710130 - Lecture at the House of Mr. Mitra - Allahabad

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

710130LE.ALLAHABAD - January 30, 1971 - 35:21 Minutes

Devotee: (introducing recording) At the home of Mr. Mitra, Prabhupāda speaks in front of the judges and members of the Bar. Thirtieth of January, 1971.

(kīrtana) (break)

Prabhupāda: . . . (indistinct)

oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā

cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ

("I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance.")

śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale

svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam

("When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?")

vande 'haṁ śrī-guroḥ śrī-yuta-pada-kamalaṁ śrī-gurūn vaiṣṇavāṁś ca

śrī-rūpaṁ sāgrajātaṁ saha-gaṇa-raghunāthānvitaṁ taṁ sa-jīvam

sādvaitaṁ sāvadhūtaṁ parijana-sahitaṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-devaṁ

śrī-rādhā-kṛṣṇa-pādān saha-gaṇa-lalitā-śrī-viśākhānvitāṁś ca

("I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master and of all the other preceptors on the path of devotional service. I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇavas and unto the six Gosvāmīs, including Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī and their associates. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrī Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all His devotees, headed by Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura. I then offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and all the gopīs, headed by Lalitā and Viśākhā.")

he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate

gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te

("O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.")

tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgi rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari

vṛṣabhānu-sute devi praṇamāmi hari-priye

("I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa.")

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

("I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the Lord. They can fulfill the desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and they are full of compassion for the fallen souls.")

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu nityānanda

śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda

("I offer my obeisances to Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, Prabhu Nityānanda, Śrī Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and all others in the line of devotion.")

hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare

hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare

("My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service.")

Ladies and Gentlemen, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is known also as bhagavat-dharma. Bhagavat-dharma means the religious principles by which the lost relationship between God and the living entities are reestablished. At the present moment we are forgetful of our relationship with God, or Kṛṣṇa. When I speak "Kṛṣṇa," Kṛṣṇa means God, and when I speak "God," God means Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1).

People are searching after God, "Where is God?" But they do not see that here is God: Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa appeared Himself five thousand years ago in India, and He exhibited His godly qualities, established Himself as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by His various activities, and still people are dying to see God. That is very regrettable.

At least in India one should not be speaking to know what is God, what is God's qualities, what is God's pastimes, what is God's name, what is God's form. This is due to forgetfulness. Kṛṣṇa is God. That is accepted by all the ācāryas. We are guided. Our Indian civilization, our religious life, our culture, our Vedic knowledge, they are all directed by the ācāryas. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the chapter, the Thirteenth Chapter, it is . . . there are different states for God realization, or self-realization, and one of the item is ācārya-upāsanam: to follow the footsteps of the ācāryas.

So all the ācāryas in India—Madhvācārya, Rāmānujācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka and Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya . . . although Śaṅkarācārya's philosophy and Vaiṣṇava philosophy there is little difference of opinion, but still Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord: sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ. He has very expressly stated in his comments on Bhagavad-gītā that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And people may not be misdirected, therefore he specifically mentioned "the son of Devakī and Vasudeva." Just like our identification in the law court is made by the father's name, so Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya has not only mentioned the father's name—the mother's name.

So Kṛṣṇa is accepted not in this modern age but in the past also, like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Asita, all of them have accepted. And Lord Caitanya also. His method is kṛṣṇa-bhakti. His philosophy is ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanaya: "The only worshipable Lord is Kṛṣṇa." He specifically mentions vrajeśa-tanaya, "the son of Nanda Mahārāja, the king of Vrajabhūmi." Ārādhyo bhagavān vrajeśa-tanaya tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam (Caitanya-manjusa)—and His abode, Vṛndāvana.

Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's abode, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, Kṛṣṇa's entourage—they are all Absolute Truth. There is no difference between Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name, because Kṛṣṇa is Absolute. There cannot be any difference. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ (BG 9.4): His all-pervasive nature. There cannot be anything except Kṛṣṇa. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ. So how Kṛṣṇa vibration can be different from Kṛṣṇa?

That is stated in the śāstras also: abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). Kṛṣṇa and His name, they are identity. There is no difference. Therefore in this age it is recommended . . . not only for this age, but other ages also. The importance of chanting holy name of the Lord is there in all Vedic scripture, but it is specially mentioned that it is useful in this age of Kali, because they cannot perform any other method. It is impossible.

There are different methods—karma, jñāna, yoga and bhakti—but everything is leading to bhakti. When karma leads to bhakti, that is called karma-yoga. When jñāna leads to bhakti, that is called jñāna-yoga. And when yoga . . . actually, yoga means bhakti-yoga. As it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

Amongst all the yogīs, a person who is constantly engaged to think of Kṛṣṇa within himself, dhyānāvasthita-yogino . . . paśyanti yaṁ yogino (SB 12.13.1). Dhyānā means to concentrate the mind upon Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. That is real life. Therefore in the śāstras it is stated that the yogīs who are engaged in meditation, they try to find out Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu is the same.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a practical movement for reviving our dormant consciousness about Kṛṣṇa. There is no separation from Kṛṣṇa, as the father and the son cannot be separated. But there is sometimes forgetfulness on the part of the son to forget his father. That is our present position.

So I wish to recite one or two ślokas from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which was in course of instruction given by Mahārāja . . . emperor Ṛṣabhadeva to His sons. Emperor Ṛṣabhadeva, He was the emperor of the whole planet. Formerly—perhaps you will not disagree—that the king or the emperor in India, this place, they used to rule over the all the parts of the world, up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit. There was only one flag, one king. That we get from Mahābhārata history.

So long, long ago, when this Bhārata-varṣa name was not also given . . . previously the name of this planet was Ilāvati-varṣa. Then after Ṛṣabhadeva, when His eldest son, Mahārāja Bharata, became the emperor, this planet was known as Bhārata-varṣa, the whole planet. Unfortunately, as with the beginning of this Kali-yuga, after the death of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the influence of Kali began to rise.

This Bhārata-varṣa became, I mean to say, separated by different states. Just like recently we have got experience, twenty years ago there was no existence of Pakistan, but unfortunately Pakistan has now become a different state. Similarly, the whole world was previously one—Bhārata-varṣa—but for want of cultural deficiency it has been separated in so many small, small parts all over the world. That is the history of Mahābhārata.

So this separation is due to cultural deficiency, and that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Just like wherefrom these Muhammadans came? They did not come from any other part. They were inhabitants of this country, but because they culturally deviated, therefore they were known as Muhammadans. And similarly, there are many others also. This is a cultural difference only. They acquired a different culture, and they wanted to be separate.

Now, if you study the history of the world, then the world cannot give us history more than 2,600 years or 3,000. What was the cultural unity of this world before 3,000 years? The cultural unity was this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's the fact. If there are research scholars, they will find it out. Even still some temples are found in Russian country and other countries also, in South America. So the culture was one: Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Gradually it deviated.

So Ṛṣabhadeva, the father of Mahārāja Bharata, at that time there was no division. There was only one unit, Bhārata-varṣa, and Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva, before His retirement . . . he wanted to retire from His royal order, so He wanted to give some instruction to His sons. He had one hundred sons. People are now clamoring about population of . . . increase of population, but at that time you can see there were persons who could beget one hundred sons. You see there was no question of increasing population, because this is not a problem.

We should understand: increasing population is no problem, because there is no question of supply of food. The supply of food comes from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So if He likes, He can feed many, many millions of population, although we may think it is increasing.

Because from Vedic literature we understand:

nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām

eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān

(Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13)

The Supreme Lord is the supreme nityā, eternal. God is eternal, and we are eternal. We are plural number, and God is singular number: nityo nityānāṁ. Just like in our modern age also there is one supreme person. Suppose in our country we have so many individual personalities, citizens, but there is one supreme person—the president. So similarly, there are innumerable living entities all over the universe, all over the creation, but amongst these innumerable plural number living entities there is one who is called the Supreme, paraṁeśvara. We get it from Vedic literature. Kṛṣṇa also says:

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

(BG 5.29)

He claims that, "I am the only enjoyer." Actually, the Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead, is the enjoyer because He is the proprietor, sarva-loka-maheśvaram. But He is not a proprietor of which you have got experience. He is suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ. And Vedas also confirm this: eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). That one Personality of Godhead, He maintains all other plural number personalities.

