Prabhupada: (chants maṅgalacaraṇa)

tasmat puraivasv iha papa-niṣkrtau
yateta mrtyor avipadyatatmana
doṣasya drṣṭva guru-laghavaṁ yatha
bhiṣak cikitseta rujaṁ nidanavit
[SB 6.1.8]

Just like you go to a physician, and according to the gravity of the disease, the physician prescribes a medicine which may be very costly or may not be costly. That depends on the gravity of the disease. If the disease is very dangerous, then sometimes you have to accept some medicine which is very costly. Similarly, our contamination with sinful activities will require proportionate atonement. That is the prescription of the scriptures. So Sukadeva Gosvami says that "Before your death, if you accept some atonement, then next life you'll not suffer. Otherwise you'll carry with you the resultant action of your sinful activities and you'll have to suffer next life." Just like in the state laws, if you kill some man, murder, then the state law says that you shall be also hanged. "Life for life."

So this is is not very new. The, in the Manu-saṁhita... Manu-saṁhita means Lord Manu, he's the giver of law to the mankind. From Manu, the word man has come. The exact Sanskrit word "manuṣya." Manuṣya means man. So there is some link with Manu, M-a-n-u, and "man." So this Latin word comes from the Sanskrit word, manu. So Manu is supposed to be the law-giver to the humankind. So in the Manu-saṁhita it is stated there that when the king kills one man, or hangs one man who is a murderer, that is benefit to him. Otherwise, if he's not killed, then he will carry the reaction of his murdering action, and he'll have to suffer in so many ways. The laws of nature are very subtle. They are very diligently administered. People do not know it. So on the whole, the Manu-saṁhita, life for life is sanctioned. And that is practically observed all over the world. But similarly, there are other laws, that you cannot kill even an ant. Then you are responsible. You have no right to kill. And in the Bible also, we see, Lord Jesus Christ says, "Thou shalt not kill." So killing is not allowed in any religious principle. Anyone who is killing, he's not considered in the human society. You cannot kill. The... Lord Buddha's also principle is ahiṁsa paramo dharmaḥ;, no killing. Lord Jesus Christ also says, "Thou shalt not kill." In our Bhagavad-gita it is also said, amanitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsa [Bg. 13.8]. Ahiṁsa means not to become violent, not to kill.

So as there is state laws that you shall be killed if you kill your fellow man, similarly in the God's law there are the same thing. Not only man; if you kill anyone, then you'll have to suffer, because everyone is God's creature. They are in different dress only. He's considered the supreme father. So father may have many children—one is not very intelligent, another is very intelligent. And if the intelligent son says to the father that "This, my brother, is not intelligent. Let me kill him," will the father allow? Because his one son is not very intelligent, and if the intelligent son desires to kill him to avoid the burden, will the father agree to this? No. Similarly, if God is the supreme father, how He can sanction that you live and you kill animal? The animals are also His sons.

So there is no justice. In the Bhagavad-gita, God claims,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
murtayaḥ; sambhavanti yaḥ;
tasaṁ brahma mahad-yonir
ahaṁ bija-pradaḥ; pita
[Bg. 14.4]

"Arjuna, all living entities in different species of life..." There are 8,400,000 species of life. They're all sons of God. Ahaṁ bija-pradaḥ; pita. The Lord says, "I am the seed-giving father." Just like in ordinary birth, the father gives the seed, and the mother develops the body. Mother, by her blood, she supplies the ingredients of developing the child in the embryo. That is law's nature. Similarly, we living entities, we are part and parcel of the supreme father. We are very minute. The dimension is also given there in the sastras: kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca [Cc. Madhya 19.140]. Kesagra, the tip of the hair. Agra means tip; kesa means hair. Just imagine—very small point. And you have to divide it into ten thousand parts. And that one part is the dimension of the living entity, spirit soul, spark. Everything is there in the sastra. But because we have no eyes to see... Our material eyes cannot see what is the dimension of the soul. But the soul is there within this body. And as soon as the soul departs or takes another body, according to the work the soul is doing here, there is superior superintendence. Karmaṇa daiva-netreṇa [SB 3.31.1]. We are working here... Just like in a office, somebody is working, and the service record is kept, "How this man is working." He does not know what is the opinion of the superior boss. But a service record is there in the office.

Young man: (yelling) Prabhupada! Prabhupada! Look what your Godbrothers are doing. Prabhupada! Please help me, Prabhupada!

