720904 - Lecture Initiation - New Vrindaban, USA
Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Monday, September Fourth, 1972, new temple room in Bahulaban, New Vrindaban, 7PM.
Prabhupāda: So, "All glories to the assembled devotees" means "including the children." Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that even children without any knowledge of Vedānta —and big, big philosopher—simply by attending the performance of devotional service even a child's mind can be glorious—without an education. That is...We are explaining in this statement of Sūta Gosvāmī: ahaituky apratiyatā. Apratiyatā means "it cannot change anymore." It doesn't matter what he is. He may be a grown-up man or a small child. He may be educated, noneducated; civilized or uncivilized; even man or animal. Everyone can take part in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhakti-yoga . This word is very important, that, ahaituky apratiyatā. Apratiyatā means " without any (indistinct)." Because, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness is meant for the soul, not for the body. So far body is concerned, that is according to your past karma , it is destined. Sukham aindriyakaṁ daityā deha-yogena dehinām. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, that here in this material world we are after sense pleasure—everyone—birds, beasts, animals, aquatics, human beings, even the demigods—anyone who is within this material world, he is concerned with the gratification of the senses in different degree. But the aim is sense gratification. Therefore, we are given by the laws of nature—not, nature is not independent—by the superior order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Supreme Personality of Godhead as Paramātmā is sitting in everyone's heart: īśvaraḥ sarva-bhutānāṁ hṛd-deśe BG 18.61 . It specifically mentions, "it is within the heart," hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati. So I am also there, and Supersoul is also there. So, the Supersoul's business is to witness: anumantā, upadraṣṭā. That is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gī... The Supersoul is simply observing what I am doing, and he is the supreme witness, upadraṣṭā. And anumantā. As I desire... Not according to my desire, but because I desire I have been given the freedom to desire. But without the sanction of the Supersoul I cannot do anything.
Just like a child; a child is persisting, crying, "Father, I must have. Give me." Father does not like to give him that undesirable thing, but because the child persists in crying, making disturbance, then my father says, "All right, you take." That is father's mercy. "Oh, why this child is crying? Let him have it. That's all." We have got practical experience. So, I may recite that in my younger days when my eldest son was only two years and half, so, he was trying to catch the table fan—the table fan was moving—so I was resisting(?), "No, don't touch." But he insisted, a child. So, one of my friends was sitting, he said that, "Make it slow and allow him to touch it." So I did it and the child touched it; then there was, in the finger, "Tunnng!" And, then I asked him if, "Again touch?"
"No, no! (devotee chuckles) No."
This is the process. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. We all living entities, we have come here within this material world, to enjoy, to lord it over the material nature. It is going on, everyone can understand, that, What is this market? If you go to (indistinct)? Then what is the business there? The business is that everyone wants to enjoy this world to the full satisfaction. Either you call it "industry" or "trade" or "business" or "high-court." What is the aim? The aim is that, "I want to enjoy." This is individually. To take it nationally, statewide, one state wants that my (indistinct) must be extended-sense gratification. First of all you give your self gratification, then extended—my family, my sons, my grandsons, they will enjoy—make such arrangements. This is nature. And then you extend it from family-wise to community-wise from (indistinct) nationalize. Then international also—that we human being, we should combine together and send all the animals to the slaughterhouse and eat them. Their combined effort. What is that? Who is arranging?
This is going on. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare pāśate māyā... This is māyā . This disease has to be cured. That requires knowledge and religious (indistinct). That's required. So, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to train people to come to the original constitutional position. What is that? Every living entity is part and parcel of God; therefore the duty of the part and parcel is to serve the whole. The part and parcel cannot enjoy individually or independent—that is not possible. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body. It has to enjoy at a certain cost. Not that a finger will catch up some rasagullā and enjoy it—that is not possible. It must go through the stomach. The rasagullā will be caught and put into the mouth—it must go to the stomach, and the stomach will digest it, and the energy will be distributed, not only to this finger but other fingers, other parts of the body. This has to be learned. That is called yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. We are discussing that point. And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that immediately everyone comes into ecstasy, and he wants to serve Kṛṣṇa.
