That was the... Yajna is required. In this age, Kali-yuga, it is very difficult to perform the Vedic ritualistic yajnas. It requires tons of ghee and food grains. And people have nothing to eat even. But sastra has made it very easy. Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah [SB 11.5.32]. If you perform the sankirtana-yajna, then it is as good any other yajna. Yajna means to satisfy the yajna-purusa, Visnu, Lord Visnu. So in the Kali-yuga, simply by performing yajnas you can satisfy the Supreme Lord. Yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah. We have seen in many places by performing yajna, the sankirtana-yajna, where it was very dry, rain has fallen. This is practical. So things are very easy. But instead of producing food grains, we are producing Goodyear tires. So how we can eat? Now when there is scarcity of foodstuff you cannot eat the Goodyear tires. But people's attention has been diverted in the industrial activities. They are given allurement, "Come here. I shall give you twenty rupees per day. You give up your agricultural activities. You come in the factory. Produce tire tube, iron stool," and so on so on. So we are violating the orders of Krsna. Krsna says that produce foodgrain. But we are producing unnecessary things. And therefore you are suffering. Krsna is giving very good advice: annad bhavanti bhutani. You produce sufficient foodgrain, all over, not only here. Another anartha is this nationalism. Nationalism: "This is America," "This is India," "This is Africa," "This is Australia." Why? Isavasyam idam sarvam [Iso mantra 1]. Simple thing. Everything belongs to God. Isavasya. There will be no scarcity. I have studied very thoroughly that there are sufficient land still without any cultivation. In Africa I have seen sufficient land. But they are utilizing it for producing coffee and tea. No food grains. So these are the anarthas. Anartha. Unnecessary. People will not die without coffee and tea. But they have made the whole world self-dependent on coffee and tea, mercantile policy. There is anartha.

So anartha, if you want happy life, peaceful life, progressive life, then you have to curtail these anarthas. Anartha-nivrttih syat. Without curtailing these anarthas, unwanted things, you cannot become happy. So that is recommended here. Anartha-nivrttih syat saksad bhaktim adhoksaje. As soon as you become a devotee, all anarthas become immediately vanquished. Just like here, these Europeans and Americans, they are accustomed to anarthas from the very beginning of their life. And the latest anartha was their intoxication, LSD. But by bhakti-yoga, because they have taken to bhakti-yoga, very easily they have given all these habits. Even government is surprised. In Europe, and especially in America, their government is spending millions of dollars to stop this LSD habit. They cannot do it. They praise our movement in this connection. And as soon as one comes to this movement, he immediately gives up. Immediately, without any hesitation. I make this first condition, that you have to give up all kinds of intoxication. Not only LSD, but even drinking tea, coffee, smoking, everything you have to give up. Chewing pan, everything. And they agree. We do not make any compromise that "You can do any nonsense and still you become initiated. Give me some money." No. We don't make such compromise. You must first of all agree to give up all these sinful activities. Then I can accept you. I can initiate you. This is our process.

So compulsory, the government is trying to make compulsory, but that cannot. You cannot make a person honest simply by legislation. He must be vimarsanam. Prayascittam vimarsanam. One must be fully conscious, "Now what I am doing, it is wrong." Then anartha-nivrttih syat. Just like a person who is a thief, he knows that "I am stealing, and if I am arrested, I'll be punished." He knows that. And he has seen that one thief is arrested. So we get two kinds of experiences. One kind of experience by hearing: "If you do this, then the result will be this." That is hearing. And one kind of experience by directly seeing. So the thief has both. He has seen that a thief has been punished, and he knows by hearing from the lawbooks or from religious books that stealing is not good. But still he commits repeatedly, again and again stealing. Why? Because he has no knowledge. Therefore knowledge is essential. That knowledge can be revived. This is krsna-kirtana. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has recommended, ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam, anandambudhi-vardhanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. You want ananda, anandamayo 'bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). Everyone is seeking after ananda. So purnananda. Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's recommendation.

So bhakti-yoga means chanting. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23]. This is the beginning. Hear about Visnu, chant about Visnu. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh. No, not any other. Sastra says Visnu. But there are many rascals, they say you can chant any name. Why? Why the sastra says sravanam kirtanam visnoh, chanting and hearing about Visnu, not for any other god? That is not recommended. But they make. Because they are impersonalists, they have no God, they have made "God means imagination." But God is not imagination. Godhere is Krsna. He's not imagination. He says aham adir hi devanam [Bg 10.2], "I am the origin of everyone."

It is the statement of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Anyway, if we want to, I mean to say, abolish all kinds of anarthas, unwanted things, then we must take to bhakti-yoga. Then everything will be clear. Everything will be clear, very clear. Srnvatam sva-kathah. This srnvatam sva-kathah, just like you are so kind enough to come here to hear about Krsna, Krsna consciousness, by this process. This has been recommended by Caitanya Mahaprabhu: sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. You remain in your place. You don't require to become a sannyasi, mendicant, or brahmacari, or change your place. No. When Ramananda Raya quoted this verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam to Caitanya Mahaprabhu... He was discussing about the aim of life and the process of reaching the aim of life. He mentioned so many thingskarma, jnana, yoga, etc., so many things. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, eho bahya, age kaha ara: "Yes, this statement is not very important. If you know still further more, you can say." So in this way, step by step... When Ramananda Raya came to this conclusion, that

Therefore if we want to abolish all unwanted things of life, simply we come to the spiritual platform. Because that is our aim. Athato brahma jijnasa. This human life is meant for spiritual understanding, not for any other purpose. Tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovidah, sastra recommends. Only for spiritual understanding engage your activities. And what will be other things, about my family life, worldly life? That is said that tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham. Just like you don't aspire or don't wish for distressed condition. It comes upon you. Similarly, whatever happy condition in your life is expected, that will also come. You don't require... There are many places. So our endeavor, the human energy should be fully engaged in understanding Krsna. This is Krsna consciousness movement. Nothing else. Other things we should minimize. Yavad artha-prayojanam. Just to maintain the body and soul together you should live very nicely. You should not become weak by health; otherwise, we cannot execute. But don't eat more, don't eat unnecessary things. Atyaharah prayasas ca prajalpo niyamagrahah. Atyahara, to eat more or to collect more than is required, that is forbidden by Rupa Gosvami.

Thank you very much. (end)