So this loud kirtana was inaugurated by Lord Caitanya. So this disturbance, this complaint, was current even in His own time. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu was introducing this kirtana system, so many brahmanas of Navadvipa, they complained to the Muhammadan magistrateat that time the government was Muhammadan government, Pathanto the Kazi that "This boy..." Caitanya Mahaprabhu was that time seventeen years, eighteen-years-old boy, but He was very popular by introducing this sankirtana, Hare Krsna chanting and dancing. And He said that simply by chanting and dancing, as we are saying, one will achieve the highest perfectional stage. So the brahmanas were working as priest, they thought that their business will not go on. They prescribed so many ritualistic performances, and Caitanya Mahaprabhu was saying simply by chanting one can achieve the highest perfection. So they were disturbed, and they lodged complaint to the then magistrate, Kazi. Maulana Chand Kazi, his name was Maulana Chand Kazi. You know, when a Muhammadan is learned and religious he gets the title Maulana. So that magistrate, Chand Kazi, was very learned scholar, not only in Muhammadan scriptures, but he was a great scholar Hindu scripture also. Just like in British period in India, there were many responsible English officers, just like high-court judge, civil service. They were very vastly learned in Sanskrit. One Mr. Woodruff, Justice Woodruff, Englishman in Calcutta high-court, oh, he was a very great scholar, Sanskrit scholar, and he translated all the tantric sastras. So scholarly people are always there. It doesn't matter. They do not belong to any class of men. Scholars are scholars, saintly persons are saintly persons.

So this Chand Kazi was a great scholar, and the brahmanas lodged complaint that "This boy Nimai Pandita..." Caitanya Mahaprabhu was known at that time "Nimai Pandita." His mother's given name was Nimai. And because He was also very great scholar, in sixteen years old he defeated many scholars. One scholar came from Kashmir. He was, his name was Kesava Kasmiri, he defeated all scholars of India. But when he came to Navadvipa he was defeated by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was a great scholar. He was scholar in logic especially, nyaya. So He was known as Nimai Pandita. Pandita means learned scholar. Especially brahmanas are called pandita because generally the brahmanas are expected to be great scholars. So unfortunately, later on the pandita title was there, but some of them were great fools. Perhaps you know, our late Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru... Perhaps you've heard his name, Nehru. He came to your country I think during President Eisenhower's time, and in some meeting some American gentlemen or boys, I do not know, they asked him to explain some of the verses from Bhagavad-gita. And he, I mean to say, admitted that he was not a scholar in Bhagavad-gita. So, but his title was there, pandita. Generally, the brahmanas are given this title pandita on account of their scholarship in Vedic literature. So Nimai Pandita, Nimai Pandita. Yes. So complaint was lodged against Him, and He disobeyed the order of the Kazi, civil disobedience, and there was a great incident. Then the Kazi became His admirer, follower. That is a long story.

So the Gosvamis, six Gosvamis, they picked up Lord Caitanya's eight verses and they wrote so many books. (door opens) The Gosvamis are coming. (laughs) Hare Krsna. So these Gosvamis were chanting and dancing, krsnot-kirtana-gana-nartana-parau. So we are creating the descendants of Gosvamis here in the Western countries. You are also chanting and dancing, following the footprints of the Gosvamis, krsnotkirtana-gana-nartana-parau. And they were chanting and dancing, not dry. Premamrtambho-nidhi, dipped into the ocean of love of Krsna. You cannot chant and dance for a long time unless you are dipped into the ocean of love of Krsna. That is the specific qualification of the dancer and chanter. If you ask somebody to chant and dance for one hour, he'll get tired. But this chanting and dancing is so nice that these Gosvamis, they can go on chanting and dancing for twenty-four hours. Premamrtambho-nidhi. Because they were dipped into the ocean of love of Krsna. Krsnotkirtana-gana-nartana-parau premamrtambho-nidhi dhiradhira-jana-priyau. Dhira, dhira means gentle, and adhira means ruffians, not gentle. So they were affectionate and popular both to the gentle as well as ruffians, these Gosvamis. Everyone liked them. Krsna consciousness is so nice that unless one is a staunch atheist, everyone will like this Krsna conscious movement. As an evidence, people are receiving these boys who are chanting and dancing. Out of their love they are contributing something, they are purchasing magazines. So this is sympathy, sign of love. So they are not, of course, very big business magnate or politicians; they are common men. But it is appealing to the common people. There is no doubt about it.

