Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

Bhagavad-gītā 4.21

Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse]

nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam [Bg 4.21]

[break] [03:00]

Translation: "Such a man of understanding acts with mind and intelligence perfectly controlled, gives up all sense of proprietorship over his possessions and acts only for the bare necessities of life. Thus working, he is not affected by sinful reactions."

Prabhupāda:

nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam [Bg 4.21]

This is required in human life. It is not forbidden, that "You starve." No. That is not stated in the śāstra. Yāvad artha-vinirṅayam. To keep your health and body, and the body and the soul together, you must live very nicely so that you may not be diseased. Because this human form of life is meant for making progress so that all the problems of life may be solved. It is required. Yukta. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya, in another place. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi-hā [Bg 6.17].

[He who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.]

When one becomes yogī... Our real purpose of life is to become yogī. Yogī means to reestablish our connection, our lost connection, with God. At the present moment, in our material condition, we have forgotten our relationship, our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṅa, or God.

nitya-siddha kṛṣṅa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya śravaṅādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya [Cc Madhya 22.107]

[Pure love for Kṛṣṅa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.]

The kṛṣṅa-bhakti, our love for Kṛṣṅa, is there eternally. But on account of our contamination with this material world, we have forgotten our relationship. Just like a madman, he forgets his relationship with the family. He loiters in the street. He eats anywhere and everywhere, and all rubbish thing. Although he may have very rich father, well-to-do family, but forgetting... Madness means forgetfulness of his real life.

So we are now forgetful of our real life. This has been also exemplified by a Vaiṣṅava poet,

piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya māyār grasta jīvera haya se dāsa udaya [Prema-vivarta 1]

[When a living entity is conditioned by material nature, he is exactly like a person haunted by a ghost.]

Piśācī. When a man is haunted by ghosts, as he speaks all nonsense, he cannot recognize his father, mother or relative... Sometimes he calls them by ill names, on account of being ghostly haunted. Piśācī pāile. Similarly, in the conditioned state, under the influence of māyā, we are also talking so many nonsense things: "I belong to this family," "I belong to this nation," "I belong to this community," "My business is this," simply forgetting Kṛṣṅa consciousness. All other business he will remember, but when he is requested to become Kṛṣṅa conscious, to understand Kṛṣṅa, he doesn't like it. Except Kṛṣṅa consciousness, he will take all responsibility and work hard for that purpose. This is called māyā-grasta jīva.

So nirāśīḥ, now to go to our original position, that is called tapasya. Tapasya means to revive our original, normal life of Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is called tapasya. This tapasya is not possible by the cats and dogs or animals. Tapasya is meant for the human being. Therefore the human life is called durlabha-janma. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy arthadam adhruvam. Prahlāda Mahārāja said,

kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam [SB 7.6.1]

He advised his class friends, "My dear friends, from childhood we shall learn the science of Bhāgavata-dharma." Bhāgavata-dharma means to reestablish our lost relationship with Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And this can be solved in this human form. Therefore education of Kṛṣṅa consciousness should be given from the very childhood, kaumāra. Kaumāra means from the age of fifth year up to the tenth year. This is called kaumāra age.

So we have opened our school in Texas. We are training very nicely all these children, and they are very learned. Children, as you teach them, they learn. They are innocent. Unfortunately, we do not give them training about Kṛṣṅa consciousness; we give them education for sense gratification, how you can earn money, economic development. Economic development means to get more money and to satisfy senses more and more. This is the modern theory. But Kṛṣṅa says that to achieve the perfection of life, one should be nirāśīḥ. Nirāśīḥ means unnecessarily desiring for sense gratification. Unnecessarily. Everyone has got right to live and live nicely. For that purpose there is sufficient arrangement by the Lord. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13]. There is sufficient arrangement. No living being will starve. There is such arrangement. But when we forget more and more Kṛṣṅa and God, nature will punish. There will be restriction of supply of foodstuff. That is nature's law.

daivī hy eṣā guṅa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ... [Bg 7.14]

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

So present crisis, food crisis... Everything is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā does not say that "You live by breathing air." No. Bhagavad-gītā says, annād bhavanti bhūtāni [Bg 3.14].

