NoI 5 Text 2 – Sociological and philosophical reasons to avoid atyahara

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Thank you very much.
So, before we move forward, let’s have a quick look at the flow of the nectar of instruction. So this is basically 11 verses that take us from shraddha to prema. So shraddha to prema are the nine stages of bhakti, which we discussed earlier.
They talk about shraddha, sadhu, sangha, vajanikriya, anartha, nivritti, nishtha, ruchi, asakti, apa, and prema. So, deshaamrta is a guideline for us, which will take us from the first stage of shraddha to prema. So let’s see how this happens.
So the first three verses primarily talk about shraddha. That means they talk about the activities that we can do by which we will develop faith. Then the next three verses talk about sadhu-sangha.
They basically talk about how we should take association. What are the principles to be followed by which we can benefit from the association of devotees. These are the verses four to six.
Then verse seven is one verse which covers a lot of text. It is covering vajanikriya, anartha, nivritti, nishtha, ruchi. Then verse eight covers asakti.
And verses nine to eleven cover bhava and prema. Now I’ll repeat this, then I’ll explain this further. The first three verses talk about shraddha.
What are the activities that we can do by which we can increase our faith or what are the activities that we need to avoid by which our faith will not be damaged. Then the verses four to six talk about sadhu-sangha. What are the attitudes that will enable us to benefit truly and fully from the association of devotees.
Then after that verse seven talks about in one condensed verse. It gives a lot of principles over there which cover the spectrum from vajanikriya, anartha, nivritti, nishtha and ruchi. Then the seventh and seventh stages asakti which is covered in this case in verse eight.
And the eighth and ninth stages which are bhava and prema are covered in the last three verses. So if we look at Shila Prabhupada’s purports, his major purports will be on the first six to seven verses and verses eight to eleven he gives very brief purports because these are very advanced stages of bhakti and we cannot prematurely intrude into them. So let’s go over these one by one.
Now focussing on the current stage that we are discussing the stage of shraddha. So shraddha we discussed you remember last time we discussed the difference between faith shraddha and nishtha. Shraddha is oh I don’t think we discussed it I discussed with all of you there with the devotees of jnana I discussed okay.
So shraddha is initial tender faith. So faith is two levels. In a sense the stage one which is in the personalised use of the shraddha is the starting faith.
So Shila Prabhupada if we see it is just like a it’s almost like a favourable curiosity the way Prabhupada talks about it. Okay what are these people Hare Krishna? Where do they chant? What do they tell in their books? Why are so many people dedicating their lives to this? What do they practise? It’s favourable curiosity in the translation of 1 to 12 in the Bhagavatam. Shila Prabhupada translates shraddha as shraddha dhana he translates as seriously inquisitive.
So serious inquisitiveness that means the person is thinking not just casual armchair speculation. Is there a God? Why should why should Krishna be God? No serious if there is a God I want to know who he is and what is the logic? What is the reasoning? What is the basis for saying that there is a God and this person is God and this is the means to access that. So just serious inquisitive seriously serious inquisitiveness.
Then there is a later stage of bhakti which is actually in the which is the stage of nishtha. So nishtha so at this stage faith is tender that this faith is like a banana tree. A banana tree if an elephant comes along can easily be uprooted by the elephant.
Elephant but nishtha is a unshakeable faith based on scriptural understanding and personal transformation. Based on scriptural understanding and personal transformation this faith is like a banyan tree. A banyan tree roots are so thick that practically nobody can shake it or break it.
But still it can be broken but it’s much much more difficult. So now if you see going back to the slide over here we have what is the difference between shraddha and nishtha? There are three stages that are different. There is sadhu sangha, there is bhajana kriya and arthanivitra.
So actually through sadhu sangha and bhajana kriya we get philosophical understanding, scriptural understanding and through anarthanivritri we get personal transformation. So when the personal transformation has come about when I have seen by the practise of bhakti how my lust, anger, greed, how my bhajana kriya they have all gone down then naturally my faith will be much stronger. So in a sense of this based on the scriptural understanding comes by sadhu sangha and bhajana kriya.
How do I understand scripture? Not just by studying myself. I have to study definitely but I study in the mood of receptive association. When I’m studying books also I’m associating with Krishna and the acharyas.
When I’m hearing classes I’m associating with the devotees who are giving classes. And then even the bhajana kriya study of scripture is not an isolated activity. It’s a prayerful activity that is integrated with devotional culture.
So when we study scripture it is actually a devotional activity. So this bhajana kriya shravanam kirtanam vishnu this also strengthens our scripture understanding and then this personal transformation that happens during the anartha nivrtti stage. So a simple example to understand this is to understand these two levels of faith is it is this is actually faith while going to a doctor going to new doctor for treatment and this is faith after having been significantly cured by the treatment.
