Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham: [Bg. 4.11] "Anyone who worships Me in a particular way, I give him chance to be successful in that particular way." If you want to be a first-class atheist, Krsna will give you chance to become a first-class atheist. He will give you intelligence. He will give you ways and means how you can become a first-class atheist. And if you want to become a first-class devotee, Krsna will give you intelligence how you can become a first-class devotee. Therefore He says, ye yatha mam prapadyante. If you think that Krsna here: "Here is a statue of Krsna. He is an idol. And these foolish people are chanting Hare Krsna with an idol," so Krsna will remain to such person an idol forever. And one who knows, "Oh, these people are chanting Hare Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead," for him, Krsna will reveal, "Yes. I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead." This is the difference.

In the Bhagavad-gita you'll find, sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto [Bg. 15.15]. Krsna says that "I am living in everyone's heart." Sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto mattah smrtir jnanam apohanam ca: "And through Me one is forgetting and one is remembering." So why Krsna is doing like that? He is helping somebody to forget, and He is helping somebody to remember. Why? The same answer: ye yatha mam prapadyante. If you want to forget Krsna or God, He will give you intelligence in such a way that you will forget forever. There will be no chance to come to the precincts of God. But it is the devotees of Krsna. They are very compassionate. Krsna is very strict. If anyone wants to forget Him, He will give him so many chances that he will never be able to understand what is Krsna. But Krsna's devotee are more compassionate than Krsna. Therefore they preach Krsna consciousness or God consciousness to the poor people. Grhinam dina-cetasam. Mahad-vicalanam nrnam grhinam dina-cetasam. When Narada approached Maharaja Yudhisthira, he welcomed him that "My dear sir, you are free. You can travel anywhere you like. You are so great and so free. Then why do you come to me? You have no business to come here. I am ordinary king, and what business you have got with me? But still, you come to my house. You talk with me. Why?" Grhinam

dina-cetasam. Our mind is very poor. We simply... We are very much busy in the matter of maintaining family, and we have taken it: "This is the sum and substance or success of life."

In this way, as the other day I was speaking, not here, in San Francisco, that in this age especially, a man will think himself very successful if he simply can maintain one wife and a few children. That's all. He will think himself very successful. And actually, it is a problem for present day people to maintain even an wife, which is... An animal, an animal is also maintaining a wife. There is no difficulty for him. A dog has a wife and children, so he has no economic problem. A bird has wife and children, but he has no economic problem. But man has gone so down that he is thinking to keep wife and children is an economic problem, to avoid it. To avoid it use contraceptive method, no children, simply indulge in sex life. So man has become so down and down, especially in this age. But it is not a problem. Bhagavata says that this is not a problem. You are thinking of maintaining your wife and children. Oh, that is already arranged. As this is arranged for the animals, for the birds, for the beasts, to have a wife and enjoy sex life and beget some children, then why not for you? You are advanced human being. Then Bhagavata says that tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovidah. One who is intelligent, one who knows things as they are, he is called kovidah. Kovidah means very expert. So Bhagavata advising the most intelligent man that tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovidah: "If you are intelligent, then you should try for advancing your Krsna consciousness." Why? Na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah: [1.5.18] "Because this Krsna consciousness is so valuable and rare that if you travel all over the space by your sputnik or something else, you cannot get this Krsna consciousness anywhere." Na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah. "Oh, Krsna consciousness is so very valuable that I shall simply devote my life only for attaining or achieving this end of life? Then what about my economic problem?" The Bhagavata says, tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa: "My dear friend, because you are a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, so your economic problem is already solved." You will get something to eat, you will have some opposite sex to satisfy your senses, and you will be able to defend yourself according to your capacity, and ahara-nidra, and you will be allowed a place to sleep nicely. That is already arranged.

