvasati dardurikeva: it is just like the tongue of the frogs. The frogs, you have got experience during rainy season, they use their tongue very nicely. They sing ka-kara-kaa, ka-kara-kaa, ka-kara-kaa. [laughter] Yes. But what is the result of singing? The result of singing: in the darkness, the snakes, they can understand, "Here is a frog," and it comes and takes, immediately eats.

Similarly, we have got tongue, and we are lecturing all nonsense things, mental speculation, or singing in the dancing club, "ho-ho, ho-ho," like that. So the result is that we are diminishing our duration of life in that way. The opportunity, the human form of life opportunity, is being uselessly diminished. In the previous verse we have learned... because the sun's business is to take away your span of life gradually. So same. As the frog is calling his death, the snake, "Please come here, I am here," similarly, these persons who are talking all nonsense without krsna-katha, they are inviting the Yamaraja, "Please come soon. I am here. I am here." This is the position.

So we accept Lord Ramacandra as God, Lord Krsna as God, not these petty dogs and cats. We have no business with these petty dogs and cats. All rascals, they are declaring, "I am God." No. Therefore these rascals, who do not know what is God, you have to inject within their earholes the message of God. That is your business. Krsna consciousness movement means... These rascals, dogs, hogs, camels and asses, who have no information of God, and therefore their earholes are compared like the snake holes, bile... So you have got very responsible task to inject within their ear the chivalrous activities of God. Otherwise, their earholes remain as snake holes. As I explained yesterday, in the snake holes, nobody goes there. Nobody puts their hands or legs. Similarly, if these earholes remains empty, without aural reception of the great activities of the Lord, it is as good as the snake holes.

They have decided, "There is no God. God is dead. God has no personality. He's zero," therefore they have no opportunity to hear about God. This human form of body... These earholes are meant for giving aural reception to the message of God. But they'll not do that. Therefore your mission is to go home to home, village to village, town to town, and give them injection, "Hear." Make such arrangement, nice dancing, nice chanting, prasada distribution. Why? Just to inject in their snake holes the words of Krsna. This is your mission. 

Brahman's business and Dog's business

Srila Prabhupada:

They live in the jungle. And viò-varäha means they live in the forest, finding out "Where is stool? Where is stool? Where is stool?" Çva-viò-varäha uñöra. Uñöra means camel, and khara means ass. So here it is a very terse remark, that "Anyone who has never heard the glories of Gadägraja, the Supreme Personality of Godhead—in other words, one who is not Kåñëa conscious, does not know anything about Kåñëa, or God—they are no better than these animals, especially: dog, hog, ass, camel."

Why these four kinds of animals have been selected to compare? That is explained. Çva means dog. A dog, however powerful it may be, very strong, stout, but it, unless it has got a master, its life is very precarious. Dog. Just see our education at the present moment, very advanced education. Many Indian students come here also to take advanced education. But actually, if we consider, this education creating dogs. Why? Now, because however technologist you may be, if you don't get a suitable service, all your education is finished.

Therefore, after education you'll have to write application, "My dear sir, I am such-and-such qualified dog. [laughter] If you'll kindly give me some service." And the tail is like this. [laughter] You see? Just imagine. If by education he becomes independent... Just like Vedic culture. The brähmaëas, the kñatriya, the vaiçyas, they are independent. The çüdras are compared with the dogs, because they cannot live without a master. Brähmaëa, he will not accept anyone's service. That is real brähmaëa. A kñatriya will never accept anyone's service.

Why the Battle of Kurukñetra was there? The Kurus, they took away the whole kingdom of the Päëòavas. But they were kñatriyas; how they will live? Therefore the fight was necessity. The kñatriyas must be..., must have some land to collect taxes. That is the kñatriyas' source of income. The brähmaëas' source of income, paöhana päöhana yajana yäjana... They must be learned scholar, they must teach others, they must be devotee and teach others how to become devotee. They must take contribution and must spend for Kåñëa. This is brähmaëa. No service.

