September 28

Prabhupāda: So therefore they are all animals—fools, rascals. Abodha-jāto, they have been described—all rascals, fools. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma. So long they do not come to the point of understanding spirit soul, they are simply rascals. And whatever they are doing, simply being defeated actually. The so-called scientific research, simply their defeat. What they have gained? That is stated in Bhāgavata. Parābhava. Parābhava means defeat. So long they do not come to the understanding of self, the spirit soul, they are simply rascals and fools. And what the rascals and fools can become victorious? They will never become victorious. They will always be subdued by the laws of nature. Parābhava, defeat simply. Whatever scientific discoveries, there is simply defeat, not conquering. That old scientist, he could not check his old age, so what is the value of his scientific discovery? He could not check his growing in age, so what is the value of scientific advancement? He will die. They cannot check death, they cannot check old age.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa can appear from anywhere. Janma karma me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. Kṛṣṇa’s birth, appearance, work, they are not ordinary. Divyam, transcendental. Yo jānāti tattvataḥ. If anyone understands, tattvataḥ, in truth, then the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti, then such person, after giving up this body, he does not take any more a material body. Punar janma naiti mām eti: “He comes to Me.” That is success of life. If you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, the…, His transcendental appearance, disappearance, activities, if you try to understand, then your life is success. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to make people understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, he will become liberated from this material bondage. Actually, every one of us trying to get out of some kind of bondage. We feel that “I am bound up under certain circumstances, so I must get out.” This is called ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. Duḥkha-nivṛtti means avoiding painful situation.

Yesterday we were discussing tat kṣetram, kṣetram, this body, how we enter into different types of bodies, how it is obtained. There are 8,400,000 forms of body according to the qualities. Three qualities: three multiplied by three, it becomes nine; nine multiplied by nine, it becomes eighty-one. So at least, in the lower grades of forms, there are eighty-one lakhs, or 8,100,000, and above that, about 400,000 forms of human being. So one has to understand. Unfortunately, people are so foolish at the present moment that they do not believe even in the next life. Mūḍha. What to speak of understanding God and Kṛṣṇa, they have no even the basic principle of spiritual knowledge. Basic principle of spiritual knowledge is to understand that “I am not this body. I am spirit soul. I am now fallen in this material condition, and therefore, according to my different desires, I am accepting different types of bodies and wandering throughout the whole universe—sometimes this body, sometimes that body, sometimes in this planet, sometimes in other planet. This has become my unfortunate condition of life.”

So Kuntī is the aunt, pisimā, aunt of Kṛṣṇa. Vasudeva’s sister, Kuntī. So when Kṛṣṇa was going back to Dvārakā, after finishing the Battle of Kurukṣetra and establishing Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira on the throne, His mission… His mission was that Duryodhana should be thrown out, and Yudhiṣṭhira must sit down on the throne. Dharma, Dharmarāja. That is the desire of Kṛṣṇa, or God, that the state executive head should be as pious as Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. That is the scheme. Unfortunately, people do not want that. They have now discovered this democracy. Democracy… “Demon-cracy.” Shortcut of “demon-cracy” is “democracy.” All the demons and rogues, they gather together, somehow or other votes, and occupy the seat, and the business is plundering. The business is plundering. If we talk very much upon this, it will not be very favorable, but according to śāstra… We, we talk according to śāstra, that the democracy means assembly of rogues and plunderers. That is the statement in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. The government men will be all dasyu. Dasyu means plunderer—not pickpocket. Pickpocket, somehow or other, if you do not understand, takes something from your pocket; and the plunderer, or the dasyu, he catches you and by force, “If you don’t spare your money, I shall kill you.” They are called dasyu.

So, bhagavān ambujekṣaṇaḥ. Ambuja means lotus flower. Bhagavān is described in many places as ambujekṣa, lotus-eyed, lotus feet, lotus navel—in so many ways—lotus palms. So ambujekṣaṇa, very beautiful eyes like the petals of a padma, lotus flower. But at the same time, prakupita, He’s angry. He’s angry, still, ambujekṣaṇa. Not that as the Māyāvādīs think, that “God is kind. Why He should be angry?” But here it is said, prakupita. Pra means “specifically.” Prakṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa kupitaḥ, “very angry.” Prakupita. And He was, rather, glad that this Aśvatthāmā, who happens to be the son of a brāhmaṇa… Still, He was angry. He asked him not to excuse this rascal. Not to excuse. It is next verse, it is said, mainaṁ pārthārhasi trātuṁ brahma-bandhum imaṁ jahi. He’s brahma-bandhu. He’s not a brāhmaṇa. He’s brahma-bandhu. Everyone can say, “I am the son of a brāhmaṇa.” That is brahma-bandhu. Or a friend of a brāhmaṇa. That does not mean he is a brāhmaṇa. This is the idea. Brāhmaṇa is not the body. Brāhmaṇa is the quality. If the brāhmaṇa is body, then when a brāhmaṇa is dead the sons take the dead body to the cremating place and burn the body. Then if the body is brāhmaṇa, then the sons are committing sins by brahma-hatyā. No. That is not brahma-hatyā. Brāhmaṇa is the quality. That quality is gone. With the departure of the soul, that quality is gone. Now this body is simply a lump of ...