Date: May 5, 1969
Location: Boston
Prabhupāda: …come to the light of the sun, immediately you get out of your room and get, immediately. Similarly, although God is far, far away, He is everywhere at the same time. That is God’s nature. Simply we have to agree that “Now I shall realize…”
[break] …without any difficulty, very easily. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, yayātmā suprasīdati [SB 1.2.6].
[The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]
And without spiritual realization you cannot have peace of mind. That is impossible. If you want to make… If you want to have peace of this soul, of your mind, of your society, of your family, simply by amassing money, by material advance, it will never be possible. But if you improve a little in spiritual life, you become immediately happy.
So your business is how to become happy, because by nature you are happy. Diseased condition, that happiness being checked. So this is our diseased condition, this material, conditional life, this body. So as one intelligent person puts himself under the treatment of a physician to get out of the disease, similarly, human life is meant for putting himself to the expert physician who can cure you from your material disease. That is your business. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam [SB 11.3.21].
[Therefore any person who seriously desires real happiness must seek a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.]
That is the injunction of all Vedic literature. Just like Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is teaching Arjuna. Arjuna is surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te ‘ham māṁ prapannam [Bg. 2.7]
[Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.]
“My dear Kṛṣṇa, so long I was speaking with You just as friends. Now I surrender unto You as Your student, as Your disciple. You become my spiritual master and teach me properly.” This is the process. Arjuna is exampling himself that he’s accepting Kṛṣṇa as the spiritual master, teacher. And then Kṛṣṇa began to teach the Bhagavad-gītā, and he changed his decision, and he was freed from all anxieties. This is spiritual life.
So this spiritual realization is easier than any kind of material realization. Because we are not meant for material realization. We are meant for spiritual realization, the human form. So that we should take advantage of. That is the mission of human form of life. If we miss this, then we are committing suicide.
Go on.
Puruṣottama: So the reason material progress doesn’t work simply because everything in the material world is temporary. Nothing is actually real, nothing is permanent, it’s a reflection of reality. The reality is actually spiritual, you can’t find something real, you can’t find something permanent in a temporary situation.
An example is that if you see the reflection of some fruit in a mirror and it looks very nice and you become very hungry and if we try to get the fruit. So you’re not going to get it, no matter how hard you try. This is the material advancement, this is the material content, you’re looking for eternal happiness, looking for a permanent solution to all your problems but you’re turning to a reflection of reality.
Your not at the real thing, real happiness is not even in the material world. People think that, “If I had a car, if I had a beautiful wife, if I had this or that then I’ll be happy.” Actually it’s a reflection, it’s just trying to get off the mirror. Trying to get the fruit through the mirror. It doesn’t work that way you have to be intelligent enough to realise this is not real. It’s just a reflection and you must turn and face to the real fruit.
It’s behind you, you couldn’t see it but you must turn around that’s what Kṛṣṇa consciousness is. It’s turning to Kṛṣṇa, it’s turning to the reality everyone in the material world is so intent, just fix the mind, I must get the fruit, I must get.. I must have happiness, I must have success, I must have this I must have that. And then they don’t use their intelligence they are so deluded by the illusion of the mirror they can’t think correctly. They don’t realise this is simply an illusion.
The process of turning to reality, the process is very simple. Simply if we hear, simply hear about Kṛṣṇa come to this temple and hear of Kṛṣṇa’s name in chanting. Hear about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, hear about the words of Kṛṣṇa as he spoke Bhagavad-gītā and this is.. this is turning to Kṛṣṇa. This is what it means to turn to Kṛṣṇa-through your ears. Through your mind, your consciousness, just to engage in Kṛṣṇa. Return to reality and then you will see as all the devotees here see. It’s a permanent solution and permanent happiness. It is not just temporary it’s not a reflection.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a great saintly King, he found out that he was going to die in seven days. So he sought out Śukadeva Gosvāmī a great saintly person and he asked him about what is the absolute truth. What is Kṛṣṇa? And Śukadeva Gosvāmī the great Saint said, “You have asked the most intelligent question. You have asked about Kṛṣṇa. You’ve asked about the absolute truth.” This is the most intelligent thing we can do. All day long everyone is asking questions, every second there is a question coming in our mind. And in the next second there is an answer. This goes on and on eternally.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam-our spiritual master wrote that even the birds and the trees every second there is question and answer on and on. Where will I get food next, how will I do this how will I do that. Always questions and answers, there is no end to them. Until you ask about Kṛṣṇa until you ask that final question. The question about the absolute truth and this brings you to the ultimate answer and that answer is that you are the servant of God.
