# The Acharya Part 1 **Duration:** 30:59 <div class="video-container" style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%;"> <iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a6PaVkPhPiU" style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; pointer-events: auto; z-index: 10;" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> </div> [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6PaVkPhPiU) --- ## Transcript **[00:11]** In 1965 an elderly gentleman stood on the deck of a freighter in Boston Harbor **[00:18]** and wrote this prayer: **[00:21]** How will I make them understand this message of Krishna consciousness? **[00:24]** I am very unfortunate, unqualified and the most fallen. **[00:30]** Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. **[00:35]** Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure, as You like. **[00:41]** Twelve years later "Hare Krishna" was a household word. **[00:46]** A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada had been more than successful. **[00:51]** He had founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. **[00:56]** A world-wide confederation of over one hundred ashrams, schools, temples, and farm communities. **[01:04]** and had made the chanting of Hare Krishna familiar to millions of people. **[01:10]** He had written and published over eighty volumes of translation and commentary **[01:15]** on self-realization which are now standard in Universities and libraries around the world. **[01:21]** And he had gathered about him thousands of dedicated disciples. **[01:25]** Srila Prabhupada became known to the world as a scholar, philosopher, social critic **[01:34]** and spiritual leader. **[01:37]** But to his disciples, Srila Prabhupada was dearmost friend, Father and inner guide. **[01:43]** The importance of the spiritual master to his disciple can not be overstated. **[01:49]** It is said that only by the mercy of the spiritual master can one receive the benediction of Krishna. **[01:56]** And without the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any spiritual advancement. **[02:02]** So the disciple's entire life focuses on the spiritual master and his instructions. **[02:09]** In this relationship, the activities of the spiritual master are of monumental importance **[02:14]** to his devotees. **[02:16]** A disciple finds meaning even in the smallest gesture. **[02:20]** Wherever he travelled Srila Prabhupada would emerge daily into the chill and quiet **[02:27]** of the early morning and cloaked in a warm wrap he would take a lengthy stroll **[02:32]** With an entourage of students, disciples, and guests. **[02:37]** Some mornings would find Srila Prabhupada immersed in contemplation **[03:19]** or quiet appreciation of natural scenery. **[02:45]** At other times, Srila Prabhupada would speak at great length **[02:48]** and often with considerable intensity on various subjects. **[02:52]** During these animated discourses, Srila Prabhupada would turn the profound Vedic **[02:58]** philosophy into a practical cutting-edge that penetrated every sphere of life and thought. **[03:04]** The word "acharya" means one who teaches by example. **[03:12]** And the following unedited footage provides and intimate glimpse into the **[03:16]** exemplary life of Srila Prabhupada. **[03:18]** To most people, the daily activities of a spiritual master are a mystery. **[03:24]** And it is interesting to see how such an important historical figure conducted his every-day affairs. **[03:31]** What emerges is an endearing portrait of an authentic spiritual personality. **[03:37]** Is that escaping? Or it is intelligence? **[04:41]** That you work hard and give it to me, we enjoy. **[04:46]** This is intelligence, it is not escaping. **[04:52]** That is going on. The capatilist, they are engaging these rascals, asses in the factory. **[05:01]** And he is enjoying life. So that is intelligence. **[05:03]** That let this rascal work hard and make a nice park for us and we shall take advantage of it. **[05:10]** This is intelligence. **[05:12]** And it is called "ajara vritti." **[05:23]** Ajara vritti. **[05:24]** Ajara means the big snake, is called ajara. **[05:29]** So this mouse, they make hole and want to live there. **[05:34]** And they are comfortably living and in the meantime the ajara comes. **[05:38]** He eats that mouse and lives comfortably. **[05:40]** So ours is 'ajara vritti." **[05:45]** You work for the hole to live comfortably, **[05:49]** but we take possession of the house and live comfortably. **[10:43]** This is a conversation between Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva Gosvami **[10:54]** Maharaja Pariksit, five thousand years ago, he was the emperor of the whole world. **[11:07]** Formally, up to five thousand years ago, the whole world was being controlled **[11:20]** and ruled over by Kings whose capital was Hastinapur, New Delhi. **[11:29]** There was only one flag, only one ruler. **[11:38]** One scripture. Vedic scripture. **[11:43]** And the Aryans, araya, they were the civilized persons. **[11:56]** You