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Bhaktivedanata Manor, UK, 03/24/2004
(Sings
Jaya Radha Madhava, Invocatory prayers. 10 minutes)
SDA:
Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya. (devotees repeating). Om namo
bhagavate vasudevaya. Om namo bhagavate vasudevaya.
saptopari krta dvarah
sapta―seven;
upari―up; krtah―made; dvarah―gates; purah―of
the city; tasyah―that; tu―then; dve―two; adhah―down;
prthak―different; visaya―to places; gati-artham―for
going; tasyam―in that city; yah―one who; kascana―whoever;
isvarah―governor.
SDA:
Translation and purport by His Divine Grace, A.C. Bhaktivedanta
Tridandi Gosvami Maharaja, Prabhupada.
"Of the
nine gates in that city,
om
ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya
I
offer my respectful obeisances to my beloved spiritual master, His
Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, who has so kindly come to me, in the
darkness of ignorance, and is forcing my eyes open with this torchlight
of transcendental knowledge.
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya.
It is
very wonderful to be here with you all today.
I just feel as a pilgrim, someone crawling in the desert, dying
of thirst, coming to an oasis, to be revived from the death-like sleep
of kali-yuga. London
is a very significant place for me in my spiritual life because it was
here that Prabhupada gave me diksa, even though I wasn't here.
I was one of those mail-order disciples.
I got a letter from London, and with beads chanted in London, and
mailed to me in Austin, Texas, where I'm based now, trying to serve
Prabhupada's order to make that center a success, but we have started
traveling. We've started
something on the internet called The Ultimate Self-Realization Course,
which is gathering thousands of students all over the world so we
sometimes go traveling to visit them.
We've just been in Daven (?) and Helsinki and are coming now also
to London, to be with some of our students who are signed up for the
course to encourage them to move forward in there spiritual life.
I feel very, blessed to be here with such exalted Vaisnavas.
I'm just praying for your mercy that I can someday become a
Vaisnava also.
This
is a very nice verse here, because it gives us so many varieties of
information. Every single
verse of the Bhagavatam is like that.
Its just so potent.
Its just full unlimited shades of meaning, practically in every word of
the Bhagavatam. So, here
all kinds of lessons can be derived.
One thing is, there are two gates that are covered: Subterranean
gates, . Of course, that's
the genitals and the rectum.
So, the animals, they do not cover, .
For them, those gates are not subterranean, but for human being
they are subterranean, .
Nowadays, everyone, they all want to become naked, .
Ever since the hippy movement especially, this being naked is
considered a very good thing; you can become naked.
But that is not human life.
That is animal life.
Human life means they are kept subterranean gates.
They are covered up.
So, we know that if we indulge in the sensual activity centered around
these subterranean gates, then we are very low-class animal.
Sva-vid-varaha-ustra-kharaih samstutah purusah pasuh, na jata...
That dogs, hogs, camels and asses, they praise those men who do
not listen to the transcendental pastimes of Lord Sri Krishna the
deliverer from evils. So,
we have to come out of this animal mentality.
That's what what we're born into in this kali-yuga.
We are born in an animalistic culture.
We are trained to be animal, .
Perfection is to become a first-class animal.
Big pasu. In a world
of dogs, hogs, camels and asses, if you become a big dog, a big camel, a
big ass, you're considered successful.
They
struggle so hard, day in and day out, just to become a big animal.
Prabhupada is saving us from this hellish mentality.
It is hellish mentality.
We were driving into London this morning, seeing how the people
in the cars, are spending so much time going back and forth, just to
earn a little money. Just
like the example of the ass, given in that verse,
sva-vid-varaha-ustra-kharaih.
In India, that poor little donkey, the washer man, he loads him
very high. With a huge burden of laundry on his back.
His back is bending down like this.
He's hunched under this huge bundle of laundry, and he's
struggling so hard, carrying that laundry.
He's thinking, if I don't carry this laundry, I'll starve to
death. But, all that he
gets at the end of his hard day's labor is some little grass!
There's so much grass on the side of the road!
This
is our mentality. In this
kali-yuga, we think we have to work like an ass if we're going to
live. We do not know that
there is Krishna, and He is our loving Father.
Why will the father not take care of us?
The only reason we exist is to have a loving relationship with
Krishna. That's the only
reason we even exist at all.
Krishna is eternally emanating innumerable numbers of living
entities from Himself simply for the purpose of loving relationship.
