Guide to Self Realization - The Acharya Part 4
Subtitles
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“Who is Srila Prabhupada?” people often ask.
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At various times, he was known as a scholar, a philosopher, a cultural ambassador,
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a prolific author, a religious leader, a spiritual teacher, a social critic, and a holy man.
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He was not one of those modern entrepreneurial gurus who come to the west
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with slickly packaged, watered down versions of eastern spirituality,
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promising instant well being to anyone who could spare fifty dollars.
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Srila Prabhupada was rather a true holy man, one who could be called an acharya,
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which means a spiritual master who teaches by example.
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After arriving in the United States in 1965 at the age of sixty-nine,
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Srila Prabhupada formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness,
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which developed into a world-wide spiritual community with hundreds of ashrams, schools, temples,
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and farms, and with thousands of dedicated disciples who made Hare Krishna a household word.
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To have achieved all this in only twelve years was remarkable.
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But before he passed away from this world in 1977, Srila Prabhupada had also written and published
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over eighty volumes of translation and commentary on the great spiritual classics of ancient India.
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His books were welcomed with great critical acclaim by the western academic community
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and by scholars from India as well.
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They became standard texts in almost every university and library around the world.
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Srila Prabhupada had also succeeded in transmitting the profound wisdom of the ancient Vedic culture
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in a form and style that was clearly understandable to the average modern man.
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He could somehow explain even the most difficult philosophical concepts to people
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who were totally unfamiliar with the complex Indian religious tradition.
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Srila Prabhupada circled the globe eleven times between 1966 and 1977,
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and everywhere he went, he taught the same basic truths, the fundamental principles of religion
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that constitute the cornerstone of spiritual understanding for everyone,
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no matter what their nationality or religion.
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Srila Prabhupada was more than anything a teacher a professor of the science of self-realization,
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and he was the best kind of teacher because he always lived up to what he taught.
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They also say that no one can ever be pure, that everyone is doomed to be a sinner.
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Well, that is: Atmavan manyate jagat
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That is the conditioned soul’s qualification, that if he’s a fool he thinks others are fools.
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Everyone thinks: “He’s like me.” That is nature. Atmavan manyate jagat
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Everyone thinks others like himself. If he’s a fool, he thinks all others are fools.
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So these things are no argument. Nobody has seen God. How do you take the statistics?
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Can you say like that, any statistics that nobody has.
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Maybe. You have not seen him, the one who has seen God.
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That is quite possible because you have not scrutinizingly studied all the men of the world.
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Then how can you say nobody has seen Him? You have not seen the man who has seen Him.
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He’ll not admit his fault. He’ll accuse others: Nobody has seen God. Why?
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You may not have seen, but why do you say nobody has seen?
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You have not seen that person who has seen God. Therefore you say like that.
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The child is changing his body to baby, the baby is changing his body to boy,
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and the boy is changing his body to youthhood, then, in this way you are changing bodies.
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Of that you have got experience. You had a child’s body, you remember.
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Or you had a boy’s body, you remember. But the body is no longer existing, but you are existing.
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Therefore the conclusion is: that when this body will be no more fit for existing
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we shall have to accept another body. This is called: tatha dehantara praptih
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So we have to change. That is nature’s law. The soul is immortal.
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Na jayate na mriyate va kadacin na hanyate hanyamane sarire
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The soul is not finished, simply a particular type of body being finished. The people do not know it.
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And because they’re simply engaged in sinful activities, their brain has become so dull
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that they cannot understand the simple truth, that as you are changing body in this life,
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therefore you’ll change this body to another life. This is a very simple truth.
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with the advancement of material civilization, we have become so dull, and rascal,
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that we cannot understand.
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Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat paratvena nirmalam hrisikena hrsikesa sevanam bhaktir ucyate
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This bhakti means that we have to clear ourselves from the designations.
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What is that designation?
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Everyone is thinking: “I am American, I am Indian, I am European,
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I am Australian, I am cat, I am dog, I am this, I am that body.”
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We have to cleanse this bodily conception of life.
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That I am not this body. Aham brahmasmi. I am spirit soul. This you have to realize.
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Then there will be no distinction. That here is an Anerican, here is an Australian,
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here is a Hindu, here is a Muslim, here is a tree. No. Panditah sama darsinah.
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Panditah means learned. One who knows things as they are. For them:
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Vidya vinaya sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva svapake ca panditah sama darsinah
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A person, very learned, vidya, and very gentle. vidya means educated, means he is gentle and sober.
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He is not rogue or ruffian. That is vidya, that is the test of education.
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He must be very educated, sober, and silent. That is called gentleman.
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Therefore this human form of life should be properly utilized.
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Not simply engaged in sense gratification like cats and dogs. That is not very responsible life.
