Today's Education

July 25, 2003

"Today's Education"

74/04/05 Bombay, Bhagavad-gita 4.16 listen

Pradyumna: (leads chanting) Translation: "Even the intelligent are bewildered in determining what is action and what is inaction. Now I shall explain to you what action is, knowing which you shall be liberated from all sins."

Prabhupada:

kim karma kim akarmetikavayo 'py atra mohitahtat te karma pravaksyamiyaj jnatva moksyase 'subhat

So.... so again the same beginning. Catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [bg. 4.13]. Everything is being spoken on that basis. Now, everyone has to work. Krsna never says to Arjuna that "You haven't got to work. I am your friend. I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead. You simply sleep, and I shall do everything for you." He never said like that. He could say that. Just like modern, rascal incarnation of Gods, they say to their devotees that "You simply think of me. I shall do everything for you." But Krsna never said that. Krsna said that man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [bg. 18.65], but never said that "You sit down idly." Never said that. Krsna, rather, said that "You better do akarma than sit down idly. Even you do something mischievous, that is also good than to sit down idly." He never said. Karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kada... Simply He said that "You work. You have got the right to work according to your capacity,

according to your position." That position is brahmana position, ksatriya position, vaisya position, sudra position. In any position, you work, but the result should be given to Krsna. That is wanted.

That is tyaga. Tyaga means to give up the result to Krsna. That is sannyasa. Sat-nyasa. Sat means the Supreme. And anyone who renounces everything for Krsna, the Supreme, he is sannyasi. That will be explained in the Fifth Chapter. Karyam karma karoti yah. Anasritah karma-phalam karyam karma karoti yah, sa sannyasi. Karyam, "It is my duty."

Just like we have got in our institution specified duties for each and every member, and they are doing, and if... They take it seriously, every one of them, that it is the order and duty. "My Guru Maharaja has specified this duty upon me. So it is my duty." Karyam. Karyam means "It is my duty. I must do it." So anasritah karma-phalam karyam karma karoti... That he is trained up. According to varnasrama-dharma, that is trained up.

A brahmacari, from the very beginning of his life, he is trained to act only for guru. That is brahmacari. It is enjoined that a brahmacari live at the shelter, at the care of guru just like a menial servant. Krsna also, although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, when He was living as brahmacari at His guru's house, Sandipani Muni, He was collecting wood, fuel, from the jungle. He was going daily. It is not that because He was Personality of Godhead, therefore He should not go. No. You will find in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Krsna Book, that when Sudama Vipra met him, he was talking with Him about His childhood stories. Krsna reminded him, "Sudama, do you remember that one day we went to collect fuel for our Guru Maharaja, and there was storm and rain, and we could not get out of the forest. We had to live overnight there. Then on the morning Guru Maharaja came with other disciples and they recovered us from the jungle. Do you

remember?" So Krsna had to do this. This is training.

A brahmacari is trained up from the very beginning how to become a sannyasi at the end of life. How he is trained up? He is trained up to collect for guru alms. Everywhere the brahmacari would go to householder, and they ask, "Mother, give us some alms for my Guru Maharaja." And the ladies would give him. Because everyone's son goes to the gurukula. So there was no hesitation. And the brahmacari would collect and bring it in the asrama, and then he should live just like a menial servant. He may be a king's son or a very learned brahmana's son, but when he lives at gurukula, he has to work.

It is said in the sastra... In Bhagavad-gita, in Srimad-Bhagavatam you will find the duty of brahmacari, the duty of grhastha, the duty of vanaprastha, the duty of sannyasa. Everything is there. So a brahmacari is trained in such a way that although he has collected everything, but he does not claim anything. He does not keep anything with him. Even though he has to eat in the asrama, but that he will eat upon the calling by the guru, "My dear such and such, please come and take your prasadam." It is said, if the guru forgets to call him one day, he will not take his food. This is called brahmacari, means strictly following.

