The sum and substance of religious principle is to surrender to God. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is religion. Religion means the order given by God. That's all. This is the simple definition of religion. If you, anyone asks "What do you mean by religion?" Religion means to abide by the orders of God. That's all. Just like good citizen means who abides by the order of the government. That's all. There is no difficulty to understand what is good citizen. Whatever the government gives you law, and if you follow, then you are a good citizen. Similarly, there is order by God, and anyone who follows that order, he's religious. Religious does not mean a kind of faith. That English translation of the word religion is not sufficient. Faith"I believe in this, I may not believe in this"that is different thing. But law means you must. There is no question of you believe or not believe. You believe or not believe, it doesn't matter. Law is law.

Suppose there is fire. I believe that "I'll touch the fire; it will not burn." That is not law. It must burn. Even a child catches the fire, it will burn. There is no excuse. Similarly, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19]. (aside:) (Hindi) Let him come and sit down. No, no... (Hindi) So you cannot violate the laws of God. Any one of us, we know. Just like we, we eat... (Hindi) Eating is the law of God. Everyone should eat. But if you eat more, if you violate the law... You can eat whatever you require, little. But if you eat more, if you violate this law, then you'll be diseased, immediately. Daivi hy esa gunamayi mama maya duratyaya [Bg. 7.14]. As soon as you violate the laws of God, you'll be punished.

Therefore Suta Gosvami says, munayah sadhu prsto 'ham bhavadbhir loka-mangalam [SB 1.2.5]. "You have inquired about Krsna. It is a very noble question." Sadhu. Sadhu means pious, noble. So if people simply inquire about Krsna, what is Krsna... Just like we are preaching all over the world to arouse this inquisitiveness about Krsna. And actually, that is happening. Our Krsna books, wherever we present... Because this Krsna consciousness movement is now spread all over the world, they are very much inquisitive to know about Krsna. Our this Krsna Trilogy is selling anywhere like hotcakes. They're inquisitive now to know about Krsna. So this is very good sign. If you... If simply people try to inquire about Krsna, day will come he will be liberated. Just like in Caitanya-caritamrta it is said, krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya. Visvasa sabde...

So Srila Rupa Gosvami, in front of whom we are now speaking, he gave us the definition how one can make progress in spiritual life. Everyone is blind after material way of life. So the mission of human life is to get out of these clutches of maya. That is the real mission of life. We are missing the point. Yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke [SB 10.84.13]. We are accepting this body as everything. And the modern civilization means to enjoy bodily comforts as much as possible. That is perfection of civilization. No. That is not perfection of civilization. That they do not know. Especially the demons, the nondevotees, they do not know.

This question was raised by Hiranyakasipu before Prahlada, that "Why you are after so much Krsna, nonsense God?" So he replied his father, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum: [SB 7.5.31] "My dear father, generally, demons like you..." (laughter) Yes. He addressed his father, asura-varya. Asura-varya means "the best of the demons." He was not afraid. He was a five-years-old boy. And he inquired some questions, "My dear boy, what you have learned first class from your teachers?" (Hindi) So Prahlada Maharaja addressed his father, tat sadhu manye asura-varya. Asura-varya. His father was addressed not "Father." He was addressed, "My dear the best of the asuras..." Asura-varya. Tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam.

So when you become actually preacher of God consciousness, you cannot make any compromise. You must call the spade a spade. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja is one of the mahajanas. Out of the twelve mahajanas, he's one of them. Because he was very bold. He was not afraid of his demonic father. He chastised him in so many ways. But he was never afraid. So just like our people are being persecuted in Australia. You know? They have been put into jail because they are preaching Hare Krsna. So this is not very easy thing, easy-going. My Guru Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, he did not like that his disciples would be easy-going, cheap Vaisnava. Cheap Vaisnava. Dusta mana tumi kisera vaisnava. He sang a song, "My dear mind, oh, you are going to be a Vaisnava. And what kind of Vaisnava you are?" Dusta mana tumi kisera vaisnava, pratisthara tare, nirjanera ghare, tava hari-nama kevala kaitava. "You are chanting Hare Krsna, imitating Haridasa Thakura or Rupa Gosvami, in a solitary place... Not solitary place. You are thinking of woman and money. That's all. Mind is filled with dirty things. So this kind of bhajana is simply cheating, cheating." He was after preaching. First of all, go door to door. Just like Nityananda Prabhu did it at the risk of life. He was hurt by Jagai-Madhai. Blood came out of His head. Lord Caitanya became very much angry. He wanted to kill immediately Jagai Madhai. Lord Nityananda said, "My dear Sir, You promised that this incarnation You'll not take any weapon, Please be kind upon them."

So this is Nityananda. Nityananda-vamsa means one who takes the risk of preaching work, he can claim Nityananda-vamsa. Not that easy-going. The preaching work is not easy-going. There are so many difficulties. All the big, big preachers... Sri Ramanujacarya. His life was attempted to be killed. Why Ramanujacarya? My Guru Maharaja was attempted to be killed. Twenty-five thousand rupees were raised fund for bribing the police officer. He told me personally. The Navadvipa, Navadvipa Gosais, they wanted to kill him. So preaching work is always risky. Tat sadhu manye 'sura-varya dehinam. So krsna-samprasnah. If you want to make the whole world peaceful, yenatma suprasidati. Suprasidati. Prasidati means to become satisfied, and su means super, extra satisfied. Then people should be educated to inquire about Krsna. That's all. Simply. This very word. Yat krtah krsna-samprasnah. Make such propaganda in a way that everyone becomes inquisitive, "What is this nonsense, Krsna, they are speaking?" At least...

