The first known recorded mention of New Vrindaban by Srila Prabhupada during a Srimad Bhagavatam 7.9.13-14 Lecture — Montreal, August 22, 1968.

“So fortunately, one of our students, he has taken a very large tract of land in West Virginia to develop a society like that, that simple life, eat simple things, grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and save your time for advancing in Krsna consciousness. Don’t be implicated in the ugra-karma. Modern civilization is implicated in ugra-karma— vast machinery, everything complicated. The government complicated, the society complicated, economics rule complicated, foreign exchange complicated. Everything has become complicated. So Narottama dasa Thakura has sung very nice song. Satsanga chari kainu asatye vilas, ei karane lagila more karma bandha-phansa. Because we have given up Krsna consciousness, therefore we have been entangled in the different varieties of material activities. Now we have to simplify it. The Krsna consciousness movement is to simplify, to save the valuable life, to save the time of valuable life. This human form of life is very valuable. Bahunam janmanam ante BG 7.19 . After many, many births we have got this important life. So we have to save our time to utilize it for Krsna consciousness. That should… So far we have got this material body, we want to maintain it. The body and souls live together. That is all right. For that, Krsna has given every chance. Anywhere you sit down, you have got land and cow. You produce something and cow’s milk. That is sufficient for maintenance. So let us try to make an attempt to organize a New Vrindaban scheme, and I shall request all my students to develop this idea and show a good example to this Western part of the world where people are always engaged in ugra-karma, asuric- karma.”

Full transcript below:

sarve hy ami vidhi-karas tava sattva-dhamno
brahmadayo vayam ivesa na codvijantah
ksemaya bhutaya utatma-sukhaya casya
vikriditam bhagavato ruciravataraih

SB 7.9.13

So Prahlada Maharaja is requesting Lord Nrsimha that “Now You can become peaceful because the disturbing element, my father, is now finished.” So there are two missions when Krsna appears, incarnation: paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam BG 4.8 . This material world is a field of activity for the persons who have forgotten Krsna. But there are regulative principles, Vedic knowledge. If we act according to the regulative principle, then we can enjoy. Not actually enjoy, but we think we enjoy. Because in the material world, there is nothing enjoyable for the spirit soul. Just like a fish, it is an animal of the water. It has nothing to enjoy on the land. So if, by mistake, a fish thinks that “I shall become an elephant and enjoy in the land,” that is not possible. Similarly, we spirit soul, aham brahmasmi, we are all Brahman, and we have nothing to do with this material world. But because we are Brahman… Brahman means anandamaya. Ananda-cinmaya-rasa. The Supreme Brahman is sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah. Isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah [Bs. 5.1] . And we are part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. Therefore we are also sac-cid-ananda, eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge. But somehow or other, iccha-dvesa-samutthena… BG 4.8.

Iccha-dvesa-samutthena. The real basic principle of our materialistic life is dvesa. Dvesa means when we become envious of Krsna, that “Why Krsna shall be the supreme enjoyer?” In this world, in practical experience, we have seen that many people say that “Krsna enjoyed rasa-lila. Why we shall not?” So this is, imitation rasa-lila is going on in this material world, but they cannot be satisfied because it is imitation. Just like if a female takes the part of a male and wants to imitate the enjoyment, it is simply false. Similarly, we are constitutionally female, enjoyed, prakrti. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakrtim para jiva-bhutam maha-baho BG 7.5 . Prakrti means female, enjoyed. So jiva is described in the Bhagavad-gita as prakrti. The first prakrti is the material elements, eight.

bhumir apo ‘nalo vayuh
kham buddhir mano eva ca
apara…
prakrti me bhinna as?adha

BG 7.4

These are separated energy. But apareyam, they are inferior. Apareyam itas tv anya para. Besides this material nature, this dull matter, there is another nature: prakrti, para prakrti, the jiva. So the real life is to be enjoyed by the Lord. Enjoyed. That means real life is to become eternal servitor. Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, jivera svarupa haya nitya krsna-dasa CC Madhya 20.108-109 . That is his constitutional position. But by imitation he wants to become the master. And when, iccha, when he develops that desire and envies the Lord, that “Why Krsna shall be enjoyer? I shall be enjoyer also,” this is iccha-dvesa-samutthena sarge yanti parantapa CC Madhya 20.108-109 . Sarge means in this creation.

