Prabhupada: Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Six, Chapter One, verse number seven. (devotees repeat:)

sri suka uvaca
na cet ihaiva apacitiṁ yatha aṁhasaḥ;
krtasya kuryan mana-ukta-paṇibhiḥ;
dhruvaṁ sa vai pretya narakan upaiti
ye kirtita me bhavatas tigma-yatanaḥ;
[SB 6.1.7]

So Sukadeva Gosvami said, "My dear King, if before one's next death whatever impious acts one has performed in this life with the mind, words and body are not counteracted through the proper atonement according to the description of the Manu-saṁhita and other dharma-sastras, one will certainly enter the hellish planets after death and undergo terrible suffering, as I have previously described to you."

So atonement is prescribed in every scripture. Even in Christian Bible there is atonement. So in other scriptures also there is atonement. Just like a man who has committed murder, he must die. "Life for life." This is atonement. When the government punishes a murderer with capital punishment, death, that is a mercy upon him. That punishment is accepted practically all over the world from time immemorial. So there must be atonement. So if a person who has committed murder, killed somebody else, then if he is punished by death, then the sinful activities which he has committed, that is counteracted. Otherwise he will have to suffer next life very severely, four times. So people do not believe even in the next life, and what to speak of atonement and punishment. They are kept in darkness. Otherwise they would have been... If they would have followed actually the injunction of the sastras... First of all one should not be killing anyone. In the Bible also it is said, "Thou shall not kill." Why it is forbidden? Because if he kills, he'll have to suffer. But they do not care for it. Therefore they suffer.

So Sukadeva Gosvami said that "Whatever punishment I have described in the Fifth Canto on account of different sinful activities, one has to suffer that unless he commits..., unless he performs atonement." This is the... Na ced ihaivapacitiṁ yathaṁhasaḥ; krtasya kuryan mana-ukta-paṇibhiḥ;. We can commit sinful activities in different ways. Mana, even by mind, we can commit sinful activities. If I contemplate something sinful by my mind, then we become affected. Therefore we must keep always sinless. Kaya-mana-vakya. This sannyasa tridaṇḍa... There are three rods within the stick or the cover, three daṇḍas. Not three, four. Three is kaya—body, mind, kaya, mana, and words, and one he is personally. Therefore there are four sticks within the daṇḍa. Those who have taken sannyasa, they know it. The idea is that "I surrender to my spiritual master or Krṣṇa." Spiritual master is identical with Krṣṇa because he gives true knowledge. Therefore he is as good as God. Sakṣad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata **. A spiritual master is considered directly as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sakṣad. Sakṣad means directly. Why? Because he is jñana-prada. He gives knowledge, real knowledge. That is the qualification of spiritual master. Nobody can become spiritual master if he has no knowledge. If he's a speculator, he cannot become a spiritual master. He must give the right knowledge. Then he is bona fide spiritual master. Otherwise he's a bogus. Jñana-prada. And without real knowledge, our life is useless.

Just like this morning we were talking so many things. They have no standard knowledge, no real knowledge. They do not know anything. Still, they present themselves, pretend themselves as philosopher, as scientist, as guru, as father, no. Everyone, those who are guardian... Therefore sastra has forbidden, gurur na sa syat sva-jano na sa syat pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat: "One should not become a guru, one should not become a relative, one should not become the father, one should not become the mother, one should not become the husband..." In this way there is a list. Why? Na mocayed yaḥ; samupeta-mrtyum: "If he does not know how to guide his disciple or subordinate to stop the cycle of birth and death." He should not do. This is the ultimate goal of life, that we have to stop the cycle. Punar-janma-jayaya. Punar-janma-jayaya, to conquer over next birth. Punar-janma-jayaya.

