Prabhupāda: So learned scholar is always a very learned scholar in logic, nyāya-śāstra. So this logic was taught in Bihar, Dharvanga. India, in different parts of India, different kinds of education was imparted. In Benares, the Mayavāda philosophy was very prominent. In Dharvanga, logic was very prominent. In Navadvīpa, philosophy was very prominent, and nyāya also. Similarly, in Bharampura, Bharatpura. There are many places, just like at the present moment there are many places, university. So He was great logician, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. In His boyhood He would ask His contemporary friends to argue with Him on a subject matter, and He'll defeat him. And again He'll establish it. The very point on which He defeated His friend, He'll again establish it, and again nullify it. He was so talented. His name was therefore, other name, was Nimāi Paṇḍita. One name is Gaurasundara, another name is Nimāi Paṇḍita. Paṇḍita means very learned scholar. And that is not hearsay, that because we are devotees we are speaking of Lord Caitanya very learned scholar. The evidence is there in the explanation of ātmārāma śloka. He has explained that śloka in sixty-four different ways, one verse. He has described one word, ātmārāma, in eleven ways. Similarly munayo, nirgranthāḥ, urukrama, bhakti. Each word He has enunciated in so many ways.
Prominent (Conversations)
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Just like... You try to understand me, that this matter, consisting of five elements, earth, air; earth, water, air...earth, water, fire, air, ether. And then, still subtler than ether is the mind, and then, subtler than the mind is intelligence, and subtler than intelligence is the spirit soul. So before we reach our spiritual platform, there are so many elementary material platforms. So in different planets one of the element is prominent. Just like we can experience in the ocean and sea the water is prominent. In the land earth is prominent. Similarly, in different, just like in the sun planet fire is prominent. So in each and every planet there are particular type of body, particular type of residents. You cannot expect that the same type of body and same type of residents are there.
Prabhupāda: No. The thing is these western churches, just like Christianity, these gospels were spoken long, long ago to the primitive men, you see? Jerusalem. These people were living in desert, and they were not so much advanced. So at that time... Of course, in Bible or in the Old Testament, the idea of God is there, that is all nice. But they... Just like the statement, "God created this world." That is a fact. Now those people who are not advanced in those... Now, at the present moment, people are advanced scientifically. They want to know how the creation has taken place. You see? That explanation is not there, neither the church can give them. You see. Therefore they are not satisfied. Simply officially going to the church and offering prayer, that does not appeal to them. Besides that, practically, they do not follow religious principles. Just like in the Old Testament, there is, I mean to say, Ten Commandments, and there is Commandment that "Thou shall not kill." But killing affair is very prominent in the Christian world. They are maintaining slaughterhouse very regularly, and they have manufactured a theory that animals have no soul, they do not feel—because they have to kill. "Give the dog a bad name and hang it." Why animal cannot feel? Why you are committing these sinful activities? So the priestly class, they will not also say, they will not discuss, everyone is silent. That means deliberately, I mean to say, disobeying Ten Commandments.
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: A particular jīva soul was in that body. Then it is also proved that every jīva soul is individual. Although they are living combinedly, everything is individual.
Revatīnandana: Well, doesn't... That's all right then. Now the...
Prabhupāda: But that one jīva soul was prominent. He was visible. Others were in dormant condition. This proves that every individual soul is separate from the other; still, they can remain together. Just like the sunshine, they create... a small shining particles, combined together, molecules. So everything is combined spirit particles.
Haṁsadūta: Everything that we see around us, everything.
Prabhupāda: Everything. Sarvam idam khalv idaṁ brahma. Everything is Brahman. But when they are covered, that is called material exis...
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Not Kali-yuga. This is the symptom of conditioned soul. It is very prominent now in this age. Conditioned soul means these four defects—to commit mistake, to become illusioned, to cheat others, and imperfectness of the senses. The scientists say that we do not know, that means imperfectness of sense. I am trying to see but the cloud is checking me, and I am considering beyond this cloud there is nothing. That is imperfectness of my seeing. Not... It is not a fact that beyond the cloud there is nothing. So these things are going on—cheating, illusion, mistake, and imperfect. And they are trying to come to a right conclusion. Just like somebody was telling that there is going to be a big conference of the Catholics to consider what wrong they have done. They can see that the people are rejecting the so-called Christian religion. So now they are thinking (indistinct). But it is also another cheating. They are deliberately violating the principles of Christian religion, and still they say, "What we have done?"
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Because you are part and parcel of God. God is all spirit. Just like materially, because you have got white body your son has got white body. Similarly, God is all spirit. Therefore you are son of God, part and parcel of God, then you are all spirit. But you have got this material covering because you wanted to come here and enjoy or lord it over the material nature. Everyone is trying to that. Everyone is trying to become a very prominent man in this material world. That is he can lord it over the material nature. So because you desire to lord it over the material nature you have to accept a material body.
Graham Hill: Are all spiritual bodies the same? I mean, is your spiritual body exactly the same as...
Prabhupāda: Parsee. I see. Parsees are Gujarati also.
Lady: We speak Gujarati and Parsee.
Prabhupāda: Formerly the Parsees were prominent community in Bombay. They are big businessmen, important men.
Banker: Mr. Tata...
Prabhupāda: Yes. Tata, Sarpiosa Mehta. (?) Now from the Parsee community no such big men are coming. What you think? Last big man was Nariman. You do not know? Nariman. He was of our age. I saw him. That Nariman Point. He was a political leader. Come on. So Nariman was a Parsee. I know that.
Lady: I know name like that, but...
Prabhupāda: Hmm. Every sane man should appreciate. When European and American young men, who are after material sense gratification, they're taking sannyāsa, it is not joke. They should appreciate it. In an age where material sense enjoyment is very prominent, and they give up everything for Kṛṣṇa, and they're going far away from their comfortable position... Just like Brahmānanda has gone to Africa. So what for? Unless they appreciate Kṛṣṇa consciousness, how they take up this job? This is practical. There is no question of theoretical.
Brahmānanda: You said that last night when you spoke that about we are actually siddhas.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: We are not...
Prabhupāda: Yes. God did not allow you. Therefore you are under control of God. So you are foolish rascal. God did not allow you. Therefore God is great.
Hṛdayānanda: Jaya.
Prajāpati: One very prominent philosopher, theologian, today named Martin Buber, he says we cannot talk about God as "He", describing so many attributes to Him as something other. He is the eternal...
Prabhupāda: That, that we accept, that ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ: (Brs. 1.2.234) We cannot speculate about God with our imperfect senses. But that does not mean we should not know god. We cannot speculate, but there is process of knowing God. That is from God. When He says, "I am like this," that's all. You have to accept that. You cannot speculate. You cannot create. Just like a big man, a big master, nobody knows how many millions of dollars he has got. They are speculating. His servants are speculating, "Master may have so many millions. Master may have so many..." But that is all imperfect. When the master says, "I have got so much, so many millions," that is perfect.
Prajāpati: Yesterday, Śrīla Prabhupāda, in class, you mentioned how the churches, people could pay them for supposedly becoming very religious men. In Las Vegas, the capital of the gambling and the illicit sex and the intoxication, where all these things are very prominent, the churches there are very prominent also. These big demons, they pay large money to the churches and therefore they feel like they are very religious men even though they are committing all these sinful activities.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And by taking their sinful money, because they do not engage to Kṛṣṇa, they also become sinful. Affection. Infection. (break) They have mentioned something like sinful?
Prajāpati: Yes, sinful.
Prabhupāda: What he has said, Karandhara?
Prabhupāda: He is a rascal.
Karandhara: Another very prominent... He's a psychiatrist and a theologian. His name is Menninger. So about ten years ago he wrote a book that the conception of sin and evil was unnecessary, and one should give up considering that some things are sins. Now he just wrote a book saying that he was wrong, that since he has promoted this theory everyone is degrading, and that the theory of sin and evil should be maintained to keep the people in good order.
Prabhupāda: So these rascals will change every year their theology. So what is the value of their words? Childish. (break) ...changes, he is a rascal. That is our... We say, "Kṛṣṇa the Supreme." We never change it. And "Surrender is the only process." We shall never change it. In any circumstance we will not change it. That is the difference. And these rascals will change every year their opinion. They are rascals. (break) ...They are rascals. (break) Kṛṣṇa said that "I am the Supreme." So Arjuna accepted, the Supreme.
Karandhara: Well, another very prominent psychiatrist and theologian, about ten years ago he wrote a very famous book wherein he said that people should give up the idea of evil and sin because it is just an inhibition on the mind. But now he just wrote another book saying that he was wrong, and since people have given up the idea of sin and evil, the whole world has degraded to such a bad state that now, even though there may not be a God, they should still believe in evil just to keep things in order.
Prabhupāda: Then if there is no God, then who will judge what is evil and what is right? If there is no God? People are abiding the law, "Keep to the right, keep to the left," because they know, "Behind this order, there is government." If he does not keep the arrangement, then he will be punished. So as soon as you accept the principles of bad and good, then you have to accept God. Now, this kind of theologician, some years ago his opinion was something, and now his opinion is different.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Just like water. There is sound. But that sound and metallic sound are different. Sound is there, but the sound of the water and sound of the metal—in the metal the sound is more prominent than in the water. But the sound is there. Similarly...
Dr. Patel: Love is there.
Prabhupāda: Yes, love is there.
Dr. Patel: But there is more close love.
Prabhupāda: Ah, yes. More developed. Yes. In the śānta-rasa, simply this appreciation of the greatness of the Absolute. That is śānta-rasa.
Prabhupāda: Hmm. So... (break)
Devotee: ...Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, very prominent. When Lord Caitanya came, He made the worship of...
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Devotee: ...Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa very prominent.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Devotee: The Vaiṣṇavas before...
Prabhupāda: No, other Vaiṣṇavas. But... The on... This Vaiṣṇava party, they stress on Bāla-Kṛṣṇa, Gopāla. We also, we have got our Gopāla, as Mādhavendra Purī installed a Gopāla. That Gopāla is now worshiped, Nāthavara (?), by the Vallabha-sampradāya. That is Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Deity. It is admitted in the court. (break) ...the modern civilization is that they do not know that this, there is transmigration of the soul, and this constant change of body is not very good.
Prabhupāda: No, that's all right. That chapter is now...
Guru dāsa: I see.
Prabhupāda: ...in prominence. Don't come near.
Devotee: We could go to the... (break)
Prabhupāda: ...that they're planning the same plan as they did. This is the preliminary sign.
Gupta: Swami Mahārāja, our program should enter the streets in the houses of different people and saṅkīrtana should be start from there, and...
Prabhupāda: So do it! So don't speak. Now organize. Now there is no question of speaking. Practical. Everyone should take a leading part, and the saṅkīrtana nuisance should be started from Bombay. So Balavanta Prabhu, you are taking?
Prabhupāda: ...understand the inconceivable power of God. (break) First of all he has to come to the sattva-guṇa. Sthitaḥ sattve prasīdati.
- tato rājas-tamo-bhāvāḥ
- kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye
- ceta etair anāvidhaṁ
- sthitaḥ sattve prasīdati
- (SB 1.2.19)
When one becomes free from the rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, the symptom is... Rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa means lust and greediness. So when this rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa is absent, then the sattva-guṇa becomes prominent. Every guṇa is there. Tato rajas-tamo-bhavaḥ kama-lobhadayas ca ye, ceta etaiḥ... The consciousness does not become infected by the resultant action of tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa. Then the only sattva-guṇa remains. So when one is situated in sattva-guṇa, sthita-sattve prasidati, then he becomes jubilant, prasidati. That is brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). So one has to overcome the jurisdiction of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. At the present moment the whole world is covered mostly by tamo-guṇa and little by rajo-guṇa.