There is a very nice story. I have several times perhaps recited that one morning... In the western countries also fair takes place, some in county, some village place. So in India there are weekly bazaar which is called hatta. So at that time the salesmen with their goods, commodities, they assemble and many purchase are..., just like in market place. So there was a market, weekly market, and thousands of people assembled there. So one old lady of that village, she began to cry. Then her elderly son inquired, "Mother, why you are crying?" "No, where shall I accommodate all these people to lie down in the, at night? There are so many people in this village, and how I shall accommodate?" The son began to laugh. "My dear mother, you don't bother. It will be all arranged." "No, my dear son, I am very much perplexed." So she began to cry. So in the evening the son called the mother, "Mother, now you see in the marketplace." She saw, "Oh, where are all those people gone? Huh?" So there is arrangement. All those thousands of people assembled in the market, they have got their sleeping place. They have got their eating place. So by arrangement. There is arrangement. Similarly, there may be millions and millions of living entities; God has arrangement. If you calculate the human population and other living entities, the human population, especially the civilized human beings, are nothing in comparison to other living entities. There are millions and billions of living entities even in this store. If you find out a small hole, you will find millions of ants coming. They are also living entities. And who is arranging for their food? You are not very much busy to... Although it is your duty. That is also Bhagavata communism. Bhagavata communism says that even if you have got a lizard in your room, you must give him something to eat. If you have got a serpent in your room, you must give it something to eat. Nobody in your house should starve. You see? This is Bhagavata communism, not that "Only my brother and sister will not starve, and other animals should be killed." This is not communism. Here is communism. This is Krsna consciousness communism, that a Krsna conscious person is thinking even for the ant, even for the lizard, even for the serpent. That is real communism.

From the beginning of life means... Actually, our life begins at the age of five years. According to Canakya Pandita's niti, it is said that the boys, the children, should be given complete freedom to do anything he likes up to five years, not more than that. Lalayet panca-varsani: "Up to five years a child should be given all freedom." Never mind however miscreant he may be. But from five years to fifteen yearsthat means a period of ten yearstadayet. Lalayet panca-varsani tadayet dasa-varsani: "You should give all freedom to your child for five years, and then, next ten years, you should be very strict, very strict, so that the child may be very much afraid. And as soon as he attains sixteen years of age, then you should treat him like friend, not, I mean to say, so strictly." These are the moral instruction by Canakya Pandita.

So Prahlada Maharaja advises the bhagavata-dharma. Bhagavata. What is the bhagavata-dharma? Bhagavatan dharman acared yata arthadam etaj janma devadi-janmani maha-visaya avisat. Now, why this life is given so much importance, this human life? There are many other lives, lower and higher. In the higher planets there are demigods. They are far more improved, they are more intelligent, they are more happy than this planet. You must know that the higher planets, the comforts of life is thousand times more. As you go in the higher planetary system, the standard of life, the conveniences, are thousand times greater than in this planet. Therefore the commentator, Sri Jiva Gosvami is that "Why not bhagavata-dharma, cultivate Krsna consciousness, in the life of demigods? Why in this human form of life?" So the answer is that devadi-janma, devadi-janmani maha-visaya avisat. Devadi-janmani. In the lives of demigod, they are puffed up with so much material enjoyments that there is very little chance to become Krsna conscious.

Just like in India still, in this fallen condition of India, whenever there is Bhagavata recitation, thousands of people still will assemble because the benefit is that they are little poverty-stricken than the western people. So Jiva Gosvami says that a person who is too much puffed up with material facilities, it is very difficult for him to come into Krsna consciousness. In the Bhagavata it is stated, Krsna..., I mean to say, question and answer between Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva Gosvami. Maharaja Pariksit inquired his spiritual master Sukadeva Gosvami that "Generally we find that those who are Vaisnava, or Krsna conscious persons, they are poorer, whereas we see those who are worshiper of Lord Siva, they are very rich." This question was put by Maharaja Pariksit to Sukadeva Gosvami, and he narrated that "Lord Siva is so poor that he hasn't got even one house to live. He is living underneath tree. He cannot provide even a shelter to his wife, who is coming, who is the princess of a very great king, Maharaja Daksa. So why this difference? And whereas persons who are devoted to Visnu, who is the master of everything, goddess of fortune..." Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam [Bs. 5.29]. Not only one goddess of fortune, but many hundreds and thousands of goddess of fortune is serving Krsna or Visnu in the spiritual planet. "So the devotee of Krsna or Visnu, they appear to be poorer than the devotees of Lord Siva, who is less than a poor man. Why this contradiction?"