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Responsible life is that I have got this improved form of life,
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(better) than the cats and dogs, and I have got more intelligence than the cats and dogs.
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If I simply utilize it for four bodily necessities of life,
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Four bodily necessities of life means: we require some eating.
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The cats, dogs, human being, or high court judge, or anyone, they require some eating.
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They require sleeping - apartment.
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So that is, the cats and dogs can sleep without apartment. But sleeping is required.
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That is fact. Eating is required. That is fact. And sex life, that is also fact.
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And defense, that is also fact.
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But these things are common to the cats and dogs and man, human being.
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So what is the special feature of the human being?
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The special feature of the human being is, that a human being can consider,
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that I have got this nice American, or Australian, or Indian body,
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Then what am I going to get next? What kind of body?
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That is utilized for human intelligence. A cat and dog cannot think like that.
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Therefore our business should be:
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Now by nature’s way, I have come to this form of life, by evolutionary process.
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Now I have got good intelligence, how shall I utilize it?
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Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam
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The whole knowledge is meant for understanding God. That is the end of knowledge.
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By progressive knowledge, you can make progress.
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But if you do not come to the point of understanding what is God, then your knowledge is imperfect.
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That is called Vedanta: Athato brahma jijnasa Actually designation has no value.
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The person is important, not the designation.
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Nature is a machine.
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So do you think a machine works without an operator?
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Do you think? Is there any evidence?
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Now this is a machine, photography.
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A wonderful machine, it is taking the picture, and it will move. But there is an operator.
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Can you give any example: Here is a machine which is working without an operator?
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So how do you think that the nature machine is working without the Supreme Operator,
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God’s instruction? How do you think it (possible)? This is not very reasonable.
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We have to judge. There are different evidences. One of the evidences is hypothesis.
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That hypothesis is that because we see that no machine works without an operator,
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therefore we should conclude that even if we do not know what is God, or what is nature,
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we must conclude that nature is working under some supreme operator. That is God.
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It is not necessary to see the operator but we can guess that there must be an operator.
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So human life is meant for finding out who is there to operate. That is human life.
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Otherwise it is cats and dogs life. They are eating, sleeping, mating and dancing, that’s all.
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That is not human life. You must find out who is the operator. Athato brahma jijnasa
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This is called in Sanskrit words.
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Now this human form of life is meant for enquiring about the Supreme Operator.
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Now that Supreme Operator, Krishna, is so kind. He is giving evidence in the Bhagavad Gita:
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Mayadhayaksena prakrti suyate sa caracaram
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Now here I am. Under My direction the prakriti, the material nature is working.
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But unfortunately I am thinking this is American pains and pleasures. This is Indian pains.
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Pains and pleasure are the same. It is neither American nor African.
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Pain and pleasure is the same.
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So as soon as this consciousness that I am feeling American pains, American pleasure,
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As soon as this is over, then we come to the original consciousness.
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Because consciousness cannot be American or African.
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If I pinch you, the pain felt by you is the same as when I pinch the African.
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So therefore the consciousness is the same.
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Artificially, we are thinking American consciousness, African consciousness.
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Actually that is not the position. Simply, this misunderstanding has to be cleared out.
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That is called ceto darpana marjanam Is. it not a fact?
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The consciousness of feeling pain and pleasure, can it be American or Indian?
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It is the same. Artificially we are thinking it is American pain, or it is Indian pain.
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That is artificial. This artificial covering has to be removed.
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Then we come to Krishna Consciousness.
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Feelings; consciousness is not American, African, or Indian. Consciousness is the same.
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When you feel hungry, is it that Americans feel a different way? Hungry?
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The African feels in a different way? Hunger, appetite is the same.
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Now if you say this is American appetite and this is Indian appetite, that is artificial.
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So when you do not go to the artificial platform, that is Krishna Consciousness.
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That is explained in Narada Pancaratra:
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Sarvopadhi vinimuktam tat paratvena nirmalam hrishikena hrishikesha sevanam bhaktir ucyate
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When we become free from these artificial designation, American consciousness,
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Indian consciousness, African consciousness. There is no such thing. This is artificial.
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Even bird and beast, they also feel consciousness, pains and pleasures.
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Just like when there is scorching heat, you feel some pain.
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Is that American, Indian or African? Scorching heat is everywhere.
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If you say that I am feeling scorching heat the American way.
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Simply these are artificial. Everything is depending on consciousness.
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Everything is depending on consciousness.
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Therefore Krishna Consciousness is the original standard consciousness.
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The big airship, the 747, is flying because the pilot is there.
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And the pilot is a soul, covered by another bodily machine.
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That is the missing point in modern civilization.
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That is: Who is working with the machine? That they do not know. That is ignorance.
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It is said in Bhagavad Gita:
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isvarah sarva bhutanam hrd-dese’ rjuna tisthati bhramayan sarva bhutani yantra rudhani mayaya
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Yantra means machine.
