At the Bhaktivedanta Manor, in the countryside near London, several thousand guests (including the diplomatic community) listened to Srila Prabhupada speak about the confidential identity of the Supreme Personality of the Godhead, who is revealed in India’s timeless Vedic scriptures to be not an old man with a long white beard, but a sublimely attractive and eternal youth. Very interesting.
“Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your coming here and participating in this ceremony – Janmastami, the advent of Lord Krishna. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.9), Krishna says, “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”
It is a fact that we can stop our repeated births and deaths and achieve the state of immortality. But the modern civilisation –our great philosophers, great politicians, and great scientists –has no idea that it is possible to attain the stage of amrtatvam (immortality). We are all amrta (deathless, immortal). In the Bhagavad-gita (2.20), it is said, “We living entities – we never die and never take birth. Every one of us – we are primeval and eternal, without beginning and without end. And after the annihilation of this body, we do not die. But when the body is finished, we will have to accept another body.
“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.”
At the present moment, all over the world people are lacking knowledge of this simple thing: that all of us living entities are part and parcel of Lord Krishna – that like Krishna, we are eternal, blissful, and cognisant. Krishna is described in the Vedic literatures: “Krishna, who is known as Govinda, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all, but He has no origin, for He is the prime cause of all causes.” (Brahma-samhita 5.1)
When I say Krishna, that means “God”. It is sometimes said, “God has no name.” That’s a fact. But God’s name is given by His activities. For instance, Krishna accepted sonship to Maharaja Nanda and Yasodamayi and also to Vasudeva and Devaki. Of course, no one is actually the father or mother of Krishna, because Krishna is the original father of everyone. But when Krishna comes here, when He makes His advent, He accepts certain exalted devotees as His father, as His mother.
Still, Krishna is adi-purusam (the original person). Is Krishna an old man? No. Always a fresh youth. When Krishna was on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra, He was just like a boy of 20 years or, at most, 24 years. But at that time, He had great-grandchildren. So Krishna is always a youth. These are the statements of the Vedic literatures.
But if we simply read the Vedic literatures as a formality, it will be very difficult to understand what Krishna is – although all the Vedas are meant for understanding Krishna. In the Bhagavad-gita (15.15), Krishna says, “By all the Vedas, I am to be known.”
What is the use of studying the Vedas if you do not understand Krishna? The ultimate goal of education is to understand the Supreme Lord, the supreme father, the supreme cause. As it is said in the Vedanta-suutra, “Now – in the human form of life – is the time to discuss the Supreme Absolute Truth, Brahman.” Brahman is the one from whom everything emanates. So science and philosophy mean finding out the ultimate cause of everything. And this we are getting from the Vedic literature –that Krishna is the cause of all causes.
Just try to understand. For instance, I am caused by my father; my father is caused by his father; he is caused by his father, who is caused by his father… In this way, if you go on searching, then you’ll ultimately come to someone who is the cause that has no cause: Govinda – Krishna. I may be the cause of my son, but at the same time I am the result of another cause (my father). But the Vedic literatures say that Krishna is the original person; He has no cause.
Therefore, Krishna says, “Just try to learn about the transcendental nature of My advent and activities.” The advent of Krishna – it is a very important thing. We should try to understand Krishna, why He makes His advent, why He comes down to this material world, what His business is, what His activities are. If we simply try to understand Krishna, then what will be the result? We will get immortality.
The aim of life is to achieve immortality. So today, on the advent of Krishna, we shall try to understand the philosophy of Krishna.
The peace formula is there in the Bhagavad-gita – spoken by Krishna. What is that? “A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.” (Bhagavad-gita 5.29)
The politicians and diplomats are trying to establish peace in the world. We have the United Nations (UN) and many other organisations. They are working to establish real peace and tranquility, to eliminate misunderstanding between man and man, and nation and nation. But that is not happening. The defect is that the root is wrong. Everyone is thinking, “It is my country”, “It is my family”, “It is my society”, “It is my property.” This “my” is illusion. In the Vedic literatures, it is said, This “I-and-my” philosophy is maya (illusion). So if you want to get out of this illusion, then you have to accept Krishna’s formula. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gita, for our guidance. If we accept the philosophy of the Bhagavad-gita – as it is – everything is there. Peace is there, prosperity is there.