## Cornerstone Ceremonies
Cornerstone Laying
Bombay, January 23, 1975
750123CS.BOM
Cornerstone Laying
Bombay, January 23, 1975
Prabhupada: (chants mangalacarana prayers) Hm? You bring. You can bring one chair
here. (pause)
pravrttim ca nivrttim ca
jana na vidur asurah
na saucam napi cacaro
na satyam tesu vidyate
[Bg. 16.7]
asatyam apratistham te
jagad ahur anisvaram
aparaspara sambhutam
kim anyat kama haitukam
[Bg. 16.8]
etam drstim avastabhya
nastatmanah alpa buddhayah
prabhavanty ugra karmanah
ksayaya jagatah ahitah
[Bg. 16.9]
Just like we were talking of industries. The industries, they are mentioned in the
Bhagavad gita as ugra karma. Ugra karma means ferocious activities. For livelihood,
we require our maintenance. Ahara nidra bhaya mai... These are the primary
necessities of this body, material body. For that, Krsna has said, annad bhavanti
bhutani [Bg. 3.14]. Anna means food grains we require. Annad bhavanti bhutani. That
food grains we can produce very easily by agriculture. In another place, Krsna
says, krsi go raksya vanijyam vaisya karma svabhava jam [Bg. 18.44]. We can produce
sufficient food grains for our maintenance, and the whole world has got sufficient
land. I have traveled over the world at least fourteen times. During the last eight
years, I have traveled all over the world, even interior. I have seen there is
enough land, especially in Africa, in Australia, in America, and we can produce so
much food grains that ten times of this present population can be easily
maintained. Ten times. There is no scarcity of food. But the difficulty is that we
have demarcated, "This is my land." Somebody says, "This is America, my land,"
"Australia, my land," "The Africa, my land," "India, my land." This "my" and "I."
Janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8]. This is called illusion, that "I" and
"my." "I am this body, and this is my property." This is called illusion. And this
illusion, if we stand on this platform of illusion, then we are no better than the
animals.
yasyatma buddhih kunape tri dhatuke
sva dhih kalatradisu bhauma ijya dhih
yat tirtha buddhih salile na karhicij
janesu abhijnesu sa eva go kharah
[SB 10.84.13]
Go means cow, and kharah means ass. Those who are in the bodily concept of life,
aham mameti [SB 5.5.8], they are no better than these asses and the cows, means the
animals. This is going on. I'll not take much of your time, but I shall try to
convince you what is the purpose of this Krsna consciousness movement. The purpose
of this Krsna consciousness movement is to save the human society from becoming
animals, cows and asses. This is the movement. They have established their
civilization... As it is stated in the Bhagavad gita, animal or asuric
civilization, asuric civilization, beginning is pravrttim ca nivrttim ca jana na
vidur asurah. The asuric, demonic, civilization, they do not know in which way we
have to guide ourself for attaining the perfection of life, pravrtti, and nivrtti,
and which we shall not take favorable and unfavorable. Human life... Everyone
knows, "This is favorable for me, and this is unfavorable for me." So asurah jana,
those who are demonic persons, they do not know this, that "What is favorable for
me and what is not favorable for me." Pravrttim nivrttim ca jana na vidur asurah,
na saucam napi cacarah: "There is no cleanliness, nor good behavior." Na satyam
tesu vidya...: "And there is no truth in their life." This is asuric. We have heard
many times, "asuras," "asuric civilization," "demonic civilization." This is the
beginning.
pravrttim ca nivrttim ca
jana na vidur asurah
na saucam napi cacaro
na satyam tesu...
[Bg. 16.7]
Satyam, there is no truthfulness. And just the first class life means the brahmana
life. Satyam saucam tapo. The beginning is satyam. The asuric life is no satya, no
truth, and the first class life in human society, the brahmanas, is satyam saucam
tapo, and titiksa arjavah astikyam jñanam vijñanam. This is first class life.
So our Krsna consciousness movement is to create a class of men ideal, first class
men with satyam saucam tapo samah damah titiksah. This is godly civilization. And
this godly civilization can be given to the whole world by India. That is India's
special privilege. Because in other countries beyond India they are almost asuri
jana and ugra karma. The industries and other ugra karma has come from the Western
countries. But by this way people will never be happy. That is very elaborately
explained in the Sixteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad gita. Duspura akanksa. Their
desire will never be satisfied by this material advancement. They do not know. They
are forgetting. So we selected this Bombay. Bombay city is the best city, most
advanced city in India, the best city in India. And people are also very nice. They
are religiously inclined. They are opulent. They can take up better things very
nicely. Therefore I wanted to start this center, Bombay, for spreading this Krsna
consciousness movement. Although there have been many impediments in my endeavor,
still, ultimately it is Krsna's business. It will come successful. So today... The
foundation and cornerstone establishment was done two years before, but there were
many, many impediments from the asuric jana. Now, some way or other, we have got
little relief from such impediments. So we are putting this cornerstone this
auspicious day, and I am very glad that you have joined us.
