Geneva, June 6, 1974: So Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your participating in this meeting. Our Krishna consciousness movement is based on the authority of this Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita, I think most of you know, Indians or foreigners. And some of you must have read Bhagavad-gita. We have published Bhagavad-gita as it is, without any malinterpretation. In the Bhagavad-gita, the author of the Bhagavad-gita is enounced as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Hindus, especially the Vaisnavas… Vaisnava or not Vaisnava, Krishna is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We… Our Indian spiritual life is guided by the acaryas, sampradaya acarya, the Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Visnuswami and Nimbarka. There is… Whole Indian spiritual culture is dependent on the guidance of these acarya. And in the Bhagavad-gita also, in the Thirteenth Chapter, it is advised, acarya upasanam: “One should follow the instruction of the acarya.” That is our Vedic civilization. And in the Bhagavad-gita, also, it is said in the fourth chapter, evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh. The science of God… Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam. This is a yoga system, this Bhagavad-gita. So Krishna says that “Formerly, this yoga system was spoken by Me to the sun-god, Vivasvan.” And visvasvan manave prahur, “Then the sun-god, whose name is Vivasvan at the present moment…” We get all information from the sastra. Each and every planet has got a predominating personality. Just like we have got on this planet, a few presidents. But in other planets, there are also presidents, and their name is also… Because the duration of other planet is very, very great. The topmost planet, which is known as Brahmaloka, that is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmano viduh. Many millions of years, sahasra-yuga. One yuga means forty-three hundred thousands of solar years, and multiply it by one thousand. That becomes the duration of one day in the Brahmaloka. So in different planets, there are different duration of life, different standard of life.
So all these information we get from the Vedic scripture, just like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Upanisad, like that. And we follow the instruction. That is good for human society. Human society, if they do not follow the footprints of great acaryas, great saintly persons, then there will be trouble. And that is happening actually. In the Bhagavad-gita, when Krishna was…, Krishna and Arjuna was talking, so Arjuna presented the after-effects of war, that women will be widows and their, they will not be able to keep their character, and then adharma, irreligious principles, will begin. So he said… He was arguing like this, that,
adharmabhibhavat krsna
pradusyanti kula-striyah
strisu dustasu varsneya
jayate varna-sankarah
The Vedic civilization is varnasrama-dharma. If the varnasrama-dharma is not properly protected, then there will be population who are called varna-sankara, mixed population. Brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, sudra–that is the natural division. The society must be divided… Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah. (aside:) There is no need. The natural division… Just like you have got natural division in your body: the head, the arms, the belly and the legs, similarly, social divisions, there is. Some of them are very intelligent men, class of men, and some of them are martial-spirited persons, and some of them are interested in trades and industry, and some of them are interested only for filling up the belly. So this is natural division. Therefore Krishna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam. If this catur-varnyam, this division… The most intelligent class of men, they should be trained up as brahmana. Samo damo titiksa arjava jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam. The social division must be there. The most intellectual class of men, they should be engaged in studying the Vedas and acquire the knowledge and spread it to the human society so that they may be guided and do the needful for peaceful situation of the society. That is the guidance. The ksatriyas, they’re meant for protecting the society, military power, or martial-spirited. When there is danger, attack, they’ll give us protection. Similarly, there must be a class of men for producing food grain, and giving protection to the cows. Krsi-go-raksya vanijyam vaisya-karma svabhava-jam. And the rest of the people, who cannot work as intellectuals or as martial-spirited persons or cannot take to production of foodstuffs, they should assist all these three classes of men. And they are called sudras. This is the social division. So this is called varnasrama-dharma. The word dharma is used. Dharma means occupational duty. Dharma does not mean some religious sentiment. No. Natural division and the occupational duty.
