When Insurance Fails

No Escape from Destiny

You Always Get What's Coming to You by HANSADUTTA DAS

"You always get what's coming to you. No one can avoid the laws of destiny. Therefore I regret nothing, and nothing astonishes me. What destiny gives me, no one can take away."—Panchatantra more

We are especially very much unhappy on account of janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi [Bhagavad-gita 13.9: birth, death, old age and disease]. So if we want to get relief from the miserable condition of this material life... This place is described in the Bhagavad-gita, duhkhalayam ashashvatam: [Bg. 8.15] "This place is meant for miseries." Do not try to become happy here. That is foolishness, mudha [ass]. Nabhijanati mam ebhyah param avyayam. "The mudhas, these rascals, they do not know that here he cannot be..., one cannot be happy, because real happiness is when he comes back to Me [Krishna] ." Mam ebhyah param... Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti [Bg. 4.9: "One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode."]. That is real happiness. Sukham atyantikam yat tad atindriya-grahyam [Bg. 6.21: "In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses."]. Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gita.

So everyone is very, working very hard, struggling for existence, but they do not know how they can actually become happy. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi vishnum [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.31: "Persons who are strongly entrapped by the consciousness of enjoying material life, and who have therefore accepted as their leader or guru a similar blind man attached to external sense objects, cannot understand that the goal of life is to return home, back to Godhead, and engage in the service of Lord Vishnu. As blind men guided by another blind man miss the right path and fall into a ditch, materially attached men led by another materially attached man are bound by the ropes of fruitive labor, which are made of very strong cords, and they continue again and again in materialistic life, suffering the threefold miseries."]. That they do not know. So it is our humble attempt only, this Krishna consciousness movement. At least, we inform people that "This is the way of happiness." Sukham atyantikam yat tat [Bg. 6.21]. "Don't be carried away by temporary so-called happiness. That is not happiness. This is called maya." Maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43]. Krishna says, mudha, [referring to persons who labor unnecessarily, like the ass who could easily obtain fresh grass in the field without any endeavor, but toils up and down the road carrying heavy loads in return for a mouthful of dry grass.] and Prahlada Maharaja says, vimudhan—not only mudha, but again added with word vi, vishishta. Vishishta-prakarena mudha. Vi, therefore vimudha [rascal fool].

So Prahlada Maharaja says, shoche tato vimukha-chetasa maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43: "O best of the great personalities, I am not at all afraid of material existence, for wherever I stay I am fully absorbed in thoughts of Your glories and activities. My concern is only for the fools and rascals who are making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries. I am simply concerned with love for them."]. That is the thankless task of the devotees, to turn these vimudhan from this maya-sukha [illusory happiness] to real sukha [happiness]. This is the business of the devotees. They have no other business. Their business is not for making money. Money, they have got enough, and Krishna supplies all their money. So there is no such problem for a devotee of how to secure money. Their only problem is how to turn these rascals to Krishna consciousness, all rascals, vimudhan. We say clearly, "If you are not Krishna conscious, you are rascal number one." "No, I am M.A. Ph.D." "Still, you are rascal." That is our verdict. "We don't care for your Ph.D. I know that you are a rascal because you do not know Krishna." Just a few minutes before, one gentleman came to see me, and he advertised himself that "I have read Vedas, I have read the Puranas, I have seen Dr. Radhakrishnan, but I do not get peace of mind." So I asked him, "You have studied so many literatures. Do you know who is God?" And the God who has created this, what is His name, what is the address—that he does not know. Yes. This is going on. Vimudhan. They are proud of education, proud of learning, advancement, everything, all right, complete. But real knowledge—"Do you know God?"—that he cannot explain. That he cannot explain. He will explain something hodgepodge. This is the disease. Therefore they are vimudhan.

Real knowledge means to understand God. That is real knowledge. Vedaish cha sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15: "By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."]. What is the Veda, Vedanta? To know Krishna, or God. Krishna and God, the same. If one knows God but does not know Krishna, his knowledge of God is incomplete. His knowledge of God is incomplete. When he knows that krishnas tu bhagavan svayam ["Lord Sri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead"], then his knowledge is perfect.

ete chamsha-kalah pumsah
krishnas tu bhagavan svayam
indrari-vyakulam lokam
mridayanti yuge yuge [SB 1.3.28]

And Krishna said that aham sarvasya prabhavah [Bg. 10.8: "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me."]. The Vedanta says, janmady asya yatah: [SB 1.1.1] "God, or Absolute Truth, means the source of everything." And the source of everything is coming down before you and in His original form, Krishna. Dvi-bhuja-muralidhara, Krishna. Here He is standing, and He is preaching, aham sarvasya prabhavah: "I am the source of everything." ...But the rascals, they do not understand that God is speaking in everyone's presence, aham sarvasya prabhavah, "I am," aham "like this," aham. Mattah sarvam pravartate ["From Me everything emanates."]. Still, the rascal will not. Just see how much rascals we are.

