A Reason Why I Am Determined to Spread Spiritual Knowledge

krsna · July 10, 2005

by Stephen Knapp

When you see the people of the world who are troubled or confused by the violence, the political upheavals, the poverty, or the lack of unity on this planet, it's natural to want to do something about it. And for me, that something is to try and spread deep spiritual knowledge, especially the universal truths which are provided by the Vedic culture. But this need for doing something has never come home to sit with me as much as it has recently with an incident that took place in South Africa. It has disturbed as well as motivated me even more than the violence that brought down the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, a year ago.

South Africa is famous for its violence. It can be a dangerous place. That is nothing new. A year ago I visited it in order to attend the wedding of a few friends of mine. The bride is of Indian descent with her family of brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles, nephews and nieces, all in South Africa, mostly Durban. The groom and myself are westerners. Lovisha, one of the bride's nieces, was 13 years old then. Lovisha is a lovely name, composed of the words love and Isha, meaning to love God or one who loves God. She was a sweet girl, shy but also excited about having some westerners in her family. It was something novel. I had also taken photographs of the wedding, which included photos of Lovisha and her family. However, her father had been killed by the violence of South Africa only a year before, murdered on his way to work one morning. And now, just a year after my visit to South Africa, Lovisha, that same little girl who recently turned 14, has become a part of South African history in the worst way.

In the early evening of this last Janmastami (August 31, 2002), Lovisha was going to the store to buy some fruits for offering to the Deity in observance of the appearance of Lord Krishna. Many people were out celebrating the event, and the store was only a few houses down the street. But she did not return home, and they could not find her after searching. The next day a school boy found her dead body, where she had been dumped in one of the wealthier Indian areas of Durban. This 14 year old girl was found after having been raped. But her ears and lips and nose had been cut off, her eyes had been gouged out, her breasts had been sliced off, her forehead was bashed in, pieces of her flesh had been carved out of her body, and she was stabbed over 150 times. The knife was still lodged in her throat when the boy found her. She was the victim of a hate crime, and this crime is now on record as the most hateful and violent of crimes against Indians in South African history.

When I first heard about this, I was shocked and could only think of how much terror this little girl must have experienced. She had obviously been kidnaped by a person or persons who then tortured and terrorized her before killing her. It was auspicious that she had been doing some devotional service for Lord Krishna that day, and that her last intent was to buy some fruits to offer to the Lord, and that she left her body on Janmastami. Yet I couldn't help but think that her state of mind while she died must have been filled with fear. I was fairly dysfunctional for the rest of the day while thinking about this.

The next thing I considered was how much hatred and anger that a person would have in order to do this to another human being. Of course, I realized it was a hate crime and, thus, a brutal message toward all other Indians in South Africa. But this was beyond reason. This was too much. To use a little girl in such a way is insanity. No human would do such a thing. It was a demoniac act, done by someone who is subhuman.

Actually, I cannot comprehend how much hatred and deviousness another person can have in order to be motivated to act in such a way. In some ways, it makes me ashamed and embarrassed to be in the same species as such a person. Of course, there are many sincere and loving people in this world. But there is also no crueller species of creatures on the planet than human beings when you consider the history of how they have acted toward one another.

The next thing I felt was that I'm simply on the wrong planet. That there must be some mistake regarding why I've been placed here. I'm not meant to be here, am I? I should've been born someplace else. But somehow this is where I am, so there must be a reason. So, as my spiritual master Srila Prabhupada would say, you have to make the best use of a bad bargain. Therefore, I also realize that while I'm here, I have to not only become as spiritual as possible, but I also have to help spread genuine spiritual knowledge. Such spiritual understanding is all that can really show us what our identity really is, how close we are to each other, how our differences are actually quite minor, what the goal of life really is, and how we could all be working together to help one another rather than merely trying to bring each other down.

It is also incidents like Lovisha's murder that make it clear to me that there is no greater need in the world than to distribute deep spiritual understanding to the masses of people. It makes it clear that many of our concerns and the issues that seem to monopolize so much of our lives are not as important as we often think. When something like this happens, what is it that could be more urgent that it would keep us from working toward spreading spiritual knowledge? What is it that is so crucial that it distracts us from this purpose? If we cannot engage in distributing the deep spiritual wisdom that has been given to us, then what are we doing? How is our life truly beneficial to anyone?

