681202 - Lecture BG 07.01 - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1968

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

681202BG-LOS ANGELES - December 02, 1968 - 76:15 Minutes

Prabhupāda: (kīrtana) (prema-dhvanī) Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances)

(sings) Govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-

lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam

lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ

govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.29)

Devotees: Govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. (devotees repeat three times)

Prabhupāda: So we are worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Govinda. That is our business. What is the effect of worshiping Govinda? Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet, very teeny effort. Even they go to the moon planet, they'll be not very much benefited, because the scientists say the moon planet is below 200 degree zero point.

So we cannot tolerate the cold climate of this planet, how we shall be benefited even we go to the moon planet? And moon planet is the nearest planet. There are millions of other planets also, and the scientists say that to reach the highest, topmost planet, it will take forty thousands of years. And who is going to live for forty thousand years to go and come back?

These are practical difficulties, and therefore we are called conditioned soul. Our activities are conditions, not free. But you can attain a life of freedom, life of unlimited energy, unlimited happiness, unlimited bliss. There is possibility. This is not story or fiction. We see so many planets within this universe.

We have got so many flying vehicles, but we cannot approach even to the nearest, we are so much limited. But if we worship Govinda, then it is possible. You can go anywhere. We have written these statements in our small booklet Easy Journey to Other Planets. This is possible. Don't think that this planet is all and all. There are many, many millions of other very nice planets. There the standard of happiness, standard of enjoyment is many more times greater than what we are enjoying here.

So how this is possible, I shall read the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, which is spoken by Govinda Himself. (finds page) Bhagavad-gītā, Seventh Chapter. Lord Kṛṣṇa says:

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha

yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ

asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ

yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu

(BG 7.1)

Now, here the word yogam is also explained. What sort of yoga Kṛṣṇa is recommending? Mayy āsakta-manāḥ: keeping the mind always attached to Kṛṣṇa, this yoga system. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is yoga system. At the present day, they are concentrating their mind on something void, impersonal, according to their own prescription. The real process is to concentrate the mind on something. But that something, if we make it void, it is very difficult to concentrate our mind in that way.

That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the Twelfth Chapter: kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām (BG 12.5). Those who are trying to meditate on something impersonal and void, their trouble is greater than those who are meditating on the Supreme Person. This is explained. Why? Avyaktā hi gatir duḥkhaṁ dehavadbhir avāpyate (BG 12.5). We cannot concentrate our mind (on) something impersonal.

If you think of your friend, if you think of your father, mother or somebody whom you love, you can continue such thinking for hours together. But if you have no objective to fix up your mind, then it is very difficult. But people are being taught to concentrate on something void and impersonal.

So in reply to that mode of yoga, Kṛṣṇa is directly speaking here, mayy āsakta-manāḥ. If you try to concentrate your mind on the form of Kṛṣṇa, so beautiful . . . He's enjoying with Rādhārāṇī and His associates. Then, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogam, if you practice this yoga, mad-āśrayaḥ, yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ (BG 7.1) You have to practice this yoga, at the same time, you have to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Mad-āśrayaḥ. Āśrayaḥ means "under My protection." This is called surrender.

If you go to a friend in a difficult position and you surrender to your friend, "My dear friend, you are so great, so powerful, so influential. I am in this great danger. So I surrender unto you. You please give me protection . . ." So you can do that to Kṛṣṇa. Here in the material world, if you surrender to a person, however very big he may be, he may refuse. He may say: "Well, I am unable to give you protection."

That is the natural reply. If you are in danger and if you go even to your intimate friend, "Please give me protection," he will hesitate, because his power is very limited. He'll first of all think that, "If I give protection to this person, whether my interest will not be jeopardized?" He'll think like that, because his potency is limited.

But Kṛṣṇa is so nice that He's so powerful, He's so opulent . . . He declares in the Bhagavad-gītā, everyone, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66): "You leave aside everything. You simply surrender unto Me." And what is the result? The result is ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "I shall get you released from all kinds of reaction of your sinful life."

