BG 2.17 | To Love God Is A Very Unique Privilege | Rus-Split | 18.1.91 | Śrīla Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Goswāmī

Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hare Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Pradhanṣahagana Dhamita Śrī Viśakha Nithyamsa. Yaḥ Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Prahūni Tananda Śrī Advaita Gadaḍa ācivacanidvora bhaktavandaha. Prema Kṛṣṇa! Prema Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Prema! Prema! Prema! Prema! Prema! Ladies and gentlemen, first of all, I would like to welcome all of you to the program this evening. The fact that so many of you have shown up is a clear indication that the spiritual desire is there in your heart. So today we shall speak from the Bhagavad Gītā as it is. The Bhagavad Gītā represents The words of the Supreme Lord. Krishna, the Krishna consciousness movement is presenting this very ancient philosophy that was spoken millions of years ago so that people can take advantage of this philosophy and determine what should be done, what should not be done. The basic problem in society in every corner of the planet is only one. We are turning away from the words of the Supreme Lord, and as a result, we are virtually destroying ourselves. All of you are probably aware of the war that is going on in the Gulf. Now, when we talk about destruction, we don't necessarily mean destruction through nuclear weapons, but destruction even through sinful activities that are detrimental to our happy existence. We in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement follow the Vedic scriptures, which are the oldest scriptures or books of knowledge available on this planet. Some of you have probably heard of the word Veda. The word Veda means knowledge. At one time, the Vedic culture existed on, in every corner of this planet. I have a friend in India, PRASAD RAVAL, who is a PhD from Moscow University and the head of the Russian Language Department in Punjab University, and he is now compiling a book that will show that the Vedic culture also existed in your country thousands of years ago. The Vedic culture presents laws for entire mankind. In the present setup around the world, You may have the local Leningrad City Council that makes laws for the city of Leningrad. Then you may have the council for the Republic of Russia that makes laws for the Russian Republic. Then you may have councils that make laws for the entire Soviet Union. And then you may have United Nations that make laws for different countries. But there are also laws made by the Supreme God or Supreme Lord, and these are known as laws of religion. So the words of God can be found in the major real scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita, the Bible, the Quran. We follow the Bhagavad Gita, which presents the summary of the Vedas and which is, as I said, the oldest known scripture on this planet. Now this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken 5,000 years ago by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. Actually, the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gītā is at least 2 million years old. Now I will read one verse in Sanskrit language and then read the translation and the explanation to that verse and comment on that verse. There are many words in the Russian language that are derived from Sanskrit. There are many words that are common with Sanskrit. Would you like to repeat the Sanskrit words of this verse after me? Sanskrit is a very old language. It is called the mother of all languages by all the linguists. You want to try? If you do nicely, then we'll give you a certificate that you're a Sanskrit graduate. So you can try repeating. Abhinashi. Abhinashi. You. You. Tat. Tat. Vedi. Vedi. Eena. Eena. Avant. Avant. Idam. Idam. Tatam. Tatam. Vinasham. Vinasham. Avyayasyasya. Avyayasyasya. Nam. Nam. Ashtey. Ashtey. Was it difficult? Now I will repeat the same thing in a little fast melody, okay? I can see that many of you have been able to follow. Sounds very nice. So in this verse, the Supreme Lord is explaining that in the body there is the presence of the soul. Materialists do not like to admit that there is a soul in the body. They get scared of thinking that there may be something in the body which does not die with the termination of the body. Because if there is something that lives on, then there is a possibility of reward and punishment. And because they are on the wrong path and punishment is going to be there, so they console themselves by saying there is no soul. Everything ends with the destruction of the body. Does not matter which scripture you follow, this principle is supported in all the scriptures, that the soul is eternal and the body is perishable. The Vedic scriptures clearly explain that this body which you and I have, which is nothing but a combination of different elements like earth, water, fire, air, ether, These are known as the gross elements, and then there are 3 subtle elements that we can't see: mind, intelligence, and false ego. So this body is nothing but a combination of these different elements. So this body goes through 6 stages of development, and regardless of whether you're born in Leningrad or Moscow or Tashkent or Bombay or New York, Everybody's body goes through these 6 stages of development. The first stage of development is known as birth, and then the next stage is growth. Then there is maintenance, like at a certain age the body stops to grow. Then this production of byproducts, like a man and