Bhagavad-gītā is known also Gītopaniṣad, the essence of Vedic knowledge, and one of the most important of the various Upaniṣads in Vedic literature. This Bhagavad-gītā, there are many commentations in English and what is the necessity of another English commentation of the Bhagavad-gītā can be explained in the following way. One American lady, Mrs. Charlotte Le Blanc asked me to recommend an English edition of Bhagavad-gītā which she can read. Of course, in America there are so many editions of English Bhagavad-gītā, but so far I have seen them, not only in America but also India, none of them can be said strictly as authoritative because almost every one of them have expressed their own opinion through the commentation of the Bhagavad-gītā without touching the spirit of Bhagavad-gītā as it is.
America (Lectures, BG)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So Arjuna was a kṣatriya, trained up by Droṇācārya how to kill. This is the... Nonviolence is not the business of the kṣatriya. That is cowardice. They are taught how to become violent. Otherwise, they cannot rule over. Formerly the judgement was given by the king, immediately finished. Not go to the court and wait for the judgement for ten years. In the meantime everything is finished. Not like that. Anything, there was regularly, the king used to sit in his assembly, and all the criminals, culprits, they were judged by the king himself. Sometimes the king had to kill personally with the sword. Even in European countries, the royal orders were trained up. Nowadays it is constitutional, democratic government. The king has no power. But this is not good for the people. The democracy is a farce. At least, I do not like it. Because so many rascals, simply by getting votes, go to the government, and what do they know how to rule over? Therefore, at the present moment, all over the world there is no good government. There is no good government. The America was considered to have very good government. Now we can see the behavior of Mr. Nixon. It is not possible. Formerly the kṣatriyas, they were trained up how to govern. They were trained up by military men, just like Droṇācārya trained Arjuna, Duryodhana. All the royal princes were trained up how to kill. Not only killing, also, according to śāstra, how to rule over.
So Bhārata-varṣa means the whole planet. But we have lost... Just like we have lost portion of the present Bhārata-varṣa as Pakistan. Everyone knows, twenty years before there was no such thing as Pakistan. But circumstantially we have lost. So..., so the whole Bhārata-varṣa has been partitioned as this portion is called America, this portion is called Europe, this portion is called Asia. These are modern names. Actually, the whole planet was Bhārata-varṣa. And the whole planet was being controlled by Vedic culture. So as we have lost our Vedic culture, as we could not control the others, other people in other part of the world, by our culture, by our political maneuver, we have lost. Even up to the day of Battlefield of Kurukṣetra... Why Kurukṣetra? Up to the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the whole world was being controlled by one king in New Delhi, Hastināpura. There was no other kingdom. And when the battlefield was..., the battle was there, all people from all parts of body, all parts of the world, they joined, either this party or that party. That was the battlefield.
If you want the definition of bhakti, the bhakti means to use the things for the proprietor. That is right use. If somebody use for another purpose, that is misuse. So bhakti means, when things are used properly, that is called bhakti. Now we are thinking that this machine, this body, "I am born in India, so it is Indian machine. It should be utilized for India's profit." Another person is thinking, "This machine, it is gotten from America, so it should be used for America." That is going on in the name of nationality or communism, or society or friendship and this and so on. We have invented so many "isms," but they are all misuse because actually the machine does not belong to the American or the Indian or the African. The machine belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So this is misuse. So when we understand that we are misusing this machine improperly, that is called pure machine. That is called pure understanding, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). "I am not American. I am not Indian. I am not brāhmaṇa. I am not kṣatriya. I am not human being." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." Not the Supreme Brahman, but part and parcel of Brahman. Supreme Brahman is Kṛṣṇa, Para-brahman. He is addressed as Para-brahman. So we are part and parcel of Brahman. Therefore we are Brahman. So we have to realize this position. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am Brahman." I am not this machine. I am put into this machine, but because the machine is gotten either from America or from India or from heaven or from hell, I am designating this machine as American machine or Indian machine. Actually this machine belongs to Kṛṣṇa, and it should be used for Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the definition of bhakti means hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). This is bhakti.
So brāhmaṇa means the intelligent class of men, kṣatriya means the administrative class of men, and vaiśya means the productive class of men, and the śūdra means ordinary worker. These divisions are everywhere. You cannot say that only the brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas and vaiśyas are in India. No. When it is a creation of Kṛṣṇa, or God, it must be everywhere—in every planet, in every country, every city. Because anywhere you go, either in Europe or America, you will find some classes of men, very intelligent class. They are interested in philosophy, science. Similarly, there is a class of men who are interested in politics. They are kṣatriyas you can say. Similarly, there are persons who are interested in making money, vaiśyas. And there are ordinary class of men, they neither brāhmaṇa nor kṣatriya nor... They cannot live independently. Śūdra means he must find out a master. A master. Paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Śūdra's business is to find out a master. Just like a dog. A dog must find out a nice master. Otherwise it is a street dog. Its condition is not very good. Similarly, a śūdra means he must have a nice paying master. Otherwise his life is at risk.
Of course, at the present moment, by the ambitious politicians, they fight. But fighting, according to Vedic civilization, fighting means dharma-yuddha. On religious principles. Not by whims of political ideas, ism. Just like now fighting is going on on two political groups, the communist and the capitalist. They are trying to avoid only fight, but the fighting is going on. As soon as America is in some field, immediately Russia is also there. In the last fighting between India and Pakistan, as soon as President Nixon sent their Seventh Fleet on the India Ocean, Bay of Bengal, almost in front of India... This was illegal. But very puffed-up, America. So sent the Seventh Fleet, maybe to show sympathy to the Pakistan. But immediately our Russian friend also appeared there. And therefore, America had to come back. Otherwise, I think, America would have attacked on behalf of Pakistan.
Yes. So what are these opulences? Wealth is opulence. Then strength is opulence. Then... Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. Strength and fame. Fame is also opulence. Just like Lord Jesus Christ. The whole Christian world knows. Lord Kṛṣṇa everyone knows. Or the, apart from them, President Johnson. Now the whole America and the whole world knows who is President Johnson. Mahatma Gandhi. The famous. So fame is also opulence. And nobody knows me, but he is also a person. He is known throughout the whole world. So this is an opulence. Just like your Rockefellers. They are very rich. So everyone knows in the world. So they are opulent, opulent by wealth. Similarly, somebody is opulent by fame, and somebody is opulent by strength. And so strength is opulence, wealth is opulence, and fame is opulence. And then beauty; beauty is also opulence. If one, one man or woman, is very beautiful, he attracts persons. He attracts. So anything that attracts, that is called opulence. A wealthy man attracts. A strong man attracts. A famous man attracts. If somebody, famous man, comes here, oh, so many people will gather to receive him.
Now, here is a book, Bhagavad-gītā. Now, apart from other books, other knowledge which He imparted to other..., now, here is a book which was imparted to Arjuna. Now, it is so, the depth of knowledge..., that people are still considering, great, great scholars. We are not reading, but Dr. Radhakrishnan, one of the greatest scholars of the world—now he is the president of India—he is discussing. Professor Einstein, he was living here in America. He was a German Jew, and I think he was living in America. He was a great student of this Bhagavad-gītā. Hitler. Hitler was a great student of Bhagavad-gītā. And there were many scholars still reading Bhagavad-gītā, trying to understand. Just see what best depth of knowledge He has given. It is made by Kṛṣṇa. So in knowledge, in wealth, in strength, in beauty, and in everything He was opulent. Therefore He is Bhagavān. You cannot accept any ordinary man as Bhagavān. So therefore Bhagavān. Now, bhagavān uvāca.
So there is no question of individuality. This is the statement of authority. Now, apart from statement of authority, you have to apply your reason and arguments. Can you say anywhere there is agreement between two parties? No. You go, study. In the state, in the family, in the community, in the nation, there is no agreement. Even in the assembly, even in your country. Suppose there is Senate, everyone has got country's interest, but he's thinking in his individual way. One is thinking that "My country's welfare will be in this line." Otherwise, why there is competition during election of president. Everyone is saying that "America needs Nixon." And another person, he also says, "America needs me." So, but why two? If America you, and you are both... No. There is individuality. Mr. Nixon's opinion is something else. Mr. another candidate's opinion is something else. In the assembly, in the Senate, in the Congress, in the United Nations, everyone is fighting with his individual view. Otherwise why there are so many flags in the world? You cannot say anywhere impersonalism. Personality is predominating everywhere. Everywhere, the personality, individuality, is predominant. So we have to accept. We have to apply our reason, arguments, and accept the authority. Then the question is solved. Otherwise it is most difficult.
So last day we had been discussing that difference between the conditioned soul and liberated soul is that a conditioned soul is imperfect in four ways. A conditioned soul is sure to commit mistake, a conditioned soul is in illusion, a conditioned soul has the tendency for cheating others, and a conditioned soul has got his senses imperfect, imperfect senses. Therefore knowledge should be taken from a liberated soul. Why this Bhagavad-gītā is so honored? Now, this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken in India, and it is understood that it is a scripture of the Hindus. But why...? Now, you are Americans. You are also keeping this Bhagavad-gītā, and not only in America, in other countries also, in Germany. In Germany there are great, great scholars, in England, in Japan, in all countries. So why? Because it is spoken by a great personality. Apart from... We may... We Hindus, we accept Him the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but others, even not accepting Him the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they accept it as, at least, that He was a great personality. Therefore, besides the Hindu community, others, they are also consulting the knowledge. Now, my point is that when such a great personality, and when a..., we accept Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then His version is right.
Then you can see another man. He is more than Johnson; another man, more than Johnson, like that. But when you reach Śrī Kṛṣṇa by such analytical process, you'll find that nobody is greater, nobody is equal than Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And He says something—we must agree to accept it. (laughs) We must... If we don't agree, that will not be beneficial for us. When a great man says something... And He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is saying that we are all individual persons. We are all individual persons. God is also individual person. It is confirmed in the Vedic literature. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Nityo nityānām. Nitya means eternal. We are all eternal. This is plural number. So amongst all the eternal living entities, He is the chief. This is a definition of God, is given in the... Nityo nitya. Cetanānām, nit..., cetanaś cetanānām: "We are all conscious, conscious beings." So He is the supreme conscious. He is the supreme conscious. Now, of course, there are some yogic schools. In America you'll find. They do not believe in God. But it is not actually... The yoga principle does not deny the existence of God. God is there.
Prabhupāda: That is your madness. If you think that Indians do not eat or Indians... Because you have not seen them, but if you... As soon as you know they are also human beings like us... Just like as for my example. When I was in India I was thinking of America something wonderful.
Woman: Then you haven't seen everything yet.
Prabhupāda: Now I see here there is not at all any difference. The only difference is that you people are fair complexioned, your bodies are white and they are colored or they are not so white. But there are white men also. In India you'll find varieties of color, beginning from this American, European color down to the black negro color. You find in India. We have so many colors. And actually I give you my frank admission that when I was in India I was thinking the Americans may be of different type of people or they may be thinking in otherwise. They may be... So, so many differences. But here I see there is no difference at all. No difference at all. Only some bodily features. Even I study the pigeons, I see, oh, this same pigeons are here, what, playing just like Indian pigeons. Even I see the sparrow. So there is no difference.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Woman: There is. Besides the sparrows, the other birds, as a rule, here in America are bigger than the birds in Europe.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Woman: The same kind of bird are bigger here.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes. I admit that. I admit that. They are stout and strong. They are stout and strong. Yes. The squirrel, I see. I saw the squirrel in the park. Oh, they are also bigger.
Woman: They are bigger.
Prabhupāda: They are bigger. That is also natural. You see. Just like in African people. They are taller. They are taller than the Āryan people, even in your, this black negroes, they are taller than American people. So there is little difference of course. That is all right. But on the primary facie, prima facie, there is no difference. Similarly, in the sun planet, in the moon planet, there are also human beings like us, and they are called devas because they are high, intellectual. They are all very powerful than ourself, and they have got different bodies with different power and everything. Otherwise, there is no question... Even great scientists like Dr. Meghanatha Sar(?) in India, he, he said that there is no reason to disbelieve that in other planets there is no life. How can you? Just like because you have not seen India you cannot say, "Oh, there, there is no living being. It is vacant." So these people are going to the moon planet. They are saying it is full of dust. It is full of clay, or something like that. All these foolishness. You see? That means they have not reached. Outside they take some photo and they come out.
Woman: They announced today on the radio they've seen a lot of flying saucers.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Let them talk all nonsense. But we have got information that this moon planet is a very nice planet, and the inhabitants there, they are very intelligent and the people who perform pious work here in this planet, they are promoted, promoted to the moon planet. And it is very cold also. Just like your European countries and American countries because, due to... You have come from America. America, European countries, people are accustomed to drink because due to the cold climate. Indians are not accustomed. But your drinking is necessary thing in Europe. Similarly, this moon planet is so cold that they live by drinking soma-rasa. There is a kind of liquor which is called soma-rasa. Yes. Soma-rasa. Soma-rasa. Soma-rasa, here, it is described in Āyur-veda. That soma-rasa preparation is there. If anyone can prepare that soma-rasa, and anyone can drink that soma-rasa, he becomes immortal. That means his duration of life increases. Increases. So anyway, these descriptions are there. So there are intelligent living beings there also.
Now, how the soul is transmigrating? Suppose after this life, I get better life, that's nice. But if I get lower life, then what is the condition? Suppose next life I get the life of a cat or dog or cow. Suppose you get again birth in America. But if you change your body, then whole circumstances change. As human being, you are given all protection by the state, but as soon as you become another body, either tree or animals, the treatment is different. Animal is going to the slaughterhouse; trees are being cut out. There is no protest. So this is the condition of material life. Sometimes we are getting better condition of life, sometimes we are getting lower condition of life. There is no guarantee. That will depend on my work. That is practical. In this life also, if you become educated, then your future is very nice. If you are not educated, then your future is not so bright. Similarly, this human form of life, we can make a solution of this repeated birth and death. And that is the only business of human form of life, how to get out of these material conditions of life: birth, death, old age, and disease. We can make solution. And that solution is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as we become Kṛṣṇa conscious... Kṛṣṇa conscious means Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, He, Lord, God. We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply to understand that... Just like you understand your father, and your brothers and yourself. You are all sons of the father. So it is not difficult to understand.
Every one of us is trying to be happy, satisfied. That is the struggle for existence. But if we understand these three principles, that God is the supreme father, God is the supreme proprietor, God is the supreme friend, these three things, if you understand, then you become peaceful immediately. Immediately. You are seeking friends to get help, so many. But if we simply accept God, Kṛṣṇa, as my friend, supreme friend, your friendship problem is solved. Similarly, if we accept God as the supreme proprietor, then our other problem is solved. Because we are falsely claiming proprietorship of things which belong to God. By falsely claiming that "This land, this land of America, belongs to the Americans; the land of Africa belongs to the Africans." No. Every land belongs to God. We are different sons of God in different dresses. We have got right to enjoy the property of father, God, without infringing others' right. Just like in family, we live, so many brothers. So whatever father, mother gives us to eat we eat. We don't encroach upon others' plate. That is not civilized family. Similarly, if we become God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, then the whole problems of the world—sociology, religion, economic development, politics—everything will be solved. That's a fact.
We began this verse yesterday. This is the criterion of understanding spiritual life. People generally do not understand that there is another element beyond this body. Generally, people, they are under the impression that "I am this body. I am Indian." Why I am Indian? Because this body's born in India. Therefore, I'm Indian. "I am American." Why? "Because body is born in America; therefore I am American." Similarly, this dehātma-buddhiḥ, bodily concept of life, is going on all over the world. This is ignorance, ajñāna. This is called ajñāna. Jñāna and ajñāna. Jñāna means one who knows that he is not this body. He's spirit soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. (aside:) (about microphone) It is... Little strong make it, yes. So when one is freed from the bodily concept of life, he called jñānī. Otherwise, ajñānī. They are so much proud of jñāna. In our India, there are so-called Māyāvādīs. They think of themselves as jñānī-sampradāya. What is that jñānī? "I am Hindu. I am Indian. I am sannyāsī." This is their jñāna. But actually it is ajñāna. If you think yourself that you are Indian, if you think yourself as Hindu, if you think yourself as brāhmaṇa, if you think yourself as a śūdra, then you are ajñānī. You are not jñānī. Because you are giving your identification... (aside, about microphone:) Why it is stopped? If you are giving your identification on the ground of your body, then you are ajñānī. Jñānī means paṇḍita. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.
