Srila Prabhupada on India

8/13/2019 Srila Prabhupada on India

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rla

PrabhupdaOn IndiaQuotations from rla Prabhupdas books,lectures, conversations, and letters

Compiled, edited, and commented on byBhakti Viksa Swami


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Caitanya Mahprabhus Mission

bhrata-bhmite-haila manuya-janma yrajanma srthaka kari kara para-upakra

TRANSLATION

One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land ofIndia (Bhrata-vara) should make his life successful andwork for the benefit of all other people.

PURPORTThe magnanimity of Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu is expressed in this very

important verse. Although He was born in Bengal, and Bengalis therefore have a

special duty toward Him, r Caitanya Mahprabhu is addressing not only Bengalisbut all the inhabitants of India. It is in the land of India that actual humancivilization can be developed.

Human life is especially meant for God realization, as stated in the Vednta-stra(athto brahma-jijs). Anyone who takes birth in the land of India [Bhrata-vara]has the special privilege of being able to take advantage of the instruction andguidance of the Vedic civilization. He automatically receives the basic principles ofspiritual life, for 99.9% of the Indian people, even simple village farmers and otherswho are neither educated nor sophisticated, believe in the transmigration of thesoul, believe in past and future lives, believe in God, and naturally want to worship

the Supreme Personality of Godhead or His representative. These ideas are thenatural inheritance of a person born in India. India has many holy places ofpilgrimagesuch as Gay, Benares, Mathur, Prayga, Vndvana, Hardwar,Rmevaram, and Jaganntha Purand people still go there by the hundreds andthousands. Although the present leaders of India are influencing the people not tobelieve in God, not to believe in a next life, and not to believe in a distinctionbetween pious and impious life, and they are teaching them how to drink wine, eatmeat, and become supposedly civilized, people are nevertheless afraid of the fouractivities of sinful life, namely illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication, and gambling,and whenever there is a religious festival they gather together by the thousands. We

have actual experience of this. Whenever the Ka consciousness movement holdsa sakrtana festival in a big city like Calcutta, Bombay, Madras, Ahmedabad, orHyderabad, thousands of people come to hear. Sometimes we speak in English, buteven though most people do not understand English, they nevertheless come to hearus. Even when imitation incarnations of Godhead speak, people gather in thousands,for everyone who is born in the land of India has a natural spiritual inclination andis taught the basic principles of spiritual life; they merely need to be a little more


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educated in the Vedic principles. Therefore r Caitanya Mahprabhu said, janmasrthaka kari kara para-upakra:If an Indian is educated in the Vedic principles,he is able to perform the most beneficial welfare activity for the entire world.i

Every Indian is a devotee. That is the privilege of taking birth in India. Naturallyhe is a devotee, and if he takes a little education, takes advantage of the Vedic

instructions, then his life is successful. In the stra it is said even the demigodsdesire to take birth in India because of the facility here. The land is so sanctifiedthat anyone who takes birth here is born sanctified. Now, if he takes furtheradvantage of the Vedic knowledge, then his life becomes successful. ThereforeCaitanya Mahprabhus mission is that anyone who has taken birth in India shouldmake his life successful, and then preach this knowledge to the outside world. Theexact words are:

bhrata-bhmite-haila manuya-janma yra

janma srthaka kari kara para-upakra

Outside India they are in darkness. So it is the duty of the Indian to make his lifeperfect and spread this spiritual knowledge to the outside world. That is real welfareactivity for the human society. That we are trying to do. Unfortunately, they havenot taken very seriously what glorious activities we are doing for India. They do notunderstand.ii

Epoch-making History

In other countries there is no civilization. In India there is civilization. Just you

become civilized and distribute this knowledge. This is Caitanya Mahprabhuspreaching. The ocean of mercy was blocked. Let it be opened and distributedthroughout the world. So work vigorously. This is epoch-making history, how realculture is being distributed for the benefit of the whole human society.iii

The Glories of Bhrata-vara

India Is the Best Country

India is the best countrythere is no doubt. Even these American boys say Indiais the best. Puya-bhmi. For religion and other studies of life, India. These Westernboys do not come to India to learn so-called science. They have enough in their owncountry. They do not come to learn how to manufacture airplanes. There is no needfor technology. It is simply bogus. Live simply, save time, and understand yourrelationship with Godthat is India. This is Vedic civilization. India is based on


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these principles. India is especially meant for understanding God.iv

India Is the Best Place for Spiritual Life

According to Vedic civilization, the holy places of pilgrimage are considered mostsacred, and there are still hundreds and thousands of holy places like JagannthaPur, Vndvana, Hardwar, Rmevaram, Prayga, and Mathur. India is the placefor worshiping, or for cultivating spiritual life. The Ka consciousness movementinvites everyone from all over the world, without discrimination as to caste or creed,to come to its centres and cultivate spiritual life perfectly.v

Everyone who happens to take his birth in India is a potential benefactor ofothers, because it is on Indian soil alone that the culture of transcendentalknowledge has been most elaborately presented, from ancient times to the present.The saints and sages of Bhrata-vara, as India has long been known, never tried to

cultivate or satisfy artificially the needs of the body and the mind exclusively; theyalways cultured the transcendental spirit soul, which is above the material body andmind. And even now, the saints and sages continue to do so, in spite of alldifficulties.vi

Birth in India Is Special

The learned sages inform us that one takes his birth in India, the holy land ofBhrata-vara, after the gradual process of evolution through 8,400,000 species of

life, including 900,000 aquatic species, 2,000,000 nonmoving species such asvegetables and hills, 1,100,000 germ and insect species, 1,000,000 bird species,3,000,000 lower-animal species, and 400,000 human species. The living spirittransmigrates from one species of life to another, and he is moving in that way formillions and millions of years within the hollow of the great universe.vii

The special feature of a birth in India is that a person born in India becomesautomatically God conscious. In every part of India, and especially in the holy placesof pilgrimage, even an ordinary, uneducated man is inclined toward Kaconsciousness, and as soon as he sees a Ka conscious person he offers obeisances.India has many sacred rivers like the Ganges, Yamun, Narmad, Kver, and K,

and simply by bathing in these rivers people are liberated and become Kaconscious.viiiA short life in the land of Bhrata-vara is preferable to a life achieved in

Brahma-loka for millions and billions of years, because even if one is elevated toBrahma-loka he must return to repeated birth and death. Although life in Bhrata-vara, in a lower planetary system, is very short, one who lives there can elevatehimself to full Ka consciousness and achieve the highest perfection, even in this


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short life, by fully surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Lord. Thus one attainsVaikuha-loka, where there is neither anxiety nor repeated birth in a materialbody.ix

Even the Demigods Desire Birth in India

In the Krma Pura there is this statement about the desires of the demigods:anadhikrio dev svarga-sth bhratodbhavam

vchanty tma-vimokrtha-mudrekrthe dhikria

Although the demigods are situated in exalted positions inthe heavenly planets, they nevertheless desire to descend tothe land of Bhrata-vara on the planet earth. This indicatesthat even the demigods are unfit to reside in Bhrata-vara.Therefore, if persons already born in Bhrata-vara live like

cats and dogs, not taking full advantage of their birth in thisland, they are certainly unfortunate.x

Every Indian Is Ka Conscious

Actually, every Indian is Ka conscious. Sometimes in foreign countries theyask me, How many Ka conscious people are there in India? And [I tell them,]Cent percent, alleven Muslims, what to speak of the Hindus.xi

Practically the whole population of India is dedicated to spiritual life. Anyone

who has taken birth in India has got a natural inheritance of spiritual life.Unfortunately, at the present moment the leaders are under the wrong impressionthat because India is too much spiritually inclined, its material advancement hasbeen checked. But material advancement does not become hampered by spiritualknowledge. That is a wrong impression. Rather, if you become spiritually advanced,your material necessities will be very nicely adjusted.xii

Although there is propaganda in India to get people to forget Kaconsciousness, it is not possible for them to forget, because Ka Himself appearedthere.xiii

India Once Ruled the World

It is clear that the kings of India once ruled all the world and that their culturewas Vedic.xiv

More than five thousand years ago, while Saint Vidura was travelling the earth asa pilgrim, India was known asBhrata-vara, as it is known even today. The historyof the world cannot give any systematic account for more than three thousand years


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into the past, but before that the whole world was under the flag and militarystrength of Mahrja Yudhihira, who was the emperor of the world. At presentthere are hundreds and thousands of flags flapping in the United Nations, butduring the time of Vidura there was, by the grace of Ajita, Lord Ka, only one flag.The nations of the world are very eager to again have one state under one flag, but

for this they must seek the favour of Lord Ka, who alone can help us become oneworldwide nation.xv

Outsiders Are Accepting Ka Consciousness

It is a glory for us that people in other countries, outside India, are accepting thiscult of Ka consciousness.xvi

