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vṛddhāv anāthau pitarau nānya-bandhū tapasvinau aho mayādhunā tyaktāv akṛtajñena nīcavat My father and mother were old and had no other son or friend to look after them. Because I did not take care of them, they lived with great difficulty. Alas, like an abominable lower-class man, I ungratefully left them in that condition. According to Vedic civilization, everyone has the responsibility for taking care of brāhmaṇas, old men, women, children and cows. This is the duty of everyone, especially an upper-class person. Because of his association with a prostitute, Ajāmila abandoned all his duties. Regretting this, Ajāmila now considered himself quite fallen.
sarvāḥ samuddhared rājā piteva vyasanāt prajāḥ ātmānam ātmanā dhīro yathā gaja-patir gajān Just as the chief bull elephant protects all other elephants in his herd and defends himself as well, similarly, a fearless king, just like a father, must save all of the citizens from difficulty and also protect himself. Lord Kṛṣṇa, having concluded His discussion of brahminical duties, now describes the character and activities of a king. Protecting all of the citizens from difficulty is an essential duty for the king.
ācārya gosāñira guṇa-mahimā apāra jīva-kīṭa kothāya pāibeka tāra pāra The glory and attributes of Advaita Ācārya are unlimited. How can the insignificant living entities fathom them? None
Letter to: Hansadutta 68-01-22 My Dear Hansadutta, Please accept my blessings. I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated Jan. 16, 1968, and noted the contents with pleasure. The idea of opening an asrama in the near future is certainly a wish of Krishna's. To develop our institution to its fullness, we require such an asrama without doubt. Child is the father of man, so the basic principle of any type of life is to instruct to the children from the very beginning. Krishna Consciousness. Children grow to be the topmost leaders of the human society. In the Bhagavatam it is said that the Brahmanas are the head of the social body, the Ksatriyas are the arms of the social body, the Vaisyas are the waist of the social body, and the Sudras are the legs of the social body. The legs may be placed in a lower position than the head ephemerally, but actually the legs are as important as the head for maintaining the body as it is. It is not that the legs should not be taken care of and just the head should be cared for. But it is a fact that if there is not a head it is a dead body. The modern civilization is a sort of a social body without a head, or actually it is a dead body. The body is dead since the very beginning of it's birth, and it is the spirit that keeps it moving. Therefore, spiritual enlightenment is the basic principle of civilization. The modern civilization is lacking in that respect and there are so many disadvantages on account of this deficiency. So we have to grow children to become the head of the human society and there is great need for this. I pray Krishna that you may give a starting to such an asrama in full Krishna Consciousness. In the asrama there must be a grand temple as the deity of the asrama. Another proposal is I want to form a sankirtana party in which two members will play mrdanga, eight will play the cymbals, two will play on tampura, and one harmonium, besides that there will be the leader of the party. This party will be so trained that exhibitions of our chanting and dancing along with distribution of prasadam will be performed on a stage and for this performance we will sell tickets to the public. It will be known as a spiritual movement. Suppose if we begin it from New York and there is good response from the public, then our attempt will be successful prior to our traveling all over the world. We will earn money by stage exhibitions and attract attention of the elite public and move from one station to another. A shorter type of this exhibition was held during our television show and the performance was very much appreciated. So I want to train such a party immediately. I do not know where such training will take place, but I want to do it immediately in my presence. So consult with Brahmananda and others about this proposal. Give me your return suggestions about this proposal. I quite approve your plan for manufacturing Jagannathas and do some profit out of it for maintenance of our temple. Hope you are well. Your ever well-wisher A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami P.S. I think you can save money for this Ashram as much as possible. The Ashram may be named as "ISKCON-Nagari" or New Vrindaban and a separate a/c may be opened in the Bank.
Letter to: Kurusrestha 75-07-02 Denver Dear Kurusrestha, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated July 2, 1975. Upon your recommendation, I am accepting the following twice born brahmanas; Koshalendra Das Adhikari, Jyoti Das Adhikari. Enclosed please find their threads sanctified by me. I also accept as my initiated disciples the following devotees and their spiritual names follow: Al Rhiener—Adhata, Cleef Athey—Kamari Das. Please see that they are chanting 16 rounds & following the four regulative principles. Now hold a fire sacrifice and let the brahmanas hear the Gayatri mantra tape that I have spoken in their right ear. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam indrāri-vyākulaṁ lokaṁ mṛḍayanti yuge yuge All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists. In this particular stanza Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is distinguished from other incarnations. He is counted amongst the avatāras (incarnations) because out of His causeless mercy the Lord descends from His transcendental abode. Avatāra means “one who descends.” All the incarnations of the Lord, including the Lord Himself, descend to the different planets of the material world as also in different species of life to fulfill particular missions. Sometimes He comes Himself, and sometimes His different plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, or His differentiated portions directly or indirectly empowered by Him, descend to this material world to execute certain specific functions. Originally the Lord is full of all opulences, all prowess, all fame, all beauty, all knowledge and all renunciation. When they are partly manifested through the plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions, it should be noted that certain manifestations of His different powers are required for those particular functions. When in the room small electric bulbs are displayed, it does not mean that the electric powerhouse is limited by the small bulbs. The same powerhouse can supply power to operate large-scale industrial dynamos with greater volts. Similarly, the incarnations of the Lord display limited powers because so much power is needed at that particular time.
dakṣa uvāca śuddhaṁ sva-dhāmny uparatākhila-buddhy-avasthaṁ cin-mātram ekam abhayaṁ pratiṣidhya māyām tiṣṭhaṁs tayaiva puruṣatvam upetya tasyām āste bhavān apariśuddha ivātma-tantraḥ Dakṣa addressed the Supreme Personality of Godhead: My dear Lord, You are transcendental to all speculative positions. You are completely spiritual, devoid of all fear, and You are always in control of the material energy. Even though You appear in the material energy, You are situated transcendentally. You are always free from material contamination because You are completely self-sufficient. None
Prabhupāda: ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke [SB 5.5.3] We have described about mahat, mahat-sevāṁ, mahātmā. Mahātmā, their..., description of their quality, mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo [SB 5.5.2] So we have tried to explain the symptoms of mahātmā. Everything should be taken from the standard śāstra. Then human society will be helped. Śāstra means which is faultless. In the general behavior, we conditioned soul, we have got four defects. One defect is that however I or you may be great by the estimation of the modern society, we commit mistake, calculation mistake. That is one defect. Another mis... Another defect is that we are sometimes illusioned---we accept something in place of something else. Just like generally we accept this body as my self. But this is illusion. I am not this body; I am spirit soul. And on the basis of this false understanding we commit so many mistakes. So to commit mistake, to be illusioned, and imperfectness of senses. Our senses are not perfect. We are very much proud of seeing things. We say, "Can you show me?" But we do not consider that what is my seeing power. We are just now seeing one another because there is light. As soon as it will be darkness, we cannot see. So our seeing, this exercise is possible under certain conditions. Therefore it is to be concluded that we have got imperfect senses. Imperfect senses; committing mistake; being illusioned. If we try to give some knowledge, that is cheating. So this is going on. We are accepting leaders who has got all these defects, and still we accept somebody as leader. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās [SB 7.5.31]. Such leadership is just like a blind man, he is leading other blind men. So then that will create disaster. Therefore our, I mean to say, verdict or decision is always defective. For example, sometime before in India there was Prohibition, and now there is encouragement of drinking. So unless we accept something standard which is correct in all circumstances, that will mislead us. Therefore our Vedānta-sūtra says that we should see through the śāstra. That is standard. So we have discussed the standard of mahat, or mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes. Sādhava, the standard of sādhu. They are generally on the renounced order of life, but there are other sādhus also, they may be not in renounced order, as gṛhastha, gṛhe tiṣṭhati, with wife and children. They are also sometimes mahātmās. That their symptoms is now being described = ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. Their life is not for material enjoyment. Their life is dedicated to make friendship with the Supreme Lord. Mayi īśe. Īśe means "unto Me, the Supreme Lord." Because this instruction is being given here by Ṛṣabhadeva. He is incarnation of God. So, just like Arjuna..., Arjuna is friend of Kṛṣṇa. For Kṛṣṇa’s sake he can do anything. That is called kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. For friendship of Kṛṣṇa he did everything which he was not willing to do. From his personal point of view, he was reluctant to fight with his cousin-brothers or to kill Bhīṣmadeva, Droṇācārya and big, big others, stalwart. There were teachers, grandfather, very exalted personalities. So Arjuna was not willing to fight with them. But on account of friendship with Kṛṣṇa, he did everything. He killed them. This is called kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. For to keep friendship with Kṛṣṇa he was prepared to do everything. They are called kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. His only business is to keep friendship with Kṛṣṇa, and for that purpose he can do anything. So it doesn’t matter whether one is a sannyāsī or a gṛhasta. The point is whether he is fully devoted to Kṛṣṇa. That is the point. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says the same thing. When He was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya... Rāmānanda Rāya was a dakṣiṇe, South Indian gentleman, and he was Governor of Madras under the sovereignty of Mahārāja Pratāparudra, but a very exalted person, gṛhasta. He was one of the best confidential devotee of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, although he was gṛhasta and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sannyāsī. So when discussion was going on with Rāmānanda Rāya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya was feeling little hesitation, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu coming from very exalted brāhmaṇa family, and was in the sannyāsa order, great ācārya, He was asking him question, and Rāmānanda Rāya was replying. So he felt some hesitation = "Sir, I am gṛhasta; You are sannyāsī. How I can teach You?" So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, kibā vipra, kibā nyāsī, śūdra kene naya yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei ‘guru’ haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128] "It doesn’t matter whether one is sannyasi or whether one is brāhmaṇa or śūdra. Anyone, it doesn’t matter, if he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can take the place of guru." This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s direction. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā. Kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā means one who knows what is Kṛṣṇa. Such person can become guru. There are other statements like that, who can become guru. The sum and substance is that if one knows what is God fully, he can become God, er, guru. Otherwise not. Not that because one is brāhmaṇa or a sannyāsī, therefore he can become guru. No. One must know the science of Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā. So that is not very easy thing. Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁkaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ [Bg. 7.3] To understand kṛṣṇa-tattva is very difficult job. Kṛṣṇa says out of many millions of persons who are aspiring to become perfect, or one who has become perfect. "Perfect" means one who has understood that he is not this body but spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is the standard of perfection of human life. Everyone is working on the bodily concept of life. They have been described as imperfect, or mūḍhā. So perfection of life. And then out of the perfect, one who has attained perfection, maybe one may understand what is Kṛṣṇa = yatatām api siddhānāṁ. So kṛṣṇa-tattva, the truth about Kṛṣṇa, is not so easy to understand. But fortunately, if we take advantage of Kṛṣṇa’s mercy... Kṛṣṇa is merciful. He has come down from Goloka Vṛndāvana, Vaikuṇṭha, spiritual world. yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham [Bg. 4.7] He comes. He loves us. Why not? We are His sons; why He will not love us? He is supplying all necessities, and He wants to see that we are properly trained up in religious principles. paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8] Kṛṣṇa comes once in a day of Brahmā, after so many thousands of years. That is the scheduled time. So Kṛṣṇa is anxious to take us back to home, back to Godhead. That is His business; therefore He comes. Kṛṣṇa does not want to see us we are struggling for existence in this material world. This is unnecessary. manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg. 15.7] We are struggling for existence, working so hard. Kṛṣṇa does not want this. Kṛṣṇa says, "Why you are working so hard, unnecessarily? You come back to Me, you live with Me, you enjoy My property and be happy." That Kṛṣṇa wants, and therefore He comes. But we are determined to work here like hogs and dogs and do not wish to go back to home, back to Godhead. This is our... So if any person has understood the science of Kṛṣṇa and wants to keep friendship with Him, relationship with Him, friendly way... You can keep your relationship with Kṛṣṇa in so many ways. You can keep your friendship with Kṛṣṇa; you can love Kṛṣṇa as your master or as your son or as your lover. Kṛṣṇa is ready. There are twelve kinds of rasas, mellows, to establish relationship with Kṛṣṇa out of faith. Five rasas are principal, mukhara = śānta, dāsya, sakhya, vātsalya, mādhurya. And seven rasas are indirect. So one of the rasas indirect are to fight with Kṛṣṇa. Just like the demons = Kṛṣṇa makes His servitors sometimes demons to enjoy fighting. Therefore He sends His... Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He was, Hiraṇyakaśipu, two doormen in Vaikuṇṭha, and Kṛṣṇa desired to fight. Therefore they were sent to this material world to become staunch enemy of Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa has got all the rasas, but the indirect rasas cannot be enjoyed in the spiritual world. Therefore sometimes He is..., comes down and creates some of His devotee as demon, and fighting is going on. That is also enjoyment for Kṛṣṇa. So these things are to be understood very scientifically. That is called kṛṣṇa tattva-vit. Why Kṛṣṇa comes? Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ [Bg. 4.9] The fighting of Kṛṣṇa is also divine. If anyone understands why Kṛṣṇa comes and fights, yo jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya, he also becomes liberated soul. So when one becomes kṛṣṇa tattva-vit, fully aware of the science of Kṛṣṇa, then any circumstances, it doesn’t matter whether he is a sannyāsī or gṛhastha or śūdra or brāhmaṇa, they are situated on the transcendental platform. So such persons described here, because the recommendation is mahat-sevā. So it does not mean mahat is only to be found in..., among the sannyāsīs, or higher circle, brāhmaṇas. No. Mahat can be found in other circle also, but what is the qualification? The qualification is, ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. His only business is to keep friendly relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is the first qualification. The first-class example is Arjuna. He was a military man, a politician, and gṛhastha, kṣatriya---not brāhmaṇa, not sannyāsī---but still Kṛṣṇa accepts him = sakhā ceti, "For you are My dear friend." Bhakto 'si sakhā ceti: "You are not only My devotee, you are My best friend," Kṛṣṇa says. Although he is gṛhastha, a military man, and as kṣatriya, still Kṛṣṇa accepts him that "I shall speak to you the mystery of Bhagavad-gītā, because you are My dear friend and bhakta." Bhakto 'si sakhā ceti rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam [Bg. 4.3]. Kṛṣṇa also wants somebody friendly. It doesn't matter whether he is a sannyāsī or gṛhastha. So any gṛhastha whose only aim is how to keep friendship with Kṛṣṇa, he is also mahat, mahātmā. He also mahat. Because the recommendation, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes [SB 5.5.2] = one has to take shelter of a mahātmā and serve him with surrender, then his path of liberation will be open. So, if somebody says... I think the other day somebody was questioning that "If I cannot contact sannyāsī because I am gṛhastha, I am family man, so how my path of liberation will be open?" Yes, that is possible, provided you find amongst your society a person like this, ye va mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. If you can find out amongst your associate a person who is only dedicated to Kṛṣṇa, you can associate with him. Then your path of liberation will be open. So that symptoms are described here, janeṣu... ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu na prīti-yuktā... [SB 5.5.3] Janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Generally people, they're interested how to maintain this body, because they are in bodily concept of life. Just like we pass through the streets, there are so many shopkeepers, and they're all decorating their shop to supply the needs of the body. Cloth shop, tailor shop, wine shop, this shop, that shop---but what are these shops? Dehambhara-vārtikeṣu, they are simply interested in maintaining this body, that's all. This is only business in the big, big cities = you'll find that business is going on, how to maintain this body. There is advertisement, "As you look just like a human being, not some...," something advertisement, that's all. So that is going on. We..., our business at the present moment in conditioned life, nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night we sleep, and vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ. Vyavāyena means sex. At night our business is to sleep and to indulge in sex. In this way we are wasting time, night. And daytime, divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā [SB 2.1.3]. And at the daytime, we are very busy going this side, that side. Why? To get some money, divā ca artha ihayā. Desiring, "Where I shall get money? Where I shall get money?" Divā cārthehayā, and as soon as I get money, I spend it, kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā, to maintain our family. So where is time for Kṛṣṇa consciousness? There is no time, sir. So one should not be interested in that way. Therefore it is said that dehambhara-vārtikeṣu, those who are busy only for maintenance of this body, to such person, he is not interested, na prīti-yuktā. This is the sign. He..., he may be a gṛhastha, it does not matter, but he is interested with Kṛṣṇa's business, not dehambhara-vārtikeṣu. Those who are interested with this body only, with them he has no interest. This is the sign. That is also mahātmā. Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. His only business is how to keep friendship with Kṛṣṇa. That is his only business. Then he is mahātmā. And so far janeṣu, people in general, who are simply interested how to maintain this body, janeṣu dehambhara-vārtikeṣu... And then what about his family? Yes, gṛheṣu, at home. Jāyā, jāyā means wife. Jāyā ātma-ja, ātma-ja means children. Gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu, and business about earning money, na prīti-yuktā, he's not interested. Although he is at home, he is not interested at home. Therefore generally devotees, they become very reluctant in the interest of maintaining family, children, wife. Simply as far as possible, duty. So much interested, not any more. These are the signs. If you want to find out a gṛhastha mahātmā, then he has got his family, he has got his children, he has got his wife, he has got his business, he has got to meet so many other people---but they are..., he's not at all interested. Simply behavior, official = "Yes, yes, it is all right. Yes, it is all right. What you say it is all right, but I am not interested." This is called disinterested. People are generally very much interested in these things. So if you want to find out a mahātmā within the society, not as a renounced sannyāsī, then these are the symptoms. There are other symptoms. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma [SB 5.5.4], that we shall describe later on. These are the general symptoms of a mahātmā gṛhastha. He is not interested in this bodily concept of life, or maintaining very opulently his family members, or talking very seriously with persons who are simply materially interested, dehambhara, just to maintain this body. Of course, we require to maintain this body. He is not neglectful. There is no question of negligence. He takes care of his children, of his wife, everything---but without any attachment. That is recommended by the Gosvāmīs, that anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārham upayuñjataḥ. You give education to your children; that is required. You maintain your wife, that is also required---no negligence, but no attachment at the same time. No attachment, that I shall sacrifice everything for my wife and children and home. That is not a mahātmā's business, because he knows that he cannot improve the destiny. Everybody has got his body with certain destiny already settled up. That you cannot change. Otherwise, everyone is trying to become very rich, very important. There is no scarcity of endeavor. But not that everyone is becoming like that. That is called destiny. So those who are believer in the śāstras, believer in the Supreme Lord, they believe in destiny also. Therefore śāstra says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ [SB 1.5.18]. We should try for advancing our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our main business. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido. Kovidaḥ means very expert. He should try for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not for material advancement. This is civilization. That is, we have already discussed, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye [SB 5.5.1]. If you think that "If I work very hard, then I shall improve my position," that is not possible. Your position is already fixed up. "Then shall I not try for my happiness?" Yes. That is replied in the śāstra = tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. You do not try for distress of life. Why does it come? You do not ask God, "Please give me distress." Nobody asks, but why distress comes? Similarly, if you do not pray for happiness, if you have got happiness in your destiny, it will come, as the distress comes. Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. So don't be misled by so-called happiness and distress. It is already fixed up. Simply try for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real business. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido [SB 1.5.18]. That business can be done very perfectly well when, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes, when we associate with mahātmā. It doesn't matter whether he's a sannyāsī or gṛhastha, he must be mahātmā. Mahātmā means one who has got relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is described in the Bhagavad..., mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso [Bg. 9.13]. That is mahātmā. You cannot stamp anybody and become a mahātmā. No. Mahātmā's sign is, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso. He has no other business. Simply he has only one business = how to please Kṛṣṇa. That is mahātmā. Ānukūlyena kṛ..., just like Arjuna did. Arjuna did not like to fight. He completely denied. He set aside his arrows and bows, became very morose, and then he asked Kṛṣṇa, "I am now puzzled. You can give me instruction, what is my duty, because kārpaṇya doṣa upahata svabhāvaḥ. Actually my..., it is duty, my duty, that, uh, I am kṣatriya, and there is fight, battlefield, I should take advantage of it, but still, kārpaṇya doṣa upahata svabhāvaḥ. I am going against my nature, so I do not know what to do. Please instruct." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam [Bg. 2.7]. So actually, Arjuna was not willing to fight, because he is a Vaiṣṇava. He does not want to kill, even if he is..., even if he was put into so many difficulties. That was his attitude. So his decision was that he would not fight, but for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, when he understood that Kṛṣṇa wants this fight... Kṛṣṇa said finally, nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savya-sācin [Bg. 11.33] = "Don't think that these people who have come here will go back home. They will be killed here. That is My plan. You simply become an instrument, so that you may take the credit. I shall be happy. But they are already finished. This is My plan." So when he understood that "Kṛṣṇa wants me to fight," took the credit of becoming victorious. So he doesn't care for credit, but he understood that "This is my duty, to please Kṛṣṇa." Then when Kṛṣṇa asked him, "What is your decision?" He said, "Yes, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava [Bg. 18.73], I shall fight," and he fought. This is called kṛta-sauhṛdārthā. For Kṛṣṇa's sake they can do anything. There are many other devotees also, just they..., the gopīs, for Kṛṣṇa's sake they sacrificed everything = their reputation, their family, their husband, their father, their brother. "No, Kṛṣṇa is now playing on His flute. He wants to dance with us. Let us go there." Father is asking, "Where are you going?" Brother is, "Where are you going?" "Oh, you are going to Kṛṣṇa." So this is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā [SB 5.5.3]. One is not interested in anything else; he is only interested in Kṛṣṇa. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu-śīlanam [Cc. Madhya 19.167], to serve Kṛṣṇa as He desires. So as He desires... If we have no relationship with Kṛṣṇa, no connection with Kṛṣṇa, how we can understand as He desires? Yes, that we will have. Kṛṣṇa is within you, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. As soon as you become sincere, if you are qualified to serve Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will dictate from within, "Do like this." Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te [Bg. 10.10]. To whom? Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. One who is engaged in loving service of Kṛṣṇa... And Kṛṣṇa is very expert. He can understand how you want to serve Him = with a motive or without motive. When He understands, then He personally gives you dictation, "You do like this, you do like that." So that is Kṛṣṇa's friendship. Kṛṣṇa is always available. Kṛṣṇa can be seen twenty-four hours, provided you elevate to the position how to talk with Kṛṣṇa, how to see Kṛṣṇa, how to act for Kṛṣṇa. It is not very difficult. So the symptom is described, how even a gṛhastha can become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. The negative side is described that he's not interested with this worldly, so-called advancement of social position or advancement of economic problem. So many things they have created. These are described here. Gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu. Ātmaja-rātimatsu na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke. Neither neglectful as far as possible, yāvat-arthāḥ, not too much overwhelmed, because after all, this is temporary. Our so-called society, friendship, love in this material world, they are all, they are called illusory, phenomenal. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya said, jagan mithyā. He says little bluntly, but actually it has no meaning, because this social condition of life is existent so long this body is there. As soon as I change my body, even in this country... We are very much fond of our country, janani janma-bhūmiś ca svargād api gariyasi, but the country is so ungrateful. Suppose... There are many vivid examples. Mahatma Gandhi, he worked so much for his country. The result was that he was killed by his countrymen. So, just see the example. So in this material life, you will never be able to make anyone happy by your activities. That is not possible. Neither you will be happy. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās teṣāṁ mayi na karuṇā jātā na trapā nopaśāntiḥ. That is the intelligent, that I have served the so-called society, friendship and love just to serve my own lusty desires, that's all. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśās. Everyone is serving the so-called societies, and for his own satisfaction, sense gratification. Nobody wants to serve anyone. He wants to serve himself. That is the position, real position. So in this way, if we spoil, spoil our life... We are serving, but serving our senses, lusty desires. We have to change this mood of service to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to serve. We cannot become master. That is not possible. As soon as you become master, you will be kicked. But that is also false position. We cannot become master; we are servant. But instead of serving Kṛṣṇa, we are serving māyā. That is our position. So we have to change this position. We, instead of serving māyā, we have to transfer our service to Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection of life. Thank you very much. Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [break] Prabhupāda: That is explained in Bhagavad-gītā, bhakto 'si priyo 'si [Bg. 4.3] = "You are My dear friend, and friend, at the same time devotee." So rahasyam etad uttamam. Bhagavad-gītā is a mystery, rahasyam, and uttamam, transcendental. So without becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, nobody can understand Bhagavad-gītā. The karmī, jñānī, yogī, they cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa would have instructed Bhagavad-gītā to many karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs. They were present. But He knows it well, these karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs, they cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore He said to His devotee and friend, bhakto 'si, priyo 'si. So in order to understand Bhagavad-gītā, one has to come to this position to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. It is a business between Bhagavān and bhakta. Just like, if you go to the marketplace, if some merchant is talking with some broker or somebody about business, he is talking about that business, that is concluded. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Bhagavān, and it is heard by the bhakta. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā there is no other business than bhakti. There is no other business. Karma, jñāna, yoga, they are described, but with the aim to culminate in bhakti. Just like karma. Kṛṣṇa said, yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tat mad-arpaṇam [Bg. 9.27] = "Give it to Me." This is bhakti. So far jñānīs are concerned, Kṛṣṇa concludes, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Jñānīs, after many, many births' cultivation of knowledge, when he actually begins to become a bhakta, then his perfection is there. bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19] This is for the jñānīs. And for the karmīs, yat karoṣi. Yat karoṣi: "Whatever you do, the result you give it to Me." That means bhakti miśra karma, jñāna miśra bhakti. And for the yogīs, He says, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ [Bg. 6.47] "The first-class yogī is who is always thinking of Me. He is first-class yogī." Yogī's business is to see God within the heart. That is real yogī. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino [SB 12.13.1]. Yogī's business is to see in meditation always Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu within the heart. That is real yogī. Dhyānāvasthita, by meditation, one has to see continually. That is called samādhi. yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo mataḥ [Bg. 6.47] He is first-class yogī. So everything is there, ending in bhakti. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā, the only talk is about bhakti, in a different way, either through karma-yoga, or jñāna-yoga, or haṭha-yoga. The point is how to become a devotee, and at the end He concludes, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is the conclusion of... So these things cannot be understood by anyone who is not a devotee. Without being devotee, you cannot understand. Therefore there are so many, the politicians, the scholars, they are commenting Bhagavad-gītā in so many ways, but they are misled. Because they are not devotee of Kṛṣṇa, they cannot poke their nose in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is not possible. So Arjuna was bhakta, therefore Bhagavad-gītā was spoken to him. Not to a yogī, not to a karmī, not to a jñānī. This is the answer. Acyutānanda: [reading question put by audience] "Śrī Kṛṣṇa says in the end of the Gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66], but in another place in the Gītā, twice it is mentioned, śreyān sva-dharmo, para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ: one should perform his own duty rather than another's duty." Prabhupāda: Yes. Acyutānanda: "How can we..." Prabhupāda: I may say many things to you, but when I say something directly, "Do it," your first duty is to do that. You cannot argue, "Sir, you said me like this before." No, that is not your duty. What I say now, you do it. That is obedience. You cannot argue. Of course, Kṛṣṇa never said anything contradictory, but if when one thinks foolishly that Kṛṣṇa said something contradictory, no, that is not to be. You could not understand. So "Even though you could not understand, you take My direct orders now, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām e... [Bg. 18.66]. That is your business." The master says like that, and the servant's business is to accept it as it is, without any argument. That's all right. Acyutānanda: "Are not all the poor, the miserable and the weak God? Why not worship the living God first?" Prabhupāda: Who is living God? Who is living God? That he has not mentioned? Acyutānanda: The poor. Prabhupāda: Poor is God? Then why rich is not God? If you have so broad vision that you see God everywhere, so why you make distinction between poor God and rich God? Why you make distinction? If poor is God, the rich is also God. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]. If you have got so broader vision, then why you distinguish between poor and rich? A paṇḍita, a learned scholar, vidyā-vinaya sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18] Sama-darśī means he has no distinction. Why you should make distinction between poor and rich? That is sama-darśī. As soon as you make distinction, then your vision is imperfect. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu [Bg. 18.54]. Samata. Not that I distinguish between this particular class to another particular. That is not brahma-darśana, neither it is sama-darśana. Acyutānanda: "You said that Lord Kṛṣṇa has many opulences, but in Chapter Thirteen, verse fifteen, He says that He is nirguṇa. How to reconcile this statement?" Prabhupāda: What did..., does He mean by nirguṇa? That let him explain first of all. What is nirguṇa? What does he mean by nirguṇa? Nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca [Bg. 13.15]. He is... Kṛṣṇa is described, nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛ ca. He is nirguṇa, at the same time enjoyer of guṇas. What is that enjoyer of guṇa and nirguṇa? Can you explain? Nirguṇa means one who does not live under the condition of material guṇas---sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Transcendental. That is called nirguṇa. But nirguṇa does not mean that He has no transcendental qualities. Just like Kṛṣṇa is bhakta-vatsala. That is His guṇa, but that is not material guṇa. That is spiritual guṇa. Kṛṣṇa is nirguṇa means He is not controlled by the material qualities, but He has got innumerable spiritual qualities. That is called guṇavati. So unless we understand the distinction between matter and spirit, we cannot understand what is the meaning of nirguṇa. That is not possible. Acyutānanda: "In India, there are many svāmīs who claim themselves to be Kṛṣṇa. How to detect them?" Prabhupāda: Hmm? Many svāmīs...? Devotee: Claim to be Kṛṣṇa. How to detect them? Prabhupāda: Let them prove that he is Kṛṣṇa. If you are foolish, then they will accept. If you are intelligent, then you'll ask him, "First of all lift the Govardhana Hill, then you become Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise you are rascal, I kick you on your face." [laughter] This is our version. We do not accept these rascals as Kṛṣṇa. We want to test, first of all, that you are Kṛṣṇa. Why should we accept a rascal as Kṛṣṇa unless he proves himself that he is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa lifted Govardhana Hill when He was seven years old. What he has done that we shall accept him Kṛṣṇa? Don't be foolish. First of all let him prove that he's Kṛṣṇa. Test him. Then accept. Acyutānanda: "Why, at the time of death, the name of God does not come to the tongue?" Prabhupāda: Because you are not practiced. You practice to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, at the time of death it will come. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā [Bg. 8.8]. That is advised. You practice it and you'll remember. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. If you practice twenty-four hours "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa," then at the time you'll chant "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa." Otherwise, there is no possibility. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. So we have to practice. That is natural. If you always think of something, at the time of death you will think like that. So if you think of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ nama... Therefore Kṛṣṇa adv..., mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ [Bg. 18.68]. You simply adopt these four principles = "Always think of Me, you become My devotee, and offer obeisances unto Me," man-manā bhava mad..., mad-yājī, "worship Me." You do these four things, then mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ, "Without any doubt you are coming to Me." So why don't you do this, four things, very easy things? Is it very difficult to constantly remember Kṛṣṇa? You can do it. You are remembering something. A mind is occupied always with something. Just practice to occupy the mind with Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Where is the difficulty? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namas... Everything is there. You practice it. Don't [indistinct]. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor [SB 9.4.18]. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, he was a great emperor of this world, but his mind was fixed up on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padaravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. When you talk, you will talk about Kṛṣṇa only. You practice. You always see, you see Kṛṣṇa's picture, Kṛṣṇa's Deity. You hear Kṛṣṇa's topics, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In, in this way engage all your senses = your seeing power, your hearing power, your talking power, your eating power, your sleeping power. Everything, if you make Kṛṣṇa conscious, then generally or automatically, you'll remember at the time of death Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you remember Kṛṣṇa, ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ [SB 2.1.6], then your life is perfect. There is no difficulty. Simply you have to practice. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā [Bg. 8.8]. Don't allow your mind to go astray, then everything is all right. Hmm. Acyutānanda: "When you said that everyone is destined to a particular goal, then where is the question of preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Prabhupāda: Therefore I said, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta ko... You should try only for Kṛṣṇa consciousness; other things are destined. That is my... You did not hear properly, that you should not try for anything else, because that is already destined. If you want success, then simply try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is wanted. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ [SB 1.5.18]. We did not try in our other life. Other than human life, we did not try it. We simply tried for eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Animal life. If you do the same thing again, and do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are losing your time. Therefore it is advised, you should try only for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not for other things. They are already destined. This is the instruction. Acyutānanda: "What would be the result if all the people became devotees of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu?" Prabhupāda: Very good result. He is lamenting, that he doesn't want this good result that everyone will become Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Eh? There is a story in this connection that there was a haṭṭa, a fair or market. So many people came there, and one old lady began to cry, "Where shall I give them place? So many people have come here." She began to cry. Then her son said, "My mother, see in the evening. You don't worry about giving them place." So in the evening she saw everyone has gone. Similarly, in due course of nature's activities, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ [Bg. 3.27], everything will go nicely. You haven't got to be worried. You better be worried how to develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other things will go on. And what is the harm there? If all people become Kṛṣṇa conscious and go back to home, back to Godhead, what is the harm there? Do you mean to say, to remain here in this material existence and suffer three-fold miseries, is that very good business? That will not happen. Don't be worried. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not so cheap. Only a few fortunate people will take it. Others will remain. Don't worry. [laughter] Acyutānanda: "How is that there are different types of religions in the world?" Prabhupāda: There is no religion. This is manufactured religion. Real religion is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66]. Therefore it is advised that you give up all these so-called religions, sarva-dharmān. You become surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. That is real religion. All others, cheating religion, that's all. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Just like there may be so many laws, but the real law is what is given by the government. Similarly, there may be so many so-called religious system, but the real religious system is what is spoken by God Himself. That is real. Acyutānanda: "Do you think Kṛṣṇa consciousness will last forever? Some people accuse that you are hippies." Prabhupāda: Some people says, "You are hippie"? So you take that. What can be done? These are all nonsense questions. [chuckles] Any other question? Acyutānanda: "Even after repeated chanting of kṛṣṇa-nāma, I could not get solace due to family worries. May I leave the family to their fate and devote myself to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa?" Prabhupāda: What is that? Devotee: He wants to know if he should leave his family and become a devotee, because... Prabhupāda: No, we never said that. Just now we explained, ye vā mayīśe kṛta-sauhṛdārthā: you keep your intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa, it doesn't matter whether you are in family or without family. It doesn't matter. Just like I have given already example. Arjuna, he is a family man, he is not a sannyāsī. Not only family man, a military man and politician. But he was prepared to sacrifice everything for Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. If you do not become a family man, so what is the gain there? Or if you remain a sannyāsī, if you have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, just like you said, "So many svāmīs, they want to become Kṛṣṇa instead of becoming devotee of Kṛṣṇa." So this kind of sannyāsī is also useless. Similarly, gṛhastha, if he's simply attached to family, that is also useless. Any condition of life, if you remain fixed-up with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is your perfection of life. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya [Cc. Madhya 8.128]. Anyone who is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious and fixed-up in devotional service, knowing fully well what is Kṛṣṇa, he is guru. It doesn't matter whether he is a sannyāsī or gṛhastha or brāhmaṇa and śūdra. It doesn't matter. Is that all right? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]
āmāra saṅge rahite cāha, — vāñcha nija-sukha tomāra dui dharma yāya, — āmāra haya ‘duḥkha’ “Your wanting to go with Me is simply a desire for sense gratification. In this way, you are breaking two religious principles, and because of this I am very unhappy. None
Letter to: Jayatirtha 74-03-31 My Dear Jaya tirtha, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated March 20, 1974. I have noted the contents and duly received receipts for money deposited in the Union Bank. I understand three checks totalling $1,278.21 are sent for collection to various countries and you will notify me when these are credited to my account at the Union Bank. In your letter you made no reference to my letter of March 15 to you, and I am therefore enclosing a copy of same. Please let me hear from you on this. I want arrangement that the money from my interest of the Certified Deposit arrive at the Punjab National Bank three days after remittance by the bank in the U.S. If the Union Bank cannot arrange this I want you to inquire to see if the Security Pacific Bank is able to do it, as stated in my letter of March 15. In reference to your proposal that you switch banks in order to get higher rates that should be investigated very carefully that the bank is very reliable. Hope this finds you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ādau mālā advaitere svarūpa parāila pāche govinda dvitīya mālā āni’ tāṅre dila At the beginning, Svarūpa Dāmodara came forward and garlanded Advaita Ācārya. Govinda next came and offered a second garland to Advaita Ācārya. None
