690424 - Conversation C - Boston

Conversations by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

690424R3-BOSTON - April 24, 1969 - 16:46 Minutes

Prabhupāda: So we take account of past, present, future of this creation. When I say: "Some years ago I was there," that means within this creation. It does not go some years in your past creation. Do you follow what I say? Are you following what I am saying?

Lady devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: You are feeling alright? (chuckles) Satsvarūpa?

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You did not go to the airport?

Satsvarūpa: No. I gave the lecture that was cancelled at . . .

Prabhupāda: Oh. Lecture?

Satsvarūpa: You were supposed to give the lecture today . . .

Prabhupāda: Oh

Satsvarūpa: because you gave the lecture last night in Buffalo, we cancelled it and I gave instead.

Prabhupāda: So you lectured there? Thats nice, now you have to lecture . . . I will have to retire. I want that all my students now should be prepared . . . (indistinct) . . . sit down . . . come here . . . when at present we speak of past, present future, we refer to this particular creation of . . . (indistinct) . . . is it not? Similarly, whether return back means . . . what is your question? I . . . ( indistinct) . . . whose question?

Lady devotee (1): . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: You remember Kṛṣṇa's past times by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam . . . you can hear Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. That you can remember.

Lady devotee : How can you remember . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: How you can remember . . .

Lady devotee : . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: You can know it by hearing from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why you are citing so many scriptures . . . Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā. Just to remember, you . . . something you forget but if I tell you repeatedly . . . you hear, you hear that . . . is it not? Hear . . . something you have forgotten completely and I remind you constantly . . . that don't you remember.

Lady devotee : Yeah. But I always . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Forget . . . you forget . . . that is your nature, you forget so many things. You cannot remember what you are doing exactly at this time, cannot remember . . . can you? Forgetfulness is our nature, we are very minute. Therefore we are subjected to the quality of forgetfulness. Just like Arjun . . . Arjun was asking Kṛṣṇa that how I can believe that you told this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to Vivasvan? He said that first of all I told to Vivasvan, So in reply to that question, Kṛṣṇa said that both you and I had many many births in past, but you have forgotten . . . I remember. That is the difference between God and ourselves, He does not forget. He remembers everything past, present, future all, but you forget. That is the difference between god and living entity, you are forgetful . . . so we forget. Again, if it is reminded, we remind. That is our nature.

So . . . at the present moment we are forgetful of our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Then by good association . . . by constant chanting, hearing, remembering . . . we again invoke our full consciousness. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The forgetfulness is not . . . (indistinct) . . . it is natural to forget, but if you keep constant touch, you may not forget. That is the association of Kṛṣṇa consciousness devotee and comes from repetition of chanting, scripture that will keep us intact. We will not forget. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). We have to continue this service constantly, then we shall not forget. Forgetfulness is not wonder because that is your nature . . . that is the difference between ourself and God . . . God does not forget, we forget.

We are claiming . . . some of us are claiming . . . that I am God, but I forget. God does not forget . . . (indistinct) . . . is it clear? That is the difference between living jiva and Shiva. God, He does not forget. In Bhagavad-gītā it is said: Vedaham Samititani . . . I know everything of this present, past, future, you do not know . . . (indistinct ) . . . in our childhood, so many things we did . . . we don't remember, but our parent may remember. Child may have done this, so . . . forgetfulness is our nature. But if you keep constant touch with Kṛṣṇa, then He'll give us remembrance . . . sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo (BG 15.15).

Kṛṣṇa says in the fifteenth chapter . . . now read Bhagavad-gita very carefully, we will have examination next time. From Bhagavad-gītā start our Bhakti Shastri. Now you have to make our organisation very widely . . . a spiritual institution so that you may be remain nice and our students may remain be free from . . . (indistinct)

(aside) Why don't you get that chair?

Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8). This is from Upanishad . . . parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8). We say that nobody think, it is from . . . (indistinct) . . . we are accepting any nonsense as God. They do not have any trouble sometime. God means na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8).

God has nothing to do, no responsibility . . . nobody is found greater than Him, He is the vedic injunction is followed. Somebody is claiming I am God. You have to see whether you have nothing to do . . . and whether nobody is greater than you . . . these potency can make you God, immediately. You have to prove that nobody is greater than you . . . (indistinct) . . . whether I am claiming I am God. So I have to show that at the present moment, throughout the whole world apart from . . . (indistinct) . . . nobody is greater than me. Then I am . . .

If this pretender is able to show that nobody is greater than him, we should simply test. And . . . na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8), He has nothing to do. So many things . . . (indistinct) . . . nobody shall be richer than Him . . . nobody shall be stronger than Him, nobody shall be wiser than Him, nobody shall be beautiful than Him. So these things have to be tested so that He is not . . . simply if I claim that I am God . . . there is no testimony. If I say: "I am president Nixon", will you accept it? If you don't accept it, I am president Nixon without testing credential . . . how you accept the false man as God without testing? You must know . . . have test credential. You must present credential. Just like when some ambassador come to a foreign country, there is a ceremony. That ambassador has to be recognised by the governor or the governor general of the state and he has to prove his credential. Similarly anybody claiming as God . . . he has to place his credential. What is that credential? That will be tested there . . . Upanishad, the Bhagavad-gītā, so many other literature . . . Brahma Saṁhitā, Vedanta Sutra, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam first it is said janmādy asya yato 'nvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ (SB 1.1.1) Svarat means fully independent. Satyam param dhimahi . . . the Supreme truth . . . fully independent. `

You are not fully independent. Just now If I see a little tooth ache, I will have to go to a doctor. So how can I say I am God. God has first qualifications fully independent, Svarat. Abhijñaḥ . . . abhigyah means fully cognizant . . . (indistinct) . . . na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8)

Just like Kṛṣṇa, He . . . the God . . . but He has nothing to do. He is simply enjoying with His friends, with Radharani, with cowherds boys, with gopis. He has nothing to think how to survive, that is greatness. He is taking the cows as a sporting, and He has called by blowing conchshell. He left everything, renounced everything. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Vishnu Purana 6.5.47) So much love, so much everything . . . God left in a moment, renounced everything, He left Vrindavan. And all these devotees, they began to cry for Kṛṣṇa for the rest of their life. and whenever was . . . (indistinct) . . . He would say: I am very soon coming, don't worry . . . I am very soon coming.

Lady devotee (1): . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) . . . you know how to make ladoo? You learn many things . . . you have got another nice girl in Buffalo. I have given her name Sada . . .

Satsvarūpa: Sadanandini

Prabhupāda: Sadanandini . . . very nice girl. Always chanting and dancing . . . always jolly . . . (indistinct) . . . very nice girl. You know her? good devotee . . . Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. Anyone who comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness . . . immediately he becomes beautiful, very beautiful. (end)