HH BHAKTI RASAMRITA SWAMI MAHARAJ (8 MAY 2010)

DARWIN, MARX AND FREUD IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF BHAGAVAD GITA

LECTURE TRANSCRIPT

Q: What is the real purpose of mankind?

A: The real purpose of mankind is to re-establish the lost relationship of man with God. Presently,
due to ignorance of our relationship with God and of our own spiritual nature, we are identifying
ourselves with this material body and are changing body after body in the cycle of birth and death
and the perfection of life, the purpose of existence is to realise our spiritual connection of love with
God by practicing the spiritual processes as laid down in the scriptures and to return back to the
kingdom of God. That is the purpose.

Q: It says that there are two kinds of people; deva and asura. Why and how should I believe who is
correct and who is wrong?

A: How should one understand whether the daiva is right or the asura is right? By studying the
philosophies and by studying the behaviours. As I was mentioning in the lecture, the philosophy of
the asura is:

asatyam apratiha te
jagad hur anvaram
aparaspara-sambhta
kim anyat kma-haitukam

That this world is false, it has no foundation, there is no god, aparaspara sambhutam, chance is the
origin of everything. This is the philosophy. So we can understand the truth of a philosophy just by
reflecting on these few things. Can everything happen by chance? Is this temple building here by
chance? Are we all here only by chance? Chance is only an expression of our ignorance of the cause.
It does not mean that there is no cause. Because I do not know the cause, I say chance. So, asuras,
talk philosophy of the kind that we hear Marx, Darwin and Sigmund Freud etc. speaking. And also we
can analyse what such philosophies lead to in terms of behaviour, individually and collectively and
what consequences it has for the world. From this we can understand the relative positions of these
two kinds philosophies.

Q: If lust is not everything, then how could generations continue? Isnt that lust needed to
continue generations?

A: Yes, Lord Krsna says in the Bhagavad Gita dharmaviruddho bhutesu kamo 'smi I am that sex life
that is not contrary to religious principles. So that sex which is performed within the institution of
marriage for the purpose of procreation is religious sex. And without that, procreation is not
possible. But when we consider that the satisfaction of the unlimited sex urge is the goal of life,
then, that creates a society that becomes very very distorted; that creates havoc within the society.
Q: How to concentrate in life?

A: by removing those factors that distract one and by accepting certain practices that help to focus
ones mind, particularly the technique of chanting the names of God is very very useful in this
regard.

Q: what is your final view about God and science? What is the reality of life and what should a
man accept in his life?

A: As I mentioned, God is the ultimate reality. And if our science also becomes godly, then that
science can actually help mankind. But if the science is based on godless, faithless principles, then it
would become a cause of great harm to the world.

Q: What is the solution behind conversion?

A: Its a long question, I am just being brief.

Well, the main point is that people should be educated about the true principles of Sanatana
dharma. Then they will not be deviated. Because there is a lack of proper spiritual education, so
people are easily swayed by so many ideologies, whether it is this or that. The idea is that we must
learn Bhagavad Gita carefully.

Q: We believe that nature is God. I would like to know your opinion?

A: Nature is not God, nature is Gods. God with an apostrophe and s. It is Gods nature. So the
nature belongs to God, it is the energy of God. But it is not God directly. God is the owner and the
controller of nature.

Q: What is the definition of God, according to the Bhagavad Gita?

A: The definition of God is He who is the source of everything. He is the source of creation,
maintenance and destruction. That is God.

Of course these are all topics we will take long time to discuss and I am only giving very brief
answers.

Q: What is the scientific proof for the existence of God? This is the next question.

A: Again, we must understand the meaning of the term scientific. What does it mean scientific
proof for the existence of God? Does it mean that you must see with your eyes, you must hear with
your ears and you must feel with your senses, only then something is proven?

We have never seen an electron in our life. Nobody has seen an electron, nobody has felt it, smelt it,
but by different methods we understand that an electron exists. Similarly, there is a whole science, a
whole body of knowledge, if we understand this body of knowledge we can easily understand that to
believe that God exists is something very very logical and rational. Time does not permit us today to
give many explanations on why we should believe so, but just a simple answer that if ordinary things
in our life have to have a creator , how come this whole creation, this whole world cannot have a
creator? where everything is so perfectly going on. The sun is rising at a set time, setting at a fixed
time, the planets are moving in their orbits. Everything is going by natures arrangement perfectly,
how can we expect that it is happening by chance?