So even to go to a doctor I require faith but the faith when I go to a doctor for the first time it’s tentative it’s tender. I don’t know whether this will work for me or not but if I have gone to a doctor and by the doctor’s treatment I have been cured significantly even if not entirely then my faith is much stronger. So these are the two levels of faith.
Right now where are we? Are we at the level of nishtha? Partially we may be. Now one important point with respect to these nine stages. These are not discrete stages they are cumulative stages.
I’ll explain the difference between discrete and cumulative. So nine stages are not discrete but cumulative. So what does discrete mean? Discrete means one ends and the next starts but cumulative means that the next one the next stage builds on the previous stage.
So previous continues and next is added. So to understand this the example of a staircase is for this. This is not discrete means example of say um parts of a road parts of a parts of a highway that means say if I want to go from Mumbai to Calcutta then Mumbai to Pune I might go to Mumbai to say Nasik and Nasik to Bhusawal then Bhusawal to Bhopal or whatever.
So I get over the first part then I come to the next part but if it is not like that actually it is progressive. So if you’re climbing up the stairs we may leave the previous stair but the height that which you’ve gone by the previous stair that height that previous stair in the staircase the previous step it’s still there and it’s helping us to build up. So what do I mean by this let’s look at this part.
See it’s not that when I come to bhajan kriya I give up sadhu sangha. Sadhu sangha continues on isn’t it. When I come to anartha nivrutti it is not that I give up bhajan kriya.
Bhajan kriya so first when I come to sadhu sangha I necessarily don’t do any bhajan kriya. What do these devotees do? Sometimes when we are doing Harinam Sankirtan on the streets people just watch what are you doing. So they are having some association of devotees but they’re themselves not doing bhajan kriya.
But when they start coming to the association of devotees regularly then they themselves start dancing they start hearing classes they start chanting. So sadhu sangha is going on but bhajan kriya is added. Then initially we’ll just chant for the experimentation part of it but over a period of time there will be transformation that happens.
So that means they’ll start chanting I’m feeling so much more peaceful. All my impure selfish disturbing desires are subsiding. That means bhajan kriya is going on but anartha nivrutti is added.
So is this point clear? These are not discrete but they are cumulative. The previous stage builds on the earlier stage. So shraddha and nishtha we are discussing these two.
That means shraddha is there even at the stage of nishtha but it has become much deeper. Even when I have strong unshakeable faith still I have favourable curiosity. Yes I know the basic principles of Krishna consciousness but I still want to read.
Okay I have read I read Ropa’s books. I still have curiosity to read those books again. I have curiosity to read the previous Acharya’s books.
I have curiosity to know more and more about Krishna consciousness. In the discussion between Krishna and Arjuna, Arjuna tells Krishna that please speak your glories without any cutting down without any condensations. Please speak them unlimited.
That’s the eagerness to hear. So now what are we discussing? We are trying to understand now how the first three verses talk about shraddha. So now I explain these nine stages and how they are progressive.
Now we are going to discuss about how verses one to three help us to develop shraddha. So sometimes we may have the attitude that faith is just a matter of disposition. I have faith he doesn’t have faith or that person has faith I don’t have faith.
So we may think that faith is just either I have it or I don’t have it. But faith is not just a condition of the heart but it is also a choice of the heart. It’s not just a condition it’s also a choice.
What does it mean? Condition means okay I have faith I don’t have faith. What can I do about it? If I don’t have faith I don’t have it. So some people are gifted with faith and other people are damned with faithlessness.
And that’s the way things are. So is it like that? That is faith. If faith were just a condition then there would not be much chance for us to develop faith.
So faith is not just a condition it is also a choice. How do I understand this? Example I can have is of health. Now health is a condition.
Yes some people are healthy some people are sickly but health is also a matter of choice. Isn’t it? I can do the activities which can promote my health. I can eat on time, I can do some exercises, I can take medicines, I can follow the doctor’s directions and by that my health will improve.
So health is a condition as well as a choice. Similarly faith is also a condition as well as a choice. That means by doing the activities that will improve my faith, that will increase my faith, my faith will improve.
So now the first three verses of the Bhakteshwara Amrit talk about the activities that will improve our faith. So these verses how do they do that? What does verse one talk about? So the verse one talks about the need to control the senses. Or perceiving higher reality or spiritual reality.
Need to control senses for perceiving spiritual reality. I cannot if I am too caught up in sense gratification then I cannot see higher things. Just like you remember I gave the example of a person’s too caught up watching a movie the person didn’t see what is there around in the theatre or in the real world apart from the movie.
So the first verse talks about the need to control senses. The second verse talks about activities that damage. The first verse talks about activities that increase our knowledge.
So now here first tell us what is the preliminary qualification? What all do I need to do to start practising spiritual life? To start perceiving spiritual reality? Then after that these activities we have to give up and these activities we have to do. So now the same thing is talked about in the Bhagavad Gita in 4.39. 4.39 in the Bhagavad Gita is So that was describes Who will gain knowledge? The person who has Shraddha. So same word Shraddha has come over here.
