19821124 Arrival Address

The following is an arrival address given by His Holiness Jayapatākā Swami on November 24th, 1982 in Chennai, India.

Jayapatākā Swami: Thank you for the wonderful reception. Actually, since I was in Madras last, I had gone to Māyāpur Dhāma for Calcutta for the Janmāṣṭamī festival. After that, then I went on a world tour which led me to London, Stockholm, France to the European big festival there. Then in Washington D.C. there was a big Ratha-yātrā that I was invited to that came out in Back to Godhead, recent issue. Then, from there I went to Los Angeles for their Ratha-yātrā festival.

There, you might have noticed in one of the ISKCON World Review, I was painting an elephant. That was… you don’t get ISKCON World Review. It’s a pretty old issue. When I went there, they had the elephant all decorated, but they had no tilaka on the elephant, so I said, “In South India, all the elephants are wearing big tilaka. Then, only they’re going in the procession. Why don’t you put the paint on the tilaka?”, but no one was eager to put on the paint… on the head, so they gave me the brush and said, “You do it.” So, since they were reluctant, so I was putting on the tilaka. The mahout was holding, and I was putting on, so that… someone just took a snap, and they published that in the ISKCON World Review.

There were about 200,000 people at our Los Angeles Ratha-yātrā. Bhavānanda Gosvāmī, Śrīla Rāmeśvara Swami were all present. Then from there, I went to Washington… to New Vṛndāvana. They had a festival. Then, I’m initiating in Atlanta, Georgia, in Nashville, Tennessee, in Murāri Sevaka Farm in Tennessee, in Mississippi and in New Orleans. So, I toured my initiating zone there, and we had some college programs… set up some college clubs, where the students meet every week and discuss Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and we made the preparations for the New Orleans Ratha-yātrā.

Then, I went down to South America, Columbia, Bogotá, Columbia, Lima, Peru. Lima, Peru… then in the most recent… ? when I reached Lima… when the police had surrounded me, I didn’t know what was happening, whether this was some kind of a surprise situation. The police took me away said, “You are Jayapatākā Swami?” I said, “Yes.” They took me away… took me in their room.

There, there were press. It was the VIP lounge. They didn't want me to wait in the line. So, they took me in their room. It was the VIP lounge. There were two television stations there, radio, all the newspaper men, so, for about an hour, hour and a half, they had interview to give the message to the whole nation, how the people can achieve happiness and peace in this troubled world. Then from that day on… in Peru, every day was a big festival. In the national library auditorium, we had a big program, and in arts… in one art society in their auditorium. Many… every day there were big programs. There was wedding ceremony done in the Vedic style. That was televised over the whole nation. At that time, also there was initiation ceremony that was also put on the television, there. Television is quite widespread in all the towns and villages, and from there, I went to Arequipa, which is the second city of Peru. In Arequipa, the Governor of the province met me and received me and offered all welcoming and good fortune for… whatever for the successful mission that the people may be benefited by the spiritual association, and they gave a special limousine which had two flags, the Indian flag and the Peruvian flag. And this black limousine was escorted by two police mi… motorcycle escort with sirens blaring and light flashing and they stopped all the traffic, stopped the whole main road so that the procession of cars following behind the limousine could go on.

In this way, I was feeling just that because Prabhupāda was present during all of these preaching tours, therefore there… and because Kṛṣṇa was present, therefore, all these facilities were being provided. There, we had also a very big festival in the park, about 6,000 people came and then even people for their… for their first time, for the big fire sacrifice and the big kīrtana, and drama, at the end, when we were giving out prasāda, they came up and for the first time they were bowing down before Kṛṣṇa with reverence, feeling overwhelmed by the spiritual atmosphere, which had been created.

From there, I went to Chile, where also I’m initiating there. There, in Santiago, I was on the Le Grand, the great afternoon show, on the Sunday afternoon, Sunday evening, which is the main time everyone likes to watch the television, and that television show showed about 12 minutes interview with myself and then we had a kīrtana group with the GBC Jagjīvana Swami, many other programs.

One of the persons who was on the tv show, Dharmānanda Dāsa has now come with Bhāgi… Bhāgavatāmṛta prabhu in Bangalore. So, also there are many… we did some program there in … in a big college with over 1,500 students and after the program, when I requested the students not to engaged in drugs or engage in any type of immoral activity, but to rather develop their spiritual consciousness, the director of the school, he presented us with a banner of the school, and with a special silk school certificate, and we presented a couple books for his library, and he gave a speech how we appreciated so much that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement was bringing the real Indian culture, and the real spiritual understanding to the distant parts of the world.

