Prabhupada 0424 - You Take Full Advantage of this Vedic Culture
Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- New York, July 6, 1972
Sanskrit language is very important, honored all over the world. Especially in Germany, they are very much fond of this Sanskrit. There are many German scholars who can speak in Sanskrit language for hours. They are so serious student of Sanskrit. One of my Godbrothers, he is now in Sweden, he used to speak that "When one Indian student used to come to our country from London" In British days Indians would go to London, and he would take a degree there, and he would become a big man. That was the system. So while coming back home, naturally they used to visit other European countries. So in Germany they used to test the Indian student, how far he knew about his own culture. So this, my Godbrother, his name was Ansulye (?), now he's Sadānanda Swami, so he said that as soon as we saw that the student did not know anything of his Indian culture, immediately rejected him, "That is useless."
So if, those who are Indians, especially present in this meeting, that if you want to glorify your country, then you present this Vedic literature. You cannot excel the western countries by so-called technological knowledge. That is not possible. They are far advanced. Hundred years advance. Whatever machine you may discover, that machine was discovered one hundred years ago in western countries. So you cannot. Anything. So if you want, Indians, to glorify your country, then present this Vedic culture heart and soul, and Just like I am trying to do it. So how people are accepting it? There is substance. Before me so many swamis came in this country, they could not present the real thing. They wanted some money and went away. That's all. Our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not that. We want to give something to the western countries. That is our purpose. Not we have come to beg, we have to give them something. That is my mission. They come here to beg, "Give me rice, give me dahl, give me wheat, give me money," but I have come here to give something of Indian culture. That is the difference.
So you European, American students, you take full advantage of this Vedic culture. I am therefore so much laboring hard that we, before my leaving this body, I may give you some books who you can enjoy after my death. So utilize it. Utilize it. Read every śloka nicely, try to understand the meaning, discuss amongst yourselves. Nityaṁ bhagavata-sevayā. That is our mission. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhagavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Abhadra, we have got so many dirty things within our heart. So these dirty things can be cleansed simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other method.
- śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇa
- puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
- hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
- vidhunoti suhṛt satām
- (SB 1.2.17)
- naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
- nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
- bhagavaty uttama-śloke
- bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī
- (SB 1.2.18)
This is the process. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is within your heart. Kṛṣṇa is trying to help you from within and from without. From without, He is presenting His form in this temple. You can take the advantage of serving Him. He is sending His representative, spiritual master, to speak you directly about Kṛṣṇa, and He is ready to help you from within as Paramatma. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. He wants that you are all suffering in this material existence, Kṛṣṇa comes as He is, and He canvasses, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So bhāgavata-sevayā, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18), cleansing the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). This is the process. We are part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa, so we are pure, we have become impure on account of material contamination. So we have to purify ourselves and the process is to hear about Kṛṣṇa. That's all.