United Nations' Peace Formula | Rus-Split | SB 1.16.17 | 29 Jan 1992 | Srila Gopal Krishna Goswami

Om Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Om Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Chapter 16, Texts 17 and 18. Text 17 has no purport, so we will do the Sanskrit of Text 17 and discuss Text 18. The translation is: That when the Acharya doesn't comment on the verse, the speaker also doesn't comment on that verse. Dasai vam vartamanasya purvesham retin anbaham nati dyurim. Kilāchāyam yād asētān nimbodhā me tasya ivam vartā manasya purvēśaṁ vidyam anvaham nātidyurī kilāshchariyam. Text 18. Dharma-pradikena-caran-vicayam upalabyagam prachitis-marṣu-vadanam vivatsam iva-mātaram. Dharma-pradikena-caran-vicayam upalabyagam prachitis-marṣu-vadanam vivatsam iva-mātaram. So this is a very interesting verse. In this verse we see that the personality of religious principle, dharma, was being represented by a bull. And the bull met the cow. That represents, uh, the bull met the cow, who was actually very, very sad. And the cow represents the personality of earth. So Prabhupada explains that the bull is the emblem of moral principle and the cow is the representative of the earth. But Mother Earth was crying when the bull met the cow. The cow was crying just like a mother who loses a child is very sad. The cow generally is a very beautiful animal, but the cow was looking— well, her beauty was lost because of her sadness. When the cow and the bull are happy society is also happy. And when the cow and the bull are sad, society is also sad. The society is sad today everywhere because the cows and the bulls are also sad everywhere. Prabhupāda explains the reason is that grain production becomes possible due to the efforts of the bull, and milk is available due to the contribution of the cow. And when you have enough grains and enough malaqa, then you have no problem. Just like yesterday I was told that if you want to buy malaqa in Moscow, you have to go and stand in front of the magazine at 5:00 in the morning. And if you want to buy grains, you have to stand in front of stores for days and days because the cow and the bull is not happy today. Therefore, even though all the technology may be there, people are hungry everywhere. So in Kali Yuga, the cow and the bull are both miserable. They are both sent to the slaughterhouse, and because they know they are going to go to the slaughterhouse, they are miserable. The cow and the bull are both supposed to be protected. A civilized society is that which also protects the animals, especially the cow and the bull. Today we take great pride in calling ourselves a civilized society. But actually we are not a civilized society. How can you call yourself civilized and if you want to defy the laws of God? Parikṣit Mahārāja considered even the animals to be his responsibility. Therefore he would not even let any animal be slaughtered or hurt. But these days we see that the government clearly differentiates between the right of a human being, the right of a child in the womb of the mother, and the animals. According to man-made laws, a human being has a right to live, but a child in the womb has no right to live. Therefore, abortion is legalized in many parts of the world. And the animals also have no right to live. They can only live as long as their bosses, the human beings, want them to live. Even in places like India, where on paper cow killing is illegal, so much of cow killing is going on. So Brahminical culture must be there in society. If Brahminical culture is not there in society, it's a dead society. Prabhupada is making this point in the purport in 4 or 5 times. In the small purport, Prabhupada is emphasizing this one point, that Brahminical culture must be established for society to be peaceful. Unless Brahminical culture is maintained, there will be no morality in society. And today we see that there is no morality in society. There is no morality in society because people do not have a head. When there's no head in the body, the body is dead. So similarly, the Brahmins are considered to be the leaders of society according to the Vedic philosophy. The Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, and Sudras that you are all familiar with represent different parts of one's body. The Brahmins are compared to the head, the Kshatriyas to the arms, The Vaishyas to the belly and the Sudras to the legs. The Brahmanas are compared to the head because the brain is the most important part of the body. You can live without hand, you can live without leg, but you can't remain without your head and the brain. So unless there is head in the society, Prabhupada used to explain, the society is a headless society. So we are living in a headless society in which no one knows what direction one should take. So the cow and the bull must be protected. Milk is the most perfect food. The