This material world, our activities are all sinful activities. There is action and reaction. Whatever you are doing, there is action and reaction. Even there is good reaction, still it is sinful. Still it is sinful. Just like according to Vedic literature, pious activities, the result of pious activities . . . Janmaīśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ (SB 1.8.26). Suppose you are not acting anything sinful in this life, you are very pious in every respect. You are charitable, you are benevolent, everything is all right. But Bhagavad-gītā says that it is karma-bandhana. If you give in charity somebody, say, some amount of money, you'll get that money back four times, five times or ten times more in your next life. That is a fact. So Vaiṣṇava philosophy says that this is also sinful. Why sinful? Because you have to take your birth to receive that compound interest. That is sinful.

Now suppose you are born in a very rich family. The trouble of being in the womb of the mother, that is the same. Either you are pious man or the impious man, when you are in the womb of your mother the difficulties and the pains perceived within the womb of the mother is the same, either you are black or white, either you are Indian or American or cat or dog or anyone. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

The troubles of birth, the troubles of death, and the troubles of disease and the troubles of old age are everywhere the same. It is not that because you are born in a very rich family, you'll be immune from diseases. It is not that you'll not become old. It is not that you'll be saved from the troubles of birth or you'll be saved from the troubles of death.

So these things are to be understood very clearly. But people have become so unintelligent, they do not care for . . . "Oh, death, all right. Death, let it come." Birth . . . now especially in these days, a child is in the womb of the mother, so many killing process are there. So many. So why? Because people are becoming so much entangled that such person even do not get birth in the womb of the mother. He's placed and he's killed, again he's placed in another womb of mother, again he is killed. In this way, he does not see even the light. You see?

So to become in the womb of the mother and to again accept death, to accept old age, accept disease is not very good business. If you are rich man, you have to accept all these troubles of material existence, or if you are poor man . . . it doesn't matter. Anyone who comes into this material world in this material body, he has to take all these troubles. It may be that you are American, the richest nation in the world.

That does not mean there is no disease, there is no old age, there is no birth and there is no death. So the intelligent person is he who can make a solution of these problems. He's intelligent. Others, who are making patchwork, patching, trying to make a solution of the problems of material life, although they are unable . . . it is not possible.

If you want to make a solution of material existence by the material way, it is not possible. That is also clearly stated. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). This material nature, which is accepted, claimed by Kṛṣṇa as "My energy," mama māyā . . . this is also another energy of Kṛṣṇa. Everything will be explained in the Seventh Chapter. So it is very difficult to get out of this energy. Practically we are seeing what we are. Our efforts are very teeny to conquer over the laws of the material nature.

It is simply waste of time. You cannot become happy by conquering over the material nature. Now science have discovered so many things. Just (as) the aeroplane from India. It would have taken months together to reach your country, but by aeroplane we can come here overnight. These advantage are there.

But along with these advantages, there are so many disadvantages. When you are on the plane on the sky, you know you are in the midst of desert . . . of danger. At any moment there can be crash. You may fall down on the sea, you may fall down anywhere. So it is not very safe. So similarly, any method we manufacture, we discover, to conquer over the laws of material nature, it is backed by another set of dangerous things. That is the law of nature.

So that is not the way to get out of this material pangs of life. The real way is to stop these four functions of my conditional life. The four functions of conditional life means birth, death, old age and disease. Actually, I am a spirit soul. That is explained in the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā, that the spirit soul is never born or is never dead. He continues his life even after the destruction of this particular type of body.

This body is only a flash, for some years only. But it will be finished. It is being finished by degrees. Just like I'm an old man of seventy-three years old. Suppose if I live eighty years or a hundred years, these seventy-three years I have already died. That is finished. Now a few years I may remain. So we are dying from the date of our birth. That is a fact.

So Bhagavad-gītā gives you the solution of these four problems. And Kṛṣṇa here is suggesting, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ (BG 7.1). If you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa and if you think of Kṛṣṇa always—your consciousness become always overwhelmed with Kṛṣṇa thoughts—then Kṛṣṇa says the result will be asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu: "Then you will understand Me perfectly, without any doubt."