Just like Jagai-Madhai, when they... In the beginning, they were very much adverse to sankirtana, hari-sankirtana, but one day, the Madhai was telling to Jagai, "My dear brother, Jagai, after all, these rascals sing very nicely, (laughter) Hare Krsna. They sing ver..." "Oh, you are going to be Vaisnava?" "No, no. I am not going to be Vaisnava. (laughter) I'm just appreciating. They sing very nicely." So you go like that. They will arrest you. You have got good experience. In London, they were arrested. You were in London. How many times you were arrested?

So religious persecution is always there. Even the father, what to speak of others? The father, Hiranyakasipu, he chastised his son. So don't be afraid. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted. Yare dekha tare kaha krsna-upadesa [Cc. Madhya 7.128], Caitanya Mahaprabhu said. This is the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Anyone you meet, any dumb rascal or gentleman, it doesn't matter, try to convince him about Krsna and let him inquire about Krsna. Then his life will be successful. Simply he begins to inquire, "What is Krsna?" Then his, means, he'll, path of liberation becomes open immediately.

Therefore Suta Gosvami says, yat krtah krsna-samprasno yenatma suprasidati. Actually, everyone is suffering. That is the law of material nature. Narottama dasa Thakura, he says, visaya-visanale, diba-nisi hiya jvale, juraite na koinu upay. Visaya. Those who are materialistic, that is called visaya. Visaya means eating, sleeping, sex intercourse, and defence. How I shall be protected, how shall I enjoy sex, how I shall eat more, I shall sleep more: this is called visaya. Visaya does not mean a very rich man, visayi. A poor man can be visayi, and a rich man can be renounced. Just like Ramananda Raya. He was governor, a grhastha, not even sannyasi. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted him not as grhasthamore than a sannyasi. So visaya. Visayi means, does not mean that if one is very rich, then he's visayi. Visayi means one is only interested with these four things: eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. The whole world is going on like that. The modern civilization, they're simply interested how to eat, how to sleep... In your country, in America, you know very well. They're whole day working, how to construct a skyscraper building, how to own at least four cars.

So, so long we shall be attached to this visaya, simply, there cannot be any peace. There cannot be any peace. It is impossible. Therefore Narottama dasa Thakura says that visaya-visanale. Anala means fire. There are different types of fire also. Vi..., visanala, the burning sensation by drinking poison. Visaya-visanale, diba-nisi hiya jvale. "Whole day and night, twenty-four hours, my heart is burning." Visaya-visanale, juraite na koinu... "I did not try, how to get out of this blazing fire." Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana, rati na janmila kene tay. "The only, only relief is this krsna-sankirtana, hari-nama-sankirtana." Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu ordered that,

As I have repeatedly told you, that... Especially I have seen practically in America, in Africa, in Australia, there are so much immense scope for producing food that ten times of the whole population of the world could be fed simply by utilizing the open land still available. So there is no question of scarcity. We have simply mismanaged. Due to lack of Krsna consciousness, we have mismanaged things. Krsna says,

So therefore this krsna-samprasnah, if simply people become inquisitive, what is Krsna, and you simply try to answer themwe have got so many books nowthen the whole world will be peaceful. Yena atma suprasidati. Everyone is hankering after, "Where is peace? Where is peace?" You know, you European and American boys. You have come to Krsna consciousness because on account of your hankering, "Where is peace?" Is it not?

So try to impress the whole Western world about krsna-samprasnah. Then they'll be happy. That is our mission. Yat krtah krsna-samprasno yenatma suprasidati. Munayah sadhu prsto 'ham [SB 1.2.5]. And Suta Gosvami welcomed the inquiry, "Oh, it is a nice inquiry, very nice inquiry. You are inquiring about Krsna. Oh, I have got this opportunity to answer." Anyone, any devotee, any servant of Krsna, as soon as he'll be questioned by somebody about Krsna, he'll be very, very happy: "Oh, here is an opportunity to speak about Krsna." Just like when Naradaji inquired from Brahma that "I know that you are everything, but at the same time, I see that you are meditating on somebody else. What is that?" So Nara... Brahma welcomed this inquiry, "My dear Narada, it is a very nice question. Now you have given me opportunity to speak about my master."

So great sages, they were congratulated by Suta Gosvami. All the sages in the Naimisaranya. Just like you are sitting here. This is the process of understanding krsna-prasna. Formerly there were no big halls. Just like in your country or all over the world, we are speaking in big, big halls. Formerly the method was... Just like here, in this very sacred place, (taps podium) all the Gosvamis used to study Bhagavatam under the leadership of Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami. This is a very... This is the most important place in the world. So you have got this opportunity. So... (Hindi)

Thank you very much [break]

So if you want friendship, you make friendship with Krsna. And because He's the proprietor, He'll protect you. These are the three points. Is that clear? Or you have got any question, you can question. Let it be clear. This is very intelligent question. So if we have to search out a friend, just search out Krsna. Make friendship with Krsna. Suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. He'll satisfy you in all respects. And He's not poor because bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. He's... He's the proprietor of everything. What do you want? Everything will be supplied. He's so nice friend. So if you one understand these three points about Krsna, then our life becomes successful.