There is no alternative. One cannot say "I'll..., I may not go." No, if you do not go, then you are cheated. That is our Vaiṣṇava system. Ādau gurvāśrayam. The first thing is to take shelter of the bona fide spiritual master. Ādau gurvāśrayaṁ sad-dharma-pṛcchā. Not that I'll, as it has become a system: "I'll make a guru. Now my business is finished. I've got a guru." No. Tattva-jijñāsā. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Guru means, to accept guru means to inquire from him about the Absolute Truth. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. These are the Vedic injunctions. One who is jijñāsu, means inquisitive. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. Śreyaḥ. Śreyaḥ means beneficial. So uttamam, the prime benefit. One who is inquisitive to know about the prime benefit of life, for him there is need of accepting a guru.
Prime (Lect., Conv. & Letters)
Expressions researched:
"prime"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
It is so nice and so perfect. According to the instruction of the Vedas: Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). Repeatedly, in every Vedic literature. And practically, Caitanya Mahāprabhu introduced practically. And He asked every Indian to go outside India and preach this cult, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. But we are not doing that. We are going outside our country to beg only. Not to give. And here is a prime gift. You can give all over the world. Your country will be glorified. They're anxious for this. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's prediction: "As many towns and villages are there on the surface of the globe, everywhere this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, or Lord Caitanya's name, will be celebrated." (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) That is being done. There is immense field for introducing this Hare Kṛṣṇa cult all over the world. That is practical. Unfortunately, although Caitanya Mahāprabhu entrusted the matter to every Indian... Not that to the Bengalis, because He appeared in Bengal. He never said for the Bengalis. He said, bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). "On this holy land of Bhāratavarṣa, anyone who has taken his birth as a human being, he should make his life perfect." Janma sārthaka kari'. You cannot preach without making your life first of all perfect. If I remain imperfect, I cannot preach. One must be perfect. That is not very difficult. We have got direction of great sages and saintly persons and God, Kṛṣṇa, Himself.
Yes. Now, every man has got his prime duty of life. If that duty is checked, that is violence. So I wanted to place, and that is a fact from Vedic literature, that human life is meant for realization of God consciousness or reestablishing his relationship, lost relationship, with God. This is the claim of every human being. Human being... I have several times explained to you. The human being is distinct from animal life in this way, that animal, they do not know what is the aim of life. The human life is meant for realizing, self-realization. If any civilization, that is checking people's progress in the matter of self-realization, that is the most virulent type of violence because people are being checked from the natural advancement of life. This human life is the point when one has to end all the miseries of material existence. That is the aim of human life. If people are not educated to that light, if people are misled in other ways, that is the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called ātma-han. Ātma-han means the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called ātma-han. Ātma-han means suicidal, suiciding.
So duṣkṛtina means a person who does not believe this. They are called miscreants. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). So God, in His incarnation, appears with two missionary purposes. One purpose is paritrāṇāya sādhūnām, just to protect the pious who are obedient to the laws of God or the laws of nature. And to vanquish persons who are disobedient. They are called duṣkṛtina. This duṣkṛtina, or miscreant, is described in another place also in the Bhagavad-gītā. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). The purpose is, Kṛṣṇa says, that those who are miscreants, always disobeying the laws of nature or always denying the prime factor behind the wonderful activities of nature, such miscreants, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍhāḥ means they are rascals.
So far necessities of the body, material body, is concerned, the demand is there; demand is here. You can accept from that type of body, by this body, simply by understanding, by advancing in knowledge. And the perfection of knowledge is to know who is God. Or where is God. That is perfection. So long one does not understand what is God or the Absolute Truth by whom everything is being emanated, the knowledge is imperfect. Knowledge is not finished. Therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births of cultivating knowledge, one comes to the understanding of accepting God is the prime source, fountainhead of everything." That is perfection of knowledge.
Similarly, as you have got in your Bible, you pray in the church, "Oh God, give us our daily bread. Excuse us our faults." Because He is the prime one. He is supplying the necessities, He's giving you protection, He's giving you everything. You require sunlight. God has created sunlight for you. You require water, God has created immense water for you. You require air, there is immense air for you. So He is practically helping you. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. That one is supplying everything what we require.
So the bhakti-yoga is so nice that even if you have no means to offer the Deity gorgeous worship, you can do it within the mind. That is also possible. Therefore it is said that ahaituky apratihatā. In any position of life you can engage yourself in bhakti-yoga system. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). But the prime or the topmost perfection of bhakti-yoga is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, fully absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā also. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47). This is the simplest process. You have to practice always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That is also, Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Mad-yājī. Now, suppose if you have nothing to offer. Still, you can, man-manāḥ, by thinking of Kṛṣṇa, by thinking of all materials for worshiping, testing them, sitting in one place, you can go on. That is called man-manāḥ, thinking, thinking of. You can offer Kṛṣṇa, as I described, so many things.
Now, here it is clearly stated that of all yogis, there are different kinds of yogis. Aṣṭāṅga-yogī, haṭha-yogī, jñāna-yogī, karma-yogī, bhakti-yogī. So bhakti-yoga is the highest platform of yoga principles. So Kṛṣṇa says here, "And of all yogis." There are different kinds of yogis. "Of all yogis he who always abides in Me," in Kṛṣṇa. Me means Kṛṣṇa says "in Me." That means one who is keeping always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, "abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service is most intimately united with Me in yoga, and is the highest of all." This is the prime instruction of this chapter, Sāṅkhya-yoga, that if you want to become perfect yogi of the highest platform, then keep yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and you become the first-class yogi.
That is the real business of human life. Unfortunately, we are not interested in the matter of understanding ātma-tattvam. Śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2). Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "My dear King..." He was speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit that "For ordinary men there are many subject matter of hearing." Śrotavyādīni. Śrotavya means the subject matter for hearing. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, "For the ordinary man..." Who is that ordinary man? Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Apaśyatām, one who has no interest to see what he is. Everyone is under this contemplation that he is this body and his bodily interest is the prime interest. But nobody sees the ātma-tattvam. Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ (SB 2.1.2). We have got so many books, so many newspapers, so many magazines. We hear and read. But we are not interested in hearing Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where ātma-tattvam, the science of soul, is described.
So we should take advantage of these scriptures, especially the Bhagavad-gītā, which is accepted as the prime scripture in the modern world, and you'll find everything nicely. You can put your arguments, you can try to understand with your knowledge, with your intelligence. Everything will be clear. So we should take advantage of this Bhagavad-gītā and our power of intaking will be increased if we begin with this transcendental sound vibration, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Thank you very much. Any questions? (end)
Because yoga perfection means yoga indriya-saṁyamya. The practice of yoga means to control the mind and the senses. This is the purpose of yoga, not for playing any juggling. But sometimes the yogis become so powerful, they get some perfection, aṇimā, laghimā-siddhi, they get. But that is not the prime object of yoga. Yoga, yoga practice means that one becomes controller of the senses and the mind, and then they can perfectly meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino. This is yogis' business: dhyānāvasthita, by meditation, tad-gata-manasā, spiritualized mind, or completely absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa. dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yam..., they can see, they can see God, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, within the heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, paramātmā, He is situated in everyone's heart. You haven't got to search out. He is there within your heart. Simply you have to know the method how to see. That is wanted. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasa paśyanti.
He can understand God. So first of all we have to understand whether we are not illusioned. Asammūḍhaḥ sa martyeṣu. Martyeṣu, in the, among, in the human society or in the society... Not only... Martyeṣu means all living entities who are conditioned, or, rather, conditioned souls. Asammūḍhaḥ. Sarva-pāpaiḥ pramucyate. He becomes at once freed from all... So if we want to become freed from all encumbrances of this material world, then we have to understand God. There is no question of neglecting. It is the prime duty.
Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, manuṣyeṣu, sahasreṣu. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). This understanding, this perfect knowledge, is possible... Out of many, many millions of human beings or living entities, one may be enlightened. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye. Martyeṣu yatamāneṣu api sahasreṣu madhye yo yadṛk ca mat-tattva-vit.(?)
Nitāi: "They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification."
Prabhupāda:
- cintām aparimeyāṁ ca
- pralayāntām upāśritāḥ
- kāmopabhoga-paramā
- etāvad iti niścitāḥ
- āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ
- kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
- īhante kāma-bhogārtham
- anyāyenārtha-sañcayān
So sometimes people say, the modern age... Modern age and past time or future, past, present and future, the real principles of life, they are the same. It does not change. Millions of years ago, the past and present and future as they were, at the present moment also, the same past present and future are there. So there is no question of modern age or past age, the nature's law is the same. Millions of years ago the sun was rising early in the morning, and it is rising early in the morning at present moment. There is no change. Millions of years ago all living entities were interested in eating, sleeping, mating and defending; the same thing is going on. There is no change.
We have got in our society boys and girls from various parts of the world. There are Africans, there are Indians, there are Canadians, Englishmen, American, Australian, but they have forgotten that he is Englishmen or American or Australian or black or white or Indian. No. They have forgotten. They are simply interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the importance of the movement. If you want classless society, actually pure, without any contamination of these material modes of nature, then this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the prime movement. That is the definition of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam, hṛṣīkeṇa (CC Madhya 19.170), ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttamā (CC Madhya 19.167). Bhakti, devotional service, first-class devotional service can be achieved when one is freed from all designations. So long one feels designated that "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Englishmen," "I am German," "I am black," "I am white," and, no. You have to feel yourself. Not feeling, practically, training that I am spirit soul, I am eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. When you come to this position, this is called sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Freed from all designation. These are, the bodily identification is designation.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
How it is known? It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām (BG 10.10). Who is bona fide representative? Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. Kṛṣṇa says that "I give him intelligence." To whom? Satata-yuktānām, those who are engaged twenty-four hours. In which way he is engaged? Bhajatam, bhajana, those who are engaged in devotional service. What kind of devotional service? Prīti-pūrvakam, with love and affection. One who is engaged in devotional service of the Lord in love and devotion. What is the symptom of love? The symptom, the prime symptom, most important symptom of love is that the devotee wants to see that his Lord's name, fame, etc. become widespread. He wants to see that "My Lord's name be known everywhere." This is love. If I love somebody, I want to see that his glories are spread all over the world. And Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na ca tasmāt manuṣyeṣu kaścit me priya-kṛttamaḥ, anyone who preaches His glory, nobody is dearer to Him than that person.
So there is no need of remaining poor. You can make your economic development. This is required. Dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣāṇām. Human life means four things he must develop. First thing is dharma. He must know what is religion. Every human being—not Indians or Europeans or Americans. That is the prime duty of every human being. Without following the religious principles, then he is not human even. Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. If the human society... It doesn't matter what kind of religion you follow. It doesn't matter. But you must follow. (aside:) Sit down properly. Don't go out now and come. They, that is the duty, dharma. Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ. Human civilization begins when there is religious conception of life. Therefore all over the world—it doesn't matter whether Europe, America or India or China, Japan—there is some kind of religion. There is some kind of religion—either Hindu religion or Muslim religion or Christian religion, Buddhist religion. These are the prime religions of the world.
Therefore one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, advanced in Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is not bothered with sex life. That is the prime factor of disturbing. So,
- yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde
- nava-nava-rasa-dhāmany udyataṁ rantum āsīt
- tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne
- bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
The Yāmunācārya said that "Since I have dedicated my life to Kṛṣṇa and I am getting more and more happiness by serving Him, since then, whenever I think of sex life, oh, I spite." So because māyā cannot touch him. This is the test. Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde. You haven't got to ask anybody, "Whether I am advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Will you give me certificate?" You can have your certificate by yourself, whether you have no more any desire for sex life. That's all, not that he has become impotent. If required, he can give birth to hundreds of children, but he does not like it. That is. That is the certificate. And so long we'll have any such material desire, then Kṛṣṇa is so kind—He will give you chance to take birth again.
Formerly also they were moving. Transport was there. But they do not like to remain in the former ways, because they have no other engagement. Better engagement that they do not know. Here is the better engagement: to come before Rādhā Kṛṣṇa and glorify the Lord. Try to understand our relationship. This is our real, real business, but nobody is interested in the real business. They are interested in superfluous engagement whole day work in the office, then come here, go to the club, go to the football club, tennis club. In this way they have invented simply how to waste valuable life of tis human form. They have invented. They have no sense that how this life should be utilized for stopping this, I mean to say, prime problem, janma-mṛtyu-jarā. They do not know.
