Today’s Hellish Condition by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

By stopping all family traditions, human society has led itself to such a situation.

“When there is increase of unwanted population, a hellish situation is created both for the family and for those who destroy the family tradition. In such corrupt families, there is no offering of oblations of food and water to the ancestors.”

When there are unwanted children, all family traditions and obligations are forgotten. At the present moment, nobody knows that after death there is life, and still such life is connected with the family, the forefathers and the descendants. Nothing of this science is known at the present moment. People are, more or less, like animals. An animal has no such feelings of connections. All they do is eat, sleep, have sex life and die – that’s all. This subtle regulation of family connection is unknown at the present moment, and still they are very proud of advancement of knowledge.

Ghosts – Are They Real?

A good example of varna-sankara population is the hippies – all over the world, not only in the Western countries but also in India. An increase of such population means narakayaiva, hellish life, in this life and also in the next. We have practically seen this in Calcutta; it has become a hellish life. The younger generation has become so polluted, so contaminated, that you cannot safely walk in the street. Anywhere, the young boys may encircle you and rob you. You cannot say anything. The police cannot help, the government cannot help. These unwanted children, having received no training in the varnasrama system, become the cause of hellish life. According to Vedic regulations, the family members should offer pinda-udaka, visnu-prasada and water, at least once in a year after the death of a person. There is one month fixed up in a year when all people will offer pinda and udaka to the forefathers; it’s called tarpana. The idea is that if the forefather in the family has not achieved an auspicious destination, a proper afterlife, then this process will help him attain one soon.

Sometimes due to sinful activities or too much attachment, a man becomes a ghost (bhuta preta pisaca). Ghosts are real; persons who do not get a gross body after death become ghosts. They remain in the subtle body of mind, intelligence, and ego. Due to their gross sinful life, they are punished by not giving them a gross life, because a gross body is needed to enjoy. If I have to enjoy a rasagulla, for instance, I must have a tongue and hands with fingers to pick it up and put it in my mouth. I cannot enjoy with my mind alone, imagining that I am eating the rasagulla; I do not get the taste. So gross body is required because every living entity in this material world has come to enjoy material things. Krishna bhuliya jiva bhoga vaïcha kare pasate maya tare japatiya dhare. This is the beginning of our material life. When we forget to render service to Krishna , immediately we get a material body offered by the material nature.

The astral body is very subtle. On account of one’s severe sinful life, he does not get a gross body. Therefore lupta-pindodaka-kriya . If our forefathers have attained ghostly life due to not receiving a gross body, the offering of pindodaka, or visnu-prasada, will free them from ghostly existence and award them a gross body. There is a place in India called Gaya where there is a Visnu temple. It is a custom among Hindus to go there and offer pindodaka. Nowadays, people do not believe in these things, so they do not go. They have given up everything. Today’s generation doesn’t care for it: “What is family, what is pindaudaka?” they challenge. Simply eat, drink, be merry, and enjoy – that’s all they do. But 5000 years ago, Arjuna’s understood these things perfectly. He was not a brahmana or a sannyasi. He was a householder and a military man, a member of the royal order, fighting on the battlefield. He was not a Vedantist, but his knowledge was perfect. Sastra sampate: he was about to throw his arrows at the enemy, when he suddenly felt compassionate. That’s when Krishna spoke the entire knowledge of Bhagavadgita to him, on the battlefield. How much time can you spare in the battlefield? Utmost, half an hour – not more than that. So within half an hour, this Bhagavad-gita was taught to Arjuna, and he could understand it, and then he agreed to fight. Nasto mohah smrtir labdha . . . karisye vacanam tava (Gita 18.73).

Scholarship Alone Not Enough to Understand Transcendental Science

At the present moment they are reading Bhagavad-gita for years. They are big, big scholars and theologians, but they cannot understand. After reading the Bhagavad-gita, they are accusing Krishna as immoral. That means they could not understand Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita cannot be understood by any demon or third-class man. That is explained in the Bhagavadgita itself. Krishna said to Arjuna, “I am speaking to you the same Bhagavad-gita (Gita 4.1), science of God, which I spoke millions of years ago to the sun-god, because the parampara is lost and I have picked up you because bhakto ‘si me priyo ‘si (Gita 4.3, you are very dear friend and bhakta.”

