View source for There are hundreds of thousands of children in the street. Why you are interested with your own children? Because there is love. Similarly, religion means love of God. And irreligion means forgetfulness of God

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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="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="0" parent="Lectures" text="Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures"><h3>Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonBG4710LosAngelesJanuary61969_0" class="quote" parent="Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_Lectures" book="Lec" index="147" link="Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969" link_text="Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969">
<div class="heading">You must have clear conception of God. That is called... That is... And that relationship is based on love. Just like father and child. What is the relationship between the child? There are hundreds of thousands of children in the street. Why you are interested with your own children? Because there is love. Similarly, religion means love of God. And irreligion means forgetfulness of God. That's all.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969|Lecture on BG 4.7-10 -- Los Angeles, January 6, 1969]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "The word sṛjāmi, manifest, is significant herein. Sṛjāmi cannot be used in the sense of creation because according to the previous verse, there is no creation of the Lord's form or body, since all of the forms are eternally existent. Therefore sṛjāmi means that the Lord manifests Himself as He is. Although the Lord appears on schedule, namely at the end of the Dvāpara-yuga, or the twenty-eighth millennium of the eighth Manu in one day of Brahmā, still He has no obligation to adhere to such rules and regulations because He is completely free to act in many ways at His will. He therefore appears by His own will whenever there is a predominance of irreligion and a disappearance of true religion. Principles of religion are laid down in the Vedas, and any discrepancy in the matter of properly executing the rules of the Vedas makes one irreligious. In the Bhāgavatam we find that such principles of religion are the laws of the Lord. Only the Lord can manufacture..."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. Here is a reference of Bhāgavatam. In the Bhāgavatam it is said, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam: ([[Vanisource:SB 6.3.19|SB 6.3.19]]) "The religion is the," I mean to say, "order or regulation given by God." Just like the state gives you some regulation. The same example, that "Keep to the right." This regulation is given by the state. You cannot give such regulation. You cannot say, "No. Why keep to the left? Keep to the right? Let me keep to the left. I give this law." Your law will not be accepted. The state laws will be accepted.</p>
<p>Similarly, nobody can manufacture a religious process. That is nonsense. If somebody says that "I am introducing this religious process," that is nonsense. Nobody will be interested. But if God gives you law, just like the state gives you law, one has to accept. So religion means to accept the order of God. That is religion. And who can accept the order of God? When there is exactly relationship. Just like you have got relationship with the state. You are a citizen of American government. So you, out of love of your country, out of your obligation, you abide by the laws.</p>
<p>Similarly, religion can be performed by a person who has full conception of God. Without God, religion is a farce. That is not religion. Religion means you must have obligation to God, you must have clear conception of God. That is called... That is... And that relationship is based on love. Just like father and child. What is the relationship between the child? There are hundreds of thousands of children in the street. Why you are interested with your own children? Because there is love. Similarly, religion means love of God. And irreligion means forgetfulness of God. That's all.</p>
<p>Religion does not mean to follow some ritualistic process. That helps us to approach. But they are not, I mean to say, primal necessities. That ritualistic process may be different. Hindus may be following a different kind of ritualistic process. The Christian may be following a different kinds of ritualistic process. That does not matter.</p>
<p>Just like the same example, your relationship with the state. You Americans, you follow the state laws, keep the car right, keep right. In India and in England I have seen also, that "Keep to the left." So the process may be different, but the actual obedience to the state is there, either in India, or in America, or in England, or everywhere.</p>
<p>Similarly, religion means love of Godhead. Now, that love of Godhead you may learn under certain process. I may learn under certain process. Just like love between boys and girls may be different from India to America. In India there is still. No young man can mix freely with a young girl, but still, there is love. So process may be different, but we have to accept the basic principle. Basic principle is love of God. That is religion. Don't bother about the ritualistic process. Just try to see how much you are increasing your love of God. Then you are religious. That's all.</p>
<p>That is bhāgavata-dharma. Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.6|SB 1.2.6]]) "That is first-class religion." What is that? "Where love of God is enthused." That is first-class religion. And if you follow ritualistic processes and your love of Godhead is gone to hell—your love of materialistic life or love of this world is increasing, love of sense gratification is increasing—that is not religion. That is not religion. Test of religion is how much you are increasing your love of God.</p>
<p>So here it is said, "Whenever and wherever there is decline in religious practice..." What is that religion practice? That religion practice is whenever there is decline of love of God. That's all. When people become lover of mammon, matter, that means decline of religion. And when people increase love of Godhead, that means real religion. So Kṛṣṇa comes, or Kṛṣṇa's servant or representative comes, to adjust things. When people forget love of Godhead, somebody, either Kṛṣṇa, God Himself or His representative comes to adjust things.</p>
<p>So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is incarnation. They are teaching love of Godhead. We are not teaching some ritualistic process, that "You become Hindu. You become Christian. You become Muhammadan." We are simply teaching, "You try to love God. You have forgotten God. You have declared, 'God is dead.' These are all nonsense. God is there. You are here. You are suffering because you have forgotten God. You try to love God. Your normal life will come back. You will be happy." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.</p>
<p>There is nothing, artificiality. So there is no question of sectarianism, that "In this temple the Christians will come" or "The Muhammadans will not come." Anyone. Because we are teaching what? Teaching love of Godhead. Either you become Christian or Muhammadan, Hindu, how you can deny God? Those who are denying God, their case is different. But one who is accepting God as the central figure in religion, how they can deny this movement? Because we are teaching love of Godhead. That's all. Go on.</p>
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