I am telling something. Probably we will go through this big purport. Before that, I would like to take blessings from all of you, all Vaisnavas present here. I am not a very good speaker, but I will try, after taking blessings from you, I will try to say whatever I have understood from here, what I have learned, what I have heard from my senior Vaisnavas, and especially Srila Prabhupada. So I was hearing about this lecture from him. It is very nice that so many Vaisnavas, you can find these lectures and you can prepare for this after hearing them. So if there is something which is very nice, which can be taken, so it is definitely by the blessings of the Vaisnavas that we get, that I am speaking. I am just a messenger for telling all these things. So kindly, and if there is something, some flaw or if something you find, then it is definitely my mistake that is happening. So please take the essence and please forgive my mistakes. So as we know, this Bhagavad-gita was spoken in a battlefield, which is not a very peaceful place, especially. And now we see that in this life also, there is a battle going on. All the day, everyone must have felt that this life is such that there are problems every time. One problem is over and then you think that you feel like this problem is over, now life will be peaceful, but it never happens. How many of you have experienced that there is a problem always, most of the time? Yes. So this is the nature of this material world. As we say Himalaya, Himalaya is, meaning is him-alaya. Him is the ice, alaya is a home. So this is a place, if you go to Himalayas, you will find ice or snow. Similarly, this place, Krsna says, is duhkhalayam.
A: Yes. So what you will find here?
Q: Duhkha.
A: Duhkha. Duhkha is miseries. So always, every time you will feel this, understand this, this is a miserable place. And we try to make it a happy place. We try to, I mean, though nobody has become successful yet, maybe we think that we can make it a happy place, but it is not possible at all. Because when for if you are buying something, if you go to buy something, then you read the prescription or what it is meant for. So the manufacturer of this place is Krsna Himself, and Krsna says this place is duhkhalayam. So you are going to get miseries. Whatever we try, definitely miseries will be there, always, always. For example, when we are children, we feel that if we grow a little bit more, then I don't have to, because they are under parents, so they feel, sometimes there is a feeling that I want this, but my parents don't allow me to do that. So we are under someone. Somebody is upper me and then I cannot do. And then we feel, hopefully I can grow to an adult and then my parents will not say to me anything. And after you become an adult, there are different problems. Different problems, I mean, it's a different covering, problems are the same, but there is a different covering always. So in this world, whenever one has come, if we have come, then we have to expect that this is a miserable place. And once you understand, first of all, it's very difficult, if you see people outside, like we are only few people here, there is a temple and about philosophy and Krsna consciousness is going on, but many people, I mean, most of the people, like 99% or more than 99%, they don't know about Krsna consciousness. So the thing is like they don't even know there is a problem. One will get a solution only if I know that there is a problem. But if I feel that there is no problem, I am happy, then why should I go for any kind of solution? If there is no problem, then there is no solution. And there are so many ways like people feel, okay, there is misery, but I have to fix everything, so I can do that. So that's why you see there are very few people who are interested in spiritual, and then there are much lower number of people who come to Krsna consciousness. Krsna says, or there is a verse in scriptures that out of millions and millions of people, there are only few who try to understand Krsna. And out of those million people, there are only few who really understand Krsna. So it's such a higher topic. Maybe it might look very simple, but it is said that, for example, there is an ocean, and then you have seen how much water is in the ocean, and then there is a log that is floating in the ocean. And there is a tortoise which is bringing its mouth every time outside. So the probability that that tortoise, while bringing his face upwards in the ocean, catches that log, or there is a space and he catches the log, you understand? I mean, this ocean itself is so big, there is a small log, and then there is a tortoise somewhere, and then he is coming out. So while coming out, the probability that he will touch the log, it's the same probability that staying in this material world, we will get Krsna consciousness. So if we understand how important it is to become Krsna conscious, this is a very simple example that is given in the sastras. So we have to understand how fortunate we are. First thing is to understand that just to get to the name of Krsna is not ordinary, not ordinary, especially in Kali-yuga. The people like manda sumanda-matayo, means we are very, very dull-headed—I am telling about myself. We don't understand anything. There was a time in other yugas that once they hear about these scriptures, once they hear, it is completely in the mind, so they will remember the whole life. But now, in this age of quarrel, age of Kali, we hardly, what happened at this time yesterday, we will not remember. I don't remember what happened this exact moment or what I was doing. So I will be living maybe some years, and then also I don't know what I was doing at this time yesterday, forget about years or months or something. So it is so difficult in this age. So what happens is, in every age there is a process. The thing is, why we have come to this material world is our desire, that desire to lord it over, and that made us to come here.