A faithful person will gain knowledge but just faith alone is not enough. What is also required with that? One should be seeking that spiritual reality. One should be attached to the spirituality.
In Sanyatendriya one should become disconnected from the worldly things which will block the perception of the spiritual reality. And then Once one gets the Gyana one will gain Paramshanthi, the supreme peace. It’s quickly.
One will attain that quickly. So the same point this is we discussed about the resonance between or resonance of symbiosis between various scriptures. So I’m giving an example of that.
So what the Upadesha Amrit is talking about is also talked about here in the Bhagavad Gita. So any questions about this till now? Shall we move forward? Let’s look at the translation and we’ll look at the perfect. Who let me in the translation? Sorry.
So Srila Prabhupada is actually many places he integrates his purport into the translations. So here Srila Prabhupada has expanded the translation. So Srila Prabhupada is taking that one word Sanskrit and explaining it elaborately within the translation itself.
And he will explain further in the purport. So Athyahara is straightforward. Eating too much.
But Prabhupada gives a further explanation. You know we eat not just with our tongue but we also eat with our head. Nowadays there is a term called information junkie.
A person who just wants to consume information from here, from there, from there just get to know anything and everything. So we’ll discuss about that. Collecting more funds is required.
That is Athyahara can be in terms of food, it can be in terms of money, it can be in terms of accumulating wealth also. Then Prayasa. Prayasa is over endeavour.
And then we’ll discuss this now. Interestingly there is a connection between these also which we’ll discuss in our next class. But let’s focus right now on the purport.
So Prayasa we’ll discuss later on. What is the difference between devotees need to endeavour? But how do we decide what is endeavour and what is over endeavour? There is a significant point to discuss then. Prachalpa we discussed a little bit in Vachavegam.
But there is a difference in the emphasis over there. Then Niyamagraha. Niyamagraha has two aspects as Prabhupada makes out in the purport.
Too much attachment, too much neglect. We’ll discuss that. There is a love nyancha.
There is a love nyancha. Now significantly we’ll see that among these two aspects of bhakti, the activities that are favourable and activities that are unfavourable, there is one element which will come in both. So here it is talked about Ajana Sangha in a negative sense.
There is something to be given up. And then the third was Utsaha, Nishchaya, Dhairyat, Tattatkarma Pravartanat. What has come up? Yes.
So actually you have to associate with devotees. Here don’t give up the association. There it is associated.
This is emphasised by repetition. And love nyancha, ardent, excessive greed. So let’s look at these things.
Who would like to read the translation? The purport rather. Yes, I’ll decide. Together.
Translation. So Prabhupada starts the purport by setting a background. The background, first it makes a general statement that we have a simple system of simple living and high thinking.
So plain living and high thinking. So in modern times, instead of simple living and high thinking, what is happening? People are simply living and hardly thinking. Simply living and hardly thinking.
So what does that actually mean? It means that the more we get caught up in activities that are primarily at the level of the body. At the level of the body means it can be survival. But for most people, it’s not the survival.
It’s enjoyment at the level of the body. So then one doesn’t get the freedom of the mind to think about higher things. The person wants to just get a toothpaste.
There may be 500 variety. If you go to supermarket, there are 500 varieties of toothpaste. Or more practical area where people spend a lot of time is if you want to, they have a new cell phone or a new cell phone service.
There are so many different schemes. For this scheme, this is a local is cheap and this roaming is expensive and this is free, but this is not free and this facility is there, that facility is not there. And sometimes the whole process of just selecting one cell phone can take so much time, energy and anxiety.
So when people spend excessive amount of time on material things, which may be important, but they’re not so important that they deserve a huge amount of cell phones and device meant for communication. And certainly we would like to have the best bargain, least money and the best facilities. But the whole avenue of possibilities is so great that most of the mental energy of people goes in just thinking about this.
So what happens in modern society is that all the thinking, nobody stops thinking. We are simply living, hardly thinking, that doesn’t mean that people are not thinking, but all their thinking is not just about living. It is simply about lifestyle.
Person wants to wear a dress. People spend so much time just trying to choose a dress. So if somebody wants to have a new set of trousers or jeans, then nowadays, because people are unable to control their belly, control their eating, so their waistline keeps changing.
So then if you have a trouser, the trouser doesn’t fit. And you may alter the trouser or change the trousers. Then you have a trouser, then you need a belt on the trousers.
The belt and the trousers should be matching. And then the belt may not have adequate holes and the belt doesn’t look good. And on the other hand, you have a dhoti, you just have to put a knot.
It’s readily flexible. There is no need for altering in any way. So the idea is that when we get, there are too many material possibilities.
So today what is happening is people are simply living, hardly thinking. That means all the thinking is about living or just lifestyle. It’s not even about living.
You’re not thinking about the purpose of living, it’s lifestyle. So here, because of this, there is time, energy and thought. Thought gets sucked up and consumed by trivial choices.
