14 - Śrīla Prabhupāda

# July 14 ## Spoken on July 14 *Lectures from this day: 14 recordings* --- **[1972: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.4](spoken/1972/720714sb.lon)** > Kṛṣṇa is eternal, we are eternal, and our dealings with Kṛṣṇa is also eternal, but sometimes it becomes interrupted by this *māyā*, which is called *svapna*. *Svapna* means dream life. As dream has no fact—it is all hallucination—similarly, our detachment from Kṛṣṇa is also an hallucination. Actually there is no detachment. And when we are covered by this hallucination, just like in dream we cry, "Oh, here is a tiger! Here is a tiger!" "Tiger? Where is tiger?" Similarly, this forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa is like that. > Some were crying, some went this way, that way, that way. [laughter] Yes. And the charmer said, "Don't be worried. So long I am here they will not bite. And don't think that these snakes are without poison teeth." So he took some of them and showed that "Here is the poison teeth. Not that the poison teeth has been take away. The poison teeth is there, but by our *mantra* he is subdued; he cannot do any harm." So the doctor students, medical students, inquired that "Can we not use this *mantra*?" "No, no, you cannot, because it has to be perfection by practice. There is process." --- **[1973: Bhagavad-gītā 1.13–14](spoken/1973/730714bg.lon)** > This *bhakti-yogam* of..., as mentioned in the *Bhagavad-gītā... Bhagavad-gītā* is *bhakti-yogam:* to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So this literature is also transcendental. *Bhakti* is also transcendental. *Bhakti* is not any activities of this material world. *Janma karma me divyam*. So *bhakti* is activity in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is not material. *Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate, māṁ ca 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate*. Bhakti-yoga* is transcendental. And because Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by any material method. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, *bhaktyā mām abhijānāti*. The method also is transcendental, not of this material world. > So less intelligent class of men, they cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore *śāstra* says, *ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ*. These *indriya,* these material senses, cannot speculate to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is not possible. *Śrama eva hi kevalam*. That is simply laboring, wasting time. Kṛṣṇa should be understood as Kṛṣṇa says. He can explain Himself. Nobody can explain. Because our senses are imperfect. We are deficient by four kinds of faults: we commit mistake; we are illusioned; with imperfect senses we try to speak transcendental knowledge; therefore cheating. With imper... They will say, "Probably," "Maybe." This is the so-called scientists' language. That means imperfect knowledge. Still they want to teach. This is cheating. Knowledge must be perfect. Then you can teach others. --- **[1973: Room Conversation with Indian Guests](spoken/1973/730714r1.lon)** > So in the beginning they're faithless. Faith is that *kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva...* Kṛṣṇa says, *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja*. When he captures this slogan, that "Simply by surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, I shall be all-successful," this is the beginning of faith. *Bhagavad-gītā* creates this faith. But one who does not take even this faith, how he'll make progress? Progress means the progress of the same faith, up to the love of Godhead. That is perfection of faith. So these are the stages. *Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ, athāsaktis tato bhāvaḥ*. These are the stages. > Therefore Kṛṣṇa says. Not whimsically. That is the only remedy: *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja*. This is the only remedy. There is no other remedy. But they'll not take. What can be done? This is the only remedy: *harim āśrayeta.* One should take shelter of Hari, Kṛṣṇa. Then he'll be happy. Otherwise it is not possible. --- **[1974: Morning Walk at Marina del Rey](spoken/1974/740714mw.la)** > This is the instruction of Ṛṣabhadeva, that "These rascals are working like madmen." *Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. Pramattaḥ* means mad. And always doing mischievous, sinful activities. So this is not good. Because he does not know that for his mischievous sinful activities, he has got a body which is always miserable. So it will continue to accept miserable body. Therefore it is not good. A doctor can see that "This man is infecting this disease, and he will suffer." But the rascal man cannot understand that "I am infecting something and I'll have to suffer." > > nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma > > yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti > > na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam > > asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ > > [1974: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.16.24](spoken/1974/740714sb.la)** > So *kālena, kālena* means "by the time." In the *Bhagavad-gītā* there is, *sa kāleneha yogo naṣṭaḥ paran-tapa*. So time is very powerful. Time is eternal, and it is very powerful. So the inquiry is, "Vasundhare, the reservoir of all riches, whether you have been plundered or taken away of all your fortunes in due course of time?" *Vasundhare,* this planet... There are innumerable planets. This is one of them. And it is referred here that *surārcitam. Surārcitam. Sura* means the demigods, and *arcitam* means worshiped. So the demigods, they live in higher planetary system. Their standard of life is far, far better, thousands and thousand times better. Therefore when this planet is more opulent, even the demigods, they eulogize, *surārcitaṁ, saubhagam.