So here Arjuna says,
adharmabhibhavat krsna
pradusyanti kula-striyah
strisu dustasu varsneya
jayate varna-sankarah
So the precaution was to stop varna-sankara. Varna-sankara means, I mean to say, chaotic condition of these four classes of men. And next he says,
sankaro narakayaiva
kula-ghnanam kulasya ca
patanti pitaro hy esam
lupta-pindodaka-kriyah
There are so many talks about to keep the varnasrama intact for peaceful condition of the society, and the modern problem, the overpopulation… We… In the sastras, in the Vedic literature, we don’t find such thing as overpopulation, because the living entities are already fixed up. From the Padma-Purana, we can understand that the living entities, they’re very, very small particles of the supreme spirit soul, or God. Mamaivamso jiva-bhutah. And their dimension is also mentioned, kesagra-sata-bhagasya satadha kalpitasya ca: the one ten-thousandth part of the top of the hair. And jiva-bhago sa vijneya sa anantaya kalpate. So the living entities are already ananta, unlimited. In another place of Upanisad, Kathopanisad, we find that nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. These living entities, they are maintained. Their provision for their maintenance is already there, made by God. So there is no question of overpopulation. The question is varna-sankara. Varna-sankara, that is the problem. So the human life is meant for systematic organization of spiritual realization. That is human life. There is evolutionary process from low-grade life, from aquatics to trees, plants, from trees, plants to insects, from insects to birds, and then from birds to the beasts, from beasts to human being. So there are 8,400,000’s of living entities in different species of life. And in the Bhagavad-gita it is said,
sarva-yonisu kaunteya
sambhavanti murtayo yah
tasam mahad-yonir brahma
aham bija-pradah pita
So Krishna, or God, claims that He is the seed-giving father of all these living entities. So as the father makes provision for maintenance of the sons and children, so God is not incapable. He has made provision for all these living entities. But when we mismanage, we become varna-sankara, there is calamity. So far I have studied–I am touring all over the world–there are enough place uncultivated. Especially I have seen in Australia and Africa, there is enough place that is not being utilized. In India also, there are enough places still. That is not being utilized. And Bhagavad-gita says, annad bhavanti bhutani. The maintenance of the living entities–bhutani means living entities–can be done by production of food grains. Annad bhavanti bhutani. Then parjanyad anna-sambhavah. And then it is said, parjanyad anna-sambhavah, yajnad bhavati parjanyo yajnah karma-samudbhavam. This formula is given in the Bhagavad-gita, that living entities, it doesn’t matter whether animal or men, they are flourished, they are raised very nicely, provided there is anna. Anna means food grain. So we can produce enough quantity of food grains all over the world. And if we actually produce food grains, we can feed ten times of the population which are at present. But unfortunately, we are not producing food grains. That is the problem. It is not the problem of overpopulation. It is the problem that we are not producing food grains. This is clearly stated, that unless you have sufficient food grains, how you can maintain? They have taken a policy that they would not… Especially in the Western countries, I see that they will not produce food. They will raise some cattles and send them to the slaughterhouse for eating. This policy is going on. And this is not a very good policy. You produce your food grain. Why you should kill the innocent animals and eat them? So on account of these sinful activities, according to Vedic civlization, there are four kinds of sinful activities. One sinful activity is illegitimate, illicit sex life. According to Vedic civilization, without marriage, no sex life is allowed. Therefore marriage is compulsory. In every human society, there is marriage. But according to Vedic civilization, marriage is compulsory, samskara. So therefore in the Bhagavad-gita it is said, strisu dustasu varsneya jayate varna-sankarah. If the women are not married, then varna-sankara population will increase. It is said. And as soon as there is varna-sankara population, the whole world will be in chaotic condition.
So the, our Krishna consciousness movement, we are suggesting from the sastras, from the Vedic literature, how to reorganize the human society. Actually, there is no scarcity of food, there is no scarcity of land. Everything, there is sufficient. From the Isopanisad, we understand… Not only this planet; in every planet there is sufficient arrangement.
