Discussing threadbare may be very unpalatable. But we have to discuss from sastra

October 30, 2003

Bhagavad-gita

Ch 2 : Verse 15

[Hyderabad, November 21, 1972]

Our Vedic civilization is that drive away from home

So we cannot be anxiety-free unless we come to Krishna consciousness. That is not possible. You have to become Krishna conscious, brahma-bhutah prasannatma; immediately you become anxiety-free. If you don't come to the platform of Krishna consciousness, you'll always be full of anxieties. Sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat, hitvatma, hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam vanam gato, vanam gato yad dharim asrayeta. That is the Prahlad Maharaj giving us direction that if you want to get relief from this status of anxiety, sada samudvigna-dhiyam, then hitvatma-patam, hitvatma-patam grham andha-kupam... Grham andha-kupam. Grha means... There are so many meanings. Especially it is meant: home. Home. Homesick. Our Vedic civilization is that drive away from home. Go away from home. To take sannyas, to take vanaprastha. Not to remain up to the last point of death as family member, grandfather or great-grandfather. That is not our Vedic civilization. As soon as one is little grown up, pancasordhvam vanam vrajet, he must get out from this grham andha-kupam. Grham andha-kupam, if we discuss threadbare, it may be very unpalatable. But we have to discuss from sastra what is grha. Grha, it is... Another word, it is called anganasrayam. Angana. Angana means woman. To live under the protection of wife. Anganasraya. So sastra recommends that you give up this anganasrayam to go to the paramhamsa-asrayam. Then your life will be saved. Otherwise, as Prahlad Maharaj says, grham andha-kupam, "If you keep yourself always in this dark well of so-called family life, then you'll never be happy." Atma-patam. Atma-patam means you'll never be able to understand spiritual life.

Of course, not always, but generally. Generally, who are too much attached to family life or extended family life... Extended... Family life, then society life, then community life, then national life, then international life. They're all grham andha-kupam. All grham andha-kupam.