721126 - Lecture BG 02.22 - Hyderabad

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

721126BG-HYDERABAD - November 26, 1972 - 49:20 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya

navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi

tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny

anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī

(BG 2.22)

So this verse we discussed last morning, that this body is just like dress. This is not our real identification. I am thinking, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am African," "I am Russian," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am śūdra," "I am Andhra-pradesh," "I am Bengali."

These are all nonsense. But on this nonsense idea the whole world is going on. So how there can be real knowledge? The basic principle of knowledge is ignorance. Andha. The man who is leading, he is blind. So how he can lead? This is the position.

Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). They are trying to make advancement of civilization, but the basic principle is wrong. They are accepting . . . this is called illusion, accepting something as something else. The . . . just like this . . . if I identify myself with this coat and shirt, the basic principle of my identification is lost. So here it is clearly said that vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. Before this:

vedāvināśinaṁ nityaṁ

ya enam ajam avyayam

kathaṁ sa puruṣaḥ pārtha

kaṁ ghātayati hanti kam

(BG 2.21)

Anyone who knows that the living entity, soul, is avināśi, indestructible, then where is the question of killing? But that does not mean the Bhagavad-gītā is encouraging killing. No. That is not the purport. Killing is prohibited. But when we see that a brāhmaṇa is killing one animal in the sacrifice, it is not killing.

Therefore we have to see with the eyes of Vedic knowledge, not with these eyes. What is the value of these eyes? It has no value. We are very much proud, "Can you show me?" What is value of your seeing? Even if I show you, the value of your seeing power is nil. It sees only under certain condition. That's all. If there is a light, you can see. What is the value of your eyes?

Therefore the real seeing is through Vedic knowledge. That is seeing. Śāstra-cakṣus. Real knowledge, real seeing power, should be through the śāstras. And śāstra means infallible, not theory. Not theory. Just like a conditioned soul writes some book on some thesis. What is the value of it? It has no value, because the man who is putting forward the thesis, he is blind. He's imperfect. So how you can get perfect knowledge from him?

So our proposition is that to receive knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, the perfect person, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We accept śāstra, means which is infallible. There is no mistake. Just like when I was walking near the cowshed, heaps of, piles of cow dung was there.

So I was explaining to my followers that if such heaps of animal, I mean to say, man stool was heaped up here, nobody would come here. Nobody would come here. But the cow dung, there are so much heaps of cow dung, still, we find it pleasure to go through it. And in the Vedas it is said: "Cow dung is pure."

This is called śāstra. If you argue, "How it can . . . it has become pure? It is an animal stool," but the Vedas, they . . . because the knowledge is perfect, that even in argument we cannot prove how animal stool becomes pure, but it is pure. Therefore Vedic knowledge is perfect. And if we take knowledge from the Vedas, we save so much time for investigating, or researching. We are very much fond of research. Everything is there in the Vedas. Why do you waste your time?

So this is Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge means which is spoken by the Supreme Lord. That is Vedic knowledge. Apauruṣeya. It is not spoken by common man like me. So if we accept Vedic knowledge, if we accept the fact as it is stated by Kṛṣṇa or His representative . . . because His representative will not speak anything which Kṛṣṇa does not speak. Therefore he's representative.

The Kṛṣṇa conscious persons are representative of Kṛṣṇa because a Kṛṣṇa conscious person will not speak anything nonsense, beyond the speaking of Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Other nonsense, rascal, they will speak beyond Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65), but the rascal scholar will say: "No, it is not to Kṛṣṇa. It is something else."

Where you get this? Kṛṣṇa directly says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. So why do you deviate? Why do you say something else, "It is something within Kṛṣṇa"? You'll find . . . I don't wish to name. There are so many rascal scholars, they interpret like that. Therefore in spite of Bhagavad-gītā being a book of knowledge of India, so many people are misguided. Big . . . due to these rascal scholars, so-called scholars. Because they simply misinterpret.

Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). We say, we are preaching this cult: "Be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Just become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Offer your respects . . ." You have to offer your respect to anyone. You are not supreme. You have to flatter somebody to get some service. That is an . . . even if you get nice position, you have to flatter. Even if you get a president, become president of the country—you have to flatter your countrymen, "Please give me vote. Please . . . I shall give you so many facilities."

So you have to flatter. That is a fact. You may be very big man, but you have to flatter somebody. You have to accept some master. Why not accept Kṛṣṇa, the supreme master? Where is the difficulty? "No. I shall accept thousands of masters except Kṛṣṇa. This is our philosophy." "I shall accept thousands of teachers except Kṛṣṇa. This is my determination." Then how you can be happy? The happiness can be achieved only by accepting Kṛṣṇa.

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

(BG 5.29)

This is the process of śānti. Kṛṣṇa says that you accept that, "I am the enjoyer. You are not enjoyer." You are not enjoyer. You may be president or you may be secretary—you may be whatever you may be. But you are not enjoyer. Enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa. One should know it.

Just like in your . . . I have come, coming, just replying one letter from the Andhra Relief Committee. What this relief committee will do if Kṛṣṇa is not satisfied? Simply by raising some funds? No, that is not possible. Now there is raining. Now you'll get benefit. But that raining depends on Kṛṣṇa, not on your fund-raising capacity. That is . . . yajña, yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14).

(aside) Find out this verse.

Devotee: There's no Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: You said there is.

Devotee (2): Bhagavad-gītā.

Prabhupāda: So yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14): If you perform yajña, then there will be regular rainfall. If you avoid yajña, there will be restriction, and what your plan and fund-raising capacity will help? Now there is saṅkīrtana-yajña and rain is falling. This is a fact.

So if you continue performing yajña, then there will be no distress, no unhappiness. That is the plan. Just like the birds and beasts, they have no problem. Because they are less than human being, they are working according to the prakṛti's, nature's, ways of life. So their foodstuff is ample. Their foodstuff is ample. So the . . .

Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ (BG 3.14). If there is no rain, how you can produce food? And this . . . and the rain is possible when there is yajña. This is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, that when there was creation, it was the advice of Brahmā to perform yajña.

So we have given up all kinds of yajña. Although performing yajña at the present moment is very difficult, because we cannot get pure ghee . . . the yajñas, or the sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas, it requires tons of ghees. But that is not possible to obtain at the present moment. But there is another yajña: yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ. There is another yajña recommended in this Kali . . . Kali-yuga.

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ

sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam

yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair

yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ

(SB 11.5.32)

In this Kali-yuga it is recommended that this saṅkīrtana-yajña should be performed. Then you'll be happy. So what is the difficulty? In every village . . . the government has raised so much fund. Why not engage all the people to perform this saṅkīrtana-yajña? Every village, every house, every home, just perform this saṅkīrtana-yajña:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Simply you sit down, all family members. Where is the difficulty? Husband, wife, children, friends, sit down together. There is no need of instrument. Simply clap and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll see the face of the world is changed. That is recommended.

But we have no faith. We do not believe. Although there is no expenditure, there is no loss, still, we shall not do. We shall make plan by raising fund. So after raising fund, what is done, we know everything. So that will not relieve. Take this yajña process. Yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14).

If you are in scarcity of rain, perform yajña, the saṅkīrtana-yajña. There will be regular rain. And if there is regular rain, there is ample food production. There is no question of overpopulation. God can supply you more than you want, provided you become God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the way.

So we have to accept this. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni. You don't be misled by the proposition of the so-called blind leaders that you are this body. The leaders are misguiding us by identification with this body. There is fight always, "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Russian," "I am Pakistani," "I am Hindustani."

And there is fight. Advancement of civilization means advancement of fighting. That's all. When there was no Pakistan, there was some sporadic Hindu-Muslim fight. Now there is nation, Pakistan, and nation, Hindustan, and there is organized fight every year. This is advancement?

So don't follow this foolish advancement. Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be happy. This is not an ordinary movement. People are suffering actually for want of spiritual life, spiritual understanding. So the basic principle of spiritual understanding is to know one's self. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi.

Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That, to come to that point, Kṛṣṇa is explaining that this body is like the dress, and the person who is dressed, that is within the dress. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Here also it is said, tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny anyāni saṁyāti navāni dehī. Very simple thing. There is no difficulty.

But the so-called scientists, philosophers, educationists, they will not believe that there is soul. They . . . they'll not believe. They'll simply argue. They cannot establish the real fact, how this body is moving. There are so many theories. But except . . . accept, they will not accept that the . . . actually, because the soul is within this body, everything is happening. And without the soul, immediately this body, so nice body of such-and-such great personality, becomes a lump of matter.

Not that the body is working . . . they are finding out the brain substance, how it is working. But the brain substance is already there in the dead body. Why don't you work with that? No. That is not fact. The fact is the brain substance is a machine, but the man, or the person, is within the body. He's working with the brain substance.

Just like you have got a nice machine, but it must be worked by somebody. At the present moment, the computer is a very subtle machine. But this computer cannot work without an experienced mechanic who pushes the button and it works. These people, they cannot understand that without spiritual touch, matter cannot work.

So brain may be a, a combination of nice matter, but it cannot work without the spirit soul. We should clearly understand this. And if we accept this body as the everything . . . just like the other day, I told you, I met one big professor, Russian professor, in Moscow. He said: "Swāmījī, after this body is finished, everything's finished." This is the atheistic theory. This is not new.

In India there are many atheists, followers of Cārvāka. According to Cārvāka Muni, his theory is:

bhasmi bhūtasya dehasya punaḥ . . . kutaḥ

punar āgamano bhavet

ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet

yāvad jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet

Ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā pibet, "Just live joyfully, merrily." "No, I have no money." "All right. Take, beg, borrow and steal. Some way or other, get money." That is going on. "Get money some way or other and live." That is Cārvāka theory. Hedonism. "Get money . . ."

So this is going, this civilization is going on. "Somehow or other, get money." Because without money, you cannot get woman, you cannot get nice palatable food, nice dress, nice apartment, nice car. "So bring money, somehow or other." Everyone is coming forward as very philanthropist, leader. The aim is how to get money. That's all. That is their philanthropism. They, they speak so many nonsense thing, but the real idea is how to get money.

So this is going on. At the present moment, they are after the sense gratification. They do not know that there is another life beyond sense gratification. They have no . . . that life is being taught in the Bhagavad-gītā that, "You are trying to advance your civilization for keeping this body fit, but you are not this body. Why you are wasting your time in that way?"

Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Anyone who is thinking that, "I am this body," sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu. And sva-dhīḥ means "My men, my own kinsmen." Who? "My children, my family, my society, my country," kalatrādiṣu. Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ: "And the land where these things have grown up, my body and my other relatives in relationship with this body, that is pūjya." Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya . . . nationalism: "My country. I shall die for this land. I shall sacrifice everything."

Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile. And those who are little advanced, pious, they go to places of pilgrimages, take a bath in the Ganges, and come out. They think that water is tīrtha. No. Tīrtha is saintly person. Tīrtha-padam. You have to meet saintly person to take lesson from them. Yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣu abhijñeṣu. You have to meet self-realized persons, those persons who do not care for these things. And in the bodily concept of life, they have been described in the śāstra: go-kharaḥ, "cow and asses."

So the Bhagavad-gītā is the only book in the world which teaches to educate these cows and asses to human life. This mass of cows and asses are to be trained with these teachings of Bhagavad-gītā. It is the beginning, that vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi (BG 2.22). This vāsāṁsi, this body, can be changed. Suppose now you are very much a great enemy of Pakistan. Take, for example . . . I am not . . . or Pakistan is thinking "Oh, India, Hindustan, is our great enemy." What is this Hindustan and Pakistan or Russia? This is this body. Next life, you can take birth in Russia, or you can take birth in . . . there is no certainty. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi.