funny part is the karmis acknowledge that. For example, in America there's a big, uh, campaign. You see billboards, advertisements everywhere saying milk, the most perfect food. So everyone acknowledges that milk is the most perfect food. Everyone acknowledges the source of milk is the cow, but unfortunately they don't acknowledge the, the need to preserve and protect the cow, one of the mothers. So society is so cruel, it doesn't hesitate to kill its own mother. So this cruelty can be arrested if we establish Brahminical culture. So what is Brahminical culture? For to understand what is Brahminical culture, you must first know what is a Brahmin. The qualities of a Brahmana are described in the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Shamodamotapa socham shanti rajamam evacha jñānambhijñānambhāstikyaṁ brahma-karma-svabhākajām. Kṛṣṇa explains in the Bhāgavad-gītā, these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work, and we shall now explain the qualities. So the first quality of the brahmana is peacefulness. This is reflected by the word shamod. Shamod means peacefulness. So a brahman must be peaceful. Today in international politics, when we talk about peace, it means there's no war like the Gulf War, or no war like the Second World War, and nobody's throwing a nuclear bomb. So if these things are not taking place, they consider society to be peaceful. Just like if somebody was to talk to any layman in this country, they would think, oh, only Georgia is in trouble because there they are really having a fight. Everywhere else in other republics, or everything is peaceful. But that is not our definition of peacefulness. That is not the spiritual definition of peacefulness. The mind is always agitated due to multiple material desires. But if the mind is fixed on one central theme, then the mind becomes peaceful. So genuine peacefulness can be recognized only once you understand the supremacy of God. Just like long ago, Prabhupāda wrote an article called The Peace Formula. Some of you may have read it. So Prabhupāda said real peace can be realized only when you acknowledge the supremacy of God, and the formula for realizing peace are not international conferences at the United Nations, but getting people to chant the names of God. Then damaḥ. Damaḥ means self-control. Brahman must be self-controlled. Self-control means not to be a slave of your senses. Brahman is also not greedy at all. Just like at one time Lord Ramachandra had invited his brahminical advisors and he had offered them unlimited land, but because they were genuine brahmanas, they said they only wanted as much land as needed for survival and not beyond that. As long as one is not trained in spiritual life, There is no question of self-control. Because people have no self-control, so many illicit activities are being— are going on in society all over the world. In fact, society today has become so degraded that one can't even mention the degraded activities that are accepted as normal in, in society in, in the Bhāgavatam class. Then there must be samodhamo tapo. Tapo means Austerity. Austerity means abstaining from sinful activities. Austerity is one of the four essential ingredients of religion. Then socham. Socham means purity. Purity means accepting God's teachings as it is, not distorting God's teachings. This point I'm going to discuss later on in the lecture, on in a, in a related discussion. Shantir. Shantir means tolerance. So tolerance, as we have discussed many times, is a must for spiritual advancement. Tolerance has to be practiced at various levels, external and internal. External tolerance means tolerating dishonor, insult. Internal tolerance means tolerating the agitation of the senses. Then arjavam. Arjavam means honesty. So honesty is also known as truthfulness. A devotee of the Lord must always be honest. A devotee cannot tolerate dishonesty. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, there's a very nice dialogue that took place between Bali Maharaja and Shukracharya. There are two classes of spiritual masters. One is a spiritual master by birth, the other is a spiritual master by qualification. So shukra means semen. So Shukracharya means One becomes a family priest or spiritual master on the basis of birth. So Bali Mahārāja on one occasion was tested by the Supreme Lord, who incarnated as a beggar known as Vāmana Deva. Vāmana Deva dressed as a beggar came to the palace of Bali Mahārāja. Bali Mahārāja was very attracted by this beggar's beauty. So the king Bali Mahārāja asked the beggar Vāmana Deva, "what can I do for you?" Bali Maharaj, the beggar, said, "Just give me enough land where I can keep 3 footsteps. That's all." The king said, "You look very foolish to me. You don't come to a king and ask him just for some ashes. Ask for something more." The beggar said, "No, I'll be content with just enough land where I can keep 