Everything you see around us is here simply for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa, we ourselves were created simply for the pleasure of God. There is no other meaning to our existence but to please God. But in the material consciousness the idea is how can I get pleasure from myself. So this is actually fighting the absolute truth. The absolute truth is in everything, a balance, all the food, all the trees, the air, the mountains, the beautiful things.
Everything’s here simply because Kṛṣṇa wants it here for His enjoyment. We are here simply for Kṛṣṇa’s enjoyment. So if our consciousness is saying, “How can I enjoy, how can I get pleasure out of all these things.” Then we are going against the absolute truth and how can we possibly be happy? So first we have to surrender and we have to realise everything is here for the pleasure of God so let me use everything for the pleasure of God.
Let me utilise all my time, all my energy. If I have money then I will give my money, I will use my words, I will use to speak about Kṛṣṇa. I will use my ears to hear about Kṛṣṇa, glorify Kṛṣṇa, tell people about Kṛṣṇa and work for Kṛṣṇa.
So this latest perfection-go back in our constitutional position as the servant of God. In the material world being a servant is in a lower position but actually in spiritual life it is just the opposite. It’s in a higher position. You reach perfection, you don’t become unhappy. In the material world a servant could be kicked by his master and treated ill and he is unhappy.
That’s why we don’t like the idea of being a servant. We like the idea of being a master but actually to become the servant of God is not like that, it is blissful. Just like if the son thinks that, “Oh I don’t want to obey my father, I want to be independent on my own.” So the little child runs away from home thinking that he is going to be independent, he is going to get pleasure for himself.
So he’s just going to suffer, he is not going to enjoy but then finally when he realises that I must go back to my father I’m not independent, I am eternally dependent on my father as long as I am in this position. So he goes back to his father and it is not an unpleasant meeting, the father doesn’t.. He isn’t very mad and he beats him and hurts him.
Surrendering to Kṛṣṇa is not like that, that Kṛṣṇa becomes very angry with you. No it is a very blissful occasion being reunited with your father, reuniting in your actual position it’s a very blissful reunion to meet Kṛṣṇa again. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to go back to home back to Godhead. It’s actually all everybody wants, spiritual life.
We are looking for the pleasure of spiritual life in the material world. If we simply tell people we can find the pleasure in the spiritual world that’s where it really is and the way that you do that is to simply chant the name of Kṛṣṇa. Chant:
hare kṛṣṇa, hare kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa, hare hare
hare rāma, hare rāma, rāma rāma, hare hare
This is practically engaging ourselves in the service of Kṛṣṇa, practically turning to Him. It is not vague, it is not uncertain, you’re saying Kṛṣṇa’s names, your engaging all your sense in Kṛṣṇa. And you can see for yourself practically, “Yes I’m back with Kṛṣṇa. I’m making progress in spiritual life.”
Prabhupāda: Brahmānanda you can speak some?
Brahmānanda: This platform of God consciousness for being reunited with the absolute truth, being fixed in the eternal natural position of the soul as sac-cid-ānanda vigraha in full blissful knowledge in perfect form as a servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Cannot be realised by the attempt of exploration of the central role[?] and cannot be understood or approached by force of mind or intelligence. So nobody who is willing to spend his lifetime in the false and illusory creating pursuits of this world is able to come to the final conclusion of how to bring about that eternal blissful feeling which he so much desires and neither is he able to advise anybody else as to what the cause of all causes is and as to how he can obtain himself that realm of unalloyed happiness.
So the process for finding out the absolute truth is not to search in this world, nor is it to speculate by means of our mind and intelligence but it is to accept the absolute truth as it is presented by the Personality of Godhead Himself. Who is the original spiritual master seated in everybody’s heart and he can be known as soon as one is willing to turn his attention towards Him.