So the mission is very, very authorized, and it comprehends a very large
jurisdiction of activities. Therefore my request is that the inhabitants of Bombay,
especially those who are our members, they will kindly take active part, how to
make this institution very successful in Bombay. So many ladies and gentlemen are
present here. We are, whatever we are doing it is not whimsical or mental
concoction. It is authorized and just to the standard of Bhagavad gita. Our present
movement is based on Bhagavad gita Bhagavad gita as it is. We don't interpret. We
do not interpret foolishly because... I say purposefully this word "foolishly,"
that why should we interpret Krsna's words? Am I more than Krsna? Or did Krsna
leave some portion to be explained by me by interpretation? Then what is the
importance of Krsna? If I give my own interpretation, thinking myself more than
Krsna, this is blasphemy. How I can become more than Krsna? If actually we want to
take advantage of this Bhagavad gita, then we must take Bhagavad gita as it is.
Just like Arjuna took. Arjuna, after hearing Bhagavad gita, he said, sarvam etam
rtam manye: "I accept all the words, my dear Kesava, whatever You have said. I
accept them in toto, without any change." This is understanding of Bhagavad gita,
not that I take advantage of the Bhagavad gita and I interpret in my foolish way so
that people will accept my philosophy. This is not Bhagavad gita. There is no
question of interpretation in the Bhagavad gita. Interpretation is allowed when you
cannot understand. When the things are clearly understood... If I say, "This is
microphone," everyone understands this is microphone. Where is the necessity of
interpreting it? There is no necessity. This is foolishness, misleading. There
cannot be any interpretation in the Bhagavad gita. It is... Everything is clear to
the point. Just like Bhagavan Krsna says... Krsna does not say that "You all become
sannyasi and give up your occupational duty." No. Krsna says, sva karmana tam
abhyarcya samsiddhih labhate narah [Bg. 18.46]. You remain in your business. You
remain your occupation. There is no need of changing. But still, you can become
Krsna conscious and make your life successful. This is the message of Bhagavad
gita. Bhagavad gita is not going to make any topsy turvy of the social order or
spiritual order. No. It should be standardized according to the authority. And the
best authority is Krsna.
So make this center successful, you ladies and gentlemen of Bombay. We have got
very nice place. We are building so that you can come here, stay, at least in
weekend. If you stay, all those who are retired or elderly gentlemen, ladies, they
can come here and stay. We will have sufficient place. But try to organize these
principles of Bhagavad gita all over the world. That will be the gift of India.
Caitanya Mahaprabhu desired that anyone who has taken birth in India as human
being, not cats and dogs... Cats and dog cannot take any part for doing good to
others. He said,
bharata bhumite manusya janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]
"Anyone who has taken his birth as human being in India, Bharata bhumi, first of
all make your life successful." Because you have got the standard, how to make life
successful. Here is Bhagavad gita. Try to understand it, make your life successful,
and then broadcast this message all over the world. That is paropakara. So
actually, India and India's people, they are meant for paropakara. We are not meant
for exploiting others. That is not our mission. Actually that is being done.
Everyone goes out of India. They go there to exploit. But it is for the first time
that India is giving something to the outsiders, this spiritual knowledge. And the
proof you can see. We are giving, we are not taking. We do not go to beg, "Give me
wheat, give me money, give me this, give me that." No. We are giving something
substantial, and they are feeling obliged. Otherwise, why these young men and
girls, they are after this Krsna consciousness movement? They are feeling
something, that they are getting something tangible. So it has got potency, very
good potency. They are not feeling like Americans or Canadians or Australians. We
are also not feeling as Indians. On the spiritual platform we are one.
vidya vinaya sampanne
brahmane gavi hastini
suni caiva sva pake ca
panditah sama darsinah
[Bg. 5.18]
This is real learning. Atmavat sarva bhutesu. Even the great politician, Canakya
Pandita, he says,
matrvat para daresu
para dravyesu lostravat
atmavat sarva bhutesu
yah pasyati sa panditah
So this is a great culture, Bhagavad gita as it is. So those responsible ladies and
gentlemen are present here, make this center very successful and come here, study
Bhagavad gita as it is without any foolish interpretation. I say foolish again and
again because interpretation is not at all required. Everything is clear, from the
very beginning.
dharma ksetre kuru ksetre
samaveta yuyutsavah
mamakah pandavas caiva
kim akurvata sanjaya
[Bg. 1.1]
So very clear. Kuruksetra is dharma ksetra still. In the Vedas it is stated,
kuruksetre dharmam acaret: "One should go to Kuruksetra and perform religious
rituals." Therefore it is dharma ksetra from time immemorial. And why should we
interpret it that "This Kuruksetra means this body, dharmaksetra, this body"? Why?
