Sankarshan Das: Srimad-Bhagavatam, 4th canto, chapter 22, text 55.

gopīthāya jagat-sṛṣṭeḥ

kāle sve sve ’cyutātmakaḥ

mano-vāg-vṛttibhiḥ saumyair

guṇaiḥ saṁrañjayan prajāḥ

gopīthāya — for the protection of; jagat-sṛṣṭeḥ — of the supreme creator; kāle — in due course of time; sve sve — own; acyuta-ātmakaḥ — being Kṛṣṇa conscious; manaḥ — mind; vāk — words; vṛttibhiḥ — by occupation; saumyaiḥ — very gentle; guṇaiḥ — by qualification; saṁrañjayan — pleasing; prajāḥ — the citizens.

Translation and purport by His Divine Grace, Srila Prabhupada.

Since Mahārāja Pṛthu was a perfect devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he wanted to protect the Lord’s creation by pleasing the various citizens according to their various desires. Therefore Pṛthu Mahārāja used to please them in all respects by his words, mentality, works and gentle behavior.

Purport: As will be explained in the next verse, Pṛthu Mahārāja used to please all kinds of citizens by his extraordinary capacity to understand the mentality of others. Indeed, his dealings were so perfect that every one of the citizens was very much satisfied and lived in complete peace. The word acyutātmakaḥ is significant in this verse, for Mahārāja Pṛthu used to rule this planet as the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He knew that he was the representative of the Lord and that the Lord’s creation must be protected intelligently. Atheists cannot understand the purpose behind the creation. Although this material world is condemned when it is compared to the spiritual world, there is still some purpose behind it. Modern scientists and philosophers cannot understand that purpose, nor do they believe in the existence of a creator. They try to establish everything by their so-called scientific research, but they do not center anything around the supreme controller. A devotee, however, can understand the purpose of creation, which is to give facilities to the individual living entities who want to lord it over material nature. The ruler of this planet should therefore know that all the inhabitants, especially human beings, have come to this material world for sense enjoyment. It is therefore the duty of the ruler to satisfy them in their sense enjoyment as well as to elevate them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that they all can ultimately return home, back to Godhead.

With this idea in mind, the king or government head should rule the world. In this way, everyone will be satisfied. How can this be accomplished? There are many examples like Pṛthu Mahārāja, and the history of his regency on this planet is elaborately described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Even in this fallen age, if the rulers, governors and presidents take advantage of Pṛthu Mahārāja’s example, there will certainly be a reign of peace and prosperity throughout the world.