When Visvamitra Muni went to see Maharaja Dasaratha to ask the help of Lord Ramacandra and Lakṣmaṇa... There was a demon. They were disturbing in the forest. The saintly persons were disturbed. They could kill that demon, but because they were brahmaṇas, saintly person, they did not like the killing business in their own hand. That was the system. A brahmaṇa will not kill. A brahmaṇa, simply by cursing, he can kill. Doesn't require even open... Just like Maharaja Parikṣit, he was cursed by a boy brahmaṇa that within seven days he'll be bitten by a snake and he'll die. The brahmaṇas were so powerful. So brahmaṇa is not joke. In Kali-yuga there is no such brahmaṇa. So this Visvamitra Muni came to Maharaja Dasaratha to request that "Send your sons Ramacandra and Laksmana to kill these demons." Kṣatriyas' business is... Kṣat. Kṣat means injury. If somebody is injuring your body, it is the duty of the government to save you: "Why unnecessarily you are injuring this...?" Just like Parikṣit Maharaja, when he was going... And some person was sudra in the dress of the king. He was trying to kill a cow. Immediately Parikṣit Maharaja took his sword: "Who are you, rascal, you are trying to kill a cow in my kingdom?" That is kṣatriya.

[break] The tree has taken birth. The man has taken birth. Why simply man should be saved, not the cows, not the trees? [break] He must be saved. This is the government's duty. Unnecessarily there cannot be any killing. Lord Christ also, "Thou shall not kill." Yes, this is the beginning of religious life. If you are accustomed to kill somebody, either man, animal, trees, fish, anything, there is no entrance in religious life. There is no entrance because everyone, every living entity, is son of God. Sarva-yoniṣu. You have read Bhagavad-gita. Sarva-yoniṣu: in all sorts of body. Sarva-yoniṣu sambhavanti murtayo yaḥ;. There are different forms of life, 8,400,000. They are all living entities, but according to karma, they have got different bodies. This is the difference. Just like we have got different dresses according to my choice, similarly, we get different bodies according to my choice. This morning we were talking about the sufferers, what is called? The sea suffers?

Devotees: Surfers.

Prabhupada: Surfer, yes. (devotees laugh) Surfer. I call "sufferer." "Sea-sufferer." (laughter) Sea-surfer, it is practical because we are creating a situation by which we shall become a fish. Yes. Contamination. Just like if you purposely contaminate some disease you must suffer from that disease. Karaṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu [Bg. 13.22], in the Bhagavad-gita. Why there are different varieties of life? What is the reason? That reason means karaṇam. Krṣṇa says in the Bhagavad..., karaṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad janma-yoniṣu. Prakrteḥ; kriyamaṇani prakrti-stho 'pi puruṣaḥ; bhuñjante tad-guṇan. So the reason is as we are infecting. The nature's law is so perfect that you infect something, some disease, some contamination, then you must suffer. This is nature's law, automatically going on. Karaṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya.

So there are three modes of material nature—goodness, passion, and ignorance. So long we are in this material world, puruṣaḥ; prakrti-stho 'pi bhuñjante tad-guṇan. If we remain in certain place, we must be affected by the modes of that place. So there are three modes, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa. We have to associate either with the modes of goodness or with the modes of passion or with the modes of ignorance. Now, three into three, it becomes nine, and nine into nine, it becomes eighty-one. So mixture. Just like color. There are three colors: blue, red and yellow. Now, those who are expert in manufacturing color, artists, they mix these three colors in different way and they display. Similarly, according to the guṇas or mixture, association—karaṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya—we get different types of bodies. Therefore we see so many varieties of bodies. Karaṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya [Bg. 13.22]. So the person who is taking very much pleasure, dancing in the sea like fish, so he is contaminating that modes of nature so that in next life he will become a fish. He'll be very free to dance with the ocean. (laughter) Now it will take again millions of years to come to the stage of human being. Jalaja nava-lakṣaṇi sthavara lakṣa-viṁsati. He has to pass through the fish life. There are 900,000 different species of life. Then you again come to the land—you become trees, plants, and so on. Two millions different forms you have to go through. That is evolution. Darwin's theory of evolution, that is not perfectly explained. It is explained in the Vedic literature. So just a tree is standing for ten thousands of years, we had to pass through this life. But there is no perfect knowledge. We are thinking we are now very nice American body or Indian body. No. It took so many years to come to this life. Therefore sastra says, labdhva sudurlabhaṁ idaṁ bahu-sambhavante: [SB 11.9.29] "You have got this human form of life after many, many millions of years' waiting." So do not misuse it. That is Vedic civilization, not to misuse the human form of life. Nature's law is very, very strict. This life, it is given, a chance. Nature gives a chance. Now you get this human form of life, advanced consciousness. Now you make further improvement. That is wanted. From here we can make further improvement.

