Human responsibility requires surrender to Krishna; initiation begins the purification that transforms individuals into first-class agents of world peace.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrī Īśopaniṣad and Initiations — April 29, 1970, Los Angeles 700429IP-LOS ANGELES [33:16] Iso-Initiation_700429IP-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. oṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate [Īśo Invocation] īśāvāsyam idam sarvaṁ yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam [Īśo mantra 1] kurvann eveha karmāṇi jijīviṣec chataṁ samāḥ evaṁ tvayi nānyatheto 'sti na karma lipyate nare [Īśo mantra 2] asuryā nāma te lokā andhena tamasāvṛtāḥ tāṁs te pretyābhigacchanti ye ke cātma-hano janāḥ [Īśo mantra 3] anejad ekaṁ manaso javīyo nainad devā āpnuvan pūrvam arṣat tad dhāvato 'nyān atyeti tiṣṭhat tasminn apo mātariśvā dadhāti [Īśo mantra 4] tad ejati tan naijati tad dūre tad v antike tad antar asya sarvasya tad u sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥ [Īśo mantra 5] yas tu sarvāṇi bhūtāny ātmany evānupaśyati sarva-bhūteṣu cātmānaṁ tato na vijugupsate [Īśo mantra 6] yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtāny ātmaivābhūd vijānataḥ tatra ko mohaḥ kaḥ śoka ekatvam anupaśyataḥ [Īśo mantra 7] sa paryagāc chukram akāyam avraṇam asnāviram śuddham apāpa-viddham kavir manīṣī paribhūḥ svayambhūr yāthātathyato 'rthān vyadadhāc chāśvatībhyaḥ samābhyaḥ [Īśo mantra 8] andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti ye 'vidyām upāsate tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u vidyāyām ratāḥ [Īśo mantra 9] anyad evāhur vidyayānyad āhur avidyayā iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ ye nas tad vicacakṣire [Īśo mantra 10] vidyāṁ cāvidyāṁ ca yas tad vedobhayaṁ saha avidyayā mṛtyuṁ tīrtvā vidyayāmṛtam aśnute [Īśo mantra 11] andhaṁ tamaḥ praviśanti ye 'sambhūtim upāsate tato bhūya iva te tamo ya u sambhūtyām ratāḥ [Īśo mantra 12] anyad evāhuḥ sambhavād anyad āhur asambhavāt iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ ye nas tad vicacakṣire [Īśo mantra 10] anyad evāhuḥ sambhavād anyad āhur asambhavāt iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ ye nas tad vicacakṣire [Īśo mantra 10] Repeat it again. anyad evāhuḥ sambhavād anyad āhur asambhavāt iti śuśruma dhīrāṇāṁ ye nas tad vicacakṣire [Īśo mantra 10] All right. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Congregation: Hare Kṛṣṇa. [04:46] Prabhupāda: So you can read? Gargamuni: So we are on page 16, the last sentence of the second paragraph. It says, “Therefore in order to save themselves, both must follow the instruction of Śrī Īśopaniṣad and thus bring peace to the world.” Next paragraph: “Human beings are not meant for quarreling like cats and dogs. They must be intelligent enough to realize the importance of human life and to realize the aims of human life.
The Vedic literature is meant for humanity and not for the cats and dogs. Cats and dogs can kill other animals for food, and for that there is no question of sin on their part, but if a man kills an animal for the satisfaction of his uncontrolled taste buds, he is responsible for breaking the laws of nature, and therefore he must be punished.” Prabhupāda: Yes, this is the responsibility of human life. The responsibility of human life, ordinarily you can understand. Several times I have explained also that even the state laws, they are meant for the human citizens.
If a cat or a dog transgresses the law, there is no punishment or no arrest. Just like on the road, the direction is that when there is red light, you must stop your car. But if your dog passes in spite of the red light, he is not punishable, because it is animal. Therefore human life has got a very great responsibility. So if you do not execute that responsibility, then by the laws of nature again you are put into the cycle of cats and dogs.
You cannot say that “No, sir, I am not going to be cat again.” No. The law is very strict. daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14] You cannot surpass the laws of material nature; Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā. You cannot transgress any law. You know that even for your personal, if you little…, eat more, little, then immediately you are diseased; you will be sick.
You cannot transgress. Very nice thing, if you want to eat more, then next day you will have to starve; you will be sick. So you have to accept exactly the same thing as it is allotted to you by the Lord. You cannot transgress.
Therefore you have got very great... The only responsibility is that this human form of life is offered to us, to a living entity, for understanding self-realization. Athāto brahma jijñāsā—this is the Vedānta-sūtra—“Now this is the time for self-realization.” Brahma, brahma is the Supreme Spirit, or the part-and-parcel spirit. Brahma…, God is called also brahma, but He is Parabrahma. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they cannot distinguish that why this word is there, Parabrahma.
Parabrahma means the supreme brahma, and brahma, spirit. So we are also brahma. Kṛṣṇa is also brahma, but He is Parabrahma. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13].