The Vanquishers are Themselves Vanquished

Founder-Acharya of the world-wide Hare Krishna Movement, Brahma Sampradaya Acharya

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Who is powerful? He's also afraid.
Conversation with Guests, June 29, 1972, San Diego

Life and Liberty in Russia

A History of Hare Krishna in Russia

The four days visit of Srila Prabhupada to Moscow in 1971 miraculously brought many changes to that country of atheism. During his visit he discussed philosophy with Professor Kotovsky, a Soviet scholar of Hinduism, but most significantly met with one young, educated Russian boy who later became his first and only initiated disciple from the Soviet Union, Ananda Shanti. This Russian boy single-handedly started preaching the eternal message of Bhagavad-Gita, and in this way the teachings of Srila Prabhupada became known to the hundreds and thousands of Soviet people, so much so that in the beginning of the 1980's the KGB declared ISKCON one of the greatest threats to the Soviet nation. more

Prabhupada: We belong to the other world actually. We spirit soul, we belong to the spiritual world. Just like fish belongs to the water. Fish does not belong to the land. So if the fish is brought from the water to the land, it cannot be comfortable at any stage. It will die. Similarly you are Brahman, part and parcel of Brahman, particle of Brahman. So unless you return to Brahman, you cannot be happy.

Guest (2): But if we look at the world as it is today we'll find that people who are the most powerful in this world are those who...

Prabhupada: Who is powerful? First of all let us see who is powerful.

Guest (2): Like United States, like Soviet Union. There is no other power in this world who can...

Prabhupada: What do you mean by powerful? Then President Nixon is not afraid of anything, do you think?

Guest (2): He personally may not, may be afraid of something, but as a country, yes, it's very powerful. The whole world is afraid of them.

Prabhupada: Well, President Nixon means this country. Why he went to China? Why he went to Russia? He's also afraid. If there is war there will be great calamity. So everyone is afraid. Everyone is under the control of the laws of nature. Everyone is hungry. So actually nobody's powerful in this material world. Even if he's powerful, it is for temporary. So many Hitlers, so many Napoleons, so many Churchills and others came and gone. There was powerful British Empire, powerful Roman Empire. So nobody's powerful. That's a wrong idea. In due course of time everything will be kicked out and finished. That is the law of nature.

Guest (2): Yes, but what I'm trying to get at is that it seems to me that if you carefully look at the world history during the past...

Prabhupada: World history is that history repeats itself. Everything comes into existence and then vanquished.

Guest (2): No, that's not what I mean. What I meant is that during the past two thousand years, whoever was very powerful was who was doing all these four things which we are, which you are suggesting that we should give up, you see.

Prabhupada: But I say that my challenge is nobody's powerful. That is my challenge.

Guest (2): I mean...

Prabhupada: You mean, but that is not the fact.

Guest (2): It's a fact, I mean, when they are powerful they rule the whole earth.

Prabhupada: Where is your Hitler? Where is your Mussolini? Where is Napoleon?

Guest (2): Yes, Hitler is gone, but then we have that U.S., you see. If tomorrow U.S. goes, maybe there will be Soviet Union.

Prabhupada: So that means everyone will come into power for some days; then it will be finished. That's all.

Guest (2): Yeah, but all the people who are getting into the power are people who are having these four vices, you know, and...

Prabhupada: Therefore their power is finished. If you become sinful, then your power will not exist. Just like Ravana became powerful. He was so powerful that he dared to take away Sita. But he also became vanquished. That is the history.

Guest (2): Yes but people say that...

Prabhupada: People say, that is other... You see the fact. Nobody is powerful; nobody can exist here. For the temporary, say for some years, you may be so-called powerful but it is not powerful. We are concerned with eternal life. We are not interested in the so-called power for a few days. That is not our aim.

Futile to Resist Destiny

Guest (2): Yes, but if we say that everything is destined, like the moment your body is manufactured and...

Prabhupada: Yes.

Guest (2): ...everything is destined, then we are probably as well destined to be Krishna conscious or to be non-Krishna conscious, you know.

Prabhupada: No. That destiny can change. Shastra [scripture] says... Destined means so far you're... Suppose you are to get, say, one thousand dollars per month. That you'll get. You try for it or don't try for it, you'll get. Therefore we should not waste our time for getting one thousand dollars. We should utilize the time for developing our Krishna consciousness. This is our philosophy.

tasyaiva hetoh prayateta kovido
na labhyate yad bhramatam upary adhah
tal labhyate duhkhavad anyatah sukham
kalena sarvatra gabhira-ramhasa [Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.18]

Just like nobody tries for becoming unhappy, but unhappiness comes. Nobody tries, that "Let me become unhappy." But people become unhappy. Why? He does not try for it. Similarly, that happiness also, even if you don't try for it, it will come. So shastra says, "You don't bother yourself for worldly happiness or unhappiness. Whatever you are destined, you'll get it. You try for develop your Krishna consciousness, which in other life, in the animal life, you could not do." If the animal is advised that, "You become Krishna conscious," he cannot do it. He has no power. But a man can do it. Therefore the man's main business should be how to develop Krishna consciousness, not for so-called economic development. Economic development will come automatically, what you are destined to have. This is our philosophy. We don't try for any economic development. All our members, we have no concern what we shall eat tomorrow, although we haven't got any source of income. We are pushing this movement all over the world. We have got about one hundred branches and similar devotees are there, each branch, not less than twenty-five. What is that?

Devotee (3): Twenty in San Diego.

Prabhupada: Twenty. And about two hundred somewhere. And in America you know the expenditure. We are living in the best part of the city. But we have no source of income. We take some books, some incense, but there is no guarantee that it will be sold. So it is not a book of technology, general demand—Krishna book. So if somebody's kindly interested in Krishna, he'll purchase. So we are living in this way, depending on Krishna, and Krishna's supplying all necessities. We have got seventy thousand dollar expenditure per month. So this is practical. We don't try for getting any job or any business. Depend on Krishna. But our main business is to preach Krishna consciousness and follow the rules and regulations, chant sixteen rounds, Hare Krishna mantra. So we are... There is no problem for us. To collect seventy thousand dollars and spend every month, do you think is very easy job? A big government is concerned, or a big company, to collect seventy thousand dollars and distribute it again. It is a big problem. So how... We are increasing our centers. Practically every month, two, one, two. And we have got huge expenditure. But Krishna is supplying. So we should see the example, be confident, depend on Krishna and then everything is all right. Krishna is powerful. He's omnipresent. He knows better than me. Our business is to satisfy Him. Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja [Bhagavad-gita 18.66]. So we are preaching this, that "You take to Krishna. Surrender to Krishna." Krishna said. The same thing we are saying. We are not manufacturing it. Why should we manufacture? The words are already there. We haven't got to manufacture anything. We simply... Just like I have come to your place. What am I speaking? I am speaking that "You become Krishna conscious." We don't talk of any economic problem, political problem. We don't talk.

Guest (2): How can you separate out economics, politics...

Prabhupada: There is no separation. Krishna is the all-inclusive.