So yesterday we talked about Parīkṣit Mahārāja. So he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy. So he prepared himself for death. What was the preparation? That he left immediately his kingdom and the kingdom was divided among his sons. He was young man, not very old, but he understood, "Now, within seven days, I will have to die." So immediately he left home and went to the bank of the Ganges. He was situated... His capital was what is now called New Delhi. Formerly it was known as Hastināpura. The another name of Hastinā..., New Delhi, is there still, and there is a very, very old fort. They say that this fort belonged to the Pāṇḍavas, Mahārāja Parīkṣit. They are keeping just like in Rome they are keeping old buildings. So apart from historical reference... So Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was king, emperor of the world. So he was preparing for dying. Many, many, from all over the world, saintly persons, kings, even some demigods from other planets, they came to see him.
All over the world (Lectures, cantos 6 - 12)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Prabhupāda: Human species. Then gradually they become born in civilized...
Haṁsadūta: It must be very difficult to get a birth in a civilized society.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Certainly. Therefore it is said, labdhvā sudurlabham. (SB 11.9.29) It is very rare, now, especially to take birth in India in the Vedic society. India means within this planet, the civilized Aryan family. Now Aryan families have degraded. Otherwise Aryan means progressive. So all over the world the Aryan families they have degraded. Otherwise the Vedic civilization was Aryan civilization.
Devotee: Some places they recognize that. When we went to one meeting in Bombay...
Prabhupāda: The Europeans and Americans, they belong to Aryan family. They have lost their Vedic culture. Now it is being revived again.
Revatīnandana: They came from those renegade kings that ran away from Paraśurāma?
Prabhupāda: Yes, there are so many reasons.
Revatīnandana: Is it also true that the Scandinavians come from... Kaṁsa-nisūdana was telling me that the Scandinavians came from Skandha, god of war, and that these people were driven out of India by the Hindu society. They were worshipers of Skandha, and they took shelter in northern Europe?
Prabhupāda: Maybe. Actually Aryan civilization was central Asia. Some of them went towards India and some of them went towards Europe. Indo-European stock that is called.
This is going on. So therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa brahmite. The living entity is rotating. Out of them... Millions, numberless living entities are rotating. Out of them, one who is fortunate... Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kono bhāga... (CC Madhya 19.151). Kono, not all. If all would have been so fortunate, everyone would have taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is being distributed freely everywhere. But why they are not taking to it? Because unfortunate. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kono bhāgyavān jīva: "Only one who is fortunate." So because... Why fortunate? Because if he takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all the problems of his life become solved. But he'll not take to it due to his unfortunate condition. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "Only the fortunate persons..." There are many fortunate persons all over the world, and many unfortunate persons also. So those who are fortunate, they're taking to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this ideal life, hopeful life, pleasant life, blissful life, life of knowledge. They're taking to it. But it is the duty of Vaiṣṇava to go door to door to make them fortunate. Although they are unfortunate, but you have to go door to door to make them fortunate. That is your duty.
So a Vaiṣṇava is thinking, mahā-bhāga, "How these people can be delivered from this hellish condition of life?" That was his inquiry. "Sir, you have described that on account of these sinful activities, he's put into this hellish condition of life or in hellish planetary system. Now what are the countermethods by which they can be saved?" This is the question. This question... Because he is Vaiṣṇava, he is thinking, "Oh, so many living entities are suffering. How they can be saved?" A Vaiṣṇava comes, God also comes and God's son or very confidential devotee also comes. Their only mission is how to save these sinful men who are suffering so much. That is their mission. They have no other mission. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. When Nṛsiṁha-deva met him, he said a very nice verse. I'll quote that verse.
And when actually commit violence or do something with my hands or legs or something, that is certainly sinful. So we can commit sins in three ways: mind and words and karma, by action. Thinking, feeling and willing and acting. Therefore a svāmī or gosvāmī means who has control over the function of the mind, of the words, and of the activities of the senses. There is definition. "One who can control the tongue, one who can control the mind, one who can control the words, one who can control the belly, one who can control the generative organ, he is svāmī." And pṛthiviṁ sa śiṣyāt: "He is allowed to create disciples all over the world."
So unless one has control over these things, over the tongue... Over the tongue means tongue is not allowed to eat anything except Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Tongue is not allowed to vibrate anything except Hare Kṛṣṇa or topics in the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is controlling. Controlling the tongue does not mean that you lock up your tongue. Sometimes in India if you go... There are so many bogus things. One has cut the tongue and has locked it. But tongue cannot be locked. Tongue, any sense, you cannot stop its activities. Simply you have to divert it. Just like my eyes. My eyes want to see very beautiful thing, very beautiful girl, very beautiful dress. So you practice, you decorate the Deity in the temple very beautifully with dress, with ornaments, with flowers, and see. That means your propensity for seeing beautiful things will be satisfied; at the same time, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Your tongue wants to eat very nice things. All right, you get it Kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Kṛṣṇa is offered the nicest cooked foodstuff. So you satisfy your tongue; at the same time, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So, Kṛṣṇa conscious movement is so nice, that there is no forceful prohibition of the senses. Even the sense organ, generative organ, that can be used also for Kṛṣṇa. How? If you can beget children who will be Kṛṣṇa conscious, then produce hundred, one hundred children. Otherwise stop producing cats and dogs.
And kṛṣṇa-varṇam, "He is Kṛṣṇa," or "always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa-varṇam tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ saṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. And His associates, just like Nityānanda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu and Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa and many others... So He is always in association of His assistants, who are assisting Him in propagating the saṅkīrtana movement. Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe, nitya-siddha bhoi māne. Anyone who is preaching the saṅkīrtana movement is associate of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Saṅgopāṅgāstra... Just like Advaita Prabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu helped, similarly, anyone, even up to date, who is trying to help the propagation of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, preach this saṅkīrtana movement all over the world, he is also associate of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe nitya siddha boli māne. They are not ordinary human being. Nitya siddha, ever liberated.
So if we follow this leadership and if we act very nicely, very easily... Sukham. There is one verse in Sanskrit, Bhagavad-gītā, rāja-guhyaṁ pavitram idam uttamam, kartum avyayam. To perform this activity, it doesn't require much energy, much austerity. Simply you join the saṅkīrtana movement, and ecstasy you dance, take prasādam. By this process you are guaranteed; you will never go to the hellish planet. So this saṅkīrtana movement is so nice. Anyway, don't disbelieve. It is in the śāstra. So there are hellish planet, hellish birth, 8,400,000 species of birth. So we have to take information from the śāstra. Don't be foolish. You create your mental concoction. No, that will not help you, because you are not free. Nobody is free. Everyone is under the grip of material laws. Even if I think, "I am free," that is my foolishness. I will be forced to act. Even if I do not want to become old man, I will be forced to become old man. And if I, after this giving up this body, if I... Suppose nature is offering me a dog's body. If I say "No, no, I will not accept this," no, you will be forced to accept it.
So Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, "My dear King, if before one's next death whatever impious acts one has performed in this life with the mind, words and body are not counteracted through the proper atonement according to the description of the Manu-saṁhitā and other dharma-śāstras, one will certainly enter the hellish planets after death and undergo terrible suffering, as I have previously described to you."
So atonement is prescribed in every scripture. Even in Christian Bible there is atonement. So in other scriptures also there is atonement. Just like a man who has committed murder, he must die. "Life for life." This is atonement. When the government punishes a murderer with capital punishment, death, that is a mercy upon him. That punishment is accepted practically all over the world from time immemorial. So there must be atonement. So if a person who has committed murder, killed somebody else, then if he is punished by death, then the sinful activities which he has committed, that is counteracted. Otherwise he will have to suffer next life very severely, four times. So people do not believe even in the next life, and what to speak of atonement and punishment. They are kept in darkness. Otherwise they would have been... If they would have followed actually the injunction of the śāstras... First of all one should not be killing anyone. In the Bible also it is said, "Thou shall not kill." Why it is forbidden? Because if he kills, he'll have to suffer. But they do not care for it. Therefore they suffer.
So this is is not very new. The, in the Manu-saṁhitā... Manu-saṁhitā means Lord Manu, he's the giver of law to the mankind. From Manu, the word man has come. The exact Sanskrit word "manuṣya." Manuṣya means man. So there is some link with Manu, M-a-n-u, and "man." So this Latin word comes from the Sanskrit word, manu. So Manu is supposed to be the law-giver to the humankind. So in the Manu-saṁhitā it is stated there that when the king kills one man, or hangs one man who is a murderer, that is benefit to him. Otherwise, if he's not killed, then he will carry the reaction of his murdering action, and he'll have to suffer in so many ways. The laws of nature are very subtle. They are very diligently administered. People do not know it. So on the whole, the Manu-saṁhitā, life for life is sanctioned. And that is practically observed all over the world. But similarly, there are other laws, that you cannot kill even an ant. Then you are responsible. You have no right to kill. And in the Bible also, we see, Lord Jesus Christ says, "Thou shalt not kill." So killing is not allowed in any religious principle. Anyone who is killing, he's not considered in the human society. You cannot kill. The... Lord Buddha's also principle is ahiṁsā paramo dharmaḥ, no killing. Lord Jesus Christ also says, "Thou shalt not kill." In our Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā (BG 13.8). Ahiṁsā means not to become violent, not to kill.
So doctor prohibits him that "You cannot eat. You have to starve for some days." So I do not like to starve, nobody likes to starve. But because doctor says you have to starve, if you want to cure a disease, then I have to voluntarily accept, accept starving. This is called tapasya: voluntarily accept some miserable condition of life. That is good. And human life is meant for that purpose.
When Ṛṣabhadeva, the father of Mahārāja Bharata, after whose name this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa The name Bhāratavarṣa is not only the name for India, but it is the name for this planet. Formerly, five thousand years ago, the whole planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. The Vedic culture was all over the world. These Europeans and Americans, they are coming of the same stock, Indo-Aryan stock. There is a great history behind this, how some of the kṣatriyas, they left India during the time of Paraśurāma. He declared war against the kṣatriyas and he was incarnation of God. He was killing the kṣatriyas like anything and some of the kṣatriyas fled from India and came to this part of the world. So from historical point of view you Europeans and Americans, you belong to the kṣatriya stock of old India, and somehow or other you have forgotten this Vedic culture. Originally you belonged to this Vedic culture. The Vedic culture was all over the world, even in America—different types of worship or concept of God. The Red Indians also had some religion.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not any concocted idea of a bluffing movement. It is authoritative, based on Vedic authority, and Bhagavad-gītā is there, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata is there, accepted by all the ācāryas. So if you kindly take advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and try to accept this devotional yoga system, bhakti-yoga, bhakti-yogena sevate... Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). This bhakti-yoga... Sa guṇān samatītyaitān. He immediately transcends all the influence of the three material modes of nature. Brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Immediately he's on the transcendental platform called Brahman. So if you want to solve the problems of life, without any difficulty, very easily, then this is the movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Very simple and easy. You are seeing practically. You boys and girls who are participating in this movement... We have got sixty branches all over the world. Outside India... India, we have got four branches only. But fifty-six branches are outside the world, outside India. And they're all foreigners. Four years, or three years ago, they did not know who is Kṛṣṇa. Now they are chanting, dancing, enjoying Kṛṣṇa conscious life. This is practical proof how Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is effective. Before me, from India, many swamis came, but actually they could not induce the Westerners, especially the young generation, to any Indian cultural movement except this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That's a fact, historical.
