[Govindam prayers play]
Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa. [Introduces Mahārāja in the local language].
[break]
Devotee: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Mahārāja .So, we are very happy to host you [?] in air for this programme ‘Listening to Hare Kṛṣṇa’. So, what would be your advice, Mahārāja, on the dawn of this new year '96 for the Maurasians? What would be your advice regarding fulfillment of the goals of these people; especially in the light of the statement of Śrīla Prabhupāda, who once mentioned that Mauritius would be the first Kṛṣṇa conscious country in the world? Also we know that at the end of the century, many persons make prophecies. They say that a new golden age is about to come about. So, what would be your advice? Please Mahārāja, could you please enlighten us?
Śrī Śrīmad Gour Govinda Swāmī Mahārāja: Yes. Yes, that's a fact. The goal of the human life… What is the goal of human life? Śrīla Prabhupāda, I always say, formed this society: this society for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is very significant. Why didn't he give any other name? He gives this name 'Kṛṣṇa Consciousness'. This is very significant because this is the question of consciousness. The jīvas are conscious beings. There are two types of things in this world — jīva and nirjīva. Animate and inanimate. Those who are inanimate, they have no consciousness. Those who are animate, they have consciousness. Then, there are eighty-four lakhs of species. That is mentioned in Padma Purāṇa. Four lakhs types are human beings and eighty-lakhs types are other than human beings. So, these other than human beings, those jīvas, they come under only two levels of consciousness. This is — covered consciousness and shrunken consciousness. There are five levels of consciousness — covered consciousness, shrunken consciousness, budding consciousness, blossoming consciousness and completely blossomed consciousness.
The completely blossomed consciousness, in other words, we say Kṛṣṇa consciousness. All human beings come under three levels of consciousness, i.e., budding consciousness, blossoming consciousness and completely blossomed consciousness. The last level of consciousness is completely blossomed consciousness, i.e., complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When one gets this human life or human body, he gets that opportunity to raise his level of consciousness to the highest level of consciousness, i.e., Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is why Prabhupāda named this Society — the [International] Society for Krishna consciousness. Do you understand? Because those who are very fortunate, those who will come and join this Society, become a member of this Society, they will get the opportunity how to to raise their level of consciousness to the highest level of consciousness, i.e., Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thereby, their human life will be successful. They will achieve perfection in human birth. Do you understand? Such training is imparted here, in this Society — how one can develop complete Krishna consciousness, [how] this human birth will be successful. That is why Prabhupāda mentioned.
Prabhupāda belongs to that world. He doesn't belong to this world, material world. He was sent by Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is a very dear devotee of Kṛṣṇa; a very dear devotee of Jagannātha, a very dear devotee of Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa does like that. Kṛṣṇa is so merciful. Kṛṣṇa says He is the well-wishing friend of all living entities. He comes down here, in His svarūpa and sends many of His incarnations also to the material world. Do you understand? They come and they manifest līlās. Kṛṣṇa is līlā-puruṣottama. He comes in His svarūpa — Nandanandana-Yaśodānandana and manifests His līlās, varieties of līlās. In His Kurukṣetra-līlā, He gave His message in the form of Śrīmad Bhagavad-Gita. He gave it for the whole [of] mankind, not that only to Arjuna. He spoke to Arjuna but through Arjuna, He gave to the whole mankind.
That we say — śākhā-candra nyāya. Like śākhā-candra nyāya. There is a nyāya, logic. Śākhā-candra nyāya. Śākhā means a branch of a tree [and] candra means moon. There is a child, crying and [his] mother wants to pacify him. So, at night-time there is a full-moon. The mother goes out and shows the full-moon, [which] looks like a very blazing silver plate. Do you understand?
“Look at that! A silver plate, blazing!” The child looks at that and sees the moon and he was pacified. Do you understand? The other day, the child wants to see the moon. Do you understand? The mother then goes out to show him the moon. The moon was there, but some branches of trees were there covering the moon. The child couldn’t see [it].
“Where is, where is that moon, mother? Where is that moon?”
So she said, “Look at that branch. A big branch; do you see? Some opening there; do you see?”
“Oh!”
“See it through it.”
Then he could see. By pointing at the branch, [she] shows the moon. This is śākhā-candra nyāya. So by pointing out Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa says to all [of] mankind. That is His message; how He says this is the only dharma. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja — abandon all varieties of religion [and] just surrender unto Me. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru — only think of Me; don’t think of anything else. Keep Me in your mind; then you can come to Me. That is the last thing He said. And Mahāprabhu came to set up an example how one can always think of Kṛṣṇa; how one can really, completely surrender unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
This is not an easy task. Something is required for it. I was saying that thing in the morning; when Sanātana Gosvāmī met Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he asked, he enquires. One of his enquiries [was] — “What is my requirement? What [do] I need? What is the purpose of my life, how can I fulfil it and what is my requirement?” So in answer, what does Mahāprabhu say? The purpose of life, human life is to develop complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As per the verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.9.29):
labdhvā su-durlabham idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte
mānuṣyam artha-dam anityam apīha dhīraḥ
You have gotten this human life, you should understand, not all of a sudden. You have already undergone lakhs and lakhs of species of other lives. But now you have gotten the human life. The Supreme Lord is very merciful to you; He has given you this life. And what is the purpose? The purpose is that in this very life, you can develop complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You can have paramārtha, that is above four puruṣārthas — dharma, artha, kāma [and] mokṣa. This is kṛṣṇa-bhakti. This is the fifth puruṣārtha or paramārtha, i.e., complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Only available in this human life, not in any other life. And this life is very short; given for a short time — anityam. Anityam.