The inner God or the Personality of Godhead seated in the heart is one of two gurus and the other guru is the external guru or spiritual master who appears to the enquiring soul and by the mercy of Godhead himself and it is said in the scripture that by the mercy of the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa one receives a bona-fide spiritual master and by the mercy of the bona-fide spiritual master one receives Kṛṣṇa.
So one should be enquiring after the absolute truth and this has been determined that no one should seek for pleasure in this material world. That we cannot presume ourselves to be God. The obvious fact is that we are not God. The additional obvious fact is that if we are not God now we can never become God because God is never not God. So here we are in this platform of not God and we are being kicked by other not God’s and thinking very puffed up thoughts that we are very big.
So Kṛṣṇa is presenting to us a darśana of humility, that you have to give up your vain pursuits and give up your pride and you must surrender to Him. He is not begging for your attention in the way that somebody wants some money, some false teacher is begging. He is complete in Himself and what He wants only is your love. If you can find out the secret and find out somebody who can teach you that secret, the art of love of God then your life will become perfect.
So Kṛṣṇa kindly sends a spiritual master and if we can turn our ear to Him and listen with a submissive attitude and not really challenging state of mind then we can appreciate the presentation of the absolute truth. Just as it is presented by the Personality of Godhead Himself. Why? Because the realised soul takes dictation from the Personality of Godhead directly without any distortion he makes no addition or subtraction according to his own imagination but presents the absolute truth just as it is an eternally being presented by the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa Himself.
And so we can accept it from him and make no error, just as a child can accept from his mother, “What is this?” “This is a watch.” So we can also accept what is the absolute truth? -Kṛṣṇa from the realised soul and the realised soul has no other business in this world except to deliver the fallen souls back home to Kṛṣṇa which is tantamount to delivering Kṛṣṇa to them. So you have to be willing to accept Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa is already willing to accept you.
Summarised by Puruṣottama so nicely who has advised us to turn our attention in the direction of the Personality of Godhead. The Lord can satisfy all our desires it is described in the Vedas as satisfying fully all the desires of all beings from time immemorial. So whatever you want you can get it from the Personality of Godhead He is supplying everything to everyone. And so we should turn our attention towards Him and accept this highest blessing which is love of Himself.
And in such consciousness we can live this life peacefully, happily, in ecstatic joyous consciousness without making any error in our life. Without wasting our time, losing all doubt as to the mission of our life and come to the steady conclusion of intelligence. That we are parts and parcels eternal servitors of the Personality of Godhead.
Prabhupāda: Devananda you can speak something.
Devānanda: This platform of God consciousness for being re-united with the absolute truth. Being fixed on the eternal natural position of the soul as sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha, in full blissful knowledge. In perfect form as a servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be realised by the attempt of exploration of the central role and cannot be understood or approached by force of mind or intelligence.
So nobody who is willing to spend his lifetime in a false and illusory fading pursuits of this world is able to come to the final conclusion of how to bring about that eternal blissful feeling which he so much desires and neither is he able to advise anybody else as to what the cause of all causes is and as to how he can attain himself that realm of unalloyed happiness.
So the process for finding out the absolute truth is not to search in this world, nor is it to speculate by means of our mind and intelligence but it is to accept the absolute truth as it is presented by the Personality of Godhead Himself. For He is the original spiritual master seated in everybody’s heart and He can be known as soon as one is willing to turn his attention towards Him.
The inner God, or the Personality of Godhead seated in the heart is one of two gurus. The other guru is the external guru or spiritual master who appears to the enquiring soul by the mercy of Godhead Himself and it is said in the scripture that by the mercy of the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa one receives a bona-fide spiritual master and by the mercy of the bona-fide spiritual master one receives Kṛṣṇa.
So one should be enquiring after the absolute truth and this has been determined that no one should seek for pleasure in this material world. That we cannot presume ourselves to be God. The obvious fact is that we are not God, the additional obvious fact is that if we are not God now we can never become God. Because God is never not God. So here we are on this platform of not God and we are being kicked by other not God’s and thinking very puffed up thoughts that we are very big.
