Lecture in Hindi

Prabhupāda:

om ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

śrī-caitanya-mano-’bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale
svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate

gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo ’stu te

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

Gentlemen, devotees and mātājīs. This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement…We are established by the name “Hare Kṛṣṇas” in Europe and America. This Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission. As you all know Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu who appeared in Navadvīpa about five hundred years ago, little less than that four hundred eighty five years ago. It is the scriptural conclusion that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself.

kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ
sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam
yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair
yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ
[SB. 11.5.32]

This is the verdict of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam. In which yuga, what incarnations the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts, in that description Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s name is mentioned. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ, He is personally Kṛṣṇa, or He who always describes Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ. But His bodily complexion was akṛṣṇa or not dark. Kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇam. It is stated in the śāstra śuklo raktas tathā pīta idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ [SB. 10.8.13]

When Gargamuni made the Supreme Lord’s astrological chart at that time he told Nanda Mahārāja “Mahārājajī, This child of yours had previously, śuklo raktas tathā pīta, appeared in white, red and yellow color.” And that yellow color is Caitanya Mahāprabhu, akṛṣṇa. This is the scriptural conclusion. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission is the same mission as that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa. The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa ordered everyone that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66], but foolish people could not understand it. They did not accept that dharma. Foolish people could not accept sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is because na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg. 7.15]

We are also fools. But if we accept that what Kṛṣṇa says is all right then it is good. There is no need to work hard. No need to become too learned. That much…[aside: Don’t talk. When I was trying to register this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness movement in New York, at that time the lawer Mr. Goldsmith and his friends suggested to me that you change “Kṛṣṇa Consciousness into God consciousness.” But I refused, saying that if I make it “God consciousness” then foolish people would bring so many Gods. But God is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam. [SB. 1.3.28] This is the conclusion of the śāstra.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
[Bs. 5.1]

This is Vedic conclusion. And Bhagavān Himself is saying, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg. 7.7] Arjuna has also accepted.

paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma
pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān
puruṣaṁ śāśvataṁ divyam
ādi-devam
[Bg. 10.12]

Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.29] Aham ādir hi devānāṁ. [Bg. 10.2]

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
[Bg. 10.8]

This is what we are trying to preach. This is your Kṛṣṇa from Mathurā-Vṛndāvan. What is the basic principle? It is not something new. Whatever the Supreme Personality of Godhead has instructed in the Bhagavad-gītā, that same thing we are preaching. It is not manufactured item. And we not so intelligent as to manufacture a new God by mental speculation and present Him. The same old instructions. That is why our society is called Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. As Kṛṣṇa instructs we think in the same way. It is not difficult. What is the problem? The problem is that we have got this human form and in this form the living entity can understand what is God. He can also understand what is his relationship with God. And by knowing our relationship with Him and acting accordingly by following the rules and regulations our life will be successful. Sambandha or one’s relationship with God, abhidheya or the process to achieve the goal of life and prayojana or the ultimate goal of life: these three things have been described in the Vedas. Sambandha, abhidheya. Just like in Vedānta-sūtra it is stated: Athāto brahma-jijñāsa. Now in this human form of life one should inquire about brahma or the Supreme Lord. jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā, [SB. 1.2.10] the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam also says so.

The only duty in human life is to inquire about what is God, what is our relationship with God, and what will be the benefit of keeping that relationship intact, and to apply that in practical life. This is the business of human life. This is the scriptural conclusion. Just like as we were coming we saw a sign in the bus “There is no way other than hard labor.” Now people have started pushing hand-driven cart, started pulling ricksaws and on top of that “Work hard.” That means what more, become an ass. What more can you… But the conclusion of our scripture is nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye [SB. 5.5.1]

