721017 - Lecture NOD - Vrndavana

Lectures by Date, 1972

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

721017ND-VRNDAVAN - October 17, 1972 - 59:25 Minutes

Pradyumna: (reading) ". . . devotional service. Every service has some attractive feature which drives the servitor progressively on and on. Every one of us within this world is perpetually engaged in some sort of service, and the impetus for such service is the pleasure we derive from it. Driven by affection for his wife and children, a family man works day and night. A philanthropist works in the same way for love of the greater family and a nationalist for the cause of his country and countrymen. That force which drives the philanthropist, the householder and the nationalist is called rasa, or . . ."

Prabhupāda: So bhakti is explained, bhakti is some active service. It is not a sentiment. And service means work. Not like the karmīs. Karmī, or anyone who is working, he is working with some taste. Just like the example is given here, a householder is working day and night. Unless he has got some taste . . . suppose one has got wife and children. So to maintain them he has to work very hard. But there is some pleasure in serving the wife and children. This is crude example.

Similarly, bhakti means service with some taste. Svādu svādu pade pade (SB 1.1.19). In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, svādu svādu pade pade. The more you serve, the more you relish taste. Without relishing taste, nobody can render devotional service. It is practical. Svādu svādu pade pade. In every step . . . just like Rūpa Gosvāmī. He was minister in the government of Nawab Hussain Shah. So materially, he was getting honor, money, and therefore he was attached. This is also crude example. So he resigned from the government post and he joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So unless he tasted something better, how could he give up his government service? There must be some taste. So that is being explained here.

Go on.

Pradyumna: "That force which derives . . . that force which drives the philanthropist, the householder and the nationalist is called rasa, or a kind of mellow, or relationship, whose taste is very sweet. Bhakti-rasa is a mellow different from the ordinary rasa enjoyed by mundane workers. Mundane workers labor very hard day and night in order to relish a certain kind of rasa which is understood as sense gratification. The relish or taste of the mundane rasa does not long endure, and therefore mundane workers are always apt to change their position of enjoyment. A businessman is not satisfied by working the whole week. Therefore, wanting a change for the weekend, he goes to a place where he tries to forget his business activities. Then, after the weekend is spent in forgetfulness, he again changes his position and resumes his actual business activities.

"Material engagement means accepting a particular status for some time and then changing it. This position of changing back and forth is technically known as bhoga-tyāga, which means a position of alternating sense enjoyment and renunciation."

Prabhupāda: Hmm. The material world, because everything is temporary, so sometimes when we are fed up with material activities, we stop to do it and become a renouncer. Bhoga-tyāga. "Grapes are sour." You know the story. A jackal entered into a vine orchard, and it was very high. He began to jump to get the grapes, but when he failed, he said, "Oh, these grapes are sour. It is nonsense." (laughter) The karmīs are like that, that they work very hard, but they cannot relish any permanent happiness. That is not possible. Therefore they give up. Brahmā satyaṁ jagan mithyā. They give up these worldly activities as false, jagan mithyā. But they do not relish anything. Actually they do not relish what is Brahmā-sukha. Therefore again they fall down.

Many . . . the jñānī sannyāsīs, they give up this world as jagat mithyā: "This world is false." They take sannyāsa. Then, after working for some time, they again take to political activities, philanthropic activities. They see that "The people are suffering for want of education, for want of food. So let me engage in providing food, shelter, education." But this education, food problem is there in the material world. The Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, if they think that this world is false, why he is agitated by the sufferings of the world? It is false. But the thing is that in the spiritual field, because they have no engagement, advanced engagement . . .

(aside) Come this side. Or do it in this. From the back. Ashun, ei dike ashun. (Please come this side.)

So this so-called sannyāsī, brahma satyaṁ . . . ekhane boshun . . . (sit here) . . . "jagan mithyā" . . . ekhane boshun . . . (sit here only . . .) (break) . . . in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tato patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). These . . .

(pause)

Aiye, aiye. Accha, accha. (Please come, please come. Okay, okay.) Brahmā satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Jagat is not mithyā. To the Vaiṣṇava, to the devotee, we cannot accept that this jagat, this world, is false. No. How it can be false? Suppose you enter in a very beautiful garden, very nicely treed, so many nice flowers, buildings. Everything is, they are nice. The proprietor of the garden takes you to show you. And if you say: "Oh, it is all mithyā," then how much depressed he becomes, just see. "I brought this friend to show the beauty of this garden, and he says it is mithyā."