So, this Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is giving to the whole world real life, real, what is meant by life. So this..., these are the etiquette. To take care, especially, of brāhmaṇa, old men, children, women and cows. This is civilization. These living entities should be taken care of. Now these rascals they are killing cows and making women prostitutes, and killing the children even in the womb. And there is no question of brāhmaṇa respect, and neither there is the brāhmaṇa culture.
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)
- śrī-śuka uvāca
- varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ
- kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa
- ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ
- śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ
- (SB 2.1.1)
Translation: "Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists."
Prabhupāda: So Śukadeva Gosvāmī arrived at the point of death of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy that he would die within seven days, bitten by a snake. Just imagine how the brahminical culture was so powerful that even a boy born in a brāhmaṇa family... He was only ten or twelve years old... When he heard that his father was insulted by Mahārāja Parīkṣit by garlanding him with a dead snake... His playmates informed him that "Your father has been insulted in this way." So he retaliated that "Within seven days this snake will bite the king and he will die."
Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.) Translation: "Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter of hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists."
Prabhupāda:
- varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ
- kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa
- ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ
- śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ
- (SB 2.1.1)
Śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ. The... Here in this material world we are busy in questioning and answering, or hearing. Question, hearing, and answering. This is the whole world. Even in the material field. You go to the market, you inquire, "What is the price of this thing?" and you hear the description of the thing and the price of the thing. So the praśnaḥ, the question was made by Mahārāja Parīkṣit just at the point of his death, "What I have to do now?" This is very intelligent. Only intelligent man can understand what is the value of this question, "What I have to do now?" Because intelligent person knows that "I am going to leave this body."
Nitāi: "Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter of hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists."
Prabhupāda:
- varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ
- kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa
- ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ
- śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ
- (SB 2.1.1)
So this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is a question and answer. The beginning, the... This Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, first of all it was narrated by Vyāsadeva, and it was heard by his son, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Then Śukadeva Gosvāmī narrated this Bhāgavatam to Parīkṣit Mahārāja at the time of his death. And from Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the Sūta Gosvāmī heard. This is the paramparā. (aside:) Not yet. This is the paramparā. Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). Bhagavad-gītā was spoken by Kṛṣṇa millions of years ago to the sun-god. Imaṁ vivasvate, proktavān avyayam. Imaṁ vivasvate proktam, vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt. This is the paramparā system.
So varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitam (SB 2.1.1). Loka-hitam. Actually our, this movement is the prime welfare activities to the human society, loka-hitam. It is not a business. Business means my hitam, my benefit only. It is not. It is Kṛṣṇa's business. Kṛṣṇa's business means Kṛṣṇa is for everyone; therefore Kṛṣṇa's business is meant for everyone. We therefore welcome everyone. There is no distinction. "Come here and chant," loka-hitam. And a sādhu, a saintly person should always think of loka-hitam. That is the difference between sādhu and ordinary man. Ordinary man, he thinks only of himself, or expanded himself, for family, for community, for society, for nation. These are all expanded selfishness. Expanded. When I am alone, I am thinking of my benefit only. When I am little grown up, I think of my brothers and sisters, and when I am little advanced, I think of my family. Little advanced, I think of my community. Little advanced, I think of my country, my nation. Or I can think of the whole human society, internationally. But Kṛṣṇa is so big that Kṛṣṇa includes everyone. Not only human society, animal society, bird society, beast society, tree society—everything. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā: (BG 14.4) "I am the seed-giving father of all these forms." There are 8,400,000 different kinds of forms. Kṛṣṇa claims "They, all of them, are My part and parcel living entities, but they are now covered by different dress only. But they are living entities." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness vision.
It is not possible, of course, to realize Brahman by everyone. That is not possible. But there must be an ideal institution. Unfortunately, at the present moment it is very difficult to find out where is that ideal brāhmaṇa, but there must be. Kṛṣṇa says. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement includes this, that cātur-varṇyaṁ māyā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There must be division. There may be only a few number of brāhmaṇas, but there must be ideal brāhmaṇas so that people may learn that "Here is the first-class brāhmaṇa. Here is the first-class man. Let us take instruction from him, not from so-called politicians." This is Indian civilization. Don't think... Formerly even Lord Rāmacandra, who was the king... He is God Himself. Still, He used to consult learned brāhmaṇas, sages, saintly persons, for governmental duties. The division must be there.
So there are so many things to be done in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't take it that it is simply chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting is the prime factor because if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then gradually everything will be clear in your mind. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). Whole world is suffering on account of all contaminated things accumulated within our heart. So the Bhāgavata process is to hear from the right person.
Prabhupāda: So one has to become ascetic and therefore penance. Then these things will be learned. Not with imperfect senses, imperfect conclusion we can understand. No. Then?
Pradyumna: "Purport: Lord Brahmā then heard the occult sound tapa, but he did not see the person who vibrated the sound. And still he accepted the instruction as beneficial for him, and therefore he engaged himself in meditation for one thousand celestial years. One celestial year is equal to 6 x 30 x 12 x 1000 of our years. His acceptance of the sound was due to his pure vision of the absolute nature of the Lord. And due to his correct vision he made no distinction between the Lord and the Lord's instruction. There is no difference between the Lord and the sound vibration coming from Him, even though He is not personally present. The best way of understanding is to accept such a divine instruction, and Brahmā, the prime spiritual master of everyone, is the living example of this process of receiving transcendental knowledge. The potency of transcendental sound is never minimized because the vibrator is apparently absent. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the Bhagavad-gītā or any revealed scripture in the world is never to be accepted as an ordinary mundane sound without transcendental potency.
One has to receive the transcendental sound from the right source and accept it as a reality and prosecute the direction without any hesitation, and the secret of success is to receive the sound from the right source of a bona fide spiritual master. Mundane manufactured sound has no potency, and as such, seemingly transcendental sound received from an unauthorized person also has no potency. One should be qualified enough to discern such transcendental potency, and either by discriminating or by fortunate chance, if one is able to receive the transcendental sound from a bona fide spiritual master, his path of liberation is guaranteed. The disciple, however, must be ready to execute the order of the bona fide spiritual master, as Lord Brahmā executed the instruction of his spiritual master, the Lord Himself. Following the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the only duty of the disciple, and this completely faithful execution of the order of the bona fide spiritual master is the secret of success.
Lord Brahmā controlled his two grades of senses by means of sense perception and sense organs, because he had to engage such senses in the execution of the order of the Lord. Therefore controlling the senses means to engage them in the transcendental service of the Lord. The Lord's order descends in disciplic succession..."
Prabhupāda: If you simply engage your senses to execute the order of the Lord, then it is controlled. Otherwise, you cannot control. It is impossible because we have got our senses—they are very strong. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). The mind is the master of the senses. The central sense, the chief sense, the prime minister sense is the mind. Therefore Mahārāja Ambarīṣa first of all engaged his mind in Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ. If you engage your mind always to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then the sense deviation, sense going other, otherwise—immediately controlled. Immediately controlled. The senses are very strong.
Pradyumna: "The marginal line between the material manifestation and the spiritual manifestation is the Virajā River. And beyond the Virajā, which is a transcendental current flowing from the perspiration of the body of the Lord, there is the three-fourths part manifestation of God's creation. This part is eternal, everlasting, without any deterioration, and unlimited, and contains the highest perfectional stage of living conditions. In the Sāṅkhya-kaumudī it is stated that unalloyed goodness or transcendence is just opposite to the material modes. All living entities are eternally associated without any break, and the Lord is the chief and prime entity there. In the Āgama Purāṇas also the transcendental abode is described as follows. The associated members there are free to go everywhere within the creation of the Lord, and there is no limit to such creation, particularly in the region of the three-fourths magnitude. Since the nature of that region is unlimited, there is no history of such association, nor is there end of it. The conclusion may be drawn that because of the complete absence of the mundane qualities of ignorance and passion, there is no question of creation nor of annihilation. In the material world everything is created and everything is annihilated, and the duration of life between the creation and annihilation is temporary. In the transcendental realm, there is no creation and no destruction, and thus the duration of life is eternal unlimitedly. In other words, everything in the transcendental world is everlasting, full of knowledge and bliss without any deterioration. Since there is no deterioration, there is no past, present and future in the estimation of time. It is clearly stated in this verse that the influence of time is conspicuous by its absence. The whole material existence is manifested by actions and reactions of elements which make up the influence of time prominent in the matter of past, present and future. There are no such actions and reactions of cause and effects there. So the cycle of birth, growth, existence, transformations, deterioration and annihilation or the six material changes are nonexistent there. It is the unalloyed manifestation of the energy of the Lord without any illusion as experienced here in the material world. The whole Vaikuṇṭha existence proclaims that everyone there is a follower of the Lord. The Lord is the chief leader there without any competition of leadership, and the people in general are all followers of the Lord. It is confirmed in the Vedas therefore that the Lord is the chief leader and all other living entities are subordinate to Him."
Prabhupāda: Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13).
Pradyumna: "It is confirmed in the Vedas therefore that the Lord is the chief leader and all other living entities are subordinate to Him as only the Lord..."
Prabhupāda: So we have accepted the original leader, Kṛṣṇa. Why should we follow the nonsense leader who has no perfect knowledge? We have accepted the supreme leader. That is our advantage.
So the, here is the same thing. Yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsām. This is the prime business, to connect yourself again, again, your soul, with the Supreme. Yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsāṁ mato niḥśreyasāya me. He is giving... He says that "This is My instruction, that one should be awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and connect himself again with Kṛṣṇa." That is ādhyātmika-yoga. Not to show some gymnastic magic. No. This is the best yoga Kṛṣṇa has also said in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
- (BG 6.47)
The first-class yogi is he... Who? Yoginām api sarve... There are many yogis. There are many different types of yoga system, and all the yoga systems are discussed in the Bhagavad-gītā, haṭha-yoga, karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, rāja-yoga, so many yoga systems. But the real yoga system, the first-class yoga system, is to revive your connection with Kṛṣṇa. That is first class. Here it is also said, yoga ādhyātmikaḥ puṁsām. Ādhyātmika. We are living entities, soul. We are now... We are disconnected, but we have forgotten. Disconnection cannot be. That is not possible. But it is covered. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). There is yoga and there is a yogamāyā. Yogamāyā means forgetfulness. So Kapiladeva... Kapiladeva is Bhagavān. He is advising, Bhagavān, that "This is first-class yoga." Ādhyātmikaḥ. Ādhyātmikaḥ, about the soul.
Just like the Gosvāmīs. They used to... Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. It is possible if we follow the Gosvāmīs. The Gosvāmīs were minister, minister of Nawab Hussain Shah in the Bengal government in those days. Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rū..., very, mean, prime, finance minister, chief minister, very important ministers, and they gave up everything, everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. By their determination to worship Kṛṣṇa they gave up everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇī... Maṇḍala-pati means very big, big leaders. When one is minister, certainly he is connected with so many big, big men. So they were actually connected with them, but they gave up, sadā tuccha-vat, as most insignificant thing. And what was their next adoption? Now, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Kaupīna, a, simply a loincloth and underwear, kaupīna-kanthāśritau, and one quilt. That's all. Minimum. Minimum necessities of the body. But how they lived? They were so big men.
We have to take knowledge from nirguṇa Brahman. Nirguṇa Brahman is Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, Kapiladeva. Mayā proktaḥ. Yaḥ kālaḥ pañca-viṁśakaḥ. And now He gives another element, kāla, because everything is going on under the influence of kāla. The past, present, and future, the kāla, is eternal. Time is eternal, but we are creating our past and present and future according to our existence. The past, present, future of an ant is not the past, present of an elephant. The past present of our is not the past present of Brahmā. It is relative. This kāla is working relatively. Therefore this is called relative world. So this prime factor of relativity is kāla. That is the twenty-fifth element. And beyond that, there is the soul, there is the Supersoul, and above everything, Puruṣottama, the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa.
"You just try to understand My potency in this way, that the whole material creation, cosmic manifestation, innumerable universes..." What are these universes? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). In each and every universe there is a prime lord or the creator, Lord Brahmā. So there are innumerable universes, and there are innumerable Lord Brahmā, innumerable Lord Śivas, everything innumerable. So yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya (Bs. 5.48). And these innumerable universes are coming out from the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu. That Mahā-Viṣṇu is partial expansion of Kṛṣṇa.
