Dealing with Lust
Celibacy an option or conscious
decision for a higher goal:
Brahmacharya
- Celibacy:
Celibacy
(many good informative links)
How Macho men and misoginists
are created from repressed sexual tension and lack of gaining a spiritual
taste: "Repression of the impulses results in parnoid" Sigmund Freud.
http://www.saragrahi.org/columns/tattva/macho.htm
The syndrome of Bhut graha - false renunciation - the eccentric results:
"There are many demigods, devatäs. So sometimes they are advised that: “If you want this result, then you worship this demigod.” Just like it is said that if you want a beautiful wife, so you worship Umä. Umä, the wife of Lord Shiva, she is very beautiful. So similarly, if you want learning then you worship such and such demigod. If you want money, then you worship such and such demigod. These are there, I mean to say orders in the Vedic literature. But if you want to get relief from this material condition of life, then you have to take the shelter of Vishnu, Vaishnava. Or the shästra says even if you have got other desires to fulfill, still you become Vaishnava. That is the last instruction." (ACBSP. 29th July 1973. lecture on Bhagavad Gita 1:41-42. London UK)
"If one is bewildered on account of lusty desires, they go to different demigods for begging some benefit. So they are hrita-jnäna. Hrita-jnäna means lost of intelligence. If Krishna is the Supreme, so suppose if you want some material happiness, can He not give you? He can give you also. So why should you bother about other demigods? Therefore, it is said kämais tais tair hrita-jnäna. If Krishna is the Supreme Lord, so if I have got some desires, material desires... Actual bhakti means minus all material... Anyäbhiläshitä-shünyam [Bhakti-rasämrita-sindhu 1.1.11]. One must be freed from all material desires. But even if you have got some material desire, still you can take shelter of Krishna. You don’t require to take shelter of other demigods. So that is the last instruction in the Vedic literature.
akämah sarva-kämo vä
moksha-käma udäradhi
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajeta purusham param
[SB 2.3.10]
Akäma means devotee. Devotees have no desire. They have got desire just to become devotee of Krishna. That is natural desire. If the son desires that: “I shall be obedient son of my father,” that is natural desire. Or the son desires that: “I shall depend on my father, and I shall be happy,” that kind of desire is natural desire. Similarly, if one desires that: “I shall become a devotee of Lord Krishna,” that is natural desire." (ACBSP. 29th July 1973. lecture on Bhagavad Gita 1:41-42. London UK)
For days together, Kåñëa heard
from Uddhava all the details of his visit to Våndävana, especially
the condition of His father and mother and of the gopés and the
cowherd boys. Lord Kåñëa was fully satisfied that Uddhava
was able to solace them by his instructions and by the message delivered
to them.
Lord Kåñëa
then decided to go to the house of Kubjä, the hunchback woman who
had pleased Him by offering Him sandalwood pulp when He was entering the
city of Mathurä. As stated in the Bhagavad-gétä, Kåñëa
always tries to please His devotees as much as the devotees try to please
Kåñëa. As the devotees always think of Kåñëa
within their hearts, Kåñëa also thinks of His devotees
within Himself. When Kubjä was converted into a beautiful society
girl, she wanted Kåñëa to come to her place so that she
could try to receive and worship Him in her own way. Society girls generally
try to satisfy their clients by offering their bodies for the men to enjoy.
But this society girl, Kubjä, was actually captivated by a lust to
satisfy her senses with Kåñëa. When Kåñëa
desired to go to the house of Kubjä, He certainly had no desire for
sense gratification. By supplying the sandalwood pulp to Kåñëa,
Kubjä had already satisfied His senses. On the plea of her sense gratification,
however, He decided to go to her house, not actually for sense gratification
but to turn her into a pure devotee. Kåñëa is always
served by many thousands of goddesses of fortune; therefore He has no need
to satisfy His senses by going to a society girl. But because He is kind
to everyone, He decided to go there. It is said that the moon does not
withhold its shining from the courtyard of a crooked person. Similarly,
Kåñëa’s transcendental mercy is never denied to anyone
who has rendered service unto Him, whether through lust, anger, fear or
pure love. In the Caitanya-caritämåta it is stated that if one
wants to serve Kåñëa and at the same time wants to satisfy
his own lusty desires, Kåñëa will handle the situation
so that the devotee forgets his lusty desires and becomes fully purified
and constantly engaged in the service of the Lord.
