750812 - Morning Walk - Paris

Morning Walks by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

750812MW-PARIS - August 12, 1975 - 40:59 Minutes

Bhagavān: I was trying to single out a few, but it was impossible.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Welcome. No, no. All welcome.

Bhagavān: An international society for cameras.

Prabhupāda: Cameras?

Bhagavān: Everyone has camera. This way we go? (break) Everyone should chant softly.

Prabhupāda: But here we cannot walk in . . .

Bhagavān: We cannot all walk, I don't think. It is too thin here.

Prabhupāda: There are so many men. (japa) (break) It is closed?

Bhagavān: They don't like traffic in here, so . . .

Prabhupāda: Oh. That's nice. Good idea. (break)

Bhagavān: They are getting cheated from all sides. The scientists are cheating them . . .

Prabhupāda: No, they want to be cheated. What can be done? Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). Just like the advertisement, "No faith, no philosophy, no restriction." You want all these things; therefore he has come to cheat you: "Yes. No regulation. You can do whatever you like." And then he will praised, "Oh, he is good . . . good svāmījī. He has no restriction. And here is a most conservative svāmījī: 'Don't do this. Don't do this. Don't do this.' " They want to be cheated. As soon as you speak the truth, they will not accept. They will argue. "What is the wrong in illicit sex? Why he's restricting?" This is the . . . They go to guru to teach the guru, not to take lesson from the guru. What is that?

Mādhavānanda: . . .thinks that they have some responsibility in the world, and if you say all of a sudden that "You have no responsibility . . ."

Prabhupāda: That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that "Yes, you have responsibility so long you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious." Not that a person who is not in the devotional service of the Lord, he can say, "I have no responsibility." He cannot say.

Bhagavān: Duty.

Prabhupāda: He cannot. He has all the duties. But one who has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness without any reservation, he has no duty. He has no responsibility.

devarṣi-bhūtāpta-nṛṇaṁ pitṛṇaṁ

nayam ṛṇī na kiṅkaro rājan

sarvātmanā ye śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ

gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kārtam

(SB 11.5.41)

This is the statement. As soon as we take birth, we have got so many responsibilities. We are responsible to perform sacrifices for all the demigods. You are taking light from the sun; you have got responsibility. Otherwise how you are getting so much light? If you don't pay the electric bill, the next day it will be disconnected. And you are taking so much light from the sun. You have no responsibility? You have. "No, there is no responsibility." You are taking light, air, water. So many things you are taking, supplied by the different demigods. Deva, ṛṣi, ṛṣi, great . . . Just like Vyāsadeva or many other ṛṣis, they have given you knowledge, and you have no responsibility? You have responsibility.

Mādhavānanda: Then the responsibility for some is to Kṛṣṇa; the responsibility of some is to the demigods?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Demigods, you have got responsibility. Deva, ṛṣi, bhūta, living entities. Just like you are taking milk from the cows. You have the responsibility to protect him, but you are killing. So you must suffer.

Bhagavān: So the present system is simply expert at producing completely irresponsible people.

Prabhupāda: Yes. And they are talking of responsibility. But one who is devotee . . . Eh?

Bhagavān: They say we are irresponsible.

Prabhupāda: No, we are not irresponsible. We have finished all responsibility. We are not irresponsible. But we are in such a position that we have passed all these responsibilities.

Mādhavānanda: So, Śrīla Prabhupāda, when you told this lady, this woman last night, that she should give up her responsibilities . . .

Prabhupāda: Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the only respons . . . Then you can . . . Not that you give up all responsibility. First of all take to Kṛṣṇa responsibility. Then there is no responsibility. Give up something; take something. Then it is all right. And give up everything and then you zero.

Brahmānanda: But they see responsibility only in terms of making a bank balance and having a nice home and satisfying our . . .

Prabhupāda: Therefore they are suffering. In spite of bank balance, they are suffering.

Harikeśa: (whispering) . . .finding it impossible on that side. Excuse me. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . .said, suppose you have not done your responsibility properly, so then you have become sinful. Hmm? Is it not? So Kṛṣṇa gives assurance that "You surrender to Me, and I give you protection from all sins." So even you think that "By giving up my all other responsibilities I am taking shelter of You. Then I will be punishable for my sinful act," so Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Then where is my responsibility? I become free immediately, provided I surrender to Kṛṣṇa without any reservations. Then. Then it is. Otherwise not.

Brahmānanda: But they will say that suffering is a part of life.

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Brahmānanda: That suffering is a necessary part of life.

