Tenth Anniversary Address Rupanuga: In July 1966, Srila Prabhupada in New York City formed the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Incorporated. Srila Prabhupada mentioned this morning he was asked to call it the “International Society for God Consciousness,” but he did not take that advice. He stuck to the principles of his Guru Maharaja and called our Society an International Society for Krishna Consciousness. At that time His Divine Grace outlined the purposes for the Society. We want to read them tonight to show that actually they have all come true. And on this tenth anniversary, all the purposes of our Society actually are being fulfilled or already have been. The first one was to systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large, to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of (indistinct) to achieve real unity and peace in the world. Second, to propagate a consciousness of Krsna as He is revealed in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. Third, to bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krsna, and thus to develop the idea within the members and humanity at large that each soul is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Fourth, to teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God, and to reveal the teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Fifth, to erect for the members and the Society at large a holy place of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the Personality of Godhead. Sixth, to bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler and more natural way of life. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books, and other (indistinct). So we can see that actually Srila Prabhupada has in almost a hundred centers and asramas throughout the world, this has been established in less than ten years. One gentleman recently was saying, one respectable gentleman was saying, “I do not see how this society has spread all over the world (indistinct).” And I explained to him what we have done already has been in ten years. Just imagine twenty, thirty, forty years, like that. He was so surprised to see that actually in ten years alone all this has been accomplished. And revealing Krsna’s (indistinct) Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srila Prabhupada’s books are now printed in almost fifteen languages around the world and distributed in millions every year. The United States and Europe, South America and Africa, the Mediterranean, every country in the world is now benedicted by Srila Prabhupada’s translations. So that purpose he has kept. “To bring the members of the Society closer together in (indistinct) …society based on love and trust.” (indistinct) …past bad activities and bad habits we have actually become more and more trusting between ourselves because we have banded together to help Srila Prabhupada push this movement. We have to base our relationships with each other on love and trust; otherwise this would never happen. I’ve seen personally so many people gathered together under one roof who would never speak to each other in the material world, who would never even see each other, who would never (indistinct). But in Krsna consciousness all these things are forgotten because there’s a common denominator, Krsna, and everyone’s (indistinct) together in love and trust. “To teach and encourage sankirtana.” There’s hardly a person who travels anywhere who hasn’t seen sankirtana in every major city in the Western world. And now they’re in India, now in Africa. People see us everywhere. One time a boy said to me… I asked him, “How many devotees do you think, full-time devotees, do you think we have?” (indistinct) “All right. Two million?” (indistinct) …barely a thousand at that time, but because of their energy, because Srila Prabhupada’s energy is (indistinct) all his disciples, it appears that there are millions. Because people see us all over the world. Actually we are simply distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books. (rest of Rupanuga’s speech is indistinct, followed by another speech, also indistinct.) Prabhupada: om ajnana-timirandhasya jnananjana-salakaya caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam This movement is sri-caitanya-mano-’bhistam. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He appeared on this earth five thousand years ago in Bengal, Navadvipa, to spread this Krsna consciousness, although this movement is not new. This Krsna consciousness movement was started by Krsna Himself. Apparently the Krsna consciousness movement was started by Krsna Himself in the Battlefield of Kuruksetra five thousand years ago, and He said that “This Krsna consciousness movement I spoke to the sun-god long, long years ago.” Imam vivasvate yogam proktavan aham avyayam [Bg. 4.1]. This is avyaya. Avyaya means which is never diminished or destroyed. Vyaya means which is destroyed, and Krsna says this yoga system… This is yoga system: bhakti-yoga. Yoga means to connect, to add, yoga. So at the present moment