Liberation

The Bhagavad-gita says that, just as we change our outer garments, so this body is changed. Transcendental meditation means the yogic process of getting out of this material embodiment. Just as you are repeating changes of dress, so you are repeating birth and death, and this is the cause of your miseries. If you do not understand this, then all your activities end in defeat.

Yoga means to get out of this embodiment, and it means to know oneself. This body is born of the parents. Similarly, as pure soul, you are also the source of its birth. We do not mean birth beginning historically from a certain day, and ending on a certain day. No; the soul is not like that-it has no beginning, and it has no end. But in The Bhagavad-gita it is said that the soul is part and parcel of God: God is eternal, God is full of joy and bliss. The position of the Absolute Person, the Godhead, is Sat-Chit-Ananda Vigraha: full of bliss, eternal, and full of knowledge. And, because we are also part and parcel of the Supreme, we have partial blissfulness, eternity, and we are full of knowledge-according to our infinitesimal size.

The human beings are understood to be the most intelligent of all living creatures, but they are misusing their intelligence. How? They are misusing their intelligence by devoting it to the animal propensities. These animal propensities are: eating, sleeping, mating and fearing. You can analyze the trend of modern civilization: everyone is busy with these four principles of animal life. They are sleeping and creating some cushions for comfortable sleep. They are creating palatable dishes for the eating propensity. They are having exciting sex very nicely, for the mating necessity. And they are defending their country with so many atom bombs-that is the fear propensity.

But these symptoms you will find among the animals. They are also sleeping according to their own ways, and they are defending. You can kill your enemy, or he can kill you, but there is actually no defense. You cannot defend yourself; wherever you drop the bomb, it will hurt you, due to nuclear radiation. So this is not the solution of your problems. The solution of your problems is to get out of the conditioned state of life. That is called Yoga-to link yourself to the Supreme.

There is a Supreme. This material Creation is so nice-don't you think there is a Friend behind it? The sky is so beautiful, the foodstuff is being produced, the Sun is rising in due course, the Moon is rising in due course, supplying heat for your health, supplying heat to the planetary systems. Everything is arranged very nicely, and yet the fools say there is no brain behind it; it is all happening automatically.

The fact is that there is God, Krishna, and we are all parts and parcels of Krishna. We have been conditioned in some way or other in this material atmosphere. But now we have this human form of life, and so we have to get out of the entanglement. But getting out is not possible. You cannot get out of the entanglement of the material body unless you develop your Krishna Consciousness. Krishna Consciousness is not artificial-don't think that. This International Society of ours is not another political tool. This is the greatest necessity of the human being. Krishna Consciousness, God consciousness, is there within you. Don't you find, when there is a Kirtan performance, that the more innocent a person is, the sooner he begins to chant and dance? Immediately, the child begins to clap, begins to dance. This is within them; and it is very simple, this Krishna Consciousness.

So, unless you develop Krishna Consciousness, there is no rescue from the entanglement of conditioned life. This you have to understand. This is not some sentiment. No, it is a great science. You have to understand it nicely. Then the human form of life will be successful, and otherwise it is defeated. You may become a very great nation, but that is not the solution to the problem of life.

By the grace of Krishna, I am able to serve you with my life's energy. I left the United States in 1967 in poor health; but life and death-everything-depends on Krishna. I thought, Let me go back to Vrindaban, because Vrindaban is a sanctified place where Krishna Consciousness is very strong. I thought that I might go there and die in Krishna Consciousness. Of course, if you are always in the atmosphere of Krishna Consciousness, then here also you can have Vrindaban. Vrindaban is not a particular place that is called Vrindaban. Krishna says, "It is not that I live in the kingdom of God, Vaikuntha; nor is it that I live in the heart of the yogi." The yogi wants to find out where Krishna is within the heart. But Krishna says, "I am not in the abode in the spiritual sky, nor am I in the heart of the yogi." Then where are You? Krishna says, "I stay where My pure devotees are chanting My glories." That is Vrindaban.

So, if that is Vrindaban, then I am there. There is no difference. Wherever there is electric light, there is electricity. It is naturally understood. Similarly, wherever there is Krishna Consciousness, it is Vrindaban. We can create Vrindaban by the mercy of Krishna, if we chant Hare Krishna. Perfect this Krishna Consciousness, try to understand the philosophy behind it. It is a science, not a bluff. We can speak from any angle of vision.

Krishna Consciousness is the great necessity of human society. Learn it and appreciate it, comprehend and assimilate it-and teach it. It is very simple. If you offenselessly chant Hare Krishna, everything will be revealed from within. Because Krishna is sitting within you. If you are strong and have faith and conviction in Krishna, as well as the spiritual master-the transparent medium to Krishna-then Krishna is there. The Vedas say that if you have implicit faith in God and implicit faith in your bona fide Guru who teaches you Krishna Consciousness, then the result will be that all the Vedic scriptures will be revealed authoritatively.

The process is spiritual; it does not require any material qualifications. The speculators who are not realized souls are covered in delusion, and are simply wasting their time. Whatever they may do in their official class, they remain the same foolish rascals. But our Krishna conscious students will feel a change in their lives, a change in happiness-and a change in youth, also This is reality.

I shall request you, my dear young girls and boys, to take to Krishna Consciousness very seriously, and you will be happy, your life will be perfected It will be the sublime addition to your life. It is not a bluff. I have not come here to collect some money. Money is supplied by Krishna. I am going back and forth to India-not only I but my students as well-and for a rich man there would be many expenditures. It would cost $10,000 for such trips. But our business is Krishna, and He will supply. I do not know where the money comes from, but Krishna supplies. In Krishna Consciousness, you will be happy. You are the young generation, you are the flower of your country and society. Practice Krishna Consciousness, this most sublime system of transcendental meditation. Be happy and make others happy. This is the real mission of life.