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The Meaning of the Hare Krishna Mantra [תÌù 2005-12-21 02:20:12 ] ·¢±í

Õß: ¹þÀû

 

 

The Meaning of the Hare Krishna Mantra--1966 MP3 Audio Lecture

 

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder-Acarya

of the

Hare Krishna Movement

 

 

Prabhupada: Now, some of you members have asked me to explain the

meaning of this chanting, Hare Krishna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,

Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Now, this

sound is transcendental sound, transcendental sound, incarnation,

sound incarnation of the Absolute Truth. Just try to understand what

is incarnation. Incarnation means... The Sanskrit word is avatara,

and that is translated into English as "incarnation." Of course, the

root meaning of incarnation I cannot exactly explain to you, but the

root meaning of the... (aside:) Somebody stop. Yes. The root meaning

of avatara is "which comes from the transcendental sky, the

spiritual sky to the material sky." That is called avatara.

Avatarana. Avatarana. Just like... Avatarana means "coming from up

to down." That is called avatarana. And avatara is understood that

when God or His bona fide representative comes from that sky to this

material plane, that is called avatara.

 

So this sound, this Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare.

Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the sound

representation of the Supreme Lord. The sarvam khalv idam brahma.

The whole thing, either material or spiritual, whatever we have got

experience, nothing is separated from the Supreme Absolute Truth.

Nothing is separated. Everything has emanated from the Absolute

Truth. (aside:) Come on. Sit down. But just like... The example...

Just like earth. Earth, then from earth, you have got wood, fuel.

>From fuel, when you get fire, first of all there is smoke. Then,

after smoke, there is fire. And the fire, from fire, you can take

work. Now, beginning from earth, from earth there is wood; from wood

there is smoke; from smoke there is fire. There is a link between

the fire and the earth. But the work of the fire, the benefit of the

fire, can be had at the last stage, when there is real ignition of

fire. Similarly, there is link. The whole material cosmic situation,

manifestation, what we see, it is just like the smoke. The fire is

behind it. That is spiritual sky. But still, in the smoke, you can

feel some heat also. So similarly, this sound vibration of the

spiritual world is here so that even in this material world, where

there is a scarcity of that spiritual fire, we can appreciate, we

can feel, the warmth of that fire.

 

So this is the meaning of, in a nutshell, meaning of this, I mean to

say, spiritual vibration. And grammatical meaning is these, all

these words, sixteen words: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,

Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, sixteen...

Now, according to grammatical rules, when somebody is addressed...

Just like in your English language it is, note of address is, "O Mr.

such and such," similarly, in grammar, Sanskrit grammar, the same

note of address, which is called sambodhana, that is expressed in

this way. So Hare, Hare is the note of address form of the sound

Hara. Hara. Hara means the potency of the Supreme Lord, potency. The

Supreme Lord is represented everywhere by His potency. There is a

nice verse in the Visnu Purana. It is said like that: Just like a

fire, the fire situated in one place, it distributes its heat and

light. Just like... Take the example for the sun. The sun is located

at a certain fixed-up place. That we can see. But the heat of the

sun and the light of the sun is distributed all over the universe.

Ekadesa-sthitasyagneh. Ah, yes. The verse is like...

 

 

ekadesa-sthitasyagner

jyotsna vistarini yatha

tatha sarvam akhilam jagat

brahmanah saktih brahmanah

 

 

Akhilam jagat. In this world, whatever you are seeing, it is nothing

but distribution of the energy of the Supreme Lord. Just like you

can feel the light and the heat of the sun. This light and heat of

the sun are different energies of the sun. The energy and the

energetic, the thing from which the energy is generated and the

energy, they are nondifferent. The sunshine or the sun heat is not

different from the sun. Because there is heat in the sun, therefore

we feel the heat of sunshine. And there is light in the sun,

therefore we see the sunshine. So this sunshine and sun heat is not

different from the sun as it is. But still it is different. Still it

is different. You cannot say that "Because I am feeling the heat of

the sun, therefore I have approached sun." No. Sun is far, far away

from you. And because the sunshine has entered your room, you cannot

say that "Sun has entered my room." No. Still, sunshine and sun heat

is not different from the sun.

 

Similarly, the whole creation, anything... Generally there are three

things: the potent, God, and His three energies. This is the sum

total: internal energy, external energy, and marginal energy.