Prabhupāda: Then why you are trying to get out of suffering? Suffer, rascal. Why you are trying to get out of suffering? Why?

Brahmānanda: Because they don't like it. But they say you have to accept it.

Prabhupāda: Then, if you say . . . If it is a part of life, why don't you like it? Suffer. Go on suffering. You are accepting as part of life because you cannot get out of it. "The grapes are sour," that's all. After jumping, jumping, jumping, when it is not available, "Oh, the grapes are sour. It is no . . . There is no necessity." Jackal's philosophy.

Bhagavān: They will surrender to the misery, but they will not surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: That is their disease.

Yogeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda? When you speak of taking care of your responsibilities for Kṛṣṇa, doesn't that also have a material aspect to it? Just like a parent must bring up the child, must take care of the child, train it to read and to write and so on . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. That means we are taking care of the children—why? Just to make them Kṛṣṇa conscious, not to become cats and dogs. This is our responsibility. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious, that "Here is a child. He may be saved to make him Kṛṣṇa conscious." Therefore we are taking so much care in the Dallas. We are not irresponsible. But our responsibility is there, that "Make him Kṛṣṇa conscious."

Yogeśvara: So then we say that we have finished all responsibility by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, that doesn't mean that we've abandoned execution of duty, does it?

Prabhupāda: No, no. Who says that?

Yogeśvara: Well, some people say that "You've taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and now you have given up all of your . . ."

Prabhupāda: It is not duty? This is the main duty. This is the main duty. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām . . . (BG 18.66). We have taken responsibility for Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are doing. Why we are traveling all over the world thrice in a year? We have taken the responsibility. Otherwise, who is, an old man, he'll take such responsibility? That is a greater responsibility. When you become a big officer of the government, it means you overburdened with responsibility, not this flickering resp . . . Here the material respons . . . means it has no use. You are simply wasting time. And here is real responsibility and real life. That I explained to that lady, that "Even if you take respons . . . what can you do? You cannot do anything." The example I gave, that "You have taken responsibility for your son's disease. He is suffering. You have brought good physician, you have brought good medicine, everything, but what can you do? In spite of your all responsibility, your son dies. Then where is the value of your responsibility?" Do you think simply by bringing a nice physician and nice medicine you can save your son? Then where is your responsibility?

Actually you cannot do anything, so what is the use of saying that "I am responsible"? You cannot do anything. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). If one blind man says, "I'll take responsibility. You all blind men follow me," so what is the use of this responsibility? He will die and others will die. So what is this meaning of this responsibility? Even if you take as very responsible man, you cannot do anything. That is not possible. You cannot save. Who wants that "My son dies, my father dies, and I'll take them and . . ."? But one little disease will finish your responsibi . . . Every nation is taken, all the leaders, and as soon as there is war, thousands and thousands will be killed. What responsibility? As soon as one atom bomb is dropped, there is many thousand will be finished. Then what is your responsibility? You cannot give. You can make a statue: "These soldiers died. These soldiers died." That's all. But you could not save them from death.

Mādhavānanda: Then they would say that we also must die. Everyone must die.

Prabhupāda: Yes, we die—to live forever. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). We die for that. This is the last death.

Mādhavānanda: Then they will say, "How do we know?"

Prabhupāda: That . . . You are rascal. How you will know? You come to my feet; then you will know. (laughter)

Brahmānanda: To your feet or to your boot.

Prabhupāda: Yes, provided there is boot. Yes. Therefore there is a Vedic injunction, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12): "Because you are fool, rascal, you must approach a guru." That is the way. Sa gurum eva; eva, "certainly," abhigacchet, "must go." Otherwise there is no possibility. You remain as foolish forever and suffer.

Yogeśvara: There is one German historian named Friedrich Engels.

Prabhupāda: Yes, he is another foolish. (laughter) I can . . .

Yogeśvara: He wrote against Vedic culture by saying that even the brāhmaṇas of Vedic culture were not responsible, because the culture failed. It ended at a certain period in history. It was simply exploitation of the workers under the guise of religion. That was his argument.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: That was not the fault of the process.

Prabhupāda: The argument of foolish man—who is caring? Vedic culture when finished? (break)

Yogeśvara: . . .five thousand years ago.

Prabhupāda: Five thousand years ago. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu, five hundred years, how He accepted if it is finished? He is more than Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this rascal?

Yogeśvara: Haribol.

Bhagavān: They are willing to take so many material risks, but they are not willing to try spiritual life.

Prabhupāda: That is their fault. That is their foolishness. Mūḍho nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam. Therefore they are called mūḍhas.

