Prabhupada: ...viṣvaksena-kathasu yaḥ;. (aside:) What is that sound? Notpadayed yadi ratiṁ srama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]. Yesterday we discussed the verse,

sa vai puṁsaṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]

One gentleman was talking with me in my room how there can be perfect peace of mind. That we discussed yesterday. Yaya atma suprasidati. Prasidati means satisfied, fully satisfied. And suprasidati. Farther, specifically prasidati. How?

sa vai puṁsaṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
[SB 1.2.6]

This is the process, to develop our love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So we do not know. We have got the propensity to love. Love means somebody else. Love cannot be done or love cannot be executed only one, personally. There must be another one. I love somebody; somebody loves me. So as soon as there is question of love, there must be lover, there must be beloved, and the transaction, then love. Prema. Prema pum-artho mahan. So we have got this loving propensity, to love somebody, to love my family. First of all, love begins from family—father, mother, brother, sister. Then you extend your love to your society, to your community, then to your nation. Or you can extend to the international. You can expand. But what is the end? You can expand yourself, but unless you come to the point of loving the Supreme Person, you cannot have tranquillity or peace of mind. That is the secret. Just like watering the tree. You can water, pour water on the leaves, on the branches, on the twigs, on the flowers, each and every one very particularly. But if you forget to water on the root, then everything is spoiled. Time is spoiled.

This is the sastra's direction. Yatha taror mula-niṣecanena trpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopasakhaḥ; [SB 4.31.14]. Very practical example. Just like watering, pouring water on the root of the tree, automatically you please the branches, the twigs, the leaves, the flowers, the fruits and everything. Immediately the watering energy is transformed to every part of the tree. It is practical. There is no argument. And another example is given. Praṇopaharac ca yathendriyaṇam. You give food to the stomach, and the energy will be distributed to all the parts of your body. If you want to serve separately, two sweetmeats to the two eyes and two sweetmeats to ears, in this way, it will be simply useless waste of time. Simply one sweetmeat, if you put into the stomach, and immediately you will feel some energy which will be enjoyed by your eyes, by your ears, by your nose, your hands, your legs, your hair, everything. This is the process.

So we have manufactured so many types of love except God. This is our defect. As soon as there is the name of God, "Oh, you go to Calcutera.(?) Not here." This is the position. People are so much avers. And our sastra says that when you forget God or when you are not religious... Religious means to become devotee of God. That is religion, very simple thing. Religion does not mean the ritualistic ceremonies, that "My religion, the ritualistic is this. In your religion the ritualistic is this." That may be different according to time, according to the men, according to the country, climate. That may be little different. Just like we are eating. Somebody is eating, somebody, somebody is eating something, somebody is eating. But the eating process and to derive the benefit by eating is the same everywhere. There is no difference. So you may profess any religion. That doesn't matter. You may become Christian, you may become Hindu, you may become Buddhist, you may become Sikh or anyone. There are hundreds and thousands of types of religion. It doesn't matter. But the test is whether you have learned to love God. That is all right. Then it is all right.

That is explained. Sa vai puṁsaṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje [SB 1.2.6]. If you have learned to love God, then it doesn't matter what type of religion you are following. The Bhagavata is very liberal. It does not say it, "If you follow Hindu religion or if you follow this type of religion, then you will understand God." No. Any religion, it doesn't matter. But the test is whether you have advanced in loving God. But if we see that instead of loving God, you are loving something else which is not God... Of course, God is everything. That is another thing. Without God, there cannot be anything. But still, there is the central point. It is described in the Bhagavad-gita that because everything is the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but everything is not God... That is explained. Maya tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-murtina [Bg. 9.4]. Krṣṇa says that "I am expanded in My impersonal feature everywhere. But I am not there." It is very simple to understand. Just like the sunshine. The sunshine is expanded all over the universe. But if you are in the sunshine, you cannot say that "I am in the sun planet." No, that is not. Sun planet is 93,000,000's miles away. But the sunshine is not different from the sun. That is also fact. But still, you cannot say, because the sunshine has entered in your room, you cannot say that "I am in direct connection with the sun-god or the sun planet." No.

