The exact example of varṇa-saṅkara is the hippies at the present moment. All over the world, not only in the Western countries but in India also. So the population, hippie population means saṅkara population. So increase of such population means narakāyaiva, naraka, hellish, hellish condition of life in this life, also in the next life. At that time, to live, actually we have practically seen in recent years, especially in Calcutta, it has become a hellish life. The population, the younger generation, is so polluted, so contaminated, that you cannot safely walk in the street. Anywhere, the young boys they can encircle you and rob you. You cannot say on. The police cannot help, the government cannot help. So these unwanted children, without being trained up in the varṇāśrama system, they become the cause of hellish life in this life also after death. After death according to Vedic regulations, piṇḍa-udaka, piṇḍa, offering Viṣṇu prasāda and water at least once in a year it is required by the family members. And according to Vedic culture, there is one month fixed up in a year when all people will offer piṇḍa and udaka to the forefathers.
Recent (Lectures)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
He's not manufactured. When He was on the lap of His Mother Yaśodā, He was God. The Pūtanā came to kill Him, but Kṛṣṇa killed him. In this way, if we read the life of Kṛṣṇa, He's proved—Bhagavān. And not only He proved Himself, but all others, great authorities, accepted Him Bhagavān. There are four Vaiṣṇava ācāryas in the recent years and one Māyāvāda ācārya, Śaṅkarācārya. Śaṅkarācārya also, although he is inclined to the impersonal feature of the Lord, but he accepted Kṛṣṇa: sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ. He accepted: "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa." Nārāyaṇaḥ avyaktāt. So other Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka, lately Lord Caitanya, all of them accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And Arjuna, he also, when he heard from Him Bhagavad-gītā, he accepted Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān, puruṣaṁ śāśvatam (BG 10.12).
Because it may be said that I am Your friend, so I am accepting You as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but great ācāryas or great stalwart authorities like Parāśara Muni, Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita, Devala..." He gave evidence. So Kṛṣṇa is accepted. So far Vedic literature is concerned, the ācāryas are concerned... Recently, within, say, two thousand years, there have been many ācāryas like Śaṅkarācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Rāmānujācārya. They have all accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And, say, within five hundred years, Lord Caitanya, He also accepted Kṛṣṇa. By His symptoms, by the historical fact, by the evidence of the Vedas, He is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, when Kṛṣṇa is speaking, the very words are used, śrī bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān means the Supreme Personality of Godhead is speaking. Uvāca means speaking.
We have to take knowledge from others. Knowledge means..., to acquire knowledge, to learn from the teacher. So here is the supreme teacher, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the supreme teacher by everyone, by all the great sages formerly, like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Devala, Asita. All other great sages. And recently, in the modern age, by our ācāryas, Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Rāmānuja, yes, Śaṅkarācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī. All these great sages, great ācāryas, they came from your South India. So you are fortunate in that sense. So we have to follow the ācāryas. All these ācāryas accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. All these ācāryas. And later, lately, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, five hundred years ago, He also accepted that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). That is the acceptance in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Similarly, Lord Brahmā also accepted Kṛṣṇa:
Yes. They prevailed. They also went from India. That is the history. There were... All the kṣatriyas, they went to Europe and America. That is in the Mahābhārata history. They were also on the Vedic culture. Now they have lost. Just like recently. We have got experience, within twenty years. Some of the Hindus who became Mohammedan. And they become Pakistani. But twenty years before, they were not Pakistan. So gradually this misconception is increasing. Otherwise, there was one. One God, one civilization, everything, there was one. (break)
"It is very, very difficult to understand Your personality."
Now people may say that Arjuna was Kṛṣṇa's friend. To satisfy his friend, he has accepted Him as paraṁ brahma. But that is not the fact. Arjuna gives evidences that "Not only I, but the great authorities like Vyāsa, Nārada, Asita, Devala, they have also accepted You as the Supreme Personality of Godhead." In the recent ages... This is five thousand years ago. Even one thousand, five hundred... Śaṅkarācārya, who is impersonalist, he has also accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇa. He has written in his commentary on the Bhagavad-gītā: nārāyaṇaḥ avyakta, avyaktāt, para avyaktāt. Nārāyaṇaḥ para avyaktāt. "Nārāyaṇa is not a creation of this material world. He's transcendental." He has accepted. And what to speak of the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, all.
So by mental speculation we cannot understand what is our position. Generally, people, they indulge in mental speculation. Different philosophy of the world, they are established on the principle of mental speculation, especially in Europe, Aristotle, Schopenhauer, Kant. They're more or less... And, imitating the Western philosophers, in India also, recently, the persons who are very well known... Perhaps you know Śrī Aurobindo. He's, he's also speculated very nicely on the mental platform. Mental platform cannot give us the actual freedom or the happiness. Therefore Lord says, "One should give up all mental speculation and should be satisfied in the understanding that 'I am consciousness, and there is Supreme Consciousness, and I am subordinate to the Supreme Consciousness. Therefore let me dovetail my consciousness with the Supreme Consciousness.' "
Perhaps you know that in, in the Purāṇas, in the Vedic literature, we have got information that there are sages who underwent penance for so many, many years. Why in the history or the Purāṇas? You can see from the examples of Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus Christ, Lord Caitanya, Śaṅkarācārya, who were recently within the limit of our historical knowledge. They attained spiritual perfection after undergoing penances for many, many years. So spiritual perfection is not very easy thing, that simply by attending a, a, in either of the so many groups and hearing something, nice lectures from a person. No. It is practical. It is practical. If we are ac..., if we are actually serious about attaining, so we must be in a spirit of sacrifice. In this age, by the grace of Lord Caitanya, the matter has been simplified. Matter has been simplified. What is that?
He never studied Vedānta-sūtra because he was animal, so he had no opportunity, but still, he became the greatest devotee, rāma-bhakta. Why? By setting fire to the Rāvaṇa's house. That's all. These are practical examples. By setting fire to the house of Rāvaṇa, he became the great devotee of Rāma. And similar, recent case is Arjuna. Arjuna also fought. He killed his kinsmen and he became a great bhakta. Somebody in Bengal, some gentleman, criticized that "Lord Caitanya introducing this bhakti-yoga has," what is called, "(indistinct) the population of Bengal." And you do not know what is bhakti-yoga.
Karma-jā means those who are acting here on the line of fruitive activities. Suppose... You have experienced that there are so many political leaders. They follow some particular leader, and they capture the governmental machinery, but after some time they are taken away from the scene. Just like in our country, recently, within one year, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he's also shifted away, Shastri is also shifted away. In your country, the President Kennedy is also shifted away. We do not take into account that after shifting this position, again we are going to enter into the miserable life of material existence. If we do not make a solution in present life, then we are again going to enter.
Practically, everyone is dissatisfied. Take for example the strife between the capitalist class and the laborer class. They, they are trying in different way. There is no compromise. There is always friction. And especially in a country like India, oh, there is always friction, and other countries also. So they are not satisfied. Recently also, in your country also, there was strike by the bus drivers and the subway drivers and administration. So there is always strike. Why? This is due to lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is due to lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There cannot be any cooperation unless there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is an essential fact for harmonizing even the present material society. That is required. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so important thing, that cooperation...
Similarly, the human society must be divided into four divisions. Not four division, eight divisions, varṇāśrama.
In the Vedic literature there is no such thing as Hindu dharma or Muslim dharma or Christian dharma or Buddha dharma. These are recent manufacture. Actually, Vedic instruction is to divide the whole human society into four varṇas and four āśramas. That is Vedic dharma, sanātana-dharma. It is called sanātana-dharma. A living entity has got the chance of getting this human... Labdhvā sudurlabhaṁ bahu-sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29). Bahu-sambhavānte means after many, many births. This present rascal civilization does not know that how with great difficulty we have come to this human form of life after so many evolutions.
The Darwin's theory of evolution, there is some idea, but it is not clear, not scientific. They are trying to prove that (it is) scientific. That is not scientific.
Then you will say, "Our God, your God, his God, that God." But if Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, that is real God. And that is Kṛṣṇa. That is being proved. Now Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive all over the world. Otherwise, how in America, in Russia, in China, in Europe, all countries?
Recently I have got several literatures printed in Swedish language. We are printing Kṛṣṇa literature almost in all languages of Europe, in English language, in Spanish language, in French language, in Swedish language, in Dutch language and German language, and then Italian language, we are publishing, and it is being sold like hotcakes, anything.
Because this idea, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness idea, is very, very new to them. Kṛṣṇa, God, can be talked with personally. One can go to God personally. These ideas were unknown in the Western countries. But that is possible. That is a fact. We can understand from Vedic literature. But they do not know.
So we cannot discourage it, neither all the Vedic literatures discourage. But Vedic literatures cannot allow you... If you actually serious about advancement of spiritual life, then you cannot encourage illicit connection, no. I request all my young students that "You get yourself married." And recently I have performed myself one marriage ceremony. Two of my students, they have been married actually. So we don't discourage what is necessity, but we cannot allow illicit things. So these are called vairāgya.
So vairāgya means we have to regulate our life. Unless you regulate your mind... The mind is always agitated, and if we be addicted to all these things, then more agitation will come. If you have got illicit connection with woman, oh, the mind will be always agitated. If we are intoxicated, oh, mind will be more agitated. If you don't take, I mean to say, foodstuff in the goodness, very strong and pungent and animal foodstuff, then our mind will be more agitated.
Just like I remember my babyhood body or childhood body. I am the same person, soul, but I have changed so many bodies. Similarly, when ultimately I shall change this body, I shall have to accept another body. This simple formula is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Everyone can think on it. And there must be some scientific research. Recently I got one letter from a doctor in Toronto. He suggested there is body..., there is soul. I had some correspondence with him. Actually this is a fact. The soul is there. There are so many proofs. Not only in the Vedic literature, but even ordinary experience. The soul is there, and the soul is transmigrating from one body to another. This is going on, but unfortunately there is no serious study on the subject matter or department of knowledge in the universities. This is not very good.
And we are doing very nice. We published this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in 1968, in small edition. It was selling like anything. The trades manager of Macmillan Company reported that our books are selling more and more; others are reducing. Then recently, in this 1972, we have published this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, complete edition. And Macmillan Company published fifty thousand copies in others, but it was finished in three months and they are arranging for second edition.
So this Bhagavad-gītā should be read by every individual person to know the science of God. It is a great science. God is not a fiction or an imagination, as people take it. Not always, but in human society, everywhere in civilized human society there is some conception of religion, and the purpose of executing religious faith means to understand God. There is no other purpose of any religion.