The Land of ReligionThis is the land of religion. It is admitted by other parts of the world. Columbus

was searching after India for trade, even hundreds of years ago. People are coming toIndia for knowledge, philosophy, trade, and money. Why did the Britishers come?For money. India was exploited for thousands of years and the standard ofcivilization deteriorated. Still, Indias position is unique, even in this fallencondition. Now people are degraded from their previous, high standard, bothspiritually and materially. Still, they have their feelings for religion. It is still goingon.xvii

There are millions and billions of followers of Ka in India. Not only ordinaryfollowersalso many great stalwarts, educationists, and saintly persons likeakarcrya, Madhvcrya, Rmnujcrya, Lord Caitanya, and other greateducated and learned scholars, have accepted Ka. There are so many others also.And there are millions and millions of temples of Ka. They are being worshippedby millions and billions of devotees still. Still, if you go to some Ka temple inSouth India, youll find thousands of thousands of people always assembled.Whenever you go in that Jaipur temple, within the kings palace, youll find at leastone thousand men assembled. If you go to Jaganntha Pur, youll find at least twothousand men, daily coming and going. If you go to Vndvana, youll find at least

five thousand men, daily coming and going. In Vndvana itself there are fivethousand temples. Out of that only seven or eight are very big. In other words, eachand every house is a Ka temple. Somebody asked me, How many Ka consciouspeople are there in India? At least ninety percent of the Hindus are Kaconscious.xviii


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Indias Present Condition

Comment: India is the land of Ka and Rma, of Bhagavad-gt, of Gag, ofsages and rishisthe land of religion and culture. Even materially, originally India was

so rich that the Moguls and Europeans, coming from a great distance with muchdifficulty, fought with each other for the opportunity to exploit her. Today India still hasplentiful natural resources, and with her vast pool of highly educated people, recently hasbecome much modernized and economically progressive. Nevertheless, most Indians stilllive below the poverty line, with no hope of ever rising above it. Indias cities areovercrowded, disordered, and filthy. Lying, cheating, corruption, exploitation, violence,and murder are part of everyday life. People are full of anxiety. No one trusts anyoneelse. No one is happy.

Once famous for their devotion to God, Indians now prefer to worship unchastewomen, fools, rascals, and paper currency. In traditional Indian civilization, ladies were

respected and glorified for their chastity. Now women known as film heroines flirt beforemillions and vulgarly expose their body to all. Indian womanhood has been demeaned bythese females of slight virtue who are nonetheless adored like goddesses.

The fools in India are many, among whom sports stars are prominent. The wholecountry is crazy about cricketreally crazygetting so excited about someone throwinga ball and someone else hitting it with a piece of wood. It is an event of monumentalmeaninglessness, for the outcome of the game makes no essential difference to anyone oranything, except within the minds of those stupid enough to take it seriously.

Indian rascals are also numerous. Politicians are widely honoured even thougheveryone knows that almost all of them are corrupt, self-interested cheaters and liars.

Atheistic scientists are also big rascals. Nowadays people question what Ka says in theBhagavad-gtbut implicitly accept the scientists words, even though scientists talk allnonsense (such as, Life is a product of matter), regularly contradict each other, andhave been proved wrong on innumerable occasions. Another class of mah-rascals arethe petty magicians who dare call themselves God.

For most Indians today, even all these gods are not as important as the paper god.Everyone has dedicated himselfbody, mind, and soulto the acquisition of money.

Of course, faith in Ka and Rma has not been completely abandoned. A Rmarevival is now on, although some claim it to be more political than spiritual. Temple-going is on the increase. Buteveryone goes for material benedictions: I need money,

Help me pass my exams, Give me this, Give me that. No one is interested to loveGod for His own sake.Even among those who consider themself pious, most are not very serious about

religion. Among their personal interests, religion ranks below family, business, TV,sports,cinema, and politics. Even some pious-minded Indians, under the influence of moderntrends, now think that sinful activities such as eating meat, fish, and eggs, taking alcohol,tobacco, and other intoxicants, or performing extra-marital sex or abortion are not so


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bad, quite normal, or even proper.

This is the position ofpuya-bhmitoday. How did this great country fall into such adeplorable state? In this and the next section, rla Prabhupda analyzes Indias presentcondition and the multiple causes of her decline.

The time is very bad at the present moment everywhere, especially in India. Ofcourse, Indias original culture is all right. But unfortunately, our modern leaders arekilling the original culture. They want to introduce Western culture. Now openlythere are beef shops and wine shops. What can be done? It is Kali-yuga. But thosewho are intelligent should take to this Ka consciousness movement and maketheir human life successful.xix

Every living entity has got the tendency for sex life, meat-eating, and liquor. Thecountry where these things are indulged in without restriction is called the countryof the asuras (demons). That is especially in the Western countries, and now wehave also learned. In India, for both Hindus and Muslims, drinking was a sin, butnow liquor is easily available, and at every door there is a meat shop. There was timewhen all in India weredevats (godly). Now we are imitating the asuras.xx

Now in India also, where some Vedic principles were still glowing, that is alsobeing finished.

pravtti ca nivtti ca jan na vidur sur

na auca npi ccro na satya teu vidyate

Those who are demoniac do not know what is to be done andwhat is not to be done. Neither cleanliness, nor properbehaviour, nor truth are found in them. (Gt 16.7)

They are learning from the Westerners how to remain unclean, how to eat meat,how to drink wine, and so on. And they do not know what is truthfulness. In otherwords, everyone is a liar.xxi

In India, which was once the land of religion and brahminical culture, thingshave deteriorated to such an extent that a man in a higher caste is recognized simplyby putting a piece of thread on the body as a sign of sanctity. The so-called swamisare cheating the public because the public also want to be cheated by cheap methodsof self-realization. They are practicing so-called yoga performances for reducing fatand keeping the body fit for sense gratification. If one has insufficient money, it isvery hard for him to get justice from the court. And if anyone can simply bluff by so-

called advancement of knowledge, he is offered the doctorate degree. If a man ispoor, he is at once accepted as uncivilized. If a man is falsely proud, he is accepted ascivilized.xxii

Modern people in India are all rascals.xxiiiAfter losing our own culture, we have become a set of fools. We have become so

lowest of mankind and mha (fool) and full of sinful activities that we cannotunderstand what Ka says.xxiv


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religion, you must go to India.xxx

In India, we have to fight a little. There are so many atheists. But the mass ofpeople are all right.xxxi

Causes of Indias Downfall

The Influence of Kali-yuga

Even fifty years ago, the social structure of all Indians was so arranged that theywould not read any literature that was not connected with the activities of the Lord.They would not play any drama not connected with the Lord. They would notorganize a fair or ceremony not connected with the Lord. Therefore even the

common man in the village would talk about Rmyaa and Mahbhrata, Gt andBhgavatam, even from his very childhood. But by the influence of the Age of Kali,they have been dragged to the civilization of the dogs and hogs, labouring for breadwithout any sense of transcendental knowledge.xxxii

Imitating the West

Comment: The world seems to be going back to front. At a time when manyWesterners are looking to India for enlightenment, Indians are becoming increasinglyenamoured by the Western way of life, with all its shallowness and paucity of moralvalues. Yet Indians attempts to Westernize themselves have not been very successful. ForWesterners, indulgence in degraded sense enjoyment comes naturally, whereas Indiansare simply not meant for grossly sinful living. Despite all their attempts, Indians are notand cannot be the same as Westerners, for their spiritually based culture and mentaloutlook are quite different from that of Westerners. Suffering from a massive (yetunfounded!) inferiority complex, they have opted for wholesale imitation.

Indians simply copy everything Western without considering whether it is appropriatefor them or not. For instance, pants and shirts with shoes and socks may be suitable forthe cold climes of the West, but hardly so in the sweltering heat of India. Yet modern

Indian men prefer the discomfort of unnatural Western dress to the embarrassment ofdhotiand kurta.Indians blindly follow the West, without considering that for all its much advertized

glamour and good life, the West is plagued with extremely severe social problems,including rampant divorce, suicide, sexual perversion, violence, crime, alcoholism, anddrug addiction. Although modern so-called civilization may look good on TV,in reality itis nasty, unhappy, hollow, and devoid of higher values. It is a disaster, and getting worse.Westerners have proved themselves to be materially competent, but spiritually they are


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nowhere. Therefore thoughtful Westerners are looking to India to help restore thebalance between material and spiritual.

Meanwhile, Indians continue to mimic Western ideas. But they should know thatalong with the excitement and apparent enjoyment of Western life comes a wholepackage of moral decrepitude. Indian society has enough problems of its own without

importing those of the West.Traditionally, Indians were taught to accept whatever position they were in to be the

grace of God and to thus be satisfied in any condition of life. But modern consumersociety teaches one to never be satisfied, even if he has millions of dollars, but to alwayshanker for more. Which is better: to be happy even in difficulty, or discontent in themidst of plenty?