This is called acintya-bhedabheda philosophy: "simultaneously, inconceivably, one and different." So everything is God. That is a fact. And still, everything is not God. That is also fact. So we have to understand this philosophy. Everything is God. Without God's energy... The same thing, that the whole material world is existing on the sunshine. All scientists know it. But at the same time, the sunshine is different and nondifferent from the sun. Similarly, whatever we are experiencing, that is energy of God. Brahmaṇaḥ; saktiḥ;. These are energies of God, tathedam akhilaṁ jagat, the whole creation, cosmic manifestation. But when there is question of love, you have to find out the origin of this energy. That is Krṣṇa.

Krṣṇa says,

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ; sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matva bhajante maṁ
budha bhava-samanvitaḥ;
[Bg. 10.8]

When one understands that everything is coming... That is the Vedanta-sutras. Janmady asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1]. Athato brahma jijñasa: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." And what is that Brahman, brahma-jijñasa? Immediate answer is janmady asya yataḥ;: [SB 1.1.1] "Brahman, or the Absolute Truth, is that from which or from whom everything has emanated." That answer is there, the meaning of Brahma-sutra, in the Bhagavad-gita. Because we have (to) find out what is that Absolute Truth, wherefrom everything is emanating, everything has come into existence. The answer is there in the Bhagavad-gita. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ; sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. One who knows this secret... Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ;: "I am the origin of everything." Mattaḥ; sarvaṁ pravartate: "Everything emanates from Me. Everything comes from Me." Iti matva: "One who has understood this fact," iti matva bhajante mam, "then he engages himself in the service of the Lord." Why? Budhaḥ;: "They are actually in understanding." And budha bhava-samanvitaḥ;. "Oh, Krṣṇa is the origin." That is repeated in another place. Bahunaṁ janmanam ante jñanavan maṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Not easily. To actually, to understand Krṣṇa... In another place it is said,

manuṣyaṇaṁ sahasreṣu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanaṁ
kascin maṁ vetti tattvataḥ;
[Bg. 7.3]

"Out of many thousands of people, millions of people," sahasraṇam... Sahasraṇam means many thousands times of thousands. So a man tries to become siddha. Siddha means perfect. What is that perfection? The perfection means to stop this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is perfection. This is perfection. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duḥ;kha-doṣanu... [Bg. 13.9].

Everyone is trying to be perfect. The whole struggle of existence is going on all over the world, how to become perfect. So that perfection ideal is different of different persons. Somebody is thinking that "If I have a nice bungalow and a nice bank balance and nice wife and children and family, then my life is perfect." Somebody is thinking that "If I can make my country very happy in comparison to other countries, then it is happy..." So there are different types of perfection. But actual perfection is... They do not know. That is indicated, that I am... Because I have been described, I am the soul. I am not this body. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe [Bg. 2.13]. Within this body there is the dehi. Dehi means the proprietor of this body. So that dehi, he is, tatha dehantara-praptiḥ;, he is changing from one body to another. One body... Just like we have got experience in this life also, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood. As we are changing, past and present, therefore after this body is annihilated, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20], I am not annihilated; I take another body. That body... What kind of body? That will depend on my work. Just like we become diseased. As we infect certain type of disease, we suffer from that disease. This is practical. Nature's law is there. If you infect some disease, you will have to suffer from that disease. Similarly, as we are creating our mentality by different types of activities, our next life will be according to that mentality. This is the law of nature.

But we do not know. Prakrteḥ; kriyamaṇani guṇaiḥ; karmaṇi sarvasaḥ; [Bg. 3.27]. Actually, prakrti, nature, is pulling us according to our desire, or according to our... The desire is contamination, the mental contamination. And we are creating different types of body. So our real suffering is the transmigration from one body to another. That we do not know. There is no scientist... But it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, tatha dehantara-praptiḥ; [Bg. 2.13]. You have to accept. And that is explained in other places, in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Karmaṇa daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti [SB 3.31.1]. As you are creating the situation... In the Bhagava d-gita it is also stated, yaṁ yaṁ vapi smaran bhavaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of your death, the situation which you have created, it will carry you. Because mind is there. Mind is subtle. Intelligence is subtle. That mind, intelligence and ego. The subtle body is there. The gross body is lost. But the subtle body will take you to another gross body. It will take to the womb of another mother. And according to your karma, the mother's..., by the mother's help you will get a body, and duly you will come out and begin your work. This is nature's process. It is going on.

prakrteḥ; kriyamaṇani
guṇaiḥ; karmaṇi sarvasaḥ;
ahaṅkara-vimuḍhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

Ahaṅkara. But one who is puffed up with false ego, that "I am this," "I am that," "I am big man," "I am small man," but he does not know how prakrti is working... You may be very big man in this life. That does not mean that you will remain a big man in the next life. You may be bigger or you may be smaller, according, karmaṇa, what you are doing. The same example: Suppose you are prime minister, but if you have contaminated some disease, you must suffer. It is not that nature will excuse you, "Oh, you are prime minister. You have infected this disease, and you will not suffer." No. You have to.