woman get together and they have children, and then it begins to get old., and finally it disappears through the medium of death. So these 6 stages of development have to be encountered by everyone. While the body is changing, there is something that does not change, and that something is known as, as you see in Russian, Dusha. So the soul doesn't change. The soul is eternal. Krishna explains, for the soul there is never birth, nor death, nor having once lived does he ever cease to live. The soul cannot be seen with our material eyes. You cannot cut it, you cannot dry it, you cannot burn it, you cannot wash it, you cannot push it with the wind. And what is the measurement of the soul? 10,000th of the tip of your hair. Now you may want to say, what is the proof that there is a soul? And you must demand the proof. We don't want you to accept anything blindly. So the proof that there is a soul is consciousness. As long as the soul is there in the body, there is consciousness all over your body. And because there is consciousness all over your body, your body can talk, walk, and act in many different ways. And the moment the soul leaves the body The body becomes useless, dead. So you can see how powerful the soul is. By no— there's no material instrument which can help you to see the soul. Now, the soul is eternal. You can look at a picture of yourself, say, when you were a young child of 2 or 3. Now, when you look in your photo album that shows your pictures of the past, You always say, "Oh, this is I when I was 2, 3, 4, 10, 15." On what basis do you say this is I when I was 2 or 3 or 4? Your body looks completely different. So how do you say this is I when I was 2 or 3? Is there anyone in the audience who would like to tell me on what basis can you say that this is I when I was 2 or 3 when your body today looks completely different? Can you help me, madam? Anyone from the audience? Memory. Okay, one answer, memory. Any other answers? Who said dusha? Yes, the soul was there in the body before and the soul is there now. Therefore, even though the appearance of your body has changed, you still conclude this is I. So that I that you talk about all the time Refers to your soul, not your body. Because the body eye is changing every day in appearance, but the soul, ya, eye does not change. So this point that the soul is eternal is also supported in the Bible. The Bible says, what will you do if you gain the whole world but suffer the loss of your eternal soul? So understanding the difference between Body and soul formulates the first step in spiritual knowledge. Just like you teach your children how to write ABCD, so you start spiritual knowledge with education on who you are. Now it is not difficult to see that without the soul we have no purpose. Without the soul we become useless. When the soul leaves the body Everybody begins to cry. In all cultures around the world, when a man dies, everybody comes and cries. Nobody comes and laughs. Even in your culture, when people die, they wear black suits to show that they are mourning. When people die, they say, "He is gone." If the body is still there, then why are you crying? Where has he gone? The body is there in front of you. Why do you say he has gone away? So obviously there's something which is gone. That is why even though, even though your wife or father or husband's body is next to you, you don't want it to be next to you anymore. And that something is the soul. So since the soul is eternal, the next question is what happens to the soul at the end of this body? It's a very logical question. So the Vedic scriptures explain That based upon our activities, our next life is decided. You may say, "Our next life? You mean there are many different types of life? You mean that besides this human life, there are also other species of life that have a soul? You mean I may have to take my birth outside of Leningrad in some other country?" Yes, you may. You may not only have to take your birth out of Leningrad, you may have to take your birth in a completely different species of life. Because there are 8,400,000 different species of life, out of which only 400,000 species represent human species. There are species that live in water, there are species that live on land but cannot move, there are species that fly in the sky like birds, there are species that belong to the insect category, those that belong to the animal category, and then the human category. Nearly 2 million species that belong to the earth but cannot move, like trees, vegetables, flowers, etc. There are nearly a million species that belong to the insect category, 1.1 million species that belong to the bird category, and 3 million species that belong to the animal category, and only 400,000 that belong to the human category. So you can see that this bull— human bull that you have You've got after such a long struggle. It is not that every body or every birth you take is going to be a human birth or it was a human birth. Having gone through these other species of life, you finally get a human birth. And what is the special significance of this human birth? To establish a relationship with God. You may say, why? What is the importance of God consciousness? To love is normal, isn't it? Almost all the songs you hear on the radio around the world are based on one theme: love, love, love, love, love. But people do not know whom to love. The so-called love that exists in the material world is unfortunately not love. People get married today, pose in front of photographs, and they wear