Chewing the chewed – again and again….

Srila Prabhupada: ” Materialistic life means chewing the chewed – again and again.

The central point of material life is sense gratification. In different types of bodies, the living entity enjoys various senses, and through creating various types of facilities, he chews the chewed. Whether we squeeze sugar out of the sugarcane with our teeth or a machine, the result is the same — sugarcane juice. We may discover many ways to squeeze the juice out of the sugarcane, but the result is the same.” ( SB 4.27.14 pp)

Chewing the chewed – again and again... by Kanhaiya Das Anudas

Because of their uncontrolled senses, persons too addicted to materialistic life make progress toward hellish conditions and repeatedly chew that which has already been chewed. Their inclinations toward Krishna are never aroused, either by the instructions of others, by their own efforts, or by a combination of both. [ Prahlada Maharaja]

Some realizations…..

One day everything will disappear, everything that I accumulated, every relation that I preserved will be lost. What do I have now that I loved so much in my childhood, all those toys, all those friends all those moments.. They are all lost – somewhere left behind. Why am I still busy in accumulating so much wealth, building so many relations, building large mansions? Just a pinch of happiness I work day and night working for others, carrying out their orders, helping implementing their agendas and plans. Big businesses, better jobs, big house, expensive cars, precious jewels and metals – all for what? For myself? or for my family members? 

This will all be snatched away mercilessly from us one day by death. And So I am such a fool that even after knowing this, I am still working hard day and night, sometime forgetting to take breath, or even my meals, I work hard and get little bit and start thinking myself a lucky and happy person. What a fool of myself! I ignore the dreadful eyes of death that watches me every single moment and waiting for an order to get me. I think I am lucky enough to get by her each time, or do not even realize that next call may be mine. Foolishly ignoring her I go on accumulating more and more wealth, more and more opulence more and more accomplishments – all good for nothing (cause 1 day I am going to loose them all – FOR SURE)

Here comes a problem. Did I ask for it? I don’t think so but anyways I am smart enough to solve this one. There! Solved it. O there is another one standing next step – I can resolve that too.. then there is another one and another and another….. When is it going to end? Is there really end to them?

Did I ask for these problems in my life? Did I work so hard to get all these unbearable pains in my life? Did I beg to suffer? No I did not – no one does. So why do I have to suffer? Why do bad things happen to me? Ok I made mistakes, I suffer for them but what if I do not make mistakes and I still suffer? Why is my neighbor, who doesn’t have any good qualities (according to me) is enjoying and have the best of best in the world? What has he done better than me? O it’s my Karma – I must have made some bad Karma in my previous lives so I have to suffer in this one. O well, my life is not all suffering, I enjoy too, I enjoy with my family, I drink, I go out with my friends and enjoy eating palatable dishes, I so mercilessly take away lives of other living beings and very happily cook and eat them and serve it among my friends and family. I go places, where I have never been before and I get enjoyment that way. So it’s not just sufferings in my life. I have good moments also. Even for a moment I forget all these pains. And I have worked so hard for it. I go work outside all day long and bring some money and with that I fulfill my and my family needs and with the left over money we celebrate with drinking and/or eating palatable food.

I also go to temple and pray for all the prosperity in my life. And see I get heard, my desires get fulfilled and I become millionaire and have lots of money to enjoy. I have variety of gods in my temple, one fulfill the desire of money, one fulfill the desire of health and like them there are so many who are just there to fulfill my desires. And going to temple has another reason. I need to show them my opulence, how much opulent I am. After all that’s the only place and opportunity I have. So what about Devotion? O.. I do puja also – I am not atheist – the priest in temple know me very well. The very first thing I did when I bought my BMW was to take it to priest. He did wonderful car puja and removed all the negative vibes of my car. So you see, I know there is some other power that’s working. So the conclusion is that I got these prosperities of life due to my hard work and little bit of prayers. Hummm.. but I don’t remember when I prayed for the pains and problems of my life. Who foolish will pray or work hard to suffer. So why do I have to suffer? Where have these suffering come upon me? I see an old lady limping, and walking with so much difficulties. I see an old person, who could barely see (he is a NASA scientist), so once he could see beyond the sky but now he is finding trouble seeing the things laying in front of him. I feel pity and I lend my helping hand to support then. See I am generous as well.

Somewhere in my mind I know that one day I will be like them. But I do not want to admit. Let me forget all this and live in this moment. So fool I am that I ignore that feeling and carry on with my daily activities of hard labor and some furtive results. Why do I act blind, when I have eyes, why do I act deaf, when I have ears, why do I act stupid when I have excellent brain power? May be I don’t want to think about all this and just live in my existing moment and may be I am conditioned to all this.

These enjoyment and pains cycle and don’t even want to find a solution to these problems. O did I say Problems? But what problems am I talking about? All these that I have discussed above or there are some more to it? What ever they may be, they should not come upon me – My neighbor can cry in pain day and night – it really doesn’t matter to me – but they should not touch me – that’s sure. So I will do my best to keep it up – work hard, save money, and eat good food with lots of vitamins capsules to stay healthy and try to look young forever. Somewhere I know that I am befooling myself and this isn’t going to happen. No matter what I do, what I accumulate, whatever endeavor I do to make myself and my family members happy, one day these all will be forcibly snatched away from me. Then what would my little intelligence, my little knowledge, my little power do? How will they help me?

I used to ask these questions to anyone with higher intelligence and/or to myself and one day an answer came, I still remember, when I was in my dreams. An elderly heavenly person in saffron clothes, shaved head, who was shining like a Sun, came and simply requested me to abandon all this attachment with these accumulated wealth and relations and reattach it with the Service of Sweet Lord Shri Krishna. He simply said, “You have lived quite a life for yourself, it’s time to live it for the service of Krishna”. And then He disappeared.

