8 February 1977 — Festival Lecture: Appearance Day of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura

Prabhupāda: . . .one hundred and third?

Pradyumna: The lecture is now.

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Pradyumna: The lecture is now, then we’ll have ārati.

Prabhupāda: So this is the hundred and third birth anniversary. (some discussion in background about the number) You remember? One hundred third, this is? One hundred and three anniversary?

Pradyumna: 1872 . . . 1977 it is. One hundred and fourth. One hundred and fifth.

Hari-śauri: Seventy-three, seventy-four, seventy-five, seventy-six, seventy-seven . . . Hundred and fifth.

Devotee: The first one’s not 1872.

Hari-śauri: Hundred and fifth.

Prabhupāda: Fourth? Anyway, this is the auspicious day of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī . . . Hundred fourth?

Pradyumna: Third.

Prabhupāda: Third. Hundred and third birth anniversary. So this is formal—hundred and third or fourth or first or second. It is eternal. It is eternal. Just like Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has described, nitya-līlā. Nitya-līlā means it is going on. Just like just now it is eleven o’clock. This eleven o’clock, and when it becomes twelve o’clock noon, it does not mean that eleven o’clock is passed. Eleven o’clock is existing somewhere. In India it is eleven o’clock, and somewhere else it is ten o’clock, and when in India it will be twelve o’clock, that eleven o’clock will be somewhere else. Therefore one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, whatever you take, that is going on. It is not that one is finished. That is material calculation. Material calculation – this body we have got. When this body will be finished, it is finished forever. It will never come. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir (BG 2.13). But in the spiritual world there is no such thing as finished. Nitya-līlā. Nitya-mukta. We have to understand that. In the material world, one minute’s lost, it is lost forever. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has given us instruction from the material point of view:

āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko ‘pi

na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ

sacen nirārthakaṁ nītaḥ

kā ca hānis tato ‘dhikaḥ

(Cāṇakya Paṇḍita śloka 34)

Āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko ‘pi. Suppose I shall live fifty years or a hundred years maximum. So out of them, one moment lost, it will be never returned. From our birth . . . When a child is born we ask the parents when the child is born. The parents says, “This child was born in the morning, ten o’clock.” So if the child is born at ten o’clock, and I am asking at eleven o’clock, the one hour life of the child lost. Eleven o’clock means the child has already died one hour, out of his one hundred years.

So for Vaiṣṇava it is not like that. It is not like that. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This is material calculation: one hour lost, two hours lost. The body’s life is transient; it is losing one moment, one hour. But spiritual life is different. Nityaḥ śāśvato yam, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre. So, as Kṛṣṇa comes, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Kṛṣṇa is eternal, but still, He appears. The same example: just like the sun is in the sky, but we see in the morning it appears; in the evening it retires. That is defectness of our eyes. Actually the sun is always there. So similarly Vaiṣṇava, as Kṛṣṇa comes, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir, similarly, a Vaiṣṇava—means the confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa—he also comes for some purpose by the order of the master. So their life and Kṛṣṇa’s life, it is same. There is no question of past, present, future. Nityaḥ. Nityaḥ śāśvato ‘yam, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So tirobhava avirbhava, they are the same thing as the appearance and disappearance of sun. And Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, our master, spiritual master, he also came in this world to execute some mission of life, or mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So he executed it, and when it was required, he left this place and went to another place to do the same business. Just like the sun rises at six o’clock, and seven o’clock there is six o’clock in another place, and it is eight o’clock another place, it is going on, nitya-līlā.

So we have nothing to lament for disappearance. We should simply remember his activities. That is required. Vaiṣṇave kriye mutra vikhilabhda. You cannot understand the activities of the Vaiṣṇava, but they come, any Vaiṣṇava comes, for some particular mission. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he says,

naivodvije para duratyayā-vaitaraṇyās

tvad-vīrya-gāyana-mahāmṛta-magna-cittaḥ

śoce tato vimukha-cetasa

māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān

(SB 7.9.43)

Prahlāda Mahārāja said to Nṛsiṁha-deva, “My Lord, I have nothing to grieve, because wherever I shall sit down, glorifying Your activities, I immediately become merged into the ocean of nectarine. So I have nothing to grieve. But one thing I am sorry: I am in grief for these vimūḍhas.” Vimūḍhān. Mūḍha means rascal, and vimūḍha, particularly rascals. Every living being within this material world, they are mūḍhas because they are forgetting their relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Mūḍho nābhijānāti māṁ param avyayam (BG 7.25). This is mūḍha. All living entities, more or less, we are all mūḍhas, particularly vimūḍhān . Because there are different types of living entities: jalajā nava-lakṣani sthāvarā lakṣā viṁśati kṛmayo (Viṣṇu Purāṇa), 8,400,000 species of life.

