Drinking Poison Knowingly.doc

7/30/2019 Drinking Poison Knowingly.doc

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"Drinking Poison Knowingly"

25 Jul 76 , London

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Prabhupada: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission is this. Yei bhaje sei bada,

abhakta hina chara [Cc. Antya 4.67]. Anyone who is devotee of Krsna, yei

bhaje, who is engaged in devotional service of Lord Krsna, yei bhaje se bada,

he is big. Our calculation of big, small, not by the caste system. Yei bhaje:

"Anyone who worships or who is engaged in devotional service of the Lord..."

There is no particularly any person or any society or any caste or any nation is

said. Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, yei bhaje se bada. Yei bhaje sei bada,

abhakta hina chara. And one who is not a devotee, he is the lowest and

abominable.

yei bhaje se bada bhakta hina chara

krsna bhajanete nahi jati kuladi vicara

[Cc. Antya 4.67]

So far Krsna bhajana is concerned, there is no such distinction of caste, creed,

nation, religion, no. Everyone. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's word, and

Krsna's personal words are, in the Bhagavad-gita, mam hi partha 'vyapasritya

ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah [Bg. 9.32]. People are generally against the

mlecchas, yavanas or the candalas because according to Vedic system, the

brahmanas, the ksatriya, they are supposed to be pious family, brahmanas

and ksatriyas. Less than that, even woman, they are not so pious. So in that

sense there is discrimination. But Krsna says that mam hi partha vyapasritya

ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah. Anyone, it doesn't matter, even he belongs to the

papa-yoni, low-grade family. And because women and vaisyas are sudras are

also considered as less important, so Krsna mentions, striyo vaisyas tatha

sudras te 'pi yanti param gatim: "Even women, sudras, or the vaisyas,

everyone can be elevated to the higher transcendental platform, param gati."

Param gati. Gati means advancement, stepping forward, gati. So everyone is

given this advantage of stepping forward. Stepping forward... (aside:) ...is it

finished or not? Eh?

Indian man: Just they're offering.

Prabhupada: Yes. Stepping forward, there are two ways, stepping forward,

gatih. One way, go to hell, and another way, go to Krsna, stepping forward. So

who is going to back to home, back to Godhead, and who is going to hell?

There are two ways. I think the Christians also believe like that: either go to
http://prabhupadavani.org/Lectures/RAMfiles/094LCT.ramhttp://prabhupadavani.org/Lectures/RAMfiles/094LCT.ram


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means control. Adanta, not controlled. Adanta-gobhih. So what is that?

Visatam tamisram: "They are going towards hell," because this sense

gratification process, unrestricted sense gratification process, he is creating a

situation of different mentality and that mentality will be prominent at the time

of death, and according to that situation he'll get his next birth.

Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. Therefore we

have to become very, very careful. This life I maybe born in big nation,

America, or English nation or some other nation or family, but if I create a

mentality of cats and dogs or if I do not take advantage of this human form of

life -- I remain dull as the trees or the animals -- then next life we have to

accept a similar body. This is the law of nature. You can say or I can say that "I

do not believe in the next life," but that is not the fact. The fact is... Just like if a

child says, "I do not believe the next stage or next life, to become a boy," or if a

boy says that "I don't believe next stage, to become a young man," so a young

man says, "I do not believe that I shall become an old man," that is concoction.

The nature's law will drag him, one after another. Similarly, the old man's body,

when it is finished, you'll have to accept another body according to your

mentality at the time of death. This is the law of nature.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is the best welfare activities for the

human society to save them from a dangerous type of life. It is a very scientific

movement. The fools and rascals, they do not know that there is next life and

one has to accept a type of body given by nature. Karmana daiva-netrena

jantor deha upapatti [SB 3.31.1]. According to karma, the nature... Just like if

you infect some disease without any knowledge, so that disease, infection, will

develop. If you have infected the small pox germ, then it will develop. You maybelieve or not believe or you may know or not know. It doesn't matter. Nature's

way is like that. Similarly, we are contaminating within this material world

different infection of the modes of material nature -- sattva-guna, rajo-guna,

tamo-guna. So that is also described in the Bhagavad-gita: karanam guna-

sangah asya sad-asad yoni janmasu. One is getting higher type of birth, one is

getting lower type of birth, why? Karanam guna sango 'sya: [Bg. 13.22] the

cause is different contamination of the material modes of nature. Therefore in

human form of life we should not be irresponsible animals. The animals, they

do not know what he is contaminating, what he is going to take birth next. That

is nature's way. But when you come to the human form of life, you have got

your discrimination. You have to make your choice whether you are going to

hell or you are going back to home, back to Godhead. That you have to make

your choice.

If you don't make your choice, if you miss this opportunity, then you are

committing suicide. You are knowingly drinking poison. As Narottama dasa

Thakura says, hari hari biphale janama gonainu: "My Lord Krsna, I have


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wasted my time without any meaning, without any good result." Why? No,

manusya-janama paiya radha-krsna na bhajiya, janiya suniya visa khainu: "I

got this human form of life. It was an opportunity to worship Radha-Krsna, but I

did not do it. I simply wasted my time in sense gratification. This means

knowingly I have drunk poison." So anyone can drink poison if he likes.

