SPD01-02 The Ācārya Part 2
SPD01-02
The Acarya Part 2
The Acarya Part 2
[00:16] In 1965, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada,
[00:21] a Vedic scholar and holy man in the renounced order of life, left India
[00:27] for America to transform a bold vision into a historical reality of global dimension.
[00:34] To fulfill the desire of generations of Indian saints who wished to see India's
[00:39] timeless spiritual culture benefit the entire world,
[00:42] Srila Prabhupada left India and sailed to the United States.
[00:49] When he arrived by freighter, he was practically penniless.
[00:53] But after nearly a year of struggle he established
[00:56] the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in July of 1966.
[01:03] In the years that followed, the Society grew rapidly,
[01:06] and "Hare Krsna" became familiar to millions of people.
[01:13] Srila Prabhupada became the focal point for the public's interest in the Hare Krsna movement,
[01:17] but he was never too busy to carefully answer any question,
[01:22] and with each and every encounter he would
[01:25] open the doors to the ancient philosophical and spiritual knowledge of India.
[01:32] An acarya is one who teaches by example.
[01:35] By his personal example, Srila Prabhupada demonstrated that the soul, the self,
[01:41] is naturally eternal, full of knowledge and full of transcendental bliss.
[01:48] When a living being is awakened to his original constitutional position of
[01:52] Krsna consciousness, he becomes filled with sublime,
[01:57] exalted spiritual emotions that have no material counterpart.
[02:03] As a great self-realized and God-conscious saint, Srila Prabhupada
[02:07] often exhibited the spiritual happiness that Krsna describes in the Bhagavad-gita.
[02:13] That sacred and ancient fountainhead of wisdom has this to say
[02:18] about the final state of human perfection:
[02:22] "In that joyous state one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness
[02:27] and enjoys himself through transcendental senses.
[02:32] Established thus, one never departs from the truth,
[02:36] and upon gaining this, he knows there is no greater gain."
TV Station Interview, July 1974, San Francisco
[02:41] [Interviewer:] Welcome.
[02:42] [Prabhupada:] Thank you.
[02:44] [Interviewer:] You founded the Hare Krsna movement some seven years ago, in 1967, did you not?
[02:49] [Prabhupada:] Yes.
[02:50] [Interviewer:] In a capsule, what is the movement?
[02:54] [Prabhupada:] Movement is to awaken God consciousness of the human being.
[03:00] The human being is distinguished from the animals
[03:07] that the animals cannot understand what is God.
[03:12] And if the human being also does not understand what is God, then he is animal.
[03:19] [Interviewer:] I see. And so your movement is to bring about an understanding of God among human beings.
[03:24] [Prabhupada:] Yes.
[03:25] [Interviewer:] And "Hare Krsna" means what?
[03:27] [Prabhupada:] "Hare Krsna" means addressing the energy of God.
[03:32] "Hare" means the energy of God, and "Krsna" means God.
[03:40] [Interviewer:] Okay. You were here yesterday to attend your annual festival.
[03:45] That was held here in Golden Gate Park, and we were there too.
[03:48] And in fact here it is. [shows news clip]
[03:50] A few thousand people came out to hear it.
[03:54] How many people are now disciples of the Krsna consciousness movement?
[04:00] [Prabhupada:] Dedicated life, about ten thousand...
[04:03] [Interviewer:] About ten thousand dedicated ones.
[04:05] [Prabhupada:] ...in the Western world.
[04:07] [Interviewer:] Your Grace, is there any significance at all in the shaved head?
[04:12] Why are heads shaved?
[04:15] [Prabhupada:] We keep ourselves very clean, that's all.
[04:17] [Interviewer:] Oh, it's just a cleanliness thing.
[04:19] [Prabhupada:] Yes.
[04:20] [Interviewer:] Is there any significance in the color of the robes?
[04:23] [Prabhupada:] At least at the present moment people think that by keeping long hair he becomes very beautiful.
[04:31] [Interviewer:] I see.
[04:32] [Prabhupada:] Yes. But we are against that.
[04:34] [Interviewer:] Just as simple as that. Is there any significance in the yellow robes?
[04:38] [Prabhupada:] Yellow robe is the dress of those who are dedicated.
[04:46] [Interviewer:] It could very well have been a blue robe? It's just something that was arrived at.
[04:52] [Prabhupada:] This saffron...
