These two brothers, at that time their name was Sākara Mallika and Dabira Khāsa. So they were ostracized from the brāhmaṇa community. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's special grace, that He accepted two rejected gentlemen from the brāhmaṇa society and made them gosvāmīs. That is the special significance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement. He accepted Haridāsa Ṭhākura from born in Muhammadan community and He made him the ācārya, namācārya. The, practically Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared to glorify the significance of the holy name. He is actually the ācārya, namācārya, but He transferred His namācārya-ship to Haridāsa Ṭhākura. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement, kibā vipra kibā śūdra nyāsī kene naya. It doesn't matter whether he's a brāhmaṇa or a śūdra or anyone, if he's kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, then he can be made the spiritual master. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement's significance.
Community (Lectures, Other)
Lectures
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
Prabhupāda: The brāhmaṇa community was so strong that because acceptance of service is the business of the śūdra... The brāhmaṇas, they would not accept anyone's service. The kṣatriyas, they would not accept anyone's service. And the vaiśyas also. They should live independently.
In the primary stage, a child whatever he gets, he puts into his mouth. Anna-brahman. Then gradually, as the child grows, sometimes he distributes to his other brother or parents, the love increases. In this way, self-centered, then family-centered, then community-centered, society-centered, nation-centered, international centered... So this increase of our loving propensity will not be satisfied unless it reaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.
Lord Caitanya and Rāmānanda Rāya were talking together, and Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya was feeling little shyness because he did not belong to the brāhmaṇa community. He was governor, householder. So he thought that Caitanya Mahāprabhu was asking him question and he was answering, that means he was taking the superior position. So he felt little shyness.
Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was born in Muhammadan family. Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, they were rejected from the brāhmaṇa community and they took the Muslim names, Sākara Mallika, Dabira Khāsa. But it is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching that He collected all these exalted personalities. They were associates of Kṛṣṇa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura was made the Namācārya. And Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, although rejected by the brāhmaṇa community, they were the exalted Gosvāmīs, six Gosvāmīs. Śrī-rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raghunātha. Ei chaya gosi yāra tāra mui dāsa. So our whole Vaiṣṇava, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava community are servants of all these Gosvāmīs.
Just like a child. He loves for himself. Anything he gets, he wants to eat. Own sense gratification. Then, as he grows, he shares his foodstuff with his little brother and sister. Then, as he grows, he loves his mother, his father, then other friends. In this way, as we go, we can love our society, our community, or nation, or internationally, all human beings.
So-called humanitarian service, social service, without any touch with Kṛṣṇa... Just like watering on the tree without touching the root—it is useless labor. Similarly, you do whatever service you can do to the society, to the community, to the nation, but do it in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you're perfect.
First of all, try, try to understand Kṛṣṇa and try to love Him. Your love will be distributed, not only in your family and community, but throughout the whole world. All animals, all insects, all trees. You'll never be inclined to do harm, even to an ant.
Now because we are designated, we have got this body, designation, therefore we are situated in different positions. Somebody's working for his family. Somebody's working for his community. Somebody's working for his nation. But this is anyathā rūpam. This is depending on the bodily designation.
These European, American boys, they are working for Kṛṣṇa. It is practical. They are not working for their community, country or nation. Neither Kṛṣṇa is their God. According to common understanding, in the Dictionary it is said Kṛṣṇa is Hindu God. But they are not working for Hindu God. They are working for Kṛṣṇa.
Actually we are engaged as servant always. Here, everyone who are sitting here, every one of us, servant: servant of the society, servant of the family, servant of the community, servant of the country, servant of the nation. In this way, we are servant. That's a fact.
And servant of the family means he's servant of his senses. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor du... (SB 7.9.45). They are, their happiness is that sex life. For enjoy that sex life, they are working so hard, day and night. Therefore he's neither serving the society, community, family, but he's serving his sense gratification. That's all. This is their service.
When everyone becomes agreed that "We shall satisfy Kṛṣṇa," that is oneness. That is oneness. One nation. We can understand: one family. One family means they're individual persons, but they're working for the interest of the family—all of them combinedly, conjointly, working. Similarly, they're working conjointly for the society, or they're working conjointly for the community, or conjointly working for the nation. That is oneness.