But according to Bhagavad-gītā, you can understand, at the . . . at the time of death, if you are going on thinking, "Oh, Pakistan, my, is my enemy, enemy," then you get a birth in Pakistan. (laughter) Yes. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Because I shall get my next body according to my mental condition at the time of death.

So just like our women are taught to become very chaste. Why? That is a process to give her a chance to become a male next life. A, a woman, if he's . . . if she is educated to become chaste, attached to the husband, then naturally at the time of death she'll think of the man, and she gets immediately . . . that is promotion. That is promotion. Similarly, if a man is very much attached to his wife, he'll think at the time of his . . . he becomes woman.

These are the science. Where is the cultivation of this science? Simply all fools. And they are making research work. What is the research work? Can you go beyond the laws of the prakṛti? It is not possible.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍha. These rascals, they are under the full control of this material nature, and they are thinking, "We are independent." This is foolishness.

So if you want to stop this foolish kind of civilization, animal civilization of cows and asses, you have to teach Bhagavad-gītā as it is. That is essential. That is the duty of every Indian. Caitanya Mahāprabhu orders that. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). Anyone who has taken birth, he must be very pious, must have been very pious in his last life. Therefore he has got the chance. So janma sārthaka kari. Janma sārthaka kari means "Make your life successful by taking advantage of so many Vedic literatures stocked by the great saintly persons, spoken by God Himself."

You are not taking advantage of these facilities, natural facilities. You are misled by so-called material civilization, and you are doomed. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). If you are led by blind leaders, you are all doomed. That is going on. That is my appeal to the Indians. Don't be doomed. Take Kṛṣṇa . . . accept Kṛṣṇa as the leader. Then you'll be happy. As Kṛṣṇa says . . .

Not only India. India, especially, I say. Because Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Of course, for Kṛṣṇa, there is no such thing as "India" and "America." Just like the sun. The sun is neither Indian sun nor American sun. Sun is sun. But if you say . . . if you think that because now in India the sun is visible, therefore "Indian sun," that is your concoction. That is your mental concoction. Sun is neither Indian nor American.

Similarly, God, Kṛṣṇa, He's neither for Indian or for . . . He is for everyone.

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ

tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

He's the father of everyone, not only human being, but in the animals, the trees, the aquatics, everyone, all living entities. Mamaivāṁśo jīva . . . (BG 15.7). This is universal. This is . . . this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is therefore universal, real universal.

So there are so many potencies out of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Those who are intelligent . . . Kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura. Anyone who becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he must be very, very intelligent. Otherwise, one cannot become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura. So anyone who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he must be very intelligent man.

Without being very intelligent man, one cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is a . . . Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura. And Kṛṣṇa Himself says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19): "After many, many births of struggling, if one actually becomes jñānavān, then he surrenders unto Me." Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). These are the Vedic information.

So vāsudeva-parāyaṇa, vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ. These are the śāstric injunction. So a person can take intelligence from studying Bhagavad-gītā. And Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19): after many, many births.

Because foolish rascals, they will have to transmigrate from one body to another, and there are 8,400,000's of different forms of body. And he has to go through the cycle of this birth and death. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Take birth once, and becomes . . . defy God: "I don't care for God." And when Yamarāja comes, "All right. Whatever you like, you do."

Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). These atheist class of men, who defy the authority of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they'll meet Kṛṣṇa. When? At the time of death, when Kṛṣṇa will take him, take everything—his body, his society, his country, his family, his bank balance, his house.

Everything will be taken away. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham. Mṛtyuḥ. Kṛṣṇa is appearing to the atheist class of men as sarva-haraḥ. Sarva-haraḥ: "Taking everything." I am very much proud, "Oh, I have got so much bank balance," "I am the leader of this country," "I am the father of so many children," "I have got so beautiful wife," and so . . . so many things I am thinking, puffed-up. "I don't care for God. I am God."