So any living entity who is within this material world, they have come here with that two principles— iccha, dvesa. Iccha means they want to be happy with material enjoyment and “What is God? I am God.” These two things. The whole disease is on these two principles—denying the supremacy of the Lord and to try to be happy by material adjustment. But that is not possible. This is simply disturbing. Simply disturbing. Therefore Rupa Gosvami has mentioned in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu that,

sruti-smrti-puranadi
pancaratriki-vidhim vina
aikantiki harer bhaktih
utpatayaiva kalpate

[Brs. 1.2.101]

Persons who are ignorant of the Vedic principles, sruti, and smrti, corollaries to the sruti, and Purana… There are eighteen Puranas. Srimad-Bhagavatam is called Maha-puranam. So sruti-smrti-puranadi [Brs. 1.2.101] and pancaratriki-vidhi, Narada-pancaratra. So one should be conversant with all these authoritative scriptures. Without knowing these, if there is an imitation of devotional service, Rupa Gosvami says that is simply disturbance. Simply disturbance. Therefore we see that in India the original principle is Vedic principle, but due to so many reasons, there being no real king or government who can control the citizens, or India being for so many years under the control of foreigners, and at the present moment forgetting their own real culture… Not only India, everywhere the same thing. So they are creating disturbances. Disturbances. Asuric civilization, demonic civilization.

So Prahlada Maharaja said, “My dear Lord, now the, my father who was atheist and always disturbing… These demigods, they are Your devotees. They are not disturbing elements.” Brahmadayo vayam ivesa. Brahmadayo. “All these demigods standing here, headed by Brahma, they are not like us, like demonic persons like my father and his associates. So You can now be peaceful. Don’t show Your anger.”

tad yaccha manyum asuras ca hatas tvayadya
modeta sadhur api vrscika-sarpa-hatya
lokas ca nirvrtim itah pratiyanti sarve
rupam nrsimha vibhayaya janah smaranti

SB 7.9.14

So there may be a question that “Then was Prahlada Maharaja very glad that his father was killed?” This question may be raised, that “What kind of devotee he is? He’s such a great devotee of Lord, and before him his father was killed, and he is requesting the Lord, ‘My dear Lord, the disturbing element is already finished.’ That means he’s glad that his father was killed.” So from social conventional point of view, if a son is glad on the death of his father, do you think it is very nice? No. These points are to be considered. But Prahlada Maharaja gives very nice evidence. This is the peculiarity of Krsna conscious persons, that whatever they will say, they will give full support. What is that? He says, tad yaccha manyum asuras ca hatas tvayadya. Asura. “My father was asura. So because Your mission was to kill, so that, he is killed. And by this killing process, not only myself, but sadhu, all sadhus they are also pleased.” Sadhur api. Just see.

So do you think that sadhu, those who are sadhu, they are pleased when a person is killed? Not ordinary person. He is giving very nice example. Modeta sadhur api vrscika sarpa-hatya SB 7.9.14 . Vrscika means scorpion and sarpa means snake. Naturally, whenever a scorpion is found or a snake is out, every man is prepared to kill it. Every man. “Oh, here is a snake. Kill it.” When I was in Allahabad, in my bed there was a snake. I do not know how it came, but I informed to the servants, and they came with all stick immediately. So when the bed seat was taken away, it was under the, I mean to say, quilt. So that snake was there, and from the face of the snake I could understand that she was, it was so afraid. He could understand that “Now I’m going to be killed by so many people. They have come.” So I told them that “Don’t kill this poor fellow. Better take it and send it to the forest.” But they took it away, but I later on understood they killed it. So once I saw in our Mayapur, Lord Caitanya’s birthplace, so a snake was going, a black snake with… In Bengal there are many snakes. So my Guru Maharaja was on the upstair and everyone asked the permission whether this should be killed. He said immediately, “Yes. He should be killed.” So at that time I thought that “How Guru Maharaja ordered for killing the snake?” Then, after so many years, when I began to read Bhagavatam and came to this passage, Prahlada Maharaja assertion, modeta sadhur api vrscika sarpa-hatya, then I thought that “My Guru Maharaja did right thing.” Here also, modeta. Even a sadhu. Then why a sadhu is pleased when a sarpa, a scorpion, or snake is killed? The reason is that these two kinds of creatures, they bite innocent persons without any fault. Without any fault. Or for little fault. The venomous snake. Immediately. By nature they are so angry and so envious that they feel pleasure if somebody is bitten and immediately die. That is their nature. Therefore killing a snake and scorpion means to save it from so many sinful activities. Because it is nature. It will kill so many persons, so many animals, because its nature is innocent person, bite innocent person, kill him. So if there is seen by killing another, it will continue. Better to kill it to stop its sinful activities. That is the reason here it is said, modeta sadhur api.