nice dresses, and they get greeted by everyone. And next day they end up in the divorce court. You have family members in the house, you bring up the children, but when they get old, they go their ways, you go your ways. So to love God is a very unique privilege. After all, who can be greater than God? Have you ever tried to analyze His creation, the nature, natural creation of the Lord? Do you really think any scientist can manufacture a bulb that is as powerful as the sun? Do you think any management system can be so perfect that nature will work perfectly? For example, the sun has been rising and setting every day accurately since the beginning of creation. Have you ever read in your history books that one day, once upon a time, the sun did not rise, or it was 5 minutes late to work? Do you have any scientist that can manufacture a flower as beautiful as this flower, as these flowers you see here? Do you have any scientist that can manufacture something like a human body? Do you have any scientist that can manufacture something like Mother Earth, where you just put a seed and a tree grows? The answer is no. Only one scientist, that is Krishna or God. So God is without doubt the greatest personality to exist. Just by saying, just to say there is no God, or we don't believe in God, or God is for the coward people, doesn't mean that God doesn't exist. So God exists, God has always existed, and he will always exist. He is our eternal Father, our well-wisher, one who really cares for us. One who wants us to be happy. But we are the rebellious children of God who don't care for what he says. And because we do not care, we are just foolishly making our own decisions which are destructive. So human life is meant for self-realization. Human life is a life of importance. Human life has a purpose. Human life is a life of responsibility. If a dog crosses the street on a red light in Leningrad, The Malaysia will not give him a ticket. But if a human being crosses the street at the red light, you will get stopped by the police in one second. The government in any country does not pass laws for the animals, but they do pass laws for human beings. So we just gave you these few basic examples to show that even in our day-to-day life, human life is considered to be a life of responsibility. So your responsibility starts with first understanding your duties towards the Supreme Father. Kṛṣṇa points out in the Bhāgavad-gītā that basically in material existence there is nothing but suffering. Some of you may think that all the suffering of the world is only in Leningrad, or some of us may think it is only in Moscow, or only in Bombay or Delhi, but suffering is there all over the planet. Basically, this suffering is realized in 7 different forms. We falsely think that money can buy happiness. We falsely think that if we change our situation, we'll become happy. We falsely think that the grass is greener on the other side. Now we will examine the different types of miseries that everyone has to face, whether you're the richest man or the poorest man. Our first encounter with misery is when we take birth. Because when the child comes out of the mother's womb, the child is always crying. You don't cry when you're happy, you cry when there's suffering. So the child is crying because in the mother's womb the child was in a very painful, uncomfortable position. And because the child was in a painful, uncomfortable position When it comes out of the mother's womb, it comes out crying. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 3rd Canto, there is a very detailed explanation of how the child evolves in the womb of the mother and how the child is constantly feeling pain when he is in the mother's womb. Those who maintain that the child in the womb does not have life are criminals. Those who maintain That the children can be slaughtered in the form of abortion, and only when the child comes out of the mother's womb can he not be killed. Do not understand the laws of God. So the law of God states that the soul enters into the womb of the female at the time of conception. So because the Dussha is there, therefore in the mother's womb also The child evolved from a small piece to a small body with different parts. Then misery is encountered in the form of old age. Ask any old person, "Do you want old age or youth?" Everybody will say, what will they say? They will say, "Yes, youth." If the scientist came out with a formula, then you can switch your old age for youth. Everybody would try to switch their old age for youth. Just like these days, you know, using the advancement of medical science, now you can transplant kidneys and livers and so many parts of the body. So now all the rich people in America and all whose kidneys are not working, they come to poor countries like India and they buy the kidneys from poor people. So this has become big business in third world countries. Selling parts of your body to rich people for a high price. So if anyone offers the technology that you can switch your old age with youth, nobody will become old. Everybody will try to buy youth. Of course we try to avoid the appearance of old age as much as we can. Therefore people do makeup to avoid the wrinkles on— to avoid showing the wrinkles on their cheeks. They try to dye their hair. To avoid the appearance of white or grey hair. So old age is painful. In old age, the different parts of the body refuse to cooperate. The different parts of the body say, "Now I have served you enough. Now I am not going to serve your desires