They want sex enjoyment to the best capacity—homosex, this sex, that sex, naked dance, all sexually inclined. And we say, "Stop this."

Homo and Hetero Sex Obsession

Topsy-turvy society advocating homosexuality, kicking out God

The Vedic society is divided into four classes of men. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, chatur-varnyam maya srishtam guna-karma-vibhagashah [Bg. 4.13]. According to quality and work, there are four divisions of men: The brahmanas, the intelligent class of men; the kshatriyas, the administrative class of men, the martial class of men; and the vaishyas, the productive class of men; and the shudras, the worker class of men. That is still existing in a different name, but the difficulty is, the classification is not made according to quality and work. That was the actual position of classification.

Nowadays, a shudra is on the government. A person who is a nonsense number one, he has no knowledge, he is on the head of the government. The things have been topsy-turvied. A person on religious category, he's advocating something, oh, it is not to be uttered. Homosex. You see? He's advocating homosex. Just see. These has been topsy-turvied. The four classes of men are there, still. But the third-class, fourth-class man is taking the place of first class. And the first-class man is kicked out, "Go out. Don't talk of God." This is the position at the present moment. The classes are there. That is natural. There must be some first-class men, there must be some second-class men, there must be some third-class men, there must be some fourth-class men. But the difficulty is that the fourth-class man is taking the position of first-class man, and the first-class man is being kicked out. Therefore there are so many problems in the society. Guna-karma-vibhagashah [social divisions according to the mode of work or occupation]. First-class man must be acting first class. But he's acting as last class, but he is posed in first class. Things have been topsy-turvied.

So it is the duty of the government to find out the first-class man and employ him for first-class business, first-class activities. And what is that first-class activity? The first-class activity is athato brahma jijñasa: ["having acquired this human form of life, let us now inquire about the Absolute Truth"]. That is first-class activity. Otherwise, it is fourth-class activity. And it is the duty of the government to see that the first-class man is employed in first-class activities, the second-class man is engaged in second-class activities. Then the government will be nice.

Prominence of sex culture, whether homosex or otherwise, associated with the mode of ignorance

DEVOTEE (1): In the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says He creates the four varnas [occupational divisions] and ashrams [stages of life], so these four classes of men are everywhere. I was just wondering if it is correct to say that each man only finds his satisfaction performing a particular type of work according to his mode of nature? Is that correct?

PRABHUPADA: Yes, yes.

DEVOTEE (1): For instance, a man who is in the mode of passion like a kshatriya [administrative class], he only finds satisfaction when he's engaged in warfare or administrative work. Similarly so with a vaishya [productive class] or a shudra [laborer class]...

PRABHUPADA: Yes. I think it is... Maybe it is described in seventeenth chapter. According to our free will, we are associating with certain type of the modes of material nature, and then we become subjected to that material mode. The same example: you infect some disease, contamination, and you gain the result of it.

So our endeavor should be how to raise ourself to the first class, to the sattva-guna [mode of goodness]. That we can do. And then transcend sattva-guna and reach the spiritual platform. Everyone is trying to improve his position, but they do not know what is meant by improvement. Improvement means mostly they are in tamo-guna, ignorance. So rise from tamo-guna to rajo-guna [mode of passion], rajo-guna to sattva-guna, and then sattva-guna to transcendence. That is improvement.

So generally, people are suffering on account of association with tamo-guna and rajo-guna. Whole material world, mostly tamo-guna and few of them in rajo-guna. The symptoms of rajo-guna and tamo-guna are lust and greediness. Just like yesterday you told me the students are talking about homosex. That means tamo-guna, that the education-students, they are discussing about homosex. That means tamo-guna, lusty desires, very prominent, and how to fulfill, by homosex or sex with woman. This is their subject matter, kama [lust]. So everyone in this material world infected with this tamo-guna, all lusty desires, in various ways, varieties. And some of them in rajo-guna-politics and improvement of material condition. So we have to cut down this tamo-guna and rajo-guna, come to the sattva-guna. Then he'll not be disturbed by these lusty desires and greediness. Then he'll be happy.

When he comes to the sattva-guna, now he has to make further progress, sattva-guna. And the progress means, being situated in sattva-guna if he advances in devotional service, Krishna consciousness, then he surpasses all the material qualities. That is perfection of life.

Sex and sense gratification at odds with spiritual culture

PRABHUPADA: The rascals are very strong. In the Sixteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita it is said, pravrittim cha nivrittim jana na vidur asurah. Asura. Asura means demons. Demonic civilization, demonic people, they do not know what is pravritti and what is nivritti. Pravritti means material civilization, and nivritti means spiritual civilization. The modern man does not know. They are neither educated about this pravritti and nivritti. And we are speaking on nivritti, and all of them are in the pravritti. So they cannot understand. It is foreign to them. They have no idea what is spiritual life, spiritual civilization.

GANESHA: Srila Prabhupada, in the Sri Ishopanishad it is said that one must learn the process of nescience alongside with the process of self-realization.

PRABHUPADA: Hmm?

GANESHA: In the Ishopanishad, pravritti with nivritti How is that?

PRABHUPADA: What is that pravritti and nivritti?

AMOGHA: He says that in the Ishopanishad it says that you should learn the process of self-realization side by side with the process of nescience.

