BG 18.36-40: Four Types of Happiness | Rus-Split | 12.9.92 | Śrīla Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Goswāmī Mahārājā

Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya. We are going to discuss about 3 different types of happiness that is discussed in the Bhagavad-gītā. We will read to you a series of verses and then we will explain these verses to you. Can they hear in the back clearly? Do they have lights over here in the night when it gets dark? All devotees can also sit down. Why are devotees not sitting down? Sukham vidanem, free vidham shruno me bhartasabha. Abhyāśaḥ ramāte kyaḥ traḥ dukhāntaṁ ca nigaḥ caḥ te sukhaṁ vidāneṁ tri-vidhaṁ śruṇu me bhārtaṣabhaḥ. Mandeham Śrī-guru Śrī-yutāpāda-kamnān Śrī-guru-nvaiśnavanāśtā. Anybody in the audience today who is coming for the first time to a Kṛṣṇa conscious program? Okay. So, sukham vidinām tri-vidham śrūnime bhārṭhasa bhāva abhyāśa ramate yatra sukhaṁ tam ca nika-cati. So Kṛṣṇa is the speaker of this very ancient philosophy of the Bhāgavad-gītā. Last time when I was in your city of Tashkent in the month of June, we had a public program, and in that public program I had explained the history of the Bhāgavad-gītā. Can you hear the Russian translation clearly? Tell me honestly. Adnaminat pāzhalusta. Why it is not working? Ādnaminath. We had explained quoting from the 4th chapter of the Bhāgavad-gītā how this knowledge was first imparted to the Sun God Vivasvan, then to Manu, and then to Ikṣvāku. And this knowledge has been in human society for at least 2 million years old. Now Kṛṣṇa is explaining in this verse that we discussed different types of happiness. Krishna explains that basically there are 3 different types of happiness. Frankly, everybody is searching for happiness. When you had communism, you were searching for happiness, and now when you have capitalism, you're also searching for happiness. And the animals are also searching for happiness. Then those who have not come to the Krishna Consciousness program today, they are also searching for happiness. And those of you who have come to the program today, you're also searching for happiness. We will not cheat you. We are all trying to be happy and we want everybody else to be happy also. But the whole problem is that people do not know how to be happy. A very great devotee called Prahlāda Mahārāja had said 5,000 years ago, nātha vidun svarga-katim hi viśnuṁ, people do not know how true happiness can be found. So Kṛṣṇa has explained that basically there are 3 different types of happiness. Actually there are 4. But we will come to the fourth one after we discuss these three. According to our Vedic philosophy, the living entity, as soon as he comes in contact with the material world, he becomes contaminated by what is known as mode. Just like rainwater. Rainwater is originally pure, but the moment rainwater hits the earth, it becomes mixed with mud. If you capture the rainwater before it hits the earth, you can even drink it. But the moment it hits the earth, you can't drink it. So the living entity is originally pure. Originally pure means originally is engaged in its constitutional position of service to the Lord. That is when the living entity is residing in the spiritual abode of the Lord. Just like you have a home, but then when you go traveling, you may stay in a relative's house or a kastiniṣṭha. Similarly, a real home is the spiritual world, but when we leave the spiritual world, we come to this material world. Which is like Augustine Nietzsche for us. It is not a real home. That is why in this home there is nothing but misery from beginning to end. So the living entity, when he enters the material world, he becomes influenced by three different sets of conditioning. These different sets of conditioning are also known as three modes: goodness, passion, ignorance. Goodness means in that stage one is aware about the goal of life, one understands the importance of following the scriptures. Passion is a stage where one is motivated by unlimited desires that he tries to fulfill. And because he has unlimited desires that he's trying to fulfill, and the nature of these desires is it is always increasing, the living entity struggles to satisfy these different desires. And ignorance symbolizes that stage where one is just unaware about the goal of life. Lazy, and he just leads his whole life in complete laziness and idleness. In this condition, one sleeps a lot and there's nothing but laziness. So Krishna explains that basically there are three different types of happiness. Each, uh, one is happiness in the mode of goodness, one is happiness in the mode of passion, which is happiness in the mode of ignorance. Now we shall explain to you what each of these types of happiness are. Krishna explains that happiness in the mode of goodness is that which in the beginning may be bitter like poison, but in the end it becomes nectar, and which wakes one up to Self-realization. Why is it said that in the beginning it may be like poison, in the end it becomes nectar? Because when you come to spiritual life, when you come in contact with a saintly personality, you're educated to understand the importance of following the words of God. And when you follow the laws of God, naturally there is no room to execute sinful desires that give you sense pleasure. So just like a sick patient, when he's taken to the hospital and when he has to follow the diet of the hospital, naturally he feels restricted. Nobody likes being put under restriction, but the doctor