Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

balam balavatam caham
kama-raga-vivarjitam
dharmaviruddho bhutesu
kamo 'smi bharatarsabha

Translation: "I am the strength of the strong, devoid of passion and desire. I am sex life which is not contrary to religious principles, O Lord of the Bharatas, Arjuna."

Prabhupada: Next sloka also.

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

ye caiva sattvika bhava
rajasas tamasas ca ye
matta eveti tan viddhi
na tv aham tesu te mayi

Translation: "All states of being, be they of goodness, passion or ignorance, are manifested by My energy. I am in one sense everything, but I am independent. I am not under the modes of this material nature."
Prabhupada:

balam balavatam caham
kama-raga-vivarjitam
dharmaviruddho bhutesu
kamo 'smi bharatarsabha

Krsna is explaining everything, how you can become Krsna conscious twenty-four hours. The one process is, as recommended by Caitanya Mahaprabhu,

trnad api sunicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harih
 [Cc. adi 17.31]

Kirtaniyah sada harih. "Always chanting the glories of the Lord." Man-manah... Satatam kirtayanto mam [Bg. 9.14]. Krsna also says in the Bha... Satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah [Bg. 9.14]. Namasyantas ca mam bhaktya nitya-yukta upasate. These are the mahatmas, symptoms of mahatma. They are always engaged in chanting the holy name. Satatam. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu also recommends: kirtaniyah sada harih.

This is life. Human life is meant for this purpose. Kirtaniyah sada harih. We require something to eat because we have got this body. So minimizing the bodily enjoyments... Bodily enjoyment means... Or necessities. When you use bodily necessities in excessive proportion, that is called kama. Otherwise, to satisfy the bodily necessities, that is not kama. Therefore Krsna says that kamo 'smi bharatarsabha. Dharmaviruddho bhutesu. Dharma aviruddha. The religion, religion means regulation. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Everything has got regulation. Just like in our ordinary life, we get license. Even a man is keeping a wine shop -- that is not good thing -- but he must take license, regulation. The whole sastra means regulation. Sastra. The word sastra has come from sas-dhatu. Sas-dhatu means ruling, controlling. So from sas-dhatu, the sasana has come, government ruling. And sastra has come. And sastra has come. Sastra means weapon. Just like sword. It is called sastra. Or guns. And sastra also. Sastra is the regulative principles, the book of law. You cannot violate the book of laws. Yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah, na sukham savapnoti. You must keep yourself in regulative principles, according to the sastra.

So here Krsna says, dharma aviruddhah kamah. The... In the sastra it is stated that jivo jivasya jivanam. "Every living entity is living by eating another living entity." That is nature. Ahastani sahastanam. Sastra says, in the Bhagavata, that "Those who have got no hands, they are food for the animal with hands." Those who are eating animals, they are also animals. Even human being, in the form of human being, eating animal. So one... human being means with hands, sahastanam. Hasta means hand, and sa means with. And the animals, ahastanam, ahastani, they have no hands. They have got only legs, four legs. So ahastani sahastanam. This, the with-hands animal, means those who are meat-eating, they are animals, but with hands. That is the difference. Here is an animal. Just like cows, goats, lambs. They are animals. And dogs. There are dog-eaters also. There is the word, sva-pacah. Sva-pacah means dog-eaters. Yaj-jihvagre nama tubhyam, aho bato sva-paco 'to gariyan yaj-jihvagre nama tubhyam. Even a person coming from the family of dog-eaters... There are dog-eaters still. So if he chants Hare Krsna maha-mantra, he becomes glorious. Aho bato sva-paco 'to gariyan yaj-jihvagre nama tubhyam. Candala... They are called candalas. Candalo 'pi dvija-srestho hari-bhakti-parayanah. Even if a candala... Candala means the dog-eaters. So these animal-eaters, they are also animal, describing, animal with two hands. Ahastanam sahasta... Ahastani sahastanam. Apadani catus-padam. Apadani means those who have no legs, like plants, trees, the grass. They have no legs. They are standing. They have got legs, but they have no moving power. They are called pada-pa. Pada-pa means they have got legs for eating. We are eating with mouth; they are eating with legs.