Why mislead people? Stop this misleading. And Kuruksetra is still there. Kuruksetra
station, railway station, is there. So try to understand Bhagavad gita as it is,
make your life successful, and spread this message all over the world. You will be
happy; the world will be happy. Of course, I am now very old man. I am eighty years
old. My life is finished. But I want some responsible Indian and combined with
other countries... Other countries, they are giving good cooperation. Otherwise, it
was not possible for me to spread in so short time, only seven or eight years, to
preach this cult all over the world. So I require the cooperation of the Indian,
especially young men, educated men. Come forward. Stay with us. Study Bhagavad
gita. We haven't got anything to manufacture. Nothing to manufacture. And what we
can manufacture? We are all imperfect. Whatever is there, let us study it and
practically apply in life and spread the message all over the world. That is our
mission.
So today is very auspicious day. With great difficulty we have got now sanction.
Now please cooperate with this attempt as far as possible with your pranair arthair
dhiya vaca, four things: by your life, by your words, by your money... Pranair
arthair dhiya vaca sreya acaranam sada. This is the mission of human life. Whatever
you have got... It is not that "Because I am poor man, I cannot help this
movement." No. If you have got... You have got your life. So if you dedicate your
life, that is all perfect. If you cannot dedicate your life, give some money. But
if you can..., poor man, you cannot give money, then you give some intelligence.
And if you are fool, then give your words. So any way, you can help this movement
and do the welfare activities for India and outside India. So that is my request. I
welcome you. Of course, today is ekadasi. We are, mostly we are fasting. Some
prasadam will be given. So it is not the question of prasadam; it is the question
of the important work we are taking in hand, how to spread a God consciousness
movement. Otherwise, you will never be happy. Simply material consciousness, grha
ksetra... Ato grha ksetra sutapta vittair janasya moho 'yam aham mameti [SB 5.5.8].
This material civilization means the sex desire. Woman is hunting after man; man if
hunting after woman. Pumsah striya mithuni bhavam etam tayor mithah. And as soon as
they are united, they require grha, apartment; grha ksetra, land; grha ksetra suta,
children, friends, money; and the moho, the illusion, aham mameti [SB 5.5.8], "It
is I, it is mine." This is material civilization. But the human life is not meant
for that. Nayam deho deha bhajam nrloke kastan kaman arhate vid bhujam ye [SB
5.5.1]. So you study. We have got now enough book. There is no difficulty to study
our books. We have given in English translation. Everyone, any gentleman, knows
English. And we are going to give in Hindi, in Gujarati, in all other languages.
Our friends, they have already begun translating. So there will be no scarcity of
knowledge. Please come here, sit down at least once in a week, study all these
books, try to understand the philosophy of life, and spread all over the world.
That is the mission of Bharatavarsa.
bharata bhumite manusya janma haila yara
janma sarthaka kari' kara para upakara
[Cc. Adi 9.41]
This is paropakara movement, to do welfare to others, not like cats and dogs,
simply bring money and sense enjoy. This is not human life. Human life is for
paropakara. People are in ignorance, without any knowledge of God, without the
ideal of life. They are simply working like cats and dogs and hogs. So they should
be educated. Human life is the chance for getting such education. So this is the
center for educating the human society to become actually human being and make his
life successful.
Thank you very much. Hare Krsna. (end)
Foundation Stone Ceremony Speech
Bhuvanesvara, February 2, 1977
770202CM.BHU
Foundation Stone Ceremony Speech
Bhuvanesvara, February 2, 1977
Prabhupada: My foreign disciples, they could not understand either Hindu or Oriya.
So for this movement, I am very much obliged to these American boys. The history of
this movement is that my Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati
Thakura, and before him, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, they had an intense desire to preach
Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message throughout the whole world. That was the intense
desire of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
He wanted it. Because this is the only message to bring the human society into
oneness. There is no other alternative. That is confirmed in the Srimad Bhagavatam:
kaler dosa nidhe rajann
asti hy eko mahan gunah
kirtanad eva krsnasya
mukta sangah param vrajet
[SB 12.3.51]
So this Kali yuga, as described by our Gaura Govinda Maharaja, a bhankara (?) yuga.
