750307 - Lecture SB Q&A - New York

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

750307SB-NEW YORK - March 07, 1975 - 11:21 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . birth in a very nice, pure brāhmaṇa family or very rich family. So this is the profit. You begin immediately devotional life. You can finish this devotional life within this life. There is no difficulty. Simply go on chanting. But even if you cannot finish, then you have to take a birth, then the Kṛṣṇa gives you opportunity to take a birth in a very nice, pure brāhmaṇa family or very rich family. In pure brāhmaṇa family means you get immediately the opportunity of . . . just like in our Society, the children, from the very beginning of life, they are getting opportunity how to think of Kṛṣṇa, how to offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa, how to chant. This is the process. So from the very beginning of life all the children of our devotees, they are getting this opportunity. That is called śucīnām, very pure family. Pure means God consciousness. Or, if he is not so complete, then he is given the chance of being born in a very rich family. Rich family means there is no question of economic problem. He is full, born with silver spoon. So without endeavoring for his livelihood—he has already everything—he can simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But there is no guidance. He thinks, "I have got this money for nothing. Let me enjoy for sense gratification." That is the difficulty. He is in bad association. Otherwise, he has got the best opportunity. Just like you. You are Americans. You have no scarcity. You have got this opportunity. So you chant this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously, and your life will be successful. Because you have no problem. Naturally you have got everything. So take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and be happy in this life and next life.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Indian woman: May I ask one question, please? In the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavata, chapter starting twenty-ninth to thirty-five, there is a beautiful description of this rāsa-līlā, and some scholars think that there is some role of imagination in that. So will you please comment upon this?

Prabhupāda: Because they are rascals. We are not commenting on rascals. (laughter)

Devotee: Jaya Prabhupada.

Prabhupāda: Why do you jump to rāsa-līlā? That is another rascaldom. Bhāgavata, there is twelve cantos. And this rāsa-līlā is described in the thirty-fifth chapter of Tenth Canto. So why you jump there?

Indian woman: Because I got all the stages of bhakti in Bengal Vaiṣṇavism.

Prabhupāda: No, Bengal Vaiṣṇava is not foolishism. You have . . . first of all you have to understand Kṛṣṇa, then go to understand what is Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā. You do not understand Kṛṣṇa. Why you jump over His activities?

Indian woman: Well, I was given that work to do for research.

Prabhupāda: So some foolish man has given you like that. (laughter) Yes. You should ask him that "You, Mr. Rascal, (laughter) why you have given, 'Jump over to here'? Why not other things?" That Kṛṣṇa, to understand Kṛṣṇa, the Bhāgavata begins, athāto brahma jijñāsā, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ . . . (SB 1.1.1). You know Sanskrit, I think.

Indian woman: Yes, I know.

Prabhupāda: So, do you understand this verse?

Indian woman: But this is from first verse from Brahma-sūtra, right?

Prabhupāda: No, no, Brahma-sūtra, and first verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Do you understand this Bhāgavatam, this śloka?

Indian woman: Not that well.

Prabhupāda: Then why do you jump over there? Education means from the beginning. Suppose a small child, he wants to be educated, he immediately goes to the M.A. class? Or he learns A-B-C-D? Therefore those who have given you this task, they are not realized souls. All fools and rascals.

Indian woman: (giggles) Thank you very much.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes. First of all you understand, "Two plus two equal to four." Then you go to higher mathematics. And all of a sudden higher mathematics? What is this? Is that very good intelligence? You have questioned already. Anyway, what is that?

Devotee (1): In Bhagavad-gītā when it states that "Supersoul," in American terms is this known as your astral body?

Prabhupāda: Astral body means mind, intelligence, ego. This is astral body. And Supersoul is soul, Supreme Soul. Hmm?

Devotee (2): Would you say something about the mercy of Lord Caitanya's saṅkīrtana movement?

Prabhupāda: Yes. He says, paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam (CC Antya 20.12). So you follow His advice and you will get . . . become victorious. (to lady) So I will advise you not to make research in that way. (laughter)

Indian woman: Well, I got my degree doing that research.

Prabhupāda: Yes, that degree is there. (laughter)

Indian woman: So Lord Kṛṣṇa still helped me, you know, whether I was right or wrong.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Indian woman: I still got His grace and help.

Prabhupāda: Well, when you go to the fire, the heat is there. (laughter) But the temperature may be different. Anyway, some way or other, if you go to the heat, fire, you'll get some heat. But that temperature may be different. Yes. Hmm?

Devotee (3): How can one rid oneself of sex desire if one continues to chant, continuously chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and is still being plagued by desire for sex?

Prabhupāda: If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa seriously . . . the examples are there. Therefore Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and some envious person engaged some very beautiful prostitute to drag him. But she failed. Chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is so strong. At mid of night beautiful prostitute, young, she went to entice him. But Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "That's all right. Your proposal is very nice. Please sit down. Let me finish my rounds." (laughter) So she sat down, and morning . . . there was morning. So Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "My dear girl, I am very sorry. I could not finish. So this night we shall finish." In this way, after three nights, the prostitute fell down on his feets, "Sir, I came with this purpose. I was induced by such-and-such person. So I am offender. Please excuse me and give me your favor." So Haridāsa said, "Yes, I knew that. But because you came to me, I wanted to do something good for you. And therefore I stayed here for three nights just to convert you. Now you are so lucky. So whatever you have got, you distribute it to the brāhmaṇas, and you take one cloth and sit down here before the tulasī tree and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, that's all." Hmm?

Mahāmāyā: Śrīla Prabhupāda, is Kṛṣṇa in our heart, in the heart of the body and in the heart of the spirit soul?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Mahāmāyā: In His two-handed form and in His four-handed form, is He in our heart?

Prabhupāda: In the heart you are also there. In the medical science the every energy is coming from the heart. Heart fails, then that means the spirit is not there. Heart fail means the spirit soul and the Supersoul goes away. That is heart fail.

Devotee (4): Prabhupāda, what does it mean "to chant seriously"? How can you chant seriously?

Prabhupāda: Without offense. You know there are ten kinds of offense? That's all right. Thank you.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)