Pradyumna: "I have killed many boys, brahmaṇas, well-wishers, friends, parents, preceptors and brothers. Though I live millions of years, I will not be relieved from the hell that awaits me for all these sins."

Prabhupada:

bala-dvija-suhrn-mitra-
pitr-bhratr-guru-druhaḥ;
na me syan nirayan mokṣo
hy api varṣayutayutaiḥ;
[SB 1.8.49]

So according to Vedic civilization, special protection for children, brahmaṇas, women, and saintly persons, brahmaṇa comes (under) saintly person, special... And cow. Special protection. Bala-dvija-suhrn-mitra. Others, next, just like we chant the mantra: namo brahmaṇya-devaya go-brahmaṇa-hitaya ca. The first reference is given to the cows and the brahmaṇas. Why not others? There are so many animals, so many human beings. Why? Go-brahmaṇa-hitaya ca. This is to be noted. Unless in the society these two creatures are taken care of, that is not human society.

Dvija, dvija, especially meant the brahmaṇas, although dvija means brahmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaisya, because all of them are twice-born—once born by father and mother, and the next birth is by the spiritual master and spiritual knowledge. So therefore to specify especially the brahmaṇas, they are called dvija-sreṣṭha. Amongst the dvija, the most important dvija, the brahmaṇa. Of course, others, they are as good, provided they take instruction from the dvija-sreṣṭha. Dvija-sreṣṭha. Sreṣṭha means the best. Best of the dvijas.

ataḥ; pumbhir dvija-sreṣṭha
varṇasrama-vibhagasaḥ;
svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya
saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam
[SB 1.2.13]

So their welfare is first considered. Go-brahmaṇa-hitaya ca. Before that, go, cows, cows' protection. In the modern society they do not know even the preliminary knowledge of worshiping the Supreme Being by giving protection to the cows and the brahmaṇas.

Besides that, as soon as one is born, he becomes debtor to so many things.

devarṣi-bhutapta-nrṇaṁ pitṝṇaṁ
na kiṅkaro nayam rṇi ca rajan
sarvatmana yaḥ; saraṇaṁ saraṇyaṁ
gato mukundaṁ parihrtya kartam
[SB 11.5.41]

We become debtor to the demigods as soon as we are born on this earth. As a human being, not as cats and dogs. Cats and dogs, they are not debtor to anyone because they have no sense, nonsense. So first of all we become debtor to the demigods—the sun, moon, the Indra, Candra and many others. So how we become debtor? Because the sun is giving sunshine. We are taking advantage of the sunshine. Unless there was sunshine, you could not live even. Sunshine is so important. It is said that little this side or that side of the orbit of the sun makes the whole world frozen or blazing. Sun is so important thing. It has got an orbit. Yasyajñaya bhramati sambhrta-kala-cakro govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami. Sun is very powerful planet, very important planet, of all the other planets. Raja, it is the king of planets. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savita sakala-grahaṇaṁ raja: the sun is the king of all planets. Because without sun all planets will be frozen, or if the sun becomes too much bright, then everything will be ablaze. At the last stage of annihilation the whole universe will be ablaze by the scorching heat of the sun, and then there will be torrents of rain. For one hundred years the whole universe will remain ablaze. And then for one hundred years there will be heavy rain. In this way the creation will be annihilated.

So we are so much indebted to the sun, to the moon, to the heavenly king, because they are supplying our necessities. The Indra sends the cloud. By the electrical action... We have got experience. And the cloud gives you sufficient rain. Ghanavad vatarhit(?). Most munificent. The cloud gives you rain even where you do not require. On the hill you do not require, on the ocean you do not require, but when there is cloud, there is no miserly behavior. "Take even samudra, you take." Therefore one who is very charitable and munificent, he's compared with the cloud. If you want to sprinkle water even a few yards, you have to take so much trouble. But you see the cloud distributes rain like anything. More than sufficient. Even on the hill, even on the sea. So we are indebted to the demigods. Just like water department. You have to pay tax. Or the light department, you have to pay tax. If you don't pay the bill of the electrical department, it will be cut off, will be discontinued. But we are not paying any bill to the sun-god. Just see. We are taking advantage of the sunshine, but what payment we are paying? Nothing. Therefore this yajña is recommended. Saha-yajñaḥ; prajaḥ; srṣṭva, in the Bhagavad-gita it is said. Saha-yajñaḥ; prajaḥ; srṣṭva. You are born with the responsibility of performing yajña. If you perform yajña or if you perform sacrifice in the name of Surya, in the name of Candra, in the name of Indra, Vayu, then they will be pleased and will give you regular sunshine, regular moonshine, regular rain. Then you'll be happy. Therefore in the Vedas this deva-yajña is recommended.