Therefore Prahlada Maharaja said that they are trying to be happy within this material existence—maya-sukhaya bharam. Bharam means gorgeous arrangement, very gorgeous arrangement, very big, big road, big, big skyscraper building, and big machine, big industry, and so many big, big things, big, big words, big, big politician, and big, big political activities. But so mudha that he does not think for a moment, "How long these big, big things will be enjoyed by me? I have... Certainly there is credit for creating all these big, big things, but maya will not allow me to enjoy these things. At any moment I shall be kicked out. And what insurance and guarantee I have made, just I can enjoy this?" Therefore it is called maya-sukhaya: wasting time making gorgeous arrangement. Not only the sukha, [happiness] but this whole thing can be finished within a second. If there is a big earthquake, everything will be finished. We have got experience many times—anything will be finished. This Bombay can be turned into sea, and the Bombay can be pushed in an island within the sea. Material nature is so strong. Daivi hy esha gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14: "This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome."]. And under her [Maya's, material nature's] spell we are trying to become happy. Maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43: "fools and rascals making elaborate plans for material happiness and maintaining their families, societies and countries."].

And the devotees, the Krishna conscious persons, they know that this is all false—not false: temporary, simply bewildering. On account of contaminated consciousness, people are trying to be happy in this way, but devotees know that this kind of endeavor is simply bewildering, simply waste of time. Real business is how to purify my consciousness, come to the original Krishna consciousness. That is real business. Svacchatvam avikaritvam [SB 3.26.22: "The characteristic traits of pure consciousness are complete serenity, clarity, and freedom from distraction."]. That is our real business. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's preaching is that our only business is how to revive our original consciousness. That is Krishna consciousness. That is wanted. Without this, whatever we are doing, in the words of Srila Prahlada Maharaja, "It is all maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan, maya-sukhaya [SB 7.9.43]."

Therefore these are the symptoms of Krishna consciousness: svacchatvam, avikaritvam, shantatvam [serenity, clarity, and freedom from distraction]. Shanta I have already explained last night several times also, that shantatvam, shanti [peace]... Just like I told you that many people coming: "Oh, I do not get any peace of mind." How you will get peace of mind? Here in the material world you cannot be endowed with the peace of mind. It is not possible. Why? Because here everything is maya. Bharam udvahato vimudhan. Asad-grahat, sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat [SB 7.5.5: "Persons who have accepted the material body are always full of anxieties because of accepting the temporary body or bodily relations as real (thinking "I am this body, and everything belonging to this body is mine"). The bodily concept of life, or household life is nothing but a blind well (where there is no water but one nonetheless searches for water)."]. Asat. Asat means that which will not stand. The material nature is like that. It will not stand. This body we have got at a certain date, and it will continue up to certain date, then it will vanish. You will get never again this body, finished. So this is called asat. Asato ma sad gama. This is Vedic instruction: "Don't remain in the asat, temporary." Sad gama: "Come to the platform of eternity." Asato ma sad gama.

So shanti cannot be attained so long we are attached to this asat. ... All people in this material world, we are always ... full of anxieties. Krishna consciousness means this, svacchatvam avikaritvam shantatvam, these three things, Krishna consciousness: clear understanding; no change, no change from Krishna consciousness; and shantatvam, peaceful. Just like a man—ordinarily we perceive—a gentleman, after working very hard, if he gets some bank balance and nice house, nice wife, and some children, he thinks, "I am very happy." This is also maya. He thinks, "But I am happy." ... He is in maya, mad, illusion, pramatta. He does not see that these things will be also finished. ... He knows that this position, nice position, very good atmosphere, nice children, nice wife, nice house, nice bank balance, nice relative, nice position, everything, prime minister and everything—very all right. But it will be finished in no time. But he, although knows, he does not care for it. This is called vimudhan. He knows that "This will finished. It will not stay, I will not stay, these things will not stay. I will have to change. They will have to change." It is just like straws gathered together by the whims of the waves, and again it is scattered.

So we are going on the waves of maya. Bhaktivinoda Thakura, therefore, says, "You rascal, you are going, floating under the spell of maya. And sometimes you are drowned and sometimes in the up by the tricks of the waves. Why you are leading such life? You come to Krishna consciousness and try to understand that you are eternal servant of Krishna; you are being carried away by the whims of maya. So that will make you happy." Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu teaches us, "My Lord, O the son of Nanda Maharaja, Krishna, I am Your eternal servant. Somehow or other, I am now fallen in this ocean of nescience. So how to save myself?"