So these Gosvamis were also very popular amongst all classes of men. Dhiradhira-jana-priyau priya-karau. Because they were also benefactor. They were doing something which is beneficial to the mass of people. Dhiradhira-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau. Nirmatsarau means not envious. We are not envious to anyone. Yesterday I received one letter from Rayarama. He wanted my permission to make some propaganda in our magazine Back to Godhead against animal slaughter, butchery. So I replied that why should we be against a class of men who are known in the society as butcher? Actually, everyone is butcher. Actually, so-called gentlemen who are, I mean to say, supporting these butchers, they are also butchers. According to Manu-samhita, there are eight kinds of butchers. The man who is killing the animal, the man who is ordering to kill the animal, the man who is skinning the animal, the man who is purchasing the meat, the man who is cooking, the man who is eating, they are called all butchers. Just like if there is a murder case and there is a conspiracy, so it is not the man who has directly killed some person, he is arrested, but everyone who is in the conspiracy, they are all arrested. That is the common law. So in that sense everyone is butcher. Besides that, because a person is killing some cow or some animal, we are calling butcher, but mostly they are killing their soul. Anyone who is unconscious, who is ignorant of his spiritual identity, identifying himself with this body and misusing this opportunity of human form of life simply for animal sense gratification, they are also butchers. If killing of some living entity is butchery, then how great a butcher is he who is killing himself? He is killing an animal, but he is killing himself. Atma-ha. Atma-ha, self-killing, out of ignorance. Everyone is in ignorance. Any sinful activity is done out of ignorance. So ignorance is no excuse. The butcher is killing animal because he does not know what is the effect of this killing. Similarly, persons who do not know what is the value of this human form of life and simply spoiling it just like animals, they are also butchering themselves.

There is a nice instructive verse in Sanskrit. One saintly person was giving his blessings to different kinds of persons. So he first of all saw one boy, he was a prince, son of a king. So he blessed him, raja-putra. "My dear prince," ciram jiva, "you live forever." Then he saw one brahmacari, a disciple of a spiritual master, he said, ma jiva muni-putraka: "Oh, you are the disciple of a saintly person. You do not live. You die immediately." Raja-putra ciram jiva. "Oh, the prince, son of a king, you live forever; and you are a brahmacari, muni-putra, a son of a saintly person, so you die immediately." Then there was a saintly person, and he said to the saintly... He offered his blessings to the saintly person, jiva va mara va sadhoh. Sadhoh means saintly person, sadhu. "My dear saintly person, either you live or you die as you like." And there was a butcher. He told for the butcher, ma jiva ma mara iti: "You neither live nor die." So what is the significance of these four kinds of blessings? The significance is that he blessed the raja-putra, royal prince, to live forever because whatever enjoyment he's having, this is for this life. Next life is very horrible for him, next life. Just like generally in the opulent countries like America and other European countries, they are materially very opulent, they do not care for anything. They do anything, whatever they like, because they are very much proud of their material opulence. But they do not care what they are going to be next life, you see. Therefore so long they live, that is good for them. As soon as they die, they are going to the darkest region of the hell. Therefore the prince, the king's son, was blessed, "You live forever," and so far the brahmacari, brahmacari or the son of a muni, he is undergoing penance, austerities, fasting, not very comfortable life. So he was blessed that "You die immediately." Because by his pious activities he has elevated himself so high that as soon as he dies, he goes to Vaikuntha, kingdom of God. Therefore the sooner he dies is better. So muni-putra, ma jiva muni-putraka. And so far saintly person, sadhu, he said, jiva va mara va. A saintly person, "Either you live or die, the same thing. Because you are serving Krsna in this life, and as soon as you die, you will serve Krsna directly. So it is all the same." And so far the butcher is concerned, he said, ma jiva ma mara: "You don't die, don't live." "Don't live" means, "You are living in such a wretched condition, killing every day. Horrible life. Your living is horrible, and if you die, you are going to the darkest region of the hellish condition. So both life, living or dying, it is very horrible for you. So you don't live, don't die." (laughs) So that is the blessing to the butcher, "Don't live, don't die." Living condition is also horrible, and after death it is also horrible. But unfortunately, every one of us is committing butchery without understanding self-realization, what is self, "What I am." Therefore Vedanta-sutra says, "Try to understand yourself." Athato brahma jijnasa. This human form of life is meant for searching out, understanding, inquiring, about Brahman. We are all Brahmans. Because we are part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman, therefore we are all Brahman. So if we do not inquire what is Brahman, then that is suicide. In the human form of life, if you do not make inquiries what is brahma, athato brahma jijnasa... Jijnasa means inquiry. This is the first aphorism in the Vedanta-sutra, that atha. Atha means thus. Atah, atah means hereafter. "Hereafter" means that we have passed through 8,400,000 of species of life; now we have got civilized form of human body; now it is the time to inquire what I am, what is God, what is my relationship with God.