To fulfill His promise, Kåñëa,
along with Uddhava, went to the house of Kubjä, who was very eager
to get Kåñëa for the satisfaction of her lusty desires.
When Kåñëa reached her house, He saw that it was completely
decorated in a way to excite the lusty desires of a man. This suggests
that there were many nude pictures, on top of which were canopies and flags
embroidered with pearl necklaces, along with comfortable beds and cushioned
chairs. The rooms were provided with flower garlands and were nicely scented
with incense and sprinkled with scented water. And the rooms were illuminated
by nice lamps.
When Kubjä saw that Lord
Kåñëa had come to her house to fulfill His promised visit,
she immediately got up from her chair to receive Him cordially. Accompanied
by her many girlfriends, she began to talk with Him with great respect
and honor. After offering Him a nice place to sit, she worshiped Lord Kåñëa
in a manner just suitable to her position. Uddhava was similarly received
by Kubjä and her girlfriends, but he did not want to sit on an equal
level with Kåñëa and thus simply sat down on the floor.
As one usually does in such
situations, Kåñëa entered the bedroom of Kubjä without
wasting time. In the meantime, Kubjä took her bath and smeared her
body with sandalwood pulp. She dressed herself with nice garments, valuable
jewelry, ornaments and flower garlands. After chewing betel nut and other
intoxicating eatables and spraying herself with scents, she appeared before
Kåñëa. Her smiling glance and moving eyebrows were full
of feminine bashfulness as she stood gracefully before Lord Kåñëa,
who is known as Mädhava, the husband of the goddess of fortune. When
Kåñëa saw Kubjä hesitating to come before Him, He
immediately caught hold of her hand, which was decorated with bangles.
With great affection, He dragged her near Him and made her sit by His side.
Simply by having previously supplied pulp of sandalwood to the Supreme
Lord, Kåñëa, Kubjä became free from all sinful reactions
and eligible to enjoy with Him. She then took Kåñëa’s
lotus feet and placed them on her breasts, which were burning with the
blazing fire of lust. By smelling the fragrance of Kåñëa’s
lotus feet, she was immediately relieved of all lusty desires. She was
thus allowed to embrace Kåñëa with her arms and mitigate
her long-cherished desire to have Kåñëa as a visitor
in her house.
It is stated in the Bhagavad-gétä
that one must be freed of all material sinful reactions before one can
engage in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Simply by supplying
sandalwood pulp to Kåñëa, Kubjä was thus rewarded.
She was not trained to worship Kåñëa in any other way;
therefore she wanted to satisfy Him by her profession. It is confirmed
in the Bhagavad-gétä that the Lord can be worshiped even by
one’s profession, if it is sincerely offered for the pleasure of the Lord.
Kubjä told Kåñëa, “My dear friend, kindly remain
with me at least for a few days and enjoy with me. My dear lotus-eyed friend,
I cannot leave You immediately. Please grant my request.”
As stated in the Vedic versions,
the Supreme Personality of Godhead has multipotencies. According to expert
opinion, Kubjä represents the bhü-çakti potency of Kåñëa,
just as Çrématé Rädhäräëé
represents His cit-çakti potency. Although Kubjä requested
Kåñëa to remain with her for some days, Kåñëa
politely impressed upon her that it was not possible for Him to stay. Kåñëa
visits this material world occasionally, whereas His connection with the
spiritual world is eternal. Kåñëa is always present either
in the Vaikuëöha planets or in the Goloka Våndävana
planet. The technical term of His presence in the spiritual world is aprakaöa-lélä.
