The Not So Holy Wars

The Cause

Oneness means to agree to serve Krishna. That is oneness. There is no disobedience. "Whatever You say, I accept"—that is oneness. Anukulyena krishnanushilanam [Chaitanya-charitamrita Madhya 19.167]. That is oneness. At the present moment we differ. We make differences. "Here is the opinion of the American. Here is the opinion of Indian. Here is the opinion of the German. Here is the opinion of the shudra, and so on, so on. So here means disagreement, always disagreement. Because I am envious of you, you are envious of me, so how there can be agreement? So wherefrom this enviousness has begun? Because we are envious of Krishna. Because we are envious of Krishna —"Why Krishna become God? I am also God." This is the beginning of enviousness, this rascaldom, that "Why Krishna shall become alone God?" He said, mam ekam sharanam. "Why Krishna alone?" They say, the rascal philosophers say, 'This is sophistry. It is demanding too much. Mam ekam sharanam vraja. Why? Why shall I accept You as the Supreme?" This enviousness begins. This is the beginning of envy.

So we become envious, each other. I am envious of you, you are envious of me. So this Krishna consciousness is not meant for the envious persons. It is meant for very liberal, panditah sama-darshinah.

vidya-vinaya-sampanne
brahmane gavi hastini
shuni chaiva shva-pake cha
panditah sama-darshinah [ Bhagavad-gita 5.18]

[Translation: "The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater (outcaste)."]

One who has become sama-darshinah, he is perfectly learned. And that is very difficult. It is meant for them. Dharmah projjhita-kaitavo atra paramo nirmatsaranam [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.2]. [Translation: "Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart."] It is not meant for such a one who thinks that "My Hinduism is better than your Muhammadanism," or he thinks, "My Muhammadanism is better than your Hinduism." The matsaratam [envy], it is in religious platform... There is matsara. That matsarata dharma, that kind of religious system... Just like there are everywhere the same thing. In Ireland the fighting is going on between the Protestants and the Catholics. Is it not? Going on continuously. Now it has become so dangerous that you cannot walk on the street. At any moment there will be bombs. Last time when I was in London I had the experience. All of a sudden our car was diverted. The police came: "There is bomb. You cannot go there." So this is going on. In London, in Germany, and other places it has become a terrible place. At any moment there can be bomb. And what is the bombing? The fight between the Roman Catholics and Protestants. Just like we have got experience, Pakistan and India, in 1947. Calcutta itself became divided into two, Pakistan and Hindustan. Nobody was going. There is one big road, Chitpoor Road. So up to Hanson Road, it is Hindustan, and after that, it is Pakistan. The Pakistanis did not dare to come to this side.

The Remedy

So this is matsara. The matsarata, enviousness, that is the nature of this material world. Therefore Krishna consciousness, krishna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita-matih, it is very, very rare. Rupa Gosvami said, "This rare thing, if you can purchase, do it immediately wherever available." Krishna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita-matih kriyatam yadi kuto 'pi labhyate: "If it is available, if you can purchase it, you do it." "So purchase it? I can try, but what price I have to pay?" Tatra laulyam ekalam mulyam: "The price is simply you must be very, very eager to have it. That's all." "Oh, that I can do. It is not very difficult. I am so much eager after money, after woman, and so I shall transfer." So Krishna..., Rupa Gosvami says, "No, no. It is not so easy."

krishna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matih
kriyatam yadi kuto 'pi labhyate
tatra laulyam ekalam mulyam
na labhyate janma-kotibhis sukritibhih (Cc Madhya 8.70)

[Translation: "“‘Pure devotional service in Krishna consciousness cannot be had even by pious activity in hundreds and thousands of lives. It can be attained only by paying one price—that is, intense greed to obtain it. If it is available somewhere, one must purchase it without delay.’”]

Janma-koti sukritibhih [millions of births of pious activities]. If you become pious... Because pious is the good position. Yesham anta-gatam papam jananam punya-karmanam. So to become pious is good because there is hope of understanding Krishna. Otherwise, if you remain impious, na mam dushkritino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. If you remain sinful, then you'll remain always rascal. You'll never understand Krishna. You'll never understand. Therefore we must try to become pious. And that pious means no sinful activities. Therefore we proscribe four sinful things, the pillars of sinful life: no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling—four pillars. If you break these four pillars from the very beginning of your spiritual life, then you stand on the platform. But if your, these four pillars are there, you stand on a false platform, not on the spiritual platform. That is yogic siddhi. Yesham anta-gatam papam jananam.

So this eagerness to have Krishna, krishna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita-matih, that eagerness is even impossible— janma-koti-sukritibhih [not even after millions of lifetimes of pious activities]. It is simply happened by the mercy of Krishna and His devotee. Vedaish cha sarvair aham eva vedyah (Bg. 15.15) [Translation: "I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedänta, and I am the knower of the Vedas."] Vedeshu durlabham. Practical purpose of studying Vedas, vedanti... That vedanti means to understand Krishna. But vedeshu durlabham. At the same time, it is said "It is very, very difficult to understand Krishna by becoming so-called Vedanti." Actually Vedanta means... Anta means the last word. The last word of knowledge is Krishna. Janmady asya yatah [SB 1.1.1]. Aham sarvasya prabhavah [Bg. 10.8]. So to understand Krishna, manushyanam sahasreshu kashchid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. But it can be done through the mercy of devotee. Vedeshu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau [ Brahma-samhita 5.33]. Adurlabha. If you satisfy a pure devotee of Krishna, he can give you Krishna like this, "Take it." Vedeshu durlabham adurlabham atma-bhaktau [Bs. 5.33]. Bhakta [devotee] can do that. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bg. 18.55]. You come through bhakta or come through bhakti [devotion].

So bhakti means unless you become an apprentice of a bhakta, how you can attain bhakti? That is not possible. Therefore the bhakti-marga, it is instructed by Srila Rupa Gosvami, adau gurvashrayam: "If you want bhakti, then you must accept bhakta as a guru." Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh shreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. Bhakti means uttamam [transcendental]. Bhakti is not the activities of this material world. Uttamam. Urd-gata-tamo hy asmat. There is no material quality. Sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam [Cc. Madhya 19.170]. That is uttamam. Here, so long we are in the tama [ignorance], tamasi ma. "Don't remain in tama, envious." Tamasi ma jyotir gama. So bhakti is uttama. When you are transcendental, above this darkness of material world, then you can accept. If you are actually interested in the uttama, something beyond this darkness of ignorance, then you accept one guru. Don't keep a guru as a fashion to satisfy your senses: "My dear guru, can you make some gold?" "Yes." "Oh, first-class guru." No. That is not guru. That is your flattery. You want something according to your order—"Guru, cure my disease," "Guru, give me some gold," "Guru, give me this. Show me some wonderful mystic power"—that is order supplier. No, guru is not order supplier. Guru can give you the way how to have mercy of Krishna. That is guru. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. Bhagavat-prasada [mercy of God]. If you want mercy of Krishna, then you have to satisfy the devotee of Krishna. Acharyam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhichit [SB 11.17.27]. "Never become envious of guru." Yasya deve para bhaktir yatha-deve tatha gurau (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 6.23) [Translation: "Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed."].

So this is the process. Tasmad gurum prapadyeta jijnasuh shreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21]. If you are actually interested something which is beyond this tama, this darkness of material world, then you require a guru. Otherwise it is not for you. So what is the... "Yes, I am prepared that 'what is that guru?' "Shabde pare cha nishnatam brahmany upashamashrayam, this is guru. Shabde pare cha nishnatam: "He knows the Vedic conclusion. He knows the Vedic conclusion."