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760709AD.NY
Arrival Address
New York, July 9, 1976 Prabhupada: So first of all I must thank you all for bringing me in this new temple, because when I first came my ambition was to start temple here in New York, and I was seeking the opportunity living in the 72nd Street. There was a house, very small house, one part of this space-25 feet by one 100 feet. So they wanted $100,000. So I wrote one rich friend in India, industrialistperhaps you know him, that Kanpurwalla, Singaniya. So he agreed to pay me, but the government did not allow. The Indian government did not allow to transfer money from India to here. Then I approached the, what is that? Salvation Army, the chief man. I offered him that "You are spending money in India. So I have got a friend, he'll pay you, you pay me here." So he asked me "What is the rate you want to pay me?" So I told him, "The present rate is five dollars..., five rupees, one dollar." So he remained silent. That means he wanted more. In this way I had no place. What to speak of temple, I had no residential place even. So in that condition I was thinking of returning back to India. So the shipping company I was, practically every week, I was going.
So it is a long history that I came here with determination to start a temple in New York first, but at that time, ten years before, in 1965, it was not possible. But by the grace of Krsna, by the grace of my Guru Maharaja, you have got this place. So I must thank you very much for organizing this temple. Actually, in this line of Krsna consciousness, two things are very important. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said in His teaching to Rupa Gosvami,
ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija [Cc. Madhya 19.151] We are loitering throughout the whole universe. This is conditional stage of our materialistic life, and we are simply suffering. People are kept into ignorance without knowing the aim of life, how we are suffering in this materialistic way of life. They are so dull-brained that Krsna says personally that here the real problem is janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]. You are simply busy with some petty problems. And they are not problems. Real problem is janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. Why...? We are eternal living entities. Why we should be subjected to birth, death, old age and disease repeatedly? This is real problem. Unfortunately there is no such education all over the world to deal with the real problem. They are simply tackling some temporary problem and spoiling the human form of life to solve these petty problems and creating a situation for the next life which may not be very good, because this material world is matsarata. Matsarata means envious. I am envious of you, you are envious of me. This is material life. Therefore in the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that this Krsna consciousness is not for the people who are envious. Dharmah projjhita kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam vedyam vastavam atra vastu [SB 1.1.2]. Why enviousness? You are human being, I am human being. Why we should be envious of one another. This is artificial. There is no need of. But we are put into certain condition that we have to become envious by nature or someone.
So this materialistic way of life is full of enviousness, rivalry, competition, then birth, death, old age, disease, threefold miseries-adhyatmic adhibhautic, miseries from the mind, from the body, from other living entities, natural disturbance. And we are trying to be happy here. This is called foolishness. It is not possible. Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. The creator of this world says that this place is for suffering, duhkhalayam. And asasvatam. That is also temporary. You may think, "Never mind. I am American. We have got big, big buildings and big, big roads and cars. Never mind it is duhkhalayam, I shall remain here." No, sir, you cannot remain." Asasvatam: you have to leave this place. Even if you make compromise that "Never mind. I am happy now to my estimation," the answer is duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. You cannot make permanent settlement. That is not possible. Then what? Bhunjate... What is that? Purusah prakrti-stho hi bhunkte prakrti-jan gunan [Bg. 13.22]. We are placed in this material condition and we are obliged to contact the three types of material modes of nature, and according to the infection we suffer. Actually we suffer, but sometimes there is a little so-called happiness. In this way we are loitering within this universesometimes in the upper planetary system, sometimes lower planetary system, sometimes as human being, sometimes as demigod, or sometimes as cats, dog, trees. This is our position. And we are manufacturing our position. Karanam guna-sango 'sya sad-asad-yoni janmasu [Bg. 13.22]. So we are completely under the clutches of material nature, and this is going on. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore said,
ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva
guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija [Cc. Madhya 19.151] In this way we are loitering throughout the whole universe in different planetary system, in different species of life, in different country, different, according to our... Brahmanda bhramite. Brahmanda means within the universe. They are trying to go to the upper planetary system, and they can go. There is no difficulty. Yanti deva-vrata devan pitrn yanti [Bg. 9.25]. But you have to properly prepare. Not that because you have got one sputnik or airplane you can go by force. That is not possible. This is all rascaldom. This is not possible. But you can go if you prepare yourself. You can go even back to home, back to Godhead. Mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam. So there is every possibility. Now this is the crucial point of human form of life. We can go in the higher planetary system, we can go in the lower planetary system, we can stay where we are, or even we like we can go back to home, back to Godhead.
So the intelligent person should know what are the different situation, different life. They do not know. The other day our Dr. Svarupa Damodara was speaking that whatever scientific improvement or educational improvement they have made, two things are wanting. They do not know what are these different planets in the sky. They do not know. They're simply imagining. They are trying to go to the moon planet, Mars planet. That is also not possible. Even if you go (to) one or two planets, there are millions of planets; what do you know about them? There is no knowledge. And another knowledge: they do not know what is the problems of life. Two things they are lacking. And we are dealing with these two things. The problem of life is that we are bereft, we are away from Krsna consciousness; therefore we are suffering. If you take to Krsna consciousness, then the whole problem is solved. And so far planetary system is considered, so Krsna is giving you opportunity, wherever you like you can go. But the intelligent person will select, mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam [Bg. 9.25]. "Those who are Krsna conscious, they come to Me." So what is the difference between these two? Even if I go to the moon planet or Mars planet or Brahmaloka, Krsna says, a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna [Bg. 8.16]. You can go to the Brahmaloka, but ksine punye punyo martya-lokam visanti: "You'll have to come back again." And Krsna also says, yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. Mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam.
So you have got this opportunity, Krsna consciousness. Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gita, what is what. Do not lose this opportunity. Do not be foolish, misled by so-called scientists or philosophers or politicians. Take to Krsna consciousness. And that is possible only guru-krsna-krpaya [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. By the mercy of guru and by the mercy of Krsna you can achieve all success. This is the secret.
yasya deve para bhaktir
yatha deve tatha gurau tasyaite kathita hy arthah prakasante mahatmanah [SU 6.23] So this guru-puja which we are doing, it is not self aggrandizement; it is real teaching. You sing daily, what is that? Guru-mukha-padma-vakya ara na kariya aikya **. Bas, this is translation. I tell you frankly, whatever little success is there in this Krsna consciousness movement, I simply believed what was spoken by my Guru Maharaja. You also continue that. Then every success will come.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada! (end)
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/arrival/arrival_address/new_york/july/09/1976 Previous: Arrival Speech -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1976 Next: Arrival Address -- Vrndavana, September 3, 1976
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