After satisfying Kubjä
with sweet words, Kåñëa returned home with Uddhava. There
is a warning in Çrémad-Bhägavatam that Kåñëa
is not very easily worshiped, for He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
the chief among the viñëu-tattvas. To worship Kåñëa
or have association with Him is not very easy. Specifically, there is a
warning for devotees attracted to Kåñëa through conjugal
love: it is not good for them to desire sense gratification by direct association
with Kåñëa. Actually, the activities of sense gratification
are material. In the spiritual world there are symptoms like kissing and
embracing, but there is no sense-gratificatory process as it exists in
the material world. This warning is specifically for those known as sahajiyäs,
who take it for granted that Kåñëa is an ordinary human
being. They desire to enjoy sex life with Him in a perverted way. In a
spiritual relationship, sense gratification is most insignificant. Anyone
who desires a relationship of perverted sense gratification with Kåñëa
must be considered less intelligent. His mentality requires to be reformed.
(ACBSP. Krsna Book - Krsna the Supreme Personality
of Godhead. Chapter 48.)
viñayä vinivartante
nirähärasya dehinaù
rasa-varjaà raso ’py asya
paraà dåñövä nivartate
SYNONYMS
viñayäù—objects for sense enjoyment;
vinivartante—are practiced to be refrained from; nirähärasya—by
negative restrictions; dehinaù—for the embodied; rasa-varjam—giving
up the taste; rasaù—sense of enjoyment; api—although there is; asya—his;
param—far superior things; dåñövä—by experiencing;
nivartate—he ceases from.
TRANSLATION
The embodied soul may be restricted from sense
enjoyment, though the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such
engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
PURPORT
Unless one is transcendentally situated, it is
not possible to cease from sense enjoyment. The process of restriction
from sense enjoyment by rules and regulations is something like restricting
a diseased person from certain types of eatables. The patient, however,
neither likes such restrictions nor loses his taste for eatables. Similarly,
sense restriction by some spiritual process like añöäìga-yoga,
in the matter of yama, niyama, äsana, präëäyäma,
pratyähära, dhäraëä, dhyäna, etc., is recommended
for less intelligent persons who have no better knowledge. But one who
has tasted the beauty of the Supreme Lord Kåñëa, in the
course of his advancement in Kåñëa consciousness, no
longer has a taste for dead, material things. Therefore, restrictions are
there for the less intelligent neophytes in the spiritual advancement of
life, but such restrictions are only good until one actually has a taste
for Kåñëa consciousness. When one is actually Kåñëa
conscious, he automatically loses his taste for pale things.
Prabhupäda: We keep the ideal style of life.
You learn and do it. I am not encroaching upon your independence, but if
you want to be happy, you follow. This is our process. Äpani äcäré
prabhu jéveri çikñäya. You be happy, very ideally,
and people will learn. But this can be possible only on the basis of Kåñëa
consciousness. If you make minus Kåñëa consciousness
this thing, it will never be possible. Then it will not be possible. All
these scheme will be successful if there is Kåñëa consciousness.
Hari-çauri: Only if the chanting and prasädam
is there.
Prabhupäda: Prasädam, Deity worship,
devotional life... Then it will be all right.
Hari-çauri: Yes. Gandhi could never implement
his program.
Prabhupäda: Nobody can do. They simply...
Even... What is that? Marx? He could not. There is no real attraction.
Artificial, by force. Here the real attraction is Kåñëa.
So other thing he doesn’t mind: “Let there be little inconvenience. I don’t
mind.”
Hari-çauri: A devotee is actually getting
a higher taste. He’s getting some real enjoyment, so he doesn’t care for
the other things.
Prabhupäda: So unless there is enjoyment
he cannot stick. But that enjoyment is Kåñëa.
Hari-çauri: Just that chanting is enough.
It’s just so much nectar.
Prabhupäda: No, everything—Deity worship,
chanting, kértana, preaching, publishing, distributing—everything.
Rämeçvara: This requires superintelligence.
Just like, say, in Los Angeles there are two hundred devotees. It is taxing
our brains how to give proper engagement to every one of them.
Prabhupäda: Well, this engagement is: “Go
and sell books.” That engagement is already there.
Rämeçvara: Yes, but some are not qualified,
some householders...
