Preaching

Published on July 23rd, 2024 | by HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

5

We don’t care if anyone agrees with us. We push on.

So every village, every home, every neighborhood, they require guru. But who will be guru? One who repeats the instruction of Krsna. Yare dekha tare kaha. It is very easy. So people are accepting all over the world the instruction of Krsna. These books we are selling. Daily our collection is five to six lakhs of rupees. Now this recent publication, . . .

May 12, 1977
Prabhupada: Come here. Sit down. Hare Krsna. (Hindi)
Devotee (1): We kindly request all of you to please move in a little more down.
Indian man: (Hindi)
Prabhupada: Accha. Ah, Vrndavana. So we are publishing these books, altogether about eighty-four books, to prove that krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. This is our… There is God, and the Supreme Being, Supreme Lord, is Krsna. Ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. This verdict of Vyasadeva we are preaching. You can speak something about Krsna. Hm?
Pradyumna: Yes.
Prabhupada: Stand up.
Pradyumna: Stand up?
Prabhupada: Yes. They’ll hear.
Pradyumna:

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine nirvisesa-sunyavadi- pascatya-desa-tarine

[break] …yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti. For one who is…
Prabhupada: Pramattah.
Pradyumna: One who is pramattah… One who is… Pramattah means mad or illu…
Prabhupada: More than. Prakrsta-rupena mattah. Mattah means mad, drunkard, and pramattah means more than mad. So generally people, they have become mad after sense enjoyment. Everyone is busy for sense enjoyment. This is material life. And when they are fed up, no more available, so they become tyagi-frustration that “Grapes are sour.” The jackal jumped over to get the grapes, but when he could not obtain it, then he rejects, “Ah, what is use of the grapes? It is sour.” So karmis, they are pramattah, mad after enjoying, and jnanis, being fed up, they say, brahma satyam jagan mithya: “The world is useless.” So this is going on. The karmis, they want to enjoy this material world, and the jnanis, they are little advanced. They are… They are fed up, rather. They want to enjoy by becoming one with the Supreme. So there is want. The karmis want to enjoy this world, and the jnanis want also.

That is demand, mukti. Mukti means to become one with the Supreme Brahman. And the yogis, they want siddhi, asta-siddhi, anima, laghima, prapti, isita… They also want. Therefore our Vaisnava poet, Kaviraja Gosvami, he says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali asanta: “Those who are after something — either enjoyment of this material world or enjoyment of spiritually becoming one or to have some siddhis — they want something, so they cannot be happy.” Because there is demand, “I want this.” Maybe I want better thing than you, but I want. I am in need. So therefore those who are in need, they cannot be happy. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kami sakali asanta, krsna-bhakta niskama [Cc. Madhya 19.149]. Krsna-bhakta doesn’t want anything. Ataeva santa. So he is… He is satisfied. Svamin krtartho ‘smi varam na yace: [Cc. Madhya 22.42] “I don’t want. I am fully satisfied.” Dhruva Maharaja, he went to the forest, underwent very severe austerity, and when Lord Visnu appeared before him — “Take benediction, whatever you like” — he said, svamin krtartho ‘smi varam na yace: “I have no more demand. I am fully satisfied.” So this is the teaching. If we want to be fully satisfied, without any demand for sense gratification, then we become happy, and that is available in full Krsna consciousness. That is… Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, na dhanam na janam na sundarim kavitam va jagadisa kamaye. We don’t want. People want money and many followers, nice wife, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu refuses.

na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagadisa kamaye
mama janmani janmanisvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi
[Cc. Antya 20.29, Siksastaka 4]

“Let me remain Your servant janmani janmani.” Mukti means no more janma. So He doesn’t want even mukti. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi. For a devotee, either this life or next life, the business is the same, to serve Krsna. So this verse, nunam pramattah kurute vikarma… [SB 5.5.4]. People are mad after sense gratification in different ways, so Rsabhadeva says, “No, no, no, this is not good. You have already obtained a material body as a result of your past karma, and you are suffering.” Body means suffering. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]. “So you have already got this body, and you are suffering. You are again trying to get another body?” Na sadhu manye: “This is not good.”