purnam adah purnam idam
purnat purnam udacyate
purnasya purnam adaya
purnam eva avasi…
It is factually complete. There is no problem. The problem is that we are not following the, I mean to…, the principles of life as they are enunciated, as they are enjoined. Dharma, the word dharma, it is not a, a religious sentiment. Dharma means occupational duty. So in the… From Vedic literature, we understand that dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam. Dharma means the laws given by God. Unfortunately, at the present moment, they have no information what is God and what is God’s law and how to abide God’s law. They’re all in ignorance and they’re manufacturing their own way of life, every day changing. This will not solve the problems of human society. If we actually follow the Vedic injunction, it is very simple thing. The whole idea is that everything belongs to God. Actually, that’s a fact. This is the… Isavasyam idam sarvam. Everything be… Now this United Nations, they’re trying to be united, but actually, in the heart, they have got this, “This is my land,” “This is my land.” The American thinking, “This is my land.” The German thinking, “Oh, it is my land.” Indians thinking, “My land.” Actually, there is no knowledge. Every land belongs to God. But they cannot come to this conclusion because they are godless, without any God consciousness. Actually, that’s a fact. Just as the America, two hundred years ago, this land did not belong to the Americans. It was there already. So to whom it belonged? Similarly, everything… This is the statement of the Vedas: isavasyam idam sarvam. If we accept this, if the United Nations makes this resolution, that “From this date, let us dissolve this so-called nationality, accept this whole planet belonging to us, all the human beings, all the animals, all the birds, beasts, trees, as they are on this planet,” if we accept this philosophy, there is no question of chaotic condition of the society. Actually, that is the fact. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that whatever there is, property, on the land, on the sky, or on the water, anywhere, everything belongs to God. This is, some way or other, communistic idea, but it is spiritual communistic idea. The Communists, they are making their center as the state. The Bhagavata makes the center as God. Everything belongs to God. The Communist says that everything belongs to the state, and the Bhagavata says everything belongs to God. So from the idea, this is very nice idea. Now we are… Krishna claims in the Bhagavad-gita that “All the species of life, they are My sons. I am the seed-giving father.” So the property is belonging to God, the supreme father, and we are the sons of God. Not only human being. Krishna says, sarva-yonisu: “All species of life.” Therefore God has provided for everyone’s sufficient necessities of life. For example, just like we are human beings, only 400,000’s of species. But other species, they’re eight million. Eighty hundred thousand species. In Africa, there are millions of elephants. They eat, at a time, fifty kilograms. Kg. What is that Kg?
Devotees: Kilos.
Prabhupada: Kilos. But they are also eating. There is no scarcity of food for them. So it is a fact that eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. But because we don’t believe in God, we manufacture our own ideas; therefore we create simply chaotic condition.
So according to Bhagavad-gita, as we are preaching, we are also opening centers, self-help center. In New Vrindaban, West Virginia, we have already opened a very big community center. We are going to open in California also, and we have already opened in India also, that we occupy a certain tract of land, we produce our own food, we keep our cows and take their milk, and there is no scarcity. Everything, there are. We don’t require to go outside the land for our livelihood. So we are advising, we are making centers like that, that “Be self-sufficient. Save time for spiritual culture.” That is human civilization. This was advised some thousands of years ago by Rsabhadeva. I will recite some verses. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is stated in the Fifth Chapter of the Fifth Canto. It is said, Rsabha uvaca. Rsabhadeva was a, the emperor of this world. He was advising his sons. So he said,
nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye
tato tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam
suddhyed yasmad brahma-saukhyam anantam
This is the instruction of Rsabhadeva to his sons. “My dear sons, this human form of body, ayam deha, this body, na, not…” Na ayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke. Everyone has got a body. The cats and dogs, they are also possessing a body, and the human being also possessing a body. So what is the difference between the cats and dogs and human society? So Rsabhadeva says, ayam deha-bhajam nrlo…, kastan kaman na arhati yad vid-bhujam. To accept too much labor for the necessities of life, kaman… Kaman means the necessities of life. This life, this human form of life, is not meant for that. It is meant for vid-bhujam, the hogs and dogs. They are… The hog is whole day working to find out “Where is stool? Where is stool?” The human life should not be like that. Human life should be very peaceful and prosperous and save time for spiritual culture. That is stated here. Tapo divyam, for tapasya, tapasya, voluntarily accepting renouncement. This is human life. That is our Vedic principle, compulsory sannyasa. There are varnasrama-dharma. So student life, brahmacari; then married life, grhastha; then vanaprastha; then sannyasa. That is tapasya. The brahmacari is also trained up for austerity and penances. That is brahmacari. The grhastha also… Because from brahmacari life, they go to grhastha life, they are trained up in tapasya. Then again, at the age of fiftieth year, they give up the family life, they take vanaprastha. Only the husband and wife go out of home and travels all over the holy places. Then, when one is little trained up, he sends back his wife to the care of his grown-up children, and he takes sannyasa. This is varnasrama-dharma. The so-called Hindu dharma, that is a gift of the Muhammadans. We don’t find the word “Hindu” in any Vedic scripture. This “Hindu” word has come from the Muhammadan countries. They used to say the people of this part of the world, means, across the river Indus, they call “Hindas” or “Hindus.” So actually, Hindu not…, that is not Hindu dharma. Our… From the Vedic literature, we understand the varnasrama-dharma, varnasrama: four varnas and four asramas. Varnasramacaravata. In the Visnu-Purana, you’ll find this word. In the Bhagavad-gita, you’ll find. In the Bhagavata you’ll find. So really Indian civilization or Aryan civilization, Vedic civlization, means varnasrama-dharma.