Like that, we had programs every day, also in the big amphitheater, in the O’Higgins Park in central Santiago, where again about 4 or 5,000 people gathered in the big amphitheater and turnover crowd was much more, maybe 10,000 but at one time 4-5, and then all the people began to circumambulate the fire sacrifice and the deities. So, from there, I came back to North America. Actually, it cost as much, and it takes as much time to fly from India to North America and back again, over the pacific, it takes just that much time to fly from North America to Chile and back. It’s a if you leave in the morning at 6:00 o’clock, you will reach in the evening at 8:00 o’clock. It’s a fourteen-hour flight, and the cost is even more in some cases. So, it’s a… quite a long distance. It’s the farthest end of the world from India, yet according to the Rāmāyaṇa, Rāmacandra went to South America in search of… and defeated Kumbhakarṇa there, so somehow, it’s a blessed place. People are very pious there and with the introduction of Vedic culture, there’s every hope that that place can be delivered again to a spiritual consciousness and its purest form.

So, coming back to North America, I was at the Ratha-yātrā in New Orleans. It was very nice there. Pañca Draviḍa Swami Mahārāja was present, and many other… Brahmānanda Swami. From there, I came to Hawaii. In Hawaii, we did some programs on the Jaladūta-II boat, and from Hawaii, I came to Japan where we were doing sankīrtana in the Times Square, Shinujuku of Tokyo, as well as in the park and we’re having some programs in our temple, there. Many people were coming. They’re making some Japanese bhaktas there… bhaktas, bhaktins.

Then, from there, I came to Hong Kong. From Hong Ko… In Hong Kong, we did just one day preaching, and some devotees from there came for our Vṛndāvana festival. They just were at Māyāpur, and returned to Japan… to China. From Hong Kong, they’re doing preaching all around the area, can’t go into too much detail, but they’re doing preaching deep into the … preaching field which lies all around Hong Kong. Then, from there, I came back to Bangkok. I brought some pictures of Bangkok. There, we just had a new center, which we hadn’t moved in when we got there, but now they’ve moved into it. But even in our old center which is little bit on the… one side of town, and the new center’s right next to the GPO… even in the old center, we have many Chinese and Thai Buddhists and other Indian origin people all combined there, chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

And feasting on Kṛṣṇa prasāda with all transcendental bliss, and then, from there, I came back and immediately, when I arrived in Calcutta, they had a pandal program waiting for me in one of the parks in Calcutta, so I could only spend a day or two in Māyāpur. I immediately came back for the preaching program in Calcutta. Then, of course went to Vṛndāvana and spent some more time in different parts of my zone, and now I’m coming here.

So, in this way, in touring around the world, we could see this time that actually, the enthusiasm of the devotees has picked up, and the unity is growing more and more. Just like we had this beautiful ceremony in Vṛndāvana, where, from all over the world, different ācāryas and GBCs and sannyāsīs and devotees, they all came together, this is not a… a formal function. It’s not a… that this Vṛndāvana ceremony is something that everyone is required to come. It’s just something spontaneous that people are coming and so many devotees came and made a very intimate wonderful worship of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and now we’re preparing already for our annual festival in Māyāpur this March. March 20th. And I was discussing with Śrīla Bhavānanda Gosvāmī in Māyāpur, for several days.

So, one thing I’m noticing is that devotees sometimes, they become careless in dealing with the material nature and in maintaining the very basic principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Of course, the main principles are chanting 16 rounds, and avoiding the 4 regulative principles. What happens is sometimes a devotee engages in so much devotional service that it seems difficult to chant the 16 rounds. Of course, a devotee in the temple engaging in a lot of devotional service, somehow or another is still being protected, still it’s very dangerous not to chant 16 rounds every day. And for someone who’s not living in the temple, who is engaging in many unrelated activities… activities simply for maintaining their body and soul together, if they neglect to chant, then of course, it is much more dangerous. So, one has to be very careful to chant, otherwise, once we get out of chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

And Śrī Caitanya’s Pañca-tattva mantra, then what happens is gradually, we lose the taste. We forget the sweet taste of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and then our mind starts to become filled with anxieties and dissatisfaction. In this way, we start to identify with our body, in bodily consciousness and we become mislead by the current of māyā. To help us to think about Kṛṣṇa, we dedicate this body as a temple to Kṛṣṇa. That’s why we wear tilaka on the body.

