Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.68

Prabhupāda: So? Recite. Who is going to recite? Hmm?

Brahmānanda: The prayers have already been said.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Brahmānanda: The ācamana has already been done. So if you give lecture, then after lecture [indistinct] the Deities.

Prabhupāda: So? Somebody will recite the verse?

Brahmānanda: [aside:] You're going to recite the verse? Nitāi will do it.

Nitāi: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] Sixth Canto, First Chapter, verse number sixty-eight. [leads chanting of verse, etc.]

tata enaṁ daṅḍa-pāṅeḥ sakāśaṁ kṛta-kilbiṣaṁ neṣyāmo 'kṛta-nirveśaṁ yatra daṅḍena śuddhyati [SB 6.1.68]

[break] [01:50]

Prabhupāda:

tata enaṁ daṅḍa-pāṅeḥ sakāśaṁ kṛta-kilbiṣaṁ neṣyāmo 'kṛta-nirveśaṁ yatra daṅḍena śuddhyati [SB 6.1.68]

So without obeying the instruction of the śāstra, he has fallen down. Although he was born in the brāhmaṅa family and educated nicely, but on account of bad association he fell down from the standard of human ideal life. Therefore he is punishable. Not only he; every one of us. The human form of life is specially meant for going back to home, back to Godhead. The animal life... By progressive evolution they come to the human form of life, and when one is..., the living entity is on the platform of human form of life, he has got his responsibility.

Therefore śāstra says,

nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām ye tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam [SB 5.5.1]

[Lord Ṛṣabhadeva told His sons: My dear boys, of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one's heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.]

This is the responsibility of human life. This human life is not meant for working day and night like the dogs and hogs for sense gratification. At the present moment it is going on all over the world: simply for sense gratification they are working so hard. From hundred miles they are going to the working place, hanging on the Delhi passenger train. Sometimes there is accident. These things are going on, very hard labor like the asses. So this is also another punishment. The more punishment is awaiting, yama-daṅḍa, at the court of Yamarāja. Not only they are suffering here, but they will be taken to the Yamarāja. And there, according to his work, abominable work, he will be punished. Therefore the Yamadūtas said, tata enaṁ daṅḍa-pāṅeḥ sakāśaṁ kṛta-kilbiṣaṁ neṣyāmaḥ. "Now it is our duty." Just like police force, they are engaged to arrest the criminals and take him to the court or to the police officer for necessary action, so these Yamadūtas, they have given sufficient reason that "This man has committed sinful life; therefore he is punishable."

So the fact is, this is nature's law. Nature's law is that if the human being does not follow the injunction of the śāstra and he acts whimsically, independently, then he becomes punishable, exactly in the state laws, if you violate the laws... You are not independent. If you violate the laws, you'll be punished. Similarly, dharma means the laws of God. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṅītam [SB 6.3.19].

[Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great ṛṣis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyādharas and Cāraṅas.]

So if you violate the laws of God, the principles of dharma, then you will be punished. What is that principle of dharma? This Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]. We have manufactured so many different types of religious faith, but they are man-manufactured. They are not laws. And now it is being supported by many so-called swāmīs that "You can manufacture your own religion. It doesn't matter. Whatever nonsense type of religion you follow, you get the same result." This is going on. But that is not the fact. Dharma is that only one. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja. To surrender unto Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is real dharma. And what of others? They are cheating. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2].

[Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṅa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.]

Kaitava means cheating. Cheating type of religion is rejected. So we cannot violate the laws of God, or dharma. Then we'll be punished. The punishment is there, awaiting, by the laws of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg 7.14].