Formerly, no brähmaëa... Sanätana Gosvämé, Rüpa Gosvämé, they were born in high-class brähmaëa family, Särasvata brähmaëa, but because they accepted the service of Nawab Hussain Shah, immediately they were rejected from brähmaëa society. It is by the grace of Caitanya Mahäprabhu that they again became gosvämés. Otherwise, they were rejected. No brähmaëa could take service, and especially service of a low-class man. That is... In Bhägavata you will see especially that if a brähmaëa is in difficulty, he may accept the profession of a kñatriya or utmost of a vaiçya, but never take the profession of a çüdra.

What is the profession of çüdra? Çüdra means paricaryätmakaà käryaà çüdra-karma çvabhäva-jam [Bg. 18.44]. One who is hankering after service, he is çüdra. He has no capacity to live independently. The brähmaëa, real brähmaëa, he will starve; he will die out of starvation, he will never accept anyone's service. That is brähmaëa. Uïcha-våtti. If he has no income, he will go on the field, and when the grains are taken away, some grains fall down. They will pick up all those grains and live on that. Still, they will not go to anyone that "I am hungry. Give me something." No. Uïcha-våtti.

So our education... And why we were so independent? Because the education was very high, Vedic education: satisfied with Brahman realization, brahmä-bhütaù prasannätmä [Bg. 18.54]. Not very long ago, say about three hundred years ago, there was a brähmaëa, a very rigid brähmaëa, in Kåñëa-nagara, near our Mäyäpur. And brähmaëa's business, he was teaching. So the king of that place, means a big zamindar, Räjä Kåñëa-candra—by his name, that place is Kåñëa-nagara—so he heard about the brähmaëa, very learned brähmaëa, but very poor. So he one day came to him and asked him, "Brähmaëa, can I help you any way?"

So he said, "No, I don't require any help from you." "No, I see you are so poverty-stricken. You have no sufficient means." "No, I am not poverty-stricken. My students, they get some alms of rice. So my wife boils the rice, and here is a tamarind tree, so I take some leaves and boil it, and that's sufficient. Why I am poverty-stricken?" He's satisfied, whatever is coming automatically. That's all. He doesn't require any higher standard of life, any botheration. He is satisfied, little rice and tamarind juice. That's all. So in each and every home, formerly, this independence was very much valued.

So at the modern education this independence is being killed. People are becoming unemployed, machine. Machine... High technologist means he must find out a job where technological machines are there. Otherwise he will starve, and he will have to go round, factory to factory: "Will you give me some service?" "No vacancy." Yes.

So we shall discuss further next, tomorrow.

Remain with Celibacy and be Happy

Lecture by Srila Prabhupada on Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.8

The attraction between male and female is the basic principle of material existence. On the basis of this misconception, which ties together the hearts of the male and female, one becomes attracted to his body, home, property, children, relatives and wealth. In this way one increases life's illusions and thinks in terms of "I and mine."

Srila Prabhupada: This is material world, aham mameti, "I am this," artho 'ham, balavan aham. "I am everything," aham, "and this is mine. This is my property. This is my country. This is my society. This is my nation." Mine, mine, mine. And I, I, I. This is material world. Krsna says, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. The Supreme Personality of Godhead declares clearly that "I am the proprietor." Sastra says, Veda says, isavasysyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1]: it is God's property, everything. We are claiming, our country, "This is my country," but as soon as you go on the beach of the sea, your country finishes, the land. Then whose..., the water, whose water that is? But the foolish person: "No, it is in my thrall[?], it is mine." So this is moha, illusion. We have heard so many times about illusion. This is illusion, aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. "I am this body, and everything in my bodily relationship, that is mine."

