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(Click to enlarge cover of Srila Prabhupada's original Bhagavatam printed in Delhi)

Devotee: "On the other hand, that literature which is full of descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, form, pastimes, etc., of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a different creation, full of transcendental words directed toward bringing about a revolution in the impious lives of the world's misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest."

Dr. Hauser: Um-huh. Yes.

Prabhupāda: The newspaper is glorification of this mundane world. You have to transfer your consciousness to understand the glorification of the Supreme. This is transcendental literature. So people have got the tendency to read, but they're glorifying this rascal, mundane rascals. So that attitude should be transferred to understand the glorification of the Supreme Lord. That will be revolution. That we are presenting.

We are presenting a literature exactly like the newspaper. They are glorifying some Nixon and Dixon. (laughter) We are glorifying Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. That is the difference. If Nixon has glorification, how much glorification is there in reserve of the Supreme Lord?

Dr. Hauser: But these Nixons and Dixons and Hitlers and... they have a rather...

Prabhupāda: That is illusion. We are attached to them.

Dr. Hauser: Yes, we are attached to them also because they have power over us. They can persecute us, and they can... so it's very...

Prabhupāda: No, the greater power is Kṛṣṇa. If you take shelter of Kṛṣṇa, they cannot do anything. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was a five-years-old boy. He took shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and his father was a great demon, very powerful. He wanted to chastise this boy. He could not. This is the proof. So you take shelter. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pape... (BG 18.66): "I give you protection." So people have no faith in what is God. He thinks God is less powerful than Hitler. That is his nonsense. If he takes actually shelter of Kṛṣṇa, what this rascal, Hitler, can do?

But he has no faith in God. He thinks Prabhu Hitler is greater than Lord. Prabhu Hitler. That is the difference between the crows and the swans. The crows think that we have got food in the garbage. And the swans think that we have got food in nice garden, in the clear water. And that is the difference, even in the birds kingdom. That is explained in the previous verse. Na tad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo, pragṛṇīta karhicit, tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham (SB 1.5.10). Read that, previous to this verse.

Devotee:

    na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo
    jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit
    tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā
    na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśik-kṣayāḥ
    (SB 1.5.10)

Prabhupāda: Niramanty uśik-kṣayāḥ. Translation.

Devotee: "Those words which do not describe the glories of the Lord, who alone can sanctify the atmosphere of the whole universe, are considered by saintly persons to be like unto a place of pilgrimage for crows. Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there."

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is a question of taste. Just see birds, two kinds of birds, crows and the swans, different taste. Therefore we are trying to create taste for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then these crows' place, newspaper, will not... we don't read newspaper. We don't touch it unless there is some news of ours. (laughs) We don't touch it. What is the use of wasting time?

They read so big, big bundle of newspaper. But we don't touch them even. Oh, we have got sufficient literature here. Why should we waste our time in the crows' manifestation? The same politics, same Nixon, same Dixon, same Hitler. It is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed. Things which have already been chewed and thrown away, another person is coming, "Let me see if there is any juice." It is already chewed. What juice you'll find there? Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām, again and again, same politics, same new leader, same he's a rascal.

Just like Nixon advertises in news, "America now requires Nixon." So America accepted him, and now America doesn't want him. Again another Nixon will come. This is going on, punaḥ punaḥ, again and again, chewing the chewed. The people are not disgusted that, "We have tasted all these rascals. Why another Nixon?"

Dr. Hauser: There doesn't seem to be any accumulation of knowledge.

Prabhupāda: They have no brain. The same thing, the crows. So therefore they have to be enlightened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then they will be able to find out some big leader, nice leader for them. There are so many things. You are educated. You should try to understand our philosophy. There are so many things to be learned from our... we're not sentimentally dancers only. We have got logic, philosophy, science, everything.

Otherwise, how we are writing so many books? Just see, each and (every) word, how they are nicely, these two verses we have read. How full of meaning. Na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo. Harer... pragṛṇīta karhicit, tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham (SB 1.5.10). Each word has volumes of meanings. There are 18,000 verses in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and each word you'll find enlivening. Each word. It is such a nice literature. One verse contains at least sixteen words. So 18,000 multiplied by sixteen, how much?

Dr. Hauser: 18,000.

Prabhupāda: 18,000 verses multiplied by sixteen. How many words?

Dr. Hauser: Hmm. 280,000. Yes.

Prabhupāda: 280,000 words, and each word you'll find a new light. That is Bhāgavata. Each word you'll find.

Dr. Hauser: Are these going to be translated into Swedish too?

Prabhupāda: Yes, if you do. (laughter) We have got the...

Devotee: You can do that.

Prabhupāda: Some Sanskrit scholar in Swedish language must come forward. Then it can be done. But he must be a good scholar, because each word is meaningful. Yes. Just like beginning of the Bhāgavata, janmādi asya (SB 1.1.1). Janmādi. Now this one word has volumes of meaning. Janmādi means beginning from janma. So beginning from janma, birth, how many things are there? Generally, birth, janmastiti-lata, birth, then you stay for some time and then you become vanquished. This body. Janmādi asya. Asya, "of this material world." Janma, creation, then situation, then annihilation. Now how many volumes of books you can write on these three words? How this universe was created, how it is being maintained and how it will be annihilated—these three words. How many books you can write?

Dr. Hauser: Infinity.

Prabhupāda: Such is Bhāgavata verse, janmādy asya, asya janmādi. And this is Bhāgavata. Concise word, but volumes of meanings. Volumes. Each word is like that. Vidyā bhāgavatāvali. Therefore one's learning is complete when he reads Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Otherwise he remains imperfect, in spite of all learning. Janmādy asya yataḥ: from where? Now the creation of this cosmic world, from where? But you do not know from where. This is explained in Bhāgavatam. Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi. That is actually truth. In this way simply if you analyze one verse, you'll find each word is full of volumes of meaning. Yes. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt. Now the creation, anvayāt, directly and indirectly, itarataś cārtheṣu, in the matter of understanding, abhijñaḥ. Abhijñaḥ means completely cognizant. That is the Absolute Truth. He knows everything—how this universe is created, how it is maintained, how it annihilated, directly and indirectly.

Just like I always, regular, everyday thing, when I am massaged by my student, I see so many veins, so I think that I claim, "This is my leg." But I do not know what are these veins. Directly I know this is my leg, but indirectly I do not know how this leg is working with these veins and nerves and muscles. I do not know. But so far God is concerned, He has created. He knows every veins of everything. That is called abhijñaḥ. In this way you analyze every word, you'll find volumes of meaning. The next question will be, "Where He got this experience? You say He's abhijñaḥ, He knows everything. To get experience one must have teacher." But the next word is svarāṭ: He's experienced and self-sufficiency, svarāṭ, independent. He hasn't got to go anywhere for experiencing. In this way each word is full of meaning. Janmādy asya yataḥ, anvayād itarataś cārtheṣv abhijñaḥ svarāṭ, tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ (SB 1.1.1). We have very shortly described this one verse. I think five, six pages.

(aside) You have got that verse? You show him.

Devotee: Yes. Right here. (showing book to the psychiatrist) Here's the translation, the verse.

Prabhupāda: That is very short description.

Devotee: Short. (laughs) Similarly for the next verse also.

Prabhupāda: So it is so meaningful. All learned scholars of the world must read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam if they want actually good for themselves and good for the world.

(Srila Prabhupada Conversation with Dr. Christian Hauser, Psychiatrist, September 10, 1973, Stockholm)
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They Glorify Nixon and We Glorify Krishna