Everyone Is a Fool

December 11, 2003

Guest: Yeah. I'd like to know if we are all eternal spirit souls, then how is it that we first had the desire to enjoy the material world?

Hridy: Yes, everyone wants to know that. These are standard questions. We are tiny living beings. But we have our free will. God is the supreme controller. But because you are part of God, you also have some power to control. Just like if there's a little insect on my desk, I can make him go this way and make him go that way. So God is a big controller and we are small controllers. Everyone is controlling something. Just like a man may control his wife, the wife controls the children, the children control their pet dog. So in this world everyone has some more or less power to control.

So ultimately––because we are part of God––we have the power to decide whether we want to live in the material world or the spiritual world. Just like you're in Atlanta. If you don't like it you can leave for some other city. So it's just like that. If you don't like this material world you can go to the spiritual world. If you don't like the spiritual world you can visit the material world. That's up to you. So we have this eternal choice. So unfortunately we decided to come to this material world.

That wasn't a very intelligent decision because this material world is a very foolish place. Everything here is temporary, full of defects, frustration, and ignorance. Just like big libraries in Hardvard or Moscow have 10-20 million books. And yet if you go to the head librarian and inquire, “Do you know who you are?” he doesn't know. He's controlling 20 million books, but he doesn't know who he is. This is the material world; foolish. So we wanted to come here. Why? Because everyone serves and loves Krsna in the spiritual world. And in this world everyone thinks he'll get a break, he can be the big man in this world. Isn't it? Just like America wants to be the leading superpower, but Russia also wants to be the superpower. And China also wants to be the big country. They all do. So it's a problem. And even within America, Atlanta's thinking we'll be number one. And in Houston they're convinced Houston will be number one. And in New York they're thinking we're number one. And Los Angeles they're thinking we're the best. Chicago's thinking we're number one. Even Pudunk, Iowa, is thinking we're number one, “We just got that new grain elevator.” And inside that town, every family is thinking we're the best family. And inside the family everyone is thinking I'm actually the best person in this family. So this way, psychologically everyone is a fool.

So we've come to this material world because we want to be number one. But that's not possible. Krsna is number one. God is number one. So we realize how foolish our idea is to think that after all is said aned done, I'm the best. Everyone is infinitesimal and he's thinking he's so important. So when we give up this foolish idea then we can go back to the spiritual world and admit the truth that Krsna is number one. That's Krsna consciousness. It's a very simple thing. The truth is very simple. God is a person, He's the most beautiful person. He's the strongest. He's eternal. We are His eternal servants

We should love Krsna, but instead we're in this world because we want to become God. It's a very simple thing. Just like we have our congressman. They're drunkards and very fond of prostitutes. I don't want to insult anyone but this is actually a fact. Anyone who's been to Washington probably knows this. They say that in all of the capital area, you'll find the most bars and prostitutes right by the capital building. Anyway, they are just making so many crazy laws. Everyday they're changing the law. But in Bhagavad-gita you have the same law for 5,000 years. Simple. Why make so many crazy laws? So in this way they've no knowledge. They're just blind to themselves and others. If a blind man leads another blind man then they both fall in a ditch. So it's just like that. We're blind, we're searching for some help. So some foolish politician is coming along, Don't worry, just follow me. And then the whole country goes to hell. And it turns out to be some Nixon. So Krsna consciousness means you get a real leader who actually knows the laws of God.

The laws of God are acting. You may not see God. Just like you can't see the governor of Georgia right now. But does that mean the law is not in effect? Does that mean the law is not working? The law is working. So in the same way you may not see God now, but that doesn't mean God's law isn't working. It's not that when you feel like it, when you feel like surrendering to God, then the law of God will exists. No. Whether we feel like it or not God's law is there. Otherwise, how can you explain why someone is born deformed, someone is healthy, someone is rich, someone is poor, someone is in jail and someone gets away? That's the law. Karma. How can you explain why someone is born with beauty and wealth and someone is born poor and ugly? Well, this is their karma. They've earned it in the previous life. This is not our first life. We've had millions of lives. So this proves the law of God is working. Everyone is in a different situation because God's law is working. Otherwise if you don't accept a previous life and the law of karma, how can you explain all these differences? Well how can you explain someone is beautiful and someone is not? Someone is rich and someone is not? How can you explain that? That's not from nothing. There are no accidents.