puts the patient in restriction because unless there's some restriction observed, the patient will not recover. So similarly, when When you get exposed to spiritual life, when you come in contact with a saintly personality, you have to follow some rules and regulations. And when you have to follow these rules and regulations, in the beginning they are painful. Just like the child that is told by the mother, you can't suck the thumb in the mouth. Naturally, the child that is used to sucking the thumb in the mouth protests when the mother tries to stop this habit. So similarly, when one is told, give up meat, fish, and eggs, Give up intoxication, give up illicit sex, give up gambling, chant the names of the Lord. Naturally there's some rebellion in the beginning. Just like a patient who follows the doctor's prescription eventually recovers, even though in the beginning he may be opposing the prescription. Similarly, one who abstains from sinful activities and follows the Lord's teachings, the Lord's teachings, eventually that happiness which in the beginning was bitter becomes sweet in the end. Just like in Ayurvedic medicine. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is said that the more serious the disease, the more bitter the medicine. And when you take that bitter medicine, in the beginning you feel serious, you don't like it. But then when you recover from the disease, you say, oh, it's good I went through this prescription. Just like a doctor who does surgery on you. Naturally, when the surgery is done, no matter how much a modern medical aid you may have, it is painful. But then when you recover from the disease, you don't mind the pain you had to undergo. So similarly, if you want to achieve love of God, you have to make some sacrifices. God is not sectarian. God is not a member of one particular community. God— it's not that there are different gods for different parts of the world. Just like we see one sun shining over the whole planet, there's one God for the whole creation. Some may call him Allah, Some may call him by the name of Jesus Christ, some may say Jehovah, some may say Rama and Krishna, but there is only one God who is the proprietor and the cause of all causes. And the definition of God in all the scriptures is that he is pure. Since God is pure, we also have to become pure. What is impurity and what is purity has to be defined on the basis of scriptures. Why? Because scripture means words of God. Words of God are not fallible. Words of God do not change with the passage of time. Words of God cannot be interpreted by different individuals as they see fit. Words of God have to be accepted kakana, yes. So God's teachings are for the entire humanity. So purity is that stage in which one doesn't suffer from material desires or hankering and lamenting. Fetishal desires are activities that are generally against the laws of God. Just like we have your government in Uzbekistan that makes laws, then you have the United Nations that also makes laws for the world. So there are various agencies that make law. You may have the local government, that is the city of Tashkent, then higher than that is the district government. So there are various levels of lawmaking, but the supreme level of lawmaking is that of God. So we have to accept the teachings of the Lord as they are. Only then can we achieve real happiness. Purity is that stage where one doesn't want to fulfill— purity is that stage where one doesn't— where one just wants to fulfill the desires of the Lord and abstain from desire activities against the laws of God. Impurity is that stage when you're full of material desires. Just like what is the difference between a diseased man and a non-diseased man? A diseased man's body is full of germs, and a healthy man's body is free of germs. So pure man is one whose body is not full of sinful germs, and a diseased man is one— impure man is one who is full of sinful germs. So just like when you travel to an outer— when you travel by aeroplane, very few people realize, but the atmosphere inside the plane specially adjusted so that you can breathe when the plane is at 35,000 feet. And when these modern cosmonauts go in outer space, they also have to stay in a special cabin so that they can breathe when they go in outer space. So similarly, we have to blend with this, with the purity that exists in the spiritual world if we want to enter the spiritual world. Therefore This Krishna Consciousness movement is always preaching the principles of purity. We're telling people clearly that if you want to understand God, you have to give up your sinful tendency. Now, this is briefly happiness in the mode of goodness. In the beginning it is painful, but in the end it becomes sweet. It becomes sweet when you understand that you are, uh, when you are, that you're trying to follow the laws of God. Then you also have happiness in the mode of passion. Krishna explains happiness in the mode of passion to be as follows: So Kṛṣṇa is explaining happiness in the mode of passion is that which comes in contact with the material sense objects. Now we have different senses in this body: eyes, ears, nose, tongue, touch. These are known as knowledge-acquiring senses. Then you have objects of the senses. Objects of the senses are vision, sound, taste, and then touch. And then you have the working senses: hands, legs, mouth, evacuating organs, reproductive organs. In the objects of the senses, you also have smell. So there you have working senses, objects of the senses, and