(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada and devotees, San Francisco, 1968)
"The United Nation is trying for the last forty years, but there is no unity; it is not possible on the bodily platform. But on the spiritual platform there is unity. Just like in our movement, Krishna consciousness, you'll find all different nations, all different colors, all different religion, all different sex, they are all united in chanting Hare Krishna. This is united nation. There is no distinction. And this is not artificial; this is practical. So the people are trying to become united, oneness. That is not possible on the bodily platform. So this bodily concept of life can be vanquished, can be, I mean to say, rejected on the spiritual platform."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Nairobi, October 31, 1975)
"First of all, we possess. Then, by nature, we lose it. When it is lost, then we cry. So these two things are material position, na socati... But when you come to the brahma-bhuta stage, spiritual platform, then these two things will be absent. Na socati na kanksati, samah sarvesu bhutesu. Then you will be able to see everyone on the spiritual platform. Panditah sama-darsinah (BG 5.18). Then you are learned.
You are seeing the cats and dogs and a human being, a learned man, because you don't see the dress, outward covering, tabernacle, but you see, 'Here is a spirit soul, part and parcel of Krishna.' That is universal brotherhood. Not by passing resolution with the United Nation and fighting. That is not possible. You have to come to the stage of spiritual platform; then there is question of love, brotherhood, equality, fraternity; otherwise, all bogus propaganda. It's not possible. Samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhakti labhate param (BG 18.54). Then real, pure devotional service begins. Then we become completely fit to serve Krishna. Krishna accepts your service at that time."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, August 22, 1972)
"We do not know that Krishna is our original father and that we are all His sons. The tree is my brother, the ant is my brother, the bull is my brother. The American is my brother, the Indian is my brother, the Chinese is my brother. Therefore, we have to develop Krishna consciousness. We talk all this nonsense of universal brotherhood and United Nations -- all nonsense. Either you acknowledge the Father, or else you have no idea of how to realize brotherhood or humanity. Therefore, they are talking for years and years. They are the same fools. Can’t you see the U.N.? They have headquarters in New York. They are simply talking nonsense, that’s all. That is their business. So unless there is full Krishna consciousness, there cannot be any improvement of the world condition."
(Krishna Consciousness The Topmost Yoga System, Ch. 4)
"Bhakti means when you are designationless, purified in Krishna consciousness, then, when your senses are purified, the senses are no more material. In our contaminated state, our senses are acting in designation. 'I am Indian. I have to work for India. The others must go out of India.' Or others are thinking, 'Now your visa is finished. Now you can go out. You cannot stay here.' This is all due to designation. But real life is designationless. The United Nation is working, but they are not working on the platform of becoming designationless. They want to keep the designation. They are struggling there to become united for the last twenty years. And we have seen in New York the United Nation center, only the flags are increasing. Because unless one becomes designationless, no designation, there cannot be any unity."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, December 25, 1974)
"The soul is the same. By his external affection in the material world under different qualities, he's appearing different. Therefore, we have got 8,400,000's of species of life, by different consciousness. And when one comes to Krishna consciousness there is no such differentiation; there is one consciousness: 'Krishna is the Supreme, I am His servant,' that's all. So long one does not come to this platform of Krishna consciousness, there is no possibility of so-called eternity, fraternity, unity, universal brotherhood. That is not possible. It is impossible, because they are all contaminated."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, March 18, 1971)
"Unity is possible on the spiritual platform, not on the material platform. Material platform means 'I am envious of you; you are envious of me.' Matsarata. Matsarata means matsarata para utkarsah asahanam... when I cannot tolerate other increasing in opulence, I become envious. This is material life. Spiritual life is different. Spiritual life means if somebody has advanced in spiritual life, and somebody, one, he is still in the neophyte stage, he will eulogize, 'Oh, how fortunate he is. He has advanced. He is serving Krishna in such a nice way. When I can get that position?' There is no enviousness. That is glorifying. That is the distinction between material life and spiritual life. Material life means enviousness: 'How to kill you, how to stop you.' But spiritual life means to see you advancing, one becomes happy, 'Oh, how fortunate he is.' This is spiritual life. Therefore spiritual life is meant for a person who is completely not envious. That is spiritual life."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, December 25, 1974)
"I am thinking, 'I am American,' I am thinking, 'I am Hindu,' I am thinking, 'I am brahmana' or 'I am sannyasi.' So many designations. Caitanya Mahaprabhu presented Himself, how to become designationless, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). He said, 'I am not a brahmana. I am not a sudra. I am not a ksatriya. I am not a brahmacari.' He denied. At last He said, gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayoh dasa-dasanudasah (CC Madhya 13.80). This is our position. We are not Indian; we are not American; we are not Hindu; we are not Muslim. These are all designations. Therefore the Krishna consciousness movement is to make people free from designation. Just like, actually, you see. Here are American, European boys and girls. They have forgotten that they are American or European or they come from Christian group or Jewish group. Similarly, we should also forget that 'I am Hindu,' 'I am Muslim,' or 'I am brahmana,' 'I am sudra,' 'I am ksatriya.' No. This is the only platform, Krishna consciousness, where we can unite on spiritual platform. We cannot be united by resolutions. Just like the United Nations: they are trying for the last thirty years to become united -- simply resolution. On that platform we cannot be united. On political platform or social platform, that is not possible, because the designations are there. When we are free from designation, sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam, when we are purified, then we can unite in the service of the Lord, Krishna. That is real unity. Hrsikena hrsikesa-sevanam... (CC Madhya 19.170). That is Vaikuntha platform."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrndavana, November 2, 1972)
"People are after santi. This is the formula of santi. We have to accept Krishna as the supreme enjoyer. Not we are enjoyer. At the present moment, all our activities are going on, self-centered: 'I am enjoyer. I am leader. I am bhokta.' No. This is wrong. Krishna is bhokta. Krishna is leader. Krishna is the friend. Krishna is the proprietor. That is Krishna consciousness. This news, this idea, should be spread all over the world. Then automatically, very easily, all the nations will be united.