Śrīdhara Svāmī is giving his commentation in this connection, that tasya ati duṣkarād mukham eva anyāt prāyaścittaṁ kecit kīrtanena, evaṁ mūḍho bhakti pradhāna virala iti darśayet(?). Kaivalyaṁ tapa-ādibhir nirapekṣaya(?). Śrīdhara Svāmī's explaining this word, kevalayā, "simply by devotional service," kevalayā bhaktyā—but without being dependent on other processes. The other processes we have described: tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena (SB 6.1.13), by observing celibacy. Now take for example celibacy. In this age, especially... Why especially in this or that? All over the world, to remain a brahmacārī is little difficult. One who can, it is very good. But it is difficult. So brahmacaryeṇa, by practicing celibacy, a life of celibacy, even one has the intention, the association, the society is so much polluted that one cannot. It is very difficult. So in bhakti-yoga it is not very strict that one has to observe celibacy strictly. He can marry. Marriage is allowed, but not for indulgence. But because a man requires a woman or a woman requires a man, there is sacred marriage. This man and woman is educated that he or she is not this body. Therefore advancement of this education will stop him for this bodily enjoyment. Just like eating also. We are eating; we are not fasting. We are eating. But we are eating just to maintain the body and soul together, not extravagantly. Although we have very nice plates, kṛṣṇa-prasādam, but we do not make any palatable dishes for enjoyment. We make all nice things for Kṛṣṇa, and we take prasādam. Therefore the material effect of eating, it does not act upon the devotees.
"If you have learned how to worship Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then there is no more use of your tapasya." (break) ...ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim: "And if you cannot understand Hari, then what is the use of your tapasya?" Antar-bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim: "If you can see Hari, Kṛṣṇa, within yourself and outside yourself, then what is the use of tapasya?" Nantar-bahir, antar-bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim: "And if you have not learned to see Kṛṣṇa, Hari, within yourself and outside, then what is the use of your tapasya?"
So this movement is giving the chance to everyone. It doesn't mean for any particular nation, particular country, or particular person. For everyone. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "All over the world." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "All over the world, in every village and every town, this message will be spread," and that is being done now. So it is a great movement. I request you all to join wholeheartedly.
Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that "I have to serve the gurus, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, and live in the association of devotees." Tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi bhakta-sane vās. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura said, janame janame mora, ei abhilāṣ. Our... We are... Ambition should be how to serve Kṛṣṇa through the disciplic succession, guru, and live in the association of devotees. This is the process. So we are opening so many centers all over the world. This is the policy, that people may take chance of associating with devotees and the chance of serving the Vaiṣṇava. Then it will be successful.
Therefore here it is said, bhakti-yoga means not only dedicating life to Kṛṣṇa but also to serve the Vaiṣṇava, tat-puruṣa. Tat-puruṣa means to serve a person who has dedicate his life to Kṛṣṇa. Two things: dedication to Kṛṣṇa and dedication to the devotee of Kṛṣṇa. So in this way if we advance, then it is very easy to become free from this material contamination. That is stated. Na tathā hy aghavān rājan pūyeta tapa-ādibhiḥ (SB 6.1.16). Tapa-ādibhiḥ, it is general process, but it is very, very difficult, especially in this age. So if we simply take this course, that dedicate life to Kṛṣṇa and dedicate life to Vaiṣṇava, then our life will be successful.
They should give protection. They are kṣatriyas. And vaiśya means... Now, the brāhmaṇas, they are not going to produce food or other things. They are simply for knowledge, giving the best knowledge to the human society. There is a need of brāhmaṇa. Everyone śūdra, simply working hard and because they are accusing, "Oh, you people are escaping..." What is escaping? We are giving the best knowledge to the human society.
So it is specially mentioned, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). The vaiśyas, food production means produce food grains, agricultural. By agriculture, you can. So much land is vacant all over the world. They are producing coffee. I have seen in Africa. Vast land is engaged in producing coffee. No food grain. So this is the defect of the civilization. They do not know how to live. Will man die without drinking coffee? No. That is not the fact. But man will die if they have no real food, anna, food grains. If you think that "I eat meat. I don't require food grains," but the cows, the animal eat food grains. So without food grain, how we can live? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You produce food grains. Why you are producing so much unnecessary things—television and tools, and stool also, so many thing. Why? They are not necessary. Live in the village, produce your own food, your own cloth, and drink milk sufficiently—all economic questions solved. Then you become suśīla, well behaved. And if you go on killing animals and drinking wine and gambling, when you will be suśīla? You are always bad character.
Dharmaḥ means religiosity. Religiosity or the cheating type of religiosity is not here. It is for paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ, for persons who are not envious. The crowlike birds or crowlike men or karmīs, they're envious. You'll find. And even, without any offense... Just like dog: You pass on. Without any offense, he'll bark, "Ow, ow, ow, ow." (laughter) You have no offense. You have no offense, but it will try to pick up some quarrel with you. Sometime it will come to bite you unless you have got sufficient stick to show. (laughter) So, similar... There are dogs and cats and hogs. There are similar men also. They will simply pick up quarrel unnecessarily. Sometimes political leaders... Just like in Europe, Hitler unnecessarily picked up some war, and there was devastation all over the world. You see. There was no gain. The Germany become defeated and bifurcated. So this leader could not do anything good to the nation, but unnecessarily picked up some quarrel. So that is the cause of world trouble, the crowlike men, the doglike men, the hoglike men. So we have to create paramahaṁsas, good men. Then you can expect peace and prosperity. If you create cats and dogs, then how can you expect that there will be peace, there will be no war, there will be no disturbance? No. Paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ vāstava-vastu vedyam atra (SB 1.1.2).
Bhārata means India, and Mahā means greater. Greater India. Just like modern age they use "Greater Britain," "Greater this," so many, same thing. Mahābhārata means "Greater..." Mahā means great, and Bhārata means India. "The history of Greater India." Although India is very small now in comparison to... Although it is called subcontinent, still, in comparison to your America or Africa, it is very small. But formerly it was not so small. Greater India means India and outside also. And so far we collect records from the Mahābhārata, part of Europe, also India. Up to Greek and Rome. Therefore it is called Mahābhārata. And when there was the Battle of Kurukṣetra, all kings and rulers from different parts of the world, they joined either this party or that party. The Kaurava, the dynasty of the Kurus, they were ruling all over the world. The capital was Hastināpura, which is now known as New Delhi. It is very old. And the emperor, up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, they were ruling all over the world. There was one flag, not many flags. Therefore it is called Mahābhārata.
The spiritual master is the father, and the Vedic knowledge is the mother. This is called dvija, dvitīya-janma, second birth. So after being dvija, when the spiritual master sees that he is acquired sadācāra... Sadācāra means these four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling; taking bath thrice, rising early in the... These are called sadācāra. These are brahminical qualification.
So this Ajāmila was very nicely trained up, born of a brāhmaṇa father, and his father trained up. But unfortunately, when he was young man, he was passing through the road, he saw one śūdra is embracing another śūdrāṇī, or prostitute. Now it is very common affair all over the world: a man is embracing, kissing. But this was not allowed in gentlemen's society. The śūdras, the fourth-class man, they used to do that. Sometimes, not always. So he was young man. Naturally, when he saw that a young śūdra is embracing another young girl, śūdrāṇī, and she is not properly dressed, he became attracted. He became attracted. And they were drunk. So in this way he fell a victim of that prostitute. He liked that prostitute, and later on, he remained with her, and he had very good wife, very respectable family, brāhmaṇa, but he forgot everything. Therefore it is said, naṣṭa-sadācāraḥ: "He lost all brahminical qualification." So he was so much trained up, and still, by seeing the sex behavior of a śūdra and śūdrāṇī, he fell down long, long years ago. Now these things are very common affair. How the young man can be saved? It is very difficult. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given one panacea: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That can save you. Otherwise it is very difficult. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva... (CC Adi 17.21). By practicing the tapasya and yoga and... Nothing will help you, because the age is very fallen. He especially mentioned, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Otherwise one cannot...
Therefore the whole world is in chaotic condition. But if we accept the Vedic civilization which is in nutshell—everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā—then the whole world will be Vaikuṇṭha. You haven't got to go in the Vaikuṇṭha. Here you'll have Vaikuṇṭha. And next life will be Vaikuṇṭha. Janma karma ca divyaṁ me yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Kṛṣṇa is giving the civilization, Vedic civilization. And if we thoroughly understand it, then we are fit for going back to home. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). So this Vedic civilization is so nice, and it is given in nutshell in simple words by the Supreme Lord Himself. If we take it, then immediately the face of the world will change, immediately. They have got this United Nation organization. If they take up Bhagavad-gītā and introduce the teachings all over the world, then it is successful, United Nation. Otherwise where is unity? All false.
So these are the duties of the brāhmaṇa. To give proper education, he himself should be properly educated. That is called brahminical culture. And we offer our respect to Kṛṣṇa because He gives the brahminical culture. Namo brahmanya-devāya. Because He is giving the brahminical culture. Without brahminical culture, useless. That is not civilization. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is offered obeisance, namo brahmanya-devāya go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. He is first concerned for the cows and the brāhmaṇa. Go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca. Then jagad-hitāya. Then He's concerned for the whole, other things. The first concern means cows and brāhmaṇa. Many times He has repeated, go-rakṣya. Why He did not say "pig-rakṣya"? No. He said, go-rakṣya, because without cows' milk there is no civilization. You will not have nice brain to understand things, simply speculate. We are discussing the philosophy of so many speculators, simply talking nonsense.
Higher planetary system, lower planetary system, that you can go. That is... The description is there in the śāstras. They are going to the moon. Of course, I have several times... They have never gone, but anyway... You can go to the moon planet. How you can go, the description is there. So moon planet is not vacant. That is counted amongst the heavenly planets. If anyone can go there, he can live there for ten thousands of years. Ten thousand of years means according to the demigods' years. Their duration and our duration is: our one day, our six months, their one day. That is admitted by scientists that you go higher, the relative time is different. Just like when the Russians first of all sent that sputnik, in one hour, twenty-five minutes, they surrounded all over the world. Now it is relative. You have got a speedy vehicle. So generally, the 25,000 miles, this earth, it takes long, long time, even you go by aeroplane But when you have got a better machine, it is finished within one hour, twenty-five minutes. So as you go higher, higher, the time duration becomes different. This is called relativity. We hear from the Bhagavad-gītā the duration of life of Brahmā, sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Our some millions of years is equal to twelve hours of Brahmā.
