The only Message to bring the human Society into Oneness

Prabhupada, Foundation Stone Ceremony Speech, Bhubaneswar, February 2, 1977 : 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
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-Krishna, 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 Krishna 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 Krishna mantra, the first installment is that we cleanse our heart. It is simply misunderstanding. Krishna 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 Krishna 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 Krishna dasa. As Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us, jivera svarupa haya nitya Krishna dasa [Cc. Madhya 20.108-109] Unless we come to that platform, that we are servants of Krishna, 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 Krishna. Sarva-yonisu kaunteya sambhevanti…, aham bija-pradah pita [Bg. 14.4] He’s the original father. So this Krishna 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 Krishna 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 Krishna consciousness movement in this city.

Thank you very much. (end)