Q: Why is Krsna considered God?

A: The answer is because Bhagavad Gita says so. Because we cant understand God with our own
efforts only, we have to be educated by proper text books. The textbook of spiritual science that is
universally acknowledged, there are others also of course, is the Bhagavad Gita. Therefore we
understand from the Bhagavad Gita, the very meaning of term is Song of God, where Lord Krsna is
declared as the Supreme Lord.

Q: If we dont believe in happening of accidents then how come the scientists last month proved
the big bang theory that is the existence of creation?

A: Probably the questions means that if we dont believe in chance as the cause of the universe, then
how come the big bang theory was proved last month. It was never proved (laugh). Nobody has
been able to establish these things. These are all just speculations. Science means you must have
evidence that can be understood and replicable. In a laboratory when we test something, we can
repeat it, test it, demonstrate it, but these things can not apply to the principle of big bang, that
remains a big topic, we will discuss. But it has never been established irrevocably, even among
scientists there are different opinions.

Q: You mentioned that a person who follows Darwin principle of atheism is asuric, so as a student
should we follow Darwin principle/ Darwin theory?

A: The question probably you are asking is in the schools or colleges we have to study Darwin theory
of evolution then what should we do? One thing we recommend is that you do what is necessary for
the exam as far as Darwin is concerned, but know for sure that the fact is something else.

Q: If Darwin was incorrect then how did man arrive on earth?

A: Yes all species of life according to our sastras and according to all scriptures of the world actually
were created at the same time roughly. It is not that everything evolved one after the other, one
after the other, one leading to the other. No. All the 84 lakh species were created at one time.

Q: Is it true that the world will end in 2012?

A: I think we will answer that in 2013 (Laugh)

Q: You said that the Darwinian theory is wrong because it did not give enough scientific proof. Can
you give proof that Bhagavad gita is true?

A: The proof of the pudding is in the eating. First we will have to study the philosophy and if you
attend the classes of Bhagavad Gita, understand the teachings, the principle, the concepts and
gradually you will be able to come to a judgement on how we can understand what the Bhagavad
Gita speaks is the truth. So you need not accept simply on blind faith, but you must accept at least
theoretically the philosophy of the Gita. Once you understand the philosophy then everything will
become clear.

Q: Shall we accept the way we are born or shall we try to improve?

A: Yes we must try to improve, but we must try to understand what the term improvement means.
Improvement doesnt necessarily mean that we should try and get more and more and more money
or we should become more and more and more famous. That is not necessarily improvement.
Money, fame, and success all these things will come; not just by your hard work but also by your
past karma, your destiny. By combination of various factors it will come. We should rest content
with working sincerely and working hard and leaving the results of our work to God. We should
focus our energies in trying to understand spiritual knowledge and practise in our life.

Q: How should we keep our enthusiasm alive in our work?

A: By following the principles of Bhagavad Gita properly, you will understand the very purpose of
life, the very purpose of living and then you will see enthusiasm come in every department of your
life.

Q: Does heaven or hell exist?

A: Yes it exists. But we want to go to neither. We want to go to the spiritual world, kingdom of god,
which is beyond even heaven.

Q: Why are you holding a long stick on your shoulder? (Laugh)

A: This is to beat those people who will disagree with me (Laugh). Whoever asked this question can
come forward. This stick is the staff that a sanyasi carries. This is called sanyasa danda. This is part of
the uniform of a sanyasi, that he carries the staff/stick where ever he goes.

Q: Why do we need God? How do you prove that God is there?

A: I have given some arguments but to know more you will have to be educated. Just like you cannot
become an engineer or a doctor in just one day, in one lecture. You have to attend many classes and
read books and have discussions and so on. Similarly to understand all these matters, you will need
to repeatedly hear and understand.
Q: How has spirituality proven things?

A: By the lives and examples of great saints in history over thousands and thousands of years and
you will also be able to experience that personally in your own life.

Q: Freud, Darwin etc. were also humans. So, did they not have the urge for God?

