Lecture

Prabhupāda: So... [break] This material existence, which we are now passing through, is not our actual existence. There is a Bengali Vaiṣṅava poet, he says... Generally, the question is raised, "How the living entities became fallen in this material world?" The Māyāvādī philosophy, they say that we are the same with God, but we are now covered by māyā, and as soon as we are free from this māyā's covering, we become again one with the Supreme. This is Māyāvāda philosophy. Practically the Vaiṣṅava philosophy also the same, but only difference is that the jīvātmā, he is eternal servant of the Supreme Lord.

Actually, if we scrutinizingly study, our constitutional position is to render service. Any one of us who are sitting here, everyone is servant. Nobody can say that "I am master." We are thinking like master, but actually we are all servants—anyone. Either you are servant of your family or you are servant of your country or you are servant of your senses... Everyone, at the present moment, we are servant of the senses, servant of this body. And gradually our illusion expands. Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti [SB 5.5.8].

This material world, it is explained by Vaiṣṅava philosopher:

kṛṣṅa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare [Prema-vivarta]

[When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called māyā, or illusion.]

Māyā is nothing but an illusion which is covering my Kṛṣṅa consciousness. That is called māyā. I am... Kṛṣṅa says that mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ [Bg 15.7]: "All these living entities, they are My parts and parcel, sanātana, not that they have now become servant of Me by material contact, but they are eternally servant." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṅa dāsa [Cc Madhya 20.108-109]: "The real identity of the living entity is that he is eternal servant of God, or Kṛṣṅa." When we speak of Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa means God. 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 actually, we are still servant, although we have rejected servitude of Kṛṣṅa. That is our rebellious condition. Every one of us, all living entities within this material world, they are more or less rebellious condition. We don't want to serve Kṛṣṅa; I want to become Kṛṣṅa. That is māyā. That is the last snare of māyā. First of all, in our karmī life we want to become master of the world. I want to lord it over the material nature. That is our struggle. Everyone is trying, "I shall become the master." Nobody wants to become servant. That is māyā. But actually he is serving. That is our position. Try to understand.

We are serving our senses whimsically. I want to become this. I want to become that. First of all I want to become a big businessman, or I want to become a prime minister, I want to become the president. And when I am frustrated, then I want to become God. That want—"I want to become master"—is going on. So this is also māyā. How one can become God? Kṛṣṅa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7].

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

Nobody can become equal to God or greater than God. Asamaurdha. In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṅa is described as asama urdha: "Nobody is equal to God, and nobody is greater than God." Asama urdha.

So this disease... This is called material disease. I want to lord it over the material nature, and when I fail to lord it over, then I want to become one with God. Of course, there are five kinds of liberation: sāyujya, sārūpya, sāmīpya, sālokya... By liberation you can become one with God. That is not very difficult. If you want to become..., merge into the existence of God, that is not very difficult job. God is all-powerful. You are emanation from God. Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1].

So if you want to—sāyujya mukti—if you want to finish your individuality and merge into the existence of God, that is not very difficult job. Even the enemies of Kṛṣṅa—Kaṁsa, Jarāsandha, Dantavakra, Śiśupāla, and many demons—they also merged into the existence of Kṛṣṅa. The enemies also given the liberation to merge into the existence of Kṛṣṅa. That is not very difficult job. But to keep your individuality and serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is your actual position, constitutional position.

That mukti... The Vaiṣṅava philosophers, they want that mukti. They want to keep... Nitya-yukta upāsate. Nitya-yukta. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, nitya-yukta upāsata. The upāsana, the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead—man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65],

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

this is not stopped after liberation. The same business goes on. That is Vaiṣṅava philosophy. Vaiṣṅava, even if he is offered mukti... Dīyamānaṁ na gṛhṅanti. Even if he's offered that "You take mukti," they do not accept it.

Caitanya Mahāprabhu said in His prayer to the Supreme Lord,

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi [Cc Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]

[O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.]

Na dhanaṁ na janam. The karmīs, they are hankering after wealth, riches, great following, great dependents. Na dhanaṁ na janam. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "I don't want. I don't want riches. I don't want many followers." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye. Another demand of the karmīs is that "I must have very nice, beautiful, obedient wife." Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "No, I don't want that." Na dhanam. This is finishing materialism.

