Who Is Crazy?

Now spiritualism, spiritualism means that we should identify ourself as God’s party. That’s all. That is spiritualism. They ask so many things, that, why the materialists are called crazy by the spiritualists? Oh, that is also partyism.

These materialists also call, say to the spiritualists, they are crazy. Just like we are, we have formed some Society of Krsna Consciousness, and, and those who do not like it, they say we are crazy fellows. We are assembly of crazy fellows. And, similarly, we call others who do not associate with us, they are crazy fellows. So there is, we have written pamphlet, booklet, “Who is Crazy?”. Now how to decide? You are thinking the Swamiji and the party, they are crazy. And we are thinking those who are materially engaged, they’re crazy. Now how to decide it? Can you suggest any way how to decide it, how, who is crazy?

Who will decide it? Everyone, two parties, when there is something disagreement, the two parties will say that, “You are in wrong,” the other party will say, “You are...” Now who will decide it? That who is wrong? Can you suggest any one of you who’ll decide? The world is going on in partyism and each opposite party is thinking that the other party is crazy. Now who will decide who is actually crazy? The actual... Then you have come to the point of reason, who is crazy?

Now just see. Take any common man. Not yourself, not myself. Any common man. If you ask him that, “What you are?”, he’ll say... His conception is that I am this body. Everyone will say. He’ll give you some description that, “I am Christian.” “I am Hindu.” “I am Mr. Such and Such.” “I am Mrs. Such and Such.” Everything, whatever he or she will say, that is all due to this body. All due to this body. Everyone. When you say, “You are American,” that means this is the body. Because by accident, by something, by some reason, you were born in this land of America. That is also another artificial name.

The land is neither America nor India. The land is land. But we give some designation, “This is America.” We make some boundary. This is United States of America. This is Canada. This is Europe, and this is Asia. This is India. So this is our name, but actually was there any history that the land is American, or the land...?

Say, four hundred years before, or five hundred years before, was this land was known as America? You have named it, America. Say, some thousands of years before was this, this, the continent which is known as, I mean, Europe, can you trace out history, that it was known as Europe? They are all designations.

Just like we can say from historical point of view of Vedic literature, this whole world was known as Ilavrta-varsa. Ilavrta-varsa. And, later on, since the reign of one great king, emperor, his name was Bharata. He changed the name into his own name, Bharata-varsa. So this whole planet was now Bharata-varsa. Then, as the days go on, the some part of this world was, I mean to say, separated from the original Bharata-varsa, and it was called Europe or some other place. Just like you have got practical experience even in this age, that India, say about twenty years before, the area of India was including Burma, Ceylon and the modern Pakistan and everything. Now it is separated. Now they are calling this is Pakistan. Somebody’s calling there is Ceylon. So this process is going on. Actually the land is neither Bharata-varsa, nor Asia, nor America, nor India, but we give this name. With the change of time, with the change of influence, they are all designations.

Fifty years before when some of you, of course, not all of you are fifty years old. Say, forty years before, or thirty-five years before, when you were, or twenty-five years before, when you were not born, can you say what was your designation? Were you American or Indian or Chinese or Russian, can you say? Say, after getting out of this body, do you think that you’ll continue as American or Indian or Chinese or Russian? Suppose you are now in America, in the land of America. So next life you may be in China. Who can say? Because we are changing our bodies, you cannot say that we are not changing our bodies. Can you say that you are not changing your body?

Yes, we are changing. When I was born, from the mother’s womb, my body was so little. Now how I have changed my...? Where is that body? Where is that body when I was a child? Where is that body when I was a boy? Where is that body when I was a young man? I have got my photograph, my studentship. Oh, Swamiji, you were like this? Where is that body? Where it has gone? So we are changing, but I am the same man. I am thinking, “Oh, in my childhood, I was doing like this. Oh, in my youthhood, I was thinking like this. In my boyhood, I did so many things.” Now where those days gone? If my body, everything has gone away? It is simply remembrance.

But still we are sticking to this body, and, when I ask you or when you ask me, “What you are?”, I say something in relationship with this body. Are you not crazy? Can you tell, any of you, that you are not crazy? If you, I mean to say, so far your identification, if you identify with something which you are not, then are you not crazy? Are you not crazy? So everyone who identifies with this body, he’s a crazy man. He’s a crazy man. It is a challenge to the world. Anyone who claims God’s property, God’s land, God’s earth, as own property, he’s a crazy man.