And they used to call every woman from the beginning of life, "Mother." This is training. Matrvat para-daresu. From the very beginning of life, all women they are treated as mother. That is the system, Vedic system. Everyone will call a woman as "Mother." Never mind whether she is younger or older. It doesn't matter. Woman has to be addressed as "Mother." That is Canakya Pandita's instruction. Who is learned scholar? Who has got three qualification, he is learned scholar. What is that? Matrvat para-daresu: "To treat all woman as mother." Nowadays it has been introduced in India, "Bahinji." No. This is not the etiquette. The etiquette is to address every woman, never mind whether she is young or old, as "Mother." This is brahmacari. This is brahmacari.

The brahmacarya is very strictly enjoined in the Vedic sastra. Brahma, to maintain brahmacarya, it is advised matra svasra duhitra va navivikta... Matra svasra duhitra va [sB 9.19.17]. So one should not sit down with woman in a secluded place, even though the woman is mother, sister of daughter. So much restriction. And why? Balavan indriya-gramah: "The senses are very powerful." Vidvamsam api karsati. "Oh, senses may be powerful for the fools and rascals." No. Vidvamsam api karsati: "Even one is very learned, advanced, still, senses are so powerful that it can be agitated even before the mother, sister and daughter." This is Vedic injunction, brahmacarya. Tapasa brahmacaryena damena samena [sB 6.1.13]. These are the human life. To accept brahmacarya life, tapasya, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, tyagena, by giving in charity whatever you possess. These are the different processes.

But if you take to bhakti-yoga, then all these processes become automatically accustomed. That is the profit of bhakti-yoga. So brahmacari-karma, grhastha-karma, vanaprastha-karma, sannyasa-karma, then brahmana's karma, then ksatriya's karma, vaisya's karma, sudra's karma. The society which knows perfectly well all these different karmas, that is perfect society, that is human society.

Therefore Krsna says that kim karma akarmeti kavayo 'py atra mohitah. Kavayah, very learned scholars, they are also become bewildered how to specify duty to a particular person. That is not being done at the same time. Everyone is going to the school and colleges, passing their examination, but because he is not trained up according to his tendency or according to his quality, after education he is unemployed. Because he has not been trained up according to the tendency, according to the qualification. That is the basic principle of karma. Krsna has begun in this chapter, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [bg. 4.13].

That is very essential, the varnasrama-dharma. Because we must have the aim of life. At the present moment there is no aim of life. The aim of life is sense gratification. That's all. Indriya-trpti. That is forbidden in the sastras. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma [sB 5.5.4]. Kim karmeti kim vikarmeti will be described. So karma and vikarma, prescribed duties according to qualification, position, occupation, that is called karma. And just opposite, it is called vikarma. Karma akarma vikarma. That Krsna will explain.So at the present moment... Not at the present moment. It is the tendency of materialistic life to act vikarma, forbidden karma. That is explained by Rsabhadeva in Srimad-Bhagavatam, nunam pramattah kurute vikarma yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti [sB 5.5.4]. That is visible in the present moment in the Kali-yuga all over the world. Vikarmeti. All kinds of sinful activities, they are performing. That is called vikarma. The

vikarma we have specified especially: illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication up to drinking tea, coffee and smoking. These are all vikarma. So they do not know. But they are going on. Therefore Rsabhadeva, many, many years ago he warned his sons, "My dear boys, nunam pramattah kurute vikarma." Pramattah. Pra means sufficiently or extraordinarily. Prakrsta-rupena. Mattah. Mattah means mad. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma: [sB 5.5.4] "All people, being mad, they are committing all sinful activities." They do not know what is sinful activity. They think everything is all right. No. Nature will take account of everything and he will give you a next body.

