The Test of True Religion

0:00SB 1.2.6स वै पुंसां परो धर्मो यतो भक्तिरधोक्षजे ।अहैतुक्यप्रतिहता ययाऽत्मा सुप्रसीदति ॥ ६sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmoyato bhaktir adhokṣajeahaituky apratihatāyayātmā suprasīdatiThe 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.

Defining the supreme religious duty

0:22Prabhupāda: Yayātmā suprasīdati, or samprasīdati. Samprasīdati means samyak, fully satisfied, prasīdati. Everyone is searching after peace and tranquillity of the mind. Mind's nature… [aside:] Why you are standing?

1:00Mind…, mind's nature is very flickering. This accepting something and rejecting something—that is mind: saṅkalpa, vikalpa, the exact word in Sanskrit. I decide to do something, but next moment I reject it.

1:28Therefore mind is not in peace, and we are trying to be satisfied in so many ways. At last, in human form of life, we take to religious principles of life.

1:59In the animal society there is no question of religiosity, but in the human form of life, especially civilized human society… Every society has got some form of religious principles.

2:25It doesn't matter whether it is Hinduism, Muhammadanism, Sikhism or Jewism, Christianism—there is some form of religious principles. Everything is attempted for satisfying the yoga principles also.

2:57Yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ—by controlling the mind. Mind is also indriya, the principal sense. We have got senses, and mind is the center of all senses, indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur Bg. 3.42.

3:20This body means combination of senses, but above the senses there is the mind. If the mind is disturbed, the senses cannot act.

3:41If the mind is in disorder, then the man is called mad, because he cannot use his senses properly. He cannot think properly, he cannot feel properly, neither he can act properly.

4:01So Sūta Gosvāmī, who was speaking Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya… Those who are Indians, they are well acquainted with the Naimiṣāraṇya land; it is in the Hardoi district, near Lucknow.

4:32The station, railway station, is named Nimsar, and the place is very nice for spiritual cultivation.

4:46So that place was specially fixed up for executing religious ritualistic performances, and some thousands of years ago—at least five thousand years ago—there was a great meeting of the saintly persons in which Sūta Gosvāmī was presiding, and he is teaching to the great sages that if you want to satisfy your mind, if you want to become peaceful, then you should take to the transcendental system of religion.

The eternal nature of service

5:41There are different kinds of religions, but the prime religion is described here: yato bhaktir adhokṣaje.

6:00So far we are concerned—we are propagating Kṛṣṇa consciousness—sometimes we are put many questions about different types of religious systems.

6:21We take the advantage of this verse, that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje.

6:34We do not mind what kind of religion you are following—you may be a Christian, you may be a Jewish or you may be Hindu or Mussulman or any other followers of religion—but the test is whether you are advancing in the matter of loving God.

7:05Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Bhakti means bhaja-dhātā-sevayā[?]. When a man is engaged in service, that is called bhakti.

7:24That is man's nature—not only man's nature; that is the nature, characteristic, of all living entities: to serve.

7:39The other day I was seeing one picture—yes, I think Mr. Pandiya's house—that a lioness is also serving the cubs.

7:55That service spirit, that is the characteristic of living entities: to render service to others, either out of love or out of sense of superiority. To render service.

8:15Any one of us who are sitting in this meeting, if we ask, "What is your prime business?" you must admit that your prime business is to serve. So this service is the characteristic of the living entity.

8:41Nobody can say that "I am not servant." He must be servant, everyone.

8:48And Lord Caitanya says that "The prime duty of living entity is to understand that he is eternal servant of God," jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇera dāsa [Cc. Madhya 20.108]. That is our real, constitutional position.

9:14We are eternal servant of God; therefore we are engaged in different types of services.

9:28Somebody is engaged in the service of his personal self, somebody is engaged in the service of the family, somebody is engaged in the service of the society, community, nation or international, humanity.

9:49Just like in our country, Mahatma Gandhi was engaged in the service of his county. There are many great politicians, they have become great because they have rendered service to the nation or to the people.

