(Click to enlarge painting of Krishna and the cowherd boys)
Devotee: "Translation. Sūta Gosvāmī said: Arjuna, the celebrated friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa, was grief stricken because of his strong feeling of separation from Kṛṣṇa, over and above all Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's speculative inquiries." (SB 1.15.1)
Prabhupāda: So evaṁ kṛṣṇa sakhaḥ kṛṣṇo. Arjuna's name is Kṛṣṇa Sakha, and he is also called sometimes Kṛṣṇa, because Arjuna's bodily feature was almost similar to Kṛṣṇa's bodily feature. So, he was morose, being separated from Kṛṣṇa, and his elder brother was suggesting whether he was morose for this reason or that reason or this reason. Actually, he was unhappy on account of being separated from Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, not only Arjuna, all of us, we are also, as Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, he is also a living entity, we are also living entity. So we are also unhappy, because we are separated from Kṛṣṇa. These modern philosophers or scientists, they may suggest that they may go on thinking otherwise that they can improve the world situation in their own way, but that is not possible. We are unhappy on account of being separated from Kṛṣṇa. They do not know that. Just like a child, a child is crying, nobody can say why he is crying, but actually a child is generally in crying condition being separated from the mother.
So the, not only it is the question of Arjuna or Kṛṣṇa, everyone of us. In the Upaniṣad it is said that Paramātmā, Kṛṣṇa, and the living entity they are sitting on the same tree, samāni vṛkṣe. One living entity is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other living entity is simply witnessing, anumantā. So Kṛṣṇa, He's situated in everyone's heart, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Because without His sanction, the living entity cannot do anything. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo (BG 15.15), Kṛṣṇa says that "I am seated in everyone's heart." So, the living entity wants to do something out of his own whims, Kṛṣṇa says, or Kṛṣṇa gives good consultation that "This will not make you happy, don't do this." But he is persistent, he will do it. Then Kṛṣṇa sanctions, Paramātmā, "All right, you do it, at your risk." This is going on. Everyone of us (is) very intimately connected with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa is sitting in everyone's heart. Kṛṣṇa is so kind, that He is simply waiting, "When this rascal will turn his face towards Me." He simply is, he is so kind. But we living entities, we are so rascal, we shall turn our face to everything except Kṛṣṇa. This is our position.
We want to be happy, with so many ideas. Everyone is making his own idea, "Now this is the..." But the rascals, they do not know that, what is the actual process for getting happiness, that is Kṛṣṇa. That they do not know. na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). You, you can see in your country, they are trying so many things, so many skyscraper buildings, so many motor cars, so many big, big cities, but there is no happiness. Because they do not know what is missing. That missing point we are giving. Here is, "You take Kṛṣṇa and you will be happy." This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa and the living entity, they are very intimately connected. Like father and son, or friend and friend, or master and servant, like that. We are very much intimately connected. But because we have forgotten our intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa, and trying to become happy in this material world, therefore we have to undergo so much tribulations. This is the position. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare.
We living entities, we are trying to become happy within this material world, "Why you are in the material world, why not in the spiritual world?" The spiritual world, nobody can become the enjoyer, bhokta. That is only Supreme, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva... (BG 5.29). There is no mistake. There are also living entities, but they know perfectly well that real enjoyer, proprietor, is Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual kingdom. Similarly, even in this material world, if we understand perfectly well that we are not enjoyer, Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer, then that is spiritual world. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to convince everyone that we, we are not enjoyer, enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa. Just like, this whole body, the enjoyer is the stomach, and the hands and legs and eyes and ears and brains and everything, these should be engaged to find out the enjoyable things and put it in the stomach. This is natural. Similarly, we are part and parcel of God, or Kṛṣṇa, we are not enjoyer.
In every religion, it is accepted. Just like in Christian religion also it is said: "Oh God, give us our daily bread." Bread, we cannot manufacture. It must come from God. That is Vedic version also, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaṣ cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). God, or Kṛṣṇa, He gives everything, necessities of life, as you like, but if you accept your enjoyable things as you like, then you'll become entangled. But if you accept things to be enjoyed by you, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (Īśo mantra 1), as Kṛṣṇa offers you, then you'll become happy. If you make, just like a diseased patient, if he wants to enjoy life in his own whimsical way, he'll continue his disease. But if he accepts the modes of life according to the directions of the physician, then he becomes free from So there are two methods, pravṛtti and nivṛtti. Pravṛtti means "I have got inclination to eat this or to enjoy this. Why not? I shall do it. I have got my freedom." "But you have no freedom sir, you are simply..." That is māyā. You have no freedom. We get experience, suppose there is very nice palatable food. If I think, let me eat as much as possible, then next day I'll have to starve. Immediately dysentery or indigestion.