Satsvarūpa: He said, "You write in your books that your movement by Lord Caitanya is the..., as if it's the most exclusive thing." He said, "But actually, in India the Rāmānuja is a more prominent Vaiṣṇava sect." So, as I understand our claim, it's based on the fact that we worship Kṛṣṇa in a higher form, in Kṛṣṇaloka, and they worship Kṛṣṇa which leads to Vaikuṇṭha.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) ...quarter there is no cinema song. Bhaja gopālam. (there is music playing in background, recording of a boy or woman singing "bhaja gopāla")
Satsvarūpa: Śrīnivāsa (?) said every... (break) ...is controlled by the temple here. Even the government doesn't control.
Prabhupāda: This is all temple here around (indistinct). (break)
Satsvarūpa: ...prominence. (break)
Indian man: We came here yesterday. We went to the temple three times and just for a long...
Prabhupāda: Oh, very good.
Indian man: This is my wife and daughter. You came yesterday?
Prabhupāda: Yes, I came yesterday at about eleven.
Indian man: We saw you in the evening going to the temple.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is very nice place.
Indian man: Very nice, beautiful place. Very inspiring. Where's (indistinct) American? (?)
Prabhupāda: I am, of course, Indian, but I have got my headquarters in America. (chuckles) Yes.
Prabhupāda: That is called bhūtejya. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as worshiping the material elements. That's all. Here in western countries, that is the prominent thing, bhūtejya. (pause) What is the other side? Lion? (pause, break) They cover with some cloth, some loose cloth. Is it not?
Bhagavān: Yes.
Prabhupāda: This is French art, to make naked?
Devotee: Yes.
Bhagavān: Little more advanced.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. Therefore nowadays students are walking naked in America. Advanced, more advanced.
Prabhupāda: Amsterdam is a place simply for prostitutes.
Devotee: It is the center.
Prabhupāda: This is very prominent in the western country, which we are asking, that no meat-eating, no intoxication, no illicit sex. These things are only thing enjoyable.
Satsvarūpa: They think if you eliminate those, there is nothing left to live for.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is Rāyarāma's statement. Yes. I am denying the bare necessities of life. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Who will try for becoming perfect in this way? Very disappointing. But still, Kṛṣṇa is so kind that helping so many. They are doing actually. All right, keep it.
Prabhupāda: The animals, they are living in their own atmosphere, and these people, they come to kill them. Killing business has become very prominent at the present moment, and therefore they are being killed in the womb of the mother, abortion and killing child. That they do not know. Nature will not excuse you. You are killing; you'll be killed within your mothers' womb. You'll never see the light of the sun. You go on being killed, one after another, as many animals you have killed. They do not know. And time will come in this age when there will be no food and man will kill man and eat. That time is coming. Yes. They are now killing animal, but animal lives on this grass and grains. When there will be no grass, no grains, where they will get animal? They'll kill their own son and eat. That time is coming. Nature's law is that you grow your own food. But they are not interested in growing food. They are interested in manufacturing bolts and nuts.
Prabhupāda: That is the... It is actually rational discrimination. The Christians, they thought, "Now these Englishmen, they'll make Hindu religion very prominent." Because it is a fact. If we introduce such three-four celebrations, then Christianity will be finished. But what is there? Christianity, there is nothing. Simply some dry words. And actually, they're seeing, nobody's coming to the church. So in this way, if they some, relish something better, then whatever is there, that will be finished, also. Therefore in London we wanted to purchase a church.
Bali Mardana: A big cathedral.
Prabhupāda: Ah. And they said, "We shall burn it down; still, we shall not give to Bhaktivedanta Swami." They said like that.
Prabhupāda: "We shall burn it down." They are seeing practically. After all, they are businessmen. "Shopkeeper's nation." They see practically that if such kind of movements go on... People are already, have no interest in the church. In Chicago, they wrote "American Hindus." They wrote in the paper. Then Hindu, Hindu religion will be prominent.
Bahulāśva: The Catholic Church is a very wealthy institution, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Bahulāśva: The Catholic Church is very wealthy. They don't want to lose their...
Prabhupāda: So what will wealth do? If it does not appeal to the people, what wealth will do? In Chicago also, the Christians came with some wooden signboard. You have seen?
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So long you have not solved the four prominent miserable condition of life, birth, death, old age and disease, you cannot say there is no God. There is controller who is forcing you to accept these conditions. Therefore there is authority. How you can avoid this?
Vīrabāhu: They say, "Some day. Some day we will do."
Prabhupāda: Some day, rascal, somebody will come and kick your face with shoes. (laughter)
Hṛdayānanda: Prabhupāda, if we go back this way, we'll get back around the right time.
Prabhupāda: Why so soon?
Prabhupāda: That is another thing, the qualitative change. But it is... There are five elements, so it is made of fire, that's all. As your body is made of earth, that sun globe or the sun-god, the body is made of fire, that's all. There are other planets also; the body is made of air because you do not find more than these five elements, earth, water, air, fire, sky-gross; and subtle—mind, intelligence and ego. So subtle, the same, but gross—somewhere the fire is prominent; somewhere water is prominent, air is prominent; somewhere earth is prominent. So here in this world, in this planet, the earth is prominent.
Yoga student: Distinct from being permanent, the eternal?
Atreya Ṛṣi: Is prominent.
Yoga student: Oh, prominent.
Atreya Ṛṣi: Is prominent.
Yoga student: Oh, prominent.
Atreya Ṛṣi: Earth is prominent.
Yoga student: It's the prominent form in this material world.
Atreya Ṛṣi: In this earth, in this planet, earth is the prominent of the five elements.
Prabhupāda: Whole world, whole universe, they are made of these five elements.
Atreya Ṛṣi: All the creation, the material creation, is made of five elements.
Yoga student: What is the fifth besides earth, air, fire and water?
Prabhupāda: Ether.
Prabhupāda: That is another thing, qualitative change. But if, there are five elements. It is made of fire, that's all. As your body is made of earth, that sun globe or sun god's body is made of fire. There are other planets also, the body is made of air. Because you do not find more than these five elements—earth, water, air, fire, sky-gross and subtle—mind, intelligence. So, subtle, the same gross, somewhere fire is prominent, somewhere water is prominent, air is prominent, somewhere earth is prominent. So here in this world, in this planet, the earth is prominent.
Guest: So, there is a distinction between permanent and the eternal?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Devotee: Prominent.
Devotee: Prominent.
Guest: Oh, prominent, ah ha.
Devotee: The earth is prominent.
Guest: Ah ha. It's the prominent form in this material world.
Devotee: On this earth, on this planet...
Guest: On this planet.
Devotee: ...earth is prominent amongst the five elements.
Prabhupāda: Whole world, whole universe, they are made of these five elements.
Devotee: (indistinct) of the five elements.
Guest: What is the fifth besides earth, air, fire and water?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Prabhupāda: It is explained there. He does not reveal Himself. Why He shall reveal Himself to an unqualified person? That is Kṛṣṇa's prerogative. If He likes He will reveal. If He does not like He will not reveal. You cannot by force see Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, first of all be qualified, then try to see Kṛṣṇa. He is not exposed. Even a big man, if you want to see him, he may refuse: "No, I will not see." What can you do? If you think that "This man is third-class man, why shall I see him?" Even in ordinary human society that is going on. So why people are eager to see Kṛṣṇa without being qualified? Why these rascals say, "Can you show me God?" First of all you become fit to see God. They'll not become fit. They'll do all nonsense, and want to see God. Kṛṣṇa is addressed, pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. He is the supreme pure, and we are impure, and you want to see the supreme pure. You see? What audacity! I am not fire. I want to enter into the fire. You see? What will be the result? You'll be burned into ashes. First of all be fire. Increase your temperature to the same temperature, then it will automatically. He is paraṁ brahma, so you realize yourself as brahma. You are realizing yourself as American, Indian, this, that, and you want to see paraṁ brahma? The foolish people will do. And one has to become purified, sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ (CC Madhya 19.170). One has to be free from all designations. Everyone, we give more prominence to the designations: "I am this, I am this."
Prabhupāda: I have given the example. Just like this sunshine is coming from the sun globe. Within the sun globe there is the president of the planet. Just like here on this planet you have got some president. Here there are many presidents, because it is hodgepodge, chaotic. But there everything is systematic. There is one person, his name is Vivasvān. He's the predominating deity. Kṛṣṇa went to see him and talked with him about Bhagavad-gītā. He's a person, and there the people, they are also persons. Just like in this planet. But here the body is predominantly made of earth, and there the body is predominantly of fire. Therefore it is so glowing. The glowing temperature, heat and light, is coming from the person, their body is made of glowing heat or fire. There are five material elements: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. In some planet the earth is prominent, in some planet the water is prominent, in some planets the fire is prominent. So the sun planet is prominent with fire. There the bodies made of the inhabitants there are fire. So all the combination of the fiery effulgence is the heat of the sun globe and that is being distributed. It is in the (indistinct). You can see and realize. Everything is there. If you study nature you will get everything. (end)
Prabhupāda: Yes. I think it is... Maybe it is described in Seventeenth Chapter. According to our free will, we are associating with certain type of the modes of material nature, and then we become subjected to that material modes. The same example: you infect some disease, contamination, and you gain the result of it. So our endeavor should be how to raise ourself to the first, to the sattva-guṇa. That we can do. And then transcend sattva-guṇa and reach the spiritual platform. Everyone is trying to improve his position, but they do not know what is meant by improvement. Improvement means mostly they are in tamo-guṇa, ignorance. So rise from tamo-guṇa to rajo-guṇa, rajo-guṇa to sattva-guṇa, and then sattva-guṇa to transcendence. That is improvement. So generally, people are suffering on account of association with tamo-guṇa and rajo-guṇa, whole material world, mostly tamo-guṇa and few of them in rajo-guṇa. The symptoms of rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa are lust and greediness. Just like yesterday you told me the students are talking about homosex. That means tamo-guṇa, that the education-students, they are discussing about homosex. That means tamo-guṇa, lusty desires, very prominent, and how to fulfill, by homosex or sex with woman.
Prabhupāda: No, that is... That was... About hundred years ago Vivekananda came, and he stayed in New York, but these people... When I came, I asked, "What is...? Do you know Vivekananda?" They said, "No, we do not know." I had to find out, search out, where is Vivekananda's center. It was not very prominent. Nobody was going. So for hundred years they worked, this Ramakrishna Mission. They could not establish even half a dozen centers in America. And I established forty centers within six years. And in each center there is devotees not less than twenty-five, up to 225. In Los Angeles we purchased one church. The church was sold because nobody was coming. And since we have taken... If you sometimes go to Los Angeles, you will see it is packed always. The same people, the same church—why it is packed now? And why it was sold without any attendance? What is the difference? I have not brought these men from India; neither I brought that church from India. The church was there, and these people were there.
Prabhupāda: Then all these houses have come in an accident? Everything is created by man. How you can say accident? This is their foolishness. Nothing happens accidentally. If there is accident, then how we are walking this? There is a huge water. By accident, immediately it can drown us. If accident is so prominent, then one should be conscious that by accident the whole Hawaii Island can be... It can be done. Why it is not being happened if it is accident? Then why you are building so many buildings? You should know, by accident the whole water can... If accident is there, why you are confident that "No, it will not do." Then where is accident?
Bali-mardana: They are thinking that they can control that accident.
Bali-mardana: Everyone has a tendency to worship something. If they don't worship Kṛṣṇa, they will worship someone else. Like Mao or Lenin... (break)
Prabhupāda: One fashion is meditation. This fashion is very prominent. What meditation, they do not know.
Bali-mardana: They think that it is simply a...
Prabhupāda: Sit down... I have seen meditation. (makes snoring sound) I have seen. (people shouting in background) (break)
Siddha-svarūpa: They are waving.