10:08That is the nature. So here it is defined: that is also dharma. To render service to others, that is called dharma. Dharma means dhṛ-dhātu: you cannot escape it. That is called dharma. Dharma cannot be changed.

10:34Just like water is liquid—liquidity is the characteristic, or dharma, of water. Sugar is sweet—sweetness is the characteristic, or dharma, of sugar. Anything you take, you analyze.

10:58Just like in medicine there are herbs, different herbs, and in the British pharmacopoeia or in any pharmaceutical book, the characteristics, the chemicals, the characteristics are described there: the taste is like this, the form is like this, the reaction is like this.

11:26So these characteristics is to be understood as dharma. The English translation of dharma, "religion," is described as "a kind of faith." But in Sanskrit dharma does not mean that.

11:52Dharma means the exact characteristic of that particular thing; that is dharma: it cannot be changed.

12:01Faith—today you are Hindu, tomorrow you can become Christian; today you are Muhammadan, tomorrow you can become a Hindu—that faith can be changed, but characteristic cannot be changed. We have to understand in that way.

12:23So here it is described: sa vai puṁsāṁ para dharmo. That is the perfect characteristic of human being. Perfect. Sa vai puṁsāṁ para. Paraḥ means transcendental, not material. Paraḥ or varo[?].

12:50And the material activities are called avaro[?], aparā. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is described: aparā, iyam. Aparā, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ: "These material elements, they are My bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā."

13:14Bhinnā means separated—eight kinds of material energies separated.

13:25Then again it is said, apareyam. Apareyam means "inferior." These eight kinds of material gross and subtle elements are inferior energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

13:44Itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā Bg. 7.5: "Besides this, or beyond this, you try to understand another prakṛti, another nature, which is parā." Parā means transcendental, beyond this material conception.

14:06Here also it is said, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharma SB 1.2.6. Paro or parā, the same thing; one is masculine, one is feminine. So here it is said dharma parā. Parā means superior.

14:29Inferior dharma and superior dharma.

Awakening dormant love for God

14:34Inferior dharma means to serve some material purposes. Therefore in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra.

14:54Vyāsadeva says that kaitava-dharma… Kaitava means pretending, or false, or cheating. And Śrīdhara Svāmī, the great commentator on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he said, atra mokṣa-vāñchā projjhitam api nirastam[?].

15:18Because people are very much interested in four kinds of religious principles: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa.

15:37Dharma…, generally people go to church or temple for artha—for some material purpose—"O God, give us our daily bread." Or the Hindu goes to a temple to beg something: "You give me this." So generally people are interested for some material benefit.

16:10Why? Dharma, artha, kāma—kāma means sense gratification. "If I get some material riches, then I can satisfy my senses according to my desires." In this way there are different angles of vision of dharma.

16:35But Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is dealing with transcendental dharma—the original characteristics of the living entity.

16:48Therefore here Sūta Gosvāmī says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo: "That is transcendental religion." What is that?

17:02Yato, "By executing which," bhaktir adhokṣaje, "one can advance his natural love for God." Everyone has got natural love for God. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is described that,

17:30CC Madhya 22.107নিত্যসিদ্ধ কৃষ্ণপ্রেম ‘সাধ্য’ কভু নয় ।শ্রবণাদি-শুদ্ধচিত্তে করয়ে উদয় ॥ ১০৭ ॥nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-prema 'sādhya' kabhu nayaśravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting, this love naturally awakens.

17:50Nitya-siddha: it is everlasting, nitya-siddha. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti—love for God is everlasting, within everyone. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya.

18:06It is not that I practice and I get it, just like by practice one becomes drunkard, by practice one becomes smoker, by practice…, so many things.

18:21But this dharma, this paro dharma, the transcendental religion, is not achieved by practice. It is already there: nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

18:40As for example and evidence, you can see that these American boys and girls—there are thousands—they are taking to kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

18:56Four years ago they did not hear even the name of Kṛṣṇa, they did not know what is Kṛṣṇa, but now they have become pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa. It is not by practice.

19:15The practice which they were taught from the beginning of their lives—in European and American lives—that drinking, meat-eating, illicit sex, gambling, these things are not natural, but unnaturally they were taught.

