3 Qualifications to go to the Lord - SB 2.6.20 | Rus-Split | 22.10.92 | Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Goswāmī Mahārājā

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 2, Chapter 6, Text 20. Phadas trayo bahay chaśan, aprajñānami aśramahā. Antaśri-lokyas vopādo grihā-medho-brahmaḥ-bhrataḥ. So Lord Brahmā is continuing to give us very, very valuable information. In the previous verses, we have seen how the spiritual world consists of 3/4 of the Lord's creation, and this vast creation that you and I are aware of is only a tiny portion of God's creation, only 1/4. And Lord Brahmā is also explaining how the spiritual world is beyond the material worlds. And in the previous verse, we have also seen how in the spiritual world there is no fear, there is no old age, there is no disease, there's no death. Now, if he said, how many people want a ticket to go to the spiritual world? There's a good chance that even the materialist will say, yes, yes, send me to the spiritual world. I don't want to die, I don't want to get old, I don't want to get disease, I don't want fear. But there's a catch, but there's a qualification required, and the qualification required is stated by Lord Brahmā in the following lines. That is, he must not be attached to family life, and he must strictly follow the vows of celibacy. Because Lord Brahmā is saying those who are attached to family life and those who do not follow the vows of celibacy are going to be entangled in material existence and live in the material world. So the vows of celibacy are important for spiritual advancement. Even in the household or ashram, one is considered celibate if he follows strictly religious, uh, religious guidelines. The Vedic system is that one may— must, must utilize the rare human body for achieving the goal of life. And for realizing this goal of life, we must have sense control, mind control. In our impure condition, it is not possible to enter the spiritual world. Therefore, the whole process of devotional service is aimed at purifying our impersonal existence, our impure existence. So the varnāśrama system is being mentioned by Prabhupāda in the opening lines of the purport. Varnāśrama system means the division of the society into four social and spiritual orders. Chatur varnā mayāśrīśṇaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāga-saḥ. Kṛṣṇa explains this division of society into four varnas and āśramas is actually My creation. So the four varnas are brahmin, śātya, vaiśya, śudra. And then you have the four āśramas: brahmachari, grihastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. Now in the purport, Prabhupāda talks at great length about the importance of brahmachari-āśrama. Because if one is trained thoroughly in the brahmachari-āśrama, then even if he does decide to enter into the grihāsa-āśrama, there will be no— he will not have much difficulty. He will not have difficulty. In the 6th canto of the Bhāgavatam, there's a very nice explanation on the qualification of a brahmacharya. Tapasā brahmācāreṇaḥ samena ca dhamena ca, tyāgena satya so ca. So these are the qualifications which we shall explain. Tapasā brahmācāreṇa. A brahmācārī must be used to practice the art of tapasya. Tapasya means voluntarily accepting inconveniences. Voluntarily accepting inconveniences for a higher goal, goal of self-realization. So tapasya— brahmachari must be accustomed to practicing tapasya. Samena cha dhamena cha. Samena means he must have the ability to control the mind. Without mind control, no one can succeed spiritually. If you're going to let your mind wander in areas of sense enjoyment, and you're pretending to practice spiritual life, then you're only fooling yourself. So, samena, control the mind. And Krishna explains how: Manmana māvā bhārt-bhakto madhyāji man namaskarau. Always think of me, bow down to me, offer your homage unto me. Dhamena cha. Dhamena means to control the senses. Samena means to control the umma, and dhamena means to control the senses. So he must control the senses. And how do we control the senses? By practically engaging the senses in service to the Lord. Just like it is said, that is, one can free oneself from the various designations by engaging the senses in service of Rishikesha, the owner of the senses. So we must make sure that the mind and the senses are consistently engaged in service to the Lord. And if the mind and the senses are engaged consistently in service to the Lord, then the senses will not trouble us. Just like a child who is given by the mother some toys to play, then he doesn't trouble the mother. So similarly, if the mind and the senses have an engagement, they will not trouble. Tyāgena satya sochabyam. These are further qualities. Tyāgena. Tyāgena means to voluntarily Give up activities of sense enjoyment. If you have to give up something by force, then it is not as tasty as when you give it up voluntarily. A brahmachari can voluntarily give up sense enjoyment because through the scriptures, through the spiritual master, through the sages, he has heard one message that senses can never be satisfied and a human life should be used to exercise self-sense control. Then satya. Satya means truthfulness. Truthfulness is one of the four essential ingredients of religion. So brahmachari must be truthful. So we have to be truthful in practicing Krishna consciousness because truthfulness is one of the essential ingredients of religion. There are four essential ingredients of religion: austerity, cleanliness, mercifulness, and truthfulness. Then sochabyam. Sochabyam means cleansing of the heart internally, internal and external cleanliness. And this internal and external cleanliness is realized by the execution of regulative principles. The rules and regulations that we follow, the guidelines of the scriptures that we follow, are meant to help us realize internal and external cleanliness. Internal cleanliness refers to the cleansing of the heart. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, That the cleansing of the heart is realized by the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. Then there is external cleanliness. One must live in a clean environment. The temple of the Lord should be completely clean. Very often Prabhupada used to say that cleanliness is next to godliness. That is, if you want to practice godliness, you must also practice cleanliness. So both are important— internal cleanliness and external cleanliness. Yameena niyameena va. Yamena. Yamena means avoiding cursing and violence. A devotee is totally nonviolent. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Prabhupāda explains the meaning of nonviolence. He explains that nonviolence means a devotee who's executing devotional service will execute his service in such a manner that he doesn't disturb any other devotee from executing his service. It doesn't mean that if I have service to do Doesn't matter what happens to somebody else's service. It's only my service that is important. Devotee is very sensitive to the fact that nobody else's service should be disturbed because of his service. Niyamena. Niyamena means chanting the names of the Lord. So the brahmachari regularly chants the names of the Lord. Niyamena. So tapasa brahmacharenasamena cha dhamena cha tyagasatyasocchabyam yamena niyamena cha. So in this, in this verse, the qualities of a, of a brahmachari are described that we have very briefly discussed. Now Prabhupada, in the purport of this verse, further explains how a brahmachari should actually practice Krishna consciousness and remain a brahmachari. So Prabhupada in the purport says one aspect is not to think of women, not to speak about sex life, not to look lustfully at women. Not to talk intimately with women, not endeavor for sex life. So these are some of the guidelines for one who want to practice the brahmachari ashram. So if one is thoroughly trained in the brahmachari ashram, then he can enter into, as it is being explained in the purport, the grihastha ashram. Grihastha ashram is the ashram where the husband and wife work together to please the Supreme Lord according to the directions of the spiritual master. The householder situation If it is used for sense enjoyment or exploiting each other's body, then it is known as the grihamedhi situation. So grihastha is a situation where Krishna is the focal point. And in the grihastha ashram, the various guidelines that one should take advantage of and also help in the practical execution of Krishna consciousness. Then you have the vana-prastha stage, where the husband and wife, they, they begin to get detached from each other travel to places of pilgrimage and increase their dependence on Krishna. And in the varnāśrama system, the final stage of āśrama is the sannyāsa āśrama. And in the sannyāsa āśrama, there are very strict guidelines. No association with women, and one must be strictly celibate. So in the, in the brahmachari and sannyāsa āśrama, no association with women. And the grihastha āśrama Disassociation is permitted, but subject to religious guidelines. So this verse is pointing out that very clearly, that as long as one is attached to family life and he does not follow the vows of celibacy, there's no question of returning to the kingdom of God. In the Bhagavad-gītā, Prabhupāda explains how this attachment to sex life is actually the cause of our bondage to material existence. Just like a prisoner, a prisoner is handcuffed by chains and as a result he can't run away. So the living entity attached to sex life is guaranteed transmigration from one body to another body, and his entanglement in material existence is guaranteed. Therefore, this attachment to sex life must be given up. In the Bhagavad-gītā we see that Arjuna asked Krishna, How is it that one is forced into sinful acts even unwillingly? And Krishna replied, kāma is a crocodile, rāja-guṇa-samādhbāvah. It is lust only, the all-devouring enemy of the living entity. And the nature of this lust is it can never be satisfied. So the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, through various stories, is explaining to us the importance of giving up sex life. A question may be presented, that is, why the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam the topmost scripture on this planet, discussing sex life. So many say there's so many verses in the Bhagavatam that discuss this topic. The answer is because this is the greatest impediment to our returning to the spiritual abode of the Lord. Therefore, one must realize the importance of controlling this eternal enemy. And as Lord Brahma is saying in this verse, one who's able to control this then he can return to the spiritual abode. In the third canto of the Bhāgavatam, Lord Brahmā has also said, tapaseva param jyotir bhāgavatam adhokṣaja, that the Lord is adhokṣaja, very difficult to control, very difficult to understand. But one who practices tapasya, he can actually understand the Supreme Lord. So through the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, through the engagement in aspects of devotional service, one can exercise control over mind and senses. So we must give up sense enjoyment, otherwise one is guaranteed to stay in material existence. So even in the householder ashram, Prabhupada is explaining, one has to abide by spiritual discipline. And if one abides by spiritual discipline, then he can make— then he can go back to the kingdom of God, as Prabhupada explains. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, I'm also sex life. That is not contrary to religious principles. So the purpose of sex life is procreation. Procreation, that is produce children for God. Activity like the cats and the dogs. So presently we see very great emphasis on this activity. Every endeavor is being made to help realize this goal, more and more sex life. People are thinking With more sex life, there'll be more happiness. Prabhupada used to say that the monkeys and the pigeons are far more expert than the human beings in this activity. The pigeons, they can have sex life 10 times an hour, so they're far more advanced than human beings. Therefore, in the Srimad Bhagavatam, you also have the story of King Yajati. In the story of King Yajati, we see how the king engaged in unrestricted sense enjoyment Still, he was totally dissatisfied. So through the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, we understand the importance of mind and sense control. Rūpa Gosvāmī says, vācya vegaṁ manasa-krodha-vegam jīva-vegam adāra-paṣṭa-vegam. Jīrūpa Gosvāmī emphasizes the importance of controlling the mind and the senses. So Prabhupāda explains that if the tongue is controlled then it is easier to control the belly and the genitals. And if the tongue is uncontrolled, then the belly and the genitals cannot be controlled. So how do we practically control the tongue? We control the tongue by vibrating the tongue to glorify the Lord and by tasting Krishna prasad. If the tongue is being used to constantly vibrate the glories of the Lord and to discuss Krishna Katha, and the tongue is being used to only taste Kṛṣṇa prasāda, then to control the belly and the genitals will be relatively easy. The tongue should not be used for prajalpa. The tongue should not be used for eating anything except Kṛṣṇa prasāda. And if we practice these guidelines, then to control lust will be relatively easy. And the mind and the senses— as we get the mind and the senses in control, we will begin to appreciate more and more the transcendental glories of the holy name and the beauty of devotional service. Rupa Gosvāmī gives a nice example in the Śrī Udayaśramita, the example of a patient suffering from jaundice. That is, when you're suffering from jaundice, you cannot appreciate the sweetness of sugar. But as you recover from that, from that disease, you begin to appreciate more and more the sweetness of sugar. So similarly, as long as you're addicted to sense enjoyment, you cannot appreciate the beauty of the holy name, the beauty of the Lord, the value of the holy name. But as you recover, as you practice the art of devotional service, chant the holy names of the Lord, associate with devotees, you gradually experience more and more the sweetness of the holy name. So the mind and the senses must be engaged in service to the Lord in the way that we have the example of how Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra was a great king, but, and Indra had conspired that Indra was envious of the austerities of Viśvāmitra. So Indra made a plan, that is, he sent a society girl, Menaka, to get him agitated. So Viśvāmitra was practicing meditation, but when he heard Menaka's ankle bells, he got agitated and his meditation broke. But we have the example of Haidar Shthakur, who was fully absorbed in the chanting of the Holy Name, and Mayadevi and the prostitute on different occasions had attempted to attract him, but they were both unsuccessful. On one occasion, Mayadevi had appeared as a very beautiful entity making very attractive poses, but she failed in front of Haridas's determination to chant and execute service. And on another occasion, the prostitute had attempted to seduce Haridas The local Muslim ruler was feeling very envious that so many people were going to offer respects to Haridas. Sort of envious. And when the Prasad Raut came to seduce Haridas, instead of being seducing, she got seduced by Haridas's purity and became a devotee of the Lord. She got attracted by it. So if we sincerely chant the holy names of Krishna Then that chanting will give us the spiritual strength to overcome the influence of lust, anger, greed, envy, hatred. The materialists are trying very hard to try and get their people to give up very extreme sinful activities. The government in many countries is encouraging people to give up— is advertising to— so that people may not take drugs, reduce their alcohol consumption. But they're unsuccessful because people don't have a positive alternative. Whereas when you do have a positive alternative, then it is easier to control those activities which are detrimental for achieving the goal of life. So we must take advantage