Just like in scientific knowledge, the student has to pass both theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Theoretical... "Combination of this chemical and that chemical makes this chemical," this is theoretical knowledge. But when you mix these two chemicals or three chemicals and produce that object, that is practical. Recently, I may say, in California University, one learned professor came there to speak about the evolutionary theory of chemicals, and he said that life is produced, perhaps you know, from four chemicals. But when one student he said that "If I supply these four chemicals, whether you can produce life?" In answer to this, he said, "That I cannot say." That is imperfect knowledge. If you say, "Life is produced from chemicals," then you must make experimental demonstration, by mixing those chemicals, you produce life. That is called vijñānam, practical demonstration. Otherwise it is not perfect. Scientific knowledge means observation, then experiment.
Take, for example, just like I am coming from Boston here by aeroplane. It is very nice discovery. But as soon as you get on the aeroplane, every second there is danger—because there is no guarantee. There is no guarantee. So similarly, we may crossing over the street... Oh, there is danger. Recently in Delhi one of our Godnephew, oh, he was crushed by motor accident, completely crushed. He fell down, and the motor car passed over him, and all the bones were crushed. I have received that letter. So we should know that this place is not at all safe. At any moment there is danger. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām. Therefore in the Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's version it is said that "If you want to have spiritual realization, then you should always think that 'Death is coming, and danger is coming immediately.' " That should be our attitude.
Janārdana: It's not quite finished yet. Recent. It will be much nicer. Arifka(?) is going to paint frescoes on it, so it will be all decorated with opulent frescoes.
Prabhupāda: That's all right.
Janārdana: The temple area used to be the front part.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Janārdana: The front part...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Janārdana: ...of this area used to be the temple area.
Prabhupāda: Nice. If this... The only difficulty is it is upstair. That doesn't matter. Those who are interested to come, even upstairs they will come. Those who are not interested, even in the downstairs they will not come. Those who are after water, they will find out water. "Where there is a will, there is a way." But those who are not thirsty, for them... How many students are coming per week?
Just like Arjuna also said, aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ, katham etad vijānīyām. So he also... Arjuna understood Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was devotee of Kṛṣṇa. But to clear the idea of Kṛṣṇa, as the rascals take, he asked this question, aparaṁ bhavato janma, that "Your birth is just recently, say a hundred years ago, but the sun planet? Millions, millions of years. How can I believe that you spoke this philosophy, or science, to the sun-god, Vivasvān?"
So the reply was that "My dear Arjuna, you are My devotee. Whenever I appear, you also appear, but I remember what I spoke to the sun-god. You were also present at that time with Me, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten." That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, or God and human being. That is the difference. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Kṛṣṇa, God, knows everything, past, present and future.
There... The atheist theory that combination of matter makes a situation when living symptoms come out, combination of matter, that is the present chemical theory, chemical evolution. There are so many theories based on Darwin's theory, chemical evolution. Recently, when I was in Los Angeles, one German scientist came there. He has written one book, Chemical Evolution, and he has got Nobel Prize. Now he's touring for lecturing on his theory. So in the California university there is our student, Dr. Svarūpa Dāmodara. He's my disciple. He's doctor in chemistry. So, when this German chemist was lecturing, theorizing that life has come from chemicals, so he put the question that "Suppose if I give you these chemicals, whether you can prepare a life?" He answered in the meeting, "That I cannot say." That means he's not certain; still, he's theorizing, that from chemical, life has come. No, from chemical, life has not come; from life, chemical has come.
Why don't you produce an imitation sun so that you'll save so much money for electricity? At night you can get one sun in Bombay city. (laughs) (laughter)
So the rascals will give all description, but they'll never be prepared to prepare it, to manufacture it. Recently... It is a practical... In California one learned chemical scholar,... He has got Nobel Prize. So he was describing that "From matter, life has come." So there was one student, he's my disciple, Svarūpa Dāmodara. He questioned, "Sir, if I give you all these chemicals, can you produce life?" Then he said, "That I cannot say." But if you know that these chemicals composes life, so when I give you the chemicals, why don't you produce? So simply theorizing. Simply theorizing. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ (Bs. 5.34).
So we cannot decide by theorizing. But if we take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, here is the perfect knowledge, that aham, "I am the background."
And there are instances. Just like Bharata Mahārāja. Bharata Mahārāja, he was a great king, but at an early age, only—he was only twenty-four years old—he gave up his kingdom. Bharata Mahārāja means the king by whose name India is called Bhāratavarṣa. Not only India—this whole planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. Gradually, it is declined. Just like recently we have partitioned, Pakistan. Similarly, the whole planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. So anyway, that Bharata Mahārāja, at the time of his death, he had a pet deer. He thought of the deer and he became next life a deer. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa says that "It is not that because you think of Me you get a body like Me, but it is the general rule. If you think... At the time of your death, whatever you think, you carry the idea with your mind and you get the immediately a similar body." That means you are put into the womb of a mother to get a similar body.
We have got intelligence. We should not miss this point. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Take advantage of this movement. This is not a manufactured thing. It is authorized, spoken by Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and accepted by big, big ācāryas from very old time, Nāradadeva, Vyāsadeva, Asita. Then, in the recent years, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, and then Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Everyone has accepted this Vedic literature, and they have preached. Formerly they were preaching within India. Now, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, the preaching is going on all over the world. Take advantage of it. Make your life perfect. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Arjuna, to clear the matter, inquired from Him: aparaṁ bhavato janma paraṁ janma vivasvataḥ. So Arjuna knew that Kṛṣṇa can remember forty millions of years ago He spoke to the sun-god, but to clear the misconception of others who will later on read Bhagavad-gītā, he inquired the question that "My dear Kṛṣṇa, we are born very recently. How is that You say that You explained this Bhagavad-gītā forty millions of years ago?" In that answer, Kṛṣṇa said that: "Yes, you were also present at that time, when I explained." Because Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, they're constant companions, friends. Pārṣada. Eternal associate.
When Kṛṣṇa comes, He comes with His associates. Just like if you invite King. That does not mean the king alone. The king comes along with secretaries, commander, ministers, soldiers, so many things. Similarly whenever Kṛṣṇa comes... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7).
And when Kṛṣṇa was staying on this planet He, His brother Balarāma, and His sister Subhadrā also visited Kurukṣetra. That ceremony is observed as Ratha-yātrā. Three persons, two brothers and one sister. We are celebrating, introduced this Ratha-yātrā system in the Western countries and recently we had this festival in New York. Very successfully. Perhaps you have read in the paper.
Anyway, this movement is strictly based on the śāstra and the Vedic knowledge, and the essence of Vedic knowledge is the Bhagavad-gītā. And we are presenting as it is. We do not explain Kurukṣetra as this body. There is no meaning. There is no dictionary which means Kurukṣetra this body. So Kurukṣetra is a place. Dharmakṣetra, it is a place of religion or as our Vedic instruction, kurukṣetre dharmān yajayet. You go to Kurukṣetra and perform ritualistic ceremonies, that is recommended. So there is no question of interpreting Kurukṣetra Dharmakṣetra when you can understand it very easily and directly.
Prabhupāda: Yes. If one has to suffer more, Kṛṣṇa says, "No, no, now you enjoy. Why you read that?" (laughter) Better go to the restaurant and spend money for that.
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you've mentioned several times in recent lectures that a pure devotee can see Kṛṣṇa everywhere, that He's never out of your vision, and at the same time in Śikṣāṣṭaka prayers Lord Caitanya explains that "Govinda, I am feeling Your separation to be twelve years or more. I'm feeling the world vacant in His absence." Could you explain this?
Prabhupāda: Yes. He's playing how you can become mad without seeing Kṛṣṇa. That is higher stage. It cannot be explained, but when you gradually go higher and higher you'll understand.
So therefore Bhagavān uvāca. We have to hear from Bhagavān, not from rascals. Then your knowledge is perfect. If you hear from rascals, then you become rascal. Don't hear from any rascal. Hear from Bhagavān and take it and accept it. Then, gradually, your existence will be purified. Just like if somebody comes... Recently it so happened. There is a big Māyāvādī sannyāsī in India. His name is Akshananda Swami. Perhaps you know. Did you know? No. Anyone? Anyway, he is a Māyāvādī sannyāsī. So Acyutānanda Swami went to sell some books in their camp. So his disciple requested him, "Why don't you ask some question from Swamiji?" So he said, "What I have to ask from him?" He was so convinced that "What this rascal can say to me? I know. I have heard from Kṛṣṇa." This is knowledge. So if you stick to Kṛṣṇa and hear from Him, you haven't got to hear from any rascal, any rascal. Then you will waste time. Don't hear from any rascal.
Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, as it is, without any change.
These rascals, they are simply polluting. Because they are not coming in paramparā system, everyone is trying to become a very learned scholar, very learned leader, but they are rascals. Actually they are rascals because they cannot see. Recently, what was the Gandhi's statement? That "I do not believe that there was Kṛṣṇa ever lived." That's it, "ever lived. Kṛṣṇa is of my imagination." He said like that. This is going on. All the ācāryas, they accepted. Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Person. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava: (BG 10.14) "Your personality, nobody can understand." There is person before him, and he is such a big man. He says that "It is imagination." This is going on. If... Science should be as other such study. Two plus two, mathematic calculation, that is four. You cannot say it is five or three by interpretation or by imagination. Two plus two is equal to four. You accept or not accept; that is a different thing. So it is a science.
Then something is coming out. He's doing that. Still, he says, "There is no God." What is this foolishness? Why do they say like that? Therefore they are asuras. They do not admit the existence. Big, big chemist...
Recently there is a book "Chemical Evolution." He wants to prove it, that by combination of chemicals the life has come in. That is not the fact. The fact is: life has come from life. You cannot manufacture life by combination of chemical. Chemical comes from life. In our book... What is that book? "Life Comes From Life." I have given this reason, that even though you think that chemical combination brings the living force, but the chemical is coming from life. Just like citric acid. The citric acid we see practically. There is a tree, lemon tree. This is life. The lemon tree is life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarāḥ. They are sthāvara life, non-moving life, but it is life.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
I mean to say, eulogizing Kṛṣṇa, who was the son of a leader, (indistinct) like that. So many they manufacture. But you cannot do so, because the reference is there. Very old Purāṇas. Some rascal philosopher says Bhāgavata Purāṇa was compiled recently. How there is a reference within the Purāṇas? So this rascaldom has spoiled the whole Vedic culture. The so-called Westernized scholars... Because the real purpose was that the rulers(?), they did not want to present Indian culture as very old, because then their Darwin's theory will be spoiled. That was their nonsense proposition, that they are proposing that human brain is being developed. But if they accept that millions of years ago the brain was already there, then their rascals theory of Darwin will be spoiled.
They haven't got even means to accommodate the bare necessities of life—eating, sleeping, mating. They're also deficient. mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ. And above all these there is always disturbance. Sometimes war, sometimes famine, sometimes earthquake, sometimes this, overflood. Just like recently in New York there was overflood, you know? So in this way we are so much complicated, this is the position. Now in this condition of life how you can take up very serious type of self-realization, that is not possible. Alright, thank you very much.
