Arrival Lecture – February 4, 1977, Calcutta

The Fight Against Atheism

So who has decorated?

Abhirama: Purnaprajna dasa.

Purnaprajna: My wife and I dressed Them. She is Narayani dasi.

Prabhupada: Very good. So this is the injunction of the sastra, sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana. They...

[aside:] She should not stand before the Deity. Little back.

Hari-sauri: Ask her to stand to the left of the Deities.

Prabhupada: Yes. [Transl. Stand at the back. Stand on that side. Don't stand in the middle.]

Indian devotee: [Transl. Not in the middle.]

Prabhupada: Yes. [Transl. Stand there. Not before the Deity.] So this is the duty of all disciples under the guidance of the spiritual master-to decorate. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana-srṅgara. Srṅgara means decoration. Amongst the various paraphernalia of worshiping the Lord, the srṅgara is very essential, srṅgara and tan-mandira-marjanadi, and cleansing the temple. The more you cleanse the temple, the more you decorate the Deity, more your heart becomes cleansed and you become spiritually decorated.

So cleanliness is next to godliness. And after cleansing, taking bath regularly, keeping the temple very neat and clean and worshiping the Deity, dressing, decorating, ornamenting... These are the general process. So if we follow the process regularly, then we gradually become advanced in spiritual consciousness. Material world and spiritual world. Material world means dirty things, and spiritual world means clean. So the living entities, they are called tatastha-sakta. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8].

God has many potencies. They have been divided into three primarily: external, internal and marginal; bahiraṅga-sakti, antaraṅga-sakti and tatastha-sakti. So we jivas, living entities, we are also another energy of Krsna, in between the material and spiritual. So if we like, we can remain in the spiritual world; if we like, we can remain in the material world. If we remain in the material world, then, temporary, we enjoy happiness or distress. There is no happiness. Sometimes we take distress as happiness. Actually there is no happiness, because however happy you may be, you have to change this body. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi [Bg 13.9].

So this happiness... Suppose this life I am a king. Maybe for few years, but I have to change this body. Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg 2.13]. So there is no happiness. Suppose you arrange very nicely to live very happily in this world, but you'll not be allowed to live. You'll not be allowed. Duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg 8.15]. So long we live, there is happiness or distress. There is no happiness. To get happiness we have to go through distress. Anyway, mixed-up happiness or distress, even if you make nice arrangement, but all of a sudden you'll be asked to get out. Duhkhalayam asasvatam. Therefore we should not be attracted with this happiness, so-called happiness of material world. Asasvatam. Even if you think you are happy, you'll not be allowed to stay here.

So we must know all these principles of our life, and Krsna consciousness is the guide. Krsna consciousness means we are guided by Krsna personally. Everyone can be guided. Krsna is giving instruction to the whole human society in the Bhagavad-gita. So we can take advantage of it. Krsna is guiding personally. So there are two ways of accepting Krsna's guidance. You accept the instruction of the Bhagavad-gita, then you'll be happy. If you don't accept, then you will go back again to the cycle of birth and death. Mam aprapya nivartante mrtyu-samsara-vartmani [Bg 9.3].

So mrtyu-samsara-vartmani is not good life. Mrtyu-sam..., mrtyu... Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi [Bg 13.9]. If you take birth, then you'll have to die; and if you have to die, you have to take birth again. This is called mrtyu-samsara-vartma. So this is not very good business. That intelligence is lacking. We are simply trying to adjust things for a few years, but we are not taking account of our real life. Our real life is na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg 2.20]. That is real life, that we do not die. But our brain is so dull that we have accepted janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi as usual thing.

But death can be checked. That is Krsna consciousness movement. If you so desire, you can stop it. There is no difficulty. Very easy. And that is also explained by Krsna: janma karma ca me divyam yo janati tattvatah [Bg 4.9]. Simply try to understand Krsna. And He's explaining Himself. What is the difficulty to understand Krsna? Krsna is the Supreme, Para-brahman, the greatest, and we are anu, very small. Our knowledge is very small, limited. It is not possible to understand Krsna. But He is explaining Himself for our little understanding. Whatever we have got capacity to understand, that Krsna is explaining. So if you simply take Krsna's word, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg 18.65].

Here is a chance. This Deity worship... When we see the form of Krsna, naturally our mind is impressed that "Here is Krsna; here is Radharani; here is Jagannatha." So if you come daily and see Krsna at least once-man-mana bhava mad-bhaktoh-where is the difficulty? But people are so much engrossed. Their education is so low grade. Just now, when I was coming from Bhubaneswar, the next room, next apartment, was occupied by some young men. As they were talking, it appeared they were educated, medical practitioner. They were addressing amongst themselves, "Dr. this," "Dr. this..." [break]

So our mission is para-upakara, Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, para-upakara. This para-upakara mission was entrusted to the Indians. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, bharata bhumite haila manusya-janma yara -"to the human beings," not to the cats and dogs. Unfortunately, we have become like cats and dogs. We do not take the responsibility of an Indian. It is the duty of the Indian, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu said,

All over the world they are in darkness. They do not know what is the value of life. So in India, anyone born, he can make his life successful. We have got Bhagavad-gita and all Vedic literatures. By learning, by practicing, we can make our life perfect and then distribute the knowledge. This is India's business. Unfortunately, they have been conquered by the illusion of maya, and they are not interested. They are becoming drunkard and talking all nonsense. So you have come, kindly. Of course, Bharata means the whole planet. Anyway, don't deviate. Just try to do some good to the human society by awakening them to spiritual consciousness, or Krsna consciousness. The method is very simple: harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam . But it is para-upakara. That is human life, para-upakara: to do good to others, not to exploit others. That is not human life.

So you have very kindly joined this movement. You have not joined this movement for your poverty. You are not poverty-stricken. Sometimes people join this movement for poverty-stricken. But you are not belonging to that. You have voluntarily joined. So don't be disappointed. There is now opposition, but don't be disappointed. Krsna will give you protection. Try to go on with this para-upakara movement. Maybe, because it is a fight against atheism, so some of our soldiers may fall down. But that should not discourage us. We must go on fighting with this atheistic civilization and try to push Krsna consciousness movement.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada! [end]