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Cause

A spiritual discourse on human consciousness, divine responsibility, and the allegorical lessons of the Mahābhārata.

"The difference between human consciousness and animal consciousness... is this: humans want to know the cause."

"God said, 'I gave you a beautiful body, and I gave you intellect. I gave you abilities, hidden powers within you.'"

The speaker explains the defining human trait of seeking causes, using the analogy of a person and a cat reacting to a thrown ball. He argues that this nature obliges humans to find the cause of suffering and to be active protectors, not passive recipients of divine aid. The narrative delves into the Mahābhārata, describing Kṛṣṇa's peace efforts and the dialogue with Arjuna on the battlefield, ultimately presenting the epic as an allegory for the internal struggle between virtues and vices within every individual.

Recording location: Slovakia, Trencin, Weekend seminar

The difference between human consciousness and animal consciousness, human intellect and animal intellect, is this: humans want to know the cause. It is a matter of psychology. You are sitting in your room, your sitting room, looking at your television, and beside you is sitting your cat. You see the picture? Now someone throws a tennis ball, and the ball is rolling through your living room where you are sitting beside your sofa, and rolling towards the kitchen. What is the cat doing? She is running behind the ball. And what is the person doing? Not going behind the ball, but looking to see who threw the ball. Is that clear? So this is the difference between human consciousness, human intellect, and animal intellect. We want to know the cause. Therefore, by nature, by birth, we humans should know what is the cause of our suffering and how to become free. That is very important. If you think, "Let it be as it will be," then of course it will be as it will be. Do not say God will do everything. God will say, "Why should I do everything? Do you pay me some rent?" Poor God. He made a mistake to create humans. God said, "No, no, I will do nothing." God never punishes us. And God never helps us in that way as we think. God said, "I gave you a beautiful body, and I gave you intellect. I gave you abilities, hidden powers within you. And those hidden powers are my qualities," God said. "My power. I gave you a full bag, a lunch pocket. And you are carrying it as a bag, but still you are hungry. If you do not take it out of the bag and eat, what can I do?" Therefore, humans should be active. Humans should know the cause. And humans should cultivate and protect human society. And protect the environment and the creatures, the animals. Humans are created as protectors and not as destroyers. But there is a question. When the Mahābhārata battlefield took place, Kṛṣṇa tried very hard. Until the last minute, Kṛṣṇa went to Hastināpur as a peace messenger, as an ambassador of peace. Until the last moment, Kṛṣṇa tried very hard to prevent it. Just before the battle, he went to Hastināpur as a peace envoy and offered them a peace proposal. He said, "Just give only a little piece of land to the Pāṇḍavas." He said, "Give the Pāṇḍavas just a little piece of land, a few hectares only, where they can live." From such a big kingdom, at that time, from Indonesia to Turkey, all was Indian territory: Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, all was India. Though the Pāṇḍavas were real cousins of Duryodhana, he said, "I will not give them a piece of land even like the tip of a needle." It was a years-long trial to bring peace, but they were not ready. Then the battlefield took place. But still Kṛṣṇa did not fight. He said to Arjuna, "I will only be your charioteer, your driver." And since that time, we respect the driver very much. Symbolically, the driver is Kṛṣṇa, but your life is in the driver's hand, so you should be nice to the driver. When the lady is sitting with the husband, and the husband is driving and the lady becomes angry, then an accident happens. So ladies, please be careful. Or when the ladies are driving, exceptionally on Sunday, the husband gives her a beautiful Mercedes to drive, and he is sitting beside her. And the husband always tries to control. "Take care, traffic light is coming," this, that. Then she becomes so nervous, an accident happens. It was not her mistake. It was his mistake. Because why should he interfere? Therefore, Arjuna gave everything into the hands of Kṛṣṇa. And finally, there were two armies standing. One side was the Pāṇḍavas, kings who were with the Pāṇḍavas, thousands of soldiers. The other side was the Kauravas, thousands of soldiers. And Arjuna said, "I want to see with whom I will fight." So Kṛṣṇa said, "Okay, go and see, but now you are a very VIP." Kṛṣṇa said to Arjuna, "I will not let you walk there. I will drive you there." Kṛṣṇa had beautiful, five white horses, about five, four, or six, something like this. And he brought his chariot to the middle of the army. And Arjuna looked around and said, "Kṛṣṇa, I do not want heaven, nor the kingdom of the earth. I do not want anything. They are all my relatives, my cousins, my