Initiation Lecture

Prabhupāda: So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement... They are trying to go to the nature. Just like there is a propaganda, nature means to become animal. They live like animals, naked. They have sex life on the street. They say it is freedom. But the rascals do not know there is no freedom at all. Where is freedom? So long you are under the grip of material nature, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi [Bg 13.9], where is freedom?

[Humility, pridelessness, nonviolence, tolerance, simplicity, approaching a bona fide spiritual master, cleanliness, steadiness and self-control; renunciation of the objects of sense gratification, absence of false ego, the perception of the evil of birth, death, old age and disease; nonattachment to children, wife, home and the rest, and evenmindedness amid pleasant and unpleasant events; constant and unalloyed devotion to Me, resorting to solitary places, detachment from the general mass of people; accepting the importance of self-realization, and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth—all these I thus declare to be knowledge, and what is contrary to these is ignorance.]

By nature does not mean that you have got freedom. There is no freedom. We are all conditioned. Simply falsely we are thinking of freedom. It requires little brain. Where is freedom? Nobody wants to die, and where is the freedom not to die? Who has got the freedom? Nobody wants to become old, and where is the freedom? Everyone becomes old. But I have got the desire. Even old man, old woman tries to remain young by cosmetic help, to be good looking, and where is the freedom? By nature he is becoming bad looking.

So there is no freedom. It is false idea, freedom. Nobody wants to die; death is sure.

[aside:] He's sleeping.

Nobody wants to become old; he's becoming old. Nobody wants to take birth... Of course, that is very higher stage. Jñānī, they want mukti; that is also not possible. Otherwise why Kṛṣṅa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante [Bg 7.19]?

[After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.]

To stop death, to stop birth is not possible unless one comes to Kṛṣṅa consciousness. Unless one [sic] does not come to the position of loving Kṛṣṅa, there's no question of freedom. That is the nature's law.

We have forgotten Kṛṣṅa. Instead of loving Kṛṣṅa, we have habituated, we have developed a consciousness to love dog. Just like in your country they say, "Dog is the best friend." So instead of loving God, they have learned to love dog. But nature ways is that you have to forget loving dog; you have to come to the position to love God. That is nature's way.

Therefore there is no freedom. There is no freedom. Just like a citizen becomes criminal. The criminal department, the prison, just to correct him: "Unless you become a good citizen, you'll have to be punished in this prison house." Similarly, our real position is to love God, to love Kṛṣṅa. Unless we are on that platform of loving God, the nature will give us trouble. There is no freedom. We should try to understand it. There's no question of freedom.

So the time is up? No.

[break] By initiated process one is elevated to the highest position in this material world. Brāhmaṅas' position, in this material world, is the highest position. So this is a training to come to the brahminical stage. Then one has to surpass that brahminical stage also. That is called pure goodness. Brāhmaṅa is goodness, but there is chance of being contaminated with passion and ignorance, because it is material world. But when [one] surpasses that brahminical stage and becomes pure Vaiṣṅava, then Kṛṣṅa becomes revealed to him.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa's name is Vasudeva. Pure stage of life is called vasudeva stage. Just like Vasudeva was father of Kṛṣṅa. That means when one is situated in the vasudeva stage, śuddha-sattva, pure goodness, Kṛṣṅa is born. Kṛṣṅa born means Kṛṣṅa becomes visible, revealed. So this initiation process is gradually to raise a devotee to that platform.

Go on.

[break] There is a list of lowborn human beings.

Kirāta-hūṅāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ [SB 2.4.18].

So many. So even they are born in low-graded family, still, they can be elevated to the highest position by purificatory process. The example is given by Sanātana Gosvāmī: just like bell metal, if one can mix with it mercury, it becomes gold. Anyone can try it. Bell metal. Bell metal means mixture of copper and tin. That makes bell metal. Eighty percent copper, eighty percent tin. And along with it, if some suitable percentage of mercury is mixed, it becomes immediately gold. This chemical suggestion is there in the Vedic śāstras. So it is clear that they were quite aware of all these chemical method.