All right. At the time of death, are you God? Are you God at the time of death? God means controller. Can you control your death? Then how you are God? God, īśvara . . . Īśvara means controller. Are you īśvara? Are you controller? Can you control birth? Can you control death? Can you control disease? Can you control old age? Then what kind of God you are? The foolish, foolish person, mūḍha. They are called mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). "The rascals only, avajānanti, defy Me."

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is only to request you . . . it is your country's literature. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa. You'll be liberated. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa you get liberation. Punar janma naiti. The whole activities, human society's activities, should be targeted how to get rid of this repetition of birth and death. That is real civilization.

Not that, "Let me live like a cat and dog and die like a cat and dog, and never mind what is happening next." This is a civilization of ignorance. This is not a civilization of knowledge. They are . . . here is knowledge that, "I am trying to protect my body, this dress. I am every day soaping my garment, but I am not taking any food. How shall I . . . how long shall I live with this nice dress?"

So one should understand this verse very seriously. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi (BG 2.22). It has been especially mentioned: nara. Nara means human being. The cats and dogs, they are changing their body, the same process, but they cannot understand. But here especially mentioned: nara. Human beings should understand this scientific knowledge that, "Your this body is just like a dress. It is changing." And we are changing . . . just like according to price we have a dress. If you go to a garment store, you can have nice dress if you pay more. And if you get less, you get a third-class dress.

Similarly, there are eight million species or forms of life. Somebody is in the cat's body. Somebody's dog's body. Somebody's in human being's body. Somebody is in demigod's body. These bodies are offered by prakṛti according to price you pay. This is called karma. This is karma. If you perform good karma, then you get good body. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrīḥ (SB 1.8.26).

This is the janma. You get good birth, you get money, you get education and you become beautiful by pious activities. And by impious activities, just the opposite. So either you get this or that, after all, it is birth and death. (break) . . . how to stop the cycle of birth and death. Otherwise it is animal civilization.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Indian man: . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Dekho ek baccha, chota baccha, pitaji ka sharanagat rehta hai. Pitaji kehte hai, "Beta idhar baitho." Udhar hi baith jata hai. "Beta aisa karo". Chalta hai. To wo jo chota baccha hai, pita ka bat sun raha hai, dusra koi kehne se sunega nahi kyuki uska pita se prem hai. To bina prem sharanagat ho nahi sakta. Prem to hai tumhara pas. Tumhara desh prem hai, tumhara samaj ka prem hai, tumhara stri ka upar prem hai. Prem tum kyu nahi samajhte ho? Prem samajhte ho. Suno pehle. Prem hai ki nahi tumhara? (Try to understand. One small child remains surrendered to his father. Father says: "Son, sit here." He sits there. "Son, do like this." He listens. So that child who is listening to his father, if someone else had asked, he would not have listened because he loves his father. So without love there cannot be surrender. You have got love. You have got love for your country, for your community, for your wife. Why can't you understand love? You understand love. Try to listen first. Have you got love or not?)

Indian man: Hai. (Yes.)

Prabhupāda: To phir kyu bolte ho jo prem kya chiz hai. Aisa prashna karne se kya labh hoga. Koi aisa prashna karo . . . prem to tumhara hai hi hai. Tum kutta ka prem karte ho. Jab tumhara koi nahi hai, to ek billi leke usse prem karte ho. Ek kutta se prem karte ho. To prem to tumhara pas hai. (Then why do you ask what love is? What is the benefit of asking such questions? Ask questions that . . . you have got love anyways. You have love for a dog. When you have no one, you love a cat. You have got love.)

Indian man: Bhagavan ka prem prapt karna hai ya ye Bhagavan . . . (indistinct) . . . (Should we attain love of God or God . . . (indistinct) . . .)

Prabhupāda: Age prem ko samjho, phir Bhagavan ka prem samjhoge. Age teen janam prem kya hai samjho, phir Bhagavat prem samjhoge. Prem tumhara pas hai, kyu nahi samjhte ho? Tumhara pas kutta ka prem hai, ghodha ka prem hai, billi ka prem hai aur samaj ka prem hai, desh ka prem hai, apna sharir ka prem hai, kapde ka prem hai. Prem hai nahi kyu? Tumhara pas to prem hai. (First try to understand love, then you will understand love of God. First understand love for 3 births, then you will understand love of Godhead. You have love, why can't you understand? You have got love for a dog, for a horse, for a cat, for community, for country, for body, for clothes. How can there be no love? You have got love.)

Indian man: Seva jagat ki karni chahiye ya Bhagavan ki? (Should service be rendered to this world or to God?)

Prabhupāda: Wo pehle hum log ka shishya bano phir sikhaya jayega tumko. Aisa ek minute me nahi. (First you become our disciple then it will be taught to you. Not in just one minute like this.) Everyone has prema, love. These propensity to love others, that is . . . there is, everywhere. But that prema, that love, is originally for Kṛṣṇa. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. That is the original prema. But because we are illusioned, that prema is being applied or used for so many māyā. Prema I have got. I have got my love. That is a fact. But I do not know where to repose that love. That is my misfortune.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "You have got prema. You apply it to Me. Then you'll be benefited." Prema is already there. You are simply misusing it. Therefore you are not happy. This is the process. Prema you have got. But you are misusing it. But if you take Kṛṣṇa's word that, "Give your prema unto Me . . ." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is the beginning of prema. "Always think of Me." I think of my son. I think of my child. I think of my wife—because there is prema.

So if you think of Kṛṣṇa, then you will increase your prema for Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Prema is not you have to get it outside. It is already there. Just like a young boy, young girl, as soon as they meet, there is natural attraction. That is already there. It is not that he has brought this attraction from . . . purchased from some shopkeeper. No. It is already there. Simply by combination it becomes aroused. That's all.

Similarly, kṛṣṇa-prema is there. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya (CC Madhya 22.107). It is not that by artificial means we are getting kṛṣṇa-prema. It is already there. But just like the attraction for young man and young (wo)man, it comes at a certain stage, similarly, if you develop this śravaṇa-kīrtana, then that kṛṣṇa-prema will be aroused, automatically. It is already there.

Devotee: (reading question) The question, "First, what are the senses, to control. Then, what are the things to be done?" And the next question he asks is, "What are your views about meditation on one's own self . . ."

Prabhupāda: Take it here. I cannot follow.

Devotee (2): What are the senses?

Devotee (1): "What are the senses? How to control the things to be done?"

Prabhupāda: Senses, everyone knows. You see. How we are seeing? Through the sense of eyes. These are senses, sense organs. You can touch with the hand. These are sense organ. You can hear about some knowledge. That is sense organ. You can taste one fruit. These are senses. Is it very difficult to understand?

You have got these senses. By some senses you are acquiring knowledge, and some senses you are working. There are five senses for acquiring knowledge and five senses for working. These are senses.

Devotee (1): "How to control them? What are the things to be done . . . (indistinct) . . .?"

Prabhupāda: Yes. Control. It is very difficult to control. But if you put it under the control of the Supreme, it will be controlled. You want to see very beautiful thing. But if you engage your seeing power on the most beautiful, Kṛṣṇa, then you forget other things. This is sense control. You are going to restaurant to enjoy your tongue, but if you take kṛṣṇa-prasādam, then you'll forget going to restaurant. This is sense control.

Sense control means to engage the senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Simply we have to purify the senses. The senses must be there. Otherwise, I am not a living being, I am stone. But at the present moment I am misguided. I am using my senses for other purposes than Kṛṣṇa's. Therefore I cannot control. And as soon as you apply your senses for satisfying Kṛṣṇa, then they are controlled, automatically.

Devotee (1): (reading question) "What are your views about silent meditation on one's . . . in one's own self, and this japa, gāyatrī-mantra?"

Prabhupāda: Yes. Simply by mechanical japa, we'll not be ha . . . we have to hear from the śāstra what is self. Of course, those who are actually following the rules and regulation of gāyatrī-mantra, they'll be, gradually, come to the spiritual understanding. But not as official chanting. That will not help. "Because I have got gāyatrī-mantra, oh, om-burble bura burra . . ." (makes sound) Finish. Not like that. Don't cheat yourself. Try to understand.

