So these two groups of cousin-brothers... Mahārāja Pāṇḍu had five sons and Dhṛtarāṣṭra had one hundred sons. So it is family, the same family, and it was understanding between them that when others beyond the family would come to attack them, they would join, 105 brothers, and fight. But when there was fight amongst themselves—one side, hundred brothers; one side, five brothers. Because a kṣatriya family, it is to be understood they must go on fighting. Even in their marriage there would be fighting. Without fighting, no marriage takes place in kṣatriya family. Kṛṣṇa had 16,108 wives, and almost in each time He had to fight, to gain the wife. It was a sporting. For kṣatriya to fight, it was a sporting. So he is perplexed whether this kind of fighting he should encourage or not.
Among themselves (Lect., Conv., & Letters)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Therefore, foodstuff made of these ingredients is nice, sāttvika, goodness. So the karma-vāda, that you follow morality you'll get good results... But where is your morality? Because you are disobedient to God. In the beginning of your life, you are immoral. You are disobeying the greatest authority. There is another example, a story, that a gang of thieves, they stolen some property from different houses, then out of the village they are dividing amongst themselves the booties. So one thief is saying, "Please divide it morally so that one may not be cheated." Now just imagine, the property is stolen. Where is the morality there? But when dividing, they are thinking of morality. The basic principle is immoral. Where you can have morality? Similarly, according to Vedic injunction, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is His property. So the whole planet is God's property, whole universe is God's property. But when we are claiming that this is my property, then where is morality? If you claim other's property as your property, then where is the morality?
There are two classes of men: vidvān, learned, and the fools, not learned, known as the fool. Human being, they are, of course, very intelligent than the animals. But amongst themselves there are more intelligent, less intelligent. On the whole, they are more intelligent than the animals.
"We are working." The leg said: "Yes, I am, whole day, I am walking." The hand says: "Yes, I am working whole day, wherever the body says: "You come here and pick up the food" bringing things cooking. I cooking also." Then the eyes, they said that: "I am seeing." So every limb, length of the body, they made a strike that, "No more we are going to work only for the stomach who is eating only. We are all working, and this man, or is stomach is eating only." Then the, the strike... Just like the capitalist and the worker. The worker under goes strike, no more working. So all these limbs, parts of the body, they observed striking, and after two, three days, when again they met, they talked amongst themselves that: "Why we are becoming weak? We cannot work now." You see. The legs also said: "Yes, I am feeling weak." Hands also feeling weak, everyone. So what is the cause? The cause... Then the stomach says: "Because I am not eating. So if you want to remain strong, then you must give me to eat. Otherwise... So I am the enjoyer. You are not enjoyer. You are to supply things for my enjoyment. That is your position." So they understood: "Yes, we cannot directly enjoy. It is not possible."
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are putting the candidate into practice. Without practice, simply knowledge is no good. That is... Simply foolishly to become puffed up that "I am now liberated," no. That is not liberation. That is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam elsewhere. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. Vimukta-māninaḥ. They're thinking that they have become liberated. Just like the Māyāvāda sannyāsīs, they address amongst themselves as "Nārāyaṇa." That means everyone has become Nārāyaṇa. The modern increase of incarnation of God means this Māyāvāda philosophy. Because in the Māyāvāda philosophy everyone thinks that he is God, Nārāyaṇa. "I have become Nārāyaṇa." Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). "Now I have become Nārāyaṇa." No. You cannot become Nārāyaṇa. You can become Nārāyaṇa's dāsa, servant. That is your healthy state.
Now, here you see. We are teaching our disciples to address amongst themselves "prabhu." This is not new thing. This is very old. Now Nārada is addressing Vyāsadeva, "prabhu," his disciple. His disciple, he's addressing prabhu. So we should give respect. Just like we address, "Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja." Although he's my disciple, but the respect should be given. Here, see, Nārada is addressing Vyāsadeva: "Prabhu." "My dear prabhu, still you are lamenting. You have done so nice, wonderful things and you are learned, you have asked about the transcendental subject matter, you have compiled so many nice books. Why? Why you are?" This question must be there just to apprehend that "What is the reason?"
That is human life, not that for senses gratification we work so hard like an ass. This is called anartha. Anartha means unwanted things. We can see practically. The birds and beasts, they are living very easy and comfortable life without any problem. They rise early in the morning regularly. You have seen. As soon as there is little light, immediately they will rise up and they will talk amongst themselves and go, one tree to another, and he will eat one or two fruits, little fruits, ample fruit. They have no scarcity of food. And live very pleasantly. For eating, sleeping, sex life, they have no problem. These are primary necessities of life. Why there should be problem for these things? But in the human society there is problem. That is called the effect of Kali-yuga. Effect of Kali-yuga means the so-called advancement of material civilization means to become godless, immoral, and they must suffer. That is going on.
This is the mistake of the modern world. Not only modern, this is the mistake of the material world. They do not know that everything belongs to God. That's a fact. We fight, "This is my land, this is your land," but fighting, we die, and the land is there. The land does not go with the fighters. They fight amongst themselves, "This is my land," "This is my land," but the land remains, and the persons fighting, they go away. This is the position. But still we do not understand that the land does not belong to either you or to me. It belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So anyway, just to establish, to remind us, Kṛṣṇa comes, so that "Any land does not belong to you." Bhoktāram, "I am the enjoyer," sarva-loka-maheśvaram, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." That's a fact.
So the political head, executive head, of course, he should be intelligent to understand diplomacy and politics, but his only business is to see how people in general are in happiness. That is his business. Nowadays political parties, they are simply engaged how to keep up their position. All the political parties—I have seen personally—simply they are making plan how to keep their position in the government so they may not be dethroned, other party may not come. The whole time is wasted. When they will think of "No, the people are suffering for want of food. The people are suffering for unnecessary increase of price, although things are available in the black market. How to manage this?" That is the duty of the government first. But nobody is caring. Hundreds and thousands of people are starving, unemployment, but they are getting their fat salary, and they are satisfied. Bring income tax and divide amongst themselves, that's all.
So He did not like that they should remain. They should also go back. Now, to go back means they must meet death after..., because otherwise it is unnatural. So... And who can kill them? Nobody can kill them. That is also another point. The family of Kṛṣṇa, there is no power in the whole world that anybody could kill them. So Kṛṣṇa planned that they should be killed amongst themselves by fighting. So another lesson is that if we fight amongst ourselves, even we belong to the family of Kṛṣṇa, we are ruined. This is the instance of Yadu-kula. Although they belonged to Kṛṣṇa's family directly, still, because they fought amongst themselves, they were all banished, vanquished.
So this was not a very palatable incident. So Vidura, when he was asked by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira about the family members of Yadu-kula, he did not describe it, because they were very thickly related as family members, so it would be a great shock to the Pāṇḍavas that Yadu-kula, descendants of the Yadu-kula, had been annihilated in such an unpalatable way. So he did not describe. Yathānubhūtaṁ kramaśaḥ. Ity ukto dharma-rājena sarvaṁ tat samavarṇayat. He described everything. Vinā yadu-kula-kṣayam. Vinā. Vinā means "without." Without the incidence, how the Yadu-kula was destroyed by fighting amongst themselves.
Pradyumna: Translation: "O King, since you have asked me about our friends and relatives in the city of Dvārakā, I will inform you that all of them were cursed by the brāhmaṇas, and as a result they all became intoxicated with wine made of purified rice and fought among themselves with sticks, not even recognizing one another. Now all but four or five of them are dead and gone." (SB 1.15.22-23)
Prabhupāda: I think this editing was wrong, "purified." What is called, fermented, petrified? Putrefied. So instead of "putrefied," it has been "purified." Editing. Yes, rice... They, in India still... Because in India still, no gentleman, brāhmaṇa, at least brāhmaṇas, those who are strictly following brāhmaṇa principles, they do not drink. Neither the kṣatriyas. Kṣatriyas, they are allowed to drink in some particular function. That is also very rarely. And vaiśyas, they do not drink. Śūdras, some of them. Those who are less than śūdras, they drink, and they make their own liquor at home. They boil the rice, and with water, they keep it for few days, it becomes fermented, putrefied, and it becomes intoxicating, home-made liquor. And if you distill it, then it becomes first-class, brandy. So it is not that liquor drinking was not existing. There was. But who drunk, that is stated here, that vipra-śāpa-vimūḍhānām, those who were cursed, vimūḍhānām. And being cursed, they were bewildered. Vipra-śāpa.