Every Indian is an individual person, but he has sacrificed his individuality and engaged himself for the service of the country. That is national consciousness. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As there is national consciousness, community consciousness, family consciousness, so many other consciousness, similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means all persons agree to work for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So chanting is so effective that it benefits even the animals, beasts, birds, insects, everyone. This is the best welfare activity. In the human society there are welfare activities for some society or nation or community or human being. But this welfare activity is beneficial not only to the human society but to the birds, beasts, tree, animal, everyone. This is the best, supermost welfare activity in the world, spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
In the beginning, I want to enjoy. Then if I, I extend my enjoyment, family-wise, community-wise or nation-wise, that does not change the quality of selfishness. People are going on in the name of nationality, big leaders, but from our point of view, that neither as nation or community or person you are the proprietor of things.
So if you expand your selfishness in the name of nationality—"I possess this land"—we do not approve. We say, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Why you are claiming yourself, as nation or individual or community? That's not proper.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
We are talking very, very big, big talks and plans, but actually we are nothing better than cats and dogs. This is our position because we are identifying with this body. "My country, my community, my society, my family, my..." Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Jīvasya moho ayam ahaṁ mameti. They do not know. This is the ignorance, basic ignorance. "I" and "my."
So Sanātana Gosvāmī, actually he belonged to the brāhmaṇa family. His forefathers belonged to the sarasvata brāhmaṇa. There are different sect, gaura brāhmaṇa and sarasvata brāhmaṇa. So sarasvata brāhmaṇa, actually they belonged to the Aryan, ārya-varta, the Punjab side and Kashmir side. They are considered to be high-class brāhmaṇa. So he belongs to that community.
And this Sanātana Gosvāmī accepted ministership in the Muhammadan kingdom. So in those days, amongst the brāhmaṇa community, if any brāhmaṇa would accept service, he becomes at once a śūdra.
So because this Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī accepted government office—although it was government office, but it was service—so they were outside the brāhmaṇa community. So all these Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted.
You have heard the name of Rabindranath Tagore. They were also in that way ostracized. They were out of brāhmaṇa community. They also belonged to the brāhmaṇa community. So therefore he is presenting himself that nīca jāti. Nīca jāti: "I am lower caste." Why? Nīca-saṅgī: "Because my association nīca, my association Muhammadan. They are not brāhmaṇas. They are not highly qualified.
As you have in your country the Rockefeller, Carnegie and Ford, similarly, in our country we have got many rich men just like Birla, Dalmiya, Bangar, and so many. So they are called sethji. So sethji, ṭhākuraji and paṇḍitaji. And the śūdras are called mahājana. Because if they are called śūdra, they will be angry. So mahājana means great personality. So these are some etiquette for addressing different communities. Amongst the different communities, although they were of such classification, still, there was no enmity. They lived in village although in their position, but the relationship was very friendly, just like brothers, just like brothers actually.
People in every community, religious community, there is tīrtha. People want (indistinct) holy place. So they go, they take bath. Just like in India they go to Hardwar or Vṛndāvana or Prayag, take bath in the Ganges or Yamunā. Similarly, Christians, they go to take bath in the river Jordan.
We should take lesson from this that you cannot satisfy in this material world by becoming servant of your family or community, society, nation. No. It is not possible. You can satisfy very easily Kṛṣṇa by little service.
Either you are in the family or in the community or in the country or anywhere, you simply give them service, deliver them. Without service, how you can deliver them? And you haven't got to discover anything or make research. What is already there, kṛṣṇa-upadeśa, you teach them, that's all.
Just like in our country we followed the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, so we became a nation. So everywhere you will find: there must be a leader. Without leader you cannot become a community or a nation. Similarly, who is the supreme leader? That is God, or Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is described in the Vedas, nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānāmv. He is the leader.
Similarly, the one may understand that he is spirit soul and he may try his best to merge into the spiritual effulgence, Brahman—ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I shall remain in Brahman"—but because he is person, the impersonalism condition will not be helpful to him, and because he has no personal view of the supreme spirit—he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṇa—naturally he again comes back to this material world and surrenders to the material subject matter. Sometimes he is engaged in philanthropic work or altruistic work. He thought, "This is the best service. instead of serving myself, let me serve the whole humanity, whole community, whole nation," so on, so on, so on. But they are all asad-dharma. They are not sad-dharma.
