Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura said, jada-vidya saba mayara vaibhava: "Advancement of material science is increasing the illusion of maya." We are already illusioned, and if we go on increasing the illusion more and more, then we become more and more entangled. That is the nature. And so long we are illusioned, we shall put forward different theories, different philosophies, and different arguments. Therefore sastra says, tarko apratisthah [Cc. Madhya 17.186]. Simply by argument and reasoning, you cannot make any spiritual advancement. Because you may be very good, I mean to way, logician, putting forward nice arguments, but somebody may come who is better than you. He will spoil all your logic, and he will establish his own logic. That is nyaya-sastra. In Sanskrit there is nyaya-sastra. So they are taught how to defeat his opponent. Therefore the Absolute Truth you cannot understand by argument, by material dealings. In the Brahma-samhita it is said,

So nirbandhe krsna-sambandhe. We should not give up anything. That is not Krsna consciousness. That is not advice of Lord Krsna in the Bhagavad-gita. He never says (to) Arjuna that "You give up this fighting and go to the Himalayas and sit down silently there to meditate." Never He advises. We are following that. As Krsna says, as Krsna advises to Arjuna, yuddhyasva mam anusmaran... So long you are in this material world, you have to fight because this material world is called avidya-karma-samjna anya trtiya saktir isyate. This energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, material energy, it is called avidya-karma-samjna. Here the position is everyone is ignorant and he has to work for his maintenance. Even a small ant which requires a grain of sugar, he has to work also very hard. And the elephant who eats hundred pounds at a time, he has also to work. Even a rich man, he has also to work, and a very poor man, he has also to work. Therefore this material energy is called avidya-karma-samjna anya. So our Krsna consciousness philosophy is that we have to work, but we should work for the best bargain. That is our philosophy. And that is taught in Bhagavad-gita. There are, according to Vedanta philosophy, there are five kinds of interest, or arthas, pancartha. What is that? God, first of all to know what is God. Next, to understand what is jiva, or the living entity. Then, what is this material nature, or what is that spiritual nature. Isvara, jiva, prakrti. And then timewhat is the time factor, past, present, and future. And then there is karma, activities. These five things, primary principles of philosophical speculation or philosophical understanding, are very clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gita: isvara, jiva, prakrti, kala, and activities. So out of these five, isvara, the Lord, the jiva, the living entities, the nature, prakrti, and the time factor, as well as the..., they are eternal. They are not temporary. But the material energy is temporary. Actually, what is the difference between material energy and spiritual energy? The difference is material energy, the consciousness is different, and in the spiritual energy, the consciousness is Krsna. That is the difference. Just like the sky. The sky is one, but when there is cloud, it is called clouded sky. The sky is the same. The clouded sky is not different from the original sky, but the cloud has come and has covered the sun. Not the sun. It is not the actual term. The cloud has covered my eyes. The cloud cannot cover the sun. The sun is fourteen hundred times..., fourteen hundred thousands of times bigger than this earth. Now, how a cloud spreading over, say, one hundred miles or two hundred miles can cover the sun? It is not possible. It covers the eyes of us who are within one hundred and two hundred miles. So as the cloudy sky is not different from the original sky, it is simply covered, similarly, this material world is not different from the spiritual world, but it is simply covered. In ignorance we forget Krsna. That's all. The forgetfulness is compared with the cloud. That is stated in simple Bengali poetry:

So prapancika. Therefore Rupa Gosvami says the process is anasaktasya visayan yatharham upayunjatah. You... We should be unattached to the material necessities of life. It is not that we shall neglect this body. Because a body is vehicle for understanding. So we cannot neglect it. Just like you take care of your car. You ride on your car. For business you go from one place to another. So you have to keep it fit so that it can move very nicely, it can carry out your order. Similarly, there is no necessity of neglecting this body. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, yuktahara viharasya yogo bhavati siddhi. We do not say that "You don't eat," but we say that "You eat Krsna prasada, bhagavat-prasada." You satisfy your tongue. You do not starve, but you satisfy your tongue by the foodstuff which is offered to Krsna. That is our proposal. We do not say that "You don't sleep," but we say, "Yes, you sleep. But sleep as much as possible so that to keep your body fit." We do not say that "You don't have sex life." But you have, have it. Just like in this association you'll find my disciples. Out of them, there are many grhasthas. So there is no check that the woman and man should not mix. No. But they should mix together for producing Krsna conscious children. You have seen the sample of one Krsna conscious child. She's always dancing and she's always jolly. She's always jolly, chanting Hare Krsna.

