Founder’s Lecture

London—July 19, 1973

Worthwhile Endeavor

We've already determined our happiness and distress in this life by our actions in previous lives and should now pursue only spiritual goals.

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

yotsyamanan avekse 'ham ya ete 'tra samagatah dhartarastrasya durbuddher yuddhe priya-cikirsavah

"Let me see those who have come here to fight, wishing to please the evil-minded son of Dhrtarastra."

—Bhagavad-gita 1.23

TO USURP others' property is to be durbuddhi, mischievous. Why should one encroach upon others' property? That is not good. Tena tyaktena bhunjitha ma grdhah kasya svid dhanam [Isopanisad, Mantra 1]. This is the Vedic instruction: "Accept only what is given to you. Don't encroach upon others' property." That is the key to peace.

Everything belongs to Krsna. So whatever Krsna gives you as prasadam, as His favor, accept it and be satisfied. This is the basic principle of peace in the world. But because people are not educated in that way, everyone wants more and more and more and more. There is no satisfaction. That is durbuddhi.

The Vedic culture says, "Be satisfied with your position." There is no question of starving in any position of life. People are pursuing economic development, but according to sastra, scripture, it is not possible to develop your economic position simply by endeavor. You are destined to have a mixture of happiness and distress. That is the nature of things.

There are four principles of human activity. The first is dharma. Dharma means to abide by the orders of the Supreme. But people do not know who the Supreme is and what His order is, so what kind of religion are they following? They accept dharma as a superfluous faith only. But that is not dharma, religion. Dharma means to abide by the orders of the Supreme. That is the meaning of dharma: obedience to God. People have no conception of God, and what to speak of obedience. But this is the simple meaning of religion: obedience to God. That's all, three words.

God is the supreme proprietor and maintainer. Therefore we are maintained, we are predominated, we are the servants, and we should remain obedient to God. That is religion. Where is the difficulty? Unfortunately, people do not know what God is, what His command is, what religion is. They manufacture ideas. And because they do not know the simple process, they are called durbuddhi, not very intelligent, or rascals.

In the Bhagavad-gita Krsna plainly calls such persons mudhas. Mudha means ass, rascal. One who does not know his own interest is called mudha, ass. In India the ass carries tons of cloth on his back all day. Not a piece of the cloth belongs to him. And he is working so hard only for a morsel of grass, which is available everywhere. But he is thinking, "This gentleman, the washerman, is giving me food." Food is available anywhere and everywhere, but he is thinking like that and working so hard.

Karmis, nondevotees, are like that. A man will eat two chapatis or four chapatis, but he is working day and night. If you want to see him, he will say, "Oh, I have no time." He never thinks, "I am interested in eating four chapatis, which are very easily available. So why I am working so hard?" That sense does not come to him. He is working, working, working. "More money, more money, more money, more money, more money."

Srimad-Bhagavatam says, "No, that is not your business. The four chapatis are already destined to you; you will get them in any circumstances. Don't waste your time under some false impression of economic development. You cannot get more; you cannot get less. Your quota is already there. So use your time to understand Krsna. That is your business."

Our Real Business

But people will not accept this. "Oh, this is a waste of time. Attending the class on Bhagavad-gita is a waste of time. During that time I could earn hundreds of dollars." That is their business. That is called durbuddhi, not very intelligent. All mudhas, asses.

The real intelligent person is he who is satisfied with what Krsna has given him: "If Krsna wants, He will give me more. Let me become Krsna conscious. Let me study about Krsna. Let me chant about Krsna. Let me hear about Krsna. Let me see the deity of Krsna. Let me engage my hands in worshiping Krsna and cleansing the temple. Let my legs be engaged in going to the temple." In this way all our senses should be engaged in the service of Krsna. That is our real business.

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa

"Persons who are actually intelligent and philosophically inclined should endeavor only for that purposeful end which is not obtainable even by wandering from the topmost planet [Brahmaloka] down to the lowest planet [Patala]. As far as happiness derived from sense enjoyment is concerned, it can be obtained automatically in course of time, just as in course of time we obtain miseries even though we do not desire them." [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.18] Tasyaiva hetoh: "For that purpose only." Which purpose? That purpose which we could not achieve after wandering up and down the universe. The living entity is wandering by transmigration from one body to another up and down the universe. Sometimes, by pious activities, we become a deva, such as Brahma, Indra, or Candra. And by impious activities, we can go down to become a worm in stool. This is going on.

Who goes to the upper planetary systems? Qualified brahmanas who strictly follow religious principles. Lord Krsna says,

samo damas tapah saucam ksantir arjavam eva ca jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam

"Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom, and religiousness—these are the natural qualities by which the brahmanas work." [Bhagavad-gita 18.42] Vijnanam means practical application of knowledge in life. Knowledge alone is useless. You must practically apply the knowledge in your life. Science students are tested in theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. "So much hydrogen and oxygen makes water." That is theoretical. But when you mix hydrogen and oxygen gas and actually prepare water, that is practical. Science means that theoretical knowledge is not sufficient. Science means observation and experiment, or experimental knowledge. That is called vijnanam.

By practical knowledge you should be well acquainted with God. That is the brahmana's business. Krsna says urdhvam gacchanti sattva-sthah: those who strictly follow the brahminical principles will be situated in the upper planetary system. [Bg 14.18] But a Vaisnava is above such persons. Yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam. [Bg 9.25] Those who follow these principles with an aim for higher planetary systems can be elevated. Similarly, those who try to go back home, back to Krsna, can go there.