Prabhupada: What is that?

Devotees: There's a crazy boy out there. Crazy man. Crazy man...

Young man: Prabhupada! Prabhupada! Prabhupada! Devotees. Hypocrites. They're hypocrites. (devotees chant japa loudly)

Prabhupada: So office record is kept there...

Young man: You're full of nescience!

Prabhupada: ...and, according to the activities of that particular person, he's awarded promotion, increment of pay, or sometimes degraded and fired off. Two things are there. Similarly, for all our activities, which we are doing, there are witnesses. The sun is witness, the moon is witness, the day is witness, the air is witness and, above all witnesses, God Himself as the Supersoul, He's sitting in everyone's heart. He's also witness. So we cannot hide any activity from the eyes of God. So according to our work... Therefore in the sastra it is said, daiva-netreṇa. Daiva means God, and netra, netreṇa means under supervision. So karmaṇa daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye [SB 3.31.1]. Jantu. Jantu means living entities. Deha means this body; upapattaye, "for manufacturing." Now we have got this human body. Next life it may not be human body—something else, better or lower. That will be decided by the superior examination. Daiva-netreṇa.

So this is going on, but people do not know what is this science, how the spirit soul is transmigrating from one body to another, not only in one duration of life. In one duration of life, there are so many changes of body. The body first manufactured within the womb of the mother is very small, just like chick pea, small. And it develops. And there are holes. The holes develop into nine holes: two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, one genital, one rectum. In this way the body develops. And so long it requires to develop within the embryo, within the mother's womb, it remains there. And when it is sufficiently developed to grow outside, it comes out. Then it grows, the body grows. Grows means changing the body. Growing, we..., we are imperceptibly, cannot understand, but it is actually changing the body. Just like in your childhood you had a small body. That is no longer existing. That means you have changed your body. Similarly, you'll have to change this body. When this body will not work anymore... Because it is material. Every material things deteriorate and it becomes useless at certain length of time. Any machine, any clock... Therefore it has been taken as dress: vasaṁsi jirṇani yatha vihaya [Bg. 2.22].

So this is going on, but unfortunately modern universities, educational systems, they do not know anything about this. And still, they are very much proud of advancement of education. Actually, there is no education. Without this knowledge, spiritual knowledge, this education for earning bread, eating, sleeping, mating... That can be done without education. The animals, they are not educated—they are not technologists, or they have no education in the universities, degrees—they're also eating, sleeping, mating and defending. So if our education is meant for simply eating sleeping, mating and defending, then what is the difference? That is not education. Real education is to understand what you are. That is real education. Atma-jñana. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is said, parabhavas tavad abodha-jato yavan na jijñasata atma-tattvam. So long a man does not develop consciousness to understand his self, atma-tattvam, the truth of the self, then whatever he's doing in ignorance, it is all defeat for his life. This human life is meant for victorious, to become victorious over the laws of material nature. Actually we are trying for that purpose. The whole struggle is how to counteract the onslaught of material nature. The whole activities are going on. But what is the ultimate victory? The ultimate victory is how to conquer over birth, death, disease and old age. That is the outcome, victory.

But we have set aside, neglected this important point, and our education system is for how to eat, how to sleep, how to defend. What is... God is giving us to eat so many things. What your education system will improve? We are eating fruits, grains, or whatever we eat. That is given by God. Food is supplied to the animals. The four-legged animals... Ahastani sahastanam. Sahastanam ahastani. In the Srimad-Bhagavata, everything is... The food is there. Jivo jivasya jivanam: "One living entity is the food for another living entity." Ahastani sahastanam. Just like animals, they have got no hands. So they are food for the animals which has..., who has got hands. We are animals with hands, and there are animals without hands. So ahastani sahastanam. Sahasta means hand, with—hands animals, they're eating others which has no hand. Apadani catuṣ-padam. "And those who have no legs, they are food for the animals, four-legged." Just like grass. This is also living entity, but it has no leg to move. It has leg, but it is fixed up. It cannot move. They're condemned, that "You cannot move." A tree is standing for seven thousand years. It cannot move. So they are food for moving animals. Just like cow eats grass. The goat eats grass. So apadani catuṣ-padam. Phalguni mahataṁ tatra. In this way the world is being exploited. The weaker section is being exploited by the stronger section. Phalguni mahataṁ tatra jivo jivasya jivanam: "One life is meant for being exploited by other life." This is nature's law. So we have no quarrel with persons who are meat-eating. But our propaganda is to make people God conscious. That's all.

