Lecture in Bengali

Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa:
[announcing] March 20th, 1976. Śrīla Prabhupāda went on travelling saṅkīrtan to a town two miles from the border of Bangladesh called Haridāspur. Where Ṭhākur Haridās lived for some time. Here they’re donating some land to us. Śrīla Prabhupāda is about to speak, I think in Bengali. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda:

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya
jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena
tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
[Śrī Guru praṇāma / Gautamīya Tantra 7.11]

śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ
sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ
dadāti sva-padāntikam
[Śrī Rūpa praṇāma]

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya
prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara
śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
[Śrī Pañcatattva mantra]

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate
gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo ’stu te
[Śrī Kṛṣṇa Praṇāma]

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi
rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari
vṛṣabhānu-sute devi
praṇamāmi hari-priye
[Śrī Radhā praṇāma]

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare
[Śrī Mahāmantra]

Devotee:
[Transl. The mike is making lot of disturbance.]

Prabhupāda:
[Transl. In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam there is a verse:

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke
sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ
yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij
janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
[SB. 10.84.13]

Be careful! Those who consider this body as self, what is this body? This body is made of five material elements. Earth, water, air, fire and sky—these elements constitute this body. Just like we breath, and when the breathing stops we say that this man is dead. He is no more.]

[Transl. The body remains, but there is no life. So what is this breathing? It is air. Just like he is fanning air on my head, similarly a little air comes out from breathing also. The element is air. But the air is moving in such a way that it is not in our control. Suppose the breathing is stopped, you can pump some air within the body by bellowing machine, you think the life will come back? But people say that his breathing has stopped. Breathing stopped, what’s the big deal? What is that? Some air. We have made so much scientific advancement, just like bellow, pump in some air, that’s all. Pump some air in the body. Will it bring back the life? No, not possible.]

[Transl. Similarly, blood. They say no blood, the blood has transformed into water. It didn’t become water, blood is nothing but water. What else is blood than water? Red water. What else? Push some red water within the body through injection so that life will come back. In this way if the body is analised then what will we find? Kṣiti-ap-teja-marut-vyoma: [earth, water, air, fire, there is fire within this body]. When the body is dead, it is no longer warm. So if you heat up the body will the life come back? No. it won’t. Those who are intelligent, they know that I am not this body. I am different. Water, fire, air…Kṣiti-ap-teja-marut-vyoma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, *kṣiti-ap-teja…*ah,]

bhūmir āpo ’nversealo vāyuḥ
khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca
[Bg. 7.4]

[Transl. Kṣiti-ap-teja-marut-vyoma:* [earth, water, fire, air and ether]. These five material elements which constitute the body, if one analises this body that by a combination of these elements life can be produced, no. That’s not possible. The life is a separate thing. Nowadays there are many big, big scientists. In their lavoratary, these five elements are available, they can produce life. That is not possible. Therefore it is said that those who consider their bodies as self, they are asses. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke …his body is tri-dhātu. It is a bag of mucus, bile and air.] [Transl. Those who think this bag to be the self, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke, and all the things related to the body are mine, sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, related to the body means wife, children, relatives, so in relation to the body those who are thinking they are mine, and thinking their bodies as ‘I am,’ *yasyātma buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhiḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ…*sa eva go khara, they are simply cows and asses. Go means cow and khara means ass.]

[Transl. So the whole world is going on under this impression. Animals, birds, insects, flies, human beings—everyone is thinking that I am this body. A dog, it is thinking I am a dog—this body. And as soon as it sees another dog it starts to bark. And a man, he is thinking I am American, another man sees him, just like they do in India, immediately ‘Go away. Your visa is finished,’ the dog-barking. The human society cannot improve with this kind of mentality. They will continue to remain cows and asses.]

[Transl. The human form of life is meant for knowledge. When one’s knowledge progressively increases up to brahma-jñāna: knowledge of the absolute then his life will become successful. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā. [Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.1] Jijñāsā, what to eat, where to sleep, how man and woman will unite, and how to remain safe from fear—these four things are common in men and in the dogs and jackles.]

āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca
sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām
[Hitopadeśa 25]

[Transl. What I will eat, what I will live, how to have sex, and how to defend from danger—these four tendencies are there in dogs and jackles, in men, in tigers, in lions, in the demigods, everyone has got. Apart from this the human being has got another thing. That is who am I? Am I actually the body or something other than the body? I don’t want to suffer miseries in this world, but who is enforcing these on me? If one inquires about these things then his human life is successful. Otherwise if one utilizes this body like dogs and jackles by eating, sleeping, producing children and dying after some years, that is not human life. In order to teach this very fact the Supreme Personality of Godhead descends in this world.]

yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
[Bg. 4.7]

[Transl. Whenever people forget all these things the Supreme Lord incarnates and teaches these things. We are all children of the Supreme Lord. The Supreme Lord is ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā [Bg. 14.4] Just like a parent has many children, similarly, we, the living entities, we are, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ, [15.7] the Lord says, they are all My parts and parcels. Just as children are parts and parcels of the parent, similarly we are all parts and parcels of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]