Still, he was saying, "My father, they do not know what they are doing." Is it not? He is so much compassionate that "These rascals do not know what they are doing, rascals. Still, I request You to forgive them." This is Vaiṣṇava. Personally he is suffering, but he is still compassionate. There was an article recently, that Jesus Christ, although he was crucified, he did not die. Yes. He went to Kashmir. Some historical references are there. So actually, when he was representative of God, son of God, how these rascals could kill him? It was a show only.
Anyway, so the devotees, they are so compassionate that titikṣavaḥ, they suffer all kinds of odds in this material world. Still, they try to give the information, "There is God, there is kingdom of God. You are suffering here. Please do this so that you can again come back to home." This is the Vaiṣṇava. Karuṇayā. Out of compassion. Karuṇayāha purāṇa-guhyam. Purāṇa.
So many people suggested many things—not ordinary people, many great sages, brāhmaṇas—"Mahārāja you do this. You do that." Later on it was suggested, on arrival of Śukadeva Gosvāmī in that meeting... So all the sages decided that "Śukadeva Gosvāmī has recently learned from his father, Vyāsadeva, about Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam."
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the last contribution of Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is the original compiler of all Vedic literature. So he wrote so many books—all the Vedas, four Vedas, 108 Upaniṣads, eighteen Purāṇas, Mahābhārata. Rāmāyaṇa was compiled before, by Vālmīki. And in Mahābhārata there are 100,000 verses. Similarly, all these books, hundreds and thousands of verses. And the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam contains eighteen thousand verses. So in this way, Vyāsadeva compiled all these books for benefit of the people in this age of Kali.
That is not possible.
So there was no need of this democratic meeting, but there was meeting of the first-class brāhmaṇas. For the benefit of the whole human society they used to meet sometimes, and that meeting is still continuing in India. It is called Kumbha-melā. Kumbha-melā. Recently this meeting took place in Haridwar. All the saintly person used to come and in four places: one at Prayāga, Allahabad, one at Vṛndāvana, and one at Haridwar, and another at Rāmeśvaram, something like that. Four places. So similar meeting was held at Naimiṣāraṇya. Naimiṣāraṇya, that place is still existing, very nice place.
So the question was that "After departure of Kṛṣṇa, who was guiding the fates of the human being?" The last question was this.
We have heard from śāstras and authorities, and You are speaking personally; therefore I accept You that You are Para-brahman." This is the study of Bhagavad-gītā.
So God is explaining Himself personally, and He is accepted by authorities, not only in days of yore, formerly, but recently within five hundred, seven hundred years, big, big ācāryas-Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī-big, big ācār..., stalwart, latest within five hundred years. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, everyone accepts Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And these rascals are searching out what is God. Just see their rascaldom! God is here, and he is searching. So those who are searching after God, and they are, if they are making some proposition, thesis, these are all nonsense, cheating. You do not know God. You admit. That is very good. But why you are making thesis? God is not subjected to your mental speculation.
Therefore to become devotee is sometimes very troublesome, because even the father become enemy. This is the position of the devotee. But still, you have to become devotee. That is your success of life. But the warning is there, that as soon as you become a devotee, you become enemies of so many, especially nowadays. You know that recently I was refused entrance in Africa. The government did not allow me to enter. What is my fault? Because I am a devotee. This is my fault. So we are meeting so many dangerous position. In Bombay our temple construction has been refused by the commissioner of police. Why? Because we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. They have openly written that "The bhajana nuisance." You see? This is our position. Bhajana... Kṛṣṇa says, Bhagavān says, that catur-vidhā bhajante mām. This bhajana word is there. "Four kinds of people can be engaged in bhajana." Who are they? Sukṛtino 'rjuna: "Whose background is very, very pious activities." Now, at present, bhajana is nuisance.
So the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is now well spread all over the world. The framework is there. So anyone can go and preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very easily and people will take it. Recently I'm coming from Manila, Philippines. There also, they're dog-eaters. But still they took part in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chanted, and we were very much encouraged. In the last meeting... We held our meeting in the hotel, big hall, very nice hall, and all young men came, and they chanted and danced with us, purchased our books, and here are... The organizer is Sudāmā-vipra Ma..., Gosvāmī Mahārāja is present here. He has gone there only six months, and within six months, he has organized so nicely that wherever we go, the young generation, especially, they chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa!"
In the Bhagavad-gītā there is another instance. When Arjuna asked Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa said, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). Kṛṣṇa said that, "First of all, I narrated this yoga system of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god." So, in order to clear this matter, Arjuna inquired from Him: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, we are born very recently. How is that You narrated this yoga system to the sun-god?" Arjuna, of course, knew everything, but in order to clear our doubts, he raised this question. And Kṛṣṇa answered that "You were also present at that time, but you have forgotten. I have not forgotten." So this is another proof that Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's body does not change. Kṛṣṇa, when He comes, when He appears, He comes in His original spiritual body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has warned that avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). The Māyāvādī philosophers who think that Kṛṣṇa has accepted a material body, they are described as mūḍhas. They have no sufficient knowledge. Paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ. They do not know what is the power behind Kṛṣṇa.
Just like this demon. But Kṛṣṇa will save you. As Prahlāda Mahārāja was put into the water by his father.
So to become Kṛṣṇa conscious means there will be so many enemies. Even father, what to speak of others? They will criticize, they will attack. I have recently received letter from Germany. Our devotees were attacked by a gang. So this is the way. As soon as you become God conscious, the demons will create disturbance. Just like Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified by the demons. The only fault was that he was God conscious. Just see; such innocent person. The world is like that. So these dangers are there, but don't be afraid of. Kṛṣṇa will save you. And tolerate. If there are disturbances... Because it is the nature of this material world, as soon as there will be devotee, God conscious person, there will be so many enemies from the side of the demons. So we have to tolerate.
No. Nobody will accept. So similarly, this Kali-yuga is so dangerous that gradually we are becoming involved in more difficulties. That is the way of Kali-yuga. The symptom of Kali-yuga is disagreement, fight, quarrel. Kali means this quarreling, fighting, unnecessarily fighting. Just like recently in India we have seen. Formerly there was Hindu-Muslim riot, sporadic riot in some village. Say, some fifty men this side, some fifty men that side, they fought, say, for two hours, and it is finished. Again they are friendly. Now, since India has become independent, the Muslims have become Pakistan and the other part... They are not all Hindus. Suppose Hindus, they have become Hindustan. They organizedly fight. Now recently, last year, they fought and spent millions of dollars unnecessarily. This is going on. This is called Kali-yuga. Unnecessarily they will disagree, unnecessarily they will fight and spoil energy, spoil money. This is called Kali-yuga.
That's all. The brahmacārīs will live in the direction of the spiritual master and hear the class, and they will learn. That's all, no written book, neither there was notebook. Everything was heard by students. There was no need of writing. Therefore this whole Vedic literature is called śruti. Śruti means simply hearing. There was... Even in recent years there was a learned paṇḍita in Calcutta. There were some... In the British days there was some quarrel between two Britishers, and one of them complained to the magistrate, and the magistrate inquired, "Who is your witness?" Then one of them said that "Well, there was nobody else. But there was a paṇḍita. He was worshiping in that bank of the Ganges. So we had some quarrel. He has heard it." So he was called. So he stated that "I do not know what they talked because they were talking in English language, but I can produce what they talked." So he produced the whole thing verbatim, that "He talked like this. He talked like this. He talked like this.
"You have recently done..." Because Vyāsadeva, after the Battle of Kurukṣetra, he wrote Bhārata, this Mahābhārata, history, history of India or history of this planet, Mahābhārata. So he says that kṛtavān bhārataṁ yas tvaṁ sarvārtha-paribṛṁhitam.
Sarvārtha. Artha means, what are the arthas? Artha means interest. Interest. So there are four kinds of interests. We are interested in four things. If we are actually human being, a civilized being, then we should be interested with four things. What are those four things? Dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). In human society, for at least peaceful living, the human society must have religion, dharma. And artha means economic development, good condition, economic con... That is also required. One, that the human society should be religious, they must have nice economic organization, and the kāma, they must have also nice arrangement for sense gratification.
That was the stricture. And śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means rich family, very rich family. So every rich family had a temple, private temple. Just like I was born in a family. Although I was not a member of that family, but I was born in a very rich family. They had a temple. Still that temple existing. When I last year went to India, I stayed in that temple. Acyutānanda, recently he was there. He informed me that he is staying in that temple. So that is the facility. We got the facility of this temple. Because we were born in that family, from the very beginning of our life we got the idea of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa worship. It is very nice.
So śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). So there is no loss. He begins again worship of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, either in the brāhmaṇa family or in the rich family. And ko vārtha āpto 'bhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ: "And if anyone does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, simply engages in his, mean, prescribed duties as a brāhmaṇa or kṣatriya or a śūdra, and he's very strict moralist, he may get, he may not get also."
Then growing, child or baby or boy, there are so many sufferings. Then young man—suppose he becomes family man—then earn for the family. That is also suffering. Then old man, disease, inability, many, many thoughts, that is also suffering. And again death is suffering. At the time of death nobody knows what will happen. Recently one of our Godbrothers has died. He was suffering that he... Some glucose food was being supplied through the nose, and with that, what is called? Taking out the...? That also another suffering. Forcibly taking out the urine, cannot speak anything. So this is suffering. This is called saṁsṛti. We are so foolish we do not know that this material existence is suffering. They are simply struggle for existence. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). Simply a struggle. There is no happiness. But these foolish persons, they do not know that there is suffering and how to stop this suffering.
In London I have seen, very big, big churches, but they're closed. When there is meeting on Sunday, the caretaker, two, three men, and some old lady, they come. Nobody comes. And we are purchasing. We have purchased several churches. Because it is now useless. It is useless. In our Los Angeles we have purchased and several others. In Toronto. That recently we have purchased. Big, big churches. But they would not sell us. One church, the priest said that "I shall set fire in this church, still I shall not give to Bhaktivedanta Swami." (laughter) This Toronto church was like that also. And in Melbourne, the condition was, sale condition was, that you have to dismantle this church building. We said, "Why?" He said, "Utilize as temple now, then we shall not give you." They refused. You know that? So they do not like that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will purchase our churches and install Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity." They do not like that. But it is not(?) going on.
There are so many rascals, they think like that. They are... "Why you are worshiping in the temple?" Amongst the Indians also, the Arya-samajis, they protest against temple worship. But who cares for them? Here in Vṛndāvana, there is Arya-samaji temple. Nobody goes there. But this is a new temple recently started, and thousands of people are coming. Why? All of them are fools and rascals? This is exactly according to the śāstra.
And the argument that God is everywhere, why you should go to the temple? And what is this nonsense? If God is everywhere, why not in the temple? But this is their argument, nonsense argument. God is everywhere, but not in the temple. This is their argument. So we do not care. Nobody cares. So many agitators came and gone, but the Vedic process will go on. Let the dogs bark, the caravan will pass. There is no difficulty.
