True independence is not freedom from government, but surrender to Krishna through devotional service.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Lecture at Māgha-melā — January 30, 1971, Allahabad 710130L3-ALLAHABAD [16:52 Minutes] Lecture_710130L3-ALLAHABAD Devotee: At the government camp, Māgha-melā, January 30th, 1971. Prabhupāda: [break] ....āna-timirāndhasya jñānāñjana-śalākayā cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena tasmai śrī-gurave-namaḥ ["I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance."] śrī-caitanya-mano-'bhīṣṭaṁ sthāpitaṁ yena bhū-tale svayaṁ rūpaḥ kadā mahyaṁ dadāti sva-padāntikam ["When will Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī Prabhupāda, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?"] he kṛṣṇa karuṇā-sindho dīna-bandho jagat-pate gopeśa gopikā-kānta rādhā-kānta namo 'stu te ["O my dear Kṛṣṇa, ocean of mercy, You are the friend of the distressed and the source of creation. You are the master of the cowherd men and the lover of the gopīs, especially Rādhārāṇī. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."] tapta-kāñcana-gaurāṅgī rādhe vṛndāvaneśvari vṛṣabhānu-sute devī praṇamāmi hari-priye ["I offer my respects to Rādhārāṇī, whose bodily complexion is like molten gold and who is the Queen of Vṛndāvana. You are the daughter of King Vṛṣabhānu, and You are very dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa."] hare kṛṣṇa, hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa, hare hare hare rāma, hare rāma rāma rāma, hare hare ["My dear Lord, and the spiritual energy of the Lord, kindly engage me in Your service. I am now embarrassed with this material service. Please engage me in Your service."] Ladies and Gentlemen, my previous speaker, Swami Rāghavānandajī, has explained to you about Kṛṣṇa consciousness very thoughtly, and it is very nice. And next speaker, my assistant, Śrīmān Haṁsadūta dāsa Adhikārī, he has explained before you about our activities and our publications. Actually, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the prime necessity of the present age, because we understand from Vedic scriptures that, bhagavad-bhakti-hīnasya jātiḥśāstraṁ japas tapaḥ kriyā aprāṇasya hi dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam [Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 3.11] We have attained independence. Not only we; practically all the people of the world, they have attained so-called independence.
But there is no independence. The independence we are searching after, according to our Vedic conception, it is farce, because we are servant of the material nature. prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27] We are simply being pulled up and down by our ear by the prakṛti. Therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said real independence is, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14] If we want actual independence, what is this independence? Suppose I am now prime minister.
But after my death I am no longer prime minister. I am the servant of material nature. By the law of material nature I will be enforced to accept a kind of body which may be better than prime minister or lower than prime minister. That can be seen by the intelligent person, as Swāmījī has spoken. Only those who are actually in knowledge, they can see where this man is passing.
So… But we want independence; that’s a fact. But that independence cannot be attained in this way. This place is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. Kṛṣṇa says, mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam nāpnuvanti... [Bg. 8.15] This place is full of miseries, threefold miseries.
And our problem is how to get independence from the four principles of miserable condition: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhiduḥkha-doṣānudarśanam [Bg. 13.9] Those who are intelligent persons, they will see that however I may make my life comfortable by material ways and science, these four things—the troubles of taking birth, the troubles of dying, the troubles of old age and troubles of diseased condition of life—that cannot be solved. That can be solved only by understanding Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma me divyam ye jānāti tattvataḥ tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti... [Bg. 4.9] If you want to get freedom from the laws of material nature, then the only process is to understand Kṛṣṇa.
You simply try to concentrate your mind on Kṛṣṇa and try to understand Kṛṣṇa. And he is the greatest yogī who simply is trying to understand Kṛṣṇa, thinking of Kṛṣṇa—sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinda—as Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did, always. This is possible. It is not impossible.
Just like Arjuna was advised, yudhyasvamām mam anusmara [Bg. 8.7]: "You go on fighting, at the same time go on remembering Me." That is possible. Therefore, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, how to think of Kṛṣṇa always, that is also instructed in the Vedic literature, Bṛhad Nāradīya Purāṇa: harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā [Cc. Ādi 17.21] So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is that we are trying to place before the world that there is God, and God is one, and that is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam [SB 1.3.28]. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [Bs. 5.1]. These are the verdict of Vedas. And, so far our country is concerned, all the ācāryas, including Śaṅkarācārya… There are two sects in India: the Māyāvādī sect and the Vaiṣṇava sect. All the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, like Śrī Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Viṣṇu Svāmī, all of them are Kṛṣṇa worshipers.