But this yajña is performed not for satisfying the particular demigod. Even if you perform any yajña for satisfying the demigod, the Narayaṇa is situated there. The narayaṇa-sila, salagrama-sila is there whenever there is some yajña. Because He is the yajña-puruṣa. Actually, when you pay tax to the light department or water department, it is not that the director or the in-charge of the light department and water department takes that money. He does not take money. It goes to the government treasury. Similarly... Therefore it is said in the Bhagavad-gita,

ye 'py anya-devata-bhakta
yajante sraddhayanvitaḥ;
te 'pi mam eva kaunteya
yajanty avidhi-purvakam

Avidhi-purvakam. The tax department... There are different tax department, but if you pay the whole amount, government treasure making a bill for this department, this, this department, this, then automatically it will be distributed. Similarly the deva-yajña, to perform yajña in the name of the demigods, can all be performed in one yajña when you become Krṣṇa conscious. When you become... How? That is also stated in the sastra, that devarṣi-bhutapta-nrṇaṁ pitṝṇaṁ na kiṅkaro nayam rṇi ca rajan [SB 11.5.41]. Narada Muni says to Maharaja Yudhiṣṭhira that we have got so many due taxes to be paid to the devatas, demigods, because we are utilizing so many material elements controlled by different devatas. And then we are debtor to the rṣis. Ṛṣis means saintly person. Just like we are reading this Srimad-Bhagavatam. And who has given this Srimad-Bhagavatam? By Vyasadeva. So we are debtor. Vyasadeva has given us Srimad-Bhagavatam, mahamuni-krte kiṁ va parair isvaraḥ;. Srimad-Bhagavatam, it is made by Vyasadeva. So we are taking advantage of the knowledge, so we are so much indebted to Vyasadeva. We are indebted to the demigods, we are indebted to Vyasadeva or other rṣis. Manu-saṁhita, we are indebted to the great Manu. Viṁsati,(?) we are indebted to Parasara Muni. He has given dharma-sastra. In this way, there are so many Vedic literatures, and we take advantage of it. Therefore we must be indebted. Deva, rṣi, and bhuta. We are taking milk from the cows. Bhuta, apta. Apta, friends, relatives. We are taking advantage in the family from the father, from the mother, from the elderly brother, from the servant.

So in this way, you are all indebted. You cannot take any service from anyone without being indebted. You cannot take. You must be... So we are becoming entangled, complicated with indebtedness. That is called karma. If you don't pay bill, then you have to suffer. Then you have to suffer because you are taking simply. These rascals, they do not know. They are so much ungrateful. They are taking milk from the cows, and when the milk is no more supplied, "All right, send it to the slaughterhouse." Once he has taken milk, he's indebted; again, it is being killed by him. So how much he has become entangled in his karma he does not know. Muḍha. Duṣkrtino muḍhaḥ;.

Those who are addicted to commit sins, they are all muḍhas. They do not know. So therefore, because they are muḍhas and because they are duṣkrtina, they cannot understand Krṣṇa. The muḍhas and the duṣkrtinas, sinful men, they cannot understand. Therefore you'll find generally those who are too much lowborn, without any knowledge, without any pious activities, they are all atheist, godless. They cannot understand. How they will understand? Because they are muḍhas, naradhama. Naradhama means this life, human life, is an opportunity to understand how things are going on. But they do not take advantage. Naradhama, lowest of the mankind. Then you go to the learned, learned, mayayapahrta-jñanaḥ;, the so-called learned B.A.C., D.H.C., P.H.C., what is their learning? Simply the same thing. Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna: How to eat, how to sleep. Their learning, their education, is meant for how to eat, how to sleep. That's all. So that is also dog's business. Mayayapahrta-jñanaḥ; [Bg. 7.15]. Real knowledge is, education is, how things are going on within this nature. Janmady asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1]. So they are not interested in these things. Education means "How to get one service so that I can get salary and I may live very comfortably and my wife, my children..." The same thing, dog's business. Dog is also interested only for eating, for having sex with another female dog, and get every six months half a dozen kitties(?). Like that. This is not... Therefore, mayayapahrta-jñanaḥ;. Even they are so-called educated, their real knowledge is taken away. Real knowledge is to inquire about the Absolute Truth, athato brahma jijñasa. So in this way we are going on.