knowledge-acquiring senses. So Kṛṣṇa says, that is happiness in the mode of passion, which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects. Just like the eyes. The eyes want to see something vulgar. So the materialist, when they can see pornography, they're very happy. That's why pornography has become such big business all over the world. Then taste. When the tongue can eat food without discrimination, then they're very happy. That is taste. Smell. The nose is always anxious to smell something nice. That is why people use fragrances. Some of these fragrances are so expensive, they're equal to 2 months of your salary. In the Western countries, when you go into a big department store, the first department that is there in every store is a fragrance department. Because the sense, nose, wants to smell something, so they use fragrances. So when happiness is derived from contact of the senses with the objects, in the beginning there's an instant pleasure, but later on that pleasure becomes bitter. Just like when you take Chewing gum or bubble gum. In the beginning, it is very sweet for a few minutes, but in a few minutes, the sugar coating goes away and then it becomes bitter, and then you throw it out. So that is exactly what material life is. In the beginning, it makes it look very attractive, just like people are smoking and drinking. Now, when they smoke and drink, in the beginning, they may get a little high, they may feel a little joyful, but what is the result of this? One is the material result, the other is spiritual result. Material result is you get cancer and so many other diseases. Spiritual result is because you have defied the laws of God, you become liable for punishment. Then these days people want to believe in a society what is called the free, free society where they want to have free sex. They do not want to respect the so-called laws of religion that have created a system of marriage. So in the name of free sex, they don't follow any laws of God or any laws of nature. Therefore, in Western societies— I don't know in your country— gays and lesbianism is very, very— it's very widespread, publicly acknowledged now. At one time, people used to be embarrassed in calling themselves to be belonging to these categories, but now they publicly advertise, 'I'm a gay, I'm a lesbian.' They don't feel embarrassed. So what happens when you break the laws of God? You suffer materially by getting diseases like AIDS, and of course you become liable for punishment in hellish planets for having violated the laws of God and indulging in illicit sex. Similarly, people like to eat meat, fish, and eggs. Why? They find it very tasty. So on the one hand, they may get some pleasure in the beginning, but then this also has its repercussions. Medical associations in, in America and other places have acknowledged that meat eating is a major source of cancer and other severe diseases. Why? Because the animals are fed with chemicals so that they can become fat and give more flesh to the greedy butcher. So when you eat these things, you become liable for diseases as you get older. Then of course, because you violate the laws of God, you become liable for punishment in the hellish planets for having eaten animals. And when you get addicted to sinful activities like gambling, Gambling casinos are generally addicted, full of sinful activities, and then one gets forced into these sinful activities that we have briefly discussed. So that is why Krishna says happiness in the mode of passion is that which in the beginning may give you nectar, but in the end it gives you pain. Therefore we advise people to stay out of this happiness in the mode of passion. What is the use of drinking something from a golden pot if inside the golden pot there is poison. So unfortunately today society is in a position where it wants to engage in activities that in the beginning appear sweet but in the end are bitter like poison. Then Krishna explains happiness in the mode of ignorance. So Krishna says happiness in the mode of ignorance is that which from beginning to end is accompanied by laziness. In other words, One has no— one makes no endeavors, sleeps a lot, is lazy, and never investigates about the mission of life. But a person in the mode of ignorance, in the happiness, says, actually, from beginning to end is nothing but distress. They just sleep all day. Like today is Sunday. Of course, many of you all are— all of you who are here have some interest in spiritual life, but there are many people who just sleep all day Saturday, Sunday, go to sleep Friday night, get up Monday morning. Yes, it's a fact. You may not believe it, but it's so. I've heard this from many people. But because you people are in goodness, you have— you don't associate with people in ignorance. But those who are in passion, they associate with ignorance. So these are briefly the 3 types of happiness that Krishna explains in the 18th chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. Now I had told you at the inception that there's a 4th type of happiness, but which Krishna doesn't discuss. But which we will explain to you. That is happiness in the more— in the stage of pure goodness. That is known in Sanskrit as shuddha-sattva. Shuddha-sattva is the stage where one only has one mission in life, that is to serve the Lord from morning to night. Goodness is sat of good. Now, no doubt goodness is superior to passion and ignorance, but Krishna explains in the Bhagavad Gita that it's all— as long as one remains in the