Ūrdhva-puṇḍra… Dvādaśa-ūrdhva-puṇḍra. This is mentioned in Padma Purāṇa and other Purāṇas as well, that there are twelve tilaka put on the body. Now, the tilaka, ūrdhva-puṇḍra is actually placed, each one with a name of Viṣṇu, dedicating the body to the service of Viṣṇu, so this is not only necessary for the sannyāsīs and brahmacārīs to wear, but it's also essential, even for the gṛhasthas to wear. In fact, since gṛhasthas are living closer to the material world, in fact, they should be more careful to take all the different advantages. 

Now, sometimes when one’s working outside in the material world, it may not be suitable, although, it’s a very unfortunate thing that in India, today, people have become such that one cannot wear tilaka without being ashamed. I have a disciple in Thailand who is Narasiṁha Tīrtha Dāsa, maybe some of you know him, and he wears his tilaka, everywhere, even in Japan, Thailand, everywhere, he just wears his tilaka, and normally, anyone does business in Thailand, it’s different type of thing, so there’s so many Japanese and other Asian Chinese, and different businessmen there, but even the Japanese or Thai… Thai or Chinese businessmen, they see him, they all automatically… “Hare Kṛṣṇa.”

They know this is Hare Kṛṣṇa. So, he’s not ashamed of it. But whether it sometimes it may be… not possible to wear the tilaka visibly, then at least there… tilaka-mantra… not that we’re just wearing like ādivāsī, some tribal, we’re putting some paint on our body. If you’re just putting on the paint and you’re not saying the mantras, then what is the use? I sometimes go, and I ask, “What is the mantra of tilaka?”, just to check if people know it. We put on the tilaka.

Om Śrī Keśavāya namaḥ,

Om Śrī Govindāya namaḥ.

Om Śrī Mādhavāya namaḥ,

Om Śrī Trivikramāya namaḥ,                                     Om Śrī Hṛṣīkeśāya namaḥ,
Om Śrī Madhusūdanāya namaḥ,                                  Om Śrī Śrīdharāya namaḥ,

Om Śrī Viṣṇave namaḥ,       Om Śrī Nārāyaṇāya namaḥ,      Om Śrī Vāmanāya namaḥ,      

(Om Śrī Padmanābhāya namaḥ,
Om Śrī Dāmodarāya namaḥ,
Om Śrī Vāsudevāya namaḥ.) 

Each of the places has the different mantra.

In this way, we put on the tilaka on all the parts of our body, dedicating the body that, “This body, my mind and my s… myself, I, everything is for Your service, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” In this way also, we are protected from influence of karmas that, “No longer do I want to enjoy my puṇya, no longer do I want to suffer my pāpa. I want to simply engage in Your service whatever You give me, blessing, whatever you give me punishment, Hari, Kṛṣṇa. That’s simply what I want.”

Mānasa, deha, geha, ya kichu mora; arpilū tuwā pade, nanda-kiśora. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura is saying that, “Oh, my Lord, Nanda Kiśora, I’m offering to Your lotus feet, mānasa, my mind. Mānasa deha, my body, geha my house, ya kichu mora, whatever I think… ordinarily one considers to be his own. Everything I’m offering to You because it is all Your property. Everything is Yours, Your energy.” Arpilū tuwā, even though we naturally think, “Well, this is my mind, my body, my family, my house, my…”,we consider like that, but even then, Bhaktivinoda is saying, “ No, these, I’m also offering unto You. Mānasa, deha, geha, ya kichu mora; arpilū tuwā pade, nanda-kiśora. Sampade bipade, jivane-marane, whether living or dying, whether or in good fortune or whether in bad fortune, in danger, whatever it may be, I’m simply offering every second unto You.” So, in this way, one actually becomes the greatest yogī.

