In this devotional lecture delivered to the Gurukul Moscow community, Śrīla Gopāl Kṛṣṇa Goswāmī Maharaja explains the essential role of the Gurukul system in nurturing children’s spiritual and secular development. He emphasizes that the success of a Gurukul depends on the cooperative effort of parents, teachers, and students, and that spiritual education should begin at age five while simultaneously teaching reading, writing, science, and practical life skills. The talk weaves mythological examples from Krishna’s childhood—such as Govardhan Puja, Gaura‑dāna, and the lifting of the hill with a single nail—to illustrate the power of devotion and the benefits of absorption in Krishna consciousness, including freedom from hunger and thirst. The Maharaja recounts the early missionary work of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda in Russia, describing the challenges faced by his disciple Shamsundar and the spread of Krishna consciousness there. He highlights the importance of a Parents‑Teachers Association for feedback, celebrates the growth of the Gurukul (now over 50 students and expanded staff), and announces upcoming festivals and a 25‑year service celebration, encouraging the preparation of dramas on Prabhupāda’s life. Throughout, the lecture intersperses chants of “Hare Krishna,” audience questions, and devotional exhortations, fostering an enthusiastic, supportive atmosphere for the community’s spiritual education.
Chapters
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna.
Hare Krishna.
We were supposed to go till the 12:30, but I got delayed in leaving the temple, and then I had a luncheon engagement in a divine house. So we had a lunch program in 15 minutes in case you can—
Ah!
This is an aggressive child. I've had a bad throat for the last few days. I'm not going to do any tilting. I'm just going to give a straight lecture. One of the reasons I've come here, and Sadhguruji had suggested, to meet with the teachers. So we save some time to spend with the teachers. Are any parents here? Mother Radhika is here.
Shabini is here.
Okay, she's here. Okay, so how is school going? Good job, support your favorite children. Yeah, okay. Your baby may cry or are crying because yourself. Are all the teachers here at the moment in this lecture hall? So I'm happy to hear that the school is expanding. I was happy to hear that there are more students now, more students than before. More than 50 children in school now.. And the teaching staff has also expanded. It's just amazing that this Gurukul, which started about 12 years ago, is still there. Prabhupāda was a strong supporter of the Gurukul system. We've seen that the Gurukul system is very practical, you know, in today's environment. So many children, students, have gone to the Gurukul system and have taken on different services in different parts of the world. So we should have faith that this Gurukul system can work if we all make an honest attempt. In order for the Gurukul to succeed, 3 parties have to cooperate: the parents, the teachers, and the students. All have to work together to make the Gurukul system work. The Gurukul is an educational system with a difference. The difference is that the children are trained from a young age to understand the higher values of life. Prasad Raaval also studied in a Gurukul. And what did Prasad Raaval say? Your mind should begin to receive spiritual education from the age of 5 onwards. So the purpose of the Gurukul is not only to give children spiritual education, but also to enable them to become expert in reading, writing, science, and the basic elements that we need to know to survive in the modern-day world. We don't want to be in a position where Children come out of the gurukul and they don't know the basics of life, or they're not proficient in reading, writing, communicating, etc. Educational system which is just brainwashing the children into sense enjoyment. One must begin to cultivate spiritual science from the age of 5 onwards, because human life is very rare. So we hope that the children who are studying here are taking advantage of this system. Of course, in this school we have some who are about to graduate, some who are beginning, and some will be in the school somewhere in the intermediate stage. The teachers who are teaching are making a big sacrifice. This Gurukul has survived, one of the main reasons has been the spirit of sacrifice that the teachers have shown ever since the school was started. Teaching children, you know, requires a tremendous amount of patience. Without patience and determination, termination. It's not easy to teach Gurukul students. So we would like to have a system by which the teachers can give feedback if anything needs to be improved in the Gurukul system. Do we have a Parents Teachers Association now? Here we have Parents Teachers Association.
Only once, we had one meeting.
You had one, one.
So I'm glad that now you have a Parents Teachers Association that meets once a month. We should have faith and keep trying our best to improve this Gurukul system. It's nice to see that in your country many parents are desirous that their children get the Gurukul system of education. When I travel in the country, everywhere I meet parents who say they would like to send their children to the Gurukul system.