So it is the question of creating the mind, the intelligence. Therefore if you constantly keep yourself, your mind, absorbed in Krṣṇa, then you get next time, next life, a body like Krṣṇa, which means sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Isvaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇaḥ; sac-cid-ananda-vigrahaḥ; [Bs. 5.1]. Krṣṇa's body is not like us. But we think that Krṣṇa is like us. That is also condemned in the Bhagavad-gita: avajananti maṁ muḍha manuṣiṁ tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. "The rascal fools, they think Me as ordinary human being." They, all the big, big acaryas of our country, Saṅkaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, many, many big, big stalwarts, they have accepted, krṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Are they fools that they are worshiping a human being? Are they fools, so big, big scholars, stalwarts? No. Only the fools consider that Krṣṇa is ordinary human being. He comes to give us lesson what is actually God. God is Krṣṇa. Krṣṇas tu bhagavan svayam. Therefore it is His mercy that He comes before us to show what is actually God. But Krṣṇa says, avajananti maṁ muḍha manuṣim... [Bg. 9.11]. Somebody says, "Well, God, why God will come? He is so big. Why He will come?" But why He will not come? If He is so big, why you restrict Him not to come? If He is very big, is it under your laws that He will not come? If He is very big, then He has the freedom to come. You cannot restrict.

Therefore Krṣṇa says, sambhavamy atma-mayaya: [Bg. 4.6] "Under My own laws I come." Not that by your laws. Just like as we go somewhere, sometimes we are put into the prison house, not by my personal law, by the law of the state. Similarly, this is a prison house. This whole universe, material universe, is a prison house. There is no freedom. We are thinking that we are free, but actually, nobody has got freedom. A little contamination of disease, immediately you are diseased. Where is your freedom? If you eat a little more than you can digest, immediately there is disease. So where is your freedom? So therefore we are called conditioned soul. Prakrteḥ; kriyamaṇani [Bg. 3.27]. Prakrti is taking care of. In another place Krṣṇa says,

isvaraḥ; sarva-bhutanaṁ
hrd-dese 'rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantraruḍhani mayaya
[Bg. 18.61]

The maya has given this vehicle, this body, and we are put into this. And Krṣṇa, or Isvara, or the Paramatma, is also within this body. So as you wanted in your past life, Krṣṇa has given you through the agency of maya a type of body, and you are moving according to your desire. This is called karmaṇa daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1]. Therefore we have to understand this subtle knowledge.

But in the modern educational system, there is no such thing, although the Bhagavad-gita is there and it is the property of India, at least... Because it was spoken, the science of Bhagavad-gita... It was spoken long, long ago—that is stated in the Bhagavad-gita—in the sun planet.

imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ
proktavan aham avyayam
vivasvan manave praha
manur ikṣvakave 'bravit
[Bg. 4.1]

Everything is there. How important this Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krṣṇa consciousness. Krṣṇa consciousness movement means we are not manufacturing anything by our fertile brain. No. We don't create anything. We simply repeat, but we try to explain for modern understanding. That's all. Otherwise there is no question of manufacturing. Because nobody can manufacture the perfect knowledge, because we are all imperfect. Our senses are imperfect. However we may be learned, but the senses are imperfect. Therefore we cannot give perfect knowledge. Perfect knowledge can be received from higher authorities. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita (it is) said,

evaṁ parampara-praptam
imaṁ rajarṣayo viduḥ;
sa kaleneha mahata
yogo naṣṭaḥ; parantapa
[Bg. 4.2]

As soon as the process of receiving perfect knowledge is lost, then the original purpose is lost.

So it becomes sometimes lost. When the parampara system... Just like nowadays, everyone is proud of reading Bhagavad-gita, but he interprets in his own way. Everyone is at liberty to interpret Bhagavad-gita as he likes. That is the modern proposal. So there are 664 editions of Bhagavad-gita. Everyone is commenting in his own way. I have heard that there is one doctor, some rele(?). He has interpreted Bhagavad-gita as the talks between a patient and a physician. You see? So this is going on. Everyone whimsically, he is interpreting. Sometimes in our country also, we see that Mahatma Gandhi wanted to interpret Bhagavad-gita as nonviolence. It is very difficult to prove, because Bhagavad-gita is spoken in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. (laughs) So how you can prove nonviolence? So it is a difficult job. So that is not the process of understanding Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita is to be understood, as our Swamiji immediately talked, that it has to be received from the parampara system.

