Madhudvisa: This afternoon His Divine Grace will be speaking from the Bhagavad-gita As It Is. Some of you university students are familiar with the book the Bhagavad-gita. The Bhagavad-gita translated means "the song of God." Bhagavad-gita is spoken five thousand years ago, and the peculiarity about this presentation of the Bhagavad-gita is that it is the Bhagavad-gita as it is, not the Bhagavad-gita as we think it was, but the Bhagavad-gita as it is, as it was spoken by Krsna to Arjuna five thousand years ago. Our spiritual master is sitting before you. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Gosvami Maharaja Srila Prabhupada is in a direct disciplic succession from Krsna. Five thousand years of masters and disciples have passed this knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita down purely. So therefore, when our spiritual master speaks on the Bhagavad-gita, he does not speak on the Bhagavad-gita as he thinks it is. He speaks on the Bhagavad-gita as it is. So without any more verbiage, I'll present our spiritual master.

Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your joining us in this Krsna consciousness movement. Krsna, when I utter the word Krsna, it means God. It is Sanskrit word, Krsna. Those who are Sanskrit student, you know krs-dhatu, "attraction," "one who attracts." God is the Supreme Being, full with six kinds of opulences; therefore He attracts everyone. This is the definition of the word Krsna. This Bhagavad-gita is spoken by Krsna, the perfect person. We receive knowledge from the perfect person. When we receive knowledge from imperfect person, the knowledge is not complete. At the present age, mostly the scientists, they cannot give us perfect knowledge, because there are so many "if's." They say, "It may be," "Perhaps," like that. But this is not perfect knowledge. The perfect knowledge means there is no "if," there is no "perhaps," there is no doubt. So we are receiving knowledge from Krsna, the supreme perfect being. He says that dehino 'smin yatha dehe [Bg. 2.13]. Asmin dehe. Asmin means this, this body. You have got your body; I have got my body. So within this body, there is the proprietor of the body. Asmin dehe. Dehinah asmin. Dehe means the proprietor of the body. I do not see you; I see your body, you see my body. But within the body the proprietor is lying, or he is situated. That we do not see. But we can understand. Suppose my beloved father is dead or somebody is dead. I cry, "My father is gone." So where is your father gone? He is lying there, unconscious. He may come to consciousness. But we say, "No, he is gone." Dead means gone. So factually I never saw my father who has gone. I saw the body of my father, and that is lying on the bed. Why I am crying, "My father is gone"? Therefore this is called ignorance. We do not see the real father within the body, or we do not see the real son within the body. We see the outward dress only. This is ignorance.

Man: That's a lot of bullshit. How do you explain your Rolls Royce, Dickey?

Prabhupada: What is that? (big commotion in the audience) What is this? This is not good.

Man (1): Where's your love?

Man (2): Where's your gestapo?

Man (3): Fascists.

Man (1): Where's your love, I want to know. I want to know.

Prabhupada: [break] ...servants of God. We have come to serve God, His purpose. God is very kind upon every one of us. He comes Himself. He comes. He sends His son. He sends His devotee to reclaim. As I was explaining that in the material condition of life we have been changing from one body to another, this is not very good condition of life. Nobody wants to die, but he is forced to die. Nobody wants to take birth, but he is forced to take birth. Nobody wants to become old man, but he becomes old man. And nobody wants to become diseased, but he is forced to take some disease. This is our condition. Now this human form of body is a chance to understand what is our real inconveniencebirth, death, old age, and diseaseand to think of whether there is any way out of this entanglement of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is Krsna consciousness movement. We are educating people how to get out of the clutches of illusion that continually, one after another, we have to take birth. Janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam [Bg. 13.9]. Real problem is this. So if we take to Krsna consciousnessthat means if we understand, "What is God? What I am? What is our relationship? What is the ultimate goal of our life?" If these things we understand, then we can get out of the clutches of illusion, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. This is the Krsna consciousness movement, sum and substance. And to realize this, the method is very simple-chant the holy name of God. We are chanting the holy name of God: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. So our only request is that you have got this human form of bodydon't misuse it. Don't waste it like animals simply by eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. You have got another business. A human being has got extra intelligence. That extra intelligence than the animal is meant for realizing himself, not to live like cats and dog. That is not human form of life.

Man (1): Have you got books on the use of flick knives, like your brother-in-law's there? Have a look. Declare yourself, mate.

Madhudvisa: Sir, listen, we'll have questions and answers in just a minute if you'd like to be patient.

Man (1): Knives...