Letter to: Krsna dasa 69-03-15 Hamburg My Dear Krishna das, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of March 2, 1969, along with the German handbill, which appears to be very nicely presented. I could not read anything save and except the known lines of Hare Krishna, and A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. So the press work is started and I am sure as soon as Jaya Govinda arrives in Germany the press work will go on in full swing. Jaya Govinda is very much anxious for the press work at your end because he writes like this: "I think of the printing press lying idle (as far as I know) in Germany, and as printing and the graphic arts field is what I have the greatest amount of experience and training in, that seems to be the place for me to go." This means he is very anxious to come to Germany and I am glad to learn from your letter also that you are trying to get him in Germany by the end of this week. This means perhaps you have already arranged for his come back to Germany. If not, please do it immediately because it will be a great help to our German center, and I am sure you will be able to start BTG in our press there in the German language immediately on his arrival. Regarding other points, that there are many people living in German villages and when you distribute BTG in German, if you go from village to village then at that time you will make my mission successful. You are very sincere worker and I am sure Krishna will give you the required strength for this preaching work. I am sorry to learn that you are also attacked with the flu fever as most of the boys in this country are also attacked this past winter. So this attack of Maya's agent is not very uncommon. When Krishna Himself was present He was being attacked by Maya's agent almost everyday during His childhood. When He was just born, within three months, he was attacked by Putana. When He was a little grown then He was attacked by Sakatasura, then by Trnavarta, then Agha, Makasu, then Kaliya, then Godavarsu, and so on. So the Maya's agents does not let go even Krishna, then what to speak of Krishna's devotees. They will act in their own way, but as Krishna miraculously saved Himself from the hands of all these demons, similarly, He will always save His devotees. He has declared in the Gita, "My Dear Son of Kunti, just declare it to the whole world that my devotees will never be vanquished." Therefore your only business is how to become pure devotee of Lord Krishna. Then everything is all right. Please remember this truth always, and do your duty for strongly pushing on this Krishna Consciousness movement in Germany, in cooperation with Sivananda, Uttama Sloka, and Jaya Govinda, who I think might have already joined you. So far my going there, it is not very important thing—I may go or not go, my beloved spiritual sons are there, and they are acting very nicely. That is my great satisfaction. I am glad to learn that the local Indian community is also cooperating with you. Actually my ambition is to form a strong Sankirtana party and travel all over Europe, and then in Africa, Asia, India, and Japan, etc. This is my thought. Please try to give it effect. I am glad to learn that the temple is looking very nice. And as soon as you get at least $100 extra, I shall ask you immediately to get some temple goods from India; when you are ready with the money, I shall let you know farther on this matter. I have received from London pictures, and it appears things are going there also very nice. No letter from you is useless for me—they are all important. And you can write as long a letter as you can. I shall read them carefully with attention in spite of my various duties always. Regarding the tape lecture which you requested, I have got the copy in L.A. most probably, so I shall have to send it to you when I get back to the mainland. All the devotees are very much thankful here for your good wishes, and they also are hoping all is going well there for you, and are feeling your separation as well. I hope you are all feeling happy and well in Krishna Consciousness. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Nitāi: Translation = "In this life, any person, to the proportionate degree of the varieties of work, either religious or irreligious, as they are performed in the next life also, the same person to the same degree, the same variety, the resultant action of his karma must enjoy or suffer." Prabhupāda: yena yāvān yathādharmo dharmo veha samīhitaḥ sa eva tat-phalaṁ bhuṅkte tathā tāvad amutra vai [SB 6.1.45] So in the previous verse we have discussed, dehavān na hy akarma-kṛt [SB 6.1.44]. Anyone who has got this material body, he has to work. Everyone has to work. In the spiritual body also you have to work. In the material body also you have to work. Because the working principle is the soul---soul is living force---so he is busy. Living body means there is movement, there is work. He cannot sit idly. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "Not even for a moment one can be idle." That is the symptom of living being. So this working is going on according to the particular body. The dog is also running, and a man is also running. But a man thinks he is very much civilized because he is running on motorcar. Both of them are running, but a man has got a particular type of body by which he can prepare a vehicle or cycle, and he can run on. He is thinking that "I am running in greater speed than the dog; therefore I am civilized." This is the modern mentality. He does not know that what is the difference between running on fifty miles speed or five miles speed or five thousand miles speed or five millions miles of speed. The space is unlimited. Whatever speed you discover, it is still insufficient. Still insufficient. So this is not life, that "Because I can run in more speed than the dog, therefore I am civilized." panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānāṁ so 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.34] Our speed... What for speed? Because we want to go to certain destination, that is his speed. So the real destination is Govinda, Viṣṇu. And na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇu [SB 7.5.31]. They are running in different speed, but they do not know what is the destination. Our one big poet in our country, Rabindranath Tagore, he wrote an article---I read it---when he was in London. So in your country, Western countries, the motorcars and the..., they run in high speed. So Rabindranath Tagore, he was poet. He was thinking that "These Englishmen's country is so small, and they are running on so great speed, they will fall in the ocean." He remarked like that. Why they are running so fast? So similarly, we are running so fast for going to hell. This is our position. Because we do not know what is the destination. If I do not know what is the destination and try to drive my car in full speed, then what will be the result? The result will be disaster. We must know why we are running. Running means just like the river is running in great tide, flowing, but the destination is the sea. When the river comes to the sea, then its destination gone. So similarly, we must know what is the destination. The destination is Viṣṇu, God. We are part and parcel of God. We are... Somehow or other, we are fallen in this material world. Therefore our destination of life will be to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our destination. There is no other destination. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching that "You fix up your goal of life." And what is that goal of life? "Back to home, back to Godhead. You are going this side, opposite side, toward the side of hell. That is not your destination. You go this side, back to Godhead." That is our propaganda. So we have not manufactured this; this is the standard. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam [Bg. 18.66]. Why you are unnecessarily running just like dog? That street dog, we have seen just now on the beach, he has no master. So sometimes he is running this way, sometimes this running way, and he saw us. He knows---after all, he is a living being---that "There are some Vaiṣṇavas. So let me go with them if they will give us shelter." That is the purpose. He was coming. You were making "Hut!" [laughter] But he wanted some master, because a dog without master, his position is very precarious. Without master... So we are all servant. Every one of us, we are all servants of māyā. Māyā means we are servant of our desires. We are servant of our different desires. Somebody is thinking, "I shall be happy in this way"; somebody is thinking, "I shall be happy in this way." In this way we have got different desires, and we are servant of the desires. So servant of desire means just like the street dog. He is also desiring = "If these gentleman will accept me as his dog?" But he is going there, and he is driven away = "Hut! Hut!" He is going to some house, moving his tail, "My dear sir, will you give me some food?" "No, no. Go away." We are also going also = "My dear sir, will you give me some service?" "No vacancy. Get out." This is our position. Hana māyāra dāsa kori nāna abhilāṣa. Because we are constitutionally servant of God, but we have given up that service; we have now become the servant of māyā. Therefore our life is frustrated, because you do not know "What is my actual position." Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching, that "Why you are going door to door like a dog = 'Will you give me some food? Will you give me some duty? I am prepared to serve you,' and refusing, nāna abhilāṣa, and desiring again and again, this way, that way? But I do not know what is my real destination, how I shall be happy." That information is given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that "You are suffering in this way for a permanent service to become happy. Why you are going here and there? You are servant of Kṛṣṇa. Go there. Then you will be happy." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are teaching people that "You are suffering life after life." Now the human society has come to such a position that they do not know that there is life after this life. They are so advanced. Exactly the cats and dogs, they do not know that there is life after life. That is here stated = yena yāvān yathādharmo dharmo veha samīhitaḥ. Iha. Iha means "in this life." Sa eva tat-phalaṁ bhuṅkte tathā tāvat amutra vai. Amutra means "next life." So we are preparing our next life in this... Yatha adharmaḥ, yathā dharmaḥ. There are two things = you can act piously or impiously. There is no third, no third path. One path is pious; one path is nonpious. So here both are mentioned. Yena yāvān yathādharmaḥ, dharmaḥ. Dharma means constitutional. Dharma does not mean, as it is stated in some of the English dictionary, "a kind of faith." Faith may be blind. That is not dharma. Dharma means original, constitutional position. That is dharma. I have several times said... Just like water. Water is liquid. That is its dharma. Water, if by circumstantially it becomes solid, ice, but still, it tries to become again liquid because that is its dharma. You put ice, and gradually it will become liquid. That means this solid condition of the water is artificial. By some chemical composition the water has become solid, but by natural course it becomes liquid. So our present position is solid = don't hear anything about God. But natural position is that we are servant of God. Because we are seeking master... The supreme master is Kṛṣṇa. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka maheśvaram [Bg. 5.29]. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the master of the whole creation. I am the enjoyer." He is the master. Caitanya-caritāmṛta also said, ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa. Īśvara means controller or master. Ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya [Cc. Ādi 5.142] = "Except Kṛṣṇa, they are, any big or small living entity, they are all servants except Kṛṣṇa." You will therefore see = Kṛṣṇa is not serving anybody. He is simply enjoying. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka... Others like us, they first of all work very hard, and then he enjoys. Kṛṣṇa never works. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāranaṁ ca vidyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8]. Still, He enjoys. That is Kṛṣṇa. Na tasya... This is the Vedic information. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāranaṁ ca vidyate: "God, Kṛṣṇa, He has nothing to do." You see, therefore, Kṛṣṇa always dancing with the gopīs and playing with the cowherd boys. And when He feels fatigue, He lies down on the Yamunā, and immediately His friends come. Somebody fans Him; somebody gives massage. Therefore He is the master. Anywhere He goes, He is master. Ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1]. The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa. "Then who is controller?" No, there is no controller of Him. That is Kṛṣṇa. Here we are director of such and such, president of United States, but I am not supreme controller. As soon as the public wants, immediately pulls me down. That we do not understand, that we are posing ourself as master controller, but I am controlled by somebody else. So he is not controller. Here we will find a controller to some extent, but he is controlled by another controller. So Kṛṣṇa means He is controller, but nobody is there to control Him. That is Kṛṣṇa; that is God. This is the science of understanding. God means He is controller of everything, but He has no controller. So we are, at the present moment, in different conditions of life on account of our different activities, pious and impious, dharma, adharma. So pious activities means to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa, and impious activities means to be controlled by māyā. We have to be controlled. Our position is such that we cannot become controller. That is not possible. If we want to become controller, that is my artificial desire. And the resultant action we will have to suffer. First of all you must understand this, that we are controlled. Either you agree to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa or you agree to be controlled by māyā, but you cannot become controller. Is there anyone here who can say that "I am controller"? Is there anyone who will answer this? So I may think that "I am controller," but I am controlled by drugs, by sense gratification, desires---kāma krodha lobha moha mātsarya. So there is no question of the living entity's being independent. That is not possible. He is dependent. But if he becomes dependent on Kṛṣṇa, then life is successful. Exactly the position, the dog. The dog is loitering without being controlled by somebody. He is seeking, "Somebody may control me." He's seeking position. But if he does not get anybody to control him, his life is very precarious; he is not happy. Therefore, if you want to be happy, then we must return to our own original position = to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa. This is perfection of life. So here it is said, generally, yena yāvān yathādharmaḥ. Adharma I have already explained. Dharma means to become servant of Kṛṣṇa, and adharma means to become servant of māyā. This is the distinction between dharma and adharma, religious and irreligious. Dharma means the order of God, Kṛṣṇa. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. As I have explained several times = just like law. Law means the order of the government. If somebody, ordinary man, makes some law, nobody will accept that law. That is not law. But government gives some law that "Keep to the right," you have to obey it. If you break this law, you will be punished. You can say, "What wrong I have done? Instead of going to the right, I have gone to the left. Both ways there are roads and streets." The government says, "No, I ordered you to keep to the right. You have violated. You must be punished." Simple thing. This is adharma: "You have violated the laws of the government. You must be punished." So a dog, of course, if he violates the law, he is not punished. The punishment is meant for the human being, because he has got developed sense. He cannot violate the laws. If he violates... All the books, laws, everything---education, culture, philosophy, science---it is all meant for the human being, not for the cats and dogs. So the human being must know what is the actual law. That is dharma. Therefore in the human society there is some form of dharma. Either you are Christian or Hindu or Muslim or Buddhist, throughout the whole world, any civilized nation, they have got some dharma, or religious system. Why? Through it, you should understand what is the goal of your life. If you do not know that, then proportionately, as you are ignorant, fool, you will be punished. You will be punished. So nature's way, evolution... The punishment is beginning from the aquatics. Then gradually, gradually, by evolutionary process, nature gives the chance that from aquatics you become plants and trees; then from plants and trees you become insect, reptiles; then from that, you become bird; then from that, you become beast; and from that beast, you become human being. In this way, by evolutionary process, you come to the platform of becoming a human being. Now, developed consciousness, you have to decide, "Where... Whom I shall serve now? I have... So long I have served the laws of material nature, and it has brought me to this platform." Now you have to decide, "What kind of service I shall accept?" That is human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Jijñāsā means enquiry. A sane man will understand that "I have been engaged in different types of service, and now, by evolutionary process, I have come to the human form of life. What is my real service? Under whom I shall work? Shall I loiter in the street like the dog, or find out some good master?" This is human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So the śāstra... You have to learn from the śāstra that who is the master. I have to serve. The master is Kṛṣṇa. And that is our natural position. And if we do not serve Kṛṣṇa, if we serve a big man or a demigod or any other but he is not Kṛṣṇa, that is adharma. So dharma and adharma, these two things, are there. You serve either of them. But the result---according to your service. If you are serving as high-court judge, that salary, and if you serving as ordinary, what is called, washer of dishes, that salary cannot be equal. You cannot expect, becoming a dishwasher, to draw the same salary as the high-court judge is drawing. That is not possible. Therefore it is said, sa eva tat-phalaṁ bhuṅkte. You get... You can become high-court judge. There is no, I mean to say, obstacle. You could be qualified like the high-court judge. Now you are qualified like this, so you have to accept this. Therefore it is said, sa eva tat-phalaṁ bhuṅkte tathā tāvat amutra vai. Amutra. So our life is continuity, eternal. Just like a boy takes education, expecting to become one day high-court judge. But one who has not taken education---he simply played in the street---how he can become a high-court judge? It is not possible. Therefore it is said, sa eva tat-phalaṁ bhuṅkte tathā tāvat amutra, "in future life." But these rascals, they do not know what is future life. This is modern civilization. They are so rascal. But there is future life. So in this life, if you prepare yourself for the next life, then you are intelligent. If you remain irresponsible rascal, do not know what is going to happen next life, then you will have to suffer. That we must know. How I shall know? What I shall prepare for, and where shall I go? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā = yānti deva-vratā devān [Bg. 9.25]. If you act in goodness, then you will be promoted to the higher planetary system, devān, where demigods live. They have ten thousand years of life, very high standard of life. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ. And if you are attached to pitṛ-loka, you can go there. Bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni. And if you are materially attracted, then you will remain in this material... Mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām: "If you My become devotee, you'll come to Me." Now it is your choice. Make your choice, what you want. So what is the difference between going to the heavenly planet and going to Kṛṣṇa? The difference is, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16] = "My dear Arjuna, if you go even to the highest planetary system, Brahmaloka, you will again fall down." Then? Mad-gatvā na nivartante: "If you come to Me, you will have not..." So why not select this, that "I have to work for the next life. Why not devote this life for Kṛṣṇa? I shall go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa"? This is intelligence. I am suffering so many lives, accepting this fish life or the tree life, the plant life, the moth life, the insect life, the serpent life, the bird's life. And not only bird's life---there are so many varieties of birds, beginning from the eagle. There is a big eagle bird. We have no information. They are very big bird. They are flying in the sky, and their rest is from one planet to another. Just like here you find the birds, they are flying from one tree to another, similarly, there are so big birds... They are called garuḍa. So garuḍa, these birds, they start their flying from one planet and sits in another planet. Just try to understand what is their flying. Not only that, they also lay eggs while flying, and the eggs, while falling down, it becomes another bird. And these birds can pick up elephants for eating. So this is God's creation. So if you want to become such a big bird, you can become. [laughter] Yes. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante [Bg. 4.11]. God is so kind. Whatever you desire, you will get. Therefore it is depending upon our discretion, that "What kind of desire I shall maintain?" That desire is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will be happy. Otherwise, you prepare your next life and you suffer or enjoy, and again next life, again next life... That is not very good. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg. 8.19]. Nobody wants that, that "I accept some position = again it is lost. Again I accept another position, again it is lost." So we are becoming so dull-headed by so-called education, we do not know anything of these things, that there is next life and I can become immortal; I can avoid death..., birth, death, old age and disease. There is no discussion of these scientific... It is only the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement which is giving all this information. It is very scientific and authorized. So I am very glad so many devotees here. Try to make your life perfect by accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness and studying the philosophy and practicing the method. Then you will be happy. Thank you very much. Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]
aiśvaraṁ śāstram utsṛjya bandha-mokṣānudarśanam vivikta-padam ajñāya kim asat-karmabhir bhavet [Nārada Muni had spoken of a swan. That swan is explained in this verse.] The Vedic literatures [śāstras] vividly describe how to understand the Supreme Lord, the source of all material and spiritual energy. Indeed, they elaborately explain these two energies. The swan [haṁsa] is one who discriminates between matter and spirit, who accepts the essence of everything, and who explains the means of bondage and the means of liberation. The words of scriptures consist of variegated vibrations. If a foolish rascal leaves aside the study of these śāstras to engage in temporary activities, what will be the result? The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very eager to present Vedic literature in modern languages, especially Western languages such as English, French and German. The leaders of the Western world, the Americans and Europeans, have become the idols of modern civilization because the Western people are very sophisticated in temporary activities for the advancement of material civilization. A sane man, however, can see that all such grand activities, although perhaps very important for temporary life, have nothing to do with eternal life. The entire world is imitating the materialistic civilization of the West, and therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very much interested in giving the Western people knowledge by translating the original Sanskrit Vedic literatures into Western languages.
TEXT 21 titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām ajāta-śatravaḥ śāntāḥ sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime. A sādhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord. His concern, therefore, is to enlighten people in devotional service; that is his mercy. He knows that without devotional service, human life is spoiled. A devotee travels all over the country, from door to door, preaching, “Be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Be a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Don’t spoil your life in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human life is meant for self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” These are the preachings of a sādhu. He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most compassionate personality toward all fallen souls. One of his qualifications, therefore, is kāruṇika, great mercy to the fallen souls. While engaged in preaching work, he has to meet with so many opposing elements, and therefore the sādhu has to be very tolerant. Someone may ill-treat him because the conditioned souls are not prepared to receive the transcendental knowledge of devotional service. They don’t like it; that is their disease. The sādhu has the thankless task of impressing upon them the importance of devotional service. Sometimes devotees are personally attacked with violence. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was caned in twenty-two marketplaces, and Lord Caitanya’s principal assistant, Nityānanda, was violently attacked by Jagāi and Mādhāi. But still they were tolerant because their mission was to deliver fallen souls. A sādhu is merciful because he is the well-wisher of all living entities. He is not only a well-wisher of human society, but a well-wisher of animal society as well. The word sarva-dehinām refers to all living entities who have accepted material bodies. Not only does the human being have a material body, but other living entities have one as well. The devotee of the Lord is merciful to everyone – cats, dogs, trees, etc. He treats all living entities in such a way that they can ultimately get salvation from this material entanglement. Śivānanda Sena, one of the disciples of Lord Caitanya, gave liberation to a dog by treating the dog transcendentally. There are many instances where a dog got salvation by association with a sādhu, because a sādhu engages in the highest philanthropic activities for the benediction of all living entities. Yet although a sādhu is not inimical toward anyone, the world is so ungrateful that even a sādhu has many enemies. What is the difference between an enemy and a friend? It is a difference in behavior. A sādhu behaves with all conditioned souls for their ultimate relief from material entanglement. Therefore, no one can be more friendly than a sādhu in relieving a conditioned soul. A sādhu is calm, and he quietly and peacefully follows the principles of scripture. A sādhu is also one who follows the principles of scripture and at the same time is a devotee of the Lord. One who actually follows the principles of scripture must be a devotee of God because all the śāstras instruct us to obey the orders of the Personality of Godhead. A sādhu, therefore, is a follower of the scriptural injunctions and a devotee of the Lord. All good characteristics are prominent in a devotee, and he develops all the good qualities of the demigods, whereas a nondevotee, even though academically qualified, has no good qualifications or good characteristics according to the standard of transcendental realization. There are 8,400,000 life forms according to the Padma Purāṇa, and the ātmā is the same in all of them. The sādhu can understand this, as Bhagavad-gītā (5.18) indicates: vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ “The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].” It is not that a brāhmaṇa is the same as a dog, but that the brāhmaṇa is a spirit soul, and the dog is also a spirit soul. We are conditioned according to our different bodies, which are given by superior forces. Yamarāja offers the living entity a body according to his karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. We have already discussed the point that bodies are awarded according to one’s qualifications. If we acquire the qualities of a brāhmaṇa and work as a brāhmaṇa, we become a brāhmaṇa. If we act as a dog and do the work of a dog, we become a dog. Nor should one think that simply because one is born as a brāhmaṇa, one is automatically a brāhmaṇa. There are characteristics mentioned in Bhagavad-gītā by which one can tell to which caste one belongs. Śrīdhara Svāmī has also noted that birth is not everything. One has to acquire the qualities. Whatever body we may have, our position is temporary. We cannot remain in any position indefinitely. We may think that at present we are Americans and are very happy, and that’s all right. We may chalk out our plans for continued happiness, but nature will not allow us to stay indefinitely. As soon as nature calls, we die and give up our post. Then we have to take the post of a dog, a cat, a demigod, a human being or whatever. We are now given a most exalted life form, that of a human being, but if we do not act accordingly, we have to take a lower body. This is karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. We should therefore be very careful in this human form that our aim is to become devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is the path of liberation. Previously, great personalities in India used to go to the forest in order to meditate to stop the repetition of birth and death. That is the highest occupation for man, and actually every man is meant for that. Unless we conquer repeated birth and death, we simply waste our lives like animals – eating, sleeping, defending and mating. People in this age especially cannot distinguish between animal life and human life. They think the difference is that animals sleep in the street and human beings sleep in nice apartments. However, the śāstras do not define civilization in this way. Whether one sleeps in the street or in an apartment, the activity is the same. A dog may eat out of a garbage can, and a human being may eat on a golden plate, but this does not mean that they are engaged in different activities. In either case, both the dog and the man are taking food into their bodies. A dog may have sex in the street, and a human being may have sex in a very nice bed in a secluded place, but that does not change the activity. People are thinking that advancement of civilization means improving eating, sleeping, mating and defending, but actually these activities have nothing to do with civilization. They simply tighten our bondage to material life. Human life is meant for yajña, sacrifice for the satisfaction of the Supreme Person. We may perfect our activities, but our success lies in satisfying Kṛṣṇa by our talents. Presently we may be attached to material activity, but we should transfer that attachment to a sādhu. Then our lives will be successful. Presently we are attached to money, women, nice houses, country, society, friends, family and so forth. This attachment is called arjaraṁ pāśam. The word pāśu means “rope.” When we are bound with a rope, we are helpless, and now we are bound by the guṇas, or the three modes of material nature. The word guṇa also means “rope.” We cannot free ourselves, for we are conditioned. We cannot move freely without the sanction of the supreme authority. It is generally said that not a blade of grass moves without God’s sanction. Similarly, we cannot do anything without the supervision of a superior authority. It is not that God has to take personal supervision of this. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate . . . na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: in the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad (6.8), it is thus stated that the Supreme Lord does not have to act personally. He has many agents to perform everything for Him. We are so controlled that we are not even free to blink our eyes. We may be moving our hands very freely, but at any moment they can be immediately paralyzed. Presently I am claiming, “This is my hand.” But what is this? The hand could be paralyzed immediately. This is conditioned life, and how can we improve it? Our business is to become liberated from all this conditioning. How is this possible? Sa eva sādhuṣu kṛto mokṣa-dvāram apāvṛtam ( Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.20 ). We have to turn our attachment from material things to a sādhu. ‘Sādhu-saṅga’, ‘sādhu-saṅga’ — sarva-śāstre kaya: this is the advice of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. All śāstras advise us to associate with a sādhu. Even Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, the great politician, recommended: tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. One Vaiṣṇava householder asked Caitanya Mahāprabhu what the duty of a householder is, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately replied, asat-saṅga-tyāga — ei vaiṣṇava-ācāra: “Don’t associate with nondevotees, but search out a sādhu. ” ( Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 22.87 ) At the present moment it is very difficult to avoid the company of asādhus, those who are not sādhus. It is very difficult to find a sādhu for association. We have therefore started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to create an association of sādhus so that people may take advantage and become liberated. There is no other purpose for this society. Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (6.47) that the first-class sādhu is one who is always thinking of Him. This process is not very difficult. We should always think of Kṛṣṇa, but how is this possible? We think of our business, our dog, our family, our lovable object and so many other things. We have to think of something; without thinking, we cannot remain. We simply have to divert our thoughts to Kṛṣṇa. It is the sādhu’s business to teach this, and one can learn this in the association of a sādhu. Actually a sādhu will not teach anything else. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ ( Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.4.15). This is the way to make spiritual advancement. One has to associate with a sādhu. Often the sādhu’s task is a thankless one, but he has to be tolerant. Despite all the trouble a sādhu may encounter, he is very merciful upon fallen conditioned souls. He sees that people are suffering due to a lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and because he is always thinking of the welfare of others, he is suhṛt. Other people are always envious, but the sādhu is always thinking how to save others from the clutches of māyā. A sādhu is kind not only to human beings but to cats, dogs, trees, plants and insects; he will hesitate even to kill one mosquito. He does not simply think, “I shall just take care of my brother.” He looks on all living beings as his brothers because Kṛṣṇa says that He is the father of all living entities. Because a sādhu lives in this way, he does not create enemies. If there are enemies, they become enemies out of their own character, not out of any provocation on the part of a sādhu. A sādhu simply teaches, “My dear human being, my dear friend, just surrender to Kṛṣṇa.” Enemies arise due to man’s envious nature. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that there are two envious animals – serpents and men. Although you may be faultless, either may kill you. Of the two, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that the envious man is more dangerous because a serpent can be subdued by chanting a mantra or by some herbs, but an envious man cannot be so subdued. In Kali-yuga, practically everyone is envious, but we have to tolerate this. Envious people create many impediments to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, but we have to tolerate them. There is no alternative. One must be peaceful and depend on Kṛṣṇa in all circumstances. These are the ornaments of a sādhu. We should find a sādhu and associate with him. Then our path of liberation will be open. In the next verse, Lord Kapila further explains the activities of a sādhu. TEXT 22 mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām mat-kṛte tyakta-karmāṇas tyakta-svajana-bāndhavāḥ Such a sādhu engages in staunch devotional service to the Lord without deviation. For the sake of the Lord he renounces all other connections, such as family relationships and friendly acquaintances within the world. A person in the renounced order of life, a sannyāsī, is also called a sādhu because he renounces everything – his home, his comfort, his friends, his relatives and his duties to friends and to family. He renounces everything for the sake of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A sannyāsī is generally in the renounced order of life, but his renunciation will be successful only when his energy is employed in the service of the Lord with great austerity. It is said here, therefore, bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām. A person who seriously engages in the service of the Lord and is in the renounced order of life is a sādhu. A sādhu is one who has given up all responsibility to society, family and worldly humanitarianism, simply for the service of the Lord. As soon as he takes his birth in the world, a person has many responsibilities and obligations to the public, demigods, great sages, general living beings, parents, forefathers and many others. When he gives up these obligations for the service of the Supreme Lord, he is not punished for his renunciation. But if for sense gratification a person renounces these obligations, he is punished by the law of nature. Kṛṣṇa and all the śāstras say that our only obligation is to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If we take to His service, we are no longer obliged to anyone. We are free. How is this possible? By almighty God’s power. A man may be condemned to death, but if a president or a king excuses him, he is saved. Kṛṣṇa’s final instruction in Bhagavad-gītā is to surrender everything to Him. We can sacrifice our life, wealth and intelligence, and this is called yajña. Everyone has some intelligence, and everyone uses his intelligence in one way or another. Generally people use their intelligence in trying to gratify their senses, but even an ant can do this. We should try to gratify not our senses but Kṛṣṇa’s senses. Then we become perfect. We have to learn this purificatory process from a sādhu. Inasmuch as we try to gratify our senses, we become attached to the material world. We may render service to the sādhu or to Kṛṣṇa. The sādhu is the representative of Kṛṣṇa. He will never say, “Serve me,” but will say, “Serve Kṛṣṇa.” Therefore we have to approach Kṛṣṇa through the sādhu. This is confirmed by the Vaiṣṇava ācārya Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra peyeche kebā. We cannot directly approach Kṛṣṇa; we have to go through the transparent via media, Kṛṣṇa’s representatives. Those who are after material concessions go to different demigods. They take something from Śiva, Durgā, Kālī, Gaṇeśa, Sūrya and whomever. However, it was the goddess Pārvatī who asked Lord Śiva, “What is the best type of worship?” Lord Śiva advised, ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param ( Padma Purāṇa ). “My dear Pārvatī, of all kinds of worship, worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the best.” Then he added: tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarcanam. “And even better than the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the worship of a Vaiṣṇava, a devotee.” Spiritual life begins with the association of a devotee, a sādhu. One cannot progress an inch without the mercy of a sādhu. Prahlāda Mahārāja has also indicated this: naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat “Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination.” ( Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.32 ) Hiraṇyakaśipu asked Prahlāda Mahārāja, “My dear son Prahlāda, how have you become so advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?” Although Hiraṇyakaśipu was a demon, he was nonetheless inquisitive. Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, “My dear father, O best of the asuras, one can receive Kṛṣṇa consciousness only from the instructions of a guru. One cannot attain it simply by speculating. Ordinary men do not know that their ultimate destination is to return to Viṣṇu.” In the material world, people are always hoping for something. They hope against hope, yet their hopes will never be fulfilled. People are trying to become happy by adjusting the external energy, but they do not know that happiness cannot be achieved without approaching God. People are thinking, “I must first of all see to my own interest.” That’s all right, but what is that interest? That they do not know. People are thinking that by adjusting the material energy they will be happy, and everyone is trying this individually, collectively or nationally. In any case, it is not possible. People will ultimately be frustrated. Why attempt a process that will ultimately meet with frustration? It is therefore said: adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām ( Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.30 ). People are being baffled in so many ways because they cannot control their senses. Their only possibility of rescue is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in this verse it is said: mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām. Prahlāda Mahārāja simply thought of Kṛṣṇa. Because of this, he had to undergo a great deal of trouble given by his father. Material nature will not give us freedom very easily. If we become strong enough to try to capture the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, māyā will try to keep us under her clutches. However, if one gives up everything for Kṛṣṇa’s sake, māyā can have no effect. The most excellent example of this is the gopīs. They gave up everything – family, prestige and honor – just to follow Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest perfection, but that is not possible for ordinary living entities. We should, however, follow the Gosvāmīs in their determination to worship Kṛṣṇa. Sanātana Gosvāmī was an important minister in the government of Hussain Shah, but he gave up everything to follow Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He adopted the life of a mendicant and lived under a different tree every night. One may ask, “After giving up material enjoyment, how can one live?” The Gosvāmīs lived by dipping into the ocean of the transcendental loving affairs between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. Since that was their asset, they could live very peacefully. We cannot simply give up everything. We will become mad if we try to give up everything without having staunch faith in Kṛṣṇa. Yet if we find Kṛṣṇa’s association, we can easily give up our opulent positions – our family, business and everything. However, that requires sādhu-saṅga, association with a sādhu, a devotee. When we associate with a devotee, the day will eventually come when we can give up everything and become liberated persons, fit to return home, back to Godhead. Presently we are attached to material enjoyment, and Kṛṣṇa even gives us a chance to gratify our senses. He lets us enjoy ourselves to the fullest extent because we have come to this material world to enjoy sense gratification. However, this is called māyā, illusion. It is not really enjoyment, but simply struggle. When one realizes that he is simply struggling life after life, that there is actually no real enjoyment in the material world, one becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That realization requires knowledge, and that knowledge can be acquired by association with a sādhu, a devotee. Freedom from this struggle with material existence is further explained by Lord Kapila in the next verse. TEXT 23 mad-āśrayāḥ kathā mṛṣṭāḥ śṛṇvanti kathayanti ca tapanti vividhās tāpā naitān mad-gata-cetasaḥ Engaged constantly in chanting and hearing about Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sādhus do not suffer from material miseries because they are always filled with thoughts of My pastimes and activities. There are multifarious miseries in material existence – those pertaining to the body and the mind, those imposed by other living entities and those imposed by natural disturbances. But a sādhu is not disturbed by such miserable conditions because his mind is always filled with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and thus he does not like to talk about anything but the activities of the Lord. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did not speak of anything but the pastimes of the Lord. Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. He engaged his words only in glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Ordinary conditioned souls, being forgetful of the activities of the Lord, are always full of anxieties and material tribulations. On the other hand, since the devotees always engage in the topics of the Lord, they are forgetful of the miseries of material existence. Thus they differ from other living entities, who are simply suffering. There is no one in the world materially engaged who can boldly say, “I am not suffering.” I challenge anyone to say this. Everyone in the material world is suffering in some way or another. If not, why are so many drugs being advertised? On the television they are always advertising tranquilizers and pain killers, and in America and in other Western countries they are so advanced that there are dozens of tablets for various pains. Therefore there must be some suffering. Actually, anyone who has a material body has to accept suffering. There are three types of suffering in the material world: ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika and ādhidaivika. Ādhyātmika refers to the body and mind. Today I have a headache or some pain in my back, or my mind is not very quiet. These are sufferings called ādhyātmika. There are other forms of suffering called ādhibhautika, which are sufferings imposed by other living entities. Apart from this, there are sufferings called ādhidaivika, over which we have no control whatsoever. These are caused by the demigods or acts of nature, and include famine, pestilence, flood, excessive heat or excessive cold, earthquakes, fire and so on. Nonetheless, we are thinking that we are very happy within this material world, although in addition to these threefold miseries there is also birth, old age, disease and death. So where is our happiness? Because we are under the spell of māyā, we are thinking that our position is very secure. We are thinking, “Let us enjoy life,” but what kind of enjoyment is this? Obviously we have to tolerate suffering. One of the characteristics of a sādhu is tolerance. Everyone is tolerant to a degree, but a sādhu’s tolerance and an ordinary man’s tolerance are different. This is because a sādhu knows that he is not the body. According to a Bengali Vaiṣṇava song: deha-smṛti nāhi yāra saṁsāra-bandhana kāhāṅ tāra. If we properly understand that we are not the body, although we may suffer, we will not feel the suffering as acutely. For instance, if one thinks, “This is my car,” and is very attached to it, he suffers more when it is wrecked than a person who thinks, “It can be repaired, or I can leave it.” It is a question of mental absorption. Because he is more like an animal, a materialist suffers more. The devotee, on the other hand, takes Kṛṣṇa’s advice in Bhagavad-gītā (2.14) : mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ āgamāpāyino ’nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata “O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress and their disappearance in due course are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.” In summer we suffer, and in winter we suffer. In the summer, fire brings suffering, and in the winter the same fire is pleasing. Similarly, in the winter, water is suffering, but in the summer it is pleasing. The water and the fire are the same, but sometimes they are pleasing, sometimes they are not. This is due to the touch of the skin. We all have some “skin disease,” which is the body, and therefore we are suffering. Because we have become such rascals, we are thinking, “I am this body.” According to the Āyur-vedic system, the body is composed of three material elements: kapha-pitta-vāyu. The more we are in the bodily conception, the more we suffer. Presently so many “ism’s” are being developed according to the bodily conception – nationalism, communism, socialism, communalism and so on. In Calcutta during the 1947 Hindu-Muslim riots, there was more suffering because everyone was thinking, “I am a Hindu” or “I am a Muslim.” But, if one is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will not fight according to such conceptions. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person knows that he is neither Hindu nor Muslim but the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. Because people are being educated to become more body conscious, their sufferings are increasing. If we reduce the bodily conception, suffering will also be reduced. Those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, who are always thinking of Kṛṣṇa within their minds and within their hearts, are not suffering as much because they know that whatever they might suffer is due to Kṛṣṇa’s desire. Therefore they welcome suffering. For instance, when Kṛṣṇa was leaving, Queen Kuntī said, “My dear Kṛṣṇa, when we were in a dangerous situation, You were always present as our friend and adviser. Now we are well situated with our kingdom, and now You are leaving for Dvārakā. This is not good. It is better that we again suffer so that we can always remember You.” Thus the devotee sometimes welcomes suffering as an opportunity to remember Kṛṣṇa constantly. When a devotee suffers, he thinks, “This is due to my past misdeeds. Actually I should be suffering a great deal, but due to Kṛṣṇa’s grace I am suffering just a little. After all, suffering and enjoyment are in the mind.” In this way, a devotee is not greatly affected by suffering, and this is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee. Prahlāda Mahārāja, a five-year-old boy, had to undergo a great deal of suffering at the hands of his father, who was torturing him for being a devotee. The boy was trampled by elephants, thrown from a mountain, placed in burning oil and thrown into a snake pit, yet he was silent during this whole ordeal. Similarly, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, a Muhammadan by birth, was a very great devotee and was always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That was his only fault. However, the Muslim Kazi called him forth and said, “You are a Muhammadan, born in a great Muhammadan family, yet you are chanting this Hindu Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. What is this?” Haridāsa Ṭhākura mildly replied, “My dear sir, there are many Hindus who have become Muhammadans. Suppose I have become a Hindu? What is wrong with this?” The Kazi became very angry and ordered Haridāsa Ṭhākura to be whipped in twenty-two bazaars. This essentially meant that he was to be beaten to death, but because he was such a great devotee he did not actually feel the pain. Although a devotee may sometimes have to suffer, he tolerates the suffering. At the same time, he is very kind to conditioned souls and tries to elevate them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is one of the primary features of a devotee’s life. People are always putting a sādhu into difficulties, but he does not give up his job, which is to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that others may become happy. It was Prahlāda Mahārāja who said: “My Lord, I am not suffering, for I know the art of being happy.” How is this? “Simply by hearing about You and chanting about You I am happy.” This is the business of a devotee – hearing and chanting about the Lord. This is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam. Now this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam is taking place all over the world through the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Even in ordinary life it is possible for the mind to be absorbed in such a way that even a surgical operation may not disturb a man. Years ago, when Stalin had to undergo a surgical operation, he refused the use of chloroform. If this is possible even in an ordinary materialistic life, then what to speak of spiritual life? One’s mind should always be absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in thinking of Kṛṣṇa. It is Kṛṣṇa’s injunction, “Always think of Me.” The European and American youths in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement have been accustomed to many bad habits since birth, but now they have given these up. Many people think that it is impossible to live without illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. One famous Marquis told one of my Godbrothers, “Please make me a brāhmaṇa. ” My Godbrother said, “Yes, it is not a very difficult thing. Simply give up these bad habits – intoxication, illicit sex, meat-eating and gambling. Then you can become a brāhmaṇa. ” The Marquis then said, “Impossible! This is our life.” Actually we have seen that in Western countries older men cannot give up these habits, and because of this they are suffering, yet many young boys and girls have given them up, and there is no suffering. This is due to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This process is open to everyone. Everyone has heard of the Bhagavad-gītā. We can attain perfection simply by following the instructions given in this book. It is not necessary to abandon our responsibilities. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa was a great emperor administering to his kingdom, yet at the same time he spoke only of Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested that His devotees only talk about Kṛṣṇa. If we simply talk about Kṛṣṇa and hear about Him, the stage will come when we will no longer suffer. This is called ānanda-mayo ’bhyāsāt in the Vedānta-sūtra. The living entity and Kṛṣṇa are both ānanda-maya, transcendentally blissful. On that platform, there is no possibility of material suffering. It is not a question of displaying some magical feats. The greatest magic is freedom from suffering, and this is the freedom of a devotee. When we feel pleasure from hearing about Kṛṣṇa and talking about Him, we should know that we are making progress on the path of perfection. At that time, material suffering will not be felt at all. This is the practical effect of rendering devotional service, which Lord Kapila is pointing out to His mother. TEXT 24 ta ete sādhavaḥ sādhvi sarva-saṅga-vivarjitāḥ saṅgas teṣv atha te prārthyaḥ saṅga-doṣa-harā hi te O My mother, O virtuous lady, these are the qualities of great devotees who are free from all attachment. You must seek attachment to such holy men, for this counteracts the pernicious effects of material attachment. Kapila Muni herein advises His mother, Devahūti, that if she wants to be free from material attachment, she should increase her attachment for the sādhus, or devotees who are completely freed from all material attachment. In Bhagavad-gītā (15.5) it is stated, nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣāḥ. This refers to one who is completely freed from the puffed up condition of material possessiveness. A person may be materially very rich or respectable, but if he at all wants to transfer himself to the spiritual kingdom, back home, back to Godhead, he has to be freed from material possessiveness because that is a false position. The word moha used here means the false understanding that one is rich or poor. In this material world, the conception that one is very rich or very poor – or any such consciousness in connection with material existence – is false, because this body itself is temporary. A pure soul who is prepared to be freed from this material entanglement must first be free from the association of the three modes of nature. Our consciousness at the present moment is polluted because of association with the three modes of nature; therefore in Bhagavad-gītā the same principle is stated. It is advised, jita-saṅga-doṣāḥ: one should be freed from the contaminated association of the three modes. Here also, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, this is confirmed: a pure devotee, who is preparing to transfer himself to the spiritual kingdom, is also freed from the association of the three modes. We have to seek the association of such devotees. For this reason we have begun the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. There are many mercantile and scientific associations in human society established to develop a particular type of education or consciousness, but there is no association which helps one to get free from all material association. If anyone wishes to become free from this material contamination, he has to seek the association of devotees, wherein Kṛṣṇa consciousness is exclusively cultured. Because a devotee is freed from all contaminated material association, he is not affected by the miseries of material existence, even though he appears to be in the material world. How is it possible? A cat carries her kittens in her mouth, and when she kills a rat, she also carries the booty in her mouth. Thus both are carried in the mouth of the cat, but they are in different conditions. The kitten feels comfort in the mouth of the mother, whereas when the rat is carried in the mouth of the cat, the rat feels the blows of death. Similarly, those who are sādhus, or devotees engaged in the transcendental service of the Lord, do not feel the contamination of material miseries, whereas those who are not devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness actually feel the miseries of material existence. One should therefore give up the association of materialistic persons and seek the association of those engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By such association one will be benefited by spiritual advancement. By their words and instructions, one will be able to cut off his attachment to material existence. In this Kali-yuga, the present age, the dangerous modes of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, passion and ignorance, are especially prominent. Practically everyone in this age is contaminated by lusty desire, greed and ignorance. It is said in the śāstras that in this age of Kali, sattva-guṇa, the mode of goodness, is practically nonexistent. The fourteenth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā nicely explains how one can free oneself of contamination by the material modes. Now Kapiladeva advises, “Mother, if you want to get rid of the contamination of material nature, you should associate with a sādhu. ” Attachment to the material modes brings about our bondage. If we want to be free from this bondage, we have to transfer our attachment to a sādhu. Actually everyone is attached to something. No one can say that he is free from attachment. The Māyāvāda and Buddhist philosophies tell us to become detached, but this in itself is not possible. A child is attached to playing in so many ways, but gradually his attachments should be transferred to reading and going to school to acquire an education. It is a question not of stopping attachment but of transferring it. If one simply tries to put an end to attachment, he will become mad. Something must be given in the place of attachment. For instance, we tell our disciples to stop eating meat, but how is this meat-eating stopped? In the place of meat, we are supplying kacaurīs, rasagullā and many other palatable things. In this way, detachment is possible. First of all, nullify the inferior attachment, and then supply a better attachment. There is no question of forcing a living entity. This must be done gradually. A child may have some attachment, but by the system of replacing attachment, his attachment is overturned. Similarly, our consciousness has somehow or other become contaminated. Now it has to be purified. Then Kṛṣṇa consciousness will automatically arise and awaken. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is our original consciousness, but somehow or other it has become covered by material attachment. The question is how to give up material attachment and become attached to Kṛṣṇa. The process is sādhu-saṅga, association with a sādhu. We have many attachments in this material world, but we cannot make these attachments void. We simply have to purify them. Some say that if the eye is diseased, it should be plucked out, but that is not treatment. Treatment is removing the disease. Somehow or other there is a cataract, and if the cataract is removed, one’s eyesight will be revived. We have many desires, but we have to divert these desires to Kṛṣṇa’s service. For instance, we may be very attached to making money; therefore Kṛṣṇa says, “Yes, go ahead and conduct your business. There is no harm. Simply give Me the results.” As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (9.27) : yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat yat tapasyasi kaunteya tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam “O son of Kuntī, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” This is the beginning of bhakti-yoga. If we conduct business and earn money, we should spend it for Kṛṣṇa. This is a form of bhakti. Another vivid example is Arjuna, who was a fighter. By fighting, he became a devotee. He did not become a devotee by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa but by fighting in the Battle of Kurukṣetra. Kṛṣṇa advised him to fight, but because Arjuna was a Vaiṣṇava, in the beginning he was unwilling. A Vaiṣṇava does not like to kill anything, but if Kṛṣṇa orders him, he must fight. He does not fight out of his own will, because a Vaiṣṇava’s natural instinct is not to do harm to anyone. However, when a Vaiṣṇava knows that Kṛṣṇa wants a particular thing done, he does not care for his own considerations. In any case, everyone has some particular type of duty, an occupation. If we perform our occupation in the worship of Kṛṣṇa, our life will be perfect. This is also the instruction given in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.13) : ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ sv-anuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam “O best of the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead.” Formerly, the varṇāśrama-dharma was prominent, and everyone had a particular duty according to his position in society. Now the occupational duties have expanded, but it doesn’t matter whether one is an engineer, a doctor or whatever. Simply try to serve Kṛṣṇa by the results of work. That is bhakti. It is not the philosophy of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to disengage people from their activities. One should engage in his occupation, but one should never forget Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa advises us to always become Kṛṣṇa conscious, and we should always think that we are acting for Kṛṣṇa. Of course, we should work by the order of Kṛṣṇa or His representative, not whimsically. If we perform some nonsensical action and think, “I am doing this for Kṛṣṇa,” that will not be accepted. The work must be verified by Kṛṣṇa’s acceptance or by the acceptance of Kṛṣṇa’s representative. Arjuna did not fight without Kṛṣṇa’s order; therefore we must receive our orders also. We may say, “I cannot find Kṛṣṇa. How can I follow His order?” It is the role of the sādhu to impart Kṛṣṇa’s orders. Since Kṛṣṇa’s representative is the sādhu, Kapiladeva advises His mother to associate with sādhus. We have described the symptoms of a sādhu, and we have stated that a sādhu should be accepted by his characteristics. It is not that we accept anyone who comes along and says, “I am a sādhu. ” The characteristics of a sādhu have to be present. Similarly, it is not that anyone is accepted who comes along and says, “I am an incarnation of God.” There are characteristics of God given in the śāstras. Sādhu-saṅga, association with a sādhu, is very essential in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People are suffering due to contamination by tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. The sādhu teaches one how to remain purely in sattva-guṇa by truthfulness, cleanliness, mind control, sense control, simplicity, tolerance, and full faith and knowledge. These are some of the characteristics of sattva-guṇa. Instead of thinking, “Unless I have a drink, I will go mad,” one should think, “Unless I associate with a sādhu, I will go mad.” When we can think in this way, we will become liberated. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has stated that He wants every village in the entire world to be a center for Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that people can take advantage of sādhus and in turn become sādhus. This is the mission of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We simply have to voluntarily undergo some penance in the beginning. It may be a little painful in the beginning to refrain from illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling, but one has to be tolerant. To be cured of a disease, we may have to agree to undergo some surgical operation. Although the operation may be very painful, we have to tolerate it. This is called titikṣavaḥ. At the same time, we have to be kāruṇikāḥ – that is, we have to take compassion upon fallen souls by going from town to town to enlighten others in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is a sādhu’s duty. Those who are preachers are superior to those who go to the Himalayas to meditate. It is good to go to the Himalayas to meditate for one’s personal benefit, but those who undergo many difficulties in order to preach are superior. They are actually fighting for Kṛṣṇa’s sake, and they are certainly more compassionate. Those sādhus who leave Vṛndāvana to go fight in the world, to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness, are superior sādhus. This is the opinion of Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (18.68–69): ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ bhavitā na ca me tasmād anyaḥ priya-taro bhuvi “For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” If we want to be quickly recognized by Kṛṣṇa, we should become preachers. This is also the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. It is not that one should remain in India; rather, one should travel all over the world to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The sādhu is suhṛt; he is the well-wisher of everyone. This does not mean that he is a well-wisher for an Indian nationalist or whatever. No, he is a well-wisher even of cats and dogs. A devotee even wishes to benefit cats and dogs by giving them prasāda. Once, when devotees from Bengal were going to see Caitanya Mahāprabhu, a dog began to follow them, and the leader of the party, Śivānanda Sena, was giving prasāda to the dog. When they had to cross a river, the boatman would not take the dog, but Śivānanda Sena paid him more money and said, “Please take this dog. He is a Vaiṣṇava, for he has joined our company. How can we leave him behind?” Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself actually threw some of His food to the dog, and in this way the dog attained Vaikuṇṭha. Not only is a sādhu everyone’s well-wisher, but he is not an enemy of anyone. He is also śānta, peaceful. These are the preliminary characteristics of a sādhu. He is also attached to no one but Kṛṣṇa. Mayy ananyena bhāvena. These are the external and internal symptoms of a devotee. A devotee also respects the demigods because he knows their position in relation to Kṛṣṇa. In Brahma-saṁhitā (5.44) , the goddess Durgā is worshiped as the external energy, or potency, of Kṛṣṇa. sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā icchānurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi “The external potency, māyā, who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit, spiritual, potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgā, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, in accordance with whose will Durgā conducts herself.” The goddess Durgā is so powerful that she can create, maintain and annihilate. However, she cannot act independent of Kṛṣṇa. She is like a shadow of Kṛṣṇa. A sādhu knows that prakṛti, nature, is working under Kṛṣṇa’s direction. Similarly, a policeman knows that he is not working independently but under government orders. This knowledge is required in order that the policeman, who has some power, will not think that he has become God. No, God is not so cheap. God has multienergies, and one of these energies is Durgā. It is not that she is all and all, for there are many millions of Durgās, just as there are many millions of Śivas and millions of universes. Although there are millions of demigods, God is one. It is not that there are a million Gods. Of course, God can expand in millions of forms, but that is different. A devotee offers respects to the demigods as the assistants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not as the supreme power. One who does not know God as He is considers the demigods to be supreme. Such people are less intelligent. A devotee offers respects to the demigods, but he knows that the Supreme Lord is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Actually a sādhu, a Vaiṣṇava, offers respects to everyone, and he is ready to give up relatives and everything else for Kṛṣṇa’s sake. A sādhu simply takes pleasure in hearing about Kṛṣṇa and talking about Him. There are many pastimes enacted by Kṛṣṇa. He fights and kills demons, and He performs His pastimes with the gopīs. He plays as a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana and as King of Dvārakā. There are many books about Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-kathā, and this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement has already published many of them. Apart from Bhagavad-gītā, which is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, we can read these other books. In this way, one can learn the art of becoming a sādhu. Simply by hearing about Kṛṣṇa and speaking about Him, we will be immediately relieved from the suffering of this material condition. As stated in this verse: ta ete sādhavaḥ sādhvi sarva-saṅga-vivarjitāḥ These symptoms are visible when one no longer has material attachment. A sādhu does not think himself Hindu, Muslim, Christian, American, Indian or whatever. A sādhu simply thinks, “I am the servant of Kṛṣṇa.” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, “I am not a brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī or whatever. I am simply the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa.” One need only learn this process in order to render the best service to humanity.
Prabhupāda: Now when I was coming on the dais, one gentleman remarked that "Your this movement will help forgetful Indians who are trying to forget God." Not only in India; throughout the whole world they are trying to forget God. And this forgetfulness of our relationship with God is material condition. Material life and spiritual life, the difference is that when we forget God, that is material. And when we are fully conscious of God, that is spiritual life. [aside:] Why they are allowed to sit here? [indistinct] Śyāmasundara: All the children should leave? Should I ask? All the children should leave? Prabhupāda: Not leave; just keep them quiet. Śyāmasundara: Would all the children kindly be very quiet during tonight's lecture, please? Can your parents have their children here, kindly keep them quiet so that Śrīla Prabhupāda can be heard by everyone, please. Prabhupāda: The real disease is, as it is stated by a Vaiṣṇava poet, kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare [Prema-vivarta] When we forget Kṛṣṇa and want to lord it over the material nature, this is called māyā. Māyā means which has no factual existence. So this idea that "I shall lord it over the material nature," this is māyā. kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare [Prema-vivarta] As soon as we think of becoming the Lord or lording it over the Lord's creation, that is called māyā. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just an attempt to revive the original consciousness that "I am not the Lord, but I am the servant of the Lord." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So our program is to speak on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the evening and to speak in English, and in the morning we speak on Bhagavad-gītā in Hindi. So we are very much grateful to you that you are kindly trying to cooperate with this movement and hear about Kṛṣṇa. Your cooperation means you please hear about Kṛṣṇa. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said, rādhā-kṛṣṇa bolo saṅge calo ei-mātra duhkhā cāi [from Gītāvalī]. We are simply begging you that you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and please come along with us. This much begging we are submitting. Śyāmasundara: Śrīla Prabhupāda? The slide show is ready for the children if they would like to go. Prabhupāda: So why not? Yes? Śyāmasundara: [making announcement] There is, in this tent on this side, there is a slide show for the children, which is beginning just now. So if all of the children would like to go there, they can see many nice pictures of Kṛṣṇa and of all our activities all over the world. Very nice show. [aside:] It's working. [noise as children leave] Prabhupāda: Hmm. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So māyā, or illusion... There are two platforms = māyā and Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is just like sun. It is said that Kṛṣṇa is just like the sun, and māyā is just like the darkness. So whenever there is sun, there is no more darkness. Just like at the present moment it is dark night because the sun is absent from our vision. This is called māyā. Sun is always there in the sky, but when the sun is not visible, that is called darkness. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is present always within our heart, everywhere. It is said in the Brahmā-saṁhitā, aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.35] Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ. Kṛṣṇa is within the universe, Kṛṣṇa is within your heart, Kṛṣṇa is within the atom. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ. You can take it from the śāstras, from the Vedas, that Kṛṣṇa is always present everywhere; therefore He's God, the original Viṣṇu, all-pervasive. This is also stated in the Brahmā-saṁhitā: yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-bilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.48] The Mahā-Viṣṇu, from whose breathing period millions of universes are coming out, and when He is inhaling, the millions of universes are going within Him, He is called Mahā-Viṣṇu. That Mahā-Viṣṇu is described in the Brahmā-saṁhitā. That Brahmā, Lord Brahmā, who exists only on the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu, that Mahā-Viṣṇu is partial expansion of Kṛṣṇa. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says that there are many manifestations of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu. Just like candles = there are many candles; each candle has got the illuminating power. Similarly, eko bahu syām, Viṣṇu expands Himself in many, many millions of forms. Those forms are called svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. Svāṁśa, personal expansion, and separated expansion. The separated expansions are we, we living entities. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁso jīva bhūta [Bg. 15.7]. So we are also expansions of Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, but we are separated. Means we are not personal expansion. The personal expansion is called viṣṇu-tattva, and the separated expansion is called jīva-tattva. And jīva-tattva is also śakti-tattva. Viṣṇu is śaktimān, and we are śakti. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛti parām jīva-bhutāṁ mahā-baho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat [Bg. 7.5] So we are śakti-tattva. We are not śaktimān-tattva. It is not corroborated. One who thinks that "I am God," śaktimān-tattva, that is false. We are śakti-tattva. Śaktimān means the powerful, one who possesses the power, and śakti means the power, or energy. Or one who controls the energy, He is called śaktimān, and the energy acts in different way. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8, Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. There are different kinds of, millions of energies, of the śaktimān. So we are energy of Kṛṣṇa. We cannot be Kṛṣṇa. Just like fire and heat or light = heat is not different from fire, but heat is not fire. If you feel heat, it does not mean that you're touching the fire or you are being burned. So simultaneously one and different. This philosophy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, acintya-bhedābheda-tattva: simul..., inconceivable one and different, that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy, Vaiṣṇava philosophy. We are neither different nor one---simultaneously---and therefore it is called inconceivable, acintya. In our material conception we cannot think that one thing may be simultaneously one with another and different from another. So this is our position = jīva is śakti-tattva, and bhagavān is śaktimān-tattva. But śakti, śaktimān abheda, there is no difference. There are many other examples. Just like the sun and sunlight. Sunlight is not different from the sun, and still the sunlight is not the sun. In the morning, when you find that there is sunlight within your room, you can say the sun is within your room. You can say that, but the actual sun is far, far away, 93,000,000's miles away from us. So there are so many examples that we are energy of the Supreme Lord, we living entities. So the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam therefore begins with the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1], the Absolute Truth. Vyāsadeva is giving you Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam after his mature experience. He wrote all the Vedic literatures, but he was not happy. So when he was not in his mood[?], he was deeply thinking that "What is the defect in my writings that after writing so many Vedic literatures I am not feeling very happy?" At that time his spiritual master happened to appear before him, and he explained that why he was not happy. He explained that "You have touched many subject matters about dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa---religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation---but you have not explained about the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore you are feeling unhappy." So Vyāsadeva, after writing Vedānta-sūtra, he, by the instruction of Nārada Muni, his spiritual master, he compiled this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explanation of the Vedānta-sūtra. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is explanation by the same author. Vyāsadeva is the author of the Vedānta-sūtra, and he explains what does he mean by the Sūtras. That is very nice. The author explains his mind. That is perfect explanation. I cannot understand the author's mind. I may imagine something, but you cannot understand the author's mind, what does he want to explain. Therefore Vyāsadeva explains himself about the Vedānta-sūtra = athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. The human life, atha, now it is the time for inquiring about the Supreme Absolute Truth. Not in other life. "Other" means other than the human life = animal life, beast life, plant life, aquatic life, insect life. There are so many, 8,400,000's of species of life. By evolutionary process, when we come to the human form of life, it is our duty to understand and inquire about Brahman. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. That Brahman is explained by the author, that Brahman is that from where everything emanates, janmādy asya yataḥ. Janma, śiti and loi[?]. Janma means birth, śiti means stay, and loi[?] means annihilation. So wherefrom everything is coming out, and from whom everything is staying, and after annihilation, where everything is entering---that is Brahman. Janmādy asya [SB 1.1.1]. Janma ādi. Now, that source of energy wherefrom everything is emanating, then what is the actual position of that thing? Is it inanimate or animate? Just like some scientist explains the theory of creation that "There was a chunk that was inanimate. From inanimate things animation has developed under certain condition." That is not possible. We have no such experience that from inanimate things some animation has developed. Sometimes we see, it is called vṛścika taṇḍula nyāya. Sometimes we see that from heap of rice stock, one scorpion is coming out. It does not mean that the inanimate rice has given birth to a scorpion. No. The actual fact is the scorpion lays down eggs within the rice; by fermentation they develop, and then it comes out. So there are different types of emanation. That is biological subject matter. But here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Vyāsadeva says that origin of the emanation of everything, He is sentient, conscious. He is not like matter, unconscious. Janmādy asya yataḥ 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ. He says that the origin of creation must be conscious, abhijñaḥ. Abhijñaḥ means conscious. Unless the origin of creation is conscious, how things are so happening so rightly and nicely? How all the planets are rotating in their orbit, there is no collision, there is no fall-down? So there is a great plan. Therefore the creator must be conscious, a person. That is the verdict of Vyāsadeva. And anyone who is also conscious and intelligent can understand. He says, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād. Anvayād: directly and indirectly. Directly He's conscious of the creation, and indirectly, as we are, we are also conscious because we are part and parcel of the Supreme. Another explanation is that my birth has taken place from my father. My father's birth has taken place from his father. In this way you go on researching---his father, his father, his father. So everyone is a conscious personality. So why the original source of everything should not be conscious personality? This is another reason. Conscious and person. Just like my father is conscious and person, his father is conscious and person. In this way you go on researching according to our Vedic knowledge, we come to Brahmā. Brahmā is considered to be the original creature within the universe, ādi-kavi. So now this Brahmā is also born from the navel lotus of Viṣṇu; the Viṣṇu, He must be conscious. Viṣṇu is conscious, abhijñaḥ. So the origin of creation cannot be unconscious. Origin of creation must be conscious. That is the version of the Vedas, Vedic literature. Janmādy asya yataḥ, this is the Vedānta-sūtra verse. He must be conscious. Now Vyāsadeva is explaining that supreme consciousness. He has already offered his respect, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, janmādy asya yataḥ. Śrīpāda Śrīdhara Svāmī has commented on this oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya that Vāsudeva means kṛṣṇāya. Cinma karundaya kṛṣṇāya, he has said in his comment. Oṁ namo bhagavate parama..., paramahaṁsa asādhika caraṇa kamala.[?] Paramahaṁsa. This consciousness, supreme consciousness, can be realized by the paramahaṁsa asādhi. The paramahaṁsas can taste what is that supreme consciousness. Paramahaṁsa asādhika caraṇa kamala cinmakarundaya bhaktajana manasa nivasaya śrī kṛṣṇāya. Bhaktajana manasaya nivasaya. That Supreme Absolute Truth, cinmakarundaya, the blissful lotus within the heart, He lives there. He lives in everyone's heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. Kṛṣṇa has explained that Īśvara, the Supreme Lord... He is the Supreme Lord. He says that Īśvara, the Supreme Lord, lives in everyone's heart, and He also lives there as Paramātmā, cinmakarundaya. So the Paramātmā and ātmā, both are living within the heart. Cinmakarundaya kṛṣṇāya. So Paramātmā is partial expansion of Kṛṣṇa, and jīvātmā is separated part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is the original person, Supreme Personality of Godhead. īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇah sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1] Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. Sarvam means the creative deities = Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are also from Kṛṣṇa. The Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara are called guṇa-avatāra of Kṛṣṇa, incarnation of the material qualities. Brahmā is incarnation of the material quality passion, rajo-guṇa, and Viṣṇu is incarnation of the quality of sattva-guṇa, and Lord Śiva is the incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in tamo-guṇa. So the example is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, what is the difference between Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā and Lord Viṣṇu. The difference is they are one, but they are different manifestation. Just like firewood. In the wood there is fire. So in the beginning there is no fire, but when there is little fire, there is smoke, then there is ignition, flame. But we are concerned with the flame, neither with the wood nor with the smoke. Similarly, although Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Brahmā are different manifestation of the same thing, Absolute Truth, still we are concerned with the fire of Viṣṇu, not with the wood, nor with the fire.., er, smoke. This is the conclusion of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore Vyāsadeva says that the original person, or the Absolute Truth, must be conscious, anvayād [indistinct]. Directly and indirectly He knows everything. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also said, vedāhaṁ samatītāni [Bg. 7.26] = Kṛṣṇa knows everything, past, present and future. That is also explained in the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, when Kṛṣṇa said that "Long, long ago I spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god." Vivasvān manave prāha, imaṁ ivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam. "This version of Bhagavad-gītā, avyayam, inexhaustible knowledge, was first spoken by Me to the sun-god." imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt [Bg. 4.1] So at that time Arjuna inquired from Kṛṣṇa for clearance how Kṛṣṇa spoke millions of years ago this Bhagavad-gītā, or about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to the sun-god. He inquired as an ordinary man, "My dear Kṛṣṇa"---Kṛṣṇa was his friend and cousin-brother also---that "how can I believe that You spoke this Bhagavad-gītā millions and trillions of years ago to the sun-god?" What was the reply by Kṛṣṇa? The reply was, Kṛṣṇa said, [break] "...have forgotten. I remember all of it." "I remember all of it." That is the difference between Kṛṣṇa, or God, and the ordinary living entity. We have forgotten. If I ask you what you were doing last evening at this time, you will have to remember, "Yes. I was doing like that." I forget. But Kṛṣṇa will not forget. Therefore, this is described here, [indistinct Sanskrit]. He knows everything. [break] "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭho mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca [Bg. 15.15]. "From Me there is remembrance; jñāna, knowledge; and forgetfulness." Kṛṣṇa... [break] Helps one to remember. He helps everyone to remember and He also helps... [break] That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ [Bg. 4.11] So Kṛṣṇa is very kind, as I have already explained. Two spiritual identities, namely the ātmā and the Paramātmā, are there within your heart. The Paramātmā is giving you direction. Paramātmā is giving you direction. What kind of direction? Because I wanted to forget Kṛṣṇa, He sometimes gives me direction that "Yes, you forget like this." And anyone who wants to remember Kṛṣṇa, to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness, He helps you also. This is Kṛṣṇa. Why? Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is fully independent. That is also explained here---abhijñaḥ svarāṭ. Svarāṭ means fully independent. The Absolute Truth, the Supreme Person, is fully independent. Not only conscious, abhijñaḥ, but He is independent. But we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa; therefore the quality of independence of Kṛṣṇa is there, but in minute quantity. Our independence and Kṛṣṇa's independence is not the same. Just like here is the Arabian Sea. You take a drop of water from the Arabian Sea, you taste it, you'll find it is salty. The salt is there in a drop of the Arabian Sea water, and salt is there in the Arabian Sea. But the quantity of salt in the whole Arabian Sea and the quantity of salt in the drop of water, they are different. Similarly, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, all the qualities of Kṛṣṇa, they are also present within us in minute quantity. And because it is in minute quantity, sometimes it becomes lost. Therefore our consciousness, originally, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, our original consciousness is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but somehow or other, being in contact with this matter, we have lost our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore this movement is to revive Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is our original constitutional position. That I was explaining, quoting the Bengali poet: kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare [Prema-vivarta] Because somehow or other in material contact we have lost our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it has to be revived. It has to be revived; then we shall be happy. That is the particular point we want to stress on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement---revival of the original consciousness. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has explained this as ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12], cleansing the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ. If we cleanse our heart, that means if we come to the original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ: this blazing fire of material consciousness will immediately extinguish. That is the process. Every one of us trying to be happy, peaceful and blissful also, but unless we revive our original Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is not possible. So this movement is very important movement, that we are attempting to revive one's original consciousness. The original consciousness is clean. Just like the water = originally, when it drops from the clouds, it is distilled water, clean, but as soon as it comes in touch with the muddy earth, it becomes unclean. Similarly, originally our consciousness was Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now, in touch with the material modes of nature, we have formed different types of consciousness. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo asya sad-asad-yoni-janmaṣu [Bg. 13.22]. This is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kāraṇam---the cause, the cause of our tribulation. What is that tribulation? Sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu. We are taking repeatedly birth, one after another, sometimes very good birth and sometimes very bad, sad asad. There are 8,400,000 species of life. Sometimes I may become Brahmā and sometimes I become the insect or the germ in the stool. That is my position. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya. Because we have lost the original consciousness, I am being in contact with the material modes of nature, means sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ. We are mixing with the different types of material qualities, and as such we are developing different modes of material nature in our consciousness. This consciousness has to be cleared. This consciousness... Even our consciousness is goodness... Just like there are many people who are very charitably disposed = they want to make charity, they want to open schools, that want to open hospitals. That is goodness. That is all right. But still it is material; it is not spiritual. Similarly, there are others also who are contacting the modes of passion, just like big, big kings, they are very much anxious or very much ambitious to expand their kingdom. This is called association with the modes of passion. Similarly, there are mixture also, mixture of goodness, passion and ignorance. So according to these different types of mixture, or original quality, there are different classes of men. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā = cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg. 4.13]. These three qualities, when one is developed in the modes of goodness, he is very intelligent, or he is brāhmaṇa. When we are developed..., our consciousness is passion, that is called kṣatriya---brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya. And when it is mixed up, it is called vaiśya. And when it is ignorance, it is called śūdra. These are the divisions. So here Kṛṣṇa says, "If you want to transcend these qualitative situation of material life, then you have to come to Me." Because these are..., all these qualities are different modes of material nature, which is called māyā. So we are now compact in the association of māyā, in different qualities, and Kṛṣṇa says that mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14]. If you actually want to revive your own consciousness, original consciousness, then you have to surrender. That is being explained by Vyāsadeva here, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi [SB 1.1.1]. He says, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi. Dhīmahi is gāyatrī-mantra = oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi. So by brahminical culture, by chanting the gāyatrī-mantra or the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, gradually we become purified. That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. Come to the original consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you'll become happy. Original consciousness, the beginning of original consciousness = to understand one's self as Brahman, not matter. Brahman means spirit. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I'm not matter, I'm spirit soul." This is the beginning of spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: brahma bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām [Bg. 18.54] Unless you come to the platform of brahma bhūta consciousness, you cannot treat everyone on the same level. It is not possible. The so-called universal brotherhood is not possible on this material condition of life. Therefore you can see that materially there are so many attempts to find out a platform of universal brotherhood. But there is no universal brotherhood. There is simply platform of enemy. The United Nation is trying to come to the platform of universal brotherhood. When I go to New York, I see the great institution. There are hundreds and thousands of flags. Instead of being united, the flags are increasing, because this universal brotherhood, this equality, fraternity, cannot be established on this material platform. That is not possible. You have to come to the point, to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or brahma bhūta stage, then it is possible. brahma bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām [Bg. 18.54] So everything is scientifically described in the Vedic literature. You haven't got to make any research. It is already there. You have to simply accept it and take it. Then your life will be sublime, your life will be successful. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission is that, to make everyone's life successful. Sarve sukhino bhavantu: everyone become happy. That is the mission of everyone. "Everyone" means those who are devotees. How people will be happy? That is their mission. It is not that we start a mission just to make some money and to fill up our belly, hungry belly. No. It is a mission to see that everyone is happy in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the mission. Our ācāryas, just like Rūpa Goswāmī, about him Śrinivāsācarya writes, nana-śāstra-vicaraṇaika-nipunau sad-dharma-pravarthakau lokanam hita-karinau tri-bhuvane manyau saranyakarau radha-kṛṣṇa ... bhajananandena-mattalikau vande rupa-sanātana raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau [Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka] They engaged themselves. They were ministers. Rūpa Goswāmī and Sanātana Goswāmī, they were two great ministers in the government of Pathan kingdom in Bengal. And they resigned the post just for the benefit of the mass of people. They became mendicant, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ. So this is the mission of all who is born in India. That is the statement by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, bhārata bhumite haila manuṣya-janma yāra janma sārthaka kari kara para-upakāra [Cc. Ādi 9.41] So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for para-upakāra, for doing good to others---this best welfare activities in the world. And it is India's duty, it is India's prerogative to take this knowledge and broadcast all over the world for para-upakāra. And actually it is happening. All these European and American boys and girls, they are trying to understand this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement very seriously. So it is very scientific, authorized and practical also. So we hope that all of you who are present here will try to cooperate with this movement, and let us meet at least so long as I am here. That will be very much beneficial. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Devotee: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]
tasmād asaktaḥ satataṁ kāryaṁ karma samācara asakto hy ācaran karma param āpnoti pūruṣaḥ Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme. The Supreme is the Personality of Godhead for the devotees, and liberation for the impersonalist. A person, therefore, acting for Kṛṣṇa, or in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, under proper guidance and without attachment to the result of the work, is certainly making progress toward the supreme goal of life. Arjuna is told that he should fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra for the interest of Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa wanted him to fight. To be a good man or a nonviolent man is a personal attachment, but to act on behalf of the Supreme is to act without attachment for the result. That is perfect action of the highest degree, recommended by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi Brahmā and other lords of the mundane worlds, appearing from the pores of hair of Mahā-Viṣṇu, remain alive as long as the duration of one exhalation of the latter [Mahā-Viṣṇu]. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whose subjective personality Mahā-Viṣṇu is the portion of portion. The supreme majesty of the subjective nature of Viṣṇu is shown here.