Śrutakīrti: They are cheering.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is our duty, to give them knowledge. The knowledge is there. The candidates are there. Only the guardians should be sane, that "Save the children." Otherwise they will produce only hippies. That's all. (break) So long you will work on the mental plane, then the tendency will be that "Let me refute you, and I become prominent." And he will think that "Let me refute him. I become." This business will go on. But there will be no end of philosophy. So what is the use of such philosophy, simply continually go on mentally speculating, no conclusion? Philosophy means, "Here is the conclusion."
Dharmādhyakṣa: Yes. Dr. Judah said in our whole course we can just defeat them, but we must know what they think also.
Prabhupāda: Yes. No, that's all right. That you should know. They are advertised as big philosophers, so at least we can prove that they are not big philosophers. The big philosopher is Kṛṣṇa.
Dr. Judah: No. There is no actual statement of any one person or any concept concerning God that would be accepted by all Christians. There are various theologies about God, as I said.
Prabhupāda: No, theologists, some of the prominent theologist, what do they say? How they describe God?
Dr. Judah: Well, it depends upon whether one is a Lutheran or a Calvinist or...
Prabhupāda: Let any one of them say something, I want to hear.
Dr. Judah: Yes. Well, this is what the professor yesterday was talking about, that there are many different theologies and some people accept one and some accept another.
Prabhupāda: But since 1920 to up to date in the history, there have been many great personalities or very prominent personalities, but where is the history that women are greater than the man or are equal to the man in the history?
Satsvarūpa: They have a standard answer to that that the women have always been oppressed, that the women could have become great philosophers and writers and politicians, but they were always kept in the home. So now they're going to change this, they say. It's only due to the man's oppressing them and keeping them down.
Prabhupāda: So this pregnancy is also pressing. The man has pressed to become pregnant? This is man's pressure or nature's?
Nitai: First Chapter.
- adharmābhibhavāt kṛṣṇa
- praduṣyanti kula-striyaḥ
- strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya
- jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ
- (BG 1.40)
"When irreligion is prominent in the family, O Kṛṣṇa, the women of the family become corrupt, and from the degradation of womanhood, O descendant of Vṛṣṇi, comes unwanted progeny."
Prabhupāda: And then? Next verse?
Prabhupāda: In your country also. One keeps a girlfriend, the girl's getting welfare, and he is purchasing drugs, and then their husband goes. I have seen. Some of our students have been. I have seen them.
Satsvarūpa: That's very prominent.
Prabhupāda: And making trade. That is going on.
Brahmānanda: So this is the varṇāśrama system that you are...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Brahmānanda: This varṇāśrama college...
Prabhupāda: Yes. Varnāśrama means everyone should be engaged. There will be no, I mean to say, (indistinct).
Prabhupāda: "Barefoot Swami draws admiring Kṛṣṇa crowd." And... Read that portion. (Bengali)
Lalitā: (Bengali) ...most prominent person in U.S. is Prabhupāda.
Brahmānanda: "Asked about the political situation in his native India and the criticized actions of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, the swami replied that 'Mrs. Gandhi is inclined to some spiritual understanding, and if she fully develops it the situation will improve. Democracy is not much beneficial if its leaders have no spiritual values. Mahatma Gandhi was practically a dictator, but he was a man of high moral character, so people accepted him. Dictatorship can be good provided the dictator is spiritually developed.' "
Prabhupāda: (Bengali)
Brahmānanda: She is a member of a group, a fanatical group in California. I don't know what... The Manson group? Charles Manson? Who is that group? This man killed about six people.
Prabhupāda: Prominent.
Brahmānanda: And I think this man has many wives. He has about two dozen wives. These are all his wives. He's in jail now. Life sentence. (break)
Prabhupāda: There is no problem.
Brahmānanda: Yes. He was saying, "Oh, it's just a distraction." (break)
Prabhupāda: ...the President's life is not safe, and there is no problem. What to speak of others.
Dhanañjaya: An intelligent man will go completely insane because he can't solve the problems...
Prabhupāda: The solution is there.
Kartikeya: I have not seen my father. Even I have not seen myself. I see my hand. When you say "I see my hand," I see my body, but have I seen my self?
Indian man (2): He is my friend. He is my friend Mr. Urbana, and he is an architect, prominent architect in Gujarat, eh?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Indian man (2): He's a first-class..., but he is, his brain is influenced by Ārya-samāj, Ārya-samāj. (laughter) So I say Ārya-samājīs are muscular body. Bodies are muscular, so their brain is also muscular. They are not going to accept any idea except that thing which they have already there in the brain. (laughter)
Indian man (3): No, no, no. It is not that way. We want to accept everything that... (Hindi)
Indian man (2): Praṇām, praṇām, (Hi
Cyavana: Here it is very prominent. The workers in the fields, they are barely making enough to live from day to day. But the planters who live in France, they are taking millions of rupees and living very comfortably.
Prabhupāda: Therefore Communism is coming. Go this way?
Cyavana: Is it this way? We can go this way. This way. Or better this way. Now he's coming the other way.
Prabhupāda: (break) ...create another danger. Just like airplane. It is comfortable. You can quickly go from one place to another. But as soon as on the plane, immediately your life is at risk. There is no certainty. So this is the way of material world. You create some comfort and you create some greater danger also. Side by side. It cannot be unhampered comfort. That is not possible. You create a motorcar—the same thing—you drive very speedy and you meet accident. Railway, the accident. There was no need. You produce your food locally and produce your milk. Then eat, drink, and live comfortably. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. Make your life successful. Yad uttama-śloka-guṇānuvarṇanam (SB 1.5.22). And if you have got education, then describe the glories of the Lord by your scientific and educational qualification. (break) The rain is coming.
Cyavana: They're watching. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...prominent. Red, yellow, and blue.
Indian man (1): Blue.
Cyavana: Violet is there.
Prabhupāda: No. The mix, you make a hundred color, but three colors are prominent. Then you mix. You mix the green and yellow..., er, blue and yellow; it become green. You mix the red and yellow; it will become orange. You mix the blue and red; it become violet. Like that. Originally three colors.
Brahmānanda: They say from those three colors they can make actually thousands of different colors.
Prabhupāda: Try. Foolishly you try whatever you like. That is another thing. But it is not under your control. You can try. That is your... Of course, you must try as a dutiful father, but you should know that you cannot take any guarantee or do anything, good or bad. That you have already said, "the destiny." That is prominent. That is prominent, not you.
Cyavana: The tendency of the humans...
Prabhupāda: You can do the best to train your child to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is in your power. That you can do. That is the best service, not anything else. That is not possible. If you become yourself Kṛṣṇa conscious, and if you try to make your son Kṛṣṇa conscious, that you can do. And that is the duty, real duty. Other things, you cannot do anything. That is destiny. And if you make him Kṛṣṇa conscious, then destiny can also be changed. This is the concession of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Destiny also can be changed. Karmāṇi nirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Bs. 5.54). One who comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his karma is also changed.
Reporter: My last question: Will you be meeting other spiritual leaders in South Africa?
Prabhupāda: I do not know who is that spiritual leader. Nobody...
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: We haven't found any really prominent personalities to introduce Prabhupāda to.
Prabhupāda: But one spiritual leader is there, Swami Sahajananda.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Yes, the Divine Life Society in Durban, the head of that. He wrote one letter praising Prabhupāda's work, that he is rightfully representing the Vedic literatures.
Reporter: Well, thank you very much.
Harikeśa: They've found with this monkey gland operation also that you become like a monkey after a while, that you develop lots of hair and jaw becomes prominent.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā?
Harikeśa: Yes. They've found that.
Prabhupāda: Why don't you try for it? (laughter) You are supporter of Darwin's theory. (laughter)
Harikeśa: They may find them swinging through the trees.
Prabhupāda: Jump over from tree to tree. I have seen here. There is...
Brahmānanda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Brahmānanda: This man's imitating the bird means that he will become a bird.
Prabhupāda: Not necess... This is sporting. It will be decided what he is thinking at the time of death. That will become prominent.
Brahmānanda: Is it by chance what you think of at the time of death or is...
Prabhupāda: No.
Brahmānanda: ...it dependent?
Prabhupāda: It is dependent. Just like all of a sudden some idea come to us. That means we had contact with such idea. It is compared with... Just like there is a big pond. All of a sudden, you see, from within a bubble comes "phut!" There is no reason, but it comes. That means the thing is there within the pond, the situation. All of a sudden, without any time, it comes. They put this chance theory like this. But this is not chance. If... Because we are changing our life, so everything is recorded in the mind, dictaphone.
Prabhupāda: What is this nationalism? We said, there is no such thing as nationalism in the Vedic literature, no such thing.
Yaśomatīnandana: Nationalism?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Nowadays nationalism is very prominent, and we don't find this nationalism.
Dr. Patel: Now they are going to rationalism.
Prabhupāda: Rationalism is required, not nationalism. No. This nationalism... The Americans and the Russians, they are enemies and friend only on this principle. Prahlāda Mahārāja was astonished, "What is this enemy and friend?" because he is maha-bhāgavata. This is materialism. This is materialism. (aside:) Jaya. Why one should be treated as enemy and as friend? Everyone is servant of God. (break) He is going on at night also?
Dr. Patel: Bhasmi bhūtasya śarīrasya kutaḥ...
Prabhupāda: Yes. This is this philosophy. This philosophy is prominent all over the world. They are... "So long this body is there, enjoy it to the utmost. And after death everything is finished." Bas.
Dr. Patel: Yavaj jīvaṁ sukham...
Prabhupāda: Sukhaṁ jivet.
Dr. Patel: enaṁ kṛtva ghṛtaṁ pibet.
Prabhupāda: Kutaḥ punar agamano abhavet.
Indian: (break) ...to Śaṅkarācārya. Most of the Śaivites are Vaiṣṇavites only. There is no differentiation between a Śaivite and a Vaiṣṇavite. We use that (indistinct) only. Even that (indistinct) you can see. But actually Śaivism has gone underground. Viṣṇu temples are more prominent and more people are getting results immediately. He is (indistinct) mundane people. He is helping them by solving...
Prabhupāda:
- akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
- mokṣa kāma udāra dhīḥ
- tivreṇa bhakti-yogena
- yajeta puruṣaṁ param
- (SB 2.3.10)
If anyone is aspirant of some material benefit and worships Kṛṣṇa, he gets it. And gradually, he gets Kṛṣṇa. Then when he gets Kṛṣṇa, he forgets all material profit.
Girirāja: Like Dhruva Mahārāja.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Svamin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yace (CC Madhya 22.42). No more birth.
Prabhupāda: He can say: "Here is gold. You dig here. Here is the gold mine." Then you get gold mine. And one who is not expert, simply he has understood that "In this area, there is gold mine," and they are simply fighting; everyone has come to take the gold. But without expert knowledge, they're simply fighting. They do not find gold. That is the position. So expert knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. He therefore begins: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). Within this body, the living force, that is the soul. Because that soul is there, it is changing body, different. Try to understand that active principle. And where is that understanding? They simply putting different theses. They do not, neither do they know antithesis or synthesis. So our.... We know the thesis, antithesis and synthesis, that this soul, living entity, is within this body. Now the body is important so long the soul is there. Otherwise, body is a lump of matter. So the soul is suffering. He's seeking after enjoyment, but he's suffering. So therefore.... The most prominent suffering is death. That he cannot avoid. Or he's not.... The so-called materialistic scientists, they have not been able, neither they do know, who is the sufferer or enjoyer. They take this body. The same fiber platform. So actually they are rascals. What is the value of the thesis, antithesis?
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Prominent place. (Hindi) Keep in prominent place so that others can see. And any book which is not in stock, you can note down his order so that you can send him later on.
Indian man (5): He will come every day.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Indian man (5): Mostly he approaching every member.
Prabhupāda: No, recently we have published very important book, Nectar of Instruction. For common man it is very nice. (break) Yesterday's lecture you liked?