So Krṣṇa said to Arjuna that at the present moment the parampara system is now lost. Yogo naṣṭaḥ; parantapa. Sa kaleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ; parantapa. "It is the parampara system has been lost because there have been so many interpretation, wrong interpretation. Therefore I am selecting you to make again parampara." Bhakto 'si sakha ceti. "Why You are entrusting me? I am not a Vedantist. I am not a sannyasi. I am not very learned scholar. I am military man. So why You are trying to give the instruction of Bhagavad-gita unto me?" This question may be raised. Because Arjuna was a family man. He was not a sannyasi, neither he was a Vedantist. A military man is not expected to become a Vedantist. Kṣatriya, he knows how to fight. And Krṣṇa says that "I will speak to you." Why? Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: [Bg. 4.3] "You are My dear friend. Therefore I shall tell you." So this is the process of understanding: you have to become dear friend of Krṣṇa. Then you will understand Bhagavad-gita. Otherwise, for thousands of years you may go on reading Bhagavad-gita; you will not learn even a word of it. That is the secret. Evaṁ parampara-praptam imaṁ rajarṣayo viduḥ; [Bg. 4.2].

So our business is... We are teaching Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam as it is spoken by the authorities. We don't add anything or subtract anything. Krṣṇa says man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji maṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. This is the process. Man-manaḥ;: "You always think of Me." And we say, "Chant Hare Krṣṇa." Hare Krṣṇa, Hare Krṣṇa, Krṣṇa Krṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama... If you chant somebody's name, your friend's name or your relative's, immediately you remember the person. It is not very difficult. If you hear in the telephone somebody speaking, as soon as you hear the voice, you can understand, the other side, the person is there. So the chanting process means to always think of Krṣṇa, twenty-four hours. Caitanya Mahaprabhu advises kirtaniyaḥ; sada hariḥ; [Cc. Adi 17.31]. And what is the benefit? The benefit is, because Krṣṇa is the supreme pure, you become purified. Just like if you remain with the fire, you become warm, warmer, warmer, warmer. Just like in the fire you put one iron rod. It becomes warmer, warmer. At the end the iron rod becomes red-hot. And when it is red-hot, it is no more iron rod; it is fire. You touch everywhere; it will burn. The same process. If you remain with Krṣṇa always, you get Krṣṇa's quality. You have got the quality because you are part and parcel of Krṣṇa. If Krṣṇa is gold, you are part and parcel of Krṣṇa; therefore you are also gold. But at the present moment, as the gold is covered by dirt, at the present moment we are spirit soul, we are part and parcel of Krṣṇa, as good as Krṣṇa, but we have been covered by this material body. Therefore we have to take out ourself from this material body. That is called siddhi, that is called perfection.

So manuṣyaṇaṁ sahasreṣu kascid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Nobody knows how to become perfect. They are struggling very hard to become perfect individually, socially, nationally. But how they can be perfect? They do not know what is perfection. This is perfection. Tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. If you do not take another material..., and do not accept another material body, this is the final..., that is perfection. That is perfection. That is the injunction of the sastra: na mocayed yaḥ; samupeta-mrtyum, gurur na sa syat pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat. These are the injunction of the sastra. "Don't try to become a guru or don't try to accept a so-called guru." Who? Who cannot save you from this repetition of birth and death. This is the injunction. Not that "Guru has given me some mantra. I am now a poor man. I become very rich man." No. That is not. Real purpose of life—how to get out of this repetition of birth and death. That is wanted.

