Guide to Self Realization - The Acharya Part 1

Subtitles

[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.