Lecture [Partially Recorded] — Vṛndāvana, February 12, 1974
Devotee: ...celebrated astronomer. [break]
Prabhupāda: ...it is the Goloka Vṛndāvana where Kṛṣṅa is situated. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ [Bs 5.37].
[I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, residing in His own realm, Goloka, with Rādhā, resembling His own spiritual figure, the embodiment of the ecstatic potency possessed of the sixty-four artistic activities, in the company of Her confidantes [sakhīs], embodiments of the extensions of Her bodily form, permeated and vitalized by His ever-blissful spiritual rasa.]
It is not that because He is staying in Goloka Vṛndāvana therefore He is absent here. No. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ: He is everywhere. Aṅḍāntara-stha-paramāṅu-cayāntara-sthaṁ [Bs 5.35]:
[He is an undifferentiated entity as there is no distinction between potency and the possessor thereof. In His work of creation of millions of worlds, His potency remains inseparable. All the universes exist in Him and He is present in His fullness in every one of the atoms that are scattered throughout the universe, at one and the same time. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore.]
He is even within the atom. This is the understanding of Kṛṣṅa.
So we are preaching this Kṛṣṅa consciousness on the basis of this Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without misinterpreting to show our so-called scholarship. No. That is not the way of understanding Kṛṣṅa. We should understand Kṛṣṅa submissively, as Arjuna is doing: śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam [Bg 2.7].
[Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.]
Kṛṣṅa also asked Arjuna to surrender fully, so he has already surrendered. When Arjuna saw that there were so many perplexities, and this cannot be solved except by Kṛṣṅa, so he surrendered: śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam. So in this way if we surrender to Kṛṣṅa through His representative… Representative means one who says exactly what Kṛṣṅa says; he does not change anything. Kṛṣṅa says, 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.]
and His representative says that “You give up everything and surrender unto Kṛṣṅa.” The same thing. And there is no difficulty. One hasn't got to manufacture some idea, some philosophy. No. Everything is there, and if you preach what Kṛṣṅa has said, then you are spiritual master. It is not a very big job. Simply you have to become sincere to Kṛṣṅa, and you learn Kṛṣṅa through His representative, you become sincere to the representative of Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa, yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23],
[Unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master, all the imports of Vedic knowledge are automatically revealed.]
then you are spiritual master. It is not very difficult. And become, every one of you, become spiritual master and preach this gospel of Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then the world will be saved. Otherwise they are already in trouble, and they will go more and more into the depths of the trouble, dangerous position, and they will never become happy. So Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is very, very important movement for saving the human civilization, the human society.
Thank you very much.
Devotees: All glories to Prabhupāda. Jaya. Haribol. [break]
Devotee: Is it offensive while chanting that the mind should dwell on thoughts referring to our devotional service activities, or the spiritual master or...
Prabhupāda: The chanting process is that you chant with your tongue, “Hare Kṛṣṅa,” and hear. That's all. Then you are saved. Hare Kṛṣṅa must be chanted by the use of tongue, and you hear it. That's all. Where is the difficulty?
Devotee: Just hear the sound…
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee: And then these thoughts that come in?
Prabhupāda: So everything may come, but this is the process. This is the process: chant Hare Kṛṣṅa and hear. Nothing is difficult in Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement. One has to execute it very seriously and sincerely, then everything is all right. Nothing is very difficult. Not at all.
harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā [Cc Ādi 17.21]
[In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari.]
Chant Hare Kṛṣṅa and hear it. Hmm. Then everything will come. Kṛṣṅa’s… By chanting purely without offense this Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, then you will understand Kṛṣṅa's form, Kṛṣṅa's quality, Kṛṣṅa's pastimes, Kṛṣṅa's entourage—everything that is. Vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṅa-saṅkīrtanam [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.]
This is the way. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṅa-saṅkīrtanam. Simply by chanting you'll get all success. Ihā haite sarva-siddhi haya tomāra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You'll get all siddhis. The greatest siddhi is to understand Kṛṣṅa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That's all. That's all. [laughs] If you simply admit this, that Kṛṣṅa is... Just like Kṛṣṅa said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [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.]
So why should you wait for bahūnāṁ janma? You accept Kṛṣṅa, “My Lord Kṛṣṅa, You are the Supreme. So, so long I was forgotten; now I accept You, I surrender unto You.” Bās. Your life is perfect. Of course, it is not very easy to do that; therefore there are śāstras, sadhu, guru to take their help. But the real thing is this: accept Kṛṣṅa, the Supreme Absolute Truth, and surrender unto Him—your business is finished. And stay in that position.
Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given so nice and easy for the fallen souls of this Kali-yuga. They cannot do anything. So-called yoga, so-called austerities, it is not possible. It is not possible.
prāyeṅālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ [SB 1.1.10]
[O learned one, in this iron Age of Kali men almost always have but short lives. They are quarrelsome, lazy, misguided, unlucky and, above all, always disturbed.]
It is not possible to proceed according to the ways of sacrifices—yajña—or mental speculation or yogic siddhis. Nobody can perform perfectly. And even one performs very perfectly, that is not the way to understand Kṛṣṅa. Kṛṣṅa says personally, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti [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.]
That is the only way—there is no other way. They say there are many ways, and any way we accept, that will lead you to the Absolute Truth. And that is not the fact. To understand the Absolute Truth you have to accept the absolute path—that is bhakti-yoga. And Kṛṣṅa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ. If you want to understand Kṛṣṅa superficially, that is another thing. But if you want to know Kṛṣṅa as He is, then only this devotional service. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ [Cc Madhya 17.136].
[Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṅa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṅa really is.]
Kṛṣṅa is revealed. He is so kind: if you simply sincerely engage in devotional service of Kṛṣṅa, then you will see Kṛṣṅa everywhere. Kṛṣṅa is everywhere.
So chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, purify your heart, which is full of dirty things: sṛṅvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṅaḥ puṅya-śravaṅa-kīrtanaḥ [SB 1.2.17].
[Śrī Kṛṣṅa, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramātmā [Supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.]
Even if you do not understand anything, simply hear Hare Kṛṣṅa and Kṛṣṅa's kathā, then you become pious. In this way, as you become more and more pious, you…, your path to understanding Kṛṣṅa is cleared. And at the last moment, when you are completely pure from all contamination of sinful activities, you are engaged in Kṛṣṅa's service:
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṅya-karmaṅām te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ [Bg 7.28]
[Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.]
One who is engaged in Kṛṣṅa's service with firm faith and devotion, it means he has already freed himself from all kinds of reactions of sinful activities. This is the test. Without being freed from all contamination of sinful activities, nobody can clinch his faith on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṅa. If one hesitates, that means he is still sinful. That's all. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante 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.]
Duṣkṛtino. Duṣkṛta means sinful—he cannot surrender to Kṛṣṅa. These are the plain things. [break] [end]