influence of the modes, there's always a competition going on between the three modes for, for supremacy. And because there's competition going on, at times the mode of goodness wins, at times passion, at times ignorance. Actually, the living entity is transcendental. He should technically have nothing to do with the material modes, but because he's come to the material world, he becomes a victim of these modes. In other words, modes also indicates different types of natures that people have. So there are different types of nature that we all know from our dealings with others that people have different types of nature. Some have nature, the more of goodness, some passion, some ignorance. Goodness, thou superior, is not the ultimate goal of life. Higher than this, as we said, is Sudha Sattva, the stage of pure goodness. In goodness, what happens? A certain period in time, a person is motivated by goodness. But then, because he's not purely situated on the mission of the Lord, he becomes a victim of the senses and he gets carried away by sense desires. Now, as we said, everybody is searching for happiness. The dog and the cat are searching for happiness. The cat is very happy when it finds milk in the kitchen and no one's in the house. So human beings are also looking for happiness. Krishna says, okay, even if you want material happiness, At least come to the level of goodness. Don't be situated in passion and ignorance, because at least if you follow goodness, you can get a human birth. But Krishna also offers a higher avenue. Krishna does say in the Bhagavad Gita, sarva-dharma-paritaja mām ekaṁ śannām rājā, aham tvam sarva-pāpa-vayo mokṣavya māso caḥ. Give up all varieties of religiousness and just surrender unto me, and I will protect So that is pure goodness. Kṛṣṇa says, you follow my path and I will protect you. Just like the insurance company tells you, you pay so much premium and then we'll give you so much compensation. You have a currency note, the currency note, note, the currency note tells you, pay on demand to the bearer, 100 rubles or 200 rubles or whatever. You have an airline ticket, the ticket tells you, from Tashkent to Moscow. So you have confidence that if you have a seat, you can get on the plane. So Krishna says, surrender to me and I will protect you. Now, if we analyze carefully, we will see we don't have too many choices. Either we surrender to Krishna or we surrender to our mind and senses. If we surrender to our mind and senses, we will be carried into sinful activities. But if you surrender to Krishna, then you will be protected. Krishna is full, complete in all respect, but Krishna is hungry of only one thing: the devotion of His devotee. In other words, Krishna is anxious that all of us establish a relationship with Him because we are all part and parcel of the Lord. Just like the hands part of the body, every living entity is part and parcel of the Supreme Father. In this garden where we are sitting, there are so many green leaves. Now anybody knows, as long as the leaf is part of the tree, the leaf will look fresh. But the moment the leaf falls from the tree, it loses its appeal. As long as the sparks are in the fire, they have effulgence. But when the sparks fall on the ground, they have no effulgence left. Tosa prabodha? Vāśastrāna tosa? Okay. So similarly, the living entity being part and parcel of God. When he engages himself in a relationship of serving the Lord, he's happy. But when he acts independent of the directions of the Lord, he becomes like the leaf disconnected from the tree. So pure goodness is that stage where one wants to serve the Lord and one wants to live by the instructions of the Lord. So many times people say, 'Ārjuna was fortunate enough to hear the Gītā from Kṛṣṇa.' But where do we go for guidance? Imaṁ parampara-praptaṁ imaṁ rājaśravidho. This supreme science is coming down through the disciplic succession. So Kṛṣṇa gave this knowledge to, gave this knowledge to Arjuna, and through Arjuna it is coming down through the parampara process. So we receive this knowledge from a bona fide source. A bona fide spiritual master, then we'll understand the true essence of this Vedic knowledge. What is the true essence? You are not this body. In the absence of spiritual knowledge, we all identify with the body, and that is why we are thinking, I am Uzbek, I am this citizen, I am that citizen, I'm from this country, that country. One identifies with the place of birth. When somebody flatters you, you feel very happy. And if somebody insults you, you feel very sad. Somebody says, "Vi ochan kara shochala vek," you're very happy. Someone says, "Vi ochan phloka," then you feel sad. So that is bodily identification. And we think the extensions of the body—wife, children, brother, father, mother—they're all our eternal companions. Krishna says you're not this body. Then who are you? Just like the clothes you wear. They do not represent your real identity. The clothes only cover the body, and like the body, and similarly the body covers the soul. Therefore Krishna says this body is temporary and it passes through 6 stages of development. The flowers you see in the park, they go through 6 stages of development. There is growth, there's birth, growth, maintenance, producing other byproducts, old age, and ultimately the flowers vanish. The Bhagavad-gītā says living entity also goes through 6 stages of development, but there's something in the body that doesn't die. That is the soul. So whether you read the Quran or the Bible or the