So at least one life try to going back to that place. Then your whole problem will be solved. Here we are paying so much electricity bill, and if there is no sun, we are rotten place. So why do you suffer in this way? Come here. There is no need of sun; there is no need of electricity. And the prime gain is that if you can go there, there is no need of coming back again. So those who have no information of the spiritual world, they stick to this material world as everything is here. But those who have got knowledge, mahātmā, whose ātmā is very great, who can understand the greatness of God and His great knowledge and take knowledge from Him, he is perfect. So here is the knowledge. Everything is there. He is giving... We... Not that back to home, back to Godhead, is our imagination. No, not imagination. Just like if somebody gives you information of America, that "America is very rich city. There are so many big, big bridges and road and motor cars." So naturally you become inclined: "Why not see once America, how it is?" So similarly, here is the information about the spiritual world, and why don't you try to go back to home, back to Godhead?
Therefore Hiraṇyakaśipu wanted to live forever, and he underwent severe austerities. The so-called scientists are also saying that "By scientific method we shall stop death." This is also another crazy utterances. That is not possible. You may make very much advance in scientific knowledge, but there is no solution, by your so-called science, of these four problems: birth, death, old age and disease. There is no solution. Therefore, one who is intelligent, he'll be eager, how to solve these four prime problems. That is intelligence. Because nobody wants to die. "Why shall I die?" But there is no remedy. I have to die. The... Everyone is very much anxious to stop increase of population by so many contraceptive methods. But still, birth is going on. So there is no stoppage of death. There is no stoppage of birth. And you might have invented very nice medicine by your scientific method, up-to-date medicines, but you cannot stop the disease. Just discover a tablet that you take this tablet—there will be no more any disease. That is not possible. Disease will be there. You can invent some better medicine. That is, that is the way.
So he was engaged in maintaining the family. Everyone is engaged like that. Cats and dogs also do that. It is not very extraordinary thing. Sometimes they say, "It is my duty." Yes, it is duty, but the prime duty is to solve the real problems: how to stop mṛtyu, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That we forget. Minor duties we take priority. That is the present situation. They do not know that there is life after death, and according to our karma, we are getting the next life. This morning we were discussing, Kṛṣṇa is always ready. Automatically it is going on. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). As you desire according to the contamination of different modes of material nature, immediately the body's ready. Immediately after death.
Therefore people have lost faith in religion. This is the reason. Because those who are in charge of the religious department, the brāhmaṇas, those who are in charge of religion, the priestly order or the maulanis (?) or the brāhmaṇas, they're the same order, their duty is to keep people enlightened in the real mission of life. That is their duty. But if they're also doing the same thing, sense gratification, how long they can cheat others? Therefore people have lost faith in religion. This is the reason. But that is not good. Because the system of religion has become polluted, we should not give up religion. That is our prime duty. Karamayi tasya eka bhūṣesya (?). What is the difference between animal and man? The animal has no religion. They have no religion. Eating, sleeping, sex and defense. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca, sāmānyam etat. This is very easy to understand. The dog is eating; I am eating. Dog is sleeping; I am sleeping. Dog is enjoying sex; I am also enjoying sex. Dog is also afraid; I am also afraid. So what is the difference between dog and me? The only difference is that dog has no religion; I've got religion. So if I give up religion, life of religiosity, then I am equal to dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ.
There is no second, duplicate, of this one. But we ordinary living entities, we have got many millions of duplicates. Therefore two things are used: nitya, nityānām. Nityānām means plural number. Many, many, innumerable. You cannot count. Asaṅkhyā. The jīva is. Asaṅkhyā means nobody can count. And above this asaṅkhyā innumerable living entities, there is one prime living entity. God is also a living entity. He is also like us. In your Bible there is there: "Man is made after God." Is it not? So God is living entity, and we have got this form after the form... God is two-handed; we have got two hands. So that is a fact. This human form of life is made according to the form of Lord. It is imitation; that is real. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). But we are thinking that God has no form. Why? Wherefrom you got your form? You are daily praying, "O God, O Father, give us our daily bread," and we accept God as the supreme father. So if I have got form, the father must have got form. It is reasonable. How you say, "There is no form"? This is all not very reasonable argument. God is also a living entity, but what is the difference between God and all these living entities? They are all dependent on God. That's all. God is great; we are small.
So difference between this prime, or the Supreme Person, and these... Difference is that eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. We different living entities, we are planning differently. Just like children. Somebody is playing with the motorcar toy, somebody is something, somebody is..., a doll, and the parents are supplying, "All right, you take this doll. You take this. You take this. You take this." So we are playing like that, making plan. So God is supplying all the... But He wants that "My dear child, you are now grown up. You have got this human form of body. You don't play like this and waste your time. You take education and know things as they are." That is called athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra: "Now you have got human form of life. You try to understand what is God." That is the main business. Unfortunately, we are misled by blind leaders. We have been engaged in studying the body, that's all.
Then again, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says, kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya. Why the spiritual master should be accepted directly as Nārāyaṇa and God? The Māyāvāda philosophers, they say, "Yes, spiritual master is God and I am God, you are God—everyone is God." No. That is rectified. Everyone is not God. God is God, and living entities are living entities. In the Vedas it is..., nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām: (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13) "He is the prime entity of all entities." So there cannot be two Gods. One God. As such, if God is one, there cannot be two religion also, because religion means to understand God, to love God. That is religion. And religion means the words of God, just as it is said. So why there should be two religions? There cannot be two religions. There may be some difference according to climate, country, population. There may be some difference in the execution of religion. But on principle there cannot be two religions because God is one and religion means the words of God.
Even if you have got desire to enjoy within this material world, still you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa will satisfy you. He'll give you. There is no need of doing something else for your material enjoyment. If you want... Because we can not give up material enjoyment. We have been habituated since time immemorial, many life after many life, simply for sense gratification. It is not very easy to give up the idea. Therefore śāstra says even if you have got idea of sense gratification, still you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't try it otherwise. Just like the devatās. They have got facilities for all sense gratification. Sense gratification means udara-upastha-jihvā, jihvā, this tongue and the belly and the genitals. This is the prime sense gratificatory sources. Very palatable dishes, fill up the belly as much as possible, and then enjoy sex. This is material. In the spiritual world these things are absent. In the material world these things are very prominent.
So it is very difficult, especially in this age. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). They are... Mandāḥ means they are not interested, or even they are little interested, they are very slow. They do not understand this is the prime knowledge. And first of all you must know it, athāto brahma jijñāsā, that superior knowledge. That is required. But everyone is neglecting. There is no inquisitiveness even what is that thing which is moving this body. There is no inquiry. They think automatically, by combination of this matter... They are still persisting on this point, and when you challenge, "You take this chemical and prepare the living force," they'll say, "That I cannot do." And what is this? If you cannot do, then why you are speaking like nonsense, that "The combination of matter or chemicals gives the life"? You take the chemicals. Our Doctor Svarūpa Dāmodara in the California University... One big professor came to lecture on chemical evolution, and he challenged immediately, that "If I give you the chemicals, can you produce life?" He said, "That I cannot say." So this is their position.
Yasya prabhā: "I worship the Supreme Lord, the prime, the primeval Lord Govinda." Why? Yasya prabhā prabhavato: "By expansion of whose bodily luster or effulgence, jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi, many, many millions and trillions of universes are generated in that brahma-jyotir." Exactly like the, within the sunshine, the effulgence, there are millions and trillions of planets, similarly in the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa, bodily effulgence, there are millions and trillions of universes. Yasya prabhā prabhavato (Bs. 5.40). On account of His bodily luster being expanded, there are creation of so many millions and trillions of universes. But if you take it for granted that each star is a universe—no. That, according to Vedic literature, that is not accepted. But in each and every universe, there are millions and trillions of planets. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi-koṭiṣv aśeṣa (Bs. 5.40). Aśeṣa means there is no end. Millions and trillions, there is counting, but here it is mentioned, aśeṣa. Aśeṣa means there is no question of count. Aśeṣa-vasudhādi. Vasudhā means planet where the living entities can reside. This is the meaning of vasudhā. No planet is without any living entities. Every planet is full of living entities. Vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam. But each planet is particularly opulent in a particular way. Just like you can see the moon planet is particularly opulent by some particular feature. It is very cold. Similarly, sun planet, it has got a particular feature. It is very hot. So each planet has got a different particular type of feature. Vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
I'll have to accept another gross body. But if you begin Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it will not be finished, because it is the business of the soul. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means the original consciousness, "I am Kṛṣṇa's. I am God's, part and parcel of God," this consciousness. At the present moment, being illusioned by different material designations, we are thinking in different way: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am śūdra," "I am this," "I am that." These are all designations. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means "I am Kṛṣṇa's." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So 'ham. "I am as good as Kṛṣṇa," or "I am Kṛṣṇa's. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." This consciousness is required to invoke. That is the prime objective of human life. Now we are in different consciousness. So bhakti means sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to become freed from all these designations: "I am this," "I am that," this bodily concept of life. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). I am identifying myself with this body. This is condemned in the śāstra. Sa eva go-kharaḥ. One who identifies himself with this body, he's no better than the cows and the asses. Sa eva go-kharaḥ.
Pradyumna: (reading) "A living entity is offered a particular type of body as a result of his action in the present body. These activities are taken into account by superior authority known as daiva, or the authority of God. This daiva is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā as the prime cause of everything, and in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated that a man takes his next body by daiva-netreṇa, which means by the supervision of the authority of the Supreme. In an ordinary sense, daiva is explained as destiny. Daiva supervision gives us a body selected from 8,400,000 forms. The choice does not depend on our selection, but is awarded to us according to or destiny."
Prabhupāda: So material rasas. That is being experienced in different types of body. Just like somebody wants to taste fresh blood, flesh and blood. So he's given the next life a body like a tiger, like a other carnivorous animal, and he tastes very nicely blood and flesh. Nature gives all the facilities.
- prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
- guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
- ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
- kartāham iti manyate
- (BG 3.27)
Prakṛti, nature is doing everything. I am desiring something. That means I am contacting, contacting the certain type of the modes of material nature. This is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. Sad-asad-janma-yoni. Yoni means the source of birth. Mother is called yoni, and father is called bīja. Yathā yoni yathā bījam. According to bījam and according to yoni, we get body. So why you are getting different types of body? Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya. He is contacting a particular type of the modes of material nature.
Pradyumna: "These activities are taken into account by a superior authority known as daiva, or the authority of God. This daiva is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā as the prime cause of everything."
Prabhupāda: Yes. There are five causes. Karta, the, the doer, the place, the instrument, and providence. In this way, there are five causes for acting anything. Just like you are doing business. So if you are a nice businessman, that's very good asset. If you place your business in a market place, there is good opportunity. If you have got sufficient capital, good instrument, and if God is favorable, then your business is successful. Similarly in anything there are five causes. And the ultimate cause is daiva. You may make everything very nicely. You may become, may be very business, a good business man, you have got sufficient capital, you are conducting your business in a very nice center, downtown, everything, but if God is not favorable, then everything will be spoiled. Everything will be spoiled. So therefore this cause, favorable. Of course, God is kind to everyone. But, but we see sometimes that everything is perfectly done, but still it is spoiled.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
So we also coming from the same disciplic succession, to worship Kṛṣṇa, Brahmā. Then from Brahmā, Nārada learned how to worship Kṛṣṇa. From Nārada learned Vyāsadeva how to worship Kṛṣṇa. From Vyāsadeva learned Madhvācārya how to worship Kṛṣṇa. Then from Madhvācārya learned Mādhavendra Purī. Similarly, the disciplic succession is coming, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then His disciplic succession—Svarūpa Dāmodara, Ṣaḍ-gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Baladeva Vidyābhūṣana, Viśvanātha Cakravartī. In this way there is a disciplic succession beginning from Lord Brahmā. But that Brahmā instructed, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **: "I worship the Supreme Original Personality of Godhead, Govindam." The Govinda-bhajan is the prime factor for all worshiping endeavors. Even Śaṅkarācārya, who was impersonalist, at the last stage of his life he advised everyone,
- bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ mūḍha-mate
- prāpte sannihite kāle na hi na hi rakṣati ḍukṛñ-karaṇe
He advised, "You fools, you are talking about philosophical speculation, grammatical meaning, and eschewing. Oh, these are all nonsense. You cannot save yourself by doing this. When there will be death, Govinda can save you. The Govinda can save you from falling down. So bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ bhaja govindaṁ mūḍha-mate. You foolish persons, you just worship Govinda." So there are from Śaṅkara...(?) Śaṅkarācārya is supposed to be the incarnation of Lord Śiva. So he also advised Govinda-bhajan, Brahmā also advised Govinda-bhajan, and we are also under the same principle, following the footprints of those ācāryas. We are also advising the Govinda-bhajan. So Govinda-bhajan, it is coming from time immemorial. It is not a new thing. So one should profit if he engages himself in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Govinda-bhajan.
