19960414 Srimad-Bhagavatam.7.14.38 in Denmark #JayapatakaSwamiArchives

Manday the following is a class given by his holiness Jayapatakaswami on April 14, 1996 in Denmark. The class begins with a reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam 7th Canto 14th, Chapter 38 1st O King Yudhishthira, the super soul in every body gives intelligence to the individual soul according to his capacity for understanding. Therefore the super soul is the chief within the body. The super soul is manifested to the individual soul according to the individual's comparative development of knowledge, austerity, penance and so on. Purport in Bhagavad Gita 1515 it is Saidam Cha, the supreme personality of Godhead in his localized aspect gives intelligence to the individual soul as far as he is able to grasp it. Therefore we find the individual soul in different high and low positions. A living entity with the body of a bird or beast cannot take instructions from the supreme soul as adequately as an advanced human being. Thus there are gradations of bodily forms in human society. The perfect Brahmana is supposed to be the most advanced in spiritual consciousness and further advanced than the Brahmana is the Vaishnava. Therefore the best persons are the Vaishnavas and Vishnu. When charity is to be given, one should take instruction From Bhagavad Gita 17:20 Databhyamidi Yadhanam Diya the se kaali chapricha tadhanam satvikam smitam that gift which is given out of duty at the proper time and place to a worthy person and without expectation of return is considered to be charity and a mode of goodness. One should give charity to the Brahmanas and Vaishnavas, for thus the supreme Personality of Godhead will be worshipped. In this connection Srila Madhwacharya comments Brahmadi stabarnteshu navise sho hare quacit vyakti mata viseshena vikti matra viseshena tara tamyavadanti. Beginning from Brahma down to the end, everyone is considered to be is conducted by the super soul Iswara sarva bhutanam hridayuna tishtati but because of a particular person's advancement in spiritual consciousness, he is considered to be important. Therefore the Brahmana Vaishnava is important and above all the super soul, the supreme personal the personality of Godhead is the most important personality. Thus end the Bhaktivedanta Swami Translation purport to text 38 Chapter 14 Canto 7 of the RMAD Bhagavatam in the matter of ideal family life so Narada Muni is explaining to Maharaj Yudhisthira about the ideal family life for everyone, whether they're in family life or whether they're in the renowned life. It's important to know in the universe who's important in family life. It's important to know and those who otherwise have to engage in dealings with the material world. It's important to know in this material world who's important. Just like you need to know what's the relative importance of a prime minister and a minister and a member of the parliament, mayor and the local authorities and elected representatives and government officers, policemen and so on. If you are totally an Avadud in the Himalayan mountains and these things don't matter, so they're not so important. But if you have to deal with the material world, then you need to know. Otherwise, say some policeman comes or some big official comes to the temple and then someone who's dealing with that person says, well, starts to mistreat that person because although we shouldn't mistreat anyone, but starts improperly with the person because it doesn't understand what the importance of that person is. So when we deal with the material nature, we need to know the relative importance of things in material world. Similarly, we need to know in spiritual nomenclature what is the importance of different personalities. So someone says, I want to use my money for the best possible purpose. Then giving that money to the most important person or to serve his purpose will achieve the best possible result. So Prabhupada has given here a clear instruction that in this world the most appropriate person to donate one's wealth to is Ka and his devotees, because Ka is the supreme. And that is mentioned in the previous verse. Verse 35. Excuse me. 36 Jiva Rasi Bhir Akirna Anda Koshangripo Mahan Tanamula Tvad Achute Ja Sarvaji Vatma Tarparnam. The entire universe which is full of living entities is like a tree whose root is the supreme personality of Godhead Achuta Krishna. Therefore, simply by worshipping Ka, one can worship all living entities. So for householders, they need to know who to respect, who to use their surplus income for. They need to know these things, why there are all these differences. The Mayavadis, they try to say everything is equal, but everything is not exactly equal. There's differences. There's a difference in the intelligence of an insect and intelligence of an animal, an intelligence of a bird, and there's an intelligence of a human being within humans. Also, there's certain different levels of intelligence. The big thinkers and entrepreneurs, they have different kinds of intelligence. Common laborer may have another kind of intelligence. And in their own sphere their intelligence has got certain values. Why these differences are there because of the different kinds of body, their capacities, their spiritual advancement. Sometimes in spiritual life you find even a very simple person by