Radhanath Swami Transcriptions Template

Meta Data v9
Event Name/Title
Making Life Simple
Event Date 28 Mar 1992
Event Location
India, Mumbai
Event Type
Temple - BG class
Transcriber
Lakshmi Anand, Annapurna Laxmi dd
Completed 17 May 2022
Source Audio http://www.radhanathswamimedia.com/Lec/1992/92-048-Making%20Life%20Simple%20(Mumbai)-BG_8_15-dt_92_03_28.mp3
Source Video NA
Verse
BG 8.15
Tags – Places
Himalayas, Ultadanga, Calcutta
Tags – Pastimes
Jagannath Das Babaji and the rich merchant, Maharaj and his books, Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati
Thakur, and Srila Prabhupada
Tags – Persons
Jagannath Das Babaji, Biharidas, Bhakti Siddhant Saraswati Thakur, Maharaj
Tags – Themes
Goal, Human Life, Holy names, Attachment, Peace

Lecture Transcription
Goal of Human Life
In Bhagavad Gita, he explains

mām upetya punar janma

duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ
[Bg 8.15]
[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full
of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]
That we should make our goal always self-realization, Krishna. We should never put any of our goals in this is the
world because this is a world where everything is temporary and therefore, a cause of great distress, illusion, and
bondage. The great illusion of maya is the more we have, the less we need. But actually, it is just the opposite. The
more we have, the more we need. The mind is a thing even in of itself. Its nature is to complicate everything, even
the simplest. Spiritual life means simple living and high thinking. Material life means in pursuance of a high way of
living, and very dull thinking. The more we have, the more our whole life’s energy has to strain itself to protect, to
preserve and to maintain what we have. Human life is meant to utilize our consciousness, our mind and heart’s
energy to strive for self-realization, to think of Krishna, to chant his holy names, to immerse oneself in devotional
activities, but the illusion of this world is we think life will be easier, if I have more and we work so hard for more.
And when we have it, then our practically, our entire consciousness is just trying to keep it clean, trying to keep it
from falling apart, trying to keep it from being stolen, or usurped, trying to keep it running properly. It is a fact.

Simple Living and High Thinking

When I was young; it was a noted fact, amongst all parents, that the more games and toys you give children, the
more there will be anxiety, fighting about these things. The less they have, the more peaceful they’ll be and the
more get along with one another. Huh. And as far as adults, multiply that problem by thousands of times. I was
speaking to somebody today, somebody was just in great anxiety where to store all possessions, so many
possessions and if I have to move, where will I store it and how will I protect it and take care of it in case I need it. I
told, “You can do what you want, but if you want my opinion get rid of all of it.” Because instead of thinking of
Krishna, we are thinking about pillows and refrigerators and…and tables and chairs, cotton, and silk. You think,
thinking about these things is going to make you happy? Make you purified? Simply, completely taking your life’s
energy away from Krishna. Better to just use what you have, have what you need and if you need more later, get it
later. Rather than spending so much of your time and energy preserving something and not even using thinking you
may need it later. It is a fact, the less we have, the simpler and more peaceful our life is. This is simple living and high
thinking. What you require, have it, live comfortable make ends meet but the suicide of our consciousness is I have
become rich, now I need more and more and more and more, I can afford more and more and more and our
consciousness becomes less and less and less.

Jagannath Das Babaji-An epitome of Simple living and High Thinking

One great devotee in our parampara, Jagannath das Babaji, he was very simple man, he was a Babaji. Babaji’s do not
have anything, what do they need? He would…he would just sleep under trees, very happy, do not have to think
about anything, only Krishna. So, when he was very old, he was so… he lived to over hundred thirty years old but for
the last years of his life he could not walk properly. So, he had one servant Biharidas, he used to put him in a basket
and carry him on his shoulder but he was known as a very, very great vaisnava and everyone they really offered him
greatest, ultimate respects, Jagannath das Babaji Maharaja.

So, onetime Biharidas was carrying him, and one very wealthy man, he said, “Biharidas, please, let me give some
donation and for where ever you are going now, if you require some food, if Babaji Maharaja needs anything let that
take care of it.” So, he gave him one rupee. So, they were walking for some time, some distance and Jagannath das
Babaji asked his servant, “Did that rich man give you something?” He said, “Yes, he gave one rupee.” He said, “Go
back to where he is.” They walked all the way back, it was a long way, many kilo-meters all the way back, they found
the rich man and Biharidas took Jagannath das Babaji out of his basket and Jagannath das Babaji took the rupee and
said, “You take this back.” The wealthy man said, “Why you will not accept it?” He said, Because my body is already
difficult enough and my servant is already, so much weight for him to have to carry it, it is not possible for us to bear
the burden of this one rupee, it’s just too much weight, too much inconvenience for us to have to carry it.” Then he
looked at the man and he said, “You have so many lakhs of rupees, what kind of burden you have to carry
throughout your life?” This is not a burden of physical weight; it is a burden of mental weight. So, this is what it
means, by simple living and high thinking. It does not mean that we have to be poor. But according to the
Bhagavatam, Queen Kunti says akiñcana-gocaram [SB 1.8.26] that Krishna you are the property of only those who
are only poor in heart those whose minds and hearts are not cluttered by all of these complications, but one who
lives a simple life and accepts a very humble position, utilizing whatever we have, for Krishna.