grandfathers, my master, my teacher, all my relatives. And this side also, my brothers. I fight, kill them, Kṛṣṇa? That cannot be a bigger sin than this. Better I die." That is called moha. Kṛṣṇa said, "Arjuna, when you kill the sinner, you will not get the sin. But you will clean the dirt of the sinner to protect and liberate others. When your finger has trouble, problems, then the doctor will cut your finger away. When you have problems with circulation in your legs, the doctor will cut off your leg, amputate your leg. He does not think of your leg. He thinks of yourself. And he does good to you. He does not do bad to you. Arjuna, get up, take the bow, and fight." So you will read in the Bhagavad Gītā, you should read every mantra at least a hundred times. The Bhagavad Gītā is now a kamadhenu, the cow which gives milk ever and ever. That cow means intellect, and milk means knowledge. Knowledge is unlimited. And knowledge you cannot measure with kilos and centimeters. Ask your children, "How many kilos did you learn today in school?" And I want to know the answer next time. If they do not know, they should ask their teacher. So that cow is intellect, and milk is knowledge, wisdom. Your intellect is never polluted, and your knowledge is never-ending. You speak, and you speak, and you speak. And you do not take a piece of paper and read it, "Ladies and gentlemen, we are very happy to be here today, and to inaugurate the conference for the health of humans with body and mind." So, constantly when you have to read and look like that, it means it is a prepared lecture. And that is not your own knowledge. You borrowed it somewhere from books. It is preserved. It is not fresh. Of course we must proceed according to protocol. And that protocol consists of the wise words of wiser people. And sometimes we have to use that. That is okay, there is nothing wrong. But if I use the words of someone, then I should at the same time say, "Who said this?" There was a great saint, Dadhīci Ṛṣi, who donated his bones while living in the body. And he was between Satya Yuga and Dvāpara Yuga. And he said, "Do not do to others what you do not like to be done to you." And now this is repeated in every holy book. Also in the testament it says this, but it means it was not the words of Jesus. But it was also the teaching of Jesus. He utilized the words of Dadhīci. It was in the Rāmāyaṇa. It means it is not the words of the Ṛṣi Tulsīdās or Vālmīki Ṛṣi. So, for wise words of wisdom, no one has copyright. But if it is a complete sentence or poetry, we should mention it. So the human psychic is very strong, but very weak. Now, it is believed also there was no Mahābhārata battlefield. There was no Kṛṣṇa like that. This battlefield is our own life. Our body is that Kurukṣetra, that battlefield. Our mind is Arjuna and our ātmā is Kṛṣṇa. And our ego is Duryodhana. And our ambition is the blind king. And our greediness is that what we call Bhīṣma. And our attachment, blind love, is that Gāndhārī, the queen, who put the cloth on her eyes. Kāma, Krodha, Mada, Lobha, Moha, Ahaṅkāra, these are the Kauravas. And love, mercy, willpower, strength, calmness, clarity, these are the Pāṇḍavas. So everything is compared in the human body. But your mind is manipulated by the feelings of the senses, and there is attachment. Such attachment that you say, "No, I do not want to do this." Then it brings you suffering. Every holy book has great significance and great teaching for human life. And so the question is whether Jesus even lived. Some say Jesus never existed. But it does not matter if Jesus was or not. For us, he was. And for us, he is. That is it. So do not say, "Was it or was it not?" That is different. How much does that name, that form, that legend inspire you, help you? That is very, very important for us to know. And with this, then use the human consciousness to know the cause of it. And you will never find the cause unless you know the ātmajñāna. The cause is there. Evidence never dies. Many systems come and go. The communist system came and went. Before were the kingdoms that also went. Many systems came and went away. But reality remained the reality; we are the witness of everything. These systems are flowing like a river; for a while we will be with you, and then it is changed. Observe thyself. You were a small child; even you could not walk. Then you were walking on the floor; there are the first steps, a little running, and we are sitting now here in this age. We would like to jump, yes, even you are very old, you can jump twice, and that means first and the last, so do not make such a jump. We observe our body; our feelings are young, our thinking is young, our ambition is young, our desires are young, but the body does not give us support. The body said, "No, no, you abused me, you misused it; I was given to you as your best friend, best tool, as your savior, your liberator, but you did not use this. I am sorry." --- Recording location: Slovakia, Trencin, Weekend seminar

This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt, what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.

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