So in this way, Krsna consciousness movement is to Krsnize everything favorably. That is called saranagati. Just like Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. That does not mean that it was told to Arjuna... So Arjuna did not give up his profession as a fighter, but he submitted to Krsna. He Krsnized the fighting principle. He fought for Krsna, not that he gave up fighting. In the beginning of Bhagavad-gita he was a fighter, soldier. And at the end of his understanding Bhagavad-gita he remained a fighter and a soldier, but his consciousness was changed. That is the difference. Similarly, the activities of this material world which is going on, we do not say like the Mayavada philosophers, that brahma satya jagan mithya. According to the leader of Mayavada philosophers, Sripada Sankaracarya, his perfection of life begins when one takes to sannyasa. The Sankaracarya philosophers, they do not admit anyone as realized soul unless he has accepted sannyasa. But Vaisnava philosophy is not like that. Vaisnava philosophy is that you may remain in any condition of lifeit doesn't matterbut you become Krsna conscious. That's all.

So our main business should be how to improve in Krsna consciousness. So far other things are required, bodily necessities, that is recommended by Rupa Gosvami, anasaktasya: "Don't be attached." Don't take food, don't eat simply for satisfying your palate. That is called sense enjoyment. But you, just to keep yourself fit, just to keep your body fit for giving service to the Lord, you can eat Krsna prasada. And so far Krsna prasada is concerned, it is not very bad; it is very good. We offer... Of course, those who are followers of Vedic principles of life, they know how nice foodstuff can be offered to Krsna. There are hundreds and thousands of varieties of fruits. There is nice grains also, there is nice milk also, there is sugar also. So you can prepare nice foodstuff on these ingredients which are considered sattvika, sattvikahara. Fruits, grains, vegetables, and sugar, rice, wheat, they are considered as sattvikahara. So you can prepare. Krsna also says that patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati [Bg. 9.26]. Krsna is the Supreme Lord. He can eat everything. Just like we have evidences from His life, sometimes He ate fire. Blazing fire in the forest, He ate up. So He can eat everything because He is God. He has got the potency of accepting anything. That is a different thing. But when He demands from His devotees, He says, patram puspam phalam toyam. So we have satisfy Him from these groups. Patram puspam means vegetables, fruits, grains; and toyam, water or milk, like that. And you partake the prasada.

Sometimes I am questioned in European countries that "What is the difference between patram puspam? That is also eatables. They are also vegetables. They have got life. Why do you ask us not to eat meat because they are living beings?" So answer is that it is not the question of living being. Every living being has to eat another living being. That is the law of nature. Jivo jivasya jivanam. Those who have got hands, they are eating the legless. Just like the vegetables. Just like cows, goats, or other animals, they are eating grass. The grass is also a living entity, but it has no legs. It is being eaten up by another animal which has got legs. Similarly, we are also a kind of animal with hands. We are eating another animal which has no hands. Similarly, those who are strong, even in animal kingdom or vegetable kingdom, those who are strong, they are eating the less strong. In this way the whole world is maintained by one animal is eating another animal or one living entity is eating another living entity. That is the law of nature. Jivo jivasya jivanam. So you (we) are not interfering with the right of the living entities. A tiger has got the right to eat another animal. So we are not going to preach amongst the tigers that "You become vegetarian" or "You become Krsna conscious." That is not our business. Our business is that we are inducing, we are entreating, we are requesting people that "You take Krsna prasada." That is our business. To become vegetarian or nonvegetarian is not very big business. We do not admit that vegetarians are very much pious and nonvegetarians are not pious. No. Not like that. We say that everyone is impious who is not taking foodstuff offered to Krsna. That is our view. Anyone. That is stated by Krsna. Yajna-sistasinah santo mucyante sarva-kilbisaih: "Anyone who is eating foodstuff offered to Yajna, to Visnu or Krsna, he is diminishing his volumes of sinful life." Bhunjate te tv agham papa ye pacanty atma-karanat: [Bg. 3.13] "And anyone who is cooking for himself, not for Krsna, then he is simply eating a lump of sinful life." It doesn't matter whether he is vegetarian or nonvegetarian. This is the philosophy of Krsna consciousness. We have to eat what is offered to Krsna. Yajna-sistasinah santo mucyante sarva. Yajnarthe karmano 'nyatra loko 'yam karma-bandhanah [Bg. 3.9]. If you simply work for Krsna... That is called karma-yoga. One who is working simply for Krsna, he is karma-yogi. You have got tendency to work. You have got tendency to flourish yourself by advancing industrialism. That's nice. You go on, do it. We don't forbid it. But do it for Krsna. Make Krsna center. That is the whole teachings of Bhagavad-gita. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. You offer... Kurusva tad mad-arpanam. Yat karosi. "Whatever you do, it doesn't matter. Whatever you eat," yat karosi yaj juhosi, "whatever you sacrifice, whatever you give in charity, give unto Me." Kurusva tat mad-arpanam. This is Krsna consciousness.