vande ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaishnavams ca

sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa jivam

sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam krishna-caitanya-devam

sri-radha-krishna-padan saha-gana-lalita- sri-visakhanvitams ca

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale

srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine

namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine

Nirvisesha-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

So what can we learn from this verse and Purport? Well, the ruler should be a proper. Not like the so called rulers nowadays, like we have this one rascal in the US, who is engaged in criminal activities and may actually go to prison, but he's on the verge of being elected as President of the United States, if you can believe that. He's the leading candidate, by far and above the leading candidate to the Republican Party and he's getting, looks like they're going to send him to prison for all of his criminal activities. It's unbelievable somebody would be the President of the United States, direct criminal if he made the President of the United States. So what to speak of the..? This is the plight of our modern civilization. We don't have qualified leaders. This is the problem. Therefore there is no peace and prosperity. There is all kinds of havoc going on. Even nature is reciprocating with all kinds of things like global warming and drought. All these things are there because the leadership is not proper and therefore the people are not properly engaged. So what can we do about it? Well, that's the whole purpose of the Krishna consciousness movement. As Prabhupad said here, even in the fallen ages, the rulers, governors and presidents take advantage of Maharaja Prakshit's example, there would certainly be a reign of peace and prosperity throughout the world. So the whole purpose of the Krishna conscious movement is to educate the people, this is an example of Prithu Maharaja. This is why distributing these books is very important, why cultivating people is very important, why the chanting of the holy names is very important. All these things that Prabhupad has given us, we take them very seriously, everything very nicely, the deity worship, the japa, all.., the kirtan, the street sankirtan, the book distribution, the correlation program, all the things that we are doing, we do them very sincerely with enthusiasm, determination and patience and we will see an impact, a very powerful impact on the world. And it is often said that God helps those who help themselves. We make this endeavor to bring the example of Prithu Maharaja into the public mind. Krishna will help us. It's like that little sparrow, it seemed impossible to dry the ocean to get her eggs back. The ocean had stolen her eggs. It seemed absolutely impossible. The ocean refused to give her the egg. She was determined to drive the ocean one drop at a time. Can you imagine that? A little sparrow driving up the whole ocean one drop at a time. Impossible, absolutely impossible because she was very determined, I must do this. Garuda came, her big brother, the king of the birds came, and told the ocean, you give those eggs back right now. I will dry you up on the mystic powers. So we have to have determination, like the little sparrow to make the world Krishna conscious. Even though It is certainly impossible, isn't it, to make the whole world Krishna conscious? We have a hard time even being Krishna conscious ourselves, let alone speaking of the whole world. If we have the determination, I must now become the pure devotee of Krishna and I must do everything possible to make this world Krishna conscious. If we have this determination, all these great Acharyas, Srila Prabhupada Bhaktisiddhanta, Bhaktivedanta Thakur, the Goswami, Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda, all the way back to Madhvacharya, Jamunacharya Acharya, all these great Acharyas who have great power and potency, they will bless us. So let's make this our endeavor, to bring this example of Prithu Maharaj into the public eye, so everybody can understand who is Prithu Maharaj. What a great example he set of seeing all the citizens were happy, they had a certain desire for sense enjoyment, so he facilitated them at the same time, he gave them the directions how to get liberated from the material world. So what can we say? What can we say in this connection? Well, we have to get back to the original basics in that we have to be Krishna conscious ourselves. The difficulty is we are bombarded with so many material desires. Here we are trying to be Krishna conscious but we are being bombarded with so many material desires flooding our consciousness.

So The real starting point, the real bottom line is how can we be Krishna conscious? How can we get free of this lust, anger, greed, madness, illusion and envy? It's so much polluting our hearts. That's the real starting point. That's the real starting point. You must be the revolution you want to make. Must be that revolution you want to make. We must be totally fixed in Krishna consciousness, free from all the lust, anger, greed, madness, illusion and envy. And even Rupa Goswami tells us,

vāco vegaṁ manasaḥ krodha-vegaṁ

jihvā-vegam udaropastha-vegam

etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ

sarvām apīmāṁ pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt

One who can conquer mind, words, anger, tongue, belly and genitals, can make disciples all over the world. And Prabhupad even one time translated that he can make the whole world his disciples. So there is a great power in actually controlling these senses. See these pushings are there. The mind wants to jump here, jump here, meditating on this nonsense thing, meditating on that nonsense thing. The mind, the words, you might talk some prajalpa, some gossip. Instead of Krishna Katha, you might talk some nonsense thing. Mind, words and anger, we get angry by our sense gratification is being interrupted.

The tongue, you want eat anything that tastes good even not considering our health, whether it's offered or not, there's a tendency, the tongue, belly, and the belly goes along with the tongue, and the genitals, the genitals want to have sex, sex, sex, sex. Wanting indiscrimination in following regulated principles, that's the tendency of the genitals, they don't care about regulated principles, they just want to be gratified, Gratify me, gratify me, gratify me. So these pushings are there. The mind, the words, the anger, the tongue, the belly and the genitals.

So we can learn how to say, okay, I am not going to be a servant anymore of my mind, my words, my anger, my tongue, my belly and my genitals. I am no longer going to be their servant. I am not going to run around to satisfy the desires of these six pushings. Now I am going to be a Goswamy, and I am going to bring these under control. My dear mind, your only business now is to be Krishna conscious. My dear tongue, your only business is to taste Krishna Prasadam and glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead. My dear anger, your only business is to chastise the atheists and those who are offended against the Lord. My dear tongue, your only.. mind your words tongue, my dear tongue, your only business is to taste Prasadam and your belly automatically is controlled. My dear genitals, your only business is to make Krishna conscious children or to remain completely silent. Completely silent, not bothering me at all. Either make Krishna conscious children or just go to sleep and don't bother me at all. Don't agitate me with your lusty desires. So in this way we have to learn how to bring these things under control.