3 footsteps." Śakrācārya, the family priest of Bali Maharaj, knew by his mystic powers that this beggar is not an ordinary beggar, but he is the Supreme God Personality of Godhead Himself. So Śukrācārya told his disciple Bali Mahārāja, "Don't honor your commitment to this beggar, because if you honor your commitment to the beggar, you'll be deprived of all your riches, and then you'll become a poor man." Śukrācārya was not actually a real spiritual master. He was more like a family priest. Just like many people go to the church and the local priest in the church becomes like their spiritual guide. So in India you have many family priests. So Śukrācārya started telling Bali Mahārāja, "There is no harm if you go back on your word." Just like sometimes the husband may tell a lie to his wife, or someone may, a friend may joke with another friend. So you were also joking with that beggar. You don't have to honor your commitment. Śukrācārya's worry was that if his rich disciple Bali Mahārāja gives away all his assets to the beggar Vāmadeva, then he'll have nothing left. And when his disciple becomes poor, his guru will also become poor. So Śukrācārya's advice was a very selfish advice, and he was not interested in seeing his disciple go back to Godhead. Actually, Bali Maharaj was more advanced than Śukrācārya because Bali Maharaj was willing to surrender everything to God. The one can only surrender everything to God once one recognizes the supremacy of God. So, um, Śukrācārya tried his best to, um, influence Bali Maharaj to go back on his promise, but Bali Maharaj refused to go back on his promise. Bali Maharaj said, and this is something very important for every devotee, He said that Mother Earth can tolerate the weight of a mountain, it can tolerate the weight of the ocean, but it cannot tolerate the weight of a liar. So, uh, Bali Manādhā said, I cannot lie. So honesty or truthfulness is a must for one who wants to become a devotee of the Lord. One should not think that under the name of Krishna we can say anything we want at any time. So a devotee must be honest, and this is known as arjavam, one of the qualities of a brahmana. We have to be honest in our dealings with each other. So this honesty is followed in many ways. The first aspect of honesty is to be honest to the instructions of Kṛṣṇa. Just like so many people have translated the Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic texts, but they have distorted the original meaning of the Vedic texts. Prabhupāda called the Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Why? Only for one reason: He has presented the purpose, He has presented the philosophy without any distortion. There are so many commentators of the Gītā who have translated and concluded Kṛṣṇa, the God, has no form. So this is the first aspect of honesty. Accept Kṛṣṇa's teachings without distortion. Don't water down God's philosophy just to suit, sasa, just to suit your convenience. Next aspect of honesty is be honest to the instructions of the guru. Everyone is instructed to chant 16 rounds, follow 4 regulatory principles, then follow these processes. The next aspect of honesty is preach the message of God without distortion. Even though when you preach the message of God you want to be honest, but this truthful, truthful message can be presented in a palatable way and not an unpalatable way. Prabhupāda once wrote an article called Truth and Beauty, and in that article he discusses the truth has to be spoken, but the truth should be presented in a palatable way. So the truth has to be spoken, just like we go out preaching. Now when we go out preaching, obviously we know hearing the scriptures that the activities of the materialists are very similar to animals. Just like the Bhāgavatam also says, svābedhvarahauṣṭhākāre samsṛtā puruṣāpaśu nāyat-kanna-pato-peto jātu-nāma-gadagrajaha. The Bhāgavad-gītā says the materialists, their activities are similar to dogs, hogs, camels, and asses. So you don't go to the materialist and say, "Honorable dogs, hogs, camels, and asses, give me your ears." You can present the truth, but in a nice way. So similarly, when you're dealing with each other as Vaiṣṇavas, You may see another prabhu making some mistake. So you don't— you shouldn't just look upon this as an opportunity to jump on that person and put him down, but you can correct him in a nice, palatable way. So we never deviate from the truth, but the truth may be presented in a palatable way. This is an important Vedic guideline. Just like we saw that Prabhupāda would correct us, he would be also very firm in dealing with us, But he would always correct us and present the truth in a palatable way to everyone. So honesty is an essential principle in spiritual life, whether you're a new bhakta or one day or you're first initiated or second initiated or third initiated, doesn't matter. Honesty should be a guiding