So he immediately cursed—vipra—that "Yes, what is there in the womb, that will be the cause of destroying your whole family." So when they were cursed, the came to their senses: "What you have done?" So actually, it was a stone. So they began to rub the stone so that there will be no existence of the stone. Rubbing, rubbing, rubbing, rubbing—that pulp and water, that was distributed, and all of them became sticks. So then, after that, they became intoxicated, and they could not understand amongst themselves who is friend, who is enemy, and took those sticks and began to beat one another. In this way they died. This is the story. You know It is stated in the Kṛṣṇa book.
So our point is to know this is a play only, background. Actually, Kṛṣṇa wanted to take them away. And nobody could kill them. Therefore He planned a killing plan amongst themselves. This is the fact. But we should know that vipra-śāpa-vimūḍhānām: if any person is cursed by vipra, brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava, then they are finished. Therefore according to the Vedic civilization, brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas are always honored so that they may not be dissatisfied. This is the rule. Brāhmaṇa and Vaiṣṇava. The devotees and the brāhmaṇas. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Those who are spiritually advanced, such persons should not be offended.
So here the example is given, jalaukasāṁ jale yadvan mahāntaḥ adanti. Adanti means swallows up. Similarly, when the Yadus became very powerful... Because they are descendants of Kṛṣṇa, who can be...? So they were fighting anywhere, conquering anywhere, and everywhere they were victorious. So that was bhū-bhārān. Bhū-bhārān means burden of the world. When one becomes extravagant and misuses his power, that is burden of the world. You cannot misuse your... You get power by the grace of God, by grace of Kṛṣṇa. If you misuse it, then you become a burden, a burden. As soon as there is burden, then it is dharmasya glāniḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). As soon as there is a misuse of power, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham, He comes. So Yadu-vaṁśa, Kṛṣṇa's dynasty, when Kṛṣṇa saw that they are becoming so powerful, that unnecessarily they are fighting, therefore to kill them, that fighting spirit was engaged for fighting amongst themselves, one another.
This is diplomacy. This is diplomacy. We have seen it in Pakistan. As soon as they cannot rule over, they cannot, but they (indistinct), "Oh, the Hindus are our enemy. Kashmir, he has taken." Attention is diverted and they declare war, and again become defeated. So this kind of war is not required. This kind of war is not required. But war is there already, struggle for existence. Just like here, when Kṛṣṇa saw that the Yadu dynasty is becoming... On the strength of Kṛṣṇa, they have become so powerful that they (are) unnecessarily fighting, so Kṛṣṇa wanted that His family, may be..., it may not be degraded farther, so He wanted to kill them. And who can kill them? No outsider can kill them, they are Kṛṣṇa's descendants, that is not possible. Therefore yadūn yadubhir anyonyaṁ bhū-bhārān sañjahāra ha, they fighting amongst themselves, they reduced the burden of the world.
So that is our aim. Our aim is not to produce cats and dogs. There are so many cats and dogs, the world is not happy. Now there is need of producing nice children, sober, gentle, devotee of Kṛṣṇa, good brain, good character. These things are required. So they were not unwanted children, these Yadus. This is a make-show (indistinct) other. They came, they are all demigods, they descended just to fulfill Kṛṣṇa's mission. Kṛṣṇa's mission, Kṛṣṇa came down so all the confidential servants of Kṛṣṇa, they also appeared to help Him in different... So when Kṛṣṇa wanted to go, He wanted to go with the descendants also, who came to help Him. So this is a make-show that the Yadus fought amongst themselves. The real purpose is, Kṛṣṇa wanted to take them away. Otherwise, superficially, when one becomes unnecessarily powerful, disturbs the world situation, he's a burden. He's a burden. That kind of burden is vanquished by Kṛṣṇa's desire, will. There must be some catastrophe like war, pestilence, famine, and everything will be finished.
So hearing all the details how Kṛṣṇa has gone back to His abode and how the Yadu dynasty was destroyed by fighting amongst themselves, so naturally... Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja was very sober and very advanced. He thought what to do next. Everyone should think that... The Yadu dynasty, they belonged directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nobody could conquer them, but still, they were also finished by... Others could not conquer them, but they fought amongst themselves, and then vanquished.
Therefore this Yadu dynasty was placed amongst themselves. Because there was no other person to kill the Yadu..., and any one of the Yadu dynasty. Therefore this fratricidal war was manufactured and they died. Yayāharad bhuvo bhāraṁ tāṁ tanuṁ vijahāv ajaḥ, kaṇṭakaṁ kaṇṭakena. Kaṇṭakaṁ kaṇṭakena. Just like if you have got some thorn pricked in your leg, you take another thorn and get it out. This is the law of nature. One demon is killed by another demon. That is the keeping balance. There is war. We have experience. One demonic nation has grown up very strong, so immediately another demonic nation declares war, or he declares war—both of them are finished. This is going on.
Prabhupāda: (aside:) Don't move the leg, not... Ah.
Pradyumna: "To give them relief from this mental agony, Sūta Gosvāmī assured them that the Lord caused the members of the Yadu dynasty to relinquish their bodies."
Prabhupāda: Yes, everyone will be sorry, that "How Kṛṣṇa's descendants could fight amongst themselves and die like this?" It was not very happy to think by other devotees. Therefore the explanation is given. Go on.
Pradyumna: "...by which they had to take away the burden of the world. The Lord and His eternal associates appeared on earth to help the administrative demigods in eradicating the burden of the world."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yadā yadā hi dharma... The beginning of Kṛṣṇa's appearance... You know that in the Kṛṣṇa book, how Kṛṣṇa appeared. There was an appeal by the earth, mother earth, that she is overburdened with demons, and it was unbearable for her what to do. So this petition was submitted to Viṣṇu by Brahmā, and Viṣṇu replied that "Kṛṣṇa is coming and He will do the needful." This was the beginning. So as soon as there is yadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ (BG 4.7), the planet becomes overburdened by the sinful demons, so they require to be moved and the burden lessened. That was the function of Kṛṣṇa's coming.
Pradyumna: "He therefore called for some of the confidential demigods to appear in the Yadu family and serve Him in His great mission. After the mission was fulfilled, the demigods, by the will of the Lord, relinquished their corporeal bodies by fighting amongst themselves in the madness of intoxication. The demigods are accustomed to drinking soma-rasa beverage, and therefore the drinking of wine..."
Prabhupāda: Now, we can take one lesson that intoxication is so bad that it had a bad effect in the family of God, Yadu dynasty. And what to speak of others? Intoxication is so bad. Go on.
Pradyumna: "Therefore the drinking of wine and intoxication are not unknown to them. Sometimes they were put into trouble for indulging in intoxication. Once the sons of Kuvera fell in the wrath of Nārada for being intoxicated, but afterwards they regained their original forms by the grace of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa."
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is goodness. One may be intoxicated. When he comes to his senses that "This is not good," then he is godly. That is the difference. But the demon cannot understand that. They continue. Just like our devotees. They are all godly. Because they had some bad habits, it doesn't matter. But they have given up. That is difference between the demons and the devotees. A devotee understands what is what and he does according to the direction of God. Therefore he is demigod. And the demons, they will never agree. That is the difference.
Now, these classes of men, who goes to the government post by votes, mostly they are, their qualification is lubdhai rājanya, greedy government men. Nirghṛṇair dasyu-dhar... Their business is plundering. Their business is plundering you. We actually see that they are, every year they are exacting heavy tax, and whatever money is received, they divide amongst themselves, and the citizens' condition remain the same. In every government we can see like that. Prajā dasyu-dharmabhiḥ. In this way, gradually, all people will be so much harassed, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā, that they will like to give up their family. Ācchinna. Dāra. Dāra means wife, and draviṇā means money. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam. They will in the forest. Then these symptoms are also there.
That is perfect government. That is the duty of the government. To see the citizens happy in this life. They have no grievance for their living condition. They are happy. At the same time, they are preparing for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is good government. And the government who simply levies taxes somehow or other... Every year, the budget is increasing tax. "You give us tax, and you go to hell. It doesn't matter. You give us tax." And the tax is divided amongst themselves. That is government. Whatever... We know in India, the tax collected, eighty percent is spent among the government servants. That's all.