But there is one opportunity, kirtanad eva krsnasya mukta sangah param vrajet. This
is the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and a little attempt was made at the age
of seventy years. Of course, my Guru Maharaja asked me... When I was twenty five
years old, I first met him. He asked me to do this task. But I thought that "Let me
adjust my family life, and then I shall do this." But I took it very seriously. But
family life, never it was adjusted, so he forced me at the ripe old age to take up
this work. So I tried to make an experiment that nobody had done: "Let me try." But
I tried sincerely, so by the grace of my Guru... Guru Krsna, they favored me. When
I was on the Commonwealth Jetty, Pier, yes, I was thinking that "Who will hear me?
As soon as I shall say to these people that 'No illicit sex, no meat eating, no
intoxication and no gambling,' immediately they will say, 'Please go home. Don't
talk here.' " Because I know that. This is their daily life. But by the grace of
Krsna they agreed. All these students, all these disciples... I do not accept
anyone as my disciple that "You can do whatever you like." No. My first condition
is that "You must be sinless." At least you must try to become sinless, because in
the Bhagavad gita we understand,
yesam tv anta gatam papam
jananam punya karmanam
te dvandva moha nirmukta
bhajante mam...
[Bg. 7.28]
Without being sinless, one cannot make any advance.
So Caitanya Mahaprabhu introduced this movement. Ceto darpana marjanam [Cc. Antya
20.12]. That is the first installment. Actually, if we chant Hare Krsna mantra, the
first installment is that we cleanse our heart. It is simply misunderstanding.
Krsna also wanted to start this movement. When He instructed Arjuna, the first word
He spoke,
dehino 'smin yatha dehe
kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara praptir
dhiras tatra na muhyati
[Bg. 2.13]
So in this age practically there is nil who is a dhira. Everyone is adhira. But the
sankirtana movement is so nice, as it is spoken by Srinivasa Acarya on behalf of
Narottama dasa Thakura, krsnot kirtana gana nartana parau premamrtambho nidhi
dhiradhira jana priyau. This movement is so nice that it will be pleasing to the
dhiras and the adhiras.
dhiradhira jana priyau priya karau nirmatsarau pujitau
sri caitanya krpa bharau bhuvi bhuvo bharavahantarakau
vande rupa sanatanau raghu yugau sri jiva gopalakau
So the disease is there, but the remedy is also there. Ceto darpana marjanam [Cc.
Antya 20.12]. We are misunderstanding. The human society, they are trying to adjust
things by the United Nations, but it is not possible. United Nations cannot do. In
Melbourne I was speaking, so I accused the United Nations, "They're assembly of
barking dogs." Because you cannot be united on this material platform. If you keep
yourself that "I am dog," "I am tiger," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am
brahmana," "I am sudra," then there is no question of United Nations. United
Nations is possible when sarvopadhi vinirmuktam tat paratvena nirmalam [Cc. Madhya
19.170]. You have to become purified on Krsna consciousness, not "I am American,"
not "I am Indian." No. This will not help.
sarvopadhi vinirmuktam
tat paratvena nirmalam
hrsikena hrsikesa
sevanam bhaktir ucyate
[Cc. Madhya 19.170]
So factually we see that these Americans, Europeans, they are Christian, Jews, or
there are Muhammadans also in our movement, Africans, all over the world, but they
no more think that he is African or Indian or American. They think Krsna dasa. As
Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us, jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna dasa [Cc. Madhya
20.108 109]. Unless we come to that platform, that we are servants of Krsna, there
is no question of unity. That is brahma bhutah stage.
brahma bhutah prasannatma
na socati na kanksati
samah sarvesu bhutesu
mad bhaktim labhate param
[Bg. 18.54]
Unless you come to that brahma bhutah stage, that "I am not this body. I am soul,
aham brahmasmi. I am part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman" param brahma param
dhama pavitram paramam bhavan [Bg. 10.12] there is no question of unity. So
Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted to introduce this movement how actually there can be
possibility of being united. That is possible. That is not difficult because they
are all sons of Krsna. Sarva yonisu kaunteya sambhevanti..., aham bija pradah pita
[Bg. 14.4]. He's the original father. So this Krsna consciousness movement is
trying to introduce in the human society, and not on my conviction, on the
assurance of the sastras, that if you want to be united, you'll have to come to
this platform of Krsna consciousness; otherwise it is not possible.
So I do not wish to take much of your time. It is already late. Kindly take little
prasadam, whatever they have arranged, and I thank you very much for your coming in
this occasion. And I must also thank Srimati Cori (?) Ananda, this young girl. Out
of her own accord, she contributed this piece of land so that we can begin Krsna
consciousness movement in this city.
Thank you very much. (end)