Each and every one of us exist just to exchange love with
Krishna. So, why will He
put us into difficulty? We
simply put ourselves into difficulty.
All the problems we have in our life are simply our own doing, we
cannot blame anyone but ourselves
We are rascals! We
exist to love Krishna, instead of wanting to love Krishna, we want to be
Krishna. What a foolish
thing (chuckles) we want to be Krishna.
So stupid a thing.
He says, alright. You want
to be Me, but no no no, you can never do that.
So, don't even try.
Just serve Me. But we were
stubborn. No, no.
I want to be the Supreme.
We become infected with this, so Krishna says alright.
You try it.
A
little girl, she's looking at the moon out the window at night.
She's saying mommy mommy, give me, give me.
How can the mother give the daughter the moon?
Is that possible?
No, of course not. But the
mother wants to pacify the daughter.
Alright, my dear beloved daughter, here.
She takes a mirror, and gives it in the little girls hand.
The little girl thinks, oh my mommy is so nice.
Now I have the moon, in my hand.
So, we wanted to be God so badly, we were so envious of that
position of supremacy. We
became infected with that desire to be the Supreme.
Alright. You can
have it. You can consider
yourself the Supreme.
Here's your mirror in the hand.
Go ahead, try to enjoy the mirror in the hand, that you are God.
I'll give you a place where you can think that you are God.
It's called London.
Of course, there's a famous pastime of Prabhupada and Tamal Krishna
Gosvami. Maybe some have
not heard it. He was the
leader there in L.A. temple.
Tamal Krishna dasa brahmacari.
Very fired up leader.
So, Prabhupada was one day explaining to him that there are so
many millions and billions of planets in the spiritual world.
And in one little tiny corner of the spiritual world, there is
the material world, and there are innumerable planets and universes in
that material world, and in one of those universes, there are millions
and billions of planets, and on one of those planets, called the Earth
planet, there are so many continents, and so many countries, and one
country is called the United States of America, and there are so many
states in that United States of America, and California is one of them,
there are so many cities in that state of California, Los Angeles is one
of them, there are so many streets in that Los Angeles, La Cienega Blvd.
is one of them, and there are so many buildings up and down La Cienega
Blvd. and the Hare Krishna temple is one of them, and there are so many
persons who live in this temple, and Tamal Krishna dasa brahmacari is
one of them, and he thinks that he is so big.
So, Prabhupada has mercifully whittled us all down to size.
He's carved us down to understand who we actually are, that we
are simply the eternal servants of Krishna, and we have no other
identity, we have no other role, we have no other function to play in
existence save, and except to be, not even the devotee of Krishna, but
to be the devotee of the devotee of the devotee of Krishna.
This is one point that George Harrison very much appreciated from
Prabhupada. He said,
that Swami
Bhaktivedanta, of the Hare Krishna movement?
He says that he is the servant of the servant of the servant of
God. He said, what does
that make me? It
makes me the servant of the servant of the servant of God.
So, actually George said it five times, which meant that he was
placing himself as the servant of the disciples of Prabhupada.
So it was very nice sentiment, because the more we become the
servants of the servants that's how much we become recognized by
Krishna.
I
remember when I first joined the society.
Wherever I could get nectar, I would find it.
We had no Vedabase, and somebody would have a letter from
Prabhupada. Anytime I got a
hold of something, I'd just copy it down.
I didn't have a Xerox machine.
There were very few Xerox machines in those days, and the copies
were not very nice quality.
So, I was just copying down in my notebook, and I came across one letter
that Prabhupada had written.
We normally have the six ways of surrender.
But there was one list that Prabhupada gave that I've only seen
it that one place. One of
the six items of surrendering to Krishna was to become a part of a
spiritual family. That is a
very important point. We
have this world-wide network, this world-wide family, of Krishna
conscious devotees: The International Society for Krishna Consciousness,
and to actually learn how to enter into that family, in the proper
spirit, that is one of the items of surrendering.
Its a very important thing.
Its
become a great problem since Prabhupada left.
In so many ways, these fragments are splitting off into this
thing and that thing. There
is so much division. We
absolutely have to master this art of how to develop very strong loving
relationships amongst the devotees, because, as that astrologer said
when he saw that picture of Prabhupada, he has built a house in which
the whole world can live peacefully, and Prabhupada said yes, that is my
mission. So, this is what
we are duty-bound to do, as Prabhupada's disciples, grand-disciples.
