Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā, Lecture
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Los Angeles, November 9, 1968
Śaṅkarācārya says... He was a sannyāsī. Sannyāsīs's business is to travel all over the world, or as far as he can, and enlighten people about Brahman. That is sannyāsīs' business. So Śaṅkarācārya is lamenting, bālasya tāvad kriyā-saktaḥ: "Oh, what I see? I see the boys are engaged in playing." Bālasya tāvad kriyāsaktas taruṇas tāvad taruṇī-raktaḥ: "Young boys, they are after young girls. That is their business. Boys are playing. Young boys are after young girls." And vṛddhas tāvad cinta-magnaḥ: "And those who are old, they are absorbed in thought, 'Oh, what I have done? I could not do this. I have...' " Vṛddhas tāvad cinta-magnaḥ, taruṇī, parame brahmaṇi ko 'pi na lagnaḥ: "Nobody is interested with the Paraṁbrahman. Oh, what nonsense society it is." He analyzed the whole population—boys, youths, old men—and he saw nobody is, no rascal is interested with Brahman. So that is the position. But it is meant for Brahma-jijnāsā. This is the defect of material civilization. The human form of life is being spoiled, simply spoiled. And they are... Māyā is dictating, "Oh, you are making so much advancement. Thank you." What advancement you have made, sir? Bhagavad-gītā says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha doṣānudarśanam [Bg. 13.9]. Your problem is birth, death, old age and disease. What you have made for these four problems? What solution you have got? Your scientific advancement? Is there any solution of controlling birth? They have invented so many contraceptive methods. Still, in every minute, there is three human increasing. Where is your birth control? You cannot control. So birth...
Similarly, death. So many medicines, so many scientific research, this thing, that thing, they have invented. And what you have done? You have stopped death? "No, sir." Then? Birth, death, old age. What your scientific advancement of knowledge has done to stop old age? Everyone is trying to keep his youth by cosmetic, pomade, lipstick, but nature will not allow him. It is becoming flappy. (laughter) You see? One Marwari gentleman, he, in Calcutta, he spent eighty lakhs of rupees, or eighty-thousand, for changing his gland into monkey gland for increasing his sex life. These things are going on. The monkeys, they have got very good sex life. One monkey has got at least thirty wives, and anywhere, he is very enjoying sex life. Markaṭa. So the science has discovered the monkey's gland is very strong for sex life. So kill them, you take out the gland and insert into man's... This is going on in medical science. So old age. They are doing... Science means they are trying to counteract the incapability, incapabilities of old age, but they are still failure. There are so many old men dying.
So janma, mṛtyu, jarā, and vyādhi, and disease. You are counteracting one disease; another disease is coming out. They complain that "India is poor. There are so many diseases," but here there are so many cancer. So you cannot stop this, the nature's way. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi [Bg. 13.9]. Your only business is to find out Brahman. That is your business. Nature has given you sufficient means to live very comfortably everywhere. If you get a piece of land and one cow, your whole economic question is solved. You haven't got to go fifty miles for working. There is no necessity. Wherever you are living, take little land and keep one cow. Your economic question is solved. So nature has given you all facilities.