710320 - Lecture - Bombay

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710320LE-BOMBAY - March 20, 1971 - 17:18 Minutes

Prabhupāda: So, everyone has got a particular type of duty. That is called dharma. So why execute . . . (break) . . . our occupational duty? One can become perfect. It doesn’t matter whether he is a businessman, or whether he is a lawyer, whether he is an engineer, whether he is a priest, or anything else. By executing his occupational duty he can become the perfect. How?

How it is possible? One has to see, whether by his professional duty, he is satisfying Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). That is the test. It doesn't matter whether you are businessman or lawyer, but if you test your occupation by satisfying the Supreme Lord, that is your perfection.

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on this principle. We do not request anyone to become a sannyāsī or give up home and go to Himalaya and practice haṭha-yoga. No. Our principle is that in whatever condition you are, you remain there. That is the instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted one verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam while talking with Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya. That verse is: jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva (SB 10.14.3). One should not try to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by speculative mental exercise. This process should be given up. One should be humble and meek. That is also the demand of Bhagavad-gītā.

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ vraja

(BG 18.66)

So, in absolute humbleness one should try to hear from the realized soul, san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām namanta eva (SB 10.14.3). In that position, although the Lord is unconquerable, He becomes conquered by the devotee.

So we are recommending, we are preaching all over the world, this philosophy that you do not require to change your position. Even if you require to remain as a Christian or as a Muhammadan or a Hindu or a Jewish or Buddhist, it doesn't matter. Please try to see whether by your activities God is satisfied. That is the injunction in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also:

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

(SB 1.2.6)

That is first-class religion, by which one is elevated to the platform of loving transcendental service to the Transcendence, Adhokṣaja: without any cause, ahaitukī apratihatā, and without being hampered. In that way one can be peaceful. Otherwise there is no possibility of peace.

So how this is possible? That is also described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhṛt satām

(SB 1.2.17)

Kṛṣṇa is situated in everyone's heart as Paramātmā.

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati.

(BG 18.61)

Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Kṛṣṇa is in Goloka Vṛndāvana, He is within your heart, He is within even the atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ (Bs. 5.35). So Kṛṣṇa is everywhere. Simply Kṛṣṇa wants to see whether you are trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That's all.

So how you can become Kṛṣṇa conscious? Simply by hearing about Him. For hearing Him there is Bhagavad-gītā, which is Kṛṣṇa personally speaking, and there is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is spoken about Kṛṣṇa. So even if you cannot read, you can hear from realized person. Even if you are not educated, you do not know Sanskrit, you can hear from a person who has realized Kṛṣṇa. In this way, if you try to hear about Kṛṣṇa, simply this hearing process is pious activities, puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. If you simply hear and chant about Kṛṣṇa, you acquire piety.

In this way, as soon as you acquire piety, you become interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Unless one is free from contamination of all sinful activities, one cannot be interested in kṛṣṇa-kathā. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ

janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām

te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā

bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ

(BG 7.28)

There are many verses in Vedic literature that kṛṣṇa-kathā, hearing about Kṛṣṇa, makes us free. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ (CC Antya 20.12).

So there are hundreds and thousands of evidences that simply by hearing about Kṛṣṇa you become free from all contamination of this material world, because Kṛṣṇa Himself will help you to cleanse your heart, abhadrāṇi.

We are being conducted in this material world by three modes of nature: the modes of goodness, passion and ignorance. Out of these three qualities, the modes of passion and ignorance, rajas, tamaḥ, they are calculated as abhadra, mischievous. If you have addicted to the passion and ignorance, then we cannot make any progress.

You have (to) come to the platform of goodness, the brahminical qualification, then we can understand what is spiritual life. And that will be possible simply by hearing and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, or if you want to be still progressing, you can read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. And Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has especially recommended that, "By My order," He says the . . . exactly the Bengali words:

āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa

yāre dekha, tāre kaha "kṛṣṇa"-upadeśa

(CC Madhya 7.128)

"You simply carry My order, and whomever you meet, you simply speak the philosophy of the topics about Kṛṣṇa."

So, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness Movement has taken up this injunction of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu very seriously, and we are talking to the people simply about Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and it is acting very nicely. It is acting very nicely. We have got now forty branches all over the world, and everywhere, boys and girls like these, our all disciples, are all young men and young women. They are from twenty to thirty years of age, but they are doing very excellently. They have no time otherwise, each of them would have talked with you how they are feeling, how they have come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and how they have become purified by this movement.

So we have brought these boys and girls in India just to show you example. If persons who had no knowledge of Kṛṣṇa five years ago, they can take to this life of Kṛṣṇa consciousness so seriously, you cannot do this? You also can do, but you are neglecting. Don’t neglect. Don’t spoil your life simply by imitating the animals. Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is very simple. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not very hard task. Anyone can chant anywhere. There is no hard-and-fast rules and regulation for chanting. You can chant on the street, you can chant on your bus, you can chant in your office—anywhere. Nobody will object.

Please try these transcendental activities and see how you are happy. That is our Movement. We don’t impose any artificial gymnastic process, that place your nose in this way and to keep your head like this way. No. In whatever position you are, simply utilize your tongue by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and tasting bhagavat-prasād. That is the way of realizing Kṛṣṇa. It is stated in the Bhāgavata:

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi

na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ

(CC Madhya 17.136)

You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by your present blunt material senses. You have to purify. That is bhakti process. Bhakti process means purifying the senses. Suppose you have got some disease in the eyes. It is not that you pluck out your eyes from the socket. You cure it.

We don’t follow the Māyāvādī process or the Buddhist process to commit spiritual suicide. No. We are after cure, curing the material diseases, and that is bhakti process.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ

tat-paratvena nirmalam

(CC Madhya 19.170)

You have to free . . . you have to become free from the designated condition. You have to forget yourself, that you are Indian, you are American, you are German, you are brāhmin, you are kṣatriya, you are śūdra. No. Your real identity is, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108). Our real identity is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. You stick to that, that "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa," and act accordingly. Then you will be happy. That is bhakti.

hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-

sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

(CC Madhya 19.170)

Bhakti means to serve the master of the senses, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the master of the senses. His name is therefore Hṛṣīkeśa. You have heard this name Hṛṣīkeśa in the Bhagavad-gītā. Arjuna requests Kṛṣṇa, senayor ubhayor madhye hṛṣīkeśa sthāpaya (BG 1.21), "Just place my chariot between the two armies my dear Hṛṣīkeśa." So Hṛṣīkeśa means the master of the senses.

So our senses we claim . . . we are claiming that this hand is mine, this leg is mine. Actually they belong to Kṛṣṇa. Therefore with your, with your hands, with your legs, with your eyes, with your ears, with all your senses you try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. And if you try to do that, that will make your life successful. So the process is very simple. Simply try to hear kṛṣṇa-kathā.

srnvatam sva-kathāh kṛṣṇah

puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ

hrdy antah stho hy abhadrāṇi

vidhunoti suhrt satam

(SB 1.2.17)

He is very friendly to everyone, every living entity. He is trying to rectify, and especially He is friendly to His devotees. So in this way:

naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā

(SB 1.2.18)

If you daily, as a routine work, you serve this bhāgavata process, chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and reading a portion of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, or serving His . . . a pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, he is also bhāgavata.

nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā

bhagavaty uttama-śloke

bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī

(SB 1.2.18)

By this process you will become a firm devotee of the Supreme Lord. This means situation on the platform of goodness. In this way gradually you have to develop your devotional service. Then you will be jolly.

evaṁ prasanna-manaso

bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ

bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ

mukta-saṅgasya jāyate

(SB 1.2.20)

As soon as you become free from the contamination of the ignoble qualities of this material world—ignorance and passion—you immediately become joyful. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā:

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

na śocati na kāṅkṣati

(BG 18.54)

So I don’t wish to take much of your valuable time. Please try to follow this simple process. Wherever you remain, whatever you may do, try to chant this mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

This is confirmed also by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, that in this age of Kali there is a great opportunity. What is that?

kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya

mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet

(SB 12.3.51)

Simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one can become free from all the contamination of this material world, and he is promoted to the spiritual world.

So this simple process I think every one of you can accept it, and you do not require to change anything of your activities. Simply begin from this day chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (applause) (end)