So the asuras, the atheists, are just like vrscika and sarpa, scorpion. Without any reason they occupy somebody’s country, somebody’s place, and kill somebody. This is going on. In the Manu-samhita it is stated that when a king hangs some murderer it is a great favor to him. It is a great favor to him. In every country, in every civilization, the punishment is “Life for life.” If you have killed somebody, then you shall be killed. And it is supported in Manu-samhita that when the king orders that a murderer should be killed, that is a favor to him. Because if he is not killed, then the sinful activities, reaction, will continue, and the next birth he’ll suffer. But if he’s killed in this life, then all his sinful activities finished. He’ll have no more to suffer the reaction. So it is friendly action. Similarly a vrscika or a sarpa, a scorpion or a snake, if it is killed that means to save it from further, I mean to say, sinful activities. Therefore sadhu, it is said by Brahma, I mean to…, Prahlada Maharaja, that modeta sadhur api vrscika sarpa-hatya SB 7.9.14 . Yata artho ‘yam manusya ca asura sadhunam santosam santosartham arti hatah (?). Sridhara Swami is annotating that this killing of Nrsimha, here, uh, this killing by Nrsimhadeva of Hiranyakasipu was for the pleasure of the saintly persons. Was for the pleasure of the saintly persons. Nanu anyesam vadhena sadhu kim modeta.

Does it mean that those who are saintly persons, they take pleasure in other’s killing? They try to stop killing. Even animal killing they want to stop. How it is that, they take pleasure in another’s killing? Nanu anyesam vadhena sadhu kim modeta tatra ha vrscikadeh. Not all. A… Persons, living creatures like the scorpion and serpents. Not all. Everything has got exception. So a sadhu, a saintly person, a righteous person, a religious person, will never be happy by other’s killing. But killing of persons like scorpion and serpent… And the Canakya Pandita says that a person who has envious nature, he’s more dangerous than the serpent. Canakya Pandita has enunciated that sarpah krurah khalah krurah. There are two envious creatures: one is the snake, and another, a man envious, unnecessarily envious of others. So sarpat kruratarah khalah. That man, envious, he’s dangerous, more dangerous than the snake. Why more dangerous? Mantrausadhi-vasah sarpah khalah kena nivaryate. You can subdue a snake by herbs and by chanting particular type of mantra. There are many snake charmers in India, by mantra they can charm the snakes. But a person who is envious, you cannot pacify him in any way. Therefore sarpah kruratarah khalah. Just like Jesus Christ was crucified by some envious persons. Even the Roman judge denied that “This man should not be… There is no such fault.” But because they were envious, they were persistent, “Yes, he should be crucified.” So this is the nature of envious person. Therefore killing of envious persons like Hiranyakasipu… Unnecessarily… He was a child. Prahlada Maharaja was a child, innocent child. And his son, and youngest son. And his only fault was that he was chanting Hare Krsna. And this person was after him, giving him all kinds of trouble. Just see the nature of the envious person. He doesn’t care even his son, a child, a devotee. “Oh, this boy must be tortured. This boy must be tortured because he is Krsna conscious.” “This man must be crucified because he is preaching God consciousness.” This is the nature of envious persons. More dangerous. Therefore their killing is the pleasure for the saintly persons. Modeta sadhur api vrscika sarpa-hatya. So Prahlada Maharaja was glad that his father was killed. So tatraha (reads commentary) vrscikadeh parapadraka karina anyathaiva jatina kutra vadhena tasyaiva tad bhadram jatam (?). It is good for it because he is stopped creating nuisance. Creating. If he’s stopped, then it is a great benefit for him because his nature is to become envious and torture others. Therefore to kill such person is a great welfare act for him. Tad bhadram yatram eti and sadhur api modeta. And sadhu, saintly persons are also glad. (reads commentary) Tarhi bahunam sukhavaham tam amum krodham na tyajami ceti praha lokas ca nirmitteh prakta-santi-pratinirjanti samhara pratiksante (?).

