Below we have a lecture where Srila Prabhupada explains a few things very nicely.
1. Spiritual life is not boring like material life – same old…
2. Real kirtan or preaching means you will have many enemies.
3. Prabodhananda Sarasvati explains the secret of how to preach in Kali-yuga.
Lecture – Mayapur, March 4, 1974
You'll be surprised that my Guru Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura… Sometimes Pandita Madan Mohan Malaviya, a great politician, well-known political leader, he came to see him. So he inquired from my Guru Maharaja, "What are your activities?" So in describing his activities he said that "We have got six magazines, and out of them, one is daily, Nadiya Prakash." Those who are resident of this place might know. So he was publishing one paper daily, Nadiya Prakash. So Madan Mohan Malaviya inquired that "You are publishing daily one paper about spiritual subject?" He said, "Yes, why not?" Now, he explained that this universe is only one of the millions universes.
This small universe is one of the many, many. We get information from the sastra, yasya prabha prabhavato jagad-anda-kotih [Brahma-samhita 5.40]. Jagadanda means this universe. And there are kotis, unlimited. In Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's dealing, one devotee, Vasudeva Datta, he pleaded to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, "My dear Lord, You have come, You take away all the inhabitants of this earth, or within this universe, and if You think that they are so much sinful that they cannot be delivered, so You can transfer their sinful resultant action, sinful activities, unto me. I shall suffer." This is Vaisnava philosophy, that "Let others be delivered, and if they are unfit, sinful, all their sins may be transferred to me." So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said that "You do not require to take their sinful reaction, but even without your transferring they can be delivered. But this is only one universe." And He compared that this universe is just like a grain of mustard in the mustard bag. Say, hundred kilos, mustard bag, and there is one mustard seed. So this universe is like that. So many universes are there. So my Guru Maharaja explained that "This universe is only just like a grain of mustard seed among millions and trillions of universes, and in each and every universe there are millions and trillions of planets, and this earthly planet is one of them, and in this planet, the earthly planet, there are so many cities, and in each city there are so many daily papers, and each daily paper has got so many editions. So this is only one-fourth exhibition of God's creation. If in one city there are so many news, people can read, so from the three-fourth creation of the world, Vaikuntha–jagat, we can give so many news that we can overflood them with news. Unfortunately we have no customer."
So this is the position. Kirtana. We can glorify the Lord twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours we have got at our disposal. We have got (not) only twenty-four hours, but unlimited. Ekamsena sthito jagat [Bg. 10.42]. This is only one-fourth part manifestation of the whole creation. There is no limit of kirtana. That is unlimited. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction is that "Glorify the Lord continuously." Trnad api sunicena. And as soon as you begin kirtaniyah, real kirtana of Krishna, then you'll have many enemies. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally had many enemies. You know that in this spot there was persecution, religious persecution, by the then magistrate, Chand Kazi. His samadhi is still there. So, and we are also experiencing. Our only fault is that we are preaching the sankirtana movement, and there are so many enemies. You see? So that is possible. Even the father becomes enemy. Prahlada Maharaja, a five-years-old boy, and because he was chanting Hare Krishna mantra, his father became enemy. So you'll have enemies. Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu gives us, warning us, that trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna: "You just become humbler than the grass." Just (as) you trample over the grasses, it does not protest. Not only you, so many people are going on the grasses, but they tolerate. So trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna. And He has given the example, "tolerant than the trees." The trees are standing in one place. Scorching heat and cold and rains, they are all suffering, and the people taking their leaves, taking their branches, woods, cutting them, taking fruit, and still, the trees give you shelter. This is the example of tolerance. So trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna, amanina manadena. Everyone in this material world is very much fond of getting honor. Although he's not honorable, still, he wants to get honor. Although he is unfit, still, he wants. That is the material propensity. So Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says that "You give them honor. Don't ask for yourself any honor, respect, but others, you give them." That is the process of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's preaching.
As Prabodhananda Sarasvati has explained,
dante nidhaya trnakam padayor nipatya
kaku-satam krtva ca etad aham bravimi
he sadhavah sakalam eva vihaya durat
caitanya-candra-carane kurutanuraga
He says… This is the process of preaching: "My dear sir, I am falling down on your lotus feet and with folded hands and am flattering you thousand times, and I have taken one grass in my mouth to show my humbleness. So you kindly hear my one word." "What is that?" He sadhavah, "You are very great sadhu, but you have learned so many things," he sadhavah sakalam eva vihaya durat. "This is my request, that whatever you have learned, so many things, kindly forget. Kick them out." "Then what shall I take?" Chaitanya-candra-carane kurutanuraga: "Just become a servant on the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This is my request." So we have to preach like that. Just flatter him, but request him that "You forget all these bogus things. Simply take to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Your life will be successful." Tanhara caranasrita, sei bada dhanya: [Cc. Adi 7.2]. Anyone who takes shelter at the lotus feet of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, he becomes glorified." Sei bada dhanya.
So our preaching should be like that.
Compiled by Damaghosa Das