# April 25 ## Spoken on April 25 *Lectures from this day: 8 recordings* --- **[1969: Lecture](spoken/1969/690425le.bos)** > Therefore to understand the Absolute Truth, it is very difficult to find out how to have it. But the only one way recommended in the Vedic scripture, that *mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ*. *Mahājana. Mahājana* means great personality. *Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ.* That is the real path, if you follow the great personality. Now, there is a difference of great personalities also. You think that he is great personality; he thinks another great personality. But there is a definition of great personality. That definition is given in the *Bhagavad-gītā,* that, > Therefore, for a neophyte, simply by consulting scriptures, he will not be able to reach to the absolute goal. Because he'll find, "Oh..." Sometimes they become skeptic. Just like in the modern age, the youngsters, you all boys and girls, they are becoming skeptic. They don't believe in any scripture now, because they find some differences. --- **[1969: Prabhupāda Listening to Recording of His Own Room Conversation with Students](spoken/1969/690425r1.bos)** > It is said in the *Bhagavad-gītā,* Second Chapter—those who have got *Bhagavad-gītā,* they will see to it—that "Within this body there is soul, and the body is changing every moment." That is a fact. We say, "The child is growing." Growing or changing—practically the same thing. Actually, it is changing, because the former body is no longer to be found. It has accepted..., the soul has accepted another body. This is going on from babyhood to childhood, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then old age. > Even if there..., if one man understands perfectly what is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is, he can do tremendous benefit to the other people. So you are all intelligent boys and girls. You try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy with all your reason or argument. But try to understand it seriously. Don't make it a farce. That is the object of life. --- **[1972: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.9.1–8](spoken/1972/720425sb.tok)** > Therefore *Bhagavad-gītā* says, *bahūnāṁ janmanām ante* : after many, many births of continued impersonal views, when he actually comes to the right platform of knowledge, he surrenders to Vāsudeva. *Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ* : "That *mahātmā,* that saintly person, is very rare." All the so-called *svāmīs* or *yogīs,* they are all impersonalists. Therefore our *svāmīs,* they are very rare. They are not ordinary, these so-called *svāmīs* and *yogīs,* because they know the personal feature of God. > This is called *anuprāsa.* It is literary beauty. Everything "*ta.*" *Tapas tapīyāṁs tapatāṁ samāhitaḥ*. Anuprāsa.* So many *t's* in one line. *Tapas tapīyān.* So in *Bhāgavata,* it is not that whimsically written. There is literary beauty—metaphor, simile, and what is called, symmetry, reason[?]. Everything is complete. Not that whimsically a line, three lines, one line and two lines, and it becomes a poetry. In Sanskrit, poetry writing is not so easy. You have to follow so many rules and regulation—how many words in the beginning, first line, how many words in the second line. --- **[1973: Morning Walk](spoken/1973/730425mw.la)** > *...kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti* : "Anyone who reaches Me, he does not come back to this material world full of miseries and temporary life." That means anyone who goes back to home, back to Godhead, there is no misery, there is no temporary life. It must be the opposite. *Mām upetya punar janma duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti. Saṁsiddhiṁ paramām.* That is highest perfection. *Paramām. Saṁsiddhiṁ paramām.* Every..., all this scientific research is going on for perfection. > There is dangers everywhere. Therefore this place is always dangerous. *Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām*, always dangerous. So real intelligence means you have to find out where there is no danger. That is real... Where there is real happiness. In the material world we cannot have happiness. --- **[1973: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.33](spoken/1973/730425sb.la)** > Just like Kuntī says that *apare vasudevasya devakyāṁ yācito 'bhyagāt*.* Vasudeva and Devakī prayed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead that "We want a son like You. That is our desire." Although they were married, they were..., they did not beget any child. They engaged themselves in *tapasya,* severe *tapasya.* So Kṛṣṇa came before them: "What do you want?" "Now, we want a child like You." Therefore here it is said, *vasudevasya devakyāṁ yācitaḥ. Yācitaḥ.