Why are Indians so eager to degrade themselves in the name of modernization? Whyhave they become their own worst enemy? Do they not consider what a great treasurethey are neglecting? The Westerners who came to India for looting did quite a thoroughjob, but they didnt get the greatest treasure of Indiaher profound spiritual cultureuntil rla Prabhupda came and gave it to them. Here is what rla Prabhupda has tosay about the imitation process:

Indians? They are imitating this material civilization. Horrible.xxxiiiAnyone who has taken birth in India can fulfil the mission of human life. They

have got a very good asset. But unfortunately they have rejected it. They are nowenamoured by the glamour of material civilization. Looking to Europe and America,they want skyscraper buildings and industry, and want to be happy in that way. Butactually, that is not the way. That is, rather, misleading. The more we advance thismaterial way of life, the more we are away from spiritual life. Human life is meantfor spiritual realization. Nothing more.xxxiv

Our modern Indian leaders are simply imitators of the Westerners. Westernpeople, Western civilization, has become the father and mother of India.xxxv

The state of India should better follow the example of Mahrja Parkit, the idealexecutive head, than to imitate other materialistic states which have no idea of thekingdom of Godhead, the ultimate goal of human life. Deterioration of the ideals ofIndian civilization has brought about the deterioration of civic life, not only in Indiabut also abroad.xxxvi

Comment: Indias neglect of her spiritual heritage has resulted not only in her owndecline. The present chaotic condition in the world could have been avoided had Indianstaken up their duty to spread Ka consciousness all over the world.

Indians are meant for paropakra(welfare activities for others), because outsideIndia they are in darkness. But unfortunately, Indians are now imitating theWestern kind of life. It is very regrettable.xxxvii

Comment: rla Prabhupda once told the story of a brhmaa who, being veryhungry and finding no other means, begged food from the house of a Muslim. TheMuslim fed him, but when the brhmaaasked for more, his host regretfully replied that


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he had nothing extra to give. Oh, lamented the brhmaa, I have lost my caste but amstill hungry! Similarly, India, being hungry for Western-style achievements, has givenup her own culture yet has not been able to develop as opulently as the Westerncountries. Therefore she is like the brhmaawho lost his caste but was still hungry.

Misleadership

Indians are trained by culture and birth. The land of Bhrata-vara is puya-bhmi. Still, at Kumbha-mel many millions of people come to take bath in theGanges, because it is pious. Spiritual fluid flows through the veins of Indians.Unfortunately, the leaders are misguiding them and they are becoming atheists. It isa very regrettable situation.xxxviii

Every Indian has got a great opportunity because this is the land of religion, theland of spiritual knowledge. But they are being taught, Throw away these books.

India is now in such an unfortunate condition. They are recommending wholesalecow slaughter in India, to make business. Unfortunately we have to be governed bysuch rascals.xxxix

It has been a long process how the Indians, especially educated Indians, havebecome victimized by the slowly deteriorating position of Indian culture. There is nouse tracing out the history, but generally we have lost our own culture, and ourleaders are not very serious to revive it. Still the mass of people, being not very muchadvanced in education, stick to the Indian culture. For example, lakhs of people stillvisit Jaganntha Pur during the Rathaytr festival, lakhs still visit the Kumbha-mel,and lakhs still visit the holy places of India. But there is no encouragement by

the leaders.xlBeing a spiritualistic country, why has India fallen into darkness? Because there is

great propaganda by the leaders to curb spiritual culture. Those born in India areunderstood to have practiced spiritual life in their previous lives. There is greatopportunity for spiritual advancement for those born in India. They are naturallyinclined. Unfortunately, by force, by propaganda, we are suppressing them. Still, weget experience that when we hold Hare Ka festivals in Calcutta, Bombay, andother places, many thousands of people comebecause at heart there is Kaconsciousness, but by external force they are being suppressed. It is not natural; it isunnatural. By nature, every Indian is Ka conscious. By artificial means they are

being suppressed. This is the misfortune of present-day India.xliWe do not want to criticize anyone, but sometimes it so happens: big, big scholars,

big, big politicians, misguide people. That is the position of India. So many big, bigleaders and politicians and so-called swamis and yogis have exploited people bybluffing, and now Indias position is neither spiritual nor material. Just like if thereare two boats and we place one leg in one boat and the other leg in the other, ourposition becomes very precarious. So we are like thatneither in this boat nor in


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that boat. We are learning technology, and the Western countries are always ahundred years ahead of us. We cannot compete. This technology is for dras.Technology is not the occupation for the brhmaas, katriyas, or vaiyas. That is notknowledge. Knowledge means to know God. The Western countries takeadvancement of knowledge to mean manufacturing big motorcarsthats all. That is

also good, but simply for manufacturing motorcars if we forget our real business, Godrealization, then it is ruinous. Then we become mhas.xlii

After many, many births, one is given the opportunity to take birth in this holyland of Bhrata-vara. Unfortunately, you are by force making them materialistic.They had the opportunity to take advantage of the contribution of great sages andrishis, to study and to become a successful human being, but by force you aredragging them to this materialistic way of life. This is violence.xliii

At the present moment in India the presidential offices are occupied by many so-called brhmaas, but the state maintains slaughterhouses for killing cows and makespropaganda against Vedic civilization. The first principle of Vedic civilization is the

avoidance of meat-eating and intoxication. Presently in India, intoxication andmeat-eating are encouraged, and the so-called learned brhmaas presiding over thisstate of affairs have certainly become degraded. These so-called brhmaas givesanction to slaughterhouses for the sake of a fat salary, and they do not protest theseabominable activities. By deprecating the principles of Vedic civilization andsupporting cow killing, they are immediately degraded to the platform of mlecchasandyavanas. A mleccha is a meat-eater, and a yavana is one who has deviated fromVedic culture. Unfortunately, such mlecchas and yavanas are in executive power.How then can there be peace and prosperity in the state?xliv

Nowadays people are being taught to drink wine, eat meat, and do whatever theylike. So they will go down to animal life. They have no knowledge. The leaders areblind and they are leading other blind men. So it is a very dangerous civilization. Inspite of being born in India, in spite of having the privilege of studying Bhagavad-gt,they are not taking advantage of it, and they are being misled like cats and dogs.It is a very regrettable condition. The Ka consciousness movement is the onlychallenge to this devilish life of the human society. So I request everyone to studythis philosophy very carefully and take advantage of it.xlv

We should take advantage of thestras, Vedic knowledge. It is Indias property.Spiritual knowledge was cultivated in India, but because andh yathndhairupanyamn(the blind are leading the blind)our rascal leaders are leading theseandhsthey are not interested. They are now interested how to eat meat and drinkwine. This is Indias very horrible condition. Responsible people should take note ofit and try to spread the Ka consciousness movement as far as possible. That willbe beneficial for all the people in general and for the preachers also. This is our

movement.xlvi


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Dont Blame the Government

Now there is democracy. The government are the peoples men. If we areourselves fools and rascals, the government will also be a set of fools and rascals. Andif you are intelligent, the government will be intelligent. So dont blame the

government. You are the government. It is up to you to change; then everything willbe all right.xlvii

Ka Consciousness Should Have Been Made the State Religion

One of the objects of my missionary activities is to bring to notice of the educatedIndian public that devotional service originated in India. Now the leaders of Indiaare deliberately violating all the principles of Indias original spiritual culture, in thename of the secular state. When India was divided into Hindustan and Pakistan,

there was a good opportunity for the Hindu Indians to follow strictly the principlesof Bhagavad-gt, and Ka consciousness should have been declared the statereligion.xlviii

Spiritual Culture Rejected

When we come to civilized life we should not waste our time like animals. Thosewho are born in India, Bhrata-bhmi, are considered the topmost. ThereforeCaitanya Mahprabhu said, bhrata-bhmite haila manuya-janma yra/ janma

srthaka kari kara para-upakra. This is Caitanya Mahprabhus mission: those whohave taken birth in Bhrata-bhmi should make their life perfect by understandingthe Vedic knowledge. The Supreme Lord, Ka, comes here to teach the Vedicknowledge. He left Bhagavad-gt. Then Vysadeva developed the idea of Kaconsciousness from Bhagavad-gtand Vednta-stra intormad-Bhgavatam. So wehave got this advantage, but we are giving it up. The advantage is that we are bornin India, and we have got the stock of knowledge left by great sages and the SupremePersonality of Godhead. But we are not taking advantage of it. How foolish we arebecoming by so-called education!xlix

Spiritual culture is in India practically rejected. They are convinced that because

of spiritual culture we are so much behind materially. That is their full conviction.l

Malinterpretation of Scripture

For our guidance Ka has spoken everything in Bhagavad-gt. Unfortunately,so-called scholars and saintly persons have misguided the people by making differentinterpretations of the divine instruction unnecessarily. That is the cause of the


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ruination of our culture in India.li

This rascaldom [of misinterpreting scripture] has killed the whole spiritualatmosphere of India. They are responsible, these rascal politicians and rascal so-called scholars. If we want the good of the people, these rascals should be disclosedand people should come back to their own culture. Therefore we are presenting

Bhagavad-gtas it is.liiThose who take Indian philosophy and scripture as mythological are not at all

intelligent. They have been described in the Bhagavad-gt (7.15) as sinful,rascals, lowest of mankind, bereft of all knowledge, and atheistic.

