Lecture in Hindi – January 17, 1971, Allahabad

Prabhupada:

Ladies and Gentlemen, You heard a lecture from this girl in English. I know that there is no need here for speaking English. But the way the preaching is spreading in foreign countries, these young boys and girls-British, American, Canadian, and French, German-are preaching our Bhagavad-gita, and krsna-bhakti. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said:

Caitanya Mahaprabhu said for those who are born in India as human beings, not for animals, that those who are born as human beings should make their life perfect and do good to others. Indian land, the culture of India is not to rob one another, the culture of India is to give charity [to do good] to others. You just try to understand. Why? Caitanya Mahaprabhu says: "janma sarthaka kari". The kind of culture or knowledge and teaching required for making human life perfect is available only in India, and nowhere else. I have travelled all around the world. Our nature and culture-social, monarchical and spiritual, which have all been instructed by great rsis, do not exist anywhere else in the world. We understand this very well. However, the matter of regret is that our Indian people are not concerned to preach and spread this culture. There are many people there [in abroad] eager to take it, they want the benefits of culture of simplicity that India offers. In those days there was a hope that someone should go to abroad and spread the real culture of India. But there was no attempt, neither from Government nor from our public.

My Guru Maharaja, Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Astottara-sata Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja had dedicated his life in spreading krsna-bhakti, the jewel of India. And fortunately he also instructed me that "you go to foreign countries and preach the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu". In those days; this had happened a way back in 1922, not recently. I did not know that in order to fulfil the order of my Guru Maharaja I have to go to abroad. But by his blessings, I went there. After many days, 50 years after, it took 50 years for his words [mantra] to be fruitful. I went to America in 1965, and I had only ?40 with me, which was of just 1 hour expense. [coughs] Somehow, by mercy of God, by mercy of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, after roaming around for a year, I opened a class in New York, at No. 26, Second Avenue. Gradually these young boys and girls, most of my disciples are in between 20 to 30 years old, you can see them, no one is above 25 or 26. I taught them. The point is that Indians should take this culture of India and preach there in foreign counties. Of course, I am also Indian, but I alone only taught them and sent them all around. I sent some to London, some to Australia, and money was given by these people only. The expenses are high there. In London when I was… I had sent this Mrs. Yamunadevi, who is dancing in front of you, and her husband, and others, total six household devotees of us in London. They struggled a lot for a year, and now we have a temple in London also. If you happen to be in London in future, we have a temple at 7, Bury Place near British museum in London. In the same way, in America. We have temples mostly in every city; in big cities. Los Angeles, specifically, has a very big temple. And there live at least 50, full-time 50 devotees. And everything is going on well. I have brought them here to show them the Indian youth culture [sampradaya]. Something that you people had left or have been leaving, see these foreigners-Americans, Europeans, young boys and girls, how they are […].

So the words of Caitanya Mahaprabhu that: janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara . India has got the potency that everyone here can make one's life perfect. [coughs] Why? Just like Bhagavad-gita. Bhagavad-gita is the first book of the Monarchical realm. Just like we say [in hindi] "a", "aa", "e", "au", [in English] A, B, C, D, it is the first book from the time of Monarchy. Why is it the first book? What is the first lesson imparted in Bhagavad-gita? It is that "you are not this body". Dehatma-buddhi [Bodily Consciousness]. What is going on in the world?-dehatma-buddhi. Yasyatma-buddhi-kunape tri-dhatuke [SB. 10.84.13] "I identify myself with a bag of these three elements, mucus, bile and air". Just to eradicate this illusion of misidentifying body with the self, Lord Krsna informed Arjuna from the very beginning that "though you are speaking with me like a highly learned man, you are a fool number one".

The only reason for this misidentifying the body with the self, "dehatma-buddhi", and thereby ensuing all kinds of quarrel in the world, be it between man against man, nation against nation, religion against religion, is that the conditioned soul, who has accepted the material body, is under illusion that "I am this body". As long as this illusion continues there can not be happiness for human beings, in human society. It is said in Bhagavad-gita [18.54]: brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannatma. Until one attains the knowledge of Brahman, that "I am not this body", aham brahmasmi, "I am a spirit soul", one can not have happiness.