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Actually they’re finding that a big nice machine, computer, without an operator it does not work.
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And this huge machine is working without any spiritual touch.
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Just see the foolishness. They think automatically it works.
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Nature is working automatically. Do they not think?
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They think there’s a mind, but not a soul.
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That’s all right, something is there, which is working.
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Now that may be a mistake, to call it soul or mind, that is the next understanding.
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But the machine is not working independently. That should be understood first.
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Then how the machine is working, that will be the next chapter.
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So they have no understanding even how the machine is working.
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Mudho ‘yam nabhijanati loko mama jam avyayam Maya dhyaksena prakrii suyate sa caracaram
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That they do not know, mudhas.
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So if you do not know how the machine is working, then what is the value of your education?
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Education means enlightenment. You do not know what is the final cause.
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That huge body is working, as nature, so many planets, so many big, big planets
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like the sun and moon, they are floating in the air. Who has made this arrangement?
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There we see every day.
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And everyone is speculating: it is being done like this.
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Another philosopher comes, he says it is like this. Another says it is like this.
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Nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam
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A philosopher is not a great philosopher if he does not defy the other philosophers.
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Is it not? So this process is going on. I defy you, you defy me. That’s all.
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But what is the real fact? Neither you know, neither I know.
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But we write big, big articles. That is going on.
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Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body.
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Whatever I am ordering, it is immediately carrying out.
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I say, “Make it like this.” It will do. But this is dead matter, it is acting mechanically.
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The brain directs immediately the finger, and it acts like a machine.
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This whole body is just like a machine.
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But soul is not machine, mechanical part. It is the spiritual part.
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So therefore as I am directing the finger, being a machine it is working.
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But if somebody else, a friend or servant,
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I may direct him to do something, he may not do it.
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So when the soul misuses the independence, then he falls down.
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That is material life.
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Material life means misusing the independence of the soul.
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Just like a son. A son’s duty is to obey the father.
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But he may not obey. That is his madness.
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So when the soul, misusing the independence, becomes mad,
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he is sent to this material world.
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It is puzzling to me how one can become so foolish.
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Because by independence you can become foolish.
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Otherwise there is no meaning of independence.
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Independence means you can do whatever you like.
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That is stated in the Bhagavad Gita that: Jathecchasi tatha kuru
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Find out this verse in the eighteenth chapter.
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That independence is there.
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After instructing the whole Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, Krishna gave him the independence.
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Now, whatever you like you can do.
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Krishna never forced him to accept the teachings of Bhagavad Gita.
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He gave him the independence: Now whatever you like you can do.
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And he agreed. Yes, now my illusion is over, I shall act as you say.
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The same independence. Yes?
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Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge
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deliberate on this fully and do what you wish to do.
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Now, if you say why should the soul become so foolish?
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So that is the misuse of independence.
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The intelligent father has an intelligent son.
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But sometimes he becomes a fool. So what is the reason?
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He is part and parcel of the father. He should have become exactly like the father.
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But he does not become like the father.
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I have seen in Allahabad, a big lawyer, barrister, Mr. Banerjee.
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His eldest son was also a barrister and his youngest son,
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on account of bad association become a ekavala.
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Ekavala means, in India there is a carriage drawn by one horse.
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So he liked to be in a ekavala.
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That means he fell in love with a low class woman. And by her association he became a ekavala.
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There are many instances. Therefore, it is the duty of the human being to control the mind.
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Not act like cats and dogs. That is human being. He should be inquisitive.
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Why is this happening, why is this happening, and he should take education.
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That is human life. And if he does not enquire, if he does not take education,
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then what is the difference between him and the dog?
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He remains a dog. He has got this opportunity of human life.
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He should take advantage of understanding what is what.
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Not to keep himself in the dog status.
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Simply eating, sleeping, sex life and defending.
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That is the distinction between dog and human being.
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If he does not become inquisitive: How to control the mind, he’s not even a human being.
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A dog never enquires. A dog knows that when I bark people become disturbed.
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He will never ask how to control this barking habit.
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Because he’s a dog. He cannot do that.
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A human being can do that.
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People hate me because I do something wrong. How to control my mind?
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That is human being.
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That is the difference between a human being and a dog.
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Therefore the Vedic injunction is: Go and enquire.
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You have got this human form of life. Athato brahma jijnasa
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Now this is the time for enquiring about the soul.
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Tad vijnanatham sa gurum evabhigachet
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If you want to understand this science then go to a proper guru and take lessons from him.
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The same thing as we instruct our children.
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If you want to be educated in the higher status of life, go to school, go to college.
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Take lessons. That is human society.
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The dog’s father will never ask the dog: Child, go to school.
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No, they are dogs.