principle. Third initiated means sannyāsa, so in case some of you are wondering what does it mean, third initiation. So, um, The point, the point is honesty should be our guiding principle in everything. Then jñānam. Jñānam means knowledge. When we talk about knowledge, we are not talking about some PhD degrees that you get from institutes that are training up, training up society in animalistic civilization, but we mean spiritual knowledge revealed by God and explained by the ācāryas. So by attending the Bhāgavatam class, Gītā class, reading the books that Prabhupāda has translated, We develop spiritual knowledge, and as we develop spiritual knowledge, then jñānam vigyānam. Vigyānam means wisdom. Sometimes people want to know the difference between jñānam and vigyānam. So wisdom means you become wise, you become more intelligent. So when you have spiritual knowledge, then only can you become wise, otherwise you cannot become wise. So jñānam results in vigyānam. If you don't have jnānam, then you cannot become wise. Therefore, through the Bhāgavatam classes and the Gītā classes and reading, you're being trained in spiritual education. ISKCON is not just a temple. ISKCON is an institute of higher learning. This is an institute of higher learning in which you're trained up from getting out of animalistic consciousness to coming to human consciousness. Prabhupāda used to say that if at all there's a shortage of anything on this planet, It is just as God consciousness. So ISKCON is delivering a commodity that nobody else in society is trying to deliver. Then asthikya. Asthikya means religiousness. So these are the qualities by which a Brahmana works. And when you have these qualities in the individual, then these qualities will be reflected in our dealings. And if the Brahmanical culture is there, then society becomes happy and peaceful. As devotees of this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, we should not think, "Oh, I'm still a niyobhakta. These qualities are only when I become a brahmin. Now I don't have to cultivate these qualities. I have few years' grace time left." No. Everybody must cultivate these qualities from day one onwards. Because Prabhupāda used to say, "These temples are Vaikunṭha." So in order to keep Vaikunṭha atmosphere, It is not just the deities that you need, but it is the purification of the heart that is needed. So the environment can be spiritual if everyone is practicing their behavior based on these guidelines that we have just briefly discussed. And if you're following these guidelines, then your mind will always be peaceful and you'll always be enthusiastic to execute service. And then you will not suffering— then you will not suffer from the two diseases of material existence known as hankering and lamenting. In material existence, we're always hankering and lamenting. You hanker for what you don't have, you lament for what you have lost. So these are all symptoms of material existence. So we have to become Brahmana, we have to cultivate these qualities, and as we execute devotional service, these qualities will, will develop. Sometime devotees want to know, will these qualities develop automatically, or do we have to make an effort? So the answer is both. They will also develop automatically, but you also have to make an effort. God helps those, those who help themselves. It's an age-old saying applicable to the whole planet. So we have to be aware of these qualities, and when somebody points out some of our shortcomings, then we should accept it as for our benefit and modify our behavior so that these qualities of Brahmanas are manifested in our dealings. And then once you're cultivating these qualities of Brahman, then all your dealings will become peaceful and happy. Your dealings with each other, your dealings, your, your determination to be Krishna conscious, everything will be smooth and happy. So honesty is the guiding principle in a devotee's life, and a devotee does not want to deviate from truthfulness even if it means he has to get into trouble. Prabhupada used to give an example Once, um, a school teacher asked, uh, all the students, please go home and find out what the name of your— who your father is. So this boy came home and asked his mother, my teacher wants to know who my father is. The mother said, son, if you want me to be honest, I don't know who your father is. So the boy came to the teacher the next day and said, my mother doesn't know who my father is. Prabhupada said this is honesty. So we have to be honest devotees of the Lord. And if honesty is a guiding principle, then you will not cheat yourself. Otherwise, we tend to cheat ourselves when we develop the habit of lying and being diplomatic and so on. Ultimately, you're cheating no one but yourself. So honesty should be the guiding principle, and that will help us to cultivate brahminical culture. Hare Krishna.

