Aum (Om) And Hare Krishna

"Aum And Hare Krishna"

September 29, 1976

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Prabhupada: Na taj janesu abhijnesu. Abhijnah janesu, no attachment. Vyasadeva, Sukadeva Gosvami, Narada Muni, all the acaryas, Ramanujacarya, they have no respect for these. They're creating their howling habits, that's all. How there can be peace?Doctor: Now when the Krsna mantras...Prabhupada: Why do you say Krsna pantha?Doctor: No, mantras. I have come to mantra. Klim krsnaya govindaya gopijanavallabhaya namah. Is that not a very powerful Krsna mantra?Prabhupada: Yes.Doctor: That is better than Hare Krsna.Prabhupada: No. Hare Krsna is therefore called maha-mantra.Doctor: Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare.Prabhupada: Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.Doctor: This you regard as the, higher than any other...Prabhupada: Oh yes. Therefore it is called maha-mantra.Doctor: But I was told that the Sudarsana-cakra words, mahamala parakramaya maha patanivaya bhakta jane kalpanaya,(?) that is a very powerful mantra.Prabhupada: Yes. Everything in relationship with God is powerful. But the name in this age is the most powerful. Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet [SB 12.3.51].Doctor: And the word om has been praised in the Upanisads, but...Prabhupada: Om, veda, pranavah sarva-vedesu. Krsna says that raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi sasi-suryayoh pranavah sarva-vedesu [Bg. 7.8]. Pranava is omkara. Sarva-vedesu, "That pranava I am." That is sound representation of Krsna.Doctor: Then that one word as a mantra, is it not...Prabhupada: Yes.Doctor: ...the highest sort of word?Prabhupada: No. If you keep Krsna, that "This pranava is the sound representation of Krsna," then it is all right. If you think it is separately powerful than Krsna, that is nama-aparadha.Doctor: I understand.Prabhupada: Yes. If you accept it as Krsna says, that "I am pranava," if you do remember Krsna by chanting omkara, then it is all right.Doctor: Otherwise, om is only given to sannyasis?Prabhupada: Not necessarily. It is not mentioned there. Anyone chanting Vedic mantra, he has to begin with omkara.Doctor: All mantras begin with om.Prabhupada: Yes, omkara. So sarva-vedesu. Pranavah sarva-vedesu. This is beginning. Just like we take Bhagavata, om namo bhagavate vasudevaya.Doctor:

etad aksaram brahma
etad aksaram param
etad aksaram jnatva
yati ceti...(?)

Prabhupada: The difficulty is that we consider Krsna is different from omkara.Doctor: That is a mistake.Prabhupada: That is a mistake.Doctor: But then Krsna is not different from Brahman.Prabhupada: If you take this omkara as Krsna's sound representation, then it is all right.Doctor: Then it is as good as chanting Krsna.Prabhupada: Yes.Doctor: But it does not give...Prabhupada: But because Krsna is remembered, if you take omkara as Krsna's sound representation then Krsna is remembered.Doctor: But Krsna is three letters. Om is one.Prabhupada: That doesn't matter.Doctor: In the last minute when you are dying you can feel it, easily feel it.Prabhupada: Krsna has many names. Krsna has name Govinda. It is not three letters. It is more than that. Krsna has so many thousands names. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta. So therefore Krsna advises for the beginners, "Just try to remember Me in this way-raso 'ham apsu kaunteya [Bg. 7.8] -- I am the taste of the water." The water you must be drinking twice, thrice, four times. So when you drink water, the taste satisfies your thirst. So if you simply remember, "This taste is Krsna," that is Krsna conscious.Doctor: When you eat food, that also, the taste is Krsna.Prabhupada: No, especially of the water. Krsna is everything, but specifically he mentions, "The taste of the water I am." So you remember this.Doctor: That's very interesting. So every time you drink water...Prabhupada: You can remember Krsna. What is the wrong and what is the loss there? But you follow Krsna's instruction. Yes, sit down. There is no difficulty to become Krsna conscious. (microphone moves)Doctor: Why do you tape record?Hari-sauri: Everything Prabhupada speaks we tape record and then everyone in the world can listen.Doctor: Someone said that the word om is given to sannyasis and it...Prabhupada: No, Krsna does not say.Doctor: It's not so.Prabhupada: "Someone," we don't take authority. "Someone." There are so many "someones." We don't care for them. What Krsna says we accept. That's all.Doctor: But this Katha-Upanisad praises om.

etad alambanam srestham
etad alambanam param
etad alambanam jnatva
brahma-loke mahiyate

Prabhupada: Yes, Upanisad is giving lesson, counter part of this material world. Because... Just like you are stressing on omkara because you do not give much importance to Krsna. In the material world, Krsna, they think Krsna is one of the historical persons. Avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam [Bg. 9.11]. So Upanisad is teaching us in an indirect way about the importance of Krsna. Upa-nisat. To bring you nearby. Because you have got so many material conceptions, if we say that "Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead," you may not like it. Therefore... Omkara is Krsna. So you are giving lesson on omkara. Although Krsna and omkara is not different, but you'll not like Krsna. In your present position you'll not like Krsna's name.Doctor: Why?Prabhupada: No. Therefore you are stressing...Doctor: No, I have read all this and I am trying to reconcile.Prabhupada: So that is for the neophytes.Doctor: The reconciliation is there. Om is Krsna, Krsna is om.Prabhupada: So if Krsna is... If you are convinced, then where is the objection of Hare Krsna?Doctor: No, no.Prabhupada: Why should you bring so many objections?Doctor: Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam.Prabhupada: Yes, that is a fact.Doctor: Ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [SB 1.3.28].Prabhupada: But because I do not like, therefore Upanisads give another chance, that "Chant omkara." That is the way. Because unless one is completely purified, he cannot understand Krsna.

yesam tv anta-gatam papam
jananam punya-karmanam
te dvandva-moha-nirmukta
bhajante mam drdha-vratah
 [Bg. 7.28]

Krsna bhajana is possible when one is completely free from all kinds of sinful activities. So not every one is freed from sinful activities. Therefore the indirect way. Otherwise, Upanisad is Veda.Doctor: Based on Vedas. Right.Prabhupada: Based. Krsna says vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. By studying Vedas, Upanisads, if you do not understand Krsna, that means your study is not complete. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. After studying this indirect information of Krsna, when one is actually a learned, wise man, he surrenders to Krsna.

 

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation with U.N. Doctor -- September 29, 1976, Vrndavana

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