So the evolution is going on. When we come to this stage of human form of life, here is a chance to get out of this evolutionary process. This is the chance. Asatim caturam caiva brahma jīva-jātesu. In the Padma Purāṇa the evolutionary theory . . . not theory; it is fact. ‘Darwin’s evolutionary theory’ it may be, but in the Vedic literature the evolutionary theory it is existing since very, very, millions of millions. It is not crazy fellow’s evolutionary theory. It is fact. So in this evolutionary theory, fact, we see that the bahūnāṁ janmanām ante, bahunāṁ sambhavān (BG 7.19). After many, many evolution, millions of years, we get this chance of human being, to become human being. But in this human form of life, if we still remain a mūḍha, then we are vimūḍhān. Vimūḍhān means . . . vi means viśeṣa. Here is a chance. And Kṛṣṇa personally is giving His instruction to the human being: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is your chance. But still, we are not accepting. Therefore vimūḍhān. Mūḍha, the cats and dogs, they cannot understand. If we give instruction to the dog, “My dear dog, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa . . . (indistinct) . . .” But a human being, either he may be known to Kṛṣṇa or not known to Kṛṣṇa, he can be trained up. Just like in your country, in Europe and America, they did not know even what Kṛṣṇa. But since we have started this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, you have become so many devotees of Kṛṣṇa. That is possible because human being, they can be trained up.

So in spite of all these facilities for the human being, if he’s not trained up to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he is vimūḍha. He does not take the advantage. Na mām duṣkṛtina mūḍha (BG 7.15). (break) . . . in this human form of life, he is classified as duṣkṛtina, mūḍha, narādhama, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, he’s described. He must be either of these categories. So things have degraded so low, that in India they’re asking “What is God?” This is Kali-yuga. In India, where Kṛṣṇa comes personally, where Lord Rāmacandra comes, where Lord Buddha comes, where Caitanya Mahāprabhu comes, in that country now young men are asking, “What is God?” This is Kali-yuga.

So we should not remain vimūḍha. We should become intelligent. And to make us intelligent, Kṛṣṇa comes, Kṛṣṇa’s devotees come, some messenger comes. And Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura is one of the messengers of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And not only he preached, but he trained up many disciples to preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness all over the world. So by his grace we are also endeavoring to do something. This is called paramparā system. So we should take advantage of this Vaiṣṇava mission. As Caitanya . . . Prahlāda Mahārāja said, “They are very anxious.” Vaiṣṇava means para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Kṛpaṁbudhir yas tam, ahaṁ prapadye (CC Madhya 6.254). Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Vaiṣṇava . . . our Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he is Vaiṣṇava, cent percent Vaiṣṇava. And he was para-duḥkha-duḥkhi. This is Vaiṣṇava. He criticized nirjana bhajana. He has personally written one song, mana tumi kīsera vaiṣṇava. Nirjanera ghare pratiṣṭhāra tare, tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava. Mana tumi kīsera vaiṣṇava. He has written long song. Jaḍera pratiṣṭhā sukharer viṣṭha. Vaiṣṇava means he doesn’t want any material profit or material opulence or material reputation. He doesn’t want. This is chāyā. But in the material world everyone is busy for three things—material profit, material reputation—(Sanskrit)—and material adoration. This is not Vaiṣṇava’s business. Vaiṣṇava never cares for all these things. Vaiṣṇava is always thinking how to do good to the suffering humanity. Lokānāṁ-hita-kāriṇau. About Six Gosvāmīs it is said, nānā-śāstra-vicaraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau. This is Vaiṣṇava. Nānā-śāstra-vicaraṇaika-nipuṇau. In the śāstra, everything is there. Just like Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has given us Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu to understand what is bhakti. We have tried to translate it into English, the Nectar of Devotion. So why? Rūpa Gosvāmī was the minister in the government of Hussain Shah. Very opulent position. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. They resigned the high post of ministership and joined Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for pushing on and on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau.

So Vaiṣṇava means para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. They are simple-thinking. There are so many politicians and humanitarians and so many, but nobody knows how to do good to others. Nobody knows. They do not know. The real fact is, as Kṛṣṇa explains Himself, that,

aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā

dharmasyāsya parantapa

mām aprāpya nivartante

mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani

(BG 9.3)

This is the real suffering of the humanity. I especially speak on humanity, because in the human form of life one can actually understand what is the position, what is the value of life. The value of life . . . one should understand that we are in the cycle of birth and death. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Once we take birth, and again we die. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam (BG 13.9). So one should be intelligent to understand that “I am eternal.” I learn from Bhagavad-gītā and Vedic literature that ahaṁ brahmāsmi: “I am eternal. Why I am dying?” This is intelligence. This is intelligence. Otherwise cats and dogs. A dog, a cat, does not know why he is dying. Neither he knows that he is eternal. But a human being can take information from the śāstra that he is eternal, and he does not die on the destruction of the body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Kṛṣṇa is giving this information. Tathā dehāntara. This is our real unhappiness, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. But if we are kept in darkness about this and simply we become busy with some superficial things, bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇu durāśayā. It is durāśayā.

