Prabhupada: Today, the auspicious day
of our predecessor spiritual master, Om Visnupada Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya
Astottara-sata Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada. Srila
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's mission... Apart from his life, we are
especially stressing on the mission of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. This
place, Mayapur, was formerly known as Miyapura. Mostly it is inhabited by the
Muhammadans. Some way or other it converted into the name of Miyapura instead of
Mayapur. Still, people are very much doubtful where is the birth site of Sri
Caitanya Mahaprabhu. And Bhaktivinoda Thakura was researching to find out the
actual place. So under the direction of Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaja, this
present Yogapitha was ascertained to be the birth site of Sri Caitanya
Mahaprabhu. So Bhaktivinoda Thakura in the beginning wanted to develop this
place very gloriously, befitting the holy name of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. So he
started this movement of developing Mayapur. He could not finish it, so it was
handed down to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. So under his effort, assisted
by his disciples, this place has gradually developed, and our attempt is also to
develop this place. Therefore we have named this temple Mayapur Chandrodaya. We
have got great ambition to develop this place nicely and gloriously, and
fortunately we are now connected with foreign countries, especially with the
Americans. Bhaktivinoda Thakura's great desire was that the Americans would come
here and develop this place and they would chant and dance along with the
Indians.
So his dream as well as Caitanya Mahaprabhu's foretelling,
prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired that all Indians to take part.
bharata bhumite manusya-janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara.
[Cc. Adi 9.41]
This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission, para-upakara. Para-upakara means to do good to others. Of course, in the human society there are many different branches of doing good to others -- welfare societies -- but more or less... Why more or less? Almost completely they think that this body is our self and to do some good to the body is welfare activities. But actually that is not welfare activities because in the Bhagavad-gita we understand very clearly, antavanta ime dehah nityasyoktah saririnah. This body is antavat. Anta means it will be finished. Everyone knows his body is not permanent; it will be finished. Anything material -- bhutva bhutva praliyate [Bg. 8.19] -- it has a date of birth, it stays for some time, and then it annihilates. So the spiritual education begins from the understanding that "I am not this body." This is spiritual education. In the Bhagavad-gita the first instruction given by Krsna to Arjuna is this, that we are not this body. Because Arjuna was speaking from the bodily platform, so Krsna chastised him that asocyan anvasocas tvam prajna-vadams ca bhasase: [Bg. 2.11] "Arjuna, you are talking like a very learned man, but you are lamenting on the subject matter on which no learned man laments." Asocyan anvasocas tvam.
So such kind of welfare activity concerning the body, like hospital and so many other things, they are good undoubtedly, but the ultimate goal is to see the interest of the soul. That is ultimate goal. That is the whole Vedic instruction. And Krsna begins from this point. Dehino 'smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara [Bg. 2.13]. So when Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to do some para-upakara...
bharata bhumite manusya-janma haila yara
(manusya) janma sarthaka kari' kara para-upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]
These welfare activities did not mean that welfare to this body. It was meant for the soul, the same thing as Krsna wanted to impress upon Arjuna, that "You are not this body. You are soul." Antavanta ime dehah nityasyoktah saririnah, na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg. 2.20]. So real welfare activity means to see to the interest of the soul. So what is the interest of the soul? The interest of the soul is that the soul is part and parcel of Krsna, God. Just like small spark of fire is part and parcel of the big fire, similarly, we living entities, we are very minute, small spark of the Supreme Brahman, Parabrahman, or Krsna. So as the spark within the fire looks very beautiful, the fire also looks beautiful, and the spark also looks beautiful, but as soon as the sparks fall down from the fire, it becomes extinguished.
So our condition is that the... Our present position is that we are fallen down from the whole fire, Krsna. This is explained in a simple Bengali language:
krsna bhuliya jiva bhoga vancha kare
pasate maya tare japatiya dhare
Maya means darkness, ignorance. So this example is very nice. The sparks of the fire dancing very nicely with fire, it is also illuminating. But as soon as it fall down on the ground, it becomes cinder, black cinder, no more fiery quality. Similarly, we are meant for dancing and playing and walking and living with Krsna. That is our real position. That is the Vrndavana. Everyone... Everyone is connected with Krsna. There the trees, there the flowers, water, the cows, the calves, the cowherd boys, or elderly cowherd men, Nanda Maharaja, other persons of his age, then Yasodamayi, mother, then gopis -- in this way Vrndavana life, Vrndavana picture. Krsna comes with full Vrndavana picture, and He demonstrates His Vrndavana life, cintamani-prakara-sadmasu, just to attract us, that "You are trying to enjoy in this material world, but here you cannot enjoy because you are eternal. You cannot get eternal life here. So you come to Me. You come to Me." Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya [Bg. 4.9]. This is Krsna consciousness movement. (aside:) Please ask them to wait for prasadam. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti. This is the invitation. Mam eti: "He comes back to home, back to Godhead." This is the whole instruction of Bhagavad-gita. And at the end He said, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Why you are bothering yourself, manufacturing so many plans to adjust material life? That is not possible. Here it is not possible. Here so long you are in material association, then you have to change the body. Prakrteh kriyamanani... [Bg. 3.27]. Prakrti-stho. What is that verse? Purusah prakrti-stho 'pi...