So that is very simple method. If you become Krṣṇa conscious, if you develop Krṣṇa consciousness, you understand... By Krṣṇa consciousness means you understands what is Krṣṇa. Otherwise, if we superficially try to understand Krṣṇa, we will understand Krṣṇa is an ordinary human being. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Sukadeva Gosvami is remarking. When Krṣṇa is playing with the cowherds boys, he is describing, itthaṁ brahma-sukhanu...

itthaṁ sataṁ brahma-sukhanubhutya
dasyaṁ gatanaṁ para-daivatena
mayasritanaṁ nara-darakeṇa
sakaṁ vijahruḥ; krta-puṇya-puñjaḥ;
[SB 10.12.11]

"These boys who are playing with Krṣṇa, they are ordinary cowherd boys." Krta-puṇya-puñjaḥ;. Krta-puṇya-puñjaḥ; means they acquired volumes of the result of pious activities. Now they have been allowed to play with Krṣṇa. And who is this Krṣṇa? Itthaṁ sataṁ brahma-sukhanubhutya. This boy Krṣṇa, He is the target of the brahma-sukha, brahma-sukhanubhutya. He is the worshipable Lord of the devotees. Dasyaṁ gatanaṁ para-daivatena. And mayasritanaṁ nara-darakeṇa. Those who are mayasrita, within the clutches of maya, they are thinking He's an ordinary boy. But He is not an ordinary boy. So by Krṣṇa consciousness, by constantly thinking of Krṣṇa, as Krṣṇa advises, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji maṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], if you dovetail your whole life to these principles, thinking of Krṣṇa, man-manaḥ;, to become devotee of Krṣṇa, mad-bhakta, mad-yaji, to worship Krṣṇa and to simply... If you cannot do anything, either four or one if you can do... If you simply come and offer your obeisances to Krṣṇa, you are getting the benefit. Krṣṇa says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji maṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. The navadha-bhakti, sravaṇaṁ kirtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ; smaraṇaṁ pada-sevanam [SB 7.5.23]. In this way, if you remain touched with Krṣṇa, that is the perfection. Some way or other you remain touch with in Krṣṇa. These are the process. Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktaḥ;. Sravaṇaṁ kirtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ;. Viṣṇu and Krṣṇa are the same. You have to hear.

But people do not know the science, neither this science is taught in any school, college or university. But although the science is there, it is so neglected. Although it is the culture of India, the best culture of India, but unfortunately, we are bereft of this. This is our position. So we are making little our teeny effort, how to make people happy. Our only business is to make people happy. We have no other desire. We don't say that "You give us some money in exchange of your Krṣṇa consciousness." No. That is not our business. We are not merchants. We are spreading this Krṣṇa consciousness free of charge. We are engaged servant of Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa will provide us. Krṣṇa will provide us. Krṣṇa says, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahamy aham, teṣaṁ nityabhiyuktanam [Bg. 9.22]. Those who are engaged in the service of Krṣṇa, they have no problem. There is no problem because Krṣṇa is their protector. So one must have... Now you will be surprised to know that our this Krṣṇa consciousness movement, our monthly cost is eight lakhs of rupees, all over the world. But Krṣṇa is providing us. We have got simple a few books and we are selling. You will be surprised. We are selling 30-to 40,000 rupees per day. So we have no problem. Because we believe. If I serve to a ordinary man, he gives some salary. He gives some food. And we are engaged in service of Krṣṇa, we shall starve? No. We have got that confidence.

So our only request is that it is a great science. Don't neglectfully take it. It is the real problem of life. We say that you live peacefully, happily, but don't risk your life. Don't risk your life. Just like a man is living very nicely, very good post, very good money, but if he is doing something criminal, then what is his next life? He is put into jail. Just like in America, Mr. Nixon. He was president, everything. Now everything is at risk. So we say that you become Nixon, you become prime minister, you become everything. We don't say... You make your profit, like that. But don't risk your life. That is our proposition. If after this life you are prime minister, you are very big man, and next life, if you become a dog, then what is the profit of your life? Srama eva... That is explained here:

dharmaḥ; svanuṣṭhitaḥ; puṁsaṁ
viṣvaksena-kathasu yaḥ;
notpadayed yadi ratiṁ
srama eva hi kevalam
[SB 1.2.8]

You do your work, duty. Dharma means duty. You are very dutiful. Do your duty nicely, but see by executing your duty whether you are developing your love for Krṣṇa. That is the criterion. If it is not done so, if you are in the blindness, then it is said that notpadayed yadi ratim. If you do not become attracted by Krṣṇa or Krṣṇa consciousness, then, srama eva hi kevalam, simply you are wasting time.