So in order to become God conscious, you have to follow some rules and regulations. We do not give any credit to the vegetarians than the meat-eaters. Because one has to eat. But our proposal is, Krṣṇa conscious men, that we shall eat remnants of foodstuff offered to Krṣṇa. That is our philosophy. And Krṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26], that Krṣṇa says that "Anyone who offers Me a little fruit, a little water, and little leaf with devotion and love, I accept it." Krṣṇa is not hungry that He is begging some food from us. No. He is trying to create loving transaction: "You love Me; I love you." Krṣṇa is God. Krṣṇa, practically by His energy everything is produced. Janmady asya yataḥ; [SB 1.1.1]. So why He should beg for, from me, a little leaf and little fruit and little water? He has no business. But if we offer a little fruit and little leaf and little water with love—"Krṣṇa, I am so poor that I cannot secure anything. I have secured this little fruit and little flowers and a leaf. Kindly accept it"—Krṣṇa is very glad. Yes. And if He eats, offered by you, your life is successful. You make friendship with Krṣṇa. That is our preaching.

So this little fruit, little flower and little water can be secured any part of the world by any man, poor or rich. And can be offered. Simply we have to try, we have to learn how to love Krṣṇa. And love begins with this give and take. You give something to your lover; he gives you, something to you. In this way love develops. Dadati pratigrhṇati. The development takes place, loving affairs, by giving and taking. Dadati pratigrhṇati bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva. When you create loving transaction with any boy or girl or any man, any friend, the give and take. So Krṣṇa is teaching us give and take. "You give something," Krṣṇa is begging. "You try to love Me. You learn how to love Me. Give Me." "Sir, I have nothing to give You." "Oh, you cannot collect a little fruit and flower and leaf and little water?" "Oh, yes. Why not? Anyone can collect." So the Krṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice. You can make direct friendship with Krṣṇa. You can become direct servant of Krṣṇa. Or, in higher stages, you can become father, mother of Krṣṇa. Or you can become lover of Krṣṇa. Krṣṇa is prepared to establish loving relationship... There is already loving relationship with us, because we are part and parcel of Krṣṇa. Just like father and son. Son is the part of the body of the father. Similarly, the supreme father... So as the relationship between the father and the son cannot be broken... It may be forgotten for some time, but as soon as one knows, "He's my father," and as soon as one knows, "He's my son," immediately affection develops.

So we are eternally related with Krṣṇa. At the present moment it is simply forgotten, suppressed. Therefore we are thinking that we have no relationship with Krṣṇa. But that is not the fact. Because we are part and parcel of Krṣṇa, the relationship is eternal. Simply we have to revive it. That is Krṣṇa consciousness. Krṣṇa consciousness means... We are now in different consciousness. I am thinking that I am Indian. Somebody is thinking, "I am American." Somebody is thinking, "I am this, I am that." But actual thinking should be "I am Krṣṇa's." That is Krṣṇa consciousness. "I am Krṣṇa's." And in Krṣṇa consciousness relationship, because Krṣṇa is for everyone, therefore I become everyone's. Just try to understand. In India, the system is when a girl is married to a boy, so—in your country also, everywhere, the same system—just like the nephew of the boy calls the girl "Aunt." Now, how she becomes aunt? Because, in relationship with her husband. Before the marriage, she was not aunt, but as soon as he (she) is related with her husband, the husband's nephew become the nephew. Just try to understand the example. Similarly, if we reestablish our relationship, or our original relationship with Krṣṇa, and Krṣṇa is for everyone, therefore I become for everyone. That is real universal love. The artificial, so-called universal love cannot be established unless you have established your relationship with the central point. Just like you are Americans. Why? Because you are born in this land. So another American is a member of your country, but if you become something else, then you have no relationship with another American. So we have to reestablish our relationship with Krṣṇa. Then the question of universal brotherhood, justice, peace, prosperity will come. Otherwise, there is no possibility. Central point missing. How there can be justice and peace? It is not possible.

