A Godless Civilization

The Nava Bharat Times of Bombay had published sometimes before a news from Mount Abu dated 18th Nov. 1958 where our Prime Minister Shri Nehru had spoken of misuse of public fund in the name of religion. It is rampant all over the country nay all over the world as much as there is misuse of public fund in the name of political progress. We have a number of cases of this nature in the High Courts of the State in which both the religious heads of Mathas and Temples have been heard to be complicated in criminal offenses. And in the same way politicians, ministers, secretaries, police-custodian were caught red hand and some of them resigned from the respective posts and some of them were punished by the court of justice. We have now very recently some glaring examples of these cases in the political groups of ministers' sinister activities in one of our neighbouring countries and they have been charged with many criminal allegations as well as that of misusing the public funds.
    
If a statistic is prepared, however, comparatively the so-called religious heads will be lesser in number of being complicated in criminal offenses than the political heads of the state. But that does not mean that the religious heads of Mathas as well as temples shall be allowed to collect fund in the name of spiritual activities and then apply the same in the matter of their sense gratification.
    
As the statutory Government has right to collect taxes from the citizens for their welfare, so also the statutory ecclesiastical order has the right to collect taxes in the shape of alms for the citizen's spiritual well being. The principle is that the state tax is inevitable for the material welfare of the people and similarly sacrifice for God's service is essential for the spiritual welfare of the same. The state and ecclesiastical orders are essential services for all round welfare of the people. And if one of them or both of them are vitiated then the people become the sufferers in all respects. Such a state of affairs have already come into stay at the present moment for want of standard knowledge of the human being and the result is all round unrest, scarcity, disturbances, diseases and lamentation.
    
Pandit Nehru is right to warn such religious heads of temples and Maths but this warning or punishment upon them will not be sufficient discharge of duty unless there is a thorough reform of the whole management of spiritual institution with full cooperation of the political heads. Like other various departmental ministries in the cabinet there must be a 'Bhagwat Geeta' ministry for spiritual upliftment of the people without which other department will be a combination of zeros in the long run. The Bhagwat Geeta ministry will not at all collide with the secular state as the spiritual science is meant for all living being including the animals and others in the lower rank.
    
Taking all these matter in consideration and to cure this headache of Pandit Nehru regarding the activities of the religious heads of Maths and Temples sometime before we had to invite him to join hand in an organised spiritual propaganda for reforming all people including the so-called sadhus and politicians. The copy of the letter is as follows:
    
"My dear Panditji, please accept my respectful Namaskar. I beg to inform you that your speech on 2nd August 1958 at the Gurukul University Hardwar has given me some inspirations to inform you something about Indian culture. The principle of Indian culture is spiritualism which defies the external attraction of phenomenal materialism. You are thinking of adjusting western ways of material advance with Indian spiritual culture and I beg to give you herewith the clue that materialism conducted with an aim of reaching spiritual perfection is the right adjustment of human activities.
    
"If the aim of spiritual realisation is missed, the whole plan of materialism is sure to be frustrated and that is the law of Nature. The law of nature is so made by a superior brain and authority that nobody can surpass the intricacies of material nature simply by partial and sporadic adjustment of material science. The history of the West beginning from the time of Greek and the Romans down to the modern atomic war-is a continuous chain of sense gratificatory materialism and the result is that the Westerners were never in peace within the memory of 300 years of historical records. Neither it will be possible for them at any time in future to live in peace till the message of spiritualism just suitable to the present age does not reach their heart.
    
"Therefore, India may not waste her time in imitating the western way of life. You have admitted it that the India's culture is of very high order. But at the same time you want to bring in material prosperity of India by scientific advancement of knowledge. And what is that scientific knowledge? Spiritualism is also advanced scientific knowledge. You cannot give even the desired material prosperity to the people in general without spiritual help. Swaraj of Mahatma Gandhi was adjusted more in spiritualism than by materialism. Do you think that horseless carriage or telephonic or radio communication or any other such ephemeral facilities of life can bring in material prosperity? No it cannot. Material prosperity means that the people must have sufficient to eat or to maintain the body and soul together in sound health for further development in spiritual consciousness which is conspicuous by its absence in the sense gratificatory life of the animals. Do you think that your different plans have brought in that standard of material prosperity or that modern western civilization can bring in that ideal prosperity? Even they are given all the facilities of material needs yet the unrest will continue to grow till there is spiritual satisfaction of life. That is the secret of Peace.   
    
"Both the Americans and the Russians are better materially advanced and although they have different political philosophy of life, still they are not materially happy and peaceful because both of them are unconsciously hankering after spiritual realization as the child cries for the mother without expression of language. You can help the people of the world for satisfying their spiritual needs as the true Indian messenger of peace. The world has recognized your sincere effort for endeavouring peace in the world and this is the suitable time to help your friends and at the same time glorify the standard of Indian spiritual culture in scientific advancement of knowledge for world peace. Please take up the matter in cool brain.
   
"Poverty means poverty of knowledge. Prime Minister Chanakya Pandit used to live in thatched house or cottage but he was the dictator of India in the days of Emperor Chandra Gupta. Mahatma Gandhi, your political Guru, voluntarily accepted the ways of the so-called poor Indians and still he was the dictator of India's destiny. But was he actually poverty stricken on account of his plain living with the primitive Charkha? He was always proud of spiritual knowledge. Therefore it is the spiritual knowledge which makes a man really rich and not the radio set or the motor cars etc. Please therefore try to understand the position of Indian culture and try to give it to the western brothers in the prescribed standard method of the liberated persons and that will be an exchange of Indian culture with western material advancement necessarily; this will bring in a happy life in the peaceful world."
   
This letter was not even acknowledged by his secretariat. And after reminders only the letter was acknowledged as follows:-
   
"Dear Sir, please refer to your letter dated the 30th August, 1958 was duly received here. S /-D.P. Chopra Private Secretary to the Prime Minister."
  
Unfortunately the Pandit had no language to reply this letter because of his lack of spiritual knowledge and he thought that this institution might be something like the so many mathas and temple which have become the source of headache for the Pandit.
   
