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Lect ALL 1977-01-15 At Kumba Mela--Avoid Atheistic Mahatmas
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ANNOUNCER: Next is a lecture,
given by His Divine Grace
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda,
recorded at the Kumbha Mela festival
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on January 15th 1977,
in Allahabad, India.
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PRABHUPĀDA: [splice]
So liberation means…
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mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ
[SB 5.5.2]
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We want liberation.
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Then mahat-sevā, we have to take
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shelter of mahātmā.
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And if you want to go to the
darkest region of material existence,
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then…
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yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam
[SB 5.5.2]
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sense enjoyment.
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Yoṣit means woman.
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So the last resort of sense
enjoyment is sex life.
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So if we indulge in sex life, then…
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yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam
[SB 5.5.2]
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Not only directly we
indulge in sex life,
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but even indirectly we associate with
persons who are only interested
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in sex life… [splice]
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puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam etat
[SB 5.5.8]
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This material world is existing
on this mithunī-bhāva.
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So… tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ
saṅgi-saṅgam [SB 5.5.2]
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Therefore you’ll find in the Vedic way
of life, sex indulgence is restricted.
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If we indulge in sex life than
it is absolutely required,
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then we are gliding towards
hellish condition of life.
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And if we follow the path of
mahātmās, mahat-sevā, that is
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dvāram āhur vimukteḥ
[SB 5.5.2]
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We are making progress
towards liberation.
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So this is a chance.
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This Kumbhamelā is a chance to
get opportunity of mahat-sevā.
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mahat-sevā dvāram āhur vimukteḥ
[SB 5.5.2]
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Many…
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Of course, it is Kali-yuga.
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There are so many so-called mahātmās
in dress for earning livelihood.
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That kind of mahātmā
is not required.
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Mahātmā is also described
in the Bhagavad-gītā:
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sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ
[Bg 07.19]
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Actually we have to associate with
such mahātmā who is su-durlabhaḥ,
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not very easily obtainable.
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And who is that su-
durlabhaḥ mahātmā?
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That is also described.
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bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
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vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ
[Bg. 7.19]
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So you’ll get so many mahātmās who
are declaring atheism: “There is no God.
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I am God.
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You are God.
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Where you are searching out God?
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The God is loitering in the
street, the daridra-nārāyaṇa.”
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If you associate with such
mahātmā, so-called…
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They are not mahātmās.
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They are durātmās.
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So be careful that you may
not mistake who is mahātmā.
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Mahātmā, very simple thing:
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mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ
[Bg. 9.13]
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mahātmā has nothing to
do with this material world.
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They are under the care of
daivī-prakṛti, spiritual world.
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Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha
daivī prakṛti…
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bhajanty ananya-manaso
[Bg. 9.13]
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The symptom is that he’s fully
engaged in serving Kṛṣṇa.
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Mām.
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Kṛṣṇa is original, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
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So we have to catch up
the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.
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bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
[Bg. 7.19]
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It is not very easy, but it can be
done if we have got intelligence.
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Intelligence is…
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That Kṛṣṇa says…
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Who is that making sound?
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Kṛṣṇa says,
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mām eva ye prapadyante
māyām etāṁ taranti te
[Bg. 07.14]
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If you take to Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, immediately…
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Of course, we must take
sincerely, not a show.
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Everything is seriously.
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Then immediately we
become on the path of
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mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ
[SB 5.5.2]
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So…
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And this line of devotional
service is sevā, service.
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Ultimately we are all servants, but
in the absence of being mahātmā,
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we are serving māyā.
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Service is there.
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We cannot become master.
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That is not possible.
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jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa
[Cc. Madhya 20.108-109]
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So there are two things: Kṛṣṇa
and māyā, light and shadow.
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If you don’t serve Kṛṣṇa, then
you have to serve māyā.
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And those who are serving māyā in the
name of Kṛṣṇa, they are called Māyāvādī.
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Actually, they are serving māyā, but they
say that they have become liberated.
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vimukta-māninaḥ
[SB 10.2.32]
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They are described
as vimukta-māninaḥ.
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Māninaḥ means one who
is not actually the thing,
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but falsely one is thinking
that “I am liberated.
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I have become equal
with Nārāyaṇa.”
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They are called vimukta-māninaḥ.
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Actually that is not the fact.
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So we shall be very careful to
avoid this kind of mahātmās
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who are thinking themselves as Nārāyaṇa,
equal to Nārāyaṇa, or sometimes
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they claim greater than Nārāyaṇa.
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So we shall be very careful.