sārdha sapta-prahara kare bhaktira sādhane cāri daṇḍa nidrā, seha nahe kona-dine He engaged himself in devotional service for more than twenty-two and a half hours a day, and for less than two hours he slept, although on some days that also was not possible. None
Prabhupāda: They'll never accept it. But if they simply accept chanting, it will work. [tape of Prabhupāda chanting Govindam prayers in background] [break] ...say on these big, big buildings, but chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Gurukṛpā: Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ [SB 10.14.3]. Prabhupāda: If you make condition that you stop this, it will be failure. And it is not possible. Gurukṛpā: I don't think you did like that in the beginning. Prabhupāda: Eh? Gurukṛpā: In the beginning you just asked everyone to chant, and naturally they wanted to do more after. Prabhupāda: And if they chant, gradually they'll be purified. [chants japa] [break] ...you take another body, you will greet... This philosophy does not appeal to the Westerners. Eh? I think so. "Oh, what nonsense this is, speaking?" Eh? Do they not think like that? Gurukṛpā: Yes, they do. Prabhupāda: But that is the actual fact. Devotee (1): This philosophy's alien to everything they've heard, so it's different than everything they've heard. Prabhupāda: No, no, the... A fact is there. Why it is alien? Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Well, the Western religions have taught that whatever you do in this lifetime will determine whether you go to heaven or hell, and there's no second chance. Prabhupāda: So... So they are not afraid of going to hell? There are two alternatives = either heaven or hell. But if he's going to hell? Gurukṛpā: That's why they have confession. Prabhupāda: Oh, finished, everything. Devotee (2): Contract. Prabhupāda: How he...? Gurukṛpā: Like my father is very sinful, but he would always say, "The good Lord is protecting me." He would always say, "God, God," but he never would follow anything. [break] Prabhupāda: ...wars? Why...? Why the God does not stop the wars? And they are so much afraid of war. What is the answer? Gurukṛpā: Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti [SB 5.5.4]. They are mad for sense gratification. Prabhupāda: No. That is all right, but God... Your father says Lord will protect, but when there is atomic bomb, why He does not protect? Gurukṛpā: Well, up to now He's protected. Prabhupāda: He is protected. Others are not protected. So his term has not yet come. But what is the answer, that "Lord has become your obedient servant to protect. And when He does not?" Actually, He does not. The... In Europe they are very, very much afraid of war, next war. You know that? It becomes a terrible fright for them. Therefore war was not declared. They are very much frightened. They have suffered two big world wars. So why the God did not protect them? [break] So cow dung philosophy. Cow dung philosophy you know? That one cow dung is just passed through, and the other cow dung is being burned. So this cow dung is laughing, "Oh, you are burned." [laughter] He does not know that when the..., she will be burned. She will be dried up; she will be burned. So your father's logic is like that, "I am protected," laughing at the death of others. Cow dung philosophy. Gurukṛpā: I wouldn't even give him cow dung. Too good for him. [break] Prabhupāda: ...gobar hase. Gobar means just fresh cow dung. And she is laughing. And the dry cow dung, he is burning. Ghute pore gobar hase. This is little logic is very good. Devotee (1): Some people think, "I will never grow old and die." Prabhupāda: Kim āścaryam ataḥ param. ahany ahani lokāni gacchanti yama-mandiram śeṣaḥ sthitam icchanti kim āścaryam ataḥ param [Mahābhārata] That is the eighth wonder. [break] Gurukṛpā: ...yesterday that in India even a simple village man, he has no material affluence, and still he can understand he is not this body. But here they are big, big learned philosophers, and they cannot understand the first thing. Prabhupāda: But how they received, eh? You were present. They came to receive = "Oh, it is our great fortune you have come." And in your country, it is trespassing. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That was when we were in the field in Vṛndāvana. Prabhupāda: Yes. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Very poor farmers came up very nicely to greet Prabhupāda. Devotee (1): The Western people want to think they're the body. Otherwise how can they enjoy all their technology? Prabhupāda: Hmm? What is that? Devotee (1): They want to think they're the body. They don't want to hear that "I'm not the body," because if they're not in illusion, they can't try and enjoy so much the things of the West. Prabhupāda: That means foolish, less intelligent. Gurukṛpā: We are walking across everyone's field to go the river, and they are saying, "Haribol!" Prabhupāda: Yes. Gurukṛpā: Here they are coming with dogs. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Fences. Gurukṛpā: Especially if it's a devotee, they'll be more eager to shoot. [break] Prabhupāda: ...foreign or this, a small river. [break] Devotee (2): 1717. Captain Cook. Gurukṛpā: He's the same one that went to Hawaii. Prabhupāda: Oh. Gurukṛpā: You know, and they never saw a white man there before. So the natives there in Hawaii were very enamored to see such a big white man, so they took him as God, and they were worshiping him. And one day... Prabhupāda: Captain Cook? Gurukṛpā: Yes. And one day he was walking across the rocks and he hit his foot on a rock and he began to bleed. When they saw the blood, they said, "He is not a God. He is just like us." So they killed him and ate him. Prabhupāda: Oh, oh. Killed him? Gurukṛpā: Yeah, they killed him and ate him. Prabhupāda: Ācchā? Gurukṛpā: Yeah. Prabhupāda: He was eaten? Gurukṛpā: Yes. [laughter] He was taking advantage of their ignorance. [break] Prabhupāda: ...these original Hawaiians, they were man-eaters. Gurukṛpā: Yes. Devotee (1): No, they weren't. They just ate him. He had been there a couple of times, so they became suspicious when he came back. He had been exploiting them. [break] Gurukṛpā: ...were so worried, but this country is so big, and there's only twelve million people. More people live in New York City than in this whole country. And they say "overpopulation." Prabhupāda: They would not allow. Gurukṛpā: Yes, they don't allow. Devotee (3): They have the "White Australia policy." Prabhupāda: Hmm? Devotee (3): "White Australia policy." [break] Prabhupāda: ...Chinese man, Indians, they will come in large number. But they will not allow. That is the difficulty. Gurukṛpā: There's more cows in this country than people. Prabhupāda: They are killing? Gurukṛpā: They are eating them. Prabhupāda: And other countries, they are starving for want of milk. Therefore I say the United Nation simply barking dogs. What is the value if they cannot adjust? United Nation, all the nations should take advantage all the facilities offered, but that they will not allow. And they are named "United Nation." Just see. Farce. Devotee (1): In New Zealand they have a hundred million tons of surplus milk powder, and they can't sell it, so they decided to feed it to the pigs. They could send it all over the world. Prabhupāda: Why not take it free and send it to India? [break] ...of the world. Everything is sufficiently there, but still, some are starving and some are enjoying, for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Gurukṛpā: The rascals, they try to blame everything on Kṛṣṇa by saying, "Why is Kṛṣṇa letting people starve?" Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is giving them sufficient. They are mismanaging. Still, Kṛṣṇa is still bad. Envious. Kṛṣṇa created this earth. Did He say, "This is for the Australians. This is for the Americans"? Did He say? Why you are keeping so much land as "Australia"? That is also Kṛṣṇa's fault? Australia was never given to the Englishmen. They came and they, by force they took it. So similarly America, the land was there. Devotee (3): They call this colonization, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Prabhupāda: Whatever you may call, there are thieves, rogues and thieves. That's all. Devotee (3): Exploiting. Gurukṛpā: Now they're dividing up the booty, fighting over it. Prabhupāda: That story, that some thieves stolen. Now, when they are dividing, they say, "Please honestly, religious divide." [laughs] The things are stolen, and now it is to be divided religiously. The foundation of the thing is stealing, and they are dividing in... Now they are making laws, morality. Devotee (1): They have a saying, "Honor among thieves." Prabhupāda: Yes. [break] This has been named [indistinct], kaitava, simply cheating. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. The duplicity, hypocrisy, is there completely rejected. Gurukṛpā: Kṛṣṇa is a better cheater, though. He will cheat them in the end. Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is not cheater. The Kṛṣṇa's energy is so powerful that anyone who is a cheater, he will be cheated, that's all. Automatically. [break] If you infect some disease, you'll have to suffer, automatically. It is not that the disease has to be injected. No. Because you have infected, you'll suffer. The same law is there = you have done this sinful---you'll suffer that. That is the cycle of birth and death. You have created mentality; you'll become the same animal, and you suffer. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya [Bg. 13.22]. [break] ...very clear. We have seen this cloud, extraordinary. Devotee (2): They can also... Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The horn. The horn[?]. Prabhupāda: Yes. Devotee (2): So it's very dirty river. Prabhupāda: Ah. Devotee (3): They say it is the upside-down river. It is more blue on the bottom than it is on the top. Devotee (2): In factories they put all of their waste into the river. [break] Devotee (1): Prabhupāda, last night you were describing how people serve their dogs. And now, in the Western countries, they have restaurants where you can take your dog, and he sits at the table with you and they serve a meal for him. And they have catering services. You can call up, and they will bring a special meal to your dog, so he can eat at his home. They have beauty parlors for dogs---everything. Prabhupāda: Yes, they have taken dogs as God. According to Vedic civilization, dog is untouchable. [break] ...all the centers, then how many days it takes? Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: To visit all of our centers in the world? Prabhupāda: No, Europe, America. That is world round. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: About three months if you stayed one day in each center. Prabhupāda: No, no, no. One day only? Gurukṛpā: Thirty-five days. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No, no, to visit each center and stay there for some time. Gurukṛpā: Some time? Prabhupāda: "Some time" means five to seven days. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Prabhupāda: Say average, six days. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: At least a half a year---six months, seven months. Prabhupāda: So, so much time. Gurukṛpā: Some of the temples are very small, though. Prabhupāda: No, average... Gurukṛpā: They can come to the big temple. Like here we have three centers. They all come here. Say the big ones in America, there's about six, six, seven big temples which the others can go to. They have facility to accommodate them. Then six or seven temples would be about a month and a half. Prabhupāda: And similarly six and seven there in Europe. Gurukṛpā: Europe, there are... England, France and let's say Germany. No, that's big. Say about... Prabhupāda: Switzerland. Gurukṛpā: ...four or five weeks. Altogether it's eleven weeks, maybe even two and a half, three months. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I think you were possibly wanting to stop in Tehran this year on the way back to India? Prabhupāda: Hmm, yes. Devotee (2): We have word from the Melbourne City Council that they intend now not to let us have our annual Rathayātrā festival. Prabhupāda: Eh? Devotee (2): They want to stop our Rathayātrā festival. Prabhupāda: Where? Devotee (2): In Melbourne. We have got official letter from the City Council, and they are saying that we need not apply anymore. Prabhupāda: Hmm. That? Gurukṛpā: So we will make propaganda several months before the festival. Prabhupāda: No, you can go to the court. Devotee (2): They are claiming we make too much mess on the streets after the festival, too many flowers on the streets. Prabhupāda: So it is a festival. There must be crowd. You have no festival? Unfortunate. Gurukṛpā: They have festival, and it's beer cans, not flowers. Prabhupāda: So you must fight to the court. How they can stop? It is our religious function. [pause] [break] Prabhupāda: ...to curb down this movement. In Europe, America, Australia... Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [break] Prabhupāda: ...[indistinct] [in car] Gurukṛpā: Things are to stop their farms. Prabhupāda: I think so. They have gone deliberately. We are against cow-killing, so if the movement increases, then their cow-killing may be jeopardized. Gurukṛpā: Then they'd have to close many farms. On the grounds that milk causes hepatitis... Prabhupāda: Yes. Gurukṛpā: ...they'd have to close many farms. The government gives aid to so many different groups, but they will not give any aid to our group, although we are doing the most work. Prabhupāda: What is the reason? Devotee (1): [indistinct] Gurukṛpā: No, we are too much revolutionary for them, our lifestyle, everything. Prabhupāda: That means they do not like this movement. Gurukṛpā: Just like those people that came yesterday. They could appreciate our movement, but if they felt that we jeopardized their job or something of that nature, then they would go against us. 'Cause we are very small, but if we became very popular movement, so... Prabhupāda: Then what to do? Gurukṛpā: Go on with our work. Prabhupāda: Yes. Gurukṛpā: We are here to please Kṛṣṇa... Prabhupāda: That's it. Gurukṛpā: ...not to please them. Prabhupāda: One thing immediately inform Rāmeśvara. In the Bhagavad-gītā yesterday they have edited "cattle-raising." Gurukṛpā: Kṛṣi-go-rakṣya. Prabhupāda: But not cattle-raising. Cattle-raising means to grow and killing. That is the... Means the rascals, they have edited. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, and we're.... [interference] Prabhupāda: And "protection of cows," clearly. Gurukṛpā: Chapter Eighteen, Bhagavad-gītā, that the vaiśyas work... Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Oh, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya. Prabhupāda: Ah, kṛṣi-go-rakṣya. Immediately inform them. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Okay. I noticed that also. I thought it was strange, some time back. [break] Prabhupāda: Hayagrīva edited. He thought "cattle-raising." Not "cattle-raising," but the word... There... It is mistranslation. It is go-rakṣya, "giving protection to the cows." Especially mentioned, go-rakṣya, not otherwise. The animal-eaters may take other animals, but not cow. They can take the pig, goats, lambs, rabbits, so many others, if they at all want to eat meat. Birds, these so many. There is no such mention that "Animals should be protected." No. "Cows should be protected." That is Kṛṣṇa's order. [break] They have decided to kill the cow. They have decided, "No brain. Eat." And our prayer is go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca, "to do good to the brāhmaṇas and the cows." Actually it is revolutionary to the modern age. But how it is possible we say otherwise? That Bon Mahārāja came and said. Right? Am I right? When Bon Mahārāja here... When our students said something, "Oh, that you cannot say. That you cannot say." He said like that. Gurukṛpā: Yeah? Prabhupāda: Yes. Gurukṛpā: We can say; you cannot say. Prabhupāda: He's such a rascal. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: [indistinct] says the devotees... We're preaching along the lines that we're preaching, and he was saying, "You cannot say this"? Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Gurukṛpā: Just like we don't say, "You are a rascal." We say, "Kṛṣṇa says you are a rascal." Prabhupāda: Yes. Gurukṛpā: "So you are saying Kṛṣṇa cannot say?" Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīm [Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]. He's looking for some following. Prabhupāda: That's all. Gurukṛpā: He cannot hit the heart. Prabhupāda: He was begging, "Give me. Give me transportion check." Who is the rascal that he'll give him transportation check? What he is? But he is such a fool, he's begging, "Give me transportation check." Why they'll give you? Then what benefit they'll derive? But he has no common sense to think. Gurukṛpā: That is what I think this disease is with the Siddha's group. They are looking for followers, and they do not preach in your style because they would not attract people. Prabhupāda: Śrīdhara's group? Gurukṛpā: Yes. Prabhupāda: Śrīdhara Svāmī? Gurukṛpā: No, Siddha-svarūpa. Prabhupāda: Oh, Siddha-svarūpa, oh. Gurukṛpā: They are after followers, and they do not speak strongly, for then people would go away. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: In one sense it's also confirmed by Rūpa Gosvāmī, yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet, sarve vidhi-niṣedhā syur... [Brs. 1.2.4]. Prabhupāda: Eh? Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: That "First of all help people to think of Kṛṣṇa, and then later on, the rules and regulations..." Gurukṛpā: But we follow in the footsteps... Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. We must follow what the spiritual master is doing. We cannot create our own way. Then we will not be successful. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No, that's true, but... Gurukṛpā: That is their idea. They have created their own way to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Prabhupāda: Yes, that idea is there. They are thinking of their own way. That is bad. We have got so much..., so many literatures. They are printing their own literature and... That is disturbing, yes. What he'll prepare? He's not a liberated person. He's thinking, somebody said, that "I'll give my interpretation on Bhāgavata." If these things are going, they are... It is against our principles. [break] Gurukṛpā: You know how to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness; therefore I follow. I don't even know what Kṛṣṇa is. I'm just trying to follow. Therefore that will be successful. Prabhupāda: That is my preaching. What Kṛṣṇa said, you say as it is. Don't change. How you can give interpretation? And if he thinks that he can give another interpretation, what is this nonsense? Then he's not following guru or Kṛṣṇa, both. Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. One has to receive the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa. Through guru, Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Gurukṛpā: If they go on like this, can this be considered sampradāya-vihīna ye mantras te viphalaṁ mataḥ [Padma Purāṇa]? That is, their mantra is not so effective if people are surrendering to Kṛṣṇa. [break] [end]
suhṛdo jñātayaḥ putrā bhrātaraḥ pitarāv api nānusmaranti sva-janaṁ yasya daivam adakṣiṇam Friends and family members — even children, brothers and parents — forget a dear one whom Providence no longer favors. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī and Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura both comment that Kuntī does not blame her relatives for her suffering. Thus she calls them “most saintly persons” and alludes here to her own bad fortune as the cause of her unhappiness.
taṁ bandhum āgataṁ dṛṣṭvā dharma-putraḥ sahānujaḥ dhṛtarāṣṭro yuyutsuś ca sūtaḥ śāradvataḥ pṛthā When they saw Vidura return to the palace, all the inhabitants — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, his younger brothers, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Sātyaki, Sañjaya, Kṛpācārya, Kuntī, Gāndhārī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, Uttarā, Kṛpī, many other wives of the Kauravas, and other ladies with children — all hurried to him in great delight. It so appeared that they had regained their consciousness after a long period. Gāndhārī: The ideal chaste lady in the history of the world. She was the daughter of Mahārāja Subala, the King of Gāndhāra (now Kandahar in Kabul), and in her maiden state she worshiped Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva is generally worshiped by Hindu maidens to get a good husband. Gāndhārī satisfied Lord Śiva, and by his benediction to obtain one hundred sons, she was betrothed to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, despite his being blind forever. When Gāndhārī came to know that her would-be husband was a blind man, to follow her life companion she decided to become voluntarily blind. So she wrapped up her eyes with many silk linens, and she was married to Dhṛtarāṣṭra under the guidance of her elder brother Śakuni. She was the most beautiful girl of her time, and she was equally qualified by her womanly qualities, which endeared every member of the Kaurava court. But despite all her good qualities, she had the natural frailties of a woman, and she was envious of Kuntī when the latter gave birth to a male child. Both the queens were pregnant, but Kuntī first gave birth to a male child. Thus Gāndhārī became angry and gave a blow to her own abdomen. As a result, she gave birth to a lump of flesh only, but since she was a devotee of Vyāsadeva, by the instruction of Vyāsadeva the lump was divided into one hundred parts, and each part gradually developed to become a male child. Thus her ambition to become the mother of one hundred sons was fulfilled, and she began to nourish all the children according to her exalted position. When the intrigue of the Battle of Kurukṣetra was going on, she was not in favor of fighting with the Pāṇḍavas; rather, she blamed Dhṛtarāṣṭra, her husband, for such a fratricidal war. She desired that the state be divided into two parts, for the sons of Pāṇḍu and her own. She was very affected when all her sons died in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, and she wanted to curse Bhīmasena and Yudhiṣṭhira, but she was checked by Vyāsadeva. Her mourning over the death of Duryodhana and Duḥśāsana before Lord Kṛṣṇa was very pitiful, and Lord Kṛṣṇa pacified her by transcendental messages. She was equally aggrieved on the death of Karṇa, and she described to Lord Kṛṣṇa the lamentation of Karṇa’s wife. She was pacified by Śrīla Vyāsadeva when he showed her dead sons, then promoted to the heavenly kingdoms. She died along with her husband in the jungles of the Himālayas near the mouth of the Ganges; she burned in a forest fire. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira performed the death ceremony of his uncle and aunt.
tāte jāni — pūrve tomāra pāñāche prasāda tāhā vinā nahe tomāra hṛdayānuvāda” “Had You not previously bestowed Your mercy on him,” they said, “it would not have been possible for him to express Your internal feelings.” Devotees acknowledge Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s special mercy upon Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in the following words:
ei saba haya śrī-kṛṣṇera avatāra nirantara dekhi sabāra bhaktira ācāra These are all incarnations of Lord Kṛṣṇa, yet we always find that they act as devotees. None
yadyapi āmāra sparśa koṭīndu-śītala rādhikāra sparśe āmā kare suśītala “And although My touch is cooler than ten million moons, I am refreshed by the touch of Śrīmatī Rādhikā. None
tvam ādi-devaḥ puruṣaḥ purāṇas tvam asya viśvasya paraṁ nidhānam vettāsi vedyaṁ ca paraṁ ca dhāma tvayā tataṁ viśvam ananta-rūpa You are the original Personality of Godhead, the oldest, the ultimate sanctuary of this manifested cosmic world. You are the knower of everything, and You are all that is knowable. You are the supreme refuge, above the material modes. O limitless form! This whole cosmic manifestation is pervaded by You! Everything is resting on the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore He is the ultimate rest. Nidhānam means that everything, even the Brahman effulgence, rests on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. He is the knower of everything that is happening in this world, and if knowledge has any end, He is the end of all knowledge; therefore He is the known and the knowable. He is the object of knowledge because He is all-pervading. Because He is the cause in the spiritual world, He is transcendental. He is also the chief personality in the transcendental world.
kintu śāstra-dṛṣṭye eka kari anumāna śrī-bhāgavata-śāstra — tāhāte pramāṇa “But I can make a guess in terms of directions from the śāstra. The Vedic scripture Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam gives the direct evidence in this matter. None
eta bali namaskari’ gelā gopī-gaṇa hena-kāle rādhā āsi’ dilā daraśana After saying this and offering obeisances, all the gopīs dispersed. Then Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī came and appeared before Lord Kṛṣṇa. None
Letter to: Bhutatma My dear Bhutatma, Please accept my blessings. I am in receipt of your letter sated December 11, 1973. I hereby accept the following devotees for first and second initiation as recommended by you: John - Vatsara dasa Elena - Kalakantha dasi Peter - Vatsala dasa Deborah - Sasikala dasi Paul - Vatsi das Cheryl - Kandarpa-sundari dasi Naomi - Kamalalita dasi Enclosed find three sacred threads and three gayatri mantras for the second initiates. Hold a fire yajna, after which they may listen to the mantra once through the right ear from from the cassette tape I have have made. You may send the beads of the first initiates to Kirtanananda Maharaj and send it to me in Los Angeles. I hope this meets you well. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/Kda ISKCON San Francisco Enclosures - 6
kṛṣṇera prābhava-vilāsa — vāsudevādi cāri jana sei cāri-janāra vilāsa — viṁśati gaṇana “Vāsudeva and the three others are direct prābhava pastime forms of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Of these quadruple forms, the pastime expansions are twenty in number. None
Pradyumna: [reading] "...and of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, by whose inspiration I have been engaged in the matter of compiling this summary study of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. This is the sublime science of devotional service as propounded by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who appeared five hundred years ago in West Bengal, India, to propagate the movement of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī begins his great book by offering his respectful obeisances unto Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, who is his elder brother and spiritual master, and he prays that Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu may be very pleasing to him. He further prays that by residing in that ocean of nectar, he may always feel transcendental pleasure in the service of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa." Prabhupāda: So, Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī is first offering his respect, obeisances, to Sanātana Gosvāmī, who is his elder brother, at the same time guru. So we offer our respect in that way, vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau [Ṣaḍ-govāmy-aṣṭaka]. That is the way. We cannot jump over the highest authority directly. That is not possible. That is not the etiquette, or rules, regulation. We have to go. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. So He presents Himself as the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. So in order to become Kṛṣṇa's servant, we have to become the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. So my Guru Mahārāja is servant of Kṛṣṇa, his guru, his guru is servant of Kṛṣṇa, his guru is servant of Kṛṣṇa. I am also servant of Kṛṣṇa, but I have to approach through the other servants, not directly. That is not possible. Kṛṣṇa will not accept that service. If one disrespect the paramparā system, then he'll not be accepted by Kṛṣṇa. Just like... Śrīdhara Swami, Śrīdhara Swami wrote commentary on Bhagavad-gītā..., er, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and other ācāryas also, they wrote. So we must follow the principle. The Subodhinī-ṭīkā was made by Vallabhācārya, but because he presented himself more than Śrīdhara Swami to Caitanya Mahāprabhu... He requested Caitanya Mahāprabhu to read his comment on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam when He was at Purī. But he was little proud of his nice commentary, that he said, "It is better than Śrīdhara Swami." So that was not tolerated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and He did not hear that Subodhinī-ṭīkā. He remarked, svami jīva nahi mane [indistinct]. So this is not the way. We cannot approach Kṛṣṇa directly. We must go through the paramparā system, vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva gopālakau. So Narottama das Ṭhākura also says that, rūpa-raghunātha-pade hoibe ākuti kabe hāma bujhabo se yugala-pīriti [Lālasā-mayī Prārthanā 4] In order to understand the transcendental loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, one has to go through the teachings of the Gosvāmīs, rūpa raghunātha-pade hoibe ākuti. This is the way. So Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī and all the six Gosvāmīs, they developed this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement by sitting together in Vṛndāvana. And not only in Vṛndāvana; in that very particular place, Rādhā-Dāmodara temple, where we have got a little space, that you have seen, Rūpa Gosvāmī's tomb, that space. All the six Gosvāmīs, used to sit down and discuss Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī was reading, and all the other Gosvāmīs, Rūpa, Sanātana, they were hearing, and Jīva Gosvāmī was writing comment. That is the comment of Grama[?]-sandarbha. So that place in Vṛndāvana, Rādhā Dāmodara Temple, is very sacred place. So they were practicing this Kṛṣṇa consciousness: kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau [Ṣaḍ-govāmy-aṣṭaka] They were practicing to teach us, āpani ācari' prabhu jīvere śikhāya. Simply teaching will not do unless we practice. That is very important thing, practice, practical life. Simply quoting verses like parrot will not be very much beneficial. One must apply, jñānam vijñāna-sahitam. Jñāna means to know the thing, and vijñāna means to apply the things in practical life. Jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitam. So we must know the vijñāna, how practically. That is taught by the Gosvāmīs, kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana: always chanting the glories of Kṛṣṇa. Kīrtana, gāna, nartana. Nartana means dancing. Dancing is very good. The more you dance, the more you become light; means the burden of material contamination becomes reduced. Dancing is so nice. Even if you don't feel ecstasy, if you dance by force, that will also help us. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartanau-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. By dancing, dancing, we shall develop our dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness, love for Kṛṣṇa. This is a nice process. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. Then you will merge into the ocean of love for Kṛṣṇa. So this is the highest stage of ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always chanting Kṛṣṇa's name, dancing in ecstasy, and to be merged in the ocean of love for Kṛṣṇa. These are the perfection. Dhīrādhīra jana-priyau: in this way we shall become friendly to every people, dhīrādhīra. There are two classes of men = dhīra, sober, and other class, rogue. So both of them will be pleased by kṛṣṇot-kīrtana. You have practical experience. When there is kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, people, all classes of people, become very much pleased, and they join. As soon as your kīrtana will be pure saṅkīrtana, not artificial, not professional... There are many professional dancer. That will not attract. But even if you do not know the art of dancing, if you simply dance in ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa's love, that will be appreciated by everyone. That will be appreciated by everyone. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. These are the art. One does not require to become a Vedāntist. Simply if one chants Kṛṣṇa's name, holy name, and in ecstasy dances, he's more than a Vedāntist. Actually, vedānti means one who knows the ultimate knowledge, veda. Veda means knowledge. And anta means ultimate. Vedānta. Then what is that ultimate knowledge? Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. That is ultimate knowledge. So one who has understood Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's love, he's dancing, then what more Vedānta can do? That is the first-class realization of Vedānta. Kṛṣṇot-kīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. So we should always offer our respect to the Gosvāmīs, ei chay gosāi yāra tāra mui dāsa, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says. Tāṅ-sabāra pada-reṇu mora pañca-grās. We should be so humble, respectful to the Gosvāmīs. Not only these Gosvāmīs; anyone who is serving the Gosvāmīs. The Gosvāmīs has also the mission. śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam [When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?] That is our prayer. Śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭam, Lord Caitanya's desire. What was His desire? His desire was, pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma [CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126] [In every town and village of the world, the chanting of My name will be heard.] That is His desire. Not to sit down in a secluded place and to get cheap popularity as a petty meditator. Even if he's meditator, but that is for himself. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "Go, everyone, in every village, in every town, and preach this gospel, pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grama sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma This is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mano-'bhīṣṭam. That is His desire. So śrī-caitanya mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale. Rūpa Gosvāmī, they established śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭam. Rūpa Gosvāmī was instructed by Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally, ten days in Allahabad. Similarly, it was instructed regularly for two months to Sanātana Gosvāmī in Benares, because He wanted Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī to preach His mission, mano-'bhīṣṭam. Therefore our prayer is, we offer this prayer, śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam [Śrī Rūpa praṇāma] If you want to preach the gospel of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then the personalities who established, by writing these books, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, Vidagdha-mādhava, so many books they have written, so we must go through them, must try to understand. Then we can understand what is the Caitanya-caritāmṛtam, Caitanya-bhāgavata, Caitanya-maṅgala---there are so many---Caitanya-candradoya by Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. So many devotees, they have given us so many high literatures, we should consult. Therefore the prayer is, śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale. Persons who established the desire of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Padāntikam: when they will give shelter on their lotus feet? That means Gosvāmīs. tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa janame janame ei mor abhilāsa [Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7] Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, tādera caraṇa-sevi, let us serve the lotus feet of the Gosvāmīs and live within the association of devotees. Otherwise we may fall down. Bhakta-sane-vāsa, one must live with the devotees. satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani śraddhā bhaktir ratir anukramiṣyati [SB 3.25.25] Satāṁ prasaṅgān. We should have discourses of Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or any literature about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mama vīrya-saṁvido. Those words are vīrya-saṁvido. Vīrya means potency. Just like if a man is potent, as soon as there is sex, he gives birth, potency. Similarly, we should associate with devotees who has got potency, mama vīrya-saṁvido, bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ. Otherwise we may go on hearing for three millions of years, we are in the same position. But the words must be from the potent person. Potent person. Then it will act very quickly. Therefore Kṛṣṇa Himself advises, satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido [SB 3.25.25]. Satām, devotees. That same thing Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says. Tādera caraṇa: the desire should be how to serve the Gosvāmīs, how to serve Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, how to serve Kṛṣṇa. That should be the desire. That this desire can be fulfilled when we are living with the devotees. Therefore we have got this Society, Kṛṣṇa consciousness Society. Anyone who will live in this Society, naturally he will develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness very quickly, very easily. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ [SB 3.25.25]. Kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ is very potential. Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī advises, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam... [Hari-bhakti-vilāsa] Avaiṣṇava-mukhod, this professional, who is not actually Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava means whose life is dedicated for service of the Lord, Viṣṇu. He is Vaiṣṇava, viṣṇu asya devatā iti vaiṣṇavaḥ. So one who has taken Kṛṣṇa---Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu and Rāma, the same thing, there is no difference. Kṛṣṇa includes everything, rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo... [Bs. 5.39] Kṛṣṇa is the paramaḥ pumān, although there is no difference between Rāma and Viṣṇu and Nārāyaṇa and Kṛṣṇa. They are the same, same potency. Just like the candle, first candle, and lit up another candle, it is second candle. But the second candle is not less in power of lighting. The same. But still this is first, this is second. Similarly, kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo [Bs. 5.39]. Kṛṣṇa is the original, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. Ete cāṁśa kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]. All others, they're incarnation or kalā, but Kṛṣṇa is the avatārī, the source of all incarnation. So bhakta-sane vāsa. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido [SB 3.25.25]. The kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ, or the discussion about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, becomes very pleasing, and satām, when they're discussed among the devotees. Nondevotees, he may go on speaking, but it is dry. It does not give any relish. Therefore it is advised, satāṁ prasaṅgān, one should discuss Kṛṣṇa consciousness amongst the devotees. So just contrary to this, Sanātana Gosvāmī says that, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam... Avaiṣṇava, who is not a Vaiṣṇava, Māyāvādī... Māyāvādī philosophy is very dangerous. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has personally said, māyāvādī haya kṛṣṇe aparādhī. They're offenders to Kṛṣṇa. Just like the literatures... What is that literature, Kṛṣṇa is black something? Indian man: Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma. Prabhupāda: Huh? Indian man: Some commentary by this Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma. Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is unknown, a black thing. A Māyāvādī, great philosopher of this city, he has explained like that. The Māyāvādī philosopher, Dr. Radhakrishnan, "It is not to Kṛṣṇa." So the Māyāvādīs' only business is---because they're avaiṣṇava, not Vaiṣṇava---only business is to kill Kṛṣṇa. Sanātana Gosvāmī has, in his Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, has very strongly recommended that "Don't hear anything from..., about Kṛṣṇa, from the Māyāvādīs or the avaiṣṇavas." Those who are follower, those who are advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they can protest. They can immediately chastise the rascal, "What you are nonsense speaking?" But a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, he cannot challenge; therefore it is forbidden for them = not to hear, kaniṣṭha-adhikārī. For an advanced devotee, this Māyāvādī cannot do anything, but those who are neophyte, they become sometimes victim. Therefore, it is better to forbid them, not to hear. So Sanātana Gosvāmī has said, as Kṛṣṇa has said, satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ [SB 3.25.25]. In the association of pure devotees, kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ becomes very relishable. Hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ. It is relishable, it is very pleasing to the ear and to the heart. Hṛt means heart, and karṇa means this aural reception. Both ways pleasing, bhavanti hṛt-karṇa. Taj-joṣaṇād. If one little tries whatever he has heard, then śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati. Śraddhā, the real beginning is śraddhā. ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu- saṅga tato bhajana-kriyā tato anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā tato ruci athāsaktis tato bhāvas [tataḥ premābhyudañcati] These are the different states. So śraddhā. So by hearing from pure devotees, satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ [SB 3.25.25], it will be very pleasing to the heart, to the ear, taj-joṣaṇād āśu apavarga-vartmani. Śraddhā. Beginning is śraddhā, śraddhā ratir bhaktir anukramiṣyati. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the Association is opening different branches to give people the chance of hearing about Kṛṣṇa in the association of pure devotees. That is required. Read; hear about Bhagavad-gītā from the pure devotees, not from the rascals. Then you'll never get any benefit. Sanātana Gosvāmī forbids... Nasam..., śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam, never hear from these rascals. "Why? Kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ is very good. Never mind he's a rascal, what is the fault of kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ?" He's giving this example = śravaṇaṁ na kartavyaṁ sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payaḥ yathā. Milk is very good, everyone knows, but when it is touched by the lip of a serpent, immediately it becomes poisonous. If you take that milk, then you'll die. So kṛṣṇa-kathāḥ is very good, but when it is touched by the lip of the Māyāvādī, nondevotees, it becomes poisonous. It becomes poisonous. Poisonous in this sense = it will push you far away from kṛṣṇa-bhakti. That is the loss, greatest loss of life. This life is meant for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Bhagavad-gītā is left by Kṛṣṇa to make all people after Him to become devotees. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. The instruction is there, but these rascals will spoil. They will never allow you to become a devotee. These rascals are so dangerous. They are going against the will of Kṛṣṇa. You see? So one must be very careful to save himself from the poisonous effect of these rascals. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa [Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7] = live with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness devotees. And then by the association of the saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. As you make association, so you develop your desires, your qualities. Tādera caraṇa-sevi. Ei chay gosāi yāra tāra mui dāsa, Caitanya here..., Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, "I want to become servant of that person who has accepted these six Gosvāmīs as masters. Because I have to become servant of servant." So the Gosvāmīs, "One who has accepted these Gosvāmīs as masters, I want to become his servant." Narottama dāsa does not say, "I want to become servant of the Gosvāmīs." He says that "I want to become servant of that person who has accepted these six Gosvāmīs as master." That is the test. "No, I can speak, I can act, I mean to say, greater than the Gosvāmīs." "I don't want to become servant of such false proudly." No, anyone who submits, tādera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa janame janame hoy ei abhilāsa [Nāma-saṅkīrtana 7] "I may not be liberated birth after birth; it doesn't matter. But I wish that..., I wish to live with the devotees," bhakta-sane vāsa. Janame janame hoy ei abhilāsa. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also says the same thing, that janmaobi yadi mane icchā tohārā. He prays to Kṛṣṇa, "If You want that I shall take again my birth, then give me the chance of taking my birth in a place where is Your devotee. That is my only request. Because if I am placed in a society where there is no devotee, then my life will be spoiled. Then my life will be spoiled. Therefore I pray only this much. I don't want anything from You." na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye mama janmani janmanīśvare... [Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4] It doesn't matter I don't become liberated. What is liberation? If I am in the service of Kṛṣṇa, what is..., liberation is already there. In Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta you'll find, bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā yadi bhagavān syād daivena [naḥ] phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ muktiḥ [svayam] mukulitāñjaliḥ sevate 'smān... Mukti, she'll stand with folded hands, "My dear sir, what can I do for you?" This is the position of bhakta. One, if one becomes bhakta, then mukti becomes her maidservant. Why shall I ask for mukti? Mukti is nothing. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. What is the mukti? It is as good as hell. Mukti means to merge into the Brahman effulgence, but there is no service of Kṛṣṇa. It is simply merging, to become one. Just like sunshine, and if you are put into the sunshine, what benefit do you get? Simply to have scorching heat of, that's all. What benefit do you get? And mukti is like that. That is light. Sunshine is light. Similarly, from darkness if I go to the light and don't get any shelter anywhere, simply I remain in that sunshine, what benefit do I get? So for a devotee, the mukti is bothersome. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī Prabhupāda says that kaivalyaṁ narakāya. Mukti means kaivalya. Simply ahaṁ brahmāsmi, that's all. Kaivalya. This perception, Brahman perception, brāhmaṇanda. But for a devotee, he says, kaivalyaṁ narakāyate tri-daśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate [Caitanya-candrāmṛta 5]. So for devotee, these things are not very much alluring, mukti, bhukti, siddhi. It is so sublime. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so sublime that other things very insignificant in the front of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate 'smān dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa samaya-pratīkṣāḥ. People are after dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa [SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90], but this bhakti is above these four kinds of principles. Dharma... Actually, human life begins when he is religious, dharma. And artha, when he is economically developed, and when he can satisfy the senses very nicely. And then becomes mukta, liberated. But for a devotee, these four things are not very important, bhukti, mukti, siddhi. No. Siddhi means mukti. Siddhi means yogic siddhi. So in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, Vyāsadeva says, in the beginning, dharmaḥ projjhita kaitavo 'tra [SB 1.1.2]. This dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa, these are kaitava. Kaitava means phala visandi[?]. I am approaching..., I am trying to become a religious person, but my inner desire is how to make my economic position developed. This is my inner position; therefore it is called kaitava, cheating. So phala visandi. As Śrīdhara Swami says, that in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, phala visandi paryantaṁ nirasta. Phala is mukti. Mukti is also phala visandi. So up to mukti. Then above mukti, there is bhakti. It is a mistaken idea that one has to attain mukti by bhakti. Sometimes they say that, these pañcopāsanā Māyāvādī, they say that "Ultimately, the Absolute Truth is nirākāra. There is no form. But because you cannot worship or meditate upon the nirākāra, so just imagine some form---either of Viṣṇu, or Lord Śiva or Sūrya or Devī." Pañcopāsanā. It is called pañcopāsanā. Sādhakānāṁ hitārthāya brahmaṇo rūpa-kalpanaḥ. This is kalpana. He imagines. "Ultimately the Brahman has no form, but because you are accustomed to meditate on the forms, and it is very difficult for you to meditate upon the formless, so you imagine some form. This is imagine, not fact." That is their theory. And Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā, kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām [Bg. 12.5]. So that is simply troublesome. After much trouble in that way, when they come to the form of Vāsudeva, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19]. That mahātmā is greater. Kṛṣṇa is not imagination. This is another offense to think of Kṛṣṇa as imagination. "Just see, that it is imagination, kalpana. Just make it kalpana, imagination of Kṛṣṇa." No, Kṛṣṇa is fact. Kṛṣṇa, the Kṛṣṇa devotees, they are not after imagination; they are after the fact. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. Bhagavān, the personal. Kṛṣṇa says, brahmaṇo 'haṁ pratiṣṭhā. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā manuṣīṁ tanum āś..., paraṁ bhāvam ajānantaḥ [Bg. 9.11]. So these thing will be realized by..., through the process as it is recommended by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. tādera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa janame janame mora ei abhilāsa If we get the chance of living with the devotees, and try to serve the Gosvāmīs, who wanted to establish the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then our life will be successful. This is Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. Study Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu very minutely, and this result you will achieve very easily. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has left The Nectar of Devotion. [aside:] Read the next. Pradyumna: "Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and ācāryas, or holy teachers, who are compared with sharks in the great ocean of nectar, and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation." Prabhupāda: Yes. Sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers, they give this example that "As all the rivers come down to the ocean, and then business is finished." But our philosophy is not so scanty. We do not wish to mix with the ocean; we want to go deep into the ocean. They give this example, nirākāra. Because ocean is... It is not nirākāra, but it is..., still they say nirākāra. Ocean is ākāra. We see a round plate. But anyway, their philosophy is that you come to the ocean by different paths, then it becomes mixed. But they do not know even though you come to the ocean, immediately you'll be evaporated. The ocean water is evaporated. The sun is always evaporating. Now you will be perhaps surprised, the modern science, they believe that the ocean water is..., turns into cloud. But actually that is not the fact. The fact is that the ocean water is taken by the sun. Now, now there is heat, ocean water is evaporated always, where is the cloud? Where is the cloud? For three years the ocean water is being taken away by the sunshine, but why there is no cloud and no rain? Why? What is the answer of the scientist? Actually the cloud, when the sun, sun-god, that he ejects the water again, that becomes cloud. The rain comes from the sun, and the sun is taking the water, reserving, and when you deserves, it gives it. There is some control. So we are suffering for want of rain, but you do not know how to get rain. We are, of course, making arrangement to feed the poor on account of scarcity of grains. That's all right, you are doing; but if there is no rain, how long you will go on with this philanthropy work? That is our question. How long? What stock you have got in your store so that you can continually, you can go on with this? What you..., what is the answer? You must have rain, and produce grain. Now you have got some stock of grain, you are distributing, that's all right. You have got money, that's all right. But when there will be all stock finished, and still there is no rain, what you will do? Because rain is not in your hand. Rain is not in your hand. It is in higher authorities. So what you will do? But the process is given there in the Bhagavad-gītā, yajñād bhavati parjanyo parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ [Bg. 3.14]. Yajña. But they will not take to yajña. They have made an avowed[?] decision = "No, we are not going to make any yajña." We are requesting that "You are distributing, at the same time perform yajña." Yajña---not that you have to expend so much money. Simply this saṅkīrtana-yajña. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]. Simply chanting. You are distributing food, that's all right. Why not allow them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra? What is the loss? But they'll not accept it. They'll not accept it. This is the dog's obstinacy, against Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just see. But they cannot answer. Just suppose, if your stock of grain is finished, then what you will do if there is no rain? You cannot produce rain in your factory, rain or grain or anything, in your factory or mill. That is not possible. So people have become so fallen, they cannot understand the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, although they are very much proud that reading Bhagavad-gītā daily. What you have understood? Then they cannot say anything. "We have understood Kṛṣṇa means this black spot." Just see. This rascal hasn't understood Bhagavad-gītā, and he's preaching Bhagavad-gītā. Just see the fun. So this is going on. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a war declared against all these rascals. We have got many enemies, but we don't care for them. Still we shall go on. Johnny Walker is still going strong. [loud laughter] Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you. Devotees: Haribol. All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]
Hṛdāyānanda: ...puffed up with knowledge. Prabhupāda: What is their knowledge, nonsense? He has knowl...? Have they knowledge? Bhagavān: They're trying to prove that sense gratification is bona fide. Guru-kṛpā: And the explanation of... Prabhupāda: And where is sense gratification? As soon as nature kicks you out, where is your sense gratification? Hṛdāyānanda: It's a relative thing. Actually, compared to the ordinary man, he's much more intelligent. Prabhupāda: What is intelligence? Hṛdāyānanda: He's thinking that "I know so many things, and these other people, they don't know these things. Therefore I'm better than them." Prabhupāda: So the birds and beasts, they know better than you many things. There are many birds and beasts. Guru-kṛpā: "They can't... They can't explain it." Prabhupāda: Eh? Guru-kṛpā: "They can't explain it." Prabhupāda: You also cannot explain. What is explaining? All nonsense. Guru-kṛpā: "Well, I can explain." Prabhupāda: "Perhaps." "Might be." "It was like this and that..." What is that explanation? Guru-kṛpā: Well, the common man doesn't challenge that. Prabhupāda: Mean common men are fool. But why we should accept? Bhagavān: If they could really explain it, so many things would not be going wrong. Prabhupāda: Hmm? Bhagavān: If they could actually explain it, so many things would not be going wrong. The thing is, their explanation causes more problems. Satsvarūpa: But they say that... When we say that everything is done by Kṛṣṇa, they say that's also "perhaps," "maybe." They don't see... Prabhupāda: No, we have got evidence. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. We have got evidence. Satsvarūpa: As we don't accept theirs, they don't accept ours. Prabhupāda: You don't accept... You don't... Why shall I accept you? You don't accept me; I don't accept you. Why you become authority? Guru-kṛpā: Then they say "Finished. Get out." Prabhupāda: Yes. No, my question is that "Why they become atheists, a little knowledge, so-called scientists?" Madhudviṣa: They have to become atheists. Prabhupāda: Hmm? Madhudviṣa: They have to become atheist. If they don't become atheists, then they can't play their games anymore. The idea of their research finishes as soon as you admit that there is God. But if you say, "There's no God," then they can research. It was explained that... Prabhupāda: They can continue to befool you, that, and take money. And as soon as you don't give them money, there is no research. Then they starve. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We've seen, though, from examples in the Vedic literatures like Viśvakarma and Āyur-vedic medicine, that it's possible to engage in architecture, medicine, such activities, without being atheistic. So it must not simply be that they're scientists, but that they're actually... Bhagavān: Demons. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Demons. Prabhupāda: Yes. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ [Bg. 7.15]. Yaśodānandana: The actual motive is to fill the belly. Prabhupāda: Moghāśā mogha-karmanaḥ [Bg. 9.12]. Bhagavān: Actually, they're envious, because they say that "There is no Supreme Person controlling," but then, on the other hand, they want to become the supreme person controlling. Prabhupāda: They cannot. Bhagavān: So it's just a matter of envy. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Who was that demon? He got some benediction from Lord Śiva. Anyone he touched, his head would fall off, but he wanted to use it against Lord Śiva. [break] Prabhupāda: When one is jealous of God, then gradually jealous of everyone. Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Jealousy. Prabhupāda: Jealousy, yes. Siddha-svarūpānanda: So then if I'm jealous of others, it's really just a reflection of my jealousy of Kṛṣṇa. Prabhupāda: Yes. Siddha-svarūpānanda: And if I am angry at others, it's because I'm angry at Kṛṣṇa also. Prabhupāda: Everything begins from Kṛṣṇa. Mattaḥ sarvam pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. Where is your other friend? Oh, here he is! Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śiva-jvara. Prabhupāda: All right. [break] "Jaya Prabhupāda. Haribol." [laughs] They'll not touch unless I give, and they are satisfied, even one grain. That is... They don't want more, that "Give me more." No. But constantly. [laughs at child] [break] Make folded hand. Yes. Sometimes he'll press like that, eh, to show me that I am done. They make quick friends with old men. [laughter] [break] ...a few katias[?], that is very easy. You assort the katias. You go any place, daytime. And nighttime, take a katia and spread anywhere, and you can sleep. Indian system. Jayapatāka: Cot. Prabhupāda: Cot. Mass of cot. Jayapatāka: With rope. Prabhupāda: With rope. That's all. Small. You can keep fifty, sixty. So keep it in one place. And at night take one, and anywhere you can sleep. Very easy. [aside:] Hare Kṛṣṇa. Children: Jaya Prabhupāda! Prabhupāda: Jaya. [break] ...ṣata-doltena malenatvaṁ na muñcyati.[?] If you take a coal and wash it, one who has... Still black. Jayapatāka: And he does not allow himself to be washed. He never comes to the temple. Prabhupāda: No. If he... A coal, however you go on with soap and other things, go on washing, it will never become clean. Aṅgarasya śata-doltena malenatvaṁ na muñcyati.[?] What is the defect? Why the...? The window is becoming black. Jayapatāka: The lids are... We purchased some new lids yesterday. The lids have been damaged. Therefore the smoke is leaking. Prabhupāda: So why damage cannot be repaired? Jayapatāka: No, we purchased yesterday. They're going to install today. [break] Hari-śauri: ...has painted for your books, so he must be fairly good. Prabhupāda: Oh. If he has painted for my books, then he should be first class. Jayapatāka: He says he'll finish the one painting in five days. Prabhupāda: It doesn't matter they take five days or ten days. It must be done very nice. [break] [young children yelling] Hmm. That's nice. [break] Madhudviṣa: ...attached to his hair. He will give it up if you tell him. [break]. Prabhupāda: No, he has to voluntarily do it. [to children:] Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. [end]
āsyatāṁ hy aravindākṣa gṛhyatām arhaṇaṁ ca naḥ bhujyatāṁ santi nīvārā uṣyatāṁ yadi rocate O King with eyes like the petals of a lotus, kindly come sit down and accept whatever reception we can offer. We have a supply of nīvārā rice that you may kindly take. And if you so desire, stay here without hesitation. None
Letter to: Niranjan LT_720505_G1 My dear Niranjan, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated April 21, 1972 and I have noted the contents. I am glad to know that your confusion has been cleared up, and you have understood the reasons for my scolding you. This is the duty of the father or spiritual master, to simply chastise. By this chastisement, the disciple can realize his mistakes, and become strong and fixed up in devotional service. In the verse that you refer to, Krishna says to Arjuna, "Give up all varieties of religiousness, and just surrender unto Me; and in return I shall protect you from all sinful reactions. Therefore, you have nothing to fear." This verse is actually the essence of the whole Bhagavad Gita. Throughout the Gita, Krishna describes the different processes of spiritual realization to Arjuna - karma yoga, jnana yoga, samkhya yoga - but at the end He says to give up all the different religious systems and just surrender to Him. This is the topmost yoga system, and is the goal of all the others. So this is our process. We don't perform any ritualistic ceremonies for some material gain or economic development, nor do we waste our time in mental speculation to try to find out the Lord with our tiny brain, nor do we perform so many difficult penances and austerities or gymnastic exercises for becoming one with God. We simply surrender to Krishna and His representative, and serve Him with the consciousness that "My Lod, I am Yours. Please always keep me engaged in Your service and protect me from maya." This is real religion, and is the natural position of the living being. I hope this will answer your questions. Hoping this will meet you in good health and happy mood. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Sriman Niranjan das Brahmacary 174 Morvi Hostel B.H.U. Varanasi-5, INDIA ACBS/nkd
jīvājñāna-kalpita īśvare, sakala-i ajñāna yāhāra śravaṇe bhaktera phāṭe mana prāṇa” “The Māyāvādī philosopher tries to establish that the living entity is only imaginary and that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is under the influence of māyā. Hearing this kind of commentary breaks the heart and life of a devotee.” Śrīla Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī wanted to impress upon Bhagavān Ācārya that even though someone firmly fixed in devotion to Kṛṣṇa’s service might not be deviated by hearing the Māyāvāda bhāṣya, that bhāṣya is nevertheless full of impersonal words and ideas — such as Brahman — which represent knowledge but which are impersonal. The Māyāvādīs say that the world created by māyā is false and that actually there is no living entity but only one spiritual effulgence. They further say that God is imaginary, that people think of God only because of ignorance, and that when the Supreme Absolute Truth is befooled by the external energy, māyā, He becomes a jīva, or living entity. Upon hearing all these nonsensical ideas from the nondevotee, a devotee is greatly afflicted, as if his heart and soul were broken.
Letter to: Paramananda 71-01-27 New Vrindaban My Dear Paramananda, Please accept my blessings and I thank you very much for your kind letter dated 28th December, 1970. I am so glad to hear that your son Premananda is already walking and already chanting Hare Krishna. That is very good. So Krishna has blessed you with a nice Krishna Conscious wife and a devotee son and good atmosphere for raising a family in Krishna Consciousness. You are one of the main members of our New Vrindaban scheme. So be very serious to develop it nicely so that we can show the world how the ideal God-conscious community is working. So far as your questions are concerned: 1) How the five great elements are a gross representation of the subtle false ego. Where is the problem? By false ego, which is part of the subtle body, we are thinking that we are this gross material body made up of the five great elements. That is all. (2) There are 16 factors—10 senses, 5 sense objects and the mind. When the three modes of nature react, then from these 16 factors the gross and subtle elements come out. The soul is the 17th factor. Please offer my blessings to the others there. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Tamala Krsna, Giriraja 72-10-11 Bombay My dear Tamala Krishna and Giriraja, Please accept my Blessings. I am writing this letter aboard the airship from Hawaii to Manila. I am reaching Manila in the morning 7:00 A.M. on the 11th October 1972. As scheduled I am reaching Delhi on the night of the 14th, so if need be you can see me at Vrndavana on the 15th or 16th, but my definite instruction is this, 1. We have fulfilled all the conditions as purchaser. 2. Mr. Nair has purposefully delayed with a motive to cheat us as he had done with some others in this connection. 3. But this time he cannot cheat us because we are in possession of the land and our deity Radha-Krsna is installed there. 4. Therefore we must immediately go to the court for enforcing him to execute the conveyance immediately. 5. Even the court case goes on for a long time, still our business there cannot be stopped. 6. Without going to the court, we cannot make any compromise with him. 7. But I think we can arrange the full amount of 14 lacs to get out this rascal out of the scene. 8. But we cannot do it without going to the court otherwise we shall become a party for breaking the purchase agreement. Therefore we have to go to the court before making any compromise. 9. In the meantime, take definite information from the bank whether they can loan us 50% of the whole value. 10. The whole value is 14 lacs. We have already paid 2 lacs. We can arrange to pay farther 5 lacs. That means we pay 7 lacs, the bank may pay the balance 7 lacs. 11. Actually the bank may not have to pay even 7 lacs because according to the purchase agreement, the last payment of 4 lacs has to be paid upon the decision on the court case pending about Chiman lal and company. So you have to act according to this program on the advice of suitable lawyers. Hoping this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami cc. to Sriman Karandhara in London ACBS/sdb
Letter to: Damodara 71-12-03 My Dear Damodara, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter of November 25, 1971, and I have noted the contents carefully. Enclosed please find one copy of Gayatri mantra and one sacred thread duly chanted on for your wife, Mrganetri dasi. Hold a fire yajna and give her Gayatri mantra. Rupanuga has a tape of me reciting Gayatri mantra, so you can get this from him. One thing is that the tape should be heard through earphones into the right ear. I am very glad to hear that a new devotee has given $6,500 to your temple. A similar report has just come from Hansadutta in Hamburg, Germany. So it is a very good sign that people are coming and of their own accord giving everything, that is the proof of your powerful preaching work. If we simply remain pure and become very convinced of this Krishna philosophy, any sane man will agree with us when we speak. And if we are determined to please Krishna with our routine work despite all kinds of economic handicaps, He will provide all relief. Just see. If preaching is strong, management will be strong. That is the rule. I'm especially pleased to hear that your distribution of our books and magazines has increased. Go on in this way, increasing more and more. Each time someone reads some solid information about Krishna his life becomes changed in some way. These literatures are the solid ground upon which our preaching stands, so I want that they should be available to everyone, as many as possible. So please try for this. You mention ghosts. So far I have experience, the best way to remove them is to chant Hare Krishna very loudly and have jubilant kirtana until they leave. In England, on Mr. John Lennon's house where I was staying in 1969, there was one ghost. But as soon as the devotees began chanting very loudly, he went away immediately. You may be pleased to know that this morning I met here in Delhi with your American Ambassador to India, Mr. Kenneth Keating. He has got very good respect for our Movement, and he has promised to help me to arrange a meeting with your President when I shall return to your country perhaps by late Spring. I have requested him to help this Movement and that help will save your country from great danger by turning hippies into happies. Generally I don't have much faith in these politicians. They are no more interested for the welfare of the citizens. Simply they want some votes to exploit others. But let us see what can be done. If you have got clippings from all the Delhi papers reporting about our pandal program, why not duplicate and distribute to all the centers for their preaching propaganda? Thank you for the enclosures. I hope this meets you in good health and cheerful mood, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
sṛṣṭvedaṁ manasā viśvam ātmanānupraviśya yaḥ guṇaiḥ kurvadbhir ābhāti karteva svapna-dṛg yathā I offer my obeisances to that Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has created this entire universe simply by His desire and then entered into it as the Supersoul. By making the modes of nature act, He seems to be the direct creator of this world, just as a dreamer seems to be acting within his dream. He is the owner and ultimate controller of the three modes of nature, yet He remains alone and pure, without any equal. He is the supreme spiritual master of all, the original personal form of the Absolute Truth. The Supreme Lord releases His material potencies, and by their interaction creation takes place. The Lord remains aloof, as the supreme transcendental entity. Still, because the entire creation unfolds according to His design and will, His controlling hand is perceived within all things. People thus imagine that God is the direct builder of this world, although He remains aloof, creating through the manipulation of His multifarious potencies.
Letter to: Radha Sarana 76-07-05 Santa Domingo Dear Radha Sarana dasa, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 16, 1976, and I have noted the contents with care. On your recommendation I am accepting the following for first and second initiation: First Initiation: Bhakta Carlos—Karunamaya dasa Bhakta Lalo—Lalitagovinda dasa Bhakta Jonathan—Jyotsna dasa Bhakta Willo—Visvadeva dasa Second Initiation: Minaksi dasa Brahmacari Hold a fire sacrifice and the initiates should refrain from the four pillars of sinful life: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating. This is very easy when one chants daily their prescribed rounds seriously, at least 16 rounds daily. Enclosed you will also find one brahmana thread and gayatri mantra. After the sacrifice the tape of gayatri should be played in the right ear of the brahmana initiate. To become brahmana one must be clean outside and inside. Outside by regularly bathing and inside by always chanting Hare Krishna. The beads for first initiates can be chanted upon by Hrdayananda Maharaja and they should be given these beads and names at the time of initiation. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/pks
śraddhā kari’ ei līlā śune yei jana acirāt pāya sei caitanya-caraṇa Whoever hears these pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu with faith and love will attain the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet very soon. None
Letter to: Tamala Krsna 70-01-29 London My Dear Tamala Krishna, Please accept my blessings. I have not received any letter from you in several weeks. Gargamuni also has not received any letter from you. Of course, I am hearing indirectly that everything is going well in our London and European centers. Still I would like to know from you what is the situation. I am expecting a report from you on all new developments in the activities of the centers there. I hope this will meet you in very good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db
skanda-kṣetra-tīrthe kaila skanda daraśana trimaṭha āilā, tāhāṅ dekhi’ trivikrama At the holy place known as Skanda-kṣetra, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the temple of Skanda. From there He went to Trimaṭha, where He saw the Viṣṇu Deity Trivikrama. None
ei-mata nṛtya yadi ha-ila bahu-kṣaṇa svarūpa-gosāñi pada kailā samāpana After the Lord had been dancing for a long time, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī stopped singing the verse. None
Prabhupāda: ...prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. By pleasing the spiritual master, you please Kṛṣṇa. That's nice. But why Kṛṣṇa should be pleased? Why? What is the necessity of pleasing Kṛṣṇa? Hmm? Devotee (1): To please the representative of Kṛṣṇa. Prabhupāda: No, no, that is all right. Guru is representative of Kṛṣṇa. But why one should bother himself for pleasing Kṛṣṇa? Answer this. Devotee (1): 'Cause our real position is to serve Kṛṣṇa, and because we've fallen in this illusion of the material energy, so we forgot our position. Prabhupāda: We shall do it; otherwise, why shall I please Kṛṣṇa? We are making scientific progress. What is the use of bringing God? Devotee (2): Because we shall never become perfect or see the answer. Prabhupāda: That is begging the question. Indian man (3): For spreading the name of the Kṛṣṇa in the world. Prabhupāda: No, no. It is not the question of guru. Guru is doing all right. Why you should be so much anxious and feel obligation to please Kṛṣṇa? Indian man (4): Everybody has to serve somebody, so Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of all pleasure, and everything exists from Him. So instead of serving anybody, we should serve the Kṛṣṇa. Prabhupāda: "That's all right. Without serving Kṛṣṇa, I am getting pleasure by drinking wine. Why shall I...?" Cyavana: That pleasure will not last. That pleasure is only temporary. Prabhupāda: "No, I will not also last. That..." [laughter] Cyavana: But to accept such a mentality, we say that is third class. Actually our life is eternal. Prabhupāda: That is your statement, "third class," but my statement is, "It is first class." [laughter] Harikeśa: Is it first class if every time you were going to eat something nice I was standing over you with a stick, and as soon as you took, I would beat you? So every time you have some enjoyment, there is some concurrent suffering. Like you enjoy the wine, but then you have a headache, hangover. You enjoy, then you get sick. Cyavana: Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā in the Tenth Chapter, He says, "For those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I will give the understanding by which they can come to Me." So this is our desire. Prabhupāda: "I don't want to go." Cyavana: You don't want to go to Kṛṣṇa? Prabhupāda: "Yes." Harikeśa: All right, suffer. [laughter] Prabhupāda: "I don't suffer. [laughter] I am enjoying." Harikeśa: You are enjoying death and old age? Prabhupāda: "Yes, you are putting upon me some impression, 'suffering,' but I am enjoying." Harikeśa: Your knee is hurt. Is that enjoying? Prabhupāda: "That I am curing. That is also nice." [laughter] Harikeśa: But soon the whole thing will be finished. You will not... No one enjoys death. No one will take voluntarily a death pill. Prabhupāda: Nobody of you could answer the question. Now I give you again chance to answer this question very properly. Why one should be obliged to please Kṛṣṇa? Why? Harikeśa: Just like this finger. Its position is to serve the body. Just like the stomach. Everyone may be jealous of the stomach and not want to feed the stomach, but if all the hands and the legs and the mouth went on strike not to feed the stomach... Prabhupāda: This is the right answer. Harikeśa: ...they would ultimately be destroyed. Prabhupāda: This is right answer, that you cannot non-cooperate with the stomach. You must serve the stomach. Otherwise your position is very precarious. That is the answer. If the finger thinks that "I shall remain independent and be happy," that is not possible. The stomach must be supplied food, and then all the parts of the body, they'll be happy. That is the point. So you cannot non-cooperate with the stomach. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the central enjoyer. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He is the center. Just like ordinarily this African state, if you do not satisfy the state or the president, then you cannot remain happy. Independently you cannot be happy. We require in every step sta... We have come to this park because state is cooperating. In the morning we shall come, and they have prepared it nicely. We are not going to the jungle. So if we actually want happiness, we must cooperate with the state. This is crude example. Similarly, if our ultimate aim is to become happy, then we must cooperate with Kṛṣṇa. This is obligatory. You cannot escape it. Then you'll be unhappy. This is the... Stomach. Pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam [SB 4.31.14]. Therefore the natural process is you pick up... A child even, he picks up some something, but he does not put anywhere---immediately in the mouth. Why he does not bring it in the ear? Why? The child immediately takes it. He does not know what is what. But the nature is that as soon as he captures something, even he does not know... Because his position is eating, he knows this much, sense gratification. Other senses are not yet developed. So the child, he knows taste with tongue and eats. That he knows. So immediately anything he captures, he brings to the mouth, naturally. He hasn't got to be educated. So our position is like that. We, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, our natural tendency is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Natural tendency. It is not artificial. When you forget Kṛṣṇa, that is artificial. So our normal life means to love Kṛṣṇa, to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is our normal life. Without serving Kṛṣṇa our life is abnormal, madman's life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says... When you forget Kṛṣṇa, He comes to preach the normal life. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam [Bg. 18.66]. This is normal life. So Kṛṣṇa does not require your help. He can create many helpers. But for your good Kṛṣṇa comes, that "If you want normal, happy life, then surrender unto Me." This is the proposal. Therefore the whole Bhagavad-gītā, all Vedic knowledge, is there. We have forgotten our position. Our posit..., normal position, is to love and serve Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, anādi bahir mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela ataeva kṛṣṇa veda purāṇa karila Because we do not know... From time immemorial we cannot ascertain when these incidents have happened, to forget Kṛṣṇa, but it is practically... Life after life, life after life, we are changing body, but forgetting Kṛṣṇa. So here, in the human form of life, there is the opportunity to revive our original position, and we require the help of knowledge, perfect knowledge. And that is there in the Vedas. Ataeva kṛṣṇa veda purāṇa. If we don't take advantage, although we have got... We can read Bhagavad-gītā, and if we don't take advantage of Bhagavad-gītā and go on whimsically, then we'll suffer. You cannot non-cooperate with Kṛṣṇa as you cannot non-cooperate with the stomach. This is the... You must. There is no question of alternative. You may, may not know. It is not... You must. This is the position. Otherwise you'll never be happy. And happiness is your aim of life. Atyantika-duḥkha-nivṛttiḥ. We are... I'm suffering from this knee's trouble because I am in this material world. I have got this material body. So atyantika-duḥkha-nivṛttiḥ means no more material world, no more material body. And for that purpose we have to cooperate with Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise it is not possible. Any question about this? Just like these African women = they are going to work. There is no question of no work. They must, otherwise they cannot eat. Anyone, if by working his livelihood is going on, how he can non-cooperate? This is not possible. Brahmānanda: The thief is also eating. Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa's grace, just like the government gives the prisoners also to eat. But they are condemned. And government's grace that government provides all necessities. If a prisoner is sick, he is given the hospital facility. But he is restricted free movement, that much. Otherwise government gives the same facilities within the prison house and without the... The standard may be little different. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kamān [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13]. He satis... Why this human being prisoner? Even He is giving food to the animals, to the birds, beasts, everyone. Non-cooperation cannot be. Kṛṣṇa says, bijo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām [Bg. 7.10]. Now, you have to grow trees, plants and vegetables for your eating. So that you cannot have without cooperation with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa gives all the seeds. Bijo 'ham. You cannot manufacture the seed. He gives the seed, you work little, sow it and get the result. But without cooperation with Kṛṣṇa, how can you get the seed? Then where is your food? No food. You must take... "God, give us our daily bread." Kṛṣṇa gives the seeds, and you sow it and get the fruit or grains. Then you can exist. Even if you are animal-eater, the animal must also come from Kṛṣṇa. You cannot manufacture the animal. That is also coming from Kṛṣṇa. Bijo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām [Bg. 7.10]. The animal is produced by father and mother, but the seed is given in the semina by Kṛṣṇa. And then animal is produced. So how you can non-cooperate Kṛṣṇa? You have to cooperate. Otherwise... [man yelling in background] What is that? [laughter] Huh? They are criticizing us? No. Brahmānanda: What is he saying? Devotee (1): He's imitating the birds. Brahmānanda: Oh, he's imitating the birds. Prabhupāda: Oh. [laughter] Just like this tendency was exhibited by Kṛṣṇa. In the forest the two brothers and other cowherds boys, they were also imitating. They were flying. The bird is flying; they were also flying like this. And the coming to the monkey, coming to the peacock and imitating the..., like this. These are description in the Kṛṣṇa book. Brahmānanda: But his imitating the bird means he will become a bird? Prabhupāda: Hmm? Brahmānanda: This man's imitating the bird means that he will become a bird. Prabhupāda: Not necess... This is sporting. It will be decided what he is thinking at the time of death. That will become prominent. Brahmānanda: Is it by chance what you think of at the time of death, or is... Prabhupāda: No. Brahmānanda: ...it dependent? Prabhupāda: It is dependent. Just like all of a sudden some idea come to us. That means we had contact with such idea. It is compared with... Just like there is a big pond. All of a sudden you see from within a bubble comes "phut!" There is no reason, but it comes. That means the thing is there within the pond, the situation. All of a sudden, without any time, it comes. They put this chance theory like this. But this is not chance. If... Because we are changing our life, so everything is recorded in the mind, Dictaphone. So sometimes some idea which I had contact with many, many years ago, it comes. It comes. It is not chance. I had contact with such thing. All of a sudden, that idea comes. [hums] [pause] We shall go now. Brahmānanda: We should leave now. Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa. [break] Prabhupāda: ...I am in the car, they offer me. Woman: Oh, all African, small boys, all Africans. Prabhupāda: They understand this is good. Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, I understand Kṛṣṇa is the Personality of Godhead, and He is the one who create this material world. So my impression is but Kṛṣṇa, He didn't make this material world to be spiritual? Prabhupāda: It is spiritual as soon as you become a devotee, spiritual. We are living in the spiritual world. That I explained last night. So ultimately there is nothing material. Material means when you forget Kṛṣṇa. That is material. Devotee (1): But my question, Prabhupāda, was... Prabhupāda: There is no material. When you forget Kṛṣṇa, that is material. Just like madness. Madness is not our natural position, but when your brain is deranged, then it is madness. Madness has no separate existence, but when our brain is not in order, there is madness. Similarly, there is nothing material, because everything has come from Kṛṣṇa. The original source is Kṛṣṇa. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. So the material world, the so-called material world, has come from Kṛṣṇa. So if it has come from Kṛṣṇa, how it is material? The cause and effect is the same, maybe differently manifested. Just like cotton, cotton made into thread, the shape has changed, but it is cotton. And from the cotton thread, you make cloth. The cloth is cotton. But if I say, "Cotton. Bring cotton," then you'll bring cotton, not this cloth. But the cloth is also cotton. Now understand? Cloth is nothing but cotton. But when I say, "Bring cotton," you'll not bring a cloth; you'll bring cotton. So the Kṛṣṇa is the sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1], cause of all effects. So all the effects are Kṛṣṇa, but you have no such realization. When you understand that this place is Kṛṣṇa's place, so you can worship Kṛṣṇa, glorify Kṛṣṇa. But if you don't realize that it is Kṛṣṇa's, then you talk nonsense, madman = "This is American property," "It is African property," "It is this," "It is that," so many madness. But the śāstra says, iśavāsyam idam, everything Kṛṣṇa's. And the materialists, they'll pro... "No. Why everything? It is my country. It is my place." That is material. Similarly, anything coming from Kṛṣṇa---Kṛṣṇa is supreme spirit---it is spiritual. The devotees, they understand that "This fruit has come from Kṛṣṇa. The flower has come from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it must be offered to Kṛṣṇa. It is for His." Otherwise how the fruit becomes spiritual? We take prasādam. How it becomes..., the same fruit? No. Because the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there, it is spiritual. It is spiritual, but it was not known. When one comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he understands that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Hari-sambhandhi-vastūnaḥ [Brs. 1.2.256]. Everything has got relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That's the fact. So if anything has got relationship with Kṛṣṇa, so that is not material. We are going to a house, but it is said "temple." Why? Because there is relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise where is the difference between the next house and our house? So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that everything is spiritual, but we do not accept it. We accepted something else. That is material. Devotee (1): From all scriptures you instructed us in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the First Canto, Part One, that we should not jump from book to book. But I am so much attached to them that I read every book. Would that stop me to understand the philosophy? Prabhupāda: Yes. By reading, you'll understand. Hmm? What is that? Brahmānanda: He's asking that it states in Part One of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that one should not jump to the Tenth Canto without having read all the previous. Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. Yes. Knowledge has got step. You are learning A-B-C-D. How you can go to higher studies? Brahmānanda: But the prabhu is feeling that he likes to read all of your books, and sometimes he reads one book and sometimes another book. Is that bad? Prabhupāda: No, that is not bad, but better go by step by step. Devotees: Jaya. Haribol. [offer obeisances] [end]
cittis tv atharvaṇaḥ patnī lebhe putraṁ dhṛta-vratam dadhyañcam aśvaśirasaṁ bhṛgor vaṁśaṁ nibodha me Citti, wife of the sage Atharvā, gave birth to a son named Aśvaśirā by accepting a great vow called Dadhyañca. Now you may hear from me about the descendants of the sage Bhṛgu. The wife of Atharvā, known as Citti, is also known as Śānti. She was the eighth daughter of Kardama Muni.