na m duktino mh prapadyante nardham

myaypahta-jn sura bhvam rit

Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowestamong mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, andwho partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not

surrender unto Me (Ka).The psychological conception of the so-called Indian philosophers has killed

Indian civilization.liiiThey wont believe a word of Ka and theyll say, I am a student of Bhagavad-

gt. In India everyone says, I have read Bhagavad-gt three hundred times, buthe does not know even a word. This should be stopped. If we want to actuallyadvance, we should take every word of Bhagavad-gtand try to apply it in our lives.Then everyone will be happy. That is a fact.liv

Not Accepting Kas Supremacy and Authority

That is the difficulty in India. As soon as we say, Ka is the Supreme Lord.There is no one superior to Ka, others will say, No, why is this gentleman notsuperior to Ka? That is the difficulty. Theyll not accept. Their brain is filledwith hodgepodge things. Therefore they cannot take to Ka consciousnessproperly. Of course at heart, in India, everyone feels for Ka, but they have beeneducated in such a wrong way that they cannot accept Ka as the Supreme. This isthe difficulty. Unless you accept that Ka is the Supreme, your education, yourknowledge, and everything else is imperfect.lv

You do not read the Bhagavad-gt. You quote some so-called saint, and another,and another. But Ka is God. The cause of Indias misfortune is that you dontaccept Ka as the authority. All the great sagessuch as Asita, Devala, Vysa, andin the present era Rmnujcrya, Madhvcrya, Nimbrka, CaitanyaMahprabhuaccept kas tu bhagavn: Ka is the Supreme Personality ofGodhead. But you dont follow the cryas, the authorities, or Ka. You bringsome concoction. They have given up the real authority and accepted some foolish


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man as an authority. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gtAs It Is,the supremeauthority. Matta paratara nnyat kicid asti dhanajaya; aha sarvasya prabhavomatta sarva pravartate[from Bhagavad-gt: Ka declares that there is no truthsuperior to Him; He is the source of everything]. Why dont you take this?lvi

Indians Are Becoming Insane

This has spoiled our Indias Vedic culture. Everyone has invented their own way,and they have misled the common people. That is the misfortune of modern India.The standard instruction is there in the Bhagavad-gt. They do not care to know it.They want to know about the greatness of Bala Yogi, Sai Baba, this baba,that baba.They give up the real instruction, Bhagavad-gt, which is accepted by the greatcryasRmnujcrya, Madhvcrya, Nimbrka, Caitanya Mahprabhuandwhich is accepted all over the world. They are not interested to know Bhagavad-gt;

they are interested to know about Sai Baba. They give up the real thing and acceptthe imitation. Just see their misfortune! India is so misguided that it will take sometime to come. What will I speak to India? Bhagavad-gt. Bhagavad-gtwas alreadythere, and still is there. But Indias misfortune is that they are so neglectful theydont care for it. Theyll ask, Why not this baba? Why not that baba? That is thedifficulty. They have become over-intelligent, not actually intelligent. We arepreaching that Ka is the Supreme Lord. That is in the stra and the Vedas,everywhere. But you wont believe it. Youll say, Why is Ka the Supreme God?Here is another God. And another. And another. Youll bring hundreds andthousands of Gods. Certainly I plan to propagate this message in India, but who is

going to take it? Bhagavad-gtis already there, but who will take it? They will bringanother competition. Ah, what Hare Ka? We have heard it. We have seenBhagavad-gt. If you become neglectful, that is the greatest offence. So India is anoffender. What I am preaching to others is Indias philosophy. But Indians wonttake it. Anyone who is sane, sober, and open-minded will agree with what I say. Notonly Hinduswe have got so many Muslims also. So unless one is open-minded,sane, and intelligent, one cannot understand. Therefore I say that Indians arebecoming insane. By the influence of so many rascals they are becoming insane.Insanity is prevailing all over the world, but not so much as in Indiathat they arerejecting their own thing. That is the greatest insanity. That has to be rectified.lvii

Impersonalism

Comment: Impersonalism means Myvda (advaita-vda), the erroneous andoffensive idea that God, the Supreme, is not a person, but an all-pervasive essence thatwe can become one with. This is nothing but a covered form of atheism that tricks people


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into thinking that they are pious while actually making them deeply envious of Ka.Impersonalism has poisoned Indias spiritual life, robbed the vital current of puredevotion, and is the underlying cause of her present godlessness, immorality, andhedonism. For an elaborate discussion of this important subject, see rla PrabhupdasTeachings of Lord Caitanya.

Impersonalism has killed Indias Vedic culture. On account of theseimpersonalists, Myvds, the whole of India has become godless. They misinterpretjust to mislead people. This is the misfortune of India. Dont be misled by theserascals. Take the real Bhagavad-gt,as it is. Then youll be benefited.lviii

The British Influence

India is a country of religion. Indians know that spiritual life is more important

than material life. That is India. Now they are diverting their attention to thematerial; otherwise the whole of India is for spiritual life. This material life isbrought from the Western countries. These railways, bridges, factories, industries,export and import, and then slaughterhouse, drinking, and prostitutionthese areall the British contribution. In India, before that, they did not know these things.The British policy was If the Indians remain Indian, it will be impossible to governthem. Give them education and condemn everything Indian. There was not a singlefactory before the British days. The industry idea is completely Western. And teagardens.lix

Comment: Even cricket and democracy, now part of Indian life, are imported from

the West. They are not part of Indias original, spiritual-based heritage.The British were expert politicians. Their intelligent policy was to kill Indias

spiritual status. One British politician, Lord McCauley, studied the whole Indiansituation. He reported, If you keep Indians as Indians, youll never be able to ruleover them. They must be trained up to think of their own culture as useless and thatWestern culture is very good. That impression must be there. Otherwise you cannotrule over them. So the education and everything was going on imperceptibly on thisprinciple. That went on for the last two hundred years. So educated persons losttheir culture. The mass of people were not educated. They have not lost theirculture, but they dont find any good example by the leaders. They are simply staying

somehow or other in their original culture, but there is no encouragement by theleaders. Just like one of Indias first post-independence leaders was a complete rascalabout Indian culture. He did not think that Indian culture has any value. In his bookabout discovering India he recommended that Indians become Europeanizedindustry, the Western way of living and eating, pollution, abortion, and everything.lx


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Government Policy

The government thinks that because Indian people are too much religiouslyinclined, they have fallen down economically. Therefore these religious sentimentsshould be stopped completely. It is not encouraged. Here in Vndvana so many

pilgrims come from all parts of India, and now from all parts of the world. ButVndvana is deliberately kept in such an unclean state to discourage people fromcoming here. That is the ideaso that educated, modernized people may not comehere. They are introducing industry in the Vndvana area so that the spiritualatmosphere will be killed. The temples are neglected. No question of improvement.The whole idea is not to come here: Please do not come. They cannot say itdirectly, but this is the idea going on. This is due to wrong direction of civilization.They do not know the aim of civilization, which is to understand Viu, theSupreme Personality of Godhead. They are missing the point. They are thinking themotor-tyre civilization, with very nice roads and cars running at eighty miles anhour, is civilization. We should not be misled by such a misconception of civilization.Our aim is different.lxi

Caste Consciousness

Because one happens to take birth in a brhmaa family, without anyqualification, he claims to become a brhmaa. That is the falldown of Vediccivilization in India. A rascal number one claims that he is abrhmaa,without anyqualification. His qualification is less than that of adra.lxii

The idea of Vedic civilization is to gradually elevate everyone to the position ofbrhmaa and Vaiava and thus make their life perfect. Not Keep the dras orthe mlecchasin a downtrodden position, and let me advance. No. Everyone shouldcooperate. Why should thedrasormlecchas and yavanas remain as such? Actually,Indias falldown is because nobody cared. So many were converted, but the highercastes did not care. Oh, they have become Muslims. Reject them. Why? Ka saysthe opposite:

m hi prtha vyapritya ye pi syu ppa-yonaya

striyo vaiys tath drs te pi ynti par gatim

Even those of lower birth can be delivered if they take shelterof Me (Ka). (Gt 9.32)

Why were these Muslims neglected? Why were they not turned into Vaiavas, aswe are doing? This is the fault of the leaders. Therefore India is now divided intoPakistan and Hindustan.lxiii


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Partition

In a country like India, where the population is very big and there is limited land,there must be food scarcity. The British divided India into Pakistan and Hindustan.This artificial partition has caused trouble because Pakistan has taken away all the

wheat and rice. All the food grains are on the Pakistan side, and all the industries onthe Hindustan side. So they are fighting. Due to this partition only, Indias positionis now very crippled.lxiv

The Cinema

Perverse sexuality is now very much advertised in the cinema to attract people.Formerly in India it was not so, but gradually they are introducing all this nonsenseto make people more lusty. And to become lusty means that they are going to hell.lxv

Comment: Whatever the cinema has done to degrade the Indian public is now beinggreatly accelerated with the introduction of foreign TVand the internet.

