Prabhupāda: But I may interfere. The . . . In the Bhagavad-gītā is there such statement that "Service to humanity is service to God"? Is there any statement?
Mr. Dwivedi: Daridrāṇāṁ bhara kaunteya . . . (?) I think there is somewhere . . .
Prabhupāda: There is no.
Mr. Dwivedi: But this particular I remember, daridrāṇāṁ bhara kaunteya . . .
Prabhupāda: This is . . . This is wrong theory. Don't maintain this. This is a very wrong theory. Just like "Service to the leaves is service to the root." Is it not wrong? What do you think? A tree, so where the service should be given—to the root or to the leaf?
Mr. Dwivedi: The root.
Prabhupāda: Then why do you say like that? And Kṛṣṇa says openly, mam ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). He doesn't even recommend to worship demigods. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajanty anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). So these are imagination, concoction. They are not authorized. Vivekananda advocated daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā hundred years ago. So India is full of daridras. What Mothilal can do? What Vivekananda can do? This is all simply concoction. You cannot do anything.
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
The nature's law will go on. You cannot make a poor man a rich man, unhappy man a happy man. That is not possible. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Can you make a hog eat halavā instead of stool? Can you make? By nature's way it is going on. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate (BG 3.27). These are foolish person who concoct ideas. It is not possible. If you can do anything to the human society, induce him to become a Kṛṣṇa devotee.
Kṛṣṇa says. So Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam . . . (BG 18.66). Teach people that "You take it." That is real benefit. Otherwise you cannot do anything. What you can do?
Indian man: The persons are the root.
Prabhupāda: Yes! Root should be given water.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says, "Persons are the root."
Kartikeya: Person is the root.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says, "Persons are the root."
Prabhupāda: No, Kṛṣṇa is the root.
Kartikeya: Kṛṣṇa is the root.
Prabhupāda: Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This is the Vedānta. Aham ādir hi devānām (BG 10.2), Kṛṣṇa says. So devānām, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. He is the origin of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. The root is Kṛṣṇa. Kāraṇam . . . Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (BS 5.1).
- īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
- sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
- anādir ādir govindaḥ
- sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
- (BS 5.1)
Root is Kṛṣṇa.
Indian man: The origin.
Prabhupāda: Origin, yes. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mat . . . (BG 10.8). That is the difficulty. You do not read Bhagavad-gītā. You quote Vivekananda; you quote another, another. But Kṛṣṇa is God. That is the cause of misfortune of India. You don't accept Kṛṣṇa as the authority. Everyone accepts, all the great sages formerly—Asita, Devala, Vyāsa. Svayaṁ caiva bravīṣi me. And at the present era, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Caitanya—all accept, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān (SB 1.3.28). You don't follow the ācāryas, the authorities, Kṛṣṇa. You bring something else.
Kartikeya: Concoction.
Prabhupāda: That is the misfortune. They have left the authority, real authority. They have accepted some foolish man as authority. And that is the misfortune. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, the supreme authority. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). Why don't you take this? Distortion of our śāstra, distortion of authority, and bringing something foolish, and you are following. Not . . . You cannot follow. That is not possible. It is not possible. But you are making some authorities. You're trying to follow. Even if you follow . . . That, the same example, just like Vivekananda was advocating daridra-nārāyaṇa. First of all this is a concocted word. How Nārāyaṇa can be daridra? People have accepted. Nārāyaṇa is daridra?
Mr. Dwivedi: No.
Prabhupāda: Then how he manufactured this nonsense word? It is insulting. If I say, "Foolish Jatti, President. Rascal," so is it not insult? Similarly, if you say daridra-nārāyaṇa, it is insult to Nārāyaṇa. But people are accepting daridra-nārāyaṇa. Just see how they are misled.