Indian men: Yes. (Hindi) (break)
Prabhupāda: Just try to understand that whatever it may be, what is the mentality of these rascals, that "The good things do not come to your notice." If something is bad, "Oh, here is..." You see. Pāmarāḥ doṣam icchanti guṇam icchanti paṇḍitāḥ. Saj-janā guṇam icchanti doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. That means they are not even a Vaiṣṇava. You see? Vaiṣṇava means paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). Even one has got some fault, a Vaiṣṇava does not see that. He takes the good qualities. But they are not even Vaiṣṇava. Yes. Doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. The mission of Gau..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu, is being preaching all over the.... That does not come to their.... Some Japanese paper has written something—it has come immediately. Doṣam icchanti pāmarāḥ. That fool, that he's a.... Here is a pāmara, and he's a lowest of the mankind. You can say that "Why this thing has come prominent to your eyes and not the other thing?"
Prabhupāda: "But because I am pāmara, I am finding out this fault." But you have now completed the sentence. "You know lot of things, but because you are pāmara, therefore this thing has come prominent."
Indian man: That is the proviso.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the proof that you are a pāmara.
Indian man: In my own way, if they challenge us and they are convincing, because to the audience it has to be said. One gosvāmī, when I said, "Well, this is a movement which I very much like, and like also to join," then he said that—because I am conducting Gītā Bhavan(?) founded by him—he said, "No, no, no, no. We as a matter of fact champion that cause. But afterwards, when we realized that it is not sampradayic, we have given it up. Therefore..." Then his conduct.... The next day itself, he was not liking me. I have been doing this propaganda, this Gītā pravacanam, for the past four years in the organization founded by him. But the very next day, that gosvāmī, Puruṣottama Gosvāmī of Vṛndāvana...
Yaśodānandana: The envious one.
Prabhupāda: He has got a camp here?
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Here is a place where they might be displayed. This is a blank place.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. There it should be written.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is very prominent.
Prabhupāda: Not only there, here also.
Jayapatāka: In big letters here.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And there are so many places. Yes. First of all you place this and the other. We can give the upadeśa of Prabhupāda. I'll give you matter for writing. So writing, that charges should be reduced. One...
Jayapatāka: Yesterday Caitya-guru, the man he brought from Calcutta, he only wanted one rupee, seventy-five paisa.
Prabhupāda: No, no. There is don't's and do's also. Sato vṛtteḥ. This is do's. Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Because it's translated as "Don't associate with the nondevotees."
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. All the ślokas, they are... In some śloka the do's are prominent, some ślokas don't's prominent, but in every śloka there is do's and don't's. Everywhere there is. In the Bible also: "Thou shall not do. Thou shall not kill." The don't's. (break) You are learning śabda-rūpa, dhātu-rūpa.
Hiraṇyagarbha: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Every śloka there is śabda, dhātu, everything. Nominative, objective. (break) ...some you are going to say, just study yourself, whether it is not the civilization of asses and pigs. You have to understand first of all. Is it not? They are working hard like an ass just to become an ideal pig. Is it not this civilization?
Acyutānanda: So we took a photograph of ourselves standing next to him with the sign in the picture. So we can use that, in case anybody tries to check us.
Prabhupāda: So one thing, if you can do, that India, at the present moment, that Swami Cinmayananda is prominent.
Acyutānanda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: He's very big. Especially in the South.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) So if you can subdue him...
Yaśodānandana: We'll take care of that, Prabhupāda.
Acyutānanda: All right.
Prabhupāda: That will be great triumph. He's a nonsense. That's... But he's very popular at the same time.
Prabhupāda: Paying hundreds and thousands of dollars. Where is the...? He has lost all capacity, but still, he'll go. Still, he'll go. This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). In the club, the son is also dancing with the girl, and the old father is dancing, and by chance, they come in contact. The Western civilization is for this, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna, eat voraciously, and all become diabetics. They have got diabetes club, association. That means... What is this? Diabetes is the result of voracious eating. That's all. In old age it becomes very prominent because he eats voraciously, but he cannot digest. And all these foodstuffs becomes... What is called? Glucose?
Hari-śauri: Right.
Prabhupāda: And then diabetes. The beginning-āhāra, eating. That gentleman, that doctor who has given us that review, he has. He's very learned man.
Prabhupāda: Bengali culture was very much adored. Surendranath Bannerjee started the political movement, and he was so well known. Even in Parliament, the Englishmen, English M.P.'s, he... They were speaking of Surendranath. They used to say "Surrendered not." "Here is a person who is not 'Surrender not.' He'll never surrender. 'Surrender not.' " Actually, the British Empire was startled by the agitation of Surendranath Bannerjee. The Congress was started by Surendranath Bannerjee, this one Congress. Two Bengali and one Englishman started this Congress sometimes in 1887, 1867, like that. So in our childhood we used to see that Surendranath Bannerjee was being elected president of Congress almost every year. And Gandhi came into prominence when Surendranath Bannerjee surrendered. Formerly he was not surrendering. But the government gave him the first ministership, that "You become minister." So he became a government man. Then Gandhi came in prominence. Surendranath Bannerjee was the first minister in India. (break) ...in our childhood, if he would speak, thousands, thousands men will gather in Calcutta. (break) ...Surendranath Bannerjee Road.
Jayapatākā: Yes, very prominent road.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Where my nephews have shop, Surendranath Bannerjee Road.
Jayapatākā: They did not knight him... (break)
Prabhupāda: His father was also very big man, Dr. Durgacaran Bannerjee. My sister hus..., Durgacaran Bannerjee, that is Surendranath Bannerjee father. He was a medical man.
Jayapatākā: It's a smaller road.
Prabhupāda: Eh? Doctor's land, Dr. Durgacaran Bannerjee Road, they belonged to very respectable family of that quarter, Bannerjee family. And Surendranath Bannerjee was the first I.C.S. I.C.S. He passed I.C.S. examination, Indian Civil Service, but he did not accept it. Aurobindo Ghosh was made by Surendranath Bannerjee. He was born in London. Aurobindo Ghosh's father, Manmohan Ghosh, he was a medical man in London. He was born... He's English birth. Well, later on, he became English-hater.
Prabhupāda: No, that is also modern government, democracy. I do not want to do something, but the Parliament pass the laws. We have to do, even I do not like. That is discipline. Just like C. R. Das. C. R. Das was one of the prominent member of Indian Congress. So he was earning in those days, fifty years ago, fifty thousand rupees per month. It is twenty times now increased. Fifty years before he was...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Nowadays ten lakhs per month.
Prabhupāda: At least five lakhs he was earning. So the Congress resolution was that "noncooperation," so "Boycott British court. We are not going on." So resolution that everyone should give up practice of law in the British court. Resolution. So C. R. Das did not like that idea. He said that "I am earning fifty thousand. I can give the whole amount for Congress propaganda. Why you are asking me to give up this practice?" So the resolution was, "No, we should noncooperate. We don't want money. We should noncooperate." So when... He fought in the meeting that "This should be withdrawn." So it was not withdrawn. Then he resigned. Then he resigned. He became practically poverty-stricken, because he was earning fifty thousand rupees per month, and he had no practice, and he was not keeping any money in the bank.
Prabhupāda: At least five lakhs he was earning. So the Congress resolution was that "noncooperation," so "Boycott British court. We are not going on." So resolution that everyone should give up practice of law in the British court. Resolution. So C. R. Das did not like that idea. He said that "I am earning fifty thousand. I can give the whole amount for Congress propaganda. Why you are asking me to give up this practice?" So the resolution was, "No, we should noncooperate. We don't want money. We should noncooperate." So when... He fought in the meeting that "This should be withdrawn." So it was not withdrawn. Then he resigned. Then he resigned. He became practically poverty-stricken, because he was earning fifty thousand rupees per month, and he had no practice, and he was not keeping any money in the bank. When he resigned, then some of his friend, Muhammad Ali... He was also one of the prominent members. He asked, "Mr. Das, what is your bank balance?" So he replied, "I do not know what is my bank balance, but I know I am debtor to the bank by two lakhs." The bank was giving him credit, so this was his position. So my point is that when the... He fought his best that "This resolution should be withdrawn, boycott of British court," but it was not done.
Rādhāvallabha: We can make an announcement to temple presidents...
Rāmeśvara: Every temple can have a room for receiving guests with all the prominent quotes on the wall. (sound of approaching kīrtana party)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: All they have to do is hear the party. (?)
Devotee (3): Hawaii.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Come on.
Devotee (3): Jaya.
Guru-krpa: This boy leads kīrtana for two or three hours nonstop by himself, playing the drum.
Prabhupāda: Oh. So parikrāma party has not come back?
Madhudviṣa: No, they didn't show up yet.
Prabhupāda: Oh, that is not good. The class must be attended.
Prabhupāda: But for us there is nothing material. We have no such vision as "material" and "spiritual." Material means when we forget Kṛṣṇa's right. That is material. Everything is Kṛṣṇa's. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor; He is the enjoyer. So, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything Kṛṣṇa's. So when we forget Kṛṣṇa's right on everything, that is material. Otherwise there is nothing material; everything spiritual. Everything is generated by Kṛṣṇa's energies, and there are two energies, material energy and spiritual energy. So in the material energy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is less or nil. And in spiritual energy, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is prominent and very acute. I think I give this example somewhere. Just like this nail, and just little below, there is skin. Both of them are my body, but in the skin there is sensation; in the nail there is no sensation. But both of them are coming from the same source, the body. Similarly, everything is Kṛṣṇa's. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. Everything is Bhagavān but appears like different to the different vision. Therefore we take everything.... kṛṣṇa-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. Everything..., in everything there is Kṛṣṇa's relationship. So there is no question of giving it up. Why shall I give it up?
Ātreya Ṛṣi: And in this modern age, this cheating is very prominent...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Modern or old, anyone who is a conditioned soul, he has got cheating propensity, four defects. One of them is the cheating propensity.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: Yes. But the mental stage in this age is very strong, mental. They think mentally they have found a solution.
Prabhupāda: That they can do.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: But they...
Prabhupāda: Within mind you can think, "I have become emperor of the world." That you can do. Who can check you? But that is not the actual fact.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: That is the characteristic.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is mental concoction. Within mind you can think, "I have become the proprietor of the banks, all the banks." Madman that is. He's a madman.
Ātreya Ṛṣi: They have so many philosophies, but it's all mental.
Prabhupāda: So favorably. What God says, "You do it"—we have to do.
Guest (2): Great. Okay, supposing when you die, how will there.... Will there be another man of your sort who people would look to, like these here?
Prabhupāda: Many. Anyone who will carry out the order, he'll be prominent.
Guest (2): Oh, I see. So you just carry the order out fully.
Prabhupāda: And I teach my students to carry out. So anyone who will carry out the orders strictly, he will be perfect.
Guest (2): What do you feel is the greatest order of God?
Prabhupāda: To surrender unto Him.
Guest (2): Pardon?
Prabhupāda: Mostly. They have no knowledge. Material. Prākṛta-sahajiyā. Their real name is prākṛta. Their thoughts are on this material platform. Just as they are preferring this conjugal love because here the sex is prominent. They are thinking that is the highest stage. What is the lowest stage here, they're taking that as the highest stage. In the.... Of course, in the spiritual world there is such thing, but as Kṛṣṇa has many other līlās, why they are not attracted to other līlās?
Rāmeśvara: They don't want to be limited. They think that Kṛṣṇa is the kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). So why...
Prabhupāda: That is good. That is always true, but Kṛṣṇa says,
- manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
- kaścid yatati siddhaye
- yatatām api siddhānāṁ
- kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
- (BG 7.3)
How you have understood Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says, "Out of many millions of people, one becomes siddha, and out of many millions of siddhas, hardly one can understand Me."
Prabhupāda: The French?