material calculation can become very advanced spiritually and then be endowed with very high spiritual intelligence. For someone who's very materially intelligent. Because of a lack of spiritual penance, austerity and practices, their intelligence gets stolen away by Maya Gyana and they fail to realize the basic truths of life. Therefore, someone who has spiritual knowledge is considered superior to someone who has only material knowledge. The Brahmanas. Even a simple Brahmana who may not be as cunning or expert in material knowledge as some of the Kshatriyas or the Vaishyas. But because he has spiritual knowledge, he was considered superior and respected in Vedic society. I think I told you the story about that example given by Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Thakur about watering the root of the tree. The foolish priest and the foolish gardener. There was once a landlord who had. He was like in the feudal system of India. He was a lord. He had many employees working for him. Under the kings there were lords who were in charge of certain areas of land, had tenants on the land. So one day he went to see his garden. When he went to see the garden, then he saw inside the garden was his gardener. And as soon as the gardener saw his boss came. He wouldn't really show off that he was doing a good job. So he put a ladder by the side of the tree and he climbed up on the ladder and. And he proceeded in taking the watering can and watering all the leaves and fruits of the tree. So the landlord was saying, what are you doing? Why are you watering the leaves and fruits of the tree? Why don't you water the root? He said watering the root would be too easy. We're doing that every day. I want to show you that I am doing more than the normal. You see, I thought this. The root is very ugly thing. It's under the ground and kind of, you know, twisted and everything. And the leaves and the flowers and the fruits are so nice to look. Why should we just give the root the water? Let's give today all the leaves and the fruits and the flowers the water. That will be much better. Don't you agree? What do you think Allah said? What? This makes no sense at all. If you put water on all the flowers and the fruits, you're going to ruin them. You're just srama e bahikevalam. You're simply wasting your energy. The tree takes the moisture, takes the nourishment through, takes the water through the root and takes the sun through the leaves. So you put the water on the root and let the plant take the sun through the leaves. This is what it's made for. You give the water the root. Don't be over intelligent. Just do what you should do. Okay? Okay. This was a lot of work anyway. If you want me to put on the root and I'll do that. It's all right. What kind of employees we have nowadays, they're just not like they used to be. So then he went to his temple to see the deity and he saw his deities. But he couldn't see the pujari. And he wondered, where did the pujari go? And he heard the pujari's voice chanting mantra swaha namah bhom na mah in the sight. So he said, what is going on? So he went and then he saw there the pujari was sitting with a big plate of maha pisha in front. And on his arms and body he was covered with rice and dal. He said, what is going on? He's kind of look, just peek from the door. Just see what he's doing. Then he saw that he was. First of all he took a little doll and he took some dal in both the hands. And then he chanted the mantra, O doll, I offer you to my ear. He put it. I said, what he's doing? Shoving dal in his ears. Then he took some of the sweet rice. And now to offer the sweet rice to the nose he chanted, e sa paesam parama annam nasikaya bil. Then he took the chutney to offer to the eyes. Go. Stop it. Stop it. That landlord. What are you doing? You're gonna kill yourself. What are you doing? I said? Who said? You know. Drink some water. Wipe it. Oh my Lord. Yes. What are you doing? What is this insanity? Why are you putting dal in your ears, sweet rice up your nose and this chutney in your eyes. What are you doing here? Why you're covered with all the prasadam? My Lord, every day I am feeding the stomach through the mouth. The stomach just sits there and doesn't do anything. The other senses are working. Hearing, seeing, smelling, working. So I said, let them enjoy the prashada one day. Good idea. So therefore I am feeding all the senses. The Prashad Hare, you fool the landlords. What are you doing? Every sense has got its own purpose. But what do you think that teeth and the tongue and the stomach is for? That's their job is to chew and digest the food. And from the stomach the strength will go all over the whole body. But if you put the food inside your eardrums and up your sinus conduit and whatever this spinal area and into your eyes, you're going to go deaf and you're going to create infections and you may die from the infection and you're going to hurt your eyes when it's really hurting. That chutney was too much. All right, so what's your suggestion? I suggest that you feed your mouth in the future and forget feeding the other senses. They will get the nourishment through the mouth and through the stomach. All right my Lord, I will take your advice. What a crazy pujari. The landlord left. So you understand the purport of this story, Achintya, what's the purport? You know the