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

The laws of nature is to punish you. So long you are not Kṛṣṅa conscious, the laws of nature will go on punishing you—three kinds of miserable conditions: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika. This is the law. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ karmāṅi sarvaśaḥ [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

You are thinking independent, but that is not the fact. We are dependent, completely dependent on the laws of nature. And laws of nature means laws of God. What is prakṛti? Prakṛti is acting under the direction of Kṛṣṅa. Just like a police constable is working under the direction of magistrate or superior officer, similarly, prakṛti is giving us various types of miserable condition of life directed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mayādhyakṣeṅa prakṛtiḥ suyate sa-carācaram [Bg 9.10].

[This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and unmoving beings. By its rule this manifestation is created and annihilated again and again.]

Kṛṣṅa says, "Under My superintendence the laws of nature is working." And what is the laws of nature? That in the human form of life, if you do not endeavor to understand what is God, what you are, what is your relationship with God, what is your duty—these things, if you do not learn, then you are punishable immediately.

kṛṣṅa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare pasate māyāra tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare [Prema-vivarta]

[When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called māyā, or illusion.]

As soon as you forget Kṛṣṅa and you want to act independently, then immediately you are captured by māyā and you are punished.

So when you come to this senses, that "I am punished by māyā on account of my forgetting Kṛṣṅa consciousness; therefore my duty is to come back again to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and be saved from the punishment of the material nature," that is human duty. You cannot say that "I don't want Kṛṣṅa consciousness." If you don't want, then you must suffer. If you want to save yourself from suffering, then you must take to Kṛṣṅa. It is a question of "must." It is not your option. Your option is there. Because you are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa, you have got little independence. But if you misuse that independence, then you are punishable. You cannot. Just like everyone has got little independence to violate the laws of the state. You can do that, but that is punishable. So if we take the risk of being punished, then we can violate the laws of nature, or laws of God.

So laws of God is very simple thing. It is not very difficult. God personally says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65]:

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

"Just always think of Me." So it is not at all difficult. Kṛṣṅa is here. You see the Deity of Kṛṣṅa, have impression in your heart how Kṛṣṅa and Balarāma is standing, how Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa is standing, how Gaura-Nitai is standing. So you can think always. Man-manā. Or you can think of Him by chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa. Where is the difficulty, man-manā? You become devotee, come here in the temple, offer your respect. So to become Kṛṣṅa conscious is not at all difficult. But people will not take to it; therefore they must suffer. This is the law.

So here the same thing is stated, tata enaṁ daṅḍa-pāṅeḥ sakāśaṁ kṛta-kilbiṣam: "He has acted sinfully; therefore he is punishable, and he must be taken to the Yamarāja." Neṣyāmo akṛta-nirveśam. Nirveśam means... Suppose I have committed some sins. I must be arrested. Sometimes a great criminal voluntarily goes to the police and surrenders, because he knows, "I will be arrested, and if I surrender immediately, my punishment may be lesser." So you cannot escape the punishment. So punishment... Suppose you have stolen something. You must be punished for six months' imprisonment. That is the law. If you have killed somebody, then you must be killed. You must be hanged. This is the law. So that is called nirviśeṣam, to counteract. If I have stolen some property, then I must suffer imprisonment. This is counteracting, prāyaścitta. If you have infected some disease, then you must suffer for some time from that disease. So akṛta-nirveśam: "So he has not neutralized his sinful activities." Yatra daṅḍena śuddhyati: "Because he has not nullified his sinful activities by atonement or other measures, then he must be punished. Then he will be purified."

So punishment is also purification. Purification. Same law: if you infect some disease, then you must get that disease and you must suffer from that disease. That is your punishment. Therefore you should be very much careful not to infect any disease. Similarly, don't infect the material qualities, rajo-guṅa and tamo-guṅa. Remain in sattva-guṅa and try to elevate yourself from sattva-guṅa to transcendental stage, brahma-bhūtaḥ. Then life is successful. Otherwise, we shall be repeatedly punished so long we have got this tendency to enjoy material happiness, and get another body, one after another. We shall be punishable by the... Ya mache piche. There is a Bengali poetry. It is said, kṛṣṅa nāma koro bhāi... [break] [end]