710626 - Lecture at Olympia Theater - Paris

Lectures by Date, 1971

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 Listen to a 'Nectar Drop' created from this lecture

710626SP.PARIS - June 26, 1971 - 34:01 Minutes

(translated throughout by devotee)

Prabhupāda: Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly participating in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This movement is very important. It is a movement to save the human society from a suicidal policy.

The suicidal policy is . . . just this evening I expressed my desires to the press conference that the human society is being misled by leaders who are blind themselves. Take, for example, just like there are a few blind men, and one, another blind man, is proposing to help them crossing over the street. So this blind following is there in this sense, that we do not know what is the aim and objective of human society. The aim and objective of human life is self-realization and reestablishing our lost relation with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the missing point. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to enlighten the human society on this important point.

According to Vedic civilization, the progressive march towards perfection of life is to realize one's relationship with Kṛṣṇa, or God. There is a book—perhaps you read or you know—Bhagavad-gītā. That Bhagavad-gītā is accepted by all ācāryas, or authorities in transcendental science, as the essence of all Vedic knowledge. In this Bhagavad-gītā we understand that the living entities, not only human beings, but other than human beings—there are many types of living entities—all of them are parts and parcels of God.

The part and parcel of God means . . . you can understand from your own personal experience. Just like your body, but there are many parts and parcels of the body, just like the legs, the hands, the fingers, the hair, so many things. The idea is that the parts and parcels are meant for serving the whole body. Similarly, we living entities, being part and parcel of God, it is our duty to serve Him.

Actually, our position is that we are rendering service to somebody else. Every one of us who are sitting in this meeting must admit that he is giving service to somebody else. Somebody is rendering service to his family, somebody is rendering service to his country or to his society, or if one has nobody to serve, sometimes he keeps a pet like cats and dog and renders service unto it. So all these factors prove that we want and we are constitutionally so made that we have to render service to somebody else. But in spite of our rendering service to the best capacity, we are not satisfied, nor the persons to whom we are rendering service, they are satisfied.

Therefore, in spite of our rendering service to one another, every one of us are frustrated. The reason is that the service which we are rendering, that is not properly placed. The method is . . . just like a tree. If you want to render service to a tree, you must water to the root. If you pour water on the leaves, branches and twigs, that is not properly served. If you pour water on the root, that is the way of serving the tree. Similarly, in your body, if you supply food to the stomach, the energy will be distributed. You need not give food separately to the different parts of your body.

From this example we can understand that the Supreme Whole, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, if He is served, then all other parts and parcels and . . . just like the limbs of the body are served automatically by supplying food to the stomach, similarly, by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead everyone is served. Therefore all welfare activities, all service to the society, family, nature . . . (break)

So it is the duty of every human being to understand his constitutional position, his relation with God and, understanding the relation, to act accordingly, and then our life becomes successful. This human form of life is meant for that purpose. We are missing the point. So long we are living, sometimes we challenge that, "There is no God," "I am God," or somebody says: "I don't care for God." But actually this challenge will not save us. God is there. We can see God in every moment. But if we deny to see God, then God will be present before us as the cruel death.

There are different features of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He is the original root cause of all cosmic manifestation. In the Bhagavad-gītā there is nice description how you can gradually understand and see God personally, face to face. Just like the Personality of Godhead says therein that, "I am the taste in water. I am the sunlight. I am the moonlight. I am the sound vibration in the sky and I am the supreme character of a great personality."

So if we (are) actually serious to understand the science of God, if we try to follow the injunction given in the Bhagavad-gītā . . . just like God is the taste of the water. Everyone is tasting water daily, not only once, but several times. So if we remember this instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, that the taste of the water is God, then the God realization begins, becomes . . . begins.

Similarly, it is said there that God is the light of the moon, God is the light of the sun. Every one of us has seen the sunlight and the moonshine, so how we can say that we have not seen God? Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says that, "I am the sound vibration in the sky." So who has not heard the sound vibration of the cloud in the sky? So as soon as we hear the sound vibration in the sky, we can see God or we can hear God. At last, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). If one does not see God, then, Kṛṣṇa says: "I am the death, cruel death, who takes away everything from everyone."

The conclusion is that everyone sees God at every moment, but the atheist class, they do not accept that he is seeing God. He is denying or telling lies that he is not seeing God. But a devotee of God, he sees God at every moment within his heart. So the difference of seeing God by a devotee and difference of . . . and denying, denial by the nondevotee, is this, that the atheist class or the atheist can see God at his last stage as death, whereas the devotee sees God by his devotional service every moment and every step of his life.

So this human form of life is especially . . . it is given by nature to realize God. If we don't utilize this human form of life to understand ourselves and God and our relationship, then we are committing a suicidal policy. Our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just an attempt to educate the foolish human civilization without any sense of God. Our life . . . as we are spirit soul, we are evolving through many species of life, and if we don't take advantage of this human form of life, then we are missing the chance.

Without God consciousness, or without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there cannot be any peace. Everyone is hankering after peace, but he does not know how to achieve peace. Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the greatest welfare activities in the world, and we request everyone to take advantage of this great scientific movement. Our presentation is authoritative because we are guided by the principles of the old knowledge, the ancient knowledge of India, the Vedas. And the process of understanding this science of Kṛṣṇa is also made very easy in this age.

The process, as you have already known, the process is chanting the holy name of God: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Now this is recommended in the Vedas that, "In this age people are so much fallen that they cannot realize God by the prescribed method, therefore the best chance for them is to chant this holy name of God." That is recommended in the Vedas.

You can chant . . . if you know any other name of God, you can chant also, because there is no difference between the different names of God. And each name, holy name, is invested with all powers of God. Lord Caitanya says that each and every name, holy name of God, is nondifferent from the Supreme Lord. Therefore all the powers, all the energies that God has, it is also there in His holy name. In the absolute platform there is no such difference, as in this relative world there is difference between the name and the person whose name we are chanting. As such, there is no difference between the holy name of God and God. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu says there is no hard and fast rules and regulations for this chanting.

So you can chant the holy name of God anywhere, everywhere, and wherever it is possible. So suppose you are walking on the street or passing on the buses, but if you chant the holy name of God, especially Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, you will get much benefit without any loss of your money or without any hampering of your business.

We therefore request and recommend that so long we live, we may chant the holy name of God: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. We don't charge anything for giving you this name. It is open to everyone. You can take it and make an experiment. By chanting, you will feel how much you are advancing in spiritual knowledge.

This is the shortcut way of understanding God realization. But if you don't believe in the simple method, if you want to understand this philosophy through science and philosophy, we have got books, about one dozen books, four hundred pages each, to explain this science of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. We have got our magazine, Back to Godhead, and our books, Kṛṣṇa book, Nectar of Devotion, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So many books we have got.

So those who are very much serious . . . and everyone should be serious, because if we miss this opportunity, then after death we do not know what is going to happen. I may have a human form of body or we may have a body of the animals or of a tree. That we do not know. But if we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and become advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, at least next life again human form of body is guaranteed.

It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that those who have begun Kṛṣṇa consciousness understanding, if they can fulfill the whole program within this life, they get salvation and goes back to home, back to Godhead. But even if one fails to achieve success in one life, his next life as a human being in rich family or in a pious family is guaranteed.

So our humble request to you all is that henceforward you please chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra whenever it is possible. You have got enough time, and there is no rules and regulation, there is no fee, and see how much you are benefited.

Thank you. Now if there is any question you can ask. (end)