Because Krishna consciousness acceptance means ceto-darpana-marjanam (CC Antya 20.12). The difficulty is the members in the United Nations, they assemble together, but their heart is not clean. They meet together with unclean heart; therefore there is no solution. Whereas Krishna consciousness means those who are meeting on the platform of Krishna consciousness, they are meeting in cleansed heart. That is the difference. Ceto-darpana-marjanam. Therefore that unity is very solid and sound. And with unclean heart if we meet, officially, there is no possibility of unity. United Nation it may be, in the name, but in fact, in fact it cannot be established."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavana, November 8, 1972)
"They very much appreciated this Ratha-yatra ceremony, and they wrote very frankly, 'Here is the point of meeting East and West.' The newspapers, they have written like that. It is actually the fact. We cannot become United Nation of united dogs. It is not possible. Everyone is barking. And if you practice to bark, then simply some different types of dog, some bulldogs, some greyhounds, some this, some that. So how they will be united? No. That is not possible. Here is unity, when you accept Jagannatha. There is unity. So actually, if we take Krishna consciousness movement very seriously, scientifically, then there is unity."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, July 19, 1976)
"Krishna means 'love,' so everyone is struggling hard how to be in the platform of love. So many institution -- philanthropy, international, and the United Nation -- the only attempt: how to love each other. But they are struggling. They have not attained the platform; simply struggling. There have been so many attempts to unite. The vivid example is the United Nation. Formerly that was League of Nation. And people are manufacturing ideas: philanthropism and altruism, Communism, community-ism, this 'ism,' that 'ism.' The only thing is, they are trying to come to the platform of love. But they are manufacturing their own way. The Krishna solves, that 'Not in this way. Simply make Me center, and the whole thing will be done.' But that they will not do. They will do in their own way, concocting some idea. And your idea will clash with me; my idea will clash with you. So same struggle continues, that's all. The Communist will not agree with the others, or capitalists, and capitalists will not agree with the Communists. But they are struggling to come to that point -- the platform of love. And Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives very shortcut formula, that 'You sit together, chant Hare Krishna, and everything will be solved.' Very simple thing: 'Sit together and chant Hare Krishna.' That also they will not do."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Tehran, March 13, 1975)
"Thirty years. What they have done? All the best men of the whole world, they are there, but no united, simply disunited. Common platform, they are not agreeable. They do not accept God. That is the difficulty -- no central point. You have got your own philosophy; I have got my own philosophy; he has got his own philosophy. Now, how we will agree?"
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Honolulu, June 7, 1975)
"We want to unite the world on the platform of Krsna Consciousness under one state, one government, one religion and one scripture. It will be successful if we work cautiously and maintain our standards."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 13, 1973)
"Our program is to love, to place your love in the proper place. That is our program. Everyone wants to love, but he is being frustrated on account of his love being misplaced. People do not understand it. They are being taught, 'First of all, you love your body.' Then little extended, 'You love your father and mother.' Then 'Love your brother and sister.' Then 'Love your society, love your country, love the whole human society, humanity.' But all this extended love, so-called love, will not give you satisfaction unless you reach to the point to love Krishna. Then you'll be satisfied. Just like if you throw a stone on some reservoir of water, on a lake, there immediately begins a circle. The circle expands, and expanding, expanding, expanding, when the circle touches the shore, it stops. Unless the circle reaches the bank or the shore of the reservoir of the water, it goes on increasing. So we have to increase. Increase. The increase means there are two ways. If you practice, 'I love my society, I love my country, I love my human nation,' then 'living entities,' go on... But if you directly touch Krishna, then everything is there. It is so nice. Because Krishna means all-attractive, includes everything. Why everything? Because Krishna is the center. Just like in a family, if you love your father, then you love your brothers, sisters, the servant of your father, the home of your father, the wife of your father, namely, your mother, everyone. The central point is father. This is crude example. Similarly, if you love Krishna, then your love will be expanded everywhere."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Seattle, September 30, 1968)
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