0 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,507 Arr PAR 1972-07-20 Why Study the Perishable 1 00:00:15,508 --> 00:00:17,854 ANNOUNCER: The following is an arrival address 2 00:00:17,855 --> 00:00:23,749 given by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, 3 00:00:23,750 --> 00:00:46,829 recorded on the 20th of July, 1972, in Paris, France. 4 00:00:46,830 --> 00:00:49,442 PRABHUPĀDA: The saṅkīrtana movement 5 00:00:49,443 --> 00:00:58,470 was started by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu five hundred years ago 6 00:00:58,471 --> 00:01:05,309 for mitigating the sufferings of the people of the world. 7 00:01:05,310 --> 00:01:15,739 He predicted that in every village, in every town on the surface of the globe, 8 00:01:15,740 --> 00:01:20,466 let this saṅkīrtana movement be spread out, 9 00:01:20,467 --> 00:01:26,729 and people will be happy and they’ll find Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. 10 00:01:26,730 --> 00:01:29,939 That was His prediction. 11 00:01:29,940 --> 00:01:34,849 Actually this is happening now. 12 00:01:34,850 --> 00:01:44,369 So our simple method—we go everywhere all over the world, 13 00:01:44,370 --> 00:01:50,759 chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā- mantra, and we attract people, 14 00:01:50,760 --> 00:01:57,369 especially younger generation, boys and girls. 15 00:01:57,370 --> 00:02:02,919 Sometimes the newspaper reporters they ask me, 16 00:02:02,920 --> 00:02:06,651 “Why these young men and young women 17 00:02:06,652 --> 00:02:10,749 they are very much attracted with this movement?” 18 00:02:10,750 --> 00:02:14,809 I replied, “That is the success of the movement, 19 00:02:14,810 --> 00:02:21,619 because younger generation, they are the flowers, 20 00:02:21,620 --> 00:02:26,999 the future hope of the country, of the world. 21 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:34,289 If they take this movement seriously then the whole world will be happy.” 22 00:02:34,290 --> 00:02:39,659 Vedic civilization desires that everyone be happy. 23 00:02:39,660 --> 00:02:44,009 sarve sukhino bhavantu [Upanisad] 24 00:02:44,010 --> 00:02:51,629 Vedic civilization is not animal civilization, exploiting others… 25 00:02:51,630 --> 00:02:55,571 Giving something to others. 26 00:02:55,572 --> 00:03:04,183 Sometimes the people, they think that India 27 00:03:04,184 --> 00:03:12,019 comes to the foreign country to take qualification for earning livelihood. 28 00:03:12,020 --> 00:03:18,519 Actually they come here when… 29 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,229 One of my Godbrothers long ago, 30 00:03:21,230 --> 00:03:30,304 he came to England, Lady Willingdon challenged the preacher 31 00:03:30,305 --> 00:03:35,980 that “In your country people come here, they take some degree 32 00:03:35,981 --> 00:03:40,323 and go to back to their country and become big man. 33 00:03:40,324 --> 00:03:44,029 So what you have got to teach us?” 34 00:03:44,030 --> 00:03:48,708 Actually, from materialistic point of view 35 00:03:48,709 --> 00:03:52,699 we haven’t got to teach to the Western country anything. 36 00:03:52,700 --> 00:03:54,829 That’s a fact. 37 00:03:54,830 --> 00:04:02,089 Because your science, your machine, far advanced. 38 00:04:02,090 --> 00:04:11,349 But still there is a great treasure house in India, which is spiritual knowledge. 39 00:04:11,350 --> 00:04:14,305 You have to take from India. 40 00:04:14,306 --> 00:04:17,419 Of course, this spiritual knowledge, 41 00:04:17,420 --> 00:04:24,839 Vedic knowledge, is not for any particular society or country. 42 00:04:24,840 --> 00:04:27,689 It is meant for all. 43 00:04:27,690 --> 00:04:33,619 People sometimes ask me, “Eastern,” “Western.” 44 00:04:33,620 --> 00:04:40,589 Actually there is no Eastern and Western in spiritual platform. 