751224 - Lecture Hindi - Sanand

Lectures by Date, 1975

His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

751224LE-SANAND - December 24, 1975 - 38:48 Minutes

(Hindi translated into English)

Raja Sahib, Gentlemen, there is one difficulty for me, I cannot speak Gujarati at all and Hindi also I cannot speak very correctly. Anyways, all of you excuse me. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement that we have created, International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, the aim of this is that all over the world the people are mistaken, what are they mistaken about? They think that by generating lots of money and indulging in sense gratification, I will be very happy in that. This is going on all over the world. Get money somehow and enjoy. In the western world this is called hedonism. Eat drink be merry and enjoy. (interruption) You sit down.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, about 500 years ago, this sankirtan movement, the preaching of the holy names of the Lord, there is no difference between the Lord and His name. Nāma-cintāmaṇi kṛṣṇa, the scriptures say that name of the Lord Kṛṣṇa and the name of the Lord Rāma, these are God Himself. :Nāma-cintāmaṇi kṛṣṇa, caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ.

Just like the Lord, in the deity form is fully spiritual, similarly the name of the Lord that is also completely spiritual. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇa caitanya-rasa-vigrahah.

To understand this better the scriptures say, pūrṇaḥśuddho nitya-mukto 'bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ.

We should not think that God is bigger than His name or the name is smaller, no. Just like name, just like God is all powerful, His name is also all powerful, nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā.

The name of the Lord has all the potencies of the Lord himself, if we are able to chant them offenselessly. There are three stages of chanting the holy names of the Lord nāma-aparādha, Nāmābhāsa, śuddha-nāma. Nāma-aparādha, at first we commit a lot of offenses that, a lot of people think that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa or chanting the names of Durga or Kali, or the names of any demigod, it is the same thing. This is nāma-aparādha. The scriptures say, harer nāma, Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam, not any other name. Harer nāma! People think mistakenly that one can chant any name and they say that you can chant these names. But it is not according to the guidelines of the scriptures. Harer nāma:

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam,

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā.

In Kali-yuga all the people are very fallen, sinful. The symptoms of Kali-yuga are described in the Twelfth Canto of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it matches now. There is one word mentioned there, lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. In Kali-yuga men will think that having long hair makes them more beautiful. You can all see that nowadays the youth keep long hair. They think that, 'I am very beautiful now. Lāvaṇyaṁ keśa-dhāraṇam. But this is a symptom of Kali-yuga. There are many more like this. Dām-patye ratim eva hi, that the relationship between man and woman, husband and wife will be all right till they are satisfied sexually. Dām-patye ratim eva hi, the proof of this can be seen widely in the western countries. If they are a bit unsatisfied in their sense gratification (sex), then they divorce. So the scriptures say, dām-patye ratim eva hi. Vipratve sūtram eva hi, what kind of brāhmaṇa's remain now? They buy a two-paisa worth thread and wear it, that's all. And all the brahmanical qualities like śama dama titikṣāārjava.

jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ

brahma-karma svabhāva-jam

This is all said in Gita, you all know this. All this śama dama goes into the fire, just wearing a two-paisa worth thread and become a brāhmaṇa. These are all the symptoms of Kali-yuga, it is written. And āyuḥ, medhā, Dayā and dharma all these will completely vanish. There are elaborate explanations of the Kali-yuga, if you read Bhāgavatam, twelfth Canto, third chapter, it is all mentioned. That is why Caitanya Mahāprabhu, says according to the scriptures, that:

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāma eva kevalam,

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

In Kali-yuga this is the only path that can take you from this material world to the spiritual world of the Lord. Man does not know what is the aim of human life, he is that sinful now, Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ.