Prabhupäda: It is not the question of quality,
of... It doesn’t matter whether he sells one book or hundred books. It
doesn’t matter. Let him be engaged, that’s all.
Rämeçvara: That’s what I’m saying.
To find the proper engagement, the best utilization of every man’s...
Prabhupäda: This is very good engagement,
very good engagement. Go door to door. I don’t mind if you no sell. But
you have gone. That’s all. I don’t mind. It is not business, that “Because
you could not sell anything, your salary will be dismissed.” No. There
is no such question.
Rämeçvara: But then they feel dissatisfied.
Then they would prefer to do something else where they can perform better.
They can accomplish something more.
Prabhupäda: No, no. No, no, no.
Hari-çauri: Our devotees tend to work on
a fruitive basis.
Prabhupäda: Hm?
Hari-çauri: If they don’t get some result
from their activity, they become discouraged.
Rämeçvara: In other words, sometimes...
Prabhupäda: Now, who said that “You don’t
bring money”? But I am not discouraging you, even if you don’t bring money.
Gargamuni: When we took sannyäsa, you told
us to go door to door.
Prabhupäda: That’s all!
Gargamuni: We brought some fruits and some change,
and Prabhupäda was very satisfied.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Gargamuni: We went door to door for two hours.
Rämeçvara: No, I mean it is practical
that if a man comes with artistic talents, then I will try to engage him
as an artist. Different talents...
Prabhupäda: No, engage him. There must be
engagement. Either as a artist or bookseller, there must be engagement.
Rämeçvara: According to different
talents.
Prabhupäda: Nobody should be allowed to keep
himself lazy. That is not good. Niyataà kuru karma tvam. That is...
Find out this verse. Oh, he has taken away?
Hari-çauri: Bhagavad-gétä.
Oh, I can get another Gétä.
Gargamuni: And they will be successful.
Prabhupäda: Yes. Why not?
Gargamuni: If they are sincere, they will be successful.
Rämeçvara: So it is little taxing...
Prabhupäda: Not taxing. I was doing alone
this. I was printing Back to Godhead and going to the press. I was writing.
I was posting.
Gargamuni: In one room you had many corners for
your different projects. (chuckles)
Rämeçvara: But if you have hundreds
and hundreds of devotees in one center, then you have to be concerned with
their spiritual life, how they are engaged, how they’re supported.
Prabhupäda: Yes. Spiritual life...
Rämeçvara: So the more people that
come, the more intelligence is required to manage.
Prabhupäda: We can accommodate more people
also. There is no difficulty.
Gargamuni: Our Mäyäpura can hold five
hundred men now.
Prabhupäda: Already?
Gargamuni: No, you said that one building...
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Gargamuni: ...we can hold five hundred men.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Gargamuni: So we are waiting for these men. If
they have so many extra men for taxing, then send them here.
Rämeçvara: No, that’s not the point
at all. That’s not at all the point.
Hari-çauri: What was that verse again,
Çréla Prabhupäda, that verse you wanted?
Prabhupäda: Yes. What subject matter? Niyatam.
niyataà kuru karma tvam
karma jyäyo hy akarmaëaù
çaréra-yäträpi ca te
na prasiddhyed akarmaëaù
Rämeçvara: I’m thinking that by selling
all these books, gradually hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of
people will want us to give them some advice. They’ll want to elect Kåñëa
conscious leaders. They’ll want us to guide the society. So it will require
great intelligence...
Prabhupäda: First of all, we have to know
where he is. Then we can give. What is his position? Then we can give him.
Just like diagnosis. You have to see what is the disease. Then we give
medicine.
Rämeçvara: One of the symptoms of
the disease is that all of the people are engaged in artificial work, and
the whole world is interdependent. It is very complex system of world trade,
world finance.
Prabhupäda: But we have nothing to do with
that.
Rämeçvara: But since the rest of the
world is going on like that, then to transform it, it’s very...
Prabhupäda: No, we say, “You are embarrassed.