19:45But as soon as they have come to the natural position—nitya-siddha, dormant, everlasting—they have given up their artificial habits.

20:06Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate Bg. 2.59, in the Bhagavad-gītā: "When a man becomes addicted to something good, he gives up bad habits." Just like a child, a boy, he plays sometimes very mischievously, but when he is grown up or he is given to the practice of study, he no more acts mischievously—he reads and writes, he goes to school and becomes sober and gentle.

20:38This is called the paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. You cannot by force teach something unless it is natural. So kṛṣṇa-bhakti is natural to everyone—everyone. How it is evoked?

21:09That is stated, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte [Cc. Madhya 22.107]: if you patiently give aural reception to the news of Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is the our motto of preaching.

21:27Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on this principle, to give aural reception of the message given by Kṛṣṇa or the message about Kṛṣṇa.

21:44The message given by Kṛṣṇa is Bhagavad-gītā—everyone can take this message from Kṛṣṇa; there is no hindrance. Similarly, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is message about Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's devotees.

22:07So if you simply give aural reception to these messages of Kṛṣṇa, or God, then your dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness becomes evoked naturally.

22:28Therefore our process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are opening different centers all over the world just to give people the chance of hearing about Kṛṣṇa.

22:47And if he hears about Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-kirtanam… "Hear" means one should speak. I am speaking; you are hearing.

Spiritual practices and temple worship

23:01So this is called śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ. Hearing means śravaṇaṁ; and speaking, or describing, or chanting, means kīrtanaṁ. Kīrtayati iti kīrtanam. And* saṅkīrtanam, saṅkīrtanam* means bahubhir militvā kīrtayati iti.

23:30When we assemble together, many men, women meet together and glorify or chant or speak about Kṛṣṇa, that is called saṅkīrtanam. So kīrtanam and saṅkīrtanam. The saṅkīrtanam is very nice in this age.

23:58Kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt. This is the injunction of the śāstras, that: SB 12.3.52कृते यद्ध्यायतो विष्णुं त्रेतायां यजतो मखै: ।द्वापरे परिचर्यायां कलौ तद्धरिकीर्तनात् ॥ ५२ ॥kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁtretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥdvāpare paricaryāyāṁkalau tad dhari-kīrtanātWhatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

24:27In the Satya-yuga people could advance in spiritual consciousness by meditation. Meditation is not very easy. It was possible in the Satya-yuga.

24:44Just like Vālmīki Muni meditated for sixty thousands of years, and he got perfection, because people would live at that time for one hundred thousands of years. So that was possible in those days.

25:05In the present age it is not possible. Our mind is so much disturbed, and we are engaged in so many activities, that it is impossible to meditate.

25:22One or two may be able, very expert in the affairs of meditating; but for the mass of people it is not possible. So kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ. Meditation means Viṣṇu, not something impersonal or fictitious.

25:47The yogīs, they meditate, they fix up their minds on Viṣṇu, Viṣṇu-murti—Paramātmā. So Paramātmā is Viṣṇu-murti: BG 18.61ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥६१॥īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁhṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhatibhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāniyantrārūḍhāni māyayāThe Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.

26:08"In everyone's heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead is living." So simply we have to meditate upon Him, and then we can realize.

26:23So that meditation was very nice, easy, possible in the Satya-yuga*. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ*.

26:37But in the next millennium the same thing, the same achievement, was possible by performing great sacrifices.

26:52That is also not possible, because so many tons of ghee wanted, so many tons of grains wanted to execute the Vedic sacrifices. So nobody has got money, neither ghee is available, so many.

27:12Neither yajñic brāhmaṇa is there—the priest who would execute the yajña. The first test was how the mantras are being chanted, whether perfectly or not.

27:33That test was that an animal should be put into the fire, and if the mantra is chanted perfectly, then the same animal would come out with new life, not that… Sometimes people allege that in the yajñas animal sacrifice is there.

27:58Yes, it is there, but not for the purpose of eating. It was to test. Just like biological test and examination are done first by the students on animals, similarly, this test of the yajña was there.