So Prahlada Maharaja is requesting, “Now, my Lord, Your business is finished, and by Your, this action, all saintly persons are pleased. So You can become now peaceful.” Lokas ca nirvrtim itah pratiyanti sarve rupam nrsimha vibhayaya janah smaranti. “Now people are praying that Nrsimhadeva, Nrsimhadeva is to protect the devotees.” Just like a lion. A lion is ferocious to other animals, but he is not ferocious to the cubs. He’s very affectionate father, mother, although it is lion. So the cubs, they haven’t got to be afraid of the lion. So Prahlada Maharaja says that “My dear Lord, I am not asking You to be peaceful. Don’t think that I have become afraid of You.” He’s so confident. “He is my Lord.” He has come in the appearance, in this ghastly appearance, half lion and so big, and He’s groaning like anything. So he knows that “He is my Lord. He’s same Krsna.” Narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati SB 6.17.28 . One who is elevated in Krsna consciousness, he is not disturbed in the greatest, facing greatest danger.

yam labdhva caparam labham
manyate nadhikam tatah
yasmin sthite na duhkhena
gurunapi vicalyate

BG 6.20-23

Krsna consciousness is so nice that if one is perfectly situated in Krsna consciousness, then his condition will be like this, that yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah. Achieving that stage, he’ll forget for any other profit. We are hankering after profit, profit after profit. I have got so much money, I want to make it double. When it is double I want to make it ten times. When it is ten times, I’ll make it hundred times. Go on increasing. The civilization is increasing. Formerly, people were satisfied if they could build one…, construct one brick house, kota bari. Now they are not satisfied with kota bari, or brick house. They want to make it hundred— or two hundred—, five-hundred-storied house. And when they’ll build, construct five-hundred-storied house, they’ll think of thousand-story house. This is the nature. This is the nature. So labha. Everyone is hankering after more profit, more profit, more profit. But if one is situated in Krsna consciousness, then he is satisfied.

Svamin krtartho ‘smi varam na yace CC Madhya 22.42 . Dhruva Maharaja said, “My dear Lord…” Here also you’ll see. It was in the previous… When Prahlada Maharaja was offered to take benediction from the Lord, he refused. He said that, “My Lord, I am not a merchant that I am Your devotee for some material gain.” This will be explained. So a devotee who is in pure Krsna consciousness, he is satisfied with that consciousness only. Ahaituki. He has no other reason, “Oh, I am trying to become Krsna conscious because I want such and such thing.” He has no demand. Simply that consciousness is sufficient. It is so pleasing. It is so satisfying that yasmin sthite, if one is actually situated in Krsna consciousness, then gurunapi duhkhena na vicalyate. Just see the Prahlada Maharaja. He is… So devastating incidences are taking place, when all the demigods have become afraid and his father is killed and very ghastly appearance and the lion form incarnation of the Lord is groaning. But he is not afraid. He’s not at all afraid. Yasmin sthite gurunapi duhkhena na vicalyate CC Madhya 22.42 .

So next verse will be discussed sometimes later on because I am leaving this place tomorrow. So tomorrow, of course, Radhas?ami, we shall have meetings in daytime. And… Of course, those devotees are present, please come tomorrow, Radhastami. Try to understand the Radha’s position in relationship with Krsna. This Krsna consciousness movement is very nice. Try to understand it in so many ways. We have got immense literature. If lifelong we try to understand, there is sufficient stock. It is not hackneyed. You’ll get nava-navayaman. Newer and newer things you’ll get, experience. Anandambudhi-vardhanam. And the more and more you get relish in Krsna consciousness, your transcendental pleasure becomes more and more appreciated. It is so nice. Anandambudhi-vardhanam. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said, ambudhi… Ambudhi means ocean. In the ordinary course, the ocean does not increase. If ocean would have increased, then there would…, so many towns would have been washed away. Sometimes it happens of course, temporarily. But anandambudhi. The spiritual ocean is so nice that it increased, and the enjoyer of that ananda, he also increases. Brhanatyat. Brahma life is that brhatya-brhanatyat. It is the greatest; still, it has the potency of expanding more and more. It is very inconceivable. If something is the greatest, superlative, then what is beyond superlative? Still, there is beyond superlative. Anandambudhi-vardhanam. So Srimad-Bhagavatam is so nice, transcendental literature that anywhere you sit down, chant Hare Krsna, as the Gosvamis used to do it… Nama-gana-na?ibhih kalavasani-krtau. They were passing their time chanting, dancing, and reading Srimad-Bhagavatam, writing on it. So far the bodily necessities are concerned, they were not very important things for them. They forgot. Spiritual life is so nice.

