This verse we have been discussing in our last meeting. The purport is: “From very childhood, very childhood, the boys, the children, should be taught about this God consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” The mistake of modern civilization is that we are, I mean to say, bringing up spoiled children. So when they are grown up, if they become hippies or communists, it is not their fault. It is the fault of the guardians. It is the fault of the guardians. When the people become just something against the social convention, it is not the fault of the youngsters, but it is the fault of the education system, it is the fault of the parents, it is fault of the teachers. Because they are not teaching. Prahlāda Mahārāja says that from the very childhood one should be taught. I have seen in India. The Muhammadans, they are very much particular about it. The small children, within ten years, they are… From the very beginning they are taught Koran in the mosques. I have seen. In my Delhi headquarter, it is just behind the Jama Musjid. You have heard the name of Jama Musjid. That is the greatest mosque in the world. Many foreigners go to see it. It was constructed by Emperor Shah Jahan, say, about three hundred years or little more than that. So the Muhammadans, they are very particular to teach the Koran from the very beginning. That’s a very nice system. Either you teach Koran or you, Koran, Bible, or you teach Bhagavad-gītā, it doesn’t matter. One should have the idea of God consciousness. Then he can develop. So this opportunity should be offered to the children. If not, they are not real guardians, real parents, or real teachers. Why? Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. This Prahlāda Mahārāja teaching is not this Bhāgavatam. Just mark it. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, dharmān bhāgavatān, “the religion of God consciousness.” He does not say Hindu religion or Muhammadan religion or Christian religion.

Prabhupāda: So, āyur harati vai puṁsām. The sunshine, sunrise and sunset, means decreasing our life. It is very nice example. The sun’s business is to take away a portion of your span of life. That is business. But he cannot take away the portion of the life of a devotee. Because a devotee is going to live. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give a living entity a permanent span of life. Uttama-śloka-vārtayā. Uttama-śloka is Kṛṣṇa. Uttama-śloke… Bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī uttama-ślo…, bhagavaty uttama-śloke. In another place it is stated, tadā… Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Nityam… Just like we are holding class daily, nityam, regularly. Nityam means regularly, daily, always. So nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. The beginning… Just like when a man is infected with a disease, he is subjected to death. Crude example. So when a man falls diseased, the physician tries to get him relieved from that infection. So our material body is an infection. Actually, we spiritual soul, we have no death. It is due to this infection. This infection is called dirty things. Actually it is dirt. “Dust thou art, dust thou be-ist,” that’s a fact. Because as soon as I, the soul, will leave this body, it will be immediately decomposed, and after a few days it will be earth, dust. So actually it is dirt. So we have to cleanse this dirt from my real identity, spiritual life. This is the process. And this cleansing process is very nicely done simply by hearing the message of Uttama-śloka, or Kṛṣṇa. You haven’t got to scratch it with some machine. No. It will be automatically cleansed if you simply give aural reception to the message of the Uttama-śloka, which is, in other word, it is called kṛṣṇa-kathā. Kṛṣṇa-kathā means words of Kṛṣṇa. Kathā means words, and kṛṣṇa, you understand. So kṛṣṇa-kathā, Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa personally ...

Prabhupāda: Yes. Rascals, they want to live in city and drink wine and eat meat. So there must be problems. This civilization is simply to create problem, anartha. Anartha. Anartha means unnecessarily problems. So these rascals, they do not know how to solve it. But the solution is this bhakti-yoga. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām These anartha, problem, they have created under the influence of māyā. So if you want to solve it, you take to bhakti-yoga. Anarthopaśamam. Directly it will be solved. Directly. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam, lokasya ajānataḥ. The rascals, they do not know. Therefore vidvān, Vyāsadeva, the most learned, vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām, he has done this sātvata, Vaiṣṇava literature, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That is the only solution. These rascals, they have created problems. Therefore we have started this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement for their benefit. Let them cooperate, and we shall make solution of all problems—political, social, everything. Let them come and cooperate.

Paramahaṁsa: You have quoted a great English poet who says that “Man has created the city…” Prabhupāda: Ah, yes. Paramahaṁsa: “…and God has created the country.” Prabhupāda: This is the statement of Mr. Cowper. Man has created nothing. Suppose this building, man has created. But wherefrom the ingredient comes? Has man created? This stone, man has created? Eh? What do you think? Is this stone creation of man? Paramahaṁsa: No. Prabhupāda: Then what… You have done the work of a laborer, that’s all. You have taken ingredients from God and worked hard and transformed into a step. That’s all. Your creation means just like carpenter creates a furniture. That’s all. That is his creation. Then that is… Economic law says that man cannot create anything. He can simply transform. These trees, has man created these trees? Why do they claim man has created everything? Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But they will say that they made the garden. Prabhupāda: Eh? Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: They will say that they made a very nice garden. Prabhupāda: That’s all. That is the business of gardener, servant, not creator. That is the business of the servant. Just like I keep a gardener servant, and “Do like this. Do like that.” That is not he is creator. It is my money which has created. Therefore it is Kṛṣṇa’s, everything. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that you have not created anything; you are servant. You are working, and Kṛṣṇa is giving you your subsistence. That’s all. So why don’t you accept that you are servant of God instead of claiming that you have created? What you have created? This is our challenge. Am I right or wrong?

