SPD01-01 The Ācārya Part 1
SPD01-01
The Acarya Part 1
The Acarya Part 1
[00:14] In 1965 an elderly gentleman stood on the deck of a freighter in Boston Harbor
[00:20] and wrote this prayer:
[00:23] "How will I make them understand this message of Krsna consciousness?
[00:27] I am very unfortunate, unqualified and the most fallen.
[00:33] Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You.
[00:38] Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure, as You like."
[00:44] Twelve years later, "Hare Krsna" was a household word.
[00:49] A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada had been more than successful.
[00:54] He had founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness,
[00:58] a worldwide confederation of over one hundred asramas, schools, temples and farm communities,
[01:07] and had made the chanting of Hare Krsna familiar to millions of people.
[01:13] He had written and published over eighty volumes of translation and commentary
[01:18] on self-realization, which are now standard in universities and libraries around the world,
[01:23] and he had gathered about him thousands of dedicated disciples.
[01:30] Srila Prabhupada became known to the world as a scholar, philosopher, social critic
[01:37] and spiritual leader.
[01:39] But to his disciples, Srila Prabhupada was dearmost friend, father and inner guide.
[01:47] The importance of the spiritual master to his disciples cannot be overstated.
[01:53] It is said that only by the mercy of the spiritual master can one receive the benediction of Krsna.
[02:00] And without the grace of the spiritual master, one cannot make any spiritual advancement.
[02:06] So the disciple's entire life focuses on the spiritual master and his instructions.
[02:12] In this relationship, the activities of the spiritual master are of monumental importance
[02:17] to his devotees.
[02:20] A disciple finds meaning even in the smallest gesture.
[02:24] Wherever he traveled, Srila Prabhupada would emerge daily into the chill and quiet
[02:30] of the early morning, and cloaked in a warm wrap he would take a lengthy stroll
[02:35] with an entourage of students, disciples and guests.
[02:40] Some mornings would find Srila Prabhupada immersed in contemplation
[02:44] or quiet appreciation of natural scenery.
[02:48] At other times, Srila Prabhupada would speak at great length
[02:51] and often with considerable intensity on various subjects.
[02:56] During these animated discourses, Srila Prabhupada would turn the profound Vedic
[03:01] philosophy into a practical cutting edge that penetrated every sphere of life and thought.
[03:09] The word acarya means one who teaches by example,
[03:13] and the following unedited footage provides an intimate glimpse into the
[03:18] exemplary life of Srila Prabhupada.
[03:21] To most people, the daily activities of a spiritual master are a mystery.
[03:26] And it is interesting to see how such an important historical figure conducted his everyday affairs.
[03:34] What emerges is an endearing portrait of an authentic spiritual personality.
[03:41] [Srila Prabhupada chanting japa in his rooms]
Morning Walk, June 29, 1975, Denver
[04:41] [Prabhupada:] Is that escaping? Or it is intelligence,
[04:45] that "You work hard and give it to me, we enjoy"?
[04:52] This is intelligence; that is not escaping.
[04:57] That is going on. The capitalist, they are engaging these rascals, asses, in the factory,
[05:03] and he is enjoying life. So that is intelligence,
[05:06] that "Let this rascal work hard and make a nice park for us, and we shall take advantage of it."
[05:13] This is intelligence.
[05:20] And it is called ajagara vrtti.
[05:24] Ajagara vrtti...
[05:27] Ajagara means... The big snake is called ajagara.
[05:32] So this mouse, they make hole and want to live there.
[05:37] And they comfortably living. And in the meantime the ajagara comes,
[05:40] he eats that mouse and lives comfortably.
[05:46] So our is ajagara vrtti.
[05:48] You work for the hole to live comfortably,
[05:52] but we take possession of the house and live comfortably.
[06:03] [kirtana in temple]
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture, May 19, 1975, Melbourne
[06:40] [Srila Prabhupada leads kirtana]
[10:50] [Prabhupada:] This is a conversation between Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva Gosvami.
[11:01] Maharaja Pariksit, five thousand years ago, he was the emperor of the whole world.
[11:13] Formerly, up to five thousand years ago, the whole world was being controlled
[11:24] and ruled over by kings whose capital was Hastinapur, New Delhi.
[11:36] There was only one flag, only one ruler,
[11:45] one scripture: Vedic scripture.
[11:49] And the Aryans, Arya, they were the civilized persons.
[12:03] You Europeans, Americans, you are also Aryans,
[12:10] Indo-European stock.
[12:14] Maharaja Yayati, grandson of Maharaja Pariksit,
[12:20] he gave to his two sons the portion of eastern Europe, Greek and Roman.
[12:35] That is the history,
[12:37] Mahabharata. Mahabharata means "great India."
[12:44] So, there was no different religion.
[12:50] One religion: Vedic religion.