While consequential issues are neglected. Trivial choices. Should I do this or should I do that? Okay, I go home today, should I watch this programme or that programme? And then two people in the family cannot agree which programme to watch on TV.
So the solution is have two TVs. Then to have two TVs, you have to earn more money. And then earning more money means work more time.
So often when people say that I don’t have time, why are they so busy? Because they’re so enamoured by these trivial choices and they’re trying to get all these things so much that the time, energy and thought are consumed by it. And that’s why they just can’t think of something higher. They can’t think of higher things in terms of the ultimate purpose of life.
Even when people come to a temple. I know one of my relatives came to the temple and all that they saw was, oh, the temple has got such good woodwork. We are going to make a new house.
We’ll try to have woodwork like this in our house. They think we’ll have Krishna in our house. We’ll have woodwork like that in our house.
So now what is happening is this is the opposite of the devotee sees Krishna everywhere, the materialistic person sees material enjoyment everywhere, sense gratification everywhere. So the problem is that all this thought is going on. But thought is about not such important things.
It is about relatively speaking trivial things. So that’s what happens because of atyahara. Now Srila Prabhupada talks about why is there a need for plain living and high thinking.
So now I have talked about in terms of a sociological analysis. But Srila Prabhupada explains in terms of a philosophical analysis. So he explains that why should we live simply? He tells there are these three energies.
Dantaranga, Vahiranga and Tatastha. Now as souls, although we are in the middle, but still we belong to the spiritual energy. We are ourselves souls who are spiritual.
And our stay in the material energy is temporary. It is temporary and it is meant to be a journey. We are not meant to stay here.
The world is not a destination for the soul. It is simply a station. It is simply a station.
We are meant to go through this world. So therefore, what Srila Prabhupada explains is the soul should not get entangled in the Vahiranga Shakti but should redirect towards the Antaranga Shakti. And then the soul will become purified and the soul will become liberated.
So simple living and high thinking is the means by which the soul can keep itself from getting too much entangled in the external energy. So simple living and high thinking, Srila Prabhupada explains from the point of view of the constitutional position of the soul. So simple living.
So this is the sociological reason. Sociological, psychological reason for simple living and high thinking. Now what is the philosophical reason? Philosophical reason for simple living, high thinking.
What is that? For the soul, the material world, that is the Vahiranga Shakti is a station, not a destination, not the ultimate goal, a transit point for purification and liberation. It’s a transit point. We are not going to be in this world permanently.
While we are here, what are we meant to do? Purify ourselves and ultimately liberate ourselves from material existence. So the world is a station. It’s not a destination.
And this philosophical analysis enables us to understand this. Srila Prabhupada quotes from the Bhagavad Gita 9.13 in the Purport to demonstrate how those who are in knowledge live in this way. So what do the Mahatmas do? Mahatmanastha ma bhartha, daivam prakritam ashritah.
So the Tathastha Shakti takes shelter of the Antaranga Shakti. And that’s why it lives simply. And then how is that living simply talking about? Janati ananya manaso, ananya manaso.
That means the soul doesn’t get its mind distracted towards worldly things, but keeps the attention focused on the transcendental things. Why? kyanatvabhutadhimauvayam Because you understand that everything in this world is temporary, but Krishna is eternal, is imperishable, as Prabhupada says, inexhaustible. So that’s why Prabhupada talks about simple living and high thinking.
Now let’s move forward. Now Prabhupada will explain the meaning of the word Mahatma. Would like to read? Mahatma has become a title in today’s society.
But Prabhupada actually takes the word. How does Prabhupada translate Mahatma as broad-minded? He uses the word Atma here to refer to the mind. There are places in the Bhagavad Gita where the Atma refers to the mind.
In the 6.5, if there is a verse, which if we just take the literal meaning, it becomes very confusing. The word Atma comes five times in this verse. And if you just look at the literal translation, it is, one should elevate the soul by the soul, because the soul is the friend of the soul.
And one should not degrade the soul by the soul, because the soul is the enemy of the soul. What is the soul? Forget the soul, because we are confused. So it’s difficult to understand this.
But when we understand it as the mind, then one should elevate the soul by the mind, and not degrade the soul by the mind, because the mind is the friend of the soul or the friend of the soul. So the word Atma can refer to the mind. So what is the translating? Mahatma, Prabhupada translates Mahat as broad, and Atma as the mind.
That’s how he gets the word broad-minded as Mahatma. So by converse, the cripple-minded would be not necessarily Duratma, but you could call it Guatma, Chudratma, whatever you want to use it. Prabhupada contrasts the broad-minded with the… What is the difference between the cripple-minded? They can’t… Their mental conceptions are crippled within the material realm.
When a person is a cripple, the person can’t walk very comfortably. Or somebody is crippled, that means it’s limited. Cripple-minded means their thoughts, their desires, their ambitions, they’re just trapped in matter.
