Very simple thing. You simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Why Kṛṣṇa comes? Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). What is dharmasya glāniḥ? What is dharma? Why does He come? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Who is sādhu? Who is duṣkṛta? These things are to be studied. If you neglect, if you remain like animal without studying all these things, what is the value of your life?
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to awaken people: "Wake up!" Uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.14). You have got this opportunity. Try to understand yourself. Why you should go on like animals and imperceptibly change your body from one to another, one to another? This is bhava-roga. This is not very good position. So we shall request you to take advantage of this movement, join it, study and inquire, and be actually in knowledge. Jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). This is the business of brāhmaṇa, one who knows Brahman. Jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyam. Āstikyam means to have faith in the authoritative Vedic knowledge. That is called āstikyam.
According to our Vedic principle, one who has full faith in the Vedic knowledge, he's āstika. And who has no faith in the Vedic knowledge, he's nāstika. So be āstika; don't be nāstika. There is no useful purpose becoming a nāstika. Be āstika. And the essence of Vedic knowledge is Bhagavad-gītā because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is speaking personally. Take advantage of it. Apply it practically in life and be happy, not only in this life, but the next life.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (break)
Devotee: If anybody has any questions, he can put them forward. Does anybody have any questions?
(pause)
Devotee: No question?
Indian man: Prabhu, Vivekananda also stated, "Awake. Arise. Stop not until the goal is reached." What goal did he preach?
Prabhupāda: Ask him. I do not know. (laughter) Call Vivekananda and ask him. You are devotee of Vivekananda, you do not know what did he mean? What kind of devotee you are? You are asking me? You do not know? This is going on. He does not know Vivekananda, and he is a devotee of Vivekananda. This is not good. You must know what Vivekananda said, what is his ultimate goal of life. You must be intelligent. Now we are speaking of Kṛṣṇa and the Supreme Person. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). So there is no need of Vivekananda. When the Supreme Person is speaking, accepted by all. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "You are accepted by authorities," Vyāsa, Devala, Asita, Nārada. We have to accept authority who is accepted by authorities. So Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Devala, Asita, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Caitanya—even Śaṅkarācārya—they have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the supreme authority. You take the authorities' statement. Don't go elsewhere. Then you'll be misled. When the supreme authority is speaking, take it and apply it in life. You'll be happy. Hare Kṛṣṇa.