in this material world. But then there is a process. Krsna is so merciful that He wants everyone to come back to Him. And He has given a process for everything. He has given a process how you can come to Me. For example, a child, he is lost, he has forgotten his father, he has lost in a place which is full of people. And then some people come and he is crying. Of course, he is searching for his father and then he is crying. And someone comes and he gives him some food, some chocolates. And then he takes chocolates, he is happy for some time, but after that he again starts crying. So, someone comes and a lot of people come and they do lot of things. But finally one person comes and then he asks him, "What happened? What is the problem?" Then he says that "I have lost my father." And that person takes him to the father. So, which person out of these all people do you think has done more benefit to him? What is the most beneficial for the child?
Q: To take him to the father.
A: Yes. Similarly, Srila Prabhupada, he came from the spiritual world to take us back to Krsna. And that is, now at this moment, maybe the child may feel, "Oh, the other people, they gave me chocolates, they gave me so much." If we feel like that, and that is the reason why we go so many places. We try this, we try that, and definitely we get something from everywhere. But the ultimate thing is, if someone takes to the father, the father will take care of your needs, everything. When the child is with the father, then the parents, they take care. The child doesn't have to worry about it. Similarly, when we go back to Krsna, then there is nothing to worry about. So, this lost relationship that we have lost from Krsna, and we are here suffering, we have come to this place, so the best thing will be if we can go back, we understand our relation, we go back to the spiritual world. That's why Krsna Himself, He sends His devotees so that... There are four yugas. And then Satya-yuga, Treta, Dvapara, and then Kali-yuga. So, it's a filter. So, people are put in Satya-yuga, and then some of them, they go back, some of them remain and they come here. So, they come to Treta, then some people go out and then somebody remains, and then Dvapara, and then Kali-yuga. So, you can understand what is our situation. And similarly, this is a four yugas, in one day of Brahma there are thousands of yugas like this. So, so many yugas we have passed on and we have come. So, this filter, somebody remained and then we are the ones. So, you can understand how fallen we are actually. In the sense, like, we don't know, Srila Prabhupada says that from time immemorial, so we don't know exactly which time we fell down. There may be questions that why, if we were there, why we fell down. Then this kind of question actually Srila Prabhupada says that now, when there is a fire in the house, you don't ask why there was fire or how it became. First you go out and then you try to find how did this fire happen. If there is a fire at house, will you try to find out why the fire happened?
Q: No.
A: So, similarly, now we are in a situation where there is fire completely everywhere, and then first thing is we go out first and then try to find... if you are interested after going, maybe people don't want to know why I came and all these things. But this is the situation. Right now we are in this situation. We have to go out of this material world, and to go out of this material world, we have to take to Krsna consciousness. There is no other way. There is a verse:
harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
Just Hari's name, Krsna's name, Krsna's name, Krsna's name. And then first three he says Krsna's name, and then next three he says:
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
There is no other way, no other way, no other way. There are very few times when śāstra says anything three times. So, it is so important. This is most important for Kali-yuga that we have to chant this mantra:
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna
Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Only by chanting this mantra, one can go out of this material world, and that is the real place where everyone wants to go, has to go. If you don't go, then this is a place of misery as I mentioned earlier, and then there will be miserable condition. So, now coming to this verse... As I told earlier, this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken in the battlefield. So, here Krsna is giving instructions to Arjuna, but till now, this is very important verse. Actually, after this, Arjuna has understood now, because in chapter one you see, he is giving so many reasons why he does not want to fight. Nobody will like to fight with their relatives, so many reasons Arjuna has given that "I don't want to fight. I should not fight because fight is..." In normal terms also, fighting is not a solution, fighting is always bad. But here Krsna is there, and then Arjuna, he is saying so many times that "This will happen, this will happen," and then if you see, now Krsna will... now he has given that "Okay, now at this point, I have given all my reasonings, but still I am not satisfied. I don't know what to do." So, this is the time when Arjuna surrenders to Krsna. So, until we surrender to a spiritual master or someone who can guide us to Krsna, we will never get this knowledge. We may try hundreds of things, and because of our minds, definitely we have the mind, we are thinking so many things, so many thoughts, because of our experience, because of people we meet, because of so many things. So, we have our own understanding of things, but that may not be the one which will take you back, which will take you out from your problems. So, in this time Krsna is in front of Arjuna, and Arjuna knows that He is the only person who can drive away this confusion, whatever I am in right now. So, he has surrendered now, he surrendered to Krsna and asking Him what shall I do. So, this is like, and then he is saying his situation. It's very difficult for someone to say, if you read this kārpaṇya-doṣo, so miserly weakness. Arjuna is from a ksatriya family, so he has fought so many wars. He was even, he has fought with Lord Śiva...
