Bhagavad-gītā 3.9 , Delhi , 1973-11-03

Prabhupāda: ...which produces some result which binds us in karma. This verse is explained in another place. The verse is, yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ [Bg. 3.9]. Yajñārthe. Yajña means God. Yajña-pati, one name. God has got various names. One name is Yajña-pati. So you have to act for yajña. That is nice.

The example, as I gave you the other day, that a soldier is fighting and killing many enemies or killing many persons, but he is not responsible for killing. The same man, when he is not fighting for the country or for the government, if he kills one man, he is hanged. He is to be hanged. Try to understand. So because he is fighting or killing on the order of higher authority, the government, he is not responsible for all those killings.

Rather, sometimes he is recognized by giving some medal = "Oh, you have killed so many enemies. Very good." And similarly, if he kills outside the war field, at home... That is also enemy. Nobody kills nobody unless the other is his enemy. But he will be hanged. If he argues in the court that "In the battlefield I killed so many enemies. I was given recognition. But at home I have killed only one enemy, and for which I am going to be hanged. What is this law?" this argument will not stay. So for higher authority's order, if you do something, you are not responsible.

Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was in the beginning not willing to fight. That was his personal satisfaction. He was considering in terms of his personal satisfaction. But later on, the same Arjuna, he wanted to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and he fought and he became a great devotee. This is the secret of all activities. We are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord; therefore our business is to act in such a way that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied. That is success of life. That is described in another place in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

This was spoken by Sūta Gosvāmī in the assembly of great saintly persons and brāhmaṇas, and he addressed the brāhmaṇas, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ, "the best of the brāhmaṇas." "The best of the brāhmaṇas," because he is especially addressing the brāhmaṇas. The thing is that unless one has attained the brahminical qualification, it is very difficult to understand what is spiritual life, what is spiritual success. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. That is also explained:

Brahman realization, "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God," when we understand this position, then we are liberated from the reaction of karma, or material activities.

So Sūta Gosvāmī addressed dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Not only brāhmaṇa but "the best of the brāhmaṇa." "The best of the brāhmaṇa" means Kṛṣṇa conscious, one who knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows the spirit distinguished from the matter. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. But when he understands the Supreme Brahman, Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa, then he actually becomes brāhmaṇa-vaiṣṇava. Brāhmaṇa should advance further to become Vaiṣṇava. Therefore one who is Vaiṣṇava, he is already a brāhmaṇa. This is to be understood. So Sūta Gosvāmī said, "O the great brāhmaṇas present here..." Brāhmaṇas. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ [SB 1.2.13], the best of the brāhmaṇas.

Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. There are division. In the human society there should be divisions of work. The activities for the most intellectual person, that should be a division. That is called brāhmaṇa division. The activities of the politicians and administrators, that is called kṣatriya division. The activities of the mercantile people, that is called vaiśya division. And ordinary worker, they get some salary for serving the master, they are called śūdras. So in this way everybody has got his duty. The brāhmaṇa has got his duty, the kṣatriya has got his duty, the vaiśya has got his duty, and the śūdras also, they have got also duty.

Similarly, brahmacārī, he has got his duty, and the gṛhastha, householder, they have got their duties, and vānaprastha, retired life, they have got their duties, and the sannyāsī, renounced order of life, they have got their duties. The first division is called varṇa = brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And the second division is called āśrama. So Vedic civilization means varṇa and āśrama, the human society divided into varṇa and āśramas. So everyone has got his particular duty.

Therefore Sūta Gosvāmī says, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: "O the best of the brāhmaṇa." Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ, every varṇa, caste or division of the society, social division. And āśrama means spiritual division. Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. As there are divisions, so, svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya: everyone has got his duty to do something particular. But whether he is perfect in discharging that duty, that may be considered when, svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhiḥ, perfection. What is that? Hari-toṣaṇam. Whether you have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead by your duty.

It is very easy to understand. Just like in any office or any place, there is the supreme man. So if by one's service he satisfies the supreme... Just like in big, big offices, there is record of service. What kind of service an employee is rendering to the establishment or to the government, that is recorded, and he is recognized. So as this is the system in our ordinary life, similarly, the human society, they..., whatever they may do, that is all right, because everyone has to do something, even for keeping the body and soul together. But after doing something, the activities should be tested, whether by such activities the Supreme Lord is satisfied. Then he is freed from the reaction.