So one who is very intelligent, who can understand, who can enquire about this, [he] [wonders] “Oh! The purpose of my life to develop complete Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the highest level of consciousness. That is the perfection of my life. How can I do it and what is needed for it?” So Mahāprabhu came, we should… Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa; He is non-different from Kṛṣṇa, but He came to set up an example. Prema; love is required. Kṛṣṇa thought that, “Many; some, some other kalpa, I had gone and given love. In the meantime, I have not given love. Many, many; thousand, thousand ages [have] gone. Again I have to go and give that love. And Kaliyuga people cannot do any other thing; I will give them the highest thing.” So, He came to give love; love of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, kṛṣṇa-prema-pradātā.
namo mahā-vadānyāya
kṛṣṇa-prema-pradāya te
kṛṣṇāya kṛṣṇa-caitanya-
nāmne gaura-tviṣe namaḥ
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 19.53)
Rūpa Gosvāmī says. So He is Gaura, who gives kṛṣṇa-prema. He is prema-puruṣottama. Do you understand? So, how [does] He give prema? He gives prema through this nāma-saṅkīrtana.
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare
(Devotees chant along)
yuga dharma pracārile
nāma saṅkīrtana
mukhya pathe jīva pāya
kṛṣṇa prema dhana
(Śrī Harināma-Cintāmaṇi 1.77)
The chief result of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is to get kṛṣṇa-prema, love of Kṛṣṇa.
tāra madhye sarva-śreṣṭha nāma-saṅkīrtana
niraparādhe nāma laile pāya prema-dhana
(Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Antya-līlā 4.71)
If your chanting is offenseless, definitely you will get kṛṣṇa-prema. You will get Kṛṣṇa in this life. That is the goal of human life. Prabhupāda came to the western world and he preached the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and especially, he chanted pure name. The hippes woke up, who were rolling on the street, intoxicated; taking very heavy drugs. Completely mad. He chants pure name. He went to the western world with a pair of karatālas and goes to the park and he used to sit there and chant:
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare
hare rāma hare rāma
rāma rāma hare hare
(Devotees chant along)
The hippies woke up, you see. As soon as this transcendental sound vibration touches their ears, they got life. They got life. They were dying, you see. They were dying. They were dying. Kṛṣṇa is life — jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu. Kṛṣṇa says, “I am life.” That’s a fact. Jīvanaṁ sarva-bhūteṣu. Kṛṣṇa is life. And these western people; those who are in the western world, they have all material opulences. They have nothing to worry about — what to eat, where to stay. [Living] very comfortably; everything. All protection; manufacturing very powerful bombs. Enjoying sex; and they like free sex. Everything is there, but they are lacking one thing; that’s Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, they are dying. They are dying. When Prabhupāda went there and inculcated Kṛṣṇa consciousness [and] [instilled] life unto them by chanting pure name, which is Kṛṣṇa; they woke up. Do you understand?
If there is no life in your… Getting a human body, if have no proper life, i.e., Kṛṣṇa conscious life, what is the value of [this] life? It is like a dead body. If there is no ātmā, soul in the body, what is the value of the body? It is a clump of dead matter. Similarly, getting a human life, a human body, if you don’t have Kṛṣṇa with you, then what is the value of life? It’s dead, jīvana mṛta. Though alive, he is dead. Though breathing, he is breathing like the bellows of a blacksmith. No value. So carry Kṛṣṇa, then there is value of life. To fulfil the pupose of real human life, prema is required. Otherwise, without prema, you cannot have Kṛṣṇa. ‘Preme’ kṛṣṇa vaśa haya, bhaktye tāṅre bhaji (Cc. Madhya 20.136). Kṛṣṇa will be[come] submitted by love. One can do kṛṣṇa-bhajana, if he has love. Otherwise, he cannot do kṛṣṇa-bhajana. Therefore, Mahāprabhu came and gave prema through chanting the holy name. And Prabhupāda, he chants pure name and he gives prema because he is a very dear devotee of Mahāprabhu. He is gaura-jana; he is an associate of Mahāprabhu. So, he had come here to give Kṛṣṇa. Do you undersyand? He had come here to give Kṛṣṇa.
He is not an ordinary guru, you see. Many gurus are there; professional gurus. They want praṇāma and praṇāmī. Do you understand my language? Praṇāma and praṇāmī. But Prabhupāda is not a guru like that. He came to give you Kṛṣṇa, give you real life. Do you understand? He is āśraya-dātā guru; he gives shelter. He is not only mantra-dātā guru. Do you understand my words? He is not only mantra-dātā guru, but āśraya-dātā guru. He gives shelter. Therefore, it is said [that] Prabhupāda opened a home where the whole world will be accommodated. That is the home of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Do you understand?
He did it, and Prabhupāda was such a person; mahātmā, mahāpuruṣa from that world [?] he came here to Mauritius. “Oh! This is a very nice land and people have sukṛti from previous life. They will, very easily, develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” So therefore, he says like that. And I also, coming here, feel so. Yes, I feel so. Yes, people have an opportunity here. They will pick up Kṛṣṇa consciousness very easily and if you, those who are here in charge of spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is your duty now that you spread vigourously, chant nicely, do saṅkīrtana throughout the whole Mauritius with this nāma-prema. Prema-nāma-saṅkīrtana. When this transcendental sound vibration will touch their ears, they will be awakended from their deep slumber, get real life and will be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Devotee: Thank you very much, Guru Mahārāja. Thank you so much to Mauritius also in this way and we have received you once again in Mauritius. Please come again. Hare Kṛṣṇa
Śrī Śrīmad Gour Govinda Swāmī Mahārāja: Hare Kṛṣṇa.