# May 24 *Lectures from this day: 14 recordings* --- **[[spoken/690524sb.nv|SB 1.5.8-9 — May 24, 1969, New Vrindaban]]** --- **[[spoken/720524sb.la|SB 2.3.2-7 — May 24, 1972, Los Angeles]]** **Pradyumna:** "One who desires to be absorbed in the impersonal brahma-jyoti effulgence should worship the master of the Vedas* [Lord Brahmā or Bṛhaspati, the learned priest], one who desires powerful sex should worship the heavenly King, Indra, and one who desires good progeny should worship the great progenitors called the Prajāpatis. One who desires good fortune should worship Durgādevī, or the superintendent of the material world. One desiring to be very powerful should worship fire, and one who aspires after money only should worship the Vasus. One should worship the Rudra incarnation of Lord Śiva if he wants to be a great hero. One who wants a large stock of grain should worship Aditi. One who desires a worldly kingdom should worship Viśvadeva, and one who wants to be popular with the general mass of population should worship the Sādhya demigod." [[sb/2/3/2-7|[SB. 2.3.2-7] ]] **Prabhupāda:** So these are the problems. [chuckles] We have to... fix. Exactly like that. Just like government departments: If you want to have this, you have to go to a particular department—building department, water department, so many, electric department. Many departments. Tax department, income tax department, support tax department. --- **[[spoken/730524sb.lon|SB 1.10.20 — May 24, 1973, London]]** **Prabhupāda:** No, no. Why do you dictate? He is reading something, but you change it. What is that? **Devotee:** > ...uttama-śloka-cetasām > kauravendra-pura-strīṇāṁ > sarva-śruti-mano-haraḥ > [[sb/1/10/20|[SB. 1.10.20] ]] [break] ...chanting and dancing in Benares. So he criticized Him, that "What kind of *sannyāsī* He is? He does not take to the studies of *Vedānta.* He simply indulges in chanting and dancing with some sentimental people." He was criticizing. So one devotee of Lord Caitanya informed Him that "You are being criticized, Sir. We cannot tolerate it. Neither we can reply. He's a great Vedāntist. So better we shall give up our life." Then the meeting was arranged between the Vedāntist... --- **[[spoken/740524mw.rom|Morning Walk — May 24, 1974, Rome]]** **Dhanañjaya:** In fact, the word "London" is coming from the Latin word *londonium.* Londonium was a small fishing port that the Romans founded on the Thames. [pause] [break] Indian civilization is that they constructed big, big buildings, but for God, temple. And for the people, they were satisfied in small villages. So far the temples are concerned, South Indian temple, wonderful temple. **Prabhupāda:** [sound of birds chirping] In Tokyo there is a park, this sound was there. [pause] Cement, no? --- **[[spoken/740524r1.rom|Room Conversation with Catholic Cardinal — May 24, 1974, Rome]]** **Prabhupāda:** **Because they are all *haitukī;* there is motive. Motive. And conditional. Therefore it is very difficult. And it is clearly said, *ahaituky apratihatā [[sb/1/2/6|[SB. 1.2.6] ]]. That is the version. [break] **Dhanañjaya:** **...our spiritual master, and he is the founder of our International Society for Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. **Cardinal Pignedoli:** No, I have been to Vārāṇasī, to Calcutta, to Bombay, Agra, Darjeeling and many other places in... Nepal also. --- **[[spoken/740524r2.rom|Room Conversation with Richard Webster — May 24, 1974, Rome]]** **Dhanañjaya:** Not historical, more philosophical. And he writes many papers for the Catholic Church, for the Vatican. **Prabhupāda:** I was also student of philosophy in 1916–20 under professor Dr. W. S. Urquhart in Calcutta, Scottish Churches' College. He was my professor. Later on, he became vice chancellor, very big philosopher. We read Dr. Stephens' *Metaphysics*. What is your special subject for study? **Richard Webster:** I was not a specialist in medieval [indistinct] or anything. But... So it seems to me that... --- **[[spoken/740524sb.rom|SB 1.2.6 — May 24, 1974, Rome]]** [*kīrtana*] *[Poor Recording]*[00:45] [break]Nitāi: *O*ṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.**Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.**Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* **[devotees repeat] [**leads chanting of verse, etc.] **Translation:** "The supreme occupation, dharma, for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the Supreme..., unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self." --- **[[spoken/750524bg.fij|Bg 7.1 — May 24, 1975, Fiji]]** Hmm. Ladies and gentlemen, I am just going to speak before you about knowledge of the Absolute. It is from the Seventh Chapter of *Bhagavad-gītā.