It is said that an unfortunate man who was cheated repeatedly with counterfeit coins concluded that there is no genuine coin in the market (?). Our Panditji has at his heart an impression like that. He thinks that any spiritual organization whatsoever it may be is a dungeon for accumulating public funds and then misuse it for questionable purposes. He however approves of the so-called Sadhus who does social service and talk nonsense in the spiritual science. This is so because he has no depth of spiritual knowledge for himself although he is Brahmin and Pandit. Ignorance in spiritual knowledge is the qualification of the Sudras or the labouring class. Intelligent class of men or the Brahmins must possess spiritual knowledge as a matter of necessity otherwise they will be unable to execute business in the proper channel for everyone's welfare.
   
The League of Devotees stands to fight out spiritual ignorance of the intelligent section of people in human society, modern philosophers and religionists. We have no sympathy for the so-called Sadhus or stereotyped ecclesiastical order nor we have any sympathy for the fallen politicians who capture political powers simply by voting strength. Neither we have any special love for any particular country, community, caste or creed. We stand to save all people, all philosophers and all section of religionists in all countries at all times from a dangerous type of Godless civilization. There is no good for patch up treatment without knowing the root cause of the disease. One Postmaster friend asked what is the need of acknowledging or worshipping God if a man is honest, benevolent, good in dealing etc. We replied that a man who does not love God cannot be an honest, good and benevolent man. In the Godless civilization everyone is a diseased fellow. The so-called Sadhus who say that "the world is false and the absolute is truth" and the impractical politicians who say the "absolute God is nowhere and only the matter is all in all" are all fallen in the estimation of the approved spiritual knowledge. As such we think that the politicians are in the same category like the so-called heads of Mathas and Temples because both of them want something in return for self aggrandisement. Every politician is ambitious to become Prime Minister or the President of the state while everyone of the so-called renounced order of Sadhus wants to sit on the throne of Narayana (?) the Lord of the Universe. That is the policy at heart of every Godless creature and all such mentalities are subtle form of material diseases. All such men hanker after something for self aggrandisement in the name of service to God or to the people. And so long this feeling of sense satisfaction will prevail all of them are sure to misuse public fund improperly. How misuse of public fund at the disposal of the state exchequer is being done will be clear from the recent inquiry report to the Union Home Ministry. The Hindusthan Standard of the 22nd September 1958 writes as follows:-(Ref. Truth Vol. XXVI No. 24 D/3-10-58 page 378.)
   
"The existence of a network of Pakistani spies in West Bengal is understood to have been referred to in a secret intelligence report sent to the Union Home Ministry.
   
"In the report it has been stated that well educated persons are engaged in anti-state activities which have for some time past been confined to border areas of the state.
   
"These persons suspected to be the leaders of Pakistani agents in this state include one member of the Lok Sabha, three members of the state legislature, four trade union leaders, some religious leaders of the labour and police departments of the West Bengal Government and some members of the management of several journals published in the state.
   
"It has been pointed out in the report that some influential member of a particular community in this state have been financially helping the Pakistani agents. The nerve centre of this network is located at a secret place in central Calcutta. Quite often some high officers of the West Bengal Government have been found to visit this centre.
   
"One important centre of this agent is stated to have been situated in the Calcutta dock area. This centre it is alleged has the active support of one officer of the State Government. Rejection it is understood has also been cast on the moral character of this officer."
   
Honestly speaking Pandit Nehru should also warn his own henchmen more sternly than the religious heads of Mathas and temples. The so-called Sadhus may fall down from a high spiritual order for want of sufficient spiritual strength but such acts as illicit connection with woman, but still it will take some time to convert them into political spies while in the service of the Government.
   
We would once more request Pandit Nehru to have some careful reading over the pages of Bhagwat Geeta which was the life and soul of Mahatma Gandhi and thus reform the whole polluted situation of a Godless civilization. Our beloved Panditji is very much afraid of the word "God" or Krishna but we can assure him that there is no such cause of fear because Krishna is everyone's friend and the best sincere friend able to render real help to everyone who seeks bonafide help from Him. When Arjuna sought help from Him in his bewildered condition Shri Krishna began His instruction to Arjuna like this: [Bg. 2.11-12]
   
 Ashochyan nanvashochstvam prajnavadashcha bhasase
Gatasoonagatasoonshchananushochanti Panditah
   
Natvebaham jatu nasamna tvam neme janadhipah
Na chaiba na bhavisyamah sarbe bayamata param
   
All the Pandits worth the name must know it certainly that every living being is eternally existent and therefore they have some eternal duty which is completely different from the present occupations in relation with the temporary body and the mind. Therefore there is no use simply warning the occupants of the Matha and temples like a pedagogue. The best thing will be for the physician to heal himself first. Because in Godless civilization, while the occupants of the Mathas and temples have been the cause of headache for the Pandit, the same thing under a different label have become the cause of headache for other European and Asian statesmen. The unbridled youngsters of those countries under the names of "Teddy Boys" in England, the "rebels without cause" in America, the "Half Strong" in Germany, the "Leather Jackets" in Sweden, the "Children of the Sun" in Japan, and the "Style Boys" in U.S.S.R. are some of the by-products of a Godless civilization. And that is the root cause of all headache. That requires a thorough treatment.
   
According to the Bhagwat Geeta these unwanted children of all countries are known as the Varnasankara. In the present day in order to check the over-growing population of the world they are all anxious to make propaganda of family planning or in other words the married couples do not want children but they want to enjoy life (?). This enjoyment against the laws of nature is the cause of Varnasankara. And when there is over population of the Varnasankara type of citizen the whole world becomes unfit for habitation by the saner section of human kind. Practically the whole world is turned into a dungeon hell. Chastity is the only means to check an overgrowing population of the Varnasankara class. And if you have no respect for chastity you must suffer the consequence of the Varnasankara population.
   