So in this way, if you like to go to the other, higher planetary system, there is system, how to go there. As we have got system here in this world... If anyone wants to come to America, he has to arrange for visa and passport and so many things. Without going through the system, you cannot enter by force.
Automatically it is going on. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). As you desire according to the contamination of different modes of material nature, immediately the body's ready. Immediately after death.
So everyone is engaged in so-called duties but forget the real duty. This is called māyā. By the spell of māyā we forget what is the objective of life, what is the aim of life. This is called māyā. We are thinking this is our duty. No. Real duty in the human form of life is here is a chance whether you want to go to home to back to Godhead or again you want to go to hell, the repetition of birth and death. That is your choice. Otherwise why there are so many scriptures, religious system, all over the world? It is not only in India. According to the capacity of understanding, in every civilized human society there is a system called religion. It may be Hindu religion, Christian religion or Buddha religion—these are major religious systems—but the aim is how to make a solution of the problems of life. That... But because they do not seriously discuss nowadays the religious propensity, tendency of the human society decrease. It has become a also money-making business. The priestly order, they think that "As others make some money by working hard, by professional or by doing some business or working, so we shall also earn some money by showing the church or temple or the mosque." They have taken it like that.
Because they will give good instruction, so they are welcome. Just like when Gargamuni came to Mahārāja Nanda, Nanda Mahārāja's house, how nice reception he gave him. That is the... Especially... Of course, any guest is welcome, but especially a brāhmaṇa, a sannyāsī, is very well received. Still in Indian village, if a sannyāsī goes, he has no problem for eating or staying, residence. Everyone will request, "Swamiji, today you take prasādam at my place." So there are many villagers. So he can stay three days, four days. So there is no scarcity. Still they will invite you, "Please come. Take prasādam." So because... Why this system? Because sannyāsī means he will give good instruction, spiritual knowledge. But that is his business, parivrājakācārya, wandering all over the world and giving good instruction. Therefore parivrājaka. Parivrājaka means wandering, and ācārya means teacher. Parivrājakācārya. This is sannyāsī's business. So they must be well received. At the present moment, if a sannyāsī is trying to enter in some householder's house, immediately the doorman, "Please get out. Get out. Get out." Because some of the sannyāsīs, they have taken this dress as a means of livelihood. But still in the village, any sannyāsī—he may be a cheater, still he is welcome. In the cities, of course, in India, they are now doubtful, "Whether he is actually sannyāsī or to fill up his belly he has taken this dress?" So this is the formula. So very learned men, the... generally, the sannyāsī and brāhmaṇas, they should be worshiped, not the fools and rascals.
So mūrkhā yatra na pūjyante and dhānyaṁ yatra. Dhānyam means paddy, rice, well-stocked. Perhaps you have, in your country also what is called, barn? That, you keep...
You cannot violate. "Keep to the right!" "Stop here, red light!" You must have to stop. "I'm governor." "Never mind, you stop." This is law. You cannot say that "I am governor," "I am Mr. Ford" or "Mr. Rockefeller," "Why shall I stop my car?" No, it is government law. You must stop. So this is practical going on. How you can violate the nature's law? It is not possible. Nature's law is so strict, a little deviation will put you into suffering. This is going on. That is Yamarāja. And if you violate more and more and more, then you suffer more and more and more. This is the law. You cannot escape. So that is fixed up. But as there is some exceptional cases... Just like one has committed murder, so by law he must be hanged. By law. That is the general law everywhere, all over the world: life for life. So similarly, in the God's law there is no such thing that if you kill a human being you'll be killed, and if you kill an animal you won't be killed. That is imperfect law, man-made law. Therefore Jesus Christ said, "Thou shall not kill." No question of... They have modified, "This killing means murdering." Christ does not say. What is your proof that if you committed mistake, a mistake, instead of writing "Thou shall not commit murder," here is written, "Thou shall not kill," general. Otherwise Christ has no intelligence. He cannot use the proper word. But you are misusing the order of Lord Christ.
Therefore in the Vedas it is said, yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati: "If you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, then you become full knowledge." That is complete knowledge. Etaj jñānam. This is... Bhagavad-gītā says, "This is knowledge." If you simply study Kṛṣṇa, so what is the difficulty? Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. Suppose if you want to study somebody, you may guess that this body, this man, may be like this, like that. That is going on all over the world, what is God. Some theosophist, some theosophist and theologist, all are speculating, "Maybe," "Perhaps," "This, that." And the God is explaining Himself, "I am this, like this," that they will not take. Just see. God is canvassing that "Here I am. I have come." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). "I have appeared before you just to give you relief." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. "You are trying to understand Me, so here I am. I am present. Why you are thinking God is formless? Here I am, Kṛṣṇa, form. You see, I have got My flute in the hand. I am very much fond of the cows. I love the cows and the sage and Brahmā, everyone equally, because they are all My sons in different bodies." Kṛṣṇa is playing. Kṛṣṇa is speaking. Still, these rascals will not understand Kṛṣṇa. So what is Kṛṣṇa's fault? It is our fault. Andha. Just like the owl. Owl will never open the eyes to see that there is sunlight. You know this, owl? So they will not open. However you may say, "Mr. Owl, please open your eyes and see the sun," "No, there is no sun. I don't see." (laughter) This owl civilization. So you have to fight with these owls. You must be very strong, especially the sannyāsīs. We have to fight with the owls. We have to open their eyes by force from this, with machine. (laughter) So this is going on. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a fight against all the owls.
These rascals say it that there is no creator. How is that there is no creator? First of all, prove that you have no creator. Your father has created. How you can say there is no creator? Silent. The rascal is silent. You are talking of "There is no creator," but you, yourself, you were created by your father. So these rascals are talking foolishly and other foolish persons are accepting them. But we are not so intelligent. Our answer is that "You say there is no creator. How you are created?" It may be we are rascals also, but this is our simple questions.
This morning I was asking that why there is Sunday first and Monday second? Who can answer? Is there anyone in this meeting who can answer my, this simple question? Why, all over the world, the, everyone accepts Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sambar, Mangalbar, Bhurbar, the same thing? There may be different language. And Saturday is last. Why this arrangement? Who can answer? Is there anyone? I've asked this simple question to so many. Even Svarūpa Dāmodara, our doctor Ph.D., he has not yet answered. And I've asked this question to Dr. Wolfe also. He's not present here?
This is Gosvāmīs' business. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Why? Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau: for the benefit of the whole human society. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau mānyau śaraṇyākarau. Therefore one should take shelter of the Gosvāmīs. That is Gosvāmī.
So here, veda-praṇihita, the Veda. The Vedic literature, that is dharma, no manufacturing. Nowadays it has become a fashion. So Vedas, that is beginning. Millions, nobody can give any description, since when the Vedas are coming down by the paramparā system. But after this Vedic period, so many religious system has come out. Up to five thousand years before, the Vedas were accepted all over the world, Vedic civilization. Then later on, gradually, they, the Christianity has come, the Muhammadanism, Islamism has come, Buddhism come, and now there are so many other, this samāja, that samāja, this religion, this religion, this religion. Because that means people are getting out of the touch of the Vedic civilization. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are trying again to bring them to this Vedic civilization. Here it is stated, veda-praṇihito dharmaḥ. If you take to the Vedic principles of life, then you become religious. And what is that Vedic principle? Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Kṛṣṇa says, "Vedic principle means to know Me, Kṛṣṇa." Vedaiś ca sarvaiḥ. Veda-praṇihito dharmaḥ. And what is Veda? Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ. So... "But there is Vedānta?"
So there was a Mary contamination. What is that? Typhoid, yes. Wherever she used to go, there was typhoid fever, so many people suffering, but she was not suffering. So by analysis of the blood, it was found that this girl, the blood was full of typhoid germs, but she was so strong that she could resist. She was not suffering, but wherever she used to go, everyone was infected with typhoid. So that is the explained. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). If you are strong enough, then the lower qualities will not affect you. And if you are not strong, if you are weak yourself, then where you are going to convert, they will induce their infectious quality, and you will be victimized. So kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṇgo 'sya. So in the Western countries, everywhere, all over the world at the present moment, Kali-yuga, the guṇa, the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, is very prominent. The rajo-guṇa... How it is understood that the rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, is prominent? Now, the rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, the symptom, rajas-tamo bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhadayaś ca ye... Tada rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhadayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). When one is infected with tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, the symptoms will be that he is very greedy and lusty. This is the symptom. If one is very greedy and lusty, then you should know that he is infected with rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. And if one is not greedy and lusty—satisfied in every circumstances, and is Kṛṣṇa conscious or trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious—then it is sattva-guṇa. He is turned.
"Anyone who has taken birth in Bhārata-varṣa, India, as human being, not cats and dogs," janma sārthaka kari, "first of all make your life successful," then paropakāra, "then distribute the knowledge." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. How? Why He is stressing on Indian? Now, because it is in India you will find these śāstras, the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and many others, not in other places. The four Vedas; then the explanation of the Vedas, Upaniṣad; summarization of the Vedas, Vedānta-sūtra; then historically explanation, Purāṇas; then actual history, Mahābhārata, Rāmāyaṇa—so these things are available in India. And one should take advantage of this śāstra and make his life successful and then preach all over the world.
So in this paramparā system, this knowledge has come to your country, America. You are intelligent. You are prosperous. So take this knowledge seriously and at least distribute this knowledge properly for the benefit of your people. Otherwise the world is in very, very precarious condition, and although the human form of life is obtained for the success of life, they are being kept purposefully all ignorantly in darkness. So, na veda pūrvam aparaṁ naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis tathā. Just like Bharata Mahārāja, he was a great devotee, but somehow or other, he was very much attached to one, a small deer. He had to accept the body of a deer. But he did not forget about his last birth. That is special prerogative for advanced devotees.
To understand Kṛṣṇa is not so easy thing. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu After many, many millions of persons, one tries to become siddha. Siddha means to understand what he is, jñāna. That is brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). And yatatām api siddhānām... (BG 7.3). Just like there are two classes of transcendentalists: the Māyāvādī and the Vaiṣṇava. That is all over the world. So Māyāvādī, they are supposed to be siddhas. They are not siddha, but they are trying to become siddha, to understand the spiritual position. Neti neti: "I am not this; I am not this; I am not this." But they are not siddhas. Siddhas, when they will understand that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19), when they will understand Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa is everything," sa mahātmā, that mahātmā, not this ordinary mahātmā, "Nārāyaṇa, namo nārāyaṇa..." He is ordinary. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Very rare mahātmā. Who is? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā: (BG 7.19) "Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything." That is siddha. Siddha. And again, yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3).
