View source for British nation was very powerful nation, but at the present time it is different. So simply by taking birth in England, one cannot be proud. Your forefathers were very enthusiastic, colonized. So at the present moment that is not possible

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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonSB1156LondonAugust231971_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="16" link="Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971" link_text="Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971">
<div class="heading">British nation was very powerful nation, but at the present time it is different. So simply by taking birth in England, one cannot be proud. Your forefathers were very enthusiastic, colonized. So at the present moment that is not possible. So I request you, all English boys and girls present here, now you become greater than your forefathers by taking this Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971|Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So the itihāsa... Itihāsa means history, and purāṇāni, purāṇāni means old itihāsa. All the statements or narrations described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they're all historical evidence, they're not imagination. Sometimes the so-called scholars and research students, they say it is fancy or something imagination. No. They're all history. It is said here, itihāsam. Itihāsa means history. Then?</p>
<p>Pradyumna: Ṛṣaya...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, no. Oh, yes.</p>
<p>Pradyumna: (responsively) "...the sages; ūcuḥ—said; tvayā—by you; khalu—undoubtedly; purāṇāni—the supplements to the Vedas with illustrated narrations..."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Supplements. Because Vedic language is so difficult... It is sometimes very difficult to understand. So Purāṇa, another meaning of Purāṇa means supplement. So they are explanation of the Vedic knowledge in a supplementary way by taking references from the history, from the life of great saints and sages. So they are addition, addendum. Go on. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that the Purāṇas are not Veda. That is not the fact. Here in the Bhāgavata says the Purāṇa is part of the Vedas. As Upaniṣad is part of Vedas... It is written in simplified language so that those who are less educated, less having brain substance...</p>
<p>Now, this Mahābhārata is especially written... Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means the history of greater India. Mahā. Mahā means greater. Bhārata. Bhārata means India, Bhārata-varṣa. Mahābhārata, greater India. Or at that time the whole world was Bhārata-varṣa. Therefore greater India, history in Mahābhārata is there. So Mahābhārata especially was written for three classes of men. What are those? Strī, śūdra, dvija-bandhu. Strī means woman, śūdra means worker class, and dvija-bandhu means persons who have taken their birth in higher caste, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, but they're degraded. They could not keep up their standard of culture. Just like at the present moment. They are introducing themself as brāhmaṇa, but degraded. Actually, they are not brāhmaṇa-degraded. Dvija-bandhu, friends of brāhmaṇa. Just like if I am son of a high-court judge, unless I am qualified to become a high-court judge I cannot say myself, "I am high-court judge." No. Simply by becoming the son of high-court judge, one does not become a high-court judge. He must have the qualification. So when one is simply proud of his high parentage, he is called dvija-bandhu.</p>
<p>There are many instances. Just like in this country also, British nation was very powerful nation, but at the present time it is different. So simply by taking birth in England, one cannot be proud. Your forefathers were very enthusiastic, colonized. So at the present moment that is not possible. So I request you, all English boys and girls present here, now you become greater than your forefathers by taking this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will make you more powerful, spiritually powerful. You can render service to the humanity, to you, I mean to say, family, your nation, it is so nice. Try to understand. Everyone, every human being should try to become very important. That importance can be achieved by culture, and not by simply "I belong to this nation. I belong to this family. I am the son of such big father." No. You must be also qualified.</p>
<p>So this Mahābhārata was written for three classes of men: strī, śūdra, dvija-bandhu ([[Vanisource:SB 1.4.25|SB 1.4.25]]). Women... It is not the question of... Women are generally less intelligent. Less intelligent. Similarly, śūdras, they are also less intelligent, worker class. Similarly, those who are degraded from their high parentage, heritage, they're also. For understanding of these three classes of men, Mahābhārata was written. Now even... In the Mahābhārata this Bhagavad-gītā is included. Bhagavad-gītā is part of Mahābhārata, a chapter only, Mahābhārata. Now we see... Practically, this Mahābhārata was... Mahābhārata, or Bhagavad-gītā is included there. This high literature was meant for the less intelligent class of men, and at the present moment the highest intelligent class of men cannot understand it. So how much you have degraded, just try to understand. Which was written five thousand years ago for the less intelligent class of men, that literature is not understandable even by the highest and elevated, educated persons at the present moment. Try to understand this point. How much you have degraded! Formerly this Vedic literature was not in written pages. As soon as one will hear from... Just like Sūta Gosvāmī. There is no question of taking notes. As soon as they will hear, they'll immediately get it in the memory, and they will never forget. So memory was so sharp. At the present moment, our memory is so low-graded we cannot remember even what I have done two hours past.</p>
<p>So this is Kali-yuga. We are in so many degraded positions; still, falsely we are proud that we are advancing. No that. It is false prestige. Actually, we are very, very much degraded. So the only means of our being elevated to the highest position is this means: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.</p>
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