Similarly, we won't want to depress Kṛṣṇa. (laughter) That is not our business. Kṛṣṇa has created this nice world. Everything is very nice. The sun is rising just in exact time. It is setting in exact time. The moon is rising. The seasons are changing. And we are getting nice food, nice fruit, nice flowers. So we are not so de . . . I mean to say, depressing agent. We don't discourage Kṛṣṇa. Why? Kṛṣṇa has created this nice world. How can I say it is mithyā? It is the by-product of Kṛṣṇa's energy.

So Kṛṣṇa's energy cannot be false. It is eternal. Kṛṣṇa is eternal. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that this material world, bhūmir āpo analo vāyuḥ khaṁ buddhir mana eva ca, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4): "These are eight kinds of separated energy of Me, Kṛṣṇa." So Kṛṣṇa's energy . . . Kṛṣṇa is truth. So Kṛṣṇa's energy is also truth. Because from truth, false cannot come. If Kṛṣṇa is truth, this energy is also truth. But it is not false. Therefore we do not accept this Māyāvādī theory that the world is false, jagat mithyā. We say that Brahman is satya, and this world is also satya.

The difference is that a devotee relishes a particular type of mellow, rasa, in this material world. But the . . . those who are not devotees, they do not feel any relish from this material world. They feel for some time, but when it becomes stale in their taste, they say: "It is false." Just like the same example: The jackal first of all tried to get the grapes, jumping, jumping, and when it was a failure, he said: "Oh, the grapes are sour. I don't require." So except devotee . . . the nondevotees, the karmīs, jñānīs, yogīs, they actually do not relish the sweetness of the creation of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Bhāgavata says, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. So "Persons who are thinking that they have become liberated by their own ways," ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ tvay asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32), "actually they have not tasted the Absolute Truth. Therefore their intelligence is not yet purified." Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Anyone who has not reached to the point of surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, it is to be understood that his intelligence is in . . . still incomplete. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Actually one who is wise—actually; not falsely—then after many, many births of struggling in karma, jñāna, yoga, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. When he actually becomes wise, jñānavān.

There is a Bengali verse, kṛṣṇa ye bhaje se baḍa catura? Yes. Unless one is very wise and intelligent, he cannot become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. The first-class intelligent class of men surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna, after understanding Bhagavad-gītā, he replied to Kṛṣṇa, kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73), "Yes, I'll do." In the beginning, he was posing himself as very nice man, renounced. "My dear Kṛṣṇa, the other side is my brother, my grandfather, my teacher, Dronācārya, my nephews, my son-in-laws, all my relatives. So I do not wish to fight. Let them enjoy." That was Arjuna's decision in the beginning. And thus Bhagavad-gītā was taught to him.

But after teaching Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa inquired from him, "Now what is your position? Your illusion is over or not? What you have decided to do now?" He said: "Yes, my illusion is over." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73). "What You are saying, I shall act." This is Bhagavad-gītā understanding. Sarva-dharmān parityaja mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. Then Arjuna went against his first decision. In the beginning he was nonviolent. But he changed his decision; he become violent. Violent means he fought. He was a warrior. He was kṣatriya. His business was to fight when there is necessity. But in the beginning he was illusioned. Kārpaṇya-doṣo upahata-svabhāvaḥ (BG 2.7). Svabhāvaḥ, by nature, he was fighter, warrior, but kārpaṇya-doṣa, being miserly, upahata svabhāvaḥ, he's going . . . he was going against his nature. And after understanding Bhagavad-gītā, he was posed in his real nature.

So . . . (break) . . . is not going against the nature. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (SB 10.14.3). This is the instruction given by Lord Brahmā and accepted by Lord Caitanya. Sthāne sthitāḥ: "Let everyone remain in his position." A brāhmin . . . position means cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). According to different qualities—goodness, passion, ignorance—there are different divisions of the society, cātur-varṇyam. The brāhmin . . . the brāhmin means most learned. Most learned means one who knows the Absolute Truth, brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. So there must be a section of the learned. There must be a section of the administrators, kṣatriyas. There must be a section, productive.

(aside) It is . . . it is disturbing me . . .

And there must be a section, worker.

So cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). The society must be divided . . . by natural way, it is divided: the intelligent class, the administrator class, the productive class and the worker class. And they should cooperate. Then the society's perfect. The same example: Just like in your body you have got divisions—the head division, the arms division, the belly division and the leg division. It is not that leg is less important than the head. But leg is . . . head is most important. Without head, the arms, the belly or the leg cannot work. So there should be cooperation. But the division must be there.

