View source for We have to study Vedas through authoritative sources. We have to follow the rules and regulations. Then, in this life, we shall be able to understand what is God, what is Krsna

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{{terms|"we have to study Vedas through authoritative sources. We have to follow the rules and regulations. Then, in this life, we shall be able to understand what is God, what is Krsna"}}
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{{compiler|Narottama}}
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{{first|17Jun12}}
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[[Category:We Have To]]
[[Category:study]]
[[Category:vedas]]
[[Category:through]]
[[Category:Authoritative Sources]]
[[Category:We Have To]]
[[Category:Follow the Rules and Regulations]]
[[Category:then]]
[[Category:This]]
[[Category:In This Life]]
[[Category:We Shall]]
[[Category:Shall Be]]
[[Category:Able To Understand]]
[[Category:What Is God]]
[[Category:What Is Krsna]]
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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Festival_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="6" parent="Lectures" text="Festival Lectures"><h3>Festival Lectures</h3>
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<div id="RathayatraLosAngelesJuly11971_0" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="14" link="Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971" link_text="Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971|Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971]]: </span><div class="text">Prabhupāda: So we should discriminate between lust and love. Love cannot be accepted unless it is reposed in Kṛṣṇa. That is love. And all other, everything, that is lust. It appears to be similar, but love and lust, there is so much difference of value. Just like gold and iron. Gold and iron. Real love is gold, and the so-called love, or lust, is iron. How you can evaluate gold and iron on the same level? It is not possible. So you have to learn real love. That is how to love Kṛṣṇa. Our whole process is training people how to love Kṛṣṇa. Just like this temple. For Kṛṣṇa we are all engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, nice throne, Kṛṣṇa nicely dressed. But the atheist will say, "These people are foolish. They have taken a brass idol, and they are engaged." That is false. Actually, we are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. We are dressing Kṛṣṇa directly. We are offering flower, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa has kindly accepted the arca-mūrti incarnation to be handled by me. Otherwise just like Arjuna saw the virata-mūrti, the universal form of Kṛṣṇa. He was tremble; he was afraid. He requested Kṛṣṇa, "Please become again just like my friend. This is very fearful." Yes.
So Kṛṣṇa, because He is all-powerful, Para-brahman... Para-brahman means the bigger than the biggest and the smaller than the smallest. Aṇor aṇīyāṁ mahato mahīyān. Aṇu. Aṇu means particle. We have got idea, atom. Kṛṣṇa can enter into the atom also. Aṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu cayāntara-stham. Paramāṇu means atom. Kṛṣṇa can become so big that many universes can be put into his mouth. Just like Yaśodā-mā, Mother Yaśodā. He (she) wanted to check, "Whether You have eaten dirt? Show me Your face, mouth." As soon as Kṛṣṇa opened mouth, "Oh," Yaśodā-mā said, "all the universes are within." So Yaśodā-mā, out of affection, she thought, "Oh, this is something puzzling. All right, close your..." (laughter) That's all. That is God. He... "Mother, you want to see whether there is some dirt within My mouth? You see the whole universal dirts are within Me." That is called mahato mahīyān. Within that mouth, He exhibited all the universes. How it is possible? Yes, it is possible. Just like in the globe we see the whole world. Here is America, here is Russia, here this, here this. That is possible. It is a process only, to understand the process. Similarly, to understand God, it requires a process. You have to know the process, a secret process. That is bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti ([[Vanisource:BG 18.55|BG 18.55]]). Kṛṣṇa says, only through devotional service you can understand Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, to understand God, Kṛṣṇa, is not very difficult. It is very easy. He becomes revealed to the devotees.
So there is no difficulty. Simply we have to become sincere devotee. Our service must be very sincere and authentic under the direction of authority. Then you will understand God. There is no difficulty. Teṣām aham anukampārtham. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, teṣām evānukampārtham ([[Vanisource:BG 10.11|BG 10.11]]). Teṣām. Teṣām means not ordinary person. Those who are devotees, sincere devotees, to show them a special favor... God is kind to everyone, but He is specially kind to His devotees. That is His special. He is kind to everyone. Otherwise how everyone is eating? Nobody is starving. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Eka, that one eternal being, He is supplying everyone's necessities. And the plural number of eternals, they are dependent on that one. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān.
