Arrival Lecture

Prabhupāda: So this time within two months, from 26th February?

Devotee: Twenty-fourth January.

Prabhupāda: 24th January to 15th March—less than two months—I had the opportunity to go round over the world. From Bombay I went to Hong Kong, then from Hong Kong to Tokyo, Japan; from Tokyo to Honolulu, Honolulu to Mexico City, then Venezuela. Caracas... Caracas?

Śrutakīrti: Yes.

Prabhupāda: I forget name also. [laughs] South America. Then I was to go to Trinidad, West Indies, but there was no time. The West Indies people came to see me. Mostly they are Indians. And then Miami, then from Miami to Dall..., Atlanta, Atlanta. From Atlanta to Dallas, our gurukula; then to New York, then to London, and from London to Bombay again.

Śrutakīrti: Tehran.

Prabhupāda: Tehran. Yes. I forgot. He has come. Here is the Tehran representative. Yes. So there was very nice meeting in Tehran. Many scholar, Muhammadan, came to see me. So everyone is understanding the importance of this movement. So in Tehran I discussed about chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṅa mantra. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that there are many names. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ [Śikṣāṣṭaka 2]. Kṛṣṅa's name, manyfold. So I pleaded to the Muslim audience that "You can chant the name of Allah also. Not necessarily that you have to chant the Kṛṣṅa name, but any name indicating the Supreme Lord can be chanted." Because in the śāstra it is said, harer nāma, harer nāma [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.]

the holy name of the Lord. But it must be the name of the Lord. Actually, Kṛṣṅa has thousands of names, and His names are enumerated by His activities. Just like Kṛṣṅa accepted to become the son of Mother Yaśodā; therefore He is called Yaśodā-nandana. Kṛṣṅa accepted Vasudeva as His father, or Nanda Mahārāja; therefore He is called Nanda-nandana, Vāsudeva or Devakī-nandana. Kṛṣṅa acted as the charioteer of Arjuna; He is called Partha-sarathi. So Kṛṣṅa's name means attached with the activities along with His devotees. This is Kṛṣṅa's name. So if the Muhammadans' aim, the Supreme Lord, Allah-u akbar, "God the great..." Just like we say Parabrahman. Brahman means the biggest, bṛhatvāt bṛhannatvāt. On account of being very big, including everything, that God's another name is Parabrahman. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān [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.]

Arjuna addressed Kṛṣṅa as Parabrahman. So Allah-u akbar means Parabrahman.

So we do not make any distinction that this type of religion is better than that type of religion. Any religion which teaches how to love God, that is first-class religion. That is the injunction of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yena ātmā samprasīdati [SB 1.2.6]

[The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam does not name any particular type of religion. It says, "That religion, that system of religion, is first class," sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ, "transcendental." This Hinduism, Muslimism, Christianism, they are all prākṛta, mundane. But we have to go, transcend, this prākṛta, or mundane conception of religion—"We are Hindus," "We are Muslim," "We are Christian." Just like gold. Gold is gold. Gold cannot be Hindu gold or Christian gold or Muhammadan gold. Nobody... Because a lump of gold is in the hand of Hindu or in the Muslim, nobody will say, "It is Muslim gold," "It is Hindu gold." Everyone will say, "It is gold." So we have to select gold—not the Hindu gold or Muslim gold or Christian gold. When Lord Kṛṣṅa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66], He did not mean this Hindu religion or Muslim religion. These are designated. So we have to come to the platform where it is pure; there is no designation. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṅa." This is real religion. Without this conception, any kind of designated religion, that is prākṛta. That is not transcendental.

So our Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is transcendental, paro dharmaḥ. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Para means "above," above the so-called religious system. So this is not our manufactured things. It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the beginning, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra: "Any kind of kaitavaḥ, pretentious or false, illusory," kaitavaḥ. Kaitavaḥ means cheating. "Cheating type of religion is rejected, thrown away," projjhita. Prākṛṣṭa-rūpeṅa ujjhita. Just like we sweep over the floor, we take the last particle of dust and throw it away, similarly, to become Kṛṣṅa conscious means we have to give up all these so-called or cheating type of religious system. Because experience has shown that following the so many different designated religious systems, nobody has attained the platform of how to love God. Nobody has attained. This is practical experience. It is Śrī Kṛṣṅa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He introduced. But Lord Kṛṣṅa gave hint that "This is real religion, mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja. This is religion." Any other religion, system of religion, which does not train the followers how to love God, that is cheating type of religion. To... Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, premā pum-artho mahān. And Bhāgavata says also same thing. Real achievement of success in life is how to love God, or Kṛṣṅa. That is the highest perfection of life.