Even India, where so much culture was made for understanding God, this foolish government, they're also teaching this. You see. So this is the, I mean to say, age. Don't think that I am particularly criticizing some country or community. This is the age, Kali. It is called Kali. Hypocrisy, simply hypocrisy. Kali means full of hypocrisy.
Our, this material body is made of these three guṇas: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Those who have got this body from the modes of goodness, they are called brāhmaṇas, or the most intelligent persons. And those who have got their body from the modes of passion, they are called kṣatriyas. They have got creative initiation. And those who are mixed, they are called vaiśyas, or the mercantile community. And those who have got purely body from modes of ignorance, they are called śūdras.
Festival Lectures
The brāhmaṇa community, especially in those days, five hundred years ago, the brāhmaṇa community, as a community, they were not very rich because they did not care for material opulence. That is the specific quality of brāhmaṇas.
First important class is called who are seeking success of the human form of life, and the next class, they are seeking success to become very rich within this material world by political power. Another next class is trying to be successful by material opulence, by earning money, the mercantile community.
In your country, they say that the frustrated community, the confused community, the hippies. But I have got all sympathy for these frustrated community, everywhere. They should be frustrated. In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that athāto brahma jijñāsā. This human form of life should feel frustration. If he does not feel frustration, then it is animal life.
So in the village of that Vṛndāvana, the father of Kṛṣṇa, foster father of Kṛṣṇa, Nanda Mahārāja and his associates, they were yearly performing the Indra-yajña. Because they were agriculturists, they depended on rain, sufficient rains. And he had many cows. Nanda Mahārāja was a farm man. He is agriculture and cows. The mercantile people, the vaiśya community, they are recommended three things: kṛṣi-go-raksya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). Kṛṣi means agriculture, and go-rakṣya means cow protection, and vāṇijyam means trade. So Nanda Mahārāja belonged to the vaiśya community. So he was well-to-do man, very rich man, and he had 900,000's of cows.
Parampara means coming from disciplic succession or from generation. My father did it, my father's fathers did it. So every religious ceremony, and according to Vedic rituals, they are from paramparā, family or society-wise or community-wise. In every country there is. So he says that "This paramparā, this successive generation, we have been doing this, and we should not give it up."
A Vaiṣṇava, or devotee of Lord, his life is dedicated for the benefit of the people. You know—most of you belong to Christian community—how Lord Jesus Christ, he said that for your sinful activities he has sacrificed himself. That is the determination of devotee of the Lord.
There were thirteen pseudo Vaiṣṇavas, thirteen sects: Āula, Bāula, Karttābhajā, Neḍā, Daraveṣa, Sāṅi, Sahajiyā, Sakhībhekī. Sāṅi community... You have heard that in London there is a Sāṅi community. Sāṅi Hindu center you have heard from Mukunda? The Sāṅi is there still. So there are thirteen pseudo pretenders belonging to the Caitanya-sampradāya.
That power, another power. That power is sun, and that is called saura, worshiping the sun. Just like there is a Parsi community in India. Fire worship is recommended in the Vedas. So that powerful sun, sun-god, they worship the sun. That is the stage of saura, saura stage.
Initiation Lectures
When one is haunted by ghost he becomes upset of his own consciousness and talks all kinds of nonsense. Similarly, when our existence is covered by the material ghost we talk so many nonsense: "I am this body, and anything in relationship with this body is mine. I am dying. I belong to this family. I belong to this community, nation, this, that, planet." These are all just like a man haunted by ghost speaks nonsense, these are all nonsense. And the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to cure this disease.