So we have to study Vedas through authoritative sources. We have to follow the rules and regulations. Then, in this life, we shall be able to understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, you are liberated immediately. There is no doubt about it. Because without being liberated, nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa. Nobody can understand Kṛṣṇa. Tato māṁ tattvato jñātvā viśate tad anantaram. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that first of all you have to become liberated. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ, identification with Brahman. That is liberation. Now we are identifying with this matter, material elements. Everyone is illusioned. "I am this body; therefore I am American." "Therefore I am Indian." "Therefore I am this." "Therefore I am that." Everyone. This is called jīva-bhūtaḥ, ignorance. And as soon as one becomes brahma-bhūtaḥ, he understands. Prasannātmā. "Oh, I am neither American nor this, nor that. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." That is brahma-bhūtaḥ, simply to change the consciousness. At the present moment our consciousness is material. I am identifying with matter. The same thing, consciousness, when changed, you identify with Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's interest, then you are liberated.
Thank you. (break) Is that all right? Or if there is any question, you can make question. Yes.
Devotee: Prabhupāda, can you explain a little more about Ratha-yātrā? Anyone who takes part in Ratha-yātrā, are they liberated?
Prabhupāda: Certainly.
Devotee: Does that mean they will not take birth again?
Prabhupāda: Yes. Yes, provided they take it seriously. Otherwise, if they keep their mentality differently, then according to mind, one has to get a body. But... Just like so many boys. They come here in the beginning out of curiosity, but gradually, they get the chance of becoming devotee. Similarly, if they take the chance, then they will be liberated. They come out of curiosity, but if they take it seriously, then they will be liberated. Just like hospital is meant for curing disease. So one should take the treatment. If he simply goes and visits the hospital and thinks "Now I am cured," how it can be done? Hospital is a... Suppose if I advertise that "Anyone who comes to this hospital, he will be cured of his disease," that's a fact. But if he thinks that "I have come here. Now I am going," then how he will be cured? To see Jagannātha on the Ratha-yātrā, his way for liberation is open, but if he comes back again and entangles himself, then? One goes to the doctor. He gives injection. The disease is cured. But again he comes back and does the same thing so that he develops this disease again. So whose fault it is? This is called hasti-snāna. Hasti-snāna. The elephant takes bath very nicely, and as soon as comes on the bank of the river or the lake, he takes dust and throws it over body again. If we do that, then we shall remains always dirty. You go, take bath, cleanse, but don't take dirt again. That is not going on. They become immediately mukta, liberated, but they come, again becomes entangled. If it is a fact seeing Jagannātha is mukta, that's all... He becomes mukta. But if he again comes to māyā, then who can check him? Just like you are all on the path of liberation, but if you again come back to māyā, then where is your liberation? Why Jagannātha in the ratha here? If somebody comes here and sees his path for liberation is open... Now he should protect himself. Just like disease, fever is subsided. Now one should be careful not to relapse the fever. That care is in my hand, everyone's hands. And if you become prone to be relapsed again, then again the same thing. Just like in Christian church they confess. Of course, that is the injunction. That's all right. After confessing, the sins are excused. That's a fact. But if he comes back, again commits the same, then where is the effect? But they are happy in that way. They are... "After one week, I shall go to the church and confess my sins. Then everything will be neutralized." This is all right. Suppose on Sunday you become free from all contamination of your sinful activities. And Monday you again do the same thing. So you become again contaminated. And, say, on Tuesday if you die, then you are dying with sins. Is it not? Then what is your condition? If the God or Christ excused you of your sinful life, that's all right. But when you come back, you don't commit again sin. Then you are all right. But we have taken it as a business that we go to Sunday, neutralize our sins, and come back again and do the same thing. So from logical point of view, suppose you do the same sinful activities, and if you die immediately, then you die with sinful activities, go to hell. What benefit you derive by confessing in the church? This business is going on. "Now I have seen Jagannātha. My liberation is guaranteed. Now I can do anything." That's all. This mentality. This mentality will not give you liberation. You have seen Jagannātha, your sinful activities are now neutralized, but don't commit again. Now make progress. Then your liberation is guaranteed. Is it clear?
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