We are duty-bound to establish such a strong, tightly knit
network of devotees. That
strong unified family spirit can gradually engulf the entire world.
Every human being on the face of this planet can feel themselves
a part of that family of Srila Prabhupada.
Prabhupada, I was doing some research this morning, Prabhupada
actually said there should be one world government, and he actually
predicted that the day would come when the world leaders would come to
ISKCON, concerning how to manage their countries.
Just
see what kind of burden of responsibility we have inherited from Srila
Prabhupada on our shoulders, each and every one of us.
It doesn't matter if we're a man, woman, child, temple leader,
pujari, bathroom cleaner.
Each and every one us have this responsibility, to manifest this sort of
cohesive loving tight-knit, family relationship in all of our dealings.
We must create that spirit, by our own example in the society, so
that when the acarya leaves, the tendency for fragmentation to
take place will be overcome.
Prabhupada says those who are faithful to the orders of the
spiritual master work to rectify the situation.
We have to all manifest this sort of sweet loving relationships.
We should carry ourselves around like the dirt under the dirt,
under the dirt. That's how
we feel about ourselves, but the other devotee's practically they are
worshipable Deities for us, because they connect us with Krishna.
We should feel that I am low scum Naradhama, the scum, I
am one of the scum of the Earth, Naradhama, but somehow I have
been blessed by the association of a devotee or a number of devotees in
my life, and that they can save me from my hellish indriya-seva
service to my senses.
So,
here we are making a little study in an analogous way about these
different senses: The eyes,
the ears, the nose. Its
described how these things are the gateway to hell.
We all have these bodily holes, and for the most part they're a
big problem for us, in many ways.
Sometimes you're doing something and you have to go to the
toilet, and its a problem.
You have to go to pass stool, pass urine.
Its an interruption.
The subterranean holes can be an interruption, and these other holes
too, the other holes which are not subterranean, they are a problem
because they keep dragging us away from Krishna.
The eyes want to look at a beautiful member of the opposite sex.
The ears want to hear some cinema song.
The tongue wants to taste some rascal bhoga.
But, if theses senses are properly engaged, then, they become
liberated through this. So,
we have to master this art of engaging the senses properly.
This is very important.
That's why facilities such as Bhaktivedanta Manor are so
absolutely essential for the sanity of the world population.
Each and every one of you are helping to maintain this center,
you deserve the greatest credit, and I absolutely can tell you that
Prabhupada is just showering his mercy upon you, for maintaining this
center so nicely. This is
absolutely awesome to see Radha-Gokulananda this morning.
It is just overwhelmingly awesome to see Their superb beauty.
I can easily see how Prabhupada is very much pleased with your
wonderful service, and very much blessing each and every one of you for
helping. So, whatever
difficulties that are there, and we all have difficulties in our own,
with our own senses, with our own minds, we have difficulties dealing
with each other sometimes, we have to be a little tolerant.
With ourselves, we should be very strict, but with others we
should be very tolerant, lenient and forgiving, and we shouldn't feel
bad if our movement is going through difficulties now.
We should see it as a very good opportunity.
Just like the
ksatriya, when some aggressors come, he sees that this is a very
good opportunity. I have
learned how to fight, and now I can fight.
So, whatever difficulties are facing our society, we shouldn't
become discouraged, we should become enlivened, because, if everyone is
a pure devotee of Krishna, we have no opportunity to preach.
Prabhupada was speaking like that.
When
there's problems, and people don't accept, that's when the preacher has
to rise to the occasion.
Then it becomes a great challenge.
We have a very difficult situation.
Now we have to rise to that challenge.
One really has to preach with great expertise, and with great
dependence on one's spiritual master, and the previous acaryas.
When there is difficulty, we should not become discouraged.
We should become happy.
Now is an opportunity to become even more surrendered to serving
this preaching mission, become even more fixed, more focused on doing
the needful to establish Prabhupada's movement, as the leading
educational institution on this planet, and indeed, in the entire
universe. If we ever had
that opportunity to open up branches of ISKCON in the higher planets.
(laughing)
Prabhupada sometimes spoke like that, I don't know how that's possible,
we'd have to probably take birth again in different types of bodies, to
fulfill that prediction of Prabhupada about it spreading all over the
universe, but, at least on this planet, we have full facility to
dedicate our whole life for pushing forward this movement.
The whole world is in the darkness of kali-yuga.
