But instead of following the leadership of Krsna, we accept leadership which is also indirectly the leadership of Krsna, but it is misrepresented because on account of contamination of this material nature. Material nature is inferior or lower nature. Constitutionally, we are following the leadership, but we want immediate, temporary relief for our miseries. We do not want permanent solution of all miseries. That is the defect of our life. But here is a chance. If we follow the leadership of Krsna, then we make a solution of the whole miseries. Kanksantah,

Suppose in this life I am elected to be the president of this great state, United States of America, and if my next life I become an ordinary citizen or even an animal... There is no guarantee what I shall become in my next life. That depends on my work because the whole body is given by the material nature. It is not made according to my order supply. Prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah [Bg. 3.27]. You are given a chance to act here, but according to your act, it will be judged, what you are going to have in your next life. That is your problem. No, don't make this life of fifty years, sixty years, or seventy years, or hundred years, as all in all. You have got a continuous life of transmigration from one body to another. It is going on. You must know that.

Now here is a chance to stop this nonsense of transmigrating from one body to another and suffer the material miseries. Here is a chance. And how that chance you are going to utilize? That we have already discussed. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. If somebody simply studies critically the transcendental nature of Krsna, the transcendental nature of His activities, simply by knowing this, the benefit will be that tyaktva deham, after quitting this body, you are not again going to have such a material body, but tyaktva deham punar janma... [Bg. 4.9]. Punar janma means you are not going to take your birth again in the womb of a mother of this material nature.

So just believe it. It is standard. It is accepted by all the great stalwart scholars and acaryas of repute. Just like Sankaracarya, Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, great scholars and acaryas. They have accepted it. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. We have to follow the footprints of great saints and sages, those who have achieved success by this indication of Bhagavad-gita. Don't follow your whims. Take the standard advice. Just try to become Krsna conscious. Just try to understand Krsna, what is Krsna. And the result is that after leaving this body, you are no more going to accept any material body, but you enter into the spiritual kingdom and you have your spiritual body which is eternal, full of knowledge and blissful. This is the chance.

So Krsna says... Although the chance is there, people, out of foolishness... Exactly this very word has been used in the Seventh Chapter.

Krsna consciousness is not very difficult job. It is the easiest and the highest, topmost type of yoga system. In the Twelfth Chapter, you'll find it explicitly stated that one who [is] always in devotional service of Krsna, he is the first-class yogi. One who is always constantly in Krsna consciousness, he is the first-class yogi. And that is also stated in the last verse of the Sixth Chapter also, and it is accepted by great scholars and acaryas. So here is an opportunity. It is very simple, very simplesimply thinking of Krsna. Satatam cintayantam visnum. Smartavyah satatam visnur vismartavyo na jatucit. Always, simply if you think that Hare Krsna, if you think simply Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare, that is sufficient, even if you do not go into the Bhagavad-gita, if you do not go in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, simply as you are chanting. Krsna has given us the ear, and Krsna has given us the tongue. No expense, no difficulty. You haven't got to go to college and take degrees to become Krsna conscious. It is easy for the rich, for the poor, for the learned, for the fool, for the black, for the white, for the rich, for the poor, everyone. There is no distinction because[?] Krsna is for everyone.

Mam hi partha vyapasritya ye 'pi syuh papa-yonayah [Bg. 9.32]. In the lower nature, everyone thinks, "Oh, I am greater than you." The Hindus think, "Oh, we are greater than Muslim." The Muslim thinks, "We are greater than the Hindus." The Christian thinks that "We are greater than the Jews." The Jews thinks, "We are greater than..." This is material conception. But for Krsna there is no lower or higher. Every living beingHis part and parcel. He comes here to claim every one of you, "Come on. Come on, My dear sir. Why you are suffering here? It is not for you. Take this chance." Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata [Bg. 4.7].

So Krsna consciousness is so nice, but one who does not care for it, they are satisfied by some temporary relief, and they take to other courses. They do not take the leadership of Krsna. Kanksantah karmanam siddhim yajanta iha devatah. Iha devatah means these material gods. Material gods means their existence is so long this material world.

