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 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."