For those of us who know the deep aspects of spiritual truth, we cannot blame anyone but ourselves for the conditions of the world. It is up to us to change it by delivering this knowledge to others. So if things have not been adjusted appropriately, then it is because we have not done our duty to bring this knowledge to the mainstream of society in a way in which allows everyone to take it and participate in some aspect of it. It is our fault for whatever is wrong in this world. It is our fault we haven't carried out the mission of our spiritual master. That is up to us. And if we all felt that way enough to remain free of the distractions and stay focused on our mission, the world could change and be uplifted quite rapidly.

In light of this, I can't help but feel somewhat responsible for what happened. I ask myself, have I done all I can do? Could I have done something more to spread spiritual knowledge in a way that would help reach enough people so that crimes like this would not happen? What more can I do to develop ideas and techniques to bring this spiritual understanding to the social mainstream, so that it is not viewed as something that is merely for a fringe group of seekers and not meant for everyone? I wrack my head thinking that there must be more ideas, because if I was more serious, more focused, more creative, then maybe I could help do what is necessary that would make such incidents preventable.

One reason why I think this way is, as I said, I had been to South Africa a year ago to attend the wedding. But I had also given lectures at the Krishna temples in Durban and Phoenix, and another local Vishnu temple. The classes were based on my free e-booklet, "Why Be a Hindu: The Advantages of the Vedic Path," found on my website at: http://www.stephen-knapp.com. And sometimes I can see things in the future regarding how events will unfold. So I had told the people who attended my lectures that the crimes that were already so much a part of South African life were going to get worse, that serious trouble was lurking just over the horizon. Therefore, whether amongst the Indian society in general or the devotees in the temples, whatever their differences or issues may be, they needed to rectify them and get closer to one another and depend on each other. They would need to rely on their own community for support because in time they would have little else for shelter. I could foresee this happening. And now it has manifested.

What has contributed to this heinous crime wave against Indians in South Africa is a controversial Zulu song titled AmaNdiya (meaning Indians). There is a growing sentiment in the community that a spate of recent murders of Indians has been sparked off by the song.

Earlier this year, internationally acclaimed playwright and songwriter Mbongeni Ngema created a stir with the release of AmaNdiya in his album Jive Madlokovu. The song accuses the Indians of being worse oppressors than the erstwhile racist regime.

AmaNdiya opens with the line "Oh brothers, oh my fellow brothers, we need strong and brave men to confront Indians." Ngema has steadfastly maintained that the song was meant to stimulate discussion around Indian-African relations and to promote reconciliation between the two groups. However, many people who hear the song don't seem to take it merely as a topic for discussion, but as a motivator for hate crimes. Now I think that it is clear that all Indians and whites should leave South Africa if it is at all possible. When I was there the average murder rate in South Africa was 67 per day. The country has now gotten much more dangerous and much more violent in only one year since then. And there is much more I could say about this.

So should I have given a heavier lecture when I was there? Should the warning have been more serious? Or would the people have merely thought I was being too fanatical, overly dramatic? Or maybe I did what I could, and the rest was up to the people and devotees to do as they saw fit.

Nonetheless, it is when I hear of crimes like Lovisha's murder that I realize the immense amount of suffering that is taking place in the world. That the world is in a state of emergency wherein only a concerted effort to spread spiritual knowledge will put out the fire of ignorance and hate and human inflicted suffering. It is only trivial issues that distract us from the more important need for implementing a cooperative and focused campaign to spread this spiritual knowledge to mainstream society. And thus the state of emergency on this planet continues.

It is incidents like these that make it clear to me that I have no other business than to help spread this spiritual knowledge. Some people may think that this plan is too simplistic. But there is no other amount of plan-making, economic development, political arrangements, or whatever that can help reveal our real identity in a way in which we can truly see each other for who and what we are, that we are beyond our religious, cultural, national or racial designations. And that we are all spiritual in nature, parts and parcels of the Supreme Being. That identity only needs to be awakened, which can thus pave the way for the possibility of real peace.

That is why I have no other interest. I have no other reason for being here. This motivation is all that keeps me alive because I really don't care that much about staying on this planet anyway. There are far too many better places in which one could exist. But my spiritual master said that now that I've become fortunate by understanding this spiritual knowledge, we all must now make others similarly fortunate. Or at least give them the chance even if not everyone will be interested. And that's why I have also taken all of my money and invested it in publishing the books I write, and promoting this spiritual knowledge through my website and in continuing the mission of my spiritual master. That's also why if I should get deathly sick, have a heart attack or stroke, it would be better that I simply die because I have no money for doctors or hospitals. All my money is tied up with my preaching efforts. And though some people may view that as foolish, I intend to keep it that way. I feel the Lord will keep me here as long as necessary to do what I need to do, and after that I will joyously take my leave of this place.