How can I get better material things? They cannot think beyond matter. So mental conceptions, you know, their desires and dreams and anxieties are all for material things. So these are… Their consciousness is shrunk, shrunk.
Their consciousness is not expanded. It’s shrunk to only material things. Whereas a Mahatma, the consciousness is expanded.
From beyond material things, there’s material reality seen. But one sees beyond the material reality, there is a higher reality, the spiritual reality. And in that spiritual reality, there is Krishna who is the highest reality.
So the broad-minded see spiritual reality beyond the material reality. And see Krishna as the summit of that spiritual reality. So many people may say that they perceive a higher reality.
But within the higher reality, they perceive only the non-differentiated Brahman. They perceive only the Brahma Jyoti. That is all-pervading, effulgent light.
But the Mahatmas, they see that light. But beyond that light, they see the source of that light. And they see the source of the light as Krishna himself.
So that’s why they are truly Mahatmas. Their perception is expanded, they’re broad-minded. They don’t just see matter, they see matter and spirit.
So this is the difference between triple-minded and broad-minded. So this verse is going to describe to us the activities that will enable us to become broad-minded instead of staying as triple-minded. So Srila Prabhupada talks about this journey.
And there are people who have become socialists, who have become nationalists. These are all the consciousness expanding. Instead of thinking just about my body, my family, my relatives, I start thinking a little bigger, my nation.
Or even my humanity, my species. But still, that is also not adequately expanded consciousness. Because one is not yet thinking about beyond the world, beyond the human species.
One is still thinking of oneself as the material body. So when one thinks about Krishna, some people may think of Krishna just as a Hindu god. But Krishna is not a Hindu god.
Krishna is the absolute truth. And when we love Krishna, we love all living beings. We love all living beings in relationship with Krishna.
So that’s how the devotee who loves Krishna has the broadest vision, has the broadest love. Rana Mahaj often tells about how Srila Prabhupada risked his life to go to America at an advanced age for the good of people he had never met. Such was his compassion for the people who had never met, for the people who did know him and did not know also.
And it was not just that he wanted to get followers. He was actually concerned for them. He was ready to risk his life and take so much, not just risk his life.
Srila Prabhupada was ready to risk even his reputation. For a sannyasi to go abroad, he is risking the reputation which Srila Prabhupada got with western disciples back to India. Whether they would be able to follow the standards which were expected of Vaishnavas.
If they did not follow the standards, then Prabhupada would be disgraced because their disciples are spiritual masters. Srila Prabhupada would risk his life, risk his health, risk his reputation. That is love.
So devotee’s love is the most expanded love. That’s how a devotee is broad-minded. Let’s move forward now.
So there can be progressive expansion of consciousness. But this is the greatest expansion. When one loves Krishna.
Yes. So actually Prabhupada explains the meaning of the word Daivi Prakriti. Daivi Prakriti is divine nature.
Divine nature refers to, ultimately it refers to Radharani. It refers to the potency which gives pleasure to Krishna. And when we give pleasure to Krishna, then we get pleasure in return.
So the Chaitanya Charitambul describes what is the Daivi Prakriti, what is its function. He says, So he says the Daivi Prakriti or Ladini Shakti does two things. What are the two things that it does? Ladini means that which gives pleasure.
That is one who gives pleasure. Ladini Shakti. So it does.
So Krishna Ananda Aswadhan. That means when we try to practise devotional service, then when we come by practising devotional service is not just a matter of utterance of some mantras. It is actually coming under the shelter of Radharani.
In many of the temples, like in Gopinath also, we have the, in some Vaisakhan temples, we have the pose of Radharani and the pose of Lakshmidevi, where she is giving blessings. The other poses where she is offering a garland to Krishna. That indicates that she is the mediatrix.
She is the medium. The medium is the male word. Mediatrix is the female word.
She is the mediatrix between the soul and Krishna. So whatever service we are making, we are rendering, that is offered through Radharani to Krishna. Because we do not have bhakti, so our service is not very pleasing to Krishna.
But when our service is offered through the devotees, through the parampara, through Radharani to Krishna, then Krishna accepts it because all those great souls, ultimately Radharani, put bhakti into that service. So what is the first function? When our service is performed through bhakti, through the grace of Bhakti Devi, like you talked about Shakti, then Krishna Ananda Asmadaan, Krishna gets happiness by that. And because we are parts of Krishna, just as when food is given to the stomach, naturally the hand gets energy.
Similarly, when we satisfy Krishna, then the devotees get a deep sense of nourishment. So actually speaking, when we chant Hare Krishna, we may sometimes feel happy, sometimes we may not feel happy. One reason for that is the modes are affecting us.
But when we keep chanting regularly, what happens is Krishna is pleased and that’s how we get satisfaction. So Shrila Prabhupada is talking about how we should come under the shelter of the Daivya Prakriti. Let’s move forward.
Are there any questions? Please feel free to ask. So, actually speaking, this is one word which describes all the three sufferings. So let’s see actually, we are trapped in three circles of suffering.