It’s not that Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was less a yogī. It was because he was the greatest yogī that when Durvāsa came and cursed him, and sent a demon after him, that the Sudarśana killed that demon and chased Durvāsa. Ambarīṣa was the greatest yogī because he was the pure devotee. He was a gṛhastha. He was a king. Durvāsa thought, “This is a materialist.”, but because he was wearing the tilaka, because he was doing the pūjā, because he was offering his body, his mind, he was doing everything, even managing his whole worldly affairs, everything he was doing, with the consciousness to please guru and Kṛṣṇa, therefore, every action was cinmaya. It was above this material world.

māḿ ca yo ’vyabhicāreṇa
bhakti-yogena sevate
sa guṇān samatītyaitān
brahmā-bhūyāya kalpate 
(Bg. 14.26)

It was guṇātīta, above the guṇas. Sattva-guṇa, to help others bodies. Material welfare. Rajo-guṇa, for one’s own passionate interest, or Tamo-guṇa out of ignorance, anger, hatred, envy, or illusion. It was none of these three motives dictated the life of Ambarīṣa Mahārāja. His motive was simply to please, hari-toṣaṇam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, he was the greatest yogī. Just as Kṛṣṇa says… yoginām api sarveṣāḿ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (Bg. 6.47)

Most intimately connected to Me. So, we can take the example of the great devotees, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. Follow in their footsteps. Follow their examples, and then, just as Prabhupāda has shown, that can actually change not only ourselves, but can change the lives of the people around the whole world.

So, I’m very glad that everyone here is gathering together, taking opportunity of the facilities of this temple on the request of Prabhupāda, we’re maintaining a center here in Madras. He personally came here. He was a guest of the Governor. He was preaching here in big pandals, but for long time, there was no center in a proper way, so Paradheya Dāsa and Uttamaśloka Dāsa, and others, they have all worked here, hard, now all of you have come so that we can have our Kṛṣṇa conscious center here in Madras.

Of course, this is only the humble beginning. There was yet… more humble than this, but our vision is much greater than we hope to have a very big cultural center and temple and āśrama and many schools and many programs so that the people throughout the Tamil Nadu can feel the benefit that Kṛṣṇa consciousness has come to the state. That Caitanya Mahāprabhu has come to the city, and that Śrīla Prabhupāda has come to their life, you see. We want that people can appreciate what is the real happiness.

Even though they may have Vedic culture, even though in India, Vedic culture is here, even though people know what is Bhagavad-gītā, they know what is worshipping Kṛṣṇa in certain aspects but generally speaking, in India today, people are more affected by this Māyāvādī philosophy, or impersonal understanding that everything is one.

They’re not understanding the real happiness of the pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness of Kṛṣṇa prema, of understanding the Lord, the Supreme Absolute Truth, in transcendental rūpam, or form… ananta-rūpam. So just as an example, the four Kumāras, they were Brahmavādīs, they had realized the Brahmajyoti, the Brahma. But when they went to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka, when they went out of this material world into the Brahmajyoti, beyond the Brahmajyoti, to the spiritual planets, and when they could see Nārāyaṇa, and bow down before His lotus feet, at that time, their whole bodies became quivering and they’re feeling ecstatic symptoms, even though they’re already in the Brahman realization.

So what to speak of ordinary people in the material world, who, even though they may know something about the Vedas, who are still getting happiness only from this body, you see. They’re far far distant from the happiness that the four Kumāras had, realizing the mokṣa, the Brahman, but even that Brahman was nothing, was simply like a drop compared to the ocean of happiness that they experience when they actually had the direct darśana of Nārāyaṇa, and that Nārāyaṇa Himself, when He sees the picture of Kṛṣṇa, in Vṛndāvana, He Himself becomes attracted, even Lakṣmī is doing tapasyā to go to Kṛṣṇa-loka.

That Kṛṣṇaloka is the topmost Vaikuṇṭhaloka. That topmost Vaikuṇṭhaloka, even Lord Śiva did tapasyā so he could become the gatekeeper at the rāsa-līlā, therefore he’s known as gopeśvara. That, highest spiritual abode, which is ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt, pure transcendental ecstasy, has been brought down to this world by the great ācāryas and given to everyone by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That great transcendental happiness is brought down in this mahā-mantra:

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Even if you chant the name of Kṛṣṇa for 10,000,000 years… 10,000,000 days of Brahmā, you may not get love for Kṛṣṇa. Mokṣa you may get, but you may not get love for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-prema is so rare. Yes. Even 10,000,000 ek crore, ek crore kalpa, or days of Brahmā, you may chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and not get love of Kṛṣṇa if you commit offenses against the holy name.

