00:00 Cultural and social practices are time dependent.
00:11 So when we talk of India and specifically the Hindu communities association, rather
00:28 affinity with milk and milk products, that's a socio-cultural thing that does not really
00:42 have much to do with the essence of religion.
00:49 So India being an agrarian economy throughout her history and even today two-third of our
01:05 population is involved in agriculture, the role of the cow, the role of oxen was important.
01:28 And so from there came this association with the entire cow family.
01:40 But all of that was firstly in great limits and secondly a cultural practice.
02:02 Cultures must change in response to the realities of the times.
02:17 The essence of religion cannot change.
02:21 Culture has to adjust itself as per the prevailing conditions.
02:26 Sir, sorry I am interrupting, but when you say the essence of religion must not change,
02:32 what is this essence you are referring to?
02:35 That which we talked of in the previous question, that man lives as per his ego and the narrower
02:45 is the ego boundary, the greater is man's own suffering.
02:50 So this is the simple essence of all religion.
02:55 The more you live by your petty self-concept, the more you will suffer.
03:02 Therefore all religion truly is about liberation from the ego, nothing else.
03:10 You see when people talk of Shri Krishna, they often invoke the fact that he came from
03:25 a family of cowherds and he used to…
03:33 Yes, that he had great love for milk and butter and these things.
03:46 The essence of Krishna does not lie in his fondness towards milk.
03:55 The essence of Krishna lies in Srimad Bhagavad Gita and there is not a single verse in Srimad
04:06 Bhagavad Gita that speaks highly of milk or recommends milk consumption.
04:14 So this is something that we have to ask ourselves, what do we want to see as the essence of Krishna,
04:27 the timeless immortal essence of Krishna.
04:31 The fact that he would consume milk, ghee, butter or the fact that he very lucidly explains
04:42 over 18 chapters what it means to live, what it means to work and what it means to fight
05:00 through the battle of life.
05:04 Unfortunately Gita is not only a little hard to decode for most people but also living
05:13 by the Gita requires a certain honesty, a certain discipline, a certain sacrifice.
05:26 So most people would rather live by the mythology and the folklore associated with Shri Krishna
05:37 rather than his essence.
05:40 So that's what I ask people, I mean what does Krishna mean to you, milk and butter or Nishkama
05:46 Karma.
05:47 [Music]
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