In fact, he won in the battle also with Lord Śiva. So he is such a great fighter, but now he is in a situation where he is not able to take any decision. And that is very, very much related to our day-to-day lives also. We have so many problems. But if we don't take shelter of the holy names, if we don't take shelter of a Vaisnava, and if we feel that we can handle all this situation, it is not possible. For a warrior like Arjun, it was not possible, then forget about this being possible for us in the situation that we are in. And it is not only internally, but also externally the situation is very bad in Kali-yuga. It's always, you see, there will be a problem everywhere. So you see, you hear, if you start the news, it will be like there is a war here, that happened, this happened. So the mind is always not at peace. It is always thinking of the problems. And when the mind is not peaceful, then it is always creating troubles. So for this age of Kali, it's about chanting this holy names, and then to understand the importance of holy names, we have so many scriptures. Especially in this age of Kali, in this age or in this place, we sing about Śrīla Prabhupāda, pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe. So he has delivered this to the pāścātya, means Western world. Because of his mercy, we are here talking about Bhagavad-gītā and chanting this Hare Krsna mahā-mantra. So he is a very great blessing for us in this world, or in this area, in this part of this world. So we take blessings of Śrīla Prabhupāda, and then we continue with our—so there are some more paragraphs. Who is the man in material perplexities? It is he who does not understand the problems of life. In the Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad, the perplexed man is described as follows:
yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy aviditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa kṛpaṇaḥ
He is a miserly man who does not solve the problems of life as a human, and who thus quits this world like the cats and dogs without understanding the science of self-realization. This human form of life is a most valuable asset for the living entity who can utilize it for solving the problems of life. Therefore, one who does not utilize this opportunity properly is a miser. On the other hand, there is the brāhmaṇa, or he who is intelligent enough to utilize this body to solve all the problems of life.
yo vā etad akṣaraṁ gārgy viditvāsmāl lokāt praiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ
So in this purport Prabhupāda is saying that only in this human life we get this opportunity. Because now if you see the chanting, for example, only human can chant. There are, as per scriptures, 84 lakh species of life. But out of that, only human race is there who can chant this mantra. So I cannot go and ask the cats and dogs to come and sit in the class to hear lecture or chant. It's not possible. And they are also living entities. They are also living entities like us. So they are in the process of this, out of this 84 lakh species, they are also part of it. So when we have got this human form of life, most important is to understand, realize who we are. And that is what Bhagavad-gītā is saying about. So when Krsna starts His instructions, He says first of all to realize, to ask anyone if you ask, or for anyone, we realize with the body always. We think that we are the body. But Bhagavad-gītā starts when one understands that we are not this body, but we are spirit soul, we are in the body. "This is my body" I say, right? "My body", I don't say "I am this body". "This is my body, this is your body." So who is that "I"? That "I" is the spirit soul. And it's more important to save the soul than to—we always take care of the body, definitely it is very much required, but most important than the body is the spirit soul. And to really understand how we can do good for the spirit soul, we have to read Bhagavad-gītā and follow the instructions of the ācāryas. Prabhupāda comes in the disciplic succession of ācāryas. That is mentioned, if you read Bhagavad-gītā, introduction itself it says like Prabhupāda is the 32nd number of ācārya. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā Krsna will say after some time that evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ, means He gave this instruction to the sun-god, Vivasvān. And then from sun-god it continued. Similarly, there are four sampradāyas. Out of that, we are in one of the Brahma-Madhva-Gauḍīya-sampradāya. So when we get the instructions, when we connect with the sampradāya, then we get the real knowledge, what Krsna speaks. The thing is, when we speak, when we are telling, then for a normal person, he has his own understanding. Like when I hear something, then I will add my understanding to that and then I'll put it forward. So similarly, right now what is happening is people read Bhagavad-gītā and then they explain it in their own terms. They are adding some more. That's why Prabhupāda named this book as Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Prabhupāda said that when he was here, when he came to the Western country, US actually, he said there were more than 100 types of 100 Bhagavad-gītās were there at that time. So people have interpreted and they have given Bhagavad-gītā, but no one has the real purport, what is the meaning Krsna wants to say, but everyone is adding their own interpretation to that. And if you put interpretation to Krsna's word, Krsna who is the Supreme Person, and if we try to put our interpretations to that, it will automatically like—so for example, it's milk. Milk is there, there is lot of milk. Milk is by itself very pure, but if it's touched by a serpent, then the milk becomes poison, right? So similarly, Bhagavad-gītā is very nice, like milk, it is very pure. But if it is touched or if it is explained or if it is told by a non-believer, then there are many who speak about Bhagavad-gītā, they say it's an allegory and then there is no Pāṇḍavas, it's a five senses and all these things, so many things are there. But if we start hearing from that, then we really don't understand who is Krsna.
