Guide to Self Realization - The Acharya Part 4

Subtitles

[00:09]: “Who is Srila Prabhupada?” people often ask.
[00:13]: At various times, he was known as a scholar, a philosopher, a cultural ambassador,
[00:20]: a prolific author, a religious leader, a spiritual teacher, a social critic, and a holy man.
[00:28]: He was not one of those modern entrepreneurial gurus who come to the west
[00:33]: with slickly packaged, watered down versions of eastern spirituality,
[00:37]: promising instant well being to anyone who could spare fifty dollars.
[00:41]: Srila Prabhupada was rather a true holy man, one who could be called an acharya,
[00:48]: which means a spiritual master who teaches by example.
[00:52]: After arriving in the United States in 1965 at the age of sixty-nine,
[00:59]: Srila Prabhupada formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness,
[01:03]: which developed into a world-wide spiritual community with hundreds of ashrams, schools, temples,
[01:10]: and farms, and with thousands of dedicated disciples who made Hare Krishna a household word.
[01:16]: To have achieved all this in only twelve years was remarkable.
[01:20]: But before he passed away from this world in 1977, Srila Prabhupada had also written and published
[01:27]: over eighty volumes of translation and commentary on the great spiritual classics of ancient India.
[01:32]: His books were welcomed with great critical acclaim by the western academic community
[01:38]: and by scholars from India as well.
[01:40]: They became standard texts in almost every university and library around the world.
[01:46]: Srila Prabhupada had also succeeded in transmitting the profound wisdom of the ancient Vedic culture
[01:52]: in a form and style that was clearly understandable to the average modern man.
[01:57]: He could somehow explain even the most difficult philosophical concepts to people
[02:02]: who were totally unfamiliar with the complex Indian religious tradition.
[02:07]: Srila Prabhupada circled the globe eleven times between 1966 and 1977,
[02:13]: and everywhere he went, he taught the same basic truths, the fundamental principles of religion
[02:20]: that constitute the cornerstone of spiritual understanding for everyone,
[02:24]: no matter what their nationality or religion.
[02:37]: Srila Prabhupada was more than anything a teacher a professor of the science of self-realization,
[02:44]: and he was the best kind of teacher because he always lived up to what he taught.
[02:52]: They also say that no one can ever be pure, that everyone is doomed to be a sinner.
[02:59]: Well, that is: Atmavan manyate jagat
[03:04]: That is the conditioned soul’s qualification, that if he’s a fool he thinks others are fools.
[03:11]: Everyone thinks: “He’s like me.” That is nature. Atmavan manyate jagat
[03:29]: Everyone thinks others like himself. If he’s a fool, he thinks all others are fools.
[03:41]: So these things are no argument. Nobody has seen God. How do you take the statistics?
[03:50]: Can you say like that, any statistics that nobody has.
[03:56]: Maybe. You have not seen him, the one who has seen God.
[04:00]: That is quite possible because you have not scrutinizingly studied all the men of the world.
[04:07]: Then how can you say nobody has seen Him? You have not seen the man who has seen Him.
[04:12]: He’ll not admit his fault. He’ll accuse others: Nobody has seen God. Why?
[04:21]: You may not have seen, but why do you say nobody has seen?
[04:25]: You have not seen that person who has seen God. Therefore you say like that.
[07:23]: The child is changing his body to baby, the baby is changing his body to boy,
[07:33]: and the boy is changing his body to youthhood, then, in this way you are changing bodies.
[07:41]: Of that you have got experience. You had a child’s body, you remember.
[07:47]: Or you had a boy’s body, you remember. But the body is no longer existing, but you are existing.
[07:54]: Therefore the conclusion is: that when this body will be no more fit for existing
[08:02]: we shall have to accept another body. This is called: tatha dehantara praptih
[08:09]: So we have to change. That is nature’s law. The soul is immortal.
[08:17]: Na jayate na mriyate va kadacin na hanyate hanyamane sarire
[08:23]: The soul is not finished, simply a particular type of body being finished. The people do not know it.
[08:34]: And because they’re simply engaged in sinful activities, their brain has become so dull
[08:44]: that they cannot understand the simple truth, that as you are changing body in this life,
[08:51]: therefore you’ll change this body to another life. This is a very simple truth.
[08:57] with the advancement of material civilization, we have become so dull, and rascal,
[09:04]: that we cannot understand.