One who is avaiṣṇava, he cannot become guru. Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. A brāhmaṇa, and he is very expert in ṣaṭ-karma... Ṣaṭ-karma means six kinds of occupational duties. What is that? Paṭhana. A brāhmaṇa must be very, very learned scholar by reading Vedic literature, and pāṭhana, and teach others of the Vedic literature. Therefore it was the custom of the brāhmaṇas—they would not accept anyone's service. They will sit down anywhere and open a school for teaching Vedic literature. Paṭhana pāṭhana. He will personally become learned, and he will teach others. And the students, they will go from door to..., brahmacārī, door to door for begging, "Mother, give me some alms," and they will give because their students are there in the gurukula or catuṣpāṭhī. So whatever they will bring, that will be cooked and offered to Kṛṣṇa, and the prasādam will be distributed amongst themselves. This was the process, not twenty rupees' fee and give some bribe to enter into the school, and that is also all rascal education, no. First-class education, without any fee, from the realized soul—that was educational system, varṇāśrama-dharma.
So everyone can possess that status of life. So this is niścaya. If we understand Kṛṣṇa philosophy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, rightly, then there will be no doubt by intelligence. Without intelligence, nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Dull-headed, poor fund of knowledge, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān (BG 7.19). Actually, those who are thinking they are jñānīs, they are not jñānīs. They are still in māyā, darkness, because they think that they have finished their business; now they have become liberated. They have become Nārāyaṇa. Instead of separate Nārāyaṇa, each, every one them, is Nārāyaṇa. They address amongst themselves, "Nārāyaṇa." That is their foolishness. At least you must show the four hands of Nārāyaṇa. Where is your four hand? You are begging, and you are Nārāyaṇa? What kind of Nārāyaṇa you are? Now daridra-nārāyaṇa they have manufactured. "Yes, I am Nārāyaṇa, but daridra-nārāyaṇa." But we do not know daridra-nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa is Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. He is the husband of Lakṣmī.
Festival Lectures
So śāstra says that ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "So these people, although they are thinking of themself as liberated, they have become liberated..." The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs address amongst themselves: namo nārāyaṇa. "Namo nārāyaṇa" means every one of them has become a Nārāyaṇa. This is their philosophy. And from this namo nārāyaṇa principle, Vivekananda Swami has manufactured the word "daridra-nārāyaṇa." So Nārāyaṇa has become very cheap thing for them. Everyone has become Nārāyaṇa; everyone has become God. Just like the rascal God is now in the hospital. God is under operation. (laughter) A "guruji" God. So they have no shame even that "If I am God, I cannot cure my bodily pains, what kind of God I am?" But these rascals will proclaim that they are God, and there is set of rascals, they will accept, "Oh, here is God." Vivekananda also said that "Why you are finding out God? Don't you see, so many gods are loitering in the street?" So God has become a funny thing for them. No. We do not accept such God. Our God is different.
If the factory man knows that he is not the proprietor, he is not the enjoyer of the profit—the enjoyer of the profit is the proprietor of the factory, and we are worker—then there is peace. And if the workers fight amongst themselves, that "I am the proprietor," falsely, then there is chaos. There is no production, chaos. Similarly, if we fight ourselves, amongst ourselves, that "I am proprietor of India; you are proprietor of America; you are proprietor of Germany," this is false conception of life. Real proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. If we know this, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasam... Kṛṣṇa says that "Bhokta, I am bhokta, I am the enjoyer." Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasaṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29), "I am the final proprietor, or the supreme proprietor," that's a fact; then there is peace.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So if you simply take Kṛṣṇa's word, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Here is a chance. This Deity worship... When we see the form of Kṛṣṇa, naturally our mind is impressed that "Here is Kṛṣṇa; here is Rādhārāṇī; here is Jagannātha." So if you come daily and see Kṛṣṇa at least once-man-manā bhava mad-bhaktoḥ—where is the difficulty? But people are so much engrossed. Their education is so low grade. Just now, when I was coming from Bhuvaneśvara, the next room, next apartment, was occupied by some young men. As they were talking, it appeared they were educated, medical practitioner. They were addressing amongst themselves, "Dr. this," "Dr. this..." (break)
So our mission is para-upakāra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, para-upakāra. This para-upakāra mission was entrusted to the Indians. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, bhārata bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra (CC Adi 9.41)—"to the human beings," not to the cats and dogs. Unfortunately, we have become like cats and dogs. We do not take the responsibility of an Indian. It is the duty of the Indian.
General Lectures
So if you depend on Kṛṣṇa, because He's the supreme father, fully, then all your needs... He's already supplying you all the needs of your life. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. That is the distinction between God and ordinary being. There are... God is also a living being like you and me. He's also a person, as you are person, I am person. But the difference is that one person is providing all the necessities of unlimited persons. And we unlimited persons, we are dependent on God. This is our philosophy. Another philosophy is that everything belongs to God; nothing belongs to us. That's a fact. Therefore as sons of God, everyone has got the right to use father's property. But he should not take more than he needs. That is our philosophy. If one takes more than what he needs, then he becomes a criminal. So similarly, we can live very comfortably on this planet, because this planet belongs to God. We should not designate ourself as "Englishman," as "American," as "Indian," as "African," and fight amongst themselves. We should always know that we are all sons of God. The property is God's. We can use whatever we need by the grace of God—the supply is there; there is no question of scarcity—and thus save your time, be peaceful, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: All mankind, what does he mean all? Everyone is individual. What does he mean? This is not very good, intelligent.
Hayagrīva: Yes. He sees the material worlds as being isolated. He says, "There is then a bond between the worlds, but this bond may be regarded as infinitely loose in comparison with the mutual dependence which unites the parts of the same world among ourselves," excuse me, "which unites the parts of the same world among themselves. So that it is not artificially for reasons of mere convenience that we isolate our solar system. Nature itself invites us to isolate it." So this, this calls to mind the image of a prison house. The isolation of the world, as far as man is concerned, is isolation imposed by material nature on the conditioned.
Prabhupāda: He is isolated. He is thinking in the wrong way. Just like in the prison house every prisoner, every, every criminal is different from other criminal. So everyone has to suffer the consequence of his criminal activities, so every individual person is suffering or enjoying according to his past deeds. So there cannot be any combination. Then we forget the individuality. That is not possible.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Somebody must be there. So monkeys, they are now taking advantage, that these people have got some eatables. Therefore, Darwin's theory is from monkey. That's a fact. From the monkey, cow, and lion, the next birth is human life. So vimṛśya loka-vyasanaṁ kṛpaya ucuḥ sma satriṇaḥ, they began to discuss how to mitigate the troubles of the people. They began to discuss that aho ubhayataḥ prāptaṁ lokasya vyasanaṁ mahat. People, they are now disturbed both ways. One way, the king is a rascal. Another way is that taking advantage of the bad king, the thieves and rogues, they are also very powerful. So just see how the saintly persons became compassionate to the people that they are both ways. Actually at the present moment, people are disturbed by unnecessary taxes, at the same time bad elements. So without proper king, without nice state, everyone is unhappy. And that is going on nowadays. In the Kali-yuga, it will go on continual, and more and more people will be unhappy.
- arājaka-bhayād eṣa
- kṛto rājātad-arhaṇaḥ
- tato 'py āsīd bhayaṁ tv adya
- kathaṁ syāt svasti dehinām
- (SB 4.14.9)
If people are disturbed in this way, both ways, from the state side and from the rogue side, then how they will live peacefully? Just like we sometimes say that if the politicians and the statesmen they are so irresponsible, fighting amongst themselves to capture the power, where is the time for them to think of people's welfare? They cannot. It is not possible. The same thing happened there. Tato api āsīd bhayaṁ tu adya kathaṁ syāt svasti dehinām. Svasti means peacefulness, dehinām, of the embodied living entities, dehinām.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Sattvam eva jayate.
Prabhupāda: Ah. So this is sattvaṁ jayate. It must come out triumphant. We have to try for... How foolishly they are propagating a false theory, and amongst themselves self-complacent, getting prize, eulogization. What is this nonsense? Expose them. Bluffing. The bluffing should be exposed. What you are doing here?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: What they are doing here?
Śrutakīrti: I think they have been taking out those posts from the sand. A little dangerous.
Prabhupāda: Dangerous, why?
Śrutakīrti: When the water covers them, they can't be seen. Someone can get hurt on them.
