BG 5.29 – The Formula for Peace

Giriraj Swami: We shall read one verse from Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā is an ancient book of knowledge. According to the Gītā itself, the same knowledge was spoken previously many millions of years ago, but because the knowledge became lost over the course of time, Krishna, who is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, came to the earth and spoke the same knowledge again.

The knowledge describes the science of yoga. Yoga means to connect or unite. The science of yoga is the science of the relationship between the individual soul and the Supreme Soul and the process by which the individual soul can be reconnected or reunited with the Supreme Soul. But the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gītā is not meant just for the individual practitioner. In fact, the Gītā was spoken especially for the heads of state so that they could know how to rule the people properly, and thus Bhagavad-gītā gives complete guidance for every aspect of human life.

The Bhagavad-gītā was spoken originally in the Sanskrit language, which is the oldest language on earth, considered to be the parent of all other languages. According to Vedic literatures, Sanskrit is spoken on other planets as well.

There are about eight hundred verses in Bhagavad-gītā, but we will read just one tonight. It is from the fifth chapter, which is about karma-yoga or action in Krishna consciousness. So we shall read Chapter Five,

TEXT 29

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

TRANSLATION

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.

COMMENT

Next we shall read the purport to the verse written by our teacher, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada comes in a chain of spiritual masters that begins with Lord Krishna Himself. Of course, Lord Krishna left the Bhagavad-gītā for all of us, but He gave direct instructions to His first disciple. There are several direct disciples of Lord Krishna, but if we consider our particular line, He imparted the knowledge directly to Brahma. Brahma gave the same knowledge to Narada. Narada gave the same knowledge to Vyasa, and thus the knowledge has been passed down from teacher or master to student or disciple in an unbroken chain over thousands of years. Only one who has received the knowledge through the chain of disciplic succession can properly explain the purport to the verses of Bhagavad-gītā, because the words in the verses are always subject to interpretation or misinterpretation. The person who first spoke the verses of Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna, knows the original purpose of Bhagavad-gītā; then He, Lord Krishna, explains His intention to His disciples, and they explain the same purport to their disciples, and their disciples explain the same purport to their disciples, until it comes to us.

Therefore the purports of Srila Prabhupada are authorized because he is coming in the chain of disciples coming from Lord Krishna Himself.

PURPORT

The conditioned souls within the clutches of the illusory energy are all anxious to attain peace in the material world. But they do not know the formula for peace, which is explained in this part of the Bhagavad-gītā. The greatest peace formula is simply this: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the beneficiary in all human activities. Men should offer everything to the transcendental service of the Lord because He is the proprietor of all planets and the demigods thereon. No one is greater than He. He is greater than the greatest of the demigods, Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā. In the Vedas (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.7) the Supreme Lord is described as tam īśvarāṇāṁ paramaṁ maheśvaraṁ. Under the spell of illusion, living entities are trying to be lords of all they survey, but actually they are dominated by the material energy of the Lord. The Lord is the master of material nature, and the conditioned souls are under the stringent rules of material nature. Unless one understands these bare facts, it is not possible to achieve peace in the world either individually or collectively. This is the sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the supreme predominator, and all living entities, including the great demigods, are His subordinates. One can attain perfect peace only in complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

So, everyone wants peace in the world. Individually we want peace, peace of mind, and collectively we want peace. But how can we achieve peace? People seem to be bewildered. But here in Bhagavad-gītā, Lord Krishna gives the formula, and the first ingredient in the solution is to recognize that Krishna or God is the Supreme Lord and the supreme proprietor of all planets.

People fight for possession of territory on the planet, but the whole struggle is illusory because the entire planet belongs to God. Only falsely does one party claim, “This is my property,” and another party claims, “No, this is my property,” and they fight. To believe that we are the proprietors is a product of illusion because we are not the proprietors. Sometimes Srila Prabhupada gave the example that first the Red Indians were here in North America, and then the Europeans came and said,” No, you are not the proprietors; we are the proprietors.” And after so many years, someone else may come and say, “No, you are not the proprietors; we are the proprietors.” Actually, none of us is the proprietor. The land was here before any of us, and the land will be here after we go. So the land doesn’t really belong to any of us. It belongs to God. And if we recognize God as the supreme proprietor, we can have peace. We will stop fighting over stolen property.

