So in the Bhagavad-gita we find that Krsna Himself came and canvassed through Arjuna that sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: [Bg. 18.66] "My dear Arjuna..." Not only Arjuna. Arjuna is representative of the living entities. So He is appealing to all living entities, especially all human beings anywhere and everywhere, that "You just surrender unto Me, come unto Me, and then I shall get you relieved from all sinful reaction of your life." Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami. Now, just see Arjuna. He's Krsna's personal friend. He's always with Krsna. He's eternal associate. He's talking with Krsna. Just imagine his position. Still, Krsna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo: "I shall get you relieved from all sinful reaction." This means that a person like Arjuna, who can talk face to face with Krsna, is supposed to have sinful activities of life. Otherwise why Krsna says, aham tvam sarva-papebhyo: "I shall get you relieved from all sinful reaction"?

That means even Arjuna was subjected to sinful activities. This world is so made that even if we do not want to be sinful, the circumstances is so made that we'll be obliged to commit sins. It is such a place. Therefore in Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated that this place is padam padam yad vipadam. This material world is full of danger in every step. There is a very nice verse:

Vatsa-padam means a, just a... You have no such experience. In India, in village, during rainy season the cows and the calf pass on the roads, and there is impression, and there is some water. That is called vatsa-padam, water in the pot or in the hole impressed by the hoof of the cow and calves. That water, anyone, such hundreds of water spot one can cross very easily. Similarly, if anyone takes shelter of the boat, the lotus feet of Krsna, for him this great ocean of nescience becomes just like vatsa-padam. That means very easily one can cross. And this place... Padam padam yad vipadam [SB 10.14.58]. "This material world, where in every step there is danger, this place is not for them." For whom? "One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna."

But unfortunately we take this ocean of nescience as very pleasant place. This is the spell of maya. Where there is danger in every step, but we are thinking we are very happy, we are advancing in material civilization, and, as far as we can imagine, that we are very prosperous and everything. This is called maya. He cannot appreciate that in every step there is danger in this material world. Take, for example, just like I am coming from Boston here by aeroplane. It is very nice discovery. But as soon as you get on the aeroplane, every second there is dangerbecause there is no guarantee. There is no guarantee. So similarly, we may crossing over the street... Oh, there is danger. Recently in Delhi one of our Godnephew, oh, he was crushed by motor accident, completely crushed. He fell down, and the motor car passed over him, and all the bones were crushed. I have received that letter. So we should know that this place is not at all safe. At any moment there is danger. Padam padam yad vipadam. Therefore in the Canakya Pandita's version it is said that "If you want to have spiritual realization, then you should always think that 'Death is coming, and danger is coming immediately.' " That should be our attitude.

And in the Bhagavad-gita it is also said that those who are intelligent persons, those who are making progress to become wiser, for them four things should be kept always in view. What is that? Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]. We may think very..., that we are very safe and we are making good advancement in economic development, but there is no solution for these four problems, as enunciated by Bhagavad-gita, janma, mrtyu, jara, vyadhi. Oh, there is no solution for birth. There is so much attempt for birth control all over the world, but still, in every minute or in every second some percentage of population is increasing. Janma, mrtyu. Similarly, there are so many attempts to discover scientific measures to stop death, but it is not possible. Death is taking place. Rather, in the present age, death is taking place earlier than in years before. Formerly people were living, say, hundred years, eighty years, ninety years, and nowadays a man is living, utmost, seventy years, sixty years. If a man lives for eighty years, then he is considered to be very... But time will come, as we get information from Srimad-Bhagavatam, that at the end of this age, Kali-yuga, if a man lives for twenty to thirty years he'll be considered as the grand old man. So practically we are not making any progress. And materially it is not possible to make progress. It is... That is called maya, illusion. We are actually not making any progress, but we are thinking that we are making progress. This is called spell of maya.

But the real problem is that we should understand that this place is full of danger, and in the Bhagavad-gita it is certified, this place, that duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. This place is full of miseries and asasvatam. Even if you accept, "Oh, let it be miserable. I don't mind. I shall remain here..." People say frankly that "We don't want any other world. We don't want, don't believe in it, heaven" or "We don't believe in Vaikuntha. We want to make ourself happy in this world." They say. But from authorities like Krsna or Bhagavad-gita, we understand that this place is meant for suffering. This is called duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15]. Even if we agree to live in this miserable place... Because everyone, we want to live. Nobody wants to die. Nobody wants to die. Suppose we are sitting here, and if there is some death signal, oh, we shall at once flee away from this place, if there is fire, because we do not want to die. That is a fact.