So make your life successful, that "I am not this body." Simply by understand... "I am not this body. I am embodied within this body, encaged. But I am not this cage." Just like a bird is within the cage. The cage is not the bird. But foolish persons, they are taking care of the cage, not of the bird. The bird, out of starvation, is suffering. So we are suffering spiritual starvation. Therefore nobody is happy in this material world. Spiritual starvation. Therefore we see in an opulent country like America, enough food, enough residence, enough material enjoyment, still they are becoming hippies, all over the world. They are not satisfied, because it is spiritual starvation. Materially we may be very opulent, but if you starve spiritually, you cannot be happy. This is the process.
Germany's fighting Englishman. Englishman is fighting in France. France is fighting. Why this fighting? If you know that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul. Why I am falsely identifying myself with the land?" "I am, I am, I am a German because I am born in this land of Germany." That is also false. No land is Germany or France or England. Land is land. You have falsely named it: "This is Germany." What is the Germany? Say, two hundred years or three hundred years, there was no Germany. Just like America. There was no America. The land was there, but the name was not there. So you have, some Europeans, they have colonized. They accept: "It is America. It is..." So this is all designation.
Actual, the fact is the land belongs not to you, not to the Germans, not to the Englishman, not to the American, but it belongs to God. The land was created by God. So it is God's property. Where is the difficulty to understand? You did not create anything. You did not create even your own body. That proprietor is also Kṛṣṇa. Because as soon as Kṛṣṇa asks you, "Please vacate," you must vacate immediately. Can you remain in this body? The proprietor asks you to vacate somehow or other. You have to vacate.
But people have become so foolish, especially at the present days, they're simply making plan on this material world, how they will become happy. We have practically seen. What is in our country? It is far, far behind material civilization. In America, there are so many motorcars. Every third man, or second man has got a car. We are poor man, we are sannyāsīs, brahmacārī. Still, in each temple we have got at least four, five cars. In each temple. Very nice car. Such car even ministers in India cannot imagine. (laughter) You see? Nice, nice cars. So they have got so many cars. But the problem is that always they're engaged in making roads, flyways, one after another, one after another, one after... It has come to this stage, four, five. Four-, five-storied roads. (laughter) So how you can become happy? Therefore tattva-darśibhiḥ na asataḥ. You cannot become permanently happy in this material world. That is not possible. So don't waste your time to become happy here. In another place, it is said, padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām (SB 10.14.58). The same example can be given. In America, so many millions of people die in motor accidents.
Sixty thousand? No, no. More than that sixty... So many people die of motor accidents. So some of our students, a few months ago, they died of motor accident. The motor accident dying in America is not very astonishment. Because the motors are, I mean to say, running at the speed of seventy miles, eighty miles, ninety miles, and not only one motorcar, one after another, hundreds. And if one is little slow, immediately: (imitates crashing sound) tarak taka tak. (laughter)
So you cannot become happy. These boys and these girls, American, American, European, they have tasted all this motorcar civilization. They have tasted very nicely. Motorcar, nightclub and drinking, they have tasted very nicely. There is no happiness. Therefore they have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ. Abhāvaḥ, and the sataḥ. So we are unhappy on account of our accepting asat, which will not exist. That is the description given by Prahlāda Mahārāja: tan ma..., sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. We are always anxious, full of anxieties. That's a fact.
Enough milk can be available for feeding all this population. That is God's arrangement. But the difficulty is that we are quarreling amongst ourself. I am thinking Indian. Somebody's thinking "I am an American." Somebody's thinking "I'm Australian." "You cannot come here. You, I cannot allow you to come to my country." The immigration department. Therefore, the difficulty. By God's arrangement, there is everything complete. But I am disturbing. I am encroaching upon God's property: "This is mine." Therefore there is disturbance. Therefore the only solution of the whole world problem is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other solution. The only solution. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means when people will be educated to understand that this planet does not belong to America or India and Africa. Everything belongs... Sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). As Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the proprietor of all the planets." When you understand this, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then there will be peace.
Therefore mandāḥ. Sumanda-matayaḥ. And if one comes forward to be spiritually enlightened, he accepts something bogus, which has no meaning, without any reference to the śāstras. Therefore mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. They have got a opinion, and that is going on. You may have any opinion. That is all right. This foolishness is going on in this age. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. Manda-bhāgyāḥ, and most unfortunate. Everyone is practically unfortunate. Nobody has certainty what he will eat tomorrow, or in the evening. Everywhere... Don't think only it is only in India. In America. When I went there, I thought everyone is very rich. There are so many poor men. They are lying on the street. The street-lying population is everywhere, either in India or in America or in England. I have seen. The first-class, second-class, third-class men will remain there. You may however try to make everyone first class; the division, first class, second class, third class, will go on. That is nature's arrangement. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). And disturbed. Just like today's strike, unnecessarily. Disturbance. So many disturbance everywhere, all over the world, because the population has degraded, degraded. They must be like that. This is the way.
So we are all Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). So our relationship is eternal. Now we have forgotten. We are thinking that "I am not Kṛṣṇa's; I am America's." "I am India's" This is our illusion. So by proper method... The method is hearing. And to chant through his ear: "You are not American. You are Kṛṣṇa's. You are not American." "You are not Indian. You are Kṛṣṇa's." In this way, hearing, hearing, he may: "Oh, yes, I am Kṛṣṇa's." This is the way. We have to constantly inject: "You are not American. You are not Indian. You are not Russian. You are Kṛṣṇa's. You are Kṛṣṇa's." Then each mantra has got value; then he comes, "Oh, yes, I am Kṛṣṇa's." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasa... "Why I was thinking I was Russian and American and this and that?" Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). As soon as he comes to that state, he has no more lamentation. Here, as American or Indian or Russian, we have got two things: lamentation and hankering. Everyone is hankering, what he does not possess: "I must have this." And what he possesses, if it is lost, he's lamenting: "Oh, I have lost." So these two business are going on.
Prabhupāda: Why supposed? He is. Why you suppose like that?
Indian: Of course. But, at the same time, only in Indian history or in Indian philosophy, only God's description is there. But whereabouts, in America or other places, in other continents, there is no description in their history at all.
Prabhupāda: Because there is no history and there is no philosophy.
Indian: Pardon me.
Prabhupāda: There is no philosophy in other countries.
Indian: But, God, there is no...
Prabhupāda: If there is any philosophy, that is in India. And you are so, I mean to say, what can I say, that you say because the philosophy's not in America, therefore this philosophy is null and void.
Indian: But they say later there was no Lord Viṣṇu, because...
Prabhupāda: Why not? They do not know. Now they are knowing it.
Indian: But they say that that description that He has wandered there, He lives in there. That should be some reason.
Prabhupāda: Why you are so envious of America? (laughter)
Indian: No, no. God is distributed (?) everywhere.
Prabhupāda: God is everywhere. Therefore God's disciples or God's sons are everywhere.
Indian: Why you...
Prabhupāda: So if, in America, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is preached, why you are envious?
Indian: Why?
Prabhupāda: Why you are envious?
Indian: I didn't follow you.
Prabhupāda: You do not like that this philosophy should be preached in America?
Indian: Should be preached
Prabhupāda: Then?
Indian: But why they are not in all these histories?
Prabhupāda: That...
Indian: There is no history at all. Even in the United States also there is no mention that Lord Viṣṇu or Lord Kṛṣṇa, like that, and They were also...
Prabhupāda: Have you read, have you read Kṛṣṇa's book, Bhagavad-gītā?
Indian: To some extent.
Indian: In India, about God it is...
Prabhupāda: India! Why you are thinking in India? God is not for India or American. God is for everyone.
Indian: Then why varṇāśrama-dharma, there also, they are prevalent, that brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra?
Prabhupāda: Yes. They prevailed. They also went from India. That is the history. There were... All the kṣatriyas, they went to Europe and America. That is in the Mahābhārata history. They were also on the Vedic culture. Now they have lost. Just like recently. We have got experience, within twenty years. Some of the Hindus who became Mohammedan. And they become Pakistani. But twenty years before, they were not Pakistan. So gradually this misconception is increasing. Otherwise, there was one. One God, one civilization, everything, there was one. (break)
Indian (2): We have come to the world as the servant of Lord Kṛṣṇa, but then why should we think, why should we think that we are Kṛṣṇa's?
Prabhupāda: What is that?
Devotee: Why should we... He said... You say that we are all come to the, as servants of Kṛṣṇa. So why should we think that we are Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Who thinks we are Kṛṣṇa? We do not think. We do not think like that.
So if you want to stop this foolish kind of civilization, animal civilization of cows and asses, you have to teach Bhagavad-gītā as it is. That is essential. That is the duty of every Indian. Caitanya Mahāprabhu orders that. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). Anyone who has taken birth, he must be very pious, must have been very pious in his last life. Therefore he has got the chance. So janma sārthaka kari'. Janma sārthaka kari' means "Make your life successful by taking advantage of so many Vedic literatures stocked by the great saintly persons, spoken by God Himself." You are not taking advantage of these facilities, natural facilities. You are misled by so-called material civilization, and you are doomed. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). If you are led by blind leaders, you are all doomed. That is going on. That is my appeal to the Indians. Don't be doomed. Take Kṛṣṇa, accept Kṛṣṇa as the leader. Then you'll be happy. As Kṛṣṇa says... Not only India. India, especial, I say. Because Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Of course, for Kṛṣṇa, there is no such thing as India and America. Just like the sun. The sun is neither Indian sun nor American sun. Sun is sun. But if you say, if you think that because now in India, the sun is visible, therefore "Indian sun," that is your concoction. That is your mental concoction. Sun is neither Indian nor American. Similarly, God, Kṛṣṇa, He's neither for Indian or for... He is for everyone.
Similarly, a guru, a guru is perfect when he delivers the words of the superior authority as it is. Then he's perfect. He may be imperfect in your estimation. But that is his perfection, that he is not misleading people by becoming a so-called rascal scholar and interpreting in a different way and misleading the whole population. That is perfection. People say so much about me, that I have done some wonderful thing. But I say that I am not a magician. I'm not a magician. My only credit is that I am presenting Kṛṣṇa as He is. That's all. I am not diluting Kṛṣṇa. That is not my business. And therefore, because it is pure, pure ghee, therefore everyone accepts. And if you place dalda, mixing with ghee some rascal thing, then nobody will accept. Therefore, so many swamis went before me in the Western countries, and they presented adulterated, and there was not a single person became a kṛṣṇa-bhakta. Now, by thousands they are becoming. Why? Because it is presented pure thing. Pure thing will be accepted everywhere. I give this example. In a, in Delhi, there is... I have seen. One, there is confectioner's shop. He rigidly prepares in pure ghee all the sweetmeats. So you'll find always hundreds of customers there. And there are by the side of that... Dalda manufacture. It is not... People are still prepared to pay sufficiently if you give pure thing. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We have not manufactured anything. While I started this movement in America, some friend suggested that "You are writing 'International Society for Krishna Consciousness.' Why not make it 'God consciousness.' It will be accepted by everyone." God is Kṛṣṇa. There must, there must be clearly stated: "Krishna consciousness." I don't mind if nobody accepts it, but there must be 'Kṛṣṇa.'
Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). Unless we come to that platform of bhakti-yoga and become re-related, not related, again revive our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we, there cannot be equality. That is not possible. There must be distinction, some higher class, some middle class, some lower class. Even in European countries, there are, in America there are, so are in India. So it is not very astonishing. Because the whole world is being conducted, the whole material nature is being conducted by the three guṇas, and anyone associating with a particular type of guṇa, he must suffer or enjoy according to that guṇas. Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Tāmasa, they, those who are in the tāmasika-guṇa, they go adhaḥ. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. And via media, those who are in touch with the rajo-guṇa. And ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ: (BG 14.18) those who are in the goodness, they go up, in the upper platform of the society or in the universe. But Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Either you go even to the Brahmaloka, one day you have come to the hellish loka. This is the way.
One who knows the constitution of the soul, he is called brāhmaṇa. Because the soul is Brahman. Soul is not matter. So one who knows the constitution of the soul, he is called brāhmaṇa. We have already discussed this matter, that brāhmaṇa does not mean a particular class or born in a particular country. A brāhmaṇa means who knows the position of the soul, or the constitution of the soul. He is brāhmaṇa. Just like a person who is conversant with medical science. He is called medical man or a doctor. It doesn't matter whether he is born in India or born in America or whether he is black or white. It doesn't matter. One must have the qualification of a medical man, and he is called a doctor. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā also accepts the brahminical culture, the brahminical culture. Brahminical culture means the social position in which everyone is assisted to elevate himself to the highest position of understanding the position and the constitution of the soul. That should be the aim of human society.
The philosophy... There are many philosophies in the world. Particularly the philosophy which is called atheism, they think that consciousness is produced by material combination, and when consciousness is gone, that means the material composition could not tolerate or could not produce anything. They have got a different theory like that. But so far we are concerned, Vedic literature or Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā does not, I mean to say, accept this theory. Consciousness is eternal. Consciousness is eternal, and consciousness is the symptom of the soul. Soul is eternal. When the soul takes shelter in the matter, then the matter develops, not that that combination of matter, you can produce soul. That is not possible. If that would have been possible, then there are many great scientists and many scientific laboratory, especially in your Western countries, in Europe and America... But nobody could produce a single living being in the laboratory, scientific laboratory. That is not possible. You could produce great, complicated machinery, but you cannot produce the machine driver. The machine can be produced, but machine driver cannot be produced. And without machine driver, all machines are useless. All machines are useless. A child may see in the street, oh, how a nice motorcar is passing with so much speed. He is struck with wonder that "Without any horse how the motorcar is going on?" I mean those who have no experience how machine works.
Yes, that is the way. That is the way of understanding. Just like I am in America. It is very easy to understand. I am not adopting any ways of life as the Americans do. So I am not in America. Not only myself, all my disciples who are following me, they are also not Americans. They're different from American behavior, American ways of life. In that sense I'm not in America. I am in Vṛndāvana because wherever I go in my apartment or in my temple I live with Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I don't accept any consciousness of America. And I teach my disciples also to take to that consciousness. So one who takes to that consciousness, he is also not in America, not in this world. It is... I have given this example many times. Just like a king and a bug is sitting on the same throne. The bug is biting and the king is ruling. It is not that because the bug is there on the throne, he is king, or the king is sitting with the bug, he is bug. Why this difference? Difference of consciousness. The king knows his duty. He is working in his duty; therefore he's king. And the bug knows his business, to bite; therefore he's bug. But sitting on the same place. But because due to different consciousness, one is bug, one is king. So if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and if you remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you don't belong to this world. You are no more bug, you are king. Change this consciousness. Even apparently you may seem to remain with the bug, you are no more bug. Is it clear?
So one who engages this body for sense enjoyment, he is called kṛpaṇa, miser. And one who engages this body for the service of the Supreme Lord, he is called brāhmaṇa. So Lord says that "You don't be kṛpaṇa. You don't be miser." Miser want... Now, here, suppose there are so many rich men in your country and so many foundations also. And I tell you my practical experience. I wrote some letters to some good foundation that "I want to start here in America an institution for God consciousness, international institution for God consciousness. You kindly help me." Now, they have flatly refused that "Our pledge is not anything for religion or God." Just see. That means, according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are all misers. Although they have got very good foundation, they are making actually some charities, but they are miserly. They do not know where to make charity, where to make charity. The karma-yoga, karma-yoga... It will be clearly stated by Lord in later chapter, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi dadāsi yat kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). The karma-yoga process is that "Whatever you do, whatever you take trouble for, whatever you eat, and everything, offer to Me. Offer to Me."
My maternal uncle was very rich man by simply exporting rice to the foreign countries. Yes. Spices... And old history you will find that India, they had got their own ships for exporting spices to Greece and other countries of Europe. The history is there. And they were supplying muslin cloth, even just before the British period, Muslim period. So India's export, export, I mean to say, status was far greater than other countries. And these spices and other export attracted persons from Europe, that Vasco de Gama, and the Columbus also wanted to go, but he fortunately came to America. You see? All these Europeans and the Britishers went and established their supremacy. So India was so rich. But now how that India has become so poor? The same land is there. Why? Because they have lost that old culture, God consciousness. You see? And at least my calculation is that, that a state, a secular state... Secular state means he has no... Here in America you have got state religion. You have got state religion. But in India there is no state religion. Every country has state religion. Even Pakistan, it has divided. It is now a part of India. But they have also their state religion. But unfortunately India has no state religion. That means deliberately they are trying to disconnect with God relation, godly relation.
Real economic improvement means what you produce from the land. That requires God help. Without raw materials, even your industry cannot go on. Just like I have cited the example of paper. Nowadays paper is made from wood. Now, if there is no sufficient... Now you have got in your America sufficient wood, so you can make, produce paper in large quantity. But suppose the woods are finished. Then industry will be finished.