* That kind of opulence is certainly very great fortune. So all these inquiries are being made because Kṛṣṇa left this planet. "When Kṛṣṇa was present, so the opulence of this planet was so great that even the demigods in higher planetary system, they were also envious. So that is now... Because Kṛṣṇa is not there, so that opulence is now taken away. So whether you are so much sorry for this purpose?" > The *prakṛti* is there. All the riches are there. Everything is there on the ground. Just like we are getting so many things from this ground—the trees, the plants, the foodstuffs, the minerals, so many things. There is everything, complete. You'll see in your garden there are different types of flowers, color, scent, flavor. But wherefrom it is coming? It is coming from the earth. Can you make any scent from the earth? But the scent is coming from the earth. The rose flavor, wherefrom it is coming? It is there. Anyone can understand. But you cannot extract that. Kṛṣṇa requires His hand. When Kṛṣṇa is there in the form of seed... Kṛṣṇa says, *bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām* : --- **[1975: Morning Walk](spoken/1975/750714mw.phi)** > When he wants to enjoy this material world... In the spiritual world there is only one enjoyer. And in the material world everyone is a enjoyer. He is planning in his own way how to enjoy. That is material world. In the spiritual world the enj..., is Kṛṣṇa, and all other is helping in His enjoyment. But in material world everyone is thinking, "I am enjoyer," and he is planning in his own way. --- **[1975: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.30](spoken/1975/750714sb.phi)** > So that is our mistake. Our mistake is that we have got advanced or developed consciousness. We should utilize it for going back to home, back to Godhead. Why should we misuse it unnecessarily? And you are not perfect. Suppose you are studying the machine throughout the whole life. What you will get that? Can you make the machine to your favor, that this machine will not be lost, there will be no death? You all scientists, you are studying the machine. Have you found out any means that there will be no death? Where is that knowledge. Death will be there. You study the machine or do not study the machine, in due course, time, the death will come and will take you. The machine will stay. So this is intelligence. *Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu... .* > Because first of all I will see... People are making research work about the bodily cells, how they are working, and so many things, simply on the body. But as soon as you become cleansed of your heart, then immediately you understand, "I am not this body, so what is the use of studying the cells and atoms and this and that? I am not this body." Immediately. Actually, I am not this body. I am simply wasting my time in studying. The same thing, example, that I am in the car, I am studying the machine only. I forgot my destination, where I have to go. I am busy with studying the car. What is the use? You must know—you have got a good car—you must know where is the destination, where you have to go. That is your business. The business... Of course, it is secondary. If you want to know what is the car, that is secondary; that is not your main business. The main business is how to utilize the car and go to my destination. That is intelligence. --- **[1976: Interview with Newsday Newspaper](spoken/1976/760714i2.ny)** > Kevin Layhart*:* All right, let me ask a rather long question. If a person is... Let's assume that all human beings have an innate ability to speak, and depending upon the circumstances they find themselves in when they are very small, they will learn Sanskrit, they will learn English, they will learn French, they will learn Chinese. What... Now, if I were Chinese, I would say, "Well Chinese is the best language." I would have a, you know... I could take a different mode on what's the best way to communicate. > Kevin Layhart*:* Okay, I was speaking in an analogical way. There are different way to express oneself or different languages one can learn. Similarly, I would think there would be different ways to get to consciousness. --- **[1976: Interview with Newsweek](spoken/1976/760714iv.ny)** > Paṇḍita* means educated. So how one is educated? How it is tested? When a person takes all women except his wife as mother, then he is educated. When one thinks others' property as garbage in the street, then he is educated. And when one thinks that all living entities are of the same level, *ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu,* then he is educated. Not that for my convenience I say, "The animal has no soul, so send them to the slaughterhouse." He is not educated. > Interviewer* [Wanda]:* > Well, perhaps you could continue where they left off. Could you tell