I request you, all English boys and girls present here, now you become greater than your forefathers by taking this Krsna consciousness. That will make you more powerful, spiritually powerful. You can render service to the humanity

Expressions researched:
"I request you, all English boys and girls present here: now you become greater than your forefather by taking this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will make you more powerful, spiritually powerful. You can render service to the humanity"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

I request you, all English boys and girls present here, now you become greater than your forefathers by taking this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will make you more powerful, spiritually powerful. You can render service to the humanity, to you, I mean to say, family, your nation, it is so nice.

Lecture on SB 1.1.5-6 -- London, August 23, 1971:

Prabhupāda: So the Itihāsa, Itihāsa means history, and purāṇāni, purāṇāni means old Itihāsa. All the statements or narration described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they are all historical evidences. They are not imagination. Sometimes the so-called scholars and ṛṣaya students they say it is fancy or something imagination. No. They are all history. It is said here, Itihāsa. Itihāsa means history.

Then?

Pradyumna: (leads chanting of synonyms)

Ṛṣayaḥ . . .

Prabhupāda: Huh no. Ah yes.

Pradyumna: . . . the sages; ūcuḥ—said; tvayā—by you; khalu—undoubtedly; purāṇāni—the supplements to the Vedas with illustrative narrations . . .

Prabhupāda: It is supplement, because Vedic language is so difficult. It is sometimes very difficult to understand. So Purāṇa, another meaning of purāṇa means "supplement." So they are explanation of the Vedic knowledge in a supplementary way by taking references from the history, from the life of great saints and sages. So they're adding, addition, addendum.

Go on. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they say that the Purāṇas are not Vedas. That is not the fact. Here in the Bhāgavata it says the Purāṇa is part of the Vedas, as Upaniṣad is part of Vedas. It is written in simplified language so that those who are less educated, less, I mean to say, having brain substance . . .

Now this Mahābhārata especially written, Mahābhārata . . . Mahābhārata means the history of greater India. Mahā. Mahā means greater; bhārata, bhārata means India, Bhārata-varṣa. Mahābhārata, greater India. Or at that time the whole world was Bhārata-varṣa. Therefore greater India. History in Mahābhārata is there. So Mahābhārata especially was written for three classes of men. What are those? Strī, śūdra, dvija-bandhu. Strī means women, śūdra means worker class, and dvija-bandhu means persons who have taken their birth in higher caste—brāhmin, kṣatriya, vaiśya—but they are degraded. They could not keep up their standard of culture.

Just like at the present moment, they are introducing themselves as brāhmin, but degraded. Actually they are not brāhmins. Degraded. Dvija-bandhu, "friends of brāhmin." Just like if I am son of a high-court judge, unless I am qualified to become high-court judge, I cannot say myself, "I am high-court judge." No. Simply by becoming the son of high-court judge, one does not become high-court judge.

He must have the qualification. So when one is simply proud of his high parentage, he is called dvija-bandhu. There are many instances. Just like in this country also, British nation was very powerful nation, but at the present time it is different. So simply by taking birth in England one cannot be proud. Your forefathers were very enthusiasting, colonize. So at the present moment that is not followed.

So I request you, all English boys and girls present here: now you become greater than your forefather by taking this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will make you more powerful, spiritually powerful. You can render service to the humanity, to your, I mean to say, family, your nation. It is so nice. Try to understand. Everyone, every human being should try to become very important. That importance can be achieved by culture, not by simply, "I belong to this nation," "I belong to this family," "I am son of such big father." No. You must be also qualified.

So this Mahābhārata was written for three classes of men: strī, śūdra, dvija-bandhu. Woman, it is not the question of . . . woman are generally less intelligent. Less intelligent. Similarly śūdras, they are also less intelligent, worker class. Similarly those who are degraded from their high parental heritage, they are also. For understanding of these three classes of man, Mahābhārata was written. Now even . . . in the Mahābhārata, this Bhagavad-gītā is included. Bhagavad-gītā is part of Mahābhārata, a chapter only, Mahābhārata.

Now you see, practically, this Mahābhārata was . . . Mahābhārata or Bhagavad-gītā is included there. This high literature was meant for the less-intelligent class of man, and at the present moment the highest intelligent class of man cannot understand it. Now how much you have degraded, just try to understand. Which was written five thousand years ago for the less-intelligent class of man, that literature is not understandable even by the highest and, I mean, elevated, educated person in the present moment. Try to understand this point, how much you have degraded.

Formerly this Vedic literature was not in written pages. As soon as one will hear from . . . just like Sūta Gosvāmī, there is no question of taking note. As soon as they will hear, they will immediately get it in the memory. They will never forget. The memory was so sharp. At the present moment, our memory is so low-graded we cannot remember even what I have done two hours past. So this is Kali-yuga. We are in so many degraded position; still falsely we are proud that we are advancing. Not that. It is false prestige. Actually you are very, very much degraded.

So the only means of our being elevated to the highest position is this: means Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.