Anyway, we should always be in conscious that everything that we have in our possession, even our body, even our mind, even our energy, everything, that is God-gifted. One who has got this conception of life, he is brāhmaṇa. He is the one who knows Brahman. One who does not know this and simply lives for sense gratification, he is called the miser. So we shall not be miser. We shall be the brāhmaṇa. That should be our... And there is no restriction. Don't think that because you are born in America, you cannot become a brāhmaṇa. No, you can become a brāhmaṇa. There is no restriction. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. The formula is that janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Everyone who is born, first born by the father and mother... Then he is called a śūdra.
There is another very good example. Of course, that is not in your experience, but it is in our India we have got experience that on the riverside the boatman drags the boat with a rope. Have you got any experience like that here, in America? I don't think you have got. The boat is in the middle, middle of the river, and there is a big log in the middle of the boat, and that log is tied with a rope, and that rope is, I mean to say, snatched by the boatman, and the boat goes in the middle of the river. Now, while passing on the bank of the river, there are so many things which pains his, I mean to say, sole. So he is thinking that "When I shall be very rich man, then I shall cover this bank of the river with, I mean to say, soft pillows so that when I shall go by the pillows, dragging this boat, I shall have no pain." Now, our position is like that, that the foolish boatman, thinking that "When I shall be very rich man, still I shall be pulling on this business." He does not know that "If I at all become rich man, then where is the necessity of my pulling this boat in this way?" So similarly, we want to be happy in the same way, that "When I shall be able to cover the whole world with cushions and soft pillows to travel over it, then I shall have no pain of working like this." You see? This is our plan.
Generally, in the material world, adānta-adānta means uncontrolled, go—go means senses. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Simply repeating, chewing the chewed. The whole history of the world, you just study, is a history of sense gratification. Just take, for example, some twenty years ago one Mr. Adolf Hitler came in the scene, and there was great upheaval as war in Europe and America. From 1933 to 1947 or something like that, the whole world was in trouble. But he is gone, finished. And what did he do? Sense gratification, that's all. He wanted that this way government should be, according to his own sense. Another person, just like Mr. Churchill or your President Roosevelt, they said "No. The sense gratification should not be like that. The sense gratification should be like this." (laughter) So it is the war of sense gratification, that's all. One leader is presenting a program of sense gratification, another leader is presenting another program of sense gratification, and there is clash. This is going on. This is the history of the world.
Just like there are so many professional chanters. Not here. In India. Their business is... Because people like chanting, so they have made this chanting business. Or professional Bhāgavata reader. People like reading of Bhāgavata. There are many expert Bhāgavata readers. They can show many caricature just to attract people, and such people, generally, they describe the rāsa-līlā of Kṛṣṇa. Because rāsa-līlā is resembling just like dealings between young boys and girls, so they take that part, particularly, rāsa-līlā. Easy way.
And just like here in America, I've seen so many persons. They are writing books on Kṛṣṇa about Kṛṣṇa's pastimes with the gopīs, as if Kṛṣṇa has no other pastime. Because these things are very easily saleable. So they are writing books on that. I've seen one book written by Mr. Bhaṭṭācārya about these, Kṛṣṇa's dealings with the gopīs. No. This is not good. You should not take Kṛṣṇa's activities, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, professionally, for livelihood. That is dangerous. Your life should be sacrifice for Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Otherwise you shall be pretender. Yes, go on.
Now, if we imitate that "These boys and girls are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is a name only. So let me chant... Instead of Kṛṣṇa, let me chant John," but that chanting will not help you because you cannot chant more than three, four times or ten times, that's all. But this is the proof. And this Hare Kṛṣṇa, this chanting, if you ask these boys and girls, they can chant continually for twenty-four hours in ecstasy, continually, without any stoppage. That is spiritual name. You cannot take any other name and chant and enjoy like that. So it is practical experience. I am touring all over the world, three times in a year, and because this chanting is Absolute, everyone is joining, Europe, America, Africa, Canada, Japan, China, everywhere. Nobody says that "This is a word from India. Why shall I chant the Indian name?" No. It is God's name. God is neither Indian nor American nor otherwise, neither Christian nor Hindu nor Muslim. God is God.
Here the so-called tiger, so-called big men... Just like in America the president is a big man. But now he is put into such a condition that he is full of anxiety. At any moment he may be kicked out. This is the position. You cannot be happy either as President Nixon or tiger or cats and dogs or human being or Lord Brahmā. That is not possible. That is not possible. You must be full of anxieties because this is unnatural life.
To understand that "I am this body," this is foolishness. I am not this body. I am the soul within this body. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā in the second chapter: dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehī, the proprietor of the body. Just like you are the proprietor of your shirt and coat. You are not shirt and coat. You are the proprietor of the shirt and coat. You are dressed with shirt and coat in different colors and different shape.
So apart from this discussion, you can go to the moon planet. That is also one of the heavenly planet. But you have to prepare for that, sir. That is karma-kāṇḍīya. You have to perform such and such yajñas. It is not that by force you can go any other planet. By force you cannot go even any other parts of the world here. If you want to go to America you have to take passport, visa, and so many things. And you'll be allowed to go to the moon planet without any visa or passport? How it is possible? It is common sense. They are so fools that some rascal will take some machine and go there? That is not possible. So we have to prepare.
So Kṛṣṇa says, yānti deva-vratā devān: (BG 9.25) "If you want to go to the heavenly planets you can go. You prepare yourself." Pitṟn yānti: "Pitṛloka you can go." Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām: "But if you prepare yourself for coming to Me, back to home, back..., you can do so."
Now, here is Kṛṣṇa, the direct, I mean to say, highest authority. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). The Lord says that "There is no other superior personality than Me." And it has been accepted by great scholars. Otherwise, why Dr. Radhakrishnan would take so much trouble for commenting or reading Bhagavad-gītā? Why there are so many foreign scholars also in America, in England, in France, in Japan? All, they have... Why? Because it is an authority. So therefore we have to accept. To accept...
If we do not accept Kṛṣṇa the supreme authority and so not take His words as they are, then we cannot derive any benefit... It is not dogmatic. It is actually fact. It is not dogmatic. If you study scrutinizingly what Kṛṣṇa says, you'll find it is right. You'll find it, and if you take, if you follow... (kids screaming outside) Oh, they are making too much noise. Can you not ask them?
Now, if you inquire where is now sunset or sunrise you can understand in different countries somewhere, the sun is now rising. Now, in America, the sunset and in India it is rising. It is rising. Exactly it is now eight, quarter past eight, and if you know by radio message what is the time in India you'll find that it is quarter past eight in the morning, and the sun has just rising. Now, here the sunset, and the sun... Similarly, if you inquire from Japan or any other country, the sun, the sun is somewhere in the meridian, sometimes it is, I mean to say, dead of night. So this timing difference is just like going on according to the position of the world movement. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's appearance and disappearance is like that. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is born and Kṛṣṇa is gone. No, it is not like that. Somewhere is Kṛṣṇa there. Just like the sun is somewhere. There are innumerable universes. The one universe, you see, oh, this is only one, but there are many. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā that ekāṁśena sthito jagat (BG 10.42). Ekāṁśena sthito jagat. This material manifestation, with innumerable universes, is only a one part of manifestation of the Supreme Lord. Ekāṁśena sthito jagat. These descriptions are there in the Bhagavad-gītā.
Just like the other day I explained to you, just like there is scheduled time of the appearance of the sun. In your America, just like at 4:30 a.m. in the morning, you find the sun rising, scheduled time, and again, twenty-four hours after, you'll find the sun set, sun rising. In every country, there is a scheduled time of the sun rising. Similarly, there are innumerable universes in the sky. This is one of the universe, which we are seeing. There are innumerable universes. So in one of the universes, there is some incarnation or representative of God always there. And there is scheduled time.
Just like the sun appears and disappears at scheduled... Sun disappears means it goes out of our sight. It does not mean sun, sun, I mean to say, stops to exist. No. Sun is always in the sky. It is simply in our vision. Just like so many cars are passing. One car is coming. You do not see which car is coming. When it is in my front, I see the car, and again, when it is gone out of my sight, I don't see it. So my don't seeing, because I do not see the car, that does not mean it is not there.
Now let us consider what is our occupational duty. I purposely do not translate this word dharma as religion. Religion is imperfect conception of the word dharma. In the dictionary we find religion means a particular type of faith. But dharma does not mean that. Dharma means natural occupation. That is called dharma. I have several times explained this word dharma in this class. Just like heat of the fire. Without heat, a fire has no meaning. Wherever there is fire, there is heat and light. Therefore heat and light is the dharma or religion of fire. That means fire cannot change its dharma. As this dharma, as we generally understand by the word faith, that we can change. Today I am Hindu. I can become tomorrow a Christian. You are Christian today. You can become, I mean to say, Hindu or Muslim tomorrow. So this faith can be changed, but this dharma, as I explain, that natural sequence, natural occupation or natural intimately connection...
Just like the fire, heat and light. This cannot be changed. Either the fire is in America or the fire is in India or a fire is in Russia, the heat and light is there. That is actually the dharma.
Just like law. Law means which is given by the government. You cannot manufacture law at home. That is not possible. I have given this example many times, that in some country the law is "Keep to the right," in some country, "Keep to the left." I think, in America it is "Keep to the left." In England it is "Keep to the right." India, "Keep to the... Now which one is correct? "Keep to the left" or "Keep to the right?" No. According to the government. If the government says that "Keep to the right" is right, then you have to accept that. And the government says, "Keep to the left, that is right," then it is right. We cannot say that "In my country I keep to the left. Why shall I keep to the right?" No. That will not be accepted.
Try to understand what is religion. So God is one. God cannot say somewhere that "This is religion and this is not religion."
In America the government is appreciating because the people are addicted to LSD, and they are seeing practically that as soon as a boy could come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he gives up all this nonsense. They are spending millions of dollars, they cannot stop. But we can stop simply by word. "Give up this," and he immediately gives up. So this is the fact, that if you accept this dharma, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), then all the problems of the world will be solved. Therefore this is needed.
And to teach this education, to teach the people, the rascals... Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). Tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham. So Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's instruction, identical. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa is no longer... He's existing by His words. Take His word. Apply it practically in life and you will be happy. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Thank you very much.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So we are explaining Kṛṣṇa consciousness here. And as you say, that most of the westerners, they do not know the meaning. So we are present here to explain the meaning. So that is our humble service. Because Kṛṣṇa and Bhagavad-gītā is very well known in the western countries, and there are so many editions and publication of Bhagavad-gītā, both in Europe and America and other parts of Asia. Kṛṣṇa is more or less well known. But actually, the science of Kṛṣṇa is not so well known. Therefore we have put up this association, International Association of Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.
Guest: I believe that most of the westerners read the Bhagavad-gītā, Upaniṣads...
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes.
Guest: The Vedas.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest: I believe that would have been a greater understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore I say Kṛṣṇa in conn... Because most of them are acquainted with the Bhagavad-gītā and the speaker of Bhagavad-gītā is Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is also well known to them. But actually what is Kṛṣṇa, the science of Kṛṣṇa, they do not know. So this humble attempt is to just to present the science of Kṛṣṇa to them. And I wish that they may take advantage of this opportunity. So any other questions?
Just like the same example, your relationship with the state. You Americans, you follow the state laws, keep the car right, keep right. In India and in England I have seen also, that "Keep to the left." So the process may be different, but the actual obedience to the state is there, either in India, or in America, or in England, or everywhere.
Similarly, religion means love of Godhead. Now, that love of Godhead you may learn under certain process. I may learn under certain process. Just like love between boys and girls may be different from India to America. In India there is still. No young man can mix freely with a young girl, but still, there is love. So process may be different, but we have to accept the basic principle. Basic principle is love of God. That is religion. Don't bother about the ritualistic process. Just try to see how much you are increasing your love of God. Then you are religious. That's all.
A father has got some dozens of children. It may be one is useless, but that does not mean father will allow it to be killed, allow him to be killed. If the very intelligent child says, "My dear father, your this son is useless. Let me kill him." The father will sanction? No, never. Similarly, the animal may be less intelligent. They cannot make protest. They are also nationals. What do you mean by national? One who is born in America is national. Are the animals are not born in America? Are they not American nationals? But because they cannot make protest, they cannot make meeting, you are killing them. You see? Is that humanity? And you expect peace? That is not possible. Violation of God, laws of God. One has to suffer, today or tomorrow. Today or tomorrow.
Nowadays, ladies, they can understand. This is the process. Mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ. Our this human form of life is meant for going back to Kṛṣṇa, back to home, back to Godhead. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving information to the people in general how to make life successful. What is that successful life? To go back to home, back to Godhead. This is not our home. This material world, this is foreign country. We are... Just like I am travelling all over the world. My home is in India, but I am going to so many countries, Europe, America, Canada, Australia, Africa... But my home is in India. This is a crude example. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Kṛṣṇa says. "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel."
So Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Kṛṣṇa, His body is not material body. Those who are thinking Kṛṣṇa's body as material, they are called Māyāvādīs. But actually, Kṛṣṇa's body is not material. The evidence is that Kṛṣṇa knows past, present and future. In the material body that is not possible. Just like I had my previous body in my previous birth, but I don't remember. If somebody asks me, "What you were in your previous life?" it is very difficult. Because death means forgetfulness.
So Govinda has got place. Goloka-nāmni. The place name is Goloka Vṛndāvana, goloka-nāmni. Nija-dhāmni. That is His personal abode. Although every dhāma, every planet, everywhere, all over the universe, all over the creation, that is Kṛṣṇa's dhāma, God's place.... Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor of everything. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything, that is the property of Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One has to learn this, that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. This is Vedic instruction. We have created trouble because we have forgotten the real proprietor. We are trying to become proprietor individually and collectively. "This is India. This is our India." "This is America. It is our America." "It is Germany, our." Nothing our. Everything Kṛṣṇa's. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa.
You have got experience. Just like when you fly on the plane, after some hours, four, five hours, you become disgusted. You want to come down. Everyone has got this experience. Because the sky is zero, we cannot remain there more than four or five hours or six hours. We must come down. In the sea also. We have got all these experience. If you remain on the ocean for three, four days... Because it runs on. When I first went to America, I went by ship. So thirty-five days. So after four, five days, it was disgusting. As soon as we saw one island, then we became relieved. (Laughter) You see?
So the śūnyavāda philosophy will not give you happiness. After śūnya, after making this śūnya... Suppose you are passing through the sky, śūnya, if you get another, if you go the moon planet or other planet, then you become happy. Then you become happy. But if you don't get any planet, then you have to come back again on this planet.
Young Woman: How do you (indistinct) Kṛṣṇa? By talking about it?
Prabhupāda: No. These people are not talking. They are realized. Talking is the beginning but there is realization. Just like when I did not come to your country I was talking that "America is like this." But now when I have come to America I realize what is America. So talking is theoretical understanding and when you realize that is practical understanding. One is called jñāna, other is called vijñāna. So jñāna and vijñāna both things are there, theoretical and practical.
Young Woman: So how to realize Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: You have to adopt the process. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Young Woman: Say that again?
Prabhupāda: You have to adopt the process. Ādau śraddhā. If you are inquisitive to understand that is your first stage of faith. That is called śraddhā. Ādau śraddhā. In the beginning your inquisitiveness that "I want to understand," that is faith. Then next stage is association of persons who know, sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Then initiation. Then disappearance of all misgivings. Then steady faith. Then attachment. And then ecstasy. Then realization. These are stages.
Suppose in this life I am elected to be the president of this great state, United States of America, and if my next life I become an ordinary citizen or even an animal... There is no guarantee what I shall become in my next life. That depends on my work because the whole body is given by the material nature. It is not made according to my order supply. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). You are given a chance to act here, but according to your act, it will be judged, what you are going to have in your next life. That is your problem. No, don't make this life of fifty years, sixty years, or seventy years, or hundred years, as all in all. You have got a continuous life of transmigration from one body to another. It is going on. You must know that.
So it is a chance we should not miss. You can become brāhmaṇa. There is chance. We should not be satisfied that "I am born in America, so I am great. I am born of a great nation." That's all right. You are born of a great nation, that's all right. But next cultural birth, to become a dvija, twice-born, is awaiting. Lord Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes. I give chance to everyone to become dvija." Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Never mind wherever he is born.
Now the human society, everyone thinks that "He is low; I am big." Everyone thinks. In his own consideration he thinks, "I am the biggest. I am the big; he is lower." That is everywhere. But Lord Kṛṣṇa is not considering who is bigger. He says, "Even who is considering that 'I am lowborn.' " Because if everyone says that I am lowborn, it is propaganda that "You are lowborn. You are lowborn," so I think, "Yes, I am lowborn." Daśa cakre bhagavān bhūta.(?)