Indian man: Kisi ne pucha, Mahabharata ka time accha tha na abhi accha hai? Agar Mahabharata ka accha tha to kyu? (Someone asked, was it good during the time of Mahabharata or now? If it was good during Mahabharata then why?)

Prabhupāda: Kyu ki us samay Kṛṣṇa tha. Us samay Kṛṣṇa maujud the isliye accha tha. (Because there was Kṛṣṇa during that time. During that time Kṛṣṇa was present, that's why it was good.)

Indian man: Wo bol rahe the ki Kṛṣṇa to abhi bhi maujud hai. (He was saying that Kṛṣṇa is also present now.)

Prabhupāda: Baki us samay pandava log bhakta the, ap log bhakt nahi hai. (During that time, the Pandavas were devotees and now you are not devotees.)

Indian man: Nahi prashna . . . (indistinct) . . . prashna puchna chahte the ki life member banne ka unka nishchay hai . . . (indistinct) . . . kal yahi prashna puchna tha . . . (indistinct) . . . (The question is . . . he wanted to ask that he wants to become a life member . . . (indistinct) . . . yesterday he wanted to ask this question . . .)

Prabhupāda: Us samay Kṛṣṇa bhi tha aur Kṛṣṇa ka bhakt bhi the. Is samay Kṛṣṇa hai par Kṛṣṇa ka bhakt nahi hai. Isliye hum log life member banate hai, Kṛṣṇa ka bhakt bano. (During that time Kṛṣṇa was present and Kṛṣṇa's devotees were also present. Right now Kṛṣṇa is there but not His devotees. That's why we make life members, telling people to become Kṛṣṇa's devotee.)

Indian man: Ye Hare Rama Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra bohot kam hai kintu Rama Bhagavan pehle aye the Kṛṣṇa Bhagavan se. Agar hum unko modify kare Hare Rama Hare Rama . . . (There are very few Hare Rama Hare Kṛṣṇa mantras but Lord Rama came before Lord Kṛṣṇa. If we modify as Hare Rama Hare Rama . . .)

Prabhupāda: Karo tumhara khushi hai. Usme koi jata nahi. (Do it if that makes you happy. There is no problem with that.)

Indian man: Kṛṣṇa ko bhaje to chatur, ye apna kaha tha, Mahaprabhu ji ne kaha tha, to is par agar bhajan ek . . . Kṛṣṇa ko bhaje to chatur, is path par . . . (One who worships Kṛṣṇa is very clever, as you said, as Mahaprabhu said. So if one devotional song upon this . . . one who worships Kṛṣṇa is very clever, on this topic . . .)

Prabhupāda: Is path par kai geet hai, ye log ga nahi sakenge kyuki wo Sanskrit me hai. (There are many songs about this, these devotees would not be able to sing. It is in Sanskrit.)

kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī

dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau

śrī-caitanya-kṛpā-bharau bhuvi bhuvo bhārāvahantārakau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau

lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

(Śrī Śrī Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka)

Is prakar . . . (It is sung in this way.) Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. All these six Gosvāmīs, they were always engaged in chanting, utkīrtanam. Utkīrtanam, not this professional kīrtana. Utkīrtanam. Udgata-tamaḥ. Transcendental kīrtana, transcendental vibration. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau. So they were engaged in singing and dancing and chanting. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī. Merged into the ocean of love of Godhead, premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī.

Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau. So by kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, one can become dear, very dear, both for the dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means sober, and adhīra means rascals. So kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is so nice that you can become favorite both for the gentle and the rascal.

It is so nice. That is actually happening. So dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau. Because those who are chanting kṛṣṇa-kīrtana, they are nirmatsarau. They are not envious. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not limited, therefore, in India. It is for the whole world. We are not envious, we only see Indians will learn it. No. We have no such program. Tri-bhuvane mānyau. It should be honored all over the world. This is kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. (break) (end)