Prabhupāda: So many dangers. (break) So there are no more talks in your...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, there is a talk coming next week. There is a lecturer coming next week. He's slightly connected with evolution. He's a Nobel Prize winner. He's from Berkeley. He's coming next week, next Wednesday. He is going to give two lectures in our department. He is going to talk on evolution. The first lecture.
Prabhupāda: Darwin.
Yaśomatīnandana: This is a question of the standard of peace.
Devotees: (discuss among themselves)
Prabhupāda: Then if you say like that, then United Nations is not better than us, you have to accept. If we cannot give peace, and they are not giving peace, then why they are so big organization?
Karandhara: They will say because it is a better organization.
Prabhupāda: They cannot answer. They simply give, they can give simply words, that's all. "United," they're speaking of unity, only flags are increasing. Daily another flag, another flag, another flag, and the flags will never unite. And still they are advertising "United Nations."
Yaśomatīnandana: When the war starts, United States...
Prabhupāda: Yes, in America, they started, United Nations, but they are going to fight with the Vietnam. United Nations.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: It is recorded in the court. There was a court case, and it was found that Gopālajī belongs to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Who, who was pressing the court case?
Prabhupāda: It was amongst themselves.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: To see who should get the right to worship.
Prabhupāda: In Delhi there is a lawyer. He told me. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21).
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It would be really wonderful if Sumatiben would decide to support our temple because the entire Gujarati community of Bombay follows her direction. They really do, especially in these matters. And she is known to be the chairman of... (break)
Prabhupāda: (to Patel) You are śānta-bhakta.
Dr. Patel: Am I?
Prabhupāda: Śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, and mādhurya.
Prabhupāda: They were killers.
Dr. Patel: Otherwise, they would not have said, "Thou shall not kill."
Prabhupāda: Why the first commandment is there, "Thou shall not kill"? They were fighting and killing amongst themselves. Not very advanced nation. And he was horrified when he saw that the Jews were killing animals.
Dr. Patel: In the temple.
Prabhupāda: In the temple.
Dr. Patel: Not only that. They were, I mean, doing all that money-changing and taking bribes and all that. I think he...
Prabhupāda: Well, that is professional... It is not very. So everyone takes bribe and everyone is interested in money than anything. That is not very great fault. You see. When you are in the material world, you require money. That is fact.
Dr. Patel: Americans are very clever at using money.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They have made a clique with the managers of the foundation, and they present by literature all lies. The subject matter is India. "Oh, so many people are starving, so many..." In this way they take money from the managers, and it is divided amongst themselves.
Dr. Patel: They are the (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bhava-bhūti: Also, Prabhupāda, there was one report that the Red Cross, seventy-five percent of the money collected went on advertising.
Prabhupāda: Just see.
Dr. Patel: America is living on advertisement. Right or wrong? I have been studying American, I mean, psychology.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That I understand.
Prabhupāda: Abuddhayaḥ. So these Māyāvādīs are abuddhayaḥ. They are not intelligent.
Mr. Sar: No intelligence.
Prabhupāda: And in Bhāgavata it is said, aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. The plural number is there, aviśuddha, that "intelligence is not yet clear." Aviśuddha. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Ye 'nye 'ravindakṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. But they are thinking that they have become liberated. Now you call... They address amongst themselves, "Nārāyaṇa." "Nārāyaṇa."
Mr. Sar:
- etad yonīni bhūtāni
- sarvāṇīty upadhāraya
- ahaṁ kṛtsnasya jagataḥ
- prabhavaḥ pralayas tathā
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Dr. Patel: They are two yoni.
Prabhupāda: Now, etad yonīni, all kinds of species or forms of life, or whatever you see, they are simply combination of this para-prakṛti and aparā-prakṛti. But both the prakṛtis coming from Kṛṣṇa, janmādyasya yataḥ, He is the actual, actual cause of everything.
Prabhupāda: First of all, the thing is that our principle is vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. Those who are sinful rogues, to kill them. Now, we have to judge whether the fascist, he is sinful or the person attacking the fascist, he is sinful. If both of them are of the same category, then where to use violence or to use nonviolence? Now... Formerly, there was fight between nation to nation and now, we have seen in Italy—I was in Rome—now they are fighting amongst themselves.
Prof. Regamay: Awfully.
Prabhupāda: Amongst themselves. Now they will fight in the family. So people are becoming so degraded. They require all to be killed.
Prof. Regamay: Yes. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: The fascist and the non-fascist and this and everyone... And that is being prepared, the atomic bomb. You see? They will be all killed, nature's way. You see? They have become so sinful. I am speaking this freely because you are a gentleman, but the civilization, modern civilization, everyone is addicted to intoxication, everyone is flesh-eating, everyone is illicit sex, everyone is addicted to gambling. So where is pure person? They require all to be killed, fascist and non-fascist. Because according to Bhagavad..., paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). All these people, under different names.
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: They had... At first they had little chocolate and they rationed it out that "You get a little bit of chocolate," and little bit of liquid they had. And so they rationed it out until that was finished. Then they took a vote amongst themselves. "Well, what shall we do? Shall we eat human flesh or shall we simply starve to death?" So they voted amongst themselves that "Yes, we should do this." There were some men, one or two, that would not do it and they died. They refused to do it, and they died. Others, they did.
Yogeśvara: They made some... Afterwards they had to... There was some discussion, some philosophy. They were actually discussing. And there was one person there who was explaining to the others that "We must eat this flesh to stay alive but it's not so wrong since the soul has left the body." He said, "The spirit has left these bodies, so you shouldn't consider it to be quite so bad. We're obliged to do this."
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is not unreasonable. It was a question of selection. Otherwise, to subsist, to eat the dead bodies, flesh, that is not very abominable. That can be accepted. But it is the selection whether one will eat. That is another thing. Otherwise dead body's flesh is as good as anything else because it is matter.
Prabhupāda: So use this. This is one of the business. Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyaṁ vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). We don't stop trade. We don't stop food, producing food grains. But we want to stop these killing houses. It is very, very sinful. Therefore in Europe, so many wars. Every ten years, fifteen years, there is a big war and wholesale slaughter of the whole human kind. And these rascals, they do not see it. The reaction must be there. You are killing innocent cows and animals. Nature will take revenge. Wait for that. As soon as the time is ripe, the nature will gather all these rascals, and club, slaughter them. Finished. They will fight amongst themselves, Protestant and Catholic, Russian and France, and France and Germany. This is going on. Why? This is the nature's law. Tit for tat. You have killed. Now you become killed. Amongst yourselves. They are being sent to the slaughterhouse. And here, you'll create slaughterhouse, "Dum! dum!" and killed, be killed. You know. You showed me?
Bhagavān: Yeah, French guillotine.
Prabhupāda: You are all fools. You are all fools. Therefore you have no philosophy. You cannot understand philosophy.
Yogeśvara: He says, "God is beyond philosophy and words."
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: That is how he brainwashes them.
Paramahaṁsa: The impersonalists have agreed amongst themselves that "As many theories, as many ways to God."
Prabhupāda: But God says, "Although there are many ways, you give them up. You take to this only. Surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Their many ways means there are many kinds of men. So in the śāstra sometimes the attempt is to bring every one of them to bhakti-yoga.
Paramahaṁsa: But they argue that no matter, all ways, all paths lead to Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Paramahaṁsa: They argue that all paths lead to Kṛṣṇa. So why is one better than another?
Prabhupāda: If you know that all paths leads to Kṛṣṇa, then why don't you take this path? Why you are going round about way? If somebody asks you, "Where is your nose?" What is the use of showing like this. (laughter) Show like this. If you know really nose. But you do not know. Therefore you are going like this.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: It has been confirmed in the court that this Deity belongs to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas. There was big case amongst themselves, and the court gave judgement that "This Deity belongs to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava."
Acyutānanda: Oh. When was that court case?
Prabhupāda: Say, about four, five years ago. No, about ten to fifteen years ago.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Recently.
Acyutānanda: Who represented the Gauḍīya...?
Prabhupāda: Nobody, but from the history it was found that it belonged to Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava. That... In Delhi one lawyer is there. He knows. He told me. (long pause)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In our society, some devotees have an idea to spend money by employing professional men to advertise our society in so many different ways through advertising campaigns, etc. My idea is that our money should be spent on direct preaching. In other words, that can't...
Prabhupāda: Then we are spending advertisement, for?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, sometimes I know... Just... I mean they hire professional firms to assist in public relations work.