Vedic scriptures, they all support this point that the soul is eternal, only the body is perishable. And you cannot deny that there's a God in control. Material society is very busy trying to undermine the position of God. Scientists would like us to believe that they can— we can live without God. Few years ago, there was a leading— there's a leading economy magazine in the world called Time magazine. They had a cover story saying, "Is God dead?" How can God die? Don't you see God's creation is working perfectly? Sun rises every day at the right time depending upon the season. The stars and the moon, they all manifest their effulgence. The wind is blowing. Who do you think is running all this? Our atheist friends will say, "Nature." Who is running nature? Just like you see the cars moving on the road, you know they're moving on the road because there's somebody regulating the traffic. So there's somebody regulating this universe. So we must understand our relationship with God. That is the purpose of this Krishna Consciousness movement. So this Krishna Consciousness movement enables everyone to understand the true level of happiness and enables one to understand what his real position is. Because the scriptures say, athāto bhimmajjagyasa— now that you've got this human life, please inquire. Don't misuse it. Don't waste it. Nobody likes to stand in line. In your country, you had the experience of standing in line for everything, but nobody likes it. So do you ever realize how long a line you had to stand in before you got this human body? Thousands of years. And you had to go through all the lower forms of life. So therefore, this human life should Cannot be wasted because the human life is the result of a long evolutionary cycle. Just like we were just hearing next door a dog barking. If we told the animals to come and listen to a lecture, they will not be able to listen even for a second or understand. When an animal crosses the street on a red light, the police doesn't arrest him. But they arrest a human being if he crosses the street on a red light. I see in your country, whenever you're traveling by car, the police stops you to look at your papers. They don't cross, they don't stop the sabaks that are walking on the street. Because human life is a life of responsibility, whereas animal life is not a life of responsibility. So therefore human life should be used to understand our relationship with God. So this Krishna Consciousness movement is educating people to understand the highest philosophy. Krishna Consciousness is presenting an alternative to the present sinful contaminated life. Why are people taking to it? Because it satisfies. We're all looking for satisfaction, but we do not know how to find the satisfaction. The process of chanting the names of God is common to all scriptures because the Lord incarnates in His holy name. So since the Lord incarnates in His holy name, the holy names are non-different from the Lord. And when you chant the holy names of the Lord, you begin to get purified. The Lord incarnated in the form of Caitanya Mahāprabhu about 500 years ago because the Lord incarnates from time to time in different parts of the world to establish the principles of dharma. Sachetananda Mahāprabhu has said very nicely that, "My dear Lord, You're so kind. You have invested all Your transcendental energies in Your holy name, but I am so unfortunate, I have no attraction for Him." So that is a fact. We have a very sublime process available to us, but we're not attracted to it. We're not attracted to it because we're attracted to so many other temporary sensual things. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means investigating the goal of life. Searching for answers to basic questions. Who are you? Where are you coming from? Where are you going to go? Why have you ended up in this prison house? You may say, prison house? Where is the prison house? We just threw away communism. Now we are free. Where is the prison house? Yes, externally it may appear you are free, but we say you are not free and you will never be free. If you are free, stop death, stop old age, Stop disease, stop birth, stop the mind from troubling you, stop the mosquitoes from biting you, stop natural disaster. Can you stop any of these? Is there any political party that says mōjna? Sir, you can't. So where is your freedom? Where is your independence? Where is your so-called enjoyment? How can you enjoy when you're going to fall sick after a few years? How can you go on enjoying your companion when you're going to become old? The desire may be there in your heart, but the organs of the body won't work. You may build a very nice house. When capitalism comes, you'll see how all of you will make nice houses. You won't have those simple houses anymore, and you may get attached to these nice houses. Our spiritual master used to give a story. Once a man had built a very nice house, but then he died. So in his next birth, he became a cobbler. Like in India, you see cobblers, they sit down underneath a tree or in front of someone's house and carry their trade. So that cobbler was sitting down and doing his business in front of the same house that he had built. But his sons were living in that house now. So when he came inside the house, his sons beat him up with shoes and said, "Get out of here, you poor man! This is a house of a rich man, not for pauper like you." So you may be very attached to the house you built. Then in next life you can take your birth in that house, but