As a matter of formality, the devotee accepts the sannyāsa dress as previous ācāryas did. He also accepts the three daṇḍas. Later, Viṣṇu Svāmī considered that accepting the dress of a tridaṇḍa was parātma-niṣṭhā. Therefore sincere devotees add another daṇḍa, the jīva daṇḍa, to the three existing daṇḍas. The Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī is known as tridaṇḍī-sannyāsī. The Māyāvādī sannyāsī accepts only one daṇḍa, not understanding the purpose of tridaṇḍa. Later, many persons in the community of Śiva Swami gave up the ātma-niṣṭhā, devotional service of the Lord, and followed the paths of Śaṅkarācārya. Instead of accepting 108 names, those in the Śiva Swami sampradāya follow the path of Śaṅkarācārya and accept the ten names of sannyāsa. Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the then existing order of sannyāsa, namely ekadaṇḍa, He still recited from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about the tridaṇḍa-sannyāsa accepted by the brāhmaṇa of Avantīpura. Indirectly He declared that within the ekadaṇḍa, one daṇḍa, four daṇḍas existed as one.
The followers of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu never accepted the Māyāvāda order of sannyāsa, and for this, they cannot be blamed. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted Śrīdhara Swami, who was a tridaṇḍī sannyāsī, but the Māyāvāda sannyāsīs, not understanding Śrīdhara Swami, sometimes think that Śrīdhara Swami belonged to the Māyāvāda ekadaṇḍa sannyāsa community. Actually this was not the case."
General Lectures
Everywhere, the same thing is, "Why shall I surrender?" But we have to surrender. That is our constitutional position. If I don't surrender to some particular person or particular government or particular community or society or something, but ultimately I am surrendered. I am surrendered to the laws of nature. There is no independence. I have to surrender. When there is call of the cruel hands of death, immediately I have to surrender.
I may declare independence from my father, from my state, from my country, from my community, but I am servant of my senses. So where is my independence? So we should know our constitutional position, that in all circumstances we are dependent. Therefore the best method of my perfection of life is to become dependent on God, Kṛṣṇa. That is the solution of all problems.
But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that it does not require that a community or a nation or a family or any group has to accept, then you will be happy. No. Individually, if you accept. If your family does not accept, if your community does not accept, if your country does not accept, it doesn't matter. You will be happy. But if your family accepts, if your community accepts, if your nation..., you will be more happy.
You love your society, you love your family, you love your country, you love your community. Because you love, therefore you serve. That is your characteristic. Either you are Christian or either you are Muhammadan, either you are Hindu, this characteristic will go on.
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness will give us that opportunity, and those who are gṛhasthas, family men, their duty is to raise their children to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that actually the child will have full advantage of having a nice parent, nice father and mother. So this New Vrindaban we have selected to grow a community of such nice father and mother. There is sannyāsī also, brahmacārī, gṛhastha.
So this is the definition we get from Bhagavad-gītā, that we are expanding our feelings of love, different types of love—love of the country, love of the nation, love of the society, love of the community, love of the family, or love of the cats and dogs. Love is there. Love is there, but we are expanding it according to our expansion of perfect knowledge. That perfect knowledge comes to exist when we come to the point of loving Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection.
Anyone can go anywhere very swiftly. You can go to London from Bombay within nine hours. So the world is not bounded anymore by "geographical limits to the particular countries or communities. Human society is broader than in the Middle Age, and the world tendency is towards one state of human society." There is already the United Nations.
The preliminary is that the present moment, although we are trying to be united—United Nations, united society, united religions, united... So many things, we are trying to be united-communism, united community—but this unity can be possible only when we are actually learned in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
At the present moment our senses are contaminated. I am thinking in so many different consciousness. I am thinking in consciousness of nationality, community, society, friendship—so many ways—but without Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore our consciousness is impure. We have to be freed from all the designated consciousness.
Just suppose I am a great patriot. I am giving service to my country. That's very good. But I am creating many enemies at the same time because there are other persons who are also interested in their country or community. Therefore that kind of service is not perfect. That is service with designation because I am thinking... I am spirit soul, I am Brahman, I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, or God, but I am thinking that "I am servant of this country, this community, this society, this..." so many things. So one has to become free from the designation. Then his senses will be purified.
Just like a father has got four boys. Not that everyone is of the same intelligence. But does the father give less protection to the less intelligent son? No. The protection, the family protection, is equal for everyone. These are the conception, bhāgavata community, equal right to everyone, even to the animals. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa means you are associating with Kṛṣṇa. That means you are directly in touch with the root of everything. So by advancing in love for Kṛṣṇa, you can love your society, your country, your community, your family, your husband, your wife, your children, your friend—everything, complete, pūrṇam.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes (SB 5.5.2). Mahat-seva. Mahat means whose mind has been broadened, not crippled. Cripple-minded man thinks in terms of personal interest or society's interest or community's interest, nation's interest, or international interest. Even international interest is cripple-minded, because there are many planets. If we expand ourself from self-interest to family interest, from family interest to community interest, similarly, even you expand to the international interest, it is imperfect unless your interest is expanded up to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the Vedic injunction in the Ṛg Veda, oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. Those who are advanced in knowledge, their aim is, their interest is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu.