External energy is this material manifestation. Just like this body

is my external energy. I am soul, so my external energy is this

body. Similarly, I have got my internal energy. That is my

consciousness. Consciousness is my internal energy, and this body

and the mind and this material demonstration, or manifestation, is

my external energy. The body has developed, the mind has developed,

from me, soul, not that I, consciousness, is developed from this

body. No. That is a wrong conception. That is a wrong conception.

You cannot develop consciousness from this body. Otherwise a dead

man could have been again revived to consciousness. Because if

matter is the cause of consciousness, then the whole matter is there

already. Whole matter. The dead body means, so far material

substance is concerned, everything is there, present. Nothing has

disappeared. If you say there is no blood--oh, that is not very

difficult thing, blood, a red substance. Do you mean to say

something red injected within this body will bring back the life?

No. If redness is the cause of life or consciousness, then modern

chemical can make immediately by chemical combination the whole

thing red. Or take example: there are many natural stones, they are

by nature red. If you say that "This artificial redness cannot give

life; the natural redness is the cause of life," then you take the

stone. It has got natural redness, but there is no life. But there

is no life. So redness is also not the cause of consciousness of

life. That is a wrong theory. That is a complete... Consciousness is

completely different thing, qualitatively different. Nothing is

different from one to another, just like I have explained already

that the earth, wood, then smoke, then fire--everything is linked

up, but everything is also different from one another.

 

So the whole thing... The Supreme Lord is represented throughout

everything, whatever you see, matter or spirit or anything,

physical, chemical--whatever you can give name--there are so many

things. But they are not separated from God. God is linked up in

everywhere. Isavasyam idam sarvam. Just like our Bhagavad-gita, we

have begun that yena sarvam idam tatam: "That thing which is present

all over the body, that you are." So this is individual

consciousness: "I am present all over my body." Similarly, the

supreme consciousness, he is present all over the universe, all

over. This is only a small manifestation of God's energy, very

minute. In the Bhagavad-gita you will find, ekamsena sthito jagat.

This jagat... Jagat means this material manifestation. This material

manifestation is a one-fourth part demonstration of this whole

energy of the Supreme Lord, one-fourth part. So nothing is different

from God. But there are certain philosophers, they say, pantheist or

monotheist... There are so many theists. They are also be... They

believe in the Supreme, but impersonal. But we followers of this

Krsna philosophy, Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavata, we do not follow

that philosophy. What is that philosophy? The other sections, they

say that "Because God is distributed all over everywhere, therefore

there is no separate existence of God." But we do not say that. We

say that, the example, that because the sun is distributing his heat

and energy, therefore you cannot say that there is no existence of

sun. Sun is separately existing. In spite of distributing for

millions of years heat, the reservation of heat in the sun is

intact. It is not diminished. But everyone knows that for millions

and billions of years the sun is distributing heat. Nobody knows the

history, how long. Your distributing center, the powerhouse, if you

fail to supply coal or oil, then after one hour the whole New York

City will be dark. So just you can imagine who is supplying the fuel

in the heat of the sun so that for millions and billions of years

the heat of the sun is in the same temperature. So this is only one

of the creation of the God, God's creation. But just imagine. If

God's creation is so unlimited and so much energetic, then how much

energetic and how much powerful is the creator? That is to be...

These things are to be thought. In everything, everything, we can

have God consciousness. If this watch is so wonderful workmanship

and we are struck with wonder how nicely it is giving time, how the

machine is adjusted, now, before appreciating this watch, how much

we have to appreciate the person who has discovered this watch, how

much brain he has got? Before appreciating a powerful brain in this

world, one should appreciate who has given him this powerful brain.

If the man has attained that powerful brain out of his own accord,

then great powerful brain like Professor Einstein, Sir Jagadish

Chandra Bose, they could create another brain like them so that in

their absence there would not have been scarcity of scientist and

powerful brain. But they could not do that. Therefore they are not

creator of the powerful brain. The powerful brain is gift of the

supreme powerful brain.

