Lecture in Hindi [Partially Recorded] – February 17, 1972, Visakhapatnam

720217LE-VISAKHAPATNAM [06:51 Minutes]

Prabhupada: The reason behind our preaching in the foreign countries, in the year 1965 I went there, to Boston in a steamship there was no facility to go by air at that time. The Scindia Steamship company gave me a ticket. So, somehow I reached there and was sitting at the Boston port and thinking that how can I teach these people the science of devotional service? Firstly, if I said that you all will not be allowed to eat meat, no illicit and no gambling and what to speak of drugs, you will even be not given tea or coffee. When they will hear these things they will simply ask me, "My dear sir, please go back home."

You may have not heard about this but one of our Swamis earlier went to London. There he met Lord Zetland who asked him if Swamiji could make him a brahmana. The Swami said, yes, all you have to do is give up these four activities-no illicit sex, no meat eating, no intoxication and no gambling, and I will make you a brahmana. Zetland replied, "oh, this is impossible! In our country this is impossible. We need such acts like illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication, and gambling." That is why I was sitting at the harbor thinking that how can such a population be turned into Vaisnavas.

So, I prayed to Krsna that you surely have a purpose for which you have brought me here, if you have mercy over me then I shall be able to understand. And it was the mercy that some of these boys joined me. Initially, only I was doing kirtan alone then gradually people started to gather. Then after some days, few of these boys request me, "sir, would you please initiate us?" So, firstly I put up the condition that if you are ready for follow all these four regulative principles then only will I be able to give you initiation. So, they gave up these things and not just a few thousands of such boys have given up these sinful habits.

So, can you all not give up? These boys were taught to live like this from the very beginning and they have given up all these four sinful activities just by the strength of the holy names and have become great vaisnavas, so much so that they even don't smoke bidis, never do they ask for cigarettes or tea. This little girl here, while we were coming here one professor offered her some coffee, but she denied. So not only her parents but even the children are so decent.

So, whoever wishes to attain Godhead will have to give up these sinful habits because, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Himself says,

Those who engage in chanting the glories of the Lord kirtana with determination is not at all ordinary, this cannot be done by a sinful person only who is pious will be able to do it. That is why God Himself says: tesam tv anta-gatam papam those who have become completely free from all sinful activities, only they deserve to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

This is nothing ordinary because when once Arjuna heard the Bhagavad gita from Krsna what did he say? Param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12] so, God is the purest, Supreme pure and therefore it is not possible for an impure sinful person to reach him. Therefore, one should purify one's life. So, there are four pillars of impure life, such as illiict sex, why do humans have the institution of marriage and not the animals? Just so the humans can be prevented from sinful life. So, one is recommended to have relations only with one's own wife and no others. This has been said in the Canakya Niti Vakyas, the general behavior of the society is:

Who is a pandita? Just by getting an MA or BA degree one doesn't become a pandita. What is his identity? He considers all other woman than her wife to be like his mother. Such is his consideration not that one is though married still wishes to steal other's wife.

These sinful tendencies are never to be found in God, Himself. That is why it has been said, tesam tv anta-gatam papam, those who are extremely sinful they do not come in contact with the Lord. Which is why they commit so many sinful activities that finally they conclude that there is no God, and they have no relationship with Him. They say there is no God and that is their idea.

So, this is what I tried to teach them, and they have taken it up and are living their lives accordingly and you all can see how blissful they are and not just them there are thousands of such Americans and we have many centres. Every month at least we open about two more centres. As you all can now see I have brought them here. You all can see for yourself and learn. Moreover, you all have natural love for God, those who have born in Ind ia they are naturally pious so why give all our piety up? We all should engage in devotional service and the best and easiest way to do so is by chanting:

Thank you all very much. [end]