Prabhupāda: Not in... What is that?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: As an example, last year at Ratha-yātrā, two thousand dollars were spent to hire a professional group to assist them in making up the advertisements and other things, giving them guidance, general assistance...
Prabhupāda: If you get really assistance, there is no harm. Just like sometimes we go to the court; we pay to the lawyer because we are not expert. In that sense, it can be spent.
Pañcadraviḍa: Recently, this Bhutto of Pakistan, he was very happy because they were talking about lifting a ten-year holding on arms from the United States, and now, they say, Pakistan will soon get arms from America.
Prabhupāda: Yes, they are getting. They are already getting. The Pakistan will start the war with India. And then everything will be...
Devotees: Oh! Whew!
Devotee: Pakistan will start a war... (devotees talking among themselves.)
Pañcadraviḍa: They have started the war maybe eight times.
Prabhupāda: (Aside:) Hmm? No, we can go.
Pañcadraviḍa: What will the devotees do while the war is going on?
Prabhupāda: Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Devotees: Jaya! (laughter)
Prabhupāda: You have got only business.
Pañcadraviḍa: Will we stay in the cities or will...?
Prabhupāda: We can stay anywhere. We have got our Māyāpur, Vṛndāvana. But the danger is the government will say that "All Americans go away." That is the danger. I am thinking of that position. What shall I do at that time?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Take Indian citizenship?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Indian citizenship?
Prabhupāda: If you take, it is very nice. Then they will ask you to go to war. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: That is their defect. They theorize, but when it is practically going to be done, "No money. Get taxes." They will levy tax, and the tax will be divided amongst themselves, that's all.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Especially now all the governments all over the world are broke. They have no money.
Prabhupāda: There will be very, very big chaos, this godless civilization. And it is distinctly said, "There will be no grain, no sugar, no milk." These things will be stopped. Eat your sons and daughter. You are very much fond of eating meat. Eat your son. They will do that. I think they are doing now. You know that?
Guest: In Africa, yes.
Prabhupāda: Not Africa.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: In Vietnam, Śrīla Prabhupāda, I heard that the North Vietnamese and Vietcong were killing...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Now they are killing child in the womb. That killed child is taken in the hotel.
Brahmānanda: There was a report that that was going on in New York.
Prabhupāda: Yes?
Brahmānanda: Yes.
Dr. Copeland: Oh, yes. (laughs) Keep up the good humor. (Devotees laugh)
Prabhupāda: Jaya.
Dr. Copeland: Namaskāra.
Prabhupāda: Somebody else was to come?
Madhudviṣa: I think one more was to come. (Devotees talk amongst themselves in background)
Śrutakīrti: So he "had to run."
Madhudviṣa: He said at the end, "I am done." (laughs)
Prabhupāda: I am done?
Madhudviṣa: Yeah, he said, "I am done."
Prabhupāda: What is that meaning?
Madhudviṣa: It means that you have finished him. (Prabhupāda laughs) They are... They have such a misunderstanding of the philosophy coming from India. When they come to see you they think that you will be very liberal-minded because they have received this liberal-mindedness from so many other bogus swamis, and when they come to see you, you are very conservative. You will not accept anyone else. So they cannot agitate their mind. They cannot do their muni thing. So many other swamis come, and they accept this, accept that, do this, and do that, and simply stress, "The follower is right."
Prabhupāda: They will say to him, "Love humanity."
Madhudviṣa: Yes.
Gurukṛpa: No, we are doing that anyway. We are doing that anyway. To pick these flowers daily, they are going so many places and being chased away. They would rather see them rot than to give them to us. They don't let us pick. (break)
Prabhupāda: All nonsense. They are professing I am Christian, I am Hindu, I am Muslim, but they are enemies, one another. So where is their religion? Just see, common sense. Even the animals, amongst themselves, they do not say "Keep out." Sit down together. They sit down actually. The birds, beasts of the same position, they keep together. Birds of the same feather flock... But human being, having, professing so many religions-enemies. This is their civilization. They discover better religion, but enemies to the animal, to the man, everyone. Therefore Bhāgavata religion is meant for persons who are not enemies. Paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). That is religion. We have come to here from India not as enemy but as friend, to give you Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is dharma. Although politically they are enemies-India is thinking "America is my enemy," or America is thinking "India is my enemy"—we do not think like that. We go everywhere, take Kṛṣṇa consciousness, be happy. This is our business. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām. "Private. Keep out."
Cyavana: The capitalists are so anxious for money that they exploit this tendency of the living entity to enjoy by tempting him. Every year they create some new way to entice him.
Prabhupāda: And taxation. And the taxation is divided among them. The tax is meant for public welfare. Instead of public welfare, they divide it amongst themselves and enjoy wine, women, motorcar and flesh. That's all. This is going on. All this income tax-plundering process. This income tax means a plan how to take away everything from the actually earning members of the society. That is income tax. And that is divided amongst administrators. That's all.
Cyavana: Here it is very prominent. The workers in the fields, they are barely making enough to live from day to day. But the planters who live in France, they are taking millions of rupees and living very comfortably.
Prabhupāda: Therefore Communism is coming. Go this way?
Cyavana: Is it this way? We can go this way. This way. Or better this way. Now he's coming the other way.
Prabhupāda: (break) ...create another danger. Just like airplane. It is comfortable. You can quickly go from one place to another. But as soon as on the plane, immediately your life is at risk. There is no certainty. So this is the way of material world. You create some comfort and you create some greater danger also. Side by side. It cannot be unhampered comfort. That is not possible. You create a motorcar—the same thing—you drive very speedy and you meet accident. Railway, the accident. There was no need. You produce your food locally and produce your milk. Then eat, drink, and live comfortably. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Make your life successful. Yad uttama-śloka-guṇānuvarṇanam (SB 1.5.22). And if you have got education, then describe the glories of the Lord by your scientific and educational qualification. (break) The rain is coming. We can go this way. Yad uttama-śloka-guṇānuvarṇanam (SB 1.5.22).
Brahmānanda: This is going on in the United Nations now.
Prabhupāda: It will go because they are all thieves. When the stolen property is to be divided, there will be fight.
Cyavana: Like a band of pirates. They always fight amongst themselves and kill each other.
Prabhupāda: That is natural. When they plunder, they are united, and when they share, there will be fight. This is psychology. When plundering others' property they will unite and take the whole thing, and then, when they come for sharing, there will be fight. This is the psychology everywhere. Therefore there are so many parties. Just like in India the... Of course, Congress Party was the predominant to fight with the Britishers. And as soon as they got independence, so many hundred thousand parties grew up: the Congress Party, the RSS party, the Hindu-mazara(?) party, the Muslim League party, this party, this party. And then they began to fight. This is the way. Senayor eva sa ucyate. All these thieves and rascal, rogues... God's property, why you should fight amongst themselves? Property belongs to somebody else. Insanity. Just like this is government park. Anyone can come in. Everyone can equally enjoy. So why not make the whole world as Kṛṣṇa's park? What is the difficulty? Actually it is the fact. Why do you claim? Now we have come. If you say, "No, this portion belongs to us," and another, "This portion belongs to us," then there will be fight. And if we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, every one of us, that if they see Kṛṣṇa's property, so let us enjoy. What is the cause of fighting? The hotels are the centers for all kinds of sinful activity. Huh? Illicit sex, drinking, gambling and meat-eating. No discrimination.
Dr. Patel: (Hindi) They fight among themselves for nothing.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So they are keeping them cats and dogs by education, culture, and they want to be happy. How it is possible? First of all let them come to the standard of human being. Then there is question of peace and happiness. They are kept as cats and dogs, and how there can be peace? You cannot make any peace in the dog society. That is not possible. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So that consciousness can come only when one is spiritually educated. If he is simply engaged for satisfying the senses, material, then he remains a cat and dog. You cannot expect any peace.
Dr. Patel: I think the greatest damage done to this civilization of Aryans of India was by MacCauley, who introduced the British system of education.
