Bhagavad-gītā As It Is

Bhagavad-gītā 7.15, Arrival Address

Prabhupāda: So here is a verse, number fifteen, from Bhagavad-gītā, Seventh Chapter:

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ [Bg 7.15]

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

So we have made this verse a standard of examination. We haven't got to do anything. Everything is there, because Kṛṣṅa is the original guru. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam [Bg 2.7].

[Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.]

Arjuna, in the paramparā system, is teaching us how to surrender to Kṛṣṅa. So this is the qualification how to advance in spiritual consciousness. People are suffering for want of spiritual consciousness. They are living like animal, dehātma-buddhiḥ.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṅape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijyadhīḥ yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13]

[One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth—such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.]

Go-kharaḥ means animals—cows and asses. Anyone who is thinking, "I am this body," he is animal. This is the verdict. Actually he is animal. If the dog is thinking, "I am dog," and if some gentleman is thinking, "I am Indian," "I am American," or "I am Englishman," where is the difference? To identify the body? There is no difference.

So on this platform of bodily concept of life, we remain animal. And to raise from that animal platform to the platform of our spiritual consciousness, that is the business of human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the Vedānta-sūtra. If we do not inquire about Brahman in this human form of life, which is obtained after many, many births... Bahūnāṁ sambhavante. Many, many millions of years and millions of births. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir: we change our body, but because we are on the animal platform, we cannot understand that we have to change our body. So Kṛṣṅa personally comes, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg 15.7].

[The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.]

He's more anxious for us, because we are suffering in this material world under bodily concept of life. That is His first instruction, tathā dehāntara-prāptir. We have to understand that we have to change this body. Don't be happy because you have got by karma a comfortable body. No body is comfortable. It is temporary, even it is comfortable. Even if you have got a very nice body, American body or European body, it may appear to be very nice, better than the Indian body—but that is not permanent. You'll have to change it. That is spiritual consciousness.

So we must be prepared. This is glānir. On the platform of bodily concept of life, whatever we are doing, that is all defeat. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam [SB 5.5.5].

[As long as one does not inquire about the spiritual values of life, one is defeated and subjected to miseries arising from ignorance. Be it sinful or pious, karma has its resultant actions. If a person is engaged in any kind of karma, his mind is called karmātmaka, colored with fruitive activity. As long as the mind is impure, consciousness is unclear, and as long as one is absorbed in fruitive activity, he has to accept a material body.]

In the bodily concept of life, whatever we are doing, simply defeat. We are thinking, "I'm making very good progress." Rascaldom. There is no progress. Unless you become inquisitive, athāto brahma jijñāsā, there is no progress. That has been taught by our ācāryas. Sanātana Gosvāmī, when he approached..., Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Lord Caitanya, his first question was... He was prime minister, he was a very big man, but he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu to inquire, "Who am I?" Ke āmi. That was his inquiry. Ke āmi kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya, apani kaha prabhu kiser hita haya [Cc Madhya 20.102].

[”Who am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble? If I do not know this, how can I be benefited?]

So this is the process, to know of oneself, not to be bewildered for the temporary, bodily comforts. This is the instruction of the whole Vedic literature. Prahlāda Mahārāja also said to Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa māyā-sukhāya bharata vimūḍhān, māyā-sukhāya bhavato vimūḍhān [SB 7.9.43], that those who are engaged for this temporary māyā-sukha, they are vimūḍhān.

[O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I am simply concerned with love for them.]

The same thing is explained here: na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

So those who are after this material happiness, they have been always described in all śāstras, and Kṛṣṅa is personally describing: mūḍha. Vimūḍhān. If we want to remain a vimūḍhān and suffer this material existence, that is our not very sign of good intelligence. Everyone should try to be intelligent enough what is the goal of life, what is to be done in this human form of life.

So our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is the supreme welfare activities in the world, because we are trying to stop the life of hogs and dogs. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye [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.]