Our whole Vedic civilization is punar janma jayaya, to conquer over punar janma. And here Krsna gives the very simple formula, janma karma ca me divyam yo janati [Bg. 4.9]. If we simply understand what is Krsna… And what is Krsna, for that purpose, we are writing so many books. The scholars, they are appreciating. Otherwise Krsna is available very easily. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. But if you want to understand Krsna tattvatah, then we have got so many books. You can read and try to understand Krsna. And when you understand krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28], then your life is successful. And karmis are warned, na sadhu manye: “This sense gratification is not good.” Karmana daiva-netrena jantur deha upapatti [SB 3.31.1]. Mrtyu-samsara-vartmani [Bg. 9.3]. This karma means mrtyu-samsara, again and again. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. You have to change this body. You do not know what kind of body you are going to get. Therefore eight…, 8,400,000 different forms of body. Any one of them I can get.

So if I lose the opportunity of human form of life and be engaged for some years, say, ten years, twenty years, fifty years, as very big man, and by my action, if I become a dog next life, then my life is spoiled. We should not spoil our life. We should fully utilize. And how to utilize fully, they are all given, direction, in the sastra. Bhagavad-gita is the preliminary understanding, and if we understand Bhagavad-gita, understand Krsna at least little bit… That is the end of instruction, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. If we have got faith that what Krsna says is right… Sarva-dharman parityajya. That is explained by Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, that faith, sraddha… Sraddha he has explained.

sraddha-sabde visvasa kahe sudrdha niscaya
krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya
[Cc. Madhya 22.62]

Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], and one who has got faith in these words — “Yes, if I surrender to Krsna, all success will follow…” — this is faith. So faith is the beginning of Krsna consciousness. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. So if we have got faith in the words of Krsna — they are very openly spoken — then our life becomes successful. But we have no faith in Krsna. They take Krsna as ordinary human being. Avajananti mam mudhah [Bg. 9.11]. If you say that “You have no faith in Krsna. Then you are a mudha,” he becomes angry. But I don’t say; Krsna says. We are simply repeating the words of Krsna. Na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah [Bg. 7.15]. So if we say, people become angry. And we don’t say anything. We simply repeat. That is our business.

We are not learned scholars. But our mission is to repeat the words of Krsna. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s order. He says, amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa: [Cc. Madhya 7.128] “You become guru.” “Now, how shall I become guru? I am neither learned nor Vedantist, neither sannyasi. How can I become guru?” “No, no, you have no difficulty. You, on My order, become guru simply…” Yare dekha tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Bas. “You become guru. Whomever you meet, you simply try to convince him what Krsna has spoken. Then you become guru.” So we request everyone the same thing. And become guru. It is very urgently necessary. I… People are becoming godless, atheist, nonbelievers, and they are suffering. So every village, every home, every neighborhood, they require guru. But who will be guru? One who repeats the instruction of Krsna. Yare dekha tare kaha. It is very easy. So people are accepting all over the world the instruction of Krsna. These books we are selling. Daily our collection is five to six lakhs of rupees. Now this recent publication, how many copies we have printed, this?

Tamala Krsna: 220,000.
Prabhupada: Yes. We expect to sell them very…
Tamala Krsna: Three months’ time.
Prabhupada: That Bhagavad-gita, abridged edition, we have 300,000?
Tamala Krsna: Of the abridged edition?
Prabhupada: Yes. Where is that abridged edition?
Devotee (1): It’s in the corner.
Prabhupada: Yes. So foreign countries, foreign religions, and they are foreigners. So why they are purchasing these?
Devotee (2): Three lakhs and three thousand copies, Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
Prabhupada: We are printing huge quantity.
Tamala Krsna: They just printed fifteen lakhs more.
Prabhupada: Eh?
Tamala Krsna: New printing is fifteen lakhs, one time, abridged edition.
Prabhupada: (Hindi) It will distribute India’s glories. People will feel obliged to India, that “We have got this knowledge from India.” Actually knowledge is here. There is no such knowledge all over the world.

