Venue: Mauritius
“evam vidho brahmacari vanaprastho yatir grhi
caran vidita-vijnanah param brahmadhigacchati” (S.B 7.12.16)

Translation and purport by Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada ki……..jai

Translation:
By practicing in this way, whether one be in the brahmacari-asrama, grhastha-asrama, vanaprastha-asrama or sannyasa-asrama, one must always realize the all-pervading presence of the Supreme Lord, for in this way it is possible to understand the Absolute Truth.

Purport:

This is the beginning of self-realization. One must first understand how Brahman is present everywhere and how He is acting. This education is called brahma-jijnasa and is the real concern of human life. Without such knowledge, one cannot claim to be a human being; rather, he remains in the animal kingdom. As it is said, sa eva go-kharah: without such knowledge, one is no better than a cow or an ass.
The person may be in brahmacari-asrama, grhastha-asrama, vanaprastha-asrama or sannyasa-asrama, each varna – each ashram there are some different prescribed duties. For Brahmanas studying- teaching, then kshatriya “kshatat trayate iti kshatriya” ‘kshat’ is getting wounded or hurt, so kshatriya is a person who protects others or citizen from getting hurt. The citizens are fighting amongst each other for nothing, so he intervenes he has his force in place to make sure that there is no fighting, unnecessary there is no killing, no quarrel. It’s said if someone is using knife, he has killed the person, wounded the person so that the wound gets healed it gets cured finished.

But someone’s tongue very sharp like a razor not able to control then he hurts someone by talking in insulting way, then there is a wound in the mind. Person gets wounded gets hurt, like Dhruva Maharaj was hurt. His step mother Suruchi had to say something ‘oh! You wish to be the prince it’s too late baba, you have not taken birth in my womb forget the throne’. So that was a big insult for Dhruva Maharaj and Prabhupada says specially kshatriyas they can’t tolerate such insults.
So Dhruva Maharaj being son of kshatriya he took this very seriously, the mother was trying to pacify put some little bandage on his wound caused by step mother of Dhruva Maharaj. She could not see as he was deeply hurt, wounded just by the words, words are sharper. The other kind of wound gets healed wound caused by knife or gun this is not the point, the point is duty of kshatriya and being kshatriya he protects others and citizens from getting hurt getting wounded. He maintains law and order these are the prescribed duties of kshatriya.

And then next is Vaisya “Krishi goraksha vanijyam” krishi – he does farming, (Maharaj says) lot of farms in Mauritius. Srila Prabhupada where he would goes to Australia, to America he saw so much land just lying vacant, why not use it to grow some food but ofcourse people are not interested they rather work in industry in factory.
So “Krishi goraksha vanijyam” such a nice duty, do farming, take care of cows, a little trade some extra grains share with others get something in return. So these prescribed duties of different members of different varnas and then there are ashrams. Brahmacari what does brahmacari do? He studies; brahmacaris primary business is he is a student under a teacher he is learning he is studying. Lord Krishna also studied at Sandipani Muni’s ashram.
“brahmacari guru-kule vasan danto guror hitam” (S.B 7.12.1) brahmacari goes to ashram of a Guru, he stays there ‘dasavat’ – like a menial servant he resides there, ‘nico’- in a very humble way he stays, Krishna stayed very humbly He was sitting on the floor, He was going to do madhukari in morning. So Brahmacari has to do such thing he is studying and ‘vasan danto guror hitam’- for the benefit of Guru, for service of Guru, for pleasure of Guru he is functioning.

Srila Prabhupada even adds, once Krishna was told by Guru’s patni ‘hye! Go get some wood fire wood, I have to cook for the boys in the ashram there is no fire wood’. So Krishna and Sudama had to go to get fire wood they had to go to the forest. So this is all ‘guror hitam’ so that’s the duty of brahmacari.

Then grhasta mainly grhastas are doing ‘dana’ – charity he is householder, he is also money holder. Brahmacari has no money, vanaprashta may carry some thing and he may also depend on the mercy of the Lord as he travels. He is taking care of his family, dependents but not just bodily maintenance soul maintenance he is also maintaining soul. What is the difference? Prabhupada is pointing that out – animal kingdom, ‘without such knowledge, one cannot claim to be a human being; rather, he remains in the animal kingdom’. If person does not belong to any varna or any ashram, why you are not ready for sannyasa? Go for grahasta ashram. You don’t belong to grhasta ashram by staying in griha just because you have house, wife, children that does not become a ashram. You may be grhasta but not in grhasta ashram there is a difference. The difference that we know we have heard the grhamedhi ‘yan maithunadi- grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham’ all that you are enjoying is tuccha- it is very low, something that you spit at thuu… ‘grhamedhi sukham hi tuccham’ so grhamedhi is that person who is addicted to sex life.

So Prabhupada is talking without such knowledge…, this is the beginning of self-realization. One must first understand how Brahman is present everywhere and how He is acting. This education is called brahma-jijnasa and is the real concern of human life. Without such knowledge, one cannot claim to be a human being.

So take care of family fine but you have to first know who your family is? Who your wife is? Who your child is? Do you know? (Maharaj is asking) who is your wife? It’s difficult to understand how soul could be your wife. The real person is the soul if the soul leaves the body then that body is no more your wife, immediately ‘hye ! Get her out’ cause the body starts smelling so bad, right? So as soon as soul leaves the body it’s useless you burn the body then you realize then you cry ‘oh! My wife she has gone she has gone’ that’s the soul that has gone.

Krishna Balaram ki…………..jai .