Madhudvisa: If you'd like to be patient for a second, we'll have questions and answers and we can ask about the philosophy that we're talking about. (more yelling from audience) The people that want to listen in an orderly fashion are waiting to hear the meeting continue, and those who want to ask questions can please have respect for them and let us continue with the lecture, and then we'll have questions and answers afterwards.

Prabhupada: What is this?

Madhudvisa: They are simply talking about violence.

Prabhupada: They are not prepared to hear. So let them question and answer.

Madhudvisa: So our spiritual...

Prabhupada: You can answer.

Madhudvisa: Our spiritual master has traveled about ten thousand miles to come and speak to you. We did have... We've not come here to bribe anyone to come and listen to him. We have rented this hall. We have rented this hall here and we have invited people cordially to come and listen as representatives of the intelligentsia of Australia. Now if the intelligentsia of Australia cannot sit for half an hour and listen to a gentleman speak about love of God, it does not speak very well for you. We are simply not asking for disturbance. We are not asking for violence. We will meet violence with violence. We are not artificially pacifists. We are asking you to listen like gentlemen. We have come here in good will. We have come here not to cause any disturbance. So we ask you please to have that much respect for our spiritual master. Now at this time, if there is any question about Krsna consciousness philosophy... Not about fighting. We can go on the street and fight. We can solve everything out there. We have come here to speak about spiritual matters. If you want to hear about spiritual matters, let's speak together like brothers and sisters. Let's not cause a disturbance. I have an ego; you have an ego. If you do something to flip off my ego, I may get mad. If I do something to flip out your ego, you get mad. So we'll go out into the street and settle it like cats and dogs? No. We're not here at this university to act like that. We're supposed to have raised above that platform. So please, we ask you to present sober questions to our spiritual master. Yes, sir?

Young man (2): I'm a Christian. I follow Jesus. What is your spiritual master in relation to Jesus, and do you see Jesus as just another prophet like...

Madhudvisa: The question was, this man is a follower of Lord Jesus Christ, and he would like to know what our opinion is of Jesus Christ.

Prabhupada: We respect Jesus Christ as you do. Because he is the representative of God, son of God, and we are also speaking of God, so we respect him with our greatest veneration.

Young man (2): So you're comparing Krsna, Buddha, Muhammad to Jesus as the same, and Guru Maharaj-ji too, another Jesus. You're saying that.

Prabhupada: No. I am not Jesus. I am servant of Jesus.

Young man (2): You're a son of Jesus.

Prabhupada: Yes. I am servant of Jesus.

Young man (2): What does that mean?

Prabhupada: I don't say I am Jesus.

Young man (2): Do you have the powers of Jesus? Can you say to a person, "Rise up and walk," when they're paralyzed?

Prabhupada: What is that?

Madhudvisa: He wants to know if you have the powers of Jesus.

Prabhupada: Eh? No, I have no power of Jesus.

Man: Well, I've got the power of Jesus. (laughter) Cause I'm a Christian.

Prabhupada: That's all right. You are Christian, we are Krishnian-practically the same thing. (laughter and applause)

Man: And one other question.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Man: I believe Jesus is coming back and not Krsna. And what are you guys going to do when you see Jesus? (laughter)

Prabhupada: What is that?

Madhudvisa: Jesus. He believe Jesus is going to come back again.

Prabhupada: Well, he is coming, welcome. We shall welcome. It is very good news that Jesus is coming.

Man: Jesus had no reputation. He wore sandals and he was crucified between two thieves...

Young man: He didn't carry flick knives... Hare Krsnas.

Young man (2): And your spirituality is in a Rolls Royce on a padded seat, and you're all into money, you Krsnas. You want money. You rip off people in the streets.

Prabhupada: No. I don't want money.

Man: You said "Violence with violence." When you said "Violence with violence," that's what you believe. Jesus turned the other cheek, and he expects his followers to. (applause) [break]

Prabhupada: Yes, this Krsna consciousness movement is not a sentimental religious system. It is science and philosophy. The attempt is to awaken God consciousness. God is neither Christian nor Hindu nor Muslim. God is God. There may be angles of vision to approach God, but God is one. Therefore our attempt is that you become God conscious. Don't be limited by Christianism or Hinduism or Muhammadanism. So our formula is explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam. We have got the copies there. Sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje: [SB 1.2.6] "That is first-class religious system by which the followers become a lover of God." This is the, our formula. Either you go through Christianism or Hinduism or Muslimism. If you understand what is God and if you know what is your relationship with Godin this way your goal of life how to learn to love God, that is achievedthen it doesn't matter through which religion you achieve that perfection. But if you can achieve that perfection, that system is perfect. This is our formula.