So Kṛṣṇa is presenting to us a doctrine of humility that you have to give up your vain pursuits and give up your pride and you must surrender to Him. He is not begging for your attention in the way that somebody wants some money, some false teacher is begging. He is complete in Himself and what He wants only is your love. If you can find out this secret and find out someone who can teach you that secret, the art of love of God then your life will become perfect.
So Kṛṣṇa kindly sends the spiritual master and if we can turn our ear to Him and listen with a submissive attitude and not really challenging state of mind then we can appreciate the presentation of the absolute truth just as it is presented by the Personality of Godhead Himself. Why? Because the realised soul takes dictation from the Personality of Godhead directly without any distortion. He makes no addition or subtraction according to his own imagination but presents the absolute truth just as it is eternally being presented by the Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa Himself.
Prabhupāda: [coughs]
Devānanda: And so we can accept it from him and make no error. Just as a child can accept from his mother, “What is this?” “This is a watch.” So we can also accept, “What is the absolute truth?” “Kṛṣṇa.” From the realized soul and the realized soul has no other business in this world except to deliver the fallen souls back home to Kṛṣṇa which is tantamount to delivering Kṛṣṇa to them.
So you have to be willing to accept Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa is already willing to accept you. Simply as Puruṣottama so nicely advised, just turn our attention in the direction of the Personality of Godhead for one who can satisfy all our desires. He is described in the Veda are satisfying fully all the desires of all beings from time immemorial. So whatever E want you can get it from the Personality of Godhead.
He is supplying everything to everyone and so we should turn our attention towards Him and accept this highest blessing which is love of Himself. And in such consciousness we can live this life peacefully, happily, in ecstatic joyous consciousness without making any error in our life. Without wasting our time, losing all doubt as to the mission of our life and come to the steady conclusion of intelligence. That we are parts and parcels, eternal servitors of the Personality of Godhead.
Prabhupāda: So now you can… If you have got any question, you can pose.
Glenn Teton: You talk about the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa. How does service of our fellow man come in?
Prabhupāda: How these boys are coming here? How you have come here? It is not service? The best service: to take them out from the illusory life of material existence. The best service. This is the best service, to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What do you mean by service? To give him relief from the suffering. That is service.
This is the best relief. Yayātmā suprasīdati. The Bhāgavata says, “That is the best service, that is the best religion, that is the best philosophy, which teaches one how to love God.” And as soon as he comes to that position, without any motive, without any impediment, yayātmā suprasīdati [SB 1.2.6].
[The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.]
Immediately he becomes satisfied.
Svāmin kṛtārtho ‘smi varaṁ na yāce
[Cc. Madhya 22.42].
[“[When he was being blessed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Dhruva Mahārāja said:] ’O my Lord, because I was seeking an opulent material position, I was performing severe types of penance and austerity. Now I have gotten You, who are very difficult for the great demigods, saintly persons and kings to attain. I was searching after a piece of glass, but instead I have found a most valuable jewel. Therefore I am so satisfied that I do not wish to ask any benediction from You.’]
Dhruva Mahārāja, a five-years-old boy, was insulted by his stepmother, and he wanted the kingdom of his father. So his real mother advised him, “If God gives you, then you can get. Otherwise it is not possible.” So he went to the forest. He inquired from his mother, “Where is God? I shall go there.”
The mother said, “My dear boy, I think He is in the Himalaya or in the forest, because many sages go there and find out God.” The five-years-old boy immediately went to the forest and began to search out where is God. He was so… That means [in]tense desire: “I shall find out God, where is God.”
So, many people went there. Even Nārada Muni came there: “My dear boy, you are prince. You are so delicate. You are so nice. You cannot undertake this austerity, this severity of penance, finding out God. You better go home. Go to your father, mother.” “Oh, sir, oh, I don’t want your advice. Can you give me any way to find out God?” Then Nārada Muni initiated him, and he began to meditate, and ultimately he found out God.
But when he saw God, he says, “My dear Lord, I do not want anything. Now I am fully satisfied.” Svāmin kṛtārtho ‘smi varaṁ na yāce [Cc. Madhya 22.42]: “I came here for something which is just like broken pieces of glass, but I have got the diamond. So therefore I have nothing to ask for.”
Similarly, when one finds out his eternal relationship with God, loving spirit, then he becomes, says, “Oh, I do not…” Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ [Bg. 6.22].