So we have just studied the constitutional position of Kṛṣṇa by His original standing as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His different expansions, incarnations, and how He is situated as the supreme controller of the spiritual and material manifestation. So far, as far as possible, we have studied through the grace of Lord Caitanya. And even up to the prime, primal living entity within this material world, namely Brahmā... Brahmā is considered to be the supreme. He is also living entity like us, but he is supreme powerful within this material universe. Just like within this state, President Johnson is the supreme powerful, but he is a man like us, a living entity, but he has got supreme power. Similarly, Brahmā is a living entity like us, but by his meritorious and devotional service to the Lord, he is exalted as the supreme personality within this material world. But he is not Supreme Personality of Godhead. Supreme Personality of Godhead is Kṛṣṇa. Ekale īśvara kṛṣṇa āra sab... (CC Adi 5.142). And only Kṛṣṇa is the master, and everyone is servant, however great he may be.
Festival Lectures
We are not this body. Just I explain. Body means the senses, but the senses are controlled by the mind, and the mind is controlled by the intelligence, and the intelligence is controlled by the soul. That you do not know. There is no educational system throughout the whole world how to understand the existence of soul, which is the prime necessity of understanding for the human being. A human being is not meant for wasting his time like animals, simply eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That is animal life. The extra intelligence of human beings should be utilized how to understand "I am... What I am? I am a spirit soul." If we understand that "I am spirit soul,"' that this bodily concept of life, which has played havoc in this world... On the bodily concept of life I am thinking "I am Indian," you are thinking "American," he's thinking something, something. But we are all one. We are spirit soul. We are all eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, Jagannātha.
Arrival Addresses and Talks
So unless we understand this philosophy... It is not philosophy. Philosophy you can call, because the philosophy means the science of sciences. Philosophy is not a mental speculation. Philosophy is the prime science from which all other sciences are derived. That is philosophy. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to educate people on this science of sciences to understand first of all that "What you are? Are you this body or different from this body?" This is essential. And if you go on constructing your big building on a defective foundation, then it will not stay. There will be danger. So modern civilization is based on this defective idea that "I am this body." "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian"—these are all bodily concept of life. "Because I have got this body from a Christian father and mother, therefore I am a Christian." But I am not this body. "Because I have got this body from a Hindu father and mother, therefore I am Hindu." But I am not this body.
So for spiritual understanding, this is the basic principle to understand, that "I am not this body; I am soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is the Vedic instruction: "Try to understand that you are spirit soul; you are not this body." The yoga system is practiced just to understand this. Yoga indriya saṁyamaḥ. By controlling the senses, especially the mind... Mind is the master or the chief of the senses. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). We are undergoing a struggle for existence with this mind and the senses under the false conception of identifying this body as self. So if we concentrate our mind by controlling the senses, then we can gradually understand. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). The yogis, they meditate upon the Supreme Person, Viṣṇu, and by that process they realize the self. Self-realization is the prime object of human life. So the beginning of self-realization is to understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi.
Initiation Lectures
So anywhere the four prime religions of the world, namely Hinduism, Christianism, Mohammedanism or Buddhism, directly or indirectly, they are accepting God. And without accepting God there is no meaning of religion. That is not religion. According to Bhāgavata, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma, what this dharma, religion means, the codes given by God. That's all. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Now Kṛṣṇa, in the beginning said that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. "I come, descend, in order to establish religion." Now again at the end He says sarva-dharmān parityajya. He came to establish religion. And in the end He says that "Give up all sorts of religion." What does it mean? That means religion means surrendering unto God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is religion. If there is no such principle... Surrendering unto God, that is religion. Not the rituals. Rituals are superficial. The Bhāgavata says sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). You follow any kind of religion, that doesn't matter. But the test will be how much you have developed God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the test. If that is lacking, then you have simply wasted your time.
Ahaṁ tariṣyāmi duranta-pāraṁ tamo mukundāṅghri-niṣevayaiva. As explained in the beginning, the whole process is to engage in the service of Kṛṣṇa, whose another name is Mukunda. Muk means liberation, one who gives liberation and blissful life. So this Kṛṣṇa Conscious movement is meant for delivering the conditioned soul of this age, Kali-yuga, as it was inaugurated by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, accompanied by Nityānanda. He also took sannyāsa at the age of twenty-four years only, very young man. So according to Vedic system, one takes sannyāsa at the fag end of life. Just like I have taken. While I was going to die, I took sannyāsa. So, that is also, something is better than nothing. And now you have sannyāsa in prime youthful life. So you are all far better than me. You have got enough opportunity to serve Kṛṣṇa and His mission. I am old man. I may pass away at any moment. The wording is already there. So you remain and preach this cult.
General Lectures
Of course, from Vedic literature we understand Brahmā is the most, I mean to say, opulent personality within this universe, Brahma. He is called the creator of this universe. But from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we understand that Brahmā is not the ultimate creature. In the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you'll find. It is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The definition of God is given there, and the qualification of God is given there, that He instructed Brahma. Brahmā is calculated to be the prime personality within this universe, but he was also instructed by God. Tene brahma, ādi-kavi. Ādi-kavi. Ādi-kavi means the first man, the first man of knowledge. So you may question that "In the creation, first, there was only one living creature, Brahma. Then where he went to take lessons? Who instructed him? There was no other living creature." That is also another qualification of God. God created. That also you know. You have read in your Bible. God created, but He is not one of the created beings. He created. Therefore, before creation, He was there. It is to be concluded. Before creation of this cosmic manifestation, He was existing. That information you'll have from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), in Vedānta-sūtra, "the original source of all emanation."
Some of them are translated by American scholars, and some of them are translated by other countries, scholars. But there are many. But unfortunately, none of them have presented Bhagavad-gītā as it is. They have tried to exploit the popularity of Bhagavad-gītā and put something of their own idea. This is the defect. But Bhagavad-gītā, if we want to understand, then we have to accept it by the formula as described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Just like if you have got the medicinal bottle, the direction and dose is on the label, that "Two tablets thrice in a day, after meals," like that. But if you take the tablets according to your own whim or somebody who does not know how to use that medicine, without consulting the physician, then you may be in dangerous position. You will not get the result. That is sure and certain. But you may meet some dangerous position. Similarly, so far Bhagavad-gītā is concerned, the prime standard book of yoga system, if you want to learn something from Bhagavad-gītā about the peace and prosperity and anxietylessness of your life, then you have to take this medicine of Bhagavad-gītā according to the dose prescribed in the Bhagavad-gītā, not outside.
So phalgu-vairāgya and yukta-vairāgya. Phalgu-vairāgya means inferior renunciation, or false renunciation. And yukta-vairāgya means actual renunciation. What is that difference? Prāpañcikatayā buddhyā. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they are giving up this world as false, māyā. Prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. Just like sometimes we are criticized because we are using the advantages offered by the material science. Just like I am using this microphone. So the people may criticize, "If this world is false, the material world is false, then why should I take advantage of this material product?" They expect that those who are spiritualists, they should go to Himalayas, giving up, giving up everything material and meditate in a solitary place, in snow-covered area. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy does not think like that. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) He does not recommend, although He was a sannyāsī, He was in renounced order of life. He gave up His family, beautiful wife, very affectionate mother, very comfortable home, very prestige, too much prestige of His personality in the society. He gave up everything. He was in the prime age of His youthful life, twenty-four years only, but He gave up everything.
Eko 'py asau racayitum. One partial expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Govinda. The prime factor is Govinda. So in order to create this material world, He has expanded Himself by His one portion, which is known as Viṣṇu-tattva, Mahā-Viṣṇu. The Mahā-Viṣṇu is described,
- yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya
- jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ
- viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
- govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
- (Bs. 5.48)
We are getting this information from Lord Brahmā, the creator of this particular universe, very authoritative statement by his realization. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the beginning, the description of the Lord is given, janmādy asya yataḥ, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). So, first of all He gave instruction, the Lord, janmādy asya yataḥ, from whom everything is emanating. Lord Brahmā is also emanating from Him. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye.
So there are many description about their activities in Vṛndāvana. Some of them are described by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya. The prime duty was, these Gosvāmīs, they were ministers, big, big zamindars. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was the only one son of his father and uncle, and in those days, five hundred years ago, their paternal income was twelve lakhs of rupees. So such person joined Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raguṇatha. Either they were very, very learned scholar or coming from very, very rich family, big post, all the six Goswamis.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: Is this the only necessary truth that one is born with, or are there others?
Prabhupāda: This is the prime truth. The method of devotional service and other ideas, they are included, but the basic principle is devotional service.
Śyāmasundara: For instance, Leibnitz says that concepts of mathematics are necessary truths, like "Two plus two is equal to four." Someone is born with that knowledge.
Prabhupāda: So this is also mathematical truth. Because even the aborigines, they also offer obeisances to thunderbolt. As soon as there is some sound of thunderbolt, or as soon as there is earthquake, they offer obeisances—any big natural phenomena. That means the devotion is there, but that devotional service is misplaces so long as one does not reach God.
Śyāmasundara: Leibnitz states that there is nothing in the intellect which was not previously in the senses except the intellect itself. In other words, all of our knowledge comes through our senses except the fact...
Prabhupāda: And it is banked in the intellect. That is a fact. That is permanent. Therefore even if we change our body, still we can find out our means of living by that inherent intellect. That is advertised as intuition. But this intuition is previous experience only. (end)
Prabhupāda: That is very nice idea. We agree to that. Therefore we have to see what is the duty of the state. It is accepted that the state is the representative of God. Therefore the state's first business is to make citizens God-conscious. That is the state's first business. Any state who is neglecting this duty, he immediately becomes unqualified to hold the state office, either he may be president or the king. Because if it is admitted, the king... We say that the king's name is naradeva, God in human form, and king is offered that respect. There are... King is respected, why? Because he is to be considered God's representative. So therefore, as God's representative... Just like we are working as God's representative. We present ourselves as God's representative, Kṛṣṇa's representative, then what is our duty? What is our business? What we are doing? We are trying to lead others to God consciousness. That is the proof that I am God's representative. I am not teaching them anything else. I am teaching everything, that is duty, but this is my prime duty. Similarly, if the state or the state executive head, the president or the king is taken, accepted as God's representative, his first and foremost duty is to train the citizens to become God conscious. If he's lacking in that duty, he's not fit to become executive head, king of the... What does he say about that?
Śyāmasundara: He also agrees that the monarchy, constitutional monarchy is recommended to head the state.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devānanda: Would another conception be that Kṛṣṇa is not only the experienced since time immemorial but He is also the experiencer now? He, being the prime enjoyer, enjoyment means experience. He knows nothing but enjoying, so all His experience is enjoying. All His enjoying is His experience. That experience...
Prabhupāda: That means that the sum and substance, that is supremely experienced, past, present and future. Unless He is supremely experienced, how He can know future? Past and present..., past, present and future for us, because of the time, eternal time... I am a fragmental production of this time; therefore there is a beginning of my appearance, date. And when I disappear, there is a date of my disappearance. And within this date of appearance and disappearance, there is past, present and future. So my past, present and future and an ant's past, present and future and Brahmā's past, present... They are all different.
Śyāmasundara: Your experience after you, your body finishes, your experience is passed on, so that everything that we see-doors, walls, bodies, minds—everything is made up of previous experience. So and so learned how to build a door this way, and it was passed on...
Prabhupāda: That previous experience of Kṛṣṇa. Just like I was sometimes thinking of Africa, I think. They have made their houses almost like India. I have see that this is the Indian style. I have told you that this is Indian style. So how the Africans got my Indian's experience or the Indian got the African experience? So actually, the Indians did not take experience from Africans, nor the Africans took the experience from the Indians. It is experience of the Supersoul.
Devotee: That is why we are doing social service.
Prabhupāda: To divert his attention. (indistinct) That is understanding, and nicer thing (indistinct), that is our formula, (indistinct). Actually, as one increases his Kṛṣṇa consciousness he becomes (indistinct) all this material (indistinct). That is the prime remedy-panacea for all diseases.