So Yudhiṣṭhira Maharaja said, bala-dvija. He says bala-dvija-suhrn-mitra. We should not go against them. Bala, yena bala na partita(?). Caṇakya Paṇḍita says that, mata satru pita vairi yena bala na partita.(?) The mother is enemy and the father is enemy who does not take care of the children, how to educate them how to become God conscious, how to become Krṣṇa conscious. He's enemy. So any father and mother who has not given education for spiritual advancement of life, he's enemy, he's not father and mother. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja saw, himself, the father being killed. Why? Because he was against Krṣṇa consciousness. He was against Krṣṇa consciousness. Father being killed. Similarly, suhrt mitra. Just like Vibhiṣaṇa. Vibhiṣaṇa is Ravaṇa's brother. But he complicated himself in the plan how Ravaṇa should be killed with Ramacandra. Ramacandra... He made a..., that "This, my brother, should be killed." Suhrt mitra.

So there are many instances. Bali Maharaja. Bali Maharaja he rejected his spiritual master: "Oh, you are nonsense. You cannot become my spiritual master." Because why? That Sukracarya, when Bali Maharaja was going to promise, so Sukracarya advised, "Don't promise anything. He is Viṣṇu. He has come as dwarf to take everything from you." Then Bali Maharaja found that "This is a foolish man." This Sukracarya, Sukracarya means jata-gosai, by semina they become acarya. The semina. That is the, in India, guru-vaṁsa. Guru-vaṁsa, guru means spiritual master. The spiritual master, vaṁsa. That is disciplic succession. Evaṁ parampara, that is guru-vaṁsa, not by semina. That is going on. The Sukracarya: "This is my guru's family." Guru's family... "He has begotten a child, so something must be given. His credit is he's begotten child. Therefore something must be given." So this is going on, Sukracarya. So Sukracarya was rejected by Bali Maharaja, Sukracarya. "No, this family guru or the jata-gosai, no." Real guru. So why rejected? When Sukracarya was thinking that "This man Bali is going to give everything to Viṣṇu. Here is Vamana. Then how I shall live? Because I get something from this man, and I live. So if he's going to give everything to Viṣṇu, then what is our position? We shall starve." That is their business only, how to exploit the disciple and take money from him and fill up the belly. That is Sukracarya's business. Therefore Bali Maharaja rejected, "No, no, I don't want you." So there are many instances. Svajana-tyaga. The gopis, when they were going to Krṣṇa, they, all the svajana, their brother, the husband, their sons and everyone forbade, "Oh, where you are going, where you are going?" Or the yajñika brahmaṇas' patni, they also did not care for Krṣṇa.

Therefore the conclusion is that you can be freed from the debts of devarṣi-bhutapta-nrṇaṁ pitṝṇaṁ nayam rṇi na kiṅkaraḥ; [SB 11.5.41]. Who? Sarvatmana ye saraṇaṁ saraṇyaṁ gato mukundaṁ parihrtya kartam. One who has taken full shelter of Krṣṇa, sarvatmana, without any reservation, he's no more rṇi. He's no more. He's fully liquidated. How? Krṣṇa says,

sarva-dharman parityajya
mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvaṁ sarva-papebhyo
mokṣayiṣyami ma sucaḥ;
[Bg. 18.66]

"If you think that without liquidating the debts of so many persons, devata, rṣi, bhuta, apta, general people, if you think by simply surrendering to Me you will be liable to punishment for not paying bills to so many persons," Krṣṇa assures, ma sucaḥ;: "don't bother, I'll give you protection."

So from the material point of view, everyone must be prepared to pay, to take protection. But does it mean that if one becomes devotee he becomes irresponsible? No. These things automatically come. Just like we are giving protection to the children. So many children are here. Why? What is the aim? The aim is that we want to see that everyone becomes Krṣṇa conscious. That automatically comes, to take care of the children, to give them education, to give them food, to give them shelter. That is real protection. And simply to give them... Just like in Western countries they feed the children with powdered flesh, mixed with water, boiled, and push with the spoon, and... They become fatty, of course. But that is not really maintaining the children, that is not really. Sastra says that unless you save him from the imminent danger of death, then there is no protection. What is this protection? Suppose if you make your child very fatty. Does it mean because he's fat, he is very strong, therefore he'll not die? He'll die. Where is your protection from the death? Therefore sastra says, pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat, na mocayed yaḥ; samupeta-mrtyum. One should not become father or mother... That is real contraceptive method. If one is Krṣṇa conscious, then he knows that "What is the use of producing some children like cats and dogs? What is the use? If I produce any children, then they must be Krṣṇa conscious so that this will be their last birth." Because if you become Krṣṇa conscious then there is no more birth. Tyaktva dehaṁ punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. You send to Krṣṇa, back to home—that is required. Father, mother, guardian's duty is to educate the wards, subordinates, in such a way that he becomes fully Krṣṇa conscious and so that he can be saved from this repetition of birth and death.