karmāṇy ārabhate yena pumān iha vihāya tam amutrānyena dehena juṣṭāni sa yad aśnute The results of whatever a living entity does in this life are enjoyed in the next life. A person generally does not know how one body is linked with another body. How is it possible that one suffers or enjoys the results of activities in this body in yet another body in the next life? This is a question the King wants Nārada Muni to answer. How may one have a human body in this life and not have a human body in the next? Even great philosophers and scientists cannot account for the transferal of karma from one body to another. As we experience, every individual soul has an individual body, and one person’s activities or one body’s activities are not enjoyed or suffered by another body or another person. The question is how the activities of one body are suffered or enjoyed in the next.
aśmasāramayaṁ śūlaṁ ghaṇṭāvad dhema-bhūṣaṇam pragṛhyābhyadravat kruddho hato ’sīti vitarjayan prāhiṇod deva-rājāya ninadan mṛga-rāḍ iva Being angry and roaring like a lion, the demon Namuci took up a steel spear, which was bound with bells and decorated with ornaments of gold. He loudly cried, “Now you are killed!” Thus coming before Indra to kill him, Namuci released his weapon. None
santv avatārā bahavaḥ paṅkaja-nābhasya sarvato-bhadrāḥ kṛṣṇād anyaḥ ko vā latāsv api prema-do bhavati “ ‘There may be many all-auspicious incarnations of the Personality of Godhead, but who other than Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa can bestow love of God upon the surrendered souls?’ This quotation from the writings of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura is found in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (1.5.37).
apatya-virahe miśrera duḥkhī haila mana putra lāgi’ ārādhila viṣṇura caraṇa Jagannātha Miśra was very unhappy at the death of his children one after another. Therefore, desiring a son, he worshiped the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu. None
āji upavāsa haila ācārya-nimantraṇe ardha-peṭa nā bharibe ei grāseka anne Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was thinking that the quantity of food was enormous, Nityānanda Prabhu, on the contrary, thought it not even a morsel. He had been fasting for three days and had greatly hoped to break fast on that day. Indeed, He said, “Although I am invited to eat by Advaita Ācārya, today also is a fast. So small a quantity of food will not fill even half My belly.” None
eke tvākhila-karmāṇi sannyasyopaśamaṁ gatāḥ jñānino jñāna-yajñena yajanti jñāna-vigraham In pursuit of spiritual knowledge, some persons renounce all material activities and, having thus become peaceful, perform the sacrifice of philosophic investigation to worship You, the original form of all knowledge. Modern philosophers pursue knowledge without bothering to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus they naturally end up with meager, if not trivial, results.
Letter to: Mukunda 71-02-04 London My Dear Mukunda, Please accept my blessings AND OFFER THE SAME TO YOUR good wife Janaki. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 25th December, 1970, along with pictures of Regent's Park land and Finchley Road, but I have not yet received the registered packet containing certified memorandum and articles of Association. Anyway, we have now obtained registration of our Society in India (Bombay) and tax exemption also. Now we have got our place in Bombay and we are getting another in Calcutta very soon. 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. Hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Guru-gauranga, Paris Devotees 73-08-24 My Dear Guru Gauranga and all other Paris devotees, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your nice letters dated August 18 and 19th 1973. I was very much pleased to come there and visit. Paris is developing nicely step by step. When I was at the Hotel de Ville I thought that this is better than London. So Paris is a most important city of the world. Work with great enthusiasm and make Krishna more prominent than Napoleon and Eiffel tower. I hope this letter meets you all in good health and jolly mood. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami.
pāñā yāṅra ājñā-dhana, vrajera vaiṣṇava-gaṇa, vandoṅ tāṅra mukhya haridāsa caitanya-vilāsa-sindhu- kallolera eka bindu, tāra kaṇā kahe kṛṣṇa-dāsa Receiving orders from the above authorities and the Vaiṣṇavas of Vṛndāvana, especially from Haridāsa, the priest of Govindajī, I, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, have tried to describe one small particle of one drop of one wave of the ocean of the pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā, second chapter, describing the ecstatic manifestations of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Siddha-svarūpa: This way is longer. You have more room to keep walking. That way you have to stop after awhile. Prabhupāda: Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam [Cc. Ādi 17.21]. [break] ...them something substantial. They are eager. This is the proper time. By nature the turn comes. [break] ...brahma-jijñāsā. [break] "...drinking." "No dog." This is our principle. [break] "...smoking." [break] ...don't say anywhere, "No illicit sex." That is allowed. Go on with it. [break] Tomorrow we shall come for morning walk? No. Manasvī: You'll have to leave the temple about 8:00, before eight. Devotee: 7:30 Siddha-svarūpa: There's time. There's time to take a walk. Śrutakīrti: You would have to take massage in the morning, so I don't think there would be ample time. Prabhupāda: Yes. [break] Writing, advertising, "World famous...?" Devotee: "World famous steak and lobster." It's a restaurant. Siddha-svarūpa: It's different advertisement. [break] Here it is not allowed, so the companies are going to use cars. Prabhupāda: [break] ...the samosā? Manasvī: Lilānanda. Prabhupāda: It is very nice. Why don't you make it in the morning? Manasvī: For breakfast? Prabhupāda: Yes. [break] ...khalu sarvataḥ syāt [SB 11.9.29]. Viṣaya means sense enjoyment. Now, that boy and the girl, they're taking dogs. The dog is also male and female, and the man is male and female. So viṣaya means sense enjoyment. The sex enjoyment is both; the dogs and the man, they will have. But the man can get Kṛṣṇa; the dog cannot get Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Viṣaya, that sex enjoyment, is available both for the dogs and the man. But the man can achieve Kṛṣṇa; the dog cannot. That is special. Viṣaya khalu sarvataḥ syāt. [break] ...of eating, sleeping, mating. That is available in every life. [break] ...another passage is there in Prema-vivarta, janame janame sabe pitā mātā pāya: "In every life, one can get father and mother." Kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhaja hari ei: "But Kṛṣṇa and guru cannot be had in every life." That is only in human life. Otherwise, as soon as there is birth, there is father and mother. Either you become human being or tiger or snake or bird, the father-mother is there. But the spiritual father and Kṛṣṇa, that can be obtained in human life, not in every life. janame janame sabe pitā mātā pāya kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile bhaja hari ei [Prema-vivarta] So we should take full advantage of the human life. That is civilization. And in sense gratification it is not civilization; it is animal life. [break] ...for sense gratification. This is the modern civilization. [break] ...nice place is made for sense gratification. And as soon as you perform kīrtana, the police will harass you. This is civilization. [break] ...nice place, there should be so many temples. People will come early in the morning, take bath in the sea, go to the temple, have some spiritual inspiration. That program is there. And running. The dog is running and the man is running. Siddha-svarūpa: In circles. Prabhupāda: This sense does not come, that "The dog is running; I am also running. Where is the difference between him and me? She has got a female mate; I have got a female mate. Where is the difference? How I am civilized?" That, this sense, do not come. [break] ...thinking, "I have chained the dog, but I am not chained." But you are chained by māyā, invisible chain. That he does not know. He is also chained. [break] ...māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān [SB 7.9.43]. Māyā-sukhāya. [break] ...peacock? No, cranes, sārasa. [break] ...football? Football ground. Devotee: Soccer. Prabhupāda: Soccer or football? Manasvī: Football. That's football. [break] Prabhupāda: No, rugby is different. Siddha-svarūpa: Football they call soccer here. [break] Prabhupāda: ...men in one party? Siddha-svarūpa: I don't know. Manasvī: Eleven. Devotee: Did Kṛṣṇa play that? [laughter] Prabhupāda: Hmm? Unless Kṛṣṇa played, how you can play? [break] Football play is very popular in India, and rugby. What is that called, rugby? Manasvī: No, that is hockey. Prabhupāda: Hockey, hockey, yes. [break] [in car] Upendra: ...a recipe for these potato patties. What was that recipe again? Potatoes, and then you mentioned some... Prabhupāda: Sāgu-dhana. [break] Siddha-svarūpa: From observation and experience, I think that there's a higher rate of sickness in the temples than outside the temples, than in the normal population for some reason, and I was wondering what could be done to bring this down. Like I know every time I'm living in close quarters, for instance, here in the temple, I get some type of flu. And I can think of what it might be, but I think that in many of the temples, from what I've experienced, there seems to be more sickness. I don't know whether it's... Prabhupāda: For you or for all others? Siddha-svarūpa: Well, I know myself for sure. But I'm wondering... I see a lot of other people always... There seems to be epidemics always going around or something. Manasvī, what do you think in the Honolulu temple? Prabhupāda: Manasvī is not sick. Manasvī: No, there is not anything like flu or anything. Some of the devotees have, like, chronic diseases. Siddha-svarūpa: But in general. Manasvī: I have rheumatism, you know. That is from the very beginning. Some people are like that. Siddha-svarūpa: In general... Manasvī: Honolulu temple is not so sick. Once it happened about three months before. At that time I was told it was all over happening. But no, generally Honolulu temple, there is not much sickness. Once in a while we get... [break] [end]
dānaṁ sva-dharmo niyamo yamaś ca śrutaṁ ca karmāṇi ca sad-vratāni sarve mano-nigraha-lakṣaṇāntāḥ paro hi yogo manasaḥ samādhiḥ Charity, prescribed duties, observance of major and minor regulative principles, hearing from scripture, pious works and purifying vows all have as their final aim the subduing of the mind. Indeed, concentration of the mind on the Supreme is the highest yoga. None
Now Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is just trying to place Arjuna in the platform of working on pure consciousness. The... We have already discussed for so many days that we are not this dull body, but we are consciousness. Now, some way or other, we are in contact with this matter. Therefore our freedom is checked. As spiritual being, we are free—free to act, free to have anything, pure, no contamination, no disease, no birth, no death, no old age, and besides that, we have got many, many other qualifications in our spiritual life. So unfortunately, because we are in contact with this matter, we are hampered in so many ways. This we should understand, and this is the opportunity. This human life is the only opportunity. If we miss this opportunity, then it may be that in our next life we may not have again this nice, civilized human form of life according to our karma. But one thing is sure. You'll be glad to hear that once begun, this process of spiritual realization, one is guaranteed to have next life as human being. You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā thatśucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate [Bg 6.41]. [The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.] You'll find in course of this discussion with Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa when Kṛṣṇa will describe about the yoga system, how to act it. This is also yoga system, yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi. This is karma-yoga. This is karma-yoga. So any yoga, either karma-yoga or dhyāna-yoga or jñāna-yoga, any system of yoga, once begun in this life, that will continue. That will continue. Yoga-sthaḥ kuru karmāṇi. The Bhāgavata says, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says, tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kiṁ ko vārtha āptaḥ..., āptaḥ abhajatāṁ sva-dharmataḥ [SB 1.5.17] [One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything.] This is speech by Nārada to his disciple, Śrīla Vyāsadeva, that "You should try, people, to connect them in spiritual life, in conducting spiritual life. It doesn't matter even if he fails to complete the course; still, he's not loser. Still, he's not loser. He..." The whole system of Vedic knowledge, especially the Kṛṣṇa philosophy... Kṛṣṇa philosophy—the whole philosophy. Vedic philosophy means Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg 15.15]. [I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.] The all Vedic knowledge, all Vedic wisdom means to understand Kṛṣṇa philosophy. That's all. Nothing else. The Kṛṣṇa philosophy in different way all over the world they have been described according to the time, place and people, but you must know the whole thing is Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Kṛṣṇa philosophy is... When we speak of Kṛṣṇa, you don't take this word, Sanskrit word, Kṛṣṇa, in a sectarian meaning. Kṛṣṇa means the Supreme, the highest pleasure. Highest pleasure. So now, yoga-sthaḥ. In the previous verse we have been advised to work, continue work, being situated in yoga. And in the next śloka Lord Kṛṣṇa says, dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ [Bg 9.49] [O Dhanañjaya, rid yourself of all fruitive activities by devotional service, and surrender fully to that consciousness. Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work are misers.] Dūreṇa. Dūreṇa: "By force..." Just like unwanted things which we don't like, we throw it aside. Suppose something is given to me in my..., during my dinner which I don't like. Sometimes we throw it, "Oh, I don't want it." You see? So similarly, our discrimination... "Discrimination is the best part of valor." Simply we have to learn how to discriminate whether we are working on material platform or on the spiritual platform. That's all. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was being advised to work on the spiritual platform. That's all. The whole instruction of Bhagavad-gītā is based on this principle, that Arjuna was perplexed with material thoughts. And Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to pose him, or to place him, in the spiritual platform. That's all. So now, from Arjuna's activity, you can understand that what is spiritual platform and what is material platform. Now, those who have studied Bhagavad-gītā up to the end—and I hope some of you have already read Bhagavad-gītā—Arjuna was a military man, and Kṛṣṇa was trying to induce him to his duty as military man, that "You must fight." But Arjuna was declining, that "I cannot kill my relatives, my friends, my brothers, my teacher, my grandfather." That was his consideration. Now, this consideration is material platform. When we think of in relation with this body, that is material platform. Anything done in consideration of this body... This body means senses. The body means the senses. That means anything which we do for sense gratification, that is material. And anything which we do for the satisfaction of the Supreme, that is spiritual platform. That's all. So we have to discriminate, "Whether I am working for sense gratification or whether I am working for the satisfaction of the Supreme?" If this art we can learn, then our life becomes spiritualized. Spiritual life does not mean that we have to change something of these activities which we are, already we are engaged, or our form of the body will change to something extraordinary. Nothing. The same body, the same feature, the same activity, same engagement—everything same. But we have to know the art, "Whether these activities are being done from the spiritual platform or from the material platform?" If we can discriminate in that way, as Lord Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna, dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya: "O Dhanañjaya..." Dhanañjaya is the another name of Arjuna. "My dear Dhanañjaya, buddhi-yogāt, by your intelligence..." And as we have explained, buddhi-yoga means devotional service to the Lord. So on the criterion of buddhi-yoga, on the criterion of devotional service to the Lord, you have to do everything. That is the, I mean to say, technique. That is the technique. Dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogāt. Buddhi-yogāt. You have to use your intelligence, "Whether I am doing this on the platform of pure consciousness or on the platform of this body?" Now, in the beginning you require a guide. Without guide, it is not possible. Anything which you want to learn in the beginning, any art or science, you require a guide. Without guide... Just like a small child, when he begins to walk, he requires the help of his elder brother or sister or father or mother to catch, and one step, one step, one step, one step... But when he begins to walk independently, then he doesn't require any help. Similarly, to learn this art, "Whether I am acting on the spiritual platform or on the material platform?" you require a spiritual master, guide. And this is called dvija, or the second birth. When you catch hold of the bona fide spiritual master just to guide you to act on the spiritual platform, then your second life begins. It is called dvija. So this life is so important that one must begin it. One must begin it. There is no alternative. If a man is intelligent enough, if at all he wants to make his life successful, this must he do. That is the injunction of the Vedas. The Vedas says, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet [Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.2.12]. [To understand these things properly, one must humbly approach, with firewood in hand, a spiritual master who is learned in the Vedas and firmly devoted to the Absolute Truth.] This abhigacchet is the form of verb which is imperative: "You must." Abhigacchet. This, this form of verb is used when the sense is "you must." So the Vedic Upaniṣad directs that tad-vijñānārtham: "In order to be situated, or in order to learn how to act on the spiritual platform, you must seek out a bona fide spiritual master who can guide you." So Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna has selected Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master. We have already explained that Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna surrendered unto Arjuna [Kṛṣṇa]. And Nārada says that "Even after," I mean to say, "neglecting..." Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ [SB 1.5.17]. [One who has forsaken his material occupations to engage in the devotional service of the Lord may sometimes fall down while in an immature stage, yet there is no danger of his being unsuccessful. On the other hand, a nondevotee, though fully engaged in occupational duties, does not gain anything.] Now, Nārada says that "If somebody neglects all other duty, all other duty..." Tyaktvā sva-dharmam. Sva-dharmam means every particular man has got some particular form of duty. Every particular man. You have got some duty, I have got some duty, everyone. Nobody is dutiless. Now, Nārada says, "Even sacrificing the so-called duties, if one takes absolutely unto the spiritual life, then he is not loser. He's not loser. On the contrary, one who does not take up this important task and remain engaged in the so-called duties, he's a loser." He's a loser. It is a very important point. Now, Bhagavad-gītā also confirms that, once begun this spiritual life, then he's not loser in this sense, that his human life is guaranteed in the next birth. In the ordinary duty, you do not know whether you'll have again this human body or not. There is no certainty. That will depend on your quality of work. But here, if you begin your spiritual life, sacrificing all other duties, then your next life as human being is guaranteed. Guaranteed. You'll find in Bhagavad-gītā that śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate sanja... [Bg 6.41]. [The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.] Bhraṣṭa. Bhraṣṭa means one, yoga-bhraṣṭa, one who is prosecuting the yoga system... The yoga sys... Yoga system I have already explained. Yoga system means the transcendental process by which we realize ourself, we link up our life with self-realization. That is called yoga. Now, now, somebody begins this yoga of self-realization, but for unfortunately he cannot prosecute the task in a nice way, and sometimes he falls down, falls down from the path. Still, there is encouragement that "You are not loser. You are not loser. Because you will be given a chance next life, and that next life is not ordinary next life." That next life is śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe: "You'll have your birth next life either in a very rich family or in the family of very highly advanced, educated father." Śucīnāṁ śrīmatām. Śucīnām means... I have explained to you the, the life of a brāhmaṇa, brahminical culture. Śuci means brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa means one who knows spiritual life, how to conduct. And he has got other qualifications. Then he's called śuci. And the, the, the opposite word of śuci is called muci. So we need not explain what is muci, but śuci, śucīnāṁ means highly cultured brāhmaṇa. And śrīmatām. Śrī means wealth; śrī means wealth, opulence, beauty and all these things. That means very aristocratic family. Very aristocratic family. So he's given chance to get his birth in two places, one who is, I mean to..., not successful. The successful, oh, what to speak of him! The successful goes back to Godhead directly. And even one is unsuccessful, half-finished, then he is given chance to take his birth in two kinds of families. One set is śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means very well-to-do, rich family. And other is very well polished, cultural, brāhmaṇa family. Why? Now, there is the chance. There is the chance of spiritual culture very nicely. Of course, here in your country, aristocratic family, just like Rockefeller family or Ford's family... There are many rich families here. I do not know what are their activities, but in India, the aristocratic family, they have got particular spiritual function. Each and every aristocratic family has so many temples. So many temples. And I have already informed you that one of the aristocratic family in India, Sir Padampat Singhania, he's a very big... He's as equal to your Rockefeller family. And I wrote him that "I want to start here one Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple, and I want your help." He has immediately agreed, "Swāmījī, I shall spend for a nice architectural, Indian pattern temple in New York if I get exchange sanction." You see? So my putting you..., putting this statement is that even up till now, Indian aristocratic family, they are so much religiously inclined that immediately on my proposal he's agreed. He's agreed, "Yes. I shall construct a temple." So that aristocratic family has the facility. In every Indian aristocratic family you'll find they have got their particular temples and temple worship, and they go, they offer their respect, and do their business as it is. There is no harm. So by..., side by side with material activities, they have got the chance of spiritual. Now, this particular family I am speaking to you, Singhania family, you'll be very glad to learn that how they are family arrangement. They have got a temple, Dvārakādhīśa, a Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple, just like this picture. They have got a very nice temple, and that temple has got some property. And the..., that property, out of the property, one of the land is leased out to this Singhania Organization business. So they pay rent to the Deity. You see? So similarly, the Deity has large income. And they spend also in so many ways. If we have got the chance of starting a temple here, we shall also let you know how to spend for spiritual consciousness. Yes. Now, their family duty is that they are, this Singhania, Sir Padampat Singhania, they have got four or five brothers, and the mother is still living. And the order is that each and every family member must go every day and pay respect to the Deity. And if somebody is absent one day, then he must be fined. A fine is imposed. The, the big brother, Sir Padampat Singhania, if he's absent one day to pay respect to the Deity, he's fined ten rupees, or ten dollars. You see? And, and next day the brāhmaṇa, or the pūjārī, the worshiper engaged, he goes to collect the fine. He presents, "Yes, yes. I am sorry. Yes. Here is my fine." [laughs] So of course, this is self-imposed, but the idea is that they are spiritually conscious in this way: "Oh, I did not go yesterday to offer my respect to the Deity, Kṛṣṇa. So I must pay fine." This is also spiritual consciousness. This is also spiritual consciousness. So the whole thing is that life should be molded, molded in such a way that in every step or action, we shall feel the presence of the Lord. That is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. You need not change your present occupation. Just like the example, this Singhania family, they do not change. They are doing just like ordinary... But they are always spiritually conscious. The aim is, aim is toward Kṛṣṇa. That is very nice example. It is very ordinary. Everyone will understand it. Now, suppose a man or woman is in love, and the man is a third person, beyond the husband of the wife..., beyond the, of the woman. Now, it is a, it is a example given in scriptures that the woman who is fallen in love, the woman or man with other woman, other man, opposite sex, so he may be engaged in so many duties, but his mind is always to that point when he or she will meet his lover. With all his duty or her duties during the daytime, she or he always thinks, "Oh, when that moment will come when we shall meet together?" That means the mind is always there. The example is said because that when there is ecstasy, when there is ecstasy of love, even within our..., within the midst of our multifarious duties, we can remember that thing always. Similarly, God consciousness, we shall have to mold our life in that way that in the midst of our very grave duties, serious duties, we shall always remember the Supreme, the Supreme, in every step. That discrimination, that much love, we have to develop. And therefore we require guide, how to develop. How to develop that, we require that. We haven't got to change anything. Let us..., let us remain our, in our position, but at the same time, simultaneously, side by side, let us have spiritual culture. Just like we are holding this class. This is also spiritual culture, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam [SB 7.5.23]. [There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence, (3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such as śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam—hearing, chanting and remembering Kṛṣṇa], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees, and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous ācāryas. These six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional service.] With your multifarious duties you come here thrice in a week and try to understand. This is also spiritual culture. This will not go in vain. This will give you impression. Even you stop coming here, that impression will never go. I tell you that the impression will never go. It is such a thing. But if we take it up very seriously and go on molding our life in that way, then it becomes quickly successful. Now, suppose even there is no loss by falling down from this path, that does not mean that we should neglect it. No. Formerly, in Medical College of Calcutta, the students who failed in the final examination, they were given some title, L.M.S., "License in Medical..., Medicine and Surgery," L.M.S. And those who passed, they were given the title M.D., or M.B., just like that. So even by failure, they would get some title and allowed to practice as medical man. But that does not mean that we may try to fail also. No. The aim should be to become successful, not to fail. Not to fail. Even though we are in failure, still, there is profit undoubtedly, but we should not aim to that objective. We should, we should be determined that in this very life we must have a spiritual realization perfectly, so that, as you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya. janma karma ca me divyam evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya [Bg 4.9] [One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.] "He Kaunteya, Arjuna..." Arjuna's another name is Kaunteya because his mother's name is Kuntī. Therefore he's sometimes addressed by Kṛṣṇa as Kaunteya, "the son of Kuntī." Kaunteya means the son of Kuntī. So, "O My dear son of Kuntī, anyone who knows perfectly about the Lord's incarnation, why does He come, what are His activities, and what is His original constitution, form, etc., the science of God—if anyone knows, simply by knowing, simply by knowing, the theoretical knowledge..." What is his profit? Simply by knowing. Now, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti: "Then, for him the profit is that after giving up this body, he hasn't got to take birth again in this material form." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti: "He comes directly to Me." Simply by knowing. Just like you are coming here. Apart from doing any practical work... If you do some practical work, oh, it is very, very nice. Even if you do not know any practical work, simply you give your reception, aural reception, submissive aural reception, and understand that what is the nature of God, what is the nature of our self, what is the relation between God and myself, what is this world, what is my relation with this world, so many things, simply if you hear and have an idea, then, even then, you'll be free from this material bondage. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya [Bg 4.9]. Therefore, as Lord Kṛṣṇa says that, dūreṇa hy avaraṁ karma buddhi-yogād dhanañjaya buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ [Bg 9.49] [O Dhanañjaya, rid yourself of all fruitive activities by devotional service, and surrender fully to that consciousness. Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work are misers.] "Don't be miser. Don't be miser." Miser... We have already explained in our last meeting what is the miser and what is a brāhmaṇa. The opposite word is brāhmaṇa. Miser means this valuable body, who does not properly utilize it; simply they utilize this body for sense gratification and nothing more. They are kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. Miser, who does not utilize the asset given to him, he's a miser. Miser. He's not liberal. One should be liberal. There is a paṇḍita, learned man. His name is Cāṇakya. If you, some of you, had been in India, in New Delhi, where foreign ambassadors are settled, in New Delhi, capital of India, there is a quarter which is called Cāṇakya Purī. Cāṇakya Purī. This Cāṇakya Purī has been named due to the name of this gentleman, Cāṇakya. He was a great politician and prime minister during the reign of Emperor Candragupta, long, long years before. He was a great politician. So his politics are studied in higher, M.A. class, and so he has got some..., he has got a book which is called Cāṇakya Śloka and some principles of morality. Some principles of morality. So we, in our childhood, we had to study that small book, Cāṇakya Śloka. So in that principles of morality even Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that sannimitte varaṁ tyāga vināśe niyate sati. Vināśe niyate sati: "Oh, this body, this body is destined to be destroyed. You cannot protect it. It is to be destroyed." Sannimitte varaṁ tyāge vināśe. Vināśe means it is sure to be destroyed. "As sure as death." There is nothing sure as death. Therefore this body should be utilized, sannimitte, for purpose of spiritual realization. Before it is finished... In all the śāstras, this is the advice. This is the advice. The dog's body will be finished and the man's body will be finished, but what is the difference of dog and man? The dog does not know how to utilize his body, but we are given instruction in so many books of knowledge how to utilize this body. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that sannimitte varaṁ tyāga [Cāṇakya-śloka 36]. [Oh, this body, this body is destined to be destroyed. You cannot protect it. It is to be destroyed. You cannot protect it. So..., but people, they do not understand this. ] You have to give up this body. Why don't you give it up for the highest cause? Highest cause. This is the highest cause: spiritual realization. Somebody's offering his body for country's cause. Somebody's offering body for the society's cause. Or somebody's offering body for theft case or some murdering case. We have..., everyone has to offer his body at the end. But the man who sacrifices this body for the purpose of self-realization, he's the most intelligent man. Sannimitte varaṁ tyāga vināśe niyate sati. You'll have to meet death, undoubtedly, but before meeting death... [break] ...as fully spiritualized. That is the instruction given. Buddhau śaraṇam anviccha kṛpaṇāḥ: "Don't be miser. Don't misuse this great opportunity." buddhi-yukto jahātīha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte tasmād yogāya yujyasva yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam [Bg 2.50] [A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad actions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, O Arjuna, which is the art of all work.] Yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam. Kauśalam means expert trick. Expert trick. Just like there are two men working: one man is very expert; another man is not so expert. Even in machinery: there is something wrong in the machine, the, the man who is not very expert, he's trying whole day-night how to adjust it. But the expert comes and at once sees what is the defect, and he joins one wire this way and that way, and machine begans to start: hrzum-zum-zum-zum-zum-zum. You see? Just like sometimes we, we find difficulty in our this tape recorder, and Mr. Carl or somebody comes and rectifies this. So everything requires some expert knowledge. So karma, karma means work. We have to work. Without working, even our this body and soul cannot go. It is a very misconception that for one who is a..., for spiritual realization he hasn't got to work. No, he has got to work more. Persons who are not for spiritual realization, they may be engaged in work for eight hours only, but those who are engaged for spiritual realization, oh, they are engaged twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours. That is the difference. And that difference is... You'll find that on the material platform, on the bodily conception of life, if you work for eight hours only, you'll feel fatigued. But spiritual purpose, if you work more than twenty-four hours—unfortunately, you haven't got more than twenty-four hours at your disposal—still, you won't feel fatigued. I tell you. This is my practical experience. This is my practical experience. And I am here, always working, something reading or writing, something reading or writing, twenty-four hours. Simply when I feel hungry, I take some food. And simply when I feel asleep, I go to bed. Otherwise, always, I don't feel fatigued. You can ask Mr. Paul whether I am not doing this. So I take, I take pleasure in doing that. I don't feel fatigued. Similarly, when one will have that spiritual sense, he won't feel... Rather, he will..., he will feel disgusted to go to sleep, to go to sleep: "So, sleep has come just to disturb me." You see? He wants to lessen the time of sleeping. Then... Now, as we pray, vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau [Śrī Ṣaḍ Gosvāmy Aṣṭaka]. [I offer my respectful obeisances unto the Six Gosvāmīs, namely Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Śrī Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī and Śrī Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, who are always engaged in loudly chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and dancing. They are just like the ocean of love of God, and they are popular both with the gentle and with the ruffians because they are not envious of anyone. Whatever they do, they are all pleasing to everyone, and they are fully blessed by Lord Caitanya. Thus they are engaged in missionary activities meant to deliver all the conditioned souls in the material universe.] These six Gosvāmīns, they were deputed by Lord Caitanya to discuss this science. They have written immense literature about it. You see? So you'll be surprised that they were sleeping only for one and half hour daily, not more than that. That also, sometimes they forego. You see? They are so much busy in spiritual activities, kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau... So spiritual life is so sublime and so invigorating that you won't feel fatigued. Won't feel... Once... You have to be engaged. And as you are engaged actually in spiritual life, you won't feel fatigued. You'll be fearless, and your life will be always blissful. These are the symptoms. So yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam [Bg 2.50]. [A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad actions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, O Arjuna, which is the art of all work.] The Lord says that the..., that this spiritual platform is the karmasu kauśalam. Kauśalam means expert service, expert, kauśalam. Kuśala. Kuśala means auspicious, and from kuśala it comes to kauśala. That means if you learn the trick how to work on the platform of yoga, then that is the highest technique of doing work. Buddhi-yukto jahā... And result of that work, what is that? Now, buddhi-yuktaḥ. When you work from the spiritual platform with your intelligence, then jahāti iha ubhe sukṛta-duṣkṛte. Sukṛta-duṣkṛta. ow, for ordinary work, if you do good work, then you have to take good result. And if you do bad work, or sinful work, then if you have..., you have to take the effect of such bad and sinful work. Sukṛta and duṣkṛta. But one who works from spiritual platform, he hasn't got to take the result of good work or bad work, because he is transcendental. He has no good work or no bad work. Everything transcendental work. Everything transcendental work. That... Just like take the example of Arjuna. He was thinking that "Fighting of this nature is not good for me." That was his problem. And... Because he was thinking on the bodily platform. The same Arjuna again took to fighting. Does it mean that by understanding Bhagavad-gītā he took to bad work? No. Just try to understand. He declined to fight. He thought that "Fighting for me with my relatives is not good." That was his conclusion. And actually, from material platform... Suppose two brothers we are, who are going to fight for something, and if third person comes, if he advises that "You are two brothers. Why you are fighting? Just have it, and it can be settled," that is good actually. But the Arjuna, from practical point of view, or from the materialistic point of view, he was good that he was declining to fight. And Lord Kṛṣṇa was inducing him to fight. So does it mean that Lord Kṛṣṇa was inducing him to the bad course? No. He was inducing him to a course which is beyond good and bad—transcendental. In the... From the material platform, even if you do good work, that is also not good. That is also not good. Now, now according to scriptures, now, one who does good work only, no sinful work, then what is the result of his good work? Oh, he gets birth in a good family, in a higher planet or very rich man or very educated man, very beautiful man. These are the result of good work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī [SB 1.8.26]. [My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted, because one who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot address You with sincere feeling.] Four things are obtained by good work. You get very good birth, high parentage, janma. You get very good wealth in wealthy family, or you earn millions and millions dollars. You don't think that simply by laboring one can earn millions and millions dollars, unless he has got in the background very good work. You see? Otherwise, everyone is trying to earn millions and billions, but somebody's earning very quickly, without any effort, and somebody, whole life working, he does not get even sufficient for the maintenance. So these are the result of good work and bad work. So janma-aiśvarya-śruta, high education. To become very highly learned man, that is also due to good work. And to be very beautiful, that is also result of good work. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Śrī means beauty. And bad work is just opposite. Now, good work or bad work, now, when you take your birth in a good family, when you are very much educated, very much beautiful, but still, you have to accept the, I mean to say, triple miseries of material existence. That you cannot avoid. That you cannot avoid. Because you are very rich man, you cannot avoid your death. You cannot avoid your disease. You cannot avoid your old age. Similarly, as the man who is poor man, he is also cannot..., he also cannot avoid old age, he cannot avoid death, he cannot avoid disease, similarly, the troubles of material existence is there, both in good life and bad life. But when you work transcendentally, neither good nor bad, for the sake of the Supreme Consciousness, transcendental position, you don't get this material birth at all. Therefore that is real good. You are above this birth, death, old age and so many troubles, miseries of life. So Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that buddhi-yukto jahāti. If you work from the transcendental plane, or spiritual platform, then you get rid of all the results of good work and bad work. Don't be attached by, either by good work or bad work. That is the technique. A transcendentalist who wants to work from spiritual platform, he has no botheration, "Whether I am doing good or bad?" He has only to see, "Whether I am doing..., acting on the platform of spiritual consciousness or material consciousness?" That's all. Even a apparently bad work by such person on the spiritual consciousness is also good, supreme good. Not only good, but supreme good. Just like you see the example of Arjuna. From material point of view, he was right that "It is not good to fight with my brothers." That is right from material point of view. But when he learned Bhagavad-gītā, he fought with the same brothers. With the same brothers. That means that after learning Bhagavad-gītā, after taking lessons of Bhagavad-gītā, he did not become a bad man. No. He become a transcendental man. Transcendental man. Because that fighting, he accepted on the instruction, on the desire, of the Supreme Consciousness, Kṛṣṇa. That is the technique. Similarly, when we mold our life in such a way that we have to act on the direction of the Supreme Consciousness, then our life becomes sublime, spiritual. Now, as I have already explained to you, that we require a guide. We require a guide. That guide should be the representative of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, he cannot be guide. Just like Kṛṣṇa was the guide of Arjuna directly. Now, here we haven't got Kṛṣṇa directly, but how to have a guide? That guide means he must be a representative of Kṛṣṇa. Representative of Kṛṣṇa. How one can become representative of Kṛṣṇa? That means one who follows the instruction of Kṛṣṇa. Just like you take a..., take for example a lawyer. What do you mean by lawyer? One who understands the law books very nicely, he's a lawyer, a representative of law. Similarly, here in the Bhagavad-gītā, there are instruction of Kṛṣṇa, and a person who understands these instruction rightly... How to understand that instruction rightly, that is also in this book. You haven't got to seek elsewhere how to understand Bhagavad-gītā. The how to understand Bhagavad-gītā is already prescribed here. That I shall explain to you, when you go to the Fourth Chapter. Now we are on the Second Chapter. When you go to the Fourth Chapter, how to understand Bhagavad-gītā, that is also mentioned there. So according [to] that process, if somebody understands Bhagavad-gītā and in his life he practices in that way, just like a lawyer who has passed the law examination... Similarly, one who understands Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any wishful interpretation for his own purpose... No. Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as it is instructed to Arjuna. If there is somebody who understands Bhagavad-gītā in that way, he is the representative of God. He is the representative of Kṛṣṇa, and one should accept such representative of Kṛṣṇa for his guide. Then, actually, as much as Arjuna was guided by Kṛṣṇa, then similarly, that person who takes the shelter of the guidance of a person who is fully, I mean to say, aware, fully conversant with the science of Kṛṣṇa, he can guide you nicely and for your spiritual life, as Lord Kṛṣṇa has guided Arjuna for his spiritual life. Thank you very much. Any question? [end]
snehānubaddha-hṛdayāv anyonyaṁ viṣṇu-māyayā vimohitau dīna-dhiyau śiśūn pupuṣatuḥ prajāḥ Their hearts bound to each other by affection, the foolish birds, completely bewildered by the illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu, continued to take care of the young offspring who had been born to them. None
ei mate kājīre prabhu karilā prasāda ihā yei śune tāra khaṇḍe aparādha This is the incident concerning the Kazi and the Lord’s mercy upon him. Anyone who hears this is also freed from all offenses. None
tad bhagavato māyāmayaṁ rūpaṁ parama-samādhi-yogena ramā devī saṁvatsarasya rātriṣu prajāpater duhitṛbhir upetāhaḥsu ca tad-bhartṛbhir upāste idaṁ codāharati. Accompanied during the daytime by the sons of the Prajāpati [the predominating deities of the days] and accompanied at night by his daughters [the deities of the nights], Lakṣmīdevī worships the Lord during the period known as the Saṁvatsara in His most merciful form as Kāmadeva. Fully absorbed in devotional service, she chants the following mantras. The word māyāmayam used in this verse should not be understood according to the interpretations of the Māyāvādīs. Māyā means affection as well as illusion. When a mother deals with her child affectionately, she is called māyāmaya. In whatever form the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu appears, He is always affectionate toward His devotees. Thus the word māyāmayam is used here to mean “very affectionate toward the devotees.” Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī writes in this regard that māyāmayam can also mean kṛpā-pracuram, deeply merciful. Similarly, Śrīla Vīrarāghava says, māyā-pracuranātmīya-saṅkalpena parigṛhītam ity arthaḥ jñāna-paryāyo ’tra māyā-śabdaḥ: when one is very affectionate due to an intimate relationship, one is described as māyāmaya. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains māyāmayam by dividing it into the words māyā and āmayam. He explains these words to indicate that because the living entity is covered by the disease of illusion, the Lord is always eager to deliver His devotee from the clutches of māyā and cure him of the disease caused by the illusory energy.