You come to us. Live with us. You get your food, and whatever service you
can do, that’s all right. Come here.” That’s all. We’ll send in one of
our farms or in temple. Let him be trained up. And if he is actually serious,
then have engagement. There is no difficulty. “And if you want that ‘I
shall work in this way,’ that is not possible. You have to work in our
way.” Then there is unlimited opportunity.
Hari-çauri: You want that verse?
Prabhupäda: Niyata.
Hari-çauri:
niyataà kuru karma tvaà
karma jyäyo hy akarmaëaù
çaréra-yäträpi ca te
na prasiddhyed akarmaëaù
“Perform your prescribed duty, for action
is better than inaction. A man cannot even maintain his physical body without
work.”
Prabhupäda: Kåñëa never
said that “You sit down, lazy.” You must work. And that is intelligence,
how to engage a person in some work. That requires governing body. That
is intelligence. They should be ready to work, and your intelligence will
engage them. And there is sufficient. Why you are constructing so many
centers? There is enough work to do. Just like here. All people are coming,
and each one can be preached, each one can be convinced of the philosophy.
Gargamuni: In India there are 500,000 villages.
So we need so many men for going.
Prabhupäda: Yes. And we want that all these
village people may come daily and hear and chant Hare Kåñëa.
Gargamuni: They were in Assam, one of our traveling
parties, and they met a Gauòéya Math temple managed by Mädhava
Mahäräja. And there were three or four brahmacärés
in the village, and they had the whole village actually engaged. They saw
some of the activities. So they were engaged in making the village Kåñëa
conscious in their way. So similarly, we can do the same. Prabhupäda:
Yes.
Gargamuni: Just like Gaura-Govinda, he’s bringing
many villagers here.
Prabhupäda: Oh, yes. He’s good preacher.
Hari-çauri: Yes, he’s doing nicely.
Gargamuni: And there’s 500,000 such villages all
over India. And they’re more pious. In Sundarban, when Bhavänanda
went to the Sundarban jungle, they had tremendous reception.
Prabhupäda: Just see.
Hari-çauri: Very good reception.
Prabhupäda: Everywhere.
Gargamuni: And yet there is no roads. There’s
no lights there. Nothing is there.
Prabhupäda: India is good field. Yes. India
is good field.
Gargamuni: At least, we can use one hundred travel...
You once told me and Tamäla that we should have a hundred jeeps and
send them all over India, one hundred jeeps.
Prabhupäda: Hm. Now you are seeing that there
is possibility of preaching. And even if he cannot speak local language,
still he’ll be received.
Gargamuni: Yes. And all of our magazines, at least
in Bengal, are being... [break]
Rämeçvara: ...to organize the whole
world to cheating, then, it seems, we can be given the intelligence to
organize it for Lord Caitanya.
Prabhupäda: You can also cheat them. (chuckles)
From mäyä’s way, bring then to Kåñëa’s way.
That’s all. That is also cheating. Tell them, “Yes, you live like this.”
Gargamuni: In Assam there is excellent field.
Prabhupäda: Assam.
Gargamuni: Yes. They’re all Vaiñëava.
They worship Lord Caitanya.
Prabhupäda: Especially in Manipur.
Gargamuni: Yes. Especially in Manipur. There we
could not go, though. Our men were not allowed to... They could not get
a permit. They got as far as Shillong. They did fifteen standing orders
in a few days there. They were only there for a few days. That used to
be a British capital.
Prabhupäda: Where?
Gargamuni: Shillong.
Prabhupäda: Shillong, yes.
Gargamuni: A very beautiful city, they said. And
they sold books to at least one dozen book stores. They took Bhagavad-gétäs.
They did very well in Assam. In ten days they did twenty-six standing orders
in three cities, Gauhati, Shillong and then Siliguri in northern Bengal.
Prabhupäda: This is very much astonishing
that they do not touch religious book, but our books secure. (laughs)
Gargamuni: Yes. Yes. They have no budget to purchase
religious books. They only want technical books. But when they see our
books, they cannot say no. That has been the response.
Hari-çauri: Spiritual potency.
Prabhupäda: Technical books... (chuckles)
Now that, my nephew Govinda, he’s a watch repair.
