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In 1965 an elderly gentleman stood on the deck of a freighter in Boston Harbor
and wrote this prayer:
How will I make them understand this message of Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
I am very unfortunate, unqualified and the most fallen.
Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You.
Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure, as You like.
Twelve years later “Hare Kṛṣṇa” was a household word.
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda had been more than successful.
He had founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.
A world-wide confederation of over one hundred ashrams, schools, temples, and farm communities.
and had made the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa familiar to millions of people.
He had written and published over eighty volumes of translation and commentary
on self-realization which are now standard in Universities and libraries around the world.
And he had gathered about him thousands of dedicated disciples.
Śrīla Prabhupāda became known to the world as a scholar, philosopher, social critic
and spiritual leader.
But to his disciples, Śrīla Prabhupāda was dear most friend, Father and inner guide.
The importance of the spiritual master to his disciples can not be overstated.
It is said that only by the mercy of the spiritual master can one receive the benediction of Kṛṣṇa.
And without the grace of the spiritual master one cannot make any spiritual advancement.
So the disciple’s entire life focuses on the spiritual master and his instructions.
In this relationship, the activities of the spiritual master are of monumental importance
to his devotees.
A disciple finds meaning even in the smallest gesture.
Wherever he traveled Śrīla Prabhupāda would emerge daily into the chill and quiet
of the early morning and cloaked in a warm wrap he would take a lengthy stroll
With an entourage of students, disciples, and guests.
Some mornings would find Śrīla Prabhupāda immersed in contemplation
or quiet appreciation of natural scenery.
At other times, Śrīla Prabhupāda would speak at great length
and often with considerable intensity on various subjects.
During these animated discourses, Śrīla Prabhupāda would turn the profound Vedic
philosophy into a practical cutting-edge that penetrated every sphere of life and thought.
The word “ācārya” means one who teaches by example.
And the following unedited footage provides an intimate glimpse into the
exemplary life of Śrīla Prabhupāda.
To most people, the daily activities of a spiritual master are a mystery.
And it is interesting to see how such an important historical figure conducted his every-day affairs.
What emerges is an endearing portrait of an authentic spiritual personality.
Is that escaping? Or it is intelligence?
That you work hard and give it to me, we enjoy.
This is intelligence, it is not escaping.
That is going on. The capitalist, they are engaging these rascals, āsses in the factory.
And he is enjoying life. So that is intelligence.
That let this rascal work hard and make a nice park for us and we shall take advantage of it.
This is intelligence.
And it is called “ajara vṛtti.”
Ajara vṛtti.
Ajara means the big snake, is called ajara.
So this mouse, they make hole and want to live there.
And they are comfortably living and in the meantime the ajara comes.
He eats that mouse and lives comfortably.
So ours is “ajara vṛtti.”
You work for the hole to live comfortably,
but we take possession of the house and live comfortably.
This is a conversation between Mahārāja Parīkṣit and Śukadeva Gosvāmī
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, five thousand years ago, he was the emperor of the whole world.
Formally, up to five thousand years ago, the whole world was being controlled
and ruled over by Kings whose capital was Hastinapur, New Delhi.
There was only one flag, only one ruler.
One scripture. Vedic scripture.
And the Aryans, ārya, they were the civilized persons.
You Europeans, Americans, you are also Aryans.
Indo-European stock.
Mahārāja Tejasī, grandson of Mahārāja Parīkṣit,
he gave to his two sons the portion of Eastern Europe, Greek and Roman.
That is the history.
Mahābhārata, Mahābhārata means “great India.”
So, there was no different religion.
One religion. Vedic religion.
Vedic religion means to accept the Supreme Personality of Godhead
as the Supreme Person, Absolute Truth.
This is Vedic religion.
Those who have read Bhagavad-gītā,
It is said there, in the fifteenth chapter:
vedaiś ca sarvair ahaṁ eva vedyam
Vedic knowledge means to understand God.
This is Vedic knowledge.
Later on, with the progress of Kali-yuga.
Kali-yuga means “the dark age” or
“the sinful age” or “the age for argument, unnecessary talks and fight”
This is called “Kali-yuga.”
That is going on.
Since the last five thousand years the Kali age has begun.
And the beginning of Kali-yuga was cow slaughtering.
So, at the present moment,
practically there is no brāhmaṇa, no kṣatriya, no vaiśya,
--only śūdras - forth-class men.
So you cannot expect any happiness guided by the forth-class class man.
That is not possible.
Therefore, throughout the whole world, there is chaotic condition.
Nobody is happy.
So, this is essential,
that the human society must be divided into four divisions.
The brāhmaṇa class means the first-class, ideal man.
So that by seeing their character, their behavior, others will try to follow.
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas
So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are trying to create some first-class men.
This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
This movement.
So, therefore, we have got these rules and regulations.
No illicit sex.
No meat eating.
No intoxication, No gambling.
This is the preliminary qualification of a first-class man.
Prabhupāda, on our tape recorder here that we have we can make it so you can play nicely
and later at our own time we will take to play the mṛdaṅga and the kartāls nicely.
This way we will not waste any of your time.