So the contradiction was answered by Sukadeva Gosvami, not personally. He took authority. What is that authority? He said immediately, "My dear king, this answer I shall not give you, but a similar answer was put forward by your grandfather, Maharaja Yudhisthira, to your other grandfather, Krsna." Krsna also happened to be grandfather of Maharaja Pariksit. Because Krsna's sister was married to Arjuna and Maharaja Pariksit is the grandson of Subhadra, Arjuna's wife. Therefore Krsna also happens to be grandfather of Maharaja Pariksit, and Maharaja Yudhisthira also happens to be grandfather, being the eldest brother of his grandfather. So Krsna is the authority. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami is giving authoritative answer as it was spoken by Krsna. This is the way of speaking. One should cite authority. Sukadeva Gosvami was not less authority. As I described the other day that there are twelve authorities. Out of them, Sukadeva Gosvami himself is one of the authorities. But still, he is citing the authority of Krsna. That is the way of presenting things. That is called Vedic knowledge, that you must giving... Whatever you say, it must be supported by the authority. Just like a good lawyer. He gives good evidence from other courts' judgement, authority. So Sukadeva Gosvami said that "This very question was inquired by your grandfather, Maharaja Yudhisthira, to Krsna because they were put into so many calamities, the Pandavas. Krsna was their personal friend. Still, they were put into so many calamities for which they had to fight forcibly." So Krsna answered. When Maharaja Yudhisthira inquired "Why this contradiction? The Vaisnava, who is worshiper of the most opulent personality, Visnu, they appear to be poorer, whereas the worshiper of Lord Siva, who appears to be poorer than ordinary man, they become very richer. Why?"

Krsna answered that yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih: [SB 10.88.8] "My dear brother, Yudhisthira, My first evidence of mercy to My devotee is to plunder all his wealth, whatever he has got. You see? Whatever he has got, I take it away. Then he tries again to accumulate some money. Again I take it away. In this way, he tries; I take away. When he becomes confused and baffled, he fully surrenders unto Me." Ha ha prabhu nanda-suta. Just like Narottama dasa Thakura is praying Krsna, ha ha prabhu nanda-suta: "Oh my dear Lord Krsna, the son of Nanda Maharaja," vrsabhanu-suta-juta, "oh, You are standing before me accompanied by Radharani, the daughter of Maharaja Vrsabhanu." Koruna karoho ei-baro: "Now this is the time to show me mercy." Narottama-dasa kahe: "Narottama dasa is appealing to You." Na theliho ranga pay: "Don't push me away." Toma bine ke ache amara: "I have no other personality than Yourself. I have lost everything." This is surrender. So one should think like that. That is the perfection of Krsna consciousness, that "I have nothing more except Krsna." So that has to be practiced, and not that if one thinks like that, that he has nothing except Krsna. One who has Krsna, he has everything. He has everything. The Bhagavad-gita supports, yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah. If you can gain Krsna, then there is no more necessity of any other profit. All profit is there.

People are very much attracted by humanitarian work, but there are so many institutions that improvement the world's, I mean to say, condition has not improved. Just like from India I was thinking that every American is rich man, but actually, when I come to America, there is economic problem. There is poverty problem here also, although not in comparison to India. But proportion is there, five thousand upon five and five hundred upon..., like that. Proportion is the same. So karma, the karma, the law of karma is there. Everyone is subjected to law of karma, and he has to enjoy or suffer according to law of karma. So we cannot interfere. We can simply teach everybody that sometimes you are becoming in the point of starvation, and sometimes you are becoming extravagant in opulence. But this is changing. Your life, this material existence, is always changing. Sometimes I am very rich man. Sometimes I am very poor man. Sometimes I am human being. Sometimes I am cats and dogs. We shall stop this business of changing. Bhagavad-gita says, mad-dhama gatva punar janma na vidyate. If we try this life to go back to Godhead, go back to home, that is our success. We should not bother about the condition of life. Whatever condition of life we are put in, we may be satisfied.

So we should endeavor for improving Krsna consciousness. Then our life will be successful. Sometimes you will find mother is supplying very nice foodstuff to one child, and other child the mother is supplying only little barley water. Do you mean to say mother is unkind to one child and not unkind to other? Because mother knows better than anyone that this child cannot digest. There is some trouble in his stomach. He should be given light food. And the other child is all right. Similarly, mother nature is the guidance. So if somebody is starving, it should be noted like that, that he is put into that circumstances to get better. That's all. So any other question? [break] Everyone, I shall request you to chant Hare Krsna. We have enjoyed so many lives in the past, or suffered. Now, this life, at least one life may be devoted for chanting Hare Krsna and see the result. That is our request. (end)