Bhakta Gene: No, the Cistercian monk from Kentucky.
Prabhupāda: I do not know.
Bhakta Gene: You didn't meet with him? He was supposedly the most prominent mystical writer within the Catholic Church in the past one hundred years. His writings gained tremendous prominence in the past..., oh, the past twenty-five years.
Prabhupāda: Prominence amongst whom?
Bhakta Gene: Uh, amongst Christians. And non-Christians as well. He made a trip to the East. He had an accident in the East and was electrocuted. Oh, this is some ten years ago now.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Bhakta Gene: Well, this raises a question in my mind, Your Grace. Within Christianity there has been a history of mysticism from 100 A.D. to the present. Now there have been some prominent mystics, a few prominent mystics, and a great many not so prominent. Now how do you classify these men, these Christian mystics, Protestant as well as Catholic?
Prabhupāda: It is some yogic mysticism. It has nothing to do with spiritual life. They want to see some miracles, generally, ordinary public. So this mystic power, show some miracles and make them astonished. That's all. It has nothing to do with spiritual life.
Bhakta Gene: Perhaps you misunderstood me. I was referring to truly devotional mystics, such as St. John of the Cross, St. Francis of Assisi.
Devotee: Well, the previous owner didn't want to sell it to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. They said they'd prefer to burn it down. (Prabhupāda laughs) One Indian gentleman who is a prominent businessman in Toronto purchased it in trust, saying that he was representing some Indian social group. So he purchased it in trust. Then the chairman of the committee of trustees who were in charge of selling the church noticed some tilaka on Viśvakarmā's face. He had a hat on so his śikhā wouldn't show. When he saw it was Hare Kṛṣṇa, he became very disturbed.
Viśvakarmā: He said, "Oh, no, the Hare Kṛṣṇas."
Prabhupāda: So they are not very favorable to the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. (laughs)
Indian man: How long did it take for Swamiji to write the seventeen volumes, translation of Caitanya-caritāmṛta?
Prabhupāda: Go on.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: "Following such conclusions, the demoniac, who are lost to themselves and who have no intelligence, engage in unbeneficial, horrible works meant to destroy the world." (purport) "The demoniac are engaged in activities that will lead the world to destruction. The Lord states here that they are less intelligent. The materialists, who have no concept of God, think that they are advancing. But, according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are unintelligent and devoid of all sense. They try to enjoy this material world to the utmost limit and therefore always engage in inventing something for sense gratification. Such materialistic inventions are considered to be the advancement of human civilization, but the result is that people grow more and more violent and more and more cruel-cruel to animals and cruel to other human beings. They have no idea how to behave toward one another. Animal killing is very prominent amongst demoniac people. Such people are considered the enemies of the world because ultimately they will invent or create something which will bring destruction to all. Indirectly, this verse anticipates the invention of nuclear weapons, of which the whole world is today very proud.
Prabhupāda: No, no. Fatalistic in this sense, that the destiny cannot be changed. Just like I have given already the example, that the Mahatma Gandhi, nobody expected that he would be killed by his own countryman. Why it happened? This means destiny cannot change. This is a prominent example, that Mahatma Gandhi, he was in a big meeting. Who expected that Mahatma Gandhi could be killed, and by his own countryman? But it was done. That is destiny. You cannot check it. So our point is that... The whole Vedic civilization is that destiny, a certain amount of happiness in this material world... Nobody is enjoying uninterrupted happiness. That is not possible. A certain amount of so-called happiness and certain amount of so-called distress. There must be always. So as you cannot check your distressed condition of life, similarly you cannot check your happy condition of life. It will come automatically. So don't waste your time for these things.
Prabhupāda: Dhana means money. So if you have got money, then everyone will respect you. Personally you may be less than a dog, but because you have got money, people will respect you. Is it not? (laughs) In England I was guest in John Lennon's house. He has taken a photograph, naked. And he's a big man. He gives opinion to the newspaper reporter. People go there to take his opinion about some serious subject, and he speaks, and the man is so shameless that he is standing naked, and he's important man—because he has got money. Especially in the Western countries this is very prominent. If you have got money, then you have got everything. Therefore they are after money only, that "If some way or other, if I get money, then I get everything. I get respect, I get honor. I get everything. Bring money somehow or other." This is the attempt. Therefore there is so much hard struggle. From early in the morning, four o'clock, they are going to the office to get money. To get more money, more money, that is the Western civilization.
Hari-śauri: They didn't even have any of their own men living there.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They had to unlock the Deity.
Prabhupāda: And that is on the prominent roadside. And our temple is off. Still, so many people are coming. Neither there were inhabitants nor their outsider, visitors. Gate was closed, we had to open and then enter. And he constructed temple at least for the last twenty years.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They have no vision of expanding, except maybe their...
Prabhupāda: They make this money-making machine. They do not know the money will automatically come you are sincere. You haven't got to make it a machine. Money Kṛṣṇa will send. But they have no faith in Kṛṣṇa. They have faith in their own ability. "Yes, we shall earn money in this way, by showing the Deity." They don't recognize Kṛṣṇa's everything. They think "By high-court judgement, if we capture this place, then money will come."
Prabhupāda: So all the qualities are working, mixed up practically. But prominently like this. Here you cannot have any quality completely of that quality. Other qualities are there, but prominently that particular... Just like demigods. They also become sometimes passionate, sometimes ignorant. So in this material world it is very difficult to find out pure modes of nature in anything. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sometimes some quality prominent, sometimes some quality is prominent. So the best thing is to become transcendental to all these qualities. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). That is devotional service. Śuddha-sattva, completely pure goodness. That is wanted.
Prabhupāda: So some other living entity who is prominent in this quality, prominent that, it does not make much difference. So long he is in the material qualities, he's entrapped. So get him out of this condition and put him into the spiritual platform. That is the solution. Nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. In the material world if you think that the quantity of goodness is now big than the other modes of nature, that does not make a solution. Next moment the passion will be prominent, next moment the ignorance will be prominent. You cannot check it or fix him up in one quality. It is not possible. That is not possible. The best thing is to bring him to the unconditional stage, transcendental stage. Sa guṇān... Keep him engaged in devotional service, he is free from influence of all these qualities. That is wanted.
Prabhupāda: These are described in the Bhāgavata, the different perception of different senses, how one is prominent in one animal body. That is described.
Rūpānuga: That is coming? That is not yet printed? I don't remember that description.
Prabhupāda: No, I think that in the Third Canto. In Third Canto there is. You can consult Third Canto. One sense is prominent.
Rūpānuga: Like you have the example the tongue for the fish, an elephant, his genital, and you gave some other, these are there in the Bhāgavatam. The deer, the ear.
Prabhupāda: So the general division in the higher planetary system is the devatās, beginning from sun, moon and other planetary systems, they are in modes of goodness prominent. Less, below that, bhūr bhuvaḥ, they are passionate, and below that, they are ignorant.
Devotee: Do the number of demigods have something to do with the number of species, like there are thirty-three million demigods?
Prabhupāda: There are thirty-three million. Thirty crores. There are also divisions, Gandharvas, Apsarās.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Do they belong to these species? They are also included in these eight million four hundred? These Gandharvas?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rūpānuga: Actually, there have been some articles in papers lately about meat and cancer, linking meat and cancer. Prominent, prominently displayed articles.
Prabhupāda: Then why do you give milk to the children? Give him blood.
Rūpānuga: They say past a certain age...
Prabhupāda: No, no, this propaganda-milk is bad—so why from the very beginning you give milk to the children?
Rūpānuga: Actually, in America they do not feed the children by the breast. They use cow's milk practically from birth.
Prabhupāda: Therefore I say...
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: There was an article in the newspaper about that today. Very interesting. It said in the newspaper that if women stop breast feeding their children they will have to increase the population of dairy cows tremendously. A very small percentage do now.
Prabhupāda: They have to increase?
Prabhupāda: So it is not that I am sleeping one hour. I sleep three to four hours total. But if practiced, it can be reduced, practiced. We see in the life of Gosvāmīs. About them, it is said: nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. They conquered over sleeping, eating. If we conquer over eating, then we can conquer over sleeping and other things also. If we can control over this tongue, then we can control over the other senses very easily. That is a fact. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, tar madhye jihvā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati, tā 'ke jetā koṭhina saṁsāre. Of all our senses the tongue is very, very prominent. So the first thing in spiritual advancement, the first thing is to control the tongue. In the śāstra also it is said sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Ataḥ śrī kṛṣṇa nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (BRS. 1.2.234). Our present senses are unable to understand sri kṛṣṇa nāmādi, the holy name of the Lord. Ādi, beginning from His name, nāma, then guṇa, qualities, then pastimes, then form. So people cannot understand the form of the Lord because they are not practiced to devotional service.
Prabhupāda: Yes, not manifest.
Rūpānuga: So earth is in a nonmanifest state in the water, and when you analyze water sometimes you can analyze and produce little particles of earth. Is that right?
Prabhupāda: Hmm. Everything is there. Not prominent, that's all.
Rūpānuga: So the main characteristic then is the water that is prominent.
Prabhupāda: Just like the skin, you cannot find water, but there is water.
Rūpānuga: So earth is prominent.
Prabhupāda: Just like you cut the skin, the blood will come. What is the blood? That is water.
Sadāpūta: That is mineral water, it has minerals in it.
Prabhupāda: That may be, but it is water.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Actually when the body dies, we say that it decomposes, actually that decomposition is done by small microbes. These microbes at this big body...
Prabhupāda: They become prominent, that's all. (break)
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Light.
Prabhupāda: Light. Fire means heat and light.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: What is magnetism?
Prabhupāda: Magnetism also another action of the fire. We used to do that. Rubbing, rubbing, rubbing.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Electricity.
Rūpānuga: Friction.
Prabhupāda: Women also. What is the use of this material husband? Make Kṛṣṇa husband. Kṛṣṇa's prepared to become everything—love Him as husband, love Him as son, love Him, friend. Kṛṣṇa is prepared.
Rūpānuga: I have see in our society that if the preaching is strong amongst the leaders and there's serious chanting, leaders see that everyone is chanting and happily engaged, that there is no disturbance. If the preaching is weak, there is sexual disturbance.
Prabhupāda: Then the material desire becomes prominent.
Rūpānuga: Then everyone becomes lusty.
Prabhupāda: To delude them. Read the purport.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: "Lord Buddha, a powerful incarnation of the Personality of Godhead, appeared in the province of Gayā (Bihar) as the son of Añjanā, and he preached his own conception of nonviolence and deprecated even the animal sacrifices sanctioned in the Vedas. At the time when Lord Buddha appeared, the people in general were atheistic and preferred animal flesh to anything else. On the plea of Vedic sacrifice, every place was practically turned into a slaughterhouse, and animal killing was indulged in unrestrictedly. Lord Buddha preached nonviolence, taking pity on the poor animals. He preached that he did not believe in the tenets of the Vedas and stressed the adverse psychological effects incurred by animal killing. Less intelligent men of the age of Kali, who had no faith in God, followed his principle, and for the time being they were trained in moral discipline and nonviolence, the preliminary steps for proceeding further on the path of God realization. He deluded the atheists because such atheists who followed his principles did not believe in God, but they kept their absolute faith in Lord Buddha, who himself was the incarnation of God. Thus the faithless people were made to believe in God in the form of Lord Buddha. That was the mercy of Lord Buddha: he made the faithless faithful to him. Killing of animals before the advent of Lord Buddha was the most prominent feature of the society.
Prabhupāda: Now, by this, Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is advertised. Apart from all over the world, at least in New York it is, that "There is some movement."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prominent movement. Fifth Avenue. We were in charge of Fifth Avenue for one day. Practically we were controlling the Fifth Avenue today.
Hari-śauri: Lord Jagannātha was.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: If that side we get some small house, so that after going, eight days Jagannātha can remain there and festival going on, and then in the next week return...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: How small a house?
