The Real United Nations Organization (UNO) Srimad-Bhagavatam MP3 Audio Class
Better close the United Nation organization because it has not had any practical effect. But talking about Krishna, just see how it is giving practical effect. You are assembled here from Europe, America, and Africa, Canada, and practically all over the world, but you are united nation. You are united nation simply by talking about Krishna.
mauna-vrata-sruta-tapo-‘dhyayana-sva-dharma- vyakhya-raho-japa-samadhaya apavargyah
prayah param purusa te tv ajitendriyanam
varta bhavanty uta na vatra tu dambhikanam
So Prahlada Maharaja, indirectly he is declining all these ten processes for liberation. Those who are actually interested in liberation, for them to control the senses these ten kinds of processes are recommended. The first thing is mauna, to remain silent. You’ll find in India there are many saintly persons who do not speak, silent. So Prahlada Maharaja says it is for the ajitendriyanam. This process, mauna, to remain silent, is meant for persons who cannot control the senses. It is better not to talk than to talk foolish. In English also it is said like that, that “Better stop talking than talking foolish.” So in the material world actually all the talks that we indulge in, they’re all foolish talks. They have been described in the sastra as croaking of the toads. “Kakaka, kakaka, kakaka.” What is the meaning? We have got the tongue to talk. We can engage the tongue for talking about Krishna. But those who cannot talk about Krsna but talks all nonsense, better stop them talkng. That is called mauna. Mauna means “You cannot talk nicely; better you stop talking.”
So that is a kind of vrata, vow. But our process is different: sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayor vacamsi vaikuntha-gunanuvarnane. We do not stop talking, but we talk for preaching Krsna consciousness. That is wanted. So there are many, you’ll find, they take credit by not talking. Sometimes you go to them and ask some question, they’ll write in pencil on the paper, “We will not talk.” And what is the meaning of his silence? If you… If I put some questions and you write in paper, what is the difference between talking and writing? I am using the senses. For talking I am using the senses, tongue. Instead of using the sense, tongue, active senses, I am using my hand. So this is also sense gratification. The real fact is that you cannot stop the tongue working. Engage the tongue in Krsna consciousness. That is wanted. Don’t talk material subject matters. In big, big meetings the politicians, the United Nation, they talking–but talking all nonsense, simply going there for passing resolution that “Now we have to do this. Then the world will change.” No, it will never change. By such kind of foolish talking, it will never change. Better close this United Nation organization because it has not given any practical effect. But talking about Krsna, just see how it is giving practical effect. Here you are assembled here from Europe, America, and Africa, Canada, and practically all over the world, but you are united nation. You are united nation simply by talking Krsna. This is the remedy. And if you keep yourself as American, as Indian, as Canadian, as African, and go to the United Nation and talk for years and years, there will be no more United Nation. It will be… More flags will increase because this is nonsense talking. It is practical. The United Nation is talking for the last thirty, forty years?
Pusta Krsna: Thirty years.
Prabhupada: Thirty years. And where is unity of the nation? It is not possible. And here we are talking about Krsna, say, for seven, eight years. Just see the sample, how these young men are becoming united in Krsna consciousness. This is practical.
Therefore Prahlada Maharaja says this stoppage of talking is better than to talk nonsense. If you cannot talk of Krsna, better don’t talk. Therefore this maunam is recommended for the persons less intelligent who cannot talk about Krsna. Better stop. This is called mauna. Otherwise Srila Rupa Gosvami says that “I have got only one tongue and two ears. So how can I enjoy or serve Hare Krsna only with one tongue and two ears? If I had millions of ears and trillions of tongues, then it would have been possible.” It is meaning… Tunde tanda… I forget that verse now. He is feeling like that, that “How shall I chant Hare Krsna mantra by one tongue only and hear, sravana-kirtana, by two ears?” So he is expecting so many ears and so many tongues to chant Hare Krsna mantra. And so far we are concerned, conditioned soul, even sixteen round becomes very, very difficult job for us because we are practiced to talk nonsense. We cannot find out little time, say for two hours, for chanting Hare Krsna, but we can find twenty-four hours for talking nonsense. Therefore one who cannot chant Hare Krsna mantra, he should stop his talking. That is called mauna. Don’t talk any more. Better remain silent. This is recommendation by Prahlada Maharaja. And vrata also compulsory. It is meant for persons who are desiring to be liberated.