purport. You don't know it? Anyone knows the purport of this humorous story? Yes, when we serve Krishna. Why is that? What is Krishna like in this analogy? The root of the tree. Very good. And in the body it's like feeding the ears, the nose, what the stomach. Ah. Sometimes they have these humorous stories. But then you figure out what the meanings are. Laughing so hard. So Prabhupada, that was his fast. We feed Ka, everything we do should be connected to Ka. And by connecting everything to Krishna then that will do the welfare for the whole universe. It may not be visible. I mean of course now scientists have studied and cut apart the tree and seen how this nourishment is going up from the root. But just by normal observation you might not see that. Well how does. By giving water on the root. How does that benefit the leaf? But it works that way. So similar. Someone may not figure out or just understand well, why would I want to serve Krishna if I just want to benefit the world? It would be much better to go and give charity to every individual. That's a normal common sense that people have today. But nobody can serve everybody. There's so many suffering people, poor people, people in difficulty in the world. How can we possibly. How can anybody serve every single person? You had to choose. Okay, well I'll serve these people. Let me serve the homeless or the foodless or the people who are having this kind of disease. Let me give my money to the paraplegic. So they pick out a particular area to give, so they're selective. But actually we should give to the root of the tree. Things should be done in such a way that Ka is. And that way everybody receives the benefit. How they receive the benefit is one of the mysteries. It's like the mystery of nature, how you put water in the root, it comes up. But it does though. If you serve Krishna, everyone benefits. Therefore, the devotees of the Lord are considered to be the most charitable people because they're doing that charity to everyone. When we serve Ka, we are serving everyone. Therefore we are the servant of everyone. And this is why the devotees are prayed to. Vanshakalpatru Bhyashta ki pahsimru Vicha pratita nirdhi, merciful to them, fallen to all living entities. So super soul is with us. He's with everyone. And how much we are aware of super soul, how much he'll reveal his presence to us is dependent upon our development of knowledge, austerity, penance, and so on. Some people, they're not aware of the super soul at all. Super soul for people of a good character is evident as the conscience. You should do this, you shouldn't do that. They get some inner voice in conscience telling them to do or not. That is the advice from the super soul. Of course, generally people cannot understand whether it's their mind telling them or their conscience. Therefore, one needs a spiritual master. By accepting the spiritual master, he is the external guru. Then he clarifies what is it that Ka has authorized for us. And super soul is known as Chaitya Guru or the internal guru. So he is guiding us from within. And as we become more and more purified than the super soul is able to communicate more directly with us, we're able to receive his communication more clearly. A very sinful person is not open to receiving conscience, the good advice. So they become very close to the advice of the super soul. As one becomes more advanced in penance, austerity and religiosity, they become more guided by the super soul, more open to that guidance. And the pure devotee Prabhupada explained he's receiving direct guidance and instruction from the supreme personality of Godhead in the heart. So if we want to get in touch with the Chai Chi guru and this is the procedure we had to become more advanced, more developed in knowledge, austerity, penance. So Ka helps us from within and Ka is also helping us from without. As the guru today, Bhakti and Elizabeth is preparing to receive initiation. And initiation is a Formal acceptance of Guru, acceptance of the spiritual master and the whole disciplic succession. That means a dedication to serving Ka eternally and a service is offered through the suplex succession, through the spiritual master. Everything we do, whether the Guru is physically present or not, everything we do, we offer to Ka through the Guru. And the disciple considers that any mercy that they are receiving is being handed down through the disciplic succession and through the Guru. So the credit for any blessings is also given to the Guru. That's the humility and Ka conscious attitude of the disciple Prahlada Maharaj, who received the supreme blessing of Lord Krishna and he was saved by Narasimha Deva. He was able to see the Lord face to face. Lord Narcingadev put his lotus hand on his head and narasingadev offered him that he could have any blessing he wanted. He said, what do you want? This deity's names are Nitay, Gor Gor Nitay. So when he asked Prahlad that he can have anything you want, then Prahlad, he said, don't tempt me, please, because I am born in a materialistic family and we always attract you to material things. I'm not serving you because of any motive that I want something in exchange, something material in exchange for my service to you. And if at this time I can only remember that the only reason that I am here standing before you receiving your mercy is because of the