What is that further improvement? We can go to the better planets. There are many better planets. You can go there, heavenly planets. There you can live for ten thousands of years. Ten thousands of years, and that is also not our year. The higher planetary system, their one day—our six months. In that way you can live there for ten thousands of years. And the standard of living condition is thousand times better. Therefore it is called heavenly. So if you like, you can go there. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthaḥ; [Bg. 14.18]. Yanti deva-vrataḥ; devan. Everything is explained. Or if you can go, if you like you can go to the Pitrloka. If you want to remain here as human being, you can also remain here, but you have to work for it to keep your position, status. Just like if you become rich man, high standard of life, you have to maintain it. Not that it will continue automatically. No, that is not possible, sir. This material world is not like that: you get one position and it will continue. No. A little discrepancy, immediately deteriorate your position. So you have to maintain it.

So if you want to maintain yourself within this Bhurloka... There are above this Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, Maharloka. There are so many planetary system. And down also, Tala, Atala, Vitala, Patala, Talatala, like that. If you want to go down, you can go down. If you want to go up, you can go. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva... Everything is there; you can do that. Ordinary, anyone can understand that in the human society if you want to become high-court judge, you can become. And if you want to become a criminal in the prisonhouse, you can become. Everything is open. Not that government says that you become a criminal and he prefers somebody, "You become a high-court..." No. Everything is in your hand. If you like, you can become so. Similarly, if you like, you can go back to home, back to Godhead. That is perfection of life. And if you don't like, then remain here.

Therefore Krṣṇa says, aprapya maṁ nivartante mrtyu-saṁsara-vartmani [Bg. 9.3]. Krṣṇa has come to you to give you nice instruction how you can go back to home, back to Godhead. Back to home, back to Godhead. That is Krṣṇa's mission. Paritraṇaya sadhunaṁ vinasaya ca duṣkrtam [Bg. 4.8]. He comes Himself, Krṣṇa, and He comes as Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as devotee of Krṣṇa. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krṣṇa, but because people misunderstood that Krṣṇa is asking sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekaṁ saraṇaṁ vraja... [Bg. 18.66]. These rascals thought that "It is too much. Why I shall surrender to Krṣṇa? I am also as good as Krṣṇa. Why shall I surrender?" That is our mentality. If somebody says, good man, that "You surrender. I shall give you good instruction," "Oh, why shall I surrender to you?" That is material life. But our, this Krṣṇa consciousness movement begins when you are ready to surrender. That is beginning. Tad viddhi praṇipatena [Bg. 4.34]. Praṇipat means surrender. Prakrṣṭa-rupeṇa nipata. "Yes, I surrender to you." That is the beginning. Bahunaṁ janmanam ante jñanavan maṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. To learn the surrender, it will take many, many births. Bahunaṁ janmanam ante. But those who are intelligent, they will surrender immediately. "Krṣṇa says, 'Surrender,' and why not? Krṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. Let me surrender." Then his life is successful immediately. Within a second his life is successful. But we are not prepared to surrender. That is our material disease. So if we do not surrender to Krṣṇa and take His instruction and make our life, that is our choice. But if you like, you can make your life successful within a moment simply by surrendering to Krṣṇa.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupada! (end)

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