In the material world people want these three things: dhanam, janam and sundarīṁ kavitā. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye. "Then mukti? You take mukti?" "No." Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī [Cc Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]: "I don't want to finish My repetition of birth and death also." That is called mukti. Mukti means stopping the repetition of birth and death. So those who are hankering after... The jñānīs, the jñānī-sampradāya, they want to merge into the existence of the Supreme Lord. But that merging is possible in the brahma-jyoti. Brahmajyoti.

The Absolute Truth is divided into three. Actually, He is not divided. Because He is absolute, He cannot be divided. But according to the, I mean to say, realizer, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as impersonal Brahman, somebody is realizing the Absolute Truth as localized Paramātmā, and somebody is realizing Him as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, most beautiful, lovable object. So the Bhāgavata Purāṅa says, vadanti tat tattva vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam [SB 1.2.11].

[Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān.]

There is no difference between Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. It is only the different features of realization.

If you want to realize the Absolute Truth by your imperfect senses... We should always know that our senses are always imperfect. Just like we are very much proud of seeing with my own eyes. We say sometimes, challenge, "Can you show me God? Can you show me this or that?" But we do not know how much imperfect are our eyes. We are seeing every day the sun, but we are seeing it just like a disk. But actually the sun is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet. We cannot see. If there is..., immediately there is darkness, we cannot see. Unless there is light, sunlight or electric light or moonlight, we cannot see. We cannot see our eyeballs. We cannot see the eyelid, nearest. Longest, longest we cannot see; nearest we cannot see. Therefore we should not be very much proud of our seeing directly, direct perception.

So direct... Anyone who is trying to understand the Absolute Truth by direct perception, he can rise up to the impersonal Brahman understanding, not more than that. And those who are trying to understand the Absolute Truth within his heart, just like yogīs... Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ [SB 12.13.1].

[Sūta Gosvāmī said: Unto that personality whom Brahmā, Varuṅa, Indra, Rudra and the Maruts praise by chanting transcendental hymns and reciting the Vedas with all their corollaries, pada-kramas and Upaniṣads, to whom the chanters of the Sāma Veda always sing, whom the perfected yogīs see within their minds after fixing themselves in trance and becoming fully absorbed in thoughts of Him, and whose limit can never be found by any demigod or demon—unto that Supreme Personality of Godhead I offer my humble obeisances.]

The yogī, by meditation, being in samādhi, they are seeing the Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, Viṣṅu, within the heart. Dhyānāvasthita. And those who are devotees, they are seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Arjuna is seeing, personally, face to face: Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the origin of everything. As it is explained in the Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1].

What is Absolute Truth? This human form of life is meant for understanding what is Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is human form of life. The cats and dogs cannot inquire about what is Brahman. That is not possible. This human form of life, they can inquire. Inquisitiveness. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. And immediately reply, the Vedānta-sūtra, "Brahman, the Absolute Truth, is that which is the source of everything." Janmādy asya. Now that reply is given by Kṛṣṅa in the Bhagavad-gītā:

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ [Bg 10.8]

[I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.]

Budhā. Budhā means one who is actually in knowledge, one who is actually in understanding. Such person, he knows that Kṛṣṅa is the origin of everything, janmādy asya yataḥ. The Vedānta-sūtra gives hint that "Absolute Truth is that which is the original source of emanation of everything." That Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṅa. He says further, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7]:

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

"Beyond Me, there is no other superior authority or truth."

So in another place Kṛṣṅa says,

manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ [Bg 7.3]

[Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.]

"Out of many million of person, one is interested how to make this life, human life, successful." Everyone is interested how to enjoy senses, sense gratification. But that is the business of the animals. The animals, they do not know anything beyond their sense gratification. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca, sāmānyam etad paśubhiḥ narāṅām [Hitopadeśa 25].

[Both animals and men share the activities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending. But the special property of the humans is that they are able to engage in spiritual life. Therefore without spiritual life, humans are on the level of animals.]

The sense gratification business is equal in human being and animal. The animal eats, and a human being also eats. The animal sleeps, a human being also sleeps—maybe in nice compartment, but the sleeping business. The animal eats... The animal eats directly anything, whatever he gets; we make palatable dishes for satisfaction of our tongue. We kill many animals and eat them. So that may be the difference. Otherwise, the eating business of the animal and the human being is the same.