On the whole the conclusion is that the root cause of all troubles in the world disease is the mistake of accepting matter for the spirit. This is a false background of the modern civilization. The foundation of life being built on the surface of sand, the whole structure on it is sure to collapse. Because every living being is a spiritual spark, he can be happy only when there is spiritual engagements. India's basic principle of civilization was to keep people engaged in spiritual activities according to different modes of life and therefore India's cultural life is so lofty and valuable which is admitted by our Pandit Ji. As such no amount of material plan can satisfy the spiritual spark and that is the secret of treatment for the world epidemic.
        
We requested Pandit Ji to join hands for combating this infectious disease but he silently refused to accept this. Will he therefore once more reconsider the offer for his as well as all others well being? We pray to God that good counsel may prevail upon him.

[By His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,From Back to Godhead Magazine,Volume 3, Part 18, April 20, 1960]

The Mass of People Are Tools In The Hands of Modern Politicians

It is a qualification of the great thinkers to pick up the best even from the worst. It is said that the intelligent man should pick up nectar from a stock of poison, should accept gold even from a filthy place, should accept a good and qualified wife even from an obscure family and should accept a good lesson even from a man or from a teacher who comes from the untouchables.


These are some of the ethical instructions for everyone in every place without exception. But a saint is far above the level of an ordinary man. He is always absorbed in glorifying the Supreme Lord because by broadcasting the holy name and fame of the Supreme Lord, the polluted atmosphere of the world will change, and as a result of propagating the transcendental literatures like Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, people will become sane in their transactions.


While preparing this commentation on this particular stanza of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we have a crisis before us. Our neighboring friend China has attacked the border of India with a militaristic spirit. We have practically no business in the political field, yet we see that previously there were both China and India, and they both lived peacefully for centuries without ill feeling. The reason is that they lived those days in an atmosphere of God consciousness, and every country, over the surface of the world, was God-fearing, pure-hearted and simple, and there was no question of political diplomacy. There is no cause of quarrel between the two countries China and India over land which is not very suitable for habitation, and certainly there is no cause for fighting on this issue. But due to the age of quarrel, Kali, which we have discussed, there is always a chance of quarrel on slight provocation.


This is due not to the issue in question, but to the polluted atmosphere of this age: systematically there is propaganda by a section of people to stop glorification of the name and fame of the Supreme Lord. Therefore, there is a great need for disseminating the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all over the world. It is the duty of every responsible Indian to broadcast the transcendental message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam throughout the world to do all the supermost good as well as to bring about the desired peace in the world. Because India has failed in her duty by neglecting this responsible work, there is so much quarrel and trouble all over the world. We are confident that if the transcendental message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is received only by the leading men of the world, certainly there will be a change of heart, and naturally the people in general will follow them.


The mass of people in general are tools in the hands of the modern politicians and leaders of the people. If there is a change of heart of the leaders only, certainly there will be a radical change in the atmosphere of the world. We know that our honest attempt to present this great literature conveying transcendental messages for reviving the God consciousness of the people in general and respiritualizing the world atmosphere is fraught with many difficulties. Our presenting this matter in adequate language, especially a foreign language, will certainly fail, and there will be so many literary discrepancies despite our honest attempt to present it in the proper way. But we are sure that with all our faults in this connection the seriousness of the subject matter will be taken into consideration, and the leaders of society will still accept this due to its being an honest attempt to glorify the Almighty God.


When there is fire in a house, the inmates of the house go out to get help from the neighbors who may be foreigners, and yet without knowing the language the victims of the fire express themselves, and the neighbors understand the need, even though not expressed in the same language. The same spirit of cooperation is needed to broadcast this transcendental message of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam throughout the polluted atmosphere of the world. After all, it is a technical science of spiritual values, and thus we are concerned with the techniques and not with the language. If the techniques of this great literature are understood by the people of the world, there will be success.


(Srila Prabhupada Purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam : Canto 1:"Creation" : SB 1.5: Narada's Instructions on Srimad-Bhagavatam for Vyasadeva )

Alexander The Great & The Cynic

Just like there is a story, "Alexander and the Cynic." Perhaps most of you know. There was a cynic. He was saintly person. He was sitting in a solitary place, almost naked body. Alexander the Great went there and asked him, "If I can do something for you? You are a great man." He said, "Oh, please don't obstruct sunshine. Please be aside, That's all. (laughter) You may do this. Don't obstruct the sunshine. I am quite pleased. You please set aside." Because he was fully satisfied, why this Alexander Great will, can do him?

yam labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
yasmin sthito guruṇāpi
duḥkhena na vicālyate
[Bg. 6.20-23]

In Bhagavad-gītā you will find. If you are situated in that transcendental position, then there is no more demand. And if you are situated in that position, the greatest difficult position, you don't care for it. Yasmin sthito guruṇāpi duḥkhena. Guru means heaviest type of difficulty. If you are put in, you don't care for it. This is life. Any condition, in any position, you are satisfied. You are not disturbed. That is required. That is called peace. That can be achieved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not by any other method.


[Conversations With Prabhupada, Boston, May 5, 1969]

Universal Citizens Forum

The Hindustan Times of India disclosed news from London d/- 23-9-1958 as follows:


London, Sept. 23-The Commonwealth of World Citizens yesterday announced that "the first world-wide parliamentary general election in the history of mankind" will take place on Friday.


Voting for candidates will be by postal ballot among the something less than 1,000 "world citizens" in 42 countries.


The Commonwealth of World Citizens, proclaimed in being at Cardiff in 1956, exists "to exhibit a demonstration of world unity," its founder, British author and historian Dr. Hugh Schonfield states.


Candidates include a former Italian Senator, Dr. Mary Tibaldi Chiesa, of Milan, and an advocate of the Supreme Court of India, Dr. Sanjib Chaudhuri, of Calcutta.


The elected deputies will hold their first session as a parliament in Vienna in May, 1959.


Candidates are forbidden to campaign for election, and voters choose from a list of names with qualifications.-Reuter.


In response to this we beg to suggest to the public an ideal of universal citizen's forum for consideration and reaction. Edi.


1. One state. 
2. One language.
3. One religion.
4. One unit.
5. One goal.
6. One proprietor.
7. One culture.
8. One philosophy.
9. One standard.
10. One economy.