Its actually getting worse and worse, practically every day.
The social fabric is rotting.
Its moving closer and closer towards total collapse, just rotting
away. Just like a house, if
the wood is rotting, the house is standing but the wood is rotting, one
day; phough. So, this
materialistic civilization is rotting.
Its moving towards collapse.
The only people who have a clue as to how to actually solve the
problem are you. You are
the only people who know what to do to solve the problems of the world.
Just see how much responsibility we have.
We have the greatest responsibility.
(aside:) Sri Sri
Radha-Gokulananda ki jaya. Sita, Rama, Laksmana, Hanuman ki jaya.
Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, ki jaya.
He predicted that this movement would go down in history for
saving the world in its darkest hour.
We may
think, well that's a nice idea, but, how's it possible?
We can't even keep it together within ourselves right now.
How's it possible?
But, no. Whatever the pure
devotee says, it has to come true.
As Krishna had Arjuna say, you declare it boldly that My devotee
is never vanquished. ,
Krishna, He's known for being a liar.
No! I didn't steal the butter! (chuckles)
Krishna's known for being a liar, but if Arjuna says, then it has
to happen. You declare it
boldly that my devotee will never perish.
It must happen because Arjuna has said.
So, Prabhupada has said this movement go down in history for
having saved the world in its darkest hour.
So, it has to happen.
Now, we don't know when its going to happen, or how its going to
happen, but it will happen.
Sometime, in the future, it will happen.
So, let's try to make it today.
Wouldn't it be neat, if we could see it happen in our lifetimes?
I mean, it could be, , two or three generations down the road,
but wouldn't it be nice to see it happen during our lifetimes?
To see the whole world take up Krishna consciousness, as
Prabhupada established it, through the medium of the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness.
That would just be so awesome, if , all these problems could be
brought, and all the terrorism problems, the ecological problems, the
abuse problems, , child abuse, women abuse, all these problems can be
solved. Everybody's just, ,
drowning in an ocean of Lord Caitanya's mercy.
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Räma,
Hare Räma, Räma Räma, Hare...
and every street, and every town and every village throughout the
whole world, everyone has their arms raised, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna,
Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/ Hare Räma, Hare Räma, Räma Räma,
Hare Hare, and everywhere they're glorifying Prabhupada, everywhere you
go, on every, in every building there's Prabhupäda's picture, .
Just imagine how wonderful it would be, and every, , house of
government, throughout the world there is Prabhupäda's picture.
There is Prabhupäda's books.
In the Parliament there is Prabhupäda's books.
In the House of Representatives, and the Senate, there's
Prabhupada books. In the
White House, , in the Kremlin there's Prabhupäda's books.
Everywhere they're reading Prabhupäda's books and they're asking
the ISKCON Brahmanas to come and give lecture to all the Parliament
members, and the king and queens, and, wouldn't that be wonderful to see
that happen during our lifetimes?
So, we should try for it, then.
We should try for it.
I mean, , as Prabhupada said, if you're going to go hunting, you
should shoot for the rhinoceros, .
If you miss, they'll say, well, , nobody can get, bag a
rhinoceros anyway, but if you can get that rhino, wow.
You'll become the most famous hunter.
(Laughter.) So, we
should try for it in our lifetime, to see the whole world become Krishna
conscious.
We
should preach with such intensity, with such purity, we should have such
sweet loving relationships between ourselves that, , that we become
faultless in the way we treat each other, absolutely faultless, .
We should create that atmosphere of pure bhakti.
Where there's just pure love between the devotees, there's no
more fault finding, no more gossiping, no more politics, nothing but
pure loving relationships.
If we can actually manifest that degree of purity in our relationships
Prabhupada told us, in 18 days, we can make the whole world Krishna
conscious. So, just
calculate it. Today is,
what? March 24th.
That's sometime in April.
Just imagine, by mid-April, all the leaders of the world were
coming to us for guidance.
Our whole country should become Krishna conscious.
You guide us, how to make U.K. Krishna conscious, how to make
Russia Krishna conscious, how to make Latvia Krishna conscious.
And
then all of our old former full-time preachers, who are working jobs,
will come out of preaching retirement, and go back into preaching again.
You go to that country, you go to that country, train up the
leaders how to manage their country, Krishna consciously.
Wouldn't it be great if they could all come out of their
preaching retirement, put on their preaching shoes, go back out and do
full-time preaching again?
That would be a really enlivening thing.