India Should Have Distributed Spiritual Knowledge

They are instructing, If you want economic development, why go to the churchor temple? Just start industry. Youll get money. That propaganda is going on inIndia. Forget God and the temples. Just try to imitate America. Becomeindustrialized overnight. But they are not teaching them that in the Western

countries, after industrialization, they are producing hippies. That they do not see.They are seeing only one side: America and the Western countries have becomeprosperous by industrialization. Let us imitate them. Actually India, afterindependence, should have distributed this spiritual knowledge. Why should wecompete with industrialization? The Westerners also have a demand for spiritualknowledge. So India should have given spiritual knowledge to the Western countriesinstead of competing with industry.lxvi

Fortunately, in India we have got everything, but our modern leaders areneglecting their own thing. They are begging technology from other countries. Thatis their misfortune. I am singlehandedly trying to present the original Vedic culture.

People all over the world are accepting it very happily. India should have tried forthis. The government should have known better. Unfortunately, they are all bereftof knowledge of their own culture. There is a Bengali verse: pana dhana bilya diyebhika mge parera kche [begging from others after distributing ones own wealth].They have lost their own culture; now they are begging from other countries.lxvii

Knowledge is meant for distribution. Although there is already much scientificknowledge, whenever scientists or philosophers awaken to a particular type of


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knowledge they try to distribute it throughout the world, for otherwise theknowledge gradually dries up and no one benefits from it. India has the knowledge ofBhagavad-gt,but unfortunately, for some reason or other, this sublime knowledgeof the science of God was not distributed throughout the world, although it is meantfor all of human society. Therefore Ka Himself appeared as r Caitanya

Mahprabhu and ordered all Indians to take up the cause of distributing theknowledge of Bhagavad-gtthroughout the entire world:

yre dekha, tre kaha kaupadea

mra jya guru ha tra ei dea

Whomever you meet, instruct him on the teachings of Ka.In this way, on My order, become a spiritual master anddeliver the people of this country. (Caitanya-caritmta2.7.128)

Although India has the sublime knowledge of Bhagavad-gt, Indians have not

done their proper duty of distributing it. Now, therefore, the Ka consciousnessmovement has been set up to distribute this knowledge as it is, without distortion.Although previously there were attempts to distribute the knowledge of Bhagavad-gt,these attempts involved distortion and compromise with mundane knowledge.But now the Ka consciousness movement, without mundane compromises, isdistributing Bhagavad-gtas it is, and people are deriving the benefits of awakeningto Ka consciousness and becoming devotees of Lord Ka. Therefore the properdistribution of knowledge has begun by which not only will the whole world benefit,but Indias glory will be magnified in human society. The real knowledge ofBhagavad-gtwas being choked by unscrupulous Indian leaders, with the result that

Indias culture, and knowledge of the Supreme, were being lost. Now, however,because Ka consciousness is spreading, the proper use of Bhagavad-gt is beingattempted.lxviii

The Duty of Indians

Why Are You Neglecting Ka Consciousness?

Our request is: take to this Ka consciousness. If the foreigners can take to itvery seriously, why not the Indians? It is Indians knowledge. Bhagavad-gt wasspoken in India. Why are you neglecting it? Why you are not taking advantage?lxix

Remain as Indians, with Indian culture.lxxComment: Be Indian, but live king-size like the Americans is the idea of many

modern Indian youths. But for all the bravado and phantasmagoria of living king-size,


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everyone has to die ant-size, be punished in hell, and then be given a new bodydog-sizeor cat-size. Better to live sensibly, be thoughtful, and follow the Indian culture meant forspiritual elevation than to make a big foolish show of being a great sense enjoyer and endup becoming a dog.

Indians Should Preach Ka Consciousness

You have to make your life successful by reading Bhagavad-gtand preaching thetruth all over the world. Then the world will be happy and you will be happy. This isrequired.lxxi

Those who are following in the footsteps of r Caitanya Mahprabhu should takethe Lords mission most seriously. In this Age of Kali, people are gradually becomingless than animals. Nevertheless, although they are eating the flesh of cows and areenvious of brahminical culture, r Caitanya Mahprabhu is considering how to

deliver them from this horrible condition of life. Thus He asks all Indians to take upHis mission:

bhrata-bhmite haila manuya-janma yra


One who has taken his birth as a human being in the land ofIndia (Bhrata-vara) should make his life successful andwork for the benefit of all other people. (Caitanya-caritmta1.9.41)

It is therefore the duty of every advanced and cultured Indian to take this cause

very seriously. All Indians should help the Ka consciousness movement in itsprogress, to the best of their ability. Then they will be considered real followers ofr Caitanya Mahprabhu.lxxii

One who has taken birth in the land of Bhrata-bhmi, India, should take fulladvantage of his birth. He should become completely well versed in the knowledge ofthe Vedas and spiritual culture and should distribute the experience of Kaconsciousness all over the world. People all over the world are madly engaging insense gratification and in this way spoiling their human lives, with the risk that inthe next life they may become animals or less. Human society should be saved fromsuch a risky civilization and the danger of animalism by awakening to God

consciousness, Ka consciousness. The Ka consciousness movement has beenstarted for this purpose. Therefore unbiased men of the highest echelon should studythe principles of the Ka consciousness movement and fully cooperate with thismovement to save human society.lxxiii


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Westerners Look to India for Enlightenment

Many people in America and Europe, especially the younger generation, arehankering after spiritual enlightenment. And they expect something from India. Ina book recommended for study in New York University, a greatly learned scholar has

written: If you want to study religion as it is, then you have to go to India. So ourIndian spiritual culture is still adored and worshipped by the learned section of everypart of the world. And especially in America, Germany, and England, they arehankering after it. This transcendental knowledge, as distributed by Lord Caitanya,should be seriously taken up by the responsible Indians.lxxiv

Unite All Under One Flag

Indians have got a special prerogative for spreading this Ka consciousness

movement all over the world. So why are you neglecting your duty? Preparehundreds and thousands of preachers from India and send them outside. Thisrascaldom of always fighting with one another will be forgotten. All will be oneunder the flag of Ka consciousness. There is a need of such preachers. We shouldopen a regular school or teaching institution for preparing preachers to send all overthe world.lxxv

Formerly India, Pakistan, Burma [Myanmar], and Ceylon [r Lanka] were one.There is the chance of uniting all these different parts of India by Kaconsciousness. You have to organize.lxxvi

The Best Welfare Activity

This paropakra, welfare activities to spread Ka consciousness all over theworld, is the most important business at the present moment. It will unite everyonepolitically, socially, culturally, religiouslyin every way. Ka is the centre. Thatsa fact. It is making progress. And if we endeavour more and more, it will make moreand more progress.lxxvii

The practical effect of our spreading the Ka consciousness movement all overthe world is that now the most degraded debauchees are becoming the most elevated

saints. This is only one Indians humble service to the world. If all Indians had takento this path, as advised by Lord Caitanya Mahprabhu, India would have given aunique gift to the world, and thus India would have been glorified. Now, however,India is known as a poverty-stricken country, and whenever anyone from Americaor another opulent country goes to India, he sees many people lying by the footpathsfor whom there are not even provisions for two meals a day. There are alsoinstitutions collecting money from all parts of the world in the name of welfare


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activities for poverty-stricken people, but they are spending it for their own sensegratification. Now, on the order of r Caitanya Mahprabhu, the Kaconsciousness movement has been started, and people are benefiting from thismovement. Therefore it is now the duty of the leading men of India to consider theimportance of this movement and train many Indians to go outside of India to

preach this cult. People will accept it, there will be cooperation among the Indianpeople and among the other people of the world, and the mission of r CaitanyaMahprabhu will then be fulfilled. r Caitanya Mahprabhu will then be glorifiedall over the world, and people will naturally be happy, peaceful, and prosperous, notonly in this life but also in the next, for as stated in Bhagavad-gt, anyone whounderstands Ka, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will very easily getsalvation, or freedom from the repetition of birth and death, and go back home, backto Godhead. r Caitanya Mahprabhu therefore requests every Indian to become apreacher of His cult to save the world from disastrous confusion.

This is not only the duty of Indians but the duty of everyone, and we are very

happy that American and European boys and girls are seriously cooperating with thismovement. One should know definitely that the best welfare activity for all ofhuman society is to awaken mans God consciousness, or Ka consciousness.Therefore everyone should help this great movement.lxxviii

Everyone born in India, especially as a human being, can achieve the supremesuccess through the Vedic literature and its practical application in life. When one isperfect, he can render service for the self-realization of the entire human society.This is the best way to perform humanitarian work.lxxix

Of all welfare activities, thiska-upadea, instructing people about the primaryprinciples of Bhagavad-gt, is the best (paropakra). People do not know how tobecome happy. They are simply struggling for existence by mental concoction. Butthere is no solution. Therefore every Indian should study Bhagavad-gt, and ifpossible rmad-Bhgavatam,assimilate it, and preach all over the world. This is theduty of India. India has no other duty than paropakra [spiritual welfareactivities].lxxx

[For more on why preaching Ka consciousness is the highest welfare activitybetterthan opening hospitals or schools or feeding the poorsee chapter three of Preaching Isthe Essence, by rla Prabhupda.]

