(Murli Manohar—click to enlarge)
Prabhupāda: There is nice verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer
bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi
yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ
ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ
(SB 1.5.17)
Abhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ, yes. The purport of this verse is that tyaktvā sva-dharmam. Sva-dharmam means every particular person has got his prescribed duty of life, every particular person. Whatever he may be, in whatever country, or whatever society, everyone has got his some designated duty, that "You have to do this." Now here it is said that if he gives up his duty, prescribed duty, and by sentiment, by association, or by craziness, or any way, he takes surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, people may say, "Oh, these people are crazy." All right, even crazy, some way or other, if he takes shelter unto Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead... When I say Kṛṣṇa, that means God. Then what happens? Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ. By sentiment or by any reason... There may be many reasons if one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. But bhajana, while he was worshiping or prosecuting spiritual rules and regulations, apakva, he does not become mature, but somehow or other falls down. Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer bhajann (SB 1.5.17). Bhajana means worshiping, apakva, immature, and falls down. So Nārada says in this Bhāgavata, tatra ko vā and abhadram abhūd amuṣya kim: "So what is there inauspicious for him there?
Suppose he has fallen down. There is no inauspicity. But a person who does not approach God, but regularly makes his duties perfectly, what does he get? What does he get, religious? He does not get any benefit of his life. But a person, even he falls down, because he has taken shelter of the Supreme Lord, "Oh, he is better." So these things are sanctioned by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā and all Vedic literatures, that there is no harm even one is not able to fulfill his mission properly, half-finished. Still... Why? Why he is not in loss? The next śloka says. Now, again Lord says that "Either in a brāhmaṇa family, very pious family, or in a rich family, athavā, or, yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām (BG 6.42), yoginām, in a family where persons have practiced the yoga system..." Yogināṁ dhīmatām. Yoginām. Yoginām means either devotee or meditators or great philosophers—in their families. Yoginām eva kule bhavati dhīmatām (BG 6.42). Dhīmatām means very intelligent. These transcendentalists, either philosopher, or meditators, or great devotees of the Lord, they are considered the, I mean to say, highest top of the human society, dhīmatām. Etad dhi durlabhataraṁ loke janma yad īdṛśam.
Now, out of the three, either he gets his birth in a brāhmaṇa family or in a rich family or in a family where people are, the members are highly advanced in the yoga, so Kṛṣṇa says the third one, third one, is to be considered more fortunate, third one, who has got his birth in the family of a yogi, because one who has got his birth in a rich family, he may be misled. And naturally it so happens. When a man gets riches, silver spoon in mouth, he thinks, "Oh, I have got so much money, my paternal property. Let me enjoy it." Oh. So sometimes he becomes a drunkard, a prostitute hunter, a, I mean to say, rogue. He becomes. Similarly, in a brāhmaṇa family also... Just like we have seen in India. There are many persons who are born in a big, I mean to say, very pious family. But because he has taken his birth in a pious family, he thinks, "I am brāhmaṇa. Oh, what I have to do? I am very pious family." They mistake in that way. So they degrade.
So in the pious family or in the rich family, there is chance of degradation. But one who takes his birth in a family of yogis, devotees, oh, he has got better chance for cultivating the same spiritual culture from which in his past life he had fallen. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, etad dhi durlabhataram: "This is very rare, that a man gets his birth, a parent, a yogi." This is very rare. But He recommends, I mean, He eulogizes this sort of family that... What is the facility of this family? Now, Lord says, tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam: (BG 6.43) "In his previous birth, in his previous body, whatever he cultured, now he begins to remember." He begins to remember. I may tell you that those who have taken this society, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, very seriously, they are not ordinary persons. They must have had such culture in their previous life. Now they are again trying to revive that thing.
It is said, according to Bhagavad-gītā, tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam (BG 6.43). Because that asset is there. Suppose I make my bank balance ten thousand millions, or something big, very big balance. Now, as soon as my body is finished, oh, the bank balance is also finished because the bank balance is not going with me. That remains in the bank to be enjoyed by somebody else. But the spiritual culture... Suppose if you have got ten thousand or... Even ten percent you have done, that goes with you. So there is no loss. Then again you begin from 11%. From the eleven point, you begin. So we should consider that when you get such chance of spiritual cultivation—may be 10%, 5%, 50%—we should know that "Now we should finish the balance percentage of cultivation. We must finish this life. I shall not take chance of another birth." That should be our determination. Paurva-dehikam. "When I have come to this point, it must be understood that I had some asset in my previous life. So Kṛṣṇa is giving me chance to make further progress. Now, in my past life I could not finish the job some way or other, but that doesn't matter. Now this life I shall not allow to miss this opportunity." That should be our determination as soon as we begin some spiritual culture. Tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam (BG 6.43). Paurva-dehikam means according to the past life, he begins, he tries.
You gentlemen, boys, who come here—that is an urge from within, that you want. This urge is due to your past, previous, spiritual culture. This should be understood if we believe Bhagavad-gītā. So we should not make any more fall down. We should finish this business in this life so that, according to Bhagavad-gītā, as it is said, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "Then, after leaving this body, then he does not take birth again in this material world, where janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), repeated birth, and death, diseases, are there, but he comes back to Me, Kṛṣṇa." Samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ. Murāri. Murāri means Kṛṣṇa. One who takes shelter under the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then for him, this place, which is padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām (SB 10.14.58), a place wherein every step there is danger... This material world is supposed that every step there is danger. Just see. What we are doing? Innocent, culturing some spiritual process, and there are so many complaints. Just see. We are not stealing. We are not, I mean to say, making propaganda for some political purpose, nothing. Innocent thing we are doing. But still, somebody comes forward and puts some dangerous position. You see? So this is such a place. Lord Jesus Christ, his only fault was that he was preaching God's message. He was crucified. You see? So these things are... This place is like that. Even if you are innocent, still, you'll be put into danger. Therefore this place should be avoided. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām: "Every step there is danger."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, September 18, 1966)
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