Now at the present moment, since two years, there is scarcity of water. There is no rainfall. So these tractors are now crying. You see? It is useless. Simply by so-called tractors, implements, you cannot produce, unless there is favor by Kṛṣṇa. He must supply water, that for want of... Recently the news is that people are so exasperated that they went to the secretary, they demanded food, and the result was they were shoot, shot down. Yes, so many people died. So actually, although we have got this arrangement that one has to work, but that work is simple. If you remain Kṛṣṇa conscious... That, after all, Kṛṣṇa is supplying the foodstuffs. That's a fact. Every religion accepts that. Just like in Bible it is said, "God give us our daily bread." That's a fact. God is giving. That you are..., you cannot manufacture bread. You can, you can manufacture bread in the bakery house, but the..., who will supply you the wheat? That is supplied by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān.
So therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja says, aho me paśyata ajñānam: "Just see how much foolish I am. I am foolish, I am." This body... I may be king, but this body, although I am king, if I do not discharge my duties nicely, president or king or very big man, immediately votes will be against me. So I am working for others. I have to keep... Just like recently in your country, the democratic party and... What is the other party? Republic party. So many things are going on, ajñāna. This is ajñāna. Philosophy means to see intelligently, darśana. The translation of philosophy means darśana. Darśana means seeing. Philosophy means to see the actual fact. That is called philosophy. So if we philosophically take all these things, we are working for others out of ignorance, and I am thinking that "It is my interest. It is my self-interest..." Actually, you have to work for others. That is your business. And that other is Kṛṣṇa, not this material world. I have to work for others. Because I am servant originally.
Just like the Germans did. What is the meaning of concentrated...? That he'll be killed after some days. So how you can be happy? If you are already informed, condemned to death, and kept in a concentration camp, will you be happy? Similarly, when these people take these cows to the slaughterhouse, animal stock room, go down, they understand. Very recently, about few years ago, some..., that animal stock store was some way or other broken and all the cows began to... Perhaps you know. It was published in the... And they were shot down. Shot to death. They were fleeing like anything, that "We shall save ourselves."
So if the cows are not happy, if they are always afraid, that "This rascal will kill us at any moment," then how they can be happy? There was no such thing. Therefore it is said: mudā. Mudā. Happy.
So if we are honest, if we are, because the, just like in prison house, jail, although the prisoners are criminals, condemned, still there is arrangement for your comfort also, by the government. There is arrangement of supplying food and all other necessities of life. Recently in Ahmedabad when I was visiting, the prison authorities also invited us for kīrtana. So I saw the criminals, prisoners. Savarmati. Savarmati jail, yes, where Gandhi was also imprisoned during the political movement. So Gandhi's room, where Gandhi was staying they showed me, and I sat down there. So, there is very good arrangement for the comforts of the prisoners, if they abide by the laws. Similarly, although this material world is just like prison house, prison house, we living entities, we have come here as punishment.
So why in the moon planet or other planet there should be no living entities? That's a wrong theory.
Long, long ago, sometimes in 1930, I had a talk in Allahabad with a great scientist Dr. Shah. He said that there is no reason to disbelieve that in other planets there is no living entity. And recently one Russian scientist also said that there are many planets where very, very intelligent class of men are there. So that is our theory, that the... if you go to the higher planetary system, you will find more comfortable standard of life, the duration of life is very long, and the people are very, very intelligent. They are called demigods. So whatever it may be, we have to follow our own principles, and there is no reason to disbelieve that in other planets there are no living entities. We cannot accept it.
Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyam purāṇa-puruṣam (Bs. 5.33). He's the origin person, original person. Purāṇa, very old, must be very old because everything... Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). From Him, everything has come. Therefore Purāṇa, Purāṇa means old. Nūtana and Purāṇa. Nūtana means "just very recently," and Purāṇa means very old.
So we are also old. In the Bhagavad-gītā you find this verse, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Do you remember, any one of you, this verse from the Bhagavad-gītā? Eh? But you don't read. So I am writing all these books simply for selling, not for reading. This is not good. And if somebody asks you, "You are so much eager to sell your books. Do you read your books?" Then what you will say? "No, sir, we don't read. We sell only. Our Guru Mahārāja writes, and we sell." That is not good business. You must read. Why I am writing so many books? Not a single moment waste.
"You don't write poetry in this way. You first of all read Bhāgavata from the bhāgavata. Then try to write." So that you will find in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. He advised that "Go and read Bhāgavatam from bhāgavatam. Then try to write."
Recently one gentleman from India... He is a man of very good position, ICS, the old ICS, British ICS, Indian Civil Service. They are the topmost service. So he sent me one translation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So perhaps you know. Gargamuni knows. So I rejected it, that "No, this cannot be published. There are so many anomalies." And so his daughter is here in Los Angeles. So she came with her husband and took back. So we do not publish anything which is not approved by the ācāryas. We are not like ordinary press, that anything and anything will come and we shall publish. No. That is not our business. It must be approved, as we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, no mental concoction.
That's all. It is a fact. They do not care for country's welfare. No. There is no such question. Their only ambition is, "Let me mix with this political party. It's growing... Just like in our country, there are so many parties.
Recently, Indira Gandhi's party became powerful. So all other men, giving resignation from other party, they took into the party of Indira Gandhi. So it is like that, merging into the existence of the powerful. So the frustrated karmīs, frustrated karmīs, when they do not find any happiness even by becoming the greatest or the topmost person, he wants to become one with God. Therefore it is said, brahma-varcasa-kāmas tu. Brahma-varcasa means effulgence. But it is kāma. That is not akāma. But a devotee is akāma, there is no kāma. He has no personal desires. His desire is only to remain eternal servant of God. That's all. That is his position. That is not desire. That is his actual position.
He's kept into darkness that he is like animal and his only business is how to eat, how to sleep, how to mate. This kind of ignorance, at least in India, we should not desire. Let us combine together. That is my request. Take it very seriously. In America they are now taking it seriously. Perhaps you know. Recently there is a judgment by the Supreme Court in New York. They admitted that Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is genuine religious movement. There was a great opposition against this movement. Our students were being kidnapped, and so many harassments was going on, but by the grace of Kṛṣṇa I went to America in 1965, and now it is '77. After eleven, twelve years of struggle I was loitering in the street, who cared for me? But it is now being recognized, that "Here is a movement." Now we have to utilize it. I always put this logic to my students, andha-paṅgu-nyāya, that for the benefit of the whole world, American money and Indian culture should combine.
If you have got some money, this is the means. So this is all stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. People will be so much harassed that ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam. They'll be disgusted so much, they will give up their family all of a sudden... Dāra-draviṇāḥ. Dāra means wife, children and bank balance, everything, "Let them go to..." Recently we have seen one big industrialist, he has committed suicide. So people will do that. They'll be so much harassed. This is Kali-yuga.
So in this position of harassment, how the peaceful varṇāśrama can be revived? It is very difficult. It is almost impossible. Therefore this system should be taken. What is this system? Saṅkīrtanair yajñair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. Those who have got brain, they will worship Viṣṇu. Yajña means to satisfy Viṣṇu. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ. Viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa... The whole aim is to satisfy Viṣṇu. Therefore Viṣṇu comes Himself, Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore the competition is going on always-greediness. There is no end of ambition. "More money, more money, more money." Nobody is satisfied.
Recently one of our life members—he is a big industrialist—he has jumped from the, what is called, that Daksinasvara(?) Bridge, down to the Ganges. No, Wellington Bridge, I think. So committed suicide. In Western countries also, because there is no end of greediness: "More, more, more, more, more." Ask him that "What will be satisfaction for you?" Oh, there is no such limit. This is rajas and tamas. And some people, they are śūdras. So some political party, by agitation, by propaganda, makes them convinced to accept some way, and they do it. Another party will do another... They have no their own discretion. They elect some president, and again they want to dethrone the president.
So at the time of death, if you can maintain this bhāva, Kṛṣṇa conscious bhāva... The bhāva is the perfection. Bhāva is attained after much practice of devotional service. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ, athāsaktis tato bhāvaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Āsakti, when there is āsakti, attraction, attraction... Now, recently I have received one letter. One boy, he was engaged in worshiping the Deity in our Hyderabad center, and he was transferred to Madras. So he became madlike. He has come back. He could not stay there without serving. He has written me letter. So that is bhāva. He cannot stay without worshiping the Deity. That stage comes. You have to simply adopt it. Tato bhāvaḥ. Tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. Anartha. Anartha means we are accustomed to this material condition of life, so many anarthas. Just like there are so many people, they are going to the cinema in the evening. But those who have attained bhāva, his anartha nivṛtti is already done.
So one has to to take shelter of something else for protection, for security. But they are not actually security. Therefore we are always full of anxiety. You may be a citizen of a great state like United States of America. But you are not without any anxiety because that shelter is not sufficient. That will not stay. Just like recently in America they had to dethrone Mr. Nixon because they were not free from anxiety. So you cannot become free from anxiety by taking shelter of anything material. That is not possible. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Asat and sat. Sat means eternal, and asat means temporary. So we are eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). We are not annihilated after the annihilation or destruction of this body. Therefore we have to take shelter of the eternal. Then we'll be happy.
As it is going on in European and American countries, anyone who gets money, he utilizes it for wine and woman. He has no other engagement. He does not know how to utilize money. Therefore, now the British Empire, we have seen it practically, how opulent British Empire was and now how they are coming down. Recently we have seen in London that people are lying down on bench. So this is the nature. Luxury leads to poverty. So we should be very much careful. Don't think that "Because I am now initiated, I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, now everything is guaranteed. Now I shall do whatever I like." No. Then it will deteriorate. We should not utilize this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement for any material purpose. Then it will fall down. Either the man will fall down or the status will fall down. As it has become in India. Practically they have lost all spiritual interest, although India is the country for spiritual advancement of life.
Mahāṁsa: There is a question here: please give brief resume of Swami A.C. Bhaktivedanta's life. I would just like to make a note that we have printed our recent Hare Kṛṣṇa Explosion fortnightly. It is available at the book stall (indistinct). This issue had been dedicated to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Śrīla Prabhupāda, how he started the International Society for Krishna Consciousness and other achievements, books of Śrīla Prabhupāda. So if you would like to know, you can take one of these issues.
Acyutānanda: According to your observation, godlessness is responsible for scarcity. Then what about Communist countries compared with India?
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Why Vedas should be taken so seriously? People question that "Vedas are written by some man." That's wrong. Vedas are not written by any man. Otherwise, why Vedas should be taken so seriously? Not... Not present moment. It is coming. All the ācāryas. All the ācāryas. So far we are concerned, we Indians, Hindus, we are very controlled by the ācāryas, recent ācāryas—Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī. They have accepted Vedas as supreme. Lord Caitanya accepted Vedas as the supreme. And Lord Buddha, although he is accepted as incarnation of God, still, because he did not accept Vedas, his philosophy was not accepted in India. Veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Our principle, the Vedic principle, is that anyone who does not obey the injunctions of the Vedas, he is called nāstika, atheist. He does not believe. Veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's saying that "We consider the Buddhists as atheists because they do not accept the Vedic principles."
Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. From Him, all other expansions... They are called Viṣṇu-tattva. And Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8), aham ādir devānām. These things are there.
So in this way we have to accept dharma. As it is said in the recent, say, within five years, five thousand years, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is... Actually we are spreading. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness means what Kṛṣṇa has said. That we have taken. That is Vedas. Sometimes people argue that Bhagavad-gītā is smṛti. Professor, Dr. Stahl, he argued with me that Bhagavad-gītā is smṛti. Smṛti means the Vedic conclusion written by somebody else. That is called smṛti. He is also authorized. So Bhagavad-gītā is also accepted as smṛti, but smṛti is not different from śruti.
Now, the question may be that the Indians or the followers of the Vedas... Now it has become so. Actually, the followers of Vedas are everyone. Every human being is the followers of Veda because the history of all other religions, they are all recent—one thousand year, two thousand years, three thousand years—but you cannot trace out the history of the Vedic religion. So from historical point of view, suppose one religion is current for the last three thousand years. Then what was their condition before three thousand years? So the natural conclusion is: as there was no such religion three thousand years and the Vedic religion has no history—it is coming from time immemorial—that was the religion. Take for example in India. Twenty years before there was no Pakistan, but now there is Pakistan. Under certain circumstances, the religious principle has changed, but originally every human being on this planet were following the Vedic religion.
They should learn, ideal men. Under their advice... Brāhmaṇa is considered to be the guru of other sections: kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. So anyone can live very peacefully without any hard labor. What is this civilization? For getting foodstuff one has to go hundred miles away from home, daily passengers. And some of them are going in the foreign countries also. Recently there was news that in Africa, Uganda, that, the President Amin, he asked some very respectable English gentleman to carry his palanquin just to insult them. But the Englishmen, now they are in a precarious condition. The British Empire is now finished. Now they had to carry this man. And under protest they could not go away because they have got business. So why one should go so far distance? Everyone can produce his foodstuff at home. Nature's arrangement is so nice. If not, little trade. So it is not meant for so much hard labor. Śāstra says, "This kind of laboring hard simply for satisfaction of senses is the business of the hog and pig.
Similarly, Prahlāda Mahārāja is authority. Janaka Mahārāja is authority. The twelve authorities. So Arjuna confirmed that "You are speaking, Yourself, that You are the Supreme Lord," mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7), "and from discussion of Bhagavad-gītā, I also accept You Para-brahman. And not only that, all the authorities, they also accept you." Recently, in our time, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, all the ācāryas, they also accept Kṛṣṇa. Even Śaṅkarācārya, he accepts Kṛṣṇa. Sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ. So Kṛṣṇa is accepted the Supreme Personality of Godhead by all the ācāryas.
So we have to learn from the ācāryas, not any common man or any self-made ācārya. No. That will not do. Just like we... Sometimes in the court we give some judgment from the other court and that is taken very seriously because it is authority. We cannot manufacture judgment. Similarly, ācāryopāsanaṁ, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is recommended. We have to go to the ācāryas.
This advancement of material civilization is māyāra vaibhava. Therefore the Vedic civilization is voluntarily accepting poverty. Voluntary. Big, big kings, they voluntarily accepted poverty. Rūpa Goswami Don't go to the past, big, big..., Bhārata Mahārāja and others. Even Lord Rāmacandra. Take recent history, within five hundred years. Rūpa Goswami, the chief minister of the government of Bengal, most opulent position: tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. They became mendicant, voluntarily accepting, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-mandala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. "What is this nonsense position, minister, opulent life? Kick it out." They are not fools. They are politicians. But why they "Kick it out." Then what they became? Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. They become mendicant.
They imitate. Now we go on the road, and the small children, they say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." Just see. Nāma is so strong that the boys, they also chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is so easy. We have seen it. The small children immediately, they clap, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." And some of our students' children, in Buffalo they are dancing, in San Francisco. I received recently one letter from the mother of my disciple. He (she) wants to instruct his two children, other two children. So it is so nice. It doesn't require any material acquisition. Simply God has given you this nice apparatus, ear. Simply you hear Hare Kṛṣṇa.
So bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha pāya. Yathā kevala-bhaktyaiva gajendrāya tuṣṭuyavaḥ (?). The example is Gajendra, the elephant. It was not even a human being. Now, how he satisfied? You have seen that picture of, that... Here I don't find that picture in my apartment, that a calf is by the side of Kṛṣṇa, and it is trying to lick up the body of Kṛṣṇa like this, and Kṛṣṇa is embracing immediately.
Kṛṣṇa is confirmed the Supreme God by Brahmā, by Śiva, by Vyāsa, Nārada, Devala, and many, many devotees, Bhīṣma... There are twelve standard ācāryas. They are svayambhūr nārada śaṁbhu... Svayambhūr means Brahmā; Nārada, Nārada Muni; and Śaṁbhu means Lord Śiva. Kapila, Vyāsa, Kumāra—everyone has accepted. And in the recent years Lord Caitanya, He said. And the Bhāgavata says, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Bhāgavata gives list of all incarnations of God, and at the last he concludes that in this list the name "Kṛṣṇa," He is the Supreme Personality. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. And all other manifestations, they are incarnations. Ete ca aṁśa-kalāḥ. All these different names of God, they are either parts or part of the parts. The part of parts is called kalā, and part is called aṁśa. We are also amsa, but we are very fragmental aṁśa. We are not as big as Viṣṇu. We are very fragmental. We are also aṁśa. So aṁśa kalā. So all others, they are either aṁśa or kalā, but Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇas tu... Tu means "but."
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.
Koṭi means hundred lakhs, and again multiplied by sata, sata, unlimited. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo (Bs. 5.34). And the speed? Vāyor athāpi manaso, speed of the air and the mind. Still, avicintya-tattve: they cannot understand what is God. Ask any scientist, any physicist, any mathematician. Just like recently one rascal—he is doctor—he has said that "Sītā was sister of Rāma, and Rāma was this and that." So speculator. He has become bigger than the ācāryas, and because he has got little doctorate title, he's thinking that he has become very, very big. This is going on. This is called māyā manaḥ. Māyā is so strong that she is bewildering even so-called doctorates, deletes(?) and others. All rascals. Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. Although they have got these university degrees, but they are rascals. Why? Māyayapahṛta-jñānā. Their knowledge has been taken away by māyā.
Māyā is very strong.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Kṛṣṇa was questioned by Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa said that "Many millions of years ago, first of all, I spoke this science of Bhagavad-gītā or bhakti-yoga, to the sun-god." Imaṁ vivasvate proktaṁ vivasvān manave prāha. "I spoke, first of all, to Vivasvān, the Sun god." The Sun god's name is there, Vivasvān. Then Kṛṣṇa was questioned by Arjuna that "Kṛṣṇa, You and me, we are born very recently. How is that You say that You spoke to Sun god? That is millions and millions of years ago." So Kṛṣṇa answered, "Yes, I said. I remember. But you do not remember. You were also present." Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, they're eternal friends. So whenever Kṛṣṇa appears, Arjuna also appears. Kṛṣṇa has got His associates. Arjuna is one of the associates. But the, that is the difference between living entity and God. God remembers and the living entity does not remember. He forgets. And another conclusion is: Why Kṛṣṇa remembers and why the living entity does not remember? The reason is that living entity changes the body, Kṛṣṇa does not change the body.
This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's blessings, paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. So go anywhere and everywhere, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and you'll become victorious. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's blessings. It is not our invention. And practically we are getting result. All over the world, our only means is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Recently we have become victorious, very recently in Melbourne. You know, our men were being arrested and prosecuted. But one, the chief clergyman, archbishop, he has recommended that "These people are very nice people, God conscious. Don't give them trouble." Yes. And the government has stopped harassing. Now we are free to move on the street and go anywhere. This recent news we have got from Melbourne. Madhudviṣa Mahārāja has sent this news. Similarly, we were harassed in London also, and other places. In USA also. San Francisco. I do not know whether we were harassed in New York, but more or less...
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Then what did they do?" This is the simple... But the nonsense rascals, they are eschewing some meaning, "Oh, kuru-kṣetra means 'body,' and dharma-kṣetra means this and this... Pāṇḍava means 'the five senses.' " So many nonsensical... Even Gandhi has done this. What Gandhi? Gandhi's nothing. You see? So they are, these rascals are doing and misleading persons. I've recently written one written to Dr. Radhakrishnan that "You are going to retire. Now join this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. You have written your Bhagavad-gītā, and you don't believe Kṛṣṇa as Supreme Lord, God. Therefore by reading your Bhagavad-gītā people have become godless. So you better rectify your mistake. Now join this." I've written state letter to Dr. Radhakrishnan. "So if you want to, I mean to say, compensate the greatest sin you have committed in your Bhagavad-gītā, then you join this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement and rectify yourself." "Not to Kṛṣṇa."
So it is very unfortunate that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, accepted by all the ācāryas, not only at the present age, previously also... Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita, Devala, they are all great ācāryas. And in the recent years, Śaṅkarācārya, he also admitted. Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya—all these authorities, they are accepting Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then how is that—a less intelligent class of men, they are commenting differently? That is not good. They may comment, they go on talking all nonsense, but no sane man will accept them. That is a different thing. But those who are sane, they should judge over this, that "Why we should deny, that 'God is impersonal'? God is person. Kṛṣṇa came." Kṛṣṇa exhibited His godly potencies, energies, when He was present.
To serve the human society is not ordinary task. And now it is not possible for any ordinary man. All great men or great personalities who have appeared on this earth and rendered great service to the humanity, they are still remembered. Just like in your country, President Washington, he rendered very valuable service to your country. He's still remembered. Recently, President Kennedy... He's still remembered. Similarly, those persons who have dedicated their life for the welfare of the human society, they are not ordinary men. Therefore he is addressed as mahā-bhāga, the most fortunate personality, because he dedicated his life for the good of the humanity. The greater man is engaged for the service to the humanity, he is considered the great man. Similarly, Lord Caitanya, He also renounced this world. You see His feature is just eighteen-years-to-twenty-years-boy. And after this movement, saṅkīrtana movement, at Navadvīpa during His householder life... He was married at the age of seventeen years.
So one must give an interpretation on the Vedānta philosophy; then he'll be accepted as ācārya. Three things: Vedānta philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. One must be able to explain these three books. Then he'll be accepted ācārya. These are the principles.