Well was it just a dream or it had some validity? Whatever it may be I had that realization and I don’t think I should let it go. I live my life today and prepare for tomorrow. Everyone thinks like that but no one thinks what’s beyond death. What will happen to me after death? I will come back – but may be not in a human form again… may be in some animal or insect form.. I will still be saying “I am happy – o look at this stool – o look at this dead animal – how palatable!!”

And at that time it’s too late to realize the true meaning of Human life…. So I better straighten myself right now – and utilize the rest of my life whatever it may be – a few moments, a few days months or years… in such a way so I don’t have to repeat all this nonsense again and again…. And I don’t repeat this “chewing the chewed” process again and again…

Chant
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Hare
and be happy

Hari Bol
Your Humble Servant
-Kanhaiya DasAnudas

” He reason ill who tells that Vaisnavas die, When thou art living still in sound!
The Vaisnavas die to live, and living try, To spread the Holy Name around !”
(Poem by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura)

“I will never die. I shall live from my books, and you will utilize.”
His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(Interview, July 16th, 1975, Berkeley, California)

——–

Chewing the chewed – again and again….

Punah punas carvita-carvananam…

His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

“Persons who are determined to totally rot in false, material happiness cannot become Krishna-minded either by instructions from teachers, by self-realization or by parliamentary discussions. They are dragged by the unbridled senses into the darkest region of ignorance, and thus they madly engage in what is called ‘ chewing the chewed .’

Materialistic persons, who are too much engaged in material enjoyment and who do not know anything beyond their material experiences, are carried by the whims of material nature. They live a life characterized by chewing the chewed , and they are controlled by their uncontrolled senses. Thus they go down to the darkest regions of hellish life. (SB 4.26.8) This process of chewing the chewed (punah punas carvita-carvananam will never make human society happy. In order to make all human society happy and prosperous, we should accept the standard methods given by liberated persons. ( SB 3.9.17 )

Materialistic life means chewing the chewed again and again. The central point of material life is sense gratification. In different types of bodies, the living entity enjoys various senses, and through creating various types of facilities, he chews the chewed . Whether we squeeze sugar out of the sugarcane with our teeth or a machine, the result is the same — sugarcane juice. We may discover many ways to squeeze the juice out of the sugarcane, but the result is the same. ( SB 4.27.14 pp)

Those who are interested in trying to get pleasure out of this material world are actually chewing the chewed . punah punas carvita-carvananam ( Bhag. 7.5.30 ). If one picks up a piece of sugarcane which has already been chewed , he is a fool. We must know that the juice has already been taken out of that sugarcane. What will one get by chewing it? However, there are animals who are simply interested in chewing the chewed . Material life means chewing the chewed . A father educates his son to earn a livelihood, get married and settle down, but he himself already knows that by doing this he has not become satisfied. Why, then, is he engaging his son in this same business? A real father is one who does not allow his son to chew the chewed.

The senses, same sense gratification in different way. In theatre, in stage, in, at home, at club—everywhere. Simply changing the platform and trying to be happy. How you can be happy? They already distasted. Does it mean that sense satisfaction in an apartment and sense satisfaction in the club is different? It is simply imagination. “Let me go to the club, let me go to the stage, let me go to this Florida beach, and let me go there, let me see the naked dance, let me see that, let me…” That’s all. But the platform is there, sense gratification. But he is not intelligent that “I have satisfied my senses in so many different ways. I have served my senses in so many different ways. Neither I am satisfied, neither my senses are satsfied.” Therefore the intelligent man says, “I am no more going to satisfy my senses, I will satisfy Krishna.” That is Krishna consciousness. Then he gets full satisfaction. This is voluntary. This is called surrender, that “I have tried to satisfy my, the whims of my senses so many lives. I have become frustrated, confused. Let me try this life to satisfy the senses of Krishna.” That’s all. At least let me give a trial one life, and let me see the result. (Bg. lecture Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 : 681123BG.LA)

Just like people are trying. The same thing which they have got at home… Just like a naked woman. They are still going to the theater to see naked dance. You see? What is that? They have no idea. The same thing. Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30 ] , chewing the chewed , trying to find out in which naked dance there is pleasure. That’s all. So when one comes to the knowledge that “I have seen so many different types of naked dance and naked woman. What I have got? What I have gained? What satisfaction is there? Why I am not satisfied?” That is knowledge.

Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30 ] , chewing the chewed . The same sex, the same man and woman, they are enjoying at home. The same again go to the naked dance. The object is the same, sex, here or there. But they are thinking, “If I go to the theater or naked dancing, it will be very enjoyable.” So it is called punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30 ] , chewing the chewed . The same sex life at home, chewing , and go to the naked club, chewing . Chewing the chewed . There is no rasa. There is no humor, mellow; therefore they are disappointed. Because the thing is the same. Just like you chew one sugarcane and take out the juice, and again if you chew, then what you will get? But they are so dull-headed, so rascal, they do not know. They are trying to get the , I mean to say, pleasure which is already enjoyed, which is already tasted. Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30 ] . Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram punah punas carvita-carvananam. A human being… You’ll find that when the dogs, they have sex life, they have no shame. So, many lusty people stand there and see. Seeing means they are willing, “If I could enjoy in the street like this.” And sometimes they do. This is going on. Punah punas carvita-carvananam [SB 7.5.30 ] . (Bg. lecture, London, August 26, 1973 : 730826BG.LON)