 

So in every respect, if we think... This is called philosophy. If we

have got thoughtful propensities, if we can little think over every

matter, you will find that God is present everywhere, and still, He

is personally present in His own place. The same example: the sun is

present everywhere by heat and light; still, sun, the sun, has its

own location. That you cannot deny. Similarly, God is present

everywhere. Not only everywhere... We learn from Brahma-samhita,

 

 

eko 'py asau racayitum jagad-anda-kotim

yac-chaktir asti jagad-anda-caya yad-antam

andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham

govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

 

 

This Govinda, anadir adir govindah. So the prayer is, "I worship

that Govinda," sarva-karana-karanam, karana, "who is the cause of

all causes." Cause of all causes. Now, in this verse of Brahma-

samhita we find that one of His plenary portion... In the Vedic

hymns we find that God has become many. Eko bahu syam. God is one

without second, but He has become Himself many. We are also God. Out

of that many, we are one. We are one. We are not separate from God.

So, but there are amongst the "many"s there is a difference of

potency, difference of potencies. Just like what you can do, I

cannot do. Your workmanship may not be equal with my workmanship.

Your brain work may not be equal to my brain work. There are

differences. Each and every living entity, they are different from

each other so far individual capacities are concerned. So in spite

of many... That is God's creation. In spite of many, each and every

thing, you will find there is some difference. You can sit down at a

place in New York and go on counting and seeing all people passing

before you--you won't find one man is exactly like the other man.

Not only that, in court, you know, every one of you know, that they

take impression of the left hand thumb impression. Now, this thumb

impression... You go on taking millions and millions of thumb

impression, and you won't find one thumb impression is exactly like

the other. And because there is difference of thumb impression,

therefore the identity is taken in that way, that "This particular

man's thumb impression, even if he denies his signature, the thumb

impression will collaborate that his signature is this." So that is

God's creation.

 

Similarly, there are two kinds of expansions of the Lord. One kind

of expansion is called Visnu-tattva. Visnu-tattva means the

expansion, they are as equal as the God Himself. And there are

expansions which are called the jiva-tattva, the living entities.

This expansion of the living entities, they are not equally

powerful, but the expansion of Visnu-tattva is equally powerful, as

good as God Himself. So the incarnation... Incarnation of God means

the expansion which is as good as God Himself. That is called

incarnation. So this, I mean to, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna

Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the

expansion, incarnation, sound incarnation, of God. It is expansion

and a plenary expansion, sound, sound representation... Not

representation. God, present Himself in this form of sound. Because

we cannot see God with our present eyes, present eyes, because this

is not our proper eyes. They are material eyes. You don't think that

this eye, the transparent thing which is floating in this, I mean to

say, hole... That is not seeing. Similarly, if you can present, or

if you take this eye... You cannot see. That cannot see. It is

simply a lens only. It is only lens. So none of this body, bodily

part, is actually the thing which is taking part. So therefore with

these eyes, with these material eyes, you cannot see. Atah sri-krsna-

namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih. The present senses, the present

senses cannot have any knowledge of the Supreme God. But how then we

can have knowledge? If my senses are unfit, then how can I make it

fit? Oh, that is the thing. That is the thing, that you have to

spiritualize, spiritualize these material sense, I mean to say,

organs. And then, when you spiritualize, then you can have the

spiritual vision and see God and yourself. The same example which I

have recited many times: just like the iron rod. Iron rod, you put

into the fire. It gets warm--warm, warmer, warmer. And when it is

red hot, then it is no longer iron. Iron it is, but it does not act

as iron, but it acts as fire. That iron rod which is red hot in

association with fire, you can take that rod and touch anything; it

will burn. That means it is no longer acting as iron; it is acting

as fire. Similarly, if you associate with this transcendental

incarnation, sound incarnation of God, then you will be gradually

godly. You will be godly. You can become godly with God's

association, not by any other material, extraneous things. No. Just

like you can have fire only in association with fire, not with

water. If you want to get yourself warm, then you have to associate

with fire, not with water, not with air. Similarly, if you want to

spiritualize your vision, if you want to spiritualize your action,

if you want to spiritualize the whole constitution of your

existence, then you have to associate with the supreme spirit. And

that supreme spirit is very kind because He is everything. That we

have already explained. Everything is interrelated with the Supreme;

therefore He is interrelated with sound also. So by God's

inconceivable potency, He can present before yourself in sound

incarnation. That is His potency. That is His potency. He can do

that. And therefore this name, Krsna, and the Supreme Lord Krsna,

there is no difference.

 

So our, this sound representation of the Supreme Lord constantly

will make us... Just like our association with the fire, the, I mean

to say, iron rod's association with the fire makes the rod equally

qualified, exactly--not equally qualified, but almost the quality of

burning it gets--similarly, by our constant association with Lord...