Just like here we have got the president, the governor and so many big, big officers. But suppose, somehow or other this whole planet or the whole thing is gone, destroyedbecause we can expect destruction every moment, bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19]then the whole thing, I mean to say, the president and the governor, everything is gone. Iha devatah. So we are taking shelter of this material world, something big, but that will not exist with the annihilation, with the dissolution of this material world. Everything will be dissolved. Everything will be... So we have to take the leadership of the Supreme. Then it will be the largest perfection, the greatest perfection of life.

Now, Lord Krsna says, karmanam, karmanam siddhim. How in the material world people are working? He is analyzing the process of different occupation. What is that?

God's creation cannot be stopped. Just like in God's creation there is sun, there is moon, there is seasonal changes, nobody can stop this, similarly the catur-varnyam, according to quality and karma, that division prevails all over the universe, not only in India but also in your country also. In your country also.

And what are the divisions? Now, what are the guna and karma? The guna, the quality. There are three qualities. In the material world, there are three qualities: the quality of goodness, the quality of passion, and the quality of ignorance. And either human being or animal or demigods or American or Indian, everywhere these qualities are working. So some of them are in the modes or quality of goodness, and some of them are in the quality of passion, and some of them are in the quality of ignorance. Those who are in the quality of goodness, they are called brahmanas, or the intelligent class of men. In Sanskrit language, because intelligence, intelligence does not mean to know, to have some knowledge of the material things. Intelligence means to know about the spiritual world also. That is intelligence.

Because as you know that I am combination of matter and spirit... I am spirit, and I am now entangled in this material body. I am spirit, consciousness. As soon as I am out of this body, I can distinguish or... I cannot distinguish because I will go away. You can distinguish that "Now this real Swamiji's spirit is gone; the Swamiji's material body is here." So it is very plain thing. Therefore we should not only have perfect knowledge of this matter, but we should have perfect knowledge of the spirit also, if we are actually intelligent. Therefore the brahmanas... Why they are called brahmanas? Brahma janati iti brahmanah. Brahmin, it is English transcription. But real word is brahmana, brahmana. And wherefrom this brahmana word comes? Brahma janati iti brahmanah. That means one who knows the spirit, the spiritual. One who has got complete knowledge of the spiritual world, he is called brahmana.

How one becomes brahmana? Now you will find distinctly that catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah: [Bg. 4.13] "The four divisions of qualitative divisions is set by Me according to quality and karma." Never says, "according to birth," you will find. "According to birth," it is not said here. Although in India it is now misrepresentated that a brahmana's son is trying to designate himself as brahmana, but according to Bhagavad-gita, that is not sanctioned. Bhagavad-gita says, "according to quality."

Now, just like here is a qualified lawyer, Mr. Goldsmith. He is lawyer. Now, because he is lawyer, his son cannot claim that "Because my father is lawyer, then I am also lawyer." How he can become? The son also must be qualified lawyer. He must pass the bachelor of law degree, examination. Then he can be lawyer. So similarly, here Krsna says... Don't misunderstand the Indian caste system as hereditary. No. It is, according to Vedic literature, it is according to the quality.

And what is that quality? Janmana jayate sudrah. Janmana jayate sudrah: "Anyone who takes his birth, by his birth he's a sudra." Sudra means the lowest, in the lowest order. Everyone. Even if he is born in the family of a brahmana, he is to be considered as a sudra, janmana, by birth. And perhaps some of you know that the brahmanas, the ksatriyas and the vaisyas, they are called dvija. Dvi means twice, and ja means birth. Twice-born. Twice-born.

The bird is also called twice-born. Why? The bird birth is first of all in the egg. The egg is fermented. Then the real bird comes out. Therefore bird is called in Sanskrit language also dvija, twice-born. Similarly, a man, unless he is twice-born, he is a sudra. Twice-born. How is that twice-born? Because by birth anyone, everyone has got some father and mother because without father and mother, there is no question of birth. So the beast has also got father and mother, and the bird has also father and mother. Similarly, a human being has also got father and mother. So this birth, by father and mother, is not sufficient for becoming a dvija. He has to take his birth again.