Yet, I have to try and deliver this knowledge, and work with others who feel the same. I cannot help but try to do whatever it is that I'm capable of doing to try to help relieve the suffering of others in this way. To give them the same opportunity of seeing the purpose of this human life and what is best to do now that we have it. I cannot leave this place until I know I've done all I can do. And for that reason I welcome the support, encouragement, or team efforts with others who feel the same.

In many ways, parts of this planet are like battlefields in which there is a need for immediate relief. Even though this Earth is a wondrous and beautiful place, the issues that the wrong aims of humanity have brought into it have made things incredibly difficult. However, as we see in any battle, there will be some casualties, just as Lovisha has now been taken away from us for some reason. Even in the battle of Kurukshetra the son of Arjuna, Krishna's friend, was brutally and unjustly slaughtered. So even though we may know that everything has a reason, we must remember that even in the darkest of moments there is a glimmer of light and hope, though it may take some time to understand why particular things take place the way they do. In fact, we may never understand why certain things have happened. But it is all part of a plan, a purpose. And for that reason we cannot allow ourselves to become overly emotional and weak, but must remain strong in our intent.

I am now posting this article on my site on this day 9/11/02, a year after the World Trade Center tragedy. It shows that there are still way too many tragedies caused by humanity's hate and misunderstanding of each other. And, yes, it is a reason why I'm so determined to keep trying to spread genuine and deep spiritual knowledge which can assist humanity to understand each other, their real identity, their relationship with God, and the purpose of this life. With that there is hope for real improvement.

krsna · July 11, 2005

The leaders of the people are very much anxious to live in peace and friendship, but they have no information of the simple method of hearing the glories of the Lord. On the contrary, such leaders are opposed to the propagation of the glories of the Lord. In other words, the foolish leaders want to completely deny the existence of the Lord. In the name of secular state, such leaders are enacting various plans every year. But by the insurmountable intricacies of the material nature of the Lord, all these plans for progress are being constantly frustrated. They have no eyes to see that their attempts at peace and friendship are failing. But here is the hint to get over the hurdle. If we want actual peace, we must open the road to understanding of the Supreme Lord Krsna and glorify Him for His virtuous activities as they are depicted in the pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam. (SB 1.1.16 P Questions by the Sages)

In this age of Kali the propensity for mercy is almost nil. Consequently there is always fighting and wars between men and nations. Men do not understand that because they unrestrictedly kill so many animals, they also must be slaughtered like animals in big wars. This is very much evident in the Western countries. In the West, slaughterhouses are maintained without restriction, and therefore every fifth or tenth year there is a big war in which countless people are slaughtered even more cruelly than the animals. Sometimes during war, soldiers keep their enemies in concentration camps and kill them in very cruel ways. These are reactions brought about by unrestricted animal-killing in the slaughterhouse and by hunters in the forest. Proud, demoniac persons do not know the laws of nature, or the laws of God. Consequently, they unrestrictedly kill poor animals, not caring for them at all. In the Krsna consciousness movement, animal-killing is completely prohibited. One is not accepted as a bona fide student in this movement unless he promises to follow the four regulative principles: no animal-killing, no intoxication, no illicit sex and no gambling. This Krsna consciousness movement is the only means by which the sinful activities of men in this Kali-yuga can be counteracted. (SB 4.26.5 P King . Goes to the Forest to Hunt, and His Queen Becomes Angry)

It is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam that in Kali-yuga the heads of government will be plunderers and thieves. These thieves and plunderers take the money and property of the public by force or connivance. Therefore it is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam, rajanyair nirghrnair dasyu-dharmabhih. As Kali-yuga advances, we can see that these characteristics are already visible. We can certainly imagine how deteriorated human civilization will be by the end of Kali-yuga. Indeed, there will no longer be a sane man capable of understanding God and our relationship with Him. In other words, human beings will be just like animals. At that time, in order to reform human society, Lord Krsna will come in the form of the Kalki avatara. His business will be to kill all the atheists because ultimately the real protector is Visnu, or Krsna. (SB 5.12.7 P Conversation Between Maharaja Rahugana and Jada Bharata )

