(Srila Prabhupada and disciples, Frankfurt 1974—click to enlarge)
Prabhupāda: Another point is intoxication. We are already intoxicated. Being under the influence of māyā, the material energy, we are already forgotten of ourself. Everybody. Nobody knows that he's not this body. This is another intoxication. He is not this body, this is a fact, but go to the outside of this temple, ask anybody, "What you are?" "Yes, I am this body." They are already intoxication. So again if you drink, then how much intoxicated you become, just try to understand. Vāruṇīṁ madirāṁ pītvā madonmathita-cetasām.
Everyone who is in this material world, forgotten God, or Kṛṣṇa, he is already intoxicated. Just like intoxicated man, he cannot recognize even his father, mother, or even his sister or mother. It has been practical. One father intoxicated—there are so many instances—raped the daughter. Daughter is crying, "My dear father, I am, I am..." Who cares for that? Intoxicated. You see? This is going on. So intoxication is so sinful. Intoxication is so sinful that... just like the hog is intoxicated by this material world, eating stool. Is stool a food? But he is tasting, "Very nice." And he's deriving benefit, sexually very strong, never cares whether mother, sister or daughter. Every example is there in front.
So by intoxication... we are already... we have to get out of this intoxicated condition of life, which is called māyā. Instead of getting out of this intoxicated life, if we more increase our intoxication—big, big signboard, "Beefeaters" and this, "Whiskey," this—then how much we are degrading the whole population, we have to imagine. You see? People are already in forgetfulness. And the government, the society, they are still giving impetus, "You forget more, you forget more, you..." And he doesn't know.
Viśatāṁ tamisram. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram (SB 7.5.30). And they do not know that, "I will have to take next birth, and according to my mentality, because I am infecting a certain type of material qualities, in that way I am creating my next body." That he does not know. This is due to intoxication. He is thinking that, "My enjoyment life, in this way forever." But he does not know that he is creating the mentality, and according to the mentality, hog's mentality, he will become next life a pig, and he will eat... he has to by force. Not by force; he will relish it. Māyā... this is called āvaraṇātmika-śakti, covering influence. The pig is eating stool, but he is very much satisfied: "Such a nice food." He is having intercourse with his daughter or sister or mother, he is enjoying. So the hellish condition.
So we create our hellish condition. Wherefrom the hog comes? The hog comes also... he is also living entity. By process of transmigration of the soul, one is accepting sometimes as a hog, sometimes a dog, sometimes a demigod, sometimes rich man, sometimes poor man, sometimes tree. That they do not know. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). We are spoiling our time in this way, transmigrating from one type of body to another, and there are 8,400,000 types of body. So in the human form of life, if one is actually fortunate, then guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja (CC Madhya 19.151). By the mercy of guru and by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa one gets the opportunity of understanding Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, they are entrapped by māyā, intoxication, and wandering throughout the whole universe in different types of body.
So this is called vāruṇīṁ madirāṁ pītvā madonmathita-cetasām, ajānatām. Ajānatām: without any knowledge. We are fighting one another without any knowledge. Why the Americans were fighting with Arabians and the Arabians are fighting? The fighting is going on. The United Nation means fighting settlement arena. That's all. But the fighting is going on. So unless we are self-realized, unless we know that "We are all sons of God. This outward dress is māyā. I am not American, I am not Indian." Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir na yatir vā (Padyāvalī 63). He said like that, that... He is taking the varṇāśrama-dharma: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra; brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha... so Caitanya Mahāprabhu denied all these, "No, I am a not brāhmaṇa, nor I am a śūdra, nor am I gṛhastha, nor I am kṣatriya." "Then what You are?" Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80): "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa, who provides the gopīs." This is our real identification.
So without understanding our real identification, if we remain intoxicated and wander within this wonderful universe... you cannot live. It is not that because you have settled up, "Now I am an American" or "Indian." "Let me live here comfortably. I have got very good arrangement." But you will not be allowed to live, sir. You must have to change. You may make very good arrangement, but who is allowing to stay here? You will not be allowed to stay here. But they do not know. Intoxicated. Because intoxicated. Everyone is thinking that, "I shall stay forever. Let there be very big iron skyscraper building. I will be able to stay." But because intoxicated, he cannot understand that he will not be allowed to stay. You may simply spoil your energy. That's all. The energy which was given to you to understand God, you are spoiling that energy in skyscraper building, but you will not be allowed to stay here. This is nature's law. But the rascals, they do not know, because they are intoxicated already by the nature's law, māyā, and they are still being intoxicated, more drink liquor, more drink liquor, and go to hell.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, December 2, 1973)
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