Bhagavad-gītā 7.1

Prabhupāda:

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṅu [Bg 7.1]

[Now hear, O son of Pṛthā [Arjuna], how by practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me, with mind attached to Me, you can know Me in full, free from doubt.]

[translated throughout into Oriya] Last night some gentleman questioned, "What is God?" Bhagavān, especially in our country, Bhārata-varṣa, Bhagavān personally comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham [Bg 4.7].

[Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.]

So Bhārata-varṣa is not an ordinary country. It is puṅya-bhūmi, where Bhagavān comes. So in this land at the present moment our young men are inquiring what is God. Here Bhagavān comes personally, He leaves His instruction, He's accepted by the ācāryas, and our young men have become so much advanced in education that they're asking what is God. So we should understand what is the situation at the present moment.

So why this has happened? It has happened because we are making progress towards animal civilization. Because in the śāstra it is said,

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṅape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13]

[One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.]

Anyone who has got this bodily conception of life, and in relation to the body the family, country, society, we are thinking they are our kinsmen... And bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, the land on which the body is produced, we are taking that land as worshipable. And when we go to the holy places... Just like people come Jagannātha Purī. They take bath in the sea water, salile, [indistinct] te sa buddhe salile, but do not associate with experienced men who are advanced in spiritual consciousness—such person is nothing but cow or ass or animal. Therefore the question has been raised, "What is God?" We shall be careful, at least in India, that we may not glide down more and more to the animal platform of life.

[aside:] Why they are being driven away? Let them sit down. Ask them to sit down. That's all. Let them sit down. They'll simply hear. That will also benefit. So anyway... Let them sit down. Even they cannot understand, if they hear the voice they will be benefited.

Therefore, because in this material world people are inclined to stand on the animal platform of life, that is dharmasya glāniḥ. So Kṛṣṅa said, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati [Bg 4.7]. This is dharmasya glāniḥ. Means when human society forgets God, or Kṛṣṅa, or Bhagavān, and simply lives like ordinary animal, cats and dogs, for eating, sleeping, sex life and defense, such society is animal society. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca etat paśubhir narāṅām [Hitopadeśa 25].

[Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.]

This business—eating, sleeping, sex life and defense—this is common to the animal and to the human being. A cat, a dog also eat, and we are also eating. They are eating in their standard and we are eating in our standard. Sometimes we are eating less than their standard. So eating, the satisfaction of eating, anything you eat, the pleasure is the same. A hog is eating stool. He's enjoying the pleasure of eating. And a human being eating very nice palatable food up, he's also enjoying the same pleasure. There is no difference. Similarly, sleeping also; similarly sex life. A dog is enjoying sex life on the street, and the king is enjoying sex life in the palace. But the pleasure is the same. Similarly defense. If you attack one animal, he knows how to defend himself. He has got also nails and jaws. And he..., a tiger or a dog or a cat, if you attack he knows how to defend himself. We may defend with atomic weapon, but the business is the same: āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhiḥ.

The particular business of human being is stated in the Vedānta-sūtra: athāto brahma jijñāsā. So these four principles of life, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam, there is no difference. Only difference is a human being can inquire about what is God, or what is Brahman, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is the only business of human life. So a cat, a dog cannot inquire about Brahman, but the gentleman inquire about what is God. Because he is human being he could inquire like that. So there is no cause of disappointment. At least our young men in India, at least still inquiring. That is the culture, "What is God?"

So this is the beginning of human life, when one inquires about Brahman. So to inquire about Brahman and to understand Brahman by proper inquiry and by proper answer from the proper source, the cultivation of this knowledge is the business of human being. Therefore a class of men in the society known as brāhmaṅa—brahma jānātīti brāhmaṅaḥ—there is need, there is necessary. The Vedic injunction is tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

In order to understand tad-vijñāna, brahma-vijñāna, one must approach the proper guru, or spiritual master. Unfortunately we have rejected at the present moment the persons who are actually brāhmaṅa. On the other hand, in the name of brāhmaṅa, some persons claiming as brāhmaṅa, they are ruling over the society. But that is not the way. The brāhmaṅa or kṣatriya or vaiśya, śūdra, they are ascertained by the symptom. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said, cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg 4.13]:

[According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.]

"I have created these four divisions of society, brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra." So that should be divided according to the qualification and work. Just like if you are qualified as a medical man and if you are practicing as a medical man, then you are medical man. Simply by posing yourself that "I am the son of a medical man; therefore I am medical man," this is useless. In the śāstras, a person born of a brāhmaṅa family or a person born of a kṣatriya family but his qualities are not brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, he is called brahma-bandhu, kṣatri-bandhu, not brāhmaṅa.

