Melbourne, 1974 - Introduction to Srimad-Bhagavatam - Part 1 - (DVD 9)

[00:25]This is a conversation between Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva Gosvami.

[00:34]Maharaja Pariksit, five thousand years ago he was the emperor of the whole world.

[00:47]Formerly, up to five thousand years ago, the whole world was being controlled

[00:59]and ruled over by kings whose capital was Hastinapura, New Delhi.

[01:09]There was only one flag, only one ruler, one scripture, Vedic scripture,

[01:23]and the Aryans, Arya, they were the civilized persons.

[01:36]You Europeans, Americans, you are also Aryans. Indo-European stock.

[01:48]Maharaja Yayati, grandson of Maharaja Pariksit, he gave to his two sons

[02:00]the portion of eastern Europe, Greek and Roman. That is the history,

[02:12]Mahabharata. Mahabharata means great India.

[02:16]So there was no different religion. One religion, Vedic religion.

[02:29]Vedic religion means to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the Supreme Person Absolute Truth.

[02:40]This is Vedic religion.

[02:42]Those who have read Bhagavad-gita, it is said there in the Fifteenth Chapter,

[02:54]vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15].

[02:58]Vedic knowledge means to understand God. This is Vedic religion.

[03:05]Later on, with the progress of Kali-yuga…

[03:14]Kali-yuga means the dark age or the sinful age or the age for argument,

[03:24]unnecessary talks and fight. This is called Kali-yuga. That is going on.

[03:33]Since the last five thousand years, the Kali age has begun,

[03:41]and the beginning of Kali-yuga was cow-slaughtering.

[03:46]…So at the present moment, practically there is no brahmana, no ksatriya,

[03:55]no vaisya, only sudras, fourth-class men.

[04:00]So you cannot expect any happiness guided by the fourth-class men. That is not possible.

[04:11]Therefore throughout the whole world there is chaotic condition.

[04:17]Nobody is happy.

[04:21]So this is essential that the human society must be divided into four divisions.

[04:32]The brahmana class means the first-class ideal men,

[04:39]so that by the seeing their character, their behavior, others will try to follow.

[04:48]Yad yad acarati sresthah [Bg. 3.21].

[04:51]So this Krsna consciousness movement means we are trying to create some first-class men.

[04:58]This is Krsna consciousness, this movement.

[05:03]So therefore we have got these rules and regulation:

[05:09]no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling.

[05:17]This is the preliminary qualification of a first-class man.

[05:22]So we are trying our bit to make some men ideal first-class men.

[05:29]But formerly it was there. Catur… Still there is.

[05:35]You don’t think that all men are of the same intelligence or same category. No.

[05:42]Still there is intelligent class of men.

[05:45]Just like those who are scientists or philosophers, religionists,

[05:54]they are supposed to be first-class men.

[05:57]But unfortunately, now nobody can recognize who is first-class and last class.

[06:03]So for proper management of the whole society the first-class, second-class, third-class

[06:14]men must be there. Just like in your body there are different parts of the body.

[06:23]The head, the arm, the belly, and the leg. This is natural.

[06:31]So without head, if we have simply the arms and belly and legs, it is a dead body.

[06:40]So unless you are guided, the human society, by the first-class men,

[06:47]the whole society is dead society.

[06:50]There must division according to catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma… [Bg. 4.13],

[06:57]not by birth, but by quality.

[07:02]So anyone can be trained up first class, second class, as he likes.

[07:08]That is called civilization.

[07:12]…In mother’s womb we had a small body. It grows, and we come out.

[07:20]Again it grows. Grows… It is not actually growing, it is changing.

[07:26]The child is changing his body to baby, the baby is changing his body to boy,

[07:38]and the boy is changing his body to youthhood. Then…

[07:44]in this way you are changing body. That you have got experience.

[07:47]You had a child’s body-you remember.

[07:51]Or you had a boy’s body-you remember.

[07:54]But the body is no longer existing. But you are existing.

[07:59]Therefore the conclusion is that when this body will be no more fit for existing

[08:07]we shall have to accept another body. This is called tatha dehantara-praptih.

[08:13]So we have to change. That is nature’s law. The soul is immortal.

[08:21]Na jayate na mriyate va kadacit na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20].

[08:27]The soul is not finished, simply a particular type of body being finished, no.

[08:35]The people do not know it.

[08:39]And because they are simply engaged in sinful activities,

[08:45]their brain has become so dull that they cannot understand this simple truth

[08:52]that as you are changing body in this life therefore you will change this body to another life.

[08:58]This is very simple truth. But at the advancement of material civilization,

[09:06]we have become so dull and rascal that we cannot understand it.

[09:10]…So Krsna consciousness means that you have to purify your senses.

[09:14]That is the way.

[09:17]sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam bhaktir ucyate

[09:27]This bhakti means that we have to clear ourself from the designations.