The modern activities of human society are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam as the activities of go-khara, cows and asses (sa eva go-kharah). Everyone is acting in a bodily concept of life involving society, friendship and love for the improvement of economic and political conditions, and thus all activities are enacted in ignorance. The Supreme Personality therefore comes to teach us how to act according to the Vedic principles. In this age of Kali, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and preached that in this age the Vedic activities cannot be systematically performed because people are so fallen. He gave this recommendation from the sastras:

harer nama harer nama

harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva

nasty eva gatir anyatha

"In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way." The Krsna consciousness movement is therefore teaching people all over the world how to chant the Hare Krsna mantra, and this has proved very much effective in all places at all times. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in order to teach us Vedic principles intended for understanding Him (vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah). We should always know that when Krsna and Lord Caitanya appeared, They appeared in suddha-sattva bodies. One should not mistake the body of Krsna or Caitanya Mahaprabhu to be a material body like ours, for Krsna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared as needed for the benefit of the entire human society. Out of causeless mercy, the Lord appears in different ages in His original suddha-sattva transcendental body to elevate human society to the spiritual platform upon which they can truly benefit. Unfortunately, modern politicians and other leaders stress the bodily comforts of life (yasyatma-buddhih kunape tri-dhatuke) and concentrate on the activities of this ism and that ism, which they describe in different kinds of flowery language. Essentially such activities are the activities of animals (sa eva go-kharah). We should learn how to act from Bhagavad-gita, which explains everything for human understanding. Thus we can become happy even in this age of Kali. (SB 10.2.34 P)

A student is to be considered perfected when he understands the identity of the holy name and the Supreme Lord. Unless one is under the shelter of a realized spiritual master, his understanding of the Supreme is simply foolishness. However, one can fully understand the transcendental Lord by service and devotion. When Lord Caitanya offenselessly chanted the Hare Krsna mantra, He declared that the mantra could at once deliver a conditioned soul from material contamination. In this age of Kali there is no alternative to chanting this maha-mantra. It is stated that the essence of all Vedic literature is the chanting of this holy name of Krsna: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya also told Prakasananda Sarasvati, "In order to convince Me about this essential fact of Vedic knowledge, My spiritual master has taught Me a verse from Brhan-naradiya Purana [38.126]. Harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam. kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha: In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."

In three out of the four millenniums (namely Satya-yuga, Treta-yuga and Dvapara-yuga) people had the honor to be able to understand transcendence through the path of disciplic succession. However, in the present age, people have no interest in the disciplic succession. Instead, they have invented many paths of logic and argument. This individual attempt to understand the supreme transcendence (called the ascending process) is not approved by the Vedas. The Absolute Truth must descend from the absolute platform. He is not to be understood by the ascending process. The holy name of the Lord--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--is a transcendental vibration because it comes from the transcendental platform, the supreme abode of Krsna. Because there is no difference between Krsna and His name, the holy name of Krsna is as pure, perfect and liberated as Krsna Himself. Academic scholars have no entrance by means of logic and other argument into the understanding of the transcendental nature of the holy name of God. The single path in understanding the transcendental nature of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare is the chanting of these names with faith and adherence. Such chanting will release one from designated conditions arising from the gross and subtle bodies.

In this age of logic, argument and disagreement, the chanting of Hare Krsna is the only means for self-realization. Because this transcendental vibration alone can deliver the conditioned soul, it is considered to be the essence of the Vedanta-sutra. According to the material conception, there is duality between the name, form, quality, emotions and activities of a person and the person himself, but as far as the transcendental vibration is concerned, there is no such limitation, for it descends from the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no difference between the name of the person and the quality of the person. Of course in the material world there is a difference. Because the Mayavadi philosophers cannot understand this, they cannot utter the transcendental vibration.

"All Vedic rituals, mantras and understanding are compressed into eight words: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare." Similarly, in the Kalisantarana Upanisad it is stated:

hare krsna hare krsna

krsna krsna hare hare

hare rama hare rama

rama rama hare hare

iti sodasakam namnam

kali-kalmasa-nasanam

natah parataropayah

sarva-vedesu drsyate

"The sixteen words--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--are especially meant for counteracting the contaminations of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali, there is no alternative but the chanting of these sixteen words."

