Lecture at Māgha-melā – January 30, 1971, Allahabad

We have got something from India

Devotee: At the government camp, Magha-mela, January 30th, 1971.

Prabhupada:

Ladies and Gentlemen, my previous speaker, Swami Raghavanandaji, has explained to you about Krsna consciousness very thoughtly, and it is very nice. And next speaker, my assistant, Sriman Hamsadūta dasa Adhikari, he has explained before you about our activities and our publications.

Actually, this Krsna consciousness movement is the prime necessity of the present age, because we understand from Vedic scriptures that,

We have attained independence. Not only we; practically all the people of the world, they have attained so-called independence. But there is no independence. The independence we are searching after, according to our Vedic conception, it is farce, because we are servant of the material nature.

We are simply being pulled up and down by our ear by the prakrti. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gita it is said real independence is,

If we want actual independence, what is this independence? Suppose I am now prime minister. But after my death I am no longer prime minister. I am the servant of material nature. By the law of material nature I will be enforced to accept a kind of body which may be better than prime minister or lower than prime minister.

That can be seen by the intelligent person, as Swamiji has spoken. Only those who are actually in knowledge, they can see where this man is passing. So… But we want independence; that's a fact. But that independence cannot be attained in this way.

This place is duḥkhalayam asasvatam. Krsna says,

This place is full of miseries, threefold miseries. And our problem is how to get independence from the four principles of miserable condition:

Those who are intelligent persons, they will see that however I may make my life comfortable by material ways and science, these four things-the troubles of taking birth, the troubles of dying, the troubles of old age and troubles of diseased condition of life-that cannot be solved. That can be solved only by understanding Krsna. Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita,

If you want to get freedom from the laws of material nature, then the only process is to understand Krsna. You simply try to concentrate your mind on Krsna and try to understand Krsna. And he is the greatest yogi who simply is trying to understand Krsna, thinking of Krsna-sa vai manaḥ krsna-padaravinda-as Maharaja Ambarisa did, always. This is possible. It is not impossible. Just like Arjuna was advised, yudhyasvamam mam anusmara [Bg 8.7]: "You go on fighting, at the same time go on remembering Me." That is possible.

Therefore, this Krsna consciousness movement, how to think of Krsna always, that is also instructed in the Vedic literature, Brhad Naradiya Purana:

So our this Krsna consciousness movement is that we are trying to place before the world that there is God, and God is one, and that is Krsna. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Īsvaraḥ paramaḥ krsnaḥ [Bs 5.1]. These are the verdict of Vedas. And, so far our country is concerned, all the acaryas, including Sahkaracarya… There are two sects in India: the Mayavadi sect and the Vaisnava sect.

All the Vaisnava acaryas, like Sri Ramanujacarya, Madhvacarya, Nimbarka, Visnu Svami, all of them are Krsna worshipers. And the Sahkara-sampradaya, they are also Krsna sampradaya, but not so seriously as the Vaisnavas. But Sahkaracarya has accepted, sa bhagavan svayam krsna.

So, so far we are concerned, followers of the Vedas and the acaryas, everyone accepts Krsna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And Krsna's book, the Bhagavad-gita, because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is accepted all over the world.

There are thousands of editions of Bhagavad-gita-not only in America; in Europe, in France, in German, in Japan. I have seen all of them. But because they do not follow the principles of acarya upasana, they have commented in a different way. And our this movement is based on the Bhagavad-gita as it is, without any malinterpretation.

Malinterpretation will not help you to understand what is Bhagavad-gita. As Sriman Hamsadūta has said, just to understand Bhagavad-gita, one has to become a devotee of Krsna; otherwise there is no scope of understanding. Because in the beginning the Lord says that "This system of disciplic chain of succession is now broken. Therefore I am speaking the same yoga system, Bhagavad-gita, unto you, Arjuna."

But Arjuna was a warrior; he was a soldier, fighter. He was not expected to be a great Vedantist or Vedic scholar in Vedic literature. That is [indistinct]. Besides that, neither he was a brahmana; he was a ksatriya. And he still… Why Krsna insisted that "I shall speak to you this lost yoga system of Bhagavad-gita"? That is explained by Krsna: bhakto 'si, priyo 'si me [Bg 4.3], "Because you are My dear friend, and you are a devotee."

So…, and Arjuna, how did you understand Krsna at the end of hearing Bhagavad-gita from Him? He says,

"You are param brahma." Every one of us, being part and parcel of Krsna, we are brahma. That is nice. But we are not param brahma. Param brahma is Krsna. Every one of us isvaras. Īsvara means controller. Just like some of you are here, coming tonight, magistrates, judges, you are controller; but you are not supreme controller. In this way go on finding out who is the supreme controller. Supreme controller means one who hasn't got to obey others' order. He is supreme controller. Otherwise, everyone may be controller, but he has to obey the orders of a superior.

Therefore Krsna's name is Asamordhva. There is nobody equal to Him, nobody greater than Him. Everyone is servant of Him. That is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta: ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya . Only the supreme master, controller, is Krsna, and everyone is servant. Our position is servant. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, jivera 'svarūpa' haya-krsnera 'nitya-dasa' [Cc Madhya 20.108].

Because we are part of parcel of Krsna, it is our duty to serve Krsna. That is our healthy condition. Just like the part and parcel of your body-take for example, your finger. If this finger does not serve your body, it is in diseased condition; it has to be treated. And when it is actually in healthy condition, it is always serving your body. Similarly, the constitutional position of living entity is to serve God. And who is God? Krsna.

Mukti means to be situated in his own constitutional position. That is explained in the Bhagavad..., Srimad-Bhagavatam:

When a person, a living entity, situated in his own constitutional position, that is called mukti. Mukti does not mean anything else. People are trying for mukti. That mukti can be attained here also, when you are living in this material body, simply by serving Krsna. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

Anyone who is a pure devotee of Krsna, he is mukta. He is liberated already. He hasn't got to search out for mukti. Just like Bilvamahgala Thakura says, muktiḥ mukulitanjali sevate asman. Those who are actually pure devotee, mukti is standing with folded hands, "What can I do for you?" That is the position of a devotee.

So we are teaching this pure devotional service to Krsna all over the world, and they are accepting it. So there is very, very big prospect for spreading this movement, and it is our duty, Indians… Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says,

Anyone who has taken his birth as a human being, he should first of all rectify his own life by understanding all these Vedic literature. They are required. That is also stated in the Caitanya-caritamrta:

This Vedas and the Puranas and the Mahabharata is simply to understand Krsna. Just like Swamiji says,

That is the purpose of the Vedas: to understand Krsna. Vedas have no other purpose-simply to understand Krsna. So this science, this propaganda, this Krsna consciousness, we are spreading all over the world. They are being accepted. It is done simply by one personality… Therefore…, but if you all join, if you make a scientific program to preach this Krsna consciousness movement all over the world, then one day we will see that people will be very much obliged to India.

They will think that "We have got something from India." Now India is begging only, from the foreign countries: "Give me money, give me rice, give me wheat, give me soldiers." But this movement, when we have taken to them, there is no question of begging from them-it is to give them. Just try to give something. That is my request.

Thank you very much.

[Devotees offering obeisances] [end]