So this is... First duty is to give protection to the bala-dvija. But Yudhiṣṭhira Maharaja is thinking that he has killed so many boys. The other party, there were grandson of Maharaja Yudhiṣṭhira, sons... Brother's son or own son, the same thing. The big family. So he has killed so many balas. And dvija, Droṇacarya was a brahmaṇa. He also killed him in the battle. Bala-dvija, and suhrt, Karṇa was friend, or there were many other friends who joined. So he has killed suhrt mitra, friend. And pitrn, just like grandfather or Droṇacarya, Krpacarya, they were killed. They were just like father's age, grandfather's age, pitrn. Gurun: Droṇacarya was guru, spiritual master, teacher in military science. Druhaḥ;. So he was thinking like that. But the real point he was missing, that whatever he has done, it has been done under the instruction of Krṣṇa. Therefore, for ordinary men this is a great sin. For sense gratification, if we kill so many persons, we are liable. But so far the Paṇḍavas are concerned, they did not do it for their sense gratification. They did it for Krṣṇa. Therefore whatever they had done, that was right. Otherwise, ordinarily, one becomes responsible both ways.

Just like this bali-dana. Bali-dana, before the goddess Kali, if it is done properly, then the goat which is sacrificed before the goddess Kali, it gets immediately a human body which would have taken so many years, millions of years to come to the, but because it is being sacrificed, that is the Vedic mantra. Therefore, but this man who is killing, he has to become goat to be sacrificed by this goat having taken birth as human being. Therefore it is called karma-bandha. Yajñarthe karmaṇaḥ; anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ;. So there are rules and regulations. So his only aim is to eat some meat. So he can take this risk. You eat meat, but give the, what is called, facility (to) the animals to become human being immediately after death. That facility is given to (indistinct), so that he can also take advantage of... Maṁsa. Sa maṁ khadati iti maṁsaḥ;. So these things are there. Na me syan nirayan mokṣaḥ;. There was a king who killed so many animals for sacrifice. So when he was entering heaven... I forgot the name, famous king. So many souls were ready for killing him, because he killed so many animals. So therefore it is said, ordinarily, nirayan mokṣaḥ;. We have to take responsibility for all this, nirayan mokṣaḥ;. Why? Hy api varṣayutayutaiḥ;. Ayuta, ten hundred thousand million.

So this is karma-cakra. We are getting some opportunity and making our next life. In this way it is called karma-cakra. Yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti [Bs. 5.54]. Everyone is enjoying the result of his past karma. Who? Now, from, beginning from that King Indra, the heavenly king, very powerful, exalted position. That Indra, and there is an insect which is called indra-gopa. Yas tv indra... Indra-gopam maha-indra. Beginning from this insect known as indra and up to that Indra, everyone is bound up by his karma-phala. That is called destiny. Everyone is bound up.

yas tv indra-gopam athavendram aho sva-karma-
bandhanurupa-phala-bhajanam atanoti
karmaṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajaṁ
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.54]

Those who have taken, fully surrendered to Krṣṇa, bhakti-bhajam, karmaṇi nirdahati, their karma, nirdahati, means as far as possible the result is diminished or practically made nil. Even it is there, karma-phala, very slight. Just like the example is just like one is condemned to be murdered by somebody by cutting his head, but by Krṣṇa's grace he may be saved from cutting the head. Suppose there is some accident by knife in the hand. They are calculated like that. And generally, a devotee is completely relieved from all karma-phala. So ordinarily, we are indebted to so many persons, not only bala, dvija, gopa, but rṣi, and the devatas. We have to take care of it. But if we become fully surrendered to Krṣṇa, sarvatmana ye saraṇaṁ saraṇyaṁ gato mukundam. Not any other demigods. Mukundam. Mukundam means... Muk means liberation. So one who gives liberation. Gato mukundaṁ parihrtya kartam. So one who takes full shelter of Mukunda, Krṣṇa, then He's freed from all this indebtedness to so many persons.

So this is our duty, to surrender fully to Krṣṇa and be saved from the reaction of so many sinful activities in our past life.

Thank you very much. Hare Krṣṇa. (end)

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