710728 - Lecture Initiation - New York

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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710728IN-NEW YORK - July 28, 1971 - 26:21 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo (Bs. 5.34). The sky is so vast. This is material sky. We cannot even travel all over the sky. The modern scientist says that you go to the end of the sky cover, it will take forty thousands of years by the light year. This sky is only a insignificant portion of the whole sky. You have no information of the whole sky. Nobody has information, the unlimited. The balance sky is spiritual sky. So if you have got any plane which is running on the speed of mind and air . . .

(aside) That's all right.

You know the speed of mind, it can run millions of miles in a second. So if you have got any aeroplane which runs on the speed of mind, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso, either on the plane of air speed or even the mind speed, and you go on with that mind speed, koṭi-śata-vatsara, not only forty thousand years, but millions and hundreds of millions of years.

And not forty thousand years, koṭi-śata . . . koṭi means ten million? Koṭi? Hundred millions, koṭi means. One lakh equal to . . . ten lakh is equal to one million. Ten millions, koṭi, and multiply it by hundreds. For that period, if you go on with the speed of mind, still you'll find avicintya-tattva, inconceivable.

Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām. And that plane made of not ordinary man. Muni-puṅga, highest learned, I mean to say, scientist, philosopher. Still, avicintya bhāva.

panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo

vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām

so 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.34)

Still it will remain avicintya-tattva. Avicintya means beyond our conception. Even though you are able to go in high speed, and for so many years, still, Kṛṣṇa remains avicintya-tattva. Nobody can find out where is Kṛṣṇa's abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Therefore the Māyāvādīs, in desperate frustration, they say that Kṛṣṇa is impersonal, because they want to approach Kṛṣṇa by mundane activities—by mental exercise, mental gymnastic. Kṛṣṇa is not available in that way. Kṛṣṇa is available only to His devotees. Kṛṣṇa is the property of His devotee.

panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo

vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām

so 'py asti yat-prapada-sīmny avicintya-tattve

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.34)

That's all right. (break) (chants japa with devotees)

Aravinda: Rādhā-bhavānī

Prabhupāda: Rādhā-bhavānī, "Always thinking of Rādhārāṇī." You know the rules and regulation? The rules and regulation?

Rādhā-bhavānī: Yes. No meat-eating, no illicit sex, no intoxicant and no gambling.

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Come on. (japa)

Aravinda: Nimāi-sundara dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Nimāi-sundara. Nimāi-sundara is Lord Caitanya's name. Nimāi-sundara dāsa. You are servitor of Lord Caitanya. (japa)

Aravinda: Māyāpur-śaśi dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Mahāprabhu?

Aravinda: Mahāprabhu-śaśi dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Mahāprabhu-śaśi?

Aravinda: Mahapura-śaśi.

Prabhupāda: Māyāpura.

Aravinda: Māyāpura-śaśi.

Prabhupāda: Māyāpura-śaśi is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's another name. Śaśi means moon, and Māyāpur is the birthplace of Lord Caitanya. Hare Kṛṣṇa. You know the rules and regulation? The rules and regulation?

Aravinda: The rules?

Prabhupāda: Yes. All right. (japa)

Aravinda: Navadvīpa dāsa.

Prabhupāda: Yes, very good. Navadvīpa is the place of Lord Caitanya, and you are servitor of Lord Caitanya. Come on. (japa)

Aravinda: Viśvambhara.

Prabhupāda: Viśvambhara. Viśvambhara is another name of Lord Caitanya. Viśvambhara dāsa. Come on. You know the rules and regulations? Hare Kṛṣṇa. (devotees offer praṇāma mantras in background)

Aravinda: Jagannātha-sūta.

Prabhupāda: Jagannātha-sūta is Caitanya Prabhu. His father's name is Jagannātha. Sūta means son. Jagannātha son. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's father's name was Jagannātha Miśra. So you know the rules and regulation? What are those?

Jagannātha-sūta: No illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating and no gambling.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Come on. (japa) (devotees offer praṇāma mantras)

Prabhupāda: So those who are initiated now, your path is now open to Kṛṣṇa's abode. Satāṁ prasaṅga: by association of devotees. Satām. Satām means devotees. Sat, sat means that exists eternally is called sat. Kṛṣṇa is sat, oṁ tat sat. So devotees are also sat. So satāṁ prasaṅga, by association . . . prasaṅga means very intimate association. Saṅga means association, and pra means still elevated or intimate association.

Kṛṣṇa's words, Kṛṣṇa's teachings, Kṛṣṇa's topics, they become very palatable in the association of devotee. In the association of non-devotee one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, neither it becomes very palatable. Bhagavad-gītā is well known in your country since a very long time. There are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā in your country, Indian and foreign editions. Many.

But nobody could become a Kṛṣṇa conscious . . . a Kṛṣṇa's devotee, because they were not discussed amongst the devotees. They took it, Bhagavad-gītā, as table talks or some sort of philosophical . . . they could not seriously understand Kṛṣṇa, because the writing or discussing or discourses took place amongst the non-devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt.

But if you want actually Kṛṣṇa, then you have to talk of Kṛṣṇa amongst devotees. We are opening different centers just to give people chance they may have intimate association with the devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgāt mama vīrya-saṁvido. Vīrya-saṁvida. Vīrya means full potency. Mama vīrya-saṁvida bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ. Hṛd means heart, and karṇa means ear. Rasāyanāḥ means pleasing, very pleasing, tasteful, rasāyanāḥ. So:

satāṁ prasaṅgam mama vīrya-saṁvido

bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ

(SB 3.25.25)

First of all, in order to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one has to be engaged about Kṛṣṇa. Just like Bhagavad-gītā: Kṛṣṇa is preaching a philosophy to Arjuna. People try to understand. That is kṛṣṇa-kathā. That kṛṣṇa-kathā becomes effective when they're discussed within the circle of devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido. Actually it is full of potency.

Just contrary to this, there is another injunction, by Sanātana Gosvāmī: avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam na suryatram (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, quoted from Padma Purāṇa). When kṛṣṇa-kathā, Kṛṣṇa topics, is discussed by a person who is not a vaiṣṇava, dedicated life to Kṛṣṇa, that is not to be heard. Avaiṣṇava mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam.

One fashionable speaker is teaching Bhagavad-gītā . . . just like the other day a rascal came, he, he's announcing that he's the authority of Bhagavad-gītā. You know that rascal? (laughter) Very well. Yes. (indicating devotee) He wanted to study from Sanskrit from the rascal. You could not understand; that I see. So śāstra says, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam (Hari-bhakti-vilāsa): one should not hear from him. Why? Kṛṣṇa-kathā is nice. Why it should not be heard from a person who is not a devotee, but he may be scholar? But Sanātana Goswami says, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam, never.

So the reason, the example he has given, sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payo yathā. Milk, everyone knows milk is very nourishing food. But as soon as it is touched by a serpent it is poison. You can say, "Milk is very nice. What is the wrong if it is touched by the serpent?" But Sanātana Goswami warns that it is not to be touched, because it has become now poison.

Instead of milk, it has become poison. So we should be very careful not to discuss. It is meant for the kaniṣṭha adhikārī, those who are neophytes. They may be affected. But those who are strong enough, advanced, they are not affected. But that is different thing. Generally. So we should not discuss kṛṣṇa-kathā with a person who is a non-devotee.

So non-devotees . . . who are non-devotees? Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also said like that. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was enquired by one nice householder devotee, "What is the general behavior of a Vaiṣṇava?" He immediately answered, asat-saṅga-tyāgī vaiṣṇava-ācāra (CC Madhya 22.87): "One has to give up the association of asat." Sat, I have told you, sat means devotee, and asat means non-devotee. Asat-saṅga . . . simply to give up the association of non-devotees. That is vaiṣṇava-ācāra.

How a Vaiṣṇava should behave, how he should maintain his standard, Caitanya Mahāprabhu says in one word: asat-saṅga-tyāgī vaiṣṇava-ācāra. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, satāṁ prasaṅga mama vīrya-saṁvido. One can develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness in association with devotee. The same thing Caitanya Mahāprabhu said in a different way: asat-saṅga-tyāgī, not to associate with non-devotees. That is vaiṣṇava-ācāra.

So in future we shall be very careful, all the devotees, not to talk with rascals, non-devotees. It will impure, it will have poisonous effect; and that will kill Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I do not know how this man was allowed to stay here for so many months. Nobody could detect that, "Here is a serpent"? So you should be very careful in future.

That is very easy to understand, who is a serpent. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said. Because one may inquire, "Who is asat? How can I understand?" Asat eka strī-saṅgī kṛṣṇābhakta. Asat means who is attached to . . . very much attached to woman. You see that man, he was posing himself as yogī, and he is living with one woman. He, it was God's grace that he came with that woman so that he disclosed himself. By Kṛṣṇa's grace. Asat eka strī-saṅgī kṛṣṇābhakta. Strī-saṅgī. One should not be attached to any woman except his wife. Then he becomes asat. Asat eka strī-saṅgī kṛṣṇābhakta. So we should be very careful, asat, who is asat. It doesn't matter if one is very highly educated; still he should not be associated. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has given instruction that vidhayalam krto 'pi san tyaja durjana-saṁsargam. Durjana-saṁsargam, association of rascals, non-devotees, tyaja, give up. "Oh, he is very learned scholar in Sanskrit."

But vidhalayaṁ kṛto 'pi san, "In spite of his being very learned scholar, you should kick him out." Vidhalayaṁ kṛto 'pi san. How is that? Yes, he is giving example, maṇinā bhūṣitaḥ sarpaḥ kim asau na bhayaṅkaraḥ. A serpent . . . you know some serpent has got jewels on the head. Does it mean a serpent with jewel on hood is not ferocious, because he has got jewel? He's as ferocious as ordinary serpent. That these things we should know.

So I do not know how this man was given shelter in our temple. Nobody could understand that, "Here is a serpent," and he was accepted as Sanskrit scholar. So you should be very much careful about this thing in future.

Thank you. (break) (end)