So our duty is to become twice-born. Just by culture, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, let us take another birth. Let us take another birth. Then you will be recognized brāhmaṇas. Brahmā jānāti. As soon as we know Kṛṣṇa, you are brāhmaṇa. Never mind whether you are born in America or Czechoslovakia or any other place. Doesn't matter. So try to become a brāhmaṇa. Here is a chance.
But how to become a brāhmaṇa? Simply by purchasing two cent worth this thread and getting on the body? No. There are qualities, karma. You have to act like a brāhmaṇa, and you have to acquire the qualification of a brāhmaṇa. Then you can become a brāhmaṇa. There is no impediment. Never mind wherever you were born. That doesn't matter.
There is no question of overpopulation. This is a false theory. If God can create, He can maintain also. And actually, this is the fact. I am travelling all over the world. There are so much vacant places upon the surface of the globe that, that ten times more than the present population can be easily maintained. But we, we, we do not know how to use it. In Africa, in Australia, in your America, enough land still lying. But because we have encroached upon the land of Kṛṣṇa, the difficulty's there. China is overpopulated. India is overpopulated. But we, if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, these difficulties will be over within a second.
Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to take everything Kṛṣṇa's. I am also Kṛṣṇa's. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Actually, that is the fact. Everything... Kṛṣṇa means God. Everything belongs to God. I also belong to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to God. That's a fact. But we do not not accept the fact. We take something illusory. Therefore, it is called māyā.
Actually it is also in the chaotic condition. Because nobody is following the prescription as given by Bhagavad-gītā, guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. In India, although a person born in a brāhmaṇa family, but his guṇa, qualities, are less than śūdra, but still he's being accepted as a brāhmaṇa. That is the difficulty. Therefore, India's condition is so chaotic.
But this is a scientific process. You Western people, you should try to understand that. And our boys and girls, who have joined, they're trying to understand, and execute the principles. So if you take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, which is meant for the brāhmaṇas, if you become brāhmaṇa by quality, then your, the Western nations will be... Especially in America, they'll be first-class nation. They'll be first-class nation. You have got intelligence. You have got resources. You are also inquisitive. You catch up good things. So you have got good qualities. You take up this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement seriously and you'll become the first-class nation of the world. That is my request. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
If I have to manufacture this stand, oh, I'll have to arrange for so many things. I'll have to go to the brass smith and ask him and give him some money and so many things. But the parāsya śaktir... If I have got... Even a, even a yogi, even a yogi, there is a prāpti-siddhi. You have heard the name of yoga. The yoga system is not so plaything as we have got so many branches in America. They are playthings.
Actually, the yoga system is so perfect that they get eight kinds of perfection before achieving the real perfection. And what is that perfection, the eight kinds of...? Aṇimā, laghimā-siddhi, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā, like that. Aṇimā-siddhi means when a yogi is, is not exactly perfect, when he's on the way of perfection, he gets this opportunity. He becomes... He can become the smallest. If you pack a yogi in a room and lock him, he'll come out. He'll come out.
This is the nearest planet. Still, because we are conditioned, we cannot go. No free access. Otherwise, a living entity name is sarva-ga. Sarva-ga(taḥ) sthāṇur acalo 'yam. Sarva-ga means a living entity can go anywhere. As we see, there are so many planets. Why we cannot go? There are means also. We are flying in the air, but we cannot go. This is called conditioned life.
There are so many instances. Just like even on this planet if you want to go to other countries, say, America, you have to fulfill so many conditions. Passport, visa, then P-form and so many other forms. Not easily. This is called conditioned life. We have no freedom to move.
And there is another life which is life of freedom. Just like Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni travels everywhere. He goes in the spiritual world. He comes in the material world. In the material world he can go in any one of the planets. Sometimes by yogic practice we can go also, but not so easily. So there is a life of freedom. That is spiritual life.
Guṇa means the three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. And guṇa, another, means rope. Just like strong rope, three, three ropes. You take three ropes and wind it, it becomes very strong. That is also guṇa-mayī. So Kṛṣṇa advised, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). So guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ, guṇa, quality, is there. Now you act according to the quality. Don't be idle.
Now at the modern age, in every country all over the world, there is unemployment. Why unemployment? Because people do not know how to divide the population according to guṇa and karma. One is qualified as a śūdra, and he is engaged in the business of a kṣatriya. There is problem. The people are educated as śūdras, and when they are called for recruiting for the armies, they are afraid. The problem is very acute in America. Nobody wants to join military department. Why they will join? They have been trained up as śūdra, and why they will be like the business of kṣatriya? That is the problem. Everyone wants to avoid. Actually, the hippy movement is started on account of this, what is this?
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to teach people that the ultimate goal of life is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, either you, Kṛṣṇa or God. Kṛṣṇa is the most explicit explanation of God. If God can have any name, the "Kṛṣṇa" name is the most perfect name, because Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. I have explained many times. Unless God is all-attractive, how He can be God? If God is attractive for a certain limited person or limited area, then he is not God. Then you will say, "Our God, your God, his God, that God." But if Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, that is real God. And that is Kṛṣṇa. That is being proved. Now Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive all over the world. Otherwise, how in America, in Russia, in China, in Europe, all countries?
Recently I have got several literatures printed in Swedish language. We are printing Kṛṣṇa literature almost in all languages of Europe, in English language, in Spanish language, in French language, in Swedish language, in Dutch language and German language, and then Italian language, we are publishing, and it is being sold like hotcakes, anything.
And it has become practical. Even in Africa, in the village, where they have got so big, big earrings, they are also chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. They are also chanting. Therefore the African government is a little afraid of this movement. Yes. Anyway, that's a big story. So anywhere we don't find any difficulty. Either you go in the interior of Africa or Europe... Europe, America, we have gone into. We are sending our buses and devotees with books in the village, in the interior village, because Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted it.
- pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma
- sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
- (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
We are trying our bit, send devotees. And they are helping. These European, American boys, they are helping me very much. Even the girls, they are also helping. So it is very good opportunity. So to push this movement... And we are trying our best.
Now, just see. To satisfy Kṛṣṇa is not very difficult thing. Even the poorest man in the world, he can satisfy Kṛṣṇa by these four items. Anyone can secure from any part of the world. It doesn't matter that because Kṛṣṇa was, I mean to say, Kṛṣṇa appeared in India, therefore He wanted Indian food. No. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. Leaf, and flower, and fruit, and water. Oh, that is available in America, that is available in Czechoslovakia and Greenland, everywhere.
So this is the universal form of satisfying Kṛṣṇa. Anyone—it doesn't matter however poor he is—he can satisfy Kṛṣṇa. You do not require, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I have invited Him, so I must arrange very nice foodstuff." Of course, if you have got means to supply very nice foodstuff, you must. Otherwise you will be understood that you are miser. If for your own eating you prepare very nice dishes, and because Kṛṣṇa says, "I will be satisfied with leaf and fruits," so you supply Kṛṣṇa, "All right, sir. You take leaf and fruit. And for me, I shall take these palatable dishes," no. Kṛṣṇa is very, I mean to say, intelligent also. He is more intelligent than... Then you are cheating Him. It is for the, I mean to say, poorest man.
So this is brahmārpaṇam. This yajña, this is the highest yajña.
Now, we are discussing of the varieties of yajña. Now, so far sacrifice in the altar of fire, clarified butter and grains, it is not possible. At the present moment... Of course, formerly, we understand from the scriptures that they used to pour tons of tons clarified butter in the fire because at that time they were available. But at the present moment... Of course, we are seeing some butter sticks here in America, but from India practically butter has disappeared. So it is not possible.
The present day, Kali-yuga, is not favorable for such sacrifice which was being performed in the Satya-yuga or Tretā... Not Tretā-yuga. Sacrifice was being performed in the Tretā-yuga, second millennium. The duration of a period. Just like in a year we have got different seasons, similarly, in the existence there are different periods. According to Vedic literature, they are called Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga, Kali-yuga. Now we are passing through the Kali-yuga. The Kali-yuga, duration of Kali-yuga is four hundred thousands, four hundred twenty-seven thousands of year. Out of that, we have passed only five thousands of years. That is the Vedic calculation.
I repeatedly say to the American people that "You have got your this position, richest nation in the world, janma..." Practically in America there is no poor man. That I have seen. They do not know what is poor man. Because the poorest man gets five thousand rupees per month. The poorest man. So actually there is no poor man. There cannot be. The government arrangement is so nice that nobody is in want of money. He can get money in so many ways. So it is very good, fortunate position to take birth in America. Janma, rich family, rich nation.
And aiśvarya. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta, education. Now they are advanced education. By scientific advancement, they are trying to go to the moon planet. Not only that. Many machine up to date they have discovered, using.... There is very big company IBM. Machine, business machine, IBM. International Business Machine. You know everything.
This is not very intelligent conclusion. Because I cannot see what is happening beyond this wall, oh, that does not mean there is nothing beyond this wall. So everyone wants to see God immediately. God you can see when you are perfectly qualified. When you are in perfect knowledge, you can see God eye to eye just like you are seeing me, I am seeing you. But that requires qualification. You have to wait. That qualification is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That qualification means Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
This Kṛṣṇa consciousness begins with śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Śravaṇam, hearing. We have to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Just like the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of understanding or hearing about Kṛṣṇa. Hearing about Kṛṣṇa.
Just like suppose I came to your country, United States of America. Oh, in my childhood I heard of it in school when I was reading geometry or something like, history or geography. I heard first of all. I did not come first of all. So hearing, hearing, when I understood, "Oh, that's a very wonderful country, and it is far away, and if I go there..." Similarly, as you think also about going to India, so first of all hearing. Not immediately seeing what is America or what is India. First of all hearing. So similarly, if we want to see God, then we have to hear. That is the process. Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is first with hearing. Śravaṇam. Śravaṇam means hearing.
Similarly, this Supersoul is the reflection of the reality, partial reflection of the Supreme. Is it clear? Just like you are standing here, and at noon the sun is on your head, and five thousand miles away you inquire from somebody, "Where is sun?" He will say, "Oh, it is on my head." Five thousand miles this way or that way, any way you inquire, many, many people, many thousands of people you inquire, they will say, everyone will say that "The sun is on my head." Similarly, although the sun is one, as he is perceived that he is present on everyone's head, similarly, although Kṛṣṇa is one without a second, by inconceivable transcendental power He can be present in everyone's heart. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is the power of Kṛṣṇa. That is the power of Supersoul. We cannot. Suppose I am sitting here, you are sitting here. You are not at your home. I am not in India, I am sitting here. I cannot see simultaneously in India and America. That is not possible, because I am not Supersoul. But the Supersoul can be present everywhere. You will find this explanation in the Thirteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā. Now we are discussing the Fourth Chapter. When you go to the Thirteenth Chapter, this point will be more clearly explained.
Now Nārada says that "You can use all these material resources as much as you require, but, if you want more, if you get more, then you'll become the thief, and you are punishable." Just see the idea of communism. Everything in the world, in this planet or in other planets... Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet. The Russians are trying to put their flag first so that if they go to moon planet, they will conquer. Just like you came from Europe. You have conquered this tract of land, America, and you have put up your flag. So now they are trying to go, trying to go to the moon planet. But this putting, I mean to say, this digging the flag, it is called ignorance. This is called ignorance. Where you are putting your flag? It is not your property. It is God's property. This is knowledge. This is knowledge. And if I think, "It is my property. I must dig my flag here," that is ignorance.
So we have formed this association, Internal Association for, of, for Kṛṣṇa, International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. And I invite everyone of you, not only in America, from all parts of the world, come and join and learn this Kṛṣṇa science, and preach all over the world that people will be happy. It is the business of the human being not to exploit each other. The human being is meant for doing good to others. Lord Caitanya preached this philosophy. Especially He advised to the Indians,
- bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
- janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra
- (CC Adi 9.41)
He said that "Anyone who has taken birth in the land of India..." Because India is the land of religion. India is the land of philosophy. India has got many, good many asset of this science of Kṛṣṇa and science of spiritual knowledge. So anyone who has taken his birth in India, they can fulfill the mission of human life. They have got very good asset. But unfortunately, they have rejected all this asset. They are now enamored by the glamour of material civilization. They are looking to Europe and America and they want this skyscraper building and industry. And in that way they want to be happy now.
The thing is that we want. That is our nature. We want to travel. People are coming from India to America, from America to India. So we want to travel freely. That is my right because as spirit soul, there is a word... You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-ga. Sarva-ga means a spirit soul has the potency of going anywhere he likes, anywhere he likes. There are... Actually, those who have attained perfection in yoga... Of course, that is not the highest perfection. Even persons, those who have attained perfection in yoga, they can travel in any planet. And the perfection of yoga is indicated like this, that a yogi dies according to his own will. He is not, I mean to, pressed to leave this body just like ordinary people. They leave this body under the pressure of nature's law. So they get so much power. When they find that "Now I shall leave this body," they fix up in which planet they will go, and they transfer their soul into that planet. That is the highest yogic perfection. And hardly you'll find such a yogi.
Now suppose you study very analytically these twenty-four elements. And what is the idea of studying these elemental, analytical study of this material world? Because we have to find out what is the main principle which is working behind these twenty-four elements. What is the main principle? Now, suppose I have got these senses, and suppose there are material elements, earth, water, fire, all these things are there. But are they sufficient by themselves? No. They are not sufficient by themselves. Unless that spirit soul is there, so they are lying down. Just take for example this land of America. It was lying, oh, vast land. Still you have got many lands vacant. So they are lying vacant. And so when the Europeans came there, they gradually developed. Now they nice. So simply these material elements has no value. Unless there is spiritual touch, there is no value.
So the fruitive activities, suppose pious activities. Pious activities, according to Veda, everywhere, if you are virtuous, if you give some money in charity, it is virtuous activities. If you give some money for opening hospital, if you give some money for opening schools, free education. These are certainly virtuous activities. But they are also meant for sense gratification. Suppose if I give in charity for distributing education. Then in my next life I will be getting good facilities for education, I'll be highly educated or being educated I shall get nice post. At the end, what is the idea? If I get a good post if I get a good position, how do I utilize it? For sense gratification. Nicely, that's all. Because I do not know anything else. That is fruitive activities. If I go to heaven, a better standard of life. Suppose, in your America, a better standard of life than India. But what does this mean, "better standard of life"? The same eating, sleeping, in a better type, that's all. You are not doing anything more. They are also eating. They are eating some coarse grain, you are eating very nice thing. But eating. Not beyond this eating.
So how it has happened? Due to this body. Whole thing. Whole misconsciousness has come into existence due to this body. Because I am born in America I am thinking American. And because I am thinking American, the American government claims, "Yes, you come and fight, give your life." Draftboard. Why? This body. Therefore the intelligent person should know that I am suffering all miserable condition of my life due to this body. So we should not act in such a way that this imprisonment with this material body will continue birth and birth. Either American body, Indian body, dog's body, hog's body, so many—8,400,000 of body. That is called yoga. How to get out of this contamination of body. But the first instruction is to understand that I am not this body. That is the basic principle of Bhagavad-gītā teaching. Aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "My dear Arjuna, you are talking very nice nicely, just like a very advanced learned man. But you are talking on the bodily platform—all nonsense." "I am father of this, oh, they are my relatives, they are my this, they are my this, how can I kill, how can I do, I cannot." The whole atmosphere consciousness is body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa, just after Arjuna accepting him his spiritual master, he's immediately chastising him as a master chastises his disciple: "You nonsense, you are talking very wisely as if you know so many things. But your position is this body."
So Kṛṣṇa said that these transcendentally advanced persons, they're transferred to the higher planetary system and live there for many, many years to enjoy life there. Then again they are transferred again here. This is called karma-kṣetra. And one may ask question that when he's transferred again to this planet what does he become? Does he become any animal? Or man? No. He still becomes a man. And what sort of man? Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Śucīnām means very pious family, righteous family. Just like in India we have got the brāhmaṇa family, kṣatriya family. High family. Very... Their mode of life is very high standard, clean and righteous, pious, so many things. So śucīnām and śrīmatām. Śucīnām, such pious family you'll find many in India. And śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means rich. So rich family we'll find in your country, America. So that person who is coming again, he is born in a rich family or in pious family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. One who was not successful in executing the yoga perfectly, he again... That means to have one's birth in a rich family means he has no anxiety for his bread. He's happy. Now he can happily execute the yoga process. Or in a pious family automatically the yoga process of transcendental life is there. So he can begin also there. That is chance. Those who are born in such family, in righteous family or rich family, they should take instruction from Bhagavad-gītā, that this is a chance given by God to execute our spiritual life, not for sense enjoyment increasing, "Because I have got so much money, oh, let me enjoy senses more, I mean to say, acutely."