[04:55] [Interviewer:] Your Grace, why do you feel that so many people are pulling away from the
[05:01] traditional religions in this country, such as Christianity and so forth,
[05:04] and going for trying to understand the Eastern religions?
[05:07] We hear a lot of svamis and gurus and other type of yogi and so forth.
[05:13] Why do you feel that people are pulling away from the traditional Christian standards here?
[05:18] [Prabhupada:] But we see that the Christian churches, especially I have seen in London, mostly closed.
[05:28] People are not interested, or the Christian leaders, they cannot make them interested.
[05:34] [Interviewer:] Why? Did Christianity fail the people, which is why they are turning to other things?
[05:38] [Prabhupada:] I think so.
[05:40] [Interviewer:] You say that Hare Krsna consciousness pretty much takes the absolute truths from
[05:46] the Bible, the Koran, the Tora and the Vedic.
[05:51] [Prabhupada:] Yes. Everywhere.
[05:52] [Interviewer:] Everywhere.
[05:53] [Prabhupada:] Religion means to understand God.
[05:55] [Interviewer:] I understand. But do you feel that in getting truths from various places like the Bible,
[06:00] the Koran and so forth, don't you run into conflicts at all,
[06:04] or contradictions in those particular philosophies?
[06:06] [Prabhupada:] No. I don't find any conflict, because the ultimate goal is God.
[06:10] So you have to understand God and try to love Him.
[06:15] So you can go through any religious process.
[06:18] If the goal is attained, that you understand what is God and you try to love Him, then your life is perfect.
[06:26] [Interviewer:] Why do we see so many of your followers chanting, almost all the time?
[06:31] [Prabhupada:] Chanting means to keep association with God, always.
[06:36] [Interviewer:] So you have to audibly chant "Hare Krsna"?
[06:39] [Prabhupada:] Yes, yes.
[06:40] This is transcendental vibration.
[06:44] Just like a radio message.
[06:47] If you keep contact with the radio message then you will know everything what is going on outside.
[06:53] Similarly, this transcendental sound, "Hare Krsna,"
[06:58] if you chant, then you keep connection with God directly.
[07:02] [Interviewer:] Thank you very much, Your Divine Grace. It's been our privilege to talk with you
[07:07] and to meet you, and I hope that we can see you again when you return.
[07:11] [Prabhupada:] Thank you very much. Hare Krsna.
[07:12] [Interviewer:] We'll be back with more news in just a moment.
Arrival Press Conference, July 1974, Dallas
[07.41] [Prabhupada:] I'm very much happy because these American boys are helping me.
[07:47] It is due to their cooperation that the movement is spread all over the world.
[07:55] [Lady Interviewer:] Where will you go from here?
[07:59] [Prabhupada:] In America?
[08:02] [aside:] What is the date I entered in Hawaii?
[08:05] [Devotee:] She is asking where you will go after Dallas.
[08:08] [Prabhupada:] Oh, from Dallas I'll go to New Virginia.
[08:12] [Devotee:] West Virginia
[08:13] [Lady Interviewer:] West Virginia?
[08:14] [Devotee:] New Vrindavan.
[08:18] [Prabhupada:] And from there I shall go to London.
[08:22] [Lady Interviewer:] Are you pleased with the Krsna movement in the United States? Do you think it's growing?
[08:28] [Prabhupada:] What do you think?
[08:30] [Lady Interviewer:] I think it is, and this pleases you.
[08:33] [Prabhupada:] It is growing very fast. Not only growing, but growing very fast.
[08:39] And the flowers of your country, the young generation, they are taking it very seriously.
[08:47] These boys, these girls, they have taken it very seriously.
[08:51] [Lady Interviewer:] Do you think that the children you see here will carry on?
[08:54] Yes. Yes. Creating another generation, Krsna conscious.
[09:00] So it will continue.
[09:04] [Interviewer 2:] What does Krsna offer that some of the other religions..., religious beliefs of the world…
[09:08] [Prabhupada:] Krsna is God.
[09:10] So other religion who follows God consciousness, so there is no difference.
[09:18] It may be difference of name, but religion means God consciousness.
[09:25] Without God consciousness, there is no religion.
[09:30] [Interviewer 3:] And what does worshiping in your way, is it any better than worshiping in another way?
[09:38] Is it a more direct contact with Krsna?
[09:40] [Prabhupada:] Well, every way is nice, provided the followers are nice.
[09:46] Unfortunately, the principles are not followed.
[09:51] Just like in Christian religion it is said, "Thou shall not kill."