Europeans, Americans, you are also Aryans. **[12:04]** Indo-European stock. **[12:08]** Maharaja Tejasi, grandson of Maharaja Pariksit, **[12:14]** he gave to his two sons the portion of Eastern Europe, Greek and Roman. **[12:28]** That is the history. **[12:32]** Mahabharata, Mahabharata means "great India." **[12:36]** So, there was no different religion. **[12:44]** One religion. Vedic religion. **[12:49]** Vedic religion means to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead **[12:55]** as the Supreme Person, Absolute Truth. **[13:00]** This is Vedic religion. **[13:01]** Those who have read Bhagavad-gita, **[13:07]** It is said there, in the fifteenth chapter: **[13:13]** vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam **[13:18]** Vedic knowledge means to understand God. **[13:23]** This is Vedic knowledge. **[13:34]** Later on, with the progress of Kali-yuga. **[13:37]** Kali-yuga means "the dark age" or **[13:40]** "the sinful age" or "the age for argument, unnecessary talks and fight" **[13:51]** This is called "Kali-yuga." **[13:54]** That is going on. **[13:55]** Since the last five thousand years the Kali age has begun. **[14:03]** And the beginning of Kali-yuga was cow slaughtering. **[14:08]** So, at the present moment, **[14:11]** practically there is no brahmin, no ksatriya, no vaisya, **[14:17]** --only sudras-forth-class men. **[14:21]** So you cannot expect any happiness guided by the forth-class class man. **[14:30]** That is not possible. **[14:33]** Therefore, throughout the whole world, there is chaotic condition. **[14:38]** Nobody is happy. **[14:41]** So, this is essential, **[14:45]** that the human society must be divided into four divisions. **[14:53]** The brahmin class means the first-class, ideal man. **[15:00]** So that by seeing their character, their behaviour, others will try to follow. **[15:09]** yad yad acarati sresthas **[15:11]** So this Krishna consciousness movement means we are trying to create some first-class men. **[15:19]** This is Krishna consciousness. **[15:22]** This movement. **[15:24]** So, therefore, we have got these rules and regulations. **[15:30]** No illicit sex. **[15:32]** No meat eating. **[15:34]** No intoxication, No gambling. **[15:38]** This is the preliminary qualification of a first-class man. **[15:43]** Prabhupada, on our tape-recorder here that we have we can make it so you can play nicely **[15:59]** and later at our own time we will take to play the mrdanga and the kartals nicely. **[16:04]** This way we will not waste any of your time. **[16:07]** Do you think that's a good idea? **[16:09]** After you are gone, at our own time, we can add nicely. **[16:17]** Do you think that is a good idea or not? **[16:19]** I do not know. **[16:20]** I am not an expert. **[16:24]** We would like to do that. **[16:28]** We would like to do it like that Prabhupada. **[16:35]** Then do that. **[16:37]** My father wanted me to become like this. **[16:59]** Know everything, what is going on. **[17:02]** He never wanted me to be a worldly man earning money. **[17:08]** He never wanted. **[17:10]** There was some arrangement for my going to England after my college education. **[17:22]** To become barrister. **[17:25]** My father refused. **[17:28]** No. My son is not going to be a melecha. **[17:31]** So, past, present, future you exist, the body changes. **[17:42]** This is not clear? **[17:47]** It's clear. **[17:49]** Yes. **[17:51]** So therefore, conclusion, that when he will not have this body he will have another body. **[17:59]** You are sitting here, if you don't sit here, you go. **[18:10]** That does not mean your sitting opportunity is lost. **[18:16]** You are sitting here, you'll sit somewhere else. **[18:21]** Similarly, the change of body is going on. **[18:25]** Therefore the conclusion is that after you give up this body, you'll have another body. **[18:34]** As you have already done. **[18:37]** What is the difficulty to understand? **[18:42]** The seeming difficulty is that one… **[18:51]** while the body is from that of a boy… **[18:54]** Diff… Body must be different. Therefore that is called change of body. **[18:56]** Unless it is different body, where is the change? **[18:58]** The memory is there. **[19:05]** Of the boy and… The spirit… **[19:08]** Memory. Sometimes we may not remember. **[19:15]** Just like your, this child, he may not have a memory when he was very small. **[19:24]** But you have got memory. **[19:28]** When he was a small child he was doing something. **[19:32]** He was playing with some cats and dogs, but he does not remember that. **[19:38]** But you remember it. **[19:41]** So simply because he has forgotten, it does not mean that the incidences were not present. **[19:49]** So this argument is not very strong, because I cannot remember. **[19:56]** You do not remember so many things. **[20:00]** But the fact is this--that you are changing from this body to this body to this body… **[20:14]** Therefore the conclusion should be that after this body I'll accept another body. **[20:20]** That's a fact. **[20:21]** As you