So this point is described that just like this yogi Maharishi, he has also written one Bhagavad-gītā. And what right he has got? He has no right to say anything about Bhagavad-gītā because he is not a devotee. Bhagavad-gītā is taught to Arjuna. He was neither a yogi nor a scholar nor a Vedantist nor a brāhmaṇa even. He was kṣatriya. Nor a sannyāsī even. He was gṛhastha. He had three wives and so many children. And he was fighting for kingdom. What is the qualification that Bhagavad-gītā was taught to him? Because he was devotee. People have to see how Bhagavad-gītā is to be accepted. Specially Kṛṣṇa mentions in the Fourth Chapter that "I am speaking to you. The disciplic succession is now broken. Therefore I am speaking to you the old system of yoga, Bhagavad-gītā, again, unto you." "Why unto me, Kṛṣṇa?" "Because you are My devotee." That was the answer. So only qualification to understand Bhagavad-gītā is to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa; otherwise it is not possible. Just give this challenge to everyne: "So what do you understand about Bhagavad-gītā? You don't..., you are not devotee of Kṛṣṇa. How you can understand Bhagavad-gītā? So you are speaking of Bhagavad-gītā and cheating people."
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So one who has seen, one who is in trance of self-realization, he cannot sit idly. He must come out. He, just like Rāmānujācārya. He declared the mantra publicly. His spiritual master said that this mantra, just like that Maharishi came in your country. He wanted to give some private mantra. If that mantra has any power, why it should be private? If at all the mantra has any, why not it should be publicly declared so that everyone can take advantage of that mantra? That is real. It is cheating, you see? So here is no cheating process. We say that this mahā-mantra can save you, we are distributing publicly, no. Free, without any charge. But people are so fools, they are not prepared to take this. They'll hanker after that mantra, after Maharishi. Pay thirty-five dollars and take some private mantra, you see? So people want to be cheated. And here, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, these people are preaching without any charge, declaring in the street, park, everywhere, "Come on, take it." "Oh, this is not good." This is māyā, this is called illusion. This is spell of māyā. And if you charge something, if you bluff, if you cheat, oh, people will follow.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Just like we sometimes criticize big men. Hm? So on what strength? That strength is because we have taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Otherwise, any ordinary man can criticize. Just like the Consulate General in San Francisco, he was speaking to me that "Swamiji, you have called Maharishi a rascal?" "Yes. Yes. I may have called. What is that?" So the people, a man who is worshiped by so many people we call rascal? On what strength? The strength is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We can prove that he is rascal. I am not speaking; Kṛṣṇa is speaking. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ (BG 7.15). Mūḍha means rascal. So I am repeating Kṛṣṇa's word. Anyone who does not surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, he is rascal. So we can quote from Bhagavad-gītā. If somebody brings case against us, so we can freely say that "I am not speaking. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā. You just bring libel case against Bhagavad-gītā. Why you are troubling me?" (laughter) Bhagavad-gītā says anyone who does not surrender to Kṛṣṇa... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ mām... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. He's not only rascal, he's the lowest of the mankind. And if you say, "Oh, he is very learned scholar." Oh, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.15). His knowledge has been taken away by māyā. Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Simply he's defying God. Kṛṣṇa means God. "I am God," that is asuric.
Pañcadraviḍa: Do you agree with the work of the Ramakrishna Mission, Mahesh Yogi, and Divine Light Society that are working in America?
Prabhupāda: I do not study them. I simply study Bhagavad-gītā, that's all. And Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). I believe that. That's all.
Guest (1): Yeah, okay, right. Transcendental meditation by the Maharishi is not a form of meditation under concentrating powers. I was wondering...
Prabhupāda: What is that transcendental meditation? Can you explain?
Guest (1): If I could I would do.
Prabhupāda: You cannot. You cannot explain?
Guest (2): I think he had an explanation.
Guest (3): We're talking of the teaching of the Maharishi.
Prabhupāda: So what is that teaching? You don't know. Then don't talk. (everyone laughs)
Prabhupāda: Don't try artificially. If you don't know, why should you artificially try?
Guest (1): Well, that's why I'm here, because I don't know everything.
Prabhupāda: That's all right, don't talk back. Which is the subject matters which you do not know, don't talk.
Guest (1): Okay.
Prabhupāda: Now, so far I know, that Maharishi says that you meditate for fifteen minutes daily. Is it correct?
Guest (1): Twice a day.
Prabhupāda: Twice a day, for thirty minutes.
Guest (1): Anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour.
Prabhupāda: All right, two hour. (laughter) That's all right?
Guest (1): Pardon me?
Prabhupāda: For two hours daily, one hour morning, one afternoon.
Guest (1): All right.
Prabhupāda: So if one is engaged in meditation for two hours and if other is engaged for twenty-four hours, whose meditation is perfect?
Guest (1): Uh, I don't know.
Prabhupāda: You don't know?
Guest (1): The Maharishi hasn't...
Prabhupāda: No, don't take the Maharishi. I mean to say, if somebody is engaged in meditation for two hours and other is engaged for twenty-four hours, then whose meditation value will be greater?
Guest (1): Then there are two types of meditation, there's a two-hour meditation...
Prabhupāda: First of all you answer this.
Guest (1): Pardon me? I missed it.
Prabhupāda: I am just telling that a person is engaged in meditation for two hours, and another person is engaged in meditation for twenty-four hours. Whose meditation is valuable?