Devotee: This Freudian philosophy is an offshoot from Darwin philosophy. Freud also thinks that man is a biological organism only; therefore his biological functioning should measure up to certain norms of biological behavior. If it doesn't, then there is something wrong. If it does, then everything is all right. So he makes some animal behavior good and other animal behavior substandard, and you want to bring everybody to a certain standard of animal behavior. But he has no conception of spiritual life.
Prabhupāda: (indistinct)
Śyāmasundara: We know he's a great fool, but we have to convince the students.
Prabhupāda: We have to convince them as I am convincing you. That is your business.
Prabhupāda: So my tendency is to (consider) everything as my own, but by the taking of the state I am forced to avoid(?). So how long will this work? By force how you can change one's mind? It is not possible. Therefore we say these things are only nonsense proposition. It will never happen because anyone who is in this material world, he has the prime tendency that I shall become the Lord. (indistinct) pratiṣṭhā. The material world means everyone is seeking after some profit, everyone is seeking after some adoration, and everyone is seeking, I mean to say, some position. This is the material world. So, if everyone, seeks profit, adoration and position, so how you can make equal by force?
Śyāmasundara: The communists have played upon this tendency and so the worker who produces more, he gets glorified by the state. He produces more units at his factory than the others, then he gets a small bonus.
Prabhupāda: Why he should get bonus?
Śyāmasundara: In order to, incentive, incentive bonus.
Purports to Songs
Glories to the śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years together. Thus the fire of conditioned life, of repeated birth and death is extinguished. This saṅkīrtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge, it increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it helps to have a taste of the full nectar for which we are always anxious. Second verse. Oh my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction upon the living beings and therefore You have hundreds and millions of names like Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, etc. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies and there is no hard and fast rule for chanting these holy names. Oh my Lord, You have so kindly made approach to You easy by Your holy names, but unfortunate as I am, I have no attraction for them. Three. One can chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking himself lower than the straw in the street, more tolerant than the tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and ready to offer all respects to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly. (end)
Conversations and Morning Walks
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: But that is in the śāstra it is said, "There are so many names of God. Out of all of them, Kṛṣṇa is the principal." God's name is given... Just like Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Vasudeva; therefore He is called Vāsudeva. Kṛṣṇa played in Vṛndāvana as the son of Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā; therefore He is called Yaśodā-nandana. Kṛṣṇa acted as the driver, chariot driver Arjuna. Therefore He is known as Pārtha-sārathī. So His name... All these names are according to His different activities. So He has got unlimited activities, and therefore He has got unlimited names. So out of all these names, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme or the prime because Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. So God, if God is not all-attractive, He cannot be God. So one God is attractive for me, another God is attractive for... He is not supreme God.
Guest (1): Reason we take the name of the God or anything is to achieve the supreme happiness or...
Prabhupāda: That supreme happiness is different thing. We are talking of God's name. First of all let us understand that God's name, we have different God's name according to God's activities. Madhusūdana. Because He killed the demon Madhu, therefore His name is Madhusūdana. Mādhava. Because He is the husband of goddess of fortune-Ma means goddess of fortune-therefore He is Mādhava. All the names you analyze. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is also the name of God because He is all-attractive. Now, how you can deny that God is not all-attractive? Is it possible? God is all-attractive. Can you deny this fact?
Mensa Member: So you wouldn't accept the prime mover either?
Dr. Weir: Well, it's not an argument, it's a postulate. I don't accept it. I mean, you have to accept it if you're going to... You know the (indistinct), so to speak. You can't have it half way.
Prabhupāda: This word positive and negative. Just like the sun—the backside is the negative and the front side is the positive, light and darkness.
Dr. Weir: Well the sun doesn't have a backside of darkness. It's light all round.
Prabhupāda: I mean to say, in relationship with the sun, the planet, the planet, in the front side there is light. In the backside there is darkness. But the darkness is the effect of the light. Where the light is absent there is darkness.
Dr. Weir: Only to an observer. If there's no observer there, there's no difference between light and dark.
Prabhupāda: No, this is the actual position. Just like this is sun, but this side is light, this side is darkness. So light and darkness, two opposite elements. But it is due to the same cause. Absence of light is darkness. And presence of light is light.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Therefore, what is your science?
Krishna Tiwari: Fine. But what I'm saying is that when the question of soul is something which is not at the moment visible to us or anybody. There is no indication that there is soul, because if there is soul in everything, I would imagine that that will not be controllable under laboratory conditions. If soul made us, then we should not be able to make differences amongst us. If, if the soul was the prime force, and was important force, then such differences of very magnified nature as exists between one species, between the same species, for example human beings, or between the rats. They will not be under the control of the human beings. One could make rats with white eyes, same rat can be bred and made with blue eyes. Or rat can be made white to black. Now these knowledge, this knowledge which man has achieved by studying the law of nature would never have arrived if we just believed in total something which has been said.
Śyāmasundara: What..., what good are blue-eyed rats?
Krishna Tiwari: Well, that is a different point. (laughter) What good is life? What good is anything? But that, that point is out of the question.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: You're not creating anything new.
Krishna Tiwari: I never said I did create anything new, but I changed those recognized things at will.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Within the laws of mutations.
Krishna Tiwari: Yes, at will, at will, made by my own, which, which God...
Ātreya Ṛṣi: No. No. That will is not your own.
Krishna Tiwari: Oh, sure it is.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: It is not.
Krishna Tiwari: Sure it is.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: It is limited. You... Can you will to jump up, go to another star?
Krishna Tiwari: No. No. We don't know yet, that.
Prabhupāda: So you don't know so many things.
Prabhupāda: That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
- mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
- śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
- āgamāpāyino 'nityās
- tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
- (BG 2.14)
If one is engaged in his cultivation of spiritual life, then he should tolerate all these bodily pains and pleasure. Because they come and go. Just like you are medical man, you treat, some patient. Suppose he's attacked with fever. Everyone knows that fever has come; after some time, it will go away. So the one who is cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's not very much disturbed with fever. He knows that it has come, it will go automatically. If we fast for few days. There is a Bengali proverb, jvaranpar ketanadali palab...(?) If you receive one unwanted guest and fever, you don't give him eat. Then it will go away. Unwanted guest, if you do not give him food, he'll go away. Even a fever also, if you don't eat, it will go automatically. So after all, these things come and go. The example is given, śīta-uṣṇa. Śīta means winter and uṣṇa means summer. As the summer comes and go, winter comes and go, so these kinds of sufferings, they come and go. So Kṛṣṇa is advising, tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. Therefore a brāhmaṇa's qualification is titikṣa. Śamo damaḥ śaucaṁ titikṣa, toleration. They're not very much bothered with the bodily pains and pleasure. They come and go. They're engaged in real business, how to realize Brahman. So if one is engaged in the prime business of life, Brahman understanding, athāto brahma jijñāsā, for him these bodily pains and pleasure becomes minor things. Therefore, we see such examples, that one saintly person is living in the Himalayan mountain. There is snowfall, there is no proper place, still they live. Still, there are many. But nowadays it is not possible.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. God's name. God's... In every respect, these materialists, they want to use God for their sense gratification. That is the prime fact. Our philosophy is that "God is not agent for your sense gratification, but you are agent for God's satisfaction." That is our philosophy, just the opposite. Even so-called religionists, they also take God as the agent of their sense gratification. They go to church to order God, "Supply our bread." Actually, He is doing. God is supplying bread. But they go for ordering, that "Give us our..." The rascal does not know, God is already supplying. Why should we go to church for ordering Him to supply bread? He is already supplying, even to the cats and dogs. They do not now what is the purpose of going to the church. That is going on. That is the disease, material disease. "I want to satisfy my senses, and anyone who will help me in my sense gratification, I shall worship him. If he does not, then I shall not." Everywhere. This Nixon became president because he promised that "I shall satisfy your senses." Now he is not doing so, so "Get out." This is the whole formula, material world." You satisfy my senses, you are my friend. And as soon as stop, then you are not my friend." That's it. (break) ...are considered the most authoritative because they give sense gratification. "You are sick. Now you are unable to gratify your senses. I give you some medicine so you become strong and go on your sense gratification." Therefore doctor is very good man.
Prabhupāda: They have been taught like that.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: If the patient doesn't bring money, he won't give injection.
Prabhupāda: So the lawyers and everyone. Especially in your country, this country, because they require money, so they must have money some way or other. That is the prime principle. They require money. That's all.
Karandhara: They charge outrageous fees, $60 an hour, $70 an hour, $5,000 for a little operation. Some doctors, they simply try to make operations so they can get rich. Whenever you come to see them, they say, "You need an operation."
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Locana: And they keep their telephone numbers secret so that on Sunday their patients may not disturb their sense gratification with their medical difficulties.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: It is a very big business here, Śrīla Prabhupāda, medical profession. They have this American Medical Association. They control the whole business. Even government cannot interfere. So they choose students, and they keep the supply so low that the demand is always high. That is why the price always increases. It's terrible.
Karandhara: To stay in a hospital now costs about $150 a day.
Prabhupāda: That is a sort of punishment of sinful activities. When you fall sick, it is due to sinful activity. So you are punished.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Dr. Patel: No, don't say that. (Hindi) (laughter)
Prabhupāda: They worship Viṣṇu. They worship Viṣṇu.
Indian man (2): They worship Viṣṇu but their prime deity is Śaṅkara, and not...
Prabhupāda: No, no. They worship five mūrtis. So they give equal im... Because Śiva is also not ultimate. Śaṅkarācārya's thesis is "Ultimately, the Absolute Truth is nirākāra." Not even Śiva. Therefore, either Śiva or Viṣṇu or Gaṇeśa, the same thing, same thing. They are not sticking with the Śiva form. They worship Viṣṇu form, also Gaṇeśa, as it is recommended in that book. (break) The difference is there. That difference is there. But we have to take which is correct.
Indian man (2): According to their realizations, you see.
Prabhupāda: No, no. We have to take which is correct.
Indian man (2): Who can take... You see, I... (break)
Prabhupāda: ...if you know which ācārya is correct.
Indian man (2): Oh which ācārya. So if your conscience... (break)
Prabhupāda: Ācārya means one. Ācārya... Just like Vedavyasa. Vedavyasa. (Indian man talking in background) (break) Now, then you must know what is God. That is God.
Yogeśvara: It's a great science. My mother is an executive in a public relations firm. Her business is to show products, goods, to people that otherwise they have no need for and to convince them that there is some value. It's a very big industry, especially in the United States, public relations, advertising. It's very psychological too. They use all kinds of psychological techniques for inducing people to take things they have no need for.
Prabhupāda: All right but thing is that after all our prime necessity is food. So why people are not engaged to produce food?
Richard Webster: Well, in Italy they don't like to work on the land any more. They all want to live in town.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the defect. That is the defect.
Richard Webster: Especially in Italy.
Prabhupāda: You do not want to live in the village, farm. In your country I am seeing. America, the farmer's son, they are leaving. They are not coming back to the country. In India also.
Atreya Ṛṣi: Cities have become centers for sense gratification.
Prabhupāda: That's it.
Yogeśvara: But what do we advise such women?
Prabhupāda: Whatever they, others women, they may take lesson from them that, "If these woman are suffering or these men are suffering, why should we marry?" There is a Bengali proverb, dekhe sekhe and tekhe sekhe (?). One who is intelligent, he can see what is happening, he becomes cautious. And one, when actually experienced, then he becomes cautious. Less intelligent. So if it is not good, why you are marrying? Why you are induced by sex life? Stop it by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you devote yourself, the whole life, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness you will not be agitated by any sex life. And that is yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāravinde. If one is actually advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will deride, "Huh! Nonsense! What is this?" That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, advancement. The only remedy, prime remedy for all solution, is Kṛṣṇa conscious. That we have to say. So answers are all right or not?
Yogeśvara: No, very nice. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Just like by nature there are four division in the body—the brain, the arm, the belly, and..., all of them required... You cannot reject any one of them. Then it is not fullness. But the brain should be the, I mean to say, prime director, managing director. So the qualification of brāhmaṇas are stated. Śamo damas titikṣā? Eh? So at the present moment the society has no brain because there is no person, no person who is qualified like that, samo damas titikṣā.
Yogeśvara: (translates)
Prabhupāda: So their qualification, brāhmaṇa qualification, find out. Page?