[The stage of perfection is called trance, or samādhi, when one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.]
In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find. If you, I mean to say, go that standard of life, then you will feel, “I have no more want. Finished. All want finished.” That is the best gift, that is the best service, when a man will feel that “I have no more want. I am fully satisfied.” That is the best service.
What is this service, nonsense service? Suppose I am hungry; you give me some food. Does it mean that I shall not be hungry again? That food is already given also in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness move… That is not very difficult job. That is being given also. But we are giving some food which will make him satisfied for good: no more hunger.
That is the best service. Just try to understand what sort of service is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness: no more hunger, no more demand. Svāmin kṛtārtho ‘smi: “Oh, I am fully satisfied.” Varaṁ na yāce: “I have no more demand. Finish.” And if you go materially, satisfy your hunger, this, that, this, that, this, that, oh, it is simply illusion. It will never be finished.
Just like you are advanced in material prosperity than other country. Does it mean that you are satisfied? Why there are hippies? Why there are so many frustrated youngsters? The richest country in the world. That…, this richness of material world, the rascals, they are following that “If we become like America and some industrial, we shall become happy.” That is rascaldom.
Actual happiness is how you learn to love God. Then you get happy. That can be achieved without any material advancement. Anywhere you can have, without any expenditure, without any effort, without any education, without any knowledge. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you develop that love. This is the highest service to the human society. Just try to understand.
Everyone will say, “Oh, I am now satisfied, fully satisfied. I don’t want. No more stealing, no more pick-pocketing, no more cheating, because I have no want. Why shall I cheat? Why shall I cheat?” Everything will be complete, fully satisfied. Yayātmā suprasīdati. Suprasīdati, this very word, Sanskrit word, is there. You have to make yourself fully satisfied. Then there will be no more want. You see?
Just like there is a story, “Alexander and the Cynic.” Perhaps most of you know. There was a cynic. He was saintly person. He was sitting in a solitary place, so, almost naked body. Alexander the Great went there and asked him, “If I can do something for you? You are a great man.” He said, “Oh, please don’t obstruct sunshine. Please be aside. That’s all. [laughter] You may do this: don’t obstruct the sunshine. I am quite pleased. You please step aside.” Because he was fully satisfied, why this Alexander Great will do…, can do him?
yam labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ
manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ
yasmin sthite guruṇāpi
duḥkhena na vicālyate
[Bg. 6.22]
[The stage of perfection is called trance, or samādhi, when one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.]
In Bhagavad-gītā you will find. If you are situated in that transcendental position, then there is no more demand. And if you are situated in that position, the greatest difficult position, you’ll don’t care for it.
Yasmin sthite guruṇāpi duḥkhena. Guruṇ means heaviest type of difficulty, if you are put in, you don’t care for it. This is life. Any condition, in any position, you are satisfied. You are not disturbed. That is required. That is called peace. That can be achieved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not by any other method.
Any other question?
Guest (1): I have a question. Are you trying to say that human beings are created for sacrifice of God from the beginning to the end?
Prabhupāda: What is your idea?
Guest (1): I want your idea.
Prabhupāda: First of all I want your idea. [laughter]
Guest (1): I’m here to listen to you.
Prabhupāda: Then you listen. We are listening that you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that is perfection.
Guest (1): You are a giving a truth, a side, already handed out to me, that you have to be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Prabhupāda: Because you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious… Because you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious, therefore we have to teach you that you become Kṛṣṇa conscious and you become happy.
Guest (1): That’s a given truth you are giving to me.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest (1): Well, how do you know?
Prabhupāda: How do you know it is not truth?
Guest (1): I don’t know. I haven’t found out.
Prabhupāda: Therefore you take it truth, because we accept the truth from Kṛṣṇa.
Guest (1): You have accepted it. Have you ever found out?
Prabhupāda: What is that “found out”?
Guest (1): That being Kṛṣṇa conscious, you’re the most happiest person?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest (1): You are?
Prabhupāda: Yes. [chuckles] [laughter] Don’t you see practical happiness? I left my home, sannyāsī. I have got my wife. I have got my children…, but how many children I’ve got… [break] [end]
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