1. One state means that the whole world shall be controlled by one government. The experiment in India shall begin with unification of Indian states. Different provinces may exist as it is now but the government shall be one; there shall be no more existence of the state governments incurring unnecessary expenses for management.


2. One language for the world government shall be selected preferably English the most popular language of the world. In India the one language problem shall be solved by accepting Hindi in Sanskritised form and grammar gradually. It shall have nothing to do with the present Hindi grammar, which has no basic principle.


An authorised grammar on the basis of Sanskrit root shall be prepared and that shall be taught all over India. The spoken language may remain as it is current in the provinces but the written language shall be Sanskritised Hindi with Devanagri script.


Sanskritised Hindi means to learn Sanskrit through a common popular language so much so that through the Sanskritised Hindi grammar, Sanskrit language will be the ultimate goal of linguistic problem. English will continue to remain with the ideal of world state in future. So in India Sanskritised Hindi and English shall be compulsory subjects while original Sanskrit and the provincial language shall play the additional part.


3. One religion means one God and one scripture namely the Bhagwat Geeta. One God means the All Attractive Personality of Godhead Krishna in His Absolute form. The word Krishna is identical with the word God. Because 'Krishna' means that which attracts or that which negativises the threefold miseries of repetition of birth and death. Life is eternal and the aim of life therefore should be to make it free from all troubles of materially living conditions. The word Krishna aims this Perfection of life and the word God means the same thing because the idea of God worship means to attain a perfection of life.


Every religionist accepts the idea of God whether personal or impersonal. God is both at one and the same time. Krishna is in everywhere in His impersonal feature but in His personality He is present in his transcendental abode by His personal feature. That makes a complete God.


The Bhagwad Geeta claims every living being including the animals and other beings in all species of life-as the sons of Godhead. Therefore the idea of universal brotherhood is mentioned in the only scripture of the world-the Bhagwad Geeta. This book of knowledge shall be the subject matter of propagation.  


4. One unit means the diverse people of the states shall work only for the welfare of the state and not for individual benefit. There may be diversity of functions by different divisions of activities but aim of such activities shall be one means welfare of the state. As such there shall be four classes of men.


(A) The intelligent class of men with full knowledge of human necessities, as confirmed by previous sages.


(B) The statesmen class of men with full training of management about needs of all living being under the guidance of the intelligent class.


(C) The productive class of men namely, the agriculturists, the industrialists and the trading class of men-shall be controlled by the managing statesmen.


(D) The labouring class of men shall render services only to the above upper class of men. All the above classes shall be qualified by personal abilities without any reference to the origin of birth.


All the different divisions of classes are equally important as much as any part of the whole body is equally important for different services. The head and the leg of the body are equally important in relation with bodily functions and yet head is the most important part of the body to guide the whole bodily actions. The whole idea is to accept the theory of unity in diverse actions.


5. One goal means the activities of the people should be guided with reference to their eternal life. They should be made happy not only in this life but also in the next. Foolish people do not know this continuity of life like the foolish children are careless about their future prospect. The parents guide the foolish children and similarly the state shall guide the foolish people who have no knowledge of future life. There are two goals of life namely 
(1) fulfillment of immediate needs and 
(2) fulfillment of prime needs. Immediate needs are aimed at satisfaction of the senses and mind but prime need is the upliftment of the spirit soul.


People should be given all chances not only for fulfilling the present needs of the senses in a controlled manner but also to fulfill the needs of ultimate goal namely the spiritual upliftment.


6. One proprietor means that there shall be no individual proprietor of any property of the state. The state shall be the owner of all properties and citizens shall be the servitors only for the complete welfare. The idea is something like the joint family system in which no individual person is considered to be the proprietor and everyone does his bit of work for the total welfare and equal share of the benefit. The symbolic representative of proprietorship shall be dedicated to the Personality of Godhead in all different units of the state and every living being including the animals etc., shall have the right to live and prosper individually according to the laws. Nobody shall be absolutely free and yet freedom of action will be given to everyone. Everyone shall be the servant of the state and the state shall look after the citizens in complete harmony.


7. One culture means that the state shall encourage in every way to the development of spiritual culture. Every living being is a spiritual spark covered by the material body. So there is no difference between the learned and the fool, so far spiritual identity is concerned. The learned shall try to uplift the position of the fool by love and affection and shall not look down upon any living being. That shall be the cultural propaganda of the universal citizens forum. (To be continued)


Printed in The Back To Godhead Magazine, 1958. By ISKCON Founder Acharya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

How Should One Cultivate Human Spirit

Culture of human spirit by the human being is the prime duty of humankind. All great thinkers, philosophers, reformers and persons who thought for the whole of human society in terms of its welfare in general, thought like it from time immemorial. Out of them those who were perfect perfect ly self realised soul or the perfect human being, recorded their self realised experience in the books of knowledge known as the Vedas or the scriptures. There are various types of attempts to understand the import of the Vedas by those who are not themselves beings and as such the books of knowledge have been again molded in the ways of the quality of imperfect interpreters.


Apart from all these controversial points, we may safely generalise that there are four different classes of human beings all over the world and they are (1) The intelligent class of men or good men or the Brahmins (2) The politicians or the ruling class of men, the men of passion or the Kshatriyas (3) The productive class of men or the men of mixed quality compounded of passion and ignorance called by the name of the Vaishyas and (4) The labour class of men or the men in ignorance called by the name of Sudras. And all of them are meant for co-operation for the common cause of cultivating human spirit. When they co-operate for the common cause there is harmony and progress but when they non-co-operate with one another there is unrest and trouble in the society.


At the present moment there is a tendency of non-co-operation between the different classes of men on account of their missing the common cause of human spirit and therefore there is prime need of a batch of intelligent class of men to combine together and thus educate the other classes in the matter of co-operation for human spiritual culture. The world is now dominated by the third-grade productive and fourth-grade labour class of men and there is scarcity of intelligent class of men and that of political philosophers also. Diplomats are not political philosophers. Without being guided by the intelligent class of men and political philosophers. The productive class of men and the labourer class of men have formed into groups of capitalist and communists ; both of them being practically disabled from the common cause of cultivating human spirit. These two classes of men are more or less concerned with the bodily necessities of life without reference to needs of the human spirit. The intelligent class of men can be interested only in the culture of human spirit and therefore there is need of the intelligent class of men to reform the diplomats, capitalists and the communists all over the world.


