Prabhupāda: Drum, little drum. So I was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa for . . . from two to five, three hours, and so many boys and girls were coming and joining, and there was first photograph in the Times, New York Times, they appreciated, and people also appreciated. So this chanting, the beginning was only chanting. There was no . . . nothing more. At that time there was no program of prasāda distribution. That, later on it came.
So we should always be confident that this chanting is not a vibration of this material world. This is not vibration of material world. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana (Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura). It is imported from the spiritual world. It is completely spiritual. Otherwise how it is possible? Sometimes the so-called yogīs, they say that chanting . . .
In Bombay there is a so-called rascal, he says: "The chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and chanting of Coca-Cola is the same." He is such a rascal. He does not know that this is not a vibration of this material world. But one who has no knowledge, they think that, "What is the meaning of this chant, 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa'?" But they can practically see that we can go on chanting day and night, still we shall not become tired, but any other material name you take, after chanting three times you will feel tired. That is the proof. You can go on chanting day and night, you will never feel tired. So these people, poor people, they have (no) brain to understand.
Anyway, the chanting is so auspicious, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given His benediction, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). We are suffering in this material world because we are not cleansed of our understanding or of our heart. The heart is not cleansed. So this chanting will help us to cleanse the heart.
- śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
- puṇya-śravaṇa kīrtanaḥ
- hṛdy antaḥ stho abhadrāṇi
- vidhunoti suhṛt satām
- (SB 1.2.17)
Chanting is so nice that as soon as you take to chanting, or hear about Kṛṣṇa—the chanting is also hearing about Kṛṣṇa—so immediately the cleansing process begins, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ (CC Antya 20.12). And as soon as our heart is cleansed, bhava-mahā-davāgni-nirvāpaṇam, then we become freed from the blazing fire of this material existence.
So chanting is so auspicious, therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja here, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa (SB 2.1.1). In another place also, Śukadeva Gosvā . . . Sūta, Sūta Gosvāmī said, yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśno yayātmā suprasīdati (SB 1.2.5). When the great saintly persons in the Naimiṣāraṇya inquired about Kṛṣṇa, he replied like that. Yat kṛtaḥ kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ: "Because you have inquired about Kṛṣṇa, it will cleanse your heart, yenātmā samprasīdati. You will feel a very transcendental bliss, comfort, within your heart."
So varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitam (SB 2.1.1). Loka-hitam. Actually, our this movement is the prime welfare activities to the human society, loka-hitam. It is not a business. Business means my hitam, my benefit only. It is not. It is Kṛṣṇa's business. Kṛṣṇa's business means Kṛṣṇa is for everyone; therefore Kṛṣṇa's business is meant for everyone. We therefore welcome everyone. There is no distinction. "Come here and chant," loka-hitam. And a sādhu, a saintly person, should always think of loka-hitam.
That is the difference between sādhu and ordinary man. Ordinary man, he thinks only of himself, or expanded himself, for family, for community, for society, for nation. These are all expanded selfishness. Expanded. When I am alone, I am thinking of my benefit only. When I am little grown up, I think of my brothers and sisters. And when I am little advanced, I think of my family. Little advanced, I think of my community. Little advanced, I think of my country, my nation. Or I can think of the whole human society, internationally. But Kṛṣṇa is so big that Kṛṣṇa includes everyone. Not only human society, animal society, bird society, beast society, tree society—everything. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4): "I am the seed-giving father of all these forms." There are 8,400,000 different kinds of forms. Kṛṣṇa claims, "They, all of them, are My part and parcel living entities, but they are now covered by different dress only. But they are living entities." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness vision.