721005 - Arrival - Berkeley

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

721005AR-BERKELEY - October 05, 1972 - 16:15 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . for your participating in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Do not take this movement as any sectari . . . (break) It is a scientific, philosophical, cultural movement. People at the present moment they have forgotten themselves, the modern civilisation is based on, on the bodily concept of life. But actually we are not this body, we are spirit soul part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.

As Lord is spirit the complete whole spirit, we are part and parcel of God but we are covered by subtle and gross body or matter. As such, we have forgotten our identification and on the bodily concept of life we are thinking, "I am American, I am Indian, I am Hindu, I am Muslim, I am Christian." But actually we are all part and parcel of God, we have to come to that consciousness.

This consciousness is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness. Unless we come to that platform there is no question of peace and prosperity. Just like a madman unless he is cured from his madness he cannot be happy there is no question of peace and prosperity. The disease must be cured. Similarly, this bodily concept of life is a material disease. So, our movement, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a new hobby or something introduced new. It is very old. It was spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa himself in the Bhagavad-gītā 5,000 years ago and before that also this philosophy was spoken by Kṛṣṇa to the sun god and if we take that calculation it comes to some 40 millions of years ago. So it is not a new thing, it is the oldest cultural thing God consciousness. I am part and parcel of God, you are part and parcel of God. So our duty is to revive our original activity and then go back to home back to Godhead. This is the sum and substance of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and anyone can perform it, it is very easy. The preliminary method is to chant the holy name of God. You can chant if you have got any name of God you can chant that. Not that you have to chant Hare Krishna if you have got any other name you can chant.

By chanting the holy name of God gradually your dirty things within the heart will be cleansed and you will see properly your constitutional position and then you will act accordingly and then your life will be happy and prosperous. This is the sum and substance of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to preach this culture all over the world not only by this chanting Hare Krishna mantra but those who are philosophers, scientists they can read our books. We have got 60 volumes of books like this to make people understand what is Kṛṣṇa.

So, don’t think that it is a sentimental movement if one is very highly educated, advanced in science and philosophy they can understand this movement by reading this book. Otherwise it is very simple, chant Hare Krishna mantra and gradually you understand the whole thing. Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya glories jagat guru! (Offer obeisances)

Chandanācārya: If the press has any questions?

Press (1): (indistinct) . . . I have a question . . . (indistinct) . . . what is the meaning. Can I ask you what is the meaning of the chant?

Prabhupāda: That I have already explained. Chanting means vibrating sound. God is present everywhere so when you chant the holy name of God. These vibrations, this sound vibration is God, so immediately contact with God.

Press (1): Thank you.

Press (2): Was your trip here a special trip or just a regular trip?

Prabhupāda: No, I am going all around the world at least twice in a year. In 1967 I came here, after that several times I have came here.

Press (2): You say the Kṛṣṇa was 5000 years ago, the information that I’ve received that the chant which you are using now giving the name of God and I understand the Vedas (airport loudspeaker) . . . (indistinct) . . . the information you give. You say it came 5000 years ago, has a man been here longer than that. Has he been practising religion longer than that?

Prabhupāda: Well, it existed since millions of years.

Press (2): Have they practising the religion before Hare Krishna?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. Wherever there is civilised man there must be religion.

Press (2): How does one judge . . . (indistinct) . . . is that correct . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: By the history, by the history, by understanding, by studying history, by studying philosophy, by studying science one can understand. One has to become very intelligent, foolish men cannot understand. But you must be very intelligent then you will understand.

Press (2): I understood that you say that you are part and parcel. I don’t quite understand what you mean part and parcel of consciousness does that mean?

Prabhupāda: Just like the sun and the sunshine. The sunshine is combination of shining particles. Similarly the sun is God and the sunshine particles are living entities. So the sunshine particles are also heat and light and the sun is also heat and light but the small molecules and particles they are very small but the sun is very big. Similarly qualitatively we are one as God is, but God is great, we are very small.

Press (2): Okay then if I understand that then when a person dies or leaves hod flesh and soul then. Then he does not necessarily die?

Prabhupāda: No. The soul is eternal and God is eternal. The soul is eternal but because we have contact with this material body we are changing body. Just like you change your dress, similarly the soul changes dress and because we do not know what is soul we think that this man is dead. Actually he has not died he is simply changing from one gross body to another gross body that is all.

Press (2): He changes to another form at the time . . .?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore you will find 8,400,000 forms of life because there are changes from one form to another. Just like here in this meeting you are represented by different dresses. Similarly all these living entities they are represented in different forms but within the form there is spirit soul that is part and parcel of God.

Press (2): The man would be interchangeable with animal, or the trees or whatever?

Prabhupāda: Oh yes. According to karma, you are given the chance in a human form of body developed consciousness to understand God but if you do not understand God, if you understand dog then you become dog. Otherwise you become God.

Press (2): Thank you. (kīrtana)

(devotees repeat responsively)

nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale

śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine

Leader: namas te sārasvate deve.

Devotees: Prabhupāda!

Leader: gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe

Devotees: Prabhupāda!

Leader: nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi..

Devotees: Prabhupāda!

Leader: pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

Devotees: Prabhupāda.

namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe

nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe

Leader: (devotees repeat responsively three times)

bhaja śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Prabhupāda: (prema-dhvanī)

Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories to you Śrīla Prabhupāda! (Offering of obeisances) All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda!

Chandanācārya: Would you like a little prasādam?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: That's alright.

Devotee: Thank you for saṅkīrtana Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Jaya.

Devotee: Jaya. (end)