[09:58] But killing is very good thing here, in the Christian world, killing, so many slaughterhouses.
[10:06] That is not Christian religion. But followers, they do not follow the rules and regulations.
[10:15] That is regulation. Otherwise it is very nice.
[10:19] Our also, the principle is "No meat-eating."
[10:23] That means there is no killing of animals.
[10:28] Every religion says like that, but the followers do not follow.
[10:33] [Lady Interviewer:] The Krsna religion teaches that women are to be subservient to men always. Why?
[10:39] [Devotee:] The Krsna religion teaches that women should be subservient,
[10:44] should be subordinate to men. She is asking why.
[10:49] [Prabhupada:] Well, not "should be." They are, by nature.
[10:54] What do you think, your position?
[10:57] [Lady Interviewer:] [laughing] I don't believe in that, of course. I disagree.
[11:02] [Prabhupada:] But you voluntarily become subservient to a man. That is the nature.
[11:09] [Lady Interviewer:] Does that make them less of a being?
[11:12] [Prabhupada:] They are seeking to become subservient,
[11:14] attracting man: "Take me as subservient."
[11:19] That is natural.
[11:23] Even psychologically it is analyzed that the brain of man, they have seen up to 64 ounce,
[11:36] whereas the brain of woman, they have not found more than 36 ounce.
[11:42] [Lady Interviewer:] But women live longer than men. Women live longer than men.
[11:47] [Prabhupada:] Not necessarily. Sometimes it is.
[11:52] My grandmother lived about hundred years.
[11:59] So sometimes it happens.
[12:02] It is not restricted amongst women. There are men also.
[12:07] [Interviewer 3:] How old is the movement?
[12:10] [Prabhupada:] From historical point of view it is about five thousand years old.
[12:15] [Interviewer 2:] Why has it just begun to really catch on in the Western world?
[12:20] I mean, just recently, recent years, has it begun to sweep the Western world.
[12:25] Why is this?
[12:27] [Prabhupada:] The Western world, the younger generation were being frustrated, the hippie movement.
[12:34] So, when they saw something tangible, they accepted it.
[12:43] [Interviewer 2:] What things... If everyone in the United States believed in Krsna, and to the extent that you do,
[12:53] what would happen to this country? How would it be transformed?
[12:58] [Prabhupada:] So they will be very happy and peaceful.
[13:03] There will be no more hippies. [laughter]
[13:10] [Interviewer 2:] What would you describe as a hippie? Someone who smokes...
[13:13] [Prabhupada:] You know better than me. Something extraordinary.
[13:21] [Interviewer 2:] How would you respond to this? How should people who follow your beliefs, how should they respond to other people who are
[13:29] criticizing them for the way that they…
[13:34] [Prabhupada:] This criticism... You criticize me; I criticize you. That is going on,
[13:39] even there is no change of dress.
[13:44] It is man's nature to become envious, to criticize others. That is material nature.
[13:53] [Interviewer 3:] So you think that they are envious because they are criticizing you?
[13:56] [Prabhupada:] Yes.
[13:57] [Interviewer 3:] Because of the happiness that the people have?
[14:00] [Prabhupada:] Certainly. Sometimes they enquire, "Are you Americans?"
[14:06] because they never saw Americans so peaceful.
[14:11] and even the priests also, they very much appreciate.
[14:18] In Melbourne, the Bishop of Melbourne and the head of the Scottish Church,
[14:26] many Church people, they very much appreciated.
[14:30] They invited me to talk in a society of Saint Francis.
[14:41] Hundreds of fathers, the meeting was attended, and I spoke for one hour,
[14:48] and they very much appreciated, applauded for ten minutes,
[14:52] and they have accepted the principle of Hare Krsna.
[14:56] And Reverend Powell, he gave declaration that "We have no alarm from the Krsna movement."
[15:03] [Interviewer 3:] Do you, er... This is your third visit to Dallas, is that correct?
[15:08] [Prabhupada:] Yes. I think so. Third.
[15:11] [Interviewer 3:] Why was Dallas selected as the point to establish the school?
[15:18] I believe this is the first school, isn't it, in the United States, to be established?
[15:21] Why was Dallas particularly chosen for the school?
[15:26] [Prabhupada:] It was Krsna's choice.
[15:28] [Interviewer 3:] Krsna's choice. He chose Dallas?
[15:30] [Prabhupada:] Yes. We got a nice house and we accepted it. So it was Krsna's choice.