Here it is said, apavarga. Apavarga. Apa. A-pavarga. A means just the opposite, a, “not.” And pavarga, pavarga I have several times explained to you. Pa means parisrama, laboring, working very hard. This material world, everyone is working very hard–man, animal, bird, beasts, everyone. It is meant for that, just opposite of the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no question of working, what to speak of hard working. There is no question. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. This is the definition of God: na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. You see. Krsna is simply enjoying. He has nothing to do. He hasn’t got to go to the market. We are servants. We go to the market and prepare food for Krsna. Krsna’s simply playing on His flute. And if you, with devotion, offer Him food, He will eat. He has nothing to go. So similarly, those who are servants of Krsna in the spiritual world, they also haven’t got to do anything, what to speak of hard work. Cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam. Everything automatically is there. We haven’t got that idea; therefore sometimes people accuse that I am poisoning so many young men; they are doing nothing. We are practicing that prema, that we haven’t got to do anything; still, it will come, everything. That is real practice. We haven’t got to do business, we haven’t got to go to the office, but still, things will come. That is Krsna consciousness. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate.
So how it is possible? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita:
satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah
namasyantas ca mam bhaktya
nitya-yukta upasate
Drdha-vratah. That word, drdha-vratah. If you simply take this vow, determination, that “I shall do nothing except serving Krsna…” Bhajante mam drdha-vratah.
mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah
bhajanty ananya-manaso
drdha-vratah…
Like that. So if we simply decide that “I shall do nothing except to serve Krsna,” this drdha-vrata… If you want to take vow, take this vow. Then you haven’t got to work very hard. So apavarga. A means not, negative, and pavarga means five principles of material condition. First thing is pa–you have to work very hard, parisrama. And then pha. Pha means you have to work so hard that foam will come through your mouth. You have seen sometimes in horse, in man, after hard working there is foam. So pa, pha, and ba. Ba means vyarthata. Vyarthata means disappointment in spite of working so hard so that foam is coming in the mouth, vyarthata. Just like you see, you have seen, horse or bulls. They are working so hard, and the master beating with whips, and still, the master is not satisfied and the animal cannot get sufficient food–vyarthata. In spite of so much working hard… We can see in the animal–sometimes we see in human society also–disappointment. After working so hard, disappointment. That is the nature of this material world. You think that by simply working hard you will be very happy. That is not possible. You can simply work hard–you will get whatever you are destined to get, either you work hard or not hard. It doesn’t matter. Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovidah. The material world, there are two things: one, something gain, and something lost. So gain or loss, so you will get it as you are destined.
Every one of us, we are destined to certain extent of gain and certain extent of loss. That is destined.
So therefore sastra says, “Don’t try for this destined gain or loss. You are working so hard to making some gain. Even if you do not work hard, you will get that gain. Don’t try for it. Better utilize the time for chanting Hare Krsna.” That is the injunction of sastra. Tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah. The people do not understand. They think that these young men are being induced to escape. No, it is not escape. This is the only path of liberation, apavargya. To make the pavargas, pa, pha, ba, ba is vyartha, and bha… Bha means bhaya, fearfulness. In spite of working so hard, everyone is afraid: “What will happen next? What will happen next?” Ahara-nidra-bhaya-maithuna. This is the nature. And then, after working so hard, bringing out foam in the mouth, disappointment, then fearfuless–at last die, mrtyu, ma. Pa pha ba bha ma, these five, pavarga. In Sanskrit grammar there are vargas: ka-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga, like that, five vargas, the pa-varga. So this word is used generally in the Vedic literature, apavarga. Dharmasya ca… Eh?
Devotee: Hy. Dharmasya hy apavargasya.
Prabhupada: Ah. Dharmasya hy apavargasya. Apavargasya. Dharma means, religion means, to accept the path of apavarga. It is not a religious sentiment. Therefore dharma is defined, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam. Just like the state authorities. A man is suffering in the prison house, and he’s praying to get release or he’s very anxious to get release. So he has to follow some government rules and regulation. Then he may be released.