[09:06]: Sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat paratvena nirmalam hrisikena hrsikesa sevanam bhaktir ucyate
[09:16]: This bhakti means that we have to clear ourselves from the designations.
[09:25]: What is that designation?
[09:28]: Everyone is thinking: “I am American, I am Indian, I am European,
[09:34]: I am Australian, I am cat, I am dog, I am this, I am that body.”
[09:41]: We have to cleanse this bodily conception of life.
[09:45]: That I am not this body. Aham brahmasmi. I am spirit soul. This you have to realize.
[09:55]: Then there will be no distinction. That here is an Anerican, here is an Australian,
[10:02]: here is a Hindu, here is a Muslim, here is a tree. No. Panditah sama darsinah.
[10:08]: Panditah means learned. One who knows things as they are. For them:
[10:16]: Vidya vinaya sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva svapake ca panditah sama darsinah
[10:24]: A person, very learned, vidya, and very gentle. vidya means educated, means he is gentle and sober.
[10:35]: He is not rogue or ruffian. That is vidya, that is the test of education.
[10:41]: He must be very educated, sober, and silent. That is called gentleman.
[10:47]: Therefore this human form of life should be properly utilized.
[10:55]: Not simply engaged in sense gratification like cats and dogs. That is not very responsible life.
[11:06]: Responsible life is that I have got this improved form of life,
[11:13]: (better) than the cats and dogs, and I have got more intelligence than the cats and dogs.
[11:21]: If I simply utilize it for four bodily necessities of life,
[11:28]: Four bodily necessities of life means: we require some eating.
[11:35]: The cats, dogs, human being, or high court judge, or anyone, they require some eating.
[11:43]: They require sleeping - apartment.
[11:48]: So that is, the cats and dogs can sleep without apartment. But sleeping is required.
[11:56]: That is fact. Eating is required. That is fact. And sex life, that is also fact.
[12:03]: And defense, that is also fact.
[12:08]: But these things are common to the cats and dogs and man, human being.
[12:17]: So what is the special feature of the human being?
[12:20]: The special feature of the human being is, that a human being can consider,
[12:28]: that I have got this nice American, or Australian, or Indian body,
[12:35]: Then what am I going to get next? What kind of body?
[12:40]: That is utilized for human intelligence. A cat and dog cannot think like that.
[12:48]: Therefore our business should be:
[12:52]: Now by nature’s way, I have come to this form of life, by evolutionary process.
[12:59]: Now I have got good intelligence, how shall I utilize it?
[13:06]: Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam
[13:11]: The whole knowledge is meant for understanding God. That is the end of knowledge.
[13:20]: By progressive knowledge, you can make progress.
[13:26]: But if you do not come to the point of understanding what is God, then your knowledge is imperfect.
[13:33]: That is called Vedanta: Athato brahma jijnasa Actually designation has no value.
[13:41]: The person is important, not the designation.
[13:49]: Nature is a machine.
[13:54]: So do you think a machine works without an operator?
[13:58]: Do you think? Is there any evidence?
[14:01]: Now this is a machine, photography.
[14:07]: A wonderful machine, it is taking the picture, and it will move. But there is an operator.
[14:13]: Can you give any example: Here is a machine which is working without an operator?
[14:21]: So how do you think that the nature machine is working without the Supreme Operator,
[14:27]: God’s instruction? How do you think it (possible)? This is not very reasonable.
[14:33]: We have to judge. There are different evidences. One of the evidences is hypothesis.
[14:43]: That hypothesis is that because we see that no machine works without an operator,
[14:54]: therefore we should conclude that even if we do not know what is God, or what is nature,
[15:00]: we must conclude that nature is working under some supreme operator. That is God.
[15:09]: It is not necessary to see the operator but we can guess that there must be an operator.
[15:18]: So human life is meant for finding out who is there to operate. That is human life.
[15:26]: Otherwise it is cats and dogs life. They are eating, sleeping, mating and dancing, that’s all.
[15:32]: That is not human life. You must find out who is the operator. Athato brahma jijnasa
[15:40]: This is called in Sanskrit words.
[15:43]: Now this human form of life is meant for enquiring about the Supreme Operator.
[15:48]: Now that Supreme Operator, Krishna, is so kind. He is giving evidence in the Bhagavad Gita:
[15:59]: Mayadhayaksena prakrti suyate sa caracaram
[16:05]: Now here I am. Under My direction the prakriti, the material nature is working.