Everyone is hankering after what is God, what is the nature of God. Somebody says there is no God, somebody says there is . . . God is dead. These are all doubts. But here Kṛṣṇa says asaṁśaya. You'll be doubtless. You'll feel, you'll know perfectly well that God is there, Kṛṣṇa is there. And He is the source of all energies. He is the primeval Lord. These things you will learn without any doubt.

The first thing is we do not make progress in transcendental knowledge on account of doubts, saṁśayaḥ. These doubts can be removed by culture of real knowledge, by real association, by following the real methods. The doubts can be removed. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness persons, they are not after will-o'-the-wisp, phantasmagoria. No. They're actually making progress to the concrete Supreme Personality of Godhead, as it is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29).

There is a planet which is called cintāmaṇi-dhāma, Goloka Vṛndāvana. So in that dhāma . . . as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mad dhāma. Dhāma means His abode. Kṛṣṇa says, "I have got an abode, particular." How we can deny? How is that abode? That is also described in Bhagavad-gītā and in many other Vedic literature. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (Bg 15.6).

Here, any dhāma, any planet you go . . . not by Sputniks, even by natural birth any planet you go—just like we have got in this planet—but we have to go back from this planet. You'll not be allowed to stay here. You are Americans, that's all right; but how long you shall remain American? These people, they do not understand it. You'll have to go back in some other planet, in some other place.

You cannot say: "No, I shall remain here. I have got my visa or my permanent citizenship." No. This will not allow you. One day death will come, "Please exit." "No, sir, I have got so much business." "No. Damn your business. Come on." You see? But if you go to Kṛṣṇaloka, Kṛṣṇa says, yad gatvā na nivartante, you haven't got to come back again. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6).

This is also Kṛṣṇa's dhāma, because everything belongs to God, Kṛṣṇa. Nobody's proprietor. This claim that, "This land, America, belongs to us, United States," this is false claim. It does not belong to you, nobody else. Just like some years ago, four hundred years ago, it belonged to the Indians, Red Indians, and some way or other, you have now occupied. Who can say that others will not come here and occupy? So this is all false claim. Actually, everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says that sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29): "I am the supreme proprietor, controller, of all planets." So everything belongs to Him.

But Kṛṣṇa says everything belongs to Him, so everything is His dhāma, His place, His abode. So why should we change here? But He says, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramam (BG 15.6).

Paramam means the supreme. In this dhāma also, they are Kṛṣṇa's dhāma, Kṛṣṇa's planets, but here it is not parama, the supreme. There are troubles, just like this birth, death, disease and old age. But if you return to Kṛṣṇa's personal abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana, cintāmaṇi-dhāma, then you get eternal life, blissful life, full of knowledge. And how that can be attained? Here it is, beginning . . . Kṛṣṇa says that mayy āsakta-manāḥ: simply you increase your attachment for Kṛṣṇa. Simply this method.

These, all these . . . we are chanting, we are hearing, we are dancing, we're enjoying. Why? Just to detach our life from all nonsense things and attach to Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to make your mind attached to something. But if you make your mind attached to something nonsense, then the same thing, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), birth, death, old age, disease. You have to suffer. You have to suffer. Your science, your material science, or nothing . . . no. Nobody can make any solution of these sufferings. But if you want real solution, permanent solution, permanent life, then you become attached to Kṛṣṇa. Simple method. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan. That is the perfect form of yoga.

All other yogas, they may help you to come to this platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But if you fail to come to this platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then all those troubles will be useless labor. That is not possible. If you take that slow process of yoga, it is not possible in this age. Not only in this age; five thousand years ago also.

This is not possible. You may do your gymnastic feats, but it will never be successful. This yoga process, as it is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa in the last chapter . . . this is Seventh Chapter. In the Sixth Chapter also, He has said the very thing that, yoginām api sarveṣām (BG 6.47): "The first-class yogī is he whose mind is always attached to Me, Kṛṣṇa."

So this is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Try to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply by practicing this, some way or other, you become attached to Kṛṣṇa. Some way. Yena tena prakāreṇa, any way. Just like if you love somebody, any way you try to get it . . . it is not very difficult. We know the tactics.