we are almost disconnected. Not exactly disconnected; forgotten our relationship with Krsna, or God. God means Krsna, and Krsna means God. So in the human society there are many different types of yoga system just to reconnect our relationship with Krsna. In the Bhagavad-gita they are explained differently, karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, hatha-yoga, dhyana-yoga, bhakti-yoga. All of them are yogas, but there are different stages. Yoga means to connect or to link up with the Supreme Absolute Truth. Now suppose he is in the topmost platform. So everyone is trying to go there. Mama vartmanuvartante manusyah partha sarvasah. Krsna says, “Everyone is trying to come to Me, but…” Just like the person who’s on the top floor. So the staircase is one. Somebody has crossed ten steps; somebody has taken, crossed twenty steps; somebody has crossed hundred steps; but one has to go, to fulfill, say, one thousand steps. There are different yoga systems. Everyone is trying to go to the topmost platform, mama vartmanuvartante manusyah partha sarvasah. This is a fact. So in the Kali-yuga especially, to come to the highest platform of yoga perfection step by step, it is little difficult. Actually, to practice yoga, one has to undergo so many austerities, penances, rules, regulations. That is all described in the Sixth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita, how yoga should be practiced. It is recommended that yogis should sit down in a secluded place, sacred place. So in India, still, those who are actually yogis, at least those who are trying to follow the yoga system… Real yoga system means dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. Yoginah, those who are yogis, they sit down in a secluded place, alone. The yoga practice is not possible in a fashionable city. That is not possible. It is to be executed alone. Still you’ll find in India, many places— Hardwar—there are many yogis, they are sitting alone. They have nothing to do with this material world, and dhyanavasthita, and not only for one, two, three years, but for many hundred years. Still many yogis come during Kumbhamela. Their age is three hundred years, four hundred years, five hundred years old. It is possible. It is possible. By exercising the breathing, one can prolong his life. That is called samadhi. If you can stop your breathing, then you enhance your duration of life. That is possible. Therefore you’ll find the picture of the yogis, they are controlling the breathing. Because everyone has got a destined breathing period by superior arrangement. So if you don’t spend your breathing, then you prolong your life. If you can remain in samadhi, don’t breathe, then… Just like if you have got a bank balance, one thousand dollars. If you don’t spend it, then the one thousand dollar is there. Or out of one thousand dollars, you spend one. Still you have nine hundred ninety-nine. So the yoga practice is to control the breathing period. And this breathing can be controlled if you can control your sense pleasure. Otherwise it will not be possible. Especially sex. Everyone has got experience. While sex life one enjoys, the breathing is very heavy. Very, very heavy. So he loses the balance of his breathing period. Therefore the first practice of yoga is yoga indriya samyamah, to control the senses. That is all described in the Bhagavad-gita, Sixth Chapter. So this yoga system was possible in the Satya-yuga, I mean to say, possible for the mass of people. If one or two persons practices yoga, the practice is there, the system is there, but it is not possible for the general public. It is not possible. So in the sastra we find, krte yad dhyayato visnuh. Real yoga system, I’ve already explained, that yoga indriya samyamah, or by meditation to see the Supreme Lord always within the heart. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah [SB 12.13.1]. In trance, you’ll find yogi picture, their trance, they are in meditation, completely silent, stop breathing and seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, within the heart. This is actual yoga system. But it was possible to be executed in the Satya-yuga. Satya-yuga means when people used to live for one hundred thousands of years. That was possible. Just like Valmiki Muni. He executed yoga system for sixty thousand years. Because he was to live for one hundred thousands of years, so it was not very difficult to engage oneself for sixty thousands of years. But that is not possible in this age. Therefore sastra says, krte yad dhyayato visnum tretayam yajato makhaih dvapare paricaryayam kalau tad dhari-kirtanat Kalau, in this Kali-yuga, when people are very, very fallen… Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagya hy upadrutah [SB 1.1.10]. They are very unfortunate also, and manda-bhagya, and although unfortunate, they are disturbed by so many external factors. So it is very difficult to execute yoga system or yajna system, sacrifice. It is very costly affair. Or even arcana, temple worship, it is also very difficult, because