Similarly, sexual intercourse. The dog can freely have sexual intercourse on the street. The hog can have sexual intercourse on the street, and without any discrimination whether mother, sister or anything. That is hog life, dog life. But a human being has the same sexual desires, but little decently. That is the difference.

So the śāstra says that if you become simply engaged in these four kinds of business—eating, sleeping, mating and defending—then you are no better than animal. Your business is brahma-jijñāsā. Try to understand what is Brahman. That is your business. The Kṛṣṅa replies in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahmaṅo ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā [Bg 14.27]. Even if you want to understand the impersonal Brahman, you have to search out wherefrom this effulgence is coming. That is Kṛṣṅa. That is confirmed in the Brahmā-saṁhitā:

yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṅḍa-koṭi- koṭiṣv aśeṣa-vasudhādi vibhūti-bhinnam tad brahma niṣkalam anantam aśeṣa-bhūtaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs 5.40]

[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose effulgence is the source of the nondifferentiated Brahman mentioned in the Upaniṣads, being differentiated from the infinity of glories of the mundane universe appears as the indivisible, infinite, limitless, truth.]

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is very important movement—important in this sense, that we are educating people without any discrimination about Kṛṣṅa, what is Kṛṣṅa. And actually, as we understand from the Bhagavad-gītā, if we simply can understand what is Kṛṣṅa, as Kṛṣṅa says, that manuṣyāṅāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānām... [Bg 7.3].

[Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.]

It is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṅa. But still, Kṛṣṅa is understandable if we simply follow the instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation.

Actually, there are so many editions of Bhagavad-gītā all over the world, about six hundred, seven hundred in America, in Japan, in England. I have seen so many editions, English editions, what to speak of other language editions. So anyway, the malinterpretation is going on. We have, therefore, published Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation. Our business is to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Kṛṣṅa says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg 7.7].

[O conqueror of wealth [Arjuna], there is no Truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread.]

We say that, that Kṛṣṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What Kṛṣṅa says Himself, we simply carry the message. That's all.

Kṛṣṅa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg 18.65]:

[Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.]

"Just always think of Me," man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, "just become My devotee and," man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, "just worship Me and offer your respectful obeisances unto Me. In this way you shall come back to Me." So we are teaching that, that... We are teaching our students that "Always think of Kṛṣṅa." Smārtavyaṁ satato viṣṅuḥ. Viṣṅu and Kṛṣṅa, the same category.

So this Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, very easy. There is no need of education, there is no need of becoming very wealth or very intelligent. Anyone, even a child, can chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So each time you pronounce the holy name of Kṛṣṅa, you remember Him, the smārtavyaḥ satato viṣṅuḥ. Ante nārāyaṅa-smṛtiḥ [SB 2.1.6].

[The highest perfection of human life, achieved either by complete knowledge of matter and spirit, by practice of mystic powers, or by perfect discharge of occupational duty, is to remember the Personality of Godhead at the end of life.].

If by practicing this, at the time of death if we can remember Kṛṣṅa, then our life is successful. Then our life is successful. Ante nārāyaṅa-smṛtiḥ: if you can remember simply Nārāyaṅa at the time of death.

Because next life means at the constitu..., I mean to say, mental position of your life at the time of death. Whatever mental position you put yourself, that is your next life. That is your next life. Yad yad... What is that? Yad yad bhāvam. I forget that verse. At the time of death, whatever you think, that is your next life. I prepare my next life in this life. That is in the hands of the material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṅāni guṅaiḥ karmāṅi sarvaśaḥ [Bg 3.27].

[The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.]

As we associate, guṅeṣu... It is also described in this Bhāgavatam, ramamāṅaḥ asyā guṅeṣu. We are now enjoying in the company of different modes of material nature. Some is enjoying life in company with the modes of material nature, goodness, and some is enjoying the modes of passion, and some is enjoying the modes of ignorance.

There are three qualities: sattva, rājaḥ, tamaḥ. Sattva is translated as goodness, rājaḥ as passion and tamaḥ as ignorance. And according to these guṅas, different people are there. That is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā: catur-varṅyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṅa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ [Bg 4.13].

[According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. And, although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the non-doer, being unchangeable.]

