Devotee: "I can find no means to drive away this grief which is drying up my senses. I will not be able to destroy it if even if I win an unrivalled kingdom on the earth with sovereignty like the demigods in heaven."
Prabhupāda: Na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād. This is the position of material existence. We are sometimes in difficulty. Not sometimes; always we are in difficulty, but we call it sometimes, because to get over the difficulty, we make some attempt, and that attempt-making is taken as happiness. Actually there is no happiness. But sometimes, with the hope that "By this attempt, I shall become happy in future..." As the so-called scientists are dreaming, "In future, we shall become without death." So many, they are dreaming. But those who are sane person, they say: "Trust no future, however pleasant."
So that is the actual position. Na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād. Therefore he (Arjuna) has approached Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'ham (BG 2.7): "I... now I become Your śiṣya (disciple)." "Why you have come to Me?" "Because I know nobody else can save me from this dangerous position." This is real sense. Yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām (BG 2.8). Ucchoṣaṇam. When we are put into great difficulties, it dries up the existence of the senses. No sense enjoyment also can make us happy. Ucchoṣaṇam indriyānām. Here happiness means sense gratification.
Here... actually this is not happiness. Real happiness is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: atīndriyam, sukham atyantīkaṁ yat tat atīndriyam (BG 6.21). Real happiness, atyantikam, supreme happiness, is not enjoyed by the senses. Atīndriya: surpassing, transcendental to the senses. That is real happiness. But we have taken happiness as sense enjoyment. So by sense enjoyment, nobody can become happy, because we are in the material existence, and our senses are false senses. Real senses—spiritual senses. So we have to awaken our spiritual consciousness. Then by spiritual senses we can enjoy. Sukham atyantikaṁ yat atīndriya (BG 6.21). Surpassing these senses.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, London, August 8, 1973)
Prabhupāda: Just now they are planning that everyone will go to the moon planet, without any qualification. That is their plan. It is Rāvaṇa's plan. Rāvaṇa said that, "Why you are undergoing so much severe austerities to go to heaven? I shall make a staircase, and you go directly, without having performed any austerities."
So to go to the moon planet, according to the Vedic description, it requires a qualification. The moon planet, that is one of the heavenly planets, and if anyone can go there, he gets ten thousands of years span of life. And the standard of living is very higher than this planet. These are the description in the Vedic literature.
In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). If you want to be promoted to a heavenly planets, then you just perform the duties to please the particular demigod, you'll be... so these materialist scientists, they are thinking that they can go anywhere by the force of their so-called scientific advancement. But it has not proved successful till now. But still, they will say: "Yes, in future we shall go." All right, in future. "Trust no future, however pleasant." That's all.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, September 27, 1972)
Prabhupāda: The future... Any fool can say "In future I shall prove." Then what is the difference between scientists and the fool? "Trust no future, however pleasant."
Devotee: But Darwin is the one who introduced this whole concept that we are evolving towards something better.
Prabhupāda: That we accept. That we accept. Just like we are now in human form of life. Now we can go, can make our position better. Either we go in so many higher planetary systems or we go to Vaikuṇṭha.
Devotee: In terms of species actually living on this planet, he thinks that we have come up from apes, now we may go up to higher forms of men or species.
Prabhupāda: That is already... The apes are already there. You are also there.
Devotee (2): Their idea is that if they can sufficiently understand this process of evolution and know its principles then they can control it, they can manipulate it to their own ends.
Prabhupāda: There is information.
Devotee (2): They can produce their own eternal superhuman being. They know how...
Prabhupāda: Superhuman... Kṛṣṇa conscious people, they are superhuman being.
(Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin)
Devotee: They have made a computer.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee: They have made a computer, but it takes a human being to program the computer.
Prabhupāda: So what is their credit? If you simply copy something, that is not credit. The credit should go to the original.
Devotee (2): The scientists admit that there is nothing new that they can make. Everything is the manipulation of the laws of nature.
Prabhupāda: Then the thing is that as they are individual person trying to do something wonderful, the individual person who has already done all this wonderful, how much credit He deserves. If by simply copying you want to take so much credit that you will defy the existence of God—you are so fool, rascal—then how much credit should be given to the original person who has made all these things existing. What is their answer?
Devotee (2): They simply don't care.
Devotee: Like that man said last night, "We will do it."
Prabhupāda: You will do it, that's all right, you will do it. But it is already there. What is your credit, you will do it? It is already there, then what is your credit?
Devotee (2): They choose to ignore it.
Prabhupāda: Even if you do that, the already one who has done it, why don't you give Him credit?
Devotee: Yeah, instead of being envious.
Prabhupāda: There is a... tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān (BG 16.19). They are envious, rascal. Envious means rascal. That is material quality. And spiritual quality means to praise good quality: "Oh, you are so nice, you have got so good quality." That is spiritual. And enviousness: "Oh, this man is surpassing me. All right, I..."
Devotee: Cut him down.
Prabhupāda: That's right. This is material. Matsaratā. This is explained in Bhāgavata as matsaratā. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vāstavaḥ vastu vedyam atra (SB 1.1.2).