Naxalite-ism. So all over the world. It is not only in India—all over the world. There cannot be peace unless you reform the whole social structure, and that can be done only by this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Only by this movement. That's a fact, and it is being done.
So how this man fell down, it is said, that ekadāsau... Dadarśa kāminam. Kāmina, kāminam. Kāminam means lusty. The lusty people, they do like that. They do not care for society, do not care for elderly persons, do not care that "People will not like this." In the road, in the street, in the sea beach—anywhere—in the cinema. These things are very advertised in cinema nowadays to attract people. You see? Formerly in India this was not, but they are gradually introducing all this nonsense to make people more lusty. And to become lusty means that he is going to hell. He is going to hell. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam (SB 5.5.2). If you want to open the door of your liberation, then you should engage yourself in serving the mahat, the devotees, a pure devotee. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Tamo-dvāram means the door for hellish condition of life. And if you want that, then you mix with yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam. Those who are too much attached to women, you associate with them. These things are there in the śāstras.
Visasarjācirāt pāpaḥ. Pāpaḥ means sinful man. He became sinful immediately. Therefore we stress on marriage. They cannot understand why this association stresses so much for marriage, not to live... They live as friend. That is śūdra. There is no legal marriage. Śūdra and śūdrāṇī. Just like he was living with the śūdrāṇī—he was not married—as friend. So even śūdra's marriage there is. For the śūdra there is one āśrama—that is gṛhastha āśrama. And for the brāhmaṇas, four āśramas: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This is for the brāhmaṇas. For the kṣatriya: brahmacārī, gṛhastha, and vānaprastha. For the vaiśyas: brahmacārī and gṛhastha. And for the śūdras: no brahmacārī, only family life, and that also sometimes without marriage. This is the low-grade, first-grade, second-grade. So now to live as friend, a śūdra, that is now current all over the world. Now marriage is being forgotten. That is also written the śāstra, that "There will be no more marriage. One man and woman should live together by agreement." That is going on now in Kali-yuga. Svikāram eva hy udvāhe, it is stated. Simply agree: "Yes, you become my bedfellow; I become your bedfellow." That's all. Finished. Svikāram eva hy udvāhe. That is marriage. No more that ceremonial marriage. That is being forgotten. This is Kali-yuga now. Dāmpatyam eva hi... Ratim eva hi dāmpatye: "And their so-called unity, man and woman, means sex." There is no other meaning. Dāmpatye, union of man and woman, means sex. There is no other religious system, that husband, wife, live together; they should cooperate for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. These things are being forgotten.
According to classification, a brāhmaṇa has got specific function for earning his livelihood, a kṣatriya has got a specific action for livelihood, a vaiśya has got specific action for livelihood, and a śūdra has got a specific action for livelihood. But he became less than śūdra. Therefore yatas tataś ca—"Somehow or other, bring money, bring money." This is called yatas tataś ca, no fixed up.
A brāhmaṇa... Everyone has to earn livelihood. That is a fact. Without working, you cannot live. So there are specific... Just like brāhmaṇa-yajan yājan paṭhan pāṭhan dānaḥ pratigrahaḥ. He must be very good worshiper of the Lord, and he must induce his yajamāna, his dependent. Brāhmaṇa is the head, and the kṣatriya, vaiśya, they are yajamāna. So they should induce, just like we are inducing all over the world, "Open temple. Worship Kṛṣṇa." This is brāhmaṇa's business.
- śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā
- śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau
- yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi
- vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **
This is the duty of the guru. He worships himself. Unless he knows how to worship, how he will teach them? So he acts himself as brāhmaṇa, and he teaches the disciple how to work as a brāhmaṇa. Śrī-vigraha. This is called yajana yājana. Paṭhana pāṭhana. He must be a learned brāhmaṇa, and he must teach others how to become learned brāhmaṇa, paṇḍita. Paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigraha. He can accept charity from others, and he will distribute it by temple worship, distribute. All that you have collected, worship the Deity and distribute prasādam.
Kuṭumbaṁ manda-dhīr ayam. Manda-dhīḥ. Manda means very bad, very bad intelligence. In this way he began to earn his money and gradually he degraded and that will be described, how he became degraded.
So beginning, his degradation, is the association. He was a brāhmaṇa, but by chance he became associated with a prostitute. So this association is very, very important. By association... Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. If you associate with good association, then you become good. And if you associate with bad association, then you become bad. Therefore we are establishing Kṛṣṇa conscious society. A Kṛṣṇa conscious man cannot be bad. Therefore, if people are given chance to associate with this society, automatically he'll become good. Otherwise there is no need of opening so many centers all over the world. But the idea is that to give the chance of good association. Therefore, those who are members of this society, they should be ideal. Simply by their association people will become good, very good responsibility. And if they become bad themselves, there is no possibility because we are giving instruction. We are behaving like that. Still, one becomes bad—oḥ, that is very great misfortune. Therefore all our members, the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, should be ideal. At least people may see that "Here is a class of men—ideal character, ideal behavior, spiritual advanced, and very frugal and very nice." That is... Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). That is natural. If one becomes a devotee...
This is the responsibility of human life. This human life is not meant for working day and night like the dogs and hogs for sense gratification. At the present moment it is going on all over the world. Simply for sense gratification, they are working so hard. From hundred miles they are going to the working place, hanging on the Delhi passenger train. Sometimes there is accident. These things are going on, very hard labor like the asses. So this is also another punishment. The more punishment is awaiting, Yama-daṇḍa, at the court of Yamarāja. Not only they are suffering here, but they will be taken to the Yamarāja. And there, according to his work, abominable work, he will be punished. Therefore the Yamadūtas said, tata enaṁ daṇḍa-pāṇeḥ sakāśaṁ kṛta-kilbiṣaṁ neṣyāmaḥ. "Now it is our duty." Just like police force, they are engaged to arrest the criminals and take him to the court or to the police officer for necessary action, so these Yamadūtas, they have given sufficient reason that "This man has committed sinful life; therefore he is punishable."
So we are eternal spiritual spark. Kṛṣṇa says that the living entity is eternal. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is the information we get from the authority, that "The living entity is eternal," nitya, śāśvata, "and ever-existing, and does not die on the death or annihilation of the body." Then what is the duty of the father? What is the duty of the government? Duty of the guru? Now how to save him from this repetition of birth and death. And that is the duty. Otherwise to give some food... That also, people cannot give now. Rather, killing their children in the womb. This is Kali-yuga. Whereas it is the duty of the parents how to save the child or the son from the clutches of death, they are now killing. This is advanced civilization. This is going on all over the world. They are going to the medical man and taking help and killing the child within the womb. This is Kali-yuga.
So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that we can utilize these enemies, kāma, krodha, lobha, lust, anger, greediness. They can be utilized also for Kṛṣṇa's service. Kāmī, lusty. One should be so much lusty to serve Kṛṣṇa. Just like we become lusty to have our desired object, similarly, we should be lusty to work for Kṛṣṇa as a madman: "I must do it." That is the utilization of lustiness. Kāma, krodha. Krodha bhakta-dveṣi-jane. One should be very much angry upon a person who is envious of the devotees. Yes. A pure devotee, satāṁ nindā, a pure devotee who is trying to spread the holy name of God, if somebody becomes envious upon him, that person is a great offender. So another devotee should be very much angry upon such person. Krodha bhakta-dveṣi-jane. Bhakta-dveṣi means one who is envious of a pure devotee. And who is a pure devotee? Who is trying to spread the holy name of the Lord all over the world. Satāṁ nindā. This is offense. So a devotee can utilize all these elements—lustiness, anger, kāma, krodha, greediness, and moha. Illusion also can be utilized. Just like illusion... Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me: "I see everything vacant, being separated from Govinda." So when one is bewildered, illusioned, that can be also there. You become bewildered, illusioned, being separated from Govinda.
This is the art. Just like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. He was also great emperor, and he had to rule over all over the world. Still, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ: (SB 9.4.18) he always fixed up his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. That is the art of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In spite of your all engagement, your mind should be fixed up in Kṛṣṇa. Naikāntikaṁ tad dhi kṛte 'pi niṣkṛte manaḥ punar dhāvati ced asat-pathe. Because mind is inclined, inclined to go astray. Asat-pathe. Asat means this material, and pathe means way. Mind is generally attracted to this asat-pathe. but you have to draw the mind to the sat-pathe. Sat means spiritual, eternal. That is the practice.
Tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatāṁ harer guṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ. Therefore tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatām. Karma. Because if you are engaged in ordinary karma... Karma I have already explained. Karma means doing something for your personal benefit. That is called karma. Or, in plain words, doing something for sense gratification, that is called karma. And as soon as you engage your activities for such sense gratification or for your personal benefit, then you have to commit sins. That's a fact. Therefore we are entangled in this birth and death problem. So here the Viṣṇudūta advises that "If you want..." Tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatām. "If you desire at all that 'I shall be freed from the resultant action of karma,' then your duty should be harer guṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ. You simply try to glorify the Supreme Lord always, twenty-four hours.
"What kind of Vaiṣṇava you are?" Pratiṣṭhāra tare nirjanera ghare: "And simply for cheap popularity, 'Oh, he is a Vaiṣṇava. He is chanting. All right.' " Pratiṣṭhāra tare nirjanera ghare tava hari..., nirjanera ghare. No botheration, because if there is no preaching, there is no botheration. You can sit down and show people, "I have now become a very liberated soul," and chant and meditate. That means sleeping. This sort of business is condemned by my Guru Mahārāja. Pratiṣṭhāra tare nirjanera ghare tava hari-nāma kevala. This is simply cheating. He did not approve this kind of business. He did not approve. He wanted to see that everyone is engaged in preaching work, some sort of preaching work, either indoor or outdoor. When you are indoor you have to be busy writing articles for a magazine and proofread and so many things indoors. And outdoors you have to go door to door, make them members, make them interested in this movement, collect money for expenses, outdoor. Preaching, you have to meet opposing elements. So many will criticize, so many will attack. Nityānanda Prabhu was hurt personally, but still, outdoor. This is missionary work, not that "Whenever I find some opportunity, go to some solitary place and sleep." This is not missionary life.
So we should adjust things, not that "All right, it is going on. That's all." You have got very responsible business, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is genuine, it is authorized, and Lord Caitanya wants us to do it all over the world. The things should be adjusted and keep us always alive to our self responsibility. That is missionary life, not to give away. (aside:) So it is working?
So I think we should now... Six-thirty, yes. You can have kīrtana, another kīrtana. Our business is very responsible.
So Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhagavam or Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's pastime, anything about Kṛṣṇa, they are one. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ. Abhinnatvān, that is not separated. Therefore by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, you directly contact with Kṛṣṇa. Abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ. Kṛṣṇa is the nāminoḥ, and Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is His name. But they are abhinna. Otherwise how this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is being so quickly appreciated all over the world? Because there is no difference between chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and meeting Kṛṣṇa eye to eye, face to face. There is no difference. Simply one has to realize. The more you become purified by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you see Kṛṣṇa face to face. People are asking, "Can you show me God?" You can see God. Simply prepare your eyes. Simply prepare your ears. You will... By hearing. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12).
Then teaching, they are learning Sanskrit and English especially, a little geography, mathematics. We have started a school. So do not take this movement very insignificantly. Try to understand this movement with all your intelligence. As Caitanya-caritāmṛta author says, caitanyera dayāra kathā karaha vicāra. Vicāra. Just put your judgment. Try to understand with logic and try to understand with philosophy. Not as a fanatic. Vicāra. Vicāra karile citte pābe camatkāra. And if you rightly judge this movement, you will find it very sublime.
So we have got four branches now in India, out of 102 branches all over the world. But especially this movement is easier for the Indians because by birth they are imbibed with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness idea. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,
- bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara paropakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
So Indians are meant for welfare activities for the whole world. And how they will do? Not by begging: "Give me rice, give me milk powder, give me money, give me this." No. If you spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world, then you will be respectful. People will like it. They are very hungry for this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So I am struggling alone. I require many Indians to join and spread this movement all over the world.
Prabhupāda: There is. In time, in due course of time, he will no longer remain atheist. He'll become theist. The hearing effect is so nice that gradually he becomes theist. As our students... Not that everyone was Prahlāda Mahārāja. Still, by simply hearing they have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Is it not? Yes. Simply by... (laughter) We are giving chance to hear. Our street sankīrtana is meant for that. If somebody hears a little attentively, he will get the chance to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Śyāmasundara: Any other question?
English boy: Prahlāda Mahārāja's father, he said that he would never come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Prabhupāda: "Never" means so long he remains a gṛha-vrata, because his only plan was—he was a powerful king—to conquer all over the world and become happy with money and women. That's all. That is gṛha-vrata. Anyone who wants to be happy with money and women, that is called gṛha-vrata. So he flatly said to his father, matir na kṛṣṇe parato svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām. But by good association, by Kṛṣṇa conscious association, one becomes free from this vow, gṛha-vrata. They becomes detached. That is the progress of devotional service. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). ...materialistic way of life. Therefore people are afraid to send their boys to us. "Oh, he'll be disinterested. He'll not do business. He'll not become a demon." That's it. They do not like. All right. (end)
They could be utilized for making this life perfect, but instead of doing that, they are engaged in sinful activities. Sinful activities means sense gratification. Sense gratification, they are... When one becomes very much addicted to sense gratification... The symptoms are very prominent in this age. Everyone is working very hard simply for sense gratification. And as soon as you take this life of sense gratification, you are sure to commit sinful activities. For example, throughout the whole world there are so many breweries manufacturing liquor. Especially in the Western countries you will find so many, the advertisement, liquor advertisement, whiskey advertisement, cigarette advertisement. And what to speak of slaughterhouse? There are many, many hundreds and thousands of slaughterhouse. And innocent animals are being killed all over the world unnecessarily. People can live with food grains. That is allowed for the all living entities. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: (BG 3.14) "Simply by growing food grains, both the animals and the man, they can live very happily." And you can grow food grains very easily. I have seen in the Western countries, they are growing food grains for the animals, and the food grains are eaten by the animals, and the animal is eaten by man. They are producing food grains. What is the statistics that the animal eating food grains, the same time, the same amount food grains can be eaten by so many men?
So I see in your this Mauritius land, you have got enough land to produce food grains. You produce food grain. I understand that instead of growing food grains, you are growing sugar cane for exporting. Why? And you are dependent on food grains, on rice, wheat, dahl. Why? Why this attempt? You first of all grow your own eatables. And if there is time and if your population has got sufficient food grains, then you can try to grow other fruits and vegetables for exporting. The first necessity is that you should be self-sufficient. That is God's arrangement. Everywhere there is sufficient land to produce food grains, not only in your country. I have traveled all over the world—Africa, Australia, and other, in America also. There are so much land vacant that if we produce food grains, then we can feed ten times as much population as at the present moment. There is no question of scarcity. The whole creation is so made by Kṛṣṇa that everything is pūrṇam, complete. Pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). If we don't produce food grain—you require it—and put unnecessarily men into scarcity, that is sinful. That is sinful. Everything, every instruction for our happy life and to advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make life perfect
With the advancement of Kali-yuga the duration of life, bodily strength, memory, mercifulness, religious sense—in this way everything will be reduced. And the duration of life will be reduced so much so that it is stated in the Bhāgavata that "If a man lives for twenty to thirty years he will be considered as a grand old man." And there will be not available especially rice, wheat, milk, sugar. These are stated. This is Kali-yuga.
So the nature of this material world is that without knowing the goal of life they become leaders. Material world, especially in this age, they do not know what is the goal of life. They do not know what he is. That is the defect. Dehātma-buddhiḥ. Everyone, all over the world, they are thinking in terms of this body. Accidentally, somehow or other, because I have got this Indian body I am thinking, "I am Indian." And another person, he has got the American body from America... This land also we have demarcated. That is also our creation. Otherwise the land belongs to God. We have created this, that "This is America," "This is India," and "This is England," 'This is Germany..." But actually every land belongs to..., every land, sea, sky belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). That is Vedic civilization. "Everything belongs to God." Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People should be free to move in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything, actually it belongs to Kṛṣṇa. But we have got restriction because we see "This is America, this is India, this is..." So they have been described here as andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ: "These leaders are themselves blind, and they are leading other blind men." General public, they are blind, and the leaders are also blind. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31).
Four varṇas and four āśramas. This is the stepping stone for civilized life, varṇāśrama. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra; and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa. This system of social order, I mean to say, spiritual and material, it is so systematically done that one who follows this system, automatically he becomes at the end Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the highest objective. Unfortunately they do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatim hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are enchanted by the glaring materialistic, material energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Just like we come from airport to this hotel. This city is very nice. Not only this city. I am traveling all over the world. There are very very nice cities in Europe, America, and other countries also. It is all right. You decorate this city nice, you make your life very comfortable. But if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then you are defeated. Then you are defeated. That is the instruction given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. Yuddhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). Arjuna did not stop his fighting capacity. He was a kṣatriya. And Kṛṣṇa did not encourage him that you should stop fighting. Rather Arjuna was trying to stop fighting. Kṛṣṇa said, "No. You are kṣatriya. You cannot stop fighting." So don't think that by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious one becomes a vagabond. No. One gentleman talked with me that "Your Vaiṣṇava philosophy has made our country coward." No. You do not know what is Vaiṣṇava. In India there were two great fights. One the fight between Rāma and Rāvaṇa, and the other great fight was between the two, Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas. In both the fighting the hero was Vaiṣṇava. The hero, Hanumānjī, Vajrāṅgajī, who fought on behalf of Lord Rāmacandra, he is a Vaiṣṇava. And Arjuna, who also fought on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, he is a kṣatriya. So they do not know what is Vaiṣṇava philosophy.
Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). We are preaching this. In this temple we are asking eveyone, "Here is Kṛṣṇa. Always think of Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Then you will have to think, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa," means thinking of Kṛṣṇa. As soon as you hear the name of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā. And who will do that? Mad-bhakta. Unless you become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, you cannot waste your time, "Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa." That means simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra you become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī.
Now, this worship of Kṛṣṇa... The whole day is engaged for Kṛṣṇa's maṅgala-āratika, for Kṛṣṇa's chanting, for Kṛṣṇa's cooking, for Kṛṣṇa's prasādam distribution, so many ways. So our devotees all over the world—there are a 102 centers—they are simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is our propaganda, always, no other business. We don't do any business but we are spending at least twenty-five lakhs of rupees, twenty-five lakhs of rupees every month, but Kṛṣṇa is supplying. Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). If you remain Kṛṣṇa consciousness, fully dependent on Kṛṣṇa, then there will be no scarcity. I started this Kṛṣṇa business with forty rupees. Now we have got forty crores of rupees. Is there any businessman in the whole world within ten years with forty rupees he can increase forty crores? There is no example. And ten thousand men, they are eating prasādam daily. So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham (BG 9.22). As soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you simply depend on Him and work sincerely and then Kṛṣṇa will supply everything. Everything.
So this is practically being manifested. State, example, in the Bombay, now the land is one crore of rupees' worth. And when I purchased this land I had, might be, three or four lakhs. So it was completely speculation because I was confident that "I shall be able to pay. Kṛṣṇa will give me." There was no money. That's a long history. I do not wish to discuss. But I have got now practical experience that you depend on Kṛṣṇa—there will be no scarcity. Whatever you want, it will be fulfilled. Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānām. So be always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then everything will be fulfilled, any desire, if you have got.
Anyone who knows law, he is accepted a lawyer. Similarly, the quality of brāhmaṇa is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, śamo dama titikṣa satyaṁ śaucam ārjavam, jñānaṁ-vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). So you can train anyone. Just like you can train anyone as lawyer, you can train anyone as an engineer or medical practitioner, similarly, you can train anyone as brāhmaṇa. That is wanted. That is wanted. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is like that. We are trying to train some men as real brāhmaṇa because brāhmaṇa is the head, is the brain of the society. If the society has no brain, it is in chaotic condition. Brahma-jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. So some section of the people must know what is Brahman, what is God, and they should preach all over the world. That is the greatest necessity at the present moment. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to do that although we are captivating or attracting some younger section, especially in Western countries. But Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends that kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān (SB 7.6.1). Training should start immediately from the childhood.
So we are opening one Gurukula in Vṛndāvana to train brahmacārī. First of all brahmacārī. The society, the students should be brahmacārī. Brahmacārī gurukule vasan dānto guror hitam. Everything is there. Now we have to introduce these things. Otherwise the human society is already fallen, and it will fall down more and more, and it will be hellish condition, and so only hope is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So I request you all to take this movement very seriously and try to help us. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (applause) (break) Any question?
Prabhupāda: So we are selling our books very nicely, and our whole institution is practically financed by this selling of books. Even in Indian parliament, we are supposed to be very, very rich community. So, in India there are persons who are very suspicious of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, and they are surprised how we are maintaining more than one hundred branches all over the world. "Where you get financial help?" So, they think that America has got a, what is, CID department?
Devotees: CIA.