Hrdayananda: Bhunjate prakrti-jan gunan.
Prabhupada: Ha. Bhunjate prakrti-jan gunan. So long the living entity is in this material world, he has to associate with the different modes of material nature. The same example. Just like the fire spark falls down on the ground. So ground, they have got different situation. One situation is dry grass, one situation is wet grass, and one situation is simply ground. So similarly, there are three position: sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna. So sattva-guna means if the spark falls down on the dry grass, then it ignites the grasses. So in the sattva-guna, prakasa, this fiery quality is demonstrated. But if it falls down on the water, wet ground, then it is completely extinguished. Three stages. Similarly, when we come down to this material world, if we associate with the sattva-guna, then there is some hope of spiritual life. And if we are rajo-guna there is no hope, and tamo-guna, there is no hope. Rajas-tamah. Rajas-tamo-bhava kama-lobhadayas ca ye. Rajas-tamah. If we associate with rajo-guna and tamo-guna, then our desires will be lusty and greediness. Kama-lobhadayas ca. Tato rajas-tamo-bhava kama-lobhadayas ca. And if we increase our sattva-guna quality, then this kama-lobhadaya, these two things, will not touch us. We may be little aloof from kama-lobha. So if in the sattva-guna... This is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam:
srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
vidhunoti suhrtsatam
[SB 1.2.17]
So we have to transcend all these three qualities, sattva-guna, rajo-guna, tamo-guna, especially rajo-guna, tamo-guna. If we do not try to do that, then there is no hope of spiritual salvation or liberation from the material entanglement. But in the Kali-yuga there is no practically sattva-guna, simply rajas, rajo-guna, tamo-guna, especially tamo-guna. Jaghanya-guna-vrtti-sthah [Bg. 14.18]. Kalau sudra-sambhavah. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu spread this Krsna consciousness movement, chanting Hare Krsna mantra.
So from this place Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu started this movement, Krsna consciousness movement, throughout whole India, and He desired that prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama: "So as many towns and villages are there, this Krsna consciousness movement should be spread." So this Krsna consciousness movement is now in your hand. Of course, in 1922 Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, he wanted me to do something in this connection. He wanted from his, all his disciples. Especially he stressed many times that "You do this. Whatever you have learned, you try to expand in English language." And in 1933, when he was in Radha-kunda, I was at that time Bombay in connection with my business life. So I came to see him, and one friend wanted to give some land in Bombay for starting Bombay Gaudiya Matha. He's my friend. So that's a long story, but I wish to narrate this, the Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami's mission. So at that time one of my Godbrother was also present. He reminded me about my friend's donation, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada immediately took up the land. He continued that "There is no need of establishing many temples. Better we publish some books." He said like that. He said that "We started our, this Gaudiya Matha in Ultadanga. The rent was very small, and if we could gather 2 to 250 rupees, it was very nice, going on. But since this J.V. Datta(?) has given us this stone, marble stone Thakurabari, our competition between the disciples have increased, so I don't like anymore. Rather, I would prefer to take out the marble stone and sell it and publish some books." So I took that point, and he also especially advised me that "If you get money, you try to publish books." So by his blessing it has become very successful by your cooperation. Now our books are being sold all over the world, and it is very satisfactory sale. So on this particular day of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's advent, try to remember his words, that he wanted that many books should be published about our philosophy and it should be given to the English-knowing public especially, because English language is now world language. We are touring all over the world. So anywhere we speak English, it is understood, except in some places. So on this day, particular on the advent of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, I'd especially request my disciples who are cooperating with me that try to publish books as many as possible and distribute throughout the whole world. That will satisfy Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as well as Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Srila Prabhupada. (end)
© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International.