Mayadevi’s prison
Maya is so clever. This material world is called Durga, which means it is a prison and what… and in a prison house
there are steel bars that keep you from getting out, but Mayadevi is so clever, that she has created a prison, but
there are no bars. Everyone is so much enamoured by what’s going on in prison house, that nobody wants to get
out. Can you imagine if there was a prison and people were suffering like anything in this prison because after all
sufferings means they can’t really be free to do what they really should be doing and somebody opened up all the
gates and said, “Alright, I am letting you out, get out.” And all the prisoners said, “No, I will not leave this place.”
What you would say about such prisoners? What would you say? Ah, you would say that they are just like human
civilization, everywhere, because that’s just what’s happening. We all are in the prison of material existence and
Krishna comes, the sadhus come, they open the door, they say, ‘this is the way, get out’ and everyone says, ‘no, no I
am too busy. I am too busy breaking the rocks.’ that’s what prisoners do in America, they break rocks. Sometimes
the prisoners are called the rock pile. Just to keep them busy, they have just beat on rocks and break them. So, we all
are breaking our rocks in this world, and somebody opens the door and says get out, we say no, no, no I am too busy
breaking my rocks. We laugh, it’s true.

The philosophy of Krishna Consciousness

From the point of view of a saintly person, we all are crazy. There is another saying, that if you give a man…you give
a man enough rope, and he will hang himself. [Maharaja: chuckles] Human civilization means that. We work so hard,
foaming at the mouth like asses, for what? Just to get… just to somehow acquire more rope, which ultimately is
going to hang us, which is going to choke us, which is going to create such bondage in our life. How does it create
bondage? Because it totally preoccupies our mind and we forget the real goal, the real purpose. Therefore, simple
living, high thinking; that is the philosophy of Krishna consciousness. Yes. Whatever status of society we may be in,
try to simplify our life; the simple we are, the more peaceful we become. The illusion is when we have something,
we cannot conceive of doing without it. Huh. As soon as you become attached to something, maya puts you under
the spell of illusion, that you are thinking, I cannot live without this, this is the bare necessity this is the minimum and
really, it’s just like a big burden.

Prabhupada tells a story of somebody, a lady, she was carrying big…. big…big burden on her left shoulder and it was
aching so much, too much difficulty and suffering and Krishna appeared before her, she recognized he was Krishna
and he said, “I will give you any benediction that you want.” And what did she ask? “My left shoulder is hurting so
much, please help me to put this on my right shoulder.” This is material life [Maharaja laughs] such a burden.
Therefore, Krishna explains how freedom means, freedom from attachments to the temporary things of this world.

Maharaja’s attachment with books

I remember when I was much younger and I was traveling in India, I didn’t have anything. I had one set of clothes,
and I had my mala. This time I was living in Himalayas and I was traveling from holy place to holy place. I would never
sleep inside I would just sleep under different trees in the mountains. But different ashrams I would go, people
would give me for free different books and I had a bag of books and they were all religious books, philosophy books
and every book was so precious to me, I had to read that book…I had to read that book. But I am basically a slow
reader, so I had this many books. And of course, when you have no home, you can’t leave anything anywhere
wherever you go whatever you have, goes with you. You can’t just leave something under a tree, anything valuable
you have to take with you, anywhere you go. So, I was taking this big bag of books around with me everywhere I
would go. And it was just tremendous weight its’s painful and I would get tired. I would think, ‘God, this is such a
burden. These books are just such a burden on me. It’s just causing me so much pain and instead of thinking of God,
I am just thinking of how my body is aching because I have to carry these books. I am going to get rid of these books.’
And every day I would go and say I am going to get rid of these books and look, this book, no it’s not possible, I will
never get this book again, I have to keep it; next book, but this book is very valuable, where will I see this book again,
I must keep it, someday I must read it. I could never leave one book behind and then I just would put it back, I have
to give, I have to give some of these away. But I was so attached to every single book, I was not using any of them.
Except one, out of about twenty. But just the thought, that in future I am going to need this, I could not, I did not
have the heart to give one book away and weeks and weeks went by. And my back was aching.

And one day I went to sleep and when I woke up, all my books were stolen. It was under a tree, in the Himalayas.
And I was going through a tumultuous anxiety in my mind, my books, they are gone, all these books. And I started
thinking of each one, how dear it was, how much enlightenment and inspiration, I was going to get from it and I was
very sad, what am I going to do? Then well I will go to Ganges to bathe, so I started walking to the Ganges and I was
thinking ‘My God, so easy to walk now.’ [Devotees laugh] So first time, I walked in weeks without these books.
Actually, I attained mukti [Maharaja laughs] I am liberated.’ And then realized, I didn’t need any one of these books
ever, I am quite happy without any of them. If God… Krishna wants me to read one, it will come, and I was just…I
started dancing.

The Peace Formula

So, material life is like this, we can’t live without whatever we are attached to, that’s the illusion. But actually, you
can live without everything you have, all you need is the name of Krishna. So, simple living high thinking doesn’t
mean necessarily you are a sannyasi, what do you need anything? use it or leave it. For a grihastha, what is required?
But the more we try to accumulate, the more we are accumulate anxieties in our mind. Exactly in relationship. So,
we keep our life simple and then there can be peace and through that peace, through that simple life, Krishna
reveals himself from within our mind, from within our heart. So, therefore, Krishna says:
 mām upetya punar janma
duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam
nāpnuvanti mahātmānaḥ
saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ
[Bg 8.15]
[After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogīs in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full
of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.]
That those who are intelligent they make their goal the spiritual world, they do not make their goal anything in this
world. They utilize whatever they need in this world to help pursue that path to the spiritual world. No more, no less.
Otherwise, accumulation of material attachments only slows us down. Hmmm
Bhakti Siddhant Sarasvati Thakur and Srila Prabhupada
I remember Bhakti Siddhant Sarasvati Thakur at Radha kund; he was talking with our Guru Maharaj, Srila
Prabhupada. He said, “Do you remember, when I first started my first temple at Ultadanga junction road in Calcutta,
it was just a very simple little house and all the sannyasis and all the brahmacharis, they were all living in one room?
Just sharing same bathroom, sharing same room and everyone was completely, just eating rotis… not rotis eating
some dal, eating some rice, very simple life, there was no politics, there was no fighting, there was just simple living
and everyone was just preaching and chanting the holy names, and having kirtan and then one wealthy man, he
donated money to build a big beautiful temple, a marble temple in Bagh bazaar and now all the sannyasis and
brahmacharis are fighting with one another, who gets which room.” He told Prabhupada better we tear all the
marble off that table, and just send them all out to distribute books. Of course, it does not have to be like that, but it
is human nature. The more we have, the more we think we have…we need… the more we have the more we think
we need. Krishna says that…that material attachment is like fire, the more you feed it, the more the fire needs. So,
this is what is meant by simple living, high thinking and this is not just the motto that is for sannyasis and
brahmacharis; it is for everyone in every walk of life.

The path to spiritual Advancement

Queen Kunti said, only one who has this sense of detachment and sense of uncomplicated thinking, such a person
becomes… Krishna is their property. And all politics and everything like that is very much nourished by unnecessary
attachments in life. Simple people cannot be political, they just… it’s just too much of a burden on their mind to think
about all these things. But when our life becomes complicated by the atmosphere, we create around ourself then we
have to become very political to defend ourselves, to defend our attachments, to preserve.

So, this is spiritual life, simple living, high thinking. Be happy with the name of Krishna, be happy with the association
of devotees, be happy with the little service to the deities, be happy with the little prasad, you don’t need anything
else and whatever it takes to keep body, mind, soul together, to keep the family happy, healthy and wise, use it and
whatever is extra, liberate yourself, by using it for something else besides accumulations. What is that verse, umm…

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām
[SB 10.14.58]
[For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic
manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the
water contained in a calf’s hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṇṭha, the place where there are no
material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.]
This means that the devotees of the lord, the true devotees of the lord, they make Vaikunta, their only goal in life.
They know that any goal you make in this world is only going to cause you suffering because in this world, there is
danger at every step and therefore, in this mentality they are always seeking refuge, not in material articles but they
seek refuge in Mukunda, the giver of liberation, knowing that one who takes shelter of the lotus feet of Mukunda,
the vast ocean of material complications is reduced to the amount of water found in hoof print of calf. And Mukunda
is non-different than his name. He makes himself so available. We should look for our pleasure; look for our refuge,
look for our shelter, look for our nourishment, look for our maintenance in Krishna’s name.

[Maharaj: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare]

and sometimes even amongst devotees’ craziness, they become envious, this person has more than me, if only I had
that much, I would be…… ah……. this type of enviousness its crazy. Sannyasis, even they become envious, ‘Huh. This
person has more than me.’ This is not sanyas, this is not grihastha either. We should be envious, if this person can
do… if this person can be peaceful with less than me. We should be envious of …ah…not envious in the negative way,
we should aspire to be like that. Rather than being envious, ah…… this person has better house, this devotee has a
better car, this devotee has better clothes, this devotee has nice… ah we should be thinking, this devotee is doing
with so much nicely he is such living a simpler life, how I should be like that, that should be, just the opposite, if we
want to make spiritual advancement. If we do want to make spiritual advancement, if we want to make bondage,
advancement and bondage, entanglement then it is another thing. But how to do that, because it is the nature of
mind, it is the nature of senses, it is nature of the soul, to cling to things. We have to substitute the things of this
world with Krishna, to cling to Krishna, to cling to his name, to cling to his seva, to cling to the feet of his devotees,
and through this process the whole ocean of material existence which is impossible to cross over becomes no more
difficult than a puddle of water in the foot of a calf’s print.

Is there any questions?

[End]