[12:54] Vedic religion means to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead
[13:01] as the Supreme Person, Absolute Truth.
[13:05] This is Vedic religion.
[13:08] Those who have read Bhagavad-gita,
[13:13] it is said there, in the Fifteenth Chapter:
[13:19] vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam.
[13:24] Vedic knowledge means to understand God.
[13:28] This is Vedic knowledge.
[13:34] Later on, with the progress of Kali-yuga...
[13:39] Kali-yuga means the dark age or
[13:44] the sinful age, or the age for argument, unnecessary talks and fight.
[13:54] This is called Kali-yuga.
[13:56] That is going on.
[13:58] Since the last five thousand years the Kali age has begun,
[14:06] and the beginning of Kali-yuga was cow-slaughtering.
[14:11] So at the present moment,
[14:14] practically there is no brahmana, no ksatriya, no vaisya-
[14:20] only sūdras, fourth-class men.
[14:25] So you cannot expect any happiness guided by the fourth-class man.
[14:33] That is not possible.
[14:36] Therefore, throughout the whole world, there is chaotic condition.
[14:41] Nobody is happy.
[14:45] So this is essential,
[14:48] that the human society must be divided into four divisions.
[14:58] The brahmana class means the first-class, ideal men,
[15:04] so that by the seeing their character, their behavior, others will try to follow.
[15:12] Yad yad acarati sresthaḥ.
[15:15] So this Krsna consciousness movement means we are trying to create some first-class men.
[15:23] This is Krsna consciousness,
[15:26] this movement.
[15:28] So therefore, we have got these rules and regulation:
[15:33] no illicit sex,
[15:35] no meat-eating,
[15:38] no intoxication, no gambling.
[15:41] This is the preliminary qualification of a first-class man.
Recording Studio, Los Angeles
[15:53] [Devotee:] Srila Prabhupada? Prabhupada? On our tape-recorder here that we have, we can make it so you can play it nicely
[16:01] and later, at our own time, we will take to play the mrdahga and karatals nicely.
[16:07] This way we will not waste any of your time.
[16:10] Do you think that's a good idea?
[16:14] See, after you are gone, at our own time, we can play nicely.
[16:20] Do you think that is a good idea or not?
[16:22] [Prabhupada:] I do not know.
[16:25] I am not an expert.
[16:27] [Krsna-kanti:] Well, if we can't get someone to play drums...
[16:29] [Devotee:] We would like to do that.
[16:36] We would like to do it like that, Prabhupada.
[16:39] [Prabhupada:] Then do that. Gaurahgera duti pada. You can just try.
[16:59] My father wanted me to become like this:
[17:03] know everything, what is going on.
[17:07] He never wanted me to be a worldly man, earning money.
[17:12] He never wanted.
[17:17] There was some arrangement for my going to England after my college education
[17:25] to become barrister.
[17:28] My father refused:
[17:30] "No. My son is not going to be a mleccha."
Garden Conversation
[17:39] [Prabhupada:] So, past, present, future you exist, the body changes.
[17:49] Is it not clear?
[17:53] [Devotee:] Yes. That's clear.
[17:54] [Prabhupada:] Yes.
[17:55] So therefore, the conclusion, that when he will not have this body, he will have another body.
[18:09] You are sitting here. If you don't sit here-you go-
[18:13] that does not mean your sitting opportunity is lost.
[18:21] You are sitting here; you'll sit somewhere else.
[18:25] Similarly, the change of body is going on.
[18:29] Therefore, the conclusion is that after you give up this body, you'll have another body,
[18:39] as you have already done.
[18:43] Where is the difficulty to understand?
[18:47] [Devotee:] The seeming difficulty is that one…
[18:52] While the body is different from that of a boy…
[18:55] [Prabhupada:] Diff… Body must be different. Therefore that is called change of body.
[18:58] Unless it is different body, where is the change?
[19:07] [Devotee:] The memory is there,
[19:08] of the boy and… Or the spirit is there.
[19:14] [Prabhupada:] The memory... Sometimes we may not remember.
[19:20] Just like your this child, he may not have memory when he was very small.
[19:28] But you have got memory.
[19:33] When he was a small child he was doing something or some [indistinct]-
[19:37] he was playing with some cats and dogs-but he does not remember that.
[19:43] But you remember it.
[19:45] So simply because he has forgotten, it does not mean that the incidences were not present.
[19:56] So this argument is not very strong, "Because I cannot remember."
[20:01] You do not remember so many things.
[20:11] But the fact is this-that you are changing from this body to this body to this body…
[20:18] Therefore the conclusion should be that "After this body, I'll accept another body."
[20:24] That's a fact.
[20:33] As you have accepted, in this life, from one body to another body...
[20:38] There is a process how to accept it.