Do you think that’s a good idea?
After you are gone, at our own time, we can add nicely.
Do you think that is a good idea or not?
I do not know.
I am not an expert.
We would like to do that.
We would like to do it like that Prabhupāda.
Then do that.
My father wanted me to become like this.
Know everything, what is going on.
He never wanted me to be a worldly man earning money.
He never wanted.
There was some arrangement for my going to England after my college education.
To become barrister.
My father refused.
No. My son is not going to be a mellecha.
So, past, present, future you exist, the body changes.
Is it not clear?
It’s clear.
Yes.
So therefore, conclusion, that when he will not have this body he will have another body.
You are sitting here, if you don’t sit here, you go.
That does not mean your sitting opportunity is lost.
You are sitting here, you’ll sit somewhere else.
Similarly, the change of body is going on.
Therefore the conclusion is that after you give up this body, you’ll have another body.
As you have already done.
What is the difficulty to understand?
The seeming difficulty is that one…
while the body is different from that of a boy…
Diff… Body must be different. Therefore that is called change of body.
Unless it is different body, where is the change?
The memory is there.
Of the boy and… The spirit…
Memory. Sometimes we may not remember.
Just like your, this child, he may not have a memory when he was very small.
But you have got memory.
When he was a small child he was doing something.
He was playing with some cats and dogs, but he does not remember that.
But you remember it.
So simply because he has forgotten, it does not mean that the incidences were not present.
So this argument is not very strong, because I cannot remember.
You do not remember so many things.
But the fact is this--that you are changing from this body to this body to this body…
Therefore the conclusion should be that after this body I’ll accept another body.
That’s a fact.
As you have accepted, in this life, from one body to another body.
There is a process, how to accept
Similarly, under the same process, you accept another body,
when this body is no longer useful.
Just like at night you give up this body,
you take your subtle body and you go to somewhere.
You are sleeping in your room but you are working in a different place.
Don’t you do that?
So, because this body is still useful, therefore you come back again in this body.
In the morning you wake up, with this body.
So death means when this body is useless,
you do not come to this body, we accept another body.
This is called death.
That subtle body takes you from this body to the womb of another mother.
By natures direction that this soul shall get this kind of body.
So the soul is entered in the womb of another mothers body.
And then the body is prepared.
By the mothers blood and flesh.
And when the body is sufficiently capable of working itself then it comes again.
And begins his work.
This is birth and death.
The soul is eternal.
Therefore, a sober man should think, “Why should I change my body?”
“Why this trouble I should take?”
That is human sense.
If I am eternal, why not my eternal body?
Eternal existence, why shall I die?
This is human sense.
Unless one comes to this understanding, he is animal.
Because animal, by nature’s law is going on.
He does not know.
Then a human form of body, when you understand that I’ll have to change this body.
I’ll have to get another body.
Then the question is: “What kind of body I shall get?”
That is human intelligence.
By natures way we are getting body,
but that is on the selection of the nature according to my work.
If I work like animal I get animal’s body.
If I work as demigod, I get demigod’s body.
If I acted as trees, then you get tree body.
If he acted like dog he will get dog’s body.
Nature’s way.
Therefore you find so many varieties of bodies.
This philosophy does not appeal?
Naturally I want to love.
It is not unnatural.
When that love is reposed to Kṛṣṇa, that is perfect.
The Māyāvādīs, they are frustrated, therefore they want to make this love into zero.
They cannot understand Kṛṣṇa’s love with gopīs.
They think it is another edition of this material…
Oh, how are you, Hayagrīva Prabhu?
You look better, you are looking better, brighter, when I saw you in New Vrindaban last.
You have got so much talents for serving Kṛṣṇa.
Everyone has got. That I am speaking.
We have to utilize it.
So that modern man can understand.
Otherwise we are repeating the same thing.
They are repeating also same thing, sense gratification.
punar punaś carvita-carvaṇānām
But because that is material they’re not getting happiness.
But the spiritual thing, we are chanting the same Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Simply repeating, but we are getting transcendental happiness.
What we are doing?
Same Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.
So, process is the same, the subject matter is different.
So why you are behind publication, now all the big men are here.
Why our books are behind?
So, if you wait for another birth, maybe you may not get.
Even Bhārata Mahārāja, he also slipped, and became a deer.
So we should always be vigilant.
We have got this opportunity, human form of life.
Let us utilize it to the fullest extent and be fit for going back to home,
back to Godhead.
That is intelligence.
Not that, “All right, I shall get again chance next birth.”
That is not very good policy.
Tūrṇam, tūrṇam means very hastily, hastily. Finish.
[sounds are from local karate school]
These people are wasting time.
They are resounding some sound thinking that this sound will save them.
This is called foolishness, mūḍha.
You can ask them that why you are sounding so loudly, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they will laugh.
Śrīla Prabhupāda, what did Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura mean when he said, “I am going, my work unfinished.”
So let us finish. We are descendant of Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura.
He kept unfinished so that we shall get the chance to finish it.
That is his mercy.
He could have finished immediately.
He is Vaiṣṇava, he is all-powerful.