Remember the Titanic

[Guest guest]

591

"Remember the Titanic"

Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.19

Mayapur, February 26, 1976

 

listen

 

 

--------

 

 

Dayananda: "My Lord Nrsimha, the Supreme, persons who are neglected by You

and not taken care of by You, such embodied souls cannot do anything better on

account of bodily conception of life. And whatever remedial measures they take,

they are certainly not permanent, although they may be beneficial temporarily.

In this concern, there is the example of the father and mother who cannot give

any protection to their children. The physician and medicine..."

 

Prabhupada: "Cannot give any relief."

 

Dayananda: "...which cannot give relief to the suffering patient, and the

boat on the ocean which cannot give protection to the drowning man." [sB 7.9.19]

 

Prabhupada: This is very instructive verse. The whole world is planning to

give relief to the suffering humanity, but the foolish people, they do not know

that you may do your best, but if it is not sanctioned by the Supreme Lord, all

these measures will not be of any use. "Why? We have got science, medicine, and

relief arrangement. They are all useless?" Yes. They are useful so long, as long

as Krsna says "Yes." If Krsna says "No," then in spite of all this relief,

nothing will be done. This is the answer. You can open many hospitals, but if

Krsna says that "This patient must die," you cannot give any protection. That is

not possible. In spite of your hospital, good medicine, good physician, the

patient must die.

 

So they do not see to this, that in spite of our so much advancement of

civilization, hospitals and other relief measures, why still people are

suffering? You are increasing hospital or beds of hospital. You are very much

proud that "We have opened hospitals." That... What does it mean? That means

people have become diseased. You have opened hospitals, you are very much proud,

but what is the other side? Other side: that people have increased their

diseased condition. That they do not see. They are simply proud of increasing

hospital. Why there should be hospital? Why not stop disease? That is scientific

advancement. Stop disease, and there will be no need of opening hospital. Krsna

therefore presents in the Bhagavad-gita that "You rascal, you see. Real problem

is janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi [bg. 13.9]." You can invent very nice, up-to-date,

modernized medicine, but why don't you stop disease? That you cannot do. That is

not possible. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. You are taking so many measures to stop

untimely death. Just like in your country there are beaches and so many warning,

"Don't come here." And there is guard seeing if anyone is dying, so... But you

cannot stop death. That is not possible. You may take measure, so many. You

cannot stop death. Children, somebody says, the parents do not take care, but

even the parents take care, is it guaranteed that the children will not die?

There are many rich men, they are taking care of their children. Rich men, they

are taking care of the diseased person, good physician, good medicine. Why the

diseased person is dying? Why the children suffering? So, these are to be

observed. Why these things happen? That means the ultimate control is in the

hand of Krsna. If Krsna sanctions, then everything will be possible. So why not

take shelter of Krsna? This is the idea. You take shelter of Krsna, and if Krsna

likes, He will give you all protection. And He promises that "I'll give

protection."

 

sarva-dharman parityajya

mam ekam saranam vraja

aham tvam sarva-papebhyo

moksayisyami...

[bg. 18.66]

 

Because we become diseased, we become subject to birth and death, we...

This is all due to our sinful activities. Why are repeatedly...? We are eternal.

Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [bg. 2.20]. This is our position, that we do not die

even after the body's destruction. Then why should I be in this position, that

repeatedly I have to die, I have to give up this body, again accept another

body, again suffer? This is the problem, but mudha, duskrtina, they do not see

to the real problem. That is their fault. Neither they have knowledge to see the

real problem. Therefore they are mudha. Is it not? He's understood that na

hanyate hanyamane sarire [bg. 2.20]. So this question does not come, that "I am

eternal. I do not die after the annihilation of the body. Why I am subjected to

this tribulation?" Nobody thinks; therefore mudha. Just like animal. Animal, in

the slaughterhouse, one animal is being killed, and the other animal is eating

grass. He's thinking that "I am safe." He does not know that "Next moment I'll

be killed." This is animal life. The human life means if somebody is being

killed, so he should be immediately warned, taking warning, "Oh, my turn is

coming. Let me go away."

 

There is one story in this connection. Not story; these are facts. A

hunter spread his net. So some little birds, they fell down in the net and they

are crying. They are crying. So the father, mother, when they came, they saw

that their children are in danger: "It is caught by the net of the hunter." So

mother immediately jumped over it to save the children, and she was also

captured. Then the father saw, "Now if I go to save them, I'll be captured. Let

me go away. Let me take sannyasa. That's all." (laughter) That is intelligence.

(laughter) You cannot give protection to your family, to your society. To

your... No, you cannot give. That is not possible. They must die. They must be

captured by the network of maya. You cannot save them. If you want to save them,

then make them Krsna conscious. That is the only remedy. Unless you are expert

in saving your children by giving them Krsna consciousness, then you are not,

you should not become father and mother. That is real contraceptive method, that

"I shall... We are married, undoubtedly, husband and wife, but unless we are

competent to give protection to my children -- no more death -- we should not

beget children." This is real contraceptive.