So our propaganda is that do everything, but don't waste your time. Make improvement. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: yanti deva-vrata devan pitṝn yanti pitr-vrataḥ; [Bg. 9.25]. Just like by evolutionary process you have come to this human form of body, you can make farther improvement. You can do to other planets. There are many, many other planets where thousand times better standard of life is there. We cannot go. We are so conditioned. Although we are seeing all the planets, the sun planet, moon planet... They are trying to go to the moon planet, but that's a failure. So you cannot go in that way. There is process: yanti deva-vrata devan. If you want to go there, then deva-vrata, you have to worship that deva. Similarly, if you worship Krṣṇa, you can go to the Goloka Vrndavana planet. Mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam [Bg. 9.25]. So if you have to prepare your next life, so why not prepare to go back to Krṣṇa, yad gatva na nivartante [Bg. 15.6], wherefrom you haven't got to come back again to accept a material body? Tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9]. These thing are there in the Bhagavad-gita. Why don't you study and understand? They are very good, good scholars, but they do not know what is next life. They are so good scholar, they are reading Bhagavad-gita three hundred times, but they do not know what is the next life. This is their study.

So this verse is very important. It is quoted from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Dharmaḥ; svanuṣṭhitaḥ;. Dharma means... I do not wish to take your more time. Dharma means your occupational duty. Dharma means it is a fanaticism. That is not. That is not the meaning of dharma. The meaning of dharma, in English, it is called "religion." And religion is a kind of faith. So faith may be wrong or right. That is not dharma. Dharma means your constitutional position and duty. That is called dharma. Just like the other day I explained. Just like chili should be pungent, sugar must be sweet, this is the idea. Water must be liquid. A stone must be solid. This is the dharma. You cannot say "liquid stone." No. That is not dharma. As soon as you say "stone," it must be solid. As soon as you say "water," it must be liquid. So this liquidity and water, the liquidity is the dharma of water. The solidity, or dharma... Similarly, we have got a dharma. We are forgotten now what is our dharma. The dharma is... Here it is stated, dharmaḥ; svanuṣṭhitaḥ; puṁsaṁ viṣ... [SB 1.2.8]. How to awaken our consciousness to understand Krṣṇa, that is real dharma. Sa vai puṁsaṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje [SB 1.2.6]. This is the description of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

So there is no question of the created dharma. Therefore Bhagavata says, dharmaḥ; projjhita-kaitavaḥ; atra: "Cheating type of dharma is completely rejected." Real dharma is to know our relationship with God. Our relationship with God is that He is the Supreme Prabhu, the Supreme, and we are aṇu.

nityo nityanaṁ cetanas cetananam
eko bahunaṁ yo vidadhati kaman
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)

That is our relationship. God is also a person like us. We are also persons. Nityanam, cetananam. We are also living entities, and God is also a living entity, a person. But what is the difference? The difference is God is maintaining everyone, and we are being maintained. That is the difference. We are all persons. Just like father in the family. Father is also a person, and the children, they are also persons. But what is the difference? The father maintains. Similarly, we are all children of God, children of Krṣṇa. He is the maintainer. So what is our duty? To feel obliged. That is our duty. That is dharma. Not that you manufacture some dharma, type. Real dharma is you try to understand what is your relationship with God and then act accordingly. Your life is perfect. Therefore Krṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gita, janma karma me divyaṁ yo janati tattvataḥ; [Bg. 4.9]. You have to understand Krṣṇa tattvataḥ;, in truth. Then as soon as you understand Krṣṇa in truth... That is the real criterion. If you do not understand Krṣṇa in truth, simply superficially, then that is not perfection. That is not perfect knowledge. [break] ...parampara. Then your life is perfect. Tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma [Bg. 4.9]. That is perfection, if you, if after giving up this body, no more accepting material body. You go back to home, back to God, in your spiritual body. You have got your spiritual body. That is within this body. Just like within this garment or within your coat, your real body is within the coat, so this body is just like coat, and the subtle body is just like shirt. And as a gentleman is within the coat and shirt, real body, similarly, the spiritual body is within this material gross body and subtle body. If you can get out of this material gross and subtle body, you realize, then you go back to home, back to Godhead. Tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam... [Bg. 15.6]. Everything is there.

Therefore our request is that you read Bhagavad-gita, try to understand Bhagavad-gita as it is. Don't interpret in a foolish way. Everything is clear. There is no need of interpretation. The foolish people simply unnecessarily interpret. Everything is clear. Where is the difficulty to understand when Krṣṇa says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji maṁ namaskuru... [Bg. 18.65]? But one scholar is saying, "Yes, this is not to Krṣṇa the person." Krṣṇa says that "You become My devotee," and the scholar says, "It is not to Krṣṇa." This is interpretation. This is going on, simply misleading people. You take Bhagavad-gita as it is and try... (end)

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