[15:37] [Lady Interviewer:] Where does the international Krsna organization get its funds? From simply donations?
[15:43] They have been criticized occasionally for being very wealthy.
[15:46] [Prabhupada:] Yes, that is our reputation.
[15:50] Even in Indian parliament this question was raised: "These Hare Krsna people
[15:57] are fabulously rich. Where they get money?"
[16:01] Somebody suspected that we are getting bribes from American government. [laughter] What is that? CIA?
Garden Conversation, June 24, 1975, Los Angeles
[16:24] [Prabhupada:] So if you are theologicians, then you must know what is God and abide by God.
[16:42] What do you think, Dr. Judah? What do you think, this proposition?
[16:48] [Dr. Judah:] Yes. I think you are quite right. I think that it is... Certainly in our day and age, many of us don't really know God.
[16:57] [Prabhupada:] Yes. Then he is not theologist, he is theosophist.
[17:02] [Dr. Judah:] We know about God, but we do not know God. I would agree.
[17:10] [Prabhupada:] That is theosophist. Theosophist, they are thinking there is something superior,
[17:17] but who is that superior, they are searching out.
[17:22] The same thing: A boy, he knows, "I have a father.
[17:28] But who is my father, that I don't know."
[17:31] For that you have to ask your mother. Alone he cannot understand.
[17:42] So our proposition is that if you do not know God, and here is God, Krsna,
[17:48] why don't you accept it?
[17:52] You do not know, first of all. And if I present, "Here is God," then why don't you accept it?
[18:05] What is the answer?
[18:09] We are presenting God, "Here is God."
[18:23] And big, big acaryas have accepted: Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Visnu Svami, Lord Caitanya.
[18:34] In our disciplic succession, my Guru Maharaja. And I am preaching, "Here is God."
[18:40] I'm not presenting a God whimsically.
[18:45] I am presenting a God who is recognized. So why don't you accept it?
[18:54] What is the difficulty?
[19:06] [Dr. Crossley:] I suppose one of the difficulties for certainly many in the older generation
[19:10] is that we follow certain patterns of life, and...
[19:18] [Prabhupada:] Then he is not serious about God.
[19:20] [Dr. Crossley:] ...and it is difficult to change. This is the great problem.
[19:24] [Prabhupada:] You are not serious. Therefore Krsna said,
[19:29] sarva-dharman parityaja mam ekam saranam.
[19:31] You have to give up.
[19:34] [Dr. Crossley:] That's right.
[19:36] [Prabhupada:] And if you are not prepared to give up, then you cannot accept God.
[19:50] [Dr. Orr:] I think you are being a little unfair to Dr. Crossley.
[19:53] I think what you say is true, that the most important thing we can do is to seek and know God.
[20:02] But I don't think it's right to say that it's a bad thing to study how other people, or how man is…
[20:12] [Prabhupada:] No, I don't say bad thing. I say if you are serious about God, now "Here is God."
[20:18] [Dr. Orr:] That's what a university, in part, is for,
[20:21] to study about how people have thought on different matters.
[20:25] [Prabhupada:] No. I mean to say, if you are seeking after something, if you get that something,
[20:30] why don't you accept it?
[20:42] [Dr. Orr:] Do you believe that Christ said that Krsna was his father?
[21:46] [Prabhupada:] The name may be different. Just like in our country we say this flower something;
[20:53] you say something, something. But subject matter must be the same.
[21:02] Name is not...
[21:04] You can say in a different way as you understand. But God is one. God cannot be two.
[21:15] You may give Him different names, that is different thing, but God is one; God cannot be two.
[21:32] You pay tax to the government, and the tax is distributed in so many departments.
[21:40] So it is not your business to go every department and pay tax.
[21:47] Pay to the treasury of the government, it will be distributed.
[21:52] This is intelligence.
[21:55] And if you say that "Why shall I pay to the treasury house?
[22:00] I shall pay this department, that department, that department, that department,"
[22:05] you can go on, but it will never be sufficient.
[22:10] Neither complete.
[22:12] So you may love humanity, but because you do not love Krsna,
[22:18] therefore do not love the cows; you send them to the slaughterhouse.
[22:25] So your love will remain defective; it will never be complete.
[22:32] And if you love Krsna, then you will love even the small ant.
[22:41] He'll not be interested even to kill even an ant.
[22:48] That is real love.
