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Philadelphia, July 12, 1975   Ratha-yatra Lecture by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

Ladies and gentlemen, first of all I wish to thank you, the inhabitants of this great city, Philadelphia. You have been so kind and enthusiastic in taking part in this movement. So I am very much obliged to you. I am especially obliged to the American boys and girls who are helping me so much in spreading this Krsna consciousness movement in the Western countries.

 

I was ordered by my spiritual master to preach this Krsna consciousness in the Western countries. So, in 1965 I first came to New York. Then, in 1966, this society was legally registered in New York, and since 1967 this movement has spread from there, and now it is firmly established in America, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, the southern Pacific Ocean, Australia, and throughout the whole world.

 

So I may inform you little about this movement, Krsna consciousness. "Krsna," this word, means "all-attractive." Krsna is attractive to all living entities- -not only to human beings, but even to animals, birds, bees, trees, flowers, fruits, and even to water. That is the picture of Vrndavana,
the spiritual world. We, however, are in the material world. Here we have no experience of the spiritual world.

 

Nevertheless, even here we can get a glimpse of what the spiritual world is like by studying what is spirit and what is matter. Just try to understand the difference between a living person and a dead body. A dead body indicates that the spirit has left the body. As soon as the living force
within the body is gone, the body is nothing but dead matter; it is useless. But as long as the living force is present in the body, the body is very important.

 

So, we can experience, while we are in this body, that there is something present that is dead matter, and something else present that is living force. Similarly, there are two worlds: the material world and the spiritual world. We living entities, every one of us, belong to the spiritual world. We do not belong to the material world. Somehow or the other, however, we are now in contact with this material world and this material body. Although we are eternal living force, on account of our contact with this material body we have to undergo four tribulations: birth, death, disease and old age. As long as we are in the material world, we cannot avoid these four
conditions.

 

In this material world we get a certain type of body, but it is ended at a certain stage This is true of any material thing. Take, for example, your dress. You are dressed with a certain type of garment, but when it is worn out and no longer usable, you throw it away and get another dress. In the same way, this temporary material body is simply the dress of the spirit,
the eternal living force. However, because we are attached to this material world, because we want to enjoy this material world, therefore we have to accept different types of temporary material bodies.

 

The Bhagavad-gita describes the material body as a machine. It is a very apt
 description:

 

isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati
bhramayan sarva-bhutani
yantrarudhani mayaya

 

"God is in everyone's heart. He is directing the wanderings of the eternal spiritual living entities present in the material world, who are riding in bodies which are nothing but temporary machines made out of dead matter." We living entities, however, are not dead matter. We are living. We desire. But we ourselves cannot fulfill our desires. "Man proposes; God disposes." God
is very kind. Whatever you desire, He will fulfill. Although He says, "This kind of material desire will never satisfy you," still we foolishly go on with such desires. Therefore God, Krsna, supplies us different types of bodies to fulfill our different desires. This is called material, conditional life. And this change of bodies according to our desires is called the evolutionary process.

 

By evolution we come to the human form of body through many millions of other bodies. Jalaja nava-laksani sthavara laksa-vimsati: We pass through 900,000 species of aquatics. Similarly, we pass through two million forms as plants and trees. In this way, by nature's way, nature brings us into this human form of life just to develop or awaken our consciousness. Nature gives us the chance: "Now what do you want to do? Now you have got developed consciousness. Now you can choose. Do you again want to undergo the evolutionary process, or do you want to go up to the higher planetary system, or do you want to return to God, Krsna, or do you just want to remain here?" These options are there. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita,

 

yanti deva-vrata devan
pitrn yanti pitr-vratah
bhutejya yanti bhutani
mad-yajino 'pi yanti mam

 

Now make your selection. If you want to go to the higher planetary system, you can go. If you want to remain here, in the middle planetary system, you can do so. And if you want to go to the lower planetary system, you can do that. However, if you want to go to God, Krsna, you can also do that. It is your option; it is up to you.

