720614 - Morning Walk - Los Angeles

Morning Walks by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

720614MW-LOS ANGELES - June 14, 1972 - 19:36 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Māyā-sukhāya. For flickering happiness arranging huge paraphernalia, just like for sporting, just we saw, so many things. Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). No use. There is no use, but fooling, for frivolous sporting. Just like beginning from the morning working, so many people are engaged, but they do not know the value of arranging maṅgala-ārati. They do not know. (laughter)

Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān. Making huge arrangement. What for? Very flickering happiness, that's all. Vimūḍhā, rascals. Prahlāda Maharaja says: "I don't think for myself; I am simply anxious for these rascals who are engaged in huge affairs for some flickering happiness." Śoce tato vimukha-cetasa, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). (japa)

(break) Construct a very nice temple in this open park, people would come in the morning and they will see the maṅgala-ārati, take prasādam. That would have been good for this life and next life. And what is they are doing?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: They're simply miserable, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: They're going to be cats and dogs or trees. But they don't believe that there is life after death, so they think that "Whatever we have got now, let us enjoy sense." And the university education is giving them facility, "Yes, take education and gratify your senses from the very . . . from the age of twelve years." And at the last stage they . . . "I would have liked that one would have shot me down on my head." What that old lady was talking?

Devotee: Oh, yes. (laughs)

Pradyumna: She said if someone else didn't shoot her, she would. She'd just do herself in.

Prabhupāda: Hopeless life. Māyā-sukhāya. Because simp . . . they have wasted time simply for flickering happiness; in future everything is zero. Śūnyavādī, nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi. Śūnyavādī means whose ultimate goal is zero. Pāścātya-deśa, Western countries. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi. (japa)

Every one of you should take this movement very seriously and save your country. Misguided. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamāna (SB 7.5.31). (laughs) Blind man. (laughs) This Nixon is a rascal number one, and he's the president. Just see. They have no other selection. All the people are rascals, and they must select one rascal to become their guider, another big rascal. (devotees chant japa) (break) . . . from Māyāpur?

Karandhara: Yes. The one you've written, over the old Book Trust?

Prabhupāda: No, no. They have sent one account.

Karandhara: Oh, yes. I reviewed that.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Karandhara: I reviewed it. Yes.

Prabhupāda: So do you think it is all right?

Karandhara: Appears to be in order.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Karandhara: Everything appears to be in order.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Anything irregular, you should immediately ask them to explain. At least there must be some check.

Karandhara: I sent Bhavānanda a letter yesterday explaining that that would be the last of the cash; the rest would come in books.

Prabhupāda: Books you can take as much you like. You have written that?

Karandhara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Just like all the men, they are spending two thousand rupees for maintenance. They must work. And if they go with the books to any gentleman, they'll take it. Māyā-sukhāya udvahato vimūḍhān.

(break) Americans are giving so much service, knowledge. Arrange everything. They are giving already; simply they should be distributed through us—powdered milk, grains. People will feel so much obliged, "Oh, these American people are giving us knowledge and food."

Practically they'll see how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious—by our ārātrika, by our kīrtana, by our behavior, by our character. Not only in India—everywhere.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: This is real service to the human. (pause)

Ātreya Ṛṣi: The government is spending millions of dollars to control the drug problem. In every city there are heroin addicts and all kinds of addicts, and they are very perplexed, because there is no way to control.

Prabhupāda: This is the only way.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: This is the only way, but they are not willing to listen. Recently I was in Washington talking to the officials. Our company is making a project for the government, $7,000,000 to investigate what is the best way.

And every way it costs thousands of dollars for each person, and it's not even guaranteed. And they are taking them out of heroin and they put them on methadone or some other chemical drug, and that's their method. They are spending thousands and thousands of dollars, and the person goes back to addiction after several years. No success. Our program costs nothing, and the politicians don't want to listen.

Prabhupāda: No. Their policy is they want to keep the people in that way—rascals and fools—then they will vote, and they'll enjoy the political power. That is their policy. Actually they do not want to see their countrymen elevated good character. They don't want to see. If the people become . . . just like the British government in their time, they wanted to give education. Their education means A-B-C-D, half, mediocre, so that their government may be run on. They require clerks, servants, so much, not high education. As soon as there was question of high education, they stopped. And actually it so happened that as soon as the Indian people became highly educated and they learned the history of the world, they kicked them out. You see?

So these people, these rascals, Nixon and company, they want to keep the people in ignorance so that they'll get vote and enjoy. And if the people become intelligent brāhmins, then immediately he'll be kicked out. What is his value? He has no value. This is policy. They don't want to see that people become elevated in knowledge. That is not their policy. Therefore they do not agree.

Actually they are seeing that, "These Hare Kṛṣṇa people, they're so nice character, they're behavior, God conscious. So if all people become like this, then where we are?" Because as soon as become . . . people become Kṛṣṇa conscious, they'll non-cooperate with the slaughterhouse, liquor industry, gambling, illicit sex. They will non-cooperate. Then the whole plan of civilization will be collapsed.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Their biggest industry is the war industry.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: War, killing.

Prabhupāda: So? So how they can . . . (indistinct) . . .? They do not know, or do not actually want to see people enlightened. It is not their policy. It is simply make some show. Show means spend another set-up amount, investigation. Their men, the government men, they get money, that's all.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: And finished. Engage some rascal report. This is going on.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Exactly. Exactly.

Prabhupāda: Very dangerous.

Ātreya Ṛṣi: They are all thieves, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Ātreya Ṛṣi: Thieves, stealing from each other.

Prabhupāda: That's all. They don't want to see people very enlightened. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." But at least how to become wise, that injunction has been given to you. Now you try to save the country, how to do it.

These people will not be. You'll have to educate the people, and they'll vote you to the senators, president; then your country will be nice. Just like by Kurukṣetra, Kṛṣṇa smashed all Duryodhana and company, and He posted Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja. That is the Kṛṣṇa's politics. He wanted to smash all these demons and have His own men posted on the royal throne.

When Kali could not penetrate into the daily behavior of the people, he planned killing of Parīkṣit Maharaja. So one Kali brāhmin cursed him to death, for no fault practically. Therefore the brāhmins of this age, they are condemned. The so-called caste brāhmins, they're condemned. That is lamented by the father of the boy who cursed Parīkṣit Maharaja. (japa) (break) (end)