So how it begins? The begins, mithuni-bhavam etam, the unity of man and woman. Mithuni-bhavam. A man is searching after woman, and woman is searching after man. How nature's arrangement to keep the conditioned soul under the laws of nature... Because the conditioned souls are put under the laws of nature; or he has come voluntarily under the laws of nature.

As soon as we deny to serve Krsna, immediately maya. As soon as we deny to obey the state laws, immediately we are criminal and subjected to the criminal acts, "Go to the prison." This is..., we have got practical experience. You cannot defy the laws of the state or the laws of the words of the government. If we cannot... You cannot do it. If you do it, then you are punishable. That is the statement in every sastra. Dandananiya. Dandaniya, this danda is going on, one after another. Danda means punishment. But we are, because we are in illusion, we are thinking this danda is advancement of civilization. Danda.

So we should know, pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam [SB 5.5.8]: this material world is nothing but a false attraction between man and woman. Not only in human society—in birds, beast, animal, aquatics, trees, plants, everywhere. You will find these pigeons, as soon as one female pigeon is there, and the male pigeon immediately wants to canvass, "Please come. Let us unite." You have seen, this is nature's way, sparrow. The same things: pumsah striya mithuni. So therefore in the human society, by Vedic knowledge, by education you have to understand that we are bound up within this material world. What is the cause? The cause is that attraction between man and woman. This is the cause. Pumsah. Pumsah means the bhokta, the enjoyer. Here the male and female, both of them are pumsah, purusah, because everyone has got that feeling that "I shall enjoy." Nobody is feeling that "I shall be enjoyed." Everyone is thinking, "I shall enjoy." Nobody wants to be predominated; everyone wants to be predominator. This is the illusion.

So Krsna consciousness movement means to learn how to be predominated, not to become predominator. Just the opposite. And Krsna comes personally and He says that "I am the predominator." Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. "I am predominator. Why you are trying to be predominator? That is not possible." So as soon as artificially we want to be predominator, immediately the maya is there.

Everybody is: "All right, come here." This is the human civilization, to learn that because I wanted to become predominator: "I am the monarch of all I survey. Whatever I survey, that is my property...," so this inclination, this false inclination, is the cause of our bondage within this material world. We should know that we are aham brahmasmi, "I am spirit soul." And we learn from Krsna that na jayate na mriyate va kadacin. "I cannot take birth; I cannot die. I am not subjected to sufferings of this material world. But why I am put into this condition?" That is called conditioned soul. That is called intelligence. I am not to be conditioned. I am part and parcel of Krsna. Krsna is free; I am also free, because I am His part and parcel. I may be small, very small. A gold particle is gold, that is not otherwise. So all the qualities of gold is there, even it is particle. So these things are to be considered, and this knowledge can be acquired. This is called brahma-jjijnasa. Athato brahma jijnasa.
So unless a civilized man is trained up to understand these problems of life, what is that life? That is animal life. If one is not jijnasu if one is not inquisitive about the miserable condition of his life, if he remains satisfied in miserable condition of life, then he is nothing but animal. Animal cannot understand. Animal is being taken to the slaughterhouse, and they are going very easily, and one animal enters the slaughterhouse shed, every animal will enter. In Hindi it is called bheriyagasa[?]. One bheri enters, then all the bheris will enter, automatically. He does not know that "Where I am entering? I am entering in this way for being slaughtered." But he has no knowledge. This is going on. This is called illusion. Aham mameti [SB 5.5.8].

We, in Hindi it is called [Hindi]. When you are married in India, there is some band party, and the bride..., bridegroom is decorated like king, and he is on the horseback and is taken. But one who knows, he says that "This rascal is becoming more rascal." [Hindi] So therefore to check him not to become a [Hindi], gada, ass, the first education is brahmacari—don't enter. Don't enter this pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam. That is education; that is called brahmacari. Warning, that "It is not good. Better remain brahmacari," brahmecaratiti brahmacari. "Remain with Brahman, celibacy. You will be happy." But... That is the first education, brahmacari. Then one, if he is unable to remain brahmacari, "All right, take wife, regulated, grhastha." Don't remain cats and dogs. That is not human civilization. First of all, education is, "Don't unite. Remain brahmacari." But if you are not able, "All right, take a wife like a gentleman and live like a gentleman." Ekonari brahmacari, that is also... If one is satisfied with one woman, then he is also brahmacari He is not vyabhicari.