This word accident is simply a foolish word. There is no such thing. There is no such thing as an accident. Everything is strictly under control. These atheists claim they are scientific, but everything they attribute to accident or chance. How did the world begin? Oh, it was just an accident. Well then how did life begin? Well that was an accident. How did we evolve? Well that was another accident. Why are there so many differences in the world between people? Well that's another accident. And these are the scientific people. Science means you explain cause and effect. This is the cause of that effect. This caused that. That caused this. That's science, not the bluffing language of some fools who just say accident for everything you ask them.

We're actually scientific because we know the causes and effects. Why this man is beautiful, this man is ugly? Because this man was pious and this man was sinful in a previous life? Therefore both of them received a material body exactly according to their previous activities. God is so efficient. We may think we're very efficient cause we engineered a few machines, but actually God is efficient. Exactly what you do in this life creates your next body––down to the atom. You'll get exactly what you have earned. Just like if someone wants to eat meat, he wants to eat the cow… Every child is being nourished by the cow's milk. So the cow is just like the mother. So if we want to eat meat without restriction, then we can take a tiger's body. God does not say you cannot eat meat. Actually God is very liberal. He's not a conservative. People don't know that God is actually liberal. Therefore God says if you’re determined to eat meat, I'll help you. Here's a nice tiger's body. Now you don't have to pay anything.

So we are bringing this wonderful spiritual culture to you; how to offer food to God and eat nicely, how to chant God’s names, how to rise early and regulate your life, meditate, and enjoy philosophy and stories. So much nice philosophy and culture, how to live and do everything everything nicely.. We are giving this wonderful culture to America. So if you can accept it and help our movement, the whole world will benefit. And what do you have to loose? There's no loss. Everyone's life is already empty. So why not fill it with Krsna consciousness?

Can someone tell me how to highlight in bold?

December 11, 2003

From the article

INITIATION IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada

published in

Sri Sajjana toSani Vol 26 No 7 (1928)

and republished in

The rays of Harmonist, the journal of Sri Gaudya Vedanta Samiti

The bad Preceptor

It would no doubt be highly convenient and helpful to be instructed by a good preceptor who is well versed in the scriptures, in understanding the same.But one should never submit to another to an extent that may furnish a rascal with an opportunity of really doing harm. The bad preceptor is a familiar character. It is inexplicable how those "gurus" who live in open sin contrive nevertheless to retain the unquestioning allegiance of the cultured portion of their disciples.

Such being the case, can we blame any person who hesitates to submit unconditionally to a preceptor, whether he is good of bad? It is of course necessary to be quite sure of the bona fides of a person before we accept him even tentatively as our spiritual guide. A perceptor should be a person who appears likely to posseses those qualities that will enable him to improve ou spiritual condition.

Bona fide Preceptor & Willing Disciple

Those and similar thoughts are likely to occur to most persons who have received an english (western)education, when they are asked to accept the help of any particular person as a spiritual preceptor. The literature , science and art of the West, body forth the principle of the liberty of the individual and denounce the mentality that leads one to surrender to a person, however superior, his right of choosing his own course. They inculcate the necessity and high value of having faith in oneself.

But the good preceptor claims our sincere and complete allegiance. The good disciple makes a complete surrender of himself at the feet of the preceptor.

But the submission of the disciple is neither irrational nor blind. It is complete on condtion that the preceptor himself continues to be altogether good.

The disciple retains the right of renouncing his allegiance to the preceptor the moment he is satisfied that the preceptor is a fallible creature like himself. Nor does a good preceptor accept anyone as his disciple unless the latter is prepared to submit to him freely.

A good preceptor is in duty bound to renounce a disciple who is not sincerely willing to follow his instructions fully. If a preceptor accepts as his disciple one who refuses to be wholly guided by him, or if a disciple submits to a preceptor who is not wholly good, such preceptor and such disciple are both of them doomed to fall from their spiritual state.