So Kṛṣṇa, akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). He can expand, that you'll find in the Thirteenth Chapter. That kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Kṣetra, kṣetra-jñam. Just like you are a spirit soul. You are the proprietor of this body. I am proprietor of this body, you are proprietor of your body. But because I am sitting within this body, but Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of all bodies because He is sitting everywhere. Just like this house may be owned by me or somebody else. That house may be owned by him. But the whole America is owned by the state. Similarly when there is question of greatness, that is possible, that expansion. And because I cannot expand, frog philosophy, therefore Kṛṣṇa cannot expand, that is nonsense. We are thinking always in terms of my position. How it is possible for Kṛṣṇa to expand because I cannot expand . What you are? What is your position? Why do you compare Kṛṣṇa with you? Yes, Kṛṣṇa can expand. So many examples are given. Don't think because you cannot expand, therefore Kṛṣṇa cannot expand. that is the defect of nonsensical philosophy. They formally say "God is great." But, when actually he thinks, "Oh, how much great He should be? I cannot do this. How Kṛṣṇa can do." But formally, "Oh, God is great." They have no idea how God is great. That we'll find in Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore the superexcellence of this science of God. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). If you want to know how God is great then you have to take reference of this Vedic literature. No other literature.
So this yoga system, Kṛṣṇa consciousness yoga system, is to begin with developing attachment for Kṛṣṇa. And the process of developing attachment I have already explained to you for the several last meetings. So for the beginners, attachment for God, everyone, people in the lowest stage, he has to admit the greatness of the Supreme Lord. God is great; there is no doubt about it. Everyone, even in the lowest status of life, he can admit. I don't speak of the animals. Animals, they have no sense of God. I am speaking of the human being. There are different, different grades of human civilization—the highest type of civilization and the lowest aboriginal—but every one of them has got a sense of God. That is there. This is the special prerogative of human being. Not that only the civilized men. Perhaps you know all, when you came here from European countries in America, the Red Indians. They are considered as aboriginals; still, they have some religion, they have some conception of God.
At the present moment, although we remember sometimes there or the material energy, we have forgotten. So we have to establish, reestablish our forgotten relationship. It is not that you have no relationship with God and we are artificially forcing something, relationship with God, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. No. You have your relationship. Simply by hearing, by cultivation of this knowledge, you revive your relationship, that's all. Just like in the matches there is fire. You simply rub it for some time, for a few seconds, oh, the fire will come out. Similarly, your relationship with Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is there within you. Otherwise, how could you accept the Kṛṣṇa consciousness? "I've imported Kṛṣṇa from India," that is also a mistake. Kṛṣṇa is not for India or America. Just like the sun. This is same sun which I have seen in India, the same sun is in your America. So nobody can claim, "Oh, this is Indian sun and this is American sun." Sun is one. It is our miscalculation that we say, "This is American land, this is American sun, this is American atmosphere." No. Everything in relationship with God. That is jñānam. That is knowledge. And vijñānam. And practical also.
This is also Kṛṣṇa's dhāma, because everything belongs to God, Kṛṣṇa. Nobody's proprietor. This claim that "This land, America, belongs to us, United States," this is false claim. It does not belong to you, nobody else. Just like some years ago, four hundred years ago, it belonged to the Indians, Red Indians, and someway or other, you have now occupied. Who can say that others will not come here and occupy? So this is all false claim. Actually, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-loka-maheśvaram: (BG 5.29) "I am the supreme proprietor, controller, of all planets." So everything belongs to Him. But Kṛṣṇa says everything belongs to Him. So everything is His dhāma, His place, His abode. So why should we change here? But He says yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramam (BG 15.6). Paramam means the supreme. In this dhāma also, they are Kṛṣṇa's dhāma, Kṛṣṇa's planets, but here it is not parama, the supreme. There are troubles. Just like this birth, death, disease, and old age. But if you return to Kṛṣṇa's personal abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, cintāmaṇi-dhāma (Bs. 5.29), then you get eternal life, blissful life, full of knowledge.
That is the mistake of civilization. We think everything in our own standard. Ātmavat manyate jagat. That is the nature, that ātmavat, what he is thinking of himself, therefore, others must be like that. No. Others may be different from you. So, similarly, you will find so many differences in so many planets. Their habits, their mode of living, civilization, standard of living is completely different. Even in this planet, if we find, the standard of living in America is different from the standard of living in South America or Africa or India, so why not in other planets?
So everything... In the Brahma-saṁhitā, we understand, every planet has a different situation, not that everything of this nature. So it is... It is not complete idea. "Because you can know what is sunshine, therefore you can know what is sun-god or sun disc"—no, that can (not) be done. Similarly, because you have some spiritual light, impersonal light... What is that impersonal light? The whole Buddha philosophy, impersonal philosophy, is looking to that impersonal.
So in pursuance of the order of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, following His footsteps, we are trying to introduce this saṅkīrtana movement, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and it is coming out very successful. Everywhere. I am especially preaching in the foreign countries. All over Europe, America, Japan, Canada, Australia, I am traveling. Malaysia. And anywhere I have introduced this saṅkīrtana movement—we have got different centers, about sixty centers—they have been received with great pleasure. Just like you saw these boys and girls. I have not imported them from India, but they have taken this movement very seriously, and they will take it, because it appeals to the soul directly. We have got different status of our life. Bodily concept of life, mental concept of life, intellectual concept of life and spiritual concept of life. So actually we are concerned with the spiritual concept of life, athāto brahma jijñāsā. If you are allured by the bodily concept of life, then we are no better than these dogs and..., cats and dogs. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). If we accept that "I am this body," then we are no better than the cats and dogs, because their concept of life is like that.
Actually if the world want peace and prosperity, tranquillity, you must have to take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness; otherwise there is no possibility. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, He is actually the proprietor. No land belongs to me or you. It is artificially. Just like I say to my American student, two hundred years ago the American land was there. Somebody was claiming, "America is ours." Now immigration from Europe, now they have their turn. They are thinking, "It is our country." But actually no land belongs to me or you. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, or God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ yat kiñcid (ISO 1). Everything is God's property. We have got right to use the God's property because we are sons, but tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā: whatever He allows you, you can take that. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. Don't think encroach on another's property. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy, that you should always understand that Kṛṣṇa is the real bhoktā, or enjoyer. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of all the lokas. Kṛṣṇa is the real friend of everyone. We are seeking friendship from so many persons to improve our material condition, but you do not know the real friend is within you, everyone. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). The real friend is within everyone's heart—Kṛṣṇa—and if you take shelter of Him... "Shelter of Him" means simply hear about Him.
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness is existing since the creation, but at least for the last five thousand years, when Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, He personally instructed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and the instruction is left behind Him, this is Bhagavad-gītā. Unfortunately, this Bhagavad-gītā has been misused in so many ways by the so-called scholars and swamis. The impersonalist class, or atheist class of men, they have interpreted Bhagavad-gītā in their own way. When I was in America in 1966, one American lady asked me to recommend an English edition of Bhagavad-gītā so that she could read it. But honestly I could not recommend any one of them, on account of their whimsical explanation. That gave me impetus to write Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. And this present edition, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, is now published by Macmillan Company, the biggest publisher in the world. And we are doing very nice. We published this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is in 1968, in small edition. It was selling like anything. The trades manager of Macmillan Company reported that our books are selling more and more; others are reducing. Then recently, in this 1972, we have published this Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, complete edition. And Macmillan Company published fifty thousand copies in others, but it was finished in three months and they are arranging for second edition.
So yoga means connecting link. We are... Our link is now separated. Somehow or other, we are thinking separate from God. But actually that is not the fact. We are interlinked always with God, with Kṛṣṇa. But some way or other, there is some difficulty. That is called māyā. Just like we are living under the sunshine always. At night there is some difficulty to see the sun, but sun is there, and I am also here. That's a fact. Everyone knows. Now, the earthly planet has turned around. The sun is on the back side of this earth. It is in America now. So sun is there, the American people are seeing sun, but on account of the different position of this earth we cannot see the sun. That does not mean there is no sun. The sunshine is always existing. It is shadowed by this earthly planet. Similarly when... Our relationship with God or Kṛṣṇa is always existing, but when there is some intervention, māyā, then we think, "There is no God" or "I am God," like that.
You have heard the names of so many yogis, meditation. The meditation is good, but most of them do not know what is meditation. Most of them. How? Now, they do not meditate upon Kṛṣṇa. Meditation means to fix up one's mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. First of all they do not know who is the Personality of Godhead. But the yoga practice, according to śāstra, is that. Here it is: mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogam. This is yoga. In other Vedic literature that is also stated, the same thing. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Yogi means who meditates. It is the business of the yogis to meditate. But if you do not know upon whom to meditate, then what is the meaning of your yoga? Therefore I have seen practically in America. There are so many yoga societies. They close their eyes, and I do not know what they are meditating, but I have seen, they are snoring. (laughter) And what they will do? (makes snoring sound) (laughter) This is yoga system. So don't be misled by these bluffers' yoga system. Don't be misled. Here is yoga, Kṛṣṇa, because yoga means to meditate upon the Supreme, dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā, mind fully absorbed, and they see Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa, the same thing.
So our request is that Bhagavad-gītā is very popular book. Don't try to interpret Bhagavad-gītā whimsically just to show yourself a big scholar, big politician. No, don't do that. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then you will be benefited. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā, this book. It is about eleven hundred pages. We are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any interpretation. And the result is that thousands of the foreign country youths, they are becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. The proof is there. The proof is there. And all over the world, in Europe, America, Canada, Australia and Japan, even in Moscow and Africa, everywhere, we are not failure. That is Kṛṣṇa's grace. Because we are presenting Kṛṣṇa as it is, Bhagavad-gītā as it is, it is being accepted. Before me, many swamis went to the Western countries. They also talked about Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic literature. But not a single person could be converted to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not a single person throughout the whole history, background. But since 1967, we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is; thousands of young generation, they are taking to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the result.
So what they had to do with the Kṛṣṇa? They had nothing to do, but why they are mad after Kṛṣṇa? They are no longer mad after anything. They have given up everything. Simply for preaching in your country, they have come here. They have not come as a businessman to exploit African resources like other Europeans. They have come to distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why? Why the responsibility they have taken? Because they have learned to love Kṛṣṇa. This is the basic principle. Anyone can understand. Otherwise, do you think they are poor men? They have come here to earn some money? They are not poor men. The Americans are the richest country. Any third-class man, he earns there 400,000's rupees, any third-class man, and what to speak of the first-class man. This is America. The lowest pay to a person, whatever qualification, he has, must be at least four thousand dollars. This is their law. So how they can be poor? There is no question of poverty in America. Nobody thinks, "What shall I do next? I have no money." Money is there on the street. Go and take it and spend. So why they have come here, taking so much troubles? Because they love Kṛṣṇa, therefore they have come. This is the... Mayy āsakta. Āsakta, attached.
Here is a Hindu. Here is a white man. Here is a black man." No. Every living being, his duty is to understand God. This is our preaching. This is our preaching, that "You are living being. You are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. This designation, that 'You are Hindu,' 'You are Muslim,' 'You are Christian,' 'You are this'—these are all designations. Actually you are living being, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore your main duty is to understand Kṛṣṇa." This is our preaching. We are not going to convert Hindu into Muslim, Muslim into Christian. No, that is not our... That is not our business. He may think that he is Christian, he is Hindu, he is Muslim, but we think that he is a spirit soul, part and parcel of God. That is stated in the...
- vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
- brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
- śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
- paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
- (BG 5.18)
If one is learned paṇḍita, he does not see Hindu, Muslim, Christian. I went to America, I did not go there to turn the Christian to become Hindu. No, I never said that. Did I say, any, anyone, that "You are Christian. You become a Hindu"? No, never I said. That is not my business.
So in order to understand asaṁśayam... Asaṁśayam means "without any doubt." At the present moment we have got many doubts whether actually there is God or not. In Europe and America, when I first went there in 1965, I was informed even by some clergymen that "God is dead." Then again, when I was chanting in the Tompkinson Square in New York, they admitted, and they published a very big article in one of the important papers of New York. They admitted that "We thought God was dead, but actually now we see God is there in the saṅkīrtana movement started by Swamiji." They admitted.
So these are saṁśayam, or doubts: whether there is actually God or not, whether God is dead or alive. But here Kṛṣṇa says that if we develop our attachment for Kṛṣṇa... Take Kṛṣṇa as a historical personality. Still, if you develop your attachment for Kṛṣṇa by the prescribed methods, then you will understand God without any doubt. Asaṁśayam. And samagram. Samagram, "in fullness." Not partially. The Absolute Truth, samagram Absolute Truth.
So those who are interested for higher knowledge of God, they'll take it. The point is simply officially to accept God, There is God, know. You know what is God, what is His..., what He is doing, what He is acting, what is His name, what is His address. Everything you know and try to love Him. That we are teaching. So those who are actually serious to know about God, they'll come to this movement. And those who simply know God officially: "There is God. That's all," that is different thing. That is also good. But if you want to know more, then you have to take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are therefore presenting these books, eighty books, four hundred pages each, and just to explain what is God. So it is a great science. Any intelligent man will appreciate. And we are getting good response. Especially in America, big, big university, college, professors, they are now purchasing. We have proposed to publish Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in sixty volumes, but we have published only fourteen. But still, the big, big professors, they are giving us order, forward order, for all the sixty volumes. As soon as scholarly people, they read these books, they'll welcome this movement all over the world. Is that all right, or any more? Any more questions?
So, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is nothing of this material world. This Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, it is also not any vibration of this material world. There is a verse by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. This hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana is vibration from the spiritual world. Just like you receive some message, vibration of the material world, from Europe, from America. So that is not Indian vibration but American vibration or European vibration. Similarly, there is vibration in the spiritual world. Simply one has to catch. You must have that machine. So, that machine is there within you. The heart is the machine where you can receive the spiritual message, because within the heart there is Nārāyaṇa. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe. Particularly it is mentioned, hṛd-deśe. So because Nārāyaṇa, or īśvara, is situated within the heart of everyone, there is no necessity of researching where is Nārāyaṇa. The śāstra says it is within your heart. Therefore the yogis, they practice yogic rocess how to see Nārāyaṇa within the heart. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā yaṁ paśyanti yogino. The yogic process is to see Nārāyaṇa within the heart.
Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā, if you understand as it is, then you can have the taste of the milk, but as there are many rascal commentators... I say straightly that those who comment on Bhagavad-gītā according to their own whims, they're all rascals. Just like milk, if you adulterate with water, the taste is gone, and the man who adulterates milk with water, he's a rascal. He's condemned. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā, if you taste as it is, oh, then you'll relish what is that Vedic knowledge, what is that essence of brahma-saukhyam. You can understand. So, many people in America, since I came here they asked me to recommend an edition of Bhagavad-gītā in English. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā in your country. Some of them are compiled by your countrymen, some of them compiled by Indians, but all of them—different interpretation. Different interpretation. But we should accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then we can relish.
So we shall very shortly present our Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. It has been taken by Messrs. MacMillan and Company to publish it. Most probably in the month of October it will be published. So I shall request you to read Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any interpretation. Just like I'll give you some examples.
He was creating more brahmacārīs and sannyāsīs for preaching work, but I am creating more gṛhasthas (applause), because in Europe and America the boys and girls intermingle so quickly and intimately that it is very difficult to keep one brahmacārī. So there is no need of artificial brahmacārīs. It is sanctioned. My Guru Mahārāja wanted to establish daiva-varṇāśrama. So married life is called gṛhastha-āśrama. It is as good as sannyāsa-āśrama. Āśrama means where there is bhagavad-bhajana. It doesn't matter whether one is sannyāsī or one is gṛhastha or a brahmacārī. The main principle is bhagavad-bhajana. But practically also, I may inform you that these married couples, they are helping me very much because... For practical example I may say that one of my Godbrothers, a sannyāsī, he was deputed to go to London for starting a temple, but three or four years he remained there, he could not execute the will; therefore he was called back. Now, I sent six married couples. All of them are present here. And they worked so nicely that within one year we started our London temple, and that is going on very nicely. (applause)
The main principle is bhagavad-bhajana. But practically also, I may inform you that these married couples, they are helping me very much because... For practical example I may say that one of my Godbrothers, a sannyāsī, he was deputed to go to London for starting a temple, but three or four years he remained there, he could not execute the will; therefore he was called back. Now, I sent six married couples. All of them are present here. And they worked so nicely that within one year we started our London temple, and that is going on very nicely. (applause)
So it is not the question of a brahmacārī, sannyāsī or gṛhastha. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said,
- kibā vipra kibā nyāsī śūdra kene naya
- yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya
- (CC Madhya 8.128)
It doesn't matter whether he is a sannyāsī or gṛhastha or brahmacārī. One who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa and preaches all over the world, he is guru, spiritual master. It doesn't matter. So in Europe and America I am especially creating more gṛhasthas, families, so that they can take up this movement very seriously and preach, and I am glad to inform you that this process has become very successful. Thank you very much. (applause)
Of course, he should be trained up. Not that these boys and girls are being initiated all of a sudden. They are trained up for six months, one year, then they are offered hari-nāma. And when they are qualified actually in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, at least sixteen rounds daily, when we see, one year at least, that he is doing his duties, following the regulative principles... All these boys and girls who are initiated, they will have to follow the regulative principles. No illicit sex life. Just like one couple is married because we don't allow to live..., to allow the boys and girls to live as friends. No. That is not allowed. All my students who came to me... Because it has become a system in their country, the young boys and girls they live as friends without parents taking care of their being married. That has become a system, regular system in Europe and America. And India also it is going to be introduced very soon. It is already introduced, and it will develop. And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there is foretelling that in this age there will be no more marriage. Vedic marriage will be stopped. Svīkāra eva ca udvāhe. Simply by agreement, the marriage function will be performed. But as far as we are concerned, we are trying to establish daiva-varṇāśrama, as it is instructed by the Gosvāmīs, by Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, by our spiritual master. May not be very perfect, but we are trying our best to introduce this daiva-varṇāśrama.
