Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.16

Pradyumna: [leads chanting, etc.]

vidvān apītthaṁ danujāḥ kuṭumbaṁ puṣṅan sva-lokāya na kalpate vai yaḥ svīya-pārakya-vighinna-bhāvas tamaḥ prapadyeta yathā vimūḍhaḥ [SB 7.6.16]

[02:37]

Translation: "O my friends, sons of demons! In this material world, even those who are apparently advanced in education have the propensity to consider, 'This is mine, and that is for others.' Thus they are always engaged in providing the necessities of life to their families in a limited conception of family life, just like uneducated cats and dogs. They are unable to take to spiritual knowledge; instead, they are bewildered and overcome by ignorance."

Prabhupāda: Purport.

Pradyumna: Purport: "In human society there are attempts to educate the human being, but for animal society there is no such system, nor are animals able to be educated. Therefore animals and unintelligent men are called vimūḍha, or ignorant, bewildered, whereas an educated person is called vidvān. The real vidvān is one who tries to understand his own position within this material world. For example, when Sanātana Gosvāmī submitted to the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, his first question was, 'ke āmi', 'kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya'. In other words, he wanted to know his constitutional position and why he was suffering from the threefold miseries of material existence. This is the process of education. If one does not ask, "Who am I? What is the goal of my life?" but instead follows the same animal propensities as cats and dogs, what is the use of his education?

"As discussed in the previous verse, a living being is entrapped by his fruitive activities, exactly like a silkworm trapped in its own cocoon. Foolish persons are generally encaged by their fruitive actions, or karma, because of a strong desire to enjoy this material world. Such attracted persons become involved in society, community and nation and waste their time, not having profited from having obtained human forms. Especially in this age, Kali-yuga, great leaders, politicians, philosophers and scientists are all engaged in foolish activities, thinking, "This is mine, and this is yours." The scientists invent nuclear weapons and collaborate with the big leaders to protect the interests of their own nation or society. In this verse, however, it is clearly stated that despite their so-called advanced knowledge, they actually have the same mentality as cats and dogs. As cats, dogs and other animals, not knowing their true interest in life, become increasingly involved in ignorance, the so-called educated person who does not know his own self-interest or the true goal of life becomes increasingly involved in materialism. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises everyone to follow the principles of varṅāśrama-dharma. Specifically, at a certain point one must give up family life and take to the renounced order of life to cultivate spiritual knowledge and thus become liberated. This is further discussed in the following verses."

Prabhupāda: [in a weakened voice; Prabhupāda was not feeling well] You can explain. Somebody else, you can explain.

Pradyumna: This verse? In the material world, one who is vidvān... Vidvān means one who possesses knowledge. But one who possesses material knowledge, if he still makes the discrimination between "This is svīya-pārakya vibhinna-bhāvas," who makes the discrimination, vibhinna, a division between "This is mine, and this is yours..." He sees everything in society as a competition—"This belongs to me and this belongs to you," instead of having the conception of īśāvāsya, that everything belongs to Kṛṣṅa, everything is pervaded by Kṛṣṅa, everything is created by Kṛṣṅa, everything is controlled by Kṛṣṅa; therefore everything is to be enjoyed by Kṛṣṅa. This is the process of analysis, that because everything is created by God, everything is controlled by God, therefore everything should be enjoyed by God. But if he does not have that conception and he thinks that "I, by the sweat of my brow, have produced this," that "I am controlling it," that "I have it under my control, even for a limited time, and therefore I can enjoy it. And you are enjoying something and I am enjoying something, and I should be envious after what you have, and you should be envious after what I have," this conception of life... In this material world, even those who are apparently advanced in education have the propensity to consider "This is mine, and that is for others," and therefore individually and collectively, among ourselves having this conception and among nations having this conception... That the vidvān, or the learned people in society, which today are the scientists, using their knowledge, whatever their knowledge they have, using that for the same conception, instead of realizing the glories of God, who is controlling everything, trying to realize the glories of me who am controlling a part of it and you who are controlling another part of it, and then making a division and a clash, competition, war, competition among ourselves individually—capitalism, communism—and among ourselves collectively—national wars, international wars—such a person is in an animal conception, vimūḍha. He's said to be bewildered.

So there are two things here: vidvān, educated, very intelligent; and vimūḍha, or very stupid, unintelligent. So even though one possesses all material knowledge, if his knowledge is used for the wrong end, if it is used to advance oneself in the material conception of life instead of the spiritual—divisive instead of unifying by understanding the supreme control of God over everything, Kṛṣṅa conscious, īśāvāsya—then he is said to be vimūḍha, stupid. They are unable to take to spiritual knowledge. Instead they are bewildered and overcome by tamaḥ prapadyeta yathā vidmūḍhaḥ. So providing with all necessities of life, using his education, kuṭumbam, for supplying the family members instead of tamaḥ prapadyeta yathā vimūḍhaḥ, he enters darkness just like an animal or a stupid person.

