760320 - Lecture in Bengali - Haridaspur

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

760320LE-HARIDASPUR - March 20, 1976 - 21.26 Minutes

Devotee: (announcing) March 20th, 1976. Śrīla Prabhupāda went on travelling sankirtan to a town two miles from the border of Bangladesh called Haridaspur. Where Ṭhākura Haridāsa lived for some time. Here they're donating some land to us. Śrīla Prabhupāda is about to speak, I think in Bengali. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

(Translated from Bengali)

Prabhupāda:

om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave-namaḥ

śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale

svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho

dīna-bandho jagat-pate

gopeśa gopikā-kānta

rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi

rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari

vṛṣabhānu-sute devi

praṇamāmi hari-priye

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

In the Śrimad Bhāgavatam, there is a śloka . . . (indistinct)

This means that those who think of the body as themselves..what is this body..it is perishable, made of earth, water, air, fire, ether. The body is made up of all these elements. Just as when we take a breath, and when a person stops breathing, we can understand that the person is dead. The body is there but there is no life. This breath that we take, what is it made of? Just some air. Just as this fan is blowing some air, similarly the breath also blows air. However, the way our breathing functions is not in our hands.

If the breathing stops, can air be pumped into the body, like a balloon, and be brought back to life? But foolish people say that the breathing has stopped. So what if the breathing has stopped, the breath is only air. Science has progressed so much that they can pump air into the lungs. So just as a balloon is pumped, can a dead body be brought back to life by pumping air in it? Blood, they say, "Blood has turned to water." Blood does not turn into water. Blood is a liquid like water. Red water. Try injecting the body with red water and bring it back to life. That is not possible, life will not return.

If we analyse the body, and explain, then what can we find? That the body is made up of earth, water, air, fire. The body has a certain warm temperature. After the body dies, that warmth, fire, is missing. If the dead body were to be given warm, would it bring life back? That will not happen.

Those who are intelligent, understand that the body is not the self . . . (indistinct) . . . I am separate . . . (indistinct) . . . water, fire, air. The Supreme Person Śrī Kṛṣṇa says,

bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ

khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca

(Bhagavad-Gītā 7.4).

(pause)

Earth, water, fire, air, ether. The body is made up of these five elements. When we analyse the body, we find that it constitutes a mixer of these five elements. Life cannot be recreated by mixing these five elements. Life is a separate element. There are many big scientists these days who can put these five elements together in the laboratory and create life out of it. That is not possible. Hence, it is said that those who thing that they are the body, are asses. "

Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.84.13)

This body is made up of material elements. The body is a bag with phlegm, bile and air. Those who consider this bag to be the self . . .'yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke' . . . and they are thinking that everything related to their body is their possession. "Sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhih." They are thinking, "I am related to this body, to my wife’s body, my son’s body. I am related to my entire lineage." They are thinking, "Their bodies are mine, and I am the body."

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ

(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 10.84.13)

They are considered to be cows and asses. Go means cow, and kharaḥ means ass. This is how the entire world is functioning. Animals, birds, insects, aquatics and humans, everyone considers the body to be the self. The dog is thinking that, "I am this body," and barks when it sees another dog. Even the human being is thinking, "I am American." Another person who may be Indian . . . this happening in our country too . . . is asked to leave, "Go away!" when the visa expires. It is the same as dogs barking. With this type of intelligence, there is no hope for society to make progress. They are going to remain cows and asses.

Human life is meant to acquire knowledge. When that knowledge grows and attains knowledge of Brahman, then life will be successful. "Athāto brahma jijñāsā" (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.1). 'Jijñāsā'. "What will I eat, where will I stay, how to engage in man-woman relationship, how will I defend my fears?" These four factors are present in the dog as well as the human.

āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca

sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām

(Hitopadeśa 25)

Apart from this, the human being has another special ability, and that is to ask, "Who am I? Factually, am I this body, or am I someone else apart from this body? I do not want to suffer the pains of this world that are forced on me." If all this can be contemplated on, then that person’s human birth will be successful. However, if the human being like the dog and fox, only makes the body the center of existence - to eat, sleep, procreate, and then die after the designated time, then this is not human life.

Just to impart this knowledge and teach, the Supreme Person appears here.

yadā yadā hi dharmasya

glānir bhavati bhārata"

(Bhagavad-Gītā 4.7)

Whenever human beings forgets this knowledge, then God appears here to impart knowledge and educate. We all are God's children. God is

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(Bhagavad-Gītā 14.4)

Just as some parents have many children, just like that we are part and parcel.

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke

jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ

(Bhagavad-Gītā 15.7)

Just as the child is part and parcel of the parent, similarly all of us are part and parcel of God. We have come to this world are suffering here. Just as when the child suffers, the mother and father also suffer. They feel sad to see their child suffering. Just like that, we are suffering here, and even though we do not know how to mitigate the suffering and neither are we trying, God desires and wants to protect and save us from this suffering, and wants to take us back to Him again. That is why God appears. God appears and teaches that, "All these plans that you are making of staying here seeking happiness, that plan is not going to work."

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

(Bhagavad-Gītā 18.66)

This is what God comes here to teach. However, due to our misfortune, we do not want to accept God's words, and we continue to suffer.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the same God. He . . . when Kṛṣṇa saw that, "You did not listen to me," "sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja". Then Kṛṣṇa Himself, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, appears as a devotee to teach us how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa appears as Bhagavān, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu appears as the devotee of the Supreme Person, to teach.

All these good things are there in our India. Especially in Bangladesh. Particularly, this place where all of you are sitting, Haridāsa Ṭhākura, who used to do Hari-nāma, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu made him the Nāmācārya when Mahāprabhu came here to propagate the Holy Name. Although Haridāsa Ṭhākura was born in a Muslim family, he was so dedicated and the foremost in chanting the holy name, that Caitanya Mahāprabhu made him the Nāmācārya. We can learn how to chant the holy name from Haridāsa Ṭhākura.

According to the scriptures, India is the most pious of all lands. I have travelled the planet many times. Even though, in other countries like America and Europe, they have very good roads, houses and everything, in spite of that, the atmosphere that is there in India is not there anywhere else in the world. All of you who have taken birth in India, must not destroy this so easily. This is my earnest request.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said,

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra

janma sārthaka kari 'kara para-upakāra

(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta Ādi Lila 9.41)

Those who have taken birth in India, if they properly understand, follow the words and teachings of God - Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, fulfill the purpose of their own lives as well as preach this message overseas as I am doing on my own. And just doing so all by myself, so much has been achieved.

These foreigners are not poor, they are from affluent families. They have not join my movement for the want of money, and what money do we have. They have brought the money with them. They have gained something precious, that those born in India have the right present . . . (indistinct) . . . if we can listen, understand and factually exemplify what Kṛṣṇa, Mahāprabhu are saying, and only preach this message, then we will be the most respected and foremost culture of this world. This is certain.

This is my request that all of you preach this transcendental message of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, to the world. However, before doing that, we have to exemplify this in your own life. It is not possible to remain sinful, and benefit others' lives. Your life . . . that is why Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, "janma sārthaka kari" (CC Adi 9.41). So, how are you going to make life successful?

In India, all the spiritual messages that the Supreme Person Himself has spoken, Vyāsadeva has spoken, Nārada has spoken, all the exalted spiritual masters have spoken, Rāmānujācārya has spoken, Śaṅkarācārya has spoken, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's words. Try and understand all that has been said. Understanding this will make life successful.

And if these words are ignored while listening to nonsense being spoken . . . giving up ones own assets and begging others' for theirs'. Giving up own possessions . . . and we do not think about nationalistic sentiments. If we believed in nationalistic sentiments then all these American, African, Canadian would not have joined this movement. There are many Muslim devotees from Iran. From Pakistan too. We do not think in that limited way . . . because

paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ"

(Bhagavad-Gītā 5.18)

Those who are learned and wise, do not think in terms of Hindu, Muslim Bengali, Christian, Hindu. Such a person only sees the spirit soul.

The spirit soul is part and parcel of God. Just because one person is dressed in a white shirt, the other in a yellow shirt, does not change the fact that both are in human beings. They are both in human bodies, only the shirts that they are wearing are different. The 'jīva-ātmā' is part and parcel of the Supreme Person.

Just as the Supreme Person is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, every individual soul, even though minute, is also eternal, full of knowledge and blissful. And the spirit-soul, within this material existence and the 840,000 bodies, keeps changing garments. This body is a garment.

Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya

(Bhagavad-Gītā 2.22)

Just as when the shirt and coat when old and torn is thrown away, and a new shirt and coat is worn, similarly, when the body becomes old and stops functioning, then one has to give up that body and take a new one.

Tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati"

(Bhagavad-Gītā 2.13).

These words must not be forgotten. These words must be understood with a cool head. Once this has been understood, human life will be successful. Otherwise, we have to remain like dogs and foxes, keep barking and then die after some time. There is no value to such living.

This is our Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement. The members here want to give this land to us. They want donate to us in many places but our difficulty is, especially in India, that we have to bring people from overseas to preach. If the local people do not want to participate, then how is this going to work? How long am I going to be able to bring devotees from overseas and manage? That is why our preaching here is not going well. If all of you join, and understand, then the we can bring changes in India.

Thank you very much.

Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)