45 00:04:40,590 --> 00:04:44,265 Spiritual platform is one. 46 00:04:44,266 --> 00:04:48,769 You are spirit soul, I’m spirit soul. 47 00:04:48,770 --> 00:04:57,779 So on the spiritual platform, if we see, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, 48 00:04:57,780 --> 00:05:01,149 paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18] 49 00:05:01,150 --> 00:05:07,359 Those who are actually learned, they are sama-darśī. 50 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:10,730 They have no distinction. 51 00:05:10,731 --> 00:05:17,369 The exact version of Lord Kṛṣṇa is: 52 00:05:17,370 --> 00:05:21,589 vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini 53 00:05:21,590 --> 00:05:25,829 śune caiva śva-pāke ca panditāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18] 54 00:05:25,830 --> 00:05:29,295 A brāhmaṇa is considered… 55 00:05:29,296 --> 00:05:31,819 A brāhmaṇa generally becomes very learned, 56 00:05:31,820 --> 00:05:34,492 vidyā-vinaya, very gentle. 57 00:05:34,493 --> 00:05:38,306 So one brāhmaṇa who is qualified 58 00:05:38,307 --> 00:05:45,829 with gentle qualities and high learning vidyā-vinaya-sampanne, 59 00:05:45,830 --> 00:05:55,455 and a cow, an animal, and an elephant, a dog, a low-born caṇḍāla, 60 00:05:55,456 --> 00:05:59,261 all these living entities… 61 00:05:59,262 --> 00:06:04,060 A learned man sees all of them on the equal level, 62 00:06:04,061 --> 00:06:10,539 because a learned man who is actually on the spiritual platform, 63 00:06:10,540 --> 00:06:16,189 he knows that “Here is a dog and here is a learned brāhmaṇa. 64 00:06:16,190 --> 00:06:23,929 By their karma they have got different dress only, but within the brāhmaṇa, 65 00:06:23,930 --> 00:06:29,209 within the dog the same spirit soul is there.” 66 00:06:29,210 --> 00:06:38,629 So our material platform we distinguish, “I am Indian, 67 00:06:38,630 --> 00:06:44,999 you are Frenchman, he’s Englishman, he’s American, he’s cat, he’s dog.” 68 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:49,059 This is the vision of the material platform. 69 00:06:49,060 --> 00:06:52,586 In the spiritual platform we can see 70 00:06:52,587 --> 00:06:58,059 that every living entity is part and parcel of God, 71 00:06:58,060 --> 00:07:01,074 as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: 72 00:07:01,075 --> 00:07:04,447 mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūta [Bg. 15.7] 73 00:07:04,448 --> 00:07:08,999 Every living entity; it doesn’t matter what he is. 74 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:17,739 There are 8,400,000 species of forms, but all of them, 75 00:07:17,740 --> 00:07:21,379 they’re covered only by different dresses. 76 00:07:21,380 --> 00:07:25,239 Just like you Frenchmen, you may be differently dressed, 77 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:27,939 and Englishman may be differently dressed, 78 00:07:27,940 --> 00:07:30,629 and Indian may be differently dressed. 79 00:07:30,630 --> 00:07:34,619 But dress is not very important. 80 00:07:34,620 --> 00:07:38,919 The man within the dress, he’s important. 81 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:43,589 Similarly, this body is not very important thing. 82 00:07:43,590 --> 00:07:48,471 Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ [Bg. 2.18] 83 00:07:48,472 --> 00:07:50,690 This body is perishable. 84 00:07:50,691 --> 00:07:57,690 But the soul within the body, he’s not perishable. 85 00:07:57,691 --> 00:08:01,774 Therefore this human form of life 86 00:08:01,775 --> 00:08:07,959 is meant for cultivating the knowledge of the nonperishable. 87 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,899 Unfortunately, our science, philosophy in school, college, 88 00:08:12,900 --> 00:08:18,879 university, they are simply concerned with the perishable, 89 00:08:18,880 --> 00:08:21,525 not with the imperishable. 90 00:08:21,526 --> 00:08:26,777 This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for 91 00:08:26,778 --> 00:08:30,089 taking into account of the nonperishable. 