Prabhupada, New York, November 4, 1966:..Na hi gopyam hi sadhunam: “Sadhu, those who are saintly person, for them there is no secret.” There is no secret. There is no privacy. A sadhu, sadhu has no privacy. Just now in our ordinary social affairs, there is difference between private life and his public life.
Now, if somebody is teacher… Now, he is very good teacher. He can very good… He can explain very nicely a subject matter, but his private life is not very good. Then he is not a teacher. He is not a sadhu. That is Vedic conception. One must be a teacher according to his own behavior in life. There is no secrecy or privacy.
Now, we think that “We don’t mind what is private character. We don’t mind. We are concerned with his teaching.” No. That sort of teaching will not have any effect. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, apani acari prabhu jiveri siksaya: a teacher must demonstrate in his practical life what he is teaching. That is the meaning of acarya.
Acarya means the teacher must demonstrate things by applying the same thing in his own life. That is called acarya. Therefore Krishna said that “You cannot disclose anything. You cannot keep anything private. Please disclose.” Udasino ’rivad varyam atmavat suhrd ucyate: “And even if it is very confidential, I am your son. You can explain to Him. I am your well-wisher.” Jnatvajnatva ca karmani jano ’yam anutisthanti vidusah karma-siddhih syat tatha na viduso bhavet
“Whether this is a superstition?” Just see how Krishna is speaking. “Whether it is a superstition or it has got some actual effect.” You should not do anything, religious rituals, under superstition.
That is the recommendation of Krishna. Krishna does not like that people should perform anything under superstition. Suppose if you are sacrificing, if you are doing some ceremony, you must have thorough knowledge that there must be the result.
There must be the result. Just like there are many sacrifices recommended in the Vedic literature, putresti-yajna. Putresti. Suppose a man has no son, and if he performs that sacrifice, he will have a son. That is a fact. Similarly, so many things there are.
So any rituals, religious rituals… Now, according to Krishna… How practical He is. He said that “No religious ritual should be performed without practical effect, without practical effect.” People have become atheist because in the modern age there are so many rituals in all religions, not only Hindu religion, but Christian religion.
But, they say, simply formality; there is no effect. There is no effect. Such sort of rituals, religious ceremony, is not recommended by Krishna. You must actually the effect. Just like in Puranas there was a talk between Lord Caitanya and Kazi, Chand Kazi.
Chand Kazi was a Muhammadan magistrate, and Lord Caitanya, when He started this sankirtana movement, there was many complaints. Just like we are receiving daily reports that our sankirtana movement is disturbing some tenants here. Similarly, when Lord Caitanya, He started His, this sankirtana, some of the brahmanas… Because Lord Caitanya said that “This is the only religion. In this age, this chanting of
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
This is the only religious principle, and everyone will have all his desires fulfilled by this chanting.” So the brahmanas, those who are priestly class, they thought that “If people take to this only chanting, then what about our churches and mosque and temples? They will not come.”
So they lodged a complaint to the magistrate that “This is not Hindu religion. He has discovered something in His own fertile brain, so we do not recognize it.” So this complaint was lodged before the magistrate, and the magistrate took step, first of all warned Him that “Don’t chant Hare Krishna.”
Then, when He did not care, then sent some constables, and the drums were broken. Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu started civil disobedience movement. So He did not care for the magistrate. He started sankirtana throughout the whole city of Nabadwip. Then they approached the magistrate’s house. Just the other day there was a procession in your city.
So this civil disobedience movement was started first by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now, there was some compromising talk with the magistrate, and in that talk the Caitanya Mahaprabhu first questioned. Because he was Mohammedan, Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that “In your religion there is killing of father and mother. What sort of religion this is?”
The Kazi replied, “How do you say that we are killing our father and…?” “Yes. You are killing your mother. Cow gives you milk, delivers milk. You drink the milk, and you kill the cow.
Therefore you are killing your mother.” So the Kazi replied that “In your Vedic literature also, I have seen. There is cow sacrifice.” So Caitanya Mahaprabhu replied, “That is not cow sacrifice. That is rejuvenation of cow. Old cows were sacrificed in the fire, and again a new life was given by the Vedic mantra. But because there is lack of such expert brahmanas to chant that mantra, therefore cow sacrifice in this age is forbidden.”
So when the things are not practical, that becomes a forbidden. If you actually get the result by some spiritual or religious rituals, performance, then it is very good. Otherwise it is superstition. Lord Caitanya’s opinion is that because all these Vedic injunctions, sacrifices, they are not possible to be performed in this age… They are very difficult.
There is no expert leader to perform all these ceremonies and rituals. Therefore, take to this Hare Krishna. Take to this. There is no need of rituals. There is no need of expenses. Simply God has given you tongue, and God has given you ear. Just go on chanting: Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, and it will fulfill your spiritual advancement.
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