As we associate with different types of guṅas, we make our position like that. So those who are in the sattva-guṅa, they are called brāhmaṅas. Those who are in the rajo-guṅa, they are called kṣatriyas. Those who are mixed guṅa, they are called vaiśyas. And those who are in the tamo-guṅa, they are called śūdras. These are described in the Bhagavad-gītā.

So our aim of life should be how to transcend all these guṅas. Trai-guṅya-viṣayā vedā nistrai-guṅyo bhavārjuna. Kṛṣṅa advises Arjuna that "The Vedic knowledge..., or this whole material creation is mixed up with three kinds of the modes of material nature. So you have to transcend." Nistrai-guṅyo bhavārjuna. And what is the process to put ourself in that transcendental position? That transcendental position is, sa guṅān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate [Bg 14.26].

[One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.]

What is that? Māṁ ca vyabhicāriṅi bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate. Anyone who is situated in the bhakti-yoga process, especially mentioned, bhaktyā māṁ abhijānāti, you can understand Kṛṣṅa simply by this bhakti-yoga process. Kṛṣṅa never meant jñāna-yoga or dhyāna-yoga or karma-yoga process. He especially meant that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg 18.55].

[One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.]

If you want to know Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you have to accept this bhakti-yoga process. There are many thousands of yogic processes, but if you want to know Kṛṣṅa, if you want to know God, then you have to take to this bhakti-yoga process.

That is also indicated by Arjuna. When Arjuna was being advised, he was assured that... Why Kṛṣṅa was advising about Bhagavad-gītā to Arjuna? He was a gṛhastha, householder, a kṣatriya, fighter, warrior. He was not a Vedāntist, neither he had any time to study Vedas. He was a gṛhastha. Study of Vedas is the business of the brāhmaṅas. So he was not a brāhmaṅa.

But still, Kṛṣṅa said that "Still, I am instructing you this Bhagavad-gītā, rahasyam etad uttamam [Bg 4.3].

[That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.]

The most confidential secrecy, mystery, of Bhagavad-gītā is difficult to understand, but I am instructing you." "Why? Why You have selected me?" Bhakto 'si: "Because you are My devotee." This is the only qualification to understand Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise, unless one is a devotee of Kṛṣṅa, he cannot understand the confidential teachings of Kṛṣṅa, Bhagavad-gītā.

Kṛṣṅa also says in the Fourth Chapter,

imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam vivasvān manave prāhur 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.]

Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ [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.]

The Bhagavad-gītā, the process is given there, how to study Bhagavad-gītā—by the paramparā system, not by your whimsical way. You must hear from the authorized person. Just like Kṛṣṅa said, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam: "I instructed this Bhagavad-gītā philosophy to sun-god, and he instructed to his son Manu. And Manu instructed to his son Ikṣvāku."

So in this way you have to study. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam. So if you want to study Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then you should study immediate paramparā. Arjuna was present. Arjuna was personally instructed by Kṛṣṅa. And you should catch up how Arjuna understood Kṛṣṅa.

That is explained in the Tenth Chapter. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān puruṣaṁ śāśvatam [Bg 10.12]:

[Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.]

"You are the Supreme Personality, puruṣam, the supreme enjoyer. Śāśvatam. Not that at the present moment; eternally You are the enjoyer." And Bhagavān, Kṛṣṅa, also says the same thing in another place:

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati [Bg 5.29]

[The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.]

People are hankering after śānti, peace, but they do not know the way. The way is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. What is that? Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ: "I am the supreme enjoyer of everything." Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka maheśvaram: "I am the proprietor of everything." Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam [Īśo mantra 1]:

[Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.]

"God is the proprietor of all planets." But we are claiming that "I am proprietor," "We are proprietor, nationally." That is our mistake.

Actually, everything belongs to God. Now, the Japanese claiming that "The Japan is our country." Indians are claiming, "India is our country." But nothing belongs either to the Japanese or to the Indians or to the Americans. Everything belongs to God. This consciousness is called Kṛṣṅa consciousness. If we understand three things only: that God is the only proprietor, Kṛṣṅa is the only proprietor; He is the only enjoyer; and we are simply servant to help Him in His enjoyment... The highest perfection is found in Vṛndāvana. Everyone is trying to satisfy Kṛṣṅa. That is real life. That is real mukti.

