Engagement

Prabhupada: ...sung by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a great ācārya of the Gauḍīya-sampradāya. You know in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṅa says,

imaṁ vivasvate yoga proktavān aham avyayam vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt [Bg 4.1]

[The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku.]

First of all, long, long ago Kṛṣṅa says, "I spoke this yoga system to the sun-god, millions of years ago." If you take..., calculate the age of Manu, it comes forty millions of years. If you believe Bhagavad-gītā, as Kṛṣṅa says, that "First of all I spoke to Vivasvān..." Vivasvān is the name of the sun-god who is now predominating there. In every planet there is a predominating deity, just like in this planet we have got president.

Similarly in other planets also there are predominating deities. And the present predominating deity in the sun globe is known as Vivasvān. The name is there. And Vivasvān has a son, Manu. His name is Vaivasvata Manu. The present age is going on of the Vaivasvata Manu. In each and every day of Lord Brahmā there are changes of such fourteen Manus.

So Kṛṣṅa says, sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa [Bg 4.2].

[This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.]

In due course of time that yoga system is now lost. Why? The paramparā system is lost. Learning the system, the Bhagavad-gītā yoga system, from the master to the disciple, when Kṛṣṅa was present personally, it was lost. He says, yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa. Therefore Kṛṣṅa says, "The same yoga system, Arjuna, I shall inform you." Why? "I am not a Vedāntist." Kṛṣṅa was speaking to Arjuna. Arjuna was not a Vedāntist; he was a military man. A military man is not expected to become a Vedāntist. He knows his military art. Why Kṛṣṅa decided to preach Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna?

That is also said in the Bhagavad-gītā why He selected Arjuna. He said, bhakto si, priyo si: "My dear Arjuna, you are My devotee and very dear friend. You can understand Bhagavad-gītā." Rāsam yogaṁ taṁ, "You can understand the rasa." Therefore to understand Bhagavad-gītā, one requires to be very intimately connected with Kṛṣṅa as His devotee. Otherwise, Bhagavad-gītā cannot be understood.

Unfortunately… The Bhagavad-gītā is going on all over the world. There are about seven hundred editions in all languages of this Bhagavad-gītā, and it is going on for the last more than one thousand years. That means we can understand from the historical records that in Western countries Bhagavad-gītā is known for the last two hundred and fifty years, and there are German edition, English edition, so many editions.

In spite of Bhagavad-gītā being popular in the Western countries, in spite of our so many svāmīs from India went to preach Indian culture or the Hindu culture, before this movement of Kṛṣṅa consciousness, not a single person became a devotee of Kṛṣṅa. That is a fact. It was simply armchair discussion of Bhagavad-gītā.

But why at the present moment these youngsters, Europeans and Americans, Australians, Canadians, Japanese, why they are taking to Kṛṣṅa consciousness? Because this Bhagavad-gītā is presented as it is, without any adulteration. That is my point. Bhagavad-gītā is not meant for anyone else except the devotee. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṅa could explain this Bhagavad-gītā to the jñānīs, to the yogīs, to the karmīs. But why he selected Kṛṣṅa..., why He selected Arjuna? This is the secret of Bhagavad-gītā: bhakto si, priyo si. And the whole Bhagavad-gītā is taught to make everyone devotee of Kṛṣṅa.

[microphone feedback] Now on account of the microphone being disturbed we could not speak from the very beginning. Tomorrow I shall speak, if the microphone is all right. Today I have given you some introduction about this Kṛṣṅa consciousness. My students have already spoken.

So there is a nice song of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. He says, hari hari! bifale janama goṅāinu: "My Lord Kṛṣṅa, I have simply wasted my time and life." Bifale janama goṅāinu. Bifale means uselessly. "I have simply passed my life uselessly." Why? Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṅa nā bhajiyā. I got this human form of life, but I did not take care to worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa.

Hari! Hari! bifale janama goṅāinu, "My dear Lord Kṛṣṅa, I have uselessly wasted my time." Manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṅa nā bhajiyā jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. "I have drunken poison knowingly." He regrets. Everyone should regret who is not becoming devotee of Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa. Everyone should regret like Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is showing us the way.

He further says, golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. This hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is imported from Vaikuntha world. Golokera prema-dhana. Prema-dhana: it is the treasure of love of Godhead. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana rati nā janmilo kene tāy: "I did not grow any attachment for the transcendental vibration Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa."