Prabhupāda: "Fifth Avenue, Where East Meets West." Very good idea. Very good idea. Very nice.
Bali-mardana: The other pictures, I think some are from the Olympics.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very prominent. The center section is, next to the front page, the center section is very..., the most popular page in the paper, because it has interesting pictures.
Prabhupāda: You can send one, this cutting, to Mr. Bhajaj, "Fifth Avenue, Where East Meets West." Very good.
Hari-śauri: Send one to Māyāpur as well?
Mukunda: Śrīla Prabhupāda, this is Mr. Robinson, Mike Robinson, from London Broadcasting Company. It's a very prominent news program in London, and he wanted to interview you, ask some questions.
Mike Robinson: If I could just spend one or two minutes of your time. Shall I explain the program? We do a religious program for two and a half hours on a Sunday which covers all different religions, and what we'd like is, people in London have seen, you know, many members of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement on Oxford Street. And if you would explain more about the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, how it was formed, what you believe, this sort of idea, so that people would have a better understanding of the movement. And I'll just set up a tape recorder first.
Mukunda: This is your biography, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Yes, I have seen it, encyclopedia.
Prabhupāda: Future you cannot plan. That is the foolishness. That is another obstinate rascaldom. Future is not in your hand. You cannot plan. That is going on. They are planning so many things for future, but it is being baffled. So many schemes, so many there are. Our, in India there is a planning commission, after independence. So whatever they did, all failure. All failure. And now it is chaos. That Guljanajana(?) Nanda you know? He was one of the prominent member of the planning commission. He was very important member in the central government, home member, planning commission, president and so on, so on. Nowadays he is loitering on the street, coming me to talk as ordinary man. You have seen? You were giving me massage on the roof and he was sitting?
Prabhupāda: So he's coming to me. He was very big man. Home member Ran Nitola(?) was president.
Hari-śauri: He was prime minister for about ten days.
Prabhupāda: Yes, for a few days. He was a very prominent member in the cabinet, and now see. So planning, you make so many plans, but it requires sanction. That planning is condemned by Prahlāda Mahārāja. Bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau nṛsiṁha nārtasya cāgadam udanvati majjato nauḥ. In this way, there is a verse, that we are planning, that every parent is planning how his child will be grown nice, educated, but it becomes different. Every father, mother plan that "My child should be like this." But he is becoming hippie. When there is somebody diseased, rich man, he is planning to save him, best physician, best medicine supplied, but he's dying. So what is the value of your planning? Your planning is... That's all right. That's your duty. But it requires the sanction of some higher authority. Otherwise useless. That is your position. You may make plan, but unless it is sanctioned by the higher authority, then it is useless. That is practically going on.
Gargamuni: Very important for Bengal. Bengal is the most important state, and he has very prominent position to the Prime Minister as advisor.
Jayapatākā: So at that time, I couldn't write him a letter. He had written that..., something which made Mr. Choudhuri very angry. He wrote something which made Mr. Choudhuri very angry. Made also the Chief Secretary angry. He wrote...
Gargamuni: No, who wrote?
Jayapatākā: The Chief Minister wrote. He said, "Because of the impassioned... He said "I would have refused this application except for the impassioned appeal of one of my senior officers, namely Mr. Choudhuri. They are asking for three hundred acres of land but the East India Company, they asked only twenty acres of land and they have conquered the whole of India." (loud kīrtana in background)
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Prabhupāda: So that land was donated by a prominent man. Nityananda Kananda (?) was central government minister and later on governor of Gujarat. And he often comes to see me in Calcutta.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: "Point ten. Blitz: It has started taking interest in politics. It has started a political party in U.S.A. called "In God We Trust" party. ISKCON: ISKCON is not involved in politics at all anywhere in the world. Two American devotees did contest some civic elections for which a party called 'In God We Trust' was formed. The purpose of that campaign was to remind everyone to remember the Lord at all times, as everything belongs to God. Our spiritual master dissolved In God We Trust party in U.S.A. four years ago. Furthermore, there were never any plans to set up In God We Trust in India. We challenge Blitz to show us any evidence to support their claim. Point eleven. Blitz: As far back as 1971, the Maharastra government has taken action against the foreign devotees who have chosen to overstay in Bombay and elsewhere. ISKCON: This statement is also incorrect. The Maharastra government has never taken any action against our devotees. Point twelve.
Prabhupāda: And what the home member has said?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: The home minister recently said that he wants this movement to be spread all over the world. One of the prominent people said he wants this movement to be spread all over the world.
Interviewer: Now, sir, from your lips, how to attain this Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to maintain it?
Prabhupāda: Once you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you will maintain. You won't have to...
Interviewer: No, from your own, direct from your lips how to...
Prabhupāda: No, this direction is there in the Bhagavad-gītā that... Find out this verse, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). It is very simple thing. Find out this verse. (Indian guest is entering or leaving and Prabhupāda says for him to take prasādam in Hindi)
Prabhupāda: So we have got already experience what is to be done, suggest.
Haṁsadūta: Well, we have to make a presentation of our movement properly, just like Tamāla suggested in the letter. Prominent persons, they have to speak on our behalf. And of course, the books must be in order.
Prabhupāda: Another thing, that all the Indians in Europe and America, they should sign that this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement is genuine religious.
Hari-śauri: Yeah.
Prabhupāda: Similarly here also, all the Kṛṣṇa conscious persons especially here in Vṛndāvana, all the goswamis, they should be approached that this is the genuine Indian culture.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So do like that, that this is genuine, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is genuine, cultural and religious movement. This should be taken from all prominent persons and sent there. And the copies of the standing order for all the universities.
Haṁsadūta: Yeah.
Hari-śauri: The order forms.
Prabhupāda: Original orders, that should be copied and sent. This arrangement, ask them all over India and beside that we have recently got a testimony of one University authorities, just like one Goswami from Calcutta University and many others they have got. These copies should be sent immediately. We can approach even the chief justice of Allahabad high-court, he came here, the minister here, the governor of Punjab, he came to see me, the governor...
Prabhupāda: They may sometimes give me trouble.
Haṁsadūta: Yes, generally it happens like that. If someone becomes very prominent, then they want to remove him. This is the tendency in the world.
Hari-śauri: Yeah, because the demons, they think anyone who will allow themselves to become the servant of someone else, then they think he has got very weak character. Then they accuse the person who is in charge of manipulating that person.
Prabhupāda: Just like there are so many men now, they are against this Sai Baba.
Haṁsadūta: Yes.
Prabhupāda: He says, "Important Hindu sect." How they can say whether it is a genuine? Important, not only genuine but important, Vaisnavism.
Hari-śauri: Hm. (continues reading) "...whose worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, in one of His many forms is one of the most important religions of India. The American devotees of ISKCON worship Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Being, the highest Personality of Godhead, whose worship according to the archaeological and epigraphic evidence, is pre-Christian in origin, as found in India's early sacred texts, the Ṛg Veda, Atharva Veda, etc. The detailed history of Kṛṣṇa's incarnation is found in the religious text of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, and the philosophical basis of the Hare Kṛṣṇa Movement is found in India's most sacred book the Bhagavad-gītā. These sacred texts and others have been translated and commented upon by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda and are being studied today in many major universities across the United States. The particular form of Vaisnavism of the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement dates from Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one of India's saints born in 1486 A.D. in Nadia, India. His immediate followers organized this philosophy in a number of Sanskrit texts, and His religious practices such as chanting and dancing are most authentically represented in America by the Hare Kṛṣṇa devotees according to this tradition. Lord Caitanya, worshiped as the last incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, initiated a disciplic succession. In the mid-19th century, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura appeared in this spiritual lineage. Soon afterwards, his son Bhaktisiddhānta, Sarasvatī became the spiritual master of India's Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, and his most prominent student was Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, I have... One boy in Delhi went to the British Embassy High Commission, and saw a British paper and even in the British paper the American court case was covered. Headline was "Hare Kṛṣṇa..." I have the paper. Even in the British paper it had a prominent display.
Haṁsadūta: Probably be in German papers too...
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. In fact you would probably expect that...
Prabhupāda: British paper. What does it say?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: They were covering this court case. They had a nice prominent...
Prabhupāda: No, no. They have taken it. Now, they are after intelligent person. They are... That has been expressed by this gentleman that it is going like epidemic. They must (indistinct). That is their feeling. That Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is spreading so fast, like epidemic, we must take some steps. That is already, they have expressed their feeling. And you said that in Australia, there one man said...
Hari-śauri: Yes, psychiatrist...
Prabhupāda: So he was, "Here is a book of cow protection, cow protection." He has written one book to take care of the cows. So one old man called him, "What you are selling?" Now, "I am selling this book." "What is that book?" "Maintaining the cow." So, "Why you are selling? First of all give this book to your mother because you are no better than cow, so she will learn how to give you protection." That means he wanted to impress upon him that "Cow protection doesn't require any education. You have written a book? So you are such a rascal, cow intelligence. Better give this book to your mother. She will maintain you. Don't sell it. Everyone knows how to give cow protection." So similarly, this sex literature, there is no need of sex literature. Sex literature is there in Sanskrit also. That is how to restrict sex. For what purpose one should indulge in sex, that is called Kāma-śāstra. I have seen this Freud philosophy became so prominent that sometimes in the year... 1940's maybe. So one young woman was traveling, and another young man was traveling. So they began to discuss about sex very openly. And both of them unknown. Still, they engaged themselves in discussing the sex literature, without any shame.
Hari-śauri: Guru Maharaji.
Prabhupāda: Guru Maharaja. So many. Ramakrishna is not very prominent. Sai Baba. (aside:) Little, little, everyone. Who asked for them? Aurobindo. Even Aurobindo. Who will protest against Aurobindo? Aurobindo has got some influence in the Western...
Jagadīśa: Not so much.
Hari-śauri: I never heard of him before.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Hari-śauri: (laughs) I never heard of Aurobindo. If someone is interested in Eastern philosophy, generally they read books about Aurobindo and stuff like that, because up till now that's been the only literature that's been available in the West.
Prabhupāda: Aurobindo?
Prabhupāda: Body or no body, that is separate thing. But when you say individual, he is a person. And it is explained also in the Bhagavad... Kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). Those who are inclined to the impersonal feature... God has got that impersonal feature. So they have to undergo more troubles to understand Him. And after going through troublesome business, bahūnāṁ janmanām, many, many births, then he understands, "Oh, vāsudevaḥ sarvam, here is the person." Everywhere this disease is very prominent, that God is impersonal. Perhaps this is the only movement in the world that's preaching, "No, God is person."
Dr. Patel: All Vaiṣṇavas believe in the personal God. This is only.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Bring some prasāda. Distribute. (break)
Guest (4): ...camp. Let your group come and stay in our camp.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Alpa-chidre. A small... White, white cloth and a small black spot, it becomes prominent.
Gurudāsa: So we won't do it. We can try and preach to them at other place. Because we're going out on saṅkīrtana many times. We're getting a list of all the other programs in the Mela, so we'll take our saṅkīrtana parties where it's going to be prominent and pass out literature. Now, for the meeting, for the resolution, I thought perhaps on the 16th or the 17th, because it is close to the big bathing day on the 14th and it won't conflict that much with other programs.
Prabhupāda: Meeting means all other sādhus, they will meet?
Prabhupāda: But wherever you advertise, it must be prominent. It must immediately come to the notice. You can spend little more.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, this advertising will also increase our college orders, because even college professors and librarians read papers. So when our salesmen go there, they'll say, "Oh, I saw your advertisement in the papers."
Prabhupāda: On nice pages(?) you just give your... Another proposal was that, some New York or somewhere somebody is proposing to sell individually. Who was that?
Jagadīśa: Encyclopedia?