[09:36]What is that designation? Everyone is thinking “I am American,” “I am Indian,”

[09:43]“I am European,” “I am Australian,” “I am cat,” “I am dog, “I am this,

[09:50]“I am that,”-bodily. We have to cleanse this bodily conception of life that “I am not this body.”

[09:58]Aham brahmasmi: “I am spirit soul.” This we have to realize.

[10:05]Then there will be no distinction that “Here is an American, here is an Australian,

[10:12]here is an Hindu, here is a Muslim, here is a tree, here…” No.

[10:16]Panditah sama-darsinah [Bg. 5.18].

[10:18]Panditah means learned, one who knows things as they are. For them…

[10:27]vidya-vinaya-sampanne brahmane gavi hastini suni caiva sva-pake ca panditah sama-darsinah

[10:35]A person, very learned, vidya and very gentle…

[10:41]vidya means, educated means, he is gentle, sober. He is not rogues and ruffian.

[10:48]That is vidya. That is the test of education. He must be very sober and silent.

[10:56]That is called gentleman, in one word.

[10:59]…brahma-bhutah prasannatm na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param

[11:09]When one is self-realized that he is not this body, he is the spirit soul, brahma-bhutah,

[11:19]…then these two things will be finished if you become spiritually situated.

[11:26]brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksat samah sarvesu bhutesu…

[11:34]Unless one is spiritually realized, he cannot see equally everyone.

[11:41]Then samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param.

[11:48]Then one can become real devotee of the Lord,

[11:53]after surpassing the brahma-bhutah stage.

[11:59]So this bhakti line is not so easy.

[12:05]But …what is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s instruction? Very simple.

[12:24]harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam

[12:24]kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha [Cc. Adi 17.21]

[12:24]This is not Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s personal version.

[12:32]This is in the scripture, Vedic scripture. Brhan-Naradiya-Purana.

[12:39]This instruction is there.

[12:43]

[12:44]As people are fallen in this age the method also has been offered very simple.

[12:54]They cannot follow any strong or severe austerities. It is not possible.

[13:02]They have been recommended simply to chant the holy name of God.

[13:04]That’s all. Anyone can do. It is not difficult at all. Then if you say that “You are from India.

[13:13]Your Caitanya is Indian, and He is recommending Hare Krsna. Why shall I chant?

[13:20]I have got my own God.” All right, if you have got your own God, then you chant His name.

[13:29]Caitanya Mahaprabhu doesn’t say that you chant simply Krsna’s name.

[13:35]If you have got any relationship with God and if you know His name and address,

[13:43]then you chant His name.

[13:47]Unfortunately, you do not know who is God; neither you know His address,

[13:53]neither His activities. So take this Krsna. Here is a solid name.

[14:01]And we give you His address, His father’s name, His mother’s name, everything.

[14:08]So if you have got your own God’s name, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said you can chant.

[14:14]Have you got any name?

[14:19]… the Krsna, His name, His form, His activities, His qualities,

[14:29]we cannot understand with these blunt material senses. It is not possible.

[14:35]Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih. ”

[14:41]Then? We have got this only possession, indriyas. How we shall understand?”

[14:47]Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau.

[14:50]If you engage your senses in the service of the Lord, svayam eva sphuraty adah,

[14:57]then Krsna will reveal to you that “Here I am.” This is the process.

[15:03]Now this word is very significant. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau.

[15:09]Jihva means tongue. If you simply engage your tongue in the service of the Lord,

[15:17]you will gradually develop. So how to engage the tongue?

[15:23]It is not said that “If you see, or if you touch, if you smell,” no. “If you taste.”

[15:30]So what is the business of the tongue?

[15:34]The business of the tongue-that we can taste nice foodstuff and we can vibrate.

[15:41]Do these two jobs.

[15:44]Vibrate with your tongue Hare Krsna, and take as much as possible prasadam.

[15:51]And you become a devotee. Thank you very much.

[15:57]

[16:14]…Test it. Make a trial. The temple is here. We are inviting. Come here.

[16:22]Do these two business.

[16:25]And our Madhudvisa Maharaja is ready to give you prasadam

[16:31]and chance for dancing and singing.

[16:35]That’s all. Where is the difficulty?

[16:38]Srila Prabhupada, if the kings were taught to govern the whole universe,

[16:44]does that mean all the worlds, all the worlds in the universe?

[16:51]She’s just wondering how it would be possible for one king to rule the whole world?

[16:57]It seems like it is very difficult. Nowadays we have so many leaders and they cannot manage…

[17:01]Forget that. Why you are thinking that you cannot rule over; therefore others cannot?

[17:07]You are thinking in your term.

[17:11]But there are. That is possible. So that is not our field of activities.

[17:20]It is others’, politics and… But let us…

[17:26]Our business is how to improve our spiritual condition of life.

[17:31]Even if you don’t rule over the world, it doesn’t matter.

[17:36]So why you are anxious to rule over the world? It is not our business.

[17:43]You chant Hare Krsna and take prasadam.

[17:48]