In the Bhāgavata it is said mukti means hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṅa vyavasthitiḥ [SB 2.10.6].

[The merging of the living entity, along with his conditional living tendency, with the mystic lying down of the Mahā-Viṣṅu is called the winding up of the cosmic manifestation. Liberation is the permanent situation of the form of the living entity after he gives up the changeable gross and subtle material bodies.]

Mukti means you have to give up your artificial ways of life and you have to situate yourself in your normal constitutional position. That is called mukti. Mukti hasn't got any other definition. Mukti means just like you are attacked with fever, if your fever is gone, then you are mukta, you are liberated from fever. Similarly, this disease, ahaṁ mameti... [SB 5.5.8].

I am in this material world, I am thinking this body as myself. I am identifying with this body, and according to that bodily relation, I am identifying my... Mamāham iti. There are thousands of women, but the one woman who has got bodily relationship with me, [s]he is my wife. There are thousands of children, but the one children or two children who has got bodily relation with me, they are my sons, my daughters. Mamāham iti manyate [SB 2.9.2]. Then our...

First of all, this whole world is based on sex life, either in human society or animal society or bird society or tree society or aquatic society, any society go, the central point is sex life. Sex life. And as soon as we unite with sex life, our this bodily concept of life becomes more and more entangled. Then we want... Ataḥ gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam [SB 5.5.8].

So actually, in this material existence we are forgetting our real, constitutional position, that we are all eternal servant of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṅa. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṅi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati [Bg 15.7]. But some way or other, we have come to this material world for enjoying, for lord it over the material nature. And that is not possible. You cannot lord it over. The Lord is Kṛṣṅa, but we are trying to be lord. And the endeavor, the labor which we are giving incessantly, that we are thinking happiness.

The nature, the material nature, is putting stumbling block every time. That, to overcome the impediments offered by the material nature and our trial for overcoming that stumbling block, that is our endeavor. And we are thinking this is happiness. Just like you are making one high road and there is..., material nature is offering a big hill, a big mountain before you. Now you have to make tunnel. You have to call for dynamite and try to penetrate through the hill.

That struggle is known as advancement of material condition. That you cannot. In America and other materialistic countries we see—here also, in Japan—they are laying down one kind of road for plying their motorcars. After some years it becomes a problem—another flyway, another flyway.

So this is going on. This is called struggle for existence. We are trying to conquer over the stringent laws of material nature, and that labor, that useless spoiling of life, we are thinking that we are..., this is happiness. This is called māyā. We are actually giving service to the māyā instead of giving service to Kṛṣṅa. This is illusion.

Now, if you change your consciousness, that "I have never been satisfied, happy, by giving service to the māyā. Now let me serve Kṛṣṅa," that is your liberation. That is your liberation. Therefore Kṛṣṅa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66]:

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

"You come under Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. This is the instruction of Kṛṣṅa consciousness.

We are actually struggling with material nature to become happy. But it is not possible to conquer over the material nature. That is not possible. Daivī hy eṣā guṅamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg 7.14].

[This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.]

It is very difficult. You cannot do it. Then how I can get from the clutches of the hands of material nature? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: "You simply surrender unto Me," Kṛṣṅa says, "and you immediately get rid of this māyā."

There are many greatly..., great saintly persons. They are trying to get out of the clutches of māyā, to become liberated. But here is the simple process: simply you surrender unto Kṛṣṅa. He personally advocated. It is not that we are manufacturing in some way. It is spoken by Kṛṣṅa Himself, that "You simply surrender unto Me, and immediately you are out of the clutches of māyā." Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te.

So I do not wish to take much of your time, but the thing is that the whole world is struggling hard. They are not in peace. One man is enemy of another man. One nation is enemy of another nation. This is going on. This is... All these things are going on simply due to our forgetfulness of Kṛṣṅa. The same formula:

kṛṣṅa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāśate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare [Prema-vivarta]

[When an individual soul forgets his eternal relationship with God and tries to lord it over the material nature or resources, that condition, that forgetful condition, is called māyā, or illusion.]

