The modern civilization does not know that every living entity is eternal; he is changing simply different phases of life. So if one is ignorant how he is changing his different phases of life, what is his next life, what he was in the past life . . . how one can know? One can know, śāstra-cakṣuṣāt. One can know from the scriptures, from the authorized books, as you know so many things. How you know that the moon planet or sun planet or this planet or that planet have got so many things, this or that? It is from the books. You have never gone to the moon planet, but you learn it from the books, authorized books. Simply you have to consult authorized books, you get learned yourself.
So the Vaiṣṇava, I mean to say, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was very much distressed when he heard about the hellish punishment of the criminals. So he's asking, mahā-bhāga, "My dear fortunate." He's asking Śukadeva Gosvāmī . . . Śukadeva Gosvāmī was naked. He was so renounced that after his birth, he left his home. And he was traveling, wandering, and when he met Mahārāja Parīkṣit he was only sixteen years old and naked, but he is accepted as the spiritual master of this great king because he was full of knowledge. It is a question of knowledge; it is not the question of age. He was only sixteen years old, and he was not even properly dressed, but God kindly sent him for instructing this king. So he is asking, "Mahā-bhāga, can you explain how these suffering men can be delivered from this hellish suffering?" So he was feeling.
This is the sentiment of Vaiṣṇava. They cannot see the suffering humanity. They always try to reform them and to get them as . . . not only the devotees, the Lord also, He is so compassionate He sends His son, His most confidential son, Jesus Christ. He comes Himself, He sends His incarnation, He sends His knowledge. Just like this Bhagavad-gītā is knowledge. He speaks Himself about this knowledge. His representatives are there by disciplic succession. So we can take advantage of all these things. Still, there is Kṛṣṇa. Still there is speaking Kṛṣṇa and His representative, and everything is there. Simply we have to take advantage. That's all. But the spell of māyā is so strong that it does not allow.
- daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī
- mama māyā duratyayā
- mām eva ye prapadyante
- māyām etāṁ taranti te
- (BG 7.14)
So if you know the secret of success, that is not very difficult. There it is . . . the statement is given by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself that, "The spell of māyā is very strong undoubtedly. It is insurmountable. But if one is intelligently . . . or one is intelligent enough and comes to My shelter, oh, there is no more spell of māyā."
So we have to become little intelligent to take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not very costly thing. You haven't got to pay for it; you haven't got to lose anything. But if you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa whenever you get opportunity . . . you have got so much opportunity. Instead of talking nonsense and wasting your time, if you please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, your life will be successful.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Any question?
Guest: Your Holiness, would you call Christ an (indistinct) of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Prabhupāda: Yes. There are stages of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. According to time, circumstances and people, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is understood in different measure. Actually, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is that one should understand that God is great and we are minute particles of God. Just like the sun globe and the sunshine. The sunshine is the combination of brilliant molecular atoms, sunshine. Similarly, we are molecular sparks, spiritual sparks, but the quality of the molecule of the sunshine and the sun is the same—light. Similarly, we, although very minute particle of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but qualitatively we are one. Quantitatively we are different.
So if one understands that we are small particles of the Supreme Lord and our business is to dovetail our consciousness with His consciousness, that is perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But it is not very easy also at the same time. To immediately accept that, "My consciousness may be dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa's consciousness," then I become almost like Kṛṣṇa.
The example I have given here in this class many times, that a car, motorcar, is running at seventy miles speed, but if a cyclist catches the motorcar, he can also run on the same speed. So although the cyclist is small . . . similarly, although we are small particle . . . just like in the fire, these sparks, the particle sparks, we can see they are very small in comparison to the fire, but when the fire and the sparks are together, everything is beautiful. Everything is beautiful. The sparks also looks very beautiful, and the fire also looks very beautiful. So God has become many. Eko bahu syāma. Why? Because as it is stated in the Vedānta-sūtra, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He is by nature ānandamaya, joyful.