Prabhupāda: But why you accepted that? (laughter) Why you accepted? Then why don't you accept? You should have refused.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Hṛdayānanda: In every class he would smoke at least four or five cigarettes. He was so nervous. (break)
Prabhupāda: The living entity is victimized, and in this life you can adventure to conquer over it. This is human life. The cats and dogs, they cannot fight with māyā, but a human being, he can fight. So if we don't fight, we don't take that adventure, then we remain cats and dogs. The cats and dogs, they fight amongst themselves but not with the māyā. So aborigines, although they have got features of human being, they are no more than the cats and dogs. So they also fight amongst themselves. They do not know that the fighting spirit should be utilized to declare war against māyā. That is possible in human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This fighting is philosophy. "What is the ultimate cause? What is Brahman? What I am?" Fighting against darkness, sleeping. Kota nidrā jāo māyā-piśācīra kole. Everyone is sleeping on the lap of māyā. Now, this human form of life is not for sleeping but for awakening and fight with māyā. That is human life. (break) You were reading the other day why the sun changes color after rising?
Jagadīśa: The refraction of the light rays.
Prabhupāda: No... What? What, was your pro...?
Madhudviṣa: Well, last evening we were saying that sex life according to the regulative principles means sex life only when the guru tells the gṛhastha to have sex life. And what I said last night is that if that is the case, then there would be no more gṛhasthas in the society. They will not... They will not become gṛhasthas.
Prabhupāda: Be practical.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So that point they can discuss amongst themselves, but that doesn't have anything to do with our resolutions. Right?
Devotee: Yeah. This is the idea.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In other words, our resolutions are on another point, that as far as when they, when they have sex life and when they don't, they should have a committee and they can decide that. But... Resolutions we passed have nothing to do with that. Our resolutions had to do with if someone is not to be supported by the movement, things like this. Those things are a different matter. The actual way the gṛhasthas should live, that is their... They should decide that by committee.
Prabhupāda: But, he lives on the lap of mother, that's all.
That is child. Child is satisfied on the lap of the mother, that's what I am saying. He doesn't.... The child doesn't care, "I have to know the father." But there is father, that's a fact. That means the present civilization is childish civilization. Does not care to know the father. So, whether the human civilization will remain child, children. They fight amongst themselves. Children, however you can.... "My dear children, live peacefully." So for the time being they may be. Again they will fight, they will cry. That is going on. What the United Nations has done? For the last forty years, they're fighting like children or animals. So you keep..., if you keep them as child or animals, do you think there will be peace? That is not possible. It is to the talking of big, big words for peace. That is not possible. It is futile attempt. They're talking of big, big wars (indistinct), that is not possible. I think in Melbourne I, in my press interview, I said if the United Nations is working.
Ambarīṣa: I just came from Vancouver from the Habitat Conference. The U.N. is having a Habitat Conference in Vancouver, and they (indistinct) is not united, their discussions and arguments. Sometimes there are walkouts, so many things, and they're not able to reach any conclusions, they can't agree with each other.
Prabhupāda: How they can? Do you mean to say dogs simply barking, they will come to a conclusion? (chuckles) It is not possible. There is no aim, what is the actual aim of life. So this is very important movement. At least the intelligent class of men, they must understand it thoroughly. Just like there is body. There are different parts, different sections of the body, but the most important section is the brain. Similarly, the important section of society means one who is fully in God consciousness. I.... You can cut my hands, I shall live. You can cut my legs, I shall live. But if you cut my head, (indistinct). So, at the present moment, there are big, big scientists, big, big technologists. That's all right; that is hands and legs. But there is no brain. Therefore in one sense, you can take it as dead society. So in my opinion, I like your country, America. Sometimes I call, "This is my fatherland," because these American boys, they are helping me pushing on this movement. I am very much obliged to these boys. Now, let us take it little more seriously statewise. And if America takes it seriously, other nations will follow. And there is the United Nations Organization in America. And make a nice organization to understand God. United Nations God Consciousness. People will benefit.
Rāmeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda often says that no one can be happy without knowledge. It's not possible to be fully happy without knowledge. People suffer due to lack of knowledge. So if this knowledge about this living force is not taught to the people, then they'll continue to suffer and be in anxiety, suffer diseases, fight among themselves, quarrel. There'll always be some misery as long as there is this general lack of knowledge about the spiritual element, or the living force. So in that sense we feel a great compassion and a great, great responsibility to educate as many people as possible about the spiritual science of the soul and about Kṛṣṇa, or God. That's the purpose of our mission, to relieve people from their miseries and make them truly happy.
Interviewer: If they're interested.
Prabhupāda: Interested or not interested. Child is not interested for education. But it is the duty of the father to make him educated, sometimes punish him. So a child may be foolish, but how the parents can be foolish? It is not that because the human society is not interested, this should be stopped. No.
Interviewer: How can you make them interested if they're not?
Prabhupāda: Well, how these boys are becoming interested? They are young men, they have got so many ideas of bodily enjoyment, but how they have become interested? Thousands. They are all young men. How they have become interested? And you cannot withdraw them from this interest.
Prof. O'Connell: Swamiji, it may be time for us to take your leave. It was a great pleasure and honor to...
Prabhupāda: Thank you very much for your coming. Now my request is that you take up this movement. It is actually a great contribution to the human society. Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭha (BG 3.21). Those who are leaders of the society, if they take it, it is easily understood and easily distributed. So there is no question of sectarian thought. It is the necessity of the human society to understand God. The other day in Detroit, two father priests came to see me. I also requested that we require a set of first-class men that is not there at the present moment. There is no head. They are thinking simply arms wanted, defense, and fight amongst themselves. That's all. Everyone is thinking simply arms wanted. And what they will do with the arms? Fight between themselves, that's all. So one asura was given one thousand hands by Lord Śiva. But he could not find any enemy. So he was fighting with hills and mountains and making him smashed. So he came to Lord Śiva: "Sir, you have given me one thousand hands, but there is no enemy for me. I cannot fight." So Śiva said, "Yes, you just wait for the day when your enemy will come who will smash you into pieces." (laughs) So we are simply equipping with arms and finding out to whom we'll fight. That is going on. So everyone is manufacturing the atomic weapons. So there must be some fight, so that all the nations will be ruined. (end)
Jayatīrtha: It's called a vicious cycle. Because the brain is so dull, therefore they can't understand how to stop performing these activities; and because they don't stop performing these activities, therefore the brain remains dull. In this way they are caught up.
Prabhupāda: No, pramattaḥ, that we can see, pramattaḥ, mad. And everyone, especially in the Western country, so many madmen. The hippies, their whole sect-mad. Pramattaḥ. Then so-called businessmen, so-called scientist, so-called philosopher—everyone is mad. And kurute vikarma, all sinful activities, especially the slaughterhouse, horrible. Everyone is taking share of these sinful activities. They're fighting amongst themselves, this party, that party, communist party, fascist party, then barking in the United Nation and so on, so on. All mad. At least we must know it. Or we are talking nonsense; they are all right. What is your conviction?
Bhagavān: We are seeing that more and more we are having to preach to younger and younger people.
Prabhupāda: Those who are innocent.
Bhagavān: Yes. In the colleges even it is very difficult.
Prabhupāda: Going on. Up to date, to my satisfaction, it is going on.
Hari-śauri: If you're satisfied, then we know it's going to be successful.
Prabhupāda: But they fight amongst themselves, the GBCs.
Hari-śauri: Hm, that's the problem.
Prabhupāda: I did not see Harikeśa.
Hari-śauri: He was there.
Prabhupāda: Oh, he was there?
Hari-śauri: Yes. He's been feeling a bit ill today.
Prabhupāda: This is thyme herbs? No. This is the seed.
Hari-śauri: Oh, them. They grow it in the garden. The first, what you got, that was grown here. Those twigs? They were grown here in the garden. Would you like anything tonight? A piece of chavana-prash? (Harikeśa comes in)
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Harikeśa: This boy brought this. I wanted to just ask you if this is any good or not. This is nutmeg oil.
Hari-śauri: This is the oil I was telling you about.
Harikeśa: And this is Ax Brand Universal Oil, supposed to be for massages or something.
Prabhupāda: Chinese?
Parivrājakācārya: They say they are working on this.
Prabhupāda: Rascal, working, it is already being done, so what is your credit? We are working. You may work also, but what is your credit? Suppose if you become successful. What is your credit? It is already being done by the chicken. Why should you take the laureate title, Dr. such-and-such. Give it to the chicken. What they can do? Can they produce a seed of this, just like one seed produce so many things? Bījāhaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. Where is your credit? (break) Mines, as soon as it is national, nobody will take. In 1950, twenty-five years, twenty-six years ago, I was in Madras, Gauḍīya Maṭha, and there is a bus stop in front of the temple. So every bus was making some sound, huuuuuung, but when nothing was properly oiled. Machine is going to hell when it is managed by the government. As soon as there is government management, nobody wants. So long there is proprietorship, the proprietor takes care that "My machine will go bad if I don't take care." But who cares for that? That showing that so much oil purchased, who is going to check it? People have become dishonest. On account of godlessness, everyone is dishonest. He's dishonest to himself even. Doesn't take care of the body properly. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Therefore you cannot expect good qualities of the human society without injecting God consciousness. (break) ...in the mass of people amongst themselves. Do they fight very much amongst themselves?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Not so much. They are not as peaceful as Indians. They are not as pious as Indians.