The same example. If you infect some disease and the after result, you must suffer from that disease. This is nature's law. Similarly, karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-janma-yonisu [bg. 13.22]. That is explained in Bhagavad-gita. Why one gets low grade life and why one gets high grade life? What is the reason? That is explained by Krsna, that karanam guna-sango 'sya. The reason is as he is being infected by the different qualities of material nature. Therefore we have to be very careful. There are three qualities and mixed qualities. Originally three qualities: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. Then three multiplied by three, mixture, then it becomes nine. Then nine multiplied by nine it becomes eighty-one. Different, just like color mixture. So therefore there are 8,400,000 species of life, this mixture of qualities. Karmana daiva-netrena [sB 3.31.1]. We are infecting different types of qualities of material nature, and we are becoming

fit for the next life.

But next life there is, tatha dehantara-praptih [bg. 2.13]. People do not know it. Therefore we should be very careful to take instruction from Bhagavad-gita, and make our life successful, following the rules and regulation as it is prescribed there. Otherwise we are animals.

The animals, they cannot follow any rules and regulation. Animal, you ask animal, dog, that "You become a brahmacari." That is not possible. That is not possible (laughs). It is for human being. These asramas, the four asramas and four varnas, they are all meant for human society, not that it is restricted in a certain area or certain country or certain community. No. It is meant for the whole human society. Bhagavad-gita is meant for the whole human society. When Krsna says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah [bg. 4.13], he never says that "It is meant for India." Where is that? Why they came that the catur-varnyam should be in India only? Krsna never said that. Krsna said, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayah yah: "In every species of life, as many forms are there, all of them are My sons." Aham bija-pradah pita. Krsna never says that "I am Indian" or "I am ksatriya" or "I am brahmana." Krsna says, "I am the father

of everyone." Therefore this catur-varnya or this karma-kanda, everything is meant for the whole human society, if not for the animal society. Of course, animal society they cannot follow. That is their degraded position. Labdhva su-durlabham bahu-sambhavante. Therefore sastra says that "This human form of life is gotten after many, many births," labdhva su-durlabham. Su-durlabham. Durlabham means very rare to be obtained, and again addition, su, "very, very."

So we should not waste our this human form of life whimsically. It is a great loss. It is a great loss. But people are not educated how much important this human form of life. (aside:) Don't move like that.

Labdhva su-durlabham idam bahu-sambhavante manusyam. And Prahlada Maharaja says also, the same thing. That is the basic principle of Vedic civilization. Prahlada Maharaja says,

kaumara acaret prajnodharman bhagavatan ihadurlabham manusam janmatad apy adhruvam arthadam [sB 7.6.1]

Kaumara, from the very beginning of life, kaumara. Kaumara means from fifth year to tenth year, five years. Within these five years, education must begin. And especially dharman bhagavatan. Bhagavata-dharma means to understand Krsna, to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

I know, amongst the Mohammedans, it is a system that small children, they are taught Purana. That is very good system, but we have forgotten. Although India is the land of spiritual culture, our small children, they go to school, colleges, but he has no connection with Bhagavad-gita. He has no connection with Bhagavad-gita. They are simply trained up for sense gratification. In Western countries also -- for sense gratification. Which is to be suppressed, sense gratification, that education is given. They do not know what is karma and what is vikarma. Now, when the students become disobedient and they create riots and set fire in the buses, then they lament. But why you have educated the students like that? Who is responsible for this? The rascals, they do not know. Here is Krsna prescribing. Kim karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'py atra mohitah. Even learned men, they become bewildered. Tat te karma pravaksyami.

So in this bewildered condition, baffled condition of the society, we should consult Krsna. Krsna is ready to give you advice, as He was ready five thousand years ago to give advice to Arjuna. That instruction is still current. It is not that it is finished with the Arjuna and Krsna, no. You can take also the same advice from Krsna and mold your life. That is wanted.

So kurute vikarma, we are trained up simply to act, opposite direction. Instead of doing good work, we are educated to do bad work, just the opposite. And that is not good. That is the advice of Rsabhadeva. Nunam pramattah. What is that bad work? Bad work means sense gratification. That's all. Anything you do for the satisfaction of your sense, that is bad work. And anything you do for satisfaction of Krsna, that is good work. This is the division of bad work and good work. The same thing, if you do for your personal satisfaction, it is bad work. And the same thing, if you do for the satisfaction of Krsna, that is good work. We must first of all learn this.

