LecturesGeneral Lectures690119 - Lecture - Los Angeles: Prabhupāda: Bhagavad-gītā is not very high-standard spiritual knowledge. It is simply elementary, A-B-C-D knowledge of spiritual life, rudimentary knowledge. And if you want to study more and more, there is Vedānta-sūtra, there is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Upaniṣad, so many things. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give people chance to take advantage of this Vedic literature. There is a very nice verse in Caitanya-caritāmṛta: anādi bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gelā
ataeva kṛṣṇa veda purāṇa karilā
(CC Madhya 20.117)
We do not know when we have forgotten God, when we have missed our relationship with God. We are eternally related with God. We are still related. Our relationship is not lost. Just like the father and the son, the relationship cannot be lost, but when the son becomes crazy or mad, he thinks that he has no father. That is a condition, but actually the relationship is not lost. When he comes to the consciousness, "Oh, I am the son of such-and-such gentleman," the relationship is immediately there.
Similarly, our consciousness, this material consciousness, is a condition of craziness. We have forgotten God. We are declaring God is dead. Actually I am dead. I am thinking, "God is dead." Just like I am deaf—I am asking somebody, "Oh, Mr. Such-and-such." He's replying, but I am deaf; I cannot hear. I say: "Mr. Such-and-such, he cannot hear me." You see? He himself is deaf. The answer is there, but because he cannot appreciate, he says: "Mr. Such-and-such is deaf." He is deaf. Similarly, we have become so much materially dead that we have lost our Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness, but we are declaring, "God is dead." God is not dead. How God can be dead if functions are going on? According to His order, the sun is rising every day. Yac-cakṣur eṣa savitā sakala-grahāṇām (Bs. 5.52). The moon is rising, the air is changing, the season is changing. Everything is going on nicely. How you can say God is dead? God is not dead, but we are dead to appreciate the function of God. We are dead. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give life to the dead society of human being. They are now dead, crazy dead. So our request is that you take full advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Your life will be happy. You'll find a new phase of existence, happiness, fullness. That is sure. And the method is very simple. We don't ask you . . . just like as soon as I enter, all of you join in chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is very easy thing. Even a child can join. And simply by chanting, you'll be purified. Simply by chanting. You haven't got to make any exercise, keeping your head down or this or that. No. Simple method: chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So that is our propaganda. We don't charge anything. We don't say that, "I sell one mantra. You take it and give me some dollars." No. It is freely distributed. Freely. In the street they are being distributed. But don't neglect it. Because we are distributing this, the most valuable asset of the world, so cheaply, don't neglect it. Take it. Don't minimize the value because we are distributing free. It is the most valuable thing of your life, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And you'll practically find the result. It is not bluff. So many American boys and girls, they are chanting. They are not imported from India, but they have taken it very seriously, not only here. We have got seventeen branches all over your country, and they are very happy. And there is no loss. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, what is your loss? But the gain is very great. You can chant. Simply while walking in the street you can chant. While working, you can chant. While at home, you chant. When at office, you chant. There is no license, no expenditure, no loss, but the gain is very great. That is our request. So we thank you very much that you are sympathetic with this movement and coming every weekly to participate in our Love Feast. So if you simply come by taking part in this feasting festival, you'll be infected with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Devotees: Haribol! Jaya! Prabhupāda: Everything has got some infectional influence. So if bad thing has got infectional influence, why not good thing? So you try to associate with us and you'll be infected. You'll chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you very much. |
