Lecture – March 20, 1971, Bombay

Don't spoil your life simply by imitating the animals

Prabhupada: So, everyone has got a particular type of duty. That is called dharma. So why execute... [break] ...our occupational duty? One can become perfect. It doesn't matter whether he is a businessman, or whether he is a lawyer, whether he is an engineer, whether he is a priest, or anything else. By executing his occupational duty he can become the perfect. How?

How it is possible? One has to see, whether by his professional duty, he is satisfying Krsna, that's all. Samsiddhir hari-tosanam [SB 1.2.13]. That is the test. It doesn't matter whether you are businessman or lawyer, but if you test your occupation by satisfying the Supreme Lord, that is your perfection.

So our Krsna consciousness movement is based on this principle. We do not request anyone to become a sannyasi or give up home and go to Himalaya and practice hatha-yoga. No. Our principle is that in whatever condition you are, you remain there. That is the instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepted one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam while talking with Sri Ramananda Raya. That verse is: jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva [SB 10.14.3]. One should not try to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by speculative mental exercise. This process should be given up. One should be humble and meek. That is also the demand of Bhagavad-gita.

So, in absolute humbleness one should try to hear from the realized soul, san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam namanta eva [SB 10.14.3]. In that position, although the Lord is unconquerable, He becomes conquered by the devotee.

So we are recommending, we are preaching all over the world, this philosophy that you do not require to change your position. Even if you require to remain as a Christian or as a Muhammadan or a Hindu or a Jewish or Buddhist, it doesn't matter. Please try to see whether by your activities God is satisfied.

That is the injunction in the Srimad-Bhagavatam also,

That is first-class religion, by which one is elevated to the platform of loving transcendental service to the Transcendence, Adhoksaja: without any cause, ahaituki apratihata, and without being hampered. In that way one can be peaceful. Otherwise there is no possibility of peace.

So how this is possible? That is also described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Krsna is situated in everyone's heart as Paramatma.

Krsna is everywhere. Krsna is in Goloka Vrndavana, He is within your heart, He is within even the atom. Anḍantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham [Bs 5.35]. So Krsna is everywhere. Simply Krsna wants to see whether you are trying to become Krsna conscious. That's all.

So how you can become Krsna conscious? Simply by hearing about Him. For hearing Him there is Bhagavad-gita, which is Krsna personally speaking, and there is Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is spoken about Krsna. So even if you cannot read, you can hear from realized person. Even if you are not educated, you do not know Sanskrit, you can hear from a person who has realized Krsna. In this way, if you try to hear about Krsna, simply this hearing process is pious activities, punya-sravana-kirtanaḥ. If you simply hear and chant about Krsna, you acquire piety.

In this way, as soon as you acquire piety, you become interested in Krsna consciousness. Unless one is free from contamination of all sinful activities, one cannot be interested in krsna-katha. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gita:

There are many verses in Vedic literature that krsna-katha, hearing about Krsna, makes us free. Caitanya Mahaprabhu also says, ceto-darpana-marjanam bhava-mahadavagni-nirvapanam [Cc Antya 20.12]. So there are hundreds and thousands of evidences that simply by hearing about Krsna you become free from all contamination of this material world, because Krsna Himself will help you to cleanse your heart, abhadrani.

We are being conducted in this material world by three modes of nature: the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Out of these three qualities, the modes of passion and ignorance, rajas, tamaḥ, they are calculated as abhadra, mischievous. If you have addicted to the passion and ignorance, then we cannot make any progress.

You have [to] come to the platform of goodness, the brahminical qualification, then we can understand what is spiritual life. And that will be possible simply by hearing and chanting Hare Krsna mantra, or if you want to be still progressing, you can read Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita. And Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has especially recommended that, "By My order," He says the..., exactly the Bengali words,

"You simply carry My order, and whomever you meet, you simply speak the philosophy of the topics about Krsna."

So, our Krsna consciousness Movement has taken up this injunction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu very seriously, and we are talking to the people simply about Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, and it is acting very nicely. It is acting very nicely. We have got now forty branches all over the world, and everywhere, boys and girls like these, our all disciples, are all young men and young women. They are from twenty to thirty years of age, but they are doing very excellently. They have no time otherwise; each of them would have talked with you how they are feeling, how they have come to the Krsna consciousness, and how they have become purified by this movement.

So we have brought these boys and girls in India just to show you example. If persons who had no knowledge of Krsna five years ago, they can take to this life of Krsna consciousness so seriously, you cannot do this? You also can do, but you are neglecting. Don't neglect. Don't spoil your life simply by imitating the animals. Take to Krsna consciousness. It is very simple. Krsna consciousness is not very hard task. Anyone can chant anywhere. There is no hard-and-fast rules and regulation for chanting. You can chant on the street, you can chant on your bus, you can chant in your office-anywhere. Nobody will object.

Please try these transcendental activities and see how you are happy. That is our Movement. We don't impose any artificial gymnastic process, that place your nose in this way and to keep your head like this way. No. In whatever position you are, simply utilize your tongue by chanting Hare Krsna, and tasting bhagavat-prasad. That is the way of realizing Krsna.

It is stated in the Bhagavata,

You cannot understand Krsna by your present blunt material senses. You have to purify. That is bhakti process. Bhakti process means purifying the senses. Suppose you have got some disease in the eyes. It is not that you pluck out your eyes from the socket. You cure it.

We don't follow the Mayavadi process or the Buddhist process to commit spiritual suicide. No. We are after cure, curing the material diseases, and that is bhakti process.

You have to free..., you have to become free from the designated condition. You have to forget yourself, that you are Indian, you are American, you are German, you are brahmana, you are ksatriya, you are sūdra. No. Your real identity is, as Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, jivera svarūpa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc Madhya 20.108]. Our real identity is eternal servant of Krsna. You stick to that, that "I am servant of Krsna," and act accordingly. Then you will be happy. That is bhakti.

Bhakti means to serve the master of the senses, Krsna. Krsna is the master of the senses. His name is therefore Hrsikesa. You have heard this name Hrsikesa in the Bhagavad-gita. Arjuna requests Krsna, senayor ubhayor madhye hrsikesa sthapaya [Bg 1.21], "Just place my chariot between the two armies my dear Hrsikesa." So Hrsikesa means the master of the senses.

So our senses we claim..., we are claiming that this hand is mine, this leg is mine. Actually they belong to Krsna. Therefore with your, with your hands, with your legs, with your eyes, with your ears, with all your senses you try to satisfy Krsna. And if you try to do that, that will make your life successful. So the process is very simple. Simply try to hear krsna-katha.

He is very friendly to everyone, every living entity. He is trying to rectify, and especially He is friendly to His devotees.

So in this way,

If you daily, as a routine work, you serve this bhagavata process, chanting of Hare Krsna mantra and reading a portion of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, or serving His..., a pure devotee of Krsna, he is also bhagavata.

By this process you will become a firm devotee of the Supreme Lord. This means situation on the platform of goodness. In this way gradually you have to develop your devotional service. Then you will be jolly.

As soon as you become free from the contamination of the ignoble qualities of this material world-ignorance and passion-you immediately become joyful. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita:

So I don't wish to take much of your valuable time. Please try to follow this simple process. Wherever you remain, whatever you may do, try to chant this maha-mantra, [joined by devotees] Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. This is confirmed also by Sukadeva Gosvami, that in this Age of Kali there is a great opportunity. What is that?

Simply by chanting this Hare Krsna mantra one can become free from all the contamination of this material world, and he is promoted to the spiritual world. So this simple process I think every one of you can accept it, and you do not require to change anything of your activities. Simply begin from this day chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. [applause] [end]