 

So, what is the difference between this material world, whether in the higher planetary systems or in the lower planetary systems, and the spiritual world? In the spiritual world there is no material depletion or diminution. Everything is spirit, as I told you. The trees, the flowers, the
fruits, the water, the animals--everything is spiritual. So there is no annihilation. It is eternal. Therefore, if you want to go to that spiritual world, you have the opportunity to do so now, in this human form of life, and if you want to remain in this material world, you can do that, too.

 

So, our movement is asking everyone, "Why not stop this material, conditional life, this repetition of birth, death, old age and disease?" This is intelligence. "Why should we remain in this material world and repeatedly undergo changes of body? No; let us have our original, spiritual
body." That is wanted. That is intelligence. Human life is therefore meant, as it is stated in the Vedanta philosophy, athato brahma-jijnasa: "Now this life is meant for enquiring about the Absolute Truth." So that is required. That is human intelligence. And if we spoil our life like the animals, then we are wasting our human intelligence. The animals are eating; we are also
eating. They are sleeping; we are also sleeping. They are having sexual intercourse; we are also having sexual intercourse. They are defending themselves; we are also defending ourselves. These four principles are common to human beings and animals.

 

The special advantage of human beings, however, is that if they like, they can stop this repetition of birth and death and go back home, back to Godhead. The Krsna consciousness movement is trying to educate people about this science--how to go back home, back to Godhead. It is not a so-called
religious movement. Of course, you may think that anything which has some connection with God is a religious movement, but actually this is a very scientific movement. Highly qualified scientists, philosophers, and thinkers should try to understand this movement. We have fifty-seven books for convincing philosophers and scientists that this Krsna consciousness movement really is scientific. If you want to know the value of this movement through science or philosophy, we have plenty of ingredients to supply you.

 

Otherwise, it is simple, very simple. Simply chant this mantra: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Then everything will be manifest to you. Ceto-darpana-marjanam: this chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra cleanses the core of your heart. Why is this necessary? Because our heart or mind or consciousness is now covered with so many dirty things. So if we chant this Hare Krsna mantra, these dirty things will be cleansed away. Then we shall be able to see everything clearly: what I am, what is my position, what is the goal of my life, and
what I have to do. This is human deliberation. The dogs, cats, and other animals cannot consider these things. But human beings can deliberate on these matters very nicely.

 

On account of this, you will find that these young men and women, not only here in your country, but in other countries also, in Africa, in Australia, in Canada, in Europe, in Asia--everywhere--as soon as they are understanding this philosophy, they are joining this movement. And it is not very difficult. We don't charge anything; we aren't selling the Hare Krsna mantra. We are chanting everywhere. You have seen this in this Ratha-yatra.
Our only means is chanting Hare Krsna. And these thousands of men and women are following, simply by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra. So you can understand the potency of this Hare Krsna mantra. We do not pay you ladies and gentlemen anything to follow us. But we simply chant Hare Krsna. So it is very potent.

 

Narottama dasa Thakura, a great acarya of the Vaisnava sampradaya, has sung,
golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana. This Hare Krsna movement, or chanting of Hare Krsna, is not anything material. Therefore you will never feel tired chanting Hare Krsna. You see practically. You go on chanting twenty-four hours; you will never feel tired. Therefore it is said, golokera prema-dhana: This chanting vibration is coming from the spiritual world. Just as you receive, in radios or televisions, material sound vibrations
that have been transmitted from a distant place, similarly there is another machine that can receive the vibrations from the spiritual world. That spiritual vibration is the Hare Krsna mantra (golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana), and that machine is the human form of life.
 
Rati na janmilo kene tay: "Oh, I am so unfortunate that I did not develop any attachment for chanting this Hare Krsna mantra."

