In this lecture, the speaker emphasizes the centrality of authentic disciplic succession (parampara) for receiving unadulterated spiritual instruction. He critiques superficial guru‑disciple relationships and outlines the qualifications of a genuine spiritual master, drawing on Rūpa Gosvāmī’s criteria of control over speech (tavacchavega), mind and anger (manasa‑krodhāvega), life force (jīvavega), and the senses (madāra‑pastāvega). The discourse details how a disciple must constantly beg for spiritual guidance, cultivate mastery over the tongue, mind, belly, and genitals, and transform the mind into a friend through meditation and samādhi. The speaker links these inner practices to the outward mission of preaching: distributing Prabhupāda’s books, chanting, offering prasāda, and deity worship as "weapons" for spreading Krishna consciousness. Determination (uddhṛta) is presented as essential to overcome Maya and fulfill dharma, with vivid analogies of Maya being behind a determined devotee. The talk also highlights the importance of festivals, especially the Narasimha‑marathon, as opportunities to mobilize devotees for outreach. Throughout, the speaker repeatedly calls devotees to actively participate in book distribution, stressing that even brief, consistent effort can save many souls, and that such service aligns with the lineage from Caitanya Mahāprabhu through Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī to A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swāmī Prabhupāda.
Chapters
Like in India, for example, it is very common for everyone to think he has a spiritual master, but actually, the— neither the spiritual master is instructed in giving the rules of parampara, nor is the disciple interested in following. But just as a formality, the disciple accepts a guru. So this rare human body should be utilized for receiving spiritual instructions through the disciplic succession. Krishna says in the Bhāgavad-gītā, evām paramparaprapta-mimāṇ-rājaśrividu. This supreme science as it is, is come down through the disciplic succession. And if one receives the spiritual message without any adulteration or interpretation, then there will be the development of love of God. So in the Vedas, this vast material world is compared to an ocean. And this human body is compared to the boat that can enable you to cross the ocean. And the instructions of the Vedas are compared to the favorable winds that push the boat, that pushes the boat across the ocean. And the spiritual master has been described as the captain of the ship, as the captain of the ship, one who navigates the ship across the ocean. So if one begs for spiritual instructions, if one is anxious to obtain genuine spiritual instructions, and if one takes advantage of these instructions, then one can make spiritual progress. In the material world, generally one is always begging for— what is one begging for? Begging for facilities for sense enjoyment. And therefore, even if one has a spiritual master, or even if one belongs to a so-called religious faith, He's just hoping that he can still go on with sense enjoyment. In the Udaya Śrīmad, Rūpa Gosvāmī has given the qualification of who can become a spiritual master. It is not that just anybody, just to make some money or just to, you know, have some followers, can become a spiritual master. Vācchau vegaṁ manasa-krodhā vegaṁ jīvau vegaṁ madāra-pastā vegaṁ etāṇ. So One who can control the different pushings of the body, he is qualified to make disciples all over the world, according to Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. Tavacchavega means to control the power of speech. The tongue should be used only to glorify the Supreme Lord or activities of the Lord. The devotee never gets tired of glorifying the Lord or activities of the Lord. Because the Lord is inexhaustible and because His names are spiritual, unlike material names, One never gets tired of chanting those names. Just like in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam we see that even though Parīkṣit Mahārāja was fasting to death, still in the 10th canto Parīkṣit Mahārāja begged Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "Please describe further the transcendental glories of the Lord." Vegha means pushing. So the body is always pushing. The senses are always pushing for sense enjoyment. But by engaging in the process of devotional service, one gains the ability to control the pushings of the body. So one controls the tongue, one controls the tendency of the tongue to speak by using the tongue constantly in glorification of the Lord. If the tongue is in control, then manasa-krodhaha-vegam. Manasa-krodhaha means mind and anger. If the tongue is being used to glorify the Lord, then there's a very good chance that the mind will also be used to meditate on the instructions of the Lord and the form of the Lord. So the mind has to be made our friend. In the, in the Bhagavad-gītā, 6th chapter, we see that Kṛṣṇa, through a series of verses, is pointing out the importance of making the mind your friend. The mind that is constantly thinking about the mission of the spiritual master and the Lord is actually a friend. Last night I explained to you how a devotee on the process of śrīnagati accepts the Lord's interest to be his interest, and not that his interest should be the Lord's interest. So when the mind is engaged in meditating on the mission of the Lord, that is called samādhi. So samādhi is an art that has to be practiced by every devotee in this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. Just like when your devotees go out on sāmkīrtana. Now the success in sāmkīrtana is actually based upon purity. If when one is out on sāmkīrtana one is constantly meditating on the spiritual instructions that he has received and on the importance of delivering Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he will succeed in that mission. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is explained that if one does not take advantage of this human form of life and cultivate God consciousness, then for millions of millenniums he will not get a human birth again. So this means that when you are out preaching, you see a conditioned soul passing by, if you— you should be thinking, if I don't enthusiastically try and attract him to Krishna, then he could die at any moment. And if he dies without having taken to Krishna consciousness, then he will have to suffer for millions of births. If that is the line of meditation, then one will always be anxious to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness and to distribute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the Bhāgavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, "Those who worship Me with devotion, I make up what they lack and I preserve what they have." And Rūpa Gosvāmī has also said that in order to succeed spiritually, one should be determined. So we practice with determination the, the capacity to think about the Lord. Then even if there are some discrepancies, some weaknesses, the Lord who is within the heart will make up that deficiency. So we should never forget that the Lord is understanding all our desires. He is a silent observer, and Krishna is unlimited, so he can— he will reciprocate with your desires. So if our desire is to learn how to meditate on Krishna, Krishna will help us definitely in achieving that goal. So the devotee is always thinking about how the mission of the Lord and the spiritual master can be realized. This was the meditation of Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja was constantly meditating how the mission of the Lord can be realized. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "I'm not interested in going to the mountains or the forest. I'm interested in staying in the cities and giving Kṛṣṇa consciousness to those who are trying to convert." a position of distress to a position of comfort. So we have to cultivate the mentality that Pralad Maharaj had. We all have to become Pralad Maharajas. Uh, we all have to develop that same mentality to lament at the attempts of the materialist to convert distress to happiness. So since the nature of the mind is to be very active, constantly absorb the mind in thinking How can you give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to everyone? That is why Caitanya Mahāprabhu has specifically said, "Jāre dakota he kahau Kṛṣṇa upadesha." Whoever you see, please instruct him about Kṛṣṇa. Whoever you see. Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not say, "Only give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to somebody who has a PhD degree or somebody who's wearing a nice suit and driving a big Volga car." So he said, "Give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to everyone." So since the nature of the mind is to be active, engage the mind constantly in thinking how can you give Krishna consciousness to everyone. So Prabhupada gave us many weapons for giving Krishna consciousness. One weapon he gave us was book distribution. Another weapon he gave us was Hare Kṛṣṇa Nāma. Another weapon he gave us was Prasāda distribution. Another weapon he gave us was Deity worship. So these are various weapons that Prabhupada gave us so that we can give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the unfortunate entities. So our meditation should be, how can we employ these weapons which Prabhupāda has given us to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to others? If you understand the importance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you will want to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness and become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Prabhupāda said that devotee should think, "I have no alternative but to become Kṛṣṇa conscious." So when you have decided that there's no alternative for you, then you have to endeavor to become Krishna conscious. And an important element in becoming Krishna conscious is always being engaged in service to Krishna. As they say, an idle brain is the devil's workshop. So when you're constantly meditating on the service assigned to you, when you're constantly meditating that you have to become an instrument to deliver Krishna to everyone, then that meditation will take your mind away from poisonous thoughts. And bring you closer to Kṛṣṇa. So wherever the mind wanders, bring it back, bring it back to Kṛṣṇa. And practice the art of constantly fixing the mind on the instructions of the spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa. It was Kṛṣṇa's mission to establish dharma on this planet. It was Lord Caitanya's mission to establish dharma on this planet. And it was Prabhupāda's mission also to establish dharma on this planet. And the mission of all the present spiritual masters also is to help realize the mission that Prabhupada had, that is to help establish dharma on this planet. And we help establish dharma in this planet by making people understand what is dharma, what is religion. And you make people aware of what is dharma on this planet by making them read Prabhupada's books. Therefore, every devotee should consider in this Krishna conscious movement, since this Krishna conscious movement is a preaching movement, every devotee should consider how we can help expand the distribution of Prabhupada's books so that people can read it and understand what is dharma. And as I pointed out yesterday, one becomes dear to Krishna by engaging in activities of preaching. So then, krodha— krodha means anger. Anger— generally people become angry when they don't get their quota of sense enjoyment. Devotee, however, becomes angry only when he sees that the mission of the Lord is being, uh, is being impeded, or the devotee of the Lord is being criticized. Just like Lord Caitanya became angry when He saw that Nityānanda was attacked by Jagāyaṇa Mādhāya. So then, jīva-vegam udāra-pastavegam. One must control his eating habits. Devotee eats only Kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Even Kṛṣṇa-prasāda, if you overeat or eat very late in the night or eat too many sweets, then again your spiritual life gets a little affected. Udāra-pastavegam. Control the belly and the genitals. So the tongue, the belly, the genitals, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī pointed out, are all in a straight line. So if the tongue is in control, then to control the other senses is relatively easy. So the genuine spiritual master must control these senses, and the genuine disciple must also learn to control these senses. And the whole— the various activities in the Krishna Consciousness movement are all aimed at helping you control these senses. Because when one is constantly absorbed in service to Krishna, then there's a good chance that the senses will be— will act as friends and not as enemies. So the business of the disciple, as we understand from this verse and purpose, is to constantly beg for spiritual instructions. And the business of the spiritual master is to repeat what he has heard from his guru. Why do all the spiritual masters in ISKCON emphasize preaching and book distribution? Because Prabhupada emphasized this. And why did Prabhupada emphasize it? Because Bhaktisiddhānta Sādhva, the tākura, emphasized it. And why did Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī ṭhākura emphasize that? Because Caitanya Mahāprabhu emphasized it. So that is parampara. We repeat what we have heard without any adulteration. And when we link ourselves with the desires of the Lord, then one is automatically happy and peaceful. So Jagāya and Mādhāya, as we know, were engaged in very sinful activities. But when they came to Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, I'm ready to accept you. But the condition is you have to give up your sinful nonsense of the past. So Prabhupāda said, that is our philosophy. We have to give up the nonsense of the past, and then Krishna will accept us. Not that you keep doing your nonsense and think Krishna will accept you. So, uh, when— in— we should cultivate the mood of parikṣita-maraṣa, beg for spiritual instructions so that we can all make spiritual advancement. Hare Kṛṣṇa. So there's still 2 minutes left for 7 o'clock. Um, I just wanted to once again request all the devotees— I see a lot of devotees, uh, that is, even if you're not from Moscow, is this Lord Narasimhadev marathon going on all over Russia or only in Moscow? All over. So all devotees have come here from other cities, they should take advantage of Lord Nrsimhadeva's festival and cultivate the spirit of the marathon. In Krishna consciousness, there are so many festivals. Only recently we celebrated Lord Chaitanya's birthday, isn't it? Then more recently we celebrated Lord Ram's birthday. Very soon you're going to celebrate Lord Nrsimhadeva's appearance. So there are festivals regularly. Actually, these festivals are an opportunity for us to meditate more deeply on the various pastimes of the Lord and thereby purify ourselves. And the devotee is anxious to obtain the mercy of Lord Nrsimhadeva. Why? Because Nrsimhadeva protects his devotees, and we get the mercy by serving the Lord's desires. So I just want to request all the devotees to help take, you know, distribute the, the, the knowledge that Prabhupada has given us, distribute these books. And all those devotees, if you come and distribute these books then, um, you'll really be happy, you, and you'll help fulfill Prabhupada's mission. So how many devotees are going to go out for the Lord Narasimhadeva marathon today? So I see that many people don't have their hands up also. Are the other people busy? They have appointments with Yelson today? No. So why doesn't everybody take part in it? You have big stock of books, isn't it? Books is no problem. So they have big stock of books, clear it out. It's so nice to see that the book distribution fever is really getting better all over this country, and more and more people are buying these books. Prabhupada on many occasions said there cannot be any material impediment to book distribution or, or Krishna consciousness. So even if the prices have gone up, don't worry. If you're sincere, Krishna will help you capture their, uh, hearts. Okay, so is everyone going to try and take part in the book distribution today? Tomorrow morning I'll check again how many people took part. Say everyone should give at least few books. If you can't go out all day, at least go out for 1 or 2 hours. If you go out even for 1 or 2 hours and distribute at least 2 or 3 books, imagine if 100 extra devotees go out, 200 extra people will get the books. 200 extra people gets the books, at least 2,000 people will read the books, and these 2,000 people would have been saved from going to hell. Otherwise they are definitely on the path to hell. Okay, so is everyone going to take part? And even those who have to go to work and distribute a book on the metro. And if you can't give a big book, at least give a small book, but do something. And then on Lord Nrsimhadeva's birthday, your name will be read to Lord Nrsimhadeva, Prabhupada, Gour Nitai, in front of all the devotees. And you want to know how you will get Lord Nrsimhadeva's mercy? You want to know? Krishna, who is sitting in the heart will make your determination for spiritual life even stronger. So when you— when Maya is coming to, to tempt you, you'll be so determined that in one stroke you'll just lift your hand and Maya will run away. Because your determination is weak now, when Maya comes close to you, you get scared. But when your determination is strong, then Maya will get scared. Maya will stand behind you, not in front of you. Right now Maya is in front of you. But when you become determined, then Maya is always behind you. So you'll get a lot of understanding there is mercy, and then Maya will come behind you. Okay, Hare Krishna. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare. Malama le are.