So lokasya ajānataḥ. The foolish people, they do not know it. Lokasya ajānataḥ vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām. Because people, they do not know what is religion, what can give them actual relief, therefore vidvān, Vyāsadeva, vidvān, Vedavyāsa, vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām... The sātvata-saṁhitām. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is sātvata-saṁhitā.

anartha upaśamam sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje lokasya ajānataḥ vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām [SB 1.7.6]

People are suffering from anartha, unwanted things. They do not know how to get relief from this entanglement. Therefore vidvān, the most learned scholar, Vyāsadeva, compiled Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhagavate mahā-muni-kṛte. Mahā-muni is Vyāsadeva. So this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement is trying to preach this sātvata-saṁhitā. Saṁhitā means Vedic scripture. Sātvata-saṁhitā. So people are responsing, especially in the Western countries. In Africa also, they are responding. Many Africans, they have become Vaiṣṅava now. That is the latest news. And they are receiving very well.

So by Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace, with the cooperation of the Western youths, this movement is going on. I have traveled all over the countries, as I reported, and everywhere I saw, I was very much pleased that saṅkīrtana is going on. And it is improving. It is not declining. That is my greatest encouragement, that even in my absence, things are going on very nicely, improving. That is very hopeful. Not only that—from the gurukula we are training small children. There are about more than hundred children in Dallas. They are rising early in the morning, attending maṅgala āratik, boys and girls not more than ten years, not more than five, six years. So that is very hopeful. In future they will become nice Vaiṣṅava. And many children are taking birth. They are very nice devotees. In last, our Śrīpāda Ātreya Muni's small child, about six months old, as soon as I shout out, "Hare Kṛṣṅa," immediately he'll... He'll laugh. Very nice. There are many such children.

So all these children, they are Vaiṣṅavas. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ sanjāyate [Bg 6.41].

[The unsuccessful yogī, after many, many years of enjoyment on the planets of the pious living entities, is born into a family of righteous people, or into a family of rich aristocracy.]

That is the... They are given chance to take birth in the family of Vaiṣṅava father and mother. From the very beginning of life, they are getting encouragement. We had such opportunity. Somehow or other, we have come to this stage. Similarly, these children, they are getting opportunity from the very beginning of their life. So on the whole, it is very hopeful that in the Western countries... Not only Western countries—especially Western countries—we have sown some seed, that a community, Vaiṣṅava community, is now established. That is very hopeful. A Vaiṣṅava community, and they are, in America, they are now addressed, "American Hindus," these American boys and girls.

So by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, this much has been done, and they are improving more and more. They are serving Kṛṣṅa. Prāṅair arthair dhiyā vācā. This, our Gurukṛpā Mahārāja, has contributed large sum of money for our Vṛndāvana construction, and this time also, I have brought a very large sum of money, about fifty lakhs. So this will be utilized for Kṛṣṅa's business. And these people, Western people, they are serving this cause with life, prāṅair; arthair, by money; dhiyā, by intelligence; and by words.

prāṅair arthair dhiyā vācā śreyaḥ ācaraṅaṁ sadā etāvaj janma-sāphalyaṁ dehinām iha dehiṣu [SB 10.22.35]

This is success of life, that we should fully engage our life, our money, our intelligence and our words for the service of the Lord. That is called sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṅaṁ vraja [Bg 18.66].

So time is very bad at the present moment everywhere, especially in India. Of course, India's original culture is all right. But unfortunately, our modern leaders, they are killing the original culture. They want to introduce Western culture. Now it is openly there are beef shop, wine shop. So what can be done? It is Kali-yuga. Everything is possible. But those who are intelligent—kṛṣṅa yei bhaje sei baḍa-catura—they should take to this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement and be successful of this human form of life. Hari hari bifale, janama goṅāinu, manuṣya-janama pāiyā, rādhā-kṛṣṅa na bhajiyā, jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu [from Prārthanā].

[O Lord Hari, I have wasted my life. Although I have taken this rare human birth, like a miser, I have not served Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa, and thus I have knowingly drunk poison.]

Anyone who is not taking to this Kṛṣṅa consciousness movement, surely he is taking poison knowingly. That is the fact. Everyone, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṅā [SB 5.18.12],

[All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord's external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?]

no qualification. The so-called education has no meaning, no value. So it is not a whim, that one may take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness and one may not. No. It is compulsory. One must take to Kṛṣṅa consciousness; otherwise his life is spoiled, śrama eva hi kevalam.

dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ notpādayed ratiṁ yadi śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]

[The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.]

One may think of executing his religious principles very nicely, but if he does not awaken his dormant love for Kṛṣṅa, then all activities in that direction is supposed to be simply waste of time. Simply waste of time, spoiling. Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu. [Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura]

[O Lord Hari, I have wasted my life. Although I have taken this rare human birth, like a miser, I have not served Rādhā and Kṛṣṅa, and thus I have knowingly drunk poison.]

So our request to everyone, especially who are a little bit inclined to Krsna Con... [break] [end]