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita the peace formula is given. The peace formula is that one should understand that Krṣṇa is the only enjoyer. Just like in this temple, our central point is Krṣṇa. If we are cooking, it is for Krṣṇa, not that we are cooking for our purpose. Ultimately, although we shall eat the prasadam, but when we cook, we don't think that we are cooking for ourself. We are cooking for Krṣṇa. When you go outside to collect some funds, it is not that the persons who are in the kirtana party, they have got any personal interest. No. They are collecting, or they are distributing the literature, for Krṣṇa's sake, for making people Krṣṇa conscious. And whatever collection is there, that is being spent for Krṣṇa. So in this way, when we are practiced to this system of life, everything for Krṣṇa, that is Krṣṇa consciousness. The same thing, what we are doing, we have to do. Simply we have to change the consciousness, that "I am doing for Krṣṇa, not for my personal." In this way, if we develop Krṣṇa consciousness, then we come to our original consciousness. Then we become happy.

Unless we come to the original consciousness, then we are crazy in different degrees. Everyone who is not in Krṣṇa consciousness, he is to be supposed crazy because he is talking on a platform which is temporary, transient. It will be finished. But we, as living entities, we are eternal. So temporary business is not our business. Our business should be eternal because we are eternal. And that eternal business is how to serve Krṣṇa. Just like this finger is the part and parcel of my body, but the finger's eternal business is how to serve this body, here. That's all. It has no other business. And that is the healthy state of the finger. If it cannot serve the whole body, that is diseased condition. Similarly, Krṣṇa is eternal; we are eternal. Nityo nityanaṁ cetanas cetananam (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). These are the Vedic instructions. The supreme eternal is Sri Krṣṇa, and we are also eternal. We are not supreme; we are subordinate. Nityo nityanaṁ cetanas cetananam. He is the supreme living entity, and we are subordinate living entities. Eko bahunaṁ yo vidadhati kaman. That one living entity, one eternal, He's supplying all the necessities of life to the plural number eternals. Eko bahunam, unlimited number of living entities. You cannot count. Bahunam. This is our relationship. So, as part and parcel, we have to serve Krṣṇa, and we are subordinate. He is supplying our necessities. He is the Supreme Father. This life is normal life and liberated life. Any other life, beyond this conception of Krṣṇa consciousness, that is sinful life.

So in this subject matter, topics between Sukadeva Gosvami and Maharaja Parikṣit, there is... Parikṣit Maharaja is anxious to know how these conditioned souls who are rotting in the hellish condition of life, they can be delivered. So Sukadeva Gosvami is first of all prescribing that they have to make atonement. Just like I gave you the example: If one man has committed criminal activities, he has to atone for the sinful activity. He must be arrested. He must be put into the jail and given some trouble for a certain period of time. And then he may be given freedom. So this atonement is there, by nature's law. You cannot avoid it. If you think that "God cannot see. I am doing this nonsense without His vision," that is wrong. Anything we do, that is recorded just like the service record. And the judgment... Just like in other literatures, there is the day of judgment. That's fact. We have to accept the judgment of the superior superintendent of all our activities.

So Sukadeva Gosvami says that the volume of atonement should be according to the gravity of the offense. Just like when a man is diseased, he goes to a physician. He prescribes different type of medicine to the different type of patient according to the gravity of the disease. But there are many rascals, they say that any medicine we take, that's all right. No. That's not all right. You have to take the medicine through the physician, not independently. In your country there is law that you cannot purchase from the drug shop any medicine without being prescribed by the medical man. Is it not? So the prescription should be taken from the experienced physician to cure the disease. So in this age, Kali-yuga... It is called Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga means the age of quarrel and misunderstanding. This is the age. For nothing there is misunderstanding and quarrel and fight and war, for nothing. So in this age the medicine for delivering the conditioned souls from miserable, materialistic way of life is prescribed in the sastras. What is that? Harer nama, simply chanting of the holy name of Hari, Hare Krṣṇa. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam: [Cc. Adi 17.21] "In this age, simply this harer nama kevalam, only." There is no other alternative. Therefore in the next line it is stressed, nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha: "There is no other alternative, no other alternative, no other alternative."

So this Krṣṇa consciousness movement is based on authority. We are prescribing the right medicine, and it is becoming very effective also. That is the proof. If you say that "How I can understand that this medicine is very effective?" Yes, it is effective. By chanting this Hare Krṣṇa mantra, any part of the world, although they do not know the meaning, they chant and they join and they become rectified, and they become bright-faced. That is the verdict. So therefore we appeal to everyone, irrespective of any caste-creed consideration, please come, join this movement, and be happy.

Thank you very much. Hare Krṣṇa. (end)

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