Lord Caitanya immediately informed Prakasananda that in the modern age people in general are more or less bereft of all spiritual intellect. When such people come under the influence of Sankaracarya's Mayavadi (impersonalist) philosophy before beginning the most confidential Vedanta-sutras, their natural tendency toward obedience to the Supreme is checked. The supreme source of everything is naturally respected by everyone, but this natural tendency is hampered when one takes to the impersonalist conceptions of Sankara. Thus the spiritual master of Lord Caitanya suggested that it is better that one not study the Sariraka-bhasya of Sankaracarya, for it is very harmful to people in general. Indeed, the common man does not even have the intelligence to penetrate into the jugglery of words. He is better advised to chant the maha-mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. In this quarrelsome age of Kali there is no alternative for self-realization. (TLC 18-19 The Conversations with Prakasananda)

Of course, there are other yugas besides Kali-yuga. During the Satya-yuga, which lasted eighteen hundred thousand years, human beings lived for one hundred thousand years. The duration of the next age, the Treta-yuga, was twelve hundred thousand years, and the people of that age used to live for ten thousand years. In other words, the duration of life was ten times reduced. In the next age, Dvapara-yuga, the life span was again ten times reduced--people used to live for one thousand years--and the duration of the Dvapara Age was eight hundred thousand years. Then, in the next age, this Kali-yuga, we can live up to one hundred years at the utmost. We are not living one hundred years, but still, the limit is one hundred years. So just see: from one hundred years the average duration of life has decreased to about seventy years. And it will eventually decrease to the point where if a man lives for twenty to thirty years, he will be considered a very old man.

So, kaler dosa-nidhe rajan: The faults of this age are just like an ocean. If you were put into the Pacific Ocean, you would not know how to save your life. Even if you were a very expert swimmer, it would not be possible for you to cross the Pacific Ocean. Similarly, the Kali-yuga is described in the Bhagavatam as an ocean of faults. It is infected with so many anomalies that there seems to be no way out. But there is one medicine: kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet. The Bhagavatam explains that if you chant the name of Krsna--the Hare Krsna mantra--you will be relieved from the infection of this Kali-yuga. (JSD 6.4 Ancient Prophecies Fulfilled)

So therefore these discussions which are going on, that is only for how to get liberation from the four principles of material condition, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi. That is called moksa. Moksa, or liberation. So the... It is just like beating the dead horse. Nobody is interested about moksa. Or nobody can conceive even that there is something as moksa. Moksa means to get free from this condition of birth, death and old age. That is called moksa, liberation. So at the present moment modern educated persons, they do not know that there is something like moksa and it can be achieved and there is process and the whole Vedic sastra is trying to educate us for getting moksa. They do not know it. So we have become so dull. Therefore, in this age, Kali-yuga especially, our conditions are described as manda, very, very bad, or very, very slow. Mandah sumanda-matayah. And if one little interested, they will take some path which is not approved, which is not approved. They will invent something, so many "isms."

So Prahlada Maharaja said, sada samudvigna-dhiyam asad-grahat. Because we have accepted this body... So we must not accept this body, that is called moksa-dvaram. That should be the mission of human life. So we are not interested. Mandah sumanda-matayo manda-bhagyah. In this age they are slow and, and they have got their own manufactured ideas. Why? Now, manda-bhagyah, all unfortunate. And upadrutah, always disturbed. So all these are on account of this body. The sastra always says that "Don't work in such a way that you have to accept again body after death." That is, that is your business. Not that to accumulate crores and rupees and make a very good bank balance and skyscraper house and three or dozens of motorcars. They are struggling, for getting this. But foolish people, they do not know that Krsna will take away all these assets at the time of death. Mrtyuh sarva-haras caham. Krsna says, aham mrtyuh: "I am death, and I will take away everything, what you have possessed." The foolish persons, they do not understand it. Just like Hiranyakasipu. He possessed. So much so powerful that even the demigods were afraid of him. And Krsna took away everything in a second by..., simply by the nails. Tava kara-kamala nakha...