Did Krishna go to the Gurukul?
Yes.
Yes.
What was his teacher's name?
Prasād RAVAL.
What is another thing that Krishna did in the Gurukul? They were studying all different things, and they were studying how to play the drama, and they were also being taught how to communicate with the animals and the birds. They teach that here. And Krishna and Bhāgavata As soon as the teacher would finish teaching, Krishnabala would have it memorized. How many international languages you learn here in the school, or how many languages in total? 14.
14.
Prasad Raval got trained in all the languages in the school, and then Once they asked the spiritual teacher, is there anything they could do for him? What did the teacher tell them to do?
What did he tell them to do?
To return his dead son.
Why did the teacher give them such a tough assignment? Bring back my dead son.— means the Lord inconceivable. Just like a few days, a few weeks, we are going to be celebrating Gaura-dāna Puja Festival. Are you going to celebrate Gaura-dāna Puja Festival?
Yes.
You do it every year. Why do we celebrate Gaura-dāna Puja Festival?
All the Gṛhastha students should become experts in Kṛṣṇa's childhood pastimes. Kṛṣṇa's childhood pastimes are most relishable to the devotees.
Some people want to go and discuss Śrīla Vaiṣṇava's Vāsāvīlā. They are not the devotees.
They want to go to Kṛṣṇa's Bālīlā, childhood pastimes first. So very soon We are going to be celebrating Govardhan Puja.
Hare Krishna.
On this occasion, why do we celebrate Govardhan Puja? Even the girls can answer if they want to. Why then Krishna? Why do we celebrate Govardhan Puja? How many hands did Krishna use to lift the Gaura Dāna Hill? You can't answer without being asked.
Yes.
He lifted the Gaura Dāna Hill with the small finger of the left hand.
Actually, he did not even use the small finger of his left hand. He only used the nail of the smallest finger of his left hand. Your nails have that much strength? And how big was the golden hill at that time? As big as this small table.
How big was the golden hill at that time?
It was over 24 kilometers away. When he jumped over that parikrama, it takes him at fast speed. And they say, over the last 500 years, Goloka Hill is gradually shrinking, getting smaller day by day. So if this Goloka Hill, it takes 5 hours for parikrama today, You can imagine how much time it must have taken 5 billion years ago.
Brindavan Brahmāsīs.
What do you call Brindavan Brahmāsīs? Brahmāsīs. Ah, Brahmāsīs. All they are Brahmāsīs. So what were the Brahmāsīs doing when they were under the umbrella of Govindānanda? I am looking for you, hands.
To help us.
Okay, what else? Yes, that's what. So what were the priestesses doing? Putting the umbrella of Kṛṣṇa.
Kṛṣṇa yajñāpāṭhas.
They were looking at Him and helping Him. This is verse 6.
They were all looking at Kṛṣṇa with faith. What are the children trying to do?
Why do you want to play with Baba?
Krishna in the sacrifice. Yes, that's right.
What did Krishna tell his father?
Yes.
Yes.
He's anyway pouring the rain, so he pours rain to the seas and the rivers. So he's not—
and Krishna told Nandamara. Nandamara said, my dear son, we are father and we are depending on Indra's We will see.
If Indra doesn't give us rain, how are we going to live? The son said, you have to worry about that.
According to your karma, you are going to get the results in any case.
Indra is going to pour the rain in any case. But then the affection of Kṛṣṇa carried him away and they stopped. And all of a sudden, followed Nan Maharaj's example, which greatly angered Indra. So Indra's plan was to flood Vrindavan in which the brave Vāsīs would get drowned. So he poured in very heavy rainfall. Yesterday and this morning it was raining in Moscow. Chhara! But the rain that Indra poured was not like so sweet as is experienced today in the This heaven had clouds traveling. Those clouds were thundering, roaring, and lightning. And each drop of rain was as heavy as a pillar. Can you imagine? Thousands of pillars have fallen, and still Krishna was able to lift the Golan Hills. And the hill They did not shake at all. And the Prasads were constantly looking at Kṛṣṇa's face. And during the period that they were looking at Kṛṣṇa's face, there was one other great quality about them. Who knows what that was? So there was one other quality about the great Prasads who were looking at Kṛṣṇa's face.
Okay.