* This human form of life is obtained after many, many millions of years by evolutionary process: aquatics, then insects, reptiles, birds, beasts, uncivilized men, and then civilized form of human being. They are called the Āryans. So the human being, civilized human being, is the topmost of the creation, and the consciousness is developed than the lower animals. Therefore the *Vedānta* philosophy says that this human form of life is meant for understanding knowledge absolute, knowledge of the Absolute. **Athāto brahma-jijñāsā. Brahman means the Absolute. Brahman is explained in the *Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ:* "Brahman, or the Absolute Truth, is that from whom everything has emanated." There must be the original source of everything. So to understand that original source of everything is the knowledge of the Absolute. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching throughout the whole world about the knowledge of the Absolute. There is no question of religion or dogmatism. It is a question of cultural advancement in knowledge. Every human being has got right to understand the absolute knowledge. That is the only business of human being. There is no other business. Unfortunately, for want of training, we are wasting our advanced intelligence for the same business as the cats and dogs are engaged. That is the difficulty. Cats and dogs, they cannot understand what is absolute knowledge. They are busy where to find out food, where to find out shelter, where to find out facility for sexual intercourse, and where to find out shelter to avoid danger. Defense, in other words. Defense. *Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca* [*Hitopadeśa* 25]. --- **[[spoken/760524r1.hon|Room Conversation — May 24, 1976, Honolulu]]** 760524R1-Honolulu [13:20 *Minutes]** Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: She has come to an impasse in her family life. She doesn't know what to do. So the situation, I think you are familiar with, that Gaurasundara has been living with this other girl for three years, and Govinda dāsī is under the impression that you've sanctioned that Gaurasundara can have two wives. Govinda dāsī: The girl is agreeable to going, to... She doesn't care, and I just want Gaurasundara to come back. **Prabhupāda:** No, we should not enter into this family. Gaurasundara is out of question. These things we should not deal. It is my suggestion that so many girls are without husband, if a husband can maintain three dozen wives I have no objection. --- **[[spoken/760524sb.hon|SB 6.1.24 — May 24, 1976, Honolulu]]** So he was engaged in maintaining the family. Everyone is engaged like that. Cats and dogs also do that. It is not very extraordinary thing. Sometimes they say, "It is my duty." Yes, it is duty, but the prime duty is to solve the real problems: how to stop *mṛtyu, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi* *[[bg/13/9|[Bg. 13.9] ]].* That we forget. Minor duties we take prominent. That is the present situation. They do not know that there is life after death, and according to our *karma,* we are getting the next life. Just this morning we were discussing. Kṛṣṇa is always ready. Automatically it is going on. *Kāraṇaṁ guṇa saṅgo 'sya* [[bg/13/22|[Bg. 13.22] ]].* As you desire according to the contamination of different modes of material nature, immediately the body's ready. Immediately after death. So everyone is engaged in so-called duties but forget the real duty. This is called *māyā.* By the spell of *māyā* we forget what is the objective of life, what is the aim of life. This is called *māyā.