not as the proprietor, but as a worm in that house. So all material attachments are painful. You give your so-called love to someone, that someone dies or falls sick, don't you cry? So the conclusion is focus your love on Krishna, focus your love on God, where just like with the appearance of the sunshine, everything can be seen in its proper perspective. Just like now it was getting dark and we were not able to see each other clearly, but then they just added the lights and now we can see everyone clearly. So similarly, in the absence of spiritual knowledge, you can't see the various relationships that should exist clearly. But in the presence of spiritual association, you can see all relationships clearly. And in the presence of spiritual association, you are— you get woken up to what is the mission of life. So, ladies and gentlemen, we're very grateful that you heard very patiently for the last hour and a half. I request to all of you is to please take advantage of this great philosophy. This is a philosophy aimed at uniting the whole world. Prabhupada used to say we are the real United Nations because we unite everyone, people of different communities, different nationalities, different ethnic, ethnical background, only on the basis of one common denominator, that is God. And we're serving God means following the principles of purity. So fortunately in Kali Yuga The Lord has presented a very sublime method of self-realization. That is the name, chanting the names of the Lord. So therefore we tell everyone, chant the names of the Lord. Because the Lord has invested, as we explained, all his energies in his holy name. That means when you chant the name of Krishna, God is there. But you and I, or nobody in the world, has the capacity to invest in any name full potency of what the name implies. Just like your best friend may be Alec, but nobody can say, when you say Alec, Alec will manifest. No parliament in the world can say, when you say water, water will manifest itself. No government can say, you don't have to buy product in the store, you just say product and it will manifest on your dining table. Can anyone say, you don't have to work hard now to earn rubles anymore, just say ruble, ruble, ruble and your pockets will become full? Ethanīya mojna. Is it mojna? But when the Lord says, chant the names of the Lord and you'll associate with the Lord, then that is real. That is why people are chanting Hare Krishna since times immemorial. That is why they're feeling satisfaction. To chant the names of the Lord, read the teachings of the Lord as revealed in the scriptures, associate with saintly people, and follow spiritual discipline. So wherever you are, You can perfect your life. You may be a full-time brahmachari or a sannyasi. You may be a family man doing business or a job. You may be a student completing your education. You may be a housewife bringing children, or you may be a babushka or a dadushka. Doesn't matter. Anybody can take to the chanting and work to perfect one's life. It is open to everyone. No entrance fee, no entrance examination, no commitment. Don't like it, give it up. We won't put you in prison if you give it up. But if you like it, then don't give it up and introduce it to your friend also. And that will give you real satisfaction. And this satisfaction is called happiness. And it is this happiness that we are all searching for. So obviously most of you come here are those who are convinced, yes, this is the path. But there are many who are not on this path. Therefore, the business of a spiritualist is to educate everyone to understand the real path of happiness. So please take to this process and be eternally happy. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna. Krishna Krishna. Hare Hare. Hare Hare. Hare Rama. Hare Rama. Hare Rama. Hare Rama. Rama Rama. Rama Rama. Hare Hare. Hare Hare. So, overseas Vaishnavas, okay, I hope you will follow. So your question is very good. Yes, in the material world everyone is cheating everyone. Teachers, teachers teach the students, students cheat the teacher. Teacher goes to teach, why? Because he just wants his salary. He doesn't really care for the welfare of the student. And government cheats the people, people cheat the government. So everyone is cheating everyone. This is material life. And even religious preachers are cheating people. Even if you go to Vrindavan in India, the most sacred place on this planet, in so many religious institutions, their leaders are cheating people. But in ISKCON, we don't believe in cheating because ISKCON is based on purity. Purity means you follow the laws of God as they are spoken. Prabhupada was a pure devotee of the Lord who appeared to save the whole humanity from destruction, and he inspired all of us by his purity. When I met Prabhupada in 1968 in Montreal, I was doing my postgraduate studies in McGill University, Canada. But when I saw Prabhupāda, I could see this man was practicing purity, preaching purity. That is why we all came to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So you can be rest assured that if you follow Kṛṣṇa, you will not be cheated again. Because you were sincerely searching for the absolute truth, ultimately the Lord has brought you to the right point. Lord is in everyone's heart, and in that position He understands everyone's desire. So those who desire to forget the Lord, The Lord will take them to cheaters. Those who want to remember the Lord, the Lord will guide them to the right path. So now y'all can ask questions.