So... But this place is certified by Krsna as duhkhalayam asasvatam: [Bg. 8.15] "It is place of miseries; at the same time, it is temporary." Temporary. As today we, I entered in your country, Canada, for the first time, and the time limit was given there by the immigration that "You cannot live here or stay here more than this time," similarly... Even if I think, "Oh, Canada is very nice place. Montreal is very nice place. Let me stay here," oh, the immigration department will not allow me to stay. Similarly, if you think that "This material world is very nice. Let me stay here," oh, the higher authorities... There are higher authori... Just like there are authorities in the immigration department, similarly there are higher authorities in the management of these worldly affairs. Yamaraja, oh, he'll not allow you to stay. You have to change your body.

Actually a living entity is eternal, but the problem is that he is changing body. Just like either I may live at Canada or USA or India, I shall live somewhere, but nobody will allow me to stay. Except in my own country, nobody will allow me to stay for long time. Similarly, this is not your place. This material world is foreign country for you, this material world. We belong to the spiritual world. We belong to the world where life is eternal, where life is blissful, and where there is no ignorance. Just like Krsna's body is described in the Brahma-samhita and other Vedic literatures that isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1]. Sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah means His body is made of spiritual eternity, sat, and cit, full of knowledge, and ananda, and full of bliss. In the Vedanta-sutra also, it is stated about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth, as anandamayo 'bhyasat: "By nature He is full of bliss, the Absolute Truth, Absolute Person." You see the Krsna's picture: ananda-cinmaya-rasa-pratibhavitabhih [Bs. 5.37]. He's enjoying in blissfulness. This Radha and Krsna, this is enjoyment, but this enjoyment is not like here, the young boys and girls, they enjoy. It is not like that because here the ananda is temporary, it is not eternal, but that ananda, radha-krsna-pranaya-vikrtih, is eternal blissful. So Krsna is canvassing everyone that "You come to Me. Here also you will have this eternal ananda, eternal blissfulness." You are after loving affairs, but here in this material world, actually there is no love. It is only lust. And even if you accept that this is love, it will not exist. It will be finished.

Therefore in Vedic literature we find that ramante yoginah anante: [Cc. Madhya 9.29] "Those who are yogis, those who are transcendentalists..." They also... Every one of us are seeking after pleasure, ananda, but the yogis, either these jnana-yogi, dhyana-yogi, or karma-yogi, or bhakta-yogi... There are different kinds of yogis, but the yogi means the person who wants to connect himself with the eternal happiness. That is called yogi, one who is not satisfied with this temporary, material happiness. Just like Sankaracarya. He also says that brahma satyam jagan mithya: "You are trying to derive pleasure from this material world, but it is false." He also says. If you want real pleasure, then brahma-saukhyamyou have to seek pleasure in the Brahman. Similarly, we find in Srimad-Bhagavatam, in the instruction of Rsabhadeva. He says... He's instructing His sons, tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet sattvam yasmad brahma-saukhyam tv anantam [SB 5.5.1]. He's advising His sons. "His sons" means everyone, He's advising. What is that? Na ayam dehah deha-bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhati yad vid-bhujam ye: "My dear sons, this human form of body is not meant for continuously hard labor simply for sex enjoyment, simply for sex enjoyment."

Because in this material world, the enjoyment, the highest enjoyment one can perceive, that is sex. Therefore in the material world those who are materialists, they are trying to exact happiness simply by that sex life. You'll find so many pictures, naked pictures, this picture, that picture. Why? Because they have no other information of happiness. That is the happiness. They have no other information. In many places this sex enjoyment is duplicated. In another place it is stated, yan-maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. The grhamedhi, the so-called family men, they are working hard and so hard. Why? Because they have got that point of happiness, sex happiness. That's all. Another poet, he's singing, a Vaisnava poet,

So everywhere in the Vedic literature this life, this materialistic way of life is condemned, is condemned. So Rsabhadeva says that "This life is meant for tapasya." Tapah. Tapah divyam putraka: "My dear sons, you are so... If you think that this human form of life is meant for, oh, sex happiness and working day and night so hard, oh, this life is not meant for that purpose. That is visible in the cats' and dogs' and hogs' life. They are also laboring the whole day and satisfied by sex life. So your life is not meant for that." Then what it is meant for? He says, tapah: "It is meant for tapasya, austerity, penance." "Oh, you are... We are taking so much pains also." Don't you think these materialists, they are earning, they are making so improvement without any labor, without any tapasya? No. They are also laboring. They are undergoing, I mean, severe austerity. That's nice. But here it is said, tapah divyam: "You have undergo austerities and penance for God realization." Divyam. Tapo divyam putraka [SB 5.5.1]. Why? Why not this material world? Why God realization?

