This HARE KRSNA Movement

Ratha-yatra Lecture
--Philadelphia, July 12, 1975

Prabhupada: Ladies and gentlemen, first of all I wish to thank you, the inhabitants of this great city, Philadelphia. You are so kind, enthusiastic, in taking part in this movement. So I am very much obliged to you. I am especially obliged to the American boys and girls who are helping me so much in spreading this Krsna consciousness movement in the Western countries. I was ordered by my spiritual master to preach this Krsna consciousness in the Western countries. So in 1965 I first came in New York. Then in 1966 this society was regularly registered in New York, and from 1967 this movement is regularly going on in America, Europe, Canada, and south of Pacific Ocean, Australia, and throughout the whole world.

So I may inform you little about this movement, Krsna consciousness. Krsna, this word, means all-attractive. Krsna is attractive to every living entities, not only human being, even the animals, birds, bees, trees, flowers, fruits, water. That is the picture of Vrndavana. This is material world. We have no experience of the spiritual world. But we can get an glimpse idea, what is spirit and what is matter.

Just try to understand the difference between a living man and a dead body. The dead body means as soon as the living force within the body is gone, then it is dead matter, useless. And so long the living force is there, the body is very important. So as we experience in this body, there is something as dead matter and something as living force, similarly, there are two worlds: the material world and the spiritual world. We living entities, every one of us, we belong to the spiritual world. We do not belong to the material world. Some way or other, we are now in contact with this material world and material body, and the business is that although we are eternal living force, on account of our contact with this material body, we have to take four tribulations: birth, death, disease and old age. That we have to undergo.

In this material world we are getting one type of body, and it is ended at a certain stage. Just like any material thing. You take, for example, of your dress. You are dressed with a certain type of garment, but when it is worn out, no more usable, then you throw it, you get another dress. So this material body is the dress of the spirit living force. But because we are attached to this material world, we want to enjoy this material world, we get different types of body. It is explained in the Bhagavad-gita as a machine. Actually it is machine, this body.

In the Bhagavad- gita it is said,

isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya
[Bg. 18.61]

So we living entity, we desire. “Man proposes; God disposes.” God is very kind. Whatever you desire, He will fulfill. Although He says that “This kind of material desires will never satisfy you,” but we want. Therefore God supplies us, Krsna, different types of body to fulfill our different desires. This is called material, conditional life.

This body, change of body according to desire, is called evolutionary process. By evolution we come to the human form of body through many other millions bodies. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati. We pass through 900,000 species of form in the water. Similarly, two million forms as plants, trees. In this way, by nature’s way, nature brings us into this human form of life just to develop or awaken our consciousness. Nature gives us the chance, “Now what do you want to do? Now you have got developed consciousness. Now you again want to go to the evolutionary process, or you want to go to the higher planetary system, or you want to go to God, Krsna, or you want to remain here?”

These options are there. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita,

yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutejya yanti bhutani
mad-yajino ’pi yanti mam
[Bg. 9.25]

Now make your selection. If you want to go to the higher planetary system, you can go. If you want to remain here, in the middle planetary system, you can do so. And if you want to go to the lower planetary system, that you can do. And if you want to go to God, Krsna, that also you can do. It is up to your option. Therefore, what is the difference between this material world, maybe in the higher planetary system or in the lower planetary system, and what is the spiritual world? The spiritual world means there is no material consumption. Everything is spirit, as I told you. The trees, the flowers, the fruits, the water, the animals—everything is spiritual. So there is no annihilation. It is eternal. So if you want to go to that spiritual world, then you can have this opportunity now in this human form of life, and if you want to remain in this material world, you can do so.

So our movement is that “Why not stop this material, conditional life, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease?” This is intelligence. “Why should we remain in this material body and undergo repetition change of body? Let us have our original, spiritual body.” That is wanted. That is intelligence. The human life is therefore meant, as it is stated in the Vedanta philosophy, athato brahma jijnasa: “Now this life is meant for enquiring about the Absolute Truth.”

So that is required. That is human intelligence. And if we spoil our life like the animals... They are also eating; we are also eating. They are also sleeping; we are also sleeping. They are also having sex intercourse; we are also having sex intercourse. They are also defending; we are also defending. These four principles are common to the human being and to the animal. The special advantage of human being is that if he likes, he can stop this repetition of birth and death and go back to home, back to Godhead. The Krsna consciousness movement is trying to educate people about this science, how to go back to home, back to Godhead. It is not a so-called religious movement. Of course, anything which has connection with God, you can take it as religious movement. But it is very scientific movement. For the big scientists, philosophers, thinkers, they should try to understand this movement. We have got fifty-seven books for convincing the philosophers, scientists. If you want to know the value of this movement through science, philosophy, we have got enough ingredients to supply you. Otherwise, it is simple, very simple.