So in this Kali-yuga nobody is interested even. We are spreading Krsna consciousness, very few people are interested to know about Krsna or the Supreme Being. So that is not human life. Human life means when we inquire about the Absolute Truth. That is human life. So there are so many societies, so many religious institutions. But nobody is interested to know Krsna, or the Supreme Being. Krsna means the Supreme Being, all-attractive. No educational system, no university. Therefore Krsna said, manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye, that is siddhi of... Siddhi means perfection of life, to understand God. Because in the human life if one tries he can understand God, he can understand himself, he can understand what is his relationship with God, he can understand how to act in that relationship and thus make his life perfect. That is human life. So manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye. Siddhi. Siddhi means self-realization. And yatatam api siddhanam. And even though one is siddha, or self-realized, he also does not understand what is Krsna. Even one is siddha. That siddha has still to be progressed. Then he will come to jnanavan. Jnanavan means one who is siddha, one who has understood himself. That siddhi means to understand oneself that "I am not this body." That is siddhi.

kaler dosa-nidhe rajann

asti hy eko mahan gunah

kirtanad eva krsnasya

mukta-sangah param vrajet

"This age of Kali is full of unlimited faults. Indeed, it is just like an ocean of faults (dosa-nidhi). But there is one chance, one opportunity. Kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet: simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra, one can be freed from the contamination of Kali-yuga and, in his original spiritual body, can return home, back to Godhead. This is the opportunity of Kali-yuga."

This is spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami after describing the faults of Kali-yuga. There are many, many hundreds and thousands of faults. People will suffer. They are all described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. People's intelligence, bodily strength, mercifulness--everything will be reduced. And so many things are described. Some of them are very prominent even at the present moment. Just like in the Kali-yuga, it is stated lavanyam kesa-dharanam: "People will think by keeping long hairs they will become beautiful." Lavanyam kesa-dharanam. So that is very visible now, especially in the Western countries. They keep very long hairs. Dampatye ratim eva hi: "Marriage, husband and wife, they will be simply by agreement." Nowadays that is happening. You go to a marriage-maker and agree, and marriage is finished. Not like before. Dampatye ratim eva hi. And rati means sex desires. So long their sex desires will be completed, they can live. Svikara eva codvahe. These are stated, all. Vipratve sutram eva hi: "Become a brahmana, just have a sacred thread." Sacred or not sacred, get a thread. That's all, without executing the brahminical duties. That is going on. In this way there is a long list of Kali-yuga's activities.

So after submitting the list, Sukadeva Gosvami says, kaler dosa-nidhe rajann asti hy eko mahan gunah: "My dear King Pariksit, I have described all the faults of this Kali-yuga. But there is a special advantage in this age. That is," he said, kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta-sangah param vrajet, "people can become liberated and go back to home, back to Godhead, simply by chanting Hare Krsna mantra."

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam

kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

In the Kali-yuga there is no yajna. Therefore there is anavrsti, anavrsti. The Kali-yuga people will forget performing yajna. They will be busy in ghora-rupa activities, horrible and fierceful activities, not yajna. They will neglect yajna. So then how your these bolts and nuts and rubber tires will help you? Therefore there is scarcity of anna. That will increase more and more. It will so increase that now you are getting anna by paying high price, but time will come when even if you are prepared to pay price, there will be no more anna. That time is coming. Naturally, what people will eat? They will eat mamsa and roots and seeds. No milk. No sugar. No wheat. These things will be stopped. As we are becoming entangled in ghora-rupa activities or mudha activities, then the more we shall be entangled with sufferings of material existence. They do not know what is the actually interest. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum.

Either you become santa or ghora or mudha, three kinds of position in this material world... santa. Santa means in the brahminical qualification, and ghora means activities, material activities, fruitive activities, and mudha, just like animal, neither santa nor ghora, simply animal. Udaram bharitah. Svartham udaram bharitah. Svartham, interest, means if one somehow or other fulfills his belly, then he thinks, "Now all my mission is fulfilled." This is called mudhatvam. Svartham udaram bharitah. Daksyam kutumba-bharanam. Generally in this age, people will be interested to fulfill his own belly. Because that is also very difficult task nowadays. To get sufficient food daily, that is also a problem. And if one can maintain his family in these hard days--family means husband, wife, and a few children--then daksyam kutumba-bharanam, then he is just like Maharaja Daksa. Daksa, daksa means very expert. Those who are maintaining big family, working very nicely, many business, they are called daksa. So in the Kali-yuga, if one can maintain a family, small family, then he will be considered daksa. Daksyam kutumba-bharanam. Otherwise, if one can fulfill his belly only, his all interest is fulfilled. This will be the condition of this age. That means mudhatvam, mostly mudhatvam. They do not know. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum. (750103SB.BOM Lectures)