 

That is the instruction in the Srimad-Bhagavatam: pita na sa syaj janani

na sa syat 'na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum. Your duty is to give protection to

children, father, mother. That's very good. But real protection is that "My

children, this boy, this girl, has come in my belly. Now this is the last. I

shall train them in such a way that next birth, he'll not have a material body."

How it is? Yes, it is possible. How? Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti

kaunteya [bg. 4.9]. One can give up this material body... Everyone has to give

it up. There is no doubt. But one is giving up this body and accepting another

body. Tatha dehantara-praptih [bg. 2.13]. But there is another method, that he's

not going to accept any more material body. That is said in the Bhagavad-gita,

tyaktva deham punar janma naiti: [bg. 4.9] "After giving up this body, he's not

going to accept another material body." Who? Janma karma ca divyam ye janati

tattvatah: "Anyone who has understood Krsna has He is." This is the secret, to

teach your children like that, that what is Krsna. From the beginning, you can

do that. The children are under your control. Just like we are teaching these

boys. They are simply chanting, dancing. That is Krsna consciousness. They are

advancing in Krsna consciousness. It is not that useless education -- after some

years they will learn how to smoke bidi. It is not like that. They'll never

touch bidi. This is education. Tan manye adhitam uttamam. Even they are not

literary person, they will have character and they'll become Krsna devotee. That

is real education. Don't think that "These boys are brought here. They're not

giving any education, academic. They do not know what is history, what is

geography." They know little, little, not very much. We don't require to know

very much, neither we are very much concerned, learning A-B-C-D. Even without

A-B-C-D, they will be advanced in education. This is Prahlada Maharaja's

instruction. Tan manye adhitam uttamam. One who has taken to Krsna consciousness

directly, he is actually advanced in education. What is this education? This

education has no value. Even from mundane point of view, Canakya Pandita... I

have several..., recited this verse,

 

matrvat para-daresu

para-dravyesu lostravat

atmavat sarva-bhutesu

yah pasyati sa panditah

 

Who is a pandita? Pandita means one who has learned how to see other

women, means except one's wife, anyone, any woman-mother. He's pandita. Where is

that education? Where is that education? No. But these children will be educated

in that way, to see all woman as mother. Matrvat para-daresu para-dravyesu

lostravat. Para-dravyesu: other's property as garbage in the street. Nobody

touches. That is pandita. He'll not touch even anything. Even valuable jewel is

lying on the street, a pandita will say, "I shall not touch it." This is a moral

education. And atmavat sarva-bhutesu. Atmavat. If you feel some pain by

pinching, why should you pinch others? And that is pandita. If you cry when your

throat is cut with a knife, why you should slaughter other animals? Therefore

Lord Christ says, "Thou shall not kill." But these people are so uneducated. In

spite of their Ph.D.s, they have no, this simple education, that "I suffer when

I am killed. Why I shall kill others?" This is the modern education, all

nonsense rascals' education. This is not education.

 

So if we have to become father and mother, we shall have to teach our

children in such a way that next life, no more material life. He goes back to

home, back to Godhead. That is real father and mother. Therefore it is said,

balasya neha saranam nrsimha pitarau. If the father, mother do not know how to

give protection to the children, then what is the use of taking shelter? Huh? In

Prema-vivarta it is said, janame janame sabe pita mata paya, krsna guru nahe

mile bhaja hari ei. Every... Cats and dogs, they also get father and mother.

Without father, mother, who can take birth? So to become the father, mother,

like cats and dogs, that is not human civilization. The father, mother's duty is

to train the children in such a way that they will be interested in Krsna and

guru. That is father, mother. Because, Caitanya Mahaprabhu says,

 

ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kono bhagyavan jiva

guru-krsna-krpaya paya bhakti-lata-bija

[Cc. Madhya 19.151]

 

So it is the duty of the father and mother to train children in such a way

that they will be interested in guru and Krsna. Why? By the mercy of guru and

Krsna, he'll get bhakti-lata-bija. And that is real life. Sa vai pumsam paro

dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje [sB 1.2.6]. That is real religious system, which

teaches the follower how to become a devotee. Yato bhaktir adhoksaje. Ahaituky

apratihata yenatma suprasidati. If you want to make him happy, then you must

teach in such a way that he becomes a devotee of the Lord. Then, throughout the

whole life, he'll be peaceful and happy. This is required.

 

Therefore the ordinary father and mother, like cats and dogs, they are not

real shelter of the children. That is... Prahlada Maharaja said, balasya neha

saranam pitarau nrsimha. Balasya neha saranam pitarau nrsimha na artasya.