The human form of life, just like a hog works hard whole day to eat stool, whole day, you have seen this in your Mathurā city that how the hogs wander about whole day where is stool, where is stool, where is stool. But śāstra says that the human life should not be like that. Kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye. This is not our civilization. The Vedic civilization is, not work hard whole day like a hog to look for food and that too without any discrimination, whatever is available, even stool is all right. No consideration about food. That is not human life. This is the consideration of our Vedic civilization. So what should be the aim of human life? Tapasyā. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddheta sattvā. Perform austerity. Why perform austerity? Eat, sleep and enjoy life. Why to undergo austerity? No. If you value your life, if you are a responsible person then you must perform austerity. Yena śuddheta sattvā. Now your sattva or existence is not pure. You should purify it. Just like a patient, he should go to a doctor, take proper medicine and be pure, cured. That is his duty. If he doesn’t do that then he is not a human being. He is an animal. Animals don’t go to the doctor. Therefore it is said in the śāstra, Ṛṣabhadeva was instructing His sons before retiring that “My dear sons, you should undergo penance. tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam [SB. 5.5.1] So even though we have this civilization, vedic civilization we imitate others and work hard whole day like pigs and when we are strong we enjoy sex life. There is no need of discrimination. The hogs make no discrimination whether mother, sister, or daughter, simply enjoy sex with anyone. This is not life. This is not human life. This is our civilization. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddheta sattvā. We read Bhagavad-gītā and the first lesson of Bhagavad-gītā is

dehino ’smin yathā dehe
kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā
tathā dehāntara-prāptir
dhīras tatra na muhyati
[Bg. 2.13]

There will be change of body. Big, big politicians and scholars write commentaries on Bhagavad-gītā, but nobody explains that you will have to change your body. Today you are Indian tomorrow you will become something else. No guarantee of human life you may become an animal also. Because that is not in your hand. Now you may show your expertise but

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate
[Bg. 3.27]

You do as you like for now but after death it is in material nature’s hand. That’s all. Tathā dehāntara prāptir, there must be change of body. For this subject matter there is no university education. What type of body am I going to get? Will that be of a hog or a demigod, or a tree, or a fly? No such consideration. andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te ’pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ [SB. 7.5.31] He is bound up by the nature’s law still he doesn’t think and the leaders misguide him. andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās. This is going all over the world. In our country this knowledge is available. The Supreme Lord personally comes and instructs, Vedic literatures are there, Vedas, purāṇas and other scriptures are there, big, big sages, great souls, big, big ācaryas come and preach. If we give up these things and simply work hard, there is no other way than to work hard. This is not good. Even a hog, an ass also works hard. Is that our aim of life? You all are cultured people so our request to you is that this civilization-work hard whole day, you have to labor hard, tapasya is a very hard labor and not ordinary. But you labor hard for something concrete so that you will actually gain. Therefore śāstra says tapo divyam putrakā yena suddheta sattvā. Work hard, undergo tapasya, but for what? To achieve something transcendental. Not for eating and enjoying sense gratification like hogs. No. Not that kind of labor. Tapo divyam putrakā yena suddheta sattvā. We read Bhagavad-gītā, but the Supreme Lord says na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit. [Bg. 2.20]

Nobody is ready to understand this. The spirit soul has no birth no death. But in the practical field we see that we take birth and we die. None of us even think about it. What is that? That we neither take birth nor die then why should we be put into such a situation where we have to take birth and die? And in between birth and death we suffer from disease and lamentation and so on. But what is your actual problem? janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi- duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg. 13.9] This is your problem. You make big, big plans for finding solutions to tiny problems.

idam adya mayā labdham
imaṁ prāpsye manoratham
idam astīdam api me
bhaviṣyati punar dhanam
[Bg. 16.13]

Today I have got this much bank balance and tomorrow I will earn more and my bank balance will be this much. This demoniac propensity is very nicely described in the sixteenth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. Jagad āhur anīśvaram [Bg. 16.8] There is no God. That is kim anyat kāma-haitukam [Bg. 16.8] This kind of concept is prevailing in India, at least it should not be. Everywhere this is going on, here also the same thing. This is also the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and nothing else. That these foolish people who are covered by ignorance they should be awakened. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission. And the duty of awakening them lies on the shoulder of the Indians. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says bhārata-bhūmite haila manuṣya janma yāra janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra [Cc. Adi 9.41]

The mission of of the land of India is to do good for others. Others countries mission may be to plunder and bring money for which the Muslims came here, Mohammad Ghori, the Englishmen also came here before. Their aim was to plunder India. That might be the mission of the other countries. Christian missionaries also come from foreign countries to establish their empire. That is why many people doubt that this movement that we are pushing on is run by American people-CIAs. But that’s not true. Why CIAs will become vaiṣṇavas and dance? Why they will give up eating meat and fish? What is the need? What is the need of becoming vaiṣṇavas? Couldn’t they work in their original feature? This is illusion. They are actually vaiṣṇavas. One should not consider a vaiṣṇava as belonging to a particular caste. That is prohibited in the śāstra. Neither the vaiṣṇavas belong to any caste. In our movement we have Americans, Europians, Africans, Iranians, Hindus, Muslims and everything. They have forgotten their respective castes. They are…The constitutional position of the living entities jivera svarūpa haya kṛṣṇera nitya dāsa. [Cc. Madhya 20.108]

They think themselves as eternal servants of Kṛṣṇa. gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc. Madhya 13.80] This is taught by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says “I am not a brāhmaṇa, not a kṣatriya, not a vaiśya, not a sannyāsī, not a vānaprastha, not a brahmacārī” and thus denied the varṇāśrama system. Then what you are? I am gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ. The Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa who maintains the gopīs, I am His servant’s, servant’s, servant’s, one hundred times servant’s below I am that servant. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s identity. And to teach this to He instructed everyone, He ordered. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128] That’s all. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s words. That you all become guru. What I have to as a guru? Wherever you are present you deliver it. You are a householder living at home with children, you deliver them. You become a guru of your wife, children, servant and so on. You deliver them if you cannot do more. And if you are capable of doing more then deliver your society, community, country, country-wide. Become a guru and deliver everyone. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission. āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa. But I am not learned? How can I become a guru? To become a guru I require knowledge, wisdom etc. I don’t have them. No. No need of any knowledge or education. yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. That’s all. You simply repeat what Kṛṣṇa has said. You are a guru. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission. So we went to the foreign countries as a guru and these people are sitting here they have accepted it. That’s all I did. Some magic or to produce gold or to cure stomach and head disease-these things I have not done. These things we know ourselves. Our only business is yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa. That’s all. “Look sir, this is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa says like this. What did He say? man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 9.34]

Do these four things-always think of Me, become My devotee or at least offer Me one obeisances. Who cannot do that? Even this boy can do it. Can’t we do it? There is no need to become a big scholar or a big pious person. There is no need to become too expert or show some magic. If one learns these four things, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, māṁ [Bg. 9.34] evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ. [Bg. 18.68] The Supreme Lord is giving assurance. I assure you that you will come to Me, just follow these four things. What can be more simple path of religion than this? At last He declared sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66] There is no difficulty. Everyone can do it. It is not difficult. God is for everyone. He is not for Hindus only, not for Indians only. sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ [Bg. 14.4]

Animals, birds, insects, flies, for everyone. God is for everyone. Kṛṣṇa never said anywhere that He is only for Indians or Hindus. But this is going on. All of you kindly join this movement. Our request is that there are customers for this, so many. They have become fed up with modern civilization. At least persons have certainly become fed up. And they are looking for this. Therefore when some sādhu, sannyāsī go there people surround him with curiosity. But they cheat and rob them. They teach meditation, someone tries to deceive by word jugglery, teach gymnastic and so on. But the real fact which Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said yāre dekha, tāre kaha Kṛṣṇa-upadeśa, that nobody teaches. They themselves become Kṛṣṇa. This kind of cheating is going on.

That is why up till now not even a single person became devotee of Kṛṣṇa. And when we took up the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-…See how many have become. This is a fact. About one hundred years ago Vivekananda went, and after him others also went, but none of them could make even one devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Even one. Today you see thousands of them. There are thousands. Did I bribe them? No. The real thing that Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā should be preached. Do not bring about ruination to the people of the world by cheating, manipulating and misinterpreting the original thing. Simply repeat what the Supreme Personality of Godhead has instructed. You will be benefitted and others will be benefitted. This is my point.

So this is my request to you that you all belong to Kṛṣṇa’s place and Kṛṣṇa is yours therefore you should all join this movement. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission. Not just for Mathurā and Vṛndāvana. There would no Indian who does not accept Kṛṣṇa. Even though people may be of different culture and religion yet they all celebrate Kṛṣṇa’s Janmāṣṭamī. When they ask me “How many festivals do you celebrate in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness?” I reply “Millions.” There is nobody in India who does not accept Kṛṣṇa. Even Muslims, they also accept. Millions and millions. This is my answer. Actually that is a fact. I specially request as you are residents of Mathurā, take this Kṛṣṇa mission very seriously. Join our movement and help so that the work of this mission can increase more and more. You all come. This is my request to you all. yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa. That’s all. All of you become guru.

Thank you very much.

Devotees:
Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. [end]