'HOW SHOULD ONE CULTIVATE HUMAN SPIRIT is a grand question by the modern materialistic man who had so long thought of the identity of the human being either with the human body or with the human mind. Some of us identified the living being with the human body and some of us speculated on the construction of the psychic activities in thinking feeling and willing and misinterpreted them with the human or living being. If we ask somebody what is his name, he at once answers that his name is John, he is the son of Frank, his native place is in London and his occupation is to earn money by hundreds of thousand. If he is further asked whether he is satisfied with his identification of the body as Mr. John Frank of London, certainly he will reply. If he is a sane man at all, in the negative.


Any man identified with the body or the mind is not at all satisfied because he is always troubled in the body and the mind in spite of his all endeavours to avoid them. The troubles are the three fold miseries of life. The first trouble is in relation with his body


namely that he may feel some sort of headache, fever, heat, cold and so forth which he does not want at all. The second trouble is in respect of his mind. Even if one is quite all right se far as his body is concerned, his mind may be in trouble for so many cares and anxieties.


In the modern set up of materialistic civilization nobody is free from cares and anxieties. There are so many great men in the modern world and almost all of them are so much troubled in the mind that they cannot sleep at night peacefully without being intoxicated by some artificial means. Insomnia is a disease for the man always troubled in the mind.


The third trouble is in our relation with other living beings. India thought that the arrangement of the Panchashila will allow her to live in peace and friendship with other nations of the world but in spite of her following a policy of neutrality, her immediate neighbour and friend China has occupied a portion of Indian territory and for this the mind of the Indian leaders is in trouble. We have nothing to do with politics in this connection but we have taken up this particular incident just to get an idea of our trouble in relation with other living beings. The Law court is another place where there is ample evidences of human trouble in respect of our dealings with one another. Even there is trouble in the dealings between husband and wife, father and son, friend and friend, man and animal and so forth and so on. It is concluded, therefore, that there are many troubles between one living creature, with another for want of the culture of human spirit.


And above all these troubles there is another insurmountable trouble imposed by the laws of nature, Famine, pestilence, war, earthquake, volcanic eruptions, flood and so many other things like that are always troubling the human being even though we do not want them. Big brains of world leadership are always busy to get rid of these troubles but so far they have failed to achieve any success over the threefold miseries for want of cultivating human spirit.


A living being's intuition is to get over all the above mentioned troubles of life and live in peace and friendship and the prosperity of eternal life and knowledge.


When I received the letter of invitation from Mr. Toshihiro Nakano, he expressed the following sentiments in his letter under reference. He wrote to say "This seems to be good opportunity for you to present your evidence by attending the glorious meeting to indicate that you have been lending every effort to attain the long-sought goal of securing the ultimate peace and infinite prosperity of humankind, a terrestrial paradise."


Living beings other than the human being, although feeling all the above mentioned troubles, are unable to take any measure against them. The human being is gifted with higher talented status of consciousness and he is always trying to get rid of all these troubles because he is meant for such realisation. Foolish human beings in the third and fourth grade of above mentioned classifications take it for granted that it is impossible to get over the troubles but the intelligent class of men do not give up the attempt and they do try it even life after life. There is no doubt that this congress is being organised only to fit out the ways and means of infinity prosperity which is the natural urge of a developed human being. The intelligent class of men probe into the psychic field in various ways to find out the right path of satisfaction. Such attempt in psychology for producing good poetry philosophy and thoughtful matter by the human being, has failed to achieve the end of his life namely peace, prosperity in eternal life, knowledge and happiness. When the living being admits failure both in the gross and subtle spheres of materialistic satisfaction, he is sure to search after the Human spirit which is transcendental to the gross and subtle material elements.


The identity of human spirit or the living energy of the living being is never to be identified with the body or the mind. Body and mind are two gross and subtle coverings of the living being. The doubtful scientist may make a dissection of the whole body in his biological research laboratory but be cannot find out the living spirit within the body. By dissection of the body we can see only that the body is something like reinforced structure of bones, marrow, nerves, muscle, skin, blood and secretion. The bones are the supporting pillars of the construction and the nerves are like the binding ropes? And on this superficial structure of bones and nerves there is the reinforced plastering with flesh and blood: There are different ventilating holes or windows of the body and from each of them always bad smell is emanating because all the secretions of the body are different grades of urine and stools. This obnoxious structure of the body is accepted falsely as beautiful without the knowledge of the beautiful human spirit now invisible with the light of matter. This obnoxious structure of the body is the germinating source and breeding ground of all kinds of diseases and when it is old enough and shattered by hard struggle for existence against the odds of the above mentioned threefold miseries, it is full of agrievement and the temple of diseases. The material scientist has no remedy for the wretched condition of life. To pull on with such a troublesome body is also another difficulty because the bodily needs are never to be satisfied. It is troublesome in every inch and with all, the whole false structure is susceptible of collapsing within a moment and that also without and previous notice.


Can the material scientist move this false body made of bones and nerves without the spiritual aid? No, it is not at all possible. Had it been possible to do so by the materialist, then he could move the railway trains without any steam or electric power. Even the steam and electric power is unable to act without the help of a living spiritual being.


They see to the wonderful acts done by the seemingly imperceptible spiritual living being but do not search after the wonderful actor playing the parts of this wonderful act. In the modern days of throwing sputniks in the outer space we are amazed to hear about the revolving of the space vehicle but we neglect to study the spirit behind the bodily structure of the man who works on the sputnik. Certainly the structure of the body as described above, of the sputnik man, is not at all different from that of another non-sputnik man. The difference lies in the qualities of the spiritual spark of the individual being and we have neglected to make a study of it. The body is a lump of matter and it is a burden of the conditioned soul like the fetters of a convicted prisoner of state.