bharata-bhumite haila manusya-janma yara
janma sarthaka kari’ kara para-upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]

Paropakara. India is meant for paropakara. India is not meant for exploiting others. But unfortunately the knowledge is… Sarasvati jnana-khale yatha sati. We have got the store of knowledge, but we have kept it locked up, not distributed to the world. They are called jnana-khala. One who has knowledge but he does not want to distribute it, that is, they are termed as jnana-khala. So we should not be jnana-khala. In India there is storehouse of spiritual knowledge, and every one of us should make our life successful by assimilating this knowledge and distribute all over the world. There is customer; there is appreciation. This is Krsna consciousness movement. (Hindi) Why you should be jnana-khala? Na sadhu manye. Jnana should be distributed. The modern scientists also, they have… If they have discovered something new, they go and distribute for the benefit of the whole human society. Unfortunately we are distorting the knowledge in Bhagavad-gita, interpreting in a different way according to my whims, and spoiling my life and others’. This process should be stopped. Present Bhagavad-gita as it is. You’ll be benefited; others… Don’t distort. That is our duty.
Indian man (3): Sir, do you not consider it advisable to get the judgment that the Americans have translated into Indian so we can look?
Prabhupada: Yes. That… We require an expert lawyer. There are some technical terms. Ordinary man cannot translate. If amongst yourselves there is a lawyer, if he helps us translate, we can publish it. There are so many legal… The judgment is wonderful judgment.
Indian man (3): Historical judgment.
Prabhupada: Yes. I was expecting to fight that case at least for some years, but by Krsna’s grace he has given on the first day the judgment.
Indian man (3): Was it argued on also?
Prabhupada: No. Simply we presented our statement. I advised them that “You take my eighty-four books and present before the judge that ‘Our statements are here. First of all you read these books. Then you give your judgment.’ ”
Indian man (3): Prabhupada’s judgment.
Prabhupada: Yes. So (laughs) Krsna has given him sense that from the ordinary statement he has understood the whole thing, and he has given judgment immediately. I never… This is all Krsna’s arrangement. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ‘rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. He is everyone’s heart, so He has dictated that “You give judgment like this.” So he… Otherwise it was impossible. And that is… In many courts… We have been harassed in Australia, many, many, because they are afraid of… Now Krsna consciousness movement is advancing. The some… One politician has said that “This movement is increasing like epidemic. If we do not check it, within ten years they’ll take our government.” (laughter) Yes, in America one politician… So actually that is happening. In spite of so much obstacles, we are increasing. Our books are selling. They are advancing. We are getting more devotees. Our movement is not checked. It is… [break] But you do not know. We are dropping from the sky? Our main movement is Europe, America.
Indian man (3): Throughout the world over.