Then we have to train up so many new preachers also.
It is possible. Of
course you could say, come on Sankarshan prabhu, how can you say its
possible? Don't
the Bhagavad-Gita verse:
manusyanam sahasresu
What
kind of nonsense are you speaking anyway Sankarshan prabhu?
Only 1 out of a thousand, will take interest, and then out of
those thousand that take interest, hardly even one will be capable to
understand. That's true,
according to Bhagavad-Gita, but by the mercy of Lord Caitanya,
its possible. It is possible.
This whole world can be inundated in 18 days in a tidal wave of
Krishna prema. We
just have to manifest that wave within our spiritual family of ISKCON.
We just have to manifest that transcendental wave of ecstatic
Krishna consciousness amongst ourselves, and then invite people to come
on in, the water's fine.
Come on in.
Prabhupada told us, in San Francisco, it was a wonderful lecture he gave
in Golden Gate Park. That
was the first place I saw Prabhupada.
I laid my eyes on him in Golden Gate Park.
First at the airport, then a few minutes later, in the park.
He said that I'm traveling all over the world, and everywhere I
go, I see, they are building the skyscraper buildings imitating your
country. Now, you can
simply chant and dance, in emotional love of God, and the whole world
will follow you, and there will be no more trouble.
You've probably all seen that video, but isn't that sweet?
Prabhupada says emotional love of God.
So, that means that a
kirtana, even though it certainly has its academic aspects, we can
study it intellectually, from the standpoint of
sastra, the
kirtana.
But, actually, it goes beyond
jnana.
kirtana means
bhakti.
It means emotion. It
means transcendental emotion becomes stimulated by the sweet holy names.
As Prabhupada mentioned in his letter that is quoted in our
Vaisnava song book, he said there is no safe position in this material
world except for kirtana-rasa.
kirtana-rasa.
So, we have to awaken that
kirtana-rasa, in the heart.
That is our natural constitutional position.
We are pure devotees by constitution.
We are
pure lovers of God, who can experience unlimited nuances, and subtle
varieties of flavors in relationship with the Supreme Person, but, due
to envy we have lost that sweet, sweet, unlimitedly nectarian position,
and we are drowning in this stool, this urine, this puss, this blood,
this lust, this anger, this greed, which is consuming our hearts and
causing us so much misery, and anxiety, but the
kirtana is the way out.
It is vaikuntha-dvara.
The door to vaikuntha is through the
kirtana.
It is subtle dimension.
(Aside) Wake up (clapping)
Krishna wants you to awaken to your eternal constitutional
position.
So, it
is very very nice to be here with you all today, and I'm indebted to
each and every one of you because for me its the hearers, because I'm
not very enthusiastic for speaking actually.
But, when I see the hearers are enthusiastic to hear, somehow it
just comes out, by the mercy of the hearers.
(Conch blows) If I
was sitting in this empty room, I could not speak like this.
Prabhupada could do it, but I can not.
(Chuckles) the
introduction to the Bhagavad-Gita
was when nobody showed up before Prabhupada moved down to the lower east
side, he had a little office in Manhattan, and he had his tape recorder.
So, the whole introduction to the Gita was spoken when no
one showed up for the class and Prabhupada just spoke into the tape
recorder. I am not like
that. I am very dry person.
But, when I am in the association of so many wonderful devotees
of the Lord, who have dedicated their lives completely to serve
Prabhupada's mission, when I'm in such an august assembly as this, then
I become a little excited to talk about Krishna.
So, I have to thank you all for your mercy of being such nice
hearers, that you have been able to extract some nectar out of this
otherwise desert-like heart.(Chuckles)
So, anyway, does anyone have any questions?
I'll try to answer them.
Yes,
Kripa-moya prabhu.
KMP:
We're interested to hear that of the six symptoms of surrender,
that one is to join a spiritual family.
SDA:
Yes.
KMP:
And, you said that's the only place where Prabhupada expressed
that. Do ...
SDA:
There may be other places, but that's the only one I'm aware of.
KMP:
(Indistinct) he expressed it in other places?
SDA:
How is that expressed in other places?
Well, certainly, there is the famous quote, about your love for
me will be seen by how much you cooperate.
KMP:
Those six. That list
of six.
SDA:
How is that list given elsewhere, the other varieties of the
list? Six symptoms of
surrender? Some of you are,
we have many learned panditas here.