Nitāi: It's eight twelve.
Yogeśvara: Eight twelve?
Prabhupāda: 812.
Yogeśvara: (reads verse 18.42 in French)
Swiss Man (2): (French)
Yogeśvara: He says, "Does this Kṛṣṇa consciousness message apply as well to the outcastes?"
Prabhupāda: Outcaste? There are four castes only.
Prabhupāda: Translation?
Cāru: There is one more verse.
- āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ
- kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
- īhante kāma-bhogārtham
- anyāyenārtha-sañcayān
- (Bg. 16.11-12)
"They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification."
Prabhupāda: Then? Next.
Cāru:
- idam adya mayā labdham
- imaṁ prāpsye manoratham
- idam astīdam api me
- bhaviṣyati punar dhanam
- asau mayā hataḥ śatrur
- haniṣye cāparān api
- īśvaro 'ham ahaṁ bhogī
- siddho 'haṁ balavān sukhī
- āḍhyo 'bhijanavān asmi
- ko 'nyo 'ti sadṛśo mayā
- yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya
- ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ
- (Bg. 16.13-15)
Translation: "The demoniac person thinks: 'So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes.' "
Prabhupāda: Next. Next bank balance. Then?
Cāru: " 'So much is mine now and it will increase in the future, more and more. He is my enemy, and I have killed him; and my other enemy will also be killed. I am the lord of everything, I am the enjoyer, I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give some charity, and thus I shall rejoice.' In this way, such persons are deluded by ignorance."
Prabhupāda: Just like Hitler, Napoleon. They thought like that. Yes.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: The real problem is that the human being, I am speaking only of human being, not of the animals, because the animals, they do not know what is the problem; neither they can solve it. It is not possible. In the human form of body there is possibility of making a solution of this problem. Therefore in the human society, along with other educational department, there should be an educational department to understand what is soul, what it is (is its) nature, how it is working, what is the future, wherefrom it is coming. So many things there are. But there is no education for this prime factor, the driver. There is no education.
Lady (Hṛdayānanda): She feels that your affirmation is somewhat radical because she feels there are many groups and organizations of religion and philosophy and so on that are dealing with these matters.
Prabhupāda: Then why there is no solution?
Lady (Hṛdayānanda): Therefore she is asking you, "What is the solution?"
Prabhupāda: Yes, so that solution we are preaching, we are trying to preach. At least one section of people should know the science of the soul. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Just like medical necessity is there, does not mean that everyone should become medical man, similarly, the science of soul is necessity; it does not mean that everyone will be the transcendentalist or the scientist about soul. But at least one section of people must be there who knows perfectly well about the science of soul. As much as there is medical man—he knows perfectly well what is physiology, anatomy—there is engineer—he knows how to construct—similarly, a section must be there who knows perfectly well about the science of soul. So as there is need of medical man, engineer or lawyers or other, similarly, there is need of one section of expert who knows the science of soul. The medical man, the engineer, the archeologist or this or that, they are all meant for the body. Similarly, there must be one expert section who are meant for the soul. But all the universities, they have got these departments, medical department, engineering department, law department, but there is no department which is teaching perfectly well about the science of soul.
Prabhupāda: Our... You take answer one after another.
Haṁsadūta: Yes...
Prabhupāda: Not put all the questions.
Haṁsadūta: So you can begin.
Prabhupāda: Our ideal is that we have got this body, and there are some bodily necessities. That is the prime necessities. So we do not neglect these necessities of the body. But our culture is spiritual culture. Generally, people, being disturbed by the bodily necessities, they do not inquire about the spiritual identity. Actually this is the distinction between human life and animal life. (Hindi) (break) Our real purpose of this mission is to educate people about his spiritual identity. All people, they are misguided by the idea-(aside:) Don't do—that he is this body, everyone, all over the world, especially in the Western countries.
Girl: Why?
Prabhupāda: Because rascal fools, they have no knowledge, just like cats and dogs, animals. Do you admit this?
Haṁsadūta: (German)
Prabhupāda: Everybody's thinking that "I am this body." That is rascaldom. They have not even this primary knowledge of spiritual identity that he is not this body, although he has got very practical experience that a child is getting another body as a boy, the boy is getting another body as young man. Suppose I am... I know I had a body of a child. I still remember, when I was a child, six months old. I remember how I was lying down on the lap of my eldest sister. She was knitting, and I was seeing. Very vividly I remember. Now, where is that body? Tell me. Where is that body? Now sometimes I think that "I was jumping as a boy. And now I have to take this stick." So where is that, my jumping body? Tell me.
Prabhupāda: Who? Who? Who said?
Pañcadraviḍa: I was discussing with one Christian in India. So I attacked... Politely I attacked his scriptural reference, the Bible. I was saying that it was not meant that an educated community. So then he stopped me. He said, "That's all right. You can speak about fishermen. But," he said, "the prime exponent of Christianity was Paul. And Paul was previously Saul. He was not a fisherman. And he was traveling to a town on a particular... Damascus. And there he received direct revelation from God." And he said, "Then this one man, single-handedly, he converted most of the known world to Christianity."
Prabhupāda: That means he got direct revelation from God.
Pañcadraviḍa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: That is wanted.
Pañcadraviḍa: So he said just to talk about the Bible as evidence is not enough. He said, "You're overlooking direct revelation," which is what we are also dealing with, that the man who lives according to the word of God, he receives the word of God directly.
Prabhupāda: It is said there?
Pañcadraviḍa: Hm?
Prabhupāda: It is said there?
Pañcadraviḍa: He said to that effect, yes. He said, "Your argument about a fisherman community is not completely valid."
Prabhupāda: So Kṛṣṇa is helping us. Take advantage of it. (break) Vyāsadeva compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for this purpose. Anartha upasamam sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaja. These lokasya ajānataḥ, people are suffering on account of ignorance, so to give them proper knowledge, he made this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. (break) Who can become more learned than Vyāsadeva? Therefore he is known as vidvān, the most, supreme learned. He made this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to help these rascals who are spoiling their life only in sense gratification. (break) Life is meant for tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyed (SB 5.5.1). They do not know that our existentional condition is impure. The question does not arise that "I do not wish to die. Why there is death?" They are so dull-headed, this question does not... They are trying to solve so many question, but this question does not arise in their mind, that "I don't wish to die. Why death is forced upon me?" Inquire. Come on, all philosophers and scientists, come and make an inquiry commission, that "I don't want to die. The death is forced upon me. I don't want to become old man, and it is forced upon me. What is the reason?" Therefore they are rascals. The prime problem, they have set aside. Big, big scientists... That Professor Einstein and other, other, they are big, big scientists. They do not consider this question, that "I am a big scientist. So I am also going to die. So why it is?" That question, they have set aside. And they manufacture atom bomb to make dead very easy, not to stop death, but death-making very easily available. This is scientific. Hmm? Is that scientific?
Bahulāśva: No.
Prabhupāda: These are all material necessities. So if you come to the spiritual platform, the test is that you have no material necessities. So long you are diseased, you require medicine, but when you are not diseased there is no need of medicine. It is the healthy state. So so long we are materially diseased, we require all these material necessities. So when you are on the spiritual platform there is no material (indistinct). Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **, then you conquer over even our prime necessities, eating, sleeping, mating, and defense, the prime necessities the primary necessities, you don't require. You will sleep less, you will eat less, there is no need of mating, (indistinct), very less. So the lesser, lesser you become, that means spiritual. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra (SB 11.2.42). Your spiritual advancement means you become reluctant, disgusted with this, no more. Just like Yamunācārya, he explains his position,
- yadavadhi mama cetāḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
- nava-nava-(rasa-)dhaman(y udyataṁ) rantum āsīt
- tad-avadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāṇe
- bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭhu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca
"Since I have begun my Kṛṣṇa consciousness the more I advance I become very much detestful for sex life. As soon as I think of sex life I spite on it."
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: First World War, yes. That was futile. Again you have started United Nation. Where is the benefit? There cannot be benefit. If you keep the dogs as dog, you bring them, "You Australian dog, come here, and American dog, come here, and European dog, come here. Live peacefully," will they live peacefully? So if you keep the human society as cats and dogs, how can you expect peace? They must be human being. Then there will be peace. So this is the training how to make human being, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now these boys, they are also Europeans, Americans. They are coming from respectable, very educated.... They'll never ask for a chair. "Sit down. That's all." The necessities of life, artificial necessities, reduced, and time is saved for understanding the value of life. Without motorcar your life will not be spoiled. You can walk. But without Kṛṣṇa consciousness your life is spoiled. So how.... We recommend that "First of all understand yourself." Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is your prime business. And so far necessities of body, that can be done according to the circumstances. So if we simply waste our time for increasing unnecessary necessities of life and do not try to understand the value of life, then we remain animal.
Prabhupāda: All right, that is also kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Prasādam means we offer the foodstuff to Kṛṣṇa; then it is prasādam. So you have not come, but you have to come to take prasādam. This, it has got connection with Kṛṣṇa. So therefore we welcome you that at least for eating, you are coming to Kṛṣṇa. Gradually, you'll understand Kṛṣṇa, by eating only. Kṛṣṇa is not so easy to be understood, but we are giving you facility to eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam so that one day you can understand this movement. This is the policy. Actually, that is the policy. We are not poor-feeding. That is not our philosophy. Like Vivekananda. Daridra-nārāyaṇa-sevā. No, we are not after that. We are giving you prasādam. And that is fact, that by eating, eating, eating, eating, you one day will become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Simply by eating. Because you are so dull, you cannot understand the philosophy. You know the belly like the animals. So therefore we are giving facility, "All right, fill up your belly, fill up your belly. And you'll be infected." As you take foodstuff from a infected area, you become infected with some disease, so this is Kṛṣṇa infected, prasādam. You take it, and one day you'll be diseased with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And that is a fact. Some way or other, let him come in contact with Kṛṣṇa. He'll be benefited. Some way or other, let him come to the light. May be dim light or very big light. Light is light. So if anyone understands that there is a soul which is conducting the business of this body, then he can very easily understand that there is a Supersoul who is conducting the business of the whole material manifested world. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). If you convince that the body is useless, a lump of matter only, but the soul is the prime factor, similarly, he'll very easily understand that there is huge, gigantic material body of earth, water, air, fire, sky; they are working so wonderfully on account of the Supersoul. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: athavā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna. Find out this verse.
Prabhupāda: Read it carefully. As the small soul has entered.... Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). This is also a small universe. The same elements are working, but the soul is the prime factor. Similarly, this gigantic body. Athavā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena.... Viṣṭabhya aham idaṁ kṛtsnam. "The kṛtsnam, the total material energy, millions of universes like that, that is being maintained by Me because I have entered in it in My fragmental portion." Same principle. As I, the individual soul, I am.... because I have entered this body, the body is working so nicely. It looks beautiful; it looks fresh. It is machine. The machine is working very nicely so long the pilot or the driver is there. Similarly, where is the difficulty to understand this universal affair? If we accept the same principle, that "I am a small fragmental portion of Kṛṣṇa. I have entered this body. This body is working so nicely.... Similarly, because Kṛṣṇa has entered as Mahā-Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, therefore it is working."
Prabhupāda: That is his blessing. He wanted; I tried. That's all. Whatever is being done, it is by his desire. Vaiṣṇava sata saṅkalpa.(?) Whatever he desires, that is to be fulfilled. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23). Therefore, full faith in guru, that is the prime factor of success. Not any other things, no qualifications, no education, only strong faith in guru. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. This is the secret. So whatever little success is there, that was only this qualification, that I wanted to serve him. That's all. Otherwise, there was no business of coming here at the age of seventy years.
Hṛdayānanda: No one could imagine that.
Prabhupāda: You have seen all my room in the Rādhā-Dāmodara temple?
Rādhā-vallabha: We looked through the cracks. They're usually not open. Very inspiring.
Hṛdayānanda: Rādhā-vallabha has one newspaper article when you had just arrived in, I think, Butler.
Rādhā-vallabha: Trivikrama brought it up last..., two nights ago.
Hṛdayānanda: When you had just arrived, I think before going to New York, and when you were being interviewed, and it said the Swami is welcoming lectures, and it was very inspiring for us.
Prabhupāda: The Butler picture?
Rādhā-vallabha: Yes.
Prabhupāda: "Yes."
Reporter: "Then the most important thing is to find the common cause that people can unite on."
