Srila Prabhupāda: Yes. If you read Kṛṣṇa book and if you believe,
then you see Kṛṣṇa. He’s not different from the book.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Gurukṛpā: Questions, Śrīla Prabhupāda? Anybody who would like to address some question to His Divine Grace, please raise your hand and stand up, any questions. (pause)
Srila Prabhupāda: Everything is solved? (laughter)
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: You had a question?
Guest: Is it possible to see Kṛṣṇa right now?
Srila Prabhupāda: Why don’t you see Him in your back?
Guest: But can’t I just see Him?
Srila Prabhupāda: Well, you have no eyes to see.
Guest: Why? Why is it not so easy? Why can’t each one of us…?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Why is it so difficult to see Kṛṣṇa? Why can’t each of us see Him within?
Srila Prabhupāda: You have to become qualified.
Guest: Why do I have to become qualified? Why?
Srila Prabhupāda: Yes. Suppose if there is a big man before you in some big meeting, can you talk with him?
Srila Prabhupāda: No, no. First of all, answer this. Suppose there is a big meeting going on, and some big man is present. Suppose the President is there. Can you talk with him? Why? Why you cannot talk? For talking we think you require some qualification. It is not that He’s so cheap that you talk with Kṛṣṇa immediately.
ataḥ śrī–kṛṣṇa-nāmād
na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
[Cc. Madhya 17.136]
So, if you accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, then you have to qualify yourself to talk with Him.
Guest: By His grace, Kṛṣṇa will show Himself to you.
Srila Prabhupāda: Yes. If you read Kṛṣṇa book and if you believe, then you see Kṛṣṇa. He’s not different from the book.
Guest: But we could read words till the cows come home. What good is that going to do?
Devotee: You have to accept what you read. You can’t read with an argumentative attitude, or you can’t ask questions in an argumentative attitude. You’ll never learn.
Guest: I can only accept what I experience.
Srila Prabhupāda: What is your experience?
Guest: My experience is that I have seen Kṛṣṇa with (sic) me own eyes.
Srila Prabhupāda: You have seen?
Srila Prabhupāda: That’s very nice. (devotees laugh)
Srila Prabhupāda: That’s nice.
Guest: I haven’t had to read any words.
Srila Prabhupāda: Oh, then you are perfect.
Devotee: Are there any other questions please?
Srila Prabhupāda: Sit down. You are perfect. (laughter)
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: But please, you can speak afterwards. Please sit down.
Srila Prabhupāda: You have already spoken. Don’t take the whole time. Let others question.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Others also want to see Kṛṣṇa. Are there any other questions please?
Girl: How can we stop speculating?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: How can we stop speculating?
Srila Prabhupāda: Stop speculation? Don’t manufacture ideas. You take what Kṛṣṇa says. Then it will automatically stop. Speculation, the question of speculation comes when you do not accept what Kṛṣṇa says. If you accept Kṛṣṇa, what Kṛṣṇa says, then there is no scope of speculation. That is our movement, that “Accept Kṛṣṇa’s teachings as it is. Don’t speculate; then it is lost.” This is our movement. Kṛṣṇa says that ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg. 10.8]: “I am the origin of everything. Everything emanates from Me.” If you accept, then it is all right. And if you speculate, you can do that, but our movement is to accept Kṛṣṇa.
Brahmā means, janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1], the origin of everything. Here is the person. He says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate [Bg. 10.8].
Accept it. Very simple thing. You are searching after who is the origin of everything, and Kṛṣṇa says, “I am the origin of everything.” So, if you accept, your question is solved. If you don’t accept, go on speculating. There is no difficulty. Difficulty is when you do not accept Kṛṣṇa’s instruction. Then difficulty is. Otherwise, there is no difficulty. And why people do not accept? That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jnānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. After many, many births speculation, when one actually comes to the platform of knowledge, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jnānavān māṁ prapadyate. So, we don’t find many such jnānavān. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā [Bg. 7.19]. One who’s accepted Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, as everything, that kind of mahātmā is very, very rare to be found. It is not very ordinary thing.