I don't have it on the tip of my tongue, just now.
The six symptoms of surrender.
KMP:
Just that one point.
Joining a spiritual family.
In other places, how would Prabhupada say that?
SDA:
You've seen it in other places?
You're asking if I've seen it in elsewhere?
Devotee: He wants an
example.
SDA:
What's that?
Devotee: He wants an
example. Where to see?
SDA:
Where did I see it?
OK It was a letter. I have
it in my notes. When I was
a brahmacari, I just kept these notebooks.
I still have them, I put them in a treasure chest, from my
brahmacari days. When
I get back, I can email you that.
I'll give you the whole list via email.
I'd be happy to do that.
Yes, its very nice quote, that we have to become a part of a
spiritual family. Yes
prabhu, nice to see you again.
You hosted me so nicely when I came last time.
KPM:
Long time since then.
SDA:
Yeah, its been '98 or something...
KPM:
Is your wife here?
SDA:
Yes. Visnupriya
Mataji is here. (Chuckles)
Devotee: So, I have a
question. It was very nice,
what you said. Wonderful.
To see the world Krishna conscious.
SDA:
Hmm. What is it?
Devotee: To see the world
Krishna conscious. Its a
very wonderful, but we have a prediction, in the Srimad-Bhagavatam
SDA:
Yeah.
Devotee: In the 11th Canto.
SDA:
Right.
Devotee: Its very
pessimistic.
SDA:
Oh, yes.
Devotee: That, uh, things aim to
get worse. That society
will get...
SDA:
Absolutely. Oh yes,
those things will happen.
Devotee: There will be very
very few devotees around, the future of Kali tends to get worse and
worse and worse. Now, I
tend to believe in the prediction of the Srimad-Bhagavatam.
But I like also to believe in the prediction of Srila Prabhupada
on the other hand, that you were reporting, about a golden age, and that
things will improve. So,
I'm a little bit puzzled,
because these...
SDA:
They're both true.
There's sometimes, what is called an Indian Summer.
Its not referring to India, Indian, but the American Indians.
Its called Indian summer.
The winter comes, its cold.
All of the sudden, out of the blue, an Indian Summer manifests,
and a brief period where everything becomes very warm and pleasant.
I heard recently that that happened in England also.
Its a rapid shift in the weather, between warm and cold.
So, that is predicted as the 10,000 year period within kali-yuga
when Krishna consciousness will gradually take over everything.
And then it will go back.
Its a special period of Caitanya's mercy in the middle of
kali-yuga. Its a 10,000
year period of Krishna consciousness, within the kali-yuga, and
we're at the very beginning of that, right now.
So, we are in a very great advantageous position in terms of
world history.
Some
people like to study world history.
They read about British History, or Scottish History, or American
History, but by the grace of Prabhupada, we are in the position of
making history.
Devotee: I heard a similar
statement in India. I think
it was Dhananjaya prabhu.
That, in Vrndavana said that the GBC's now have to prepare themselves to
run the world.
SDA:
Yes, absolutely.
Devotee: Are we really
ready for that? Because...
SDA:
We're very ill-prepared for that, to be quite honest.
We can't even keep it together in ISKCON.
We have this split-off group, that split-off group, we are
miserably ill-prepared for such a thing, but that's the whole point of
my class. I was a Boy
Scout, and in the U.S., we used to have a motto, Be Prepared.
We have to be Krishna's Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts.
We have to get prepared, to actually do our duty to lead the
world by studying Prabhupada's books, by chanting good rounds, by rising
early, by bathing, by taking nice care of the Deities. We are very
ill-prepared for that.
We're still a rag-tag band of followers.
Just practically off the streets.
We haven't advanced that much in all these years of chanting
unfortunately. We're still
a bunch of rough characters, who can't even get along with each other
half the time. (chuckles)
But, its time to get serious.
There was a wonderful lecture, I remember Tamal Krishna Gosvami
gave in Dallas. I used to
run his tape ministry when he first started initiating , the god
brothers were all working with him to help him build up his preaching.
So, I was running his tape ministry, and I remember we had one
lecture that he very much thought was very important.
And it was indeed.
It was called Its Time to Get Serious.
So, we
still have to learn how to do that, and we have to get serious.
Serious doesn't mean, morose.
I mean, look at our Sridhara Swami Maharaja.
Who could be more jolly than Sridhara Swami, yet he's very
serious about Krishna consciousness.
Very serious, but so jolly.