Prabhupāda: How it is possible? You don't accept father, where is the question of brotherhood? If there is father and we are sons, we are brothers. If there is no father, then where is the question of brotherhood?
Hari-śauri: Even the Communists are fighting amongst themselves.
Prabhupāda: Yes, unless you accept the father, where is the question of brother? Artificial brotherhood.
Nava-yauvana: Just look at the United Nations, how they are brothers.
Prabhupāda: You think they're united? They are all dogs barking, that's all. I said in the public. Some dogs are brought together and they are barking. That's all. Where is the unity? That is the fact. If you bring some dogs on this quarter and ask them, "Please live peacefully," will they do that? Why they cannot do it? You bring some dogs, neighborhood, and ask them, "Don't bark, live together peacefully." Will they be able to do that? What do you think?
Dayānanda: No, it is their nature.
Prabhupāda: So if you keep them dog there cannot be any peace. You make them human being actually. Then there will be peace. So they are keeping them as dogs. So they will go on barking. That's all. All these members of the United Nations, everyone is thinking in the bodily concept, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Chinese." So how there will be unity? There cannot be unity. That is we are proposing. Don't think in the bodily concept of life. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati: (BG 18.54) that we are teaching. But they are thinking they have gone to the United Nations but they are keeping themselves as dogs. There cannot be any peace. They must go on barking against one another, that's all.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Jagadīśa: Taxes. Taxation.
Prabhupāda: Hm, taxation. So that is... You have created problem. When you transgress the laws of nature, this, there is shortage of supply. And the government, on this plea they will tax to mitigate your miseries. Actually they will not be able to mitigate your miseries, but on the plea of your miseries they will levy taxes and divide amongst themselves. So this is another way of punishment because the government is your government. Because you are rascal, so you elect some, another rascal. And they invent ways of rascaldom to mitigate your miseries. To avoid taxation means you become good man and you select your ruler, good men. Then there will be no taxation. (long pause)
Jagadīśa: Other problems?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Jagadīśa: Other problems?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jagadīśa: Race relations.
Prabhupāda: Race relations? That is also ignorance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa is original father. Where is the question of race? You are all brothers. (long pause) So all problems solved?
Jagadīśa: As far as I'm concerned.
Prabhupāda: Hound. Yes. So I attacked the whole United Nations, and so they attacked me also.
Dr. Patel: No, we have seen the League of Nations was even better than the United Nations. They are all really fighting among themselves very badly.
Prabhupāda: Now how they cannot fight? They are swines and dogs. How they will remain peaceful? It is not possible. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). Unless they are spiritually elevated they cannot be peaceful. It is impossible. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Simply by stamping.
Dr. Patel: And there is another class of...
Prabhupāda: Gandhi became mahātmā, but his mission was, "Get out, Englishmen, get out." Where is samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu? He declared himself mahātmā, but his business was how to drive away the Englishmen.
Dr. Patel: Sir, he, I mean, I'm sorry to interrupt you. He never hated Englishmen. It's their method he wanted to drive out.
Prabhupāda: I do not hate you, but I beat you with shoes. (laughter)
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Durbhikṣa. Anāvṛstya durbhikṣā kara-pīḍitaḥ (SB 12.2.9). There will be no rainfall, scarcity of food, and government will tax. Government will contribute twenty-five crores, and they will tax three hundred crores on this beach.(?) And before giving twenty-five crores, the other three hundred crores they will divide amongst themselves. (chuckles) That's all. (break)
(in a car driving through traffic)
Rāmeśvara: ...two demons, she was feeling thirst. So Lord Śiva with the end of his trident created this hole. And then he sent his bull carrier to gather waters from all the sacred rivers in the universe. An then Lord Brahmā came...
Prabhupāda: Bindu-sarovara. Drop by drop. Bindu means drop. So the sarovara came into existence by contribution from all rivers. (break) Bhuvaneśvara will help me. I have got little hint.
Gargamuni: Maybe we should build a permanent house for Your Divine Grace also.
Prabhupāda: We shall build there, in our place.
Prabhupāda: Then again operated.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, another operation. Then another thing they were describing that there was a patient who was dying. There was no chance of his recovery, but still, in order to get... The man was a big man. So the television was covering because he was an important political figure. So the doctor performed a big brain operation, even though there was no purpose whatsoever, so that he could get advertised on the television as a very important doctor. And at one point he said, "Now bring in the television," and he cut the man's head and did a whole operation for no purpose at all. The person died anyway. But he was given advertisement that he was the most important surgeon. And they talk amongst themselves. She knew all this.
Prabhupāda: They were arranging my brain operation.
Prabhupāda: So this should be displayed here.
Rādhā-vallabha: That... We have one big framed stat showing the English. You have five or six books that have over one million copies in print.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is very good, putting the quantity on the cover. It's very impressive. (devotees talking among themselves about books) It's like McDonald's. They advertise...
Prabhupāda: This is the combination of American money and Indian culture. This is the result. In every field of our activities, this will prove wonderful, American money and Indian culture. Andha-paṅgu-nyāya. Therefore Kṛṣṇa sent me to America. "Go America." Generally people come to Western country means London. But I never thought of that. I thought, "I shall go to New York," from the very beginning.
Rādhā-vallabha: Īśopaniṣad also. "Over one million copies in print" at the top.
Rāmeśvara: It has new color pictures on the inside, the different selections.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There are no such handsome books anywhere else in the world, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Rāmeśvara: This is called a "teaser." All paperback books in America have this kind of teaser to attract the reader to find out more.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The back cover is very good also, the heading.
Rāmeśvara: It says, "Eighteen age-old secrets of inner peace and fulfillment." These are the popular themes in America. Everyone is wanting this. Now we're telling people that "This chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa...," we are describing it using the language of the modern psychologists, that "This will give you inner fulfillment. It will enable you to handle more stress and the pressures of daily life. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you get a stronger sense of your real identity. You feel more in control of your life." By using scientific descriptions, everyone appreciates it.
Prabhupāda: Recent printing, how many?
Rāmeśvara: This printing was 300,000, and that brought it over one million copies.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think it would make...
Prabhupāda: And spoiling the chance of human life. Nature's law will go on. If somebody becomes next life a dog... There is possibility. These political leaders are like that. They are not trained up. Just like these dogs at night, they are very busy. Nobody has appointed them. But he is thinking, "I am in charge of this, watching." As soon as one dog will bark, all they, "Oh, gow! There is some important duty. Come on. Come on." And "Gow! Gow! Gow!" (laughs) And who has appointed him? They, all the politicians, are like that. Nobody likes... "Oh, oh, give me vote. Give me vote. I shall give you this arrangement." And barking amongst themselves, "Gow! Gow! Gow!" Therefore I said that the United Nations is an assembly of barking dogs. Actually that is. They cannot do anything. What they have achieved, the United Nations?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Wasting money.
Prabhupāda: And each representative of nation, they're talking day and night, and all, they have got their... There was a Mr. Mellon... And he was speaking, and he was showing. He fainted, and people took him, "Oh, he's such a good representative." And what he did, actually?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He fainted?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Chanting.
Prabhupāda: Yes. But as soon as there is restriction, that means, "Don't do it." Otherwise naturally they have got sex desire. What is the use of giving shastric injunction? That means to control him. The meat-eating... So everyone has got tendency to eat meat, but why śāstra should agree? Restriction means stop. The government's opening liquor shop—so much restriction in a heavy duty. The government charges excise duty. The liquor is produced, utmost, one rupee, eight annas, per gallon. This I know. I know. And government charges excise duty, sixty rupees. So it becomes sixty-one rupees spoiled. Then they have got to make profit. Huge profit government... They haven't got to do anything. The liquor manufacturer, he has to maintain the establishment, and everything he has to do. But when the actual liquor comes, it is there. This is the working system. The excise inspector is there. So unless the... When he takes liquor out of stock, that excise inspector shall come. He has his own key, just like bank, such custody. So in this way... And you have to pay duty first. Suppose stock is there, liquor, hundred gallons, say, thousand gallons. If you want to take ten gallons, so the excise inspector will see whether you have paid duty for hundred gallons. Then you'll be allowed to. So government, for nothing, has... They make huge profit. This is Kali-yuga government. They think that "To condone these are very common practice. Let them be drunk. Let them drink." They encourage them. And government means big ministers, secretaries. They get the profit and divide amongst themselves. So who cares for public? Similarly cloth. What is the cost of one...? One rupee per pound. But if you weigh one cloth, what is the weight? Not even one pound. And they charge twenty rupees.