This is the vision of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa conscious persons. They do not say it is false. They utilize everything for the purpose of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Most scientific and authorized movement, trying to place people in his original, constitutional position and cooperate for the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

And actually, when we relish some mellow, rasa, that is called bhakti-rasa. We are trying to explain Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu by Rūpa Gosvāmī. So this is bhakti-rasa. The leg is serving the body under some rasa. The hand is serving the body under some rasa. The brain is serving the body under some rasa. So similarly . . . that is natural division throughout the whole universe, anywhere. And because the whole universe is being carried on by the three modes of material nature, goodness, passion, ignorance . . . (break)

And there are mixture also. There are three: goodness, passion and ignorance. Just like there are three colors: yellow, red . . .

(aside) You stand and . . . (indistinct) . . . you disturb me.

Yellow, red and blue. And those who are artists, they mix with three colors and it becomes nine. And again, the nine into nine, it becomes eighty-one. In this way, all these divisions, different forms of living entities, they are being conducted under some modes of material nature, either pure or mixture. And therefore we find so many varieties.

(aside) Why don't you put . . .?

Yes. So many varieties of living entities, 8,400,000 species of life, forms, 8,400,000.

jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi

sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati

kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyakāḥ

pakṣiṇāṁ daśa-lakṣaṇam

(Padma Purāṇa)

In this way, there are 8,400,000 species of life, and Kṛṣṇa claims, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ (BG 14.4): "All these forms, in different species of life, their mother is this material nature and I am the seed-giving father." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā. So Kṛṣṇa . . .

(aside) What you are doing with this? This fly is disturbing me, and what you are doing?

(break) . . . claims everyone His son. Kṛṣṇa says . . . does not say that, "The Indians are My sons" or "The Hindus are My sons." No, Kṛṣṇa does not say. So Kṛṣṇa cannot be a sectarian God. God is one. God is for Hindu, God is for Muslim, God is for any other religious sect. And the definition of religion is that, "the law given by God." That's all. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Just like law means the code or the order given by the state. You cannot manufacture law at home. When the state gives something to the citizens that, "You must follow this," that is law. It may be very insignificant thing, but it is law. Just like when we go on the street, the law is, in, in this country, the law is "Keep to the left." In other countries the law is "Keep to the right." Yes. Germa . . . in America it is "Keep to the right."

Guest: Not so in China and Russia, I believe.

Prabhupāda: There are different. You cannot say that, "I am accustomed to drive my car from the left side. Why shall I go to the right?" No. The law is there. You'll have to abide by the law. Similarly, religion means the law given by Kṛṣṇa, by God. That is religion. You cannot manufacture religion. Kṛṣṇa . . . dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Therefore real religion is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So actually, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is real religion. Everyone should follow this. Then he will be saved. Kṛṣṇa assures, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi.

People suffer out of ignorance. That is called pāpa, sin. Any criminal . . . mostly, he does not know the real law. He commits something unknowingly, by ignorance, and he becomes a subject of criminal punishment. Therefore ignorance is sinful life. Ignorance. So people should be enlightened from ignorance. And that is real religion. One should be enlightened himself, and one should enlighten others also. That is the mission of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission.

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya janma haila yāra. Not the cats and dogs, animals. Manuṣya. On the land of Bhārata-varṣa, one who has taken his birth as a human being . . . this point is very important.

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya janma haila yāra

janma sārthaka kari' koro paropakāra

(CC Adi 9.41)

Because one can become successful in the mission of his life in India. Because the India, the real knowledge, Vedic knowledge, is there. All the sages and great personalities of India, Vyāsadeva . . . he compiled all these Vedas for the enlightenment of the whole human society.

So especially those who are born in India as human beings, they should take advantage of this knowledge. They should not manufacture knowledge. The knowledge is already there. Simply one has to take it. Just like Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there already. We have to take it, accept it, and apply it practically in life, and distribute the knowledge throughout the whole world. This is the mission of India.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not sectarian, neither unauthorized, because it is based on the Bhagavad-gītā as it is. We don't interpret Bhagavad-gītā. If I interpret Bhagavad-gītā, then there is no authority of Bhagavad-gītā. The same example: Suppose state law, you cannot interpret. Then what is the value of the state law? You are a layman. You cannot interpret Bhagavad-gītā. Any Vedic knowledge, you cannot interpret. Then there is no authority of the Vedic knowledge. For example—we give it very constantly—just like cow dung. Cow dung is the stool of an animal, but Vedas says: "It is pure." The Vedas, in one place, says that "Stool of an animal is impure." We accept it. As soon as we touch stool, even my own stool, I have to take bath immediately to purify myself. But the Vedas says that the stool of cow is pure. We take it to the Deity room and smear it.

