Pradyumna: Translation: "O King, since you have asked me about our friends and relatives in the city of Dvaraka, I will inform you that all of them were cursed by the brahmaṇas, and as a result they all became intoxicated with wine made of purified rice and fought among themselves with sticks, not even recognizing one another. Now all but four or five of them are dead and gone." [SB 1.15.22-23]

Prabhupada: I think this editing was wrong, "purified." What is called, fermented, petrified? Putrefied. So instead of "putrefied," it has been "purified." Editing. Yes, rice... They, in India still... Because in India still, no gentleman, brahmaṇa, at least brahmaṇas, those who are strictly following brahmaṇa principles, they do not drink. Neither the kṣatriyas. Kṣatriyas, they are allowed to drink in some particular function. That is also very rarely. And vaisyas, they do not drink. Sudras, some of them. Those who are less than sudras, they drink, and they make their own liquor at home. They boil the rice, and with water, they keep it for few days, it becomes fermented, putrefied, and it becomes intoxicating, home-made liquor. And if you distill it, then it becomes first-class, brandy. So it is not that liquor drinking was not existing. There was. But who drunk, that is stated here, that vipra-sapa-vimuḍhanam, those who were cursed, vimuḍhanam. And being cursed, they were bewildered. Vipra-sapa.

The story is that Yadu-vaṁsa, the dynasty of Krṣṇa... Krṣṇa had 16,108 wives, and each wife had ten sons, and each son had another ten sons. In this way the whole family was composed of hundreds and thousands of men, Yadu dynasty. And when Krṣṇa came, so to assist Him, all these demigods, they came to help Him, lila. Just like if you play something dramatic, you require so many assistants, so when Krṣṇa comes, those who are devotees of Krṣṇa, they also come to assist Him. Somebody becomes His father, somebody His mother, somebody His friend, somebody His wife, somebody His son, some grandson, like that. So when Krṣṇa wanted to depart from this planet, He wanted to take away all others also along with Him. So these are simply material, external causes. Actual fact is Krṣṇa, as He went away, He wanted to take all the associates under different pleas.

So it is explained in the Bhagavatam that queens, the were they not actually... Nobody can touch them. Just like Sita. Sita was kidnapped by Ravaṇa. How it is possible that Sita can be kidnapped by a demon? No. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta, that Lord Caitanya, He was a guest of a brahmaṇa in South India. So He took His bath and came to the house of that brahmaṇa, but the brahmaṇa did not arrange for any cooking even. There was no food. He was very sorry. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu inquired, "Brahmaṇa, you invited Me, but I don't see even you have cooked. What is the reason?" "Oh, yes, I am going to cook immediately. The thing is, I am very sorry that Ravaṇa, the demon, has taken away Sita, and I could not rescue her still. So why shall I eat? I shall die." He was in the ecstasy of Hanuman, a devotee. He was thinking like Hanuman. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu very much liked that he is, in devotion and in ecstasy of Hanuman, he is thinking like that. So at that time Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "So don't be sorry. Sita, Lakṣmiji, she cannot be touched by Ravaṇa. It was maya Sita, maya Sita. I will tell you. I will give you evidence from the sastra." So brahmaṇa believed Him because Caitanya... "Oh, she is there? Sita was not taken? A maya Sita was taken?" "Yes." Then he become encouraged. He cooked and sufficiently gave Him food.

So by chance, when Caitanya Mahaprabhu was touring in South India... The Puraṇas, Siva Puraṇa or something like that, it is stated there. And He brought the evidence again, that "Here you see, in the Puraṇa it is said that when Ravaṇa came to kidnap Sita, immediately a false Sita was given to him, and the real Sita disappeared. Then again, when Lord Ramacandra, after killing Ravaṇa, He was accepting Sita back to home, He tested with fire, that 'Sita, you should enter the fire, and if you are not burned, then you are chaste. Otherwise you are not chaste.' Yes. So the false Sita which was taken by Ravaṇa, she entered the fire, and the real Sita came out." This is the statement in the sastra.