This Krsna consciousness movement, krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matiḥ [Cc. Madhya 8.70]. Its Sanskrit or Hindi translation runs as "krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matiḥ." This is not something that we have translated. Srila Rūpa Gosvami Prabhu, a chief disciple of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, has translated it, not translated, he said it first. While these words "Krsna Consciouness", which I coined, exactly translate to krsna-bhakti-rasa-bhavita matiḥ [intelligence or status of mind, that I'll serve Krsna]. Rūpa Gosvami says:

"One should surely buy the nectar of krsna-bhakti wherever one finds it and wherever one can purchase it."

One has to pay a price for anything one buys. So it is said: tatra laulyam ekalam mūlyam. The only price one has to pay for buying this nectar of krsna-bhakti is to become "greedy" to have love of Krsna. Just like Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught:

This bhava [mood] that "I feel entire world vacant in separation from Govinda" makes the human life perfect. Prema pumartho mahan [Caitanya-manjusa]. There is no perfection in dharma-artha-kama-moksa; actual perfection is in bhagavat-prema [love of God]. To achieve this love of God is not a cheap thing. There is love of God, we have love in the hearts of every one of us, but the love is for all material objects. Therefore we consider life unsuccessful; all the times one is to be considered full of anxiety. Only [anxiety]. So it is said in Bhagavatam [7.5.5]: samudvigna, sada samudvigna. Everybody, including animals, birds, human beings, is always in anxiety, what will happen next? What will happen next? This is… material world, anyone who has accepted a material body is always in anxiety. So if human society really wants to be happy then kindly adopt this Krsna consciousness by any means, and there is a simple way to adopt it in Kali-yuga.

This is the special facility of Kali-yuga. Firstly, Sukadeva Gosvami spoke to Pariksit Maharaja that Kali-yuga is full of faults. It is described in the Bhagavatam. For those of you who have heard Bhagavatam, Kali-yuga is full of faults; an ocean of faults. Thereafter, Sukadeva Gosvami said to Pariksit Maharaja that there is a precious thing even in this ocean of faults. What is that? It is for Kali-yuga, not for any other yugas. He said:

There is one good quality. That is why many devotees give importance to Kali-yuga. Why? Because there is a good quality in Kali-yuga. What is that quality? Kirtanad eva krsnasya, just by doing krsna-kirtana; mukta-sahgaḥ param vrajet, one becomes liberated and goes back to Godhead. It is simple. To the extent Kali-yuga is fallen and sinful, God made it equally very easy and simple: kirtanad eva krsnasya. I am very happy to see your kirtana party. But still, just like you take a medicine, there should also be a dietary system. The medicine and the diet. The medicine and the diet. The medicine is the holy name, bhavausadhac chrotra-mano-'bhiramat [SB. 10.1.4]. This is the right medicine for the material disease. Like this girl said that it is like an ocean. A person fallen in an ocean is full of distress. He may be an expert swimmer but there is no happiness in that; he simply struggles for existence. The situation is same here [in material world]. To cross over this ocean, kaler dosa-nidhe rajann, there is one good quality, what is that?

The name of Lord Krsna:

Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said this. He also says: param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam, ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam [Siksastaka, 1]. The point is that the kirtana that you are doing is the medicine, and with this you should have a dietary system. Then it will quickly work out. A doctor is present here, and doctor knows, he not only gives medicine but also advices "don't do this", "don't eat this", "eat this", and "live like this". This is the rule. If someone is ill, suffering from a disease, and he took only medicine and did not follow the dietary advice, then medicine will not cure him. There has to be a proper diet. What does it mean to have a proper diet? What is the real issue? What is the cause of our entanglement here in this material world? The cause is the sinful activity. Everyone is sinful; some little, some more. Everyone, who is here [in material world] beginning from Brahmaji down to an ant, is enjoying the reactions of his fruitive activities. Karma-phala, fruitive activity, is impious [papa] and pious [punya]. The results of pious activities are also miserable. This is hard to understand. Therefore one should go beyond the pious and impious activities. Beyond the pious and impious [fruitive] activities. One should progress beyond karma-kanḍa and jnana-kanḍa. Therefore bhakti is free from the concepts of karma-kanḍa and jnana-kanḍa; anukūlyena krsnanu-silanam:

