Room Conversation

Prabhupāda: So we take account of past, present, future of this creation. When I say, "Some years ago I was there," that means within this creation. It does not go some years in your past creation. Do you follow what I say? Are you following what I am saying?

Lady devotee (1): Yes.

Prabhupāda: You are feeling all right? [chuckles] Satsvarūpa?

Satsvarūpa: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You did not go to the airport?

Satsvarūpa: No. I gave the lecture that was cancelled at...

Prabhupāda: Oh. Lecture?

Satsvarūpa: You were supposed to give a lecture today, but because you gave a lecture last night in Buffalo, we cancelled it and I went instead.

Prabhupāda: So you lectured there? That's nice. Now you have to lecture, I will have to retire. [chuckles] I want that all my students now should be prepared. Puruṣottama, you sit down. You are standing. You come here. Sit down. When, at present, when we speak of past, present, future, we refer to this particular creation of my body. Is it not? Similarly, "never return back," "never return back" means... What is your question? I..., missing point. Whose question it...? Yes.

Lady devotee (1): What is the question? That if we've never been with Kṛṣṇa, if we've never been in Kṛṣṇaloka, then how is it that we remember His..., start remembering His pastimes and His form?

Prabhupāda: You remember your pastimes..., Kṛṣṇa's pastimes by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. You can hear Kṛṣṇa's pastimes. That you can remember.

Lady devotee (1): But how can we remember if we've never known them before?

Prabhupāda: How you can remember?

Lady devotee (1): If we haven't known it.

Prabhupāda: You can know it by hearing from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why we are citing so many scriptures, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā? Just to remember.

Lady devotee (1): Just to remember?

Prabhupāda: Something you forget, but if I tell you repeatedly, you hear; you remember. Is it not clear? Something you have forgotten completely, and I remind you constantly, then don't you remember?

Lady devotee (1): Yes. But I don't understand how is it that we forgot it... How can we remember...

Prabhupāda: Forgot..., you forget. That is your nature. You forget so many things. You cannot remember what you were doing exactly at this time yesterday. Can you remember immediately? Forgetfulness is our nature. We are very minute; therefore our..., we are subjected to the quality of forgetfulness. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was asking Kṛṣṇa that "How I can believe that you told this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā to Vivasvān?" He said that "In... I, first of all, I told to Vivasvān."

So in reply to that question, Kṛṣṇa said that "Both you and I had many, many births before, but you have forgotten; I remember." That is the difference between the Supreme Lord and ourself. He does not forget. He remembers everything, past, present, future, all; but we forget. That is the difference between God and living entity. We are subjected to forgetfulness. So we forget; again, if it is reminded, we remind. That is our nature.

So at the present moment we are forgetful of our eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Then, by good association, by constant chanting, hearing, remembering, we again revoke our old consciousness. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So forgetfulness is not wonderful. It is natural, we forget. But if we keep constant touch, we may not forget. Therefore this association of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotees, and constant repetition of the chanting, scripture, that will keep us intact, without forgetting.

We have to continue this service constantly. Then we shall not forget. Forgetfulness is not wonderful. That is our nature. That is our nature. And that is the difference between ourself and God. God does not forget. We forget. We are claiming, some of us, foolishly claiming, that "I am God, but I forget." God does not forget. Therefore I am not God. Is that clear? Yes. That is the difference between living jīva and śiva[?], God. He does not forget.

In the Bhagavad-gītā He says, vedāhaṁ samatītāni [Bg. 7.26]

"I know everything of this present, past, future. Everything." But we do not know. We have forgotten. In our daily life, in our childhood, so many things we did. We don't remember. But our parents may remember, in childhood that we did this. So forgetfulness is our nature. But if we keep constant touch with Kṛṣṇa, then He will give us remembrance. So sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo [Bg. 15.15], Kṛṣṇa says in the Fifteenth Chapter.