So in every human society there is such inquiry and there is some answer also. So cultivating this knowledge, Krsna consciousness or God consciousness, is essential. If we do not take to these inquiries, simply if we engage ourself in the animal propensities... Because this material body is animal body, but the consciousness is developed. In the animal body or in the lower than animal bodyjust like trees and plants, they are also living entitiesthe consciousness is not developed. If you cut a tree, because the consciousness is not developed, it does not protest. But it feels the pain. That is scientifically proved by Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose. It feels. But the feeling is not so strong. But if you kill one animal, it protests because the consciousness is developed. Similarly if you kill a man, that protest is still vehement because the consciousness is still more advanced. So in this way, in different forms of life, we are developing different types of consciousness. Just like this child, because it has got a certain type of body, its consciousness is not so developed. But when this body will be grown up, when this girl will be young, then her consciousness also will be different. Not will be, it will develop. Similarly, our consciousness should develop. The perfection, the ultimate goal, the limit of development is Krsna consciousness. The consciousness is developing one after another in different bodies, but Krsna consciousness means that is the ultimate development. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. This is the definition how consciousness reaches its perfection. Bahunam janmanam ante. That perfection is reached after many, many births. Just like aquatics, plants, trees, reptiles, birds, beasts, then uncivilized human form of body, then civilized form of body, and especially the Vedic style of body. That is considered to be the highest perfectional body. And Vedic perfectional stage also achieves the highest goal when it is Krsna conscious.

Therefore Krsna consciousness is the highest goal of life. We should always remember. And Bhagavad-gita says bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. After many, many births of evolution, one after another, one after another, one after anotherthat evolution is going, every momentso when one is perfectly wise, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan. Jnanavan means perfectly wise. Jnana means knowledge, and van means one who has. The Sanskrit word van... Just like bhagavan. Bhaga means opulence, and van means one who has. So Bhagavan means one who has got six kinds of opulences in full. Every Sanskrit word has got its root meaning. It is not... Just like Krsna. Krsna has got His root meaning. Krsna, "the greatest." Krs, and na means negation. There are different meanings, but this is one of the meanings. Another Krsna meaning is "all-attractive." So God is great. That very idea is perfectly expressed in the word Krsna. So bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan [Bg. 7.19]. Jnanavan means who has attained, who has possessed, who is in possession of highest wisdom. That is Krsna consciousness. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate.

