REAL WEALTH!

I have made an observation that on Sundays number of participants goes down. Why is that? Of course in the Western world they never get up early, but on Sundays specially they sleep to their heart’s content. But we are from the culture of Hare Krishna devotees. So ‘Sunday ho ya Monday’ (whichever day it may be). It should not make a difference. See how all the participants can join our session on Sundays also. I am giving this message to encourage chanting on Sunday mornings also. I hope they will get this message. Those who are listening, tell your friends if they are not there, help them. ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’. Be a true friend,by getting them to chant on Sundays also. Send ‘Jiva jago’ message to them on Sundays also.

There are different traditions. Christians go to church on Sundays and Muslims have their Friday.
But for us it is everyday. For us it is not serving or praying occasionally. We serve or pray everyday,
constantly. kirtaniya sada hari . So keep chanting.

Yesterday we began our new year and we asked you to take a sankalpa (vow) of chanting everyday, or increasing the number of rounds everyday. People take vows at the beginning of the year. Chaitra – Vaishakh is another set of months. I was thinking people in general take different vows or initiatives or ‘sankalpas’ or goals. They begin new businesses. The idea is to make more money. On New Year’s Day they undertake some activities which helps them to make more money, or they buy gold to become more wealthy. But we have to understand that the chanting of Hare Krishna is the real wealth. There should be greater determination to acquire more wealth. I have been saying this from time to time. People begin making money at 10.00 am , but we begin making money at 5.00 am, way ahead of everyone else. Hare Krishnas are smart people. As soon as they get up, they begin earning . This is our business, chanting of Hare Krishna. We start acquiring money, begin depositing our earned money, early in the morning. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said Caitanya Caritamrta, krsna yei bhaje sei bada catura So become smart. If you want to become happy , you need wealth. But what will really make us happy is spiritual wealth, and not the mundane wealth. Hare Krishna maha mantra is the real wealth.

Once Srila Prabhupada was asked by a reporter in London, why he had come there?’ Srila Prabhupada responded, saying, ‘You also had come, your Viceroys had come to our country. Whatever they thought was wealth of India they looted from India. They stole our property. Whatever they thought was valuable , they were taking it to their country, including the Kohinoor diamond. Then he explained, but your Viceroys couldn’t recognize the actual wealth of India. The reporter inquired what is that wealth that our Voiceroys had not looted? Then Srila Prabhupada explained that the real wealth of our country is our culture, our ancient knowledge in the form of the Vedas and the Puranas, Bhagavad-Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Vedanta sutras . This is the real wealth. Srila Prabhupada must have added in that list holy name of the Lord. This Hare Krishna is
the most valuable. Basically, our Krsna is most valuable. Lord is most valuable.

aisvaryasya samagrasya (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

Name and fame of the Lord, knowledge given by the Lord, and basically the Lord is the most valuable thing of our country. But they didn’t understand or recognize the real wealth and they have left that behind. So I have come to do a home delivery of that wealth – gifting to your nation the real wealth of our country. Another time Prabhupada had been hearing how Indians have been going overseas to other countries begging, give me this , give me that , give us super computers etc. Prabhupada said I have not come here, like other Indians who have not understood their country. I have come here to give. Because we have been going to the West, overseas every time.

Anybody – be it the politicians, students or anybody, and everybody, they are going there to bring something from the West. Because we had been begging and begging every time , India had no good image in the West. When around forty years back , I started my travels to the West people would ask, ‘ Swamiji from where have you come?’ On responding ‘From India’ they would respond, Oh! That India, the beggars country! That’s where you have come from!

Prabhupada has done something different that no other Indian has done before. He established the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS! “Society for what?” KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS’. This includes India’s culture, our scriptures, Deity worship, prasada distribution, lots of things and most importantly this includes relating to Krsna. He established a Krishna conscious society which is the most valuable gift to the world, because in that form he gave Lord Krsna to the world.

We had wonderful a wonderful Jagannatha Ratha-yatra Festival in Solapur yesterday which was a successful beginning the first day of the year. My thought was that such Ratha-yatras are held all over the world in some 700 cities. Then I was thinking Srila Prabhupada has introduced Jagannatha to the whole world. By introducing Jagannatha Ratha-yatra, Prabhupada is giving Jagannatha everywhere, in New York, in Durban, South Africa, Melbourne in Australia or Moscow In Russia. Hare Krishna movement is giving Jagannatha to the whole world. This should make us proud of being associated with such an institution, International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Then we can say with pride that we are Gaudiya Vaishnava or we are members of
Krishna consciousness society. We may not say ‘Garv se kaho hum Hindu hai!’. ( Say with pride ,
that we are Hindus.)

So take to this Krishna consciousness seriously,and see how you can spread this around. Get more and more people to chant Hare Krishna. You had been doing, propagating the holy name. There are many sevas, but this is also an important seva.

jare dakho tare kaho krsna upadesa ( CC Madhya Lila 7.128)

Inspire others to chant Hare Krishna and take part in Jagannatha Ratha-yatra. So we will stop now.
Hare Krishna!