He was like that before also but to a lesser extent. Just like before also there was Rāvaṇa who went in the garb of a sannyāsi to kidnap Sītā. So nowadays this has become more. At that time there was only one sannyāsi like Rāvaṇa whom we could meet, who went in the garb of a sannyāsa to kidnap another man's wife. Nowadays you can find many such Rāvaṇa's. So this is Kali-yuga. One more symptom of Kali-yuga is mentioned in the scriptures that:

prāyeṇa alpa āyuṣaḥ kalau asmin yuge janāḥ

mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ

What are the inconveniences has also been stated. Durbhikṣa, karopī On one hand there will be scarcity of food and on the other hand the government will impose heavy taxes. Durbhikṣa, karopī Men will be fed up, ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā yāsyanti giri-kānanam, the scriptures have given descriptions of the miserable conditions that will prevail in the Kali-yuga and the solution is also given. In Kali-yuga there is only solution to make life successful, this has been said by Śukadeva Gosvāmī:

kalau doṣa-nidhe rājann

asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ

kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya

mukte-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet

There are a lot of narrations are given in the scriptures and according to that this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is being spread all over the world by me and we are getting some results also. You can see that these European, American boys, girls and even children, you can see in front of your eyes. Even one-year-old children are dancing. This is such a thing. This is not artificial, it is natural.

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

Devotional service for Lord Kṛṣṇa is not something that needs to be taught. It is already within the heart of everyone. Nitya-siddha, perpetually. Because we are very closely related to the Lord. Just like father and son, the relation of the son with his father is very close. Even if for a very long time the father or son are separated and living abroad even then when they meet after a long time, the love between the father and son is unbreakable. Similarly, our relationship with the Lord is unbreakable but in Kali-yuga due to sinful activities it is covered over.

We need to awaken this, nothing else, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, to awaken that, darpaṇa means mirror in which all of you see yourselves. That has become covered with dirt. That has to be cleaned, the heart has to be cleaned. That is why we are Kṛṣṇa consciousness, kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛta. We have a lot of thoughts, we think about a lot of things, we think and work. We cannot be without thinking for even a second. We need to purify that thinking, by thinking only about Kṛṣṇa, that's all, life will be successful. This is called kṛṣṇa-bhāvanāmṛta. Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī has said:

kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ

krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate

Śrīla Rūpa Goswāmī has said that if you can buy this Kṛṣṇa consciousness anywhere then you purchase it without any delay.

kṛṣṇa-bhakti-rasa-bhāvitā matiḥ

krīyatāṁ yadi kuto 'pi labhyate

To buy this do we need to pay a price? Yes!! That is also said, tatra laulyam api mūlyam ekalaṁ.

If you become a bit greedy for Kṛṣṇa, that you want to attain Kṛṣṇa in this very lifetime, just like, we are greedy for money, we are greedy for a beautiful woman, in the same way if we are greedy for Kṛṣṇa then our life will be successful. This is the procedure, this is what we are teaching. The Lord has also said in the Bhagavad-gītā:

mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha

yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ

asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ

yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu

To be greedy about the Lord, attachment, just like we are attached to this material world, to wealth, to woman, to designations, this we want, this is attachment. In the same way if we become attached to the Lord then our life will be successful. This is what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, as to how to have attachment for Kṛṣṇa instead of the world, that is our preaching, nothing else. So the Lord has himself said, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ, this is a yoga.

How to become attached to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, this is devotional service. How to execute this devotional service has been recommended by Prahlāda Mahārāja long ago:

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

Where is water? Now you shall go for water.

This hearing is of primary importance, hearing the names of the Lord, ataḥśrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. This hearing of the name Hare Kṛṣṇa. We start with the hearing of this name. If we concentrate only on hearing, just like Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Parīkṣit Mahārāja had seven day left before he would die. So he only heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrī-viṣṇoḥśravaṇe parīkṣid, Parīkṣit Mahārāja sat down and only heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śukadeva Gosvāmī simply glorified the Lord. These are items one by one, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ.

Even if you hear the names of the Lord, this is the effect of Kali-yuga that there are hindrances to even hearing the names of the Lord. Just sit down and listen peacefully to the names of the Lord and his glories, we can’t set our mind to that even. That is why through hearing only we can rein in our mind. Scriptures say, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. At first it does not feel all right. Just like if a person is suffering from jaundice, if you give him sugar candy he will say it is distasteful, bitter but because of jaundice, everyone know sugar candy is sweet but it is bitter to his tongue. But sugar candy is the only solution for curing jaundice. So by eating this sugar candy over a period of time, one will find that same sugar candy to be sweet. Similarly this chanting of the holy name of the Lord, this disease of the material world, because of this disease we don’t have a taste for the holy names. But this is the only cure for this disease, nothing else, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam.