To do this, see we are denying, denying, denying, you can't do this, you can't do that. We have to have something positive. We can deny no illicit sex, no immediate intoxication, gambling is very good. We have to have something positive to replace them. Therefore we have chanting japa at least 16 times every day. This Holy Name is so powerful. Rupa Goswami actually talks about it in a very nice way.

tuṇḍe tāṇḍavinī ratiṁ vitanute tuṇḍāvalī-labdhaye

karṇa-kroḍa-kaḍambinī ghaṭayate karṇārbudebhyaḥ spṛhām

cetaḥ-prāṅgaṇa-saṅginī vijayate sarvendriyāṇāṁ kṛtiṁ

no jāne janitā kiyadbhir amṛtaiḥ kṛṣṇeti varṇa-dvayī

Very nice verse. He says, I do not know how much nectar these two syllables kṛṣṇa have produced. When the Holy Name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, appears to dance within the mouth. When we desire, we then desire many, many mouths. You've got the name of Krishna dancing in your mouth, but one mouth is not enough. All the nectar, we desire many, many mouths. And then he continues, when that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, It conquers the activities of the mind and therefore all the senses become inert. So the senses become very peaceful and inert. They are totally satisfied. They don't need any gratification. The senses are completely satisfied by Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Everyone can completely conquer over sex desire. A brahmachari, a Krishna conscious householder, a vanaprastha or a sannyasi can completely conquer over sex desire. Because the sense is totally satisfied. Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

I don't need to over indulge in any of these things beyond what is necessary. The mind, words, anger, tongue, belly and genitals. I'm totally satisfied just by chanting the Holy Names of the Lord. So then how do we actually enter into that state where we can relish the Holy Name? That's why the 10 offenses against the holy name must be known and understood and followed, or avoided, properly saying. We have to avoid these offenses because if we avoid these offenses and keep chanting Hare Krishna, then the full potency of the name will become awakened in our heart, the Krishna-sun arises within our heart. Right now we're in the darkness of ignorance, especially in this age of Kali, it's a very very dark age and we are polluted by the age of Kali, we are all polluted, we have lusty, we are angry, we are greedy, we have all these bad tendencies polluted by the age of Kali. But if we can chant the holy names without offense, that beautiful Krishna sun will arise within our heart and drive away all the ignorance, all the lust, anger, greed, madness, delusion and envy of this age of Kali.

So my dear listeners, do you want to cheat yourself or do you want to reward yourself? It's your choice. Cheat yourself or reward yourself. You want to continue serving the mind, words, anger, time, belly, and genitals, you are cheating yourself big time. Because actually within your heart you are a pure devotee. You are a pure devotee of Krishna. And this lust, all this material desire, the lusty desire, they are simply a perverted reflection of the love of God within your heart. So take that lust and transfer it back to its original nature which is the love of God. In other words, lust is simply the love of God turned upside down. All you have to do is take that lust and turn it right side up and let it be love of God once again. So we have to come back to that position, love of God and we are blessed by great Acharyas, Srila Prabhupad, Bhakti Sidhantha Saraswathi, Bhakti Vinoda Thakur. We are blessed by all these great Acharyas just by their subsetting of these great liberated souls. Even by meditating on them, they are present with us. Or by studying their teachings, their writings, they are present with us. And just by contact, you become like that with which you associate. So just by coming in contact with the liberated souls, we've fallen lusty, angry, greedy people, animals, lower than animals, we can now come back to our original nature of Pure love of God. So pure love of God is simply wonderful. There is no anxiety, there is no confusion and delusion. All these things are gone. We get totally liberated in this material world. We can actually become qualified to see Krishna face to face, eye to eye. At the same time we can still function in the material world, driving here, walking here, cooking this, or whatever we do with our material senses. You can do that perfectly when your spiritual senses become fully awakened.