So very recently... The impersonalists, they also accept avatāra. They accept Kṛṣṇa. Śaṅkarācārya accepted Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Sa bhagavān svayam kṛṣṇa. Specifically... People may misunderstand that Kṛṣṇa may be some other Kṛṣṇa because, as the present followers of Śaṅkarācārya, they are interpreting in that way. But Śaṅkarācārya, just to specify Kṛṣṇa, devakī vāsudeva jātaḥ. This means Kṛṣṇa who appeared Himself as the son of Devakī and Vasudeva, that Kṛṣṇa. That Kṛṣṇa. Just like Śaṅkarācārya has a nice prayer of Kṛṣṇa, the present followers of Śaṅkarācārya, they say... They cannot say that this is not composed by Śaṅkarācārya. It is very famous.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
Therefore our process is, try to love the original person. And as soon as you become an expert lover... You will find in, in our Back to Godhead there is a picture that a hunter, after being initiated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is loving even the ants. Those who have seen our Kṛṣṇa pictures. Have you got Back to Godhead here? You can show picture?
The story is, the hunter, a hunter was killing in the forest many animals, because hunter's business is to kill. So, I am speaking very shortly. The story and the picture you will find in Back to Godhead recently published. And Nārada, because he is Vaiṣṇava, he is lover of Kṛṣṇa, when he was passing on the path in the forest, he saw that many half-dead animals are in torture, flapping. So, he was very kind. "Oh, who has done this mischief, these poor animals?" So he searched out the hunter, and he went there. The hunter asked me, "Oh, why you are disturbing my business?" So Nārada said, "My dear hunter, I have come to beg something from you." So hunter thought that "This mendicant is a beggar, so he might have come to me to beg some skins, or deer skin or tiger skin." So he said, "All right, please, let me do my business. I shall give you skins, whatever you like."
Festival Lectures
They are hoping against hope to become happy within this material world. That is the whole history. Take the history, any history, modern history. There are so many empires: the Roman Empire, the Carthaginian Empire, the Greek Empire, the British Empire recently, Hitler's Nazism, and so many. For some time they become very powerful. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu, he's now very powerful. He's thinking, "Nobody can..." Now today he'll be killed. Keśava-dhṛta narahari rūpa is coming. So this demonic civilization will never be successful. That's a fact. But they are so fool, they do not see even historical evidences. So many empires failed. The Roman Empire failed, the British Empire failed. Still, somebody is trying to create another empire, another, different empire. Just like your President Nixon, he's trying to influence all other nations under his control. Why? Of course, I should not speak all these things. There may be criticism. But that is the way, going on.
That is the difficulty. Rather, we invite not only these boys and girls—their fathers, their grandfathers. Let all of them come and scrutinizingly study this philosophy. We have got hundreds of books. It is the, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is understandable even by the child and even by the greatest philosopher of the day. Recently I had some talks with Dr. Stahl on this high level understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if philosophers, scientists, thinkers, they come to me, we can convince them how this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is important for the whole human society. Yes.
In India there is still that place, Kurukṣetra, and religious men go there especially on the occasion of solar eclipse. So recently there was solar eclipse. Still, many millions of Indian population gathered there. Those who have gone to India might have seen this holy place, Kurukṣetra. There is a railway station also of the name Kurukṣetra, and it is a vast field. The Battle of Kurukṣetra took place also during Lord Kṛṣṇa's time, and the Bhagavad-gītā is the product in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra. So this ceremony..., Kṛṣṇa, with His elder brother Balarāma and His younger sister Subhadrā, visited in this chariot at Kurukṣetra, and we are observing this festival. Formerly one king of the name Indradyumna, he started the temple of Jagannātha in Orissa at Purī. Perhaps some of you who have gone there, they know there is a very, very old temple, according to modern calculation, not less than two thousand years old. There is the Jagannātha Deity. The King was very much anxious to establish a temple of Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma and Subhadrā, but there was a contract between the sculptor and the King that the sculptor would go on working in closed door and the King should not disturb him.
That is very good qualification. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Āra nā kariha mane āśā **. So we should become always a very obedient student to our guru. That is the qualification. That is the spiritual qualification.
So recently... I am very pleased to say that our Harikeśa, I ordered him to go immediately to Poland, and he thought that he was being punished. That was... No. I was thinking that "Here is a very very intelligent boy. If he is given chance to preach he'll come out very successful." So I see the glimpses that he has got now post. He's a very good organizer. That's a chance. At that time he might have thought that I was separating him. No. My good will was there that he should be given chance for better opportunity. So I am very much happy that he is doing there very nice. So this should be the attitude.
Twenty-five percent he gave to his relatives, because they expect something. If I am a family man, I have got my children, my wife. So they expect something. So they must be given—but twenty-five percent, not all. And twenty-five percent he kept for himself, so that in times of emergency... Because as soon as my money is gone out of my hand, I have no control. We have recently lost six thousand dollars. As soon as the check is out of the hand... Not here, in our New York. So as soon the check is out of hand, now it is gone. It is gone. Therefore we should keep something, because, after all, we have got this material body. Either I pay to Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa consciousness spent, that cannot be returned. Now, if I give to my relatives something, that is also not returned. Then what to me if I am in danger, if I am in some difficulty? So something must be kept for yourself. So this is the process. So everyone should try.
Madhudviṣa: Recently it said in the newspaper where the scientists were sending a sputnik around the moon. I have read in your Easy Journey to Other Planets that no matter how many endeavors they make, they will never reach these other planets. Is this...?
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is not the process of reaching. This is childish. That also I have made statement, this is childish. You cannot go to the moon planet in that way. It is not possible. They'll simply create story, but they'll never be successful.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Will we know Kṛṣṇa as well by thinking always how can we spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Is this the... be good to know Kṛṣṇa as much as if you study thoroughly the Vedas?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Siddhānta boliyā citte nā kara alasa. You have to understand the science of Kṛṣṇa. There are so many books. The Gosvāmīs were doing that. In the next verse... I have explained one verse. The next verse is nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. They were very much expert in studying very scrutinizingly all Vedic literatures. So, of course, reading or hearing. You may not have time to read, but try to read. If you have no time, you are hearing. We are publishing, we are publishing literature, books. I am trying to speak to you. That is also understanding, studying Kṛṣṇa science.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
The basic principle of civilization—accepting this body as the soul—is the beginning of all problems. The great philosophers, scientists, theologists and thoughtful men, they do not know what is the defect. Recently I was in Moscow. I had a talk with a big professor of Indology, Professor Kotovsky. So he was speaking that "Swamijī, after this finishing, annihilation of this body, everything is finished." So I was astonished that a learned professor who is posing himself on a very advanced post, he has no idea about the soul and the body, how they are different, how the soul migrating from one body to another. And everyone is accepting this body as the self, and "There is no life after death; therefore make the best use of this bad bargain and enjoy sense gratification as far as possible." But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is checking this wrong progress of human civilization.
Prabhupāda: So he said, "I am again surrendered." (laughs)
Jayatīrtha: I hope so.
Prabhupāda: So he has gone to Tehran?
Jayatīrtha: Yes. A letter just came from him recently saying that he was very enthusiastic in his service there.
Prabhupāda: He is business-minded. Let him do business for Kṛṣṇa.
Jayatīrtha: Yes. He says there is so much money there they don't know how to spend it. In Iran people have so much money they don't what to do with it.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They are getting money for nothing. (laughs)
Jayatīrtha: Yes. Right. It's coming out of the ground.
Prabhupāda: And the Bengali saying, dhula mati bhatta kare mata (?): "They are catching dust and it is turning into coin." This proverb is there, dhula mati bhatta kare mato. He is thinking that I am taking some dust, but when it is in hand, it is coin. That is good time. And when it is bad time, if you catch coin and when it is in your hand, it is dust. We should think that time may also come. Yes. Because after all, it is Kṛṣṇa's desire, turn dust into coin, to turn coin into dust. So we should be always careful. If we remain Kṛṣṇa conscious, then the coin will never turn into dust.
Prabhupāda: And she has been done in his (her) own city, Allahabad.
Brahmānanda: They have lost the election, Congress Party.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, this is a recent new election.
Brahmānanda: Yes, in Gujarat.
Prabhupāda: Now our next attempt will be Kurukṣetra, where Kṛṣṇa personally spoke Bhagavad-gītā. Recently I have been in Kurukṣetra. You were... Yes. So I have decided to do something there. Yes. Because Kṛṣṇa personally spoke there. Our two movements—we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā and we are holding Ratha-yātrā—all these two incidences took place at Kurukṣetra. Kurukṣetra is so important. Kṛṣṇa, Balarāma, and His sister, on some occasion of lunar eclipse, they came from Dvārakā in a chariot, ratha, two brothers and sister, and that is the occasion of Ratha-yātrā. And the Vṛndāvana inhabitants, especially Rādhārāṇī, they came from Vṛndāvana to see Kṛṣṇa after long time. And she pleaded that "Kṛṣṇa, You are the same Kṛṣṇa, I am the same Rādhārāṇī..." (Prabhupāda is coughing) Is there any water? No. "But this place is not the proper place. Let Us go to Vṛndāvana."
Woman Reporter: I know you are very much aware of all the other gurus, especially that have been coming to the United States in the recent years, and I wondered if you could explain why it is that you believe that you have the truth rather than someone else.
Prabhupāda: Explain?
Brahmānanda: She wants to know that there are many other gurus, and why do you feel that you have the truth?
Prabhupāda: Because we speak the truth. We don't give bluff that "I am God. I am this. I am that." We don't give. We are... Actual position: God is great, and we are all servants. This is our actual position. How can I say, "I am God"? So we do not give bluff. We say the real truth; therefore it appeals. And if I say something humbug, it will not appeal. It may act for some time, but it will not endure.
Brahmānanda: Is there any other question?
Unfortunately, Bhāratavarṣī is not interested. Here we see side by side the two wings of this house. The one room is interested in making money, and one room is interested in spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is the position. We are... Indians, we are neglecting this movement. That is not very good. Recently I had the chance to travel in the villages of Bengal. Oh, it is so pitiable, full of... They have given up this culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have not profited. They have not profited. But unfortunately the leaders, they think that by development of industries they'll be able... No. That is not possible. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā (SB 5.18.12). If you become godless, then you have no good qualification. Everything is finished. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā manorathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ. These rascals, godless people, they will simply manufacture plan. Manorathena: by mental concoction. "Now this, we have made this plan. It will be very nice." But no. That is not possible.
Therefore śāstra says parābhavaḥ. In ignorance, gross ignorance, anything you are doing, that is parābhava. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to save the people from this defeating position. We are trying... So far I have tried single-handed. And now the, a little pressure is felt even by some American politicians. Recently one American politician has remarked that "This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is just like epidemic. (laughs) And if we do not take any step then within ten years they'll take our government." So the Communists in India, they are trying to defeat us in so many ways.
Prabhupāda: So far I know, she likes this movement. But she is also not independent.