Prabhupāda: And now we are going to Kumbha Mela, a religious assemble. In the Western countries you don't find so much.
Rāmeśvara: No. In the 1960's in America they tried to have such assemblies, but they simply were becoming naked and having drugs—LSD, marijuana—in the name of spiritual festival. I remember very prominent festivals in America, but everyone was simply naked. They thought that was spiritual.
Prabhupāda: Naked? Fully naked?
Rāmeśvara: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: So, actually, their arguments are not very... So therefore it is simply a plan of Kṛṣṇa to help give us some prominence, make us more well known.
Jagadīśa: Give us a chance to preach.
Rāmeśvara: Because their arguments have no substance.
Prabhupāda: Defeat them. "God cannot came as fish." "Why? What kind of God He is? He likes, He can do. That is God."
Jagadīśa: When I heard the tape of this priest, this minister, and he was trying to cut down our religion, our movement, he was saying that "You believe that God came as a fish, as a tortoise, as a half lion, half man," it reminded me that whenever in the scriptures demons try to blaspheme-like Hiraṇyakṣa-tries to blaspheme against Lord Viṣṇu, Viśvanātha Cakravartī turns it around and makes it seem as if he's actually glorifying Him. You can't blaspheme Kṛṣṇa because whatever you say about Him is simply another glorification. They try to criticize, "Your God had sixteen thousand wives." Actually that's something wonderful. They just take it in the wrong way.
Gargamuni: When I was there, there were many doctors and lawyers, and I think all of them have been murdered. I think the only Hindus that are left are the poor people. But while I was there the teachers and the lawyers... The most prominent lawyer was Hindu. Doctors, all educated men.
Prabhupāda: Dead.
Gargamuni: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Just see the policy.
Gargamuni: But they, I think annihilated all of the... Anyone who had any education... Just like that boy. He was translating your books? They shot him in front of firing squad. One boy. I printed one book there in Bengali, I think, three thousand copies: The Peace Formula and Who is Crazy, I think. It was about fifteen pages. They gave me some donation. Even the Gopāla... His name was Gopāla Kṛṣṇa Brahmacārī. He also gave me from his pocket. And I printed... We had it translated in Bengali, but then...
Prabhupāda: He was killed?
Prabhupāda: That's his... He doesn't come down. He's already there. He does not come down. Just like the sun. The sun does not come down before me, but you can see him. In this way give them enlightenment. Sun doesn't require to come down, but sun is so bright and so prominent that you can see. Similarly, God doesn't require to come down. He's already present. Simply we have to make our eyes to see Him. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). When one is competent enough by developing his love for God, he can see always. God is visible everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He's everywhere. So there is no difficulty to see. But simply one has to possess such purified eyes to see Him. Otherwise He can be seen anywhere. He can be seen within the atom even.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: When we took off in the Jumbo, or when we took off in the plane to Calcutta, we got a very clear vision of the whole temple complex. So if there's some sign put on the towers on the top, everyone from the plane will be able to read it. Hare Kṛṣṇa Land. Very prominent from the airplane. It stands out from all the other buildings because it's so big and very beautiful. Very nice. It is all your mercy, that building, Prabhupāda. It was up to us...
Prabhupāda: (laughs) My mercy or your mercy. You are all working. So anyway, this counter propaganda is doing good to us.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's making... Everyone in America now knows the Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. Very prominent in America.
Who can deny it? Where is the scientist. "Yes, we shall end all this nonsense." (chuckling) Nobody can end it. It is not possible. But they are trying. Durāśaya. Hoping something which will never be fulfilled. Is it not? Their material adventure for mitigating suffering, will it be possible? (aside:) Bring some sugar cane, er, sugar candy. The mode of ignorance is very, very bad. Little more advance, mode of passion. Further advanced, mode of knowledge. Further advanced is spiritual position. Just see. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to give the human society the best knowledge and they have combined together to oppose it. How mode of ignorance is prominent. The simple method is to hear about Kṛṣṇa. That's it. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya (SB 12.3.51). Simple. We have given so many books. Always we should hear about Kṛṣṇa, speak about Kṛṣṇa. Then this base quality, ignorance and passion, will go. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). So wherever you remain, you should continue this. Otherwise māyā will attack. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. So we should hold classes very repeatedly and preach. What is the complaint of the opposing party?
Brahmānanda: "I want to fight for Hare Kṛṣṇa."
Prabhupāda: That is wanted. (laughs) That is wanted. We want that.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This man is very prominent, Harvey Cox. He's the most prominent theologian, I think, in the United States, or one of the...
Brahmānanda: Harvard.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Very big man. He is very active. He's organizing everything, he and that Dean Kelly. What is his position?
Satsvarūpa: He's National Council of Churches.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. He's the head of the National Council of Churches, this Dean Kelly, and he is a very big proponent of our movement also.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Shooting. Very dangerous.
Brahmānanda: Many prominent Argentine people are fleeing the country, going to Mexico and other places. So now they have just uncovered a big plot where the Argentines were sending assassins to other countries to kill the Argentine...
Prabhupāda: Refugees.
Brahmānanda: So they have just uncovered a list of names. It was put in the paper. The economy of Argentina is almost ninety percent on beef production, animal slaughter.
Hari-śauri: The biggest beef country in the world.
Prabhupāda: They eat beef only.
Prabhupāda: The political was Ramakrishna Mission and Tīrtha Mahārāja.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Really? Ramakrishna Mission. Envious. Even though they're not near here, still they can understand how prominent we would become.
Prabhupāda: We have already become more than, more important than.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Tīrtha Mahārāja's brother is active now?
Prabhupāda: What...? Rejected. I think of them, dead. They may think themselves that they very full of life, but I think they are dead. What is the use of fighting with the dead body? Dead horse and what is the use of whipping? A dead horse will rise up by whipping?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, "Beating the dead horse." There's a saying.
Prabhupāda: Caitanya-caritāmṛta. So we're desiring one after, one after, one after, one after... The last desire... Because if you become addicted to certain type of desire, that is prominent at the time of death. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6), sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. So māyā's machine is immediately prepared. That mind—manaḥ buddhiḥ ahaṅkāra. Subtle. You cannot see. You see the body is burned, finished. Rascal, that is not finished. Na hanyate hanyamāne (BG 2.20). It is not finished. There is subtle body. The subtle body carries. The example is just like flavor of rose garden carries, similarly, the desire is carried, and he requires a machine to ride on, particular. So there are eighty-four million machines, and he's, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1), by the supervision of māyā, carried to this mother's womb. The soul is injected through the semina of the father, and he enters the womb of the mother, and mother gives the ingredients, develops his body, and as soon as it is complete, comes out. Where is the difficulty to understand this transmigration of the soul? These rascals have no brain. That verse I have explained this morning.
Prabhupāda: Explain.
Satsvarūpa: You explained that whatever a person is thinking, that's his desire. At the time of death the desire is very prominent, so he takes a body according to that desire. And then you described exactly how it happens, that the subtle body carries the soul, just like the air carries the aroma of the flower into the semina of the man to the woman who supplies the ingredients, and the body comes out. In this way he travels from one body to another.
Hari-śauri: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)
Prabhupāda: Who?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This one gentleman in Cincinnati. And there are many prominent Indians around the country.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Many of them, yes.
Prabhupāda: Well-to-do also. They are well-to-do.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Many of them, yes. They're all professionals. So he's finding that there's good receptivity amongst the Indians and students he's working with. And he's working, developing this farm. He's making his headquarters the farm in Pennsylvania, and then he goes out and goes to all these centers that he's established, and then every week he comes for a few days to the farm and works with Paramānanda. They formed a committee of management to do everything jointly. Paramānanda's the president, and others are there, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna's a sannyāsī, so he goes there and gives lectures. It's New Varṣāṇā, so they have an idea to develop it just like Varṣāṇā. There's a mountain there, so they want to build a temple on the mountain.
Prabhupāda: Where is New Varṣāṇā?
Prabhupāda: It is as good as The Statesman.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Oh, it's actually more prominent than The Statesman, I think. Yeah. There's no mention. There's no mention in these other papers.
Prabhupāda: So you are also coming to Bombay?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I'm also thinking to go to Delhi to make that inner pass for possible visit to Manipur.
Prabhupāda: That may be suspended for the time.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh. So shall I...?
Prabhupāda: We have to do so many things always.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: But at the same time traveling may not be so...
Prabhupāda: Fruitful.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: This is preceding your arrival in Bombay.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's announcing your coming, practically. Very prominent.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, I found Bombay very good scope.
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Organize Bombay as the center of...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Especially when our that big hall is finished, we can hold several lectures...
Prabhupāda: Daily. At least weekly twice. Sunday, Monday, we shall hold lectures and call all scholarly people to understand. Make it nicely.
Prabhupāda: Maybe. Out of his affection, it is his good will. He can like anyone, any dog, doesn't matter. But I know he liked me. Anyone, by his choice of free will, he can love any damn thing. It doesn't matter. That is called kṛpā-siddhi. "I like this man. This man must be prominent." That is his will. It doesn't matter on qualification. So all these people, they liked me not on my qualification, but out of affection, out of good will. (laughs) Other, a woman. Woman means my mother-in-law. She was woman. Out of affection for her daughter, she would sacrifice everything for the..., so that her daughter may not be unhappy.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Your mother-in-law. You said that when you took sannyāsa, she could not take it.
Prabhupāda: And asura means tad-viparyaya, just the opposite. So anyone... (break) ...Kṛṣṇa, he's a demon. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Daiva means devatā. So there are two classes-daiva asura eva ca: one devatā and one asura. One who is devotee, he is devatā. One who is not devotee, he's asura. That's all, in different names. So our this movement is making the asuras to become devatās. This is our movement. This is, therefore, the most prominent welfare activities within the human society. We are trying to make demon to become devatā. And actually they are becoming. The demons are becoming devatā. Is it not?
Devotees: Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda. (laughing)
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Two, three, as many rooms, you take.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That theater is very prominent.
Prabhupāda: Yes
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Bombay's very nice.
Prabhupāda: Very nice? Yes. Now see. (laughter) He is one of the person who helped you. When I went to Africa I asked Brahmānanda, "Are you going to support me?" He said, "Yes, I'll do." Then I signed. Otherwise I hesitated, that "These people are denying property..."
Svarūpa Dāmodara: The people are envious of Bombay, especially this man, Sada. He's head of the Trombay that I talked. He was the... Everybody knew about our temple.
Prabhupāda: That is a good advertisement.
Prabhupāda: Suppose I am a very big business magnate. Next life, if I am going to become a dog—according to my karma, the nature's law will act—then what is benefit? One day before, Indira Gandhi was so important. Next day I'll maybe(?) nowhere, finished. Nobody knows where is Indira Gandhi. Just twenty-four hours she was most prominent woman. And after twenty-four hours nobody cares to look at her. This nature's law, how you can check? This is going on. Any moment, anything can be changed by the laws of nature. So India's importance is there. They know the law. Therefore so long the body, full of intelligence, human body, is there, they'll utilize it very... That is life, not to be carried away by the waves of nature. This is India's duty. So we want to make our institution at least a place for understanding this knowledge. It doesn't matter only a few persons may understand. That is sufficient. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tārāḥ sahasraśaḥ: "If you keep one moon in the sky, that is sufficient for light. What is the use of millions of stars?"
Prabhupāda: Now this Janata party headed by Morarji may take to this Indian culture, that will be the...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We were thinking, Śrīla Prabhupāda, that after a short time we should have a committee approach Mr. Desai, some of our devotees and prominent life members, for getting citizenship for at least fifty to a hundred of our men. He would be favorable.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest (1) (Indian man): He is pro-American, Desai.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā?
Guest (1): He is not pro-Russian.
Prabhupāda: So you have taken your prasādam?