[17:12]: But unfortunately I am thinking this is American pains and pleasures. This is Indian pains.
[17:22]: Pains and pleasure are the same. It is neither American nor African.
[17:29]: Pain and pleasure is the same.
[17:32]: So as soon as this consciousness that I am feeling American pains, American pleasure,
[17:43]: As soon as this is over, then we come to the original consciousness.
[17:47]: Because consciousness cannot be American or African.
[17:54]: If I pinch you, the pain felt by you is the same as when I pinch the African.
[18:03]: So therefore the consciousness is the same.
[18:08]: Artificially, we are thinking American consciousness, African consciousness.
[18:13]: Actually that is not the position. Simply, this misunderstanding has to be cleared out.
[18:23]: That is called ceto darpana marjanam Is. it not a fact?
[18:31]: The consciousness of feeling pain and pleasure, can it be American or Indian?
[18:40]: It is the same. Artificially we are thinking it is American pain, or it is Indian pain.
[18:47]: That is artificial. This artificial covering has to be removed.
[18:54]: Then we come to Krishna Consciousness.
[19:04]: Feelings; consciousness is not American, African, or Indian. Consciousness is the same.
[19:09]: When you feel hungry, is it that Americans feel a different way? Hungry?
[19:18]: The African feels in a different way? Hunger, appetite is the same.
[19:28]: Now if you say this is American appetite and this is Indian appetite, that is artificial.
[19:41]: So when you do not go to the artificial platform, that is Krishna Consciousness.
[19:49]: That is explained in Narada Pancaratra:
[19:55]: Sarvopadhi vinimuktam tat paratvena nirmalam hrishikena hrishikesha sevanam bhaktir ucyate
[20:05]: When we become free from these artificial designation, American consciousness,
[20:15]: Indian consciousness, African consciousness. There is no such thing. This is artificial.
[20:20]: Even bird and beast, they also feel consciousness, pains and pleasures.
[20:29]: Just like when there is scorching heat, you feel some pain.
[20:37]: Is that American, Indian or African? Scorching heat is everywhere.
[20:43]: If you say that I am feeling scorching heat the American way.
[20:51]: Simply these are artificial. Everything is depending on consciousness.
[21:03]: Everything is depending on consciousness.
[21:09]: Therefore Krishna Consciousness is the original standard consciousness.
[21:17]: The big airship, the 747, is flying because the pilot is there.
[21:24]: And the pilot is a soul, covered by another bodily machine.
[21:33]: That is the missing point in modern civilization.
[21:40]: That is: Who is working with the machine? That they do not know. That is ignorance.
[21:50]: It is said in Bhagavad Gita:
[21:58]: isvarah sarva bhutanam hrd-dese’ rjuna tisthati bhramayan sarva bhutani yantra rudhani mayaya
[22:06]: Yantra means machine.
[22:09]: Actually they’re finding that a big nice machine, computer, without an operator it does not work.
[22:20]: And this huge machine is working without any spiritual touch.
[22:29]: Just see the foolishness. They think automatically it works.
[22:36]: Nature is working automatically. Do they not think?
[22:40]: They think there’s a mind, but not a soul.
[22:44]: That’s all right, something is there, which is working.
[22:48]: Now that may be a mistake, to call it soul or mind, that is the next understanding.
[22:55]: But the machine is not working independently. That should be understood first.
[23:02]: Then how the machine is working, that will be the next chapter.
[23:06]: So they have no understanding even how the machine is working.
[23:20]: Mudho ‘yam nabhijanati loko mama jam avyayam Maya dhyaksena prakrii suyate sa caracaram
[23:27]: That they do not know, mudhas.
[23:34]: So if you do not know how the machine is working, then what is the value of your education?
[23:38]: Education means enlightenment. You do not know what is the final cause.
[23:51]: That huge body is working, as nature, so many planets, so many big, big planets
[24:01]: like the sun and moon, they are floating in the air. Who has made this arrangement?
[24:07]: There we see every day.
[24:24]: And everyone is speculating: it is being done like this.
[24:29]: Another philosopher comes, he says it is like this. Another says it is like this.
[24:35]: Nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam
[24:40]: A philosopher is not a great philosopher if he does not defy the other philosophers.
[24:45]: Is it not? So this process is going on. I defy you, you defy me. That’s all.
[24:54]: But what is the real fact? Neither you know, neither I know.