Ajāmila chanted one name without offense. He achieved param-padam, but if you chant with offense for billions of years, you still may not get love for Kṛṣṇa. So, then what is the hope? We are in the Kali-yuga. We are so offensive. There is no hope then? What is the use of giving us the holy name? They may develop this type of doubt. You see. That is the special feature of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. ‘pāpī-tāpī yata chila, hari-nāma uddhārila’

That Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by chanting His name, by following in His footsteps, He immediately forgives one of all the offenses. He doesn’t consider any offense. Therefore, even sometimes you see that offensive people they’re chanting Nitāi-Gaura, or they’re chanting Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, they’re also experiencing some loving symptom, you see. And if a person is sincerely trying, chanting Lord Caitanya’s name, and then chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa, mahā-mantra, then actually they can achieve pure love for Kṛṣṇa, very quickly. You see, that which even Brahmā achieved, Nārada, Śukadeva, they’re always anxious to get that, Kṛṣṇa-prema. So, this is the special mercy of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that He’s giving out this special nectar of pure love for Kṛṣṇa.

That… we see all over the world… doesn’t matter whether it’s in China, whether it’s in Japan, whether it’s in Thailand, or South America, or North America or Europe. Asia, Africa, everywhere, no matter who the person may be, if he just chants,

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

Following the instructions of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, takes Kṛṣṇa-prasāda, associates with the devotees, renders some service, they experience transcendental happiness. They experience transcendental knowledge very quickly, you see.

The śloka is there in the Bhāgavatam also that the Holy Name is so powerful, it acts like fire. You don’t have to know that whether fire burns or doesn’t burn, you don’t have to have faith, or no faith. It doesn’t have any relevance. If you put your hand in fire, you’ll get burned. If you chant the name of Kṛṣṇa, knowingly or unknowingly, that Holy Name will act, even if you commit offense and you chant, it will also act, but it will be delayed. Even the people are chanting with offense, still it will act, but it will be delayed.

That is the wonderful thing that by Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s mercy, it is acting immediately, because He’s not considering offense, and you can see right before your eyes, people become filled with spiritual happiness. No matter what their karmas were, because karmas are immediately wiped out by chanting. Anyway, these are very esoteric things, so that way we see that all over the world, people are taking up the chanting and simply one should try to chant and not use the chanting to give one material facility for more materialistic activity. Not use the chanting to perform sinful activity. Not use the chanting for some temporary thing, but just use the chanting, chant to please Kṛṣṇa, chant to develop oneself spiritually, and automatically, everything else fits into place. Chant to live in a harmonious way with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa provides everything. Whether its material desire, whether its desire for liberation, or whether it’s a desire for pure Kṛṣṇa-prema, love for Kṛṣṇa, in any case simply by pure devotional service as Lord Śiva has described, or as there… Bhāgavatam (2.3.10) is describing that:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena yajeta puruṣaṁ param 

Simply by performing this pure devotional service, without any motive, means any condition. Maybe internal motive, but no condition, whatever… come what may, goes on serving, then, whatever the internal desire is, whether it’s material desire, or whether its mokṣa desire, or whether it’s akāmā, no desire, simply desire to love Kṛṣṇa, that desire is fulfilled, you see, automatically.

But one shouldn’t want to chant to con… continue sinful activity. Even if you have desire… material desire, that material desire should be for material happiness, for material… at least in the mode of goodness, and passion, not in the mode of ignorance, you see. So, that way, the Holy Name purifies the whole world. Some leader was asking how to make everything correct… how we can manage, but the world is in such a topsy-turvy situation, it’s almost… even if the government wants to do something, they’re helpless. The people have become so materialistic. What can they do? The people themselves have to become spiritually awakened, then only the world can change, so therefore, Lord Caitanya’s mass movement of bringing thousands and thousands of people together, chanting

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare
Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare 

is the only hope in this troubled world. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa. Thank you very much.

So tell me how everybody is. Some new faces here.

Devotee: This is Rasarāja.

Jayapatākā Swami: I met Rasarāja.

Devotee: This is Bhakta… Bhakta Frank.

Devotee: Flew in from Germany.

Just joined to check out this new (inaudible)

Devotee: Some relatives of Dadu, they have come to visit him today.

Jayapatākā Swami: Dadu.

Devotee: They have come to visit.

Jayapatākā Swami: What are their… what’s the relation?

Devotee: Pardon?

Devotee: Grandfather.

Jayapatākā Swami: I see.Very nice, wearing the tilaka. Don’t want to embarrass anyone. (laughter)

Devotee: (inaudible)… mercy. Kṛṣṇa’s.

Jayapatākā Swami : In the temple. Very nice that Dvija Dīna Dayāla’s family came, also. How’s your family? Give them my prāṇamas. How are you? Here’s a good… the whole family is devotee. Is there anybody left, or is that the whole family?