So janmana jayate sudrah samskarad bhaved dvijah. Birth. Birth is not all, everything. The culture, samskara. Samskara means culture. One has to take his birth, rebirth, by culture, by education, by knowledge. That is called cultural birth. So unless one is in the cultural birth, he is to be considered the lower grade person, or the sudra.

So therefore the system in the, according to varnasrama-dharma, that not only by birth, before birth, when the father and mother is going to be combined to beget a child, there are cultural samskaras or reformatory measures. How much carefully these things are. They wanted first-class son, not sons like cats and dogs, first-class son. So there is some samskara. There is some purificatory measures, which is called garbhadhana-samskara. Garbhadhana means pregnancy, the cultural ceremony before making the mother pregnant. And it is enjoined, you will find in the Bhagavata, that any family, the brahmanas, the ksatriyas and vaisyas, if they give up this garbhadhana-samskara, birth-giving ceremony, then that family turns immediately to the classification of the sudras.

So nowadays, at the present moment, this cultural program... I am speaking of India and everywhere. There is no such cultural program. That cultural program, that program to beget nice children, the whole program is, we must know, the whole Vedic system is to give the human life the greatest chance of self-realization and get free from these material miseries. That is the whole program. It is not... The Vedic culture does not mean that we shall be like cats and dogs, simply eating, sleeping, mating and defending. No. The human society is a systematic program to give everyone the chance of getting free from this material miseries.

Just like every state is supposed to be welfare state. Every citizen of that state should be happy, should be prosperous. There should be no anxiety. I do not know if every state is taking care of the citizens in that way. People are always full of anxieties. They are creating situation that everyone is full of anxiety. This material world is made so that it is full of anxiety. Whoever is in the material world... Even the bird, you will see, when it is taking some grains, he is also full of anxiety. He is looking like this and that, "Oh, somebody is coming or killing me." So this is the nature.

So human society, human society is so arranged that the people, the members of the human society, should be free from all anxiety. Therefore we require good citizens, good father and mother, good system of government, and pious, virtuous, cooperation between God and nature. Everything will be helpful for my spiritual realization, for my self-realization. If I am full of anxiety, how can I make progress in spiritual realization? It is not possible. Therefore it is the duty of the state, duty of the father, duty of the teacher, duty of the spiritual master to give chance to the small children to develop in such a way that he becomes fully realized spiritual soul at the end and so that his miserable life in the material existence is over. That is the responsibility.

In Bhagavata you will see that Rsabhadeva says that "One should not become the spiritual master, one should not become the father, one should not become the mother, one should not become the husbandwho cannot give relief from these miseries of material existence". It is the husband's duty also. Because the wife is under the protection of the husband, he has got so much responsibility.

Woman class and children class, they are taken in the same category. They require protection. They require protection. That is the Manu-samhita. Na striyam svatantratam arhati. Women should be under the protection. They should be given all protection. So the system of taking... Just like the Hindu system is... Just like a girl. Before attaining the age of puberty, she is handed over to a suitable boy to take charge before she gets youthful energy.

So this is the system of varnasrama-dharma. This is the system. The whole idea is that everyone should be given the chance of being liberated in this very life. No more waiting for again for further, another life. Who knows that I am going to be human being again? It may be by freaks of nature I become a cat, a dog, a cow, an animal.

Now we are very much enthusiastic to become good nationals. Suppose I am American, a very good national. Now, after death, suppose that if I become a cow. Then even I am national of this country, oh, I am destined to be sent to the slaughterhouse. You see? So we should not take the risk of next birth. In this life, in this birth, we should make a permanent solution of all miseries. That is Krsna consciousness. Let us become Krsna conscious in this very life and make a solution.

Now, this catur-varnyam, this plan of catur-varnyam, Lord says... You should always remember that this material creation, whole material creation... There are unlimited number of universes and, I mean to say, planets in each universe. In the Brahma-samhita it is stated, yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-koti. Jagad-anda-koti [Bs. 5.40]. Jagad-anda means this universe, and koti means hundred millions. Hundred millions. Not exactly one hundred millions, but numberless.