[20:42] Similarly, under the same process, you accept another body
[20:49] when this body is no longer useful.
[20:56] Just like at night you give up this body,
[21:00] you take your subtle body, and you go to somewhere.
[21:07] You are sleeping in your room, but you are working in a different place.
[21:14] Don't you do that?
[21:17] So, because this body is still useful, therefore you come to back again this body,
[21:27] and in the morning you wake up with this body.
[21:31] So death means when this body is useless,
[21:36] we do not come to this body; we accept another body.
[21:42] This is called death.
[21:48] That subtle body takes you from this body to the womb of another mother,
[21:58] by nature's direction, that "This soul shall get this kind of body."
[22:08] So the soul is entered in the womb of another mother's body,
[22:15] and then the body is prepared
[22:19] by the mother's blood and flesh.
[22:24] And when the body is sufficiently capable of working itself, then it comes out again
[22:33] and begins his work.
[22:41] This is birth and death.
[22:44] The soul is eternal.
[22:47] Therefore, a sober man should think, "Why should I change my body?
[22:56] Why this struggle I shall take?"
[23:00] That is human sense.
[23:05] If I am eternal, why not my eternal body,
[23:09] eternal existence? Why shall I die?
[23:14] This is human sense.
[23:16] Unless one comes to this understanding, he is animal.
[23:20] Because animal, by nature's law, is going on.
[23:25] He does not know.
[23:32] Then a human form of body, when he understands that "I'll have to change this body.
[23:39] I'll have to get another body,"
[23:41] then the question is: "What kind of body I shall get?"
[23:45] That is human intelligence.
[23:52] By nature's way we are getting body,
[23:57] but that is on the selection of the nature according to my work.
[24:05] If I work like animal, I get animal body.
[24:09] If I work as demigod, I get demigod body.
[24:13] If I acted as trees, then you get tree body.
[24:23] If he acted like dog, he will get dog's body.
[24:26] Nature's way.
[24:30] Therefore you find so many varieties of body.
[24:51] This philosophy does not appeal?
Room Conversation, June 20, 1975, Los Angeles
[24:59] [Prabhupada:] Naturally I want to love somebody.
[25:02] It is not unnatural.
[25:07] When that love is reposed to Krsna, that is perfect.
[25:16] The Mayavadi, they are frustrated; therefore they want to make this love into zero.
[25:28] They cannot understand Krsna's love with gopis.
[25:34] They think it is another edition of this material…
[25:40] Oh, how are you, Hayagriva Prabhu? How are you?
[25:50] You look better. You are looking better, brighter, when I saw you in New Vrindavan last.
[26:00] You have got so much talents for serving Krsna.
[26:07] Everyone has got. That I am speaking.
[26:12] We have to utilize it,
[26:24] so that modern man can understand.
[26:28] Otherwise we are repeating the same thing.
[26:35] They are repeating also same thing: sense gratification.
[26:40] Punaḥ punas carvita-carvananam.
[26:45] But because that is material, they're not getting happiness.
[26:50] But the spiritual thing, we are chanting the same Hare Krsna,
[26:55] simply repeating, but we are getting transcendental bliss.
[27:01] What we are doing?
[27:03] Same "Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna."
[27:08] So process is the same; the subject matter is different.
[27:20] So why you are behind publication? Now all the big men are here.
[27:26] Why our books are behind?
[27:33] So, if we wait for another birth, maybe we may not get.
[27:42] Even Bharata Maharaja, he also slipped; he became a deer.
[27:50] So we should always be vigilant.
[27:54] We have got this opportunity, human form of life.
[27:58] Let us utilize it to the fullest extent and be fit for going back to home.
[28:11] That is intelligence.
[28:14] Not that "All right, I shall get again chance next birth."
[28:19] That is not very good policy.
[28:23] Tūrnam. Tūrnam means very hastily finish. Tūrnam yateta anumrtyum pated yavat.
[sounds from local karate school]
[28:42] These people are wasting time.
[28:47] They are resounding some sound, thinking that this sound will save them.
[28:55] This is called foolishness, mūḍha. Pisaci paile yena mati-cchanna haya.
[29:14] And if you ask them that "Why you are sounding so loudly? Chant Hare Krsna," they will laugh.
[29:28] [Visnujana:] Srila Prabhupada, what did Bhaktivinoda Thakura mean when he said, "I am going, my work unfinished"? When Bhaktivinoda Thakura stated that he was leaving this planet with his work unfinished?
[29:41] [Prabhupada:] So let us finish. We are descendant of Bhaktivinoda Thakura.
[29:49] He kept unfinished so that we shall get the chance to finish it.
[29:55] That is his mercy.
[29:57] He could have finished immediately.
[29:59] He is Vaisnava; he is all-powerful.
|
Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/isv/srila-prabhupada-dvd/spd01-01-the-acarya-part-1
|