How to Become Successful in Life.
Hari Sauri Dasa: In the evening Prabhupada had an engagement at the home of Mrs. Gopi Kumara Birla and her son, Ashoka. She had invited friends from many of the leading business families in Bombay. The Birlas are possibly the richest, and one of the most influential, families in India.
Giriraja had previously suggested to her several possible topics for the evening's discussion, and she has chosen "How to Become Successful in Life." The Birlas had set up an asana on a side lawn of their large, opulent estate. Next to it, on a table, the devotees placed a shrine with small brass Radha-Krishna Deities.
Srila Prabhupada arrived in the Birla's white Mercedes. He immediately noticed that his seat was placed higher than that of the Deities. So he had the devotees remove the base of the asana, making his seat lower. Then, above the muted clamor of Bombay's evening traffic, Prabhupada addressed his attentive audience on the evening's topic. "Radharani and Durga, both of them are the prakritis of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but one prakriti is meant for controlling this material world and the other prakriti is meant for blessing the spiritual world. "Radharani, the name has come from the word aradhyate. Aradha means worshiping, beginning from Radharani and her expansion Lakshmi in Vaikuntha. Here we worship Mother Lakshmiji, the goddess of fortune, to receive some favor, but in the Vaikuntha world there are many hundreds of thousands of Lakshmis, and with great respect they are engaged in serving the Supreme Lord. "So, we being expansions of the spiritual Lakshmi, or Radharani, our duty is to serve Radharani, and through Radharani serve Krishna. This is Krishna consciousness movement. We are missing this point. That instead of learning from Radharani how to serve Krishna, we are being controlled by the other prakriti, material energy, Durga, with weapons in her ten hands. This is our position."
Prabhupada possesses a unique ability to link anyone from any walk of life to the common goal of spiritual attainment. His preaching is always perfectly suitable for the time, place and circumstance. To the leaders of this wealthy business community he thus offered a pertinent example. "In this material world they do not know what is the aim of life. Everyone is very much expert to see his interest. Two businessmen, they are agreeing; but everyone is trying to see his personal interest first. This is called svartha-gatim. That is natural. But Prahlada Maharaja says, na te viduh svartha-gatim hi vishnum. Unfortunately, these materialistic persons they do not know what is real interest. The real interest is Vishnu, how to serve Vishnu."
Prabhupada came directly to the keynote of his address. "The subject matter was how to become successful in life. Krishna comes to instruct this simple truth that you are being controlled by the material energy. You give up this business, you be controlled by the spiritual energy, and your life is successful. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said jivera 'svarupa' haya-krishnera 'nitya-dasa'. But our disease is, instead of becoming dasa we are trying to become the master of the prakriti. This is called the materialistic way of life. So that will not make us happy at any stage of our life. The success of the human form of life is to understand this: our relationship with God. And we should act in relationship with God. Then our success of life will be achieved. This is the main purpose of Krishna consciousness movement."
The Birla family have become equally famous for both their religious interests and business ventures, with Birla temples prominent in most Indian major cities. Srila Prabhupada took the evening's opportunity to invite the family to expand from the merely religious to practicing a full transcendental life. "That is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission," he said. "He wished especially Indians to take this job of preaching the teachings of Bhagavad-gita all over the world. The mission is they must be very, very merciful to all outsiders. That is India's mission. They are in darkness, tamasi, bring them in the light: tamaso ma jyotir gamah. This attempt has been done by us individually with teeny effort but it is becoming successful. But every one of us should become completely aware of this Movement and take this mission."
Srila Prabhupada's speech was direct and frank. "Krishna said, 'You just offer a little flower and water to Me.' If you think that, 'We have got money, the money is for my enjoyment, and Krishna may be offered a little water and flower,' that is cheating. That is not good. According to your position you must worship. This is wanted. To become very big businessman is not ordinary thing; it requires tapasya, very great labor, brain, yat tapasyasi. But the result, Krishna says, kurushva mad-arpanam. He's asking, 'Give it to Me.' So there is no harm to become very big businessman, earning money. That is all right. But you give it to Krishna. Then in any position you can remain Krishna conscious. And if you remain Krishna conscious, then you will understand Krishna."
Winding up his lecture, Prabhupada asked for questions several times, but got no response. Giriraja, whose lawyer father had once offered him a million dollars to give up Krishna Consciousness, spoke up. "The process of hearing and then asking questions is the way to clarify our understanding, just like Krishna and Arjuna. So actually we must have some questions in our minds, otherwise we would all immediately surrender to Krishna." Prabhupada agreed, "Yes, either you surrender to Krishna, or clear it by question." Still, there was no response. So the lecture ended, and while other devotees showed a film on the lawn, Srila Prabhupada and a small group of us were invited inside to take prasadam.
Ashoka Birla, who had donated three lakhs of rupees for construction of the ISKCON Vrindavana center, expressed his happiness at the evening's program. Then Mrs. Birla and her brother-in-law, Brijratan Mohta, led us upstairs in the lift to a large and beautifully furnished dining room. Sitting at the head of a long and highly polished mahogany table, Srila Prabhupada chatted congenially with his hosts, complimenting them on the delicious meal and answering a variety of questions. After a cordial departure, we finally arrived back at the temple by eleven o'clock. It was a successful preaching engagement, but on the way back Prabhupada mentioned to Giriraja, "That no questions were asked after the lecture indicated a lack of interest on the part of the guests."
Reference: Transcendental Diary Volume 1 by Hari Sauri Dasa
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