And why this temporary material world is created? Just to give the rebelled, I mean to say, living entities who are averse to God consciousness, Krsna consciousness, to give another chance for developing, for developing. So if we miss this chance, then again, when this material world will be dissolved, oh, we do not know how many millions of years we have to become unconscious. We shall remain in the unconscious, sleeping stage. Then again there will be creation. Then again our body will be created, and... So these are very subtle laws. We should not miss. We should be very much serious about this life.

So the whole program is made: catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg. 4.13]. So by birth one is supposed to be the lowborn. Janmana jayate sudrah. Sudra means without any culture. The man who has no cultural life, he is called a sudra. And those who are cultured, they are called dvija. Dvija means twice-born. So one has to take his birth twice. He should not be satisfied simply by taking birth by the father and mother. One should be anxious to take his twice-born, to become twice-born, brahmana. But that chance is... Don't think that you cannot become a brahmana. You can become a qualified brahmana provided you abide by the qualification of a qualified brahmana. Just like to become a lawyer it is not, I mean to say, limited to a certain section or to a certain person. Anyone who takes the qualification of a lawyer, he becomes a lawyer.

Similarly, here Lord says, catur-varnyam maya srstam guna-karma-vibhagasah: [Bg. 4.13] "According to quality and karma, these catur-varnya, four classes or four castes or four classes of division of the human society, is created by Me." So brahma janati iti brahmanah. If you want to know Brahman... Because that is the prerogative of your life, human life. Vedanta-sutra says, athato brahma jijnasa. Athato brahma-jijnasa: "Oh, here is the chance for inquiring about Brahman." Athato brahma jijnasa. Now we should take the chance to become a brahmana. As soon as we begin to inquire about Brahman or the Supreme Brahman, Krsna, then my process of becoming the brahmana begins.

You know that the brahmanas, the ksatriyas, and the vaisyas, they have got the sacred thread. You have seen. I have got the sacred thread. This is, of course, not very valuable. It is... (chuckles) It is made of cotton. But this is a badge. This badge is given to a person who is twice-born, who is twice-born.

So anyone can become twice-born. There is no hindrance. You will find in the Bhagavad-gita,

Now the human society, everyone thinks that "He is low; I am big." Everyone thinks. In his own consideration he thinks, "I am the biggest. I am the big; he is lower." That is everywhere. But Lord Krsna is not considering who is bigger. He says, "Even who is considering that 'I am lowborn.' " Because if everyone says that I am lowborn, it is propaganda that "You are lowborn. You are lowborn," so I think, "Yes, I am lowborn." Dasa cakre bhagavan bhuta.(?)

Just like there was a clique. There was a brahmana. His name was Bhagavan. So he had some enemies. So the enemies, ten enemies, they sat down in ten places, and wherever he was passing, "Oh, you have become ghost! You have become ghost!" "Oh, how I have become? I am living. How I have become ghost?" Next post he goes, he also says, "Oh, you have become ghost! You have become ghost!" In this way, when he passes ten posts, he thinks, "I might be, I have become ghost. Otherwise everyone says I have become ghost." So dasa cakre bhagavan bhuta.

So if everyone says I am lowborn, I am lowborn, so I also think I am lowborn. But I am not lowborn. Aham brahmasmi. I am brahmasmi. I am spirit soul. I am born of Krsna. Krsna is my father. Take like that. Think like that. That is twice-born. That is twice-born. So Krsna says, mam hi partha vyapasritya: [Bg. 9.32] "Anyone who takes shelter of Me, never mind what he is... Never mind he is. He may be lowborn, he may be a sudra, he may be woman, he may be whatever he may be." Te 'pi yanti param gatim: "He can also go to My kingdom."

So our duty is to become twice-born. Just by culture, by Krsna consciousness, let us take another birth. Let us take another birth. Then you will be recognized brahmanas. Brahma janati. As soon as we know Krsna, you are brahmana. Never mind whether you are born in America or Czechoslovakia or any other place. Doesn't matter. So try to become a brahmana. Here is a chance.

