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Duty of India

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

It was the duty of India to distribute this knowledge all over the world, this immense treasure of knowledge.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968: The great sages of India, especially Vyāsadeva, he labored so hard and delivered so valuable literatures to us. There is opportunity. It was the duty of India to distribute this knowledge all over the world, this immense treasure of knowledge. Unfortunately... And as so far we have studied that persons who are great thinkers, they were expecting. They have still some respect for India's great treasurehouse of the spiritual knowledge. But unfortunately there is no arrangement for distributing this spiritual knowledge all over the world.
Indian should seriously take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, make his life perfect, and distribute the knowledge. This is India's duty.
Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976: Kṛṣṇa preached this Bhagavad-gītā, five thousand years ago, but it was not broadly preached. It was spoken on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Arjuna knew it and some of his other friends. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also Kṛṣṇa. He appeared as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. And He distributed this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and He wanted that every Indian should seriously take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, make his life perfect, and distribute the knowledge. This is India's duty. So you have got one opportunity, you Indian people, that you take this advantage of distributing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is good for you and for everyone who takes the knowledge very adherently. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says... This is Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā where He is speaking plainly about bhāgavata-bhakti. And this knowledge is described as rāja-guhyam. Most confidential knowledge.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Every Indian should study Bhagavad-gītā and if possible Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and assimilate it, and preach all over the world. This is the duty of India. India has no other duty.
Lecture on SB 3.25.7 -- Bombay, November 7, 1974: This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the best welfare activity in the human society, the best. There is no more better welfare... There are so many welfare activities in the human society, but this kṛṣṇa-upadeśa, to instruct people about the primary principles of Bhagavad-gītā in the human society, that is the best para-upakāra. People do not know how to become happy. They are... Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg. 15.7]. They are simply making struggle for existence by mental concoction. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg. 15.7]. In this material world, they are simply struggling. There is no solution. Therefore the every Indian should study Bhagavad-gītā and if possible Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and assimilate it, and preach all over the world. This is the duty of India. India has no other duty. Para-upakāra. So with our one man's endeavor, teeny effort, you, we can see that so many outsiders, they're attracted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Unless there is something substance... They are not illiterate. They are not fools. They are not poor. Why they are attracted? There is something to be learned from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spread all over the world regularly, then the face of the world will change. That's a fact.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

It is India's duty that everyone should take up such a cultural movement. That is India's glory.
Arrival Talk -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

Indian man: How many Life Members in India? Must have at least ten thousand.

Prabhupāda: No. Indian, everyone should become a Life Member.

Indian man: Certainly. Everybody devotees.

Prabhupāda: And it is India's duty that everyone should take up such a cultural movement. That is India's glory. I have given one statement, I do not know whether it is published. The, some of the places, they are against me. So where is that copy? Have you got that copy?

General Lectures

This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for para-upakāra, for doing good to others—the best welfare activities in the world. And it is India's duty, it is India's prerogative to take this knowledge and broadcast all over the world for para-upakāra.
Lecture -- Bombay, March 19, 1972: So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for para-upakāra, for doing good to others—the best welfare activities in the world. And it is India's duty, it is India's prerogative to take this knowledge and broadcast all over the world for para-upakāra. And actually it is happening. All these European and American boys and girls, they are trying to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously. So it is very scientific, authorized and practical also. So we hope that all of you who are present here will try to cooperate with this movement, and let us meet at least so long as I am here. That will be very beneficial.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Wherever there is human being, they require this education. And it is the India's duty. Because India has got the opportunity to be spiritually advanced by the grace of learned, saintly persons, so they should first of all make their life perfect by taking education and distribute the knowledge throughout the whole world.
Press Conference -- October 2, 1975, Mauritius:

Guest (2): But the spiritual organizations in India, all the spiritual teachings in India, have always put great emphasis on the fact that we are spiritual beings. So what was the necessity of creating another movement to say the same things?

Prabhupāda: No. We are... You have brought in the question of India. We are talking of the human society, so why you are bringing India? We are not talking about India only. Human being does not mean only Indian. You see, human being—all, outside India, inside India, everywhere. Wherever there is human being, they require this education. And it is the India's duty. Because India has got the opportunity to be spiritually advanced by the grace of learned, saintly persons, so they should first of all make their life perfect by taking education and distribute the knowledge throughout the whole world. That is India's mission. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, that... The exact word is

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
[Cc. Ādi 9.41]
Anyone who has taken birth in India as human being, he should first of all make his life perfect and... [break] ...no customer is coming, we go to sell our books.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

It is India's duty to keep this ideal, Indian people's duty, government's duty. That will keep India's prestige in the highest level. Make propaganda like that.
Room Conversations -- February 20, 1977, Mayapura:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: A lot of the senior devotees are still there. They've gone from here to Vṛndāvana, and now they're in Bombay, and they're waiting for your coming.

Prabhupāda: I am therefore going. In spite of my so much inconveniences, I am going there.

Svarūpa Dāmodara: At the end we try to... Even if we talk, we're trying to bring the..., that vāsudeva-paraṁ jñānam...

Prabhupāda: Vāsudeva-parā vedā vāsudeva-parā... Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19]. This is wanted. At least, one must know. Why they should be kept in darkness? What is this civilization? They have got light. The knowledge is there. They can be educated. And unnecessarily they are kept into darkness. Is that civilization? Others may do it. They have no knowledge. Why India? India should now stand up—"Stop this nonsense." They have got this culture. That is India's mission. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma. India cannot tolerate this. Do you follow? When... Even it is not possible to introduce this movement in a large scale, there is no harm. Anyone who takes it, he is happy. It is very difficult. We are not expected that manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu [Bg. 7.3], everyone will be able to do it. But the ideal should be there. And it is India's duty to keep this ideal, Indian people's duty, government's duty. That will keep India's prestige in the highest level. Make propaganda like that. Why India should be lowered down unnecessarily while we have got so much stock of knowledge, scientific knowledge? Am I right?
Therefore so long the body, full of intelligence, human body, is there, they'll utilize it very... That is life, not to be carried away by the waves of nature. This is India's duty. So we want to make our institution at least a place for understanding this knowledge.
Room Conversation -- March 22, 1977, Bombay:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Big family. Very wealthy. [break] I was just explaining to Bhavānanda why... [break]

Prabhupāda: Suppose I am a very big business magnate. Next life, if I am going to become a dog—according to my karma, the nature's law will act—then what is benefit? One day before, Indira Gandhi was so important. Next day I'll maybe(?) nowhere, finished. Nobody knows where is Indira Gandhi. Just twenty-four hours she was most prominent woman. And after twenty-four hours nobody cares to look at her. This nature's law, how you can check? This is going on. Any moment, anything can be changed by the laws of nature. So India's importance is there. They know the law. Therefore so long the body, full of intelligence, human body, is there, they'll utilize it very... That is life, not to be carried away by the waves of nature. This is India's duty. So we want to make our institution at least a place for understanding this knowledge. It doesn't matter only a few persons may understand. That is sufficient. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tārāḥ sahasraśaḥ: "If you keep one moon in the sky, that is sufficient for light. What is the use of millions of stars?" Modern education, they are creating twinkling stars, millions. All useless for light. No light. And our Vedic civilization is: "Create one moon. That's all." That is sufficient. We respect, therefore, ācāryas. Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, not the so-called voted leaders.
Page Title:Duty of India
Compiler:Rati, Serene
Created:03 of Dec, 2008
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=5, Con=3, Let=0
No. of Quotes:8