Prabhupāda: In the history of India there is no woman leader. Throughout Mahābhārata you'll find... Mahābhārata is the greater history, history of greater India. Mahā means greater, and bhārata. So "Greater Bhārata." That means this whole planet. So you won't find woman leader
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: These are... Some letters have come from some prominent personalities. Here is one from Mr. S. P. Mondalia. Surya Prakash Mondalia. "Your Holiness..." It's from Industry House, Real(?) House. "Your Holiness, I was indeed happy to know from yesterday's newspapers that the suit filed against ISKCON has been decided in favor of ISKCON by the New York High-Court. Admittedly this is a clear vindication of the dharmic way of life chosen by ISKCON. I have great pleasure in extending my heartiest congratulations, and I hope that the ISKCON will progress from strength to strength in the service of the Lord. With respectful regards. Yours sincerely, Surya Prakash Mondalia."
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, Girirāja is still on the phone, so he says this Mr. Rajda is a real devotee and is really after you. He is very keen on being with you. And he's also prominent because he has been elected. So the thing is that supposing... Girirāja's idea is that he will be at Shivaji Park, and he will bring Mr. Rajda, and they will pick us up from here. And that way Mr. Rajda can ride with you and have further time to be with you in the car.
Prabhupāda: Very good.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So the thing is that will get us to the pandal, if everything goes on schedule, by about 8:30.
Prabhupāda: That is all right.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: He had the greatest respect for Śrīla Prabhupāda. Every letter he wrote me, nothing but praise of Śrīla Prabhupāda, though he had some difficulty in getting along with some of the prabhus here. He wrote me something about those points, but he never said anything against Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: That is natural. If one gets little prominence, other becomes envious. So it is so polluted. Mātsarya. So we have to adjust. (aside:) Give me my shirt. So take care of your health and circumstances. You have to adjust things according to... (long pause) If there is difficulty, his wife and children may come to Vṛndāvana.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. His family's more or less provided. They have...
Prabhupāda: They've got good position.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They are zamindars.
Prabhupāda: Jaya. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (devotees offer obeisances)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, do you think that you'll be lecturing this evening? I mean, are people going to be here or at the pandal?
Girirāja: I think most people will be at the pandal today. Maybe we could send out invitations and make publicity for next Sunday.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It should be a big thing, prominent. (end)
Prabhupāda: But his not there. Your name is there. Your photograph.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Even on the project in Bombay your name is given there, but Prabhupāda's name is not given there. Now, why should your name become prominent in regards to the Bombay project? Now, you said he was describing what we were doing in Bombay, so therefore he wanted to meet you. So why should he want to...? If anybody describes about this Bombay project, they should want to meet Prabhupāda. (pause) There's nothing objectionable in this report, but they're not going to use this report.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: There's nothing objectionable in here, but it should be understood...
Prabhupāda: No, no, that is not... It is written, "The Founder-Ācārya," written clearly.
Patita-pāvana: In that press release that we gave the paper we wrote a great deal about the work of Your Divine Grace in the West and how...
Prabhupāda: So how you get it that "Here is only prominent, Surabhī Swami"?
Patita-pāvana: One thing is, he's a Christian.
Prabhupāda: Whatever it may be...
Patita-pāvana: I guess so. It's true.
Prabhupāda: He has nothing to do...
Patita-pāvana: But we have emphasized that several times in the talk.
Prabhupāda: Hm. What is that?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Then we would show how Lord Kṛṣṇa's teachings are still manifest in India today by the nine devotional processes and the predominant role Kṛṣṇa plays in the culture and religious life of the people in temple worship, painting, dance, music and lifestyle, including offering and taking prasādam, varṇāśrama-dharma, etc... Then testimonials could be given by prominent supporters of our movement and perhaps a short statement by Your Divine Grace..."
Prabhupāda: There is some big, big temples and their proprietor... In every city there are so many Kṛṣṇa temples. Just like in Kanpur there is very important Dvārakādhīśa temple. Many such big cities they have got Kṛṣṇa's pastimes(?).
Prabhupāda: We have got some background. They have no background.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, we have Bhagavad-gītā and Prabhupāda, Kṛṣṇa. We are very prominent.
Prabhupāda: But they have no background. They are simply speculating. In the first place they have no background. Child. Doesn't know what... Do you think they are knowing?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: I saw just little hint. I met an Indian physicist in Emory University. He's quite well known physicist, and he actually liked the idea that we wrote on. He said it's very genuine and very scientific. We have developed this the laws of consciousness from trying ātmā and Paramātmā. The Paramātmā, we say, is the source of all these laws of nature.
Prabhupāda: (indistinct)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Says, "I became a member of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council about six months ago. It is a group of about eight thousand prominent citizens of Los Angeles who are concerned with the foreign policy of the US and in world affairs in general." He's a member now. "They sponsor luncheons for prominent visitors from the US government and foreign governments also. They also have a volunteer program for visitors coming from foreign countries. When the visitor arrives, they have various appointments which have been arranged for them, so volunteers from the WAC take them to these appointments. I usually take every visitor from the Eastern European countries to at least..." Because he speaks Polish, so he's always being asked to take the visitors around "...to at least one appointment and give them a copy of your Bhagavad-gītā..." While he's taking them there, he's preaching, and he gives a copy of the Bhagavad-gītā. "...a calendar and a copy of a foreign language book, such as the Russian or Hungarian book if they speak that language. Whichever language they speak, we have our books now. I previously brought them to my apartment at the temple, for either lunch or dinner, until one very prominent Russian professor, a very close friend of Dr. Kotovsky, and a Romanian film producer complained to the Washington, D.C., office of the WAC that they felt very strange being brought to the temple.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yeah, he says that "I heard..." This is from ex-president Ford. There was some discussion that perhaps he would be a candidate in the 1980 Presidential election here. Anyway, he's an important man. Then he lists some of the people who have gotten your Bhagavad-gītā as well as other small book in Russian or other languages or prasādam. "Mr. Igor Orligalik, Deputy Director (gives list of many Eastern Bloc professors and directors) You see, he keeps a file on all these people, so if ever we go to these countries, we know which people got our books, and these are all highly placed people, very prominent people. Good work. One of these lunches is very expensive-$7.50 per person. (reads:) "Los Angeles World Affairs Council cordially invites you to attend a special luncheon discussion meeting with the USSR-USA Society Delegation to the Soviet Union." This is one such invitation that's put out by these people. Every one of these people who spoke there, all these delegates, he gave them Bhagavad-gītās, the Russian Easy Journey and a calendar. (break) (kīrtana)
Prabhupāda: ...slaughter, bigger slaughter. This is my practical experience. Father hates. (break) We saw lots of people.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It seems like another opportunity of Lord Kṛṣṇa's to make us prominent.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, if we did not get these prominent opportunities, it would take many years to become so prominent, but Kṛṣṇa pushes us.
Prabhupāda: (laughs) Yes. Kṛṣṇa became prominent by killing Pūtanā. (laughter) Immediately. A baby. (Bengali)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I'm still in the midst of doing some work. Is it all right if I continue?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Paramānanda's the president of the farm, and he's the sannyāsī there. And he's also in charge of the Rādhā-Dāmodara office. While Tripurāri Mahārāja travels in the field, he heads up the office. And the office is in a city right near the farm. So he goes half the week to the farm, half the week to the office to manage. Remember I mentioned, Dhṛṣṭadyumna's brother is an architect. So they're planning the farm for building it. It's called a model community. They're going to make it New Varṣāṇā Model Community. Everything will be planned out ahead of time—where the cows will be living—from the point of Vedic conception. It won't be hodgepodge. And they feel that it will gain tremendous interest amongst the prominent persons of America who want to visit a model community. Many universities and schools will send groups of students to visit and see. That's their idea.
Prabhupāda: Very good.
Prabhupāda: Very good. This is preaching.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says, "On the 28th and 29th of July we held Hare Kṛṣṇa festivals at one prominent hall and spoke on the origin of life and matter. The second evening this Dr. Kovoor showed up with seven or eight of his followers, all doctors and scientists of some sort. By your mercy and the mercy of the Lord-teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10)—the lecture which somehow emanated from my mouth was so brilliant that the audience, about one thousand people who were all aware of Dr. Kovoor's presence and sensed the intention of challenge in the air, unanimously applauded as we spoke the last sentence." They unanimously applauded. "I then asked for questions, but the Dr. Kovoor and his friends did not make a peep, while everyone waited in dead silence.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. And this says, "His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Author of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction, Back to Godhead Magazine, Founder-Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness." This is placed in prominent museums and libraries. There's four different models. This is solid wood, and this will be a bronze plaque, and this is made of bronze, metal. You can feel it. Nice?
Prabhupāda: Very nice.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think it's very beautiful. Very artistic. Very feeling... It shows a tremendous amount of feeling. It also advertises all of your books, so they place it in libraries. Libraries like to have it because you're a very..., most prominent author. People usually have a book display.
Prabhupāda: Yesterday... No, yesterday some prominent men, Dalmiya. Who came?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Dalmiya was here, Rāma-Kṛṣṇa Bajaj, Śrīmān Nārāyaṇa, and some gentleman from Auroville Society was here to see you. I think they were participating in that conference, Gītā-pratiṣṭhāna.
Dr. Kapoor: I was also invited. I'm sorry I couldn't come because my wife was very ill.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Dr. Kapoor could not attend. His wife was very ill, he said. He couldn't attend the conference. Śrīla Prabhupāda, maybe you should rest now a little bit. Okay. (Bengali)
Prabhupāda: I'm tired.
Prabhupāda: Parama koruṇa, pahū dui jana, nitāi gauracandra. This is a song sung by Locana dāsa Ṭhākura, a great devotee of Lord Caitanya, almost contemporary. He wrote one book, Caitanya-maṅgala, depicting the activities of Lord Caitanya. Caitanya-maṅgala is a very famous book. He has composed many songs. Practically all Vaiṣṇavas are transcendentally poetic. That is one of the 26 qualifications of a Vaiṣṇava. So he says that "These two Lords," nitāi gauracandra, "Lord Nityānanda and Lord Gaurāṅga, or Lord Caitanya, They are very merciful incarnations." Saba avatāra-sāra śiromaṇi. "They are the essence of all incarnations." The incarnation is described in the Bhagavad-gītā that whenever there are discrepancies in the prosecution of religiosities and there is a prominence of impious activities, at that time the Lord incarnates, or descends on this material world, for the protecting of the pious and annihilating the impious. That is the mission of incarnation. With every incarnation you'll find two things. Lord Kṛṣṇa, He's so beautiful, so kind, but He is also very dangerous to the demons. The demons were seeing Him as a thunderbolt and the gopīs were seeing Him as the most beautiful cupid. It is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. The God is realized in proportion to one's freedom from the demoniac propensities.
Prabhupāda: In this age, the last incarnation, Kalki, will simply kill. He will come long after. But here Lord Caitanya, His mission is not killing, simply favoring. That is the specific characteristic of Lord Caitanya. Because in this age, of course, there is very much prominence of irreligiosity. But if Lord Caitanya wanted to kill them, then there would be no question of their salvation. Anyone of course, who is killed by the incarnation also gets salvation. But not to the spiritual planets, they merge into the Brahman effulgence as the impersonalists desire. In other words, the impersonalist's goal of salvation is as good as the goal of salvation for the enemies of God. That is not a very difficult job. So Lord Caitanya is very merciful because He is embracing everyone by bestowing love of Kṛṣṇa. Rūpa Gosvāmī has described Lord Caitanya as the most munificent of all the incarnations because He is giving Kṛṣṇa to everyone, without any qualifications. So Locana dāsa Ṭhākura says that parama koruṇa, pahū dui jana, nitāi gauracandra, that They are the essence of all incarnations. Kevala ānanda-kanda.
| Page Title: | Prominent (Conversations) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 24 of Aug, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=139, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 139 |