So what are these three circles of suffering? Yes, the soul when it comes to the material world, the soul is encircled by the body and the mind. And this gives us Adhi Atmic Glaciation, Adhyatmic Glaciation. So the first circle that I’m having, a body and the mind, it causes so much trouble to me and is also encircled by the people, other living entities.
It may not be people, although people are generally the greatest source of suffering for us because we don’t interact so much with other species. So this is the Adhibhautic Glaciation. And then beyond that we are encircled by nature, by the material nature and that gives us Adhibhautic Glaciation.
So in this way, we are actually trapped in suffering. That’s why Prabhupada uses the word here, Daivabhutatmahetava. So Daiva refers to, so this word Daivabhutatmahetava is describing from the lower to the upper side.
So Daiva is Adhidaiva, Bhuta is Adhibhautika. So Hetavaha is the cause, this is the cause of our suffering. So now in this way we are suffering in this material existence.
Now if we think about this, these sufferings are there constantly. Right now, when we are all sitting in this class, I feel my thighs are paining, I’m feeling uncomfortable in this posture or I may feel, you know, prasad that I ate, it is not digested properly. I’m feeling some acidity in the stomach.
So all this is Adhibhautic Glaciation. I may, you know, the devotee sitting next to me, he spoke so harshly to me yesterday. Why did he speak like that? I’m going to get back to him.
So that is Adhibhautic Glaciation. And then I feel that, oh the weather is so hot. Sometimes the fan doesn’t work.
When even the fan is there, when I have to walk along, then the weather is too hot. Sometimes it is. Extreme sweat is there, humidity is there, I feel irritated.
So actually speaking, if you observe our life, at every moment one of these glaciers is there, sometimes more of the glaciers are also there. So all these glaciers are always there. So when the tsunami had occurred, I wrote an article talking about how these glaciers are the reactions to our own past karmic mistakes.
And then I had done a comparative analysis. If you look at the, we cannot really measure these glaciers. But there is some quantification that is possible.
So for example, how much natural calamities are there? How much environmental inconveniences are there? So if you look at it, even the start of 1950 and 2000. So the number of people suffering from depression and psychological problems are much, much more. Similarly, the relationship conflicts, the divorces and similar family ruptures that are there, they are much, much more as compared to earlier.
And similar natural calamities also. So we can see that these are increasing. So these three glaciers are there.
And if we don’t live properly, we can increase these glaciers. Now generally, Srila Prabhupada talks about miseries in terms of the four problems of material existence. So he would talk about that in the next part.
He allowed him? Yes. So now there’s four problems and the threefold miseries. So what are the difference between the two? There are two different taxonomies, two different ways of classification.
So we could say that the death, if you want to put it as adhyatmik, adhibhautik, adhidaivik, we can put it wherever we wanted. If somebody, it comes by nature’s own accord. So we could call it as adhidaivik.
But then death is basically destruction of the body. So you could call it as adhyatmik also. Similarly, the various glaciers that we get, diseases, it will depend if I just got a fracture because I slipped and fell, then it is adhyatmik.
But if I get a disease because I got an infection, then it is adhibhautik. So like that, there are two different taxonomies. Taxonomy means systems of classification.
So we don’t necessarily need to overlap this. The difference between the two is that janma, mrityu, jara, vyadhi, they may not be there throughout the life. They may come, they come in certain phases of the life and when they come, they are extreme sufferings.
Whereas the adhibhautik, adhidaivik, adhyatmik glaciers, they are perpetual. So the difference between the two glaciers are, so analysing the miseries of material existence. So our goal is not just to analyse, it is also a transcending.
But first we analyse. So generally, four problems and threefold miseries. These are two different, the technical word that is used is taxonomies.
Taxonomies are systems of classification. So the four problems, birth, old age, disease and death, these are occasional. The threefold miseries are perpetual.
So perpetual means they are constantly there. One or the other, they are constantly there. But still the miseries are there and we cannot escape the miseries.
So Shri Prabhupada talks about these miseries and then he says that what is the point he is talking about these miseries, what is the purpose of talking about all these miseries now? Remember the start was simple living high thinking. So this whole section is an elaboration on the point of Atyahara. So now, actually when we study Prabhupada’s purpose, we have to think deeply to understand the connection.
Because in one sense, Prabhupada is not telling over here, okay, now I am going to speak about Atyahara. So if you see the word Atyahara will not come till the almost the fifth paragraph. So now, and even in the fifth paragraph, the word does not come explicitly.
What he is saying, one should not collect more than what is necessary. So the whole previous analysis is building up this point, why we should not collect more than necessary, because this world is inevitably a place of misery. And no matter how much we collect, the miseries will be there.
So our goal is to disentangle ourselves from this world. Now, Shri Prabhupada will talk about this principle of Atyahara in another way. Let us look at that.
