Everything looks beautiful when one is related with something in very intimate relation. Just like at night the sky becomes beautiful when there is moon. Everyone can understand. The sky becomes . . . the sky is there, vast sky, at night. But on the full-moon night, when the moon is there and the stars are there brilliantly, it looks very nice.
Similarly, the state looks very nice if there is good government, good king, good president. Then everyone is happy, everything going on nicely. Similarly, nārīṇāṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ patiḥ. A girl looks very beautiful . . . girls are naturally beautiful. But she looks very beautiful when she has got a husband. Nārīṇāṁ bhūṣaṇaṁ patiḥ. And vidyā sarvasya bhūṣaṇam: but if a person, however ugly he may be, if he's learned scholar, that is his beauty. Similarly, there are kokilānāṁ svaro rūpaṁ nārī-rūpaṁ pati-vratam. These are there.
Similarly, everything will look very beautiful when Kṛṣṇa is there. When Kṛṣṇa is there. So Kuntīdevī is thinking that "When Kṛṣṇa will be absent, our this kingdom will not be beautiful. So long Kṛṣṇa is with us, we Pāṇḍavas, our kingdom, Hastināpura, everything beautiful." It is said, tvat-padair aṅkitā bhāti. "Kṛṣṇa, You are now in our kingdom. You are walking. So by the impression of Your footprints, everything is beautiful. There is sufficient supply of food, fruits, water. Everything looks beautiful. But when You leave us, then it will not look beautiful." That is being described. Neyaṁ śobhiṣyate. Śobhiṣyate. "It will not look beautiful."
So it is not only applicable when Kṛṣṇa was present and Kuntī was speaking. It is not that the truth was there. It is always. With the advancement of our civilization, if we don't bring . . . we cannot . . . if we cannot bring Kṛṣṇa in the center, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it will never become beautiful. This is the philosophy. You bring Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Practically anyone can appreciate that this . . . you are all boys and girls. When you were outside this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, just think over, your beauty was there, but at the present moment, because you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you look very, very beautiful. That's a fact. Nobody can deny it. You compare with other boys and girls and the boys and girls here. Anyone . . . in your country, they have given you the name "bright-faced." Do you know? The newspapers. Yes. In Philadelphia, one lady was inquiring that "Are you Americans?" Perhaps you know all these things.
So actually your countrymen, those who are sober, they are seeing that, "How these boys and girls are becoming so nice, jolly, beautiful." Because at the present moment in your country all young generation mostly they are confused, hopeless. We see every day—morose, black-faced. Why? Because they're missing the point. There is no aim of life. But these devotees, Kṛṣṇized, they look so beautiful. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa is there. That's all. It is a fact. Any sane man will admit.
So what is fact now, what is . . . what was fact before, during five thousand years ago when Pāṇḍavas were there, that Kṛṣṇa in the center, everything becomes beautiful—that can be done at any time. Kṛṣṇa is always there. Simply you have to invite Him, "My Lord, please come and be in the center." That's all. Everything will be beautiful. The same example, sometimes as I give you, that there are zero . . . zero has no value. But you bring one by the side of zero, it becomes ten times beautiful, immediately. So our point is that you do whatever you are doing. We don't stop you. We never say that "Stop everything of material . . ."
But we have to stop anything which is against Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because we do not stop . . . it doesn't mean that we shall not stop meat-eating. We must stop. This is against advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You cannot commit sinful activities. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Kṛṣṇa says that "You surrender unto Me, and I shall rescue you, make you liberated from all kinds of sinful reaction."
Every one of us, life after life, we are committing simple sinful activities, knowingly or unknowingly. Knowingly, I may kill one animal. That is sinful certainly. Even we do it unknowingly, that is also sinful. Just like while we are walking on the street, we are killing so many ants, unknowingly. So in our ordinary dealings—while cooking, while taking water, while using pestle and mortar for smashing spices—we are killing so many animals. So unless we remain Kṛṣṇa conscious, we are liable to be punished for all these unknowingly committing sinful activities.
Knowingly, of course, you'll be . . . that's a fact. Unknowingly. Knowingly or unknowingly. Just like fire. A child unknowingly touches the fire. Does it mean the fire will excuse the child? No. The nature's law is so strict, so stringent, that there is no question of excuse. In the ordinary law also, ignorance is no excuse for legal obligation. If you go to the court, and if you say: "My lord, I did not know that the result of this action is this, criminal," that is not pleading that you will be excused.
So therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness must be there. If we actually want to be free from the reaction of sinful life that we are doing, knowingly or unknowingly, then Kṛṣṇa consciousness must be there. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Therefore it is recommended, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Always we have to be engaged in chanting: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma . . . so that Kṛṣṇa will save us. Knowingly we cannot commit any sinful activities. That is one thing. Unknowingly also we cannot do it. Then we'll be liable.
Therefore if you remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you always keep Kṛṣṇa within your mind, then . . . just like when the sun is there, there cannot be any darkness. Similarly, if you keep kṛṣṇa sūrya, the Kṛṣṇa sun . . . that is our motto in the Back to Godhead: kṛṣṇa sūrya sama māyā andhakāra (CC Madhya 22.31). Kṛṣṇa is just like brilliant sunshine, and the māyā, ignorance, is just like darkness. But when or while or where the sun is there, there cannot be any darkness. Similarly, you keep Kṛṣṇa in consciousness always, there cannot be any ignorance; there cannot be any darkness. You'll be walking very freely in bright sunshine of Kṛṣṇa. Don't try to make Kṛṣṇa absent. That is Kuntī's prayer. "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are going to Dvārakā . . ." This is an example. They are not going. Kṛṣṇa is not going from the Pāṇḍavas.