Room Conversation – April 24, 1969, Boston

690424R3-Boston [16:51 Minutes]

I am God, but I forget

Prabhupada: So we take account of past, present, future of this creation. When I say, "Some years ago I was there," that means within this creation. It does not go some years in your past creation. Do you follow what I say? Are you following what I am saying?

Lady devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupada: You are feeling all right? [chuckles] Satsvarūpa?

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupada: Yes. You did not go to the airport?

Satsvarūpa: No. I gave the lecture that was canceled at...

Prabhupada: Oh. Lecture?

Satsvarūpa: You were supposed to give a lecture today, but because you gave a lecture last night in Buffalo, we canceled it and I went instead.

Prabhupada: So you lectured there? That's nice. Now you have to lecture, I will have to retire. [chuckles] I want that all my students now should be prepared. Purusottama, you sit down. You are standing. You come here. Sit down. When, at present, when we speak of past, present, future, we refer to this particular creation of my body. Is it not? Similarly, "never return back," "never return back" means... What is your question? I..., missing point. Whose question it...? Yes.

Lady devotee (1): What is the question? That if we've never been with Krsna, if we've never been in Krsnaloka, then how is it that we remember His..., start remembering His pastimes and His form?

Prabhupada: You remember your pastimes..., Krsna's pastimes by hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam. You can hear Krsna's pastimes. That you can remember.

Lady devotee (1): But how can we remember if we've never known them before?

Prabhupada: How you can remember?

Lady devotee (1): If we haven't known it.

Prabhupada: You can know it by hearing from Srimad-Bhagavatam. Why we are citing so many scriptures, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita? Just to remember.

Lady devotee (1): Just to remember?

Prabhupada: Something you forget, but if I tell you repeatedly, you hear; you remember. Is it not clear? Something you have forgotten completely, and I remind you constantly, then don't you remember?

Lady devotee (1): Yes. But I don't understand how is it that we forgot it... How can we remember...

Prabhupada: Forgot..., you forget. That is your nature. You forget so many things. You cannot remember what you were doing exactly at this time yesterday. Can you remember immediately? Forgetfulness is our nature. We are very minute; therefore our..., we are subjected to the quality of forgetfulness. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was asking Krsna that "How I can believe that you told this philosophy of Bhagavad-gita to Vivasvan?" He said that "In... I, first of all, I told to Vivasvan."

So in reply to that question, Krsna said that "Both you and I had many, many births before, but you have forgotten; I remember." That is the difference between the Supreme Lord and ourself. He does not forget. He remembers everything, past, present, future, all; but we forget. That is the difference between God and living entity. We are subjected to forgetfulness. So we forget; again, if it is reminded, we remind. That is our nature.

So at the present moment we are forgetful of our eternal relationship with Krsna. Then, by good association, by constant chanting, hearing, remembering, we again revoke our old consciousness. That is called Krsna consciousness. So forgetfulness is not wonderful. It is natural, we forget. But if we keep constant touch, we may not forget. Therefore this association of Krsna consciousness, devotees, and constant repetition of the chanting, scripture, that will keep us intact, without forgetting.

Satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drḍha-vrataḥ [Bg 9.14]. We have to continue this service constantly. Then we shall not forget. Forgetfulness is not wonderful. That is our nature. That is our nature. And that is the difference between ourself and God. God does not forget. We forget. We are claiming, some of us, foolishly claiming, that "I am God, but I forget." God does not forget. Therefore I am not God. Is that clear? Yes. That is the difference between living jiva and siva[?], God. He does not forget.

In the Bhagavad-gita He says, vedaham samatitani [Bg 7.26] "I know everything of this present, past, future. Everything." But we do not know. We have forgotten. In our daily life, in our childhood, so many things we did. We don't remember. But our parents may remember, in childhood that we did this. So forgetfulness is our nature. But if we keep constant touch with Krsna, then He will give us remembrance. So sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto [Bg 15.15], Krsna says in the Fifteenth Chapter.