prabhu kahe, “āmi — nartaka, tumi — sūtra-dhāra tumi yaiche nācāo, taiche nartana āmāra The Lord replied, “I am simply a dancer, and You are the wire-puller. However You pull the wires to make Me dance, I shall dance in that way. None
vaibhava-gaṇa yena tāṅra aṅga-vibhūti bimba-pratibimba-rūpa mahiṣīra tati The goddesses of fortune are partial manifestations of Śrīmatī Rādhikā, and the queens are reflections of Her image. None
indriyāṇi hṛṣīkeśaḥ prāṇān nārāyaṇo ’vatu śvetadvīpa-patiś cittaṁ mano yogeśvaro ’vatu May Hṛṣīkeśa protect Your senses, and Nārāyaṇa Your life air. May the master of Śvetadvīpa protect the core of Your heart, and may Lord Yogeśvara protect Your mind. None
saṅkīrtana-kolāhale ākāśa bhedila saba jagannātha-vāsī dekhite āila The congregational chanting made a tumultuous roar that filled the sky. All the inhabitants of Jagannātha Purī came to see the kīrtana. None
“śivānandera ‘prakṛti’, putra — yāvat ethāya āmāra avaśeṣa-pātra tārā yena pāya” “As long as Śivānanda Sena’s wife and children stay in Jagannātha Purī,” He said, “they must be given the remnants of My food.” None
Letter to: Gargamuni 75-11-13 Brooklyn My dear Gargamuni Swami, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter undated from El Paso, Texas and I have noted the contents. So I am glad to see that you are doing well. Similarly, now we are getting literature published all over the world. I just received very nice books in Swedish and also Italian Isopanisad and similarly our Bhagavad-gita is being prepared in Dutch language. And also our literatures are being received very nicely. Bhagavan das in Paris has reported that they are collecting $20,000 per week in literature distribution. Our Bhagavad-gita in French language is being received very enthusiastically by the people, libraries and schools. All other reports are also very good. Tamala Krsna is also distributing many big books and also magazines and having many college engagements. Here in India the government is beginning to give us facility for our men to remain here. I am here in Bombay and I am supervising the construction of our temple here. It is a very large project. The temple is larger than our Vrndavana temple. We are trying to get it done as quickly as possible. I have just received a report from Mukunda in London that the Encyclopedia Brittanica wants to carry my biography article in their publication. So this is all welcome news. So I am very pleased by all of the progress, how you boys and girls are working very sincerely to push on this movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The only difficulty is the fighting that is going on. Why there should be fighting in our society? This is not a good sign. I hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/BS/mdd
lokanātha paṇḍita, āra murāri paṇḍita śrī-haricaraṇa, āra mādhava paṇḍita Lokanātha Paṇḍita, Murāri Paṇḍita, Śrī Haricaraṇa and Mādhava Paṇḍita were the thirty-third, thirty-fourth, thirty-fifth and thirty-sixth branches of Advaita Ācārya. None
eka ślokera artha yadi kara nija-mukhe śuni’ saba loka tabe pāiba baḍa-sukhe “But if you explain the meaning of one verse, we can all hear it from your own mouth and thus be very happy.” None
tasyās tad yoga-vidhuta- mārtyaṁ martyam abhūt sarit srotasāṁ pravarā saumya siddhidā siddha-sevitā Dear Vidura, the material elements of her body have melted into water and are now a flowing river, which is the most sacred of all rivers. Anyone who bathes in that river also attains perfection, and therefore all persons who desire perfection go bathe there. None
tāṅre dekhi, mahāprabhura kṛṣṇa-smṛti haila premāveśe tāṅre mili’ kahite lāgila Seeing the boy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately remembered Kṛṣṇa. Meeting the boy in ecstatic love, the Lord began to speak. None
Letter to: Rayarama, Brahmananda 68-11-17 My Dear Rayarama, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Nov. 12, 1968, and I thank you very much for the copies of Back To Godhead, no. 20. It is very nice. Please send the copies very quickly to different centers. I have received letters from Hawaii also that they are eagerly awaiting the consignment of Back To Godhead. Another important point is that you can enlist the following name for sending complimentary copies of Back To Godhead. Niranjana Samanta, Assistant Teacher Harasankar Garkilla Santamayi Higher Secondary School P.O. Harasankar Dist. Midnapur West Bengal, INDIA Hope this meets you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Note to Brahmananda: I understand from the letter of Satsvarupa that they have received a Pair of Radha Krishna murti from India, sent by Jaya Govinda, and they want to worship the Deities so you can send him the necessary instructions how to do it. ACB P.S. The current issue of Back to Godhead is better than all previous ones. So you are tangibly improving the quality of BTG. May Krishna bless you improve it more & more. Tamala sold yesterday 87 copies at a length. He is very much satisfied with this issue. Hayagriva is also doing nicely at Columbus fighting against Frog Philosophy.
brahma-kopotthitād yas tu takṣakāt prāṇa-viplavāt na sammumohorubhayād bhagavaty arpitāśayaḥ Furthermore, Mahārāja Parīkṣit was always consciously surrendered to the Personality of Godhead, and therefore he was neither afraid nor overwhelmed by fear due to a snake-bird which was to bite him because of the fury of a brāhmaṇa boy. A self-surrendered devotee of the Lord is called nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa. Such a person is never afraid of any place or person, not even of death. For him nothing is as important as the Supreme Lord, and thus he gives equal importance to heaven and hell. He knows well that both heaven and hell are creations of the Lord, and similarly life and death are different conditions of existence created by the Lord. But in all conditions and in all circumstances, remembrance of Nārāyaṇa is essential. The nārāyaṇa-parāyaṇa practices this constantly. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was such a pure devotee. He was wrongfully cursed by an inexperienced son of a brāhmaṇa, who was under the influence of Kali, and Mahārāja Parīkṣit took this to be sent by Nārāyaṇa. He knew that Nārāyaṇa (Lord Kṛṣṇa) had saved him when he was burned in the womb of his mother, and if he were to be killed by a snake bite, it would also take place by the will of the Lord. The devotee never goes against the will of the Lord; anything sent by God is a blessing for the devotee. Therefore Mahārāja Parīkṣit was neither afraid of nor bewildered by such things. That is the sign of a pure devotee of the Lord.
Letter to: Aksayananda 77-01-05 Vrindaban My dear Aksayananda, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 1/1/77 and have noted the contents. Now the corner land of the parikrama road may be applied for acquisition. We shall use it for agricultural purposes. Sometime back they approached us for acquiring that land. Now you can seriously do this. First of all check whether it would be possible to build a drainage line to that land. If we can arrange for that it will be very good. It will solve our drainage problem, we won't have to pay tax to the municipality, and it will make that land very cultivatable. That drainage water is very good for fertilization. Please check into this possibility. Do it discreetly, so the acquisition may not be checked if it is possible. If it is not possible then you may go ahead with the sewer line. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/jda
amunī bhagavad-rūpe mayā te hy anuvarṇite ubhe api na gṛhṇanti māyā-sṛṣṭe vipaścitaḥ Neither of the above forms of the Lord, as just described unto you from the material angle of vision, is accepted by the pure devotees of the Lord who know Him well. The impersonalists think of the Absolute Personality of Godhead in two different ways, as above mentioned. On the one hand they worship the Lord in His viśva-rūpa, or all-pervading universal form, and on the other they think of the Lord’s unmanifested, indescribable, subtle form. The theories of pantheism and monism are respectively applicable to these two conceptions of the Supreme as gross and subtle, but both of them are rejected by the learned pure devotees of the Lord because they are aware of the factual position. This is very clearly mentioned in the Eleventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, which records Arjuna’s experience of the viśva-rūpa of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa:
Letter to: Satsvarupa 72-07-01 My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter from Cleveland dated June 26, 1972 and I have noted the contents with great pleasure. Similarly I have received such nice letters from Rupanuga and Hrdayananda, and I am very much satisfied that you are all feeling the serious nature of this Sannyasi mission. So far you are concerned, I am especially stressing the importance of our Dallas Gurukula for training up the next generation of Krishna Consciousness preachers. This is the most important task ahead. I am seeing practically how wonderful the children are coming out. Therefore, we shall be very, very vigilant and careful to maintain the highest standard of temple atmosphere and conduct in Dallas. You may install Radha-Krishna Deities and worship Them very, very gorgeously. Simply by associating with the elderly members, the children will learn everything. So, the quality of the elderly members must be also very much to the standard of excellent Vaisnavas; otherwise, the children learn by example and they will very easily be misguided if their senior god-brothers and god-sisters are themselves neglectful. I shall certainly come there to Dallas to see how things are going on as soon as there is opportunity. We must develop our Krishna Consciousness school at Dallas to be the model for education in all the world, and let anyone see our Krishna Consciousness children and they will immediately understand the importance and necessity for such education amongst the citizens at large. Otherwise, the children of your country and other countries, they are simply growing up to be sophisticated animals, so what good will their education do? But if they will agree to try to understand our Krishna Consciousness education or way of life and allow their children to be educated by us, they will see them come out as the topmost citizens with all good qualities such as honesty, cleanliness, truthfulness, loyalty, etc. So that is a very important work and you are especially responsible to make it successful. All other GBC men should give you all assistance for building up the standard there. You mention that you are no longer much occupied with seeing that the rent and mortgage is paid and that the incense is sold, but GBC means to be occupied with everything in the zone. It is not that now we are preachers we can neglect all other points. No, the GBC member is supposed to know everything and anything about the condition and situation of all matters within his jurisdiction. That is the meaning of secretary. So because we are engaged in many fields of activity I am especially relying upon that knowledge of my GBC assistants and secretaries to manage everything properly. But if we do not take time to understand how the financial matters are going on, then at any moment we may experience some calamity due to our inattention to these matters. Therefore, you should try to keep yourself always informed how the financial matters are improving and keep your watchful eye on every feature of our Krishna Consciousness activity. That is also part of preaching work. I am also preaching daily. But I am at the same time managing everything, seeing the statements of accounts, going to the bank, giving advice on every topic, like that. Just now I have purchased one apartment house with seven apartments just adjacent to the L.A. temple and very soon we shall invest in similar properties. So practically there is no question of my neglecting the financial matters of the society, and similarly, you shall do as I am doing. That is your real business. So far your question, Yes, it is good to be prepared with a well-thought lecture in advance. However, we must be able to preach effectively at a moment's notice or under any conditions or circumstances also. As you begin to study the Sanskrit words, in each word you will find a treasure house of different understanding. Hoping this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
śuniyā prabhura vyākhyā digvijayī vismita mukhe nā niḥsare vākya, pratibhā stambhita After hearing the explanation of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the champion poet was struck with wonder. His cleverness stunned, he could not say anything. None
yadyapi pratāparudra — sarva-guṇavān tāṅhāre malina kaila eka ‘rājā’-nāma “The King certainly possesses all good qualities, but simply by taking up the name ‘king,’ he has infected everything. None
aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti ānanda-cinmaya-sad-ujjvala-vigrahasya govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.32] [aside:] Why not sit comfortably? Please. There is ample space in the front. You can move. So Govinda, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. Aṅgāni, aṅgāni means the limbs of the body. Just like hands, legs, ear, nose, they're different parts of our body. The distinction between this material body and spiritual body is that just like this hand is made for particular purpose—you can pick up something, you can touch something, but you cannot taste something. If you want to taste something, then the hand will bring that food to your mouth and will touch your tongue. Then you can know that it is bitter or sweet. But simply by touching the hand it is not possible to understand what is the nature of that particular... Therefore God's body is described here that aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. Each and every part of the body has got the capacity for other parts of the body. Just like if you want to eat, we have to taste it through the tongue, through the mouth; but Kṛṣṇa, or God, if He simply sees only, He can eat, simply by seeing. This is spiritual body. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti, paśyanti pānti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti. In another sense, this whole cosmic manifestation is also the body of God; therefore you cannot hide anything from God's vision. In the Brahma..., the same Brahma-saṁhitā, it is said that yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām [Bs. 5.52]. Savitā. Savitā means the sun, the sun-god, or the sun planet, is the eye, one eye of God. And the other eye is the moon. So He can see all things, what is happening within this universe—in daytime with His eye called the sun, and at night with moon. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is confirmed. Kṛṣṇa says, prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ [Bg. 7.8]. Prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ: "I am the sunshine and the moonshine." So people who deny existence of God, they say that "Can you show me God?" You are seeing God. Why you are denying? God says that "I am the sunshine. I am the moonshine." And who has not seen the sunshine and moonshine? Everyone has seen. As soon as there is morning, there is sunshine. So if sunshine is God, then you have seen God. Why do you deny? You cannot deny. Kṛṣṇa says, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg. 7.8]: "I am the taste of the water." So who has not tasted water? We are drinking, daily, gallons of water. We are thirsty, and the good taste which quench our thirst, that is Kṛṣṇa. So you have to see God, or Kṛṣṇa, in this way. Then you'll advance, make advance. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to see in everything Kṛṣṇa. As soon as we see living entity... Never mind whether he's a human being or animal or insect or bird or plant or aquatic; they're all living entities. In the sea, there are nine hundred thousand species of living entities. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi [Padma Purāṇa]. These are the statements in the Vedic scriptures. Exactly stated: jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. It does not say ten hundred thousand; it says nine hundred thousand. Exact calculation. Now bring any biologist to calculate how many species are there in the water. They cannot say. But here, in the Padma Purāṇa, Vedic literature, you get exact information how many species of living entities are there within the water. Everyone knows that there are living entities, full of living entities. We are catching fish, but small fishes. We have not seen. Even if we have seen the biggest fish, that is, whale... Sometimes they are as big as one big ship. But there are other fishes, we get information, they are called timiṅgala. The big fish, the whale fish, and timiṅgala means there is another big fish which swallows this timiṅgala, this whale, just like anything. These informations are there. And in Calcutta Museum, in our childhood—it may be still existing—we saw one skeleton of a fish that is bigger than this room, a skeleton. It is hanging on the ceiling. So there are very, very big, big fishes. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. You get immediately information—without being a biologist, scientist, you can get information. The Darwin's theory, in most perfection, there is in the Padma Purāṇa: jīva-jatiṣu. The evolutionary theory is there. But Darwin is missing the real point: Who is..., who is evolving? He's missing the spirit soul. He cannot explain. That is imperfect. But in the Vedic scripture you have got perfect knowledge how a living entity is developing different types of body. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. First of all, nine lakhs' species of living entities within water. In the water, the living seeds are there. The other day I was showing our other devotees how from the stone the grass is coming. There is a crack in the stone, and the grass is coming out. How it is? Nobody has gone to put some seeds within the cracking of the stone. How the grass is coming? The grass is coming because the water penetrates within the crack, and as soon as it gets in touch with the earth, it sprouts. That means within water there are seeds of living entities. Some of them fall down from the higher planetary system. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: kṣine puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti [Bg. 9.21]. As soon as their period of enjoyment is finished, they are again brought down on this earthly planet. Just like in your country the immigration—every country—the immigration department, if somebody has come, he has got a visa for six months or one year, or something like that. As soon as it is finished, immediately the immigration department notifies: "Please get out. Please get out." Similarly, in other planets also, there are higher planetary systems where material comforts are many thousand times better than in your USA. Your United States is considered to have the best facilities, comfortable materialistic way of life. That is the calculation outside. So supposing that you have got the best facilities for material enjoyment. In higher planetary system there are many thousand times' better facilities. You can go there. The living entities are therefore called sarva-gataḥ. A living entity can go anywhere he likes, but he requires qualification. Any country, when one is admitted, he must have visa, he must have passport, he must have required money to stay in a foreign country. So many rules and regulations are there. Similarly, in the higher planetary system also, where you get ten thousand years of duration of life, and their one year is far, far greater than ours. That is scientific. So these..., this material world is also the virāṭ-rūpa, universal form, of the Lord. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti [Bs. 5.32]. I'm just trying to explain what is the body of the Supreme Lord. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna was shown the virāṭ-rūpa, the universal form of the Lord. Now why Arjuna wanted to see the universal form of Kṛṣṇa? The reason is that Arjuna knew it very well... Because in the Tenth Chapter Arjuna accepts Kṛṣṇa that paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān [Bg. 10.12]: "You are the Supreme Lord, paraṁ brahma, and pavitra, the purest." So Kṛṣṇa..., Arjuna knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord, and still, in the Eleventh Chapter he requested Kṛṣṇa that "If You'll kindly show me Your universal form." Try to understand. Arjuna knew it very well that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. Why he wanted to examine Kṛṣṇa? Not for himself, but for others. Because Arjuna knew it very well that in future so many false Gods would appear: "I am God." So before accepting anyone as God, imitating Kṛṣṇa, one should inquire from him, "Whether you can lift a hill? Whether you can show the universal form? Whether you can kill such-and-such demons? Then I shall accept." That is intelligence. Don't accept a foolish man declaring himself as God, and you accept also God. God is not so cheap. You should know what is God. These descriptions are there. No more..., no man, no living entity is greater than God. Therefore God is said: "God is great." Great means nobody can be greater than Him, nobody can be equal to Him. That is greatness. Six opulences. That is analytical study what is God. So these things are being taught from authoritative scripture and..., what is God, what is our relationship with Him, and what is our function in that relationship. We should know it. Unless we try to know it—simply we waste our time in frivolous activities—that is not proper utilization of human form of life. We are simply requesting people that "You don't waste your valuable time." Our time is so valuable. It has been calculated by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita was a great politician, prime minister, in India, about three thousand years ago, when Chandragupta was the emperor. It was about contemporary to Alexander the Great in the Greek history. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita was there. He was a great diplomat. He has calculated the value of our life. He says... It is very practical. Anyone can calculate. āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhya svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ na cet nirarthakaṁ [nītiḥ] kā ca hānis tato 'dhikā [Cāṇakya Paṇḍita] He says, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa. Even one moment of your life cannot be returned even you spend millions of dollars. One of our friends in India, he was at that time fifty-four years old, but he was dying. So he was requesting the doctor, "Doctor, kindly give some medicine so that I may live for another four years. I have got so many things to do." Just see, the crazy fellow. You see? This is called ignorance. He does not know that what to call..., what to say of four years, the doctor cannot give me four minutes prolongation of life. When the life is ended, it is ended. Nobody can... Any medicine, any physical, physiological treatment will not help. That is not possible. You have got a duration of life, say, fifty years, sixty years, seventy years—a hundred years, utmost. You cannot increase it by paying money. What to speak of four years; you cannot increase four seconds. So just try to understand how much our life is valuable. A second of our life we cannot purchase by paying millions of dollars. And if that second is wasted without any utilization, then how much money we are losing. This is the calculation. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is only to remind people that "Please do not waste your time, valuable time, life. Utilize it. This is the opportunity to make a solution of all the problems of life." There is means, there are ways, how to do it. That we are describing. Yesterday we discussed tapasā, by austerity; brahmacaryeṇa, by celibacy; śamena, by controlling the mind; damena, by controlling the senses; tyāgena, by giving in charity your money. That is called tyāga. Suppose you have got millions of dollars. Don't keep it. So long it is within your jurisdiction, spend it for Kṛṣṇa. Yes. That is the proper utilization. Because actually the money is not yours, because you cannot carry this money with your death. As soon as you quit this body, or death, so your money and everything, what you collected with this body, with the finishing of this body, everything is finished. But you go. You are spirit soul. You transmigrate to another body. So your money which you earned previously, in your previous body, that you do not know where it is kept, or how it is being spent up. During your lifetime, you may make very nice deed, how the money should be spent by your sons or by your heirs, but now, suppose you left in your last life ten thousand millions of dollars somewhere, but you have nothing, no claim for that money. Therefore so long it is in your hand, spend it. Tyāgena, tyāgena. Spend for good purpose, not for... This money, if you spend for bad purposes, then you become entangled. If you spend for good purposes, then you get good return. That's a fact. These things are very nicely, clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. This dhana, charity—the Bhagavad-gītā says there are three kinds of charities. One charity is in the mode of goodness, one charity is in the mode of passion, and one charity is in the mode of ignorance. So mode of goodness charity means you should know where charity is to be given. Dātavyam: here charity is to be given. So where charity is given? First-class charity, in goodness? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says, yad karoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi dadāsi yat, tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam [Bg. 9.27]: "Whatever you are eating, whatever you are undergoing, austerity, whatever you are doing, whatever you are giving in charity, give it to Me." Kṛṣṇa's not in want of money, because He's the original proprietor of everything, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]. But still He's asking from you money. Just like Kṛṣṇa went to beg something from Bali Mahārāja in the shape of a Vāmana, a dwarf brāhmaṇa. So He is the sarva-loka-maheśvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He's the proprietor of all the planets. And still He's saying that dadāsi yat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam: "Whatever you are giving in charity, please give it to Me." Why? It is for your interest, because the sooner you return Kṛṣṇa's money to Kṛṣṇa, you are better situated. In, in..., of course, it will not be very palatable to hear, but actually we are all thieves. We have stolen God's property. That is material life. Anyone who has got anything without sense of God, it is to be understood that he has stolen the property. If you very cool-headed think over this matter, that you are... If we do not understand God, if we do not understand whose property we are using, and if you come to the real knowledge: without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever we possess, that is stolen property, stolen property... Stena eva saḥ ucyate [Bg. 3.12]. It is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gītā. If one does not expend his money for yajña, then he is to be understood... Just like there is many, many instances... Just like you have earned so much money. If you hide income tax, then you are criminal. You can say, "I have earned money. Why shall I pay income tax, government?" No. You must pay. And there is a limit, that if you have earned so much money, practically the whole money will be taken as income tax, super tax. So as everything you earn, it is the property of the government, similarly, why not everything, whatever you got, it is Kṛṣṇa's, or God's? Is it very difficult to understand? Actually it is so. Suppose you have constructed a very nice building. So the building requires so many stone, wood, earth. Wherefrom you have got it? You have not produced the wood. It is God's property. You have not produced the metal; you have taken it from the mine. That is God's property. The earth, also, the bricks also, which you have made, you have simply given your labor. That labor is also God's property, because you work with your hand, but it is not your hand; it is God's hand. If it is your hand, then when it is paralyzed, you cannot use it. When the power of using your energy of the hand is withdrawn by God, you cannot work. So these are the things to be studied in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't be frivolous. Don't waste your time. This is the greatest opportunity, human form of life. We have to understand all these things. They are mentioned in the authoritative books, Vedic knowledge. Just we are reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam before you. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī's recommending that prāyaścittaṁ vimarśanam. Real atonement is to be thoughtful, sober, think over... That is called meditation. You think over whether your body, or if you are something else, transcendental to body, what is God. So if you want to know all this knowledge, then you have to practice austerity, tapasya. And the beginning of tapasya is brahmacarya. I've explained yesterday: brahmacarya, celibacy, or restricted sex life. Not unrestricted. That's not good. Then you forget yourself. This material attraction is sex life. Not only human society—in animal society, in bird society, everywhere. You have seen the sparrows, the pigeons, they're having sex life three hundred times daily, you see, although they are very vegetarian. Yes. And the lion is not vegetarian, but it has got sex life only once in a year. So it is not the question of vegetarian or nonvegetarian. It is the question of understanding higher standard of knowledge. When one comes to the standard of high elevated knowledge, naturally he becomes vegetarian. Because paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]. Paṇḍita means one who is very highly learned, paṇḍita. Sama-darśinaḥ. Sama-darśinaḥ means he does not distinguish between a man, learned man... vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18] A paṇḍita is sama-darśī. He sees equally, who? A very learned scholar, brāhmaṇa; and a elephant; and a dog; and a cow. How he's sama-darśī? How his vision is equal to all of them? Because he does not see the body; he sees the soul. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. He sees the Brahman, spark, that "Here is a dog, but it is also a living entity. By his past karma, he has become a dog. And here is a learned scholar. He's also living spark, but he has got this nice opportunity for his past karma." So he does not see the body; He sees the spirit soul, spark. So when one comes to that position, he does not make any distinction between this living entity to that living entity. So our proposition: If you inquire, "Then why you restrict, 'No meat-eating'?" the answer is that actually we do not make any distinction between the meat-eaters and the vegetable eaters, because the cow or the goat or the lamb has got life, and the grass, it has also got life. But we follow the Vedic instruction. What is that? Now, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvaṁ yat kiñcit jagatyāṁ jagat, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā [Īśo mantra 1]: everything is the property of the Supreme Lord, and you can enjoy whatever is allotted to you. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. You cannot touch others' body, others' property. You cannot touch. That is Vedic life. So in all scriptures it is stated that man should live on fruits and vegetables. Their teeth are made in that way. They can eat very easily and digest. Although jīvo jīvasya jīvanam [SB 1.13.47]: one has to live by eating another living entity. Jīvo jīvasya... That is nature's law. So the vegetarian also eating another living entity. And the meat-eater, they're also eating another... But there is discretion. Discretion means that these things are made for human being. Just like fruits, flowers, vegetables, rice, grains, milk—the animals do not come to claim that "I shall eat this." No. It is meant for man. Just like milk. Milk is an animal product. It is the blood of the cow changed only. But the milk is not drunk by the cow. She is delivering the milk, but she's not taking, because it is not allotted for it. By nature's way. So you have to take. Milk is made for man, so you take the milk. Let her live and supply you milk continually. Why should you kill? Follow nature's law. Then you'll be happy.Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā [Īśo mantra 1]. Whatever is allotted to you, take. You live comfortably. So our, in temple, in this temple, we take fruits, flowers, milk, because they're allotted, and Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You give Me meat." Kṛṣṇa says, "You give Me fruits, flowers, vegetables, milk." So we prepare nice preparations out of these things, we offer it to Kṛṣṇa, and we take it. If Kṛṣṇa would have said that "Give Me eggs and meat," then we would have given and eaten it. But because we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, we do not take anything which is not accepted by Kṛṣṇa. So in this way, this is called śama dama. We have to learn this art of elevation. Tapasya. That is called austerity, regulative principle; brahmacaryeṇa, by celibacy, or by restricted sex life; śamena, by controlling the mind; damena, by controlling the senses; tyāgena, by giving charity. The charity... Charitable disposition of mind is there in everyone's heart, but one does not know how to make the best use of charity. Best use of... Not only charity—whatever you spend, you must spend for Kṛṣṇa. That is the best way of spending. You are not loser. Just like you are spending for Kṛṣṇa, earning for Kṛṣṇa. Suppose we are offering nice dishes to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is so kind: He keeps it as it is; you eat. It is for you. But simply by offering to Kṛṣṇa you become Kṛṣṇa's devotee. That's all. For nothing! You don't spend anything, not a farthing even. Everything is Kṛṣṇa's, but if you offer it to Kṛṣṇa, you elevate. That's all. Thank you very much. [end]
Prabhupāda: Who sang this song? You sang. You know the meaning? Devotee: "O venerable Vaiṣṇava, O ocean of mercy, please be merciful unto your servant. Please give me one drop of mercy. I pray for the shade of your lotus feet." Prabhupāda: Yes. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has also said, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā, nistāra pāyeche kebā. Our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for nistāra. Nistāra means to be liberated from the capture of māyā. That is called nistāra. Release, release from the capture of māyā. So Vaiṣṇava... Chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā, nistāra pāyeche kebā. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, another Vaiṣṇava... As it sung by Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, similarly, you know that Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, he also has sung many song, approved songs. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura's songs are Vedic evidence. All Vaiṣṇavas songs are like that, Vedic evidence. There is no mistake, cheating, imperfectness or illusion. Conditioned soul, they are manufacturing by mental concoction. That is another thing. They are full of imperfection, illusion, mistake and cheating. But when we hear songs by the Vaiṣṇava, that is for liberation. So I am very glad to see this temple. You have purchased it? No. That's nice, very good space. And devotees are very nice. So our process is very simple, that we dedicate our life to the service of Vaiṣṇava and, according to his direction, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting of Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, and refrain from the sinful activities. Then life is successful. It is not very difficult. We do not require to be very learned scholar or very rich men or to take birth in a very high family. We do not require all these things. If we are endowed with all these blessings, janma aiśvarya śruta śrī---means birth in high family or great nation, to be very opulent, rich, and very highly educated or very beautiful---these things are very good material possessions. But if we have got them, it is all right. Even if we have not got, there is no impediment. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is without any check by any material condition. Anyone can execute this devotional service, provided he wants to do it. And especially when one is endowed with other blessings, it is just like good scent in gold. Gold is appreciated by everyone. It is valuable, but there is no good flavor. Similarly, janma aiśvarya, to... You American boys and girls, you are born of a very big nation. That is very good. You are all educated, you are beautiful, and janma aiś..., śruta śrī, four things. These things are just like gold. But if you add Kṛṣṇa consciousness along with these qualification, then gold with flavor. Gold is valuable, and if there is flavor, it is more valuable. Of course, in the material world there is no gold which has got good scent. But in the spiritual world that is possible. So with your intelligence, with your opulence, add Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then nationally, individually, collectively you will be glorified. I am very glad that you have opened this center. It is nice place. And execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is very simple, not difficult, if we want to execute. But I am glad that you are doing that. Our Satsvarūpa Mahārāja is guiding you, and I thank you very much for your kind reception. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]
Letter to: Satsvarupa 69-06-20 My Dear Satsvarupa, Please accept by blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 18, 1969, and I have noted the contents. The pictures you have sent are very nice, and they shall be published in BTG. Regarding Madan Mohan, I understand that he would like to remain in Boston, but previously he was indexing Bhagavad-gita As It Is. If he is able to work there on this project, I have no objection. Otherwise he may come back to New York. Sometimes, out of their own accord, devotees decide to leave a center, but this is not a good practice. If he can continue his indexing work there, then he may remain in Boston. I am very pleased to learn that you are planning for a nice Rathayatra Festival in Boston. Please do it nicely, and take many nice photographs for publication in BTG. Yesterday I received one telegram from London to send them by cable $1,025.00. They require this for their house there. This money was to be for a down payment on purchasing an IBM machine for our books, and therefore I now need some money. If you have got some extra money, you can help me. You have encouraged my writing books, and for printing each book will require not less than 6 or 8 thousand dollars. Under the circumstances, I request all centers that as soon as they have extra money, it should be sent to me. Immediately I wish to publish Nectar of Devotion second edition of First Canto, and first edition of Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. So if you will help me in this matter, it will be very nice. After this, I wish to publish Krishna. In this way I want to prolong the publication work. I am going to Los Angeles to collect some money, and similarly I am requesting you also to help in this matter. Please convey my blessing to the others. I hope this will meet you in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Gurudasa 75-12-22 Los Angeles My Dear Guru das Maharaja, Please accept my blessings. I have received the letters of appreciation of your preaching work. Thank you very much, you are very competent, and if you continue like this you will get strength from Krishna more and more. I always say, man is good, and woman is also good, but when they combine, then they become bad. Before there was so much difficulty, but now you are doing well and Yamuna dasi is also doing well, and I am very pleased with your work. Please continue like this and keep me informed. I hope this letter finds you well. Your ever well wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/hda
tatyāja vrīḍitā tārā kumāraṁ kanaka-prabham spṛhām āṅgirasaś cakre kumāre soma eva ca Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: By Bṛhaspati’s order, Tārā, who was very much ashamed, immediately gave birth to the child, who was very beautiful, with a golden bodily hue. Both Bṛhaspati and the moon-god, Soma, desired the beautiful child. None
lajjita haila bhaṭṭa, haila apamāne duḥkhita hañā gela paṇḍitera sthāne Ashamed, insulted and unhappy, Vallabha Bhaṭṭa went to Gadādhara Paṇḍita. None
viṣṇu-śaktiḥ parā proktā kṣetra-jñākhyā tathā parā avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate “ ‘The internal potency of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, is spiritual, as verified by the śāstras. There is another spiritual potency, known as kṣetra-jña, or the living entity. The third potency, which is known as nescience, makes the living entity godless and fills him with fruitive activity. In the Bhagavad-gītā, in Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s discourse on the kṣetra and the kṣetra-jña, it is clearly stated that the kṣetra-jña is the living entity, who knows his field of activities. The living entities in the material world are forgetful of their eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This forgetfulness is called avidyā, or nescience. The avidyā-śakti, the avidyā potency of the material world, provokes fruitive activity. Although this avidyā-śakti (material energy, or nescience) is also an energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is especially intended to keep the living entities in a state of forgetfulness. This is due to their rebellious attitude toward the Lord. Thus although the living entities are constitutionally spiritual, they come under the influence of the potency of nescience. How this happens is described in the following verse.
