Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 20.102
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Baltimore, July 7, 1976
Pradyumna: (leads chanting)
‘ke ami’, ‘kene amaya jare tapa-traya’ iha nahi jani—‘kemane hita haya’
Prabhupada: There was one governor, a Mr. Carmichael. So in India, in British period, every officer had to learn the local language. We were students in the Scottish Church College. Our all professors were Europeans, but during their service they had to learn Bengali. So one governor, Mr. Carmichael, he was called for presiding over a meeting. So he wanted to speak in Bengali. So he said, dekhite dekhite kimbhasa kartiya gele.
So the pronunciation is galo, but he said gele. So people were smiling. (laughter) The audience, they were smiling. So there are some technical. Just like we pronounce something and not to the correct current pronunciation. So, but when we are reading Bengali, let us do it, as far as possible, as the Bengalis do. That’s all. Otherwise there is no mistake. Finish? Go on.
Pradyumna: (reads word-for-word) “Translation: Who am I? Why do the threefold miseries always give me trouble? If I do not know this, how can I be benefited?”
Prabhupada:
‘ke ami’, ‘kene amaya jare tapa-traya’ iha nahi jani—‘kemane hita haya’
Ke ami: “Who am I?” Now, suppose I am sitting here, you are all sitting here. Some fly comes and disturbs. We have got daily experience. And he’ll disturb. I want to get him out, and he comes again, stops on his mouth and creates some disturbance. A fly, a small fly, not a very big man. So, but after all, this is disturbance. I don’t like it, but the fly will come and disturb me. So there is no question that “Why this fly is coming and giving me disturbance? I do not want it.” This is sane man’s inquiry. But there is no inquiry. I do not want… There are three kinds, jare tapa-traya, three kinds of miserable condition.
One is called adhyatmika, another is called adhidaivika, another is called adhibhautika. Adhyatmika means pertaining to the body and mind. All of a sudden my mind is not in order. Suppose a friend has come to talk with me, so I refuse to talk, I am not in mood. We have got this experience. “I cannot talk with you, mind is not in order.” This is happening daily, every moment. This is called adhyatmika. I did not want it, but it has come. All of a sudden I am feeling some headache. I did not want it, but it came. This is our practical experience.
So this kind of troubles I don’t want. There are always, either adhyatmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika, that is you are suffering. In this material world means the suffering is going on. We are thinking we are very safe, running in the car. At any moment there may be accident. At any moment. I do not want it, my life may go. So this is sane man’s life, that “So many things, I do not want them, but they are enforced upon me, and I do not know how to get out of it.”
The fly is coming, disturbing. I can simply make some spray to kill it, as you do generally, but that killing is another risk. But those who do not know, they kill it. Because you have no right to kill.
Suppose a man is disturbing you. So if you kill, you become a murderer and you’ll be taken into the court and you’ll be punished, and if you say, “This man was disturbing me; therefore I have killed him,” that is no excuse.
You have killed this man; you must suffer. This is ordinarily we find in our general living condition. So in the state of the Supreme Lord, you cannot kill even a mosquito or even a fly. You’ll be punished. Because God says that “Everyone is My child.” Just the same example. Suppose I have got so many brothers.
One brother is a fool, so he creates me some disturbances. I kill him. So will the father be happy? If you say, “Father, your this child was disturbing me. I have killed him,” the father will be sorry, “Why you have killed him?” This is natural. Because one child of the father is a fool, the other intelligent child cannot kill him. Then the father will be angry or sorry.
So we do not know. We are doing irresponsibly. Therefore Sanatana Gosvami has gone to his spiritual master, he’s asking this… This is also common, also very grave questions, that “In this material world, I do not want so many things, but they are enforced upon me. Why?”
This is human life, to inquire why. Not to… The modern theory is struggle for existence. There are troubles, and you try to save yourself, and survival of the fittest. But nobody is fit, nobody survives. Full Lecture
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