Gargamuni: Oh, yes. He fixes our watches.
Prabhupäda: Ah, ah.
Gargamuni: We go to him.
Prabhupäda: Yes. (laughing) So he has written
one book about his experience, and it is selling like anything, because
it is technical. Yes, he gets for every edition three thousand, five thousand,
like that. That is his extra income. But because it is technical, people
purchase it.
Gargamuni: Yes. Especially in India now, that’s
all they want to read, is anything on technology, any field.
Rämeçvara: They have been brainwashed.
Prabhupäda: No, in the Western country also.
Western country, now this higher English, higher mathematics, higher philosophy
is no student admission. Nobody’s going. They’re going to close.
Hari-çauri: Yeah. Philosophy and all the
arts.
Prabhupäda: No, anything higher study, don’t
care for it.
Rämeçvara: It’s true. Technical studies
and business...
Prabhupäda: Our Hayagréva is not getting
any employment. Nobody’s interested. “Eh. What is the use of higher mathematics,
all this, these things? We have to earn money.”
Rämeçvara: Physics, computer technology,
all these things are big.
Gargamuni: And they’re prepared to spend lakhs.
Some of these technical books cost more than a hundred rupees a volume.
Prabhupäda: Yes. They’re charging.
Gargamuni: But they’ll buy them.
Prabhupäda: What is the use of philosophizing?
Even that Professor O’Connell? He came to me, that “Why don’t you give
some students?” Means he’s going to be dismissed very soon. But he has
no students.
Hari-çauri: He came and asked Prabhupäda
why don’t we send our men to the university for Ph.D’s.
Prabhupäda: I could understand his position.
Now he’s going to be dismissed.
Rämeçvara: No, it’s a fact that people
go to college in America, but they cannot get good jobs when they graduate.
If they have not taken specialized training in engineering or something...
Prabhupäda: That is technical, technology.
Rämeçvara: ...technical. But if they
have a general education, they cannot get a good job.
Gargamuni: And this is... mäyä’s kick
in India is that they read these books, they go to school, and when they
come out there’s no job.
Prabhupäda: No job.
Gargamuni: And they have to become these... They
work in the hotels, the five stars. Hotel work.
Prabhupäda: No. There was a news, “For five
hundred post there was three lakhs’ application.”
Hari-çauri: In the railways.
Prabhupäda: In the railways. There were five
hundred posts vacant, and the application was three lakhs. Every time this
is the... Many educated... Therefore they became Naxalites.
Gargamuni: Yes. These Naxalites come from the
educated classes.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Rämeçvara: What is that Naral...?
Prabhupäda: Naxalite means...
Gargamuni: Terrorists. Communists.
Prabhupäda: Regular dacoits, thieves, rogues.
“Pay me; otherwise kill you.” And if you don’t, kill you. That’s all.
Rämeçvara: That’s the trend, then,
everywhere, because unemployment is increasing.
Prabhupäda: And especially in your country
it will be dangerous because these blacks, if they don’t get employment,
they will create havoc, these blacks. And they are not civilized. They
want money, and if they don’t get money, then they will create havoc.
Gargamuni: Money and liquor.
Hari-çauri: Yes. If they do get money,
they just buy it.
Prabhupäda: Money they get. But they can
live. But there is no culture. They want liquor. So these rascals do not
know how we are making human civilization. They do not see it, that without
any fixed income we are maintaining such a huge establishment all over
the world, without any fixed income. How we are doing? We are not thieves,
we are not rogues. We are all gentlemen.
Gargamuni: In India they say the CIA is funding
you.
Prabhupäda: Yes. They may say anything, but
actually what we are?
Rämeçvara: In America they are supporting
the unemployed through federal and state welfare, which is paid for by
tax money. So the more the unemployment increases, the more the taxes...
Prabhupäda: Taxes increase.
Rämeçvara: ...have to increase. Otherwise
these people will starve.
Gargamuni: And thousands of people live off the
welfare checks.
Rämeçvara: There is big scandals in
America about cheating on the welfare roles to get free money from the
government.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Rämeçvara: That’s a big scandal in
America, very difficult to control because there are so many people involved.