So Bhagavad-gita is not meant for the demons or the abhaktas. The first condition is that he must be a devotee of Krishna . Then it will be revealed. Otherwise it is not possible. Naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavritah (Gita 7.25). Na mam duskrtino mudha prapadyante naradhamah (Gita 7.15). So if one is devotee of Krishna , he can understand Bhagavad-gita very easily, just like Arjuna understood it within half an hour. Others cannot understand.

The people at that time were so educated and advanced that they could talk about the Absolute Truth and understand them within half an hour, or one hour. There was no need of books in those days. People had such sharp memories. Once having heard from the spiritual master, they’ll never forget. With the advancement of Kali, however, so many things have reduced. Memory is one such thing; people will be weaker; there will be no more mercy; the brain will not be so powerful or sharp. These things are described. So we cannot even imagine what kind of brain Arjuna possessed.

The Fifth Veda

Another thing: this Bhagavadgita is part of Mahabharata. And the Mahabharata was written for stri-sudra-dvija-bandhunam trayi na sruti-gocarah (Bhagavatam 1.4.25). Stri means woman, and dvijabandhu means someone born in a high family like brahmana or ksatriya but not qualified as brahmana or ksatriya. Such a person is called dvija-bandhu, the friend of the twice-born. Brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas are called twice-born; one birth is by the father and mother; another birth is by the spiritual master, by Vedic knowledge. The Vedic knowledge is mother and the spiritual master is the father. Therefore, they are called dvija, twice born. Dvijabandhus are those who are not actually twice born but born in the family of dvijas. Therefore they are called dvija-bandhu, “not dvija, friends of the dvijas.” One may become a son of a high-court judge, but that does not mean he’s also highcourt judge. But now they are taking: “Because my father is brahmana, therefore I am brahmana.” No. That was not accepted. Your father may be brahmana, but if you are not a qualified brahmana, you cannot be called a brahmana. You can be called dvija-bandhu. So this Mahabharata was written for women, dvija-bandhus and the sudras. It is very difficult for them to understand the Vedic literatures directly, because they have no advanced knowledge or education. Therefore the same Vedic conclusions were presented through the history of Mahabharata. Because it is history, everyone likes to read it. Thus through historical narrations, the Vedic knowledge was imparted. Mahabharata is therefore called the fifth Veda. Sama, Yajur, Rig and Atharva are the four Vedas; Mahabharata is considered the fifth.

The Bhagavad-gita is within the Mahabharata, which means it was meant for the less intelligent class of men. But, at the present moment, even the highest intelligent class of men cannot understand it. And such a person is posted as a professor in Oxford University.

Blind Leaders

So this class of men is leading the society. The third-class and fourth-class men have become the leaders. Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah (Bhagavatam 7.5.31). When we talk with such big leaders, we can see how they are practically blind, leading the whole society to a ditch. Therefore, the social order has become so chaotic. Arjuna is describing here, sankaro narakayaiva kula-ghnanam kulasya ca (Gita 1.41). Who knows this science, that sankaro narakayaiva, if you produce unwanted children, the society becomes hellish? Who is caring for that? The world is in hellish condition, we can perceive, but they are trying in a different way. They want to remain demons; at the same time, they want to become leaders.

According to Darwin’s theory, 5000 years ago, men were uncivilized. But how can uncivilized men such wonderful intellectual literature? Just see.

In Calcutta, there was a big scientist named Sarpisirat. Being an atheist, he argued, “You say that offering of pindodaka will go to my forefather. So if you sitting downstairs offer something to me, will I be able to eat it sitting upstairs?” Unfortunately he did not know that how there are different types of eating. They do not know there is eating in the subtle body also. The ghosts also eat, but the method is different. So if a big scientist speaks like this, what you expect from ordinary people? Yad yad acarati sresthah . . . lokas tad anuvartate (Gita 3.21). If people advanced in education speak so irresponsibly, naturally, others will follow. Therefore, at the present moment, the whole generation is covered with ignorance and darkness. They have no clear knowledge, and without clear knowledge, whatever we do is simply embezzlement. That’s all. Things are not correctly understood. Therefore the result is narakayaiva, hellish. The only remedy is to surrender to the lotus feet of Krishna , and thus become saved.