anymore." Then there is disease. Does not matter how much advancement science may make, basically the diseases cannot be avoided. The hospital may give you free medicine, You may have free polyclinic doctors in every corner of your city, but they don't guarantee you no pain. The pain you have to experience, even if you get free medicine. And then there is death. And then there is the problem of the mind. Mind is always troubling us. Am I right? Doesn't the mind trouble you in many ways? Let's be honest. You probably can't even imagine how many ways the mind is troubling you. One way the mind troubles you is that unlimited desires in the mind. And you want all these desires to be fulfilled. Everybody wants to be rich with 2 or 3 cars. Everyone wants to have enough money so they can fly all over the world whenever he wants. Everyone would like to live like he sees in the Hollywood movies. So that's one way your mind troubles you. The mind is always saying, "Look at that person. He has so much, you have nothing." Then his so-called loved ones, when they go away, Then your mind again troubles you, "Oh, so-and-so has gone away." Then there are natural disasters like earthquake, floods, drought. No one can imitate the laws of God. Just like about 20 years ago, there was an American company that had promised that they would produce rain from artificial clouds, but they were totally unsuccessful. Then there are other entities who are troubling you. Even the mosquito reserves the power to disturb your sleep in the night. Other human beings who serve you. So basically Krishna is saying, dukhalayam, this everything is temporary in the material world. And then another characteristic or feature of material life is everything is temporary. You are beautiful today, but there's no guarantee you'll be beautiful tomorrow. You're healthy today, but you're not going to be healthy tomorrow. You're famous today, but tomorrow They may throw stones at your picture. You're rich today, tomorrow you may become a pauper. So you must realize that everything is temporary. So realizing that everything is temporary, realizing that there's no real happiness, why don't we search for a path which offers you happiness? And the path which offers you happiness is obviously the spiritual path. When we talk about spiritual path There's a tendency for people to get frightened, frightened, scared, because obviously everyone is not ready for complete renunciation. Whereas people think, oh, if I take a spiritual life, I may have to go in for heavy renunciation, so it is better I remain on my sinful path. Now that was one variant. Another variant to spiritual thought is Okay, I will take the spiritual life, I will go to the church every week, but I will still do whatever I want. After all, God has created everything for our enjoyment. Just like these days, for example, everyone knows that in your country now there is religious freedom, and because there is religious freedom, therefore we have the honor of speaking to you in this public hall today. So people are becoming religious, more and more people are going to the churches, etc. But we have to go to the church, but we have to follow the laws of God. If we don't follow the laws of God, then what is the value of being religious? Just like if I say I'm a citizen of a particular country and I love that country. So if I love the country, then I must follow the laws of the government. Then I'm considered to be a good citizen. Not if you don't follow the laws, then you're considered to be a good citizen. The Vedic scriptures, however, explain that spiritual life can be practiced in all situations. In other words, to practice spiritual life, you don't have to necessarily renounce your professional career. You don't have to renounce your family time. You don't have to renounce your work, but what you have to renounce is your false sense of proprietorship. In other words, you have to change your consciousness or purify your consciousness. Just like these days in many parts of the world, they have water filters. So before people drink water, they filter their water to purify it. You have water filters in Dhanigad also? So what you have to do is filter your consciousness. That's all. Just filter your consciousness and you will become on the right path. So what does it mean to filter your consciousness? Give up the impurities. Just like when you are suffering from a disease and you go to the doctor. You go to the doctor and tell him, "Why did I get this disease again and again?" And then the doctor analyzes your habits and tells you, "Oh, this is what you should give up, this is what you should adjust, and then you will not get disease." So what we have to do is give up our sinful activity. What is the definition of sinful activity? Law activities against the laws of God. There must be purity in the execution of our life. Then you can be, then you can develop love of God. And the relationship with Bhagavan is so sweet that it will give you so much happiness that you will conclude that the so-called happiness that you are attracted to was just due to your ignorance and foolishness. Just like in darkness, you cannot see anything clearly, but when the sun rises in the morning, everything becomes clear. Because we have the existence of electricity, you and I can see each other at the moment, but should there be no electricity, we will not be able to see each other. So spiritual knowledge explains How you should conduct your life. And just like you go to university or school and you