A: Do atheistic people not have the urge for God? Actually there is one book that I had read in which
Freud admitted that he was struggling against his religious prejudices and the urge for God. It was
Karl Young who actually spoke about Freud and said that Freud had a strong impulse, urge for God
from his upbringing which he was trying to supress, which he was trying to keep away from his
intelligence. Well actually the fact is that Srila Prabhupada has explained that everybody is searching
for God some know it and some dont. That is the only difference. Everybody is searching for
happiness, everybody is searching for eternal life and everybody is searching for knowledge. Sac- cid-
ananda. God is sac-cid-ananda. So when we search for these three things then we are actually
searching for God in whom these things are to be found. But because we do not know about God
therefore we look for these things in this world. And therefore we become constantly frustrated.

Q: How should we know our aim?

A: By hearing the words of God from scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita.

Q: Even after having vegetarian food, if a person develops abnormal anger, lust and other bad
qualities then what is the remedy for this?

A: Even with vegetarian food if it is like this, then you can imagine it will be more for the non-
vegetarian food. So at least stick to vegetarian food, but vegetarian food is not alone is the answer.
One has to accept certain positive spiritual practices in life by which gradually one will able to purify
ones heart and rise to higher levels of consciousness and experience a higher happiness, a higher
pleasure because of which the lower tastes of this world will automatically be removed from the
heart,

visaya vinivartante
niraharasya dehinah
rasa-varjam raso 'py asya
param drstva nivartate

so spiritual life gives us a param drstva, that higher taste because of which we will lose the taste for
lower things of this world.

Q: Marx and his communism has been influencing India and is ruling in three states, how will it
end?

A: Anything that is based on a false foundation cannot last for long time. It is only truth that will
sustain and god is truth and therefore eventually this truth must prevail. So it is only a matter of
time.
Q: How to increase memory and concentration?

A: By chanting the name of God as I mentioned earlier and avoiding disturbing influences.

Q: We have seen that Western Culture affects our youth very easily. What would happen to the
people of the next generation?

A: Yes, the signs are not very good. Unless we accept this philosophy of Bhagavad Gita very properly,
systematically understand the concepts and apply in our life. That is why we are organising these
programs for students also apart from others, so that people in their youth can understand our
spiritual culture, the spiritual knowledge and actually apply it in their life.

Q: Please give some tips to overcome stress ? I am a student of engineering.

A: Stress is there for everybody in life now. The way the modern life is situated, everybody is under
some degree of stress, less or more. So we have to adopt spiritual practices in our life like chanting
the name of God, which will immediately calm the mind and give us peace.

Q: What is the reason or what is the mistake we have committed because of which we are here in
these material planets?

A: The mistake is that we have tried to enjoy separately from God; we have tried to be independent
of God; we have tried to be forgetful of God, we have tried to imitate God in trying to be false
enjoyers of this world. So when we realise that God is the only enjoyer and we are at best, servants
of God, then our life will become successful.

Q: Lord Krishna says in the Bhagvad Gita that He will come in the future, sambhavmi yuge yuge.
Please explain?

A: Yes, He appeared 5000 years ago in Vrindavan personally. He also appeared 500 years ago as Sri
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and even now He is present in our midst in the form of His holy name. There
is no difference between God and His name. So when we chant the name of God, then
automatically we are in the presence of God.

Q: How do we relate the survival of the fittest to the modern competitive world?

A: Yes, survival of the fittest is seen in the jungle. Therefore when we also become very greedy,
overly ambitious, then man also becomes like an animal and constantly fights with the other person
and that is what we are witnessing now. When we have given up the principle of service to God and
we have taken up the principle of trying to enjoy and exploit the world, then there is unhealthy,
destructive competition where everybody harms everybody else. It is a lose-lose situation. Everyone
loses. But when we all unite in the service of God and the service of the world, it is a win-win
situation. Everybody wins.
Q: If all the laws and theories present in the world are wrong, then which is correct?

A: Well, those theories which are based on bonafide scriptures of the world which are based on the
teachings of God, they are correct. Other schools or philosophies may be partly correct, limitedly
correct, fully correct or wrong depending on what degree they actually draw their source, draw their
knowledge from the scriptures connected to God. The origin of all knowledge is God, whether it is
material knowledge or spiritual knowledge.

So, therefore, while we may continue with our secular education because our modern engineering
and medicine and so on also has many practical values. Many things of utility for the benefit of
mankind can be gained by these disciplines. So we need not diminish the value or importance of
these sciences of the modern day. But the point is that ultimately to perfect our life and realise
ultimate happiness, we must take to the divine knowledge of God, as given in the Bhagavad Gita.

So we thank you very much for your patient and attention.