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This Melā, there are so
many so-called mahātmās.
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But the symptom of mahātmā is
described in the Bhagavad-gītā:
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bhajanty ananya-manaso
[Bg. 9.13]
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That is the qualification.
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And to become devotee of
Kṛṣṇa, it is not at all difficulty.
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There is no difficulty.
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Anyone can become.
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māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
[Bg 09.32]
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Even lowborn, they can also take
shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and what to speak of…
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kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā
bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā
[Bg. 9.33]
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If actually qualified
brāhmaṇas, they take shelter,
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what to speak of…
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Their progress is very quick.
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Punyā.
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Without puṇyā background, sukṛti,
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nobody can take birth in the
family or society of brāhmaṇas.
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So brāhmaṇa…
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First of all, we have to
become pure brāhmaṇa.
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satya śamo dama
titikṣa ārjava
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jñānaṁ-vijñānam āstikyaṁ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
[Bg 18.42]
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These are the
brahminical qualification.
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Unfortunately, nobody is
interested to become a brāhmaṇa,
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and what to speak of
becoming a Vaiṣṇava.
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Vaiṣṇava is above the brāhmaṇas.
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ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro
mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ
[Padma Purāṇa]
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Brāhmaṇa’s business is sat-karma:
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paṭhan pāṭhan yajan yājan dāna pratigraha
[Padma Purāṇa]
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So even a brāhmaṇa is very expert in this
brāhmaṇa’s business, paṭhan pāṭhan…
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He has studied Vedas
very thoroughly,
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and he has many students whom
he has taught the Vedic knowledge.
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This is paṭhan pāṭhan.
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Yajan yājan: he is expert in worshiping the
Deity, and he teaches other disciples also.
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śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-
śṛṅgara-tan-mandira-mārjanādau
[Sri Sri Gurvastakam 03]
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So there are brāhmaṇas
who are not Vaiṣṇava,
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worshiper of demigods other than
the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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Such brāhmaṇa is not required.
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Such brāhmaṇas are condemned.
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kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ
yajante anya-devatāḥ
[Bg. 7.20]
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Anya-devatāḥ.
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The Viṣṇu is the original devatā,
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and then next devatā, Lord
Brahmā, Lord Śiva, and then others.
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So they are all anya-devatāḥ.
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oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam
[Ṛg Veda 1.22.20]
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So one has to worship Viṣṇu.
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That is Vaiṣṇava.
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viṣṇur asya devatā iti vaiṣṇavaḥ
[?]
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Vaiṣṇava means that he’s not
worshiper of any other demigods.
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There is no question of disrespect
for any other demigods.
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But śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyam.
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But to take shelter of and to worship is
recommended to the Supreme Lord—
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mām ekam—not everyone.
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We can show our respectful obeisances
even to the ant, but worshipable Deity,
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or God, is Kṛṣṇa or
Viṣṇu, viṣṇu-tattva.
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There are many
forms of Viṣṇu-tattva.
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rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan
[Bs. 5.39]
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He’s expanded in many forms:
Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha…
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There are so many
incarnation of Viṣṇu-tattva.
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They’re all one.
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advaitam acyutam anādi ananta-rūpam
[Bs. 05.33]
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So Viṣṇu-tattva, worshipable,
or Kṛṣṇa-tattva, worshipable.
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And to pin our
staunch faith in Viṣṇu,
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we should discuss about Viṣṇu-
tattva and not Viṣṇu-tattva.
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That is called siddhānta.
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siddhānta boliyā citte nā kara alasa
[Cc. Ādi 2.117]:
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“Don’t be lazy to discuss
about siddhānta.”
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ihā haite kṛṣṇe lāge sudṛḍha mānasa
[Cc. Ādi 2.117]:
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“The more you discuss
the thesis—not thesis;
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the factual presentation of Viṣṇu-tattva,
māyā, and jīva-tattva, śakti-tattva—
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then it will be clear what is Kṛṣṇa.”
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Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything.
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ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
[Bg. 10.8]
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We should try to understand this fact,
that Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything,
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and if we take to
Kṛṣṇa consciousness…
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kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya
[C.C. Madhya 22.62]
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If you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then
your all other duties automatically…
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The same example,
as we have given:
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If you pour water on
the root of the tree,
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then all other duties
are automatically done.
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There is no question of
separate attempt—philanthropy,
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philosophy and nationalism,
this “ism,” that “ism.”
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We have discovered so many things
and diversion of the real duty.
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That we shall have to concentrate.
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That is siddhānta. [splice]
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