Simply chant this mantra,

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

Then everything will be manifest to you. Ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12]. This chanting of Hare Krsna mantra means cleansing the core of your heart. Because our heart or mind or consciousness is now covered with so many dirty things. So if we chant this Hare Krsna mantra, then these dirty things will be cleansed. Then we shall be able to see “What I am, what is my position, what is my goal of life, what I have to do.” This is human consideration. The dogs, cats, they cannot do that. But a human being, they can do it very nicely.

So on account of this, you will find that these young men, not only from your country but in other countries also, in Africa, in Australia, in Canada, in Europe, in Asia—everywhere— as soon as they are understanding this philosophy, they are joining this movement. And it is not very difficult. We don’t charge anything for selling Hare Krsna mantra. We are chanting everywhere. That you saw, this Ratha-yatra. Now, our only means is chanting Hare Krsna. And these thousands of men are following simply by chanting Hare Krsna mantra.

So you can understand what is the potency of this Hare Krsna mantra. We do not pay anything, you ladies and gentlemen, to follow us. But we simply chant Hare Krsna. So it is very potential. Narottama dasa Thakura, a great acarya of Vaisnava sampradaya, he has sung, golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana.

This Hare Krsna movement, or chanting of Hare Krsna, it is not anything material. Therefore you will never feel tired chanting Hare Krsna. You see practically. You go on chanting twenty-four hours; you will never feel tired. Therefore it is said, golokera prema-dhana. This chanting vibration is coming from the spiritual world. Just like you receive material sound vibration in the radios or television from distant place, there is another machine which can receive the vibration in the spiritual world.

So that vibration is Hare Krsna mantra. golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana, rati na janmilo kene tay “Oh, I am so unfortunate that I did not get any attachment for chanting this Hare Krsna mantra.” Samsara-davanale, diba-nisi hiya jwale.

The samsara, this material world, is very uncomfortable place. Everyone is always full of anxiety. However rich you may be, however powerful you may be, but the anxiety must be there. You can understand, your president Nixon, how much anxiety he had when all people wanted him to come down. So this material world means in whichever position you may be situated, it doesn’t matter. It is full of anxiety. This is called blazing fire, always burning the heart. So if you want to get relief from this uncomfortable position of anxiety, then you must take to this Hare Krsna mantra. This is our request. You can try for it and you will see the practical result. It will not cost you anything; there is no loss about it.

So our only request is, with folded hands and begging you, so many flatterings, we simply request... Dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya. This is our process. We are not very violent pushing. Now, you see our procession came, so many, for three hours. There was no violence. And the police department of your country, they very much appreciate because they have got experience whenever there is some procession, there is violence. “Window-breaking crowd,” they say. But these people are not win-breaking crowd.

So this Krsna consciousness movement... You have already accepted it, this movement, your so many young men. So we request. This is another occasion to invite you. So our only request is that you chant Hare Krsna mantra, and you will feel very much happy. There will be no anxiety. And then you can do your work. It doesn’t matter what you are doing. But chanting of this Hare Krsna mantra will make you more and more happy, free from material anxieties, and if we continue this process, then everything will be clearly understood about spiritual life, and very easily we shall be able to go back to home, back to Godhead.

Now, this occasion I may explain little bit. Here you see Jagannatha and Balarama and Subhadra. They are Krsna and His elder brother and His sister, Subhadra. There is a place in India about ninety miles north of Delhi. You have heard the name of New Delhi. The place is named Kuruksetra. It is accepted as the holy place, pilgrimage. People still gather there, especially during the eclipse, solar and lunar eclipse.

So there was once, five thousand years ago, there was a solar eclipse, and all people, from all parts of India, they came to Kuruksetra, and Krsna at that time was prince at Dvaraka, He also came with His elder brother and sister. Krsna in His childhood, He was raised as the foster son of Maharaja Nanda and mother Yasoda in Vrndavana. Then, when He was grown up... You will find this history in the Krsna book.

So the incidence is that Krsna was the beloved personality in Vrndavana. So when He left Vrndavana, all the people there, they were very, very unhappy. So when Krsna came to Kuruksetra from Dvaraka with His brother and sister, these people in Vrndavana, they got news that Krsna is coming there. Vrndavana is about the same distance. Kuruksetra is greater distance. Anyway, they came to see Krsna out of their love. And the most beloved personality, Srimati Radharani, She was requesting Krsna that “You are the same Krsna. I am the same Radharani. But the place is not the same. You are here in Kuruksetra in royal opulence, and we are coming from the village. So if You again please come to Vrndavana.” This was Radharani’s request. And it is very ecstatic feeling. Those who are advanced devotee, they can enjoy.

So we observe this incidence annually in as many places in the Western countries. At the present moment we hold this ceremony in London, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, and where else? Buffalo, Melbourne, yes. So this is a very feeling festival. So I thank you very much. You have come here. And try to understand our philosophy. You are all educated boys and girls. We have got fifty-seven books. Try to read, and try to understand. And take it very seriously, and you will be happy.
Thank you very much. (end)