So, actually, the more we become sober in Krishna consciousness,
the more we become happy.
When I
was first coming around this movement, checking it out, associating with
His Holiness Visnujana Maharaja, who was actually my vartmapradarsaka-guru,
I eternally offer my obeisances at his lotus feet, I was a hippy boy,
there in Austin, going to his programs to hear.
So, anyway somehow or other, I went to the kitchen to get a drink
of water, he was also in the kitchen.
Everyone else was in the other room.
He told me just three words, and I've never forgotten them.
They were very powerful, the way they affected me.
He said, you have to become sober.
He said it with such sobriety, with such gravity, and out of such
an ecstatic enlivened Krishna conscious mood that he was tasting, that
those word will eternally reverberate in my heart.
You have to become sober.
That's why we're not prepared to lead the world; we're frivolous
(Aside) I'll get to you in a minute.
Don't forget your question.
Its very valuable. I
want to hear it. Prabhupada
told Tamal Krishna dasa brahmacari, back in the old days in San
Francisco, in a letter, Krishna can give you all of America within a
minute, but what will you do with it?
As long as we are frivolous, we're not fit to manage the world.
We
will not be managers, we will guide the managers, actually.
But Prabhupada did actually say like that.
There's one cassette I listen to, when I brush my teeth (Laughs)
Prabhupada is saying that this world, right now, is being managed
by rogues and rascals. He
says, now you take the management.
Can you imagine?
Prabhupada has ordered us to take the management of the world.
That means in the brahminical sense.
Of course, we may have some devotees, who actually become in that
ksatriya-type position, but, we are mainly meant, as an
institution, to manage by guiding the managers.
Some of our members have run for office, and they may still be
doing, I don't know. That
also can be done, but we are mainly meant to guide the managers.
But because we're not completely sober like Prabhupada,
therefore, we're not qualified.
They won't, they can't put that much faith in us, because of our
own frivolity. But, if we
become very very sober, we're always fixed in sober Krishna
consciousness, then they must come to us, because they need it.
They need our guidance.
They have nowhere else to turn to, as the world begins to
fragment more, and more.
More and more terrorism, fears are there.
We have Madrid. Who
knows what's going to happen next?
So, we really have to rise to the occasion, by becoming very
sober and fixed in Krishna consciousness.
Yes, Prabhu.
Devotee (2): I was thinking
that, when you think about it, ruling the (indistinct) world; That's too
daunting. But, to influence
the leaders of the world, that actually is not daunting.
That we are already making influence, influential people anyway.
Its like Buddhism spread because the emperor of that area he
embraced it, and therefore it spread through the country.
Devotee (2): What I'm
saying is that we don't necessarily have to be the leaders or the
fighters of the world.
SDA:
That's right.
Devotee (2): As you made
that point. But its not so
daunting to think that, we actually could influence the leaders of the
world.
SDA:
That's right. Just
like, when Buddhadeva influenced the emperor Asoka.
Then Buddhism became predominant.
That's right.
We are not a managerial organization, we are the world's leading
educational institution.
That's what we are. We are
the world's leading educational institution.
So that has to be known.
That has to be understood by all the leaders, so they'll come to
us for training. So, each
and every one of us, has to become learned brahmanas.
We have to know the books very well, be able to cite the
scriptures authoritatively, and have realized knowledge based on our
practice of Krishna consciousness, and then as we manifest this more and
more, and enthuse our the younger members to also become like this, then
we will see. It will
happen. So that it will
gradually spread more and more.
So, are there any other questions?
Guest:
(indistinct)
SDA:
The example of the buildings?
The skyscraper buildings?
Guest:
We seem to see this a lot more, especially in The States, where
there's places where they're taking little communities and people are
inspected on what kind of jobs they have, and what religion you believe
in, and things like that.
SDA:
Are you talking about some, like alternative communities that are
forming around the world?
Guest:
Well, yeah. You have
The States, where it depends on your job, or who your associates are to
get into these communities, in different areas.
SDA:
You're saying, should we try to infiltrate different sort of
communities?
Guest:
Yes.
SDA:
Absolutely. We want
to infiltrate everywhere.
Guest:
Also, what I experienced by helping one of the ladies move, that
the lady lived in an area that was being picked on because she was a
Hare Krishna. Because she
was a devotee.
SDA:
Oh, then she has a very good opportunity for preaching.
Wherever the opposition is very strong, that's when we have a
golden opportunity for preaching.