Now you read Bhagavad-gītā very carefully. In our examination next January... Yes. From Bhagavad-gītā, for title of bhakti-śāstrī. Now we have to make our organization regularly a spiritual institution, so that we may be recognized, and our students may be freed from this draft board requisition. That I am... Next step is going on.

[break] [audio feedback] Why don't you get that tape? Yes.

Puruṣottama: Oh. [indistinct]

Prabhupāda: Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tasya samādhikaś ca dṛśyate. This is from Upaniṣad. Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate svabhaviki-jnana-bala-kriya ca [Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.8, Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport].

It is said that nobody is seeing... This is called research. We are accepting any nonsense as God, but they do not have any information from the..., that God means na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tasya samādhikaś ca dṛśyate: "God has nothing to do, no responsibility. Nobody is found greater than Him."

So if this Vedic injunction is followed, if somebody is claiming, "I am God," we have to see whether he has nothing to do and whether nobody is greater than him. And these two tests will make him false immediately. He has to prove that nobody is greater than...

Even contemporary. Suppose I am claiming I am God. So I have to show that at the present moment, throughout the whole world, apart from universe, nobody is greater than me. Then I'm, God. With this pretenders be able to show that nobody is greater than him? This is a simple test. And na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "And he has nothing to do."

There are so many things to test who is God. Ṣaḍ-aiśvarya-pūrṇaḥ. Nobody shall be richer than him; nobody shall be stronger than him; nobody shall be wiser than him; nobody shall be beautiful than him. So these things have to be tested, whether he is God. And simply if I claim, "Oh, I am God," there will... No testament? If I say, "I am President Nixon," will you accept it? If you don't accept it, even an ordinary President Nixon, without testing his credentials, how you will accept a false man as God without testing?

You must know what is that test, credential. He must present credential. Just like when some ambassador comes to a foreign country, there is a ceremony that that ambassador must be recognized by the governor or the governor-general in that state, and he has to place his credential. Similarly, anybody claiming as God, he has to place his credentials. And what is that credential? The test is there in the Upaniṣad, in the Bhagavad-gītā and so many, all literatures, Brahma-saṁhitā, Vedānta-sūtra, in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam first it is said, janmādy asya yataḥ, anvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ [SB 1.1.1].

Svarāṭ, svarāṭ means fully independent. Satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi. The Supreme Truth, fully independent. We are not fully independent. And just now, if I feel a little toothache, I will have to go to a doctor. So how can I claim that I am God? God's first qualification is fully independent, svarāṭ. Abhijñaḥ. Abhijñaḥ means fully cognizant of everything.

[aside:] What is that?

Puruṣottama: Some lugdoos.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. All right. Take. Distribute little. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Just like Kṛṣṇa: He is the Lord, but He has nothing to do. He is simply enjoying with His friends, with Radharani, with cowherds boy, with gopīs. That is greatness. He has nothing to think, "How to provide?" [chuckles] That is greatness. He is taking the cows as a sporting. You see?

And when He was called for killing Kaṁsa, He left everything, renounced everything. Aiśvarya samagrasya yaśasaḥ... Everything in full, so much love, so much everything, but at once, in a moment, He renounced everything, went to..., left Vṛndāvana, and all these devotees, they began to cry for Kṛṣṇa for the rest of life. And whenever Kṛṣṇa was reminded, oh, He will say, "I am very soon coming. Don't worry. I am very soon coming." [chuckles] You see?

Girl: Have you took, Your Grace?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I have taken. You take. You know how to make lugdoo? Himavatī is good. [chuckles] You will learn many thing from her. We have got another nice girl in Buffalo. I have given her name... What is? Sadā?

Devotee: Sadānandinī.

Prabhupāda: A very nice girl. Yes. Always chanting and dancing and always jolly. [chuckling] Very nice girl. Yes. You know her? No. She has recently joined. She is good devotee, good worker, very nice. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. Anyone who comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness immediately becomes beautiful in every respect. [break] [end]