So therefore dharma means the rules and regulation or the law given by Krsna if you want release from this bondage of material suffering, apavargasya. Dharmasya hi apavargasya na arthaya artho upakalpate. Generally we go to the temple for artha, some material gain: “O God, give us our daily bread.” This is material gain, either bread or rice or something. It is also good because arto artharthi. Catur-vidha bhajante mam janah sukrtinah. Sukrtinah. Anyone who goes to the temple or church for begging bread, they are also good because they are coming to the temple. In that respect they are good. But one who thinks that “What is the use of going to the temple? God is everywhere. Even in the wine shop there is God. Let me go there instead of coming to the temple…” That is their philosophy. God is everywhere. He goes to the wine shop for realization of God. But to come to the temple is forbidden. This is their philosophy.
So anyway, dharmasya hy apavargasya na arthaya upakalpate. And to gain money, material gain, does not mean we shall satisfy our senses.
Now, what is that? Arthasya. Artha is not meant for sense gratification. Jivasya tattva-jijnasa.
Devotee: Nartho yas karma cehabhih…
Prabhupada: The life is meant for tattva-jijnasa. The dharma-artha-kama moksa… The dharma means to become religious. Why religious? Yes, we require the necessities of life in a regulative principle, dharma-artha-kama, and to satisfy… We have got senses to… We have to satisfy. Otherwise we shall become unhealthy. Just like sex life. Sex life is required also for healthy condition–for ajitendriyanam. But one who is jitendriya, one who has conquered over the sensual activities, for them it is not required. Therefore it is recommended to, I mean to say, train the children to become brahmacari. Brahmacari. That means to control the senses. Brahmacari gurukule vasan dantah. Danta means controlling the senses. That is gurukula, how to teach the students to become controlling over their sense. And if he is perfect, then he doesn’t require to accept grhastha asrama. He can accept immediately sannyasa asrama. But if he is unable to do that, the brahmacari, the guru orders him, “All right, you take a good wife and be satisfied and have family life up to fifty years. Then you give it up.” Not that it is essential; one has to marry. This is a concession for sex life, that’s all.
So in order to… Dharmasya. Dharma, artha, kama, moksa. Kama is also required for whom? Ajitendriyanam, one who cannot control. But one who can control… If one is trained up properly, he can control. He doesn’t require anything. Because any activities of this material world, they may be utilized for systematic proper peace, peaceful condition of the social, political. But after all, they are material. Material means unwanted. Krsnadasa Kaviraja has said, dvaite bhadrabhadra sakali saman. In this material word we sometimes say, “This is very good, and this is very bad.” Kaviraja Gosvami says, “This ‘bad’ or ‘good,’ it has no meaning. They are simply mental concoction.” Because in the material world everything is bad. The so-called good is bad, and bad is bad. Therefore we have to search out how to get out, apavarga. This is there, how to make these material activities null and void. They are useless. That is the recommendation of Prahlada Maharaja, and that can be done directly simply by becoming Krsna conscious. It is not Prahlada Maharaja’s own word, but Krsna says.
sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami…
Krsna takes charge that “You haven’t got to suffer anymore. You simply surrender unto Me and I shall take charge of…” Tesam anugrahartham mrtyu-samsara-sagarat. If we take shelter of Krsna’s lotus feet, then He will take charge to deliver you from this mrtyu-samsara-sagara. This material world is compared with a great ocean of birth and death.
Mrtyu-samsara-sagarat samuddhartya. He will take you away.
So Prahlada Maharaja recommends that, that there are so many processes how to get out of this material world, but Prahlada Maharaja and all the devotees, especially Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He has recommended that “Chant Hare Krsna.”
harer nama harer nama harer nama iva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha
And that, you benefit. Very easy, you take it and chant it sincerely, without any offense. You haven’t got to follow these, what is called, mauna-vrata-sruta-tapo-‘dhyayana. It is not possible nowadays to be a very learned scholar in Vedic literature or to remain silent or to take some vow, then to remain in solitary place, then japa, samadhi, to remain in trance as the yogis try. They are impossible. They are recommended processes for getting liberation, but in the Kali-yuga it is not possible. So we are so fallen, it is not possible to execute all these processes. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the mercy incarnation, that “These people, so fallen, they cannot do anything.” So He has recommended a simple thing, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha. Chant (devotees chant simultaneously) Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Thank you very much. (end)
[760401SB.VRN] Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.46, Vrndavana, April 1,1976
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
About the Author
HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founded the Hare Krishna Movement in 1966 in New York. In only 11 years he spread the movement all over the world. He wrote more than 80 books including Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Isopanisad. Prabhupada's books constitute a complete library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.
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