read the textbooks with the help of a teacher, you also need a teacher to read the spiritual textbooks. And those spiritual textbooks are known as the scriptures. So the sinful activities that we recommend that everyone should avoid are no meat, fish, and eggs. I understand that there is a big meat shortage in your country. We think that is very healthy. Then, no taking of intoxication. Your President has said many times that people must stop drinking, reduce their drinking, or stop drinking vodka. The President of the United States is always telling his Americans, "Stop taking drugs," because America is taking so much of drugs now. So we recommend no intoxication at all. No gambling. And they must be in human society, the institution of marriage must be respected. Now the important point is that without changing your activity, you change your consciousness. And this change of consciousness is realized by chanting the names of the Supreme Lord. Just like I could see when I came in, all of you were enjoying the kīrtan that was going on. If we had a disco band playing, you wouldn't enjoy to the same extent. Because you could feel the spiritual vibration. The spiritual vibration was being felt because they were chanting the names of God. There is a big difference between the names of God and ordinary names. In an ordinary name, it is different from the substance. Just to give you a simple example, suppose you are thirsty and you say, "Water, water, water." Just by saying, "Water, water, water," your thirst will not be quenched. Suppose you go to work. I'm sure, I'm sorry, all of you do go to work. But suppose your boss says, "Rubul, rubul, rubul," but doesn't give you the paycheck. You will not be satisfied. Will you be satisfied? No. Because there is difference between name and substance. But in the case of God, there is no difference between His name and Himself. So when you chant the bona fide names of God, then that chanting Cleanses the heart of the unlimited material desires that are preventing you from accepting God's message as a way of life. Love God's way as a way of life. Just like if you have cataract, then even though you have eyes, the cataract will obstruct your vision. But if you get the cataract operated, then you become normal. So we have to get our heart operated. We are all suffering from heart disease, but our heart disease is in the form of unlimited material desires that are always troubling us. So by chanting the names of the Lord, the heart's material desires are checked, and you will feel great satisfaction. This is not a new technique. This is the oldest technique on this planet for finding happiness. Since millions, since millions of years, this technique is being presented. That is the technique of glorification of God through chanting His holy name. So the Vedic scriptures recommend, chant the names of the Lord to find happiness and peace of mind. And this point is also supported in the Bible where it is said, thou shall always chant the names of the Lord. So our request to all of you who have taken the trouble to come here for the program today is to please dedicate yourself to the teachings of the Lord. We all have to follow someone. So why not follow the Supreme Master, the Supreme Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa, who will never let us down. Who will never deceive us and who is really our well-wisher. You can stay where you are, keep doing your job, stay with your family, wherever you are. All you have to do is purify your consciousness or purify your habits. Give up the bad habits and take on good habits. And what is going to be the result of leading a purified life? You will find unlimited happiness. You will become peaceful. You will become content, satisfied. You will be assured of a bright future. At least you will get a human birth, and if you are purified completely, then you can go back to the kingdom of God where there is nothing but happiness. We in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement follow the Vedic scriptures, and the Vedic scriptures are so vast and detailed that even if you were to read every day of your life, You cannot read a fraction of these Vedic scriptures before you leave this body. So instead of reading the vast Vedic scriptures, we have the summary which is there in the Bhagavad Gita, which is also known as the Song of God, which explains in detail the philosophy of human life. So I request all of you is to investigate this philosophy. Try the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra. If you don't want to chant the Hare Krishna mantra, chant any other bona fide names of God. But chant the names of God, live by the scriptures, and see for yourself how you will be happy and peaceful. This is not a 20, 30, 40, 50, 80-year-old philosophy. This philosophy is thousands of years old. In English language they say, "Old is gold." So who doesn't want gold for free? So this is yours, so take it. You can have it, but you just have to make some endeavor. We feel that all of you are very intelligent and sincere. Therefore you are here. We don't want to cheat you by presenting some false path of happiness. We want to present the real path of happiness, and the real path of happiness is the path of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Chant the names of Kṛṣṇa, read the philosophy spoken by Kṛṣṇa, take advantage of spiritual association as much as you can, and stay where you are and achieve the goal of life. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Prasad RAVAL. So usually after we finish our lectures, we invite people to ask questions. And you can ask any type of question. You don't have to worry about being polite to the speaker. You can challenge anything that we have said, and we will try our best to satisfy you. I know the people of your country are very inquisitive, especially on philosophical issues. So we will try our best to take care of your philosophical questions. Okay, Papros, what are the sheets of paper that came out? We are going to take down the name of everyone who asks a question, and at the end we will judge the 2 best questions or the 3 best questions and give those, the winners, 3 honorable prizes. I do that in my lectures everywhere, so I said we can do it here also, especially in India. Okay, but I'm afraid there'll be so many questions, we may be here all night. I have this question from this gentleman. Okay, what was the question? Okay, good question. There is one supreme God and the other are demigods or ministers, just like you have one president and many ministers. So Kṛṣṇa is like the president, and the other demigods like Śiva and all are like ministers. So we are just going to take 2 questions from the audience, and then we are going to take the questions from the sheets, and then we are going to go back to the audience. This gentleman and this gentleman. First, sir. You said about the size of soul, but where is it situated in the body? Okay. The soul is sitting in the heart. Just like I am sitting on this seat, the soul is sitting on the heart. So you may say that these days the scientists are able to transplant the heart. So does that mean that the soul also gets transplanted? No, the soul does not get transplanted because the heart is only the seat. Just like I am sitting on this seat, if you give me another seat, I will sit in that seat. What difference does it make to me? Okay. I will be sitting. Very happy to meet you. I'm playing trompete, piano, accordion. Yeah, I want, um, Kalashok. I understand. Do it, no problem, do it. It's a very noble idea to play the Hare Krishna melody through your musical instrument. Our only request is that if you want to become a very famous— do you want to become a very famous musician? Would you like to become as famous as George Harrison or the Beatles? Yes. Then, then please listen. Okay, then there's one thing you have to do. Start chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. George Harrison started chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and he became very famous. And then you can compose music for your instrument also. Quick, next question. Now we're taking the question from here and then we will come to you, sir. So the question is, is that Kṛṣṇa consciousness better than Orthodox Church? Okay, so we are not here to tell you that this religion is better or that religion is better. Religion means love of God and giving up your love for sinful activities. One person wanted to know, why should you accept Krishna consciousness over the Orthodox Church? So we are saying, if you accept Krishna consciousness, you will at least have the association of devotees who are practicing a path of purity and thereby they inspire you to also follow purity. If the other churches, etc., follow the path of purity, then there is no problem. But these days people are so intoxicated they can't even understand what purity means. Okay, next question. Is it possible to unite religions on the basis of Vedic knowledge into some Whose question is this? Name is not there. Well, people haven't given their names. When you give your question on the sheet of paper, you should write your name also. So one question was, is it possible to unite all religions on the basis of Vedic knowledge? Yes, of course it is possible. One God, Kṛṣṇa. One mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa. One scripture, Bhāgavad-gītā. We can unite. The Vedic scriptures are very broad. They give very detailed information. And of course, If we accept the Vedic teachings, then everyone can be united. Okay, go on. Go on to the other sheets, man. Of course, when you see something wrong, it is your business to try and stop it. But the way to stop it is by spiritual education. When you see some evil in society and you just close your eyes to it, then that is foolishness. The business of a spiritualist is to speak the truth in all situations. But today, because the spiritualists are themselves corrupted, They don't have the strength to speak the truth. Like these days it is very common, even the religious priests, they take wine and they do so many other nonsense activities that I don't want to discuss in public. Next. So the disciplic succession from the knowledge went from Kṛṣṇa to Brahmā. Brahmā is the creator, the engineer of this universe. Brahmā was inspired in the heart with spiritual knowledge, and he got inspired with spiritual knowledge because he practiced austerity for thousands of years. And then from Narada to Vyāsa, the disciplic succession has come down to Ācīya Bhaktivedānta Swāmī Prasāda RAVAL. He is the Founder-Ācārya of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Next. Okay, tell the question in microphone. English, you tell me. Okay, English. Kṛṣṇa can do anything. Why should Kṛṣṇa destroy the soul? There is nothing that Kṛṣṇa cannot do. He is a Superman. He can do it. He can create the whole show. He can do anything. He is a real Superman. The other Supermen are imitators. He lifted a hill which was 14 miles long with the nails of the smallest finger of