Who would like to read according to? Yes. So, Shri Prabhupada often used terms that were similar to the terms that modern people would use. So, for example, evolutionary scale.
So now, when people think of evolutionary scale, they think about the various species, how they have evolved from one to another. But Shri Prabhupada is talking about the evolution of the soul he is talking about. And there, basically what he describes is that in the lower species, there is the species take according to nature, according to whatever is allocated by nature.
This example may seem a little controversial in the sense that, shouldn’t human beings prepare for emergencies? There is a huge bag of grains available. Why not take it all and then keep it, stock it for emergencies in future? So Shri Prabhupada is emphasising not the point of not preparing for emergencies, but disproportionately encroaching on the natural resources. Actually, preparing for an emergency is seen even in nature.
For example, the various species have their own systems. A camel has a hump and the camel in that hump actually stores, because it has to go through deserts. So, in that hump, it stores food, it stores water.
So, similarly, there are other species, which, for example, in the frogs, they hibernate during the cold season, they just go to sleep under them, when actually they have certain systems by which they eat more and then they store it. And that’s how they get some nourishment, even when they’re sleeping. So, there are definitely mechanisms in nature by which one can store for the future.
And human beings are in a way more intelligent than other species. So, naturally, human beings can make other arrangements also for storing. The other species’ primary arrangement is just something connected with the body.
So, for the animals, the only food bag is their own stomach or their own body in general. Human beings can have other food bags also. So, the principle of preparing for the future is fine.
But what is being talked about here is encroaching on the natural resources. So, Srila Prabhupada talks about the whole world is suffering because of it. There are biologists who have done studies about the balance of nature and they have found something very fascinating.
So, the question that we are discussing here is, what’s wrong with carrying the whole bag of grains? So, the example, you remember earlier I discussed about example has, you should not stretch analogies. Examples have particular purposes. So, example is not for avoiding preparation for the future, not right or forbade preparation for the future, but discourage disproportionate exploitation of natural resources.
So, I was talking about a biologist, E.O. Wilson. So, this article on my website, I wrote about this how the greener means spiritual humans. So, E.O. Wilson found that there is a very delicate and intricate balance among all the species that are their nature.
If even one species becomes endangered or extinct, that can affect the balance. So, for example, at a very simplistic level, the herbs and plants, the vegetation that is there, that is food for the vegetarian animals. So, if the plants get burned, then the vegetarian animals will suffer.
And if the vegetarian animals get extinct or decrease in number, the carnivorous animals will suffer, the herbivorous animals. So, he found that there is only one species whose extinction won’t cause any problem to the ecology. So, which is the species? Yes, human beings.
So, actually speaking, most ecological problems will be solved if human beings became extinct or were made extinct. So, water pollution, air pollution, ozone depletion, topsoil degradation, the river drying up, all these problems have not come because of any other species, they come because of humanism. The principle that Sri Aurobindo is talking about is disproportionate exploitation of natural resources.
So, every example is meant to illustrate a particular principle. So, human beings have definitely exploited the nature in a very disproportionate way. There is a documentary prepared by an ecologist called Om.
And in that, basically, he went around the planet in a helicopter and he photographed the earth. And some people, they have smooth skin and some places they may have scars. So, the scarred part looks very ugly, in a sense.
Similarly, if you look at the earth from a bird’s eye view, wherever human beings are residing, that part of the earth looks scarred. And the part where human beings have not touched, that part looks very scenic, very beautiful. So, what does it mean? Actually, we are exploiting nature and by that we are disrupting the natural balances.
That can be seen at a visible level also in some places. But at a deeper level, the balances are getting damaged. So, now let’s move forward.
Yes? Okay. How as devotees we should prepare for the future? Well, Sri Prabhupada did take the example of Rupa Goswami and he said if a grahastha’s salary is 100 percent, out of that 25 percent should be kept for future contingencies. And as devotees, we are also in many places developing farm communities.
We are demonstrating eco-friendly living, which is also a futuristic project. Because many people are anticipating that as say the oil reserves get depleted and exhausted, then this civilisation as we know it will face extraordinary crisis. It may even come to a grindy halt.
And then of course, there are alternative resources that are being explored and they will surely be discovered to continue on. But there are going to be, there are anticipated that there will be substantial upheavals. So, doing farm community projects is also one way in which we as an institution can prepare for the future.
But in principle, in the temples, like in many temples also now for brahmacharis, they have health insurance. So that in the future if the brahmacharis fall sick, then there can be some taking care of that. But the whole idea is that it’s Krishna centre.
In Mayapur, Tirupati, some other places also, we have separate quarters for senior brahmacharis, those who have lived for 20, 30, 40 years. And they can, they have separate room and they can stay here also. I mean wherever these sort of facilities can be created.
But the whole principle is Krishna centre. So, we can as an institution also take some measures to prepare for the future. But our focus is not so much on worrying about the future and trying to make a foolproof arrangement to counter the future problems.