me why you came to the United States in 1965? Did you feel that this was a mission that you had to fulfill? --- **[1976: Room Conversation with the Parents of Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Māyeśvara](spoken/1976/760714r1.ny)** > Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Also, there is a difference in the quality of these disciples. These other groups, they don't have any kind of structure or discipline, whereas Śrīla Prabhupāda has given us four regulative principles to follow, rising early in the morning... They..., none of these groups have the strength to follow any type of discipline. So gradually we see they're falling by the wayside more and more. And we have practical experience when we are traveling on the buses distributing books, we are going to distribute now one million magazines in the coming six months, and about over three hundred thousand big books—just a hundred men. So the people are well receiving this literature. The other groups, when they approach, they are simply taking from the people some money. But we're giving literature, valuable literatures, at almost at cost, and people actually appreciate the difference between our presentation and others simply with materialistic motivation. > "The Lord says that He incarnates Himself in every millennium. This indicates that He incarnates also in the Age of Kali. As stated in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam*, the incarnation in the Age of Kali is Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who spread the worship of Kṛṣṇa by the *saṅkīrtana* movement [congregational chanting of the holy names] and spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness throughout India. He predicted that this culture of *saṅkīrtana* would be broadcast all over the world, from town to town and village to village. Lord Caitanya, as the incarnation of Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is described secretly but not directly in the confidential parts of the revealed scriptures, such as the *Upaniṣads*, *Mahābhārata, Bhāgavatam,* etc. The devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are much attracted by the *saṅkīrtana* movement of Lord Caitanya. This *avatāra* of the Lord does not kill the miscreants, but He delivers them by the causeless mercy of the Lord." --- **[1977: Room Conversation Varṇāśrama](spoken/1977/770714r1.vrn)** > So... *Jāniyā śuniyā biṣa khāinu* [Iṣṭa-deve Vijñapti* 1*]. Because they are missing the aim of life, they are committing suicide. And this *varṇāśrama-dharm*a* was planned in such a way that everyone would be spiritually advanced. The weaver will get, the potter will get, the blacksmith will get, the *brāhmaṇa* is already there, *kṣatriya* will get—everyone. For them, lower-class men, demigod worship. At least they are accepting there is some higher authority. Among the blacksmith there is *viśvakarma-pūjā.* One day they will wash the all the instruments of blacksmith. --- **[1977: Room Conversation [Recent Mail](spoken/1977/770714r2.vrn)** > From *Bhāgavatam* you can make hundreds and thousands of doll exhibits. Each stanza of *Bhāgavata* will give you ideas of dolls. The *karmīs* can be exhibited... *Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya* [[sb/1/2/9|[SB. 1.2.9] ]]. This *śloka* can be explained, what is the meaning of religion, by doll exhibition. When you do it I shall give you ideas how to... --- ## Letters on July 14 *Letters from this day: 29* --- **[1968: Letter to Hayagriva](letters/1968/680714_hayagriva)** > My first request to you is that as you are getting a job again, in the Ohio State University, you must accept it without hesitation. --- **[1968: Letter to Kirtanananda](letters/1968/680714_kirtanananda)** > Now by the Grace of Krishna, you have got a nice place, a nice atmosphere. Continue it sincerely, and when the time will be favorable, people may come to you and take advantage of the transcendental facility for chanting Hare Krishna. --- **[1970: Letter to Abhirama](letters/1970/700714_abhirama)** > I am so glad to know that you are an intelligent boy, happily married and now engaged in advancement of Krsna consciousness under the careful guidance of Sriman Bhagavan das. --- **[1970: Letter to Manager Of Security Pacific Bank](letters/1970/700714_manager_of_security_pacific_bank)** > Please transfer $636.80 (six hundred and thirty-six dollars and eighty cents) to the First National Bank of Boston, Brighton Avenue Branch, in favor of account No. 516-5642, ISKCON Press, and charge the same to my account as above mentioned. --- **[1970: Letter to Sridama](letters/1970/700714_sridama)** > It is a great help to me because in this month I have paid about $20,000 for printing my books and your contribution is welcome. --- **[1970: Letter to Uddhava](letters/1970/700714_uddhava)** > I have looked over the blueprint and noted a few points to be corrected, so I am sending back the blueprint to you for seeing the necessary changes as they are in the text. --- **[1971: Letter to Jadurani](letters/1971/710714_jadurani)** > So far as black and white photographs of paintings, I don't like that idea. How expensive they are doesn't matter but colored photographs should be there only. --- **[1971: Letter to Makhanlal](letters/1971/710714_makhanlal)** > Yes, you have my blessings for the gayatri initiations of Jaya Deva Das Brahmacari