Prabhupāda: CIA Department. So they are financing us, America. Just see the foolishness. The CIA department has taken this saṅkīrtana movement. But these rascals are thinking like that; that it is a branch of the CIA Movement. So, being suspicious, some of the rascals raised the question in Parliament in India, that "This community are fabulously rich. So it is understood that they belong to the CIA Department of America. Is it a fact?" It was raised in the Parliament and the question was put before the home member. "So if they are CIA Department, they are pushing on this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement under the garb, then what is government's information? This is first question. If not, where they are getting so much money spending?" In this way two, three questions were raised. Fortunately the home member was aware of our movement and he replied that "They do not belong to the CIA Department. We do not have any such information and there is no need of any action. And so far their finance is concerned, we understand that they are selling their literatures and public contribution." That is the fact, actually. We are selling our books about, three, more, not less than three thousand dollars daily, and that is giving us our financial help. We have no other means of income. Although we have got expenditure not less than one hundred thousands of dollars per month throughout the whole world.
So the human form of life is meant for that purpose, but there is no facility in the educational institution. Many universities there may be, but not very perfectly well-situated. But we are trying our bid, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, to give education about this bhāgavata-dharma and we are trying to present in so many languages. So we wish that you should cooperate, try to understand this philosophy. We have got books, we have got talks. Any way we can convince you about this philosophy of God consciousness, I hope you'll take advantage of it. Not only that, it is very easy. It is not very difficult. Just like you see all our students, they come from Europe, America. Four or five years ago they did not know what is this bhāgavata-dharma, what is this Kṛṣṇa. Now you can see the result, that all over the world, not only in Europe, but in America, Australia, in Japan, in Canada, everywhere, we have got this type of devotees, and they are understanding what is God, what is our relationship with God. It doesn't matter, God is neither Hindu, Muslim, or Christian—God is God. So it is the duty of everyone. It is not that only Christians should understand God and the Hindus should understand nobody. No. Any human being. Any living entity in the human form of life must understand. Otherwise, he's missing the opportunity. So we have got to say many things about this thing. In short time, we cannot speak so many things, but we invite you to take advantage of this movement, try to understand the science of God and be benefited. (break)
It is very, very difficult. But still, Vaiṣṇava, he will advise. A moralist who knows śāstra, he will also advise, just like Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. I was saying, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Formerly there was exchange for... Means of exchange was coins, gold mohan(?). Even in India, even in Muhammadan, there was gold. Not this paper, cheating: "I give you money, one thousand rupees, some paper. That's all." Where is money? But people are satisfied. "Yes, I have got one thousand rupees. It is written there. That's all." But actually money is the gold, gold exchange. So therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said... This means at that time there was gold coin exchange. Even in our childhood we have seen in India there was coins, gold coins, silver coins, everywhere, all over the world. In England there was pound, gold coin. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Svarṇa means gold coins, and koṭi means ten millions. So suppose today is 6th December. Now seven o'clock, morning, seven o'clock, 6th December, passed. Can you bring it again by paying one crores of gold coins? Hm? That "Let me get back again seven o'clock, 6th December, 1975, again"? No. It is gone forever. So just see the value that you cannot get back even a moment of your life by paying millions and millions of dollars. How time is valuable, just calculate. Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, sa cet nirarthakaṁ nītaḥ ka no hānis tato 'dhika. If you waste your time, such valuable time, for nothing, just imagine how much loser you are. But we do not know. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ: (CC Adi 17.31) "Your life is meant for chanting. Therefore you should simply chant sadā, always, consistently." This is the advice. This is properly using the moments of time. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said that tat-prayāsa. If you foolishly endeavor for making some economic development, then what is the...? Āyur-vyayaḥ param. You have got this valuable life. Every moment is so valuable. That means you are wasting your valuable life by such endeavor to improve your economic condition. It is not possible. Tad ayatnataḥ. If you get distress without endeavoring for it, you will get happiness without endeavoring for it, because that is destined. You cannot get more or less. You have to... You'll get it.
This is the essence of instruction of all Vedic instructions. What is that? Na tat prayāso kartavyo. Everyone is engaged for developing economic condition. The whole world is engaged how to develop economic condition. There were so many empires, especially in the Western countries. The British Empire, what was their aim? To develop economic condition. Bring money from all over the world in London, and become lord, baron, this, that. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Don't endeavor for all these things." Don't endeavor. "Why not? Shall I not?" "No," he said, "No, you should not." Why? Yata āyur-vyayaḥ. "You are simply wasting time." Wasting time. The so-called economic development may be temporary. Actually, you cannot improve. We can see practically, so many people, in big, big cities, they are trying to develop their economic condition to improve their status of life, but do you think that everyone is successful? In big, big cities, in our country India, Calcutta, Bombay, at least, we have seen it that everyone, there are so many millions of people, they are trying, but still you'll find somebody is living in palace building and somebody is living in slum. "Everyone has got equal chance in big, big cities. They can improve." No. That is not possible. In Western countries, when I did not come to your country I thought USA or in Europe, there is no poor man. I was thinking like that. But when I came, I actually saw there are so many poor men. Why they could not take advantage of the facilities in the Western countries and be equal? No, that is not possible. According to the nature's arrangement, there are three modes of condition: sattva-guṇa, raja-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So every one of us is under either of these sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So always you'll find three classes of men, first-class, second-class, third-class. Also fourth-class, fifth-class. But we are taking the first three. Or, in other words, some class richer, some class middle class men, and poor men. Everywhere you'll find, all over the world. Either in USA or in Europe or in India. You cannot change that. That is not possible. But because we are not educated in the aim, understanding what is the aim of life, we are misled.
That, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, matir na kṛṣṇe. People are very much reluctant to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Why? Matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā. By others' instruction Just like we are trying to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world, parataḥ. Svato, svato means personally. By personal endeavor. Just I am reading Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literature. So, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā. Mitho vā, mitho vā means "by conference." Nowadays it is a very popular thing to hold conferences. So one cannot become Kṛṣṇa conscious either by his personal endeavor or by advice of some other men or by holding big, big conferences. Why? Gṛha-vratānām: because his real aim of life is that "I shall remain in this house." Gṛha-vratānām. Gṛha means household life, gṛha means this body, gṛha means this universe. There are so many gṛhas, big and small.
So here it is said, tato yateta kuśalaḥ kṣemāya bhavam āśritaḥ. Bhavam, this material world is called bhavaḥ. And those who are within this material world, they are called bhava-rogī, means diseased, in the bhava disease. Bhava means "you become." Bhava. So here in this material world is..., to become bhava. I have already taken birth in some family, I have already become something, bhava, but I'll have to die. Then finish? No, bhava. Again bhava. Again bhava. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), bhū-dhātu. So bhava, bhū, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate. This is the nature, material nature. So those who are bhavam āśritaḥ... Those who have taken shelter of this material world for repeatedly taking birth and death and suffering old age and disease, they are called bhavam āśritaḥ. So for the bhavam āśritaḥ, those who are suffering in this disease, there are other, bhavauṣadhi, bhavauṣadhi.
When we come to the spiritual platform, then actual love begins. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām. That love begins... If we can love Kṛṣṇa, then, through Kṛṣṇa's love, we can expand our love for everyone. Yathā taror mūla-niṣecanena tṛpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhāḥ (SB 4.31.14). Just like watering the root of the tree, the energy is expanded to the limbs, to the flowers, to the branches, similarly, if we want to love... Everyone... Just like we are coming, some patriot. Nobody loves nobody; that is all professional business. If we actually love Kṛṣṇa, then we can expand our love: patriotism, socialism, this "ism," that... Just like we are trying to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world because on account of love. Someway or other, we have come in contact with Kṛṣṇa. We are understanding that these people are in māyā or in ignorance, they do not know how to become happy. So our little attempt is "Let them become Kṛṣṇa conscious." This is out of love. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu. Everyone is suffering for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore we are taking so much trouble. This is at least one side, that Kṛṣṇa wants them to deliver, and if we work on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, that is also love. We love Kṛṣṇa.
So we have got everything in writing, in books, in instructions. Our duty is to take them rightly and utilize it properly, advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sneha-pāśair. Otherwise we shall be on a platform of false love. The platform of false love we know: today one pair is married, but because the love is on the false platform, the next day there is divorce. That is not love. That kind of love has no meaning, that kind of affection has no meaning. It is simply bondage. So try to... Our aim is how to become free from this material bondage and real sneha, real affection, real love should be spread. And that can be done through Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise, it is all false. Sneha-pāśair dṛḍhair baddham utsaheta. This māyā is so strong that we are taking this false thing as reality. It is very difficult to give it up. That is explained by Kṛṣṇa:
It does not mean that you have to understand each and every word. Because you are allowing your ear to receive the sound vibration, you are being benefited. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Śṛṇvataṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. So if you... Please, simply hear what is going on here. That is also beneficial, puṇya. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Simply hearing, chanting, you join with us chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, you hear Hare Kṛṣṇa, then you become pious. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is so nice. Bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam. Suta Gosvāmī said that the kṛṣṇa-sampraśna, because you have inquired about Kṛṣṇa, so it is loka-maṅgalam, it is very much beneficial to the whole world. This saṅkīrtana movement is like that. Anywhere we are going, we are making the whole atmosphere purified. It is not here in India, we have got branches all over the world. In Africa, even those black men, they are also. Because in the spiritual world, there is no such consideration the black, white. Because it is the spiritual platform. The spirit soul is neither black, neither white, neither yellow. This is dress. Just like within the dress we are everyone. The dress may be black, white, yellow, that does not matter.
So our this movement invites everyone, because it is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. If you please come and hear about Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa becomes favorably disposed that "Now this soul, this individual soul is now inclined to hear about Me." So He gives facilities. What is that facility? The facility is that within our heart there are so many dirty things. Therefore, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa helps in washing the dirty matter within our heart. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ stho abhadrāṇi (SB 1.2.17).
So we are trying to preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world, but still, if people do not take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, then he is drinking poison knowingly. This is the position. He is drinking poison. That's a fact. It is not that we are imagining something, eulogizing.(?) They are charging us, "Brainwash." Yes, it is brainwash. It is... All the dirty things, stools, are there in the brain, and we are trying to wash them. That is our...
- śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
- puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
- hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
- vidhunoti suhṛt satām
- (SB 1.2.17)
The vidhunoti, this word, is there. Vidhunoti means washing. Washing. As you are hearing the message of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā, the process is vidhunoti, washing. Actually, it is brainwashing—but for good. Washing is not bad. (laughter) That these rascals, they do not know. They are thinking, "Oh, you are making me purified? Oh, you are very dangerous." This is their... Mūrkhāyopadeśo hi prakopāya na śāntaye: "To a rascal, if you give good advice, he becomes angry." Mūrkhāyopadeśo hi prakopāya na śāntaye. How is it? Payaḥ-pānaṁ bhujaṅgānāṁ kevalaṁ viṣa-vardhanam. A snake-quality man is very dangerous.