This is the condition at the present moment. This is called Kali-yuga. The first symptom is: our span of life is very short, decreasing. With the advancement of Kali-yuga, our duration of life is decreasing. Everyone knows that. My father lived so many years, my grandfather lived so many years, but it is certain I am not going to live so many years. And then my son is not... Gradually, it is reduced. Reducing, reducing, reducing. By the end of Kali-yuga, the duration of life from twenty years to thirty years will be considered very, very old age, very, very old. If a man is living for twenty-five years, he will be considered a very grand old man. Yes. That is coming gradually. So therefore it is said, manda, manda. Manda means everything bad or everything slow. Duration of life is bad, then their activities also very bad, always sinful activities. Mandah sumanda-matayo. And if somebody is little anxious to take shelter of somebody for spiritual advancement, then he will accept some bogus thing, sumanda-matayo, some bogus incarnation of God, some bogus yogi, some bogus... They will take sumanda-matayo, will not come to the real. (750304CC.DAL Lectures)

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is very kind to the fallen souls. His special mission is to reclaim the fallen souls. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission. Reclaim the fallen souls means in this age of Kali, almost 99.9%, they are all fallen. Their qualification is mandah. Mandah means they do not know that the human life is meant for qualifying oneself in Krsna consciousness, spiritual consciousness. They do not know. Mandah sumanda-matayo. Even one is interested about spiritual consciousness, they accept some bogus theory. So many yogis, swamis, all bluffer, they will take care. Mandah sumanda-matayo. Because Kali-yuga, they are already sophisticated, bewildered, and these people come to cheat, they fall the prey of these cheaters. Sumanda-matayo. Anyone who is preaching something else other than God consciousness, he is a cheater. He is a cheater. Sumanda-matayo. Because real progress of life is to become God conscious. That is the real progress. And without God consciousness, the so-called yogis, so-called meditation... What is this meditation? What is the profit? Simply some bogus propaganda. It has no value. Real progress of life is to know what is God and what is my relationship with Him and how to act in that relationship. That is real life. But they do not know it. Na te viduh svartha-gatim hi visnum. They do not know it. They think, "By this yoga practice, I shall be perfect, my material condition will be improved," and so on, so on. They have got their own theories and... But that is not progress of life. There are many rich men, many karmis. Without practicing yoga, they are having material comforts. So spiritual life does not mean that one is improved in material, conditioned life. Spiritual life means spiritual advancement. But people take it that "Take to religion means to give impetus to our material life." Dharma artha kama moksa. And when they are disgusted, they want moksa. Moksa means to become one with the Lord. So these things are going on. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to save all these fallen souls. Hinartha. Hinarthadhika-sadhakam. The more one is fallen, he is the better candidate for accepting the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Narottama dasa Thakura sings, patita-pavana-hetu, tava avatara: "My Lord, You have incarnated to reclaim the fallen." Patita-pavana-hetu tava avatara, mo sama patita prabhu, na paibe ara: "If that is Your mission, then I am the most fallen. So my claim is first to receive Your favor because Your mission is to show favor to the fallen. So I am the most fallen. So kindly accept me." In this way he has sung. And that is stated here, hinarthadhika-sadhakam sri-caitanyam. (750301CC.ATL Lectures)

I am very glad to hear how the book distribution is increasing more and more. This is our greatest weapon. The more the books are distributed, the more the ignorance of the Age of Kali will be smashed. The world is feeling the weight of this Hare Krishna Movement, especially in your country. We have to increase this book distribution work more and more to firmly establish this Movement, which is the only hope for the suffering living entities. (76-11-23 Letter: Balavanta)

July 11, 2005

i am from SA, i fully agree with u...i sympathise with the death of your little friend....there is so much anxiety here...the natural resources r beautiful but the crime is so bad!!! I just wish that they would bring back the death penalty. However we 2 r trying 2 just preach n perfect this lifetime.....b4 we 2 die

Kulapavana · July 11, 2005

SA suffers from the worst case of sudra rule - actually, it is offensive to call such people sudras. They are just animals looking like humans. Such people can only be ruled with an iron fist by people who actually have some human culture. The atrocities committed all over Africa against ALL TYPES of people are shocking. Yet, people in the West pretend like it has nothing to do with who is in power. Soon SA will be completely in chaos, just like its neigbour, Zimbabwe - once second richest country in Sub Saharan Africa.

Krishna Consciousness is not for the monkeys. It is very, very naive to think, that without changes in the rule of law our preaching alone will stem the tide of barbarism in such utterly demonic societies.