No one is a good preceptor who has not realized the Absolute. One who has realized the Absolute is saved from the necessity of walking on the worldly path.

ancient_paztriot · December 16, 2003

Guest: I have a question. I've had some contact with members of different groups in preaching. And I've seen that sometimes they think Lord Siva is supreme, sometimes they think Krsna is supreme, sometimes they think everyone is supreme. And yet still they feel that they're satisfied, “Now I've found my guru. I'm satisfied. I don't have to take up any other spiritual practice”. How is it that they think that they're satisfied when their philosophy is so mixed-up?

Hridy: People are not serious. Just like a pig is eating stool. He's satisfied. If you say to him, “Excuse me, but you've taken this pig's body and you're actually just eating stool. Wouldn't you like something more out of life? “No,” he'll say, “I'm very happy. I'm the chief pig in my pen and I'm doing very nicely.” So in this way no one is serious about God. People think religion is like a hobby. But as far as the Vedic literature is concerned, we are giving the standard knowledge of Bhagvad-gita. Actually Indian wisdom means Bhagavad-gita. And in Bhagavad-gita Krsna says ???, there is nothing greater than Me. That's all. This is God. When you find someone to whom no one is equal or greater, that's God. If someone is equal to or greater than him, he's not God. He's someone else. Maybe he's a great person, but he's not God. Any other question?

Guest: How can someone determine what the extent of their involvement in Krsna consciousness should be?

Hridy: As much as possible. Take Krsna as much as you can. It is common sense that God is a person. Even the Christians know God is the father. That means he's a person. A father cannot be impersonal. We have no experience of a father who is not a person. So God is a person, but he's unlimited. But God must be the most beautiful. Everyone thinks that something is beautiful in the world. What do they say? Purple mountains majesty, amber waves of grain. So these are conceptions of beauty. All of us have some idea of something which is beautiful. And all these beautiful things are coming from God so He must be the most beautiful. How could He be homely or plain? If God… Just like for example the azaleas are blooming. So millions and billions of azaleas are blooming, each very beautiful. So God is making billions of beautiful things every day. So He personally must be so gorgeous.

When the sun rises you feel heat and light from the sun (this is common sense). So if there's a little bit of heat reaching our body in the form of sun rays, image how much heat you would find on the sun. So if this world is God's energy and so much beauty is emanating from God, just like the sunshine coming from the sun, how much beauty will you find? Just like you basically find a 70 degrees of temperature on the earth, but you find 70 million degrees on the sun. So just as you find a little beauty on this earth you'll find millions of degrees of beauty in God. But because people are so dull they can't understand this. People can't understand this, they've become so dull. They can only understand television. Watch television, see so many different things for their eyes. But the most common sense thing about God they can't understand. But isn't this common sense. If so much beauty is coming from God then he personally must be unlimitedly beautiful. So who is that beautiful person from whom all beauty is coming? Who is that most beautiful person? That's Krsna. Here is the information. God is telling you. So there's no excuse. God is giving the information. Now if we're serious we'll accept it.

Why do we honor some punk little scientists with the Nobel prize just because he presents some little theory about something in this world? So if it takes so much intelligence to discover something about the atom for example, then how much intelligence does it take to make the atoms? What prize shall we give God? If we are giving the Nobel prize to some little punk scientists who simply formulates his observations, what will we give the creator of everything? Nothing! Just kick 'em. This is modern culture. Kick Him out of the school, kick Him out of business and politics.

Therefore, there will be war, there will be destruction. Everyone already knows it. America and Russia, they are so strong, they have so many weapons. How are they not gonna fight? It's just like you take two dogs and they are sniffing each other and snarling, showing their teeth. Sooner or later someone's gonna bite. How can you tell two dogs now don't fight, be a good dog? So the same way it's just like dogs barking at each other. They've no more God, no more anything. They simply want sex, they want to eat, they want to sleep, they want money. Just like dogs they're barking at each other and they'll ??? How will you tell dogs be good dogs, don't fight? It's not possible. Sooner or later they'll fight. So in the same way that we want to kick out God, we want to simply accept something else instead of God, everything will be finished. I explained that ???, again we will become little mice. The Pilgrims and all these people came to America like little humble mice. They're simply kicked out of Europe more or less. So they came to America like little mice. America has become a big, powerful country. But again we'll become mice. Back to the log cabins. We don't want to go back to home, back to Godhead, then it'll be back to home, back to the log cabins. All this technology will blow up and we'll go back to home, back to log cabins… or much worse.