[All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajña [sacrifice], and yajña is born of prescribed duties.]

Anna. Anna means food grains. There is necessity of food grain. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Bhagavad-gītā never says that "You don't require to eat. You simply breathe air and practice yoga." No. But we must eat neither more nor less. That is recommended. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya. We should not eat more nor less. And nirāśīḥ. Nirāśīḥ means desireless of extravagance. Now we are desiring for sense gratification more and more. That is not wanted.

If you want perfection of life... This is called tapasya. One has got the desire, but he should not desire unnecessarily. Everyone has got the right to eat, even the animals. Everyone has got the right. But because we are desiring to enjoy more, therefore we do not give the chance to the animals to live properly; rather, we are trying to eat the animals. This is not required. This is called nirāśīḥ. Why you should eat animals? That is uncivilized life. When there is no food, when they are aborigines, they may eat animals, because they do not know how to grow food. But when the human society becomes civilized, he can grow so many nice foods, he can keep the cows; instead of eating the cows, he can get milk, sufficient milk. We can make so many preparation from milk and grains. So we should not desire unnecessarily to enjoy more.

Then it is said here, kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam. Kilbiṣam means resultant action of sinful life. Kilbiṣam. So if we don't desire more than our necessary, then we are not implicated, involved, in sinful activity, kurvan api, even though he is engaged in working. While you are working, knowingly or unknowingly you have to commit something which is not pious, even sinful; but if you simply desire for living properly, then kurvan napi..., nāpnoti na kilbiṣam. Kurvan nāpnoti kilbiṣam. Our life should be without any sinful reaction. Otherwise we will have to suffer. But they do not believe, although they are seeing so many abominable lives. Wherefrom they are coming, 8,400,000 species of life? There are so many lives living very abominable condition. Of course, the animal or the living creature does not know, but we human being, we should know why this is..., this abominable life. It is māyā's illusion.

Even one is... Just like a pig is living in a very filthy condition, eating stool, and still, he is thinking very happy, and therefore he is getting fat. When one feels happy, "I am very happy," he becomes fatty. So you will find these pigs, they are very much fatty, but what they eat? They eat stool and live in a filthy place. But they think that "We are very happy." So that is māyā's illusion. Anyone who is living in a very abominable condition of life, māyā, by illusion, he is thinking that he is all right, he is living very perfectly. But a person who is on the higher stage, he sees that he is living in a very abominable condition.

So this illusion is there, but by knowledge, by good association, by taking instruction from the śāstra, from guru, from saintly person, one should understand what is the value of life and live like that. So this is instructed by Kṛṣṅa, that nirāśīḥ, one should be unnecessarily desireful, more than his necessities of life. This is called nirāśīḥ. Nirāśīḥ another meaning is that not very much fond of material enjoyment. And that is possible when he is in full knowledge that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul. My necessity is how to advance in spiritual knowledge." Then he can become nirāśīḥ. These are the items for tapasya, austerity, penance.

People have forgotten now. They do not know what is the austerities. But the human life is meant for that purpose. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yena brahma-saukhyam anantam [SB 5.5.1].

[Lord Ṛṣabhadeva told His sons: My dear boys, of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one's heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.]

These are the instruction of the śāstra. The human life is meant for tapasya. And tapasya... Therefore in the Vedic way of life the beginning of life is tapasya, brahmacārī. Brahmacārī. A student is sent to gurukula for practicing brahmacarya. This is tapasya, not comfortable life. Lying down on the floor, going door-to-door for begging alms for guru. But they are not tired. Because they are children, if they are trained these austerities, they become to practice. They call all woman "Mother," "Mother, give me some alms." And they come back to guru's place. Everything belongs to guru. This brahmacārī life, this is tapasya. Tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1]. That is Vedic civilization, that children should be from the very beginning of life trained up in tapasya, brahmacarya, celibacy. A brahmacārī cannot see any young woman. Even the guru's wife is young, he cannot go to the guru's wife. These are the restriction. Now where is that brahmacarya? No brahmacārī. This is Kali-yuga. No tapasya.