instructions and the blessing of my spiritual master. This is the difference between the Mayavadis impersonalists and their relationship with the Guru and the devotees, the impersonalists. They want to become one with God. They want to merge into the impersonal Jyoti. And their word service to the Guru is finished. Like I said, when they merge into the Brahma Jyoti, they think, now I have become God. So they kind of step on the head of the Guru to plunge into the Jyoti. They dive in that goodbye, Guru, now I'm God. Of course, they don't become God. They just want a little drop of light going into the ocean of light and they can fall down from that position. They always remain one drop, one particle, one spirit, soul. But there they respect Guru. But it's the kind of a business relationship. I worship you, you give me a blessing, you're God, I become God. Some kind of very strange situation. This situation is different in the Vaishnava. There, even though the Vaiava achieves God realization, they're still grateful to the Guru and respectful to the Spiritual master. The spiritual master is respected not because he's God, but because he's very dear to God. I remember when Srila Prabhupada arrived in Boston in 1969 after coming back from India, we were all anxious because we didn't know whether Srila Prabhupada would come back from India. And it was a long time. And so when he came, it was something very inspirational. I was living in Toronto at that time as Toronto and Montreal, as the president there. And then I came down all east coast. All the devotees had gathered together to meet Prabhupada in the airport. And there was a big kirtan going on. Hundreds of devotees were there. And we got to know someone came and said, the plane is arrived. Prabhupada has gotten off the plane. So the devotees were just jumping and dancing and so excited. And then there was a window where you could actually see into the custom area. But they had put some kind of, you know, what do you call these type of things? Like a screen. But this were solid screen, like a barrier, so you couldn't see the window was there. And you could, if you really jumped high, you could see. See a little beyond that there were people, but then normal vision, you couldn't see. So the screens were about screen panels from maybe 6ft high. So the kirtan was going. And all of a sudden Prabhupada lifted his hand above the screen so you could see his bead bag. And immediately everyone knew. It was like, prabhupada, there's a jumping. And one devotee, somehow, I don't know, he hit himself, or someone hit him with a carta on the eye and blood was pouring down. But he was just so ecstatic. He's jumping and then the newspaper is seeing this person jumping and bleeding. So actually they take the shot, right? They always go like the fly goes for the cut. But even they were impressed. They were saying, wow, he must have been in some supernatural state because he's bleeding and he's completely happy and blissful. Doesn't even aware that he's cut. And so the kirtan was going on. And finally Prabhupada came down out from the custom. Now we try to be more sedate things in the airports those days, they weren't prepared for us either. And all of a sudden, all the devotees just hit the deck, just paid their obeisances. So here in the distance were all the kind of other passengers. And under the television was there and everyone. And then they sing like everybody Paying their obeisances. And then it's pretty much for the, you know, average person in the Western world. You see all the. So many people bowing down to somebody. They. And then everybody had come with a garland, all the hundreds of devotees, everyone had a garland. So they did a guru puja right in the airport and they're offering the guru puja and everybody came out. It was like a Vyas puja. There was so much spontaneous offerings and they came and offered garlands. So the garlands were coming, piling above, up to Prabhupada's eyes. You know, he couldn't see them. He would take off, take off the pile. And then they'd come up, build up, everyone be offering garland, take off. More garlands were piling up. And the newspapers, and they were like, what is going on here? What does this mean? And Prabhupada must have sensed that they were possibly being confused about why everybody's offering so much worship to another person. So when finally all the reception and pujas were over and everyone was sitting down and then he gave the class. I used to remember that the guru is respected because he's the representative of God, because he's the representative of the Lord. Therefore he's offered all kinds of respect. The guru always considers himself to be a humble servitor in spite of all the respect that's offered. So he's the humble servitor of God. Then he spelled it out God, G O D. However, if the guru thinks that he is God, then he is not G O D God. He is the opposite. He is D O G dog. So Prabhupada made this point. Of course, most contemporary gurus in the world are probably in the other category. By that definition, I mean most spiritual preachers from the India side are usually Mayavadis. There are Indian Vaishnavas, but they hadn't been. Now a few are getting out and preaching. Before, they hadn't done so much. So mostly people are exposed to the impersonalists and they're considered to be offensive, although they're respected for their pronunciation and certain level. But by the vaiava categorization, they're actually offensive to the super soul and ka by them assuming themselves to be God rather than a servitor of God. So these differences are there in philosophy. In the Vedas, it says that a Vaishnava can be a guru and a non Vaishnava should not be a guru. Vaishnava guru, nasyat Vaishnava swapacha guru, a non Vaishnava cannot be a guru, a mono sign guru, a person, even if he's born from a low, a substandard background. But if he's a pure Vaishnava, he should be accepted as a guru. He can be accepted as a bona fide guru. So all these advices are given, these lessons are given in the Vedas. So these things are being taught here. The King Yudhist here, next verse is explaining how disrespectful dealings began in Treyta Yuga. So gradually deity worship was introduced. Worshipping Satya Yuga. People respected everyone. They know super soul is in everyone's heart. They respect everyone. Right now in Kali Yuga there's so much disrespect. We make all the difference. Instead of seeing everybody as having super soul in the heart, everyone is a part of God. We should respect all living entities. They make the differentiation that we're humans, we can eat animals. There's no need of eating animals. There's enough vegetable food, even animal products like milk, if it's produced from cows that are fed, normal vegetarian food is quite healthy and safe to drink. Nowadays they're feeding the animals, the cows, animal products. And this is causing the passing through England. You always read about the mad cow disease, the big thing, because they were feeding horrible, unmentionable things, byproducts of the slaughterhouse to the cows who are basically vegetarian. And that created this type of disease in the cows and gets passed on to the humans is now what they're fearing. There's some evidence or suspicion to that respect. But normally when you feed cows grass and things are supposed to be fed and there's no problem. So there's no need of killing the cow or killing animals because there's enough food for human beings without killing animals. But if there's life and death circumstance, there might be some occasion when one would have to eat meat. But at the present time this is not required because of the transportation system of the modern world. Really not necessary in most parts of the world. So we make that distinction. And we human beings are making the distinction. Just like what we went through all the massacre in Bosnia. Someone is distinguishing even they were friends. But I'm a Muslim family, I'm a Serb family, I'm a Croatian background. And then they're killing each other. Or in the. What's that country in Africa where they're the Tutsis and the Tushtis or the Tutsis and the other. The two tribes who had been living together started killing each other and Hundreds of thousands of people were massacred, killing each other. And in India, we face this consciousness also that 450 years ago, the partition of India, when Hindus and Muslims were fighting with each other. Occasionally things happen even today. So this kind of body consciousness where people are seeing that my body or my category of body, my ethnic grouping, this is mine, this is important. And they hate others. So spiritual life, if we want to have respectful dealings in the world which are based on a real permanent platform, it comes from understanding that everyone is a part of God. The bodies may be different, but the essential spirit, soul is the same part of God. And therefore everybody should be respected. But as spiritual knowledge is covered, the disrespect begins to increase. And now we're in the last phase of the four Yugas. So there's so much disrespect, so much lack of respect for others. So this body consciousness is Dehatma buddhi. It's a big problem in the modern age. We have developed in other areas, but in spiritual knowledge, we are very much blind. Prabhupada used to say, the west is blind. They need to team up with the India spiritual vision. Even sometimes we use the example that India may be economically poor, but spiritually there have a good vision. So like a blind man could take a person on his shoulder who has vision, the two could team up. Anda Pangu. Now, in Srivas Angan, we find that Lord Chaitanya, he was also evaluating people according to their vision of things. One day, one Brahmachari came along who was not a Vaishnava, he was a yogi Brahmachari, who had been meditating in the Himalayas. And somehow he came down to Navadvip and he visited Srivas in Srivas Angan. And he asked Srivasta, can I have permission to attend the kirtan with Lord Chaitanya? And he looked and he saw the Brahmacharya wearing deer skin and matted hair and a stick and his Kamandalu. And it looked pretty austere. And he thought, well, I'd like to let you stay, but I just can't give you permission because you're not a Vaishnava. No, no, but I'm a Brahmachari and I practice. I really want to see Lord Chaitanya's Kirta. So. Well, I can't give you permission to join the Kirta. Maybe you can stay in my house and look through the window. And that's about all I can tell you right now. So that evening when Lord Caitanya came with all the devotees and they started chanting. We mentioned yesterday about the mother in law pastime where Lord Caitanya was chanting and that he didn't feel ecstasy. Well, here again Lord Caitanya was chanting. But after a while he just stopped and he said, I'm not feeling ecstasy again. What is happening, Srivas? Why the second time I'm not feeling ecstasy. A few months ago this thing happened. Now why it's happening again. So this time Shivas immediately suspected. Well, the only time this happens is when some Nam devotee's peeking on Lord Caitanya. And I asked the Brahmachari, I told the Brahmacharya I could peek from the window. So he said, well, I think there's a Brahmacharya in my house. And he's looking at the kirtan Brahmachari. He was a yogi, Brahma Yogi, Brahmacharis bring him here. So they bring out, here comes the little young yogi with his Kamandalu and his stick and the deer skin and matted hair. And he comes out, doesn't bow down to Lord Caitanya, just kind of comes out and stands there. And then Lord Caitanya asks him, so who are you? I'm a yogi Brahmachari, what's your purpose in life? What are you? I'm trying to realize absolute truth. So what are you doing here in Navadvip? We didn't really have a good answer for that. He said, you know, you're supposed to be. You think you're very spiritually advanced, you're very powerful yogi. Yogis belong in the Himalayas. Meditating in a solitary place in the forest. You're coming here to the big city is not going to help your yoga practice. Actually you're very proud. You think you're very renounced. But although these devotees are living here in the city and most of them are householders, they are much more spiritually advanced than you are because they have dedicated everything to the supreme personality of Godhead. Although they are physically possessing so many things, they don't possess anything because everything they're offering to the service of Krishna, where you are carrying your false ego with you. Therefore you are not qualified to be in this kirtan. I'm very sorry, but you cannot stay here. Show him the door. And he was taken out. Show him the door. Then the kirtan started again. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna, Kishina Hare, Hare, Hare. And the yogi, young yogi was sitting outside. He was hearing the Kirtan and said, wow, I really got chastised by Lord Goranga. But what he said was true. It's very boring sitting in the forest. I came here, in the city, people respect me, some donation or something. Surely it was my false ego that caused me to come. Those devotees, I could see when they were chanting. They were completely absorbed in the chanting. They weren't thinking about anything. I'm trying to meditate. My mind goes here and there. Very difficult. Actually I was totally unqualified. It's true. I was completely unqualified. What I can't understand is how is it that Lord Caitanya was so merciful. He knows everything. He knew I was there. Why did he let me even see that kirtan? I could see for 15 minutes, half an hour. He let me see the kirtan. I'm so unqualified. But he was so merciful. He allowed me to see the kirtan. And he just started crying, feeling himself so blessed by the Lord. And he allowed him even to see the kirtan although he was so unqualified. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna Krishna Ka. Hare Hare Hare Ram. Hare Ram Ram. So then Lord Chaitan, stop the kirtan. What's wrong now? Where is that yogi? No, no, he's outside. Go get him. Now he can come and join the Kirta now he's ready. They went out there. He was out there crying. And they brought him in. And Lord Caitanya immediately bowed down to Lord Caitanya this time. And Lord Chahi said, now you can. You have understood. Now you can join the kirtan. So Lord Chaitanya, he has come as devotee. But Super Soul is his expansion's expansion. Expansion. He knows what everyone is thinking. We can never hide anything from Lord Caitanya. And if we approach him in a very humble way, then he's very kind and he wants to give his mercy. If we approach him very proudly that we don't want to, thinking we're very qualified. Then he's been instructed by Advaita Acharya not to give mercy to such people easily. So we are to approach him in a very humble way that we can get his mercy. Sisinnitai Goraki, any questions regarding going back to the example of the roots and the trees we were discussing before? I'm sure there's a lot of Nayas devotees who are offering nice worshipping to the goose of Krishna. So I wonder why still so many people suffer in the world. Does that mean that that service is not done in the proper way. Well, what percentage of devotees are offering worship to the root and what percentage. Percentage of people in the world are still not doing that, still doing the sinful activities. At the present time, I think that the number of people worshiping the root is very much less, a small percentage. But because there are people worshiping the root, therefore things are not so bad. You think things are bad. Now peek ahead and what happens in the end of Kali Yuga when things get really bad, when everybody stops worshipping the root, how things degenerate. Right now because people have stopped worshipping the Lord in the west, the percentage of people going to church is down according to the statistics. Maybe there's a few more Hare Ka devotees starting to worship and we like to increase that number. But in general, religion in many places is going down. I think in some places it's going up also. But in, I don't know all the national statistics, but I heard many of the organized religions are complaining that their attendance is going down, that priests, shortage of priests in the west, in many of the countries, in fact, they're importing priests from India and from other places to serve in some of the western places. So there's not a high point right now in spirituality in the world. There's a degeneration. And even with the seasons are becoming disrupted to some extent. Of course there's a lot of imbalances in the world if we increase the words. But there's still. I mean, things are not all that bad. You do get rain, you do get sun. Says as Kali Yuga progresses after the end of the golden age of Lord Chaitanya, things get so bad that people cut down. I mean, now people are becoming a little conscious about nature, which is at least a step in the right direction. That we're destroying nature, cutting down so many trees and imbalances and polluting the ecology, like a step in the right direction. By these type of imbalances, so many disturbances are created. If you respect the laws of Ka, then we're not supposed to cut down trees unnecessarily. There's certain restrictions. All these things are already there in the Vedas. What we're supposed to do and what we're not supposed to do. And we're supposed to respect nature. We're not supposed to kill animals unnecessarily. So all these kind of disturbances that we're facing in the world, you can trace them back to not following the instruction of Ka. The majority of people don't follow the laws of God, even if they give lip service. To some of them, but usually they don't follow. So that's why there is so much problem going on. Why isn't it totally bad like it was predicted? And when the Kali Yuga goes on, the rain clouds come and they thunder a little bit. But there's no rain for 30 years. There may be no rain in some countries in India and some parts of India. A few years ago when Prabhupada was there, there was a drought in central India. For three years there had been no rain. And then Prabhupada they did a big yajna. They did a very big yajna offering fire sacrifice to Tirupati. But it was the fear. Even they have a referee that sees where they chant a mantra properly. And then they have a referee to check the referee. And then the refere he couldn't call all the mistakes. There's so many mistakes. And he missed some mistakes. And his referee said that he's missing. And then it was like the whole ended up big smoke in everybody's eyes. And I was just like it was a disaster. And there was no rain. And Prabhupada said he's wasting so much money because in the age of Kali this big yajnas take so much ghee and they spent million dollars on it. So instead they should be feeding the people prasadam. You see system here is we offer food that's cooked in ghee and then feed the people. Feed the Brahmanas and Vaishnavas first and then feed every after they're fed, feed everyone. And we have small. You see, it's very small, few drops of ghee, not a thousand kundas. Then Prabhupada he organized the fire sacrifice in Hyderabad. Not a fire sacrifice, he ordered a Hari Nam sacrifice. And he said we'll chant the Harinam and this will bring rain. And he started chanting Hare Ka and it started raining and drought started raining at that time. So people may be doing different services to Ka. Some little result is coming. But if you want to get the full result in age of Kali, we should worship Ka the way he wants to be worshipped in this age. And that's by chanting his holy names. Hare Ka. Hare Ka Ka Ka Hare Hare Hare Rama. Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. More and more people chant. You'll find that things will improve much more. In the time of Yudhist of Parikshit Maharaj he had the whole kingdom chanting. And it said there wasn't these disturbances that even Kali, he couldn't find it. He was offered A place you can go where there's slaughterhouses and where there's prostitution and gambling and there's, you know, killing of animals. What's the other one? Intoxication. He said, these places don't exist in your kingdom. This is like telling me I can live in some of these places, but they don't exist. I mean, your kingdom because everybody's chanting the names of God. People aren't even interested in those things. There you had a situation and at that point, people were not having these kind of problems that we're facing today. But the majority of people there, it was so rampant Ka consciousness that Kali couldn't even get a foothold. He said, there's no place for me. I can't even get a place. There's no place where these things are going on. Now do we have that situation today? We're just trying to get a foothold for Ka consciousness. In some countries, it's like the governments are trying to ban us and, and like in some of the prabhaktas here from Armenia. It wasn't Armenia that they came and hit the devotees. And one devotee was all bloody and everything and many, many devotees. So even the governments are not protecting us. In many places, although some people are doing religious activity. That's why there's some rain and there's some things like are going on is a mix. There's good and there's bad. When it gets completely atheistic, it becomes completely bad. And when it's, you know, partial, you get partial.