The sum and substance of an analytical study of the physical and anatomical conditions of living beings is explained above. And the ultimate end of such body is to turn into moths, stool or ashes. The dead body is either buried in the grave to be transformed into moth, it is given to be devoured by other animals and birds and the result is that it turns into stool or it is burnt into ashes.


Such a constructive body certainly cannot be imperishable as some of us wrongly think of. We have to seek out the imperishable element beyond the body and that is the process of CULTIVATING HUMAN SPIRIT. And that is the function of the human form of life. Find out the permanent out of the perishable. They are busy in keeping up the perishable body by eating vitamin values. And what are these vitamins? They are after all different active principles of different grades of foodstuff. But on the ultimate analysis, however valuable a foodstuff is there, when it is cooked up as eatables it becomes decomposed in some hours. How is it then possible to keep fit the perishable body by eating such perishable vitamins? The sane man therefore does not try to keep up the body by artificial means, knowing well the sad end of the perishable body in spite of all endeavours. Such sane man makes the best of a bad bargain for the purposes of spiritual culture only and nothing more. The Bhagwat Geeta has given its final judgement that the body is undoubtedly perishable but the living entity embodied is eternal.


But we must always remember that the human form of body is distinct from all other animal bodies. Biological and physiological features of the bodies of man and animal may be on the same level but psychologically there is great difference between the two classes of bodies. This distinctive feature of the human body is a special prerogative of the human body. It is explained in the Puranas that there are 84 lacs species of life in the biological evolutionary process. There are nine lacs of aquatic species of life, twenty lacs species of immovable plants and trees, eleven lace species of worms, ten lac species of birds, thirty lac species of beasts and four lac species of human beings. The highest class of human beings is the intelligent class of men as mentioned herein before. Such intelligent class of men cultivate the qualities of truthfulness, forbearance, restraint, simplicity, faithfulness, toleration, knowledge and conviction in the existence of God. Therefore to be situated in the highest developed consciousness of a human being is the highest cultural efficiency in the evolutionary process of the living being. Such intelligent class of men can churn out the human spirit from the inert material body as it is possible to churn out fat out of the liquid milk. Before churning of the milk it appears that there is no such thing as butter within the milk but after churning, the butter begins to float on the surface and it is collected for proper use. Similarly on the outward dissection of the human bodily structure we cannot see what is the human spirit but by culture of proper and systematic knowledge derived from the right sources we can gradually feel for it, think of it and work for it.*


[Draft of Lecture Meant to be Delivered at the International Congress in Japan 1961. Published October 1962 in ‘The Mother’ (India) by Aurobindo of the Aurobindo Ashram]


( To be Continued... )

Manifestation of Dharma in the Human Being

The word dharma translated into English as religion is not perfect. The exact meaning of dharma is characteristic. The living entity is constitutionally part and parcel of supreme personality of Godhead, Mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva bhutah sanatanah. . .(Bg. 15.17) as such, the characteristics of the Supreme personality of Godhead are present in the living entity as natural sequence. But the Supreme Personality of Godhead is vibhu or great, whereas the living entities are anu or the minute part. Therefore the characteristics of the living entities and the Lord, although qualitatively one, they are quantitatively different.

The characteristics of the Lord are present in unlimited quantity, where as the same are present in the living entity in very very minute quantity. In this connection, the example of the vast ocean water and a drop of it can be given. The taste of ocean water is salty. In the drop of ocean water this salt is present in minute quantity, whereas the amount of salt in the vast ocean is of unlimited quantity.

In English, religion means a kind of faith, but dharma does not mean a kind of faith, but it is a fact. A faith may be changed if the follower so desires, but dharma cannot be changed. When it is changed artificially, it becomes troublesome. therefore we learn from Srimad Bhagavatam that dharma is given to the living entities, especially the human being by God himself, and any other kind of dharma which is not given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is rejected. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, 6th Canto, 3rd Chapter verses 19-22, it is said,

dharmam tu saksad bhagavat pranitam na vai vidur rsayo napi devah na siddha-mukhya asura manusyah kuto nu vidyadhara-caranadayah (19) svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh prahlado janako bhismo balirvaiyasakirvayam (20) dvadasaiye vijanimo dharmam bhagavatam bhutah guhyam visuddham durbodham yam jnatva-mrtam asnute (21) etavan eva loke’smin pumsam dharmah parah smrtaha bhakti-yogo bhagavati tan-nama-grahanadibhih (22)

So dharma for the human society cannot be manufactured by any great saintly persons or the demigods or the sidhas or the asuras or the human beings and what to speak of others. The word “Hindu dharma” is not exactly derived from Vedic version, actually the dharma practised by the followers of the Vedas is called Varnasrama dharma.

Later on this Varnasrama dharma, as it was practised in India, was given the name “Hindu dharma” most probably by our neighboring Mohamedan countries. It is said that the people living on the other side of the river Sindhu, now flowing in Pakistan, were called hindus. So we cannot exactly follow what is the meaning of “Hindu dharma", but we can understand what is Varnasrama dharma. But this Varnasrama dharma can be applicable anywhere throughout the universe.

The whole universe or the material cosmic manifestations under the influence of the three gunas or material modes, as such the Supreme Personality of Godhead has given us the system of four Varnas-catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah (Bg 4.13) Therefore according to Visnu purana, every living entity or human being especially, has to follow this Varnasrama dharma. In the Varnasrama dharma, the principles are in terms of associating with the different modes of material nature. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad Gita, how a living entity gets a particular type of body by associating with the modes of material nature. As it is already described, every living entity being part and parcel of God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead (Krishna), is the original father of all living entities. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad gita as follows

sarva yonisu kaunteya
murtaya sambhavanti yah
tasam brahma mahad yonir
aham bija pradah pita
(Bg 14.4)

The Lord says, ”My dear son of Kunti, all species of life in different forms are all my sons.” Now, here it is clearly stated that forms of the living entities (murtayah) are the sons of the Lord. The Lord also must have His transcendental form as it is described in the Brahma Samhita. Without the Supreme Father being the form, how can He have sons with forms?

isvarah paramah Krsnah
sac-cid-ananda vigrahah
anadir adir govindah
sava karana karanam
(Bs 5.1)