So in the Bhāgavata it is stated, strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā [SB 1.4.25].

[Out of compassion, the great sage thought it wise that this would enable men to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Thus he compiled the great historical narration called the Mahābhārata for women, laborers and friends of the twice-born.]

Strī, woman, and śūdra and dvija-bandhu. Dvija means brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. Especially brāhmaṅa. So dvija-bandhu, who is not qualified as a brāhmaṅa but born in the brāhmaṅa family, they are called dvija-bandhu. So śāstra says strī-śūdra-dvijabandhūnāṁ trayī na śruti-gocarā. Woman, śūdra and brahma-bandhu or dvija-bandhu, they cannot understand Vedic knowledge. Unfortunately, we are creating, trying to create, real brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya... And śūdra means everyone. One who cannot become a brāhmaṅa or a kṣatriya or vaiśya, simply they are satisfied by serving a suitable master, vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam. Paricaryātmakaṁ kāryaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam [Bg 18.44].

[Farming, cow protection and business are the qualities of work for the vaiśyas, and for the śūdras there is labor and service to others.]

A person who is satisfied only getting some salary from a suitable master, that is śūdra. So in this age it is said, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. It is very difficult to find out a qualified brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya. We may find out some śūdras and some vaiśyas. Therefore, if you want to raise the standard of human society, you must create a class of brāhmaṅa, a class of kṣatriya. Vaiśya and śūdras maybe there are, but it is necessary that a class of brāhmaṅa, a class of kṣatriya must be there.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is trying to reestablish daiva-varṅāśrama, where brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, everyone. Systematic. We are therefore proposing to start a college, varṅāśrama college. It is proposed... We are trying so many things, but this is also one of the program, that the people of the world, they should be educated according to the quality and work: brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. In the Viṣṅu Purāṅa it is said when Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired from Rāmānanda Rāya... Rāmānanda Rāya belonged to your province. So when there was talk between Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya, the first topic was "Where is the beginning of human society?" Rāmānanda Rāya replied, quoting from Viṣṅu Purāṅa [389],

varṅāśramācāravatā puruṣeṅa paraḥ pumān viṣṅur ārādhyate puṁsāṁ nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṅam [Cc Madhya 8.58]

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṅu, is worshiped by the proper execution of prescribed duties in the system of varṅa and āśrama. There is no other way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One must be situated in the institution of the four varṅas and āśramas.’]

The human society is meant for not only inquiring Brahman but to worship Brahman, Para-brahman. That is human society.

So there is necessity of the four classes. At the present moment they are trying to create classless society. That is chaotic society. That is not real society. That is not Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization means when there is classified society begins: brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. And without this classification, the whole society will remain in chaotic condition. Just like the comparison is given, mukha-bāhūru pādebhyaḥ [SB 11.5.2]. Just like in our body there is mouth, there is ūru, there is leg, there is bāhu. These divisions are required. Mukha means brāhmaṅa, bāhu means kṣatriya, and ūru means the vaiśya, and pāda means śūdra. The body can be maintained when four things are properly maintained. So these things are required, and they should be classified by varṅā..., I mean to say, quality and work. In this way we have to organize society. Then there will be no scarcity of real human being. Otherwise they will remain as animal.

So a systematic society means varṅāśrama-dharma. But there is another way. That is another way, that is called transcendental society, or Vaiṣṅava society. As it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata,

kecit kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṅāḥ aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ [SB 6.1.15]

Simply by becoming devotees of Vāsudeva, vāsudeva-parāyaṅa, everything can be adjusted. When Rāmānanda Rāya answered Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the systematic society of human being, Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejected. He said eho bāhya āge kaha āra [Cc Madhya 8.59]. So Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya replied, quoting from other verses from śāstra, karma-tyāga, sannyāsa. In this way, step by step. But when he said that sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ... [SB 10.14.3].

[Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.]

When Rāmānanda Rāya said that "It doesn't require of any change. Simply if people giving up his own endeavor to understand what is God, what is life—simply if he remains humbly and hears from the real authority—then by hearing only he can conquer Ajita." Ajita is Bhagavān.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is giving chance to everyone to hear from the authoritative sources, from the śāstra. Sādhu śāstra guru. These are authorities. So instead of hearing from the unauthorized persons, means... Sādhu means who speaks on the basis of śāstra. Guru means who speaks on the basis of śāstra. They're sādhu guru śāstra. And śāstra means the statement of authorities. That is śāstra. Just like Bhagavad-gītā: it is śāstra because it is spoken by the supreme guru, Kṛṣṅa. So who is guru? At the present moment so many unauthorized persons are presenting themselves as guru. But you should be very careful. Guru, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa [Cc Madhya 7.128].

[Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.]

He says that "I order you that you become guru. So.., and your business is to deliver this country." "This country" means wherever you are living, you can become guru and deliver them. And one may say that "You are asking me to become guru, but I have no qualification." A sincere man will say like that: "How can I become guru, and how can I deliver this country?" Caitanya Mahāprabhu says it is not difficult: yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṅa-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. Kṛṣṅa-upadeśa, there are two kṛṣṅa-upadeśa. One kṛṣṅa-upadeśa is what Kṛṣṅa is speaking personally, Bhagavad-gītā; and the other kṛṣṅa-upadeśa, what Vyāsadeva is speaking about Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa sa upadeśa or kṛṣṅena upadeśa. Kṛṣṅena upadeśa—Bhagavad-gītā. And instruction about Kṛṣṅa is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So my request is that you people of Orissa, you are ordinarily Vaiṣṅava, so take this seriously. Don't be misguided by rascals who is not guru. There is no difficulty. Suppose, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṅa-upadeśa [Cc Madhya 7.128]: you become guru. Whomever you meet, you simply speak what Kṛṣṅa has spoken. That's all. It is already there. You have to repeat only, and you become guru. Our request is that you all respectable gentlemen, you develop this center of ISKCON. We have published so many important books. They are being appreciated all over the world by scholars, by universities. You also study them, learn Kṛṣṅa science, Kṛṣṅa consciousness, and preach in your country. That is my request. Our books, mostly they are published in English, and we are getting them translated in other languages of the world, especially in Europe, French language, German language, in Japanese language, Chinese language. So those who are very upright, they may come, translate these books into Oriya, and we shall publish them for mass distribution.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! [break]

Goura-Govinda: [to audience] You can speak English or you can [Oriya].

Indian: [Hindi]

Prabhupāda: So, you do not know what is the meaning of Kṛṣṅa? You do not know?

Indian: [Hindi]

Prabhupāda: So you can analyze. Karṣaṅa you cannot understand the meaning?

Indian: [Hindi]

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṅa means all-attractive. Kṛṣ-karṣati.

Indian: Which attracts.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṅa means attractive, all-attractive.

Indian: [Hindi]

Prabhupāda: And besides that, you do not know Kṛṣṅa? That is the difficulty, that our people have become so degraded that they are asking "What is God? What is Kṛṣṅa?"—although Kṛṣṅa, God, is appeared here and left instructions. This is our position. There is a Bengali word, ṣaṭ-khaṅḍa rāmāyaṅa porey sītā kar baba.[?] He has studied Seventh Canto of Rāmāyaṅa; now he's asking who's father is Sītā. So this is the position. We are born in the country where Kṛṣṅa spoke everything, and now we are asking, "What is the meaning of Kṛṣṅa? What is God?" This is the position. Very degraded position. [Hindi] Tad viddhi praṅipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg 4.34].

[Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.]

Indian (2): If Kṛṣṅa, he is a God, or God is behind this manifestation. I am in delusion. This phenomenon, this...

Prabhupāda: Yes. God is behind this manifestation. But one should be intelligent enough to understand who is the person or what is that which is behind this manifestation. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is answered. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. Behind this everything there is a person, or there is a thing, which is the source of everything. So Kṛṣṅa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, nābhijānāti loko mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam [Bg 7.13]:

[I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My eternal creative potency [yoga-māyā]; and so the deluded world knows Me not, who am unborn and infallible.]

"These foolish rascals, they do not know that behind this manifestation, I am there."

Indian (2): Then you have to know these names and forms?

Prabhupāda: Why you know? Forms?

Indian (2): The forms, and this [Hindi] illusion. I think there is some spiritual behind these names and forms.

Prabhupāda: Illusion. Illusion means it is temporary. Just like you dream something. That is called illusion. But dream is actually not illusion. Because although in dream you see some tiger, he's attacking—that is illusion. And you are crying, "Save me! Save me! Here is a tiger!" But one who is awakened, he will say, "Why you are crying 'There is a tiger'? Where is tiger?" This is illusion. But when you are dreaming that there is a tiger, you are crying, that is not illusion; it is acting. Similarly, this material manifestation, it is not illusion, but for the time being it is illusion. We are attracted with this material world—society, friendship and love—but in a second we can be slapped by the material nature and get out of this illusion, just like dream. So in this sense it is illusion, but so long it is there, it is fact also.

So chant Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]