Śrīla Prabhupāda: "Yes. Just like in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society. You come to consult me about every activity because I can give you the common cause. Otherwise there will be fighting. The government should be very expert to know the aim of life, the common cause, and they should train the people to work for the common cause Then they will be happy and peaceful. But if people simply elect rascals like Nixon, they will never find a common cause. Any rascal can secure votes by some arrangement and then he becomes the head of the government. The candidates are bribing. They are cheating. They are making propaganda to win votes. Somehow or other they get votes and capture the prime posts. This system is bad."
Reporter: "So if we don't choose our leaders by popular election, how will society be governed?"
Prabhupāda: "You require brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas, vaiśyas and śūdras. Just as when you want to construct a building you require engineers. You don't want sweepers. Isn't that so? What will the sweeper do? No. There must be engineers. So if you follow the division of varṇāśrama, only kṣatriyas are allowed to govern. And for the legislative assembly, the senators, only qualified brāhmaṇas. Now the butcher is in the legislative assembly. What does he know about making laws? He is a butcher. But by winning votes he becomes a senator. At the present moment, by the principle of vox populi, a butcher goes to the legislature. So everything depends on training. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness society we are actually doing that. But in the case of politics they forget it. There cannot be just one class. That is foolishness. Because we have to engage different classes of men in different activities. If we do not know the art then we will fail, because unless there is a division of work there will be havoc. We have discussed all the responsibilities of the king in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The different classes in society should cooperate exactly as the different parts of the body do. Although each part is meant for a different purpose, they all work for one cause, to maintain the body properly."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura's song is there, para-duḥkhe sukhi. That is natural. Go on.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna:
- cintām aparimeyāṁ ca
- pralayāntām upāśritāḥ
- kāmopabhoga-paramā
- etāvad iti niścitāḥ
- āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ
- kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
- īhante kāma-bhogārtham
- anyāyenārtha-sañcayān
"They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification."
Prabhupāda: Illegal.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Illegal means.
Prabhupāda: This is the proof. Consciousness developed and the symptoms are there. Just like we are studying this. Our consciousness is developed. This discussion is not possible by the animals, although it has got the all life symptom. Therefore because our consciousness is developed, we can inquire. Therefore in the human form of life it is the only business to inquire about the Absolute. Now, athāto brahma jijñāsā. The animals, they can inquire where is some food, where is some stool. That much. They have no other power. But when one becomes..., gets this machine of human form of body... The Vedānta axiom is "Now it is the time for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is real human life, when he inquires about the Absolute Truth. Otherwise, it is animal life. And there are so many department of education means inquiries. In the human society, there are departmental education. Physics department, chemist department, mathematics department, this department, that... Why? Because there are different inquiries. So Vedānta-sūtra says that the prime inquiry is to inquire about the Absolute Truth. That is human life. If there is no inquiry about the Absolute truth, then still he is animal. So those who are simply satisfied with the physics and chemistry, they are still animals. They are not human beings. This is the challenge. Still they have not developed the consciousness. And that inquiry, when it is for Kṛṣṇa, that is the final development. And when he understands Kṛṣṇa, his life is perfect. Then he goes back again to the spiritual world. He's quite fit to live there. Otherwise, he's unfit, he must be here in this material world. And if he understands Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). This is perfection.
Prabhupāda: And that is advertised means nobody's purchasing at this quarter, it is not very safe.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This quarter? No, this is the most prestigious. Fifth Avenue between Seventy-ninth Street and Thirty-fourth Street is the prime location. That's about as far north as you would want to go. Any further north uptown will not be nice, but this area here is very select. The best area is from Fifty-ninth Street to Thirty-fourth Street on Fifth Avenue, where all the shops are, the library. That area is very high class. This is Fifty-seventh Street, Fifty-fifth Street.
Rāmeśvara: Prabhupāda, if the spiritual master has a mission, is it proper for the disciple to think that he can take more than one..., he can take many births to help the mission of the spiritual master?
Prabhupāda: When the spiritual master goes there, somewhere, his nearest assistants, they automatically go there to assist him. When Kṛṣṇa comes the demigods also come to help Him. That is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. All these Yadus, Yadu family, they came from heaven. So before Kṛṣṇa's disappearance, by some trick they were all killed and they returned to their original place. It is nicely described in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Just see, small house, this yellow. Still, in New York City.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, small little house. (end)
Yaśomatīnandana: "Your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter of hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists." Purport: "Even the very question is so nice that it is the best subject matter for hearing. Simply by such questioning and hearing one can achieve the highest perfectional stage of life. Because Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Supreme Person, any question about Him is original and perfect. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that the highest perfection of life is to achieve the transcendental loving service of Kṛṣṇa. Because questions and answers about Kṛṣṇa elevate one to that transcendental position, the questions of Mahārāja Parīkṣit about Kṛṣṇa philosophy are greatly glorified. Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to absorb his mind completely in Kṛṣṇa, and such absorption can be effected simply by hearing about the uncommon activities of Kṛṣṇa. For instance, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that simply by understanding the transcendental nature of Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance, disappearance, and activities, one can immediately return back to home, back to Godhead."
Prabhupāda: They do not know what is back to home, back to Godhead. Home is here in India, and again back to Godhead? And somebody say, "Here is America. It is my home." And when you say that he'll be kicked out after some years, then home finished. They are satisfied, that home finished, that's all. In such ignorance they are living. And for this home they are busy. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2). Gṛhamedhī, attached to this home from which he'll be kicked out. Kṛṣṇa says, "I'll take it out, everything." Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). "I come before you as death and take everything, whatever you have got." That's a fact. Everyone is accumulating, but at the time of death he'll be forced to give it up. He'll be forced to give up the body which he is maintaining so nicely. That he is experiencing. Still, apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). Because he does not know what is self-interest he remains ignorant and dies. This is going on. And leaders-andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Blind leaders, they are encouraging, "Yes, kick yourself. You live here as nationalist. This is your interest. And fight between one nation to one nation, one man to one man." And they have taken this is value. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām (SB 2.1.2).
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Rāmeśvara: In New York or L.A. Wherever you think...
Prabhupāda: Let him go to the colleges accompanied by some other.
Rāmeśvara: I was thinking that especially right now, this time, is the prime time for preaching in America.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Let as many sannyāsīs as possible. Sannyāsī, brahmacārī or gṛhastha, it doesn't matter.
Rāmeśvara: Cannot possibly cover all the territory.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: There's so much engagement in America right now.
Prabhupāda: As far as possible, I think Brahmānanda should be engaged with some assistant or some superior. Two. He should not be alone. That is the best solution.
Rāmeśvara: No one's giving engagements in New York. Now I have two people in L.A. beginning, Jagannath Sūta.
Prabhupāda: Then this kīrtana... This is kīrtana, speaking. Whatever little fault is there, that will be rectified.
Prabhupāda: Anyāyenārtha-sañcayān.
Hari-śauri: "They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification."
Prabhupāda: Is there any purport?
Hari-śauri: "The demoniac accept that the enjoyment of the senses is the ultimate goal of life, and this concept they maintain until death. They do not believe in life after death, and they do not believe that one takes on different types of bodies according to one's karma, or activities in this world. Their plans for life are never finished, and they go on preparing plan after plan, all of which are never finished. We have personal experience of a person of such demoniac mentality..."
Prabhupāda: I am talking of that man. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "ISKCON farm report: Port Royal, Pennsylvania, report for year 1976. ISKCON Incorporated of New York owns a prime farm in Juanita County of Pennsylvania. The land is nearly four hundred acres in size, valued at around five hundred dollars per acre, or two hundred thousand dollars. In addition the buildings on the property consist of the following: barn worth $40,000; outbuildings worth $10,000; calf barn $25,000; equipment $50,000; residential building $45,000; guesthouse and public kitchen and prasāda pavilion $75,000; and silos $20,000. Total, including land, $465,000. The purpose of this land is to produce foodstuffs to meet all the needs of the farm community as well as the needs of our temples in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. Another purpose is to demonstrate the principle of cow protection, as we are strict vegetarians and do not believe in slaughtering cows. Our herd of cows is Brown Swiss, and they are rated amongst the top one percent of dairy cow herds in the United States. All of the cows are pedigreed. Our farm holds fifty milk cows and fifty young cows, heifers. The milk cows milk an average of 40 kilos of milk per day in their first month of lactation and average 25 kilos per day over the whole year. We have 140 acres of crop land and 30 acres of pasture, the balance being woods, primarily hardwood, which is excellent for fuel. On our land we grow not only all the food for the residents but also for the cows. The following is the yield for 1976: corn-200 tons, soybeans-10 tons, barley-10 tons, oats-10 tons..."
Prabhupāda: What do you do with the soybeans?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The soybeans are ground and given to the cows.
Brahmānanda: In the winter.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In the wintertime. This way...
Prabhupāda: They're very nutritious.
Prabhupāda: Then?
Hari-śauri:
- cintām aparimeyāṁ ca
- pralayāntām upāśritāḥ
- kāmopabhoga-paramā
- etāvad iti niścitāḥ
- āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ
- kāma-krodha-parāyaṇāḥ
- īhante kāma-bhogārtham
- anyāyenārtha-sañcayān
"They believe that to gratify the senses unto the end of life is the prime necessity of human civilization. Thus there is no end to their anxiety. Being bound by hundreds and thousands of desires, by lust and anger, they secure money by illegal means for sense gratification."
Prabhupāda: Hm. Leave it, this.
Hari-śauri: If this gets read in the court, they'll really...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is perfect for the court. And the purports are very strong.
Prabhupāda: There is purport?
Hari-śauri: To all of those, yes. Long purports. Should I read all the purports?
Prabhupāda: Hm.
Prabhupāda: Then whole meeting, people are coming, Russian people. When Indira is empowered they are coming to hear her, and she is gone. Rascals. What is the value of their vote? Sometimes giving vote here, sometimes giving vote there.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Do you think that she will again become the prime...
Prabhupāda: Any moment she can become. It is a question of maneuvering.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So there is actually a possibility. Very dangerous.
Prabhupāda: Yes. People are rascals. If induce them, "Vote," they will vote. They have no choice actually, who is good or bad. Therefore it is said, śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ (SB 2.3.19). Some rascal, fools, animals, they are voting, "Indira is very good." Or "Desai is very good." So what is the value of? What they are? They are animals. You train the animals: "Dance like this," he will dance.
Prabhupāda: And this designation can be moved, removed at any moment. Indira Gandhi, no more prime minis... Designation finished. So sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170), when one become free all designation, tat-paratvena nirmalam, simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness he becomes purified. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhakti... Then bhakti begins.
- brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
- na śocati na kāṅkṣati
- samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
- mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
- (BG 18.54)
This is the preliminary condition. So it means as soon as they have become devotee, they have no more designation. This conception is not there: "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim"—no.
Upendra: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya: "O my Lord, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You." Next śloka?
- śrī-śuka uvāca
- varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ
- kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa
- ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ
- śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ
- (SB 2.1.1)
"Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, My dear king, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter of hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists."
- śrotavyādīni rājendra
- nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ
- apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ
- gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām
- (SB 2.1.2)
"Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, have many things as subject matter for hearing in the human society, O emperor." Prabhupāda: Just like our men. Little advanced, they have no more interest with hearing newspaper, ordinary sex novel. This is for the rascals. Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). We are interested in Bhāgavata. That's all.
Prabhupāda: After all, the thing is that so long we have got this body, the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), you have to accept. This is the statement in the Bhagavad-gītā. So the human endeavor should be diverted how to stop this repetition of birth and death. That is the prime instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says that,
- janma karma ca me divyaṁ
- yo jānāti tattvataḥ
- tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
- naiti mām eti...
- (BG 4.9)
So our movement is on that platform, how to stop. Our whole Vedic culture is based on that process. When Viśvāmitra Mahārāja went to see Daśaratha about..., Daśaratha Mahārāja inquired from Viśvāmitra, aihistaṁ(?) yat punar-janma-jayāya: "You are great saintly person. You are trying to conquer over birth and death. Is your process going on nicely?" Viśvāmitra inquired Daśaratha Mahārāja about royal activities, government, prosperity, because he was kṣatriya and he was brāhmaṇa. So my request... This, our Gītā philosophy, that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ... (BG 4.13).