So the original Father, (isvarah paramah krsnah) has His original form. His form is, however, different from the forms of His innumerable sons in the material condition. In the material conditions, the spiritual sparks, namely, the living entities, are differently presented in different material forms, but none of them are sac-cid ananda vigrahah. In other words, the living entities are begotten by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as the supreme Father, and the seeds discharged within the womb of material nature and at the time of creation they come out in different forms of material bodies and then they are divided in different species of life. In the Bg. it is clearly stated that these living entities have different types of bodies and the cause is the living entities’ association with the different modes of material nature, karanam guan sango’sya sad-asad-yoni-janmasu. (Bg 13.22) It is also stated in the Bg.:

Mama yonir mamad brahma

tasmin garbham dadhamy aham

sambhavah sarva bhutanam

tato bhavati bharatah

sarva yonisu kaunteya

murtayah sambhavanti yah

tasam brahma mahad yonir

aham bija pradah pita

(Bg 14.3-4)

The conclusion is that we are all sons of God, it doesn’t matter in what forms we are existing in at present. Our present existentional position is material concept of life. This material concept of life, namely thinking that I am not this body, is sheer ignorance or to remain in the modes of darkness. The whole world is now covered with darkness on account of this ignorance that I am this body. Anyone who is under such a concept of life that I am this body is called an animal.

yasyatma buddhir gunapetri dhatuke
sva dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijyadhih
yat tirtha buddhih salile na karhicij
janesv abhijnesu sa eva gokharah
(SB 10.84.13)

Go means cow and khara means ass. So this go-khara civilization thinking the body as the self, is very much strong at the present moment. Therefore combinedly, all intelligent persons throughout the world must try to awaken the real dharma or characteristic of all human beings. Everyone is under the bodily concept of live and is thinking that he is Indian, American, European, Hindu, Moslem, brahmana, ksatriya, or in greater conception, I am a human being, I am an animal, I am a bird, I am a beast, I am a tree, etc. Factually the living entities being in contact with material nature and born in different species of life, from the very beginning of creation, they are differently situated in different forms. Darwins theory of evolution is simply speculation and is therefore not correct. He has taken the idea from Vedic literature, but on account of his poor fund of knowledge, he could not explain the matter perfectly. He wanted to become a co-called scientist, independent of Vedic literature, and therefore he has missed the point and has misled the whole human society especially the Western world in the grossest way of material existence. The real evolutionary science is described in the Vedic literature, namely Brahma-Vaivarta Purana:

asitim caturas caiva laksan tan jiva jatisu
brahmadbhih purusaih prapyam manusyam janma paryayat
tad apy aphalatam jatam tesam atmabhimaninam
varakanam anasritya govinda carana dvayam

In the Padma Purana also, we get information that there are 8400000 different forms of life. Janma-paryaya means transmigration of the soul. The fact is that there are three material qualities, sattva, rajas and tamas, and when these three qualities are multiplied by three, they become nine qualities, and similarly nine multiplied by nine become a mixture of eighty-one qualities exactly like a color combination.

Originally there are three colors, red, blue and yellow,and if you mix them together, they become green, orange, pink and so many other colors. Similarly the combination of three qualities of material nature, sattva, rajas, and tamas, has created so many forms of living entities. Bg 14.5, it is clearly explained, sattvam rajas tama iti gunah prakriti sambhavah, the material nature consists of three modes, goodness, passion and ignorance.

When the living entity comes into contact with material nature he comes out in different forms of body. These forms of body are just like dream or likened to the forms of body in a dream. Sometimes the question is put forward as to when the living entity first contacted the material nature. There is no need of tracing the history of such contact as much as there is no need as tracing the history of dream. The SB says:

atma-mayam rte rajan
parasyanubhavatmanah
na ghatetartha sambandahah
svapna drastur ivanjasa
(SB 2.9.1)

So this atma maya means conditioned life. As soon as one forgets his constitutional position, he becomes illusioned by his own action, or in other words, as soon as the living entity forgets that he is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His son, he is supposed to be in a dream. Therefore real propagation of religion or dharma should be how to get out the pure soul or living being from the cluthes of maya or illusion. The whole world is suffering under this illusion and therefore the most important task before the human society is to educate every human being that he is not this body but he is spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All living entities are entrapped by this illusion and by the evolutionary process, namely by transmigration of the soul from one body to another. When the living entity comes to the status of the human being, it is the opportunity for his becoming free from this continued birth and death and again going back to home, back to Godhead. The matter is simplified in the statement of Bg.:

daivi hy esa gunamayi
mama maya duratyaya
mam eva ye prapadyante
mayam etam taranti te
(Bg 7.14)

That is to say, that the modes of material nature, known as gunamayi maya are very strong and it is very difficult to get out of the entanglement. But the Lord gives the remedy at the same time that anyone who surrenders to Him, mameva ye prapadyante, or anyone who surrenders voluntarily unto Krsna (isvarah paramah Krsnah), he becomes out of the clutches of the material entanglement. The surrendering process is actually the human civilization and that is real dharma of the human society and that is the basic principle of the Vedic culture as it is confirmed by the statement of the Lord.

Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo (Bg. 15.15) This Vedic culture is now being propagated under the name of the Krsna consciousness movement. It is scientific, authorised and practical. We have got practical experience of this fact. Four or five years ago in the material world, nobody knew what is Krsna. Since many hundred of years, Bg. was known to the Western countries and almost all scholars and religionists are interested in reading the great book of knowledge Bhagavad Gita. But such Knowledge, being presented by the Mayavad School, Krsna as never been appriciated. At the Present movement, we are presenting Bhagavad Gita As it is, without any so called scholarly mal interpretation. And in all parts of the world, this movement is being accepted, especially by the younger generation, which means that this movement has a great future for been accepted by everyone. In the Bhagvatam it is recommended that dharma in its confidential and essential form should be preached as follows:

etavan eva loke’smin pumsam
dharmah parah smrtah
bhakti-yogo bhagavati
tan-nama-grahanadibhih
(Bhag. 6.3.22)

This is the first class way of preaching dharma, namely, bhaktiyogo bhagavati, which begins by chanting His holy name, tannama-grahanadibhih. The same thing is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita,

satatam kirtayanto mam
yatantas ca drdha-vratah
namasyantas ca mam bhaktya
nitya-yukto upasate
(Bg. 9.14)

So we are preaching the essence of dharma, namely chanting the holy names of the Lord, the mahamantra, ”Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.”