Lord is not only incarnation in a sound form. He is incarnated in

many other forms, in many other forms. Just like arca. Arca means

the form of the Lord situated, I mean to say, established in some

temple and worshiped. That is also incarnation of God. That is not

idol worship. People do not know that this is an authorized process

of realizing God, or they have never tasted or practiced it. They

cannot understand. They say it is idol worship. No. It is not idol

worship. It is not idol worship. I'll give you one example. Just

like in the front of your door there is a box--"U.S. Mail," it is

written. And you put your letters within that box, and after few

days you get reply from your friend that "I have received your

letter, and this is such and such, such and such." Now, if somebody

puts another box like that, exactly imitation: "Then why shall I

spend postage to putting letters in this box, U.S. Mail? I require

postage. But then why shall I not put up a box like that? Let me

prepare a box like that so that it can go without postage. I want to

save postage." Now, he is going on, putting letters in that without

postage. And after some times he sees all the letters are lying

there; it has not been dispatched--because it is imitation. And the

box which is supplied by the post office, that is authorized. In the

matter, in material, you will find this box and that imitation box

is the same thing. So this is a science. You see. Although we find

that "This form of the Lord... The Hindus, they have established one

statue in the temple, and they are worshiping as the Lord? How is

that? Is it Lord is a stone? It is wood?" But he does not know that

because it is authorized, because it is authorizedly worshiped,

therefore even it is stone or wood, it can act. It can act. Just

like the authorized post office, although seemingly it is a box

which I can prepare, but it is acting because it is authorized,

similarly, the authorized, authorized symbol or representation of

God is also God. He's not different from God. Then why God is like

that? It is His mercy. Because I cannot see God with my these eyes--

I can see stone and wood and material things--therefore God is kind

enough (to appear) in a form suitable to my seeing and accept my

service. It is His kindness. And besides that, if everything is God,

because everything has link with the God, with the Supreme Truth,

then God, being omnipotent, why He cannot represent Himself in

everything? If everything is God, everything is emanation of God,

then God has got the power to manifest Himself in everything. That

is His omnipotency. So these are consideration.

 

So the explanation of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare

Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is addressing,

addressing the Supreme Lord through the energy, Hara. Hara is the

energy, internal energy. Just like when there is... Of course, in

your country there is no sun worship, but in India there are persons

who are sun worshipers. So they worship sun with so many things. And

there is a lamp also. Now, this lamp is a light, but it is being

offered for satisfying the sun. Now, sun is so lightful, this light

is merely insignificant before the sunlight. But still, because I

have no other means, I am getting a sunlight, imitation of that

light, and offering, and that offering is accepted. So these are

spiritual conception. When we gradually make our progressive

advancement, these things will be realized. But for the present we

can take this instruction from authorized scripture that,

 

 

atah sri-krsna-namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

 

 

The God's name, God's form, God's quality, God's paraphernalia,

God's entourage, like that, and anything in relation to God cannot

be realized with our present senses. But when we are in service

attitude, then God is so merciful, He is so pleased, that our tiny

efforts to realize Him attracts Him, and He becomes manifested

gradually as we make our progress in spiritual service or devotional

service.

 

So this method, chanting, chanting of the transcendental name of the

Supreme Lord, is a part of devotional service. There are nine kinds

of devotional services, of which

 

 

sravanam kirtanam visnoh

smaranam pada-sevanam

arcanam vandanam dasyam

sakhyam atma-nivedanam

 

 

These are different, nine processes. Sravanam kirtanam. Sravanam

means hearing, and kirtanam means chanting, chanting. So by this

process... Just like I chant and you hear, and you chant and I hear.

Parasparam. Bodhayantah parasparam. This is the factual activities

of devotion in devotional society. This bodhayantah parasparam: I

chant, you hear, and you chant, I hear. So by this process, the

transcendental name, the sound incarnation of the Supreme Lord,

becomes manifest, manifest so that we can realize God simply by

chanting and hearing. Simply by chanting and hearing that will be

realized. Of course, there are some rules and regulations for

chanting, but in the beginning we haven't got to observe those rules

and regulation at the present. First of all let us have the taste

for chanting; then we shall be little careful that the rules and

regulations are followed. In the beginning, if we stick up to the...

Rules and regulations are subordinate, subordinate thing. Just like

you enter into an office. You are appointed in some office to work.