and your wife Tilaka Devi Dasi. --- **[1971: Letter to Tamala Krsna](letters/1971/710714_tamala_krsna)** > I have handed your letter over to Syamasundara for a point by point reply, but one thing is that if it is not possible to get Indira Gandhi or the Governor or the American Ambassador for the festival at Mayapur, then what is the use? In that case, the program should be cancelled until some later date. My going there depends on whether such meeting can be arranged; otherwise there is no need in my going. --- **[1972: Letter to Bhavananda](letters/1972/720714_bhavananda)** > So far the speakers for Rathayatra are concerned, that is all right, but it is also a good idea to offset their nonsense by our own speakers. --- **[1972: Letter to Gurudasa](letters/1972/720714_gurudasa)** > But our point is that the tourists may concentrate in Vrindaban with us, live with us, and learn from us the spiritual life. What is the use of wandering here and there, simply seeing this and that and going home? --- **[1972: Letter to Hanuman](letters/1972/720714_hanuman)** > It appears this part of the world is very, very sympathetic with our movement, so you may supply Karandhara with all the news reports and request him to send men to open centers. --- **[1972: Letter to Karandhara](letters/1972/720714_karandhara)** > I am glad to hear that the owner has accepted our bid of $63,500 cash, and I shall be returning to U. --- **[1972: Letter to Palika](letters/1972/720714_palika)** > Regarding the Jagannatha deities, They can be placed on the altar, that is sufficient. --- **[1972: Letter to Rsabhadeva](letters/1972/720714_rsabhadeva)** > But one thing is, the sannyasi has no such thing as teaching credentials or "academic vitae. --- **[1973: Letter to Manager Of Central Bank Of India](letters/1973/730714_manager_of_central_bank_of_india)** > Regarding account #16066 as well as #767 in the same of Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, kindly let me know the present balance of the above two accounts, or if possible, kindly send me a statement of accounts. --- **[1973: Letter to Tamala Krsna Giriraja](letters/1973/730714_tamala_krsna_giriraja)** > Since I have come here to Letchmore Heath, I am improved in my health more than in India. I walk within the village daily in the morning along with devotees and it is very pleasant. --- **[1974: Letter to Citsukhananda](letters/1974/740714_citsukhananda)** > You can immediately secure that land, and I am asking Saurabha from Vrindaban to send you the sample plans exactly like our Vrindaban temple. --- **[1974: Letter to Karandhara](letters/1974/740714_karandhara)** > The festival must be gorgeously done. Regarding the temple not being finished on time, that is your responsibility. --- **[1975: Letter to Giriraja](letters/1975/750714_giriraja)** > You now have to make a program for building on all the vacant land. In the back side of my apartment the single story tenants should be induced to occupy temporarily the rooftop flats, and we shall construct a three or four story building where their houses are on their plot and shall then give them the same area to live in the new building. --- **[1975: Letter to Gopala Krsna](letters/1975/750714_gopala_krsna)** > Regarding Narottamananda das, no he cannot marry a second wife. Yes, you can use BBT payments from the temples for printing the books. --- **[1975: Letter to Jayapataka](letters/1975/750714_jayapataka)** > The Gurukula and poor feeding programs should be developed and it will make us very popular. --- **[1975: Letter to Sri B. D. Joshi](letters/1975/750714_sri_b._d._joshi)** > I thank you very much for it, and shall be please to come on July 19th. I shall be accompanied with up to six disciples. --- **[1976: Letter to Bhagavan](letters/1976/760714_bhagavan)** > Concerning the proposed meeting with the Pope, I have no objection cancelling or delaying the journey to Tehran if the meeting with the Pope is assured. That is important. But if it is simply a courtesy visit, then what is the use? --- **[1976: Letter to Dr. Channa Reddy](letters/1976/760714_dr._channa_reddy)** > I have been informed by my secretary, Gopal Krishna dasa Adhikari, that a new law has been introduced whereby income from temples is now taxed to the extent of 7%. He further informed me that several other religious organizations such as ours have received tax-exemption status. --- **[1976: Letter to Gopala Krsna](letters/1976/760714_gopala_krsna)** > The power of attorney is presently at the Indian Embassy and by Friday (2 days from now), after it is certified by them, my secretary will send it to Delhi as per your instructions. I am enclosing a letter to Governor Reddy and this may be helpful when you go to see him. If the other groups that you mentioned have been tax-exempted, then our Society should at least have the same facility. --- **[1976: Letter to Mr. Mukherjee](letters/1976/760714_mr._mukherjee)** > I am returning to Bombay by August 14th, 1976, when I shall be glad to see you in our Juhu Temple and talk in detail about this scheme. --- **[1976: Letter to Nitai](letters/1976/760714_nitai)** > Also, I have heard now that even some of the Indian devotees are doing likewise. --- **[1976: Letter to Saurabha](letters/1976/760714_saurabha)** > Concerning Mr. D. Mukerjee, I am always prepared to do anything for spreading Krishna Consciousness. ---