As soon as you forget your relationship with Kṛṣṅa, immediately there is māyā, and she will capture you. And the counterprocess is: as soon as you surrender to Kṛṣṅa, the māyā is gone. Just like it is said, kṛṣṅa sūrya-sama māyā andhakāra [Cc Madhya 22.31]:

[Kṛṣṅa is compared to sunshine, and māyā is compared to darkness. Wherever there is sunshine, there cannot be darkness. As soon as one takes to Kṛṣṅa consciousness, the darkness of illusion (the influence of the external energy) will immediately vanish.]

"Māyā is considered as darkness, and Kṛṣṅa is the sunlight, or sun." So wherever there is sun, there is no darkness. Similarly, wherever there is Kṛṣṅa, wherever there is Kṛṣṅa consciousness, there is no more darkness of ignorance. Tasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavanti [Muṅḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3].

[If one can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the controller of all controllers, one can understand everything else.]

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is very important movement. It is not a sentimental movement. It is authorized. It is based on Vedic conclusion. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg 15.15].

[I am seated in everyone's heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas am I to be known; indeed I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.]

Actually, the Vedas are meant for understanding Kṛṣṅa. One who does not understand Kṛṣṅa, his studies of Veda is simply useless waste of time. And one who understands Kṛṣṅa simply, he has studied all the Vedas. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim [Nārada Pañcarātra]. Kṛṣṅa also said that,

teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-stho jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā [Bg 10.11]

[Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance.]

Do not think that those who are devotees of Kṛṣṅa, those who are fully surrendered to Kṛṣṅa, they are ignorant. No. Kṛṣṅa, from within, He is giving intelligence. He gives intelligence to the devotees. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam [Bg 10.10].

[To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.]

He will give. Kṛṣṅa is within your heart. Simply you have to surrender to Kṛṣṅa, and everything will be supplied by Kṛṣṅa. Especially He says, teṣām evānukampārtham: "In order to show them special mercy."

To whom? Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam If you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, bhajatām, with love and faith, then Kṛṣṅa is within you—He will give you all intelligence. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. He gave the intelligence. That is... We are describing how He gave intelligence to Lord Brahmā, who is the creator of this universe.

So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is neither new nor any concocted, manufactured thing. It is authorized, based on the Vedas, based on the Vedic authorities, and it is very simple, and it has become simplified by the mercy of Lord Caitanya. Because Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṅa Himself. When Kṛṣṅa said that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66],

[Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.]

many fools and rascal could not accept it. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhā duṣkṛtina narādhamāḥ [Bg 7.15].

[Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.]

Those who are miscreants, those who are lowest of the mankind, those who have lost their knowledge, they cannot. And those who are mūḍhas, rascals, they cannot surrender to Kṛṣṅa.

Therefore Kṛṣṅa again, in the form of a Kṛṣṅa devotee, Lord Caitanya, He came. He taught how to love Kṛṣṅa. Premā pum-artho mahān [Caitanya-mañjusā].

[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the son of Nanda Mahārāja, is to be worshiped along with His transcendental abode, Vṛndāvana. The most pleasing form of worship for the Lord is that which was performed by the gopīs of Vṛndāvaṅa. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the spotless authority on everything, and pure love of God is the ultimate goal of life for all men. These statements, for which we have the highest regard, are the opinion of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.]

That is the philosophy of Lord Caitanya, kṛṣṅa-prema. You have to increase your love for Kṛṣṅa. We have got our love, dormant love, but that love is now being distributed in so many ways, and we are spoiled, we are frustrated. But if you concentrate your love, oh, upon Kṛṣṅa, then you will not only love Kṛṣṅa; you will love the whole human society, whole living entities. That is Kṛṣṅa philosophy.

So the process is very easy, given by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu: ceto-darpaṅa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṅaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṅaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam, ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam [Cc Antya 20.12].

[Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṅa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṅa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.]

You will increase ānandāmbudhi. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṅa-saṅkīrtanam. In this present age, in this Kali-yuga, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā, very simple.

You may remain a family man. You may remain a renounced man. It is very difficult in the present age. Practically, sannyāsa is forbidden in this age. So you remain in your position. But our only request, this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, that you chant Hare Kṛṣṅa, Hare Kṛṣṅa, Kṛṣṅa Kṛṣṅa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, and gradually you will be emancipated, liberated. You will get your life. Everything will come, one after another.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotee: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.

[applause] [end]