So everything, analytical study is there in the sastras very minute, senses and power, who has got. The fish, they have got very good sensation power. Means two miles away, they get sensation there is enemy, "Somebody's coming to eat me." These are all described in the Bhagavatam. The frogs, they can become in samadhi, situated in samadhi, for many, many years. So these things are not very great things, to have samadhi, to have yogic principles. Even in the animals you will find. I read long, long ago that in the coal mine, while they were digging coals, one frog came out from the coal and jumped over and died. That means the frog was buried within the lump of coal for many, many thousands of years, and he was keeping samadhi. Kumbhaka, kumbhaka-yoga they know. So these are not very extraordinary things. Because after all, living entity is eternal, does not die. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. If, by some process, he lives for some time more, that is not very wonderful thing. The wonderful thing is how to stop this birth and death. That is wonderful thing. Not that I am living, say, for fifty years or hundred years, another man is living for three hundred years. That is not very wonderful thing.

So there is regulative principles in the sastra, as I was explaining. (aside:) Why the boys shall talk? So we must follow the... If we want to make our life perfect, we must follow the regulative principles. Just like good citizen means... What is that good citizen? Good citizen means who follows the laws of the state. He is good citizen. Good citizenship means strictly following the laws of the government. Similarly, first-class human being means who follows the laws of God. That's all. He's first-class. And those who are simply violating the laws of God, they are third class, fourth class, tenth class. It will be explained a few verses after that na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. Those who are simply violating the laws of God, they are called duskrtinah, miscreants. Such class of men... There are so many classes of men. Krsna is mentioning some of them. Na mam duskrtino mudhah. The duskrtinah, those who are simply violating the laws of God, they are called duskrtinah. So such persons cannot come to Krsna consciousness, God consciousness. One must follow the rules and regulation, sastra.

Sastra means which is giving you regulative life. In regulative life sex life is... [break] That is sastra. That is regulative principle. And even with your wife you cannot have sex life unless it meant for progeny, for producing children, Krsna conscious children, not cats and dogs. That is dharmaviruddhah. That is not against religious principles. That is very nice. Just like to produce brahmacaris. Brahmacari, wherefrom the brahmacari comes? It comes from the grhastha life. Unless one marries, how he can beget children who become brahmacari? So if you produce brahmacari, then you can produce hundreds of brahmacari. That is allowed. But don't produce cats and dogs. That is dharmaviruddhah. Krsna says, "I am there." Everything is there. Krsna is everything. Even in sexual intercourse there is Krsna. But how? Dharmaviruddhah, not against the laws of sastra. In the sastra it is said that you'll have sex life after the menstrual period, sex life you have. But when your wife becomes pregnant, no more sex life. No more sex life. This is the injunction of the sastra. You cannot have sex life for producing illegitimate son. That is described in the... That is called varna-sankara. One who produces illegitimate children, the world becomes full of varna-sankara, unwanted children, and thus the whole world becomes hell. This is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. Now it is a fact, everyone knows, that so many children are... Especially in the Western country, I have seen. A girl is not married, but she has got child. What is that? That is varna-sankara. So varna-sankara increases; the world becomes hellish. Why so much trouble now? Because... Don't mind. It is according to sastra. The whole population is varna-sankara. Therefore there is no regulative principles. If you follow regulative principles, there is no problem. And this regulative principle is Krsna svayam. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. He's giving, He's saying, dharmaviruddhah kamo 'smi bhutesu bharatarsabha. So there is Krsna consciousness even in begetting children. Provided you follow.