Learn from the Ka Consciousness Movement

The difficulty with the Indians is that they are under the impression that theyknow everything and have not got to learn anything from us, but factually most ofthem have lost their original culture and have to learn so many things from thisKa consciousness movement.lxxxi


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Indians Should Join This Movement

This Ka consciousness movement is an Indian movement. It is our movement.Ka came in India, and because India is such a glorified place, puya-bhmi,eventhe demigods desire to take birth here. So it is not an ordinary land. Now everyIndian should take part in this great movementevery Indian. That is CaitanyaMahprabhus order.lxxxii

Indians Should Become Gurus and Save the World

If you simply do this missionary work and say, Ka is the Supreme, then youbecome a great devotee. You become a guru. Why do people not do so? It is not avery difficult task. This is Caitanya Mahprabhus mission. He said, By My orderyou become a guru. Indians especially are advised to become gurus because Indians,

however fallen they may be, still have respect for Ka. In every home they performKas Janmam. Therefore Indians are fortunate. They recognize Ka. Now, tobecome a little more advanced, let them act as Kas servant.lxxxiii

Everyone is advised to become a guruespecially those born in India. They caneasily take to the Ka consciousness movement because in their blood there isKa consciousness, on account of taking birth in this holy land of Bhrata-vara.So every Indian is expected to take to this Ka consciousness movement andspread it outside India. There are many people who are hankering after it.lxxxiv

Caitanya Mahprabhu instructed everyone to become a guru. The world issuffering for want of Ka consciousness. That was His mission. He wanted

everyone from India to become a guru and preach outside: Become a guru on Myorder, and deliver your country or other countries.

But I have no qualification, no education. How I can become guru?Caitanya Mahprabhu says, mra jya: By My order.Then what is Your order, Sir?My order is yre dekha tre kaha ka-upadea. This is My order. Simply

explain what Ka has said, or what has been said about Ka.That is ka-upadea. Simply preach ka-upadea, then you become a guru. Not

only that, He has empowered all Indians:bhrata-bhmite haila manuya-janma yra

janma srthaka kari kara para-upakra.

To spread this Ka consciousness movement is the best welfare activity inhuman society.lxxxv


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Be Careful

We shall be careful, at least in India, that we may not glide down more and moreto the animal platform of life.lxxxvi

Looking to the Future

Comment: Modern India has so many problems that one may think religion to be justone more of them. Let us first feed people and solve all other problems, we hear peoplesay, then we can think about religion. Unfortunately, however much we try, we willnever be able to solve all problems in this material world, for its very nature is to be fullof problems.

However, if the people of India take up the chanting of Hare Ka and seriously

cooperate with the Ka consciousness movement, then by the grace of God they will seemyriad problems disappear as if they never existed. India can again be a happy, civilizednation, a model for all others on earth, if she revives her tradition of God consciousness.How this can happen may be inexplicable by material understanding, but it is certainlypossible by the blessings of God.

Indian Culture Can Be Revived

There is no hopelessness. If we revive Ka consciousness in a systematic way,

within a very short time we can revive our original Indian culture on the basis of theteachings of Lord Ka and the Bhagavad-gt. So we have to work very hard forthis purpose, and if you follow the path of r Caitanya Mahprabhu it will be veryeasily done.lxxxvii

There is all-round guidance in Bhagavad-gt for all matterssocial, political,religious, educational, cultural, and philosophical. But instead of taking guidancefrom Bhagavad-gt, they are now enamoured by the external feature of moderncivilization. Na te vidu svrtha-gati hi vium: They do not know that thesupreme self-interest is to know Viu. (Bhgavatam 7.5.31) Still there is time beforecomplete ruination, if we take this Ka consciousness movement seriously.lxxxviii

The Ka Consciousness Movement Is the Only Hope

We have given up our own culture and are imitating the foreigners. That also wecannot do very properly because in India we are meant for a different purpose. Theserascals have forgotten their own culture. They have accepted so many anarthas(unwanted things). Take, for example, drinking wine. Is it a very necessary thing?


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Drinking tea, is it necessary? Smoking bidis? These are all foolishness. The society isunnecessarily creating entanglement, anartha. This Ka consciousness is the onlyremedy for curbing this unnecessary so-called civilization.lxxxix

The presidents and chief executives in the Age of Kali are simply tax collectorswho do not care whether religious principles are observed. Indeed, the chief

executives of the present day introduce all kinds of sinful activity, especially illicitsex, intoxication, animal killing, and gambling. These sinful activities are now veryprominently manifested in India. Although a hundred years ago these four principlesof sinful life were strictly prohibited in the families of India, they have now beenintroduced into every Indian family; therefore they cannot follow religiousprinciples. In contrast to the principles of the kings of old, the modern state isconcerned only with propaganda for levying taxes and is no longer responsible forthe spiritual welfare of the citizens. The state is now callous to religious principles.rmad-Bhgavatampredicts that in Kali-yuga the government will be entrusted withdasyu-dharma, which means the occupational duty of rogues and thieves. Modernheads of state are rogues and thieves who plunder the citizens instead of giving themprotection. Rogues and thieves plunder without regard for law, but in this Age ofKali, as stated in rmad-Bhgavatam,the lawmakers themselves plunder the citizens.The next prediction to be fulfilled, which is already coming to pass, is that because ofthe sinful activities of the citizens and the government, rain will becomeincreasingly scarce. Gradually there will be complete drought and no production offood grains. People will be reduced to eating flesh and seeds, and many good,spiritually inclined people will have to forsake their homes because they will be tooharassed by drought, taxation, and famine. The Ka consciousness movement isthe only hope to save the world from such devastation. It is the most scientific andauthorized movement for the actual welfare of the whole human society.xc

India is now in a miserable condition by its poverty and natural atrocities likefloods, earthquakes, etc. Your suggestion that this can only be solved by Lord Ka,the omnipotent, is also right. Therefore if you want to do something for India, theonly remedial measure that you can take is to spread Ka consciousness. You saythat materialism is trying to dominate, but at the same time religious faith is alsoprogressing. Two things cannot go on simultaneously. Actually India is the countryof religion. The present government policy to kill the religious faith of the people isresulting in frustration of religious life because it is not organizedly taught. But bynature the people of India have a hankering for spiritual advancement, andtherefore the present situation is a natural result of the clash between two oppositeideals. In this case also, the best treatment is to give the people scientific religiousideas, which are very clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gt. But unfortunately,unscrupulous and rascal so-called scholars, religionists, and philosophers havemisinterpreted the teachings of Lord Ka in the Bhagavad-gtand have misled thewhole population. Bhagavad-gt is popular not only in India, but also all over theworld. Unfortunately, the real idea has been distorted. We have therefore presented


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our Bhagavad-gt As It Is. I have tried to explain in this book the real purpose of theBhagavad-gt. Bhagavad-gt is the authorized book to teach people how to loveKa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is nothing else except devotionalservice to the Lord described there, but great politicians have misinterpreted thesunshine-like clear statements of Bhagavad-gtwith a cloud of mental concoctions.

So if you think seriously to improve the condition of India, you can begin even on asmall scale the propagation of Ka consciousness, and if you do it seriously andsincerely, surely you will be successful.xci

Overcoming the Demonic Culture

Actually there is no civilization at the present moment. They are simply cats anddogs and fighting one another. This is not civilization. Atheists and demons arepredominating. Because they have got big, big skyscraper buildings and many

motorcars, India has become victimized: Oh, without motorcars and skyscraperbuildings we are condemned. So they are trying to imitate. They have forgottentheir own culture, the best culture, the Vedic culture. So for the first time we aretrying to conquer over the demoniac culture with the Vedic culture. If you want tomake the human society happy, give them this culture of Ka consciousness. If youbecome involved in this demoniac culture, then the sasra-cakra, the wheel ofrepetition of birth and death, will go on. You cannot stop it. It is not possible. But ifyou take to Ka consciousness, then it is possible.xcii

The Peace FormulaWith one mans endeavour, my teeny effort, so many outsiders have become

attracted to Ka consciousness. Unless there is something substantial, why willthey be attracted? They are not illiterate. They are not fools. They are not poor.Why are they attracted? Because there is something to be learned from Kaconsciousness. So if this Ka consciousness movement is systematically spread allover the world, the face of the world will change. Thats a fact. Sarve sukhinobhavantu: Let everyone become happy. This is the Vedic mission. And how canthey be happy? Not by mental concoction. That is not possible. Human society

cannot be happy without Ka consciousness. Ka says in Bhagavad-gt (5.29):bhoktra yaja-tapas sarva-loka-mahevaram

suhda sarva-bhtn jtv m ntim cchati

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be theultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, theSupreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the


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benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peacefrom the pangs of material miseries.

