Prabhupada: (prema-dvani prayers) Mr. Justice Rangarajan, Justice Misra and Lalaji, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly participating in this Krsna consciousness movement. Today, this evening, we are especially enlightened by the nice speech delivered by Justice Rangarajan, little describing about bhakti-yoga. Actually, we are discussing this bhakti-yoga for the last few days.

So bhakti-yoga is the sublime religious principle of the human society. The human society is not human society without sense of religious principle. Dharmena hinah pasubhih samanah. That is the distinction of human society and animal. In the animal society, there is no religion. But in the human society, may be in any part of the world, there is some concept of religion, may be Hindu religion, Muslim religion, Christian religion, Buddha's religion, Jewish religion, and so many others. But according to Srimad-Bhagavatam, there is a test of religion. The test of religion is how much one has advanced in his love for God.

Religion means you must have peace of mind, tranquillity. That is religion. It is not a formality or dogmas. It is the ultimate goal of life.

So this Bhagavata-dharma long, long ago was sometimes discussed by Prahlada Maharaja, a great devotee, a boy devotee, 5 years old boy, and he was a great devotee although born in an atheistic family. His father was a great atheist, Hiranyakasipu. Hiranya means gold and kasipu means soft cushion. That means complete materialist. The materialist want these two things, woman and money. So Hiranyakasipu was very expert in this business. But fortunately he had a great son, Prahlada Maharaja. So this Prahlada Maharaja, when he was in the womb of his mother, he had the chance of hearing about Bhagavata-dharma from Naradaji. You have heard that there is always fight between the atheist and the theist, or the demigods and the demons, sura asura. So sometimes there was a fight between the asuras and the devas. The asuras became defeated, and Hiranyakasipu left the battle. So as it sometimes appears..., happens in the war, the wife of Hiranyakasipu was captured by the demigods, and she was being taken away although she was pregnant. So Narada Muni met on the way and he asked the demigods, "Oh, what you are doing this? You are taking away one pregnant woman? What is this?" So Indra replied that "We are not going to do any harm to the woman. But we are concerned with the child within his womb. Because that child is born of Hiranyakasipu, he must be a greater demon. So as soon as the child is born, we shall kill it. Therefore, we are taking this woman." Then Naradaji said that "This child is not an ordinary child. He is maha-bhagavata. So you do not try this attempt. Just release her. I will take her."

So Naradaji is authority, so demigods accepted his advice, Vaisnava. The demigods are also Vaisnava. Demigods means there are two kinds of population all over the universe, daiva asura eva ca. One class is called daiva, devata, and the other class is called asura. So who is asura and who is a deva? Visnu-bhakta bhaved daiva asuras tad viparyayah). That is the definition who is the asura and who is a deva. Only the Vaisnava, they are demigods. And who are not Vaisnava or anything else, tad viparyayah, he is a demon. In the Bhagavad-gita also it is said, asuri bhavam asritah.

The asuri bhava is defy the existence of God. "Who is God? I am God." Hiranyakasipu was a typical example of this demon. As soon as his son, five years old, he would chant Hare Krsna, he immediately object, "Why you are chanting Hare Krsna?" So that is the nature of the demon, to protest always against the theist or godly Vaisnavas. This is not new. It is always there. This world is so made that the predominance of demonic principle is very much aggressed(?). Just see, even a father, a demon father could not tolerate the chanting of Hare Krsna mantra by his five-years-old son.

Therefore, Caitanya Mahaprabhu has advised,

There will be disturbances. One who is going to engage himself in devotional service, he may be disturbed because that is the way of this material world. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that tolerate. How toleration? Trnad api sunicena, humbler than the straw on the street or grass. Everyone is walking over the grass, but it does not protest. Tolerates. Trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna. Prahlada Maharaja was typical example of this Caitanya Mahaprabhu's siksa. This Hiranyakasipu father tortured Prahlada Maharaja in so many ways, but he tolerated. He tolerated. There are many other examples. Lord Jesus Christ, he was crucified. The only fault was that he was preaching God consciousness. Thakura Haridasa, he was Muhammadan, but he took to this Krsna consciousness movement and the Kazi... At that time, there was Muhammadan government. The Kazi called him, "Oh, you are so fortunate, you have taken your birth in Muhammadan family and you are chanting Hindu God's name?" So he replied, "Sir, what is the fault there? Some of the Hindus also take to Muhammadan religion. So what is the fault there?" "Oh, you are talking before me, you are protesting?" So he was flogged with cane in twenty-two bazaar, but he tolerated. So this Krsna consciousness movement, don't think it is going very easily. We have to tolerate. Actually we are tolerating so many things, but we cannot stop it.