So all these leaders, the political leaders, they do not know what is the value of life. The durāśayā, with some hope which will never be fulfilled, they are busy with that. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. He knows what is the real suffering of humanity, and he tries to estab . . . sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau. Real sad-dharma. Dharma means occupation. Dharma does not mean that you believe in something. That is the description in the, “a faith.” Faith is different thing. But real dharma means the occupational duty. Just like government law. Government law, if you go on the street, you’ll find “Keep to the left.” There is no question of faith. You must keep on the left; otherwise you are criminal, you’ll be punished. That is dharma. The real meaning is this, that dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). The laws given by God, that is the simple definition of dharma.

So if we don’t accept the dharma, then we’ll be punished. That is stated in the Bhāgavata. Dharmasya asya parantapa. Aśraddadhānāḥ. If you have no faith in the words of God . . . man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Kṛṣṇa is saying, “If you do not become devotee, if you do not think of Kṛṣṇa, then you will not get Kṛṣṇa.” If you remain continuously, birth after birth, forgetful of Kṛṣṇa, and that is very dangerous. What is that danger? Nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani: again you’ll be in the cycle of birth and death, birth and death, birth and death. Not that today you are Indian; you shall get the birth again as Indian. No. Today you may be Indian, prime minister; tomorrow you may be a dog in some other country. They do not know these laws.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

You are not independent. Nobody is independent. Today you maybe something; tomorrow you may be something. But you must search out your real life. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. That intelligence is given by the Vaiṣṇava.

Therefore Vaiṣṇava has got a very, very great responsibility. My Guru Mahārāja pointed out, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura,

mana tumi kīsera vaiṣṇava?

pratiṣṭhāra tare, nirjanera ghare,

tava hari-nāma kevala

Formerly people used to know that “If I take a mālā and sit down in a secluded place . . .” Of course, that is good; that is not bad. But the real business of Vaiṣṇava is not for himself, but for others. Just like the example given by Rūpa Gosvāmī: nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. Lokānāṁ-hita-kāriṇau, not personal hita-kāriṇau. Personal hita-kāriṇau is not high-class Vaiṣṇava—”I shall become liberated. Let me give up everything and sit down.” Sometimes that is also good, but sometimes we take it to get cheap adoration from innocent public, that “Here is a Vaiṣṇava. He sits down.” No. My Guru Mahārāja, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he was not that type of Vaiṣṇava. You should remember. That is his special gift. He wanted every one of his disciples to go and preach the cult of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Caitanya Mahāprabhu wanted. Here we are in the Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s country, birthplace. We should remember. Caitanya Mahāprabhu of course asked every Indian to take His mission. At least Bengalis should take Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu . . . what is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mission?

āmāra ājnāya guru hañā, tara ei deśa

yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa

(CC Madhya 7.128)

Even if you cannot go outside, it doesn’t matter. Wherever you are, either you are here in Nabadwip or in Calcutta, anywhere, so you just become a guru. Don’t remain a rascal. You become a guru. “Now, how can I become a guru? I am not very educated.” No! You don’t require to be very highly educated rascal. Simply repeat Kṛṣṇa consciousness as Kṛṣṇa said—you become guru. Unfortunately, we don’t care for Kṛṣṇa’s instruction. We are busy with this ism, that ism, that ism.

So we should remember—I don’t wish to take much time—just to say Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he took this Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s instruction very seriously, and he wanted his disciple to do. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura also wanted that, and Bhaktisiddhānta . . . this Māyāpur is meant for this purpose: to spread Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world, as it was desired by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma sarvatra pracāra (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126). So the beginning is there. We are preaching all over the world, and you, my dear friends from Europe and America, you have taken this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Again I shall repeat the same logic: andha-paṅgu-nyāya. Andha-paṅgu-nyāya. Andha means blind, and paṅgu means lame. Both of them are useless. Andha cannot see, he cannot walk; and the lame man cannot walk. Andha can walk but cannot see, and the lame man can see but cannot walk. Now let them both combine together. So the whole world is suffering for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or spiritual life. If American money and Indian culture mix together, the whole world will be benefited. That is my ambition. Take Indian culture and help with American money. The whole world will be happy. Andha-paṅgu-nyāya. And if the andha is taken on the shoulder . . . if the paṅgu is taken on the shoulder of the andha, then the lame man can give direction.

So actually this logic is coming to be true, and there is now agitation. People are feeling the pressure of this movement, and in Europe, America there is opposing party. But don’t be afraid. Take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously. It is not a national movement or some social movement. It is the movement to uplift the position of the whole human society. So that was the mission of Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. Somehow or other we are taking it little seriously. Let all the Americans, Indians, especially young men . . . don’t misunderstand these Europeans and Americans CIA. Don’t be mad, crazy fellow. They have taken Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have nothing to do with politics. And you also, young men, you also join on the basis of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and do something philanthropic for the whole human society. (end)