Indian man: That's true. Nobody is independent. Even she.
Prabhupāda: Recently one of my students met the Home Minister. He said, "Yes, this movement should be spread all over the world." They are appreciating. But there are different parties, different circumstances. Our four items—no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling—so I think they are taking some steps on this ground. They are trying to stop cow-killing.
Indian man (2): Yes, they have already banned cow-killing.
Prabhupāda: And they are going to take steps for intoxication.
Indian man (2): Stopping intoxication also. Actually, these are the things which can bring up the character of the nation.
Prabhupāda: We are already intoxicated in material existence, and if more intoxication is there then...
Initiation Lectures
Your service." We are all engaged in some sort of service. There is no doubt about it. But we are suffering. By rendering service to māyā, we are suffering. The māyā means the service which we offer to somebody, that somebody is not satisfied; and you are also offering service—we are not satisfied. He is not satisfied with you; you are not satisfied with him. This is called māyā. Just like recently there was postal strike. This is most important department of the state. The state is offering them salary to the best capacity; still, the postmen, they are not satisfied. And they are offering service to the state; the state is also not satisfied. So māyā's service is like that. You go on throughout whole life. There are many examples.
Just like in your country, in our country, President Kennedy, he wanted to give service to the country, but the people were not satisfied. Somebody killed him. Gandhi, whole life he engaged himself to the service of the country, but he was killed by his countrymen.
So the sooner they spare that money... Because if I am holding your money, if I give it to you, then I become released from my criminal activities. Suppose I have stolen something from your pocket and I become conscious, "Oh, this stealing is not good," so as soon as I return unto you, "Please take this money; I was mistaken," so thing is settled up. But if you hold it, then you are criminal. You will be punished. Similarly, everyone who is holding Kṛṣṇa's money, not returning to Kṛṣṇa, he is a criminal. He will be punished. How they are punished? That you have seen. In India, in recent... Everywhere, the same thing is going on. There was war between Pakistan and India. So all the rich men had to contribute fifty lakhs, fifty hundred thousand, according to everyone's capacity. Many millions of rupees were collected, and it was put into the gun powder, "Svāhā!" (laughter) So if you don't execute this svāhā, then you will have to execute that svāhā. (laughter) (sings out the word "svāhā!") That's all.
General Lectures
With my request, you can chant for one week and see the result. We are always prepared to serve you. We have got our temple here. Not only here, we have got our temple in Los Angeles, we have got our temple in New York, in Santa Fe, Montreal, Boston, and recently we're trying to open one temple in Buffalo. And two of my students, they have gone to Florida. They are also trying to open. So it is very nice movement, and it is very easy to chant. Now before me... I am Indian, you are all Americans. This Hare Kṛṣṇa, this vibration may be foreign to you, but there is no difficulty to chant. The words may be in Sanskrit, but it is not difficult to chant. And if you simply chant, you get the result because it is transcendental vibration. Just like when television or radio vibration is there, either in India, America, everywhere the vibration is equally beneficial. Similarly, this transcendental vibration is coming down from the transcendental world. It is not material sound. It is not hackneyed. If you chant, if you practice, you'll realize it.
Perhaps most of you know it. This is after the name of King Bhārata. There was a great king, Bhārata, who was the emperor of the world, and this planet was named Bhārata-varṣa after his name. Before that this planet was known as Ilāvṛta-varṣa. And after Mahārāja Bhārata, this planet was named as Bhārata-varṣa. But gradually, there was partition. As recently also there has been partition of India—Hindustan and Pakistan—similarly, this planet, known as Bhārata-varṣa, was partitioned gradually, one after another. So then the other names—Europe, Africa, or America, or Germany—these names gradually developed. Actually the whole planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa. That we understand from the Vedic history. And there was one king. That king also belonged to Hastināpura, which is called at the present moment New Delhi, near about that.
Unfortunately, the present policy is that students are being taught to forget their old Vedic culture and try to imitate the Westernized way of life, industrial life, technical life. That is being encouraged. But here I find that the young men and young girls and boys, both, they are very much interested about Indian original culture of spiritual life. Recently, you know, some yogi came, and he simply bluffed so many people that "If you pay me thirty-five dollars, I will give you one personal mantra, and you will be in transcendental life," or so many things. So thousands and thousands of European boys and girls, as well as in America, they flocked together, but later on, they were frustrated. That means while the Indian youths are coming to the Western countries for advancement of technological knowledge, the Western boys and girls, they are hankering after spiritual life. This I have very particularly studied. I am here, not in Canada, in America. I came here in 1965, and I am studying the mind of the younger generation especially.
Just like somebody accepts somebody as master, that is according to his own mentality. And somebody accepts somebody else as master, that is his mentality. But the highest, according to Vedic literature, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme master. Because all the ācāryas, all the spiritual masters of Vedic perfection, just like in the recent years Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, and Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya, all of them, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the supreme spiritual master. All of them. Even Śaṅkarācārya, he's impersonalist, still he has accepted Kṛṣṇa. Sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇa. He says that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa. That is mentioned in his commentary of Bhagavad-gītā. And what to speak of Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, they accept. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he says, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). If you want to become a spiritual master, then try to disseminate the teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
This very consciousness, that "I can enjoy this material world to my best capacity..." Everyone is trying to do that. Every one of us, beginning from the ant up to the highest living creature, Brahmā, everyone is trying to become one of the lords. Just like recently in your country there were so many canvassing for becoming the president. Why? The same idea. Everyone is after becoming some kind of lord. This is māyā. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is completely opposite. We are just trying to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Just opposite. Instead of becoming the lord, we want to be the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80).
So in the modern trend of civilization, people may say that this is slave mentality. It is very good idea.
Young man (6): Well, Ramakrishna is pretty recent also.
Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa, because He's old, therefore people have taken? People forget old things. Why they are adhering to the old things? At Vṛndāvana only, one place, there are five thousand temples of Kṛṣṇa. Only in Vṛndāvana. So this is all propaganda. We have to test who is incarnation, who is not, by the authorities.
Young man (6): And who are the authorities?
Prabhupāda: Vedic literatures. Lord Buddha is accepted as incarnation in the Vedic literatures.
Young man (6): What about people that have come since the Vedic literatures?
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says what about people who have come since the Vedic literatures, since the time the Vedic literatures were written. What about them?
Just try to put him to the test whether he is actually God. This is the test, that nobody should be greater than him; nobody shall be equal to him. Then he is God.
So in the Vedic literature, in India, you know there were many saintly persons, great scholars from time immemorial. Even not very recently, say, five hundred years ago there were such men, personalities. Now it is almost finished, but still, if you find, you will see there are great sages, saintly persons, who understand the meaning of Vedic literature, and they live up to the standard of Vedic life. So that is the definition given by great saints and sages, this definition given by Parāśara Muni, a great sage. He was the father of Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva is called Veda-Vyāsa. His another name is Veda-Vyāsa. Veda-Vyāsa means... His actual name is Vyāsadeva, but because he compiled all the Vedic knowledge in book form... Before the advent of this present age, which is known as Kali-yuga...
Not that because I am Your friend, out of my whims or affection I am talking of You as the Supreme Personality. You are accepted by such great sages like Nārada, Vyāsa, Asita." Great stalwarts, Vedic scholars.
So Kṛṣṇa is accepted by all Vedic scholars. Not only in the bygone ages, just like Nārada, Vyāsa, but in the recent ages, within, say, one thousand years. Within one thousand years, there happened to be many great scholars, just like Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Lord Caitanya. They were very, very learned scholars. They have accepted Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Person... Even Śaṅkarācārya. Śaṅkarācārya is more than one thousand years ago. Śaṅkarācārya's time is just after Buddha's age. Buddha, 2,500. Śaṅkarācārya, about 1,500 years ago. He also accepted. Although he was impersonalist, he accepted, sa bhagavān svayam kṛṣṇa. "Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has come, has descended as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī." He has clearly mentioned.
There are three kinds of sufferings. Many times I have explained. They are called ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika. Ādhyātmika sufferings means pertaining to this body and mind. Suppose I have got some pain here today. This is bodily suffering. Or my mind is not in... (break) They do not mind it. Just like animals. Animals, they are always in suffering, but they do not mind it. Recently I was in Hawaii. So in front of my house there was a man who was keeping some animals and birds for slaughtering. Not there, but he was dragging for selling the animals and birds for slaughtering. Now, I was giving example to my students. Now, these animals are standing here, and tell them, "Oh, my dear animals, why you are standing here? You go away. You are meant for being slaughtered." But he has no intelligence. He cannot go. Even in the slaughterhouse also, he cannot go. So suffering without knowledge, without remedy, means animal life, means animal life, one who cannot understand his suffering and he thinks, "Oh, I am very well off. I am very well situated." But that is animal consciousness. One should be cognizant of the suffering, threefold miseries of his life.
It is not to be spoiled like cats and dogs simply for sense gratification. One has to control the sense life or animal life and take to tapa. This very word is used there. Tapa means austerity, penance. We have read in the Indian history that there were many, many great sages, even kings; they left everything, they went to the forest for practicing austerity and penances. Recent, very recently... Every one of you know it that Lord Buddha... He was also Indian. He was also a kṣatriya, a prince, but he left everything and he went to the forest for self-realization.
So the self-realization process is to be achieved by this human form of life. That is... Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is indicating everyone. We are teaching that "Don't spoil your this rare human form of life simply by engaging yourself in the matter of sense gratification." Because sense gratification ample, or sufficient sense gratification opportunity you had even in the hog's life.
They will work hard. And the churning business is for the girls. That will keep your health very nice. Ma Yaśodā, the mother of Kṛṣṇa, just see how exalted she was. Materially, she was rich also. She had many maidservants. Still, she took pleasure in churning. You have seen the picture. Recently in Los Angeles they had the festival, dadhi-maṇḍa... What is called? Butter, butter ceremony. So people took part in churning, and there were twelve pounds of butter churned in the meeting. Yes. And they collected good amount by churning.
So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very nice. We churn butter and have festival and live nicely and dance, Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is very nice life. So just cooperate and try to improve. It will improve if you be sincere. Kṛṣṇa will send all help. And some day it will be actually replica of that Vṛndāvana. And our Kīrtanānanda Swami, he was in Vṛndāvana. He has got the ideas.
Prabhupāda: In Germany also. We sold fifty thousand records in Germany. And there is another record, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. That is also selling very nicely. And recently another record you produced? What is that?
Yamunā: Yes, that will be a long-playing record, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It's name is Bhaja Hūre Mana, Mana Hū Re.
Prabhupāda: Ah, bhaja hūre mana, śrī nanda-nandana, abhaya-caraṇāravinda re.
Yamunā: And saṁsāra prayers, vande 'ham prayers.
Prabhupāda: So that is not yet out?
Yamunā: Well, from what I understood, Mr. Harrison wants to get it out before Christmas, but I have not heard from Śyāmasundara what has developed.