But the according to Vedic civilization, varṅāśrama-dharma. Vedic civilization means four varṅas and four āśramas: brāhmaṅa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. We have begin... We have began our lecture on the basis, cātur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg 4.13].

[According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.]

So this is civilization. Unless one comes to this standard of civilization, varṅāśrama-dharma, that is animal civilization. So we prefer animal civilization. Therefore we are living like animal also, fighting like cats and dog and suffering like cats and dogs also. This is the position. Nirāśīr yata-cittātmā. Control. I shall accept as much as I require, not more than that, not less than that. Controlling the citta, intelligence, and ātmā, mind or self, self-control. Nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ. Parigrahaḥ means unnecessarily collecting something, atyāhāraḥ.

Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaḥ. Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī has given definition how bhakti is killed:

atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ laulyaṁ jana-saṅgaś ca ṣaḍbhir bhaktir pranaśyati [Upadeśāmṛta 2]

[One's devotional service is spoiled when he becomes too entangled in the following six activities: (1) eating more than necessary or collecting more funds than required; (2) overendeavoring for mundane things that are very difficult to obtain; (3) talking unnecessarily about mundane subject matters; (4) practicing the scriptural rules and regulations only for the sake of following them and not for the sake of spiritual advancement, or rejecting the rules and regulations of the scriptures and working independently or whimsically; (5) associating with worldly-minded persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṅa consciousness; and (6) being greedy for mundane achievements.]

If you want to advance in spiritual life, bhakti-yoga, then you should avoid all these things, six kinds of. Ṣaḍbhiḥ, six kind. Bhaktir pranaśyati. What is that? Atyāhāraḥ, eating more than you require. Actually, we should not eat unless we are very hungry. That is good eating. In... When you are hungry, you can eat any ordinary things; still, you feel very satisfactory. So not routine eating. Routine eating must be there. We should not eat more than that. But the best principle is that if we do not feel hungry, we should not eat. But if there is no hunger and at the same time no appetite and we eat, that brings indigestion, dysentery, indigestion. So why should we accept that? Therefore it is forbidden, atyāhāraḥ. Āhāra means eating, eating more than required, or āhāra means collecting also. Collecting more than necessity.

Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś. Prayāsaḥ means things which are done with great endeavor. No, we shall accept things which are very easily done, not to waste our energy unnecessarily. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaḥ, prajalpaḥ, talking all nonsense, sitting together and on the newspaper, "Oh, such politician said like this, and social worker..." All nonsense. Practically you try to avoid all this newspaper reading or talking of nonsense subject matter. That is called prajalpa. Atyāhāraḥ prayāsaś ca prajalpo niyamāgrahaḥ [Upadeśāmṛta 2]. Niyamāgrahaḥ means niyama, schedule for[?] rules and regulation, not to accept. Niyama āgraha or niyama agraha. Āgraha means unnecessarily āgraha, but without any result. That is called niyamāgrahaḥ. You must follow the rules, regulation so that you are benefitted. But if you are not benefitted simply by following the rules and regulation, that is āgraha, only for the rules and regulation, not for the result. We must see that there is result. Niyamāgrahaḥ. Jana-saṅgaś ca, to associate with unwanted people. You must associate with devotees, not others. They are called..., laulya, jana-saṅgaś ca. And laulyam, greediness, ṣaḍbhir bhaktir pranaśyati. If you are a student of devotional service, you must avoid all these things.

And just the opposite number,

utsāhān dhairyāt niścayād tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt sato vṛtteḥ saṅga-tyāgāt ṣaḍbhir bhaktiḥ prasidhyati [Upadeśāmṛta 3]

[There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṅaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṅoḥ smaraṅam [SB 7.5.23]—hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṅa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.]

Prasidhyati means you increase. What is that? Utsāha, endeavor. "In this life I must fulfill my mission of Kṛṣṅa consciousness." That is called utsāha. Dhairya. Don't be agitated because it is not giving result immediately. Just patiently go on working. Utsāhād dhairyān niścayāt. Niścayāt means to have full faith in the words of Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa says, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṅaśyati [Bg 9.31].

