chanting water, water, water

"Perhaps you saw in the San Francisco Chronicle that when I landed at San Francisco airport a reporter asked me my opinion of the landing of your American people on the moon. I asked him whether I should give my frank opinion. He said, "Yes." So I replied that it is "simply a waste of time." If you actually want to transfer yourself from this planet to another planet, then you must follow the principles of the Bhagavad-gita. In the Bhagavad-gita you will find a nice verse which says that there are innumerable planets, not only in this one universe, but there are innumerable universes also. In each of these universes there are millions and trillions of planets, and each planet has a different atmosphere. So even if you go to the moon, you will not be happy there, because everywhere in the material universes the four principles of material conditioning are always present. They are birth, death, old age and disease. But Krishna says that, "If one goes back to My Supreme Planet, which is called Goloka Vrindaban, he will never have to come back to this miserable condition of life." This Krishna consciousness movement is to take you to the highest state of eternal bliss and knowledge. It is not a sentimental movement, but is the practical means of perfect spiritual realization. If within this life you practice Krishna consciousness, then you will very easily be able to go to Goloka Vrindaban and have your blissful life, eternal and full of knowledge. You should start this process today. Simply chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. I request you to follow this car of Lord Jagannath, and make progress in your life to Goloka Vrindaban, instead of wasting your time for the moon planet. Thank you very much."    (More...)

Prabhupada then outlines a program for Bombay, Delhi and Calcutta. He draws the rough sketch, and the devotees fill in the details. "If a temple is occupied," he says, "it must be kept up. Otherwise there is no need to occupy it just to hold property. Krsna had no interest in worldly acts, but because the world belongs to Him, He wanted to establish good government." Prabhupada surveys his leaders and continues. "He wanted Maharaja Yudhisthira to take charge, and later Pariksit Maharaja. When such kings took charge, there was no scorching heat or freezing cold. Like such devotee kings, we should make people Krsna conscious; then from all points of view the people will be benefited. Krsna conscious people are not sentimentalists. They want to reform the world. Krsna consciousness is not just sitting and chanting for cheap adoration. Inactivity and silence are not perfection. Activity is perfection. Arjuna was not silent or inactive. He thought, 'If I fight, my Lord will be pleased. I have to do this.' His activity was spontaneous activity. When one knows the Lord and what He wants, there will be activity. Up to seventy years of age I was doing nothing, but by the grace of God I went to the United States to begin this movement. Now that we are becoming successful we can expect to meet with so much resistance. Although Gandhi used to use Bhagavad-gita, now Gita is not allowed in the schools in India. But now in the Western countries our Bhagavad-gita As It Is is selling more copies than any other edition. I have great hope for the Western countries, for they are taking up this movement seriously. Here we are seeing many temples, and we are also seeing the pūjaris smoking. How can a person chant with one hand and smoke with another? It is ludicrous. Such a person cannot be a devotee. Unless we are free from sinful activities, we cannot actually engage in devotional service. Now everyone is claiming, 'This is my country. This is my land.' But the world belongs to Krsna, so how can anyone claim it? We are simply guests here for a few years. The land was here before our birth, and after our death it will still be here. How is it ours? How can a mere visitor claim proprietorship? In this way we have to educate the people."    (More...)