Jayapatākā: Yeah, Tīrtha's brother and some...
Prabhupāda: That "Some way or other, we're keeping some position." And if Samvit kicked him out, then where is his position? That is another problem. This Rādhā-Govinda Mahārāja, what he can do if he's driven away? In this age he cannot have his own institution. And in this age where he'll go? They are... "These politicians, these old men, they cannot do now. So give them some false position, that 'You are president, ācārya.' They will not rebel at least." And as soon as they do something against them, "We shall drive away: 'No, you cannot be president. Another president.' " That's all. They had no love for him, neither he has any love for them. It is simply official. This Samvit dāsa one, Samvit, also not very intelligent. Tīrtha Mahārāja's son, he wants to keep the property in his name and utilize it for his personal... That way... Preaching and preaching and..., they don't care for. And you said that there is some, still some strength amongst themselves.
Dr. Kapoor: Ācchā, and they got the training there.
Prabhupāda: And they have learned now. Now they are making better dolls than the Krishnanagar potters. They are very intelligent. The intelligence was not properly used. Now they have got chance. In Bhāgavata it is said, sarasvatī jñāna-khale yathā satī. This knowledge, why it should be locked up amongst the jñāna-khala? In India this knowledge is available, and they should be packed up amongst themselves? Now it is the time to distribute.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These ones I'm showing now, they will be in a temple which has just been built in Fiji. It's going to be opened in August, and this will be one altar. These dolls are made by our own devotees. These are Deities, mūrtis, for installation.
Dr. Kapoor: Good doll. Very lifelike, huh? I first thought this was your photo.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Just see how they've made these mūrtis.
Prabhupāda: Oh, they have made a statue—I am writing books like this, moving.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Then we go direct from Dum Dum to Māyāpur. We don't even have to go into Calcutta. Is that all right? So do you agree, Śrīla Prabhupāda, with the idea then, that the sooner we transfer there, the better, to Māyāpur? As far as the kavirāja goes, let us see if we get a local man from Calcutta, failing which, Smara-hari plus one other devotee will go to Śrī Raṅgam, and from a very reliable kavirāja, in their presence, they will have it made. Smara-hari, you see, is from Gurukṛpā and Yaśodā-nandana's party, so he has got experience sitting and watching people making the silver onto the throne. He knows how to sit and watch not to get cheated.
Prabhupāda: No, the thing is the man who would prepare, he must be experienced. That is wanted. And sincere. Then it will work, either you prepare there or here. When our men...? (devotees talk among themselves softly about who should go to Śrī Raṅgam)
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, in the meantime, some treatment should be there. In the meantime, before you get this makara-dhvaja, some treatment should be there.
Prabhupāda: What treatment?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, we were thinking that this Vanamali Prabhu, he has made this medicine. So why not find out what is this medicine from him and you can take that in the meantime. He's made this medicine, Vanamali.
Prabhupāda: What is the benefit?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Well, according to him, this is makara-dhvaja. I mean, I don't discount that this may be Makara-dhvaja. I am not rejecting it simply on the word of that Rāmānujī kavirāja who was here. Otherwise, then we simply wait for the makara-dhvaja.
Prabhupāda: That we'll do.
Correspondence
1969 Correspondence
I thank you very much for your letter of May 11, 1969, sent along with the check for $250.00. You have written to say that you are still having problems in obtaining manpower for your business, and the only solution I can think of is that you engage outsiders to do this work. If you think you have a scarcity of money, then I can return the check to you, and you can utilize it. As I have mentioned in my letter to Brahmananda, I do not know how I can solve all of these departmental problems if they are all referred to me. It would be better if the department heads could work out such things amongst themselves. Today Kirtanananda Swami has left for North Carolina to take my place in lecturing there at two college engagements. This is very satisfying to me, and I wish that many of my disciples may become expert preachers so they may assist more and more in the great preaching work that we have to do for the benefit of mankind.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated May 22, 1969, and I have carefully noted the contents. I have initiated the boy whom you have recommended named Steve* and his beads are sent herewith. Please help him to understand the principles of Krishna Consciousness as far as possible. Regarding Candanacarya's marriage with Sadanandini, if they settle up amongst themselves, I shall be glad. They are a very nice combination. You have written that you are wishing to leave for Toronto with Kanupriya, but this can be done only if there is no sacrifice of the Montreal temple. You are doing so nicely there as you have written, so why should you leave? Very soon we shall be getting huge quantities of Back To Godhead, and I want that Montreal temple shall purchase at least $100's worth of copies for selling each month. Do you think that in Toronto you will be able to raise as much money as you are doing now in Montreal? Please think over these matters and let me know what you have decided.
I beg to thank you for your letter dated August 18th, 1969. I was very much anxious to receive your letter, but I did not know that you stopped writing me on account of the memo issued a few days ago. The memo was circulated just to minimize correspondence in minor affairs. I think in ordinary administration the presidents of different centers may consult amongst themselves and make certain general procedures by mutual agreement. But when there is some more important factor, that must be referred to me. I did not mean by the memo that you shall stop correspondence. If you understood like that, then I say that you can send me every day one letter, and it will be welcome. We are now growing in size, therefore, for general administration if you will act conjointly amongst the presidents, that will be a great relief for me. Besides that, you are doing editorial work of my books so you have to correspond directly with me. I never meant that about editorial work also being referred to Brahmananda. I understand that you had some meeting amongst the East Coast presidents of the centers, and I shall be glad to know how you decided to work. I have not heard anything about your joint decision.
1970 Correspondence
Lord Caitanya's Appearance day falls on March 22, that is on a Sunday. The devotees should fast until evening, when there is a ceremony and offering of a small amount of Ekadasi preparations. The next day, the devotees should celebrate amongst themselves with a small scale feast. You may hold the celebration open to the public on the following Sunday. The preparation to be offered specially on this occasion is bhuni kichri: Fry equal parts dal and rice in ghee and massala. Add two times water as dal and rice, and add vegetables (if you use more ghee, use less water). Cook it until it is dried and the rice is soft.
I am very glad to learn of you eagerness to help open new centers in Munich, Amsterdam, and Berlin. But unless some responsible devotee takes charge of the Deities, you should remain in Hamburg. Hamsaduta may alone go for preaching work with the others. I think there are enough brahmanas there, so if one cannot be engaged full time, they should divide the duties amongst themselves—one takes the morning, another one at noon, and another in the evening, or like that. So unless they are trained up, you should not go. Deity worship is for old and experienced students; it is not good for new students to be given sacred thread. This Deity worship is exclusively for advanced students.
Regarding how the art department should be organized, that is to be managed amongst themselves. I do not know the technical details, I want only that they may be always engaged. Now it is up to them how to manage these things. As you have suggested, you may make any suitable arrangement and that is approved by me however you make it fit. The only thing is the artists must be always engaged fulltime in their painting work.
So it is very encouraging that people are coming to the extent of 40 heads, and they are trying to understand the importance of this great movement, and any sane man will be able to understand that. But I do not know why our students who are supposed to be the leaders of this movement will fight amongst themselves for supremacy. Our whole process is of surrendering.
1976 Correspondence
I am in due receipt of your letter dated 8 April, 1976 and I have noted the contents with care. Concerning the alternatives, it sounds like the printing cost of $1.25 is best as this will keep the price down and will also allow the full purport to be there. The general practice in deciding such matters shall be to have the BBT trustees discuss amongst themselves, and then they can submit their plan to me for final sanction.
Yasodanandana Swami wants to print the Brahma-Samhita with color paintings. The BBT Trustees can discuss amongst themselves and if they agree then I have no objection.
| Page Title: | Among themselves (Lect., Conv., & Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 04 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=28, Con=39, Let=9 |
| No. of Quotes: | 76 |