And don't worry about becoming Krishna conscious and won't be able to function, won't be able to work a job, won't be able to drive a car. No, when you become Krishna conscious you become more expert in working a job or driving a car or all these things because you see them all in relationship with Krishna. Because actually everything is related with Krishna. It's only our illusion that we try to enjoy separately from Krishna, but everything we do is meant to satisfy Krishna. It's meant for His enjoyment, everything we do.

So I always try to think, what I am doing right now, is that pleasing Krishna? Or is it not displeasing Krishna? Make that your rule of action. What I am thinking now, is this pleasing Krishna? What I am doing now, what I am speaking now, are these things pleasing to Krishna and my spiritual master or are they displeasing? We have to have that discrimination to avoid doing all things that displease Guru and Krishna and do only those things that please Guru and Krishna. That's called discrimination. That's called intelligence. We have to discipline ourselves to avoid those things that do not please Guru and Krishna. And focus on those things that please Guru and Krishna. What if I'm still in a mixed position and by habit I'm doing so many things that I know are not pleasing Guru and Krishna. What to do? I'm carried away by the mother nature again and again and again throughout the day. What to do? As I quoted earlier, God helps those who help themselves. So make the endeavor.

If you're very well in material energy, you will do everything you can. Every time you see I'm very well in material energy, I'll try to bring myself back to the spiritual energy. You may not be very successful in the beginning, but if you are like that little sparrow, but if you keep making that endeavor, making that endeavor, I'm not going to be in the influence of the material energy, I'm going to come back to the spiritual energy, hooray, I am under Mother Radharani, not under Durga's care, I'm going to be under mother Radharani. You make that endeavor and gradually, gradually, gradually you become habituated to being under the spiritual nature. Right now we are habituated to being under the material nature. We make so many mistakes, we do so many things wrong, we do so many things that are nonsense, because we are addicted to the material nature. Just like when somebody is addicted to cigarettes, how do they get off it? Well they can't get off it immediately, they have to get off it gradually. Instead of smoking a pack a day, smoke a half a pack a day, then smoke a quarter of a pack a day, then smoke one a day. You can't give it up immediately and give it up little by little by little by little. So in this way we can't go pure devotee immediately, we can't get rid of all our lust, greed and anger, and madness, delusion and envy immediately, just try to be a little bit more Krishna conscious today than you were yesterday. You can't go all the way and do a little bit more today than you did yesterday. And every day you will be a little bit more today than I was Krishna conscious today than I was yesterday. In this way gradually, gradually, gradually you can achieve the stage of robustness.

So let us be intelligent and not carried away by the modes of nature. Let us use our brains, to do, to think, speak and act in such a way that is beneficial for me. This is called intelligence, this is called Krishna consciousness. And we should not be... Anyway, are there any questions? Let's See if we have any questions coming in.

Bhakta Sunil: How do I understand the point in the purport about the duty of the leader is to satisfy the citizens in that sense?

Sankarshan Das: Just like in the spiritual marriage gives a facility, you want some sex? Okay, get yourself married, you can have some children, you can have your sex enjoyment. So just like the spiritual marriage gives a facility for gratifying the senses, at the same time teaching how to become free from gratification. The king also does that, he facilitates citizens but not within religious principles, not outside of religion.

Bhaktin Sheela:Please enlighten if I should try being Gambhirya. It is ok to be childlike in Krishna consciousness.

Sankarshan Das: One should have the innocence of a child and the intelligence of an adult. The innocence of a child and the intelligence of an adult. Innocence of a child is intelligence of a man.

Bhakta Gabriel: I offer my humble obeisance. We need to be like the sparrow because to please the Vaishnavas and the Lords. My point is, to become, we have to make that endeavor to become pure, even though it seems impossible sometimes, it is overwhelmed by material desires.

Sankarshan Das: We have to make the endeavor to become pure, but every little bit you can do, that will attract the mercy of Guru and Krishna. So sincerely make the endeavor.

Devahuti's serve Kardama and Narada, two saints, is that the reason to get out our endeavor? We have to....