So that is regulated, that you must have wife. Not must have, but if you cannot avoid, take one wife and remain as a grhastha. And there are so many rules and regulations of grhastha life. Grhastha life is not that "Whenever I like, we have sex." No, that is not. There is regulated: once in a month. When there is menstruation, and if the wife is pregnant—then no more sex life. There are so many rules and regulations. The grhastha means one who follows the rules and regulation of sex life. That is grhastha. Not that simply united, man and woman, and live like animals. No, that is not grhastha. That is called grhamedhi. Grhamedhi and grhastha, there are two words. Grhamedhi means he does not know the rules and regulation. He thinks that this family, this husband and wife, children and home, that is everything. That is called grhamedhi. But grhastha means he is as good as a sannyasi. He is suitable... He is not suitable to become a brahmacari, because every facility is there, but regulated. And one who follows the regulative principles, he is asrama. Either it is grhastha asrama or sannyasa asrama, the same thing. Asrama means—very easily understood in India; there is discussion—the place where the spiritual culture is cultivated, that is called asrama. What is the difference between the asrama and ordinary home? Ordinary home means the..., without any regulative principles, and asrama means real purpose is self-realization, development of Krsna consciousness. But if one is unable to accept sannyasa asrama or brahmacari asrama, that is grhastha asrama. Not that animal asrama...

So these regulative principles are there. So what is..., what is the big plan behind these regulative principle? The big plan is: here is the attraction, pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam—to cut down this attraction between male and female. This is the big plan. Otherwise, there is no need of the varnasrama. Varnasrama means to train the candidates gradually to become free from this entanglement of man and woman. This is the basic principle. Yoga system is also the same thing. Jnana, that is also same. Karma also...

So this is the training of Bhagavad-gita. This is the training of Bhagavata... This kama is manifested in different ways. The actually the central point is kama. So that when that kama is fulfilled... Because a man is searching after woman and woman is searching after man, when they unite, then the kama becomes hard knot, very tightly. When they are separated, there is chance of not being tied, but as soon as they are tied by marriage or by some way or other, then tayor mitha hrdaya-granthim ahur. Hrdaya-granthim. We are already attracted to these things, and when it is united, then we see practically in our Indian families that when the boy is grown up and the girl is grown up, the father, mother unite them by marriage system. Everywhere. But India still going on. Why? Because unless he is married, he'll not get attracted to this material life.

So the father and mother's duty is to unite them so that they may not be spoiled, they may not be like cats and dogs. At least there will be some regulative principles they will follow. But the bondage is, as soon as they are united, the economic development, then searching after: "Now we must have an apartment. So to..." Either you construct a house or rent a house, anyway, money is required, so you will be enthused to earn money: "I have got wife, I have to keep her nicely, I have to eat nicely, I have to give her dress, and so on, so on." So first of all, get one apartment or house. Then how to maintain the house. Formerly there was no other business except that agriculture. Agriculture, that is the economic, annad bhavanti bhutani [Bg. 3.14]. We have to eat, so grow food grains. So where shall I grow my food grains? Not on the roof, but I must have some land, land is wanted. Family life, married life, but there is no son. That is another troublesome There are so many married life, they haven't got son, children—they are very unhappy. They spend so much money to get a children. They go to the saintly persons and beg blessing, "Give us one children, one child."
There was one great big man long ago, he had no child, so he came to my Guru Mahäräja and he offered, "Guru Maharaja, if I get a child, I can give you the whole estate."