The... It is very nicely stated that tapo divyam yena sattva suddhyet: [SB 5.5.1] "If you accept this tapasya, or austerity, for God realization, then your existential position will be purified." At the present moment, due to my material conditional life, because I have got this material body, therefore my pleasure... I am hankering after pleasure, but whatever pleasure I am acquiring, that is not permanent, or flickering, or simply illusion. But that hankering after pleasure is your constitutional position. Because you are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, who is anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12), who is by nature blissful, and you are part and parcel of that blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore your nature is also blissful. That is a fact. But you are seeking pleasure or blissfulness in a place where it is not possible. Tapo divyam putraka yena suddhyet sattva [SB 5.5.1]. And by purification of your existential position, the result will be yasmad brahma-saukhyam. Brahman means the greatest. Greatest. Brhatvad brhannatvad iti... Brahman means the greatest and who comes in contact with Brahman, he also becomes greatest. That is called Brahman. So if you accept austerity in this life and don't behave like cats and dogs and hogs simply for sex pleasure, then the result will be that your existence will be purified, by which you'll realize eternal happiness, anantam, which has no end, no beginning, no end. Actually it is so.

So this knowledge of brahma-saukhyam is... In so many ways they are instructed in Vedic literature. We have got volumes and volumes of Vedic literature. The first, we have got the four Vedas. Then we have got the Upanisads. Then we have got Vedanta-sutra. Then we have got Mahabharata, Ramayana, then Srimad-Bhagavatam, and so many. And one book, Srimad-Bhagavatam, it contains eighteen thousand verses. Mahabharata contains hundreds of thousand verses. There are eighteen Puranas and 108 Upanisads and Vedanta-sutraimmense literature for understanding what is brahma-saukhyam. So these literatures are meant for the human society, not for the cat society, dog society. The great sages of India, especially Vyasadeva, he labored so hard and delivered so valuable literatures to us. There is opportunity. It was the duty of India to distribute this knowledge all over the world, this immense treasure of knowledge. Unfortunately... And as so far we have studied that persons who are great thinkers, they were expecting. They have still some respect for India's great treasurehouse of the spiritual knowledge. But unfortunately there is no arrangement for distributing this spiritual knowledge all over the world.

Anyway, we are just making our tiny effort for spreading Krsna consciousness. What is this Krsna consciousness? This Krsna consciousness is nothing, is simply a drop in the ocean of these great literatures. Just like there is vast Atlantic Ocean in front of your country, and if you take one drop of Atlantic Ocean water and taste it, then you can understand at least what is the taste of this Atlantic Ocean. That is a fact. If you are intelligent enough, by tasting one drop of water of the Atlantic Ocean you can understand that the taste of the Atlantic Ocean is salty. Similarly, this Bhagavad-gita is the essence of all Vedic literature, just like milk is the essence of the blood. Blood... The milk is nothing, but it is cow's blood transformed. Just like mother's milk. The mother's milk, wherefrom it comes? It comes from the blood, but transformed in such a way that it becomes nutritious to the child, tasteful to the child. Similarly, cow's milk also, a most nutritious and valuable food. So it is compared that this Bhagavad-gita is the milk of the cow of Vedic literature. And the milkman is Krsna Himself. And the drinker of the milk is..., we are, Arjuna, through Arjuna. So these things are there.

So this Bhagavad-gita is the essence of the Atlantic Ocean of Vedic literature, and this Krsna consciousness movement means that we are presenting the, that taste of Bhagavad-gita to the world as it is, without any interpretation. Just like milk, if you get it directly from the milkbag of the cow and taste it, you'll find very nice. But if you take it and adulterate with something, water, then it is not so tasteful. Similarly, Bhagavad-gita, if you understand as it is, then you can have the taste of the milk, but as there are many rascal commentators... I say straightly that those who comment on Bhagavad-gita according to their own whims, they're all rascals. Just like milk, if you adulterate with water, the taste is gone, and the man who adulterates milk with water, he's a rascal. He's condemned. Similarly, Bhagavad-gita, if you taste as it is, oh, then you'll relish what is that Vedic knowledge, what is that essence of brahma-saukhyam. You can understand. So, many people in America, since I came here they asked me to recommend an edition of Bhagavad-gita in English. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gita in your country. Some of them are compiled by your countrymen, some of them compiled by Indians, but all of themdifferent interpretation. Different interpretation. But we should accept Bhagavad-gita as it is. Then we can relish.