Viṣaya-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jwale: "I am burning in the materialistic way of life day and night," jurāite nā koinu upāy, "but I did not take any ways and means from being delivered from this blazing fire." Golokera prema-dhana hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana rati nā janmilo kene tāy viṣaya-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jwale. Materialistic way of life means to be always burned in the blazing fire of desire.

Brajendra-nandana jei, śacī-suta hoilo sei. Formerly who was Brajendra-nandana... Brajendra-nandana means Lord Kṛṣṅa. He accepted Nanda Maharaja as His foster father; therefore He is known as Brajendra-nandana. Brajendra-nandana jei, śacī-suta hoilo sei: "The same Brajendra-nandana, Hari, Kṛṣṅa, has now appeared as Lord Caitanya, the son of Saci." Lord Caitanya's mother's name was Saci devi. Balarāma hoilo nitāi: "And the same Balarāma has now become Nityānanda Prabhu."

Pāpī tāpī jata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo: "These two brothers, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityānanda, is delivering all kinds of sinful persons," pāpī tāpī jata chilo. Jata chilo means forcing. Harinama is that. Simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, everyone is being delivered. It was done during the time of Lord Caitanya, and it is also being done at the present moment.

Tāra śākṣī jagāi and mādhāi. There are two brothers, Jagāi and Mādhāi. They were born in brāhmana family, but due to bad association they became drunkards, woman hunters, murderers—[indistinct]. So they became great devotees. So there were two Jagāis and Mādhāis during Caitanya Mahaprabhu's time, but at the present moment there is unlimited numbers of Jagāis and Mādhāis, and they can be delivered simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. This is a fact.

Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays, hā hā prabhu nanda-suta, vṛṣabhānu-sutā-juta: "Here is Lord Kṛṣṅa, Nanda-suta, and His consort, eternal consort, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṅī." Rādhārāṅī is the daughter of Vṛṣabhānu, King Vṛṣabhānu. Therefore, Kṛṣṅa and Rādhārāṅī, They like very much to have Their eternal means of [indistinct]. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is not asking Kṛṣṅa but asking Nanda-suta, the son of Nanda.

Kṛṣṅa likes to be the son of His devotee. Kṛṣṅa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead has no father. He is the original father. Bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām.

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā [Bg 14.4]

[It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.]

He is the original father. Then who can be His father? His father can be His devotee. That is Kṛṣṅa's pleasure. He accepts His devotee as father. He accepts His devotee as mother. Therefore He likes to be addressed as Yaśodā-nanda, Nanda-nandana, Devakī-nandana. This Kṛṣṅa is so kind.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is authorized. It is not a sentiment. It is based on Vedic literature. Kṛṣṅas tu bhagavān svayam. Ete cāṁśa-kalāḥ puṁsaḥ kṛṣṅas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28].

[All of the above-mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Śrī Kṛṣṅa is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets whenever there is a disturbance created by the atheists. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists.]

So, today's time is almost finished. I request all Indians in this foreign country, Nairobi, to take part in this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement very seriously. It is India's gift to the whole world. If India is actually serious to become glorious, they cannot become glorious by imitating technology of the Western world. They remain behind hundred years for this technological development. Learn this technology of Kṛṣṅa consciousness and distribute throughout the whole world. They are in need of it.

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says,

bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra janma sārthaka kari' kara para-upakāra [Cc Ādi 9.41]

[One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land of India [Bhārata-varṣa] should make his life successful and work for the benefit of all other people.]

Janma sārthaka kari. First of all make your life successful, because you are born in India, tapo-bhumi, dharmakṣetra. These are the names of India. Don't try to make India another kṣetra for technological works. India is glorious because Lord Rāmacandra advented there, Lord Kṛṣṅa advented there, Lord Buddha advented there, and every one of them left their spiritual instructions, especially Lord Kṛṣṅa left His spiritual instruction for the future persons all over the world.

So my request to you, those Indians here in Nairobi, please try to understand this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement seriously and take it, and you have got immense opportunity to spread among the Africans. Just like our student Śrīmān Brahmānanda was speaking. He went to preach on the street this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, and many hundreds of these Africans joined, and they chanted.

So, ceto-darpana-marjanam: if you want to live with the Africans very nicely, friendly, try to introduce this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement amongst them. They will be happy and you will be happy.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa. [end]