Madhudvisa: I think part of the question was this. One other man who comes from the East, Krishnamurti, he stresses that when you are speaking in the Western world, you should speak and present yourself as a Westerner, not as an Indian or not as you would speak in India. Instead of sitting on the raised dais, Vyasasana, and dressing in robes of a monk, Krishnamurti would say, "Dress in Western clothes and sit on a chair." The question was, "What is our opinion of this?"

Prabhupada: Actually a God conscious person is neither Westerner nor Easterner. So anywhere he goes, the devotees, as they receive him, they accept. These devotees, they have arranged the raised seat, so we have accepted this raised seat. If they wanted to sit down on the floor, I would have gladly accepted. I have no objection, this or that. But as the devotees receive and they give honor, that is good for them, because actually we should honor the Supreme Lord, God, and His representative. Nowadays it is different. Students and people are learning not to honor. But that is not actually the system. According to Vedic system, the representative of God must be honored as God. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah **. Just like in India we had British rule. The governor general, he was viceroy. So he was given honor, as much honor we used to give to the king. So that is the etiquette. That is the system. It is not that the honor given to the viceroy exactly like to the king, he becomes a king. No. He is servant of God. But it is the duty of the citizen to honor the representative of the king as king. That is etiquette. That is our Vedic system.

Madhudvisa: Yes.

Woman: How do you explain the fact that Jesus said that "I am the way, the truth, and the light," and that "No man comes to the father but by me"?

Prabhupada: What is that? Hm?

Madhudvisa: She's asking how can we explain that Jesus said he is the only way?

Prabhupada: Yes, he is the only way. We also admit. Because he is the representative of God, so if you want to approach God, you must approach through His representative. That is His version. "I am the only representative of God," then you have to reach God through him, that is fact.

Madhudvisa: Another question? Yes, sir?

Man (3): Do you consider your movement the major form of enlightenment emanating from the United States today? (laughter) What order of priority had your movement in the White House psychological warfare department? (laughter) Will you also be coming on to our July 4th demonstration again this year to try and fuck it up and divert people away from taking up real political issues concerned with Australia?

Madhudvisa: All right, we can answer you one point at a time. (to Prabhupada:) I can answer them for you if you like. Our movement is not coming from the United States. If you have some paranoiac stigma about anything and everything coming from the United States, well, that's your hang-up, not mine. (applause) Second of all, our spiritual master, he came to the United States to start this Krsna consciousness movement because he got a free ticket on a boat to go there. Because it was the mercy of this one lady who gave him this free ticket on a boat. He came to America on the orders of his spiritual master. This is the reason he came to America to start Krsna consciousness. If you had sent him a free ticket, he probably would have come to Australia first. He was a monk. He was a monk, a penniless monk in India, and he was trying to follow the orders of his spiritual teacher by spreading love of God. He was not trying to start any kind of a political movement. Actually, he is trying to start a revolution in consciousness. I think that you are also interested in revolution. We are also interested in revolution also. But we are interested in the revolution which will help people to feel peace themselves, whether they're Communists or Marxists or Leninists or whatever "ist" you like. We're trying to help people feel happy whether they're in the city or whether they're in the country or whether they're under any... (people yelling) This is what we're trying to do. So we are also revolutionaries. We are also revolutionaries. And actually we request you to cooperate with this Krsna consciousness movement so that actually we can change the consciousness of the world, not just change from one political system to another political system. That's been going on since time immemorial, and we see there's no solution because people are changing their politics; they're not changing their consciousness. They're not changing their consciousness. They're not changing themselves inside. They're just changing their "ism" from Communism to Capitalism, and from Capitalism back to something else "ism." We're asking people to try to get a little bit beyond that superficial political system and find out what actually motivates each and every one of us. That is God consciousness, or love of God. That love of God is much more powerful than any temporary political system. (many people yelling)

Man: Hey, listen. If you're that bloody good, why'd you beat up my mate?

Men: Yeah!

Man: You're bloody Nazis from bloody Germany. (yelling)

Man: Hitler was a revolutionary too.

Madhudvisa: Are there are any questions, more questions about the philosophy?

Young man: Because Jesus loves me, so I love you, brother. Because I love you I'd like to know where is your book that you say has God's words... How come my God says in this book, which my God doesn't seem to say... How come my God, in His book, which can be proved by many methods, that love... God too is talking about love. Man, he loves everybody... (end)