So this Krsna consciousness movement is to educate people how to live in spiritual atmosphere, and then there will be peace and prosperity. Unless one is in spiritual life... Because factually we are spiritual entities. Mamaivamsah. We are part and parcel of Krsna. Krsna is the whole spirit, and we are His part and parcel. Just like a machine and there is small screw, a part of the machine. The screw, although it has no value, but because it is a part of the machine, big machine, if that screw is missing, you will have to purchase at any price. It has got value. The same screw, when it is without the machine, it has no value because it is only a small particle of the machine. Similarly, when we are out of the atmosphere, we are out of Krsna atmosphere... There are many examples. Just like a fire and the sparks of the fire. They are of the same quality. If the sparks of the fire falls on your cloth, it will immediately burn. But the sparks of the fire and the whole fire is different in quantity. But in quality the sparks of the fire is as good as the fire. There are many examples. You can understand what is our relationship with Krsna or God. We are small. We are atomic small, and Krsna is unlimitedly great. That is the difference. Otherwise, so far quality is concerned, Krsna and ourself, the same. As the part and parcel of Krsna, if we live always with Krsna, then we are in spiritual life. If we always live in Krsna consciousness, then in spite of our living in this material world we are called jivan mukta, "liberated in this material condition." Jivan mukta. He has got to die and take liberation. Even in this life he is liberated. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:

So in the Bhagavad-gita it is taught what is God, what is nature of God and who is God, and what are these living entities, we living entities, and what is our relationship. These things are taught in the Bhagavad-gita. We have to find out. Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He says,

So as Arjuna said that param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan: [Bg. 10.12] "You are the Supreme Personality." Sasvatam purusa. He is accepted purusa. Purusa, the Supreme Lord, purusa; the bhokta, the enjoyer. And He's parambrahman and pavitra, uncontaminated. Pavitra means uncontaminated by the material nature. Paramam bhavan. And He is the rest of everything. Krsna also says,

So if we want to learn some specific subject we have to accept a proper authority or a bona fide teacher. Similarly if we want to learn the science of God, we have to approach a person who knows the science. Not that a casual person takes one Bhagavad-gita and writes his comment and it goes on for some ulterior purpose. In that way you cannot understand Bhagavad-gita. And Bhagavan, Krsna, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati [Bg. 18.61]. He is situated in everyone's heart. So as soon as you are actually a devotee... He is everyone's heart but He is silent. But as soon as one is devotee, one is inclined to serve Krsna, at that time He gives him intelligence. He does not give intelligence... He gives others intelligence in a different way, as we want. Everyone, because we are free, so as we want. Because without sanction of Krsna, we cannot do anything. Therefore one has to take sanction from Krsna for doing anything. So for others He gives sanction, "All right. You do it." Because He will see. Krsna does not say that you do it because He perceives that I must do it. So Krsna gives the sanction. That is one sanction. But there is another sanction, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita. That is sanction for the devotees. Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. Tesam. "For those who are twenty-four hours engaged in My service." Satata-yukta. Satata means always, without any deviation. Simply in Krsna consciousness, thinking everything in Krsna consciousness. He is seeing one flower. You'll be surprised... This little girl, the other day we were walking in hanging gardens, and this little girl, as soon as she saw some flower, immediately she expressed her opinion that these flowers should be taken and made into garland for Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness. She is being taught from the very beginning of her life how to become Krsna conscious. So it is not difficult. It depends only on training. Even in this old age, and especially in this age this method is very simple. Simply we have to agree to accept it. That's all. Otherwise Krsna consciousness is the simplest form of self-realization and advancement in spiritual life.

So Krsna, as I was talking, that Krsna is sitting in everyone's heart. And as soon as one is inclined to serve Him, He is also ready to respond immediately. Tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam [Bg. 10.10]. One who is engaged twenty-four hours in His service, in Krsna's service, bhajatam priti-purvakam , not as a matter of routine... Of course, we have to begin as a matter of routine. But when you develop gradually love for Him, that is called priti. Just like this Deity worship. Our students, first of all they are engaged in a matter of duty of devotional service. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam arcanam [SB 7.5.23]. This is called arcanam. But by worshiping the Deity he feels an attachment for service. That is natural. Tathasakti. It is called asakti. It will develop if you begin Krsna consciousness at your home. Then you will feel at a certain stage an attachment for Krsna. Asakti. Adau sraddha tato sadhu-sanga.

So the symptom of a devotee is always engaged in Krsna consciousness. And Krsna is sitting in everyone's heart. As soon as He sees that "This particular living entity is very much interested in Me," tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami buddhi-yogam tam [Bg. 10.10]. Immediately dictate from within that "You do like this, you do like that." What is that dictation? Yena mam upayanti te. That dictation is favorable for advancing towards Krsna. That dictation is favorable to advance towards Krsna. Why does He say...., why does He do like that? That is His special favor. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

Thank you very much. (end)