But how to become a brahmana? Simply by purchasing two cent worth this thread and getting on the body? No. There are qualities, karma. You have to act like a brahmana, and you have to acquire the qualification of a brahmana. Then you can become a brahmana. There is no impediment. Never mind wherever you were born. That doesn't matter.

So here is... Bhagavad-gita is giving a chance to everyone to become brahmana or be qualified person who knows Brahman and who is preparing himself for the next birth in the spiritual kingdom. He is called brahmana. Catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg. 4.13]. Now, the Lord says, tasya kartaram api mam viddhy akartaram avyayam: "Although I have created this system, still, I am not there. I am not there." Why? Because Krsna is neither brahmana nor sudra nor ksatriya or anything, anything of the material world. He is transcendental. When we go to Krsna with spiritual body, we also become like Krsna in transcendental body. That chance is given here. So just it is our duty, everyone.

Lord Caitanya, He is Krsna Himself. He appeared as a devotee of Krsna, but He never said that "I am Krsna." But from Vedic references we understand that He is Krsna. But the same mission. The Krsna's mission and Lord Caitanya's mission is the same. How it is same? Krsna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He said that "You surrender unto Me," and Lord Caitanya said, "You surrender unto Krsna." The same thing. Lord Caitanya said...

What is the philosophy of Lord Caitanya? Lord Caitanya says, aradhyo bhagavan vrajesa-tanayas tad-dhama vrndavanam ramya kascid upasana vraja-vadhu-varga-virya kalpita, srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam prema pum-artho mahan sri-caitanya mahaprabhor matam idam tatradarah na parah. The philosophy of Lord Caitanya is that Krsna is the only object of worship. And as Krsna is object of worship, similarly, His place, Vrndavana, Vrndavana-dhama. Those who have visited India. Vrndavana-dhama, still, if you go to Vrndavana without knowing about Krsna, you will at once feel Krsna consciousness. It is such a nice place. So that Vrndavana-dhama is also worshipable.

And ramya kascid upasana vraja-vadhu-varga-virya kalpita. Now, Krsna was worshiped by the damsels of Vrajadhama. Lord Caitanya recommends, "That is the highest, topmost grade of worship because that was pure love." The damsels of Vraja loved Krsna so much, without any return. That's a sublime thing. So He recommended, "That is the highest form of worship."

Ramya kascid upasana vraja-vadhu-varga-virya kalpita, srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam: "And Srimad-Bhagavata is the spotless Vedic literature." Because Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of Krsna consciousness only. That's all. Just like this Bhagavad-gita is full of Krsna consciousness. It is the preliminary study of Srimad-Bhagavatam. The last word of the Srimad-Bhagavad-gita is that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "You give up everything. You just surrender unto Me," Krsna said. One who accepts this philosophy"I accept Krsna as vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma su-durlabhah" [Bg. 7.19]then for him Srimad-Bhagavatam is the postgraduate study.

And srimad-bhagavatam amalam puranam prema pum-artho mahan. Now we are searching. We are searching our self-interest. Everyone is busy of his own interest, but they do not know what is real interest. They do not know what is real interest. The real interest is to invoke the dormant love of Krsna. That is my real interest. That dormant love for Krsna is there in every one of you.

Don't think that because I am born in India, therefore I have got love of Krsna within my heart dormant or manifested. No. That dormant love of Krsna is within you also. Krsna is neither foreign to you or foreign to me. He is for everyone. Therefore love of Krsna is there permanently, but it is covered. Simply it has to be invoked.

And what is this process of invoking? This is the process. Just like we are discussing, we are chanting, and we are reading Bhagavad-gita, we are reading Srimad-Bhagavatam. This association will help us. This association will help us to invoke that dormant Krsna consciousness. So if we at all want...