If you want nti, individually or collectively, nationally or internationally, thenyou must become Ka conscious.xciii

India Will Be Glorified

This Hare Ka movement is Indian culture. If the leaders of Indian culture takeit seriously, certainly Indias glories will be magnified. In foreign countries India ismuch advertised as a poverty-stricken country. But if India can give her spiritualculture, Ka consciousness, she will be glorified everywhere.xciv

The difficulty is that India is nowhere. They are trying to imitate Western life,but from a materialistic or technical point of view, they are one hundred years back.There is one thing I am experiencing: if Indias spiritual asset is distributed, that will

increase Indias honour. Because everywhere I go, people still adore Indian culture. Ifthis treasure house of Indias spiritual knowledge is properly distributed, at leastpeople outside of India will understand that they are getting something fromIndia.xcv

Everything is in Bhagavad-gt, all solutionssocial, political, and economical. Itis our property. It was spoken in India, and it was desired that all Indians shouldlearn it and spread the knowledge all over the world, on Caitanya Mahprabhusorder. But the rascals are doing nothing. Other parts of the world are in darkness.There is a great necessity of spreading the knowledge of Bhagavad-gtall over theworld. The customers are ready. So if you want the glory of India, if you want to

glorify your life, just study Bhagavad-gtAs It Is and spread it all over the world.Youll be honoured. Single-handed, whatever I have done, they are thinking it iswonderful. And if we get many, many people to go outside India and preach thisgospel of Bhagavad-gt, they will be benefited and you will be glorified. Yourcountry will be glorified. Spread this message of Bhagavad-gt. It is a fact; it is not astory. People are fed up with this wrong type of civilization.xcvi

India Can Save, Uplift, and Lead the World

The real success or fulfilment of the mission of human life can be achieved inIndia, Bhrata-vara, because in Bhrata-vara the purpose of life and the method forachieving success are evident. People should take advantage of the opportunityafforded by Bhrata-vara, and this is especially so for those who are following theprinciples of varrama-dharma. If we do not take to the principles of varrama-dharma by accepting the four social orders (brhmaa, katriya, vaiya, and dra)and the four orders of spiritual life (brahmacr, ghastha, vnaprastha, andsannys),


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there can be no question of success in life. Unfortunately, because of the influenceof Kali-yuga, everything is now being lost. The inhabitants of Bhrata-vara aregradually becoming degraded mlecchas and yavanas. How then will they teachothers? Therefore, this Ka consciousness movement has been started not only forthe inhabitants of Bhrata-vara but for all the people of the world, as announced by

r Caitanya Mahprabhu. There is still time, and if the inhabitants of Bhrata-varatake this movement of Ka consciousness seriously, the entire world will be savedfrom gliding down to a hellish condition.xcvii

I wish to appeal to all the leading men of India to accept this movement veryseriously and give us all facility to spread this movement throughout the world. Thenthere will be a very happy condition, not only in India but all over the world.xcviii

People are hankering after this Ka culture. Prepare yourself to presentBhagavad-gtas it is. Then India will conquer all over the world by Ka culture.xcix

Saving India

At least in India sinful activities should be stopped. That is my ambition. Indiacannot go in that way. We have got so much stock of knowledge. Other rascals maybe misled, but in India at least there must be an ideal class. That I want. Why shouldIndias name be defamed? They are following in the same blind mans way. ThereforeI repeatedly invite you all to come, join, and understand.c

Ka Conscious Government

We are requesting everywhere, not only in India, but all over the world, to actaccording to the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Gradually they areaccepting the principle. So why not in India? The Bhagavad-gtwas spoken in India.Still in India there are many devotees, many Ka conscious persons. I wish that thegovernment may be conducted under the guidance of Lord Ka. The codes andorders, the rules and regulations, are all stated in Bhagavad-gt. Consciously orunconsciously, we accept Bhagavad-gt. That is our Indian culture, Vedic culture.ci

Youth of India

Youth as Victims

It is understood that one who has taken birth in India tried to cultivate spiritualculture in his previous birth. Therefore he has been given the opportunity to take


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birth in India. India is so fortunate. But as soon as he takes birth, the rascal leadersspoil himthe rascal father spoils him, the rascal teacher spoils him. So what canthey do, the poor younger generation? They are being taught Spiritual culture isuseless. Because we are so spiritually inclined, the foreigners came and lorded overus. Now give up all this nonsense. Become a technologist. This is going on. This will

not make us happy.ciiAlthough India is the land of spiritual culture, our children have no connection

with Bhagavad-gtin the schools and colleges. They are simply trained up for sensegratification. Sense gratification is meant to be suppressed, but they are being giveneducation in it. They do not know what is karma (proper action) and what isvikarma(improper action). When the students become disobedient, create riots, andburn buses, then the older generation lament. But why you have educated thestudents like that? Who is responsible for this? The rascals do not know.ciii

They are thinking, I have become civilized. I have become educated. Therefore Ishall not practice religion. So are the Western Ka devotees not educated? Are

they not civilized? Why are Indian boys refusing? That is my question. They arelosing the opportunity of taking birth in India. They are so fortunate to take theirbirth in India, but they are refusing this culture. That is the effect of moderneducation.civ

Young People Should Join This Movement

We invite educated, intellectual young men to come forward to study thismovement very seriously and help spread it all over India.cv

The younger generation of India should come forward, join this movement, andspread Ka consciousness all over the world.cvi

You [young boys] should be very responsible. Caitanya Mahprabhu specificallysaid, bhrata-bhmite haila manuya-janma yra/(Anyone who has taken birth as ahuman being in the land of Bhrata-vara) janma srthaka kari kara para-upakra(just make your life successful and do welfare activities for others). So you mustrealizebecause in India you have got this Ka science, or spiritual culture, left byso many sages and saintly persons. You cannot make your life successful or glorioussimply by imitating the West. You cannot compete with them. Realize your ownassets and distribute to the world. That will make you glorious.cvii

East and West Should Cooperate

Comment: rla Prabhupda once said, As did Lord Rma, I crossed the ocean tothe land of the asuras and brought back Lakm to India. (Rma brought Lakm as


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St; Prabhupda brought Lakm as money for building temples.) He also likened Indiato Sarasvat (spiritual knowledge) and the West to Lakm (material prosperity), andproposed that Sarasvat and Lakm combine for the upliftment of mankind.

Every human being born in India should take up this cult of r CaitanyaMahprabhu. They can take it, because it is their birthrightbecause this

Bhgavatam is produced in India and Bhagavad-gtis produced in India. That is theglory of India. So the sons of India, those who are Indians, those who are proud ofbecoming Indian, should take up this mission.Janma srthaka kari: first of all makeyour life successful by understanding Bhagavad-gt and rmad-Bhgavatam.Understand rmad-Bhgavatam and Bhagavad-gt, and preach this knowledge allover the world.

Such knowledge is wanting all over the world. The Western countries might haveadvanced in technical knowledge, but they have no knowledge about the science ofGod. That is lacking. So East and West should cooperate. You have got someknowledgeI take advantage of it. I have got some knowledgeyou take advantageof it. This is cooperation. Now, people all over the world are trying to imitate theWestern type of civilization. That is not bad. Do it. But you also do something sothat Westerners may also take your knowledge. That is cooperation. Why are yousilent on this point? Therefore, because Indians and the Indian government havefailed to do this duty, India is known as a beggar country all over the world.cviii

The Lame Man and the Blind Man

The tract of land south of the Himalayan Mountains is the land of India, which

was known as Bhrata-vara.When a living entity takes birth in Bhrata-vara he isconsidered to be most fortunate. Indeed, Caitanya Mahprabhu has stated:

bhrata-bhmite haila manuya-janma yra


(Caitanya-caritmta 1.9.41)

Thus whoever takes birth in the land of Bhrata-vara attains all the facilities oflife. He may take advantage of all these facilities for both material and spiritualadvancement and thus make his life successful. After attaining the goal of life, onemay distribute his knowledge and experience all over the world for humanitarian

purposes. In other words, one who takes birth in the land of Bhrata-vara by virtueof his past pious activities gets full facility to develop the human form of life. InIndia, the climatic condition is such that one can live very peacefully without beingdisturbed by material conditions. Indeed, during the time of Mahrja Yudhihira orLord Rmacandra, people were free from all anxieties. There was not even extremecold or extreme heat. The three kinds of miserable conditionsdhytmika,dhibhautika, and dhidaivika(miseries inflicted by the body and mind itself, those


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inflicted by other living entities, and natural disturbances)were all absent duringthe reign of Lord Rmacandra or Mahrja Yudhihira. But at present, compared toother countries on earth, India is artificially disturbed. Despite these materialdisturbances, however, the countrys culture is such that one can easily attain thegoal of life, namely salvation, or liberation from material bondage. Thus in order to

take birth in India one must have performed many pious activities in a past life.In this verse the word lakita-lakam indicates that the human body attained in

Bhrata-vara is very auspicious. Vedic culture is full of knowledge, and a personborn in India can fully take advantage of Vedic cultural knowledge and the culturalsystem known as varrama-dharma. Even at the present time, as we travel all overthe world, we see that in some countries human beings have many material facilitiesbut no facilities for spiritual advancement. We find everywhere the defects of one-sided facilities and a lack of full facilities. A blind man can walk but not see, and alame man cannot walk but can see. Andha-pagu-nyya: the blind man may take thelame man over his shoulder, and as he walks, the lame man may give him directions.