And what is Krsna consciousness? Krsna says, "One who surrenders unto Me. One who comes to Me and surrenders, 'My dear Krsna, I now understand that You are my eternal protector, You are my eternal friend, You are my eternal maintainer. I forgot You; now I understand. So I come to You and surrender. Please give me protection.' " This is called saranagati. So he is wisest man, and he continues to serve Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness. So bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. What is that mam? If Krsna says, "unto Me." So "unto Me," Krsna is everything. Because He is the Supreme Lord, therefore He is everything. But what sort of? Vasudeva. That form of Krsna, Vasudeva. Vasudeva means the son of Vasudeva. That means the Krsna of Srimad-Bhagavatam who appeared Himself as the son of Vasudeva, Vasudeva. Son of Vasudeva is known as Vasudeva. Vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19]. And Vasudeva is all-pervasive. Whatever we see, whatever we experience, that is expansion of Vasudeva's energy. So one who understands... In the Ninth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita also it is said, maya tatam idam sarvam: [Bg. 9.4] "Everything, whatever you see, I am there. It is My expansion." maya tatam idam. Tatam means expanded. "I have been expanded everywhere." Just like this watch, this is also Krsna. This is also Krsna. The Mayavada philosophy, they misunderstand that if Krsna has expanded to become this watch, to become this pot, to become this light, to become this room, to become this cloth, then Krsna is finished. No more Krsna. That is impersonalism. But that is not the fact. Krsna exists. That is also confirmed by the Vedas. Purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavasisyate [Iso Invocation]. The Absolute Truth is so perfect that if perfectly taken from the perfect, everything is taken, still He's there. Just like this is a watch. If you take its hands, if you take its glass, if you take its machine, then what remains there? Nothing. It becomes zero. But Krsna is so full and complete, if you take millions of Krsna from Krsna, then Krsna is still there. That is Krsna's omnipotency. God is omnipotent. They do not understand what is this omnipotency. They say some words, "almighty," "omnipotent," but they do not understand what is this omnipotence. Just like even from material example we can see that the sun planet diffusing... I do not know how much temperature, what is the degree of that temperature, diffusing for millions and millions of years. Still, the temperature is the same. If it is possible to a material thing which is an insignificant creation of God, if the sun is so much omnipotent... Not omnipotent. The sun's light or the sunshine is from, derived from Krsna's spiritual potency. But we can see that it is so much potent that diffusing sunshine for millions of years. There is no decrease of temperature. So vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg. 7.19] means Vasudeva expands Himself in so many universes, so many planets, so many paraphernalia, still, He is in Goloka Vrndavana. That is stated in the Brahma-samhita. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilatma bhuto [Bs. 5.37]. He is enjoying in His planet Goloka Vrndavana, and still, He is all-pervasive. maya tatam idam sarvam jagat avyakta-murtina [Bg. 9.4].

So when one comes to this understanding that Krsna, Vasudeva, He keeps Himself intact although He is all-pervasive... Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah [Bg. 7.19]. Mahatma means great soul. Just like you have heard the name of Mahatma Gandhi in our country, but the definition of mahatma in Bhagavad-gita is different. A mahatma is not a politician. A mahatma is not for the Indians and not for the Americans or any certain limited circle. Mahatma is not like that. Of course, the Indian people awarded the title "Mahatma" Gandhi, but mahatma means a different... Mahatma's definition is given in the Bhagavad-gita. There it is stated, mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah [Bg. 9.13]. A mahatma is under the shelter of the internal potency of God. There are two kinds of potencies. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita. You should read Bhagavad-gita very carefully. You'll understand everything. Apara and para. These are stated. Bhumir apo 'nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca... bhinna me prakrtir astadha [Bg. 7.4]. The Lord said, material world, what is this material world? This material world is composition of earth, water, air, fire, ether. And this is gross element, gross ingredients. But there are finer, subtle ingredients, mind, intelligence, ego. So these eight gross and fine elements which is the material world, that is expressed in the Bhagavad-gita that bhinna me prakrti astadha, "These eight kinds of prakrti, nature, is my separated inferior energy." Apareyam, this is inferior. They are inferior. Itas tv anya me prakrtim para. Besides these eight elements, there is another prakrti, another nature, which is superior. And what is that? We can see earth, water, fire, air, and, of course, mind we can feel, intelligence we can feel, ego also we can feel. There is feeling, although we cannot see because they are subtle. And what about the other? That is expressed in the Bhagavad-gita, jiva bhutam maha-baho [Bg. 7.5], "My dear Arjuna, they are these living entity." Some of the nonsense philosophers, they are identifying the soul with the mind, with intelligence, with ego, but they are all material. The soul is different. So this is daivi prakrti, spiritual nature. The material nature and spiritual nature.