So everything can be employed. Just like I was explaining to George -- just now he came -- that actually there is nothing material. Everything is spiritual. As Krsna is explaining from the very beginning: bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir...prakrtir me bhinna astadha. Prakrti, "My nature." Nature I have already explained. Just like nature of fire. How do you understand the nature? By heat and light. That is the nature. Wherever there is fire... Parvato bhanuman dhumat.(?) The example is given. Just like long, long, high... I have seen in Naimitad.(?) There is fire. There is smoke. So that smoke means there is fire. That is the symptom. You cannot separate smoke from fire. That is not possible. Smoke is nature. Similarly, nature and the source from which... Just like fire. It is coming, the smoke. You cannot separate. Similarly, if bhumih apah analah vayuh kham, this material nature is coming from Krsna, how you can separate it from Krsna? It is also Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. One who does not see bhumi, immediately remembers that "This is Krsna's nature," he remembers immediately Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. Even by seeing land. So devotee sees like that. "Oh, this land is so nice. Why not construct a nice temple for Krsna?" This is Krsna conscious vision. "Oh, there are so many skyscrapers. Why not construct a nice skyscraper temple of Krsna?" That is Krsna consciousness.

So soon as you become Krsna conscious, you become spiritual. Just like as soon as there is fire, immediately you become hot, warm. You touch the iron rod in the fire; it becomes warm, warmer, warmer, then it becomes red-hot. And when it is red-hot, it is no more iron rod; it is fire. You touch everywhere, the same iron rod will burn. Similarly, if you become fully Krsna conscious, there is nothing material. Your body's spiritual, your mind is spiritual, your soul is already spiritual -- everything is spiritual. Sarvam khalv idam brahma. That is Krsna consciousness. So simply we have to bring Krsna in every activities. Krsna consciousness movement is that for, for that purpose. And there will be no problems. You bring Krsna. Yat karosi yaj juhosi yad dadasi yad asnasi yat tapasyasi kurusva tad mad-arpanam. Krsna says, "Whatever you eat..." Just like we are eating prasadam. Others will see, "They are eating dala-bhata, and they are calling prasadam." Because he has no Krsna consciousness. And one who has got Krsna consciousness, he eats the same dala-bhata... It is not dala-bhata. It is spiritualized, because it is offered to Krsna. Krsna has eaten it. Krsna eats. Don't think that "The things are there. Krsna has not eaten." No, Krsna has eaten. But Krsna's eating and your eating is different. If I give you something to eat, you'll finish the whole thing, but Krsna is purna. Purnasya purnam adaya purnam eva avasisyate. This is the Vedic injunction. He can eat, and He can leave. Otherwise, is He speaking false?

patram puspam phalam toyam
yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam
asnami prayatatmanah

He eats. So one friend belongs to the Arya-samaj. He asked me this question, that "You are offering in the temple, but does Krsna eat?" Certainly He eats. Why not? "No, the things are there. How He eats?" Why you are comparing your eating and Krsna's eating the same? Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam, param bhavam ajanantah [Bg. 9.11]. These rascals do not know what is Krsna. He thinks, "Krsna is like me." These rascals. They do not know what Krsna. Why?

manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah
 [Bg. 7.3]

He does not know. Krsna can be known by the mercy of Krsna. Bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah [Bg. 18.55]. If you want to know Krsna tattvatah, in truth, then you have to go through this bhakti process, not by your speculative process. Krsna is not open to your sensual gratification. Naham prakasah sarvasya yogamaya-samavrtah [Bg. 7.25]. He cannot be revealed to anyone and everyone. Yogamaya-samavrtah. He's covered. Just like at night we cannot see the sun. That does not mean the sun is not in the sky. This is foolishness. If somebody thinks, "Now we cannot see the sun. Therefore sun is gone, dead..." Formerly people used to think like that. What is that? Some people? Used to think that sun is dead? So Krsna is everywhere. As sun is always there in the sky, Now it is, say, half-past eight. So the morning, half-past eight, is also there, present. In America it is half-past eight, morning. There you'll see sun. So because at night in India, in Bombay, half-past eight we cannot see the sun, it does not mean the sun is finished. If you go to America, in Los Angeles, you'll see the sun. Similarly, Krsna is always present. Simply you have to prepare your eyes to see Krsna.