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
The human form of life is specially meant for this purpose, namely, to invoke the dormant Love of God, because better development of consciousness is found in the human body. Animal propensities for sense gratification equally found both in man and animals. But the special significance of human life is to achieve Love of God as the prime perfection of life. Unfortunately, at the present moment people are more concerned about the principle of sense gratification, or the animal part of human life, and they are gradually declining in God consciousness. This tendency is very much deteriorating, and because Your Holiness is the Head of a great religious sect, I think we should meet together and chalk out a program for cooperation.
Regarding your question about Yogananda, you write to say that you "received the impression from his autobiography that he was a genuine saint who dedicated his life to serving God." But the thing is that you do not actually know what is a genuine saint, and what can you understand about saintly life from reading his autobiography. I may inform you that just recently I visited his so-called asrama retreat, and it was simply a hodge-podge of all nonsense. There was a Buddha statue, a Christ statue, a Gandhi's memorium labeled as "World Peace Memorium"—and what world peace he has brought? None. And what does Gandhi have to do with spiritual realization anyway? Gandhi was simply interested to get the Britishers out of India—what has this to do with self-realization, the prime goal of life? And here and there, there were signs of all sorts, like "Be still and realize I am God"—what is this, by becoming silent and still one becomes God?! The stone is silent for millions of years, does that mean it has become God? This is all conglomeration of nonsense ideas. Practically, this Yogananda has no philosophy or authority, he simply drags in Buddha, Jesus Christ, Gandhi, and whoever else he can think to put, so that whatever you like it is in his shop. He is just a good shop keeper.
1969 Correspondence
I have received report from Mr. Parikh and others that they are enamored by your behavior, your character, and your devotion. In the newspaper cuttings also they gave such hints. In other words, everyone is appreciating your presentation. Please keep up this standard of behavior. Do not make any artificial discrepancies amongst yourselves because you are acting on a very responsible business. Perhaps you know that there are many political parties in a country, but when the country's total responsibility has to be executed, they become combined. To have some little disagreements amongst yourselves is not very unnatural because we are all individual beings. But as we are all working on behalf of Krishna we should always forget our personal interests and see to the prime cause.
I am in due receipt of your letter (undated) and I was very pleased to note the contents. Regarding the Radha-Syama chanting which you have heard it is not very good. In our temple, strictly Hare Krishna chanting should be given more importance. This is no harm in this mantra you have heard, but it is not very important. There are many such common songs composed by common devotees out of sentiment. But our principle is to stick to the authorities, and always remember that Hare Krishna is the prime authorized mantra.
So in this age of Kali Yuga it is not possible to faithfully follow the procedures of Hatha Yoga because our minds are too restless and our lives are very brief. Therefore, the Lord has descended upon this earth five hundred years ago as Lord Caitanya to encourage the process among all men of chanting the Holy Names of God, the Hare Krishna Mantra. This chanting will immediately captivate the hearts and minds of all sincere souls, and therefore it is the prime benediction for the most fallen souls of the age of Kali Yuga. If you will continue to come to our temple and associate with the devotees as much as possible, you will see practically how you are making very, very nice progress in spiritual advancement. Krishna Consciousness is not some invented process nor is it some brought to America in an altered form. Krishna Consciousness is the bona fide process of God-realization that has brought so many great saints and sages to the perfectional level of knowledge of God.
I am pleased to note that you have performed at certain "yoga" groups in the area, and already you are making a nice dent in their Maya, as they are now preferring the Maha Mantra to the chanting of Om. Actually, this chanting of Om is also a bona fide form of meditation, but as we learn from Vedic literature and from Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the chanting of Hare Krishna is the prime benediction for this age, and it is the authoritatively recommended means of God-realization. Also, I am very encouraged to learn that you have your own radio show for one hour every Sunday morning. Here in Los Angeles I have so many tapes of my singing prayers, chanting new tunes of Hare Krishna, playing mrdanga, and purports to prayers. So if you think that some of these tapes will be nice for your program, I will have copies made of some of them and have them sent to you.
The main purposes of this institution are as follows amongst others: 1) To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all peoples in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world. 2) To propagate a consciousness of Krishna as it is revealed in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. 3) To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, and thus develop the idea, within the members and humanity at large that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna). 4) To teach and encourage the Sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
Regarding your question about rasa with the Spiritual Master, I do not know who is the someone who has said this, but it is a most unauthorized statement. Better you should stick to hearing from authorized persons, like your Spiritual Master or experienced Godbrothers. But never try to hear someone who is not in our line. It is simply a waste of time to hear and then again have to rectify the mistake. Regarding your question about my never returning to Spiritual Sky, that is possible simultaneously. So far as the quotation from Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura you have cited, that is quite all right. In this age, chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra is the prime business of the devotee, and preaching of this Hare Krishna Mantra by outdoor Sankirtana and propagation of literature is our more important business. Side by side, Deity worship is recommended, but when there is a question of accepting one of them, we shall prefer to accept chanting of Hare Krishna Mantra first.
1970 Correspondence
Your appreciation of my adventure at this part of my life has encouraged me, and I think that by the prayers of good souls like you I may be able to work for sometime more in the interest of this great movement. You have said, "Kindly treat me as one of your humble disciples." It will be my prime duty to help you to my best capacity for your spiritual advancement of life.
In our Temple all Europeans, Indians, Mohammedans, Christians, everyone is welcome. And our presentation is so nice that everyone will be attracted to accept it because we are preaching love of God. Love of God is the prime function of all living entities, without any sectarian understanding.
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated February 4, 1970, and I am glad to learn that you have now become steady in comparison with your flickering past life. The association of devotees is the most important element in learning Krishna Consciousness way of life. By association with undesirable companions we have learned so many bad habits and similarly by association with pure persons or devotees we can become purified of our acquired bad habits. So constant association and working cooperatively with devotees is the prime and easy method to relearn our original good habit of Krsna Consciousness.
I am very glad that you are appreciating the transcendental benefit out of Krishna Consciousness Movement. Actually this is the prime benediction for human society. My Guru Maharaja used to say that there is no scarcity of anything within this world, the only scarcity is people are not aware of Krishna Consciousness. The whole world is suffering for want of this great benediction. Therefore by the grace of Lord Caitanya if we have understood the value of this movement it will mean a great lot as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita that even a little performance of Krishna Consciousness activity will save the human society from the greatest danger of life.
From the description of your letter it appears that you are a very fortunate boy. Because Krsna has given you the intelligence to take advantage of this Krsna Conscious life. Now because you have come to me it will be my prime duty to guide you and utilize your talents for Krsna's service. I am very glad to learn that you have got an opportunity to stay as a scholarship student in the Soviet Republic of Armenia. I think you should take this advantage and try to introduce the philosophy of Krsna Consciousness in the communist countries.
I am very glad to know that you are maintaining a nice program of Sankirtana in the Washington area. Yes, this Sankirtana is our prime means for attracting sincere souls back to Krsna consciousness, so continue to improve your Sankirtana as far as possible. It is very encouraging that you have received written permission from the police to chant and take collections. This permission is very important. Please send a copy of the letter to me for reference.
I am very pleased that you are so sincerely and humbly trying to surrender to the instructions of Krsna and your Spiritual Master. This is the prime qualification of a devotee, so maintain fine attitude and advance in Krsna's loving service.
I beg to thank you for your nice letter dated 26 Damodara 484 Caitanya Era. It is my great pleasure that so many fine young boys have joined this Krsna Consciousness Movement and they are finding that their lives have been saved by this simple process. I have many times expressed my sympathy with the frustrated and unhappy younger generation of your country and it is our duty to teach them this formula for peace and happiness by chanting the Mahamantra. This is the business of a devotee, he himself finds the secret that by simply loving Krsna one automatically acquires love for all other beings and he takes it as the prime duty of life to spread this sublime knowledge to everyone he meets.
It is very good news that your Washington Temple is now expanded with devotees and you are increasing your program regularly. I am especially eager that all our books may be distributed to all the libraries and school-colleges of the world and so far the program of distribution has met with good success everywhere. So you also do it thoroughly with the help of your assistants. The university community is also a prime target for our propaganda work and I am most pleased to know that classes are being regularly taught at the universities and other classes are using our books as texts. You are one of our intelligent devotees, so please try your best to convince the students of the necessity for chanting Hare Krsna Mahamantra.
1971 Correspondence
In regard of Regent's Park land we are taking steps to contact Sri Karan Singh, who is already known to Gurudasa and that way of obtaining royal favor is very good. I think Sri Singh will like to help us in this matter, so let us see what Krsna desires. In the meantime continue to work from your end as far as possible. I am so glad that you have decided to return as President of our London Temple. I consider London as our prime center for spreading Krsna Consciousness Movement, so it is very important center and I therefore wanted that you take charge of the affairs and see that things are always improving. Simply offer all your talents and energies in this service of the Lord and know that Krsna promises that for one who surrenders fully unto Him, He fully protects such devotee from all kinds of material distresses and sinful reactions. I hope that Janaki will join you in this work, and you set the example of ideal householders in Krsna Consciousness. I have also received one letter from Janaki and I am replying her separately.
Also I have received the five letters requesting initiation. Richard Prime and Jim Counsilman have already been initiated and they should have received their beads duly chanted on by now. Also please thank Milan, Phillip, and Anna for their kind letters. From Bombay I shall most probably be stopping in London on my way back to U.S.A. and at that time can initiate them personally.
1974 Correspondence
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of 4/1/74, along with the new publication in Swedish of my English work, "Krsna Consciousness the Topmost Yoga System". Of course I cannot read Swedish, but looking through this book has given me unlimited bliss. After all, this is my prime duty, to publish books on Krsna Consciousness. The printing of the book appears excellent, and that you are "profusely distributing" the book all over Sweden is the crowning success of our movement. We will conquer Europe with these books. I can only thank you again and again in sincere gratitude for producing this literature, and pray to Krsna to bless you with all spiritual advancement.
But there is another status of life where there is no birth, death, disease, and old age. The Krishna Consciousness movement is the means for promoting the human being to that status. This is a great science, and it is elaborately explained in the Bhagavad-gita.
So our mission is to give this benediction to all humanity. Let us cooperate together on this basis so that it will be a more effective United Nations, We shall be united on the basis of the prime need of human society, spiritual life.
1975 Correspondence
The BBT arrangement you have made is all right, but Brahmananda Swami says that it may be difficult for the temples to maintain by giving to both the Book Fund and the Building Fund. So if it is not possible that the temples maintain themselves by giving 45% to the BBT and 45% to the Building Fund, then use the Building Fund for maintenance. But the BBT must get its money. That is the prime responsibility of every temple. So let the temples pay the BBT 50% and when you require money for construction, then we shall see.
I am in due receipt of your nice letter and am very pleased to read the contents. It is rare that an important man like yourself understands the prime importance of the Krishna consciousness movement. In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Sri Krishna says that it is the specific duty of the leaders of society to give an example of Krishna consciousness so that the common people will follow, yad yad arcarati srethas (BG 3.21). Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gita the Lord says that it is the leaders of the society who can understand rightly this transcendental knowledge; imam rajaso vidhuh.
1976 Correspondence
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your kind invitation dated Chandigarh, 19-3-76, addressed to my Bombay address. I am very glad to learn that you are endeavouring to understand the prime goal of life, without which the facility of human life becomes futile. I have just come back from Delhi yesterday and I'm preparing for going to Australia by the 10th April, therefore, I am very sorry that I must inform you I will not be able to attend the function, however, I am sending herewith the answers to your questions, as far as I know. As we have received this knowledge from the greatest authority, Krishna, these answers will be acceptable in every sphere of spiritual activity.
1977 Correspondence
Go on spreading the sankirtana movement more and more. I am only one person, but because all of you have kindly cooperated with me, this movement has now become a success all over the world. Be assured that there is no more direct way to preach than to distribute Krsna conscious books. Whoever gets a book is benefitted. If he reads the book he is benefitted still more, or if he gives the book to someone else for reading, both he and the other person is benefitted. Even if one does not read the book but simply holds if and sees it, he is benefitted. If he simply gives small donation towards the work of Krsna consciousness he is benefitted. And anyone who distributes these transcendental literatures, he is also benefitted. Therefore sankirtana is the prime benediction for the age:
- krsna varnam tvisa krsna sango vangastra parsadam
- yajnaih sankirtana prayair yajanti sumedhasah
- (SB 11.5.32)
Hoping this meets you all well.
| Page Title: | Prime (Lect., Conv. & Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 18 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=60, Con=34, Let=25 |
| No. of Quotes: | 119 |