Prabhupäda: ...which produces some result which binds us in karma. This verse is explained in another place. The verse is yajïärthät karmaëo 'nyatra loko 'yaà karma-bandhanaù [Bg. 3.9]. Yajïärthe. Yajïa means God. Yajïa-pati. One name. God has got various names. One name is Yajïa-pati. So you have to act for yajïa. That is nice.

The example, as I gave you the other day, that a soldier is fighting and killing many enemies or killing many persons, but he is not responsible for killing. The same man, when he is not fighting for the country or for the government, if he kills one man, he is hanged. He is to be hanged. Try to understand. So because he is fighting or killing on the order of higher authority, the government, he is not responsible for all those killings. Rather sometimes he is recognized by giving some medal: "Oh, you have killed so many enemies. Very good." And similarly, if he kills outside the warfield, at home... That is also enemy. Nobody kills nobody unless the other is his enemy. But he will be hanged. If he argues in the court that "In the battlefield I killed so many enemies. I was given recognition. But at home I have killed only one enemy and for which I am going to be hanged. What is this law?" This argument will not stay. So for higher authority's order, if you do something, you are not responsible.

Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was in the beginning not willing to fight. That was his personal satisfaction. He was considering in terms of his personal satisfaction. But later on the same Arjuna, he wanted to satisfy Kåñëa, and he fought, and he became a great devotee. This is the secret of all activities. We are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord. Therefore our business is to act in such a way that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is satisfied. That is success of life. That is described in another place in the Çrémad-Bhägavatam.

ataù pumbhir dvija-çreñöhä
varëäçrama-vibhägaçaù
svanuñöhitasya dharmasya
saàsiddhir hari-toñaëam
[SB 1.2.13]

This was spoken by Süta Gosvämé in the assembly of great saintly persons and brähmaëas, and he addressed the brähmaëas, dvija-çreñöhäù, "the best of the brähmaëas." "The best of the brähmaëas." Because he is especially addressing the brähmaëas. The thing is that unless one has attained the brahminical qualification, it is very difficult to understand what is spiritual life, what is spiritual success. Brahma jänätéti brähmaëaù. That is also explained:

brahma-bhütaù prasannätmä
na çocati na käìkñati
samaù sarveñu bhüteñu
mad-bhaktià labhate paräm
[Bg. 18.54]

Brahman realization, "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God, "when we understand this position, then we are liberated from the reaction of karma or material activities.

So Süta Gosvämé addressed, dvija-çreñöhäù. Not only brähmaëa but "the best of the brähmaëas." "The best of the brähmaëas" means Kåñëa conscious, one who knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Brähmaëa means one who knows the spirit distinguished from the matter. Brahma jänäti iti brähmaëaù. But when he understands the Supreme Brahman, Parabrahman, Kåñëa, then he actually becomes brähmaëa-vaiñëava. Brähmaëa should advance father to become Vaiñëava. Therefore one who is Vaiñëava, he is already a brähmaëa. This is to be understood. So Süta Gosvämé said, "Oh, the great brähmaëas present here..." Brähmaëas. Ataù pumbhir dvija-çreñöhäù, the best of the brähmaëas.

Ataù pumbhir dvija-çreñöhä varëäçrama-vibhägaçaù. There are divisions. In the human society there should be divisions of work. The activities for the most intellectual person, that should be a division. That is called brähmaëa division. The activities of the politicians and administrators, that is called kñatriya division. The activities of the mercantile people, that is called vaiçya division. And ordinary worker, they get some salary for serving the master, they are called çüdras. So in this way everybody has got his duty. The brähmaëa has got his duty, the kñatriya has got his duty, the vaiçya has got his duty, and the çüdras also, they have got also duty. Similarly, brahmacäré, he has got his duty. And the gåhastha, householder, they have got their duties. And vänaprastha, retired life, they have got their duties, and the sannyäsé, renounced order of life, they have got their duties. The first division called varëa: brähmaëa, kñatriya, vaiçya, çüdra. And the second division is called äçrama. So Vedic civilization means varëa and äçrama, the human society divided into varëas and äçramas. So everyone has got his particular duty.

Therefore Süta Gosvämé [says] ataù pumbhir dvija-çreñöhäù: "O the best of the brähmaëa." Varëäçrama-vibhägaçaù. Every varëa, caste or division of the society, social division. And äçrama means spiritual division. Varëäçrama-vibhägaçaù. As there are divisions so... svanuñöhitasya dharmasya. Everyone has got his duty to do something particular. But whether he is perfect in discharging that duty, that may be considered when, svanuñöhitasya dharmasya saàsiddhiù, perfection. What is that? Hari-toñaëam. Whether you have satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead by your duty.