So things take place like that. The queens of Krṣṇa, they could not be touched. But it is a play only. Similarly, Yadu dynasty, the descendants of Krṣṇa, they also could not be killed. But... Just like Krṣṇa was killed by the arrow of a hunter. How Krṣṇa can be killed? But it is for the persons, for the demons, to demonstrate like that, who thinks Krṣṇa as ordinary human being. So for them it is a jugglery. They will still know that "Here your Krṣṇa is killed." Yes. They will say like that. So tan ahaṁ dviṣataḥ; kruran kṣipamy ajasram asura-yoniṣu [Bg. 16.19]. The demons, as they want to forget Krṣṇa, or they do not like to understand Krṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krṣṇa plays something like that so that they will be more convinced that Krṣṇa is not God, Krṣṇa is ordinary human being. Tan ahaṁ dviṣataḥ; kruran. They will remain in darkness forever. Krṣṇa gives chance to everyone. If you want to forget Krṣṇa, Krṣṇa will give you such intelligence, you will talk so intelligently that "Krṣṇa is not God." Ye yatha maṁ prapadyante [Bg. 4.11]. And if you want to know Krṣṇa, then He will give you such intelligence, you will know that "Here is Supreme Personality of Godhead." This is Krṣṇa's busin... If you want to forget Krṣṇa, Krṣṇa will give you chance to forget Him forever. And you suffer. Because forgetting Krṣṇa, one is not benefited. By knowing Krṣṇa is one benefited. But the demons, rakṣasas, they suffer, and still they want to forget Krṣṇa. This is their business.

So now the most important thing is that Krṣṇa made this plan to kill His descendants. He did not like that they should, but who will kill them? That is the problem. They are descendants of Krṣṇa. Who will kill them? Therefore it was Krṣṇa's plan that they will kill themselves. If others come to kill Krṣṇa's descendants, then what is the value of Krṣṇa's descendants? Nobody could kill, because in Krṣṇa's presence, whenever there was fight, all the descendants they came out... And who will conquer them? Nobody. That is not possible. But Krṣṇa wanted that before His going away, all these demigods, they must also return. "Return" means this body must be killed. But who will kill them? That was the plan of Krṣṇa. Therefore Krṣṇa is... Isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ hrd-dese 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. He is planning. He made this plan.

So what is that? One of them made a false pregnancy with a stone on the belly wrapped with cloth, and another boy or another man, he went to a rṣi that "Sir, can you tell what is child in the womb of this woman?" She is not woman, she is man. So the saintly person could understand that "These people have come to joke me." So he immediately cursed—vipra—that "Yes, what is there in the womb, that will be the cause of destroying your whole family." So when they were cursed, the came to their senses: "What you have done?" So actually, it was a stone. So they began to rub the stone so that there will be no existence of the stone. Rubbing, rubbing, rubbing, rubbing—that pulp and water, that was distributed, and all of them became sticks. So then, after that, they became intoxicated, and they could not understand amongst themselves who is friend, who is enemy, and took those sticks and began to beat one another. In this way they died. This is the story. You know It is stated in the Krṣṇa book.

So our point is to know this is a play only, background. Actually, Krṣṇa wanted to take them away. And nobody could kill them. Therefore He planned a killing plan amongst themselves. This is the fact. But we should know that vipra-sapa-vimuḍhanam: if any person is cursed by vipra, brahmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava, then they are finished. Therefore according to the Vedic civilization, brahmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are always honored so that they may not be dissatisfied. This is the rule. Brahmaṇa and Vaiṣṇava. The devotees and the brahmaṇas. Veda-paṭhad bhaved vipro brahma janatiti brahmaṇaḥ;. Those who are spiritually advanced, such persons should not be offended. Then you are finished in according to our philosophy, vaiṣṇava-aparadha... Just we were talking in our walking that a great yogi... What is the name?