of these guidelines that are there in the scriptures to help us control the mind and the senses. So we chant sincerely, then you'll get the strength to face up to the illusionary energy of the Lord. Therefore, we should not only chant, but we should chant avoiding the 10 offenses. Krishna says, to overcome the illusionary energy is difficult, but one who surrenders to me, he can overcome the influence of the illusionary energy. Another point that Prabhupada makes in the purport is, in the concluding lines of the purport, is the strict standard that a sannyasi has to follow. A sannyasi is strictly forbidden from female association. But what do we see in society today? As Prabhupada says in the purport, you have so-called sannyasis who are engaged in all sorts of nonsense activities. They just adopt the sannyas order for show, and then they do all nonsense. So a genuine sannyasi, he stays away from female association. In fact, he doesn't sit down alone with a woman, even if it is his his closest relative. The senses are so strong that the Bhagavad-gītā says one should not even sit down with one's daughter, sister, mother alone. Bhaktisiddhānta-jī, even when his sister would come to see him, he would have disciples sit in the room. So for a transcendentalist who wants to be promoted to the spiritual world, which has been explained by Lord Brahmā in these verses, one must practice celibacy. One must give up nonsense activities. One must stop acting. One must act only according to religious principles, and then he can achieve the goal of life. So a householder, he's given concessions, but as it is being explained in the purport, the householder must develop the spirit of detachment if he wants to return to the kingdom of God. Actually, this morning I was reading a conversation with Prabhupada in which he said that a householder, unless he's detached He cannot go back to the kingdom of God. So this detachment is necessary. We see in society people practicing yoga, so-called spiritual life, and they engage in nonsense activities. Prabhupada used to say the yogi who engaged in sense enjoyment becomes a bogey. Bogey means sense enjoyer. And then he becomes a rogi. Rogi means diseased. When you engage in sense enjoyment, then you become diseased. If you analyze most of the diseases today They're all the result of unrestricted sense enjoyment. For example, AIDS is becoming such a severe disease, but what is AIDS the result of? Violating the laws of God, wanting to engage in unrestricted sense enjoyment. So one must control the mind and the senses, and that is possible by taking shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord through the medium of devotional service. So to summarize the verse, Lord Brahmā in this verse is again emphasizing the nature of the spiritual world. Once again, Lord Brahmā is reminding us that in the spiritual world there is no disease, no old age, no fear, no death. But Lord Brahmā is also telling us the requisite qualification for entering into the spiritual world. That is, give up your attachment to family life, work in the spirit of detachment, and follow the vows of celibacy. Then you can enter into the kingdom of the Lord. So mind and sense control is a must if you want to make spiritual advancement. And by taking advantage of the various guidelines offered by the guru, sadhu, shastra, one learns the technique of engaging the mind and the senses in a positive manner. Just like a snake charmer, he has a snake with him, but the, but the teeth have been broken so that it can't be harmful. So we have to take away the poison from the senses and the mind, and that is possible through the process of absorption and devotional activities. And the key to realizing detachment and practicing celibacy is control of the tongue. And you can— and you exercise the control by chanting and tasting Krishna prasad. So we should chant, engage in Krishna katha, and taste Krishna prasad, and then it will become easy to control the mind and senses. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. I can only take on one or two questions. I have to go.

You said that by practicing chanting we can learn some techniques, some Krishna consciousness techniques. What are these techniques?

I said Krishna consciousness activities, not techniques. I didn't remember that.

You said some techniques like to control mind, etc.

Oh, control techniques. Well, technique means think about Krishna, Think about Krishna's instruction, think about Krishna's desire, think about Krishna's pastime, think about Krishna's form.

Can you tell us why the size of the universe given in the Shastras is almost equal to the size of the solar system predicted by, measured by the modern science?

Anyway, the point is that the information in the Shastras is what we rely on. So the scientists agree with that information, fine. But if they do not agree, we're not going to listen to them. We're going to listen to the shastras.

If one is free from, from family attachment and sexual attachment also, but he has some, some different sinful attachments, can he still enter into the spiritual world?

Actually, you have to clear all your sinful attachments, but this is the biggest. If you've done that, the others will be relatively easy. So I'll stop at this point because I have to go. We have to have a little meeting.

Hare Krishna.

Lama Lama Ale Ale.