So anyone who’s accepted Kṛṣṇa as everything, he is the greatest mahātmā. Most fortunate. And we can practically see in these modern countries, everyone four or five years or at most ten years, who never heard what is Kṛṣṇa. Now thousand, they are devotees of Kṛṣṇa, because they have accepted Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā [Bg. 7.19]. You accept blindly or knowingly, the result will be the same. If you touch fire knowingly or unknowingly, it willl burn. This is the position. If you accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ [Bg. 10.8], the origin of everything, then the action will be there. Sa mahātmā su–durlabhaḥ. You’ll become the greatest mahātmā. And what is the sign of mahātmā? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso [Bg. 9.13].
That is mahātmā. He is under the control of daivī prakṛti. As we are controlled by this material nature, a mahātmā is controlled by the spiritual nature. And what is the sign? Bhajanty ananya-manaso, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. This is the sign. Without any division. So, these young boys, girls, they’re always chanting. That you’ll see: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa They are mahātmās. Sa mahātmā su–durlabhaḥ. Api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya–bhāk sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ [Bg. 9.30]. These things are there. Very simple thing. You accept Kṛṣṇa the Supreme, you follow instruction, you become a great mahātmā. And if you don’t accept,
aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā
dharmasyāsya parantapa
aprāpya māṁ nivartante
mṛtyu–saṁsāra–vartmani
[Bg. 9.3]
If you don’t accept aśraddadhānāḥ, then you’ll never understand what is God, and you’ll be rotating in the cycle of birth and death. Mṛtyu–saṁsāra–vartmani. You have to accept this path. There are two paths. Either you accept Kṛṣṇa, go back to home, back to Godhead, or you accept the path of repetition of birth and death. Two alternatives in this human life. Now it is up to you to make your choice which way you want to go.
Guest: After his demise… [break]
Srila Prabhupāda: What is that?
Gurukṛpā: After if one becomes purified, is it possible when he becomes transferred to the spiritual world that he can meet Rūpa Gosvāmī and other great…
Srila Prabhupāda: Yes. Provided you are pure, purified, you can meet everyone. The condition is purified. Yeṣām anta–gataṁ pāpam. That is stated in the… That is purification. No more sinful life. Yeṣām anta–gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ puṇya–karmaṇām. A person is always engaged in pious activities. Te dvandva–moha–nirmuktā bhajante māṁ dṛḍha–vratāḥ [Bg. 7.28]. So, so long one is infected with sinful activities, he cannot understand, neither he can surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is also explained by Kṛṣṇa:
na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jnānā
āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
[Bg. 7.15]
This is the signs. And one who is free from all sinful activities, mahātmā, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ bhajanty ananya-manaso [Bg. 9.13].
This is the signs. If one is not accepting Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa means God—as the Supreme, he’s placing himself as the Supreme. Just like so many rascals: “I am God.” So, such persons are called duṣkṛtina, sinful. Mūḍha. If one is claiming “I am God,” how much foolish he is just you can consider. He is under the clutches of māyā, being kicked up by the material energy in so many ways, and he’s thinking he is God. So they are duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ narādhamāḥ. That has been explained. So, this simple language is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. There is no difficulty. If we actually accept, then our life is…
janma karma ca me divyam
yo jānāti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti…
[Bg. 4.9]
So we are trying our bit to understand Kṛṣṇa and to make others to understand Kṛṣṇa. And therefore, we have published about eighty-two books, big books and small books. So we request that you either accept Kṛṣṇa without any hesitation, or try to understand Kṛṣṇa by reading all these literatures. And they are being well received all over the world by big, big professors and other exalted persons. So, you can take advantage. Thank you very much.
Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Many people have brought dakṣiṇā and things like that. Should they bring now?
Srila Prabhupāda: When they want to do?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: I was thinking that maybe they could do… It was a little bit too crowded for everyone to come up earlier. Perhaps we could have a kīrtana and I could ask those devotees who brought some offering to bring them.
Srila Prabhupāda: As you say. (end)
https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/cc/madhya/20/98-102/april_27/april/27/1976