760502 - Lecture Festival Installation, Sri Sri Kaliya Krsna - Lautoka, Fiji

Lectures by Date, 1976

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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760502DI.FIJ - May 02, 1976 - 12.53 Minutes

Prabhupāda:

oṁ 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

So, Ladies and Gentlemen, today is very auspicious day that in your country, beautiful land, Fiji, we are now going to establish a temple of Kāliya-Rāmana, Kṛṣṇa. Of course, the Deities Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and Guru-Gaurāṅga also will be there. There will be three compartments, in the fashion of our Vṛndāvana temple. And I thank you very much for your encouraging association in this matter.

It is said,

śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-

śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau

yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(Gurvastaka 3)

Guru is . . . there are so many other things, guru's qualification. There are eight verses in the prayer of guru. The first verse is,

saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-

trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam

prāptasya kalyāṇa-guṇārṇavasya

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(Gurvastaka 1)

Guru's first business is to deliver the suffering humanity from the forest fire of this material existence. This material existence is compared with forest fire. You know there is fire in the forest. Big forest, nobody goes there to set fire, but automatically there is fire. Therefore this material existence has been compared with the forest fire. Here everyone wants to become happy, but there is fire. Even if we do not want, there is fire, miseries, because this place, this material world, is place for suffering. It is confirmed by Kṛṣṇa Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). This place is for suffering. But under the spell of māyā, sufferings we have taken as happiness or enjoying. This is called māyā. Actually there is no enjoyment here. Where is enjoyment? When we have to die, then where is the question of enjoyment? Does anyone want to die? No. Nobody wants to die. If there is some danger immediately, immediately we shall flee away. That is death. Nobody wants to die. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā the four principles of unhappiness is described by the Supreme Lord, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Those who are intelligent, they will see four principles of major suffering. What is that? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: to take birth, to die, and to suffer from disease and to become old. So, so long you have got this material body, you have to suffer. Now, under the spell of māyā you can accept suffering as enjoyment. That is your business, but it is suffering.

So therefore, guru's business is to deliver the disciple from the suffering condition. Saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam (Gurvastaka 1). So one who has got this mercy from the Supreme Lord, and he can deliver his guru. So guru's, out of many other businesses, one business is śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā (Gurvastaka 3): to establish temple for regularly worshiping the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā. And to worship the Deity very nicely, to decorate, to dress, to cleanse the temple, to offer nice foodstuff, distribute prasādam, these are the activities of the temple. Unfortunately, people are in so much ignorance that they have forgotten everything. They're living like cats and dogs, animals. So this is a great opportunity that you are going to open a nice temple here. So not only open temple, but you take part yourself - how to decorate the Deity, how to cleanse the temple, how to offer nice prasādam, how to distribute prasādam, how to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

mahāprabhoḥ kīrtana-nṛtya-gīta-

vāditra-madyan-manaso rasena

romāñca-kampāśru-taraṅga-bhājo

vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam

(Gurvastaka 1)

So the opportunity has come by the endeavor of our Mr. Punja. He's to be known as Vāsudeva dāsa henceforward. His wife, Bhagavati, and his brother, Bhūvana-mohana. So my request is, I . . . of course, I am traveling all over the world. It may not be possible for me to see you very frequently. But I expect to come again and again. But I entrust the matter to you all. I'll send help also as far as possible. Now you have to take care of your own business, this temple, and always remember that according to your capacity you can serve the Lord. It is not that one who is worshiping the Deity, decorating the Deity, offering ārati, he's in better position than the person who is cleansing the temple. Both of them equal. In the spiritual world there is no such distinction. Absolute. As here there is distinction between higher grade and lower grade service, in the spiritual world there is no such thing. Everything is spiritual service. So that you will realize one after another.

Now, only request is that you take very active part in this temple business, especially in the matter of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇu (SB 7.5.23-24). Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. We have got so many books, fifty-two books, four hundred pages each. If you simply finish this reading and hearing of these book perhaps your whole lifetime will be engaged. So kindly do this. Everyone come hear what is spoken about Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-kathā. Kṛṣṇa-kathā means words or narration or description about Kṛṣṇa. There are two kṛṣṇa-kathās, especially. One is the Śrīmad-Bhāga . . . Bhagavad-gītā, the kathā, the words which is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. This is kṛṣṇa-kathā. And another is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is spoken about Kṛṣṇa. That is also kṛṣṇa-kathā. So kṛṣṇa-kathā, the temple should be always filled up with kṛṣṇa-kathā and distribution of Kṛṣṇa prasādam. In this way develop your Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be happy in this world and in the next. It is compulsory. You cannot avoid kṛṣṇa-kathā. If you avoid, then you are putting yourself in dangerous cycle of birth and death. It is not fiction or whims; it is compulsory, imperative. Everyone should become Kṛṣṇa conscious. If he does not become, then he's risking his life.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for saving all members of the human society without any distinction. There is no such question, Hindus, Muslim, Christian, or . . . no. Everyone can join, even one is born in low-grade family. That is Kṛṣṇa's order. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32). Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇaḥ punyā bhaktā rājarśayas tathā (BG 9.33). Even one is born in low-grade family, he has got the facility of joining this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and everyone has the, I mean, capability to understand it, every human being. Otherwise how in the Western world, all these boys and girls who have joined, ten thousand in number? So they are coming from different family, but they have taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness so seriously. So if you yourself become serious and distribute this Kṛṣṇa consciousness knowledge, the inhabitants of this island, Fiji island, they will be also benefited, and they will be also delivered. We have no such distinction. But everything must be done under proper direction and under the rules and regulation. So try to carry out and construct the temple very nicely and enjoy spiritual consciousness.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! (applause) (end)