So you cannot violate the laws of Kṛṣṇa, or laws of nature, that is not possible. You are not at all independent. Because these rascals, they'll not understand this. They are always thinking, we are independent. That is the cause of all unhappiness. Nobody is independent. How you can be independent? Nobody is independent, neither you can be independent, neither nobody is independent. That factual, who is independent? Here you are sitting, so many boys and girls, who can say "I am independent of everything"? No, nobody can say. So this is our mistake, and by misusing our independence we are suffering in this material world in so many ways. That has to be reformed. That has to be checked. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has preached, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108-109). We living entities, we are eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is our position. But if we deny this position, "Now why shall I become servant of Kṛṣṇa? I am independent," then suffering begins, immediate. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare, as soon as you desire to enjoy independently, immediately—that means immediately he is captured by māyā.
kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare
pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare
It is very easy to understand. Just like if you don't care for the government laws, if you want to live independently, that means immediately you are in the clutches of the police force. You haven't got to create, it is already there. So our position is always dependent on God. We should understand this. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has a song,
mānaso deho geho, yo kichu mora,
arpilun tuyā pade nanda-kiśora
This mistake is going on, that I am independent, king, and my soldiers or my society, community, family or—so many we have manufactured—but
dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv
ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api
teṣāṁ nidhanaṁ pramattaḥ
paśyann api na paśyati
(SB 2.1.4)
Just like a man fights, just like Hitler declared war, or so many wars are declared. This man is declaring, everyone is thinking, "I am independent." So, and we are thinking that we have got so many soldiers, so many atomic bombs, and so many aeroplanes, we shall come out victorious. Similarly, each and everyone of us, we are thinking, "I am independent, and my wife, my children, my society, they are my soldiers. If I am in danger, they will help me." This is going on. This is called māyā. Pramattaḥ teṣāṁ nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati, because we have become mad after this so-called independence, independence of God, we are thinking these things will help us, will protect us, but that is māyā. Teṣāṁ nidhanam, everyone will be destroyed. Nobody will be able to give us protection. If real protection is wanted, he will have to take protection of Kṛṣṇa. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). You rascal, you are thinking that so many things will give you protection. That will not be possible. You will be finished, and your so-called protector, and friends, and soldiers, they will be finished. You don't depend on them. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam... (BG 18.66), you just surrender unto Me, I'll give you protection, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. This is real protection.
Everyone is falsely thinking independent, but he is dependent. But he is depending on false platform. That is the mistake of this material civilization. They are thinking of protection from a tiltering platform, material world. So we have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is very friendly to all of us. Therefore he comes down from Vaikuṇṭha to inform this, that is Bhagavad-gītā. And that is elaborately explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the only thing. So the crisis, people are faced with so many crises, problems. That I told in the airport. The reporter asked me "What is the solution of this crisis?" The solution is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is already there, but you rascal, you will not take it. Solution is already there. If the Arabians think that this oil is Kṛṣṇa's property and the others, purchasers, they also think, Kṛṣṇa's property, then they must agree also. America also must agree that this land of America is also Kṛṣṇa's property. If you think that the Arabian oil is Kṛṣṇa's property, God's property, we shall take it, by force. Then why the Arabians should not be allowed to come from the desert and live in America? But they (are) foolish, they will not come, they have got United Nations. But United Nations means simply committing mistake, mistake, mistake, mistake. That's all. That is their business. Why don't you united? Yes, this Arabian oil is Kṛṣṇa's property. Similarly the Australian land, or the African land, or this American land, so vast tract of land But "No, you can not come here, yow yow." They say, the immigration department. You see. Yow yow department.
So this nonsense, these rascals, all these politicians, they're spoiling the situation, but they are so big rascal, they'll not accept the solution. Take Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and everything will be solved. That's a fact. Mūḍhā, but they're so rascal, duṣkṛtina, and full of sinful activities, na māṁ duṣkṛtina mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ, and lowest of the mankind. So always remember that our preaching work is dealing with these kind of men. Duṣkṛtina means full of sinful activities. Mūḍhā, rascals, narādhamāḥ, lowest of the mankind and māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, and they're thinking very much advanced in education, but fool number one māyā has taken their away, real knowledge, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. Āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ. Why all these things? Because they are Godless, only fault is Godless. Āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ. Because they have taken the position (that) there is no God. These big, big scientists, they are trying to prove there is no God, "This creation is due from matter from chemical, the water has come from chemical combination, hydrogen, oxygen. These are the..." All foolish theories, and they are getting Nobel prize. They are getting Nobel prize. This is the position.
Therefore, from this verse, you should know, evaṁ kṛṣṇa-sakhaḥ kṛṣṇo bhrātrā rājñā vikalpitaḥ, nānā-śaṅkā... These rascals... (indistinct)... they're suggesting, "This the cause of," "this is the cause of," "this is the cause of," "this is the cause of." But the only cause is Kṛṣṇa, forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, that they do not know. The only cause.
kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare,
pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā...
This is the cause. So try to preach this cult. But not that everyone will accept, but even a few percent, one percent of the whole population accept. Just like in the sky, there is one moon only and there are millions of stars. They're useless. What is the value of the millions of stars? But one moon, oh, dissipate the whole darkness of night. Similarly, at least those who have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you become, each of you become a moon and enlighten the world. These so-called glow-worms, they'll not be able to do anything. That's a fact. Don't remain a glow-worm. Just become a sun and moon. Then you will..., people will be happy, you will be happy.
Thank you very much.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, November 29, 1973)
.