People say, “There is no honor among thieves,” or no peace among thieves. Thieves will steal some booty and then fight over how to divide it. From the head of the state to the common man, we all are like thieves fighting over stolen property. It all belongs to God, but we are falsely claiming it belongs to us, and then we fight over who gets what share.

PURPORT (continued):

Under the spell of illusion, living entities are trying to be lords of all they survey, but actually they are dominated by the material energy of the Lord. The Lord is the master of material nature, and the conditioned souls are under the stringent rules of material nature. Unless one understands these bare facts, it is not possible to achieve peace in the world either individually or collectively.

COMMENT

So, material nature is very powerful. We know that violent acts of nature like earthquakes, floods, and volcanic eruptions can kill thousands and thousands of people and destroy thousands and thousands of homes at a time. Although we are trying to exploit the resources of material nature, drilling deep into the earth to extract oil and so on, the fact is that we are unable to control nature. Actually we are under the control of nature, and if we violate the laws of nature, nature reacts, and the result is that we will suffer—- floods, droughts, hurricanes, earthquakes, and whatever. But Krishna, or the Supreme Lord, is the controller of material nature. We are controlled by the material energy, but the Lord is the controller of material nature. Therefore, we can become free from the stringent laws of material nature if we surrender unto God, the controller of material nature.

One example sometimes given is that the material world is like a prison, and we are like the prisoners who are subjected to rigid discipline or punishment in many forms, and specifically in the forms of disease, old age and death. Nobody wants disease, but we are forced to suffer disease. Nobody wants to grow old, but we are forced to suffer old age. And nobody wants to die, but we are forced to die. As long as we have material bodies in the material world we are forced to suffer. Thus the material nature, who is personified as Durga, is compared to the warden of the prison. She keeps us in the prison and sees that we suffer. And Lord Krishna is compared to the king or the governor. The warden acts under the control or supervision of the king or governor, and if someone sincerely surrenders unto the king and the king is satisfied, the king can order the warden to release the prisoner.

As long as we falsely claim that the material world or any portion of it is our property and we try to exploit the material nature for personal gain and gratification, we remain under the clutches of material nature and are forced to suffer under stringent laws. But if we give up false claims of proprietorship and lordship and surrender to the actual Lord, Sri Krishna, or God, He can order our release from material nature and thus we can become free. We can attain peace. And the process works both on the individual level and on the collective level. If human society recognizes the supreme proprietorship of God, surrenders unto Him and agrees to abide by His orders, the society can be freed from the miseries of material existence and attain peace.

PURPORT (continued):

This is the sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness: Lord Kṛṣṇa is the supreme predominator, and all living entities, including the great demigods, are His subordinates. One can attain perfect peace only in complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

COMMENT

So, here is the formula for peace: One must become Krishna conscious or God conscious, not just in a vague or abstract way, but also in a practical way: God is the supreme father, and because He is the supreme father we are all brothers and sisters, living together in the house of the father. We should not falsely claim that the father’s house belongs to me alone, to the exclusion of other brothers and sisters. Yes, we are living in our father’s house, by our father’s mercy, but all the brothers and sisters have the right to live there, and if one brother rises up to kill another brother, the father will not be happy.

In Krishna consciousness the sense of the oneness of all beings extends beyond even the oneness of human beings; it encompasses the oneness of all living beings. We all are one as children of God—- even the plants and animals. Therefore we don’t kill animals and eat meat because we know the animals are also God’s children, and God will not be pleased if we kill our younger brothers, so to speak. The animals are also living beings, although they are less intelligent than the humans, just like the younger brothers and sisters may have less developed intelligence than the older brothers and sisters. But the fact that the older brother has greater strength and intelligence does not give him the right to exploit or kill the younger brother or sister. So we respect all of life, not just human life. We respect the right of animals and plants to live peacefully in the house of our supreme father. We don’t unnecessarily kill plants either.

So if we recognize that God is the supreme proprietor and the supreme father and that all living beings have the right to live by His grace in His kingdom, then we can have peace. And as long as we try to take the position of God and falsely claim that we are the proprietors and lords, there will be so many other lords to rise up and challenge our claim. And there will be fighting and fighting, and the fighting will never end.