So, this temple, our Deity worship, arcanā , it gives chance to the people to take part in serving Kṛṣṇa. Just like this child is dancing. It is taken into account of his devotional service; it is not in vain. Anyone who comes here, who hears, who rings some bells, or dance, or offer obeisances, or... You'll find all this description is there in our Nectar of Devotion. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. Anyone who comes before Him and renders a little service,
śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
Little service. Out of these nine varieties of devotional service-one, two, three, or at least one—he is (indistinct). This is called ajñāta sukṛti : without knowledge, some balance of spiritual life is developed. Just like we collect money-four annas, four annas. Just like home savings, save, you can put it four annas, five annas, one rupee; one day check: it is fifty rupees. This is called ajñāta sukṛti . Without sukṛti , without being purified, without being pious, nobody can approach God—that is not possible. Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtino 'rjuna. This very word is used by Kṛṣṇa, sukṛti, means those who are, whose background is, pious. And those are duṣkṛtina- two words have been used—one sukṛti, and one duṣkṛti. Kṛti . Kṛti, this word is used for one very expert. So the expert word is there: kṛti. But duṣ and su . There are men who are very expert, but some of them employing their expertness in sinful activities, and some of them employing there expertness in pious activities. That is the difference. You can apply your brain in two way—this way or that. But those who are applying their brains for pious activities, they can be devotees. And those who are applying their brains for impious activities they cannot—that is not possible. So, this Deity worship is open for everyone so that, knowingly or unknowingly, anyone who's coming here, he's becoming pious. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ SB 10.12.11 . Because, Kṛṣṇa worship or God worship is not possible for persons who are sinful—that is stated in the Bhagavad-gitā :
yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ
janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
Dṛḍha-vratāḥ : "firm determination." That kinds of devotional life is possible only when one is completely free from the resultant action of sinful activity, yeṣāṁ tv anta-gataḥ. Anta-gataḥ: " one who has finished." We are suffering and enjoying in this life. So, what we are enjoying, that is due to our pious activities in the past. Just like in our daily business, if you have to take some money from somebody, that is your income. And if you have to pay somebody that is your expenditure. Two things are going on. You cannot expect here in this material world simply income. There must be expenditure. So two things, they are known as sukha and duḥkha Sukha means "happiness" and duḥkha means "distress." So, as Prahlāda Mahārāja says, that this sukha and duḥkha -happiness and distress—is already destined. And soon as I get a certain type of body, my life's happiness and distresses are fixed up. That's all—you cannot change it. That is called destiny. But, the ātmā is—although encaged within this body—is always separated, apart from. Just like I give you so many examples: that a dog—the body is dog's body—it must be as dog. But even a dog can be made a devotee—it doesn't matter. Because he has got the body of a dog it does not mean that he cannot remain a devotee. It can be trained. As you train the dog how to bite others, at night, so you can train the dog also how to become devotee. Therefore this is training. This child is being trained up from the beginning of his birth, in the association of devotees. So if it is possible for one child, many thousands and millions of children can be taught in the devotional... What is (indistinct)? But there is no chance; there is no chance. And the Bhāgavata says that if you cannot train your children to become free from birth and death, don't beget. Pitā na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt, na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. That is called rascaldom. Don't beget child. Or, "Go enjoy sense gratification and use some contraceptive method." No. The (indistinct) should be that "I am a human being, so I must have a child who must be human being." What is that human being? Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Here (indistinct) we have discussed last night. Tattva-jijñāsā. Everyone should be interested to enquire— athāto brahma jijñāsā , or tattva-jijñāsā, what is the aim of life, what is the absolute truth?
So, children should be educated also from the very beginning. (end)