751026 - Lecture SB 03.28.17 - Nairobi

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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751026SB-NAIROBI - October 26, 1975 - 26:09 Minutes

Harikeśa: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (devotees repeat) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Canto Three, Chapter Twenty-eight, verse seventeen. (leads chanting of verse, etc.)

apīcya-darśanaṁ śaśvat

sarva-loka-namaskṛtam

santaṁ vayasi kaiśore

bhṛtyānugraha-kātaram

(SB 3.28.17)

apīcya—darśanaṁ—very beautiful to see; śaśvat—eternal; sarva-loka—by all the inhabitants of every planet; namaḥ kṛtam—worshipable; santaṁ—situated; vayasi—in youth; kaiśore—in boyhood; bhṛtya—upon His devotee; anugraha—to bestow blessings; kātaram—eager.

Translation: "The Lord is eternally very beautiful, and He is worshipable by all the inhabitants of every planet. He is ever-youthful and always eager to bestow His blessing upon His devotees."

Prabhupāda:

apīcya-darśanaṁ śaśvat

sarva-loka-namaskṛtam

santaṁ vayasi kaiśore

bhṛtyānugraha-kātaram

(SB 3.28.17)

This word is very important, bhṛtyānugraha-kātaram. Anugraha. Anugraha means favor. Just like the father wants to favor the son always. Father wants that, "My son may become very fit, competent, to take all my favors." This is father's wish. Every father, even in this material world, if father is very big man, great man, he wants that, "My son also, let him become bigger than me." Is it not, practical? So if God, Kṛṣṇa, is the original father . . . ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4), Kṛṣṇa says. It is not concoction or contemplation. No. It is the fact. Kṛṣṇa says:

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya

sambhavanti mūrtayo-yāḥ

tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma

ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

(BG 14.4)

"I am the seed-giving father of all living entities." It doesn't matter in different forms. He does not say that "I am the father only of the white, not of the black." He never says. He has no such distinction: white, black, European, American, or poor, rich, bird, beast, human being. No. He does not make any discrimination. He is always ready to bestow favor as the original father. That is God.

Therefore this very word, bhṛtyānugraha-kātaram: "How this rascal will give up this material job and come to Me and take all My favors?" This is God's desire. And we are so obstinate, we want to take some favor from this minister, that minister, this person, that person this . . . failure. Kṛṣṇa says, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 5.29): "I am friend of everyone." And here is the word, bhṛtyānugraha-kātaram. And He's very, very eager to give all His favors, and still people are not becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. Just see how rascal they are. So we say, anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is a rascal. Is he not a rascal? He is claiming that, "I am the seed-giving father of everyone," sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4), "in all species of life." He does not make any discrimination, that "I am the seed-giving father of this class of men or this species of men or for the human being." No. He says sarva-yoniṣu. Yoni means the form, just like you have got your different forms. But that form doesn't matter. Form is external. But the internal is the same spirit soul. Therefore you are seeing now a new thing in the history of the world, that the Africans and Indians and the Americans and the Europeans are dancing—"Hare Kṛṣṇa." Just understand. Don't be rascal and fools, that you do not understand what is the potency of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. If you become so rascal and fool, if you do not understand, then you are animal. Here is a practical example. How it has become possible that the white Americans, Europeans, and other colors and the black African, they have forgotten everything? When they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and dance, do they remember that "I am African," "I am American," "I am Indian"? No. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. (devotee laughs) (aside) Why you are laughing? It is so important thing. So this is brahma-bhūtaḥ stage.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

na śocati na kāṅkṣati

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu

mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām

(BG 18.54)

This is brahma-bhūtaḥ stage practical, not that, "I am Brahman. I am the same God." These rascals have spoiled the whole thing. Here is brahma-bhūtaḥ stage, when you forget your material identification and you become one in connection with Kṛṣṇa that, "We are all devotees, servants of Kṛṣṇa. Let us enjoy, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and dance." This is brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Not that artificially smoking cigarette and he has become brahma-bhūtaḥ. He is cigarette-bhūtaḥ. Bhūtaḥ and cigarette smoker. How he is brahma-bhūtaḥ? These rascals say like that, table talks, "I am Brahman." Brahman. Doing all nonsense, and he has become Brahman. Brahman he is. Everyone is Brahman, but there is no realization, neither they do know the method of realization. Brahman . . . everyone is Brahman, there is no doubt about it. Because we are all minute part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, therefore if Kṛṣṇa is Brahman, Para-brahman, we are also minute particle of Brahman. There is no doubt about it. Gold . . . gold mine, big gold, and a small particle of gold, they are qualitatively one—gold. But the gold mine is different from the gold particle. These rascals, they do not understand it. The gold particle is claiming to become the gold mine.

This is Māyāvāda. And they are making people atheist, so 'ham. So 'ham, it is Vedic version. That is all right: "What is God, I am also the same thing." But not . . . "The same thing" does not mean that as God is powerful, I am also powerful. No. You are qualitatively the same thing. That's all right. But if you claim quantitatively that you are the same powerful as Kṛṣṇa, then you are mistaken. Kṛṣṇa can lift, when He is seven-years-old boy, the whole mountain. And a seven-years boy, when he is here, he cannot even seven kilo. So you cannot compare with Kṛṣṇa potencies your potency. But as Kṛṣṇa . . . when you are out of this material conception of life, bodily concept of life, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170), when you become purified by giving up these all designation.

Designation . . . what is that designation? "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am African," "I am Indian," "I am European," "I am woman," "I am man," so many designations. So you have to give up these designation. You have to give up these designation. "Then, if I'll not remain African, then I'll become Indian?" No. That is also designation. "I am Hindu. I become Muslim?" No, that is also designation. You have to become purified. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). All kinds of designations. (child making noise) (aside:) This child may be . . . all kind of designations. You have to give up this designation that, "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am African." No. No designation. Simply become pure Brahman. Then ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi, not that, "I remain a Christian," "I remain a Hindu," "I remain black," "I am white," and "I am Brahman." No, not that. You have to give up your designation.

That requires practice. And that practice means this paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. Simply by chanting, you'll be purified. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And the beginning will be ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, because we have got our heart . . . everyone—we are living entity—we have got heart that is full with dirty things. That dirty things is "I am this," "I am that," "I am that," "I am that," that dirty things. So we have to cleanse these dirty things, that "I am European," "I am American," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am this," "I am that." These are all dirty things. You have to simply think, "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." Jīvera 'svarūpa' haya-nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108-109). When you think like that, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," then all these dirty things will automatically vanish.

That is brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). As soon as you become realized soul, that "My position is that I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa . . ." I am nobody's servant. But if one becomes Kṛṣṇa's servant, he becomes everyone's servant. That is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why you are trying to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world? Because we have accepted this principle that, "I am Kṛṣṇa's servant. Kṛṣṇa wants to deliver these rascals from this misconception of life, so let me do something for Kṛṣṇa." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And if you are servant of Kṛṣṇa, if you actually realize, then you have to do something on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, what Kṛṣṇa wants. The first-class servant is he when he serves the master without asking for it. If he understands that, "Master is now in need of this thing," if he brings it, oh, first-class servant. He's first-class servant, because he knows the master wants it.

So Kṛṣṇa wanted, as Kṛṣṇa that, "All these rascals may give up their so foolish engagements and surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). That was Kṛṣṇa's last word in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa wants this, that "These rascals they are suffering in this material condition of life, three miserable condition, and still, they are so rascal, they do not come to their senses. Still, they want to remain servant of māyā. So let Me directly say: 'You rascal, give up all this engagement. Surrender unto Me.' " That is Kṛṣṇa. But they will not do it. "Why shall I surrender to You? I have got so many things. I have got my nation, I have got my family, I have got my this, I have got . . . why shall I surrender to You, give up everything?" Such a rascal. Cannot be convinced any way. Whole world is servant of somebody, but he declines to become servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is the disease, material disease. He will remain servant of thousands and millions of establishment and person, but he will disagree. As soon as Kṛṣṇa says that, "You give up. You become My servant," "No, no. Why can I? Why shall I do it?" This is materialist.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa came as Kṛṣṇa's servant. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa caitanya-nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ. Namo mahā-vadānyāya kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te (CC Madhya 19.53). Rūpa Gosvāmī understood. When he first saw Caitanya Mahāprabhu he offered his respect in this way, namo mahā-vadānyāya: "the most munificent, charitably disposed incarnation." Why? Kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te: "People cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, but You are so merciful, You are giving direct love of Kṛṣṇa." When there is question of love? Unless I understand you fully, what kind of man you are, what is your position; you also understand, when we find of the same category or same . . . then there is question of love.

So people do not understand what is Kṛṣṇa. How they will love Kṛṣṇa? It is not possible. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Out of many, many millions of person, somebody may try to become perfect. They do not know how to become perfect. They remain cats and dogs, simply engaged in eating, sleeping, mating and defending. That's all. They are cats and dogs. They are not human being. What is the difference between cats and dogs and human being? Human being is also interested . . . so long this body is there, we are interested in eating, sleeping, mating or de . . . but that is not our main business. Our main business is how to understand God and love Him. That is our main business.

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo

yato bhaktir adhokṣaje

ahaituky apratihatā

yenātmā samprasīdati

(SB 1.2.6)

This is the business. We are Hindu, Muslim, Christian, this, that. They are all third-class, cheating religion. What is real religion? That is religion which teaches how to love God. That is religion. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. That is first-class religion. It doesn't matter whether it is Hindu religion, Muslim religion or Christian religion. If it teaches how to become lover of God, then it is first class. And what for this love? Ahaituki: "without any cause." People love somebody else to get some return. No. Ahaituki: without any expectation of return. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūṇyam (Brs. 1.1.11).

Just like these European, American or African boys. They have joined this Kṛṣṇa con . . . they have not come here for some material profit. No. They have not come here. Others may come. You can say: "The Africans are poor. They have come." No. Nobody has come for material profit. What about the Europeans, Americans? They are not poor. They have got enough money. Why they are after Kṛṣṇa consciousness, after me? I am not rich man. No. That is called ahaituki, "Without any motive." Nobody. "Kṛṣṇa is my lovable, worshipable. I shall worship Kṛṣṇa." This is wanted. Ahaituky apratihatā. And if you have got this intention that, "Kṛṣṇa is my Lord. I must love Kṛṣṇa. I must learn how to love Him," then apratihatā—no material condition can check it. Either you become American or African, black and white or this or that, nothing can check you. You can go on—if it is motiveless. This is wanted.

So I am very glad that you are trying to capture what is real Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And this is the only process. Think always . . . man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām (BG 18.65). Think always, "Kṛṣṇa is my Lord." That is thinking. This thinking should be always. It doesn't cost anything. If you think, "Here is Kṛṣṇa. He is my Lord," what does it cost? And where is the loss? There is no loss, but the gain is enormous if you simply think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. And who will engage his mind in Kṛṣṇa unless he is a devotee? How you become devotee? Śravanaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda . . . (SB 7.5.23). This śravanaṁ kīrtanam. Simply hear about Kṛṣṇa, chant about Kṛṣṇa, then you become automatically. You don't require any education. Simply sit down and hear about Kṛṣṇa, śravanaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Not other subject matter. Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If you do not understand, if you simply hear the chanting, you become pious. You become pious.

So this is the simplest method how to make life sublime and superb, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And here it is said that apīcya-darśanaṁ śaśvat sarva-loka-namaskṛtam. Sarva-loka-namaskṛtam. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is worshipable by the devotees. He is worshipable by the nondevotees also. But how the nondevotees are worship . . . how Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by the nondevotees? They do not want to worship Kṛṣṇa. How he makes . . .? He doesn't want, that's all right. But nature will oblige him to worship. How he can escape the laws of nature? Kṛṣṇa will come before you as death, and you have to worship Him. Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). If you do not take advantage of worshiping Kṛṣṇa within your lifetime, Kṛṣṇa will come, just like Nṛsiṁha-deva came to Hiraṇyakaśipu: "You rascal, now do you think that you are independent? Do you think?" Immediately finished, within a second.

So if you don't worship Kṛṣṇa during your lifetime, then you have to worship at the time of your death, and He will take away all your possession. Therefore He is worshipable by everyone—devotee and nondevotee. The devotee take advantage of this life and worship Him, and the rascal, fools, demons, they are forced to worship Kṛṣṇa at the time of death. Therefore it is called sarva-loka-namaskṛtam. You have to worship Him. You cannot escape, you rascal. If you escape, then the time will come—He will take you, He'll take everything, all your possession, and the nature will give you the body of a dog. Just go on barking for so many years. This is the law of nature. You cannot stop it. It is not possible. You better take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and worship as sane man, as nice gentleman. Then your life is successful.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: All glories . . . (break) (end)