But Krishna consciousness is also not just a matter of theoretical knowledge; it is also a matter of practical realization. We must actually realize our spiritual identity, that we are not the body but are actually the soul within the body, and the soul within every body is the same. The soul is not black or white, male or female, American or Indian, Christian or Muslim. The soul is pure spirit, part and parcel of the supreme spirit, God. So along with the theoretical knowledge of our common identity as spiritual parts and parcels of the supreme spirit, we require some practical method by which we can actually realize our spiritual identity.

The practical method recommended especially for the present age is the chanting of the holy names of God, which we all did before we began to read from Bhagavad-gītā. There is one supreme God, and He has different names in different cultures and different scriptures, but any name that refers to the Supreme Godhead is as good as any other name and can be chanted with the same effect. And practically every major scripture of the world recommends that we sing God’s names. For example, in the Bible we find, “One should praise the name of the Lord with cymbals and drums.” Similarly, in the Koran and in the teachings of the Buddha we find the same recommendation, to praise the name of the Lord and sing the name of the Lord. And in the Vedic literatures also we find:

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalua nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyathā

“One should chant the name of God, chant the name of God, chant the name of God. There is no other way, no other way, no other way for success in the present age of quarrel.”

By chanting the name of God one can develop actual Krishna consciousness, become liberated from the stringent laws of nature, and attain peace.

The Hare Krishna maha-mantra includes three different names, Hare, Krishna and Rama, scientifically arranged in a formulation of sixteen words that can be chanted very easily and pleasantly, and efficaciously, hour after hour, day after day, and year after year. If one is not chanting any other name of God, he or she can chant Hare Krishna. Or one can simply add Hare Krishna to what one is already chanting.

So, if we are actually concerned about the world situation and want to achieve peace—- which I am sure we all do—- then we should try to understand the knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, help bring the same knowledge to others, and adopt the practical method of realization, the chanting of the holy names of God, Krishna.

Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Rose: I would think that most of us today are quite concerned about the world. We have had many discussions, my friends and I. And I think you have covered all the main points. This is the road that we take. We are responsible. But somebody once asked me, “Why do you call Krishna consciousness a science?” Would you answer that?

Giriraj Swami: Once someone asked the same question of Srila Prabhupada, “What do you mean by science? What is science?” Srila Prabhupada replied that science means that the knowledge does not change. For example, two plus two equals four. Two plus two always equals four. It doesn’t equal three, and it doesn’t equal five. Because the principles enunciated in Bhagavad-gītā are always true, we say science. The present text of Bhagavad-gītā may be thousands of years old, but the knowledge contained in the Bhagavad-gītā is as true and as relevant now as it was when Krishna spoke it five thousand years ago. And if we accept the version of Krishna in the Gītā, He enunciated the same principles millions of years ago. So we say science.

What we commonly accept as science could more precisely be termed material science. It is also science. For example, H₂O: you take one molecule of oxygen and combine it with two molecules of hydrogen and you get water. That is also a fact that doesn’t change. Yet it is material because it relates to the material energy. But there is also a spiritual science that does not change. For example, the individual soul is always subordinate to the Supreme Soul. That is an eternal truth that will not change with time. The individual soul can be happy when it surrenders to the Supreme Soul. That is an eternal truth that will not change in time. Therefore we say the knowledge presented in Bhagavad-gītā is a science, and a spiritual science. It includes material science, but more important it is a spiritual science.

Although the world has made much progress in material science, it has made very little progress in spiritual science. Thus, although we can manipulate the material energy and explode nuclear bombs, we haven’t developed the spiritual intelligence or qualities to be able to use the advancements of material science properly. And because there is such an imbalance, such a heavy emphasis on material science and almost a complete neglect of spiritual science, the world is in a precarious condition. People are able to manipulate the material energy in novel and intricate and dangerous ways, but they don’t have the spiritual qualifications required to put the material energy to proper use. So we are in a precarious condition now: people who are not qualified spiritually have tremendous material power and resources at their command.

Rose: You covered the topic of why we do not eat animals. If we were in a position of being without food and the only food available was meat, would that be permissible to eat?