We're not afraid of strong opposition at all. Actually, like in
American football, for example, when the opposing team is very weak, and
they're an easy pushover, then the game is very boring, but if the
opposing side is a formidable foe, then you have to really work hard to
win, and when you do win, no one ever forgets that game.
Wherever the opposition is very strong, that gives us a very good
opportunity to rise to the occasion.
Of course, we look to where the opposition is not strong, where
its easier to make inroads, but we are not afraid of strong opposition.
As Prabhupada said,
there's no question of glorious victory without strong opposition.
So, we're not afraid of strong opposition.
Prabhupada had to fight very strong opposition with Mr. Nair in
Bombay, but Prabhupada never gave up the fight, in spite of the fact
that the disciples sometimes royally blew it, and the struggle was
almost lost, not because of Prabhupada's mistakes, but because of the
disciple's mistakes. We
should never become discouraged. Of course, we always look for the
easiest places where we can establish Krishna consciousness.
Lord Caitanya would sometimes leave a place if it was too
difficult to preach there.
We look for the easiest places, but it is not that I can't preach at
all. No, we never come to
that position. We must
dedicate our lives for preaching and establishing Krishna consciousness.
So, if somebody is living in a community and they're not
accepting it, one should try to work harder to make them accept.
Prabhupada gave the whole example, when the devotees came to London.
When the sannyasis had come here, from the Gaudiya Math,
and they had no success whatsoever in establishing Krishna
consciousness. They just
posed for some photographs, with some British Lords and Ladies, and
lived off of Indian Rupees coming to London.
Can you imagine, what a struggle that was for Bhaktisiddhanta to
maintain these preachers in London with Indian Rupees?
I don't know what the exchange rate was in those days, but I'm
sure it wasn't very favorable for India, and all they did was pose for
some photographs, When Prabhupada sent his original devotees here,
Mukunda, Janaki, Gurudasa, Yamuna, Malati, Syamasundara, and also
little, that little daughter, Sarasvati, and they came here, he
gave the story of that Charlie Chaplin example.
Prabhupada, as a boy used to see the Charlie Chaplin movies
sometimes. So, he saw that
movie, where Charlie Chaplin was at the ball dance, and he had his date.
Everyone was attired very formally, tuxedo, and fancy dresses,
and some mischievous little kids thought, oh yes, we will have some fun.
They painted some glue all over the bench.
So, Charlie Chaplin, he sits down on the bench, and he gets up
and his tuxedo rips. Oh no.
What to do? How can
you be at a ball dance with a ripped tuxedo?
Everyone will laugh.
What to do? So, then he got
a bright idea. He went to
the men's room, and he ripped his tuxedo all the way up (Makes tearing
sound. Laughing) Then he
took his date, in the middle of the ballroom floor, and he just danced
with great enthusiasm.
Spinning around, twirling around, and dancing flamboyantly.
He was dancing with such enthusiasm, everyone stopped, and they
were just looking at Charlie Chaplin, and his date, dancing, twirling
around, flying around the ballroom, with his ripped tuxedo, and all the
men took their tuxedos and, rip, to imitate his tuxedo.
He established a new fashion.
So, Prabhupada told the devotees coming to London to be like
that. That mood of, like
Charlie Chaplin. They will
think you're weird. Hare
Krishna weirdo. Brainwashed
zombie! But you have to be
so enthusiastic that all these dead lifeless people will think, well, he
may be crazy, but he's a lot happier than I am.
He has a lot more life, a lot more compassion, there must be
something good about this Krishna consciousness after all.
If somebody can be that happy, can be that kind, and be that
enthusiastic, in this way, we can capture the whole world.
That community that's negative, they can be captured.
So, we're probably running out of time, huh?
I don't want to keep everyone.
I know everyone's enthusiastic to engage in their daily
activities. I wanted to
thank you for so kindly tolerating this croaking toad in your midst.
Not kicking me out the door.
Srila Prabhupada ki, jaya.
Hare Krishna.
Gauri
dasa: Sankarshan prabhu
ki, jaya.
Audience: Jaya.
SDA:
What is your name prabhu?
Gauri
dasa: Gauri dasa
SDA:
Gauri dasa.
Gauri
dasa: I'm the president
here at the temple. SDA: Oh, that's nice. Let, me stop this thing right now. __________________________________________ Transcribed by His Grace Jagannatha Dasa |