92 00:08:30,090 --> 00:08:33,535 So, it is the movement of the soul, 93 00:08:33,536 --> 00:08:40,079 not the movement as political movement, social movement or religious movement. 94 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:43,599 They are pertaining to the perishable body. 95 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:51,259 But Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is pertaining to the imperishable soul. 96 00:08:51,260 --> 00:09:00,119 Therefore our this saṅkīrtana movement, simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, 97 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:09,439 your heart will be gradually cleansed so that you can come to the spiritual platform. 98 00:09:09,440 --> 00:09:14,711 Just like here in this movement we have got students 99 00:09:14,712 --> 00:09:19,489 from all countries of the world, all religions of the world. 100 00:09:19,490 --> 00:09:28,529 But they no more think of the particular type of religion or nation or creed or color. 101 00:09:28,530 --> 00:09:29,459 No. 102 00:09:29,460 --> 00:09:34,889 All of them think as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. 103 00:09:34,890 --> 00:09:37,779 When we come to that platform 104 00:09:37,780 --> 00:09:45,829 and when we engage ourself in that positional occupation, 105 00:09:45,830 --> 00:09:48,509 then we are liberated. 106 00:09:48,510 --> 00:09:54,510 So this movement is very important movement. 107 00:09:54,511 --> 00:10:02,040 It is not of course possible to give you all details within a few minutes, 108 00:10:02,041 --> 00:10:12,193 but if you are interested you can kindly contact with us 109 00:10:12,194 --> 00:10:19,850 either by correspondence or by reading our literature or by personal contact. 110 00:10:19,851 --> 00:10:23,500 Any way, your life will be sublime. 111 00:10:23,501 --> 00:10:28,570 We have not such distinction that “This is India,” “This is England,” 112 00:10:28,571 --> 00:10:31,470 “This is France,” “This is Africa.” 113 00:10:31,471 --> 00:10:39,520 We think every living entity, not only human being, even animals, birds, 114 00:10:39,521 --> 00:10:48,260 beasts, trees, aquatics, insects, reptiles—all are part and parcel of God. 115 00:10:48,261 --> 00:10:55,508 But the lower animals, the aquatics, birds, beasts, trees, plants, insect— 116 00:10:55,509 --> 00:10:59,460 they are unable to receive this knowledge. 117 00:10:59,461 --> 00:11:03,490 The human being has developed consciousness. 118 00:11:03,491 --> 00:11:09,230 He can receive this knowledge of spirit soul. 119 00:11:09,231 --> 00:11:16,790 So our only request is that do not take this movement as a religious movement. 120 00:11:16,791 --> 00:11:19,160 It is the movement of the soul. 121 00:11:19,161 --> 00:11:23,820 It is very scientific, based on authority. 122 00:11:23,821 --> 00:11:26,129 And practically we are seeing, 123 00:11:26,130 --> 00:11:29,273 we are getting good responses all over the world. 124 00:11:29,274 --> 00:11:31,730 We have got over a hundred branches. 125 00:11:31,731 --> 00:11:36,270 And, and even Africa also we have got many branches. 126 00:11:36,271 --> 00:11:41,810 Canada, Europe, America, Australia, New Zealand—everywhere. 127 00:11:41,811 --> 00:11:47,510 So our only request is the leaders of the nation, the scientist, 128 00:11:47,511 --> 00:11:52,890 the philosopher, may kindly take some interest in this movement. 129 00:11:52,891 --> 00:11:54,610 We can talk with them. 130 00:11:54,611 --> 00:12:00,750 We have got many literatures, big, big books, scientifically explained, 131 00:12:00,751 --> 00:12:02,667 philosophically explained. 132 00:12:02,668 --> 00:12:07,846 So our only request is that you come forward and try to understand 133 00:12:07,847 --> 00:12:13,910 this philosophy and spread for the benefit of the whole human society. 134 00:12:13,911 --> 00:12:21,174 Thank you very much. 135 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