[He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kuntī, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.]

This is called full faith, that "Kṛṣṅa has said that if I am in devotional service, I will never be lost. Kṛṣṅa will give me protection." Kṛṣṅa says. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi [Bg 18.66].

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

To have faith, this is called surrender. Not that "Oh, Kṛṣṅa says, but may not be able to protect me." No. Kṛṣṅa is able. He is all-powerful, omnipotent. He can give you protection. When He says that ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi, that is a fact. This is called niścayāt. "Certainly Kṛṣṅa will give me protection." Not that "Because I do not see Kṛṣṅa, I do not know whether Kṛṣṅa will give me protection." No. That word is sufficient. This is called niścayāt. Utsāhād dhairyān niścayād tat-tat-karma-pravartanāt.

But you must follow the rules and regulation, as it is enjoined in the śāstra. Not that "Kṛṣṅa will give me protection, and I may do whatever I like. I can eat anything I like, I can do anything I like." Just some rascal advises that "There is no such thing, restriction, in the self-realization. You can eat anything, you can do anything." People like that program. And as soon as there is restriction, they do not like. Because we put so many restriction, I am called, in the Western world, "Swāmījī, you are very conservative." So we have to become conservative, follow the rules. Not that we give liberty, that "Whatever you like, you do, and at the same time you make progress, spiritual life." That is not possible.

Because spiritual life means tapasya. Formerly great, great saintly persons, they underwent very, very severe tapasya for thousands of years, hundreds of years. Then they attained success. In the Kali-yuga it is not possible to undergo such severe tapasya. There is concession. The concession is that you live a pure life and chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. This will make sufficient. A pure life: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling. This is pure life. These boys and girls who have joined this movement, they have given up. They are not dying. Nobody will die if he lives a pure life. Anyone will make progress. Tapasā brahmacaryeṅa [SB 6.1.13].

[To concentrate the mind, one must observe a life of celibacy and not fall down. One must undergo the austerity of voluntarily giving up sense enjoyment. One must then control the mind and senses, give charity, be truthful, clean and nonviolent, follow the regulative principles and regularly chant the holy name of the Lord. Thus a sober and faithful person who knows the religious principles is temporarily purified of all sins performed with his body, words and mind. These sins are like the dried leaves of creepers beneath a bamboo tree, which may be burned by fire although their roots remain to grow again at the first opportunity.]

These are the injunction of the śāstra. If you want to be happy, this is the... Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam [SB 5.5.1].

Sattva means my existence. At the present moment my existence is not śuddha, purified. Just like if your health is contaminated, then you get some disease. So for the soul, the living entity, this disease, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg 13.9], this is a kind of disease.

[Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.]

Now, it is a fact because the soul is eternal, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre [Bg 2.20]. The soul is eternal. It does not die. It does not annihilate after destruction of the body, but there is change of body, mṛtyu. Janma-mṛtyu means change of body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ [Bg 2.13].

[As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.]

So people should be intelligent to know, "Why I shall undergo this tribulation of repetition of birth and death?" But they do not know it. There is life without birth and death. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9].

[One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.]

After giving up this body, no more taking birth again with this material body. There is a life like that. We get this information. Why should we not fulfill this mission of life in this human form of life? Why unnecessarily desire so many sense gratification? This is called tapasya. If one life we have enjoyed the sense gratification... Sense gratification, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca [Hitopadeśa 25]:

[Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.]

eating, sleeping, sex life and protection from fearfulness. Now this has been done in so many lives. Why not in this life make a perfect process so that no more death, no more birth, no more disease, no more old age?

They think it is all utopian. But we don't think. We believe in the words of Kṛṣṅa, words of the śāstra. And we are trying to accept it, practice it and preach it. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam [SB 5.5.1]. Then why we should be interested to purify our existence? Yena brahma-saukhyam anantam. You are after happiness. So this happiness, the temporary happiness, sense gratification, this is not happiness. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam [Bg 6.21].

