Prabhupāda: Love is there, but when you are out of misgivings, you transfer your love from dog to God. These are the different stages to come to the... How do you attain Kṛṣṇa consciousness? These are the stages. So if we follow cautiously and sentiently these six stages of development, you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness automatically. (break) ...study. This meditation and breathing exercise is not part of our study. Because we are following a method which is direct method. I will give you the example. Just like there is a skyscraper house, and there are staircases to go to the top floor, say, hundredth floor, and there is elevator also. So if you take advantage of the elevator, you reach immediately hundred floor within a minute, but if you go step by step, step by step, it will take hours. So this meditation process is not possible at the present age. This meditation was recommended, according to Vedic literature, in the golden age, when the duration of life was very, very long, people were peaceful, there was no disturbance. The exact version in the Vedas is kṛte. Kṛte means in the golden age, when everyone is pious.
Elevation (Conversations)
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Bhagavān: It's not that one class is feeling exploited by another class.
Prabhupāda: No. No. Helping. Just like when there is some pain in my leg. My brain is working how to cure it. It is helping. It is not exploiting. Similarly, my brain wants to go somewhere to see something. My leg is helping to carry me there. Just like you wanted to see me. Your brain said that: "I must see this man." Your leg carried you. This is cooperation. You have got some capacity. You do it for the benefit of the society so that he may become Kṛṣṇa conscious. This, this plan is perfect socialism. Socialism, socialism means everyone is working for elevation of everyone to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because that is the highest perfection of life.
Pradyumna: Uṣitvā śāśvatīḥ samāḥ, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41).
Prabhupāda: Then, again they come down to this material world and he takes birth either in a very exalted brāhmaṇa family, śucīnām, or very rich, vaiśya family. After enjoying there, again he's given chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. And if he misses, then again he goes down. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says these are all false elevation. If I have to come again back, again I have to accept another lower grade life, then what is the profit? Kṛṣṇa gives His straight understanding, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti: (BG 4.9) You become Kṛṣṇa conscious. After the giving up this body, no more material body either in the heavenly planet or in the lower hellish planet. "You come direct to Me." That is perfection. You should not be attracted by somebody has gone to heavenly planet for ten thousands of years living. We should not be attracted by these things. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tridaśa-pur ākāśa-puṣpāyate. Tridaśa-pur means the heavenly planets. Ākāśa, it is just like will of the wisp. Something, just like, what do you say Hindi? There are many proverbs, which has no existence.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Yogeśvara: So these Italian women are complaining now that their husbands are abusing them, so why can they not get divorced? Prabhupāda: Why do you marry? Yogeśvara: Obviously, they wanted sex in the beginning, but they didn't know it was going to be so much trouble. Prabhupāda: That is our point. Then why do you marry? Just begin Kṛṣṇa conscious, and you will find, without sex, you will be happy.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: I.... Come down is not so very difficult.
Bhagavān: We have already a palanquin to carry you up.
Pṛthu-putra: We have elevator also, no?
Bhagavān: Yes, we have elevator there also.
Hari-śauri: Is it working?
Bhagavān: Well, it's being fixed right now, but if I.... But we have a palanquin to carry up the stairs. It's actually warm there, very warm during the day, and your room is extremely warm because the sun crosses it all day long, and there won't be anybody to bother you. All the devotees are out of the castle. They're all in little houses all around. And it's so big that you won't feel cramped.
Prabhupāda: So I shall feel hungry also?
Bhagavān: Hungry? No, you ate good there last year. You ate very well there last year.
Prabhupāda: No, I like it. It is very nice place.
Prabhupāda: That due to the staircase.
Jayatīrtha: But by the time you sat on the Vyasasana there you were already looking very tired, what to speak of...
Bhagavān: Paris has elevator.
Prabhupāda: Paris, I know, that I have told.
Jayatīrtha: (laughs) He told me that when we got to the top of the stairs in Bury Place. He said, "In Paris there is a lift."
Prabhupāda: Ah, yes.
Prabhupāda: So ritualistic ceremonies, Vedic ritualistic ceremonies. Everywhere there are some ritualistic ceremony. So when you go above this... Just like Kṛṣṇa says in another place, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo. By performing the Vedic ritualistic ceremony, the ultimate goal is to understand Kṛṣṇa. So if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then you may not perform this ritualistic ceremony. Because you have come to the objective. Not before that. That is sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). Vedic ritualistic ceremony is that if you perform this yajña, then you go to the heavenly planet and there you'll get so long life, ten thousands of years, you get nice woman, and so on, so on. People are after that, karma-kāṇḍa. So this karma-kāṇḍa is required so long one is unaware of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When one understands this karma-kāṇḍa elevation is not the aim of our life, our real aim of life how to go back home, back to Godhead, then these things are not required. Just like we have no ritualistic ceremony, we have simply devotional service. We have no ritualistic ceremony. There are so many things ritualistic. And we are performing only this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, mahā-mantra. Therefore the smārta brāhmaṇas, they misunderstand. They do not admit that they have become elevated. The Jagannātha temple does not allow. But when one becomes a pure Vaiṣṇava, then tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā (SB 3.33.7). He has performed all the ritualistic devotion. There are many statements in the śāstras, that when you come to the devotional platform, you haven't go to perform these ritualistic ceremonies.
Devotee: They accuse them of brainwashing. But actually...
Prabhupāda: They cannot believe that other than this method, there can be civilization. This hoggish civilization is real civilization. To become like hog. That is real civilization. And to give up this process, thinking of soul, elevation of the soul, going back to Godhead, simply imagination, brainwashing. How they can understand? Mām aprāpya nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra vartmani (BG 9.3). Who can understand this? (Hindi) to return (Hindi) to the cycle of birth and death. You believe that. (Hindi) If you do not in this life achieve the sense of spiritual consciousness then you'll have to go back to the cycle of birth and death. Who will understand this philosophy? Mostly they do not know what is the cycle of birth and death, and what to speak of understanding God. This is the position. This is sewer position. A sewer cannot understand. The men have become like that. In the name of so-called civilization. Can a sewer understand this philosophy? A man cannot understand. And what is the difference between him and the sewer? Sewer (Hindi) There is a narration, Brahmā came, and Indra became, by the curse of Bṛhaspati, became a sewer. So he was living in the forest as sewer. Brahmājī came, "All right, your punishment is now over. You come." "Where shall I go?" "The heaven?" "This is heaven." "You have got your kingdom, heaven. You have come to suffer this life." "No no, I cannot go." "Why?" "Now who will take responsibility for my, this sewer?"
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Prahlāda Mahārāja underwent so much persecution. He was never disturbed, because he was confident that "Kṛṣṇa will give me protection. Never mind." That is another position. Mahā-bhāgavata. We are kaniṣṭha-adhikārīs. We have to worship Deity.
- arcāyām eva haraye
- pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate
- na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
- sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ
- We are in the prākṛta stage. We cannot go to the stage of Prahlāda Mahārāja.
Guest (1): No, that is very difficult. That is very, very difficult.
Prabhupāda: Not difficult, but it requires elevation. So we should not imitate.
Prabhupāda: So remain always one and read books. Then there will be no noise. And as soon as you become two, tink-tink-tink. That I don't want.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, it won't happen. If anyone comes to see me, I'll go out of the apartment.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That you can make reception there.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: At the elevator shaft.
Prabhupāda: Yes. In this way arrange. It should remain always quiet and serene.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Serene.
Prabhupāda: That's all.
Page Title: | Elevation (Conversations) |
Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
Created: | 04 of Oct, 2012 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=12, Let=0 |
No. of Quotes: | 12 |