I don't understand fully your question, but maybe I'm answering it. We have to do everything we can to please the spiritual master and Krishna. Even if it seems impossible to get free of all of my lust, anger, greed, madness, delusion, envy, every little bit I can do will greatly benefit me, greatly benefit me. Every little bit I can do to get out of this by reading from the Krishna book. If one is lusty, he can read the pastimes of Krishna with a Gopi. When some of their buddies are very much disturbed by lust, they can't get out of these lusty feelings in the heart. Because they can, Prabhupada says, if they read the pastimes of Rasalila, they can help them. So everything we can to get free of our lust, our anger, our greed, our madness, our illusion, envy. Make that sincere endeavor even if we are not making much success in it, even a little bit of success. Even a little, one drop, She was getting one drop, another drop, another drop. If you are sincerely trying to get free from all this lust, anger, greed, madness, delusion, envy, if you are sincerely trying, you are not giving in to it, you are trying battling it, you are trying to get out of it, then.. The great Acharya will see, oh, he is sincerely trying, let me give him special mercy to help him.

Devotee: So sometimes it is said that Lord Caitanya used to discuss the Radha-Krishna's pastimes only with just a few of his followers. Otherwise, it was a different topic.

Sankarshan Das: Yeah, That's the special mercy of Prabhupada. He may have yelled everybody in the Krishna book. Even the general public. Even the general public has Krishna book. But it is put in such a way to protect one from misunderstanding and getting diverted by the way Prabhupad presents it. This is Prabhupad's special mercy. Even if somebody is overpowered by lust, he can't free from lust. He is so polluted, he is thinking sex, sex, sex, he can't get it out of his head. He can read Krishna, Rasalila in the Krishna book, to purify. So if you think about lust, you can think, Oh, Krishna was only 8 years old when He danced with the Gopis. I don't even think puberty when He was dancing with the Gopis. So if Krishna wasn't lusty, he was only 8 years old, You can read all these amazing things in the Krishna book. Like how Krishna played the flute. There are so many amazing things. You can start meditating on that instead of meditating on sex. Get in your mind and observe all these amazing things of Krishna. There is no room for sex thoughts anymore.

Okay, let's see what's going on here now.

Bhaktin Preeti: Gurudev, Prabhupada has stated many times it takes six minutes to surrender the lotus feet of Lord Krishna. 5 minutes.

Sankarshan Das: I don't remember hearing that but I accept what you said. It seems very much difficult for me. I am struggling because of my anarthas.

How can I make him free of my anarthas and be fully surrender to Krishna?

Well, you have to make the endeavor Bhaktin Preeti. Actually, why five minutes? In one nanosecond one can completely be a pure devotee of Krishna. The difficulty is we are so addiction to sense enjoyment after millions and millions of lifetimes it is very difficult. What does Krishna say?

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu

kaścid yatati

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu.. What is that? manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. kaścid.. I am mixing it up.

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. What is the next line. manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu. kaścid. I'm forgetting it. Anyway, the English is, Out of a thousand among men, one may endeavor perfection, of the thousand who achieve perfection, hardly even one knows Me in truth. So it is very rare when someone can get out of the clutches of Maya. Out of a thousand people who want to get out of the clutches of Maya, even only one in thousand can actually achieve it. So it is not an easy thing. So The point is we have to make that sincere endeavor, let me get out of the clutches of Maya. You have that sincere endeavor and you chant Hare Krishna in that mood, chant your japa in that mood, my dear Radha and Krishna, please save me from the clutches of Maya, let me now become Your pure devotee. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. If you make a sincere endeavor to get free from all these anarthas that have been polluting us for millions of lifetimes, then Krishna will help. God helps, as I said before, God helps those who help themselves. You have to make the endeavor. Not that you give in to your matrial desires. Okay, give in to your desire for sense gratification. Oh give in a little bit, why not? It feels good, do it. Give in to a little sense gratification. No. Fight it. Fight the desire for sense gratification. No sense gratification. My dear senses, my dear mind, words, anger, tongue, genitals, I have been gratifying you for millions and millions of life times and where has it gotten me? Another damn rotting material body. So I'm not going to let my dear mind, words, anger, tongue, belly and genitals. Now my business is to become a pure devotee of Krishna. That's my only business. So I'm not going to tolerate all your screaming at me, give me this, give me that, give me, give me, give me. You see? I'm going to tolerate your screaming at me and give you, you see. Just like that, Haridas Thakur, he tolerated it. This beautiful young girl came, prostitute actually, to seduce him. She even revealed part of her body to him. She made part of her body naked so he could see it and it blew his mind, seeing part of her body naked.