If you want bhagavat-bhakti, then anyabhilasita-sūnyam. The anyabhilasita means "I do kirtana because I want to get material profit out of it". Such mentality has to be rejected. And jnana-karmady-anavrtam, it should be free from "jnana" and "karma". The point is that this material life, sinful life..., there are four pillars of sinful life. What are they? It is mentioned in scriptures: "striyaḥ sūna pana dyūta yatra papas catur-vidhaḥ" [SB. 1.17.38]. There are four kinds of sinful activities. What are they?-Illicit sex. Illicit man and illicit woman. Leaving aside one's married life, a woman must not have sex with a man, and man must not have sex with woman. This is a great sin. Avoid this. Striya-sūna, next is jiva-himsa. Unnecessarily killing-eating meat, fish etc. Such people are the burden on the earth. This is the injunction of scriptures, that "with increase of drunkards and meat eaters the earth becomes more and more burdened." This is mentioned in the scriptures. So this should also be prohibited. No illicit sex, and no eating of meat, fish [meat eating], and no gambling, and no intoxication, which includes pan, cigarette, tea. So if you want to progress by doing kirtana then you should leave all these things as far as possible. These American and European boys and girls were first informed of these [prohibitive] rules. And those who were always eating meat, taking intoxicants, drinking tea and coffee, have left everything. [they] have completely left everything. Therefore these people are brahmanas. The symptoms of a brahmana are: satya samaḥ damaḥ suci-truthful, control of the senses, gravity of mind, and cleanliness. These are there in Bhagavad-gita and you know that. So the holy name has its effects. It will certainly purify you, and there is no doubt about this. But, if you with willingness, [do] little more… Just like a wood, it is hard for it to burn if it is wet. It burns only partly, and emits smokes; it burns slowly, and will take time. Contrarily, if the wood is dry, it burns quickly. The same thing is mentioned in Bhagavad-gita: yesam anta-gatam papam, persons whose sinful actions are completely eradicated:

Therefore pious activities should be performed. Only by acting piously does the sinful action diminish and stop. You can do only one thing at a time. While doing one work, you cannot do any other work. Therefore it is said in Bhagavad-gita that:

Only those whose sinful actions are completely eradicated can do bhagavad-bhajana with determination. Therefore kindly try for this. These four types of sinful activities-striya-sūna-pana-dyūta yatra papas catur-vidha [SB. 1.17.38]-have to be given up. This is the subject of our preaching, and we preach this wherever we go. So you have your kirtana party, you continue the kirtana, and along with that you preach how to stop these sinful activities so that it works quickly and you can attain God in this life only. No expectations for the next life, because "to attain God" is not an ordinary thing.

Many births, after doing austerity for many births, and practicing for many births.., otherwise why wait for many births if we can attain God in the very same life? Why should we not do? Who knows whether we get human life again in future? We may not get human life, because:

According to our karma we get a body under the supervision of the Supreme Lord, by the permission of the Supreme Lord. However, one who understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead will not have to accept this material body but receives a spiritual body and goes back home back to Godhead. Therefore our kind request is, the purpose of the preaching mission of International Society For Krsna Consciousness is "everyone should be saved from sinful activities, and the diet and medicine, everyone should be requested to chant Hare Krsna mantra." So you also follow this, and you will quickly get the results, and by mercy of the Supreme Lord you attain the Lord in the very same life.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.

Audience: [clap] Hare Krsna.

Devotee: Hare Krsna. [indistinct] [End]