The defect in Vyāsadeva was being pointed out by his spiritual master, Nārada, that “If… You have labored very hard in presenting dharmādayaḥ.” Dharmādayaḥ means religiosity, economic development. Dharma-ādayaḥ. Ādayaḥ means beginning. That means human civilization should begin from religious principle. Otherwise, it is not human civilization. Dharmādayaḥ. Therefore in civilized nation there is religion. Maybe in different forms, but religion must be there. The same thing is explained by Nārada Muni, that dharmādayaḥ. First religion, then economic development. Not economic development first. And then sense gratification. And then liberation. The whole plan should be that people should understand that he is not animal. First thing. This is education. In the animal society there is no religion, but as soon as you claim to be in human society or civilized society, then there must be religion. Economic development secondary, next. Of course, according to medical consciousness they say ātmānam ātmānam, means they say “body.” But ātmā means this body, this mind, and the soul. Real meaning of ātmā is soul. So there is a verse, ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet: “First of all try to save your soul.” I think Lord Jesus Christ has also spoken something like that. “If, after gaining everything, one loses his spirit soul, then what does he gain?” Is it not?

So they’re talking about what is knowledge. Yes. This is very good question, “What is knowledge?” So Arjuna wanted to know this knowledge from Kṛṣṇa. Knowledge means to understand this body and the soul. Kṣetra kṣetra-jña. Kṣetra means this body, and kṣetra-jña means the owner of the body. Just like if you study your body… “What is this?” Just we ask any child. Sometimes we play with the child. We ask, “What is this?” He’ll say, “My hand” or “My head.” So even the child can say that the hand is different from him. We also say, “This is my hand,” “This is my leg,” “This is my head.” We never say, “I head” or “I hand.” No. “My hand.” It is very simple thing. So Kṛṣṇa, being asked by Arjuna, He’s giving the knowledge that this body is called kṣetra. Kṣetra means field of activities. Just like in agricultural land, you get a piece of land, and you produce your own food grain, or as you like. The government gives you a piece of land, and you have to pay a little tax, and you can grow your food grains as you like. Similarly, as we wanted, Kṛṣṇa has given us this body. Now we can work with this body as we like. If you want, you can utilize this body for higher elevation, or you can utilize this body for your nonsense purpose and go to hell. That is your choice.

Prabhupāda: So Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your participating in this meeting. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on the authority of this Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā, I think most of you know, Indians or foreigners. And some of you must have read Bhagavad-gītā. We have published Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the author of the Bhagavad-gītā is announced as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Hindus, especially the Vaiṣṇava… Vaiṣṇava or not Vaiṣṇava, Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We… Our Indian spiritual life is guided by the ācāryas, sampradāya ācārya, the Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī and Nimbārka. There is… Whole Indian spiritual culture is dependent on the guidance of these ācārya. And in the Bhagavad-gītā also, in the Thirteenth Chapter, it is advised, ācārya upāsanam: “One should follow the instruction of the ācārya.” That is our Vedic civilization. And in the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is said in the Fourth Chapter, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [Bg. 4.2]. The science of God… Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. This is a yoga system, this Bhagavad-gītā. So Kṛṣṇa says that “Formerly, this yoga system was spoken by Me to the sun-god, Vivasvān.” And visvasvān manave prāhur, then the sun-god, whose name is Vivasvān at the present moment…

Everyone can understand the truth except the rascals who are meat-eaters. Vinā paśughnāt. Paśughnāt. Paśu means animals, and ghna means killer. Christ therefore first says, “You shall not kill.” These rascals are killers from the very beginning, and they’re continuing. Vinā paśughnāt. Those who are paśughna, they cannot understand. They’re thinking, “We are doing very good work, philanthropic work, opening hospital and public road, and every ten years we are fighting and killing all the men population.” They’re happy. They are taking credit for these big, big buildings, but this is duṣkṛtina, because simply these buildings are meant for committing sinful activities. That’s all. “Wine, women, meat-eating, gambling. We are civilized.” [break] …this Geneva very many churches?

Prabhupāda: In the material world, whatever you do, the central point is sex. That’s all. This is the verdict of the śāstras. Whatever big, big things you do, [laughs] the central point is sex. ... Prabhupāda: That means, conclusion is, on account of sinful life churches being closed. Not the Pope, but the sinful. Pope said, “You cannot do this sinful,” and they are sinful. Therefore they desert their church. ... Prabhupāda: Just see. [laughs] Rascal priests also so sinful. Yes, they’re supporting homosex. So when the priests are sinful, the public is sinful, how the church will go on? Churches[?]… They are expecting church must support abortion and child killing.

So here is explanation by the Yamadūtas. The Yamadūtas were not very advanced so far their position was there. They were very odd-looking and not to be supposed very civilized—uneducated—but how they are explaining about dharma? Because the challenge was that “If you are servants of Dharmarāja, then explain what is dharma.” It doesn’t matter whether a man is civilized or uncivilized or good-looking or bad-looking, but if he has got proper guide, then he can speak the right thing. This is the… Yamarāja ūcuḥ. They’re not manufacturing anything. They’re saying iti śuśruma. Iti śuśruma, “We have heard it from our master.” This is knowledge. They are not expected to manufacture something speculative. They are neither educated nor very civilized nor… Nothing of the sort. But they are talking of the source of religion, how they have heard it from the authority, Yamarāja. Yamarāja is authority. In the śāstra it is said that,