So on the very day, you do not know all the rules and regulations.

But because you do not know all the rules and regulation, that does

not mean that you cannot be appointed. First of all let yourself be

appointed. Now, working, working, yourself you will know that rules

and regulations: "This is the rules, and this is the regulation."

Just like in my life, I will say one instance. When I met my

spiritual master, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, so as

a gentleman meets as a gentleman, so he was sitting in a couch like

that. So, and I also sat down on that very couch. So I did not know

that what are the rules and regulations. Now, when I saw that his

other disciples are coming, and they are sitting down, (laughs) so I

thought myself, "Oh, I have done this wrong. I should not have sat

with His Divine Grace." So of course, I did not get down

immediately, but I took it, and from next day I did not sit. So

rules and regulations automatically was taught. So that rules and

regulations is not very important. The important is... The thing is

that we must take up. The first rules and regulation is that we must

have some attachment for this. Attachment for this. Then,

automatically, rules and regulation we shall learn. There will be no

difficulty.

 

So this transcendental sound, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna,

Hare Hare, you don't think that I have come here--it is my personal

manufacture. No. It is not. No. It is not my personal manufacture.

It is authorized just like the post box is authorized, because all

previous acaryas, all previous authorized persons in this line, they

have done it. Just like see Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is chanting and

dancing, chanting and dancing, you see, the same thing. This picture

is before you so that gradually, when you feel ecstasy, you will

also dance like Him. And when you automatically dance, then you will

know that the thing is already realized. Not artificially, but when

you feel, "Oh, let me dance. It is so much ecstatic. Let me dance."

Nothing should be done artificially. Let everything come

automatically. And only we have to follow. Mahajano yena gatah sa

panthah. Dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam mahajano yena gatah sa

panthah. This is a verse from scripture, that tarko apratisthah, if

you simply go on arguing about spiritual matters--"This is not, this

is not, this is not, yes, this is not..." I say something; you say

something. No, no, no. You cannot realize spiritual objects simply

by this speculation, argument. Our argument or logical, I mean to

say, strength has no access in the spiritual world. The Vedic mantra

says, nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna

srutena: "Atma, the supreme self, cannot be realized pravacanena."

Suppose I am very expert speaker, I can present things very nicely--

but without any substance. Oh, that won't help you. Simply by

jugglery of words, if I can captivate you, oh, that won't help you.

Nayam atma pravacanena. This is pravacana.

 

Of course, we are delivering speeches from authoritative book,

Bhagavad-gita. I am not speaking before you of my own imagination. I

am speaking from the authorized book. Therefore it is not exactly

pravacana, neither I am squeezing out some meaning for my purpose. I

am just presenting you the same principle. Mahajano yena gatah sa

panthah. As Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu preached, I am trying to

present the same thing before you in a different language only.

That's all. Because in India He preached in Sanskrit. He was a very

learned scholar in Sanskrit. Formerly, any big man, any big scholar,

they would be big scholar in Sanskrit. Sanskrit was the written

language. Even in the beginning of the British period, Sanskrit was

written language. It is the policy of Lord McCauley that he

transformed the whole attitude. They made a plan that "If Indians

remain as Indian, then we cannot rule over. Then we cannot rule

over. We must make them Anglicized." So that policy was followed for

two hundred years, so India has lost its original culture. So

therefore the original point is that tarko apratisthah. We cannot

realize the Supreme Truth simply by argument or logical presentation

or philosophical speculation. No. Tarko apratisthah srutayo

vibhinna. Srutayo means scriptures. Now say, for example, Bhagavad-

gita and your Bible and the Muhammadans, they'll present Koran. So

of course, this Bhagavad-gita is little different from Vedic

scripture. That we have already explained. It is an independent

something, universal. So Vedic scripture, Koran, Bible, or

Zoroastrian... There are so many religion, Buddhist religion, so

many. So there may be some difference of opinion. Srutayor vibhinna.

Vibhinna means different. Now, you cannot realize the Absolute Truth

simply by your mundane arguments and by your logical strength,

neither you can catch up the right thing by reading different

scriptures. Srutayor vibhinna. Nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam.