Because they have explained in such a nice way that you feel, "This is right. This might be right." But that is the reason why Prabhupada has to write Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Now, a lot of times we say why "As It Is", why Prabhupada has named this Bhagavad-gītā "As It Is". So this is because whatever was told by Krsna, the same thing is repeated by Prabhupada. He is not adding anything by himself, or whatever my understanding is. And that is very, very important. So when we read Bhagavad-gītā, when we try to go through the purports by Prabhupada, then you see—for example, it says phalena paricīyate, means that the fruit, whatever we get, that is the real test whether it is real or not. So if you see, before Prabhupada, there were many people who came to the Western world, and instead of changing, they changed themselves. They became like Western. But when Prabhupada came, and many people suggested that "In the West, they eat with fork and knife, so you should also start eating, otherwise nobody is going to hear from you." But Prabhupada said that he is taking this knowledge to give it to them, to the people who don't know, and "I am not going to learn what they are doing. Instead, I will be giving bhakti, or I will be telling about Bhagavad-gītā to the Western people." And that is the reason why he came. At the age of seventy, normally people take rest. After a certain time, one wants to take retirement from work and go to a nice place because "Now I have earned so much, I don't want to work, I want to relax."
On Mondays, many people don't want to go to work. That is very true. We want every day to be like Sunday or Saturday, because that's a weekend where we can spend nice time. Everyone feels that "I hope it was another Sunday." How many of you feel, "Hope it is Sunday. Why Monday again? Why we have to go for work?" The only thing is, if we go to work, end of the month we get the salary, we get money to spend. That is the reason. Many people feel maybe it's their passion to work, and there are a lot of other people who feel that this passion is there, and who work for twelve, fifteen hours. So that is a different thing, but most of us—I am telling about myself—getting up in the morning on Monday especially, and going to work is a challenge. I always feel that "I hope it was a Sunday."
Maybe we can continue with this one. Krsna says that who, after taking birth of this human life, after getting this human life, if somebody does not utilize for understanding Krsna, then he is a miser. Miser, like he has all the facilities, but if I am not using it... If I have all the facilities, everything is there with me, but I don't use it, it's there. So similarly, when we have got this human life, human body, but if we don't utilize for Krsna consciousness, that is the biggest miser, that is the biggest loss that one can have.
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
So in this whole universe, there are so many living entities, uncountable. I heard somewhere that in this palm, there are so many living entities that all the human beings of the whole world, if you calculate, maybe six billion or something is there, so more than that, there are living entities in this palm, in this small place. So these living entities, they have no chance to go back to Krsna. And that chance is only available for us, for human beings. And if someone wastes or if someone loses that chance, that is the biggest miser, that is the biggest loser actually. So if after getting a human form, we are not utilizing it, then it's a total failure. The third paragraph is: "The kṛpaṇas, or miserly persons, waste their time in being overly affectionate..." Until what time we should... Four thirty? Before they sleep! In the meantime, I will also ask if you have any questions, you can... I think you were prepared! Yes.
Q: "If someone doesn't attain Krsna in the human life, he is a miser? But not everyone in the world has the chance to... Maybe there's no temple or something. Not everyone in the world might have the chance to come to a temple. How do they get the opportunity to not be a miser?"
A: "Very nice question. The thing is, getting a human form is itself a very big thing. But again, there is association. There is, as I mentioned:
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
So to get this seed of devotion itself is a very big thing. Not everyone will get this devotion. Even if Prabhupada wanted everyone to become Vaisnavas, it is because there are certain things which block us. If I have done some pious activity, or a lot of pious activity, then I get a chance to get association of a Vaisnava. Though Vaisnavas want to share this or they want to bless everyone to come to the spiritual world, there are so many things also that stop one, especially if someone is doing aparādha, vaiṣṇava-aparādha especially, then it will be very difficult."
Q: "If you don't have good karma, then even if you get a human life, it's a waste?"