This is our only business. This Hare Krishna means, "O Krishna, O Hara, Krishna's energy, Radharani, Hara..." Hari Hara. So this addressing, "O Krishna, O Krishna's internal potency..." Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, chanting, addressing: "O Lord Krishna, O the internal energy of Krishna." So They will respond that "Why you are calling Me, or Us?" You have to submit, "Please again accept me as Your eternal servant." This is the only prayer, not that "Give me this money, this me that, this me that. Give me that." No. That is not pure devotion. That is devotion, but it is mixed.... That is pious life. When we ask from Krishna anything other than devotional service, that is pious activities. That is not devotional activities. Devotional activity is different from pious activity. By pious activities you can get material, so-called happiness, Janmaishvarya-shruta-shri [SB 1.8.26]. You can get birth in very nice family, rich family, brahmana family, janma, and you can get immense wealth, born with silver spoon, and aishvarya-shruta, education, nice education, material education, and shri, beauty. Generally, you will find in aristocratic family, rich family, they are very beautiful, they have got education, they have got wealth and good family, aristocratic family. So these are result of pious activities.

So we should utilize the result of pious activities to become more pure. That is called svaccha. We have discussed this verse, svaccha. Yat tat sattva-gunam svaccham. That is... Just like you have got by, on account of pious activities you have got very nice surroundings, aristocratic family, wealth, beauty, education, but it may be polluted again by the other two qualities, means tamo-guna [mode of ignorance] and rajo-guna [mode of passion]. Then you are finished again. Naturally they become polluted. But they do not know that "By dint of pious activities, I have got this position" and misuse the position by tamo-guna and rajo-guna, and therefore they again go to hell. This way we are wandering all over the universes, ei rupe brahmanda bhramite [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 19.151]. We are sometimes rich man, sometimes poor man, sometimes demigod, sometimes dog, sometimes this, sometimes that. This is going on. That is called maya-sukhaya bharam udvahato vimudhan [SB 7.9.43]. They do not know the ultimate happiness is Krishna consciousness, but wandering in this way.

So therefore this is the best welfare activity to the human society, to awaken them to Krishna consciousness so that they will again revive their original svaccha consciousness, and they will be shanta. Svamin kritartho 'smi varam na yache [Cc. Madhya 22.42: 'O my Lord, because I was seeking an opulent material position, I was performing severe types of penance and austerity. Now I have gotten You, who are very difficult for the great demigods, saintly persons and kings to attain. I was searching after a piece of glass, but instead I have found a most valuable jewel. Therefore I am so satisfied that I do not wish to ask any benediction from You.']. Just like Dhruva Maharaja, he was pious, born in a very pious family, and by family quarrel he went to worship the Supreme Lord Vishnu in the forest, aspiring material opulence. He was a child. He thought that "My stepmother has insulted. I shall go to God and take from Him such opulence which is many, many millions times better than my father's." That was his ambition. But when he actually saw Lord Vishnu standing... He was meditating Vishnu. All of a sudden he saw the Vishnu is missing within the heart. Then his meditation broke, and he saw Lord Vishnu is present before him. So this is not very difficult for Lord Vishnu. He is always within your heart, and if He likes, He can come outside and become visible by you. That is not very difficult. So when he saw Vishnu and Vishnu offered, "My dear boy, what do you want? Take benediction," so he said, svamin kritartho 'smi varam na yache [I have no more desire to fulfill].

This is perfection: "I am fully satisfied." Svaccha, shanta, no demand. No demand. That is position, no demand. Svamin kritartho 'smi varam na yache [satisfied in Krishna consciousness, without any desire]. This is the highest perfection. That is called svacchatvam avikaritvam shantatvam. And this shantatvam cannot be attained unless you become pure devotee and fully dependent on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the standard of shantatvam or vasudeva-shabditam. Svacchatvam shantatvam. Everyone is hankering after shantatvam, the whole world, because in the material world you cannot be on the platform of shantatvam. Only on the spiritual platform and when you are engaged in the service of the Lord, then you will get this position, svacchatvam avikaritvam shantatvam. Iti chetasah vrittibhir lakshanam proktam. How one has become Krishna conscious, there are, these are the symptoms, the brahma-bhutah prasannatma na shochati na... [Bg. 18.54: "One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman. He never laments nor desires to have anything; he is equally disposed to every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me."]. We have to understand by the symptoms. If somebody says, "I am very rich man," so generally we want to see the symptoms: "Oh, he is very rich man. Oh, he has got this car. He has got this house. He has got this..." Then we can understand he is rich man. But if these symptoms are not there, how we can understand that he is rich man? Similarly, Krishna consciousness means these are the symptoms: svacchatvam avikaritvam shantatvam. When you attain these three stages, these symptom, then you are perfectly Krishna conscious.