It is very easy to understand. Just like in any office or any place, there is the supreme man. So if by one's service he satisfies the supreme. Just like in big, big offices, there is record of service. What kind of service an employee is rendering to the establishment or to the government, that is recorded and he is recognized. So as this is the system in our ordinary life, similarly, the human society, they... whatever they may do, that is right, because everyone has yo do something, even for keeping the body and soul together. But after doing something, the activities should be tested, whether by such activities, the Supreme Lord is satisfied. Then he is free from the reaction.

There are two kinds of reaction of every activity, pious or impious. Pious activities, that is also bondage, and impious activities, that is also bondage. But above pious or impious activities, there is another activity, which is called devotional activity. If one performs devotional activities, he is above the control of this material nature. The material nature is being controlled by three qualities: sattva-guëa, rajo-guëa, tamo-guëa, goodness, passion and ignorance. But one who acts on account of the Supreme Personal of Godhead, then he becomes freed from the reaction of these qualities. That is called karmaëy akarma. Although a devotee is seem that he is very active, but his activities are not like material activities, to result in some pious result or impious result. Both of them are bondage, pious or impious things.

So if we become bound up by pious or impious activities, then we'll have to accept this material body, karma-bandhana. And material body, as soon as you accept this material body, you are under the laws of material nature, especially birth, death, old age and disease. So you become bound up. Therefore this human form of life is especially meant for to get freedom from this bondage-birth, death and old age. But people do not understand. Their brain is so packed up with material things that they have become just like animals. They cannot understand. But anyway, unless one sa eva go-kharaù [SB 10.84.13]. Çästra has said, go-kharaù. Go-kharaù means animal. Go means cows, and khara means ass. So anyone who is acting on the bodily concept of life, without any spiritual understanding, he is no better than animal. But he is satisfied... That...

The animal is being sent to the slaughter-house; still he is satisfied. He does not know that "I am going to be slaughtered. I am going in these flocks, but I will be simply waiting for being slaughtered." So as the animal goes, the cows are being slaughtered, so the animals are being slaughtered, so everyone without spiritual consciousness, without Kåñëa consciousness, is to be slaughtered by the laws of material nature. They do not know that. Even just like animal. Even if he is slaughtered, he is not sorry. That is the position of the present human society.

So there is great need of this Kåñëa consciousness movement. People are so fallen. They are reluctant even to hear about this Bhagavad-gétä, where everything is explained. They are living like animals. So it is our duty to awaken them. That is the Vedic injunction. Vedic injunction is to awaken. They are sleeping. Ignorance... Just like when a man sleeps, he is ignorant of everything, what is going on outside. He is sleeping, deep-sleeping. So therefore the Vedic injunction, Upaniñads says, uttiñöhata jägrata präpya varän nibodhata: "Please get up. You have got this human form of body. Now you get up and get out of these clutches of cycle of birth and death." Unfortunately they have become so dull that they cannot understand. So people should be trained up how to live conscientiously, especially in Kåñëa consciousness. That will solve the problems of life. Otherwise he is committing suicide. That is the verdict of the çästra. Now any... [break]

Female devotee: You said that if we are performing some activity, that activity must be tested to see if Lord Kåñëa is pleased. But what is the test?

Prabhupäda: If the spiritual master is pleased, then Kåñëa is pleased. That you are singing daily. Yasya prasädäd bhagavat-prasädo yasyäprasädän na gatiù kuto 'pi **. If the spiritual master is pleased, then Kåñëa is pleased. That is the test. If he is not pleased, then he has no other way.

That is very simple to understand. Suppose anyone who is working in the office, the immediate boss is the head, head clerk or the superintendent of that department. So everyone is working. If he satisfies the superintendent or the head clerk, then it is to be understood that he has satisfied the managing director. It is not very difficult. Your immediate boss, representative of Kåñëa, he is to be satisfied. Yasya prasädäd bhagavat-prasädo yasya **. Therefore the guidance of spiritual master is required. Kåñëa comes in the form of spiritual master to guide. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritämåta. Guru-kåñëa-kåpäya. Guru-kåñëa-kåpäya. So guru-kåpä, mercy of guru, is mercy of Kåñëa. So when both of them are satisfied, then our path is clear. Guru-kåñëa-kåpäya päya bhakti-latä-béja [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Then our devotional service is perfect. So you did not mark this statement in the Gurvañöaka? Yasya prasädäd bhagavat-prasädo yasyäprasädän na gatiù kuto 'pi **.

Just like this movement. This movement was started only for the satisfaction of my spiritual master. He wanted. Caitanya Mahäprabhu wanted that this movement should be spread all over the world. So he ordered many of my godbrothers, and desired... Even not ordered, he wanted. He sent some of my godbrothers to the foreign countries to spread, but some way or other, he was not very successful. He was called back. So I thought, "Let me try in this old age." So the only desire was to satisfy the desire of the spiritual master. So you have helped now. It is coming to be successful. And this is yasya prasädäd bhagavat-prasädaù **. If we actually sincerely work under the direction of the spiritual master, that is satisfaction of Kåñëa, and Kåñëa will help us you, any way.