Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva, the father of Mahārāja Bharata, under whose name the India is called... Not India. This whole planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. In the Vedic literature Bhāratavarṣa means this planet. And it is consisting seven islands. That is also mentioned in Vedic literature. Seven islands means Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and Oceania. These seven islands are mentioned. Description is there. So this Bhāratavarṣa... This planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. Now it is divided. Now it is divided because on account of loss of the old Vedic culture we have now divided. I am thinking, "I am Indian," you are thinking, "Australian." Another is thinking, "American" or "Englishman." These divisions have come very lately, say about three thousand, four thousand years ago. Before that, this planet was one. There was only one king. We get this information from Vedic literature. And he was ruling all over, then. The culture was one. That is Vedic culture. Still, I hear some of my student was telling that in Australia there is some Hindu temple somewhere.
North America
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
Sapta-dvīpa refers to the seven great islands or continents on the surface of the globe: (1) Asia, (2) Europe, (3) Africa, (4) North America, (5) South America, (6) Australia and (7) Oceania. In the modern age people are under the impression that during the Vedic period or the prehistoric ages America and many other parts of the world had not been discovered, but that is not a fact. Pṛthu Mahārāja ruled over the world many thousands of years before the so-called prehistoric age, and it is clearly mentioned here that in those days not only were all the different parts of the world known, but they were ruled by one king, Mahārāja Pṛthu. The country where Pṛthu Mahārāja resided must have been India because it is stated in the eleventh verse of this chapter that he lived in the tract of land between the rivers Ganges and Yamunā. This tract of land, which is called Brahmāvarta, consists of what is known in the modern age as portions of Punjab and northern India. It is clear that the kings of India once ruled all the world and that their culture was Vedic.
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Many millions of years ago, King Ṛṣabhadeva... He was incarnation of God. Before His retirement He instructed His sons. He had one hundred sons. The eldest one was Bharata, and under, after his name, this planet was called Bhāratavarṣa. Bhāratavarṣa at the present moment, what we understand, that small piece of land, India, Bhāratavarṣa does not mean that piece of land. Bhāratavarṣa means this whole planet. So before that, before Emperor Bharata, this planet was known as Ilāvṛtavarṣa, and after the reign of Mahārāja Bharata this planet is known as Bhāratavarṣa. Gradually, the Vedic culture being forgotten, the whole planet is now divided. The seven islands, as already existing, they are mentioned in the Vedic literature also, sapta-dvīpa. Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Australia, and the Archipelago (Arctic level?). In this way this whole world is divided into seven lands, islands.
General Lectures
Stena eva sa ucyate: he's a thief. So in this material world, one who has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one who is not using things in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Everyone is using Kṛṣṇa's... Nobody has got any property. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is the version in Īśopaniṣad. Now, in this American land, now divided into Canada, North America, South America, but originally, to whom this land belongs? It belongs to Kṛṣṇa. You have come here and have divided Kṛṣṇa's property and you have named "This is Canada, this is North America, this is South America," and you are claiming proprietorship. But if you are asked, "Are you really proprietor?" No. You have come here, encroached upon others' property. So originally, you are thief. Actually this is the position, that anyone who is unlawfully claiming something, "It is mine," that is illusion. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This ahaṁ mameti, "It is mine, and it is I. This body, I. And in bodily relation, everything mine," these two things are illusion. Ahaṁ mameti. Aham means "I." What "I"? This body. And what "mine"? This, "My wife is mine, my children, my home, my country." Why? Because the bodily relationship is there.
Now, it is a question of believe or not believe. That is a different thing. We believe. We take it. Because it is said by Kṛṣṇa, we take it, accept it. And we apply our reason also, not blindly take it, that if I see that in every planet, in our this planet there is a president... Formerly, in this planet also, there was only one king, and he was ruling over all the planets. Gradually, people have divided their interests and become different nations. From Vedic history we can see... I understand... Somebody was telling me that in Australia also there is some Śiva temple here. Who was telling me that? He was telling me. So the archaeological investigation has found so many relics, and in the Vedic literature we also find the mention of all the island, sapta-dvīpa, seven islands. Seven islands means Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, Australia, and Oceania. These are mentioned already in the Vedic literature.