Hari-çauri: I remember in England that
was a big thing too, the welfare state. So many people, they’re not working,
and they’re getting more money from the government by not working than
they would by going to work. So they...
Gargamuni: Years ago there was a scandal in the
States, and in the Midwest they found a family who was receiving a total
of thirty thousand dollars a year in welfare checks.
Prabhupäda: Just see.
Rämeçvara: This problem practically
ruined Australia’s economy. Five years ago Australia was a very wealthy
country, and then they elected a new government, socialist government,
and they began increasing all sorts of benefits, pensions, welfare benefits.
And millions of people... Not millions, but many working people stopped
working because it was easier just to get the free money. In this way...
Prabhupäda: So you should be very careful.
Because you are giving free prasädam, similarly all lazy fellow may
not come and take free prasäda. Therefore engagement must be there.
Otherwise this lazy fellow will come, sleep and take prasäda.
continues on......................
See other links to Varnashram Dharma pages
Krishna Consciousness Means:
“If you go to the spiritual planet,
Vaikuëöhaloka or Goloka Våndävana, then you haven’t
got to return. That is eternal.” Tyaktvä dehaà punar janma
naiti mäm eti [Bg. 4.9]. Mäm eti. If you go to Kåñëa,
then your complete success is...
mäm upetya punar janma
duùkhälayam açäçvatam
näpnuvanti mahätmänaù
saàsiddhià paramäà
gatäù
[Bg. 8.15]
Saàsiddhim, that is the highest
perfection, paramam. Therefore we should try, we should endeavor, for that
purpose, how to go back to home, back to Godhead.
So simply you have to train your
mind. Man-manä bhava..., this, the prescription. Mäm evaiñyasi
asaàçaya. Kåñëa says that “You, this practice,”
mäm evaiñyasi, “you will come to Me.” Asaàçaya.
Kåñëa says, “There is no doubt about it.” So why don’t
you do that? Train your mind, always Kåñëa conscious,
and the method is simple. You do not require much education or university
degree—nothing of the sort. Simply man-manä bhava mad-bhaktaù:
you just become devotee of Kåñëa and always think of
Him. Where is the difficulty? You can walk on the street and remember Kåñëa.
Is there any tax? No, the government will not ask you for any income tax,
sales tax, that “You are chanting Hare Kåñëa.” They may
do so. The time is coming. (laughter) They may say, “The Hare Kåñëa
people must be taxed three times because they are chanting and doing nothing.”
The Communist government will do that. So never mind. The tax will be sent
by Kåñëa. (laughter) You haven’t got to bother. Still,
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham [Bg. 9.22], Kåñëa
says. You believe in Kåñëa. Then every problem is solved.
We have no problem if we simply follow Kåñëa’s instruction.
Kåñëa says, teñäà satata-yuktänäà
yoga-kñemaà vahämy aham [Bg. 10.10]. Even they tax for
chanting Hare Kåñëa, then Kåñëa will
bring the money. We are getting that practically. So you know the history,
how this land was purchased. There was no money, but Kåñëa
sent money and everything was done nicely. So there is no anxiety, provided
we are purely Kåñëa conscious, without any other desire.
anyäbhiläñitä-çünyaà
jïäna-karmädy-anävåtam
änukülyena kåñëänu-
çélanaà bhaktir
uttamä
[Brs. 1.1.11]
No other desire. Simply... Desire
will not come. Kåñëa is so strong and nice. As soon as
you allow Him to sit down within your heart... He is there already. Simply
you have to see. Then the strength is already there. There is no need of
acquiring external strength for acquiring Kåñëa. The
simple thing is that you follow the instruction of Kåñëa,
man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé mäà namaskuru
[Bg. 18.65].