have accepted, in this life, from one body to another body. **[20:34]** There is a process, how to accept **[20:36]** Similarly, under the same process, you accept another body, **[20:44]** when this body is no longer useful. **[20:48]** Just like at night you give up this body, **[20:55]** you take your subtle body and you go to somewhere. **[21:01]** You are sleeping in your room but you are working in a different place. **[21:07]** Don't you do that? **[21:11]** So, because this body is still useful, therefore you come back again in this body. **[21:23]** In the morning you wake up, in this body. **[21:25]** So death means when this body is useless, **[21:30]** it will not come to this body, we accept another body. **[21:35]** This is called death. **[21:40]** That subtle body takes you from this body to the womb of another mother. **[21:53]** By natures direction that this soul shall get this kind of body. **[22:02]** So the soul is entered in the womb of another mother’s body. **[22:11]** And then the body is prepared. **[22:14]** By the mothers blood and flesh. **[22:18]** And when the body is sufficiently capable of working itself then it comes out again. **[22:29]** And begins his work. **[22:31]** This is birth and death. **[22:38]** The soul is eternal. **[22:41]** Therefore, a sober man should think, "Why should I change my body?" **[22:51]** "Why this struggle I should take?" **[22:54]** That is human sense. **[23:00]** If I am eternal, why not my eternal body? **[23:03]** Eternal existence, why shall I die? **[23:07]** This is human sense. **[23:11]** Unless one comes to this understanding, he is animal. **[23:15]** Because animal, by natures law is going on. **[23:20]** He does not know. **[23:21]** Then a human form of body, when you understand that I'll have to change this body. **[23:35]** I'll have to get another body. **[23:36]** Then the question is: "What kind of body I shall get?" **[23:39]** That is human intelligence. **[23:43]** By natures way we are getting body, **[23:51]** but that is on the selection of the nature according to my work. **[23:56]** If I work like animal I get animal's body. **[24:03]** If I work as demigod, I get demigods body. **[24:08]** If I acted as trees, then you get tree body. **[24:16]** If he acted like dog he will get dogs body. **[24:21]** Nature's way. **[24:25]** Therefore you find so many varieties of bodies. **[24:47]** This philosophy does not appeal? **[24:54]** Naturally I want to love. **[24:56]** It is not unnatural. **[25:00]** When that love is reposed to Krishna, that is perfect. **[25:07]** The Mayavadis, they are frustrated, therefore they want to make this love into zero. **[25:19]** They cannot understand Krishna's love with gopis. **[25:26]** They think it is another edition of this material… **[25:37]** Oh, how are you, Hayagriva Prabhu? **[25:41]** You look better, you are looking better, brighter, when I saw you in New Vrindavana last. **[25:53]** You have got so much talents for serving Krishna. **[26:00]** Everyone has got. That I am speaking. **[26:05]** We have to utilize it. **[26:10]** So that modern man can understand. **[26:24]** Otherwise we are repeating the same thing. **[26:27]** They are repeating also same thing, sense gratification. **[26:34]** punar punas carvita-carvananäm **[26:37]** But because that is material they're not getting happiness. **[26:43]** But the spiritual thing, we are chanting the same Hare Krishna. **[26:48]** Simple thing, repeating, but we are getting transcendental happiness. **[26:53]** What we are doing? **[26:57]** Same Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna. **[26:58]** So, process is the same, the subject matter is different. **[27:07]** So why you are behind publication, now all the big men are here. **[27:20]** Why our books are behind? **[27:25]** So, if you wait for another birth, maybe you may not get. **[27:36]** Even Bharata Maharaja, he also slipped, and became a deer. **[27:43]** So we should always keep vigilance. **[27:48]** We have got this opportunity, human form of life. **[27:52]** Let us utilize it to the fullest extent and be fit for going back to home. **[28:03]** That is intelligence. **[28:07]** Not that, "All right, I shall get again chance next birth." **[28:12]** That is not very good policy. **[28:16]** Turnam, turnam means very hastily finish. **[28:22]** [sounds are from local karate school] **[28:35]** These people are wasting time. **[28:42]** They are resounding some sound thinking that this sound will save them. **[28:47]** This is called foolishness, mudha. **[28:52]** You can ask them that why you are sounding so loudly, chant Hare Krishna, they will laugh. **[29:24]** Srila Prabhupada, what did Bhaktivinoda Thakura mean when he said, "I am going, my work unfinished." **[29:35]** So let us finish. We are descendant of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. **[29:42]** He kept unfinished so that we shall get the chance to finish it. **[29:47]** That is his mercy. **[29:50]** He could have finished immediately. **[29:57]** He is Vaisnava, he is all-powerful.