So we shall very shortly present our Bhagavad-gita As It Is. It has been taken by Messrs. MacMillan and Company to publish it. Most probably in the month of October it will be published. So I shall request you to read Bhagavad-gita as it is, without any interpretation. Just like I'll give you some examples. The first verse of Bhagavad-gita is stated as follows:

So Kuruksetra is a place of pilgrimage; that is a fact. But unfortunately even a great man like Mahatma Gandhi, he comments that "Kuruksetra means this body. Kuruksetra means this body." Now, wherefrom he got this meaning, "Kuruksetra means this body," which is that dictionary, I do not know. But he has interpreted in that way. Similarly, in Dr. Radhakrishnan's book also the translation is... Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru: [Bg. 18.65] "My dear Arjuna, you just always think of Me, you just become My devotee, you just offer your all obeisances unto Me, and the result will be that you'll come to Me, without any doubt." That means you'll come to the spiritual planets. So "come to Me..." Krsna lives in Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana. These are Vedic literatures' statement. So how you go to Krsna? Krsna was there. So what is meant by "come to Me undoubtedly"? Oh, he has... He was already there before Krsna. Arjuna was already there. What does it mean, "come to Me"? That He has got His own place. That is also stated in the Bhagavad... Mad-dhama gatva punar janma na vidyate: "Anyone who comes to My place, My abode, he never goes back." So in this way, if we accept Bhagavad-gita as it is But this special verse, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah, is interpreted by Dr. Radhakrishnan, "It is not up to Krsna that we have to surrender." Now see. Krsna says, "directly unto Me," but he says, "It is not to Krsna." In this way, in different books you'll find different kind of interpretations. Why? The Bhagavad-gita is very popular book, and if one has got some nonsense idea, he wants to put forward that nonsense idea through Bhagavad-gita. This is going on. But if you want to taste Bhagavad-gita, then you'll relish and you'll get the benefit. By reading of Bhagavad-gita, or the essence knowledge, quintessence of all Vedic literature, if you want to taste, just read Bhagavad-gita as it is and you will be benefited.

So our Krsna consciousness movement means that we are presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is and in a practical way. Just like we are recommending the members of the society to chant Hare Krsna. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah: [Bg. 9.14] "Those who are mahatmas, great souls, they are always engaged in glorifying Me." Satatam. Satatam means always. And who is a mahatma? Oh. We have got conception that Mahatma Gandhi, a great politician, he is called mahatma. But in the Bhagavad-gita the definition of mahatma is different. In the Bhagavad-gita you'll find, mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah: [Bg. 9.13] "One who is mahatma, he is not under the control of this material nature. He is under the protection of the spiritual nature." Daivim prakrtim asritah. And what is the difference between a person under the spell of this material nature and one person under the protection of spiritual nature? That is also stated there, that mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah, bhajanti mam ananya-manaso [Bg. 9.13]. The test whether a man is under the protection or under the punishment of this material nature or he is under the protection of spiritual nature is tested in this line. What is that? That mahatma, who is under the protection of spiritual nature, his business is to render transcendental loving service to Krsna. Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asri..., bhajanti mam ananya-manaso [Bg. 9.13]. Ananya-manaso means "without any deviation." He has no other business than to glorify Krsna, and that is specifically mentioned, satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah [Bg. 9.14]. These things are there. And the result is that ultimately, if you become Krsna conscious fully, then you become transferred from this material world to the spiritual world. That is also stated in the Eighth Cha... [break]

...loke tyajanty ante kalevaram. So if one dies... It is not for simply Krsna conscious man. It is true for everyone that at the moment of his death, whatever he is thinking of, his next life is going to happen like that. So if you practice this Krsna consciousness while you are strong enough, then naturally at the time of your death, when everything is oblivion... Because at the time of death you do not know what is the condition of my health, of my body. But therefore, if I practice... This is called abhyasa-yoga. Abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gaminah [Bg. 8.8]. If one practices this yoga process of Krsna consciousness, then paramam purusam adyamhe can attain, he can arrive the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna. Yad gatva na nivartante tad dhama paramam mama [Bg. 15.6]. If one goes to that place, he hasn't got to come back again to this miserable world.

So Krsna conscious movement is the greatest gift to the human society. Those who are fortunate enough, they'll take advantage of it. It is not a fiction. It is not a bogus propaganda. But it is fact... [break] ...many millions of perfected life, one can understand Krsna consciousness. So it is... In one side it is very difficult to understand. But at the same time, it is very easy to prosecute this Krsna consciousness. And because it is very easy, because we are recommending that "Simply chant Hare Krsna. You'll get the greatest perfection," they cannot believe it. If I would have prescribed some gymnastic process and if I would have charged fifty dollars for some secret mantra, then your countrymen would have followed me. Because it is presented very simply, although it is very sublime, we don't get any followers.

Anyway, whatever... In a... There is a proverb in Bengal that "It is better to keep the cowshed vacant than to have a troublesome cow." Cow... Of course, in your country there is no system of cow-keeping. In India at least every householder, at least in the villages, they have got a cow, and not one, but at least one dozen, half a dozen. So it is said that "Instead of keeping a troublesome cow who will not deliver any milk, it is better to keep the cowshed vacant." So we shall be satisfied... [break] ...followers. We are not after many followers. But we want that anyone who comes in contact in this movement may take this movement seriously, try to understand it with all scrutinization, and he'll find it is very sublime and the best, simplest method for spiritual realization.

Thank you very much. Any question?