Arrival Address

Prabhupāda: So how many devotees are there now?

Haṁsadūta: Eighty.

Prabhupāda: Eighteen?

Haṁsadūta: Eighty.

Prabhupāda: Eighty.

Haṁsadūta: Yes.

Prabhupāda: That's nice. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, jay sakal bipod...

[aside:] It is going now.

Jāy sakal'bipod, gāi bhaktivinod, jakhon ami o-nām gai, rādhā-kṛṣṅa bolo bolo, bolo re sobāi. The Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching is to request everyone to chant Hare Kṛṣṅa or Rādhā-Kṛṣṅa. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura said that "When I chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, then all dangers go away." So this place, this material world, is a dangerous place. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām. Vipad means danger, and padaṁ padam means every step. In the material world you cannot expect very smooth, peaceful life. That is not possible. And the only remedy is to take shelter of the lotus feet of just Murāri. Murāri means Kṛṣṅa.

samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṅya-yaśo murāreḥ bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām [SB 10.14.58]

[For those who have accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Murāri, the enemy of the Mura demon, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf's hoof-print. Their goal is paraṁ padam, Vaikuṅṭha, the place where there are no material miseries, not the place where there is danger at every step.]

So there is always, if you stay in a very good boat, still, because the platform is water you cannot think that the boat is always very smooth and without any trouble. So material world is always full of troubles. So if we keep ourself in our standing..., in our standard, chanting Hare Kṛṣṅa regularly, then the dangers will be over. Dangers, they are not also permanent. They come and go like the seasonal changes. Sometimes it is very hot; sometimes it is very cold. So Kṛṣṅa has advised that āgamāpāyino 'nityās tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata [Bg 2.14]. So don't be diverted from the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṅa mahā-mantra, and don't be afraid of because there is some danger and danger. Take shelter of Kṛṣṅa's lotus feet, chant Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra, and dangers will be over.

But we should not create such position, dangerous. It is already dangerous. Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu was also very cautious about spiritual life. Sannyāsīra alpa chidra bāhu kori mane. Others may violate the laws, and so many sinful activities they are doing, but nobody takes very serious care. But when a religious group or a sannyāsī commits little offense, it is magnified a thousand times. Therefore we should be very careful not to make anything which may be magnified to the eyes of the public. Because we are preaching. We are preaching, and there is always demonic party who want to put us in difficulty. That is natural. Even Hiraṅyakaśipu, being the father of Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was also putting him into difficulty. But if we remain sincere and go on chanting, these dangers will be over. Don't be afraid. Don't stop your regular regulative principles and regular activities, program. Go on with it. Depend on Kṛṣṅa, and gradually everything will be all right.

So I think we shall this much today. Now it is time over. The Deities should go to rest. We should not detain. That's all right. Hare Kṛṣṅa.

Devotees: Jaya Prabhupāda. [end]