Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Question number three: "It is said that the greatest strength of Hinduism is its catholicity, or breadth of outlook, broadness of vision, but that this is also the greatest weakness in that there is very little common prescribed religious observances which are obligatory for all, as in other religions. Is it necessary and possible to outline certain basic minimum observances for all Hindus?"
Prabhupāda: So far Vedic religion is concerned, it is not for the Hindus. That is to be understood. The sanātana-dharma. It is for all living entities, all human beings. It is called sanātana-dharma. That I have already explained. The living entity is sanātana, God is sanātana, and there is sanātana-dhāma. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). And where Kṛṣṇa is described sanātana in the Eleventh Chapter. Do you remember? He is described as sanātana. Sanātanam. So actually, the Vedic system is called sanātana-dharma. Not Hindu dharma. This is a wrong conception. The sanātana-dharma is meant for all living entities, not the so-called Hindus, Muslim, Christian. For everyone. That is sanātana-dharma. These are later misconceptions, Hinduism and this "ism," that "ism," that "ism." Actually, it is called sanātana-dharma, or varṇāśrama-dharma. That is meant for everyone. But because it was being followed regularly in India, and Indians were called by the Muslims on the other side of the river Sind, or Sindu, and they pronounce Sind as Hind, therefore they called India as Hindustan, means on the other side of Sindu, or Hindu River. Otherwise, it has no Vedic reference. So this Hindu dharma has no Vedic reference. The real Vedic dharma is sanātana-dharma, varṇāśrama-dharma. First of all he has to understand this. Now that sanātana-dharma, or Vedic dharma, being distorted, not being obeyed, not being carried properly, it has come to the understanding of "Hinduism." That is a fake understanding. That is not real understanding. We have to study sanātana-dharma, or varṇāśrama-dharma. Then we'll understand what is Vedic religion.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So is there anything obligatory or prescribed for all people who follow this religion, that a minimum observance that they must do?
Prabhupāda: Yes, sanātana . . . The sanātana . . . Every living entity is eternal, sanātana. God is eternal, and we can live with God in a place which is called sanātana-dhāma. So this reciprocation is called sanātana-dharma. So Vedic religion means this sanātana-dharma, not Hindu dharma or Muslim dharma or this dharma. Read it.
Rādhā-vallabha:
- tvam akṣaraṁ paramaṁ veditavyaṁ
- tvam asya viśvasya paraṁ nidhānam
- tvam avyayaḥ śāśvata-dharma-goptā
- sanātanas tvaṁ puruṣo mato me
- (BG 11.18)
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rādhā-vallabha: Translation?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rādhā-vallabha: "You are the supreme primal objective. You are the best in all the universes. You are inexhaustible, and You are the oldest. You are the maintainer of religion, the eternal Personality of Godhead."
Prabhupāda: This is wanted. Kṛṣṇa is eternal, we are eternal, and the place we live, exchanging our feelings, that is eternal. And the system which teaches this eternal system of reciprocation, that is called sanātana-dharma. That is meant for everyone.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: So what daily prescribed religious observances would one who is aspiring for this sanātana-dharma, what would they do? What kind of daily prescribed religious observance? Because the complaint is that within this Hinduism, or let's say sanātana-dharma, there is such a breadth of . . . there is so much variegatedness in different types . . .
Prabhupāda: So why do you go to variegatedness? Why don't you take the real purpose of religion from Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says, "This is real dharma: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ . . ." (BG 18.66) Why don't you take that? Why are you going to variegated things or varieties under the name of so-called Hinduism? Why do you go there? Why don't you take the advice of the sanātana, Kṛṣṇa? You don't take what is sanātana-dharma, what sanātana God says, and you say, "How we can come to the right point, avoiding so many varieties?" Why you go to the varieties? Take to this one consciousness, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ. Why don't you do that?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: How can people practically do this on a daily basis?
Prabhupāda: How we are doing? Is it not practical? They'll manufacture their own way of religion. And that is . . . That is not practical. You take this practical system. What is this? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī . . . Where is impracticality? You simply think of Kṛṣṇa, become His devotee, worship Kṛṣṇa. Or just offer a little obeisances to Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? Why don't you do that? Kṛṣṇa says, "This is the duty. If you do this, you come to Me." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī . . . mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśaya: "Without any doubt you'll come to Me." Why don't you do that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ (BG 18.66). Why you remain Hindu? Why you remain Muslim? Why you remain Christian? Give up all this nonsense. Just surrender to Kṛṣṇa: "I am devotee of Kṛṣṇa, servant of Kṛṣṇa." Take this. Then everything will be immediately done. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya. So why you want to remain Hindu, and try to adjust things? Dharma means dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). What God says, that is dharma. Now, God says that "You give up all this. You just surrender unto Me." So take that dharma. Why you want to remain a Hindu? And who is a Hindu who does not accept the authority of Kṛṣṇa? Who is a Hindu? If any Hindu says, even up till now, that "I don't care for Kṛṣṇa and Bhagavad-gītā," he will be immediately rejected as a madman. Why don't you take Kṛṣṇa's instruction? Why do you go outside? Therefore your trouble is there. You do not know what is religion, you do not know what is Hinduism, what is sanātana-dharma. You do not know anything. And actually, practically, you see that in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement there are so-called Hindus, so-called Muslims. But they do not care for Muslim or Hindu or Christian. They are taking care of Kṛṣṇa, that's all. If you take care of false religious system, then you suffer. You take real religious system, then you'll be happy.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Sometimes it's also seen, say, that Muslims and Hindus, they will be converted to Christianity, and the same argument can be given. So what would be the difference for the . . . in this case, that one is identifying himself as Christian or one is identifying himself as devotee of Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: First of all, you have to understand what is religion. The religion is God's law. You have to understand. Religion does not mean your manufactured, concocted ideas. What God says, that is religion. So here Kṛṣṇa is God. He is saying. Therefore this is religion. Hmm? Is that clear? Make it clear. So long one point is not clear, don't go to the next point.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes. Especially he is trying to inquire that it appears that India, for example, today . . .
Prabhupāda: But India, they have given up the real religious system, sanātana-dharma, or varṇāśrama-dharma. Fictitiously, they have accepted a hodgepodge thing which is called Hinduism. Therefore there is trouble. Everywhere, but India especially, they are . . . Vedic religion . . . Vedic religion means varṇāśrama-dharma. That is . . . Kṛṣṇa says, God says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13). So that is, what is called, obligatory. Just like law is obligatory. You cannot say that "I don't take this law." No. You have to take it if you want to have a . . . happy. You cannot become outlaw. Then you'll not be happy. You'll be punished. So God says mayā sṛṣṭam: "It is given by Me." So how we can deny it? And that is religion. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharmam means the order given by the God. The God says that cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13): "For the proper management of the human society, there should be these four divisions, social divisions." So you have to take it.