Because they are becoming less than animals. The animals, they beget, they mate at a certain period, but a human being, at the present moment, they have no such restriction. Any time. Therefore they want contraceptive method.
So this godless civilization is so acute that it is very difficult to make them understand God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But still, as a matter of duty, we have to present, submit, these teachings of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because we are following the teachings of Lord Caitanya, who wanted. He said that pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) All over the world in all the cities and all the villages, everywhere this philosophy of harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā (CC Adi 17.21), this philosophy should be preached. And He also stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta that,
- bhārata bhūmite manuṣya janma haila yāra
- janma sārthaka kari kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
He has ordered all Indians, manuṣya janma. All Indians means those who have taken birth as human beings. Janma sārthaka kari. This is very important. The Indians, they have got the opportunity of making their life successful because the spiritual knowledge, the spiritual treasurehouse, is there in India. So janma sārthaka kara para-upakāra. First of all you learn yourself what is Vedic knowledge, what is spiritual life, and go and distribute to the rest of the world, para-upakāra. They are suffering. This is the mission of Lord Caitanya.
There is no difference between these two words. Svāmī means controller, and gosvāmī is still clearer. Go means senses, controller of the senses. So Rūpa Gosvāmī says who can be a spiritual master. So he has given specifically this definition, that one who has got controls over the tongue, over the speech, over the mind, over the belly, and over the genitals, and over the anger. If anyone has control over these six things, then he can become spiritual master. Pṛthiviṁ sa śiṣyāt: "He is allowed to make disciples all over the world." Otherwise not. These are the qualification of brāhmaṇa. Satyam śaucam śama dama titikṣā (BG 18.42). Titikṣā means tolerance. Just like in your Western countries, Lord Jesus Christ, he was being crucified. He tolerated. He never cursed even. He, rather, begged from God, "My God, these people do not know what they are doing. Please excuse them." This is toleration. So satyam śaucam sama dama titikṣā. Toleration. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has instructed, tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. Tolerance. What kind of tolerance? Tolerance like the straw in the street, like the tree. Amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). There are so many instances. Let us finish it briefly.
So śaucam, satyaṁ śaucaṁ śamaṁ damaṁ titikṣā ārjavam. Simplicity. A brāhmaṇa should be very simple, not gorgeous. He wants to live, so he wants to eat something, not for the taste of the tongue but just to keep the body and soul together. He must eat nice things. There are nice things, grains, fruits, milk. Why should he take meat? If there are, by nature's products, so many nice things, why one should kill another animal? Desire(?), of course, serves (?). Titikṣā, ārjavam, and jñānam. Not that simply become qualified, but these qualification are stepping stone to jñānam. Jñānam means knowledge.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that even if he's born in the family of the dog-eaters, but if he has dedicated his body, mind and words for the service of the Lord, he is better than such brāhmaṇa who has got all the good qualifications, but he has no attachment for God, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is the comparison. Why you are giving so much importance to the man, even if he is born in a lower family? He says, manye tad-arpita-mano-vacana īhā. Īhā means endeavor. Anyone who has engaged this endeavor for the service of the Lord Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī has described about this person whose endeavor is always in the service of the Lord. How Just like the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society. What is their endeavor? Their only endeavor is how this Kṛṣṇa consciousness should be spread all over the world. Why they're endeavoring? Because Kṛṣṇa wants it. Kṛṣṇa wants it. God wants it. Why God wants it? Because we are all sons of God. We have gone to dog. Instead of going to God, we have gone to dog. Therefore God is very anxious to reclaim us. He comes therefore in person, Kṛṣṇa. He sends His son, Lord Jesus Christ, or He sends His devotee. He leaves behind Him the books like Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or many other such literatures. Why? To reclaim these obstinate, bewildered sons of God. They have forgotten God, and they are, instead of loving God, they are now loving dog. Therefore God is very anxious. It is natural. If a father is very rich man and he has got many sons, he wants to see the sons very happy. But if the sons go away from home and becomes crazy, do not come back home, the father is more anxious than the son. The son does not understand that what is his precarious condition of life in this material world, but God understands that how much in miserable condition he's living. Threefold miserable condition of this material existence. He's always disturbed, but still, he does not wish to go back to Godhead. Therefore there is a constant endeavor on the part of God to reclaim these conditioned souls.
If you want śānti-śānti means peace—then you should simply understand that everything belongs to God. That's all. Actually it is. Nothing belongs to you. If you are intelligent, if you scrutinizingly study, everything belongs to God. Nothing belongs to me. Even this body does not belong to me. I have come with this body given by God, open-handed, without any asset. And I shall pass away from this world leaving this body open-handed. So actually nothing belongs to me. It is simply māyā, illusion, that we are thinking, "This is mine. This is mine. This is mine." This is the cause. Just like the Russians, they have occupied Czechoslovakia. They are thinking, "It is mine." Or somebody is thinking, "It is mine." This is the cause of... Because it is ignorance. But actually, everything belongs to God. If this sense is spread all over the world—"Nothing belongs to anyone but God, and we are all sons of God"—that is the best communism. Everyone—animal, man, everything—everyone has got right to live. Everyone is God's son. And the whole property belongs to God. If this philosophy is taught, then there will be peace. Otherwise there is no question of peace. So bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). And suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. And He is the friend, the sinceremost friend of everyone. Why not? If we are sons of God, who can love more than the father? Naturally, there is affection and love of the father towards children. Don't you find it, how He is providing? Even, although we are disobedient, still, He is supplying all the necessities of our life. He's supplying light, He's supplying water, He's supplying air—the essential necessities of your life. Without sunlight you cannot live. Without water you cannot live. So by grace of God, you are getting; still, you are so ungrateful that we do not remember God or offer our gratitude. That is the cause. This godless civilization is the cause of disturbing peace. Bhoktāraṁ sarva..., yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaraṁ suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29).
To understand God, to understand Kṛṣṇa, is not very easy job; very, very difficult job. Therefore we don't find anyone is interested in Kṛṣṇa. Anywhere you go, all over the world, you make a statistic: nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa. Is it not a fact? Out of millions. Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu, "Out of millions..." That's a fact. Nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. So therefore, to understand Kṛṣṇa is not very easy job. But by the grace of Kṛṣṇa You can understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. That is Kṛṣṇa, great. You take. And again Kṛṣṇa is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to show us the way how to understand Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu means Kṛṣṇa Himself, present to teach us how to understand Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind: He is coming Himself. He's teaching Bhagavad-gītā. Again He is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as devotee, to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). He's not only teaching Kṛṣṇa but love of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, when He personally came, He did not teach how to love Him. He simply asked, "You rascal, surrender to Me." That's all. "You are all rascals. You have forgotten Me. I am the Supreme. You are searching after so many wrong things. You have created so many so-called occupational and religious duties, but these are all useless." That much. But again Kṛṣṇa came to teach people how to love Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī offers his respect to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, namo mahā-vadanyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: (CC Madhya 19.53) "You are not only giving Kṛṣṇa but giving love of Kṛṣṇa." That is very rare thing. Prema pumārtho mahān. People are after dharma, after kāma, mokṣa, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No, above this, there is fifth perfection. That is prema, Kṛṣṇa-prema." Prema pumārtho mahān.
The Kṛṣṇa-kathā is there." No, Kṛṣṇa-kathā is there just like milk is there, but if it is touched by the lips of a serpent, it is no more to be taken. It has become poison. Unless one is situated as pure Vaiṣṇava in his dealing, in his behavior, inside and outside, he should not become a preacher because it will not be effective, neither one should hear from such person. But people in general, they can not understand, but those who are preaching, they must be very sincere, the same way. Rūpa-raghunātha pade, haibe ākuti. They should read the literatures, the instruction, just like Upadeśāmṛta, The Nectar of Instruction. We should follow, strictly follow. Then pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt. Then you'll be able to preach and make disciples all over the world. This is the injunction. That is called gosvāmī. Don't be cheap preacher, cheap guru. No, no. That is not good. It is not possible.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the mahājana, authorities. How he has gotten this authority? Here it is said, so 'haṁ kathaṁ nu visṛje tava bhṛtya-sevām. So everyone must have his position by giving service to the spiritual master. And who is spiritual master? Tava bhṛtya, who is a servant of Kṛṣṇa.
- yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
- yasyāprasādād na gatiḥ kuto 'pi
- kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya **
Guru is described, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: ** "By the mercy of guru one can achieve the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Yasya prasāda. Yasya aprasādāt: "If guru is not pleased, then he has no place." Na gatiḥ kuto 'pi.
So this is the process. Tava bhṛtya-sevā. We have to... Ādau gurvāśrayam. First beginning of Vaiṣṇava life is to accept guru, spiritual master, ādau gurvāśrayam, then other things. Because who will teach you? So we have to approach a pure Vaiṣṇava as spiritual master, follow his instruction. And what is his instruction? His instruction is as he was instructed by his spiritual master. He does not invent instruction. This is instruction. The pure Vaiṣṇava, he does not invent anything new. Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "You all, every one of you become guru, everyone." Āmāra ājñāya guru haña tāra ei deśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Wherever you are living, it doesn't require that you have to travel all over the world. If you have no such capacity, it doesn't matter. You remain wherever you are, but you become a guru. "How I become a guru?" Yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa upadeśa: (CC Madhya 7.128) "Very simple thing. You instruct only what is instructed by Kṛṣṇa. That's all." Don't invent. Don't become overintelligent. Remain a poor fool. Guru more mūrkha dekhi śāsana, korilā śāsana (CC Adi 7.71). Caitanya Mahāprabhu also presenting Himself as a great fool because He says, "My Guru Mahārāja found Me a great fool." He was a fool? He was Kṛṣṇa Himself. But one should remain always a fool before Guru Mahārāja. That is progress. If he thinks, "I know more than my Guru Mahārāja," then he's fallen. Yasyāprasādād na gatiḥ kuto 'pi. Then he is finished. So we should always remain a fool before the spiritual master, even though one is incarnation, not that "I am incarnation; therefore I have become God." No. Even if you are incarnation, you should remain a humble servant.
If Kṛṣṇa eats from your hand, then your life is successful. If Kṛṣṇa accepts any bit of service from you, then your life is successful. Immediately you become liberated, because bhakti is not for the conditioned soul. As soon as... Kṛṣṇa therefore adds this word. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry for eating anything from your hand. He's not hungry. But He wants to teach you how to become a bhakta. Mad-bhaktaḥ. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. He wants you to become His devotee. Then your life's problem is solved.