Why sometimes the devotees lose their taste for devotion service?

Acharaśrava. It's a good question because everybody is in danger. Everybody, if he doesn't take precautions, he can lose. You don't lose the taste because the medicine doesn't work, but you lose the taste because the patient doesn't follow the doctor's orders. When you don't, when you do not take the medicine as prescribed by the doctor, that's when you begin to lose taste. But those who take medicine according to prescription, they never lose taste. So if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa regularly, associate with devotees, read, then you will never lose taste.

What does it mean, bogus incarnation?

Bogus incarnation? What does it mean bogus currency? It means currency that is not authorized, isn't it? A bogus incarnation means one who is not real incarnation. And there's so many bogus incarnations everywhere in India and in your country. In your country, there's a new phenomenon, what, a UFO. So people get cheated by these bogus incarnations because they're not sincere. They don't take the trouble to find out the real thing. Therefore, we accept only genuine incarnation on the basis of scriptures. Vāśava Prasāda.

How should we properly chant our japa in order not to fall asleep? I mean, Not too slow, how about the speed of chanting?

Well, japa, you chant like this: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. After the question and answer period, we will all chant japa together. So you can chant at that speed.

I'm just curious about the speed of japa.

Must we chant it in 2 hours or so? Normally it should take 7 to 10 minutes to do one round. Speed is not important. Quality is important. Once there was a father who told the child, chant 16 rounds every day. So the son said, yes, I finished my rounds today. Father said, so quick? How did he chant so fast? Son said, very simple. On the first beat, he chanted the whole mantra. On the other beat, he said, he just said, Toza, Toza, Toza, Toza, and he finished his rounds fast. So we tell people not to chant Toza round.

In the scriptures it said that the Lord incarnates in every yuga in the body of different color, white, red, black, dark, like that. But it said that in Kali Yuga generally it incarnates in the blackish body. But it said that in some special Kali Yugas he incarnates in a body of different color, different tinge. Why? What is special in this Kali Yuga?

This Kali Yuga, there is a special— this Kali Yuga is very special. Why? Because Lord Caitanya has appeared in this Kali Yuga. So Lord Caitanya has appeared in Kali Yuga to present a very sublime method of self-realization. That's the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. So therefore, they say the Lord has appeared as golden in complexion. Yes, Vaprasad.

Yes, that lady. Uh, did I understand correctly that Narada Muni took initiation at 5 years of age?

Narada Muni received spiritual knowledge when he was young. Yes, he was initiated at a young age. Are you being troubled by these things, by these spirits? Well, these spirits are there, but you can free yourself from the influence of these spirits by chanting. Ghosts are there. Ghosts are generally those entities that commit suicide in order to escape their pain, they commit suicide. And so they are struggling to get a human body. They try to attack other people.

It is said that only one who possesses a high intelligence, intellect, can— only he is deserving to become a Brahmana. What does that mean? Can you explain please?

Anyone can become a Brahmana. We don't say you become Brahman only by birth. You become a Brahman by qualification. The qualification is that you must chant and get purified and have spiritual knowledge. This Krishna Consciousness movement is only creating Brahmins. It's designed to create Brahmins. You can also become Brahmin. We'll tell you how to become one. More questions?

I want to change from Tori Bhagavati to English.

Is there any mantra that English I can pray in? Yes, we'll give it to you, but you promise to take it. But you have to take it seriously. And you can even tell the mantra to everyone, no problem. Your memory will improve and everybody else's Chant the Hare Krishna mantra. The Hare Krishna mantra will improve your intelligence and memory. The Hare Krishna mantra takes you away from everything that is bad. Then you only have few things to remember, all good things.

In Śrī Śrīpaniṣād it said that one who develops knowledge, he who does not develop knowledge, he enters into the darkest region of ignorance.

And one who does develop knowledge, he enters into the more Worst situation, that is those who misuse the knowledge, those who take the knowledge and then interpret the knowledge to suit their own nonsense viewpoints. He gets punished, not one who uses his knowledge correctly. Krishna Krishna Hare Hare. Hare Rama Hare Rama. Lama Lama Hare Hare. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna.