Arrival talk – February 12, 1973, Sydney

730212AR-SYDNEY [24:11 Minutes]

No. This order cannot be executed

[kirtana]

[10:26]

Prabhupada: [prema-dhvani prayers] …my coming to Sydney. First opportunity was to bring the Deities, and the Deities are installed... The Oxford Street?

Devotees: Yes.

Prabhupada: So at that time I prayed to Radha-Krsna, that "I am leaving You, Sir, with these innocent boys and girls. They want to serve You, but they are not yet competent. Kindly take care of Yourself and give them intelligence so that they can serve You." So I see that Krsna has given you good intelligence, and you have improved very much. And fortunately, therefore, the very good leader Sriman Madhudvisa Maharaja will come, so each of you learn how to worship Deity, how to chant Hare Krsna mantra in this way-ecstatic.

And go corner to corner of the Australia continent. There is good potency for this country, and everyone is suffering for want of this Krsna consciousness. This is a fact. So from all angles of vision-from national point of view, from religious point of view, from social welfare point of view, any point of view-Krsna is all-perfect. You can take Krsna from any angle of vision and there will be perfection.

So we have got books also, philosophy also, plus the sankirtana, combined together. Sankirtana is… Sankirtana as well as books, that, that is called bhagavat-marga, and the Deity worship is called pancaratrika-vidhi. Both of them should go parallel. One will help… The Deity worship will help you in the path of bhagavat-marga, and the bhagavat-marga will help you in the pancaratrika-vidhi. So combine together; make progress. I am very happy that you have already made sufficient progress. But don't be satisfied that "This is end." No. Krsna is unlimited. His service is also unlimited. Anandambudhi-vardanam. This is the line; Krsna consciousness is the line where the blissful ocean increases.

Here you have got experience, the salty ocean, it does not increase; it is decreasing. But the another ocean, anandambudhi... Ananda means blissfulness, transcendental; ambudhi means ocean. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said,

Sankirtana movement is so nice that it will increase blissful life more and more, more and more. Although you are getting some impediments from the authorities, you don't mind for that. You go on with your business and nobody can check you. Krsna is there. Caitanya Mahaprabhu is there.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally started civil disobedience. You know this story: The Kazi at that time, a Muhammadan magistrate, he issued order not to perform kirtana. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "No. This order cannot be executed." So He organized one lakh of people to join in the sankirtana movement, and all of them went to the house of Kazi. And the Kazi was afraid that the public opinion is against him, so there was some compromise. Compromise means it was victory for Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Kazi declared that "I shall never obstruct sankirtana movement."

So as Caitanya Mahaprabhu did, we can follow. We are not doing anything harm to the people; we are actually giving the, I mean to say, highest benediction to the human life. But there are always atheistic class of men. Even Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. The only fault was that he was preaching God consciousness. So these class of men, you will find always they are existing. There was Kamsa. During Krsna's time, there was Kamsa. There was Hiranyakasipu, but they..., Ravana.

All of them became vanquished. Nobody can check the progress of Krsna consciousness. Simply we have to remain very serious and sincere. There is no… Ahaituky apratihata [SB 1.2.6]. It is apratihata. Pratihata means being checked. So this bhakti-marga cannot be checked by any material impediments. It cannot be checked. Simply we have to become very serious and sincere.

So I am very glad to see that you are doing nice. The temple room is also improved in the last year. And go on, improve it. The more you improve the temple worship, the more you become improved in Krsna consciousness. The more you keep the temple cleansed, the more your heart becomes clean. The more you feed the Deity sumptuously, you also feel very satisfaction. This is the way. Krsna, the more you serve Krsna… The example is given that just like if on the real person is decorated, the reflection is also decorated. If a person is decorated nicely, and he is… What is called? Impression, in the mirror?

Devotee: Reflected.

Prabhupada: Reflection. There his reflection is also immediately decorated. Similarly, reality is Krsna. If you serve Krsna, then we are reflection. We are reflection. Krsna being satisfied, immediately we become satisfied. So if you want peace, satisfaction, then you make Krsna satisfied. That is the way. You cannot… Just like decorate the reflection in the mirror-that is not possible. You decorate the reality, person, and the reflection in the mirror will be decorated. This is the process.

Krsna is not hankering after your decoration, after your nice foodstuff, because He is full perfect, atmarama. He can create any kind of comforts, He is so powerful. But He is so kind that He comes to you in a form which you can handle to serve Him: this arca-mūrti. Krsna is so kind. Because you cannot see at the present moment Krsna in spiritual identity, therefore Krsna comes before you as stone, as wood. But He is not stone; He is not wood.

The same example I have given several times, that the post office gives you a letterbox in front of your house. But that little box is not a letter..., an ordinary box; it is post office. It is post office actually. If you imitate a box like that, and if you put your letter, that will not go. But in that authorized box if you put your letters, it will go any part of the world. So that box, do not consider that it is ordinary box. It is the whole post office, whole postal department. But for your convenience the postal department has come before you like a small box.

Similarly Krsna, arca-mūrti… Everyone knows that this mūrti is made of stone or wood or metal. But it is not that. Krsna is all-powerful. He can take your service in any way. But the point is that because you cannot see beyond this metal and wood and stone, therefore He comes in that form, so that you can see. This is the point.

Don't be carried away by the nonsense philosophy that "These people are worshiping idol." It is not idol. It is same example: He is Krsna Himself. Always same. He is Krsna Himself. He has come to you for…, just you can see Him. That's all. Otherwise Krsna, ataḥsri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaiḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136], these blunt eyes, material eyes, you cannot see Krsna at the present moment. So whatever you can see, Krsna has conveniently has taken His form in that way. So you should always think that Krsna is present here-not that wood or stone. Then you are…

[aside:] Go on.

Directly, arcye sila-dhir gurusu nara-matiḥ vaisnave jati-buddhiḥ [Padma Purana], these are forbidden. Never think of the arca-mūrti as wood or stone; never think of the spiritual master as ordinary human being; never think of a Vaisnava as belonging to a certain caste or nation. These are things…

So all the Vaisnavas here, it is not that "Here is an American Vaisnava, here is an African Vaisnava, an Indian Vaisnava." Vaisnava is Vaisnava. Vaisnava is transcendental. Although he may be appearing in different dress, but he is servant of Krsna. This vision should be enlightened. Then he will remain fixed up in devotional service, and certainly he shall remain successful of life in this very life. That should be our aim, that in this very life we shall make our devotional service so perfect, and we shall try to know Krsna as far as possible, so that Krsna says,

After giving up this body, such devotee do not accept…, such devotee does not accept any more material body. He comes back in a spiritual body, back to home, back to Godhead.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Hare Krsna. [end]