A: "No, it's not like that. The desire is very important. If one has the desire..."
Q: "What if you don't know?"
A: "You don't know? Then there are book distributors who go... Like Prabhupada, in the West, in the Western world, who knew about Krsna? Nobody knew. But Prabhupada, when he came, he gave this. There was a question by a devotee that in scriptures we read that only one who has done all the pious activities, he has done so many yajñas, everything he has done, then he gets a chance to know about Krsna, to hear about Krsna. 'So did we do so many pious activities that we are hearing about Krsna from you, Prabhupada?' So Prabhupada said, 'No. This is mercy. This is mercy from a Vaisnava.' So a Vaisnava can go and deliver, he can give this message of Krsna to anyone, to everyone."
So due to Prabhupada's mercy, we got this. It's not that we deserve it, but we got because of mercy of a sadhu, like Prabhupada or devotees. So this is the way one can understand. Yes, Mataji.
Q: Out of curiosity, you said that there are filters. What about the filter of Kali-yuga?
A: After Kali-yuga, there will again start this catur-yuga.
Q: So the ones who are left in Kali-yuga in filter, they will go to Satya-yuga?
A: Maybe Madhava Puri Prabhu can answer.
A (Madhava Puri d): It's a similar logic when people say that because of reincarnation, the Earth will become overpopulated. But there's a constant stream of jīvas going all over the place to different planets, different universes, and things like that. So it can be applied to your question as well, because not automatically those who are the most degraded at the very end of Kali-yuga... there is a partial dissolution when all the jīvas merge back into the body of Maha-Visnu. And then they are distributed again at the beginning of the new mahā-yuga. So they may not necessarily come back to the exact same universe even. You end up in a destination in a body and in a geographical place which is corresponding to your consciousness. So it would be a bit strange to think that everybody makes it involuntarily! That's what happens. Kali-yuga comes and finishes everything off, and then they will get a ticket to Satya-yuga automatically? They may end up in other places, so it's very hard to understand. But this is all taken care of by material nature. And therefore the Earth does not get overpopulated, because when people leave their bodies, they may end up in the moon planet or Venus or a different universe, and others coming here. As far as our little brain cannot really grasp these things, I would say. But it's an interesting issue.
A: It's a very interesting one, yeah. The thing is, it's the same as why we came here. This question is a little of that kind, we don't know. Prabhupada says, "You go there and you try to understand why you came here." Some questions are quite... I don't know if there is... Madhava Puri Prabhu has given nice... Yes. We have some more time left, so if there are any questions, we can...
Q: I was more wanting to hear about this last sentence of this verse, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam. So, more on the guru-āśraya aspect. I also wanted to hear something on that, what is the aspect... Okay, now the verse says that if you have kārpaṇya-doṣa, that means if you have miserly weakness. Okay, next is prapannam, "I must have accepted guru's instruction." So, then can we a little bit say about that?
A: Yes, yes, yes. So the last line is śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam. So if you have read Bhagavad-gītā, in the previous, Arjuna is giving so many reasons why he should not fight. So he has given N number of reasons, and then after giving all these reasons, still he is not satisfied. Because he is completely feeling what to do, what not to do. So everyone gets in that situation. And then to get over that situation when we don't know what to do, especially in spiritual life, it is the spiritual master, because he guides one devotee or one living entity that how can you approach. The thing is, first we have to understand that these problems will go away only when we take shelter of Krsna. But because we don't know how to take... When we are starting Bhagavad-gītā, we read:
oṁ ajñāna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā
cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ
That means we are born in ignorance. We are ignorant. When a child is born, he does not know anything, only like food where he can get, he will go to mother and get the food. Otherwise he doesn't know anything. So we are born in ignorance, but what will take us to Krsna, that is the śāstras, the scriptures that is given by Krsna Himself. So to go back to Krsna, then we need someone who can let us know how to approach Krsna. I mean, there are many paths where people feel that why someone in between Krsna and me, I can directly go to Krsna. But Krsna Himself says that one has to approach a spiritual master, spiritual master who has understood this and he is following the same in his own life. So now in this situation Arjuna has made Krsna his spiritual master, and now because he is spiritual master, then he is in a position that he can take his guidance. Till now it was friendship, so he was telling something and Krsna was also not instructing him. So unless we approach a spiritual master, unless we go to a higher authority, they will not tell you that. Because if I know that you are not going to hear, then what is the need of telling? So at this point, when Arjuna understood that this has to be clarified by Krsna, I cannot take my own decision, and then he surrenders himself. Similarly, when one goes to a spiritual master and he surrenders himself, then spiritual master can guide you. So that means you are opening your doors to the heart, that I am ready now to take the instructions. Until then it is closed. So one does not... First of all, whether I have faith in him or not. Now Arjuna has complete faith in Krsna and he is saying that I will do whatever you want, whatever you tell me. Similarly, when we don't know anything, so if a spiritual master guides us that you should do this, then one follows, because he has seen the truth. So he knows the truth and he is saying that this is the truth. So when I have put my faith in my spiritual master and I am doing exactly what he says, then I can go to Krsna. And that is the solution to every problem. If one reaches Krsna, then all the problems of this life and everything, this is the solution. So that's what...