Even an animal, an animal, he knows how to get his things tactfully. The struggle for existence means that everyone is trying to get his objective, so many tactfully. So you also try. Instead of after this material will-o'-the-wisp, you some way tactfully try to capture Kṛṣṇa. That will make your life successful. Some way. Mayy ās . . .

yena tena prakāreṇa

manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet

sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur

etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ

(Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.2.4)

Now, there are so many in Kṛṣṇa consciousness process . . . this process, there are so many. I am just introducing one after another, little by little, but those who are practicing this Kṛṣṇa consciousness in India, there are so many rules and regulation. Somebody says that "Swāmījī is very conservative. He has got so many rules and regulation," but I have not even introduced one percent.

One percent. Because it is not possible to introduce all those rules and regulation in your country. My policy is following the footstep of Rūpa Gosvāmī. He said just somehow or other, let them become first of all attached to Kṛṣṇa. That is my policy. And rules and regulation, they will do it later on. First of all let him be attached to Kṛṣṇa.

So this is the yoga. Kṛṣṇa is explaining, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha. So try to be attached to Kṛṣṇa. And why shall you not be attached to Kṛṣṇa? So many nice things in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have got arts, we have got painting, we have got dancing, we have got music, we have got first-class food, we have got first-class dress, first-class health, everything first class.

It is only the foolish rascal that he'll not be attached to these first-class things. Everything. And it is easy, at the same time. What is the reason that one should not be attached to this process? The reason is that he's a first-class rascal. (laughter) That's all. I tell you frankly, let anyone come, argue with me whether he's not a first-class rascal by not accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I'll prove it.

So don't be first-class rascal. Become first-class intelligent man. As Caitanya-caritāmṛta author says, kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura. Anyone who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he's first-class intelligent man. So don't be first-class fool, but become first-class intelligent man. That is my request.

Thank you very much. (obeisances)

Any question?

The other day so many students came, now nobody. Because they want to remain the first-class rascal, that's all. That is . . . it is a fact. So unless one is very intelligent, they cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They want to be bluffed, cheated, in this way or that way. That's all. Plain thing, simple thing. And result is very great. They'll not agree to accept. Yes.

Viṣṇujana: There are so many stories of Lord Caitanya converting so many rascals. By just His presence, they would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. How can we get His mercy so that we can help the people around us to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: If you chant sincerely this mantra, everything will be clear. It is the clearing process. Even if you have got some rascal ideas, rascal association, it doesn't matter. Simply if you chant . . . you know practically, everyone, that this chanting process is the only method that will make people advanced. So this is the method, chanting and hearing. Hear the lectures from Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, try to understand, and chant, and follow the rules and regulation.

So rules and regulation later on. First of all, you try to hear and chant. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ . Anyone who hears Hare Kṛṣṇa, he becomes pious simply by hearing. He becomes purified. So at a stage, he will accept. But people think that "What is this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting?" You see? If you give them some bluff, kuṇḍalinī-yoga and all these humbugs, they'll be very much pleased. You see? So they want to be cheated. And some cheaters come, "Yes, you take this mantra, give me thirty-five dollars, and within six months you'll become God, you'll have four hands." (laughter)

So we want to be cheated. That is . . . cheating process is one of the item of conditional life. There are four defects of conditional life. One defect is that we commit mistake, and another defect is that we accept something which is not that. Just like commit mistake, that is not to be very difficult to understand. Every one of us know how we commit mistake, blunder. Even great men, they also commit blunder, you see. Just like there are so many instances amongst the politician, a little mistake or a blunder, great blunder . . . so mistake, "To err is human," mistake is there.

Similarly, accepting something as fact which is not fact. How it is? Just like everyone in the conditioned life, they think that, "This body is my self." But I'm not this. I'm not this body. So this is called illusion, pramāda. The best example is to accept a rope as a snake. Suppose in the darkness there is a rope like this, and you are . . . "Oh, here is a snake." This is the best example of illusion—accepting something which is not that. So this defect is there in conditioned life. And to make error and mistake, that defect is there.

And the third defect is that we want to cheat and we want to be cheated. We are also very expert. We are always thinking how I shall cheat somebody. And naturally, he's also thinking to cheat me. So the whole conditional life is the association of cheaters and cheated, that's all. So this is another defect. And the fourth defect is that our senses are imperfect. Therefore all knowledge that we receive, that is imperfect knowledge.