But in America there are many nice, innocent people. So those people who are actually nice should help this movement. There's no other movement that's gonna solve these problems. Just like they have pro-life movements against abortion, but they don't even know what the soul is. They have no clear understanding between body and soul or how consciousness comes intot he body or what's going on. Simply some sentiment: Don't kill the fetus. That's a nice sentiment. But they have no scientific understanding. What is the body? What is the soul? Who is the person? Where is he coming from? Where was the person before he entered the body? If you say after so many months a person appears within the womb of the mother, where was that person before he came into the body? Was he somewhere else? Or was he just created? If so, how was he created by matter? Or if he's not created by matter but exists beyond matter, where was he before he came into this body? And actually what is life? And where is life coming from? No understanding.

So this is all in Bhagavad-gita. This is the only movement which can actually answer these riddles. This movement has full potency. Anyone who joins this movement immediately becomes a saint. No more illicit sex, gambling, meat, fish, or eggs, no drugs, coffee or cigarettes, he rises at four o'clock in the morning chanting God's names, reading scriptures, singing, dancing and then working all day for God. This is saintly life. They don't do this in the monasteries. They just sit around and watch television and read playboy. This is where religion is. This is where spiritual life is. So therefore if you actually want to help the world, if you actually want to do something besides throw your life away and just end up––50 years from now––playing checkers on the beach, then you should help this movement. This is the only movement that has the power to stand up to all these fools who are ruining the world. It's a fact. Are there any questions?

Guest: There are so many people here in America who accept the Holy Bible, that do not accept Bhagavad-gita. Why is this?

Hridy: Well it's their choice. But that's alright. If they accept their Bible that's very nice. But I don't see anyone accepting the Bible. Just like the Bible says thou shalt not kill. So who is not killing? Just like in America we have big technological slaughter houses. They drag in millions and billions of innocent animals who are screaming and crying and simply cut their throats. So who's following the Bible? These are Christians? This is nonviolence? Hmmm?

Guest: To get back to that last question, some people read the Bible and therefore they think that not killing requires the human…

Hridy: They think? Therefore our culture is you can eat a spiritual master. What is the use of “I think…”?

Guest: ??? readily accept that ???

Hridy: They don't accept because it says though shalt not kill and they're killing. That means they don't accept. Therefore, those who are actually sincere believers of the Bible should see that this Krsna consciousness movement has the spiritual strength to actually carry out the principles of the Bible. Just like the Bible says you should dedicate your life to God; love God with all your heart, soul, and might. Isn't it? That's a very important verse in the Bible. So if one chants Hare Krsna, he actually gets the spiritual strength to do that. Or it says not to look at women with lust. But who's following that? We are. Thou shalt not kill. But who's following that? We are. So we are the followers of the Bible. We're not hypocrites. We don't make a big show and advertise ourselves as believers in the Bible. But we actually follow the Bible. We don't have to go out and talk about it.

Guest: The Christians say that they have accepted Jesus Christ and…

Hridy: Well how do we know? What does the word accept mean? In the dictionary, what does it say for the word accept?

Guest: ??? says to much devotion is the sign of a thief ???

Hridy: (giggles) Too much devotion is the sign of a thief. Now we have to look up the word accept. Everything should be done very carefully.

Guest: They say that man cannot stop sinning, so…

Hridy: So we are doing it. So what are we if we are not men? I have two eyes, two arms and legs. I have a driver's license and social security card. I must be a man.

Guest: They say we are sinning because we have not accepted Jesus.

Hridy: What? We have accepted Jesus. We've actually accepted more than them because we are following his teachings. Well let's find out what the word accept means. If we are doing what Jesus requested, is that accepting? Just like if you say I accept the government. Of course I don't follow the law personally, but in my heart I've accepted the government. It is alright if you break all the laws and they drag you before the judge and you say, “Well judge, in my heart I love the government”? So do you think Jesus Christ is such a fool that he can be bluffed like this?

Guest: They say that ??? continue to sin.