So this is very natural. This temple worship is meant for that purpose. Actually, when we see the Deity, immediately our mind become Kåñëa conscious. At least, we think of Kåñëa: “Here is Kåñëa.” So that is man-manäù. Chanting also, chanting, that is kåñëa-manäù, man-manäù. In this way you become bhakta. Regularly chanting, you become bhakta. Without becoming bhakta, nobody can chant. So man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé. And worship Deity. He has come very kindly to accept your service. You just dress Him, just bathe Him, just decorate Him with ornaments, with garland, with nice thing. So He is ready. Just like a child is ready to accept the service of the mother. The mother dresses the child nicely, and the child accepts. So Kåñëa is so kind that... You cannot capture Kåñëa in His viräò-mürti. You can capture Kåñëa in your capacity. So Kåñëa has agreed. So take this chance. Man-manä bhava mad-bhakto mad-yäjé. Worship Him. Why you are denying? It is not difficult, not expensive at all. And in this way, if you follow the process, then your bhäva, your nature, will be changed. You will become a complete devotee.
So at the time of death, if you can
maintain this bhäva, Kåñëa conscious bhäva...
The bhäva is the perfection. Bhäva is attained after much practice
of devotional service. Ädau çraddhä tataù sädhu-saìgo
’tha bhajana-kriyä tato ’nartha-nivåttiù syät tato
niñöhä rucis tataù, athäsaktis tato bhävaù
[Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Äsakti, when there is äsakti, attraction,
attraction... Now, recently I have received one letter. One boy, he was
engaged in worshiping the Deity in our Hyderabad center, and he was transferred
to Madras. So he became madlike. He has come back. He could not stay there
without serving. He has written me letter. So that is bhäva. He cannot
stay without worshiping the Deity. That stage comes. You have to simply
adopt it. Tato bhävaù. Tato ’nartha-nivåttiù syät.
Anartha. Anartha means we are accustomed to this material condition of
life, so many anarthas. Just like there are so many people, they are going
to the cinema in the evening. But those who have attained bhäva, his
anartha nivåtti is already done. He is not attracted any more by
the cinema. He is attracted, bhäva, in the worship of the Deity. That
is called bhäva. That bhäva means prema. Only thinking of Kåñëa,
serving Kåñëa, simply busy in Kåñëa’s
service—that is the perfection of life. And if we can maintain that bhäva,
that situation, mentality, then yaà yaà väpi smaran
loke tyajaty ante kalevaram, and at the time of death, if that bhäva
is maintained, that is saàsiddhià paramäà gatäù.
That is the highest perfection of life. This is Kåñëa
consciousness practice, Kåñëa consciousness. We are trying
to... We are not trying to give others. We are trying ourself also, how
to get that bhäva. That is the perfection of life.
So human life is meant for that
purpose, not to practice how to imitate barking like the dog, no. That
is not human life. Human life is meant for acquiring this bhäva. Budhä
bhäva-samanvitäù. In another place in the Bhagavad-gétä
it is said, budhäù...
ahaà sarvasya prabhavo
mattaù sarvaà pravartate
iti matvä bhajante mäà
budhä bhäva-samanvitäù
[Bg. 10.8]
Bhäva-samanvitäù.
Budhäù. Those who are actually learned, actually advanced,
such persons—budhä bhäva-samanvitäù, bhajante mäm.
That is perfection of life. So take this opportunity, human life. Don’t
miss. You may be very proud of your intelligence, but this intelligence
is not very good intelligence if you are devoid of Kåñëa
consciousness. Then you are a müòha. If, by your intelligence,
you learn how to surrender to Kåñëa and worship Him with
bhäva, that is real intelligence. Bahünäà janmanäm
ante jïänavän mäà prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. And
if you try to become intelligent, some tricks, material trick, to get some
money or cheat others, that is not very good intelligence. These cats and
dogs that... They have also such intelligence. How to steal food from the
room, the cat knows very well. So that is not intelligence. That intelligence
can be found, even birds, beasts, everywhere. Real intelligence is how
to regain your Kåñëa consciousness and be promoted to
the stage of bhäva, and at the time of death maintain that bhäva,
and then your life is successful. Tyaktvä dehaà punar janma
naiti [Bg. 4.9].
Thank you very much. (end)
(ACBSP. 11th January 1975. Srimad Bhagavatam 3:26:34., lecture. Bombay, India.)