So there are different kinds of men. So out of many such millions and trillions different kinds of men in the human form of life, some may attempt to achieve success of life. What is that success of life? Success of life—to understand his spiritual identity. At the present moment, being conditioned by the material nature, every man is working under the impression that "I am this body." "I am Indian because I got this body from India." "I'm American; I got this body from America." All bodily concept of life. Or "I'm Hindu because I'm born of a Hindu family," "I'm Christian because I'm born of a Christian family." These are all bodily identifications. When one goes above the bodily identifications, that is called siddhi. This is the explanation of siddhi. In the bodily platform, nobody can attain perfection. He's animal. Those who are in the bodily concept of life, those who are thinking that "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am African," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddhist," they're all animals. They're not human beings. Because bodily concept.
So here Kṛṣṇa says that jīva-bhūta: prakṛti, not puruṣa. So how the prakṛti can be enjoyer of this material world? That is not possible. That is superficial, artificial, crip-scrip(?). That is not fact. Therefore, our main disease is that we are to be enjoyed by Kṛṣṇa and we are trying to be enjoyer. We are actually to be predominated by Kṛṣṇa, but we are trying to be predominator. That is our fault. Don't try to be predominator. Try to be predominated by Kṛṣṇa and you will be happy. Just like the woman. As soon as she is under protection of a big father, a nice husband, and nice elderly son, she is happy, very happy. And as soon as she is independent... I have seen practically in Europe and America, there are so many women declared independence. They are most unhappy. I have seen it. In old age they are very, very unhappy. Young age also. They do not get a right husband, and they are very unhappy. When one young girl sees that another young girl has husband, she becomes, "Oh, so this woman, this girl has got a husband." You see. That is the nature.
Similarly, the original planet is Goloka Vṛndāvana. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Original, the Goloka Vṛndāvana, the abode of Kṛṣṇa. So take it... Just like sun globe. And within the Goloka Vṛndāvana planet there is the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, just like exactly within the sun the person, sun-god, his name is Vivasvān. And from that globe, Goloka Vṛndāvana, there is rays. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam (Bs. 5.40). On account of that effulgence from the Goloka Vṛndāvana, there are innumerable spiritual and material planets. The spiritual planets are called Vaikuṇṭhalokas, and in the material sphere there are so many planets—Sun, Moon, Venus, Earth, so many, millions and millions... They are all resting on that effulgence, Brahman effulgence. Yasya prabhā. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ govindam. The brahma-jyotir is the rays of, the bodily rays of Kṛṣṇa. So everything is resting... We have got experience that these material planetary systems, they are resting on the sunshine. The scientist knows it. On account of the heat of the sunshine, all the planetary systems or the globes, they are moving, going around. It is not stopped. There is a small apparatus—I have seen in America—that as soon as you give heat, within that, I mean to say, glass, the one is glow, it is rotating... (end)
So jñāne prayāsam. Especially for understanding God, or God consciousness, speculation is useless. So Lord Caitanya, I mean to say the Bhāgavata, says that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya, that that sort of endeavor, speculating, should be given up. Namanta eva: "You just become submissive." Just become submissive, that "What I am? I am insignificant creature in this universe." This world, this earth, is an insignificant point in the universe. And within this earth, the America is a small spot. And within America, this New York City is another small spot. And in this New York City, I am there. So what is my importance? So we should understand that we are very insignificant in comparison to the creation of the whole cosmic situation and God. So we should be very submissive. We should understand our position. Artificially, we should not be puffed up, the frog philosophy.
So a sannyāsī is forbidden not to talk even in private place with woman. But a householder, he, if he associates woman under marriage tie, then it is religious. And without this, this is irreligious. And that religious sex life is God. Religious sex life is God. This should be followed. If we, every one of us reading Bhagavad-gītā, every one of us, at least... So far India is concerned, that is a different thing. In America also, I find so many American gentlemen, they read Bhagavad-gītā. But I am afraid if they are reading Bhagavad-gītā so scrutinizingly, as it is stated here, dharmāviruddho bhūteṣu kāmo 'smi bharatarṣabha: "Sex life which is not against religious principle, that is I am." So in, I mean to say, regulated sex life, married life, that is Kṛṣṇa. So that is not without Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa.
He does not know. Kṛṣṇa can be known by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa tattvataḥ, in truth, then you have to go through this bhakti process, not by your speculative process. Kṛṣṇa is not open to your sensual gratification. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). He cannot be revealed to anyone and everyone. Yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ. He's covered. Just like at night we cannot see the sun. That does not mean the sun is not in the sky. This is foolishness. If somebody thinks, "Now we cannot see the sun. Therefore sun is gone, dead..." Formerly people used to think like that. What is that? Some people? Used to think that sun is dead? So Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. As sun is always there in the sky, Now it is, say, half-past eight. So the morning, half-past eight, is also there, present. In America it is half-past eight, morning. There you'll see sun. So because at night in India, in Bombay, half-past eight we cannot see the sun, it does not mean the sun is finished. If you go to America, in Los Angeles, you'll see the sun. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is always present. Simply you have to prepare your eyes to see Kṛṣṇa.
We want very peaceful and joyful life. That is... But that is not being possible within this material world. That is the problem. The living entity is, by nature, he wants joyful life... Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Abhyāsāt means by natural tendency he wants joyful life. But... There is a song, Bengali song. A poet writes, sukhera lāgiyā ei ghara bandhila anale puriya gelā:(?) "I constructed my home to live very peacefully and comfortably. All of a sudden, there was set fire and everything vanquished." Just like in America you have got experience that Mr. Kennedy, he became president after long struggle. He had very nice wife, children, honor, prestige, everything. And somebody was saying, telling me yesterday, that people took him as a very happy man. Within a second, all finished. He was driving, he was in procession, people were honoring him, and within a second—finished.
So everyone is trying to be very happy, comfortable, but it is being finished within a second. Is it not a fact? Huh? Is there any disagreement on this point? That is the problem. Everyone is trying to solve this problem in his own way. They are manufacturing different ways only, but the problem is not solved. The problem is there. Here in America, whenever I meet some gentleman in the street and he understands that I am coming from India, he says, "Oh, India is very poverty-stricken." You see. So... As if there is no problem in America. There is one problem, food scarcity. But I told him that "You have got also many problems. You are not problem-free." So there is... Suppose you have got some pain here. Sometimes we think that "If pain would have been here, then it would have been nice. Here it is very painful." So pain, here or there, it is pain. You see.
So our counteracting method, even though they are very efficient, still, unless it is sanctioned by Guru and God, they will not be effective. There are many such examples. Some years ago, perhaps you know, in America, they started one very strong and stout ship. It was known... I think it was named Titanic. So it was guaranteed that it will never be drowned; it is so well-looking. And all the important men of America started in that ship for the first time, and after few miles immediately it was drowned. So in spite of all scientific protection, in spite of all good brains behind the manufacture of this Titanic ship, it was drowned. So in this way we have to study that this ārta and arthārthī, because they are, their background is sukṛtina, pious activities, they know that without God's help we cannot mitigate any of our distressed condition or needy condition. Therefore the ārta and arthārthī whose background is pious life, they approach God: "Kṛṣṇa, please help me," although it is not pure devotion.
Now, we have got description of that planet. Because anything, if you want to understand, you have to hear first of all. Just like when, before my coming to your country, I had some experience by hearing: "Oh, America is such and such. New York is such and such." Somebody might have gone there, and he explains that "The climate of New York is like this." So this is by hearing. So hearing is the first experience. Similarly, if you want to get experience of the planet where God lives, then you have to hear. There is no other way. You cannot immediately make experiment. That is not possible. You cannot make experiment even on this material planet. You have no knowledge what other planets are, but you can hear from a description of the scriptures.
He's the highest yogi, continuously thinking of Kṛṣṇa, always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. For him, ananya-cetāḥ... He does not divert his attention to this sort of process or that sort of yoga system or the jñāna system or dhyāna system. No. Ananya-cetāḥ. Simply the only one system, Kṛṣṇa. Ananya-cetāḥ. Ananya-cetāḥ, "without any deviation." He's not disturbed by anything. Simply Kṛṣṇa. Ananya-cetāḥ satatam. Satatam means anywhere and any time. Just like my residence is at Vṛndāvana. That is the place of Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa advented Himself, He was there. So now I am in America, in your country, but that does not mean that out of Vṛndāvana. Because if I think of Kṛṣṇa always, so it is as good I am in India. In Vṛndāvana, I am as good as in New York, in this apartment. The consciousness is there. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means you already live with Kṛṣṇa in that spiritual planet. Simply you have to wait for giving up this body.
The Lord says that "I am the enjoyer. I am the enjoyer of all kinds of activities." He's the benefactor of all kinds of activities. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram: "I am the proprietor of all planets." Loka means planets. We are proprietor of certain extent of land here, and we are very much proud. But God says that "I am the proprietor of all the planets." And suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām. And He is the friend of all living entities. And suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati: "When a person understands that God is the proprietor of everything, God is the friend of everyone, God is the enjoyer of everything, by knowing these three things, one becomes very peaceful." That is the peace formula. You cannot become in peace so long you think that "I am the proprietor." You are not actually the proprietor. You cannot claim proprietorship. Just like take for example this land of America. Say four hundred years before, the Red American, Red Indians, they were the proprietor. Now you are the proprietor. Now, after, say, four hundred years or thousand years, somebody will come. They'll become proprietor. So actually, we are not proprietor. The land is there, we come here, and we claim falsely that "I am proprietor."
In Vṛndāvana there are so many temples, they have become, made a business by showing temple, collecting money. This is not good. There must be... Temple means people should come, people should learn the science of God. That is temple. Not that to make a business of temple. Therefore everything is, not only in India, all over the world, the churches also, they're dwindled. Now, Europe and America, so many churches are for sale. We have purchased so many churches because people have no more interest. There is no education. Temple means spiritual educational shelter. People should come, they should learn what is spiritual life, what is God, what is my relationship with. That is temple. Otherwise, if you simply came... Therefore two processes should be followed: pāñcarātriki viddhi and bhāgavata-viddhi. We follow both. Bhāgavata-viddhi is the philosophical side of religion, and pāñcarātriki viddhi is the worshiping side of temple—how to worship Deity, how to dress, how to decorate, how to offer respect. Mad-yājī. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī (BG 18.65). Temple worship is mad-yājī, worshiping the Deity. So this is the test, this is the test.
Kṛṣṇa points out them: aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharma, dharmasya asya (BG 9.3). This principle of religion, those who do not accept it as authority, so the result is that they can never have any connection directly with Kṛṣṇa, and, as the, as such, aprāpya mām, because they do not have any access to Kṛṣṇa, therefore nivartante, they remain... Nivartante means remain. Where does, do they remain? Mṛtyu-saṁsāra, mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani, this life: birth, death, birth, death, birth, death. Vartmani means this life: birth, death, birth, death. Go on like that. And that birth, death, does not mean that next birth you'll have similar facilities or similar life, human being. No. Birth-death means you have risk also. You can get your next birth not exactly a human being. You... Not exactly in America or not exactly in India. Oh, you may be transferred to any other country or any other planet or any other species of life. There is no certainty. That will depend according to your work. So this is the... This is called the path of birth and death. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. Have your birth, remain for some time, enjoy or suffer. Then again give up this body and enter into the womb of another mother, human being or animal. Then prepare your another body. Then come out. Then begin your work. This is called mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani.
So here it is said that aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣāḥ (BG 9.3). Kṛṣṇa is giving you a system as you can go to Him, back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Why one should go to God? No, that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). You can go to any other planets. You can have very long duration of life. The standard of living is very, very high. Just like here in this planet sometimes we see the standard of living condition in Europe, America, is better than other places. They become very much clever, that in Europe and America, and Australia also, another addition of European... So big, big roads, big, big skyscraper house, all very comfortable. So as you see differences of standard of living here, similarly, each and every planet there is different standard of living. And it is said in the śāstra that if you go to the moon planet, then you live there for ten thousands of years, ten thousand of years, and their calculation of time is also greater than ours. It is calculated that our six months is equal to their one day. That is called deva calculation. In this way you can get very long duration of life, very comforts, and nice beautiful body and residential quarters. Everything is very, very nice. Each higher planetary system is better than the other, better than the other. This way you can go to the Brahmaloka. Brahmaloka mean where the topmost planet. They have calculated, the modern astronomers and the planet-goers, that it takes about forty thousands of years to go to the topmost planet of this universe. So these things are there.
Just like in our society you will find people from all parts of the world. There are Americans and Indians and Africans, Canadians, Japanese. But we don't feel like that, "I am Japanese," "I am Indian" "I am American." We all feel servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa conscious. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. This is United Nation, not that, going to the United Nation and barking like the dog, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am this and that." What is the benefit? Therefore they are barking for the last twenty, thirty years. What benefit has come? You cannot make the dogs... You bring some dogs from America and from Australia and from India and put them together and ask them, "Please live very peacefully." (laughter) If you keep them as dogs they will simply bark. There will be no more peace. Just try to understand practically. You have to make them a human being. If you keep them dogs and cats, there cannot be any peace.
Just like in America the President's name is Ford. Those who are intelligent person, he knows, "Oh, you are President." Similarly, every planet, there is a president. There is chief person. And the name are recorded in the Vedic literature. And in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that Kṛṣṇa sometimes in forty millions of years ago... We calculated, forty or four hundred. Some millions of years, He met the sun-god and He spoke Bhagavad-gītā. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). So we have to take information from the right source. Then we are awareness of everything. How God is expanded everywhere, you can take this example. The sun is away from us, according to the scientists calculation, 93,000,000 miles away. And immediately, within a second, his sunshine is expanded all over the universe. Immediately. At least 93,000,000's of miles. Within a second.
Prabhavaḥ and pralayaḥ. Pralayaḥ. If God wants, in a second your New York City will be pushed into the Atlantic Ocean, in a second. So pralayaḥ sthānam. He is the shelter. Nidhānaṁ bījam. Bījam. Bījam means the seed. Avyayam. Now, what these living entities are doing? What are these living entities? They are also parts and parcel of the Supreme Lord. We are living entities. We are endeavoring our energy, applying our energy, to build up all these things, but these materials have no value if I am not there. Just like this America, this land, was lying vacant so long these civilized person from Europe, they did not come here. So by their energy, living entities, the matter has developed. Matter is not prominent. Don't give more importance to the matter. The important is the living entity. And what is this living entity? The living entity is the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Therefore He is the cause of the seeds of living entities. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7).
Deva-bhogān means this is with reference to the standard of living. As in this world we have got different standard of living and it may be that your standard of living in America or Europe may be, from material point of view, very high and standard of living in other country may be lower... Different standard of living there are. But in other planets also, there are different standard of living. They are called deva-bhogān. That standard of living we cannot imagine here, in the moon planet and other, surendra-lokam. Surendra-lokam means where the demigods live. They are also human beings, but they are highly intellectual, and their duration of life is very long, and their standard of living is very high, most costly. We cannot imagine even.
As I have several times mentioned that your standard of living in America is very nice. So others, people from other parts, they also try to come here and settle here. But you have got restriction, visa department. There is restriction department. You do not allow. So similarly, if you want to go to the moon planet, then you have to qualify yourself. You have to obtain the visa. That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā.