This is a challenge. Let anyone establish that this is his property, this is his body. You are simply, by nature, you are, by the fix of nature, you are put into some place. You are put under some body. You are put under some consciousness, and you are dictated by the laws of nature. And you are mad after that. So everyone,

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

Prakrteh kriyamanani. Everyone is being pulled by the ear, just like a teacher takes to pull the ear of a student, and does like this...

Similarly, we, everyone of us under the complete clutches of the material nature, and we are being put, sometimes this body, sometimes that body. Now, fortunately, you have got human form of body.

Oh, but, don’t you see there are so many bodies? So many bodies. There are eight million, four hundred thousands of bodies, and, by the laws of nature, by the tricks of nature, you can be put into any kind of body according to your work. So you are completely under the grip of nature.

This time, fortunately or unfortunately, I have got this human form of life, but next time I may get the body of a dog or the body of a god. That will depend on my work. But the laws of nature is working. The laws of nature, or the material nature, is forcing me that you accept it. You cannot say that, after my death, let me have my birth in America. Oh, how can you say? You are not authority. You are not authority. So this is stated in the Bhagavad-gita,

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah
ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

Everything is being conducted by the supreme laws of nature, but the foolish man thinks that I am something. I am independent. This is foolishness. Ahankara-vimudhatma. Ahankara, this false egoism—ahankara means false egoism. What is that false egoism? That I am not this body, and I think I am this body. This is called false egoism. Therefore Sankaracarya, I mean to say, he preached his mission that you are not this body. You are spirit soul. Aham brahmasmi. Aham brahmasmi. Now, still, when we try to realize ourself, self-realization, there also foolishness, or the dictation of the maya, or illusory energy, continues.

What is that? Somebody’s trying to realize his self. I am not this body. He understands that I am not this body. I am spirit soul. Then? If you are spirit soul, then what is your position? Oh, void. Impersonal. Spirit soul, that means voidness? Oh, there is nothing after finishing this body? This voidness? There are philosophers who preach voidness. After this, finishing this body, there is nothing. And other philosophers, impersonalists, they say that, as soon as this body is finished, my personal identity is finished. Do you think like that? Is it possible? So long I am in this body, this body is not actual I am.

It is just like a vehicle. Just like you are sitting in a car. The car is moving according to your desire. Not that the car is moving independently. So when you are in the car, so you are moving the car according to your desire, right or left, or this road or that road. Suppose, if you are out of the car, do you think that your personality is gone? Is it any reason? So this body is just like a car.

It is said in the Bhagavad-gita, bhramayan sarva-bhutani yantrarudhani mayaya [Bg. 18.61]. Maya has placed you in this car because you wanted this sort of car. Just like you have got in your practical experience. Somebody has got better car, somebody has got, I mean to say, inferior car. Somebody has got truck. But they’re moving. Similarly, these different bodies, they are like cars, and they are moving. Now suppose you are out of the car, either from the truck or from the Rolls Royce car or Chevrolet car or Ford car, do you think that your personality is finished?

Because you are out of the car? Then how can you say that when you are out of this body, your personality is finished? What is your reason?

So this is another craziness. Just see how craziness follows. Void. Why void? I am so much intelligent. I am doing... I am planning so many. Because my body is finished, therefore everything becomes void? This void philosophy was contradicted by the (indistinct). There is no void. There is spirit.

Now, if that spirit, when one comes to that spiritual self-realization, out of this body, then, if he’s still further advanced in spiritual knowledge, then he’ll seek what is my spiritual duty? What is my spiritual work? That is sanity. What is my spiritual work. Sanity, that is sanity. I cannot be void. I cannot lose my individuality and personality. That is nonsense. How can I? So long I am sitting in this body...

Or take this same crude example. So long I am sitting on the car, I am displaying so much individuality, and so much discrimination. As soon as there is red signal, I stop my car. There is blue signal, green signal, I start my car. I’m using my consciousness. I’m working. And, simply by getting down from the car, I lose everything. I become void? What is this nonsense? No.

[Excerpt from a Lecture on Bhagavad-gita As It Is 9.34, 12-26-1966]