[22:51] [Dr. Pore:] I agree with you that we love very badly and we slaughter the animals…
[22:55] [Prabhupada:] Badly love is not love.
[22:57] [Dr. Pore:] ...but is the converse true,
[22:58] that we chant very well and that we can love Krsna, even when we cannot love our fellow people?
[23:04] [Prabhupada:] We are not... Chanting… We are also working.
[23:06] It is not that we are simply sitting down and chanting.
[23:10] Because we are chanting, therefore we are loving everyone.
[23:17] That is a fact.
[23:21] These Hare Krsna chanters, they'll never agree to kill any animal, even a plant,
[23:29] because they know everything is part and parcel of God.
[23:33] Why unnecessarily one should be killed?
[23:41] That is love.
[23:47] [Dr. Pore:] Love means never killing?
[23:50] [Prabhupada:] There are so many things. It is one of the item.
[23:56] Yes. That is one of... Do you kill your own son?
[24:00] Why? Because you love him.
[24:15] [Dr. Judah:] Could you explain the other side of it,
[24:18] the fact that, of course, the Bhagavad-gita has its setting on a battlefield in which Krsna enjoins Arjuna…?
[24:30] [Prabhupada:] That killing, and poor animal who is supplying milk...
[24:36] You are drinking milk, your mother,
[24:38] and you are killing.
[24:39] This killing and that killing is not the same thing.
[24:51] According to Vedic civilization, the cow is to be given a special protection.
[24:59] Why it is recommended for the cow?
[25:07] He does not say of other animal.
[25:14] [Dr. Wolfe:] Srila Prabhupada, you are aware that they advance the argument of mesmerization against chanting. The psychologists do that.
[25:21] [Prabhupada:] That's good. That's good. If you can mesmerize… That Dr. Judah has admitted,
[25:27] that you can mesmerize the drug-addicted hippies and engage them in understanding Krsna,
[25:35] it is a great achievement. Yes.
[25:40] [Dr. Wolfe:] That's not mesmerization, of course.
[25:44] [Prabhupada:] Whatever it may be, Dr. Judah has admitted.
[25:53] So if mesmerization is for good, why not accept it?
[25:59] If it is for bad, then it is another thing.
[26:01] If it is doing good, why not accept it?
[26:05] What do you think?
[26:10] [Dr. Pore:] I don't know how to react. I think I agree with you.
[26:13] [Prabhupada:] If it is good… Everything good should be accepted.
[26:21] [Dr. Pore:] The problem is, I keep wondering how you are so sure you know what good is,
[26:26] particularly when it comes to war.
[26:29] I would be a little more worried, I think, that...
[26:32] [Prabhupada:] What is that war?
[26:34] [Dr. Pore:] Well, when you were telling that sometimes war is necessary.
[26:36] I should think that it's important to know how to decide…
[26:40] [Prabhupada:] No. Necessary means you cannot expect in this material world all saintly persons.
[26:48] There are bad elements.
[26:51] So if the bad elements comes to attack you, is it not your duty to fight and protect?
[26:59] [Dr. Pore:] It just may be, though, that mine are the bad elements, and
[27:02] I keep thinking that other people are the bad elements.
[27:06] [Prabhupada:] No. Even God has got this discrimination.
[27:13] He says, paritranaya sadhūnam vinasaya ca duskrtam. There are bad elements.
[27:20] So if in God's mind there is good element, bad element,
[27:25] so we are part and parcel of God; we must have also the same sentiment.
[27:33] You cannot avoid it.
[27:38] [Dr. Pore:] The body is not God.
[27:39] [Prabhupada:] Yes.
[27:40] [Revatinandana:] No. He's saying that when we say everything is part of God, the body is an exception. He says the body, that is an exception. The body is not part of God?
[27:49] [Prabhupada:] No, why? The body is also part. Yes, that I have explained.
[27:54] [Dr. Judah:] Maya-sakti.
[27:55] [Prabhupada:] Yes. It is another energy.
[27:58] [Dr. Pore:] I see.
[28:00] [Dr. Judah:] Inferior energy of Krsna.
[28:01] [Dr. Pore:] Inferior energy.
[28:03] [Prabhupada:] Everything is God's energy. So body is also God's energy.
[28:08] The best use of the body is, God's energy should be utilized for God.
[28:16] Then it is, body is spiritualized.
[28:20] Body is also God's energy, and if it is engaged in God's service,
[28:27] then the body is no more a bad bargain; it is a good bargain.
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