Thus combined they may work, but individually neither the blind man nor the lameman can walk successfully. Similarly, this human form of life is meant for theadvancement of spiritual life and for keeping the material necessities in order.Especially in the Western countries there are ample facilities for material comforts,but no one has any idea of spiritual advancement. Many are hankering after spiritualadvancement, but many cheaters come, take advantage of their money, bluff them,and go away. Fortunately the Ka consciousness movement is there to give allfacilities for both material and spiritual advancement. In this way, people in theWestern countries may take advantage of this movement. In India any man in thevillages, unaffected by the industrial cities of India, can still live in any conditionand make spiritual advancement. The body has been called the city of nine gates,and these nine gates include two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth, genitals,and a rectum. When the nine gates are clean and working properly, it is to beunderstood that the body is healthy. In India these nine gates are kept clean by thevillagers who rise early in the morning, bathe in the well or rivers, go to the templesto attend magala-rati, chant the Hare Ka mah-mantra, and take prasda. Inthis way one can take advantage of all the facilities of human life. We are graduallyintroducing this system in different centres in our Society in the Western countries.One who takes advantage of it becomes more and more enlightened in spiritual life.At the present moment, India may be compared to the lame man, and the Westerncountries to the blind man. For the past two thousand years India has beensubjugated by the rule of foreigners, and the legs of progress have been broken. Inthe Western countries the eyes of the people have become blind due to the dazzlingglitter of material opulence. The blind man of the Western countries and the lameman of India should combine together in this Ka consciousness movement. Thenthe lame man of India can walk with the help of the Westerner, and the blindWesterner can see with the help of the lame man. In short, the material


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advancement of the Western countries and the spiritual assets of India shouldcombine for the elevation of all human society.cix

The West Must Look to India

In no country other than India have the great sages endeavoured so much for therealization of the spirit self. It is admitted that in the Western countries the peoplehave done their best to advance in the culture of material science, centred on thematerial body and mind. But it is admitted, also, that notwithstanding all suchadvancement of material knowledge in the West, the people in general are sufferingthe pangs of the poisonous effects of materialism because they have cared very littlefor the culture of spiritual science. Great thinkers in the Western countries musttherefore look to the people of India if the message of Godhead, of genuinespiritualism, is to reach their ears.cx

Unite and Change the World

The Padma Pura states that there are 8,400,000 different species of life, ofwhich 400,000 are human. Out of them, one who is born in India is a first-classhuman being. That is a fact. Unfortunately, we are missing the chance. ThereforeCaitanya Mahprabhu says, bhrata-bhmite haila manuya-janma yra. Indiansshould know that after performing many pious activities, one gets birth in India(bhrata-bhmite). So try to understand Ka. There is facility. There are stras.

Ka personally speaks Bhagavad-gt. Vysadeva speaks about Ka in the rmad-Bhgavatam. We are neglecting. We have become such rascals and fools. This is notIndias business, to imitate economic development: Money, money, money, money,money. Indias business is to understand Ka. Athto brahma-jijs:human lifeis meant for enquiry into the absolute truth. These Americans and Europeans havenot come here to see how much you are economically and industrially developed.They have got enough of thismore than enough. They dont care for it. Themodern young men are fed up. They have come here to understand Ka. Thereforewe are constructing this centre. Let everyone come, from all over the world. It isIndias business to understand Ka and help them. The Ka consciousness

movement is a very serious movement. On this platform, the whole world can beunited. It is not an ordinary movement. Try to understand Ka.cxi

I have given them the philosophy of American money and Indian culture.Combined together, the face of the world will change. Dont keep Indian cultureairtight, and dont keep American money for sense gratification. Use it for Ka.cxii


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Make the Whole World Hindustan

Interviewer: Why did you choose to go to America and propagate the teachings ofLord Ka in a Western country?

Prabhupda: Because Indian people, being subjugated for at least one thousand

years, have lost their original culture. Being poverty-stricken, they are simply aftermoney, by hook or crook. In the Bhagavad-gt it is said, bhogaivarya-prasaktntaypahta-cetasm: persons who have lost their consciousness because of too muchattachment to material enjoyment cannot understand Ka consciousness.

Interviewer: Oriental philosophies in general, and Ka consciousness inparticular, have found a lot of devotees in the Western civilization. What is themain reason for this?

Prabhupda: You are thinking this is Oriental civilization, but that is not the fact.The fact is this is human civilization. There is no question of East and West.

Interviewer: Do you feel that your success in the West is an indication of the needbeing felt by the Western man that has been lacking in spiritual ideologies?

Prabhupda: Yes. The Westerners are very intelligent and materially advanced.But spiritually they are not. Therefore they are coming to me, a poor Indian. Notonly meany swami who goes, they crowd to him. Unfortunately, the other swamisgo to exploit and cheat them. Neither do they know what is spiritual life, nor couldthey give it to them. For the last two hundred years or so the swamis have beengoing, but not a single person became a Ka devotee in the history of the Westernworld. But now we are giving Bhagavad-gtAs It Is, and hundreds and thousands arecoming.

Interviewer: Swamiji, its been sometimes said that India has too much philosophyand the West has too much materialism. Where is the right balance in this modernworld?

Prabhupda: The balance is that there should be a reciprocal exchange of gifts.What you havent got, I give you; what I havent got, you give me. Then the worldwill be united. But our India followed the principle of begging: Give me men. Giveme money. Give me wheat. Give me rice. Give me war materials. Simply begging.So we must give something. This is the first time we are giving something.Otherwise, India was simply a beggar to the Western countries. For their technicaleducation they are going to the Western countries, and when there is war, they areasking America, Please give us war materials. And when they give war materials toPakistan we become envious. We are lamenting because we have lost a portion of thecountry as Pakistan and are fighting since then. This was a plan by the Britishgovernment to divide them in such a way they will perpetually fight, they will neverbe happy. But if you take this Ka consciousness movement very seriously, you canmake the whole world Hindustan.cxiii


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Hindus and Muslims

How the Muslim Population Increased

To convert a Hindu into a Muslim was an easy affair in those days. If a Muslimsimply sprinkled water on the body of a Hindu, it was supposed that the Hindu hadalready become a Muslim. During the transition of the British in Bangladesh duringthe last Hindu-Muslim riots, many Hindus were converted into Muslims by havingcows flesh forcibly pushed into their mouth. Hindu society was so rigid at the timeof Lord Caitanya that if a Hindu were converted into a Muslim, there was no chanceof his being reformed. In this way the Muslim population in India increased. None ofthe Muslims came from outside; social customs somehow or other forced Hindus tobecome Muslims, with no chance of returning to Hindu society. Emperor Aurangzebalso inaugurated a tax that Hindus had to pay because of their being Hindus. Thusall the poor Hindus of the lower class voluntarily became Muslims to avoid the tax.In this way the Muslim population in India increased.cxiv

More than five hundred years ago in India, the Hindus were so rigid and strictthat if a Muslim would sprinkle a little water from his pitcher upon a Hindu, theHindu would be immediately ostracized. Recently, in 1947, during the partition days,there was a big riot between Hindus and Muslims, especially in Bengal. The Hinduswere forcibly made to eat cows flesh, and consequently they began crying, thinkingthat they had become Muslims. Actually the Muslims in India did not come from thecountry of the Muslims, but Hindus instituted the custom that somehow or other ifone contacted a Muslim, he became a Muslim. Rpa and Santana Gosvm wereborn in a high brhmaa family, but because they accepted employment under aMuslim government they were considered Muslims. Subuddhi Rya was sprinkledwith water from the pitcher of a Muslim, and consequently he was condemned tobecome a Muslim. Later, Aurangzeb, the Muslim emperor, introduced a tax especiallymeant for Hindus. Being oppressed in the Hindu community, many low-caste Hinduspreferred to become Muslims. In this way the Muslim population increased.Later theBritish government made it a policy to divide the Hindus and the Muslims, and thus theymaintained ill feelings between them. The result was that India was divided intoPakistan and Hindustan.cxv

Hindus and Muslims Lived Peacefully

Hindus and Muslims used to live together peacefully. It is not a fact that Muslimswere always aggressive. Otherwise, how they could rule over India for eight hundredyears?cxvi

In India, even in the interior villages, all the Hindu and Muslim communities


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replied. Gods land will remain here. We simply fight: This is my land. This is allillusion.cxxi

Ten Points for Indira GandhiOn 22 August 1975, rla Prabhupda had an appointment with Indira Gandhi. In a

pocket no

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Srila Prabhupada on India