Yogeśvara: How would we define the word responsibility in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Prabhupāda: Responsibility is that you have got this human form of life—realize God. This is your responsibility. Otherwise you are finished. Three words: "You have got this human form of life. Your only responsibility is to understand God. This is your responsibility." That is Vedic culture. For understanding God, many, many kings, many, many saints, they left everything and went to the forest to realize God. That is Vedic culture. Bhārata Mahārāja, under whose name India is called Bhārata-varṣa, he was the emperor of this planet, and at the age of twenty-four years he left everything to realize God. This is Vedic culture. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, His position was very, very nice, as a gṛhastha—a nice, beautiful wife, affectionate mother, good influence, brāhmaṇa family, learned scholar, everything first class. He left everything just to show us. He was God Himself, but to set the example, tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rajya-lakṣmīm (SB 11.5.34), He gave up a kingdom of fortune which is aspired by the demigods. Such a nice life, such a nice family, but He gave up. Tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīm dharmistha arya . . . . Just to teach us the process of realizing God. This is Vedic system. (break) Somebody may not push. (break) . . .water? No. Very deep?

Dhanañjaya: It's deep in . . . Not so much here. (break)

Prabhupāda: When you asked me, what is that, definition of respons . . . ? So you understand what is the responsibility?

Yogeśvara: We have this human life. We must realize God.

Prabhupāda: This, three words. Make the rascals understand it. We speak the whole responsibility in three words. Is it complete or not?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Or you have got any protest? This is the only . . .

Bhagavān: Let Śrīla Prabhupāda go through.

Brahmānanda: They have not taken God realization as a responsibility.

Prabhupāda: That is their misfortune.

Brahmānanda: Simply as a pastime.

Prabhupāda: That is their ignorance. They do not know what is respons . . .

Mādhavānanda: They would say that so many may have taken God realization as responsibility, following some Christian church or something like that, but they are also frustrated.

Prabhupāda: We are not frustrated. Eh? We are not frustrated. Are we frustrated? Then? How the rascal says "frustrated"? If you take false thing, then you will be frustrated. If you take real path of God realization, there is no question of frustration. It is ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, increasing pleasure. No frustration.

Mādhavānanda: Then they say that no one has real information of God.

Prabhupāda: You have no, rascal, because you are rascal. I have got. You just wash my feet, and I will inform you.

Devotees: Jaya. Haribol. (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . not know how to swim; that does not mean I do not know. Is it a very honest statement, "Oh, nobody can swim," because he does not know? But if anyone knows how to swim, then why do you say that no one has done? You do not know. You accept that.

Mādhavānanda: Everyone thinks in terms of their own relative position.

Prabhupāda: Yes. (break) Even an insignificant bird, because he knows swimming, he knows swimming, so he can challenge, and because you do not know swimming, you cannot say like that. Even insignificant bird, just see how nicely he is swimming. He knows the art. (break) . . . one, cent percent of the modern people, they do not believe in God, and they do not know what is religion. That is the position. They think, "Religion is sentiment. Anyone can manufacture his own sentiment. There is no God." This is the position. So we are in fault. "It is folly to be wise where ignorance is bliss." The whole world is under this conception. Therefore we are at fault. We are preaching God consciousness.

Brahmānanda: Generally they make it difficult for us to preach.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: They hinder us in so many ways.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: Because they have not realized that we have taken a responsibility. When a man has a responsibility, usually he is given some certain facilities to carry out that responsibility.

Prabhupāda: Everyone, cent percent godless, neither they have got intelligence to understand what is God. This is the position.

Yogeśvara: Then we are giving them the intelligence as well as the answers? Because if they have no intelligence to understand . . .

Prabhupāda: Yes. Our organization is that. Why you are opening so many centers? Just to give these rascals intelligence. Why Kṛṣṇa is recognizing so nicely a preacher? Because He knows that he has to face so many difficulties. He is not easygoing, armchair politician. No. He has to face so many difficulties.

Mādhavānanda: Therefore Kṛṣṇa recognizes by giving knowledge of Himself?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Kṛṣṇa immediately gives him all facilities.

Mādhavānanda: There has never been a movement like this which has given factual knowledge of God. Therefore they think it's sentiment, religion.

Prabhupāda: So we have to abide by their sentiment? Because they are rascals, we have to become rascals?

Yogeśvara: (aside:) The top has come down? (pause)

Prabhupāda: What is the . . . Time now?

Harikeśa: 6:17.