his left hand. Kṛṣṇa, when he was 5 years old, he lifted a giant mountain with the nails of the— It's not easy to read everyone's handwriting, especially in Russian language. Even for Russians, it takes time to read. The Christians may say, This is the only way. But no religious prayer. But we say that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the way that can give you the highest result. But if you don't want to accept it, then you can accept some other path also. The important thing is not that you are a Christian or a Hindu or a Muslim or a Jew. The important thing is that you give up your sinful activities and try to develop love of God. Just like when you have fire in the house, You just telephone the fire brigade and tell them, please send the firemen. You don't phone and tell them, please only send me Russian Orthodox Church firemen. When you are sick, you go to a doctor. Do you say, I will only go to the doctor who is from Leningrad or Russian Republic? You are ready to go to any doctor that can cure you of the disease. So it does not matter whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian. But develop love of God and give up sinful activities. That is important. First question: What do you think of Sahaja Yoga and Christianity? Whose question is that? Oh, can you define what you mean by Sahaja Yoga? She wants to ask you. Huh? She wants to ask you. You want to ask me? I have never heard of Sahaja Yoga before. So there are so many parts of yoga, but the most important part of yoga is Bhakti Yoga. Bhakti Yoga is the yoga of loving God as the person. So all these other soap form yogas, you have to see whether it is according to scriptures or not. So I cannot comment on Sahaja Yoga taught by Nirmala Devi because I have never studied her teaching, but I can just say it is definitely not according to the Gita. Next. Actually, there is austerity everywhere. You may think you have problems in Soviet Union, but I can assure you there are problems everywhere. I was in America and Canada last month, and even over there people are crying. The price of petrol, benzene, benta, by 10 cents a gallon or something in America, and people are angry, why did the price go up? So therefore Kṛṣṇa has descended, not only in your country, but in every country of the world to guide people. And that is through the form of this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement. So this Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Movement is spreading Kṛṣṇa's message in every part of the world. To save the suffering souls. So Krishna has descended to save people from suffering. Whose question was that? Your question. Very good. What's your name, sir? Okay, next. Come on, let's go next. Quick, quick. Uh, you, you are saying that Krishna was child, and but who was, who were his parents? Krishna was— Krishna is God. In a way, he has no parents. But Kṛṣṇa lets his devotees play the role of father, mother, and his brother, and so on. So Mother Yāsodā and Nāṇḍa Mālāj were his father, were his parents. They were the ones who brought him up. But then there was Vāsudeva and Devakī who gave him birth. So I cannot comment on what Christ said because Christ was a great, great personality, a son of God. I will just tell you what our explanation of the scriptures is. In order to enter into kingdom of God, you have to become completely pure. You have to give up your impurities. Otherwise you don't get qualified to enter the kingdom of God. What's the other part of the question? Just I'm just saying, kingdom of God, how come it became— Kingdom of God is where Kṛṣṇa resides, Goloka Vṛndāvana, where there is no misery, where everyone is happily situated in serving God. Heavenly planets are where you can go, stay for some time, but if you don't take to further purity, then go to America and again you come back. How many questions? Should we answer all the questions? Then we may be here all night. I don't care. I hope you, you people don't get tired. Okay, we'll go on for 10 more minutes. Quick, quick. The impersonal concept of God is inferior to the personal concept of God. Bible also says man is made in God's image. God has a form. So those who believe in impersonal Brahman don't understand the greatness of God. This gentleman has a question. He has his hands up for a long time. Okay, please ask your question. Approach. This is part of the question, my Lord. The first is, I have seen his— Sit down. Baniyat ka priyārī. Okay. No, I can't stand it. I have seen— has his material, uh, cause, but, uh, and it means that the universe also has its material cause, but what— but before, it was just big explosion, there wasn't anything, but then what was the, you know, cause of primal force? Who is the cause of this creation? Prana. Okay, pick up. Quiet means pick up. Okay, so the question as we understand is who is the cause of this creation. So if all of you can stop smiling, then I will begin to reply. Okay, sorry. So the cause of this creation, of course, is Krishna. Question is, why did the creation take place? This creation is nothing but like a prison house. I'm sure in Leningrad you also have prison houses. And who's kept in the prison house? The criminals. So we are all criminals who are living in the material world. In God's kingdom only everyone can engage in glorification of God. And if you want to become envious of God or like be God's competitor, try and draw like God, Then you have to get out and come to the material world to try and experience enjoyment. And the material world