Prabhupada 0006 - Everyone Is God - Fool's Paradise
Lecture on SB 1.15.49 -- Los Angeles, December 26, 1973
Everyone is puffed up, that "I know. I know everything. So there is no need of going to a guru." This is the method to approach a guru, spiritual master: surrender, that "I know so many rubbish things which are useless. Now kindly teach me." This is called submission. Just like Arjuna said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). When there was argument between Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, and when the matter was not solved, then Arjuna submitted to Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, now we are talking as friends. No more friendly talking. I accept You as my spiritual master. Kindly teach me what is my duty." That is Bhagavad-gītā. So one has to learn. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is the Vedic injunction, that what is the value of life? How it is changing? How we are transmigrating from one body to another? What I am? I am this body or beyond, something? These things are to be inquired. That is human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This inquiry should be made. So in this Kali-yuga, without any knowledge, without any inquiry, without any guru, without any book, everyone is God. That's all. This is going on, fool's paradise. So this will not help. Here, about the Vidura... He also...
- viduro 'pi parityajya
- prabhāse deham ātmanaḥ
- kṛṣṇāveśena tac-cittaḥ
- pitṛbhiḥ sva-kṣayaṁ yayau
- (SB 1.15.49)
He... I was talking about Vidura. Vidura was Yamarāja. So a saintly person was brought before Yamarāja for punishment. So when the saintly person inquired from Yamarāja, that "I am... I don't remember that I have committed in my life any sin. Why I have been brought here for judgment?" So Yamarāja said that "You do not remember. In your childhood you pricked one ant with a needle through the rectum, and she died. Therefore you have to be punished." Just see. In childhood, in ignorance, because he committed some sin, he has to be punished. And we are willingly, against the principle of religion that "Thou shalt not kill," we have opened so many thousands of slaughterhouse, giving a nonsense theory the the animal has no soul. Just see the fun. And this is going on. And we want to be in peace.