28:24They would ignite the fire by mantras, and next test is to put an animal in the fire, and the animal comes out with a new body—the body is changed—this was the test. So that is not possible.

28:42There is no yajñic brāhmaṇas, neither you can get paraphernalia for executing properly the details of the sacrifice—that is not possible.

28:57SB 12.3.52कृते यद्ध्यायतो विष्णुं त्रेतायां यजतो मखै: ।द्वापरे परिचर्यायां कलौ तद्धरिकीर्तनात् ॥ ५२ ॥kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁtretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥdvāpare paricaryāyāṁkalau tad dhari-kīrtanātWhatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

29:04And the temple worship was possible to be done perfectly in the Dvāpara-yuga. Nowadays, even the old temples are neglected; nobody is taking care properly.

29:22The Christian churches, temples or churches, in England, in America also, they are now being sold because people are not taking care. In Los Angeles we have actually purchased one big church and converted into temple.

29:45Similarly, we are trying to purchase one big church in England also, London. So people are gradually becoming atheists, not interested in going to the church or temple. So there are difficulties.

30:06So that is also not recommended in this age. Of course, our…, in our temple there is Deity worship. We take side-by-side two processes: the bhāgavata process and pañcarātriki process.

30:26This Deity worship, the Deity standing before you, we worship Deities on the pañcarātriki system just to purify. This Deity worship helps one to become purified.

30:44The whole process of religion is to purify, to purify ourself. Because on account of contamination of the material energies we have forgotten.

31:04We have forgotten our real position, ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." That I have forgotten. So religious process means to purify yourself.

31:34Here it is recommended that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo: "That is first-class religious process." What is that?

31:49Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: "That religious process which advances you to understand your position." Your position is constitutionally everlasting servant of God. Unfortunately, we have forgotten God.

32:16We have forgotten our relationship with God. But the service attitude is there, because my characteristic is to render service; therefore instead of giving service to God, or Kṛṣṇa, I am giving service to so many things.

32:37Actually I am giving service to my senses. I do not give anyone service in the material world. In the material world nobody gives service to anyone—everyone gives service to his senses, indriya-prīti.

32:56A man supposed to be giving service to his country. Actually he does not give service to the country; he gives service to his senses. Of course if we analyze, people may not like it, but that is the fact.

33:23Just like husband and wife: husband gives service to the wife, wife gives service to the husband—but the motive is not service but sense gratification.

33:43Therefore in Western countries we see so many divorce cases—in India also this is also introduced—that as soon as there is discrepancy in the matter of sense gratification, the husband and wife separate.

34:07In the Bhāgavata it is stated especially in this Kali-yuga*, dāmpatye ratim eva hi*. Dāmpatye means the relationship between husband and wife will depend on sex power, dāmpatye ratim eva hi.

34:29These are all stated there. So the spirit is there, but it is perverted. The real spirit… Because I am covered by this material gross and subtle elements, therefore my service spirit is being misused. It is misused.

34:57Just like… The service spirit is there. If somebody hasn't got a family to serve, sometimes a man keeps a dog, a women keeps a cat, because the service spirit is there.

35:15Therefore Sūta Gosvāmī says that characteristic, or service spirit, can be fulfilled perfectly when it comes to the platform of serving the Supreme Lord: yato bhaktir adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja, another name of God.

35:40God means beyond the perception of our material senses. Adhokṣaja, ada kṛta[?] akṣaja. Akṣaja means direct perception. Just like we see directly, we see touch direct…, we touch directly, we smell directly.

36:04But God is not to be perceived by direct perception. I cannot see God directly; therefore I have got the form of God. But the form of God is not different from the original God.

36:26This Kṛṣṇa playing on flute is stated in the śāstras, in the Brahma-saṁhitā:

36:36BS 5.30वेणुं क्वणन्तम् अरविन्द दल आयत अक्षंवर्हावतंसम् असित आंबुद सुन्दर अङ्गम् ।कन्दर्प कोटि कमनीय विशेष शोभम्गोविन्दम् आदि पुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ३० ॥veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam-barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgamkandarpa-koṭi-kamanīya-viśeṣa-śobhaṁgovindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmiI worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is adept in playing on His flute, with blooming eyes like lotus petals with head decked with peacock's feather, with the figure of beauty tinged with the hue of blue clouds, and His unique loveliness charming millions of Cupids.