Prabhupāda: There is one boy, George Harrison. Perhaps you know his name. He is one of the Beatles.
Now try to understand what is this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, recently it was started about five hundred years ago by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in Bengal, West Bengal, in the district of Nadia, about sixty miles north of Calcutta. And He started this movement. This movement is, of course, not to be understood that Caitanya Mahāprabhu started it, something new. No. It is the oldest, oldest in this sense, that five thousand years ago Lord Kṛṣṇa spoke about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the Bhagavad-gītā. And if we go further, then from the statement of Bhagavad-gītā we understand it was started about forty millions of years ago, because in the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, you'll find, there is a statement given by Lord Kṛṣṇa:
These are the Vedic authorities accepted by the ācāryas. Therefore, it has become easy for me to convert so many boys and girls in the foreign countries. Not only Christian, Jews, but there are many Mohammedans, Africans. In Africa also we have got branches. And recently I went to Africa, the Africans are also chanting exactly like these European and Americans. So this benediction, this foretelling of Lord Caitanya is actually going to be fulfilled.
Arjuna, when he was, he was taking instruction from Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says that this yoga system I explained to the Sun-god. And Arjuna inquired, "How is that Kṛṣṇa? Both You and me, we are born recently. How it is that You say that You explained to the Sun-god, long, long year, forty millions of years ago?" Kṛṣṇa answered this point, "My dear Arjuna, you are My eternal friend. You are always with Me. When I instructed the Sun-god, you were also present, but you have forgotten. I do not forget." That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). Kṛṣṇa knows everything. Whatever has happened in the past, whatever will happen in the future, and what is happening at the present, vedāhaṁ samatītāni, but we do not know. First of all this is, we should understand this is the difference between God and the living entity.
Śrīman Hanumān-prasāda Gosvāmī, he has spoken something about Kṛṣṇa's representative. So naturally, question may be raised that how I became Kṛṣṇa's representative. Kṛṣṇa appeared five thousand years ago. I am recently born, say, seventy-six years ago. How I became Kṛṣṇa's representative, this question may be raised. But the answer is also there, ready. We have got a disciplic succession: from Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā; from Brahmā, Nārada; from Nārada, Vyāsadeva; from Vyāsadeva, Madhvācārya; from Madhvācārya, so many disciplic succession. Later, five hundred years ago, Mādhavendra Purī, in the line of Madhvācārya. Then his disciple, Īśvara Purī, his disciple, Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya we consider Him Kṛṣṇa Himself, but He also accepted a spiritual master, Īśvara Purī. So Lord Caitanya is everyone's spiritual master, but for the sake of formality, He also accepted a spiritual master so that others may learn that this is essential.
So point is that every word of Bhagavad-gītā, that is fact, historical, and very nicely composed and spoken by the greatest authority, Kṛṣṇa, who is accepted by all parties as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are parties of spiritual life in India. Just like Śaṅkarācārya's party, they are coming from very old time. I am speaking of the recent, modern age, say, within two thousand years. Modern means within two thousand years. Śaṅkarācārya age is about fifteen hundred years. Similarly, Rāmānujācārya about eleven hundred years; Madhvācārya about seven hundred years. In this way there are, they are coming from that paramparā system. One paramparā system is coming from Brahma. Another paramparā system is coming from Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune. Another paramparā system is coming from Lord Śiva. Another paramparā system is coming from the Kumāras—they were unmarried, brahmacārīs, sons of Brahmā. So those paramparā system, line of disciplic succession, are still existing in India.
Every one of our members, they are Kṛṣṇa's representative. They are not trying to malinterpret. As there are so many so-called scholars... When this verse is translated and commented upon by big scholar... I do not wish to utter his name. He is very big man. But now he is living dead. Because he has committed so many offenses, now he is living, but he has lost his memory. Very recently I went to see him. He cannot... He is like that. So all his intelligence is finished. So nature is so strong that you can malinterpret, but nature is so strong that one day he will make you forget everything, brain paralysis. So how you are going to interpret the powerful nature? That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:
It may save some time. You may feel some extra pleasure. No pleasure actually. Rather, bullock cart is comfortable because this motorcar, you are always thinking, "There may not be any accident." Yes. Always they are afraid. And there is happening accident. Recently one of our devotee has died. So many people are dying. So this material advancement of life means you create little convenience, and side by side, you create so many inconvenience. That you must. You have created motorcar. That's all right. But side by side, you have created death by motor accident, so many. What is the statistics in your country? How many people are dying?
Not only we accept—all the authorities, whom we accept as authority. Just like Vyāsadeva. He is the authority of the Vedas. He accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nārada accepts the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Of course, that is long, long, ages ago. In the recent years, all the ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Śaṅkarācārya, all of them accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So what is the difficulty for us to accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead? There is no difficulty. If you do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you must present somebody else, that "Here is another person..." Then we have to compare whether Kṛṣṇa is actually Supreme Personality of Godhead or the another person. Because there is definition of God: aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47).
And you will be surprised. I invite you to come to our different centers in Europe and America, how they are chanting, dancing before the Deity, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda or Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Recently I had been to Atlanta for the first time. But the boys and the girls there, they have taken three big, big houses. The middle house has been transformed into temple. How nicely they are chanting and dancing. You will be surprised if you go. So this movement is undoubtedly increasing in the foreign countries, and why not in our country? So the government, the leaders and the guardians, they should deeply contemplate on the serious nature of this movement and help us. Now we are bringing men from the foreign countries to preach. How long I shall bring? If we want to spread this movement all over India very seriously, then we invite educated, intellectual young men to come forward to study this movement.
This thing we have to understand, that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And He is accepted. Arjuna heard from Kṛṣṇa about Himself, and he says... He agreed, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān puruṣaṁ śāśvatam ādyam (BG 10.12). So He is accepted by the direct disciple, Arjuna; He is accepted by Vyāsadeva; He is accepted by Nārada Muni; and recently, within two thousand years, He is accepted by all the ācāryas of India-Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī; and lately, five hundred years ago, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So there is no doubt about Kṛṣṇa's becoming the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is confirmed, ete cāṁśa kalāḥ puṁsāṁ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam: (SB 1.3.28) "The original Personality of Godhead-Kṛṣṇa." Similarly, in the Upaniṣad, in the Vedas, and Brahma-saṁhitā, if you take evidence from the śāstras, everywhere you will find, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam.
So we can see that actually Śrīla Prabhupāda has in almost a hundred centers and āśramas throughout the world, this has been established in less than ten years. One gentleman recently was saying, one respectable gentleman was saying, "I do not see how this society has spread all over the world (indistinct)." And I explained to him what we have done already has been in ten years. Just imagine twenty, thirty, forty years, like that. He was so surprised to see that actually in ten years alone all this has been accomplished. And revealing Kṛṣṇa's (indistinct) Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Prabhupāda's books are now printed in almost fifteen languages around the world and distributed in millions every year. The United States and Europe, South America and Africa, the Mediterranean, every country in the world is now benedicted by Śrīla Prabhupāda's translations.
This Bhagavad-gītā is recorded in the greater Indian history, Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means greater India or greater Bhārata. Greater Bhārata means the whole planet was formerly Bhāratavarṣa. Now it is cut into pieces. Recently we have got experience that Pakistan was also India. Now it is cut out. Similarly, this Bhārata... Bhārata means... Bhāratavarṣa means the sapta-samudra, sapta-dvīpa. This sapta-dvīpa still accepted—the North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia. In this way there are sapta-dvīpa, islands. So that is Bhārata. Now it is cut off under different circumstances. And the capital was this New Delhi or Hastināpura, and the kings, emperors, were the Pāṇḍavas family. So this is the history of greater India. That is called Mahābhārata. So Mahābhārata... In the Mahābhārata this Bhagavad-gītā is set up, and the writer of Mahābhārata is Vyāsadeva himself, and therefore the recorder of the speech, what Kṛṣṇa said in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, is also Vyāsadeva.
Philosophy Discussions
Prabhupāda: Superhuman... Kṛṣṇa conscious people, they are superhuman being. They are (indistinct).
Karandhara: They had a big meeting recently in Europe of the foremost scientists, chemists, physicists and researchers, and they predicted that by the year 2050, the scientists will be able to make the superhuman eternal human being. Then they started asking themselves, "Well, who will decide? Who will play God? If we can make an eternal person or manipulate, who will decide?" What if they make a hundred Hitlers or some demoniac scientists who knows how to do this makes a hundred Hitlers. So even if their whole thing is (indistinct), they'll misuse whatever power they acquire by understanding the laws of nature. They've misused the atomic energy.
Prabhupāda: So that everyone thinks. Everyone says, but these are also incorrect propositions. So far Russia is concerned, we have seen practically, these things are not being applied. Like, at least we have seen, that in Moscow, all big, big buildings, they are not recent buildings, they are old, damaged buildings, and (indistinct). So that means their economic condition is not so sound. The old buildings are not very nicely renovated. So what is that building we we are going inside, getting out from the National Hotel? There was a big building, some historical building?
Śyāmasundara: Kremlin?
Prabhupāda: Library or something?
Prabhupāda: Maybe.
Śyāmasundara: State planning commission.
Prabhupāda: That is a very old building; that is not recent building. So similarly all the buildings (indistinct), they are not recent buildings.
Śyāmasundara: The only fairly recent building was the university. It has a big, big, big, big building.
Prabhupāda: Ha, ha, that may be, that was not very...
Śyāmasundara: Not very new.
Prabhupāda: (indistinct) not very huge. That is not very extraordinary.
Śyāmasundara: Not compared to New York City.
Śyāmasundara: Now they are making friends with the capitalist materialists. The capitalist materialists were flown to Peking recently to save Mao Tse Tung's life because he was dying of a major heart attack. So they called a major scientist from America to help save his life. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Just see.
Revatīnandana: Now they have invited the American president to come there for talks. The imperfect one, they are inviting to talk with him now for some compromise.
Prabhupāda: This is described in Bhāgavata: punah punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), "chewing the chewed." Once it is chewed, it is thrown away, and then again, "Let me see if there is any juice." (laughter) Chewing the chewed. Or in plain words, mental concoction. The mind's business is acceptance and rejection. First of all, reject American capitalists; then again accept for consulting. That means they are hovering on the mental plane. They have no intelligence. In big scale, accepting and rejecting. That's all. It is the business of the mind. As in your personal mind you see, you accept something immediately and again reject, "No, no, it is not good." The same thing is going on in a bigger scale. That's all. They are not... Just like a pickpocket and a big scientific thief. Huh? They are trying to... Modern, scientifically, they want to rob the bank. They set the bomb. And pickpocket is satisfied by taking one paisa from your pocket. But the principle is stealing. Because you are very organized thief, it does not mean from the eyes of the law you are honest.
| Page Title: | Recent (Lectures) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 26 of Feb, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=122, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 122 |