* We are thinking this is our duty. No. Real duty in the human form of life is here is a chance whether you want to go to back to home, back to Godhead, or again you want to go to hell, the repetition of birth and death. That is your choice. Otherwise why there are so many scriptures, religious system, all over the world? It is not only in India. According to the capacity of understanding, in every civilized human society there is a system called religion. It may be Hindu religion, Christian religion or Buddha religion—these are major religious systems—but the aim is how to make a solution of the problems of life. That is. But because they do not seriously discuss nowadays the religious propensity, tendency of the human society decreases. It has become a also money-making business. The priestly order, they think, "As others make some money by working hard, by professional or by doing some business or working, so we shall also earn some money by showing the church or the temple or the mosque." They have taken it like that. --- **[[spoken/770524r1.vrn|Short Discussions — May 24, 1977, Vṛndāvana]]** **Prabhupāda:** But the disease is not ordinary. It is always fatal. But by His especial mercy anything can be done. That is another thing. Lost appetite means life finished. *Tāvad tanu-bhṛtāṁ tvad upekṣitānām* [[sb/7/9/19|[SB. 7.9.19] ]]. If Kṛṣṇa neglect, then nobody can live, but if He likes that "He must live," anything can happen. That is possible. *Anityam asukhaṁ lokam imaṁ prāpya bhajasva mām* [[bg/9/33|[Bg. 9.33] ]]. Anityam asukhaṁ lokaṁ bhajasva mām.* Otherwise failure. Everything is there in the *Bhagavad-gītā.* --- **[[spoken/770524r2.vrn|Short Discussions — May 24, 1977, Vṛndāvana]]** **Prabhupāda:** ...London. Guru Mahārāja sending him regularly seven hundred rupees per month. In those days seven hundred means at least... **Prabhupāda:** All of a sudden rice price has increased in 1942 by Churchill's artificial increasing his bribe to recruit soldiers. I have seen. Within two hours the price of rice, from six rupees it came to fifty rupees. **Prabhupāda:** I was in the grocer's shop purchasing, and all of a sudden the grocer says, "No, no, I am not going to sell any more." He got some information. So that time, six rupees per *mound,* first class... --- **[[spoken/770524r3.vrn|Short Discussions — May 24, 1977, Vṛndāvana]]** **Jayapatākā:** Yes, Śrīla Prabhupāda, everything is all right. Except that your health is not all right. But preaching is going on. Very receptive field in Bangladesh. **Jayapatākā:** There has been no *sādhus* there for many years, and the people there are very eager to hear about Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Wherever I went, thousands of people gathered. One time ten thousand people gathered. It was the biggest function held in the history of the town, either Hindu or Muhammadan. The Muhammadans are also very interested. They don't know anything about Lord Caitanya. Many have asked, "Do you have any book on the life of Lord Caitanya?" They like to read. And the person who arranged... **Jayapatākā:** Yes, we can give the book *Teachings of Lord Caitanya,* although the books in Bengali will be more suitable. But some English books will be... We are distributing about ten to fifteen big books a week and several thousand Bengali books. Everywhere we go, they are offering us a temple, but we are waiting to see what happens with the Gauḍīya Maṭha. The local secretary-president of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, they are going to see Govinda Mahārāja June 4th and tell him that they want to give the temple to us, because for forty years they haven't done anything. And then he said that if they refuse, then they'll go back and make a resolution that they should give it to us anyway. --- **[[spoken/770524r4.vrn|Short Discussions — May 24, 1977, Vṛndāvana]]** **Prabhupāda:** This spread, they... First of all they wanted to give us a cheap rate, eh? And now they are doing: "We shall be taking your leader[?]." That is not cheap. **Jayapatākā:** Yeah, she said... The administrator... For one... After the elections they should be safe. But Mr. Choudhury said that so far as for the temple, that little pieces in the center, he said that can easily be arranged. But for the big temple... **Jayapatākā:** Yeah, there was some sanction given. That government *khās* [personal] land, that land is supposed to be given to us. It has been recommended to be given to us. That order has come to the local land officer. --- ## Letters - [[../../letters/1967/670524_mukunda.md|Letter to Mukunda, 1967]] - [[../../letters/1967/670524_sripad_narayana_maharaja.md|Letter to Sripad Narayana Maharaja, 1967]] - [[../../letters/1967/670524_upendra.md|Letter to Upendra, 1967]] - [[../../letters/1970/700524_govinda_maharaja.md|Letter to Govinda Maharaja, 1970]] - [[../../letters/1972/720524_giriraja.md|Letter to Giriraja, 1972]] - [[../../letters/1976/760524_manager_central_bank_of_india.md|Letter to Manager Central Bank Of India, 1976]] - [[../../letters/1976/760524_manager_liberty_bank.md|Letter to Manager Liberty Bank, 1976]]