Prabhupāda: This is the secret. People are trying to bring in peace and prosperity in the world by so many activities—philanthropism, altruism, nationalism, socialism. And so-called religion also, they are trying to bring in. The whole idea is the human society should remain in peace and prosperity. And the vivid example is the United Nations in your country. America invited all nations that "Let us form a community of United Nations," but the America herself is fighting. You see? Because the idea was there to unite, but they do not know the basic principle, how to unite. That is the defect.
We cannot become master. We are servant by constitution. Every one of us sitting here is a servant to somebody. Nobody can deny it. Either he may be servant of his family or his community or his country or... So many things... If one has no master, then he keeps a dog to become his servant. That is the nature. We are all servants. Our thinking that "I shall become master," that is māyā.
If I give up my designations, if I become purified, that is my real ego. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to become nirmala. And when you become nirmala... Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. That is bhakti. So your senses are there. Now with my senses I am thinking that "I am the head of this familyman," "I am head of this community," or "I am..., I have to serve. I have to engage my hand in this way, my eyes in this way, my nose in this way." Senses are engaged in a upādhi, designated. But when this is, designation is taken away, when you become nirmala, the senses remain, the dress of the senses taken away, at that time, your senses are engaged in the service of the Lord, and that is called bhakti.
When I speak of Kṛṣṇa, we mean God. And Kṛṣṇa is the best name of God. Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." God must be all-attractive. God cannot be attractive for a few men or few, for a..., by a community. No. God must be attractive by everyone. That is God. So, Kṛṣṇa, by His opulences, by His strength, by His beauty, by His knowledge, by His renouncement—everything complete. Therefore He's God.
Either I become president or minister or head of the family, head of the community, society—whatever I may be, my position is servant, but I'm thinking that I have become master. This is called illusion.
So according to Bhagavad-gītā, as we are preaching, we are also opening centers, self-help center. In New Vrindaban, West Virginia, we have already opened a very big community center. We are going to open in California also, and we have already opened in India also, that we occupy a certain tract of land, we produce our own food, we keep our cows and take their milk, and there is no scarcity.
Kṛṣṇa says, "Absolute surrender." And if you want material necessities, then you have got so many dharmas—this dharma, that dharma, social dharma, family dharma, national dharma, community dharma, and so on, so on. But Kṛṣṇa demands, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). So it is not very easy thing. Therefore renunciation and surrender. Surrender means full renunciation, no reservation. And renunciation means you renounce something and keep something. That is difference.
Those who are in the Vedic religion, all of them, they accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no doubt about it. So far our Vedic religion is concerned, the propounder of the Vedic religions in India still existing, still continuing, the ācāryas, just like Śaṅkarācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka, these ācāryas... The followers, the whole Hindu community or the whole Indian nation, they are followers of these ācāryas.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: He says that the interest of the community would be the sum of the interests of the individuals in the community.
Prabhupāda: That is a compromise. That is not happiness, that "You don't harm me, I don't harm you, and we remain happy." That does not mean you are happy, I am happy. These are simply speculate.
As the Communist they think a member of a certain community, similarly a man's duty is to think always as member of God's family. The same idea I was speaking, that God is the supreme father, material nature is the mother, and anything, any living entity coming out of material nature, they are all sons of God.
Our real identity is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. So even if he is..., are in this material body, if you are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, that is liberation. Hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. When we give up our otherwise life... "Otherwise life" means to be engaged in māyā's service—as the head of the family, head of the community, head or member of this and... We have designated in so many ways. So that is our conditional life. And the same service, when we render to Kṛṣṇa cent percent, we are liberated.
| Page Title: | Community (Lectures, Other) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, ChandrasekharaAcarya |
| Created: | 17 of Aug, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=69, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 69 |