Devotee: Durvasa.

Prabhupada: Durvasa. Durvasa Muni offended Vaiṣṇava, and immediately sudarsana-cakra came to kill Durvasa. Vaiṣṇava-aparadha is never tolerated by Krṣṇa. Just like the Paṇḍavas, they were Vaiṣṇavas, and the Duryodhana and company, they were so-called Vaiṣṇava. Actually they were not Vaiṣṇava. So they insulted. They put to trouble so many ways. They banished them in the jungle. They insulted their wife and so many ways by clique. So Krṣṇa could not tolerate that. So therefore the Battle of Kurukṣetra.

So Vaiṣṇava is kind. Arjuna, he said, "My dear Krṣṇa, whatever they have done, that doesn't matter. I cannot kill my family men. Please excuse." So just see. Arjuna is kind because he is Vaiṣṇava. But Krṣṇa cannot tolerate. Krṣṇa said, "You must kill them. That is My order. You must kill them." Then he argued with Krṣṇa in so many ways: "There will be so much sin. There will be this, there will be that." Then He preached Bhagavad-gita, and at last He said that "Arjuna, you are thinking that you shall, by not fighting, you shall be able to save your family men, kinsmen. That is not possible. That is not possible. They are already killed. It is all My plan. They will never return home. If you kill them, then you take the credit. But otherwise, they are already killed. And if you think that you will not kill them, they will be saved, that is not possible. That is not possible." Then Arjuna understood that "It is the determination of Krṣṇa that they must be killed. Then why shall I disobey His order? It is my business to serve Him. Yes, then I shall kill, if You have so decided."

So this is the fact, that Krṣṇa will never tolerate insult on a devotee. He will never tolerate. The devotee may excuse, trṇad api sunicena taror api sahiṣṇuna. He may suffer. Just like Prahlada Maharaja, he was suffering. His father was torturing him. He was suffering, "All right." But Krṣṇa never tolerated. "Oh, you have done so much. Now it is the time to kill him." This is the process. Krṣṇa will tolerate. Even you insult Krṣṇa, He will tolerate. But if you insult His devotee, He will never tolerate. Then you are finished. Then you are finished. Just like a big man. If you insult him, he may think "All right, let him." But if you insult or do something harm to his child, he will never tolerate. He will never tolerate. Similarly, a devotee who is dependent on Krṣṇa in everything, and if somebody does harm to him, insults him, Krṣṇa will never tolerate. That is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta, vaiṣṇava-aparadha. Tara madhye vaiṣṇava-aparadha hati matta. So we should be very careful not to offend Vaiṣṇava devotees. Not to offend. This is greatest offense. Therefore it is said vipra-sapa-vimuḍhanam. Vimuḍhanam. Those who are rascal, fools, they will want to try to insult real brahmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava. Then they are finished. Of course, a Vaiṣṇava never curses. Tolerates. Trṇad api sunicena taror... Vaiṣṇava tolerates, but Viṣṇu never tolerates.

So vipra-sapa-vimuḍhanaṁ nighnataṁ muṣṭibhir mithaḥ;. Being intoxicated. Another point is intoxication. We are already intoxicated. Being under the influence of maya, the material energy, we are already forgotten of ourself. Everybody. Nobody knows that he's not this body. This is another intoxication. He is not this body, this is a fact, but go to the outside of this temple, ask anybody, "What you are?" "Yes, I am this body." They are already intoxicated. So again if you drink, then how much intoxicated you become, just try to understand. Varuṇiṁ madiraṁ pitva madonmathita-cetasam. Everyone who is in this material world, forgotten God or Krṣṇa, he is already intoxicated. Just like intoxicated man, he cannot recognize even his father, mother, or even his sister or mother. It has been practical. One father intoxicated—there are so many instances—raped the daughter. Daughter is crying, "My dear father, I am, I am..." Who cares for that? Intoxicated. This is going on. So intoxication is so sinful. Intoxication is so sinful that... Just like the hog is intoxicated by this material world, eating stool. Is stool a food? But he is tasting very nice. And he's deriving benefit, sexually very strong, never cares whether mother, sister or daughter. Every example is there in front.