This Bhagavad-gītā is recorded in the greater Indian history, Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means greater India or greater Bhārata. Greater Bhārata means the whole planet was formerly Bhāratavarṣa. Now it is cut into pieces. Recently we have got experience that Pakistan was also India. Now it is cut out. Similarly, this Bhārata... Bhārata means... Bhāratavarṣa means the sapta-samudra, sapta-dvīpa. This sapta-dvīpa still accepted—the North America, South America, Asia, Africa, Australia. In this way there are sapta-dvīpa, islands. So that is Bhārata. Now it is cut off under different circumstances. And the capital was this New Delhi or Hastināpura, and the kings, emperors, were the Pāṇḍavas family. So this is the history of greater India. That is called Mahābhārata. So Mahābhārata... In the Mahābhārata this Bhagavad-gītā is set up, and the writer of Mahābhārata is Vyāsadeva himself, and therefore the recorder of the speech, what Kṛṣṇa said in the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, is also Vyāsadeva. So Vyāsadeva, you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, he says everywhere, bhagavān uvāca. He never says that "I am writing." He says, bhagavān uvāca. That you'll mark, those who have read Bhagavad-gītā.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: By Kṛṣṇa's grace. It is no sends us money.(?) We are spending about ten hundred thousand dollar per month. Kṛṣṇa is providing.
Professor: Ten thousand...
Prabhupāda: Ten hundred thousand. Million dollar. We are getting especially by selling these books. Our book selling is increasing. We are selling fifty thousand copies at the present moment of all these books.
Hṛdayānanda: Every month.
Prabhupāda: Every month. In America all the universities, professors, learned scholar, they are giving us standing order, "As soon as published, please send this."
Professor (Hṛdayānanda): Where in the world do we find that people most understand us and join us?
Prabhupāda: America, North America. Now we have come to South America.
Professor: (Spanish) I saw the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement on British television, and they had an interview with the head of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement there, and they sang and they danced and many other things there. So people are very receptive to the message of...
Prabhupāda: All over the world. In Africa also.
Prabhupāda: And he is given payment. He is given food, shelter, everything, to work for Kṛṣṇa. Now Kṛṣṇa, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasām (BG 5.29). Whatever activities are going on there, the enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa, nobody else.
Hṛdayānanda: So that's like a new light that you have given. I noticed in your lectures that you were always saying that these things were art. It took a while for me to understand it.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Nothing belongs to you. Why should you claim it is yours? They are claiming North America "ours," South America "ours." So how it became yours? It was already there, and you came as a immigrant, and it becomes yours? (break) Karmīs, they are claiming, "It is our property." And the jñānīs, they are living that "This is mithyā," and give it up. Both of them in the wrong. It is created by somebody, how you can say mithyā, false? Māyāvādī says, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "The whole cosmic manifestation is false." How it is false? And karmīs, they are claiming unnecessarily, "It is mine." Creator is different person, and he is claiming, "mine". That is also false.
Prabhupāda: Therefore when Kṛṣṇa chastised Arjuna, He addressed him, "non-Aryan." "You are not talking like Aryan." Anārya juṣṭam. "You are talking like non-Aryan." (aside:) Hare Kṛṣṇa. So Aryan means advanced. The first-class civilized men are the Aryans. So that standard of Aryan civilization is to understand God, Viṣṇu, and go back to. This is perfectional. Yato vā imani (indistinct) bhūtāni jayante. To understand it. And again return back to Him. The modern civilization, they are completely unaware of God, neither they know it that going back to home, back to Godhead, is perfection of civilization. This is the defect.
Dr. Patel: They say, sir, that the Aryan civilization, cradle of Aryan civilization near the North Pole, is somewhere in Russia. From there they started transmigrating. People went to Europe, from there to America, then south down to Iran, and then to India and all that. When they have such extreme cold they were able to civilize themselves to that extent.
Prabhupāda: Hm? We don't say.
Dr. Patel: The Eskimos are not able to do it.
Prabhupāda: No. Civilization means they must live in a nice place like India. That is civilization. The America in those days, they were neglecting. Nobody was living there. Gradually they advanced. Otherwise these tracts of land were rejected.
Dr. Patel: Hm?
Prabhupāda: These tracts of land, North America, that was rejected by the Aryans. They knew it.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No, no, you don't talk of film. You are very much in favor of film. You better stop that idea.
Jñānagamya: It is very potent, though, for preaching. No?
Prabhupāda: Some of them may be preaching. In North America.(?) What favorable film will do? You can show our activities, that film may be for our advertisement. Otherwise, in which way, by showing film, film, and film. There are so many films. They see, they see.
Jñānagamya: Devotees are interested.