Guest (1): The twenty-four hours.
Prabhupāda: Is it not?
Guest (1): Are you asking me to go out and chant all day long?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Guest (1): Are we supposed to chant twenty-four hours?
Prabhupāda: Not only chanting. There are other engagements.
Guest (1): Right. That's what the Maharishi says also.
Prabhupāda: So, twenty-four hours... Now, that meditation, what is that, what Maharishi says you do not know you say just now, that you do not know.
Guest (1): I don't know as well as the Maharishi knows, but I'd like to. Perhaps you can explain.
Guest (1): Okay, one more thing. Transcendental meditation by the Maharishi is not a concentrating process. It's a process of using the mantra to get into the meditation. And once reaching the point of deep meditation, thoughts will just occur. And there's no concentrating procedure at all. And this is why I had a question in the first place, in that you said meditation'w impossible because it's a concentrating process. Well, Maharishi's meditation is not the concentrating...
Prabhupāda: Then he has manufactured something. It is not stated in the standard book. You see Bhagavad-gītā and Patanjali system, yoga system, that is differently stated.
Guest (1): I see.
Prabhupāda: In the Bhagavad-gītā, the meditation has to be concentrated upon the Viṣṇu. Mat-para. The word is mat-para. One has to concentrate his meditation upon the form of Viṣṇu. Nothing else. That is real meditation. But if Maharishi has manufactured his own way of meditation, I cannot comment upon it. Because we have to comment on the books of authority.
Just like in India, nonvegetarian diet, according to Vedic system it is condemned. Nobody can eat any meat. But now they have learned how to eat meat. They are doing that. So somebody is saying, "Yes, today I have cooked meat, but in the Ganges water." Ganges water is considered to be pious. So he thinks by cooking meat in the Ganges water, it has become purified. You see? This is our mentality. We are bent upon doing all nonsense, and we want to get it supported by religious cover. Just like recently, the Christian world, they wanted support from the Pope of contraceptive method. That contraceptive method is condemned, but they want to be supported by the religious head. "If you don't support, then you are not good man. And if you support my nonsense, then you are very good man." Just like that Maharishi came here, and he supported that "Whatever nonsense you like, you do. You simply pay me thirty-five dollars and I give you one mantra, and within six months you become God." Oh, he looted your country. And after looting, he said, "Oh, my mission is failure." Because he has got his money, now he'll go. This is going on because we want to be cheated. Therefore cheaters come and cheat us. And as soon as say, "No. Everything belongs to God, my dear friend. You don't claim anything as yours. Because it belongs to God or Kṛṣṇa, you employ everything for His service"—"Swamijī is very conservative." You see. So actually, it is the fact.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
Prabhupāda: It is bluff? Who is that rascal?
Pradyumna: He is confusing us with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
Prabhupāda: Oh, he is a rascal. He is now in hospital. He is undergoing operation. God is going, undergoing operation. (laughter)
General Lectures
So this is the greatest service to the human society, to get out them from the darkness of ignorance. That is the greatest gift. If you put him into the darkness... Suppose a man is suffering from disease and he is asking, "Sir, I am very hungry. Give me some food." If you give him some rasagullā or some very nice foodstuff, neither he cannot eat, neither he can enjoy. And by supplying such things you are making him more and more diseased. You have to cure the disease. Then give him. That's right. So there is no curing process. Simply sense gratification. I want to satisfy my senses, and if somebody talks about my sense gratification, oh, I receive him very nicely. You see? And as soon as one says that "You are diseased. You cannot satisfy your senses without restriction. Then you will continue your disease," "Oh, this is not good. This doctor is not good." This is going on. You want to be cheated; therefore there are..., so many cheaters are coming. Just like this Maharishi came. "Yes, enjoy your senses. Enjoy. Simply pay me thirty-five dollars. I give you some mantra." People gave him thousand, millions of dollars, and at the end both of them became dissatisfied. He said, "It is failure," and who were followers, they left him. So what is the use of? Don't try to be cheated. If you want to be cheated, then Kṛṣṇa will send you some cheater. And if you want to be really profited, if you simply think of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa...
Young man (5): If we can believe the Beatles, you are not the only wise man to come out of the Indian hills to New York. What do you know of this Maharishi Yogi that has become so world famous, and what could you tell us of his teachings by way of comparison?
Prabhupāda: He's famous amongst the fools. He's not famous for me. (laughter)
Young man (5): Is he famous in India?
Prabhupāda: No. He cheated some fools because they wanted to be cheated. That's all. And he finished his business. After befooling, then he retired. That's all. Because you want to be cheated, some cheap method of become God immediately.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Aṇimā, laghimā, prāpti, mahimā, prākāmya, īśitā, vaśitā. You can control anyone. Whatever you say, he will carry out. Any big man, you can put some influence. Vaśitā. Just like these this rascal Maharishi, he has got little yogic power. So he controls, gives you some mantra you'll become God and all this nonsense, but he is controlling. Whatever he'll ask, you will pay. That is control. Actually he is controlling his mind, that whatever he asks, you will do. These are bogus things.
Śyāmasundara: Like hypnotism.
Prabhupāda: By hypnotism, yes. I think I have discussed in The Nectar of Devotion. So this is possible even by ordinary yogis, and what to speak of Kṛṣṇa, who is known as Yogeśvara. He is the master of all mystic power.
| Page Title: | Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika |
| Created: | 12 of Mar, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=12, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 12 |