* "Sir, we want a son like You." Now what..., where there is possibility of another God? Kṛṣṇa is God. God cannot be two. God is one. So how there can be another God to become the son of Vasudeva and Devakī? Therefore God agreed that "It is not possible to find out another God. Then I shall become your son." > Just like this creation, material creation, is natural, nature, cosmic manifestation. It is being maintained. By nature's mercy we are getting sunlight, we are getting air, we are getting rains, and thereby we are growing our food, eating nicely, growing nicely. This maintenance also being done by nature. But at any time everything can be finished simply by one strong wind. Nature is so powerful. So for killing these demons, nature is already there. Of course, nature is working under the direction of Kṛṣṇa. *Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram*. So if Kṛṣṇa says that these demons may be killed, then nature's one blast, one strong wind will..., can kill millions of them. So for that purpose Kṛṣṇa does not require to come. --- **[1974: Lecture in Hindi](spoken/1974/740425le.tir)** > Nowadays, in this *kaliyuga* people are generally interested in getting money somehow or other and engage it all in sense gratification this is going on. This is the reason why even though people are very rich but they are not happy. This is the reason why we have money but someone else snatches it away from us. The commodity that they have, they inflate it and there are different prices every day. This makes everyone upset. So, if anyone doesn't take to sense gratification but earns his wealth by the mercy of the Lord and maintains himself, it is not like that they should eat less or eat more. It has been given in the scriptures *yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi dā*, that which you need you should earn and utilize but one should not become greedy to accumulate more and more money, and use it for sense gratification, this is not appropriate. That is why in the scriptures it has been said, *jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā*, *jīvasya* means not Hindu, not Muslim, not Christian, everyone should inquire about *tattva*. Therefore, it has been said in the Vedanata Sutra, *athāto brahma jijñāsā*., this life, the human life, which is obtained after many, many lifetimes, after wandering about in eight million four hundred thousand species of life. That is why one should try to inquire about the absolute tattva when in the human form of life. > Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam*, those who wish to understand the Supreme Truth by the dint of their own intellect they can understand up to the point of Impersonal Brahman, no further. We are supposed to understand completely the object of spiritual essence tattva vastu, but if we stop our research upon concluding that the Supreme Truth is impersonal brahman then our pursuit remains incomplete. That is why those who are mental speculators, take the Supreme to be impersonal brahman, will not be able to understand the Supreme Lord Vāsudeva which is why their knowledge will remain incomplete. So, these impersonalists, *brahmavādis*, after performing austerities for many, many lifetimes, when after so much endeavor their knowledge becomes perfect, then they understand Lord Vāsudeva. That is why it has been said in the *Bhagavad-gītā bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate.* So this *jñāni* or mental speculator community, they don't understand God properly. Even though they have all the knowledge their knowledge still isn't perfect. So, after performing austerities for many, many lifetimes *bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate.*, when they attain complete and perfect knowledge, then they come to the conclusion, that *vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ*, then he comes to the conclusion that Supreme Personality of Godhead is everything, and then he surrenders unto His lotus feet. --- **[1977: Morning Talk](spoken/1977/770425r1.bom)** >each toilet for fifty men. They are in line in the same building. One after another you get chance. You have got dysentery, then it is... [chuckles] Then you... --- ## Letters on April 25 *Letters from this day: 24* --- **[1969: Letter to Advaita](letters/1969/690425_advaita)** > In Buffalo, we had three meetings, and it was found that the students, both boys and girls, especially the girls, they were very much receptive and encouraging. Please organize the Sankirtana Party very nicely, and try to preach amongst the student community, and I am hopeful that the result will be very great. --- **[1969: Letter to Balabhadra](letters/1969/690425_balabhadra)** > Both Gaursundara and Govinda dasi have highly spoken about your service attitude, and I am so glad to hear about your activities. --- **[1969: Letter to Brahmananda](letters/1969/690425_brahmananda)** > Advaita and his press contemporaries have agreed to pay me 10,000 per year for the printing of my books. --- **[1969: Letter to Dinesh](letters/1969/690425_dinesh)** > If you cannot get it pressed immediately, then I have asked Brahmananda to arrange for the pressing. --- **[1969: Letter to Govinda Gaurasundara](letters/1969/690425_govinda_gaurasundara)** > I am very glad to learn that Kartamasi is now very nicely dressed. Govinda Dasi is surely a good artist, so I am sure Kartamasi is very attractive. --- **[1969: Letter to Lilavati](letters/1969/690425_lilavati)** > Regarding your question about our relationship with Srimati Radharani, She is the internal energy, we are marginal energy. When we are under the internal energy, that is our normal life, and when we are under the external energy, that is our abnormal life. --- **[1969: Letter to Vibhavati](letters/1969/690425_vibhavati)** > Your first attempt has been almost successful, so I request you to continue to practice so that excellent paintings may be drawn by you. --- **[1970: Letter to Jagadisa](letters/1970/700425_jagadisa)** > I am very glad to know that your Maha-sankirtana. with coordination of Buffalo are so successful. Please continue this program as you have suggested and surely Krishna will see that your more vigorous efforts to spread His movement are successful more and more. --- **[1970: Letter to Kasturika](letters/1970/700425_kasturika)** > I am very happy to accept you as my disciple, and your initiated name is Kasturika Dasi. --- **[1970: Letter to Sudama](letters/1970/700425_sudama)** > I have not as yet received any reply whether these people are agreeable. I want to settle up this thing, so let me know definitely about their decision taken from them in writing. --- **[1971: Letter to Jagadisa](letters/1971/710425_jagadisa)** > I have seen the copy of the newsletter drawn up to send to influential people, etc. --- **[1971: Letter to Tamala Krsna](letters/1971/710425_tamala_krsna)** > I have already informed you that if Mohta's house is available completely vacated, then immediately we can purchase, paying cash down. If it is not available, completely vacated, then let us occupy the first and second floors as tenants. --- **[1972: Letter to Atreya Rsi](letters/1972/720425_atreya_rsi)** > I am returning back to Los Angeles by the 20th May. At that time it will be a great pleasure to have your association there. --- **[1972: Letter to Balavanta](letters/1972/720425_balavanta)** > Unfortunately, I got the invitation quite late, in New Zealand, and by then our program had been fixed to go to Japan. --- **[1972: Letter to Giriraja Cyavana](letters/1972/720425_giriraja_cyavana)** > The report is quite encouraging to me, and I think that the way you are proceding is nice. --- **[1972: Letter to Gurudasa Yamuna](letters/1972/720425_gurudasa_yamuna)** > So far our books are concerned, Karandhara has just dispatched 5,000 copies of each volume of Krishna Book, paperback edition, or 15,000 books total to Bombay. I shall ask him to send you the full information so you can get CCP immediately so there will be trouble when the books arrive there. --- **[1972: Letter to Madhavananda](letters/1972/720425_madhavananda)** > I am very much engladdened to hear that you are arranging nice engagements in Calcutta, especially in the schools. --- **[1972: Letter to Tamala Krsna](letters/1972/720425_tamala_krsna)** > It appears that things are going very nicely there in all respects, and I am very much relieved. --- **[1973: Letter to Caitanya](letters/1973/730425_caitanya)** > I am very much disturbed to hear of Kanupriya's activities, and I advise you that so long he is engaged in these nonsense activities, you should not have any association with him. --- **[1973: Letter to Dinatarini](letters/1973/730425_dinatarini)** > So far opening a Gurukula in England, first let us establish our new building there, and we can talk later on. Meanwhile, continue your program there very nicely, and when there is good opportunity, I can come there for some time. --- **[1973: Letter to Mahajan 2](letters/1973/730425_mahajan_2)** > I am in due receipt of your note along with the $60.00 daksina, and I thank you very much. You must always keep very strongly to the principles of Krishna consciousness; rising early, taking bath, attending mongol aratrik, chanting at least 16 rounds on the beads daily, reading our books, going for sankirtan as much as possible. These things, if strictly followed, will keep you always in a purified condition and will give you spiritual strength to defeat maya, and when this body is finished, no more material bodies, but back to home, back to Godhead. --- **[1973: Letter to Mr. Helfenberger](letters/1973/730425_mr._helfenberger)** > In your Zurich head office the manager told me there would no charges for depositing checks. --- **[1973: Letter to Sri Govinda](letters/1973/730425_sri_govinda)** > Your report has given me unbounded pleasure and I very much appreciate your activities. --- **[1974: Letter to Tejiyas](letters/1974/740425_tejiyas)** > Just as I was leaving for Tirupati from Hyderabad I received your telegram reading as follows: "Require checks Rupees Twenty-one thousand seven hundred in favor Punjab National Bank for Steel and... ---