 

Samsara-bisanale, diba-nisi hiya jvale: Samsara, this material world is a very uncomfortable place. Everyone here is always full of anxiety. However rich you may be, however powerful you may be, still you must be full of anxiety. You can understand: your President Nixon--how much anxiety he had when all the people wanted him to step down. So, this material world means that in whatever position you may be situated, it doesn't matter: it is full of anxiety. Samsara-bisanale, diba-nisi hiya jvale: "This samsara, material world, is like a blazing fire, always burning the heart." So if you want to
get relief from this uncomfortable position of anxiety, then you must take to this Hare Krsna mantra. This is our request. You can try it and you will see the practical result. It will not cost you anything; there is no loss about it.

 

So, this is our only request With folded hands we are begging you, simply requesting you with sweet words, "Please chant Hare Krsna!" Dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya. This is our process. We are not very violent, pushing. You have seen our procession. So many people came, for three hours. There was no violence. The police departments in your country appreciate this very much, because they have experience that whenever there is some procession, there is violence. "Window-breaking crowd," they say. But these people here are not a window-breaking crowd. So this Krsna
 consciousness movement is very important. It will solve all the problems of your country. So many of your young men and women have already accepted it. So we request you, too. This is another occasion to invite you. Our only request is that you chant the Hare Krsna mantra. If you do, you will feel very happy. There will be no anxiety. And then you can do your work. It doesn't matter what you are doing. But chanting this Hare Krsna mantra will make you more and more happy, free from material anxieties. And if we continue this process, then everything about spiritual life will be clearly understood, and very easily we shall be able to go back home, back to Godhead.

 

On this occasion I may explain a little bit about this Ratha-yatra festival. Here you see Jagannatha and Baladeva and Subhadra. They are Krsna, and His elder brother, Balarama, and His sister, Subhadra. There is a place in India named Kuruksetra, about ninety miles north of Delhi. (You have heard the name of New Delhi.) Kuruksetra is accepted as a holy place, a place of pilgrimage. People still gather there, especially during eclipses, both solar and lunar eclipses. Once, five thousand years ago, when there was a total solar eclipse, millions of people, from all parts of India, made a
pilgrimage to Kuruksetra. At that time, Krsna was a prince of Dvaraka, and He also came to Kuruksetra with His elder brother and sister. In His childhood, Krsna was raised as the foster son of Maharaja Nanda and mother Yasoda in Vrndavana. Then, when He was grown up, he left Vrndavana and eventually became a prince of Dvaraka. (You will find this history in the Krsna book.) Krsna was the most beloved personality in Vrndavana; He was the life and soul of Vrndavana. Therefore, when He left Vrndavana, all the people there were very, very unhappy.

 

So, when Krsna was on His way to Kuruksetra from Dvaraka with His brother and sister, these people in Vrndavana got news that Krsna was going. Vrndavana is about the same distance south of Delhi as Kuruksetra is to its  north. Kuruksetra, though, is a somewhat greater distance. Anyway, the people of Vrndavana found out that Krsna was on His way to Kuruksetra, and so they also came there to see Krsna out of their love. And Krsna's most beloved personality, Srimati Radharani, requested Krsna, "You are the same Krsna. I am the same Radharani. But the place is not the same. You are here
in Kuruksetra in royal opulence, and we are coming from the village. So You please come to Vrndavana again." This was Radharani's request. And it reveals a very ecstatic feeling. Those who are advanced devotees can appreciate and enjoy such exalted spiritual emotions.

 

Therefore, we observe this incidence annually in many places in the Western countries. At the present we hold this ceremony in London, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, and where else? Buffalo, Melbourne, yes. So, this is a very "feeling" festival, full of spiritual ecstasy. We are chanting Hare Krsna and pulling this Ratha-yatra chariot, remembering how Radharani is asking Krsna to please come back to Vrndavana.

 

In conclusion, I thank you all very much. You have come here. Try to understand our philosophy. You are all educated boys and girls. We have got fifty-seven books. Try to read them, and try to understand them. Take it very seriously, and you will be happy.
       
Thank you very much.