So mahatma means, mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah [Bg. 9.13]. Mahatmas, those who are mahatma, they take shelter of the spiritual nature, and those who are duratma or ksudratma... Maha means great, and just opposite to maha means, opposite to maha is ksudra, small. Just like somebody is very liberal and somebody is very miser. So mahatma is broad, broader-minded, broader soul, whose soul has become broader. How you can become broader? If you dovetail yourself with the supreme broadest, then you become broader. Otherwise you become smaller. So this is the difference between mahatma and ksudratma. People are generally, they are doing something for his own body, something for his society, something for his family, something for his country. So you can expand your activities, but unless you expand your activities to Krsna consciousness, you become the smaller. So,

So Krsna and Krsna's energy, there are two things. So we are praying, Hare Krsna. Hare means we are praying to the energy, the internal energy, the spiritual energy, Radharani. Hare. We are praying "Hare, O the energy of Krsna, and Krsna." Krsna is always with energy. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]. Krsna, or the Supreme Lord, has many multifarious energies. Whatever we are seeing, it is all manifestation of His energy. So we are praying both to the energy. We are praying to the material energy alsomaterial energy also, perverted reflection of the spiritual energy. Actually, there is no material energy. Everything is spiritual. But when the spiritual energy is covered by ignorance... Just like when the sky is covered by cloud it becomes dark. Similarly, spiritual energy, when it is covered by material energy... The cloud has no separate existence. It is also creation of the sunshine. Similarly, the material energy has also no separate existence. It is also creation of Krsna, but it appears and disappears. The spiritual energy remains. So when we dovetail ourself with the spiritual energy, then we become perfect. That is our perfection. So Krsna consciousness is dovetailing ourself with the spiritual energy and thus become perfect. And this human form of life is meant for that purpose.

So we are following the six Gosvamis. Krsnotkirtana-gana-nartana-parau. Always chanting and dancing and chanting... What is chanting? Not any slogan, but Krsna, Hare Krsna. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. This is chanting. Chanting does not mean that you chant like some parrot, no. Chanting Krsna. Krsnotkirtana-gana-nartana. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. Kirtanam, chanting, and sravanam, hearing, what? There are so many subject matters of chanting and hearing. No. Krsna or Visnu. So chanting and hearing, this was inaugurated by Lord Caitanya and followed by the six Gosvamis, and we are also following in the footprints of the six Gosvamis. Therefore we should offer our respectful obeisances, vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva gopalakau. We offer our respectful obeisances to Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami, and to Raghunatha Gosvami and Jiva Gosvami and Gopala Bhatta Gosvami.

Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances) Come on. Where you have been, Vamanadeva?

So He is within you. If you are sincere to Him and to the instruction, following, then everything will come out automatically even if you don't read. This is the special significance of Krsna consciousness, that we want simply sincere soul; then everything is there. You study or no study. But for preaching work, studying required. If you are..., because you have to meet so many opposing elements, so if you can give some reference from books of authority. But even if you don't give references, you can speak logically, you can place arguments logically. So Krsna will help, Krsna is within you. Don't think that Krsna is without. He's without and within, both. That is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. When Krsna was standing before Kunti and He also entered within the womb of Uttara to save Pariksit Maharaja, so Kunti said that "I see that You are within and without. Still, You are unseen." God is within and without, but the rascals cannot see. They say, "Where is God? Can you show me?" But He is always everywhere, within and without. So one has to train himself how to see. That is described in the Brahma-samhita, premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena [Bs. 5.38]. One has to anoint the eyes with love of God. Then he can see. Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti. Santah, saintly person. Sant. Just like your San Francisco, the Sant (Saint) is Sanskrit word, santah. The saint word is Sanskrit word. Santah sadaiva hrdayesu vilokayanti. Those who are saints, sants, they always see God within and without. They have got eyes to see. What is that special eyes? That is love of God, that's all.