There are two kinds of reaction of every activity, pious or impious. Pious activities, that is also bondage, and impious activities, that is also bondage. But above pious or impious activities, there is another activity, which is called devotional activity. If one performs devotional activities, he is above the control of this material nature.

The material nature is being controlled by three qualities = sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa---goodness, passion and ignorance. But one who acts on account of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then he becomes freed from the reaction of these qualities. That is called karmaṇy akarma. Although a devotee is seen that he is very active, but his activities are not like material activity, to result in some pious result or impious result. Both of them are bondage, pious or impious things.

So if we become bound up by pious or impious activities, then we'll have to accept this material body, karma-bandhana. And material body, as soon as you accept this material body, you are under the laws of material nature, especially birth, death, old age and disease. So you become bound up. Therefore this human form of life is especially meant for to get freedom from this bondage---birth, death and old age. But people do not understand.

Their brain is so packed up with material things that they have become just like animals. They cannot understand. But anyway, unless one understands the spititual significance of life, he is just like animal, sa eva go-kharaḥ [SB 10.84.13]. Śāstra has said go-kharaḥ. Go-kharaḥ means animal. Go means cows, and khara means ass. So anyone who is acting on the bodily concept of life, without any spiritual understanding, he is no better than animal.

But he is satisfied... That the animal is being sent to the slaughterhouse, still he is satisfied. He does not know that "I am going to be slaughtered. I am going in these flock, but I will be simply waiting for being slaughtered." So as the animal goes, the cows are being slaughtered, so the animals are being slaughtered, so everyone without spiritual consciousness, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is to be slaughtered by the laws of material nature. They do not know that. Even just like animal = even if he is slaughtered, he is not sorry. That is the position of the present human society.

So there is great need of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. People are so fallen, they are reluctant to even to hear about this Bhagavad-gītā, where everything is explained. They are living like animals. So it is our duty to awaken them. That is the Vedic injunction. Vedic injunction is to awaken. They are sleeping in ignorance. Just like when a man sleeps, he is ignorant of everything what is going on outside. He is sleeping, deep sleeping. So therefore the Vedic injunction, Upaniṣads says, uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.14] = "Please get up. You have got this human form of body. Now you get up and get out of these clutches of cycle of birth and death." Unfortunately, they have become so dull that they cannot understand. So people should be trained up how to live conscientiously, especially in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will solve the problems of life. Otherwise he is committing suicide. That is the verdict of the śāstra.

Now any... [break]

Lady devotee: You said that if we are performing some activity, that activity must be tested to see if Lord Kṛṣṇa is pleased. But what is the test?

Prabhupāda: If the spiritual master is pleased, then Kṛṣṇa is pleased. That you are singing daily = yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi. If the spiritual master is pleased, then Kṛṣṇa is pleased. That is the test. If he is not pleased, then he has no other way.

That is very simple to understand. Suppose anyone who is working in the office, the immediate boss is the head, head clerk or the superintendent of that department. So everyone is working. If he satisfies the superintendent or the head clerk, then it is to be understood that he has satisfied the managing director. It is not very difficult. Your immediate boss, representative of Kṛṣṇa, he is to be satisfied. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya.

Therefore the guiding of spiritual master is required. Kṛṣṇa comes in the form of spiritual master to guide. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya. So guru-kṛpā, mercy of guru, is mercy of Kṛṣṇa. So when both of them are satisfied, then our path is clear. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Then our devotional service is perfect. So you did not mark this statement in the Gurvaṣṭaka?

Lady devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasyāprasādān na gatiḥ kuto 'pi. Just like this movement. This movement was started only for the satisfaction of my spiritual master. He wanted. Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted that this movement should be spread all over the world. So he ordered many of my Godbrothers and desired... Even not ordered; he wanted. He sent some of my Godbrothers to the foreign countries to spread, but some way or other, he was not very successful. He was called back. So I thought, "Let me try in this old age."

So the only desire was to satisfy the desire of the spiritual master. So you have helped now. It is coming to be successful. And this is yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. If we actually sincerely work under the direction of the spiritual master, that is satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa will help you any way.

Any other question? You should hear, understand things. So your question is answered? Or any doubt, you can... That's all right. So we shall finish now? At the last also, you have saṅkīrtana? [Hindi] [end]