36:43It is not that artists have carved out this form out of his imagination. It is Kṛṣṇa, when He was present personally on this planet. People have seen—the form is there.

37:16And besides that, in the beginning of the creation Brahmā, when he realized by tapasya the Personality of Godhead, he wrote Brahma-saṁhitā.

37:32That Brahma-saṁhitā is accepted by Lord Caitanya; therefore we accept the authority of Brahma-saṁhitā.

37:42That is our way of understanding, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam: by paramparā system we try to understand the transcendental subject matter.

37:55So the process, the perfection of our religious system which can satisfy our mind, is the bhaktir adhokṣaje, transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord, who is beyond the perception of our material senses.

Characteristics of pure devotional service

38:23And that kind of service is apratihatā—it cannot be checked by any material condition. Apratihatā.

38:37If you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, you will never be, I mean, stopped by any condition of material life.

38:50It is not that because one is very busy, therefore he cannot serve God, or one is very rich or poor or black or white. Never. Apratihatā.

39:09Anyone who takes to the process of pure devotional service, he will never be checked, apratihatā. And ahaitukī. God should be served not with a purpose or with a motive*—ahaitukī*.

39:33Demigods are served—not served; they are worshiped—with a motive, but Kṛṣṇa is served without any motive. That is perfect service.

39:52Ahaituky apratihatā: without any motive, ahaitukī; and apratihatā—it cannot be checked. Even the poorest man or the richest man, both of them can serve Kṛṣṇa.

40:06Even the brāhmaṇa or the lowest-born caṇḍāla—both of them can serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, BG 9.32मां हि पार्थ व्यपाश्रित्य येऽपि स्युः पापयोनयः ।स्त्रियो वैश्यास्तथा शूद्रास्तेऽपि यान्ति परां गतिम् ॥३२॥māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśrityaye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥstriyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrāste 'pi yānti parāṁ gatimO son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] – can attain the supreme destination.

40:35"One who has taken properly My shelter," vyapāśritya... Vi means specifically, not whimsically. Specifically means according to the rules and regulations of śāstra.

40:58"Such person," māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ, "even if he is born in pāpa-yoni, it doesn't matter"; striyo śūdrās tathā vaiśyās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim, "they also attain the highest perfection of life."

41:11In another place, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is said, SB 2.4.18किरातहूणान्ध्रपुलिन्दपुल्कशा आभीरशुम्भा यवनाः खसादयः ।येऽन्ये च पापा यदपाश्रयाश्रयाः शुध्यन्ति तस्मै प्रभविष्णवे नमः ॥१८॥kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśāābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥye 'nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥśudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥKirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa, Ābhīra, Śumbha, Yavana, members of the Khasa races and even others addicted to sinful acts can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

41:31Apart from this striyo śūdrās tathā vaiśyās, there are still lower—they are called Kirāta, Hūṇa, Āndhra, Pulinda, Pulkaśa.

41:46They also, if they take shelter of a pure devotee, yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥśudhyanti, they become purified.

41:59So there is no question of checking anyone in the matter of developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is beyond our material perception. That is possible.

42:18That is described here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that if you want real peace, if individually everyone is peaceful, naturally, collectively everything is peaceful...

42:37People are disturbed because you may be satisfied in your own way, but others may not be satisfied. Then there is disturbance.

43:01Just like in this country the Indians may be satisfied by their own methods, but the Africans may not be satisfied. And if one is dissatisfied and other is satisfied, there will be disturbance.

43:24So here it is particularly mentioned that if you come to the Kṛṣṇa consciousness platform, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, if you engage yourself in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then your ātmā, or mind, or soul, will be fully satisfied, yayātmā suprasīdati.