varnasramacaravata
purusena parah puman
visnur aradhyate pumsam
nanyat tat-tosa-karanam
So this human form of life, here, according to the instruction of Rsabhadeva, is not meant for working hard simply for eating, sleeping, mating and defending. This is not human form of life. This is condemned in the sastras. Human form, the civilization means they should mold the form of the society in such a way that easily we can live and save time for spiritual culture. Therefore it is said, tapo divyam putraka. The tapasya, the spiritual culture, is necessary. Divyam. Tapasya. Tapasya means… There are so many scholars. They also undergo tapasya for finding out, discovering… Just like we have now discovered this atomic energy. That is also tapasya. Or something wonderful, discovery, that also, tapasya. But here it is said, tapo divyam: “Undergo tapasya, austerity, penances, for transcendental realization.” Divyam. In the Bhagavad-gita you’ll find, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. So we should undergo tapasya, penance, austerity, for transcendental realization. Divyam. Tapo divyam putraka: “My dear boys, this life, human form of life, is not meant for working so hard like hogs and dogs. This life is meant for tapasya, and for transcendental realization.” Tapo divyam putraka yena sattvam suddhyet. Sattva means existence. We exist, but this existence is not pure. Therefore we have to accept birth and death, old age and disease. This is not pure. Actually, we are living entities. Na jayate na mriyate va kadacit. The living entity never takes birth, neither dies. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire: “This body being destroyed, the living entity is not destroyed.” So as eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Lord… The Supreme Lord is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, eternal, full of bliss, and knowledge. But we have got this body, material body, which is full of ignorance, full of miseries and neither… It is only temporary. This is our position. Therefore tapasya should be executed, how we can also revive our original constitutional position, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. This is called suddhyet sattva. Just like when a man becomes diseased, it is his duty to go to the physician, consult him, take some medicine to get out of the disease, similarly, human life is meant for to get out of this disease. What is that disease? Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam.
So there are so many nice things. And they are very, very beneficial for the human life. If we do not utilize the already information we have got in the Vedic literatures, so then this temporary program to save us, that will not solve the problem. It will never solve. The problems will be more intricate day by day, and it is stated in the Bhagavata, that some day will come when there will be no food grains, no sugar, no milk, and no fruits, that these things will not be available. So these, they are all acting under the direction of the Supreme Lord. Mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram. Prakrti, this material nature… In the Bhagavad-gita… It is working under the direction of the Supreme Lord. It is not blind. So there is some direction. It is very simple to understand. Just like my bodily activities are being carried under my direction. So similarly, the huge cosmic body, there is also a director. But we have no information. Or we have information, but we don’t take, utilize it. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, mayadhyaksena prakrtih suyate sa-caracaram. So they are simply seeing the wonderful activities of the material nature, but behind this material nature there is the direction of the Supreme Lord. So we have to study all this information and utilize for the social benefit. Then everything will be adjusted. If we simply become disturbed by the external symptoms, it is not possible to make them solved. It is said in the Bhagavad-gita, daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya. You cannot make solution of the stringent laws of material nature. It will go on. Just like the fire. If you touch fire, it will burn your finger. It will not consider that… Even if you are a child, if you touch fire… The material laws are very stringent. Karanam guna-sango ’sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu. So our only request is: Those who are working in the United Nations in so many different departmental situations, if they will take advantage of this great cultural book, Bhagavad-gita, and try to study and, if possible, to implement in social life–everything is there–then people will be happy, and there will be no problem, and the chaotic condition will not exist.
Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.
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