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu's advice,

The sankirtana movement must go on. Despite all obstacles put before us, it must go on. That is determination. Bhajante mam drdha-vratah. That is the instruction of Lord Sri Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita. Drdha-vratah, unflinching faith. And the Vedas say,

Through bhakti you can understand Vedas. Yasya deve para bhaktir, bhakti, yatha deve tatha gurau. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said the same thing:

Ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva. This bhakti cult is not for everyone. It is meant for the most fortunate person, most intelligent person, bhakti cult. Krsna said, bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. So after many, many births cultivating knowledge, when it comes to the supreme platform, then he can understand bhakti. Then he surrenders himself unto the Supreme Lord Krsna.

So Prahlada Maharaja says..., this is the instruction of bhakti-yoga, I shall read a few lines.

Prahlada Maharaja, he could not get to cultivate Krsna consciousness because he was born in atheist family, guarded, well guarded, and father was always alert that "My son may not chant Hare Krsna." But he was taking opportunity in the school. So he was five-years-old boy, and his class fellows also of the same age. So he used to induce them, "My dear friends, chant Hare Krsna, chant Hare Krsna." We have got a little girl, perhaps you have all seen, Sarasvati, she was admitted in a school in Bombay. And because there was no Hare Krsna chanting, she began to cry, "No, I shall not be in this school." Practical. There was (indistinct), she was organizing all the children to chant Hare Krsna. But they began something else, so she said, "No, I am not going to this school." So sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto sanjayate [Bg. 6.41]. This child must be executing devotional service in her past life. Therefore, she has got the opportunity, a Vaisnava father and Vaisnavi mother. And from the very beginning of her life she is becoming Krsna conscious.

So Prahlada Maharaja is advising his friends, "My dear friends." The friends were replying, "Now we are children, we shall play. Why you are asking us the chanting of Hare Krsna or Krsna consciousness? This is the business of the old men." "No," Prahlada Maharaja said. "No, it is not the business of the old men. You should learn it from the very childhood." Kaumaram. Kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha [SB 7.6.1]. The first thing is that human life is for cultivating dharma, religion. The other day I explained that dharma and religion is not the exactly synonymous. Dharma means which you cannot leave. Dharma, the example I gave the other day, just like sugar cannot give up the quality of sweetness. Similarly, the water cannot give up the quality of liquidity. The fire cannot give up the quality of heat and light. Similarly, every living entity has his original characteristic, which is called dharma. That characteristic is described by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, jivera svarupa haya nitya-krsna-dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]. This is the characteristic. Svarupa. Svarupa means original constitutional position. That is called svarupa. And mukti means to be situated in that original condition. That is the statement in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, muktir hitvanyatha rupam sva-rupena vyavasthitih. That is mukti. As soon as you give up your artificial way of life and you become situated in your original position, that is called mukti. That is... In other words, mukti means brahma-bhutah. That is also described in the Bhagavad-gita, brahma-bhutah prasannatma [Bg. 18.54]. When one realizes Brahman, aham brahmasmi, that is brahma-bhutah stage. At the present moment, we are jiva-bhutah. We are identifying ourself with matter, with this body: "I am Indian," "I am Hindu," "I am Christian," "I am brahmana," "I am black," "I am white." These are all designations. This is not my real identity. My real identity is aham brahmasmi, "I am spirit soul."

So Bhagavad-gita says that

Without being brahma-bhutah, actual devotional life does not begin. It is not that by devotional service one... Of course, you can take both way. But according to Bhagavad-gita, it is to be understood that anyone who has taken to this devotional service, he is already in the stage of brahma-bhutah.

Mukti means to become transcendental to the three gunas. Traigunya-visaya veda nistraigunyo bhavarjuna. So Bhagavata-dharma is in the transcendental platform. It is not material. There are two kinds of dharmas: material and spiritual, because we are combination of matter and spirit at the present moment. So long I want to enjoy this material world or to satisfy my senses... This material body means combination of senses. Indriyani parany ahuh. So the platform where we are concerned with the senses, that is called karma, karma platform. Just like people are working very hard day and night in the city. The purpose is to gratify the senses. Yan maithunadi-grhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. So that is karma. Then, indriyani parany ahur indriyebhyah param manah [Bg. 3.42]. When you come to the activities of the mind-psychology, metaphysics, philosophical speculationthat is another stage; that is better than this stage, karmi. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has approved that out of many thousands of karmis, one jnani is better. And out of many thousands of jnanis, one mukta is better, liberated. One who has realized that "I am not this matter, I am Brahman," he is better. He is mukta. Mukta means one... Brahma-bhutah, he understands. He no more identifies himself with these material activities. That is called brahma-bhutah. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu approves that out of many thousands of karmis, one jnani is better. And out of many thousands of jnanis, one mukta is better. And out of many thousands of mukta, hardly you can find any bhakta.