So my point is that Ṛṣabhadeva is a prominent historical personality; therefore His name is mentioned in the history. And it is also known that He had one hundred sons. There may be others also who could beget more than one hundred sons. So there was no question of increasing population. Problems we have created, civilized men. The birds, bees, snakes, they don't care for increasing population. There is enough food. They are not anxious in the morning, "Where shall I get food?" They are confident, that "Somewhere or elsewhere my food is there."

No birds, no beasts die of starvation. It is simply a problem in the human society, because we have forgotten God, Kṛṣṇa. Formerly also in India there was no scarcity during Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's kingdom, Mahārāja Parīkṣit's kingdom, and what to speak of Mahārāja Rāmacandra's kingdom. There was no question of scarcity. The scarcity comes out of our own creation.

pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ

pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate

(ISO Invocation)

Everything is full, everything is complete in the creation of God.

But trouble is that because we have forgotten God, therefore there are so many troubles. People have become godless asuras, and they create trouble, that "It is not the creation of God; it is the creation of the asuras." And who is the asura? Asura means who are against the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are called asuras. Just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa was the son of a brāhmaṇa. He was very learned scholar—everything was complete—but he denied to accept Lord Rāma as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore he is called rākṣasa, asura. So many good names are there.

So in the śāstras also we see there are two classes of men: daiva āsura eva (BG 16.6). One class of men are gods, demigods, daiva; and another is asura. And who is daiva and asura? Viṣṇu-bhaktaḥ smṛto daiva āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ (Padma Purāṇa). The viṣṇu-bhaktaḥ, those who are devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, they are called demigods, or godly. Others, viparyayaḥ, those who are just the opposite number, they are called asuras. This is the definition.

So Ṛṣabhadeva, before retirement, as it is the duty of the father to give instruction to His sons before retirement, to see the family affair or the state, similarly Ṛṣabhadeva instructed to His hundred sons. You will be interested to know also that out of His one hundred sons, eleven became yogīs . . . er, nine became yogīs, and eleven became kṣatriyas, and balance, they were ordinary persons. No—they were brāhmins; they became brāhmins. Yes.

Now the father was kṣatriya. Ṛṣabhadeva, He was emperor, He was kṣatriya, so His sons naturally we should consider as kṣatriyas. But how some of them became brāhmins and some of them became yogīs and some of them became brāhmins? That is the regulative principle, according to śāstra. Not by birth one is kṣatriya or one is brāhmin or one is śūdra, but by qualities. Just like some of the respectable gentlemen who are sitting here, so some of you are lawyers, some of you are judges. So it is by qualification. Not that because your father was a lawyer, therefore you have become a lawyer, or because your father was a judge, therefore you have become a judge. No. It is the qualification. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā also states:

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ

guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ

(BG 4.13)

Guṇa and karma: qualities and actual work. One must have passed his examination in law, and he must be practicing; then he is called a lawyer or a judge. Not that because he has passed, that because he has gone to the law office. He must practice also. Similarly, the brahminical qualities one should acquire, and he must practice in life as a brāhmin. The kṣatriya also must acquire the qualities, and he must act according to kṣatriya regulative principles. Similarly, vaiśya, a śūdra.

These are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. The brahminical qualifications are stated there. The kṣatriya qualifications are stated there. The vaiśya qualifications are stated there. The śūdra qualification is stated there. And in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam you will find Nārada Muni says to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that yasya hi yad . . . yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyañjakam (SB 7.11.35). Varṇa, this classification of social order, brāhmin, kṣatriya, vaiśya and śūdra, and less than that, that is accepted by the symptoms, lakṣaṇa, characteristics, not by birth.

Yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ syād varṇābhivyañjakam. Varṇābhivya means these four social orders. Abhivyañjakam, expressing by the lakṣaṇaṁ, by the characteristics.

yasya hi yad lakṣaṇaṁ syād

varṇābhivyañjakam

yad anyatrāpi dṛśyeta

tat tenaiva vinirdiśet

(SB 7.11.35)

If such characteristics are found in some other group, then that group or that person should be accepted according to that characteristic.

So these things are there. So actually Vedic culture is not stereotype. It is not stagnant; it is dynamic. So we have to, at the present moment, if we are really serious about our culture through this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we have to spread this Vedic culture and collect and pick up who is in brahminical qualification, who is in kṣatriya qualifications, who is a vaiśya.

Don't make it that these systems of division of the social order is only monopolized by Indians. No. It is not that. It should be spread. Then people will accept also. Just like these boys and girls, they are being trained up to become as qualified brāhmins. So if you don't accept them, that "They are not brāhmins," that is not according to śāstra. That may be your whimsical estimation, but actually we have to find out. Because when Kṛṣṇa says, when God says that:

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ

guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ

(BG 4.13)

"I have created these four orders of society according to quality and according to work," how you can deny this facility to others?

Anything created by God is enjoyed by everyone, not that a particular type of society or a particular type of community. God's gift is enjoyable by everyone. That is actually spiritual communism. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that same Nārada Muni, when he was speaking to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, he says that whatever property is there, whatever things are there, either in the sky or in the land or in the water, everything belongs to God; and all the sons of God, all the living entities, they have right to enjoy the property of the father. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So if we actually want to give our Vedic culture to the world, we should think in that light, as it is given to us by our ācāryas or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness culture, is being spread all over the world on this principle, and people are accepting. And our only request is that those who are thoughtful Indians and responsible leaders of the society, they should take this movement very seriously.

It is not a concocted idea given by me. No. It is authorized, and it is on the principles of Vedic knowledge, and it is the duty of the Indians to understand this cultural movement very seriously and spread it all over the world. That is our business. Therefore this was indicated by Lord Caitanya, bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya janma haila yāra. Anyone who has taken birth as a human being:

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya janma haila yāra

janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra

(CC Adi 9.41)

Such person, first of all let him realize his constitutional position. Because there are facilities. In India we have got this Vedic literature.

anādi bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gelā

ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila

(CC Madhya 20.117)

Why our great sages and saintly persons have made so many literatures? Because it is an opportunity for the Indians to self-realize, realize his constitutional position. And there is so much help. Just like Bhagavad-gītā given by the Lord Himself for self-realization. So therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends that anyone who has taken his birth as a human being should realize his constitutional position, and taking help from the ācāryas and great sages and Lord Kṛṣṇa, and then spread that knowledge all over the world, para-upakāra.

Because in other parts of the world, they are not so advanced in spiritual knowledge. That is a fact. They agree to that. And it is our duty to spread this spiritual knowledge all over the world. If you do not do that, then it is called jñāna-kala. We are miser. We have become miser, kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa. These two words, brāhmin and kṛpā. Brāhmin means liberal, and kṛpā . . . there is a Bengali word that if a brāhmin gets one lakh of rupees, he is still a beggar. Why he is a beggar? Because he does not keep anything for his sense gratification; he immediately distributes.

So you have to create brāhmins, real brāhmins, who can distribute this Vedic knowledge all over the world. That is the present need. We have to create actually brāhmins, liberal, not that, "I know this. I shall not let know any other." That is kṛpaṇa. Just like kṛpaṇa means miser. He has got money, but he does not want to distribute it or utilize it properly. He is called kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ (BG 2.49), in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said. Kṛpaṇa, those who are miser, they simply want to enjoy the fruits of his labor himself. But our culture is brahminical culture. Become liberal. Just purify your own life, then take the knowledge and distribute to the whole world.

So this is a teeny attempt. Of course, personally I am trying to do; but if all Indians they join with this movement, I think the whole world will be Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Thank you very much. (devotees offer obeisances) (end)