people are not very much interested even, worshiping the Deity in the temple. In India there are thousands and thousands of temples, temple or mosque or church, at the same time, for offering prayers, obeisances to the Lord. People are losing interest in that arcana-marga. There are many temples I have seen, there is no caretaker. People are losing interest. Many temples. They are open; a dog is living within the temple and passing stool. I have seen it. So people are gradually losing interest in temple worship even, what to speak of yoga or offering sacrifices. Everything is now finished. Therefore kalau tad dhari-kirtanat. This is prescribed in the sastra. That system was introduced by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Because other system will not be successful in this age. May be successful in one or two cases, but not for the general mass of people. Therefore sastra recommends… There are different incarnation of God, but one incarnation is there, it is mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and other places also, in Upanisad and Mahabharata. These are approved Vedic scriptures. So the Vedic knowledge is summarized in the Vedanta system, Brahma-sutra, everything done by Vyasadeva. And in order to protect the sanctity of Vedanta… Because there are so many foolish persons, they are distorting the purpose of Vedanta-sutra; therefore Vyasadeva, under the instruction of his spiritual master Narada, he personally wrote a commentary on the Vedanta-sutra. This is Srimad-Bhagavatam. So Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced these two things—sankirtana and Srimad-Bhagavatam. And Srimad-Bhagavatam means the expansion of Bhagavad-gita. Just like in the Bhagavad-gita you’ll find, at the last stage, Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. And Srimad-Bhagavatam also begins from that point. Srimad-Bhagavatam gives introduction, dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra [SB 1.1.2]. All cheating type of religious system kicked out, projjhita. Projjhita means just like you sweep over the floor, and all the dust, you throw it away. That is called projjhita. Prakrsta-rupena ujjhita. So this system, one system, to accept the real principles of religion. That is, Krsna also explained. It is explained by Krsna, that Krsna came, appeared. Why? What is the purpose of Krsna’s appearing? Sometimes they argue, atheist class of men, that God cannot come. Why God cannot come? God is your father’s servant, that He cannot come? You are ordering? If He cannot come, how He is God? God can do everything. Why you say that God cannot come? He is not under your rules and regulations. Then He is not God. God can come. God says, “Yes, I come!” yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati bharata abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srjamy aham [Bg. 4.7] paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge [Bg. 4.8] So why God cannot come? So when God says, “Yes, I come for this purpose. This is My mission…” Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati. What is that glanir? Glanir means discrepancies. Not, the principles of religious…, when it is not executed properly, that is called glanir. So what is dharma? A simple definition is given: dharmam tu saksat-bhagavat-pranitam. Dharma means the law given by God, that’s all—three words: God and His words. So if we do not know who is God, if we do not know what is His order, then we are lost. If we do not know God and if we… Just like if we do not know what is the government and if we do not know what is the order of government, then what is our position? We’ll commit every step some mistake, and we shall suffer. So we must know what is dharma and… A cat, dog cannot understand dharma, but a human being is supposed to understand dharma. Lawbooks are made for the human being, not for the cats and dogs. “Keep to the left” or “Keep to the right,” the signboard is there in the street. Or the red light is there, blue light is there—for whom? For the human beings, not for the cats and dogs. The cats and dogs may disobey; there is no criminality on their part because they are cats and dogs. So there is law of God, there is God. If human being does not know what is God and what is the law of God, then he’s no better than the cats and dogs. He must know. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam [SB 6.3.19] So that law is being instructed by the God Himself. That is Bhagavad-gita. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati [Bg. 4.7]. Dharma-samsthapanarthaya. So Krsna did not come to establish some sectarian religious system. That is not God’s system. God is for everyone. God is not for the Hindus, for the Muslims, for the Christians, or anyone. God is for everyone. He is for animals, trees, plants, aquatics, insects, everyone. Because He claims, Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayah yah tasam brahma mahad yonir aham bija-pradah pita [Bg. 14.4] Krsna is claiming. Actually, that is the fact. If you study only this verse, sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayah yah. There are so many forms of life, beginning from grass. That is also life. The grass is coming from the earth, the trees are coming from the earth, the animals, four-legged animals, they are eating grass, they are forming semina, they are discharging the semina, and the animal species of life are coming. We are eating, either eating the animal or the vegetable, we are also begetting children. The origin is from the earth. Tasam brahma mahad yonir. Mahat-tattva. So we can see practically that these things are there, so many different varieties of life. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati krmayo rudra-sankhyakah. They are all living entities. Aquatics, nine hundred thousand forms of life within the water, jalaja nava-laksani, everything accurate. Sthavara laksa-vimsati, the trees, plants, they are standing, sthavara. That is very great punishment. Those who are very, very sinful, they have to take birth as trees and plants and stand up for thousands of years. Material nature’s punishment. A small ant, it can move, but a big tree cannot move. That is punishment. Just like in our childhood we were being punished by the teachers, “Stand up on the bench.” So it is like that. So in this way Krsna, or God… If you simply study this line, that so many living entities are coming out of the earth, either water or land or air or anything. They are coming out. So they are offspring and material nature is the mother, Krsna says that. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhavanti murtayah yah, tasam mahad yonir—mahat-tattva [Bg. 14.4]. Yoni, mother. So where is the father? The children are there, the mother is there, the next inquiry should be, “Where is the father?” That is natural. Without father, the mother is sitting with the child, nobody can say the child has no father. If somebody says that “I do not see the father. How I can believe?” that is foolishness. You believe or not believe, you see or not see, there must be father. This is the conclusion. This is theory, that this world is going on, everything is coming out of the mother earth, then there must be father. And that father is present, aham bija-pradah pita: “I am the father.” So it is our misfortune that we do not recognize the father. So it may be, “How can I recognize my father?” Ask you mother. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15] All Vedic literature will say, “Here is father.” Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana karanam [Bs. 5.1] So we’ll find in every Vedic literature, Krsna is the supreme father. When Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gita, in the Tenth Chapter you will find, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan purusam sasvatam adyam [Bg. 10.12] And he also confirmed that “I am accepting You like this, param brahma param dhama [Bg. 10.12]. So people may be in doubt because I am Your friend. So they may say, ‘Out of friendship, regard or affection, out of sentiment, he is speaking like that, that Krsna is the supreme person, param brahma.’ ” But Arjuna immediately rectifies this impression, that “Not only myself, but great authorities like Vyasadeva, Narada, Asita, they are also affirming.” Vyasadeva is authority. Veda-vyasa, he is the giver of Vedic knowledge. So he is accepting. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam he is writing, ete camsa-kalah pumsah krsnas tu bhagavan svayam [Bhag. 1.3.28]. He has given description of the incarnation of God, then he concludes that “All these incarnations, they are part and parcel or plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the name which I have mentioned as Krsna, that Godhead, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam, He is the Supreme Original Personality of Godhead.” That is Vyasadeva’s… So we have to accept. And Arjuna also says, svayam caiva bravisi me, “You are also personally speaking that mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya [Bg. 7.7], ‘There is no more superior authority than Me.’ ” So this is confirmed. So this Krsna consciousness movement means to find out the supreme father. Supreme father. That is the sum and substance of this movement. If we do not know who is our father, that is not a very good position. At least, in India, it is a custom, if somebody cannot say his father’s name, he is not very respectable. And it is the system in the court that you write your name, you must write your father’s name. That is Indian, Vedic system, and the name, his own name, his father’s name and his village name. These three combined together. I think this system may be prevalent in other countries, but India, this is the system. The first name his own name, the second name his father’s name, and the third name is the village or the country where he is born. This is system. So father’s…, we must know the father. That is Krsna consciousness movement. If we remain forgetful of our father, that is not a very good position. And what kind of father? Param brahma param dhama [Bg. 10.12]. The richest. Not the poor father who cannot feed his children. It is not that father. Eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. That father is so rich that He alone is feeding millions and millions and trillions of living entities. In Africa there are hundreds and millions of elephants. He is feeding them. And within the room there is a hole, there may be millions of ants. He is also feeding them. Eko yo bahunam vidadhati kaman. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam. These are the Vedic information. So human life, this is meant for understanding who is father, what is His law, who is God, what is our relationship with Him. This is Vedanta. Vedanta does not mean talk some nonsense and no relationship with the father. Srama eva hi kevalam. If you do not know who is your father… dharmah svanusthitah pumsam visvaksena-kathasu yah notpadayed yadi ratim srama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8] This is not wanted. And Krsna says, vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah [Bg. 15.15] So you become Vedantist, that’s very nice. In the beginning of Vedanta it is said that the Absolute Truth is that from whom everything comes. Athato brahma jijnasa. This is beginning. Now the human life is meant for understanding the Absolute Truth, jijnasa. One should inquire what is the Absolute. That is human life, to find out the Absolute Truth. So the next sutra immediately says that Absolute Truth is that who is the source of everything. And what is that everything? Two things we find: animate and inanimate. Practical experience. Some of them are animate and some of them are inanimate. Two things. Now we can expand the varieties. That is another thing. But two things are there. So these two things, we see there is a controller above these two things, the animate and inanimate. So we have to inquire now whether the source of two things, animate and inanimate, what is the position? The position is explained in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, janmady asya yato ’nvayad itaratas carthesv abhijnah [Bhag. 1.1.1]. The original source of everything is abhijnah. How? Anvayad itaratas carthesu. If I have created something, I know everything, all details, anvayad, directly or indirectly, I know. If I manufacture something… Suppose if I know some special cooking, then I know all the details how to do it. That is the origin. So that origin is Krsna. Krsna says, vedaham samatitani: “I know everything—past, present and future.” Mattah sarvam pravartate. Aham adir hi devanam. According to creation theory… Not theory, fact. Brahma visnu mahesvara. So these are the principle devatas. So Visnu is the original. Aham adir hi devanam. The creation, first Maha-Visnu; then from Maha-Visnu there is Garbhodakasayi Visnu. From Garbhodakasayi Visnu there is Ksirodakasayi Visnu, expansion of Visnu, and from Him, Brahma comes. Brahma is born out of Garbhodakasayi Visnu on the lotus flower, then he gives birth to Rudra. This is the explanation of creation. So Krsna says aham adir hi devanam. He’s also origin of Visnu because, from the sastra we say, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. The original Personality of Godhead is Krsna. And the first expansion of Krsna is Baladeva. Then from Him this Catur-vyuha, Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Aniruddha, like that. Then Narayana. From Narayana, the second Catur-vyuha, and from the second Catur-vyuha, Sankarsana, Maha-Visnu. In this way you have to learn the sastras. You’ll find that actually, as it is said in the sastra, krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. And Krsna says, aham adir hi devanam. Aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate [Bg. 10.8]. And Arjuna accepts, param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12] So we have to accept sastra. Sastra-caksusat: you have to see through the sastra. And if you learn sastra, then you’ll find krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. So this Krsna consciousness movement means to present to the human society the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is Krsna consciousness movement. So we started this movement in 1966, registering it. Our Rupanuga Prabhu has already explained. So take this movement very seriously. The same, Krsna, started within the historical, five thousand years ago. And He started this movement with Arjuna as His disciple. Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu, five hundred years ago, He revived again the same movement. He is Krsna Himself. And that is going on. Don’t think that this is a manufactured movement. No. It is the authorized movement and confirmed by the authorities. Mahajano yena gatah sa panthah. There are mahajanas mentioned in the sastra. So be fixed up in the Krsna consciousness movement and try to understand Krsna. We have got so many literatures, authorized literatures. And make your life success. Thank you very much. (end)
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976