Prabhupāda: Devotees are devotees. If you want to preach to the public, what impression they'll have? Some of our documentary film, just like we are feeding the poor, or we are working, making such things, that may be favorable. Say we're doing something in America, the Indians may appreciate, or we are doing something in India. That's all right. There is little effect of course, but not very much.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is practically... And I was surprised how such a abominable falldown came to Indira Gandhi. It is simply Kṛṣṇa's hand. No politician fallen in such a way in the history. Finished business. Tān ahaṁ dviṣataḥ krūrān kṣipāmy ajasram aśubhān yoniṣu (BG 16.19). It is simply Kṛṣṇa's hand. They are "This party, that party, that..." But to curb down Indira's power, it was simply by Kṛṣṇa directly. Hm. Go on reading. (break) "Don't worry. I am here." This is Kṛṣṇa. A boy, ten years boy, Kṛṣṇa, He was, "Come on," challenging. This is Kṛṣṇa. Go on.
Rāmeśvara: "He then appeared before Ariṣṭāsura." (break)
Prabhupāda: And He went forward still. Still there are demons amongst the (indistinct).
Rāmeśvara: "I will arrange to get those two boys here." (break)
Hṛdayānanda: ...Latin America just for facilitating book distribution and making new devotees. All important cities were open here.
Prabhupāda: North America or South America?
Hṛdayānanda: South America.
Correspondence
1973 Correspondence
Now I am getting so many requests to take first initiation from temples in your country, and once before I had empowered you to chant the beads on my behalf, so henceforth, as long as I am away from America and Canada, I am requesting all of the temple presidents in that zone of North America and South America to send the beads of the new devotees to you at New Vrndaban. The candidates for new devotees will send me their letters as usual, and I will give them names myself and enter in our records, simply you must chant on their beads and then return to them. Is that clear? Or, if you think it is better arrangement, I think that Bali Mardan has got many many beads in New York which we have sent him from Mayapur, so if you like you may get from him many sets of beads and you may chant them and, whenever requested by my letter only, you may send the new beads directly to the new devotees. Henceforth, then, I shall send copies of my letters of reply to the new devotees, wherever I am in the world, to you, and besides that the new devotees themselves will write to you and send you their beads. Similarly, I have appointed Revatinandana Maharaja in England to chant the beads of the new devotees on European Continent. Otherwise, in other parts of the world, I shall chant them as always.
1974 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your telegram dated September 25, 1974 as follows:
REQUEST PERMISSION TO PURCHASE BUILDING IN TORONTO STOP PRICE 200,000 DOLLARS RENOVATIONS 100,000 DOLLARS STOP VERY REASONABLE FOR TORONTO CONSIDERING THAT PROPERTY COSTS IN TORONTO AMONG HIGHEST IN NORTH AMERICA STOP LOCATION SIDE LAYOUT PRICE ALL FEATURES EXTREMELY SUITABLE PLEASE REPLY IMMEDIATELY
JAGADISA
So, if suitable you can purchase this house immediately.
1976 Correspondence
Please accept my blessings. I beg to thank you for your letter dated December 22, 1975. I am glad to learn that everything is going nicely in your zone. In South America the people are not so rich nor so enlightened as their North American neighbors, but they are very nice people and somewhat pious and that is their credit. Now just try to deliver Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message to them. As you are doing go on publishing books, more and more, in Spanish and Portuguese.
It is very good that you have concentrated all the production of Spanish and Portuguese literature to Los Angeles. Please thank all the devotees of the Spanish BBT for the beautiful edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. This book publishing was the most important work of my Guru Maharaja and he ordered me to continue in the Western world. So I am very much indebted to all of you who are helping me to carry out the order of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami. Please see that all of our books are translated as nicely as this edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
1977 Correspondence
As far as possible try to adjust to a natural way of life free from dependence on machines. But our principle should be that we are against nothing and for nothing. Only for Krishna. We want whatever is favorable for Krishna. From the farms we should get sufficient foodstuffs and these can be sent to be used at our restaurants. Along with the restaurants there can be "Bhaktivedanta Reading Room" where all my books can be kept and people can come and sit comfortably and read. The people will like these restaurants and reading rooms. They will take them as non-sectarian.
Why should anyone work at a place where meat is served? Are there no other jobs? There is never any good reason for this. There is no unusual circumstance for eating where meat is served. Such places should be avoided altogether.
So far my coming to North America this year, that I cannot say yet.
| Page Title: | North America |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Matea, Alakananda |
| Created: | 11 of Apr, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=5, Con=5, Let=4 |
| No. of Quotes: | 15 |