Hare Krishna.

Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So how was the translation? Could you all understand the translation clearly? Was it clear in the back also? We have a new translator. He's translating with 3 people supervising him. So I must say he did fairly well. Sanātkumar says it wasn't any worse than others. Okay, Vāprasad. Few minutes, yes.

How these all qualities of Brahman relate to the psychological health?

Psychological?

No, no, no, psychological health, yeah. Health, health, health. Psychic health.

Psychic. All this talk of psychic health is all big speculation. We believe only in spiritual health.

The question is, if you want to bribe somebody, how does it relate to honesty?

Well, at least you must practice spiritual honesty. Sometimes when you're dealing in the material world, you may have to. When we talk about honesty, we talk about spiritual honesty and honesty in dealing with Vaiṣṇavas. Sanatana Gosvāmī, when he wanted to leave the service of the Muslim ruler, He took leave. He told the king, "I'm sick." But actually he was studying the Bhāgavatam with the help of 30 brahmanas. So you can understand the answer. Okay, okay. Behind you.

He asked, could you, could you talk about the story about the disappearance of Kṛṣṇa? How he gave up his manifested body?

Devotees generally don't discuss Krishna's appearance. Yes.

It is often said that everyone should read Prabhupāda's books at least 2 hours a day. And can we consider these lectures as reading?

Yes, if you are— if you're not sleeping in the class, then it is called reading. But if you're going to be half asleep in the class, then it is not reading, then it is sleeping. 6 hours sleep in the night and 1 hour sleep in the Bhagavatam class.

If to listen to lectures 2 hours a day in the morning and the evening, is it obligatory to read?

Yes, if you read there's no harm. It is helpful. It's like if you chant more than 16 rounds, niyatloka, but if you don't chant then it is floka.

To which extent is it important to read books?

Well, you shouldn't just get that thing that you're You are going to read books and do no service. You have to do both chanting, reading, and seva.

The question is, if we Krishna group, we can read that the kings was very righteous and they gave away their opulences to brahmanas. And he thinks that brahmanas possesses too many opulences. What did they do with all these riches?

The brahmanas would not keep anything for themselves. They would distribute it further. Brahmins are never rich.

May I ask a question concerning the— I think it has to do with the new lectures.

Well, people have questions about today's lectures. I can finish that first, then you can take. There are a lot of outsiders.

I'll take some.

Yes, then Mataji in the back.

The question is, does everyone, every conditional soul, can return to the spiritual sky, to the kingdom of God?

Yes, he can return provided he agrees to pay the price. You have to follow the rules, the guidelines of Guru-sādhu-śāstra. If you don't pay the price, then no.

Lord Kṛṣṇa says that one who has returned to the kingdom of God will never go back to the material world. And, but, can, is it possible that a spiritual soul Who has already liberated can go, can descend to the material world to accompany Kṛṣṇa in His pastimes.

To accompany Kṛṣṇa in His pastimes, you have to be a very advanced devotee. I have to finish the class in 2-3 minutes now, so—

Yeah. How can I best use the association with devotees, especially if it is very rare?

Well, best is don't make it rare, make it very common. Pushimoretko. You should be with all. You can live with devotees. Why should you make it rare when you have the chance of making it? You make it chaste.

You said that the last principle you mentioned is religiousness. Could you, um, go in detail?

Religious means following the laws of God. Religiousness includes all the other qualities that we had discussed briefly. Dhamanti sakshat bhagavat panditam. Religion means laws of God. I mean, I can give you a long answer, but I have to finish the class in a minute or two, so I'm giving you a short answer. Yes, that Mataji there. Okay.

Where can we drive an edge, a border between the peacefulness and enthusiastic service?

Between?

How does the peacefulness reflect to the big—

peaceful atmosphere in temple influence devotional service. Well, a temple is like a spiritual hospital. Prabhupada explained in Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So just like you go to a spiritual hosp— you go to a material hospital for recovery, in spiritual hospital the atmosphere is so charged for you to serve God. So spiritual atmosphere helps you to make advancement.

Yes, when you read the second chapter of the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then there among the brahminical qualities, there was mention of general knowledge. Such qualities, general knowledge.

Well, general knowledge means knowledge. I don't know what you mean by general knowledge.

Knowledge.

So Prabhupāda, I'm going to stop now. Um, those whose questions I didn't answer now, I'll take your questions in the evening. So I'll give a Bhagavad-gītā class. I'll give a Bhagavad-gītā class after Ārati, and from tomorrow I start traveling to Riga, Tallinn, Leningrad, Kyiv, Tashkent, Almaty, and then I'll return on the 11th of February to serve your devotees. Okay, so I'll see you this evening. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Lama Lama Ale Ale.