691201 - Lecture - London

Lectures by Date, 1969

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

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691201LE-LONDON - December 01, 1969 - 31:06 Minutes

Prabhupāda: . . . dhyāna-yoga or bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga is also a certain type, but in this age this chanting, this is also bhakti-yoga, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). If you adopt this in any condition of life—it doesn’t matter what you are—simply try to vibrate this transcendental sound, Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is not difficult. We are simply canvassing you on behalf of the Supreme Lord, because you are all part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Spiritually we are all brothers. So if you have got any little knowledge, it is our duty to enlighten you so that you can also enjoy the spiritual life.

So it is our humble request that you accept this simple thing, and in any condition of your life simply try to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa:

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

But unfortunately, the influence of this fallen age is so strong that you are very slow, very slow to understand this simple truth. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). And if somebody becomes interested, "All right, I shall realize myself," and somebody will say, "Oh, what you will realize by chanting? What is this? Just try to press your nose, then you will be happy." Sumanda-matayo. Some nonsense things shall be imitated which will never be perfect, which will never be accepted, nor it is recommended. Therefore sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā, unfortunate. Hy upadrutāḥ. Manda-bhāgyā . . . in this age people are always unfortunate. Even the ordinary means of life, namely eating, sleeping, mating and defending, nobody has provision.

If you take statistics, especially in poverty-stricken countries, if you ask him, "What you shall eat tomorrow?" "Oh, there is no meals. If I work tomorrow then I shall get my food." Even there is no fixed-up food in the evening. āhāra nidrā: there is no fixed-up place for sleeping. I have seen in America, New York, there are so many persons, although they are born of very rich nation, there is no fixed . . .

The Bowery Street men, they pay one dollar or fifty cent and there is some line . . . (indistinct) . . . or something like that. They sleep there. There is no fixed apartment. There is no fixed wife, no family. And what is the question of defense? Everything is topsy-turvy. This is called unfortunate. Every man should have at least nice arrangement for eating, sleeping, mating and defense. But that is also not there in this age. And we are very much puffed up, that "We are very much advanced, and we are advancing, and we are happy." This is called illusion. They are not at all happy. Most unfortunate creatures, and they are thinking "Happy!"

So this is the position of this age. Therefore nobody can perform any other process of self-realization like karma, jñāna, yoga. Impossible. There are very difficult processes. This is the only process: kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt (SB 12.3.52). Simply by chanting this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa. You have to realize yourself, otherwise your human form of life is being spoiled. If you are serious about utilizing your human form of life, then you must have to realize yourself; and if you have to realize yourself, you have to adopt some means of self-realization.

There are, on the ordinary course, there are four kinds of means: karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti. So karma, jñāna, yoga is impossible in this age; therefore you have to take this process of bhakti-yoga, the simple method, chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa. And if you chant, then the result will be immediately, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12, Śikṣāṣṭaka 1). Your heart will be cleansed by simply this process of chanting and dancing. You will see transcendentally, and if you continue, everything . . . everything has to be practiced regularly.

So either here or at home, or if you are in an apartment—anywhere—you practice this, and gradually you will see, you will understand what you are. This is the gradual process of self-realization. And as soon as you are self-realized, then bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12, Śikṣāṣṭaka 1): then your all anxieties for material existence will be clarified. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. This very word has been used, dāvāgni.

Dāvāgni means forest fire, forest fire. This particular word is used because in the forest, the fire takes place automatically. Nobody goes there to set fire, but it takes place. Similarly, in the material world, at least in American cities we have seen, there is always fire brigade running, trrm-trrm-trrm-trrm-trrm-trrm, because there is somewhere must be there some fire.

So this is crude example, but actually our heart is always burning due to dissatisfaction. We don’t want it, but by circumstances it begins to burn like that, bhava-mahā-dāvāgni. So that will be subsided if you chant.

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ

śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ

(CC Antya 20.12, Śikṣāṣṭaka 1)

Just like you have seen the waxing moon daily increases; similarly your transcendental, blissful life will increase daily like the moon, and one day it will be like full moon, and at that time you will enjoy life. You will understand. That is . . .