This movement is now known generally all over the world as the Hare Krsna movement. This is confirmed in the Brhan-Naradiya Purana:

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

So anyone who is serious to preach real this movement. It is being accepted in America, Europe, Japan, Australia, Africa, South America and even in Russia. If India wants to be glorified, she must take to her original spiritual culture, namely to know the goal of life. They are thinking that they can be happy by material adjustment. But it has been proved that they have never been happy in the past by such attempts and therefore it is to be concluded that they will never been happy in the future by such attempts. We are attempting to spread this Krsna Consciousness in our humble way and if one conditioned soul is delivered from the clutches of Maya, we shall think our movement is successful. We think therefore that all religious communities from all over the world should take part in this movement. If not easily, they can take advantage of our dozens of voluminous books, such as :

1.Bhagavad-gita As It Is
2.Srimad-Bhagavatam
3.Teachings of Lord Caitanya
4.Nectar of Devotion (Bhaktirasamrta-sindhu)
5.Krsna, the supreme Peronality of Godhead
6.Sri Isopanisad
7.Easy Journey to Other Planets
8.Krsna Consciousness: The Topmost Yoga System,
etc, etc.

But our only request to all religious communities is to understand this movement and take part in it.

[This Appeared in Dharmaprakash, a Madhva Magazine Published in Madras]
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

International Institution for God Consciousness

Teaching all over the world the scientific education to all people in the matter of understanding one God, one religion, one scripture, one hymn and one function.  

A man cannot be free from Fear, Bereavement, Anxiety, and Diseases, unless and until he knows his actual position as a living entity. He must, therefore, be educated about his real constitutional position. In knowing such constitutional position one has to learn about the controller above him; why he is controlled, why the laws of nature are so stern for him, why he is subjected to threefold miseries of life, what is the nature of his controller, what is this material nature, who is controlling the laws of material nature, what is the duration of life of everything manifested and what are the activities which keep everybody busy throughout day and night. Without knowing all these things in right earnestness, a man remains an animal in spite of his high academic education.  

The Sanskrit word Dharma is translated into English as religion but by such translation the import of Dharma is not clear. In English religion is some kind of emotional faith in a particular system of rituals or moral conviction. But the word Dharma does not mean such emotional awakened sense without scientific value. Religion or faith can be changed but Dharma cannot be changed. You cannot change the liquidity of water nor you can change the heat and light of fire. Water means liquid substance and fire means heating agent. Such co-existence of water and liquidity, or fire and heat, is eternal; and similarly we mean religion is that which cannot be changed by the living entity. Faith can be changed but Dharma cannot be changed. Therefore, we mean by religion, in pursuance of the root meaning of the word Dharma, as eternal relationship or eternal quality. On this principle there is only one religion of the entire human society. In other words Dharma or eternal consciousness of creative energy and sense of enjoyment by lording it over the material energy, is the eternal religion of every living being and this perpetual quality of the living being is never changed like temporary faith or emotion. One may change his faith from one ism to another but one cannot change the consciousness of creative energy and the sense of domination over other.  

In the living being, however, the consciousness of creation and sense of domination is not supremely manifested. Every one is moved by these two natural instincts of living conditions but nobody is the supreme conscious being or supreme dominator. Everybody tries to know more than others and dominate more than others and thus there is a regular competition in the fields of creative energy and domination; but nobody has come to the stage of the supreme. The Supreme is Summum Bonum and nobody is equal or above the Supreme Conscious Being and the Supreme Controller. The Supreme Conscious Being Who possesses the supreme creative energy and thus the supreme power of domination over all, is called the Supreme Enjoyer. This Supreme Enjoyer is nomenclatured in Sanskrit by the word KRISHNA the symbol of greatest amount of pleasure. He is the Supreme Living Entity and all other living entities are eternally parts and parcels of the Supreme. Individual living entities are happy in cooperation with the supreme and not independently. The whole world is moving by cooperation of greater and lesser personalities. Therefore, perfection of life is attained by cooperation with the greatest and not otherwise. This cooperative sense and its awakening in every individual living being, is the eternal religion of the living entity. It is not a question of faith but it is eternally dormant in everyone and the process of awakening this consciousness by systematic activities, is perfect religion and it is One in every living being.  

The material nature or cosmic manifestation is one of the energies of the Supreme Being and is dependent on Him. We can very well understand that our material body is a product of our energy. The material body takes its shape larger and larger from the very beginning due to the spark of living energy which also is the superior energy of the Supreme Being. And combination of these two energies, namely the superior and inferior, is manifested as the cosmic creation or material nature. And these two energies are limited within eternal Time. Within the Time factors superior energy acts and reacts upon the inferior energy matter. Such actions and reactions being limited by the Time factor past present and future all such activities are temporary whereas the other factors namely the Supreme Living Being, the individual living beings, the inferior energy material nature and Time factor all are eternal. Perfection of activities is attained by transcendental position of the living entities in cooperation with the Supreme Being.  

All these factors are systematically explained in the Bhagwat Geeta which is meant for all human being. The human being can utilize this great book of transcendental knowledge according to the direction of the author Sri Krishna inculcated in the book itself. One cannot understand Bhagwat Geeta by imperfect interpretations as fashion study. One can derive benefit out of it by accepting the whole thing in pursuance of the original student Arjuna. One who follows Arjuna is the perfect student of the Bhagwat Geeta. In all circumstances, therefore, the Bhagwat Geeta is the One scripture for everyone.  


The world is very much anxious to have One religion, one God, One Scripture and one harmonized activity, and the International Institution for God Consciousness is meant for that. Here is the thing everyone is hankering after, and let everyone be a member of this institution as student and he will make his life a complete perfection.

Written By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1965)