And if you follow great philosophers, great thinkers, then also you

will find one thinker is different from another thinker, one

philosopher is differing from another philosopher. So whom to

follow? This philosopher says that God is a person; another

philosopher says God is imperson; another philosopher says that God

is everywhere and there is no separate existence of God. So many

philosophies there are in the world. And one person is not actually

philosopher if he does not differ from other philosophers. That is

the philosophical basic principle. You are a philosopher. If I

cannot make your philosophical conclusion null and void and make my

philosophy established, then I am not a philosopher. You see? That

is the way, going on. Nasau munir yasya matam na bhinnam: "He is not

a philosopher if he cannot present a separate theory." He is not a

philosopher.

 

Then how to catch up the Absolute Truth? What is the way? Now,

dharmasya tattvam nihitam guhayam: "Therefore the Absolute Truth is

concealed within your heart." Nihitam guhayam. Now, mahajano yena

gatah sa panthah: "You just try to follow the great personalities,

what they are doing, what they are doing." Now, about this mahajana,

there is also difference of opinion who is mahajana. But so far our

Vedic culture is concerned, there are specific mention, mahajana.

And so far Lord Krsna is concerned, so there is no two opinions

about His authority throughout the whole world. And so far we are

concerned, Hindus, or the followers of the Vedic religion, there is

no difference of opinion so far Krsna's authority is concerned.

There are five authorities, recognized authorities, in India so far

this is..., spiritual life is concerned. One of them is Sri

Ramanujacarya and other is Sankaracarya. The other is Madhvacarya,

other is Visnuswami, and other Nimbarka, Nimbaditya (?). Principal.

The whole, I mean, some of them flourished, say, two thousand years

before; some of them 1,500 years before; some of them eleven hundred

years before. Just like there are different ages, they have come.

But all of them, in spite of their coming in different ages, they

all are in one opinion--krsnas tu bhagavan vayam: "Krsna, Lord

Krsna, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Just like we have

cited, isvarah paramah krsnah: "The supreme controller, the Supreme

Lord, is Krsna." Now, we can see from His presentation of this

Bhagavad-gita how supreme He is. He spoke this truth five thousand

years before, and continually, for five thousand years, all scholars

are studying this scripture, and studying very devotedly to

understand it. You know our present president in India, Dr.

Radhakrishnan. He is a renowned scholar of the world, Dr.

Radhakrishnan. When he came to your country, your president, late

Mr. Kennedy, oh, he welcomed him as his own teacher, because when

Mr. Kennedy was a student in the Oxford University, Dr.

Radhakrishnan was a visiting professor. In the open meeting Mr.

Kennedy admitted that "Now Dr. Radhakrishnan has come as the

president, but he is always my teacher. He is still my teacher." It

was very kind of him that he received him as a teacher, not as

contemporary. So even that Dr. Radhakrishnan, he is also studying

this Bhagavad-gita very, I mean to say, profoundly. You know your

Professor Einstein. Oh, he was a profound, I mean to say, student of

this Bhagavad-gita. Hitler was a great student of Bhagavad-gita. So

many, in all the countries. There are so many Muhammadans in India,

oh, they are devout student of Bhagavad-gita. I know one Dr. Inrai

(?) of Allahabad University. Oh, he is so devoted to Lord Krsna that

on the birthday of Lord Krsna he must write one nice article and

publish in the paper. So this instruction, that mahajano yena gatah

sa panthah... We cannot have the knowledge of the Absolute Truth

simply by argument or simply by philosophy or simply by big brain or

speaking power. No, no. All these things will not do. Simply we have

to follow the great authority.

 

So Lord Krsna, Lord Caitanya, He introduced this Hare Krsna, Hare

Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare

Hare for this age. And He recommended, kalau... Not recommended by

His own brain, but it is recommended in the scriptures:

 

 

harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

 

 

If you want to realize the Supreme Truth, then you must realize

this: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama,

Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, whenever you get... Harer nama

harer nama harer nama eva kevalam: "Only this." And if you

think, "Oh, only this? Why not other?" No. Kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha. Nasty eva means "There is no alternative."

And He repeats this: "no alternative, no alternative, no

alternative," three times. Three times. That means He is giving too

much stress. So our process is like that, that we are following a

great personality, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He introduced from

the scripture, not in His own way. Nothing should be accepted which

is not recognized. You see? So this is recognized method. Now it

depends on us. Let us follow this process and see how we are making

progress in the spiritual path. You see?

 

Thank you very much. Now, if there is any question, you can raise.

(end)

 

[660908LE.NY Lecture on Maha-mantra New York, September 8, 1966]