You will be interested in hearing a story. Not story. It is actual fact. One of my Godbrother who is no longer in this world... His name was Bhaktisaranga Goswami. He went to London. Just as I have come to your New York, he went to London and he formed a society also there in which Lord Rolandcey[?], the Marquis of Zetland... He was formerly governor of Bengal during British period, and in our childhood, when we were college student, in boyhood, I saw him. He is very interest in India philosophy. He's a Scotsman but very interested. Lord Rolandcey. So that Lord Rolandcey, he was very kind enough to become the president of that society my Godbrother organized in London. So Lord Rolandcey and that, my Godbrother, is talking. So Lord Rolandcey asked him, "Well, Swamiji, can you make me a brahmana?" "Yes, why not? Yes, why not? You can become a brahmana." "So what are the conditions?" My Godbrother said, "The preliminary four conditions." "What are these conditions?" "Now, striya-suna-pana-dyuta yatra papas catur-vidhah: [SB 1.17.38] You cannot have any illicit connection with woman, you cannot have any intoxication habit, you cannot indulge in gambling or unnecessary sporting, and you cannot live on animal food." Lord Rolandcey replied, "It is impossible. It is impossible." (laughs)

So these things, these four principles, preliminary, if we actually want to be a brahmana, then we have to take care of these four principles of life just to become a brahmana. Yes. Then everyone can become a brahmana. There is no bar. And whoever becomes a brahmana, he knows what is Brahman. And Krsna is Parambrahman. Parambrahman. You'll find in the Tenth Chapter. He is addressed by Arjuna, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan: [Bg. 10.12] "By studying Bhagavad-gita I now understand that Krsna, You are Parambrahman." Param dhama: "You are the shelter of everyone." So He is Parambrahman. So anyone who becomes a brahmana, he first of all knows what is Brahmanbrahma-jijnasathe Supreme, the Absolute Truth. And the Absolute... One who knows Absolute Truth and enters into further, postgraduate study, he understands Krsna. And as soon as he understands Krsna, then his next life in the spiritual world is guaranteed.

So this is the process of Krsna consciousness. This is the simple process introduced by Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya also supported this philosophy of Krsna, that anyone is eligible for going back to the kingdom of Krsna. This simple process. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. We have discussed that simply by knowing the transcendental nature of Krsna, we become eligible for entering into His kingdom, simply by knowing. So try to know. Try to study what is Krsna.

And do you know what is the recommendation of Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He said that

Just like if I go to a medical man or a lawyer, we go there for his qualification. We don't ask him, "Well, sir, are you Christian? Are you Jew or Indian or American or a brahmana?" No. We are concerned with the qualification. It doesn't matter what he is. He may be an American, he may be an Indian, he may be Christian, he may be Jew, he may be Hindu or Mohammedan. Doesn't matter. He's a practiced medical practitioner, so he's a qualified man. I have gone there for my treatment.

Similarly, Lord Caitanya also says the same thing, and Krsna also says the same thing. Never it is, He is stressing on birth. Birth is no consideration. Nobody is responsible for his birth. He may be lowborn but what is that? Or he may be highborn. That doesn't matter. But when he comes out from the womb of the mother, he has got his own responsibility. He has to advance his cultural life in Krsna consciousness. That is his responsibility. That is his responsibility. Of course, father, mother, state, teacher, friend, they can help us, but ultimately, the responsibility lies with me.

If I want to enter into the kingdom of God, or Krsna, if we want to be Krsna consciousness, there is no impediment. There is no impediment. Ahaituky apratihata. In the Bhagavata says that if one wants to cultivate the Krsna consciousness, it is without any cause and without any impediment. Because it is transcendental subject matter, it does not depend on any material condition, on any material condition. There is no consideration of material impediment. So it is open for everyone. Catur-varnyam maya srstam [Bg. 4.13]. That is a chance given, that you can become a brahmana, you can become a great devotee of Lord Krsna, and you can become the spiritual master of the world. That is the... And I think you should take seriously.

I am old man. If you, some of you at least understand this science and take up this science, you become future hope of the, this country or the world. That is my request to you, that you should take this chance and become a spiritual master for all the people.

Thank you very much. Now let us have some questions if you want. (end)