Lecture
Prabhupāda: Nārāyaṅa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Parāḥ means who are attached to the Lord. Nārāyaṅa-parā, devotees of the Lord, na kutaścana bibhyati [SB 6.17.28],
[Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṅa, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.]
they have no fear. All others they are fearful what will happen in this world and in the next the world they do not agree that there is life after death. They do not know and some of them who know there is life, of course they know heavenly planets or hell.
Just like in Christian religion it is said either heaven or hell. So there is admission of next life. If after death I am going to hell or heaven, so here we have admission that there is life after death. That is nice, so nārāyaṅa-parā those who are devotees they do not distinguish what is hell or heaven because their business is to chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra. Actually a nārāyaṅa-parā devotee has nothing to do with hell and heaven because hell and heaven both of them are within this material world.
The upper planetary systems is called heaven and the lower planetary systems is called hell but nārāyaṅa-parā is not interested with any planetary system within the universe. Because, their situation is transcendental. Brahma, that is beyond this material universe.
māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṅa bhakti-yogena sevate 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.]
All this planetary systems lower and higher or medium they are within this universe and their situation is calculated according to the three modes of material nature, but a devotee is transcendental to the material nature. Sa guṅān samatītyaitān, guṅāḥ qualities, material qualities they transcend. Therefore whenever pure devotees are there that is neither hell nor heaven it is Vaikuṅṭha. So either we are in Pittsburgh on in New York or Los Angeles or Bombay or Vṛndāvana it is the same. In Vṛndāvana the same thing was going on Hare Kṛṣṅa and when you come to Pittsburgh the same thing is going on, Hare Kṛṣṅa.
So there is a story that a cow was a little disturbing, the master said, “I shall sell this cow tomorrow.” The cow was crying because the cow’s business is wherever it goes it will deliver some milk that’s all. Either it is sold or purchased it doesn’t matter, similarly we Kṛṣṅa conscious people wherever we live it doesn’t matter, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles our business is to chant the mahā-mantra and so long we shall continue to chant this mahā-mantra we shall perpetually remain in Vaikuṅṭha.
Nārāyaṅa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana, there is a threatening in Australia. The authorities they have devised our members a case against us. Big statement that these people are disturbing this peace. So the lawyer wants $2000, so I have advised there is no need of appointing lawyers, you chant on the street and if you are taken in the prison you simply go on chanting.
Devotees: Jaya! [laughter]. Jaya haribol!
Prabhupāda: Why should you waste your money?
Devotees: [laughter]. Jaya!
Prabhupāda: Because our business is chanting so either within the prison house or in the street it’s the same thing. Nārāyaṅa parāḥ sarve na kutaścana, thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya! All glories to Prabhupāda. [Offering of obeisances mantras]
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṅa. [break]