- yānti deva-vratā devān
- pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
- bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
- yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām
- (BG 9.25)
So any planet, wherever you want to go... Of course, you may try to go there by sputnik but we have no such mention in the śāstras that you can manufacture some machine and you can go there. You have to qualify yourself. You have to qualify yourself. Just like even there is machine, jet plane, still, you require the visa to enter into America or any other country, similarly, even if you can manufacture some machine, although it is not possible, but you have to qualify yourself to be a resident in the better planets. So those who are after going to the better planets, sun planet, moon planet, and heavenly planet... There are many. Svargaloka, Janaloka, Tapoloka, Maharloka. They are in Sanskrit names.
Just like the sunshine is for everyone. The same sun in India and same sun in your America. You cannot say that "This is American sun." Can you? Or we cannot say, "Oh..." I see sometimes... Because I am now foreigner, I see sometimes, "Oh, the same moon is here, and same sun is here? The same cloud is here? Oh, why I am foreigner?" Nobody is foreigner. Everyone is under the sunshine. It is our misunderstanding. It is our misunderstanding. In God's kingdom nobody is foreigner. Everyone is brother. The ultimate father is the Supreme Lord. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even the animals. Why should we think animals different from us and we shall kill them? No. You have no right. He is also your brother. So this is universal brotherhood. When you come to the open sunshine, we can see, oh, everyone is eligible to take advantage of the sunshine. And so long we are in the darkness, we say, "Oh, this is my room; this is your room." So for such persons who are completely in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for them there is no scarcity. This is very encouraging. No Kṛṣṇa conscious person will think that "I will be in scarcity. I will be in want."
We are anxious for peace. This is the process of peace; you change your consciousness. Don't accept anything for your sense gratification. Everything is there. It is supplied by the Supreme Lord. Everything is the property of the Supreme Lord. You are falsely claiming that you are the proprietor. You are not proprietor. How you can be proprietor? Suppose before you came to America from Europe... The land was there. And suppose sometimes you leave this land. Oh, the land will remain there. Or suppose I take my birth in America. So before my birth the land was there. And after my death, the land will be there. If you trace out history, go on tracing. When the land was not there, you'll never find. Therefore the land is God's. Why do you claim that "This is my land"? The earth belongs to God. Everything belongs to God. This consciousness should be changed if you at all want peace. If you encroach upon God's property and take it as your own thing and try to utilize for your sense gratification, you cannot expect any peace, cannot expect any peace. Suppose you have stolen something from somebody else and if you want to enjoy, you'll be always in trouble because the police search will be there, and as soon as you are caught, you'll be in trouble. Similarly, the nature is the police agent of God. As soon as you want to gratify your sense by utilizing the property of God, then you'll be in trouble. The nature will inflict miseries upon you. This is the law of nature.
In the Fourth Chapter we have discussed that what sort of work we shall do? That is prescribed. Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Karma-bandhanaḥ means you become bound up by the resultant reaction. But if you act for yajñārthe-yajñārthe means for Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa—then there will be no reaction, śubhāśubha. Śubha means good, and aśubha means bad. So reaction, either good reaction or bad reaction, you have to take this body. Suppose your... As a result of your good action, you are going to take your birth in the Rockefeller family of America. That's all right. But so far your body is concerned, the body itself is miserable. Don't think that because you are getting your body in some rich family, or in other higher planets, in the demigods planet where you can have a long duration of life... But still, you have got the material body. And as soon as you get this material body, the reaction of the material body—threefold miseries and the miseries of birth, the miseries of death, the miseries of old age, and the miseries of disease—will continue. Because you are rich man, so you are not immune from the material miseries. That will affect. Therefore all these material affection will continue either you do good work, either you do bad work.
Now just see. Take any common man. Not yourself, not myself. Any common man. If you ask him that, "What you are?", he'll say... His conception is that I am this body. Everyone will say. He'll give you some description that, "I am Christian." "I am Hindu." "I am Mr. Such and Such." "I am Mrs. Such and Such." Everything, whatever he or she will say, that is all due to this body. All due to this body. Everyone. When you say, "You are American," that means this is the body. Because by accident, by something, by some reason, you were born in this land of America. That is also another artificial name. The land is neither America nor India. The land is land. But we give some designation, "This is America." We make some boundary. This is United States of America. This is Canada. This is Europe, and this is Asia. This is India. So this is our name, but actually was there any history that the land is American, or the land...? Say, four hundred years before, or five hundred years before, was this land was known as America? You have named it, America. Say, some thousands of years before was this, this, the continent which is known as, I mean, Europe, can you trace out history, that it was known as Europe? They are all designations.
So this whole planet was now Bhārata-varṣa. Then, as the days go on, the some part of this world was, I mean to say, separated from the original Bhārata-varṣa, and it was called Europe or some other place. Just like you have got practical experience even in this age, that India, say about twenty years before, the area of India was including Burma, Ceylon and the modern Pakistan and everything. Now it is separated. Now they are calling this is Pakistan. Somebody's calling there is Ceylon. So this process is going on. Actually the land is neither Bhārata-varṣa, nor Asia, nor America, nor India, but we give this name. With the change of time, with the change of influence, they are all designations.
Fifty years before when some of you, of course, not all of you are fifty years old. Say, forty years before, or thirty-five years before, when you were, or twenty-five years before, when you were not born, can you say what was your designation? Were you American or Indian or Chinese or Russian, can you say? Say, after getting out of this body, do you think that you'll continue as American or Indian or Chinese or Russian? Suppose you are now in America, in the land of America. So next life you may be in China. Who can say? Because we are changing our bodies, you cannot say that we are not changing our bodies. Can you say that you are not changing your body? Yes, we are changing.
So you are completely under the grip of nature. This time, fortunately or unfortunately, I have got this human form of life, but next time I may get the body of a dog or the body of a god. That will depend on my work. But the laws of nature is working. The laws of nature, or the material nature, is forcing me that you accept it. You cannot say that, after my death, let me have my birth in America. Oh, how can you say? You are not authority. You are not authority. So this is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
Everything is being conducted by the supreme laws of nature, but the foolish man thinks that I am something. I am independent. This is foolishness. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. Ahaṅkāra, this false egoism—ahaṅkāra means false egoism. What is that false egoism? That I am not this body, and I think I am this body. This is called false egoism. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya, I mean to say, he preached his mission that you are not this body. You are spirit soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Now, still, when we try to realize ourself, self-realization, there also foolishness, or the dictation of the māyā, or illusory energy, continues.
Because we want material happiness, therefore there is difficulty. So, material happiness, you have got experience, it cannot give us satisfaction. The big, big countries, America, in Europe, and so many, they have advanced in material happiness, but actually they are not happy. Material happiness cannot give us happiness. Happiness, when we actually come to Kṛṣṇa and love Him... Happiness means also love. Either you love your family or your country or your society or your wife, your children, by loving there is happiness. But this loving process is not giving us happiness. We are becoming frustrated. Therefore the real lovable object being Kṛṣṇa, if we make progress to that point, then we shall be happy. This is the point. Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.68). So if this is concluded, then where is difficulty to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness? That is my point. Now it is concluded that if we come to Kṛṣṇa and love Him, then that is the highest perfection of our life. Now to attain that highest perfection of life, where is the difficulty? That is the point I am asking.
If God is giving you bread daily, so you have no duty to return. God will give you bread, either you want it or not want it. He is giving bread to the cats and dogs and ants and so many animals. So why not to you, human beings? Oh, that He will give. Don't bother about that. Don't bother about that. Your bread will come, wherever you may be. Either you may remain in America or in Europe or in India, wherever. Your bread is already there.
Therefore tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. You should rise up to the occasion, how to serve God. And this is the greatest necessity of the present day civilization. People are suffering due to Godlessness, and, if you want to serve the people, your society, your country, the whole human society, then try yourself, best, try your best, you just rise up to the occasion of becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and just spread this philosophy to the world. There will be happiness, there will be peace and everyone will be, blessing (?).
Thank you very much. If there are any question... (end)
This human form of life. Nṛ-deham ādyam. It is very nice ship. And su-labhaṁ su-labhaṁ su-durlabham. Su-labham means this kind of ship you cannot get always. It is an opportunity.
This is an opportunity because we do not know what is going to happen in my next life. There is no guarantee that in next life you are going to take your birth in America or in human form of life. There is no guarantee. Therefore, so long you have got this opportunity, you must fully utilize it. Nṛ-deham ādyam su-labhaṁ su-durlabham. Su-labham, by opportunity, by fortune we have got this, su-labham. And su-durlabham. Su-durlabham means it is very difficult to get this body, because... Just imagine. By gradual evolutionary process from the aquatic to the plant life, then from plant life to worm life, then from worm life to bird's life, then from bird's life to beast life, from beast life to human life—this is the gradual process of evolution. So therefore this human form of life is very difficult to get. By some fortune you have got now. So therefore it is said, su-labhaṁ su-durlabham.
I think in my childhood when I was a student, Scottish Churches College, I read one magazine from your country. I think that magazine is still current, Scientific America. Is there any magazine? Yes. In magazine I saw one picture. I think that skyscraper was beginning at that time. A man was working very heartily, and the picture is there that for manufacturing matter, a soul is being killed. You see? That is material civilization. They are giving too much stress on the matter, on the material side, but they are neglecting the spirit. That is not civilization. One should give more stress on the spiritual side because that is the active principle. So that is called knowledge. A man is to be understood in knowledge when he is giving, I mean to say, importance to the spiritual side. He is called jñānī. Otherwise they are fools. So jñānam. Jñānam means cid-acid-vastu-vivecanam, to understand what is matter and spirit.
This is universal. As soon as you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, as soon as you become God conscious, then your real universal, ideal, universal consciousness develops. Otherwise it is all simply jugglery. There are so many doctrines of universal love, universal friendship, fraternity, but they are fighting, and they are killing simply, because there is no God consciousness. If you are universal, if you are after universal love, then how you can maintain regular slaughterhouse? How you can think that an American gentleman or lady is your countryman and not a cow, and not a goat, not a serpent? Where is your universal idea?
So unless there is development of God consciousness, this universal ideas, oh, these are nonsense. There cannot be. It is all false, jugglery of words. So first business is to understand your identity, identity of God, your relationship, and your action reformed in that way. Then there is question of universal, brotherhood, universal... Otherwise it is simply jugglery of words.
If you are thinking of universal way, how you can give protection to a human being born in America, and send a cow to the slaughterhouse. What is your reason?
In the Western countries, Europe and America, they have made sufficient arrangement for living materially very happy, but that has not been possible. They are also disappointed, confused. So materially you cannot be happy. You must know. You must have full knowledge what you are, what is this body, how you'll be happy. Then your life is successful. If you live like cats and dogs and try to adjust things like cats and dogs, that is a waste of life, waste of time.
Therefore kindly try to understand Bhagavad-gītā. There is full of knowledge. The knowledge is given by the most perfect, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no deficiency. In the knowledge received from imperfect person there are four deficiencies: illusion, mistake, cheating and imperfectness. So from so many deficiencies... You cannot get full knowledge, perfect knowledge from an imperfect person. You have to receive knowledge from the perfect. Then your life will be successful.
So here Arjuna has accepted Kṛṣṇa as his guru. And he submissively says that prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva. Prakṛti, prakṛti means nature, and puruṣa means the exploiter of the nature. Just like here in this material world, especially in the Western countries they are very much fond of developing undeveloped countries. That means exploiting, or to become puruṣa, enjoyer. You Americans, you came from Europe, and now you have developed the whole America, very nice cities, towns, and very well developed. That is called the exploiting the resources.
So prakṛti, nature, and we are, living entities, especially the human being, they are puruṣa. But actually we are not enjoyer. We are false enjoyer. We are not enjoyer in this sense: Suppose you are Americans. You have developed this tract of land known as America very nicely. But you cannot enjoy. You are thinking that you are enjoying, but you cannot enjoy. After some time you will be kicked out, "Get out." Then how you are enjoyer? You may think that "At least for fifty years or hundred years I am enjoying." So you can say that you can enjoy, so-called enjoy. But you can not be permanent enjoyer. That is not possible.
Therefore this land was, American land, was there before your coming from Europe, your forefathers. And your forefathers have left. Mr. Washington, George Washington, he left. Many others who developed this land of America, they have left. Here or there. In France there was Napoleon Bonaparte, in Germany there was Kaiser, and in our country there was Gandhi or somebody else. So they come here. They falsely declare as enjoyer. But actually they are not enjoyer. They're kicked out. They come to enjoy the nature, but the nature kicks them out. This is the fact.
So that mental condition one has to practice. What kind of practice? That is also, how the practice should be done, that is also indicated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25), They are trying to go to the moon planet, but you cannot go in that way. That is not possible. You cannot go by force in any planet. You have to prepare yourself. Just in this planet also, if you want to go to some other country, in America, you have to prepare yourself for passport, visa, and what... So many papers. Pink forms. And bank balance. This, that, so many things. You cannot by force, that "I have come to America..." The immigration department will immediately check: "Where is your passport? Where is your visa? Where is your bona fide?"
Similarly, if such rules and regulations are here, even in this planet, how you dare to go into the moon planet or other planet by force? This is all childish. Now they have stopped. The American government has stopped financing this foolish excursion. Going to the moon planet. They have stopped. They have now come to sense that simply these so-called scientists, they're experi, experimenting on public money and wasting.
Similarly, suppose you construct a skyscraper building, costly building. But who has supplied the material? The brick, stone, wood, iron—where you have got it? It is Kṛṣṇa's property. You cannot produce these bricks or the iron or the wood. It is Kṛṣṇa's property. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). These five elements of material ingredients... earth, water, air fire, all these things, even mind, intelligence... The mind... Unless you have got intelligence, you cannot manufacture anything with this material things.
Just like in America. Before the Americans, the Europeans or from other countries, mostly Europeans, they went to America... And the American land was there. The ingredients were there. But because the red Indians, they had no sufficient intelligence, they could not make America like present time. Lack of intelligence. So we are manufacturing so many things industrially, but the intelligence is also given by Kṛṣṇa. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhiḥ. The buddhi is also given by Kṛṣṇa. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ. "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "From Me, one gets intelligence, memory, and also forgets."
We are wandering in this material world as mad chap. Just like a rich man's son has become mad. He leaves his home and loitering in the street and eating in the garbage. That is our position. We are the sons of the richest person. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya. Bhagavān means who is the proprietor of all riches. So we are sons of such a rich man. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanā... But we have become mad. We have become mad. We want to enjoy... Just like there are many sons. Although the father is... In America we find many. Although father is rich, millionaire, he has become a hippie, out of frustration, confusion, or some other reason. So our condition, like that. We are the sons of the richest person. Not only richest, the wisest. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya vīryasya. The most powerful, Kṛṣṇa. The most powerful, the richest, the wisest, the most beautiful. Everything, supreme degree. We are sons of such a father, but we have become mad after this material enjoyment. This is our madness.
Just like the trees, plants, grass. They cannot move. They have no leg. They have got leg, but they cannot move. They are eating through the legs. Therefore they are called pada-pa, means "collecting waters through the leg." Just these trees. They are drinking water from within the earth with their legs. Therefore they push their roots very deep to find out where is water. And if you put little water on the root of the tree, they live. They drink water. They are standing on the river side drinking water and becoming very flourished. But although they are drinking the same water, still, they are differently constituted with different fruits, different flowers. This is God's creation, we have to understand that.
So apadāni sapadānām, apadāni catuṣ-padām. Apadāni means those who cannot move, these trees, plants, grass, they are eatables for the four-legged animals, catuṣ-padām. Catuḥ means four. Similarly, phalgūni mahatāṁ tatra. Those who are weak, they are food for the strong. That is going on. "Might is right." In the human society also. Just like you Europeans, Americans... Europeans they have come. You come this land of America. Because you are strong, you have eaten up all the original inhabitants. (laughs) So this is going on. This is called struggle for existence.
The Brahma-sūtra, or Vedānta-sūtra, is called nyāya-prasthāna. There are three different processes for understanding the Absolute Truth: nyāya-prasthāna, śruti-prasthāna, smṛti-prasthāna. Brahma-sūtra is nyāya-prasthāna. Nyāya-prasthāna means everything, all the sūtras and codes, are there with full reasoning. Hetumadbhir viniścita. And whatever Brahma-sūtra says, that is viniścita, means ascertained. There is no doubt. Just like Brahma-sūtra says, athāto brahma jijñāsā. Brahma-sūtra says, "Now it is the time for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." "Now" means in this life, human form of life, or...
