Wedding of Bali-mardana and Initiation of Taittireyā dāsi – December 4, 1973, Los Angeles

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu never condemned grhastha life, householder life

Prabhupada: [japa]

Devotees: Jaya.

Pradyumna: [chants responsively with devotees]

Prabhupada: So your spiritual name is Taittireya. [indistinct] Taittireya. Taittireya Upanisad. One who know the Taittireya Upanisad. Chant sixteen rounds at least.

Devotees: Haribol!

Prabhupada: Jaya. Hare Krsna.

Devotees: Haribol!

Prabhupada: Kirtana. [break]

Locana dasa Thakura, he sings that "This Nitai-Gaura incarnation, parama karuna-very, very merciful." Parama karuna, pahū dui jana: "Two Lords, Nitai-Gaura." Parama karuna, pahū dui jana. Dui jana means two. Parama karuna, pahū dui jana, nitai gauracandra: "Nityananda and Caitanya Mahaprabhu, or Gaura Hari." Saba avatara, sara siromani kevala ananda-kanda: "There are many incarnation, but Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda-simply ananda, bliss." Ananda, bliss, kevala ananda-kanda.

Now, for spiritual advancement, generally according to the Vedic system, so one has to accept the order of renounced life. Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally taught it, but He never condemned grhastha life, householder life. He rather said,

One may be a grhastha or sannyasi-it doesn't matter-but he must be krsna-tattva-vit. He must know the science of Krsna. That is required. So in our Krsna consciousness movement, we have got four orders: brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, sannyasa. Whichever position one can find himself suitable, he can accept that, and... But the main business is krsna-tattva-vetta, and preach the cult all over the world, sei guru haya. Guru means preacher, to enlighten. One who can enlighten, he is guru.

Guru means one who can open the eyes of the ignorant by the light of knowledge. He is guru. So our this Krsna consciousness movement is all-round movement. All-round movement. Just like Krsna, He took part in everything. Not that Krsna simply was interested in Vedic ritualistic ceremony. Of course, everything is based on Vedic ritualistic ceremony. But Krsna also took part in everything. He was a politician, He was a philosopher, He was a socialist, He was a communist-everything. That is Krsna. That is Krsna.

So we recommend that in whatever position you feel comfortable, you can accept that, but, I mean to say, spread this Krsna consciousness movement. Parama ananda-khanda. People will be happy. Our mission is to see sarve sukhino bhavantu: everyone become happy. We don't want to see that we exploit somebody else and I become happy. No. We want to see everyone happy. But they do not know how to become happy. Therefore we are trying to spread this Krsna consciousness movement that everyone will be happy.

Su-sukham kartum avyayam [Bg 9.2]. In Bhagavad-gita it is... Su-sukham. To execute this Krsna consciousness movement is very easy. Kartum avyayam: and whatever you perform, it is permanent. Avyayam and su-sukham, very pleasing. There is nothing very painful in this Krsna consciousness movement. Because Krsna is ananda, anandamayo 'bhyasat [Vedanta-sūtra 1.1.12], we are going under the protection of Krsna, there must be always ananda. But people do not know how to enjoy ananda. They have been put into ignorance. The so-called leaders, so-called politicians, so-called philosophers, scientists, they are simply keeping the people in darkness.

So we want to counteract this action of keeping people in darkness. Lokasya ajanataḥ vidvan cakre satvata-samhitam. Vyasadeva compiled this Srimad-Bhagavatam...

So people do not know it. So we are trying to spread this knowledge, that how to become happy. So everyone should come forward and cooperate with this movement.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. Haribol. [end]

08 Correspondence (6854 Letters)VB25