You cannot manufacture religion. And what is actual religion? If you follow, then you are religious. The actual religion is the God's order. That is... everyone follows some principle of religion to understand God. And in our Vedic system the only purpose of life is to understand God. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. In the human form of life we have no other business. No other. Other business, that, cats and dogs are also doing, and we are also doing. That is automatic. It is not that other animals, they are starving. They are also eating and we are also eating. But the facility is, the other animals lower than the human being, they haven't got to do any business or any profession or go from one country to another to earn livelihood. That is their advantage.
And our disadvantage is that we are trying to find out better foodstuff and rotating all over the world, and we are still not getting. So their advantage is better. The birds, small birds, in the morning, just early in the morning they will rise up and they will chirp and they will go away because they are sure that "Our foodstuff is ready anywhere we shall go." And that's a fact. They go to any tree. What the bird will eat? Four, five small fruit. But there are innumerable fruits in one tree and there are innumerable trees. Similarly, take any animal, even the elephant. In Africa there are so many elephants, millions of elephants. They eat at a time forty kilograms. And who is supplying food? They have no business. They have no profession. How they are eating?
Therefore I have already quoted this Vedic quotation, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. So far your living conditions are concerned, what you are? Human being. You are only four hundred thousand species, and the other animals, they are eight million. So if eight million forms of body can be maintained by God, the four hundred thousand forms cannot be maintained? He maintains. He maintains. It is a fact. We are simply unnecessarily wasting our time "Where is food? Where is shelter? Where is sex? Where is defense?" So do that. There is no objection. But do not forget God. Then it is perfect. Otherwise, śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), simply waste of time.
So because the whole world now has forgotten God, we have started... Not we have started. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You see the statues of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Five hundred years ago, seeing the fallen condition of the living entities, especially the human society, He started this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, five hundred years ago he appeared in Navadvīpa, a district in Bengal. And the station is sixty miles from Calcutta. We have got our very big temple there. You are invited to come there, stay there, try to understand the philosophy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
We have already written Caitanya-caritāmṛta, thirteen volumes. You have shown these books? You will find. So, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is also incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, but He is very liberal.
- namo mahā-vadānyāya
- kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
- kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
- nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
- (CC Madhya 19.53)
He is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa came, He left behind Him this instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). We can consult Bhagavad-gītā at any time and we can associate with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's instruction—nondifferent. When you read Bhagavad-gītā, you'll, if you read very seriously, you will feel Kṛṣṇa is present before you and He is instructing.
But unfortunately, although Kṛṣṇa personally appeared and He left behind Him this Bhagavad-gītā to be read by the human society and make his life progressive and be liberated from this material condition of life, we did not care for it. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu five hundred years ago, again He appeared as a devotee, not as Kṛṣṇa. He is Kṛṣṇa, but He appeared as a devotee of Kṛṣṇa to teach us how to become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Again this movement is started to enlighten the human society how to come to his original position of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
So our request is that this movement at least it has come to your country in South Africa and you are welcome. So try to understand this movement, how much it is important. It is not a sentimental movement, neither a so-called... It is actually religious movement, but not so-called religious movement, simply some sentiments and formalities, no. It is practical application in life. And you see practically how by this movement all over the world different section of people from different nationality, different religious group, they are feeling one, oneness in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just try to see the potency of the movement. So take it very seriously. Take it very seriously and...
You have to take it seriously; otherwise you are doomed. Otherwise you are doomed because you do not know how the laws of nature is working upon you. You feel that you are under the laws of nature. That you cannot avoid. That is not possible. But you do not know how the laws of nature is working. That is your ignorance.