Giriraj Swami: The rule is if there is nothing else to eat, one can eat flesh. Previously when people lived in a desert they may have had no choice; they may have had to eat fish, for example. But as things have developed now, even in the middle of the desert people get milk and butter and cheese—- everything—- brought in. So in principle, if there is nothing else to sustain one’s life, one can eat flesh. But practically there are hardly any places in the world now where other foods—- grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy products—- are not available.

Rose: I would think that in some parts of the world where it is extremely cold, very little habitat except perhaps some animals could exist.

Giriraj Swami: Well, if someone is living in an icy region where there is nothing to eat except the creatures of the sea that live there, eating their flesh would be condoned. But we should know that unless one becomes Krishna conscious or God conscious, he is bound to suffer in the material world. So we want to help people to become Krishna conscious so they don’t have to continue to suffer. And once they become Krishna conscious they might consider whether they want to spend the rest of their lives in the ice.

Sometimes people question, “I am a good person. As long as I am good, why do I have to bother about God?” The answer is that God is your father. If someone doesn’t know who his father is, if someone does not do his duty to his father, there is something wrong. The idea of being a good person but not knowing your father and not doing your duty to him is defective. And the Bhāgavatam says that if one does not know one’s supreme father and doesn’t serve Him as one should, then one is responsible for his neglect and is punishable under the laws of nature. So the idea that someone is a good person but just doesn’t believe in God doesn’t really solve the problem. One is responsible to serve one’s father and one is punishable if one neglects to do so.

Ignorance of the law is no excuse. A child may be ignorant of the laws of nature, but if the child touches fire, the child will be burned. Ignorance does not exempt one from the reactions of the laws of nature. Being ignorant of one’s father and of one’s duty doesn’t exempt one. Thus the devotees, the servants of God, kindly remind or inform people of their relationship and duty toward God so they don’t have to suffer in ignorance.

Thus, an important process in Krishna consciousness is to offer one’s food to God. Sometimes people rightly question: “Plants have life, and animals have life. If you eat flesh you are taking the life of an animal, and if you eat vegetables you are taking the life of a plant. What is the difference?” Of course, there is a difference. The more advanced the form of life is, the more grievous is the crime. Just as it is more grievous to kill a human being than to kill an animal, so it is more grievous to kill an animal than to kill a plant. But most vegetarian food does not require taking the life of the plant at all. When you remove an apple from a tree, it doesn’t kill the tree. When you remove a pepper from a plant, it doesn’t kill the plant. And the grains are harvested when they are already mature. So there really is not much violence involved in a vegetarian diet. Still, taking the life of a potato is not on the same level as taking the life of a cow. But even then, we are taking a life, and even if we just take an apple from a tree, we are giving pain to the tree, so we are responsible.

Then again, whom does the apple belong to? It belongs to God. Whom does the tree belong to? Whom does the earth belong to? Whom does the rain belong to? Whom does the sky belong to? Whom does the sun belong to? They all belong to God. And we don’t have the right to take one grain of God’s property without God’s permission. God does give permission to us, His children, to eat the food He provides, but on one condition: that we offer the food to Him first, that we recognize that He is the supreme father, the supreme master, the supreme proprietor. So we offer the food to Him first and then take the remnants as prasāda. Prasāda literally means mercy, and towards the conclusion of tonight’s program we all will have some prasāda, vegetarian food offered to God and sanctified by God’s grace.

The Bhagavad-gītā explains that those who eat food just for their own enjoyment or nourishment verily eat only sin because they are stealing God’s property, but those who eat food offered first to God in sacrifice become released from all kinds of sins. Thus, just as we become released from sin by chanting the holy names of God and by hearing the transcendental knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā, we also become released from sin by honoring the food that has been offered to God. All of these processes purify our hearts and help us to revive our eternal relationship with God, to realize our eternal identities as pure spirit souls, parts and parcels of God, who are naturally meant to serve God. That is yoga: to be connected to God or united with God, with Him as our eternal master and us as His eternal servants. And when we make peace with God, we can have peace among all.

Hare Krishna.

Guest: Your talk has been most informative and enlightening.

Giriraj Swami: Thank you. All glory to Srila Prabhupada.