Devotee: Last night you said that that man's claim was like a poor man saying: "Yes, I'll become a millionaire."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee: "Someday I'll become a millionaire."
Prabhupāda: And he wants the respect of a millionaire immediately, with future tense. Just see. "You give me the respect of a millionaire. I shall become in future a millionaire." What is this nonsense?
First of all you become millionaire, then ask the respect. They want the credit beforehand. "Trust no future, however pleasant." Why shall I believe you?
Devotee (2): Every time they find something new they should be glorifying Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, San Diego, June 30, 1972)
Prabhupāda: Devotees, they do not want any opulence of this material world. They are, what is called, pessimistic. They do not give any value to the opulence of this material world. And it is very good philosophy. But fools and rascals, they are attracted. Now, these buildings were constructed, very highly intellectual men undoubtedly, but they enjoyed, say, for hundred years, that's all. Then their bodies change, and nobody knows what kind of body he has got. This is materialism. Suppose if you are offered some very nice, comfortable life, and if you know that, "Next life I am going to become a dog," would you be happy? But they have no information that what next body... body, he has to take another body. He cannot enjoy. Whatever he has created, he cannot enjoy for good. That is not possible. He has to leave it. Just like these Romans. They have left. They constructed so big, big building just to enjoy, but they had to leave it by nature's force and accept another body. That they do not know. They are satisfied, "Never mind I accept the next life a dog's body. Now let me enjoy this, say, twenty-five years or fifty years. That's all." This is their philosophy. No future. "Trust no future, however pleasant."
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Rome, May 26, 1974)
Prabhupāda: What will come? Trust no future, that's all. We must be always ready for destruction. Material world is like that. Nitya anityatam. Canakya Paṇḍita has says, tyaja durjana-saṁsargam: "Avoid bad men's company." Bhaja sādhu-samāgamam: "Always try to associate with learned, what is, sādhu, with devotees. Avoid this worldly men's association and try to associate with devotees." Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam bhaja sādhu-samāgamam, and then smara nityam anityatam: "And always think that everything here in this material world is for few days." That's all. Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. (break) Anityatam. (break) ...be the motto of life. (break) Try to associate with devotee, and always think that this world is for few days. That's all.
Devotee: This world is what?
Prabhupāda: For few days.
Devotee: Oh, yeah.
Prabhupāda: Nityam anityatam. (break) Kuru puṇyam aho-ratram: "And act piously, day and night." This should be the motto.
Devotee: That is nice prescription.
Prabhupāda: ...yam aho-ratram. Civilization is just the opposite. Always act sinfully, not kuru punyam aho-ratram. Twenty-four hours act sinfully.
Devotee (3): It seems that practically every single person in society today is going to have to go to one of those hells.
Prabhupāda: Hmm?
Devotee (3): Every single person in society today is going to have to go to one of those hells.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee (4): ...reads about the different hells, he'll become scared. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...animals. The animals... You keep the animals here, and take one of them, slaughter—they will think, "I am safe." This is animal. All of them will think, "Oh, I am safe. He is being taken. That's all." This is their dull brain, the modern animals. (break) ...paśuḥ. These two-legged animals, they will think like that.
Devotee (5): They say that if you have a herd of sheep and one. . . the first part of the herd falls off of a cliff, then all the rest of them will simply walk off the cliff.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is called veriya dāsan. In Hindi, veriya dāsan.
Devotee (6): What is that called?
Prabhupāda: Veriya dāsan.
Devotee (6): Veriya dāsan. What does that mean?
Prabhupāda: No, veri means lamb or sheep. If you can push one of them in the slaughterhouse, all of them enter. This is called veriya dāsan. You haven't got to endeavor to push others. You just push one only. "Fut, fut, fut, fut, fut, fut, fut," they all enter. (laughter) In Hindi it is called veriya dāsan. Just cheat one veri, and all others will be followers.
Long ago, when we were boys, we saw one comic cinema. That old cinema player was... His name was Max Linder. Max Linder. So this Max Linder was going to a ball dance, and he was waiting in the park, and the ball dance coat, you know? It has got a tail. So he was sitting in a bench, and some naughty boys came and they, what is called, nailed the tailing part. So when he got up it became torn, like... So his... this hip was visible. So when (he) was dancing in the ball, others were seeing his, "What is this?" (laughter) So he went to the mirror, he saw, "Oh?" So he began to dance and show everyone like this. So others said, "What is this?" "This is the latest fashion. This is the latest fashion in ball dancing." "Oh?" Then all cut their tail coat. You see? "The latest fashion."
Devotee: That's how they got the cut now. There's a cut in the coat in the back.
Prabhupāda: This is the veriya dāsan... taken the story from the Aesop's, no, Hitopadeśa. Laṅguli-hīna śṛgala, a jackal without tail. So this is the world. Any nonsense you do, and if you say, "It is the latest fashion," everyone will take. The mini-skirt. One girl made it, so all girl. The veriya not only amongst the sheeps, and the so-called animal sheeps also do that, human sheeps.
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Honolulu, June 7, 1975)
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