So the example is given, as the base metal or bell metal can be transferred into gold by mixture of mercury under certain process, yathā kāñcanatāṁ yāti kāṁsyaṁ rasa-vidhānataḥ... Rasa, rasa means mercury. Tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena. Similarly, any lowborn, it doesn't matter what he is, if proper initiation is conducted, then tathā dīkṣā-vidhānena dvijatvaṁ jāyate nṛṅām, he becomes a brāhmaṅa. He becomes a brāhmaṅa. Dvijatvam. Dvija means twice-born. Any man.

In India there are many rascals who think that without being born in a brāhmaṅa family nobody can become brāhmaṅa. That is not the verdict of śāstra. Here is a verse in the Bhāgavata,

kirāta-hūṅāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ ye 'nye ca pāpā [SB 2.4.18].

Not only all these mentioned, kirāta-hūṅāndhra... Hūṅa. Hūṅa class is found still on the northern side of Russia and Germany. When I went to Moscow I have seen, they're so much addicted to meat-eating. They're simply eating meat. In Russia also. They do not eat much fruits or vegetables, or not available.

So these... Low class means the more they are addicted to meat-eating. Just like animals. They may be very strong. A tiger is also strong, but what is the use of it? Nobody cares for the tiger. Although tiger is very strong, one is afraid of it, but if you become a tiger what is the use of it? So this material civilization, they are trying to make this body tigerlike strong. They do not know that what is the usefulness of tiger. No use for... At least, for human society they are simply meant for being killed, shooting.

So this demonic civilization is simply meant for being shooted by the laws of nature. Therefore you'll find revolution, war, in the Western part of the world. They are being shooted by the laws of nature. They are thinking, "If we become tigerlike, our life is successful." But they do not know that if you become tigerlike, demon, you are just become suitable for being shooted. That's all. [laughter] They do not know this.

So it is not the aim of human life to become a tiger. It is..., the aim of human life is to become a devotee of Viṣṅu, Vaiṣṅava. That is perfection of life. So we are, this movement, we are giving the highest benediction to the human society. They are becoming Vaiṣṅava. There is great necessity of Vaiṣṅava at the present moment, because everyone has become śūdras. Kalau śūdra sambhava. And because it is, everywhere, the śūdras are there, how there can be peace? They do not know. They have no brain how to make the society peaceful and prosperous. They are śūdras. They have no intelligence. There is necessity of creating brāhmaṅas and Vaiṣṅava. This movement is meant for that purpose.

So be careful. Don't be turned again to śūdra and mlecchas. Go on making progress to become pure Vaiṣṅava. Then your life is successful and you'll give the best service to the human society. [aside:] You can... But what can be done? Still you have to remain a Vaiṣṅava. And perhaps you know it, the tigers cannot eat daily. Tiger life means almost starvation. You'll find, if you have ever seen a real photograph in forest of a tiger, the belly is... There is no food. They cannot get food. Because they are ferocious, by nature's law it is not allowed by the..., he'll take food every day. No. After fifteen days, one month, gets a prey and eats the blood. They cannot eat.

So tiger life is not very comfortable life. [laughter] You'll have to starve. And if you become Vaiṣṅava, three times you get nice prasādam. [laughter] This is practical. You see. [laughter] You see. All these tigers, they are eating in the restaurant. What they are eating? Nonsense. And come here and see what we are eating.

Practical. There is no theoretical. Practical, see. And we have no practically doctor's bill. All these tigers, they have to pay half the income to the doctors in medicine. So many tablets advertised, in your country especially. For this disease, one tablet; for that disease, one tablet. Dozens of tablet he has to take daily. And at the night also, sleeping tablet. [laughter] But our devotees, they get good opportunity, sleeping very nicely without any tablet.

Go on. [break]

The centers, they should learn how to conduct this priestly work. You have practically seen, and gradually, you should take charge of everything.

Hmm. All right. [japa] [devotees offering obeisances] [end]