A man may speculate, but he may speculate with his mind. That's all. But his mind is imperfect. However he may speculate, he'll produce something nonsense, that's all. Because his mind is imperfect. It doesn't matter, that if you add thousands of zeros, it makes one. No. It is still zero. So this speculation process to understand the Supreme is nothing but zero.

Therefore with all these defects of our conditional life, it is not possible to come to the real life. Therefore we have to take it from personalities like Kṛṣṇa and His bona fide representative. That is real knowledge. Then you'll get perfection.

Devotee: Prabhupāda, what is the difference between an incarnation and an avatāra?

Prabhupāda: Avatāra is incarnation. Avatāra means . . . incarnation, in your dictionary, is "accepting some body"? Is that . . .? But avatāra . . . of course, there are different grades of avatāra. Avatāra means one who comes . . . the real word is avataraṇa descending.

Avatāra means who comes from a higher sphere, higher planet. They are not living entities of this world, this material world. They come from spiritual world. They are called avatāra. So these avatāra grades are different. There are śaktyāveśāvatāra, guṇāvatāra, līlāvatāra, yugāvatāra, so many.

So avatāra means one who comes directly from the spiritual world. And incarnation . . . of course, this avatāra is translated with the word incarnation, but I think real meaning of incarnation means "who accepts a body." Is it not? So that incarnation . . . everyone accepts a material body. But avatāra, there are avatāra of Viṣṇu and avatāra of devotees also. There are different grades of avatāra. You'll read it in the Teachings of Lord Caitanya, which is coming out. Yes.

Jaya-gopāla: In Chapter Four in Bhagavad-gītā As It Is it is said that Arjuna was present at the speaking of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god so many years ago. What position did he have there?

Prabhupāda: He was also present, but he has forgotten.

Jaya-gopāla: Which position did he have, if it wasn't spoken at the Battle of Kurukṣetra? Which position?

Prabhupāda: Arjuna was put into that position by the supreme will of the Lord. Unless . . . just like in the theatrical stage, both the father and the son, they are playing some part. The father is playing a king, and the son is playing another king; both are inimical. But actually they are playing as such.

Similarly, Arjuna is eternal friend of Kṛṣṇa. He cannot be in delusion. How he can be delusioned if Kṛṣṇa is his constant friend? But he was supposed to be in delusion so that he played the part of a conditioned soul, and Kṛṣṇa explained the whole thing. He played that ordinary person; therefore all his questions were just like ordinary man.

Unless . . . because the teachings of Gītā was lost. That is explained. So Kṛṣṇa wanted to deliver again the yoga system of Gītā. So somebody must ask. Just like you are asking, I'm answering. Similarly Arjuna, although he was not to be supposed in illusion, he placed himself as representative of this conditioned soul and he inquired so many things; the answers were given by Lord.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Prabhupāda, when I'm serving you sometimes I feel very nice, but then when I think of how bad and imperfect this service is, I feel terrible. Which is right to feel?

Prabhupāda: (chuckles) You feel terrible?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Why? When you feel terrible?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: When I see all the blunders I make, all the mistakes.

Prabhupāda: Sometimes . . . this is nice. To accept the blunders—even there is no blunder—this is the symptom of sincere service. Just like a father is very beloved to his son or the son is very beloved to the father. A little ailments of the son, the father is thinking, "Oh, my son my die. I may be separated." It is the sign of intense love. Not always that the son is dying immediately, you see, but he's thinking like that. Separation. You see?

So that is good sign. We should not think that we are doing very nicely. We should always think that, "I am unable." This is not bad. We should never think that, "I am perfect." Because the māyā is so strong, as soon as you are little confident, immediately there is attack. You see? In a diseased condition . . .