[Transl. We are suffering here…Just like if a son suffers then his parents also suffer. They feel sad that our son is suffering. In the same way, we are suffering here and though we do not know how to stop our suffering nor do we try to stop it, the Supreme Lord desires to protect us and bring us back to Him. For this reason the Supreme Lord descends. The Lord comes and teaches us that you are making plans to be happy here but your plan will not work.]

sarva-dharmān parityajya
mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja
[Bg. 18.66]

[Transl. The Supreme Lord descends to teach this. But unfortunately we do not follow His instructions. Therefore we suffer. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu is that same Supreme Personality of Godhead. He…When Kṛṣṇa saw that people are not following My words sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, then that same Kṛṣṇa—Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared as a devotee and taught us how to surrender unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa comes as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes as a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.] [Transl. To teach. These things, these sublime things are available in our country India. Especially in Bangladesh, particularly in this place where you are sitting now. Haridāsa Ṭhākura used to chant the holy name of Hari here. He was adorned with the title ‘Namācārya.’ Mahāprabhu came here to preach the holy name. But Haridāsa Ṭhākura, though he was born in a Mohammedan family, he became so perfect in the chanting of the holy name that Caitanya Mahāprabhu made him nāmācarya. Learn from this Haridāsa Ṭhākura how to chant the holy name of Hari.]

[Transl. According to the śāstra this Bhārata-varṣa is a very sacred land. I have travelled all over the world many times, but still, though in America, Europe there are very good roads and buildings, still nowhere in the world you will find the environment like that of Bhārata-varṣa. This advantage, those who have taken birth in Bhārata-varṣa, should not waste. This is our appeal. Mahāprabhu has said:

bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya-janma yāra
janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra
[Cc Ādi 9.41]

[Transl. If those who have taken birth in Bhārata-bhūmi, make their lives perfect by carefully understanding the teachings of Kṛṣṇa and the teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and preach in the Western countries as I am doing alone, by doing singlehandedly so much has been accomplished. Western people are not poor; they all belong to rich families. They have not joined me in want of money. And how much money do we have anyway? They themselves bring money. They…The thing…They have received something. So people of bhārata-varṣa have the right to distribute it. And there are plenty of customers for this. So if we actually make our lives successful by understanding the teachings of Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu and simply preach this then we will become the most respectable nation in the world. This is sure and certain.]

[Transl. So my request to all of you who have assembled here that you preach throughout the world Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s consideration, His philosophical conclusion. But before that you have to make your own life perfect. So long you remain a useless person you cannot benefit others. First of all your life…That’s why Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, janma sārthaka kari. How to make janma sārthaka: life perfect? There are so many beneficial instructions in Bhārata-varṣa. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself said, Vyāsadeva said, Nārada said, big, big ācāryas said, Rāmānujācārya said, Śaṅkarācārya said, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, try to understand those instructions. Simply by understanding our lives will become perfect.] [Transl. And by giving up such instructions just indulge in gossip…apana dhana bilāye diye bhikṣā māge parera dvāre: to beg from others by giving up one’s own treasury. [Bengali proverb] Our own treasury… We have no such conception like considering the body as self. Had we have such conception then why these Americans, Africans, Canadians would join us? We have many Muslims from Iran. They are devotees. We also have from Pakistan. We do not discriminate. Because, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]

[Transl. Those who are actually learned, they don’t have such discrimination. Here is Hindu, here is Muslim, here is Bengali, here is Christian, no, nothing like that. He will only see the soul within each and every body. The soul is a part and parcel the Supreme Lord. This body…Just because one has worn a white shirt and another person has worn a yellow shirt doesn’t mean that they are not human beings. The difference is of the shirt. Similarly, the spirit sour is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.]

[Transl. As the Supreme Lord is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss, similarly the spirit soul, though minute, is also eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. But due to his karma he has changed his dress in 8,400,000 species of life. This body is compared to a dress. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya [Bg. 2.22] Just like when a shirt and coat become old and torn, it is thrown away and a new shirt and coat are put on, similarly, when this body becomes old, no longer usable, then it has to be given up and a new body is received.]

tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
[Bg. 2.13]

[Transl. You have to understand these topics. These topics have to be understood with a cool head. If one understands then his human form of life is successful. Otherwise we will remain like dogs and jackles, bark for a few days and then die. This kind of lifestyle has no value. So our this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement…The local authorities who wished to donate this land to us, many places people want to give us land, but the difficulty is especially in Bhārata-varṣa that I have to import people from outside and preach here. None our own boys are coming forward. Why aren’t they coming? Then how the work will go on? How long will I import people from England and America and push on? That is the reason why preaching is not picking up on a mass scale here. So if you all join us and understand this mission then Bhārata-varṣa’s position will change.]

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees:
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]