So by intoxication... We are already... We have to get out of this intoxicated condition of life, which is called maya. Instead of getting out of this intoxicated life, if we more increase our intoxication, big, big signboard, "Beefeaters" and this, "Whiskey," then how much we are degrading the whole population, we have to imagine. You see? People are already in forgetfulness. And the government, the society, they are still giving impetus: "You forget more, you forget more..." And he doesn't know. Visataṁ tamisram. Adanta-gobhir visataṁ tamisram [SB 7.5.30]. And they do not know that "I will have to take next birth, and according to my mentality, because I am infecting a certain type of material qualities, in that way I am creating my next body." That he does not know. This is due to intoxication. He is thinking that "My enjoyment life, in this way forever..." But he does not know that he is creating the mentality, and according to the mentality, hog's mentality, he will become next life a pig, and he will eat... He has to by force. Not by force; he will relish it. Maya... This is called avaraṇatmika-sakti, covering influence. The pig is eating stool, but he is very much satisfied: "Such a nice food." He is having intercourse with his daughter or sister or mother, he is enjoying.

So the hellish condition. So we create our hellish condition. Wherefrom the hog comes? The hog comes also... He is also living entity. By process of transmigration of the soul, one is accepting sometimes as a hog, sometimes a dog, sometimes a demigod, sometimes rich man, sometimes poor man, sometimes tree. That they do not know. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, ei rupe brahmaṇḍa bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. We are spoiling our time in this way, transmigrating from one type of body to another, and there are 8,400,000 types of body. So in the human form of life, if one is actually fortunate, then guru-krṣṇa-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. By the mercy of guru and by the mercy of Krṣṇa one gets the opportunity of understanding Krṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise they are entrapped by maya, intoxication, and wandering through out the whole universe in different types of body.

So this is called varuṇiṁ madiraṁ pitva madonmathita-cetasam, ajanatam. Ajanatam, without any knowledge. We are fighting one another without any knowledge. Why the Americans were fighting with Arabians and the Arabians are fighting? The fighting is going on. The United Nations means fighting settlement arena. That's all. But the fighting is going on. So unless we are self-realized, unless we know that "We are all sons of God; this outward dress is maya. I am not American, I am not Indian." Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, nahaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir na yatir va. He said like that, that... He is taking the varṇasrama-dharma: brahmaṇa kṣatriya vaisya sudra brahmacari grhastha vanaprastha... So Caitanya Mahaprabhu denied all these: "No, I am a not brahmaṇa, nor I am a sudra, nor am I grhastha, nor I am kṣatriya." "Then what You are?" Gopi-bhartuḥ; pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasaḥ;: [Cc. Madhya 13.80] "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Krṣṇa, who provides the gopis." This is our real identities.

So without understanding our real identification, if we remain intoxicated and wander within this wonderful universe... You cannot live. It is not that because you have settled up, "Now I am in America or India. Let me live here comfortably. I have got very good arrangement." But you will not be allowed to live, sir. You must have to change. You may make very good arrangement, but who is allowing to stay here. You will not be allowed to stay here. But they do not know. Intoxicated, because intoxicated. Everyone is thinking that "I shall stay forever. Let there be very big iron skyscraper building. I will be able to stay." But because intoxicated, he cannot understand that he will not be allowed to stay. You may simply spoil your energy. That's all. The energy which was given to you to understand God, you are spoiling that energy in skyscraper building, but you will not be allowed to stay. This is nature's law.

But the rascals, they do not know because they are intoxicated already by the nature's law, maya, and they are still being intoxicated, more drink liquor, more drink liquor, and go to hell.

Thank you very much. (end)

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