[The stage of perfection is called trance, or samādhi, when one's mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one's ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.]

Real happiness—beyond this material sense gratification. That is real happiness. So we should search after that happiness.

ramante yogino 'nante satyānande cid-ātmani iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate [Cc Madhya 9.29]

[The Supreme Absolute Truth is called Rāma because the transcendentalists take pleasure in the unlimited true pleasure of spiritual existence.]

Real happiness is to enjoy with Rāma, enjoy with Kṛṣṅa. What is that enjoyment? Kṛṣṅa is the master. He orders, and you perform the order. That is enjoyment. Master and servant. Not as master; as servant. That is our enjoyment. Just like a faithful servant and a rich master, the reciprocation is service. The master is also satisfied by the service of the servant, and the servant is also satisfied, giving service to the master. This is our relation. Jīvera svarūpa haya—nitya-kṛṣṅa-dāsa [Cc Madhya 20.108-109]. Unfortunately, we are trying to become master. Instead of submitting ourself to become the eternal... We are eternal servant. We cannot be master. If we do not become servant of Kṛṣṅa, then we have to become the servant of our senses. That's all. Servant we must have. As you become servant of Kṛṣṅa, then automatically you become master of your senses, because senses cannot allure you for satisfaction of the senses, because senses are engaged.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam hṛṣīkeṅa hṛṣīkeśa- sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate [Cc Madhya 19.170]

[Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.]

Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṅa's another name is Hṛṣīkeśa.

So Hṛṣīkeśa, when.... Hṛṣīka means senses. When we engage our senses in the service of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. And as soon as we engage our senses with upādhi, sarvopādhi... We have got so many upādhis: "I am this," "I am that," "I am human being," "I am cat," "I am dog," "I am brāhmaṅa," "I am śūdra," "I am American," "I am Indian." These are all upādhis. So sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. When one becomes free from all these upādhi, he understands that "I am spirit soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "therefore my business is to reciprocate transaction with the Supreme Brahman, Para-brahman."

Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not know that there is relationship that the Para-brahman and Brahman can be engaged in loving transaction. That they do not understand. They think that Brahman, when merges into the existence of Para-brahman, then business is finished. No. Business is not finished, because we are individual. It is not possible to remain without any activity. That is theory, that without any activity we can remain. That is not possible. And if we have no information of the spiritual activity, then we have to come back again to this material activity. That is practical example. There are many sannyāsīs, they so-called merging into Brahman, but they come back in material activities, in politics, in sociology and so on.

So therefore these instruction are very valuable. Nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma. Śārīra, just to maintain your body. Be satisfied. Whatever is supplied by Kṛṣṅa, be satisfied. Don't aspire more and more. Save time for advancing in Kṛṣṅa consciousness...

[break] ...so that you can, with great enthusiasm, you can make progress in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Śārīraṁ kevalam. Not for sense gratification. You have to eat. These things are eatable: food grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, sugar. That's all. Why should we eat nonsense things? This will keep your health very nice. Sāttvikāhāra. And you can prepare so many nice preparation within this jurisdiction. Why should you go and kill animal for the satisfaction of the tongue? That is not allowed. Then you will be again entangled. Otherwise, to keep your body in nice condition, you eat all these things which is meant for the human being. Then you will keep fit and save time for advancement in Kṛṣṅa consciousness. And if you become always engaged for sense gratification—go on working, working, working, then go to the restaurant, eat, drink and make your body agitated, then find out liquor and woman—what is this life? This is not life. This is animal life.

Real life is that you keep your health nicely, save time, take ordinary very nutritious food within the jurisdiction of kṛṣṅa-prasāda. Kṛṣṅa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg 9.26].

[If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.]

So Kṛṣṅa eats all these things. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam: vegetable, liquid things, water, milk, and so many other things, grains. So you offer to Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa is here. Kṛṣṅa, although He is very virāṭa, universal form, but Kṛṣṅa has accepted arcā-vigraha so that you can serve, you can see, you can touch, and your life becomes successful. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement.

Thank you very much. [end]