PRABHUPADA: Nescience, yes. That is pravritti and nivritti. Pravritti means sense enjoyment. And nivritti means self-negation. So when we say that "You shall not have illicit sex," and their inclination is illicit sex, so therefore it is revolutionary. They are materialistic persons. They want sex enjoyment to the best capacity—homosex, this sex, that sex, naked dance, all sexually inclined, pravritti. And we say, "Stop this," nivritti. They do not like it because asura [demonic]. They do not know this is essential. They do not know it. This is essential. Tapasa brahmacharyena [Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.13]. Tapasya [austerity] means brahmacharya [celibacy]. The so-called swamis, they are coming for this so-called yoga practice and..., but they are themselves victims of sex. This is going on. Actually, it is a bluff—they have become swami and teaching some yoga system—because they do not know that one has to stop this [sex life] first of all. Brahmacharyena. So this bluffing is going on all over the world, and we are speaking just against them. If you give instruction to the rascals, he will simply be angry. He will not take advantage of it. This is our position. All the so-called professors, philosophers, they are all in the pravritti-marga. Therefore they are bringing somebody, "Our interpretation is like this." Pravritti-marga [this is the path of sense gratifiers]. Because if they can find out some support from the shastra [scripture], then they think, "We are secure." This is going on. Pravrittim cha nivrittim jana na vidur asurah. The whole world is full of asuras, descendant of Hiranyakashipu [a notorious demon whose story is told in Srimad-Bhagavatam], and it is very difficult. But if we give them chance to chant Hare Krishna mantra, gradually they will understand.

Our difficulty: the so-called swamis, priests, popes, they are also in the pravritti-marga. All these, priests, and they have illicit sex. Pravritti-marga. So they are passing, "Yes, you can have homosex with man." They are getting man-to-man marriage. You know? They are performing the marriage ceremony between man to man in the open church. What class of men they are? And they are priest. Just see. Such degraded persons, drinking... They have got hospital for curing their drinking disease. Five thousand patients in a hospital in America, all drunkards, and they are priest. Just see. Simply by dressing long, what is called, overcoat?

SRUTAKIRTI: Cloak.

PRABHUPADA: Cloak and cross, they have become. In India also, simply having a thread, a brahmana. Two-paisa thread. That's all. And by simply one danda [staff or stick carried by renunciates], one is sannyasi. This is all over the world. Mussulman, having a long beard, he is Mussulman. Mussuleh iman. Musseleh means complete, and iman means honest. That is the meaning of Mussulman. Completely honest, completely devoted. Mussuleh iman.

We are not saying just "No sex." We don't say that. We simply say, "No illicit sex," and they do not like it. We don't say "No sex," but simply by saying, "No illicit sex," they don't like. Why? There is a Bengali song, "chakshe yadi lage bhala kena dadimali" (?) "If I want to see something beautiful, why shall I not see?" That is pravritti. "I want to do it. I like to do it. Why should you say, 'No'?" This is the position. "I like to do it. I must do it." This is called pravritti.

Civilization centered on sex

PRABHUPADA: Brahmacharya means complete cessation from sex life. This is brahmacharya. Tapasya begins, austerity. This is the greatest austerity, to cease sex. Tapasa brahmacharya. Our Vedic civilization, the boys are trained how to become brahmachari from the very beginning of life.

Our existentional position should be purified. How? Tapo, by tapasya. Tapo divyam putraka yena shuddhyet sattva [SB 5.5.1: "One who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of devotional service. By such activity, one's heart is purified, and when one attains this position, he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever."]. "And we are enjoying life. Why we should undergo tapasya?" And you are enjoying, but you are not enjoying; you are suffering. Even if you think you are enjoying, there are so many sufferings. That the foolish people, they do not know. Just like a healthy man, he thinks, "I am enjoying," but he does not see that even he is now healthy, he will be an old man, he will be attacked with disease, he will die, and still he thinks, "I am healthy." Janma-mrityu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-doshanudarshanam [Bg. 13.9: "observing the terrible distress of birth, death, old age, disease"]. Therefore the intelligent man will see that "Where is my enjoyment if I am going to die? I don't want to die, but I am going to die." That is sure, as sure as anything. And still the rascal will think that "I am happy." He will become old man, he will be attacked with disease, and still he is thinking that he is happy. Apart from this, there are so many other sufferings, but he thinks that he is happy. And that happiness is centered around sex. That's all. Yan maithunadi-grihamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45: "Sex life is compared to the rubbing of two hands to relieve an itch. Grihamedhis, so-called grihasthas [householders] who have no spiritual knowledge, think that this itching is the greatest platform of happiness, although actually it is a source of distress."]. Their only happiness is sex. Therefore in the Western countries they are simply trying to increase the sex enjoyment. That's all. Is it not?

DEVOTEES: Yes.

PRABHUPADA: The whole civilization is based on how to enjoy sex very nicely. This is their basic principle of civilization.

BRAHMANANDA: Always on the best-seller charts of the books there is always some book about how to enjoy sex.

PRABHUPADA: Just see. There are books here also, Kama-shastra. So sex enjoyment also you cannot enjoy unlimitedly. Then you will become impotent. Then you will have to call your wife as "mother," as some saintly person [Ramakrishna] did. He was indulging in sex in his young age, and when he was married he saw himself impotent, and therefore he invented some way that "I have realized Brahman. I can call my wife also 'mother.' " And he became famous—"Oh, he is so advanced. He has learned how to..." But in the history we will not find this. Even Vyasadeva had his wife, but he never said his wife, "mother."

BRAHMANANDA: Actually you're supposed to see other women as mother.

PRABHUPADA: Yes.

BRAHMANANDA: But not one's own wife.

PRABHUPADA: No. That is the injunction of the shastra [Vedic literatures]... Other's wife. Not that "Oh, my wife is also my mother." Just see. This lunacy is going on, and this lunatic man is taken as incarnation of God. This is going on.

This homosex propaganda is another side of impotency. So that is natural. If you enjoy too much, then you become impotent.

BRAHMANANDA: They are trying to make that more and more accepted in America, homosex.

PRABHUPADA: Yes. The churches accept. It is already law.