Prabhupāda: We have seen practically in India. During the partition days, when the Britishers left India, they gave a parting kick by dividing Pakistan and India. So I have seen in my own eyes there was fighting between the Hindus and Muslims for at least one week in Calcutta, and heaps of dead body there were. So the fighting was between Hindu and Muslim, but when they died, the dead body is piled up and it was taken for burning or to throwing away. So the land remained there, and these people fighting between themselves, that "This is mine, this is mine," they finished their life. The land remained where it was there.

So this is called illusion. Ahaṁ mameti, "It is mine, it is yours." Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti [SB 5.5.8]. Why they should think like that? Bhagavān, in the Bhagavad-gītā He says that sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ [Bg 14.4]:

[It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.]

"All the forms of different grades of life," sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ tāsāṁ mahad yonir, "the material world is the mother, and I am the father." Very simply understanding. Everything is grown from the material nature. Our life is also from there. The grass is growing, and the grass is eaten by the animals, and then animals beget another animal. Or vegetables we also eat, and by eating we live. Then by eating we get our semina. Then we beget another children, another child. So actually we are born, every one of us born and nourished by this material nature. This is a fact, one can see. So who is the father? The mother is there, material nature, and we are children there. There must be father.

So the father's property everyone can enjoy, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā [Īśo mantra 1].

[Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.]

Just like these children, father, mother, whatever gives, "My dear child, you eat it." Similarly, if we think in that philosophy, our process, this Deity worship, the father or the supreme maintainer gives us prasādam, we take it. Actually fruits, flowers or grains, it is given by Kṛṣṅa. We cannot produce it. So how nice system it is, that "Kṛṣṅa, it is Yours. You have given us. So first of all You eat." This is love. Kṛṣṅa is not hungry. Kṛṣṅa can have sumptuous food. He is the maintainer of everyone. So this is how good feeling, very reasonable. Any man with some sense, he'll take it very seriously, "Yes, everything given by God, Kṛṣṅa. So let us offer it first of all to Kṛṣṅa." And there is no fear that Kṛṣṅa will eat everything and then we shall have nothing to eat. It is not like that. Kṛṣṅa's eating is a different way. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. We sing this song every day:

aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti ānanda-cinmaya sad-ujjvala vigrahasya govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.32]

Kṛṣṅa can eat any way. Just like we can eat only putting the foodstuff through the mouth. No. Kṛṣṅa can eat even by seeing. Sa aikṣata. In the Vedic version it is said simply Kṛṣṅa put His glance over material nature, and she produced so many children. Sa aikṣata 'sṛjata [Aitareya Upaniṣad 3.11]. That is God. He can do everything by every limb of the body. We can simply see with eyes, but Kṛṣṅa, by seeing He can make pregnant. This is Kṛṣṅa. This is called aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. That is called all-powerful. Just like Brahmā. Brahmā was born from the lotus flower grown from the navel of Mahā-Viṣṅu, Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṅu, and mother Lakṣmī is engaged in giving massage to Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṅu. You have seen the picture. But Kṛṣṅa, without taking help of goddess of fortune, He begot Brahmā. This is aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti [Bs 5.32]. We beget a child through the help of the wife, but Mahā-Viṣṅu, or Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṅu, although the wife is there, He did not take any help from the wife, but He begot.

So we should always remember that Kṛṣṅa is all-powerful, He is the supreme father and He is the supreme proprietor. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram [Bg 5.29].

[The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.]

The best life is to remain under the protection of Kṛṣṅa. Avaśya rakhibe kṛṣṅa viśvāsa pālan, rakiṣyate iti viśvāsa pālanam. This is called surrender, that "Kṛṣṅa will give me protection." And Kṛṣṅa also promises, 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.]

Kṛṣṅa is giving protection to everyone without even being devotee. And one who becomes a devotee, how much care is taken by Kṛṣṅa, just imagine.

samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ ye tu bhajanti māṁ bhaktyā teṣu te mayi [Bg 9.29]

[I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone. I am equal to all. But whoever renders service unto Me in devotion is a friend, is in Me, and I am also a friend to him.]

Every..., Kṛṣṅa, God, is kind to everyone, merciful. But one who has engaged himself in the service of Kṛṣṅa, He takes special care for him. So we should not miss this opportunity of life and deviate from devotional service and make our life cumberous, again fall into the same material existence, ahaṁ mameti [SB 5.5.8], "This is mine; this is..." No. Everything is Kṛṣṅa's. I am Kṛṣṅa's, everyone is Kṛṣṅa's, everything belongs to Kṛṣṅa. Let us behave in that way, then our life is successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. [end]