But he was very cool. We can't imitate him of course, but he was very cool and calm. He said, yes, yes, you have a desire for sexual union, yes, yes. I would be very happy to satisfy your desire for sexual union with me, just let me finish my job first. And this way he tricked her into becoming a pure devotee. He tricked her into becoming a pure devotee. So we have to be intelligent. We should learn this example of Haridasa Thakur that even if the material desires come, we don't give in to them. Even a prostitute came, he didn't give in to that prostitute. Yes, I'll just have sex now. No. He didn't give in. Yes, I will give you sex. Just let me finish my rounds. He didn't give in to that prostitute. So we can't give in to these material desires. We shouldn't give in to them. Be very tolerant, tolerant more than a tree, offering all respect to others without expecting any respect for ourselves. This way we can go on chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. So don't give in to material desires, just tolerate them and bring your mind back to Krishna. Krishna will satisfy all desires. Gratifying material desires may give some temporary so-called satisfaction, but it doesn't give real satisfaction. It doesn't give real satisfaction. I may give in to my lust and have illicit sex but it doesn't satisfy me. Genitals gives some temporary satisfaction and gratification But then they become agitated again, give me more, give me more, give me more, give me more. But if you focus on becoming a pure devotee of Krishna, there you will find genuine satisfaction, not temporary satisfaction.

In the beginning it is very slight, In the beginning it is very slight. In the beginning it is very slight. Sometimes you may not even feel satisfied. You have to understand with your intelligence, This will actually satisfy me, give me unlimited satisfaction. Not giving in to sex desire. This Krishna Bhakti will give me unlimited satisfaction. So let me bring myself back to Krishna again and again and again, even though the genitals are screaming, give me satisfaction, give me satisfaction. No. We come back to Krishna. My dear Krishna, let me now fully absorb myself in chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, with pure love. So we are facing the process, we keep bringing ourselves back in spite of the screaming of the senses. And gradually, gradually, gradually the senses will stop screaming. And we'll find total complete satisfaction in remembering Krishna, talking about Krishna, bowing down to Krishna, offering food to Krishna, offering the arati to Krishna, observing the arati of Krishna, going to the holy places of Krishna, etc. And the material desires will be gone. No more material desires. No more lust, no more anger, no more greed. All finished. So we have to be patient, it takes time for the process to work, we have to have faith in the process, keep working the process, we work the process.. the process works!

So we have anything else? Anything else coming in here? Let's see.

Panchatattva: First to take, kindly enlighten. First to take care of oneself in Krishna consciousness then preach. Or preaching and book distribution helps in maintaining?

Sankarshan Das: Yeah, do both. The more you give Krishna, the more you get Krishna, the more you get Krishna, the more you can give Krishna. You fix like we have a morning program and then we have to give our self Krishna, you charge your batteries and go out and save the world. Charge your batteries, the morning program, our sadhana charges our batteries and then we are put back in so many ways to establish Krishna consciousness all over the world. The more you give Krishna, the more you get Krishna.

The more you give Krishna, the more you, real, Actually, preaching and book distribution, Harinam Sankirtan, cultivating people. These activities will strengthen your own Krishna consciousness. You have only a little Krishna consciousness. Beginning nobody had any Krishna consciousness. Prabhupad sent them out to chant. They didn't have Krishna conscious hardly at all, but Prabhupad sent them out to preach. Even a new person goes on Harinam and book distribution. We have uninitiated disciples, they are not fully practicing. They may not be fully practicing. They may be distributing books like anything last weekend, at our Mind and Body spirit celebration. Like anything. Someone is not even initiated yet but is having great success in distributing books. So that preaching that he did is going to very much strengthen him in his own Krishna consciousness. So whatever Krishna conscious you have, go out and preach and may deliver the world. The more you deliver the world, the more you become liberated. The more you become liberated, the more you empower to deliver the world. So they feed into each other. They do both things.