This is Vedic followers: no interpretation. When it is stated in the Vedas, it is true, fact, perfect, without any defect. That is called Vedic knowledge. Not that interpreting to my convenience, I am . . . I become a Vedāntist. No. That is not. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is preaching that you accept what Kṛṣṇa says. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66). You have manufactured so many things for the peace and prosperity of the people, but you have failed. Take Kṛṣṇa's word and you'll be happy.

So the more you be engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65): "Always think of Me," man-manā. Mad-bhakto: "You just become My devotee." It is very simple thing. To become Kṛṣṇa conscious is possible by everyone. And actually, it is happening. We are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. So these boys, they're coming from different religions, different countries, different nationality, different faiths. But actually, because they're accepting Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), they're happy. There is no difficulty. And people are accepting it, as if just they were ready to accept this cult. This is our experience. Any of our students can be questioned why he has accepted this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, he will explain.

So although Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a movement by any particular person, nation or religion, but still, because Kṛṣṇa appeared in India, Lord Caitanya appeared in India . . . and Lord Caitanya says that anyone who has taken birth as a human being in the land of Bhārata-varṣa must take the responsibility of spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement for the benefit of all world. It is not a question of any personal religion or personal ambition or something manufactured by some imperfect sense enjoyer. It is authorized, because Bhagavad-gītā is authorized.

Bhagavad-gītā is accepted . . . first of all, he was, it was accepted by Arjuna in toto. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi keśava (BG 10.14): "My dear Kṛṣṇa, whatever You are saying, I accept it in toto, without any interpretation, without any rejection." Somebody says . . . somebody may say: "Arjuna was Kṛṣṇa's friend. To praise Him, he might have said like that." No. Arjuna immediately gives evidence that "It is not that I am accepting, but You are accepted as, as such by such great personalities as . . . like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita." He gives authority.

So that was five thousand years ago. Later on, all the ācāryas—Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka, even Śaṅkarācārya. We Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, they differ little with Śaṅkarācārya. Impersonalist and personalist. But Śaṅkarācārya even, even though he was impersonalist, he accepted Kṛṣṇa in his commentary on Bhagavad-gītā. Sai bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇa.

So Kṛṣṇa is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no doubt about it. By all authorities. And Kṛṣṇa Himself says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7): "There is no more superior authority than Me."

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo

mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate

iti matvā bhajante māṁ

budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

(BG 10.8)

Those who are actually budhās—budhās means learned—so they know Kṛṣṇa is the original person. And it is confirmed by Brahmā in the Brahmā-saṁhitā, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Īśvara. Īśvara means controller. So everyone can become īśvara. Here, our minister saheb is present. He's īśvara. Īśvara means controller. He is controller of a department. Similarly, there are many ministers in our country and other countries, many presidents. They are īśvaras. And a common man, he is also īśvara. He's controlling his family. At least he's controlling his dog, cat.

So everyone is īśvara. Just like the modern theory is going on, "Everyone is God." That's all right. God means īśvara, controller. But there are different qualities of controller. I may be controller of my disciples, a few dozen or few hundred. But there are controllers, millions. They are controlling millions. Therefore my control and his control is not equal. Therefore you find out one controller after another. Everyone is relative controller. He controls, and he becomes controlled. Nobody's absolute controller. Just like our minister saheb. He's controller, but he's also controlled.

So when you come to the point, if you find out some person that He's simply controller, not controlled, He's Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is simply controller, not controlled. He's Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is simply controller. When Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet—you see the history of His life—He simply controlled. He never became controlled. He was controller. Therefore the verdict of the śāstra, Vedic literature, is that īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1): the supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ.

But the impersonalists will say: "The supreme controller is not a person." He's a person. But Brahmā says, "No, He's a person." Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Vigraha means person. Mūrti. But He's not ordinary person. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sat, cit, ānanda. His form is made of eternity, bliss and knowledge. Our form, this form, is not eternity. It will die. It will finish. Why my form? Even Brahmā's form, although he will live for many millions of years.

Just like one day, twelve hours, is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Brahmā's one day, twelve hours, he . . . these four yugas, forty-three hundred thousands of years multiplied by one thousand. That is Brahmā's twelve days, uh, twelve hours. Now we can calculate his life. He'll live for one hundred years. So his twelve hours is millions of years. So still, he will die. Anything in this material world, it will not stay. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Everything will be finished. Therefore even Brahmā's body is not eternal, what to speak of my body, your body, ant's body, his body . . . sat. Sat means "that exists." Oṁ tat sat.