Nobody can check. But it is a fact that if one does not become Krsnaconscious in this human form of life, he is drinking poison knowingly. That's a

fact.

So people should be very careful, take advantage of this Krsna consciousness

movement. It is not a blind, sentimental religious faith. It is a great science,

vijnanam. Jnanam me parama-guhyam yad vijnana-samanvitam. Jnanam te

'ham pravaksyami yad vijnana-samanvitam. These are the words. It is vijnana,

a great science. Don't think that "These people are sentimentally chanting and

dancing." That is the process, very easy made for this age. But if you think

yourself that you are a great scientist, great philosopher, then we have got

eighty-four books of four hundred pages. If you have got actually learning, you

can study them. We can convince you. And people are becoming convinced.

We are selling books all over the world, daily, sixty thousand dollars' worth.

People are receiving, and they are appreciating. We have got big, big learned

scholars' opinion.

So the idea is that you must take to Krsna consciousness movement.

Otherwise you are drinking poison knowingly. Anyone, it doesn't matter what

you are. Either you are Indian or Englishman or American or Hindu or Muslim,

it doesn't matter. Krsna consciousness means God consciousness. I may say,

"Krsna;" you may say some other name. But this human form of life is meantfor this purpose, to understand Krsna, or God. Not vague idea, clear idea what

is God, how he looks, what does he do -- so many things we have to know. It

is not vague idea. Simply to have a vague idea of God, that is also good, but

that is not perfect. You must know that is God. So how you can know God?

The God is explaining Himself, coming down for your benefit. That is Krsna.

Krsna is explaining Himself, "I am like this. You see Me. You know Me. I am

explaining Myself." And still, if we do not take advantage of understanding

God, then just imagine how we are drinking poison knowingly. How rascal we

are, that God Himself is explaining before me everything about Him, and we

are not taking advantage of this opportunity, and I am thinking I am

independent and... This is rascaldom. You are not independent. You are

completely under the control of the laws of material nature. How you are

independent? So this foolishness must be stopped. That is the purpose of

Krsna consciousness. Don't remain rascals fools. Take to Krsna

consciousness and be happy.

Thank you very much.


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Indian man: (indistinct) ...praising anyone that can perform even, praying to

Krsna consciousness. So the fundamental is the four things. Please explain.

Devotee: He's talking about the four principles which are compulsory to Krsna

consciousness.

Prabhupada: Yes, because we are now dull brain. Anyone who is not Krsna

conscious, he is described as rascal.

na mam duskrtino mudhah

prapadyante naradhamah

mayayapahrta-jnana

asurim bhavam asritah

[Bg. 7.15]

This is Krsna's words, that anyone who is not Krsna conscious, he must be in

one of these groups. What are the groups? Duskrtinah-meritorious sinful

person. A person is merit. He has got merit. Just like a thief, a rogue, a

cheater. He has got merit undoubtedly. Without being meritorious, they cannot

be expert thief or expert rogue or expert politician. (laughter) So they have got

merit, but duskrtinah. Krti means merit, and dus means abominable. Merit is

being used for bad purposes or sinful purposes. They are called duskrtinah.

This is one group. Another group-mudha. Mudha means fools, rascals, or

children, those who have no knowledge or one who does not know what is the

purpose of life. They are called mudhas. And another group is called

naradhamah. Naradhama means the lowest of the mankind. The highest of themankind is one who is Krsna conscious, and the lowest, one who does not

know what is Krsna consciousness, the lowest of the mankind. This human

life, human form of life was given to him by laws of nature to understand

Krsna, or God, but he's not using it. Misusing it. They are called naradhama.

And then, next group is mayayapahrta jnana. You can say, "There are so

many learned persons. They are not Krsna conscious. They are after drinking

and eating meat and... They are education." So then, He says that "They are

educated. They have so-called educated, but their real knowledge is taken

away." Just like one is rich man, but his money is taken away. So these four

groups... So why this meritorious person or educated person, they do not take

to Krsna consciousness? That means dull brain. So in order to make the dull

brain suitable for understanding Krsna, these four principles of austerities is

the first need: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. Then

his brain, the finer tissues of the brain, will develop to understand Krsna.

Otherwise, not possible.

Devotee: There's one more question, Srila Prabhupada.


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Indian woman: (Hindi)

Prabhupada: Pitar, what is this pitar?

Indian man: Forefathers.

Prabhupada: Yes. So there are different processes. (Hindi)

yanti deva-vrata devan

pitrn yanti pitr-vratah

bhutani yanti bhutejya

yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam

[Bg. 9.25]

(Hindi) (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Sunday Feast Lecture -- London, July 25, 1976

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Drinking Poison Knowingly.doc