So therefore He is prepared to take anything, little, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ (BG 9.26), so that you can begin to give something to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's neither hungry nor wants anything from you. For your benefit, for our benefit, Kṛṣṇa is prepared to take a little leaf, little flower, little water, which is available anywhere all over the world, without any price. Even if I am very poor man I can pick up a flower, a little leaf, patraṁ, and little fruit, and water is available everywhere. Everything is available. Kṛṣṇa does not particularly say that "You give me such fruit, such flower." Any fruit, any flower, He's prepared to take, accept, provided you are a bhakta. Otherwise, even if you prepare very nice, palatable dishes, He'll not accept a single of it. It is the bhakti. Kṛṣṇa is very much anxious to see that you have become a bhakta. Then your problem is solved. Because we are sons of Kṛṣṇa—ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4)—He's suffering more in one sense because we are suffering. Just like your son is on the bed suffering from some disease. The father and mother feels more pain than the son, if the father and mother is affectionate. So Kṛṣṇa is so affectionate; therefore He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). When we forget Kṛṣṇa, then He comes to convince us that "This is not good. You are trying to satisfy your senses. It will never end. Simply you'll be complicated from one body to another for satisfying senses, sometimes eating stool also. That is satisfaction of the senses. So this business will never make you happy. Better just surrender unto Me, and what I say, you do. Just begin your service. Surrender. Give Me something eatable." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). This is the beginning. The Deity worship is the beginning of devotional service.
A common man cannot see where is Mr. (first name) Khatau, but it is going on under your direction, that's a fact. Similarly, everything is going on under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. If we understand this fact, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So while drinking water, we can remember Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi sūryayoḥ (BG 7.8), "The taste of the water I am." So we are drinking water several times in a day. As soon as we drink water, we can remember immediately, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, how nice Kṛṣṇa. He has given us this nice water, tasteful water. This is Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So we have to practice this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we have to teach others to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and that requires huge amount of energy. We should be prepared. This is India's gift. The people are taking all over the world. Unfortunately, I am trying single-handed, nobody is cooperating in India. They will throw millions of dollars in the gunpowder, but not for this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is very important movement. Every philosopher, every scientist should come forward, try to understand this movement, and do the needful. That is my request. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Why? Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvat, that "If I do not deliver these fallen souls entrapped in māyā, then who will do it?" So that is for this purpose, Kṛṣṇa comes. For this purpose, Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes, the same purpose, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, śoce tato vimukha-cetasa vimūḍhān. "These rascals, they have forgotten You and making plan to be happy." So everyone. Kṛṣṇa also comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). This is dharmasya glāniḥ. When people forget God, that is dharmasya glāniḥ. Just like when the people forget the government, do not care for the government, there is chaos, there is chaos; similarly, when people forget God, Kṛṣṇa, there is chaos. That is the position now all over the world, chaotic condition, because they have purposefully avoided God. Purposefully. In your country it is said, "We trust in God." On the bills it is stated there, "We trust in God." But ask any of the scientists, philosopher, president, that "What is that God? You trust in God and what is that God? Can you explain?" "No." That means "We trust in air, not in God." Nobody can explain. Such a big country, so many scientists, politicians, philosophers... Ask. Challenge the government that "You write on the bills, currency notes, 'We trust in God.' So what is that God?" Ask anyone. Will they be able to answer? No. It is simply formality.
Similarly, they have completely forgotten God all over the world. There is only little formality still. That also being... In your country, in Europe, so many churches are closed because no one believes in God. Here also I have seen in Nasik so many temples. There the dogs are passing stool and urine within the temple. Nobody goes. Because what there can be done? There are so many rascals. They are making propaganda that "Why do you go to temple?" Just see, here is a central place, it is inhabited by so many respectable persons, but they do not come to temple because there is regular propaganda that "God is everywhere. Why do you go to the temple?" "No, why God is not there in the temple?" You can answer: "God is everywhere—except in the temple?" Their propaganda is, "God is everywhere. Why do you go to the temple?" But our answer is, "If God is everywhere, why He is not in the temple?" Eh? He must be in the temple. But this rascal will make propaganda, "Don't go to the temple." Of course, there are so many rascals. They came and gone. The temples are going also. In India, by this propaganda that "There is no God in temple," by this false propaganda, the temples are not closed. Still in Vṛndāvana you'll find five thousand temples. You see Jagannātha Purī temple. Many thousands of people go there. Raṅganātha temple and so many other temples.
So this India, this propaganda will not stay. They come and go, make propaganda and go away, but temples remain and it is worshiped. Now the temples are increasing all over the world. Instead of stopping people to go to the temple, the temples are increasing. For centuries, for..., there was no temple in Europe and America. Now there are hundreds and thousands of temples. So it will increase. You cannot stop Kṛṣṇa's glories. You cannot stop Kṛṣṇa's supremacy.
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the mahājanas. So we are discussing Prahlāda Mahārāja's instruction and his character, his ability. This is Vaiṣṇava. Bhāgavata means the glories of the Lord, Bhagavān, and the glories of the devotees, both. There is no difference between Bhagavān and bhagavad-bhakta. There is no difference. But that does not mean, like Māyāvādī, that bhagavad-bhakta is also God. No. That is explained by Viśvanātha Cakravartī. Sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstrair uktaḥ **. Bhakta bhagavān, bhagavān bhakta. Vaiṣṇava, he is equally good like God. Sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. But he's so power... He's more than. Sometimes he's more powerful than Bhagavān. Just like materially, if somebody sees that "This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, is now spread all over the world. Even Caitanya Mahāprabhu could not do it," that does not mean that I am great than Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This does not mean. We are servant. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. Bhagavān keeps some work to be done by His devotee to give the credit to the devotee. This is Bhagavān. But the bhakta never takes the foolishness that he is Bhagavān or greater than Bhagavān. Nobody can be equal to Bhagavān; nobody can be greater than Bhagavān. This is all foolishness.
Engage the tongue in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is wanted. Don't talk material subject matters. In big, big meetings the politicians, the United Nation, they talking—but talking all nonsense, simply going there for passing resolution that "Now we have to do this. Then the world will change." No, it will never change. By such kind of foolish talking, it will never change. Better close this United Nation organization because it has not given any practical effect. But talking about Kṛṣṇa, just see how it is giving practical effect. Here you are assembled here from Europe, America, and Africa, Canada, and practically all over the world, but you are united nation. You are united nation simply by talking Kṛṣṇa. This is the remedy. And if you keep yourself as American, as Indian, as Canadian, as African, and go to the United Nation and talk for years and years, there will be no more United Nation. It will be... More flags will increase because this is nonsense talking. It is practical. The United Nation is talking for the last thirty, forty years?
So, of course, sometimes we require car. But we should not forget Kṛṣṇa simply for the manfacturing and riding car. This is foolishness. This is foolish. We can utilize everything for Kṛṣṇa's service. Just like we have got so many cars... Not here. Here also we have got many, eight to ten buses and cars. In the foreign countries each temple has got more than dozen cars. So, but these cars are used for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to make the best use of a bad bargain. So we never use car for sense gratification. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa sambandhe yukta-vairāgyam ucyate, prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari... A sannyāsī is supposed to walk. But if somebody criticizes, "Sir, why you are flying on airplane?" no, that is our not principle. The Jain sannyāsīs, they never use cars. Now they have begun. Because I am traveling all over the world, now the Jains, they are also. (laughter) But our philosophy is different. We are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Suppose I have to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in Europe or America. So because a sannyāsī has to walk, therefore I shall walk throughout the whole life to go to America? This is foolishness. If I can go to America within fifteen hours for preaching facility, why shall not I use the aeroplane? Why shall I stick... It is called niyamāgraha, "without any profit," to follow the regulative principle without any profit. No. If we get opportunity, preaching facilities for going on car, on airplane, using typewriter, dictaphone, microphone, we must use it. Because this is Kṛṣṇa's property, it must be used for Kṛṣṇa. This is our philosophy. This microphone is Kṛṣṇa's. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). So when it is used for Kṛṣṇa it is not material; it is spiritual.
How we have come, that is a very mysterious thing; but we are part and parcel. Somehow or other... Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, anādi karama phale, padi 'bhavārṇava-jale. Somehow or other we have fallen this. Therefore the real aim of life, how to get out of this bhavārṇava, nescience, that is the aim of life. If we remain again like the monkeys and cats and dogs, eating, sleeping, mating, and dancing, that is not very responsible life. Every man should be responsible. That is Vedic culture, to create responsible man, not varṇa-saṅkara. Therefore Arjuna was very much afraid that "After war the women will be widows, they will be polluted, and varṇa-saṅkara population will come out." Actually that is the fact. After the last war the hippies have come out all over the world. This is the fact.
So if there is varṇa-saṅkara population, that means the human civilization is lost. Therefore here is the civilization, how... In this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Nārada Muni is describing how civilization should be advanced. The first proposal is brahmacārī, how to create brahmacārī. Brahmacārī guru-gṛhe vasan dānto guror hitam. What is that? So what is the duty of the brahmacārī, it is now said. The first duty is that sāyaṁ prātar upāsīta: "They should be taught how to worship the Supreme Lord at least twice in a day," sāyaṁ prātaḥ, "in the morning and in the evening." Tri-sandhya. The prescription is for tri-sandhya. One should take bath three times. In India there is no difficulty. Even in Western countries you have got very good arrangement, hot water and cold water. You can arrange and can take bath. This is essential. Not that sleeping up to ten o'clock. This kind of civilization will not help you. This asuric civilization will degrade the human society. He got the opportunity of elevating himself, even going back to home, back to Godhead. But for want of real civilization they are going again back to monkey and cats and dogs. This is a fact. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to save them from going back to become cats and dogs. Instead of going back there, they are trying to send him back to God. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
That is the history, Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means great India. So there was no different religion. One religion, Vedic religion. Vedic religion means to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the Supreme Person Absolute Truth. This is Vedic religion. Those who have read Bhagavad-gītā, it is said there in the Fifteenth Chapter, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). Vedic knowledge means to understand God. This is Vedic religion.
Later on, with the progress of Kali-yuga... Kali-yuga means the dark age or the sinful age or the age for argument, unnecessary talks and fight. This is called Kali-yuga. That is going on. Since the last five thousand years, the Kali-yuga has begun, and the beginning of Kali-yuga was cow-slaughtering. When Mahārāja Parīkṣit was touring all over the world, he saw one black man was attempting to kill one cow. And Mahārāja Parīkṣit saw this and immediately... The cow was trembling for being slaughtered. And Mahārāja Parīkṣit saw, "Who is this man, trying to kill a cow in my kingdom?" So immediately he took his sword. That is kṣatriya. Kṣatriya means that... Kṣat means injury, and trāyate—it is called kṣatriya. There are persons who want to do harm to others. It has increased now. But during the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit's time, it was not allowed. The king is responsible. The government is responsible that any one of his subject, either animal or man, he is not disturbed, he feels secure of his property, of his person. And it is the duty of kṣatriya to save him, to protect. This was the system of government. So that's a long story.
| Page Title: | All over the world (Lectures, cantos 6 - 12) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 07 of Apr, 2013 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=69, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 69 |