710709 - Lecture Wedding of Prabhavati and Hari-nama - Los Angeles

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710709WE-LOS_ANGELES - July 09, 1971 - 11:37 Minutes

Prabhupāda: So you are now married, and you happily go on with Kṛṣṇa consciousness and have Kṛṣṇa conscious children. If you cannot produce Kṛṣṇa conscious children, then don't indulge in sex life, don't bring in cats and dogs. All Kṛṣṇa conscious. And if you can bring Kṛṣṇa conscious children, you produce one hundred children.

Vedic śāstra, the Vedic, I mean, scripture, we find that Kṛṣṇa is supporting all living entities: eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). What is God and what is living entities? That difference is there in the Vedas: nityo nityānām cetanaś cetanānām. He is the chief amongst the living entities. There are eka.

He is the one, single, and we are many millions and trillions, unlimited—there is no counting how many living entities are there. But He is maintaining everyone, eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. So there is no question of population . . . increase of population. This is a nonsense theory. Kṛṣṇa can feed any number of population, but when they are rascals there is trouble.

You can understand it very easily. Just like if you are a nice citizen, so there is no restriction of your activities. But as soon as you become criminal, oh, immediately there is trouble. So at the present moment we are all criminals, therefore there is so much crisis in the world. But if we live simple life, there is no crisis. If we abide by the laws of God, there is no question of poverty or distress or famine or disease—nothing. There is nothing.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is aiming to that perfectional stage of human society, that everyone will live happily during this life, and after this body he goes directly to Kṛṣṇa, That's all.

Devotees: Hare Kṛṣṇa!

Prabhupāda: This is our program. So don't miss this opportunity. Now next, Hari-nāma. No guardian present?

Devotee: No.

Prabhupāda: So, all right. So any. You can. You can . . .

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hari-nāma, this is my Godsister Prabhāvatī, and I give her to you in charity because she is my sister, and I ask you that you must take very good care of her and always protect her. Do you accept her in charity?

Hari-nāma: I accept Prabhāvatī as my wife, and I will protect her . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the . . .

Hari-nāma: . . . help her in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Prabhupāda: The whole idea is that woman require protection. They are very innocent, weaker sex. They should not be given freedom. No. That is not . . . very dangerous. Just like a child cannot be given freedom. It is dangerous. If I give one child freedom, "Alright, you cross this road," that means his life is at risk. Similarly women, they are weaker sex.

Artificially don't try to become one with man, that is not possible. That is not possible. Better to remain protected by man. In the childhood a girl is protected by the father, in youth she is protected by the husband and in the old-age she is protected by the elderly sons. This is the three stages of woman. There is no fourth stage. That is nice.

So this system—the husband taking charge of the young girl, husband and wife in Kṛṣṇa consciousness—it is very nice life. Introduce this. Everyone will be happy. There will be no unhappiness in the society. So I am very glad that Hari-nāma, a Kṛṣṇa conscious boy, is taking charge of you, and you also promise that "I shall serve you throughout my whole life." Say like that.

Prabhāvatī: I promise to serve Hari-nāma for my whole life.

Prabhupāda: Ah. And there is no question of separation in any condition of life. Not that, "Oh, the husband is a little poor. I am giving . . . give him up." No. There is no question. In any condition of life you should remain together. Even if you have to live underneath a tree, don't be separated—you'll be happy. And chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Dīkṣā means . . . dī means divyā. Divyā means "transcendental." And kṣa, kṣapayati—kṣapayati means "explains" or "reveals," or "becomes enlightened." So dīkṣā means beginning of enlightenment, transcendental enlightenment. Dīkṣā. And initiation is beginning. That you know.

So, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). In the Vedic injunction it is stated that in order to learn that transcendental science one must approach a guru, or the spiritual master. Without approaching a spiritual master there is no possibility of attaining transcendental knowledge. So dīkṣā, divyaṁ jñānaṁ kṣapayati—the beginning.

So those who are being initiated today, they should learn how to make advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Ādau gurvāśrayam (Brs 1.1.74). In the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement the first thing is to accept a bona fide spiritual master.

In any science, if you want to advance in that science, you have to accept a bona fide teacher, without which, in any field of knowledge, you cannot make any advance. Especially in the transcendental science one has . . . ādau gurvāśrayam. Ādau means in the beginning; gurvāśrayam—accepting a bona fide spiritual master. Sad-dharma-pṛcchā (Brs 1.1.74).

Then simply by accepting formally a spiritual master is no use. One must be very inquisitive. One must enquire about the transcendental science. The student who is inquisitive for transcendental science, he should accept a spiritual master. A spiritual master is not accepted for any material gain.

But for material gain you have got so many universities, colleges, schools—that's all right. But for spiritual gain you must accept a spiritual master who is in the disciplic succession and self-realized soul. Then your path is clear. To accept a spiritual master—bona fide spiritual master—and follow his instructions means your path to liberation is open.

In many places of the authoritative scripture these things are stated. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes (SB 5.5.2). Vimukteḥ. Vimukteḥ means liberation from this material bondage. If anyone wants liberation from the material bondage . . . unfortunately, we do not know what is material bondage. They are so much callous that we have no knowledge. The material bondage is birth, death, old age and disease. This is called material bondage.

We want freedom—that is our natural inclination. Every one of us wants freedom. But freedom from what? This so-called freedom has no meaning. Real freedom is when you are free from the nature's law, which is forcing you to take birth, which is forcing you to die, which is forcing you to become diseased and which is forcing you to become old. So if one wants freedom . . . (end)