This is a universal principle. Prabhupada said that Lord Jesus Christ is a pure devotee. One of his most famous statements is that nobody gets to come to the Lord except through me.
A: Okay, yeah.
Q: Of course the Christians have their own interpretation, but the guru principle is very...
A: Is very, very important. Most, very important actually, yeah. So, that's what Arjuna has now surrendered to Krsna and asking for guidance, what should a soul, what should I do? Yes.
Q: I was just thinking on Lokanath's question also. It was a good question he was asking about was that what about the others who have never knew about or heard about Krsna consciousness? So I was thinking even animals, insects or birds, everything, nothing is wasted.
A: Nothing is...?
Q: Nothing is wasted. It's a journey, directly or indirectly, it's a long journey or a short journey towards Krsna.
A: But that long can be eternal. Eternal, yes. You never know what happens.
Q: But I was thinking they will pass on their life and then, probably if there is mercy or if there's karuna, then they get again maybe animal, maybe... But then again when I was reading in Laghu-bhagavatamrta that all the souls, whoever are left after the destruction of the lower, then they get unmanifested, and then they go into the brahma...
A: In Visnu, Maha-Visnu, yes.
Q: ...and then there's a waiting period for them until the next yuga starts, and then they get manifested again. So again they get a chance for self-realization, so...
A: They get a chance according to their desire. It's not about self-realization. I mean, if I have desires left, I want to do this, I want to enjoy this, then when they go back, when they come here again, they come with desires, whatever.
Q: They will come with the same state where they were. It's like a pause where they are kind of just unmanifested, and then they get manifested again. I don't know how many or maybe all, we have no control, Krsna decides. I mean we don't know actually, so only Krsna knows that. And then it's a cycle. So of course now whoever got the mercy, guru-krsna-krpa, or punya-punja... So by their own karma or their own piety, until it is not full, probably they don't get the mercy of the Vaisnavas or Lord. But because of Prabhupada of course there's a lot of mercy and Caitanya Mahaprabhu's coming and the mercy is flowing. But it felt a little pity that others who do not know about Krsna consciousness, but actually what I feel like maybe they are still passing on their life and who knows the next life...
A: Yeah, the thing is, this question is very difficult to answer, first thing. Secondly, Krsna is very merciful. So it's not a very hard and fast rule that if you... I mean, we say according to the scriptures whatever is mentioned there, but Krsna is so merciful. See, what was the reason that He came as Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Just 500 years back. And He comes in several, all the ages. In several avataras He comes to give...
yadā yadā hi dharmasya
glānir bhavati bhārata
abhyutthānam adharmasya
tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham
paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ
vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām
Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām, He says, to give shelter to the devotees and to kill the miscreants, He comes to this material world so many times. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya, means always He is coming. Maybe we don't know. So He is very, very merciful to everyone, to all the living entities He is merciful. We don't know how He will give His mercy to any living entity.
Q: His question was quite interesting. But he was feeling a little compassionate towards who have never heard about Krsna consciousness, their life is wasted.
A: No worries, actually. The thing is, because we have got this mercy, everyone has to take this mercy and then spread this knowledge. So because of that Krsna says that He is the most dear to Me who explains this to other living entities or to others. So He likes so much if someone spreads this knowledge. Like a father who has lost his child, if someone brings the child back to him, then how happy he will be? And Krsna is the supreme father. So if one takes him to Krsna, then how happy Krsna will be, and how much mercy we will get. So if we understand that, then we can take Krsna consciousness seriously ourselves and try to propagate this knowledge to everyone. Because everyone is looking for only this, only Krsna consciousness, only Krsna consciousness, nothing else. And because of illusory energy, we are trying to find this happiness everywhere, in this and that, but it is not possible. It's not possible to get that happiness. And that happiness can be received only when we go to Krsna. Yes. Okay. Shall we?