Hridy: This is all their crazy ideas. So therefore they can sin. Jesus Christ is suffering for my sins, therefore let me sin as much as possible so he'll suffer as much as possible. This is my love. My love for you is I want to see you suffer. I see that you have some injury, therefore I'm beating it just so you'll suffer more. Therefore I love you. Who will accept such a crazy thing? Do you think any intelligent person will be cheated by such a philosophy? Jesus Christ suffers for my sins, therefore let me make him suffer. This is my love. What kind of philosophy is this? We cannot bear to think of our spiritual master suffering. If our spiritual master says that I'm a little thirsty, immediately everyone will run like mad to bring him water. We don't even want him to be thirsty for a second. Our love is we immediately bring him what he needs. Do not let him feel any discomfort. Do not let him be inconvenienced for a moment. This is our love. And there love is let us make Jesus Christ suffer. We want more blood. He's shedding his blood for our sins, so let us make more blood. This is their love for their guru. Therefore is there any wonder the world has rejected this? Practically speaking it's rejected. Who will accept such a thing? But we are not sinning? How do you say that we are sinful?

Guest: 'Cause you have not accepted Jesus.

Hridy: But I'm saying if I carefully follow all the laws of the government, have I accepted the government? And you say you accept the government but you break all the laws. Who is the good citizen? You say you're a big patriot and you break every law. And we don't talk but we follow every law. Now who is a good citizen? Who will the government actually appreciate more? Will the government appreciate you or me? I'm following all the laws, I'm paying my taxes, I'm doing everything nicely, but I don't talk. And you're talking like anything but you break all the laws. Now who will be appreciated more by the government, you or me? You talk about Jesus Christ and you break every one of his teachings. You don't follow anything. You simply sin day and night. I don't talk but I follow everything. Now who’s gonna be appreciated by Jesus Christ? Who has accepted Jesus Christ? Therefore, if one joins Krsna consciousness, he's the best Christian. When one surrenders to God he becomes the best everything.

Guest: How should we interpret in the Bible Jesus says that only through me God, shall you obtain God?

Hridy: We don't interpret.

Guest: Well, like sometimes I'm thinking and people will say that and their interpretation is that only by accepting Jesus and no other person…

Hridy: If you accept a spiritual master, then you have to feel that way about Him. Jesus Christ is a representative of God, therefore he's a spiritual master. Therefore if you accept Jesus Christ as your guru, then you have to feel that way about him. But this is the standard relationship between disciple and guru. Anyway, the Bible they change it so much anyway. They change it however they like.

Guest: ???

Hridy: Jesus Christ, I don't think he spoke English. They translate so many things. Who can know what he actually said? Why should we accept just because some British man said that Jesus Christ said this? Why should we accept it? We accept Jesus Christ, but these English people who have done so many crazy things, they practically… So now this is their Bible. So this British Bible we're not interested in. Jesus Christ we offer all respect to. We offer all honor and worship to Jesus Christ. But we don't care about this British Bible. Jesus Christ said you judge a tree by the fruit. So this is the best fruit, Krsna consciousness. Where else will you find so many young people so much dedicated to God? You understand? So why quibble over words? Here is the fact that these people are developing love for God, they're serving God, they know what God is. Why be penny wise and pound foolish? You understand? Why quibble over words and ignore the real facts that here's love of God. What did it say for accept, a - c - c - e - p - t?

Guest: ??? It says uh ???

Hridy: To acede, acquiescence. Acquiescence means obedience. That means when you obey something you are accepting. What's the… has more definitions?

Guest: ???

Hridy: That means you agree to. That means whatever Jesus Christ says you have to agree to do it. And what else?

Guest: To respond to in a ??? manner. To receive formally as into a college or club.

Hridy: Yes, emphatics. In that sense they have accepted. (laughter)

Guest: Also to ???

Hridy: Ahh, to assume responsibility. But they say there's no responsibility. They say you accept Jesus there's no more responsibility. But here the word means to assume responsibility.

Guest: ??

Hridy: Anyway, so that's the idea. The first definition is acquiescence, obedience. The same example is there. If you are following all the laws of the government very carefully, don't you think the government will appreciate it? So practically speaking we are following the teachings of Jesus Christ. So we've accepted. We are obeying. Accept means to obey. But if you say yes, I love the government but you break all the laws, will the government appreciate it? What is the use of it? It has no meaning.