Now you read Bhagavad-gita very carefully. In our examination next January... Yes. From Bhagavad-gita, for title of bhakti-sastri. Now we have to make our organization regularly a spiritual institution, so that we may be recognized, and our students may be freed from this draft board requisition. That I am... Next step is going on.

[break] [audio feedback] Why don't you get that tape? Yes.

Purusottama: Oh. [indistinct]

Prabhupada: Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate na tasya samadhikas ca drsyate. This is from Upanisad. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki-jnana-bala-kriya ca [Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.8].

It is said that nobody is seeing... This is called research. We are accepting any nonsense as God, but they do not have any information from the..., that God means na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate na tasya samadhikas ca drsyate: "God has nothing to do, no responsibility. Nobody is found greater than Him."

So if this Vedic injunction is followed, if somebody is claiming, "I am God," we have to see whether he has nothing to do and whether nobody is greater than him. And these two tests will make him false immediately. He has to prove that nobody is greater than...

Even contemporary. Suppose I am claiming I am God. So I have to show that at the present moment, throughout the whole world, apart from universe, nobody is greater than me. Then I'm, God. With this pretenders be able to show that nobody is greater than him? This is a simple test. And na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate: "And he has nothing to do."

There are so many things to test who is God. Saḍ-aisvarya-pūrnaḥ. Nobody shall be richer than him; nobody shall be stronger than him; nobody shall be wiser than him; nobody shall be beautiful than him. So these things have to be tested, whether he is God. And simply if I claim, "Oh, I am God," there will... No testament? If I say, "I am President Nixon," will you accept it? If you don't accept it, even an ordinary President Nixon, without testing his credentials, how you will accept a false man as God without testing?

You must know what is that test, credential. He must present credential. Just like when some ambassador comes to a foreign country, there is a ceremony that that ambassador must be recognized by the governor or the governor-general in that state, and he has to place his credential. Similarly, anybody claiming as God, he has to place his credentials. And what is that credential? The test is there in the Upanisad, in the Bhagavad-gita and so many, all literatures, Brahma-samhita, Vedanta-sūtra, in Srimad-Bhagavatam.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam first it is said, janmady asya yataḥ, anvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnaḥ svarat. Svarat, svarat means fully independent. Satyam param dhimahi. The Supreme Truth, fully independent. We are not fully independent. And just now, if I feel a little toothache, I will have to go to a doctor. So how can I claim that I am God? God's first qualification is fully independent, svarat. Abhijnaḥ. Abhijnaḥ means fully cognizant of everything.

[aside:] What is that?

Purusottama: Some lugdoos.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. All right. Take. Distribute little. Na tasya karyam karanam ca vidyate. Just like Krsna: He is the Lord, but He has nothing to do. He is simply enjoying with His friends, with Radharani, with cowherds boy, with gopis. That is greatness. He has nothing to think, "How to provide?" [chuckles] That is greatness. He is taking the cows as a sporting. You see?

And when He was called for killing Kamsa, He left everything, renounced everything. Aisvarya samagrasya yasasaḥ... Everything in full, so much love, so much everything, but at once, in a moment, He renounced everything, went to..., left Vrndavana, and all these devotees, they began to cry for Krsna for the rest of life. And whenever Krsna was reminded, oh, He will say, "I am very soon coming. Don't worry. I am very soon coming." [chuckles] You see?

Girl: Have you took, Your Grace?

Prabhupada: Yes. I have taken. You take. You know how to make lugdoo? Himavati is good. [chuckles] You will learn many thing from her. We have got another nice girl in Buffalo. I have given her name... What is? Sada?

Devotee: Sadanandini.

Prabhupada: A very nice girl. Yes. Always chanting and dancing and always jolly. [chuckling] Very nice girl. Yes. You know her? No. She has recently joined. She is good devotee, good worker, very nice. So Krsna consciousness is so nice. Anyone who comes to Krsna consciousness immediately becomes beautiful in every respect. [break] [end]