43:57In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is said that, BG 5.29भोक्तारं यज्ञतपसां सर्वलोकमहेश्वरम् ।सुहृदं सर्वभूतानां ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिमृच्छति ॥२९॥bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁsarva-loka-maheśvaramsuhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁjñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchatiA person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.Kṛṣṇa says māṁ, "unto Me," śāntim ṛcchati. So you go either way.

44:18All the śāstras—if you actually care for the śāstras—you'll find this indication everywhere, hariḥ eva sarvatra gīyate: the glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is everywhere.

44:38Therefore śāstra says that somehow or other if you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, ārādhito yadi haris, if you come to the point of rendering service to Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, tapasā tataḥ kim, there is no more necessity for austerity, penances, meditation.

45:03It is finished, because you have come to the point: nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim [Nārada Pañcarātra].

45:11And after all meditation, austerities, religious ritualistic ceremonies—everything—if you do not come to the point of Hari, then tapasā tataḥ kim, then what is the value of your austerities—because you are missing the real point.

45:29The same thing is described in the next verse: SB 1.2.8धर्म: स्वनुष्टित: पुंसां विष्वक्सेनकथासु य: ।नोत्पादयेद्यदि रतिं श्रम एव हि केवलम् ॥ ८dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁviṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥnotpādayed yadi ratiṁśrama eva hi kevalamThe occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.You execute your prescribed duties, or dharma, very nicely.

45:55You may be Christian, you may be Hindu—whatever it is you are thinking that you are doing very nicely, the execution of your particular type of religious system—but the test is that dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathā… Viṣvaksena means… God's another name is Viṣvaksena.

46:22So viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ ratiṁ yadi notpādayed: "If you do not become attached to the topics of the Supreme Personality of Godhead…" The people are not.

46:37Just like here, in this hall, if there would have been some political meeting there would have been throngs of people, you see. But because it is on Kṛṣṇa, or God, nobody is interested. Nobody is interested.

46:59So Bhāgavata says that you may be very faithful in discharging your duties.

47:06You may be a businessman or you may be a professional man or whatever you may be, you are thinking that "I am doing my duties very nicely." But the test is that after doing your duties very nicely, if you do not develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness—that is the prime aim of life—or God consciousness, the Bhāgavata says, "It is simply waste of time and labor." Śrama eva hi kevalam.

The ultimate goal of human life

47:39Because this life is meant for understanding Kṛṣṇa, or God. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā, that is the Vedānta-sūtra. This life, human life, is especially meant for enquiring about the Supreme Absolute Truth.

48:03If that enquiry is not evoked in human life, it is simply a waste of time. That means we are spoiling the human form of life. In many places…

48:19SB 5.5.5पराभवस्तावदबोधजातोयावन्न जिज्ञासत आत्मतत्त्वम् ।यावत्क्रियास्तावदिदं मनो वैकर्मात्मकं येन शरीरबन्धः ॥५॥parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātoyāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvamyāvat kriyās tāvad idaṁ mano vaikarmātmakaṁ yena śarīra-bandhaḥAs long as one does not inquire about the spiritual values of life, one is defeated and subjected to miseries arising from ignorance. Be it sinful or pious, karma has its resultant actions. If a person is engaged in any kind of karma, his mind is called karmātmaka, colored with fruitive activity. As long as the mind is impure, consciousness is unclear, and as long as one is absorbed in fruitive activity, he has to accept a material body.

48:27A person working very nicely, and he is thinking victorious in every field of activities, but Bhāgavata says that "You are being defeated. You are not victorious." Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto.

48:47You are born ignorant, without God consciousness, without understanding your relationship with God.

48:55And if you continue like that—you are thinking that you are victorious in your business, in your profession, in your occupation—but they are all defeats. There is a practical example.

49:13We have got a friend in London, perhaps you know his name, George Harrison. His house is a palatial building—he is a very rich man—but the former owner of the house is living there as ghost. This is practical.

49:37He was very rich man, the owner of the house, former owner of the house, and he invented so many things, so he got enough money and he was too much attached to the palace.

49:51The whole money he acquired, he constructed that house. Now after death, due to his too much attachment to that house, he is living there as a ghost. This is possible.