Prabhupāda: Even if you take so-called responsibility, you will not be allowed to carry it out. The example I was giving: Napoleon, Hitler and Gandhi. They took responsibility, but they were driven away. What can I do? So what is the meaning of your responsibility? You will not be allowed to execute your responsibility. What remedy you have done that you will not be allowed, kicked out? Then where is your responsibility? Even if you are very nice gentleman—you have taken responsibility—but nature will not allow you to execute the responsibility. What is your answer to that? Big, big Napoleon, big, big Hitler, big, big Gandhi came and gone. Where is the responsibility executed? The Napoleon was given horse urine. You know? By the Britishers.

Brahmānanda: To drink.

Prabhupāda: Yes. At the last stage, when he was asking for water he was given horse urine. He died like that. Hitler committed suicide. Gandhi was killed. So where is their responsibility? They falsely thinking, "Without me, everything will be lost." But they are kicked out; everything is going on.

Dhanañjaya: It's the same with President de Gaulle. President de Gaulle, president of France.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, Nixon is there, but when he was on the office, he was thinking, "Without me America will go to hell." But he has gone to hell; America is there. (laughter) Just see. Just see the position of the . . . You can see the Nixon. When he was in the office, oh, he was a big man. He was responsible man. Now he is kicked out, he is begging, and America is going on. Where is the need of this responsibility? For several months he was asked that "You give up your responsibility." The rascal will not give: "No, without me America will go to hell." Just see. This is responsible.

Yogeśvara: All of these big politicians, they seem to fall very ill afterwards. They seem to become very sick. Nixon is also sick.

Prabhupāda: Not only sick, they die very soon.

Yogeśvara: Radhakrishnan was paralyzed.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Brain paralyzed.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. (break)

Harikeśa: Give this to Yogeśvara.

(in car)

Bhagavān: Actually they are envious. We are doing the same things they are doing, but better, and getting the results. We are working. We are doing so many things like they . . .

Prabhupāda: We are not lazy. (break) . . . Nixon was elected. I saw propaganda, "America needs Nixon." You have seen?

Brahmānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: People also thought, "Yes." He never said, "Nixon needs money." (laughter) This is cheating. He needs some money; he said, "America needs Nixon." And the rascals were befooled. (break) All these politicians do like that. What is their responsibility?

Brahmānanda: Now Nixon is in debt. He is now in debt.

Prabhupāda: Debt? Why?

Brahmānanda: For his legal fees. He owes 300,000 dollars. So one rabbi . . .

Prabhupāda: So he cannot give 300,000 dollars?

Brahmānanda: No, he has no money.

Prabhupāda: Ācchā.

Brahmānanda: He had to pay taxes.

Prabhupāda: So we are paying 300,000. So we are better than him. (break) . . . rabbi is a Jew?

Brahmānanda: Yes. So this rabbi, he is a personal friend. He has taken the responsibility for raising the money. Actually the fees were 500,000. He has already raised 200,000. 300,000 to go.

Prabhupāda: And nobody is excusing the fee, the lawyers?

Brahmānanda: No. But now he is writing his book.

Prabhupāda: Yes, another fallacy.

Brahmānanda: For that book he will get two and a half million dollars.

Prabhupāda: Ah. About his life history?

Brahmānanda: Yes. He is very sick now. Now he sleeps twelve hours a day.

Prabhupāda: Oh. That is good. (break) He is released from all political obligations or not?

Brahmānanda: From the charges?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: No. Actually, he can be called to give testimony.

Prabhupāda: Testimony?

Brahmānanda: Yes. There are certain pending investigations. So he is eligible for being called to give testimony for these investigations. But on the plea of his bad health, therefore he is not being called. He is afraid actually. Right now he does not go to any social gatherings, he does not make any public appearances. He is afraid that as soon as he makes public appearances, then he will be called to give testimony. So he is actually being forced to live a very lonely life.

Prabhupāda: Lonely life means drinking. What he will do? (break) . . . this was made by Napoleon?

Bhagavān: Yes.

Brahmānanda: So the arch is still here. (laughs)

Prabhupāda: People, they come to see the arch. Just like in Rome, so many broken buildings, thousands of men go to see them, and they get good income, tourist.

Bhagavān: On New Year's we took our saṅkīrtana party through that arch.

Brahmānanda: Many people come here?

Bhagavān: For New Year's. And they all applauded us.

Prabhupāda: There is another arch this side? No. (pause) Where is the other boy? I do not see him. What was the name? Yesterday he was there. One of your . . .

Brahmānanda: Viśvambhara?

Bhagavān: Oh. He is managing things at the farm today. (end)