Letter to: Advaita 69-11-23 My Dear Advaita, Please accept my blessings. Your letter dated November 19, 1969 is in hand. The thing is that you have asked me so many questions, but it is not possible for me to manage all departments of our society. Practically you are in charge of the press department, but is is better to form immediately one press committee consisting of you, Satsvarupa, Brahmananda, or whomever else you like, and do it nicely. How things should be done I have given you suggestion, but it is not possible for me to divert my attention. Then my real work will suffer. I have written a letter to Pradyumna, but there is no reply as yet. Anyway, from the practical point of view, it appears that we cannot depend on him for composing work. So in consultation with the others, you arrange for other means. I have already advised Satsvarupa in this connection. If Sriman Candanacarya is busy in some other work, then Aravinda can wholly be engaged in Boston layout work. I have already asked him to go there. I have also noted down the lawyers instruction that outside work can be taken if the profit does not go to some individual person. I think if it is legally possible, this is all right. I have no objection if you make some profit on outside work. That is very nice. My only point is that we have got our press for printing our own literatures more and more. We should not miss this point. Otherwise combinedly together do it nicely. I shall be very much pleased to see things are going correct. Please offer my blessings to Balai Dasi, Nandini Dasi, and the others. I hope this will meet you all in good health. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
evaṁ saubhaṁ ca śālvaṁ ca dantavakraṁ sahānujam hatvā durviṣahān anyair īḍitaḥ sura-mānavaiḥ Having thus destroyed Śālva and his Saubha airship, along with Dantavakra and his younger brother, all of whom were invincible before any other opponent, the Lord was praised by demigods, human beings and great sages, by Siddhas, Gandharvas, Vidyādharas and Mahoragas, and also by Apsarās, Pitās, Yakṣas, Kinnaras and Cāraṇas. As they sang His glories and showered Him with flowers, the Supreme Lord entered His festively decorated capital city in the company of the most eminent Vṛṣṇis. None
advaita-ācārya-gosāñi sākṣāt īśvara prabhu guru kari’ māne, tiṅho ta’ kiṅkara Lord Advaita Ācārya is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although Lord Caitanya accepts Him as His preceptor, Advaita Ācārya is a servant of the Lord. Lord Caitanya always offered respects to Advaita Prabhu as He would to His father because Advaita was even older than His father; yet Advaita Prabhu always considered Himself a servant of Lord Caitanya. Śrī Advaita Prabhu and Īśvara Purī, Lord Caitanya’s spiritual master, were both disciples of Mādhavendra Purī, who was also the spiritual master of Nityānanda Prabhu. Thus Advaita Prabhu, as Lord Caitanya’s spiritual uncle, was always to be respected because one should respect one’s spiritual master’s Godbrothers as one respects one’s spiritual master. Because of all these considerations, Śrī Advaita Prabhu was superior to Lord Caitanya, yet Advaita Prabhu considered Himself Lord Caitanya’s subordinate.
evaṁ jñātvā kṛtaṁ karma pūrvair api mumukṣubhiḥ kuru karmaiva tasmāt tvaṁ pūrvaiḥ pūrva-taraṁ kṛtam All the liberated souls in ancient times acted with this understanding of My transcendental nature. Therefore you should perform your duty, following in their footsteps. There are two classes of men. Some of them are full of polluted material things within their hearts, and some of them are materially free. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is equally beneficial for both of these persons. Those who are full of dirty things can take to the line of Kṛṣṇa consciousness for a gradual cleansing process, following the regulative principles of devotional service. Those who are already cleansed of the impurities may continue to act in the same Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that others may follow their exemplary activities and thereby be benefited. Foolish persons or neophytes in Kṛṣṇa consciousness often want to retire from activities without having knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Arjuna’s desire to retire from activities on the battlefield was not approved by the Lord. One need only know how to act. To retire from the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to sit aloof making a show of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is less important than actually engaging in the field of activities for the sake of Kṛṣṇa. Arjuna is here advised to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, following in the footsteps of the Lord’s previous disciples, such as the sun-god Vivasvān, as mentioned hereinbefore. The Supreme Lord knows all His past activities, as well as those of persons who acted in Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the past. Therefore He recommends the acts of the sun-god, who learned this art from the Lord some millions of years before. All such students of Lord Kṛṣṇa are mentioned here as past liberated persons, engaged in the discharge of duties allotted by Kṛṣṇa.
Letter to: Professor Stillson Judah 75-06-11 Professor Stillson Judah Graduate Theological Union Library 2451 Ridge Rd., Berkeley, CA. 94709 My dear Professor Stillson Judah, Please accept my greetings. Your kind letter dated June 6, 1975 in hand, I thank you very much for this. The chapter 5 of Caitanya-caritamrta is already dispatched yesterday by post. It is my great delight that you have realized how Krishna Consciousness has transformed lives from drug addicted hippies to loving servants of Krishna and humanity. Loving service of Krishna is so exalted, that it automatically turns loving service to humanity. Krishna is just like the root of the tree and if you pour water on the root, it automatically reaches other parts of the tree. It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna manorathenasati dhavato bahih [SB 5.18.12]. If a person has unflinching devotion at the lotus feet of Hari (God), then all the good qualities of great personalities like the demigods, automatically becomes manifest in the person of a devotee. Whereas a nondevotee, even he is decorated with material qualities, he is forced to act on the material plane and he stays in temporary field of activities. The idea is that spirit-soul is eternal and the material body is temporary, or for the sake of sense gratification. The mental plane is also material. People being forced to stay on the material platform, they are planning for temporary happiness, and being frustrated, they are jumping from one platform to another which are all temporary. But, fortunately, if one becomes situated on the platform of Krishna Consciousness, then his jumping over material platforms becomes ceased. It is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita as follows: yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah—Upon gaining this, he thinks that there is no greater gain. So, at the present moment, there is great necessity to give to the human society Krishna, or God. Everyone speaks of God, but nobody has clear idea what is God, or where is God. We Hare Krishna people are trying to do our best to say, "here is God, Krishna". So, please try to co-operate with this movement and I am sure the world will be happy. I am coming to Los Angeles on the 20th of June, and more when we meet. Yours very sincerely, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/ps
Pradyumna = "...feeling empty for all time because you might have lost your most intimate friend, Lord Kṛṣṇa? O my brother Arjuna, I can think of no other reason for your becoming so dejected." [SB 1.14.44] Prabhupāda: Hmm. So Kṛṣṇa was the intimate friend of Arjuna. Not only to Arjuna; all the Pāṇḍavas. So they cannot tolerate separation from Kṛṣṇa. This is the sign of Kṛṣṇa devotee. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "I have no love for Kṛṣṇa." The verse, just now I forget. Na prema-gandho ’sti [Cc. Madhya 2.45]. "So you have no love for Kṛṣṇa. You are always crying for Kṛṣṇa, and still you say that you have no love for Kṛṣṇa?" "No, I am crying just to make a show. Actually I am not devotee of Kṛṣṇa." "Why?" That "Because if I could have been a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, how could I live without Him? I have not died, still. That means I have no love for Kṛṣṇa." This is the sign of love---that a lover cannot live for a moment without being associated with the beloved. This is sign of love. So this love, it can be appreciated only between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa or between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa; not otherwise. Actually we do not know what is the meaning of love. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, that, āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām marma-hatāṁ karotu vā adarśanā yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ [Śikṣāṣṭaka 8] yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me [Śikṣāṣṭaka 7] Govinda-vira. Vira means separation. Meant, Rādhārani... Caitanya Mahāprabhu was playing the part of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa, when He could not understand Himself... Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. He is so unlimited that Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot understand. That is unlimited. The unlimited cannot understand about His unlimitedness. Therefore Kṛṣṇa took the ecstasy of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and that is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That picture is very nice = Kṛṣṇa, taking the ecstasy, love of Rādhārāṇī, appears as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya [Śrī Guru-paramparā 6]. So by worshiping Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you simultaneously worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is very difficult to worship. So whatever we are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, that is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in His Nārāyaṇa form---Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. In the beginning we should worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the level of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, with awe and veneration, very strictly following the rules and regulation. Otherwise, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, they, the devotees, they do not worship Kṛṣṇa because He is God, but they worship Kṛṣṇa. Not worship; He is above worship. It is simply of love. Just like loving your lover = it does not mean worship. It is spontaneous, heart’s business. So that is the Vṛndāvana position. So even though we are not on the highest standard of the Vṛndāvana level, still, if we do not feel separation of Kṛṣṇa, then we must know that we are not still perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted = feeling separation. Therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja could understand that "Kṛṣṇa is no longer on this planet"; therefore he saw so many inauspicious symptoms. Now, when Arjuna came back, he was asking, "Why you are so morose? Have you done this? Have you done that?" Everything. Now he is concluding, "I think your so great moroseness is due to separation from Kṛṣṇa, as I was feeling." Kaccit preṣṭhatama. Preṣṭhatama, this is superlative. As in the English language there is positive, comparative and superlative, similarly Sanskrit. Preṣṭha is positive, prestha parā is comparative, and preṣṭhatama is superlative. Kṛṣṇa is the preṣṭhatama, beloved, in the superlative degree. Kaccit preṣṭhatamena atha. Preṣṭhatamenātha hṛdayenātma-bandhunā. Atma-bandhu, suhṛt. In Sanskrit there are different terms, atma-bandhu, suhṛt, bandhu, mitra---they all mean friend, but of different degrees. Different... Mitra means ordinary friend. As you have got, "He is my friend," that does not mean he is my intimate. So the best friend is suhṛt. Suhṛt means "without any return." If you think of somebody how he will be happy, that is called suhṛt. So hṛdayenātma-bandhunā. Kṛṣṇa was always thinking of Arjuna, and that is the relationship. Kṛṣṇa says, sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ [SB 9.4.68]. As the devotee always think of Kṛṣṇa, similarly Kṛṣṇa also thinks of the devotee. He thinks more. That is the reciprocation. ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham [Bg. 4.11] If you think of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours, Kṛṣṇa will think of you twenty-six hours. [laughter] Kṛṣṇa is so kind. If you do some service for Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will reward you hundred times. But people, they do not want. They think, "What we shall benefit by serving Kṛṣṇa? Let us serve my dog." You see? This is the misunderstanding. And our attempt is to awaken the dormant love of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone has got love---the stock of love is there---but it is being misused. They do not know where to place that love so that... Because they do not know, therefore they are frustrated. Therefore they are frustrated. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply to educate people that "You are loving. You are mad after a appropriate lover who can love you also. But that you cannot find out within this material world. That you will find out when you love Kṛṣṇa." That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is nothing very superfluous or concocted. Everyone can understand that "I want to love somebody." Hankering. But he is finding frustration because he does not love Kṛṣṇa. This is only. Only if you turn your loving spirit to Kṛṣṇa, then you are fully..., you will be fully satisfied, yayātmā samprasī..., suprasīdati [SB 1.2.6]. We are trying to peace of mind, to have peace of mind, full satisfaction. That full satisfaction can be achieved only when you learn how to love Kṛṣṇa. This is the secret. Otherwise you cannot. Because..., because you want to love and get satisfaction, that is completed when you come to the platform of loving Kṛṣṇa. So these Pāṇḍavas, they are also on the..., on the level of loving Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is on the platform, but it is the difference of degrees. The same love. Somebody is loving his family, somebody is loving his wife, somebody is loving his society or friendship---society, friendship, they say divine[?]. But the ultimate, ultimate point of love is when you come to Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo [SB 1.2.6]. Dharma means duty. That is dharma. Or the characteristics. Dharma does not mean the religious fanaticism. No. That is not the Sanskrit meaning. Dharma means the real characteristic. I have several times explained that the water is liquid; that is the eternal characteristic of water. When water becomes hard, that is not eternal characteristic of water. Water is by nature liquid. Even when the water becomes hard, just like ice, the tendency is to become liquid again. Again. Again liquid. So our real position, constitutional position, is to love Kṛṣṇa. But now we have become hard-hearted not to love Kṛṣṇa. Just like water becomes hard, ice, on account of some circumstantial position. When the temperature is very low, the water becomes hard. Similarly, if we do not love Kṛṣṇa, then our hearts will be harder and harder and harder. Heart is there for love, but why you are so hard-hearted? Why you are so much hard-hearted that we kill another fellow being or another animal---we do not care for it---for my satisfaction of the tongue? Because we have become hard-hearted. Hard-hearted. On account of not being a lover of Kṛṣṇa, we are all hard-hearted. Therefore the whole world is unhappy. But if you hrdayena... Therefore it is said, preṣṭhatamenātha hṛdayenātma-bandhunā. If you love Kṛṣṇa, who is our real friend, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ [Bg. 5.29]... So when you actually become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa’s qualities are there within you, although in small quantity, so you also become suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ means friend of all living entities. Suhṛdaṁ. What is the business of Vaiṣṇava? Vaiṣṇava business is to become compassionate with the persons who are suffering materially. This is Vaiṣṇavism. Therefore Vaiṣṇava’s description is, vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ [Śrī Vaiṣṇava Praṇāma] Patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo. Patita means "fallen." So all living entities, being fallen in this material condition, they are all suffering. So Vaiṣṇava sympathy is there. If actually there is any sympathizer for the fallen conditioned souls, he is a Vaiṣṇava. He knows how, why they are suffering. Therefore he wants to give him the information = "My dear friend, you are suffering simply for forgetting your real lover, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore you are suffering." This is the message, Vaiṣṇava’s message. For this message Kṛṣṇa comes Himself as the Supreme Lord. He also says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ [Bg. 18.66] Your loving propensity has been distributed in so many things, but you are not happy, because if you don’t love Kṛṣṇa, whatever you do in the name of so-called love, you will commit sinful life, disobedience. For example, if you are disobedient to the state law, that means your all activities are sinful. You may color it, "Oh, this is very nice," but that..., that will not. Nature, because you are servant of Kṛṣṇa, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa [Cc. Madhya 20.108], your eternal position is to serve Kṛṣṇa. So without this knowledge, whatever service you are going to render to somebody else, and that is sinful. There is the same example. If you don’t obey the state laws, and you become a philanthropist... So I have seen in India. In India, when there was Independence movement---not only in India, in every country---when there was Independence movement, many persons were hanged, condemned to death. But you are a great lover of the country. But on account of his intense feeling for loving his country, he was hanged, because the law..., he disobeyed the government law. Just try to understand. Similarly, if we disobey the supreme government laws, that is called dharma. Dharma means the supreme government law. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Dharma means... And what is that dharma? Kṛṣṇa says, it is very simple thing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ. Real religion is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is real religion. Without that point, all religions, they are cheating simply. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [SB 1.1.2] begins. Cheating religion. If there is no love of God, that is not the... Simply some ritualistic formula, that is not religion. Just like Hindus go, as a ritualistic formula, to the temple, or the Muslim goes to the mosque, or the Christian go to the church. But they have no love for God; simply official. Because they have to stamp themselves with some religious mark = "I belong to Hindu religion," "I belong to Christian religion." That is only for fighting, that’s all, because there is no love. If you..., if you are religious, that means you must be God conscious. So if you are God conscious, if I am God conscious, where is the cause of fighting? So that point they are missing; therefore such kind of religion is cheating religion, because there is no love. So first thing is that we have to learn how to love. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo [SB 1.2.6]. That is first-class religion. Religious system you follow, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. If you know how to love Adhokṣaja, that when there is question of love, then the next question will be, "Whom shall I love?" Therefore, Kṛṣṇa’s another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means "beyond your sense perception." Here we love something which is within the category, or within the jurisdiction, of my sense perception. I love a girl or a boy, or somebody, my country, my society, my dog---everything---but that is within the jurisdiction of your sense perception. But God is beyond your sense perception. But still you have to love, and that is religion. God is beyond sense perception, but if you love, although it is..., He is beyond your sense perception, then you will realize God. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Brs. 1.2.234]. Just like we are worshiping here Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Those who are not lover of Kṛṣṇa, they will think that "These foolish person, they have brought a doll made of marble, and they are simply wasting their time." You see? Because he has no love. He has no love; therefore he cannot appreciate this worship of Kṛṣṇa, for want of love. And one who is lover of Kṛṣṇa... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as soon as He entered the temple of Jagannātha = "Here is My Lord," He immediately fainted. So what is the difference between the... There is the difference = a lover of God, he can see everywhere God is present. premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti [Bs. 5.38] If you have actually [indistinct] lover of God, then you will see God in every step. Every step. Then, just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was being attacked by his father, he was looking over the column, pillar, and the father thought that his God might be there in the pillar, so he immediately, "Your God in this pillar?" "Yes, my father." "Oh." Immediately broke. To keep the words of His devotee, God came out. So appearance and disappearance of God is for the devotee. paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām [Bg. 4.8] God comes for two business = to give protection to the devotee and to kill the demons. So for killing the demons, He does not require to come. He has got immense power. Simply by His indication, any person can be killed. There is sufficient power, udgaledhi[?]. But He comes for His devotee, because His devotee is very much anxious. He is always seeking protection of the Supreme. So because the devotee will be satisfied by seeing Him, therefore He comes. That is the reason. Because His devotees are always feeling separation, just to give him relief, incarnation of God comes. Pralaya-payodhi jale dhṛtavān asi vedam [Śrī Daśāvatāra Stotra 1]. Different incarnation come just to give relief to the devotees. Otherwise He has no business. Then in the India there is a class of Hindus... They called so, but actually they are known as Ārya, Ārya-samāj. The Ārya-samājis' opinion is, "Why God should come? He is so great; why He should come here?" The incarnation, they do not believe. The Muslims also, they do not believe incarnations. They also press the same plea, that "Why God should come? Why He should appear like human being?" But they do not know, neither they can answer this question, "Why God would not come?" They say that God cannot come, but if I put the question, "Why God cannot come?" what is the answer? If God is all-powerful, why you are curtailing this power, that He cannot come? What kind of God is He? God is under your law, or you are under God’s law? So this is the difference between lover of God and the demons. The demons cannot think. They think that "Maybe there is some God. He must be aloof, formless." Because he has got the experience of this form = limited. So therefore Māyāvādī philosopher says that when God comes, the impersonal---He takes the form of māyā. That is called Māyāvādī. They actually do not believe in God. Impersonalism, śūnyavāda. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi. Some of them are nirviśeṣa: "Yes, there may be God, but He has no form." And Māyāvādī... Both of them are Māyāvādī, śūnyavādi, the Buddhists and the Śaṅkarites, so they do not believe. But we, Vaiṣṇava, we know how the atheists are cheated. Sammohāya sura-dviṣām [SB 1.3.24]. Lord Buddha came to cheat the atheist. The atheists do not believe in God, so Lord Buddha said, "Yes, you are right. There is no God. But you just try to hear me." But he is God. So this is cheating. "You don’t believe in God, but believe in me." "Yes, sir, I shall believe." And we know that he is God. [laughter] Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare [Gītā Govinda, Śrī Daśāvatāra Stotra 9]. Just see māyā. So sometimes cheating is required for the less intelligent class of men. But we are not cheating. We are very simple. Why should we cheat? Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65] So we say, "Please come here. Here is Kṛṣṇa, and you simply think of Him." Where is the difficulty? Here is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and if you daily see, naturally you will have impression within your mind about Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So at any place, anywhere, you can think of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? Man-manā. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. As soon as you chant "Kṛṣṇa," immediately you remember the form of Kṛṣṇa in the temple, nāma-rūpa. Then you are hearing about Kṛṣṇa; you remember about His qualities, His activities, nāma, guṇa, rūpa, līlā, parikara, vaiśiṣṭa. In this way this, this you can practice. Where is the difficulty? This is the beginning of practice. Actually Kṛṣṇa is there, but because I have no eyes to see Kṛṣṇa, I am thinking, "Here is... Where is Kṛṣṇa? It is a stone, statue." But he does not know the stone is also Kṛṣṇa. Stone is also Kṛṣṇa. Water is also Kṛṣṇa. Earth is also Kṛṣṇa. Air is also Kṛṣṇa. Without Kṛṣṇa, there is no other existence. That the devotee can see. Therefore, whenever he sees stone even, he sees Kṛṣṇa. Here the atheist will say that "You are worshiping stone." But they are not worshiping stone; they are worshiping Kṛṣṇa, because they know that there is no..., nothing else except Kṛṣṇa. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena [Bs. 5.38]. That stage we have to arrive. How you can say stone is not Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says... You have to understand Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa said. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca... bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā [Bg. 7.4] "They are mine." Just like I am speaking. I am speaking; it is being recorded and will replay, the same sound will come. And if you know that "Here is our spiritual master..." But the... I am not there. The sound is now different from me. Bhinnā. Bhinnā means "separated." But the..., as soon as the record is played, everyone will know, "Here is Bhaktisid..., Bhaktivedanta Swami." If you know. So that requires education. That Kṛṣṇa... [break] sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.136] So our process is very simple. Simply engage your tongue. Leave aside all other senses. The tongue is very strong. And tongue is our bitterest enemy, and tongue can be your most intimate friend, this tongue. Therefore the śāstra says that sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: just engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, and He will be revealed. Very nice. Now what..., what we do with the tongue? We talk = talk of Kṛṣṇa. We sing = chant of Kṛṣṇa. We eat = taste, eat Kṛṣṇa prasāda. You will understand Kṛṣṇa. Any foolish person, any uneducated or any position of life, you can use your tongue for Kṛṣṇa’s service. Don’t eat anything which is not eaten by Kṛṣṇa---your tongue becomes your most intimate friend. And don’t talk anything except Kṛṣṇa. If you follow these two principles, Kṛṣṇa will be within your grip. Thank you very much. Devotees: Jaya. Haribol. [offer obeisances] [end]
so ’nudhyāyaṁs tad evāghaṁ balavad-vigrahākulaḥ kathaṁ mṛjāmy ātma-rajaḥ prasīded vācyutaḥ katham Pondering over his grievous offense and worried about the possibility of conflict with the Lord’s mighty devotees, King Satrājit thought, “How can I cleanse myself of my contamination, and how may Lord Acyuta become satisfied with me? What can I do to regain my good fortune and avoid being cursed by the populace for being so short-sighted, miserly, foolish and avaricious? I shall give my daughter, the jewel of all women, to the Lord, together with the Syamantaka jewel. That, indeed, is the only proper way to pacify Him.” None
Letter to: Hayagriva 70-01-14 My Dear Hayagriva, Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your two letters dated January 5 and 8 1970 respectively, and I am so much moved from your kind sentiments that you have expressed for my humble activities. Actually I am not worthy of any one of the words spoken by you but all of them are due to my Spiritual Master Who was so kind to me. In fact I am a worthless person because my Spiritual Master ordered me to take up this work in 1922 but I did not carry his order until 1958, when I was obliged to carry out His order by His arrangement only. This means although I was not very enthusiastic to carry out His order He forced me circumstantially to accept it. So this is His special mercy upon me and I always think about this with gratitude to this exalted personality coming directly from Vaikuntha World and we had the great fortune to meet Him. I think that is the only credit on our part that we happened to meet Him by some "ajnata sukriti" or unknown auspicious activities. He is so kind upon me that when I came to your country, where I was completely unknown, He sent to me some good souls like you unsolicited. So I accept you all as assistants or representatives of my Guru Maharaja Who is still helping me because I am so feeble and unworthy. Anyway, the business which we have taken to work together is neither your business nor my business as far we are personally concerned, but it is the business of Lord Caitanya and His bona fide servants like my Guru Maharaja. Therefore it is the duty of all of us to execute it as nicely as far as possible within our capacity. In other words, we shall just try to discharge our responsible duties faithfully and seriously, then all facilities will come for our help. The Vrndavana scheme as suggested by you appears to be very nice. You purchase the adjoining two farms in the name of ISKCON and leave it to His Holiness Kirtanananda Maharaja and the devotees for further development. Regarding Krishna book, as soon as it is ready we will begin to print it either on our own press or in Japan as it is suitable and we shall not wait for George's $19,000. His lawyer has put some difficulty in the matter and it is not yet settled up. Regarding our enlarged, revised Bhagavad-gita As It Is, if possible you can conveniently give an enlarged introduction also. Here in Los Angeles they are selling our literature very nicely and yesterday I received the blue print of "Isopanisad" and this also appears very nice. If Kirtanananda Maharaja moves amongst the school, college and university authorities and induces them to recommend this "Isopanisad" for additional reading by the students either privately or in the library it will be a great achievement. As you have read it, we have tried to discuss the nature of God's greatness and our relationship to Him as preliminary chapter of Krishna Consciousness. So this book is the cheapest of all our other books and they can easily be introduced for mass reading and they will be benefited undoubtedly. Regarding publication by Mr. Ferlingetti, I have got all approval and we must take this opportunity for making our publication still more popular. Please try for it. Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS:db
kṛṣṇa-muṣṭi-viniṣpāta niṣpiṣṭāṅgoru bandhanaḥ kṣīṇa-sattvaḥ svinna-gātras tam āhātīva vismitaḥ His bulging muscles pummeled by the blows of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s fists, his strength faltering and his limbs perspiring, Jāmbavān, greatly astonished, finally spoke to the Lord. None
Prabhupāda: The love of God... Love is... [break] is manifested in so many ways but because it is misplaced not properly just like foodstuffs somebody has stolen it that you take this foodstuff within your body but if I do not know that I am placing here there here there [indistinct] that is the proper [break] place. Similarly my propensity of my loving others is there---others means, beyond my somebody else. That somebody else I do not know who is, therefore I am [indistinct]. [end]
tena kramānusiddhena dhvasta-karma-malāśayaḥ prāṇāyāmaiḥ sanniruddha- ṣaḍ-vargaś chinna-bandhanaḥ By thus practicing severe austerities, Mahārāja Pṛthu gradually became steadfast in spiritual life and completely free of all desires for fruitive activities. He also practiced breathing exercises to control his mind and senses, and by such control he became completely free from all desires for fruitive activity. The word prāṇāyāmaiḥ is very important in this verse because the haṭha-yogīs and aṣṭāṅga-yogīs practice prāṇāyāma but generally do not know the purpose behind it. The purpose of prāṇāyāma, or mystic yoga, is to stop the mind and senses from engaging in fruitive activities. The so-called yogīs who practice in Western countries have no idea of this. The aim of prāṇāyāma is not to make the body strong and fit for working hard. The aim is worship of Kṛṣṇa. In the previous verse it was specifically mentioned that whatever austerity, prāṇāyāma and mystic yoga practices Pṛthu Mahārāja performed were performed for the sake of worshiping Kṛṣṇa. Thus Pṛthu Mahārāja serves as a perfect example for yogīs also. Whatever he did, he did to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.
atho bhajasva māṁ bhadra bhajantīṁ me dayāṁ kuru etāvān pauruṣo dharmo yad ārtān anukampate Kālakanyā continued: O gentle one, I am now present before you to serve you. Please accept me and thus show me mercy. It is a gentleman’s greatest duty to be compassionate upon a person who is distressed. Yavana-rāja, the King of the Yavanas, could also refuse to accept Kālakanyā, daughter of Time, but he considered the request due to the order of Nārada Muni. Thus he accepted Kālakanyā in a different way. In other words, the injunctions of Nārada Muni, or the path of devotional service, can be accepted by anyone within the three worlds, and certainly by the King of the Yavanas. Lord Caitanya Himself requested everyone to preach the cult of bhakti-yoga all over the world, in every village and town. Preachers in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement have actually experienced that even the yavanas and mlecchas have taken to spiritual life on the strength of Nārada Muni’s pāñcarātrika-vidhi. When mankind follows the disciplic succession, as recommended by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, everyone throughout the world will benefit.
vasi’ bhaṭṭācārya mane karena vicāra ei kṛṣṇa-mahāpremera sāttvika vikāra Sitting beside Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he thought, “This is a transcendental ecstatic transformation brought about by love of Kṛṣṇa.” None
yat tu kāmepsunā karma sāhaṅkāreṇa vā punaḥ kriyate bahulāyāsaṁ tad rājasam udāhṛtam But action performed with great effort by one seeking to gratify his desires, and enacted from a sense of false ego, is called action in the mode of passion. None
aho vayaṁ hy adya pavitra-kīrte tvayaiva nāthena mukunda-nāthāḥ ya uttamaślokatamasya viṣṇor brahmaṇya-devasya kathāṁ vyanakti The audience continued: Dear King Pṛthu, your reputation is the purest of all, for you are preaching the glories of the most glorified of all, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord of the brāhmaṇas. Since, due to our great fortune, we have you as our master, we think that we are living directly under the agency of the Lord. The citizens declared that through being under the protection of Mahārāja Pṛthu, they were directly under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This understanding is the proper situation of social steadiness within this material world. Since it is stated in the Vedas that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the maintainer and leader of all living entities, the king or the executive head of the government must be a representative of the Supreme Person. Then he can claim honor exactly like the Lord’s. How a king or leader of society can become the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also indicated in this verse by the statement that because Pṛthu Mahārāja was preaching the supremacy and the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, he was therefore a proper representative of the Lord. To remain under the jurisdiction or administration of such a king or leader is the perfect status for human society. The primary responsibility of such a king or leader is to protect the brahminical culture and the cows in his state.

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