Bhakta... So the position of bhakta is very sublime. This is transcendental position, brahma-bhuyaya kalpate [Bg. 14.26]. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu's grace, this mukti is given very easily by introducing the sankirtana movement. He personally writes. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He wrote only eight verses, which is known as Siksastaka, eight verses. And all the Gosvamis, they wrote volumes of books on these eight verses. He wrote only eight verses. So He says that by chanting this Hare Krsna mantra, the first benefit will be ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. That is cultivation of knowledge. It will automatically come, ceto-darpana-marjanam, if one chants offenselessly. There are ten kinds of offenses. If one chants this Hare Krsna mantra offenselessly, then immediately he becomes liberated. Namabhasa, mukti. And when he chants Hare Krsna mantra in ecstasy, then he is in deep love of God. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He showed the example, He was chanting Hare Krsna mantra and was fainting, and He was crying. And He writes in His eight slokas,

He was feeling separation of Govinda, Krsna, so intensely that He was thinking one moment as twelve years. yugayitam nimesena caksusa pravrsayitam. So these are mahabhava. Great transcendental ecstasy can be achieved simply by chanting this Hare Krsna mantra.

So this Hare Krsna mantra or bhakti-yoga Prahlada Maharaja recommends. Kaumara acaret. Kaumara means the age from five years to fifteen years. So in all schools and colleges this chanting of Hare Krsna mantra should be taught. If you actually want to advance your nationality, India, then you must take to this culture. That will glorify your country. You cannot compete the Westerners by technology. That is not possible. They are meant for that purpose. You are meant for different purpose. Your special advantage is that you were born in this land of Bharata-varsa after many, many births, after many, many pious activities. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, therefore, says,

So still, although India is poverty-stricken, they say... Wherever I go, they take that I am coming from a very poor country. We are advertised in that way, because whenever our big men go there, ministers, for begging something. So we have been taken, accepted as the beggar's country. But in the Berkeley University, when one Indian student protested that I am spreading this Hare Krsna movement... The only protest was by an Indian student. He said, "Swamiji, what benefit will be there by spreading this Hare Krsna movement?" In another place, a girl asked me, "Swamiji, what is God?" So I asked her, "Are you Indian? You should be ashamed of being called as Indian, because you are asking what is God. You are coming from India, the land of God, and you do not know what is God."

So this is our position. The land where Lord Krsna appeared, just ninety miles from Delhi in Vrndavana-Mathura, we are not concerned. I have seen it personally. I do not discuss...I do not want to discuss these things. But my point is that this Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction,

This Bhagavata-dharma should be taught to our children. There is no use of calling ourself that we are secular. What does it mean? Dharmena hinah pasubhih samanah. If you have no dharma, then what is the difference between you and the animal? You must have. That is the advice of Prahlada Maharaja also. Prahlada Maharaja appeared some millions of years ago, and he was a five-years-old boy, Vaisnava. He says, kaumara acaret prajnah. Prajnah means one who knows very perfectly things, prajnah. Kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha [SB 7.6.1]. There are different types of dharma, but he specifically mentioned dharman bhagavatan iha. Iha means in this life, in his human form of life. Why in this life? Durlabham manusam janma. This life, this human form of life, is very difficult to obtain again. You do not know what life you are going to accept next. There is no certainty, because when you die, then you cannot be puffed up that "I don't care for God, I am God." Then you are under the grip of the material nature.

Then you cannot... You are caught up. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. Then it will be just what kind of body you should have. Karmana daiva-netrena [SB 3.31.1], under superior administration. Just like in the government service there is service record. And according to the service record, one is promoted or degraded. Similarly, there is record in the God's accountant department, statistic department. Every moment, upadrasta anumanta, God is within you, He is seeing all your activities. If you desire something, God will remind you. So that is good record. So all this record will be considered about your karma. Karmana daiva-netrena jantur dehopapattaye. It will be decided that "This particular or this individual soul, he has to accept such-and-such body." Daiva-netrena jantur. Then that soul is transferred to the father's semina, and the father injects the semina in the womb of the woman. And then in the first night, by emulsification of the two seminas, there is a form like a pea, and that pea grows into the body. This is the secret of different types of body.