Hiladini Shakti: Gurudev, as it is said in the Purport, Prithu Maharaj is trying to please all the citizens, but in Kali-yuga, impossible to please everyone as they are deviating from Kṛṣṇa consciousness. How to do it?

Sankarshan Das: Well, by prasādam distribution and kīrtan, we can train them how to be satisfied. Massive Prasadam distribution in massive Sankirtan, they can actually come to a realization that this is satisfying to them. They don't need meat, fish and eggs, onion and garlic. They can be happy just with Krishna Prasadam. It's the best food in the whole world, better than McDonald's or Kentucky Fried Chicken. The best food in the whole world.

Caitanya Das: Hare Krishna Srila Gurudev. I see many sincere devotees who have great qualities, but even they are not able to influence many to take up Krishna consciousness and then I feel hopeless. I don't really believe that I can become pure and help others as well.

Sankarshan Das: Even if you can make even one person Krishna conscious, that is a great victory. So even if in your whole life you only need to make one person devotee, that is a great victory. So keep trying, keep trying, keep trying, keep trying.

Tarun Lalchandani: During chanting the mind cheats me to think why don't you think. Some intimate pastimes of Krishna and Srimati Radharani. Mind wanted..

Sankarshan Das: You are better than those who think about nonsense things when they are chanting japa. Some are thinking about sex life when they are chanting japa. Yes, if I could just have some illicit sex I would be happy. So you are much better off than most people who think about dirty things while they are chanting their japa.

"The mind wanders into mental speculation and thus wants to drift towards the illusory form of woman."

That's what I was talking about. Some devotees think, yeah, a beautiful woman's breasts, the hips, The vagina, oh, a woman, oh, that goes crazy. So you have to say, OK, you rascal mind, beat you with shoes, you rascal thing. You stop going to these dirty things and now you come back to the Holy Name "Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare". So the mind still doesn't want to come back? Well you can bring it back

yato yato niścalati

manaś cañcalam asthiram

tatas tato niyamyaitad

ātmany eva vaśaṁ nayet

From whatever and wherever the mind wanders, due to it flickering and unsteady nature, one should certainly bring it back under the control of the self. Like training a little child, you see. A little child wants to run wild, picking all the glass dishes in the dining room. And he's running wild. You say, little child, stop, sit down. And he sits down for a couple of minutes. Again, he's running wild. So you just gotta keep training and training. My dear mind, don't think about sex, don't think about this, don't think about that, come back, my dear mind, you come back now, come back, come back, and then it comes after 30 seconds and you again run to some nonsense things. You just got to keep bringing it back, be very determined, I may train my mind to only think of Krishna, not any nonsense, dirty thing during my japa.

You've just got to be determined, you keep fighting it, fighting it, fighting it, fighting it, fighting it and gradually you'll be successful. You become a Goswami. Instead of mind, words, anger, tongue, belly and your genitals running after sense pleasure, you'll bring them back to be fixed in Krishna consciousness, become a fixed devotee, fixed up.

So it takes time, it may take many decades, even it may take many lifetimes for some of us, we're so polluted, so polluted with dirty thoughts and dirty feelings, that some of us may take many many lifetimes. But the good news is this, whatever advancement you make in this lifetime, you don't lose it even in the time of death. In the material world, anything you achieve, you become a millionaire, you become a famous rock star, you start at the point of 0 in your next birth, you lose it. You may be an animal in your next birth, you lose all of it in your next birth. But Krishna Bhakti is so nice, let's say I'm still lusty, angry, greedy, full of all these dirty things, but I've made 10% advancement. Then you start your next life at 10%. You don't go back to 0. So whatever advancement you make now, that is your eternal asset. So keep endeavoring, endeavoring, endeavoring. Okay, let me give up my dirty, lusty, angry thoughts and just become fixed in Krishna consciousness, keep fighting it and fighting it and fighting it. Every little drop of water, every little drop of ocean water, it will gradually, gradually, gradually come to the point of a clear mind.

Anybody have any questions? What about the Lithuanians? So far no questions. OK.

So there is nothing else. We thank everybody for tuning in.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare