690417 - Lecture - New York

Lectures by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

690417LE-NEW YORK - April 17, 1969 - 11:11 Minutes

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. Everything all right?

Devotees: Jaya.

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (chuckles)

Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra).

Govinda ādi-puruṣa is known as Hari. Hari means "who takes away all your miseries." That is Hari. Harā. Harā means taking away. Harate. So just like thief also takes away, but he takes away the valuable things, material consideration, sometimes Kṛṣṇa also takes away your material valuables just to show you special favor, yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ (SB 10.88.8).

Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja inquired from Kṛṣṇa that, "We are supposed to be very pious. My brothers are great warriors, my wife is exactly the goddess of fortune, and above all, You are our personal friend. So how is this that we have lost everything? (chuckling)

We have lost our kingdom, we have lost our wife, we have lost our honor—everything." So in reply to this, Kṛṣṇa said, yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ: "My first favor is that I take away all riches of My devotee."

Therefore people are not very much enthusiastic to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. (laughter) But He does it. Just like the Pāṇḍavas were, in the beginning, put into difficulty, but later on they became the most exalted personalities throughout the whole history. That is Kṛṣṇa's favor. In the beginning, He may do like that because we have got attachment for our material acquisitions.

So that is my personal experience. In the beginning, when my Guru Mahārāja ordered me, I thought it that, "I shall first of all become very rich man; then I shall preach." (laughs) So I was doing very nice in business. In the business circle, I got very good name, and with whom I was dealing business, they were very satisfied. But Kṛṣṇa made so trick that He broke everything, and He obliged me to take sannyāsa. So that is Hari. So that I had to come to your country with only seven dollars.

So they are criticizing, "The Swāmī came here with no money. Now he's so opulent." (chuckles) So they are taking the back side, black side, you see? But the thing is . . . of course, I have become profited, profitable, or I have acquired profit. I left my home, my children and everything. I came here as a pauper, with seven dollars. That is no money. But I have got now big properties, hundreds of children. (laughter) And I haven't got to think for their provision; they are thinking of me. So that is Kṛṣṇa's favor.

In the beginning, it appears to be very bitter. When I took sannyāsa, when I was living alone, I was feeling very bitter. I, sometimes I was thinking, "Whether I have done wrong by accepting?" So when I was publishing this Back to Godhead from Delhi, one day one bull thrashed me, and I fell down on the footpath and I got severe injury. I was alone. So I was thinking, "What is this?" So I had many days of very tribulations, but it was all meant for good.

So don't be afraid of tribulations. You see? Go forward. Kṛṣṇa will give you protection. That is Kṛṣṇa's promise in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31).

"Kaunteya, My dear son of Kunti, Arjuna, you can declare throughout the whole world that My devotees will never be vanquished. You can declare that."

And why He's asking Arjuna to declare? Why He does not declare Himself? There is meaning. Because if He promises . . . there are instances that He sometimes broke His promise. But if a devotee promises, it will be never broken. Kṛṣṇa will give protection.

Therefore He says His devotee that "You declare." There is no chance of being broken. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that sometimes He breaks His promise, but if His devotee promises, He takes very careful attention that His devotee's promise may not be broken. That is Kṛṣṇa's favor.

So ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra). We are worshiping govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ, the supreme original Personality of Godhead, who is known as Hari. The Vedic scripture says, ārādhito yadi hariḥ. If you have come to the point of worshiping Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tapasā tataḥ kim, then there is no more need of austerity, penances, yoga practice, or this or that, so many sacrifices, ritualistic . . . all finished. You do not require to take trouble for these things if you have come to the point of sacrificing everything for Hari. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim.

And nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. And you are performing austerities, penances, sacrifices, ritualistic ceremony—everything—but I do not know what is Hari: it is useless, all useless. Nārādhito yadi hariḥ. Nārādhitaḥ. If you do not come to the point of worshiping Hari, then all these things are useless. Tataḥ kim.

Antarbahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. If you always see Hari within yourself and if you see Hari always outside, inside and outside . . . tad vantike tad dūre tad (Īśo mantra 5). What is that verse? Īśopaniṣad? Tad antare . . . dūre tad antike sarvasya. Hari is present everywhere, so one who sees Hari, antike, near, or distant place, within, outside, he does not see anything except Hari. How it becomes possible? Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). When one is merged into the love of God, he does not see anything in the world except Hari. That is his vision.

So antarbahir yadi hari, inside and outside, if you always see Hari, Kṛṣṇa, tapasā tataḥ kim, then what is the use of your other austerities and penances? You are on the topmost level. That is wanted. Nanta-bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. And if you do not see within and outside Hari always, then what is the value of your austerities?

Therefore in the morning we chant this mantra, govindam ādi-puruṣam tam ahaṁ bhajāmi. We have no other business. Simply we have to satisfy Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Then everything is complete. He is complete and His worship is complete, His devotee is complete. Everything is complete.

Thank you very much. Chant. (end)