Just like one who takes very precautionary method, there is little chance of relapse. So this is not bad. We should always think like that, that "Maybe I am not doing nicely." But as far as it is in our power, let us execute our business nicely, but we should never think that it is very perfect. That is nice.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If māyā takes a hold on one, what is the quickest way to go back to Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Oh, that Kṛṣṇa, that Kṛṣṇa . . . simply whenever there is māyā's attraction, just pray to Kṛṣṇa, "Please save me. Please save me." This is the only way. And He'll save you. We are in the māyā's kingdom, so māyā is strong very, here. But if we catch Kṛṣṇa very strongly, māyā cannot do anything. Yes. That we should be fixed up in catching Kṛṣṇa very tightly. Then there is no falldown. Yes.

Devotee: Prabhupāda, when we're out on saṅkīrtana, chanting, what would be the best way for us to engage the crowd to become participants in the chant with us? What would be the best way of . . .

Prabhupāda: Best way, you go on chanting. Your business is not to, I mean to say, satisfy the crowd. Your business is satisfy Kṛṣṇa, and then crowd will be automatically satisfied. We are not going to please the crowd. We are going to give them something: Kṛṣṇa. So you should be very much careful whether you are delivering Kṛṣṇa in the right way. Then they'll be satisfied.

Your only business should be to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Then everything will be satisfied. Tasmin tuṣṭe jagat tuṣṭa. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied, then whole world is satisfied. If you pour water on the root, then it is automatically distributed in every parts of the tree. So Kṛṣṇa is the big tree, root of the big tree, and you take to watering Kṛṣṇa, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and follow the rules and regulation, everything will be all right.

Now, yes, any questions?

Jaya-gopāla: Is taking prasādam one of the exchanges of love, where we accept food from a lover?

Prabhupāda: Yes. You offer and you take. Dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca (Upadeśāmṛta 4). You disclose your mind to Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa will give you direction also. You see? You offer Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa, You have given us so many nice things. So You first of all taste. Then we shall take." Kṛṣṇa will be pleased. Yes. That's all. Kṛṣṇa eats, and Kṛṣṇa puts again in the same way. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). We are offering Kṛṣṇa, that does not mean that Kṛṣṇa . . . Kṛṣṇa is eating, but Kṛṣṇa is so full, complete, that He's leaving the whole thing complete.

So people do not even understand these things, that we are not loser by offering Kṛṣṇa. We become gainer only. Gainer only. You decorate Kṛṣṇa nicely; you see. Then your desire for seeing beautiful thing will be satisfied. You no more will be attracted by the so-called beauties of the world. You keep Kṛṣṇa in comfortable state, you'll be placed in comfortable state.

You offer Kṛṣṇa nice foodstuff, you'll eat it. So just like if I decorate my face, I cannot see how it is beautiful, but if I bring one mirror before me, the reflection of my face is beautiful. Similarly, you are reflection of Kṛṣṇa. Man is made after God. So if you make happy Kṛṣṇa, then you'll see that your reflection, you are happy.

Kṛṣṇa does not require your service to become happy. He is complete in Himself. But if you try to supply . . . make happy Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be happy. This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So try to decorate nicely Kṛṣṇa, try to give all foodstuff to Kṛṣṇa, try to keep Kṛṣṇa in all comfortable position. In this way you will reciprocate all the things that you offer to Him. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

All right. Chant. (devotees offer obeisances)

The disease is that . . . material disease is just like the tail of the dog. You see? The dog's tail is like this. And however oil it and try to make it straight, it comes like this. (laughter) (chuckles) You see? So these people, they want material enjoyment. "If Swāmījī can offer us material enjoyment cheaply by some mantra," they'll come. You see. And "When Swāmījī says: 'This is all rascaldom; come to Kṛṣṇa,' this is not good. This is not good."

Because he wants to keep the tail like this. However apply ointment, it comes like this. (laughter) This is the disease. They want material things. That's all. "If by mantra, if by some tricks, we can enhance our material enjoyment, oh, it is very nice. Let us take some drug and become in the fools' paradise and think, 'Oh, I am in the spiritual world.' " They want like this. They want to remain in fools' paradise. But when we offer real paradise, they reject.

All right. Chant.

(kīrtana) (prema-dhvani) Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances)

Lady devotee: Prabhupāda? That rose grew out on one of our rose bushes outside.

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Lady devotee: That grew on a bush outside in our yard.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. Very nice. (break) (end)