So we do not know, we are not certain that what kind of body I am going to get next, but we will have one body. Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati [Bg. 2.13]. As I am getting one type of body from another type... In my this life, I was a child, I was a baby, I was a boy, I was a young man, now I am old man. As I am changing my body differentlyI was a small child, I can remember personally. When I was about 6 months old, I was lying down on the lap of my eldest sister. She was at that time married, and she was knitting. I remember. I was seeing how she was knitting. I can remember. But where is that body? Then another body, another body, another body. Krsna says, tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg. 2.13]. Similarly, when I give up this body, then I must accept another body. Tatha dehantara-praptih. But that I do not know. That will be considered by higher authorities, daiva-netrena, exactly as I told you that the service record is checked by higher authorities and he is promoted. So how one can know where one has gone? We keep one man's statue, but we do not know where the man has gone, where the soul has gone. But we keep the statue as if he is staying there. This is called illusion. We do not know where my leader has gone, but I am worshiping the leader's statue on the street, and it has become the place for passing stool on his head by the crows, and we are worshiping. But when you go to worship in the temple, it is idol worship. We are worshiping the statues, but when you go to worship in the temple, "That is idol worship."

So Prahlada Maharaja, therefore, advises that this Bhagavata-dharma education must be given from the childhood. Kaumara acaret prajno dharman bhagavatan iha [SB 7.6.1]. Because durlabham manusam janma. But if you take to this Bhagavata-dharma, then there is no loss, there is no loss. Because Krsna says that even if you cannot execute the Bhagavata-dharma fully in one life, because we are not guaranteed... Guaranteed, of course, if we follow strictly as Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, that janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. If you simply try to understand Krsnahow He appears, how He takes birth, how He disappears, why does He come, what are His activitiesif you simply study these Krsna activities, then the result is tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9]. Simply by understanding Krsna. This is Bhagavata-dharma. Therefore, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being compassionate to the all fallen conditions of this age, He said that

He says that "On My order, every one of you, especially Indians, you become a guru on My order." So "I am a fool, how can I become a guru?" Caitanya Mahaprabhu says amara ajnaya, "You simply carry out My order." There is no difficulty to become a guru if you simply carry out without any adulteration the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. What is that order? That is not very difficult. Because He says yare dekha, tare kaha 'krsna'-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Anyone you meet, you simply repeat what Krsna has said. That is Bhagavata-dharma. What Krsna has said. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Mad-yaji, mad-bhakta. So Krsna says... This is krsna-upadesa. He has given upadesa in the Bhagavad-gita in many wayskarma-yoga, jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga. But His special instruction is, the most confidential instruction is, He said to Arjuna, "Because you are My friend, therefore I am giving you this most confidential instruction." What is that? Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja. This is the confidential instruction of the Bhagavad-gita.

So it is not difficult. You haven't got to manufacture a religion. Because you cannot manufacture religion. That is not possible. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. Just like the state can give you law; you cannot manufacture law. Similarly, any ordinary man, he cannot manufacture religion. Religion means the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is religion. So this religion, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66], directly spoken by the Supreme Lord. Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo moksayisyami ma sucah. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends this. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also does not give any manufactured religion. This Caitanya cult is not a manufactured religion. It is also following. This is the process of religion. Evam parampara-praptam imam rajarsayo viduh [Bg. 4.2]. We have to get the religious principle by the disciplic succession, not that I become an authority automatically and I manufacture religion. That is not religion. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised that "Simply instruct what Krsna has said." Krsna has also said the same thing, ya idam paramam guhyam mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati [Bg 18.68]. Na ca tasman manusyesu kascin me priya-krttamah [Bg. 18.69]. "Anyone who is engaged in preaching the cult of Bhagavad-gita, no one is dearer to Me than he." [break] ...in preaching... [break] That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's cult. He says, marma-hatam karotu va adarsanan: "You just break My heart by not being visible." The Vaisnava devotees, they are not very much anxious to see God. They know, "Why God shall come to me? He is so busy, He has got so many business. Let me do my duty." The Gosvamis in Vrndavana... Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said, as I repeated the sloka, govinda-virahena me. He was simply feeling separation. He never said that "I have seen God." He never said. Similarly, Gosvamis, the sad-gosvamis, they are also following the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He radhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-suno kutah. Simply searching out, "Where Radharani? Where You are? Where the Lalita, Visakha, where you are? Where is Nanda-suna, the son of Maharaja Nanda, Krsna? Where You are all?" Sri-govardhana-(kalpa)-padapa-tale kalindi-vane kutah. "Are you near Govardhana Hill or on the bank of Yamuna?" But they never said, "I have seen Krsna." They never said. Not that, "Oh, last night I saw, Krsna was dancing." Not cheap devotee. Be great, follow. Just like Narottama dasa Thakura says,

Another place he says,

These Gosvamis, Narottama dasa Thakura, liberated devotee, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, they teach us how to worship Krsna in separation, feelings of separation.

Just like mad after God, "Where is Krsna? Where is Krsna?" This is called Bhagavata-dharma.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)