50:08Not only as ghost, but sometimes as rat, as cat, as a snake—this is the law of nature.

50:17If you have got too much attachment for this material world, then you will have to come back again, and according to your karma you have to accept a body. There are 8,400,000's of forms of body.

50:39Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa SB 3.31.1: by your work and by superior administration you'll have to accept a particular type of body. Therefore we should take advantage of this human form of life.

51:00All the material facilities that we have got, we should utilize everything, how to develop our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is paro dharma. That is described by Sūta Gosvāmī: sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo.

51:20Don't spoil your life simply under some fictitious ideas. Be actually acquainted, well versed, with the direction given in the śāstras, and comply with the principles. Then life will be successful. That is our propaganda.

51:45We are trying to preach this cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness just to awaken the general people to his consciousness that will save him from becoming a ghost or dog or cat or something next life.

52:06We are preparing the next life. If you don't believe in the śāstras, that is a different thing. But this is the law.

52:19Here the whole natural process is nature is trying to take you to Kṛṣṇa consciousness; but if you avoid the nature's law, then you are in the cycle of birth and death, 8,400,000's of different types of forms.

52:44Suppose if we get the form of a tree by our karma, then the next life, how much it is severe to stand up in one place for thousands of years. Therefore tūrṇaṁ yateta anumṛtyu patetu[?] yāvan SB 11.9.29.

53:07The injunction is that you try to evoke your Kṛṣṇa consciousness before the next death comes. Death is sure. Whatever you are manufacturing, when death will come it will take away everything.

53:27Kṛṣṇa says, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham Bg. 10.34. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś. Mṛtyuḥ means He takes away everything—your house, your family, your country, your dress, your apartment—everything finished.

53:46Then you have to accept another body, and you have to cultivate…, you have to construct another house, another society, another… This is bondage.

54:01Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate [Bg. 8.19]: coming once for some years, working very hard, creating a very favorable situation and unfavorable situation, and having a next life. This is going on.

Cultivating the seed of devotion

54:15Therefore Lord Caitanya said, CC Madhya 19.151ব্রহ্মাণ্ড ভ্রমিতে কোন ভাগ্যবান্ জীব ।গুরু-কৃষ্ণ-প্রসাদে পায় ভক্তিলতা-বীজ ॥ ১৫১ ॥brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīvaguru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.

54:28The living entities, they are rotating, wandering, in so many ways all over the universe, brahmāṇḍa bhramite—sometimes as Brahmā, sometimes as an ant, sometimes as demigod, sometimes as tree.

54:48It is going on, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite. So a living entity who is fortunate while wandering in this way, he gets the touch of guru and Kṛṣṇa, and then his life is successful.

55:11Because guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. We take it, we get it, the bīja.

55:26Just like you get a very valuable seed of a lotus flower, but if you don't utilize it, the bīja will remain; but if you utilize it, the bīja, or the seed, will grow, and one day you will have a very nice lotus flower.

55:43So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to give people the bīja, the seed of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if he cultivates, his life becomes successful—he goes back to home, back to Godhead. This is a great science.

56:03Therefore as I told you yesterday also, today also, try to understand—it is very scientific, authorized, and not a concocted idea; it is based on the śāstras. So take advantage of this movement.

56:28And it is very easy to execute. As I told you that if you go to the meditation process, it is very difficult—that is not possible.

56:36But in this age the process has been made very easy: kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt SB 12.3.52. Kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt, ādau gurv-āśrayam.

56:51Guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya: just try to approach the bona fide guru, or the representative of Kṛṣṇa, and under his direction you take the seed and sow it in your heart and water it. And what is that watering process?

57:14Śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana [Cc. Madhya 19.152]. This is watering process. If you continue hearing, chanting, that is the watering process of the seed, and that will grow. This is the process—very easy.

57:31Everyone can chant; everyone can hear. Why you lose this opportunity? Please take it, that is our request, and be successful in your life. Thank you very much. [applause]

57:43Audience: All glories, all glories… [break] [end]