Know Krsna "in Truth"

The purpose of our Krsna consciousness movement is to help people to go back home, back to Krsna. That is not very difficult. Krsna says,

janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so 'rjuna

"One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities, does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna." [Bg 4.9] Try to understand Krsna in truth, not vaguely. Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You think of God, so why don't you accept Krsna? He says that He is God, and the sastras, the acaryas, Vyasadeva, Narada, your guru—all say that He is God. Why not accept? Why search after some other God? Here is God. His name, address, activities—everything is there in the authorized statements of the Vedas.

Is there any difficulty in understanding Krsna? But a rascal will not accept Him. "Why should I accept Krsna? I have manufactured my own God." That is his misfortune, durbhaga. Or durbuddhi: he is a miscreant rascal. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita (7.15):

na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam asritah

"Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me." These are the persons who do not surrender to Krsna: miscreants, the mischievous, the sinful, rascals, asses, the lowest of mankind. They are all durbuddhi.

Human life is an opportunity to understand Krsna. Hari hari biphale janama gonainu, manusya-janama paiya, radha-krsna na bhajiya, janiya suniya bisa khainu. This is a song by Narottama Dasa Thakura. "O Lord Hari, I have spent my life uselessly. Having obtained a human birth and having not worshiped Radha and Krsna, I have knowingly drunk poison." Anyone who is not trying to understand Krsna—what to speak of worshiping Him, giving Him service—is wasting his life. Krsna says that simply by trying to know Him one becomes liberated. Even if one doesn't know Him perfectly but is simply trying to know Him, that very activity will make him liberated.

It is not possible to understand Krsna. He is so great, unlimited. How we can understand Krsna? Krsna cannot understand Himself. Or Ananta, His direct servant, cannot understand Him. That is a fact. We cannot understand Krsna. But still, if we accept whatever Krsna says about Himself in the Bhagavad-gita, then we immediately become fit to go back to Godhead, back home. Janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah [Bg 4.9]. Tattvatah means "in truth."

Levels of Perfection

Even siddhas, those who are perfect, cannot understand Krsna.

manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti tattvatah

"Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who achieve perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth." [Bg 7.3]

"Perfect" here means not spiritually perfect but materially perfect or partially spiritually perfect. Brahma-jnanis, those who have realized the impersonal Brahman, are partially perfect. Paramatma-jnanis, yogis who have realized the Super-soul, are also partially perfect. Only devotees are completely perfect. Brahma-jnanis are partially perfect because they can understand the eternity portion of the Supreme Lord. That knowledge is called brahma-jnana. And paramatma-jnana is knowledge of—or personally seeing—God as the four-handed Visnu. That is also imperfect knowledge.

When one comes to know Bhagavan, the Personality of Godhead, that is perfect knowledge. Because when one comes to the understanding of personal God, there is ananda, bliss. In other features there is no ananda. There is eternity, there is knowledge, but there is no ananda.

The Vedanta-sutra (1.1.12) says, anandamayo 'bhyasat: We are by nature ananda, bliss. Therefore we search after ananda, but we do not know where to get it. We try to get bliss in the material world by eating meat, drinking wine, sex. But that is not ananda. Ananda is satyananda, real bliss. Material pleasures are flickering, lasting for a few minutes or a few hours. That is not ananda. Ananda means satyananda, real ananda. What is that real ananda? Brahma-sukha. That ananda is in exchange with the Supreme Brahman. It is unlimited ananda.

In the Sata-nama-stotra of Lord Rama it is said, ramante yoginah anante: "Yogis enjoy unlimited-pleasure." Krsna is unlimited. When you join with Krsna in His rasa dance as a gopi, or play with Him as a cowherd boy, or become like His father Nanda or mother Yasoda, or become His servant, or become water like the Yamuna, or the land of Vrndavana, or trees or fruits or flowers or cows or calves in Vrndavana—then you get real ananda. The Bhagavatam describes how Krsna's associates enjoy life. Sukadeva Gosvami said, "These boys who are playing with Krsna, oh, they are not ordinary boys." Krta-punya-punjah: "They have amassed the effects of pious activities for millions and trillions of births. Now they have come to play with Krsna."

The Perfect Opportunity

That opportunity is there in bhakti-yoga. Krsna is anxious to take you back. Why are you wasting time? Why are you preoccupied with economic development? What economic development can you do? You cannot get more than what is destined to you. That is not possible. If it were possible, everyone would be prominent, educated, beautiful. But opulence comes from pious activities. Birth in a very high family, wealth, education, beauty—these are the effects of pious activities. And the effects of impious activities are the opposite.

In either case the effects are material and destined. You cannot change what you have gotten by pious or impious activities. That is not possible. But you can change your position by Krsna consciousness. Other things you cannot change. If you are white, you cannot become black, or if you are black, you cannot become white. That is not possible. But you can become a first-class Krsna conscious person. Whether you are black or white, it doesn't matter. That is Krsna consciousness.

Therefore our endeavor should be to become Krsna conscious. Other things we cannot change. That is not possible. Whatever you are destined to get you will get. Don't bother with so-called economic development. As for food, Krsna is supplying even to cats and dogs and ants. Why not you? There is no need of bothering Krsna: "God, give us our daily bread." He will give you. Don't bother.

Try to become a very faithful servant of God. "Oh, God has given me so many things. So let me give my energy to serve Krsna." That is required. That is Krsna consciousness. "I have taken so much, life after life, from Krsna. Now let me dedicate this life to Krsna. I will not let this life pass uselessly like cats and dogs. Let me use it for Krsna consciousness."

Thank you very much.