Family: It’s the whole family. (All laughing)

Jayapatākā Swami : (aside)… that’s alright.

Devotee: This is Śrī Rāma.

Jayapatākā Swami Mahārāja: Śrī Rāma.

Devotee: This is the second time he’s coming to our temple. He has been chanting the mahā-mantra since childhood, so he came, last week.

Jayapatākā Swami: Oh, wonderful. Actually, because here people have already the good culture it’s so much easier. When you’re trying to preach in the West, you have to tell them. They say, “Why should I chant?” Then you have to tell them, karma, you have to tell them, this or that. Somehow, by hook or by crook, but here the people, naturally from their birth, they are chanting.

It’s a great opportunity, you see. With just a little bit of effort, they… very easy to achieve perfection. If one is just a little humble, then one can get that mood of pure bhakti. Pure bhakti. So, that’s very great opportunity. We know that our parama-gurudeva Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, he liked south India so much. He said if I have to again take birth in the world, I hope that I can take birth in south India. So, we don’t know even what great soul may come forward. It might even be, he might even come back in south India. You can’t say, if… since he said that.

So, this is a great stronghold of Vedic culture but, due to so much difficulty, brāhmaṇas, non-brāhmaṇas, this that, so much friction has been caused in society, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pure vision of daíva-varṇāśrama, that ultimately the soul is beyond all the designation. He is described as acintya-bhedābheda-tattva darśana, that of course, all the souls are part of Kṛṣṇa.

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ [paragraph] (Bg. 15.7)

So the soul is originally pure, but it gets covered. Just like the sunlight is pure, but if we see it through the different colored glass, we’ll see red, yellow, blue, like that, the consciousness is pure but through different bodies and mentalities, it comes out different. So, this chanting and serving, that can allow the pure consciousness to manifest. That’s when people feel their natural happiness and bliss. And then when one takes that and doesn’t only chant for one’s own benefit, but tries to help others, then one becomes very dear to Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā that of all the souls, those who explain this message of gītā to My devotees, they’re the dearest to Me, you see. That’s why this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, we could be just staying here in holy place and just chanting, but we’re coming here to the Madras and to New York City and London, and all over the world. Even in Madras, so many busses and cars and exhaust fumes, you see. Nice… nicer is living in some āśrama in the country. No one can argue.

If we say, in the weekend, lets go, no one is thinking, “Let’s go downtown, to Mount Road. They’re thinking, “Let’s go to Mahabalipuram. Let’s go to someplace in the country.” Isn’t it? On the beach. But why we’re here? Not because we have many material fascination about this city. We’re here just because we want to give the people who are here… people are in the city, so we’re here to give those people Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We’re helping others. In this way, we want to take that little extra risk. We might be safer in the country āśrama, than living in the city, where there’s so much māyā. Tamas. Rajas. You see?

Country is sāttvika. Why we’re here? We want to get the special favor of Kṛṣṇa. Because He says that “If someone distributes this message to My devotees, then I give them My special blessing. They’re the dearmost devotee to Me.” You see. Just like in the country, there’s so many citizens, but in time of war, naturally the government is glorifying the soldiers, jawans. They’re giving all the medals, so in this material world, there’s a war against māyā. So, Kṛṣṇa gives special reward to the soldiers who are fighting against the māyās and bringing back the souls to their original spiritual consciousness.

So, we’re very happy that Śrī Rāma is coming here, who’s been chanting his whole life, and we hope that he continues chanting, and will help to let the other people also chant. In this way, if we can induce more and more people to chant… those who are already chanting, we give them all of our praṇāmas, you see. In that sense, many of us are newcomers in chanting in this lifetime. Although in previous lives we may have been chanting. That we cannot say, but nonetheless, our intention and our purpose is to get everyone, as far as possible to take up this chanting, and for that, there’s unlimited work to be done. Unlimited service that needs to be done. So, we hope that you also, Śrī Rāma can help us with your experience… will be very encouraging to all of us.

This time I took with me one of my disciples to the West. Last time also, I took and that way, coming from India, saw for the first time… never even flew in an airplane before, Jagadīśa Dāsa. First time flew in airplane, was flying from Calcutta to Bombay, and Bombay to London. So, he said… of course, seeing the material opulence and technology, at first it was a surprise, but then after a while he could see that actually there was a great need for preaching in India. [paragraph]