Just like in Europe and America it is the time now to inquire about the Absolute Truth because materially they are advanced. They have seen all material advancements. The scientists are now perplexed that "How we shall maintain ourselves because we have nothing to give anymore? Whatever stock we had, that is finished." Now they are simply to bluff, no more stock to give. They have given us motorcar and atomic bomb and aeroplane and electronic activities. So many things they have given. That's all right. Simply they could not give us relief from birth, death, old age, and disease. That's all.
Just like this is also scientific improvement, microphone, but the microphone sometimes goes wrong. That does not mean I stop speaking. We can do without microphone. That is not a very great problem. Suppose science has given us motorcar. That's all right. But sometimes, without motorcar, we walk. Or there is bullock cart. So real problem, which very much disturbing us, that we, all of us, we do not want to die, but the science could not give us any formula assuring that "There is no more death." That is not possible. So athāto brahma jijñāsā.
As I was talking, that in the Western countries, Europe and America... About forty years ago, sometimes in the year 1935-36, about forty years ago or little less, one of my godbrother, German... His name... He's still living. He's now in Switzerland.
Sadananda, yes. His real name is Souyle(?), German. So when he came to India, in a meeting he said that "So far mystic power is concerned, that we have solved by science. So we have nothing to learn about the mystic power. I have come to India to learn how to understand God and His service, loving service." So actually that is the position. Forty years ago he said. So the Europe and America, they have enough of material enjoyment. Meat-eating, wine, woman—they have got sufficient. So they are not very much interested with all these things, although, because they have no other alternative for enjoyment, so they are enjoying or trying to satisfy them. But that is not giving them real satisfaction. That's a fact. This wine, woman and meat-eating, that is not giving them any more satisfaction. But because they have no other alternative, what they can do? Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed, that's all. It is already chewed, it is already tasted, but there is no other alternative; therefore they are tasting the same thing this way and that way.
So we may be very proud of advancement of knowledge, but actually we are not yet advanced, so far material science is concerned, to understand the basic principle of the moving force which is moving this body, the... On account of the presence of the soul, we have got so much intelligence, we have got so much thoughtful, psychological effect. So many things wonderful they are. But as soon as the soul is not there, everything collapses. So the Buddhist theory that the intelligence or consciousness takes place at a certain point of material mixture... But that may be an argument, but actually it is not a fact. Any amount of material mixture, you cannot produce soul. They have produced so many things by material mixture, but nobody has produced. In India, of course, we heard so many news that "In America they have produced life in chemical laboratory." And sometimes they say, "In Russia they are trying." But this is not possible. Nobody has found. And greatest scientists, they have admitted that the problem of life is beyond the scope of material science.
That is awaiting. The whole world is awaiting that disaster. The America has got atom bomb and Russia has got atom bomb. As soon as there is another war, the whole world will be finished. So this is the ajñāna. Māyayā-apahṛta-jñānāḥ. They do not know that we cannot keep Lakṣmī without Nārāyaṇa. That is not possible. Lakṣmī can be kept at home with Nārāyaṇa, but she cannot leave Nārāyaṇa. So if you want to enjoy false lakṣmī, that is different thing.
Therefore a person who is devoid of knowledge, who is not devotee, Kṛṣṇa conscious, he has no value. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. He cannot have any good qualities. This is our test. We are not very learned, but we can test because we have got the testing tube. Just like a scientist tests chemically, analytically tests, how pure one chemical is within the test tube, similarly, we have got a test tube. What is that? That test tube it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
As soon as we see that one is not surrendered soul to Kṛṣṇa, he is māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. Then what is the category? Duṣkṛtina, always sinful. Must be. Because he is sinful, he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ.
The spiritual world there is. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). Everything is there, but we do not take care. We think that "We have understood three bighās of land, my neighborhood" or "this, my India" or "my America," "this planet," "That is sufficient knowledge." No, that is not sufficient knowledge. You have to know so many things. But if you understand Kṛṣṇa, to understand Kṛṣṇa means to understand everything. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you try to...
This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that try to understand Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa is speaking in the Bhagavad-gītā. Don't mal-interpret. Don't be foolish, that "Kṛṣṇa means this, Kurukṣetra means that," manufacture some words and you be also foolish and make others foolish. No. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then you'll understand everything.
In other yuga one has to undergo so much severe austerity, penances. Then one can realize. But in this age the things have been made easy. That is also mercy of Kṛṣṇa because these people are so much, disturbed and fallen, downtrodden, they cannot undergo very severe austerity. Simply chant.
- harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
- kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā
- (CC Adi 17.21)
These are the shastric injunctions, and actually it is happening. In Europe and America they are simply chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. They are advancing very quickly to understand. This Bhagavad-gītā, they are now reading as it is. Latest report is, in London we are selling fifteen thousand copies per month. So they are taking interest, because it is presented as it is, Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, no rascal interpretation, "This meaning is this, this meaning that." What authority you have got to make like that? Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then you'll be benefited.
One who is actually devotee, parām, parā-bhakti, he is already brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), liberated, self-realized. Without being self-realized, nobody can attain unalloyed devotional platform. Bhakti means the platform where only liberated person can act. That is bhakti platform. Īhā yasya, those who are always working for Kṛṣṇa. Īhā, īhā means desire. Yasya, harer dāsye. Just to serve Kṛṣṇa. He has no other business.
Just like these boys and girls who have joined Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement from Europe and America, they have no other business. They are simply engaged in executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Īhā yasya harer dāsye. Karmaṇā, by working; manasā, thinking; vācā, by preaching. Karmaṇā manasā vācā. Because we have got three things to act. We can act with our senses, karma.
So there are so many different types of next life. Beginning from Brahmaloka down to the... Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). So why should we try for making a better position within this material world? Why? Why should we waste our time like that? We have seen that to occupy the post of president, Mr. Nixon, how much he had to work in the beginning. I was at that time in America. He was advertising, "America needs now Nixon." So he had to spend millions and millions of dollars, so many cliques and so many intricacies, political... But it is gone, the presidency. Somehow or other. And now he is dragged down. Now he's offered position.
That means as soon as one has a land sufficient to produce, he is safe. His food problem—that is the real problem—is solved. So people are not being trained up to... In America, I have seen. Now the farmers, the father is working on the farm, and the sons, they do not come. They live in the city. This is the tendency all over the world. They are not producing food grains. Therefore there is scarcity. There is scarcity of...
Especially in a country like India where the population is very big and there is no land available, there must be scarcity of food. Especially the Britishers, they have divided India: Pakistan and Hindustan. So all the food grains are there on the Pakistan side, and in the Hindustan side all the industries are there. So they are fighting. They have no industrial facilities, and they have no agricultural facilities. All policies. They would fight all along. The Britishers wanted that "You have taken your independence. All right, you'll suffer all the time, fighting between your..." This was a policy. So it is going on nicely.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So in this material world everything is actually a perverted reflection... (break)
Prabhupāda: Even, what is that? Macmillan Company. Their trades manager, statistics, he has said that our Bhagavad-gītā sale is increasing, other Bhagavad-gītā decreasing. In America also, they are seriously studying how this movement is being spread so quickly. People ask me also how it is wonderfully increasing. Because there is no adulteration. That's all. (speaks to someone in Hindi) (break) ...before the public. And that's a fact, if you don't accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, you will never be happy. This is fact. Everything is there, social, political, economical, philosophical, religious—all perfect knowledge. So what goes on next?
Devotee: Prasādam.
Prabhupāda: Prasādam? (end)
Suppose you are on the sea and it is going to sink in the water. Will you be happy? No. That time we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Sukhe... Duḥkhe saba hari bhaje, sukhe bhaje kaya.(?) When we are in danger... In Japan you have got many times the experience of earthquake, earthquake. What do you do at that time? Huh? You all Japanese boys and girls, what do you do? Have you experienced earthquake? You have? What do you do at that time? (pauses waiting for an answer) When there is earthquake, what do you do? Hmm? But I have seen in America. They all, everyone, they scream. (laughter) And perhaps they remember about God. Naturally they will remember, "God save us. God save us." What is your...? That means that we do not wish to die. That's a fact. You cannot say that death is very good thing. Nobody will say. Death... But we have to die. There is no excuse, that "I shall not die." Death is "as sure as death," they say. But you don't want death. This is suffering.
So therefore we are teaching cleanliness. "You rise early in the morning. Take your bath." He must be clean immediately. He rises early in the morning, evacuating. He takes his bath. Immediately becomes cleansed, śaucam. Sattvaṁ śaucaṁ śamo damas titikṣā. These are the qualification of brāhmaṇa or the suras. But they do not know it. Therefore we are training, "Rise early in the morning. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Have maṅgala-ārati." This is ācāra. This is ācāra. By practicing this, you can see the distinction between ordinary men or our men. Anyone, practically you will see. In America they are surprised. Although they are Americans, they inquire, "Are you Americans?" Because there, in America, there is no such thing. Any inquisitive person inquires. The priest said that "These boys, they are our boys, and they never came to church to inquire about what is God. Now they are mad after God. What is this?" Because they have become suras by training. By training. So asuras can be turned into suras. There is no difficulty. Provided they abide by the rules and regulation, orders of the spiritual master, they can be suras. Because they do not know... Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. They do not know what is satyam. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). Therefore we are teaching them Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi, the ultimate truth. They do not know what is satyam. This is the movement, to give them education to understand what is the Absolute Truth, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi, to teach them how to behave in life, how to become purified in life. This is very scientific movement. If anyone wants actually to become sura, the perfect man, they must join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Then his life will be successful. Thank you very much. (end)
The material power is very gigantic, undoubtedly. That is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā, sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). This material energy is called Durgā. Durgā means... Duḥ means very difficult. When we are in this material world it is very, very difficult to get out of it. The sky is covering the whole material universe, and there are different layers. It is not so... You cannot go even to the nearest planet. Durgā, very difficult. You cannot... You are conditioned soul. You cannot go. You are thinking, "I have got now, discovered this." It is not discovered. The aeroplane was long, long ago. So you cannot go. That is our conditional life. They are trying to go to the moon planet, unsuccessful. They cannot go. Therefore we are conditioned. I am conditioned to live on this planet. I cannot go to other planet without permission. It is common sense. Just like India. One cannot come to America without proper visa. So how you can go to the other planet without proper visa. So they do not think. That is, therefore, asuras, demons. They are simply thinking that they are perfect, they can do everything. That is not possible. That is not possible.
So that was failure. Just like we are now trying, the modern scientists. We are trying to go to the moon planet. It is failure. They will never be able to go there. I have discussed this point. We are conditioned. We cannot live one place to another without being proficient or without being eligible. Just like even in this planet you cannot go to the other country. Suppose from India if we want to go to America, it requires arrangement, not that all of a sudden you can go to America or the Americans come here. There is international arrangement, visa, passport, immigration, so many things. So many obstacles are there even in this planet, and what to speak of going to other planet. It is not possible. You must be efficient; then you can go. That we get information from the Bhagavad-gītā
- yānti deva-vratā devān
- pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ
- bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā
- yānti mad-yājino 'pi mām
- (BG 9.25)
So in this life you have to prepare yourself. Then you can go to the higher planetary system.
So nowadays it is going on very strong, "nation." We do not have any such conception in the śāstra, national idea. The division is deva and asura. It doesn't matter where you are born. Even in India... Suppose you are born in a brāhmaṇa family. It does not mean that you cannot become an asura. And even if in Europe and America if you are born or in the mleccha and yavana family, it does not mean that you cannot become a brāhmaṇa. No. Kṛṣṇa says openly, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Pāpa-yoni, low-born. Pāpa-yoni. There are... They are mentioned in the śāstras, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ (SB 2.4.18). They are considered as caṇḍāla, less than the śūdras. Kirāta means Africans, the black. In our country also there are santals, very black. They live in the forest. Every country aborigines. They are called kirāta. So Huns... There are Huns on the northern side of Germany. Āndhra, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ. Many. But Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that they can be purified, śudhyanti prabhaviṣṇave, if they become Vaiṣṇava. Prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ. If one becomes Vaiṣṇava, then he is transcendental to this material designation.
The basic principle of creation is that this material world is the field of activities of the rebellious living entity. "I don't want to serve Kṛṣṇa. I want to serve my senses." That is the whole world, going on. This Hawaiian city or any city, especially in your America, they're very, very busy. So ask them, "What is the aim of your life?" They'll say, "Sense gratification. I shall earn money, eat nicely, drink nicely, enjoy nicely. That is the aim of life." They do not know. Etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya. Their vision is so polluted. Naṣṭātmānaḥ: they have lost their spiritual ideas, spiritual sense or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The highest principle of spiritual sense means Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to understand God. That is mahātmā, mahātmā.
- bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
- jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
- vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
- sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ
- (BG 7.19)
So without becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious, everyone's life is baffled; he's demon. So demons, they are trying only to adjust things materially, which is impossible.
So relatively... Everything is relative. This is called relative world. Dar... What is...? Professor Einstein, he has proved the law of relativity. So the ant, he has to go, to pick up one grain of sugar, by going hundred miles in his capacity, but it will go. That is desire. You have got experience. You put little sugar here. You don't invite ants, but they'll come. They'll come. They'll get immediately information. Just like from Europe many people came in America-gold rush desire. So desire must be there. The ant has desire; Lord Brahmā has desire; I have got desire; you have got desire. This is artificial, to make desireless. That is not possible.
- Therefore bhakti means to purify the desire. That is bhakti. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam.
- anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ
- jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam
- ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-
- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā
- (Brs. 1.1.11)
Tat-paratvena nirmalam. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). I am desiring now with upādhi, designation. I am Indian; I am desiring in a way. You are American; you are desiring in another way. Similarly, cat is desiring another way. The dog is desiring another way. Everyone has got desires, different types of desire. Child is desiring some way or other. The boy is desiring another way. So the desire is on account of this body, different desire. So when we become transcendental to the bodily concept of life, then we come to the spiritual platform. In that platform the only one desire is how to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is required, not to become desireless but to purify the desire. That is bhakti.
For example, I can tell you, practical example, in United States, America, the government is spending millions of dollars to stop this intoxication habit, LSD habit. Many responsible government officers, they have given us certificate. But they could not control. But in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, anyone who is coming, even though coming from the LSD-addicted society, still, as soon as he comes to our society he gives us not only LSD or any intoxication, he gives up even drinking tea, coffee and smoking cigarette. You can at once check. Because our principle is: anyone who wants to join seriously this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, just like these boys, they have joined, our first condition is that one must give up these four prohibited things: no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating, no intoxication. So that is being possible. Although they are habituated to all these things from their very beginning of life, but as soon as they take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities, they give up these habits very easily.
So mama vartmānuvartante means that just like on the top of, just like there so many skyscraper buildings in America. A hundred and five stories. I think that is the latest. So suppose you have to go to the topmost flat. There is staircase. So everyone is trying to go there. But someone has passed, say, ten steps. Another had passed, say, fifty steps. Another has hundred steps. But you have to complete, say, two thousand steps. So the staircase is the same. Mama vartmānuvartante. Because the aim is to go to the topmost flat. But the one who has passed ten steps, he is lower that one who has passed fifty steps. And the one who has passed fifty steps, he's lower than who has passed hundred steps. So similarly, there are different processes. But all the processes are not the same. They're aiming at the same goal, karma, jñāna, yoga, bhakti, but bhakti is the highest step. Because when you come to the platform of bhakti, then you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Not by karma, jñāna, yoga. That is not possible. You are trying, you are going towards that aim, but Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). He does not say, "By jñāna, by karma, by yoga." No. That you cannot understand. You can go forward, steps. But if you want to know Kṛṣṇa, then bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). This is the process.
So here Kṛṣṇa says that idaṁ te na atapaskāya na abhaktāya. Abhakta, rascal, will not understand what is Bhagavad-gītā. Nābhaktāya. In the beginning also, Kṛṣṇa, before speaking Bhagavad-gītā, He selected Arjuna because... He said, bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyam etad uttamam: (BG 4.3) "The mystery of Bhagavad-gītā, it is very transcendental subject matter. Therefore I shall speak to you." "Why? Why You are selecting me? I am not a Vedantist. I am not a sannyāsī. I am ordinary gṛhastha. That also, I am a soldier, fighting man. Why You are selecting me?" Bhakto 'si: "Because you are My devotee." Nobody can understand Bhagavad-gītā unless he's a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. It is not a rascaldom, that you speculate some interpretation, speculation. No, these things are not allowed, strictly. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation. This is the significance. And people are appreciating. Macmillan Company, our publisher, they printed fifty thousand copies of this book in August, and it was finished by October. Not in this country, of course. In Europe and America. We have got very good demand for our books, all these books. We are selling twenty-five to thirty thousand rupees' worth books daily all over the world.
| Page Title: | America (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 17 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=154, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 154 |