Therefore Krsna says that dharmaviruddho bhutesu kamo 'smi bharatarsabha. Who is following the, strictly the regulative principles, even in sex life he can see Krsna. Which is considered abominable, but even in sex life, if you are following the rules and regulations, you can see Krsna. Therefore when such sons are begotten, they become devotees of Krsna. Therefore according to Hindu principles, there is garbhadhana-samskara, ten kinds of samskaras, reformative measures. So the sex life should be also open to the samskara. It is a samskara. Garbhadhana-samskara. Garbhadhana-samskara means when you are going to make your wife pregnant, there is samskara, there is ceremony. And especially in the brahmana families, if there is no garbhadhana-samskara, he immediately becomes a sudra. This is the shastric. You must follow the samskara. Samskarad bhaved dvijah janmana jayate sudrah. One who follows the samskaras, then he becomes purified. This is, this is called dharmaviruddhah, "not against the religious principles."

So if we do not follow the principles, then we are animals. That's all. That is the difference between the animal and man. If you do not follow the regulative principles enjoined in the sastras... Yah sastra-vidhim utsrjya vartate kama-karatah, kama-karatah, na sukham savapnoti. Because we do not follow the shastric injunction, therefore we are thinking that "Population is increasing; let us use contraceptive method." The so-called contraceptive method is there because we are having sex life against religion. Against religion. But if you have sex life in, mean, pursuance of the religious principles, you don't require. Because to become father and mother is not restricted, but to become father and mother of cats and dogs is restricted. To become father and mother is not restricted. That is nature. You become father of hundreds children. But don't produce cats and dogs. Then there will be... Then dharmaviruddhah... And there will be unwanted population, problem, fight, no peace, no tranquillity. Everything, all, it will be hell.

So because people are producing children against religious principles, therefore the whole world if full of varna-sankara, and there is no peace. So if you follow the principles of Bhagavad-gita, automatically there will be peace. Because every children, every boy, every girl will be sober, Krsna conscious. And therefore sastra prohibits, pita na sa syat, one should not become father; janani na sa syat, one should not become mother; gurur na sa syat, one should not become guru. One... In this way, there are... Why? Na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum. If you cannot stop the course of birth and death of your children, then don't become a father. This is called religious contraceptive. Remain without children. That is called dharmika life. If you can stop the birth and death of your children... Birth and death means... Because dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara [Bg. 2.13]. The real soul, the real life is within the body, while... And he's transmigrating. The... Transmigrating from one body to another. That is called death. And when he comes out from one, another body, that is called birth. So as soon as you get -- klesada asa dehah -- this body, full of miserable condition, then you again put into miserable condition of life. Therefore if you can stop your childrens' birth and death any more, then beget children. This is the shastric injunction. And if the father does not know how to stop his own birth and death, then what is the use of producing children? The father should be so sympathetic with the children, with the sons, that he must know what is the pains and pleasure of birth and death.

So every parent desires welfare of his children, of their children. So this is the greatest welfare, that "This child has come in my womb, he has become my son. This is the last time. No more birth and death. He will be educated in that way." That is father's responsibility. Not that eat him, get him meat-eating, and get him fat. However fat he may be, he'll die. (laughter) You cannot stop his death simply by making him fat like elephant. Therefore it is said, dharmaviruddha. Don't beget children if you have no responsibility. But they think that "We'll have sex life, but we shall avoid this responsibility. So then let us use contraceptive." This is greatest sinful life. Greatest sinful life. You are killing, murderer. Now in the Western countries, they are actually killing. They have made law. So if the society has become so awfully sinful, how they can expect peace and prosperity? That is not possible. That is not possible.

Therefore na mam duskrtino mudhah prapad... [Bg. 7.15]. That sloka will be explained later on. Those who are leading sinful lives, simply sinful life, duskrtinah... Krti means very meritorious. But duskrti, they're the opposite. It is not sukrti. Su means "for well-being," and duskrti means "for creating disturbances." There are many brains nowadays. They know how to use the brain. But duskrtinah. Therefore a godless society, there is so much restlessness in the society. Because the duskrtinah are working. Now, in their place, sukrtinah must be brought. Catur-vidha bhajante mam sukrtino 'rjuna. Then there will be peace and prosperity.

Thank you very much. (end)
 
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 7.11-12 -- Bombay, February 25, 1974

© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.