Prabhupāda: No, I’ll give you example that mass of people in Jagannātha Purī, in Vṛndāvana, many thousands, ten thousand, twenty thousand people, every day come to worship Jagannātha, to worship Kṛṣṇa, but there is a Ramakrishna temple in Belur Math, or somewhere else—nobody goes. So how do you say the mass of people are attracted to Ramakrishna? And similarly, recently our foreign students went to Vṛndāvana, went to Navadvīpa, by thousand, but nobody goes to Ramakrishna Mission temple. Then other point: Ramakrishna Mission is working in the Western world almost one hundred years. Find out their disciples so many we have got. So your statement, “It is meant for the mass of people,” it is false. I have given you proof from India and from here also. That means throughout the whole world. In India nobody cares for Ramakrishna. That I have given you proof. You go to Vṛndāvana. There nobody cares for Ramakrishna. You go to Jagannātha Purī, Haridwar, so many holy places. Nobody cares for Ramakrishna. So your idea that it is for the mass, it is false.

Prabhupāda: It is not possible, but he’s trying to do that. That is the disease. Just like in your country, Napoleon, he tried his best to use whole Europe to be controlled by him. So he made some attempt, but he is finished now. The Europe is there, but he’s gone away. Similarly, it is just like… The example is: Just like a fly wants to enjoy the fire. He comes with force there, and he is finished. Similarly, in this material world, every, all living entities, they’re trying to enjoy. With great force, they are coming. And different capacities, they try to enjoy, but they themselves become finished. The things remain where it was. So, so many living entities… Just like the example, the fly, is very proper. So many flies are coming, phut! phut! phut! phut! in the big fire. You have no experience here?

Prabhupāda: So this is our civilization. At night also, we waste our time, and in daytime also, we waste our time. How? Now, nidrayā hriyate naktam. At night, we sleep. Everyone sleeps. The dogs sleeps, the cat sleeps. We may sleep in a very nice apartment, skyscraper building, and the dog may sleep on the street, but the pleasure of sleeping is the same. It does not mean that because you are sleeping in a very nice apartment, a skyscraper building, your sleep is better than the dog’s sleeping. How it is sleep…? Sometimes you may dream something very ferocious, and the dog may sleep without any agitation, he sound…, sleeps sound. Sometimes you have to take tranquilizer pill for sleeping. So impartially studying, your sleep is not as nice as dog’s sleep. Is it not? The dogs sleep without any anxiety, and I go to sleep with so many anxieties that the sleeping is disturbing unless I take one pill. At least, in America we have seen. In your country, in Paris, you do not? You sleep without pill? Is it? That’s good credit. Anyway, every one of us, we sleep at night. And another our, means, advantage is that at night we enjoy sex life. Sleep or sex life. Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena. Vyavāyena means sex. Vyavāya.

Do this. Always chant, think of Me, that mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayam, be assured you will come to Me. So why don’t you do your duty? And Kṛṣṇa assures, they will come to Me, there is no doubt. [indistinct]. Why should he bother for the future? If you do exactly according to the rules and regulations, then your future is guaranteed. Even it is not guaranteed, still I shall go on doing. And that is pure. It is guaranteed. Kṛṣṇa said, mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayam, so why do you doubt? Why there should be doubt? Kṛṣṇa said it is guaranteed. Why should you bother about future? You, you bother whether you are doing rightly or not. That should be your business. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa assures. Where is doubt? Huh? The future is assured by Kṛṣṇa, and…, why you are doubting? That you don’t believe in Kṛṣṇa. You have to see whether you are doing rightly what Kṛṣṇa says. That is your business. What is the use of thinking past, future, present? Do your duty as Kṛṣṇa says, as spiritual master says, then everything is all right. There is no question or doubt. Kṛṣṇa says, asaṁśayam, mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayam. Asaṁśayam means without a doubt you will come to Me.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is black, and we worship Him. [laughter] You have seen our Deity? Yes. Kṛṣṇa is from your community. [Prabhupāda laughs] There is no question of black and white. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is above the skin—the soul which is there. Either he’s black or white or yellow, it doesn’t matter. Dehino ‘smin yathā dehe [Bg. 2.13]. This is the first education, that do not take the body, but the living force within the body. That is important; we have to understand that. We are talking from that platform. Therefore sometimes it is little difficult, because people are very much absorbed with bodily concept of life. But our philosophy begins from that platform where there is no more bodily concept of life. Therefore it is little difficult.

Just like, now this month of June, we have got a certain type of experience what are the natural changes, atmosphere, in this month of June. Similarly, when you are in month of December, you can foretell what will be the next month of June. It is not difficult, because you have got experience, the atmospheric changes and situations in this month of June. Just like in Bombay there is practical calculation that by the tenth of June, the rain, rainy season will begin. Actually so happens. In different places, different types of seasonal changes. So everything should be seen through the śāstra. Śāstra-cakṣuṣāt. This is Vedic process. In the śāstra it is said that ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ [Bg. 14.18]: elevation in this material world is when a person is in the sattva-guṇa, the modes of goodness. And middle, via media, is rajo-guṇa. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. And jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ: those who are very, very low class, jaghanya-vṛtti, their behavior is very, very abominable, they go down, adho gacchanti.