And cit. Cit means knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa's knowledge is perfect. Kṛṣṇa says, vedāham, vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26): "I know past, present and future." When Kṛṣṇa was questioned by Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa said that "Many millions of years ago, first of all, I spoke this science of Bhagavad-gītā, or bhakti-yoga, to the sun-god." Imaṁ vivasvate proktaṁ, vivasvān manave prāha: "I spoke, first of all, to Vivasvān, the sun-god." The sun-god's name is there, Vivasvān. Then Kṛṣṇa was questioned by Arjuna that, "Kṛṣṇa, You and me, we are born very recently. How is that You say that You spoke to sun-god? That is millions and millions of years ago."

So Kṛṣṇa answered, "Yes, I said. I remember; but you do not remember. You were also present." Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, they're eternal friends. So whenever Kṛṣṇa appears, Arjuna also appears. Kṛṣṇa has got His associates. Arjuna is one of the associates. But the . . . that is the difference between living entity and God. God remembers and the living entity does not remember. He forgets. And another conclusion is: Why Kṛṣṇa remembers and why the living entity does not remember? The reason is the living entity changes the body; Kṛṣṇa does not change the body. Sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). When Kṛṣṇa appears, He appears in His original body, but because He looks like ordinary man, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11), the rascals and fools, they think Kṛṣṇa as ordinary man, human being.

So this bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is to taste the mellow of Kṛṣṇa. That is the science of serving Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have named this book "Nectar of Devotion." It is summary study of bhakti-rasa, the mellow, the transcendental mellow which one can taste. Everyone is tasting; otherwise he cannot work. So yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi (BG 9.27). Kṛṣṇa says: "Whatever engagement you may have, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam, do it for Kṛṣṇa." Don't take the result yourself. Give it to Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll taste the rel . . . relish the mellow, transcendental mellow, bhakti-rasa. And then you'll be happy.

Just like about the Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, who was executing his devotional service on this spot. They were ministers, and they gave up everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm (Śrī Sad-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 4). Maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means leaders. The leader of the group, maṇḍala-pati. Just like there is rastra-pati. Similarly, they were rastra-patis, maṇḍala-pati, but tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati . . . because they were minister, their friendly circles were big, big zamindars, administrators. But they gave up their company. Tyakvtā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇ . . . not one, two, but many. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. Very insignificant, "Oh, what is this? Give up." Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Became very poor mendicants, accepted torn cloth. Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, here, in Vṛndāvana, they were living underneath one tree one night. Such vairāgya, renunciation. But how they were living?

A very rich man, coming to the lowest standard of living . . . we have seen, practically. In Calcutta, Mr. C. R. Das, he was earning, say, about fifty years ago, fifty thousand, sixty thousand rupees per month. But on Congress resolution he gave up his practice, and practically he had no income. In one meeting he was asked by somebody . . . everyone thought that he's very big, rich man. Somebody asked him to give him . . . them some subscription. So C. R. Das admitted that, "Now I have no income, but my party, Congress Party, they give me five hundred rupees per month for my expenditure. So I give you everything." So . . . because that was his habit. If anyone would approach him, ask him something, the day's income he'll give him, immediately. But he could not live more than one year. He could not tolerate so much renouncement. Because that was material.

But these Gosvāmīs, they gave up their ministerial post, opulent post, and became mendicant. How they lived? Go . . . that is stated: gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau-sada. They were merged in the ocean of the love affairs of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore this mendicantism, it was external. They were enjoying better thing. So unless you enjoy better thing, you cannot give up inferior thing.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the best. Anyone, individually or collectively, you take it, you'll enjoy real life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is real life. And actually, people are accepting, all over the world. Say four days ago, I was in Manila. That was the, my first visit, and all young men . . . in the hotel we held one meeting. The hotel capacity was about eight hundred men. Still, it was overflooded. And they liked this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chanting, dancing. So nice.

So it has been proven that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will be accepted in any part of the world. This is India's culture. Why not distribute? Why the government is not interested? That is my presentation. If you . . . India wants to be glorified, then she must give something. Not simply begging: "Give me grains, give me money, give me weapons, give me engineer." Give something. That is my proposal. Then India will be glorified: "Oh, India has got something to give, not to take only, like beggars."

I was questioned in Berkeley University by some Indian student: "Swāmījī, what this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement will benefit? What this saṅkīrtana? We want technology." So I replied: "Yes, you have come to learn here technology, but I have come here to teach you. Not to learn, but to teach. And they are learning." So according to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission, every Indian can become a teacher, provided he accepts the teachings of their predecessors ācārya. Otherwise they'll remain beggars. That is my proposal.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya! Hare (break) (end)