Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 10.8 -- New York, January 6, 1967:
...iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ: (BG 10.8) "I am the origin of everything." Everything means universe also. Whatever you can imagine, that comes within the category of everything. So if Kṛṣṇa is the source of everything, then if you love Kṛṣṇa, then you love universe. Actually that is so. If you love your father, then you love your brother. If you love your country, then you love your countrymen. Suppose we are in foreign country, and here is one gentleman from India. I am from India. So naturally we ask, "Oh, you come from India? Which part of India you come?" Why attraction for that person? Because I love India. And because he happens to be Indian, therefore I love him. So the love begins from the origin. If you love your body, then you love your finger. If you are careless of your body, your health, you don't care for your finger. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says that
- ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
- mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
- iti matvā bhajante māṁ
- budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
- (BG 10.8)
Iti matvā bhajante mām. One who has understood this fact, that God is the origin of all emanations... One who has understood this fact very nicely, scientifically, then, by loving God, you love everything, universe. If you think that "God is something manufactured by my imagination," then you cannot love universe or God. You have to understand the position of God. In every literature, in every scripture... Just like in your Bible it is said, "God said, 'Let there be creation.' So there was creation." So creation is the universe. So God created this universe. So if you love God, then you love the universe. That is automatically. If I say, "I love my body"—everyone loves his body—that does not mean I do not love my finger. So a God conscious person...
There is a nice example. A hunter... In Sanskrit language it is called vyādha. He was hunting in the forest and killing the animals, boar and other, deer and so many animals—hunter's business is to kill animals—so half-dead. And Nārada was passing through that road. He saw that "These half-dead animals are flapping. Who has killed them in that way, half-dead? Why not full kill?" So he went to the vyādha, hunter, that "Why you are doing this business? Better kill them altogether so that they may not suffer. It is a great sinful act." So he explained, "Oh, I do not know what is sinful or not, pious. My father has taught me this business. I am doing this." So Nārada explained him, "So it is not a very good business. You better do another business for your livelihood. Simply killing, and half-killing. Better kill them fully. That is also (not) very good." So he said, "Then I am committing sins?" And Nārada said, "Yes, you are committing sins." "Then, if I give up this business, how shall I eat, my living?" Nārada said, "All right, I shall give you your necessities of life. I shall supply you. You give up this business." So he was initiated, and he was seated in a sacred place.
So the villagers understood that a vyādha, a hunter, has become a great saint. So everyone was coming and offering some rice, some flowers, some fruits. So he was executing his devotional service according to the instruction of Nārada. Then, after some time, Nārada wanted to show that devotee to his friend, Pārvata Muni, and he was coming to that devotee, hunter devotee. At that time the devotee was going to receive Nārada, and while going, he was very careful that an ant may not be killed on the path. So he was jumping. Whenever there was an ant, he was jumping. So Nārada inquired that "While you were coming here, why you were jumping?" So he said, "Sir, there were so many ants. So how can I kill ant?" Just see. The same man who was without any kindness killing so many animals, he has become kind to the ant even.
This is universal. As soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, as soon as you become God conscious, then your real universal, ideal, universal consciousness develops. Otherwise it is all simply jugglery. There are so many doctrines of universal love, universal friendship, fraternity, but they are fighting, and they are killing simply, because there is no God consciousness. If you are universal, if you are after universal love, then how you can maintain regular slaughterhouse?
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