Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


America is living on advertisement. Right or wrong? I have been studying American, I mean, psychology

Expressions researched:
"America is living on advertisement" |"I have been studying American, I mean, psychology" |"Right or wrong"

Conversations and Morning Walks

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Yes. That I understand.
Morning Walk -- March 23, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: ...jñānam. So that is the beginning. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ. Atha bhajana-kriyā. These are the step by step. Atha anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ athāsaktis tato bhāvas sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). These are the krama. Krama-pāṭha. Everything is there in our Vedic literature. One has to study cool-headed, and he'll get the things. (break) ...ment of Kṛṣṇa consciousness or spiritual consciousness is based on śraddhā. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. If one actually has śraddhā, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa says like this, then I'll accept Kṛṣṇa." That is śraddhā. "Kṛṣṇa says... Oh, Kṛṣṇa says like this. Why shall I surrender to Him?" That is not śraddhā. Kṛṣṇa says, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. If one accepts this principle, then there is śraddhā. That is explained by Caitanya-caritāmṛta (indistinct):

śraddhā-śabde—viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya
(Cc. Madhya 22.62)

This is śraddhā. Śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa. Firm faith. "Yes, Kṛṣṇa has said that mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, I will accept it. I will accept it. Even I do not understand, I will accept it." That is called viśvāsa sudṛḍha niścaya. And faith means kṛṣṇe bhakti, "If I surrender to Kṛṣṇa, then my all perfection is there." This is called śraddhā.

Dr. Patel: I... Shall I ask you one thing?

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) As soon as...

Dr. Patel: What are the pāpas and what are the puṇyas?

Prabhupāda: Pāpa means so long you accept this material body.

Dr. Patel: Is pāpa.

Prabhupāda: Is pāpa. Either you accept as, a material body as Brahmā or as insignificant ant, it is pāpa.

Dr. Patel: Anything is pāpa. Anything is pāpa. Anything which you make removed from God consciousness is pāpa.

Prabhupāda: Just like outlaw. Outlaw means who does not care for the government laws. Similarly, dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). The law means dharma, law. Dharma means to accept the laws of God. And what is the law? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the law. If one cannot accept this, then he's outlaw. Immediately.

Dr. Patel: And that is pāpa.

Prabhupāda: That is pāpa.

Dr. Patel: Anything which makes you removed from God consciousness is pāpa.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Dr. Patel: That is what I could not understand.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes, yes. Anything means this is also: Kṛṣṇa says, "You surrender," and if I do not surrender, that is pāpa. (sound of kīrtana in background, approaching temple)

Guest (5) (Indian man): But serving to poor is serving the whole...

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Again that disease. It has become a disease.

Guest (5): No, I want to ask you. Is that called puṇya?

Prabhupāda: No, no.

Guest (5): Serving the poor?

Prabhupāda: What is the use of your serving poor? Are you serving the poor? Why do you talk like that?

Guest (5): I want to ask you.

Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all, are you serving the poor?

Guest (5): Yes, sir. I am a doctor. And we see only poverty. So I want to ask.

Prabhupāda: Then, then every... So every patient is a poor, and every doctor is puṇyavān.

Dr. Patel: Ha, every doctor is a fool. Like me.

Guest (5): No, I want to ask you. Swamiji...

Dr. Patel: Swami, Swami answered.

Prabhupāda: This has become a slogan, "Serving the poor." Where is the śāstra? Where Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "Serving the poor?"

Guest (5): It doesn't say. No, I know. But...

Prabhupāda: You are yourself poor. How you can serve? (laughter)

Dr. Patel: (Gujarati)

Guest (5): No. Yes, I want to ask.

Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. That's all right. We should... First of all, we should know that "I am the poorest of the poor."

Dr. Patel: That's right.

Prabhupāda: So first of all let me become rich. Then I shall serve. (pause) (break) Hare Kṛṣṇa beat. (sound of kīrtana in background) People will come and hear Hare Kṛṣṇa. This slogan has spread, "If I serve the poor..." And what you have got, you will serve the poor? You have to work like an ass to earn your livelihood, and you are going to serve the poor.

Dr. Patel: (Gujarati) What is meant by service?

Prabhupāda: No, and the poor cannot be served. Service, service to be rendered to the higher authority.

Guest (3): By serving poor, you are serving yourself.

Prabhupāda: No, serving nobody. Now, Swami Nikhilananda of Ramakrishna Mission... Just hear, doctor. Ah. Swami Nikhilananda of Ramakrishna Mission, when I went to America, I met him. He said that "The Americans are asking that 'You take money from us for serving the poor.' But when we go to India, we simply see poor men are lying on the footpath. So what you are doing with this money?" You see? This is a plea for collection of money, "to serve the poor." What... (break) Yes. I know in America there are so many foundations. You see? And there are so many cheats also. They found a society. And the managers of the foundations, they have got plea, and they get out all the money. I have seen. Who was that? That Mr. Bogus? No, Bogart. Bogart. I used to call him "Mr. Bogus." (laughter)

Dr. Patel: Americans are very clever at using money.

Prabhupāda: Yes. They have made a clique with the managers of the foundation, and they present by literature all lies. The subject matter is India. "Oh, so many people are starving, so many..." In this way they take money from the managers, and it is divided amongst themselves.

Dr. Patel: They are the (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bhava-bhūti: Also, Prabhupāda, there was one report that the Red Cross, seventy-five percent of the money collected went on advertising.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Dr. Patel: America is living on advertisement. Right or wrong? I have been studying American, I mean, psychology.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That I understand.

Dr. Patel: Psychology.

Prabhupāda: That I understand.

Dr. Patel: And they really are purely running away without... They have no peace of mind.(break)

Prabhupāda: The other day one American devotee, he said, "Sir, I see..." He first came, "I see the poorest man here is happier than the richest man in my country." He said like that.

Dr. Patel: Because they have got no peace of mind.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: And every...

Prabhupāda: And that is... (break)

Dr. Patel: This, any act of competition is a sin and a violence against...

Prabhupāda: (break) ...competition even Kṛṣṇa. Krishnamurti's competition even Kṛṣṇa. You know that?

Dr. Patel: No, I didn't know.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: Krishnamurti, I read a couple of books. He said that nothing, everything...

Prabhupāda: Does he say anything about Kṛṣṇa?

Dr. Patel: Yes, he does say.

Prabhupāda: What does he say?

Dr. Patel: He says the Kṛṣṇa's all names are all, God is also His name. Because the God, it is Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: No, no. What does he say about personal Kṛṣṇa? Does he know anything?

Bhāgavata: He said, "You are your own guru," Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is...

Devotee: I have heard him.

Prabhupāda: You see? Kṛṣṇa says, tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet... (MU 1.2.12). Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). He says, "Everyone is guru." Just see. "Everyone is guru." Then why you are instructing? Why you are becoming guru?

Dr. Patel: He's not becoming guru of anybody.

Prabhupāda: No, no. Why does he say that "You do this"? That is guru. Guru means one who orders. That is guru. That means you reject all other gurus... That means... He means to say that "You reject all other gurus. Accept me guru." That's all.

Guest (3): That is not... That is what he...

Prabhupāda: That is competition.

Guest (3): All gurus are like that. All gurus are like that.

Bhava-bhūti:. He's writing many books saying "There's no need for books."

Page Title:America is living on advertisement. Right or wrong? I have been studying American, I mean, psychology
Compiler:MadhuGopaldas, Rishab
Created:15 of Jun, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=1, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1