So fortunately, one of our students, he has taken a very large tract of land in West Virginia to develop a society like that, that simple life, eat simple things, grains, vegetables, fruits, milk, and save your time for advancing in Krsna consciousness. Don’t be implicated in the ugra-karma. Modern civilization is implicated in ugra-karma— vast machinery, everything complicated. The government complicated, the society complicated, economics rule complicated, foreign exchange complicated. Everything has become complicated. So Narottama dasa Thakura has sung very nice song. Satsanga chari kainu asatye vilas, ei karane lagila more karma bandha-pha?sa. Because we have given up Krsna consciousness, therefore we have been entangled in the different varieties of material activities. Now we have to simplify it. The Krsna consciousness movement is to simplify, to save the valuable life, to save the time of valuable life. This human form of life is very valuable. Bahunam janmanam ante BG 7.19 . After many, many births we have got this important life. So we have to save our time to utilize it for Krsna consciousness. That should… So far we have got this material body, we want to maintain it. The body and souls live together. That is all right. For that, Krsna has given every chance. Anywhere you sit down, you have got land and cow. You produce something and cow’s milk. That is sufficient for maintenance. So let us try to make an attempt to organize a New Vrindaban scheme, and I shall request all my students to develop this idea and show a good example to this Western part of the world where people are always engaged in ugra-karma, asuric- karma. Things are becoming very implicated, complicated.

Thank you very much. Any question?

Young man: [break] …defending for us?

Prabhupada: He’s always defending, but you should not be idle. It does not mean “Because God is defending, therefore we shall stop our work.” No. Yudhyasva mam anusmara BG 8.7 . Krsna advises Arjuna that “You have to fight, but at the same time think of Me, Krsna conscious.” You have to fight. Just other people are fighting with all circumstances, we have to fight also, but we must have faith that Krsna will save. Not that “We depend on Krsna. Because we are Krsna conscious, Krsna will do the act. Let me sleep.” No. Karmany evadhikaras te ma phalesu kadacana. You have to act according to the rules, and so far the result is concerned, leave it to Krsna.

Nanda Kisora: If the spiritual master gives you any instruction, should we look upon that as the same as life?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Nanda Kisora: It wouldn’t be… How would we know if it’s maya or not?

Prabhupada: Ask your spiritual master. He will answer you. Why you in maya while your spiritual master is physically present? You can ask, if there is any question, you can ask. [break] …yourself in doubt. Everything should be cleared.

Gargamuni: You said we’re not supposed to tolerate any blaspheming of the Lord, not of His name or in any way. How are we supposed to not tolerate that? It happens where I work people are sometimes blaspheming His name as a matter of course. How do you not tolerate? How do you…?

Prabhupada: The demons will always do that. You chant Hare Krsna. What is that?

Pradyumna: …for Krsna.

Prabhupada: Yes. You remember Krsna. That’s all. The rule is that when there is blasphemy, there are three kinds of activities. First thing is that one who is blaspheming, you should argue and defeat him by your arguments, by your evidences. If you are unable to do that, then you should die. That is the injunction. And if you are unable to do that, then you should go away from that place. That’s all. Three things. First of all, you should fight with him. Then if you are unable to fight, then you should die. And if you are not able to die, then leave that place and go away. Hare Krsna. Yes?

Jayapataka: Can you explain Sri Radha’s appearance day?

Prabhupada: Yes. Tomorrow. (Hindi) (end)