The Vanquishers are Themselves Vanquished
by His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
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New York Daily News,
Saturday, November 25, 2006 - By ELLEN TUMPOSKY
- |
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.
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.
The Vanquishers are Themselves Vanquished/ WORLD SANKIRTAN PARTY ©2004 - Hansadutta das
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