But to express our sincere desire to keep serving Krishna. So, anxiety can also be an expression of responsibility or anxiety can be an expression of insecurity. So, they are two different things.
So, as devotees, our anxiety. So, the point which we are discussing here is, should devotees prepare for the future? Our preparation and anxiety is not an expression of insecurity, but of responsibility. What is the insecurity means? One is not secure.
We are secure in our relationship with Krishna. We know that ultimately, it is not we who are taking care of Krishna’s mission. Krishna is taking care of us and he’s taking care of his mission also.
But as a part of his mission, we want to show Krishna that we want to make sure that we can practise lifelong and his mission that he started can also go on. So, Srila Prabhupada created succession plans. He appointed a GBC, he appointed successor acharyas, successor gurus and he created succession plans also.
So, that is a sense of responsibility. It is not because of insecurity, but it is responsibility. So, we can do whatever is required for it.
Let’s move forward. One more paragraph will go on. Unnecessary and unwanted.
They are two different things, what is required and what is desired. They are neither. Let me give you examples.
Yes. So, now it’s interesting that Prabhupada lumps factories with slaughterhouses, brothels and liquor shops. Now, if you look at slaughterhouses, brothels and liquor shops, these are actually breaking the three regulative principles, meat eating, intoxication and illicit sex.
But factories are not breaking any of these things. Then why should factories be lumped in this? Here, Srila Prabhupada is not talking primarily about the breaking of regulative principles. He is talking about the disruption of the natural and simple way of living.
So, in general, the fields are in goodness because when people work in fields, they are close to nature and although there is hard work, the work in the fields is not in the mode of passion. There is definitely hard work required, but it is more or less in the mode of goodness. Whereas factories, it’s artificial, constricted environment, often there is sound pollution, there is air pollution and the whole atmosphere is either passion or ignorance.
And in general, when people come to factories, there is the natural way of, now we talk about population explosion, but the real problem is not population explosion, the problem is population concentration. That means the economic model that we have, it concentrates huge amount of people in small pockets of land. So, when there is a factory, that in the factory, so many people work together and often people live away from their homes.
And the factories are located in industrial areas or cities where people, there is so much crowding, so the land prices go up, so people cannot live, bring their families, they are living in small rooms, maybe several people living together, there are slums. And then when people are living like this, then because of being disrupted from the natural way of life, because of being troubled by a polluted and a Tamasic way of life, naturally, wherever there are factories, these things crop up, brothels, liquor shops, slaughterhouses, because the whole lifestyle is so Rajasic and Tamasic, but people want to indulge in these things. So, what Srila Prabhupada is talking about here is that where factories grouped with brothels, liquor shops and slaughterhouses, Srila Prabhupada is talking about as elements of Prayas.
Srila Prabhupada has now shifted completely to Athyar and he is saying Athyar needs a Prayas. So, the slums that we have, slums are filled with development refugees. Now, have you heard of the word refugees? Refugees means people who are disrupted by some, say there are tsunami refugees, terrorism refugees, civil war refugees.
So, development is considered to be progressive. But what happens is slums, they are filled with development refugees. In the name of development, people live, lead their natural, harmonious ways of living, they come Rajasic, Tamasic ways of living and then it is so dirty and degrading actually.
So, factories are realistic. The first point which I made here is the real problem is not population what, but yes, population concentration. The problem is factories cause such concentration, drag people away from natural Sattvic living and submerge them in Tamasic lifestyle, which leads to brothels, etc.
Actually, there is a connection between the two. So, now we may say that okay, there might be brothels, there are brothels even in villages also, but the scales are much smaller and people are living in cities, the scales become much, much bigger because people are very disrupted from their roots, they are disoriented, they are filled with anxiety and naturally, it leads to problems. So, therefore, the focus is that all this leads to prayas.
So, how does it work out, people are living away from their homes, they do not have the natural joy of living with their families, of living close to nature, and they need artificial joys. And for the artificial joys, for going to brothels, for going to liquor shops, eating meat, they need to earn more and more money. And to earn more and more money, they have to do prayas.
This is how things lead to complex problems. So, there are different devotees who distribute books in different ways. So, one of my devotee friends was saying that, one devotee was telling that, he would go and tell people, this is the book that will tell you how to double your salary.
So, people will just come in a big crowd, and then he will give them the book, Laws of Nature. People look, doubling salary, there is nothing about doubling salary in the book. And then people look at the backside, if you look in the cover, there are the four regulative principles, is not it? And they show the consequences, how a person is suffering in various ways, they are going to lower species or suffering in any.
So, I would say that actually, if you read this book, you will give up meat eating, intoxication, gambling, illicit sex, and when you give it up, your expenditure will become half. That is how you can double your salary. So, basically, all these, they lead to prayas.
So, when people are breaking the regulative principles, then they have to earn more and more to do that. And that is how it leads to prayas. So, let us continue with our class tomorrow.
Thank you very much. Thank you.