Viḍ-bhujām, the stool-eaters, hogs, what is their business? We have seen in Vṛndāvana also there are many hogs—day and night searching after stool, and eating, and getting some strength and fat, then sense enjoyment, never mind whether it is mother, sister or daughter. This hogs' and dogs' life should be stopped. It is not possible for everyone to stop, but those who are intelligent, fortunate, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,

ei rūpe brahmāṅḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva, guru-kṛṣṅa-kṛpā pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc Madhya 19.151]

[According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṅa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṅa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.]

So you are all fortunate that you have taken to this Kṛṣṅa consciousness, bhakti-latā-bīja. And proceed according to the principles. And the first principle is tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12].

[To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.]

This is the first principle. Ādau gurvāśrayam. That is the first principle. And in the Vedas also it is said that,

yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23]

[Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.]

Vedic knowledge is revelation. Vedic knowledge is not understood by so-called mundane scholarship, by reading grammar. No. Vedic knowledge is possible to be understood by a person who has got unflinching faith in the bona fide guru. Guru means representative of Kṛṣṅa—Kṛṣṅa and His representative. We have repeatedly discussed this fact that guru means the bona fide servant of Kṛṣṅa. Guru does not mean a magician or jugglery. That is not guru. Guru means... It is explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very easily how to become guru. He has asked everyone, especially those who are born in India, bhārata bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra [Cc Ādi 9.41].

[One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.]

Especially. Because we Indians, bhāratīya, we have got facilities to become guru of the whole world. We have got the facility. Because here we have got the literatures, Vedic literatures, especially the Bhagavad-gītā, which is spoken by Kṛṣṅa Himself. If we try to understand what is the aim of life and preach all over the world, then you become guru. And if we want to cheat others in the name of so-called yogīs, svāmī, scholar, that will not make you guru. Guru... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says you become, all Indians, all bhāratīyas, guru. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa [Cc Madhya 7.128].

[Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.]

Wherever you are. And how shall I become guru? Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṅa upadeśa. That's all.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement means to follow the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction is this, to preach kṛṣṅa-upadeśa. And this is kṛṣṅa upadeśa: na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

This is not our manufactured words; it is kṛṣṅa-upadeśa, that "Anyone who is not surrendered to Me, duṣkṛtina, he is immediately classified into four groups." What are they? Duṣkṛtina, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. So it is a very simple thing. Who is a mūḍha? If one does not surrender to Kṛṣṅa, if one does not understand what Kṛṣṅa, he is either duṣkṛtina, means sinful; mūḍha, rascal; narādhama, lowest of the mankind; and māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, and his so-called education and degrees are useless because real knowledge is taken away from him. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. So there is no need of fighting by... But we can understand what are these people in general. They are within these four groups of men.

So we have to face them. Our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is facing these rascals, these duṣkṛtina, these narādhamas, and to request them to become Kṛṣṅa conscious. This is Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. You cannot sit idly to show your gorgeousness in a secluded place, imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura: Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa. No. You have to preach. That is the order of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra ei deśa [Cc Madhya 7.128].

That is really following the Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Not to imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. That is not possible. You can... Even you do that very nicely, that is for your safety. Supposing that you are doing nicely, but that is for your safety. But one who is facing dangerous position for others' benefit, they are very quickly recognized by Kṛṣṅa.

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ [Bg 18.69]

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati [Bg 18.68]

So if you face... Just like fighting soldiers, they are facing danger for the country. They are recognized. Similarly, those who are preachers—on behalf of Kṛṣṅa preaching people to take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness—they are great soldiers.

So I am very happy that you Europeans and Americans, especially, you are helping me. So continue this process, and that is the very easy way to be recognized by Kṛṣṅa. Because He says, na ca tasman manusyesu kaścin me priya-krttamaḥ [Bg 18.69]. Who? Who is preaching this Kṛṣṅa consciousness. So I thank you very much that you have come here in Vṛndāvana, and you are traveling, you are preaching. So let us dedicate this life for preaching Kṛṣṅa consciousness all over the world. Never mind we die by preaching. Still, it will be glorious.

Thank you very much.

Devotee: Jaya! [end]