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

na śocati na kāṅkṣati

samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu

(BG 18.54)

Your life will be sublime. So practice it; make an experiment of this mantra. You will be happy. Our mission is to see everyone, sarve sukhino bhavantu. Be everyone happy. We are not here to exploit somebody. We are not selling this mantra, but we are distributing free. Please take it and be happy. That is our mission.

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ

śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam

(CC Antya 20.12, Śikṣāṣṭaka 1)

Your life will be full of knowledge, transcendental, blissful knowledge: vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam. ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ: and the transcendental bliss will increase, āmbudhi. āmbudhi means ocean. As the ocean increases on the full-moon night, similarly, when your knowledge will be like full moon, your ānanda will also increase. So these things will be achieved, paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam: "All glories to the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra." So please accept our request and try to chant and be happy.

Thank you very much. (applause)

Gurudas: If anyone has any questions about the talk tonight, they can ask them now.

Guest (1): You mention that also about the other processes of self-realization is not possible in this age. Could you explain more?

Prabhupāda: The other process is jñāna—knowledge. Knowledge means analytical survey of your existence—distinguishing spirit from matter. That is the process of knowledge, "What I am." If you think of this matter beginning from your body—whether I am this body or whether I belong to this family or this country—in this way go on philosophically understanding, gradually you will come to that knowledge that you belong to none of these things: you are spirit soul. That is Brahman realization. But that requires long duration of time, study, patience and other regulative principles of life. Therefore these things are not possible in this age. Nobody, intelligent enough to speculate rightly on the philosophical line.

Similarly, yoga process. Yoga process, aṣṭāṅga-yoga, you have to pass through eight kinds of stages: yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, pratyāhāra, dhyāna, dhāraṇā, samādhi. When you come to the stage of samādhi, after passing through all the stages, then you can understand yourself, or self-realization. But in the beginning you cannot even follow the rules and regulations: yama, saṁyama, yoga indriya-saṁyama. A yogī cannot have sex life. These things are described in the sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. He has to live under certain regulations in a secluded, sacred place. He has to sit down under certain posture, looking forward on the tip of the nose.

So these things are not possible to be carried out by the ordinary people in this age. We must give something which will be beneficial, acceptable, by the mass of people. If somebody becomes philosopher and realizes his self, or somebody becomes perfect yogī, it is possible; but if you take it for mass acceptance it is not possible, neither it was possible in any age. But this can be accepted by the mass of people without any education, without any previous qualification. Simply he has to agree that "I shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa," that’s all. (applause)

And practical example, you see all these, my students; they are with me not for very long time. I have not come to this Western county for very long time. I came here in 1965, September; again I went back to India in 1967. Again I have come back. But I have got students, many students—I have got twenty-two branches all over America, and the big branch . . . (indistinct) . . . in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York. And all these students, you can ask them how they are feeling, how they are caring, how their life is reformed. It is practical, and they are following the same principles, simple principles.

They have not stopped in their ordinary duty. I get them married also. I don’t allow them to live as friends; that is my restriction. You must get yourself married, lead peaceful life. I don’t allow them many other things—not many, a few things—no intoxication, they do not smoke even. But we have to perform so much great penances, and we cannot take this little vow that, "I shall not smoke or I shall not take meat, I shall not have illicit sex life or take to gambling"?

These four principles, it is not very difficult. Simply one has to determine that "For spiritual realization I must sacrifice these four things." So anyone can do it; it is not . . . (indistinct) . . . and they are doing it. We are increasing our number of students in that way in every center. It is not at all difficult. So anyone who takes to this path will very quickly realize himself and be happy. (applause) Thank you. Any other question?

Guest (2): Is it not possible with the means you employ to induce a hypnotic state, perhaps a trance, during which . . . (indistinct) . . . the mind subsides, and peace prevails. Thus perhaps it is possible . . . (indistinct) . . . does not have to realize it.

Prabhupāda: Hypnotic state?

Mukunda: (explaining) Yes. He said perhaps there is a hypnotic state that removes from the path of realization. The mind is just submerged in hypnotic state only.

Prabhupāda: Yes, for the time being in hypnotic stage he may think like that. But that hypnotism, as soon as over, then we again become what we were before. But we have to stay our position. These boys and girls, they are twenty-four hours in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There have not a moment’s leisure being out of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we have to place ourself in such a mode of life that we shall always be in samādhi, or trance. This process will help you.

Other process may help you, but it is difficult in this age. But this process will keep you in trance twenty-four hours, quickly. This is the recommended process. Besides that, if this process is quicker and easier, why should you be so much anxious to accept other difficult process? When there are two ways, there is lift and staircase, why should you bother to go by the staircase? Why don’t you take the lift? This is lift. You simply get on the lift, and within a second you go to the highest, topmost floor. Why should you take step by step? This is recommended in śāstras: kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt.

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ

tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ

dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ

kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt

(SB 12.3.52)

This is the recommended process, and there are many followers of this process in India, and they are very advanced in self-realization. This is also a simple process. You take and you advance. What is the objection?

Guest (3): Can we have God-realization . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: No. That is not possible.

Guest (4): Two questions. One: what is your attitude to other religions? Two: Is Kṛṣṇa consciousness entirely recommended for self-realization, or is any section of . . . (indistinct) . . . purpose as regards to other people as such?

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Devotee: He wants to know practical, with regards to other religions in the world, and two, by realizing ourselves in self-realization our . . . (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes. Other religion . . . every religion is meant for realizing God and realizing self also, and this process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is directly teaching you to love God. In other religions, although there is the idea that God is great—some idea, conception of God—but not very clear. In this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement you will have clear idea of what is God and what is your relationship with God, and then you will be able to act in that relationship. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will have full idea what is God. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will have full idea what is God. Simply to know God is great, that is also very good—better than who are denying the existence of God. To accept God, it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ

sukṛtino 'rjuna

ārto arthārthī jijñāsur

jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

(BG 7.16)

Four classes of men: if they are pious, then when they are distressed or you want of money or inquisitive or philosopher, they search after God. Similarly, there are four other classes, they are called duṣkṛtinaḥ.

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ

(BG 7.15)

There are other four classes. They are miscreants, always doing harm to the society. Miscreants, duṣkṛtinaḥ. Na māṁ mūḍhāḥ, the rascals; narādhamāḥ, the lowest of the mankind; māyayāpahṛta-jñānā, and knowledge taken away by the illusory energy; āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ, atheistic mentality. These classes of men will never go to God. But other classes, if he is pious, background is pious, honest, then he will go to God when he is distressed, when he is in need of money, when he is inquisitive or when he is philosophical.

But even this stage is not God-realization; that is simply approaching. If a man goes to church or temple, asking God, "Give us our daily bread," he is good man because he has approached God, he has approached higher; therefore he gets some want. And the man who does not care for God, he has no relationship with God, so his position is very precarious. But this man who now goes to God for asking daily bread, one day he may come a fully God-conscious man and self-realized man; there is chance. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is recommended:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā

mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ

tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena

yajeta param puruṣaṁ

(SB 2.3.10)

Param puruṣaṁ, the supreme person. Should we approach, even one has got hankering for material happiness or no hankering. There are two classes of men, the wise man, the philosopher, they have no hankering for material happiness. For matter of understanding what is God they approach. So they are better class than these classes who approach God being distressed or for being in want of money. But pure devotee is above all of them. He does not philosophize, nor inquire, nor he is in want of bread or money; he loves God: "It is my duty to love God." That is pure devotion.

āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām

adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā

(CC Antya 20.47)

So it is a great science, and you can have full knowledge. There are so many books and persons; you can take advantage. Unfortunately, in this age they are very, very neglectful in self-realization. That is suicidal policy, because as soon as this human form of body is finished, then again you are under the clutches of the laws of material nature. You do not know where you are going, what form of body you are getting.

You cannot detect; that is under . . . just like as soon as you become commit some criminal act, immediately you are arrested by the police, and then you do not know what is going to happen to you. That is not under your control. So, so long you are conscious, don’t commit criminalities and be arrested by the police. That is our conscious, clear conscious. (break) (end)