So far no one has mentioned that. Scratch your brain and give me the answer.
Okay, any other ideas?
You'll be able to see. Understood that this is not an ordinary—
During the period that the Vṛndhāvāsīs were under the umbrella of Lord Rādhā, these Vṛndhāvāsīs did not feel any hunger or thirst. No hunger, no thirst.
Because they were all looking at Kṛṣṇa's face, they were totally satisfied.
What does this mean to us? If we are also absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then We will not also experience the hunger and thirst. Material life, we are all hungry and thirsty. Once we are absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then hunger and thirst will go away. Lord Praśad RAVAL, you hear me, Bhāgavata Purāṣadadeva was warning, for 7 days he was fasting. He didn't drink water. He didn't take one drop of milk. He did not feel any hunger or thirst. So we need to go these should learn is if we are absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then these material attractions will not be able to deviate us from the devotional path. And if we are not absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we will constantly get diverted. Kṛṣṇa's mother, Yāsodā, she was informed what her son had done. She was informed, "Your son went to the hill with a nail on the smallest finger of his left hand." She wouldn't believe it.
My husband also helped him carry the hill.
Krishna could never have done it. So, and then what did Indra do after all this happened?
What did he realize?
The same people lift their hands all the time. Either these are the only smart kids here or they are so shy.
Okay. Indra points to Krishna, the form of the chief form of the Supreme Lord, and so he asks forgiveness from Lord.
You beg forgiveness?
Yes.
What does he do?
Some other part of the world.
He will unmanifest himself from our eyes, but then manifest himself somewhere else to preach the mission of the Lord.
Today we have a very special celebration in Vrindavan.
Theme of this celebration is 25 years of service in separation. This kind of devotees are coming to the whole world for this celebration. Yes, yes, they're the pure devotees of the Lord. A prayer to help realize Lord Caitanya's protection, the holy name with bread to every town and village of the world. It will be nice if your children can prepare a drama of Prabhupāda's life for the disappearance day festival. You can have a drama on Prabhupāda's life.
Prabhupada. Did Prabhupada ever come to Russia?
Yes, Kazan.
He came and stayed at a national hotel. It's not a Kremlin.
He came with an American secretary called Shyam Sunder.
So Shamsunder was on the streets of Moscow looking for a shop that sold— in 1971, it was very difficult to find anything in English anywhere. So Shamsunder was walking on the streets asking people, "Is there any shop that sells milk here?" Most Russians didn't understand English at that time. Shamsundar could not understand. He asked about 20-30 people. Nobody could give him any answer. Because Shamsundar didn't speak Russian, they didn't speak English. Then Shamsundar met a Russian who spoke English. He said, "Oh, you are looking for milk? I will take you to a shop in Serpukhov." Serpukhov's devotee went with Shamsundar to buy milk for Prasad Raaval, milk and fruits. And as they were walking, Chamsundar started talking to this Russian interpreter as to who Prabhupāda was. Chamsundar said, "My guru is a big yoga teacher." So this Russian said, "Oh ho ho, I'm very interested in yoga. Can I meet your guru?" So those days everything was very secretive. So secretly Chamsundar took him to meet Prabhupāda. And Prabhupāda taught him what is really yoga.
So Prabhupāda traveled and preached.
They were all initiated. They went around the shanty. They started preaching in your country. Before that, nobody had even heard of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in your country. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness process is a very blissful process. It's nothing but dancing, singing, Feast days.
And then after you're tired from singing and you get tired, where would you go?
Feast day. Dancing, singing, feasting, studying in the Gurukul. That's all you have to do. So we just discussed 3 pastimes relevant to the current situation. So we hope your children will become expert in Prāsa-dvīṇa. Kṛṣṇa-nīla and cetera nīlā—
Hare Kṛṣṇa!
And who all do you believe that several of Kṛṣṇa's associates can live without food and water?
But Vīnkarīya Gahḥ cannot live without them.
So Lord Caitanya said, "Take prasāda-puṣad." So taking only Kṛṣṇa prasāda in Kali-yuga is the same as fasting. Are you people ready to live without prasāda and water? So I'm sorry, I'm not going to do any kirtan today because I have a very bad cough and I don't want to avoid it. Any other questions? Any prasads for the children?