has been— is an opportunity for us to try and enjoy, but there is no enjoyment. Okay, next question is not very clear. Obviously, till you don't have spiritual guidance, you do not know what is the purpose of life. But once you have spiritual guidance, then you know the purpose of life. So what is needed is our approaching of bona fide spiritual authority for guidance regarding the purpose of life. And there's no question of committing suicide or ending your life because we have no right to end this life. Okay, so friends, now choose two best questions. So I understand that we are getting very late. Of course, your devotees have— I think we have a program over here again tomorrow, dātra, isn't it? Tomorrow we have the program again at 3 o'clock. So I want to request all of you to please come again tomorrow, and we will discuss a completely different aspect of our philosophy tomorrow. Now, while the judges select the two best questions, I want— I have a small request to make to all of you. For a few minutes, we can chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra japa mālā together. I'm not saying kirtan, I'm saying japa mala. So we can do that for 2 or 3 minutes together, and then my request would be that you please cultivate this habit of chanting this mantra wherever you may be, whenever you can. I have a question to all of you. Will you give me the honest reply, yes or no? If you say you will give me honest reply, only then I will ask you the question. So what is the answer? Your silence is confusing. You want happiness or you want misery? You only have misery, so there's no question of wanting misery. The question is, you want happiness? Da, unni hai. Do you want peace of mind? Da, ji hai. Do you want security? Do you want a bright future? Do you want to pay currency to get all this? In near. Are you ready to pay in ruble for it? Near. Okay, okay, no problem. Are you ready to accept in formula free? Special concession only for today. Only today it is free. Tomorrow you have to pay in currency. So y'all are ready for that? Okay, so we will give you that secret formula. That is chanting of the names of Kṛṣṇa. There are millions of mantras in the Vedic scriptures, but the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra has a special place. It is number one, very. So chant these names. In these, in the Hare Kṛṣṇa chant, there are 16 words which run as follows: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Hare, Hare, Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma, Rāma, Hare, Hare. It means, "Oh God!" Kṛṣṇa and Rāma are the names of God. So it means, "Oh God, please engage me in service to You. Please save me." Is that difficult? Nia. Nia toorma. Okay. So now we can all chant together for a few minutes. Okay? Have you understood the words of the chant? So now when we chant, I want to request that the temple devotees don't chant. Because we want the, our guests to chant very enthusiastically. If you chant, their voice will be drowned out. We want all our guests to be very enthusiastic in chanting, okay? So we will chant together for a few minutes, okay? So you can repeat along with me the chanting. Even if you make mistake in pronunciation, don't worry. That is not important. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Me! Hare Krishna— Hare Rama! Hare Rama! Rama-Rama-Hari-Kṛṣṇa—Hare Kṛṣṇa! Krishna-Kṛṣṇa! Hari-Krīṣṇa! Hare Rāma! Hare Rāma! Rāma-Rāma-Hari-Krīṣṇa—Hare Kṛṣṇa! Hari-Krīṣṇa! Krishna-Krīṣṇa! Krishna-Krīṣṇa! Hari-Gauri... Hare Nāmaharirāmaharaḍharmadhaman Giri-grihi... Harikrishna-hari-kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa krishnabhūdi giri-guhye nāmam hari-rāma rāma-rama hari-gori... Hari Krishṇa harī kiśṇa kiśṇa kiśṇabhuji guhye namaha ri-ra-ma ramam grihegrihe... Hari Kišṇa hare kiśṇa kiśṇakṛṣṇabhūdhi giri-guhye nama'ha ri-gorin. Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare. So I have to thank all of you for chanting so enthusiastically. All of you were so absorbed in the chanting that you were about to It looked that you all were all in complete spiritual ecstasy. Is that right? Were you not feeling high? Were you not feeling satisfied? So you can see spiritual life is very simple. There's no magic involved. We're not trying to brainwash you. We're not trying to cheat you. We're just telling you what is in the scriptures. You can try it for yourself and see. If you like it, take it. If you don't like it, you can drop it at any time. There's no commitment. There's no nothing. Nothing to worry about, okay? So all of you are going to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra regularly, every day, for 10 minutes a day. Chant for a month or two and see how happy you will feel. See, all will try it. Well, especially Prasad RAVAL. Okay, so now we give the awards of the two best questions. All the questions were equally good, but still two were slightly better than the others. And we apologize to those devotees, to those members whose questions we could not answer. Due to limitation of time. We will try to do better tomorrow. Okay, give all the awards now. So which is the best question? So call the people so they'll come and take the prize. Okay, so which is the best question? Which is first? What is the question? Another question. What you say? Christians don't judge, but I think there's— I don't understand. She's saying— okay, we'll discuss after. Now you take your award. You can take your award today, we'll discuss tomorrow. You will read it. It's after, it's after. Invite people to tomorrow's