So by force, we have to fix our mind. This is sādhana, practice, abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā.

For one whose mind is impetuous, he should engage in practicing this yoga. This is called austerity. Human life is meant for performing austerities. It should not be like that of dogs and hogs. Just like the dogs and hogs they work hard all day long for some food. This is the situation now in Kali-yuga that for two pieces of bread, man is working hard like an ass, pulls carts, both man and woman. Is this the job of a human being? But this is happening in Kali-yuga and there's more to come. For two-paisa your son will stab you in your heart. All this time is coming. Just for two-paisa, all this is written in the Bhāgavatam. The times are going to be very bad. And there is only for solution for this:

harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam

kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā

These are scriptural injunctions. So it is our request be in any situation but chant the holy names of the Lord. There is no loss for you in doing this. And if you think there is no benefit, there is lot of benefit but you don’t know. Anyways, there is no loss. If you are walking in the road and if you.

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

If you chant these names then what will you lose? You will know the benefits later on but there is no loss now and to chant the Lord's name and glories there is not much effort required. So this is our request. Stay anywhere, in any situation, stay anywhere in this material world. See these Americans and Europeans they are neither Hindu nor are they from India. They have taken birth in so many different places. Why do they chant? Is it difficult to chant the names? No. It is not difficult nor is there any loss. But if you chant the names all the dirt that has accumulated in your heart, will be cleansed, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. And our difficulty in this material world, we do not understand the real difficulty at all, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.

The Lord . . . so, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam, when the heart is cleansed, just like we have the mirror, if there is dirt on it you clean it, so that you can see your beautiful face in it. Similarly the more you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, your heart will be cleansed, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. And you will yourself come to know as to why we are working so hard in this material world. I do not want to die, why do I have to? I do not want to become old, why do I become old? I do not want to be diseased, why is being diseased force upon me? You will get the answers to all these questions, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. And when you get the answers to all these questions then, bhava-mahādāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. This fire which is burning in the material world is for everyone, for all those senior government ministers this fire is burning and for the common man on the road who earns his livelihood by labor, for bread, this fire is burning for him also.

It is not that if you get a good post or wealth then this fire will be extinguished. No! This is not the case. We have seen this happening virtually, but I do not wish to take names. That fire is going on, bhava-mahādāvāgni. Why has it been called a fire? Dāvāgni means, the fire that engulfs the forest that is called dāvāgni. Nobody goes into the forest to set it on fire, for the sake of enmity but it is the law of nature that the forest catches fire. Similarly if you situated in the material world, even if you don’t want to it to catch fire, it will still catch fire. Just like there are wars sometimes, a number of wars have taken place, who wants wars? But there is war.

There is use of weapons, diseases and many other things. Your friend becomes your enemy, even your son becomes your enemy. This is the law of nature, this is called bhava-mahādāvāgni. You don’t want to set it on fire but it will still catch fire. So when the heart is cleanses and we understand that, "I am not matter." That is called cleansing the heart. "I am not this material body." Nowadays this material civilization is all based on the bodily concept of life. I think I am Indian, I am brāhmaṇa, I am Bengali, Gujarati and so many other things. Others think I am American, I am this, I am that. All this, we are none of these. These are all entanglements. That is why Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. We are mistakenly thinking ourselves to be this or that, this is the dirt accumulation. That has to be cleansed. All these entanglements will be cleansed. At that time you are on the brahma-bhūta stage, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā.

When you are selfrealized you will understand, "Ahaṁ brahmāsmi", "I am spirit." , "I am not matter, I am not this body." This is explained by the Lord at the beginning:

dehino smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

These are all viewpoints. Because our hearts are not cleansed, there are lot of entanglements, a lot of mistakes we make in leading our lives. This human life that we have got is to get rid of all these entanglements. But if we keep these entanglements as it is and become rich men, what is the gain in that? Clear up the entanglements if life has to be successful and if you keep these entanglements and become a rich man say for twenty or fifty years, or you become poor, it is the same thing.