Prabhupada: All over the world.
Indian man (3): No, all over the world I have heard about…
Prabhupada: So all over the world does not include Europe?
Indian man (3): No, it does.
Prabhupada: Then why you ask me? We have got in every country of Europe-England, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Rome, Sweden, everywhere.
German man: But the Pope is agreeing with you in Rome?
Prabhupada: Eh?
German man: The Pope is agreeing?
Devotee (2): The Pope.
Prabhupada: Pope.
German man: In Rome. He is agreeing with Hare Krsna…?
Prabhupada: But he agree or… Who cares for his agreement?
German man: With chanting and…
Prabhupada: We don’t care for anyone agrees or not. We push on. That’s all. Do you think in India they agree Krsna is the Supreme Person? Then? We don’t care for them. We have to go forward. That is our business. If Krsna agrees, that is all right. We don’t care for anyone else, agrees or not agrees. If our master agrees — we are servant — that is our satis… We don’t care for ordinary…
Indian man (3): Unfortunately, that this training ground all over the world, excluding India, the birthplace of… There the movement should be increased. In present you have got temples in here…
Prabhupada: (Hindi) They say, “What is this Hare Krsna? We have chanted Hare Krsna many times. Now let us meditate.” This is going on.
Devotee (2): The Indian government even does not grant visa for the followers of Hare Krsna movement in India.
Prabhupada: So we are not dependent on Indian government.
Devotee (2): Just a few months long.
Prabhupada: Hm?
Devotee (2): They don’t give long-term visa for Hare Krsna movement in India.
Prabhupada: No.
Devotee (2): Just for few months.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Devotee (2): As tourist people.
Prabhupada: Yes. Yes. Three months. Utmost, six months. And we are losing five to six lakhs of rupees per year for this injustice. I have pointed out the government that “In America they give permanent residentship to so many Indians. I am also. I have got that blue card, formal residence in America. So why don’t you give them permanent residence? They are my assistants.” “No.” This is our misfortune. I am preaching Indian culture all over the world, and I am bringing at least ten lakhs of rupees, foreign exchange, for my Indian activities, but there is no help from the government. This is our position.
Indian man (4): So now the government has changed.
Prabhupada: But the machine is the same.
Indian man (3): It may be due to secular state. Maybe that also.
Prabhupada: No, secular state it was…
Indian man (4): Secularism means it’s opposed to religion.
Devotee (2): Different parties, different government.
Prabhupada: No, no. We have to study the Indian constitution. It is defective because by the same constitution our present Prime Minister was put into custody for nineteen months. And we are working on the same constitution. So the constitution itself is defective. Anything man-made will be defective.
Indian man (3): It will never be perfect.
Prabhupada: Therefore I am insisting that “Take the instruction of Krsna. You’ll be perfect. Don’t manufacture.”
Indian man (5): You can’t have that in authoritarianism. You get that in Delhi, where they feel that they are authority.
Prabhupada: So become authority. That is… We said that. You become guru, authority. But you learn first of all as cela from the guru. And then you become guru. And without any learning, without any…, how become a guru? That is going on. Everyone is self-made guru. That has to be stopped.
Indian man (5): I feel, in this country at least, the young generation, the present generation, absolutely has got no base, religious base. And…
Prabhupada: Religious base is there. There is scriptures. But they are not being trained up.
Indian man (5): They are trained, but after some time they…
Prabhupada: They do not like to be trained up.
Indian man (5): What will happen to this generation after ten, twenty years?
Prabhupada: No, if the rascals — again we have to say “the rascals” — the rascal leaders mislead them, there is no hope.
Indian man (5): There is no hope.

Prabhupada: There is no hope. Now, to prove Bhagavad…, from Bhagavad-gita, nonviolence, how it is possible? Bhagavad-gita begins with the word yuyutsavah. And now, if you want to make it nonviolent, that is misleading. Yuyutsavah means fighting spirit. Dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre samaveta yuyutsavah [Bg. 1.1]. So where is nonviolence there? But our leaders want to prove Bhagavad-gita nonviolence. Is not misleading? Hm? Why you should misinterpret Bhagavad-gita?
Indian man (5): Swamiji, there is no salvation for this country?
Prabhupada: There is. Not everyone is misled. One who can protect himself from this misleading… Andha yathandhair upaniyamanah [SB 7.5.31]. If they can understand their leaders are blind — they have no knowledge — then they’ll be saved. That we are trying. And there is obstacle. When we say, “Krsna is the Supreme Being,” they take objection. They say, “Krsna is an ordinary man.” Avajananti mam mudhah [Bg. 9.11]. This is the struggle going on.
Indian man (5): So we have to leave anything in the feet of Krsna.
Prabhupada: Eh?
Indian man (5): We have to leave everything…
Prabhupada: Yes.
Indian man (5): …at the feet of Krsna.
Prabhupada: Yes. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam… [Bg. 18.66]. That is the instruction.
Indian man (5): Whatever He does, He does all.
Prabhupada: Yes. Not does. He wants you also to do. He… He does not anything. Everything is done by His… Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki jnana-bala-kriya ca [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. He hasn’t got to do anything. Na tasya karyam karanam ca. He has got many names. Still, He acts to teach us. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. He’s so kind, but as soon as He comes to teach us, we take Him as ordinary man.
Indian man (5): Is He coming again?
Prabhupada: Yes. He has already come.
Indian man (5): Eh?
Prabhupada: He has already come — by His name. Kali-kale krsna nama-rupe avatara.
Indian man (5): Oh, that’s correct.
Prabhupada: This Hare Krsna is Krsna. He’s absolute. His name, His form, His attributes, His paraphernalia — they’re all one. So He… This Hare Krsna name is not different from Krsna. The… Nama cintamanih krsnah…

nama cintamanih krsnas
caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
purnah suddho nitya-mukto
‘bhinnatvan nama-naminoh
[Cc. Madhya 17.133]

Nama is Krsna. So He has already come. He’s… Ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni [Cc. Antya 20.12]. If you simply take harer nama harer nama… [Cc. Adi 17.21]. Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet [SB 12.3.51]. This is the verdict of Bhagavata. Kaler dosa-nidhe rajann asti hy eko mahan gunah. We have got a special concession in this Kali-yuga. We cannot execute all the instruction in the Vedas. We are fallen down. But if we chant Hare Krsna maha-mantra-kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet — he becomes liberated from all the faults of this Kali-yuga and param vrajet, goes back home, back to Godhead. So Krsna is already there. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam, kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva [Cc. Adi 17.21]. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s… Chant Hare Krsna. Wherever you are staying, it doesn’t matter. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. There is very simple formula. You can become liberated simply by chanting. And if you think that you are very learned philosopher, read all these books. Two ways there are. Thing is very simple. Even a boy can chant Hare Krsna.
Indian man (5): Rama and Krsna (Hindi).
Prabhupada: No. Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan. [Bs. 5.39] Krsna has unlimited number of expansions-Rama, Nrsimha, Varaha… There are… Ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan nanavataram akarod bhuvanesu, krsnah svayam samabhavat [Bs. 5.39]. Krsna is the original person, and Rama and Krsna the same, expansion.
Indian man (5): That’s what I mean, Rama and Krsna are the same.
Prabhupada: Same. Krsna is Rama, and Rama, Krsna. So we chant Hare Krsna, Hare Rama. There is no difference. So…?
Indian man (5): We are living in more horrible conditions than what was in the time of Mahabharata.
Prabhupada: What?
Indian man (5): And Krsna had promised definitely that He would appear whenever there is…

Prabhupada: Yes, He has appeared, nama-rupe avatara.
Indian man (5): So I think we are passing through a greater hell than what was…
Prabhupada: No, no, the disease is there; the remedy is there. If you take the remedy, so there is no question of suffering from the disease. But you refuse to take the remedy. Just like this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Twelfth Canto. This Kali-yuga is the ocean of faults. Why should we lament for that? The remedy is there. Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta… [SB 12.3.51]. You chant Hare Krsna. You’ll become relieved immediately. So why don’t you take the remedy? Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti. Why you are so much disturbed by maya? Just surrender to Krsna. So it is our choice. We do not do that, and we suffer. Mam aprapya nivartante mrtyu-samsara… Krsna is giving personally. He has taken you, and we are not accepting. What can be done? The knowledge is there, the process is there, the authority is there, all the acaryas, they have accepted, but we are so stubborn, we’ll not accept. That is the difficulty. We’ll manufacture our own ways. Yato mata tato patha. That is the difficulty. So it is past six. Have some kirtana. (kirtana begins) (end)

Tags: heavy, Spiritual Master / Guru, teaching

About the Author

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founded the Hare Krishna Movement in 1966 in New York. In only 11 years he spread the movement all over the world. He wrote more than 80 books including Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Sri Isopanisad. Prabhupada's books constitute a complete library of Vedic philosophy, religion, literature and culture.

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