[24:58]: But we write big, big articles. That is going on.
[25:13]: Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body.
[25:17]: Whatever I am ordering, it is immediately carrying out.
[25:22]: I say, “Make it like this.” It will do. But this is dead matter, it is acting mechanically.
[25:36]: The brain directs immediately the finger, and it acts like a machine.
[25:44]: This whole body is just like a machine.
[25:47]: But soul is not machine, mechanical part. It is the spiritual part.
[25:59]: So therefore as I am directing the finger, being a machine it is working.
[26:08]: But if somebody else, a friend or servant,
[26:13]: I may direct him to do something, he may not do it.
[26:17]: So when the soul misuses the independence, then he falls down.
[26:27]: That is material life.
[26:30]: Material life means misusing the independence of the soul.
[26:36]: Just like a son. A son’s duty is to obey the father.
[26:43]: But he may not obey. That is his madness.
[26:50]: So when the soul, misusing the independence, becomes mad,
[26:59]: he is sent to this material world.
[27:05]: It is puzzling to me how one can become so foolish.
[27:09]: Because by independence you can become foolish.
[27:13]: Otherwise there is no meaning of independence.
[27:18]: Independence means you can do whatever you like.
[27:24]: That is stated in the Bhagavad Gita that: Jathecchasi tatha kuru
[27:34]: Find out this verse in the eighteenth chapter.
[27:38]: That independence is there.
[27:42]: After instructing the whole Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna, Krishna gave him the independence.
[27:51]: Now, whatever you like you can do.
[27:55]: Krishna never forced him to accept the teachings of Bhagavad Gita.
[28:03]: He gave him the independence: Now whatever you like you can do.
[28:09]: And he agreed. Yes, now my illusion is over, I shall act as you say.
[28:21]: The same independence. Yes?
[28:25]: Thus I have explained to you the most confidential of all knowledge
[28:52]: deliberate on this fully and do what you wish to do.
[28:58]: Now, if you say why should the soul become so foolish?
[29:04]: So that is the misuse of independence.
[29:09]: The intelligent father has an intelligent son.
[29:17]: But sometimes he becomes a fool. So what is the reason?
[29:25]: He is part and parcel of the father. He should have become exactly like the father.
[29:37]: But he does not become like the father.
[29:41]: I have seen in Allahabad, a big lawyer, barrister, Mr. Banerjee.
[29:50]: His eldest son was also a barrister and his youngest son,
[29:56]: on account of bad association become a ekavala.
[30:01]: Ekavala means, in India there is a carriage drawn by one horse.
[30:08]: So he liked to be in a ekavala.
[30:14]: That means he fell in love with a low class woman. And by her association he became a ekavala.
[30:24]: There are many instances. Therefore, it is the duty of the human being to control the mind.
[30:33]: Not act like cats and dogs. That is human being. He should be inquisitive.
[30:42]: Why is this happening, why is this happening, and he should take education.
[30:50]: That is human life. And if he does not enquire, if he does not take education,
[30:57]: then what is the difference between him and the dog?
[31:01]: He remains a dog. He has got this opportunity of human life.
[31:08]: He should take advantage of understanding what is what.
[31:13]: Not to keep himself in the dog status.
[31:19]: Simply eating, sleeping, sex life and defending.
[31:24]: That is the distinction between dog and human being.
[31:28]: If he does not become inquisitive: How to control the mind, he’s not even a human being.
[31:38]: A dog never enquires. A dog knows that when I bark people become disturbed.
[31:52]: He will never ask how to control this barking habit.
[31:56]: Because he’s a dog. He cannot do that.
[32:01]: A human being can do that.
[32:07]: People hate me because I do something wrong. How to control my mind?
[32:12]: That is human being.
[32:14]: That is the difference between a human being and a dog.
[32:32]: Therefore the Vedic injunction is: Go and enquire.
[32:38]: You have got this human form of life. Athato brahma jijnasa
[32:44]: Now this is the time for enquiring about the soul.
[32:48]: Tad vijnanatham sa gurum evabhigachet
[32:54]: If you want to understand this science then go to a proper guru and take lessons from him.
[33:01]: The same thing as we instruct our children.
[33:09]: If you want to be educated in the higher status of life, go to school, go to college.
[33:14]: Take lessons. That is human society.
[33:21]: The dog’s father will never ask the dog: Child, go to school.
[33:26]: No, they are dogs.