Some think that I am very poor, how do I become rich? And another person thinks that I have become so rich and yet my desires are not fulfilled. So it is the same thing. All the time anxiety. This was told by Prahlāda Mahārāj to his father when asked, "Son, what is it that you have learned, tell me!" Then, Prahlāda Mahārāj replied, he did not say "father". Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ, "Father you are the best of the demons." Sura-varya means the best, very powerful demon. Tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ, this material body that we have accepted, for that this is appropriate. What is? Hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta.

This material body, we are constantly worried for it.

tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ,

sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt

This not permanent material body that I have accepted, I have to be constantly full of anxiety for it. And if you want to get rid of this anxiety then, hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta.

That is why in our vedic civilization, vānaprastha, going to the forest, pañcaśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. This is a scriptural injunction. As soon as you turn fifty years of age go to the forest. Nowadays it is not possible to go to the forest, no practice, so at least come to Vṛndāvana. We have built a big temple in Vṛndāvana and there is place to stay. Those who are more than fifty years old, all of you come, stay there, discuss pastimes of the Lord and make life successful. Vanaṁ gato yad dharim, it is not enough to go to the forest, that even a monkey stays in the forest. They stay naked and eat fruits also, very sattvic life but each monkey needs one or two dozen female monkeys. Going to the forest in this way is of no use. Go to the forest, harim āśrayeta and take shelter of the Lord. This is prescribed in the scriptures. As far as possible I am trying to give all facilities. I am building an ashrama and a temple also and place to stay. So at least when you turn fifty, this principle that we will never leave our homes, this is not correct. Then:

sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt,

hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ

This is not vedic civilization. Vedic civilization prescribes varṇāśrama-dharma. This is the real dharma. Four castes and four orders of human life. Four castes—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas and the śūdras—this must be implemented, otherwise the society is. The brāhmaṇas after acquiring knowledge, will teach control of senses, equanimity, tolerance to others. The kṣatriyas will rule and vaiśyas will grow grains and the śūdras who don’t know anything will provide labor, that's all. Similarly brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa, we should follow these rules and regulations., then only we can be happy. But just by working hard like dogs and hogs, bring in the money, bring in the bread, this is no civilization. The whole world is spoilt because of this. So therefore we are requesting all of you, please understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, it is not manufactured, it is not that we applied our brain and this came out, no. This is not jugglery, it is scientific, supported by scriptures. All of you understand this nicely, accept it and work in such a way that your life can be successful, that is my only request. And all this work can be done very beautifully if only you, harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, then your heart will be cleansed.

Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā

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

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

ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ

I'f you come into this line, then you want bliss, ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. The living entities want bliss, the Lord is blissful. And the living entities who are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa also want to be blissful. So, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad buddhi-grāhyam atīndriyam.

Real bliss is transcendental and not material.

ramante yogino 'nante satyānanda-cid-ātmani

iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate

This is said in the scriptures in relation to Lord Rāma that, Rāma means Parabrahma, Kṛṣṇa means Parabrahma. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān.

So Lord Rāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Rāma, there is no difference between them. When you chant the holy names purely, then understand that Lord Ramachandra, Balarāma, any Rāma, Lord, Lord came as Paraśurāma, Balarāma and as Lord Ramachandra, they are all same. So, Nāma-cintāmaṇi kṛṣṇa, by chanting the names, whether you are a devotee of Kṛṣṇa or a devotee of Rāma, just know that Lord Ramachandra and Lord Kṛṣṇa are dancing in your tongue. If you chant the holy names of the Lord with this feeling then your life will be successful: vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ

This is the blessing of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and he has said. All of you remain in whatever situation you are in, there is no need to spend any money for this, just see once what are the benefits of chanting the holy names all the time, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. This has also been said by Caitanya Mahāprabhu that if you chant the holy names of the Lord, someone might say that you are mad. Just see he is doing business and he is chanting the holy names. Someone else will say, You have to tolerate all this. To become a devotee of the Lord you have to tolerate a lot. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, his own father became his enemy. "Kill this son, he chants the name of the Lord. He doesn’t listen to me." So you make these enemies. But despite having such enemies:

tṛṇād api sunīcena

taror iva sahiṣṇunā

amāninā mānadena

kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ

Tolerate all this and chant the holy names of the Lord, your life will be successful.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda. (end)