View source for What is that bad work? Bad work means sense gratification. That's all. Anything you do for the satisfaction of your sense, that is bad work. And anything you do for satisfaction of Krsna, that is good work

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{{terms|"What is that bad work? Bad work means sense gratification. That's all. Anything you do for the satisfaction of your sense, that is bad work. And anything you do for satisfaction of Krsna, that is good work"}}
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[[Category:Questions Posed by Srila Prabhupada]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG416BombayApril51974_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="175" link="Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974" link_text="Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974">
<div class="heading">Instead of doing good work, we are educated to do bad work, just the opposite. And that is not good. That is the advice of Ṛṣabhadeva. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. What is that bad work? Bad work means sense gratification. That's all. Anything you do for the satisfaction of your sense, that is bad work. And anything you do for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is good work. This is the division of bad work and good work.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974|Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Kaumāra, from the very beginning of life, kaumāra. Kaumāra means from fifth year to tenth year, five years. Within these five years, education must begin. And especially dharmān bhāgavatān. Bhāgavata-dharma means to understand Kṛṣṇa, to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.</p>
<p>I know, amongst the Mohammedans, it is a system that small children, they are taught Purāṇa. That is very good system, but we have forgotten. Although India is the land of spiritual culture, our small children, they go to school, colleges, but he has no connection with Bhagavad-gītā. He has no connection with Bhagavad-gītā. They are simply trained up for sense gratification. In Western countries also—for sense gratification. Which is to be suppressed, sense gratification, that education is given. They do not know what is karma and what is vikarma. Now, when the students become disobedient and they create riots and set fire in the buses, then they lament. But why you have educated the students like that? Who is responsible for this? The rascals, they do not know. Here is Kṛṣṇa prescribing. Kiṁ karma kim akarmeti kavayo 'py atra mohitāḥ. Even learned men, they become bewildered. Tat te karma pravakṣyāmi.</p>
<p>So in this bewildered condition, baffled condition of the society, we should consult Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is ready to give you advice, as He was ready five thousand years ago to give advice to Arjuna. That instruction is still current. It is not that it is finished with the Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa, no. You can take also the same advice from Kṛṣṇa and mold your life. That is wanted.</p>
<p>So kurute vikarma, we are trained up simply to act, opposite direction. Instead of doing good work, we are educated to do bad work, just the opposite. And that is not good. That is the advice of Ṛṣabhadeva. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. What is that bad work? Bad work means sense gratification. That's all. Anything you do for the satisfaction of your sense, that is bad work. And anything you do for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is good work. This is the division of bad work and good work. The same thing, if you do for your personal satisfaction, it is bad work. And the same thing, if you do for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is good work. We must first of all learn this.</p>
<p>Just like Arjuna was thinking in the beginning that "Fighting and killing is not good, especially fighting with the family members and killing them. No, no, I cannot do that." Bad work. He was thinking it was bad. But same thing he did. When he understood Bhagavad-gītā, he did not do anything else, because he was a fighter, he was a warrior. In the beginning he was refusing because he was trying to satisfy his senses. "Oh, it is very good. I think it is... I think..." What you are? You are always misguided if you think like that. But the same Arjuna, when understood Bhagavad-gītā... Kṛṣṇa inquired from him, "Now what is your decision?" Now, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava ([[Vanisource:BG 18.73|BG 18.73]]). "Yes, now I have decided." So what is that vacanaṁ tava? Kṛṣṇa asked him to fight. So same fighting, how he became good now? Because Kṛṣṇa wanted it. A good work.</p>
<p>So this should be our motto of life, that you should act if Kṛṣṇa is pleased. This is good work. That is confirmed in many places in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Sūta Gosvāmī said in the meeting of great learned scholars and brāhmaṇas in Naimiṣāraṇya. He said, dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ: "O best of the brāhmaṇas who have assembled here to hear me..." Dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Again that varṇāśrama. Without varṇāśrama, it is a rascal society. That's all. It is not even human society. It is animal society. But that we have lost now. Again it is said, varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. He was speaking amongst the very learned scholars and brāhmaṇas. Therefore he addressed, "My dear all great brāhmaṇas, dvija-śreṣṭhā..."</p>
<p>Dvija means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. And the brāhmaṇa is the śreṣṭha, the best of the dvija. Dvija means twice-born. One birth by the father and mother, and the next birth through the guru and Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is the mother and guru is the father. The next birth. That is called dvija, twice-born. Once born by father and mother, that is śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. First birth is śūdra. The next birth, when he is trained up by the guru in Vedic knowledge, that is real birth. Therefore all of them were first-class brāhmaṇas, dvija, with saṁskāra. Therefore they are addressed dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ.</p>
<p>Again this varṇāśrama. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya. Now, mark this word, dharma. A brāhmaṇa's action as a brāhmaṇa, that is dharma. And brāhmaṇa is not fighting; that is his dharma. So dharma may be different according to position. But here it is said, ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. When there is sacrifice in the yajña, the brāhmaṇa offers the sacrifice. It does not mean that he is killing some animal.</p>
<p>Similarly, a kṣatriya is fighting and killing in the battle, but he is still not killing. This has to be... Not general, generalization, "Oh, killing is bad." Killing is bad for one who is not destined, who is not meant for killing. And places. Everything should be in terms of śāstra, not whimsically manufacture something. No.</p>
:yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya
:vartate kāma-kārataḥ
:na sa siddhim avāpnoti
:na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim
:([[Vanisource:BG 16.23|BG 16.23]])
<p>This is the injunction. So ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Everyone has got particular type of occupational duty according to varṇa and āśrama. So whether it is perfect or not, that test is svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.13|SB 1.2.13]]).</p>
<p>You are kṣatriya... Just like Arjuna was a kṣatriya. His perfection as kṣatriya was because he pleased Kṛṣṇa. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.13|SB 1.2.13]]). This is wanted. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is presenting the most scientific way of life. It is not a whimsical concoction of a human brain. The basic principle is Bhagavad-gītā and śāstra, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Everything is clearly explained. If we take advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement then our life will be perfect.</p>
<p>That is the special prerogative of the Indians. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,</p>
:bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
:janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
:([[Vanisource:CC Adi 9.41|CC Adi 9.41]])
<p>"Every Indian has to perfect his life by accepting the Vedic principle and distribute it to the whole world." This is the best welfare activities in the human society. Thank you very much.</p>
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