Just like Arjuna was thinking in the beginning that "Fighting and killing is not good, especially fighting with the family members and killing them. No, no, I cannot do that." Bad work. He was thinking it was bad. But same thing he did. When he understood Bhagavad-gita, he did not do anything else, because he was a fighter, he was a warrior. In the beginning he was refusing because he was trying to satisfy his senses. "Oh, it is very good. I think it is... I think..." What you are? You are always misguided if you think like that. But the same Arjuna, when understood Bhagavad-gita... Krsna inquired from him, "Now what is your decision?" Now, karisye vacanam tava [bg. 18.73]. "Yes, now I have decided." So what is that vacanam tava? Krsna asked him to fight. So same fighting, how he became good now? Because Krsna wanted it. A good work.

So this should be our motto of life, that you should act if Krsna is pleased. This is good work. That is confirmed in many places in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Atah pumbhir dvija-sresthah. Suta Gosvami said in the meeting of great learned scholars and brahmanas in Naimisaranya. He said, dvija-sresthah: "O best of the brahmanas who have assembled here to hear me..." Dvija-sresthah. Atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah. Again that varnasrama. Without varnasrama, it is a rascal society. That's all. It is not even human society. It is animal society. But that we have lost now. Again it is said, varnasrama-vibhagasah. Atah pumbhir dvija-sresthah. He was speaking amongst the very learned scholars and brahmanas. Therefore he addressed, "My dear all great brahmanas, dvija-srestha..."

Dvija means brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya. And the brahmana is the srestha, the best of the dvija. Dvija means twice-born. One birth by the father and mother, and the next birth through the guru and Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is the mother and guru is the father. The next birth. That is called dvija, twice-born. Once born by father and mother, that is sudra. Janmana jayate sudrah. First birth is sudra. The next birth, when he is trained up by the guru in Vedic knowledge, that is real birth. Therefore all of them were first-class brahmanas, dvija, with samskara. Therefore they are addressed dvija-sresthah. Atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah.

Again this varnasrama. Svanusthitasya dharmasya. Svanusthitasya dharmasya. Now, mark this word, dharma. A brahmana's action as a brahmana, that is dharma. And brahmana is not fighting; that is his dharma. So dharma may be different according to position. But here it is said, atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah. When there is sacrifice in the yajna, the brahmana offers the sacrifice. It does not mean that he is killing some animal.

Similarly, a ksatriya is fighting and killing in the battle, but he is still not killing. This has to be... Not general, generalization, "Oh, killing is bad." Killing is bad for one who is not destined, who is not meant for killing. And places. Everything should be in terms of sastra, not whimsically manufacture something. No.

yah sastra-vidhim utsrjyavartate kama-karatahna sa siddhim avapnotina sukham na param gatim

This is the injunction. So atah pumbhir dvija-srestha varnasrama-vibhagasah. Everyone has got particular type of occupational duty according to varna and asrama. So whether it is perfect or not, that test is svanusthitasya dharmasya samsiddhir hari-tosanam [sB 1.2.13].

You are ksatriya... Just like Arjuna was a ksatriya. His perfection as ksatriya was because he pleased Krsna. Samsiddhir hari-tosanam [sB 1.2.13]. This is wanted. So this Krsna consciousness movement is presenting the most scientific way of life. It is not a whimsical concoction of a human brain. The basic principle is Bhagavad-gita and sastra, Srimad-Bhagavatam. Everything is clearly explained. If we take advantage of this Krsna consciousness movement then our life will be perfect.

That is the special prerogative of the Indians. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,

bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yarajanma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara [Cc. Adi 9.41]

"Every Indian has to perfect his life by accepting the Vedic principle and distribute it to the whole world." This is the best welfare activities in the human society. Thank you very much. (end)

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974

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