Artasya means diseased, suffering from some disease. No, just like I have

already explained, we are opening hopitals and bed... That is not. You can do

it, but at the same time he must be Krsna conscious. We have got practical

examples. Some of our devotees, they go to the hospital, and they purchase our

books and they become a devotee. Even in hospital bed they're reading

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, and taking benefit. That is real remedy. So

after being cured, he'll become a devotee. So this medicine is not cure. This

literature is cure, Krsna consciousness. That is real cure. Nartasya cagadam.

And udanvati majjato nauh. Everyone is drowned, either you take figeratively or

really. In the samudra, in the sea, ocean, there are always ojhs, (?) waves. So

your tiny boat or big ship, that is not safe side. We have got experience. When

I was going to New York on ship -- I had no money to go by plane -- so in the

deep sea ocean, especially in the Atlantic Ocean, it was nothing, like a small

ball, tottering like this. At any moment can be capsized. Although very big ship

with very big load, but it is nothing in the sea. So that is not sure. There is

no surety that because you are in a big ship you'll be saved. No. In your

country, it happened, say, fifty, sixty years, the Titantic, or what is that? In

the first voyage, everything was drowned, all big, big men. So nature's freak is

so strong that you cannot say that "Because I have got a nice ship, I'll be

saved." No, that is not possible. Without Krsna's protection, this, all these

counteracting measures, will be all useless.

 

Therefore teach people how to take shelter of Krsna. Sarva-dharman

parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [bg. 18.66]. You can say that "Does it mean

that God is partial? He take only care of the devotees and not others?" He takes

care of everyone, but everyone is not fortunate to take shelter of Krsna. When

He says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam, He does not say to His devotees

only. He says to everyone. But everyone is not fortunate to take shelter of

Krsna. Unfortunate. Samo 'ham sarva-bhutesu. He's not partial. Samo 'ham

sarva-bhutesu ne me dvesyo 'sti na priyah [bg. 9.29]. Nobody is enemy or friend

of Krsna. Everyone is His son. Aham bija-pradah pita [bg. 14.4]. Just like the

father teaches every son to become good, but there are unfortunate sons who do

not take care of the father and remains to be unfortunate. So it is not Krsna's

partiality; it is our misfortune that we do not take care of the instruction of

Krsna and suffer in this material world. This is the position. These rascals,

they inquire, "Why, if Krsna is so good, why He has put me into this position?"

The rascal does not know that Krsna wants you all to be happy, and He has given

the instruction how to become happy, but we are unfortunate. We do not take

Krsna's instruction and suffer. This knowledge is not there. Mayayapahrta-jnana.

He's suffering for his own fault, and he's accusing God that "He has put me into

this position." No. Therefore those who are devotees, they do not become so

foolish. When they are suffering, they do not accuse Krsna. They say, "My Lord,

it is Your mercy that I am suffering." Just the opposite. Tat te 'nukampam

susamiksamanah [sB 10.14.8]. Because he knows that "I am suffering on account of

my own fault. So better Krsna is adjusting the thing, giving me little trouble,

that's all." That is the position. Karmani nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhajam [bs.

5.54].

 

So we have to learn all these things. Then, taptasya tat-pratividhih. I

think in some reading there is yat-pratividhih. Eh? But here it is

tat-pratividhih. All right, what it is... So they, we have so many

countermeasures for..., because this whole world, this material world, means

duhkhalayam asasvatam [bg. 8.15]. It is a place for suffering. And that also not

permanent place. But our struggle is that "We may not suffer, and we may remain

here permanently." That is foolishness. This place is meant for suffering, and

you cannot stay here for permanently. This is the constitution of this place.

And the whole world, this foolish world, they are struggling to stop suffering

and to remain here, permanent. Just see their foolishness. Everyone is trying to

remain permanently. Just like we are constructing temples very sound, very

strong, but they are constructing skyscraper building, strong, permanent. But he

does not know, "Whether I shall be able to live here permanently?" So they can

put the argument to us also, that "This is the case with you also." But our case

is different. We are constructing this temple not for our living but for

Krsna's. That is the difference. That is the difference. We do not make any

temple or house for ourself. We try to give chance to the devotees, and Krsna

shall live here. Krsna's devotees will learn how to worship Him. That is our

purpose. Here it is not a free hotel for learning how to gratify senses. No.

This is not our aim and object. That is the difference. Therefore nirbandhe

krsna-sambandhe yukta-vairagyam ucyate. The same energy is being enacted here

for constructing big house, but it is nirbandhe krsna-sambandha.

 

anasaktasya visayan

yatharham upayunjatah

nirbandhe krsna-sambandhe

yukta-vairagyam ucyate

 

So taptasya tat-pratividhir ya iha anjasa istas tavat. The example is

given already, that unless there is sanction by the Supreme Personality of

Godhead, you cannot get any benefit with all the machines and all the instrument

and all the measures that you have invented to counteract your struggle for

existence. The struggle for existence will not be stopped.

 

Thank you very much. (end)

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.19 -- Mayapur, February 26,

1976

 

 

 

HOME

 

© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

--

This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous

content by WVNET, and is believed to be clean.