So these are natural demands. First of all husband and wife and child, then apartment, then land, then friends, then money, in this way we become entangled more, ahaà mameti [SB 5.5.8]. So instead of sukhera lagiya ei ghara bandhun, I became a householder for happiness, agune puriya gela, now there is blazing fire. Sukhera lagiya ei ghara bandhun agune puriya gela. And there is another, ravana hoila ithe gatila janja: "I wanted to be happy in this way, but it has become an embarassment." So this is going on.

So we should not be entangled as far as possible. It is not possible, very, very difficult, but if it is possible we can..., there is brahmacari. This is tapasya. Because we have begun these verses, tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyed sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. Tapasya. That tapasya begins, tapasa brahmacaryena [SB 6.1.13], brahmacari. That is tapasya. So if possible we should try to remain. But Krsna consciousness is so nice, if we accept Krsna very seriously, with Krsna anyone, either man or woman, we can remain very happy with Krsna. Krsna can become my friend, Krsna can become my husband, Krsna can become my son—whatever you want. So in this way, if we advance in Krsna consciousness, then we can save ourselves, janasya moho 'yam. In this illusory galaxy of illusory, this material world, we may be saved, and that is wanted that we have to give up the attraction for this material world. Then there is possibility of spiritual advancement. Therefore Krsna is canvassing personally that "You give up all these plans, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That will save you from this precarious position of material world, threefold miseries, suffering after suffering after suffering."

The difference between karma yoga and bhakti yoga

Kåñëa is meant for the paramahaàsa and muni, very, very exalted persons.  Yoga means “contact” or “having connection.” Bhakti-yoga means directly connecting with Kåñëa, or God.  Other yogas are not directly connected.  When there is karma-yoga, it is adulterated.  It is not pure.  Karma-yoga means yat karoñi yad açnäsi yaj juhoñi dadäsi yat.  In the beginning one cannot take to pure bhakti-yoga.  Therefore karma-yoga is recommended.  People are interested in different types of work.  So therefore Kåñëa says, yat karoñi:  “Never mind, whatever you are doing.” So how does it become karma-yoga?  Now, kuruñva tad mad-arpaëam:  “You give it to Me.” Kåñëa says, “All right, go on.  You are attached to business.  You go on doing that.  But the money earned out of your business, you give to Me.” This is karma-yoga.  “It doesn’t matter, whatever you are doing, but the ultimate result, you give to Me.” (Srila Prabhupada's lecture)

The touchstone among verses

Çré Kåñëa continued:  “This process is the supreme intelligence of the intelligent and the cleverness of the most clever, for by following it one can in this very life make use of the temporary and unreal to achieve Me, the eternal reality.” 

Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravärté Öhäkura elaborates:

He who can receive a thousand coins by giving one coin is said to be most intelligent and skillful in this world. One who obtains diamonds or a gold coin in exchange for a small coin is called intelligent and skillful.  A person who can take a gold coin from a sober, intelligent person is called intelligent and skillful. But one cannot say who is intelligent enough to obtain a cintämaëi or a kämadhenu. The inhabitants of Bharata-bhümé who are mortal and born in low families offer to me their bodies not worthy a penny, which are deformed and afflicted with old age and disease.  But they attain me, the ocean of sweetness. Accepting their offerings, I, who am supposed to be the cleverest, out of joy give myself, with my priceless ornaments, bracelets and crown, to the devotees.  Such inhabitants of Bhärta-bhümi are the most intelligent and most skillful!  Giving one’s body to the Lord means to engage the ear and other organs in hearing, chanting, remembering and service.  If the tongue is engaged in chanting, if the ears are engaged in hearing, if the hands are engaged in service, then one is giving one’s body to the Lord. But the Lord is attained even by offering only one part of the body!  What intelligent person would not do this? 

This verse is the touchstone among verses, the essence of all the Lord’s teachings.  He who has this verse shining in his heart shines in the assembly of devotees.